DAILY DECEMBER #30 // My goals for 2015 // A ramble

I've never been one for setting myself a list of New Years Resolutions, because I'm rubbish at sticking to things like that and I don't like putting extra unnecessary pressure on myself! There are a lot of areas in my life that I feel I can improve upon, however...

Uni // I'm one of those people who spends 6 solid hours in the library for three days straight when it comes to deadline week; this is partially due to not wanting to spend an hour here and there going to the library (a lot of the time my assignments require use of software that I don't have at home), and partially because I leave things to the last minute. So from 2015 onward I'm going to try and not leave things to the last available opportunity! That way I'll be able to enjoy myself a lot more, as I won't be getting stressed.

Health // In 2015 I want to really focus on my mental health, and making myself as happy as can be - and I need to stop being so damn lazy. I also want to start eating breakfast every day, because most of the time I'm still asleep at breakfast time, or I'm rushing out the house still applying my mascara. I want to walk more and not get taxis as much, too!

Blog // I'd absolutely love to hit 500 followers at some point this year - that's my ultimate goal for this time next year, so we'll see how that goes. I'm pretty consistent with posting (so I like to think), so I want to continue that, and I really want to improve my photography skills - although the lighting and space in my uni house is just so dire, and I promise I'm not making excuses!

Miscellaneous // I want to look into having a poetry collection published; although I'm nowhere near ready yet, if I get the ball in motion early on, when the time comes it will hopefully be a much smooth process. I also want to improve on my badminton skills, because I love playing and I'm on the team at uni, but I'm still pretty rubbish. I also want to find myself a part time job so I can get saving to move abroad once I've finished my degree! Of course, ticking some things off my bucket list would be fabulous too.

TVSCB - Chicken in Black Bean // Recipe

I recently introduced a new feature on my blog: The Virtual Student Cook Book, or TVSCB for short. The aim is to share the recipes I've picked up through my first year-and-a-bit of university, that are quick and easy as well as actually being nice. Today it's a chicken in black bean sauce stir-fry, which is my ultimate favourite.

Ingredients:

Chicken - I buy bags of frozen, ready-cooked chicken as it means you don't need to defrost it, and as it's already cooked there's no chance of food poisoning! It's also pretty cheap and can be picked up in the likes of Asda and Tesco, as well as Aldi.

Black Bean Sauce - You can buy this in jars or sachets: one sachet is enough for one person and you can grab them for 29p each in Home Bargains.

Vegetables - It's up to you what veg you put in; I like to have peppers, onions and courgettes, all of which can be found in Aldi or at fruit & veg shops for really cheap. You could add mushrooms, carrots or celery too.

Dried Noodles - These are also available in Home Bargains for around 60p, which gets you 4 'nests' - one nest is enough for one person, and once you've opened the packet they last forever: they're essentially the same as pasta! (you can get them in all the supermarkets too)

Let's get cooking...

I take a frying pan or wok and put some oil in, and some herbs/seasoning if I fancy a bit of extra flavour, although this isn't necessary. The chicken goes in first, as being frozen it needs a bit longer to cook.

While that's cooking, I chop my vegetables and boil the kettle ready for the noodles, which only take a few minutes to cook.

When the chicken has been sizzling for a while I add the vegetables, stirring them to make sure nothing gets stuck to the pan.

After a while I put the noodles on to cook, and once they're done I add them to the wok/frying pan so that they can 'stir fry'. I add the sauce too so it can heat through - and voila.

And you're done...

It's literally as easy as it - and it tastes amazing, although it looks pretty gross which is why I haven't included a photo. Naughty blogger. Don't shoot me. You might want to open the kitchen door or the windows when you're cooking to avoid the smoke alarm going off, and don't put the heat on too high as this can lead to burning the food while simultaneously leaving it uncooked. Hope you enjoy!

The Beauty Blogger Tag

I personally love 'tag' posts, as I think it gives you more of an insight into the person behind the blog! I found this tag on Rachel's blog 'Beauty And The Bird - check her out here - and I thought I'd give it a go.

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Annoyingly in between - but I straighten it if I'm going anywhere nice.

2. What is your natural hair colour?

Blonde, although the colour it is now isn't natural.

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I dye it myself, aint nobody got time for salon prices.

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Most days, and I kick myself for getting into that habit!

5. Do you wear the same style everyday or change it?

It's different every single day.

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I paint my nails myself but if I want something fancy I go to the salon.

7. How often to you change your nail polish?

About twice a week, because my collection is huge and I just wanna use it allll!

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?

Year round, because nobody likes ugly toes.

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

About fifteen minutes.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face.

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I just buy what I need but I wish I had the money to collect it...

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

About twice a year - my eye are so small that most of the time, false lashes look ridiculous on me.

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

Nope - only if I'm going somewhere where I'm bound to see loads of people.

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

I'm too lazy for that.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Absolutely.

16. How many high end products do you have?

A few - I have the Naked Palette, some MAC stuff (is that classed as high end?), two Benefit mascaras and a Bobbi Brown eyeshadow which I use on my brows. Oh and my beloved Givenchy lipstick.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

Not nearly often enough. I'm disgusting, I know.

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

I just decide when I'm getting ready, unless it's a special occasion.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

Toooooo many times. About as often as I should wash my make up brushes.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?

I have trouble sleeping and I'm usually awake until the early hours, but the time I get up totally depends on whether I have uni, what day it is etc etc.

21. How often & when do you workout?

Never. I just don't enjoy it. I'm starting badminton when I go back to uni though, so hopefully that will kick start some sort of exercise for me!

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right handed.

23. How tall are you?

I think I'm 5'4 but I can't remember.

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

Nope, just English.

25. How many pets do you have?

Just the one, a shih tzu called Macy.

26. How often are you on Blogger?

Literally most days, unless I'm away or super busy.

27. Do you read the comments posted on your blog?

I do, not that there's many!

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

If something catches my eye then I keep it in mind or make a note in my phone.

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

It's actually the name of my favourite album by Australian singer Missy Higgins. Probably some sort of copyright breach too.

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

I use my phone, because my laptop won't recognise memory cards so anything else would be pointless.

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

Every couple of weeks (I live in a student house though, so if it's particularly messy after a big night out or a party, it gets cleaned then too!)

32. What is your favourite colour?

Lilac.

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?

It was Company Magazine (RIP), so now I'd have to say Glamour.

34. Do you swear?

Not on blog posts (as far as I know I never have...), but in reality I have an awful habit of it.

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Nothing until this evening then it's out for a few drinks with the gal pals.

I hope you enjoyed reading my Beauty Blogger Tag, and if you're reading this then feel free to do the tag too! If you do, tweet me a link or leave it below so I can see how your answers compare to mine.

OOTD // A Family Party

This is my first ever OOTD post so it won't be great, and any feedback would be much appreciated! It was recently my mum's best friend's 50th birthday, so we had a big family/friends party in the house - I thought I'd show you what I wore and how I styled it.

My dress is from Topshop - I got it in the sale a few months ago, around Easter-time, so it's not available any more sadly. There's a few floating around eBay though. I adore this dress because I think it looks so much more expensive than it was, and it looks really vintage. It's such good quality and it's also flattering which is always a good thing! It's quite a delicate and girly dress; I paired it with some heeled Chelsea boots (mine are off eBay but you can get anywhere!) to grunge it up a little bit. I accessorised with silver hoop earrings and few faux-pearl bracelets. I think these tied in with the dress well due to the cream colour of it.

Dress - Topshop / Boots - eBay

I really hope you enjoyed this quick OOTD post, like I said it's my first so it's probably rubbish and I know I should have taken more photos!