Liebster Awards & Our Nominations

We've been nominated for a Liebster award by the lovely Sherri (http://sherribee.blogspot.co.uk)! Thank you so much, the rules are below.. here goes!

1. What do you aspire to be?

Right now, we have no idea where the next few years will take us. We have so much uncertainty that for the future, we aspire to be doing something that we love, and something that we feel confident doing. 

2. What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

"You'll end up real disappointed if you think people will do for you as you do for them. Not everyone has the same heart as you." We can't even count the amount of times we've been left disappointed and saying "we'd never do that to them", now we've learnt that being kind doesn't necessarily mean you will receive kindness back.

3. One item you cannot live without?

Our blankets... we really are old women with them. Being students the heating is rarely on so we always need them - although this isn't even a justification, we could be sweating but we would still have our blankets with us. We just love to be cosy. 

4. Favourite season?

Spring! The perfect balance of hot and cold, you can't beat a spring wardrobe.

5. Where is your safe haven?

Our go-to place has to be Bournemouth Beach. We walk for miles and just moan, nothing ever seems quite as bad when you're in the sea air.

6. Favourite restaurant?

This question seems impossible! We cannot pick one... so we will cheat and choose our favourite bits from a few restaurants to make our ideal meal. 

To start we would have the Funghi Arrosto from Bella Italia (basically baked mushrooms in a creamy mascapone, garlic and spinach sauce - amazing. 

For mains we would combine a 7Bone's burger, Chimichanga's chips and Nandos Halloumi.

Finally, we would squeeze in a peanut butter cheesecake from Vintage Inn's

7. Makeup or Fashion?

A few months ago we would have said fashion, but since coming to uni we need the make-up for our tired eyes and end to just put on the first thing that falls out of our wardrobe. Although we hate that!

8. Sunshine or Rainy days?
If we're out - sunshine! But if we're having a day in, there's nothing better than being wrapped in a blanket when it's pouring with rain outside.

9. How long have you been blogging for?

Exactly a month today!

10. Where do you hope for your blog to go?

There were so many things about university and the lifestyle that we wish we knew before we started, things would have been a lot less confusing if we had a bit of reassurance or warning. We wanted to offer these perspectives for others, and offer some comfort that these thoughts and feelings are common in a lot of people. Our intention has never really been to have a really big audience, just to get the message to the right ones.

11. Favourite things to blog about?

Everyday feelings and realisations - it's such a nice feeling to have your thoughts out in the opinion and feel comfortable with that. 

Budget buys - we constantly feel like we are missing out being on such a tight budget, so when we find goodies that are in our price range we love to share them.

Undiscovered cafe's/restaurants - we love to find new places, and again, we love to share these and encourage others. Sharing's caring!

11 Random Facts

1. We have an obsession with weird documentaries... anything to do with murderers or prison life and we are strangely intrigued

2. We're all for making meals from scratch, but we cannot resist ready-made mash potato... it's just so creamy and goooood

3. Pyjamas are an obsession. We have them spread out between our uni home and our home-home and we still do not have enough space

4. We very rarely turn up to pre-drinks without a bottle of Strawberries & Cream Sidekick (sorry, not sorry)

5. We both absolutely despise shows like The Simpsons, South Park, American Dad, Family Guy... you get the jist. Urgh. 

6. We're known from our friends for having limited geography knowledge. It took us a few months to realise what county we now live in...

7. We have an irrational fear of cats. We have been known to lock ourselves in our rooms when the local cat finds its way into our house.

8. Yes, we are students. Yes, we are obsessed with smoked salmon and no, we won't apologise for it

9. We take our tea's the complete opposite. Em does the milk first, really weak and no sugar. Kirst does the water first, and takes it strong and sugary

10. When Sean Paul comes on in a club, there are no words to describe the moves that we pull - our absolute guilty pleasure

11. Before we started Uni we spoke on a Facebook group for our course, completely unaware that on moving-in day we would discover that not only were we in the same flat, but the bedrooms next to each other.

Our Nominations:

itslittlelaurenlooks.blogspot.com

wonderlandstaves.blogspot.co.uk/
hushhush990.blogspot.co.uk/
thebeautifulbluebird.blogspot.co.uk/
uptownpeach.blogspot.co.uk/
missbeblog.blogspot.co.uk/
leahclarkie.blogspot.co.uk/
littleworldofbeka.blogspot.co.uk/
thechosenchapter.blogspot.co.uk/
suitcaseandsandals.blogspot.co.uk/
daisiesanddolls.blogspot.co.uk/

Your Questions:
1. Why did you start a blog?
2. What's your guilty pleasure?
3. What's one food you couldn't live without?
4. What's your favourite quote?
5. What's your biggest pet hate?
6. Where's your favourite clothes shop?
7. What is one thing that you want to achieve by this time next year?
8. What's one film you could never get sick of watching?
9. What's your favourite blog post of your own?
10. What type of friend are you?
11. Describe your blog in 3 words

Thanks again, Sherri! We loved doing this. Looking forward to reading everyone's posts!

Kitch - Delicious & Fresh - A Canterbury Favourite

This week we are back in our home towns for reading week, however this didn't stop Em from visiting just for one day! As previously discussed, we've banned ourselves from our typical, mainstream restaurants and are only allowed to try new (mostly independent) places to eat!

Kirst lives in Canterbury, Kent which is full of mainstream restaurants, from your ASK to Nandos - you'll find it here. But it is also crammed with independent coffee shops and cafe's, you just have to search for them. Recently, we read a post on BuzzFeed called 21 Delicious Things To Eat In Canterbury and at #2 was Kitch! So on Tuesday, Em drove to Canterbury and we finally took our Kitch virginity.

It's situated towards the bottom of Canterbury High Street (#2 St Peters Street if you would like to be exact) and is intriguing from the outset. With a cute grey theme and big windows it's certainly inviting. We were welcomed by two lovely ladies and invited to sit down and take a look at the menu's. Firstly, the menu isn't exactly large. BUT this doesn't mean there isn't much to choose from. Although the food menu isn't 7 pages long, the wide range of variety from each dish to another is just right. We would safely say there is something for everyone!

Now, what really interested us about Kitch is that it is one of the only places around that source all of their food locally, make it right there as you order & use natural, wholegrain ingredients free from refined sugars, flours and artificial flavours. Delicious and good for you!

We ordered drinks (Chai Latte and a Green Tea - predictable from us). Despite typically ordering our usual, we are quite fussy with them. Whenever Kirst orders a Chai Latte she usually ask how it is made, as she's not so keen when it is made with powder and especially when it's not mixed properly. However, Kitch's was lovely!

Next up was the food. We arrived at Kitch at 11.30am so just in time for breakfast! We both went for the Full English (originally at £8.00) however being the fussy eaters that we are, Kirst switched bacon for another sausage and Em switched sausage for avocado. Typically when we ask to change items (especially on breakfasts) we are met with a grumpy look and a reluctant "ok". This was not the case at Kitch - the waitress was happy to change whatever and showed no signs of grumpyness- yay!

The food was amazing! When ordering the breakfast you have a choice of fried, poached or scrambled egg, it's so refreshing to be offered such an option. The baked beans are made fresh by Kitch and the sour-dough bread was indescribable - simply delicious. Something so simple but so enjoyable was the actual butter! It was so nice to not receive margarine. The sausages were gorgeous and the mushrooms were insanely good. We even asked what it was that they had done to them because they were that good! 

We absolutely love a good fry up, and have had many in our time, but one thing we cannot stand is the feeling that you get after. You know when your mouth literally tastes of oil all day, and you feel sick and uncomfortably full? Well not with this one. Of course we were full, but we were full of energy (not the usual sluggishness you normally feel), and felt completely refreshed and ready for the day. 

The cake selection was far too impressive for our liking, how could we possibly choose!? It felt so nice to be able to look at cakes and know that the ingredients are wholesome, with nothing artificial (who knew cakes could come without the guilt!?), but not compromised at all on taste. 

We absolutely loved our trip and will definitely be coming back to try the whole of the menu. Not only did it taste incredible, but it was lovely to know that the food we were eating was real, and that everything was either homemade or locally sourced. Not to mention the lovely atmosphere, and friendly owner who made us feel so welcome throughout the whole time we were there. 

It's OK To Drift Apart From Friends

Before coming to uni I was completely convinced that your best friends were the ones that you had been friends with the longest. I was under the illusion that they had known you the longest, and therefore knew you the best. 

Then I met Kirst, and within a week of knowing her I realised that she already knew me better than people I had known my whole life (probably because we are basically the same person, but still), and I started to understand that the strength of a friendship is reliant on the quality of the time you have spent together. 

When we are at school we form cliques, and from a young age get stuck with a group that we convince ourselves, are the perfect people for us. We get comfortable, and the thought of ever not being friends with these people is impossible. We just assume that the only way the friendship will end is if we have a huge fall out, otherwise we will remain friends forever. 

Unfortunately as you grow up, and your circles widen, you realise that this assumption couldn't be more wrong. You soon start to realise that when you don't have school, or living in the same area forcing you to see each other all the time, the friendships do not remain the same. 

When these friendships are tested, true colours start to show and instead of the big fall out you imagined, the friendship just simply fades, and that's ok. 

You'll find that people become less interested in your life, and that when communication is no longer easy, people put less effort into doing so. You'll realise that there were so many things that you would just put up with  (when you shouldn't have), and it will cause you to view your 'friends' in a whole new light. You'll meet people that you are far more compatible with, and come to the realisation that you and your old friends don't really have that much in common. 

The point is that when we are younger we are far more programmed than we will ever realise. We stick to what's familiar, and often find ourselves in circles that are safe, but not necessarily where we fit in best. As your life starts to change, so will your interests and expectations, and it's completely ok if your old friendships begin to drift as a result. 

Change is good, and as you grow as a person it's natural for you to grow apart from people that were very much a part of the old you. 

This doesn't mean to say that you never talk to them again, but instead you accept that your friendship is no longer the same. Spending days together turns into the odd cuppa and catch up, telling them your life story turns into 'i'm good thanks, how are you?' and thinking you will be best friends forever turns into being thankful for the friendship that you once had... and that's OK. 

Emma x

An Honest Liz Earle Review

A few months ago Kirst started hogging the bathroom more than usual, standing at the sink for ages and running up our water bill with excessive use of the tap. Intrigued as to what she was up to twice a day I probed her, and realised that the culprit was the Liz Earle Cleanser. 

I'd seen the product before (and all the hype that comes with it), and with a glowing report from Kirst, the next time I went into Boots I couldn't help but be tempted. I had been looking to update my skincare routine for a while, and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

I needed both a cleanser and toner, but somehow completely forgot about my student budget, and ended up purchasing the Daily Essentials Kit (£45.99). I got the normal/combination set, which is advised if you are unsure of your skin type. 

Despite the initial scare of the price of the whole set, when you add up each of the products individually (and the bonus of the exfoliator) the value is actually pretty good, and seems worth it for the amount you get. 

The first thing to note about the kit is that if you are lazy with your skincare routine, do not bother buying this. I am incredibly vigilant with cleansing and toning twice a day (no really, I can't count the amount of times I've woken up from a night out and my cleanser and toner have been on my bedside table with no memory of me using them), so the amount of steps didn't phase me at all. But I can't deny that it is effort, so consider this before you make such a pricey purchase. 

Included inside is two Muslin cloths (£4.50), Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (£14), Instant Boost Skin Tonic (£14.50), Skin Repair Moisturiser (£20) and the Gentle Faced Exfoliator (£11). 

First up, the Cleanser. One of the main reasons that I wanted a new cleanser was that my skin never really felt clean. I would take off my make-up with a wipe, then cleanse using L'oreal and a cotton pad, and would still wake up in the morning with make-up on my face. The Liz Earle cleanser completely eliminates this problem. It's gentle, but thorough and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean, and refreshed. I apply the cleanser, leave it for a few minutes, place the cloth in hot water and rub it off, lay the cloth over my face and then rinse my skin with cold water (opening and closing the pores). 

I really do love this product, but there is a BUT. It seems to have given me spots. I'm not sure if my skin is doing that whole 'get worse before it gets better' routine, so i'll have to hold out, but after 2 weeks I'm definitely more spotty than before. 

In terms of the actual product, I love the Toner. Like the Cleanser it really does work at making your skin feel refreshed, and as though all the dirt on your skin has been removed. My only complaint is that I dislike the bottle. You twist the top and tip the solution onto a cotton pad, and then twist the lid back down to shut it. In theory this sounds fine, but I find that solution comes out when you close the lid, and it just always feels as though it is going to leak. Apart from that though, it's a great product.

Kirst has the toner that sprays and absolutely loves it, so I would recommend this as a more practical option. 

For me, this is the best product in the whole kit. I couldn't even begin to count the amount of moisturisers I have tried. None of them worked, and they either made my skin look greasy, or did not provide any moisture at all. This one is perfect. I absolutely love the smell (I couldn't tell you what it smells of, it just smells clean), and it's the perfect consistency to spread well, without using too much. My skin looks completely hydrated, and stays looking so throughout the whole day. 

I usually hate exfoliators. When I think of exfoliating I think of the Clearasil ones that I used to use when I was in the shower, with the big beads, gloopy texture and the dry feel that they would always create on my skin. Well rest assured the Liz Earle exfoliator is nothing like these products. It feels more like a cream than an exfoliator, with just a slight rough texture that acts as a gentle scrub to revitalise your skin. Applied in between the Cleanse and Toner (I use twice a week, although it says use when necessary) it creates an even smoother touch to the skin. 

Overall I do love this range. My skin feels cleaner than it ever has done before, and the dryness that winter has created really does seem to have been eliminated. While it does take time to complete the whole routine properly I actually do enjoy doing it (it feels nice to look after yourself), so for me it's not a problem. 

Would I recommend? Yes 

Is it worth the price? The moisturiser definitely is, but I think the other products could be slightly cheaper.

Does it live up to expectations? Hmm it does, but it's not as perfect as most bloggers make out (sorry, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't have some moans!). 

Emma x