tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10353687926349794332024-03-24T23:32:35.026+00:00Jasmine McRae | UK Beauty, Fashion and LifestyleJasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-23748499829283850512022-11-05T08:30:00.001+00:002022-11-05T08:30:00.236+00:00BAKING HAUL | B&M BARGAINS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgi3ytJZm7BrL0XFUyIFNUcnrVXwqYuFvlSyunhm6fSLrq66cLLZtAF0BXZAC84N61DREmmD9ocQHS2MmJkrsSIW_ZBEhyF7QlNzRTn6OYGYqYBvKnCoEoI4iR48-LSP-E6ItDiu5BaI74vTVht95rdRgPByDBA2dn5a6Mi7BV_e650DnGV1qTJDyxGQ/s2779/bh1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="2779" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgi3ytJZm7BrL0XFUyIFNUcnrVXwqYuFvlSyunhm6fSLrq66cLLZtAF0BXZAC84N61DREmmD9ocQHS2MmJkrsSIW_ZBEhyF7QlNzRTn6OYGYqYBvKnCoEoI4iR48-LSP-E6ItDiu5BaI74vTVht95rdRgPByDBA2dn5a6Mi7BV_e650DnGV1qTJDyxGQ/w640-h362/bh1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">My impulsivity can be a blessing and a curse. In this instance, though, it was definitely a blessing. My boyfriend and I were wondering what to do one weekend and decided we wanted to bake a cake. We’ve both never ever really been into baking. We’re both incredibly big foodies and really enjoy cooking breakfasts and evening meals, but baking is an entirely different kettle of fish! They always say that “cooking is an art, but baking is a science”, and that truly terrifies me, as when I’m doing dinner I’m extremely off-piste and creative. Baking is far more disciplined, which has never really appealed to me, but for some reason, this weekend, we decided it was!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Now, I don’t really have a sweet tooth, so the cake we wanted to make was exclusively for Kyle. HOWEVER, I still wanted to make a Red Velvet cake - even though I had zero intention of eating a single piece. Red Velvets were the only cake I’ve ever really liked, though I’ve not *chosen* cake from a cafe menu for years upon years. I’m definitely the sort of girl who’d rather have a sausage roll! But, a Red Velvet looks so decadent, and the cream cheese icing isn’t so sickly sweet.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I set off to B&M for the equipment. As we never ever bake cakes, or anything sweet, we literally didn’t have a single utensil. So I was working from total scratch! I obviously didn’t want to spend a fortune, because this isn’t a regular hobby of ours, and B&M always has the goods for cheap. I was really pleasantly surprised to see they had a whole range of baking equipment in their kitchen section. I wasn’t really sure how much to expect, as I’ve never even really looked for it before.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRjsXp_996_RbgOeDuzuQA4iEgkA0TUIMu2mbEsZ3-7_-W16Q3q-dY_J-0kxFBLKyOrt6XsQkV2WvbqReOQOb2sfVqPp9-SnfXBH8Kv-r_GHdQQby9_GJUUPpjuN62G4c0EcLgtW44u_4yld3yloaBd1ZpbOE5fLpNR_owOqoJ-Z4vtEYabK8EIq5Yw/s2800/bh2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRjsXp_996_RbgOeDuzuQA4iEgkA0TUIMu2mbEsZ3-7_-W16Q3q-dY_J-0kxFBLKyOrt6XsQkV2WvbqReOQOb2sfVqPp9-SnfXBH8Kv-r_GHdQQby9_GJUUPpjuN62G4c0EcLgtW44u_4yld3yloaBd1ZpbOE5fLpNR_owOqoJ-Z4vtEYabK8EIq5Yw/w640-h426/bh2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">It was great to see such a range of items, and at such an affordable price. I chose two of the <b>Silicone Round Baking Tray</b>s at £2 each. These are good because they’re super easy to clean, and for a beginner I wanted something easy to pop cakes out of once cooked. I also grabbed a set of <b>Mini Whisks</b> which were only £2 as well. These were particularly handy as one is metal and one is plastic, meaning we won’t be doing damage to the bottom of any pans or bowls when mixing. These whisks have also been used loads and loads in my usual cooking routine!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">For £3 I also purchased the set of <b>3 Baking Utensils</b>, which consists of silicone-headed spoons, scrapers and spatula-type things. These proved extremely useful for mixing, and also as part of the decorating process, as the cream cheese icing looks so nice scraped across the Red Velvet sponge so the cake is peeking out from behind it. I was feeling extra so also chose the <b>Icing Bag Set</b> for £2, which, to be honest, I have used once and now it sits collecting dust in the kitchen cupboard. I kinda want to throw it away! I think it’s a good item to have, and it really worked nicely to create little decorative squirts of icing when we made our cake! It’s just a slight faff to clean, and something I really don’t need considering we never bake.</p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhXmh2WOeTEMnBwM9e9CMoXpuP9HsMTTuHUY7xc289Jj2YMBT7uLKPmWzQVqfuw3QoDqfbSZLsYlSOhg6kIAD1d4WZNh1Nc2Dv-vPQ4K_Jej8Ncn1vMWxZIWP2nzYjSA7Ps3oS_8hxnebIqadYg0ctjEfVXzrX_wl9jj_V5F9bq9sTbOPhpiC7_NtGg/s2800/bh3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhXmh2WOeTEMnBwM9e9CMoXpuP9HsMTTuHUY7xc289Jj2YMBT7uLKPmWzQVqfuw3QoDqfbSZLsYlSOhg6kIAD1d4WZNh1Nc2Dv-vPQ4K_Jej8Ncn1vMWxZIWP2nzYjSA7Ps3oS_8hxnebIqadYg0ctjEfVXzrX_wl9jj_V5F9bq9sTbOPhpiC7_NtGg/w640-h426/bh3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I also picked up the <b>12 Cup Muffin Tin</b> which was £3, so an absolute BARGAIN in my opinion. It’s Betty Crocker branded and has a lovely non-stick texture. We had some leftover cake batter so ended up making around 7 or 8 cupcakes afterwards. For these, we also needed some <b>Paper Baking Cases</b>, and they came in a pack of 36 cases for £1.50. They’re also just the cutest pastel designs, with baby pink, mint green and pastel polka dot patterns. They looked super cute and ended up making some really pretty Red Velvet cupcakes with the cream cheese icing on top!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">All in all, I only spent £13.50 on all of these goodies, which is just great considering we get to keep them forever now. Any time the mood takes us to bake a cake, we’re sorted! What’s nice is we’ve been able to use most of these items for various other needs in the kitchen. The muffin tin has come in particularly handy for making breakfast egg cups as meal prep for the week! I’m always using the silicone spatulas when cooking pastas and curries, and the whisks are super handy. So, this little spur of the moment baking haul made our rainy Saturday fun and has remained really useful. B&M is always so great and I am still yet to be proved wrong!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><br /><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-81186705880654335012022-10-29T08:30:00.001+01:002022-10-29T08:30:00.225+01:00THE OUTFIT #2<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtAdro9EpC_w7o2XNbBVDIq6SqfUP_PxQrahQLIOd7UoDNXE8KzYpgULlgeSS0dPWnek8f0pwabxPLsOkBQdFEU9LNA7Rj0-7LlIlvbeWE_1nENVGeHri4kEihLr77Ui6kkkmkR8R4gmUZbu7GbKB2aDEb4w3YIhEFVbhhh8KgBrqHLMmdZ7Bjb9dbg/s2018/lll.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1762" data-original-width="2018" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtAdro9EpC_w7o2XNbBVDIq6SqfUP_PxQrahQLIOd7UoDNXE8KzYpgULlgeSS0dPWnek8f0pwabxPLsOkBQdFEU9LNA7Rj0-7LlIlvbeWE_1nENVGeHri4kEihLr77Ui6kkkmkR8R4gmUZbu7GbKB2aDEb4w3YIhEFVbhhh8KgBrqHLMmdZ7Bjb9dbg/w640-h558/lll.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t think there’s anything better than a simple all black fit. I love the effortlessness and knowing that it’s a timeless and elegant way putting an outfit together. I always feel like a bad B in all black. Part super villain and part Morticia Addams. I’m also loving that the weather is cooler and the maxi dresses and coats are OUT! Layering up and getting all cosy, whilst still looking glam and expensive is one of my favourite ways to dress.<span></span></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Here’s an outfit perfect for a dinner date, which is something I’ve been dying to go for for what feels like ages! Kyle and I are in a bit of a strange transitional period as he’s just started a new job, meaning our routines are all over the place - and everyone knows how tight the month between new pay checks can be! Plus, we’re trying to cut back and not be as extravagant all the time. We’ve got a house deposit and an engagement to save for, you know!!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Dress - </b>ASOS Design Square Neck Ribbed Midi Dress with Split</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Oversized coat - </b>H&M Wide Coat</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Boots - </b>New Look Wear Your Way Black Chunky Boots</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oLS9Dh3VdF5LvfofV0Q6t8hmXIlXajuODLoCGcdlWT7uPKdA8swTJr3TPHTaMURc6cDB_5v7jGSKhLE4SsRwqPAnnNq-UTwiUTxna4s78_IzZaFasHhh6VOIFE7zksgZtX-TJCmR4gJFHTUsn8iXfezsFblvBcS5GrHjamsXZRHGuBusqE31gzgW_g/s2018/ll.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1762" data-original-width="2018" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oLS9Dh3VdF5LvfofV0Q6t8hmXIlXajuODLoCGcdlWT7uPKdA8swTJr3TPHTaMURc6cDB_5v7jGSKhLE4SsRwqPAnnNq-UTwiUTxna4s78_IzZaFasHhh6VOIFE7zksgZtX-TJCmR4gJFHTUsn8iXfezsFblvBcS5GrHjamsXZRHGuBusqE31gzgW_g/w640-h558/ll.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I know we’ll definitely find our groove again soon, and when we do, I’ve got the perfect outfit for a late night dinner date and some drinks afterwards. I can imagine sipping on a few wines in an outdoor area of a bar in this outfit, and just feeling like I look a million quid. This is definitely a more glam and empowering look out of my usual trousers-and-a-top repertoire.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Even though I’m a petite girl, I love the way maxi dresses make my body look. I think there’s something very feminine about a long skirt, and the slit adds a bit of spice. The knee boots paired with a maxi dress ensure I’ll not be freezing to death. And the coat is just my perfect and most favourite coat - the oversized sleeves and long length is able to be dressed up or down, and always looks incredibly stylish.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-73700053780632886702022-10-22T09:00:00.002+01:002022-10-22T09:00:00.187+01:00L'OREAL PURE CLAY DETOX MASK + GLOW MASK REVIEW<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCeclc61GL20p3djlkJWDMnsH1FWgecmzk0nWq-zwqgZrSZbpMIIuE71BZSbBRig6j835RQ37UZtHhptHb-nW3b523appL6DFWt_2XdibqeRtFK3E2WbOZztjtr5IerttYf0noHwDUCz-D3jMpELfX9MHhKDULreXBfFlvNtAXkTHEI6B-zhBNO4eQw/s2779/fm1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1668" data-original-width="2779" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCeclc61GL20p3djlkJWDMnsH1FWgecmzk0nWq-zwqgZrSZbpMIIuE71BZSbBRig6j835RQ37UZtHhptHb-nW3b523appL6DFWt_2XdibqeRtFK3E2WbOZztjtr5IerttYf0noHwDUCz-D3jMpELfX9MHhKDULreXBfFlvNtAXkTHEI6B-zhBNO4eQw/w640-h384/fm1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">Picture this: it’s the weekend, you’ve had a productive
week and all your laundry/dishes/idiot hamster jobs are done. It’s time for a
self-care Sunday. I wanted to review the omnipresent L’Oreal Paris masks, of
which I have two out of the range of six. The whole range is pretty exciting;
mixing high-end ingredients with very low prices, and universally available.
The masks in this range I’m yet to try are the <b>blemish</b> <b>rescue</b>, <b>purity</b>, <b>smoothing</b> and <b>brightening </b>masks<b> </b>– all of which are on my to-buy list. I
think it’s great when an affordable brand bring out something that feels really
luxe and indulgent, especially since we’re all brassic on account of our
stunning government at the moment. But let’s not mix politics with beauty posts
– let’s have a good ol’ fashioned product review…<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQNw8H4SPbgW06wXJWaxadISWDVVTDgLhdKF0f_WTyKgq5n7EPXTd4lLmIGu6g8MflojLdufGvJWd4rp89uLR27JWB7VGtd51FLzAyftozdyNXifID1bumjUHBkiYscstRiP_AHagaw7ZQjv4XJ-pjX2q_2SMizMglImjqhOl5bldet5g2-lfm9QCmg/s2800/fm3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQNw8H4SPbgW06wXJWaxadISWDVVTDgLhdKF0f_WTyKgq5n7EPXTd4lLmIGu6g8MflojLdufGvJWd4rp89uLR27JWB7VGtd51FLzAyftozdyNXifID1bumjUHBkiYscstRiP_AHagaw7ZQjv4XJ-pjX2q_2SMizMglImjqhOl5bldet5g2-lfm9QCmg/w640-h426/fm3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay
Detox Face Mask Charcoal 50ml<br /></span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Since discovering I have sensitive skin, I’ve been quite careful
about the amount of ‘detoxifying’ clay products I use on my skin. All
throughout my teenage years, I scrubbed and detoxed and clay-masked my skin into
oblivion – then wondered why I was spotty, oily and sore! I’ve definitely come
more onto the side of hydration and gentle cleansers – so this isn’t something
I’d gravitate towards or use overly regularly. Saying that, I think this is a
really nice thing to have in my bathroom cupboard for a deep clean every now
and again, being very careful not to overdo it!<br /> </span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">The smell of this mask is quite clay-y (for lack of a
better word) and slightly on the chemically side, however not so far as to irritate
or seem harsh. The texture is incredibly smooth and the product spreads
beautifully evenly when applied. I also think the 50ml sized pot is quite generous
considering the affordability of these, and what’s even better is you are able
to purchase them in most stores that sell toiletries.<br /> </span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">The mask applies dark-grey to black, and dries to a pale
grey, so you know when it’s ready to be removed. I use this probably once every
2 months (so very very delicately so as not to send my skin into shock!) and
generally on a Friday evening after work. I apply it after my usual cleanser,
and before my toner and moisturiser. Then I remove it with a warm, wet flannel.
This mask can (and has!) draw out impurities or dirt up to the surface level of
the skin, and can trigger a breakout, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a
Sunday-night treat, as you could end up at work on Monday with a huge spot that’s
come up! However, it’s a great deep-clean product for when you feel your skin
is in need of some TLC and a real overhaul.</span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDM2WqqVK1jNkQ10DQTM6OuudwBGfc0thsceAZV1aonfrFBp0z59nceD34uW2xTijbGO7TDXNYTHM7iFEfBCCFz2elGAdqxQ9bpyZCUyL0O2X5qYwTfGT5SOxymPCJPV2qhxtDdID0nUzczyd9TAgwMtCLUB2WrSFXFlxGFkToOSu_vQGn_LVtBB_2w/s2800/fm2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDM2WqqVK1jNkQ10DQTM6OuudwBGfc0thsceAZV1aonfrFBp0z59nceD34uW2xTijbGO7TDXNYTHM7iFEfBCCFz2elGAdqxQ9bpyZCUyL0O2X5qYwTfGT5SOxymPCJPV2qhxtDdID0nUzczyd9TAgwMtCLUB2WrSFXFlxGFkToOSu_vQGn_LVtBB_2w/w640-h426/fm2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><b>L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Glow Face Mask 50ml<br /></b></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">This is my favourite of the two – I really can’t get
enough of it! Despite having sensitive skin, I am a true advocate for the
physical exfoliation (as opposed to a chemical exfoliation). There’s something
super satisfying about a proper scrub, and washing away a product to reveal
fresh, bright skin underneath. This coral-pink mask is a coarsely gritty
texture which is absolutely perfect for resurfacing and retexturing the face.
This one definitely gets more frequent use from me, and I always feel like it’s
such a treat.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">I apply the mask after my cleanser, and before it has
dried, rub it in circular motions into my skin to lift and clear any dead skin,
remnants of makeup, residues of sadness etc, and then leave it for around 15
minutes before again soaking off with a wet flannel. This is a mask I’ll use in
the morning, as the glow it gives your skin is noticeably bright, and makes for
a fantastic canvas to apply your makeup on to. A full face of makeup looks so
much nicer and fresher on a smoother base. This is a real star-product for me,
and something I’ll always want to keep a pot of handy in my bathroom.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MNpAYc4hJUzk5mBGt-rxb0vPFyAR08YAo4aYegZsSERMk6FQ1HhWjsm4HBQ5B1Ot8GveUcbkUAPt4TMBuvmxFzGzcKdJrWlMg_BwURDWHf98V-0wzCki6xRwJH0nTxR88KOb-4LqSChJWCOwcKG9OarlljY5r1Egdw9tG04IU8KHYUhTBZ8DZ8w70g/s2800/fm4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MNpAYc4hJUzk5mBGt-rxb0vPFyAR08YAo4aYegZsSERMk6FQ1HhWjsm4HBQ5B1Ot8GveUcbkUAPt4TMBuvmxFzGzcKdJrWlMg_BwURDWHf98V-0wzCki6xRwJH0nTxR88KOb-4LqSChJWCOwcKG9OarlljY5r1Egdw9tG04IU8KHYUhTBZ8DZ8w70g/w640-h426/fm4.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">For the £4.99 price tag, these are products that are
super accessible to anyone wanting to have a bit of a pamper. I think they’d be
especially good for younger people who are first experimenting with skincare
and face masks; they won’t break the bank and they definitely give the feeling
of a treat. Everyone deserves to have a bit of self-care in their routine, and
this could be a fantastic gateway-drug (for lack of a better phrase!) into more
complex or premium skincare.<br /></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Of course I like to indulge in a very spenny face mask
every now and again, but we’re in a cost of living crisis you know! I’m sure
that every man and their dog has seen these masks floating around blogs and the
shelves of their supermarkets, but I still wanted to contribute and throw my
two cents in. I do like these products, and I really rate their prevalence and
how universal they are.<br /> </span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> <br /><div style="text-align: center;">Lots of love,</div></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><div style="text-align: center;">Jasmine x</div></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-76439511432791279682022-10-15T09:00:00.001+01:002022-10-15T09:00:00.231+01:00THE OUTFIT #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRms0X40n6eZQmfQv17Ey2H15FiTpXAAV6voowLhtam9JHf9HQv2JsZaeZTzdy3w7EnM9DCv8Cueu07fPbDni16M4mnccX3L_Th6aDwTGuV9lMqANpLfUla0fWzaov0mEtuURYF8tr2ttDEtSjWqk5qTo8n9gHw5fcFnt5rlTmpCMcrLeLKQYGDpkBA/s1877/zz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1877" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRms0X40n6eZQmfQv17Ey2H15FiTpXAAV6voowLhtam9JHf9HQv2JsZaeZTzdy3w7EnM9DCv8Cueu07fPbDni16M4mnccX3L_Th6aDwTGuV9lMqANpLfUla0fWzaov0mEtuURYF8tr2ttDEtSjWqk5qTo8n9gHw5fcFnt5rlTmpCMcrLeLKQYGDpkBA/w640-h542/zz.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something
about autumn gets me so inspired to take my camera out and shoot some outfit
pictures. It’s also the time of year I feel suits my style the best. The
layers, the knits, the chunky boots. Ahhh, and not to mention the neutral
tones. I’ve been super motivated and have truly found a new sense of creativity
and commitment to my content this season. It’s definitely something that peaks
and troughs – I can sometimes go months without even thinking about picking up
my camera (or wearing anything other than jogging bottoms and hoodies, for that
matter). But this month I’m vlogging, blogging, instagramming, and wanted to
start a bit of a new series on my blog where I detail my outfits for a post;
just a bit of a cheeky style diary.<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This outfit
was a quick mosey to Aldi on my lunchbreak on a work-from-home day. There was a
bit of a chill in the air, but it was a bright, cloudy day. A definite requirement
for the layers and sunnies combo. Plus the comfy shoes, just for popping to the
supermarket for some bits for dinner. Hilariously, these ones are taken outside
my flat on a dual carriageway (I have no shame), where two random blokes pulled
up and shouted from their car window that they would take them for me. I politely
declined.</div></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Sunglasses – </span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">eBay UK Hexagon sunglasses</span></div></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Shacket – </b>ASOS Design Petite Oversized shacket</div><o:p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Shirt – </b>Mango Chiffon Long Sleeve Shirt</div></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Top – </b>H&M beige racer crop vest</div><o:p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>PU trousers – </b>Shein PU crop pants</div></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trainers – </b>Converse black and white All Star hi
trainers</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRRmUZt7k5AdTLDvGXwNbVaX09PuC1vyRHReNtoaoHicaSE5ktHEoeQeUUXKIJ94SKhgZ4LwmA8FUurQgYoosM4KSa_ni7TiOgE4MGQ8QKtDL-CS-7kENbOEgl92lmeb1Eebc8dvxtDKC_6THtg7eCB2GXHlC-tDBqxxb7837QQvdjnfUhGsiuNvCLw/s1877/zz11.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1877" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRRmUZt7k5AdTLDvGXwNbVaX09PuC1vyRHReNtoaoHicaSE5ktHEoeQeUUXKIJ94SKhgZ4LwmA8FUurQgYoosM4KSa_ni7TiOgE4MGQ8QKtDL-CS-7kENbOEgl92lmeb1Eebc8dvxtDKC_6THtg7eCB2GXHlC-tDBqxxb7837QQvdjnfUhGsiuNvCLw/w640-h542/zz11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkexZf9Ggfl1KDymMw16MWjxoLMZY-bHRlKGsNokbgxy5Nk3T_C2FT1796yTxVgK9J8jQnPFMNphoGEwbDup9KF2irzHQvVuJlGkrxs75azsA7jOw7XLVvulfacu4MzFuXD5izzkWhowxSPKr6f-zDGfWvM5cs4VPDDzVkUGhMTY0Rc7acRkwQK-0dQ/s1877/z11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1877" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkexZf9Ggfl1KDymMw16MWjxoLMZY-bHRlKGsNokbgxy5Nk3T_C2FT1796yTxVgK9J8jQnPFMNphoGEwbDup9KF2irzHQvVuJlGkrxs75azsA7jOw7XLVvulfacu4MzFuXD5izzkWhowxSPKr6f-zDGfWvM5cs4VPDDzVkUGhMTY0Rc7acRkwQK-0dQ/w640-h542/z11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XoclQPB7SpuEIL-eMARojpC9kEI9eWRRkBq6ednWqf8EYA6VEEjwMA_pHKQF8nrA-gsFOoWAPXsE-GClemy2TXX9smaB4J1me3ZHLLPvjf7wLd6fc-4WL7yZJppbp0NewC9KAF9bS8KjU_VLo2sV7UtsHI8AM6sBhhodtR7IWqDcFJx8YDzcZMdOAQ/s1877/z1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1877" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XoclQPB7SpuEIL-eMARojpC9kEI9eWRRkBq6ednWqf8EYA6VEEjwMA_pHKQF8nrA-gsFOoWAPXsE-GClemy2TXX9smaB4J1me3ZHLLPvjf7wLd6fc-4WL7yZJppbp0NewC9KAF9bS8KjU_VLo2sV7UtsHI8AM6sBhhodtR7IWqDcFJx8YDzcZMdOAQ/w640-h542/z1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">I really enjoyed the mixing and matching of fabrics with this outfit. I like the contrast between the white chiffon shirt, the denim shacket and the sheen of the PU trousers. It is a super casual and low-key look, so perfect for running a few errands. I like the peek of beige to warm up the outfit and break up the pure monochrome. I think this is just a super simple and easy outfit – and definitely one I’ll be guilty of repeating this autumn!</div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Lots of love,</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jasmine x</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-47805765859802539542022-07-15T17:48:00.002+01:002022-07-15T17:48:00.216+01:00IN PHOTOGRAPHS | A WEEKEND IN LONDON<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkZW6IvhBUTGxPKESc7jG5pFrCdUgYNit4PTtNHE0GBuGuq-CVlX4-97VhGfELFWsUVolmKl7ocGM2Ql0Tu5k98gsu49HEe9xcMXFgLf1A3zIQTz1wwq1jjEesLAMsacVIPWwg_wmKFwUsWvv2QdziWYTTNp8WdQ628lAnm3S82E640PUMhIswFWWbw/s4032/image4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkZW6IvhBUTGxPKESc7jG5pFrCdUgYNit4PTtNHE0GBuGuq-CVlX4-97VhGfELFWsUVolmKl7ocGM2Ql0Tu5k98gsu49HEe9xcMXFgLf1A3zIQTz1wwq1jjEesLAMsacVIPWwg_wmKFwUsWvv2QdziWYTTNp8WdQ628lAnm3S82E640PUMhIswFWWbw/w640-h480/image4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">London is my favourite place in the world, and somewhere I
was lucky enough to call home for a few years. Nothing sets my heart on fire
like the beautiful city streets, the architecture, the sense of adventure that
came with every morning, the anticipation of what was to come. All the
different people, the hustle and bustle of the underground, the incredibly
diverse array of food, drink, places to go and things to do. I loved people
watching, running to catch the tube, sitting in a beer garden or taking myself
on a little day out. One of my favourite things was taking a stroll to
Greenwich Park, just 10 minutes from my flat. Or catching the bus to the O2 and
treating myself to lunch. I’ve a very complicated relationship with my former
home; I’m constantly toing and froing within my own mind about moving back
there – about what it would cost and what it would mean – in the bigger sense
of the word. So, to be honest, I try to push it to the back of my mind. For
now, my priorities are elsewhere. And while I always like to think that someday
I’ll win the lottery and buy a home in South East London, for the time being,
all I can do is visit and admire my city from afar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Back in April, I visited for the weekend with my family and
had a fantastic time. We stayed in an old converted Victorian house in
Knightsbridge where the photo opportunities are on every street corner. We enjoyed
a lunch of Spanish tapas and my first ever visit to the incredible V&A
Museum. We followed this with an amazing evening at Proud Cabaret on Embankment
– a five course meal and drinks, served with a backdrop of the most spectacular
burlesque, circus and dance performances (something I never thought would be my
thing, but I had one of the most incredible evenings of my life!). We then
followed up with a walk around Central London, a picnic lunch in Trafalgar
Square, and finishing up in Soho before heading home to Bristol. Of course I
roped my sister into taking some outfit photos for me too! I had such a
memorable and special weekend, and took the opportunity to snap as many photos
as I could. What I love about London is that it really speaks for itself in all
its majesty. I hope you like my photos from my fabulous weekend in the most
fantastic city on earth. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59NQSGocsNJgD2hW_frd7nrARxoOhcyhYpMOVUKzSJHKH2RqzATxe2fwTvT-83DHjlaG6_0oevl1puzM2mxhJMtACtkHVYotIdC5trpAA3wVRsQ7CM6xi4wmIyMqrNBv9VPMywHEsDElyywUrDUV4zfyU3Mn96PgkJndjSmAP3OAfMrDRABZy0DM0_A/s1560/image3%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59NQSGocsNJgD2hW_frd7nrARxoOhcyhYpMOVUKzSJHKH2RqzATxe2fwTvT-83DHjlaG6_0oevl1puzM2mxhJMtACtkHVYotIdC5trpAA3wVRsQ7CM6xi4wmIyMqrNBv9VPMywHEsDElyywUrDUV4zfyU3Mn96PgkJndjSmAP3OAfMrDRABZy0DM0_A/w480-h640/image3%20(1).jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VPptQVh6PeX02TcXsWgWmiNjxEz5Uu3hmGxmsm3vQcVMkrQUvy7E3jiCifFLU8aOxhsz0OSHrFWmLmkehx5kILflhZ4zddojPvCXvkcKzBg5F5WRWqp5DxXT87d2cKr57rexn94LQdrrrw819X75oT-YflLdXboy5SXAShOqApUuPbVFxeydz4nutQ/s4032/image1%20(2).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lots of love,<br />Jasmine x</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; 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margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-13356894012520200762022-07-08T10:52:00.000+01:002022-07-08T10:52:20.075+01:00THE ORDINARY COVERAGE FOUNDATION | REVIEW + SWATCHES (1.2N)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_jMKVanRgWKknAOUy6bu9v2n1sykOfeRn9wuleZJd9SyqbuI2UjyRafpWBufx2yGMHA5UtP60rr21krn4JfirmP5WFhLCs09oXWrvYxqGhFpVfmrja2EaSvYS2QH0cDuucqwi9Gc17hS/s1600/theord1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_jMKVanRgWKknAOUy6bu9v2n1sykOfeRn9wuleZJd9SyqbuI2UjyRafpWBufx2yGMHA5UtP60rr21krn4JfirmP5WFhLCs09oXWrvYxqGhFpVfmrja2EaSvYS2QH0cDuucqwi9Gc17hS/s640/theord1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you’re like me, you’ve got two very defined stashes of
makeup. One stash is comprised of exquisitely packaged, masterfully formulated
and, not to mention, extortionately priced products. These are the products we
save for special occasions; my face of makeup for my graduation, family members’
weddings, date nights and Christmas Days must’ve been worth an absolute
fortune. Between my lavish and treasured collection of NARS, Charlotte Tilbury
and Fenty Beauty, I dread to think what I must have spent over the years. The
other is our everyday collection; the Monday to Friday in the office, the
Sunday morning coffee-run, and the odd schlep to Aldi…if I can be bothered. And
I simply cannot bring myself to waste my Estee Lauder Double Wear (at £32 a
bottle, no less!) for a casual trip out. The pang of fear I get when I’m
squirting out my boujie foundation – even when I am using it for a special occasion!
– at the thought of washing it off in a mere few hours’ time is a reminder of
my new-found frugality. And frugality is going to help me buy a house one day!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But where on earth am I going with all this? Well, I am a
firm believer that just because you’re using a cheaper foundation and being a
frugal queen does NOT MEAN you need to resign
yourself to a poor-quality orange cake face for all your days in the office. If
you do anything for yourself this month, then you need to buy <b>The Ordinary Coverage Foundation</b>. I’m
sure this won’t be the first time this foundation has made its way onto your internet
browser, Instagram feed or YouTube ads; it was so incredibly popular and hyped
around the time I was getting super in to makeup. It really was the
wonder-product. Despite it creeping up slightly in price since back then, the
consistent four-to-five star review holds true, and it’s been a staple in my
makeup bag for around 4 years now. The undisputed ‘foundation’…<i>get it?</i>...of my casual makeup
collection.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The brand The Ordinary made waves in the beauty community
for providing incredibly good-quality skincare for an incredibly low cost. I remember
how much buzz there was surrounding it. Then they released their two foundations
to a really positive reception; you won’t have any problems whatsoever finding
a million other beauty blogs and YouTube reviews of them. The formula was
highly praised and the range of 21 shades (especially for a budget brand) was
really impressive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of the two foundations released, the Serum Foundation and
the Coverage Foundation, this one is my preferred option. It’s called the
Coverage foundation for a very valid reason. This stuff masks my freckles
pretty well for a foundation that costs so little. It feels light and
comfortable on my skin all day in the office, and the colour match is spot on.
I always always always match my foundation shade using Temptalia’s Foundation
Matrix online when purchasing rogue products off the internet, and it’s always
served me pretty well. It’s super blendable and I always apply mine with a buffer
brush for a smooth finish. I also think it’s fab that the bottle comes with a
pump, as sooo many pricier brands don’t even bother throwing that in with their
fifty quid products.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rTSF8KBRtUNWlIsws32-6Fg1FqTUQwI373p6sZZJ4-F49PEpKTK0jzEvsdLh8n3iTBveI1-xhTOqYBMd8YpaoWNDeWUhMoaKvMWRBBerCytVZBjPcYiraG_Rf1wMyyHxl9AxivBcLOmj/s1600/theord2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1600" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rTSF8KBRtUNWlIsws32-6Fg1FqTUQwI373p6sZZJ4-F49PEpKTK0jzEvsdLh8n3iTBveI1-xhTOqYBMd8YpaoWNDeWUhMoaKvMWRBBerCytVZBjPcYiraG_Rf1wMyyHxl9AxivBcLOmj/s640/theord2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I do, of course, have a few small qualms. After about 8hrs of wear, the foundation starts to look a bit naff. My skin is a bit oily in places and a bit dry in others, and annoyingly, if I get an itch round my nose, this foundation can make an incredibly swift exit if I so much as tickle my nose with a nail. But, for the price point, I think that’s fair play. It’s really not the worst thing in the world. It does also mean that after a full day in the office, it’s relatively easy to remove.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I first started purchasing this product, I remember it being around the £5.00 mark, which is absolutely crazy looking back! I’ve not actually been into a high street beauty shop for aaaages – thanks Covid! – but I’d be very surprised if you could find anything for that price. Even the prices of the really rubbish brands and products are probably suitably adjusted for inflation. The Ordinary Coverage Foundation is now going for £6.90 on most supplier’s websites. I always tend to use LookFantastic when I’m due a stock up, as there’s more-often-than-not some sort of discount code you can use.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, for me, this is absolutely perfect for an everyday foundation, and it’s one that I will repurchase over and over and over again. Personally, finding a reliable and good-quality every day foundation is a little bit boring to blog about, but it’s something that’s so important to get right! My preference is always swatching and researching my next ‘exciting’ makeup purchase, but realistically, The Ordinary is what I’m spending most of my hours in, and it’s the face that greets most of the people I’m interacting with day-to-day. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lots of love,<br />Jasmine x</span></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; font-size: large; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></div>
Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-43617598298045912352022-05-27T15:05:00.001+01:002022-05-27T15:05:56.683+01:00WHAT NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT COMING OFF THE CONTRACEPTIVE INJECTION | DEPO PROVERA <p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-qPlPfP3nHDfa4RWCzEtw-0EEXrVgCRZvFQRhB7rIWG8XrewDyY4D4e2YIOfGmw34s5AczA_6ZZu-FX-zd5MzsYHJiEw_4fvRCdtL8vWDhjwqFZtVt2Clo7w7qgH5LBPhrYch859nXNnxWSKh46Rp2mhWGh7Llks6Yq2BOTKObhUxdZiPFfzinBydww=s2800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1582" data-original-width="2800" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-qPlPfP3nHDfa4RWCzEtw-0EEXrVgCRZvFQRhB7rIWG8XrewDyY4D4e2YIOfGmw34s5AczA_6ZZu-FX-zd5MzsYHJiEw_4fvRCdtL8vWDhjwqFZtVt2Clo7w7qgH5LBPhrYch859nXNnxWSKh46Rp2mhWGh7Llks6Yq2BOTKObhUxdZiPFfzinBydww=w640-h362" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Contraception and hormones are something 50%
of the population will have to deal with. We all have an opinion on it, we’ve
all agonised over which method will be the best for us. We’ve all worried about
a potential negative experience or reaction. We’ve all lamented that there are
no male-pills! Now, I will preface this whole blog post by saying that I’m not
an expert. But I most certainly </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">am </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a
girl who has experienced what so many of us dread; a terrible response to a new
method of contraception, and a real sense of withdrawal after coming off a
method that I’d been so happy with for years.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">For context; I was 13 years old when I got my
first period. I remember being shocked by the amount of blood. I remember trying
for over an hour to insert a tampon but finding it too painful and
overwhelming. I remember crying from the bathroom that I couldn’t come out, and
my mum trying to speak to me through the door. I think I tolerated about three
periods before I decided that it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t able to function
properly whatsoever. Between the searing cramps, the (what seemed like) fifteen
litres of blood leaving my body daily, the money spent on sanitary products and
pain relief, I had absolutely had it with periods after THREE. I swore to
myself that I wouldn’t – and shouldn’t have to - put up with it. The
contraceptive injection, for some people, stops periods entirely. So I was in
the doctor’s office like a shot, and thankfully it worked in stopping my period
almost immediately, and I carried on for years as – what felt like to me – as normal.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the risk of sounding like a bra-burning
Feminazi, those of us who get periods have it bloody hard. I think it takes the
proverbial piss that we’re expected to carry on as normal, masquerade as
functioning members of society and continue work, looking after our families,
cook, commute, smile, all whilst it feels like the universe is falling out of
our nether-regions. I’ve said <b>many </b>times
that if males had to deal with a period (or whatever their equivalent might be
(an unstoppable leaking penis for one week out of every month) ha!) that they’d
have sorted it out by now. If they had to put up with what we have to, we’d
have had paid menstrual leave from work, free sanitary products and far less
stigma surrounding it.</div> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">But…enough ranting…</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">My boyfriend and I were chatting about
starting our family, and I’m well aware that the longer you’re on the
contraceptive injection, the longer it can take for your fertility to go back
to normal. I think I’d frightened myself into worrying I’d rendered myself
infertile from all the years I’d been on it. We talked about it at length and,
after a while, came to the conclusion I’d come off it and transition to the
pill. I spoke to my GP about it and they explained that the oral pill doesn’t
stay in your system like the injection does, so it means that once you stop
taking it, you’re practically back to normal and able to fall pregnant.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">I spent a great deal of time Googling things
like ‘coming off depo provera’ and ‘what happens when you come off the
contraceptive injection’. I was really worried about everything. What if my
period never came back? What if it came back too much? How will my body react?
What will happen to my mental health?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">I was on depo provera for a total of 13 years
and it would’ve been due at the beginning of January 2022. I had around 6
months ‘off’ it, but it was one of the most miserable transitions of my life. I
have since made the decision to go back onto the injection. I am already
feeling so much better in myself, and I’ve only been back on for about 4 days. It’s
incredible that the effect our hormones have on us is so vast. It completely
impacts your personality and ability to cope. About three months in, feeling
absolutely hopeless, I wrote the following in the notes on my phone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><i><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I currently
feeling massive dysphoria. Whilst on the injection, I never had a period, PMS
symptoms, acne or weight gain. In the first month off depo, I experienced
breast swelling and tenderness that woke me up in the night it was so sore. I
changed up my skincare around the same time I came off depo, so I can’t be 100%
sure if it’s that or the hormone change, but my skin is seriously misbehaving
and I’m spottier than I have been since my early teenage years.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div></i><i><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fell out
with my boyfriend and cried over the stupidest stuff for around 2 weeks, and
was uncomfortably emotional and sensitive. That’s settled slightly now, but I
know in myself I am in a permanently heightened state of sensitivity. I’ve also
absolutely ballooned in my lower abdomen, and my weight has shot up by almost a
whole stone in just 2 months (I was 9st 7lbs and am now 10st 5lbs), this is
despite realising the weight gain, and then trying to eat better and walking 4
miles every day with a new job.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div></i><i><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I feel like
I do not recognise or trust my body. I feel like it is not MY body. I feel
overweight, bloated and uncomfortable, my usual flat chest feels larger and
cumbersome. My spots are making me self-conscious. I feel very ‘aware’ of
myself physically, and this is highly out of character as I’m generally
incredibly confident and happy go lucky.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div></i><i><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The mental
changes have emotionally exhausted me, as now I feel I cannot trust my
instinctual reaction to new information or events. Sometimes, EVERYTHING feels
too much, and I’m hyper-aware of looking like the stereotypical
psycho/needy/emotional girl. And the flashes of the ‘me’ I know - the sassy,
carefree, confident personality - are fleeting and few.”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">So essentially, it made me feel like shit.
And I didn’t want to feel like shit. After writing that, I came on a period
that lasted for an entire month. It was absolutely relentless – not to mention
terrifying – to have a full, heavy period for a month solid. Not having it. I
spoke with my GP again and, as long as I come off the injection for around a
year prior to wanting to have children, I’ll be fine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">This is only my experience, and I found
myself feeling disappointed by the lack of information available to those who
are wanting to stop a method of contraception after a long time. My guess is
that most people just expect things to ‘go back to normal’, and from what I’ve
heard, that’s simply not the case. For many, your body is confused, your
emotions destabilise and you can start to lose the plot. I turned to places
like Reddit or community Facebook groups to try to have discussions with people
in a similar situation. I was so surprised at the lack of official data around
it. You can find hundreds of thousands of pages on getting ON to a method of
contraception, but barely anything about coming off of it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">I am a firm believer in that everyone should
have the relationship with their menstrual cycle that THEY WANT. And, for me, I
don’t want one. Don’t get me wrong, I love nothing more than seeing a girl who
embraces her time of the month. I think there’s an immense amount of power in
being able to maintain a normal level of functionality whilst your hormones are
raging and there’s blood and gore to be dealt with. People who can cope, I
absolutely salute you. Those of you who don’t feel like they should have to
cope, I’m right there with you.</div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lots
of love,</div></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Jasmine
x</div></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><br /><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-41050576319012542232022-05-25T18:33:00.001+01:002022-05-25T18:33:20.569+01:00BIRTHDAY OUTFITS TRY-ON HAUL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_iDmG8x39CxJpSoRwo9b6HybffXfwjcMB6okaXJM9QTaK4znlxR77xGt8zKPUAKo1fxjmiZ3PUPcboL7OrPJsax3xAh5d4WO9WknPGIUSBhTU0mDIdkBiFXDVpZ9gM6x-2C8LDUFtDfybWqgs7MbeswziIXtbYbIcRV39-A3AhcfcpQO8JHDbBYDEQ/s1280/thumnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_iDmG8x39CxJpSoRwo9b6HybffXfwjcMB6okaXJM9QTaK4znlxR77xGt8zKPUAKo1fxjmiZ3PUPcboL7OrPJsax3xAh5d4WO9WknPGIUSBhTU0mDIdkBiFXDVpZ9gM6x-2C8LDUFtDfybWqgs7MbeswziIXtbYbIcRV39-A3AhcfcpQO8JHDbBYDEQ/w640-h360/thumnail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As I’m typing this I can barely believe it’s my 27th birthday next week. I’m thinking about officially entering my ‘late’ twenties and all the amazing experiences I’ve had within my twenties so far. I genuinely sit here with the mental age of a 25 year old (maximum), especially given the two years lost to the pandemonium. But the clock is ticking and I’m growing older, and it’s time to get on with it!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s been aaaaaaages since I did a good ol’ fashioned YouTube video post. It’s no secret I’ve been more active over there than on this blog for the last couple of years. But since it’s my birthday, ahhh, let’s treat ourselves and spread myself around a bit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I decided to treat myself to a few new bits for the actual day of my birthday. We’ve got a few plans ahead of a swanky dinner date, so I felt like I wanted some new garms. I bought a couple of options for the day time and a beautiful blazer dress for the evening. These were my first ever purchases from Stradavarius and I am really impressed with the quality. I also picked up a blazer dress from Missguided, but I’ll talk more about them in the video! I'm super excited for a fun birthday now.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mMNwqI3L_es" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Products mentioned (click for links!):</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="color: #040404;"><a href="https://www.stradivarius.com/gb/seamless-racer-top-c0p318137737.html?colorId=139" target="_blank">Stradivarius Seamless Racer Top</a> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="color: #040404;"><a href="https://www.stradivarius.com/gb/darted-smart-trousers-c0p306136103.html?colorId=430" target="_blank">Stradivarius Darted Smart Trousers </a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.missguided.co.uk/black-buckle-belted-blazer-dress-10255200" target="_blank">Missguided Black Buckle Belted Blazer Dress </a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Jasmine x</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-32653644018300252552022-05-10T22:04:00.001+01:002022-05-10T22:04:32.653+01:00EXPLORING | BRITAIN'S BEST BEER GARDEN<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdegqkrryRV3lruVGCMXcjflV6Yp9OFSxC0wN9hoDvAnAr9Dm9dn9NVLvDNF0jFO2IwfQqXY2z2pkApetWDLPNXgpNgs8XOT-TZtFNFYQWqkrrucLx9aXy3uNT_4_U76RVP9Xcfquqfa05Nkl7aKF3x-p8XgMGGIUFQPcgF7HuTt_NIsys74PZ59BfIQ/s4032/image1%20(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdegqkrryRV3lruVGCMXcjflV6Yp9OFSxC0wN9hoDvAnAr9Dm9dn9NVLvDNF0jFO2IwfQqXY2z2pkApetWDLPNXgpNgs8XOT-TZtFNFYQWqkrrucLx9aXy3uNT_4_U76RVP9Xcfquqfa05Nkl7aKF3x-p8XgMGGIUFQPcgF7HuTt_NIsys74PZ59BfIQ/w640-h480/image1%20(3).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Whatever the opposite of ‘getting out a lot’ is, <b>that </b>is what I have spent the vast majority of the last two years doing. I am sure I almost became fused to my sofa at one point. There were hundreds of weekends lost to Judge Judy marathons, long Aldi trips and (my new favourite) mould time-lapses on YouTube. Yup, they’re a thing… </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">I have a real bone to pick with the pandemonium-that-shall-not-be-named because it took up two years of my twenties. Those were years that I feel should have been filled with travel, adventure and new experiences. So now the world has finally started to open up again, I’m grabbing life by the balls and am determined to make up for lost time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I’ve already been on holiday to Dubrovnik, Croatia and spent a fabulous weekend in London. But today’s blog post is all about my day-trip to explore the beautiful village of Pensford and visit Britain’s Best Beer Garden at <a href="https://www.risingsunpensford.co.uk/">The Rising Sun</a>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKJe_CNyyyvVyAfIiNoD9A32xI8aPrEq4U7DPp2z5eeDsAefCyymtaOie3zwDHL70_cptQ_RJYwKvYnVtB_Iiy85DoWMrut99BJiEqSYi-EnvlOq0UkMkdGtyYZQ5rYJdb1YrjLe1syPQr892fooz9QN6SWjvQ6I5PziMNNtYIVbBDqioOxSKfstecA/s4032/image1%20(4).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKJe_CNyyyvVyAfIiNoD9A32xI8aPrEq4U7DPp2z5eeDsAefCyymtaOie3zwDHL70_cptQ_RJYwKvYnVtB_Iiy85DoWMrut99BJiEqSYi-EnvlOq0UkMkdGtyYZQ5rYJdb1YrjLe1syPQr892fooz9QN6SWjvQ6I5PziMNNtYIVbBDqioOxSKfstecA/w640-h480/image1%20(4).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’ve lived in Bristol for a year and a half at this point, but still haven’t made a point of getting out into the surrounding area. The South-West is such a beautiful part of the UK, though, and has so many picturesque towns and countryside. It’s pretty affluent and can be a bit posh in places - which lets me live my blogger fantasy - and in the summer there are so many things you can find to do here.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’d never heard of Pensford before, but I was scrolling on Facebook one evening and noticed an article about this beautiful village and the beer garden of dreams. If you know me, you’ll know a fairy-tale-looking village and a *+*beer garden*+* are basically my love language, so I was immediately inspired to (shock) have a shower and (shooketh) plan a day trip our for the following day to Pensford. Pensford is *aaaalmost* local to me, being only about 30 minutes outside of Bristol by bus.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The Rising Sun pub is a deep blue, very traditional looking pub with gold lettering, chalkboards and an easily-recognisable swinging sign on the front. It’s pretty unassuming from the outside, but you can see the viaduct…the pièce de résistance, if you will, poking out from behind the building as you walk up to it. It’s pretty teeny in terms of indoor pub space, maybe 6 or 7 tables inside. But when the weather is gorgeous, you wouldn’t even want to sit inside. You can find the garden by walking through the pub, or around the outside and through a farm-style gate. The garden has some picnic tables on a concreted area, then many more on a beautiful grassy lawn alongside the river.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGqMSBGg_Zam-q8NAL1-ct_ddD-JRFnPhIqA53npmApEKlLvKVfALnu5xVWiDhHx9CHpU5KIzeFFU46nXvWnhTSV0hmwXvnvMvJK7nY2VD02_BlBdIZx2YPm5wx8Y0F-5LROLg_SlCGAYgdLrTo7os2ZSGyAjHlHxHU_A2gP6kdQn-jWt6HYofzHk4A/s4032/image5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGqMSBGg_Zam-q8NAL1-ct_ddD-JRFnPhIqA53npmApEKlLvKVfALnu5xVWiDhHx9CHpU5KIzeFFU46nXvWnhTSV0hmwXvnvMvJK7nY2VD02_BlBdIZx2YPm5wx8Y0F-5LROLg_SlCGAYgdLrTo7os2ZSGyAjHlHxHU_A2gP6kdQn-jWt6HYofzHk4A/w640-h480/image5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4YD2SxeF2XOj5d2jUj6tos8UbFgqMMFGMKwbQL0jEsxHe2ynp9OAUOR2DgpS4aJJy4yOaOQH0xFjpnvIMKkes8fsJp7ADW0WtEsX4dUD0858mhZ8UkrL6zyBXBx1pgu6DonqgxLihw86AqrDkpoZoq4BCwi1hsDPKljYZhjwiDGiirUpHoCdf4DoRg/s1024/Ribbet%20collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1024" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4YD2SxeF2XOj5d2jUj6tos8UbFgqMMFGMKwbQL0jEsxHe2ynp9OAUOR2DgpS4aJJy4yOaOQH0xFjpnvIMKkes8fsJp7ADW0WtEsX4dUD0858mhZ8UkrL6zyBXBx1pgu6DonqgxLihw86AqrDkpoZoq4BCwi1hsDPKljYZhjwiDGiirUpHoCdf4DoRg/w640-h392/Ribbet%20collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It is honestly one of the most picturesque and pretty places I’ve ever sat and drank a glass (or three) of wine. There’s barely anything around for miles. Aside from the (closed) Post Office and the bus stop, it was super peaceful. I couldn’t stop taking photos and commenting on the views of the cottages, the amazing viaduct and had such fun watching the dogs going in and out of the brook. The garden was well-equipped with an outside bar, plenty of seating and additional deck-chairs for people who couldn’t snag a table. We definitely made a good call in turning up earlier in the afternoon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">A couple of things I should note are that the drinks weren’t particularly cheap and it came in at over £12 for a pint of ale and a large wine. I half-expected it to be cheaper considering it felt a bit ‘out in the sticks’ but fair play, we’ve all got a pandemic to recover from! I’m also not the biggest fan of kids at the pub, and the place was absolutely teeming with families with children and babies. I appreciate this isn’t the end of the world and, I bet the pub is one of the very social activities you can do locally in Pensford on a sunny weekend. I just like a glass of wine without screaming babies in my near vicinity - sue me! Having said that, we spent at least a few hours there and none of the above was bad enough to take away from the stunning scenery, perfect weather and delicious selection of drinks.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbTJqYSeOPxT3jzK7A0ZgQk1w_T6WN6wY3aEHfc9HdY-GdhNSn2HnaC49CVkLJgXPxNVzpiNesF9_3DkEm_Dkof5BjrD8FIPl67CqWz5HxQvudCT40sVlhr41Sc5PW09UF-T7Fy3uu6dyE8A-BzFH6GOitprjrx2j6G1qCq6MM9-mlDq2GvRFsz34Eg/s4032/image1%20(5).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbTJqYSeOPxT3jzK7A0ZgQk1w_T6WN6wY3aEHfc9HdY-GdhNSn2HnaC49CVkLJgXPxNVzpiNesF9_3DkEm_Dkof5BjrD8FIPl67CqWz5HxQvudCT40sVlhr41Sc5PW09UF-T7Fy3uu6dyE8A-BzFH6GOitprjrx2j6G1qCq6MM9-mlDq2GvRFsz34Eg/w640-h480/image1%20(5).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After we decided we’d spent quite enough time drinking in the sun, we took a stroll around the village of Pensford before getting our bus back to Bristol. We didn’t get to walk around the whole village, but we loved what we saw; a beautiful church, stone bridges and the brook running through the centre of the town. Everything was green and the spring flowers were blooming. It had a really sleepy feel as literally every single shop that we saw was closed as it was a Sunday afternoon. We didn’t see many cars either. It is a great little spot for a quiet Sunday date. What a pretty little place!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">We had such a lovely day and I’m already scouring the map for new places we can visit for the day, or even a weekend mini-break. We’re lucky enough to live right near the Cotswolds which are super beautiful. And the gorgeous city of Bath is only 10 minutes away by train. The time for sitting on the sofa in my week-old joggers is over! The time for forcing my boyfriend out on little trips, day drinking and taking outfit pictures for me is here! Huzzah!</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDEUjdhx_r8bYxU81vqL_MYgl-hf_Fc3HTv4v1o5Vo6yaI-MkI-E3ZYE6qdUuUGH_-oFJBB6rHNRObEtgztpP2O-aLShOTGvT7W4hVqgVItFUBN67PXuN7AberkaDmZTRCykrmpUSEkmW27Xk1yc45KtKexG1VT54fhxMUpfh5artOw0TKFcgiieVyg/s4032/image6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDEUjdhx_r8bYxU81vqL_MYgl-hf_Fc3HTv4v1o5Vo6yaI-MkI-E3ZYE6qdUuUGH_-oFJBB6rHNRObEtgztpP2O-aLShOTGvT7W4hVqgVItFUBN67PXuN7AberkaDmZTRCykrmpUSEkmW27Xk1yc45KtKexG1VT54fhxMUpfh5artOw0TKFcgiieVyg/w640-h480/image6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Lots of love,</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; 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margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-2389323022998788312022-02-06T08:30:00.000+00:002022-02-06T08:30:00.230+00:00GARNIER ULTIMATE BLENDS HAIR FOOD REVIEW | SMOOTHING COCONUT + NOURISHING BANANA<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9woygQCbSyKqZvZuNrMTM-cpO2jcl9D_J4ZS7oW-9hHCWcrGfhfLLxPNJAjHtV8LQS3J6uBhhF1m-4x0ZJTsBsvrQR4TU3mPdLM49IRjO9n09BiuUHipdXcpTWPCyRzzf6oORZ_RwoFZOU1jKwlWHA8n3hFx3yA18zmIdW8Vv3860WroWa5cd0Vjjqg=s2504" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2504" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9woygQCbSyKqZvZuNrMTM-cpO2jcl9D_J4ZS7oW-9hHCWcrGfhfLLxPNJAjHtV8LQS3J6uBhhF1m-4x0ZJTsBsvrQR4TU3mPdLM49IRjO9n09BiuUHipdXcpTWPCyRzzf6oORZ_RwoFZOU1jKwlWHA8n3hFx3yA18zmIdW8Vv3860WroWa5cd0Vjjqg=w640-h386" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">It feels like such a long time ago that I experimented with hair care. I’ve been known to be quite set in my ways when it comes to the stuff I out on my head given all the traumas it’s been through! For those of you who’ve read my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’ve been bleaching and colouring my hair for years upon years. You’ll also probably know that about 2 years back, a ‘hairdresser’ melted off my hair into an attractive mullet. Since then, I’ve been super careful about what products I’m using, using heat, sleeping with it up, using hairbands and all that good stuff. I’ve generally used salon-brands or higher-end products you can get in the supermarket or Boots. This time, though, I seem to have made a bit of a mistake by choosing these Garnier products…<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food Smoothing Coconut & Macadamia Shampoo<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: "PingFang SC"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">★★★☆☆</p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So the shampoo is definitely not the worst out of the lot. It’s not <i>bad. </i>But it’s just also…not that good? The shampoo comes out of the bottle feeling like a strange slime. It doesn’t feel like a normal liquid shampoo. It honestly has the texture of some kind of jellyfish, which on first impressions is really strange! It’s also a completely transparent formula, which I was quite surprised to see. I’ve never used a ‘nourishing’ or ‘hydrating’ shampoo which is perfectly clear because usually they are a sort-of ‘milky’ looking liquid.</p><p class="p5" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The consistency makes it kind of hard to lather up when put onto the hair, but eventually it does foam up and seems to clean my hair quite well. I don’t notice any sort of overpowering smell, which again is quite disappointing as I love the smell of coconut. However, for some people who don’t like a strong fragrance, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And with all my moaning so far, these products are made using 98% naturally derived ingredients and are a fully vegan recipe, which can only be positive points. They’re also readily available at supermarkets, drugstores, B&M, Savers, Wilko, so you can pretty much get your hands on them anywhere.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn0KkpxUP7Sbvtz_5oHrQOgYWk3Es_HUHqFTfvUHP3bUKyGJ31PBLDF5UjgbH277pm2vgAPeWZ62A9FODuwJUOTefvEboxiicFB5sKZLCsMhrHWJjPuUk9uJW2Gvh8bIyy9aX7dXokP1TM3JFX5KMeaTlxFbpgdRlD761XoDKC66AXLnXvbqgTdEmv5A=s2800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1757" data-original-width="2800" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn0KkpxUP7Sbvtz_5oHrQOgYWk3Es_HUHqFTfvUHP3bUKyGJ31PBLDF5UjgbH277pm2vgAPeWZ62A9FODuwJUOTefvEboxiicFB5sKZLCsMhrHWJjPuUk9uJW2Gvh8bIyy9aX7dXokP1TM3JFX5KMeaTlxFbpgdRlD761XoDKC66AXLnXvbqgTdEmv5A=w640-h402" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food Smoothing Coconut & Macadamia Conditioner</b></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: "PingFang SC"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">★★☆☆☆</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’ll start with the good points for this one, because it’s my least least least favourite hair product I’ve tried for a long time. It only cost £2.49, so it is really affordable and really accessible for those tighter budgets. I do actually really love the packaging of the shampoo and conditioner - I think they look like little up-cycled milk bottles or something, which I do think is really cute and they look great on my shower caddy. The sizing of the bottles are also pretty generous. I’ve noticed that typically shampoos and conditioners come in quite small packages which means they run out super quickly. These ones are [sadly] going to last me over a month easily.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">However, that’s where the good points end. And in terms of working as a conditioner, this is where the compliments end. When squeezed out of the bottle, what you’re met with is a super thick, gluey, claggy formula which holds its shape perfectly in your hand. Usually I don’t mind a thick conditioner, but something about the consistency and look is just off-putting. When you smooth it onto the hair, you don’t get a real soft, silky feeling on your hands the way you do with some other conditioners - where you can already feel it working kind-of-thing. It just smooths on over the hair and…sits there. After rinsing, the hair feels coated and weighed right down. For about 2 to 3 days after use, my hair feels like I’ve not washed the conditioner out properly and I simply cannot wait to get back into the shower and wash it again. I initially thought that maybe my hair wasn’t ‘frizzy and unruly’ enough to warrant using this formula, but I’ve used plenty of other smoothing and taming products before without this sensation of greasiness and clagginess.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTmiOID7WI01QL7c6UF5pnUtkbyw_yLMVd503mRWKn3u0BKbfoGAARoLjG__p4Ytq4NMcV2tWr-eJW5VaEMc-2nB5dyIkBZlZEIJeme41jTFyWeG2kp3igpEq6nAZX6BwrQCuS0KJCozSFrdR7r9mvU3XBmKW7_e0U13kdbWOnLB0yl07T32g1JlLVgQ=s2504" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2504" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTmiOID7WI01QL7c6UF5pnUtkbyw_yLMVd503mRWKn3u0BKbfoGAARoLjG__p4Ytq4NMcV2tWr-eJW5VaEMc-2nB5dyIkBZlZEIJeme41jTFyWeG2kp3igpEq6nAZX6BwrQCuS0KJCozSFrdR7r9mvU3XBmKW7_e0U13kdbWOnLB0yl07T32g1JlLVgQ=w640-h386" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food Nourishing Banana & Shea 3-in-1 Hair Mask</b></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: "PingFang SC"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">★★★★☆</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This mask is the saving grace. I absolutely love it. It’s the second ‘flavour’ I’ve tried of the range, and I’ll definitely be buying another once this runs out. I cannot quite believe it belongs to the same range as the shampoo and conditioner above, because the quality just seems so different. I think it’s an absolutely fantastic mask for it’s price point [around £3.50 depending on the shop] and there’s a scent for everyone. Again, you can find these on the shelves during the weekly shop or when you’re popping into Wilko or B&M, so they’re very easy to find. The size of the tub is very generous and my previous one lasted me well into a third month!</p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These masks made it onto my 2021 Haircare Favourites blog post as I think they’re just great. I only tend to use it once every 3 or 4 washes because it’s very nourishing on the hair, plus I like to try to make them last! And it always leaves my hair feeling like I’ve given it some real TLC. I feel noticeably as though I’ve gone to the trouble of doing a hair mask, which is always nice. The banana scent is noticeable, but not too in-your-face which is lovely. The other scents look really good too; I’m thinking of giving Watermelon a go next time!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So basically the shampoo and conditioner are an absolute flop. To the point I’m thinking of just chucking them away - but the environmentally-conscious waste-hater within me says NOOOO! It’s just such a shame, but I really don’t want to keep wandering around with heavy, greeeezy hair. Luckily, the hair mask makes up for it and really redeems the Garnier Hair Food range in my opinion. I feel like it’s a good idea to try out the full range, because you never know, they could be absolutely fantastic products for that incredibly low price. I’m usually of the opinion that ‘you get what you pay for’ and in this case, I’m kinda right and kinda wrong. I still don’t understand how they got it SO wrong and then SO right within one range, but I guess we’ll never know!</p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p5" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-20112703158394402122022-01-30T08:30:00.001+00:002022-01-30T08:30:00.256+00:00A HUGE ESSENTIAL CLEANING PRODUCT HAUL<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDFvBQiaVoaMoaqDNk9cW0w7Wu9y7Ay_Rlt_HEvrogAp4XgHV_1lq1Qn0E75TyVnmRLrpkGto7XUfUCxL5tzao0wlZpT1lPvU-Ngjg4DbRbrlTy3Fg32ufYanYbWieGB_2EJs3RCm9UJl/s2586/c1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1667" data-original-width="2586" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDFvBQiaVoaMoaqDNk9cW0w7Wu9y7Ay_Rlt_HEvrogAp4XgHV_1lq1Qn0E75TyVnmRLrpkGto7XUfUCxL5tzao0wlZpT1lPvU-Ngjg4DbRbrlTy3Fg32ufYanYbWieGB_2EJs3RCm9UJl/w640-h412/c1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I actually filmed the accompanying YouTube video to this an age ago, but recently remembered I took a load of blog photos to go alongside it - so here we are. You can actually tell that these photos were taken before we were plunged into the depths of winter based on how much brighter my living room looks!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">A cleaning haul isn’t something I’ve ever done on my channel or blog before, but I’ve been loooong into my cleaning ever since [like so many of you!] becoming obsessed with Mrs. Hinch in 2017ish. There’s just something about plonking down onto your disinfected sofa after scrubbing your home to within an inch of its life on a Saturday that hits different now. Maybe it’s a sign of my mid-twenties age? It’s honestly become one of the biggest joys in my life.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I decided to finally create a video and blog post because I did find it a bit overwhelming with all the products on the market to know what to buy. I’ve been living out of home for 7 or 8 years now, and let’s face it, whilst I was still a student I was perfectly content with some washing up liquid and hot water - and that’d absolutely do me fine! But in the last few years, I have definitely learnt and appreciated the importance of different products for different jobs. With all the things below, pretty much every daily household task can be done beautifully easily. So here’s a comprehensive list of my absolute essential cleaning products; things you should absolutely always have under the sink!</p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkp9yvlJIP4d0Pi0jbFkulpWv77pHLS0V-77518XJQrtxH_fxKCZq3_tAjo9UICX186URLrSNcHGSw5WoMj8vy-Vq6wMwiLA8PosTFNGmJtyaKhLRjRGqBSwtdAQn41mad53V_LJFdNyy/s2800/c4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkp9yvlJIP4d0Pi0jbFkulpWv77pHLS0V-77518XJQrtxH_fxKCZq3_tAjo9UICX186URLrSNcHGSw5WoMj8vy-Vq6wMwiLA8PosTFNGmJtyaKhLRjRGqBSwtdAQn41mad53V_LJFdNyy/w640-h426/c4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">For the Kitchen, the first thing I grabbed was the <b>Flash Spray Wipe Hinched Wild Berries Antibacterial Multi-Purpose Cleaning Spray </b>which is for counters/worktops, cupboard doors, handles, general spot cleaning around the sink and floor. It’s an all-rounder really and takes care of most greasy spots and spillages with a simple wipe. This time, I grabbed the <b>Fairy Clean & Care Rose and Satin Washing Up Liquid </b>which was the first time I’d tried it and, yes, I was buying everything on this haul to fit a certain pastel aesthetic! This washing up liquid is good if you don’t wear rubber gloves, but not so good for the dishes. I’d personally recommend buying a pair of rubber gloves and getting the Fairy Platinum. Then of course, every kitchen needs a pack of multi-purpose <b>Sponges </b>and<b> Kitchen Roll</b>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">In terms of Laundry products, I’d never use any detergent other than the <b>Ariel Original Washing Gel </b>however I am aware that the non-bio is better for some people with sensitive skin concerns. I just find the Ariel yields such a consistently good clean, plus I like the fact it’s a gel you put straight in the drum [I find this more hygienic when using rental property washing machines!]. Then I grabbed the <b>Lenor Silk Tree Blossom Fabric Conditioner </b>which I really love the smell of. I only ever buy the Lenor fabric conditioners, just because we’ve always had them at home growing up. I love most of the scents and pretty much buy them on a permanent rotation! Then the final laundry-related item is my trusty <b>Vanish Gold Oxi Advance Stain Remover </b>which goes in every single wash to keep my white socks white and Kyle’s eternally pasta-saucified t-shirts unstained.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8AYBiEQvDMr4K8-HxV3sWpEyLG6Qb8E-gWkTdOQWGOMH7Jk6b1XlMPkyQPg8CdBcMHaTsTQY_jW71SNEOAEN0sUxqU3dWrYqid_mQ4Q-9bUU4NKjDUfqe0DnSm1Z7EEeBe7A9jK2ZNdk/s2442/c3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1627" data-original-width="2442" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8AYBiEQvDMr4K8-HxV3sWpEyLG6Qb8E-gWkTdOQWGOMH7Jk6b1XlMPkyQPg8CdBcMHaTsTQY_jW71SNEOAEN0sUxqU3dWrYqid_mQ4Q-9bUU4NKjDUfqe0DnSm1Z7EEeBe7A9jK2ZNdk/w640-h426/c3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx_RntUTOm8L2LTQvIZ8uYwhYi7nWG49vREYs5ZksjStvwT98ht1NHjcr90ZgRLQNrMlxYRn6VDMzVTsBgvklZLPkLXezcoxYgFdvUmj5oTACbyn9WHjOX5chdaJVfw0aVBO8SCIuvX7X/s2800/c2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx_RntUTOm8L2LTQvIZ8uYwhYi7nWG49vREYs5ZksjStvwT98ht1NHjcr90ZgRLQNrMlxYRn6VDMzVTsBgvklZLPkLXezcoxYgFdvUmj5oTACbyn9WHjOX5chdaJVfw0aVBO8SCIuvX7X/w640-h426/c2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Then there’s all the Bathroom products. The first is the <b>Elbow Grease Glass Cleaner with Vinegar </b>which I use on the mirrors, the taps, the shower cubicle glass and the inside of the window for a sparkly finish. In this trip to B&M, I decided to grab the <b>Bloo Total Hygiene & Shine Toilet Gel </b>which I personally would not recommend over my usual Domestos bleach. I like to try something new every now and again, however this one - despite smelling lovely - really didn’t give as good a clean as a standard bottle of bleach, so I have definitely gone back to Domestos since this video was filmed. Then we have another mistake; the <b>Febreze Air Mist Fresh Linen</b>. When I say that this was rank…it was truly rank. I think I tolerated it about 3 times before I went and purchased a replacement Oust, which is far better for the bathroom and the kinds of smells that need freshening in there. But a good air freshener that you like the smell of is definitely a bathroom essential.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Then, finally, there’s a few random miscellaneous items thrown in here. There’s my absolute favourite <b>Zoflora Summer Breeze 3-in-1 Action Concentrated Disinfectant </b>which I genuinely couldn’t live without. I use this stuff on EVERYTHING. It gets diluted in water and spritzed onto my soft furnishings, I put a cap-sized amount through every wash in the washing machine. I use it to wipe down my skirting boards and even use a teeny tiny amount when cleaning my makeup brushes too. It’s fabulous and sets my mind at ease regarding germs lurking about. I also like to have a <b>1001 Carpet Fresh Jasmine & Linen </b>or something similar in the cupboard to spray after vacuuming. Although the smell doesn’t last for ages and ages, it’s nice to give the carpets a little fragrance just to complete the job. Then I also grabbed some <b>Coat Hangers </b>because they are literally always needed in this flat with the way I buy clothes. Finally, I also bought these <b>4 BPA Free Storage Boxes </b>for lunchboxes and leftovers from dinners. These can go in the fridge or freezer, and are super handy and help minimise waste!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqHveCik1g2rO0PMliMnAduhb4-3XAX9FAQHjFgSqDiukbSZhzFIR26CVHUsUVK3c2jPpWSHz_am-Y4AroMLXeSfYrgFPsPS50w7-Ig_uqH6ND1gjUC8ayX_EDoUn8564SKKI4vyQfgEK/s2250/c5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="2250" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqHveCik1g2rO0PMliMnAduhb4-3XAX9FAQHjFgSqDiukbSZhzFIR26CVHUsUVK3c2jPpWSHz_am-Y4AroMLXeSfYrgFPsPS50w7-Ig_uqH6ND1gjUC8ayX_EDoUn8564SKKI4vyQfgEK/w640-h334/c5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These are all the things that I absolutely need to have in terms of cleaning supplies and general household management. If you use a shop like Poundland or B&M, you can do a big haul like this for under £30, which I think is a really reasonable for a month or so’s supplies. I hope you found this useful! Also, there’s the YouTube video up on my channel for you to watch below if you prefer.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iCGAvnVfvaA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p></div>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-47444680006078372122022-01-28T08:59:00.005+00:002022-01-28T08:59:59.061+00:00VEGAN LUNCH + DINNER IDEAS #2<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5e-QXhAgkxsvcyXAdbuur5v7-UJhc-2If4CFqprL7F6PFXMBhfQFBSff5vD8sEIIrMZcjZNx4qZcmoUwZw4ZC9NO1GVXYu8aXSjJbH8f2zRqFHdS60G_yt9BjzkF3RTUe8PO9mb0Iu1hnEIVOHY3tyBn4zO4qtQ9xeRwDRT9pyp8dgod-sg56M1BNQ=s1024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5e-QXhAgkxsvcyXAdbuur5v7-UJhc-2If4CFqprL7F6PFXMBhfQFBSff5vD8sEIIrMZcjZNx4qZcmoUwZw4ZC9NO1GVXYu8aXSjJbH8f2zRqFHdS60G_yt9BjzkF3RTUe8PO9mb0Iu1hnEIVOHY3tyBn4zO4qtQ9xeRwDRT9pyp8dgod-sg56M1BNQ=w640-h214" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">With Veganuary drawing to a close [and my god, how quickly has it gone??] I really cannot believe this is only #2 of this series. Considering all the delicious things we’ve had for dinner and how well we’ve stuck to it, I’m surprised I’ve not been churning these out every couple of days. But, to be honest, I really think that because we’ve just relaxed into it so well, it’s become a non-thing around the house. We haven’t really noticed we’re doing Veganuary and it’s just a normal, natural thing for us. That’s especially in the last couple of weeks of the month.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">When I decided I was going to do Veganuary, I spent a lot of time trawling through various recipe websites and wrote up the meal-plan for the month before January even started! However, what I noticed was that a LOT of the recipes were things I wasn’t familiar with…things I wouldn’t normally fancy making…things that looked incredibly involved and fussy! So with that in mind, I decided to keep a sort-of food diary so I could share what I personally ate for lunch and dinner during my attempt at Veganuary. These are recipes or meal ideas that I’d tend to want to eat any time of the year, including when I’m eating meat and dairy products throughout the rest of the year.</p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Burrito Bowl</b></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">We’re partial to a burrito bowl all year round - and where we usually would have chicken, minced beef or even prawns, since doing Veganuary, we’ve opted for pulses and extra veg. The first burrito bowl we did was with chickpeas and was SOOO filling, so this time we just did extra black beans and it was absolutely delicious. We’ve really fallen in love with the Sainsbury’s ‘No-Sour’ Cream which has become a staple on all of our Mexican dishes this month. We’re still slightly depressed by vegan cheese, but burrito bowls remain super easy and really filling for a dinner-time recipe.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Vegan Pizza</b></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I absolutely loved making these homemade vegan pizzas. We get the Aldi pre-rolled pizza bases which are totally vegan-safe, and then top with whatever we like! I decided that a simple vegetable pizza would be great, so I added peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion and sweetcorn. We used a vegan ‘mozzarella’ which, to be honest, didn’t melt as well as was advertised, but I still found the pizza really tasty and felt almost like the real thing! Next time, I might be inclined to try adding some meat-substitutes like vegan sausage or ham slices.</p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Alpro’s Sundried Tomato Vegan Carbonara<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This recipe really banged and was one of my favourite of the whole month. It’s one of the ones I really fell in love with and will definitely recreate once the month is over. It came from Alpro’s recipe page on their website when I was having a browse for meal ideas, and being a complete pasta lover, I thought this sounded great. The yoghurt makes a fantastic ‘sauce’ and a few teaspoons of smoked paprika give the bacon-y flavour you’re looking for. The sun-dried tomatoes give off quite a meaty texture, and though I wouldn’t say it’s <i>anything </i>like a traditional Italian carbonara, it was certainly really delicious and something I’ll definitely be making again.</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.alpro.com/uk/recipes/vibrant-vegan-pasta-carbonara/">Click the link here to see the recipe!</a></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHuTEb3ZrWF9YzFDb9klxAv75Wj_rMNI8t4diMOPa0sysSs3PEImJesWdRS3SW7dBzQc16K4rgoj9K0iiqbboHrm7XsGquMigXJSeXXBdbplOeH1kJr_yy6-9EiFM5K_2HmrMl89SuVJZ5E_hFf6qPS8G5xDC05-Lr9PyUPDhxBNIqP6BvmYIxOl0XqQ=s1024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHuTEb3ZrWF9YzFDb9klxAv75Wj_rMNI8t4diMOPa0sysSs3PEImJesWdRS3SW7dBzQc16K4rgoj9K0iiqbboHrm7XsGquMigXJSeXXBdbplOeH1kJr_yy6-9EiFM5K_2HmrMl89SuVJZ5E_hFf6qPS8G5xDC05-Lr9PyUPDhxBNIqP6BvmYIxOl0XqQ=w640-h214" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Vegan Sausage + Mash</b></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">If there’s one thing we’ve developed an absolute obsession with, it’s the Richmond Meat-Free Sausages which were incredibly highly recommended to us. Sausage and mash is basically vegan anyway, as long as you use a vegan sausage and don’t add any butter to your mashed potatoes. We discovered that the Aldi Onion Gravy is vegan and super tasty - something we’ll definitely continue to use! Then I piled my plate up with peas and sweetcorn. This was a really warming, hearty winter meal and a definite stomach filler.</p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Vegan Bacon Cheeseburgers</b></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Okay, these were also really really enjoyable. We used the incredibly expensive Beyond Meat burger patties which were actually reduced from £5 to £3 in Sainsbury’s [they come in a pack of 2 burger patties] and that was pretty off-putting. But, it has to be said, they really are the superior vegan burger option. Then we topped the burger with Nurishh sliced cheese and Richmond Meat-Free Bacon, added mayo and BBQ sauce and served it with some chunky homemade chips. This was such a satisfying meal, and the burgers were genuinely so succulent and meaty. I’d wholeheartedly recommend them as a treat, if you can get over the high cost!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Thai Red Curry<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">A super simple, super warming, super good-for-you dinner. It’s really quick to prepare and, again, is something we’d always cook pre-Veganuary using chicken or prawns. In this dish, we had spinach, red and yellow peppers, onions, garlic and chillies. I couldn’t find any sugar snaps or baby corn in the shops that day, but would have added those for some extra vegetable content! The only thing to watch out for is to check the Thai paste is vegan - I actually brought home a Thai paste containing fish which we’ve stashed in the cupboard for a dinner next month, so don’t get too comfortable and assume they’re all fine!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So there are a few more easy lunch and dinner ideas that we’ve enjoyed over the month of Veganuary and definitely meals we’ll be continuing to enjoy. We’ve said we’ll keep to at least 3 to 4 vegan meals a week going forward as we think it’s been easier than expected and much more enjoyable as well!</p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-18028237027267797652022-01-23T08:30:00.001+00:002022-01-23T08:30:00.265+00:00VEGAN CREAMY BACON + BROCCOLI PASTA RECIPE | OATLY, THIS™, VITALITE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw7fdScohOJq4hhsIbmp1HGX-ygx98tgOzpu1AJvM7KenqPcPYdRn1h-FRHhfsADIg19T8feTPUncC2zcWA4kn_bTTtH4EyA9_adIaCKJGJ0DgEjK8LcMzeU37VOJf71i89OA1apjW4GGYPw-stwM_mxGVocHfyRuDDymgBGntmAKido5PPB9ZX7gKXQ=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw7fdScohOJq4hhsIbmp1HGX-ygx98tgOzpu1AJvM7KenqPcPYdRn1h-FRHhfsADIg19T8feTPUncC2zcWA4kn_bTTtH4EyA9_adIaCKJGJ0DgEjK8LcMzeU37VOJf71i89OA1apjW4GGYPw-stwM_mxGVocHfyRuDDymgBGntmAKido5PPB9ZX7gKXQ=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This was definitely an ambitious one. Let’s be honest, nothing says ‘Veganuary’ like a cheesy bacon pasta, does it? But I really couldn’t see myself going a month without a comforting, melty and gooey bowl of savoury, creamy pasta. This was an entirely experimental recipe. I was really interested to see how far I could push the limits of dairy and meat alternatives. I wanted to see how close to a classic ‘normal’ dish I could get without using any animal products. Normally, I’ll make a creamy pasta dish for dinner once a fortnight or so, and I really wouldn’t want to go without it long-term. I do not think that a recipe like this would have been possible a few years ago, but with the incredible progress in vegan alternatives to things like double cream and bacon, it’s exciting to see what we can replicate. I actually ended up shooketh and impressed with the results of my playing about in the kitchen!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Wandering into the supermarket, I had no idea how I was going to achieve this recipe. I had watched a fair few YouTube videos on how to make a ‘creamy pasta’ but to be honest, most of these people were fannying around mashing cauliflower florets and blending cashews up, and your girl really doesn’t have the time or inclination for that. I wanted to try to recreate a familiar dish using similar methods to normal; so I was open to the idea of making a plant-based rue using vegan butter, flour and dairy-free milk. But then I hit the jackpot when I spotted the Oatly Whippable Creamy Oat - which is marketed to be used as double cream. When I make my usual creamy pastas, sometimes I’ll just dump a whole carton of double cream in a pan and melt my cheese into it [yes, I know, my poor arteries, but it’s super quick and easy, and really bloody delicious!]. So that’s what I decided I’d do with this one!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoB9Vx9drknTZIGdEkZG7fpzCorF2z4LTvsuoN8E3wiE6ijcOn6ilgByIby2qJUTzeQDgPChLqMbzAdROIUfGft5jrNCCwQyFkikXiar5ApVPvtuuGilcSu7ri8-6ugo6q6u8cfn2LKEAAgIxicPjW81bv2xQpPDFwjCHlPvHbqhD03tFF_iiMYC55AA=s2421" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="2421" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoB9Vx9drknTZIGdEkZG7fpzCorF2z4LTvsuoN8E3wiE6ijcOn6ilgByIby2qJUTzeQDgPChLqMbzAdROIUfGft5jrNCCwQyFkikXiar5ApVPvtuuGilcSu7ri8-6ugo6q6u8cfn2LKEAAgIxicPjW81bv2xQpPDFwjCHlPvHbqhD03tFF_iiMYC55AA=w640-h416" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Then I grabbed the THIS™ Isn't Bacon Plant Based Rashers which we’ve already tried and tested, and absolutely LOVED. They are a solid 11/10, they are peng, they are majestic, I have no idea how they are made and I don’t really care. They’re smoky and savoury and salty, and even have the unmistakeable meaty texture of a thick bacon rasher. These have been a true revelation during the course of Veganuary for us. Chef’s kiss every time! Then, for the cheesy sauce, we opted for a new cheese alternative that we’ve not tried before. We chose the Vitalite Delightfully Creamy Grated alternative to Cheese which literally says<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>O N<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>T H E<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>P A C K E T<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that it melts perfectly. So if it didn’t melt perfectly, I’d have a solid legal case and I’d be taking Vitalite on Judge Rinder.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The rest of the ingredients are your standard bits and pieces for this pasta dish; you’ve got your onions, garlic, broccoli and spaghetti. Though you can use any shape pasta you like! However, I would recommend having your salt, pepper, and some extra milk alternative on standby, just in case! I also garnished with a sprinkle of parsley and was pleasantly surprised to find that Aldi’s Everyday Essentials 32p chilled garlic baguette is vegan! Now I know there is a god. Looking at the ingredients list below, it’s actually a pretty minimal and simple recipe, which I love. It’s pretty much identical to the usual non-vegan recipe I’d make normally, so I was really hoping the taste would be nice and convincing.</p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrlAOYYseG2LcRfxjl8m0E9p7-nGNZohvjQOFLJEcQQcsIqaYjDT6yDKqI5GnqWmoSgd0eJbI8sv_lk1HfZMUCku2PhmYsjjhFHbrEXnQfXvEcJb7HFU2sJZgkSuWfblNHq_h4lS55lVf6vcK6CuSRNkGKMz2cGo5WzjOP-ad-cq7khiwK1DFZ0Iq22g=s2594" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2594" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrlAOYYseG2LcRfxjl8m0E9p7-nGNZohvjQOFLJEcQQcsIqaYjDT6yDKqI5GnqWmoSgd0eJbI8sv_lk1HfZMUCku2PhmYsjjhFHbrEXnQfXvEcJb7HFU2sJZgkSuWfblNHq_h4lS55lVf6vcK6CuSRNkGKMz2cGo5WzjOP-ad-cq7khiwK1DFZ0Iq22g=w640-h380" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqypenkN-Pi_J5r2roJaB9WurRo1EKzqB8MKQBDc13aYOypza1xYFwq1IqNeuioUvFJZE7fxXQ0jZzvvuZljiFvYnCSzFqaHIJqZkSn8MDGSlLsfdOUl8VzF8N3CyJS8DB7KWBCY0ZBthkmcnjmkIaIWyVRNUlKbZmal5xv6OHws_OeZOf13XBqFIWHQ=s2552" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1610" data-original-width="2552" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqypenkN-Pi_J5r2roJaB9WurRo1EKzqB8MKQBDc13aYOypza1xYFwq1IqNeuioUvFJZE7fxXQ0jZzvvuZljiFvYnCSzFqaHIJqZkSn8MDGSlLsfdOUl8VzF8N3CyJS8DB7KWBCY0ZBthkmcnjmkIaIWyVRNUlKbZmal5xv6OHws_OeZOf13XBqFIWHQ=w640-h404" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Ingredients:</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Onion</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Garlic</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">THIS™ Isn't Bacon Plant Based Rashers</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Oatly Whippable Creamy Oat</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Vitalite Dairy Free Delightfully Creamy Grated alternative to Cheese</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Napolina Spaghetti</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Broccoli<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The method is super easy and part of the appeal of making this dish to me. I also created a YouTube video when I made this as I usually find videos much more helpful to visualise the cooking process! So please feel free to give that a watch below.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Method:</b></p><ol class="ol1" style="text-align: start;"><li class="li1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Get your onion and garlic sizzling in some extra virgin olive oil. While it’s sizzling, slice your bacon into strips to add to the onion and garlic. Then get your broccoli steaming/boiling in a separate pan. When the bacon looks crisped up and the broccoli is tender, set all of this aside in a bowl.</li><li class="li1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In the same saucepan used for the onion, garlic and bacon, empty your Oatly Whippable Oat double cream substitute in and stir. Add the grated vegan cheese of your choice. Add black pepper to taste. We added nutritional yeast for colour and thickness too.</li><li class="li1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Add chopped parsley into the sauce [reserving some for garnish]. Add some oat milk to the sauce if it begins to thicken too much. In the mean time, start boiling your pasta.</li><li class="li1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Begin adding the broccoli, onion, garlic and bacon into the cheesy sauce, stirring well to combine. Lower the heat on the sauce. When the pasta is ready, dump it all in to the sauce and stir well.</li><li class="li1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Serve immediately with black pepper, extra vegan cheese and parsley sprinkled on top. We also served a garlic baguette on the side.</li></ol><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I hope you enjoyed this recipe and video, and make sure you let me know if you give this a try! I thoroughly enjoyed creating this dish and it’s still one of my favourites from the whole of veganaury so far.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AJC-M5Xegjk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>
Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-31578274575232228542022-01-16T08:30:00.001+00:002022-01-16T08:30:00.222+00:00ASOS DESIGN ADA CHUNKY CHELSEA BOOTS | REVIEW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXPI0_hV5a4Ak-rWlQTssIctdzC6tJRD-g0T-p_ZKEwEK4-OlO_INYS3Ih45n0Ep4NgUTaB-j7wfhu9QruRNkprfXuDwRMu4hAz5QdmBNh57ESwKkXlPigP34cqIleT5MNcaVKIYmnpO3ya8RjcnUneiZfXHYFUI8YJwSJXoJu8_gxUVruL-QeSVVTaA=s2251" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1465" data-original-width="2251" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXPI0_hV5a4Ak-rWlQTssIctdzC6tJRD-g0T-p_ZKEwEK4-OlO_INYS3Ih45n0Ep4NgUTaB-j7wfhu9QruRNkprfXuDwRMu4hAz5QdmBNh57ESwKkXlPigP34cqIleT5MNcaVKIYmnpO3ya8RjcnUneiZfXHYFUI8YJwSJXoJu8_gxUVruL-QeSVVTaA=w640-h416" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I did my best to avoid the Boxing Day and New Year’s sales…I really did. I’ve actually had a really good, productive month with decluttering and organising my wardrobe. The minimal, neutral fashion movement I’m seeing all over Instagram has really grabbed me. Plus, who doesn’t want a streamlined, easy-to-match wardrobe where everything goes with everything? Finally, it seems, I’ve discovered a style that really resonates with me. I’ve done away with all my needlessly floral, patterned or otherwise gaudy garms to make way for bold, statement, simple pieces like the one I am writing about today. I’ve always been a lover of a chunky boot, and it’s been a good six months since I added to my collection. I accidentally tripped and fell onto the ASOS website during their New Year’s sale and came across these boots…<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8xtenapTQj40n-BfP1z_VhrvhMci3ZZAo2ygyoDVtNTEcbsHd1NPYXND6azUXgdh6fzfUMwAHeJ4cTOTAbpQNOLFHA8oCFxP0P9-vIVmJdYsshi6IBcm5MHMRxjnFxh0wqN6sBfXVffX1LZUB_9x_XOi4CToC8UnJzHsxZTELM8hy_gVpuqL9CXWJpQ=s2373" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="2373" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8xtenapTQj40n-BfP1z_VhrvhMci3ZZAo2ygyoDVtNTEcbsHd1NPYXND6azUXgdh6fzfUMwAHeJ4cTOTAbpQNOLFHA8oCFxP0P9-vIVmJdYsshi6IBcm5MHMRxjnFxh0wqN6sBfXVffX1LZUB_9x_XOi4CToC8UnJzHsxZTELM8hy_gVpuqL9CXWJpQ=w640-h430" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">To be perfectly honest, I was actually hoping for some knee-high boots when I went lurking. But this has worked massively in my favour; you may have seen my recent blog post where I told you all about my new job. Well, I think that these Chelsea boots are going to be getting a hell of a lot of wear around the office. They’re super wearable and will tuck underneath any trousers. The same cannot be said for knee-highs, so it’s worked out well really! These are the Ada Chunky Chelsea Boots by ASOS Design. And I absolutely adore ASOS Design stuff - these are probably my sixth or seventh pair of boots from their collection over the years. There’s a certain simplicity and lack-of-fuss that comes with ASOS Design products which I really love. Yet they somehow retain a fashion-forward ‘edge’.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">They cost £21.25 in the sale when I purchased them [I see they have crept up slightly in price since then!] and I chose a size 4. I’m always a bit ‘errmmmm/aahhhhh’ when it comes to ASOS sizing for shoes. I seem to be between a 3 and a 4, and they sadly don’t offer mid-sizes. So I tend to go with a 4 now, and just wear a thicker pair of socks. These boots came in the world’s most humungous box with some tissue paper protection inside. As soon as I took them out of the box, my first thought was how heavy and good quality they looked and felt to be. They are usually priced at £38 when the sale isn’t on, which I’d say is still quite a bargain for the quality of these. The outer material is a faux leather which isn’t too shiny and looks very natural. The only thing I’ll need to watch out for is scuffs and dinks, because they show up super easily and are a bugger to camouflage once they’re done.</p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgR079OjJl_5PC8mtQmlGGmLE4pTOgzXWC4qd9GZzNR3fOsztZeX7KiLVrgvrU2WASxiM68GtvBPKKFidkVWrv9UgWujTOcOU3T5rTT9hdqrxKrjAV0TbJW8LBdLTpZRTxCe3Mt4F69A4CIYWcy_vF6KjHLqcYk7OhCnI1bT6wxUud_hd0l1t4dXrgvGw=s2482" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1450" data-original-width="2482" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgR079OjJl_5PC8mtQmlGGmLE4pTOgzXWC4qd9GZzNR3fOsztZeX7KiLVrgvrU2WASxiM68GtvBPKKFidkVWrv9UgWujTOcOU3T5rTT9hdqrxKrjAV0TbJW8LBdLTpZRTxCe3Mt4F69A4CIYWcy_vF6KjHLqcYk7OhCnI1bT6wxUud_hd0l1t4dXrgvGw=w640-h374" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These come up to my mid-calf, so slightly longer than expected. However, I’m a petite gal at around 5’2’’ and my stumpy legs are shorter than the model on the website’s! I really like the look of a mid-calf boot, though, I think it’s really nice for winter and I just think it looks flattering. I have shin tattoos and I feel the peek-a-boo of my tattoos over the top of the boots are a cute look. The sole is suuuuuper chunky, which I am such a huge fan of. They give me an entire three or four inches of extra height. As someone who cannot walk in a heel to save their life, the platform makes it so comfortable. The 2cm heel feels flat to me, so walking around in these all day would be easy. Plus, I love the cut-out detail in the sole because it creates the illusion of a higher heel. I am yet to wear these out for the day, but based on my strutting about the flat in them this morning, I’d say they’ll be good and comfortable.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">They’re just incredibly pretty boots that are simple, minimal, they’ll go with absolutely any outfit and can be dressed up or down. Plus, they’re great to wander around all day in, or dress up to go for dinner and dancing in as they’re so comfortable. I really rate these, so I wanted to share them with you. I hope you found this helpful!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-60902818951738180102022-01-12T08:30:00.001+00:002022-01-12T08:30:00.215+00:00VEGAN LUNCH + DINNER IDEAS #1<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-HtlcFpKukfNWVoBCP_W_uuxyKrWaS4xjykx4dbrllc9uLcZfdXzSWxyDn8xoB_6dzEd95mxRtOXZ56zqsAtHP1gAqJvOy3bfvR8Pfw6B9Lzkj-jQvI7G3WeQfifYhtwgvp_q4DwuIKs3ohGQHk0RplpIFpUceGim8dUDBcji4K9Xg8bLLMIc8SWLUw=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-HtlcFpKukfNWVoBCP_W_uuxyKrWaS4xjykx4dbrllc9uLcZfdXzSWxyDn8xoB_6dzEd95mxRtOXZ56zqsAtHP1gAqJvOy3bfvR8Pfw6B9Lzkj-jQvI7G3WeQfifYhtwgvp_q4DwuIKs3ohGQHk0RplpIFpUceGim8dUDBcji4K9Xg8bLLMIc8SWLUw=w640-h214" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When I decided I was going to do Veganuary, I spent a lot of time trawling through various recipe websites and wrote up the meal-plan for the month before January even started! However, what I noticed was that a LOT of the recipes were things I wasn’t familiar with…things I wouldn’t normally fancy making…things that looked incredibly involved and fussy! So with that in mind, I decided to keep a sort-of food diary so I could share what I personally ate for lunch and dinner during my attempt at Veganuary. These are recipes or meal ideas that I’d tend to want to eat any time of the year, including when I’m eating meat and dairy products throughout the rest of the year.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’m a big foodie, and I couldn’t even whittle myself down to a favourite cuisine. I love cooking pastas, stews, Mexican food, curries, soups…all sorts! This blog post will be the first in a series of a few to come, so here’s a sample of some of my more successful meals since we started the month. I so so thoroughly appreciate you all tolerating such a lot of Veganuary content; I really find that keeping a record of what I’m doing, taking pictures and blogging about it keeps me on the straight and narrow! So, without any further rambling, [because I’m beginning to feel like one of those bloggers who writes their entire life story before giving you the f****** recipe you’re on their page in the first place for] here are some Vegan lunch and dinner ideas:<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Black Bean + Sweetcorn Tacos<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These are<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>l i t e r a l l y just tacos without the minced beef, so they’re something we’d choose to make in the week usually anyway. We like to go for the mini tortillas and fill them with our mixture of onions, peppers, black beans, sweetcorn and seasoning. We usually chuck some tomato puree in there for a bit of extra flava-flave. You could even add kidney beans or chickpeas. The recipe on the back of any taco seasoning packet in a supermarket is perfectly vegan as long as you leave out the minced beef, and choose a vegan cheese and a non-dairy sour cream alternative. Kyle went crazy with our new Ninja food processor and made a homemade salsa out of roasted tomatoes, garlic and chillies which was amazing. Guacamole is also usually vegan but we don’t like avocados! We found an amazing sour cream in Sainsbury’s which you can see in my Vegan Food Haul blog post from the other week. Sprinkle with coriander for prettiness.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Aldi Plant Menu No Steak Bake</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Aldi has been doing serious bits lately and I seem to be on a mission to try all of their Plant Menu range. They’ve got lots of these pasty/pastry bits in the freezer section and they’ve even introduced a fair amount of new items in the fresh section, just in time for Veganuary. These No Steak Bakes are savoury and tasty. The ‘steak’ is some kind of soy concoction, which normally I’d feel a bit gross about, but the gravy is warming and peppery, and the texture is absolutely fine. These are super easy to whack in the oven for lunch and they only take half an hour or so. I do like to go for a real Greggs every now and again, but these are so affordable and will last for ages in the freezer.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Pasta e Lenticchie [Pasta with Lentils]</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This is a recipe I came across on MOB Kitchen’s social media a few months ago, and we’ve had it a few times before now. I hadn’t even realised it was a vegan recipe! It’s honestly one of the loveliest, heartiest and most simple recipes you could ever wish for. And best of all, it’s a one-pan recipe which means there’s minimal washing up. It’s full of vegetables with a carrot, celery, onion and chilli base to the sauce, and tastes absolutely fantastic. The full recipe is on MOB Kitchen’s website here [<a href="https://www.mobkitchen.co.uk/recipes/pasta-e-lenticchie-pasta-with-lentils"><span class="s1">https://www.mobkitchen.co.uk/recipes/pasta-e-lenticchie-pasta-with-lentils</span></a>] and all you need to do is leave the parmesan cheese off the top at the end. I added some grated vegan cheese alternative to mine after I took this photo which was gorge and I didn’t feel like I was missing out. I really love this pasta more than life and I’ll definitely be making it again and again, even after Veganuary ends!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBOVbyR18gKzLjDK2AVRGCJ3KWUWrZu1IoPJ9kz8q7wBLKvPRKEALPGKd-OFtE2gsVLSdHA4B2l2QlLVwr6MlD26ub21fbzbmC097KQxOcJG-t1CuYtOLHFHGL6YZvBLdlFakR8odedO9rLhWlL3bkf1fRiP6d7LU0TWqe-rxzZWLt2cBm_lD8X9ZPfw=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="1024" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBOVbyR18gKzLjDK2AVRGCJ3KWUWrZu1IoPJ9kz8q7wBLKvPRKEALPGKd-OFtE2gsVLSdHA4B2l2QlLVwr6MlD26ub21fbzbmC097KQxOcJG-t1CuYtOLHFHGL6YZvBLdlFakR8odedO9rLhWlL3bkf1fRiP6d7LU0TWqe-rxzZWLt2cBm_lD8X9ZPfw=w640-h248" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Moroccan Chickpea Tagine<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">We have a Moroccan tagine on our usual rotation of meals too! We usually have chicken or lamb, but it’s so easy to swap out the meat for chickpeas to turn the meal into a totally vegan recipe. All you need is peppers, onions, a tin of chopped tomatoes and some harissa paste or tagine paste for the sauce. Then you can add pretty much any pulse or vegetable to it for a spicy, comforting bowl of goodness. We serve ours with couscous - be sure to check the ingredients of a pack of couscous before you buy it [I almost served the Ainsley Harriott roasted vegetable couscous before realising it contained milk!] - the Aldi couscous packets all seem to be vegan though, so I’d recommend them. We also love to throw some chopped apricots through the sauce for a sweetness every few bites; super tasty and a great way of having a bit more fruit for the day. We top ours with coriander or parsley and we think it looks way more impressive than it really is!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Fishless Finger Wrap</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Here’s another super easy one for an easy and quick lunch. I’m making the most of my final weeks of working from home where I can make use of my entire kitchen for my lunch. It’ll be one of the few things I miss! This is a really simple one you can knock up with things you’ve probably already got in the cupboard or fridge if you’re doing Veganuary or have vegan products lying around anyway. I just heated a wrap and added spinach leaves, red onion, cucumber and vegan mayo to my Bird’s Eye Fishes Fingers. I was a bit skeptical of the Fishless Fingers before I tried them, but was so pleasantly surprised [and equal parts bewildered!] at how realistic they smelled and tasted. The mayo I used was the Hellman’s Vegan Mayo and my, oh my, if you haven’t tried it yet, it really is a game changer. It’s possibly even better than regular mayo, believe it or not! Then I sprinkled over a bit of paprika to make it look boujie for the photo.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Mexican Chickpea Burrito Bowl</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">If you’re absolutely starving, this one’s the most filling option on the list today. And so so so good! We do burrito bowls usually as well, and we simply swapped the chicken or prawns we’d usually have for chickpeas. We spiced them in chilli con carne seasoning and tomato paste. Then we heated black beans and sweetcorn separately. In another pan, we cooked some white rice. And then in a final pan we caramelised onions and peppers in olive oil. This recipe is a bit of a nightmare considering you use absolutely every single pan in your kitchen, but the end result is really tasty, really filling, and I think it’s one of the most appealing-looking dinner we’ve made so far! We garnished with grated vegan cheese alternative and some of our trusty No-Sour Cream by Sainsbury’s, plus a couple of wedges of lime each for squeezing over the top. It’s a really fun and impressive-looking dish, plus it’s full of vegetables and pulses.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So that’s my round-up of some Vegan recipes I’ve made during the first week or so of Veganuary! I hope some of these are different to the very arty-farty ideas you get on some of the other websites where you just think to yourself ‘‘I am absolutely NOT going to be bothered to make that!’’. I feel like these ones are not too far away from some of the things you may be used to making already, just with little swaps here and there to ensure they’re vegan! Make sure you keep an eye out for the next round-up of meat and dairy-free meal ideas.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-61369180791915552482022-01-09T08:30:00.001+00:002022-01-09T08:30:00.209+00:00HAIR CARE FAVOURITES<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1QZAs7ECqhPU9PK_-dtCgerz829OFfGU5i10fykdc1cPXAyyIGenK_w4NqTaJfqewjoCZN0m4q09odeMPkECeOumrdBCzhsKz4QtJrmbwUPSUJAuAlynfFIgGAIsGQdStXWnSC1PICAxJIVEmccjLRFJCDhhWNP9KWrtfXpEIKpc9M-QFjR-9ulK00A=s2453" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="2453" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1QZAs7ECqhPU9PK_-dtCgerz829OFfGU5i10fykdc1cPXAyyIGenK_w4NqTaJfqewjoCZN0m4q09odeMPkECeOumrdBCzhsKz4QtJrmbwUPSUJAuAlynfFIgGAIsGQdStXWnSC1PICAxJIVEmccjLRFJCDhhWNP9KWrtfXpEIKpc9M-QFjR-9ulK00A=w640-h408" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Here’s an old-school-blogging blog post if I ever saw one! Remember when we used to just actually review products we’d been using? One of my New Year’s resolutions was to get back into blogging - but I don’t half miss the way blogging used to be. So I decided to write a ‘Hair Care Favourites’ blog post and share the products I fell in love with over the course of last year. I’ve had many ups and downs with this hair of mine [many of which have been chronicled over on my YouTube channel] and I finally feel like I’m in a good place with its look, feel, length, thickness etc etc etc. I’d consider myself to be a little bit of an expert considering all the trials and tribulations me and my tresses have been through together. So these are all the best bits to grace my scalp over the hellscape that was 2021, and they will definitely be coming into 2022 with me.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3PLk1ixWFzdHlForcmwfyuQ5NT0hqDUVHQV8nQAMaGyU1rmM7IRD1K2wM0Mp-Ogt0XOUbic0MwjA3IqA6fNRKkFXnVM81OWlEQ8CBhu_keY5X8P9Sbw1Kas9A3hbuCmkBYO2XlYPuzQS3UgRM2JwfFvU3wvcpWzhT9i7LLrYc7hMLcceP6pKK3eSzaw=s2453" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="2453" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3PLk1ixWFzdHlForcmwfyuQ5NT0hqDUVHQV8nQAMaGyU1rmM7IRD1K2wM0Mp-Ogt0XOUbic0MwjA3IqA6fNRKkFXnVM81OWlEQ8CBhu_keY5X8P9Sbw1Kas9A3hbuCmkBYO2XlYPuzQS3UgRM2JwfFvU3wvcpWzhT9i7LLrYc7hMLcceP6pKK3eSzaw=w640-h408" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Garnier Ultimate Blends Nourishing Hair Food Banana & Shea 3-in-1 Hair Mask</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I was late to the party when it comes to these Garnier 3-in-1 Hair Masks. I remember when they were released and we had all the adverts on TV, but for some reason I never got around to buying one. I think that part of me thought that because they were a drugstore product with a relatively low price-point that they’d be rubbish. But O’ me of little faith! I received a pot as a gift for my birthday and absolutely fell in love with it, and now I won’t be without a pot. What I really love are a) the range of scents are lovely and really do stick to your hair after using b) these are cheap, cheerful and ACTUALLY work to make your hair super soft and nourished c) the formula is vegan and is made with 98% natural ingredients d) it’s a Garnier product meaning you can find it absolutely everywhere; Boots, Superdrug, Amazon, B&M Bargains.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I alternate between all three conditioners on this post, so this gets slathered onto my hair whilst I’m in the shower just once every three hair-washes. I wouldn’t want to use it every time, as I’m sure it’d make my hair *too* nourished and it’d end up greasy. Plus, even though it’s an incredibly generously sized tub, I do like to try to make my products last. On top of that, each scent is actually formulated for a certain type of hair, so if you take a look at the benefits of each one, you are sure to find one that you like. The next one I’d like to try is the Coconut scent which is intended for frizzy hair. Now, my hair isn’t overly frizzy but I want nothing more than to swish about with smooth coconut-smelling hair to be honest. Is that such a crime??</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Pro:Voke Touch Of Silver Brightening Shampoo + Pro:Voke Touch Of Silver Brightening Purple Mask</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These two products are the OGs. These have been an unshakeable pair ever since I started having my hair bleached back in 2009. I actually remember when these products were mainly catering to the needs of women of a certain age with beautiful naturally grey and white hair, and were formulated to help keep them silvery instead of brassy. I’ve tried most of the Pro:Voke range at this stage, and these two are definitely the best of the bunch. Considering I don’t use them for every hair wash, that is. Pro:Voke offer less intense, every day shampoos and conditioners that would be fine for every-wash use, but take heed, if you used the Brightening range each time, you’d end up with bright purple hair within a week.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I use the shampoo once every two or three washes just because it’s super pigmented and deposits quite a ferocious violet pigment onto my bleached hair. I also prefer to use a higher-end shampoo the majority of the time; the Pro:Voke stuff is great for toning but it’s not the most nourishing, smoothing or hydrating product you can buy. I do love the fact that you can buy this XXL pack for just £3.99 in B&M and it’ll last absolutely months. For a stronger toning effect, you can lather the shampoo up and leave it for a few minutes before rinsing. You’ll absolutely never need to worry about a yellowish tinge. The same goes for the Pro:Voke Brightening Mask, although this one gets used significantly less than the shampoo. It’s super super strongly pigmented and, especially if your hair is quite porous like mine, it can make for some interestingly vibrant results if used too much, or left on for too long. I probably whack this on once a month, leave it on for 3-5 minutes and then rinse for a super-charged toning session between hairdresser visits. The results are a subtle lilac-ash fresh blonde which I really love.</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiu5xKt22-W15G57Gv8_MTj5wa021SU0oZHKhWLQAy95O3ouVSbJw8dxZVDfC8lpwSCFvF4rU59tEc5e79onX96Vo6kaEz2xlxdrS8lSA9lLqw-F7Q0JzwCqHZQfJ8ZncdN8gDr1pmBvtjEDVwoOSbwuriY5ZsvrJAliq99hWhD3fYZXzUtkmtB2-ksWw=s2699" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1799" data-original-width="2699" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiu5xKt22-W15G57Gv8_MTj5wa021SU0oZHKhWLQAy95O3ouVSbJw8dxZVDfC8lpwSCFvF4rU59tEc5e79onX96Vo6kaEz2xlxdrS8lSA9lLqw-F7Q0JzwCqHZQfJ8ZncdN8gDr1pmBvtjEDVwoOSbwuriY5ZsvrJAliq99hWhD3fYZXzUtkmtB2-ksWw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>milk_shake integrity nourishing shampoo + milk_shake integrity nourishing conditioner</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I won an Amazon voucher at work towards the end of last year and wanted to treat myself to some salon-quality haircare products. I’d had milk_shake used on me at the hairdressers before and I thought they smelt fantastic and made my hair feel incredibly soft and sleek. Now, these weren’t the cheapest things I’ve ever purchased at around £12 a bottle [but using a voucher definitely took the edge off] and they’re only 300ml sized, but I have thoroughly enjoyed using them so far. I’d say I’m about halfway through the bottles and I’ve been very conscious not to squirt tonnes of it out when I’m using it in an attempt to make them last. However I am sure that these will be going on the repurchase list when I’m finished with them. As with every shampoo and conditioner combo in the history of my life, the shampoo is dwindling whilst I have loads of conditioner left, so maybe I can get into a bit of a groove where I only need to replace one bottle at a time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These both smell great, but without being overpowering. I know that for some people, a really strongly scented product can cause headaches or just be off-putting in general. But these are very subtly scented, and I couldn’t even tell you what exactly they smell of. But I want to say nuts. The shampoo doesn’t lather up like a cheapy cheap shampoo would, but that’s always the sign of a decent shampoo. The conditioner is smooth and luxurious feeling. My last visit to the hairdressers saw me get quite a significant chop, and I’ve been using a higher quality set of products in an effort to keep my ends from splitting and looking super healthy, and I really think that an investment into a better quality everyday shampoo and conditioner has helped massively.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>OLAPLEX No6 Bond Smoother + OLAPLEX No7 Bonding Oil</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Considering I was firmly in the camp of “yeah yeah whatever” when it came to Olaplex at first, it’s amazing how much I am now in the camp of “OMFG you need to use Olaplex or you will DIE”. I’m a true convert. You will see me with a sandwich board in Bristol city centre at the weekend proclaiming that the end is nigh and only Olaplex can save us. I just wish these little [and I do mean tiny] bottles of elixir weren’t so gosh darn tootin’ expenny. These two teeny weeny loves of my life are £26 each. Granted, you can usually find a cheeky discount code or utilise the devil that is Klarna, but STILL. Then again, I am a firm believer in ‘you get what you pay for’, and I really honestly believe that these have been the main products that helped my hair recover from being melted and burned off into a mullet by a hairdresser back in 2020.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">These were actually a birthday present from my sister and I could not love them more. I use them every single time I wash my hair for a sleek, smoothed down finish. Once I’m out of the shower, I gently towel-dry my hair and then use a pea-sized amount of the Bond Smoother and a few shakes of the Bonding Oil, then rub between my palms to create this absolute holy hair juice. Then I smooth it as evenly as possible over my lengths and ends before allowing my hair to air-dry. Honestly, the difference between my crispy-ass hair before using this and after is incredibly noticeable. Having fallen in love with these two products over the last year, I’m always interested in the rest of the Olaplex range, but the price point kind of makes me want to die. I guess we’ll all have to watch this space and see whether I can muster the stupidity to bankrupt myself on some other bits. My bet is that I will.</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr2yB1v5A3bsE75c8UFAssWepKyrTgDI7CjsJiRLgZj4Oa-4HhaDCA02laJ_8WY48V499boU4bYFGffzd9LNwPKftkQh2T2lQMyAiHwpQQSItCTq2guP4Q9hP142yF-9BJR98FD7UMaRvH5kEeh4p_bi0J60HYH8xcNnW1Kztd-msU9r495DQaWcPhig=s2719" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="2719" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr2yB1v5A3bsE75c8UFAssWepKyrTgDI7CjsJiRLgZj4Oa-4HhaDCA02laJ_8WY48V499boU4bYFGffzd9LNwPKftkQh2T2lQMyAiHwpQQSItCTq2guP4Q9hP142yF-9BJR98FD7UMaRvH5kEeh4p_bi0J60HYH8xcNnW1Kztd-msU9r495DQaWcPhig=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So those were all my haircare favourites from the tail-end of last year, and the ones which are coming with me into 2022. Whilst I always love to try new products, there are always some that stand the test of time and have the honour of a permanent spot in my bathroom cabinet. With all that said, I am excited to see what new goos I can locate to smother my head in this coming year!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-78163225904310158672022-01-07T08:30:00.001+00:002022-01-07T08:30:00.226+00:00LIFE UPDATE: BEGINNING MY CAREER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOfpsBoNnszkUGHqv6IX180QCXM9EcvnAyV4EmvurvY1ESqJBG6i-NQpzpjZkMSga_t7oX1sDjrzHGkv_vDzBJJdonantqpW_FUaWzPUfkEHF6M6oyWriBdBMkMLAjyBAB3Sb32AywPQ9TPKvtKQMheif6F3nKoClRbE8cT4hi-IfzdBS5sNwgZxhdaw=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1024" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOfpsBoNnszkUGHqv6IX180QCXM9EcvnAyV4EmvurvY1ESqJBG6i-NQpzpjZkMSga_t7oX1sDjrzHGkv_vDzBJJdonantqpW_FUaWzPUfkEHF6M6oyWriBdBMkMLAjyBAB3Sb32AywPQ9TPKvtKQMheif6F3nKoClRbE8cT4hi-IfzdBS5sNwgZxhdaw=w640-h384" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">She’s only bloody gone and done it. She’s only bloody gone and accepted an offer for an incredibly promising job in the legal sector! I am writing this and I’m absolutely on cloud nine, and it’s only going to be a short and sweet one from me today. I’m incredibly pleased and proud to share that I have secured myself a position for a leading law firm in Bristol. I’ve had a couple of interviews since really knuckling down and giving my job-hunt a proper go, but none of the applications I’ve sent off have felt as exciting as this one.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I mean, come on, this is me you’re talking about. Jasmine McRae, the girl whose flat you could walk into at literally ANY GIVEN MOMENT and she’d have courtroom television on. I’ve always had a real passion for law, even going back to secondary school and doing legal studies as an elective subject. The company looks incredibly well-established and respectable, and their benefits schemes are already speaking to me. This just looks like a place where I’ll have a thousand opportunities, room to progress, support and encouragement with training. It’s a job where I will really get to use my brain and feel a sense of achievement at the end of the day.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I really am just made up. And aside from the job itself, the step away from shift-work and joining the recognised working week will be so amazing for my mental health and routine. Working from home and relocating cities has been an incredibly isolating experience. Being in the office with people, the ability to meet and make friends sounds like everything I need. Being responsible for getting up and out of the house, choosing an outfit, making sure I’m washed and dressed because I *actually* have somewhere to be! It’s also quite a significant pay increase for me; someone who has made do with minimum wage for the majority of my working life. It’s very exciting to be offered a salary that I feel like I am worth.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I really, genuinely cannot wait. I am beyond made up for myself and I have a real sense of pride about me this week. It’s a fantastic excuse to buy myself some fabulous office-wear and brag to everybody I know. I’m so grateful to all my friends, family and boyfriend for always encouraging me when I felt unmotivated. My Dad for constantly breathing down my neck about applications being sent off. Courtney for helping me with my CV. And Kyle for the reassuring “we go again” speech after a set-back. The hard work really had paid off and, most importantly, a job where I can see myself fitting in fantastically and really thriving came along. What a fantastic way to begin the New Year!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-51421152908698464122022-01-03T14:27:00.001+00:002022-01-03T14:27:20.859+00:00VEGAN FOOD HAUL FOR BEGINNERS | VEGANUARY 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5OCjqLadkwnen0Egb818dJRoP1JhDVee5HBpIBvJkRShAyvKXyfrOURwIeI3sDTTUujnjrK5Tu-mDLZrbMynD_Pi5xPp64yG-pFeXfIvoHOYXxXp0WHhtXnFk7rtr_kQFxE9XZhM0LiJKg2ZOn8977F4xK0G4GYudK9x4vxHnrs4_qhrvaUUYcB6fiw=s2676" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="2676" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5OCjqLadkwnen0Egb818dJRoP1JhDVee5HBpIBvJkRShAyvKXyfrOURwIeI3sDTTUujnjrK5Tu-mDLZrbMynD_Pi5xPp64yG-pFeXfIvoHOYXxXp0WHhtXnFk7rtr_kQFxE9XZhM0LiJKg2ZOn8977F4xK0G4GYudK9x4vxHnrs4_qhrvaUUYcB6fiw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Does the word ‘Veganuary’ strike fear into your soul? Or does it make you feel inspired? For me, I think it’s a bit of both. The inspiration comes from the notion that I’ll be getting incredibly creative in the kitchen; breaking away from the routine spag bols, chicken curries and bacon sandwiches. Not to mention the expectation that such a post-Christmas detox would do wonders for my skin, my liver, my energy levels. I have visions of myself getting up at the crack of dawn, going for a jog and doing yoga before bed [absolutely NONE of which are ever going to happen, but that’s just the imagery that doing Veganuary conjures up for me]. The ‘fear’ portion of such a commitment undoubtedly comes from breaking away from my beloved spag bols, chicken curries and bacon sandwiches, and the absolute daylight robbery I’m expected to courteously smile and thank the cashier for at the supermarket for the next 4 weeks.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">In any event, I’m known to be on the obsessive side. Once I’ve got an idea into my head, I’m getting it done and committing to it 100%. Come hell or high water, [or drained bank account and the runs] I will be completing Veganuary 2022. I’ve only done Veganuary once before, and it was definitely before all the hype surrounding veganism took off, and certainly long before all the big brands jumped on the meat-free hype and started releasing their own options. So with that in mind, I do think that if you’re thinking of trying it, then it’s much easier to get involved now than it has ever been before.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’d definitely categorise myself and Kyle as home-cooks; we are both definite foodies and make most meals from scratch. However, I’d definitely say we’re beginners in the vegan-department as literally 99.9% of meals we have at home contain some form of animal product. It’s currently day 3 of Veganuary 2022 and we managed to drop around £70 on a vegan food shop yesterday. If I didn’t write a blog post I’d probably feel quite sick at the thought of that spend, so as long as I can squeeze a bit of content out of it, it’ll definitely take the edge off. Here’s what we got!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii4uYEIq6OPBBaJjomHv_hzjlQO1WRs3R0msxWe4HsE0ADAZX2HGNT3KI7whCvTbXb4tpGr7SXU79DabxRUwjbGmhvP5LqE8fZTgxzD_nuCDJXkFpnzlzNcwzKyYrkXxu1yWD9_jOtnoMAlhiyi0oK_PbkVeYXtfNUCoYbfkI87vjTSw6W6fC_FA1raA=s2719" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="2719" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii4uYEIq6OPBBaJjomHv_hzjlQO1WRs3R0msxWe4HsE0ADAZX2HGNT3KI7whCvTbXb4tpGr7SXU79DabxRUwjbGmhvP5LqE8fZTgxzD_nuCDJXkFpnzlzNcwzKyYrkXxu1yWD9_jOtnoMAlhiyi0oK_PbkVeYXtfNUCoYbfkI87vjTSw6W6fC_FA1raA=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">We’re usually big into our meat, so meat substitutes were quite high on the list of priorities so we don’t spend the month feeling like we’re going without. As well as this, there are so many new meat-substitute options and so many new brands in the shops to try, so we really want to have a go at trying as many as possible. Firstly, we grabbed the <b>THIS ISN’T BACON Plant-Based Bacon</b> so we can try a cooked breakfast or maybe some ‘bacon’ sandwiches. Whenever you tell anyone you’re doing Veganuary the first thing they say is ‘’what about bacon?!?!?!’’, so we’ve got that base covered, at least. Then we chose some <b>Linda McCartney’s 2 Vegetarian Mozzarella Burgers </b>to whack in the freezer for a lazy mid-week dinner at some point. I’ve only ever heard great things about these, so I’m excited to try them. I adore a fish finger, so I chose some <b>Bird’s Eye Green Cuisine Fishes Fingers</b> for a lazy snack whilst I’m working from home, or a cheeky fish finger wrap for lunch at the weekend. We also got some <b>Plant Pioneers No Duck Spring Rolls which contain jackfruit, </b>so they will be very experimental. Again, for the fry-up, we wanted some <b>Linda McCartney 6 Vegetarian Sausages </b>which we’ve had in the past, even before veganuary and really enjoyed them. Then finally, the freezer section provided goods in the form of <b>Bird’s Eye Green Cuisine Meat Free Meatballs </b>for one of the estimated 29 pasta dishes I’ll be eating over the next 29 days.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">For dairy substitutes, milk especially, it’s already been a rocky ride. I have already come to the conclusion that myself and ANY brand of coconut milk drink are not pals. I tried a coconut-milk iced latte at home on day one, and I was absolutely horrified. I will be telling my grandchildren about how horrific it was. With this in mind, it seems I have settled on <b>Oat-Ly! Oat Drink Semi</b>, which seems to go down quite well in my teas and both hot and iced coffee. However, Kyle and I want to try every milk-alternative we can find [including the dreaded pea milk]. Instead of our Utterly Butterly, we’ve got the <b>Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Lightly Salted Spread </b>which seems absolutely fine to me. I was also really surprised to find that the <b>Hellman’s Vegan Mayo </b>smells absolutely identical - if not better - than normal mayo. I’ve not actually eaten any yet, but it smelt great. Next, we chose some <b>Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers No Soured Cream & Chive Dip </b>because we want to make some vegan burrito bowls, although I’m slightly skeptical of a sour cream with no sour cream. Sour cream in and of itself is quite dodgy so how on God’s green earth is this going to work? But, alas, nothing on this list is perturbing me in the way that our <b>The Tofoo Co. Scrambled </b>is perturbing me. As I mentioned, we’d love to try to recreate a fully vegan cooked breakfast, and tofu seems to be the best way to create scrambled ‘eggs’. I’ll definitely have to let you know how this goes.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisMoBpTs2HZS00Rn8q1i64eDy6_1EAKgDuc9pip4vs9UVciWjpdDghFOlZ4TN5cAyLZK8ye1B16kF3f9gvZfx5HgPssiVooyWWQeDMrfEpQtLe94R0O_-x8BY-RlxzvPAHRYRtRvzJCxRhX08dCaeuBv6aONUd_iOhwa_Lg8UhkFaAEuMZS3Rpjk4TQg=s2800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisMoBpTs2HZS00Rn8q1i64eDy6_1EAKgDuc9pip4vs9UVciWjpdDghFOlZ4TN5cAyLZK8ye1B16kF3f9gvZfx5HgPssiVooyWWQeDMrfEpQtLe94R0O_-x8BY-RlxzvPAHRYRtRvzJCxRhX08dCaeuBv6aONUd_iOhwa_Lg8UhkFaAEuMZS3Rpjk4TQg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Then the other bits we grabbed were some <b>BOSH! Nutritional Yeast </b>which has appeared in loads of the vegan recipes I’ve been looking at on YouTube and blogs. I still have basically no idea what it is - but it was an eye-watering £3 in Sainsbury’s - and apparently it gives a bit of a cheesy flavour to dishes. My mind is open, but on first inspection it doesn’t half resemble fish food. I’ve been enjoying tinned options for a long time, even before Veganuary, just because they’re so easy and super filling, but I’m excited to try some different varieties and branching out with some different ingredients. So I got a <b>Princes Plant Based Lentil & Mushroom Bolognese </b>which I intend to whack in a saucepan one day, and throw it on a plate with some pasta for a really quick lunch. Another really easy peasy one is the <b>Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg Tomato, Red Pepper & Lentil Soup</b> which will be a lovely winter warmer, and is undoubtedly something I’d have chosen before Veganuary too. Next, we got some <b>Waitrose Plantlife Rainbow Vegetable Fritters </b>to go with a picky lunch or as a side-dish to a curry for dinner. And finally, I really cannot go any amount of time with a tortellini-type situation so I splurged on the <b>Dell Ugo Pumpkin & Sage Ravolini </b>which I’m very excited to try.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’m not going to lie, even though there are soooo many more options for us attempting Veganuary on the supermarket shelves [which is a great thing, and obviously fantastic for all you brave and noble full-time vegans!], it still seems to be rather pricy to go for the meat and dairy substitutes. Obviously it’d be cheap as chips if you were happy with stir-fried vegetables and potatoes every day, as we all know they don’t cost a fortune, but nobody wants to be restricted in their diet like that. Regardless, I’m super excited to see how this month plays out. I’m excited to see whether I feel as bright and energised as I expect to, or whether I drop 5 stone in an instant, or as some people have warned; spending the majority of the month with diarrhoea. We’re also doing Dry January, so the risk of drunkenly ordering a doner kebab at 1am has luckily been eliminated. I’m also filming a few bits here and there for my YouTube channel which I think I’m going to edit into a month-long Vlog about how I felt Veganuary went for me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC_aHgWltXi90IjGu797FB_IEooJwPPMk491_M9fpkMog7htBkf9DediFfNcf8Ax3CGCr09IsAL57F8qqu3tkinJ6ThJEmZaijmRJmcxyRshMlZ87KU4miSJt7ETKe46gclgDs34ehPOrALug14_lVKs9LKP2vyIgYTHK05WEhvEzSvOimfAsC3K8_Dg=s2437" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="2437" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC_aHgWltXi90IjGu797FB_IEooJwPPMk491_M9fpkMog7htBkf9DediFfNcf8Ax3CGCr09IsAL57F8qqu3tkinJ6ThJEmZaijmRJmcxyRshMlZ87KU4miSJt7ETKe46gclgDs34ehPOrALug14_lVKs9LKP2vyIgYTHK05WEhvEzSvOimfAsC3K8_Dg=w640-h410" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><b>Are you going to be cutting down on meat/dairy this month? If you’re doing Veganuary, how are you finding it?</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-80732510290957397472021-06-11T11:48:00.000+01:002021-06-11T11:48:36.800+01:00HOW TO MAKE A CHARCUTERIE BOARD<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8a3XH-oCnMxy9QAgebFaIuDfpjIXqzCHvBAdNHaq5tJWG-hX-aQZoCeSyxJ1YA7CJ9DVcymhmZB6qPKpoJSNQe-gCZUYXeRa_0WspueISAIo-VLcXyiPDUdHuyHmVyAX3P1Spur1Zsnk/s1299/IMG_4556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1299" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8a3XH-oCnMxy9QAgebFaIuDfpjIXqzCHvBAdNHaq5tJWG-hX-aQZoCeSyxJ1YA7CJ9DVcymhmZB6qPKpoJSNQe-gCZUYXeRa_0WspueISAIo-VLcXyiPDUdHuyHmVyAX3P1Spur1Zsnk/w640-h454/IMG_4556.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Scrolling through Pinterest for hours feels like a valuable use of my time. And that is especially the case when I have other important things to be doing. Oh, how I can gayly fritter away hours adding to my ‘wedding’ and ‘destination’ boards…but my favourite board of all is the ‘food' board. I’m sure its my most pinned-to board out of the lot, and it’s when I was scrolling through various recipes I came across the phenomenon of the Charcuterie Board. Never had I seen such pretty and dainty spreads of food! Now, Really don’t have anything on some of the boards on Pinterest, but this is how I make a charcuterie board for under £20.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">What I love about a charcuterie board [which is basically a fancy cheese, meat and fruit board] is that there’s next-to-no washing up to be done afterwards. Except for say; one knife and a chopping board or two. All you need is some kind of serving platter - I just use my biggest wooden chopping board - and your ingredients and you’re basically done. That’s also a great thing about a charcuterie board; it’s all generally fresh and ready-to-eat stuff. All you need to do is a bit of slicing and pretty arranging. And pouring some wine, of course!</p></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxvaz0yF2W3qw9Z4TVkU6a_cglwFOGvUP3VH6jmNaDB-ssmW2VV0wUfIVCXm0hmpbnaXtySyd94cjcCunHqi8eBgI2DkEVx0vG2BWRydrts1KV8AGOA1aFcL52TkhNZwR-Cb4xurGJsUU/s1329/1xox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1329" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxvaz0yF2W3qw9Z4TVkU6a_cglwFOGvUP3VH6jmNaDB-ssmW2VV0wUfIVCXm0hmpbnaXtySyd94cjcCunHqi8eBgI2DkEVx0vG2BWRydrts1KV8AGOA1aFcL52TkhNZwR-Cb4xurGJsUU/w640-h434/1xox.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHBAkmjKxfNlzxfd_UTy8D9UQXDi7Yg7kJdWxPNg1o-tbg62HuieIGpdaTke0fLfNcmImbL5gzivQ5wJG15I2eMmwCKr5zNCERcGKkNPPtS8utghu9J8KAXexLa-olDh7WO0Hr9Me7sXf/s1359/IMG_4544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="1359" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHBAkmjKxfNlzxfd_UTy8D9UQXDi7Yg7kJdWxPNg1o-tbg62HuieIGpdaTke0fLfNcmImbL5gzivQ5wJG15I2eMmwCKr5zNCERcGKkNPPtS8utghu9J8KAXexLa-olDh7WO0Hr9Me7sXf/w640-h416/IMG_4544.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Another fab thing about a lunch, dinner or supper like this, is that you can essentially choose whatever you fancy. Massive shoutout to those who have mastered the breakfast charcuterie board - that’s next on my to-do list! I decided that instead of cooking a whole meal this evening, I’d like to do this instead and headed to my favourite place on earth; LIDL this morning. So, let’s have a look at my ingredients.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">My receipt total is £20.22. My budget was £20, but I decided on a slightly nicer wine, a <b>Comté Tolosan French Malbec</b>, so sue me! I wanted to set myself a budget to see how much I could get, and what kind of variety of lovely fresh bits I could choose.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">As it was intended to be our dinner, I wanted to be quite carb-heavy, so I picked up <b>sweet potato fries</b>, two <b>demi baguettes</b>, <b>black pepper and sea salt crackers</b> and a <b>goat’s cheese and pesto focaccia</b>. Cheese-wise, I went for the ol’ faithfuls; <b>gouda</b>, <b>camembert </b>[to bake in the oven for melty deliciousness] and <b>brie</b>. I chose a <b>Spanish tapas meats selection</b> and then a random pack of <b>Brunswick ham</b> because this charcuterie board seems disloyal to any country specifically. This is the European Union charcuterie board, if you will. For fruitiness, I went with a <b>pink apple</b>, a <b>conference pear</b>, both just to slice up, and then a punnet of <b>mixed grapes </b>so no one’s crying about not having the colour grape they wanted. I also grabbed some <b>cherry tomatoes</b> which I won’t eat and some <b>sun-dried tomatoes</b> which I definitely will eat. And finally, a jar of <b>caramelised red onion chutney</b> which is perfect on bread or crackers with the cheese.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJgPBdzQIxUB3L-D3ojvWv_cs6lF_cxaITBmiIjr4Ws69aXAPzK-lx3DrMKGIfrMAoVKhXVsolOadUGWL61teN2qDPv6Lip6H6luQs2WL5mZB-VYMZoe8JxYR_NSVKR64KoSjgyd9zgva/s1351/IMG_4549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1351" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJgPBdzQIxUB3L-D3ojvWv_cs6lF_cxaITBmiIjr4Ws69aXAPzK-lx3DrMKGIfrMAoVKhXVsolOadUGWL61teN2qDPv6Lip6H6luQs2WL5mZB-VYMZoe8JxYR_NSVKR64KoSjgyd9zgva/w640-h420/IMG_4549.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uD9L3sFRHKZiGWI-ryIycKupYxqkaB1ur0N3PC_O3BR8kku7hLE9P4WKBv3uG8e2_1pd13GdT8G8cXgcvz2ucFpOFfRHPPCJw64U2_iUVE7GW7seS1dJS3Fq-9E1TqlkbWsZirVEo4zt/s1330/IMG_4553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1330" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uD9L3sFRHKZiGWI-ryIycKupYxqkaB1ur0N3PC_O3BR8kku7hLE9P4WKBv3uG8e2_1pd13GdT8G8cXgcvz2ucFpOFfRHPPCJw64U2_iUVE7GW7seS1dJS3Fq-9E1TqlkbWsZirVEo4zt/w640-h434/IMG_4553.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I really love how it turned out, and despite it not looking like loooooads of food in my shopping basket initially, it was a really nice and satisfying, yet ‘picky’ dinner. It felt like a bit of a picnic in our living room. And of course, there’s a fair bit of leftovers knocking about in the fridge now, so that’ll be lunch for a couple of days. I think this is a great idea for summer dinners - especially because I’ve been too hot to cook and since I never even want to wash a dish at the best of times. It makes me feel a bit European and like I’m on holiday which is so so so valuable since most of us still aren’t able to travel.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So there we bloody go, I’m pleased as punch and a nice level of full considering the stifling heat at the moment. I’m also feeling quite proud as this was literally more fruit than I’ve eaten in the last like… 6 months. I just feel much more inclined to eat fresh fruit and veg if it’s laid out like this, and I feel better for it. It’s also extremely insta-worthy. I’d love to attempt a breakfast one next time, so that’s one to look out for!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrmCilXKrmopnW3n6siTwWaO528C3jKidd2F8wJUMhSTHwsgqXVh0nkASQfPVFmzba2tWHhZfu5fEJYyaklTmCdwjFYOLhAZmTly55kc_ZeOSM8mtnZOzv8fWeyTFhBU6t1iBuIgDVGfx/s1291/IMG_4548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1291" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrmCilXKrmopnW3n6siTwWaO528C3jKidd2F8wJUMhSTHwsgqXVh0nkASQfPVFmzba2tWHhZfu5fEJYyaklTmCdwjFYOLhAZmTly55kc_ZeOSM8mtnZOzv8fWeyTFhBU6t1iBuIgDVGfx/w640-h460/IMG_4548.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Have you ever experimented with a charcuterie board? What kind of things would you put on yours?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-60643184492107208112021-01-17T08:30:00.003+00:002021-01-17T08:30:04.220+00:00MY BEDROOM TOUR<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsQvv_9AU60g0deDe9Mt0U7lCis4H5C-nK2d5bUQ1M5OXlw_bb2FHMzny8Y6IqATYAp9W4xEQtjrng59_kRiEpKBc4ln0LkeLkP96SJ0jpyi3FFouRv0ZP2Hg5xirRYkt7qilCuG49teY/s2585/bedroomtour1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1771" data-original-width="2585" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsQvv_9AU60g0deDe9Mt0U7lCis4H5C-nK2d5bUQ1M5OXlw_bb2FHMzny8Y6IqATYAp9W4xEQtjrng59_kRiEpKBc4ln0LkeLkP96SJ0jpyi3FFouRv0ZP2Hg5xirRYkt7qilCuG49teY/w640-h438/bedroomtour1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">After over a year of living in my dad’s conservatory down in Devon, sleeping on a pullout sofa bed and trying to cram all my clothing onto one small rail, I am so crazy excited to finally have my own space. While I’m so grateful to my dad for allowing me to monopolise one of the ‘communal’ rooms in his house while I saved up, I had always always always wanted to get myself sorted so I could put my own choices and style into my room. After living amongst my dad’s furniture and artwork in the conservatory [a particularly garish, large nude painting on the wall, to name the most offensive!], I wanted to create a sense of calm, minimalism and non-cluttered space. And most of all, I wanted it white and pink!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I feel like I was so lucky to find this flat in Bristol; the living room is so bright and airy and the two bedrooms are huge. I love that the walls are pure white, meaning any decor I choose will look great. I’d love to - at some point - get another set of accents in maybe a beige or a sky blue to switch it up. The great thing is that all my base items are white, which means I can do just that. My first love, however, is baby or blush pink. I’ve had pink hair for aaaaages now, and despite being a 25 year old woman, it’s definitely still my favourite colour. I wanted to incorporate blush pink into my room as much as possible, whilst sticking with a white base which will allow me to change up the colour scheme as and when I want to. But with the pink, I feel like it’s sophisticated and feminine, whilst also being quite playful and fresh.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ld7KkSa_ht9H84q8IaSIil1xL1qdAaL6ulaoTFX6hWK8eR2OkPuSosgp5j2dPtzOr4c_1QmZ80O22OVzBrSkPlbBv70Ldj15yx-8RCP9sXQEvLunoJoNHQaC6uYLXP8iYYs-tS5CQxVo/s2435/bedroomtour5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1741" data-original-width="2435" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ld7KkSa_ht9H84q8IaSIil1xL1qdAaL6ulaoTFX6hWK8eR2OkPuSosgp5j2dPtzOr4c_1QmZ80O22OVzBrSkPlbBv70Ldj15yx-8RCP9sXQEvLunoJoNHQaC6uYLXP8iYYs-tS5CQxVo/w640-h458/bedroomtour5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBG6O4N1pb7G_Kg5fpQLdsEOzb3pA-kK21_aC4kbsErvPi4-Qi1HPBfPBNqEC4l2fQnjRL7OntRim3HbWup_33rXIv40bdRiqVtJPdT1wumbc-Ww4lDweQ2pgW7F7NxscwtArUwOru_iz/s2600/bedroomtour4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1734" data-original-width="2600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBG6O4N1pb7G_Kg5fpQLdsEOzb3pA-kK21_aC4kbsErvPi4-Qi1HPBfPBNqEC4l2fQnjRL7OntRim3HbWup_33rXIv40bdRiqVtJPdT1wumbc-Ww4lDweQ2pgW7F7NxscwtArUwOru_iz/w640-h426/bedroomtour4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The first point of call was to choose my bed, and what a bloody ordeal it was to get my hands on the one I wanted. After trawling the website for a while, I came across the <b>IKEA PLATSA Bed </b>system, which comes in a variety of shapes and combinations. It’s designed for amazing storage solutions, with shelving, drawers and under-bed pods for stashing all your stuff in. But the one I fell in love with was the one with the shelving and rail at the foot of the bed. Not only is it an amazingly useful way of storing my clothing and bedding, I also think it looks amazing. I love how it almost acts as a room divider too, and I think that it’s really lovely to hang my prettier clothes up as a ‘display’ piece, as well as a great storage addition to my room.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The shelves at the foot of my bed could use a little bit of editing. At the moment, there’s a few random pieces on there and I can’t help feeling it’s looking pretty cluttered and messy. I’d like it to, again, be more of a display area, rather than somewhere for me to shove all my junk. I’ve got my makeup brushes there at the moment, which I like. My sunglasses look pretty good displayed there too. I’ve also got my MAC lipstick collection in their acrylic stand on one shelf. But the hats and my makeup bag need to find a better home, really! </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’m still moving bits around and still finding the best places for things, but it’s a work in progress. I ordered some <b>eBay Faux Hanging Wisteria </b>to wrap around the rail at the end, which I think looks really pretty. I love hanging plants but obviously didn’t think real ivy would be a very good idea. Artificial plants really liven up a room and make it feel fresh, and I keep accumulating them because I think they’re so pretty. I just love having that space to play with; this is the first time I’ve been able to have my own room and buy all my own furniture for it, and choose everything to be how I want, and I’m so happy and excited about that.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cTXHglGtea8iHhO9poyQE5ngI-Gi76M3A0BDP-UFZkBBLOeqhEPgcdRjsbpNcHbbu8hiW3al5bEvFaWI0WjbYiZkq8f1Ono1xatt9nab744L5zWcByLObf7tqCj2YaARzqSBAPDsBoZZ/s2653/bedroomtour3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1769" data-original-width="2653" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cTXHglGtea8iHhO9poyQE5ngI-Gi76M3A0BDP-UFZkBBLOeqhEPgcdRjsbpNcHbbu8hiW3al5bEvFaWI0WjbYiZkq8f1Ono1xatt9nab744L5zWcByLObf7tqCj2YaARzqSBAPDsBoZZ/w640-h426/bedroomtour3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I shimmied around the positioning of my <b>IKEA TOFTBYN Mirror </b>and <b>Homebase Sophia Scallop Occasional Chair in Blush </b>to create a beautiful corner of my room. I’d originally had the two round the corner in my nook, but I like to be able to see them because the chair and mirror are both beautifully decorative pieces in their own right, and deserve to be seen. Luckily I’m only short, so having my mirror at an angle on the floor works really well for me. I don’t think I’m allowed to drill into the walls anyway, but I like how mirrors look when leant up against the wall - it’s quite casual and understated. </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The chair is one of the great loves of my life; a blush velvet scalloped chair straight out of my dreams. It’s quite mermaidy and, I think, Gatsby-esque. I don’t actually sit on it ever, it’s almost solely for decoration, but I absolutely love it. I bought a Dalmatian print cushion cover from eBay for my chair, which I think adds a little bit of whimsy too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYEcfuCBrqU7tOjINGTgZ0NZE9ehfqH2d4_Nek0tj7bqVo5iPqUHpE0eAeeHEd7Z6s5yvv-IupZRNwKbHaOOs1itBkQ7wI47LeTPVHLlqhFfW1nsZRUgKhoB9xhxf7uB_GiUjcQ2y1GrQ/s2750/bedroomtour6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1726" data-original-width="2750" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYEcfuCBrqU7tOjINGTgZ0NZE9ehfqH2d4_Nek0tj7bqVo5iPqUHpE0eAeeHEd7Z6s5yvv-IupZRNwKbHaOOs1itBkQ7wI47LeTPVHLlqhFfW1nsZRUgKhoB9xhxf7uB_GiUjcQ2y1GrQ/w640-h402/bedroomtour6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">In keeping with my white base-furniture theme, I chose the blogger favourites: the <b>IKEA MALM Bedside Table and Drawers</b>. These have been plastered throughout every blog post and youtube video tour for years, and I finally bought my own! Despite them being from different ranges, the MALM drawers match my bed perfectly, too; they really look like they go together. I love the clean, sleek feel to them. I can’t stand clutter, so even the omission of handles on the drawers makes my little heart feel content. </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Displayed on my bedside table is my copper geometric lamp, which I bought online before I moved, and just a couple of coasters for my tea. I’ve also currently got a card from my boyfriend on there which says ‘I camembert to be away from you’! On my MALM drawers, I’ve got my <b>Logik 32” Smart HD TV </b>on one end, [yes, I was watching Tiger King while I was taking these photos] and a Yankee Candle, my collection of copies of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, a currently empty picture frame and my Daisy by Marc Jacobs which I got for Christmas. Again, I just don’t want too much going on and being distracting, and it seems a shame to cover the sleek surfaces in a load of shite, so I still feel like I could edit a bit more!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCUUauO3cTyPrOksE4QRRdRRZyMyrllTEG3TwBbJPZsscszzclNlbijfrMYlftXqdKT9ZXp8cT87_6iHJqRklCorAHYceU8bg3RNh528d_IR8GwE0WWAFg2dn8dMiFKePTuu-Jfa3DdLl/s2800/bedroomtour2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="2800" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCUUauO3cTyPrOksE4QRRdRRZyMyrllTEG3TwBbJPZsscszzclNlbijfrMYlftXqdKT9ZXp8cT87_6iHJqRklCorAHYceU8bg3RNh528d_IR8GwE0WWAFg2dn8dMiFKePTuu-Jfa3DdLl/w640-h406/bedroomtour2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp_23XrDbEycIwqxwOjM0TnIMjJ6bRzYcMPq3aIRwRfwg6Ihn7h_OI22Ohq4Awd6eY2v_db8YwKdepCepXPBOWW7M3AMtC3RiwnRiJhkpIh0CCqn7SEX0Px6P__xN2buBc64juIGzdCDr/s2800/bedroomtour7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp_23XrDbEycIwqxwOjM0TnIMjJ6bRzYcMPq3aIRwRfwg6Ihn7h_OI22Ohq4Awd6eY2v_db8YwKdepCepXPBOWW7M3AMtC3RiwnRiJhkpIh0CCqn7SEX0Px6P__xN2buBc64juIGzdCDr/w640-h426/bedroomtour7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I absolutely adore my bedding and soft furnishings. I already had a ridiculous 13 sets of bedding before moving out, so I’m trying to be restrictive and only buying things I need. After I got a new couple of pillows from Wilko, I also chose a beautiful waffle throw in a dove grey to go on my bed. My boyfriend’s parents also chose me a beautiful blush pink throw which I also sleep with every night - a girl can never have too many throws. I love my oversized <b>Wilko Faux Fur Pink Cushions </b>and slightly smaller <b>George at Asda Soft Pink Cushions</b>. I’ve now become one of those girls who have to chuck a load of cushions onto the floor to get into bed every night, and put them all back on in the morning! I also have a smaller blush pink knit throw from IKEA from years ago, which I drape over the end of my bed, just for that extra cosy feel. </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">And on the floor is my pride and joy, yet my greatest challenge; my <b>George at Asda Supersoft Rug in Cream</b>, which is the fluffiest, deepest rug the world has ever known. It’s already fallen victim to a couple of splashes of red wine, and a bit of mud off my dirty trainers. It’s one of those rugs that shows every tiny speck of muck, so I’m forever picking fluff off of it and attacking it with my Vanish! But I wouldn’t have it any other way. My carpet is brown but, as we’re renting, there’s not an awful lot I can do about that, so a huuuuge cream rug is the next best thing. I feel like the room is much brighter and feels larger with a light-coloured rug. It’s also super thick and plush, and feels lovely underfoot every morning when I get out of bed.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I feel as though I’ve still got a bit of tweaking to do, but I am so proud to have achieved what I have. I saved up and paid for all this furniture myself, and I feel like my vision really has come to life. I had quite a clear idea of what I wanted, and wasn’t terribly sure if it’d come off, but I’m really in love with my space. The thing that’s most special though, is that it’s mine. I have felt quite displaced over the last year since leaving my flat in London; I felt like I didn’t have a place that felt like ‘me’, or felt like ‘home’, and I’ve really regained that. </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I feel such a sense of calm, such a sense of pride about how my bedroom looks. It’s also given me the motivation to do more blogging and YouTube, because my photos and backdrop will be so beautiful, and a true reflection of my own aesthetic. I know this all sounds mad dramatic, but it really has meant such a lot to me to choose, design and arrange all my own things. Welcome to my happy-place!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSs5J10Xsa3ilaW46cRR-xqZO5adLTt_1lAeV5elupMjdes7fC81qmPMgIL9SRb6oUlR-QPekEJvehinbtBI1Hiocr9iq6_ZOBbFuINhz6nHSAj2fByC0I2C9j4gngcfYV32lM6Qsyt6G/s2784/bedroomtour8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1748" data-original-width="2784" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSs5J10Xsa3ilaW46cRR-xqZO5adLTt_1lAeV5elupMjdes7fC81qmPMgIL9SRb6oUlR-QPekEJvehinbtBI1Hiocr9iq6_ZOBbFuINhz6nHSAj2fByC0I2C9j4gngcfYV32lM6Qsyt6G/w640-h402/bedroomtour8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Details + Links here:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/platsa-bed-frame-with-4-drawers-white-fonnes-s89326463/">IKEA PLATSA BED</a> / <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/malm-chest-of-2-drawers-white-80214549/">IKEA MALM BEDSIDE TABLE</a> / <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/malm-chest-of-6-drawers-white-60403584/">IKEA MALM DRAWERS</a> / <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/hoevag-pocket-sprung-mattress-medium-firm-dark-grey-20258763/">IKEA HOVAG MATTRESS</a> / <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/toftbyn-mirror-white-70459146/">IKEA TOFTBYN MIRROR</a> / <a href="https://www.homebase.co.uk/sophia-scallop-occasional-chair-blush_p563944">HOMEBASE SCALLOP CHAIR</a> / <a href="https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7ft-2M-Artificial-Wisteria-Ivy-Fake-Garland-Vine-Flower-Hanging-Wall-Home-Decor/313206538290?hash=item48ec908032:g:crAAAOSw1P1fUfjR">EBAY HANGING WISTERIA</a> / <a href="https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/televisions/televisions/logik-l32he20-32-hd-ready-led-tv-10208052-pdt.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=imrrqpltt&istBid=tztx&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~0041%20(Shopping%20Ads)%20Small%20Screen%20Television%20-%20Jan%20Sale%202021~0041%20(Text%20Ads)%20Small%20Screen%20Television%20-%20Jan%20Sale%202021%20ad%20group~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=c&ds_kids=92700059640920146&tgtid=0041%20(Shopping%20Ads)%20Small%20Screen%20Television%20-%20Jan%20Sale%202021&&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6Or_BRC_ARIsAPzuer9AmQMkZ_tppdTC7_xNdmnXLoEG2yA73sfgHY-1G7nTmHl9dbGNWXgaAvU9EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds">LOGIK 32” HD TV</a> / <a href="https://www.iconiclights.co.uk/angus-geometric-table-lamp-white-shade">COPPER GEOMETRIC BEDSIDE LAMP</a> / <a href="https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-stone-faux-fur-cushion-55x55cm/p/0488017">WILKO FAUX FUR CUSHIONS</a> / <a href="https://direct.asda.com/george/home/cushions-throws/pink-velvet-cushion/050786300,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M01G01C05">GEORGE AT ASDA BLUSH PINK CUSHIONS</a> / <a href="https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-silver-waffle-throw-200-x-240cm/p/0417737">WILKO GREY THROW</a> / <a href="https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-pink-supersoft-throw-soft-200-x-200cm/p/0456456">WILKO PINK THROW</a> / <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/alvine-kvist-quilt-cover-and-2-pillowcases-white-grey-10263166/">IKEA BEDDING SET</a> / <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ingabritta-throw-pale-pink-70374067/">IKEA KNIT THROW</a> / <a href="https://direct.asda.com/george/home/rugs/supersoft-rug/GEM706262,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M01G01C12">GEORGE AT ASDA SUPERSOFT CREAM RUG</a></span></b></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; 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padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-92156613685154148142021-01-10T15:32:00.001+00:002021-01-10T15:32:15.419+00:00A LITTLE B&M BARGAINS HOMEWARE HAUL<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUnGOI2MZGMuBKPj-5NiYw2d4U4oSnuFH8wLmZMpHEdflIyM2s8RqklhbK8sWdn7o39NEkAi9GKU8aeoITzXzBlQlbXAikV7iHVeQC8tqi7U5ROfkXGvOMACTRe7P6r7FLsHhnEP96ehC/s2767/bm1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2767" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUnGOI2MZGMuBKPj-5NiYw2d4U4oSnuFH8wLmZMpHEdflIyM2s8RqklhbK8sWdn7o39NEkAi9GKU8aeoITzXzBlQlbXAikV7iHVeQC8tqi7U5ROfkXGvOMACTRe7P6r7FLsHhnEP96ehC/w640-h374/bm1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’ve never lived very close to a <a href="https://www.bmstores.co.uk/">B&M Bargains</a> store before, but it’s a shop that’s always always been on my radar. I am a sucker for homeware, and I’m even more of a sucker for a bargain! I’ve always been so jealous of people doing their B&M homeware hauls on their blogs and YouTube, and it makes it so much more annoying that their website is quite limited and doesn’t let you order online! So when we moved to Bristol, and I realised I was ten minutes down the road from a huuuuge B&M store, I made it my mission to spend aaaages in there looking for stuff for my new flat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTD6mNIhkVIdTNLQVQk-2hKPprdiSqL8ng8JXR91wKHb5FhbWNRSdM8bjsxpHh51sneLDQCDGjwnKLQMp6jeF1phHXFCjqp3oKle7e8C7dhknJ0PtWOBmdhrQcLIIQ9cRW13Tn5ZOAzUv/s2800/bm4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTD6mNIhkVIdTNLQVQk-2hKPprdiSqL8ng8JXR91wKHb5FhbWNRSdM8bjsxpHh51sneLDQCDGjwnKLQMp6jeF1phHXFCjqp3oKle7e8C7dhknJ0PtWOBmdhrQcLIIQ9cRW13Tn5ZOAzUv/w640-h426/bm4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">If you watch my YouTube videos, you’ll have seen I actually had loads and loads of stuff ready for the move from places like Wilko, Dunelm, Amazon and George at Asda. So really, I didn’t have a lot left that I *needed*. But the mystical, magical power of B&M means that even if you think you don’t need anything when you go in, you’ll always manage to find something to spend your money on! I’ve made several trips to the store over the last month and made lots and lots of purchases [so much so that I’ve got a whole YouTube video to film over the next few days!], but this is just one of the hauls and I thought I’d write a little blog post to go with it. So here’s what I got!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">The first thing I picked up was something we actually needed for our new flat; the most glamorous item on my shopping list; a bog brush! They had a pretty good range of toilet brushes, with various colours and patterns, but I settled on quite a minimal white <b>Textured Toilet Brush & Holder</b>. This was a steal at £4. It has a subtle chevron pattern down the body, and a silver coloured handle. I’m not sure how much more can be said about a humble bog brush, but the reason I went for plain and white is just because our bathroom is quite plain already, and I think it looks neater and tidier to have minimal features knocking about.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpC-csMPNnGYj55b73hYpVdtfjnGI8ahxAA3xgP4syhmsnw9judBoXJmW1_Cwy7qzxkY9-ppfCjtA9Qt9qQ6nICybRNnr7zNLuzXtfl1GyAj5IK73_glDWcU9H_ZXGE1Bhx-E2ckkqfMth/s2800/bm3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpC-csMPNnGYj55b73hYpVdtfjnGI8ahxAA3xgP4syhmsnw9judBoXJmW1_Cwy7qzxkY9-ppfCjtA9Qt9qQ6nICybRNnr7zNLuzXtfl1GyAj5IK73_glDWcU9H_ZXGE1Bhx-E2ckkqfMth/w640-h426/bm3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">We also needed a dustpan and brush, and I had originally put a very basic grey plastic set in my basket, which I put back after I spotted this one. I’m such a basic blogger that I am obsessed with marble [still, yes, I know it’s not 2018 anymore], and this <b>Marble Dustpan & Brush </b>fit the bill perfectly. The kitchen in our flat isn’t the most ‘modern’; it’s actually a little bit daggy, but I still like to have nicer accessories despite this. I’ve got my pink kettle, toaster and microwave set and my lovely plates, so I think a couple of marble accessories compliment those touches quite nicely, and just look a bit more *thoughtful*.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">On the way to the checkouts, I spotted a few kitchen utensils which were also in that lovely marble print. I definitely didn’t need these; we have plenty of kitchen utensils for the flat already, but I did like the fact that these are softer, silicone-style utensils. We had metal ones previously, but we have some quite nice non-stick pans which I don’t want to damage by scraping metal spatulas on them. So I grabbed this <b>Marble 2 Pack Spatula & Turner</b>, which I think look really lovely. Then, I spotted the <b>Marble</b> <b>2 Pack Whisks</b>, which, I haven’t used yet, but I’m sure I’ll find a use for them during this third lockdown. Maybe a bit of lockdown baking?? The only thing I’ve noticed about the spatula and turner so far though, is that they don’t half stain! I used the turner to make a curry a few nights ago, and had to wash it immediately as it stained quite yellow with the turmeric. I’m glad I did now, as it’s gone pretty much back to white, but I’d warn against leaving these to be washed the morning after as it seems like they’re quite porous. But for £3 per set, I’m really pleased with these!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEVcTJXka4pE9nYgIRoqmaz0_z9uF0PusTybmThzPO-_XRoYoj_ACn9vFtBnRVk84BAYEaanbM5Aik68hzSWOyKdbS4LhVA0H9Wwh0TMjRytte8B854bhO6_1ElqRrr_jravJ5LDqWb74/s2533/bm2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1828" data-original-width="2533" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEVcTJXka4pE9nYgIRoqmaz0_z9uF0PusTybmThzPO-_XRoYoj_ACn9vFtBnRVk84BAYEaanbM5Aik68hzSWOyKdbS4LhVA0H9Wwh0TMjRytte8B854bhO6_1ElqRrr_jravJ5LDqWb74/w640-h462/bm2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So that’s my little B&M homeware haul! I hate to say it [and to admit it to myself] but I dare say there’ll be a few more of these coming. I’m forever thinking of excuses to pop in for homeware, cleaning bits, laundry stuff, decor and, of course, the magical booze aisle! I absolutely love that shop, it’s full of great bits of pieces and always worth a browse on a rainy afternoon. Especially as it’s classed as an ‘essential’ shop! I hope you enjoyed this little post, and I’d put money on you loving reading about my new toilet brush. Lockdown is doing weird things to us all. What next?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-65247068618658136732021-01-05T18:23:00.001+00:002021-01-05T18:23:29.936+00:00WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS 2020<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHryRQ8LjKNak0Mwl1RsoYncHF_Mh49LHWy5lElcjQ-tHJuElNRnwTl8C5TbKSqPR5NOc_5PR_nTOg4eBLwYaZhB-OiJW-Qc44d4cdTFvvkRPepLWESOyjTZCgdQKrlwbSE1onTnNeIli/s1549/xmas1+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1549" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHryRQ8LjKNak0Mwl1RsoYncHF_Mh49LHWy5lElcjQ-tHJuElNRnwTl8C5TbKSqPR5NOc_5PR_nTOg4eBLwYaZhB-OiJW-Qc44d4cdTFvvkRPepLWESOyjTZCgdQKrlwbSE1onTnNeIli/w640-h320/xmas1+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This was arguably the weirdest Christmas I’ve ever had. It was the first [and hopefully only] Christmas Day I spent alone. I moved to Bristol in late November, and had intended on going home for Christmas, but that disheveled animated gammon steak behind his podium had different ideas. It was a bit last-minute, but we decided it was best to stay separate on Christmas Day and then organise the presents a little later. It worked out pretty okay for me though; I started on the Malbec at 10am with no side-eye from my Dad, and drained my phone battery talking to various friends and family members. I cooked myself a fillet steak for my Christmas dinner and watched the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special. So, I’m not saying it was great, but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. My parents came to drop off my presents and go for a socially distanced walk a couple days later, which was really lovely.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I can’t even believe that the totally never-ending shitshow that was 2020 is over. We’ve had Christmas [how??], it’s been New Years [double how??]. I had a really successful load of presents all in all, and as much as I want to sit here and pretend I don’t think Christmas should be all about presents, it’s all I had to bloody look forward to this year, so allow me. And so as we find ourselves in Crimbo limbo, stuffing ourselves with junk food and undertaking approximately 0.0000037 seconds of exercise per day, how’s about a round-up of all the cool and exciting things I got for Christmas this year?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zoMcT1Ve39VKIFosgdNHqrAum7NUrExVRScIkT7zz_MZ-z7SIpPuE-p9iRxT3QxxA8wXLqu0s9G-VqddD98aVwONZnoNzXrrMQOu4wTnZZdzCDC6y3Uv4SNXAlS_5rC6Dtvq0jWT8e9t/s2800/xmas4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zoMcT1Ve39VKIFosgdNHqrAum7NUrExVRScIkT7zz_MZ-z7SIpPuE-p9iRxT3QxxA8wXLqu0s9G-VqddD98aVwONZnoNzXrrMQOu4wTnZZdzCDC6y3Uv4SNXAlS_5rC6Dtvq0jWT8e9t/w640-h426/xmas4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">My <b>Amazon Firestick </b>was a specific request. I inherited an old TV [I’m not sure how old, but pretty blooming old] from my step-grandad to put in the living room of my new flat. It doesn’t have any built-in smart features so after doing a bit of research, I really really wanted a Firestick. I’d never heard of them before, but they plug into the back of your TV and turn it into a smart TV via the witchcraft of WiFi; you get YouTube, iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Prime, All4, iTV Hub and looooads of other channels. I set it up last night and enjoyed several episodes of Peep Show and Tiger King in the comfort of my lounge, finally! Over a month since moving in and now I’m so happy to have a functional TV with all my mindless nonsense available to watch. Yay!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I also got a <b>Yankee Candle in Fresh Cut Roses </b>from my parents, and this is my first ever one. My bedroom is all pink and white so *shock*, I wanted a pink one. Rose is one of my favourite scents [I love all my florals] and this one is gorgeous. It’s also huge! My boyfriend Kyle chose these amazingly innovative <b>Wellness Wonders Wake Up Shower Bombs</b>, which you throw into the bottom of your shower and they fizz up and smell beautiful, just like a bath bomb. Our new flat doesn’t have a bath, and I have been really missing my bubble bath and bath bombs, but these are so cool and are filling the gap nicely! I’ve already used two of the eight in the pack, erkkk.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">My little sister, who has spent 50% of the year teasing me about my hair-breakage-induced mullet, and the other 50% giving me loads of hair advice, got me this luxurious AF <b>Morgan + Finch Silk Pillowcase</b>. I’ve been doing so so so much research on hair-growth and proper hair care since half of my hair got melted off last winter, and silk pillowcases seem to be recommended everywhere. They are much gentler on the hair when sleeping, and minimises breakage and tangling overnight. I am so excited to give this a try; it’s washed and on my bed as of tonight. My brother bought me a <b>TheBodyShop Glowing British Rose Gift Box </b>which he gets me a different scent of every year. Last year I got Mango, but this year I got Rose. I’ve had a sniff and it’s the loveliest scent, I cannot wait to use it all!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExZw2CS5RpEdAsPX9socqexRvhGwVO11rHPjSEYkpgiFfDHh5kZqPickwCOKC5rvv9lfJCpXT2msxhhyphenhyphenhUK1XmJtO9pTqHgyoGT2xjtWLFNh6vR0CJ8jOffPhQZ5Q3oUvWiMaLnWVgzLZ/s2686/xmas3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2686" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExZw2CS5RpEdAsPX9socqexRvhGwVO11rHPjSEYkpgiFfDHh5kZqPickwCOKC5rvv9lfJCpXT2msxhhyphenhyphenhUK1XmJtO9pTqHgyoGT2xjtWLFNh6vR0CJ8jOffPhQZ5Q3oUvWiMaLnWVgzLZ/w640-h386/xmas3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Another wicked one from my sister was my <b>Too Faced Born This Way Concealer </b>which I have wanted for soooo long. Getting nice makeup seems a bit redundant during lockdown, and it’s certainly not something I’m going to be using just to sit working from home in my flat! But I’m so excited it’s in my collection and I guess I’ll just sit tight for an occasion to bust it open.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">My dad and stepmum got me <b>Daisy Eau De Parfum by Marc Jacobs </b>which is my absolute favourite. I didn’t have a bottle for over a year, and it sounds a bit silly but I feel like this stuff is literally my ‘signature’ smell. I feel so much better and more like ‘me’ when I’ve got this on. It’s the prettiest, most floral and feminine scent and will always be my top choice. Again, it isn’t something to douse myself in at the moment, but when lockdown lifts I’ll be smelling bloody gorgeous.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I was also lucky enough to receive a couple of really thoughtful handmade gifts this year. My mum and sister have both been getting creative this last year and decided to hand-make me a gift each, which is so special. For practicalities sake, my sister sent me a <b>handmade sun-print face mask </b>which she made. She’s taught herself to sew and has made a lot of these. The fabric is extra special though as we have matching sun tattoos, so this is my new go-to mask! Then I opened my <b>Handmade opal earrings </b>from my mum. Mum’s been hand-polishing and refining Australian opals this year and having them turned into jewellery. These are so pretty, very elegant. I am normally a slave to my hoe-hoops and these are very different to those, but I love them. They are so delicate and classy AF. I can’t wait to have an excuse to wear them out!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszzo0w4s8oEl2Ydmwj6l4Kd1wIl0m8-C3pGfijZPAsEqt7Gp8q26E4_CdKPqlHSN79a5YZhJ6BpRYZuM-SX1A0UXbnWMul_7uORQIn6jK3FTIOxAyMAf5xccLz6cb-fSbLspS1wrVFos1/s1341/xmas2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1341" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszzo0w4s8oEl2Ydmwj6l4Kd1wIl0m8-C3pGfijZPAsEqt7Gp8q26E4_CdKPqlHSN79a5YZhJ6BpRYZuM-SX1A0UXbnWMul_7uORQIn6jK3FTIOxAyMAf5xccLz6cb-fSbLspS1wrVFos1/w640-h426/xmas2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw6qrQO0VVqEmDM-9ZO7ApCiovnrO-Dubp8U1yMS7CdWiqo4Y7KEyZxVZ3jnr-XmA1pnOMCkEyjwSuw5iJJb8wgkH3JSHpNUfUrJuWsOydXwut-QPcK7aji_SIge85U1zWKVNWD0v4fXl/s2697/xmas5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="2697" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw6qrQO0VVqEmDM-9ZO7ApCiovnrO-Dubp8U1yMS7CdWiqo4Y7KEyZxVZ3jnr-XmA1pnOMCkEyjwSuw5iJJb8wgkH3JSHpNUfUrJuWsOydXwut-QPcK7aji_SIge85U1zWKVNWD0v4fXl/w640-h372/xmas5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I also received a couple of foodie/drinky treats. I’ve never been massively into chocolate but I make an exception for Lindt. My dad got me this large <b>Lindt Lindor Chocolate Gift Set </b>which contains loads of different sorts of their chocolate. Granted, it’ll probably last me the whole year, but it is currently stashed in my bedroom for when the mood takes me. My boyfriend Kyle absolutely smashed it with my <b>Pukka Tea Selection Box </b>which contains 45 different teas. I’ve dipped massively into it already! It has 9 different sorts that I’m working my way through, and has a fair few flavours I haven’t tried yet like Three Ginger and Love, and I’m really excited! It makes me feel like an old lady getting excited over herbal tea, but Pukka is the best [in my opinion] and I’m scared my stash won’t last very long.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I also got a couple of other bits which I haven’t photographed; my big sister treated me to a takeaway on Christmas Eve since I was by myself. I went for an obscenely large Chinese and no regrets were had. My amazing Kyle also got me a <b>gigantic box of Pickled Onion Monster Munch</b> because I have an elite taste for crisps and I am constantly eating them. And *actual gasp* <b>tickets to see Bring Me The Horizon</b> in September. If Covid fucks that up I will be throwing hands. I’m so crazily excited. Mothertongue is ‘our’ song and I want us to see it live so so so much. So that’s something I’m really looking forward to later in the year.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I hope everyone had an amazing day and got spoiled; we all deserved it after 2020. I feel so grateful and like I definitely don’t need a trip to Boots anytime soon, which is always how I aim to feel after Christmas Day. Now to have a bag of Monster Munch in the shower with all my bath stuff whilst listening to Bring Me The Horizon, then follow it with a Lindt ball and Pukka Tea as I recline on my silk pillowcase. Success!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-83865339617618145392020-12-05T20:02:00.000+00:002020-12-05T20:02:01.114+00:00I BOUGHT *THAT* PRIMARK BAR CART | THE HOME SERIES<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KJiDG4gb3qHHl_fS22jWU8qNADfLLjT_-8HjKelHmC26EeDdll5f1xzhjlXuyjyXqT6hI6y8uuZBVlkn5OLkwfc2uEauoyO_FvrJZ4g3TsBwCh6eggP5ymGMJkjsUGMMd8skLZqOxDTZ/s2558/bc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1711" data-original-width="2558" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KJiDG4gb3qHHl_fS22jWU8qNADfLLjT_-8HjKelHmC26EeDdll5f1xzhjlXuyjyXqT6hI6y8uuZBVlkn5OLkwfc2uEauoyO_FvrJZ4g3TsBwCh6eggP5ymGMJkjsUGMMd8skLZqOxDTZ/w640-h428/bc2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There are a few essential bits you need when you’re moving out; a kettle, a mattress, and a gold bar cart..? In true Jasmine-form, I’ve managed to practically bankrupt myself on all those unnecessary bits during this move [peep the mountain of soft-furnishings in the background] and we’re still living life without a toaster in the kitchen, because, priorities?! For those of you who missed it, myself and my best friend Pebbles have moved to Bristol. I’m going to be starting a Home Series of blog posts where I review homeware and do more home-based and decor posts because I’ve loved this part of moving. We’ve been here just under two weeks now, and we’ve been busily making the place feel like home - and trying to surreptitiously stash all our cardboard boxes in as many bins as possible so they aren’t clogging up our living room. High on my list of things to buy was *this* Bar Cart from Primark Home, which I feel like went viral earlier on in the year.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">It feels like I was being plagued by this bar cart. I even had a dream about it one night. I couldn’t scroll through insta without seeing some home-inspo account proudly showing off their take on it. I was furiously checking the local Primark before we moved away, but it really wasn’t coming in to stock. The Primark instagram account made a ‘back in stock’ post just before the second lockdown, but there wasn’t one anywhere close to me [it did seem like it’s the larger stores which has them, not the smaller, local stores, just a heads up!] so I knew I’d need to wait; we only want what we can’t have…especially when it’s a frivolous AF gold bar cart from Primarni.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AEa2HXa_D3cpvcZbuuOQOh9BeVyujKC99nekZizekgZL1FbzdO2nrFi5mfu6E9zMBmQNKaJNIWq6e15P63PkMMM9G87VqlrUXaz_vrGN2KaKc0ga_Cu2oxIe-x33DWLJj-skjWGn9ihy/s2375/bc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1708" data-original-width="2375" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AEa2HXa_D3cpvcZbuuOQOh9BeVyujKC99nekZizekgZL1FbzdO2nrFi5mfu6E9zMBmQNKaJNIWq6e15P63PkMMM9G87VqlrUXaz_vrGN2KaKc0ga_Cu2oxIe-x33DWLJj-skjWGn9ihy/w640-h460/bc1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WcjCQHsWdJr-pQtvddRwKOyD7rCvpuqVKVH0bS4ZRrJMuejKGu7_l_VNyG0IU8c38f2TbBr5jH5Gb7cGkHEuAXodWjnJJ2NgN2EZi_PcXMWPOvwi3mcl7Tvxe6a8z_1bW8XJeYzYA_2T/s2648/bc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="2648" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WcjCQHsWdJr-pQtvddRwKOyD7rCvpuqVKVH0bS4ZRrJMuejKGu7_l_VNyG0IU8c38f2TbBr5jH5Gb7cGkHEuAXodWjnJJ2NgN2EZi_PcXMWPOvwi3mcl7Tvxe6a8z_1bW8XJeYzYA_2T/w640-h438/bc4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">So I really think this speaks for itself. It. Is. So. COOL. It cost £35 and came flat-packed in a box with a useful handle for transporting it home. The box was reassuringly heavy, making me think it’s of pretty good quality. It features an art-deco style, with a glass table top, rungs to hang glasses on, swivel wheels and a mirrored bottom layer. It took roughly 15-20 minutes to build, and it does come packaged with all the screws required, plus a handy little allen key. I love how it was styled in the shop’s display [and it managed to distract me from buying YET another winter coat, which I’m pleased about]. I also love how I’ve seen it styled and decorated on instagram when it’s popped up. I really feel like I need to decide properly how I’d like to style mine. I don’t own any cocktail equipment - I’m more of a raging wino - so maybe I’ll use that as inspiration and put my own spin on it.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’m not going to be keeping this bar cart in my bedroom, don’t worry. Although, if you didn’t stash it with spirits and cocktail shakers, I don’t see why it couldn’t be used as a really pretty feature bedside table, or something similar! I think it’s a bit of a statement piece, and just a really cool little addition to our living room. It’s a shame it’s currently being quite unceremoniously used as somewhere to throw our post onto as we come in the door, but I’ll get it sorted once the living room isn’t waist-deep in deconstructed Ikea boxes. It’s one of those great homeware pieces that are useful, quite versatile and also beautiful to look at. All in all, I’m happy with the bar cart. I think that the £35 price tag is fair enough when you feel the weight of the item and see the quality and sturdiness of it. I don’t think it ‘looks’ like it’s from Primark, and it’s also the first actual piece of *furniture* I’ve had from their home section! This has made me really open and interested to try more. Now, to join the smug ranks of those people on insta who could get their hands on this!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7BI5wthP2M7qFrhFZbeKzJkCfN1tP4A52ckkUe43NQTM4bILOf3O3ytRa6yvEJHp3yfJn1oYU99MeaBOdScXMNLe8MDLMmWVhreAh1s-jFEvRlZ4H1NgrZA6sJc3pfWj82hnS-inF1aB/s2800/bc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="2800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7BI5wthP2M7qFrhFZbeKzJkCfN1tP4A52ckkUe43NQTM4bILOf3O3ytRa6yvEJHp3yfJn1oYU99MeaBOdScXMNLe8MDLMmWVhreAh1s-jFEvRlZ4H1NgrZA6sJc3pfWj82hnS-inF1aB/w640-h426/bc3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-8373486351833410032020-11-22T08:30:00.001+00:002020-11-22T08:30:04.842+00:00WE'RE MOVING TO BRISTOL!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1F9eXW4fnt0ysiS1OxERdHsraogBasmNZCe5e5jfR9NprGtqPna5ixhdHCgyEwEDDAkIx_LQM_-ZSTD6IotxlPHkLBhg0Ad3ModfC46bUKGYHvvH-90Aow9zpAjV3_sBzzrhNyFsBmod7/s2048/moving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="2048" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1F9eXW4fnt0ysiS1OxERdHsraogBasmNZCe5e5jfR9NprGtqPna5ixhdHCgyEwEDDAkIx_LQM_-ZSTD6IotxlPHkLBhg0Ad3ModfC46bUKGYHvvH-90Aow9zpAjV3_sBzzrhNyFsBmod7/w640-h442/moving.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Well holy moly/sweet baby jesus/crikey/blimey/say whaaaaaat?!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I am so ridiiiiiiiiiculously excited to be writing this blog post, and it’s one I’ve been keeping under my hat for months. But it’s finally here, and I finally feel like everything’s worked out enough for me to be putting it out into the world. I’m so happy, I’m so thrilled; I am moving to Bristol this week!</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This has been quietly in the pipeline for a few months now, and slowly but surely, it’s all come together, and the moment of truth is finally here! It really feels like the beginning of the next chapter of my life.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">Me and my best friend Pebbles decided during the summer that we were done with Devon; it’s quiet, it’s boring, and we both wanted a change. We both absolutely adore Bristol. I met Pebbles on my first day of work in September last year; we were in the same training group. We’ve been super close ever since, but we’ve become absolute bezzies during lockdown. For those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may remember that I spent my first year of university living in Bristol, and loved it so much. It’s a city I’ve always wanted to see more of and do more in; there’s so much going on there and it’s such a beautiful place. After moving back home from London last year, I’ve been anxious to start the next adventure. I’ve never felt at home down in Devon, and especially after years in London, I know that deep down I’m a city-girl at heart.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">It was a slight nightmare to begin house-hunting in the middle of a global pandemic, I won’t lie. We viewed a couple of flats, but we got incredibly lucky and actually fell head-over-heels in love with the very first one we viewed. We put our offer in immediately [and then proceeded to celebrate in Spoons]. Due to covid, the move-in date was pushed back by a month, but it worked out well in the end, because we’ve had an extra month to save up. We’ve been accumulating furniture and housey bits for the last month or so, and we’re both so incredibly excited and so looking forward to starting this next chapter together.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">There’s not a lot of much to report just yet - but there’s going to be a whoooole lot to come. This is just kind of a life-update post! But I’m so excited to have my room exactly how I want it for the first time EVER [I’ve spent a small fortune in Ikea over the last few weeks] and to get to live with my best pal. Bristol is such an incredible city; so creative, so liberal, so diverse, so pretty, and I feel so lucky to get to call it my home again! Check back soon for apartment tours, bedroom tours, homeware hauls and all that good stuff!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1035368792634979433.post-18135067184572501182020-11-15T08:00:00.001+00:002020-11-15T08:00:03.562+00:00A LITTLE NEW LOOK HAUL<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zn_iNdFRm2wyazPCXpWqwVRv6MrFu5T4HZ7PSOBM9fC_a4Z6RkojnRgne2qvHkBAKucz3fv-7DCtXDMQ9YBgCjbw85TEQP2oaY6DT4K7IfnK0Q8Vx4bpVOxLgNSykJvTa0CCltZ_3Tdc/s2800/NLhaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1491" data-original-width="2800" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zn_iNdFRm2wyazPCXpWqwVRv6MrFu5T4HZ7PSOBM9fC_a4Z6RkojnRgne2qvHkBAKucz3fv-7DCtXDMQ9YBgCjbw85TEQP2oaY6DT4K7IfnK0Q8Vx4bpVOxLgNSykJvTa0CCltZ_3Tdc/w640-h340/NLhaul.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, it turns out I come from a long line of hoarders. My grandma recently needed some help clearing out her house, and my dad reported back that she had approximately seven million skirts. Rich coming from my dad, by the way, because the man has a very impressive collection of coats and jackets than spans across four cupboards in the house. My brother has a bit of an ASOS fetish, but swears up and down he only buys things when they go into the sale, but the amount of packages that arrive at our house seems a bit suspicious. So, in honour of my family and wanting to respect their traditions, I’ve bought myself some more clothes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’m such a sucker for being tempted when I’m scrolling through Instagram; I constantly click on posts when I spot someone wearing something I love. I found myself on the New Look website after spotting a couple of girls looking fabulous in a couple of <a href="https://www.newlook.com/uk/">New Look</a> pieces, and unfortunately, on this occasion, my willpower wasn’t strong enough to prevent me from clicking the ‘checkout’ button. I had such good intentions to just have a look, and then carry on living my life. I haven’t actually spent money with New Look since I worked for them in 2016 - I genuinely don’t go in the shop and I genuinely don’t have a habit of looking on their website. But it wasn’t to be! I ended up with a couple of bits which I love, so take a gander at what I’ve bought myself this time…</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83X8Vabv6jZTY5lOktlp5KWE8UVpNCaE17bYq1_MYWJII9nTBIbGSrlf4v0SEweZ-xsZ_PPnjtV1vWSB1X3ZOkn5L5vMEm2xeyxb9inkDXzk-2ZGTDBdcm1DhmMXOjjzv-OvMrUoHbXx9/s2800/nlhaul1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1701" data-original-width="2800" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83X8Vabv6jZTY5lOktlp5KWE8UVpNCaE17bYq1_MYWJII9nTBIbGSrlf4v0SEweZ-xsZ_PPnjtV1vWSB1X3ZOkn5L5vMEm2xeyxb9inkDXzk-2ZGTDBdcm1DhmMXOjjzv-OvMrUoHbXx9/w640-h388/nlhaul1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU5AGXQeqKsrwwr6jE6g9UvAsHf4N3azOLe2IXhhFOmbpW9bMDS4LORDiQsF-ZKicYveRsAUkwvCLeuKf-rdUeZDHZgoK7UZD2jCRsn6_ufjpFQn5oclTal_oLRTFgujlxBvn3TKBLIl0/s2659/NLhaul3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="2659" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU5AGXQeqKsrwwr6jE6g9UvAsHf4N3azOLe2IXhhFOmbpW9bMDS4LORDiQsF-ZKicYveRsAUkwvCLeuKf-rdUeZDHZgoK7UZD2jCRsn6_ufjpFQn5oclTal_oLRTFgujlxBvn3TKBLIl0/w640-h434/NLhaul3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><a href="https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/dresses/casual-dresses/black-floral-jersey-puff-sleeve-mini-tea-dress/p/669505109">Black Floral Jersey Puff Sleeve Mini Tea Dress</a> | £19.99 | Size 8</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I’ve wanted a tea dress in this style for the longest time, and I think this one is so perfect for my body shape. It’s crazy flattering with its puff sleeves and frilled skirt. The puff sleeves give a bit of shoulder drama, and are really comfortable despite the elastic which creates the shape. It’s a beautiful mini-length which, miraculously, is still pretty mini on me despite being 5’2’’. It cinches in at the waist and then flares out, creating a really flattering hourglass silhouette. I also really adore the v-neck cut; I’ve been searching for a neckline that adds a bit of femininity to my lewks. I’ve been obsessed and fixated with the 90s square necks, so this one’s a really nice change and I think it adds to the femininity of the dress.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">I was a bit like ‘huh???’ when I took it out of the bag. I was expecting it to be black and white [which it does kind of look like, to be honest] but it’s actually black and beige. I really wouldn’t have bought this dress had I known it was a black pattern over a beige-base, but now it’s here and I’ve tried it on, I really do love it. I’m a monochrome lover and I don’t wear many colours at all, and if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be beige old beige. But when it’s on, it looks more like a black and cream/off white dress, and I think it’s really lovely. The fabric itself feels like lovely quality; it’s quite a far cry from some of the bog-roll-masquerading-as-clothing I’ve bought off Shein in the past. I’m definitely going to be layering this over a high neck top so I get some wear out of this in the cooler months; I think it’ll look so cute over some tights. But it’s also going to be a lovely and effortless throw-on dress for spring that looks really girly. Obviously I’ll be pairing it with chunky boots! But I’m super impressed.</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvGW9T7qn3kWU0RtGm3XJ9Z-GyyU7UxbAOaGfhTomoeG9tf7tXyWcMxDF6oNW4RpntgoZSAh69S4KCxZ6p8D2KySMqyZUL_P-AUpuYSloMErk-ad8yer6RFVuJMfAjz4N71-3jjTWQYQP/s2607/nlhaul2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1671" data-original-width="2607" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvGW9T7qn3kWU0RtGm3XJ9Z-GyyU7UxbAOaGfhTomoeG9tf7tXyWcMxDF6oNW4RpntgoZSAh69S4KCxZ6p8D2KySMqyZUL_P-AUpuYSloMErk-ad8yer6RFVuJMfAjz4N71-3jjTWQYQP/w640-h410/nlhaul2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><a href="https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/coats-jackets/petite-black-leather-look-teddy-lined-aviator-jacket/p/664489001">Petite Black Leather-Look Teddy Lined Aviator Jacket</a> | £55.99 | Size 10</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">First things first; when I took this out of the bag I had to quickly check I hadn’t inadvertently wandered into a public urinal. I hadn’t. But. This. Jacket. Smells. Like. Piss. It smells like the aroma you get wafting into your nostrils from the men’s loos in Spoons on a Sunday afternoon. Stale and offensive. And pissy. This is the second faux-leather jacket I’ve had this year, and both of them have had this really strong, strange smell. I don’t know whether it’s to do with the material or how they treat it whilst it’s being stored in the warehouse, but lordy lord, it do be whiffy. Nevertheless, I’ve currently got it airing out on my clothes rail, and in all honesty, the jacket is so perfect that even if it stank of actual diarrhoea I’d still probably wear it. It came with all the metal wrapped in tissue paper for protection; lovely stuff, and a load of film protectors. This was nice, because this is the first ‘expensive’ coat I’ve ever bought from New Look. I’ve had a few of their twenty-ish-pound jackets in the past, but this is one of their *nicer* ones.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This jacket is super beautiful though, and I’ve seen it featured on lots of my favourite instagrammers’ feeds. The teddy lining is a lovely, neutral cream colour and the main black outer jacket has a realistic faux-leather look with a pretty lifelike sheen. I absolutely adore the exaggerated collar because it makes the jacket look extra cosy, and the teddy-accents on the bottom of the sleeves and the base of the jacket makes it look warm and luxurious. I got this in a size 10, and to be honest, I maybe maybe maybe could’ve gone up to a 12, because it feels as though I’ll only be able to get a single jumper underneath - which may be all I need as this jacket does feel like it’ll be good and warm. But I do like a slightly oversized-looking winter coat to allow for more layering. Oh well, I still think it fits me and looks well-proportioned on my body. I was super pleased to find this in the Petite section, as well as the regular fit and Curves fit, so nobody is left out. I sometimes find that the sleeves of coats can be quite long on me, and I’ll always purchase from the Petite section from shops if I can. I am properly in love with this jacket though; it looks and feels expensive, and I think it’ll go well with so many outfits over the coming months. It was a bit of an investment and my final coat-purchase for this autumn/winter season, and I’m really happy with it.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">This is the first time I’ve ordered with New Look in years, and I’m really really pleasantly surprised. I actually love the items that I’ve bought - and they feel like so much better quality than some of the bits I get from other online retailers. Sure, I spent a little more but I am a firm believer in ‘you get what you pay for’, and I know that I’m going to wear the dress and the coat to absolute death. Coming to an Instagram feed near you!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lots of love,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jasmine x</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">INSTAGRAM</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11749635" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">BLOGLOVIN’</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRoHjpWnwuNDh-XGsVBjog" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;"><span style="color: #595959; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">YOUTUBE</span></a></u> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: "big caslon"; line-height: 20.286px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://twitter.com/jazmcrae" style="color: #7f7f7f; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.25s ease-out 0s;">TWITTER</a></span></span></div><p></p>Jasmine McRaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656415139890450605noreply@blogger.com1