#DestinationUnknown Competition: Staying Fresh at a Festival

BANK  are currently running a competition for bloggers to share festival experiences for the chance to win a fab prize to be a festival insider at one of Europe's hottest festivals. I thought I would try my luck, so here we go! 

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty of any festival; cleanliness. Now this does not shout rock n' roll as much as The Rolling Stones headlining Glastonbury last year, but this topic occupies any girl's (and some guys') mind pre-festival fun. The worries of 'how will I stay smelling nice?' and 'should I go European and not shave whilst away?,' are among some that I had to consider . 

They say practice makes perfect and that could not be true enough in this instance. Each festival that I have attended has taught me a new trick to maintain an acceptable appearance rather than returning home and my parents mistaking me for Robin William's character in Jumanji, Alan Parrish,  when he first returns from the jungle; ungroomed, with a makeshift rain hat made out of leaves. 

I have compiled a list of 3 ways to stay ahead of the game that can be applied to any festival. 

1) A BUCKET. Yes you heard me right. They are cheap to pick up from any hardware shore or supermarket and help to keep your hair smelling like flowers. Simply go to any water point at the festival's campsite and fill the bucket up, bring it back, apply the shampoo, then tilt your head over the grass and a towel round your neck, and slowly pour the water over your head. Works a treat! Doing this twice whilst I was at Glastonbury last year, made me feel 10 times more alive. 

2) ANTISEPTIC HAND WASH.  This will become your new best friend at the festival. The toilet facilities do run low on soap etc, so taking a small bottle of this to pop in your bag is definitely a must. 

3) MAKEUP PRODUCTS. With the help of Bank's beauty section on their website here, I have found some great products that will spruce up your face & body. 

Barry M Natural Glow Palette//St.Tropez Ultimate Kit//Barry M Dazzle Dust//Barry M Lip Paint//Barry M Gelly Effect Nail Polish. 

Both the Barry M Natural Glow Palette and Barry M Dazzle Dust are both great products to brighten your face and make it appear that you have just jumped out of the shower and you have a glowing complexion. 

The Barry M Lip Paint can be used as a way of putting that pop of colour back in to your face. A bold lip also shouts effort, so your clothes may be covered in mud but your lips say you're a sophisticated lady. Also, the bright red will detract from any mud on your face. 

The St. Tropez Ultimate Kit would be something I would suggest using before the festival. It will give you a healthy, sun-kissed tan, that will last for your time away. 

Finally, the Barry M Gelly Effect Nail Polishes are a fab range. I especially love this colour; Huckleberry. They last for ages on the nails before chipping, so you won't have to worry about touching them up and the polishes give a fantastic shine. Almost like having a Shellac without having to spend all the money. 

There we have it! I hope you enjoyed my entry and best of luck to everyone else entering!!

IT'S OK.

This phrase has become the tagline to the film that is 'Grace's Life'. 

As the title of my blog suggests, I am a job seeker by day, job seeker by night. I fall into the category of one of those graduates that left the university bubble filled with excitement to join the 'real world' to be hit with the realisation that landing a job is not as simple as I naively thought. 

There have been days where my positivity has run dry and I've convinced myself that no body wants me, (my parents are fairly familiar with dramatic Grace now), however these days are outweighed by my proactive days. 

I am 100% sure I have not been the first or will not be the last person to feel like this, so I have compiled a list of 5 ways to rectify your mood when days like these hit you. 

1) Remind yourself of all that you have accomplished so far; whether it be achieving a degree or baking a delicious cake. You have plenty of skills that need to be shared with the world- just because they have not be noticed yet does not mean they are not worthy!! Think of J.K Rowling and how many years it took her to get a publisher to notice her, and now she is among some of the best-selling authors!

2) Keep busy. Since my temporary contract at Cath Kidston ended I was worried I would have severe vitamin D deficiency from being cooped up in my house all day and forget the appropriate way to communicate with people. To keep your brain ticking I would recommend getting a part time job or voluntary work. As well as the obvious added bonus of earning some cash, it will allow your brain to channel into other activities instead of application forms, covering letters, and CV layouts day in, day out. 

3) Following on from this; keep your hobbies going. I mentioned my neglect of my interests in a previous post. Taking some time out of my day to spend it writing, baking, participating in sport, socialising, definitely reminded me that life does not need to be put on hold just because you do not have a job. 

4) Have the occasional break down. This contradicts my 'stay positive' preach however, I believe having the odd cry or chat to a member of family can release your worries and put them in to perspective. Encouraging friends and family can remind you how fab you really are, and chase off the devil on your shoulder that whispers words of doubt into your ear.  

5) Surround yourself with funny. They say laughter is the best medicine for stress and I could not agree more. After getting in touch with my 90's roots and watching an episode of Friends, or listening to a funny podcast, or even meeting up with funny friends and reminiscing of the old days and your flared pink combat trousers with tassels, will put a smile on your face and hopefully make your realise that life is not too shabby. 

STAY POSITIVE GUYS. We will get through this together!! Best of luck with the job hunt :).

Back to baking: Coffee and Walnut Cake

Once upon a time in a couple of posts ago... I wrote that I had been neglecting my hobbies & interests and job hunting had taken over my life, moreover, I was going to make the effort to dabble back into them . I have been out and about capturing pictures on my camera, so that is a tick off the check list, and yesterday I indulge in a bit of cake baking (and cake batter eating). I love to bake and cook and forgot how much enjoyment I get out of it (not as much enjoyment I get out of eating the cake itself of course). Our fridge is Piccadilly Circus for recipes, all pinned up by llama  and smiley face magnets. I picked the coffee and walnut cake and it turned out so scrum, if I do say so myself. Here is the recipe I followed!

For the sponge you will need: 

175g butter (at room temp) 
175g golden caster sugar 
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons of black coffee, cooled 
175g self raising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
100g halved walnuts, roughly chopped 

And then for the frosting: 

200g butter 
400g icing sugar
4 table spoons of black coffee, cooled

1. Pre- heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line with baking paper 2 x 20 cm tins. 
2. Using a whisk, beat the soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Add in the eggs bit by bit, followed by the black coffee. Combine all together. 
4. Sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold, then add in the chopped walnuts and stir in. 
5. Divide into the 2 tins. 
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 
7. Once cooked turn out the cakes on to wire racks to cool. 
8. Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating the butter until pale and soft. After pour in the sugar and coffee and mix until all combined nicely. 
9. Spread on the top of both the sponges. Then place one on top of the other to create a sandwich that has icing as the filling (and on the top). 
10. Decorate with walnuts. 

Yorkshire Pudding: the pièce de résistance of any roast.

For me a roast dinner is not a roast dinner without a Yorkshire pudding. Strictly speaking a Yorky should only be served with roast beef, but this tradition has been long forgotten in my house. They soak up the gravy perfectly and if you have some left over (which happens on the odd occasion), they are great mixed up in a bubble and squeak.

We have one recipe in our house that we use time and time again which makes mammoth sized Yorkshire puddings that are so light and crispy. YUM.

What you will need for this recipe:

3 eggs
300ml full fat milk
150g plain flour
Veg oil 

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
2. Pour a small amount of vegetable oil in to the bottom of each cup of a muffin tray and pop in to the oven to heat up. 
3. Whisk eggs and add milk. 
4. Sieve in the flour and whisk until all combined nicely. 
5. Add a good pinch of salt and stir in. 
6.  Bring out the muffin tray and pour the mixture in to each of the cups of the tray to the half way point. 
7. Put back in to the oven and cook for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 200 degrees Celsius and cook for a further 10 minutes. 
8. Eat as many as you can.

Down At The Bottom Of The Garden

The sun has been glorious today- so trust me not to venture out into my garden until 5pm. Nevertheless, it was lovely to get out in the fresh air whilst the sun was slowly setting. I took the opportunity to whip out my camera and take some shots of the garden. With the dreaded 'J' word (job) constantly on the brain, my days are often consumed with application forms, covering letters, and CV alterations. Unfortunately, this results in my hours fading away fast and before I know it, it has been another day in front of the computer screen. I believe it is important to channel your brain into a variety of activities and interests, and I've blundered by neglecting mine. With the smell of Spring in the air I am going to try and make a valiant effort to turn this around, starting by stepping outside more and practising my photography. Here are the photos I captured today!

Fashion on the Underground

As of late, I have been noticing a lot more cool, lesser known fashion brands from London and I wanted to share some of my favourites. Here are my top four.

Its Not Me Its You     http://www.itsnotmeitsyoulondon.com/

Carrie Fletcher's YouTube vid 'A Few Of My Favourite Things' introduced me to this funky accessory line. It is a creative combination of slogans, bold colours, and edginess with the catch-line;  "leather stuff to carry other stuff." You can find them in the big Topshop on Oxford Street. I treated myself to this coin purse cause it made me chuckle.

Oh My Love     http://www.ohmylovelondon.com/

Born on to the high-street as a result of Anne Lombard's struggle to find trends that took her fancy. Oh My Love is perfect for girls who like to put a twist on femininity. Some of my personal favs are her Kimonos. 

Motel Rocks   http://www.motelrocks.com/   (Technically not a brand from London)

I'm probably one of the last to jump on this bandwagon but Motel Rocks is ace for vintage, quirky pieces. The inspiration behind the brand came from indie vintage shops and various thrift stores dotted along the Californian coastline which then flew over to Britain to fill a niche in the market. I couldn't resist this skirt (pic below), it's so floaty and flattering.   

Shop Dixi     http://www.shopdixi.com/

This nifty jewellery label has a spectrum of bits and pieces to perk up any outfit, ranging from delicate moon rings to bold shell necklaces. Their engraved bracelets personally caught my eye. 

YouTube Culture

For my train journey home today I picked up this month's Company magazine to find 'Zoe Sugg's-(aka Zoella) face on the front (looking stylish as always). I thought to myself, 'my- how far the YouTube community have come'.

As a YouTube super freak fan it pleases me to see people who started as teenagers recording videos in their bedrooms gain this new type of celebrity status (You go Glen Coco!)

Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart, Mamrie Hart, are just a small handful of the women on YouTube who provide hilarity week in week out. Their humour is contagious and I find myself tuning into 'You Deserve a Drink' , 'My Drunk Kitchen', and Grace's daily vlogs like I would for a TV show.

Alternatively, if there is ever an occasion I need to make my face look slightly more presentable than my usual slapdash job with brushes I have no clue where to use, I turn to Tanya Burr to give me a trusty make-up look. She is the godfather of blushers and bronzers.

Then there is 'Fun for Louis'- who never seems to sit still. I can guarantee now, what he has seen and accomplished in his young years is more than I ever will in my whole life. He's definitely taken the meaning 'live each day as your last' on-board.

All in all, we should not under estimate the power of the Tube. Amongst many of it's benefits, I see YouTube as the way forward for advertising, with a noticeably increasing amount of brands eager to piggyback on the success of the YouTubers to promote products to their vast audiences. From funny cat videos to fashion hauls- this social network has it all, and once you hit your first subscribe button there's no turning back.