Hello all my wonderful readers. As you are probably aware I haven't been blogging this week due to being on holiday. I am still on holiday but because I missed you all so much I thought I'd write a little post to let you know I'm still here.

So I have gone on holiday with my family to Yorkshire, which is beautiful. We are staying in a gorgeous cottage near Dent which is right in the middle of the dales. It has a fantastic view of the hills and neighbouring farms and there are so many little baby lambs running around. In fact the other day a lamb got into our garden and we had to usher him out. There is also a little blackbirds nest right near our front gate, and if you look closely there are a few little green eggs inside it. So lovely!

We have been on many adventures, and eaten a lot of cheese. But I won't spoil anything as I plan to write a proper blog post on it next week along with a holiday vlog which I am still trying to film!

Thank you to all who have helped me reach 11,000 views! You are utterly amazing and I cannot thank you enough for returning to my blog. In was only the other week I reached 10,000 and so I can see my blog is gradually getting more known and popular, even if it is slowly. But hey, it all helps.

I am also very excited to be reviewing some amazing products that have been sent to me soon. I cannot wait to try them out, and one of them, which I have featured on my Instagram (Follow me @ alittlebitoflaurablog) I am going to start next Monday or Sunday depending on unpacking. It is clear to say that things are definitely picking up and I can see great things coming for this blog.

I am also really happy to announce I will have a new, personalised blog design soon and a avatar of myself to represent this blog and all my other accounts! Delightful!

Hope you are all keeping well!

Please if you have any recommendations for posts then contact me!

Speak soon

Laura X

Back again for another Review Thursday and this week I am reviewing this absolute gem:

Schwarzkopf Osis+ Upload Volume

Now, I got this product from a hamper my dad was gifted at Christmas! I only found it out again the other week and thought to myself...

' My hair looks dull and thin and flat, I need a boost.' ...

and when rummaging through my many, yes many, products I was reunited with this, and so I gave it a go.

First of all I made sure my hair was lovely and clean and in good condition.

Then, before blow drying I applied my usual heat protector and split end serum.

I then put about 3/4 squeezes of Schwarzkopf Osis+ Upload Volume in my hands and massaged it into my hair. Making sure to focus mainly on the ends rather than the top of my head (don't want it looking greasy!).

I then continued on to blow dry my hair as normal.

And I was surprised by the results. I am always sceptical of volumising products as they never seem to do much. However this product certainly did give my hair a lift and made it feel thicker which I was the most pleased about.

My hair is super fine (by this I mean thin... I'm not just hitting on it) and it gets me down a lot because I feel I cannot do as much with it and it looks bare. Sometimes I feel as though hair extensions are my only answer to having thicker locks.

But this product definitely made me feel more confident as it just made my hair seem fuller.

No it isn't perfect, it doesn't magically make me have more hair, but it did give it more volume and texture and just did an all round good job at what I wanted it to do!

Well done Schwarzkopf, you've done it again!

 Let's look through my 2015 summer wardrobe!











Chunky sandals for beach days. Fantastic for those denim days or with a cute beach dress.

Where: www.everything5pounds.com

How much : £5





Cute bejewelled flip flop sandals- perfect for any outfit whether dressed up or down.

Where: Primark

How much: Under £10

Can't go wrong with some summer trousers!

Where: Primark

How much: Under £10
 Gorgeous maxi skirt for those nippier days, to keep the chill off the legs!

Where: Primark sale

How much: £1!
 Beautiful lace vintage mini skirt to make me feel pretty and girly! This goes perfectly with my sandals!

Where: Ebay

How much: Under £10
 Everyone needs a classy evening dress for a night out or a summer garden party. So sophisticated!

Where: New Look

How much: £25

 A lovely summery beach dress for those lush sunny days walking bare footed along the sand!

Where: Matalan

How much: Under £20
 Funky Aztec print dress. A bit thicker for those blustery days. Looks fabulous with my chunky sandals! So vibrant and bold!

Where: Everything 5 Pounds

How much: £5
 These beach dresses are so easy and comfy that I may as well buy more of them! So many different colours and all super pretty!

Where: Primark

How much: £5
 Summer isn't complete without pastel colours. This pastel mint dress with embellishment is perfect for evenings or date nights! The material is lovely and soft on the skin too, so you can be assured of a relaxed evening.

Where: Everything 5 Pounds

How much: £5








And finally, every girl need a cute denim jacket to complete their summer wardrobe. Guaranteed to go with almost everything and leave you feeling sleek and summery!

Where: New Look

How much: £25

So for today's blog post I was going to do some sort of summer lookbook. But the rain happened when I wanted to write it and so everything else seems as glum as it is outside. Poor us! So because Sunday's post was a recipe I thought today I would just write an update of my life.

So in one week's time I am going on holiday to Yorkshire with my family and my gorgeous puppy, so I cannot wait for that. It'll be nice to have a week off. Now because I'll be 'out of office' shall we say I don't know how much blogging time I'll get, however I do plan to keep you updated on social media and I will try my best to do at least one or two blog posts. But it's only for that week and then I'll be back on schedule. I need a holiday sorry guys!

It's getting towards the end of the uni year, which seems strange because its only May. Feel a bit cheated really, we pay so much money then are only here for about 6 months. Nevertheless I'm quite glad I've finished 2nd year, well hopefully- still one result to go *fingers crossed*. It means now I get to relax all summer.... no... I don't? really? Oh! No I have to start my dissertation ah! Help! I have some good ideas so hopefully my typing will turn into something incredible. I also plan to be blogging/vlogging mad over the summer and gain more follows and subscribers.

So today, I was going to be taking some nice photos of summery things but that isn't going to happen. It's also my last week of my gym membership *sobs* so I'm going to try and do a two hour gym sesh and smash it! Got to make up for all the non exercise I'll probably do over summer. With that being said you're always more active in summer so maybe things won't be too bad?

I also need to start tidying a bit I think. My room is a tip and our landlord is coming for an inspection on Friday!! So today seems like a bit of a dull day to be honest, to go with the weather! However I think sometimes we need these kind of days to recharge and get everything (ours lives) sorted. I know I feel so much better after a chore day because there is less work for me to do the next day. And a rainy day is the perfect day for chores!

SO on Thursday I'll have another little review for you. How do you all like the schedule? I'd love to hear from you so please do not hesitate to comment- whether its good or bad! Because 'll be on holiday on Sunday, Sunday's post is going to be uploading tomorrow (Wednesday!). Enjoy!

Thanks for all your love and support.

Speak soon
Laura X

Ever wanted to make fudge, but worried it'd be too hard? Well think no more and follow my very simple recipe for delicious creamy vanilla fudge! My recipe has been manipulated to make fudge that I like, and I have looked online and gathered bits and bobs from other recipes to make my own.


Ingredients
300ml Milk- can use cream and milk
350g sugar- sorry teeth
100g Butter
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

 Step 1- Mix the sugar, butter and milk together in a saucepan.


 Step 2. Place on heat and stir continuously for about 15-20 minutes. OR until reached the 'soft ball' phase. To test this get a jug and fill it with cold water. Put a bit of the mixture in and if it forms balls (near enough to ball shapes) it's ready.








 Step 3. Take off the heat and mix in the vanilla extract.

 Step 4. Whisk until the glossiness disappears. It should look matte.

So we're back again for my Thursday Review, and today I'm going to be discussing Neutrogena's pink grapefruit range. Now I've mentioned these products previously in one of my vlogs, but I wanted to review them in more detail for you all. Now I've only tried two of these products, and I got them because there was a deal on at Boots - which is always great! But I've used a neutrogena product before which I believe I have reviewed on my blog, and so I was excited to try their other products as I was so thrilled with the results of the other product.


 Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Oil Free Moisturiser

This product has easily become my favourite spring/summer moisturiser. As I've mentioned in my vlog (Which I shall link at the bottom of this review for those of you who haven't seen it) it gives the perfect feel to your skin. The ultra fresh smell of the grapefruit is the perfect pick me up for your skin and it fantastic for early mornings when you just want to crawl back into bed. It almost makes your skin feel wet and makes your eyes feel very moist which definitely helps wake you up. On top of this it actually does a pretty decent job at keeping your skin feeling soft throughout the day. Its light mixture is the perfect blend in making your skin feel ready for the day! I brilliant purchase and definitely one I shall be buying again! 9/10


Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Cream Wash

I haven't used this product as much as the moisturiser purely because I have so many face washes already open and so I didn't want to be confusing my skin! But I've used it enough times to be able to tell you that, well, neutrogena has got it going on. This brand knows what it's doing when it comes to skin care. When you squeeze some out onto your hand the product comes out a sort of pearly pink colour and it's ridiculously soft on your skin. It lathers up immensely well which means a really easy, refreshing application. It isn't very drying like some products as well, which means your skin doesn't feel like it's about to crack after using it, it actually feel nourished. With a good moisturiser application after, this is the perfect morning facial wash which leaves you feeling awake and bright eyed for the rest of the day. It just smells so great too! What more could we want? 8/10


As you can see, I've rated these products very highly. This is because I truly believe that these products work! This is only my opinion however and we must remember how everyone's skin is different. These products are definitely, in my opinion, worth a try. Hope this review has helped you decide on facial products!

Speak soon
Laura X

Being a student can be both amazing and difficult. One of the most obvious difficulties is of course, money. I've never had too much of an issue with money because I like to save, and of course I had a weekend job this year which definitely helped. However it is still hard to plan fun and interesting things which don't tear your bank to shreds.

So we planned a student friendly day out to London. Here is the cost:

National Express Coach trip- £16 with NUS Extra Discount, £18 without.

London Tube Ticket- £12 or £7.90 with a Railcard

Natural History Museum- Free
Science Museum- Free
British Museum- Free

Dinner- McDonald's - £5.49 (of course you could easily find some other food, but this was what we fancied!)

Total: £33.49 or £31.39 etc


Here is what we did: