Food: chocolate cheesecake brownies!

One of my favourite things to bake is brownies, so when I saw this recipe online I decided to adapt it sightly to make it more to my taste and bake it for myself! If you would like to see the original recipe follow this link or for my version keep reading!

Ingredients:
1 tub (180g) Philadelphia cream cheese; 100g (+4 tbsp) caster sugar; 3 eggs, 1 large (200g) bar Dairy Milk chocolate broken up, 50g butter, 85g plain flour, 1/2tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp salt. 

Method:
1. preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. 
2. line an 18cm squared tin with grease-proof paper 
3. mix the cream cheese and 4 tbsp of sugar in a bowl. Add one of the eggs and half the chocolate and put it to one side. 
4. In a second bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the other half the chocolate until it is melted together. 
5. Add the flour, sugar, remaining two eggs, salt and baking powder to the melted egg and sugar. Mix until smooth. 
6. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the lined tin and smooth out.
7. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top and swirl in with the chocolate.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through.
9.Let cool in the tin for 10-20 minutes before removing from tin and cutting into squares.
10. serve hot with double cream or ice cream or cold as a snack!

If you have any baking recipes you would like to see me try then post the links in the comments or send them to me on twitter (@scdjess) or Instagram (@jessicaellenblogs)!

"Find something you're 

passionate about & keep 

tremendously interested in it!"

- Julia Child 

Beauty: Simple but beautiful prom makeup look!

On Friday I was extremely excited to be able to do my little sister Gemma's makeup for her year 11 leavers prom! As she does not normally wear makeup, but wanted to for this special occasion so I created this look which complemented her dress, but wasn't too much - and as I loved it so much I thought I would share it on here!

For the base I kept it simple with primer (Maybelline baby skin pore eraser primer, £7.99 at superdrug) and powder (Rosie for Autograph translucent finishing powder, £18 at M&S). I then added a bit of colour with the Nars blush duo in Olympia (£32 on ASOS) and the shade helia from the Anastasia moonchild glow kit (£39 on Beautybay).

On the eyes I used colours to complement her blue dress with silver accents. I chose to go with the shades eskimo kiss, crystallised and blue moon from the Sleek Nordic Skies palette (2016 Limited Edition) and I added a little silver in the inner corner for a finishing touch with the Barry M fine glitter dust in silver (£4.59 at Superdrug). To finish of the eyes I used the blue collection 24hr eyeliner felt tip pen (£2.99 at Superdrug) and Benefit's roller lash mascara (£20.50 on FeelUnique).

Finally, I chose to go for a darker nude lip with Kylie's Moon lip kit ($29 at Kylie Cosmetics). This finished the look without overpowering it too much, but still complementing Gemma's hair and skin tone. To make sure it lasted all night I used the Makeup Revolution pro fix spray (£5 at Superdrug) to seal the finished makeup look.

My sister looked amazing at her prom and I am really glad I am able to share how incredible she looked with you guys! If you have recreated this look of have done your own prom makeup looks please share them with me in the comments or on social media via Twitter and Instagram (links at the right of this page if you are on desktop!). 

"Sometimes you will never 

know the true 

value of a moment until it 

becomes a memory"

- Anonymous. 

Lifestyle: Trying something new - Romeo & Juliet at The Globe

Recently my sister and I decided to take the train up to London from Brighton and experience something different and visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to see Romeo and Juliet.

I will admit I wasn't sure about the idea of standing on the same spot in a huge crowd for basically 3 hours; and as a musical theatre lover I wasn't too sure about a stage show with no music - but the second the show started I knew it would be more than worth it! Not only was the setting of the globe theatre incredible by itself but the whole production was nothing like what I was expecting at all - and I loved it! 

The show was a completely different take on Romeo and Juliet to anything I've ever seen before and the artistic combination of monochromatic clown makeup and modern music and costumes, as well as the incredible acting and dancing from the whole cast! Some stand out moments however were the incredible emotive performance from lead actress Kirsty Bushell who stunned me throughout the show and in her final scenes gave me chills with how stunningly she portrayed Juliet. Whilst the whole cast were incredible a couple of other performances stood out for me. One was Mercutio actress Golda Rosheuvel who managed to master both the serious and humorous aspects of her character; making me laugh and cry multiple times (as well as leaving me in awe with her incredible singing talents). The other came from two people who were not in the lead cast but still made the mark on the whole production. Dancers Jac Adu-Sarkodie and Siobhan Athwal demonstrated the varied talent as actresses and dancers as the tackled different characters, dance styles and emotions with incredible conviction - they really helped to weave together different aspects of the show in a role that sometimes gets overlooked by reviewers despite the recognition they deserve. 

Whilst the show was incredible and I loved it - I don't want to say too much more and spoil it as there are a lot of twists and differences in production from the original play (and you should definitely see it before July 9th if you can!)! I would highly recommend seeing any play at the Globe if you can so you too cn try something new!

If you would like to buy tickets for Romeo and Juliet there are only tickets left for one show (at the time of writing) and you can purchase them here http://bit.ly/2tHGUpM
To see what else is on at the Globe visit their website: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/whats-on

"When I saw you I 

fell in love and you smiled 

because you knew".

- William Shakespeare

Lifestyle: First year at university - what I've learnt.

As I come closer to finishing my first year at Sussex University, I began to think back to the fantastic year I have had and thought I would put together a list of the things I've learnt and a few tips for future freshers! (I've also added a few of my favourite photos of my first year throughout!).

1. Join flat mate group chats and leave your door open when you move in.


These are two simple but very effective way to get to know your flat mates in the first few days as it opens up conversations as you'll see everyone coming and going. With my flat I not only got to meet everyone in my flat before I moved in and quickly before I arrived, I also became friends with a girl from the flat opposite. Also in regards to getting to know people, cooking together is a great way! We cooked a flat meal a couple of days after we arrived and bought a cake for one of my flat mates who was moving in a day after her birthday and even though nobody really ate the cake, it is still a memory we all look back on fondly!

2. Expect communal areas to be a mess.


With lots of people living together; in my flat this means up to 6 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners a day being made in the kitchen; there will be a lot of mess! As long as everyone agrees on boundaries so it doesn't get too bad then it's ok, but be prepared for some mess! (also bin rotas are extremely useful if you share a kitchen/communal area!).

 

3. Do everything you can in freshers week.


One of the best weeks I had was freshers week as there is so much going on that you get a taste of everything the area you are going to call home for the next 3+ years has to offer, whilst meeting loads of new people! I went bouldering, to dance classes, on bar crawls, laser tag and the classic club nights in freshers week - as well as most notably a party on Brighton pier with rides and a bar! Take full advantage of everything in freshers week as you will only be a fresher once!

4. Talk to as many people as you can.


This is the best way to settle at uni. Everyone is in the same boat as you at the start so talk to everyone you can in classes, around your accommodation, at lunch, on nights out, anywhere you can meet other student! It is a lot easier to make friends than you think if you talk to everyone you can!

5. Explore the area (and find your favourite spots).

Over the year I have lost count of the many bars, clubs, cafes, shops and tourist attractions I've been to. While some have not had a second visit, some have been regular hotspots since (laser zone, globalls, shuffle bar, the haunt, Brighton pier, revolution bar, Casablanca, snoopers paradise and Wahaca are good shouts if you live in Brighton!). It is easier than you think to find your feet in a new town or city if you explore a bit; and you may stumble across some hidden gems on the way (bagelman and shakeaway)!!!

6. Manage your money!!!

I made this mistake many times in my first year. Be careful with your money so you can take advantage of all the opportunities thrown at you! It is the worst feeling not being able to go out because you can't afford it or having to eat the same thing everyday to save money; so make sure you have an emergency fund on hand and don't spend what you can't afford like I've done before!

7. The library can be your best friend


When it comes to getting work done on time, the library is the best place to be in my opinion. You are in a work environment rather than the relaxing environment of your bedroom so it is so much easier to focus. I usually plug in my headphones to encore radio (great for musical theatre fans) and just focus on one essay and get it done that day so I don't have to think about an essay for too long. Whilst it's not for everyone, the library is a great place to go to focus for a while.

8. Take advantage of societies and socials.

This was the biggest game changer for me at university this year. I started attending the Ballroom and Latin dance society (strictly Sussex!) at my uni just after Christmas and it made my university experience a thousand times better! It helps you get into a routine of doing something other than work, you can do any activity you enjoy regularly, meet loads of likeminded people, go on socials and have people to talk to who all support each other. My dance 'family' have became some of my best friends at uni and the society gave me so many opportunities over the last few months to learn something I have always wanted to do with a group of great people. If you take one thing away from this post I would say join a society - it is the best way to explore the area around you, meet people, do something new and make the most of uni!

If you have any university fresher survival tips post them bellow! And also a massive shout out to strictly Sussex (the best society and people at Sussex uni!).

 

"I have insecurities of course,

but I just don't hang

out with people who point

them out to me!"
- Adele

Beauty: My new hair colour!!!

Recently I finally took the plunge and dyed my hair pastel pink! It is something I have been thinking about doing for a long time and I am so happy with the results! I decided that I would share with you how and what I used to do it today, as well as how I maintain it and my favourite products for styling my hair. 

Hair Dying & Colour Maintenance Products
To dye my hair I first used the L'oreal colorista dirty pink washout hair dye to test the waters and see if I liked the colour - and I definitely did! This colour was really easy to use following the instructions and lasted 4 washes in my naturally dark blonde hair before I had faded completely.

Once the L'oreal dye had faded I decided to keep the colour and used Schwarzkopf's LIVE lightener + twist in 101 cool rose to get the colour for longer. If you have long and thick hair like me you will need 2 boxes of the dye to colour it all but for the reasonable price it is well worth it! I have also got a third box of the dye to recolour my roots (I have had the colour for 3 weeks and they have only just started to show!).

To maintain the colour of my hair I use Fudge colour lock shampoo and conditioner which not only smells amazing but really helps to maintain the colour of your hair. Also, it lathers up a lot so a little goes a long way and it lasts a lot longer. 

Hair Styling
To style my hair I use two of three products before blow drying it. I always use the Tresemme heat defence styling spray to protect my hair from too much damage. Then, if I am going to leave my hair natural I use V05's smoothly does it curl defining mousse to enhance the natural wave in my hair (to stop it from knotting I sleep with it in a french plait when it is dry). Then if I am going to straighten my hair I use the John Frieda frizz ease 3 day straight straightening spray simply so I do not have to straighten my hair everyday.

Once my hair is dry I use Tigi's dumb blonde smoothing stuff all over my hair to help with split ends, flyaways and smooth static. Then if I have left my hair natural I will use the Got2B beach matt texturizing spray to maintain the waves and give them a beachy yet finished look.


If you have any products you love and think I should try or you have experiences with dying your own hair leave a comment below! 

"Your hair is the
ball gown you never
take off".

- Jo Robertson.