I'm back from the dead and with a cosplay tutorial! This cosplay is great if you want a more wearable costume for a fancy dress party or comic con. You can easily make it more authentic with a blue jacket and skirt or purchasing the authentic costume ( a bit more pricey though). For something last minute, this is a great option! Be sure to like and comment and let me know what videos you'd like to see next!
-Jess x
As usual, the British weather has
been very unpredictable, and it's actually been too hot for tea. However, that
has never stopped me still drinking it in the past and it won't stop me now.
I'm a chai addict, I have a huge
sensitivity to caffeine, so me and coffee are on a no talking basis at the
moment. So when I'm at uni I usually rely on a chai latte to keep me alert
during 4-hour lectures, but I was never able to enjoy them at home. UNTIL NOW.
Thank you, TikTok.
Ingredients:
Ginger (thumb size)
Cardamom pods (1/2 - 1 tbsp)
Nutmeg (1/4 tsp)
Black peppercorns (1/4 tsp)
Cinnamon (1 tsp)
Vanilla extract (1tsp)
Loose black tea (you can just open
a tea bag)
Milk (I use oat milk, it foams
well)
Sugar (or sweetener of your
choice)
Equipment:
Pan
Pestle and mortar/ tea towel and
rolling pin
Sieve
Milk frother/French press
(optional)
Method
1) To be frank I don't measure any
of the ingredients. Just eyeball the whole thing and adjust to your taste. One
thing I'll suggest is:
- you want only a little nutmeg
and pepper
- equalish part ginger and cinnamon.
- You don't need many pods because
they're very fragrant
2) Grind your spices with a pestle
and mortar. If you don't have one, put them in a tea towel you don't like a
crush them with a rolling pin (it'll be a little tricky though). You could use
already ground spices (I use ground nutmeg and cinnamon) but they may be a bit
less flavourful so add more if you need to.
3) Put your milk and vanilla in a
pan on a low simmer, it won't take long to heat up once you get little bubbles
it's done.
4) Add the spices and let them sit
for a minute then add your black tea and give it a stir till the tea is very
brown, then add your sugar (I don't normally have sugar with tea but it's
definitely needed here in my opinion)
5) Strain your tea in a fine
sieve, you can give it a couple passes if you need to. Then airate your tea by
either passing between two cups from a height (this also cools it down), with
an electric frother or in my case I just used my french press.
6) Now you're done! Have it with
some ginger snaps and watch my YouTube video again 😉🍵
- Jess x
If you’ve watched my YouTube video on autumn book recommendations (click the video below to watch),
then hopefully you would have seen the honourable mentions I made at the end of
the video. I realised after editing the video, I definitely have a favourite
genre when it comes to literature (i.e. Victorian London lol) so I wanted to
give more variety for the non-history buffs out there. Here are some summaries
of the book (without spoilers) to pique your interest.
Comment your favourite books for autumn below! What was your favourite book in high school?
Entangled by
Cat Clarke– Young adult thriller
Grace is trapped
in a white room with her kidnapper who forces her to recount the steps to her
capture.
But as she starts
to regain her memory it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.
This book is very
obviously meant for young adults (as you read, you’ll see what I mean). It’s
like the equivalent of a cheaply made but juicy Netflix original in the literary
form so I recommend as a guilty pleasure.
The Adventures
of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Mystery
A classic that I don’t really have to describe.
If you like mystery and thriller you’re obviously going to enjoy the set. I know this is also Victorian, but they are the most 'autumny' books on my list.
I’m also realising I have a huge thing for British literature. This series is a set of 12 short stories, so they are the perfect length to enjoy but I also highly recommend the audiobooks. Stephen Fry voices all of them and he’s amazing (also stars in the films as Mycroft Holmes).
Yes,
this is technically also British, but the main character villanelle is Russian
so there’s your token diversity character in this book list.
This is modern (hurray) and action-packed. World of books describes it as “Jason Bourne meets The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and I couldn’t
think of anything more accurate.
Not
for the faint of heart (if you’re not into international spies and assassinations
this won’t be your thing but c’mon that’s pretty badass if you ask me)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis
Carrol – Children’s fiction
A children’s
classic that isn’t just for children.
This novel is endearing, I think everyone
can enjoy this since the majority of us have grown up knowing the story already.
Read the book and see if you can notice any differences between the films
(there’s been 3 films made!).
Alice’s adventures in the magical land of wonder
is a wonderful read with so many wonderful details that obviously couldn’t be
replicated accurately on the big screen, which allows you to use your imagination
and make wonderland your own! Obviously, the mad hatter is my favourite
character (insert comic con pictures *cough cough*)
Charlie and The
Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - Children’s fiction
And of course,
another British book. Sue me. I think absolutely everyone can enjoy this book. Whether you’re an advanced reader or a beginner. It’s light-hearted, wacky, and talks about chocolate.
It’s such a sweet (pun unintended) book that makes you feel cosy and warm. It reminds me of my childhood, so I highly recommend with a mug of hot chocolate (and marshmallows if that’s your thing).
Some of these links are affiliate
links which means I make a small commission from them but feel free to purchase
any way you want to xx
This blog post isn't sponsored (I wish it was though - audible holla at your girl)
Happy reading!
- Jess x
In this two-parter, I explain what to do if you didn't get the results you expected this year due to the u-turn of A-level results in the UK (England and Wales). In the second video, I give you tips on how you can plan a gap year on a budget or specifically if you're restricted due to quarantine and had to do so unprepared. Although these videos were made around the topic of the 2020 u-turn, I hope they'll be useful for anyone who gets grades they didn't predict and needs a little help as to what to do next. I was in a similar situation when I took my a-levels and found these type of videos very useful so I hope they help you too x
-Jess
In this video, I show you how to get some freebies in my very expensive city of London (as well as a pizza recipe, so it's super worth watching). There's a previous blog article that gives more info on the freebies I did and didn't show in the video so feel free to check that out after! I also have another article showing you some affordable places to pig out so check that out too!
- Jess
I've already posted this on my Instagram page but during the midst of my boredom of the historical year that is 2020, I've decided to start a youtube channel! I'll be posting things that interest me similar to this blog with a little more cosplay and make-up content but still focused on lifestyle and culture. Click to watch my first video!
Hey, I’m Jess
This blog is a personal platform for my love for photography, cosplay and ongoing discoveries about life and culture around me. Hope you enjoy!
Welcome to cosplay 101! This past year I've been making an effort with one of my favourite hobbies: cosplay! I've spent the past 4 months developing my passion and it's paid off! I've built quite a following on TikTok and recently we hit 10k followers! Thank you all for the love I've started a series on the platform where I give some tips on products you can use for cosplays. I decided it would be easier if I made a blog post people can refer back to so they can find the link to the products I mention since comments can't get pinned on TikTok So for all my COSPLAY 101 videos, this is the post to refer back to and you'll find links to all the products I recommend! (some of these links are amazon affiliate links which means I may make a small commission off them but they're all products I've been using before I even had a platform, trust me they're good!) *affiliate links will redirect you to the Amazon page, you might get a google notice before t...
