April's Birthday Weekend Away

I feel like i've been a bit of a ghost for a while, what can I say...balancing work and life is pretty tricky. But hey, that's not what I want to talk about today. If you follow us on twitter you will know that April, Alex and I went on a weekend away to Birmingham to celebrate aprils 23rd birthday! 

If you don't know already, we all went to university in Birmingham and this was the first time after we graduated that we were going to see each other. No word of a lie, I was really nervous to see these guys, yes I had the nervous shit's too (sorry tmi).

We booked an apartment in city centre which was absolutely beautiful. There was a bedroom, a cute little kitchen and it even had a balcony over looking the city centre. The weather that weekend was perfect! It really felt like summer, the sun was shining, we had our sunglasses on and we were getting our drink on!

The drink's started to flow earlier than expected. Well the plan was to "pace ourselves" but that didn't happen and I was the first one to start feeling the effects of alcohol. We had cooked and ate dinner in our little kitchen and then the antics began. April made a massive punch bowl full of sex on the beach. The best cocktail to get you drunk and hyper according to April. Yes she is right! Any students reading this should take note.

We also made an amazing playlist on Spotify.


When I came back from America, I brought back these gold tattoo things (not sure what the real name for it is) and I thought it would be a good idea to put them on. BAD IDEA! We literally covered our body with these tattoo's and when I say we covered everything...I mean everywhere. Enough said. Also Alex gave me a cool smokey eye because I can't create a smokey eye to save my life.

I don't really remember much of the night after April opened her presents, i'm not sure how we got to the club and how we got back. But all in all we had an amazing night! The next day we were hanging...badly. So that meant a trip to Weatherspoons for a greasy breakfast and lots of cups of tea. I mean who doesn't love tea and some grease to cure a hangover.

I did manage to film bits of footage throughout the weekend so here is a vlog I put together. Hope you enjoy :)

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Easter chocolate rice krispie cakes

Its that time of the year where chocolate is everywhere you look. That can only mean one thing...Yay its easter!

With all the chocolate surrounding us there is only one thing to do and that is to make some easter treats. This recipe definitely takes me on a trip down memory lane as I used to make this with my mum and also at school during easter.  

These cakes are really simple to make and come together within a matter of seconds. There is no exact measurement for this, I personally just eye ball how many rice krispie's go into the chocolate. This is a rough guideline I put together. 

You will need:

•  200g chocolate
• 100g rice krispies
• Cupcakes cases
• Mini eggs and mini marshmallows

1) First things first is to melt the chocolate. I find it best to do this a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. If not you can heat it in the microwave, making sure you do not burn it. 

2) Whilst the chocolate is melting measure the rice krispie's and lay out the cupcake cases

3) Combine the melted chocolate with the rice krispie's and mix thoroughly until everything is coated and there is a even layer of chocolate on the rice krispie's. 

4) Spoon into cupcakes cases and decorate with mini eggs and mini marshmallows.

5) Leave to cool down and set then its time to eat!

I hope you try this recipe out this easter :)

What are your favourite easter chocolate treats to make? 

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Pancake Day

Hey guys its April & Amreeta....ooohh that's right joint blog post!

This week we are going to be telling you how to make the perfect British AND American pancake! for both the sweet and savoury monster within you!

Everyone has a little pancake monster within them that doesn't allow you to just eat one pancake and be satisfied but instead makes you involuntarily eat a million pancakes!

 Aprils British Pancakes

Ingredients 

• 110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water

How to make the perfect pancake batter;

• Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl 
• Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it 
• Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do 
• Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk) 
• Then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream

Cooking your creation!

• Now get the pan really hot, It's also helpful if you use a ladle to pour the batter into the hot pan
• As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter
• It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a spatula to see if it's tinged gold
• Now the best bit! FLIP the pancake- don't let all your hard work be wasted by flipping it on the floor or in my case, flipping it to high and it sticking to the ceiling

To Serve

• Sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dusting of either caster sugar, or icing sugar
• Fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or simply roll them up

Alternatively, you can top your pancake with whatever your heart desires! Milkyway spread, ice cream, Nutella, fruit/fruit compote, nuts, cream, melted chocolate!

Either way its not good for the diet so you may as well go for it!

Taadddaahhh.. your British pancake is complete!

Amreeta's American Pancakes

You will need: 

• 1 cup Self raising flour 
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 cup Milk 
•  4 tsp brown sugar 
•  Pinch of salt 
• Olive Oil 
• Maple syrup 
•  Fruit of choice

1) Add the flour, egg, milk, salt and sugar to a bowl and mix until smooth.

2) Heat a non stick pan on low- medium heat and add 1 tsp of olive oil, making sure the olive coats the pan. Spoon the mixture into the pan, I usually do two small pancakes to a pan or one medium sized one. When bubbles start to appear on the surface (2 minutes) you can flip the pancake.

3)Let it cook on the other side for another 2 minutes until brown on both sides.

4) Place onto a plate and serve with maple syrup and fruit of your choice.

And there you go, both of our delicious pancake recipes! Which one is your favourite?
tweet us your creations at @ateamlifestyle

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♥

DIY Vanilla Body Cream

Winter is definitely creeping its way in and that means one thing...dry skin! I suffer from this a lot, especially now that i'm living back home in London my skin gets super dry with the hard water. Over the years i've tried many well known body creams but nothing seems to work as well as this! I can't even tell you how good this stuff is! It really moisturises like nothing i've ever used before. I would recommend using it at night and sparingly for that matter as it can tend to get a bit greasy.
As this is a all natural body cream I had to list just a couple of benefits of the ingredients :)

Coconut Oil

• Moisturisers
• Has anti ageing proporties  
• It can help treat skin infections such as eczema   

Almond Oil

• Moisturises
• Lightens dark circles 
• Can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines

Vitamin E

• Moisturises
• Protects skin from UV rays
• Helps fade blemishes and marks 

You Will Need:

• 3/4 Cup Organic Coconut Oil
• 1/4 Cup Pure Almond Oil 
• 1 Tablespoon Organic Pure Vitamin E Oil
• 10 drops of Vanilla extract 
• Optional- 2 drops Pink food dye 

1) Combine the coconut oil and almond oil in a bowl using a hand blender or a mixer. Chill in the fridge until it has a creamy consistency. Then using the hand blender mix for 4 minutes. 

2) Add in the Vitamin E oil, Vanilla extract and food dye. 

3) Mix together until it becomes the consistency of angel delight or custard (yum angel delight!!) 

4) Transfer the cream into a air tight container and your done!

Disclaimer: Keep out of sunlight store in a dark place. This is my own home remedy perfect for dry skin but if you are allergic to any ingredients do not try this.  If you have any questions or queries please feel free to ask me. A little does go a long way, so its best to use small amounts at a time.

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Chai Latte Cupcakes

Well hello there! :) Happy Monday guys! 

As many of you know (or don't) this week (Thursday to be precise) is Diwali! Diwali is celebrated by Hindu's, Jain's and Sikh's and all for different reasons. As some of you may or may not know i'm Sikh, so come thursday I will be going to the Gurdwara (sikh temple) to celebrate. Diwali is a significant day to Sikhs around the world, as it celebrates the realise of our 6th guru, Guru Hargobind Ji. 

Inspired by this Indian festivity, I decided to make some chai latte cupcakes. The star ingredient of this recipe has to be the chai latte mix by drink me chai. I literally love this stuff, it has a sweet taste to it and it makes me feel warm and happy.  Okay so lets get to it! 

 You Will Need:

• 100g self raising flour
• 100g brown sugar
• 100g butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of Drink me Chai's 'spiced' mix 
• 1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• 1 small cup of milk
• Buttercream frosting
• 1 stick of cinnamon, 3 cloves and cardamon pods
• Cupcake cases

1) Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees. Measure out the flour, sugar, butter, chai mix, vanilla extract and put all in the ingredients into a mixer. Crack the eggs into the mixer bowl and add 7 tablespoons of milk. 

2) Mix all the ingredients together until combined. Do not over mix, I repeat DO NOT OVER MIX! this causes the cupcake to become  tough, dense and bread like, and no one wants that. 

3) Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases and bake for 15-20mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

4) Whilst the cupcakes are baking, it is time to infuse the milk. Put the remaining milk into a small pan add the cinnamon, cardamon and clove. Let the milk simmer for about 10 minutes then leave to cool. When its cooled you can add a couple of teaspoons of this to any buttercream of your choice (I was lazy and bought buttercream from the supermarket). The rest of the milk you can drink, it tastes amazing! :) 

5) Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and they are ready to eat. 

For all you chai/cha lovers out there I highly recommend trying these, and don't forget to tweet me a picture if you do make these! :) 

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Nutella Hot Chocolate

Hey guys! :) 

So I think Autumn is slowly creeping its way into the UK and you know what that means. Snuggly weather! Yes people its time to locate your scarfs, gloves and hoodies. It is also that time of the year when all you want to do is cuddle up on the sofa with a nice cup of hot chocolate. 

If you've already read the title of this blog post, you will know that today I am going to be making Nutella Hot Chocolate. This was a firm fav of mine at university, and I mean come on who doesn't like Nutella!

You will need:

• Nutella
• Milk
• Whipped cream
• Marshmallows 
• A mug
• A whisk
• Tablespoon

1) Using the mug as your measuring guide, pour the required amount into a pan. Then add two tablespoons of Nutella with the milk. Use the whisk to distribute the Nutella and make the milk frothy. You should end up with something that looks like this

  2) Pour it into your mug and top with whipped cream and marshmallows.

I hope you guys try this out and if you do, don't forget to tweet me a picture :)

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Eyebrow Tutorial

Today I thought I would do a quick eyebrow tutorial. Most of the time if I wear make up and especially if I wear my glasses, my eyebrows need to look good. I think eyebrows are key! They frame your face and make your eyes pop! Also wanted to add that eyebrows are sisters not twins, so don't worry if they don't look exactly the same :)

Before you do these five steps make sure your eyebrows are plucked/threaded/waxed to your desired shape. Personally I prefer threading, my pain threshold is quite high so the pain is bearable. But if i do have some stray hairs, mr tweezer does get a call. Okay, enough with the babbling Amreeta! 

You will need:

• Eyeshadow matching your eyebrows (I like using this soap and glory one) 
• Brow Mascara (I use a Maybelline one but to be honest there are better ones available) 
• Angled Brush
• Eyebrow Brush 

1) First of all brush your eyebrows with the eyebrow brush. I brush upwards then side ways. 

2) Dip your brush into the eyeshadow, and draw a line on the bottom of your eyebrow. If you want a more defined brow do this at the top at as well. 

3) Dip your brush into the eyeshadow again and make light strokes upwards to fill in sparse areas, do this until you reach the end of your eyebrow. 

4) Brush through the brow making sure all the sparse areas are covered and everything is blended in. 

5) Run through the brow with a brow mascara to keep everything in place. You could also use hairspray. Spray it on your finger and pat onto your eyebrows. (I prefer this method)  

That it your done! Hope you try this out, there are so many eyebrow products out there these days but I think eyeshadow works the best as it gives you a natural look. 

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DIY Topshop Inspired Tshirt

Today I thought I would do a fashion DIY for you guys. I saw this T-shirt in Topshop and thought why not try and make it myself. Personally for me when I see a plain tshirt like this which is covered in not that many beads I really do think its not worth the £30! I would rather make it myself...and thats what I did. 

I bought a similar T-shirt from Primark which cost me £3 and I have loads of beads at home so I used those. But you can buy packs of beads really cheap especially at the Rag Market in Birmingham. Also Hobbycraft has a growing amount of bead choices, so its worth having a pop into there. 

You Need:

• A plain T-shirt 
• Scissors
• Thread and needle
• Variety of beads and gems
• Fabric glue or all purpose glue
• Spare paper 

1) First of all lay your T-shirt on a flat surface then get some spare paper and slide it into the T-shirt. This will ensure that when u glue the beads on it will not stick the T-shirt together.

2) Lay your beads in any design of your choice. I used the Topshop tshirt as a guideline.
 3) Now start to glue them onto your T-shirt. I would advise you to use the glue sparingly. The reason why I used glue, is to ensure that the beads don't run away whilst I try to secure them permanently with my needle a thread.

4) Once all the beads are glued on leave the T-shirt to sit, dry and setttle for 24hours. By doing this you are making sure that the beads are securely stuck onto your T-shirt.

5) Secure all your beads with a needle and thread and your done!

Hope you enjoy making this T-shirt as much as I did. If you do manage to make it tweet me a picture!

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