What I Wore Today & Housemates...

Shirt - Topshop
Cardigan - American Apparel
Shorts - Topshop
Tights - New Look
Shoes - Topshop
Just a pretty casual outfit today. I got this nude silk shirt from Topshop after seeing it on the website. I couldn't decide between the red, the nude and the blue. I originally ordered the red but it was too baggy so when I went to return it instore I spotted the nude one & decided to get this instead. I wear the American Apparel cardi almost every day of my life. It is so comfy & I find it complements mosts of my outfits. I'm so happy to fit back into my size 10 shorts. I used to wear these every day but they got way too small in pregnancy. I'm still pretty heavy looking but fitting into these shorts again shows I'm on the right track! I got the shoes from Topshop's 20% off student night. God bless my uni for not putting a date on my student card. I got in even though I've already graduated, mwahaha.

I went out today to buy some stuff from Boots & Lush. My mascara was beginning to dry up so I got a new one (Max Factor False Lash Effect) and there was a 3 for 2 offer on the new Tresemme products. I bought a dry shampoo and 2 foam shampoos. I don't get a chance to wash my hair unless my boyfriend is at home so I'm hoping these will keep it cleaner for longer!

I popped into Lush to check out the Christmas & Dia de los Muertos ranges. I bought two massive bottles of Snow Fairy (everyones favourite Calpol-based shower gel!) so it'll last me ages, Snow Globe soap (smells like lemon sherbet & is very pretty) and 2 Calavera bath bombs. When I saw the demonstration of Calavera I knew I had to have it. It turns the bath neon green and looks like the contents of a witches cauldron.

I also went to the bank to pay in a cheque from an ex-housemate. This might turn into a rant so you might want to skip this next bit. One of the best things about uni life is living away from home. You get the freedom that living with your parents often denies you of. However in my experience it is pretty much impossible to find a good housemate. In my first year I lived in halls but my housemate (who was also on my course) stole anything I left in the kitchen which meant we had words and everyone on our floor decided to hate me. Her room was next to mine and she liked to play the same awful songs on repeat (Heartbroken, anyone?) until about 3am every night. She had it on so loud that I could feel my desk vibrate. This paid off for me in the end though as I stayed at uni longer to finish my work which improved my grades. I also spent more time at the gym to escape the hell of my flat and I ate very little because I didn't want to go in the kitchen while any of my flatmates were in there - all of which helped me get down to a size 8! The deposit we got back was good, only 12 quid had been taken off for a burn mark on a counter.

In my second year one of my good friends on my course and I decided to live together but we didn't want it to be just us. A big mistake. After meeting various groups looking for two people to take rooms in big houses we found some people who seemed to be nice. We ended up in a house with 3 girls and 1 guy. Those 3 girls would make our lives a living nightmare for the next year. They were so horrible that the guy decided to leave early after they chucked rancid eggs and cold spaghetti over him while he was asleep. They were loud, drunk, rude and thick. One night they played George Michael's Careless Whisper on repeat until 4am!!!! They even stole alcohol from my friend's room while she was in there. Suffice to say, I got a lock on my door and kept it locked pretty much all of the time. Our landlord was an idiot (Mr Pattani aka Express Lets in Headingley, FYI) and never did anything we asked for and completely ripped us off in terms of our deposits. We paid 300 quid and I only got back about 60 of it. My friend only got £11!

Our 3rd year looked like it would be a million times better. Me and two of my best friends on the course found an amazing flat in Hyde Park. Everything seemed like it would be great at last. However I got pregnant which meant I had to move out in April. Lots of shit happened with boyfriends moving in etc. but I paid everything that I was meant to. We kept the flat spotless and our landlord rewarded the lead tenant (my 'friend' Gemma) with the full 900 quid back. Then Gemma decides not to bother telling us that shes been given the deposit back but my other friend was promptly sent a cheque for 300 quid. Last weekend I asked if she could sort it out because I still hadn't got my money back. She text me some bullshit about the landlord taking money off both me and her meaning that I would only get £250 back. My other friend made me think this was fishy so I checked with the landlord and they told us that we'd gotten all the money back. I still can't believe that someone who I thought was a trusted friend would steal 50 quid from me and it would've been £300 if I hadn't kept going on at her. She said I owed money for bills, a broken shower and cleaning the flat - total lies. She seems to have forgotten that I paid all my rent, her boyfriend moved in rent & council tax free, and she used my room to dry her clothes, do her work & keep all of her shit in. But I have the full 300 back now so I suppose I'd better stop going on about it but it goes to show that its really hard to find trustworthy, nice, normal people to live with. Its sad that I have lost a good friend over it too. If you're just starting uni please think long and hard about future housemates and househunting. I had such a bad experience with this and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else.