London!

Eventually, the post I've been talking about for weeks arrives. I'm going to try and put as many pictures in this as I can so.. enjoy!

We travelled down to London on the Megabus (7 hours, good lord it was a long one!) and got there at half 3 so we didn't really do too much on the first day. We unpacked and then set off to have a little look at the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park- it was gorgeous, all the little stalls were lit up and it was so cute and Christmassy.

The next day we decided to pay a visit to Camden and I was so excited, I'd been wanting to go for ages and it was fab. We had a little wander around the market where I got a really cute little vest top for a fiver before we went to this gorgeous shop called Lily J. All the clothes were like, lace and crocheted patterns and I couldn't resist buying a gorgeous pair of black shorts for £20 which are ideal for summer! We also had a look in a really cool vintage shop where I bought a red bandana for £2.50 (total bargain!) before heading down for a nosey around Camden Lock.

After having a spot of lunch, we decided to head to Abbey Road because I love the Beatles and I had been dying to go there for ages! We got the tube all the way out to the Abbey Road station only to find that we'd been conned- Abbey Road is at the other blooming side of London! After a lot of cursing we headed back over to Westfield (which, for the record, is amazing) because it was only a few stops away and had a look in Forever 21 because there isn't one in Newcastle. I got some four really sweet ear cuffs for £3.15, this gorgeous necklace and a couple of makeup brushes, which I think I might review in the future!

The next day, we went to one of my favourite places in London- Madame Tussauds. I'm such a sad sack, I was having the time of my life taking photos with the waxworks! After spending ages in there, we went back over to have a look around Oxford Street before going back to the hotel to get ready for the show that night! We went to the evening show of Les Miserables and it was absolutely incredible, we were sat in the front row and, naturally, I cried my eyes out- it's so sad. Being so close to the stage was an amazing experience and the cast were spectacular as always. Afterwards, we met a few of the cast including the lovely Carrie Fletcher who was an absolute darling, one of the sweetest people I've ever met.

On the last day, we went shopping and let me tell you, my bank balance suffered. After a trip to Harrods to check out the Christmas window (I didn't think it was as good as last year, nothing could top the Disney themed dresses they had!) and a cheeky browse, we headed back over to Leicester Square where we couldn't resist a look in M&M World! I came out with these pyjama bottoms, which are soooo comfy, and a  tub of M&Ms which you can now get personalised! We also had a wander around the fair that was on in Leicester Square and couldn't help but go on one of the rides. After browsing the shops for the rest of the day, we took a trip over to Covent Garden where I bought an adorable cushion which looks like an owl and is now pride of place on my bed! The bus didn't leave London until 10:30pm, so we had a pretty long day but all in all, the trip was absolutely fantastic. 

Side note: last month was horrendous for posts from me, sorry guys- so many deadlines and exams at uni I never had the time to write anything! Buuuut, I have quite a few posts in my drafts at the moment so February is going to be a lot better!

Sophie

New Years Resolutions

Hello, hello, hello! First of all: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I hope 2014 has been good to you all so far, mine has been pretty packed with uni work (hence the lateness of this post). As it's the start of a new year, I decided to make some resolutions which I'm actually going to keep to for a change so I thought I might share them with you all!

1. Look after myself more.

Ok, so this one covers a few things. Firstly, my skincare routine went to pieces towards the end of 2013 so this is one of the things I'm going to make sure I focus on this year. Secondly, I really need to start eating more healthy! Having so many coffee shops on the doorstep at uni has become far too much of a temptation so I'm limiting myself to one treat day each week (I'm thinking a Friday) as long as I eat well for the rest of the week. I'm also joining the gym at uni and I'm strangely excited for it (this may be because I treated myself to some New Balance trainers and a Jack Wills gym bag but shhhh)!

2. Get back into music.

When I was younger, I was really into music and played violin and keyboard for ages, so a few weeks ago I got bored and decided to mess about with my old keyboard and realised how much I missed playing. I might also eventually get round to teaching myself guitar like I promised myself 3 years ago!

3. Be more organised.

This is definitely a uni based one- admittedly I'm pretty organised when it comes to other things because it stresses me out if things aren't sorted, but my notes for the three modules I've been doing are all over the shop sadly. However, for my next three modules I'm going to make sure all my notes are written up as soon as the lecture is over and filed asap!

4. Read more.
I always used to have my head in book so reading was one of the things I massively missed when doing my exams, so I've made it my goal to read 100 books this year! I might keep a little record of them in a notebook or something and make a little project out of it...

5. Donate to charity more often.

Before Christmas, I donated £20 to WaterAid in support of this little project run by two of the lovely guys in the West End production of Les Miserables. Knowing I had donated some of my own cash to a great cause felt so rewarding, so I decided that 2014 is going to be the year that I'm more charitable- I'm even thinking of running the Great North Run!

These are only a few of my resolutions, there's a few bits and pieces which are more rules for me to start living by but these are the main ones. Do you guys have any resolutions? 

Sophie

London: What's In My Makeup Bag

Hello again lovely people! As you all know, I had a little trip to London two weeks ago and it was absolutely fantastic; I'll be making a post in the next few days with some photos and stories from the trip! The hardest part of this trip for me was deciding which makeup to take with me, especially because my usual makeup bag is pretty big and I was only going for three nights! 

The first thing I had to do was find a smaller makeup bag, so I decided on this cute little one from Primark. I have a thing for polka dots so I couldn't resist when I saw it. It has two zip compartments, both quite a decent size, and for £3 it's actually really nice! 

Surprisingly for me, this is probably the smallest amount of makeup I've ever taken away in my case. I knew I had to pick things that I would use both day and night so that I wasn't carrying more than I needed to, especially because I'm not the best at packing!

First up is my facial products. As I said in a previous post, I don't wear foundation every day but as we were going out to see a show one night, foundation was a must! I use the Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclait foundation in the shade BR10. I have quite dry skin and prior to this I'd been using the MAC Studio Fix Foundation which wasn't sitting well on my skin at all. My Mum was the person who told me to try YSL and after seeing this foundation mentioned in one of Pixiwoo's videos, I thought I may as well give it a try; it is the best foundation I've ever used! I also took the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer for using during the day, the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural Powder and the Body Shop blush in the shade 'Ginger'. I also took the Body Shop Brow and Liner Kit in the Shade 01 for blonde and auburn hair but for some reason it isn't in these pictures, oops!

Next up is my eye makeup and this was the hardest thing for me to decide on due to the abundance of lovely eyeshadows I have! I eventually decided on the Revlon Colourstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quads in Decadence and Addictive because I absolutely adore nude eyeshadows and sadly, my MUA Heaven and Earth palette is falling to pieces! Another thing I've invested in is the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- oh my word, it's amazing. I find that my eyeshadow stays on so much longer with this primer and the pigmentation seems to be a lot better! For mascara, I decided on two little Soap and Glory goodies- the original Thick and Fast mascara and also the Flash Extention one (which is a pretty darn good dupe for the YSL Volume Effet Faux Cil and costs £13 less!). I also took the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner and the Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl (which has lasted me for ages).

Now for lips! I only took 2 products with me for this trip, one for day and one for night! After my fantastic experience with the two Revlon Lip Butters I bought last month, I decided to buy another, this time in the shade Wild Watermelon which is a gorgeous red. For night, I decided on my favourite red lipstick- the Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in the shade 22.

Finally, a random product- the MUA Pro Base Fixing Mist. I'd been eyeing up the Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray for a while but on one of my trips to Superdrug I noticed this little MUA offering. For £5, it does exactly what it says on the tin- or in this case, bottle. Just a few sprays after you've applied all your makeup and I can guarantee it stays on for longer. I used it when we went to the show and despite the tears (I shall elaborate in my future post!), my makeup stayed put!

So that's everything! Last post of 2013- I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and here's to 2014!

Sophie

November Favourites

What's this? Another blog post from Sophie in a matter of days? Yes, that would be right! I'm actually going to London tomorrow for a three night stay with some friends, so I'm trying to get all my posts planned and written for the next few weeks. Gosh, I'm so organised!

Anyway, on to the post. Yes, it's that time again...

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

In case you didn't guess from my review, I absolutely adore this stuff. I think it's such a great product considering the price; the coverage is pretty good and it does make my skin look like it has a little bit of a glow. Definitely one to try!

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural
This is my favourite powder ever; it looks awesome with or without foundation. I wear it every day and I can honestly say it never feels like I have it on, it's so light and has an amazing finish. Although it's quite expensive at £22, I would definitely advise buying it- it usually lasts me about 3 months and that's with consistent usage! There's a good range of shades and I find that the lightest matches my skin tone perfectly. 

Chunky Knitted Cardigans
As everyone probably knows, winter in the UK is always cold so I wanted a nice chunky cardigan that would go with pretty much anything. Let me tell you, I have never had such a hard time looking for a piece of clothing- even finding my prom dress was easier than this! Everywhere I went they were either too thin and far too expensive for what was on offer, or they just didn't look nice. Eventually I found this one in cream in New Look (sadly I don't think they have that particular one on offer anymore, boo!) and oh my word, it's fantastic and yes; it is from the mens section. I love the cable knit pattern it has down the front and also running down each arm, it's so comfortable and actually keeps you quite warm! 

The Originals
Ah yes, another TV show. Basically, the show focuses on three members of the Mikaelson family, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah, who are the world's original vampires and follows them back to New Orleans, which they built and ran a number of years previously. Now, the town has been taken over by Marcel, a vampire of Klaus' creation, and Klaus wants to reclaim his former power. As a huge fan of 'The Vampire Diaries', I was pretty sceptical when I heard they were going to make this spin-off as it meant that these three characters wouldn't really be featured in the show anymore, and I expected it to flop. Oh how wrong I was. The show is absolutely fantastic, the plot is so clever and the acting is brilliant. The show stars Joseph Morgan as Klaus (an incredibly gorgeous British actor), Daniel Gilles as Elijah and Claire Holt as Rebekah (come on, everyone remembers her as Emma in H20!); give it a watch whether you're a fan of 'The Vampire Diaries' or not.

Flax 9bars
These are an absolute life saver for long days at uni. Being surrounded by so many coffee shops, I'm pretty sure most of my student loan has gone on food from a certain shop.. *coughGreggscough* It was the lovely Hannah that told me to try these and I'm so glad she did. Basically, they're healthy snack bars made from mixed seeds, honey and flax with a carob topping (carob is used a lot as a chocolate substitute) and they're totally gluten and wheat free! I love the fact they're pretty healthy but they trick me into thinking that I'm eating a chocolate bar because of the carob!

Thanks for reading guys, hopefully will manage to put up my next post later today but if not- I shall see you all when I get back from London!
Sophie

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer: Review!

Apologies for my absolutely horrendous posting lately, I've had so much uni work to do but I swear this month will be when I get my blog in shape!

Anyway, on to the reason for this post. I'd been looking for a new concealer for a while and couldn't quite find one I liked. I find it pretty difficult to find a concealer which is relatively cheap and matches my skin tone because of how pale I am, so I had a look online and a lot of people had been raving over the Collection Lasting Perfection one and also the Wake Me Up option by Rimmel. I swatched both on my hand in Boots and decided on Rimmel's offering in Ivory, mainly because I felt the Lasting Perfection one was quite dry and as someone with quite dry skin, this probably wasn't the best option for me.

 I've always had a bit of a love hate relationship with Rimmel's foundations so I was a bit sceptical about this product but I honestly don't know why, it's fantastic. I don't wear foundation every day, so I wanted something that was going to cover up under my eyes, my nose and my awful red cheeks, and this is great. It doesn't have massively high coverage but it does exactly what I want it to!

TOP: applied. BOTTOM: roughly blended (ugh, it looks a bit darker on here sadly)

Now I'm not going to lie, it's not the exact match for my skin tone but it's the closest thing I've found so far! Rimmel say that it has an 'instant anti-fatigue effect' and it definitely makes my skin (especially under my eyes) look a lot more awake. Before this, I had been using the Revlon ColourStay concealer and I can't say I was a massive fan, I found it to be a bit too thick but this one is the opposite; it has a great consistency and blends really well whether you use a brush or just your fingertips. I can definitely recommend buying this, I know I'll be repurchasing it when my current one runs out!

Thanks for reading guys!
Sophie

Revlon 3 for 2: Review!

So a few weeks ago, I was having a bit of a rubbish day (boo!) so I decided to have a little look in Boots because what better way to cheer yourself up than with a bit of retail therapy! I was initially just going in to find a nice lipstick for going out that night but instead I came out with these little gems:

I've been dying to try the Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters for a while but I couldn't decide which colour to go for because there's so many! I love the packaging for them, I think it's a lot nicer than a lot of the drugstore makeup brands. 

TOP: 'Juicy Papaya' BOTTOM: 'Raspberry Pie'

 Eventually, I decided on the shades 'Juicy Papaya' and 'Raspberry Pie' and oh my word, they are the most fantastic colours ever. I'd been looking for a gorgeous berry coloured lipstick for ages, so finding 'Raspberry Pie' was an absolute joy for me! It's so highly pigmented and looks really nice as a day-to-day lip colour, but also works really well with a night-time look. I'd also been searcing for the perfect coral colour too, so in my eyes 'Juicy Papaya' was ideal. It's not as highly pigmented as you can see in the photo above, but it's ideal for sticking on when I'm at work or for my shorter days at uni. The only downside to these for me is that I've found they chip quite a lot when you first use them. I don't know whether it was me being a wee bit too heavy handed but little chunks just flaked off when it was the first few applications. However, I'm not going to let this put me off and hopefully I'll get myself a few more shades!

I also decided to get the Revlon 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in the shade 'Decadent' and wow, it's brilliant.

I'm usually the sort of person who goes for neutral, nude shades so this for me was a little bit different with the two pink shades. On the back of the packaging, there's a little diagram which suggest which shades should be worn on which part of the eye which is quite handy, but I sort of just go with the flow whenever I do my eye makeup! 

(applied on top of an eyeshadow primer)

From left to right: top left hand shade, top right hand shade, bottom left hand shade, bottom right hand shade.

I find that the top right hand shade, which is a gorgeous gold, looks fantastic across the lid with a bit of the bottom right shade blended through the crease. I also find the two pink shades make great highlighters just to put on the brow bone or lightly on the inner corner of your eye. The shadows are quite well pigmented and do last quite well when applied on top of a primer, definitely going to be trying more of the Revlon eyeshadows!

Thanks for reading, hopefully the next post will be up in a few days!
Sophie

October Favourites!

First things first, I apologise for how awful I am at posting on this! I've had so much work to do for uni I just haven't had the chance to balance everything out yet, buuuuut I have a plan for the rest of this month and I promise I'm going to get better!

Now to the reason for this post.

Yes, it's my first favourites post! It's going to be a mixture of beauty, fashion and just some general bits and pieces so yes, enjoy!

Maybelline Baby Lips

I'm a sucker for anything with cute packaging, so when I saw these I fell in love straight away. I'd heard so many good things about all of the Baby Lips range, so I decided to try Hydrate and Cherry Me because they were on buy one get one half price (yay for bargains!). I absolutely adore the colour of Cherry Me and, although I wouldn't say it was very highly pigmented, a generous application of this and my lips looked and felt great. Hydrate is fantastic for just applying over a lipstick although I'm not as keen on it as I am with Cherry Me.. All in all, they're a fantastic staple for the upcoming winter months and I would definitely say I'll be buying more from the Baby Lips range!

MUA Heaven and Earth palette

I bought this earlier on in the year after constant recommendations and I'm pleased to say, it's fantastic. For £4, it has a gorgeous range of neutral eyeshadows which are ideal for day and night. I've also found that the shades are pretty versatile, for example I've been using one of the lighter matte brown shades when filling in my eyebrows for a night out and the lightest cream shade is a fantastic highlighter! The only downside for me would be that they aren't the most long lasting eyeshadows, but I notice a massive difference with the application of an eye primer. I'll definitely be purchasing another one of these!

Tartan

I adore all things tartan and was over the moon to realise it seems to be the main trend in a lot of high street stores at the moment *coughPrimarkcough*. When I saw it in the shops, not going to lie I went a little tartan crazy (I shall be making a post about all the tartan stuff I own next month, hence why this is a lot shorter than my other favourites!) but in all seriousness, it's such a fantastic trend for autumn and winter. There's nothing better than a gorgeous tartan scarf teamed with a parka and a woolly hat: roll on winter I say!

Doc Martens

These were a very recent purchase of mine and not usually the kind of thing I would initially think to buy. When I was a bit younger, I used to be like "Ew they're awful" but in the recent months I'd been looking at the boots and they slowly but surely grew on me. I got the plain black boots and I can honestly say they are the most fantastic shoes I've ever bought. Yes, they're £100 but they're such a fantastic investment, ideal for the snowy months that will no doubt come our way. After you initially break them in, they are some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned and I think they look awesome with so many outfits, whether it be skinny jeans, skater skirts or little floral dresses.

Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn

This stuff is amazing. I've only tried a few of their flavours but they're such good value! Since starting uni, I've loved getting a bag of their Sea Salt popcorn and sitting down to do my work and, not going to lie, there is absolutely loads in a bag! I think I'm slowly going to work my way through the range and I can't wait.

Graceland

Ok, it was inevitable that I was going to mention this at some point. I know the first series has already aired in the US and it started in September over here in the UK, and ever since then I've been hooked. It's based on real events and looks at the life of a group of FBI, DEA and Customs agents who all live together in this safe house in California which they call Graceland. It's got such a good storyline and one of the stars of the show, the fabulous Aaron Tveit, is simply gorgeous. Definitely one to watch, can't wait for the second series! 

Thanks for reading, sorry for the lack of photos in this one (something I will make sure I include in my next favourites!) but I hope you guys liked it!

Sophie