Life Updates!

*blows away the cobwebs*

Hello internet, I'm back! It seems I went on an unplanned blogging hiatus for the past 4 months.. Oops. Turns out first year of uni is waaaaaaaaay more work than I first anticipated. Seeing as I've been away for so long, I decided it was sensible to make a little post just to update you all on what's been happening in my world!

1. I'm officially finished my first year of university! I handed my last assignment in yesterday and now I'm going to enjoy a 4 month summer break, yey. I'm waiting on the results for 2 exams and 2 assignments (fingers crossed I've done well in them) but yeah, first year has gone pretty well- I came out with a 2:1 overall for my first semester and my first exams and stuff of the second semester went equally well. Uni has been such an amazing experience so far, I've made the most incredible group of friends who are just fantastic, and I've been able to do so many things I never expected- like helping to brew and bottle beer! I can't wait for second year now.

2. I went to my first ever blogger meet up on Sunday and it was so much fun! I travelled to Middlesborough with Hannah where we went to the North East Blogger's Tea Party at Walkabout, organised by the lovely Danni and Kloe who did a fantastic job. Everyone was so welcoming and really excelled with the insane amount of cake we had- expect a post very soon.

3. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I'm going to be doing a 5k run next month! Basically, a group of us from uni are going to be taking part in the Colour Run where, for every kilometre completed, you get absolutely covered in powdered paint and, of course, we're raising money for a worthy cause, attempting to make a dent in the £7000 a little girl who suffers from cystic fibrosis needs in order to get a special vest which will help her to breathe easier. I'm really excited for it as it's going to be an amazing experience- best start training now!

4. I had another trip to London in April which was fantastic, and it seems I may have done a wee bit of shopping while I was down there so expect a few posts about what I bought down there! It was such a good trip, the weather was brilliant and I managed to catch a distant glimpse of the beautiful Andrew Garfield while I was down there as the Spiderman premiere was happening in Leicester Square- sadly, no photos as my phone died!

Well, I think that's you all caught up now- expect a lot more posts over the next few months seeing as I'm free now!

Sophie

January Beauty Buys

Hello hello hello! So last month, I went a little bit crazy buying loads of new makeup and other little beauty products to try so I thought I would share it with you all. I'm going to be writing more in-depth reviews on most of the products featured in this post in the future, so enjoy!

First on the list was a sneaky trip to Boots for my two new Real Techniques brushes. I already have the Expert Face brush and it's incredible, so I decided to build up my collection and invest in the Powder brush and the Blush brush, which were £12.99 and £9.99 respectively. After that was a little trip to the No. 7 counter to use my £3 off voucher where I decided to try the Stay Perfect Smoothing Eyeshadow and, seeing as everything was also on 'buy one get one half price', I picked them up in 'Nude' and 'Bronze'. Taking full advantage of the above offer, I then had a nosey around the Maybelline section where I picked up the Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser and also the Master Shape Brow pencil in the shade 'Soft Brown'. I also couldn't help but treat myself to one of the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks in the absolutely divine shade 'Mayfair Red Lady' because my previous Kate Moss one is sadly on its last legs!

I couldn't resist when walking past L'Occitane but call in and treat myself to their amazing Shea Butter hand cream, before making a little trip to Topshop to try my first ever one of their makeup offerings- a gorgeous little cream highlighter in the shade 'Polished'. I also included a sneaky little Christmas present from my amazing chum Holly- yes, she got me the Basics palette. I opened it up and almost cried, she is the best.

My favourite purchase of all had to be the YSL set. I found this when tidying the shelves at work and it was retailing at £35, which I knew was a bargain at first glance. I mean, come on, how can you not? The set has one of the False Lash Effet Faux Cils mascaras in 01, a Touche Eclait in shade 01, a miniature Long-Lasting Eye Pencil and also a travel sized bottle of their eye makeup remover. 

 What have you been buying and loving lately?

Sophie

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