Burgundy business

Happy Friday beauts, I hope you've all had a lovely week and are ready for the weekend, I know I am.

Today I wanted to share with you this gorgeous dress that I recently picked up from Tesco’s. I honestly can’t get over how well they have done this Autumn/Winter with their bang on trend pieces. I am seriously impressed, my bank balance on the other hand isn’t. But let’s save that for another day ha

This is a typical day at the office outfit for me, I hope you like :)

Dress: F&F (clothing at Tesco)

Jacket: Warehouse

Bag: Dorothy Perkins

Boots: Tk Maxx

This little cutey wanted to be involved! (no idea who's cat it was)

I absolutely love the embossed floral print on this dress

Loving the leather and suede mix on a lot of pieces this season

Not everyone's cup of tea I know, but I love them

Burgundy has definitely been my colour this season, I love it. 

Whats been your favorite trend this Autumn/Winter?

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Get ready with me | my first Youtube video

Hello beauts

So after years of watching YouTube videos and thinking 'I could do that', I've finally decided to take the plunge. As my very first video I thought I would do a get ready with me, so you can get an idea of what to expect from me, my style etc.

I really hope you enjoy and will subscribe to my channel, please leave me a comment to show the love :)

Thank you for all of your support so far, I have some great things to show you and can’t wait to get my teeth into the whole YouTube scene :) 

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My beauty wishlist

With it finally being payday on Friday, My brain is on spend-alert. January is always a long and tough month financially, it’s been seven weeks for me since I was last paid, what feels like a lifetime ago. I'm in need of a good ol' splurge to brighten up my days.

With that said I've been having a nosey at the Cult Beauty website and lusting over all the products they have to offer. I love that there website has expert picks, must haves and best sellers on the homepage so that you can easily navigate through what’s hot at the minute. After spending a good hour or two browsing the website, I thought I’d share with you my wish list.

#1 Eve Lom  |  Cleanser £55

This was under the expert picks section of the website, with 5 stars I couldn’t help but check it out. In the description it claims that vogue have called it "probably the best cleanser in the world". What a claim! I just have to get this and try it out for myself. I’ve been after a hot cloth cleanser for a while and definitely want to save and invest in this one.

#2 Santhilea  |  Magnetic Lash Mascara £24.98 

For some strange reason, I feel like recently my lashes have got shorter. If that’s even possible. No matter how many mascara's I try I always go back to my same L’Oreal Telescopic. So having seen this one floating around the blogging scene, I’m intrigued to see if it really works. The reviews of this look really promising!

#3 Aesop  |  Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Masque £27

I came across this beauty in the 'bestseller' section of the Cult Beautywebsite, and after looking at the reviews it’s definitely a product I NEED in my life NOW!! seriously my skin is going through a really rough time recently, with deep rooted break outs coming like there’s no tomorrow. I could really do with a deep cleansing mask that will really draw out impurities without drying out my skin. This is not only everything it claims, but reviews second this. This one is definitely going to be bought this month.

#4 Anastasia Beverly Hills  |  Brow Wiz £15.50

I'm actually really happy with my eyebrow routine at the minute but when I saw this pencil I couldn't help but lust after it. The convenience of having a spooly on one end and the pencil on the other, really draws me to this, I’m trying to build up a 'handbag make-up bag' full of products that can stay in there constantly and this might well be in the running. It seems everyone is raving about how great this is. 

#5 Therapie  |  Himalayan Detox Salts £35

It's no secret that I have trouble with anxiety, so anything that will help me unwind is a real gem. I first heard about this stuff from Fleur of FleurDeForce, when browsing cult beauty I noticed the 'Top 10' tab which actually had a section from Fleur and this stuff was in her list. Having read the reviews, this is a must have for me and I cant wait to try it out. It’s a pretty high price to pay for bath salts, but I hear it lasts well and is worth the money.  

So that’s the top 5 on my current wish list, I could list loads more but that would just be greedy! As and when I purchase these products, I’ll let you know what I think.

Have you tried any of the above? Let me know your thoughts and also fill me in on all the products you’re lusting after.

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Maybelline baby skin pore eraser

After seeing this new primer from Maybelline popping up everywhere recently, I couldn't help but pick it up and see what all the fuss was about. At a reasonable £7.99 it was worth a try.

Maybelline claims that this primer will erase pores with or without foundation, for baby-soft feeling - poreless-looking skin. Let’s have a look...

I actually really like the packaging for the product; it definitely suits the name 'baby' skin. The light green tube allows you to easily squeeze enough products out to use, it’s hygienic, handy and lightweight.

The product itself is a fragrance free transparent gel, it glides onto the skin effortlessly, however as you rub it in it does feel a little greasy. When completely rubbed in I thought the primer left my skin feeling beautiful and silky. 

I don't agree with the claim that this leaves your skin looking poreless, with or without make-up. For me this didn't really hide them without makeup at all, however when my makeup was applied I thought the difference was amazing. 

In a nutshell?

I have really enjoyed using this primer, in terms of staying power I think there are definitely some better primers on the market, but I think for the price it has done a really great job at reducing the appearance of pores and overall I have really enjoyed using the product, I'd definitely recommend for anyone with slight pore problems and think it would work really great with dry to normal skin. 

Have you tried this product? whats your favorite primer?

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TAG its all about me ....

When the lovely Shiraz from misunderstood princess tagged me to do the all about me tag, I was a little unsure. She hilariously changed the name of the tag to A Very Narcissistic Tag, which is exactly how I felt about it. So I thought I’d throw this in mid-week, you can continue to read if you want to know more about me, if you don't, you can click back out :)

Vital Statistics

Me: Sophie

Nicknames: Soph, sopho, Pandapops, Fletch, Munchkin (by the boyf)

Birthday: 20th March 1992

Place of Birth: Redditch, Worcestershire

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Sex: Female

Occupation: Accounts assistant 

Appearance

Hair colour: Blonde

Hair Length: Very long

Eye colour: Green/Hazel

Best Feature: Hair... I guess

Height: 5'9/ 176cm

Braces: Nope

Glasses: Yup BIG geeky ones :)

Piercing: Ears, belly button

Tattoos: yes 1 on my foot

Righty or Lefty: Righty

Your Firsts

First Best Friend: When I was 6, her name was Becky.

First Sport You Joined: Netball

First Real Vacation: that I can remember, Canada.

First Concert: Westlife

Favourites

Movie: The Holiday, Man on Fire, Dejavu, Seven pounds, the pursuit of happiness

TV Shows: Downton Abbey, Keeping up with Kardashians, Geordie shore, pretty much all trashy TV haha

Colours: Purple, Black & Plum

Songs: One direction, Ben Howard, Lana Del Ray, Bring me the Horizon, Eminem. Pretty much everything

Candy: Lindt eggs 

Food: Chinese, crisps

Store: Newlook, Tesco, Primark.

Magazine: New, Reveal, OK.

Shoes: Flats, Vans, Chelsea Boots

Currently

Feeling: Happy, Relaxed

Single or Taken: Taken

Online: Blogger and YouTube

Listening to: CTFXC Video

Thinking about: Blog posts

Wanting: Summer to hurry up :)

Wearing: Pjs 

Future 

Want Children: YES as many as I can afford

Want to be married: Yes

Where do you want to live: somewhere that has countryside and the sea 

Have you ever

Kissed a stranger: Yes, pecks on nights out haha 

Had Alcohol: Yes

Smoked: Yes I stopped for months ago :)

Broken a Bone: yes both my arms, twice :/

Do you believe in?

God: Yes I think so, or some greater being

Miracles: Yes

Love at first sight: No

Ghosts: Yes

Aliens: Yes r some supernatural thing

Soul Mates: Yes

Heaven: Yes

Yourself: Yes

So that’s it! I hope that wasn't too boring... If you made it to the end then, Wahooo!! Let me know in the comments below if we have anything in common, I would love to know! 

I invite anyone reading this to do the tag. And let me know in the comments if you’ve done it :)

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Beauty Haul/review - MAC Avon & More

Hi Lovelies

I hope your all well and 2014 is treating you kindly so far. Today I bring to you a haul which actually took place a month or so ago, but there were a few products I wanted to try out before, so I could let you how I got on with them. let’s get straight into it. 

Here's what I picked up from the MAC store... 

First of all I picked up the much talked about MAC brush cleaner and I'm so glad I did. This stuff has saved me so much time. Before I purchased this I was cleaning my brushes weekly with baby shampoo, which don't get me wrong, works like a dream. However it takes up a lot of time making sure all the suds are out. Now my routine is to wash weekly with this stuff and then deep clean with this and baby shampoo once a month.

Another product I had heard so much about was this fix+ spray, and now I know why. This stuff is amazing for a night out or long day; it really keeps your makeup in place. P.S. Don’t be fooled by the shine this gives when you first spray, it soon settles :)

Girl about town such a gorgeous colour In my opinion

Matte Relentlessly Red, this stuff is incredible. Being matte it is quite drying, but its staying power is just amazing and the colour is so gorgeous

I picked up a MAC 217 brush, some of you may have heard me harping on about this brush on twitter. It has honestly changed my life. I'd definitely recommend purchasing it if you haven't already 

My final purchase was of course an eye shadow. I chose Charcoal Brown in a refill pan as I plan on getting a palette :) This is a perfect colour for my brows but can also be used in the crease to add a little depth to a natural look.

Avon

First up is this gorgeous eye shadow quad in the shade emerald cut

I decided to take a chance with this Mega Effects mascara and see if it was any good. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use and the look it gave.

Finally from Avon I purchased this base, Its not the best, and I wouldn't re-purchase this one, however it was quite cheap so I'm not to worried.

Here's a look I created with all 3 items.

Superdrug

I had purchased the Sleek Contour kit last year in medium but it was way too dark, so I got this again in light and am so chuffed with it. I love using this on a night out to really define my cheek bones :)  

This is my second Sleek eye shadow palette and I love it just the same! This one is sunset, the colours are so pigmented and go on like a dream. I LOVE THIS!!

Finally from Superdrug I decided to try the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine nail polish in Pomegranate. It’s a gorgeous colour, goes on lovely and looks gorgeous on, however it didn't last as long as I'd hoped. It looks so gorgeous though that I think I'd repurchase this in a few more colours. 

Newlook

My final purchase of this haul was from Newlook. This little nail set was at the checkouts (I know, I'm a sucker for the stands at the front haha) I'll be doing a full review on these sets shortly :) 

And that’s it from me, I hope you enjoyed this haul. I'm sorry if I made any of you add anything to your mental wish list, which I know I do with every haul post I read.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts? 

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remembering 2013 and preparing for 2014

Hello lovelies

Firstly, a massive happy new year to all you lovely followers! Thank you so much for your support through 2013 I wish you all the very best for 2014!

So last year I decided to start capturing moments of my life such as cinema tickets, invites & practically anything I would otherwise throw away and keep them in a little jar to look back at come the end of the year. This was the first year of doing this so I'm sure there were a lot of things I missed but here is a look back at my 2013...

There were a lot of special occasions this year including my nieces 16th birthday; My sisters 40th, a friends wedding & my best friend becoming a god mother. Above you can see the whole contents of my jar.

I went to see Justin Beiber in February with my sister and niece, we had such a great time.

My boyfriend and I celebrated 3 years together :) 

I turned 21. Here is the cork from the champagne that we drank on the day with a 20 and 1 pence piece wedged into it to remember

I attended the next blogger network in London. This was my first blogger event and I had the most amazing time. I met some very special ladies but 2 that I would now consider friends, Melissa from vintagetearoses and Holly from i2style. I also got to meet Anna from Vivianna does makeup and Lily Pebbles. Melissa, Holly and I met up again in December for the open evening for Lilly Lou UK (post coming soon) and had a lovely evening followed by Nandos and girly chats :)

One of the final things I did this year was to go and see Ghost in theatre with my Mom, two sisters and auntie. It was amazing :)

Seeing as last year I didn't officially set any resolutions I thought I would just right a list of positives/accomplishments for the year.

In 2013 I ...

- Started my blog (finally) 

- Gave up smoking 

- Pushed myself to attend an event alone and had an amazing time

- Stopped allowing anxiety to control me completely.

So I've now emptied my 2013 contents into a little box, and plan to fill in the blanks and put all my memories into a little scrapbook. Maybe next year I'll be able to show you :) now that my jar is free again I've re decorated it with a little 2014 sign and a list of my goals for 2014

This year I really want to concentrate on becoming as healthy as possible. One of my biggest fears is getting ill and it's actually something that brings me a lot of stress and anxiety so I really want to take control and push to be the best me.

I'm really glad I started this little jar because 2013 has been a really tough year for me, the loss of both mine and my boyfriends granddad, my continued battle with anxiety and depression topped with my diagnosis with Hypothyroidism, have made this year really tough so its nice to look through all the memories I've saved and remember the good things that have happened too. 

Once again thanks for all your support in 2013!! I hope 2014 brings you all health wealth and happiness.

Do you have any New Years resolutions? Let me know in the comments below

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