My Graduation 2017

Hey guys,

So I did a post a while ago about life after uni and I thought because my actual graduation was only at the start of this month that I would share some photos and how I felt with you!

Technically I finished university in June but the University of Worcester can only rent out the cathedral in November so I had to have mine much later than everyone else’s. It’s crazy because I have been studying for three years and this is what it all builds up to, wearing the cap and gown.

I was a little bit nervous building up to it but I really was excited about it. It was one of the proudest moments in my life! My mom saw me come out in my cap and gown and cried which made me nearly tear up because I was the only one out of my brother and sister and I to go to university. The tickets were quite pricey though, around £18 each! Also Claire Balding received a honorary degree during my ceremony so was nice to see her speak about motivation and say how amazing we were for getting there!

It was amazing getting to share this moment with my parents, boyfriend and sister. They were all so pleased to see me get to this stage as university was so difficult at times.

Also, to my amazing friend who I carried out my final year study with I am so pleased that crazy stressful time brought us together as friends! You realise in these times who is really important and who is there for you when you are the most stressy you can possibly be.

Hope you enjoyed a little look into my life and what has been going on, this will be fun to look back on!

Thanks for reading,

How I organise my make up – 2017!

Hey Guys,

I know it has been so long since I last post but there has been so much going on but as we are approaching Christmas I think I will be doing a lot more posts! I will also be starting up my Youtube channel again so if you want to subscribe to that the link to that is here.

Anyways, today I wanted to do an update post on how I organise my make-up! Thought this one is always a fun one for me to read and mine has definitely changed a lot since I’ve moved back home.

My Desk

So I got this desk from IKEA a while ago, I’m pretty sure it was one of the cheapest desks (around £25) that they have because I just got it to do my university work on when I came back home. Then when I moved back in and do not have much work to do I decided to create a little vanity almost. So the mirror I got pretty cheap from Wilko it’s a great oval one which I think was around £15, don’t think they do it anymore but they do have very similar ones. I chose white to match the desk and think it’s a perfect size to do my makeup in the morning.

I had this organiser for a while back and I did a post about it before here, so you can read about it if you like! It is always really easy to use and store make up in these as you can see what is where.

I also bought these pots which came in all sorts of colours, they were super cheap at £1.99! They were from B&M and I use them to store both my hair brushes and my make-up brushes. Also, the eye-shadow palette organiser was a gift from my best friend but I am pretty sure you can get similar ones on amazon. It is only a little thing and fits 4 or 5 Morphe palettes on there so it is definitely good! I really like how I can just reach for them from this.

My Wall Storage

 

 I mentioned these in my IKEA haul but at that point I only had one up. Now I have put both us and they are really great! The actual board was only £7 each and the pots were varied, the big buckets at the top were actually 50p each! They’re so cheap but they’re super sturdy and hold my perfumes, creams and all sorts in them which make life very easy! I also have a little shelf and some pots that I think both cost £4. They cloth bags are good too and they are good for storing my palettes and things like hairspray in them. This whole set is still available at IKEA and is currently displayed for stationery but I think it is perfect for make-up.

Overall, I think my make-up storage is definitely an improvement, I have so much stuff it used to be all over the place but with this method I know exactly where everything is and it is easy to put back in place!

Hope you guys enjoyed this first post back and I will be doing posts more regularly now.

Thanks for reading,

Coconut Lane – Brand Review!

Hey Guys,

So carrying on from my last post on how I was buying things to do up my room I decided to buy some things on this new site that I had just found.

I first of all love their website it’s so aesthetically pleasing, it honestly is such a nice website to just browse on. Especially if you like stationary and accessories as much as I do. You can have a look at the site here. I also have been lucky enough to be given my personal code which will save you 20% off your purchase! The code is sophiacrisp20 use it with your order as many times as you want! I think the prices are already reasonable but this is just a little bonus!

These little A5 notebooks are so cute to add little quotes to my room. They have all sorts of designs such as marble, fun flamingo ones and quotes like these ones. All just for £4.50 and that is without the discount! They are plain inside so they’re perfect for accounts, plans and doodles. I am definitely excited to use mine.

Next I got some wall art that shows my love for pugs perfectly. Hence my cute bedding also, I have a lot of pug themed stuff in my room and plan on putting this in a frame on my wall because I really love typography like this. This costs £6 so with the 20% code it’ll only be £4.80 and the print is really good quality.

These are the first few things I bought but they also do sweatshirts, sunglasses, coasters and all sorts of other great stuff. I feel like this brand will definitely grow quickly.

Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if there are any other brands I should check out!

Thanks for reading x

 

 

Mini IKEA Haul

Hey guys,

I have recently moved back into my family home since finishing university and have been doing my room and making it more homely.

One of the main issues that I have with moving back is I have way too much stuff from having too places to live. I needed more storage in my room so I have had a look for drawers and things like this for my mountains of make-up that I own. So a trip to IKEA was definitely necessary.

While I was there I picked up two floating shelves (£8 each), I really like these because the brackets are not showing and they look really-modern. I also got two fake plants, these were cheap at only £3 each. I also got the two plant pots that were green to match my room for only 80p each. I am not usually a fan of fake plants but I think these don’t look too fake and are less effort than looking after a plant!

For my make-up, I found the new Skadis line that IKEA are doing a really good idea for my make-up storage. They’re basically a peg board which you can get metal trays, little baskets and cloth baskets for which can hold a lot of make up on a wall.

The cloth basket was out of stock so I have to go back for this but I did manage to get two peg boards for £7 each and little baskets which cost £2. The metal tray is £4 which is really good and I will get another one of these. It helps me because it allows me to have more room on my desk and good way of storage.

Even though this shop did cost £50 it is way less than what I would pay for a good set of drawers which would definitely take up more room. I will definitely be going back to finish my room!

Hope you found this post interesting, thanks for reading!

Life immediately after a undergraduate course!

Hey guys,

So it’s been a long time since I have properly posted anything that wasn’t a makeup review on this blog. Therefore, I thought I would put a sort of life update and talk about my experience after an undergraduate course in the UK.

I’ll be honest, these last three years have been crazy. There has been a lot of ups and downs for me personally but all of the stress and the anxiety felt worth it when I stood there holding my dissertation in my hands all completed and bound.

It was an absolutely surreal moment, considering my nephew poured water all over my laptop just two weeks before this moment and I thought I wasn’t going to make my 4 deadlines in time, I did it! I am very proud of all the hard work that I put in and I am so glad I got a 2:1 overall.

However, after walking home I did end up feeling that hole in my stomach like “what do I do now?”. For three full years, I had been a psychology student just trying to get through all my assignments and now I have to decide what I actually want to do with that degree. I’ll be honest, it is daunting and I hope this is not just me that thinks so but being 21 years old and having to decide what career path to take is a big thing! To this day I am still wondering what am I going to be when I grow up and at this point… part of me wishes I did a degree that led me straight into a job.

So after a few weeks of just catching up on all the Netflix episodes and Youtube videos I had missed out on I went on my holiday to Cornwall. Such a beautiful little week away to take me away from the stresses of being newly unemployed (from my part time job in my uni town) and from being constantly asked by family and friends “so what are you going to do now you’ve finished uni?”. It was nice to get away from the pressure and have a lot of quiet time which I didn’t get for the three years at uni!

I’d say, the one thing that has been very helpful in this stressful year of “finding my career” has been getting to do it all with my best friend/boyfriend who has supported me even when I have been mega-stressed. He has actually been my rock and has done so well himself this year and I can’t wait to see what next year brings for us!

Finally, I just wanted to say I absolutely do not regret going to uni. So anyone that is either completing their course or thinking about starting one, my advice would to be do what makes you happy and a subject that gives you endless opportunities. Even though I am in this awkward in-between now; Psychology has meant that I have many transferable skills to offer and I have learned a subject I do actually find interesting.

 

Hope you have enjoyed this little look into my life at the moment! I hope that one day I will look back at this post and laugh at how indecisive I was!

Thanks for Reading and follow for more posts soon!

Product Review: Jeffree Star Skin Frost in Mint Condition!

Hey Guys,

I’m so excited to be back and I have some great posts lined up for you guys in the near future. Just to update you I have now finished my undergraduate degree and I am fully flexible to focus on this blog in the Summer so I am super happy!

I thought I would kick this off by reviewing one of my favourite presents from my birthday in April which was this gorgeous highlighter by Jeffree Star Cosmetics that my best friend nicely gave to me.  The colour is called Mint Condition and is available on Beauty Bay here.  The packaging for this product I think is very high quality it definitely is iconic with the bright pink colour. The price is quite reasonable for a mid-range brand I would say (not quite high end but not drugstore) as the highlight is £25.50 but for the size of the pan, which is probably bigger than my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder and that’s quite big so you get your money’s worth. It also has a huge high quality mirror which I absolutely love for using in my make-up bag it’s just right.

I know that the colour looks a bit daunting if you haven’t used this type of highlighter before but I have to tell you it’s absolutely stunning. I did do a swatch for you guys on my hand and that is just from dipping my finger in very lightly as I really don’t want to ruin the pattern in the pan (typical me). I found the swatch to be beautiful but not half as intimidating as what you probably first thought.

You can use this product sparingly to give a beautiful glow or go all out which is what I did in one of the pictures today just to show you how gorgeous it is on. As you can probably see the green is not really that visible, in real life it only reflects green in the light so I feel like this is a really wearable product. The undertones look sort of champagne colour when it is on the skin so I feel this would suit a lot of skin tones and I can’t wait to try this colour in the summer! Also, I have tried it using my finger as an eye shadow for the centre of the lid and it is so pretty too.

I feel like this product is best using a fan brush which is what I used as using a finger to apply would leave quite a green colour but using a fan brush or blending brush just to blend it nicely onto the cheeks was stunning. This product has officially kicked off my highlighter addiction and I now want hundreds more!

Overall I would highly recommend this product and would love to get the Manny MUA collab one that is also on Beauty Bay and looks super nice!

Hope you enjoyed this post and I’m looking forward to posting a lot more regularly than before.

Thanks for Reading

Third year life update!

Hey guys, 

So you might have realised that I have been out of the loop for pretty much two or three months now. That is because I have only got two weeks left to finish my degree! 

Crazy that three years of my life amount to getting these two weeks worth of work done and dusted. But I have a few things to share with you guys. 

One, I turned 21 and even though it will be way past my birthday after may 4th I’m definitely doing a what I got for my birthday post! It was in the middle of a stressful time so I just had a lovely day with my family and the day before I went for my nails done and a massage with my sisters! 

Two, I passed my driving test! Guys, it took me way longer than I thought but I kept at it and had the most supportive family and boyfriend who picked me back up every time and never let me quit. When I did end up passing all of it was worth it because I have my little car now to take me anywhere! 

Three, third year takes such a toll on every aspect of your life. I can honestly say that I hardly see anyone from uni at the moment because we’re all completely panicked and having a hundred meltdowns. But I absolutely know that it’ll all be worth it in the end! 

If any of you want any tips or advice about how to get through third year please let me know! 

My twitter is @sofablogs

Thanks for Reading! 

An amazing full coverage foundation for under £4!

Hey guys!

So the other day I was looking for a foundation that would work well and be an everyday foundation for a low price. I was in Wilko’s and ended up buying a foundation for £3.80! After using if for two days straight and one of those days going out for the night I decided I know enough about how well it works to tell you guys about it.

This is the product, the Essence Camouflage Make-up and concealer. First of all, obviously the price is absolutely amazing of this product as it is so cheap and you got 30ml which will probably last a good while. As it states on the bottle, this is a high coverage product which I really need at the moment due to my skin breaking out.

To show you in the best way possible I decided to take before and after pictures of my make-up. Firstly, with my Canon 500D camera so it is very high quality showing all my blemishes so please don’t judge!

Even though this isn’t very bright you can obviously see the dark circles and blemishes that I have on my face. This is the picture after applying one layer of this foundation just over moisturised skin.

Excuse the fact I got a little bit on my lip but how amazing is this! As you can see from my forehead and under-eyes they are all concealed without any concealer other than this product. It isn’t patchy and I’d say this product is definitely build-able too.

This is the pictures from my phone just to show a less intense version. This is a before and after and a finished look from my phone…

Concerning length of time the product lasts I can say from wearing this product on a night out and attempting to wipe it off when I got back (obviously wasn’t sober). I didn’t manage to get all of it off so I took a make-up wipe the next morning and there was still product on my face! So it definitely is heavy duty even though it is only £3.80! I definitely would recommend this and just to let you guys know, my skin is combination skin and I’ve not found the product to go patchy at all during the day.

The shade I used is ivory and I mixed it literally with the tiniest drop of Rimmel match perfection in soft beige just to make it a tiny bit darker. Here’s the ratio i used just to show you how little it is and wouldn’t be effected by the consistency.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this product to anyone just to try it because at the end of the day it is only £3.80!

Here’s the link to the foundation!

Thank you guys so much for reading!

 

 

REVIEW: Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain!

Hi guys,

So I decided to do about this product which I have had mixed feelings about until I went to Stockholm. It is the Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in the colour New York. It is a beautiful red which can be worn at any time in the year. 

I used this first on Christmas day as my best friend gave it to me kindly as one of my presents. It was so nice to use and apply even with the liquid formula and even though it is like a gloss it is definitely not sticky. It is also nice over other lipstick or lip liners.

This is a picture of me wearing the New York shade, also this lipstick is a stain so when it starts to wear off it does stain your lips and leaves a beautiful colour but it does last ages as it is.

The product is around £6 and I would say that it is worth that price. I would definitely get another colour! Would love to see what you think of lip stains so let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Our visit to Stockholm, Sweden!

Hey guys,

I’m so excited to do this post because I know that a lot of people have asked me since I’ve gone a tonne of questions about Stockholm and I really wanted to direct people to this page so they can get all their answers. Hope you enjoy!

First of all, my boyfriend George and I decided to visit Stockholm for his 21^st birthday as we love to explore different places and it was one we wanted to tick off. The actual hotel and flights were actually pretty much cheaper than Barcelona surprisingly. We ended up deciding to go with Ryanair so it was cheap and cheerful, we paid just over £100 for both of us there and back with a 15kg case to share which is actually really good. We flew from Stanstead to Skavsta and got the bus service from Skavsta to Stockholm which was really good and easy to use as they have an app.  Then I booked a Scandic hotel, right in the centre of Stockholm. It was called “Scandic No 53” and it was on the Kungsgatan road. Here’s the link: http://www.booking.com/hotel/se/htl-kungsgatan.html Overall, it was a decent price only paying about £200 to be right in the centre of Stockholm was definitely worth it and for 2 people the trip only came to just over £300 for four days!

On the first day we decided to just have a really relaxed day because we were travelling so much. Then on the second we went up to see the Royal Palace which was so cool. George and I were pretty shocked at how close you can actually get to the Palace as we weren’t used to that being from England and there being so many guards around Buckingham.

As you can probably tell from the pictures it was quite cold but the air was so fresh, we wrapped up warm and had an amazing time sightseeing despite the cold. Picture below is the view from the Palace of the parliament.

Next, we went to the old town and saw all the amazing Scandinavian buildings which is what I was really looking forward to about Sweden. There are so many different types of buildings all right next to each other and it all works so well. I could’ve spend hours walking down all them roads looking at all the little shops and it was only a short walk from our Hotel.

We also went to the Museum of Medieval Stockholm which was free admission and was really interesting to learn a lot about the history of Stockholm and see a lot of cool artefacts.

The next day we went to the Vasa Museum one of the main attractions in Stockholm and I have to say it was worth it. You think that if someone tells you to spend hours looking at one boat would be weird but a 400 year old giant boat was definitely something I’ll never get to see many times in my life!

Overall, we did a lot of cool sightseeing in this beautiful place and I definitely plan on going back to Stockholm during a different time of year (just to see it in a different perspective). The place is absolutely beautiful and although everything is a tad more expensive than it is everywhere else, it definitely is one of my favourite places I’ve visited.

Would recommend to anyone! Here are a few more pictures of our trip:

Thanks for reading!

xx