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Not just another beauty blog...

Archive: August 2012

Having seen this tag go around the blogosphere a lot recently, and having really enjoyed reading posts on it, I felt excited to do my own and let you know the things I have been reaching for most this summer. I think this might be my first ever tag so here goes and I hope you likey. 

Number 1: Most worn nail polish
This was quite difficult, but in the end it had to be Bourjois' Orange Creation (No. 42). I have 
a particular fondness for this polish not only because it is a gorgeously bright and vibrant 
colour, but also because it caused me quite a lot of bother at my recent internship! 
The formula is really lovely to apply and dries in mere seconds, and application is excellent 
with a lovely brush and a nice texture. 

Number 2: Most worn hair product
This one was easy, although I do have multiple products that I use pretty much every time 
I wash my hair, but I went for the Aussie Dual Personality Texturising and Conditioning 
Gel Spray. This is a great little product because it conditions your hair whilst giving it a 
bit of body and texture. I often find that texturising products leave your hair feeling dry and a 
bit straw-like, but this one is a good balance. 


Number 3: Most worn bag
Not very exciting and it was a tough choice between this and my patent black Ted 
Baker one, but for casual days out and for everyday use I would have to say this brown 
bag with a long shoulder strap which I picked up from TK Maxx a while ago. It's a good size 
so you don't end up carrying loads of crap with you, but I do find myself getting annoyed 
that I sometimes can't fit everything in. I think I'm just a big bag girl at heart. 


Number 4: Most worn shoes
For the majority of the 'summer' I've been wearing these sandals from a brand called 
Staccato. I got them about two years ago and I've lived in them for both summers since 
then. Even though they have the blue stone things they still seem to go with loads of 
different things and they have failed to let me down so far. 


Number 5: Most worn accessory
To be honest, apart from the two rings I wear everyday I don't actually wear that 
many accessories. I go through phases of piling on the rings and bracelets, but this 
summer I've kept it pretty minimal. I have, however, been quite a fan of a dangly 
earring now and again, and this pair from the Topshop sale have been a firm favourite. 


Number 6: Most worn clothing item
Unfortunately I would have to say that this jumper from Topshop is my most worn clothing 
item. It's sad that this is making an appearance in a summer tag but this jumper is just 
the perfect item to wear on those days when it's sunny but not all that warm. It's light and 
floaty enough to keep you cool, but warm enough to keep out the chill if the sun 
decides to hide behind the clouds. I think this is the same jumper I've seen talked about 
a bit on tinternet, it was the perfect addition to my wardrobe, but is starting to look a
 bit 'worn' now, with a few loose thread hanging around!


Number 7: Most worn foundation
Again, this was relatively easy. Although I do tend to switch up my foundation on quite 
a regular basis this always seems to be the Clarins Ever Matte Foundation that I come 
back to (shade 104 Cream). I've had it for almost three months now and haven't looked 
back. I have quite oily skin so was wanting to try this for a while because it promised a 
matte finish. I know some people might be put off by that but I have to say it is nowhere near 
as matte as I expected. Honestly, on my skin, it gives more of a dewy matte finish, which I 
know is impossible, but it is most definitely not completely matte. I would urge you to go 
and give it a go if you've been thinking about it because it is a gorgeous foundation that 
blends flawlessly into the skin and has the smoothest texture I've come across. Lovely. 

Number 8: Most worn blusher and/or bronzer
Blusher would have to be No 7's Candy Pink (22). I've mentioned this in a previous post 
and have grown to love it. I do change my blush quite regularly, but again this seems to be 
the one I keep coming back to. It's the perfect pop of bright pink to add colour to your 
cheeks and a little goes a long way. Bronzer is Topshop's Cheek Duo in Desert 
Sun (technically a blush as well) which I seriously love so much! It is such a subtle 
bronze colour that just makes you look like you're glowing from the inside. 


Number 9: Most worn lip product
I think this may have been the hardest category of them all because lip products change 
upon the hour with me (not literally). I have so many that I love and have about ten different 
lip products in my handbag at any one time, just in case my mood changes. After having a 
long, hard think though I decided on these three (I am so cheating on this tag). Numero 
uno is Rimmel's Vinyl Gloss lipgloss in Be Famous - I'm surprised there's not more around 
about this because it is an absolutely beautiful pinky-coral colour. Second is 17's 
Beehive lipstick, I'm not going to bang on about this because there's loads written about 
it (including on this blog!). And number three is Mac's Vegas Volt. Again, I've done a post 
on this but this is my go-to lipstick if I'm going out of an evening - it is seriously amazing.

Number 10: Most worn mascara
There is no way I could choose just one, so I've narrowed it down to two (it could have 
been so many more, I change my mascara pretty much daily). First is the Avon 
Supershock Max mascara which was actually a freebie in a magazine. It has a massive 
wand which I don't really like, but it gives length, volume and separation which in my 
eyes makes a good mascara. Second is a long time love of mine, Rimmel's Lash 
Accelerator (which could probably do with being replaced judging by the picture!). I don't 
know exactly how much this makes my lashes grow but I cannot stop using it because 
it makes my lashes look really good. The brush is a lot smaller than Avon's, but I like 
that because you can really get into the nooks and crannies. 

Number 11: Most worn eyeshadow 
I don't know if this is cheating, but it would have to be the Naked Palette. I've had this 
for about a year now and it has constantly been in use since then. I do veer off and use 
other eyeshadows occasionally but this has been my go-to for many a moon now. As 
you can probably tell from the pictures Virgin is well-loved, but some of my other faves 
from the palette are Sidecar, Buck, Naked and Smog. 

So there we have it, my first ever tag. I hope you enjoyed even though it's getting to the end of summer. Maybe I'll go crazy and do the winter one if that pops up around the internet. I really hope you're having marvellous days!

Sophie
source

Since beginning the redesign of this blog, I have been on an inspirational high! Don't you 
just love a good inspirational quote? I always find myself typing "inspiration" into Google and noting 
down or saving pictures and quotes that inspire me. Or maybe I will type in "moodboard" or "creative" 
and I absolutely love looking at what comes up and where it can lead you. This is often how I've found 
new blogs and websites and I urge you to try it if you're feeling a bit down in the dumps (which I have 
been a lot recently). 

Things are starting to look up a bit now hopefully, so fingers crossed this wave of creative 
energy will keep me going and I'll be back to normal before you know it. I would genuinely love 
to know how you get inspired and where you draw inspiration from...is it music that gets you going? 
Beautiful artwork? Your friends and family? I'd love to know. 

Sophie
Some of you may have noticed (if you still come on here, I know I'm being very irregular with posting recently) that my blog has changed slightly in its design. I am in the process of updating it and trying to make it look a bit more professional, with less clutter down the sides and hopefully some new buttons and possibly a new, sleeker header in the not-too-distant future. I'm still keeping the ducks/penguins/whatever they are because I kind of think they're a fundamental part of it, but hopefully these changes will be good. And you never know, they might make me blog more because I have quite a lot of spare time on my hands (yep, still no job, although a couple of things may have come up today). 

Going along with the theme of having a lot of spare time on my hands, I did some nail art today! Bearing in mind I don't actually own any nail art pens I think they turned out alright, I used an old eyeliner brush for the black outline and a white varnish which has a thin brush with it. This was inspired by a look in the WAH Nails Book of Nail Art that I mentioned in this post; it's super cute and fun and not all too difficult to do once it's broken down into steps. I don't know if you'll be able to tell but these aren't my real nails that I've done the look on. These are the Impress Nails in 'Velvet Rope' that I got in my Glossybox (I know, I was impressed -excuse the pun- even though I wouldn't class them as a 'luxury' product). I'm not normally a false nail wearer but I do think these look alright and they feel absolutely fine and not annoying at all. 







I know they're by no means perfect, and this would have been a lot easier with a black nail art pen, but hey ho, it looks pretty cute from a distance, just don't look too close ;)! I can't wait to do some more redesigning on the blog, I feel inspired and ready to really get back to blogging big style! Hope you're all well and speak soon! 

Sophie








Good afternoon, thought I'd ease myself back in gently by doing a nail post. Not the most exciting but I have to say I love this colour from Essie. They really are the go-to brand for barely-there, nude, beautiful shades dontcha think? I picked this one up a few months ago but never got round to blogging about it, it's a colour that really makes your nails look more healthy and even makes the tips look whiter. In these pictures I have three coats on, so it's definitely sheer, but I think it looked even better in person than it does in the pictures here. I also wore this on my toes for a few weeks, I think I put four coats on to get more opacity, and it was such a refreshing change from my usual red toenails. 

I also picked up the Ridge Filling base coat from Essie, which leaves a really nice base for nail colour. Don't know how good its ridge filling abilities are because I don't have particularly ridged nails anyway (why did I buy it then?!) but it dries almost matte which I think helps other polish to stay on longer. I really want the shade Fiji but considering I'm unemployed at the moment I'm thinking it would be very unwise to spend money on such frivolities! But we'll see! I really hope you're all well and having a great day, and I look forward to getting some more posts up ASAP! Bye for now!
What an extraordinarily long time it has been since I last posted on here. I don't really know what's happened. Well, that's not true I do know what's happened, I've been down in London for the last three weeks doing an internship and life has been crazy. I haven't been much into reviewing anything (even though I was interning at a beauty company!) and too much has been going on, both personally and 'professionally'. You know that feeling when you think everything's hanging on by a thread? Well that's me. I feel like I'm back at square one and don't know which way to turn. I'm not going to go into details on here, mostly because I don't even know what these 'details' would consist of, but I just fancied putting something out there today.

Everyone enjoying the olympics? I was at the opening ceremony concert in Hyde Park a couple of weeks ago which was brilliant, and it has been so great being down in London with all the excitement and energy that the olympics has brought. I didn't even find my commute was affected, in fact on some days it was quieter than ever! Of course the downside of doing internships is that they are generally unpaid (which mine was) and London isn't exactly the cheapest place to be hanging around but I did still manage to have a brilliant time, and I have to say a massive thank you to my beautiful friend Flo for letting me stay with her and her family throughout my time there.

I can't believe it's over though, it went by in an absolute flash. I learnt a lot and it was a great experience, but now I'm back on the job hunt (without even a part-time job, as I had before) and it feels like a never-ending cycle of rejection (bit over dramatic maybe). Honestly though, sometimes it is difficult to see the point in having gone to uni and got a degree when it has taken me over a year (and counting) to get any sort of 'proper' job. I'm not whining and I'm not saying I expected to be handed my dream job on a silver platter, not at all. I'm willing to work hard and push myself into something that maybe I wouldn't have originally thought I'd be doing, but it can get hard when you don't get so much as a "We regret to inform you" after having applied for something you thought you might have had a chance of getting.

I just can't see where I'm going at the moment. I know what I would love to be doing, I just don't know how to get there. I must have applied for at least 40 jobs, probably not as many as some people, but to no avail. Maybe it's time to re-evaluate? But I can't think anymore. About anything.

That's it, time to stop procrastinating and apply for some more jobs that I'll never even know if my application was considered for. God, I sound spoilt. JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE SOMEONE.
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