Sophie Kathleen

The diary of a CEO Live changed my life

2022-03-10T18:46:00.002+00:00

I'm one of those people that has a new hobby every week and finds it hard to stick at things long term. My friends and family know I'm a very 'away with the fairies' type person who has huge ideas and great intentions but often overload myself with an overwhelming amount of things I want to do and in turn, to my dismay, never actually end up doing any of it.

But that's all changed...

Not me and who I am fundamentally. Nor the ideas that I have and intentions to do great things, but my understanding of myself and appreciation for the life that I have achieved for myself thus far. Basically, I have this new outlook and perspective that it's ok to be a little different, with your head in the cloud and a desire to accomplish great things, but that sometimes I really just need to appreciate where I'm at.

That's all thanks to one man. Steven Bartlett.

A few weeks ago I went to The Diary of a CEO Live with my friend Holly. Having been somewhat of a creator on the internet for over 10 years, seeing someone like Steven who has created such a successful life for himself is awe inspiring and with Holly being the first internet friend I ever made and someone who is a now a best friend and an integral part of my life, It felt like a really full circle moment for us before we even got there - especially after over 18 months apart due to the pandemic.

The show completely blew us both away, we laughed, cried, danced and heard the incredible story of his life and where so many of us fall short in our own. I'm going to share with you today the things I took away from the show and how its impacted me in a way nothing has before, hopefully it might resonate with you too.

Gratitude

Like I mentioned, I'm someone who has a new idea every week. Since being a child I've always had a 'more' mentality. Wanting the better job, body, house. But never do I take the time to step back and look at the life I've created for myself. I'd also hazard a guess that you don't either.

Despite the many difficulties I've faced, I'm living in Central London, able to work flexibly, graduated with a first class honours degree and have so many incredible friends around me. I have so much to be grateful for. 17 year old me would be literally wetting her pants at my life now and 21 year old me who had such debilitating anxiety she didn't know how to get through the day would just be so so proud.

I came away from the show feeling an overwhelming amount of gratitude for where I am in my life. I may not have it all, but I'm actually happy with where I am and what I've accomplished so far. The battles I've faced, how I've grown and come through stronger without losing myself or my desire to be kind to others is something to celebrate.

I think sometimes we have to give ourselves a break and look at the bigger picture. From now on, when I'm overloading myself with things to do and saying no to opportunities because I should be working, or not drinking I'm going to take a step back and remember that memories with the people you love are the most important part of our lives and to not pass them up.

It also put into perspective my weight, I spend so much time feeling miserable about how I look, but it's just waste time and energy. Everyone I know loves me for who I am not how I look, so although I'm striving toward losing weight and feeling better, I really want to stop allowing it to dictate my life.

Focus on internal validation before wanting external validation

I'm a sensitive soul and all my life I have sought external validation to make me happy. Whether It's in the work I do, the way I look or the things I write. It's definitely gotten better as I've aged but the show really got me thinking about why I do that.

I honestly think for me, this thought process stems back to childhood. If your from instability, it can be hard to trust others and as I've gotten older I've often found it difficult to trust myself. As we go through lots of ups and downs through life, that can often be re-enforced. When the relationship you thought would work doesn't, or the job you thought was your dream isn't all that, we often turn in on ourselves and play the blame game. It's so easy to beat yourself up, but never to build yourself up. For that we always rely on others.

I've decided to take a pledge to be kinder to myself and you should too. take steps towards learning to trust yourself and the decisions you make.

Trust your inner voice

We all have it, that little intuition that almost feels the vibe of situations and makes your mind up seemingly before you even have. This one is less related to my health and fitness journey, but one that had a profound effect on me. From job opportunities to relationships I've often had gut feelings or some kind of intuition. When I've trusted it, things feel like they've all fallen into place. However ignoring it has often ending up in me getting hurt or not liking the outcome.

So from now on I'm going to be making a much more conscious effort to tune into and listen to my intuition because it really hasn't failed me yet.

The only person who you can change is you

We all know this, but I don't think we actually hear those words properly and live our life in alignment with them. When you're on a health and fitness journey, It's so easy play the blame game. I don't have enough time because my boss asks so much of me, I can't go out for a walk because I have too much to do, my friends are all going out for dinner which will make me eat way over my calories. The reality is, life is full of challenging situations that you will have to make decisions that align with your goals. Whether that's in work, personal, health or financial. I've found it hard to accept this for years, but the reality is the only person responsible for me and the decisions I make is me. Yes there are diversions and hiccups that make that more difficult, but everything you need to take positive steps, no matter how big or small, is and always has been within you.

I'm trying to not only be more compassionate with myself when I engage in things that don't take me in the direction of my goals, but also to hold myself accountable and stop blaming everything else around me.

Communication is key

The final thing I wanted to share was around communication. It was a huge focus throughout the entire show and Steven really made a point to reiterate it from every area of life. Being able to effectively communicate leads to better prospects at work, better friendships and romantic relationships. It also just so happens that it's my downfall. I have a real issue with telling people when I'm not happy about something. It often shocks people because I'm a very heart on sleeve, open person and I have no issue at all telling people my life story or how I feel emotionally. But if someone said something to hurt me, or does something that annoys me I physically cannot get the words out. It's held me back a lot in my life and caused me so many internal issues, so its definitely on my priority list to work on.

"Most of you have already achieved the dreams that a former version of you told yourself you were aiming for - you're doing it. THIS WAS THE PLAN"

I really can't even find the words to explain just how incredible the show really was. I wish it could be on a dvd that I could rewatch every morning, but the lessons learnt that I will be taking forward are invaluable and I really hope you can take something away from what I've shared too.

did any of you get to attend the show? I'd love to hear your take on it if you did.

The new Sophie Kathleen

2022-03-01T23:50:00.001+00:00

After years away, I’m back where it all started.

Hello to everyone who’s been heres since 2013 when Sophie Kathleen, first came to fruition and to all of you who will be coming over from Sophie K Slim.

Many of you won't know that I've actually had a bit of a footprint online for many years, over 10 actually. Which is absolutely insane to me!

I did toy with the idea of completley removing my site, but then it occured to me that its likely most of my audience are the same type of people as me and therefor possibly enjoy consuming content in all forms, writing being one of them. Writing for me was where my relationship with the internet first blossomed. I love words, how they can make you feel and how they can help you take information in - in a different way to other forms of communication.

So here I am back again.

A lots changed since I last used this platform, life really has had its ups and downs but I'm still here, now a 1st class honours graduate and thriving. Over the past two years I’ve built an amazing community on TikTok of women who are so empowering and supportive and finally feel like I've found my niche in the online world. Helping people to see that you don't have to completely overhaul your life and be miserable to accomplish your goals.

So welcome to the all new Sophie Kathleen. I wanted to keep this domain and rather than a complete rebrand of Sophiekslim, just funnel content between both. My hope for this site, is to provide words of wisdom, recipes and resources that have helped me on my journey so far. As well as a space for me to document my journey and hopefully inspire you to believe in yourself that you really can lose weight your way.

However, before that content resumes my last post on here was a diary entry in the middle of 2020 and so much has changed since then. I really wanted to do another to have a recap of everything that's happened personally and collectively, because its so nice to have those little pockets of memories to look back on.

Dear diary,

Since my last post A LOT has happened. Following on from where I left off in may 2020, we proceeded to be in lockdown until June 2020, with the phased reaping of schools starting on the 1st, followed by non-essential shops. In august we had an 'Eat out to help out' scheme, which gave 50% discount on food. I managed to go visit my friend holly in Edinburgh and also went on a little trip to Exmouth with my sister, her husband and kids, which was so nice. During this time, I also spent a huge amount of time working on myself, I started doing daily zoom workouts and hired a nutritionist to help me with my eating and lost 2 stone and started my TikTok account.

I started feeling way more confident in myself and decided to get back on dating apps as the world started opening up again. That was when I start talking to 'him' (we can call him A) and went on a first date on the 1st of September. Which proceeded to be a whirlwind romance, and I fell hard and fast in love. By November we were approaching the second wave and had to go into a second lockdown. I spent most of the time studying, spending time with A and had lost a lot of my motivation for working out. As quickly as things spiralled in love, they very quickly unravelled and finally fell apart in January 2021. looking back I saw and ignored all the red flags in the beginning and was so excited at the prospect of a relationship that I allowed myself to drop my expectations to meet someone who was completely undeserving. It really sucks when someone presents themselves in one way and then turns out to be everything but. It was a lot of damage and hell of a lot of pain. But we live and learn as they say.

Heartbroken, devastated and lost I turned to my TikTok and decided to embark on a 54 day challenge to get back to myself after putting on a lot of comfort weight during the relationship. The people on their (many of you reading this) were absolutely incredible and I cannot thank you enough. You really eased a lot of my pain with your constant support and encouragement. I lost 21lbs, and by my 29th birthday was the happiest and healthiest I'd felt since I can remember. My followers had grown to over 30,000, my degree was almost done and I was in amazing shape!

However, as the dissertation deadline loomed and the world started opening up yet again, the health game started to slack and I couldn't think of anything but psychology and partying. I REALLY enjoyed summer 2021, there were festivals and parties and we were finally able to be in groups bigger than 6. Hugging each other and being in crowded rooms. Having that taken away for so long really instilled a level of appreciation for in person, real life contact that I don't think anything else ever can. And I enjoyed every single minute of it.

I got the first class degree and am so beyond proud of myself. It was all I ever wanted and I think I thought it would complete me more than it actually did. In June 2021 I was hit with the most traumatic panic attack I've had to date on the middle of a motorway and that began the onslaught of 6 months of debilitating depression and anxiety. I won't go into to much detail, but it was dark and to be honest, I don't really remember much of the last 6 months of the year. But I made it through and I'm making positive steps to getting back to myself, my goals, visions and desires. one small step at a time. I'm proud of myself for everything I've gone through, often in my own head.

In December I was finally able to make it Brazil after the trip being postponed and had the most incredible holiday, which leads us pretty much to now. Im 45 days into a 75 day challenge and will be turning the big 30 in 3 weeks. Many of us are now vaccinated against the virus and restrictions in the UK have been completely lifted. Sadly to date 183,579 people have died of covid in the UK and 5.9 Million people world wide. It's absolutely tragic and just as the world was coming back to some form of normality, Putin decided to invade Ukraine and people are now fighting for their lives and freedom over there. It's a really dark world right now. So all most of us can do is try to keep ourselves as happy and healthy as possible.

Wow, That really isn't the half of it, but I really wanted to do a little brain dump just to have it here as a reminder in the future, If you made it this far.. well done haha!

I can't wait to share so much more with you along this journey.

Soph

LOCKDOWN JOURNAL #1

2020-05-11T14:22:00.000+01:00

Hello again,

Wow! Its been so long since I updated my little corner of the internet. To be honest, my blog hasn't really felt the same the past few years, I think a combination of me losing months of really personal posts as well as the change in the industry and how polished everything became, just completely stripped my motivation to share. On top of that a stupid boy made me feel like it was stupid and really knocked my confidence, so I just kind of abandoned it.

But I'm back, who knows how often, but I felt the urge to write again and I actually love looking back at these posts and reading what I had to say through the years, there's something so therapeutic about publishing a post. Just brain dumping what your thinking or feeling that day and sending it of to the internet and out of your own head.

So as a little 'break me in' post, I thought id approach this like a little journal entry of where I am in life right now and whats happing in the world, because if you didn't already know ... we're in the middle of a f*cking global pandemic. WHAT THE HELL!

Dear diary,

Todays the Monday 11th May 2020, Im currently sat on my sofa writing this post surrounded by a few of my housemates. All of whom, are working from home because were in the middle of a global pandemic. Coronavirus or Covid-19, which started in Wuhan, China - has spread across the entire world and completely halted life as we knew it. It's a crazy time to be alive. On my 28th birthday on the 20th March, they announced all pubs and restaurants across the UK would be shut down and as of Monday the 23rd, the UK went into complete lockdown. With the exception of essential food shopping and an hours outdoor exercise per day, were not allowed to leave our homes.

Although time still moves on, our lives at the minute are at a complete standstill. I can remember sitting on the sofa back in February and Danny (my housemate) and I discussing that the first patient had been taken to Guys hospital just up the road from our house. We joked about loving the idea of having a couple of weeks off work, with no understanding of the seriousness of the virus and what was to come.

In the weeks that followed, we were advised to social distance, my university was shut down and all assignments moved online. All schools were shut, pubs closed, and the queen addressed the nation for the 5th time in history to offer hope to all of us stuck at home. We've now been in isolation for two months, and last night Boris advised the measures are not to be lifted just yet, to avoid a second peak. As of 6pm yesterday, sadly 31,855 people have lost their lives to the virus in the UK and 284,451 world wide.

As the virus started to pick up in the UK, my anxiety did too. A week prior to my last day at university, I had a panic attack on the tube. A man sat next to me was coughing and it just sent me over, as I got up to get off 3 stops earlier, the panic took over and I begged a man for help. I ran off the tube and sat for half an hour crying before getting the courage to go outside and get an uber home. From then on, I've had to wear a mask to try to calm my nerves when in public. Despite knowing I'll probably be fine if I catch it, the anxiety monster in my head is constantly telling me there is a chance I won't be.

Since isolation began, we've had one housemates girlfriend move in and another's boyfriend. So theres now 6 of us, its actually been great, with the allowance of a few days where my mental health has gone of the rails. The weeks have been spent working from home, evenings watching films or playing playstation & workouts in the park. At weekends we tend to drink and do zoom calls with friends. Every Thursday there is a clap for the NHS at 8pm and we've created a street group chat and have had sing songs every few weeks.

Never again in our lifetime (hopefully) will something like this happen, so I'm trying to embrace the calm and not take it for granted too much. I dyed my hair purple, have been painting and trying to make things with my sewing machine. Ive been creating makeup looks and have sorted through every inch of my room. It's so easy to let the days and weeks slip away and I don't want to get to the end of all this and regret not taking the time to learn about myself and grow.

So for now, The world might be on pause, but I'm still trying to push forward, and enjoy this time we have to sit back and chill out a little.

That felt good to just write, its been so long since I've done that where it hasn't been a uni assignment haha. I'll sign off for now, but I think maybe I'll come back with some tips on managing my anxiety, maybe some recipes and little projects I've been doing. Maybe even journal entries like today. Whatever I fancy basically.

Hope all of you reading are staying safe.

What are you doing to stay calm?

Soph

x

Reasons to stay alive - life after anxiety

2019-08-30T19:49:00.002+01:00

Just finished reading Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig and had to get my thoughts out. If you or anyone you know has or is struggling with depression, please read this book. You won’t regret it.

It got me thinking a lot about my own journey and how only a few years ago I sat in a bath thinking about how I could take my own life without hurting the people I loved. The answer was, I couldn’t. After years of gruelling therapy and putting myself in situations that were my biggest fears, I’m here and for the most part live anxiety free.

It also got me thinking about how I used to share my most vulnerable thoughts through my blog, and get so many messages from people who had been helped in some way just by my words. That was until I let people in real life make me feel silly for what I was doing and I’ve since been dealing with a bout of ‘post anxiety’ but fuck that. If it helps, it’s worth it.

The crazy thing about mental illness is that it can creep in when you least expect it. It’s been in what should be some of my happiest times, that I’ve felt the most disconnected and in times of disarray, the most together. Those who know me personally know the last couple of years have held some serious weight and yet, my mental health has been in check. So I honestly believe that by overhauling your attitude completely, like Matt mentions in this book, drastically improves your life as a whole.

So if you are having a down day, week, month, or are feeling completely overwhelmed with anxiety. Know it gets better. There IS light at the end of the tunnel. I found it. In the mean time, surround yourself with people who accept and love you as you are, read the books, meditate, buy the damn shoes. Do what you’ve got to do to get from one day to the next, because one day you’ll be sat just as I was, about to do the next thing on my to do list and you’ll realise it’s been a whole hour since you had those intrusive thoughts, that hour turns into days, then weeks, then months. Until you can barely remember what it felt like to feel the way you do right now.

If you told 22 year old Soph that she would be flying to Barcelona to see Billie Eilish after just spending a month backpacking through Europe, she’d have panicked just at the thought, but here we are...

Overcoming self-doubt on the internet

2019-02-03T12:22:00.000+00:00

It's been a long old while since I posted on my little corner of the internet, so before I throw myself back into the blogging world, I thought I'd post a little update on where I've been.

The past 2 years have been both the best and worst of my life. I've dealt with death and still deal with the process of grief now. I've lost friendships, and gained better ones. I moved my entire life to a new city, quit my job to study psychology... the list could go on and on. Dealing with huge life changes can be hard in itself, but having them all at the same time has been a pretty rough ride. On top of all of that, I decided to start posting some more personal content on my blog, but early last year, my hosting expired unnoticed and deleted everything I'd posted in the previous year.

As you can probably imagine, after pouring my heart and soul into content and losing it all, I was pretty devastated and demotivated to post anything at all. That said, my blog is and always has been a creative outlet for me, somewhere for me to come and talk about the things I love, struggles with anxiety and general updates, because for whatever reason I love having a record of my life online, which kind of leads me perfectly onto my final point.

2018 was such a fun year, especially summer. However emotionally it was a really negative one for me overall, I went through a lot of hurt and despite having some amazing people around. I also had a few, or one in particular actually, that affected me quite a lot in a really negative way. My looks and feeling unconfident in my own skin has always been a problem for me, but I've always been pretty sure of the person I am, that I'm kind and can do well at something if I set my mind to it. I have never felt anything but proud of my blog and the community I had built behind it. Last year wasn't like that at all, my self confidence in who I am took a real hit and I all of a sudden felt like a shitty person and became embarrassed to post online through fear of judgement from people who were supposed to be my friends. This was a problem even down to the caption on a photo, I'd have Elaine check it over (all while giving me crazy looks haha) time and time again.

Now that my circle has been overhauled, that self-doubt has dwindled a little and over Christmas I looked back over the messages I had been receiving when I was posting. How I'd impacted someones day or really helped them with their mental health struggles. How did I let someone chip away at my confidence enough to completely forget about that and why I started this blog in the first place? That really pushed me to focus on writing again. Ever since I was a child, writing has been my outlet. Little short love stories, secret journals of my thoughts even down to writing lists has always been my happy place. For me there is no better feeling than putting pen to paper or as we do now 'fingers to keyboard'. Even typing this post, I feel a huge weight lifted for just writing down my thoughts as they come and never again, will I let anyone make me feel like there is something wrong with that.

2019 is set to be a great year, I live in a house full of the best people. Myself, my friends and my family have their health. I count myself really lucky to be where I am. Despite still having a lot of things to work through with trust and self confidence, I'm in the best place I have been for a long time and I'm really excited for everything to come.

5 things to do when your anxious

2019-01-20T20:40:00.000+00:00

As most of you will know, I have suffered with panic disorder and generalised anxiety disorder for around five years now. Although in the past 2 years I have managed to control panic attacks for the most part I still suffer with lapses here and there, and for all you sufferers out there - that's ok.

In this post I'll be sharing with you 5 of my top tips for when your having a set back or maybe just a bad day. Please share your top tips in the comments below, it would be great to have some more for myself and for us to help each other out.

Breathing

This is huge. Although most of us won't realise it, when we are anxious our breaths become short and shallow. Event though this does us absolutely no harm whatsoever, it does add to that awful feeling of dread we all know too well. Take a couple of minutes to really zone in on your breathing. Take a big deep breath in through your nose, really fill your lungs. Hold for 2 seconds and then let a long breath out through you mouth. After a few minutes you'll really feel the difference.

Pressure points

In my desperation a few years back, I looked for anything that would calm my mind and rid me of those awful anxiety related physical symptoms. I stumbled upon pressure point therapy and haven't looked back. To name a few;

- earlobes - rub your earlobes for 1 minute (how this works I don't know - but it does)

- wrist - use 3 fingers to measure from the crack if your wrist, where your fingers stop use your thumb to hold pressure on this spot for 2 minutes on each side

- foot - just under the ball of your foot between your big toe and the next. Apply moderate pressure to this area and massage for 2 minutes, this really helps to find inner calm

Calms

This next one goes against everything my therapist ever told me, but it's something I though I should include because in reality it's a product that helps me massively. Calms offer a wide range of relaxing products but for me their lozenges are my favourite, especially the raspberry flavour ones. In a moment of heightened anxiety or panic. Just pop on of these in your mouth and take some deep breaths.

Moment if calm

This was something a friend brought for me when I was probably at my worst point with my anxiety. It's actually on it's last legs now so this has just reminded me to order some more. I carry this everywhere and although my therapist would snack my wrist for this, I'm a strong believer in defining your own recovery and if that means having a few clutches that help you through then so be it. Apply a drop of this to your index fingers and rub it into your earlobes, temples and wrists. It really does give you peace of mind. On a particularly bad day I will even then just take deep breaths smelling the remainder on my fingers and it will really help to calm me down. I couldn't recommend this stuff more. It's fantastic

Meditation

When I first heard the concept of meditation I was so wary. When I first tried mediation I felt like a complete idiot.

I don't know why but I had this assumption that you sit with your legs awkwardly crossed, arms floating in the air and you hum to yourself. Whatever is watched that gave me this vision was completely wrong. Meditation has helped me massively in overcoming my debilitating anxiety. All you need is 5 minutes, surely we can all find that. Now if your novice like me, I'd recommend using guided mediation to help you along. You can find some brilliant 5 minute meditations on YouTube. Just find yourself a quiet place, a toilet if you need to, just plug your earphones in and listen to everything they tell you. If you'd like to look into mediation more, there is a great app called headspace that offers daily mediation to help clear your mind of all the worries we tend to hold onto from day to day life.

So there you have my 5 things to do when your anxious. I really hope you can take something from this post and use it when anxiety throws you a curve ball. I can relate to all of you that feel like anxiety if over ruling your entire life or that something else is seriously wrong. These things will help you calm down and let your rational mind come back into force.

What are your best tips to do when your anxious?

The best high street contour

2018-04-01T18:09:00.000+01:00

Today I bring you what I think is the best high street contour and its an absolute steal. Back when I started this blog in 2013, contouring wasn’t even a thing. It’s not something I do on a daily basis (aint’ no body got time for that). BUT, for a night out, its a must for me now. I mean, why would you not want to be able to shave 10lbs of your face?

So today I thought I’d share with you 3 reasons you should try the Barry M contour stick that I recently picked up, because I love it so much and needed to share it with you. I started out with the sleek contour and highlight, then upgraded to the Contour Cosmetics palette. However, Since I bought The Barry M contour stick, Its always the one I reach for.

The Price

So the biggest factor in all of this for me is the price, in my opinion its an absolute steal at just £7.99. For this, not only do you get the contour stick, but also the highlighter. If I’m honest, I don’t really use the highlighter, purely because I am so loyal to my collection concealer and use this as a highlighter too. however, whether you use the highlighter or not, when you compare this to the Contour Cosmetics palette at £28, it really is worth it.

Application

The application of this is effortless. If your a beginner and worried about applying to much product. Then you NEED to try this. We all know that time you applied to much with a brush and have the dreaded muddy face. HAHA. It really isn’t a good look. When I use the Barry M contour stick, I don’t have this problem at all. For my cheek bones, I tilt the stick so that I am using the edge and draw a thin line. Under my jaw I use it flat, because, well you know, the chins need covering. I also use a flat top brush and apply it directly to this and blend that way. It really is so easy to work with.

Colour

The problem with a lot of contours is the colouring. Some are too dark, some too orange and some too shimmery. With this stick being a cream product it is very important to be careful of applying too much, but as long as you bear that in mind you can’t go wrong. I tend to apply one layer and blend and then top up as and when. The colouring is perfect for me and I am quite pale so if you have a darker skin tone you can just apply more.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this as an affordable and easy to apply contour. Although, like I said, I don’t personally use the highlighter part, the contour itself in my opinion is definitely worth the £7.99 and it fits perfectly in all of my makeup bags unlike huge contour palettes.

Whats your go to contour? let me know in the comments

Lots of love

Sophie x

Perspective

2018-04-01T17:53:00.000+01:00

“We spend our lives worrying about the ifs, the whats & the whens..
but why can we never just be”

At the end of last year, I had made a list of all of the things I was going to buy, see & do. I celebrated the new year in brighton with two of my best friends and had the BEST time. We planned the year to come and all of the things we were going to do, but the minute I pulled up on my drive way on New Years Day, I got the most horrific phone call. My beautiful niece Charlie-Marie had passed away and from then, everything changed.

Charlie was just 19, and had spent all of those years in a body that was against her. She had quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy and had to endure all sorts of treatments from botox injections in her joints every 6 weeks, to 14 hour back surgery to correct her spine and relax her muscles. I honestly thought she was invincible, I think we all did. She really was an incredible person that despite all of her troubles, always greeted you with the most beautiful smile. She had a wicked sense of humour, If you stubbed your toe she would find it hilarious. Although she couldn’t communicate verbally, she had her ways to show you the kind heart she had. If anyone spoke ill of me in front of her, she would growl at them, if you needed her to cooperate whilst you struggled more than usual to lift her or strap her in, she would help. She was a beautiful person inside and out and will be deeply missed by us all, the only comfort we can take from this tragedy is that she no longer has to fight a body that failed her and is instead free.

I had all these plans of things I was going to write about in the new year, I’d just got my dream job and was due to start on the 2nd of january, 2017 was going to be my year. But Charlie’s death changed all of that. Why do we need a year to be better? Why can’t we just spend every day improving our life, our relationships and working towards our goals? having experienced what I have for the past month or so, I’ve got to tell you, none of that mattered. My new years resolutions, my dreams, my plans, nothing. The only thing that mattered was my family. As my family and I come to terms with this loss and I move forward with the year ahead, my whole perspective on life has changed, I will have goals and I will aim to achieve them, but ultimately I will just try to be better! 2017 will never be my year, it will always be the year we lost her. All I can do from here on out is learn and grow from the wonderful things she taught me in her short and difficult life.

The past 2 years have been a rollercoaster for me, I left my boyfriend of 5 years, got a new one, left him, spent way to many weekends partying and not looking after myself and towards the end of 2016 I thought, these past two years I really haven’t done anything that was really what I wanted. I loved my blog a few years back, I would chat to everyone about my day, vent when I needed to, talk about the things I loved and I enjoyed every minute. But then the industry turned into something I didn’t enjoy anymore and I stopped. I had these plans of what I was going to do to fit in again, but actually, I’m me, I like to chat about life and have a platform to vent as well as share all the thing I love. And I want the readers of my little space on the internet to be OK with that. My life isn’t perfect, I don’t spend every day with my makeup bag glued to my wrist, I have crap days. and I want to share the good the bad and the ugly.

This post has been a bit of a ramble, but it didn’t feel right to just start up again with out mentioning the changes in my life and how that has impacted and changed me and just how amazing she really was. She has impacted my life in a way that no one else ever will, she has taught me that the little things are what we should cherish, that no problem really is that big and that when things get shit, you just keep smiling. Because if she could, anyone can.

I am really looking forward to getting back into my blog and sharing all the things I’ve been up to, all the products I’m loving and the exciting times I have ahead with my looming move to London. But I will also be getting real with my little corner of the internet. I’m going to open up about relationships, grief and anxiety and share all of the things these huge parts of my life have taught me and I can’t wait to have you on this journey with me.

Have any of you been through grief? how did you guys cope?

Would love to hear from you 🙂

All my love

Sophie x

The best cinema in the midlands

2017-07-18T17:21:00.000+01:00

Bit of a different post today, but something I'm really excited to share with you. I had such a great experience, it would be rude not to give my midlands followers a heads up on a great way to spend an evening.

I'd been planning to go to the cinema to see the much awaited, Me Before You (honestly an amazing film you should go see it, and read the book too) for weeks. Having read the book about 3 years ago, I knew I was going to absolutely love it. I'd heard of the Everyman cinema and knew this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.

If you're from the midlands, I'm sure you're aware of the Mailbox and how it recently had a complete overhaul. As part of that, they introduced the Everyman cinema, a chain of cinema's all over the UK that offer the luxury experience, including sofa's & decent food. I have to be honest I'd never really bought into the idea, mainly because I'm tight and cinema's always cost what seems like a fortune, to just sit and watch a movie. however, I was actually pleasantly surprised when I discovered tickets were only £13 each. I think that's actually fairly reasonable when you compare it with a round of drinks in the Mailbox.

On arrival we quickly gave our reservation number and headed straight for the bar where drinks as always were on the steep side, however the food was again really reasonable. You make your order, settle your bill and head straight for your sofa in whichever screen your film is showing. It really is rather luxurious.

The seats are so spacious and comfortable, they even provide a little foot rest on the back of the seat in front and a small round table on either side of your sofa for drinks, Its just a whole world away from your standard Odeon cinema experience. After the novelty had started to die down and we were around 5 minutes from the start of the film in comes one of the staff and brings our meals straight to our sofa. The food was absolutely gorgeous and a perfect way to start the film, If your a fan of halloumi I massively recommend you order a plate.. or two! It was incredible! I had just about enough time to finish shoveling grilled cheese down my neck, before I was balling my eyes out to the film haha.

I honestly couldn't recommend the Everyman cinema enough. I had a great time and if your going out with the girls, its a great way to start the evening early, before heading to a few bars in the Mailbox. Don't get me wrong I will still head to an Odeon for the majority of films, but for a treat, this is perfect!

Have you got any Midlands based places you like to visit as a treat? I'd love to hear them

As always, thanks so much for reading!

I moved to London for my dream job

2017-07-12T18:32:00.000+01:00

I moved to London. I know. Pinch me. I literally cannot believe I finally did it!

After the initial few weeks of feeling horrendously home sick, unsettled and if I’m quite honest completely TERRIFIED. I finally feel like I’ve settled in and I BLOODY love it! I will be doing some advice posts on the big move, in the coming months, so keep a look out for those.
In todays post though, I thought I’d share a few of the reasons I moved here along with a couple of pictures I’ve taken in this incredible city so far!

I was ready to leave home

So the first thing and probably the biggest! At approaching 25, I was so ready to move out of my parent and go it alone! Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my Mom and Dad, and leaving was actually so sad, but I think there comes a point for all of us, where you just want to be self sufficient.
Living at home I realised how even though I didn’t need to be, I was quite dependant on my parents. I knew if I forgot my keys, I could ring the bell until someone let me in. I could spend crazy amounts on shoes and make-up because when I had spent out, I could just go ask mom to sub me some money until the end of the month. And if I couldn’t be bothered to make food, she would sort me out. This kind of reassurance definitely makes you somewhat lazy.
Now though, and only a month in. I feel so empowered and self sufficient! I know my parents will always be there to support me, but I feel more determined than ever to look after myself. And that feeling is honestly THE BEST!

It’s an Experience

I had an opportunity and I took it by the balls! Yes, I could of stayed in a financially comfortable job, enjoying a social life at weekends. But anyone who knows me well, knows I have always been the person that wants MORE. If I’m honest, every night for as long as I can remember, I would go to bed and think ‘there has to be more to life than just this’. That might sound ungrateful but it isn’t meant that way, I have just always felt that their was a bigger purpose for me than anything my hometown had to offer.
Yes, the thought of just leaving my family, my dogs, my friends, hell my entire life was absolutely terrifying. But it was a risk I was willing to take, just to say I gave it a go. I made that mistake too many times before. I think when you have wasted years on relationships with guys who would rather gamble your future away, had friends who don’t want the best for you and spent far to much time worrying about everyone else but yourself. You get to a stage where, you know that the solid people in your life will love and support you whatever you do. So if it all goes Pete Tong, those are the people that will be there to love you and make it all better, regardless. And that I am so grateful for, those people are definitely part of the reason I had the confidence to do this!

I got the dream job

Saving the best until last and all that! Its of course the reason I was able to move here altogether, the dream job with the amazing Blogosphere Magazine. It’s crazy that 3 years ago when I took the job working for a travel magazine, I had the thought. ‘its OK, Although I’m not obsessed with the industry, I will learn skills that will get me where I want to be’.
Who knew then, I would end up landing the job of my dreams with such an amazing company. It’s something I am super proud of. Being a part of the magazine going from strength to strength is really exciting. The team at Blogosphere have been so welcoming, they really are great. It so inspiring to be a part of such a creative team and I’m super excited about the future 🙂

And there you have it, Im here, I MADE IT! FINALLY!

The future looks to be exciting and I can’t wait to share it with you all along the way.

As I mentioned earlier. I’ll be writing more about what the big move has taught me that will hopefully help you too. So keep your eyes out for those.

Let me know if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to include them 🙂

New Masai Collection | Gemini Clothing

2016-06-30T12:20:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I modelled the new collection from Masai, available today from Gemini. It was such a beautiful sunny day, so we managed to get some great shots of the outfits. This collection is based on neutrals and wearable day time styles. Their are some key prints in the collection, including florals, spots, stripes & safari as well as pretty pastels & Nudes. I felt really comfortable in everything, hiding a multitude of sins while being light and breathable.

Khaki Print Trousers

Khaki Print Oversized Top

Black Jayla Jacket

Khaki Print Trousers

Leaf Print Along Scarf

Felisa Top

Gertie Tunic

Hava Tunic

I had such a great time doing this shoot and really loved all the pieces from the Masai Collection at Gemini. What do you think?

You can shop the new collection here

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Recent Beauty Haul | Eskay Beauty

2016-03-03T17:25:00.000+00:00

Whilst in Birmingham a few weeks ago I did a spot of shopping and picked up a few things I ~~needed~~ wanted, while I had the opportunity. Shopping with blogger friends is great, I can pick up whatever I like, without being guilt tripped into putting anything back. Shopping is such a stress reliever for me. I could be in the worst of moods and just purchasing something. Anything, and having that little money parting, bag collecting moment will make everything seem better. That's until I get home and realise the damage. Then all hell breaks loose!

The first thing I got was the raved about Nars Sheer Glow foundation. To be honest, I had been a little against getting this, because it was everywhere (I'm stubborn like that) but finally it got the better of me, so I went over and asked to be matched. I've got to admit that the sales adviser was a little useless, she recommended completely the wrong colour, it was far to light. luckily I noticed and requested the next one up which is Fiji. I've been using this now for just over a month and I absolutely love it so far. I'm giving it a proper test run and then I'll do a full review.

I was then at the Urban Decay Sping collection event where I got way to swatch happy and ended up purchasing their sheer lipstick in Slowburn. Its a gorgoeus coral red with an orange tinge. It was a tough decision between this and Sheer Shame, but I'm really pleased with this choice and think it will be a staple product though Spring and Summer. Who knows I might stop buy for another cheeky purchase :)

Of course a shopping trip is never complete without a quick look in Superdrug. The lovely Sophie recommended, the Rimmel Brow Gel, which sounded amazing. I picked this up in the mid brown shade, and having used it for a few weeks now I think its fantastic. If its been a while since you tamed the brows then I'd recommend something that gives you the ability to define them a little more. But if you have perfectly plucked brows and are just looking for a quick fix to fill them in this is fabulous.

My penultimate purchase was the Makeup Revolution Bronze Shimmer Highlight I was yet to delve into Makeup revolution, even with all the hype on social media, and to be honest I didn't even really need any more bronzer but it looked so lovely I couldn't help picking it up to try. If you have a pale complexion and struggle to find a suitable bronzer, I really recommend this! I have found this so natural and it is now one of my favourite bronzer's.

My final purchase of the day was the Tanya Burr: Love Tanya book. How could I turn it town, being on offer at WHSmiths, I just had to pick it up. I know their is so much hype around all of these bloggers/vloggers coming out with books but I was actually really intrigued to get an insight into Tanya's life and how she has got to where she is. I am yet to start the book, But ill be sure to let you know when I have read it.

Have you tried any of the above products? what are your thoughts?

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

How I got nails of steel

2015-04-20T08:30:00.000+01:00

We all have the desire to have healthy nails don't we? for me, I've tried several fixes to give me healthy, strong and fast growing nails, including herbal remedies. Everything I've tried previously worked for a while, but after a few short weeks my nails would return to their usual state. I had never found anything to fit into my routine that didn't include taking a daily vitamin or supplement. I had just excepted that was the way they were and got on with my weekly mini-mani's.

When I was contacted to try out the * Nail Magic nail hardener and conditioner, I was of course dubious, but with nothing to lose I accepted the gift.

Ill be honest, this wasn't one of those PR's I was desperate to try immediately and it had sat on my 'To Try' pile for a while. That was until I had ran out of base coat and was looking for anything to use as a replacement. I came across my nail magic and had a little look at the instructions where I found out it could be used as a base and top coat! great news. Following the directions I applied one coat, followed by my nail polish before applying it as a top coat also.

To be honest it had just fell into my routine and I was really enjoying the product, and although my nails were starting to grow a little faster and didn't break quite so easy it wasn't one of those products that I was dying to write a review about. That was until two weeks ago.

I had some acrylics done by a friends training sister, after about a week one had fell off and due to me not being able to schedule a new appointment, I proceeded to bite each one off. I'm sure most of you have done the exact same thing, and the result is always the same. Rough, weak and sore nails lie miserably underneath. Not for me, not this time. My nails were exactly the same as they had been before, with no soreness. I just couldn't understand it.

It wasn't until last week when my Sunday routine popped around again and I got my Nail Magic out to apply as a base coat that I realised, this little beauty was the reason for my strong nails not being destroyed by those acrylics. There is no other explanation as to why they were fighting fit after chewing the extensions off.

Now this little pot of magic is a holy grail in my routine and I truly believe in its ability to strengthen and condition your natural nail. Its so simple to include in my routine as a base coat, all the while its giving me nails of steel. I'm only sorry that it took me so long to try it out!

If you would like to purchase the Nail Magic nail hardener and conditioner, you can order here

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

* This product was gifted to me, however as always, all opinions are 100% my own.

please see full disclaimer for more information

Fashion Finds: The Knee High Boot

2015-01-26T07:30:00.000+00:00

If you didn't already know, Im 5"9' tall. Yes. I know, I'm a giant in comparison to most women, and I HATE it. But unless they revolutionise plastic surgery to enable me to be my ideal height * insert praying emoji here* then it looks like I'm stuck with it. One of the many issues that comes along with being tall is finding boots.

I've wanted a pair of knee high boots for a while but everything I tried was either to tight on the leg, to big or TOO SHORT. knee high looking boots that barley cover your calf is not a good look.

On boxing day Elliott and I went into town to try and catch some bargains. And boy did I find one in these beauties. On a whim, I decided to head to over to the Nine West counter in Debenhams. Honestly, it was love at first sight. They had just one pair left in my size and when I tried them on I knew it was meant to be :)

If like me your tall, or have big calfs then these a great. They are stretchy, so comfortably fit around my leg as well as being a good height. Although they don't cover my knee they are the closest I'm ever going to get. These are still available in Debenhams and at a bargain of £70 down from £150, they are a real steal.

I love the suede panel at the from which is then used as a strip down the back. They are comfortable, on trend and perfect to pull together any outfit. I love them!

Did you manage to pick up any bargains in the January sales?

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

An EPIC Adventure to Brighton

2015-01-19T07:30:00.000+00:00

So yesterday me and my blogging bestie Holly from I2Style, decided to take a road trip to the coast. We had planned on going to Barmouth for the day but in a spontaneous decision, changed our plans to Brighton. We set of with a picnic all packed and headed to the beach.

On arrival we were so excited, listening to Mike Dignam - Great Escape the whole way :) We got to the beach and stood for a while taking it all in. I don't know about you, but for me, being by the coast really calms me. I'd love to live there in a few years.

We then went for a walk down the pier and had a go on the dance mats, the merry-go-round and followed it up with a gorgeous banana and nutella crepe. It was delicious.

I love the lanes, theres something so quirky about them. There is such a great array of stores and cute little cafes. We had a good walk round and then went for a gorgeous meal at Bella Italia before heading back home.

Brighton is a lovely place, although it wasn't quite what I expected. I much prefer the side nearer Hove (right of the pier) I could definitely see myself living their in the future. The beach was beautiful and calming. It's just right up my street.

Anyway, I thought Id share with you some of the pictures I took :)

Do you have a safe place that makes you feel calm and happy? Let me know in the comments below

where it is

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Whats in my bag | Eskay Beauty

2015-01-17T08:00:00.000+00:00

If you follow me on my Youtube channel as well, then you may already know that I have tried to up my game in 2015 and am uploading every Thursday. So far its going really well. But it is only the second week. haha.

In this weeks instalment I uploaded a Whats In My Bag. I love watching these videos, but have never really had a bag I love enough to show you around. Until I found this Michael Kors Beauty :)

I really hope you enjoy the video. Please leave me a comment and subscribe to my channel if you haven't already. And let me know in the comments below what you handbag beauty staple is.

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

The Bloggers Hub Social Media Show - OOTD | Eskay Beauty

2015-01-12T19:30:00.000+00:00

I was recently contacted by The Bloggers Hub to get involved in their social media show. I thought it would be great way for me to get involved with the community and see some similar posts from other bloggers.
I put this outfit together for you for which I think is perfect for a warmer winter day but also has a touch of spring... can you tell I'm desperate for winter to do one. Haha. Hope you like it :)

I put this outfit together with spring in mind, it was quite a mild day so I was feeling inspired. I absolutely love this top but it can be a little tricky, as it has a lace front which is pretty see through, so you definitely have to bear that in mind when your selecting your bra. Louise Ferdinand Lingerie kindly sent me a lace bra and briefs set which went perfectly with this top, meaning I can now wear it without worrying about awkwardly showing a bright pink bra. I really like the set, however I would say the sizes come in quite small and the price is quite high. but I think thats something you have to expect when a product is handmade.

Lingerie Set: Louise Ferdinand*

Top: F&F

Jacket: F&F

Jeans: New Look

Shoes: Next

Bag: Next

As for Make-up, Im obsessed with purple tones at the minute, so I went for this deep smokey eye with a coral lip.
As some of you know, I've been suffering with acne for over a year now. I have been lucky enough to receive treatment but unfortunately this makeup is very deceiving, under it all, its still quite present. Makeup Nails Tan kindly sent me the corrector & concealer palette which works to correct tones with a counter acting colours. As you can see from the picture above, there are raised lumps, but I have corrected the redness with this palette. I love it. On my eyes I used the Naked pallets Toasted, Hustle and creep in the outer corner to smoke it out.

Conceal and correct: BH Cosmetics*

Foundation: Loreal True Match

Blusher: Avon (Revitalised)

Eyeshadow: Naked Original

Eyeliner: Rimmel
Brows: Benefit Brow Zings

Mascara: Loreal False Lash

Lipgloss: Tanya Burr Picnic in the park

Let me know in the comments below if your involved in The Bloggers Love Social Media Show, and don't forget to link your posts. If not, join in the conversation on twitter using the hashtag: #BHTWITTERPARTY

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Make Green Eyes Pop | Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon

2015-01-10T08:00:00.000+00:00

This was my first purchase from Charlotte Tilbury, and will be one of many..
I've never really been one to succumb to the 'it' products on the market. I tend to make choices based on what budget I've got left from my wages and what I fancy trying out. I went to the Autumn Winter Fashion Show at the Bullring with Paige and we did a spot of shopping after. When we went over to the Charlotte Tilbury stand, we had a lipstick demo. However I'm not really a lipstick lover, although I love a good bold lip, I tend to stay with what I know. I am however, all for anything eye related.

When I saw the collection of Colour Chameleon pencils, I was in full blown beauty blogger mode. My hand looked like a palette in itself. Haha. It was a tricky pick between Bronzed Garnet and Amethyst Aphrodisiac, but the sales assistant recommended the latter, and that was it. SOLD - to the sheepish CT newby..

I couldn't wait to try this out when I got home and over the past few months I've experimented with this gorgeous product quite a lot. Its smooth consistency makes for easy application around the delicate eye area and the beautiful colour really does make green eyes pop. Here's some of the ways I've enjoyed wearing this product.

Liner
Applying a neutral shadow to the outer corners of the eye (I like to use Naked buck), then sweep this under the lower lash line for a pop of colour.

Also apply it to the upper lash line without eyeshadow for a quick and easy look

Full lid
pretty self explanatory. Just apply the pencil to the complete upper eyelid, blending the edges with your finger.

Smokey eye
This has to be my favourite. It's so quick and simple and with only one product you can carry this around in your handbag for that really easy last minute day to night look. Simply apply some to the inner corner of the eye and blend out. then from the centre of the lid and blend a little less. then finally apply to the outer corner and not blend at all. apply a little to the lower lash line and voila. the perfect one product smokey eye.

Overall I absolutely love this product, well done Charlotte Tilbury. I can believe I waited so long. This one is from the green eye collection. I really want to try them all out though now. It's quite steep at £19 but when you consider the use you'll get from it. I'd say its definitely worth the splurge.

What is your go to easy product that you carry around with you? Have you tried the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon?

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

New Year, New Start.

2015-01-05T07:00:00.000+00:00

Every year we hear the same old thing of setting unrealistic goals for ourselves, something we like to call new years resolutions. A day, 1st January, just like every other day, all except we decide to change something about ourselves. Some people manage to keep up with there resolution, but the vast majority fail miserably. I think I've had the same resolution for the past 5 years. Lose weight. yeah, still not there yet! whoops.

Something that I do every single year though, that I just do, without a second thought, is a big clear out. A bit like a spring clean. Here's a list of the things I like to do, to help clear out my space ready for a fresh start in the new year.

Clear out your old clothes

I go through everything, even PJ's, Pants and Socks and throw out anything that I no longer wear, haven't worn in a while, or quite frankly has had its day.

Sort through all draws

For me this is paramount, I have a LOT of draws, living with my parents means I need the storage. I like to do a full clear out, take everything out, sort through what to keep and what to give away and what to throw out, this leads me onto my next point.

Give away old products

I have a LOT of products, most of which its impossible to use. so once I've gone through all my draws, I will collect all the products to 'give away' into a bag and go around my friends and family giving them dibs on the products.

Organise Finances

This is essential I think, this gives me such mental clarity going into the new year. I lie to plan out what exactly my income is and what my outgoings are and decide exactly what I want to do with the rest of my money every month. the envelope technique is great. Withdraw all your money for different things and divide it between envelopes. So you can go to the petrol envelope when you need petrol and your food envelope when you need food, and so on. Its a really great way to feel organised and in control of your finances.

Full Body Pamper

Probably my favourite of the lot. A full body pamper, the perfect way to feel awesome when you have to roll back into the office for your first day back. I like to do the lot. Hair mask, Skin mask, deep exfoliate, trim cuticles, buff nails, full mani/pedi. Not forgetting the plucking of eyebrows.

Resolutions

Now I know I said I've had the same resolution for the past 5 years, and yes, its true. but clearly its still something I'd like to change. Maybe this year I'll try and be a little more realistic.

- Lose 3st
- Drink Water
- Be Creative
- Read More
- Stick to my Blog Schedule

And there we have it :)

Thats what I do to kick start me with a great year ahead. Have you set a resolution? If so, What is it?

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Goodbye 2014 ... Hello 2015

2015-01-03T09:00:00.000+00:00

Hey beauties, long time no speak. I know, I'm rubbish. But I do have a fairly reasonable excuse. I started a new job and wanted to put all my efforts into that for the first few months. So I'm back and raring to go with lots of content ideas for 2015 :)

Some of you may remember the post I did last year remembering 2013 and preparing for 2014, where I decided to keep items throughout the year to remind me of the day in the future. Well I stuck with it and am going to share with you some of the highlights of my year. But first I thought I'd share with you, just what 2014 has meant for me.

2014 was a year that at the start I was dreading, see at the end of 2013 I was bogged down with anxiety and just imagined this year to be yet another struggle. But I have to say, I was wrong. yes there were days I didn't want to get out of bed, or I thought life couldn't get any worse, but I pushed through and can safely say that I'm excited for what 2015 has to offer. In 2014 I lost a few friends I would of considered close. But I realised that toxic relationships are really damaging. Especially if you suffer with mental health, it can be very draining. I think thats just a part of growing up though. I got to experience some AMAZING things. I visited portugal with Elliott, Abu Dhabi with my sister and went on a big family holiday out to Mallorca. I gained so much confidence back this year, enough to move forward with my career and start working for a magazine. I really am excited for what 2015 has to offer. I'm ready for anything. Here's a few highlights of 2014.

At the start of the year Me and my bestfriend went to see Beyonce. She was absolutely incredible.

In March I went to London twice, with my blogging bestie Holly from I2Style first we went to London Blogger Fashion Week, then we attended the Vogue Festival and managed to see the Masterclass seminar. It was amazing to get an insight into the fashion industry and was really inspiring. Holly and I then went for a lovely meal at Las Iguanas before heading home.

In April Elliott and I went to watch The Amazing Spider Man 2 - one of my favourite films :)

We also went to my nephews 9th birthday party - It was a skating party, we had a great time!

I also went to see Jeff Dunham at the LG Arena in Birmingham, he was absolutely hilarious

In May I went to see McBusted, my god was that a blast from the past! We had an awesome night dancing around to all the old school hits and reminiscing. I also went to see The Kooks, I used to love them in my teens!

Then me and elliott went off on our little road trip, if your interested I vlogged the whole thing. Vlog: sleeping in the car and flying to Portugal. We had such a great time!

Then a week after we got back from Portugal, I flew out to Dubai with my sister for a week in Abu Dhabi. It was the most incredible holiday of my life. We stayed at the 5* Yas Viceroy hotel, and had a complete week of feeling like queens! I also filmed some of this. You can watch it here. Unfortunately I had to override my original music.

We then went to see Eminem on the 11th July and stayed in londin for the night! We had such a great couple of days!

At the end of July we went on a two week family holiday to Mallorca, it was great to spend quality time with my sisters and nieces and nephews. I filmed a lookbook while I was on there.

In August we went on camping trip with Elliott's family for a long weekend at Shell Island. It was beautiful and so relaxing!

In September we saw Lee Evans, ill be honest, it wasn't as good as previous tours but it was a good laugh and worth it considering he's now retired.

I also attended the Birmingham Blogger Meet organised by the lovely Abbigayle Warner. There I met Paige, Hayley and Rach who I stay I touch with now :)

We later attended the Costa Musical Bingo halloween event. It was such a great night! i'll definitely be going again. Its brilliant for a night out with the girls.

Holly and I went to see Ed Sheeran in October, He was AMAZING! We also spent Halloween together on a night out, which was great fun!

This was around the time I then left my job. Id worked there for 4 years and it was all very emotional. But it was the best thing I have ever done! I am loving my new job and the experience I'm getting from it! Ive had a crazy couple of months but its been well worth it. now I'm ready to conquer 2015.

I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into my year. I will continue to collect my memories and do the same thing next year :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Ciate Crushed Velvet

2014-10-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

A while back my friend Holly from I2style invited me over for a little sale she was having of some unwanted beauty and fashion items. The beauty lover in me had a complete meltdown at all the nail products she had to flog and this little duo was one of my bargains.

Until recently I'd not tried any Ciate nail polishes, I was desperate to get my hands on the advent calendar last year but unfortunately it sold out everywhere. I have used and loved the Ciate caviar manicure, so I was super excited to test out this crushed velvet set.

The colour is beautiful, exactly like my old car which was called 'hot magenta'. its one of my all time favourite colours and absolutely perfect for Autumn/Winter. I just applied one coat on all the nails and then a second on all but my ring finger.

I then a applied a second coat to my ring finger and immediately dusted over a layer of the crushed velvet. You need to ensure that you apply an even layer and I would also recommend doing this over something. I used a tray from my caviar nail set but a piece of paper would do fine, just to stop you wasting all the product and making it easier to get it back into the jar.

I absolutely love this product and am actually more impressed with this than I was with the caviar set. This seems to last a lot longer and is just more practical.

This gets a massive thumbs up from me and ill definitely be on the look out for more colours.

Have you ever tried the Ciate crushed velvet set? what did you think?

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Forever Living | Aloe balancing cream

2014-09-25T08:00:00.001+01:00

When an old school friend of mine recently contacted me regarding forever living products, I was intrigued. Over the years Ive heard of the amazing benefits of products containing aloe vera but to be honest I'd never invested the time to really look into it. If you haven't already heard of them, Forever Living are an international company founded back in 1978 by Rex Maughan. Along with their affiliates Forever have become the largest grower, manufacturer and distributor of aloe vera and bee products in the world. Forever specialises in Weight Management but varies to skin care, personal care, nutrition and beauty. In 2010 they were awarded the Peoples Gold Award for very prestigious investors. pretty good going, wouldn't you say?

So after some discussions Naomi suggested I try the Aloe Balancing cream* from the Sonya skin care range. I didn't want to go with anything too experimental due to my acne, so this seemed perfect. Enriched with aloe, vitamin E and white tea, this rich face cream claims to help restore and balance your skin’s natural moisture, to leave it feeling well hydrated. As well as exfoliate the build up of dead skin cells to make way for a more radiant appearance. Lets see if it lived up to those claims.

The Review

The Packaging
Naomi did a wonderful job of sending this package in a lovely little bag for me. The cream itself comes in this magenta and silver box that lists all the ingredients and when you open the box lid, all the instructions on how to use the product are over leaf. The jar itself is acrylic with a screw top lid. It feels very sturdy which I like and all of the writing is actually printed directly onto the jar. For me this adds a lot of value to the product and makes it feel expensive. When you take the lid of the jar off there is a disk sitting inside that holds a scoop. Don't you just hate it when you get to the bottom of a product and it all gets stuck under your nails in your failed attempts at getting it out, so annoying. This eradicates that problem. Overall I think the packaging is really nice and definitely reflects the price of the product.

The product
First of all lets take a moment to talk about the smell of this cream, its delicious. It has a very sweet, zesty fragrance. Very light and refreshing. Its a nearly opaque white formula that has a jelly like constancy. When applied it glides effortlessly across the skin and after being rubbed in does leave the skin feeling lovely and smooth. My only dislike is the amount of time it takes for the product to absorb into the skin. Lets take a closer look at some of the ingredients in this product:

Cyclopentasiloxane:
A very common ingredient in personal care products, shown to aid in wrinkle reduction, blemish control, stubborn effects of rosacea and helps the skin retain moisture.
C13-14 Isparaffin:
Derived from petroleum, C13-14 Isparaffin contains certain impurities that can cause allergies and even be carcinogenic. It is also considered a pesticide so, is potentially toxic
Sodium hyaluronate:
Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the fluid that bathes joints. It's abundant in the dermis of young skin, but with age the level of this compound decreases. Hyaluronic acid gives skin volume by holding onto water
Tocopheryl Acetate:
This ingredient is a form of vitamin E, so you would think it was all goodness. However, manufacturers take the vitamin E and add acetic acid to it. The word acid means exactly what you would think - Corrosive and attacks the skin. The reason this is added is to make the products cheaper and longer lasting. A small amount of this is not harmful, however researchers worry that like most ingredients of their kind. Over time, they can build up on the skin.
Glycerin:
This ingredient is one that can fight skin diseases such as psoriasis. When applied to the skin it signals them to mature in a normal fashion. With psoriasis for example, the cells reproduce extremely quickly. Glycerin would slow down this process giving skin a healthier more natural looking appearance
Citrus Medica Limonum (lemon) fruit extract: A natural source of Vitamin C and antioxidant bioflavonoids. Protects skin against damage from reactive ozone. Used as an anti-inflammatory.
Camelia sinensis leaf extract:
In a nutshell this is green tea. By protecting your skin's cells from the daily damage caused by free radicals, Green Tea is a favourite in anti-aging formulas. It is also known to reduce skin swelling and help soothe and condition sensitive skin
Caprylyl glycol:
its an effective conditioner and moisturiser that also helps increase the shelf life of a product by increasing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives.

Overall I would say the product does have some conflicting ingredients, however its important to remember that there are no Paraben's or sulphates in this product. The only ingredient that does contain anything to be concerned about, is in such a small quantity that its use in a daily moisturiser will unlikely cause any negative effects, as long as you are cleansing your skin correctly on a regular basis. It has a few anti-aging properties which is always a positive and some calming ingredients which would really help with balancing your skin, as it claims.

The Conclusion
Overall I think this is a wonderful product. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed and hydrated. I would prefer a more cream like constancy in a moisturiser but I guess thats due to the aloe gel, something you wouldn't find in your everyday moisturiser. The moisturiser is £25.61, which is rather expensive. I'm not sure I'd repurchase this product, but as my foot into aloe vera door, ill definitely be looking at some more products from forever living in the near future.

Forever Opportunities

You too could become a forever living affiliate just like Naomi. Forever Living has so many opportunities to help people from any background achieve fantastic things in life. They believe in recognising commitment, leadership and hard work which is why they offer such amazing opportunities from cash bonuses, being recognised on stage at company success days, to all expenses paid holidays courtesy of the company. Forever Living gives you the opportunity to be your own boss, control your own hours and enjoy a residual income.

Where do I sign up? you might be asking.

Well if your interested in finding out some more information about the Forever Living opportunities or to purchase the aloe balancing cream you can contact Naomi directly at: naomi.24.nl@gmail.com

Thank you to Naomi for getting in touch and sending me the aloe balancing cream to try out. Its a wonderful product.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and learnt a little about Forever Living.

Had you heard of Forever Living before? Ever tried any aloe vera products?

Let me know in the comments section below.

BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

*This is a sponsored post. However as always, all opinions are 100% my own. Please see my full disclaimer for more info

Guilt free low fat burger recipe

2014-09-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

Some of you may be aware, I'm currently trying to lose weight. Today I thought I'd share with you a guilt free low fat burger recipe, that I love to make when I'm in need of some comfort food. you would be amazed at the amount of calories shop bought burgers contain. This is a really simple recipe and tastes absolutely delicious. I hope you enjoy it :)

You will need:

450g extra lean beef mince (5% Fat or less)

4 rashers of bacon

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp dried parsley

4 x 60g wholemeal rolls

2 light Dairylea cheese triangles

Salt & pepper to season

Frylight

Handful of iceberg lettuce

1 large tomato

Rinse the mince and break it up into a large mixing bowl.
Add onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and salt & pepper into the bowl and mix everything together.
Combine the mixture together, separate into 4 and shape each into a thin, flat burger. Cut all visible fat from the bacon rashers.
Preheat your grill to high. Place bacon and burgers on a foil lined tray and spray with Frylight
Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking.
To serve, spread Dairylea over halved bun and fill with burger topped with chopped lettuce & tomato

And thats it. I really hope you enjoyed my guilt free low fat burger recipe!

let me know if you give it a go.

Bon appetite :)

Purple makeup look for green eyes

2014-09-09T17:28:00.000+01:00

As you all know my real passion is makeup. This hasn’t really been portrayed recently as my confidence has been low due to my acne. I was having a 'good' skin day so decided that I would film a makeup look for you whilst I was getting ready.

For those of you that don’t know, my favourite colour (besides black) of course, is purple. It just suits me of all colours and I think it’s really pretty and girly without being too much as I often find with pink. Purple eye shadow is the one, when it comes to making green eyes pop. Here is the look I created J
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I really hope you enjoyed this video. If you havn't already go over and subscribe :)

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Favorite Posts of the Week #1

2014-08-31T08:00:00.000+01:00

As you've probably noticed, I haven't been very present on social media over the past few months. You may or may not know that I was recently diagnosed with Acne, although I've only just been diagnosed I have however been suffering with the low self esteem as a backlash of this for a several months now. As you can imagine the thought of filming a video or posting anything that would include a picture of my face has been mortifying. I have been fortunate to be chosen to take part in the Sk:n Clinics Skin Challenge and am currently receiving treatment, so expect to see some selfies again soon.

Although I've not been publishing posts, Ive been reading them like mad and have discovered so many amazing bloggers. I did a post here on my top 5 bloggers at the minute. To get myself back into the swing of thing I thought I'd start by sharing with you some of the posts I've loved that week.

To kick things off lets talk food. you've gotta love a good food blog and Amuse Your Bouche is definitely up there in the top 5 for me, if your in need of a delicious simple vegetarian recipes this blog is for you. This week Becca posted a Prasorizo (greek rice with leeks) recipe that looks amazing. I can't wait to try it.

Last month I discovered Jenny Purr and oh my god is her blog amazing. She posts such insightful and useful things on such a wide spectrum of topics that I really think theres something for all of you. This week she posted 8 Ways To Stay Positive which really struck a chord with me. I love these types of posts at the best of times but this one came just at the right time. She also posted Building a Better Routine which is definitely something I need to do, her tips are simple yet effective and are definitely something I'm going to start implementing, or at least try to.

Another useful post this week was from A Little Opulent and it was all about Finding Your Creative Feet. If your in need of some inspiration or motivation to get you back into the swing of blogging this post will get you off to a great start.

Zoe London let us in on some of her Tips for Blogging Photography Backgrounds this week. I love a good post on photography tips, I could definitely use them so this was great. I love her creativity.

I haven't read a tips post in a long time where I've genuinely had a *gasp* reaction and gone running to try it out. When Design Love Fest posted the Little Life Lessons I thought I could expect to see some same old, but oh no these are real out there.. who knew putting a penny at the bottom of a vase made flowers last longer (I know, right?) go check it out its awesome.

Finally is a post that has inspired me and I'm contemplating joining. Its The Blog-Tember Challenge, basically Bailey has given an idea for something to write about everyday in September, I am seriously contemplating joining. It sounds so fun and would be a great way to get back into writing. If you fancy checking that out its over on Brave Love

What posts have you been loving this week? share them in the comments below.

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