new

She’s backk…

blog, life, lifestyle, Uncategorized

So after making endless promises to keep up to date with blogging, things kind of went South. Oh dearrr

Important life lesson learned…stop making resolutions!

The reason? There isn’t one. The excuse? I’ve got plenty of those! But I shan’t waste my time typing them up because ultimately, who actually cares? In a world in which Donald Trump is now President and we’ve long since moved on from the iphone 4 (see my ‘Contact’ page) my blog isn’t exactly a major concern!

‘BLOGGING IS DEAD’…hear it all the time. In fact, I’m guilty of dropping it myself a few times over the past couple of years. But why do I do it? Because I enjoy writing, because it’s therapeutic and because it makes me feel more productive than just watching back to back episodes of Fresh Meat on Netflix (total favourite at the moment).

Every few months I go through a ‘what am I doing with my life!? moment’. In September I decided to move across the country. This time, I’m going to start small and try and get back into blogging.

Basically this is just my, I’m blogging again blog post. See you tomorrow for my first official one (I scheduled it..profesh)

xoxo

Advertisement

An American Request

beauty, haul, makeup, question

I’m going to New York in a couple of weeks and am making a list of all the makeup I need/want to get my hands on. I’m looking for both drugstore and high end products that are either cheaper out there or hard to find in the UK.

I’ve already got my eye on the Anastasia Beverley Hills liquid lipsticks as well as a number of items from the Kat Von Dee range but what else can you guys suggest?! I’d love to hear from you, what are your favourites from the drugstore? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @sophieaiken

Sophie xoxo

Snooks&Books – Still Alice

books, review

There have been glimpses of lovely weather here recently so I’ve been spending some time in the garden and what better way to pass the time than with a good book?!

I tend to stick to autobiographies but after reading Gone Girl I decided to branch out a bit. Having been left disappointed by the ending of the aforementioned I quickly moved on to Still Alice. I haven’t seen the film yet but I’m interested to know if it is worth a watch or not? I got through this book so quickly, it’s a real ‘couldn’t put it down’-er! I don’t want to give anything away so here’s the blurb from Amazon

‘When Alice finds herself in the rapidly downward spiral of Alzheimer’s Disease she is just fifty years old. A university professor, wife, and mother of three, she still has so much more to do – books to write, places to see, grandchildren to meet. But when she can’t remember how to make her famous Christmas pudding, when she gets lost in her own back yard, when she fails to recognise her actress daughter after a superb performance, she comes up with a desperate plan. But can she see it through? Should she see it through? Losing her yesterdays, living for each day, her short-term memory is hanging on by a couple of frayed threads. But she is still Alice.’

It’s pretty obvious from the subject nature that this isn’t exactly a lighthearted read but there are real touching moments of happiness, sorrow and humour. I found Still Alice to be so thought provoking, it makes you question your own mortality and how you might react when faced with a life altering situation. But the best thing about this book for me was the ending. Don’t panic this isn’t a spoiler! I’ve had this conversation with a couple of people and there really is nothing worse than reading a good book only to be let down by the final few pages! Still Alice provided an ending that stays with you long after reading it and fits perfectly with where I imagined the story would go.

If you’ve read anything similiar pleeease let me know in the comments, I’m desperate to find another book as good as this!

Sophie xoxo

Kate Goes Nude

beauty, lipstick, makeup

I think at this point it’s just a certified fact that Rimmel and Kate Moss are a match made in heaven! At £5.49 the lipsticks are reasonably priced and the packaging is pretty nice for a drugstore brand. When I saw they were releasing a nude collection I couldn’t resist!

After a bit of swatching I settled on shade 43. It’s a sort of soft tan colour that can definitely be built up or worn lightly. My number one concern was that it would look like the dreaded foundation lips circa 2002. You know what I’m talking about right? When you were in school and it was vital that you blanked out any hint of colour on your face with a thick layer of dream matte mousse. Ahh the good ole days…

These fears were quickly alleviated as the lipstick applied with a sheer to medium coverage and enough colour to define the lips. It works perfectly as a more subtle take on the nineties makeup that Kylie Jenner has been wearing in recent months.  The collection features a range of other shades so there is a perfect ‘nude’ for everyone, what more could you ask for?!’

Have any of you got your hands on the nail polish collection? I’m so intrigued to know if they’re worth a cheeky purchase!

Sophie xoxo

Off to a flying start…

Uncategorized

I’m currently a week away from my dissertation deadline, so what better time to start a blog right?! *insert monkey covering eyes emoji here*.

I’ve just spent a good half hour setting up this blog and writing my first post only to find it’s mysteriously disappeared. So, here I go again, because this blog, for me, is all about dedication. I don’t plan on quitting, even if I’m the only person who ever reads it, I will not be a quitter!! (she says full of fresh excitement and optimism)

The plan is to share with you my love of all things makeup and beauty related, particularly my years of disasters which have led me to this point (not that I don’t still have them, at the moment I’m dealing with a rather dodgy barnet!) But I’d also like to talk about other loves I have such as television, books and even rugby. So a strange mix but hopefully it’s a something for everyone type thing.

I should also point out that if you aren’t particularly fond of dogs this may be the time to look away. A quick glance at my Instagram account (link in the sidebar) will show you how obsessed I am with my beloved Spanish Water Dog Alfie, so I’ll be using any excuse to throw a picture of him on here.

And that’s about it really. Hope you enjoy!

Sophie xoxo