Tuesday 31 July 2012

All that glitters

This is my first outfit of the day post, I hope you like it!
I'm blogging from my phone so I'm not quite sure how this is going to look but we'll see!
My top is from Next, £28 however I had a gift voucher so I only paid £8! Bargain! Sequinned collars are a trend this season, actually detailed collars are a trend! I've seen so many different styles of collars, from leather collars (in New Looks current collection) and coloured neon tips (as seen in ASOS)
My jean were £10 from TU at Sainsburys. If I'm honest I don't really know what their collection is like, my mam got my sister them before knowing she was pregnant so she gave them to me. They're excellent value for money and they fit very well!
My gold hoops are from Claire's, I think I paid £4.99 for them but they were quite cheap. I'd looked in Primark beforehand and hadn't seen any that I liked, they were all too thick then I saw these! I've worn them loads as they go with pretty much anything!
So there's my first outfit post, I hope it turns out okay!
SOPH x

Sunday 29 July 2012

Too many bottles of this wine we can't pronounce

I recently posted about my love of nail varnishes, and on Thursday I decided to test out a new look and it worked well so I thought I'd do a post on it!
The nail varnishes I used are probably my 2 favourites-No7 'Cheeky Chops' (£2 with voucher) and Kardashian Kolor 'Rainbow in the Skylie' (£9).
I could write paragraphs about my love for the Kardashian/Jenner clan, but I'll refrain from doing so! I chose this as it looked sooo densely 'glittered' and I have to say it met my expectations. It honestly is like an explosion of glitter, it's made up of a clear base with various colours of glitters, made up of different sizes. I would say that the dominating colour is silver, however there are hints of green, vibrant pink, gold, orange and blue mixed in too. The price was way out of the range that I'd normally pay. I did get caught up in the hype of "it's the Kardashians and it's OPI", and purchased it anyway! The bottle is massive, and I love the unique shape of it. I would say that it is definitely worth that £9 I paid, as with most glitter nail varnishes, it is very hard wearing and takes FOREVER to disappear! Vigorous scrubbing is needed!
It compliments the Cheeky Chops shade nicely, and I will definitely be repeating this look!
What do you think of it?
Sophx

Saturday 28 July 2012

Life is too short. Eat dessert first!

*This post doesn't fit in with my usual themes that I blog about,however baking is one of the things I love, so O decided to post about it anyway!*

Chocolate and cake is probably my two favourite desserts, and this recipe combines them both together- resulting in Triple Chocolate Brownies!
This is a very simple recipe to follow, and it is fairly mess free too!
So you need the following ingredients:
100g dark chocolate (I use 85% cocoa)
85g of margarine/butter (preferably at room temperature)
50g white chocolate
50g milk chocolate (my favourite is Cadburys!)
2 eggs
130g of caster sugar
100g SR Flour
A dessert spoon of baking powder

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 4. Cut some baking paper so that it fits your oven proof dish
2. Melt the dark chocolate and margarine in a bowl (This can be down in a microwave or over the hob-be careful not to burn the chocolate!
3. Cut the white and milk chocolate into pieces-you can also add some extra dark if you wish!
4. Whisk the eggs and sugar for approx 5 mins using an electric whisk until thick and very frothy.
5. Pour the melted chocolate and butter mixture over the top and mix in very gently using a metal spoon.
6. Sift in the flour and the baking powder over the top and carefully fold in.
7. Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Sprinkle the white and milk (and dark!) chocolate pieces over the top.
8. Bake the cake for about 20-25 minutes until the top is crusty and the centre wobbles slightly.
Then cut and enjoy!
You can also freeze these for around 3 weeks, which I've done a few times and it doesn't affect the quality of the. at all.

Monday 9 July 2012

Money is the anthem of success

Anyone who knows me knows I love love love nail varnishes, they're probably one of my favourite products. I own far too many, I'm running out of storage space. My obsession started when I was quite young, about 5/6 years old, as my older sister used to do mine when she did here, and I was hooked! When she moved out she left a lot to me, and I've started my own collection, which is rapidly expanding!
My favourite nail brand is No7, without a doubt. Yes, don't get me wrong I've got a fair few Barry M's in the collection too (you can't resist!), however the Barry M nail varnishes that i have owned/own tend to go very thick and gloopy. I have often wondered if its the temperature of my room, but my other nail varnishes haven't done this. Sorry Barry M, it had to be said! This makes No7 a winner every time.
No7 nail varnishes on a whole are wry pigmented, the collection is full of vibrant colours, in addition to the basics (French manicure, clear,strengthener etc). The consistency is quite thick, meaning only 2 coats is needed, and that applies to the whole collection. They have a great lasting strength too, I've had one colour on for 5 days now, with 2 coats and a top coat, without any touch ups!
I have to admit, I never took any notice of No7 before Boots introduced the '£5 off No7' vouchers, as their nail varnishes are out of my budget at £7 each, whereas they're only £2 with the voucher which is an absolute bargain!
As you can tell by the photo, I'm slowly but surely building up a collection, my favourite is definitely my most recent purchase: 'Cheeky Chops'. It's a coral pink, quite bright with an orange tinge to it. Its went with every outfit I've had on for the last 5 days, it's very versatile.
So there you have it!
What is your favourite nail varnish brand? Do you like No7?
Soph
PS: I apologise for the photo quality, the lighting wasn't doing me any justice :( x

Sunday 8 July 2012

Shop Shop Shop

So recently, as per usual I went on a shopping spree. My exams had finished and I had the urge to spend money, (more than usual) which I'm supposed to be "saving". So I headed to Newcastle (Sunderland is no comparison) and hit the sales...take a look at what I came home with...
I had a £10 Accessorise voucher to use, so I got these lovely belts and a cute London necklace. I only spent £2.50 in total there! Next I headed to Fenwicks, where I picked up the lovely white sheer top, next I had to go to Boots to restock my foundation, courtesy of trusty Clinique (I'll review that later) and some clarifying lotion.
Those who know me know I have an addiction to nail varnish! I have to have some sort of colour on my nails, and after purchasing the foundation I got £5 off No7, so I headed to their nail varnish counter and got the gorgeous coral colour, then I got another No7 voucher so I got the purple. I honestly think I have them all! Then I had to head to Primark, to see if I could pick up some bargains, sadly I didn't do as well as I usually do, but I didn't come out empty handed and saw these lovely pastel bracelets!
All in all a wonderful day for me, a br so wonderful day for my bank account!
Apologies for a verrrrrry text heavy post, I'll rant on less on my next post I promise!
Love Soph x