Let’s chat!

March 15, 2020March 15, 2020Leave a comment

Bonjour!

The world is in disarray and we’ve ran out of loo roll.

As it stands, I’m going to work as usual, tootling about and trying to keep things as normal as possible. However, if I do have to take time off work and stay home, I have a few plans that I’m looking forward to!

Gardening. Well, more like buying cute pots, planting seeds and keeping them on my bedroom window sill. But still, it will be fun to see some shoots emerge from the soil and see how long it takes before they die.
Writing. Maybe blog posts but I would quite like to write a book. I have an idea for a children’s book, so that would definitely keep me busy while stuck at home.
Hanging out with the pets. Nothing gives me more joy than smooshing and cuddling the fur babies. I know I piss them off but jeez, they just melt my heart!
Cleaning. We all love a good speed clean video and I think it motivates me to tootle about with the dusters and bleach. Especially with Spring around the corner, it’s the perfect time for a good blitz!
Podcasts. The ‘My Favourite Murder’ podcast is the absolute best. I started from the beginning a few months ago and absolutely binged the crap out of it. If you love true crime, comedy and lovely people, then this is the podcast for you. I’m completely up to date but will definitely have to listen to some of the old episodes again.
TV Shows. This would be the perfect opportunity to catch up shows I’ve missed and to watch some new ones. On my list are Sex Education and Fleabag.

Stay safe, wash your hands and stop buying all the bloody loo roll!

Bernard sends his love 🐶

Graduating from University!

July 20, 2017Leave a comment

Surprise! I’m still here…just about!

So, in May I finished university and honestly, I was pretty glad! I do miss my friends, I kind of miss the routine and I miss feeling like I have my life together! Since leaving, I have been working and trying to devise a career plan. I am quite an indecisive person but once I set my mind to something, I am very determined.

I don’t regret my degree or what I studied but I’m not sure that I want to carry out any of the roles as a profession. I did enjoy most of them and I could see myself doing them as a job but I’m not totally set on a certain direction. But then…BOOM…an epiphany! The whole reason I wanted to get into film, was to create a whole new world for audiences to escape to. What kind of films makes you feel every single emotion and are appropriate for any age? Disney films, of course! This got me thinking that I’d like to get into animation.

This post is a way of saying what I’m up to but also a way for me to seek advice. Ideally, I don’t want to go back to university, so what is the best way to get into animation and have a successful career in the creative sector? I’m reaching out to animators, drawers and anyone creative to please give me some advice!

Thank you for being patient while I ramble and attempt to do something cool!

Love Soph.

Tea Tree Skincare| Cruelty Free

May 24, 2017May 24, 2017Leave a comment

Hello everyone! As always, I’m forever on the lookout for anything cruelty free and so far, Superdrug has been the best place to go! I love tea tree in my skincare products, as I have fairly problematic skin and it has a great scent. At the moment, the range has an offer of 2 for £5.

Micellar Water:

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As you’d expect, the micellar water is used to remove makeup and it does so nicely. The tea tree doesn’t smell or feel too strongly. I have relatively sensitive skin and this hasn’t been too harsh to use.

Foaming Face Wash:

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I love a foamy face wash as much as the next gal, so I was HYPED when I saw this! It recommends adding 1 to 2 pumps, to a wet face. This leaves my skin feeling super softly and pleasantly tingly.

Cleanser and Toner:

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I never really know how to tell if these kind of products work, but this is the least favourite of mine out of the lot. The smell is quite strong and it irritated my eyes a little. It’s not a bad product, it makes my skin feel clean but I’m a little hesitant to buy again.

Moisturiser:

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Despite this being quite a small product, a little goes a long way and I think it will last a fair while. My skin feels soft and moisturised after using this little gem; I will purchase again.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little post. Superdrug has been amazing for my cruelty free journey, please let me know of any other products I might like.

Love, Soph.

2017 Planner

April 4, 2017Leave a comment

Hello everyone, I’m back with a post about the latest love of my life…my new planner!

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This planner is the Scatter Geometric Everyday Planner from Hobbycraft and it’s £12.

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At the front, there is a little slot to pop documents or notes in.

The first page is there for you to write down your details.

There are also little pop out notes to put next to important dates and little ‘to-do’s’ to write so you don’t forget anything.

Find the planner online: http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/scatter-geometric-everyday-planner/621248-1000

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little post and I’ll see you at some point this year…no promises!

Love, Soph x

2017 so far| Update

February 5, 2017Leave a comment

Hello, I thought I’d do an update on my new year so far and talk a bit about my mental health; I realised that I hadn’t given much more info about how I’m feeling.

To be honest, it’s not going that great. Let’s start with the really bad news:

A family member passed away. My mum’s auntie passed away a few weeks ago and it’s been pretty tough. She didn’t have any children or a husband, we don’t have much family, so it’s mostly been my tiny immediate family who have sorted everything. At the risk of sounding a bit selfish, I was making a real effort to be positive and not let anything get me down. So when this news hit, I didn’t really know how to feel…but more on this later.

University is such an effort. So, it has never been my favourite experience but along with recent events, it’s become much harder to be motivated. The lectures are poorly structured, the deadlines are a joke and I just don’t enjoy it anymore.

So, I’m not loving 2017 all that much, although, I’m hoping that it will only get better from here!

In terms of my mental health, it’s been quite up and down. I suppose the past few month prior to the death, I’d been quite proud of myself. I tended to have really good days and one iffy day. I had really been putting the effort into seeing the positive in every situation and not letting myself getting too upset or anxious. So when auntie died, I instinctively refused to become upset so I was just numb for days.

Over time, I allowed myself to feel sad but I haven’t accepted anything or thought too much about the situation. I’ve tried to focus on university but I’m struggling, I’m not enjoying it as much and I’m feeling pretty unsettled. I’m still striving for positivity but the funeral is very soon. I have decided to allow myself to be sad and be truly present on the day then do my best to continue the work I was putting in previously.

I hope that this post wasn’t too sad or boring! But I think it’s so important to talk about mental health and get rid of the stigma!

On a lighter note, I’ll show you a sneak peek of the next post…

Love, Soph.

What I’ve been up to…

November 11, 2016Leave a comment

Hello all, I feel like I haven’t been very present on here and haven’t really posted much so I thought I’d say hi.

So, I started back at uni about a month ago and it’s been CRAZY to say the least! It’s my 3rd year and I’ve just gone full force into getting shit done. But I have had the odd fun moment so here are a few of my nice recent memories.

Halloween party

(I kept the pumpkin lights and have popped them on my dressing table because I’m obsessed!)

Bonfire Night

It was chilly, there was lots of food, we played charades and pretended we were Harry Potter with our sparklers…perfect!

Operation Christmas Child

Each year at Christmas, people make up shoeboxes full of goodies to send to underprivileged children.

Fur babies

Bernard the pug and Jasmine the kitty.

Love soph.

Halloween Gingerbread Biscuits| Vegan

October 30, 2016Leave a comment

Hello everyone! I’m back with a spooky baking post. I found the recipe on Pinterest…as usual and you can find the original here.

I like to pop a disclaimer in because I’m still not a professional vegan so please let me know if any of the ingredients are not vegan approved!

Ingredients:

Butter (Vitalite) – 125g
Brown sugar – 90g
Golden syrup – 230g
Plain flour – 375g
Ground ginger – 2 teaspoons
Bicarbonate of baking soda – 1 teaspoon
Icing sugar – 240g (for decorating)

Wash your hands and pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Mix the butter and sugar together until the mixture is creamy and pale.
Then add the golden syrup, ground ginger, plain flour and bicarbonate of soda to the sugar/butter mixture. Beat all together and a soft dough should form.

3. Flour a clean surface and roll out the dough.

4. Use cookie cutters or whatever you need to create your spoooooky shapes and pop them onto a tray.

5. Then bake the cookies for around 8-10 minutes; the original recipe said a little longer although this was fine but it’s worth keeping an eye on them while they’re cooking!

6. Once your masterpieces are golden brown, pop them out of the oven and leave them to cool for around about 20 minutes.

There were few injuries but they added to the eerie theme of Halloween…

Decorating:

Simply mix icing sugar and a little water until a smooth but firm paste has formed. Then add whatever bits and bobs you want!
The recipe was for skeletons but we strayed away and did a variety of shapes.

The fabulous skeleton was made by the talented Tash, mine were pretty pants so they have not been photographed!

These were a huge hit with friends and family! I don’t love gingerbread but the 2 teaspoons were just the right amount! I would give these 5 out 5 and will definitely make them again but maybe different designs…perhaps for Christmas!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little post!

Love Soph.

Only Ever Yours| Book Review

October 9, 20162 Comments

Hello everyone, I’m doing something a little different this time and I’m here with a book review. My chummy gave me this book as a gift and usual me, I popped it on my shelf and left it for months. But I started back at university on Monday and I wanted something to read on the bus so I grabbed this as it looked interesting.

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Without giving too much away, the story is set in a world where men are superior and women are there to serve them. If women give birth to daughters, they are disposed of and only sons are desired.

The central character Freida, attends a school of ‘eves’ who are women that have been designed to be trained and eventually have their fate chosen by men. They are made to be polite, perfect, beautiful and ladylike.

The world is basically all that I disagree with! Despite this, the book was so addictive, easy to read and honestly, heart-breaking. I read this in less than a week, which for me, is amazing. I constantly wanted to keep reading, the characters grabbed me, the story shocked me and I probably felt every emotion possible. From the middle towards the end of the book, I was shouting and sighing in frustration whilst reading in bed.

Although the eves are from a futuristic world, many of them and many elements of the story were so relatable and I felt genuine sympathy at times. I can’t recommend this book enough!

To sum it up in a few words, I’d describe this book as dark, sad, captivating and terrifying. I was hooked from the start and would give it 5 out of 5.

Let me know if you’ve read this book and what your thoughts are!

Love Soph.

Spiced Apple Vegan Pancakes

September 17, 2016September 16, 2016Leave a comment

Hello all!

I’m here with a little autumnal recipe because I love food and I love Autumn…perfect! The recipe is slightly tweaked due to convenience; self-raising flour was used in place of all purpose flour and plain flour instead of whole wheat flour.The original recipe can be found at HotForFood which I found on Pinterest.

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Ingredients:

Self-raising flour (170g)

Plain flour (85g)

Baking powder (1/4 tsp)

Sea salt (a pinch)

Ginger (1/8 tsp)

Nutmeg (1/8 tsp)

Mixed spice (1/8 tsp)

Cinnamon (1/4 tsp)

Vegan butter (a small amount in the pan)

Almond milk (340g)

Agave nectar (1 tsp and for a tasty finish before eating)

Apple (1/2)

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Wash your hands and measure out all of your dry ingredients.
Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Add in your wet ingredients and mix together.
Take your apple and cut in half, take the other half and finely chop into tiny pieces. Add the chunks to the mix.

The mixture was still a little thick so a small amount of extra water was added.
Heat a pan and add a nob (hehe) of the vegan butter, Vitalite was used in this recipe.

Using a ladle, scoop a decent amount of the mixture and place in the sizzling pan.
The recipe we followed recommended 2 minutes per side; when you see bubbles, it’s time to flip!

The pancakes should be a nice golden colour and soft but quite solid in texture.

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A generous drizzle of agave nectar was added to the stack, just for a little extra sweetness!

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Three of us tasted the pancakes and gave our honest opinion…the pancakes themselves were fine but a little bland, the apples were definitely needed as they added sweetness and a nice texture alongside the soft pancakes.

I’m giving this recipe a solid 2 out of 5. I feel like they would be nice in small doses and with something else with them, like ice cream or fruit.

I want to thank my chummy for taking these lovely pictures and editing them so they look all pretty!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and are just as excited for Autumn as I am!

Love Soph.

Zoella’s Christmas Range|2016

August 24, 2016August 24, 2016Leave a comment

Hello all!

I’m sure most you know that I’m a big fan of the YouTuber Zoella and a massive fan of Christmas so when she previewed her new range for Christmas, I was very excited.

The only thing is, I don’t know if the range is cruelty free. On previous products, it says that they are not tested on animals but I know no more than that. So, for now I will just admire the packaging and dream of gingerbread as that’s what the whole range smells like!

The prices weren’t discussed in the video however some Superdrug stores have released the products now, otherwise we have to wait until September 26th!

Three makeup bags in one

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The set includes one large, clear bag with a pink trim, zip and ‘Zoella’ printed on the front. Next up is a medium sized bag which is a pinky rose gold colour, sparkly and is just gorgeous! The smallest of the set is a little cream bag with ‘Throw kindness around like confetti’ printed on the front. I love this set, it’s lovely for someone who travels or a makeup enthusiast!

Set of two coordinating makeup bags

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These are adorable! This set consists of two small makeup bags, one has ‘best’ and the other has ‘chums’ printed on the front. I love the colour scheme and would make a lovely gift for your best chummy!

Body cream and spritz gift set

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The packaging alone is so pretty and inspired by brown paper packages tied up with string. The set includes the ‘Ginger Cream’ body lotion and ‘Bake My Day’ body spritz. This makes the perfect little treat for a friend or for yourself!

Spa in a jar

Apparently this is a sample product but it’s cute either way! The pamper set comes with a soft flannel with ‘Zoella’ on the front, a mini body lotion and mini shower gel.

Shower gel bauble

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A really cute idea; lots of pretty shower gel and beautifully festive! The gold gel and stripy candy cane ribbon just screams CHRISTMAS! Not a decoration for the Christmas tree but a lovely treat for your shower.

Hand cream

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Although I haven’t tried any of the hand creams from any of the ranges, I’ve heard good things. The packaging is lovely and I’m sure it smells amazing.

Set of two lip balms

This set contains one lip balm that smells of gingerbread and the other smells of vanilla…I’m drooling!

Gingerbread bath fizzers

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The bath fizzers in previous ranges were a huge success and it only makes sense to bring out more! This set of three are not only gingerbread scented but gingerbread man shaped…Super cute and the candy cane bow is everything!

Body spritz set

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This one is super exciting as it contains all four scents in spritz form. The collection is called, ‘Secret Scenta’ and contains ‘Blissful Missful’, ‘Let’s Spritz’, ‘Sweet Inspirations’ and ‘Bake My Day’. All are in miniature bottles and are one of my favourite collections from the range.

Cracker gift set

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A lovely set full of minis, altogether the set contains a lip balm which is exclusive to this set, a body lotion, shower gel and hand cream. The crackers also come with bad jokes which is genius!

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Travel gift set

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This adorable set contains a full size hand cream, body wash, body cream and a bath lily. There is also a gold tag which has a nice quote on the front and a space on the back to write your details on. I really love this one, mainly as it would be cute seeing people travelling with it!

Gift hamper

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Look how pretty this is!! This is a gorgeous set and the hamper can be used for picnics! This set contains an exclusive cosmetic purse, body wash, body lotion, hand cream, fizz bar and gingerbread bath salts. Really lovely for a Zoella fan and picnic enthusiast!

Zoe’s video

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and are just as excited for Christmas as I am!

Love Soph.