I NEED YOUR HELP!!

Yes, it would turn out this post is due to nothing else but desperation! 

I need your help, my skin has gotten so bad recently that I'm in desperate need of a decent cleanser, I've tried a few in the past but this was years ago, with Christmas coming up I don't want to be spending a stupid amount, so do any of you guys have any recommendations? Anything that cleared your skin up pretty sharpish?

Thanks in advance,

Sophxo

Christmas Home Interior.

My usual attempt to decorate my bedroom for Christmas is usually a massive failure, everything falls down, and I get very annoyed so I usually pack it away! However this year my room looks SO good I couldn't not share it with you!

Yes, I finally bought a tree for my room! It's only 3ft but my room isn't the biggest, I also bought the lights to go on it, they were £2 from Asda!! Insane I know! (Also, how amazing is my wrapping paper, I think I'm in love, also from Asda!) 

If you haven't noticed already, I have a slight obsession with fawns, the big fawn in this photo was brown wood originally, but i painted it white to match my dressing table, which I also painted myself! And how cute are my Christmas trees?! They come fully decorated and I think they make my dressing table look so christmassy, these and the fawn were from Casburys Garden Centre, the fawn was £12 and the trees just £2 each.

And finally what I would say is my favourite part of my room, the fairy lights. These usually go on our tree but they didn't match the colour theme this year, how cosy does this picture look? I'm currently led in bed with my tree on, these bad boys on, watching the grinch, and I honestly couldn't feel more Christmassy if I tried!!

How have you decorated for Christmas?! I'd love to see! 

Sophxo

What Makes You Happy?

This isn't my usual blog post, I'm actually going to, for once, talk about my feelings.. Prepare yourselves! Haha.

Ok, so, the title is basically what I want to get out of this post.. What makes you happy? I genuinely would like to know..

So for the past few years my home life has been a bit, rocky? My mum and step dad have been together since for as long as I can remember, when I was 2 if we're being precise! I'm 19 now, and my step dad has decided that he doesn't want to be a family anymore, leave my mum basically. 

There's Mum, Him, Kelly (sister), and my brother, me and Kel live at home with mum and 'him', I'll call him. Long story short.. My mum and me are moving to a new house which we're renting, and my sister is moving with him, I think this is the worst possible situation, split right down the middle..

So, for the last few months I've been trying out different hobbies if you will, to kind of clear my head? I'm literally the most unimaginative person ever, I've been taking a lot more baths to relieve the stress of moving around Christmas time! Walks, talking about my thoughts, but this is literally all I can think of. 

Which is why I'm asking, what makes you happy, what do you do when you're stressed, worried or anxious? Ive been finding myself having what I'm sure is panic attacks, not often, but when it does happen I'm left worrying about it for weeks. Ive only ever had two, and they've not been at all near each other, but I don't know how to calm myself down about this either? I've never really been in this position so I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself haha!

I'm not looking for your sympathy at all, and im writing this as you guys seem to have a lot of valuable knowledge, more so than a lot of people I know would have! 

Bit of a strange post today, but thanks in advance! 

Sophxo

It's Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas!

I don't know about you, but this time of year is my absolute favourite!

For some reason I much prefer the build up to Christmas than the actual Day, seeing all the pretty lights in my local village, going to Christmas Markets, and wrapping up warm!

So for this post I've decided to share a few photos of the past week, I went to Bath Christmas Market with my sister and best friend, enjoy! :) 

Sophxo

The Disney Tag!

I am completely obsessed with Disney Films, so I thought this tag would be quite fun to do! And hopefully you'll get to know me a little better maybe?!

Snow White - Do you consider yourself beautiful?  

Not at all! Does anyone really consider themselves beautiful? I tend to focus more on my flaws, it's a sad reality 

 
Sleeping Beauty - How many hours do you sleep at night? 
About 8 hours

Cinderella - Do you have a curfew?

 Nope! I'm 19 so I tend to do as I please haha!

Rapunzel - Do you love being outside? 

Yes! I work in a Forest School nursery, (a nursery which is based around learning through/in the outdoor environment) which only increases my love for it!

Red Riding Hood - Do you trust strangers easily? 

Um, I guess I do, unless they give me a reason not to. But I can also be very wary of people too.. I don't know!

 
The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids - Are you easily fooled? 

Unfortunately!

Beauty and the Beast - What makes someone beautiful in your eyes? 

How they treat others.

The Little Mermaid - What would you sacrifice for love? 

I'm not sure, maybe my hometown or where I currently live?

The Frog Prince - What do you find disgusting? 

Warm sugary doughnuts, cooked fruit, mushrooms, onions, 

Jack and the Beanstalk - Do you have any plants?

I have a plant which work bought for me, no idea what it is though!

Puss in Boots - Do you have pets? If not, do you want them? 

I dooo! A cocker spaniel, we used to have pet monkeys believe it or not! They lived in an avery in our garden

Bluebeard - What is your weak point? 

Yankee Candles! And the adorable things the children say at work, so cute!

 
Pinocchio - What is your biggest wish? 

To be comfortable, in a good job, and happy.

 
Peter Pan - What is your mental age? 

I like to think I act slot older than 19, however I'm a big kid so I'd say about 6-7!

The Star Money - What is your most valuable possession? 

My aunties cross necklace, very sentimental

Gold Mary & Pitch Mary - Are you a hard worker or a lazy one? 

If I'm passionate about what I'm doing, I'm a hard worker!

The Snow Queen - Who is your best friend? 

Kelly

The Princess and the Pea - Are you sensitive?

Quite!

Godfather Death - What qualities make a good parent? 

Being caring, loving, forgiving, patient, 

 
The Twelve Dancing Princesses / The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes - Do you like parties? 

I feel this picture answers this question 

The Emperor's New Clothes - Do you care a lot about your clothing? 

D you know what, no I don't. I mean I want to look decent, but I'm not fussed where it's from! 

The Brave Little Tailor - Do you consider yourself brave? 

Not at all I'm such a wimp!

I love reading through tags, so if you have the time please do fill out this one and let me know! I love reading everyone's different answers, I genuinely find it really interesting! 

Soohxo

Yankee Candle Collection

Oh hiiiiiii!

These upcoming candles are a few of many, the ones I like to keep out because they are either my favourites, or they look nice in certain rooms, the rest are in the attic as I'm hoping to move house soon! Anyway, to make things a bit easier I'll include the description from Yankee Candle for each one, and also my personal opinion! 

1) Lake Sunset 

"The serene beauty of the Suns golden Rays as they dip into still blue waters, calling mind to the musky descent of nightfall" - Yankee Candle.

This was one of the first candles I ever bought, and it's one of my all time favourites. To me it's a very sweet scent, (I'm awful with smells so bear with me), it's very refreshing and almost reminds me of a sweet washing powder, this is the hardest to describe as it's not really a distinct smell, however it's amazing, and the scent throw is amazing too!

2) Mandarin Cranberry

"Bursting with the vibrant, fruity sensation of sweet, sunny oranges, and crisp tangy cranberries" - Yankee Candle.

This candle is so so strong! And I love the combination, personally I don't like pure cranberry scents but the mix with the Orange is so nice! I think the Orange is slightly stronger than the cranberry so I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like Orange scents, it's very sweet, and makes your whole house smell amazing! 

3) Vanilla Cupcake

"The rich, creamy aroma of vanilla cupcakes with hints of lemon and lots of buttery icing" - Yankee Candle.

Ok, so, I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this one, it does have an amazing scent throw, and it does smell amazing, however when I lit mine it smelt different to what I expected, I didn't smell any lemon, and it almost had a burnt smell to it, I expected a strong vanilla scent, hence the name, however all I got was a cakey smell. I do like it, but it's definitely not a favourite!

4) Cranberry Pear

"A positively delectable Union of sweet and tart.. Fresh orchard pears drizzled with decadent cranberry syrup" - Yankee Candle.

Oh, my. This is my current favourite. It is AMAZING! firstly, the picture is so nice, they got it spot on, this is what firstly drew me in, secondly, the scent throw is amazing, I could smell this around my whole house, and thirdly, I've never smelt a scent like this before, the pear and cranberry combination was a very clever move, very autumnal, and it reminds me of Halloween! It's very sweet, it reminds me of sweeties in the fall! :) I love the cranberry in this scent, not too strong, and it really compliments the sweet pear. 

5) Summer Scoop

"Delicious memories of creamy, homemade strawberry ice cream on a hot summer day. One scoop or two?" - Yankee Candle.

This literally smells like someone has taken red berries, mushed them together and put them into an ice cream. It's insane! Yet to burn, so will update when I do!

6) Snowflake Cookie

"A new Christmas tradition that is sure to charm, perfectly pretty holiday cookies, deliciously decorated with sugary pink icing" - Yankee Candle.

Again, the picture on the front, how pretty is it?! I cannot stress enough how good this smells, it's a lot sweeter than Vanilla Cupcake, as this focuses more on the sweet icing rather than the cookie/cake itself, which I prefer! Again, yet to burn but will update when I do.

7) Christmas Rose

"Christmas memories bloom in the authentic perfume of delicate rose petals with a hint of pine" - Yankee Candle.

I'm not going to lie, I cannot stand this one. To me it just smells like your everyday rose, I hate the smell of roses, and this is very strong. I'm not a fan of flower scents, but this has to be my worst nightmare, I think I'll be giving this one away, definitely not one for me! (This was a gift)

8) Waikiki Melon

"Aloha! Wake up to the sunny, sweet glow of exotic, juicy melons with a touch of sweet Orange oil" - Yankee Candle.

I didn't actually think I would like this, but surprisingly I do! To eat, I don't actually like melon, which is why I thought I'd hate it, however because I can get a hint of Orange in it, it draws my attention from the melon scent, or to me makes it seem less strong! The melon and Orange together is a yummy combination, and the scent throw is very strong. 

Yankee Candles in general are my favourite brand of candle, I won't purchase any other. They last an awfully long time, and I recommend everyone buys at least one to try out, you will be hooked!

I'd love to know what your favourites are, as if I need anymore haha! 

Sophxo

Being Happy

Recent events have really put things into perspective. 

something I never thought I'd say, I'm the type of person who is always happy go lucky, never affected by things, just keeps going, and has the "shit happens" attitude. However, I've actually been quite unhappy recently, for the first time in ages I've let things get me down, and I honestly am quite glad. I've been rushed off my feet, had an awful cold, trooping on at work, dealing with the stress (if any) at work, coming home to an awful atmosphere, so I just sat and cried. I can honestly say I am glad.

Being 'sad' every once in a while is actually ok, something I'd never realised until now. It puts things into perspective. Makes you realise the good in things, how good life can be, and the importance of happiness.

My job, which involves caring for children, was a good opportunity for me to think about my own life, let me explain.. I sat for a while and just watched the children play, the way they laughed and smiled. They were engaged in their own enjoyment and that was something which  caught my attention. We all think children's lives are stress free, "what I'd do to be a child, it's a hard life being two!!" We joke. When in fact, from a child's point of view, they do have worries, stress, fears, and bad days. We all have good days, sometimes bad, but children just get on with it, they fall down, they get right back up. Which is the attitude I needed, I have a shit day, I reflect on it, and get right back up with a smile the next day.

Being happy to me is now something I don't take for granted. 

It's ok to be sad sometimes. 

I'm not sure why I'm telling you this.. I just don't want you to forget I guess..

Sophxo

Up Cycling!

Oh hiiiii!

Recently I'd came across the idea of cycling, up cycling is basically taking something old and turning it into something new, and hopefully better! Myself and my mum plan to move house soon and I'm changing my room completely, ive decided to go for a white theme, and to add colour I can add things such as candles, photos, a bright duvet etc. 

So instead of buying new furniture, I thought I'd give up cycling a go! I took my old brown dressing table, which don't get me wrong for the colour theme I have already, it went with the room, but I wanted it pure white. With my dad being a builder he already had all the things I needed to do the job properly, I needed:

- Sand Paper

- Paint Sheets (to protect the floor)

- A Primer

- White Paint (gloss in my case)

- Screwdriver (to remove handles)

Im so pleased with how it turnt out, it looks modern but with a slight vintage look, I love it! And for my first up cycling project, I think I did quite good!

Sophxo

Coronation Street Tour!

Oh hiiiii!

I won't write much about this, the pictures explain everything I could possibly say, although I will say I had an AMAZING time, and if you don't watch or know about corrie you won't understand this.. Ever so sorry! 

XOX

Autumn/Winter Nailvarnish!

Oh hiiiii!

So with payday being the Friday just gone, myself and my sister decided to take a trip into Bath to have a mooch around Primark, Newlook & Holister, and to also spend way too much money in Boots! That reminds me, make sure you pop in Boots soon as Rimmel foundation is 2 for £10! Not sure how long this will last for so head down as soon as! 

Anyway, if you know me well enough you'll know I can't go into Boots or Superdrug without buying nailvarnish, I don't know why but if I don't buy any I feel like my days shopping was a bit pointless? How strange! Here are the four I picked up;

From left to right, Raspberry, Red Wine, Watermelon, and a Topcoat/Basecoat/NailHardener.

I absolutely LOVE these colours, I much prefer darker colours, as I find brights are sometimes too bright as I'm quite tanned. 

My favourite out of the 3 colours has to be Red Wine, it's basically a dark vampy red, it's gorgeous! I'm a bit disappointed it isn't part of the Gelly collection though, I think these polishes have the best quality. However I have it on my nails now and I'm still pretty impressed with how shiny it is, and how long it's lasted! You will definitely need a basecoat though, even with one coat the colour is quite opaque so you can imagine how much this would stain your natural nails! 

Left to right, Red Wine, Raspberry, Watermelon. 

I won't talk about all 3 polishes individually, as I think they're all great and the colour payoff with one coat is amazing with all of them. 

I am so so soooo excited for winter this year! 

Let me know if you find any gorgeous darker colours you would recommend, even from other brands, as I'm always willing to buy more! (Even if my bank account doesn't think so) 

Sophxo

Instagram!

Oh hiiiiii!

For this weeks blog post, I was planning on sharing a few pictures with you which basically show you what I've been up to recently, but instead I thought, why don't I just show you pictures from my instagram? I am obsessed with Instagram, I upload near enough every other day, and I'm always liking everyone's pictures! 

So here a few of my favourites, I took these myself! 

My instagram is: soph_cullen 

Follow me if you fancy it! :) no doubt I will spam you with likes haha! 

Thanks for reading guys! 

Sophxo

Life Update!

Oh hiiiii!

Just a quick update for you today, my life over the past few months through pictures! 

Steam Fair 2014.

My best friend and sister, we went clubbing in Bristol:) 

New tattoo

I finally finished my bedroom!

I visited New Forest, and basically relived my childhood

And finally.. I got very drunk by the looks of things🙈

Sophxo