Homeware Haul | Primark & Disney

Another homeware haul.. I know, could I really need anything else for my house? Probably not, but, y'know! Today I made my merry way to Primark and Clintons, Primark homeware is my absolute favourite and a complete bargain, & I hoped that Clintons would have the Beauty and the Beast merch, which luckily they did!

The first thing I picked up is this insanely soft throw from Primark- they actually do a pretty good selection of afford throws, for only £6 I couldn't really not pick this up. It'll look fab in the living room! This was £6.

Again, another purchase for the living room. I plan to pop these on the sofa along with 2 other grey cushions, I'm really liking the blue/yellow thing going on at the moment! These were £3 each.

Ive no idea why but this tropical kinda print was absolutely everywhere in town today, especially in Primark. Not that I really needed it, but I picked up a new makeup bag, I think the print enticed me in more than anything haha. This was £5.

I don't think you can really go wrong with Primark fairy lights, I've still got a set around my bed and they've lasted me a good 2 years now. They're such brilliant quality and I'm obsessed with anything gold/copper at the moment. These were £6.

Completely random purchases I know.. I actually got through the door and was like ay? What have I picked up here haha.. I think these were one of those "oh shit I picked it up but actually kept it in the basket by accident". Heyho, I can make them work! I think i'll probably pop a little flower in the jug and the print in the baby room. The print was £2 & the jug £3.

Oh my the nicest smelling candle ever.. see what I mean about the tropical pattern? Not only does this smell insane but it looks cute too. This was £3.

One of my favourite purchases.. anything disney themed has sold itself to me. I LOVE these pj bottoms, they're really retro and a tight fit which I much prefer! £8 for these bad boys!

Another weird purchase but I loved the colours haha, such a weird looking light that will look fab in the living room, it's one of those that looks super expensive when really it came from Primark for a fiver haha. 

& finally the cutest things I picked up. Thank the lord for Clintons having these, I watched the new Beauty and the Beast film last night and spotted these in the window, again, I love anything disney, but the quotes on these are too cute to leave behind. Don't really need another makeup bag but, we'll brush that aside.. The makeup bag was £8 and the cushion £10.

Soph x

Lush Cosmetics Cup O' Coffee Face Mask Review

 For as long as I can remember I have never, ever, liked drinking coffee. I cannot stand the bitter taste and the smell is just horrible in my opinion! So The fact I've bought a Lush Cosmetics face mask which is coffee scented is a bit weird isn't it.. 

I had a smell of the Cup O' Coffee face mask in the shop and was pleasantly surprised. It doesn't smell as bitter as I expected, I think that's because theres a slight undertone of chocolate which completely tones it down, or at least I think so. This may be because I'm someone who cannot stand the smell of coffee! Don't get me wrong, the scent is still pretty strong, but weirdly, I quite like it. 

Cup O' Coffee is an exfoliating face and body mask, meaning it can be used all over your body giving you the same affect as it would on your face. Due to the coffee scent, which understandably people will have as a drink most mornings to wake them up because of the caffeine, it has the exact same effect on your skin, leaving it hydrated and stimulating it to prepare you for the long day ahead. I use this when I really need it; early mornings seem to work best for me as it honestly does wake me up and gives me that fresh face feeling. 

The face mask contains a wide array of ingredients that exfoliate, hydrate and moisturise your skin, such as Kaolin. Which until now id never heard of. It basically helps to exfoliate your skin, removing dead skin cells from the very top surface of your skin, because of the grainy texture of the face mask you can really feel it working. Vetivert oil also takes an important place in the ingredients as this is the main thing that restores the moisture you may have lost in your skin. Not forgetting the all important Coffee Infusion, Coco Extract, & Vanilla Absolute.

In the morning, I will apply the face mask with a brush as I'm one of those weird people that cannot stand getting my hands dirty; not sure why but we'll go with it. I will leave it on for a good 15-20 minutes whilst I have breakfast, before rubbing it into my face to further exfoliate my skin, before washing it off over the sink. 

I have noticed such a huge difference in my skin, before I started using this I had quite oily but dry skin, annoying because any moisturiser would enhance the oil, and if I didn't use any along comes the dryness. That seems to be no longer a problem, my skin just seems to be instantly rejuvenated. 

Over all I don't think there is anything I don't like about this mask, it smells yummy, it's vegan, and instantly feels like it's working. 

For £6.95 for 150g, £13.50 for 325g, I would say its definitely worth the purchase. 

Love, Soph.

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A Little Homeware Haul - I'm Moving Out!

Finally, after endless hours of searching and low key panicking, Matt & me are due to move into our very first home next month, I honestly couldn't be more excited. So excited that for months now I've been picking up a few homeware bits every now and then. Gradually the collection of bits has grown haha.. so I thought I would share a couple of my favourite things I've picked up with you. 

How bloody cute are these miniature milk bottles?! I absolutely love anything old fashioned or rustic, I bought these about a year ago at a Car Boot Sale and instantly fell in love with them immediately. 
 They come in a little white metal crate which adds to how cute they look, or so I think anyway haha! I'm pretty sure these were the old school milk bottles used back in the day for school children, I love  the little labels on these. Ive used these for milkshakes a fair few times, making sure to keep the label separate so not to ruin it. The plan is to place these on my worktop in my kitchen, I've found keeping my straws in here quite handy. The singular milk bottle to the left was actually purchased from Ikea, I don't think it was any more than £3!

This beautiful frame was a birthday gift from my best friend. Such a thoughtful gift. I plan to put this either in my hall way or living room, and it looks amazing when the light catches it because of the sequins inside. So pretty. 

Again, another gift from my best friend. He knows me very well. There was a stage when I was very obsessed with deers fawns and stags. I think this came from Asda actually, if you've never checked out Asda homeware before definitely do because they have some seriously amazing bits. To give it a pop of colour I've put my floral headband around the antlers, this was unintentional to begin with- but has stayed put because I think it looks a millions times better actually haha. 

Finally, I was searching for aaaages for a sharing bowl with little sections so I can put a drink in the middle, and fruit around the outside. I was browsing B&M a little while back and came across this, it's perfect! The little bottles I talked about to begin with fit perfectly in the centre, I've been putting fruit around the outside but sweets and chocolate would look fab! Especially when you have friends around for a film night.

I am SO exited to move out and get going!

Soph xo

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4 Years of Blogging! | What I've Learned

I genuinely cannot believe I've been writing on this little blog for almost 4 years, I'm seriously impressed I've stuck to it for so long, this usually doesn't happen haha.. But where have those 4 years gone!? It feels like yesterday I posted my first entry on here, I'm pretty sure it was about Longleat, how cute. 

Over the past 4 years I've learned a lot about the blogging world, good and bad, surprisingly when I first started I didn't think there was really anything to know because you make it your own.. however there are so many tips and tricks and do's and dont's, like most things really I suppose! Anyway, this is what I've learned over the years..

1 -  Photography - is really important! 

HOWEVER! When I first started my aim was to get a huge camera that takes amazing photos. When really, you don't need it. Nowadays most phones do a pretty good job, I use my iPhone 6s for my photos, then literally just brighten them up, sharpen, and we're good to go. If you have a 7plus they're even better, that portrait mode though *heart eyes*. I think you can make any picture look decent with good lighting and a good editing tool. Fancy cameras really aren't needed so don't waste your money! Also, I've found making the photos as big as possible really handy for me, theres nothing worse than loving a blog post but having to hold my macbook right up to my face to be able to see the photos properly.. people judge a book by its cover, so bigger brighter photos is key!

2 - Instagram - everyone LOVES it

Literally. I'm one of them. This has been an amazing way to post photos from blog posts, connecting with other bloggers, I've made a lot of friends through IG! It's where I've found people with the same interests as me, it's fab for connecting with like minded people. 

3 - Nastiness - it's definitely out there 

With all of the good unfortunately comes the bad. The internet is an amazing thing but obviously with that you'll get the shitty people who use it to their advantage to leave horrible messages on your posts, or backhanded compliments, I think they're the worst. it's so easy for people to be little bitches now haha! It's awful, a friend had a shitty comment on a photo the other day for no reason what so ever, it's a shame its become so easy to do. But i've learned to shrug it off, I have other priorities, and someone who is so small minded isn't one of them. 

4 - Consistency - it's bloody difficult!

My main aim was to be consistent, that I have not achieved and probably never will do! Don't get me wrong theres never been a time when I've not uploaded for months, but I've wanted to just pack it all in loads of times. Finding the motivation to write posts take photos and upload it is hard, especially when you're still working for a living. But I don't let it get me down because actually, I've kept this up for 4 years now and that in itself is something to be proud of. You don't need to post every single day - never feel like you should. What works for someone else, might not work for you. 

5 - Brands - it's not the be all and end all working with companies, honestly

Don't get me wrong, id be a liar if i said I didn't enjoy being sent products to review and try, that is a perk of doing this, but it isn't the reason why I do what I do. It's fab that I've had brilliant opportunities because of my blog, but actually, blogging is about more than freebies, I think you can really tell when someone is in it just for that because the quality of their posts just isn't great- once you find something you enjoy writing about it becomes much more than just wanting free stuff, and anyway, its much more satisfying writing a post you're really proud of, then writing a post reviewing something because a company wants you do - although, sometimes I've managed to combine these two together, then we really are winning!!

There's just a few things I've picked up on over the last 4 years, i still can't believe it's been that long! Here's to another 4 more..

Soph xo

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It's a Boy!

I had my 20week scan yesterday, whilst there, we discovered we're having a little boy!

we are completely overwhelmed! Not only because this has now made it all real, but because it's a boy! As you probably know, my Granddad died the day before we found out I was pregnant, so to discover we're having a boy literally blew my little mind!

I face timed my dad straight away, who was sunning himself in Dominican Republic, he was pretty over the moon to say the least. A little baby boy!

I cannot wait to finally start buying coloured things haha, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to buy gender neutral- harder than you'd imagine!

But yeah, just a quick little update for you guys, we're so so chuffed!

Soph, xo

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