Paris is always a good idea | Shoapy

Paris is always a good idea; April 2015

 

This Post is extremely overdue and I'm so glad I'm finally getting round to writing it, back in April my family went on holiday and while they were away, me and my nana, both being avid art lovers, headed for an extended weekend break to Paris and its safe to say I was extremely excited, we travelled by Eurostar as we both don't enjoy flying and it was one of the best experiences of my life, there are so many more photos I want to share but I didn't want to make this post too long. However if anyone ever gets the chance to visit this stunning city, grab it! One of my favourite things was the elegance and simplicity of the city, some of the buildings architecture was just amazing and despite the touristy buzz, you really felt like you were in a world of your own. One day we spent the morning sat under Notre dame sketching in a French café and eating sorbet and drinking tea, and that was the best thing, just sitting back, watching from afar and just taking everything in. I definitely see myself going back to Paris, as I'm writing this it's making me miss my visit so  much and I didn't realise how much I enjoyed myself until I've come to write this, it really was a perfect experience and I loved it so much, love S x

 

Its been a while

Happy 2015, I guess I'm a little (5 months late) on that one, but this is my first blog post of 2015 and

I'm so so content that I'm doing a blog post again, seen as my last one was in September last year. I've missed it unreal amounts, the fulfilment of sitting down and writing. I have decided that I'm going to change up my blog and the way I run it including the things I write about. As I mentioned writing is my biggest passion so I wanted to make sure that my blog reflected the things I have an ardent love for. This is just a kind of little introduction, 'welcome back to my blog' type post as I literally haven't posted in so long, I have so many drafts that I have half typed up and some of them I actually really like the idea of so I'll see if I ever get around to posting them or finishing them, but my exam season for AS level is over! wahoooo, sort of! I'm hoping that this summer is not only going to be fun but will also give me an opportunity to get back into writing my blogs as I do miss it,

Sophie x

Oreo brownies, nom.

Hi everyone! so a couple of weeks ago a picture of some Oreo brownies made its way onto my twitter timeline and I was literally drooling. Now im not a huge baker, but I do love baking the odd cake or what not so I saw these brownies and just thought id bake them on a whim. So I googled a recipe and I actually used the bbc good food recipe as this is a great site and here is how they turned out and how you can make them yourself!

 

 

what you'll need:

 

-165g butter

-200g chocolate, finely chopped

-3 eggs

-2 egg yolks

-2 tea spoons vanilla extract

-165g soft light brown sugar

-2 table spoon plain flour

-1 table spoon cocoa powder

-a pinch of salt

-1 pack of Oreos, broken into quarters

-icing sugar, for dusting

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm square baking tin with butter, then line with baking paper with the paper overlapping the sides a little.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Leave to stand for a few minutes, or until the chocolate melts, and then stir together.
3. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl until the eggs begin to get light and fluffy. Add the sugar in two additions, whisking between each. Pour it around the side of the egg mix so as not to knock out the air that has been whisked in. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer. Once the egg mixture is ready, pour the chocolate into it - again around the sides so as not to knock the air out.
4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and a third of the biscuits and stir until fully combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter the remaining biscuits over the top, pressing them in slightly. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25–30 minutes. The middle should be very so slightly gooey. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin - the top will sink and crack a little.
5. Pull the brownies out using the overlapping paper and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar.

hope you enjoyed this type of post it was a bit random haha, you should try these though they are so goooo0ood!

<3

 

 

August Favourites

Hey! okay so somehow august has finished and we are now entering the month of September, its so mental ah. This means that its time for my favourites from the last month, here are some things I have been loving over august!:)

Pecksniff's candle: The first thing I have been loving and using quite a lot is this candle I picked up in tk maxx, ive never heard of 'Pecksniff's' (sounds posh though doesn't it haha). The thing that drew me to it was the smell, it is cherry flower and Tahitian vanilla and holllly crapballs this smells so good! Its coming to my favourite time of the year aka autumn where its the best time to burn candles so I know I'll be using this a lot more!

Avene Eau thermale spring water: this stuff was great in the hot weather ie the few warmish days we had in the uk. This is basically a really refreshing face spray and its a bit like the mac fix+ , but its just such  random thing that you can literally use whenever you want and you feel like you need a spritz of refreshingness (that's totes a word). But yes! this stuff is so so lovely and Im really glad I bought it.:)

Hair expertise argan oil: I think I have mentioned before that I like to try and take care of my hair since I have bleached it (quite a lot oops). So one of the things I love to use are oils, im not talking about olive oil haha. I have used lots of different argan oils etc. in the past but this particular one by hair expertise which I bought in Superdrug for £9.99 is amazing. I use this on wet and dry hair and its such a good way to make my hair have a little bit more liveliness when its dead. I also love to run it through the ends if ive just straightened it as you can imagine it goes pretty dry. I also find it makes my hair look shiner #winner.

By terry ombre blackstar 'frozen quartz': I am so excited to be sharing this as one of my favourites because I have been craving one of these little beauty's for so long. But I purchased this when I had a cheeky little space nk trip and oh my wow. Okay so its basically an eyeshadow stick and im not going to lie, its £28 which is A LOT. But I did make an exception as id heard such amazing things about this! Its so super easy to blend which is one of my favourite things, I chose the shade frozen quartz which is a beautiful shimmery purple kind of colour and I literally have been wearing just this on my lids for the past month! Cheers terry whoever you are!

Elf mineral concealer: This was one of those cheeky little hideaways which I'd had for ages but had completely forgotten about. So I rediscovered this in my makeup draw and really am clueless as to why I didn't use this more. Its a powder concealer which I'd thought wouldn't work for me (dry skin kind of person lol) But I use it on top of a liquid concealer and it is great as it sets the concealer so it doesn't crease under your eyes. I also find it just gives me more coverage and a more flawless look!

Nars sheer glow foundation: This had been on my 'to buy' list for sooooo long and early this month I finally did the deed. I ended up buying a shade called 'Deauville' which is pretty damn pale. but that's one of the things I love. the shade is so accurate! Its hard to find foundations when you're really pale but this is such a good match! The foundation itself is uh-mazing! Its quite a dewy foundation and it gives reasonable coverage, I just find that it makes my skin look nicer than it actually is, if that makes any sense. But yes, definitely one of my best investments.

Grease lightening spot treatment: Ive always been quite drawn to lush skin products as they just seem to be a nice natural alternative etc. But I bought this spot treatment on a bit of a whim, I hadn't really heard much about it but I have really loved this! Its got tea tree and witch hazel in it, which seem to always work. But my skin has been extra 'angry' recently and this has calmed it down a lot. it hasn't really got rid of the spot but it has reduced the redness dramatically so this is a winner!

Skins: im just throwing one last thing in here. But I have recently been obsessed with the TV programme skins. My friends made me watch an episode and we kind of got hooked and watched about 8 episodes in one night. But yeah its a series on Netflix (bye bye social life) that I have started and have been really enjoying. it seems to be a mixture of everything; it addresses teen issues, its funny, its cringey haha. Like literally there are some scenes where I was so glad my parents didn't walk in on! hahah. But it is seriously hilarious and I really recommend it!

so there you have it, the things I have been loving over august! I'd love to here what you've been loving!

Sophie

<3

The best of the body shop

 

Hiiiiiya, sorry for lack of posting I have been very busy but I have so many blog posts to do so yano, there will be a lot more coming your way from me hahah. So The body shop is one of those classic shops which I have always loved, I guess me being one of those sensitive skin types. I just love everything they do and have not yet found a product proving me any different. I would consider it a high-street store although their products are slightly pricier, I am always willing to pay for the amazing quality! I am going to share with you my top 10 products from the body shop including beauty and skincare.

 

1. Baked Blush in 01 : i think I have mentioned this little beauty before but yeah this is definitely one of my favourite body shop makeup products because It is so so natural and great for me because im so pale hah!

 

2. mango lip butter : okay to be honest anything with the word mango in it for me is a winner. its one of my favourite things ever haha! But I especially love these lip butters they have such a lovely consistency and are super moisturising, plus its mango so #winner

 

3. lightening touch : I don't use this as much as I should but I have rediscovered it and have been trying to show it some love recently. But this is a really lovely highlighting concealer and its amazing, it really brightens underneath my eyes which I find sort of contradicts the dark circles and covers them quite well!

4. aloe gentle facial wash : I have used this stuff for so sooooo long its one of my favourite face washes. I don't use this on a daily basis because I read on Caroline Hiron's blog (who is my queen haha) that its bad for your skin layers or something. However when my skin is going through one of those angry spotty phases and is all red and inflamed its just such a great way of calming my skin down and it works wonders!

5. tea tree blemish gel : this has actually run out haha, but I really loved this stuff. as tea tree is really good for blemishes and is a nice natural alternative of fighting them. which is why I love it so much, I don't find that it gets rid of the spot altogether but it does reduce redness drastically so it just feels so much better!

6. almond oil hand and nail cream : so I guess there's not too much you can say about a hand cream but I have to say this is one of my favourites ever! I think the smell in particular is why I love it, I don't even like nuts but this smells sooooo good and obviously is great quality, leaving your hands non sticky which I find a great factor in a hand cream!

7. born lippy in watermelon : yes its another lip balm but I couldn't leave this one out. I love the born lippy range, these ones smell heavenly. I actually have the watermelon one and this is never actually on my lips for more than like 5 minutes because I just constantly lick it off hahah!

8. honey bronzer : I think this is such a highly raved about body shop product, and rightly so! This is amazing for anyone with a fairer complexion, I could use this stuff forever, and will deffo use it a lot as I start college, it just gives such a subtle, glow, I never find I have harsh orange lines at all with this its just so natural!

9. all in one bb cream : this is a really cool product as its a white foamy consistency that when you apply it, it colour matches to your skin tone which I think is pretty cool. I used this a lot this summer but also on those days where you just don't need as much makeup on. it feels so moisturising on the skin while giving you a little bit of coverage.

10. seaweed ionic clay mask : I bought this after watching one of velvetgh0st (gabbys) videos as I am always up for trying new body shop products, so this is my newest body shop 

addition however I really frikking love this already which is why its in my top products list. But yeah this is specifically for oily complexions so I just use it on my t-zone area, but it leaves my skin feeling so lovely and fresh afterwards, definitely worth a try!

 

so there you go, that was a little insight to my love of the body shop and my top 10 products from there, I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know as im always happy to do posts like this for other brands!

 

Sophie

 

<3

My Top five lipglosses

howdy, this is actually pre written as I am currently down in Kent staying with family and I couldn't be bothered lugging my laptop down there haha. So I wanted to do another top 5 post as my top 5 blushes post proved quite popular. I actually think I prefer a good lip gloss than lipstick sometimes, when you find the right one they can be so lovely so I thought id share my top 5 that fit the bill for me, I really shouldn't say that haha:

Rimmel apocalips 'shooting star' (here): I love the rimmel apocalips range and this is definitely my favourite colour from the collection. This is the most gorgeous nude and I love the end result on my lips. These are only about 6 pounds each which is such a great bargain, these are some of the best high street glosses such great value for money!

Dior addict lipgloss ' delice 433' (here): This is such a beautiful lipgloss, definitely one of my most prized because its so damn gorgeous and of course, Dior! This is a coraly-nudey gloss that comes out quite sheer on my lips but still adds a bit of glitter. I love love love wearing this as its so subtle and its on the pricier side at £22 but I think it was worth every penny!

Revlon lipgloss 'peony': holy moly these are amazing, I have a few but I decided that this was a nicer colour. The colour pay off is very similar to the dior lipgloss in that it leaves a sheer coat of gloss that also gives a bit of sparkle. These are amazing, they are non sticky and just have a lovely consistency. Again, on the cheaper side and just another one of my all time faves!

nyx butter gloss 'crème Brule': (here): I went through a period where I wore this literally non stop however it has recently been a bit neglected so I really need to give it the love it deserves hahah! I think I got this as a present but nyx do have a uk site and these are about 6-7 pounds. This is a really thick lipgloss but it isn't sticky at all and its so so lovely, the colour again is perfect and is one of my favouritest nudes. I love wearing this on top of matte lipsticks it looks so pretty:)

bourjois effect 3d gloss rouge democratic (here): I got this free at Christmas because I spent over a certain amount at bourjois. I wasn't really expecting much because it was a freebie but I gave it a go and loveddd it! This shade is a true red gloss shade and comes out on my lips like a sheer red colour. I really really love it and the consistency again is amazing! I think it works with me because Im pale hahah!

<3

Lush Hair Doctor Hair mask Review

bonjour everybody, firstly thank you for 100 followers on bloglovin It makes me happy to know that people read my blog so fankyouuuu!  so as you may or may not know I ombre'd my hair recently and this is incredibly damaging to your hair, so im a huge huge fan of taking good care of my hair so that it is not completely disgusting and dead. I love hair masks in general and moisturising shampoos and conditioners, anything that will benefit my hair really. Whilst in lush, I was eyeing up the hair masks because of this reason exactly and im rubbish at that kind of stuff myself so I asked one of the people in there about which one would be best. I explained my dead dry disgusting hair situation and they recommended this, the hair doctor hair mask:

 

It describes itself on the tub as a hair and scalp mask and says 'if your hair could dial 999 this is who it'd call. Give hair doctor a go- you'll love his bedside manner'.
 

 

So the consistency is a bit odd its kind of like chocolate angel delight haha, but basically I scoop up a small amount and apply it firstly to my tips. This is where I need the most work and I like to lather the stuff on! As the photos show I use my fingers just to run it through. I really really like the consistency of this stuff as it just feels so thick and almost like a face mask for your hair, obviously haha! Also I want to talk about the smell, its hard to describe, it has a sort of camomile smell and smells like the vix stuff you have when you have a blocked nose, but it is soo nice and soothing!

 

 

I also apply the mask to my scalp as it is also a scalp mask, I just sort of massage the product into my scalp as the photo below shows so fabulously, apologies for the awkwardness. I then just use the remainder of the product through the rest of my hair! I leave it in for about 20 minutes, sometimes doing a face mask at the same time, then just wash it out as normal!

 

 

 

To finish off, I really really love this product, I think I payed about £5.99 for it which I think is amazing value. I reckon I will get around 5 uses from it, ive used it twice and I have about 3/4 of the pot left. I have noticed my hair feels so much softer after I wash and dry it! I will keep using this and may repurchase it, hope you enjoyed this post, it was my first review so sorry if it wasn't complied too well haha;)

 

 

<3