Oops!

I think we all knew this post was going to come. I failed at BEDA. Surprise Surprise! However, it has completely motivated me into a weekly schedule. The daily thing was just too much and along with having ridiculously busy days, I just didn't find the time to write or post!

I can't decide whether to attempt for a blogpost & video every week (one different days, obvs) or to alternate with a video one week and a blogpost the next. Your opinions would be much appreciated pls. 

Hopefully see you next week! 

London In Photos

Today I went to London with 2 of my friends, Emily & Megan, to celebrate Emily's birthday. We had a pree fab day, doing the Topshop personal shopper! It was great fun and I spent too much money. We went to Bill's in Covent Garden for lunch, which is difficult to find but well worth the adventure. It wasn't ridiculously priced and the food was delicious! The decor was also lovely. Here are some photos I took throughout the day (I didn't take many because we were in a rush all day...)

Not London but there was a pretty sunset last night. 

Today...

I travelled home from Spain and I am tired and I wrote this once we landed. I am very excited to go and see my little puppies again (not an innuendo) 

I hope this reaches you before midnight because I don't want to fail at BEDA. 

Here are some piccys from the plane xoxo 

#wow #photographer #ihatethispost

OOTD/Evening

It's one of our last nights in Spain (at the time of posting its actually our last night *sigh*) so we decided to head into the closest village to us, Sucina, where they are hosting a small festival. This is what I wore, again soz for the photo quality. From now onwards it should improve! 

My full outfit is all from New Look, apart from the shoes which I believe are from Tesco. I'm not sure of prices BUT I uploaded a haul on my YouTube channel when I got them in the first place so if you wanted to watch that you can here.

Le top. It's comfy and not too thick, so perfect for hot weather! It's hotter in Spain over night than it is during the day I'm England, lolllllll.

It's a midi skirt, with two small slits at the bottom. It has an elasticated black waistband which I tuck my top under. It's pretty and floaty and I like.

The full outfit including the helpful wind blowing the skirt to demonstrate full floatyness. 

I paired this outfit with the make up that I bought the other day (plus a few other bits that I bought along from home - a very similar look to the one from Wednesday) 

- Sophie x

My Love For Catchphrase

A short and sweet post today about my bizarre love for a TV show. My close family and friends know that my current life plan is to apply for this show the moment I turn 18. Catchphrase is on ITV (or reruns on Challenge) and the newer episodes are presented by Stephen Mulhern whilst the old ones are by Roy Walker. I have to admit, Stephen Mulhern makes the show for me.

I don't like to blow my own trumpet, but I am very good at Catchphrase. I don't get the odd few but I get most in an episode and I think that makes it all the more enjoyable for me.

I would recommend Catchphrase the TV show or the board game thoroughly and I hope you watch me on it in 2 years. 

- Sophie x

Spain Haul

As you probably know I'm in Spain at the moment. Today we went to La Zenia, a shopping mall near our apartment. Most of the shops I went in are English but hey ho. Here's what I bought! I'd like to again apologise about the state of the photos, as the month progresses so will the photo quality!

The first shop I went into was Pull & Bear. As soon as I walked in I spotted these trousers and had to have them! They were €15.99 which translates to £11.26, which I thought was perfectly reasonable. They are super comfy and have a very pretty pattern. 

I then picked up this top, which was €19.98 or £14.09, slightly pricier but still lovely. My mum adored this and wouldn't let me leave without it so it ended up in the basket! It's comfy and floaty so will be good in either winter, with a jacket, or summer. Excuse the PJ shorts.

My ever the fashion aware mother then also spotted this bralet, claiming it to be a wardrobe staple. It was €9.99, £7.04, and made of really soft material. It is twisty which I don't know if the picture fully picks up, so it takes about 20 minutes to get into. Soz about twisty straps and dodgy tan line. 

I then spotted a make up shop, named Super Perfumia, which stocked a lot of English brands. I had my eye set on the L'Oreal Infallible 24h Foundation to purchase as soon as I got home, so when I saw it here I couldn't resist! It was €10.46, which is £7.38, so cheaper than anywhere in England! I got it in the colour 260, Golden Sun, to match with my tan. It is really pigmented and blends super well - I'm sure it'll end up in my monthly favourites! 

I also had a gander at the lipstick selection and settled with another L'Oreal product. It's of the Colour Riche rehydrating set and in the colour 136, Flamingo Elegance. It's the perfect summer colour! It is on the higher end of the price scale, for me anyway, at the same price as the foundation. It's super pigmented and stays on the lips for ages though, which suggests it's worth the money! 

this is all I bought as I didn't want to spend a fortune because I have my eyes set on lots of bits back home! See you tomorrow...

- Sophie x

Great British Bake Off - First Thoughts!

If you know me at all, or follow me on Twitter (@textbookloser) you will know how intense my love is for GBBO. That's Great British Bake Off to you whom don't know. This love is so strong that a year later I am still supporting my favourite contenstant from last year, Richard Burr, who's book is due to be released on August 27th named BIY - a read I am very very much looking forward to! Yesterday marked one of my favourite days of the year; the first episode of Great British Bake Off - here are my first thoughts.

Bake Off begins on cake week, one of my favourite weeks! In the first round; in which the challenge was to bake a Madeira cake, Flora, the youngest contestant this year at 19 made the mistake of not turning her oven on - the first error of the Bake Off! Many innuendos were 'cracked' regarding the signature Madeira Crack, including Ugne "looking for a crack!" in her oven. 

My favourite from the signature bake comes from anaesthetist Tamal. He used his syringe skills to inject lemon drizzle to the inside of his cake. But as there's no taste TV, obvs, it was the exterior that got me. IT'S JUST SO PRETTY. It was said to be an "amazing bake!" so probably tasted pretty good too. 

Next was the technical, in which the bakers were tasked with Mary Berry's walnut cake. A recipe with caramel would have caused me disaster, but then again pretty much any recipe gives me disaster... Ugne excelled in this, with a great cake and some extra sugar work on top; subtly showing off some of her extra skills. Stu,again, had a bit of a meltdown which ended in a singular caramel walnut being presented on his cake. However Nadiya did not precisely follow Mary's instruction, an amateur error, so didn't realise you had to put the meringue round the entire cake resulting in her bringing up the rear end. 

The show stopper was an oldie but a goodie, Black Forest Gateau. The show stopper is always my favourite round because it gives the bakers a real chance to shine. Stu tried to be out there, with a beetroot cake, but unfortunately this didn't pay off as it was commented to have "the texture of a raw sponge." 

Dorret exclaimed "This is the perfect bake for me!" I think she spoke too soon. My heart dropped for her as she removed her cake from the fridge, almost replicating last year's Alaska Gate - oh the memories. 

Not a pleasant looking cake, and also according to Paul "tasted of rubber." Luckily, she had been quite consistently good up until this point. 

Ugne had a very clever way of creating some cups and saucers, blowing up balloons then dipping them in perfectly melted chocolate which were then left to set before the balloons were popped and the chocolate was wonderfully shaped! However, her cake was marked "not good" by Paul, oh dear. 

Marie was crowned the first star baker. She managed not to cave in to the pressures of the tent and kept a steady hand throughout. Well done Marie! 

I'd already found out the basics about the contestants before watching, so had a favourite and his name was Stu. This was based on absolutely no baking skills but a summary of them as a person. It turns out I made the wrong choice! Stu didn't have a great episode, obviously the pressures of not being in the comforts of his kitchen got to him and it ended up with him being the first to leave. Bye Stu :(

- Sophie x

OOTD - Beach Day!

I'm in Spain at the moment so, of course, have spent a couple of days at the beach! 

This is my favourite beach nearby named Lo Pagan as it has a restaurant/café that sells lovely fresh food, my favourites are the lasagne or chicken salad if you were wondering (you weren't.) This is what I wore for that day! 

I'd just like to apologise for the poor picture quality, these were all taken subtly on my IPhone 6 so let's just forget about that. Thanks. 

The crop top I am wearing is from Monki, a new favourite of mine. I believe it was £8. The quality of the top isn't fantastic, but it's perfect for a beach day. It's thin and floaty so you don't get hot and sticky! 

The shorts are from Republic. I bought them about 2 years ago so I'm not sure if you'll still be able to get them, soz. They are rather comfy and slightly baggy. However, they do have a thick brown belt (which you can't see in the photo) which was a bit annoying in the heat.

I finished off the outfit with a nice Hawaiian necklace, this was just to cover up the sunburn that my top didn't reach. I also wore sunglasses from River Island and flip flops from Tesco. Stylish.

- Sophie x

Holiday Make-Up

When I'm on holiday, especially in a hot country, I can't stand wearing make up. You get all sweaty and it slides down your face making you even more unattractive than you would be with no make up on. We went out for a quiz night and meal in the evening so I decided to touch up my face. I'll now talk you through the make up because I know that is really interesting.

I first used Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer to cover up any blemishes/extreme sunburn. I blended this in with my finger as it warms up the concealer so it looks more natural. Plus I didn't have any luggage room for brushes ...

I then put lip balm on, this is an important step in my make up routine as it keeps my lips moisturised after being out in the sun all day. I used the EOS lip balm in strawberry cheesecake. 

I moved swiftly on to my brows. Using the Anastasia Brow Wiz, I spoolied (is that a word?) and filled them in; careful not to go too over the top as this is quite a bare faced look.

Next I did my eyes! I didn't bring any eyeshadow so I just used a Kohl Pencil Liner in my water line and to tight line. I then curled my eyelashes and used Benefit's They're Real mascara to lengthen the lashes. 

I went over my lip balm with my favourite Lipstick, Primark's Whisper. So high end. 

- Sophie x

Top Travelling Tips!

So at the time of writing, I am on a flight to Spain! I have just finished a salmon and prawn sushi rice salad (from Boots, more on that later) and am currently watching frozen whilst doing some 'adult' colouring. I travel in style, what can I say. I'm quite an avid traveller if I do say so myself so I thought I would share some of my top tips.

1. TRAVEL COMFY. 

This is the most important tip in my opinion. No one cares about what you look like in the airport, if you are wearing a bodycon dress and heels nobody is going to judge you any more than if you were wearing your favourite tracksuit and Uggboots. You may as well wear something that is light and won't dig into you at every available opportunity. I love to travel in leggings, an oversized top and a hoodie. I wear whichever shoes are the biggest to save room in my case - you have to be smart when travelling! 

2. Come prepared

I like to bring a lot to do on the plane, even if it is only a 2 hour journey. I find my attention span to be quite short whilst flying so I like to have some variation. In my hand luggage currently I have a book; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, an adult colouring book and pens, headphones and an available offline Spotify playlist, my 2 camera's (not to use on the plane, just to make sure they don't get broken in the hold), 5 books downloaded on my phone, my iPad with lots of games & apps and my friend's iPad with Frozen downloaded! 

3. Bring your own food

I, or my mother, make sure that we go to Boots or WH Smith and grab a meal deal before boarding. You're already through security so there's no problem with carrying any extra weight and it makes for a much more enjoyable experience on board. Unless you fly business class, no one likes plane food. Bringing a Boots meal deal which you can choose (I had sushi salad, prawn cocktail spirals and cloudy lemonade) means that you know there will be something that isn't soggy and smells of weird for you to eat - much nicer! I also like to bring along a few sweets such as Eclair's or Haribo especially to suck on whilst taking off. 

I know these may seem pretty obvious but I thought they were important soooo... Hope you enjoyed reading this, see you again tomorrow hopefully! 

- Sophie x

My Favourite Summer Songs

Hi, again. This post contains my favourite summer bangers!

1. Brazil - Declan McKenna.

Declan McKenna is a little cherub and Brazil is a true summer tune. It's very catchy and can be played in the background whilst you spend time with your family or blasted full volume whilst you dance around your bedroom like a professional interpretative dancer. 

2. Someone New - Hozier.

Hozier is a truly fantastic artist and Someone New does not disappoint. Again, it is catchy and just makes me want to dance! 

3. Under The Sea - The Little Mermaid.

The Disney loser in me is coming out, soz not soz. I love the melody (I have no idea if that's the right word) to this song and it makes me happy whenever I listen to it, which is exactly how I want to feel for summer. I literally just lay and danced to this on a sunbed, that's how happy it makes me. 

4. Fairytales & Firesides - Passenger.

This is such a beautiful, relaxing song. I could listen to Passenger all day everyday but this is one of my favourites of his. 

5. Banana Pancackes - Jack Johnson.

I have genuinely loved this song since about 2012. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

6. Cheerleader - OMI.

I know it's shit okay. It just makes me feel happy and summery and I CAN'T HELP BUT LOVE IT. 

7. Black Flies - Ben Howard.

Again, I love Ben Howard and this is my favourite of his. It makes me feel chilled and gives off perfect summer vibes. 

8. Everyone is Gay - A Great Big World.

The title says more than I can. 

9. Hold Back The River - James Bay.

My love for James Bay is at an all time high. This is a song to sing at the top of your voice to. Which I do. Whenever I listen to it. Which is a lot.

10. Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars.

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THIS SONG. 

I know this is a bit of a hodgepodge of songs but honestly that just describes my music taste! If you have any ideas for music that you think I would like then feel free to let me know in the comments! Also if you listen to any of these songs on my recommendation - and like them - let me know! 

- Sophie x

BEDA!

Hi hello,

So yes I may have been a little bit absent recently; oops. It always happens so you may aswell expect it from me and not get disappointed (not that you would. tbh I think I'm just writing this to myself). But this is all about to change with - BEDA. What is BEDA you may, or may not, be asking? Blog Every Day [in] August. Yup, you heard it here first folks. I will be - trying - to post a blogpost everyday in August.

As you may already be able to tell I sort of have commitment issues but the main problem is I am very fussy with my posts and don't want to post anything that isn't of very good standard; for my little blog anyhow. BEDA is a way for me to just create. My love for writing is blossoming, especially with me wanting to base my entire degree around writing/English. I have more motivation to succeed (at life!) than I ever have before so I figure I may aswell put some effort into this. The posts may not all be fantastic, they may not all make sense but I am going to try and I am going to be creating and that is all that matters to me!

I hope you're excited to follow me along this journey and see if I actually do post everyday, who knows! August is set to be a VERY exciting month for me so I hope these posts reflect that!

- Sophie x