Monday, 1 August 2016

[My summer footwear]


This year I had to literally purchase a whole new summer wardrobe for Menorca and not to mention, the shoe department was lacking massively! I am not a huge fan of spending a huge amount of money and damaging the bank account when it comes to summer footwear, as firstly, we never have the weather in England to pull designer sandals off and secondly, why overspend when you can buy good quality at the fraction of the price?





Topshop Mules:

These are the only pair out of this collection of which I didn't buy this year and unfortunately, are now not available to still purchase (similar linked below). Retailing at around the £40 mark, I didn't find these little beauty's at too bad of a price to splash out on. Mules are very in this season, a must for your Summer capsule collection, and I have a feeling they're going to be hanging around for a long while to come. I do not own a nude pair of shoes but trust me when I say, they can be worn with anything and I'll definitely be purchasing similar styles and pallet range in the future! Although, warning, NOT VERY COMFY. Plasters are very much needed.

Primark Sliders:

Sliders are much like marmite, you either love them or hate them. To begin with, I wasn't a huge fan but now, I want more, more, more! These were only £3, YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT, ONLY £3, talk about saving money. Primark's a difficult one, as products vary from store to store, although sliders are e v e r y w h e r e, so it shouldn't be hard to find similar elsewhere,but sadly at a higher end price. So,definitely check out your local Primark first! I wish I had picked these up in the black and tan option too:( Super comfy and simple to style.



Newlook Wedges:

If these don't scream 'holiday' to you, then I'm not quite sure what will. I am yet to wear these, so I am sceptical about how many toes I will have remaining after this holiday, haha. Although, they look totally worth the pain, right? Due to my height (5ft 7"), I do not want to be towering over everyone in 6" heels, so these are perfect for me, coming in at only 3.5" or there about. These are more to style in the evening time and pricing at only £19.99, you can't go wrong.




Converse lowtops:

I am partial to a bit of trainer action and on holiday, who doesn't want to feel comfortable? My other trainers are super chunky, so these are the perfect choice for the suitcase or for plane attire. Can you see a white trend happening here? I'm currently a little obsessed with white, if you can't already tell. An accident waiting to happen. 

H&M fringed sandals:

Many of you know, I am currently working at H&M, and with a mighty 25% discount, I was hoping to gather as much for my holiday attire as possible from work, although was left a little disappointed  at their current stock. Although, these fringed beauts caught my eye from a mile off! Fringing is always in, pretty much every season and a tan pallet was yet to be seen in my shoedrobe, so obviously I just couldn't resist these. These can be dressed up or down, so versatile for the price tag of just £12.99


To see these shoes styled up keep a look out for future posts! 

With love , Soph X 

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

The seven essentials to become happier

We all have our dark days and bad weeks from time to time, trust us, we've all been there and unfortunately it's all part of growing up, becoming older and of course, wiser. But what exactly can we do to overcome those bad days and become happier, more positive people? I have teamed together my top tips, of which help me on day to day basis and hopefully they will assist you on helping you become an overall happier person with a brighter outlook of life and with our fingers crossed, together we can be on our way to beat those 'down days' for good.





Listen to music

Sticking our earphones in, blocking out the world with our favourite, most uplifting and motivational songs can really help improve your mood. It can transform you into a world of your own, erasing the bad memories of a terrible day,oh which you'd much rather forget.

How it helps me; I listen to music as much as I can throughout the day, mainly on the bus, whilst I am walking or just before bed. It massively contributes to how my mood changes, sometimes if I've had a bad day at college, listening to music on the way home instantly becomes a mood changer and by the time I get through my front door my rubbish day is no longer at the forefront of my mind as it helps take my mind off everything for a short while and concentrate on the more positive things, after-all tomorrow is a new day.

My uplifting playlist: (Well a few)
{some are very cliche, I know}
   
  • Drake - One dance
  • Blonde - All cried out
  • Coldplay -Hymn For The Weekend
  • The Saturdays - Ego
  • Beyonce - Countdown
  • The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
  • Sia - Cheap Thills
  • Dua Lipa - Hotter Than Hell


Write it down



Writing your thoughts or feelings down can feel as though a slight weight has been lifted off of your shoulders. Not everyone can be open with their family members or friends, so writing down exactly how you feel can give a sense of 'telling someone', making it easier to congest why today or this week wasn't a good one and how you can ensure that tomorrow is a great one.

How it helps me; I don't tend to write down my feelings down at this present time, although at school keeping a diary about dealing with GCSE stress did help me out a lot. I prefer to discuss how I feel with either Alexandra, my boyfriend or my stepdad as i find these people the easiest to talk too, it's all down to preference, some people feel more comfortable with just writing it down, although it's always reassuring to discuss a problem or concern with somebody close to you as well.


Get rid of negative people

Shutting out people is extremely difficult and challenging, whatever you age or current situation may be, it's never nice to loose people that you were once close too or had created a special bond with, but honestly, sometimes it is for the best. Surrounding yourself with negative people, who may constantly try to bring you down is never a good idea and it will reach a point of enough is enough.

How it helps me; As my last year of high school was nearing to an end, for me it was a prime opportunity to escape negative people and slowly drift away from them without causing any problems or awkwardness. High school is always a difficult time, people change and unfortunately not always in a positive way. I was ALWAYS a forgiving person no matter what the issue may of been and leaving year 11 would be the turning point for myself and the chance to keep in touch with only the people who would be good for me and who I'd benefit from. There's most definitely a certain way to approach this situation to avoid causing any upset or being horrible and honestly is always key. Addressing the problem with a friend or work colleague etc. is always a good starting point, if they take everything on-board, that's perfect and if not, you can cope without them.

Look good,Feel good

There's no better feeling than getting complimented unexpectedly or walking around feeling damn hot and usually, for us ladies it's all about the clothes, the face and the hair. Putting on your favourite outfit, feeling utterly pampered or simply, getting a fresh cut can leave us all feeling better about ourselves. Looking good certainly makes us feel good and feeling good is the key to a great day.

How it helps me; All of us have varied opinions on how we can look our best, for me I'm most confident when my eyebows are done to perfection, disappointing brows = disappointing day. How I dress is a huge confidence boost for myself, when I'm dressed in my favourite pieces I'm instantly more happy and positive about how I feel for that day. Sometimes, there will be days where I chop and change my outift three or four times, I'd never even attempt to leave my house if I didn't feel comfortable in what I was wearing or how I looked.

Plan,Plan,Plan

Who doesn't love planning days out or trips with the people who mean the most? Whether it's a year or a month in advance it's always great to be looking forward to one thing or another. Not only is it a great way to get together with family member you don't usually see or long lost friends, it's also the perfect opportunity to take your mind off things you'd rather forget about, whether that be college/school/work etc.

How it helps me; I've got to be honest, I'm a little lazy nor creative when it comes to organising plans for a day out and sometimes I'd rather enjoy a day spent in bed with a cup of tea...although I have now realised, I need to get back into being more outgoing rather than wasting my life away under my duvet. I've made a promise to myself that as soon as I turn 18, I shall venture out more but until then, I  probably with just waste away in my bed, oops.

Find A New Hobby or Interest

Finding a new hobby or interest is something we should do often, it's a prime opportunity to meet people and find something new about yourself, maybe a sport you never even knew you were good at. Many people thing this has to be sport based, but that isn't the case at all, maybe a art class would tickle your fancy or a new found love of historic monuments. It can literally be anything. It keeps things interesting, can take you out of your comfort zone, keep your mind off things and build confidence, what's not to love.

How it helps me; I'm not particularly in to participating in any type of sport, so anything sporty based is a huge no go for me as P.E at school was literally my worst nightmare. It's taken me a while to find something I enjoy and stick to for longer than two weeks but blogging is finally something I enjoy and it's non-physical, which is the perfect hobby for me. Blogging is the perfect way to meet various types of people and to bring me out of my comfort zone, not only that but fashion and beauty is a huge passion of mine and what better way than to share that with you all.

And Smile...

Smiling is the easiest tip of them all, it's the biggest and most essential tip on how to be a happier person. No
matter how rubbish and down you feel on the inside,smile and eventually the happiness part will begin to follow naturally. 

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

~Saving the pennies~

Who else is with me when I say, money equals worry? Is money constantly playing on your mind? Same and it's the WORST. Since leaving college last month, I've been trying to fit more hours in at work, however, nothing seems to compensate all spending I do and after all, every little helps. So what else can we do to save our pennies and up our 'only spend what we need' game in time for summer? 



Shop around

If you're similar to me and fall head over heels for a wardrobe piece and you can't get it out of your head until you've ruined your bank account, then you're doing it all wrong. Browsing is key. You may find a very similar item or a fantastic dupe elsewhere for a quarter of the price. You can download shopping apps including 'Mallzee', of which you can browse similar items all in the same place. So, snap out of that 'love at first sight' mode and get to it.


Bring lunch

Lunch is my favourite time of day, actually scrap that, food in general is my favourite time of the day, and yes, majority of my money is thrown away on take aways and eating out. It actually saddens me to think about how much money I've spent over the past few months on food, sigh. This is 1000000% the area I need to work on the most when it comes to saving and the only way I can *just about* manage to resist buying food is to sort myself out with a tasty baguette and some scrumptious snacks the night before work. Also, take a drink with you...the pounds seriously do add up!

Groupon is my savour 

I've recently downloaded the Groupon app and honestly, it's one of my most used apps on my phone. It's particularly good for dining out as they offer a selection of money-off vouchers for the best restaurants around. They also offer discounted days out and cheap trips away, DOWNLOAD IT NOW, seriously. 

Avoid delivery costs

Recently, avoiding the shops and dragging ques and instead, ordering online has been very much preferred. Although, paying money for the order and then £4-5 delivery just isn't viable and frankly, I aint got time for that. Delivery costs quickly add up so instead, spend an extra £10 or so, to qualify for free delivery and then return free of charge and obviously, get your money back off the items not needed. Of course check with the T&Cs but it's definitely worth the hassle in the long run.

The un-breakable money box

Dipping into savings from the piggy bank is just too easy, so why not buy one which you can only dip into once you've smashed it to a million pieces. THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR. It makes resisting a whole lot easier and you can purchase them from the pound shop, even better!

Sell everythaaaang

Unwanted clothes, shoes, games, consoles...SELL IT ALL. Download Ebay, Amazon and Depop, honestly, people will buy anything and everything! It's seriously worth looking into and ensure you set up a PayPal account so money can be paid to you safely and securely.Your trash, is somebody elses treasure. Guaranteed you'd be surprised to see what you can earn from your own front room.

What are your money saving tips? I'd love to hear from you!
With love soph x