Stress, Cocktails and Candy Canes

Hi everyone,

After a ridiculous amount of work, stress and comfort eating I have now officially finished uni for the year. First semester of third year complete. I am not going to pretend that it was easy, I really noticed the jump in the work from level 8 (second year) to level 9 this year. I have spend a sick amount of time in the 'Kilby' my universities 24 hour computing center. One day I went in at 3pm and didn't leave until 10am the next morning, yep I spent 19 hours dying over a report that I had already started before this point. Let's just say that spending that long at uni makes you go a bit weird, well more than usual.

I have an OCD when it come to revision notes... 

I had 2 exams, one on the 13th and one on the 16th, they weren't awful but they weren't the best. But as my mummy would say 'what's done is done' I can't change the outcome now so there is no point worrying about them now.

After the exam at 9.30am on Monday, there was only thing the girls and I wanted to do and that was go for a tasty lunch and cocktails. We are students and don't have endless amounts of money but it was time to treat ourselves.

We decided to go to Candy Bar on George Street. It is one of my favourite places for a bite to eat in Edinburgh.  It's very reasonably priced for it's location and the food is delicious. We all settled on big fully loaded burgers (£5-7), Shona and Sarah had double cheese and bacon, and I had the Mexican, which was full of cheese, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos. YUM. Being naughty little girls we also shared 3 sides; onion rings, chicken flat bread and mozzarella sticks, all which were really nice.

Tasty treats for the girlies 

Since it was a celebrations and the start of our Christmas we had to have cocktails, after all Candy Bar is all about the cocktails with an extensive drinks list to choose from. First we all had Candy Cane Swizzles, I can't remember what was in them, but they were delicious and had a candy cane in them to make them festive. Round 2, Shona had a classic raspberry mojito, Sarah had a 'call me maybe' which came in a huge goblet and tasted delicious and I had a 'Pop Ya Collar' which tasted just like bubblegum, so amazing. Cocktails are all around the £7-8 mark, not an everyday activity but it was a party after all.

Later on that day, Sarah and I continued with the pamper theme of the day and got our nails done at my usual spot, 'Total Nails' near Haymarket Station, not to expensive and the Taiwanese lady who runs it is so nice. We both opted for my favourite, gel nails extensions and glitter tips. (see instagram for picture) I love having nice nails, just makes me feel more girly and make my hands look a bit nicer. I also like going to this salon as it offers a 20% student discount, so my glitter set is £28 instead of £35, which is quite a saving, glitter is more expensive than just a colour, but I just love glitter and sparkle.

We then went and met some of our friends from uni at the Standing Order back on George Street for some chill time and chat before everyone head homes for Christmas.

I had a great day and finished it off my watching my first Christmas film of the year, The Grinch, all snuggled up in my bed with my twinkly fairy lights on. Perfect end to a great day.

Yay, holiday time. 

Lots of love, Sophie. X

Recent purchases October/November

I thought I'd share a few things I have purchased and am loving. They are just random things I've picked up throughout October/November. So here goes...

So I absolutely adore this necklace. It has a neon yellowy green rope with this huge sparkly, layered centre. I got this from Primark! I get 99% of my jewellery from Primark as it's always on trend, with very similar pieces to topshop but at prices I can actually afford! This was in the sale for £2 but when I checked my receipt it went through at 50p, FIFTY PENCE! What a bargain! I love sales! 

Hair clips. I have mid/long length hair but its very thick. I used to struggle with kirby grips trying to keep my hair in place tightly, that was until my sister showed me these. They are industrial kirbys! They are my absolute favourite when I use my bun ring, 2 or 3 of these and my bun is firmly locked down, not going anywhere. I saw these in boots and decided to pick some more up just because I love them and every girl knows that hair clips just seem to disappear at a high rate. I can't remember the price but I think it was £2/3. 

Mascara is my most used item of makeup, it finishes your entire look. I seem to have a huge collection, but yet I continue to buy and find the holy grail of mascara. This one is definitely my favourite (for the moment) Rimmel Scandaleyes. I picked this up on the '3 for 2 on all makeup products' deal at boots. It has a thick fibre brush, it gives good length and colour whilst managing to not clump and make your eye lashes look like thick bugs legs. I'd give it a 9/10.  Rimmel Scandal'Eyes mascara, £6.99, Boots. 

Everyone needs a pair of boots for fall/winter. I was on the hunt for a while, then I purchased these classic chelsea boots from Topshop. They have a good sole, which is a key consideration when buying a pair of boots, good to last the winter season. They are also 100% leather which is also important. They are just a simple black boot which means they pretty much go with anything, which is exactly what I was looking for. I got them for £60 but I have just been online and seen that they are now in the sale for £45, selected sizes only so go and grab a pair. 

YAY! I am so happy I finally have a new phone! I used to have my dad's old iphone 4 and a sim only contract. It was getting too slow and frustrating for me so I thought it was time for an upgrade. I wanted to keep my contract (with 3 mobile) at the same rate of £15/month but get the new iphone 5s and the only way to do this was to buy the phone outright and then just swap my sim card to the new even tinier, nano sim. I had money still from my job in summer so it was an early Christmas present to myself. I absolutely adore my new iphone, its so quick, the camera is amazing and the fingerprint entry is just too cool! Iphone 5s, £549, 3 Store. 

Have you got any of these items, what do you think of them? 

Peace, 

Sophie.❤   

Music Update

Music is my life, well listening to it anyway. I used to play the flute at school, but let's not get into that. There is not a day that passes where I don't listen to music, it's the drug that keeps me sane.  

So here is what I'm loving right now: 

P-Holla - Do It For Love 

It's not new (2011) but I just found out about it. It's such a happy, up-beat song that I seem to have on repeat. "love, love, love, love, love" 

Connor Maynard- R U Crazy 

I have always been a fan of Connor Maynard and recently my friend Sarah and I have an increasing attraction to him, but it's alright because we're the same age as him haha. This song is so good for pre-drinks to get you in a party mood. 

DVBBS & Borgeous - Tsunami

So I heard this on a night out a while back and it is only this week I have managed to find out what it is after a lot of youtube and DJ stalking. The video is slightly bizarre but then most are these days. The beat is so good, whenever I hear it I just want to party. 

Miley Cyrus- Rooting For My Baby

I don't care what anyone says I love Miley and I always will, let her do what she wants, just because she's in the public eye doesn't mean she can't be herself. "Leave Miley alone" (Chris Crocker voice). This is a nice song to relax or chill to. I'm rooting for you Miley. 

#TeamMiley 

Touch Sensitive- Pizza Guy

Any song that has 'pizza' in the title is a winner. It helps that I actually like the song just as much as I like the name. This is perfect for when I'm just hanging around the flat and for those mornings after the night before.  

I have so many songs I'm loving at the moment but I won't bore you with them all, if you want to know anymore of my 'recently added' just comment below. What song's are you obsessed with? 

Enjoy the vibes, 

Sophie. ❤

Nailed It

So anyone that really knows me knows how much I love to do nails. I am by no means a professional but think of it more as a hobby. I'm always doing my friends nails and making them fancy sets of fake nails (see instagram for evidence). Glitter, diamonds, fimo shapes, leopard print I love it all.

I like getting them done for me too; gel tips are my go-to salon preference, but this don't come cheap and as a student money is tight/spent on other things i.e. going out.

I've been eyeing up all of the things I need to do UV gel nails at home for a while now on ebay and  I finally gave in and bought it all.

• UV lamp 
• Base & Top coat
• Favourite coloured polish 
• Buffers 
• Wipe-off gel remover (& lint-free wipes)

Naturally I chose the pink UV lamp. It has a 120 second timer, or it can be set to permanent. It cost £14.15 with free P&P. It is a 36W lamp and came with the four, 9W bulbs needed. 

So to do your gel nails you'll need the right base and top coats. I bought these two as a pair, which was cheaper than buying them individually plus I need them both anyway, £7.99 also with free P&P.

After a little deliberation between the 'Crystal- G' brand and 'Bluesky' I chose the Crystal-G make as the polishes seemed cheaper and more readily available. It is recommended that for the best results you use all the same brand products (base, colour & top).

S30

TH24

I chose a classic red (S30) although it looked darker on the web, I have tried it out on my toes and it is a gorgeous candy apple red which I absolutely love. I was also obsessed with the fact that I could get a glittery, colour changing polish too, so obviously I had to get one! I chose TH24, it is purple most of the time, when it's colder, and turns a pale pink when it is warm. It is so amazing, you could say I'm quite easily amused. The red was £4.20 and the glittery was slightly more extravagant at £5.99 but who could say no, both with free delivery. 

Here is a little collage of the colour changing, glittery magic. The top right is the deep purple the colour is normally, then the other two pictures show when I run them under warm water, it turns a light pink. 

I'm ba-aaack

So I have not be good at this blogging thing AT ALL!

I did nothing for ages this summer then I got a job and it took over my life! I got a bar job at a 'Golf & Leisure Resort' 10 minutes from my house. For the first few weeks I was working 6 days out of 7, with varying shifts. Work genuinely dictated when I could eat, sleep and even shower. It was crazy!

I'm down to just Friday, Saturday and Sundays as I'm back at uni now so it's not too bad anymore.

NEWSFLASH 

I'm in 3rd year at uni now, I actually have to work super hard, my grades now count towards my degree! AAAHHHHHH now that is a scary thought!

Well hopefully I can start blogging on a more regular basis, while keeping up with uni work and work at the weekend. But I'm a woman (well almost) and I can multitask so fingers crossed.

Peace,

Sophie. ❤ 

Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat. Part 2

Sunday 9th of June

Last proper day of the festival. Started the day as we did the one before, everyone knows that festivals revolve around alcoholism and relaxing in the campsite. Today we took it slower, we enjoyed just sitting on the embankment looking out to the main stage, we also went and saw a comedian. I can't remember the comedians' name but he was from South Africa, he was rather unPC and crude but at points it was hard not to laugh or crack a smile.

The rest of the day I can't remember exactly what we did but just flitting between the arena and our tent and hanging with the guys. I do know that we all stayed out super late that night and just enjoyed the company as it was our last night and everyone would be leaving early the next morning.

Monday 10th of June

The bus was leaving at 10am, we got up in time, but as it neared 10 we were rushing a bit. We ended up regrettably leaving our tent as it was covered in so much food and drink and we were cutting it fine time wise. Luckily on the way back to the bus our bags were a whole lot lighter, but the walk was still quite far, we feared that we may miss the bus but we made it with 2 minutes to spare. The bus ride home seemed to go on for hours and hours, the air con was so cold as well. It was fair to say that both Sarah and I were ropey as anything, not the best journey in history.

Finally back in Aberdeen we parted ways, happy and hanging after the most amazing weekend.

There were so many things that happened that I couldn't write them all down, or maybe I wouldn't want to!? It was a weekend of boozing, meeting new people, chatting to strangers, listening to amazing acts and soaking up some sun that would rival the Mediterranean. All in all unforgettable! Even if I was still suffering the effects for about a week after. It was so worth it. Rockness 2014 anyone?

Happy Chappy

Getting Inked

This is Stuart and 'Only God Can Fudge Him'

Best views from someones shoulders

Looking worse for wear, he doesn't look most pleased...

Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat. Part 1

Thursday 6th of June 

I began my pilgrimage to Rockness. I got the Megabus, oh yes luxury travel, from Kinross up to Aberdeen where I would spend the night at my sister's flat. Once in Aberdeen I met up with Sarah who I was going to Rockness with, and we went to get our supplies from trusty ASDA.

 About an hour later and £100 down we were stocked up; sandwich ingredients, crisps (our favourite thing), water, some extra bits and pieces, and the most vital component ALCOHOL just a little bit though (2 liters of Vodka, 1.5 liters of Gin, 2 bottles of Mickey Finns, 4 bottles of Caribbean Twist). Oh and some apples just to cancel out of the bad things!

Friday 7th of June  

Sarah and I were getting a coach from Aberdeen to Rockness which left at 10am, crazy early I know, and we arrived at our destination just after 1pm. I am not joking when I say our bags were heavy! I though my shoulders were about to fall off! The layout of the festival had changed since last year and the walk to the campsite was a trek and a half, but after several pit stops, a lot of complaining and "I can't do this!" we made it and set up the tent.

I haven't mentioned the weather! I know it's North Scotland I'm talking about but this weekend was a scorcher I mean HOT! Felt more like Spain that Scotland.

Having set up our tent and sat down for a drink (on our pink kids camping chairs) some guys we know from uni came to see us, which then resulted in them carrying our tent, fully made, across 2 campsites to their area.

In our new home we sat down with our new neighbors, knowing basically none of them, and drank, as you do. Everyone was so nice and we had a great time sipping on koppabergs and gins. Despite only being there for a few hours, the boys were all getting a bit pink from the sun, I was loving the it, basking and hoping for a good tan.

Friday night is not 100% memorable for good and bad, boozing played a role and the loss of both Saz's phone and purse was not too good!

We saw a bit of The Vaccines, enjoying the view from some strangers shoulders and later on Above and Beyond which was absolutely insane!.

Saturday 8th June

After a longish lie in (10am), the sun was beating down on the tent and it was getting unbearable, so we got up, changed and ready, went outside and slowly worked our way onto the alcohol again. By this stage we had gotten to know some of the guys we were camping next to which was good so we could chat and chill in the sun.

ULTIMATE BETRAYAL- this was the day, the one person I was so looking forward to seeing was playing, the legendary Steve Aoki. I wanted to be caked, his trademark. We had planned to go to the arena to see him, as we headed in loads of people were coming out saying how amazing he was. Turns out the act before Steve didn't go on so he went on early and we didn't know, I was more than annoyed that we weren't told.

However later on we watched Fat Boy Slim, he may be 'older' but god was he amazing! EAT SLEEP RAVE REPEAT the most memorable song from his set and the catchphrase of Rockness '13.Sarah and I were loving life near the front, jumping around having so much fun, the crowd got rowdy and before we knew it, the both of us were at the bottom of a pile of people. It was rather scary, the weight of at least 8 people on top of you, and it hurt, Sarah had immediate bruises to show it, but people were really good at helping us up and asking if we were ok, but as soon as we were up we were knocked down again. After the second squashing, holding hands we gallivanted out of the mob, laughing all the way. Once we were out we sat on the grass and just couldn't stop laughing, gin makes it all seem fine, we got out fine with a few, large bruises but that's all that matters.

Friday we also went on the iconic Ferris Wheel which gave us an amazing view across the Loch and the festival and seemed much higher up that it looked.

We then hiked back to the tent village to chat and drink late into the night.

Hello World

Well, hello fellow bloggers!

This will be the first post on my new blog and hopefully not the last.

 I made this blog so I can document anything exciting that I do, to share music that I am rating (or slating), my fav new beauty products (F.Y.I. I am a bit of a nail freak, so beware), some food will most likely wiggle it's way in, trends I'm loving and just anything else that takes my fancy or I want to blab about. 

So basically it's my life shared with the internet. 

Fingers crossed it goes alright.

Peace,

Sophie. ❤