Whoops... // Collective Haul, Primark, Real Techniques, Accesorize, Internacionale and more...

hello guys! 

so i seem to have accumulated far too many things over the last few weeks, and i need to get this haul post off my chest and out of my system! these things have piled up over the last few weeks after some online orders, a trip to Manchester (which you can read about here) and a visit to town whilst my parents came to visit me at uni this afternoon! i know i've said this in my last two haul posts, but this honestly will be the last collective one i'll be doing for a while as i need to start saving now for when i'm interning!

also, sorry that the photo quality isn't all that great - i took these in the last little bit of daylight so that i could get a post up tonight and this was the best i could do! 

everything i could find online is also linked! 

you know you've done too much shopping when it pretty much covers a double bed... 

JEWELLERY & ACCESSORIES

oo1. Hair Chain - £2.99 (£2.70 with NUS discount), Internacionale

hello, new favourite thing! i fell in love the instant i saw it - the little flowers caught my eye straight away. my hair has forever been tied up in a messy bun for the last couple of weeks and i thought this was something a little different to add to a normally boring hairstyle!

oo2. Earrings - £8 (£7.20 with NUS discount), Accessorize

i have a helix piercing so i'm always on the lookout for individual packs of earrings, but most of the ones i've bought so far have tarnished and just lost their colour, so i spent a little more than normal in the hope that Accesorize won't fail me! in all honesty, 18 earrings for the price i paid is an absolute steal, and there's even a couple of rose gold ones in there which i've been after for so long now!

MAKE-UP

oo1. Real Techniques Brushes - Core Collection, Stippling Brush & Expert Face Brush - Amazon

i am in love with these already! when i bought these, they were on offer at £13.99 for the core collection, £7.99 for the stippling brush and £9.99 for the expert face brush, so instead of paying the RRP of £42, i paid £30.37 once my student discount had been applied. unfortunately they have gone back to their regular prices now, but keep an eye out for any more flash offers! i will get round to reviewing these in the future, but in the meantime i can definitely reccomend that you snap some up! 

oo2. Rimmel Stay Matter Powder in 003 Peach Glow - £3.99 (£3.60 with NUS discount), Superdrug

this was just a replacement as i'm starting to hit pan on my current one! 

oo3. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair - £4.19 (£3.78 with NUS discount), Superdrug

again, just another replacement product! 

oo4. Bodycare 4-in-1 Deep Cleansing Face Wipes - 89p, Bodycare

i'm running low, so just grabbed these to last me until i can get some proper ones. i have also got myself some Bioderma which i completely forgot to photograph for this post, so this is currently doing the job of removing my make-up! 

oo5. Carmex Vanilla Lipbalm - £1.99, Bodycare

i love carmex, and i love vanilla. simple. 

oo6. Pure Coconut Leave-In Conditioner

another re-purchase - everything seems to be running out at the same time! 

oo7. MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist - £5 (£4.50 with NUS discount), Superdrug/MUA Store

 last repurchase... 

BAGS

oo1. Beach Postcard Bag - £2, Primark

i picked this up for the holiday which we still haven't booked, but thought it would be fab for keeping all my essentials in for pool/beach days! 

oo2. Ema Slouch Shopper - £25 (£15 on 40% off offer), boohoo.com

so this only came this morning, but i'm in love with it already - this picture doesn't do it justice at all, so go look on the boohoo website! i've been after a new black bag for ages that was big enough and strong enough to throw all my bits in for uni and this fits the bill, especially when you get £10 off of it! it's back to full price now, but it's definitely worth the money. 

CLOTHES

oo1. Floral Strappy Vest - £4, Primark

i got this on my little spree in Manchester and this is part of mission 'add colour to wardrobe for summer'. it's just a simple piece to throw on with jeans and dress up or down! 

oo2. Floral Pyjama Shorts - £4, Primark

i picked these up today, just because i've looked at them everytime i've been into store for as long as i can remember and i couldn't put it off anymore! 

oo3. Cropped Tee - £3.50, Primark

another Manc purchase - i was after an oversized cropped tee for a while, and saw this in Primark and just sized up to a 12 for the oversized look. i always roll long sleeves up, so long sleeves isn't a problem for me - problem solved! 

oo4. High-Waisted Bikini - Top £8 & Bottoms £5, Primark

Look magazine tweeted this a couple of weeks back and i instantly knew i needed it for the summer! our little Leicester Primark was no use, so i went on the hunt in Manchester and left a very happy girl. i'm a nightmare to buy bikinis for... my top and bottom do not match at all so i love Primark for letting you mix & match sizes. i also love that the top is like a proper bra - i was not made for triangle string bikinis! 

oo5. Mint Dip Hem Tee - £6, Primark

give me an oversized tee, and i'm your girl! i just love anything big and comfy, especially at the moment whilst i've been doing long days at uni and been out the house for up to twelve hours! 

oo6. Strapless Dress - £13, Primark

i don't know if i'm going to keep this yet, but Rosie convinced me to pick it up in Manc. it's such a gorgeous dress, but i just don't know when i'll get to wear it - if someone wants to have a barbecue when the suns out, let me know so i can get this beauty out! 

oo7. Skater Dresses - £12.99 each (£8.44 with 35% off promotion), FD Avenue

no-one should let me loose with a discount code, because i will end ordering both the colours i'm torn between! these are gorgeous dresses for summer, but have been fab paired with tights this week whilst it's been a bit chilly again and not quite time for bare legs. i will say that they are quite see-through, so i've had to find some matching underwear! 

so there we go... far too much money spent yet again! 

i will get back to reviewing things soon once i've completed all my hand-ins for my second year of uni - can't believe it's almost over, ahhhhh! 

#OOTD and a weekend in Manchester!

hola chicas! 

sorry i've been a bit AWOL on the blog for the last week or so, the next few weeks are uni deadline weeks so i'm trying to squeeze in posts where i can! i thought i'd give you a little update today on what i got up to over the weekend. anyone who has been reading my blog for a while now will know that i may have ended up getting myself tickets to four one direction gigs this tour, and yesterday bought the last gig of the whole UK tour *cue sobs* so I bumbled on up to Manchester to stay with Rosie from aroselikethis.blogspot.com for the weekend and have a fun time of one direction antics! (before any of you think i'm going off galavanting with people i met on the internet, we were uni course/housemates, not strangers!)

one thing i'm determined to do on the blog is get up more OOTD posts, but i totally suck at taking pictures myself whilst i'm at uni! now me and Rosie fully intended to take some photos in Manchester which we completely failed at, and she was going to take some for me before I left this morning but we ran out of time before my train so i had to take these when i got home, which is why the quality isn't all that great, so i apologise! 

and so this is what i wore for my day in Manchester for the gig and a little bit of shopping afterwards... (i'm still proud of myself for making it through two hours of dancing to one direction and walking round Manc in these shoes!)

Dress - ASOS Petite
Scarf - Ebay
Boots - Barratts
Socks - Topshop
Coat - Primark
Bag - Ebay
Watch - ASOS
Bracelet - Claire's Accessories

no matter how many times i promise myself i will take pictures whilst i'm on my travels, i never seem to keep said promise, so here is the tiny selection of photos i managed to instagram (@sophielouisew_ if you wish to follow me) from the weekend.

all packed and ready to go! // fell in love with the ticket ladys stamp! // hello, AMAZING seats for the show *dead inside* // looking dishevelled after a long day with a slightly bigger than anticipated primark bag! // bumped into 3/5 of the boys in primark... // all sad on the train home :(

the next little selection of pictures will not be to everyone's taste, so i'm sorry, but if you're following my blog then you'll soon get used to my fangirl tendencies - if my boyfriend can do it, then so can you! plus, i'm sure you all fancy at least one of them deep down inside even if you hate their music! 

so there we have it, my latest little adventure which took me further North than I've ever been before! I'm sure Rosie will have a little nose at this, so I'd like to say another big thankyou to her and her family for having me for the weekend and for their lovely hospitality!

i shall be back on the blog towards the end of the week with the Primark haul, plus some other naughty bits I've accumulated recently! 

Olivia is sending me Wilde!

a couple of days ago, some photos of Olivia Wilde (of American actress fame if you've never heard of her!) dropped into my inbox, and i instantly fell in love with the dress she was wearing. 

the dress Olivia is wearing is the Turtleneck Sweater Dress from Max Studio and i think this is the perfect AW to SS transition dress! personally, i think Olivia's gone a little overboard on the black front - where's her accessories?!

so with her lack of accessories and colour in mind, i thought i'd do a little post on how i'd style the dress myself with things that i actually already own (all of them shall be linked below)! 

lets start with the basics. turn the sleeves of the dress up a couple of times - i seem to do this with every long sleeved item of clothing i own, and i don't know why, but get those sleeves a-turning, especially now the weather is actually a little bit more Spring-like! if it's still a bit nippy outside or you simply aren't a bare legs fan, whack on some of Primark's Super Cosy Tights, i know all you UK girls own some of these! if you're a little more daring and fancy getting your pins out, then I'd recommend Dove's Summer Glow Gradual Tan. I've started using this recently for fair to normal skin and this is easily my favourite gradual tan! for feet, i'd team this dress with a recent purchase of mine - some Heeled Chelsea Boots from Barratts. These boots are great for the AW/SS transition and I'd pair them with some of Topshops Trim Socks whether you're going for tights or bare legs. Primark also do some great, cheaper alternatives and i featured a couple of pairs in a post here.

with accessories, of course i had to go straight for my ASOS Boyfriend Watch and I'd team it with the rose gold accessories i mentioned in my recent haul post here. i also have some rose gold studs which i would wear aswell - i'm not a fan of statement earrings! obviously if you have a similar watch but in silver or gold, then team the rest of your accessories with this - this is just my personal little collection! i bought this scarf a while back now on Ebay, and i just love the colours in it. always go for a scarf to add a little colour to a mostly black outfit. i chose this one because it's so easy to match make-up to - a simple deep red lip and nails with your normal make-up look and you're ready to go! 

lastly, finish it off with your trusty leather jacket! i have one from New Look which is no longer online, but i'm sure everyone has their staple jacket. pair this up with your favourite handbag or clutch and tah-dah, your look is complete! i know everyone has their individual favourites for these two pieces so i shall let you imagine what the finished outfit would look like once you'd added them! 

i hope you all liked this post - i know it's a little different to normal, but please let me know if you liked it and would like to maybe see some more things like this! how would you all style this  dress?

another haul? whoops....

so another slight haul may have happened for me recently. in my defence, this happened over a couple of shopping trips and a lot of it was Easter money, so i don't feel quite as bad, but i know a few of you like reading haul posts so i thought i'd do a quick update. 

i know this is the third haul i've posted recently and that i've promised lots of reviews, but i just haven't got round to it! my easter break has been manic with catching up with friends, working and finishing up some uni work so the blog has been put aside a little. i will say that the blog will probably be a little quiet for another month or so until i finish uni for the year at the beginning of May, but as soon as i don't have any work stressing me out, i will have a day of just pure product review writing so that I have some things to schedule for once i start interning - the list of things i have to review is getting pretty hefty! 

soooo, on with the haul... 

Make-Up

i had to do the dreaded new mascara hunt the other day when i couldn't find my usual favourite from Collection anywhere, and I ended up getting the Maybelline Rocket Volume Express. I was going to pick up the Falsies, but they didn't have the waterproof version in stock and i hate wearing mascara without a waterproof element to it, so i went for this instead. i also prefer plastic brushes on mascaras aswell, so this seemed good enough to me. i'm really liking it so far and it gives a natural looking, fuller lash. 

i didn't actually need foundation just yet, but i feel like mines going to be giving up on me soon, and when i saw the Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation on offer for just £3.99, i thought i'd give it a go - if i don't like it, then i've barely lost out, but if it's anywhere near as good as the concealer then i've got myself a bargain. i've not tried this yet, but i shall let you know! 

next i picked up some of the Barry M Gelly Polishes in Greenberry, Lychee and Papaya. i've been eyeing up these three shades since the release, but thought they were a bit to spring/summery for the horrid winter weather so left them. but last week i stopped off in Westfield on the way to see one direction at the O2 and picked up greenberry seeing as the weather was so nice! i then ended up grabbing the other two on a different shopping trip and i'm so glad i did as i love them all! 

also on the way to one direction, we stopped off in MAC as i wanted to pick up a new lipstick with some of my Easter pennies, but i just couldn't decide on a shade - i don't really know which colour suits my skintone as i'm so pale and all the assistants were already busy so i left empty handed. there was a Benefit just around the corner which my friend suggested i popped in to and the sales assistant was more than happy to help me. now i've never really gone for pink lip products, purely because i never really wear anything that matches those shades, but this is what the assistant matched my skintone for, so i ended up with a Benefit Lipstick in My Treat. and the best bit? it was reduced to just £3 as it's soon to be discontinued! if you live near a benefit store or counter, i'd pop in while they still have stock - there were about 10 shades all reduced down! 

JEWELLERY

to cut a long story short, i almost got my tragus pierced on a shopping trip last week as it was being advertised at half price, but when i went in they said that had been taken off the half price list, so i didn't bother. instead i drowned my sorrows with ear cuffs from Claires. i was after some rose gold accessories for a night out to go with my new beloved ASOS watch, which is what made me pick up the first pack of three plain cuffs  for £4.50. i also loved the simple, dainty design of the middle one (£3) and i picked up the last heart shaped one (also £3) as they were on offer at 3 for 2, so i got all these for £7.50 - bargain! 

these bits were also picked up on my rose gold mission - the bracelet was (i think!) £3.50 and i love it! i have such tiny wrists that i had to take a couple of links out, but i can see this becoming a daily piece now. i think picked up this ring from New Look. i went for something a little chunkier to pull everything together and again i have little fingers, so when i find a ring that fits, i will more than likely buy it! New Look jewellery was also on buy one get one free, so i picked up the earrings too. now i'm not sure if i'll ever wear these, but they're a style i really like so picked them up whilst they turned out free! they have little snakeskin effect leather inserts which i think adds a nice edge! 

CLOTHES

i'm super, super sorry! i forgot to take a decent picture of this before it ended up in the wash! i bought this for a night out over the weekend from ASOS for £18 (which you can find here). i wanted something that i could dress up for the occassion, but easily wear day to day afterwards. i did have to take it up quite a bit which gives you all an idea of just how short i am, but i love it! i wasn't keen on it at first, but i'm one of those people who can never tell if they like something on until i've done all my hair and make-up like i usuallly would. if you say you're not one of these people then you're a little bit of a fibber! 

anyway, that is all from meee. i have just noted that in my last post i said i'd take lots of pictures in London when i ventured out to see one direction, but we failed and i'm sorry! i am off to see them next weekend in Manchester with Rosie from A Rose Like This so i shall try again then and maybe see if she'll help me take some sneaky OOTD's whilst i'm spending the weekend with her. i will not make promises this time as i have a feeling our inner fangirls will break loose and probably stalk them.... 

New Years Resolutions - March Update

Hello gang! 

So I say it every month, but I seriously cannot believe it's April now. I have no idea where this year is going and it terrifies me that in just over a month I will have finished my second year of university - this time next year i'll actually need a full-time job to be going to - scary! 

i'm going to put it out there now, March was a pretty naff month for me - i've been some sort of poorly for about 99% of it, so i'm actually quite happy to see April and have a bit of a fresh start, a little bit like a second January! Having said this though, March has had its highs, particularly on the gig front - i've seen Justin Bieber (for free, please note!), One Direction and Olly Murs in the last month and I'll also be starting April off in the best way possible with a London day trip tomorrow with one of my best friends - we've just made the plans which have ended up with a trip to Westfield to spend some Easter pennies (you will probably end up with another haul that i promised i'd not do, but it would be rude not to spend, right!?), M&M World, the loss of Space NK virginity, MAC lusting, being touristy and ending up at the O2 to channel our inner child at 1D World before seeing One Direction (again...) I'm planning on taking a tonne of pictures, so I might do a post on our adventures during the week seeing as I haven't got round to writing up any reviews just yet with my first week of Easter holidays... whoops. 

i feel like i've rambled enough now, so onto the resolutions update! 

1. Try some Soap & Glory products

i've not bought anything new again this month, but a few people have recommended Dr Spot to me after my complaints of breakouts, so I think this will be the next purchase on the list.  

2. Try some Lush products

nothing. sorrrry! 

3. Do 20 sit ups every morning and every night

so April is here and still not one sit-up. but with Easter now out the way and lots of chocolate to eat, let's do it! Technically if i start now, i'll have done this for 3/4 of the year!

4. ALWAYS walk to work. unless it's raining.

i've again barely been at work this month, but i have still walked in every time! 

5. Eat more healthily

i've done okay with this. i'm not a huge fan of chocolate/easter treats with the exception of creme eggs and malteser bunnies so i load my chocolate onto my little brother, so this should be easy to keep up this month. 

6. Try and save £1000 in my savings for car/internship

well there's £240 in my savings account. almost a quarter of the way there? my car needed a new radiator last month too, so this is my excuse. 

7. Don't attempt a spending ban

as you can see from my last couple of posts, i clearly haven't been on a spending ban. 

8. Book a holiday

still not booked, but me and James have been looking at a few more places again. we might just go last minute, but a holiday is definitely on the cards! 

9. Purchase a brush cleaner for  make-up brushes

i desperately need to do this. i might see if i can find anything which is affordable on tomorrows London trip and let you all know!  

10. Jar project

i literally haven't put anything in my jars this month i don't think, either out of being at home so much (the jars are in my room at uni) and just because i've been feeling so naff! 

11. Watch as many films as possible off my list of 'Films I Should Have Seen But Haven't'

i need to get a move on with this! I had a film day, but that's it for this month. We've also decided that next year I need to either tackle some decent TV or decent music! 

1. 500 Days of Summer

2. New Year's Eve

3. The Time Travellers Wife

4. Bambi

5. The Lucky One

6. Keith Lemon: The Movie

7. American Beauty 

8. 127 Hours

9. Dirty Dancing

10. Friends With Benefits

11. Knocked Up

12. Alot Like Love

13. Taken

14. 13 Going On 30

15. About a Boy

16. Fame

17. Green Mile

18. Mamma Mia

19. Music & Lyrics

20. Sex and the City 2

21. Slumdog Millionaire

22. The Kings Speech

23. Snow White & The Hunstman

24. Tangled

25. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

26. Ice Age 2

27. Ice Age 3

28. Ice Age 4

29. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

30. 21 Jump Street

31. What to Expect when You're Expecting

32. Fight Club

33. Grown Ups

34. Saving Private Ryan

35. Romeo & Juliet

36. Batman Begins

37. The Dark Knight

38. The Dark Knight Rises

39. Inception - i've actually already seen it but was so confused!

40. Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl

41. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest

42. Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End

43. Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

44. I am Legend

45. James Bond Quantum of Solace

46. The Butterfly Effect

47. Breakfast at Tiffany's

48. LOL

49. Atonement

50. The Devil Wears Prada

51. Pride & Prejudice

52. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

53. Clueless

54. When Harry Met Sally

55. Serendipity

56. Back to the Future

57. Wild Child

58. A Walk to Remember

59. Oceans 11

60. Oceans 12

61. Oceans 13

62. Forrest Gump

63. Hitch

64. The Pursuit of Happiness

65. What Happens in Vegas

66. The Blind Side

67. The Bucket List

68. Easy A

69. Over Her Dead Body

70. White Chicks

71. 50 First Dates

72. The 5 Year Engagement

73. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

74. Me & Orson Welles

75. Savages

76. Breaking Dawn Part 2

77. So Undercover

78. Aladdin

79. The Little Mermaid

80. Confessions of a Shopaholic

81. Love & Other Drugs

82. Limitless

83. The Parent Trap

84. Chicken Run

85. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

86. Crazy Beautiful

87. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

88. Chalet Girl

89. Lost In Translation

90. Phonebooth

91. Collateral

92. Big

93. Crash

94. Crazy Stupid Love

95. War Horse

96. Step Brothers

97. Brothers

98. Shawshank Redemption

99. Seven Pounds

100. The Roommate

101. Eat. Pray. Love

102. Bad Teacher

103. P.S. I Love You

104. Definitely Maybe

105. Little Miss Sunshine

106. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

107. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

i promise i will have been better by the end of April guys! Is anyone else doing a little better with the resolutions you set yourselves?