It's Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope you enjoy the festive season xxxxxx

Rockin around the Christmas tree

Here's a little outfit post. I got this skirt in the Summer but I'm still making the most of it now! The top is Kate Moss for Topshop - Please design another range Kate! 

Skirt: Miss Selfridge

Top: Kate Moss for Topshop

Boots: Stylistpick

Necklace: H&M

 Sophie  

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Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream Review

April 2014 update: This is now my favourite moisturiser and is working wonders on my skin during the harsh winter weather! My skin feels super nourished after I use it and my other moisturisers (including Clinique and Clarins)pale in comparison. 

I had a patch of dry skin on the top of my nose and Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion wasn't having any affect whatsoever, however, the Antipodes worked immediately. I have just ordered another two pots! 

I've been wanting to try the New Zealand skincare range Antipodes after hearing great things about it so I was really excited when Sarah from Lucy Rose kindly offered to send me Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream to review.

The first thing I do when I open a new face cream is give it a good sniff! I was expecting to smell a vanilla scent because of it's name, but to my surprise, a citrus/herbal scent emerged.

Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream*

I smothered it all over my face and neck, paying special attention to my forehead and nose which get dry in winter. After letting my skin soak this goodness up, it felt immediately soft and smooth. I also applied it before I went to bed and the ultimate test for me is whether my skin feels just as good in the morning. This most definitely passed the test and my skin still felt really nourished. 

This cream contains manuka honey, which has has been used for centuries by indigenous Maori women to sooth and nourish skin and I have many relatives and friends who swear by it. Other ingredients include avocado pear oil with Vitamins A, B, C, E as well as chlorophyll and Omega 9, 3 and 6 – all excellent antioxidants.

It costs £26.99 and you can buy it at Lucy Rose. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love Lucy Rose because they are committed to sourcing organic and natural products and are totally against animal testing!

 Sophie  

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12.12.12

Some people think dates have lots of significance and others don't. I'm in the middle but thought I'd do a little '12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year' post today. Even if it's just so I look back at my blog in years to come and say "Ooo I blogged on 12.12.12" haha.

I've got a couple of posts to write at the weekend, so I'm just going to include a photo from a  day we had some crazy snow in the little quaint village that I live in. Sadly Rocky, the bigger dog has passed away now. We got him from an animal rescue years and years ago. My Dad and brother went there with the intention of bringing home a puppy and ended up bringing back Rocky - a timid dog, so skinny his ribs were showing, who had been abused and locked in high rise flats when his owners disappeared and abandoned him. Dad and Joseph said he was the quietest dog in the rescue centre and they couldn't leave him. 

They had to take him back to the rescue whilst our home was checked to see if it was suitable. Meanwhile, Rocky decided that he couldn't live without us and managed to escape twice from the rescue centre and appeared outside our front door (to this day, nobody knows how he managed to do this). He'd only visited our house once, in the car. 

It was obviously meant to be and he was the best dog we could have ever wished for. He brought us years of happiness and hopefully we did the same for him. Gosh, I'm getting teary writing this. 

If you can, it's amazing and rewarding to adopt a dog and give them a second life in a loving home.

Millie, my little dog, is a cheeky little monkey. She loves watching TV, sitting on a warm lap and trying to sneak upstairs. My brother just turned up with her one day and I'm so glad we have her.

This post was longer than I expected and I didn't plan to write all that, but maybe it was meant to be on 12.12.12.

 Sophie  

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Stefano Gabbana roses

Roses are probably my favourite flowers. I love them. However, these aren't just any old roses....these are Stefano Gabbana's roses photographed by the man himself! Check out his instagram, it's full of pretty photos.

  Sophie  

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Chloe Eau de Parfum

The kind people at Escentual sent me a bottle of Chloe Eau de Parfum. I've never tried this scent before so I was super excited when it arrived. I eagerly opened the packaging to find an elegant bottle and spritzed it on myself and my blog's number one fan. 

Chloe Eau de Parfum*

I only needed a couple of sprays as it's a fairly bold scent but it rested on my skin and smelt feminine, romantic and sexy. 

If you want to feel confident, chic and sexy, then this is for you. It's a definite date-night perfume ladies!

It's top notes are peony, freesia and litchi and the heart notes are rose, lily-of-the-valley and Caribbean magnolia.

Without a doubt, I'll be using this perfume again, but I've got competition for my Mum who loves it too!  You can buy it here and there's also 15% off at the moment.

I'd just like to say thank you to Alan at Escentual who provided excellent 'blogger' service. He replied speedily to e-mails and I couldn't believe it when I received the package arrived the next day. He also generously included a lovely nail file and Vichy sample. Customer service like this really doesn't go unnoticed with bloggers.

  Sophie  

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de ja vu

If you read my blog often, (Hi Mum) I bought a pair of neon h&m earrings a while ago. I wore them with my new warm and snuggly jumper so thought I'd post a little photo...

Jumper from Dorothy Perkins. You can find it here. 

I am sooooooooooooo happy it's Friday. This working week has been never ending. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

  Sophie  

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Latest shenanigans

For Halloween, I blinged up my pumpkin and spray painted it gold! I have to say that I loved it and I don't know what will top it next year! The orange roses are just beautiful. The colour is perfect for Halloween and I'll definitely buy more next autumn. I also made caramelised pumpkin seeds and my brother made fudge with maltesers. They tasted delicious even though I do say so myself! A perfect Halloween.

Also, I want to mention an online boutique which I have recently found and love love love. It's called Let It Reign and it sells really unusual gifts. Last weekend, I ordered an alphabet cup and saucer for my friend, personalised with a letter 'L'. The customer service was amazing and I was worried it wouldn't arrive in time, but they sent it out the day after I'd ordered it and it arrived with time to spare. They also kept in contact with me via Twitter and e-mail telling me when it had been dispatched and so on. (It's typical that I do things last minute!) The packaging was lovely as well. So, big thanks and my friend was really happy with it! 

The only thing I'm disappointed with is that I don't have an 'S' tea cup myself!!!

 Sophie  

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Venus

Nick Knight is one of my favourite photographers and this piece entitled Venus is incredible. Art can be interpreted any way you like, but to me, this photograph has elements of beauty and sorrow.

clothes clothes clothes

If you're looking for cute Winter pieces, head over to Whites Boutique to dabble in some online shopping!

I love this Schumacher jacket!

I also heart this Moschino clutch! 

 Sophie  

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*This is a sponsored post*

Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturising Cream Review

I was kindly sent Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturising Cream* by Lucy Rose to review and I have one word - wow.

I couldn't wait to try this product as I've never used this brand before, so I took my make up off, cleansed my skin and gently applied it to my face and neck. 

Upon application, my skin felt quite tight, similar to the feeling of a face mask (I love this sensation as it makes me feel like it's working!). A short while later this feeling was replaced with super soft, smooth and silky skin. I have been using it before I go to bed and my skin still feels really nourished in the morning. It contains three magical ingredients....cotton extract which softens skin, rice extract which moisturisers and aloe which smoothes. It is fragrance free which is great, especially if like me, you don't like strong scents on your face.

At £14.99, this is more than half the price I usually spend on moisturiser and I have to say it it's much more effective.

I can't wait to use this moisturiser throughout winter as my skin becomes really dry and I think  this sensitive formula will work a treat.

I can't recommend this product enough and I will be purchasing it as soon as it runs out! I can't wait to try more Burt's Bees products.

You can buy it here and can also get 5% off your first order when you sign up to receive the Lucy Rose newsletter. Lucy Rose specialises in organic and natural beauty products which aren't tested on animals. Thanks to Sarah who quickly responded to my queries and was very helpful.

 Sophie  

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Hey Tracey Emin

My blog is made up of everything I love, which includes Art and photography...I will be posting pieces which I ♡ from time to time.

 Sophie  

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These boots are made for walkin'

Around August time I tweeted Stylistpick, desperate to find out when the Alea studded boots would be available and to my dismay they said October, so I had two whole months to wait....However, at last I have them and I wanted to share these beauties!

 Sophie  

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Happy Halloween!

I hope you have a magical night. I'll post my pumpkin pics later!

 Sophie  

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I always find it really difficult to decide what to buy my Dad for Christmas. Every year the 25th of December comes and goes and the same gifts of real ale and socks are opened and greatly received but I can't help feeling guilty that I couldn't find anything a bit more special...

Until this year. 

I found the most beautiful cufflinks on Utterly Personal. It's a website which offers really unique, personalised gifts.   

I chose the etched oval letters cufflinks*, engraved with my Dad's initials.

They're made from stainless steel and are presented on an attractive Sonia Spencer high gloss lacquer box with contrast flip top lid.

I think they're a bargain at £18.99 especially as they're custom made to suit your requirements. (Pssst - I did a little Google search and Not on the High Street sell VERY similar ones for more than double the price!)

I think they're a really special gift and I can't wait to see his face on Christmas day. I know he'll love them as much as I do.

PS. They also sell the cutest personalised dog bowls with your doggy's name printed on. I am so tempted to get one for Millie! 

 Sophie  

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I'm totally j'adoring...

Cruise Fashion

Established in 1981 in Edinburgh, this luxury retailer offers out of this world designer products.

I'm LOVING any kind of tartan this season and this Vivienne Westwood iPad case gives me an excuse to hop, skip and jump to the nearest Apple store!

Is anyone else grateful for smaller heels this season? Check out these beauties by 

Jimmy Choo!

Or for the wild at heart...

If you thought things couldn't get any better, take a look at this Alexander McQeen cape...The autumnal colours adorning it are perfect for this season.

SWOON

YSL Arty cream oval ring

I hope you love these beauties as much as I do!

 Sophie  

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*sponsored post*

Country Living

I live slap bang in the middle of the countryside and what I really love is taking Millie for walks to see all the lovely horses, ponies, chickens, peacocks (yes, there are peacocks here and they fly up into the trees which I never knew!) donkeys and unicorns (only joking about the donkeys!)

Hey Dad.

I heart this tree.

Millie wants us to get a move on! I really love this scarf, especially as my nan gave it to me. She got when she was a  teenager so it's from 1940's/ early 1950's. Thanks Nanny Mary! 

I'm off this week so it's nice being able to concentrate on blogging and reading lots of new blogs. Hope you're having a lovely week xxx

 Sophie  

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Mean Girls - the best film ever?!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you have a lovely weekend!

I thought I'd share a snap of a really cool photograph I found of Liverpool in the 1960's. I love all the neon lights and look at the cars! It would have been such an incredible time to live in the city with the emerging presence of the Beatles and amazing fashion trends!

John Lennon as a Teddy Boy - he was incredible.

One of my favourite songs - enjoy!

  

 Sophie ♡♡♡♡

♡ Happy Birthday to my blog's number 1 fan! ♡

Happy Birthday to my Mum! This is a belated post because my her birthday was actually in September! As the post title indicates my Mum really is my number one fan and always tells me how much she loves my latest post. Obviously Mum's think their daughters are the best at everything but it also means the most coming from them.

So I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU Mum! Thanks for always reading my posts and being 100% supportive and encouraging! 

I took my Mum for Tapas straight after work for her birthday & we went home early and spent the rest of the night with the family celebrating.

If any of you are foodies like me, I always like to know what people are eating in their photos. We ordered pork fillet medallions cooked in a mustard coating and finished with a peppercorn sauce, Spanish omelette, smoked haddock fishcake served with horseradish and bacon crème fraîche, sea bass with prawns and garlic butter...all finished with chips (very Spanish of course) and mexican rice! Ooo and a big jug of sangria! I always think 'English' tapas restaurants can be a bit hit and miss but this was delicious!

My lovely Mum and Dad in their 20's!

I couldn't post this Florenza bracelet until I'd given it to my mum but I bought it online from an antique dealer in America and had it shipped over as my Mum's main present.

Hope you had a great day Mum!

 Sophie  

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