Friday 19 December 2014

GET TO KNOW ME VIDEO

Hello my honey bees!

I've done a new video full of questions which i've answered so you can all get to know me a little better! Please give it a watch and a thumbs up and also be sure to check out my friend Timy's music on soundcloud here - https://soundcloud.com/towns-gold 



 - Soph x

Friday 12 December 2014

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST


A selection of what I would be incredibly greatful for to receive at Christmas, I am greatful for anything at all at Christmas but still, we all have wish lists! I tend to love just receiving vouchers so I can buy exactly what I want. 

Camera : EOS 600D Canon
Karen Walker Sunglasses 
Black denim mini skirt or clothing voucher 
BH cosmetics galaxy palette
Daniel Wellington watch 
Karen Walker ring
Beauty blender
Zoevea brushes
Triangl poppy summer sorbet bikini 
NYX butter gloss
The Balm highlighter   

Hope you all get something off your wishlist and have a lovely Chrimstas! 

- Soph x 


CRANBERRY COLOUR EYE MAKEUP VID

Hello lovelies I hope you are all well!

So I decided to film another video because even though the quality is pretty bad I enjoy it and I think it's good practice for when I get my proper camera. I'm trying out new makeup looks at the moment but its actually pretty hard to come up with lots of different things! 

Anyway, hope you enjoy it and please comment of email me with feedback 


- Soph x

Sunday 23 November 2014

DENIM NOSTALGIA


Theres something about this old Levis jacket which intrigues me deeply. This piece of denim was found in an op-shop in Paris, a shop which had the typical op-shop smell, small, no changing rooms, sequins, leather, denim, lace lined the racks. This jacket is actually mens probably explains why it's so big but also so comfortable. I think what intrigues me most about this jacket is the story of the person who wore it before me, were they French, how old were they, what year did they buy it, did they have their first kiss in it, first cigarette? Were they wearing this at a concert, in a cafe, cuddled up to a girlfriend or boyfriend, was it something they borrowed and never gave back? I've already made memories in this jacket and I want to pass it on to another so they can create memories in it. Maybe i'm just being nostalgic, but this worn piece of denim is something I love dearly,

Wednesday 12 November 2014

YOUTUBE EXPERIMENTATION

Youtube is something i've been considering doing since I really got into makeup, I watch tutorials and hauls and everything so often - it's quite ridiculous, but I think it is just another great aspect to have as a blogger. This video - just going to be honest isn't the best of quality, but I wasn't going to invest in a super good camera or lighting unless this seemed like a good idea or people enjoyed it - basically if you guys think there is potential.

So excusing the quality and the odd word muddle up, this is a light brown smokey eye and please feel free to comment or email me on my blog or message me on facebook (if you know me personally) but please don't give me bad comments and stuff if it's because of quality? Because I'm quite scared to post this 


- Soph x 

Wednesday 5 November 2014

AUT ROOKIE FASHION SHOW 2K14


















With Colin Mathura-Jeffree

With the lovely Jarrad Godman - keep an eye out for this ones
designs 

Feeling the music beating, the cameras clicking, audience clapping, designers, bloggers, photographers, socialites, students all coming together for the viewing of these exquisite collections by the students of AUT. Smells of perfumes and colognes mix, individual styles showing a fashion show is a night people dress as themselves, a place where wearing what you want and forgetting the rules is highly encouraged. A place a girl of 5.11 can wear heels without feeling insecure. Mingling, chatting, photographing, watching, observing were the tasks I enjoyed last night. Including meeting Colin Mathura-Jeffree - a man I have loved since watching New Zealands Next Top Model. Blessed to be given the opportunities I have. 

this post is also on my fashion blog

- Soph x

Monday 3 November 2014

THE 5 TASK WORKOUT

So, i'm not crazy into fitness but summer is coming up and a toned figure is something i'm looking into. But I can't run based on a foot injury and I don't want to do hard core workouts, so when this workout came up on my instagram I decided to try it out. Short and sweet, not too hard but not easy breezy - at first anyway. 

Workout
:
10 push ups
30 crunches
10 burpees 
30 second plank
10 lunges each side 

I also usually add - 5 leg lifts and 20 sqauts. The good thing about this workout is that you can add what you want and you can also do more than it says, so as it gets easier - which it will, you can increase the amount of each exercise you're doing. This is just a good way to get your blood pumping and your lungs working. 

 photo found on tumblr : not mine 

- Soph x


Sunday 26 October 2014

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER FAVORITES

BEAUTY 



Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick : shade 05
smooth - cherry scented - stays on - perfect for brightening up a look 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss
glossy - adding volume to lips - apply over a lipstick of similar colour (it looks great) 

Sukin cleanser 
leaves skin feeling refreshed and clean 

Maybeline Mineral Powder blush
discontinued product but it has been one of my favourites 

Moroccan Oil 
moisturizes hair - apply it once every day - it actually makes a difference 

Mac 217 brush 
The goddess of all eyeshadow brushes - must have product 

FASHION 


Mango Tee
this tee was purchased in France then I lost it for 5 months and i miraculously found it
recently and I am incredibly glad. The material is soft and cool and it is comfortable and also incredibly simple and a wardrobe basic so it can be dressed up or down with ease 

Yoga pants 
Just going to be honest and say I have been wearing my Nike yoga pants almost every day,
they're just a thing of pure comfort. I wear them when i'm studying, or lazing around or 
basically whenever I don't have to go anywhere

Lee Riders 
A pair of black jeans is an essential for every guy and girl upon this planet as they can be worn
with any colour, can be dressed up or down and are just a basic need in life. These have been worn more than numerous times since the day I purchased them

Country Road
The Sophia shop - this shop is my style in a shop - pretty much. I recently purchased a few pieces for summer from there and they have been well worn. Among those I got a black shell top (wardrobe essential) and pair of loose patterned shorts which I love dearly. 

FOOD

Britomart eating 
Britomart in Auckland City is one of my favorite spots in Auckland, filled with food, fashion and people one could never be bored. Milse and The Store are most frequently visited and Better Burger is a place I will definitely be returning to. 




Smoothies 
Berry and banana and mango and banana are my usual breakfasts in summer, I always add protein powder and chia seeds to make them more sustaining


TV/MOVIES

Vampire Diaries
you know those things that everyone always raves about but you can be bothered 
to look into what they're talking about? This was one of these. And let me tell you, watching this show was one of the best decisions i've made. I was hooked from the first episode. And those Salvatore brothers - gorgeous doesn't cover it. 

BOOKS/MAGAZINES 

Vogue


PLACES 

Britomart Place


Ponsonby Central 


BLOGS 

We Wore What 
Danielle Bernstein of WeWoreWhat.com is my idol and I aspire to live a life like hers 


- Soph x 

Thursday 2 October 2014

The meaning of a friend

It suddenly occurred to me this morning that there is no one meaning for a friend? When typed into dictionary it is
:
"a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations"
:
But think about it, if you went around and asked people what a friend meant to them, each person would answer differently. It is a term that we all interpret differently which can be good but also bad, because you may think you're being a good friend but that may not be what someone else views as a good friend. 

Pondering over this I realized that for me, a friend means trust. Without trust a relationship can't be developed? Think about it. You place trust upon people each day, you tell someone something and tell them not to pass it on and when they say they won't - you expect for them to keep that to themselves because you placed your trust upon them. You trust your friends to not talk about you behind your back and to stand up for you, trust gives us a sense of security and when that security is broken it possessed the ability to tear a person apart.

So stop and think about what the word friendship means to you. You may realize that not everyone meets that definition. But cherish those who you can trust or who meet your definition and show them the same

"never ignore a person who loves you, cares for you and misses you. Because one day you might wake up from your sleep and realize you lost the moon while counting the stars"


- Soph x 





Tuesday 16 September 2014

Sukin Cleanser

Product after product. Cleanser after cleanser she searched. For that one she could call 'perfect'. This perfect cleanser was given to me by New Zealand Fashion Week as a sample by Sukin it goes by the name 'Foaming Facial Cleanser' "lightly foaming and sulphate and paraben free".  Experimenting with cleansers tends to be risky as I am on a skin drug it means my skin is more likely to react with products, but this cleanser did no such thing. "This sulphate free wash provides a gentle, non drying cleanser to remove impurities leaving your skin feeling soft, clear and clean. Combines chamomile, aloe vera, witch hazel and green tea with macadamia and evening primrose oils to purify and balance your skin. Suitable for all skin types especially oily and sensitive". Not only does it smell enticing, it leaves my skin feeling very refreshed and clean and wakes me up in the morning. This product is most definitely one of my favorites of this month and I will most probably be investing in a bigger bottle soon. Now I am blessed to have found another cleanser which is perfectly compatible with my skin. 



- Soph x 

Carrot and Coconut Cakes with Chia Seeds

With my last exam tomorrow which a lot of study has already been done for, I wasn't going to study all day, so I decided to scroll through my favorite food blog known as "Petite Kitchen". For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while may possibly know I went gluten free for a period, so I already had many of her healthy, gluten free ingredients stored in my pantry. I've obviously adapted the recipe to what suits me, but i'll place the original link to her recipe at the bottom. This recipe creates 12 rustic looking cute cakes which are not only healthy but are incredibly delicious. 


Ingredients
:
3 free range eggs
½ cup honey, maple or agave syrup
¾ cup extra virgin coconut oil, olive oil or butter
2 cups ground almonds/almond meal
3/4 cup shredded coconut, plus a little extra for sprinkling
2-3 medium sized carrots 
grated zest of one lemon
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda

Method
:
Preheat the oven to 160 C

Add all ingredients in to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined. 

Divide the batter between the muffin tins, and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.


*http://www.petite-kitchen.com/2013/10/rustic-carrot-and-coconut-cakes-with.html*

Enjoy!

- Soph x 

Sunday 31 August 2014

Hoola by Benefit

A products which is used by so many - of course it had to be tried, I purchased this tropical looking product at the airport before I travelled to France. This bronzer is matte and works better for contouring rather than bronzing it's quite a light shade of brown but can be built up so a little bit goes a long way. I apply this using my MAC 150 brush and I apply it on my cheekbones and temples and I sometimes brush a little bit onto my nose and chin or just here and there to give me a little spot of color. This product is $53 but it lasts and the packaging is really good.

 
Photos from Benefit website

- Soph x 

Saturday 30 August 2014

NZ FASHION WEEKEND


Fashion Week is possibly my favorite event of the year. It is a time to appreciate fashion and ones personal style, this time is where we see the incredible styles from people all around the world. Fashion is about more than just clothes, fashion is showing who you are through what you wear, a simple color can represent so much, a choice of shoe, a decision to wear that bag we pick these things for a reason more than just because it looks good or because we're lazy. I went to a show in NZ Fashion Weekend which presented Andrea Moore, Taylor and Storm.









 ❝Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live❞— Gianni Versace. 

- Soph x 

Thursday 7 August 2014

Perfect Eyeliner

One who has mastered the skill of perfecting ones eyeliner has mastered a small part of the art of control. A black line running along ones lashes, how hard could such a seemly simple task be? You unscrew the top of the liquid liner and place the fine brush against the corner of your inner eye, you steadily but somewhat shakily move your hand along your lash line but the process is not yet complete, oh no. Holding your liner like a pencil you draw a somewhat straight line at the end of your eye and draw another creating a triangular like shape known as a flick. If only it was the end, but wait we own two eyes? It's like your eyes have been painted onto a canvas and the artists final touch is this line, both eyes have to be identical. 

I have been applying eyeliner for about three years and only recently have I fully begun to master the art of this. So I am going to help you perfect this rare skill

1. Find the right eyeliner
You have to like it, it has to feel right and secure within your hand. You also have to find the right colour - i'm talking black or brown, I have a brown one because it's slightly more subtle and works well with green eyes. I use liquid colour stay in brown by Revlon

2. Get a position
In order to maintain a steady hand you need to begin the the correct positon, I hold my brush in my right hand and I hold it like a pencil

3. Getting the line
Begin in about the middle of your lash line and steadily draw a thin line, as you get more confident you can draw it thicker faster. Continue this line up until the end of the lash line, go back over this line adding as much thickness as you want

4. Adding a flick
The hardest part of the process, get out your makeup remover because I can guarantee you will make a few mistakes. First you want to draw a straight line outwards from the end of your lash line, the angle of the line depends on the look you're going for along with the length. once this line is drawn, draw another from the lash line so it means with the first line creating a thin triangular like shape. You can make this as thick or curved or straight as you want 

That is the base of painting ones eye, of course no artist completes a masterpiece on their first go, practice makes perfect. I'm tossing doing videos? Would people watch them or should I just keep it as a blog? I hope this helped you lovely artists.

Source: Tumblr

- Soph x

Friday 1 August 2014

Science Of Happiness

Happiness.

What is it?

Is it something we can see? 
Is it something we can hear?
Touch?
Taste?
Smell?

Is it a word?
Is it an action?

Does anyone really know?

You gather 100 people into a room and ask each one of them what happiness means and each individual will give a different answer. Because each individual finds happiness in 10,000 different ways. 

But happiness isn't something that is always easy to come by, sometimes it's easier to allow ourselves to be sad and envious rather than joyous and blissful. Tal Ben Shahar did a presentation entitled "The Science Of Happiness" and this is what i've based this post on. 

1. Permission To Be Human
  • It's human to feel emotions, when preventing yourself from feeling an emotion not only are you blocking the bad ones but also you're preventing yourself from feeling the good ones. When you try to suppress an emotion you only intensify them, when you accept that emotion, it weakens. It doesn't disappear but it becomes more manageable. Something I don't think people realize is that you're not the only one who has felt that way. Usually when going through a point of depression you feel alone, so you try cover it up, hide it, ignore it but really what you're doing is encouraging your mind to think about it. You need to accept the painful emotion then do something about it.
2. Stress
  • Stress can potentially lead to depression and is one of the largest causes of depression and anxiety. So what can we do to decrease levels of stress? Simplify your life "quantity affects quality"if you're loading your life with work, activities, chores continuously of course you're going to suffer from stress. Now i'm not saying drop everything you do, but, allow yourself time to step back and reflect, appreciate things like friends and family as friends and family are one of the biggest reasons for happiness. "The problem isn't the stress it's the lack of recovery" it is important we take time to appreciate the little things, do yoga, meditate, breathe deeply. 
3. Mind/Body
  • Exercise is one of the greatest remedies for depression, a person who exercises is more likely to be happier than one who doesn't. Exercise can reduce levels of violence and anger as well as lessening things such as anxiety, panic, stress and depression. Wellbeing is a huge part of happiness
Think of happiness as a puzzle which is full of many different areas, these areas are different for each person. We all have individual puzzles and sometimes we may loose a puzzle piece but we can find ways to discover it again to help complete our puzzle. 

So take time to think. What makes you happy? 

- Soph x 

Thursday 24 July 2014

There And Back Again - Bali

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” 
― Augustine of Hippo 

If you stay in one place your whole life, if you never meet new people, if you never try new things, how do you expect to learn? I would prefer to try something and fail at it then never do it and always wish i did. I live my life imagining it's a book, i don't want the reader of my story to get bored. 

Bali is beautiful, there i resided at Club Med resort. I like to meet new people, I think that the more people you meet and get to know the more things you learn and the more you widen your mind. So what did I do? I went over and talked to one of the girls, was it a bit scary? yes. Was it a bit awkward? of course. Would I do it again? 100% yes. The guys and girls I met are some of the greatest beings on this planet, a few of them have become some of my best friends. Each one of them was different, they all had different opinions, ideas, experiences, stories and it was refreshing. 

We stayed up till 12.00 at night listening to music, talking. We played basketball in the mornings. We sunbathed in the afternoons. We grew closer to one another and created memories together, things i'll never forget. 

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”
― James A Michener 


I actually got a tan - finally 

Elephant riding, ticket that one off the bucket list 




Bastille Day 






Poppy Lane




- Soph x