Liebster Award

Two delightful thing happened to me today

1) I got my first blog comment- very exciting times

2) I was nominated for a Liebster Award!

Both of the above were courtesy of the lovely Felicity Evans. Honestly I was so. so touched to see she had nominated me, especially considering this is such a small blog (for now). A baby blog if you will.

In case you're unaware of the whole the concept of the Liebster Award basically you nominate a blog you love with 200 followers or less and they go on to nominate their favourites. The idea is to raise awareness of new/ small blogs and to spread a little love in blogging community. 

There are some set rules though! 

Here are the rules for the nomination process:

1. Once nominated, make a post thanking and linking the lovely person who nominated you.

2. Include the Liebster Award sticker (like the one above) in your post.

3. Nominate ten other new bloggers with less than 200 followers who you think deserve this award.

Let them know they have been nominated by commenting on one of their posts. You can nominate the person who nominated you.

4. Answer the 10 questions asked by the person who nominated you and then make ten questions of your own for your nominees.

(I copied and pasted this from Felicity, shh!)

So here are answers to the questions I was set

1. Describe your aesthetic in 3 words

Simple, easy, timeless

2. Why did you choose the blog design that you did?

I had a blog before when I was a bit younger, and it's design was very girly. Think lots of pinks and swirly fonts. I decided with this blog I wanted something a bit more grown up. I like the simplicity of this one with the subtle hints of colour

3. If you have an Instagram, which of your pictures is your favorite? If you don't have one, which picture that you took is your favorite?

I do have Instagram but I have to admit I'm a bit poor at remembering to use it. So I've choosen from my Facebook photos. And I've cheated and picked two!

This is one is the first picture the boy and I ever had taken together. We look so stiff and awkward God bless us.

This one is me and my momma taken at Sunflower Fest in Hillsborough last year. It rained and was so, so cold yet we still managed to have a giggle.

4. How do you spend a rainy day?

Netflix, pajamas, Dominos, duvet. Bliss

5. Which YouTube video is your favorite, and why?

I can't pick just one but my overall favourite vlogger would be Hannah Maggs. Her and her husband Stef do weekly vlogs with their son Greyson. They are just so beautifully edited they're a real pleasure to watch.

This is the one I am currently watching.

6. Which book have you read in 2015 that really impressed you?

The Boy Who Could See Demons I am probably bias as this book is set in Belfast. The whole time I was just like 'I know that place!' But the story is really interesting basically this community psychologist working with a young boy who believes he can see demons. It's just such an interesting book and it shines a light on The Trouble over here are still affecting generations. I would highly reccomend it.

7. Which movie that you saw in 2015 that you loved?

Is it bad I can't think of a single movie. I'm more of a tv show girl. Watched Trainwreck the other night and quite enjoyed it, so let's go with that.

8. What are you looking forward to that's a year from now?

One of my best friends is getting married next year. She's the first one out of a group of us to get married so we're very excited for the wedding

9. What's one thing you've learned about yourself in the past 5 years?

I'm stronger than I thought. And I'm very good at not sweating the small stuff. Now I've dealt with big massive life changing events, little things don't phase me the same way.

10. What do you love about blogging?

I love the writing side of blogging. I hate taking photos! 

Now to nominate my fellow bloggers. I really enjoyed this aspect, a lot of the blogs I follow are quite big so it was fun discovering newer blogs. So in no particular order I nominate

1. A Moment With Ellie
2.By The Way Kate 
3.Madeline Alice
4.Glitter Pots and Lipgloss

And my questions for all you lovely ladies are;

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. If you could steal any celebrities wardrobe for yourself, who would you choose?
3. What is the one beauty product you cannot live without?
4. What is your favourite song at the moment?
5. What's your favourite season?
6. What is your all time, number one movie?
7. Do you have favourite motto, either a famous one or one you've created for yourself?
8. Where do you see yourself in five years time?
9. Where would you go on your dream holiday?
10. What do you love about blogging?

Can't wait to see all your responses!

Love
Sho xx

September Wishlist (Holiday Clothes)

I spend too much time on ASOS. It's an addiction, I need help. But I'm quite good in that I always save things in my Saved List before buying anything. If I go back in a week and still really want it then I may make a sneaky purchase.

So on that note I'm giving all a nosy and what I currently have saved. This wish is quite summery considering we're almost into autumn but I'm going on holidays at the end of September so I need a few bits and bobs.

Shorts

ASOS Pleated  Cullotte Shorts in Nude £12

ASOS Shorts with Crochet Inset in Terracotta £18

ASOS Shorts Mosiac Print in Blue £12.50

ASOS Pleated Cullotte Shorts in Multi £12.00

T-Shirts

ASOS V Neck T-Shirt Yoga Slogan £14

Beach Please Adolescent Clothing Boyfriend Tee £18

River Island 'I am not a mermaid' T Shirt £20

ASOS 'Swim and Tonic' Boyfriend T Shirt £14

I'm thinking of bringing four tees, four pairs of shorts, two play suits, two dresses, two maxi skirts and some form of jacket/ cover up. Is this too much? Too little? Obviously I'll be bringing swimwear and flip flops.

I'm so bad at packing, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Love 

Sho xx

My First Jo Malone Experience

Do you know what today is? Today is the most glorious day of the month. Today is pay day!

I decided I wanted to splurge on something a little bit special as it's my first paycheck from my new job. I've been toying with purchasing a Jo Malone product for a while now. At first I wanted a candle but I figured I'd only ever get the benefit from it now and then. I spend most nights at my boyfriend's house and whenever I'm home I'm usually so tired I cannot be bothered to light candles.

I finally decided I wanted a perfume, a signature scent if you will. I've never really bought a premium perfume usually settling for cheaper brands like DKNY. Now that I'm a grown up lady I figure it's time to invest in my smell. (OK that sounds a lot grosser than I intended.)

When I first entered the shop I immediately went over to try the Lime, Basil and Mandrian cologne. I love citrus scents and thought I would really like it. But it just wasn't for me. I don't really know why I imagined it would be more fruity and light but it was quite overpowering.

At this stage I must have looked quite confused as a lovely lady (I think her name was Ann) approached me and asked if I needed any help. I explained why I was there and told her a few perfumes I like and what sort of smell I was looking for.

She explained the colognes are divided into six categories; Citrus, Fruity, Light Floral, Floral, Spicy and Woody. I immediately disregarded Spicy and  Floral, they just didn't seem like my kind of thing. I wasn't too sure about Woody as I imagined they'd be quite masculine scents.

Ann was very patient and let me try all the citrus ones but nope nothing stood out. I then tried Fruity and quite liked the Nectarine Blossom and Honey but it didn't really wow me.

Basically I tried so many, my nose was completely overwhelmed. And then the magic happened. Ann sneaked in a scent I'd previously dismissed and I adored it.

Ann applied the corresponding hand cream and sprayed the perfume on top. She advised I took half an hour to try it out and let it settle. If I still liked it I could back.

I immediately took myself off to get something to eat, but we won't get into that!

So, I hear you all asking, what did I decide?!

I went for Wood Sage and Sea Salt one of the Woody scents which I had dismissed at first. Yes when I first smelt it I thought it was a bit too like aftershave. But I can't describe it, there was just something that kept drawing me back. Once it has settled it had a really soft and feminine undertone. I just love it.

Anne very kindly threw in some samples which I'm very much looking forward to trying.

Now a large bottle cost £85 which is quite pricey but I think I'll get so much wear out of it. I imagine that everyone I meet will gasp and exclaim 'What a delightful perfume you're wearing'

Overall I was so impressed by the customer service I received in store, the assistants were all lovely and every customer had someone helping them out.

I'm not going to buy a new Jo Malone product every week but for special occasions and treat yo' self days I would highly recommend it.

What's your favourite Jo Malone scent? Is there any products I should consider in the future? Let me know in the comments.

Love

Sho xx

The Professional Choice: Barry M Nail Varnish Haul

Do four nail varnishes count as a haul? I'm going to say yes, I figure anything more than two is a haul.

I started my new job on Monday and the training centre is based in the city centre. Which means I am too close to all the shops. I decided to take a little stroll into Boots on the way home, just to look. But I ended up getting a couple of bits and bobs. I really wanted to get some new nail varnishes. I felt all my nail varnishes were too bright or dark, no in between. And as my new job is office based I wanted some subtle, classy colours. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I rocked a hot pink nail but I want to present the image of a young, professional woman. Also I just needed an excuse to buy stuff.

Now I will be the first to admit Almond and Pit Stop appear very similar but Pit Stop is more of grey and Almond is definitely a nude. A subtle but distinct difference I'm sure you'll agree.

I bought a few new outfits for the job ( don't worry there will most defintely be outfit posts involoving these) and surprisingly got a lot of navy items. I never wear navy but clearly the professional Shona decided this was a great colour. The Blackberry shade is probably my favourite, one coat and it is vibrant with a good colour.

Finally I decided that since summer (if you can even call it that) is almost over and I fancied a wee bronze for autumn. It's difficult to really what the Caspian shade is like from the bottle, but it is more of a metallic gold. Nice, but not quite what I wanted.

Now I apologise. I attempted to swatch these on my finger nails but it was a disaster. Nail varnish everywhere, nail varnish remover over the sofa and tears on my pillow.  I biet my nails so they'll never look great but hopefully I shall be getting acrylics done soon and I shall swatch away to my heart content.

On a completely unrelated note I have ordered a camera tripod off Amazon that should be arriving soon. There will most definitely be an overabundance of OOTD post so prepare yourselves.

Love
Sho xx

Review: Lush Ultrabland cleanser

My skin care routine is what some may call lackadaisical (or lazy if you want to be harsh). I'll use some form of cleanser to take off any make up and a wee bit of moisture if my skin is feeling thirsty. Other than that...meh. I know it's bad, I'm getting older I should be proactive in reducing wrinkle and making my skin as vibrant as possible.

I go though little phases when I'll buy a new product, declare it the best thing ever, use it for a week then stick in a drawer never to be seen again. I try my best but I'm just too flaky.

A few months ago I was living to regret my devil may care approach to skin care when I woke up with a face full of spots. Those really horrible, sore, angry looking red spots that take forever to clear up. In fairness I was having a very stressful time. I wasn't eating properly, my sleeping pattern was completely up the left and was definitely not drinking enough water. A girl I was working with at the time told me about the most amazing cleanser ever she had got from Lush. So I give you the Lush Ultrabland cleanser

Feeling very excited about trying this out I quickly ran home and slapped it all over my face. And I hated it. Guys, no joke, it was like lard. But with bits in. It was so thick and greasy. Let's just be honest, it was gross. Even once I wiped it off with a face cloth it still felt like there was a residue on my face. So even though my skin felt soft, it was a fake soft because I was pretty sure half of it was still on. Also it smells...not bad but not great.

Thanks Scott!

Needless to say I was not convinced. But as you can see above, the instructions advised if you are having problem skin to use it for month. I don't know why but I decided to carry on with it despite my initial reaction of disgust.

And I have to say it did work. My skin cleared up a treat, spots where all gone and I haven't had a occurrence. I never got used to the greasy, oily texture. I still feel like it leaves a layer on your skin but the results speak for themselves. I feel like now my skin is under control I'll maybe move on to something else but if I do ever have another flare up I will definitely repurchase. All in all a bit of a mixed review but I hope it helped anyone who was considering buy this. A 100g tub costs £11.50 or the smaller 45g is £7.25 and a little goes a long way with this. No need to break the bank if you want to try it out.

Love

Sho

Sho says hello!

Welcome all to my shiny new blog. Isn't it just scrumptious? I used to blog a few years ago but, as always, life just got in the way. Working shifts, trying to have a social life and just a general apathy meant it fell to the wayside. But I loved it, I loved having my own little slice of the Internet, I loved putting my thoughts out into the great interweb. I mostly really enjoyed having an interest outside of work and Netflix.

The past year has been incredibly hard for me, there have been some big changes in my life and I feel now at the ripe old age of 26 I am being forced in to being an adult. Kicking and screaming I might add! I wanted to create a space to share what I'm learning and to seek advice from others.

To set a bit of context my amazing, wonderful mother passed away a few months ago. She was my best friend, my confidante, my go to person for all life's answers. Now that she's gone I constantly find myself wondering 'What am I going to do when things go wrong?'. She was always my safety net. Any time I needed to make a big decision, it was her I went to for advice. Whenever it got to the end of the month and I was seriously regretting having a massive shopping spree and too nights out, it was my mum who bailed me out. Whenever I was considering renting a new place, I always took her with me to viewing to get her opinions.

The best person who ever lived. That's a fact

I'm 26 now, on the cusp of the next stage of my life. The stage where I start to make big decisions like buying a house, getting married, having a baby an figuring out my career. I no longer have her to help me and guide me so where do I go? Yes I have an amazing partner, fabulous friends and wonderful family. But I would love to be able to share my experiences with others, get support from others who have been in the same situation. Maybe help people going through the same experience. 

Don't worry this not going to be all deep and meaningful all the time. I love clothes and make up so expect reviews and OOTDs. Also expect just general ramblings as I do tend to babble on a bit. 

Thanks for taking the time for reading this. I'm excited to get this show on the road.

Love

Sho x