Going AWOL

The best job | Cuddles from Indiana | The prettiest bedding
Supporting my team! | Attempting to learn shorthand | Feeling poncey in Starbucks
Good thoughts | Jo Malone birthday treats! | The most amazing birthday cake
So since my last post (back in early August, where has time gone?!), life has pretty much gotten on top of me, and completely eaten up all of my spare time.

I finally moved out in early September - into halls, oh the joys. I started university (I'm now a budding journalist, I'll have you know), and I couldn't be happier. I'm finally doing what I enjoy, and I'm so glad I decided to give uni another go.

I also turned 22 last week - I'm growing up, which is terrifying and exciting in equal measure. I had such a lovely birthday weekend surrounded by friends and family, and I'm counting myself very lucky right now!

I've recently started writing for The News Hub, and my first article went live yesterday, which you can see here. All very exciting!

Hopefully I'll be back to blogging properly in the not-too-distant future, I have a few blog posts up my sleeve, so keep an eye out for those.

Hope you're all well!

Is it a Yes for YesTo?

I know what you're thinking. Makeup wipes? Really? But roll with me on this one. I first heard about the YesTo range from Lily Pebbles, who mentioned it in a video of hers about a month ago. The brand pride themselves on being 95% natural, and they use fresh fruit and vegetables to make their products - maybe not counting as one of your five-a-day, but it might just be the next best thing.

Now, onto the controversial topic - yes, they are makeup wipes. I know wipes get a huge amount of bad press from us bloggers, but the YesTo Grapefruit Brightening Facial Wipes don't feel like any other wipes I've used in the past. Not only do they smell amazing (and come in beautiful packaging, might I add!), but they stay wet while you're using them and don't dry up, meaning the dreaded 'sore-face' afterwards is a thing of the past.

The wipes seem to take makeup off with minimal effort (always good for a lazy lady such as myself), but I particularly like using these in the mornings, as they not only cleanse, but exfoliate too. They also brighten up your complexion, perfect for those no-makeup-makeup days when all you want to wear is a bit of concealer and mascara.

All in all, incredibly impressed with these face wipes (definitely not a sentence I thought I'd say anytime soon!) and having looked at the rest of their products, I might be treating myself to a few more bits and bobs - this time from the Blueberry range!

Have you tried these wipes before? What are your experiences with face wipes? Let me know!

An Unfortunate Purchase

After hearing countless rave reviews on the Clarins eye make-up removers, I thought, 'Soph, you're missing out - get in on this party before it's too late'. These reviews claimed that this 'miracle product' removed eye make-up in one fell swoop, making an evening skincare routine all the easier... And who am I to say no to that?

I'll give you a bit of background first - my eyelids have been a bit sore recently (attractive, I know), and I don't usually wear a lot of eye make-up - the most you'll find me wearing day-to-day is a slight bit of eyeshadow and a few coats of mascara. Keeping this in mind, I went for the Clarins Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover (as opposed to the Instant Eye Make-Up Remover), as I thought this would remove my tiny bit of make-up, while making sure my eyes didn't end up red and sore like they had in the past. How wrong I was.

Despite claiming to 'gently and thoroughly remove all regular eye make-up', it made an incredibly hard job of removing any of it whatsoever. I tried several times to hold a soaked cotton pad over my eye, letting the solution soak into my eyelids and lashes before attempting to sweep my make-up off, but it didn't work at all. Instead, I spent my time scrubbing at my already-sore eyes with a cotton pad. Surely not the best idea when using a so-called 'gentle' eye make-up remover?

Normally, I wouldn't be annoyed. But I never wear waterproof mascara, and my eye make-up can hardly be deemed 'heavy'. After spending £18 on a somewhat 'holy grail' product, I at least expected it to be worth the money, but it most definitely was not. Perhaps it was the mistake of not choosing the Instant Eye Make-Up Remover, but even so, a product should do what it says on the bottle.

Overall, not super impressed, and I'll be on the hunt (again) to find an eye make-up remover that's worth the money. If you have any suggestions, please let me know - I'll be happy as Larry if you help me find one!

Three Spring Lips

For me, the transition between winter and summer is pretty difficult - especially living in England, where yo. need an umbrella one minute and a pair of sandals the next! Thankfully, changing my makeup is pretty simple. Instead of the berry shades and smokey eyes, I've been settling for more pinks, corals and nudes - here are the three shades I've been reaching for most often:

The Nude
My go-to nude lipstick of the moment is L'Oreal's Colour Riche Lipstick in Cheryl's Nude. I'm a lady who prefers my browny-pink nudes, as they compliment my skin the best and don't wash me out - no one wants to look like Casper instead of Ms Cole now, do they?

The Wash of Colour
Perfectly moisturising and a gorgeous glossy pinky-coral, L'Oreal's Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Dating Coral (301) is hands down my favourite way to get a little wash of colour without being too OTT. The packaging isn't anything to write home about, but (thankfully) the lipstick is incredibly impressive. Bravo, L'Oreal!

The Bold Lip
I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to bold lip colours, I prefer to keep them quite muted. Clinique's Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch (05) might just be the thing to change all that though. For days when I'm feeling a little more daring (I'm trying it more often, I promise!), this is the way to go. Moisturising without being incredibly glossy, this is one beautiful spring/summer shade!

What are your favourite spring lip products? I'm in need of some ideas!

Catastrophe Cosmetic

Lush, you've got my back at the minute. My skin's been nothing short of totally troublesome lately (alliteration was needed), so I wanted to treat myself to a new facemask to help it out a little. I've used a Lush facemask before (you can check out my glowing review of Mask of Magnaminty here), but I wanted something a little different, something that was going to soothe my skin and make it feel soft as a baby's behind.

Now, I agree - it may not win any beauty pageants, but trust me on this one. Catastrophe Cosmetic has blueberries running through it which work as an antioxidant (not to mention they make it smell heavenly!). Plus, the calamine powder really helps to calm your skin down and get rid of any redness you might have, and working with the talc, they both gently remove any excess dirt leftover after cleansing.

Being one of Lush's fresh facemasks, you do have to keep the little pot in the fridge. Good, you say, because you know your mask is fresh and will be lovely and cooling on the skin? Well yes, but also a bit of a pain because I'm a forgetful little madam and never remember to park it next to the bath with the rest of my pamper-night essentials!

Despite me and my sieve-for-brains problem, I really do love this facemask. Cooling, caring and completely perfect for my skin, it's definitely on my repurchase list!