Boots Makeup Haul and mini review!

So the other day I was in need for a new concealer and or foundation. For the past 12+ months i've been using the same tube of Cliniques "Anti Blemish solutions clearing" concealer in shade 1 and it seems to never end! I really cant fathom it to be honest I usually use it 5/7 days a week and being a hormonal teenager apply quite a bit. So I thought enough is enough I want something with better coverage and a better colour match. Alongside these thoughts I was also debating wether to get a foundation to help with overall coverage. 

So heres where Boots steps in, for a while now I had seen their new No7 match made service where they take their "gadget" and press it against your skin which photographs your face for its colour match. I asked my friend if it really worked ( as she has tried it) and she said yes and really liked it! So I thought lets give it a go! They photographed the same side of my face twice( unlike the advert where its both sides, my friend also said they did her neck) and the result came back with two matches! So the consultant tested each on half of my face. The first one I thought was a little too dark and because I don't tan it wouldn't really be suitable in the summer either. So the other colour "Calico" matched perfectly! 

No7 Stay Perfect foundation - £14.00

No7 Match Made concealer-£7.50

As you can see I got the No7 Stay perfect foundation in "Calico" and the corresponding match made concealer also in "Calico". I've been wearing both for a couple of days now and really like them both, I feel the colour is a great match and I really like the finish the foundation gives on the skin. It has a medium coverage which is good for my teenage acne prone skin! Finally I also have quite dry skin and this foundation really is quite moisturising.

Essie Polish in Toggle to the top -£7.99

The final thing I got was this Essie nail polish in "Toggle to the top". I think this was part of their Christmas/winter collection but I couldn't get any of the collection to mid January and finally I found this one now late February. I've currently been wearing this polish for about 5 days now and as you can see from the image below there is very minimal chipping and its mostly just wear on the tips. I applied 2 coats with a topcoat and the colour is a dark burgundy colour with red glitter pieces. One thing I did find is even with a topcoat the polish feels a little bumpy as if you can feel the glitter on the nail but it doesn't really bother me.

I hope you enjoyed this mini haul and review I hope to have a fashion haul up at some point in the near future!
Sophie x

Its a pin thing.

One thing I collect is Disney pins and pins in general. I have been collecting for about 10 years now so as you can imagine my collection is quite big(or what I feels big for someone living in the UK as appose to the USA). I keep all my pins on 3 cork boards and thought I'd share every now and again some of my favourite pins.

Today I have picked 5 Disney ones however in future I will share some of my Non Disney ones.

1. This is probably my favourite and most treasured pin! One of my favourite attractions at Walt Disney World is the "Carousel Of Progress", its a "ride" (if you can call it that) that not only offers about 20 minutes of air conditioned seating but takes you through the evolution of technology and family life in various decades from 1800 up to "modern day" (although this could be updated). Im still not 100% sure why it appeals to me so much as its not the most popular of attractions and it does frighten me that maybe in 10-20 years it might not still be there. I think when I was a child I was fascinated that the seats moved around the stage and the really catchy theme song "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow"and now its just become a nostalgic memory. Now before I go into even greater lengths about the attraction lets get back to the pin! This pin was part of the "Piece of Disney History 3" collection. It was limited edition (3500)and in the clear glass bubble contains small bits of feather from the a audio-animatromic bird that features in the attraction. I bought this pin of Ebay and actually collected the pin and met the dealer who was helping her son sell his pins as he was no longer interested in them.

2. This pin I got very early on in my collection, my dad would go on business trips to the USA and brought me back 6 from this stamp collection. This one sticks out most to me though as I remember wearing it one year for my birthday due to the design of the pin. This collection came out in 2006 and was a collaboration between Disney and the US Postal Service.

3.This stitch pin came out in 2006 and I believe there are a few variations that were made, or at least this is what i've seen on Pin Pics. Again this was one of my very first pins and I just think its adorable!

4. This Mary/Minnie Poppins pin (what a mouthful!) Is one of my most recent additions which I got last summer in Florida. I got it at a flea market, which can definitely be a questionable source to buy from, however I do believe this is a real pin unlike some others I annoyingly purchased there. Mary Poppins is my favourite Disney film so I love this pin. It was part of a carousel set and I believe there is a matching Bert/Mickey pin! Its LE of 1600 and came out in 2008.

5.This final pin of Minnie came out in 2008 (and I think is still available), I got this one as its just so realistic to how my mornings look! I love this design so much I have also got the matching mug!

I love collecting Pins and would love to share more of my collection in the future!

Sophie x

Book Review - After Auschwitz by Eva Schloss

One genre of books that I really enjoy reading and learning about are those set in ww2 or involving the holocaust. My dads side if the family is Jewish so I naturally am interested in that period of time and have read numerous non/fiction accounts and stories. 

After Auschwitz is told by Eva Schloss and is her account of living during Nazi reign and how her family were sent to Auschwitz. Although I have read a lot of personal accounts and fictional stories this story really stood out to me, I'm not sure if this is because of the fluidity in which it was written or the harrowing stories she recalls on. 

Eva is actually the step sister of Anne Frank and has helped to carry on her legacy and work. Pre war, Eva was friends with Anne, not best friends but they lived opposite each other therefore there families knew of each other. Post War, Eva's mother married Otto Frank and together published Anne's diary.

I wouldn't go into reading this book though if you want to know more about the Frank Family, if you're looking for a book like that I really suggest "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies who helped to hide the family and work for Otto.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and in the first day read 200 pages and then finished it the next day. I really liked the family letters that were woven in and it really gave that sentimental touch.

Pages:336
I give this book 4/5
If you like Holocaust accounts you may like this book

Sophie 

Book Review - 172 hours on the moon by Johan Harstad

My first book read in 2014 is complete! 172 hours on the moon or Darlah as it is known in other countries is a sci-fi/horror book written by Norwegian author Johan Harstad . It is set in the year 2019 and follows 3 teenagers who are given the opportunity to spend 172 hours of the moon with a number of other astronauts. 

Throughout the book we are reading through the perspective of these three teenagers which usually I would find a little confusing however because they are of different sexes and of country origin it makes it a lot smoother to read. 

The layout of this book I find really interesting and visually pleasing. It is split into three sections which group the three different stages of the book:pre launch, in space and back on earth. At various stages in the book there are full pages which show a picture or diagram which help to support the sometimes lacking detail. At some points I felt the author could of set the scene or location better therefor these images really helped not only to fill this gap in the book but to also visualise it from the point that we ourselves haven't visited the moon and that makes it even harder to imagine.( Quick note that in my book these pages would transfer the ink like crazy and I would get thumbprints on various other pages).

Personally I would of loved to of heard more about the teenagers training process prior to the launch as I feel this was just skimmed over and referenced here and there; however in the grand scheme of the book it didn't harm the plot line not to be included.

Throughout this book there is a second small side story that we keep coming back to of an old man in a retiring home called Mr. Himmelfarb, we get the feeling that he knows something about the real reason for the mission and this is revealed towards the end of the book.

I felt this story really kept me gripped especially from part 2 when they are in space. Harstad would include little sentences here and there that made me really question Nasa's reason for going back to the moon and what or who is really out there! I find the idea of being in space scary and this book really reenforced that to the point it would give me chills. I found that the last third of this story was really unpredictable and was surprised that it was wrapped up so quickly. I found the ending a little confusing and even had to look on wikipedia to fully understand it! I do feel that this book could of been given a sequel if it didn't' have the end mission statement which helps to wrap it up.

Overall I found this a really interesting stand alone book despite it having a little less character and location building than I would of liked. 

Pages: 368

I give this book a 4/5 

If you liked the "Across the Universe" trilogy you may like this book.

Sophie 

Books I want to read in 2014

My target for 2014 is to read a minimum of 40 books, below is a list of some books I really want to get to reading this year!

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 

Believe it or not I still haven't got my hands on this book, now this for a few reasons:

• I'm waiting to order the US cover so it matches my other books as I really dislike the British editions!
• Im trying to finish up some of my other unfinished series
• Finally it means i'm going to have to re-read Divergent and Insurgent, I have quite a bad memory so I tend to forget book plots easily

2. Jump Ship by Josh Shipp

This is Josh Shipp's second book that was released mid December, i've read his first book called "The teens guide to world domination" it is an amazingly inspirational book that I would recommend to any teenager who's questioning people in their life or what to do with their lives. In this second book Shipp advises on how to turn your passion into a profession. 

For anyone in the UK you can get shipps books off Amazon or The Book Depository. 

3. 10 things I hate about you by David Levithan

10 things I hate about you is one of my absolute favourite films partly because the cast includes Heath Ledger! I really want to read the book that inspired the film however this book is extremely hard to buy and I will have to do some major searching to find it.

4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

In 2013 I heard nothing but good things about this book by various booktubers and knew it was something I was interested in reading. It is part of a trilogy which is why I've hesitated to start it as previously stated I want to tie up some unfinished series.

5. Requiem by lauren Oliver 

Earlier this year I read Delirium which is the first book in this trilogy, it is about a dystopian world who are trying to cure "love". I remember really liking it and proceded to buy Pandemonium ... however I still haven't read it! My thoughts are to buy this book and just read through them all then I can just pick up the next book and not have to wait.

6. Legend by Marie Lu

This book had been on my " To be read" book for nearly a year! I first saw it on Elle Fowlers Vlog channel in one of her glitteratures. It is a trilogy but I definitely want to set time aside for it!

These are just a few of my top books that I want to read this year, if your have any recommendations then leave them below and also let me know what books you want to read this year.

Sophie

New Year, New Blog!

So 2014 is going to be the year of blogging for me ( or thats what I hope). I have created Sophie Helyn to be able to write about things I love and share my interests with other people and if no one reads this then it will simply become an online diary that I can look back at in 20 years and see what interests I had.

I'm still not 100% certain of what I want to blog about but I feel it will include book reviews, beauty and fashion posts and also lifestyle posts. I hope you will join me on this journey and I look forward to blogging in the future!

Sophie