Blogger Christmas Instagram Challenge

You may or may not know that many of us bloggers took the 'Blogger Christmas Instagram Challenge'.

 It was a great excuse to take photos everyday and share them with the world. 

Here are all my photos from the challenge, I hope you enjoy... 

Day 1: Advent Calendar, Day 2: Lipstick, Day 3: Candle

Day 4: Screenshot, Day 5: Handcream, Day 6: Sky, Day 7: OOTD

Day 8: Something that sparkles, Day 9: Currently listening to, Day 10: Eyes

Day 11: Flowers, Day 12: Perfume, Day 13: All Wrapped Up, Day 14: Best Friends

Day 15: Brushes, Day 16: Something Pretty, Day 17: Santa, Day 18: Make up Bag

Day 19: Bedroom Decor, Day 20: Night Time, Day 21: Nails, Day 22: Snowman

Day 23: Bed, Day 24: Christmas Tree, Day 25: Food, Day 26: Family

Day 27: Selfie, Day 28: Present, Day 29: Travel, Day 30: Handbag

Day 31: Drink

My New Year Resolutions

I have seen quite a few people on Facebook mocking the 'New Year, New Me' resolutions. But I actually think that the new year is a good opportunity to look back on the past year and change or improve something that you didn't like in your life. 

I have two main new year resolutions for the 2014. The first one is to chill out. Over the past few months I have felt myself becoming increasing stressed out at work and in my personal life. I don't want to be like that, so I want to move into the new year with a positive mind and remember to breathe in stressful situations. 

My second resolution is to become more healthy, I want to eat well and exercise more often. I'm thinking of doing the 30 day shred again so that should kick start my healthy regime. 

Who else has made new year resolutions? Leave me your link so I can check them out too.

Beauty blowout

Happy Christmas to me.

I am now the proud owner of my first Mac products and I am so damn happy.

I suffer from very rosy cheeks and I HATE it. So I decided to treat myself to some good quality make up which would hopefully sort the problem out. 

So I popped into House of Fraser, Croydon whilst I was finishing off my Christmas shopping yesterday. 

The very helpful Mac Sales Assistant, Sarah sat me down and started to apply the foundation and concealer, followed by the powder. I only really went in there to get foundation but I was sold by how amazing the three products looked on my skin I decided to grab the whole lot.

Sarah started by moisturising my face and then applied the foundation with a brush. Once the foundation was on, she dabbed the concealer onto my problem areas, which are my rosy cheeks. With a powder brush, she then pressed the hydrating power onto my face. Sarah explained that it is very important to press the powder on, instead of applying it in circular motions because that only just moves the foundation/concealer around your face and what you want is to fix the product. These products stayed put all day through the terrible wet and windy weather. It was still perfect even after I fell asleep on the sofa.

Here are the prices...

Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation: £25

Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35: £15

Studio Careblend/Pressed: £20

So as you can see these products are expensive but well worth it, in my opinion. 

But please can no-one tell my boyfriend how much I spent on make up. 

I was also desperate to try one of the new Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm. So I popped into Boots and picked up the peach one. It gives your lips a lovely shimmer and is also very hydrating, I love it. 

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in Peach: £2.99

Has anyone else splashed out on themselves this Christmas?

Next Monkey Fleece For Sale

I bought this Monkey Fleece from Next in size 6-9months for my nephew for Christmas, however as he is growing up so fast I have now decided to get him the next size up. 

So if anyone has a little one to buy for this Christmas and is struggling on what to get them, give me a shout if you're interested. Retail price £13 plus delivery but I would be willing to let it go for £12 including delivery, or something close to that. 

Please do give me a shout if anyone is interested.

Tweet me @sophiebella18

Not On The High Street Top Picks

I absolutely LOVE Not On The High Street. 
This website has such cool gift ideas for all occasions: Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, new baby, new home etc. I have picked out a few of my favourite gifts to show you all really how good this website is.

1) Scratch Off World Map Poster, £18
I love the idea of this, basically because I love the idea of travelling. I don't know if I'll ever get the opportunity to travel for long periods of time, so it might just have to be holidays. But I definitely want one of these posters to scratch off every time I visit a new place.

2) Personalised 'Likes' Poster Print, £38
This is such a sweet gift idea, although it is a bit pricey.
Not only does NOTHS have cool gifts like these, it also has great ideas to get crafty. So you could make a personalised print yourself.

3) 'Life Is Too Short' Quote Print or Canvas, £18
I love quotes. I think it's because they help me keep calm and stay positive. If you have been following my blog you will have seen that I have done a couple of posts on quotes, I hope to continue these as I really do think they help me when I'm feeling insecure and I hope they end up helping you too.

4) 'I Can Never Find The Words' Print, £19
This scrabble print is so cool. My friend showed me this whilst we were at uni and she then went on to make one of her own. I loved idea so much I made my sister and her husband one last Christmas.

5) Funky Veg Kit, £13.50
Purple carrots, red brussel sprouts, stripy tomatoes, yellow courgettes and multi coloured swiss chard, what is not to love about this awesome grow your own veg kit. What a brilliant idea.

6) I Could Eat A Horse Spaghetti Measurer, £9
I don't know about you but I always seem to cook too much spaghetti and end up having to throw some away. This measurer shows you how much spaghetti to cook for a child, woman, man and a horse. Well actually the horse represents four people.  Yes you may have a measurer already but I bet it's not as cool as this one.

7) Grow Your Own Pizza Kit, £13.75
No a pizza won't shoot out of the soil in a matter of weeks, instead this kit allows you to grow your pizza's ingredients including tomatoes, peppers and basil. The tomatoes and peppers take eight weeks to grow, although the basil only takes four. This is a fun and practical gift, perfect for a stocking filler or even a Secret Santa gift.

So if you're struggling for gift ideas I would definitely recommend heading over to Not On The High Street. If you think some of the gifts are too pricey then that gives you a great excuse to get crafty this Christmas, if that's what your in to.

Positive words (3)

Like many other people I struggle with insecurities and sometimes quotes like these really do help me to be positive. I hope they help you too. 

Homemade Smoothies

In a bid to be more healthy I decided to make my own smoothies. I had some tinned peaches in the cupboard that I needed to use, so I went to the shop and grabbed some bananas, cheap reduced mango, blueberries and raspberries. I didn't follow any recipe as I thought it was pretty straight forward to cut up fruit and chuck it in the blender.

The smoothies tasted amazing and you instantly feel great for even trying to be healthy. I had one small glass for breakfast at around 8.00am and it filled me up until about 11.30am - pretty good going really.

Clean & Clear Morning Energy // Beauty Review

When it comes to spots I have been relatively lucky throughout the years. Yes I get the odd spot every now and again but nothing too major. If one pops up I try to get rid of it as soon as I can and not by dolloping a load of toothpaste on it, because that DOES NOT WORK.

Recently however, I have a been suffering from spots pretty much every week for the last couple of months. I swear as soon I get rid of one, another one pops up. ERUGH NIGHTMARE. When I was in Sainsbury's the other week this Clean & Clear Morning Energy caught my eye as it was sitting at the end of an aisle on promotion. So I thought I would give it a try and see how I got on with it.

I use it every morning to give me exactly what it says on the tube, morning energy. I splash my face with cold water, which wakes me up in itself. Then I squeeze about a blob onto my hands and gently rub onto my face, making sure I steer well clear of my eyes. The mixture has little 'beads' in it so this helps to exfoliate the skin. I then rinse it off with another splash of cold water, then gently pat my face with a flannel to dry it.

My skin instantly feels amazingly soft and smooth, I can honestly say this is a great product. I have been using this for two weeks now and I actually haven't had a single spot on my face since and that is the main reason why I bought the product. To sum up, I am very impressed with the Clear & Clear Morning Energy.

Tag: About the Surrey girl

I saw this tag on Beauty In Beta and was genuinely interested to read about the person behind the blog. Like Beth, I haven't been tagged from a similar post, I just thought it was a nice idea to create a post. 

So if you do want to get to know me a little more then give this tag a little read.

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

I would say mostly straight but the underneath goes quite wavy/curly when I leave it to dry naturally.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I have done both. When I go to the salon it's £100 for a half head of colour and a cut, blow dry and my hair straightened/curled. So I only go once in a blue moon. I tend to leave my hair until I absolutely cannot bear it anymore and then I will head down to Boots and dye it myself.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I work 9-5.30pm in an office so my style is different everyday. However, I do tend to stick to skirts/blouses or a dress as that is what I am most comfortable in around the office environment.

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I recently went to a salon for a manicure as I asked for one from my Nan for my birthday. It was lovely, I just wish I could afford to do it all the time. I do have loads of nail polish at home though so I should really start doing my own.

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

The majority of the time I don't wear any. Which is the complete opposite from my mum and nan, they get their nails done every 2 weeks without fail. I should probably get into a routine of doing mine more often.

6. Do you polish your toes in the Winter or just the Summer?

Just the Summer.

7. How long does it take for you to put on make-up?

10-15mins

8. What do you do first, face or eyes?

Face

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I use to have quite a collection of foundation but then I started to become aware that I should be using them as apposed to collecting them. So now I tend to just buy what I need and finish that first. I think eyeshadows are a bit different because it is nice to mix it up a bit with colours.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

I haven't got any at the moment, I need to get some more but I used to like wearing them everytime I went on a night out.

11. Do you do a full face of make-up everyday?

I do every week day when I go to work but at the weekends (depending on what I'm doing) I just wear mascara.

12. Do you wear make-up when you're home alone or with family?

I like to wear mascara when I'm around my family or anyone else but if I'm on my own then I won't wear anything.

13. Will you leave the house without make-up?

Simple answer. NO.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

Not many, my mum bought me a YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch and I loved it. But sadly it ran out a while ago and haven't been able to justify buying another one since. I would love MAC foundation but I can't really justify £20 something pounds on make-up when I'm trying hard to save.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

During the week I try to plan the whole weeks' worth of outfits, as then I can save time in the morning, this doesn't always happen though.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

Not very often at all. I really need a new one, I hoping the boyfriend will buy me one for Christmas.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

On a week day I'm usually asleep by 11.30pm and wake up about 7.00/7.30am. On a weekend it varies depending on what I'm doing, but I do love a lie in.

18. How often or when do you workout?

I go to Zumba every week and I love it! I was doing the 30 Day Shred but kind of gave up, so I really want to get back into that. Basically, I need to workout more.

19. Left handed or right handed?

Lefty.

20. How tall are you?

5ft 3'

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

No very well. I learnt French at school but I haven't really retain anything else than Bonjour.

22. How many pets do you have?

I have 3 cats. Daisy who is a mum to Wooly and Alfie. I wrote a post not long ago if you what to meet them, head here to my Crazy Cat Lady post.

23. How often are you on Blogger/Wordpress?

Pretty much everyday. If I'm not writing a post then I will reading the posts of blogs I follow.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Yes, more often than not.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

No, but I should really do this.

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

I wanted something that could cover a range of topics and not just beauty or fashion. I love lifestyle blogs and lifestyle features in magazine so that is where The Life of a Surrey Girl came from.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

At the moment I just use my iPhone 4S, I will one day own a 'proper' DSLR camera but only when I can afford it. I don't think there is anything wrong is using my iPhone so I won't feel bad about using it.

28. How often do you clean your house?

I live at home with my Mum and her partner, so my Mum and I are always cleaning up around the house.

29. What's your favorite colour?

Pink

30. Do you swear?

Yeah I'm afraid I do. Sorry about that. Not loads, but yeah I do.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

I work full time 5 days a week, so for the rest of the day I will be working in the office earning a crust.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, you should give it a go yourself. If you do, send me a link as I would love to read them.

Positive words (2)

Christmas Party Dresses

Christmas Party Dress Picks by sophiebella18 featuring short black dresses

Forever 21 dress

AX Paris blue cocktail dress

AX Paris body con dress

H M short black dress

Navy blue prom dress

In under two months it will be Chrisssssssssssssssstmassssss. So that means the office Christmas party and I have nothing to wear. The shock horror of being a girl, lots of outfit in the wardrobe but the 'I have nothing to wear' syndrome. I found a handful of gorgeous dress that I could possibly make the cut this year, but which one shall I pick?! HELP.

A/W Lust List

A/W Lust List by sophiebella18 featuring black shoulder bags

H&M Imitation leather biker jacket
£20 - hm.com

Burgundy Belted Waffle Skater Skirt
£14.99 - newlook.com

H&M Ankle Boots
£24.99 - hm.com

Embossed detail bag
£25.99 - bershka.com



I absolutely love these Autumn/Winter items and with Christmas around the corner I may very well be putting these on my wish list. The boots would look great with skinny black jeans or with the Burgundy Belted Skater and black tights. The leather jacket is way cooler than the one I own already, I will definitely by making room for this in my wardrobe.

How to make a nappy cake

One of my old school friends is 33 weeks pregnant and is expecting a girl, so I thought I would get a bit crafty and make her a nappy cake (with a lot of help from my mum). NB: this cake is not of the sponge variety.

If you have a friend or a family member who is expecting, why not follow this step by step guide on how to make a nappy cake, they make great gifts and look amazing across the baby shower table.

Things you will need:
Cake board
Tin
Newborn nappies
Elastic
Ribbon
Baby essentials including: baby grows, sleepsuits, handmits, muslin, baby lotion, baby oil etc
Blanket or towel
Hair ties/rubber bands
Kitchen roll holder
Small blanket with toy
Cellophane
Sellotape
Scissors
Stickers

So here is how you make a nappy cake...
Step 1: You need to get a cake board slightly bigger than your tin, this will form the basis of the 'cake'.
Step 2: Tie elastic around the tin and secure.
Step 3: Roll the nappies up and secure with either a hair tie or rubber band. Make sure you roll the top of the nappy inwards first.
Step 4: Tuck the rolled up nappies inside the elastic, so they cover the outside of the tin.
Step 5: Cover the elastic with ribbon and secure.
Step 6: Place a kitchen roll holder inside the blanket or towel and roll. Make sure you leave enough space to secure more nappies on as this and the blanket/towel will form two columns.
Step 7: You will need to hold the blanket or towel in the centre of the tin whilst you fill the tin with your baby essentials. Make sure you arrange them nicely, presentation is key.
Step 8: Secure another piece of elastic around the blanket/towel and tuck some more of the rolled up nappies inside the elastic.
Step 9: Cover the elastic with ribbon and secure.
Step 10: Secure another piece of elastic around the kitchen roll holder and slip the rest of the rolled up nappies inside the elastic.
Step 11: Cover the elastic with ribbon and secure.
Step 12: Place the small blanket with toy over the top.
Step 13: Place stickers around the ribbon to decorate.
Step 14: Cut a big enough piece of cellophane to cover and reach the top of the nappy cake.
Step 15: Hold the top of the cellophane and start scrunching the corners in. Tie with elastic to secure.
Step 16: Fold the sides of the cellophane up and secure with tape.
Step 17: Tie a ribbon around the top and curl with scissors (make sure you're careful with them).
Step 18: I fixed a plastic rose to the top to finish the 'cake' off but you don't have to do this.
Step 19: There isn't a step 19, you're done.

Things to note:
The cake is really what you want to make of it, so if you want more wash items than clothes then go for it. It's totally up to you. But whatever you choose I'm sure you'll have one happy pregnant woman.

Let me know if you make a nappy cake and how it turns out.

Love Sophie