Lipstick Saviour- Retro Matte Liquid

When it comes to my make up I tend to go for the same formula. I like to stick to what I know and stir well clear of anything to adventurous. Some people may call this boring, I call it tried and tested. Classic even. For example the trusty eye liner flick. I've perfected it to a fine art and it's never failed me so why start opening a can of worms by then learning to blend or contour or highlight or... OK you get the idea. Simplicity for me is key. This is of course a lazy girls opinion and if you have master any of the above, I salut you,

One thing I do tend to mix up is my lipstick. I've found over the years I've gone from being a strictly powder pink, nude kinda girl to progressively getting darker and darker. More corals and more reds. Red/Coral lipsticks can be a bit of a mind field to shop for however. Three crucial factors to consider; is the shade exactly spot on? If not, walk away you're wasting you're time. You want perfect and nothing less. Is the finish right? And super duper important, how does it wear? Which brings me perfectly to my new favourite discovery, I recently got my little mitts on. Retro Matte Liquid by Mac. 

"Rich And Restless"- Retro Liquid Matte By Mac
New to Mac, this is literally a god send to any red lipstick wearer. So the idea is it's a liquid lipstick (clue was in the title) which makes it ridiculously quick and easy to apply. Sometimes I think when you go to apply red lipstick, it's a little nerve racking. You have to commit. One false move and it can all go horribly wrong. Then no matter how hard you've tried to clean up the evidence, you're left with a ever so slight and extremely unattractive red tone on and around my lips. Whereas with this, it's simply as care free as applying a gloss and the little wand included with it, means you can get a really precise application.


About a minute after application the liquid drys to create a Matte lipstick finish (again clue was in the title) and categorically, it DOES NOT BUDGE. Honestly! Gone are the days of worrying about smudging or bleeding or it fading in the middle so you're left with a questionable nineties-esque red lip liner affair. Retro Matte Liquid stays put!


It comes in more then one yummy shade of red, so the choice is all yours! I went for more of a bright coral called "Rich and Restless" as seen above but I have every intention of going back for the rest. My make up routine just got made a million times easier, if that were possible.
Big, pouty red kisses and love
Sophia x 

Reissue/Reworked

Way way back, many moons ago in the distant memory that was December ( it feels like a life time ago, pay day where are you?) I was lucky enough to receive an early Christmas present from the lovely people at Fred Perry. A very dreamy and extremely classic black turtle neck straight from their "reissue" collection. It's timeless and I couldn't be more pleased with the little treat. I figured it was only right of me to show off how I decided to wear it. 

Fred Perry Treats
The obvious way to wear Fred Perry is to follow the mod/skinhead roots of the brand and that's great, there's nothing wrong with that what so ever. It's that wonderful skinhead heritage that we all adore about the brand! But sometimes it's nice to break out of that formula and away from the "Mod scene" subculture of the brand, after all Fred Perry consistently make extremely versatile classic pieces that can be worn a million different ways. The turtle neck I received I reminded me of 1950's knitwear, with its short arms and high neck and so I decided to wear it a little more feminine than I'd normally wear a bit of Fred.


In a happy accident I kind of went with a mish mash of decades; a fifties knit tucked into a seventies mustard cord midi skirt (bare legs optional, going tight-less in January weather is not for the fainthearted) and my favourite, a sixties style black patent Chelsea boot. I personally would advice trying to avoid tights if possible and to wear some sort of a heel with a midi such as this one, to avoid look mumsy and/or frumpy. It's totally dependent on the skirt of course! A midi and a trainer is a tasty combo but at the risk of digressing, that's a whole different ball game and I'll most likely cover it somewhere along the line but not on this occasion my friend. I love this overall look. There's something a little chic about it and I feel there are very few times in life you can call a bright mustard cord skirt chic, but hey ho this is one of them! And so thank you so much team Fred Perry for my timeless investment piece (without me investing), I'll be wearing it for years to come! 
Sophia x

Turtle Neck- Fred Perry
Midi- Topshop

"Mary" Chelsea Boot- Topshop


Twinkle Toes

I can't believe I haven't written a post in 2 weeks! I would like to give a valid reason but the truth is I've been spending it over eating, over drinking, over sleeping and basically being as unproductive as humanly possible. But it was the season and never the less I am back, half a stone heavier to write my first post of 2016! Firstly, happy new year everyone! Secondly as I am fast approaching 27 years of age (winces), I have come to realise the tired old new year mantra of "new year, new me" is a complete and utter waste of time and the reality of it is "new year, same old me so I better just get used to it" and with that in mind my first post is about another of my all time favourite wardrobe staples I always seem to go back to. METALLIC. SHOES. (I figured this was a tad seasonal as well)

For the record I'm not a glitzy, spangly kinda girl, but when it comes to metallic shoes I turn into such a magpie! Maybe it's my inner five year old in denial that I'm never going to grow up to be a princess. Sadly princess is a tough career choice to get into so she'll just have to make do with a moderately princess-esque sparkly shoe. The thing is as outlandish as a gold shoe may seem, metallic footwear actually goes with a hell of a lot more then other colour choice and in fact there isn't a single colour gold or silver doesn't go with. Making them a really easy outfit starting point and because they are on the shiny, spangly side you can keep the rest of your outfit as simple as you like and let your shoes do the talking! 

Silver Boots- Topshop
Gold Leather Pumps- Topshop
I recently invested in two rather shiny pairs of dancing shoes. As seen above. Both Topshop. The first is a silver sixties/Ziggy Stardust inspired ankle boot. And I hold my hands up and say the outfit I put together followed a David Bowie "Starman" theme, as I teamed them with a star knit jumper also from Topshop, with a simple white shirt underneath to sharpen it up (if you don't already own a classic white shirt I recommend you try Cos and I also recommend you go out and buy one immediately as they are a lifesaver for so many different outfits). I'm not really about "theming" an outfit, but on this occasion I'm letting it slide because a little Bowie inspiration never did any harm. I draw the line at a matching silver jumpsuit and an orange mullet though.

Star Jumper- Topshop
Shirt- Cos
The second pair (and possibly my favourite) are this Celine inspired gold pumps with a block heel. I love them, they are simple, clean and classic. And there's something a little unsexy and gorky about them that I'm drawn too! I kinda kept the classic look through the whole outfit with a thick knit navy jumper (like the white shirt, it's another wardrobe essential I would encourage everyone to own) and a pair of stone washed jeans. Stone washed denim and metallic shoes are a perfect match. I don't know why exactly, but they are. I decided to give the jeans a little modern twist and DIY frayed the bottom hems, just because this outfit ran the risk of playing it too safe for my liking and I didn't want to look like a middle aged mum.

Jumper- Topshop
Satchel- Mulberry
"Mom" Jeans- Topshop

These are both pretty easy outfits, nothing ground breaking what so ever. But they are 2 prime examples of how a gold or silver shoe can fit in just as- if not more- nicely with an outfit then any black shoe could! They're a nice little break away from the norm and add a bit of something to an otherwise safe bet outfit. 
Love Sophia (and her inner child/princess) X