What's In Your Pocket? Blogger Challenge

I was recently approached by Money Supermarket to be a part of a really great project, that aims to celebrate 'life's little wins'. 'What's in your pocket?' began with hidden cameras capturing people's reactions when they discovered £20 in their dry cleaning pocket. Money Supermarket have taken this one step further and given £20 to a collection of bloggers to experience the thrill of finding money, and share how you've used the money and whether its given you or someone you know that feel-good feeling.

Being a university student and swiftly heading towards third year, sometimes you just need a little break. During my first year I never really went out, I allowed my work-load to consume me and spent my free time couped up in my bedroom on the phone to my friends or parents either moaning or having a breakdown over whether I thought I was good enough. 

Recent events have enabled me to realise that the key to handling stress is to allow yourself time to forget about it all.

 

  Therefore, with my £20 I put it towards a really great night out with one of my close friends from my course. We both get stressed and worry easily, so it was nice to get out of that environment and enjoy a relaxing night with amazing food and conversation that didn't revolve around our ever-mounting workload. I really liked being able to pay for the majority of the meal (It came to £28, so there was a little left over to pay!), as being students we're not exactly made of money!

Sometimes when you have a long list of to-do's it can be hard to imagine that you would have time to have nights off. But the time you spend worrying could be time spent curing yourself of that worry, as after this evening I found that I was ready to continue with my work after allowing myself to breathe for a little while. 

Overall I really enjoyed this challenge (although it was more of an award!), and encourage everyone to save a little of money every week to give yourself a night off, whether it be to go out for a meal or renting a DVD with a friend - your health and well-being will thank you for it.

If you want to take a look at the original 'What's In Your Pocket?' video, click here.

Sophie Says has twitter!

I've had this blog over a year now, but have only today made an official twitter handle.

I don't know why it's taken me this long, perhaps i'm just a bit afraid that no one will follow it!
I've previously put all my posts on my personal twitter, but the official blog handle will feature everything I post as well as some other beauty bits and bobs.

So, if you're a regular reader and would like to follow Sophie Says, follow the handle below:

@SophieSaysBlog

Clinique Chubby Stick Set

I've had my eye on Clinique Chubby Sticks for a long time, but if i'm honest they never really appealed to me enough to take the plunge. Not because they weren't going to achieve spectacular results, but practically straight after the release, handfuls of high-street brands were offering similar versions for a fraction of the price (I'm a student, what do you expect?).

However, when Christmas time rolls around you can get away with splurging a little, which in my case resulted in this gorgeous Clinique Chubby Stick Set*.

The set features five smaller versions of the iconic moisturising lip colour balms in a variety of their best selling shades. As you can see, there seems to be a colour for every occasion, although each box does seem to vary with one or two shades. Each stick weighs in at 1.2g as opposed to the full-sized 3g, and although this seems like a significant amount these sticks are the perfect size for slipping into an evening clutch bag. Designed with a pencil-style applicator, this enables precise application, along with convenience of gliding onto the lip quickly whilst on the move without a mirror. So without further ado, here's the verdict on these highly commended shades:

 Cheeky Cherry
This is a great shade for someone who isn't adventurous enough to wear red lipstick, as it may seem quite light when pictured but it's actually a lot brighter. This is probably the most surprising shade for me, as I didn't think i'd wear something so intense. You don't need to use a lot of product to achieve this level of colour, and due to the glossy finish its suitable for both day and night. 

 Richer Raisin
This is the most deceiving of the shades, not for the fact that I don't like it, but it's so different from the shade on the outside of the actual stick. I do prefer it because its generally a lot more subtle and lighter so its more suited for my skin tone. The intensity of this colour is quite great in this swatch, but in order to intensify the colour you need to use a great deal of product.

Curvy Candy
 This is probably the safest shade, suitable for both during the day and in the evening paired with a dramatic smokey eye. This would be my go-to shade purely because its so simple.

 Oversized Orange
 This colour is probably the most disappointing, because from the colour it indicates to be on the stick is completely different. It's more of a subtle coral than a bright orange, which is easier to wear but once again, deceiving. This will probably be the colour I wear least, purely because it's not much different to my natural shade and to be honest, it's nothing too special.

 

Super Strawberry 

 A gorgeously bright pink that isn't too different from 'Chunky Cherry'. When swatching it on my forearm, I was quite disappointed that it didn't really coincide with being named 'Super Strawberry.' Genuinely a gorgeous colour, but once again completely different.

The stick is certainly moisturising, but sometimes I found that it look a while to build up colour due to its consistency. However, once layering on a few shades, I found the overall finish perfect for someone who isn't drawn to wearing lipsticks. The colours are not as intense as I believe they claim to be in advertisements, but for someone who enjoys a hint of colour to compliment an outfit this set is perfect. £30 is an absolute bargain for five shades, with the formula being long-lasting and incredibly moisturising whilst doubling as a lip colour.

The number of Moisturising Chubby Sticks currently stands at 16, meaning that this stick will secure over a quarter of the shades available - a great starter kit for anyone who's itching to jump on the Chubby Stick bandwagon! However, your options are limitless as layering different shades is encouraged to create your own unique colour. Along with this, Clinique have also released a range of more intense shades if you find that these are just not enough for you!

Overall i'm impressed with the quality of the sticks, and am eager to be more adventurous with my colour choices. Be sure to watch this space, i'm sure this isn't the last review you see on these products!

You can purchase the set for £30 at selected retailers including Selfridges, and full-sized Chubby Sticks for £16 each at your local Clinique counter or online here.