A Timeless Pink

I seem to have suddenly fallen in love with a pink lipstick completely out of my comfort zone. I'm not one to usually go for brights or pinks or mauves and the like- and so when I became absolutely infatuated with this lipstick, I thought it apt to dedicate a blog post to it:

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in SUSPENSE 80 £25
Let's start with the lipstick, since that's why most of you are here. I received this as a gift for Christmas but hadn't really worn it until recently, but I knew from the minute it reached my lips, I was going to be completely besotted by it. First of all, the colour is absolutely stunning; now, I've said I don't usually go for pinks of this sort- (they always look a bit cheap or distasteful) but this, this is quite something. I think it would suit so many skin tones and shades, cool or warm toned, fair or tanned, this colour will look elegant and sophisticated. I think the colour would be enough, but just as an added bonus, the formula of these is quite unique I think: it's creamy and glossy but the colour is still there, kind of like the Clarins Instant Light Perfecters, but with better colour payoff. I hadn't tried these before but I know a lot of people love them. And yes, I know it's expensive, especially for a lipstick, but you're really investing ing a quality product, so at least go and have a swatch in store.


 L'Oreal True Match Foundation £9.99
After much babbling on the lips, a lipstick like this deserves a great face to match. As it's so bold, a flawless base will really help you pull it off. This foundation is good, full coverage and there is such a variety of shades. This blends quickly into the skin and then stays all day, the texture is quite dewy so if you have oily skin like me, a powder will help to set it, but sometimes I can get away without one.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer £22
Since the foundation is pretty good coverage, I just take this concealer in the shade VANILLA to highlight on the eyes and on the nose. This acts like a highlighter so you don't need to add anything extra because for such classic look like this: the simpler, the better.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer £23.50
This has just been my go to bronzer recently; it's the perfect colour for my skin tone and so it's great for some serious cheekbone-faking. I think it just looks so model-esque, which matches perfectly with this lip.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in ON AND ON BRONZE £4.99
For the eyes, nothing too fancy, just take the maybelline colour tattoo in this lovely shimmery bronze shade and sweep all over the lids, blending well for a subtle wash of colour across the lids. Now it looks like you've made an effort but still doesn't take attention away from the lips.

Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long-Wear Macara £19.50
And finally, to top it all off, this Bobbi Brown mascara is one of my favourites for real definition in the lashes. The wand is so small so it lengthens the lashes without any clumps and it's great for the bottom lashes as well. I don't think this is declared as "waterproof" but it's pretty budge-proof; I can wear it all day without worrying about smudging.

I can't believe I've never tried this formula of lipstick before, any other colour recommendations?

Lots of Love,
Sophie
xxx

Maybelline Mascara: VERY waterproof

Hey everyone,

Starting off with a slightly off topic story: I went to my friends house for the night and left my MaxFactor waterproof mascara there so I didn't have one; the next day, I was in boots when a certain pink bottled mascara caught my eye.

"Great Lash mascara" it said, "Very Black Waterproof" it said.

So I thought, why not? I took it home and tried it on. I felt that it was quite hard to apply, the formula was thick and did not go on smoothly (or maybe I was just being a bit clumsy that day) It kind of reminded me of the Benefit They're real mascara- same small tapered brush (perfect for coating all the lashes); the same thick fibre-y formula (great for building up volume), the only thing being, this is about one quarter of the price.

Anyway, later that day, I went swimming, forgot completely that I was wearing makeup at all. When I came out of the pool, I thought I'd like some beaten up panda, but, lo and behold, I looked fine. Apart from the occasional smudge under the lash line from when I had rubbed my eyes, the mascara hadn't smudged much at all.

After using a few more times, I realised that, when this mascara has dried, it really stays. When removing, you don't need a cotton pad drenched in remover; I just use a regular cleansing balm. It's because: after it's dried, it stays dry, it comes off dry too. When I look in the mirror while cleaning my face, it all comes off and all I get is a little bit of black around my eyelids.

This mascara is AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. It's just as good as the Benefit one and even though it's waterproof, it's not a hassle to remove.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara £4.99

Lots of Love,

Sophie 

xxx

Beauty Blender | review

THE BEAUTY BLENDER £16.00

-if you haven’t heard of the beauty blender then, where have you been?

-if you haven’t been able to actually purchase one, then I understand: there is a LOT of scepticism around this expensive sponge tool thing….

The big question is: is it worth it?I’m not actually sure why this sponge is so expensive but it DOES make a world of a difference to your makeup. It’s basically a porous sponge that is meant to make blending foundations a lot easier and give an airbrushed finish. 

It says to wet the sponge when applying dry makeup to make the powder look less caked on and more natural on the skin. I wet the sponge even when applying liquid foundation, when I add water, the sponge expands to double it’s previous size. ITS CRAZY TALK!!!!…but yeah, pretty surprised when I first used it.

I find that using this sponge makes application so much easier but I find it uses more product, probably because it absorbs it as well. Another down side is that is INCREDIBLY hard to clean. When I bought this, I didn’t buy it with the solid cleanser it came with because I felt that it was unnecessary, but now I’m thinking I should go and buy it. Other than that, I don’t really know how else to clean it.

Are there any good suggestions as to how I should clean it?

In terms of high street “dupes”, I would say that this is definitely better than just the small white triangular shaped sponges that leave lines and edges in your makeup. I am, however, planning to test out some others: real techniques, models own and any more you want me try?

I’ll keep you updated if there are any advancements :)

Lots of Love,

Sophie

xxx

July Favourites

Another month, another favourites post:

L'OREAL true match foundation£9.99
+great colour match
+buildable coverage
+smooth and light on skin

Maxfactor Clump Defy mascara£10.99
+separates lashes
+extra volume
+no clumps/ water proof

Bourjois Blus in Rose Eclat 15 £7.99
+gorgeous colour
+lasts all day

Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner £2.50
+first liquid eyeliner that I've loved
+stiff nib, easy to use
+really BLACK, smooth, etc
+super affordable

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink punch
£2.99
+moisturing, stays on lips
+great colour for summer 

DKNY be delicious perfume in 
Fresh Blossom £34.99
+smells fruity/ floral
+light and summery
+refreshing/ pick me up scent

Who's going abroad this summer?

Lots of Love,

Sophie

xxx

Una Brennan Face mask | Skincare June

Hey everyone,

So this month, I thought I would do something different and put all skin care posts in this month.

First, to start it all off is this SUPER FACIALIST BY UNA BRENNAN TEA FLOWER DEEP CLEAN PORE PURIFYING CLAY MASK. 

This is one of a few face masks I've been trying recently. I picked this up in Boots for £8.99 which is a pretty good price. 

I have to say that this product immediately called out to me because it says " a detoxifying mask to unclog pores & restore skin balance". I wanted this is to help get rid of blackheads and make my skin feel really clean. It also helps if your skin is sometimes oily, sometimes dry because it has plant oils like avocado oil and flower oil. It also has salicylic acid which helps calm spots and redness. It's a clay mask so it will draw out any impurities and you basically leave it on for 5 minutes and then wash it up.

It is great especially if you have oily skin but my skin is a bit sensitive so it kind of stung but it was bearable. A tip would be to just focus this on problem areas like the nose so it doesn't irritate sensitive parts of the face.

Any specific posts I should write this June?

Lots of Love,

Sophie

xxx

TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY

Today I'm going to be telling you about the Tarte Amazonian clay airbrush foundation.

TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY AIRBRUSH FOUNDATION
£21.31

I first heard of Tarte from Essiebutton on YouTube and she loved this. Of course, you can't get this in England so when I went to America, I had to pick it up.
This is basically a mineral foundation with full coverage, it has a slight hint of shimmer and makes your face look so flawless and smooth. I have the shade light-medium neutral and it says (light to medium skin with yellow and pink undertones). I have quite olive skin, but not as cool toned, so I;m neutral which  is why it has both pink and yellow undertones.

It comes out through a mesh and the powder is so fine and I apply it with my buffing brush or just a powder puff. I really like this just on its own or even over a light foundation.

I don't know what the deal is with the Amazonian clay but I find that this lasts all day and looks more natural as the day goes by.

I would definitely recommend this especially if you have oily skin so want a powder with full coverage. Even if you have dry skin, this is so fine that it will go over any dry patches and looks very natural.

Should I try any other tarte products?

Lots of Love,
SOPHIE
xxx

Naked Basics Palette

Today I'm going to do a more detailed post on just one product; I mentioned this is one of my hauls the other day and I said I would do another post on the palette...so here it is:)

URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTE £16.50

I really like this palette because it's a perfect everyday neutrals palette. There is a shimmery white but other than that, all the colours are matte.
The colours are pigmented and look great on the eyelid. All these colours can also be bought individually at URBAN DECAY.

Swatched from left to right:
VENUS, FOXY, W.O.S, NAKED 2, FAINT, CRAVE

VENUS is a white shimmery shade, great for highlighting. FOXY is a yellow toned nude which could be a good base colour for yellow toned skin. WOS is also a nude but is more pink and peach. NAKED 2 is a light brown, great for just a bit of definition. FAINT is a lot warmer and darker, and perfect for an darker look. CRAVE could be used on the lid but also it could be a nice eyeliner.
You could create almost any look: neutral, bright, shimmery, smoky…
I would definitely recommend this palette if you don't think you need the other Naked palettes which have more colour but are also more expensive.
Lots of Love,
Sophie
xxx

Empties #1

Here it it, my first EMPTIES post.

I'm sure most people know what an EMPTIES post is, but for those of you who don't, it's basically where I tell you about the products that I've used up and tell you whether or not I liked them…

This photo is probably not the most helpful as on some of the lush products, the writing has rubbed off… but still…

The ones at the back are:

Clean&Clear blackhead clearing cleansing lotion, this is actually a new bottle but I have gone through quite a a few of these. This is really strong and leaves your skin feeling definitely clean, I have sensitive skin and sometimes it feels like my face is BURNING but then again, everything does that to my face. £3.50 click here 

The next one is the l'oreal SKIN PERFECTION 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. This says that it dissolves makeup; clears skin and unclogs pores; tones and soothes the skin. I like this because it is really gently and it's kind o like the BIODERMA but loads cheaper. £3.74 click here to buy

I've almost come close to finishing my SIMPLE MOISTURISING FACIAL WASH. I use this every morning because it's more gentle than the cleanser but still refreshes and cleans my face. It also hydrates and moisturises my face for the day…£3.25click here

The writing has completely rubbed off on this one but this is the LUSH TEA TREE TONER. This is the tall bottle on the left. It comes in a spray bottle and is supposed to soothe skin and prevent spots because of the tea tree in it. This is really nice and I'll definitely be getting it again. £7.50 click here

The writing has also rubbed off on this one, this is the: LUSH GREASE LIGHTNING. This is one of the lush spot treatments that are supposed to prevent spots if you feel like you're about to get one, but can also help any existing blemishes on their way. This is really really effective and I would recommend it to anyone who know that they are prone to acne. £6.25 click here

More lush…this is the IMPERIALS face moisturiser which I have mentioned in many posts before…I don't know if I would recommend this to everyone as moisturisers have specific ingredients suited to different people. For example, this has cocoa and shea butter and not too many oils for sensitive skin and also lavender oil to balance combination skin… etc, I may do a separate post on ingredients for different skin types. This is, however, an all round great moisturiser if you don't really know what your skin needs. £12.95click here

Final product, the LUSH RUB RUB RUB shower scrub. This is basically a salty grainy mixture acting like a body exfoliant. This has many minerals and effectively cleanses the skin. I got this as a gift and so  I enjoyed using it but I don't think I would by it again. £8.50 click here

How often should I do these posts?

Lots of Love,

Sophie

xxx