Sunday 25 August 2013

Big NYX Makeup Haul

Hi everyone,

Quite a while ago now, I made an order of NYX products from
https://www.cherryculture.com/index.php, and they arrived! Yay!

I was so excited for the order to come. Since I live in the UK, I hadn't ever bought anything from that brand before, but a few things that I wanted had come up so I thought it was better to order them all at once, since the shipping from America to here is quite pricy.

So far I have been really impressed with all the products, and expect some proper reviews coming your way soon!



without and with flash

The first things I ordered were these Jumbo Eye Pencils. They are very similar to the Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencils, and I love the idea of eyeshadows in a stick a lot, so I thought I would get these. I got the shades 'Milk' which is a lovely bright white, perfect for brightening your eyes, 'Strawberry Milk' which is a lovely light pink - it isn't too bright, it's a lovely subtle shimmery colour, and 'Pure Gold', which as the name suggests, is a beautiful bright gold colour. I have blue eyes, so I love wearing gold eye makeup as it makes them brighter! 'Milk' is matte, while the other two are shimmery.
From left to right: 'Milk', 'Strawberry Milk' and 'Pure Gold'

I then ordered two eyeliners, one Slide On Pencil in 'Golden Bronze' and a Gel Liner, which I got in the shade 'Betty - Jet Black'. The slide on eyeliner is so unbelievably soft - it is amazing! It's so creamy and pigmented, I just can't get enough of it. The gel liner is great too, and it is a very strong black colour which was what I was looking for. 




I also ordered an eyeshadow base in the shade 'Skin Tone' and the Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer in the shade 'Fair'. I decided to take a risk and guess what shade I would be, because even if it wasn't a great match, you use different shades of concealer all round your face so I was sure I would find a use for it, but as it turns out it was a good match, a wee bit too light but it is great for under my eyes. The eyeshadow base is great too, and I sometimes just wear that on it's own, if I'm just going for a very simple and natural look, as it really brightens my eyes. 


Jumbo Lip Crayon in the shade 'Plush Red'


 I also got a Jumbo Lip Crayon, which is very similar to the eye crayon, but its for your lips (obviously). I got the shade 'Plush Red' which is a stunning berry red - it'll be amazing in Winter. It's so smooth and easy to apply, I love this a lot!


Finally, I got two lipglosses. I got the well know Mega Shine Lipgloss in the colour 'Beige', and I understand why everyone loves it, it's lovely! It isn't a beige colour though, which is confusing, it is a lovely light pink. I also got the NYX Girls Round Lipgloss in the shade 'Apricot', which I equally love. They are both wearable colours and I find myself reaching for them a lot!

'Beige' and 'Apricot'
That is everything I ordered... this time! I really like this brand a lot and I wish they stocked it over here. I know there is a UK stocking website, but it is a lot more expensive than it is in America, which is annoying! NYX always have amazing colour selections on every product, and I love how pigmented everything appears to be. I can't speak for any other products but everything I have bought from there is very pigmented, and I can see myself wanting to buy more very soon... whoops!

Also, sorry it's been a week since my last post. I'm back at school and this week has been really busy, I've had hardly any time at all! Hopefully I'll manage to post more regularly soon though :-)

Sophie x





Saturday 17 August 2013

Review | No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation


I always like to see what foundations people use, as it is such an important makeup item for me. Before now, I would say that I was always on the search for the 'perfect' foundation - while I had found ones that I had liked, I had never found my staple foundation that I always went back to - there was always something not quite right with it. I wouldn't say that this foundation is that perfect foundation for me, but it's the closest I've got so far to finding one.

I have combination skin, so although I'm not looking for anything super dewy, I'm also not looking for a foundation that is super matte. This foundation, although called Beautifully Matte, seems to have got that for me.

I have been using this foundation for quite a while now, and it hasn't broken me out or been harsh on my skin. I have also found it to be long lasting - it easily lasts all day on my skin without a primer, although I think that that is partly my skin type as for quite a lot of foundations that is the case for me. 


It contains SPF 15 as well, and although this is probably just me, I love how the bottom of the foundation rises when it's used, so you know how much you have left.

I have it in the shade "Cool Vanilla". It looks too pale on my hand, but sadly my face is that pale! It's a very good match for my skin.





I would say it's a medium coverage which could be built up if you wished - the perfect coverage for me.

It retails at £12.95 in Boots, which I think is excellent for a foundation of this quality.

What is your favourite foundation? Comment below and I'll check them out!

Sophie x



Wednesday 14 August 2013

Back to School Makeup

Today (sadly) was my first day back at school, but I know that a lot of people don't go back for a few more weeks so I thought I would share with you the makeup I used to create a natural, fresh 'no makeup' look. I know that not every school allows makeup, and although mine does I still want my face to look natural and light. This is quick and easy!





On my skin I used the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation because an early start and my skin don't go well together! The foundation has an anti-fatigue effect and adds a lovely non-tired subtle shimmer to your face. I used the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer to cover my dark circles and (of course!) the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on any blemishes. To keep any oil at bay I lightly powdered with Rimmel's Stay Matte powder and ever so slightly added a hint of colour to my face on the places sunlight would naturally hit - so my temples, middle of my nose and my cheekbones, with the Collection Mosaic Glow bronzing powder, just to add some life to my skin. I then added a very small amount of Sleek's Rose Gold blusher to my cheeks as it is subtle and shimmery - perfect for school!



On my eyes I wore NYX eyeshadow base in 'skintone' which really brightens up the eye and I am definitely sometimes only going to wear that to school - but today I felt like a bit of sparkle so I applied NYX's eyeshadow pencil in 'Strawberry Milk' which is a lovely light subtle shimmery pink. I put Bourjois's Colour Boost lipstick in the shade 'Peach on the Beach' on my lips as it is such a lovely natural colour and it stays on for a long time. (Full review of that product here).

And that's all! It created a lovely natural looking makeup look that left my face looking and feeling fresh and it really didn't take long. 

What makeup do you wear to school?

Sophie x



Saturday 10 August 2013

Review | Sleek Blush

Hi everyone,


I'm quite late on the bandwagon with this one - so many people have raved about it and I'm not sure why it took me so long to look at it, but I am incredibly glad I have! I've really been loving this blusher so I thought I would share it with you. This is the first Sleek product I have tried and I have to admit that I will definitely be back for more!





I have it in the shade "Rose Gold" and I honestly can't get enough of it! All the colours look lovely, but this one stood out to me and it looks stunning on the cheeks. It is a rosy-pinky colour, with gold running through it (as the name suggests!) It is light and shimmery, so if you don't like shimmery blushers then this probably wouldn't be for you, but I love it. Sleek also have a good selection of matte blushers, so don't worry! It is highly pigmented too and leaves such a nice glow on your face.



The product is long lasting and while the shade 'Rose Gold' is quite subtle, it is buildable, so you can make your cheeks stand out as much as you wish. It comes with a mirror on the inside of the lid, so perfect for carrying around with you.

It compares very well to high-end products. I personally prefer this to MAC blushers, and at £4.49, it is certainly cheaper too! Even the packaging feels high end.

I'm planning on going back to Superdrug to pick up a few more colours!

What is your favourite Sleek product? Any blushes you recommend?

Hope you found this helpful!

Sophie x

What are the top 3 BB Creams, I hear you ask?



BB Creams are my favourite makeup product during summer, where I am usually quite loathe to put any makeup on at all. I like to give my skin a bit of a break, and go for lighter choices than foundation, so I thought I would share with you the 3 BB Creams I've been loving the most this summer.

My favourite this year has been the little guy I mentioned in my July favourites post, The Body Shop's All-In-One Colour-Adapting tinted BB cream. It give light coverage but you could build it up if you wished, and I loved the fact it was colour-adapting, so you didn't have to worry about whether it was too dark or light for you when you're on holiday and getting a tan. 

 


As you can see, it comes out white, then adapts to your skin colour well and you can rub it in.



The only disappointing thing about this product is that it has a smell. It isn't an unpleasant smell, but I prefer fragrance-free products on my skin. Despite that though, I still love it. It's creamy and light but it still leaves a nice slightly dewy finish to the face.

I also loved Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream. It also had a smell but it was still nice and creamy on the skin. It definitely gives more coverage than the Body Shop one, but it still felt light and non-sticky. (The shade I got was medium because I had a tan. Sadly though, it has now completely faded from my face and I'm back to being incredibly pale - we don't get much sun here in Scotland! *sigh* It's only my arms and legs that are still tanned, so I'm going to have to wait till next summer to use this again)





My friend gave me this Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream, because the colour was too dark for her. I've loved using it this summer. It smells too, but I can get past it - what is it with BB Creams and smells?! This one looks quite orange and it is rather yellow-toned but rubbed in it's okay. It feels smooth on my skin. It's a bit heavier than the other two but still lighter than my usual foundation and it gives a light/medium coverage if you put a decent amount on.





What have your favourite skin products been this summer?

Sophie x



Wednesday 7 August 2013

Review | MUA 'Undress Me Too' Eye Palette




Superdrug's little brand MUA (Make Up Academy) do great palettes, and so when this one came out I had to get it!

It is a dupe of the very famous Naked 2 palette, however this one is only £4! I absolutely love it. The colours are creamy and go onto the lid really smoothly, and they are quite highly pigmented, although I would note that the shimmers are more pigmented than the mattes, and the darker the matte colour is the more pigmented it is.

I like this palette because it has neutral colours (a mixture of mattes and shimmers) that can be used on a day to day basis, but they aren't boring. They are all lovely shades and I use them all! Also, you can mix around which of the 12 shades you use, so if you're going out in the evening you can get a fabulous eye look. This palette is incredibly versatile!

With an eye primer or base, the colours can last for about 10 hours on my eyes without creasing. I would say that without one they last about 7/8 hours, so they are really long lasting.

I really can't describe my love for this palette. It is so cheap, yet I feel it really, really isn't far of the quality of Urban Decay's Naked 2. If you are wanting that palette but don't want to spend a lot, this is the best dupe I have ever come across and I really highly recommend it.

From left to right, top to bottom: Naked, Devotion, Shy, Fiery, Lavish, Dreamy, Tranquil, Exposed, Reveal, Wink, Obsessed, Corrupt

Shades are in the same order as above.

I really can't recommend this palette enough! My favourite shades from it are "Fiery", "Wink" and "Obsessed", although I love them all!

As always, I bought this with my own money and everything said is 100% my own opinion.

I hope this has been hopeful if you have been looking to invest into a new palette! Have a nice day,

Sophie x

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Perfect Pamper Evening Essentials!


You know those days when you just feel like a pick-me-up and a luxurious soak in the bath can make all the difference? Well that's what I did last night and I felt so great after I thought I would share it with you!

Products I Used:

  • Ojon hair mask
  • Ted Baker bath foam
  • Leafy&Lovely bath salts
  • Soap&Glory No Clogs Allowed deep pore detox mask
  • Soap&Glory The Greatest Scrub Of Your Life body buffer
  • Ted Baker body souffle
  • Palmer's cocoa butter formula concentrated cream
  • The Colour Workshop base coat
  • OPI Matte Nail Envy nail strengthener
  • Urban Decay nail polish in 'Psychedelic Sister'
  • Collection 2-in-1 top coat and gloss enhancer


First thing I did was apply this Ojon hair mask onto my dry hair. You have to leave it in for 20 mins so I just threw my hair into a really high messy bun-like-thing, and it gives you an excuse for having a nice long soak in the bath! A review on this product is coming soon.

I then poured my bath foam and bath salts into my bath, and got in. I used my face mask next, and just lay there relaxing for quite some time! I then washed as usual and used my body buffer which is brilliant as it is a polish and moisturiser in one.





I took my hair out of the bun and washed it as normal with my Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo. Because the hair mask is so intensive, I didn't use any other product on my hair - not even my usual conditioner. I rinsed it all out and got out, where I then proceeded to putting on my body souffle.

Once completely dry I put the Palmer's cream where it suggests - on my hands, knees, elbows and my feet. I decided to give my hands some extra care and painted my nails.

I put on the base coat, then the nail strengthener, then the nail polish and finally the top coat. It left my nails beautifully shiny!

Even though I love taking time out to pamper myself, I so rarely do it. I often think it'll turn stressful as I am bad at judging water temperature and knowing when the turn the right tap off! I always feel great afterwards though and I think I'm going to try and make it a weekly thing from now on...

Hope you enjoyed this and it gave you some ideas if you're wanting to give yourself a treat soon!

Sophie x

Saturday 3 August 2013

Review | Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon




Everyone is raving about this product right now - and quite rightly so! I'm really, really loving it. It's a cross between a lipstick and a lipgloss/lipbalm in my opinion. It is moisturising, long lasting and contains SPF 15 - what more can you ask for? 

It's based on the idea of the Clinique Chubby Sticks - but at only £8 it's a fraction of the price. My lips get dry so quickly, but this is really moisturising on them and it doesn't cling to dry patches. It glides on easily and considering it is a glossy product, it lasts a really long time. It claims to last 10 hours, I'm not entirely convinced by that but it does last a really long time and once the glossiness has faded it leaves a nice stain on the lips (nothing hard to remove though). 


I have it in the shade "Peach on the Beach" which is a lovely pinky/peachy colour. It's very wearable and subtle. It can be built up if you wanted to have a bolder look too.



You also don't have to worry about a sharpener for this product - when you need to you just roll it up from the silver twistable end. 

I really can't recommend this enough! They are lightweight and perfect for popping in your bag.  I know I'm planning a trip back to Boots to get the rest of the colours!

Sophie x







Soap & Glory - Crazy Fangirl Moment?




Recently I've realised that I have been buying an awful lot of Soap & Glory products, and I just can't help myself! All the products have an amazing smell, and they are all really good - by that I mean they all actually do what they say they will, which I find that for quite a lot of companies, isn't the case.

Every time I walk into Boots it seems like a new S&G product comes home with me. I love the originality of the names and the packaging is really nice too!



From left to right: Bright Here, Bright Now energy balm, No Clogs Allowed detox mask, Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 facial cleanser

These three products I just picked up a couple of days ago since there is currently a 3-for-2 offer on skincare in Boots and I couldn't resist them! I'm yet to try the energy balm, but I have used the mask once and I felt such a difference in my skin the next morning - with one use! I have also started using the cleanser and it leaves my face feeling make-up free and squeaky clean. It smells of peaches (funnily enough) and it is amazing! Honestly, if it was a perfume I would wear it.  I have acne-prone skin so I'm really hoping these will do good to my skin and not break me out, and so far they've been great!

From left to right: Scrub of your Life body buffer, Righteous Butter body butter,  Hand Food hand cream

I rarely use body products like body scrubs and body lotions. I don't usually have the time or patience to sit around and wait for it to dry. However, these two products have changed my mind about them!


Mist you Madly body spray

I mentioned this little gem in my July Favourites post, and I just keep on repurchasing it! It smells amazing, and if you get the smaller size (which is only £3.50!) it is the perfect size to pop into your bag when you're going out.


From left to right: Hand Food, Hand Food, Hand Food, and more Hand Food...


Okay, you may have come across my absolute weakness in the S&G collection... it's the Hand Food hand cream. I love this so much! I have 3 of the smaller bottles so I can have one in whatever bag I'm taking out with me that day (I hardly ever don't have it with me. It's more often now since it's summer but in Winter I don't think there was a single day I left the house without it...) and I have the large one in my room. It is so moisturising, and it sinks into my hands really quickly, plus (this is always my favourite part) it smells so good!

I am definitely a massive Soap & Glory fan. If you have never tried anything from them before, I really recommend going to have a look in Boots some time (even if it's just to smell them!) I am yet to try their make up; so far I'm just loving their skincare, but I have heard good things about their makeup too!

Sophie x