Wednesday 16 October 2013

Updated Review | Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencils*


So, a while ago now I wrote a post on the Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencils which I really love (if you haven't already read that you can here).

Very, very kindly, Collection decided to send me the other 4 colours of the eyeshadow pencils that I didn't have, as a thank you for writing the blog post I did. This is not a sponsered post in any way, but I thought that was so nice I decided to share them all with you.

I still love these pencils and use them frequently - if not as my actual eyeshadow I would use them as an eyeshadow base. If you haven't tried these out, I really do recommend looking at them when you get a chance. The only bad point I've found is that they're not very blendable - but they are just so pigmented and long lasting I don't mind.

My favourite of them is still 'Hot Chocolate' - it's such a beautiful shimmery brown.


From left to right in both pictures: Vanilla Sky, Vintage Blush, Hot Chocolate, Denim Diva, Gunmetal Glitz, Midnight Glam

Everything else I have included in my proper review. I just wanted to share how kind I thought Collection were! If you haven't checked these out, I really recommend that you do.

Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencil - £3.19 here

Sophie x

Saturday 12 October 2013

Favourite Budget Autumn Lip Products


Autumn is one of my favourite months for makeup and clothing - I love the richer colours and being able to wear fluffy, cosy jumpers, jackets and boots!

I have found my top 3, non breaking the bank lip products that I know I am going to be using a lot this autumn:

1 - Collection Deluxe lipstick in 1'prohibition'
2 - NYX jumbo lip crayon in 'plush red'
3 - Miss Sporty Perfect Colour lipstick in 'malaga'



Left to right: Miss Sporty 'Malaga', NYX 'Plush Red', Collection 'prohibition'

NYX's jumbo lip crayon is a seriously pigmented, easy to apply and easy to carry around with you lipstick. I love it! Especially for darker colours like these, that I tend to go for in the colder months, I find the small crayon nib a lot easier to use than a usual lipstick. The dark pinky/purpley/red/berry shade is lovely, too, and it is very long lasting.

The Miss Sporty Perfect Colour lipstick is a slightly orange-toned red, although it has appeared a lot more orangey in this photo than it does in real life. It is a typical red, which I do usually find quite daunting to wear, but i like the shade of this. It isn't incredibly pigmented, but it's good for the small price it costs.

Collection's Deluxe lipstick is possibly my favourite one of them all. It is the darkest one and is almost more dark purple than red, so pretty. It has good pigmentation and good wear time, and I just find the shade of this really suits my skin tone.

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil - £5.00 here       |       Miss Sporty Perfect Colour Lipstick - £2.59 here        |   Collection Deluxe Lipstick - £3.99 here

Hope you enjoyed this little budget Autumn lipsticks idea!

Sophie x

Saturday 5 October 2013

Review | Beauty UK High Brow Kit



When shopping in Superdrug a wee while ago, I walked past the Beauty UK stand and spotted this eyebrow kit. I have never really thought of much from Beauty UK before as I had never tried any of their products, but after the great surprise this kit gave me I am going to have a look at more Beauty UK products.

I had been wanting something new for my eyebrows for a while as I was bored with the same eyebrow pencil everyday, but I hadn't found anything that was the right colour for my eyebrows until I spotted this. The light brown shade is a perfect match to fill my eyebrows in, relatively naturally.

The kit contains a wax (bottom right) to set your brows in shape before you add a powder, a light brown powder (which is the shade I use), a dark brown powder (which I would use mixed in with a bit of the lighter one if I want a stronger brow) and a black powder that I wouldn't use for my eyebrows, but I will use it as an eyeliner. This kit is perfect for on the go as well - it includes a small tweezer (which is surprisingly good!) and a small double-ended eyebrow brush.

It also has instructions on the back of the product saying how to use the different segments of it - so it's perfect if you're just starting to experiment with your eyebrows too!

I wasn't expecting much from this kit - it is only £3.99 after all, which I think is excellent value for what you get here. I would pay a lot more for a kit like this, it contains everything you need (apart from a mirror).

The pigmentation isn't amazing, and it is a shame it doesn't have a mirror, but apart from that I really can't fault this little brow wonder!





If you're looking for a new, cheap way to do your eyebrows I do recommend you have a look at this the next time you're in Superdrug - you can't really go wrong with £3.99 can you!

£3.99 - Superdrug here

Sophie x














Friday 27 September 2013

September Favourites



There's not a lot of different beauty products I've been loving this month, but I thought I would share with you the ones that I have been:
  • Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Pink Punch' - surprise surprise! Love this tinted lip balm.
  • MUA Power Pout in 'Justify'. This is yet another drugstore dupe of the Clinique chubby sticks - and this one is amazing! Moisturising, long lasting and the colour is an orangey-red - perfect!
  • Models Own Eyeliner in 'Chestnut'. I love a brown eyeliner when going for a natural look and this one with the sharpener in the lid and a brush on the other end to smudge it out is great.
  • Maybelline 24 hour Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'. Yet another 'surprise' - but this really is worth the hype. It's great for everyday, minimal makeup looks.
  • MUA blusher in 'Lolly'. This is probably my favourite favourite of the month. It's an orange blusher, which I have wanted to try for a while but as I was scared it wouldn't suit me, I opted for this one - for £1! It is so pigmented and such a good product, I really can't believe the price.
  • Soap & Glory's Bright Here Bright Now Energy Balm - I've used this underneath my foundation as a moisturiser/primer and it has given me such a natural, healthy glow from within - I love it!



What have you been loving throughout September?

Sophie x

Saturday 21 September 2013

Review | Lush Lip Scrub



This lip scrub by Lush is my favourite one ever. I have it in the flavour 'Bubblegum' which is lovely, however it is very sweet so if you're not keen on sweet tastes I would recommend you try another flavour - there are a few to choose from!

The idea of a lip scrub is very simple - you use it on your lips to scrub away any dead skin on them, leaving them fresh and scrubbed, I guess! This lip scrub is definitely my favourite - I feel it effortlessly scrubs at your lips without you needing to rub it in a lot, it smells amazing and it tastes SO GOOD! Like really, really good. (I have a bit of a bad habit of just putting this on my lips to promptly lick it off with my tongue to eat it... bad Sophie!) 

Whenever I walk past Lush I always have to go in as it smells so inviting. I almost always end up buying something because it smells so good which is a terrible habit to have - I really need to stop that! This was a purchase from a few weeks ago which is odd as I've been shopping in Lush for ages, but only just tried this. For a product so basic and simple to have made me fall in love with it like this is quite something.



You really don't need a lot of this, unless you keep on licking it off that is! One thing I would say is that this is quite abrasive and if your lips are very sensitive or chapped, this probably isn't the best thing for them unless you put a quick slick of lip balm underneath the scrub, so it scrubs more gently on your lips.

I can't rave about this enough really! I definitely recommend having a look at them the next time you're in Lush - the people working there are always so friendly and helpful and they always help you get what you're looking for!

Sophie x

Sunday 15 September 2013

Makeup of the Day #1



I love seeing posts like these, where people just show the products they're wearing that day, so I thought I would do one myself. :)

Today, I wore (from left to right):


  • Beauty UK High-Brow Kit
  • Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Hot Chocolate'
  • NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk' (as an inner eye highlight)
  • Maybelline The Eraser Eye Age Rewind Concealer (under my eyes)
  • Collection Lasting Perfect Concealer in #2 Fair
  • Benefit They're Real Mascara
  • MAC Studio Mix Fluid Foundation in NW30
  • Rimmel Wake Me Up Shimmer Touch in 'Radiance Rose'
  • Topshop Lipstick in 'Ditsy'
  • Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 'Sandstorm'

Thursday 5 September 2013

Cutting Down on Makeup Buying...

Lately I have watched my makeup collection grow and grow and I realise when I look at it how many products I have that I really don't need or hardly ever use, yet I still always buy more!

I've decided that I am going to try and use up some of my makeup products before I buy anymore. So that when I use up a lipstick, I'll buy myself another lipstick, when I finish a blusher, I will buy myself a new blusher etc. That way hopefully I'll cut down my excessive makeup-buying and actually use up some products... well that's the plan anyway!

I'm not good at sticking to things like this. Every time I walk into Boots or Superdrug I get really tempted and find it hard to resist a new product. Especially if they have a deal on - then I just use the excuse 'oh well it saves me money so I should definitely buy some' which I am going to try very hard to stop using.

But I am really determined to try and stick to this... for a couple of months at least.

What do you think? Is this a good idea to cut back my bad habit of buying way too much makeup constantly? What is your opinion on buying makeup?

Sophie x

Sunday 1 September 2013

Review | Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick "16"

I am a massive fan of Rimmel, but with my lipstick collection steadily growing, I somehow managed to stop myself from trying one of their Kate Moss lipsticks for quite a while. They are so raved and talked about though, I thought I would treat myself to a new lipstick as long as I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more for a while *one holds breath and hopes*

I was expecting good things from this lipstick because there is a lot of hype about it, and I wasn't disappointed!




The formula is lovely. It glides onto your lips without tugging or pulling them and leaves a lovely finish on the lips. Like it claims -  'a long lasting lipstick', it lasts for a long time. I would say it lasts 6 hours easily and the colour is the perfect peachy pink. I love it! It's natural and can definitely be worn on an everyday basis. It reminds me very much of Bourjois Colour Boost lipstick shade "Peach on the Beach", although that is glossier and this is more matte.

It is highly pigmented, and I can only imagine the brighter colours to be even more so. I love the packaging too, sleek and pretty.

The only negative thing I have to say about this product is that it isn't very moisturising on the lips and if worn constantly can dry them out, but a slick of vaseline under it can stop that. I wear this a lot, because it is just the most perfect daytime colour.



I really can't recommend this enough! I'm going to buy some more myself at some point. It currently costs £5.49 in Boots.

Sophie x 

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