Spring Nail Polish Picks

Hi loves! 

Spring is here... (well, it's grey and cold, but ya know, it's April!) which means it's time to bring out the brighter nail polishes instead of the neutral and dark shades. Don't get me wrong, I do love a berry shade, but my favourite thing about spring and summer (apart from the sun) is the bright, happy colours I can paint my nails. 

I have recently bought a nice pinky coral shade, but as I've not worn it yet it hasn't made it into this post. That being said, here are my favourites from last summer and the ones I've been wearing lately.

Maybelline 7 Days - Nude Rose, Maybelline Gel Colour - Hot Salsa, George at Asda, Rimmel Rita Ora - Bestival Blue

Nude Rose is a gorgeous dusky pink colour and is one of those shades which you can wear throughout the whole year. It's classy, understated and just makes your hands look polished. This is my second tube (?!) of this one because I love it that much.

Hot Salsa is a vibrant coral/red and looks AMAZING with a tan. I'm going on holiday at the end of this week and I know that this will be the one I paint my nails with as soon as I get home. It's such a fun colour.

Bestival Blue is the only blue I have in my collection. I find blue polishes really hard to wear some times. I tried to channel my inner Aria with a bright cobalt blue stage last year but it really didn't work for me! Haha. This, however is such a gorgeous colour. It's the perfect creamy periwinkle blue shade and I always get complimented on it whenever I wear it. 

The one from George at Asda is the nail polish with no name. It's a true creamy coral and it's the one I gravitate towards as soon as the sun comes out cos it's not too in your face! 

Most of my collection consist of either the Maybelline 7 days range, or the Rimmel ones as I find they last best on my nails, the formula is amazing and they literally have every colour you can think of!  The Maybelline ones are around £4.99 and I think the Rimmel ones are about £2.99 so neither of them break the bank for the quality that they are. 

The one from George at Asda isnt great application wise, and it chips really easily but I love the colour, so I use it anyway when I know I haven't got a lot of typing to do! :) It was only about £1 so I can't complain really.

What are your spring polish picks?

Love 

Sophie x 

My Current Make-Up Routine

Hey lovelies!
I thought I'd share my current make up routine with you. I know when I first started blogging I showed you what was in my make up bag, but it's changed recently as we've gotten more towards spring, so here we go...

I got a little sample of the Benefit Porefessional primer a little while ago, so I thought I'd use that at the moment because my Rimmel one I mentioned here has run out. The Benefit one is ok I guess, but I prefer the Rimmel one. The Clinique Stay Matte Oil Free  is quite possibly my favourite foundation of all time, (Review coming soon), and I buff it in using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush as I find that gives me the best coverage and the best finish. I then use a concealer on any blemishes and my dark under eye circles which is currently the most popular concealer ever - The Collection lasting perfection. This tube is ridiculously old now and I'm pretty sure it's unhygenic BUT I want to finish it it up. I finish my base off with the Rimmel Stay Matte powder which I don't think will ever change because it's the only that keeps oil at bay. It's super cheap too definitely can''t complain!

Next up for me is brows and I'm currently using the Maybelline Brow Satin pencil in dark brown, which I think is quite new? I've never seen it anyway! It's basically a twist up hard pencil on one end and a powder the other end. I really like it, and the colour stays on literally all day! To keep my stray hairs in place I use a clear mascara which is currently the colour lash (lol!?) from Collection.

After brows I move on to my eyes and I'm absolutely loving my original Naked Palette at the moment. I have all of them, including the smokey, and the two basics one but I find myself reaching for this more than any of the others. I apply the shade 'toasted' all over my lids with 'buff' buffed into the crease to give a bit more definition. I then use the Rimmel twist up eyeliner to buff into my lash line and smudge out with the smudger and then I put it in my waterline. It's a bit of a bitch to put on the waterline to be honest, but it's waterproof and doesn't budge, so it's well worth it imo. I use the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara on my lower and upper lashes and I find it really accentuates my eyes! I still have tonnes of other mascaras to use, but I repurchased this the other day cos it's one of my faves.

For cheeks, I like to lightly contour using Mac's Harmony blush... Yes, I know it's a blusher, but trust me, it is the best for contouring on my skin tone. After that's blended so I don't look like a zebra, I follow up with Nars 'Deep Throat' blush. I was using 'Dolce Vita' but now it's spring, I've changed back to this one, and as you can see by the state of it, it is very well loved.

In this look I'm wearing Mac 'Brave' lipstick on my lips which is my current favourite, but to be honest it changes with the weather! Sometimes I'll wear a darker colour, other times I'll go for a really nude shade... It all just depends!

So, there's my super simple current make up look. I apologise for the fact I'm the least photogenic person ever, but hey ho!

What's your current make up routine?

Love
Sophie x

Make Up and Beauty Haul. One.

Blogging is bad for my bank balance. Ok, so it's not like I NEEDED any ammunition to buy things and it's not like blogger is forcing me to buy things, but by having this blog, I have an excuse.

So, the other day I bought some things. Some of them I needed to restock, and other things were just because...

Some of them I've already used cos I've had them since the start of January, and some are more recent, so if I've used them then I'll give my quick thoughts on it. 

Garnier Micellar Water - Boots £4.99. This is a repurchase, and one I've repurchased loads of times already. I've written about it here if you want to see my thoughts on it.

Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask - Boots £5.99. I bought this cos I needed a new face mask and this was the only one in Boots at the time that was for radiant skin. I've only used it once, and it did make my skin look healthier but it also broke me out. Either way  I will just keep using it to see if I see any real difference. 

Boots Botanics All Bright Purifying Face Scrub - Boots £3.99. This is another repurchase for me. I don't use it that often, 2 or 3 times a week maybe, but I tend to use it when I feel my skin is getting a bit congested. Yum. 

Mac Lipstick in Brave - Selfridges £15.50. I went to Mac in John Lewis the other day to pick up Mehr or Velvet Teddy. Then I saw this and Martin told me to get it! I know, he's a keeper ;) I haven't had a chance to use it so I can't report back just yet. 

Seventeen Nail Xtra Strengthening Base Coat - Boots £2.99. I bought this as a replacement for my Revlon treat and boost as I wanted more of a base coat as opposed to a treatment and so far I love it! It leaves my nails strong and they look really polished. 

Rimmel Rita Ora Nail Varnish in Rain Rain Go Away - Boots £2.99 I wanted a grey nail varnish with a purple undertone for ages, and when I saw this I thought it would be a pure grey, but it's not. I absolutely love it. It's a classy yet understated colour and just makes me feel more put together if that makes sense. 

Barry M Nail Varnish in Dark Side of the Shroom - Boots £4.99. This has been my favourite nail varnish this january! It's a dark grey/brown/purple and it's gorgeous. It lasts quite well on my nails as well, which is surprising. Haha.

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation - I bought this in the shade Ivory and it's a perfect match for my skin. I've only worn it a couple of times and I wouldn't necessarily say it lasts all day but it lasts a fair while on my oily/combo skin and the coverage is pretty good. I will report back after I've tried it out a few more times though!

Revlon All in One Mascara - Revlon have recently relaunched all their mascaras into black tubes with a coloured lid and the red one claims to create volume and length whilst being really black. Again, I've only used it a few times but I like it, although I find it a little fiddly to apply. It doesnt smudge or flake though which is always a bonus

If anyone wants any full reviews on any of these products then let me know and I can write one up :)

Love
Sophie x 

My Mac lipstick collection

I'm pretty sure that Mac lipsticks are the holy grail of lipstick. They have almost every colour you can think of, every finish that you could want and their sleek black packaging just makes me all heart eyed emoji.

Today I thought I'd share my collection with you because I love looking at other peoples and I ALWAYS google swatches before I buy a new one. Just a little disclaimer though - yes, I know that all these shades don't suit me but I did buy most of these when I was working as a freelance make up artist so I wanted needed a variety of shades for all skin tones. Also, my collection may seem excessive for some, and little to others but I like it. A lot.

I have 15 lipsticks and as you can see, some of them are verrrry well loved! I've done lip swatches to hopefully give you a good idea of what they're like, but I did have extremely dry lips for most of them so bear that in mind. I'm also going to give a quick description, my quick thoughts and a rating out of 10!

This post  gives a low down on all the different finishes, so have a look there if you don't know what each finish is like. FYI - Satin is my fave.

Shy Girl - Cremesheen finish. Creamy muted coral beige. This shade does not suit me in the slightest and I never wear it! I think I only bought this cos 'back in the day' every blogger and their dog was going on about it. 2/10

Patisserie - Lustre finish.Sheer creamy neutral pink. This is my go to shade if I want something easy to throw on that just looks a bit more polished, y'know? 7/10

Hue - Glaze finish. Soft pale pink. This is a weird one for me... I've not worn it much because I feel like it doesn't suit me, but this picture makes it look quite nice. Maybe I should get it out more?! 3/10

Pure Zen - Cremesheen finish. Frosted warm nude. Ok, so this was totally a Hannah Maggs inspired purchase. It looked so lovely on her, but on me, not so much! It's a shame cos I really do love it. For some reason it just makes me skin look greasy. Does that make sense? 5/10

Giddy - Lustre Finish. Warm pink with glitter. Ok so this shade doesn't appear to exist any more, but I quite like it. It's not too dissimilar to my natural lip shade and I like to wear this if I want something a bit more than the likes of patisserie. 4/10

Creme Cup - Cremesheen finish. Light blue pink. This was the first Mac lipstick I ever bought and I'm not really sure why... It doesn't suit me at all, but it does make my teeth look whiter. I do still wear this sometimes, but I just blend it in a little to make it look less harsh. 3/10

Faux - Satin finish. Muted mauve pink. I absolutely love this shade! I think it flatters my complexion really well and if I want a shade that looks 'grown up' and pretty then I always reach for this. I think this is my 'go to' shade, more so than Patisserie if I'm honest. 8/10

Girl About Town - Amplified Creme finish. Bright blue fuschia pink. This is very blue based so makes your teeth look super white, and it's one that I always use in the summer. It's a real statement colour and at first I was too scared to wear it during the day, but now I don't care! haha. 7/10

Rebel - Satin finish. Midtoned cream plum. Oh my goddddd this is my all time favourite lipstick!! I literally whack this out at any given opportunity. It's a purple based pink and it goes so well with most make up looks. I wear this mostly in the winter, and in the summer I tend to save this for nights out. 9.5/10

Diva - Matte finish. Intense reddish burgundy. This is such a gorgeous winter shade and I love it, but I just don't use it that much as I find it very difficult to wear. It fades really uneven on me which is why I don't really use it cos I cba to constantly touch it up. 5/10

Lol - I should've swapped plumful for diva in the collages!

Plumful - Lustre finish. Blossoming rose plum. I got this for my birthday after reading/seeing such rave reviews, but I'm a bit disappointed if I'm honest. I find it doesn't really suit my skin tone and the wear time on it is pants! 3/10

Neon Orange - Amplified finish. Bright clean orange. I haven't really worn this lipstick much, but it seems like a really good bright summer lipstick and probably one which looks great with a tan. I'm not sure it suits me, but we shall see! 3.5/10

Lady Danger - Matte finish. Vivid bright coral red. This is another one that most bloggers rave about, but I'm not yet convinced on it. I think I need to wear it more but it just seems a bit too orange for a red, if that makes sense?? 4/10

Russian Red - Matte finish. Intense bluish red. What a beautiful lipstick! I have literally worn this to death and it is my go to red shade without a doubt! It was the first red I bought from Mac and I always recommend this to other people. It lasts well and isn't overly drying on the lips! It is such a classic shade as well which is perfect. 9/10

Riri Woo - Retro matte finish. Matte cool red. The lipstick shade is absolutely stunning, and I love the look of the formula BUT the lasting power on the lips is shockingly awful and it actually hurts to put this on because it drags across my lips so much... I'm going to try it over the top of russian red or lady danger to get more wear out of it, but I really wish I loved it how it is! :( 3/10

Ok, so that's my Mac lipstick collection and if you made it to the end of this post then you deserve a medal, haha.

What are your favourite Mac lipsticks? Think I might add velvet teddy and mehr next, but I'm not sure yet! watch this space...

Love
Sophie x

What's in my make up bag?

So I thought I'd jump on the whole 'bloggers bandwagon' with this post purely because these are one of favourite posts to read, and one of my favourite videos to watch.

I don't change my make up look dramatically every day, or even every week... Most of the time it's pretty much the same but I do like to experiment for nights out and things like that. But this is what I generally tend to put on my face on a 'normal day'

I think you'll agree, it's a bit of a mish mash of drugstore and high end, and d'ya know what? I like that! Obviously I don't wear all of these on my face in one go, but I like to have a little bit of choice!

I wont go in to massive detail about these products, because if you want a full review just let me know and I can do that, but I just want to point out a few products which are new to me.

The Urban Decay Naked Smokey palette was a Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend and to be honest, I only wanted it to complete my naked collection. Like the other naked palettes though, it is really amazing and you can create so many looks with it. For a day time look I like to choose a shade and smudge it in to my upper lash line and blend it out.

When I went to London a few weeks ago, I went to Space NK and literally fell in love with the Dolce Vita blush from Nars. If you saw my last post then you'll know how much I love the deep throat blush, but I wanted something a bit deeper for the festive period and Dolce Vita is perfect for that!

Highlighters are fairly new to me. Obviously I've heard of them and tried some out, but I've never worn one religiously. I have oily/combination skin and find they just looked far too OTT on me, but I got a sample of the Benefit Watts Up highlighter a little while ago and I'm super impressed. It leaves a nice sheen on the skin, but nothing too shiny or sparkly. I think this little tube will last me a long time.

The last product I want to talk about is the Blake's red lipstick for L'oreal. For those who don't know, it's basically Blake Livelys red. Until I got this, I was totally loyal to Mac's russian red - it was literally my favourite thing ever. However, this one from L'oreal totally tops the staying power and comfort of russian red. Don't get me wrong, I'll always love that one but for now, I'm sticking with Blake!

What's currently in your make up bag? Anything I should try?!

Love,
Sophie x

My Staple Products

Today I wanted to share with you my staple 'every day' products, These products are the ones that I would definitely take to a desert island with me. If I was allowed to ofcourse!

Since I've been having my hair highlighted, I've used the Provoke touch of silver shampoo and conditioner almost every time I wash my hair. You're only supposed to use it once a week, but my hair is naturally so dark and brassy that it doesn't matter. I've tried loads of purple shampoos in the past, but none of them have even come close to this! I use this along with my leopard print tangle teezer, which is hands down the best hair brush in the world. Fact.

For skincare I used to rely on Bioderma (remember that anyone!?) but as we all know it wasn't the easiest to get hold of so I switched to this Garnier one and I've never looked back. Some people complain that it irritates their eyes but I don't have that issue, and at a fraction of the price of Bioderma it's a definite winner for me. I always follow this up with the Boots botanics balm cleanser. It's a balm with turns into an oil when you rub it into your skin, remove with a muslin cloth and it takes off all the make up and dirt that's built up on your skin. Lisa Eldridge uses it, and if it's good enough for her then it's good enough for me! The Ren clarifying toner is my favourite skin care product of all time. I wasn't sure if it would actually do anything, and I'm still not quite sure exactly what it does but all I know is that when I don't use it, but skin will object! It's almost 100% natural which seems to keep my skin calm and relatively decongested. I think this is my 7th or 8th bottle of the stuff and although it's not the cheapest it's well worth the money.

When it comes to make up I tend to chop and change on a pretty regular basis, but I always reach for the Rimmel fix and perfect face primer and the scandaleyes kohl eyeliner.Both are amazing products for such a low price point, and I'd use these over higher end products any day! Like most people I tend to wear a different lipstick every time I do my make up, depending on my mood but MAC faux is the one I reach for on a more regular basis. It's a pinky/brown nude and goes well with almost every outfit and make up look, I guess it's my fail-safe shade. Deep throat by Nars is my ultimate blush and as you can see from the picture, it's very well loved! I've had this for probably far too long but I won't get rid of it because it's such an easy colour to wear and just gives the perfect amount of colour.

Slightly more random and slightly less glamorous is the Revlon treat and boost nail protector which just goes on the nails to strengthen them and acts as a base coat. I need to get a new one though, cos this one is getting gloopy now. I also love these tweezers from Primark - they have a super thin pointed end and are amazing for tweezing hair and applying false eyelashes and I prefer them to any other tweezers I've previously tried.

What are your staple products? Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned?

Love
Sophie x