If you buy one thing. .

Hey ladies!
Sorry it's been a while, just been feeling a bit sad lately but that doesn't matter, on to what I think you NEED in your life right now. .

Boots Four Way Nail Buffer - £2.00

Yep, it's only £2. Now I'm sure you can probably get these cheaper online or whatever but I think this is by far one of the best (hey it's about time I did a positive review right?)

Let me take you through the four sides and how to use them;

• File Nail Edge: Pretty much files your nail edge ;) Use in a sweeping movement in one direction don't use it like a saw it can damage your nails!

 

• Remove Ridges: You do this over the whole nail and it removes those ridges you get. This is good to do before applying nail varnish as it gives you a really even base to paint over. Also if you do this step over the top of a shiny nail varnish it will remove the shine and give you matte nails. I love doing this especially with black nail varnish (although make sure you let it dry first, as you can see from the black marks I'm quite impatient when it comes to doing this)

• Smooth Nail. Again this does exactly what it says. By this step your nails will be completely transformed. I know you wouldn't expect it but it's actually so great :)

• And lastly Shine Nail. This WORKS. I'm not even joking this shine that it gives rivals a clear nail varnish, with the advantage of being completely natural. By doing this, I've had so many compliments on how strong my nails look and how pretty they are and are they real?

Seriously guys BUY THIS. Even if you have to use your Ad Card points just do it! You won't regret it and you'll find your nail varnish goes on much nicer and it takes less than 5 mins to do :)

Thanks for reading drop me a comment 

Sophie xx

Lynx Fever!

Ok so you're probably thinking I'm doing a review for men right? Wrong! We're one of those families where the shower is full of half empty shower gels and my favourite one was running out. So what did I do, I reached for my brother's Lynx Fever, expecting it to smell of teenage boy. I was pleasantly surprised and my first thought was 'wow this smells just like Lush!', you know that unmistakable smell down every British high street? That's what this smells like.

This is what they say about it;

With Brazilian Hot Mud and Red Dragonfruit extract, Lynx Fever Shower Gel will get you warmed up for action.

Unfortunately it doesn't do a Soap and Glory and heat up but it really does smell lovely and lingers on your skin for quite a while. Not so much in a teenage boy polluting the house kind of way but if someone were to hug you they'd smell it. In short, it makes you feel clean and smelling fresh :)

 

So pop down to your local Boots and have a smell of the shower gels, they're around £2 but I think in Wilkinsons you can usually get them a bit cheaper. I'm thinking of persuading my brother to get Africa next, that is a lovely smell :)

 

Have you ever cheekily used Lynx?

Sophie xx 

NOTD

Hello lovely ladies!

Really speedy NOTD for you because my brother wants to do 'homework' :)

I just love half moon manicures so much, I did the brown half moon afterwards as its a dark colour but I usually do the moons before. I used Collection 2000s Button Moon and Essie's Mink Muffs. I love these two colours and their names. Button Moon really makes me smile because I used to watch this programme called Button Moon when I was younger, such a fabby programme, watch a bit here and see if you remember it!

What do you think of half moon nails? And thank you for following me and welcome to my blog new followers :)

Sophie xx

Loves And Hates of June

Wow can you believe we're past halfway through the year? Me neither! Anyways, let me introduce you to my first ever Loves and Hates of the month!

Loves

 The Body Shop Body Butter in Passionfruit. I bought this for £4.50 (including Membership Discount) because at the moment selected 200ml Body Butters are only £5 (they're normally £12.50!) This is so delicious and I just want to eat it up

Collection 2000's mineral foundation. This is my first ever mineral foundation and I think for the summer, I'm converted. This is such a lovely formulation and I am a freckled faced girl (and no, I don't like them) and whilst this doesn't cover them it does blur them so I'm left looking like I've been photoshopped, it really does make your face look flawless and glowing. Love it!

Cutting up men's tshirts :) Now I love a baggy tshirt, but they really are pretty much impossible to find. Primark has a few, but they always practically see-through and show your bra and they're always not quite right. Everywhere else just seems to have 'stretch' tshirts. I don't want fabric clinging to me in the middle of Summer! So I bought these two t-shirts from H&M for Men, and cut the neck off. The striped one was £2.99 and the nude behind was £3.99. I wear them off the shoulder and you can't see my bra through them, perfect!

Vintage-style handbags. Now I have quite a few of these and this is my newest addition, which went shopping with me today in Oxford Street :) I bought this off Laura's blog sale and it was a bargain and it has so many pockets!

Mixing lip colours. I've always loved doing this, I think I'm one of those people that can't stop when it comes to make up! This is Gosh Darling mixed with Revlon Colorburst in Coral. A lot of people say they find coral difficult to wear and whilst I think that this coral is very wearable, dabbing it over the top of Gosh Darling (or any other nude) gives you a subtle lip colour that isn't your average pink, yet it still remains not too out there!

Hates

Collection 2000 Hot Looks in Tutti Fruity. Now don't get me wrong I usually love these nail varnishes, but this one is just terrible. The colour is lovely yes, but it chips like nobody's business and it bubbles. Yes, bubbles. I currently have bumpy chipped nails, it really isn't a good look.

These two glosses I have to admit, I got free as at Boots and Superdrug at the moment you get one free when you spend over £4, but I still can't love them. The best thing about them is their names, but apart from that, they last a matter of seconds, they taste disgusting and no matter which one you use they all look the same colour. 

Topshop Liner. You can read my full review of Topshop make up here, and if you've read it already you'll know I hate it. This liner is SO bad it's so difficult to use and the liner is terrible, really thin and yuck. The only thing I use this for is dipped in MAC Fluidline when I can't find my eyeliner brush but apart from that it's no use and I will never buy it again.

Benefit Bad Gal. You can read my Benefit Rant here and my speedy review of this here, I take it back, this liner is not fab and I would never ever buy this. It is a complete waste of money as it just doesn't do what it says it will and it doesn't last on your waterline, or anywhere else for that matter!

Hope you enjoyed reading this, sorry it was quite long, are you loving/hating any of these products?

Sophie xx

Sophie's Experiences With Benefit and MAC

Hi everyone,

I suppose this is going to be a mini rant and I've been wondering for days as to whether I should post this or not as it may be a little controversial. The bottom line is, I hate Benefit make up.

Seriously though, it's MAC every time. I have never had a problem with MAC make up. The colour pay off is nearly always exactly as I expect, the quality is second to none, and the pricing to me seems fair. Sure, 12 quid or so isn't cheap for a lipstick, but they really are investment pieces. I used to use their Studio Sculpt foundation (it's too hot for it now) and despite being a very high coverage, it never broke me out in spots and after 6 months of use there's still enough for next winter. 

What I find with MAC is that what you see is what you get. The packaging is sophisticated and their claims are believable and realistic. And to be fair, when was the last time you saw a review for a MAC product? I don't think I've ever seen one. You get MAC Hauls, sure, but I believe that's a testimony as to how great they are, they don't need to prove themselves, everyone knows that if you buy it with MAC, you're not gonna be disappointed.

For example look at the description of their normal liner

Eye Pencils are formulated to provide rich, consistent colour using ingredients that have virtually no irritancy potential. They are comfortable to apply and sharpen to a fine point to allow for a precise application. Eye Pencils can be used to create a sharp line or a softer, smoky effect. They are long-lasting and won't cake or streak.

There's not a trademark sign in sight and no false promises, and I can honestly say everything they say is true about this product.

But moving on to Benefit. I've always wanted to be a Benefit girl. Benefit girls are pretty, they don't need serious make up, they're fun and they kid themselves that Benefit is just amaaazing. But I can't agree with that. I thought I'd give them a chance, I mean they kindly gave us all free pencils with Glamour this month, but I don't think I could ever pay for a Benefit product. Ever. Here are my reasons, and please feel free to disagree with me, I want to know your opinions, and if you like try and convince me they're fab.

•  They're expensive. To me, £14 for a poor quality eyeliner (more about this later) is disgusting. And I don't like their obsession with adding that 50p on most of their products
• You're paying for the packaging, which don't get me wrong is lovely, the names are great, but the quality. . 
• Oh dear the quality. If there ever was a company who's products did almost the opposite they were meant to that's Benefit. Bad Gal liner promises to be 'Dark, Smoky and Mysterious'. Who are they trying to kid? If they mean a terrible grey shade when they say dark, annoyingly smudgy in an im gonna end up on your cheeks by the end of the day kind of way when they say smoky and a 'woah that sure is some straaange eyeliner that girl's got on' when they say mysterious then they've got it spot on. And don't get me started on Bad Gal mascara. Disappointment in a tube.
• The Benebabes. Ok I know there are some right nasties out on those MAC stands, but Benefit takes the biscuit. Never before had a woman made me feel so out of place, so awkward and so intimidated until I went to a Benefit stand. I'm sure there are some lovely Benebabes out there, but I've yet to meet one. I once had my make up done by them. Never again. I don't know how anyone could mistake me for a dark orange when I've been known to purchase NC15 at MAC.

 

 All in all, the products in general just really don't appeal to me. They have no lasting power whatsoever, they're ridiculously overpriced and as kitsch as their products are (did you know Benetint was developed to go on strippers nipples?!), I will always always be a MAC girl at heart.

Love Sophie

xx

PS Are you a Benefit Gal or a MAC Lady?

Revlon Colorburst

Hey lovely ladies :)

Isn't it just extreeeemely hot? Anyways, we're always reminded that for summer, always always go for a coral lip! Now for me, the prospect of wearing ORANGE on my face is a bit of a no-go. Until I saw the new Revlon Colorburst. I mean I just had to look at Jessica Alba and I was sold (apart from when she dyed her hair that dodgy blonde, does that woman ever look the tiniest bit imperfect??) and the 2 pounds off at Boots (oh and Advantage card points. .) meant I had to grab one.

Firstly, what does Revlon have to say about their Colorburst Lipsticks?

• Instant burst of rich, true color with a featherlight feel 
• Elasticolor™ technology provides immediate color release and hugs lips with a burst of weightless color that feels like a second skin

Now personally, if I ever see a  ™ in a product description, they are not having my money. (Peptido-Complex, Softflex. . I'm looking at you L'oreal!) But I did really want to try a coral lipstick

This is their Coral (click it to see it enlarged)

And my lips wearing it. .

Sorry that's a really bad picture but you get the idea. It really is a very nice lipstick. It has no shine, no sparkles, it's a matte lipstick but thankfully it's not toodrying. It doesn't last very long and I'm not sure if I agree that it 'hugs' lips as obviously you can feel that you're wearing it. It does fade, but it doesn't look terrible like some lipsticks do, infact you could get away with not reapplying I think.Unfortunately Boots literally had 5 shades but there are apparently 20 available, and there are some very nice nude colours too. I think it looks best when dabbed on to give a 'burst' of colour, as it can make your lips look a bit clown like if applied in the normal way.

So all in all, yes I would recommend this lipstick, maybe not at full price, but it gives great colour pay-off and the packaging is lovely. The imprinted 'Revlon' into the bullet is very Chanel and I really do like this lipstick

What do you think? Have you ever bought a Revlon lippie before?

Sophie xx

Disappointment :(

Ok ok I know this is long overdue but I wanted to see if they would last, or if my initial love would fade. And I kind of need to have a mini rant about Topshop Make Up. It has its good points and its bad, but first of all I'll let you know what I have from there;

So I'll start with the good stuff

• The lip polish in Smoothie is a lovely formulation
• The lip polish and the cream blusher in Nutmeg have really useful little mirrors on them
• The colour of the Tint is really pretty
• The creme blusher feels really nice to the touch
• The packaging is very cute

And the bad;

• It's overpriced. Which is to be expected of Topshop but the quality isn't quite up to the price
• The liner is crap. It's terrible. It stinks just like the Maybelline Line Definer, it applies thinly and doesn't last. Apply it to your hand however and it looks just how you'd like it to on your eyes :(
• The lip polish is a bit blah. It doesn't last long, the colour is completely different to that online, and because I ordered mine online I was quite excited to try this colour. However it's a baby pink and very boring.
• The packaging, as pretty as it is, gets dirty VERY quickly and looks a bit scruffy a month later
• The shades of the blushers aren't very wearable. Nutmeg is nice, as is Pinch, but they're not the easiest to blend and don't last very long
• The tint will not last all day on your cheeks/lips yet it will stain your fingers, which isn't the most attractive look

So what are your thoughts on Topshop's Make Up? Anything you're thinking of buying? Or regretting?

Sophie xx

I'm Famous! And What's In My Bag Tag!

Hello lovely ladies!
Just before I get started, I thought I'd let you know I posted my entry yesterday from my Blackberry and I think it's posted up ok, but the reason why I did this is because I was at the Camden Roundhouse to participate in the Channel 4 programme How To Save A £100Billion Live. If you watched this (or watch it  now on 4OD!) you'll see me about every 5 minutes, I'm the girl in the red who didn't know where to look next to the female presenter. How exciting!

Watch the programme here

I was tagged in this by the lovely Nikki, so let's see what's in my bag!

To start with, what does my bag actually look like?

I love love love my bag, it was £18 from New Look and I bought it because it looks just like the Mulberry Alexa (well from a distance. . !)

But what's inside?

Oh dear it looks such a mess! Also I usually have my Blackberry, Ipod Nano and Calvin Klein Euphoria chucked in there too but they had gone wandering when I decided to take this photo!

What's inside?

• Filofax
• Anti-Histamines (I have a rather annoying condition called Urticaria)
• Purse
• Badges from when I went to see The Drums
• A foldaway spoon (I can't bring myself to throw it away it looks so useful!)
• Notes On A Scandal (I do a LOT of train travelling)
• Old battered purse which I LOVE
• Travelcards, Oyster Card holder and various pens and half eaten gum packets, ugh
• Isklar water -- I love this bottle and at the moment it's only 36p at Sainsburys woo!
• My dad's sunglasses 
• Mascara, see review here
• And a lipstick/gloss for any mood haha

And these are swatches of the lippies in my bag (I know I have waaay too many in there and my hand STINKS after washing these off, I blame it on that Collection 2000 gloss!)

 

1. ELF Gloss in Candlelight, which I have discovered tastes JUST like Percy Pigs mmm, see review here
2. Gosh Darling
3. 17 Mirror Shine-On Lipstick in Belle, see review here
4. Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout
5. Collection 2000 Gloss in Dolly Mixture (I got this free I would never buy this it's disgusting)
6. MAC Lipstick in Craving

What's in your bag? Got anything in there that is just super cringeworthy?!

I tag; Holly, Sammi and Hannah :)

Also thank you guys for following me and leaving your lovely comments it really puts a smile on my face!

Sophie xx

PS Just to let you know guys, all my links should open up in new tabs :)

Make Your Own Nail Varnish

Hey lovely ladies!

So yesterday I wanted to do a manicure, but not the usual pink and white. For my nude base I decided to go for the lovely Nails Inc London (free from Boots) but I thought the perfect tip would be a dark brown perhaps. But no dark brown in my nail varnish box! What to do?

If I showed you these nails, would you think the brown was a Barry M Dazzle Dust??

Well it is! It's the Barry M Dazzle Dust in Dark Chocolate. I had my lightbulb moment and put the smallest amount of the product on a piece of scrap paper and added a small amount of my Collection 2000 Strengthening Basecoat and mixed the two together, and it made a really nicely pigmented nail colour, and I used hardly any of the Dazzle Dust. They say it's for Lips, Cheeks and Eyes, but nails too? You can use pretty much any pigment, and any clear nail varnish. A few weeks ago I mixed an old mineral powder foundation that I NEVER use, and it gave the perfect nude nail. Why not have a go and tell me what you think?

Hope you enjoy all my strange tips I do, let me know if you'd like to see more!

Sophie xx

follow me! 

17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick

This might be just me, but 17 is usually one of those brands I just walk past. I once decided that I needed the free gift when you spend £5 business so badly I had to buy something and that was their Super Wear Long Lasting Foundation with their green primer, and when I used the two together the foundation would actually flake off, it would form little beige balls on my face, not a good look. So I can pretty much say I'm not a 17 girl.

So the other day, I saw these amazingly blue shiny lipsticks -- and Sophie likes shiny things :) These are the lovely Mirror Shine On Lipsticks and they look like this

One thing to bear in mind with these is that they haven't got the strongest colour pay off, they are more of a tinted lip colour with a shine, they even contain 'micro pearls'. How exciting! This is I think Belle and it was payday on Friday so I may just have to forget that spending ban and go and get Hollywood, which is a bright red, but I think it'll be a beautiful more subtle shade than the reds I usually go for.

This is what Belle looks like on my lips

I love love love these, go and buy yours now!

Sophie xx