Beauty Bargain // Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo in 'Beauty Mark'

Hello there internet!

Today I'm reviewing an eyeshadow duo from Too Faced, which I actually picked up from work (which is Debenhams, by the way) a couple of weeks ago but only just got round to blogging about. I was buying a birthday present for someone, and as I got to the cosmetics till I spotted some reduced Too Faced products. I had never tried the brand before, and the stuff was HEAVILY discounted so thought I'd give it a go. Most of it was glittery eyeliners and crazy colours, which I wasn't a fan of, so I went for the 'Beauty Mark' Eyeshadow Duo.

It was originally £14.50, and was reduced to a teeny £2.18! THEN I got my 20% staff discount, such a wonderful thing, so it was a real bargain!

After trying the product, I am seriously glad I didn't buy it at full price. I like the whimsical packaging but it is preeettty flimsy. The colours in the pan are gorgeous; a peachy rose-gold and dark purpley brown, but sadly the pigmentation in these is pretty poor. You have to push a load on your lids to get a good colour payoff, and they look really lovely on but only last a couple of hours at best and definitely not all day. An eye primer is essential, but I wouldn't advise using a cream eyeshadow as the Too Faced one then loses it's pigment when put over the top. It's such a shame, because I absolutely love the peachy colour! Booo.

In the look above I put the lighter colour all over the lid and into the corners of the eye, and used the darker colour all around the lash lines to create a smokey flick. The mascara I'm wearing is the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless.

I can't find Too Faced on the Debenhams website, and I think they may be being discontinued or we are not stocking them any more, however you can find it at Boots here and Look Fantastic here. 

I'm not wowed by this product, and though I can't complain, and am actually pretty pleased with it for the price I got it at, I definitely wouldn't have paid £14.50!

Have you tried Too Faced eyeshadow?

Is there any of their products you'd recommend?

(All images are my own, and must be credited if shared. Though I got this product at a discounted price, it was purchased by myself and reviewed honestly.)

Inspiration from Illamasqua: 'The Sacred Hour' Collection

Hello lovely people!

A little beauty inspiration for you all today. I recently Liked the Illamasqua Facebook page, and my newsfeed has since been filled with some beautiful images of incredible makeup, so I thought I'd share it! Today's post will be the Sacred Hour collection, and I might do another one on the Paranormal collection next week, because I am just loving Illamasqua at the moment! Shame I can't afford any of it... -skint student problems-

As the poem above suggests, this collection is dreamy, spiritual, ethereal, a fairytale; inspired by fantasy. Here's some images:

"I am the Dawn spirit..."

"I am the Dusk warrior..."

"I am the Magic..."

...and the promotional film for the collection:



I love the emphasis on brows, the metallic eyes, the dramatic contouring and dark, berry hued lips. This is basically my dream makeup in one collection!

Here's some of my favourite products from The Sacred Hour:

Reflection Palette £34
Four dreamy, creamy eyeshadows with a hint of shimmer. All such beautiful colours, perfect for creating a smokey eye!

Nail Varnish in 'Hemlock' £14.50
A gorgeous, iridescent pinky-greeny colour.

Lipstick in 'Shard' £16.50
A gothic red-violet with a matte finish. The lip colour for autumn/winter.

Check out the whole Sacred Hour collection here. Sadly I haven't tried any of these, so can't tell you how good they are! Let me know if you have though.

Will you be buying any pieces from this collection?

Have you tried Illamasqua makeup before? Anything you'd recommend?

(All images/videos from the Illamasqua website)

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Venom

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Venom / £15

Hello everyone!

Another lipstick post, and this is seriously just the tip of the iceberg in terms of my collection guys.

But THIS lipstick is a wee bit more high end than I normally go for, so it's a big deal!

Urban Decay is renowned for its eyeshadows and other eye products, but until now has been lacking in the lips department. Enter, the Revolution Lipstick collections. 

I read about these lipsticks on a ton of beauty blogs, including What I Heart Today, Vivianna Does Makeup and The London Lipgloss, and it was Zoe's post that first introduced me to the shade that would appear in my dreams (no joke) until I purchased it, Venom. It looks a little lighter on me than her, but I think I just have generally pale lips.

Apologies again for the spotty face!

It's a gorgeous plum-purple-wine colour, perfect for achieving that vampy, just bitten look. I know dark purples like this are kinda daunting, but I think they just look incredible with smoky amber eyes or a slick of liquid eyeliner, especially seeing as A/W is on the way!

The pigmentation is freaking amazing in these things, and lasts a good few hours on me. Thanks to the blend of oils, cocoa and shea butter in them, they are super creamy too, and feel really comfortable and moisturising. The packaging is also seriously cool, with a faceted gunmetal case with signature Urban Decay purple lining, it is dead on for a mid-range product. This will definitely be a staple for my beauty regime once autumn starts.

Will you be investing in one of the new Urban Decay Lipsticks?

Check out my eBay sale, Facebook page, and follow me on Bloglovin' if you have a minute!

(This product was purchased by myself and reviewed honestly)

Beauty Wishlist #1 // Pixiwoo Inspired

Beauty Wishlist #1 by sophiefront-page 

1. Illamasqua Skin Base in 2 / £27

2. Hourglass Liquid Lipstick in Icon / £23

3. Mac Eyeshadow in Cranberry / £12.50

4. Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Chic / £15.5o 

(Chic doesn't seem to be on the shade list, although it is the one Sam uses in the video! Hopefully it's just out of stock)

5. Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink / £17.50

6. Real Techniques Starter Kit / £16.49

Well guys, it's happened. I'm officially addicted to Pixiwoo and their make-up tutorials on YouTube. I know, I'm soo late to the party as always. Obviously, I knew who Sam and Nic Chapman were, and own the Real Techniques core collection kit, but had never really gotten into watching their videos. However, that has all changed! These girls are crazy talented, and watching them apply make-up makes it seem so easy. 

Watching these vids has inspired me both in terms of make-up, and in the length of my beauty lust list! The products above are ones I've seen them using, and wish I had the funds to possess. The exception is the Hourglass liquid lipstick in Icon, which I actually came across on one of my favourite blogs, The London Lipgloss, here.

The Illamasqua Skin Base foundation is one they use a lot, and I think shade number 2 with a pinkish undertone would be just perfect for me. 

The Mac eyeshadow is in Cranberry, which I haven't stopped thinking about ever since seeing it in the Kristen Stewart tutorial below. That's not that sad, is it?



The Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blusher, in Chic, I spotted in this hooded eyes tutorial. It's a beautiful peachy colour and the texture looks so wearable and lovely.



Numbers 5 and 6 are really just make-up basics I should already own; a good black gel liner from Bobbi Brown and the Real Technique Starter kit. 

I already tried emulating some gorgeous Pixiwoo looks, but sadly I ain't there yet. I'm sure with enough practise I'll be a make-up whizz soon enough!

Are you a fan of Pixiwoo?

What's on your beauty wishlist?

If you like what you see, make my day and follow me on bloglovin' here, thank you!

Beauty Review // Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivid Lipsticks

I am most definitely, a lipstick girl. Reds, pinks, purples, nudes; just about anything you like, I've got them, and love wearing all kinds of colours on my lips. Today I thought I'd share one of my favourite lipstick ranges at the moment, the Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivid Lipsticks. 

As you might guess from the name, this is a range of eye-wateringly bright colours, which I love, though I know not everyone does. I have three from the range, and all of them have a creamy finish, are really moisturising on the lips and, for me personally, last aaaages. Like, all day. Especially, I've found, if you use a really nude product underneath them, for example Clinique's Chubby Stick in Curviest Caramel, then dab the Vivid lipstick on for a soft version of the colour, then do a full on swipe across the lips. I know that's three layers of stuff, but I swear, it lasts forever on me. 

Here's some shots of them on my lips. Now, I have really wonky, asymmetrical lips, and some horrific blemishes around my mouth that just will not go away, so taking photos was a bit of a nightmare. So try to ignore all that, and focus on the beautiful lipsticks. :)

I had been after a purple lipstick ever since seeing Mac's Heroine on LULUTRIXABELLE here, and I was hoping Hot Plum was the one; however, it wasn't quite what I was after. I definitely would not call it a plum, it's more of a bright pink with purpley-blue undertones. It's probably the least wearable of the three, but is a gorgeous colour nonetheless and one for when I'm feeling brave!

Shocking Coral is probably the most wearable of the three Vivids I've got; again, I would call it kind of a bright but rosy pink rather than a coral, but it is one of those colours that goes with everything and despite it still being really bright, you don't have to think too hard when putting it on. 

Electric Orange is probably the only shade that actually lives up to it's name: this is about as orange as it gets folks. It is seeeriously bright, and I'll be honest, not as blue-toned as I would like, but is still probably the shade I've worn the most. I do feel a wee bit 80's or something occasionally when putting it on, but it is a gorgeous summer colour, which I think looks amazing with a light layer of peachy gloss over the top (for example, Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya) teamed with a metallic nude eye. Definitely my lipstick of the summer.

So there you go, some of my favourite lipsticks. Be warned, they are super bright, so not for the faint hearted, and the swatches online (and the names!) really don't represent the actual colour so I would recommend heading to a drugstore and swatching them for yourself before you buy.

What's your favourite lip colours at the moment?

Are you a fan of the bright lip?

If you like what you see, follow me on bloglovin' here to really make my day!

(All photos my own; all products purchased by myself and reviewed honestly)

Liebster Award!

I was nominated for the Liebster Blogger Award yesterday by my friend Abi over at A Little Abstract, so here goes!

The Rules:

-Each nominee answers the 11 questions by the tagger

-Choose 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to pass the award to and link them

-Create 11 new questions for your chosen bloggers

-Comment on their blog telling them you've nominated them

-No tag backs!

1) If you could steal one celebrities style, who would it be?

Ah that is a hard one! Probably Cara Delevingne, I love her quite laid-back style with a kind of sporty/streetwear edge.

2) What is the most common colour in your wardrobe?

I think, boring as it sounds, it's black. Ha! Or, even more exciting, grey. I have a few statement pieces but tend to stick to classic colours.

3) What are you most likely to spend your money on?

I am terrible with money! I rarely leave the house without buying a nail varnish or lipstick so yeah, those.

4) Night in or night out?

Well, I am 20 going on 50 so night in, ha! I prefer nights out to be a special occasion, so a night in is fine. :)

5) Curly or straight hair?

I have naturally crazy curly, frizzy hair, so I'm inclined to say straight! Though curly is a lot easier for me, I love my hair to be poker straight.

6) Favourite high street store?

Most definitely Topshop! I have to restrain myself from going in there, haha! Though ASOS is catching up, does that count with it being online?

7) Heels or flats?

Anyone who knows me, knows that me wearing heels is fairly dangerous. I cannot walk in them or bear how painful they are, so tend to stick to flats, or maybe little chunky heels on a night out. I know I should man up and practise, but it's too painful! Also I'm pretty tall anyway, so I think I can get away with flats. 

8) Your favourite trend of the moment?

I'm actually loving the sporty vibe at the moment, like varsity or American Football tees with colourful trainers, but smartened up with tailoring (check out Toppers or River Island!)

9) Favourite Designer?

That's a tough one....this summer it is definitely Dries Van Noten, I cannot get enough of the grungy checks with oriental florals in their SS13 collection. Generally though, probably Chloe. Or Proenza Schouler. Or Jonathan Saunders. Argh it's too hard! 

10) Books or magazines?

Abi, you are killing me here haha! I do love a good book and reading, but don't often find one that grips me all the way to the end, so I'm going to go magazines, my faves being ELLE and Company :).

11) You are given £10, what do you spend it on?

Hmm.... I'm going to say jewellery, maybe a cool statement necklace? Loving those at the moment!

Okay, that was harder than I thought!

Here are the blogs I'm nominating....

Lucy at 100 Days of Makeup
Charlotte at Hobbits & Hair Dye
Rose at Fashion Rhapsody
Bits and Beauty Bobs
Hannah at Trust In Vogue
Holly at Tea And Blush
Terri at Terriface
Jodie at Jodie Melissa
Greta at Through Art Related to Fashion
Ellie at Candy Tapestry
Stacey at British Hearts

...and here are your 11 questions...

1) What's your favourite film?
2) Describe your style in 3 words?
3) Favourite memory of a concert or festival?
4) What's your signature make-up look?
5) Which artists are on your playlist at the moment?
6) Favourite beauty brand?
7) What's your ultimate career goal?
8) Who is your style icon?
9) Do you prefer summer or winter fashion?
10) If you could only shop from one store, which would it be?
11) Favourite magazine?

So there you go, good luck! 

Just to clarify, I based the amount of followers on bloglovin, as we are soon to be without Google Reader! 
You can follow me on bloglovin here, which would make me super happy!

Review: Soap & Glory's 'Hocus Focus'

Hello people!

Today I thought I'd review a product I bought a fair few weeks ago whilst at the Metro Centre; Soap & Glory's Hocus Focus.

Me and my friend were aimlessly browsing in Boots, when my friend Morag tried out some of this product, and the result was instant. She just applied Hocus Focus over her foundation and the difference was remarkable, her pores seemed to disappear and her skin looked dewy and flawless. This completely wowed us all and caused 3 of us to each buy a pot of Hocus Focus without a seconds thought!

The jar says it can be used with a moisturiser, blended with foundation or on its own as a highlighter. I tend to use it after moisturiser all over, and then, after applying foundation, more heavily along my cheekbones and nose as a highlighter.

I must admit, it doesn't seem to have the magical effect on me that first made me buy it, but whenever I see Morag wearing it she looks amazing so maybe it's just my face! Haha.

Nonetheless this is still a brilliant product; the packaging, as with all Soap & Glory, is really cool and retro, and the cream itself has an amazing metallic sheen to it, making my skin more luminous. It does cost £13, more than I'd normally pay; I originally got it on the 3 for 2 offer, but after using it, would definitely shell out the full price! Check it out on the Boots website here. 

I'd give Hocus Focus a 9/10.

Here's a picture with me wearing it (as I do every day); you can't really see it properly though as the lighting in my room is terrible!

Have you tried any Soap & Glory products?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.

(this product was purchased by me; all my reviews are honest and my own opinion)