- The Face Essentials.

G'day!

This evening I wanted to talk about some of my most favourite face products. For me, these are essential staples that I feel like I need to have for my face when doing my makeup.

 

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion:

This one is a very long standing favourite of mine. I can remember when I first tried an eye primer (this one) and being so massively amazed at how it kept my eyeshadow in place all night and it didn't crease! My eyeshadow was always a creasy mess before I discovered eye primer. This one remains a favourite, I have tried others but nothing else seems to compare.

 

Sleek Brow Kit:

A fairly recent discovery, and a brow game changer from the first use. I love that it has a coloured wax and powder to set it with. It just works - well! I use the wax then the powder with a stiff angled brush, and it gives me somewhat decent looking brows... most of the time! Although brows are always my nemesis.. This just makes them a little less so.

 

Garnier Anti Dark Circle Roll On:

I've been using this one for years, since it came out (whenever that was!) It soothes and cools my undereyes, which is great on those early mornings. It's brightens and conceals and soothes all in one, a win-win-win! I couldn't be without it.

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Tint*:

I got this one sent to me when it was first released. I remember anticipating it coming out here when everyone across the pond was talking about it. I wasn't sure it'd be for me because of how light people were saying it was, but I LOVE. This is a must have for me, it's so weightless, covers well and doesn't highlight dry patches or make my face an oily mess. My skin stays reasonable matte because of the powder finish. I have run out at the moment and I am itching to go and repurchase again!

L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper:

I was very excited when cheaper drugstore brands started latching on to the tinted brow gel idea. I have a few, but I tend to reach for this one the most, I really like how the spoolie wand is teeny tiny, so a perfect size for your brows. It does add thickness to them too, and obviously colour.. Plus it's massive mascara size, so will last for ages!

*PR Sample.

____________________
Thank you for reading!

- Love, Sophie xx

Where else to find me..

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Lovely Locks! ~ L'oreal Oil Spray.

Wow. Long time no post!

So, here I am today with a little review of a product that I have been loving for the past few months.. The L'Oreal Ever Riche Oil for hair.. 

I've been a hair oil addict for a while now and I love the idea of one in a spray bottle, rather than pumping it out and applying it. I find the spray distributes much easier. This oil has so many benefits, it's light and feels so weightless, it smells so amazing, it has no sulphates and it is full of conditioning ingredients.

I like to spritz this onto damp hair and let it dry naturally (my usual way).. It nourishes my hair so well and leaves it feel smooth and looking very healthy. I sometimes like to use it on dry hair too, this works great when my hair is curled or straightened, for straight hair a small amount sprayed on adds incredible shine.. On my curls, it just adds shine and helps to define the curls and minimize the frizz that can come with curly hair.

Soo, my new fave oil of the moment! I got mine in Boots, but I think it's available in supermarkets too, and it's less than £10. 

What are your top hair oils?

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Beauty Look Book #FOTD: New Years Brights.

Happy New Year all!

I'm back with a new haircut and a face of the day.. I know, I know! Crazy right? I always promise myself I'll post these regularly and then I don't, so my first official 2014 post is a FOTD. I am going to try and be more regular with these... Maybe one or two a month.

So, I wanted to play with some brights since I'd been sticking to neutrals for such a long time, with the new hair cut I thought I'd go for a bold eye and lip!

I used urban decay primer to prime my eyelids and then I started on my crease. I first used a light brown (MAC Era) to get some definition, then I added a lid colour, I used a navy shade (MAC - Deep Feelings) from an old holiday palette that I have on the inner and outer corners on my lid and then I added a bright blue (MAC - Deep Truth) all over the centre of the lid and blended it in with the navy. I then added the pink into the crease above the blue and I used two shades mixed for this (The Body Shop - Berry cheeky & MAC - Feast, from the same Holiday Palette) .. I blended them softly as I didn't want it to be too intense.

For liner I used a gel liner (MAC fluidline - Blacktrack) and I also tightlined my eyes with this and smudged it along my lower lashline, then I added some shadow over the top along my lower lashline (MAC - Feast). I added two coats of black mascara (Max Factor False Lash Effect) and highlighted my browbone (MAC Holiday Palette - Satisfy).

For the skin I used L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation (Porcelain) and a translucent powder, I concealed with Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection (Fair) and I used a C-2000 Blush from the Little Mix Collection in the 'Perrie' shade (Love this!). I contoured/highlighted (Sleek contour kit - Light) and filled in my brows (HD Brows - Foxy) to finish the face.

Finally for the lips I mixed some liptars from OCC (Demure and NSFW) with a pout paint (Cloud 9) from Sleek Makeup to create a hot pick shade.

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed the post and that you like the look. Let me know if you'd like more of these.

Have a great week!

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L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Review.

So, I have had this bottle of foundation for about a month or so now. I had seen multiple reviews on You Tube from US people before it was even out here. I was intrigued about it, they had been mostly positive and I always want to try every single new makeup product that's out, because I am an addict. Yep, I admit it!

So, I got this and I tried it and I wasn't sure at first - but now I really like it. So, the first time I used it I hadn't moisturised first and it clung on to every tiny dry patch I had on my face (not too many!) .. However, after moisturiser I don't have that problem. I always use my fingers, because this is so runny and I suspect a brush would just soak it up. It recommends you use them too.

So I dot it on and blend.. It blends effortlessly and looks so nice as it smooths everything in it's path, my pores look a little smaller and everything just looks more fresh. It sets to a velvet soft powdery finish, but I always add a little more because I'm oily skinned anyway. The finish is so natural looking and weightless, it doesn't give major coverage, but for me it evens my skin out and makes me feel better about it.

Another thing to note (if it matters to you) is that it photographs well too. The picture above isn't to show this point, that is just to show how it evens out my skin. But I can tell you that with a flash it looks great and so natural. So, I love this! It's going to be a part of my collection for a long time to come, I am sure of it. Oh, I love the packaging too, I heard people complain about the non pump bottle, so you had to pour it, but it's such a runny foundation so I don't think it makes a difference if you have a pump or not.. Just my thoughts!

You can purchase this from Boots for £9.99 (worth every penny) and I wear the lightest shade, which is great for pale skinned faces.

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Photo-a-Day ~ Day Twelve ~ L'Oreal Neon Pop Nails!

This is more like a post or photo a day, whatever though!

Anyway, have you seen these beauties from L'Oreal yet?

The 'Neon Pop' collection* is perfect for Summer! The shades are bright and eye catching and as with the other color riche polishes in the collection they apply really nicely, are pigmented and have a great applicator brush.

Banana Pop 

is the best yellow I've ever tried! I've always had a thing for yellow nails, but it's all about finding the perfect mellow shade. This is a winner!

Acid Watermelon 

is the most neon of them all, a shocking bright stunning pink. Gorgeous on toes and super summery! Love it.

Wasabi Hint 

I. LOVE. THIS. SHADE. It's minty but not to pale like a pastel mint. It's so unusual and I have been wearing this one lots.

Flashing purple 

is a bright, lovely purple. This is the least opaque of the bunch and kind of has a less cream finish, but it's a great colour!

What do you think of these? Nice huh! Check them out here!

If you follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (GFC), it's going to be gone soon. Please follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up to date with my posts.

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L'Oreal: Spicy Orange Nails.

Hi Everyone, I hope you're all having a good week.

Today I just have a super quick post of a NOTD from a while ago. I don't know why it never got posted.

This is one of the L'Oreal Color Riche nail polishes and this shade is Spicy Orange. These polishes are great, have great colour pay off, last well, come in a range of lovely colours and have the lovliest brush to apply with.

Spicy orange was a colour that I didn't think I'd like that much at first because I've never really been into orange, but when I applied it I feel in love with it, it is so bright and eye catching, but totally not garish.

They are so opaque too, this shade could have been good with one coat, but I went for two thinner coats.

Love, love it!

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How-to Ombre: L'Oreal Wild Ombres Kit Review.

You may remember this post from a while back, when I ombred my hair with the hair stripper from Scott Cornwall. I was really happy with the subtle result because it was a major step for me to be dying my hair when I had spent so long getting my natural colour back. I really loved the subtle effect that wasn't too in your face.

As time went on though, I got compliments on how it looked and I really loved it myself, so much that I wanted to br braver and go further with it. Enter the L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombres Dip Dye Hair Kit*. 

Last weekend I had a free evening and decided I was going to go for it!

I wasn't sure what to expect and I was a bit worried because this is essentially bleach which I knew would lighten quite a bit. The results came out great though and I am super happy. The kit comes in three different shade ranges for different hair colours, I used No 1, for light to dark brown hair.

Read on for my quick how to, and the final results after styling..

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L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick.

 

So shortly after Revlon released the famous Lip Butters, L'Oreal released something similar in the Rouge Caresse lipsticks.

These are marketed as lightweight lip colours, adding just a veil of colour, with a shiny texture finish.

I was sent four of the shades quite some time ago and I was so excited to try them out. I had already tried the lip butters by then and knew that I loved them, but L'Oreal seemed to have a prettier colour selection and the packaging looked pretty.

I do love how they are packaged, they look much more expensive that their £7.99 price take. The lids click on and stay in place and the product inside is great quality too. I would describe them as a lipbalm texture on the lips, they feel very light and add a nice subtle touch of colour. They feel very hydrating and have a nice shine finish to them. (See my swatches above)

Tempting Lilac: This is just 'My lips but better' for me. It adds a slight lilac tone, but looks subtle enough to be my lips for the most part. One of my fave shades.

Nude Ingenue: This is a nice easy to wear nude. Again, it is subtle, but has a bronze shimmer to it. It's a nice easy to wear shade.

Lovely Rose: Another fave, I love this - it's the prettiest nude pink shade. Super easy to wear and apply when you're on the go without a mirror.

Aphrodite Scarlet: The brightest of them all. My application was a little patchy with this one at first, but I discovered that because they are so hydrating already, you are best to apply them to dry lips. This is a great bright pink/red shade.

Compared to the Revlon Lip Butters I would say these are slightly more subtle in colour. They feel more lightweight though, and more hydrating too. The lip butters have more of a lipstick feel, whereas these do really feel like a balm and are easy to just 'slap on' when you're on the go.

Overall, I heart them. I'm happy that I own them, they are my Summer go-to lip products.

Have you tried these yet, what are your thoughts?

Available Here.

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L'Oreal - Miss Candy Collection.

Surprise packages in the mail are always lovely. On Friday I got a lovely susprise from L'Oreal with some new products from their latest Miss Candy Collection, and a tub of old school sweeties, yum! I was like a child at Christmas, this collection is so me! It's full of candy summery shades and has some gorgeous products in.

I got 7 of the nail polishes from the collection (£4.99). I ADORE these polishes, I first tried them when the L'Or Electeic Collection came out and I fell in love. They are a nice small size, the maxi wide brush makes for a perfect application and the colour range is amazing. Three of the seven shades I have are more sheer, the others are bright and in your face. I do like sheer colours too though, either for layering, or on their own.

Here I am wearing 'Marie Antoinette' from the Miss Candy Collection. Just two coats, I think it makes for a perfect clean manincure look. Another coat would have been much more opaque, but I like it like this..

The Infallible eyeshadows (£6.99) are some of my favourites right now. I love the loose/pressed thing. They are so pigmented and the shades are so unique with them all.. These three are gorgeous, Innocent Turquoise is a vibrant blue with a subtle silver sheen, Naughty Strawberry is just a lovely pink, gorgeously bright summer pink, but the most unique of the three is Sassy Marshmallow, it is like a silver/pink/blue multi tonal shade. It is the standout shade for me, but all of the shades are perfect for a pop of colour and will all create a gorgeous eye look. (Which I intend to try soon!)

I own two glamshine lipglosses from way back - but these glosses (£7.65) are a swirl of two complimentary shades in a tube (they look like ice cream!), so when you apply them you get a mix. They are quite sheer, but buildable and they smell great and feel very hydrating on. I adore the teardrop applicator on these lipglosses too, they make for such easy application!

Thanks for reading, and you can expect more posts on these products in the near future!

The products are available from Boots or Superdrug.

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L'Oreal L'Or Electric Collection.

The latest L'Oreal Collection*, L'Or Electric was recently released in time for the Cannes film Festival. I've been playing with the products for just over a week now and I love them. I love the bright 80's neon inspired shades that are so stand out! Definitely my kind of collection.

The L'Or Electric Collection Consists Of..

• Color Riche Nail Polishes in 811: Magic Croisette, 809: Mystic Blue and 810: Mythical Carpet.
• Color Riche Lipsticks in 402: Electric Fuchsia, 407: Metallic Coral and 404: Prismatic Pink.
• Coleur Infallible Shadows in 039: Magnetic Coral and 037: Metallic Lilac.

Magic Croisette, Mystic Blue, Mythical Carpet

Prismatic Pink, Electric Fuchsia, Metslalic Coral

Magnetic Coral, Metallic Lilac

The Nail Polishes: These are all great pigmented shades that are opaque within two coats. They have the best wide applicator brush ever too (I definitely approve!) they apply smoothly, dry quick and are long lasting too. I will have some proper NOTD's soon.

The Lipsticks: I love the Fuchsia and Prismatic pink.. The coral one scares me slightly! The coral is also creamy and pigmented in texture, the other two are more sheer and wearable and have lots of blue shimmer in them (great for making teeth look white!) I love the packaging and how they feel - they are so hydrating.

The Shadows: Love, love, love these. I already own two of these pressed pigment type shadows. I love both of these colours. The coral is perfect and makes my blue eyes *pop* (hate that term!) and the grey shade is like a dark silver with a really pretty pink/lilac hue. Great for a smokey eye.

This collection in available in stores from 16th May. Check it out if you love brights for Summer. You can check it out here too.

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Beauty Hauly, Haul! :)

Hey Lovelies!

I never usually bother with hauls when I get new things, and I should - So this time I have. I had a little money saved and went shopping last week to treat myself.

Boots and superdrug were my shops of choice (which they pretty much always are), and I picked up a few nice bits.

I have some closer pictures and shades, etc. It's a little picture heavy though!

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L'oreal Carbon Black Super Liner! ♥

I know that many of you have probably all seen and heard about this liquid eye-liner from L'Oreal before.

I've had this for a while now, and it is one of my favourite liquid liners, it is the blackest black, and the thing that makes it so nice and easy to use is the thin felt tip applicator, as you can see it is like a fine felt tip pen, and it just glides over the lash line so nicely and is perfect for creating thin lines and flicks.

It really does make lining the eyes so easy and I reach more for this than my Mac fluid line. I think felt tip liquid liners are the best!

Available from Boots for £5.99.

Have you tried this?

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L’Oréal’s policy on animal testing.

I recently mentioned something about the new 'Pure Active' range on one of my videos recently and got a comment from one of my views saying something about how it was too bad that L'Oreal tested on animals.

I never noticed the comment on my video until I was made aware of it by Naomi from Immediate PR who informed me that L'Oreal DO NOT test on animals, and that of course, people saying otherwise is bad press. I absolutely agree with her on that - She also sent me a document with all of the details, so I thought I would post them here for those of you that are interested and that have always thought that L'Oreal test on animals.

Well, great news! They Don't!

Here is the document I was sent :

Summary

L’Oréal voluntarily stopped animal testing on its entire range of products in 1989.
We are totally committed to a future without tests on animals and continue to make significant investments in research aimed at finding valid alternatives. We comply with all EU and national laws in ensuring the absolute safety of our products. These are positions we share with The Body Shop, whose policy of not using any ingredients that have been tested or retested on animals for cosmetics purposes since the end of 1990 remains unchanged.

L’Oréal voluntarily stopped using animal testing for the evaluation of its entire range of finished cosmetic products in 1989. It was possible to do this due to the considerable time and effort we have invested for over two decades including developments of databases on ingredient toxicity profiles, and the results of a large-scale programme carried out over several years to develop appropriate in vitro methods such as Episkin. Moreover, we have also co-operated with our competitors in this common objective.

We are totally committed to a future without tests on animals. We comply with all EU and national laws in ensuring the absolute safety of our products. These are positions we share with The Body Shop whose policy of not using any ingredients that have been tested or retested on animals for cosmetics purposes since the end of 1990 remains unchanged.

The industry and many opinion formers believe that this common objective of eradication of animal testing for safety purposes can only be totally achieved through research, development and validation of alternative methods and approaches. L’Oréal has invested more than any other company in this endeavour during the last 25 years. This is a fact that was recognised and endorsed by Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop and campaigner against animal testing for cosmetics.

Some of our achievements to date:

· In the early 1980s, L’Oréal developed Episkin - reconstructed human skin models complete with a barrier function. These have since been routinely used to obtain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of skin and to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of our products. Some of these models can be used to study skin pigmentation or its immune response.

· A specific protocol, using the company’s reconstructed epidermis model Episkin, has been validated by the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) for the purposes of evaluating skin irritancy and corrosion. This method provides a full replacement for the corresponding animal test.

· Our researchers have also developed the first epidermal model containing Langerhans cells which play a decisive role in the skin’s allergic response. Having been a pilot for a European Commission programme, similar models are currently being studied as alternative methods to skin allergy tests.

· The recent acquisition by L’Oréal of the tissue engineering company, Skin Ethic, is further testimony to our continued commitment to the development of alternative methods to replace animal testing.



In Europe, the safety of cosmetic products is regulated by the European Cosmetics Directive, which is implemented in the UK by the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations. This legislation specifically prescribes the tests that all ingredient suppliers must carry out on every chemical substance, whether old or new. Some of these tests may have involved animals. Companies manufacturing products containing chemical substances, without any exception, are only legally permitted to use ingredients that have undergone these compulsory safety tests at some stage.

However, the Seventh Amendment of the EU Cosmetics Directive states that in March 2009 all testing on all cosmetic ingredients will be banned by law across the whole of the EU and any cosmetic product containing ingredients tested on animals will be banned from being placed on the market. Only a limited amount of tests assessing the systemic safety of ingredients will be exempt from this ban, but the exemption only applies for an extra 4 years. In other words, after 2013 products containing ingredients tested on animals will be banned from sale. We continue to work with the Commission, the industry and research organisations to develop, ahead of the above cut-off dates, new alternative methods and approaches in several fields of toxicology where they are still lacking.

Despite the progress made to date, the Commission, the industry and research organisations face the major challenge of developing new alternative methods and approaches for the safety assessment of chemical ingredients in several fields of toxicology where they are still lacking, and ensuring their validation and acceptance by competent authorities. L’Oréal is thus an active member of the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to animal testing (EPAA) led by the European Commission, and we are committed, in our field of expertise, to progressing and promoting this programme.

♥

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