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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation Review ♥



I was really pleased when I was given the chance to try out the new Revlon Photo Ready foundation recently. I know it has been out for a while now, and I have been reading the many reviews, both good and bad, and hoping that I would get to try it for myself.

My absolute favourite foundation is Revlon Colorstay, So I was intrigued to see what their newest offering could do for me!

They Say .. "Revlon PhotoReady™ Makeup - for poreless, airbrushed skin in any light. Photochromatic pigments bend and reflect light to erase every flaw. Complete, yet undetectable coverage. Soft, luminous finish."

- Oil free

- Fragrance free
- SPF 20

My Thoughts .. I really like this foundation. It is so much lighter to use than colorstay, and the coverage is not quite as good, I would say this is a medium coverage but it is buildable.

It has quite a runny consistency which blends easily onto my skin (I like to apply it with a damp sponge). It leaves my skin looking really glowy and fresh, which I powder over because of my oily skin, but the glow still shows through.

The bottle is a cute glass bottle and this foundation has a pump! This is such a plus for me, because that is one of my small hates about the colorstay, I found that one full pump is enough for a nice even coverage all over, or if you want more coverage then I used two pumps.

One of the main issues I have seen when reading reviews for this is about the Sparkles that it contains. As soon as I got it I swatched it and I was stood in sunlight trying to capture it on my camera, It's not easy! For me they are the tiniest micro particles that I can only see if I look really closely. When the foundation is applied the shimmers just reflect the light and make my skin look healthy, So they don't bother me at all.

In the photo below I have the foundation on, and I think my skin looks pretty flawless and photoready (It isn't!) those particles really make a difference and reflect the light and made my skin look better than it is.

So, all in all I love this product and it is definitely going to be my summer foundation of choice, because it doesn't feel as heavy on my skin and it looks fresh. I will still always have my Colorstay for bad skin days and nights out though!

What do you think? Do I look PhotoReady?

Did you feel a bit LOST?


I know quite a few of you are fans of LOST, just like I am. My BF and I got up at 5am on Monday to watch the amazing finale, and we enjoyed it but were left feeling a little bit confused and disappointed.

However, I have since found a very interesting article that someone has copied onto their blog. It was written by someone who worked on Lost for the whole six years and it helped me understand it a little better..

So, I'm going to post that link here for anyone else who may be feeling a bit like I did after watching 'The End'.

**Please Note** If you haven't watched the finale yet, don't read as it has major spoilers!

Click Here To Read the article!

Some New Things ..

A few new things I have acquired recently(ish) ...

A new face wash! .. Yeah, cos I needed one of those!
** ♥ **
I have been wanting this for ages, I tried so hard to photograph it well too!
** ♥ **
Yay! C2000 have new colours.. The purple one is 'Parma Violets'
** ♥ **.
Just to rid the *ahem!* .. fine hairs on my top lips, I hates them!
** ♥ **
These are Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadows.. Look at them! They are truly fabulous, creamy and pigmented, as the swatches show.
** ♥ **
I always use the Maybelline line definer, but thought I'd try this one. I like the tip of it, but it's not very black :(
A new glitzy liner to go to my collection of Glam Crystals, this one is so lovely and spangly.
** ♥ **
The No7 Blend and Contour brush.. a good dupe for the MAC 217? Compare below..
I will be doing a comparison when I have used the No7 one some more.
** ♥ **

A Nailene gel nails overlay kit.. I thought this sounded fun, and I have quite weak nails. I will let you know how I get on!
** ♥ **
So, that's my little lot.. If you want to know anything more about anything, let me know.

Byez!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hot Pink Lips .. Cheap as Chips!

This is one of my fave cheap bright lipsticks! It is from a brand called 'Laval' .. I don't know a lot about them, but they sell them in my local market and it's cheap..

I ordered this online quite a long time ago.. I wanted a hot pink lipstick and this looked rather nice... and it is! It is a smooth creamy lipstick that is a brightly pigmented hot pink colour!

The only little thing that bugs me about it is that is has that 'cheap lipstick' smell.. Y'know, kind of waxy? .. You can't taste it though, in my experience.

I love how it looks! It's perfect for summer, and it's so shockingly bright!

[Click to enlarge]


Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation Review.


First off, Thank you so much to the lovely Lina for letting me be her guest reviewer on this foundation. I was so excited to have the chance to review it.

This colour (Ivory) is pretty much a great match for my skin tone. The foundation comes packaged in a cute summery looking box. The bottle contains 30mls of product.

I have really enjoyed trying this out, I loved it as soon as I applied it! It has quite a thin consistency, which is not something I am used to, being a fan of Revlon Colorstay. But It applied really well and blended so easily too, and it felt lovely and light on my skin.

[Eek, No Make-ups. UGH Sorry!]

I would say it gives a medium coverage, but it is definetely buildable if you want more coverage. In my pictures I just have one layer of it on my face, and I think it has evened out my skin and got rid of any discolouration, I did use concealer to cover blemishes though (I have had more spots than normal recenlty!), I think it gives a nice even look and made my skin look quite glowy and fresh, and it minimized the look of my pores, which is always a good thing!

The finish was quite dewy and it felt slightly tacky on my skin after I had applied it, but that wasn't a problem because I always powder over my foundation because of how oily my face gets, the powder didn't completely mattify it though, my skin still looked as though it had a healthy glow, which I like. If you like a dewy finish though and your skin isn't overly oily, then I am sure you would love the finish of this.

It lasted really well, I applied it around 10am and at 5pm everything was still intact, my skin was starting to get a little oily again though, but I am used to that, and it had been a hot day.



I hope you all enjoyed my review! Thanks again Lina, for the opportunity :)

Available here for £20.00.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Sleek Palette Series - #3 Graphite Girl!

I apologise again for the lame names for these looks, I'm crap at thinking of funny quirky names for looks..

So, on with the look.. This was done with the amazing Graphite Palette, It was a limited Edition and is full of smokey dark shades and some lovely purples.

I Used :
  • - Sleek Kajal Nocturnal as a all over base and the upper water line.
  • - Sleek Graphite Palette # 12 in crease
  • - Sleek Graphite Palette # 6 all over the lid and lower lash line
  • - Sleek Graphite Palette # 2 + 3 to blend above the crease
  • - Sleek Graphite Palette # 1 Brow Highlight
  • - Sleek Kajal Odyssey on lower waterline
  • - Black Mascara
  • - Avon Colortrend 'Nude Pink' on my lips.

[Click To Enlarge]


Here is my finished look..


See you next time!

Monday, May 17, 2010

♥ Sleek Kajals!

The newest offering from Sleek is their Kajal Eyeliners.

I was fortunate enough to win both colours in one of their facebook contest thingamajigs. I was super pleased cos I think they sound awesome and I was dying to try them.

I got them in the post last week and have been playing with them since. They are really impressive. They are pigmented, soft and creamy, apply easily and they last surprisingly well considering how creamy they are.

The swatches below stayed on my arm for a couple of days before completely disappearing :

The packaging is super cute with the little ribbons. The liner itself just screws up, like a lipstick would. It comes to a rounded point at the tip, which just fits nicely in your waterline. I also think they are great as an all over base too, and they smudge really easy so are perfect along the lashline for a smokey look.

They are lovely colours. Odyssey is a shimmer metallic purple, and nocturnal is a completely flat matte black.

They both lasted well on the inner rim of my eye too, so overall I am really impressed and I hope they bring more colours out.

Have you tried the new Kajals yet? .. Do you want to?

Sunday, May 16, 2010

I Love Westlife !

Luckily, because of scheduled posts I can post on my blog while I am away.

So, right now as this goes live, I am at the LG Arena in Birmingham, watching Westlife on there tour!

Exciting right?! I am a huge fan and go to see them on every tour if I can.

So, here they are.. and Hello from me! :)



Five Favourite Lippies ♥


Here we have some of my most worn and favourite lipsticks..

♥ NYX Narcissus : This is a lovely creamy formula and a lovely bright barbie pink shade. It looks glossy on the lips and feels really moisturising. This lipstick makes me want more NYX Lipsticks!

♥ MAC Pretty Please : I love this! It's quite a sheer nude, but is so easy to wear and so wearable, It's the sort of lipstick you can apply without a mirror and it looks ok. It's gorgeous.


♥ Barry M (#101) Marshmallow : I wanted this for so long, and when I got it I was so happy. This is the nudest nude ever, concealer lips stylee. It's not the easiest to work with, but if you put the effort in, it can look lovely.

♥ Maybelline Ambre Rose : I bought this after seeing numerous blogs about how gorgeous it was, and it is. This is a lovely pale pink/gold it looks very natural on the lips and enhances my lip colour and improves it. It's easy to wear and looks lovely.

♥ GOSH Darling : Quite possibly my favourite nude. I know some people hate it, but I love it so much. It applies smoothly and is so creamy. It looks lovely applied lightly so it is a little more sheer, and it gives the perfect nude lip in my opinion.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Best Concealer! ♥

I have been meaning to review this for soo soo long now. I bought it back at the beginning of the year, as well as the foundation to match. It took me a while to get around to using them, but when I did I was wowed by the concealer.

This stuff is fabulous! It is creamy, covers amazingly well, blends nicely and sets and stays in place. I haven't used anything else since buying this. It cost around £3/£4 I think, and it's seriously good.

I suffer with my skin quite badly, but dabbing a tiny bit of this onto any spots or blemishes completely conceals it. You have to work pretty fast with it because it sets within 30/40 seconds. But once it is set it won't budge!

I will definitely repurchase this over and over. It is my HG Concealer.

[Swatches, Unblended and Blended - I have a feeling they are pointless!]
If you are wondering about my thoughts on the foundation, it's useless to me.. I bought the lightest shade, but it's too dark on me and makes my face look orange. :-(


Friday, May 14, 2010

Nail Of The Day! Pink Glitz!


I never do these any more, and maybe I should as I love painting my nails.

This is nothing special, and is pretty plain really, but I like it..

What I used :

Barry M Bright Pink #279, with a Lorraine Stanick-Esque Glitter nail, for which I used Revlon nail polish in 'Hot Roxx' which is the most gorgeous pink/purple Glitter. Loves it!

I hope you like! :)




Thursday, May 13, 2010

Pin Up Style Make Up!



With this look I was going for an old Hollywood pin up style look. I just wanted to wear some red lipstick really, and this is always a good look for it!

I was impressed when I emerged from my make up room and asked my BF if he liked it ; he said 'Yeah, it looks nice. Kinda old fashioned' .. I smiled and told him it was supposed to and he seemed pleased with himself.

So, what did I use :

- Stargazer Matte White eyeshadow on eyelid and brow highlight.
- (Unsure of the brand) Matte Brown/Grey shade blended into the crease, and on lower lashline.
- Rimmel Pure White Eye Kohl on waterline.
- Mac Fluidline Blacktrack upper lashline.
- Max Factor Lash Extension Mascara.

- Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation (Ivory).
- C2000 Lastine Perfection Concealer (Fair).
- Max Factor Creme Puff (Lightest shade).
- Revlon Brow Powder (Brunette).
- MAC Spaced Out Blusher.

- Natural Collection (Cherry Red) on Lips.
- Jemma Kidd Red-ish Gloss on top.

That's everything I used.. I hope you like! I love the lipstick, it is a gorgeous red and cheap cheap too!




Sunday, May 09, 2010

Up.. and Down.. !


- Diet Coke, Just because I love it, lots!
- Lady Gaga, Her performance on American Idol was fab and so is she!
- Weekend away! I'm off to see my Grandparents next weekend for a couple of nights, and I'm off to Westlife in Concert too! My seventh time or something. (Don't hate! I ♥ me some Westlife!)
- Sleek Kajals, I have just got them both and so far me likes!
- Christina Aguilera's new song and video. One word = FIERCE!


- Missing the Sleek Event last week, I am gutted that I couldn't make it. So jealous of all the fun you girls who went had!
- Missing the Aussie Event yesterday, again, I couldn't make it. London is a bit far and I was supposed to be going away tomorrow, but that has been cancelled now. Pff!
- Being skint and jobless.
- The fact that there is only two weeks of LOST left and then it's gone, forever! *sob* I actually cried at it last night when they were all crying on the Beach.

LUSH Tea Tree Water.



I was advised to try this by the SA in Lush because of my oily spot prone skin. I thought it sounded pretty good and was willing to give it a go. Toner is hit and miss thing for me, I don't ALWAYS use it, even though I probably should, It just never seems to creep it's way fully into my skincare routine.

I have been using this for a while now and I really like it, It helps with my oilyness and it calms my skin. It feels very cooling and so soothing and calming on my skin too, I love the fresh feeling it gives when I apply it.

Another great thing about it is the spray bottle, how nice that you can pop it into your bag and use it to refresh your face throughout the day!

.. Well, it would be lovely, but it's not for me, because disappointingly my 'Sprayer' never worked so I have to remove it and apply the toner with a cotton wool pad. I'm disappointed about that part because I think it would be lovely to just spritz it on every now and then..

Oh well, That'll teach me to check it works next time!

Available from Lush here. Oh, and I bought it with my own monies.


Saturday, May 08, 2010

Giveaway Winners!



Hey everyone, My Giveaway has now finished and I want to thank everyone who entered via twitter, here on my blog, and on facebook. I've chosen the winners via Random.org and they are as follows.


So, the ladies who win a NouriFusion skincare set worth £35 each, are...


Twitter Winner :
(The twitter contest was for one day only so the winner was chosen a few days ago)
Sian @ Fudge Smoothies.

Blog Winner :
Jennifer @ All That Glitters & Sparkles..

Facebook Winner :
Tara Dennehy.

Well done ladies!!

Jennifer & Tara, Please email me with your addresses as soon as you can, then I will get all prizes sent together.

Sophsterlicious@hotmail.com

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Illamasqua Goodness!

Hey Everyone!

I was fortunate enough to be sent some gorgeous goodies from the 'Body Electrics' Collection from Alex and Illamasqua. Go here to view all of the amazing imagery from the collection, as well as the collection. The images are absolutely gorgeous!

Now, I am a complete newbie to Illamasqua, and was so looking forward to the event that was going to happen, but unfortunately had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. I was so happy when Alex sent me some goodies to play with anyway, I have been dying to get my hands on some for ages, but haven't got to a counter and have been slightly skint too!

So, Here is what I received and what I think, so far!

[Nail Polish in Force - This looks fierce! I haven't tried it yet, but have seen a couple of other posts about it with swatches, and I am excited to do a NOTD with it. It is the most gorgeous brightest blue! Love!]


[Illumine Oil in Pulse, It smells great and is super sparkly! It doesn't leave an awful greasy feeling on the skin either, It's absolutely stunning. I tried my best to capture the beauty of it, and if you click the image, you may get some idea. I've just gotta figure out how and when I will wear it now!]

[This next this wasn't sent to me by Alex, but in all honestly I did secretly hope it might have been in my package. Anyway, it wasn't - but I entered Marcia's giveaway for it, and I only went and won.. I never win anything, so I was SUPER excited when I won this, The Liquid Metals palette!.. It is so so stunning! I am yet to do a look with it, but they are gorgeous buttery creamy pigmented goodness. I love them very much! Thanks Marcia!]
[My swatches - These are just one swipe. Impressive! :)]
So, they are my goodies, I hope to show what I do with them soon. Especially the palette and polish.