Recent Avon hauls! :)

Hi lovelies! :)

As you may know, I'm a big supporter of the Avon brand and I've bought many items from the company this year! I've picked up some more bargains from my rep recently that are absolutely fab. Let's have a look...

First haul

Luxe Lace Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick (Satin) in Pout - £5.00

You might remember I ordered a free sample of this lippie in my last haul. Well, I went ahead & bought the full sized product as it was on offer at the time!

It's a gorgeous nudey pink colour and I'm in love with it!

It came in limited edition Luxe Lace packaging which I think looks so glam!

(Luxe Lace Ultra Colour Lipstick in Pout)

I'm not a massive lipstick wearer, but this is perfect as I can wear it in the day if I want a little colour, and my boyfriend even said he loved it when I wore it out for dinner in the evening. Perfect... and it's so lovely and creamy to apply! Big thumbs up :)

Ideal Shade Matte Mousse Foundation in Shell - £3.00

As you know, I'm a huge fan of Avon's Cream-to-Powder foundation (which I wear on my face every day now) and having sampled a number of different shades from the Ideal Shade range, I knew that 'Shell' was just the perfect match for me.

This foundation featured in the 'Clearance' booklet which is a great marketing tool for girls like me who have to buy something before it sells out! It came in a little frosted glass pot (above)

The consistency is like Maybelline's Dream Mousse Foundation (which I've tried in the past). I'm not a huge fan of this product, perhaps because I'm so in love with the Cream-to-Powder version which I can just whip on in a second with the pad it comes with. With this product, you have to use your fingers or a foundation brush, and quite frankly first thing in the morning when I'm in a rush - I can't be bothered! Sorry, Avon!

Angled brush - £3.00

Absolutely fab product this. I didn't realise how essential it was to use the correct make-up brush when applying blusher before I bought this! You may remember that I wasn't a huge fan of Avon's True Colour Blush in Russett when I bought it as it was too pigmented - but teaming it with this brush, it's just perfect, and leaves me with natural looking colour on my cheeks. *love*!

Nail Experts Neat Nails Pen - £4.50

I literally couldn't live without this! It's like a felt tip nail varnish remover and I use it any time I paint my nails as I always make a huge mess! It's so much more precise than using nail varnish remover with a cotton bud; it gets right into every nook + cranny! :)

Snowman mug with shaker hat - £5.00

My favourite product of all! The perfect festive mug; the snowman buttons get darker when the mug is hotter! Great size for a big cup of tea or coffee, or a warming hot choc :) Yum :)

and even better... it comes with a shaker hat! For anything you want to shake on your drink really; chocolate, cinnamon, etc! It's also really useful to pop its 'hat' on when you're carrying it to avoid spillages :)

TOTAL: £18.50

Second haul

Arabian Glow Pressed Powder in Sunny - £5.00

I had read a number of reviews of this product online as it's being discontinued and there was a lot of uproar about it! It had been described as giving you the perfect 'sun-kissed' all over colour.

It comes in a lovely gold case - very summer holiday-esque!

It comes with a little mitt to use with it but I tend to use a big, fat all-over bronzing brush to get that all-over 'sun-kissed' look. It is for very fair skin and it does work at making you look very 'fresh-faced' but I wouldn't use it as a bronzer as it's too faint, instead I use it after my foundation for a bit of all-over colour :)

Planet Spa Face Mask Set - £5.00

I have to admit I have yet to use any of these but they just seemed so cute I couldn't resist! It contains 3 types of Avon's best-selling face masks and I thought it'd be a good idea to take to friends houses/staying over your boyfriends etc, and then when I've found the one that I like best I'll buy the full-sized version :) I'll keep you posted on how I get on!

At the moment, I'm after the perfect plum lipgloss after seeing Cheryl Cole sporting the look at the Pride of Britain Awards recently. Doesn't she look gorgeous?!

So, I went for the following product hoping it would look relatively similar to that above!

Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick (Mega Impact) in Divine Wine - FREE (Sample)

Unfortunately, it's nothing like a plum colour; more of a red-wine. Shame :( Does anyone know of any lovely plum lip glosses or lipsticks I should try? Keep me posted!

Nailwear Pro Nail Enamel in Golden Wine - £3.00

During the festive season I fall in love with glittery nail polishes! Don't you? They're just so sparkly and Chrismassy! :)

This red sparkly number from Avon looked right down my street!

I drew a little 'diagram' below as to what the shade looks like with 1 coat, 2 coats and with black beneath... I hope you find it helpful :)

I thought I'd give it a go with a black coat underneath, and here are the results on my nails:

(Rimmel 60 Seconds in Blackout topped with Avon Nailwear Pro in Golden Wine - 1 coat each)

Lovely & Chrismassy! However, the Avon polish took *ages* to dry and kept smudging :( It only lasted for about a day *sob*. I'm gonna give 2 coats of the Avon one a go next time!

TOTAL: £13.00

FINAL TOTAL: £18.50 + £13.00 = £31.50 (absolute bargain!)

You can pick up any of these products online at the Avon shop or through your local rep - of which you can also find online :)

Have you tried any of these Avon products? Would you recommend any others?

Also... it's 2 weeks till Christmas guys! I literally can't wait!

What have you got planned for the big day?

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia :)

xo

NOTD: Rimmel 60 Seconds - Black Out

Hey everyone!

Today I went for a glossy jet black on my nails, courtesy of Rimmel London :)

(Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 800 Black Out)

Like an LBD, black nail colour is one of those things I just know goes with everything! Sometimes I fear I look a bit 'gothy' but I just think black nails look cute on short little nails like my own :)

In terms of the consistency, it's a bit thin and definitely requires 2 coats but that's it! It's fast-drying as well... woop!

What do you think? Would you wear black on your nails?

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia

xo

Aldi Beauty Bargains!

Hi all!

How's everyone doing? It's rather chilly down in Bournemouth at the moment :(

Since becoming a student, I've found that foreign-owned supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl can be a lot cheaper than supermarkets like Tesco, and I've learnt to love the fact that I don't recognise half of the brand names in there! That's all part of the fun!

So, anyway, I got a bit distracted and wandered down the health and beauty aisle of Aldi.

I'd heard about the beauty brand they stock; Lacura, from various magazines and supplements, including the Celebs on Sunday reader panel awards in which a number of their Lacura products beat high-street brands like Boots No7.

Here are some bargains I picked up:

Lacura 3 in 1 Facial Cleansing Wipes (sensitive skin) - 89p

I'm so glad I found these face wipes! I know using face wipes is a bit naughty really, and I'm still using my Body Shop Seaweed Cleansing Face Wash in the mornings (as seen in my New Skincare Regime post) but sometimes in the evenings I just get really lazy and have to use face wipes. I'd recently run out of my fave No7 3 in 1 Facial Wipes and I'd ventured into Boots to buy some cheapo face wipes but they were all £2 or so and I wasn't prepared to spend that... tight-ass, I know. I came across these in Aldi and thought they were worth a shot. They were a massive pack (probably double the size of your standard pack) and they come in 3 types; sensitive, mature or normal skin. I don't really have sensitive skin but I thought I'd pick them as they might contain less oil?! Well, they work a treat! They don't drag on your skin like your usual cheapo face wipes, they're full of moisture and remove all my make-up effectively whilst leaving my skin feeling thoroughly fresh and cleansed. I would 100% recommend these! :)

Lacura pack of 2 Cotton Wool Pads - 99p

Absolute bargain! I usually pick up my cotton face pads from Boots, but these are SO much cheaper and do just as good a job, if not better! Can't find them really; I use them to remove my nail varnish, for wiping toner on my face, anything really! Fab... and so cheap!

ps. there's 100 in each pack :)

Lacura Shimmering Day Cream - £1.99

Now I'd read about this in the Celebs on Sunday reader panel awards in April. It scooped the top prize for Best Radiance Cream in a series of blind tests, beating Boots No7.

Here's what the readers had to say about the product:

"This product is going to be a must-have in my regime. I positively glowed and looked younger instantly. It's got to be the best moisturiser I have ever used. Everyone should try it!"

Soon after the results were published I went scouring around my local branches of Aldi in the hope of picking up one of these miracle creams! It was sold out everywhere until I came across it recently.

I have to admit I am rather unimpressed with this product. I know it's only 2 quid but I was expecting a lot more, what with all the hype! I imagined my skin would be smoother, brighter, glowing! However I asked my housemate and she said my skin didn't look any different and I didn't really notice any difference, either. I'll keep trying...

This has definitely taught me not to turn my nose up at brands I don't recognise! Because, after all, who wants to be spending a fortune on a daily necessity like cotton wool?!

Have you found any supermarket-own bargains recently?

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia

xo

New Hair Obsession: Schwarzkopf Gliss Shampoo

Hi everyone... bloody hell, it's freezing isn't it?!

I thought I'd let you into a little secret of mine... Over the past few weeks, I've been using a shampoo and conditioner that I got for £1 and I've never had more compliments on my hair!

Here it is...

(Schwazkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner)

I first read about these on London Beauty Queen's blog who said the range was pretty good. I spotted them on offer for £1 in Superdrug a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd give them a try! I already have the Schwarzkopf Gliss hair spray (which I wouldn't rate that highly) but I've never tried their shampoo range before.

I'm thoroughly impressed; they leave your hair looking lovely and glossy! :)

You can still pick them up in selected Poundland stores and they also do a new Shea Cashmere range which I'm looking forward to trying as well!

I sometimes use it with an intensive conditioner for a real deep treat; L'oreal's Full Restore intensive masque, at the moment, which I picked up on offer in Boots.

It just proves that you don't have to spend a fortune to look good, eh? (Well, that's my motto!)

What are you using at the moment? Have you tried the Gliss Shea Cashmere range?

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia

xo

NOTD: Gosh Nail Lacquer - Purple Heart

Hi girls!

Today I've gone for a metallic purple shade courtesy of Superdrug-based brand, GOSH.

(Gosh Nail Lacquer in 550 Purple Heart)

This goes on really thick and only requires one coat! Except on my right hand which I tend to muck up, being right handed...

I think it's perfect for these darker months; I'm only really wearing dark colours on my nails at the moment - blood reds, blacks, greys & purples! I love this colour - can't get enough of it!

I've only ever had good experiences with GOSH Nail Lacquer - I swore by their Lilac polish over summer!

When I popped into Superdrug to buy this shade (I think it was around £5) I was tempted to buy so much more because GOSH was on a 3 for 2 offer! I've never tried anything from the range aside from their nail polishes; I really want to try the massive sun bronzer/highlighter,

their Nail Lacquer in Frou Frou and their coveted nude-coloured Darling lipstick!

Have you tried any of these? What other GOSH products would you recommend?

Love,

Style by Sophia

xo

My First Eyeko Haul!

Hi all!

Recently I purchased my first products from London-based beauty brand, Eyeko. I'd seen them mentioned on quite a few beauty blogs (namely NicolaVC86) but never got around to buying anything from them myself. I had a look on their website and I was after the nail varnish Vampira (being a die-hard Twilight fan an' all!) which I'd seen advertised, which was a glittery blood red colour.

But, then I saw this beauty; A set of 3 brand spanking new polishes for a bargain £8.50 and free P+P! How could I resist?

(L-R: Eyeko Indigo, Vampira & Cosmic polishes)

First impressions:

- The bottles were SO much smaller than I expected! Literally the size of one of my fingers. Hmph. I guess that explains the price...

- They do look lovely and dinky lined up on my dressing table, though.

- They're all glitter based; Indigo is royal blue, Vampira is blood red and Cosmic is like the night sky (hence the name) - black with little silver specks!

- The delivery came within about a week although it's estimated a lot longer than that on the website.

- It also came with an Eyeko postcard, sticker and a free gift voucher.

I'm really looking forward to trying these nail colours out, especially Vampira! I don't really wear blue on my nails a lot but hopefully I'll wear the Indigo shade as well.

I want to try some of the tinted face cream/highlighters that are advertised on their website... Has anybody tried these? Would you recommend them, or any other Eyeko products?

I'll let you know how I get on with the polishes!

Love,

Style by Sophia

xo

Avon Haul

Hey ladies :)

As you may know, I worked as an Avon Rep over the summer months and when I returned to uni the first thing I did was searched for my local rep! You just can't beat the feeling of the products being delivered to your door... It's like Christmas!

Here's what I bought;

Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick (Satin) in Carnation

When I worked as a rep, I accumulated a lot of lipstick samples, which was great because they were only 25p or so and it meant I could try the lipsticks before I splashed out on the full-size version! I've been on the hunt for a daytime rose pink lippie for quite a few months now; I like to wear it in the summer with an otherwise simple face of make-up. This lipstick from Avon matched one of my old rose-coloured faves so I thought I'd go for it!

(Avon Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick in Carnation)

These lipsticks are so soft to apply; they truly are like satin! The colour almost appears a bright, bubblegum pink in this picture but it's definitely more rosey-coloured in real life. Next time, I'll try applying it using a lip brush instead :) I'll probably be wearing this colour more in the summer! I also got a sample of Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick in Pout which, as you can see from the picture below, is a nudey pink shade perhaps more suited to the winter months.

ps. You could always ask for lipstick samples from your local Avon rep as she should give them to you for free! :)

Ideal Shade Liquid Foundation in Shell

Again, being an ex-Avon rep, I was able to get samples of foundations rather than buying the full-sized products and finding it doesn't suit my skin tone. I sampled 3 or 4 of the lightest shade of the Ideal Shade range and found that, with no make-up or tan on, I'm the shade Shell. So, first, I bought the Ideal Shade Cream to Powder Foundation which is actually amazing! It's quite thick, though, so I fancied something with a bit less coverage that I could use my foundation brush with. I have to admit it's quite annoying that this foundation doesn't come with a push top; you literally have to pour it out of the bottle. It's an OK foundation but for winter I'd definitely go for the cream to powder one which has a better coverage; this is probably more suited to the summer months!

This foundation and the lipstick above were part of a 2 for £10 offer, which is actually pretty good as the foundation is £10 on its own! So, I essentially got the foundation for free! Whoopie!

ps. You can get foundation samples from your rep as well for free!

Herve Leger Femme Eau de Parfum

I've been lusting after this perfume for ages! I received a sample of this perfume while I was a rep but it wasn't actually released full size until I left *sob*. So, I jumped at the chance to get it from my local rep even if it was £20! I find it quite hard to describe the smell - I never understand when people say a perfume is oriental? - but it's definitely not fruity or floral! It's a very classic, elegant, sophisticated scent that I think is perfect for the upcoming months. I try and wear it every day but I often forget! It's lovely though and the bottle is fab - looks so plush sitting on my dressing table besides my other bottles :)

Don't forget you can ask for free perfume samples from your local rep!

Detangling Comb

Less than 2 quid but I use it everyday! :) It's great for, well, detangling your hair, obviously! I use it alongside Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance (my review of which you can read here) and together they leave my hair feeling soft and silky. Who doesn't want perfect hair, eh? :) I love the red handle as well! Very chic!

Skin So Soft Mineral Gems Glamorous Gold Body Scrub

and finally... I have yet to use this product as my Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish, which was a birthday present from my lovely cousin, is lasting longer than I expected. However I read such fab reviews of it on the Avon site that I ordered it while it was on offer for £3! I can't wait to use it, apparently it makes your body so lovely and soft! It is 'Skin So Soft' after all! :)

That's it for the this time but I'm sure I'll be ordering from my local rep soon :)

Don't forget - you can find your nearest Avon rep or order online HERE. The products are all such great value, there's a 90 day returns policy on EVERYTHING (even if you've used it) and you'll be helping out a lovely self-employed rep in the process :)

What Avon products do I need to know about, ladies?

Big love :)

Style by Sophia

xo

ps. Are you an Avon fan? Find out my Top 10 Avon Products here.