Oscars 2012: Red Carpet Round-Up

Good evening peeps :-)

I hope you've all had a lovely day! Now I'm sure many of you are already aware of the winners at last night's Academy Awards (if you're not - The Artist swept the board!) but who won in the all-important fashion stakes? Here's my fashion faves and fails from the prestigious event...

Fashion faves

Angelina Jolie

Ms. Jolie looks like an absolute bombshell in this Atelier Versace gown! The actress, who was there to present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay to the screenwriters of The Descendants and to support her Oscar nominated husband Brad, was rumoured to be wearing $2.5 million worth of Neil Lane jewels. I love her milky complexion teamed with those statement red lips!

Emma Stone

Emma, whose film The Help was nominated for Best Picture, looks absolutely stunning! I love how she's kept her hair in a neat up do, to draw attention to the ruffled bow detail of her red Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown. She's teamed it with a bewelled gold Louis Vuitton clutch which compliments it perfectly.

Kristen Wiig

Who knew she was a brunette! I believe the actress, who co-wrote Bridesmaids (nominated for Best Original Screenplay!) has made a daring fashion choice here. Nude gowns can often look bland and uninteresting on the red carpet, but she's made this J. Mendel dress stand out from the crowd when teamed with her glossy brown locks and statement black nails.

-

Judy Greer

The Descendants actress certainly stands out in her Monique Lhuillier optical illusion dress, teamed with a metallic Judith Leiber clutch. I love how she's taken a fashion risk on the red carpet, where strapless dresses are standard attire! Good on you girl...

Jennifer Lopez

OMG! J-Lo looks smokin' hot in this silver striped Zuhair Murad gown. Not afraid to show both her cleavage and bare shoulders, she looks a million dollars. The American Idol judge presented the award for Best Costume Design and Make-up, along with the gorgeous Cameron Diaz. Ms Lopez later wowed at the Vanity Fair after party as well! (see below)

Fashion fails

Penelope Cruz

Personally I find the lavender shade of this Giorgio Armani gown really unflattering on the Spanish born actress. It leaves her looking rather drained of colour, and think she should stick to vivid olive green and blood red gowns instead. I also think the shape of the neck is very old fashioned, I remember wearing tops like that in the 90's!

Stacy Keibler

Ms. Keibler, who was there to support her partner George (Clooney!) has made a fashion fail in this gold lame Marchesa dress. It just looks like a very awkward and unflattering shape dress, with the rose detail very odd looking and the gold shade looking like something you'd find in a box of Quality Street, not the Oscars red carpet. Sorry Stacy...

Missi Pyle

This was the first dress I knew I really did not like! I just think the turquoise colour and diamante detail of this Valentino Delfino dress makes it look very cheap. Luckily she doesn't have to dwell on her fashion fail, as her film The Artist scooped the Best Picture award! Yay!

Shailene Woodley

I had to look at this dress from the head down, as The Descendants actress Shaleine is so beautiful she could make any outfit look good! BUT I had to be honest - this Valentino dress is super unflattering and makes her look much older than she is! I'd like to see her in something more youthful next time.

Rose Byrne

The Bridesmaids actress should've known better. Her black sequin one shoulder Vivienne Westwood dress just looks out of place on the Oscars red carpet. Not even the Chanel Fine jewellery could jazz it up...

... and the best of the after parties!

Clockwise from top left: Cameron Diaz, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum and Kate Hudson

Some of the best outfits of the Oscars were to be found at the after parties! Heidi Klum looked stunning in canary yellow at Elton John's charity after party, where she mingled with Kim and a pregnant (and glowing!) Kourtney Kardashian. Meanwhile, across town at the Vanity Fair after party, J-Lo was stunning onlookers with another bust bearing, bodycon gown, Cameron Diaz was wowing photographers with her vivid orange Victoria Beckham dress and Kate Hudson was showing off her post-baby body in a gorgeous red ruffle gown. I know where I'd rather be!

Who were your Oscar fashion faves and fails? Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Nb. All images courtesy of Mail Online and People.

Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert Brushes and Blend Perfection Sponge reviews and FOTD!

Hey peeps!

I hope you're all enjoying this sunny Saturday :-) I'm just waiting to hopefully go and grab a bite to eat with mia madre! OK so on Thurs I blogged about my new Cosmopolitan RealTouch Nails and can I just say, they're still all in tact! One flipped off today in my Body Pump class but I simply stuck it back on, thinking of painting them later and then hitting the town! I've also been using the Cosmopolitan professional brushes and sponge which I'm going to show you all today! :-)

(From L-R: RealTouch Nails (see blog post), Smokey Eyes Brush Set, Eye Shadow Blender, Perfect Finish Blush Brush, Blend Perfection Sponge)

REVIEWS:

Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Brush Set - RRP £6.95

OK so first up is this 3 part smokey eyes set, priced at a very reasonable £7 (just over £2 a brush!). As you guys probably know, I SUCK at smokey eyes! I just can't do them! I don't know whether it's me, my brushes or my eyes, but I just cannot master it. Eye brushes wise, I only own a shadow brush and blending brush and that's it really (both No7). This kit was an absolute BLESSING and I couldn't have completed my smokey eye without it!

From L-R: Smokey eyes base brush; Smokey eyes angled brush;

Smokey eyes smudger

Cosmo says..

"Create a classic smokey eye with this trio of professional brushes"

Sophia says...

The kit contained step-by-step instructions on the back that were really clear and useful, not like some of those you read that miss steps and you're sitting there like how did you get from A to B?! No, these were really straightforward and made doing a smokey eye a piece of pie! The base brush effectively picked up loads of base product and applied it evenly and the smudger was great for smudging eye liner for that sexy smokey eye look! The only qualm I have is that the angled brush could do with being a flat topped brush really, as it's supposed to be used for lining your eyes with colour!

Rating - 4*

Cosmopolitan Eye Shadow Blender - RRP £3.50

The smokey eye kit doesn't contain a blending blush, which I wouldn't say was a necessity for creating a smokey eye but it's certainly a help! I do currently own a blending brush already (by No7) but that brush is nothing like that! The head of the No7 brush is quite big and the bristles very soft and loose, whereas this brush features a tiny 'head' and the bristles are very finely compacted.

Cosmo says...

"The ultra fine synthetic hairs and gently domed head ensure beautifully applied and blended colour all over the eyelid and brow bone area"

Sophia says...

I wasn't overly impressed with this product to be quite honest. I didn't notice a massive difference in my eye once I blended the colours out, and I think I could've used the base brush from the Smokey Eyes kit to do the same thing!

Rating - 3*

Avon True Colour Quad in Mocha Latte applied using Smokey Eyes Brush Set
and Eye Shadow Blender (see FOTD for full details).

Cosmopolitan Perfect Finish Blush Brush - RRP £4.50

I also got this blush brush to use to apply powder brush. I currently own an Avon Angled Brush which I use to apply my brush, but this brush is SO much better!

Cosmo says...

"Use this professional brush to evenly apply blusher or to delicately blend colour. The dome shaped natural brush hair allows for an incredibly flawless application every time"

Sophia says...

I didn't realise how bad my Avon brush was until I used this Cosmo brush! This brush just picks up the product SO much better and it makes it look so natural. The head is just the right size to pick up the right amount of product, I apply it to the apples of my cheeks and blend it upwards towards my cheekbone.

Rating - 5*

NARS Orgasm blush applied using the Perfect Finish Blush Brush.

Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge - RRP £4.95

Finally, last but by no means least, the infamous Blend Perfection Sponge! I don't know about you but I've heard very mixed reviews about this product, with bloggers Holly and Essie loving it and Gem not feeling it. I figured the best way to decide was to try the product myself, after all that's what blogging's all about right!

Cosmo says...

"This blender sponge allows for flawless application of foundation, using a bouncing or 'stippling' method to blend make-up which leaves an airbrushed looking finish"

Sophia says..

It's official, I am IN LOVE with this product! I noticed SUCH a difference in the way my skin looked after using this product. I simply dotted my foundation around my face using a cotton bud and then used this sponge. It's quite a confusing notion to get your head around, "bouncing" the sponge on your skin, but it really is so easy to do and it blends the foundation in so nicely. I was so impressed with the way it blended my foundation that I used it to blend in my bronzer and blusher too. I thought, why not?! You know sometimes you get that blotchy look after you've applied bronzer, well I simply blended it in using this sponge and it just made everything 'come together'! I looked in the mirror after I'd applied everything and blended it in and I just looked at my skin and thought, wow, you look really flawless today! Try it girls, you won't be disappointed.

Estee Lauder Doublewear Foundation applied using the Blend Perfection Sponge.

Rating - 5*

FOTD:

FACE: 17 Photo Flawless Primer, Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer (01 Light), Benefit Boi-ing Concealer (02 Medium), YSL Touche Eclat (#1), Estee Lauder Doublewear Foundation (1w1 Bone - applied and blended in using Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge), Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel (applied using an old bronzing brush; blended in using Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge), NARS Orgasm Blusher (applied using Cosmopolitan Perfect Finish Blush Brush; blended in using Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge), Benefit High Beam as highlight (blended in using No7 Concealer Brush). MAC Fix+ to finish.

EYES: Forgot to use primer (whoops), Avon Mocha Latte quad (Shade #1 as base, applied using Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Base Brush; Shade #2 as colour, applied usingCosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Base Brush - colours blended together using Cosmopolitan Eye Shadow Blender), Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick (Brown) on top lid and lower waterline (smudged in using Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Smudger), Avon Mocha Latte quad (Shade #4, along lower and bottom lid, blended in using Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Angled Blender Brush and Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Smudger Brush), No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara (Brown).

EYEBROWS: MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Dirty Blonde.

LIPS: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Nude Lustre.

All the brushes are available from FeelUnique.com

So here's the finished look using ALL the Cosmo brushes and sponge! What do you think? Tempted to try the Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert range?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Nb. All the brushes (not the sponge) were sent to me for review purposes, but this does not change my review of them AT all and this is my honest opinion as ALWAYS.

NOTD - Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert RealTouch Nails in Naturally French (Shade 11)

Hey loves!

How are y'all? I had a good workout earlier which gave me a lot of energy for the rest of the day, and now I'm doing what I always do... Watching American Idol! LOL

Now I'm not usually a fake nails person, I've never had acrylics or anything like that, I prefer to just grow my nails naturally and paint them myself! However I am a fan of a good ol' French manicure, which is where these beauties come in...

Cosmopolitan recently launched a range of fake nails and I fancied trying a pair of their false frenchies, in the shade #11. I've only ever tried false frenchies maybe once or twice before so I didn't really know what I was letting myself in for!

So here's my nails before...

and after applying the false nails...

I don't know what you guys think but I think they look quite natural actually. Cosmopolitan have designed the nail range so that they are short in length, but they're not as short as the nails I usually sport (Elegant Touch Classic French X-Short) but they are still pretty natural-looking.

THE APPLICATION:

It took me a while to find matching pairs of nails as they were all messed up and not numbered or anything. There was quite a good selection of sizes and I managed to find suitable sizes for each nail. But OH MY the nail glue is AWFUL! It's IMPOSSIBLE to get it out of the tube! It's supposed to be squeezy, but I literally had to hold it in mouth and squeeze the tube between my teeth, absolute joke! When I finally got the glue onto my nail, the instructions said you only needed to hold the nail in place for 5 secs, err no, more like 30 secs! Once they were all applied I did like the effect of them, but it took me a while to get used to them lol.

THE NAILS:

They definitely get points from me for looking natural, but they are slightly too long for me, and you can also see the glue through the nail. I've had them on for about 3 days now, and other than a nail coming loose in a pair of gloves I was wearing, I'm actually pretty impressed with their longevity. None have come off and they all feel really secure and I've actually got used to having them on! I'm hoping that my natural nails will have grown quite a bit beneath so that I can get Shellac or Minx nails done on them :-) (when I get some monies!)

Cosmopolitan's Beauty Expert Nails are available on Feelunique for £5.50, along with the rest of the Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert range :-)

Do you wear false nails? What's your fave brand?

Love,

Sophia

xo

nb. These nails were sent to me for review purposes but that does not alter my stance on them AT ALL and this is my honest opinion as ALWAYS!

Giving up my Urban Decay NAKED Palette for Lent!

Good evening peeps :-)

I hope you're all having a relaxing night, I'm watching my FAVE show, American Idol! Literally the best thing on the box at the mo, love it... and J-Lo is a hottie!

So today is the official start of Lent, and though I'm not a practising Christian myself, I do give up a few luxuries over this period. Last year I gave up caffeine for 40 days and I felt really rejuvenated afterwards! I had no coffee, tea, diet coke, chocolate etc for 40 days and by the end I wasn't craving it at all! This year I'm going to try and give up carbs, gonna see how that goes though, coming from an Italian background every meal is pasta LOL. Even if I'm unable to, I will still try and cut them down.

More importantly however, I'd decided to part ways with my Urban Decay NAKED Palette for 40 days... cue sad face.

It's been a tough decision for me to make (prima donna lol) but recently I've just been really lazy and only used my NAKED palette, neglecting all others.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my NAKED palette, I use it pretty much every day. But I've started to get stuck in a rut, I use the same shades EVERY day (Buck and Smog...snooze) and I've forgotten how to experiment with other shades/brands.

I have a WHOLE drawer of powder eyeshadows that have barely been touched since I got my NAKED palette for Christmas 2010. I remember when my Sleek Storm palette was my best friend, and I swore by my Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes kit. Heck, I even remember the days when all I used was my single Rimmel eyeshadows!

I'm not looking to cut my NAKED palette out of my life forever, I'm just hoping that by forbidding myself from using it for a while, I'll be able to try out different shades and colours that would otherwise lay neglected in my drawer. I'll report back after Easter Sunday to let you know how it goes!

Urban Decay's NAKED palette is available for £32 on BeautyBay.com.

Are you stuck in a rut with your make-up? Why not cut them out for Lent and see how you get on?

Let me know what you think.

Love,

Sophia

xo

PS. I am desperate to get my hands on the NAKED2 palette, but I don't exactly have £36 going spare so it looks like I won't be getting it for a while.../ever!

Bargain of the Week: Matalan £7.50 heeled biker boots and OOTD!

Hey loves,

All enjoying the BRITs?! Rihanna's performance is amazing!!!

I just had to let you guys know about my Bargain of the Week from Sunday. I picked these boots up from Matalan in Cantebury and I was astounded when I saw the price. I kept saying to my sis "that's £3 a foot!" lol.

They're super chic heeled biker boots, and they only cost a bargain £7.50. To be honest I think they were supposed to be £10 (reduced from £22) but someone stuck a £7.50 sticker on them, and well, the customer's always right!

They feature a cosy sheepskin lining that will be ideal for keeping my tootsies warm. I'm gonna be honest and say I should've got a size 5 really but they didn't have any, so I just won't be able to wear thick socks...or socks in general...LOL

How I styled the outfit (OOTD):

Skater dress - Boohoo.com (link!)

Tan waist belt - H&M (old)

Black opaque tights - Topshop (link!)

Heeled biker boots - Matalan (link!)

I'm still getting over the fact I paid £7.50 for a PAIR of boots! That's cheaper than Primarni! Well deserved bargain of the week lol.

What's your bargain of the week?

Please share! :-)

Love,

Sophia

xo

NOTD: Rimmel Lycra Pro - Beige Style

Hey you guysss!

I hope you liked my previous post, I always like to think of new ways to get gorgeous and save a bit of money! Haha. I hope you're all enjoying your evening... I'm watching the BRIT's, love a bit of Olly Murs action lol.

So anyway, here's what I've been sporting on my nails of late :-)

(Rimmel Lycra Pro - Beige Style)

The Shade:

It's not a very 'out there' shade but it's perfect for when you want your nails to look 'done' but not 'bare.' It just adds a bit of colour to my otherwise bland, stubby nails. Not only that but it elongates my nails a treat. IMO it's the perfect nude nail shade :)

The Range:

I LOVE Rimmel Lycra Pro! The best drugstore nail brand by miles if I do say so myself! If you've had a peek at my NOTD archive you'll spot many a Rimmel Lycra Pro, I just can't stop buying them! I wore Celebrity Bash on Valentine's Day, and Ruby Me is another one of my fave Lycra Pro shades. Why are they so great I hear you ask? Well, the price tag is pretty nifty (they're just £4.50 a pop), they always update the range with the latest, on-trend shades, it features a massive brush which makes application super quick and lastly the consistency is lovely and creamy and applies a dream. Won you over yet?

The Rimmel Lycra Pro range is currently on offer for 2 for £6 in Boots. Grab 'em while you can!

What are you wearing on your nails today? Have you tried the Rimmel Lycra Pro range before?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl, Posie Tint and High Beam reviews and FOTD!

Hey lovelies!

I hope you've all had a fab Tuesday! Is anyone getting Domino's Two for Tuesdays? I could kill for a Domino's right now! Ha.

Now I don't know about you guys but I'm certainly stretched for pennies at the mo. That doesn't exactly go hand in hand with wanting to try loads of new beauty products! But I've found an innovative way around that... Buy sample sizes!

(From L-R: Benefit High Beam/Girl Meets Pearl/Posie Tint)

If I fall in love with it, or run out of product, I'll think about buying the full-sized version but until I'm 100% sure I want it, it's a waste of money really!
I bought all these Benefit samples on eBay for about £2-3 e, all you have to do is eBay 'Benefit minis' and LOADS come up!

Girl Meets Pearl

Liquid pearl for face

I've been absolutely craving this product ever since it was released! I swear by That Gal brightening primer in the evenings, and so I figured this primer would be a great addition to my family of primers! I envisioned it making my skin look luminous and radiant, like liquid pearl!

The sample size is only 7.5ml, which as you can see from the picture below, is pretty tiny!

Here's some swatches (left without flash, right with):

It's a pinky coloured liquid that appears iridescent when blended out. I have to admit it did not work AT ALL for me as a primer. It contained SO MUCH shimmer that it just looked unnatural all over my skin. It changed the colour of my skin to pinky and it just didn't work for me. So I gave it a bash as a highlighter instead and it worked MUCH better! :-)

Girl Meets Pearl as highlight. Love!

Girl Meets Pearl (as primer) - 2*

Girl Meets Pearl (as highlight) - 4*

Posie Tint

Poppy-pink tinted lip & cheek stain

I've had my eye on Posie Tint for a while, but I've restrained from buying it as I really hate the consistency of Benetint and I figured they would be the same. I had high hopes for Benetint but I was bitterly disappointed as it's just so watery. However, the consistency of Posie Tint is COMPLETELY different! (in a good way)

Again the sample size is pretty small (just 2.5ml) but provided you don't use it every day, it should last!

Posie Tint swatches (left without flash, right with):

I don't know why they describe it as poppy pink because it really isn't. It's a very bright, almost bubblegum pink, that blends out into a 'flush' of pink. I love the consistency, it's not runny at all, and so easy to blend! I don't often wear blusher but I can definitely see myself wearing this cream blusher! I wouldn't wear this as a lip colour though, I prefer more of a natural look to my lips most of the time!

Posie Tint (as blush) - 4*

High Beam

Luminescent complexion enhancer

OK now this is a product I've been lusting after for many a year! My friend Becky had it at uni and I was always well jel! I guess I couldn't justify buying it when I already have a heap of highlighters!

High Beam is the same sample size as Posie Tint (2.5g) but luckily you only need the TINY amount!

High Beam swatches (left without flash, right flash):

High Beam is used as a highlight, and highlight only! It's made for that job and it's absolutely wonderful at it!

(High Beam as highlight)

I simply added a TINY amount to my cheek bones, temple and bridge of my nose and it instantly attracts the light to create a luminous complexion. It's SO natural looking, perfect for wearing during the day to give that 'glowy' look!

High Beam (as highlight) - 5*

FOTD:

FACE: Benefit Girl Meets Pearl as primer, Stila Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser (01 Medium), Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous Foundation Faker (02 Medium), Benefit Boi-ing Concealer (02 Medium), YSL Touche Eclat (#1), Benefit Posie Tint as blush, Benefit High Beam as highlight.

EYES: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original), Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow (RSVP) all over lid; TOPSHOP Mousse e/s (Glint) both applied using a No7 lip brush, Soap & Glory SUPERCAT liner on top lid, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick (Black) on lower waterline, 2 coats of CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara (Black).

EYEBROWS: Mac Eyebrow Pencil (Dirty Blonde).

LIPS: Benefit Her Glossiness lipgloss (Who Are You Wearing?)

I used all of the mini products I mentioned, but I would definitely swap the Girl Meets Pearl from primer to highlight as it just looked so glittery as a primer! I also forgot to add bronzer (I say forgot, I thought it would make the other products stand out more) - NEVER again! I look like death!

What Benefit products are on your lust list? Tempted to just buy sample sizes instead?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo