November empties

Hey loves! Hope you're all well :)

Here are the products I used up in November...

Hair:

Avon Advance Techniques Argan Oil Hair Mask

I did a massive Avon haul recently and this was one of the products I picked up. I like to use this as an intensive conditioning treatment and it made my hair feel soft and silky! Love the smell too :)

Andrew Collinge Illuminating Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner

I have naturally brunette hair but sometimes after I dye it it goes too dark! I use this blonde shampoo as a lightener and it does a great job :)

Batiste Dry Shampoo for Blonde Hair

I find the standard dry shampoo leave a white residue in my hair so I prefer to use the coloured ones as they're actually tinted the colour of your hair! This blonde one by Batiste livens up my locks and makes them look less oily.

Clairol Nice n Easy Express Conditioner

I got this free with a Nice n Easy hair dye I bought recently and it's amazing as a post-conditioner treatment. My hair ALWAYS looks and feels glossy after using this!

Body:

Avon Planet Spa African Shea Butter Foot and Elbow Cream

This is one of my favourite Avon products EVER! It smells like toffee popcorn (yum!) and moisturises my feet and elbows a treat. I always repurchase this when I do an Avon haul!

Dove Maximum Protection Deodorant

I wouldn't normally include a deodorant in an empties post but I had to include this as it's just so bloody brilliant! I've seen it doing the rounds on a couple of sponsored blog posts recently and I thought I'd try it out. It's amazing!

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter travel size

I've re-kindled my love for these body butters recently and I must say I don't know why I ever deviated from them! They're perfect for moisturising hard skin on your hands, knees and elbows and I quite frankly love them.

The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom travel size

I LOVE the scent of this! It's so sweet and makes your body smell amazing :)

Face:

Johnson's Face Care Skincare wipes - fragranced and unfragranced

One of my New Year's resolutions is to take my make up off properly as I keep using face wipes! I'm just so busy that they do a fab job of removing make-up after a long day, but I know I should use a hot cloth cleanser really!

Cotton wool pads double faced

Well it's no surprise I used these up again as I use them pretty much every single day! From removing nail varnish to applying toner I just couldn't live without them.

What products did you use up this month?

Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Sophia

xo

 

Top 5 plum lipsticks for fair skin: Topshop Beguiled, Revlon Crush, Revlon Berry Smoothie, Topshop Inhibition and Sleek Mulberry

Hey loves!

I hope you had a great Christmas :-) 

I've been wearing a plum lip of late as it's a quick and easy way to jump on the Gothic trend that's all over the magazines and AW13 catwalks. 

I have fair skin - MAC NC15 to be precise - and I've found a plum lip works best with a flawless, dewy complexion and simple eye make-up. Just because you have pale skin doesn't mean you can't wear a dark lip so for that reason here are my favourite plum lipsticks for fair skin tones:

From L-R: Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition, Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry

 I have amassed a mixture of plum lipsticks from subtle berry tones to vampy blackberry shades over the years and the lipsticks above are all very different in both colour and texture.

Lip swatches:

From top to bottom:

Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry

I've applied all the shades above on my lips so you can see what they look like on pale skin like mine.

Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled – RRP £8.00 – Selfridges.com

Topshop's lipstick range consists of mainly matte shades and Beguiled is no different. It's the first Topshop lipstick I own and I found it to be very drying. It settled into cracks in my lips if I didn't exfoliate and moisturise them properly beforehand. However I was very pleased with the shade of Beguiled - I found it to be a very flattering berry coloured lipstick that worked well on my NC15 skintone. I haven't tried it with gloss as suggested but that's something I'll definitely look into doing next time.

Topshop Beguiled on fair skin:

Topshop beguiled before and after:

Here's me wearing Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled on a night out recently.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush – RRP £7.99 – Boots.com

I picked up my first Just Bitten lip stain from the acclaimed Revlon range after my blogger pal Avia (The Sparkleicious on YT) recommended them to me. I've been really impressed with these and I'm definitely glad I invested in one. They're really easy to apply and they feel very soft, but the best part is that the stain literally lasts all day. I apply it in the morning and I still have a berry stained pout by lunchtime! Crush is a particularly pigmented shade though, so sometimes I prefer to use a lip brush and layer up the colour to prevent making mistakes. 

Revlon Crush on fair skin:

Revlon Crush before and after:

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie – RRP £7.99 – Boots.com

I picked up this Revlon Lip Butter back in August after I gave into the blogger hype! The Lip Butters are lovely and moisturising and make your lips feel really soft but they don't have the stain element of the Just Bitten balms. It's a very subtle wash of berry stained colour that would suit really fair skin tones and is a great way to jump on the plum lips trend in a more wearable shade.

Revlon Berry Smoothie on fair skin:

Revlon Berry Smoothie before and after:

Check out my Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie review.

Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition – RRP £8.00 – Topshop.com

Like Beguiled (above), Topshop's Lipstick in Inhibition is a matte formula that can be very drying if you don't moisturise your lips beforehand. It looks very similar to Beguiled in the tube but it's actually very different. Beguiled is a berry shade whereas Inhibition - described as Dark Plum on the website - appears more purple on the lips. If you like a really in-your-face plum lip, Inhibition is more for you.

Topshop Inhibition on fair skin:

Topshop Inhibition before and after:

Here's how I wore Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled on a night out recently.

 Sleek True Color Lipstick in Mulberry – RRP £4.99 – Sleekmakeup.com

The final plum lipstick in my collection is Sleek's True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry, which is my first and only lipstick from the Sleek lipstick collection. Mulberry is a matte finish but as it's enriched with Vitamin E, it's not as drying as the Topshop lipsticks. Mulberry is the darkest lipstick I own, in fact I would describe it as an intense blackberry shade. I find the best way to apply this is to layer it up very gradually with a lip brush as slapping it on straight from the tube is too harsh on pale skintones. 

Sleek Mulberry on fair skin:

Sleek Mulberry before and after:

Which is my favourite plum lipstick?

I can't pick one! I really liked Topshop's lipstick in Beguiled as it's a flattering berry shade that's ideal for a day at the office or a night out or the town.

But I also really like Revlon's Just Bitten Lip Stain in Charm as the colour lasts all day and it's easy to layer it up from a subtle wash to a more intense plum shade.

Are you fair-skinned like me? What's your favourite plum lipstick?

Let me know in the comments or tell me over on Twitter :-)

Love,

Sophia

xo

Sally's Beauty Supplies AW12 haul - OPI, Seche and Deep Conditioner Packets

Hey loves :-)

Happy Saturday! I hope you've got a nice chilled out weekend planned.

Recently I took a trip to Sally's Beauty Supplies in Soho and picked up a couple of beauty treats. Here's what I bought...

Clockwise from L-R: Dear OPI, I Love You Duo #3 gift set, Seche Restore, Olive Oil Replenishing Pack, Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Deep Conditioning Protein Pack, OPI Let's Seal The Deal gift set

Dear OPI, I Love You Duo #3 gift set - £15.41

I picked up this OPI duo set because I find their nail polishes to just be outstanding quality - and it had a free pen! An Affair in Red Square (right) is a metallic, festive red perfect for Christmas parties and Lincoln Park After Dark (right) is just the darkest, richest burgundy. I like to wear it to add a touch of gothic glamour to any outfit, and I use OPI Nail Envy (Original) as a base coat to protect the nail and make the colour last.

OPI Let's Seal The Deal gift set - £15.49

I've been using OPI Nail Envy (Original) for YEARS and I've always wanted to try OPI's RapiDry Top Coat so I figured I'd pick it up as it was free with the Nail Envy. Nail Envy is great just to paint a clear layer onto your nails as it not only makes them look clean and tidy - it also strengthens them.

Seche Restore - £7.49

I bought this to restore my beloved Seche Vite Top Coat which has turned into a gloopy mess! I'll let you know if it works ;-)

Deep conditioner packets - £1.66 and 96p each

If you've read my blog for a whole you'll know that I am obsessed with intensive hair conditioners! Solely a shampoo and conditioner just doesn't cut it for me and I have to use something extra to give it that shine. I picked up the Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Deep Conditioning Protein Pack (£1.66) as I LOVE the coconut scent - it reminds me of holidays! - and I also bought the Olive Oil Replenishing Pack (96p) as I've heard olive oil is great for adding shine!

Have you visited Sally's Beauty Supplies recently? What do I need to pick up?

Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Sophia

xo