Summer Wedding Outfit: 60s Inspired Look With AX Paris And Boohoo.com

Hi ladies,

I hope you're well and enjoying the start of summer (if you're here in the UK!)

A couple of weeks ago I went to my colleague Kim's wedding (she looked beautiful, of course) and I had lots of fun planning my summer wedding outfit.

It's actually the first time I've been to a friend's wedding as a guest and not a bridesmaid so I wasn't sure what to wear at first but once a couple of us had a chat about it, we all had it in our heads what we wanted to wear.

I had a couple of possible options added to my never-ending ASOS saved list, but once I saw the below beauty (from AX Paris) I knew I had to try it on at least...

Image: ASOS

As soon as I tried it on at home, I was pretty much like 'yep - that's the one.' I fell in love with the intricate brocade print, the muted lime green shade and the flattering fit-and-flare shape.

I also knew I wanted to take beauty inspiration from Emma Stone's Oscars 2015 Elie Saab dress, below.

I wasn't sure I'd get much use out of a pair of lime green, satin, ankle-strap heels so I went in search of white accessories instead, to complement the white floral detail in the AX Paris dress, as well as a fairly natural beauty look. 

Here's how I styled it on the day...

Dress - AX Paris at ASOS

Heels - Boohoo.com 

Belt - ASOS (old - similar style from Missguided)

I continued the white accessories theme with a mini clutch-bag from New Look (it's from a couple of years old but here's a very similar style from Oasis).

I'd recently had a hair cut so I kept my locks very simple, straightening them with my GHDs and adding L'Oreal Elnett Very Volume Supreme Hold Hairspray.

It looks like I've flicked out the ends of my hair but I haven't. I quite like the effect though, it's very 60s-style and fits nicely with the shape of the dress.

I got in touch with the Revlon PR and found out that the lipstick Emma Stone wore to the Oscars was the new Ultra HD Lipstick in Hibiscus, so I went in search of that, of course!

The colour was really bold and bright - but it didn't have as much staying power as I would have liked (although drinking numerous glasses of Prosecco probably didn't help).

I kept my base very dewy - I'm wearing my trusty Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation here, powdered with Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder. You don't have to spend a fortune for foundation these days - I've used this Rimmel one for YEARS and still love it.

I also got a spray tan a couple of days before, thanks to the lovely ladies at St Tropez. I went for the sensitive mist as the lady doing my tan said it was the lightest shade, which sounded right for me as I just wanted a natural glow.

Here are some more pictures from the night...

Happy wedding day, Kim!

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

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie: Review, swatches and FOTD

Hey loves!

I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow :-)

Recently, I acquired one of the much raved about Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. I picked up the shade, 050 Berry Smoothie...

Modelled by Easy A actress Emma Stone, the Revlon Lip Butters are a buttery balm / shiny lipstick hybrid that're available in 15 colours.

The Lip Butters feature the traditional Revlon lipstick quilted packaging and are in the colour of the lipstick shade inside, so mine (Berry Smoothie) is purple :-)

Swatches:

(top - without flash, bottom - with flash)

I swatched literally all of the Revlon Lip Butters in Boots and Superdrug, and Berry Smoothie was the shade that complemented my complexion the best. As hyped up as the other Lip Butters are, I wanted to be sure I chose a shade that suited me the most and that was wearable on a daily basis. Berry Smoothie definitely fits the bill - I would describe it as a sheer, glossy sparkle with very discreet micro shimmer.

Lip swatches:

(top - bare lips, bottom - after applying Revlon Berry Smoothie)

I have to say, the Revlon Lip Butters aren't hyped up for nothing - they're actually pretty darn good! I simply love wearing mine :-) I apply it to the lips and it gives it instant wash of berry toned colour. It feels lovely and nourishing and lasts on the lips for a good 3 hours before fading. It really does look and feel AMAZING! :-) I can't wait to stock up on some more!

FOTD including Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie:

FACE: MAC Fix+, YSL Touche Eclat #1, MAC Studio Fix Concealer [NW15], MAC Pro Longwear Foundation (applied with ELF Stippling Brush), Benefit Hoola bronzer (applied using an unbranded bronzing brush), MAC Fix+.

EYES: Sleek Storm Palette - taupe and brown shades, Soap & Glory SUPERCAT felt tip liner, CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume mascara, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick.

LIPS: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters are priced at £7.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug as well as online retailers :-)

Have you given in to the Revlon Lip Butter hype? What shade would you recommend?

Love,

Sophia

xo

My four favourite: Creamy coral nail varnishes - Revlon, M&S, Nails Inc and Barry M

Hey loves!

HAPPY FRIDAY! I hope you're all looking forward to the weekend :-)

Some of you may remember that recently I told myself to stop buying nail varnishes! I have more than 100 so I must have one of every colour lol. So I blogged about my four favourite creamy orange nail varnishes and today I'll be blogging about my four favourite creamy corals!

From L-R: Revlon - One Perfect Coral, M&S - Flame, Nails Inc (The Beauty Collection) - Copacabana, Barry M - Coral

Nail swatches:

(top without flash, bottom with flash - although they look the same!)

• Revlon - One Perfect Coral (RRP £6.49) This is my first favourite creamy coral by drugstore fave, Revlon. I've used Revlon for a couple of years now and I've always been really impressed with the quality. This shade in particular looks more orange next to the others.
• M&S - Flame (RRP £3.50) I picked up this nail colour YEARS ago from my local uni M&S branch in Bournemouth. I have to say, I wasn't expecting much from this as, well, M&S aren't exactly renowned for their beauty, are they? But I was actually really impressed! It's lasted years in the bottle and the colour stays on my nails for a couple of days before chipping. Not bad for the price, but it's definitely more red than the others here.
• Nails Inc (The Beauty Collection) - Copacabana (Free with Dove but would normally retail at £11.00) I went through a phase of always getting the free Nails Inc nail polishes and this is no exception. It came free with two Dove deodorants either last year or the year before. Obviously, being Nails Inc, it's amazing quality and lasts ages without chipping. It looks slightly pinker than the other corals here, but I'd definitely repurchase.
• Barry M - Coral (RRP £2.99) I have quite a few Barry M nail paints in my collection but sadly I've had this one for a couple of years and it's gone all gloopy and unusable. It's a lovely, light coral shade which I would recommend - just don't expect it to last forever.

So there we have it - my four favourite creamy corals! Next up is my four favourite creamy reds so keep your eyes peeled for that :-)

What's your favourite coral nail polish?

Love,

Sophia

xo

OOTN, FOTN & NOTN: A few drinks ft Revlon's LE Facets of Fuchsia nail enamel!

Hey ladiesss!

Hope you all had a fabulouso weekend :) I can't believe it's Monday AGAIN! You know what they say/sing, "just another manic Monday!" which is def how I'm feeling right now!

So anyways over the weekend I went out for a few drinks with some friends. I opted for quite a glam ensemble, I don't know about you but I would rather be dressed up than dressed down.

So here's my look from the weekend...

FASHION:

(excuse the glum face)

• Black faux leather top - H&M (blog!)
• Burgundy bodycon skirt - eBay seller (link!)
• Black tights - TOPSHOP (link!)
• Black suede ankle boots - eBay seller (link!)
• Black oversized clutch - Dorothy Perkins (blog!)
• Gold chain necklace - Vintage

MAKE-UP:

• FACE: Benefit That Gal primer, Some Kind-a Gorgeous Foundation Faker (02 Medium), YSL Touche Eclat (#1), Benefit Boi-ing concealer (02 Medium), Benefit Dallas bronzer, Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator (02 Peach).

• EYES: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original), Urban Decay baked e/s in Buck (all over lid); Gunmetal & Creep (used to create smokey eye), Soap & Glory SUPERCAT carbon black eye liner (top lid), Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick (black) along lower waterline, 2 coats of CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume mascara (Black). Ruby & Millie Brow Enhance (Brown).

• LIPS: LUSH bubblegum lip scrub, Rimmel lip liner, Revlon lipstick in Cherries in the Snow (new! see blog post)

FYI, I think it's really important to apply lipstick correctly. My lipstick routine takes less than 5 minutes and guarantees your lipstick stays on alll night! Here's my routine...

1. Prime your lips using a lip scrub (I use LUSH's bubblegum lip scrub as I get to lick it off after!)
2. Line your lips using a pink lip liner (if you have one - otherwise use a nude one)
3. Using a lip brush, blend the lip liner into the lips so it kind of stains your lips and acts as a base for the lipstick
4. Now, using the same lip brush, apply the lipstick in short swipes on the lips, blot, repeat.
5. Finish your lipstick with a coat of colour-sealing lipgloss or a few coats of Lipcote...

sorted :)

NAILS:

I recently bought this nail colour from Boots, along with the Cherries in the Snow lipstick & nail enamel, as it was on a 3 for 2 offer. Unfortunately, this nail enamel wasn't available at the time, so the lady ordered it in for me (only took a couple of days) and I was still entitled to the 3 for 2 offer! Did you know you can order ANYTHING that's on the Boots website into store for FREE? Amazing!!!

I bought this nail colour after seeing it on a couple of my favourite blogs and knew I had to have it! I love a bit of glitter me. I used my obligatory OPI Nail Envy as a base and then applied a coat of this. I was really taken aback as the formulation was really runny, and also kind of grey? I let it dry then applied another coat... Resume normality :) 2 coats was all it needed to create the effect above! I applied my Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat and then it was lovely and glossy, woop! :)

You can buy Revlon's LE Facets of Fuschia nail enamel for £6.49 from Boots.

What did you wear this weekend? Send me all your links!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick and nail enamel review (FOTD and NOTD!)

Hey lovelies!!!

HAPPY SUNDAY! I hope you are enjoying your day :-) I'm just sitting here blogging and watching Air Crash Investigation (I do this every Sunday, geek!)

I've been reading on quite a few blogs recently about Revlon's Cherries in the Snow range (such as Jennie from Sailboat - love her!) and it looked, well, amazing! So, me being the inquisitive type, had to go out and try it for myself!

Here's what I found...

Revlon Cherries in the Snow nail enamel

This is a lovely, creamy raspberry pink shade that just looks beautiful on the nails. I use my OPI Nail Envy (Original) base coat, 2 coats of Cherries in the Snow and then my Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat to complete the look. I have a feeling this shade will definitely be taking me into spring/summer!

You can buy this for £6.49 from Boots.

I've also added this image to my NOTD Archive, consisting of all my NOTD's since I started this blog :-D

Revlon Super Lustrous Cherries in the Snow lipstick

I don't know what it was exactly that drew me to this lipstick initially, but I guess I just felt like injecting a bit of colour to my face and this just seemed like a really stunning, but wearable, shade.

Here it is without flash...

& with flash...

Here it looks like it has a slight reddish tint, but it's definitely pinker IRL.

Swatches! Without flash...

& with flash...

Now these seem kind of purple, and the top one seems very red! OK so here it is on the actual lips lol.

Before...

After...

My first thoughts were "OMG, how vibrant!" It's not often I wear shades like these and I felt VERY out of my comfort zone wearing such a shocking shade. The lipstick itself was very pigmented and you really do need a light hand applying it. It's certainly a shade I don't own already, it's very unique and brings some colour into an otherwise pretty 'drab' look and is actually very flattering. I like it :-)

FOTD ft lipstick...

FACE

MAC Fix+ to prime

YSL Touche Eclat (#1)

Benefit Boi-ing concealer (02 Sand)

MAC Pro Longwear foundation (NC15)

NARS Laguna bronzer

MAC Fix+ to finish

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)

Urban Decay baked e/s (Buck) all over lid

Urban Decay baked e/s (Smog) in outer corners

Soap & Glory SUPERCAT eye-liner (top lid)

Avon Color Trend kajal stick (Brown) on lower waterline

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume mascara (Black)

LIPS

LUSH bubblegum lip scrub to prime

No7 nude lip liner

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries in the Snow

You can buy Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries in the Snow for £7.49 from Boots.

Have you tried Revlon's Cherries in the Snow range? Would you wear a daring raspberry stained lip?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Revlon Super Lustrous lipgloss in Nude Lustre - review, swatches and FOTD!

Evening lovely ladies!

I hope you've all had a splendid day! Just to let you know about a new product that I bought lately that I am loving - I'm not sure how recently it was released - but it's Revlon's Super Lustrous lipgloss!

I don't know about you guys, but the fact that Jessica Alba is a spokesperson for the brand makes me 10x more likely to buy it! She's beautiful! I bought this lipgloss in the shade Nude Lustre, as I'm a big fan of a nude lip & a more defined eye!

I'm not sure what drew me to this product originally - If I remember correctly, I just swatched it & fell in love! It has a soft, doefoot applicator and the consistency really is so lovely and creamy... Mmm...

In the tube it's a kind of nudey peachy pink colour. Here it is without flash...

& then with flash...

On the lips it's definitely more natural looking. It's an almost colourless shiny nude shade.

Here's my lips before...

& after...

I know it doesn't seem like a huge difference, but I personally love it! I can't tell you how soft the consistency is, it's literally like applying shea or cocoa butter to your lips, it's divine. It's perfect for casual daytime or a more glam evening look & it's definitely going to be one of my go-to lipglosses!

So here's a quick full-face shot...

I'm also wearing...

MAC Fix+

Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation

Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer (02 Sand)

Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzer (shade 51)

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay baked e/s (Buck) all over lid

Urban Decay baked e/s (Smog) in outer corners

Soap & Glory SUPERCAT liner on top lid

Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick (brown) along lower waterline

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume mascara (Black)

Revlon Super Lustrous lipgloss (Nude Lustre)

Have you tried any of Revlon's lipglosses before? What's your fave natural looking lipgloss?

Let me know via the comments, or tweet me @smoir :)

Lotsa love,

Sophia

xo