NOTD: New York Color Quick Dry in Manhattan

Hi all :)

I'm still struggling to decide what to wear on my nails at the mo; part of me wants to wear lovely spring pastels, while the other still thinks it's a bit too early! Are you having the same dilemma?! I compromised by picking up this autumn-y shade from New York Color - I wore their shade Canal Street to death (see the NOTD here) so picking up another shade from their Quick Dry range seemed only appropriate!

I wore it on Valentine's Day so it's rather special! :)

Here's what it looks like on the nails, below:

A sort of plummy-burgundy, it requires 2 coats for it not to look streaky, but then it's completely opaque. It was only £2.59 in Superdrug and I got 10% Student Discount with my NUS Extra card so it came to just over 2 quid - bargain! :)

Here's what it looks like in the jar:

I've got my eye on a load more NYC nail polishes, namely Uptown and Downtown! When I find a range that I like I tend to go all out and buy them all...haha!

Have you tried the NYC Quick Dry range before? What did you think?

Leave me a comment, I'd love to know your shade recommendations from the range! :)

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia

xo

Bourjois 3D Effect Lipgloss - My new favourite product...

Hi ladies!

I picked up this lovely lipgloss in Boots recently - it was on offer, down to £4.99 from £6.99! It is the Bourjois 3D Effect Lipgloss in the shade Rose or Epic.

Here's what Bourjois say about the product...

"A formula enriched with micro crystalline wax for a deep, voluminous and ultra-shiny result. The specially designed brush applicator delivers ultra-glossy precise results with ease."

Here's what the tube looks like below...

It's a lovely rose-gold shade with little flickers of gold in it, I love it! Here it is with flash:

and without flash, below:

It smells delicious (really sweet!) and glides on so effortlessly! It definitely makes your lips look more 'pouty'! However it doesn't have great staying power; I kept having to re-apply it every half hour or so :( It's perfect for a natural look on your lips when you've got a lot of eye make-up on. It's my new favourite lippie and it's already made it into my handbag which is no mean feat!

Have you tried Bourjois 3D Effect Lipgloss before? What did you think?

Let me know in the comments section below :)

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia

xo

Review: TRESemmé Reconstructing Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque

Hey guys!

Sorry I've been a bit MIA recently - I've got a major project due on Tuesday, so hopefully I'll post some more after that! I have about 10 posts lined up in my draft waiting to be published, just need to find the time! :)

I'm currently using L'Oréal Colour Protect Shampoo & Conditioner on my hair and I've been after something a bit 'special' to use as a deep treatment in the shower. I picked up this product from Superdrug - It was half price, down to £2.15 (along with a few other TRESemmé products actually) and it'd been on my wishlist for a while. It was only £1.93 with 10% NUS Extra student discount in the end :)

(TRESemmé Reconstructing Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque)

I have to say, I'm not overly impressed with this product so far. The first time I used it, it made my hair really greasy and it kind of put me off using it. Since then, I've only used it on the ends of my hair, but sparingly, for fear of it going greasy! I'm always really hopeful that it's going to make my hair lovely and glossy every time I use it, but it kind of just sticks to my head and even after I've blow dried I can still feel it when I touch my hair. It's not awful, but I don't think it really brings much to my hair. Maybe my hair isn't damaged enough? Who knows...

Here's what the consistency looks like...

... very thick and creamy. It smells nice! :)

I probably won't re-purchase this, especially not for its RRP of around £5. I'll be sticking with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle (read my review here) from now on :)

Following on from my disappointing experience with TRESemmé Dry Shampoo a few weeks ago, I'm hoping TRESemmé are really going to impress me with their next product! I've just bought their Salon Silk Serum, so fingers crossed I have better luck with that... I love the Colour Protect shampoo + conditioner from them, too, so it's not all bad :)

What's your experience of TRESemmé? Good or bad?

Leave your comments below :)

Love,

Style by Sophia

xo

UPDATE 05/04/2011: I've been using this product as a pre-conditioning treatment and it's been working MUCH better :) Obviously just too heavy to be used as a final treatment :)

NOTD: ALDO Nail Lacquer in Poolside in Malibu

Hey all!

How lovely has the weather been these past few days? Can't say I've experienced much of it myself though (been holed up in bed with a tummy bug *sad face*) but I did have time to paint my nails a suitably summer shade...

Aldo Nail Lacquer in Poolside in Malibu

What do you think? I've had this nail polish in my collection for literally a year (I bought it last summer) but I've never worn it. I have to say I'm hugely impressed - I've never tried ALDO Nail polishes before but this one was so thick, it only needed one coat really!

Here it is without flash...

It's a lovely turquoise/teal green shade that'll look lovely with a tan (one can only wish for that exotic summer getaway!)

From what I remember it only cost me a couple of quid in ALDO, but I'd definitely re-purchase :)

Have you ever tried ALDO Nail Lacquer before? Are you wearing bright, summery shades on your nails at the mo, too?

Let me know in the comment box below - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until then, let's hope this sunny weather continues... :)

Love,

Style by Sophia

xo

Review: Sleek Pout Polish in Pink Cadillac

Hey guys!

Now I know I have plenty of lipglosses but I prefer a more natural look during the day, and I only ever seem to wear Vaseline Rosy Lips! (excuse the condition of the case in the pic... I wear it a LOT!) I saw these Sleek Pout Polishes on Cami Loves Kiwi 's blog, where she gave them rave reviews, and the shade Pink Cadillac stood out for me the most!

I picked this up in Superdrug, Canterbury when I went to visit my other half. It was the last one left in the shade Pink Cadillac so I couldn't say no! It retails for £4.29 but I got 10% student discount with my NUS Extra card so it was just under 4 quid in the end! :) It's only 10g though, which is quite small...

It looks extremely bright, almost fuchsia pink in its case, but it isn't that bright on the lips at all!

As you can see from the picture below, it's a very natural looking, glossy pink. I would describe it as Vaseline Rosy Lips... but better! You only need to use a tiny bit as well!
It's a thumbs up from me! One thing I would say is that it doesn't last very long - a couple of hours max. It's small enough to take around with you though so you can keep re-applying!

Next on my wishlist is the Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach. I saw a picture of it on Glitter and Shimmer's blog and it just looks amazing, so natural and pretty!

Have you tried Sleek Pout Polish? What did you think?

Lots of love,

Style by Sophia

xo

Steal Her Style: Kim Kardashian

Hey guys,

Bit of a random one today (I thought of it while I was on the treadmill... lol) but I'm going to show you how to emulate Hollywood socialite Kim Kardashian's style on a budget! In my opinion, she's one of the best-dressed stars of today and she always aims to accentuate her curves. I'm literally on her website every day and I think I probably know every outfit she's ever worn! So here goes, let me know what you think! ps. I created them all on Polyvore :)

LOOK 1

Budget style:

KimK by smoir on Polyvore.com

ASOS forever tee (Moleskin) - £15

Topshop MOTO Jamie jeans - £40

ASOS PERFECT heels - £22

ASOS Tailored boyfriend blazer - £52

LOOK 2

Budget style:

Kim Kardashian by smoir on Polyvore.com

Asos forever tee (White) - £15

American Apparel blazer - £69

Dorothy Perkins leather shoulder bag - £12

ASOS rimless aviators - £9.50

Boohoo Mia rope heel - £20

LOOK 3

Budget style:

kim by smoir on Polyvore.com

Topshop body con skirt - £22

ASOS PERFECT heels - £22

Boohoo Phoebe acid-wash jacket - £20

New Look striped crop top - £6.99

George at Asda zip front bag - £10

Boohoo Roxanne denim biker jacket - £20

I hope you like!

Who's your style icon?

Love,

Style by Sophia

xo

NOTD: ASOS Paint in Megan

Hey girls!

How are we all? I don't know about you but I can't wait for the sun to poke its head round the corner! I hate the rain and the cold and the soggy socks & all that! Spring/summer couldn't come soon enough if you ask me :)

This has definitely been reflected in my choice of nail colour of late. Out are the blacks and the greys, in are the brights and colourful! The past few days I've been rocking ASOS Paint in Megan (named after the vivacious Megan Fox I believe) and I'm so impressed with it! It only cost me £1, well, 90p with 10% student discount... & free delivery of course!

Here it is with flash:

... & without flash:

It's so thick, I love it, it completely covers your nails! It's lasted about 2 days without chipping but I've been adding a clear top coat (OPI Nail Envy - Original) daily as well to keep it looking glossy.

As far as I'm aware, ASOS no longer do nail paint, or perhaps they will be bringing out new colours for the spring/summer season. It's such a shame if they don't... They truly are great!

What have you been wearing on your nails lately? I find it really hard choosing what colour to wear in this transitional period between winter & spring! Help!

Love always,

Style by Sophia

xo