Sunday 12 June 2016

Brows&Lashes X Beautique Swansea

Hey Dolls,

Today I've got to share with you my experience of getting LVL lashes at Beautique in Swansea which is owned by Lisa Bengyfield. 

I've been going to Lisa since September 2015 for my HD brow treatment which I have to say has completely transformed my brows and life! I posted a brief review of my HD brow experience so far on Instagram a few weeks ago but I'll give you a quick FYI of what it entails. 

Lisa is a trained High Definition Pro Brow Stylist using the official HD brow products. 
The HD treatment lasts around an hour and includes having your brows tinted, waxed, tweezed and threaded to create the perfect arch and brow shape for your face! 
Before I went to Lisa I was having by brows just threaded, but they were SO thin as I was told I'd have to lose the thickness in order to create the arch I wanted. However when I visited Lisa she told me this wasn't the case. I remember noticing a MASSIVE difference in my brows after just one session and now their completely transformed!! 
As you can see from my before and after below:


The HD brow treatment cost £30 at Beautique and the best part is Lisa trains your brows so they will last weeks at a time, I've now got my brows to the point where I only need them done every 9 weeks, which is crazy considered I used to go every 3 weeks!!


The newest treatment I have tried at Beautique is LVL Lashes. Lisa has been telling me for months how much I will love the way this treatment transforms your natural lashes without the use of extensions, which sounded perfect for the summer months. 

LVL (Length,Volume, Lift) is created by Nouveu Lashes and the treatment straightens your natural lashes from the root in order to give a longer, lifted lashes. The treatment takes around 40-60minutes and lasts around 6-8 weeks, which is perfect for the summer especially if your off on a beach holiday!

Natalie at Beautique performed my LVL lash treatment and talked me through each step as she was going.  The day before the treatment I had four patch tests to ensure I wasn't allergic to the products, these were just four small plasters with product on place on my stomach. 

Once I got to the salon Natalie began by removing all traces of mascara from my lashes, see below a picture of my natural lashes with no mascara. 


Next shields were applied to my lower lashes and eyelid, leaving just my top lashes out - once the shields were applied I had to keep my eyes closed for the rest of the treatment. The shields were not uncomfortable in the slightest and I felt completely relaxed throughout the whole treatment. 

My lashes were then combed up over the silicone shield and the first step of perming lotion was applied to my lashes, this first treatment was left on for 12 minutes. 
After this time was up a neutraliser was then applied to my lashes for around 6 minutes and then finally a blue/black tint was applied for a further 6 minutes. 
The shields were then removed using a moisturising serum which made this completely pain free and there was no stinging or soreness at all to my eyes. 


I was absolutely thrilled when I looked in the mirror and saw the results. My usual poker straight lashes were beautifully permed, looking fuller and double the length they had previously.  Here's a picture of the immediate results:


Natalie provided me with an aftercare leaflet which advised the following for the 24 hours after the treatment:
No rubbing your lashes
No creams to be applied to them
No getting them wet

It has now been 5 days since I had the LVL treatment and my lashes are still beautifully permed. I love adding mascara to my lashes to give them extra volume and length. 

The LVL treatment costs £45 and I would highly recommend it to anyone going away this summer who doesn't want the fuss of curling your lashes of applying falsies in the heat! 

So girls if your in Swansea you HAVE to get down to see Lisa and Natalie in Beautique to get your beautifully groomed HD brows and perfectly permed LVL lashes - make sure you tell the girls I sent you! 
Contact the salon on - 07940 100724
Check out Beautique on Facebook Here


Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie 


Sunday 24 April 2016

Kylie Cosmetics 'King K' Lipstick Dupe

I have been dying to get my hands on one of Kylie Jenners lip kits for months, but unfortunately I haven't been lucky enough to get one as they sell out in a matter of minutes! 

A couple of weeks ago when Kylie released her Metallic collection I knew I had to get my hands on them for the summer. After looking at the swatches online I knew I wanted to get Heir and Reign, sadly I only managed to order Reign but hey I'm lucky I got one!! My lipstick is currently in transit, I cannot wait for it to arrive!! 

But anyway back to the exciting news...I have found an amazing dupe for King K which will save you the stress and $14 shipping fee. 


Inglot lipstick in #161, £12. 

Without flash 

With flash 

I actually got this lipstick last year at IMATS and I kind of forgot about it until I was looking at the Kylie metallic swatches and realised it could potentially be an amazing dupe! 
Just like the King K shade this lipstick is a gold shade with a frosted/shimmer finish, which looks stunning worn alone or on top of a lip liner.
Obviously I haven't seen the Kylie shade in the hand, but from the picture swatches I think the Inglot lipstick could be lightly more coppery than King K, though that could be just down to lighting. 

Without flash (ignore my ghostly pale hand)

With flash 

Left - King K, Right - Inglot 161 

Below I'm wearing #161 over Mac Whirl lipliner. 




Hope you enjoyed this post! I'll be writing about Kylie lipstick in Reign once I receive it!

Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie

Wednesday 16 March 2016

Gerard Cosmetics Haul 2

Hello Lovelies!

A little while back Gerard Cosmetics had a whopping 50% off their website to celebrate them hitting 1 million followers on Instagram. I hade been wanting to make an order for a while (see my last haul here) so this discount was the perfect excuse! Here's what I picked up....



L-R: Iced Mocha, Ecstasy, Serenity, Ruby Slipper




I haven't tried the Hydra Matte Liquid lipsticks so I picked up 4 in the shades Iced Mocha, Ecstasy, Ruby Slipper and Serinitu which is the colour Manny MUA created for the brand. The formula of these is one of the nicest liquid lipsticks I have tried,the pigmentation is amazing, the colour doesn't bleed I don't even have to put a lipliner with them and the biggest bonus is that they don't leave you with that 'but hole' lips look (LOL) like some liquid lipsticks do!! 




Next I picked up the Star Powder in the shade 'Marylin' which is a beautiful gold/warm toned highlighter, the above swatch does not do the colour justice. This highlighter is now my firm favourite, it is so super pigmented you barely have to touch your brush into the powder to get the most amazing pay off. I can't wait to get my hands on all of the other shades of the Star Powders!! 


The final thing I picked up is the Eternal Eyeliner in black, which is a liquid eyeliner. I love the applicator on this its so easy to use and creates a perfect winged line.  However I'm not 100% keen on the formula of the liner, once applies the liner dries with a sort of sheen to it, so to the eye the liner looks almost wet. It also dries to more a dark grey colour rather than a jet black so I tend to use this liner to get the shape of the wing and I then go over it with another black liner to deepen the colour. 


Have you picked up any Gerard Cosmetics products recently? I'd love to hear some recommendations of what you think I should try next!

Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie 



Thursday 11 February 2016

NSpa Purchases

I am obsessed with the nspa range but unfortunately I don't have an ASDA that near to my house and it can be a bit of a trek to get too. But today I was out and about with work which happened  to be near to ASDA so when I finished early I decided to make a sneaky trip to have a look through their beauty aisles. 

The nspa range seems to really suit my skin and I am particularly in love with the Moisture mask it leaves my skin silky smooth. So I nearly jumped with joy today when I got to the nspa section and saw their products were on 2 for £8. So here's what I picked up....




I have been dying to try sheet face masks for ever after seeing various different celebrities using them in Instagram. What I loved about these nspa ones is that they have three masks for your face and two for the under eye area. The masks are infused with Papaya and Papain enzymes and Vitamin C and promise to leave your skin feeling moisturised and radiant. 


The second product I picked up is this Facial Oil. Again I've been dying to try a facial oil forever as I feel the skin on my face gets particularly dry and sore so I'm hoping so ething as intensely moisturising as an oil could be just what I'm looking for. 



I'll keep you updated on my thoughts on these two products. Have you bought ant nspa goodies recently? 

Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie

Friday 1 January 2016

Hello 2016


Happy New Year beauties!

I cannot believe it is 2016 already, I feel like time is flying by.  Hope you all had a fabulous New Year's Eve and all celebrated in style! I spent the evening with my best friend and our families, we went down to one of the wine bars in my local village and then back to my friends house for a takeaway. It was the perfect start to the new year! 

Today I thought I'd share with you my goals and resolutions for 2016....

Blogging/YouTube 

For the last 2 months I have completely slacked off with my blog.  I went from posting 2-3 times a week to struggling to post once a month.  I don't really know what threw me off my game but I want to get back into blogging regularly. I've missed it so much as it is something I truly love and enjoy doing. So I've spent the Christmas period planning new posts and ideas of where I'd like my blog to go and I plan on getting back on the blogging band wagon. 

YouTube was something I tried my hand at in 2015 and I had completely underestimated the time/effort that is needed to film, edit and upload a video. But I actually loved filming myself applying makeup and creating different looks. So in 2016 I want to branch further into YouTube and create videos on a regular basis. I've decided to treat myself to a ring light (finally!) which will help with the quality of my videos/pictures massively!


Health/Fitness

Every year I make the resolution "this is the year I get skinny" and every year I fail lol. With my 'diet' plans this year I've decided not to set myself to unrealistic goal of 'getting a a body like Gigi Hadid in 1 month' instead I'm just going to continue to improve my choices which will lead to me leading a healthier lifestyle. Last year I signed up to the Body Coach's 90 day challenge and loved the plan, I've never found anything else that's worked so well for me. So I treated myself to the new Lean in 15 cookbook to give me lots of recipes and tips to help get my diet back on track. I also got the new Lauren Goodger fitness DVD to help me work out at home, I got to boxing/fitness style classes already but wanted to have something I could do at home for an extra workout. 


Positivity

Anyone who knows me would probably know I can be a bit of a negative nancy and I can struggle with feeling positive.  Last year I finally read The Secret and I can honestly say it changed my life. I read just one chapter and after was chatting to my mum who commented on the difference in my outlook on things. The book puts everything into perspective and helps you to understand your feelings of negativity.  Even though I've read the book, I like to keep it on hand to re-read as and when I find I'm struggling with feeling positive. Currently I find when I am reading the book or have just read it, I am so positive and can put my thoughts into perspective but I struggle to keep this positivity up all the time. So this is what I want to work on in 2016, I want to learn how to keep positive thoughts and outlooks continuously so I can lead a happier life!

What's are your resolutions and goals for 2016? 

Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie 

Tuesday 29 December 2015

What I got for Christmas 2015

Hellos Lovelies!

I hope you've had a lovely Christmas and eaten way too much just like me!  One of my favourite parts of Christmas is seeing what everyone got for Christmas, I love being nosey and seeing what goodies you all got.  So this year I thought I'd write a post on what I got for Christmas! This is by no means me bragging about what I had, just a post for all of you who are as nosey as me!! So carry on reading if you want to see what my wonderful parents and Grandmother got me this year...

*I've tried to link all I can't buy some items are no longer available online. 


A few weeks ago my Mum mention she had got my 'main' present for Christmas off her and my Dad, which I had no idea what it was as I hadn't asked for anything.  So I was over the moon on Christmas morning when I opened up these personalised number plates!! I love the fact I'll have them forever, my brother also got some so we're like twins now haha!



Beauty 


I had this gorgeous YSL Black Opium gift set from my best friend April, it's my new favourite sent I've been dousing myself in it everyday since Christmas.
Phillip Kingsley 5 Little Wonders Gift Set - this gorgeous set has 5 mini hair care products 
Elnett The Catwalk Collection Hairspray - this is the best/only hairspray to use!
Elnett Heat Protect Spray - I'm so excited to try this as I love the hairspray so much


Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection Essentials - I haven't tried any of the bold metals collection yet so I cannot wait to try these
Clinique Moisture Surge - I have really dry skin so this moisturiser is perfect for me 
Pixi Glow Tonic - another must have which I have been dying to try
GlamGlow Face Mask - I have been DYING to try this forever
Sephora Makeup Bag - the slogan couldn't be more me!



Benefit Real Cheek Party Palette - this amazing palette comes with 5 box powders, what's up highlighter, They're Real mascara and eyeliner
Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette - how insane is this, cannot wait to try it for New Year's Eve 


MAC Give Me Sun Bronzer
Autograph Golder Rose Highlighter - massive thank you to April for scouring the UK to get me this!
Maxfactor False Lash Mascara - it wouldn't be Christmas if my Mum didn't get me one of these



P.J's


River Island Slippers - these haven't left me feet since Christmas Day
Marks and Spencer light up bed socks

Everyday Essentials 


New Look Watch - I asked my Mum for an 'everyday' watch for work and I love this one she picked out.  It's both silver and gold which means I can wear it with anything
New Look Studded Handbag - Mum also picked me up this stunning bag from New Look as my new work bag
Yankee Candle Season of Peace - my brother got me this lovely candle and the smell is gorgeous! 

Tasty Treats

Costa Mug - I'm always looking for a travel mug to put my tea in for work and I love this Costa one my parents got me, it's really big so will fit lots in 
Princess Mug - My Mum said she couldn't resist getting me this...says it all really lol
Absolut Giftset - I'll be cracking this open NYE
Drumstick Tub - my favourite sweets! 



Khloe Kardashian Strong Looks Better Naked and Amy Childs 100% Me - I can't wait to read these books in the new year 
Unicorn iPhone 6 Case - my best friend April knows me so well!!
I also had money from my Grandma and my other Grandparents. 


These two I didn't get for Christmas but thought I'd chuck them in anyway. I'd pre-ordered the Body Coach's Lean in 15 new cookbook back on Black Friday for half price of about £7.50 which is a complete bargain, the book is massive and full of new recipes and tips.  Usually I'm not one to but or be tempted by exercise DVD's but after seeing how amazing Lauren Goodgers transformation has been I just had to get her DVD.  They both arrived today and in good time, I've over indulged so much over Christmas I'm actually looking forward to cutting down lol.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I had for Christmas! I would love to see what you all got, please tweet me links to your posts so I can't have a read! 

Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie 

Monday 7 December 2015

Kim Kardashian Holiday Inspired Makeup

After seeing this photo Kim posted of herself to her Instagram here, I instantly fell in love with her makeup - super glowy skin, gold eye and bold red lip - the perfect look for the upcoming holidays.  So when I headed out for a few drinks Saturday night I had try recreate this look.




Benefit Porefessional
Gerard Cosmetics BB Cream + Illumination
Makeup Forever HD Foundation 
Maybelline Eye Eraser Concealer in light
Illamasqua Loose Transulcent Powder
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit light to medium (Java)
Ben Nye Banana Powder
Milani Baked Bronzer #4
Nars Orgasm Blush
Carli Bybel Palette for highlight

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Carli Bybel Palette - eyes
Barry M Soft Eye Crayon in Bronze
Maxafctor Falase Lash Effect Mascara
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
Red Cherry Wispie Lashes
Whitening Lightening Brow Bar to Go in Ebony

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Red
Amrezy Lipland Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick in Brooklyn

Chat to me on Twitter 
Follow me on Instagram
Subscribe to my YouTube

XOXO Sophie