Dreaming of Spring..

Photos from my Instagram - Sophiemakeup

I love winter and rainy days but recently I've been dreaming of Spring. I've got a lot of exciting changes happening soon including a move, an exciting Make-up project and with my brothers birthday and Valentines day coming up in February I'm ready to leave behind gloomy January and move forward with the year! 

I'm still secretly hoping it will snow before Spring, but I can't wait for daffodils, lighter evenings, brighter colours (that I will only dare to wear on my lips) and an excuse to eat mini eggs! Pastel colours are slowly creeping back into the shops and I'm lusting after this Primark Outfit from Be Frassy even though I would never normally wear colours!

Also, Happy Lunar New Year everyone - Michelle has done an amazing post about the year of the horse here, It looks it's going to be a good year! x

Revlon Matte Balms

I went to boots yesterday to test out the much hyped new Revlon Matte balms and they didn't disappoint. As they were on offer in boots I picked out 3 of the brightest shades to try and they have made me pretty excited for Spring!

I used a lip balm before putting on the revlon matte balm as although they don't feel drying, they are very matte on the lips and show up any imperfections. I used Lush Mint Julips to gently exfoliate my lips and then dabbed on maybelline baby lips in hydrate before applying the revlon matte balm. They have the same minty taste as the original Revlon Just bitten lip stain and the same stick packing which is easy to twist up, apply and throw in your bag!

I wore revlon matte balm in showy all day yesterday. it hardly transferred, stayed on for a good few hours and didn't dry out my lips. It's surprising how creamy these feel on the lips considering they are so matte, I'm really impressed  with these so far!

Audacious is a pretty matte orange, I rubbed this in with my finger to blend and only went for just one coat but it is very buildable to create a strong coral orange.

Unapologetic is a bright warm pink colour that screams spring, quite a daring bold lip but very pretty.

Showy is more of a cool toned pink, whilst in boots I swatched it next to Maybelline Fuchsia Flash and Chanel La Diva and it is quite similar to both.

I love these and plan on getting a few more to build up my collection soon, I have my eye on Elusive and Striking next!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

This stunning rose gold palette is a new firm favourite for me. I love all the colours in the Naked 3 palette and find them a lot more wearable than the Naked 1 palette that I own as I prefer lighter champagne, rose and gold eyeshadows.

The packing of the Naked 3 palette is a rippled rose gold tin, which is practical and easy to wipe clean. It comes with a large mirror inside and a dual ended brush.

My favourite ever eyeshadow is MAC's naked lunch which is a lovely light pink shimmery eyeshadow so when I saw this palette full of shimmering pinks, rose gold's and warm browns, I knew I would love it. I found that the only shadow in the Naked 3 palette that I had some fallout with was Dust, however if you pack it on with a flat brush, it stays in place. All the rest are buttery smooth, well pigmented and blend really well. Although I love every colour in this palette, a few are very warm/pink based and so you do have to be careful when mixing some of the colours to avoid looking like you have swollen eyes!

I love the Naked 3 Palette and I'm glad I own it as I've already had a lot of use out of it, but with the Narsissist palette and Mac x15 palettes coming out soon theres definitely some serious competition on the way!

New year, new stationery

Notepads - TKMaxx

I bought these both from TKMaxx last weekend, truth be told I only really needed one notepad but fell I in love with them both! I love the patterns on them, the Orla Kiely notebook was a steal at £7.99 (normally £18) and the cover reminds me of my favourite month, Autumn. It's a sturdy notebook and feels well made. The soft cover notebook was £2.99 and feels more like a school textbook, perfect for writing notes and lists and it comes in a variety of colours but the pink stool out as my favourite.

I think I'll use one for Make-up/Freelance notes and the other to plan blog posts. I always find that fresh new stationery always helps me to keep motivated, organised and makes me a lot more productive!

xx

The most wonderful time of the year.

A little late I know, but I had such an amazing Christmas this year that I thought I would share some of the photos. Even though it is now January!

I love Christmas, it's easily my favourite time of the year and I was so gutted to take down the tree last weekend!

I was going to wear this red velvet skirt on Christmas day but I ended up wearing it to put the tree up instead along with a cosy grey jumper and Mac RiRiwoo lipstick.

I spent most of my time over Christmas with family, eating good food, watching films, going on early crisp cold walks (Super cosy tights ftw) and having lot's of laughs. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!

xx