FESTIVE REDS

I love wearing red in December, there's something so festive about painting your nails with a sparkly red nail polish or wearing a bold red lipstick. Here's a few of my favourites:

Lips

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: I love Blake Lively, she has such amazing taste and this sophisticated matte cool toned red fits in perfectly with her style. The formula feels slightly more powdery than I normally like in a lipstick but it contains jojoba oil and so keeps lips soft. It's long lasting and a stunning pure matte red.

Sleek Matte Me in Rioja Red*: Supposedly a dupe for the Hourglass Opaque Rouge lipsticks this liquid lipstick is long lasting, super pigmented and really affordable. It dries to a pretty, velvet matte finish and is a beautiful true red. This can be tricky to apply but once dry on the lips it stays put for hours. It's one of longest lasting lipstick's that I've tried and so it is perfect for Christmas parties.

Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang: This is a creamy, bold red that leaves a satin sheen finish on the lips. I have to prep my lips well before using this as it shows up any imperfections but then it looks so pretty on the lips, is long lasting and fades to a stain. I've written a full review here.

Nails

Nails Inc Tate: A beautiful sophisticated cherry red nail polish which is great if you want something festive without the glitter. Opaque in 1-2 coats Nails Inc nail polish has a great formula that lasts well on my nails.

Barry M Ruby Slippers Red Glitter: Great for fingers or toes this classic glittery red nail polish is a staple for me at Christmas. This is my favourite ruby glittery red nail polish to wear on Christmas day.

Essie Leading Lady: This is a deep red nail polish with flecks of raspberry micro glitter running through it. It's a stunning nail polish and great to wear for the lead up to Christmas.

Which are your favourites?

AUGUST FUCHSIA FAVOURITES

I think that fuchsia is a great transitional colour from summer to autumn as although it has a bright pink summery feel to it, the purple tones hint at autumn making it great to wear at this time of the year. These are my August fuchsia favourites:

Revlon lip butter in lollipop: This is one of the most opaque lip butters that I own and such a pretty, bright fuchsia pink. I love wearing this as a really bold lip or for daytime wear I like to dab a small amount on my lips and rub it in to make a pretty stain.

Barry M Glitter Nail paint in Magneta: This is a lovely, girly fuchsia pink. I love wearing this colour on my toes so whenever I look down, my glittery/sparkly nails make me smile!

Revlon Wild Orchid: This is such a pretty lipstick. A fuchsia pink with a slightly purple/blue sheen it's very similar to MAC show orchid for half the price. I've been wearing this lipstick a lot, especially towards the end of August and It looks great with a high pony or messy side braid.

Hair ties: These last so much longer on me than regular hair bands, are less damaging and look so pretty in your hair or on your wrist! I got these fuchsia ones from H&M and I've got my eye on this set from forever 21 next!

Maxfactor False lash effect 24hr Mascara: This is an old favourite for me, it really seems to coat every lash well giving me great definition, volume and length, I haven't actually tested whether it lasts the full 24hrs but it certainly lasts the whole day on me!

(I also love my little fuchsia pink mini piggy bank from tiger!)


JULYS CORAL FAVOURITES/JUNES GREEN FAVOURITES/MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

WILDFLOWER SUMMER NAIL ART

I like to keep any nail art that I create quite simple and easy so that it looks pretty with minimal effort. I've been loving wearing this wildflower design on my nails for summer - it adds a pretty touch to white painted nails and i've had so many compliments whilst wearing it!

Paint the whole nail with a white nail polish - I used Barry M Matt White.

For the design:

Step 1 - For the grass/reeds effect I used Essie Mint Candy Apple. I wiped as much of the product off the brush as I could by wiping the brush on edges of the bottle and then just flicked up the nail.

Step 2 -I repeated this process with a darker green - No7 Totally Teal. This brush was easier to remove most of the product and gave a really good wispy grass effect so I applied this over and around the first grass colour.

Step 3 - Adding your wildflowers! I chose to use Rimmel sunshine as my main colour to make the flowers really stand out. I dotted roughly 10 flowers on each nail working from top to bottom to give that pretty wildflower look.

Step 4 - I then added pink flowers using Barry M Gelly nail paint in Grapefruit. I added less of these (around 7) and used a smaller dotting tool again to give it a sparse, wildflower effect.

Step 5 - You could skip this step and go straight on to the topcoat, or choose another flower colour but I thought a fuchsia glitter would look really pretty and brighten up the nails. I dotted Barry M Magenta glitter all around the grass/reeds to finish the design. 

I then added Sally Hansen Insta dri topcoat to finish the nails.

(I used these nail dotting tools from amazon, they are a great set for only 85p!). 

Tweet me a pic if you try this! - @sophiesmakeup

SUMMER NAILS

These have been my favourite nail polishes to wear this summer. Although I normally prefer to wear berry shades I've been really enjoying wearing brights on my fingers and toes this summer with dainty gold or silver rings!

Topshop Pool party is a lovely aqua blue/green. It takes at least two coats of pool party for it to become opaque on my nails but then lasts well. I love wearing this with dainty silver rings and it looks great with a tan.

Barry M Gelly Nail paint in Grapefruit is a high pigmented, glossy pink. I love the formula of these, I really need to get some more shades as they are so perfect for quick application, no need for a topcoat as they are so glossy and perfect in two coats.

Soigné Permission has such a lovely and luxurious bottle. It's a gorgeous bright, slightly burnt orange which I've been loving wearing on my toes.

Ciate Play Date is a warm coral pink, it's a great summery alternative to wearing a classic red and is such a bright and pretty colour!

Which is your favourite?

SPRING/SUMMER MAKE UP TRENDS

I love researching and adapting the latest make up trends to try and make them a bit more wearable, these are some of my favourite S/S 2014 Make up trends:

1. False lashes top and bottom - I love having fluttery, long lashes. Top and bottom false lashes on a day to day basis aren't always practical or that comfortable and so I've been wearing L'oreal Miss Manga mascara layered up on both my top and bottom lashes. 

2. Aqua blue eyes - Blue liner in the waterline can look really pretty, especially paired with a peach/gold eyeshadow. I've been wearing the Barry M kohl pencil in 19 kingfisher blue. See my version of this look here.

3. Lavender - Lilac and lavender are really in this season, Natural collection eyeshadow in lilac shimmer is a really pretty soft lavender colour that looks subtle on the lids and really brings out brown eyes. I wear this either all over my eyelids or smudged under my lower lashes. 

4. Graphic eyeliner - Adding angular lines and straight flicks to your winged liner can help to create a more wearable version of this look, I've been using the collection fast stroke liquid liner and straightening the edges to my winged liner to give it a sharp, angled look.

5. Bold orange lips - For bright, matte lips as seen in New york fashion week, Revlon color burst matte balm crayon in Audacious is the perfect bold, bright orange.

Which is your favourite trend?

BLUE OMBRÉ GLITTER NAILS

I fell in love with Ingrid's Blue Ombré Glitter mani and so I thought I would try and recreate it. It's perfect for summer and looks so pretty on the nails!

To start my ombre nails I used Liz Earle's strengthening nail colour in 'Rhapsody In Blue'* on my thumb, it's the perfect midnight dark blue colour to start the ombré mani. For the glitter I applied models own Jack frost nail polish over the top.

I used Essie Aruba blue on my index finger as a base and pressed on Nail rock glitter dust in blue whilst the Essie polish was still wet. 

For my middle finger I mixed some of Barry M's blue glitter with the Nail rock glitter dust to create an in-between shade, I mixed them together in a plastic pot until I was happy with the colour and then applied it to my nail.

On my ring finger I applied Barry M's blue glitter and on my little finger Barry M's textured nail effect in 'Lady' which is a lovely white pearl with peach glitter running through it.

To complete the look, I used a top coat to seal the glitter in and to give my nails a finished look. Overall I'm so happy with this nail look and will be wearing it all throughout summer!

xx

THREE BLUES

I've been enjoying wearing blue nail varnish this month and these are three of my favourites. Perfect for Monday blues and April showers these all are opaque in two coats, last well on my nails and are such pretty shades of blue.

'The Sophisticated Blue' - Liz Earle Strengthening Nail colour Rhapsody in blue* is the perfect midnight blue colour. It contains avocado and borange oil which helps to keep the nails strong and moisturised. It looks lovely with gold midi rings and is great to wear for a glam night out.

'The Cobalt Blue' - Barry M's Cobalt Blue becomes opaque in two coats, it looks great with a tan and lot's of silver jewellery. 

'The Shimmery Blue' - Essie's Aruba blue is my all time favourite blue. This is my go to colour when I'm not sure what to wear, it seems to go with everything and looks great with Essie stroke of brilliance as an accent nail!

Halloween Skull / Ghost Nails

I love this little skull design for some halloween nail art, it's easy to do and looks sweet on the nails! I did my nails like this for the weekend and got so many compliments on it! 

This is how I achieved the look:

Step 1 -  Paint the whole nail in the colour of your choice, I chose an oxblood colour but  

             black or grey would also work well! I used 2 coats of OPI Nail Varnish in Mrs 

             O'Leary's BBQ.

Step 2 -  When base has dried, use a dotting tool to make 4-6 large polka dots on each 

              nail, for this I used Barry M Nail paint in 66 Matt White.

Step 3 - Using a smaller dotting tool draw either a squiggly ghost tail or a square on the

             base of the polka dots, again using Barry M Matt White Nail paint.

Step 4 - Eyes! I used the thinnest dotting tool to dot little eyes on my Skulls using Sinful

            colours in Black on Black.

Step 5 - Once the eyes are dry, use a Topcoat to set and to give the nails a nice shine. I

            used Sally Hansen Insta-Dry.

Let me know if you try these!

xx

Blue Lower Lash line Make up

I think this is a great way to use bright colours for a summery make up look without it looking too bold. It gives a nice hint of colour which I would feel brave enough to wear out on a warm summers evening or even during the day. 

I used Barry M Kohl Pencil in 19 on my waterline and paired it with Bright bottom lashes to give a pretty turquiose 'pop' to this everyday look. The thing I love about cream eyeshadows is that you can apply them on your lashes over your mascara to give you coloured lashes, I did this with Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr eyeshadow in the shade Turquiose Forever.

Firstly I applied Rimmel Wake me up foundation with a Real Techniques expert face brush, I used Bourjois Bronzer to contour and Mac Warm soul Blush to give me a summery glow. I Highlighted using Topshop highlighter in Sunbeam, and finished off with Rimmel stay matte powder. 

I used Clinique superfine liner for brows to shape my brows and Mac Pigment in Melon as a wash of colour over my lids. I ran Collection Dazzle me in Magical under the lower lash line and in the inner corners of my eyes and I used Revlon Peach Parfait Lip Butter and Revlon Lipgloss in Peony on my lips.

xx

Spring Nails

L-R Essie Peach Daiquiri, Barry M Grapefruit, Essie Mint Candy Apple, Topshop Windy City, Barry M Peach Melba, Topshop Prim and Proper

These are my current favourite Spring Nailvarnishes. I think they are a lovely mix of pretty pastels for spring and a few brights which will also be great for summer.

Barry M Gelly in Grapefruit and Essie Peach Daiquiri are actually quite similar, although Grapefruit is slightly on the pinker side. The Barry M Gelly formula is lovely, only 1 coat needed and it is very high shine, perfect for quick application and shiny nails! 
I think my favourite of the bunch has to be Essie Mint candy apple, this is the perfect summer colour and I love the name, the packaging and the brush! 


What are your favourite colours this spring?

Barry M Amethyst Glitter

Barry M Amethyst Glitter - Boots £2.99

There are So many pretty glitter nail varnishes around at the moment, Models Own have the lovely Mirror Ball and wonderland collection out, Topshop have some gorgeous chunky Glitter ones and Beauty UK also have some good pretty glitter polishes out too! I had been trying to resist all glitter nail varnishes as I already own a few, they're such a pain to get off and I normally only wear them on my toes or as an accent nail.

I completely fell in love with the colours in Barry M amethyst glitter and had to get it. Its got pretty flecks of fuchsia, turquoise, black and gold glitter through it, and it looks lovely on its own or over another colour!

Have you picked up any pretty Glitter Nail Varnishes recently?

Pink & Blue

Revlon Photo ready foundation, collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, Sleek Blush in Rose Gold, Barry M 19 eyeliner, Ardell demi wispies lashes, MAC Please me lipstick, Maybelline the one mascara. 

Barry M eyeliner - '19'

I bought this for a flash of colour for the summer, this would look really pretty in the waterline or if you wanted a bolder look you could line around the whole eye like I have done!

I started by lining my whole eye and then blended it out a little with a blending brush. I then applied some false lashes and plenty of mascara on the bottom lashes. I used MAC Please me on the lips as it is a pretty pink which I think compliments this look well.

I'm really impressed with this eyeliner, it feels creamy and blends pretty well for a liner. I wore this all day and it lasted really well, its such a lovely colour and really well pigmented.

I am Mermaid ♥

Hello everyone!!

I hope you are all having a lovely bank holiday weekend. 

I saw Pirates of the caribbean 4 recently and was soo inspired by the mermaids!! 
This look isn't like the mermaids in the film, i've just taken inspiration from it.
To create this look I popped a fishnet stocking over my head and patted on a blue and purple Barry M Dazzle Dust and then lightly brushed gold Barry M Dazzle dust over the top. I carefully lifted the fishnet stocking off and then blended around the outside using a powder brush. I also used the Barry M dazzle dusts on my eyelid. I popped on my tokyo eylure lashes and a clear gloss to complete this look.
For my hair I added some hair extentions and braided them into a fishtail plait.

Hope you like :)

xx

I've got love for you...

Barry M Dazzle Dust in 76 (yellow) and 18 (Blue Iridescent), Collection 2000 in 06 Viva Vegas, MUA Shade 9 - Pearl, Girls Aloud lashes - Cheryl

Please excuse the bright colours!! I did this look for an 80s themed hen do and really wanted the colours to show!!

Cheryls always been my fave Girls Aloud and so when I was choosing bold lashes for this look, I had to give hers a go!!!
The lashes wouldnt necessarily be something I would wear on a normal night out or daytime however worked perfectly with the 80's theme and neon legwarmers hehe!!! The downside is the lashes are so thick, they are quite heavy!!!
Ive used MUA (£1!!) purple eyeshadow under my lower lash line, which I bought at superdrug, I'm really impressed at how pigmented this is and would def recommend MUA, I keep their £1 setting powder in my bag which is great to touch up make up during the day!

I love doing strong make up looks, so there will be some more make up posts up in the near future!! I'm also hoping to do a lip product review shortly, and i've bought quite a lot of clothes and make up recently so will do a kind of picture haul!!!

xxx