ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR | REVIEW

Hello!

So a couple of years ago I read tons and tons and tons of reviews all about the Estee Lauder Double wear foundation. It was like an absolute craze and everybody was using it. As I wasn't earning too much money at the time, I decided to try out a tester version of the foundation and see what the fuss is about. I used it sparingly and looked forward to applying it on special occasions - I just knew I would have a good makeup day if I was wearing it. 
Since my sister was getting married this Summer I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the full bottle size to wear as my bridesmaid makeup on the day as it had been so reliable and consistent previously. I bought the shade 'Ecru' from Debenhams and was even given another free sample to use first (which I was pretty chuffed about - free makeup is always good!)
I'm going to write a little pros and cons list about this foundation and give you my real thoughts about it means I have worn it in lots of situations. I've worn it briefly for a quick trip into town, I've worn it over a long day at work and I've also worn it for near enough 12 hours during the wedding. 

Pros

* I absolutely love how this foundation applies. If you apply it after moisturising it honestly goes on like a dream. It applies evenly and never looks patchy or cakey. 
* From what I can remember, this foundation cost me around £30 but I know at the time I bought it they had a 10% off offer on in Debenhams which meant I picked it up for just over £27. Although that seems like a lot of money for some beige liquid to put on your face, you are guaranteed a better make up day than if you were to have used that £7 foundation that you're not that keen on. 
* You don't need much of this foundation to fully cover your face. In fact, there have been times where I've applied too much thinking it wouldn't be enough. This also adds to its good value for money.
* The foundation does cover some flaws and some people have said to me 'Are you wearing foundation? Your skin looks flawless!' which is a good sign that it's not too cakey but also gives a lovely finish.
* Unlike quite a few other foundations, this one has never given me spots or any kind of irritation. 

So this is the foundation in action after a full day at work

Cons (there aren't many)

* I've found that, despite other reviews, this foundation doesn't cover my spots or scars. It definitely masks them slightly and makes them a lot less apparent than if I was bare faced but before I bought this foundation I was under the impression it would literally get rid of every little imperfection.
* If I don't apply this foundation after moisturising the finish can be a little less impressive. I mean, it still doesn't look cakey or patchy but it doesn't quite blend in as nicely or perfectly. Obviously this isn't a fault with the foundation in particular, it's more me being lazy and not moisturising my skin enough!
* I do sometimes have to powder my face several times during the day. It is not half as bad as some of my previous foundations at making my skin appear shiny but, on certain days, I do get that 'disco ball' effect if I don't powder at least once extra during the day. This isn't too much of a big deal and it's not something I remember happening when I tried the sample, it may just be something I am using which is slightly more oily.

So, all in all, I do love this foundation and it's definitely the main staple to my make up bag. Every time I put it on in the mornings I know I'm not going to have a makeup disaster and, to me, that's a big relief! 

Have you tried this foundation?

Love from,

Sophie

 xxx

A few days away

Hello,

For months now I've been looking forward to a couple of days away by the seaside. Now, it's officially over and I'm starting to feel the holiday blues, even though it was only a fleeting visit to sunny Brighton. I thought I'd share a few snippets from my time away to make me feel a bit better and keep the memories somewhere.

Myself and my boyfriend decided we'd go back to Brighton shortly after our time there last summer - it's the most relaxing, fun and 'cool' place we've ever visited together, despite being just a few hours away on the train from where we're from. As it was Jack's birthday, we decided it would be the perfect time to get away for a few days.
At the moment we're currently not living together due to many different reasons, so any time we do spend together is cherished. We spent our days wasting pound coin after pound coin on all the amazing arcade games on the pier (I have always been obsessed with the driving games at arcades, despite not being the best at my actual real-life driving lessons), eating salted caramel ice creams, wandering around all the lovely shops and admiring all the amazing houses and flats that are around the beach and longing to be able to live there one day. We ate out every night and enjoyed a relaxing evening at the Marina eating seriously overpriced burgers and drinking seriously strong cocktails.
Even though I'm only 21 I've already realised how grateful and lucky I feel to have a few days off work. Working life sucks (as I'm sure loads of you can relate to), so it's nice to be able to take a few days to yourself and actually make memories.
We'll be back there as soon as we possibly can, I hope one day we're able to take the plunge and move to a sea side - beach walks and sunny summers with ice creams and pier games will forever be a dream of mine!

Have you been anywhere yet this summer?

Love from,

Sophie

x

Maybelline The Falsies Review

Hello!

After religiously watching Beauty by Alice's weekly vlogs (https://www.youtube.com/user/BeautyByAlicee) I have been desperate to try The Falsies mascara after seeing how amazing her eyelashes look all day every day.
Once I'd assured myself that I definitely need another mascara in my collection I headed to Superdrug to pick it up.
I'm one of those people who has to try
out a new product as soon as I get in. I can't just leave it in its wrapper and use it the next morning, I have to find out whether or not I like it ASAP. As soon as I got in, I put a layer of The Falsies over my current mascara on one eye and immediately showed my mum the difference (am I the only one who does this?!) We were both impressed straight away.

I bought the non-waterproof version of the mascara as I tend to only use a make up wipe to get rid of my make up however it still holds my lashes all day. Its brush is shaped just like the shape of your lashes so it can really get a good hold of them and apply maximum product. I love the way it builds up over maybe two or three coats yet doesn't go all spidery and thick like old mascaras. It looks good even if you've been wearing it all day then top it up to go out at night.
Another thing I love about this mascara is it doesn't budge. Even though it's not waterproof, I have never once had any black smudges around my eyes from this mascara, even if I've been at work and out and about all day. Also, some of my mascaras look really good in the morning then, by about lunch time my lashes look and feel as if there's no mascara on them at all, which I hate.
Even better, The Falsies is only around £8 and, when I bought it, Maybelline had a 2 for £10 offer on meaning I bought a blusher for literally two quid. It's such a good mascara for under a tenner, I don't think I'd have been unimpressed if I'd have bought it for £20 as I've done with other mascaras in the past.
All in all, a solid 9.5/10 for this product, well done Maybelline.

Love from,

Sophie

x

How to get rid of breakouts FAST

Hello!

So, over the past week, I have been having an absolute nightmare with my skin. I'm pretty sure it's all down to my contraceptive pill as my problems have been gathered entirely round my chin and jaw area which makes me think it's a hormonal breakout. Nevertheless, I've been having a massive challenge to try and control my skin and get my pesky spots to disappear.
My overly-organised and obsessive self sets itself a mission if I want something done, so on day 2 of Mega Breakout I was in Superdrug stocking up on plenty of supplies to help me banish my spots, and, over the course of the week, I've picked up quite a few tricks that actually worked. Around 5 days on my spots are almost non-existent, here's what I've learnt...

LEAVE YOUR FACE ALONE

I must confess that I am an absolute menace at touching my face throughout the day. At work I will lean on my cheek knowing full well that my hands have been dealing with all kinds of situations over the morning. I'm sure you all know that our hands carry crazy amounts of germs and bacteria, so me putting my hands all over my face every day was definitely not helping the situation. If you're trying to get rid of a breakout make sure you make a conscious effort to NOT touch your face.

YOUR SKIN IS A TEMPLE

I definitely got a bit OTT with this point during my breakout but try and keep your face clean at all times, especially your breakout area. Because my chin was my main problem, I cleaned it at least three times a day. I scrubbed it in the morning with an exfoliating scrub, left it clear of makeup all day, took my make up off ASAP and ran a Clearasil spot wipe over my chin to keep on top of the cleanliness then cleansed, toned and moisturised at night. I also made sure to make sure my make up brushes were cleaned regularly and that I didn't let my face touch my pillows at night time.

I know this is a bit gross but I didn't actually pop my spots for the first few days however, thinking about it, I think my breakout would have cleared quicker if I did. After doing lots of research (mainly on Caroline Hirons' blog), I decided that I would first clean my chin area, then squeeze the pop-able spots with two clean cotton buds instead of my fingers. As soon as I was done I would re-clean the area so that no bacteria would spread and form new spots.

TOOTHPASTE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

Every night, after cleaning my skin thoroughly, I would apply toothpaste to any angry spots. I left it overnight and found it dramatically helped dry out my spots which led to them disappearing a lot quicker. Although my skin is now very dry, despite moisturising, I don't think my breakout would have cleared up as quickly as I did if toothpaste hadn't worked its magic.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT (... and drink)

And finally, if you're feeling really poop about yourself like I was during my breakout, try and make a few changes to what you're putting inside your body. I am generally quite a healthy eater but I made sure to swap my lunch sausage roll for a big, leafy salad. Not only did this probably help my skin out but it made me feel light and happy rather than a bit sluggish. It's just one less thing to be down about, yunno? You don't want to be down in the dumps because of a breakout but making sure your inside is happy will no doubt egg your outside on to hurry up and get better. Drinking lots of water and avoiding sugary drinks should definitely help cleanse your skin, also.

Have you ever had a bad breakout, what did you do to get rid of it?

Love from,

Sophie

x

Hello from the other side

Hello, it's me! (Okay, I'll stop now)

Over the last few days I've been reminiscing on all the good times I've had over the last few years. When I think about it properly, lots of these times happened whilst I was blogging. I miss the feeling I used to get of just tapping on my laptop to myself in the evenings and making a permanent memory of things that had happened.
So, although this is a very random and spontaneous post (I even had to check whether my blog still existed, I thought I'd deleted it!) I'm hoping I can maybe get back into blogging and store some more special memories in my own little space.

I wonder who else is still blogging, I've not kept up to date in MONTHS. If you have a blog and want me to have a read, feel free to link it down below and get me back up to speed.

Love from,
Sophie

xxx

A WEEK IN BRIGHTON

Hello!

 

This week I enjoyed a well-needed rest and relaxation holiday in sunny (and very windy) Brighton. It was so good to walk around exploring in the sunshine and sit on the pier with ice cream. Here are some of my seaside snaps!

We took up camp on this very bench for so long, watching the world go by.

I fell in love with a little henna shop on the pier and ended up getting this flower design on my wrist - the closest to a tattoo I will ever get!

We had such a cool time chillaxing by the beach, eating far more than we should have and making the most of the sunshine and sea air.

 

I'm already hoping to go back soon!

 

Love from,

Sophie

x