Sophie Kathleen

This or That Tag

Hello again beauts

I was recently tagged by the lovely Sheen from Golden and Sheen to do the This and That Tag!

This is my first ‘tag’ post and I am super excited! So let’s get right into it :) …

Make Up

Blusher or Bronzer:

Definitely blusher, I feel bronzer is a luxury and blusher a necessity haha

Lipgloss or Lipstick:

Lipstick! As much as I've tried, I haven't found a lipgloss that I really love to use.

Liner or Mascara:

Mascara!! For me my look isn't complete without it.

Foundation or Concealer:

Concealer. As long as my bags and blemishes are covered I'm happy :)

Neutral Eyeshadow or Colour Eyeshadow:

Neutral - Although a pop of colour is nice, its not appropriate all of the time.

Pressed or Loose Eyeshadow:

Pressed! I'm clumsy and make such a mess with loose powder!

Nails

OPI or China Glaze:

oooh that's tough I like both!

Long or Short Nails:

Short

Acrylic or Natural:

Natural

Bright or Dark:

Depends on my mood and the time of year.

Flower or No Flower:

Flower when its only on one or two nails

Body

Perfume or Body Spray:

Perfume

Lotion or Body Butter:

Lotion

Body Wash or Soap:

Body Wash

Lush or Other Bath Companies:

Ive only ever really used lush for there style of product, so I'm open to suggestions :)

Fashion

Jeans or Sweat Pants:

Jeans!!

Long Sleeves or Short Sleeves:

Long Sleeves

Dresses or Skirts:

Dresses

Stripes or Plaid

Plaid... its so on trend at the minute.

Flip Flops or Sandals:

Sandals

Scarves or Hats:

Scarves! I love scarves, they can really pull an outfit together.

Studs or Dangly Earrings:

Studs. just feel that they suit me better.

Necklace's or Bracelets

Necklace's. I wear my Pandora bracelet all the time.

Heels or Flats:

Wedgies :) just to be awkward

Jackets or Hoodies:

Jackets out, but for comfort I love a good hoodie

Hair

Curly or Straight:

Curly/wavy I rarely wear my hair straight

Bun or Ponytail:

Ponytail

Bobby Pins or Bufferfly Clips:

Bobby Pins

Hair Spray or Gel:

Hair Spray

Long or Short:

Long!! I hated my short hair. I can do so much more with it now.

Light or Dark:

I think that's dependent on the person. For me I have both, as my hair is ombre :)

Side Sweep or Full Bangs (Fringe):

Side sweep

Up or Down:

depends on the outfit.

Random

Rain or Shine:

Shine. although I do love siting in on a winters day and listening to the rain in my PJs with a nice hot chocolate :)

Summer or Winter:

Summer

Autumn or Spring:

Autumn

Chocolate or Vanilla:

Chocolate

I tag:

The Other Dress
The Yea Sisters

And I tag all of YOU!

Thanks for reading.

Feel free to leave your links of you've done this tag :)

until next time ... x

Starting off: Blusher

Hello Beauties

Welcome back to week 5 of the starting off project, this week is all about blusher :)

If you missed my previous posts you can use the below links:

Starting off project introduction

So then, now that’s all out of the way, let’s talk about blusher :)

When I think about the ultimate beautiful look, I think flawless skin & coloured cheeks. If someone isn’t feeling too good they tend to lose the colour in there face, and as they perk back up again they start to gain some colour to their cheeks. Having rosy cheeks represents to me a healthy person, so of course when we use foundation and concealer to cover up the imperfections in our skin we need to replace that colour. That is the purpose of blusher, of course these days; we can get so many different colours and textures, that the object is sometimes overseen. But ultimately, that is what it’s for.

Skin tones

Choosing the correct shade blusher is really important in my opinion. You should pick it dependant on your skin tone which will be one of the following

· Cool - Red, Pink or Bluish Tones.

· Warm - Yellow or Golden Tones.

· Neutral - Both Red & Yellow Tones (or neither).

· Neutral Cool - Neutral undertone but sways more to the cool side.

· Neutral Warm - Neutral undertone but sways more to the warm side

There are several ways to determine which skin tone you are

Genetics

If you have black, brown or blonde hair and have blue, green or grey eyes, you have a cool undertone.

If you have black, brown, auburn, blonde, strawberry blonde or red hair with black, brown or hazel eyes, you have a warm undertone.

Vein Test

If your veins are blue, you have a cool undertone.

If your veins are green, you have a warm undertone.

Silver or Gold?

If silver suits you, you have cool undertones

If gold suits you, you have warm undertones

Here is just a few of the test that can be carried out to test which undertones you are. Neutral undertones generally suit all of the above. Luckily I fit into that category. Which helps for the purpose of this post :)?

So how does your skin tone have anything to do with the colour of blush you wear? Well if you hadn’t already guessed, it’s about the undertones of the blush. If you have cool toned skin you are better suited with cooler blushes. If you have Warm under tones you better suited with warmer blushes. And us neutral peeps get to use both :)

I’m now going to go over how I like to apply my blusher, which is pretty straight forward. For this post I used my Avon blush in the shade revitalized. I love this shade; it’s just perfect for every day.

So once I've finished my foundation and my eye makeup I pick out the colour I think will go best to bring the look together. I like to use the smile and apply to the apples of the cheeks method, which many of you probably do too. this is what works best for me.

The below picture shows my face with and without blusher. On the right you can see me without any blusher and on the left you can see me with blusher applied. In my opinion it makes a world of difference. Don’t you think?

And there we have it :)

I hope you found this post useful in some way, next week's post is going to be about mascara.

Be sure to check out all the other girls post who are involved in the starting of project and join in the conversation on twitter using the hashtag #theSOproject

see you next week :)

Sophie

xxx

Hello again beauties J

This will be another post where I’ll be rambling about me J I’ve been nominated by the beautiful Hanan at Le beauty by Hanan for a Liebster blog award. I’m honestly so chuffed, it’s such a lovely little community to be a part of and when I’m recognised for something by another blogger it just makes posting even more exciting than it already is J

So what is the Liebster award you may ask? Well it’s an award given to bloggers with 200 or less followers; it gives us an opportunity to advertise one another and work together, which I think is brilliant.

The award comes with a few rules to adhere to, these are:

Link back to the lovely person who nominated you.
Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
Nominate another 11 Bloggers with fewer than 200 followers to pass the award to.
Come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer
Notify the bloggers whom you have nominated
If you wish, you can include 11 facts about yourself, but this is optional

So then, let’s get into Hanans questions:

What is in your make-up bag right now?

I tend to carry with me the essentials for the look I’m wearing. Today I’m on a train to Liverpool so I’m very minimal but in my makeup bag I have; Stay matte powder from Rimmel, Avon blush in Revitalized, L’Oreal false lashes mascara and my L’Occitane lippy in 04.

Favourite high end and budget make-up?

Seeing as I talked about my foundation in last week’s starting off project post, I leave that out. Apart from that I would have to say my Lancôme lipstick in Rouge in Love is just amazing. I’m a fussy lippy wearer, I just don’t suit nude lipsticks I’m a pink lip kind of girl and this lipstick is the perfect in between for me, it’s not too pink and not to pale J and its super soft but doesn’t leave your lips with high shine which I like. For budget it would have to be my collection lasting perfection concealer every day of the week. It’s amazing and is just a bargain.

What is your favourite perfume?

This is a little random and probably not what you’re expecting, but so far in life I’d say my favourite perfume would have to be. Dah da da dahhh ….. Beyoncé heat *crowd goes silent* haha I know this is a weird favourite, but let me explain. You know how you can smell someone and you’re like WOW what is that perfume, and then you try it and it just doesn’t smell the same? Well with Beyoncé, when I wear it everyone asks what I’m wearing and I’m sure it doesn’t smell the same on anyone else. Weird I know, but yeah :/

Favourite food?

This is hard! But I think as an all-rounder, it would have to be crisps. They are my week point. I just can’t say no J

If you were put on an island what 3 things would you take with you?

Hmmm probably my phone to call people, my ipad to read my books and browse the internet and finally my dogs (if that’s allowed) if not then probably a cross words book haha

Who is your favourite blogger / YouTuber?

This is really hard because I love so many but I’d probably say Tanya Burr, I think she’s just so cute and funny and I really love watching her. I also love CTFxC vlogs I have to watch them every day.

What has helped you on your blogging journey?

To be honest I don’t think I’ve been doing it long enough to really call it a journey. I think loving what you talk about is the most important thing that helps you to really connect with your audience.

What is your favourite sweet?

Ooo it has to be Murray mints J

What is your favourite thing about yourself?

Mmm I think probably my shape, there are so many things id change about myself, but I think the one thing I’m really thankful for is my shape. Even though I’m tall and a little overweight, I'd still rather be my shape (big bum, broad shoulders and smaller waist) than be really slim and straight figured.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’d like to own my own house, be financially stable, maybe married or thinking about marriage and to be in a job I love, either something related to beauty and hairdressing or to be completed or in the process of completing a mental health nursing degree

High heels or flats?

Wedges J just to be awkward haha I love wedges I could wear them every day.

There we go. Now for my questions mwahaha… jokes

What is your dream job?
What is your favourite colour?
What 3 make-up products could you not live without?
What’s your favourite item of clothing?
Who is your celebrity crush?
What is your all-time favourite song?
If you could get on a plane to anywhere tomorrow where would you go?
What’s your favourite nail varnish?
Skirts/dresses or trousers?
Any phobias? If so, what?
What’s the best thing about blogging for you?

And here are the people I’d like to nominate J

Lianne

Laura

Gemma

Amy

Rebecca

Thanks for reading lovelies, I hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about me :)

Once again thank you to the lovely Hanan for nominating me.

Until next time ...

Sophie

xxx

Starting off: Bronzer

Hello again beauties :-)

Welcome back to week 4 of the Starting off Project, this weeks post is all about bronzers.

If youve missed any of my previous post then your can check them out here:

Starting off Project introduction

Week 1: Skincare

Week 2: Concealer

Week 3: Foundation

So lets talk about bronzerrrrrrr ....... :)

Bronzer is such a great product, one that is part of my daily routine. My foundation is the perfect match for my skin however I like the sun kissed glow that bronzer gives. bronzer can be used for a few things; warming up a light foundation, giving you a sun kissed glow, as a blush if your digging that colour and even as a contour (if its matte).

So I thought I’d show you how I apply my bronzer - Estee Lauder bronzed goddess this one is a little pricy, but does last a lifetime and is really good. However a more affordable bronzer that I love is the Rimmel Natural bronzer. I’m going to show you how I apply bronzer using pictures, so let’s go :)

Using just a large fluffy brush, I sweep across the very top of my forehead, close to my hairline

As you can see from my terrible squiggles :) I then draw a 3 or E whichever way you’re looking on each side. Down my temples, across my cheek and then down across my jawline.

I also like to use a little down my neck and under my chin which can reduce the look of multiple chins.

As you can see there is more dimension to the side of my face that has been bronzed and a little more life. I much prefer the way I look with bronzer as appose to without.

Below is my finished bronzed look :)

And that’s it again for this week beauts. It’s such a simple thing to use but very effective.

Do you use bronzer? What’s your favourite?

Be sure to check out all the other girls involved in the starting off project and join in the conversation on twitter using the hashtag #theSOproject.

Next week it’s all about blusher so make sure to follow me on Bloglovin or GFC to be notified of that and any other new posts :)

Have a lovely evening,

Sophie

xxx

Hello again beauties :)

Today’s post is going to be a little more serious than id normally care to talk about, but something that has been shocked into me this week and I feel that I should touch upon the subject.

Monday started as a normal day until 10am when I called up to my friend to see if she was going out for a ciggie (yes I’m still quit, but still like the break lol). Her manager said she’d been in accident. She was ok but had gone to be checked out at A&E. honestly my heart sank. Driving to work that morning id been diverted as the road I normally use was closed. It was closed because of the accident she was involved in.

Being an anxious worrier, I did freak out and get upset but, fortunately a colleague was a few cars behind and was able to get out and comfort her. She was VERY lucky to be alive. And the only reason she was, was because her seatbelt saved her. The accident was unavoidable and involved another car which lost control and swerved in front of my friend’s car. There were 2 girls in that car, 2 sisters, and unfortunately there injuries are very serious and they are still recovering in hospital.

Car accidents are such horrific things because you cannot anticipate one happening until it’s too late. It really brought it home to me the importance of taking care whilst driving. I’ll be the first to admit that at times I fiddle around with my bag and even thought it as ok to change songs on my phone. But when something like this happens it really opens your eyes to how quickly life can change. I’ve been consciously making an effort to put my bag in the back of the car so I cannot access anything that could distract me.

I know quite a few people who don’t instinctively put their seatbelts on when they get into a car. For me it’s automatic and I always make my passengers wear them too. If your one of those who thinks, I’m only going round the corner I’ll be fine, please think twice about it. I’ve always been quite a cocky driver "I wont crash" "I trust myself" blah blah blah. But something I realised this week is that no matter how good a driver you are, you cannot predict other drivers. A scary thought, but one that is matter of fact.

I’m sure most, if not all of you are great and safe drivers, but if you or anyone you know don’t like wearing a seatbelt, please tell them to think again. They really do save lives :)

Thanks for reading lovelies, like I said this isn’t a normal subject but something that I felt a duty to talk about and to reiterate to everyone the importance of being safe.

We’ve only got one life, so let’s look after it :-)

Till next time....

Sophie xxx

Starting Off: Foundation

Welcome back beauties ...

Can you believe it’s week 3 already, where does the time go? This week it’s time to talk about foundation :) if you missed previous posts, please see links below:

The Starting Off Project: Introduction

Week 1: Skincare

Week 2: Concealer

Foundation, until recently was my number one product. Throughout my teenage years, there was no way on this earth I would leave the house without a coat of my foundation. These days I’m way more laid back and a little lazy, but for work and special occasions, you can’t beat the flawless finish given by foundation.

So most of you probably know the purpose of foundation, but for those that don’t, lets quickly run over it: Foundation is a skin coloured cosmetic applied to the face to create an even, uniform colour to the complexion, to cover flaws, and, sometimes, to change the natural skin tone. You can purchase foundation in different consistency’s including; liquid, cream, mouse and powder. Personally my favourite to use is liquid. I just find it nicer to work with and I can always layer it, and apply powder for a matter finish if I wish.

I did contemplate going for a similar structure to my last post with this one, but to be honest, I own loads of foundations, but reach for the same one every day now. So with that said, today I’m going to talk about how to find the right foundation for you and applying it :)

So where do you start with foundation? This is something I knew absolutely nothing about and over the past 5 years have experimented with. But based on what I’ve learned here are the questions I think it’s important to ask yourself when trying to find the perfect foundation.

Consistency? - What do you find easier to work with? Liquid, Mousse, powder etc. it’s important to experiment with different types, to see what works best for you.

Skin type? - This kind of goes hand in hand with the above. If you have dry skin your best option probably wouldn’t be powder as it will emphasize dry patches just the same as an oil based foundation on oily skin will not sit well and most likely come off after a few hours.

Converage? - Do you have pretty clear skin, or need a little more coverage than most? Maybe you just prefer that flawless skin finish that full coverage gives. Either way, it’s definitely something you need to look into when picking you foundation.

Finish? - Do you prefer a Matte or Dewy Finish?

Once you have pondered over the above, it’s time to go try out some foundations to find the perfect one.

Depending on your budget you can either go into your nearest boots and try some out for yourself, or go to Debenhams and have somebody do it for you. What I do like about going into the department stores and testing higher branded foundations is that you can take a sample home with you to test out for a few days which really helps.

If however you’re sticking to the drugstore, make sure you go in with no makeup on your face (eye make-up is fine). If you’re stuck between a few foundations, apply a thin stroke of each to your cheek. The one that disappears is the right one. If you are just testing one, use your jawline and try to check it in a well-lit area if possible.

I have gone through endless amounts of foundation over the years, and to be honest I used to just go grab the closest I could find to my skin from Tesco and didn’t really take much notice of the above things. That was until my sister introduced me to Lancôme. I tried a little and absolutely loved it. As soon as my next pay day came around I went and purchased some.

When I first purchased it I just went with what the lady said and went away, really chuffed with my first high end foundation purchase :) but I must admit over the past 6 months I started to notice how half way through the day my forehead was super oily and the foundation was looking a little patchy. That was when a friend told me about Estee lauder double wear light.

I went in about 6 weeks ago and picked up a sample. Like I’ve mentioned before, my skin isn’t too bad with breakouts so I'm more than happy with medium coverage. I am honestly in love with this foundation; of all the ones I’ve tried this is the best for my skin. I won’t go too much into it as I’ll be doing a full review, but it really is a great product.

So let’s get into how I apply foundation.

Once I have completed all my skincare and applied my primer (L’Oreal Studio secrets) I put about a 5 pence piece sized blob of my foundation on the back of my hand.

Using my Real techniques buffing brush I dab it into the blog and distribute it across sections of my face before buffing it in, in circular motions. I tend to be very careful around the eyes and eyebrows, to avoid creasing and clogging :) and I also like to apply a small amount to my neck.

Finally I like to use my Beauty Blender and dab it all over my face to really press the foundation into my skin, before applying my Stay matte powder.

So there you have my tips on finding the perfect foundation for you, what I like and how I prefer to apply my foundation :)

Below is a picture of me when my foundation was first applied and then again at 5 pm after hard day at the office :)

In my opinion the staying power of this foundation is just brilliant :)

I hope you have enjoyed this post. What foundation do you use? And how do you like to apply it?

Thanks for reading!!

See you next week for a post all about bronzer :-)

Lots of love

Sophie

xxx

Nicotine who?

So I’ve not posted for a few days , or tweeted or generally been in touch with the blogging world. That’s because to be honest, I’ve not been in the greatest frame of mind and have been battling one of my biggest demons.

Until Friday, I was a full time smoker. Yes a disgusting smelly smoker. And believe me it’s not something I’m proud of. Some of you might be thinking; so, what’s the matter with that. however, I have been worried of others thinking, why am I reading a beauty blog from someone who smokes, and goes against everything we have ever been told about keeping our skin and ourselves in general healthy. I know I would think exactly the same, but you know what there are a lot of things we do that we wish we hadn’t and over years people change and grow as people. Something I have definitely done over the years. That’s what I’m going to talk about today.

I was brought up around smoking, both parents and my sisters smoked, so it wasn’t something I saw as being really bad. There was never the amount of media surrounding it as there is now. I first dabbled into smoking with friends when I was about 12 years old. I can remember my first drag, it was the worst feeling. But back then, and around the friends I had, it was cool. If only I knew then what I know now, things would be sooo different. but that’s how it started, from then on I had the odd one here and there, until I started to crave and would sneak downstairs once my parents went to bed and role a few for the next day. I would sneakily have one out my bedroom window before school.

It wasn’t until we moved house when I was about 15, that my parents said "we know you smoke, we would rather you did it in the smoking room in the new house than sneak off upstairs" I was horrified that they knew, I can remember the first time I smoked in front of them, it was SO embarrassing!! But yeah, that was that, ever since I have been a full time smoker. Normally between 10-20 a day.

For me, it has always been second nature I have smoked for such a long time, that I couldn’t imagine my life without it. I'd say over the past 3-4 years I have tried quitting several times. And I don’t actually think I have gone a full day without it. Every time I’ve tried, I’ve felt down as though I am missing out on something amazing. Around June time I heard about the Easyway by Alan Carr and after some research I decided to download the book onto my Ipad. Over the next 2 weeks I read the book and following the instructions smoked my last cigarette. The following day I woke up and went to work as normal with the frame of mind I was a non-smoker. However I had a panic attack that morning and was sent home. I convinced myself a cigarette would make me feel better and had that first cigarette. It wasn’t a great relief like I had expected and after wards I felt so guilty and disappointed in myself. Yet again another failure.

Over the past year or so I have been convincing myself that smoking can wait while I try to lose weight. That was until last Sunday, actually whilst doing my #theSOproject post on concealer. Looking at those pictures I just could not believe the deep lines under my eyes (feel free to go have a gawp, there pretty bad). I’m 21 for goodness sake I know 30 year olds with better skin. Once I'd seen them that was it every day I kept staring at them until finally on Thursday I thought, enough is enough. I’ve had enough of this controlling me, making me smell bad etc. etc. so I said that’s it. This is my last packet. On Thursday night I smoked my last cigarette.

On Friday morning I woke feeling motivated. I’ll be honest, when I first woke up my brain went "Ciggie" but I ignored it. I bought an app in the morning called "stop smoking in 2 hours" and honestly I cannot tell you how much this has helped me. I have not gone a single day without a cigarette in about 8 years. This app has made me realise that smoking is a desire to get a feeling that non-smokers already have. Every time I have a craving the app has taught me to enjoy that feeling knowing I am killing that nicotine drug and my body is through the adjustment period a little more.

Like I mentioned above, I wasn’t going to post about this, however I think it’s an important and proud moment in my life. Smoking is an addiction, and it was something I took up when I was young, naive and plain stupid. I wasn’t interested in make-up, hair or anything beauty related for that matter, at that time in my life. I have changed since then, and I think this is a major step in my life and one that I am not ashamed to talk about. We all want to better ourselves, this was something I have been wanted to kick for years and I’m so happy I’ve finally found the courage to do it :)

It’s now been 71 hours since my last cigarette, you can see from the picture below how much has changed in that time already. I now have absolutely no nicotine running through my body! boohoo

I’m, sorry I haven’t posted in a while but I won’t lie and say the past few days have been easy, they have been horrific. But I’m over that initial withdrawal and ready to begin the rest of my life as a NON-SMOKER :)

I took a picture of my skin the day I quit, so lets keep an eye on how and if it improves :)

Thanks for reading guys, I really appreciate it.

Any questions let me know :)

Lots of love

Sophie

xxx

Starting off: Concealer

Here we are again :) I'ts week 2 of The Starting Off Project. If you didn't see last weeks post on skincare, you can find it here.

So this weeks post is all about concealer. what can I say about concealer, I think for all of us concealer is a must have for covering up those dreaded dark circles that our busy lives bring, as well as blemishes and spots. If you don't need it then, you lucky devil is all I can say. It can be really hard to find a concealer that works for you, and with so many to choose from these days, sometimes you can be overwhelmed.

I typically have clear skin with the occasional spot. I have quite dark circles under my eyes and also a few broken capillaries (if you don't know what these are, they are basically broken veins that look like a little red spot). I have tried lots of different concealers over the years and based on what I have used, I thought today I'd share with you, the concealers I own and what I like and dislike about them, and then conclude with my favorite(s).

Applicator concealers

These are the concealers with applicators, which generally are used for under eye circles, highlighting and can also be used for skin discoloration. because of the applicators I wouldn't recommend using these on spots because of the bacteria. we definitely don't want to be spreading those spots everywhere.

Lets start with Rimmel's Match Perfection.

I heard about this concealer through Fleur, also known as FleurDeForce a while ago, so I thought I'd check it out. I found It does cover some of the darkness, but not half as much as I'd expected. I do have quite dark under eye circle (its my genes) so if yours aren't major then this might be perfect for you. For me however its not great. That said, I do use this concealer when I'm going for a subtle highlight without all the shimmer this is great. down the bridge of the nose, and the top of my cheekbone, perfect.

Next up is Rimmel Wake Me Up

This concealer is one of my favorites, i'ts great for under eye circles and highlighting. i'ts formula is quite thick so I'd advise not putting to much on to avoid creasing. If you prefer your concealer to be more dramatic and really lighten under your eyes, then I'd recommend applying this over your foundation, for a more dramatic look.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

The final applicator concealer i'm going to talk about is Lasting Perfection by Collection. This is THE BEST concealer I have come across to date. If you haven't tried it, please go get some. you wont regret it. This is an all rounder. I use this for highlighting, covering dark circles and spots (when covering spots I use my finger to avoid, cross contamination). Not only is this concealer amazing its a Bargain too. You can pick this up for as little as £3.99 which for its quality is amazing!

Corrector's
I hadn't even heard of corrector's until one day, whilst browsing through the Avon catalog I saw the Jillian Dempsey palette. it looked awesome so I bought it and it opened up whole new world of concealing for me. Corrector's are basically concealer, however they are pigmented. mainly used for coverage of under eye circles they are typically pink or peach toned. However you can get corrector pallets with different tones like Yellow/green for covering redness. lets look at the corrector's I own.

Jillian Dempsey Avon Corrector palette (unfortunately I don't think they sell this anymore)

Even though Avon don't sell this product anymore, I thought i should add it in here anyway because it did open up the whole corrector option for me. as you can see there are 4 shades. It has lilac (top left) for brightening complexion, pink (top right) for covering dark circles, peach (bottom left) for highlighting olive tones and yellow for concealing redness. To be brutally honest this wasn't a great product, however the idea of counteracting tones rather than using one concealer was brilliant to me. This product was to sheer for me and didn't really hide much.

Bobbi Brown Corrector

So after being so intrigued by the concept of a correcter I did some research (YouTube style :p). lots of people were talking about the bobbi brown correcter so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I went with the shade yellow bisque after long deliberation. honestly this stuff is amazing. If like me you suffer with quite severe under eye issues, this is perfect. I'ts thick consistency means it provides amazing coverage. I like to apply this with my ring finger and just dab it over the darkness, applying like this avoids creasing. This is more on the pricey side, I paid £19 but believe me I'ts an investment, its lasts for ages and has honestly changed my life (how sad. ha)

YSL Touche Eclat

So with my new found love for corrector's in full swing. When I started to hear about the YSL Touche Eclat, I couldn't help picking it up. The basis of the product is very similar to the Bobbie brown corrector, however it has a liquid based consistency. I'ts lighter than the Bobbi Brown corrector and has an applicator which I actually really like. I tend to use one pump and draw strokes under my eyes, then blend with my finger. In terms of price again this is on the top end, and I don't think it would last as long as the Bobbi brown because of the formula, however if your dark circles aren't that dramatic this is absolutely perfect.

Stick Concealers

This was the first type of concealer I ever used, back in the day :) stick concealers are a typically of a matte, dry consistency and are mainly advertised as being for spot blemish and under eye circles. lets talk about the one and only stick concealer I own.

Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer

Like I said above, stick concealer was the first type I ever tried. over the years I've tried many different ones, and to be honest, having used corrector's and applicator concealers, I'm just not a huge fan (let me know if you know of one that goes against all I'm going to say). personally I think A) with cross contamination using a product like this on spots isn't great, so I always tend to use my finger, therefore going against the point of the product. B) I find that if I have a whopping spot which I've probably, maybe picked at, and its all dry this doesn't really conceal it. It makes it look dry and scabby and gets into all the nooks and cranny's. And finally C) I'm a funny one about my under eyes. I try to be as delicate as possible when applying product and just find i cant really work with this type of concealer. Over all for me I think I'm better suited to liquid formulated concealers. However, for those of you with very oily skin, this would probably work great, primarily because the coverage is actually pretty good!

Conclusion

So now that I've gave you the low down on all the concealers and corrector's I own, I'm going to conclude with which of the above are my go to on a daily basis and show you the results :)

Here's a picture of my eyes au naturale arghhh don't judge :)

On a daily basis once I've completed my skincare and left it to all soak in, I apply my YSL Touche Eclat

Blending that in with my ring finger here's the result.

If I'm going on a night out, or I know my makeup needs to last all day, or if I've been sat blogging all hours of the night and look like I've been kicked in the face by a Kangaroo, then I apply my Bobbi Brown Corrector

On a typical day, I'd then apply my Collection Concealer, unless I'm feeling a bit adventurous and reach for another from above (which is rare)

Once I've concealed the evidence of those late nights and nasty genes (thanks Ma and Pa) I'd continue with my foundation routine (and you can look forward to that post this time next week :)

Thanks for reading, if you made it through the whole post then wahoo, cos that was a good ol' ramble wasn't it haha.

Which is your favorite concealer? let me know in the comments below I have plenty of room for more :)

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are part of #theSOproject and follow me on bloglovin or GFC to make sure your informed when next weeks post goes live.

Until next time lovelies :)

xxxx

This a different style post but one I’m very excited about J

I’ve been nominated by the lovely Kammi from Beauty BookBlog, for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. I’ve only been blogging for a short while so I was so excited when I got the tweet from Kammi to say she had nominated me for this. When you put time and effort into your little space on the internet, it’s lovely to know it’s been recognised by somebody J

The rules for this award are:

Display the award log on you post
Link the person who nominated you in your post
Share 7 things about yourself
Nominate 10 bloggers you enjoy reading, link them and let them know you have nominated them

So, 7 facts about me....

I am 5'10, ive always hated being tall, but am trying to embrace it :)
I have an under-active Thyroid, and am on medication for life. don't feel sorry for me though ... I get free prescriptions for life :) wahoooo!! haha
I cant sleep without moisturising my hands and feet. Just my hands and feet how weird is that!
When im concentrating or just generally doing nothing, i tend to stick my tongue out without realising :)
I say "what" even though I heard what somebody said, then answer the question anyway.
I am probably one of the most gullible people ever. I once believed that a bridge was being built so you could walk from Britain to Europe. haha
I'm a very empathetic and emotional person. I cry to silly things all the time!

So there you have it, there's some random facts about me :)

Now for who I'm going to nominate. (some of these blogs may have already been nominated, but they are people who really inspire me)

Jennifer - The Big Burd

Sammi - Shes Looking At The Stars

Hanan - Le Beauty By Hanan

Amy - Amy's Blog

Rochelle & Natasha - Next Route Style

Charlotte - Charlotte Rose

Gemma - Lipsticks and Lashes

Lianne - The Brunette Says

Sam - Lipsticks and Lectures

Sara - Sookiespartan