New in Beauty haul *top picks*

Who isn't a huge sucker for beauty hauling? I must admit, I don't usually splash out on several products all in one go but considering I'm jetting off for my Summer holiday soon, there's no better excuse. The brands are very samey-samey within this haul as NYX and Makeup Revolution are both the main contributers, but after reading blog post after blog post about how a amazing these brands both are, I couldn't resist picking up a few bits. *squeamish, excited voice*. I am yet to do a full face using these products, although I have had a little play around and swatched everything, so everything below is solely based on my first impressions (more in depth posts coming soon babes).

 I have only picked out a few of my so-far-favourite products, as otherwise we'd be here all day, enjoy x

NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick (06 PUSHUP)

Every blogger and their mother owns one of these beauties but honestly, I couldn't resist the hype. I'm not usually a Liquid Lipstick kinda girl as I usually stick to MAC Mattes, although these are so smooth and provide minimal stickiness, although I would say wait till the gloss has dried to gain full effect and feel of them. The whole collection follows the nude pallet and to me, many shades appear very similar. I gravitated towards Pushup as it's similar to the 'Kinda Sexy' MAC Lipstick, which I adore but have sadly used all up. A  nude-brown shade with pinkish undertones. LOVE.

I team this with the NYX Retractable Lip liner in the shade Nude. Also a huge new makeup bag favourite.

NYX Sculpt&Highlight brow contour duo (Cream/Brunette)

This is legit my new found love! I've tested this once and omg, I can NOT wait to wear this on a day to day basis.The precise applicator is perfect for shading/filling/outlining your brows, with just one product your brows are tamed and ready to go. The highlighter varies from which shade you go for, ensuring it compliments your eyebrow colour down to a T. Such a smooth product to apply too.

NYX Hydra Touch brightening pencil (GLOW)

This in effect is a highlighter but subtle, great for a day to day basis and avoids too much of a gleam on your nose and cupids arrow etc., girls, you need this. This applies on the skin like an absolute breeze, can't wait to contour with this! Think this will be absolutely perfect for brightening the under eye area to create an illuminating effect and hiding those bags.

Collection Colour Lash Mascara (Clear)

A clear mascara is my go-to product when setting my eyebrows into place for the day and at around the £3 mark, you can not go wrong.Clump free and the spoolie, obviously, provides the perfect applicator whilst brushing the brows into place.

Soap&Glory SUPERCAT Eyeliner pen

What beauty guru hasn't raved about this product? I just had to give this a go and considering eye liner pens are my favourite way to apply my cat eye liner, this was a must for myself. I only tend to wear jet black liner, which this appears to be, whilst the applicator isn't too thin or thick, resulting in, hopefully, the perfect application.

Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush Pallet (Golden Sugar)

I've been looking for the perfect holiday bronze/blush/highlighter pallet and I can not believe I found one containing everything I want for just £6! I wouldn't say this was the most appropriate range of shades for someone that's fair skinned,although with a tan you'll be looking like a golden goddess. I'm feeling Grecian vibes with this one. To my surprise, all of the shades are super pigmented too, soooo excited to play around with this on holiday.

Makeup Revolution Highlighter Pallette

Forget about splashing out on a Anastasia Glow pallete, this Superdrug alternative looks just as flipping beaut! A champagne gold, A pearly pink and A undertoned lilac shade, perfect and suitable for all skintones. They're so pigmented and if aim is to look like a glazed doughnut, this is the one for you.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I usually apply my makeup base with a brush, although I find it's not the best option if you're after the perfect blend. I've heard raving reviews regarding using a Beauty Blender for your makeup base, but I just cant justify spending £16+ on a sponge, so this was my cheaper alternative. I'll let you all know how I get on, wish me luck because I have no idea what I'm doing lol. I'll probably dampen before using as this is meant to give off a more dewy finish.

I'm always open to new makeup recommendations, so please, share your beauty secrets with me.

With love Soph x

Toni&Guy lovin'

Toni&Guy are well known for their boutique salons and hair styling products and have been for many years, they have a huge celebrity clientele, a favourite of many and retail at a reasonable price range yet, why oh why did I not try this brand sooner? The collection isn't the cheapest available but 100% worth the little extra and if it works to help tame my frizz mane which others may refer to as 'hair', then I'm sure it can help you. As a few of you may know, I am jetting off to Menorca in a couple of weeks and trust me when I say, my hair and humidity do NOT sit well together. Searching for products that completely smooth and de-frizz my hair is near impossible, although Toni&Guy give it a good shot.

To prepare myself for my summer holiday I wanted to trial of couple of their goodies, all my reviews are honest but please do keep in mind, different products, suit different hair types and I mainly wanted to aim towards a frizz-ease genre.

Glamour {firm hold hairspray}

I style my hair pretty much day in, day out and a well suited hair spray is very much a daily go-to product of mine, so finding one that will hold my hair well enough throughout the day is important. Before I found my new love, I used to solely rely on the Silvikrin Maximum Hold hairspray. Not the
best hold in the world and made my hair appear super sticky. So it was a big NO fro me. Toni&Guys'


Glamour range hairspray is their firm hold hairspray, perfect for day to night control. It doesn't appear sticky whatsoever and my hair still feels light and weightless.

  {Purchase here}

Casual {Radiating Tropical Elixir}

Although I try to avoid using heat tools on my hair, natural UV can damage our barnets without even realising, so it's always super important to introduce a protection serum into your hair routine. This serum is part of their casual range and states that you should be left with a weightless feeling and shine. Perfect for thick and course hair, like mine. This product also helps to tame frizz, so by simply applying this serum to your ends before blow drying or towel drying, it really can help to smooth your hair and prepare it for styling. Retailing at the suitable size of 50ML, it provides the perfect travel sized product, perfect for your travels this summer and a must have for your styling collection.

{Purchase here}

My De-frizz wishlist:

Marix Biolage Smooththerapie Deep Smoothing Cream

Lee Stafford Frizz OFF Keratin Spray

Bumble and Bumble Curl Conditioning Mousse

John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Masque

What are your favourite de-frizz products?
With love Soph x

AA Skincare (Frankincense&RoseToner)

A good skin routine, in my eyes, is the very basis of confidence. Look good, feel good and with 100's of skincare specialist products now on the market it can be difficult to find products that cater precisely for you. I've previously worked with AA Skincare, testing a few of their sensitive skin aimed products, including a moisturiser and a deodorant, and for the price tag, they worked wonders. Although, today's new press release is aimed across the whole board of skin types, so for myself and my ultra sensitive skin, I'm feeling slightly sceptical. 

AA Skincare say;

The Frankincense and Rose toner is a refreshing and fragrant Damask Rose water is combined with hydrating and toning Frankincense water to gently refresh and prepare skin for moisturising.

Our fragrant formulation of Frankincense & Rose combines pure natural ingredients – including Pomegranate, Honeysuckle and White Willow Bark - to create a calming and balancing skin toner for daily use.  Leaves skin revived and rehydrated, ready for moisturising - or use to refresh tired skin throughout the day.                          

On a day to day basis I use the Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Toner, which is cheap and cheerful and although I love my Simple products, who doesn't like to expand their product range? I apply my toner, once in the morning before moisturising and once again before bed. It helps to keep my skin feeling refreshed throughout the day and provides a perfect base for my moisturiser to soak in to and I was hoping this would do the same.

The packaging of AA skincare products never fail to impress. They are simply stylish and use pastel styling to add a touch of elegant colour. Very Instagrammable. The 150ml is the perfect size and not too bad for a travel essential either. As only a squirt or two of product is needed at one time, this toner should last you a good while if used correctly. The scent is very potent and does wonders for a summertime refreshing scent. As this is based as a spray rather than a normal opening, you are able to spray and refresh with this throughout the day, instead of applying product using a cotton pad. Perfect for on the go and when your skin is in need of a light pick-me-up

BONUS POINTS: My skin doesn't react. Yippeeeeeeeeee. AA are so brilliant when it comes to choosing the most natural ingredients for their products, they never fail to impress me. Whether you have oily, dry or sensitive skin, they provide everything! This toner is a must purchase if you have easy reactant skin like myself. At only £7.98 per 150ml, you're not going to break the bank either.

{Purchase the Toner here}

Other products I have tried and loved;

{Purchase here}

{Purchase here}

A huge thankyou to AA Skincare for sending me this wonderful product, go check them out;

http://www.aaskincare.co.uk/

With love Soph x

[My summer footwear]

This year I had to literally purchase a whole new summer wardrobe for Menorca and not to mention, the shoe department was lacking massively! I am not a huge fan of spending a huge amount of money and damaging the bank account when it comes to summer footwear, as firstly, we never have the weather in England to pull designer sandals off and secondly, why overspend when you can buy good quality at the fraction of the price?

Topshop Mules:

These are the only pair out of this collection of which I didn't buy this year and unfortunately, are now not available to still purchase (similar linked below). Retailing at around the £40 mark, I didn't find these little beauty's at too bad of a price to splash out on. Mules are very in this season, a must for your Summer capsule collection, and I have a feeling they're going to be hanging around for a long while to come. I do not own a nude pair of shoes but trust me when I say, they can be worn with anything and I'll definitely be purchasing similar styles and pallet range in the future! Although, warning, NOT VERY COMFY. Plasters are very much needed.

{Purchase similar here}

Primark Sliders:

Sliders are much like marmite, you either love them or hate them. To begin with, I wasn't a huge fan but now, I want more, more, more! These were only £3, YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT, ONLY £3, talk about saving money. Primark's a difficult one, as products vary from store to store, although sliders are e v e r y w h e r e, so it shouldn't be hard to find similar elsewhere,but sadly at a higher end price. So,definitely check out your local Primark first! I wish I had picked these up in the black and tan option too:( Super comfy and simple to style.

{Purchase similar here}

Newlook Wedges:

If these don't scream 'holiday' to you, then I'm not quite sure what will. I am yet to wear these, so I am sceptical about how many toes I will have remaining after this holiday, haha. Although, they look totally worth the pain, right? Due to my height (5ft 7"), I do not want to be towering over everyone in 6" heels, so these are perfect for me, coming in at only 3.5" or there about. These are more to style in the evening time and pricing at only £19.99, you can't go wrong.

{Purchase here}

Converse lowtops:

I am partial to a bit of trainer action and on holiday, who doesn't want to feel comfortable? My other trainers are super chunky, so these are the perfect choice for the suitcase or for plane attire. Can you see a white trend happening here? I'm currently a little obsessed with white, if you can't already tell. An accident waiting to happen. 

{Purchase here}

H&M fringed sandals:

Many of you know, I am currently working at H&M, and with a mighty 25% discount, I was hoping to gather as much for my holiday attire as possible from work, although was left a little disappointed  at their current stock. Although, these fringed beauts caught my eye from a mile off! Fringing is always in, pretty much every season and a tan pallet was yet to be seen in my shoedrobe, so obviously I just couldn't resist these. These can be dressed up or down, so versatile for the price tag of just £12.99

.{Purchase here}

To see these shoes styled up keep a look out for future posts! 

With love , Soph X