Urban Decay Electric Palette

Hi everyone!
I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday and not having to rush around buying last minute Christmas presents, which I have to do! I've just had a birthday (I'm now 23.. ahhh!) and I thought i'd write a post about an amazing present I got from Rob - the Urban Decay Electric Palette.

It's so amazing!!! I've wanted this palette for so long, and I think Rob finally got the hint after I dragged him to the UD counter in our local department store for the millionth time to swatch the colours on my hand. I've watched a lot of Youtube tutorials around it, read all the blog posts, so you can understand my excitement. The Electric Palette is a palette of 10 brighter-than-bright eyeshadows in a variety of finishes - matte, satin and shimmer. There are exclusive colours like Freak (neon green) and Chaos (cobalt blue), although each colour is equally incredible (My favourite being Fringe, which I didn't actually use in this look!). Each shade is made with their Pigment Infusion System, resulting in shadows with incredible colour payoff with serious staying power. The palette also comes with an amazing double-ended brush and a huge mirror on the inside of the lid, making application really easy. 

Tada! Here's me, looking seriously creepy. It's hard to know how to pose when you're wearing this sort of make-up! This was my first attempt at some crazy colour combinations from this palette, and I have to say that I am totally in love with it. I used this tutorial by Emma Pickles (my all-time favourite beauty blogger!) although it looks a lot different with my tiny eyelids. I chose to not wing it out because basically I thought it would look really rubbish on me, but i'm amazed with the results.  In hindsight I can see areas for improvement, but overall I am impressed. The colours blended well and you need hardly any product at all to create this vibrant look. I used Jilted, Urban, Freak, Thrash and Revolt, alongside Blackheart and Strange from the UD Naked 2 palette. I mainly used the double-ended brush, although I did use a fluffy brush from Eco Tools for blending. I finished off the look with some Magenta Lip Pencil from MAC, followed by MAC's Heroine lipstick. I don't know how often i'm going to use this palette, although I really want to as the colours are just insane. I'm definitely going to experiment with more YouTube tutorials and try to come up with combinations on my own to try out. So if you loved experimenting with colour or just want a make-up look that's bound to turn heads, the UD Electric Palette is most definitely for you.

Get your hands on the Electric Palette here for £38 or at your local Urban Decay counter. 

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection

Well hello there!

Once again, it's been a while. I've been finishing up my time at Good Housekeeping (they asked me to return to help out for another week after my holiday!) and i've come back to Southampton where lots of exciting things have happened. I got engaged, although technically that happened a few days before I left for GH, and was offered a position as Editorial Assistant at Childrensalon. So i've spent the past few days flat-hunting for myself and Rob in Tunbridge Wells, and yesterday I found a flat, which (subject to referencing!) will be mine in a few weeks. So yeah, it's been busy. But now I have a couple of weeks before I start and i've got loads of goodies to blog about - starting with this lot! 

Urban Decay is a brand we all know, but in my opinion, most people just associate it with their Naked palettes. So when I had the chance to try out their new Pulp Fiction collection*, I was excited to see what they had to offer that wasn't from their Naked range. The collection was inspired by Mrs Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, and gives beauty lovers the chance to recreate her edgy look. Consisting of an eyeshadow palette, lip-liner, lipstick, nail polish and glittery eyeliner (Which she didn't actually wear - nice plug, UD!), its got a little bit of everything to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary.

The eyeshadow palette (£17.50) contains five super-pigmented colours, a double-ended brush and a step-by-step guide to achieve Mia's look. As an avid Naked lover, I was excited to try this the most as I knew the quality of the shadows would be amazing.

The packaging is amazing - completely different to any other eyeshadow packaging i've seen. On the front it features the Ezekiel passage, with "Be cool honey bunny" stamped on the back. The inside features some lovely black blood splatters - apparently the blood was originally going to be red, but it was thought to be too gruesome! To be honest, because of the intensity of the outer packaging, the colours were not what I was expecting. However, looking at pictures of Uma Thurman in character, the eye colours are quite similar. 

The lip pencil, appropriately named 'Mrs. Mia Wallace', is a deep blood-red version of their 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils (£13). It's really creamy, highly pigmented and has a gorgeous matte finish once applied all over the lips. I think this is a bit darker than the shade she wore, but it's gorgeous all the same and looks perfect with the matching 'Mrs Mia Wallace' Revolution Lipstick (£15). 

I'm annoyed, as in the light the lipstick looks like a burgundy shade but it's really a gorgeous deep red. It's a lovely creamy formula and is entirely waterproof, making it perfect for a night out. 

Wow, my lipstick skills need some serious work! I have to admit, I wasn't the biggest fan on the shape of the bullet, as it made it quite difficult to get precise lines without having to use a lip brush. I can't seem to find mine, so had to make do with what I had. But as you can see, the finish of the lipstick is gorgeous. It transfers a lot - onto glasses, food, Rob's cheek - but it doesn't smudge or lessen the intensity of it. I can't wait to wear this on a night out, or even during the day if i'm feeling particularly daring! I think the classic colour makes it perfect for every skin tone.

I really enjoyed recreating her eye look, as it isn't too crazy and out of my comfort zone. I completely forgot about taking a picture of the step-by-step guide, but to achieve the signature look you begin with 'Righteous' from the lash line to the brow, then apply 'Tyranny' all over the lid. Then apply 'Vengeance' in the outer corner, and use 'Anger' as a soft eyeliner which can be brought out to a wing. Complete the look by applying 'Furious' on the brow bone as a highlight. In hindsight, if a good primer is applied beforehand 'Righteous' isn't really needed, but its nice to use the whole palette. What i'm most impressed with is the eyeliner - I can't believe how easy it was to apply and how highly pigmented it is! If I don't wear the complete look all the time, i'll definitely be using the black shadow as a liner. 

Overall this is an amazing little collection, and even though I didn't get a chance to try it all, if the eye liner and nail colour are half as good as the shadows and lip colour, i'll be happy :) 

You can get your hands on the entire Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection from September 1st. 

Start Saving! My Favourite Fashion and Beauty Bargain Websites

Ever since I began this blog back in September, I have to admit that it's taken its toll on my bank balance. I'm not complaining in the slightest because there's nothing else I enjoy more than purchasing new products and reviewing them, but it does get quite difficult at times - especially now that i'm interning and only working part-time on weekends. So i've compiled a small list of my favourite websites that I use to snag fashion and beauty bargains, and hopefully you guys will save a few pennies too!

1. Buyapowa

I was introduced to Buyapowa through various twitter accounts, and was immediately sceptical due to the reduced prices on well-known brands (Your first thought is: "They have to be cheap dupes, right?"), but this has quickly become one of my favourite places to purchase beauty items.
Buyapowa is a site that bulk buys items (Not just beauty, but that is what features mostly) and then gives people the opportunity to purchase the items at a lower price - the actual price determining on how many people join in on then co-buy. Essentially, it is: The more people get in on it, the lower the price gets. Recently they have featured items from OPI, NARs, GHD, and Morrocan Oil - read my review here. The only problem is that there are limited items available to co-buy, but you can put in request for what you'd like to see featured, and even haver the opportunity to recommend the co-buy to others (The person who recommends the product to the most people gets the item for free!). This is perfect if you have your eye on a particular product, and you can save up to 50% off of the original retail price. It's so much fun to see the price drop, and I love browsing the items to see what I can save money on next!

2. Studentbeans

Studentbeans is a discount website aimed at students, if you didn't guess! It's packed full of special offers, freebies and discounts from practically every store and service imaginable. Gyms, restuarants, cinemas, shops and adventure days, but what I like the most is the beauty section that is jam-packed with offers of free samples and codes for discounts off of both full price and sale items. It's great to have a browse and try and snag some freebies, however I have found that some of them are outdated and you sort of have to sift through the rubbish to find a good one - but i've found discount codes for stores such as Topshop, The Body Shop and New Look, as well as samples from brands such as Maybelline.

3. Shop It To Me

This is a website that specialises in being an online personal shopper. I personally cannot stand the sales in certain highstreet stores (River Island, i'm sorry, but you need to sort it out!), so this website is perfect for me as you can be sent through via email a personalised list of sale items from your favourite stores. Ranging from designer to highstreet, you can complete a short questionnaire online which helps customise the search, meaning that you'll only get sent the brands that you love. Obviously I can't shop on a daily basis, so i've chosen to have my Shop It To Me email  sent once a week, but you can choose to have an email sent daily or monthly! It's great being able to sift through the rubbish and shop the sales from the comfort of your own home, without having to scroll through endless pages and navigate through various websites - it's all there and waiting.

I know there's probably plenty more, but these three are my most used. I'm always on the hunt for more, so feel free to comment below with your favourite bargain websites!

On a more personal note, i've recently had my bedroom turned upside down and been bought a new bed for an early 21st birthday present - hence why I haven't filmed my Cosmopolitan Blog Awards video like I said I would on twitter. Now it's back to normal, i've decided that i'm going to start filming some vlogs, to add a bit of versatility to my blog :) I have no idea what i'm going to talk about yet, so if anyone has any suggestions please feel free to contact me!

P.S.: I've been asked repeatadly to give a shout-out to Mattie, who actually suffered injuries whilst putting my bed together for me yesterday, and is also a frequent reader. So there you go, HI! :)


Be sure to vote for Sophie Says for the NEXT Newcomer Blog Award at this years Cosmopolitan Blog Awards HERE!

Review: Lush's 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' Face Mask

I love Lush. I simply can't get enough of it. It's eco, unique and smells incredible! So when I wanted to have a relax on one of my rare nights off from work, I knew I had to get a Lush face mask. I was told to get this particular face mask as it was specific to sensitive and oily skin, and it contains antioxidants that help soothe and calm spots.

One of the key ingredients are fresh blueberries, which I love because you can actually see little chunks of fresh ones when you put the mask on your face. It also includes talc and camomile (Perfect for sensitive skin!) and almond oil to soften your face.

To be honest, it doesn't look too attractive, but trust me, it's great! It comes in such a small pot you'd think you'd need to use the entire contents, but there's so much packed in there that there is enough for as least three uses! I had to put it on quite thickly, but to be honest I didn't want to miss a chance of it soothing my spots so I layered it on thick. I kept it on for five minutes and then washed it off with warm water. Instantly it felt like my face had been cleared of all the rubbish and I was left with a fresh new layer of skin! It felt as though my face had never been as clean as it was right then! My spots weren't as red and I couldn't stop feeling my cheeks.

It retails at £5.50, which may seem a bit steep for some. But for three usages, I think it's completely worth it. The only negative comment I have is that as it has to be kept in the fridge it starts to bring the moisture to the top so you have to pour the liquid away, unless you like a more watery mask!

Review: Witch Blemish Stick

I was flicking through the latest Cosmo and came across this beauty when they were reviewing the best spot treatments. Since starting University i've been really stressed out trying to get back into the routine of being in education, and whenever I get stressed I tend to break out. So I thought i'd give this a try.

It claims to: "Break down excess oils and fight the bacteria that causes spots".

The key ingredient is witch hazel (Hence the brand 'Witch'!), which a natural growing plant that helps soothe and balance problem skin.

What I like most about this product is the simplicity. You just push up the stick from the bottle of the tube, and apply to the problem area as much as you'd like. There's no " Make sure you wash your hands." or "Only put it on once a day.", it's just apply whenever you feel like! What I also like is that when you apply it you feel a slight sting. I know this probably isn't a good thing for everyone and sometimes it can be quite painful so be careful, but it makes me feel like it's working against the bacteria and it's healing my skin.
It's compact and brightly coloured, so I can always find it when it's buried amoungst my things in my bag.

I put it on once every hour or so for about 6 hours before I went to bed, and I woke up in the morning it seemed to have sped up the process healing my spots. Most of them were almost completely healed and the redness had gone. You need to persist with it until they are completely gone because the bacteria can always linger, but it literally likes a second to sweep it across your face whenever you need it.

It retails at £2.75 in most pharmacies and supermarkets (I got mine from Boots!), and it does the job. Pure and simple.

My favourite moisturiser: Clinique's Moisture Surge

A few days ago, a lush sales assistant was advising me on how you need to moisturise your skin to tone it down after a facial scrub. She said to me:

"A girl needs three things in life: A comfy pair of shoes for when she's on the run, a good mattress for when she's laying down, and a good facial moistruster for when she wants to look fabulous doing both."

So I thought i'd share my favourite moisturiser EVER. It's Moisture Surge by Clinique, and it is incredible. I first discovered it when I bought Glamour magazine (Or it could have been Cosmopolitan, to be honest I can't remember which one!) and they were giving away free tester tubes.
The mistake I made was squeezing out quite a liberal amount and dabbing it around my face. Immediately I felt how light it was, and I ended up having to take some off and rubbing it into my neck and on my elbows so it wasn't wasted. When I finished the tester and bought the 15ml pot, I began tipping it upside down for a second and then just using the bottom of the lid as the amount I put on my skin.

Clinique describe this product as 'Extended thirst relief', and it's crazy how accurate that is. As I was putting it on, it was as if my skin had soaked up masses of water and I instantly felt refreshed and cooled down. It isn't oily, and is perfect for after you've just endured a facial scrub or have just got out of a hot shower and your skin is tighter. It can also be used for other parts of the body aswell, like your cuticles to keep them soft and moisturised during colder months.

It retails at £30, which I know is steep. But you only need less than a pea-sized amount to cover your face, so it really is good value for money.

I don't think I can rave any more about this product, I just recommend you pop down to your nearest Clinique stand and ask them to sample a tester. You'll be amazed :)

My Favourite Christmas Nail Polish!

Nail Polish in Shade 36, Accessorize - £4

If this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. I was in London on Monday doing an interview, and decided to browse Accessorize in Waterloo Station to pass the time before my train arrived. I usually don't like going into Accessorize, as I tend to forget that I have a budget and buy anything I can get my hands on. I found this amongst the dull shades by the till (To be honest, they were that dull but in comparison to this colour..), and for £4 I could not say no.

I had to use two coats to completely cover the nail, and each coat took just over a minute to dry which is rare for such an inexpensive polish. What I love most about this shade, is that what you see is what you get. Although my nail painting skills aren't the best since my nails became short, you can see that the colour on my nails is exactly the same as it is in the bottle.

Whenever I look at my fingers I instantly think of Christmas, which is enough to cheer me up any day :) All in all, a wise purchase and I will definitely be going back to Accessorize for more colours.

Review: Revlon 'Top Speed' Nail Enamel in Emerald

I think I said it in a post before that I was trying to expand my nail polish collection (I've been going from buying at least 3 a week to buying one a month!) and that I was lacking in greens. So, I was feeling pretty festive as I browsed the make-up aisles in Boots and came across this gorgeous matte green polish from Revlon. I always think you can't go wrong with a strong matte colour as they always look just amazing on your nails as they do on the bottle. By the way, because it's night there is no natural light,so the flash makes the colour slightly lighter than it actually is, it's a forest green!

The bottle claims it only needs one coat, and that it takes 60 seconds to dry, and it's completely right! First off, I hate still being able to see the nail underneath the polish, it's just pointless! But after applying (Quite liberally, just incase!) quickly there was no hint of my natural nail in sight. I was precise enough to actually time the drying time to see if it was over a minute, and by 60s my nails were bone dry. Result :)


Please ignore my temporarily short nails, they keep breaking off because they're getting too long! As you can see it's a gorgeous woody green, and reminds me of the colour of a Christmas tree :)
It retails at £6.49 from Boots, which I think it's amazing as the application took two minutes, and the drying time is only a minute.

Excellent value for someone like me whose always on the go and can't afford to be wasting time blowing on my nails to make them dry! I recommend 100 percent.

xo

How I Tackle Oily Skin!

I never really realised I had oily skin until I used 'Take The Day Off' Cleansing Milk by Clarins. It was amazing at taking off my make-up, but I wasn't informed by the salesperson that it was for people with particularly dry skin so it was really oily. After that, I realised that my skin was naturally red and oily and it was very difficult to make my foundation stick for more than a few hours.

I will say this now, and no doubt I will say it again: Lush Cosmetics.
I cannot get enough of this shop! I went in there and asked what they recommended, and I ended up purchasing two products that I can no longer live without:

Photograph taken from Lush Cosmetics website

I usually do my cleansing routine in the shower, because it can get kind of messy! Firstly I use my Fresh Farmacy cleansing bar. They sell it at £4.50 for 100g (Which I think is enough!), and it's basically a calamine lotion in a solid form. It's ingredients include tea tree oil (Which is renowned for battling oily skin) and lavender oil which soothes the redness. What's great about this product is that it doesn't actually include hardly any soap, which they have intentionally avoided to reduce the impact it has on the skin. I use this bar by wetting my hand and lathering it up with it until my hand is totally covered. I then cover my face with it, massaging as I go and then wash it off with warm water. I love feeling my face afterwards, because it feels as though all the dirt and rubbish has been washed away! I use this every time I shower.





The next product I use for every other shower I have, because it is technically a scrub which can be harsh on your face. It's called Dark Angels and can be purchased from Lush for £5.95. This is excellent value for money because there is so much compacted in the pot and it definitely does the job! The scariest thing about it is that it is jet black, and doesn't smell particularly pleasant. That is thanks to the charcoal, Rhassoul mud and black sugar "which together make a very absorbant and exfoliating cleanser".
Before you use this, please make sure you don't have anything white or lightly coloured e.g.: A bath mat or towel lying around, as it can stain!After i've used the Fresh Farmacy, I take a small amount in my hand (On the container it says 'penny-sized') and lather it up with some water so it forms a paste. I then massage it into my skin until it is completely covered. I then wash it off with warm water, leaving my face feeling tight and clean, with all the excess oil washed away. The only negative comment I have about this product is that it's shelf life is only three months, and for the amount you are supposed to use and the amount of times it's recommended to use it you end up wasting a fair amount.

I've found that this routine has reduced the redness on my face, and that the loss of oil has made my make up stay on longer. My skin feels healthier, cleaner and is extremely soft! These two products are definately two of the best that Lush has to offer and I don't think i'll ever try anything else!

What are your cleansing routines?