My Everyday Make-up #1

You know you love make-up when you actually look forward to putting on your face every morning. There was a time when I used to do half my face at a time just so I could see the difference the products made (I was late to everything at that time!). I like to experiment with lots of different products, especially foundation, but lately i've been sort of sticking to the same natural-ish look and just switching up my lipstick depending on what i'm wearing. 

So here is my everyday make-up. I usually put it all in a little basket with a small mirror and do my make-up in bed whilst watching an episode or two of Friends (US Netflix is possibly the best thing that's ever happened to me). I love a natural smoky eye, with a little bit smudged underneath. Strong eyebrows, purely because I love them, and cheeks with a natural looking flush. 

There are some products that i'd like to do more in-depth review on, but they'll come later on. I just feel that i've got myself a bit of a routine and found a lovely combination of products that really work with my skin, so thought i'd share it with you. 

Here are the products I use below:

Products

Maybelline Dream Smooth Primer

Benefit Erase Paste in 'No.1 Fair'

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in '010 Light Porcelain'

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Fair'

Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in 'White'

Max Factor Creme Puff Pressed Powder in 'Translucent'

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in 'Medium Brown'

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in 'Chocolate'

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Stay-Put Primer in 'Light Medium'

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in '65 - Pink Gold' and '35 - On and on bronze'

Benefit They're Real Mascara

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in '02 Fair Matte'

MAC Archie's Girls Pearlmatte Face Powder in 'Veronica's Blush'

MAC Lustre Drops in 'Pink Rebel' 

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in '01 Nude Beige'

What do you use for your everyday make-up? Is there anything I should be trying? Let me know below.

Happy Sunday! x 

The Body Shop Vanilla Gift Set

This little set has been in my 'to-review' list for such a long time (Since my birthday actually, as it was a present from Beth and Chloe), which has meant for about three months its been all sad and unused in a box under my bed!

Vanilla has to be my all-time favourite scent, so i've been so excited to use all of these products from The Body Shop. This gorgeous tin contains a small soap, body butter, shower gel and body polish all smelling of vanilla with a hint of honey.

Of all the products included, i'm most impressed with the body polish. It smells the most realistic out of the four and leaves my legs feeling stupidly soft and even a little bit brighter! The only annoying thing is that I like it so much that I tend to overindulge when it's not necessary meaning that it didn't last long. The shower gel has been my second most-used, but I have to say i'm slightly disappointed with the scent - it smells slightly like plasticine! However, it's gentle on the skin and lathers really well. The body butter is pretty bulk standard - the formula is the same as the traditional full-sized butters, but with the vanilla scent it makes the whole experience of moisturising a lot more indulgent and enjoyable. I am yet to use the soap if i'm honest as i'm not really a solid soap person, but i'm liking the little flecks of vanilla on the surface - I may keep it in the kitchen to give my hands a bit of TLC after doing the washing up.

Overall this is a really fun little set that's a perfect present for someone who's either really indecisive (Yeah, that's me .. I love everything.) or new to The Body Shop. I'm also really loving the octagonal tin; it's currently storing some of my nailcare :) Have you tried any of these products? What are your favourites? 

Unfortunately this set was limited edition but The Body Shop are always bringing out new versions of the butters and polishes for £5-£6 and they currently have a lovely range of vanilla perfumes.. you can take a look here!

The Body Shop's Vanilla Duo Body Butter

If anyone has met me in person (Or follows me on instagram: @sophieelaine), they will tell you that I love vanilla more than anything. My room constantly smells of either vanilla ambi-pur or an assortment of vanilla candles. Along with a body spray, body lotion and solid perfume, it just seemed silly not to have a body butter thrown in for good measure!

This vanilla body butter is just one of the four twin-pot moisturisers that have graced the shelves of The Body Shop, providing two types of moisturisers to target certain areas and enable you to moisturise your entire body without having to purchase another product.

One side is a light cream suitable for all-over moisturising in areas that are only in need of light moisturisation, and on the other is a much thicker cream suitable for areas with particularly dry skin such as knees and elbows. Both enriched with the indulgent scent of vanilla, ingredients include cocoa butter and babassu oil. I applied these products after showering, and found that the lighter cream was actually more hydrating than the thicker one. I found the thicker cream really hard to apply, and even harder to sink in and I found myself applying the lighter cream over the top as I felt it was so thick it was just simply sitting on the skin. However, when I have a spare hour I like to apply the thicker cream onto areas such as knees, elbows and feet and just leave it to sink in for a few hours, but this cream is not for those who are in a hurry.

Overall, for £13 this is a product that covers all the bases when it comes to dry skin. Although I found I still needed to use a tiny bit of the lighter cream to ensure total moisturisation, between the two creams I can safely keep my skin hydrated and leave myself smelling like an old-fashioned sweet shop - what more could anyone want?

You can purchase The Body Shop's Body Butter Duo's for £13 each at your local store.

The Body Shop's 'Honey & Oat 3-In-1 Scrub Mask'

I must say, i've been really excited about writing this review. Anything with honey as a key ingredient in it gets an immediate thumbs up from me, as it's so relaxing and really works wonders on my skin.
I received The Body Shop's Honey & Oat 3-In-1 Scrub Mask as part of a gift set from my friends mother to say thank-you for house-sitting whilst they were away (Very generous!) - so here it is!

I've never really trusted multi-use products, as i've always felt that being a 'jack of all trades' has never been as effective as being an expert in one area, so I will admit I was slightly hesitant as to whether this scrub would deliver results in cleansing, polishing and moisturising as it promises. It uses Fair Trade honey, along with soft oats that enable the scrub to gently buff away dead skin cells, making it suitable for sensitive skin.

On first application, I was shocked at just how soft the scrub was. Usually large grains put me off of scrubs because I don't find the application enjoyable, but even the application of this product soothed me! It's very thick and luxurious, however its very easy to distribute and you only need a small amount of product to cover your entire face and neck. It is advised to leave on for 5-10 minutes, but I always feel you should leave it on for the maximum amount of time in order to achieve maximum results. When having a browse on other reviews for this product, it came to no surprise to find that this was infact a Body Shop best seller! It's amazingly gentle, smells gorgeous and if you apply whilst relaxing in the bath it almost feels like your receiving a luxurious spa treatment!

Overall, this has got to me my favourite scrub mask and most definitely my favourite Body Shop product, and all for a reasonable £10. I would definitely recommend this for someone who wants the perks of a scrub without the harshness of rough grains. It's a no-brainer for beauty lovers with sensitive skin!

You can purchase The Body Shop's 'Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask' from your local Body Shop or online here.

Review: The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradeable Shower Gel!

The environment has always been a big concern for me, and now that i'm more interested in beauty than I ever was it has become more important than ever that I am still as committed to doing my bit for the planet.

Therefore, when there is an eco-friendly option...for anything really, I definitely take it! Which is exactly why I decided to try The Body Shop's Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel.
The Body Shop have always prided themselves in being against animal testing, encouraging and supporting fair trade and protecting the planet, but this product is by far their most eco-friendly yet.

The Earth Lovers body cleansing range comes in six different scents:

• Lemon & Thyme
• Pear & Lemongrass
• Apricot & Basil
• Watermelon & Eucalyptus
• Cucumber & Mint
• Unscented (So it's actually 5 scents!)

 As you can see, even the scents are all natural, including herbs which I found quite strange at first. I've smelt each one in the shop, and they smell gorgeous. Not riddled with chemicals or overpowering, just a fresh subtle scent. I decided to try the Lemon & Thyme, only because I was feeling quite citrus-y that day, but I have also tried the watermelon & Eucalyptus and cucumber & mint.

 I love that there is no colour, it only emphasises the fact that the shower gel isn't harmful and you aren't washing your body with chemicals.
The product doesn't contain sulphates, parabens, colourants and is soap free, but it does contain lots of cleansing agents so your skin does have the same outcome. I found that because of this, it doesn't lather up as well as other shower gels, so you have to be a bit more vigorous with the scrubbing in order to create a lather. However, the gorgeous scent is strong enough to linger on your skin way after drying off, but it certainly isn't overpowering.

An added bonus is that because it's quite difficult to lather and 100% biodegradable, the suds disappear quickly from the bottom of the shower, making it easier to clean up at the end - it's also good to know that the suds aren't poisoning the ocean by being riddled with harmful chemicals that cannot be broken down and essentially ruins the sealife.
The lack of chemicals means it doesn't irritate the skin, and can be used on anyone with even the most sensitive skin. I suffer from bad rashes on my legs, and when I used the cooling cucumber & mint, I found that it reduced the redness and soothed my sore skin. You can even use it on babies and small children, because it's so gentle on skin.
After use, you can pop the bottle into the recycling knowing that it will be re-used again and again which is excellent, as many beauty products are simply thrown into a landfill.

It's amazing that you can be contributing so greatly to the protection of the natural environment just by switching to another shower gel, costing just £5 for 250ml.
It is a perfect product for anyone who is concerned for what they use on their skin, and for anyone who simply cares about the future of our environment. Either way, this is a top-quality product without the nasty chemicals.