My Top Seven Winter Lip Picks!

Hey there!

I know I haven't posted anything new in a while, so I'm hoping to redeem myself with this photo-heavy post about my favorite lip colours of this season! I thought I'd post it now as we all know that lip products are perfect stocking-filler size, so I figured you might want to add some of these items to you Christmas wish-lists...

Lets get started with a swatch-shot of all seven colours... or three shots in a variety of lights, since you want to know how the colour will fare in a variety of situations right?

So here are the colours swatched in natural light;

From the top, the photograph shows my Topshop lipstick in Rumour Has It, my Rimmel Moisture Renew in shade Electric Plum, my favourite MAC lipstick in Sin, Revlon's Just Bitten Lipstain and Balm in Frenzy, a Dior lipstick which my boyfriend got for me as a little surprise (I'm not sure what the colour is because can't spot it on the package... but the number on the bottom says 455), my lush Long-Lasting Lipstick from Estee Lauder in Rose Candy and finally my Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm in Peach Sheer Tint!

And then I took a shot with flash indoors, and one without also. I think these shots are good for letting you know what kind of finish the colour has, sheer, matte, silky, glossy etc.

So here are the actual products, and as you can see in the swatches, I've put them in colour order, starting with the palest pink, going through the richer purples and then to the more nude shades.

First up is the Moisture Plus Peach Sheer Tint by Carmex. This product cost me £4.49 from Boots and it is literally one of my ultimate Holy Grail products. It is perfect for winter as it's super-duper hydrating and keeps the cold weather from turning my lips dryer than the Sahara. Plus, the cute pinky-peach wash of colour means I can roll out of bed in the morning, slick this on and be ready to go!

Next up is my Rose Candy Long-Lasting Lipstick from Estee Lauder. I actually got this free at one of the Inspire and Mentor events with Marie Claire a couple of months back but it retails at Boots for £18.50. Again, it is a great product for winter as it's really hydrating. But this time the colour pops a bit more which I think is gorgeous when I'm wearing my thick cream scarf and my hair down!

Thirdly is another high-end product. This Dior lipstick in shade 455 was a little luxury treat from my boyfriend a few weeks back. It seems to have been discontinued since, but there is a new lipstick from Dior in a similarly yummy colour (called Londres) for £22 at Debenhams. Anyways, enough about that. I love this colour because it is quite a deep pink almost plum colour (the photo doesn't really demonstrate quite how deep it is...) Plus, it smells like Parma Violets candies which I love :)

My fourth pick is a product which I never would have expected to be on one of my favorites lists, and yet Revlon's Just Bitten Lipstain has actually grown on me since my previous comparison review of it which can be found here... Perhaps it's because this shade - Frenzy - is a little subtler than the previous one I reviewed - Gothic. Nonetheless, I'm a convert. Again, the photograph isn't quite true to the shade... It seems the lighting made the colour appear more subtle when in reality, it is quite red. I like to wear it underneath Topshop's Rumour Has It and also Carmex Moisture Plus as the colour can sometimes be a little too over-powering needing a nude wash over the top. Howevever, it's also fantastically buildable! I'm glad the lip-balm is included though because it can be really quite drying. It can be bought at Boots for £7.99.

This is one of the sexiest shades of the season. Sin by MAC (£13.50) is just so vampy and chic... it looks dangerous! I like to use my finger to apply it and build it deeper and deeper so it acts almost as a stain. It can dry the soft skin on lips out quite a lot which can obviously be remedied with a slick of balm over the top. However, it's a shame really to use a balm as the real seduction in this shade is the matte effect... It's worth it for a day or so of dryness!

My Moisture Renew by Rimmel in shade Electrick Plum was the first lipstick I ever had. We've been through ups and downs, we've laughed, we've cried, we very nearly died (not really, but it rhymed...) and yet, this is still one of my fave shades for A/W because it is so rich and purpley without being too outrageous for everyday use. And I do wear this almost every day. It's nearly all run out now (which makes a lot of sense as I've had it for about four years... I know it's unhygienic and I should have gotten rid of it a while ago, but I always use a brush to apply this and heck, I love it so screw the rules!) This can be bought at Boots for £6.29.

Finally, my Topshop Limited Edition lipstick in Rumour Has It (£9) has been one of my favourite purchases this season. Although alone this shade does have that kind of 'concealer-on-the-lips' effect that I HATE with a fiery passion (as can be seen in this photo) when layered over any colour it adds a creamy, velvety nude variation on the shade and just makes lips look so kissable! It's a great buy, trust me! Get your hands on one quick though, because once the season ends, so does the collection!

So that's it! What do you think of these shades? This is my first post including lip photos, and I took them all myself so I know they're not perfect. Does anyone have any tips for taking lip photos? Also, I was shocked that my Top Seven Winter Lip Picks didn't include a bright red! This is very surprising to me as I usually love vibrant reds for this season, and yet this year I'd hardly noticed the absence of one... How bizarre. Maybe I should invest? Anyone have a favorite red lip shade?

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you'll be purchasing any of the shades :)

Love

gabriellasofia

x

HauteFuture OLD Outfit of the Day 13th September 2011

I know I've been terrible recently. This past week has been so intense at uni as it's nearly Christmas and I'm trying to make sure I have done all the work necessary before I head off home for a month worth of writing 8000 words :( Sounds grim right? Anyways, this means I really haven't had a lot of time for my beautiful blog! Just because I haven't been able to post any big reviews or write reams about a random topic doesn't mean I don't have time for ANYTHING, so here is a video that I found in the dark shadows of my laptop. I recorded it last month but it managed to get lost somehow but EUREKA it is found! Haha. I'm thinking of uploading some old videos I recorded last year also so that other bloggers/vloggers in the community can see how I've improved, but it's a big step to take as they were only really supposed to be practices and I never thought anyone would see them... Should I upload them anyway? Tell me in the comments below!

So this is what I wore to work one bright sunny day in September. What do you think? What do you wear to work?

Hope you enjoy the video and I'm so sorry it's up so late! It's sometimes hard to keep up with all of my ideas lol!

Most of the items are one or two seasons old and I say in the video how much the new ones cost and where they are from, so I'm not going to go through all that in this description box or I'll be here forever, and I'm already running late for my seminar!

Without much further ado, if you liked the video, please do check out these other pages...

Please follow me on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/hautefuture

Keep track of my channel where I post a bunch of hauls, tutorials, OOTD's and more at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HauteFuture

Also check out my facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HauteFuture/149057205180776

Please rate, like, follow, comment and subscribe and I promise there will be loads of beauty, fashion, lifestyle, culture and gossip material going up on here each week :)

Thanks for watching, guys and I'll see you soon!

Love

gabriellasofia x

Review - Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel

Put yourself in my position...

My skin was looking pretty dry on my forehead and my minor abrasive exfoliant by Soap&Glory wasn't really cutting the mustard any more... The situation was dire, but since my love for the brand is pretty much unconditional, I didn't want to swap to another brand... Perhaps just another product?

So I figured that since the little exfo-beads in Scrub Your Nose In It weren't strong enough to slough off the dead skin, I would try a different exfoliating method entirely. Once, I went for a spa weekend with my ex and during my facial I was introduced to a 'skin peel' where a thin layer of a thick creamy product was distributed across my face and soothingly rubbed until it dried and began to (disgustingly but effectively) flake off along with any dead skin cells. I absolutely LOVED the concept and I like being able to literally SEE the removed skin, plus the new fresh layer left underneath was so soft and moisturized! So when I was searching for a new type of exfoliator, I decided to see if Soap&Glory offer something similar.

Imagine my excitement, when I saw the name 'The Fab Pore Facial Peel'! I thought, 'YES, THIS IS IT, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!' I wasn't wrong per se but Soap&Glory's offering wasn't quite what I would have expected from the name.

In my excitement, I bought the product without investigating the claim, so I guess I'm the one to blame. Here is the product claim... Hindsight is a beautiful thing!

***

The Fab Pore™ has an intensive pore refining action with our exclusive PORESHRINK-R COMPLEX™. Ideal for greasy, spot prone or problem skin, or for a strategic attack on a misbehaving T-zone.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Rub a grape-sized dollop into your face and massage in circles until the green beads have all dissolved. (those with a high tendency for clogging should concentrate on their t-zone, chin, or areas with large, open, or problem pores.) Leave on for five minutes for a quick refresher, or fifteen for a real deep-cleaning do –it- yourself kind of ‘facial. Rinse well, and follow with your favourite Soap&Glory moisturizer. (How’s that for self-promotional?) Repeat 2-3 times weekly.

***

So in fact, the product doesn't claim AT ALL to offer any exfoliating properties, although it does contain 'beads' usually designated for dry-skin-scraping.

You can imagine my disappointment when I opened the product and found a pore-refining face mask (I did of course know my pores would benefit even if it was an exfoliating peel as it is said in the name). I thought, 'Just try it, maybe once its on for 15 minutes you can rub it off like a peel and have a two in one product' grasping at straws. Needless to say it didn't go to plan. The Fab Pore Facial Peel was in fact just a mask.

Before I review the product, I really must emphasize my disappointment. I know that I should have read the claim and done my research, but I do find the product name really quite misleading, 'Facial Peel'. This is not a peel, in that nothing is removed. If I was a meanie, I would have written to request my money back. And yet I conceded that I was wrong and put it in the 'Life Lessons' part of my brain, accepting that the product might have merits of its own. Luckily, I was not wrong.

Irritated I smoothed some of the thick creamy mask over my entire face and sat in a strop for fifteen minutes. The minty smell began to bring me round, along with the mildly tingly feeling (I love when you feel a product working its magic) and by the time I'd rinsed it off and realized that my previously noticeable black-heads were now none existent I was a total convert. This product really is a winner.

The effects lasted for days and my make-up went on so much smoother than usual. Not to mention I actually began using powder sparingly and only a dusting on my T-Zone, whereas before I used to absolutely cake it on because my skin was so oily (aka sweaty) looking. Since using this product, I finally feel I can rock the 'glowy/healthy/dewy' look for the first time ever.

So to conclude? This is a great product and totally worth the £8 that it costs. IF and only if, you are looking for a pore-refining-blackhead-reducing face MASK and NOT a facial PEEL. I'll seriously never get over that. Having said that, my clean looking visage is definitely a more-than-adequate consolation prize! Purchase The Fab Pore Facial Peel by Soap&Glory at www.boots.com and let me know what you think! Was I fair to be disappointed? Or am I just being pre-menstrually unreasonable?

Love

gabriellasofia

x

Review - Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle in Bold Buff

Hi there!

So today I'm blogging about my new favourite nail product around and let me tell you, it will save your nails! Haha, big promise, but I have every belief that this product is (as it's name would suggest) a miracle for nails. Sally Hansen's Nailgrowth Miracle in Bold Buff is a creamy nude-coloured, french pink shade which is really pretty and shines like the light of the sun. Seriously, it's such a nice formula, I've had people comment on how healthy my nails look and questions like, 'Wow, how do you keep your nails in such good shape?'

What is the product claim? Well, that's the sad thing... Sally Hansen is a brand which is constantly developing and evolving, so despite only buying this from www.boots.com about three months ago, the colour seems to have been discontinued in order to make space for the next best thing! That 'thing' being a gold-bottled clear polish by the same name. I even can't get Bold Buff on the Sally Hansen website, which is a shame really as I'm pretty addicted to it. Anyways, I assume the claim for the gold bottle is the same of that for the pink colour, so here goes...

'Salon Strength Treatment 30% longer-looking nails in 5 days!

You'll get stronger, harder, yet flexible nails which grow longer.'

And it's as simple as that. I totally 100% agree with the product claim. I tend to directly apply two coats to a newly buffed nail then apply a new coat every day. There is no need for a base coat whatsoever, it's great! After just four days, I saw that the part of nail at the base (near my cuticle) had about a millimeter of unpainted nail and I couldn't understand it. That's until I realized that my nail was about a millimeter further past the tip of my finger than four days earlier. No joke, my nails had grown a millimeter or so in four days.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know that our nails grown every day. However, I've never noticed it like that before. Even when I'm wearing darker polishes, I've never seen the growth from nail bed before. This colour doesn't really chip, and I swear to God if it wasn't for the fact that once I have a thick enough coating of polish I have this apparent obligation to peel it off (so satisfying) then I'm sure I would have a nice thick covering still intact even now, a week and a half later!

As well as the fantastic treatment the formula provides, the colour is oh-so-feminine and makes my hands look like those of a classy Hollywood movie star.

Ten out of ten for Nailgrowth Miracle and I think every girl looking for healthy nails with a shiny polish should invest considering you are effectively getting a salon treatment at home! It costs £9.65 on www.boots.com and is totally worth the money.

Love

gabriellasofia

x

Winter Flu-Fighting Foods: Honey-Ginger Salmon with Brown Rice and Asparagus...

Make sure you get as many vitamins in your bodies as physically possible, in order to ward off any cheeky viruses flying around...

It's that time of year when there are tons of grimy germs rocking around and I have no intention of letting them into my temple-like body! So how to fight them when they are absolutely everywhere?

Well, a lot of it is obviously about diet. An orange a day keeps the flu-virus away! But that's obvious right? Did you know though, that red peppers, yogurt, nuts, green tea, mushrooms, tomatoes, salmon, butternut squash, asparagus cheese, garlic, ginger and even dark chocolate are also flu-fighting power foods? Well, they are! So is a meat-eaters recipe I've just thrown together to keep your mingy colds at bay... I will post up a vegetarian option before next week.

For Carnivores... Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 Salmon fillets

1 drizzle of cooking oil

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

The juice of 1 lime, plush lime-meat (should be super pulpy!)

Finely chopped coriander

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

3 stalks of asparagus per person

2 cups of brown (or white if you want it to be less healthy!) rice

COOKING METHOD

1) Pre-heat the oven to 200C gas mark 6. Cover a baking tray with foil, drizzle it with cooking oil and place each salmon fillet on the oiled foil. Don't put in oven just yet!

2) Boil a saucepan of water with teaspoon of salt. Once it is bubbling, pour the rice into it. Once the rice is in, turn the heat down until it is lightly simmering (tiny tiny bubbles) make sure the water does boil (big big bubbles) by turning the heat a bit further down if it does. Put the lid onto the saucepan and stir the rice ever 6-8 minutes to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Brown rice can take anything from 25-45 minutes to cook depending on your technique and how you like it, so keep an eye on it and taste it every now and then!

3) Make the sauce! Mix the ginger, garlic, lime meat, lime juice, soy sauce, coriander and honey together. I often mush it all together to get the flavours all out and mixing.

4) Put your knife into the top of the salmon fillets three times before pouring the sauce evenly over the salmon. Cover loosely with some more foil and wang the baking tray into the oven. It should only take about 15 minutes, but slice a fillet in half to make sure it's cooked through, if not, give it a little longer.

5) Boil a couple of inches or so of water in a small-ish sauce pan. Chop the bottom of the asparagus off (you don't want any stringy stalk if you can help it!) Rinse them through, then pop them into the beastly-boiling water. Pop the lid over the pan and let it do its thing for about 5 minutes then taste it. If it needs longer it will be super chewy, so you should leave it for a bit longer. If not, stick it on a plate... it's ready!

6) By the time you've been through all this palaver, your food should be ready to serve. Divide the asparagus out onto the four plates, covering about half of each plate. Using a fish or cake slicer lift the salmon fillets from the foil... this might be hard at first as it may stick to the foil. Place each fillet on top of the kale and scrape any sauce left on the foil onto each piece of salmon. Finally, divide the rice across the four plates into the remaining half of the plate. FINISHED! Bon appetit!

I cooked this for my mom tonight, and surprisingly she seemed to really enjoy it (I'm surprised because she doesn't like honey, ginger, or even soy sauce that much...) I'm sure she wasn't just pretending because if you know my mom then you know she really doesn't mince her words when she dislikes something, no matter how much effort you've put in! Haha, bless her.

This meal is a nice winter warmer and is full of tons of vitamins and minerals which will help you keep naughty illnesses at bay. Hope you like it... I invented the recipe myself and I think it's rather yummy if I say so myself.

Enjoy guys!

Love

gabriellasofia

Jewelry Review - QueenVictoriana

So today I'm writing a review I've been excited about for a while... I'm so excited because this is the first time I've received a freebie and been asked to write an impartial review about it.

QueenVictoriana is a vintage inspired jewelry line designed and created by University of Birminghams English student, Ellie Dobson. With an array of beautiful designs at reasonable prices ranging from £5 to £15, your unusual 'bling' is sure to catch the eye of most passers-by. I love this range especially because there are so many styles to choose from... Chunky pearl chainwith old watch parts making up the pendant? No problem. Skinny brass chain with a remarkably ornate key hanging low? Head to QueenVictoriana! Circus-themed heart-shaped locket on a gold chain with multi-coloured enamel? Ellie's got it!

I was invited to select a £5 item from the collections and I selected this beautiful bird-pendant hanging from a clear bead attached to a skinny no-nonsense chain. When I received the item it was lovingly placed into a white pouch which I'll be using to keep little bits and bobs in (probably for my random stud earrings or for any little gems I might be using for nail art or eye jewel tutorials!)

When I opened the pouch and emptied the cute little necklace into my hand, I had to admire it for a couple of seconds before putting it on. It's really quite simple... A bird hanging from a chain... But it was honestly so pretty I had to stop and look! Very cute indeed.

Just look how sweet it is!

What I especially love about this necklace is that it is so subtle and sweet, it doesn't draw too much attention to my cleavage (which is a big problem I have with any kind of hanging necklace as the pendant needs to be positioned in the right place so it doesn't look like it might get lost between my breasts!) Just check it out...

The design is so classy and sophisticated, but at the same time adds such an eclectic look to any outfit... That's what QueenVictoriana is all about! Being different without being tacky. That is something that I definitely think more young girls need to be aware of! I think it looks great with this Forever21 kimono, but it would look just as gorgeous with a plain black T-shirt. You've got to love versatile jewelry right?

So, to conclude I would say that QueenVictoriana is an excellent investment... The great thing about classic, vintage-inspired pieces is that they are timeless, they'll never go out of fashion because they've already survived numerous eras already and I don't see them going 'out' anytime soon. Also, if necklaces aren't quite your thing (firstly, what is your problem??? But secondly,) then check out the gorgeous brooches and earrings Ellie makes. They are just as striking and gorgeous, here are just a couple of examples;

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to QueenVictoriana now and treat yourself, your mother, your boyfriends mom, your friend and your grandma... Christmas is coming up and these pieces would put the 'WOW' into any party outfit! Plus, if you add HAUTEFUTURE10 at the checkout then you'll get an awesome 10% off!

Hope you like the review and be sure to come back and let me know what pieces you like or actually buy, I'd love to hear from you!

Love

gabriellasofia

My Christmas Wish List... Updated Regularly...

Dear Santa Claus,

Thank you very much for my presents last year... I really enjoyed the X Factor concert with my mom and sister, I've used my hair curlers about a million times and I absolutely loved my dictaphone as I've used in many of my lectures to help me to take notes. I'm surprised that all of the university books you bought me didn't weigh down your sleigh! Hopefully it will all pay off in June which is when I should hopefully graduate.

I've been a really good girl this year. I've been working really hard at university and I've been very good to my family recently, as I've been living at home this semester and commuting to uni. I occasionally cook, wash the dishes, collect my sister from school, clean out the cats' litter tray and go to the Co-Op to fetch bits that my parents need. I promise I'll be just as good next year.

Of course, in return for my good behavior, I have a few things that I would like under the Christmas tree this year, if I may be so bold :)

Please could I have...

An Amazon Kindle

Kindle books...

Some benefit goodies... Especially 'they're real! mascara', 'chacha tint' and 'moon beam highlighter'

Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Volume Collection from Boots

Books about starting up an online retail business...

Soap & Glory Goodies of ANY DESCRIPTION

Lush Goodies of ANY DESCRIPTION

Gold-looking jewelry from Forever21, Topshop, Miss Selfridge etc... Stud earrings, long hanging necklaces, big rings... Here are some examples but anything similar will do!

Subscriptions to any of the following magazines...

NAILS INC!!! Anything, especially the magnetic polishes or this massive collection of minis...

A good quality eye make-up brush collection... This ones from Sigma would be perfect!

Santa, that's all I can think of right now, but I will be updating this list as and when I think of other present ideas. I know I won't get ALL of these things, but they're just some ideas. Perhaps you could hand this list over to my friends and family so they know what to get me too?

Thanks Santa, I really appreciate it. As usual, I will leave you a mince pie and glass of milk on the window sill at the top of the stairs. And some kidney beans for Rudolf... It seems he didn't like them last year as he left a very rude message on the plate (it said 'F*k You... he even spelt it wrong!) Beans are good for him though, so you should really try and encourage him to eat them (he doesn't want to end up on the naughty list, does he?)

Anyway, I'm super excited for Christmas day and I'll carry on being a good girl :)

Love as always

gabriellasofia

x