I hate shopping at the best of times. There, I said it. But the January sales in particular drive me up the wall. Why should I enjoy battling through chaos in the local shopping centre, fighting my way past nutters who have been up since some ungodly hour just so they could be first in line to blitz their way through a horrific mess of seasons-old clothes which are still overpriced in spite of their offensively unavoidable red signs promising 'up to' 50% OFF!?! I find the red signs unsettling, alarming even. The amount of people in the shops who are downright aggressive needs policing more efficiently! Why are the clothes never tidy, or organized, or even *gasp* in a good condition? Why do brands think I am dumb enough to ignore the 'From £60 to £58' tags on the item and only pay attention to the horrifically misleading, 'up to 70% OFF' sign in the shop window, with 'up to' in the smallest font known to humanity *ahem, TOPSHOP, ahem*? If I didn't want the shoes over a year ago when they were priced at the same 'bargain' price of £30 why the hell would I want them now??? I absolutely do not want to go and waste my Christmas gift vouchers on things I would never normally buy if they were full priced, so why on earth do some shops completely clear their floors of new stock, just to shove the old stuff which nobody wants down my throat???
Welcome back for the fourth and final instalment of Hautefuture's Beauty Awards or my 2012 Holy Grail of Beauty. So let's get on with it...
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Cleanser...
In First Place... Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleanser is winner for 2012. It is really gentle whilst simultaneously exfoliating my skin and opening up my pores. The best way to wash my face in 2012 was with this genius product.
Must Buy In 2013... I really want to try some Origins skincare and they do a foaming wash which is my kind of thing. Also, I want to invest in a Clarisonic Mia... or a cheaper alternative. Does anyone know of a cheap version I can buy?
Fancy seeing you here! Back for Part 3 of my 2012 Holy Grain of Beauty? Well, welcome! I've really enjoyed choosing my favourite products for these awards but I'm even more excited about the products which I am hoping to but in 2013. Its great being able to write my Must Buy list on my blog so I can't forget what I am saving up for. Anyway, let's see what other products are on my 'Re-Purchase For 2013' list...
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Eye Liner...
In First Place... I am actually really disappointed with 2012 in terms of eye liner. I have tried many and thought they were fine, but not a single product has really stood out to me this year. Even my beloved Fabuliner felt-tip liner by INCOLOUR in the USA didn't cut the mustard this year as it has been fading and transferring to my upper-lid. Other products which haven't set my loins alight include Maybelline's Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner, Benefit's BadGAL, Soap and Glory's Smoulder Kohl and Barry M's Liquid Liner. Disappointing.
Must Buy In 2013... I just need a good eye-liner that won't transfer to my upper-lid or melt in the outer corners of my eyes. Any suggestions?
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 :)
So following my initial disappointment in Max Factor's Lasting Lip Tint back in May (the review for which can be found at http://hautefuture.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-max-factors-lipfinity-lasting.html), I was determined not to let my desire to find the perfect felt-tip pen style lip stain go unfulfilled. Despite the fact that I was very disillusioned by this first go at the idea, I was still hopeful, and why shouldn't I be? It's a great concept... a non-transferable lip product with an applicator which allows for almost perfect precision... what more could any girl ask for? And so my mini-quest began. I tried the Max Factor one for a little while longer and my mind actually was ever-so-slightly altered as I realized that perhaps I'd been a little too hard on the product. Yet I still purchased the Revlon and Maybelline equivalents just to be sure that I was using the best on the drug-store market... here's my story...
Max Factor's Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint in Berry Burst £7.99 at www.boots.com
So when I tried the product the first time, as the blog linked above suggests, I was really unimpressed. The color wasn't very strong, it didn't last very long, the brush molted (for lack of a better word) felt-y spots
of pink material all over my lips, my lips were dry and the color actually bled quite a lot before drying permanently. But then I gave it a few more tries just to give Max Factor a chance and the Lip Tint actually grew on me. I liked the sweet but subtle taste, the color was actually quite alluring and provided I didn't lick my lips a lot or eat the color stayed put. I didn't think much of the pen tip after I'd tried the other products as the felt used was obviously not very good quality and it allowed the product to dry out really easily, meaning that nowhere near enough of the product could be applied. Basically it still left much to be desired... Scorecard time!
Staying Power - 6/10
Flavor - 8/10
Color - 6/10
Softness of lips - 2/10
Applicator - 6/10
Product dispersal - 5/10
Packaging - 8/10
Value for money - 3/10
TOTAL 44/80
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain and Balm in Gothic £7.99 at www.boots.com
This product gave me a good feeling, particularly as part of the problem with the Max Factor version was the dryness in my lips afterwards... when I used Lasting Lip Tint I actually had to purchase a new tube of Carmex (£2.69 at www.boots.com) because my lips were so raw. My initial optimism for this product was not unfounded...
I love Just Bitten. The felt tip is really thick and soft, meaning that when you apply the product it glides on smoothly. The formula is nice and thin upon first touch which is exactly what I want as it allowed my lips to get an even coating before it set dry (but not too dry!) on my lips, plus, somehow, despite this fluid consistency, it didn't bleed past the lip-line I'd outlined with the pen before complete application. The color was
really vibrant and didn't need a second application, suggesting that you get more out of your money and the product will last longer in my make-up bag, RESULT!
It's almost unfair to judge the lip balm at the other end of the pen, as the other two tints don't have one, but you know what, shame on them! They really should have a balm, and I am eternally grateful to Revlon for attaching one. In fairness, it's not the best lip-balm I've ever used, and yet it does the job. Keeps your lips moist enough to allow the product to feel comfortable on your mouth. On the other hand, using the balm does mean that the product is no longer non-transferable, although perhaps that is just in my experience, as I saw a faintly colored lip-balm stain on my wine glass during dinner. Then again, this is a sacrifice I'm prepared to make as the look and feel of this product is worth putting up with that minor inconvenience! Only thing I noticed lacking was a scent or flavor... I'm not particularly fussed about that though!
Staying Power - 8/10 without the balm 7/10 with the balm (it still gets 7 as it was only really the balm that came off and not so much the actual color, which is totally acceptable in my book!)
Flavor - 5/10 (no flavor at all... inoffensive, so I don't mind.)
Color - 10/10
Softness of lips - 9/10
Applicator - 9/10
Product dispersal - 10/10
Packaging - 8/10
Value for money - 9/10
TOTAL -68 and a half/80
Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstain in Shy Red costing £5.99 at www.boots.com
I was pretty impressed with this product as I found it better than Max Factor's Lip Tint even though it was £2 cheaper. Although it still didn't quite beat Revlon's Just Bitten...
Whilst the consistency of the formula was similar to Just Bitten, thin, easy to apply and non-transferable once dry, it actually didn't give as much color as I would have liked. Having said that, the flavor and scent of
the formula was really pleasant. Plus, the tip of the pen was really good at lining my lips as the point of it was particularly sharp so it was easy for me to sketch and extend my natural lip-line a little further out, making for a plumper lip-look.
One thing I absolutely did not like about this product (and I know I'm just being a product snob here...) is that the packaging looks super tacky. I don't even like the name. I'm sure I can get over it though, I mean the price is right and the product is an excellent base to any lipstick meaning that even when you're lippy fades, or rubs off, your lips still look a healthy rosy color. Epic success. Let's get down to business...
Staying Power - 8/10
Flavor - 10/10
Color - 7/10
Softness of lips - 7/10
Applicator - 7/10
Product dispersal - 7/10
Packaging - 2/10
Value for money - 8/10
TOTAL - 56/10
Conclusion...
So there is a clear winner! Revlon actually did the best this time. I practically have nothing to complain about their product apart from that a sweet flavor would be a welcome feature. In terms of good value for money, it's fantastic, because you get a long-lasting lip stain AND a smooth moisturizing lip balm for just £7.99. On another point, you really can't go too far wrong with the Maybelline option as whilst it isn't perfect, it is priced fairly and generally is a satisfactory product.
Anyway, let me know what your experienced have been with these products. Perhaps you know some other alternatives and can help me on my search for a perfect lip tint? Until I find such a product, I'm pretty content to work with Revlon's Just Bitten!
Thanks for reading, please rate, comment, like, follow and subscribe :) It would be a great help!
Hope you enjoy this tutorial for my interpretation of Topshop's Smoke and Mirrors look! This is the look which I find to be the most wearable New Season Look what with it making the most of the tans we got over the summer (dust it up a bit more with some extra bronzer for the 70's tan that's so popular right now), creating a shimmer-matte mixture eye which looks so sophisticated, plus that low maintenance pinky-hue nude lip... what's not to love? Vamp it up for extra glam with false lashes and quadruple coatings of thickening mascara, and don't forget the lash curlers! Bar the bronzer (matte is best for the tan-effect), think dewy for the rest of the complexion... mixing metallic liquid bronzer in with your foundation makes for a great base, painting it on with a foundation brush and adding champagne-colored highlighter wherever the light hits will keep your look bang on trend!
Obviously there are variations you may want to make on this look... a golden eye could be nice, as could a more neutral lip for daytime, or if you really want to amp up the bronze then dust a few coatings of a bronzer with shimmer reflects over the top of the entire look... might do that for a night out myself!
As usual, all of the products were purchased them with my own money and I have not been encouraged by any company to do this tutorial... Nonetheless, I love the effects and totally and completely 100% recommend the products. This is what they were all called and how much they cost:
Benefit Foundation Brush -- The exact one I use is no longer available. However, benefit offer a new two-tone synthetic brush which I have heard great things about... this can be purchased for £19.50 at www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk
L'Oreal Paris New True Match in Sun Beige W6 - £9.99 at www.boots.com
MAC Lustre Drops in Bronze Hero -- UNAVAILABE Sorry... the worst part is that I am really struggling to find a dupe for this product... perhaps the Multiple Bronzer by NARS in Rapa Nui at £29 on www.narscosmetics.co.uk
Benefit Hoola Bronzer - £23.00 at www.boots.com
Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Cheek Tint in I Pink I Can -- UNAVAILABLE but No7's Blush Tint Cream Blush at £10 in 15 Blossom is a good dupe with a more velvety consistency!
MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel - £17.00 at www.maccostmetics.co.uk
MAC Mega Metal Shadow in Peek-at-You -- UNAVAILABLE it seems like this has been discontinued However, there are tons of colours which actually work better... try Crystal Avalanche which is £11.50 at www.maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC Eye Shadow in Shroom - £11.50 at www.maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC Eye Shadow in Outre - £11.50 at www.maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC Eye Shadow in Woodwinked - £11.50 at www.maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC Eye Shadow in Romp - £11.50 at www.maccosmetics.co.uk
Victoria's Secret Metallic Eyes -- UNAVAILABLE :) Sad times... I only used the champagne colour from this palette though and I think that the aforementioned Crystal Avalanche by MAC can double up here!
Revlon Grow Luscious by Fabulash Mascara - £9.99 at www.boots.com
Benefit Brow Zings in Medium - £22.50 at www.boots.com
EcoTools Brush Collection - £15.31
Let me know what products you might be substituting in, or if you have a preferred New Season Look which you would prefer for me to do a video tutorial on... but remember I'm already going to be covering the New Spin on a Smokey Eye later on this month, so be sure to check back for that!
If you are interested, please follow me on Twitter at:
Please rate, comment and subscribe and I promise there will be loads of beauty, fashion, lifestyle, culture and gossip material going up on here each week :)
Hope you enjoy this tutorial for sweat-proof makeup! This is the look that took care of me during a whole summer working in the humidity of Orlando Florida 16 hour days in the baking sun, so if this doesn’t work for you then you have problems... :P
All of the products were purchased them with my own money and I have not been encouraged by any company to do this tutorial... Nonetheless, I love the effects and totally and completely 100% recommend the products. This is what they were all called and how much they cost:
L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer- £10.29www.boots.com
No7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser - 50mlin Medium - £12.00www.boots.com
Finally having arrived back from what was shockingly quite a testing summer working in Walt Disney World, I am now as eager as ever to maintain my blog. My summer was incredible, really, it was.
My days off were some of the best in my life so far, and yet, Working for the Mouse taught me that when I do eventually choose my official career path, I can't just slog through five days a week just because my two days off are good fun. It has to be something which I'm passionate and excited about, something that gets me up and out of bed at the crack of dawn with a smile from ear to ear. While I was going about some menial task like using my 'Disney Point' (a two-finger point as it's apparently more polite) to direct the thousandth guest over to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular which was clearly sign-posted for all to see, or explaining to a guest that, "Yes, the three o'clock parade is in fact at three o'clock" I remembered the words of Liz Earle and many a wise person before her... 'If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.' I wondered to myself if I had ever worked such a job and immediately my work experience at Conde Nast Traveller leapt to mind.
My next few days were spent pining over how much I adored completing even the dullest tasks when working at the magazine; organizing the travel library, handing out the post or scouring the newspapers for the latest in travel news. I started to imagine where I want next for my work experience, or where I wanted to go to study my masters in magazine journalism and how I can work towards that. Of course, the first thing I thought of was by working on my blog. A platform which I can use daily to get my written word out there is invaluable to me and almost as soon as I thought it, I actually wished to myself that I was home, blogging on an almost daily basis.
So that's what I did. I came home. I came home early and terminated my Disney International College Program, changed my flight and three days later I was back on English soil.
With a new academic year comes a new look for my blog. I want this to be almost like an online magazine, a 'blogazine' if you will. Almost daily I will post various stories from fashion pieces, to beauty tutorial videos to relationship features and all that's in between. I have even posted my schedule for the month of September, just like a 'Contents' page so you know what is coming...
But enough of that, hopefully you'll all get used to the new look and can see just how much work I'm going to be putting into this blog from now on, so please tell your friends, get involved, rate, comment, like, follow and subscribe if you can; it would be a great help! :)
The moral of this 'Letter From the Editor' is that life is too short to waste it doing something you don't want to do. Don't get trapped by the financial stability, or the pride of the people around you, or even the ease of the tasks required of you. If you do then you run the risk of spending five sevenths of your life being painfully unhappy and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Don't be afraid to be a quitter if it's really not what you want, and don't be afraid to shoot for something you think is totally out of your comfort zone. Follow your dreams, reach for the stars. You'll thank me one day :P
Love
gabriellasofia
*What's in this month?*
2nd September - Video - Beauty - Tutorial: Sweat-Proof Make-Up
3rd September - Blog - Fashion - My Autumn Musts
4th September - Blog - Health - The Importance of a Balanced Diet and Frequent Exercise
5th September - Blog - Feature - Age Gaps in Relationships
6th September - Video - Beauty - Tutorial: The New Season Look
9th September - Blog - Beauty - Review: Lip Stain Comparison
10th September - Blog - Health - The Number-One Stress Related Syndrome in Young Adults
11th September - Video - Hair - Tutorial: The Re-Birth of the Hair Braid
12th September - Blog - Guest Feature
13th September - Blog - Beauty - Review: Clarins Eclat du Jour Range
16th September - Video - Fashion - A Mid-Month Haul!
17th September - Blog - Feature - Are You A Feminist?
18th September - Blog - Feature - Why Good Customer Service is More Vital Than Ever
19th September - Video - Beauty - Tutorial: A New Spin on the Smoky Eye
20th September - Blog - Beauty - Beauty Without Breaking the Bank
23rd September - Blog - Feature - How the Mouse Stole My Magic...
24th September -
Video - Nails - Tutorial: Disco Ain't Dead
25th September - Blog - Fashion - Who's That Girl?
26th September - Blog - Guest Feature
27th September - Blog - Fashion - How I'm Wearing the New Season's Trends...
30th September - Video - September Faves
Hope you enjoy this month's blog as much as I enjoyed writing it! What are you most excited for?
Video - Nails - Tutorial: Disco Ain't Dead