A Year of Blogging

Sophie's Realm is one year old today!

My first ever post was made on Saturday 7th February 2009 and it was all about my everyday face routine. At this stage I do not think I owned any MAC eye shadows and I was raving about the Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette; which has now been passed on to my Mummy.

What got me into blogging?

I had been watching You Tube beauty gurus for a while after searching for a video on how to perfect a smokey eye look. I think one of the first people that I stumbled across was Jjacks48 or MakeupByTiffanyD. From that I came across Lollipop26's You Tube and then blog and I was inspired and it went from there really.

I may not update as much as other blogs but I do still enjoy writing posts and I love reading all of the posts of bloggers I follow.

Plus Size Outfit of the Day

My blog has been quiet recently and this is because I have not been spending much money on all things beauty related as I have been trying to use what I have in my collection. My money is now mostly being spent on clothes, so I am going to include this more in my blog.

Being more conscious of what I am wearing was one of my 2010 resolutions. I used to wear the same clothes all of the time, which usually consisted of jeans and a black top of some sorts but I am now trying to think about how I dress more and spend my leftover money on that rather than cosmetics.

Being a bigger girl, a UK size 20, I got to the stage where I grew frustrated with the high street and lack of options and this was one of the main reasons that I always ended up with my fail safe outfit. I now realise that I need to look in stores that I might not have usually and also be a bit braver in the choices I make.

Not the most exciting outfit but it is comfy, the layers keep me warm and I like the colours.

Oversized navy cardigan - Sainsbury's (I'm a bargain hunter)
Brown vest top - Primark
Dress/Tunic - Peacocks
Jeggings - Dorothy Perkins
Brown Suede Boots - Evans

I am definitely going to be including more fashion on my blog as it is what I am most interested in at the moment. There will still be beauty posts though!

January Favourites

A few of my favourite products from January. Some of these items were new to me during the month but others have been in my collection for a while.

Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base SPF15
This has become a daily essential for me now. Check out my previous post on it, here.

Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist
This is another product that I have recently mentioned on my blog, but I love it so much that I take it everywhere with me.

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Pots and Pans'
I have had this product for about a year now and very rarely used it. I have been using it as a base for a grey/silver smokey eye and with UDPP as a primer this has lasted well.

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW 15
I used to use Studio Sculpt at the beginning of 2009 and when it ran out I did not purchase it again as I wanted to try other concealers. After trying MAC Studio Finish, Benefit Boi-ing, Benefit Erase Paste to name a few, I decided that I did actually love the Studio Sculpt one and I repurchased it a few weeks ago. It is such a soft and creamy concealer that is easy to work with and gives good coverage.

MAC Eye Shadow in 'Woodwinked' (Veluxe Pearl)
Woodwinked is a antiqued gold shadow. I have either been using it as a crease colour with 'All That Glitters' as a lid colour or 'Wookwinked' as a lid colour with 'Bronze' on the outer v to define.

MAC Pigment in 'Grape'
I love wearing purple as it brings out the green in my eyes. I have been using this pigment with another MAC shadow 'Shale' and I have enjoyed wearing this combination as the colours go well together.


Bach Rescue Remedy Balm
I received this to review and although I have not got around to doing the write up yet, I have been using the product a lot. With 6 flower essences, this product has a scent that is similar to the Bach Rescue Remedy spray that we all know. I have been using it as a lip treatment as well as rubbing it on my temples when I am getting a little snowed under at work.

Clinique Blushing Blush Powder in 'Cupid'
This is an item that I seem to have forgotten about but once I rediscovered it, I have been wearing it a lot. Cupid is a 'shy dusty pink' that gives my cheeks a pretty glow when wearing it. It's not chalky and has good pigmentation and staying power.

Sigma SS168 Angled Contour Brush
Normally favouring a standard blush brush, I have turned to my angled contour brush to apply blush. The size and shape of this brush allows me to sweep some colour onto my cheeks effortlessly and it applies it just were I need it.

I have been making an effort to try and 'shop my stash' recently, so there are only one or two new products this month. But I have enjoyed rediscovering what I have.

What have your January favourites been?

Urban Decay - Alice In Wonderland Palette

The hotly anticipated Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Palette will be launching on March 1st in the UK exclusively to Debenhams.

Lipglossiping has had the amazing opportunity of being the only UK blogger to get her hands on the product before it is launched here in the UK.

Check out her swatches and first impressions of the palette here.
The photography is amazing and I love her 'no nonsense' opinions of the shadows.

What are your thoughts on the palette? Are you hoping to try and get your hands on one?

Cosmetic Candy Blog Sale Haul

Always a sucker for a blog sale, I recently got my hands on four items from Cosmetic Candy's recent blog sale.


Darphin Shimmering Shine Lip Gloss in 03 Rose Petillant
Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Stagedive
Kryolan Aqua Pearl Shade in Purple
Cargo Mini Pigment (Not sure of name but it's a plum/bronze colour)

She was lovely enough add in a few extras; being a scrub and a face foam. There were also Haribo sweets but they lasted about 2 minutes from me opening the package.

I have being wearing the Darphin lip gloss nearly every day since receiving it. It's such a pretty pink colour and is quite a moisturising and non-sticky gloss. I am definitely going to take a look into more of these.

Cosmetic Candy holds blog sales often and I would recommend that you check it out as she has a wide range of brands to choose from. I would not have tried a Darphin product if it were not for her blog sale.

Fragrance of the Month: Dior Addict 2

Dior Addict 2 is sold as a summery fragrance. I received this for Christmas and I have been wearing it ever since.

It is a floral fragrance yet the soft musky notes mellow it and stop it from being too floral and sweet. On the tester strip, it remained very sweet but on my skin it warms and the base notes are what come through.


Top Notes: Orange, Freesia, Grapefruit and Bergamot

Heart/Middle Notes: Pineapple, Pomegranate, Lily of the Valley, Watermelon and Lotus

Base Notes: Sandalwood, Cedar and White Musk.

The next perfume on my shopping list is DSquared2's She Wood. I was given a sample of this when I went to Italy and I have fallen for it along with the elusive Ferre Rose Princesse by Gianfranco Ferre.

New MAC Eye Shadows

A few months ago I asked for your suggestions on MAC shadows that would compliment my existing MAC palette. I jotted them all down and a few weeks ago, I went and purchased a few of them.

Left to Right

Sumptuous Olive
A subdued khaki with metallic coat (Veluxe Pearl)

Woodwinked
Warm antiqued gold (Veluxe Pearl)

Trax
Burgundy-plum flecked with bronze shimmer (Velvet)

Swatched on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion

Veluxe Pearl has to be one of my favourite MAC shadow finishes. I love the look of Sumptuous Olive. In some lights it looks green and others it looks bronze.

Trax looks beautiful in the pan but I find that it loses a lot of it's intensity once you blend it and you are just left with the bronze shimmer and a tiny hint of colour.

I still have a few more shadows that I want to get including Humid and Patina as they have been recommended by many.