L'Oreal Perfect Clean

I already have a tonne of facial cleansers but whilst I was browsing the aisles of Superdrug last week, I spotted this new one and instantly put it in my basket.

L'Oreal Perfect Clean Foaming Cream Wash in Soothing (Dry/Sensitive Skin)


It was the 'scrublet' that caught my attention with this product. It sits in a hole at the top of the bottle and you pop it out to use. You are instructed to place it between your fingers, dollop some cleanser on and then use it in circular motions on your face to cleanse. The circular 'scrublet' is covered with lots of tiny soft bristles that allows for gentle exfoliation which can be carried out daily.

My thoughts on the product is that is it is the 'scrublet' doing all of the work. The cleanser is ok but so far does not appear to be anything special. I am currently using this in the shower and will continue to until it runs out but I will then carry on using the 'scrublet' along with one of my other cleansers.

I got this from Superdrug whilst it was on a half price offer but I think it retails at £4.99

FOTN with Smokey Blue Eye

* See, I do smile. I am not always grumpy looking. I have huge baby dimples when I smile which I hate.*

This is another look created with the ELF Eye Transformer Palette

What I Used

Face: Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in 004 Light Porcelain, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW15, Garnier Tinted Eye Roll On in Light and MAC Blot Powder in Medium.

Cheeks: NARS Blush in Orgasm

Lips: MAC Slimshine in Bare

Eyes

Primer and Base: UDPP and NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean

Shadows: MAC Submarine (Frost) all over the lid, MAC Knight Divine (Veluxe Pearl) onto outer third, Light Blue from ELF palette into crease and inner corner.

Liner and Mascara: Maybelline Kohl Express in Glam Black and Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara.

I normally find it hard to wear blues without looking like I have stepped out of the 80's. Do you wear blues? What are your favourites?

My giveaway for the ELF palette and the NYX Jumbo Pencil kicks off on Monday 1st.

Eyeko Line and Shine Pencils

I made an online order a week or so ago and in that I picked up two of the new Eyeko Line and Shine Pencils.

Pop Star (top) is an electric blue and teal.
Super Star (bottom) is an electric purple and plum.

Eyeko market these as both an eyeshadow and pencil liner. I tried the Electric Purple colour as an eye shadow (albeit a base) and it creased and transferred even with a primer, so I would not recommend using them for this purpose. I did however like using them on the upper and lower lash line and as a waterline liner. They lasted pretty well on my waterline which is quite a feat as I tend to have quite watery eyes particularly during the cold and bitter weather we have been having.

From the swatches below you will be able to see how intense and pigmented the Pop Star pencil is. I love it, especially the Teal shade which has some shimmer in it. I also really like the Electric Purple shade in the Super Star pencil but I am not too sure of the Plum shade. It is a little too red based for me and when I recently wore it, it made the pinkness around my eyes stand out more.

I purchased these for £3.50 each from love-makeup but you can also get them on the Eyeko website for £4.00 each.

FOTN using ELF Eye Transformer

Double click on photos for larger versions.

Products Used:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Black Bean
Pale Green from ELF Eye Transformer Palette
Darkest Green from Sleek Storm Palette
Maybelline Kohl Express in Glam Black
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara

First I applied the UDPP as a primer and the NYX Black Bean as a base up to the crease. I then washed the pale green from the ELF palette all over the eye lid. The dark green from the Sleek Storm palette was used in the crease, to define the outer edges and I dragged it under the lower lash line. I then lined my eyes with a black eye liner and added lots of mascara. To finish off I took the pale green from the ELF palette and with a pencil brush went over the black eye liner on my upper lash line.

These last photos were taken in brighter lighting but they are still not showing the true intensity of the shadows.

I'm really loving the ELF Eye Transformer palette and what a bargain at £3.50!!

Plus Size Outfit of the Day - Florals

Dorothy Perkins have some pretty items in store at the moment and I am loving their Spring nudes and florals. I took advantage of a 15% Valentines code that they Tweeted about recently and bought a few items.

This black and white floral tiered top was one of my purchases. I wore it to work today with the following:

Grey longline cardigan - Sainsburys
Black v-neck half sleeve tee - Dorothy Perkins
Indigo Jeggings - Dorothy Perkins
Black slouch boots - Dorothy Perkins




Ok, so everything was from Dorothy Perkins other than the cardigan; what can I say... I like the clothes in there. I am not comfortable showing my upper arms (or more politely known as bingo wings), so the black tee was necessary for when I took my cardi off at work.

Transform Your Eyes

E.L.F Studio Line Eye Transformer Palette

E.L.F Says: Convert your shadows into brand new shades with these four opalescent shadows. Wear alone, under, over or in combination with your other makeup. The opal tones transform your dark color into a new shimmering hue.

Directions: Wear alone or in combination with your favorite eyeshadow or liner color to transform the shade. Simply blend in with other color to create your unique hue.

I recently placed an E.L.F order which included this palette. I have read both good and bad reviews on this product, so what better way to make my own judgement than trying it out myself.

The palette contains four opalescent/iridescent shadows: green, orange, pink and blue and is designed to be used over shadows to transform your look. I tried the product out as E.L.F directed and did not think too much of the item. I then read a few more blog posts on it and decided to try it out over a black base... cue the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Black Bean #601. Used over the jumbo pencil as a base, I love what this palette creates.

This is quite a heavy swatch of the shadows but you can use a lighter hand and get a softer colour which looks good.

The green colour looks amazing. It will look great used in the crease on a green smokey eye. Another use of the item could possibly be as a highlight. The pink shadows soft and iridescent appearance would look great as a cheek highlight.

I will be posting an EOTD or two using this palette over the next couple of weeks. So keep an eye out for that!

**Also**

I have a follower giveaway coming up soon (well, as soon as I get 175 followers or 1st March - whichever comes first) and I will be giving away a new E.L.F Eye Transformer Palette as well as a new NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow pencil in Black Bean. A post will follow once I reach that number of followers.

Hair Envy

I am in the process of growing my hair and I have serious hair envy. I wish that I could wake up tomorrow and my hair would be inches longer. It is currently at the stage where it is just hitting my shoulders and that is annoying me.

Who do you hair envy?

Garnier Anti-Dark Circles

As a sufferer of dry skin around the eyes, I have never found an under eye concealer that does not end up looking cakey on me and settling into my fine lines. So when I was offered to try out the new Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Roll-On I jumped at the chance.

Garnier Says: The double-action formula is enriched with caffeine and refreshes and hydrates tired looking eyes, whilst mineral pigments cover dark circles in a flash.

From reading up on this product it appears to be very similar to the Garnier Eye Roll-On but with added tint. I have tried this eye roll-on before and I really liked how it refreshed the eye area.
The Anti-Dark Circles Roll-On comes in two shades; Fair and Medium. I selected the Fair shade and when I first tried this out, I was a little shocked at how dark it appeared. But once this is blended in it is barely visible. It just leaves my dark circles camouflaged and my eyes feeling refreshed.


This item is exclusive to Boots until February 23rd, it will then be available Nationwide for a RRP of £9.99

Coloured Eye Liner

Coloured eye liner... makes your eyes pop! Oh, I do hate that saying. But anyway, it does make your eyes look pretty.

Recently I have been wearing coloured eye liner a lot with either a neutral eye or a similar toned shadow to the eye liner.


Some of my favourites at the moment are:

Maybelline Kohl Express in Metallic Blue
Maybelline Line Stylist in Plum Shimmer
Body Shop Eye Definer in Vibrant Emerald
Body Shop Eye Definer in Brilliant Blue
Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Liner in Bananas
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stash

Last night I wore the Maybelline Kohl Express in Metallic Blue and it did not budge at all and the vibrancy lasted all night. I will be checking some more of these out.

Vichy Laboratories - Essentielles : Want To Try It Out?

Back in December I received some Vichy Laboratories 'Essentielles' products to try out and review. Check out my blog post on it here. I used the body lotion twice and thought that it was quite a pleasant body moisturiser. I was then going to wait a few weeks until I tried the skin care products but I never got around to it as I read a few reviews of girls with sensitive skin who had tried it and they had reacted it to it. With my sensitive skin there is no way I am even going to chance it!

Rather than these items sitting in my drawers not being used, I thought that maybe one of you would like to try them out and write a post on it. If you would like to then please write a comment against this post and I will then select someone randomly to send these to.

I will only be able to send these out to a UK blogger I'm afraid.

Barry M Dazzle Dusts

I have only ever owned one Barry M Dazzle Dust but I spotted some in Bubblegarm's recent blog sale, so I decided to get two more. So my 'vast' collection is now at three...

Pearly Mauve #90
Midnight # 23
Sapphire #69

Sapphire is the one that was already in my make up collection and the top two are what I purchased in the blog sale.


Look at how pretty they are!

Pearly Mauve is a purple with blue, pink and purple shimmer.
Midnight is a dark blue with purple shimmers.
Sapphire is a lovely purple-blue base with pink shimmers

I am really pleased that I have added these to my collection and I can see myself wanting to pick up some more of these, particularly in a teal, turquoise or green colour. Can you recommend any?

ASOS Curve

Calling all curvy ladies!

I am not sure if you are aware but ASOS have recently launched a new collection called Curve.

Curve is a trend led collection for sizes 20-26. Featuring all the key fashion pieces you will need for the season.

Image courtesy of vivelesrondes.com No infringement intended.

My take on Curve so far is that it is a limited collection at the moment with only key peices for your wardrobe and some good basic/essential items. I guess they will expand their selection if the release goes well for them.

I would recommend you to check out Curve if you are a UK size 20-26. One of the items that is on my shopping list is this fitted dress below. I can see myself wearing it to the office or for a formal meal out.

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?