Whats in my Makeup Bag? | Beauty

I haven't sat down and written a beauty post in so long, my last was probably back in the summer! I was thinking to my self asking why I rarely right about makeup and I realised the reason being every thing I use is perfect and I have no need to be buying new products. So with this epiphany I decided it would only be right to share with you my holy grail products and show you whats in my makeup bag.

My makeup bag is from Skinny Dip and it sits on my dressing table with all my daily products in. I think this is such a handy hack as if you own a lot of makeup like me it can save you rummaging through draws looking for products. 

                                                                                                                                                                   

       The Base...     

I have been using the Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation for about 3 years, I swear by this stuff and even converted my mum to wearing it. I have tried other high end and drug store foundations but this is the one that I always come back to. It is pricey at £30 a bottle but I have had my recent one since July and still have at least a quarter left. All you need is one small pump (maybe 2 if I want full coverage). I love it because it makes my skin look so awake and glowey,  I use my Real Techniques Buffing brush to apply, which I find works perfectly.

The next step in my every day makeup look is my concealer, I like to use Remmel London's Wake Me Up. I love this as it comes in a shade light enough for my skin tone and is one of the few concealers that I have tried that doesn't crease over the day. I apply and then blend out with this Primark mini beauty blender.

                                                                                                                                                                   

   My Brows...   

I wont go into a lot of detail as I have written about the Eyelure brow collection before (linked here). I just love there whole range and don't know what I would do with out these 3 products in my life!

                                                                                                                                                                   

   Powders...  

 

Again I think I have spoken about both of these before. My Too Faced translucent powder has seen better days but I still love it! I picked this up in TK Max last year for only £9.99! Thats actually a really good tip, if you are looking for high end make up TK Max always has some amazing bits and pieces like Nars, Dior and Too Faced, I even saw a Chanel nail polish in there once!

                                                                                                                                                                   

    Eyes...   

 

Something old and something new. I have been using this eye liner since my high school days (not this exact one!). Its the first liner I used when learning to do a cat eye flick so now I just find it the easiest to use. It stays on all day and I find it to be really pigmented. I actually prefer this to the Benefit and Too Faced liners. 

This Mascara is the odd one out in this post, I have only been using it for a month and its the first drug store mascara to ever make it into my everyday routine. It only cost me about £5 and the packaging is super cute. It really lengthens and separates my lashes which I love and helps to achieve a feathery look. 

                                                                                                                                                                   

    Lips...   

Last but not least my go to lip product. I reach for this even on those no makeup days and actually own 3 of these as I like to have one on me at all times. This Benefit lip balm is the prefect product for me because its so hydrating and motorising, but has a great colour pay off at the same time. Next time you are at a benefit counter give it a swatch and you'll see what I mean. 

I hoped you enjoyed this post, its a little different from my normal fashion content. I would love to hear your feed back in the comments section below.

 What is your holy grail product? Leave me your  recommendations below!   

Activated Carcoal Tooth Whitening | Laila London

I am sure that you are like me and wondering whats all the fuss about this activated charcoal stuff? Its been all over Pinterest and in YouTube beauty hacks videos, it seems to be the latest crazy in the beauty world.

I was contacted by Laila London Organics, a company that I had seen in boots and heard positive things about. They asked if I wanted to try there Activated Charcoal Tooth Whitening Powder. I obviously said yes and decided I would share the results with you.

My Must Haves for Autumn | Beauty

When the colder weather starts to creep in I change over my clothes and pack away all my summery items. Well a similar thing happens when it comes to my beauty.

  On my dressing table I keep all of my day to day items out and pack away in draws the makeup I don't use as frequently. So as I do with my wardrobe, I change up my perfumes and lip sticks and and makeup pallets to suit the season. I find this process really refreshing, and I find my self falling in love with product all over again.

Teeth Whitening | Million Dollar Smile

I am lucky, I have never had any work on my teeth, not even a filling! So I do quite like my teeth, they are small, but have no gaps or over crowding. I have however always wanted a whiter smile, who doesn't want a smile like a celebrity!?

Teami Blends | Get Healthy With Me

So you many have seen me on my Instagram (@sophia_bonbelle) talking about Teami Blends. As may all know I am a huge tea drinker, in fact I drink to much tea, 7 a day is way to much and I have decided  need to cut back. This spring I want to get heathy, not loose weight or diet ect ; I want to just put healthier things into my body and look after my self a little better.

How I Apply False Nails | Elegant Touch

You may have noticed recently that I have been loving wearing false nails. I have pretty chubby hands and my nails always look tatty because I do silver smithing.  Self adhesive false nails are the perfect ay to spruce up tired hands and add some glamour with out the cost or commitment of having them done at the salon.  Here is a little insight into how I put them on (its super easy!).

I'm Obsessed with Orange Lipsticks...

Oddly enough I find my self grabbing for a bright red/orange lip at the moment, so I thought I would do a post about my favorite 3. Comparing colour and texture and price.

So the first is a NARS Crayon,, I love the formula of this! Its my fists NARS lipstick and I am very impressed. It is quite pricey at £20 but I really wanted to try the product and I loved the colour so I decided to treat my self. The formula is really luxurious and has a buttery texture, it feels like a light lip balm on the lips but is really pigmented and stays on for a long time. I would really recommend NARS and I'm thinking of going back and getting a dark red or a pink.

The second is the classic, Mornage by Mac. This was my first red in this shade and it seems to be very popular with a lot of people. It retails at £16 so a little cheaper than NARS. As with all Mac lipsticks the formula is amazing, pigmented and full of moisture. The only down side to this is sometimes I feel it can be a little bit bright for every day wear, what do you think?

The last and the cheapest, this is the MUA Luxe Velvet lip Lacquer in the brighter of the two reds they do. I think this is a really good colour dupe for Mac Morange, although the formula is very different. The formula is good for a £3 lip stick, but it is very drying and goes flaky after about a hours wear.

So what was your favorite colour on me ? Have any of you tried these ? have you got any other suggestions of an 'orangey red' shade I should try ?

Autumn Faun Halloween Tutorial

Today it feels so wintry and cold out, so I thought its the perfect time to film this cute (not so scary) Halloween / Autumn makeup look of a Faun. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions just leave them in the comments !

Testing Out Temporary Tattoos

I was contacted a while ago by the lovely company who wanted to send me these temporary tattoos to try out and how could I say no, these are beautiful! I haven't seen designs like these before and I think they are really unique.

So if you haven't used temporary tattoos before, they are super easy! All you need is some scissors, a flannel and some water . Firstly cut around the tattoo you want to wear, then decide where you want to place it on your body, some times you might need some help if its on your back ect. Once you have decided peal the clear plastic off and place the sticky side onto your skin, then wet your flannel and press onto the back of the tattoo, hold there for 3 minutes making sure all of the tattoo is wet. Then carefully peel back, and hopefully it will reveal the tattoo on your skin.  

I absolutely love these tattoos they'r so simple and classy, and don't look fake at all. I think this is a really good way to spice up a outfit or even try out to see if you would like to get a real tattoo. Also I am really surprised on the quality, I am sat writing this blog post now, 4 days after taking the photos and the tattoos are still on and showing no signs of wear.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky | First Impressions | Swatches | Try Out

I'm sure you have all  heard the hype around the new UD Smoky pallet, and well I have to say its definitely worth it! Basically in this blog post I'm going to break it down and talk about the positives and negatives and compare it to my only other naked pallet .

So firstly the packaging is beautiful, a step up from the previous pallets. It has a luxurious feel with the new plastic layered sleek casing. I love the smokey pattern that it has on it through out. The whole thing seems a lot more grown up and elegant compared to the other 3.

My only 2 real issues I  have with this pallet are really small and silly but they are the only faults I can see so worth a mention . I don't like the lay out of the colours, I would prefer a gradient of light to dark like in my Naked 1, I would just find it easier to use that way. The other thing  don't like is the brush, I hate double ended brushed with a passion! I know a lot of people love them but I just hate the fact that what ever way I put it in my brush holder the bristles get squashed, and I know I could just keep it in the pallet but then ill forget about it and wont use it. Also I like that the brush in the naked 1 matched the rest of there brushes in there collection (I like things to match!)

I cant really fault any colours in this pallet they are all beautiful and can be used on there own or paired with any of the other colours. This pallet has some many different variations of eye looks to create.

 

So over all I love this pallet, if you would like to see more and see a eye look I created using this pallet then check out my video below! I hope you enjoyed this little blog post and hopefully found it be of some use. Let me know if you have this pallet and what you thought, I'd love to hear your opinions! 

A Subtle Red Lip

For some reason in summer I am put off by a bright lip and want to wear subtle lipsticks and balms, so I thought I would do a small blog post on my favorite 4 red lip products that I have kept reaching for this summer. As you may have noticed red is one of my favorite colours, it makes me powerful, glamours and sexy so obviously is my number one choice for my lips! With some outfits or some eye looks a bold lip can be to over powering and that's why these products are great, I get to wear my red to give me the confidence but with out steeling the lime light.

So the first and cheapest 'Candy Apple' by Revlon. This is a cross between a lipstick and a balm, it has the consistency of a balm but has a more vibrant colour like a lipstick. It at about £7, which I think is reasonable, the formula is definitively more sticky than the other high end brands.

I LOVE this balm from benefit! I actually own another 2 as they are so handy to keep in my hand bag, I love the constancy of this, feels like butter on the lips. I also really like the smell of Benefits Balms, I cant pout my finger on what it is exactly (comment if you know), But it just smells like its good for you! This one is a bit more pricey at £16

My beloved Chanel gloss, I have had this for a few years and I still love it, its a subtle red sparkle on the lips and looks great over red lipstick! Again you get what you pay for, the formula glides on and doesn't feel sticky, it also wears really well and leaves the lips feeling really soft.

This Anna Sui one is very similar to my Chanel, although is doesn't have the glitter in and gives your lips a wet looking effect which I love! It also smells amazing like all Ana Sui beauty products, and oh did I mention the packaging !!!

So those are my four favorite Balms/Glosses for this summer, let me know if we share any of these favorites on the comments! As always thanks for reading, I'll speak you all in my next post...xxx