Monday 21 December 2015

Peaches & Cream Makeup - Peaches Pigments ♡

If you have read my last post about The Clothes Show (click HERE and have a read!), I mentioned Peaches & Cream - renowned for their lashes, primers, pigments and now face compacts. By far my favourite set of items from the event, these pigments really are as sweet as peaches and cream!

The simple but cute pink product packaging.
After countless disasters with various BareMinerals eye pigments (*cough* Whisper *cough* Twig), the thought of applying something that can make as much as mess as an amazing look seemed undesirable. Then came Peaches & Cream, a Liverpool based boutique splashed with pink, sparkles and glitter, who could want more? I've never visited the boutique myself (problems of living in Wales!) but their mini shop at The Clothes Show stood out in a sea of shoppers.

Before purchasing, I passed the stall about 5/6 times before even looking closer at the swatches and shades, somewhat scared after my previous problems with pigments. The array of beautiful shades stood out beautifully and with having an eagle eye for gold shades, the colour 'Wow' instantly drew me in closer. With two pigments and a primer for £10 or 3 for £12.50, how could I resist not one offer, but both? Leaving their show armed with two of their large but cute bags I could not wait to get home and try them out on my eyes.

'Stella' is actually a much brighter, more glamorous silver with no grey undertones - shame on you camera flash!
As mentioned, I purchased two deals resulting in 5 pigments and an eye primer for £22.50 and chose the shades 'Fox', 'Halo', 'Nude', 'Stella' and 'Peached', as seen swatched below. These pigments can be applied wet (I use one short spray of Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray on my brush for heavier pigmentation) or normally. From my uses I think it's not necessary to wet your brush as they are so enriched with colour already! I would advise either taking extra care (using less product, you literally need a dab) or applying before your foundation as you may need to remove excess product around and underneath the eyes.

STUNNING swatches, with a small amount of product!
I found the pigments lasted almost all day without showing signs of wear and blended seamlessly. My favourites have been 'Fox' and 'Halo', especially using 'Fox' on the outer corner/V with a blend of shades from the Urban Decay Vice 4 and 'Halo' on the inner corner - centre of my eyelid. The primer is almost a dupe for Urban Decay Primer Potion - and for only £5 it stuck to the pigments and was fairly easy to apply. One shade I haven't used yet is the disco-esque 'Stella', but the stunning silver will definitely make an appearance around the holiday season and New Year's Eve!

Overall, these pigments have been something that I've been reaching for daily and getting my money's worth. The lighter shades especially create a beautiful inner corner and/or transition shade. The size of them is perfect as I know they will be used up efficiently, unlike the larger sizes of MAC Pigments. My only regret; the fact I didn't pick up more..or even the full range!



Peaches & Cream products are available to order online HERE. Check out their Christmas sets too!

Thanks for reading, make sure to follow us on Twitter @sophbethbeauty. Instagram : @bethxkate, @sophielouisaxo.

xoxo,
Soph & Beth





Saturday 19 December 2015

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas - Soph & Beth Beauty ♡

There's only 6 days left until Christmas, have you bought all of your presents yet? If not then this will hopefully give you some ideas of what you can get. 

This blog post is mainly aimed towards girls gifts but I'm sure you could alter some of them and make them perfect for any boys. 

I have come up with a list of 11 different quick and easy gift ideas with a price range from about £2 - £12. You can purchase all of these items either online or from your local shops. 

1. Fluffy Socks - I always love receiving fluffy socks, they are great for the cold, winter weather. I normally buy mine from Primark because they have really cute patterns and they are super soft! In Primark they are usually £2 which means they can be matched up with any other gift of your choice. (I've already wrapped the 2 pairs which I have bought for my friends so I don't have a picture).

2. Nail Varnishes - I feel like you can buy any girl a nail varnish and they will really appreciate it! There are so many different colours and brands too pick from to match the person you are buying for perfectly. I personally recommend getting ones from brands such as Models Own, Essie, BarryM or Maybelline as my ones from these brands are my favourites. To be pared with a gift like this you could get them a mini manicure set or some nail files. 
Some of my favourite nail varnishes that I own.

3. A Makeup Brush - If one of your friends is really in to beauty and wearing makeup then this is the perfect gift for them! My favourite brand for makeup brushes is either Real Techniques or Spectrum Brushes. If you don't know which brushes the person might already own go with one that you know that everybody would be able to find a use for. 


The makeup brush that my friend got me this Christmas.

4. Bathbombs (or anything for the bath) - You can never go wrong when getting people bath bombs or anything for them to use in the bath as mostly everyone loves using them! My favourite places to get bathbombs from would either be Lush or Miss Patisserie. 


LUSH - Candy Mountain.

5. An eye shadow palette - This is also the perfect gift to get anybody that loves makeup. This year my friend Sophie got me an amazing eye shadow palette from the brand Seventeen, I was super excited to receive this and can't wait to use the eye shadows. Click here to check out Sophie's blog:) This palette came with an eye primer, cream eye shadows ,powder eye shadows and a brush. 


6. A candle - I love candles and can't get enough of them so I love receiving them as presents. You can get candles from so many places depending on what price range you are looking for. I would recommend getting one from Yankee Candle as they are personally my favourite. 

Yankee Candle in Candy Cane Lane.

7. A lipbalm - Lip balms are an essential, especially in the winter time. Its always nice to receive lip balms because you know that you will be able to find a use for them. This year I have bought one of my friends an EOS lip balm but I would also recommend maybe getting one of the winter Baby Lips collection or even buying a lip balm from the company Friggin. Friggin lipbalm kindly sent me some of their lip blams to try out, I absolutely love them and they have helped my lips so much this winter. They come with lots of product and have really cute and simple packaging. Click here for a link to their website. 


8. A set - This year I received a lovely Soap and Glory set from one of my friends, it came with all of my favourite products and I'm so happy that she got it for me. You can find sets in many shops including Boots and Superdrug or even your local supermarket. Sets are perfect for everyone and if you don't know what to get this is the route to go down!

Bright and Bubbly set - Soap and Glory
9. Hand Cream - This year I have started using hand creams so much more than I used too and my hands feel so much better because of it! Hand creams aren't usually something that you would buy for yourself so its always nice to receive one as a gift. My favourite hand cream at the moment is one from Cath Kidston. 

10. A frame with a photo of you and that person - This is a perfect idea if you are looking of getting a more personal gift for the person. Its such a simple present but the person will appreciate it so much. You can purchase frames from almost anywhere and get your photos printed from most supermarkets. 

11. Pyjamas - These are an essential to everyone and make such a cute gift. Places such as Primark and New Look do some really nice pyjamas. To go with these you could also buy the person a cute eye mask/sleeping mask just to finish off the present. 

I hope that this blog post has helped you and that the person receiving your gifts loves them! 

Thank you to the people at Friggin Lip Balm for sending me your lovely products to try out and review. 

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, 

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow our twitter @sophbethbeauty.
And follow Beth's Instagram @bethxkate.

xoxo,
Soph and Beth



Friday 18 December 2015

THE CLOTHES SHOW 2015 - My Experience (Soph) ♡

Every year I wait for the first week of December, the week of the biggest fashion and beauty event - The Clothes Show. With a (slightly) new name, layout and re branding, did it live up to my excitement?


The finale of the fashion show.

For the past three years The Clothes Show has been such an important event for me. Spending hours researching what brands are there each year and scrolling down numerous hashtags, I could just be obsessed? Or maybe not. Without The Clothes Show I wouldn't have had some great experiences such as having the press pass opportunity or being surrounded in a bubble of beauty stalls and a frenzy of fashion catwalks. If that doesn't sound like an amazing day already I was lucky enough to be named Young Fashion Photographer of the Year in (association with Olympus Pen)...maybe my yearly excitement is understandable now!

Made in Chelsea star & candy connoisseur Jamie Laing opening up the show. 
I can remember my first time at The Clothes Show almost perfectly, (even though it was only in 2013!). From the bright, bold banners to goody bags being bashed against me, the craziness of the event didn't even seem to phase a somewhat bewildered, makeup-less 13 year old in a Topshop skater dress. For someone (at the time) who wasn't entirely makeup obsessed but still took interest, The Clothes Show sparked some inspiration and was definitely a catalyst for the passion I have for beauty now. Leaving the day with a selection of goody bags from brands including Barry M and Models Own, I seemed content but amazed from the day I just had, only to rush home and attempt my first eyeshadow look with a Models Own duo..might have made an upgrade to Too Faced, MAC, Urban Decay, VISEART, Smashbox and many others now! To top it all off I won a £50 Topshop giftcard and met Henry Holland. Amazing.

Before I carry on relentlessly about 2013 and 2014, lets move forward to this year and of course, start with the shopping!

After a few hours on the road and a mini sprint of joy into the NEC, we made it! Press pass equipped and ready to go, I stepped back into the swing of The Clothes Show with offers and gems galore. I feel like there was slightly less choice of makeup this year, but with new additions of Nanshy Brushes & NYX Cosmetics I couldn't complain. As it was the final day the deals were even cheaper again, another perk of going! (An in-depth haul will be up soon, I promise! For now check Beth's, click here). Some of best items I picked up were from Spectrum Collections (all time favourite brushes!), Tangle Angel and Peaches+Cream. This year I didn't impulse buy as such and thought about my purchases more, even if I over did it on the eye brushes. Side note: I couldn't leave without picking up a Kardashian beauty Kardazzle Palette, obviously.


The day wasn't all just simply shopping and browsing through endless vintage stores, The Clothes Show would not be complete without a trip to the fashion theatre. With a live performance from X Factor star Josh Daniel to begin, this year was by far my favourite show- and that's a lot to top 2013's theme! The Clothes Show really heightened the standard and exceeded my expectations by dividing the show into several sub-themes focusing on ideas such as Dark, Pure, Red, Rebel, Underwater and even Future! As always, the models graced the catwalk with elegance and beauty, showcasing a spectrum of designs in their full beauty. This year also included a high street catwalk pre-show, focusing on trends such as embellishment and metallics which featured household brands such as New Look, River Island and Oasis. During 'Future' a dancing storm trooper took centre stage and captured the crowd. 








Highlights of the 2015 Fashion theatre.
I feel like the theme this year was so much stronger and portrayed the beauty of fashion. Having the press pit opportunity again also opened my eyes to an insight of press and media, perfect for a possible career path in years to come.

With all of that taken on board, the day just got even better. As I have previously stated, I was fortunate enough to be awarded Young Photographer of the Year and was the youngest finalist!

Receiving my award, £1000 cheque and flowers! (which I nearly dropped..)
After a rapid rush dodging shoppers galore we made it to the Olympus Pen Style Studio where the ceremony was held. With a short talk from an Olympus Pen representative and a catwalk presenting the finalists' images, I was announced as the winner, which I'm still in shock about. The rest of the ceremony just seems like a blur now but I'm more than excited to assist on the Bright Young Things photoshoot in the future - I'll keep you updated!

As the day just seemed to pass like a blink of an eye I sadly have to wait another year for the event to come around again. I can honestly not think of anything else that has inspired me so much & has become such a huge part of my future. Thankyou to everyone who spends countless hours organising and planning such a large event and to everyone who is planning on attending next year (I strongly advise grabbing a ticket!) see you next year, The Clothes Show!

Thanks for reading, make sure to follow us on Twitter : @sophbethbeauty.

xoxo,
Soph & Beth

Click here for The Clothes Show website.




Saturday 12 December 2015

Clothes Show 2015 Haul (Beth) - Soph & Beth Beauty ♡

The clothes show, known for its delightful deals and fabulous fashion show. We were both lucky enough to be able to attend the show this year, so I thought it would be a good idea to share with you what I bought! 

(disclaimer - I am in no way bragging or boasting)

As soon as I entered the NEC (the building where it is held) me and my friends knew that we needed to get to the NYX stand before it got really full, when we got to the NYX stand they had a deal on which wasn't as good as I had expected. I didn't end up purchasing anything from the NYX stand because I had seen similar prices in other places. 

The second place that we knew we had to get to before the queue was too long was Rimmel, every year Rimmel do this deal where you can buy a whole bag of goodies (and if you go on the Tuesday like I did the bags were half price). Usually the bags are ten pounds but because I went on the Tuesday I got mine for 5 pounds. 
I purchased the 'Disco Diva' bag which included a mascara, nail polish, lipstick, a mini bb cream, an eye shadow set, two samples and a fake tan. 
As I am not a user of fake tan I didn't include it is this picture and I have given it away but it was a full size tube with lots of product in. 




The next bag I purchased was on from a brand called KCo, I hadn't really heard much about this brand before but the products that the lady showed me looked really good! So I decided to purchase their bag which included a full eye shadow palette, a highlighter and a brow kit. I can't remember the exact price of the bag but I think it was 15-25 pounds which is very good since the products alone came to more than double that. 



The next place we went to was Spectrum brushes, I have been wanting to try out their brushes ever since Soph bought some last year and recommended them to me. I was in desperate need of a new buffing brush so I found one which was on sale for 7/8 pounds, before I was about to purchase it, Soph pointed out a set that came in a really cute bag with 3 other brushes for just 15 pounds! So I decided to get that instead, I'm so pleased with these brushes and love them already, I can't wait to purchase some more:))

The brushes and bag do look better in real life, I had left some of the packaging on the brushes causing a reflection from the flash. 
I was also in need of buying some new eye shadow brushes since I have been experimenting more with different colours and looks. When I came across the Nanshy stand I knew that I needed to pick some up! The eye shadow brushes were on a deal which I think was any 4 brushes for 15-20 pounds. The brushes are so soft and amazing quality and I can't wait to use them! 



The next bag that I purchased was the Models Own bag, I have bought this bag both years that I have visited the clothes show and I love it. Last year they had a deal where you could pick any 5 nail varnishes and get some free gifts for 10 pounds, this year they had the same deal on but we could could only pick 4 nail varnishes. Unfortunately, the free included gifts were exactly the same this year as last year so I will probably give mine away as I already have them all. 



The last thing I purchased was from a brand called Tangle Angel, I was in need of buying a new tangle teaser and I saw these and had to buy one. The unique design and colours are amazing and really make them different from any other tangle teaser. These were on a deal for get any 2 tangle teasers for 10 pounds so me and Soph decided that we would both get one and pay together. They also gave us each a mini keyring sized tangle teaser that you can put on your keys! 



I hope that next year I will be able to attend the Clothes Show again and if you get the chance to you should definitely go!! 
Links: 
Click here for the Rimmel website. 
Click here for the Spectrum website. 
Click here for the Nanshy website. 
Click here for the Models Own website. 
And finally, click here for the Tangle Angel website. 
I was unable to find a website for KCo but if I do I will add it in. 

I really hope that you have enjoyed reading this blogpost and hopefully there will be more hauls to come! 

Thanks for reading, make sure to follow us both on Instagram @bethxkate and @sophielouisaxo.

xoxo, 
Soph and Beth