Beth's Skincare Favourites - Soph & Beth Beauty ♡

Throughout all of the different seasons we need to keep our skin looking healthy and glowing. Your skin is very important and if you wear makeup you need to remove it properly, leaving your skin to feel amazing.

Depending on what type of skin you have will usually depend on what skincare products you will use. The different skin types are normal, oily, dry and sensitive but some people can have a combination. There are some web pages online which you can read about all of the different skin types and figure out which is most like yours, which will also help you when buying skincare products that are perfect for your skin. 

I have brought together some of my recent favourite skincare products, they are as follows... 

(from left to right) 'Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish', 'Soap and Glory Face Soap and Clarity', 'Garnier Moisture Matte' 

 Liz Ealre's 'Cleanse & Polish' hot cloth cleanser has really made a difference to my skin. I was given this product at BeautyCon London and haven't stopped using it since and will definitely be re-purchasing when its all gone. You pump the product in to your hand and then gently rub it on to your dry skin, then you put some slightly hot water on to the pure muslin cloth (which comes with the product) and rub that all over your face until the product is all off. You can pick this product up online from Liz Earle's website click here to visit the website or they also have a stand in most Boots shops. 

Soap and Glory's 'Face Soap and Clarity' is a 3 in 1 daily detox, vitamin c facial wash. For this you squeeze a small amount of product in to your hands and then apply all over your face, after applying wash off all of the product using some slightly hot water and a flannel if needed. To finish off the routine use eye cream, moisturiser and spot treatment if you need to. This can be found on the Soap and Glory website or in Boots shops and supermarkets, click here for the website. 

Garnier's 'Moisture Matte' is perfect to use after both products listed above as it finishes off both routines. Garnier do many different types of this moisturizer for all of the different types of skins, mine is in the green bottle and its for combination to oily skin. This product is oil-free which means that you aren't putting any more oil on to your face.  You apply this product morning and evening to give you the best results and smoother skin. This product can be found on Garnier's website, in many different supermarkets or in Boots and Superdrug. Click here for Garnier's website. 

(from left to right) 'Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water', 'Simple eye makeup remover'

If you want an easier way to remove makeup without having to use face washes both of these products make it alot faster. One of the hardest makeup products to remove is mascara, the Simple 'kind to eyes, eye makeup remover' makes is much easier to get off, you simply apply some of the product to a cotton pad and wipe over your closed eyes. 

The Garnier 'Micellar Cleansing Water' helps to remove all face makeup whilst cleansing and soothing at the same time. This product comes with 400ml which means you get 200 uses out of it! Its perfect for those days when you don't have much time to take your makeup off. Usually if people are in a rush they would just use a makeup wipe but that isn't helping your skin and you are still leaving product on your face, this product takes the same amount of time as using a makeup wipe and is much better for your skin. Click here for the link to 'Simple's' website and here for 'Garnier's' website. 

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on instagram @sophielouisaxo & @bethxkate

xoxo, 

Soph and Beth

♡

The Youtube Industry Today - Soph and Beth Beauty ♡

February 14 2005, the day Youtube was born. Fast-forward 10 years later and Youtubers are at the top of the rise of the Youtube platform phenomenon. From blogging to books, travelling to touring, there is no stopping these social media stars!

Ever since the first video was posted (entitled 'Me at the Zoo', 19 seconds long), Youtube has grown globally and successfully reaching 3 billion unique users DAILY. Youtube is something that is so easy and is accessible to anyone, some people see it as a 'video library' containing anything and everything you want to watch. This success has formed careers for online creators, known as vloggers and youtubers. The friendly, now famous faces of stars such as Zoe Sugg ('Zoella') and Alfie Deyes ('PointlessBlog') are starting to be plastered over magazines and advertisements. 

Online stars such as Tyler Oakley, Connor Franta, Tanya Burr, Fleur De Force, Bethany Mota and Louise Pentland (sprinkleofglitter) have been making their earnings through various length videos following their daily/weekly schedule. Since gaining an online following, some stars have multiple channels for vlogs or gaming. All of this success has led to Youtubers releasing merchandise and makeup, going on various tours and most recently bringing out their own books. All these projects have created a new online industry founded by the most popular Youtubers.  

Beth's collection of Youtube books. (from left; The Glam Guide, Fleur DeForce, Love Tanya, Tanya Burr, Girl Online, Zoe Sugg, The Pointless Book, Alfie Deyes, A Work In Progress, Connor Franta and Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter, Louise Pentland).

Over the past year publishers have been working with Youtubers to release their own books. From novels by the likes of Zoe Sugg to beauty books by Louise Pentland and Fleur de Force, a personal memoir by Connor Franta to a light hearted creative DIY by Alfie Deyes. The genre range has been as wide as the variety of Youtube channels. The best selling book smash doesn't end there. Later this year the highly anticipated 'Binge' by Tyler Oakley and 'The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire' by Youtube duo Dan Howell (danisnotonfire) and Phil Lester (AmazingPhil) both being released in August. 

Beyond books, Youtubers have started to release products such as their own fragrances. (Above; Bethany Mota for Aerpostale Fragrance and Blissful Mistful, Zoella Beauty range @ Superdrug). Various vloggers have taken another path, for example Jim Chapman has brought out his own range of stationary items for budding bloggers, called 'James & Friends'. Many of these stars have only been posting videos for a few years, with videos becoming higher quality as the years go by. Without their subscribers and fans, most of them would be working in an average working environment as at the end of the day, they are normal people who chose to start talking to a camera with a bit of editing here and there. 

The production line is not the only industry that has taken interest in Youtubers. Film and music producers have included stars in their work, with Brit Joe Sugg and fellow vlogger Caspar Lee partaking in the lastest Spongebob animated movie. Sponsorship is also a big deal with the likes of Coca Cola and Starbucks paying large sums for advertising in videos, or even beauty companies paying just to have their brand or product mentioned in one short video!

As Youtube continues to grow along with its army of Youtubers and fans, we see development in society trends and technology daily, who knows what could happen next?

                              Happy 10 years of Youtube, here's to the next 10!

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on instagram @sophielouisaxo & @bethxkate

xoxo, 

Soph and Beth

♡

Flash Sticks (French Beginners) - Daisy Reviews♡

Languages are such an important skill to have, for communication and understanding. Whether they are used for education, jobs or daily life, learning another language can help use with so many things.

The lovely people at Flash Sticks were kind enough to send us a pack of one of their great products. Flash Sticks aim to help learning a new language in a multitude of ways, with 8 languages available. (English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin & British Sign Language)

Each pack contains 100 unique words, that come with pronunciations & the colour of each indicates whether the word is a masculine noun, feminine noun or another word type.  The packs also come in three skill levels; Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced so they are definitely suitable for all education levels.

*(Sorry for the very poor photo quality, due to our rooms being redone the cameras had to be stored away, so we had to use our iPhones!)*

As I have been learning French as part of the KS3 curriculum for almost three years now, I knew almost all the verbs in the Beginner pack. However, Beth has been learning German so we could use these Flashsticks to provide her with some basic vocabulary. 

I'm also taking French for GCSE next year, so using these has helped me to brush up on basic skills and spelling, and also pronunciation with the free Flashsticks app, available from the App Store. The app contains short pronunciation videos for single words, taught and spoken by a professional language tutor. As seen in the photo below, all you have to do is scan your chosen Flashstick and the video will appear. This app can easily help with preparation for speaking examinations, or to help with the ability to speak the language with confidence.

What I love about the product is that you can stick them anywhere you want, on the fridge, on a wall, on a door or even match up the word on the Flashstick to the object, e.g la chaussure = shoe so stick it on a shoe! This makes the product more fun and versatile compared to your normal flash card. The colour coding and pictures also make the product more appealing and easier to remember the term.

We will be doing a series of Instagram posts and blogs about how we get on with our Flashsticks packs, so stay updated! You can order your own pack of Flashsticks here from just only £4.99.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram: @sophielouisaxo & @bethxkate

xoxo, 

Soph & Beth 

♡

 

Mr Bean Body Care - Daisy Reviews♡

Are you a fan of coffee? If so you will love this organic coffee body scrub with additional natural ingredients. Mr Bean is an Australian company which specialises in all of your skin care needs. 

If you have got rough or dry skin, Mr Bean body care can help change that. You simply apply the scrub to any areas of your body with rough or dry skin, wait 5 minutes and then rise it off. You will need to use the scrub regularly to help improve your skin tone and leave your skin feeling smoother than ever. 

The packaging of the product is very simple but it looks amazing and definitely stands out. 

Mr Bean body care products are completely natural but if you do have quite sensitive skin your better off testing it just to make sure your skin isnt affected by it. They use completely organic ingredients, they are ... roasted ground coffee beans, himalayan pink rock salt, demerara sugar, organic cacao, cold pressed coconut oil, vitamin e oil and natural mandarin essence. 

The smell of the product is very strong and quite overpowering, so if you are not a lover of coffee or the smell of coffee I wouldn't recommend this product to you. The coffee I received was the Mandarin scrub, but I can't smell any mandarin, only coffee. This may just be for this scrub because they also have a coconut scrub which I haven't yet tried out, but you may be able to smell the coconut in that one. 

The scrub is very messy so I recommend that you open it when in the shower/bath or lay something down on the floor to catch any product that falls. You definitely get alot of product and it lasts a long time. 

The product costs £13.95 and is definitely worth that price. It delivers within a few days and comes in a box with a little message on the inside. If you would like to purchase a body scrub click here for the link to the website. Thankyou to Mr Bean body care for sending me this lovely product to try out and review. 

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram: @sophielouisaxo & @bethxkate

xoxo, 

Soph & Beth 

♡

Late Spring Favourites - Soph & Beth Beauty ♡

Spring; by far the best season filled with flowers, fun and of course, pastels! As the spring days set and the summer sun rises, wearing a pop of pink gloss and a dusting of bronzer you can't go wrong!

We've compiled a list of some of our recent favourites, both beauty and non-beauty below..

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Light 
£6.99
&
Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation
(Primer, Concealer & Foundation in Warm Almond, 45)

£12.99

Both of these products give a lighter base and they suit both of our complexions, without being cakey or too full on. Both can be blended to the wearer's needs and last over 8 hours. The BB cream surprisingly has a much better coverage than a lot of foundations we have tried previously. Even though the Facefinity has a higher price tag, the texture and the coverage are unbeatable. Not too thick makes it perfect for the warmer months.

No.7 High Shine Lipgloss in Coral Kiss

£9

&

MAC Lipstick in Plumful

£15.50

The MAC lipstick is amazing quality but only lasts for just under 3 hours. MAC lipsticks come in simple but striking packaging and always stand out in your makeup bag. I really like how the lipstick comes out on my lips, its not too overpowering and its fairly subtle. Even though it is quite expensive you get alot of product and an amazing lip colour. 

No7 Coral Kiss gives a light but neutral colour to the lips which matches well if you are wearing heavy eyeshadow. The gloss isn't too sticky and is very easy to apply, and gives a nice shine which lasts for about 5 hours. This has been an essential in my makeup bag for a while now, and I don't think it will be leaving anytime soon!

Soap & Glory Lid Stuff Flawless Finish in 'What's Nude'

£10

&

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette

£23

Soap and Glory's lid stuff in the shades 'What's Nude' is highly pigmented and lasts all day until you want to take it off. I use the lightest shade (top left) as a highlighter across the brow bone, the pinky shade (top right) in the inner corner of my eyes, the lighter shade of brown (bottom left) all over the lids and the sparkly brown (bottom right) in the crease of my eyelids. All the colours go very well together and are easily blend-able. 

For someone who is not the biggest lover of matte, cool-toned eyeshadows, I'm LOVING this palette! It is light-weight and very practical for travelling. The first shade, 'Skimp', is a lovely satin shade that applies evenly all over the lid. With the use of eyeshadow primer, I found these shadows lasted about 7 hours before showing signs of wear. I enjoy using my Eco Tools brushes to blend the shadows evenly across the crease. My favourite shades are probably 'Cover' and 'Primal', and I've enjoyed following this tutorial. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Perfume 100ml

£69.50

&

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder & Highlighter

£7.99

&

Rollerlash Sample Size

   

Marc Jacobs perfumes have always been a favourite of ours, but there is something about Daisy Dream that just shouts spring! The packaging is beautiful, and the scent is much lighter than the original Daisy with elegant top notes of blackberry, grapefruit & pear. This may sound like a strange combination, but the heart notes of jasmine, lychee and blue wisteria and bottom notes of white woods, musk and coconut water brings it all together. Owning all the Marc Jacobs fragrances apart from Lola, this is by far our favourite and lasts through day to night.

Bourjois bronzer and highlighter duo is definitely one of our favourites, the inside product smells like chocolate and works wonders!! As summer is approaching bronzers are a handbag essential as they create a fake glow and highlight your cheek bones. I only recently purchased this product and have been using it many times since. The only downside to the product is that it takes quite alot of the bronzer for it to show up. 

I received Roller Lash with one of the most recent issues of ELLE magazine. This mascara is different to any of Benefits mascaras that I have tried before and I have really enjoyed trying it out. Even though I only received a sample I have used it many times. It has got a curved plastic brush which curls your lashes and makes your lashes look alot longer. The mascara makes you look more awake and brings out the colour of your eyes. I will definitely be purchasing the full sized soon. 

Our last favourite is live performances! While doing homework etc, sometimes the same spotify playlists on repeat can get a bit boring and repetitive, so watching live performances of our favourite artists can motivate to finish our work. Here's one of our current favourite artists...

                                                        

                                      

                                         

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on instagram @sophielouisaxo & @bethxkate

xoxo,

Soph and Beth

♡

Upbeat Protein Drinks - Daisy Reviews♡

As the summer draws near, there's always a push to start eating healthier and exercising more. For this we need energy, and what is a better way than a bottle of Upbeat?

When we think of protein drinks, we picture body builders and weights, not a fun and light drink that has 20g of protein and a low fat content. Upbeat is a whole new way of getting the right amount of protein into your body, without the sugar and calories.

Upbeat comes in a range of flavours; Strawberry, Blueberry & Raspberry, Mango & Passion fruit and the brand new Chocolate & Orange. Another appealing factor is the fact that they are all under 150 calories, and give you fuel for the day ahead. The taste of each flavour is not too overpowering, and we found they fill you up for hours and are a healthier snack.

Having tried the three fruit flavours previously, it was exciting to see the Chocolate & Orange hit the shelves. Being people who enjoy exercise and being active, energy is always needed and Upbeat is a great pick-me-up. The package is eye catching and overall, an enjoyable drink.

Upbeat Drinks are described as 'a bit of extra willpower'. Remember these are NOT meal supplements and should be consumed as a snack! 

Upbeat Drinks are available from Holland & Barratt for £1.75 each or are currently £1 from Tesco!

Have you ever tried an Upbeat drink?

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram: @sophielouisaxo & @bethxkate

xoxo,

Soph & Beth

♡

Tanya Burr Cookies - Daisy Beauty Bakes♡

Tanya Burr, Britain's beloved beauty blogger has recently released 'Love Tanya', a book about lifestyle, love and everything in between!

The book features not only beauty tips, style guides & a view of her early years but multiple recipes; from Smartie Flapjacks to Healthy Winter Soup. We decided to bake the Milk & White Chocolate Cookies, Tanya's favourite! Here's how we got on...

We followed the recipe step by step, but for some people the chocolate content may be a bit too rich. The recipe also works well if you half all the ingredients. We used two large 200g bars of milk & white chocolate, but chocolate buttons or chips work well too. Other options could include dark chocolate chunks or chips, which we have also experimented with for a slightly lower sugar content.

You will need:

200g Butter

300g Caster Sugar

1 Large Egg

325g Self Raising Flour

200g White Chocolate

200g Milk Chocolate

(Optional) - A dash of milk

The recipe is fairly simple & traditional, but you get much more than the ten cookies stated in the book. It also comes down to portion sizes, we found using a smaller amount of dough on the tray makes them spread & size much easier.

Here's a shorter version of the recipe;

• Start by pre heating your oven to 200°c. Whisk the melted butter and sugar together until blended.

• Crack the egg and mix it in. Gradually add the flour, while continuously mixing it all together. The mixture should start to form together and look like cookie dough. This is when you need to add the milk if it's too dry and mix that in.

• Break up the chocolate into small chunks, or add the buttons/chips to the mixture. Once they are spread evenly through the dough, grab it from underneath and start shaping the mixture into small balls. 

• Place them evenly on the baking tray (covered in greaseproof paper) and make sure there is space in between for them to spread during baking. We could fit about six small balls on the tray with a reasonable amount of room.

• The recipe says 10-12 minutes, but we found baking for 8 minutes gave a better texture and time to cool. They will be slightly undercooked, but cooling will finish the baking process.

• Leave them on the cooling tray until ready, once done they should be gooey on the inside, but crispy & hard on the outside. Enjoy!

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed both the baking process..and the cookies! The recipe was fun and enjoyable for all ages, so why don't you take some time out & give it a go! 

Click here to watch Tanya's video of the cookies from last August!

'Love Tanya' is avaiable from all good book retailers nationwide, or online from sites such as Amazon for only £10.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram : sophielouisaxo & bethxkate!

xoxo,

Soph and Beth

♡