Top 5 December Beauty Products

Can we believe that we are less than a week away from 2016, as usual the year has flown by. I always think there is not enough hours in the day never mind how quick these last few days have been.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas with loved ones, eating and drinking yourselves to sleep every night, but get ready for the rave of fitness in January, you have 3 days to consume all of your Christmas chocolates haha.

For my last blogpost of 2015 I decided show you my top 5 beauty products of December.

I have either used the products everyday or just realised my love for them and need them as a staple in my makeup kit.

1st I have SMASHBOX CONTOUR STICKS

These come in a pack of 3 containing a highlight, bronze and contour, they are pretty much self explanatory. Starting of with contouring the hollow of your cheeks, adding the bronze just above which helps blend them both in an ombré effect and the highlight just above to add the light onto the face. These steps can be applied anywhere on the face that you are choosing to contour.

In this pack also has a sharpener which is the correct size for the pencils and a mini step by step booklet of how to use.

I also use mine with the beauty blender and this helps blend each colour well together but your fingers will work just as well as they are very creamy and easy to blend.

To view my blogpost on Contouring click HERE 

2 - BOBBI BROWN SPARKLE EYE SHADOW (in Sunlight) 

This eyeshadow has been my go to Christmas products. Every Christmas my glitter obsession comes out and I just want it on everything! 

This product is easy to encorporate with any look at it is a transparent glitter so it does back on with pigment it layers a shade of glitter, so it can be used over any colour eyeshadow or on its own of course.

Best applied with fingers in a tapping mention as it packs on the glitter in a more intense light.

3 - NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER (in Vanilla) 

I have previously blogged about the product HERE more in depth but I had to put this in my top 5 as I have used this every day since I brought it.

I never used to really use under eye concealers on a daily basis but form my Christmas 3am shifts I was starting to detect my dark circles from lack of sleep and this was just a miracle product for me. The creaminess blended easily under the eyes without creasing as it set to a more powdered finish although it kept the radiant glow and just beautifully evened out my skin tone and covered the darkness.

4 - KIKO UNLIMITED STYLO (in MOCHA 13)

KIKO opened in Derby in Novemeber and from previously purchasing eyeshadows in Marbella and loving the pigments I decided to get a basketful and this was one of my favourites.

It goes on the lips so creamy and silky but dries to a matte effect lipstick and does not budge! This just lasts all day, and the best thing is, it doesn't get that dry tacky feeling that some matte lipsticks can. I was honestly amazed of how this worked and just couldn't get my head around it.

I soon got over it and just wore this every day with it being such a perfect winter shade, slightly purple undertone to this shade also.

Oh and you can not go wrong with the price, just less than £5!!! I need more.

Last but not least number 5 - LOREAL TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION 

This is my staple foundation in my personal makeup bag for the past month! 

I have never really found my favourite premium brand foundation, I actually prefer high street ones believe it or not! 

I don't know what made me buy this £9.99 foundation but I'm so glad I did.

I always go for a medium to full coverage foundation and this was perfect as it also evened out my skin tone and gives a gorgeous healthy glow as this foundation is made to adapt to your skin type, so at first when I applied this it did feel like it would be a powdery matte finish but I was wrong, this settled to a luminous glow which blended easily and lasts all day.

Thes 5 products are what I would highly recommend as I always give my honest opinion and hope you love them as much as I do if I have tempted you to buy any of these.

So with this being my last blog post of 2015 I hope you have a lovely new year and wish you all the best for 2016.

Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming business ventures included makeup masterclasses and one to one lessons.

I will also be emailing out the first of my Monthly Makeup Newsletters including, offers, images and makeup updates and lots more, so if you want to join my mailing list please leave your email below or visit my website and fill in the mail box with your email.

Www.makeupbysophiedowning.co.uk

JANUARY OFFER - 10% of makeup application bookings for the whole month 

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Love Sophie x

REVIEW: Loreal Colour Riche Collection

Now this may not shock you but I LOVE the Colour Riche Exclusive Collection.

You may recognise this easier by the Loreal TV advert with the celebrities on...

Eva, Blake, Jlo, Cheryl and more. So far there are 3 collections Pure Reds, Nudes and Pinks.

The point of the multiple shades in each collection is a tailor made colour for everyone's skin tone.

They all all enriched with jojoba oils with a velvet texture and pure colour intensity pigments.

I first brought a pack of 4 from the Pure Exclusive Reds range, this was a travel retail buy so it was not available on the high street, but this pretty much started my 'slight' obsession. 

Before these I don't think I owned any Loreal lipsticks as I was never keep on the pearly shines to most of there lipsticks, but these reds where amazing pigments and best of all matte, matte lipsticks are my favourite as I love my lipstick to have the strong bold colour pigments, and these formulas were not drying on your lips at all like some matte lipsticks can be.

Reds Collection Shades: Blake, Eva, Julianne and Liya 

I also have Freida which is not available any more.

After my positive experience with the Pure Reds collection I then moved on to the Nudes...

As well as my love of the formula, colours and textures I new I needed a good collection of nudes in my kit that would suit everyone's skin tone and what better to buy the whole collection if that's what each shade is told to do? 

So yes I went out and brought them all haha! 3 for 2 offer at boots helps a bunch too! 

The nude collection are not Mattes they have a pearly luminescence which I usually steer from but for nude colours it compliments the skin and hair colour to each individual especially when paired with a smokey eye.

Nudes Collection Shades: Jlo, Eva, Doutzen and Julianne.

I do not own the Doutzen shade as I found this didn't have a high colour pay off like the others as it was quite a pale pink although I do have Cheryl's shade but this is not available to buy anymore.

I then saw the latest Loreal advert for the Pink Exclusive Collection and of course pinks are my favourite lip colours I had to start my next collection, as they are Exclusive after all.

The nudes collection do have slight pink shades within a few of the celebrities but this pink collection contains more vibrant, bold pinks to soft romantic warm pinks.

With this collection the formula is back to matte again like the reds which makes that point a lot better.

They claim this collection to be 'most sophisticated pink lipsticks in a velvet matte finish' and again there is a shade for each individual.

Pink Collection Shades: Blake, Eva, Helen, Liya and Naomi.

So far I own Blake, Eva and Naomi. I also need Liya in my kit as I love the neon and orange undertone to this colour! Although Helen doesn't appeal much to me as it is a very pale pink and can't see it doing much justice for many people haha, we don't want to bring back foundation lips that's for sure.

I usually swear by MAC lipsticks from the great colour pay off and long wear but I can put these on neck and neck as I am very pleased with these collections. So if your wanting to save or even splash on the whole collection like me then go for it! You won't be disappointed.

I hope they bring out more.

Sophie x