Favourite red lipstick

YSL Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy lipstick. 

It. Is. Awesome.

Packaging aside- If you want to start wearing more bold colours on your lips, but you're a little bit scared/you have very dry lips- this is the lipstick for you.

It has a bit of a sheen to it, because of the incredibly moisturising formula, which I personally really like and it is a sheer, but definitely buildable colour. Because of the moisturising formula, this lipstick isn't very long lasting- this lasts for about two hours on me- but at least you don't have to worry about any colour in fine lines.

The colour I chose is number 7, which is a beautiful subtle red with a bit of a brown undertone to it.

What is your favourite red lipstick?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie, xx

Makeup experimentation

When it comes to finding 'the perfect' makeup or your own signature 'look', I think experimentation is key. You're never going to find out what colours suit you, what formulas you like and how you like to apply things if you don't try out different things yourself.

Having said that, I personally think experimenting isn't always fun. It can be very difficult and frustrating if you: 

1. Keep buying (expensive) stuff that doesn't suit you

2. Haven't got a lot of time in the morning and mess it up 

3. Just messed up your make up (no time to 'fix it') and as a result feel less confident or happy with your looks  

Little side note here, what I mean with 'messing up your make up' is creating something that makes you feel less confident or pretty. It can be something like using the complete wrong shade of foundation or something very subtle- the point is how it makes you feel. 

I see make up as a very practical tool to make yourself (potentially) feel more confident/pretty/feminine/what not. Of course inner beauty/confidence is way more important, but that's a whole different story.. 

Now, by the time you have found some standard 'looks' you like on yourself, experimenting becomes fun and creative (at least I think so!)

Here are some tips that hopefully help you if you haven't found your 'perfect make up' just yet. 

1. Buy cheep stuff to experiment with!

Especially when it comes to what colours suit you, it is such a waste to spend your money on something you end up never wearing! When it comes to eye shadow for example- you could buy one of the big Zoeva palettes (with every possible colour). This will not only help you figure out what colours suit you (for everyday looks), but will be great to use when you are experimenting just for fun as well! 

2. Experiment during weekends (or whenever you're 'free')

If you feel very uncomfortable with no make up, use 'safe options' like a bit of mascara during the week and use the weekends to try and figure out what colours (eye shadow/foundation/blush/bronzer) suit you and how to apply things. 

3. Educate yourself

If you think winged liner could possibly look great on you, look for a good tutorial online- there are so many great YouTube video's covering all topics! One of my all time favourite beauty guru's is Lisa Eldridge- who has her own YouTube channel too. 

4. Listen to your mood 

Red lipstick might look great on you, but if you don't really feel like it that day, wearing it does the complete opposite of what it should do: It doesn't make you feel confident, but self conscious, because you don't feel like 'yourself'. 

I hope these tips are helpful to some of you! Have fun with it!

Thanks for reading! 

Sophie xx 

Subtle smokey eye and Jessica Chastain

Ever since watching the movie 'The disappearance of Eleanor Rigby', I have been obsessed with Jessica Chastain. She is such a natural beauty and I love her red hair and colouring!

In the movie she temporarily leaves her boyfriend to think about what she wants in life and with their relationship and with this 'search' comes a transformation of her physical appearance/style too. She goes from being very 'au naturel' and casual to kind of chic and sophisticated, mainly by changing her hair and makeup.

 

I found her new look (as well as the old) in the movie absolutely stunning and after some browsing on the internet I found this picture with very similar (a little bit more subtle) makeup. This makeup look was created by the famous Mary Greenwell and in the article next to the picture Greenwell mentioned she used Chanel illusion d'ombre in Illusoire (a cream eyeshadow) on Jessica's eyes.

I don't own that shade so I recreated this look on myself using the color busted form the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. Busted is described as a 'deep brown shimmer'. I think Illusoire looks more purply in comparison, but the effect on the eyes is quite similar. I think this is especially a great color if you've got light eyes because it really makes them stand out. I used busted all over the lid end I also used a little bit of a matt bronzer in the crease to make my eyes pop even more. I made a tiny wing (black eyeshadow) on my upper lashline and I used a bit of black eyeliner on my lower lashline. A bit of mascara and that is the eye makeup done! 

I think this is just the perfect subtle smokey eye you could wear during the day without it looking 'overdone'. It gives some depth and definition to the eyes:) 

Hope you liked this! 

Thanks for reading! 

Sophie xx

Chopping off my long hair!

I have had long hair for pretty much my entire life. I had thought about chopping it all off before, but I was always scared I wouldn't like it, so I never did it. Last week though I really had to get a haircut and I started looking on pinterest with a friend. She found a short haircut I liked a lot, so I decided to give it a go. It always grows back, right..

This is my hair before I went to the hairdresser's. It's very thick, naturally a bit wavy and it was quite long. I took these pictures with my phone, so bare with me as the quality isn't great..

This is my hair on the floor in the hairsalon. I am donating it to 'Stichting Haarwensen', an organisation where they make hairpieces of real hair for children who suffer from medical treatment and loose there hair as a result, I am sure there are organisations like this in most countries, so make sure to check them out in case you're chopping your long hair off too!

To see my hair lying there on the ground was very terrifying as I couldn't see my new haircut just yet. At that point there was one thing I was already quite happy about: the weight. It felt amazing, so light! Now onto the most exciting bit... 

My new hair! What do you think? Personally, I'm really happy with it. It is still feminine, but a little bit more 'tough' and it just feels amazing! It is also very, very easy to style, I just wet it every day when I take my shower and use a little bit of cream afterwards to run through the ends, that's all!

Did you ever chop your hair all off and/or donated it? Let me know! 

Thanks for reading! 

Sophie xx

About me

Hi! I’m Sophie, welcome to my blog! 

I love the scent of lavender, the sunshine, my feet in the ocean, the beach, sunflowers, tea, cats, Italy, beautiful colors and makeup. And countless other things. I think it is great to become aware of what makes you happy (small or big) and to try and incorporate those things in your day-to-day-life. I like to share some of the things that inspire me and who knows… maybe inspire you. Let’s share!

You can contact me with any enquiries at sofie_595@hotmail.com  

Thank you for visiting my blog! Sophie xx

Natural makeup look

This is one of my standard, everyday makeup looks. I think it looks very fresh and natural.

Here is what I used.

I used Nars creamy concealer (in the shade Vanilla) here and there to cover up some of the redness in my skin. Then I used some Bourjois cream blush in number 2, which is a pretty peachy color. I used my Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply this. Even though I prefer a brush over hands with this blush, I am still struggling with the application. I find the texture of the blush really difficult to blend, but I just love the color so much... I didn't use any powder to set this makeup because I only used a bit of concealer.

Now onto eyes. I used Loreal kohl pencil in nr 101 Midnight Black on the outer third of my upper lashline and I smudged that out so it turned into some really subtle and soft definiton. I used that same pencil on the lower lashline by applying it on my Zoeva 317 Wing Liner Brush first to create a very thin line. Then I used a really thin layer of brown eyeshadow all over the lid (Urban Decay Naked Basics, color faint), again just to create some slight definition. As an inner corner highlight I used a silvery color ('verve' from the Naked 2 palette, forgot to include that in the picture) and with my Zoeva 317 brush I applied that color to the inner third of my lower lashine as well. I then curled my lashes with my Shiseido Eyelash Curler and used some Loreal Telescopic Mascara on my lashes. I really like this mascara as it is very lengthening and nicely separates my lashes. The only downside: there is always to much product on the brush, so I have to use a tissue to take that off. Some clear brow gel, this is by Anastasia Beverly Hills (I don't think this one is great value for the price, but I am finishing it up) and we're done.

I hope you liked this natural makeup, let me know!

Thanks for reading,
Sophie xx

DIY- shell frame

I am so happy with the way this frame turned out, and the best part... it is so easy! 

Here is what you'll need: 

1. A simple frame

(this is a white, wooden one) 

2. Good quality glue. 

I used this one by Collall and it works really well. You don't need a lot of glue for the shells to stick to the wood and it dries really quickly.

3. Shells and (decoration) stones or just sand from the beach

I used shells I collected on a recent holiday to Australia. Collecting shells is something I've always liked to do. There is something almost meditative about walking on the beach, listening to the birds and the sea and just looking for pretty shells.. 

Now that you've got all the stuff, I recommend to put some old paper on top of the surface you're working on, because that glue is seriously sticky stuff... 

I firstly glued the shells and waited for those to dry before I glued the stones. That way no shell transfers in any direction you don't want it to while gluing the stones. 

Choose a nice picture and you're done! I chose a picture of me and my boyfriend that was taken in Australia on the same beach where I found some of the shells I used. 

Hope you liked this DIY idea, let me know! 

Thanks for reading, 

Sophie xx

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Winter and essential oils

Today is a lovely sunny and light day and it instantly put me in a good mood this morning! Unfortunately this weather is quite exceptional at this time of year as it is midwinter where I live (the Netherlands). This usally means cold weather and dark, even rainy days. Bleh!

On days where I don't have the sunshine to put me in a good mood, I always like to use an oil burner. I am currently using an oil named 'Autumn/Winter Mix' which is a very fresh, eucalyptussy scent.

I also have an oil from the Body Shop called 'Mandarine & Tangelo' which is a very sweet and citrussy scent. Finally I have a lavender oil I absolutely adore. I always hear lavender is supposed to have calming properties which is why I like to use this oil at night time when I'm reading a book or something. It really does put me in a calm mood and I just love the scent! I bought these scents quite a while ago so I don't know if you can still get the exact same ones, but there are so many scents out there... plenty of options!

This is my oil burner (the simplest and cheapest one out there) and I actually really like how it ties in with the rest of the colours and textures in this little corner of my living room.

Let me know if you have ever tried any essential oils and which ones you like!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie xx