Top Three Thursdays | Mascaras

L-R | Maybelline | Benefit | No 7

today marks the start of a new feature on 'sophielouisew_' - top three thursdays! every thursday, i will be sharing my top three's of something or other with you guys and i have both beauty and fashion posts planned, so i promise it won't get too samey. i'm kicking it off with mascaras, and these are my three holy grail items. they're the mascaras that have a firm place in my everyday makeup bag and haven't been demoted to the endless stash of neglected products. 

first up is Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express (£7.99) which is the first mascara i fell in love with and is my most repurchased. it has a chubby little plastic wand with plenty of little bristles to build up volume. this is the perfect everyday mascara and with a couple of coats i'm good to go. the narrower end of the wand is also good at catching the little lashes on your inner corner. it doesn't crumble or run and end up down my face throughout the day and just gives a lovely natural lash for an everyday look.

next is Benefit They're Real (£19.50), easily the most expensive mascara i've ever bought, but also the best mascara i have ever tried. again, another plastic wand, and the little bobble on the end is perfectly designed for catching even the tiniest lashes. this gives me wow lashes in just one coat with amazing length and volume. i have fairly short, stubby lashes and this is the only mascara which gives me the falsh lash look without being too overpowering. like the Maybelline, it doesn't budge at all throughout the day and i disagree with any review that says this is hard to budge at the end of the day - i get the majority off with a wipe and anything left behind after that comes off with a micellar solution with absolutely no angry rubbing.

up last is the No 7 Stay Perfect Long Lasting Volume (£12.95) which is my go-to mascara for a 'no makeup' makeup look. super natural looking lashes that don't look overly made up. this definitely adds volume more than length, and i love how diddy the little plastic wand is because you don't end up getting mascara all over the show; it's perfect for precise application and the fact it's so narrow also means this is fab for not missing those little lashes in your inner corner. this does dry really quickly, so you have to work with it fairly fast, and it's not really made for applying a second coat. maybe a little pricey for a drugstore mascara, but i know you girls are fab at saving up your Boots points, so definitely give this a whirl. it is fairly stubborn to remove though, so maybe not great for sensitive eyes, but at least you know it's not going to budge anywhere throughout the day.

so there's my top three mascaras! if you have any recommendations of others you think i would like based on these, then please drop me a comment below!

The Haul Post | Beauty

hello, girls! welcome to the second part of Haul Week and today is the beauty haul. if you missed the first part which was fashion & accessories haul video then you can watch that by clicking here, but i'm going to jump straight into the haul with the last couple of bits i picked up with the debenhams beauty giftcard i got back in october for my 21st.

L-R | All That Glitters | Sable | Satin Taupe | Woodwinked

i'll start with the last two bits i bought with the debenhams beauty giftcard i got back in October, and the bits i picked up were the Benefit They're Real mascara and my very first MAC quad. i won't go into too much detail about the MAC quad as i posted a full review of it here, but the colours are All That Glitters, Sable, Satin Taupe and Woodwinked. it is a lovely palette, but i don't think it has anything on the pigmentation of my Naked 2. but onto the mascara, which has firmly made it's way into my top 3 mascaras of all time (post coming soon!). i love the little bobble?! on the end of the brush which makes it super easy to catch the lashes right in your inner corner and all the hype surrounding this is true. super long lasting, and i will say that i totally disagree with when people say this is really hard to get off - the majority comes up with a makeup wipe and the rest comes off when i cleanse. this mascara is definitely worth it's price tag.

the next bit i've picked up is the Real Techniques Shading Brush. to apply my eyeshadow i normally use the Liz Early eye brush, but i wanted something which was a bit smaller and more compact for when i'm applying shadow to either my inner corner or crease, and this is fitting the bill! i own the majority of the RT brushes now, so it just made sense to go for a brand that i know and love.

heading back to the drugstore, i picked up the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pearl Powder in Rose Radieux which i have reviewed in full here. don't be deceived by the gorgeous shimmer on this because it disappears as soon as you've used the first layer of this product which is a real shame as it just leaves you with a regular, matte powder which is still fab for highlighting, i just wish the shimmer ran all the way through. 

and the final bits i have to show you are some pieces i was lucky enough to win in a little competition over on Twitter from the lovely Dave Lackie. the first thing is the NARS Nail Polish in Back Room which has been on my nails since and is actually pretty chip resistant. it's just a pure black polish, something i was surprisingly lacking in my collection. i also got this Cle De Peau Beaute Satin Eye Colour in the colour 121 which is a really pretty muddy bronze shade. i'd never heard of this brand before, but they're a Japanese brand and you can find their site here. the final piece was this miniature Calvin Klein Euphoria perfume which is perfect for my handbag! 

so that's everything for my beauty haul! the final part of haul week will be a homeware video which will be up on my channel on Sunday! 

what have you been buying lately? i'd love links to any hauls!