I Have Some News...I'm Engaged!

After 16 hours of flying and 24 hours of travelling we were finally in one of my favourite places in the world, the Philippines. A week into our holiday I was told myself and Ryan would be travelling around 8 hours out of Manila to spend 2 nights at a beach resort, never in a million years did I expect to be driven to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Philippines to find out everything was one big ploy and I was in fact being whisked off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Everything was a total surprise and had been months in the planning by my amazing fiancé (eeee feels amazing to say that) To be honest I was a little scared being dropped off at departures, I have never in my life had such a huge surprise before so just couldn't quite believe what was happening. In the departure lounge waiting to board our flight Ryan had saved some YouTube videos on his phone of Kuala Lumpur to give me a quick run down of what we would be doing and where we would be going, I was just so excited and still in so much shock I just couldn't wait to get there. Our hotel was stunning and in the most perfect location, as soon as we checked in we quickly freshened up and couldn't wait to get out and explore, I must admit at this point we had already experience the extreme heat of Kuala Lumpur just from travelling from the airport to the hotel so when Ryan insisted on spending the rest of our day exploring in a shirt and chinos I was a little bit confused. After already having a whirlwind 12 hours, whilst having a gorgeous stroll through KLCC Park Ryan surprised me once again and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, my emotions were everywhere as everything was already special enough that I was in a state of shock. My gorgeous man, in the most gorgeous city, in the most gorgeous park with the most gorgeous ring in his hands, life at that exact moment could not have been any better. Ryan honestly made me the happiest girl alive.

Ryan's words at the airport were 'prepare for your life to change' I had no idea it meant we would be returning engaged. My life really now has changed I honestly can not wait to spend the rest of my life with Ryan and can not thank him enough for everything he did and how much time and effort went in.

Kuala Lumpur is an amazing place, I loved our time there so much, it holds so many happy memories and I can't wait to return in the future as Mr & Mrs 

♥

Welcome To The New SOPHIEISMADEUP

I do apologise that I haven't been around much over the past 6 weeks, life took over and I guess you could say blogging hasn't been top priority. Also I know this may seem silly but my blog layout was really making me not want to blog, I just fell out of love and had no inspiration, until I came across the wonderful Abby and her amazing work. I had known for a long time how I imagined the perfect blog for me but with having no html skills what so ever I knew I would have to find someone to help me. There is so many blog designers out there and a lot of them charge ridiculous prices so with Abby being very reasonably priced indeed I quickly snapped her up to help me on my re-design journey. Abby was amazing to work with and we simply just emailed back and forth for a few weeks until Abby had completed the design.

I am so incredibly happy with how it turned out, I wanted to basically strip my blog back to basics, get rid of all the colour and mess and have a simple structured black, white and grey blog. It may take a little getting used to but I do hope you all love it just as much as me and can enjoy this fresh new start with me.

I would highly recommend Abby for any design work you need doing so just pop on over to her website www.bagglewebanddesign.co.uk/ to have a look at some of her work, also all her contact details are there should you wish to email her.

I do go away on Monday for 2 weeks to the Philippines, I am so excited to get away, I am going to be blogging whilst out there and may also be venturing into the world of YouTube with some vlogging so keep your eyes peeled on my Twitter Page for any links to any videos. 

I hope you are all well and are looking forward to the long weekend ahead full of chocolate!!

Do you like my brand spanking new re-design?

Aussie Miracle Shine | Road Test Results ♥

So do you remember that i was going to be road testing the new Aussie Miracle Shine range and i first introduced you to the range here. Well fast forward 4 weeks and here i am with the results, 4 weeks? really? i know, doesn't time fly its pretty crazy!!

Aussie Miracle Shine promises to revitalise the hair leaving it sensationally vibrant and shiny. Formulated with Australian Ginseng extract and pearl powder to hopefully leave your hair glowing! Just before i started my 4 week trial i had actually just literally ombred/dip dyed my hair, that didn't last very long and i soon coloured over it with a dark brown shade. We all know that dying and using a lot of heat on your hair can really make it a little under the weather so even though i don't have the dip dye anymore i was still super excited to road test this range.

I touched on the scent of the products in my original post and i still absolutely love the scent it is truly scrummy.

So have i noticed a difference when using these products? Yes, definitely a subtle difference. I have quite a natural shine to my hair anyway but these products just seem to help to bring that shine out that extra bit more which i love. They leave my hair so incredible soft and doesn't weigh it down at all. The picture above shows my hair just after it had been washed and dried, i haven't used any straighteners on it so you can see exactly how shiny it is. I definitely think these products are fab but don't believe they will work total wonders, so if your hair is extremely damaged and dry don;t expect miracles but it for sure brings out the best in your hair.

Personally the stand out product for me was the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Shine Deep Treatment, i have always adored the 3 Minute Miracle treatments anyway but this one is by far my favourite out of all that i have tried.

This range is definitely worth and try and do let me know your thoughts!

Have you spotted and tried this range yet?

*Sponsored Post

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids Lipsticks

I have literally been dying to share these amazing lipsticks with you. 

Originally i had seen that these were available only in the US and of course was pretty upset i would have to wait a month or 2 for them to arrive in the UK, until the day later popped into my local Superdrug and saw these 4 shades on display, i must admit i did let out a little squeal!! We all know i love lipsticks and we all know i love highstreet/drugstore make-up so these little gems have my name written all over them.

So come on Sophie just get on with what they are....

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids

A new line of incredibly bright and pigmented lipsticks added to the ever famous Colour Sensational line.

Love the Colour Sensational Line? You will be sure to fall in love with the Vivids.

The Vivids line has been treated to a new technology using neon coated pigments which produce Colour Sensational's brightest most vibrant colour ever. What is also great is that they contain honey nectar which helps to keep lips feeling smooth, never dry or leave a chalky or cakey finish.

The packaging is the same as the original Colour Sensational line but they have just turned it up a notch with the colour of the packaging, bright neon see through orange. So bright and eye catching and i absolutely love it.

In the US there is 10 shades available and currently in the UK i believe there is 5. The only shade i don't have is Electric Orange as the colour was just definitely not for me, a pure bright vivid true orange.

These really do glide onto the lips beautifully and have a slight sheen texture, which makes them comfortable and wearable while still providing great longevity. The colour pay off really is out of this world, i literally can't fault it (other than when you do swatch them on your hand and they leave a slight stain) Out of the 5 shades available i am really impressed with the range of colours and really love each one, now just fingers crossed we eventually get all the colours available as the lighter pinks look stunning! What i really love most is that the colours are so gorgeous and bright but because they contain the honey nectar and are so moisturising you don't have to be so careful with applying them and can easily touch up without a mirror, with some bright lipsticks i really worry that they have ended half way up my cheek but not with these!

I am so super happy that Maybelline are taking this direction, its about time that highstreet/drugstore make-up really stepped it up and i think these bad boys will really fly off the shelves and make people realise that you really can find some gems in the drugstore. I wouldn't say these were for the nude lovers and they are very bright and neon but if that's what you love and like these must be yours!

I can't wait for the Spring so i can start rocking these daily. I will of course do some photos of me wearing each shade in due course, I'm currently suffering the flu so lets just keep it at that.

Please check these out if you haven't already you honestly will not be disappointed. Its slightly worrying how over excited i can get over a lipstick geeeeeez!

I actually can't seem to find them on the Superdrug website however they are here on the Boots website RRP £7.19 also with an offer of buy 1 get 2nd half price!

Do these excite you? Have you tried them yet? 

Nioxin | Thinning Hair Awareness Week

Back in January i attended an event with Nioxin to learn about the products and to get a real insight into hair thinning as Nioxin is proud to be the sponsor of Thinning Hair Awareness Week which starts on the 18th of February.  

Hair thinning is a growing concern for men and women across the UK and Ireland, which has led Nioxin and the Institute of Trichologists to run the first yearly Thinning Hair Awareness week in an effort to raise awareness about hair thinning and educate people across the UK and Ireland. Sophie Ellis-Bextor has also joined as the new UK and Ireland Ambassador for Nioxin.

Now although i don't suffer from hair thinning as such, i mean i loose a few hairs in the shower when i am washing my hair but on average you loose around 100 hairs a day anyway, i do have fine hair but i also have a lot of it and i am always trying to achieve fuller thicker looking hair and this is where Nioxin is perfect because although it helps with damaged hair and hair thinning is also helps to give thicker fuller looking hair and to basically get the best you can out of your hair.

Nioxin systems are tailored to specific hair types, with six 3-part systems to choose from consisting of a shampoo, a conditioner and scalp treatments. The shampoo removes sebum and residues from the scalp, while the conditioner moisture's, balances and re-hydrates the hair. The scalp treatment, containing antioxidants and botanicals helps thicken each hair strand and treat the scalp.

To support Thinning Hair Awareness Week selected Nioxin salons will be holding their very own event, where you can speak with a Nioxin educator who will perform consultations on the cosmetic benefits of the brand and be on hand to offer advice. To find the nearest salon to you holding an event click here

You can also find out which Nioxin system is right for you RRP £27.99 and have your very own consultation here.

Do you have any hair thinning worries? Will you be popping down to your local salon?

*Sponsored Post

Benefit They're Real! Mascara Review

I don't know why it has taken me so long to give this mascara a whirl, it is currently the UK's number 1 selling mascara and gets raved reviews about it daily. Even the boy asked me one day in Boots 'have you tried that mascara yet' pointing randomly to a funky stand alone display, to his shock i actually hadn't and with him knowing i needed a new mascara he quickly picked one up for me, i obviously have him very well trained.

They're Real! Mascara promises to lengthen, curl, volumise, lift and separate with a long wearing formula that won't dry out or smudge. Now that really is some claims!

It definitely lengthens and curls, gives good volume and lift and the formula is amazing for the longevity however there is a slight down side to that. It does leave my lashes a little crispy as they say which OK isn't all that bad for what it is actually doing to my lashes its just the taking off the mascara which is a pain, its so incredibly hard to remove and takes a lot of gentle work and when your tired and you just want to remove your make-up quickly before bed this is not a good thing.

Having said that i do really love this mascara and i believe it is all down to the incredibly cool brush. It is a plastic bristle brush not my preference i must admit but what does it for me is the tiny little rounded brush at the end of the wand itself. Benefit says that the brush is to help you discover lashes you never knew you had which is sort of true, i mean i knew i had those lashes its just other mascara wands have never reached or grabbed those lashes before so i really do get a winged out effect with this mascara. It also means i can get those tiny little inner corner lashes to achieve a more fuller look. Now this little rounded brush on the end also works perfectly for your bottom lashes and doesn't smudge at all. 

I know a lot of people are not too keen on the chunky sparkling chrome silver packaging but i have to admit I'm a fan especially with the neon orange font!

So all in all i do really love this mascara not the hefty price tag of £18 though but i can see myself eventually repurchasing, the only thing with the big wide world of mascara's is that is definitely it, it is a big wide world for them and there is always a new one on the market which i am wanting to try. I am sure however Benefit They're Real! will have pride of place in my make-up bag again.

Have you tried They're Real yet? What were your thoughts?

Maybelline Super Stay 24Hr Bold Matte Lip Colour

Although i do love a dark lip and have been over the past few months i just had to switch it up a little bit with this Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hr Bold Matte Lip Colour in Peach Cocktail. A stunning matte coral pink shade that says to last 24 hrs would more could i want? Well i don't really need my lip colour to last 24 hrs but anything that lasts all day for me, maybe around 8 hours is a winner.

You simply apply a thin layer of the lip colour to your lips, i like to dab it into the lips then apply a little more, wait for it to dry and then apply the conditioning balm. You can apply the conditioning balm as often as you like. I do like to apply the balm quite a bit, with the lip colour being matte it can be slightly drying but the conditioning balm definitely adds a little moisture to keep your lips in check.

The colour pay off is incredible but is more on the pink side rather than peach but I'm happy with that.

Now staying power, does this really last 24 hrs? Well like i said i don't really need or want a lip product to last me that long and i don't really know anyone who would however this does last a crazy amount of time.

Once applied to the lips it literally is there for as long as you want it to be as it does need to be removed with make-up remover or make-up wipes. I only needed to apply the lip colour once and then i just kept re-applying the conditioning balm until i took all my make-up off in the evening so it definitely lasted a good 8-9 hours.

I am so incredibly impressed with this and can't wait to take a closer look at the new Bold Matte line which has just recently launch in stores, there is a brighter coral and nude shade i now have my eye on.

These are for sure one to keep an eye out for if you love a bold matte lip shade no pun intended!!

Have you spotted these yet? Do you love a matte lip?

Sleek Make-Up Flick It Eyeliner

I love eyeliner but find it so hard to use, because of this i tend to stay away from it, until now. Launching on the 13th of February are these fabulous Sleek Make-Up Flick It* pen eyeliners. With three shades available Dazzling Black, Royal Blue and Purple Aura i am now addicted to and using everyday Dazzling Black. I can now use liquid eyeliner and achieve the perfect flick i have always wanted, sounds sad i know but it's true.

Thanks to the simple pen applicator which helps provide precision application i am left with flawless matte flicks which stay put like no other. With up to 12 hours wear with no smudging or budging they really can't be faulted. Whats great is that the pen applicator is so precise but still allows you to achieve a thin or thick line depending on how you hold and position the pen. 

I really love the sleek packaging (no pun intended  however i must admit they are pretty difficult to open, they are so secure so the pen doesn't dry out but it just means it takes a bit of a tug to get the lid off anyone else found this? Other than that the packaging is very typical of Sleek Make-Up, matte black with Sleek Make-Up embossed in gloss writing. Nice and simple!

All three shades are pretty stunning but to be honest the stand out shade for me is definitely Dazzling Black, its very opaque black and stays that way all day, its going to be a definite re-purchase for me over and over again once these launch.

I have finally found a product to help me achieve the eyeliner i have always wanted, so if you have ever struggled achieving a flawless flick then be sure to give these Flick It Eyeliners a whirl.

At the bargain price of £5.99 you really can't go wrong, even if you just try one, you know you want to!

So don't forget these Sleek Make-Up Flick It Eyeliners launch 13th of February in Superdrug stores and also online at sleekmakeup.com/

Do you like the look of these? Are you a pro eyeliner gal?

Ways To Follow Sophie is Made Up

I am a total social media freak but only recently thought that some of you may not know different ways to follow me so i thought i would give you a little run down.

BLOGLOVIN'

Although i have had Bloglovin for a long time i have never used it properly as i would always stick to reading blogs through blogger itself, only recently have i really got into using Bloglvin and i have to say i really love it. So easy to follow and read blogs i have no idea why it has taken me so long to properly jump on the bandwagon. I know its used a lot so i am sorry i haven't told you sooner that you can follow me on there if you click the Bloglovin link above :)

INSTAGRAM

I instagram so much its ridiculous, if i could instagram in my sleep i would. I honestly think i am an insta addict. That's all i need to say! I am on there everyday so for daily updates be sure to add me @Sophieismadeup

TWITTER

Now twitter is another one i update a crazy much but recently its slowed down as i am too addicted to Instgram but I'm sure it will pick up again. It is also a great way to interact with me and ask questions ect.

FACEBOOK

Again something i have had a while but only just starting to use it properly. I link all my recent blog post's on there and hopefully soon will have a lot more exciting things happening so much sure to like my page :)

It would really mean a lot if you did follow me on any of these platforms, i look forward to seeing you over there!

Do you have ways for me to follow you? Would love you to leave your blog links below

Simply Beach For Valentine's Day!

Seeing as Valentines Day is just around the corner now i thought i would share with you this amazing Lingerie and Swimwear online store Simply Beach. 

Simply Beach is packed full to the brim of great well known brands and beautiful lingerie collections which i know you will all love. If your boyfriend wants to buy you something a little special for Valentines Day but doesn't really want to go to the high street to pick something up then this is definitely the place he needs to be looking online.

The fell in love with this EVOLLOVE Bird Song Set* which just so happens to be currently on sale for an absolute bargain. It is such a beautiful blue lace and print balconette bra with stunning floral birds across it. I know its not the most typical of Valentines sets but i just loved it. Shipping was super fast and i really can't fault the service from Simply Beach 

What is also great about Simply Beach is that they have a huge range of GG+ sizes for those who struggle to find their size on the high street.

So do you love this EVOLLOVE Bird Song Set? Click here and pop this link over to your boyfriend for a very subtle hint so you know you will be getting something special this Valentines Day!

Do you love this gorgeous Lingerie Set? What do you tend to do for Valentines Day?

Sunday Stroll | Windsor Great Park

COAT:PRIMARK

HAT:RIVER ISLAND

BOOTS:NEW LOOK

This Sunday morning consisted of a really lovely walk with the family around Windsor Great Park. It was really nice with the morning crisp air to dust off the cobwebs as they say!

I took my trusty Canon 650D and snapped away so thought i would share a few of the shots with you.

What did you do today?

My Beloved | Michael Kors Rose Gold & White Chronograph Watch MK5464

I was a very very lucky girl over the Christmas period and received such an amazing and generous gift from my boyfriends sister..she is such a sweetheart!! She surprised me with something i have longed for, a beautiful Michael Kors Watch!!

A Michael Kors Rose Gold & White Chronograph Watch MK5464

I absolutely love everything about this watch. I love how it has a slight twist on the classic Rose Gold Watch.  Ever since i had wanted a Michael Kors watch i was always stuck between the all rose gold or all white so when my boyfriends sister handed me this beauty i couldn't quite believe it..everything i wanted in one!! 

Michael Kors Watches are so stunning, so well made and such classic pieces, i am soooo incredibly happy to now have this on my wrist 

Thank-you Michaella ♥

Do you have a Michael Kors Watch? Do you love them?