Merry Christmas

Hey Pixies!

So I give you all permission to slap my wrists and give me a good telling off!! I know it's been over two weeks since I last posted but what with stressful school work and chrimbo prep, I just really haven't found much time to update my little bloggeroo!

So anyway, this is just a post to say Merry Christmas! Here are a few photos of how I decorated my room for the festive period. I had many more and was going to do a DIY post, but never actually got round to it. So here are just a select few snaps to accompany the message (only because posts without pictures don't feel right to me!). Enjoy!!

So there's just a couple of ways in which I have tried to inject a little festivity into my bedroom!

I hope you all have a fantabulous Christmas and get everything you wished for! 

Lots of love and thanks for reading as always!

❄

My Favourite Shampoo & Conditioner for Coloured Hair

Hey Pixies

So another hair post today!

I've been dying my hair for a few years now, however previously, it has only been on the ends; also I have always either wanted to strip the colour after a bad job ( ;) ) or it has been bleached and hasn't needed to be protecting from fading.  

Whereas now, for the first time, I have a dye over all of my hair. As my hair was virgin hair, I had to have a semi permanent dye and to be honest I would have opted for a semi-permanent anyway. Although, being semi-permanent, it means that it fades rapidly fast! So, despite the fact that they probably don't make a whole lot of difference, I was on the hunt for a colour holding/renewing shampoo - and as I am a poor student, a drugstore one!

Herbal Essences - Ignite my colour, vibrant colour shampoo & conditioner

I LOVE this shampoo & conditioner. I never believed the shampoos that claimed to 'hold colour' as I thought if it's a semi dye, it's going to fade fast and that's that. And although it does, these products have helped dramatically. 

When I originally got my hair done I was using a TRESemme shampoo & conditioner. To be fair I didn't like it before, and the way it stripped a large quantity of my colour very quickly really sealed the deal with this product for me. It was not good. So after about 3 washes and it really fading my hair, I knew I needed to invest in a change. 

So on one of my many wanderings in Boots I saw these Herbal Essences on offer and snapped them up. They were a real steal and have treated me so well. Since I have been using these I have seen a much more gradual fade rather than the STRIPPING that I got from TRESemme. 

I don't think that the products 'ignited' my colour but it has definitely held the colour and made my hair very soft and shiny! 

So yeah, overall I can only sing this product's praises. If you have coloured hair but don't want to spend a bomb on a really good shampoo & conditioner, then I definitely recommend giving this one a try. 

Have you dyed your hair? What shampoos do you like using?

Thanks for reading! x 

♥

Skincare Saviours

Hey Pixies

So as a teenager I get pretty bad skin, surprise surprise. But recently I've been really slacking with my skincare, I know it's bad but I just sometimes set it as a low priority when it should be the opposite. 

So over the past couple of weeks I have been reaching for me 'ole faithful Liz Earle and have actually been shocked this time around. 

So recently my skin has just been terrible, and I'm talking terrible! I'd get 2-3 new spots a day, and they'd take an age to go! So I took a few days off from makeup and used my Liz Earle routine religiously.

I start by using the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish to either remove my makeup in the evening or just cleanse in the morning. Then (only in the evening) I use the LE Instant Boost Skin Tonic as a toner. Then I use the LE Skin Repair Moisturiser and finally finish with, a new love, Clinique All About Eyes eye cream. 

Then after doing this morning and night for about 3 days with no makeup (I've been stuck at home!) I found that already my skin was pretty clear - for me anyway. Any spots I'd had, had disappeared and no knew ones had come up! So I decided to go back to makeup. After a day of wearing my extremely heavy MAC Studio Fix, I had broken out again. So I decided to change my foundation to something kinder to my skin (foundation review coming on Sunday!) and so far so good! 

I have never seen my skin so good and it is all thanks to this skincare. I have been a lover of Liz Earle for a long long time and this month I have just totally rekindled my love! I really recommend it for a good package skincare. I got all three on a deal back at the start of the summer and the toner and moisturiser are still going, however I have repurchased the holy grail Cleanse and Polish. 

I like the toner but I don't know whether I'd shell out for a repurchase as I don't know how crucial it is to my routine. 

The moisturiser however is just beautiful. It is so good over the winter when my skin is quite dry, it really rejuvenates and brings life back into my skin. 

A new recent love to recover my eyes (please see last post) is the Clinique eye cream. It is so beautiful. It's done an amazing job at helping to bring my eyes back to life and is just a brilliant product - thanks mum! 

So if you are looking for a simple, but great skincare routine - Liz Earle is your woman! 

Have you used Liz Earle before? What's your favourite skincare for troubled skin?

Thanks for reading x

♥

Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Eyeshadow Primer

Hey Pixies!

Sorry my schedules slipped again this week but I have just had a bit of a tough week but I'm hoping to get back on track. 

So recently when in Boots with the best friend (who accidentally appears in the photobooth snaps in the background) we both noticed this this primer from Rimmel. Now I am always open to trying new primers, especially cheaper alternatives to my beloved UDPP! 

So I started out with really high hopes for this primer as it looked and felt lovely in store, however I'm afraid that I have really been disappointed with this product. 

It is a very thin primer and quite oily when first applied which I didn't really like as I felt it left my whole lid, up to my brow bone, oily and without foundation which I really dislike as a base for eyeshadow. 

However, despite being oily at first I found that over the past couple of weeks it has really dried out my lids! It's taking some serious eye cream and moisturising to recover. 

It also makes my shadow crease and patchy so it isn't that great at 'exaggerating' the shadows. 

However the one thing I do like about this foundation is that it has an almost pearlescent look which is lovely when used with shimmer. 

I don't want to be too down on this primer because my best friend also bought this and loves it. She finds that it is great at preventing fallout from even the most frustrating of eyeshadows. 

Overall I was really unimpressed with this primer and as the first drugstore primer I've used I'm really disappointed! If anyone has any suggestions of good drugstore eye primers please let me know!! 

Have you tried this primer? If so what did you think?

Thanks for reading x

♥

Winter Makeup: Smokey Eye and Burgundy Lip

Hey Pixies! 

So I know I'm a day late, let's just move on!

So I thought I'd show you a look that I have recently fallen in love with for this time of year. You could say that the burgundy lip is quite Autumny however I feel that paired with a cooler toned, shimmery smokey eye, it really brings the look right into winter! 

FACE

Revlon - Colour Stay

Benefit - Erase Paste

Collection - Lasting Perfection Concealer

Rimmel - Stay Matte Powder

Sleek - Contour Kit

Nars - Orgasm 

EYES

Rimmel - Exaggerate Undercover Eye Primer

Urban Decay - Naked Basics Palette - Foxy, W.O.S, Naked 2, Crave

Clinique - Chocolate Chip 

Urban Decay - Naked Palette - Hustle, Sin, Half Baked

Collection - Eyeliner Felt tip Pen

Maybelline - Gel Eyeliner

BROWS

Urban Decay - Naked Basics - Naked 2, Faint

LIPS

Revlon - Black Cherry Lipstick

Maxfactor - Bewitching Coral Lipstick

I hope you liked this post guys and that you like this makeup look and it's quite dramatic for me as I don't usually wear bold eyes and lips at the same time. However if you don't like the bright lips paired with the smokey eyes then a nude or pale lip would look just as nice. For example MAC Hue, Creme Cup or Topshop Nevada would look lovely! 

So there you go! I hope you enjoyed!

What makeup looks are you enjoying for this winter?

♡

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick - Forbidden Burgundy

Hey Pixies! 

I am sticking to my schedule (Wednesdays and Sundays), it is still Wednesday night aha!

So when I got my GCSE results my Auntie kindly rewarded me with £20. So I decided to treat myself to something special that I would never usually buy myself. A gorgeous YSL lipstick. I saw this shade first in Chloe Morello's youtube channel and fell in love. 

Sorry there's not a photo of me wearing the lipstick, every photo was really unrepresentative of the colour of the lipstick, even the hand swatch is pushing it! It is faaar more purple is real life!

So this lipstick is pure luxury! I decided to get it in this shade so it would be a definite 'special occasion' lippy! It is a very unique shade. It's extremely purple (despite the misrepresentation in the swatch photo) and very wintery! 

It is so pigmented and very soft and moisturising on the lips and gives a glossy shine also. However it is not the most long lasting lipstick as it is so soft and moisturising, whereas I imagine if it was a very drying, matte shade it would probably last longer. Also I have barely used this lipstick and it has already gone down a fair bit in the bullet so I will bare that in mind if I ever choose to purchase another shade in the future that I will be more likely to wear on a regular basis as I feel the lipstick will not last all that long. 

Overall I think this lipstick is quality and luxury and a prefect treat either for a present or just to reward yourself! I think that the retail price of around £20-24 is far too expensive for the quality that you receive, even though the quality is rather high. However for a special occasion, every now and again they are worth the indulgence; you definitely pay for the packaging - I mean look how gorgeous it is!!  

Have you ever tried any YSL lipsticks? If so what do you think and are they worth the hefty price tag?

Thanks for reading!

♥

The Sweater Weather Tag

Hey Pixies!
So I know I'm being totally hopeless and doing a tag, which I know is a cop out (considering I haven't even been tagged by anyone!)
However I've had a rather hectic day and have not got around to taking any photos and whenever I take photos in the evening they come out terribly - please see previous posts - so this will have to do!

As it's rapidly getting colder and snuggly slippers seem to have a gravitational pull towards my tootsies, what better than the sweater weather tag! Let's get crack-a-lacking!!

Favourite Candle Scent? 

Well until recently I was not allowed to burn candles of my own as I'm a rather clumsy being! But since my dear mother has let me enjoy the wonder of candles I've kind of gone a tad crazy!
I really dislike fruity scents or anything overly 'foody'. That being said I quite like sweet, floral and musty/spicy scents. I'm also a sucker for vanilla!!
Specifically I love both 'Christmas Cookie' (I know it's foody, but I love it!) and 'Christmas Eve' by Yankee Candle.

Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate?

Tea. Definitely. I don't really like coffee but I do love a good cosy hot chocolate however I couldn't live without tea and drink at least 2-3 cups a day!

What's the best Autumn memory you have?

Crisp country walks with the family or the first 'Starbucks day' when they bring out the christmas cups with my best friend Amy.

What makeup trend do you prefer: winged liner or dark lips?

Can't I pick both? I wear winged liner more often but I absolutely love rocking an autumnal burgundy lip. I usually wear them both together to be perfectly honest!

What do you want to be for Halloween?

Well I am hopeless at organisation with tags so Halloween has been and gone but I didn't do anything for it, I'm very sad I know! However I'd of liked to have gone as something alternative and not that scary - I loved all the Miley Cyrus tutorials that were floating around the blog and youtube scene.

Hats or Scarves?

Argh both again? Aha probably hats though, I do love my beanies! I've recently been loving THIS one from Next.

Most worn jumper?

Either a navy grandad one from a charity shop that is uber long, massive and cosy or THIS one (in peach) from Topshop if I'm feeling slightly more like making an effort!

Favourite Autumn Nail Polish?

Either Barry M - Raspberry or Essie - Luxedo

Skinny Jeans or Leggings?

Skinny jeans if I'm going out or leggings if I'm home or want to be comfy or cosy. Overall I think I'd say leggings. Specifically THESE - are they just not horrifically amazing?!

Boots or Uggs?

Boots definitely! I bought some ankle boots from River Island last week and have been living in them! I think I've just grown out of uggs, although we all know how I love my comfort!

So that's it guys, I know I'm so late but ah well, better late than never! Hope you enjoyed it and I tag ALL of you!

Thanks for reading

♥