Tuesday 23 July 2013

Hot in Here...

Hey pretty's!
                      So for all you lovely British people out there, I'm sure you're aware of the rather stunning weather we've been graced with of late and I for one have been enjoying it immensely. However as someone with balayage locks, the sun is not particularly kind to my blonde bits. So here's three products I've been using to keep my hair in a suitable state for the summer...

Firstly I've absolutely fell in love with the Charles Worthington Hair Healer leave-in Conditioner. It retails at around £6 so isn't expensive at all but it's insanely good. It comes in a good sized tube and has the consistency of a normal conditioner and is pretty much used in the same way. You apply it to wet hair ( I usually towel dry mine first) with hands or you can comb it through, not directly applying to the the roots, concentrating more on your ends. It leaves hair looking glossy and feeling amazing, as well as smelling like salon products. Perfect product for anyone who uses heat on a regular basis and hates the broken fly aways that come as a result. 


Secondly I've rediscovered my love for Frizz-Ease Hair Serum after drifting away from it for a year or so. It's perfect for any curly haired people like myself who are self confessed straightener addicts. It just gives my hair an all around smoother look as well as making it stay straight for longer, which is always a bonus when the weather's warm, the less time I spend styling the better! Once again it's around the £6 mark but is very often on offer in Boots/Superdrug. 


And finally the Phyto Protective Sun Veil spray. This is basically an SPF for hair. It's a kind of fine oil that has the most amazing scent ever! You apply before and during your time in the sun and just acts as a really good pick me up for dry hair. It has a UV filter and also protects hair from salt and chlorine, so is perfect for holiday use. It's also said to preserve hair colour which is an added bonus. 


So there's my products for perfect hair this summer, what are yours? Have you found any miracle products for keeping your locks looking lovely lately? Let me know in the comments below! 



Lots of Love X 

Friday 12 July 2013

Haul Ass!

Oh hey there, 
                       Yes it's me, that person who used to have a blog. I shan't go into the usual heaps of excuses of why I haven't blogged in an eternity as quite frankly I have no excuse, I've just been super busy of late and the blog took a back seat. So my sincerest apologies aside, let's pretend like this isn't kinda awkward...

I thought I'd come back with a quick hall of a couple of make-up items I picked up of late. I have had a job now for a full year so I am basically a fully grown adult...right? No, I'm not at all, I bare no resemblance to an adult at all, apart from the fact that I can now buy things without having to go into the living room with my puppy dog eyes at the ready and tunefully say "daaaaaaad". I have acquired so much new stuff of late that since I took the photo's for this blog, I've bought even more new stuff, don't hate...I think I have a problem. I will show said other new things at a later date but for now here's what I bought last week...






Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation in 303, Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Never Say Never, Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel, Benefit Hoola Bronxer, Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Alluvium, Illamaqua Cream Eye Shadow in Inhale
I'm very much enjoying all of my new products as their pretty and lovely and new... The bronzer and cream eye shadow are repurchases because I have used both products every day since I discovered them so now I just can't live without them. 
The Rimmel foundation was a bit of a random purchase after being a bit curious about drug store foundations as I've been a bit of a snob of late. Although nothing will ever beat my beloved Double Wear, I do really like this foundation, it's super long lasting but not too thick so perfect for everyday use. I've also worn it out on a night out with a primer underneath and it's lasted all night and photographed well, perfect! 
I was SO excited about the Elemis peel as I've heard people rave about it for years. It's kind of pricey but it is worth every penny as it makes my skin feel all smooth and baby like. Full review coming soon!
I've also noticed that I have a definite lipstick problem of late, particularly of the bright pink variety. Through the winter, I was all about the vamp but lately pink is the way forward. The Bare Minerals lipstick was a bit of a random thing as I've never used Bare Minerals products before but this lipstick is gorgeous. It's super pigmented and doesn't dry the lips out at all. My 2 best friends and myself all wore this lipstick out on a night out last week and it proved itself to be rather long lasting, well done Bare Minerals! 
Finally the Illamasqua pigment is just a thing of genuine beauty and it would've been rude not to buy it. It's a beautiful midnight blue with silver, gold and pink glitter in and it make's me happy just looking at it. Oh I just LOVE Illamasqua. 

And finally...


Shoes glorious shoesssss
I nabbed these bad boys after months of lusting after them but not being able to justify the price tag however one rainy Thursday I stumbled into the Metquarter and in the corner of a rather cramped sale shelf, my future babies were sat very patiently awaiting my Visa's visit. They were the only pair left in the whole of Liverpool (I'd already been to 2 Kurt Geiger's that day...) and they were in my size. It would've just been silly not to buy them really. They are genuinely beautiful, the picture doesn't do them justice at all. The front is super pointy (more so than in the photo) which I love and the wedge makes the lack of platform way more bearable. 

So that's that. I promise to be better from now on, really I do. If you want to see more in depth reviews of any of the products let me know. 

Speak soon guys X

Sunday 20 January 2013

Keeping Glam: Contour and Highlighting

Hey girl hey,

So today is just a quick one about my absolute favourite look ever which I wear pretty much every day and can change depending on what I'm wearing it to. Basically it's all about the contour and highlight. My love for cheekbones hit me hard last year and I've been blagging I have them ever since thanks to some wonderful little products.

I love both high end and high street products for creating this look and here are my favourites...

Firstly, for anyone who's on a budget or just wants something simple, Sleeks Face Contour kit. It's ridiculously cheap at £6.49 and comes in 3 different shades, making it pretty accessible for most people. The kit comes in a compact form with both a powder contour colour and powder highlight, complete with a good sized mirror which is always handy for topping up whilst out. The contour colour is gorgeous and I've actually used it all over the face when I've forgotten my bronzer as it isn't too heavy but is very easy to build. The highlight is peach toned but is very glittery and pigmented so it is better for a heavier look and not so much for natural every day make-up. I absolutely love this product and have repurchased twice and would highly recommend it to anyone who's interesting in having a play round with contour.


Secondly, my most used duo for contour and highlight is Benefit's Hoola bronzer and Highbeam liquid. Hoola's around £28 and Highbeam is £18 but are both some of the most long lasting products I've ever used. I first received Hoola in 2010 and it has been my daily bronzer ever since, becoming my contour colour also in 2012 and I am now only just coming on to my fourth box now. I also received Highbeam for Christmas in 2011 and am still only about half way through the bottle. 


I've now moved into the magical world of cream contour and I can honestly say, it's one of my most favourite make-up products I've ever used. The "contour" I'm using however is actually a cream eyeshadow by Illamasqua in the shade 'Inhale'. It's a grey toned brown and it gives the most realistic looking shadow. 




When it comes to brushes, I first used the Mac 168 for contour and the side of the brush for highlight when using powder. I then moved onto the Real Techniques Blush Brush for contour as it gave a more natural effect because of the domed shape and it was also easier to blend with. I've now moved onto the Mac 109 for contour and the Real Techniques Contour brush from the Core Collction, for highlighting (I tried it for contour and in my opinion it didn't work as well) 




So that's it guys, I absolutely love everything about contouring and highlighting. It's so handy and personally anything that makes me feel a little bit more like a Victoria's Secret model is always welcome. Who doesn't want to look they have a more bronzed/sculpted/glowing face? 

Lot's of love
XOXO

Thursday 3 January 2013

Oh hey there 2013

Hello lovely's! 

                       Happy New Year! I hope you all had an absolutely gorgeous New Year's eve and drank lots and kissed lots and danced lots as everyone should on New Year's Eve. I had a lovely night with all my favourite people and truly welcomed 2013 in with a bang (there were fireworks, yay!). So that out of the way, I thought I'd make some resolutions for the coming 362 days (it's the 3rd today, I do know there's actually 365 days in a year, honest). I shan't say the silly things (lose 5 stone, smile all day every day, buy a unicorn etc) just the thing's I actually plan on doing to make this year truly wonderful. 


Firstly I plan on trying to do everything I want to do. That may sound silly but believe it or not, I tend to over think things way too much. So this year, I'm just going to try as much as possible to do what I want to whenever I can. Basically I'm just not going to over think anything and do what I want and if it doesn't work out then so be it. 

Secondly I'm not going to sweat the small stuff. This is basically a continuation of my first resolution but considering I'm a massive stress head, I think I just need to put it out there. I am so bad for stressing myself out over the simplest of things and towards the end of 2012 I was getting so much better at just chilling out, so I want to carry that on this year and be as calm as possible, yay!


Thirdly I want to take more photos. I am so bad at getting all dressed up and planning a big night out and then not taking any photos to actually document the occasion, so this year I'm going to become completely snap happy and become the resident annoying girl with camera within my group of friends, how fun. 


And finally I'm going to finally get my tattoo. I've been wanting one for ages but I keep putting it off and being a major wimp but this year I'm getting it for definite and hopefully it will be before my birthday (11th of February, buy me presents...), how very exciting. 


So that's my initial plans for this year and hopefully I can stick to them. 

Have you got any New Year's resolutions? Did you manage to stick to the ones you made for 2012? Let me know!

Speak soon lovelies! 


Izzi 
XOXO