Would You Rather Tag - Beauty Edition

Hey girls, I saw this tag while reading some of your blogs & thought it'd be fun to do. 

So Here goes...

1. Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?  Ooo, I would probably have to say lose all of my mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks and lipglosses because they'd be a lot cheaper to replace than all my eyeshadows & palettes, plus I have more limited edition palettes which I wouldn't be able to replace. 
2. Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again? Never cut it again, I only really have my hair cut once a year anyway (shame on me), but I really don't suit short hair. 
3. Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek? I would have to say coral, personally I think it looks more natural & great with a tan.
4. If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup? Makeup! It never goes out of fashion & you can never have enough.
5. Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick? Lipstick as eyeliner, as I only have black eyeliner which wouldn't look great as a lipstick.
6. Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora? Well, I would definitely rather shop at Sephora, but as I'm from the UK I have have MAC to choose from.
7. Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life? One lip colour, my MAC Amorous!
8. Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter? Summer clothes in winter, I can't deal with the heat in summer clothes so I'd die if I had to wear jumpers, etc...
9. Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round? I normally have nude nails, but I'd rather go darks than brights.
10. Would you rather give up your favourite lip product or your favorite eye product? Favourite lip product, couldn't live without my eye products!
11. Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun? Ponytail, I can never get the hang of a messy bun.
12. Would your rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss? Never use lipgloss, I don't use it anyway. Not a fan of a glossy lip, matte all the way!
13. Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in every day? Sorry what?! Probably none at all, not a slug fan.
14. Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish? Live without nail polish, durr.
If you haven't done this tag already, I nominate you to do it. Thankyou for reading alix ox
Follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin' & Instagram for updates. 

2016 Beauty Wishlist

Hey guys, so I thought I'd give you guys a little beauty wish list for 2016. I'm hoping I can get my hands on the majority of these beauties this year!

First on my list is this beauty, Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Power Edit £65. This is limited edition so I might not be able to get my hands on it, although it's first on my shopping list when I next get paid. This palette is all you need to finish, brighten, contour and highlight your skin. I've had my eye on this for ages, but have never had the spare money to purchase it. This palette has everything, to create the perfect iconic look. I cannot wait to see the difference this palette can make to my look. This is almost like a fainter contour palette, it's got all the right shades to highlight the cheeks, nose & cupids bow & contour the cheekbones & forehead, without the harshness of colour.

Next on my list is Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator £28 in Starlight & So Hollywood. Unfortunately, So Hollywood seems to be sold out everywhere, but hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on it once it's back. So Hollywood is a true gold shade & Starlight is a white gold shade. These highlighters look absolutely amazing & I've watched a lot of tutorials where youtubers have featured this product. I'm going through a bit of an obsession with highlighters at the minute, I just can't get enough (as you'll be able to tell from this wish list).

I'm also really lusting over Mac's Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour £21. There's a few shades I would purchase in this liquid lipcolour, they're just such wearable colours. Personally my favourites are: LadyBeGood - a warm midtone nude, Back in Vogue - a peachy nude, Dance with Me - a deep cranberry red, High Drama - a deep dark plum & Oh, Lady - a deep wine. Now as I'm not a pink lipstick girl, the majority of the shades I wouldn't be able to wear, but I'm really loving the nudes & deep shades.

Another highlighter, obviously.. Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator £21. The tones are just so gorgeous, it's so hard to choose between the two, so why not get both? Well, that's my view anyway. They really need to stop making highlighters look so beautiful to save my poor bank account! Ballerina is a dusky, rose gold & Gilded Honey is a subtle, copper bronze. This products is known for its wearable buttery texture to accentuate your favourite features.

Now if you read my previous post, of the brands I want to try in 2016, you'll know Gerard Cosmetics was one of them, if you missed it, you can read it here. At £9.50 their Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick are reasonably priced & with 11 shades to choose from, there's one for everyone! The shades I'm obsessing over are: Aphrodite, Ecstasy, Cher & Serenity. There's a mixture of nudes, pinks, reds & Purples. 

So there's a few bits I'm hoping to spend my money on this year. If any of you have any reviews on these products please leave a comment below with a link. I'd love to read your stuff.

Thank you so much for reading. 

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Bloglovin'

ox

Brands I Want To Try In 2016

Hey Everyone. I'm finally back & I have to apologise for my break, but I've just had so much going on. But now it's 2016 (how crazy is that??), I'm going to take my blog more seriously & post every Monday & Thursday. There may be a post in between these days, it depends how much time I have. 

I've set myself some goals for 2016, & also written a list of brands I want to try this upcoming year. 

Becca Cosmetics 

This is a brand I've been lusting over for a while, but have never sat down to actually ordering anything. The main thing I really want to try Becca for is their highlighters. I've read so many good reviews & I really want to get my hands on their champagne pop highlighter which was done in a collaboration with Jaclyn Hill. Becca Cosmetics can be purchased from SpaceNK & Cult Beauty in the UK. 

Hourglass

Again, another brand I've been meaning to try for ages. The one product I'm hoping to get my hands on very soon is their Ambient Lighting Edit Palette, I've seen so many images of it, it looks insane. I'm now going through a new craze for liquid lipsticks, (I literally want them all) so I really want to try Hourglass' liquid lipstick in the shade 'Icon'. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Ok, so I admit, this isn't a brand new brand to me.. It's actually my 'go to' brand for brow products (you can read about my 'go to' brands here). But after recently purchasing their 'Self-made' palette, I've fallen in love with the brand all over again. It's really made me want to try more of their products. For example, Glow Kit, Illuminators, Contour Kit, Liquid lipsticks... the list could go on.

Gerard Cosmetics 

This brand is a bit more reasonably priced. As my obsession of liquid lipsticks continues to grow, I came across this brand. They charge around £9.50 per lipstick with a good range of shades. I have seen a few Instagram images of this brand but have never really taken any notice of it until now... And I'm glad I have! 

Charlotte Tilbury
Of course this brand is on list, who wouldn't want her gorgeous products on their dressing table. Not only are her products adorable, I've heard they're of amazing quality. I'm a really big fan of her lipstick shades, they're not too in your face. Although her products can be pricey, I'm sure they'll be making an appearance on my blog soon. 

There we have it, the brands I'm dying to try this year. I am going to make this happen! 
Thank you so much for being so patient with my blog.

What are some of your brands that you can't wait to try??

Follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin' & Instagram x

My 'Go To' Brands

Hey guys, 

Everyone has those 'go to' brands, which they always go back to for their favourite products. Today I thought I'd share my favourites & why I love them so much. 

 Chanel is my absolute favourite beauty brand. I go there so often I've become good friends with the lady in my local department store, & she always gives me free samples to try, which makes me fall in love with the brand even more, & makes me want to buy these products. My favourite products that Chanel does, is their foundation. I absolutely love the natural finish that it gives. It's also so long lasting which makes the pricing so reasonable. When you first look at the price at around £34-£36, you think it's so expensive, but the quality is amazing with their products. I now won't buy a foundation from anywhere else. I do have a few over bits from Chanel, which I save for special occasions as I can't afford to wear all their products everyday (I so would if I could though). Another product I'm sworn by is their limited edition bronzer, I'm so upset that it was limited edition because I love it so much & never want it to run out, but seeing as I wear it everyday it's lasting a while. Plus the services they provide are always of the best quality, and their customer service is lovely. 

Mac is the brand which I go to for absolutely everything. But most of all their lipsticks. Everyone knows Mac does the best lipsticks, the quality, range of colours, everything. But not only that, all of their products are of the best quality. I don't just go into Mac to buy one product, I come out with loads of different products, from eyeshadows, highlighters, powders, mascara.. I could go on, but you probably get the idea. I have yet to find a product which I'm not 100% satisfied with by Mac, & I don't think that day will ever come. The girls in my local Mac are always so lovely & complimentary, so I always leave with a smile on my face. In my opinion customer service is a big deal within beauty, as they need to be willing to help their customers, some people may think this is bs.. but I had bad customer service in Clinique & I have never been back or bought a product since. 

Urban Decay I find is a hit & miss brand, some products I absolutely love & others I'm fond of. But this is definitely my go to brand when it comes to eyeshadows. I'm sure the majority of girls will agree that Urban Decay's palettes are to die for. I don't know anyone who doesn't have one. I cannot fault them... any of them. The fact they're bringing out so many recently gets me very excited. I cannot wait to get my hands on the Gwen Stefani palette when it's released! This is also the brand of my favourite mascara, Perversion. So, even though I'm not keen on all of their products, the ones I do like, are the best. 

Sigma has only recently become one of my go to brands. Ever since buying their kabuki kit, read my review here. I now know where I'll be going to buy all of my brushes. They leave such a flawless finish & are the best brushes which I have purchased, I had longed to find my perfect brush.. which I have now found within the kabuki kit. I'm totally eyeing up their new contour & highlight brushes, which I'll be buying in the near future as I can only imagine the perfect results they will make. Although Sigma is based in the US, they deliver to the UK, and there are many UK beauty website which sell a selection of Sigma brushes. I definitely recommend trying these brushes to anyone who hasn't tried them, as they're amazing & they make your makeup look even more incredible. I haven't got a bad word to say about them, the fibre bristles they use are so soft, which make the application so easy. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills is a new brand to me, I have only recently started purchasing their products. Every single product I have purchased I've been over the moon with, they've truly been amazing. This is now my go to brand for brow products, as I believe they simply do the best products for eyebrows. I've watched so many tutorials with people using ABH products, & they've always looked gorgeous. This is also the brand which I'm hoping to purchase a contour palette from (which has been on my wish list for months). 

What are your 'go to' brands?

Keep updated by following me on bloglovin', twitter & instagram 

Love, Alix x

Sigma - Sigmax Kabuki Brush Kit - First Impressions

Hey everyone. 

Recently I splashed out my money on a Sigma brush kit, I was getting tired of not having any good brushes to apply my face products with.. & I must say, It's the best decision I've ever made! 

I find you can make any products wearable when you have the right brushes. The product may not be the best quality but using the perfect brushes can make up for the products lack in quality. 

Sigma's Kabuki brush kit is made up of five quality brushes. My first thought was 'These brushes are super soft, but they're so large. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to work with them'. Boy, was I wrong. OK, so the brushes may be large but Sigma have thought of the design of each brush really well. Each with a different shape & angle, you're able to reach every area of your face with ease. They're made with Sigma's sigma fibres so you're able to apply liquid, powder & cream products without the product absorbing into the bristles.

The product value of this set is around £79 but for the whole kit it only cost me £65. As Sigma Beauty is based in the US.. It's difficult knowing where to purchase the brushes, although they deliver to the UK it may be expensive. I got mine from lookfantasic.com, but I know you can also purchase them at feelunique.com & beautychamber.co.uk. 

The Flat Kabuki Brush

Now, this was the first brush I used.. & I knew straight away I'd judged these brushes so wrong. The application of the foundation was flawless. Amazing. The flat kabuki brush is designed to apply liquid or cream foundation to the flat areas of the face, eg. forehead & cheeks. It picked up just the right amount of the product & applied it evenly over the skin, I was impressed. 

The Tapered Kabuki 

Using this brush to apply cream or liquid foundation to the harder to reach contours of the face, such as the nose & eye area. The smooth application of this brush makes the skin look so natural & it leaves no brush marks, like most foundation brushes would in these areas. The shape of the brush is perfect for getting in those areas harder to reach with a normal foundation brush. 

The Flat Angled Kabuki 

To blend the foundation in those harder contours of the face, this is the brush to use. It blends those minor imperfections that the other brushes haven't managed to reach The curves of your nose? No problem. 

The Angled Kabuki

I use this brush to apply bronzer to the contours of my face, under the cheekbones, along the jawline & my forehead. It doesn't leave a harsh line of the bronzer either, it picks up just enough of the product to make it look natural but giving fierce cheekbones at the same time. It can also be used to buff blush onto the apples of the cheeks.

The Round Kabuki

Use to buff the bronzer if you've applied too much to one area to even out the contour (Not that it's even possible to do when using these brushes). It can also be used to apply mineral products to the skin to prep.

And if that wasn't enough already, they threw in a free mini blending brush. It's so cute & sparkly. Again, it's unbelievably soft & will be able to blend eyeshadows perfectly. So, if you haven't already guessed, I was over the moon with my first Sigma purchase. I'll definitely be buying more brushes from them, instead of wasting money on branded brushes which I find are no good. 

If you haven't already tried Sigma brushes, I would really recommend them. Amazing quality & they're reasonably cheap for brushes. 

Keep updated with future posts on bloglovin' & twitter

Thank you for reading.

xo

Winter Beauty Wish List

Hey guys.
I admit it's been a loooong time since I've posted, but I've been extremely busy filling out ucas forms & sorting out a few resits. As I've got a spare few minutes before I go to work thought I'd write a little beauty wish list for this for the upcoming winter months.

Mac Lipstick - Sin

A dark berry wine colour is a must have! It's perfect for nights out, as the weather gets cooler it's always good and refreshing to have a dark, warm colour on your lips. I've been wanting this shade for ages, but I've been waiting for the right time to buy it, & I think that time is now. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Self-Made Palette

Ever since I saw an image of this palette I wanted it. It contains so many pretty shades, which vary from light to dark. This palette is perfect for christmas time, as it's got so many pretty, shimmery colours. This palette is limited edition so get your hands on it before it goes!

Zoeva - Complete Eye Set

Having never bought any of Zoeva's brushes but knowing how amazing they are, is killing me. The prices are so reasonable for such good quality brushes. I've always been a fan of their professional sets, as I prefer the classic look of the brushes. This set is perfect as you're able to create any eye look with these 12 brushes. 

Chanel - Bronzing Makeup Base

This product would be so perfect for this time of year. Giving your skin a natural, bronzed glow. You're able to wear this alone or under your foundation. I personally want this to contour my cheekbones and forehead underneath my foundation, but it would also be handy to apply a thin layer all over, to stop myself looking so pale this winter.

I could go on for days saying all the products I want to buy, but I simply don't have time & I also don't want to bore you guys. I will be back posting more each week, as I feel as though I've let my blog go a little. But as soon as all the stress of applying for uni has gone, I'll be able to post a lot more. 

x

New Vice Palette!!

Heyy guys!

So, I just got a little too excited when I found out that Urban Decay were bringing out another Vice palette! Unfortunately I never purchased any of the other vice palette because I didn't used to wear eyeshadow, but now I'm totally excited about this one. I have researched all the previous vice palettes and they're all amazing, loads of different colours and the look possibilities are endless! Containing 20 beautiful shades. 

We all know Urban Decay do the best eyeshadows! If the craze for Naked smoky wasn't enough, this will definitely have you on the edge of your seat! 

I mean if you packaging isn't enough to get you excited, then the swatches definitely will. There's been no release date as of yet, but Urban Decay have been teasing us with images on Instagram. 

There? Are you excited now? Think of all the smoky possibilities! This palette contains colours for every occasion.. there are subtle colours, & incredibly bold colours, perfect for everyone.

Hope you enjoyed reading! 

Alix, x

Festival Checklist

I thought I'd put a little checklist for all of you going to a festival this year, to make sure you've got all the essentials. 

Basics

☼ Tent

☼ Sleeping Bag

☼ ID

☼ Money 

☼ Ticket

☼ Alcohol (no glass)

☼ Snacks

☼ Old phone

☼ Disposable camera

Health & Beauty

☼ Wet wipes, makeup remover wipes

☼ Dry Shampoo

☼ Makeup

☼ Mirror

☼ Hair bands

☼ Deodorant 

☼ Ear buds

☼ Tooth brush & paste

☼ Hair brush

☼ Sun cream & aftersun

☼ Body Spray

☼ Medication 

☼ Toilet roll

☼ Cooling mist

☼ Plasters

Clothing

☼ Underwear + spares 

☼ Lightweight tops

☼ Shorts

☼ Sundress

☼ Hat

☼ Raincoat 

☼ Tights

☼ Wellies/Docs

☼ Sandals 

☼ Skirts

☼ Socks

☼ Sweatshirt/cardigan 

☼ Sleepwear 

☼ Jacket 

☼ Sunglasses

☼ Jewellery 

☼ Bumbag

Extras

☼ Bin-liners

☼ Henna 

☼ Neon face paint 

☼ Glitter 

Hope this helped those of you packing for your festival, have an amazing time!

x

 

10 Summer Must Haves☀

Heyyy! England's finally sharing the sunshine so I've decided to share some fashion and beauty must haves for this summer, hope you enjoy!

1. Topshop's Poppy Garden Print Bardot Top £26

Bardot tops are very in this year! This top in particular is gorgeous, I love the colours and print. Topshop sell many of these tops, in different styles and prints to suit everyone. One thing I love about these tops is they're very airy in the sun, which keeps you cool. I have this top and a similar white one  and I wear them all the time, they're so flattering and floaty. This top has a lovely cross over back and will look beautiful with a tan.

2. Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint Natural Healthy Glow Powder £35.50

This product adds a lovely glow to your face and there are different shade to match your hair colour which makes it perfect for everyone. This powder gives a light coverage and pigments are less intense than a bronzer. It has a pink tint for blondes and apricot tint for brunettes and leaves a light sun kissed effect to deliver a burst of radiance. 

3. Topshop's Kingdom Ghillie Pointed Shoes £59

Now these lace up shoes have been noted as 'the shoes that stole summer' & they're totally right! I love the pointed toe on these shoes, and they're available in many colours. I've wanted a pair of these for ages and a pair of lace up heels. They're very slimming and look incredible on, an absolute must have!

4. The Body Shop Brush on Radiance £14

Aren't these highlighting pearls just the perfect shades? Truly gorgeous! They give a lovely shimmery finish and help give the skin a luminescent glow. Using these on the cheek bones and to highlight the nose and lips to create a perfect face shape. 

5. River Island's Pacha Crochet Halter Neck Top £20

This top is available in black and cream. It's the perfect cover up if you're on holiday or just to wear out when the weather is hot. Unlike most crochet tops, this top has a lined chest area so it's not see-through which I think is a bonus/ 

6. Mac Lipstick in Morange £15.50

I'm all about orange lips this year! I have recently purchased this lipstick and the colour is perfect! It really compliments tanned and olive skin tones. I thought this colour is perfect for festivals and just wearing out casually. Every girl needs a orange lipstick in their makeup bag this summer.

7. Topshop's Snake Chain Floppy Hat £32

I'm in love with these floppy hats. They can be dressed up or down, and will definitely get a lot of wear out it. It's important to protect your head from the sun if you're out for long periods of time, so why not protect it with something as stylish as this floppy hat? I really love the snake chain detail, a little chain can make a whole lot of difference.

8. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multicolour £44

This duo bronzer offers the pure, fresh radiance of spending days outdoors. I wore this product for my leavers ball and fell in love with it. You can read about my leavers ball here. Blend the two colours together over the face to give your face a natural tanned glow. Add the lightest shade to the areas which capture the light and the darker shade below the cheek bones for a subtle contour. This really is a beautiful bronzer which you'll all fall in love with!

9. Topshop's Floral Print Strappy Bodycon Tunic £36

This beautiful print should be in everyone's wardrobe. This is a very flattering tunic and the cross over back is gorgeous. 

10. Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette £38

This palette has everything you need for summer, it's warm shades for the eyes and cheek are beautiful. It includes 6 eyeshadow shades, a full size blusher and a highlighter/bronzer to create the perfect contour look. 

So There we have it. Those are my summer must haves.. What are yours? 

Thankyou for reading x 

YSL review

Now, I'm not going to lie, I wanted to buy the YSL Touche éclat Blur perfector because of the packaging, but I was put off by bad reviews and the price at £31.50. But after trying it in the shop, I knew I had to buy it! I do advise trying before you buy as this product suits some skin types better than others. Personally, this is the best product in my makeup bag and I now wouldn't be able to live without it. 

It comes with a lovely velvet pouch which is split into two, so the product goes in one side and the applicator goes in the other. I believe this is the only product on the market which can achieve a light coat and blur out imperfections of the foundation. It is used to apply over the foundation, during the course of the day to blur out any lines, flakes that the foundation has made during the day or it can be used on its own to make your skin feels gorgeous and smooth. It's a light pink balm but once it's applied to the skin it feels like a powder and makes the skin feel incredibly soft, like silk. 

People shouldn't mistake this product for a primer, it's a balm which disguises imperfections and enhances skin's natural, healthy rosy glow and this product does exactly that! It's now available in a sun kissed addition which can be used as more of a bronzer to give a sun kissed glow or for contouring. I will definitely be buying the sun kissed version for the summer, it's a must have after the high quality of the original blur perfector. 

You can buy the product here. 

x