Pixi Pop Up Store

 I thought today that I'd share some photos from an event I went to last week, cause darn it, it was just so cute! Awesome beauty brand Pixi invited me down to their new Covent Garden Pop Up store to learn more about their products, and I had the best time! 

Whilst I was previously familiar with a few different Pixi products (namely the Glow Tonic and the lip balms) I was honestly blown away by the sheer volume of different products that Pixi have to offer, I had no idea they had so much!

The great thing about the pop up store is that they have everything out for you to play with, so you can really get to grips with the products. The team at the store are all incredibly knowledgeable & friendly, and they weren't phased by any of the questions I threw at them! 

 If you're in London in the near future, it's definitely worth popping down to the Pop Up store! I'm excited to try out the new products I picked up, keep an eye out for my thoughts on the blog too!

The Pixi Pop Up store will be at 55 Neal Street in Covent Garden until July.

Have you tried anything from Pixi?

Ethical Jewellery

Most of my wardrobe is very simple, monochrome, classic cut pieces, so I'm always on the hunt for new pieces of jewellery to jazz things up a little. When the lovely team at Valentina got in touch and asked if I wanted to try some pieces from them, I was all ears. Not only are their beautiful pieces handmade in the UK, they also donate a percentage of their profits to charity, and the only thing better than treating yourself to new jewellery? Getting to feel good about yourself for doing it. 

Valentina jewellery comes in three different styles, chains, cuffs and bangles, in different themes. I picked out the Spring Chain, because of the beautiful blue green beads, and the leaf charm too. I love that 10% of the funds of this bracelet go to the Woodland Trust, as they take care of a lot of the parks and forests near my home in Bournemouth! The bracelet itself is beautiful, I expected it to be quite heavy and perhaps annoying if I'm trying to work since it's quite loaded up with charms, but I actually find it quite comfortable, I almost forget I'm wearing it! I've had so many compliments on it and rightly so, it's a beautiful bracelet! 

Valentina also sent me a necklace too, so I can mix and match the charms on my bracelet depending on the look I'm going for. I love how dainty and subtle the necklace is, and it really ties the bracelet into my outfit! 

So if you're looking for a Mother's Day treat or a birthday present, definitely check out the Valentina website, there's definitely a style to suit everyone!

Thank you to Valentina for gifting me the pieces in this post. As always, this does not affect my thoughts and opinions expressed in this post!

February Beauty Favourites 2016

February - a short month with a lot of products worth mentioning. I've been putting a lot of new products to the test this month and I've come up trumps with some killer products. I've got a lot to talk about so I'll jump right in!

Starting with makeup - I picked up the Too Faced Hangover X Primer at the end of last month and I've been loving it ever since. It's made with coconut water to hydrate the skin, and it's the perfect fix for my tired early morning skin - giving it a real pre makeup boost. 

Base-wise, I've been loving the Bourjois City Radiance Foundation for most of the month. I'll keep this short and sweet since I waxed lyrical on this base in this post, but the general gist is this is a great everyday foundation for when you want decent coverage but a very natural finish. 

I've always wondered about the hype surrounding the Marc Jacobs #Instamarc Light Filtering Contour Powder, and I can confirm that it's all well deserved. This bronzer is perfect for hitting under the cheekbones to create a natural shadow. It's soft and pigmented and easy to blend - and really, kinda foolproof, even for a contouring noob like me. I like the highlight too but it could do with being a touch lighter for me - it'll be perfect come summer though.

I've heard very mixed reviews about the Kat Von D Shade and Light Blushes - in fact, I think they may have even been taken off the shelves at Sephora due to pigmentation issues? I didn't know all this when I asked my dad to pick me up the shade Piaf & Poe whilst he was in the states, and I'm glad I didn't. Whilst this certainly isn't an intensely pigmented blush, it's actually perfect for day to day, it's not too intense so it gives the cheeks a very pretty flush of colour. I've been reaching for this everyday, the mauvey pink shade is so flattering on my skin tone!

I could talk about a hundred lip products in this favourites - but let's face it, neither of us had the time. Instead I thought I'd talk about the product that really surprised me, the L'Oreal Infallible Matte Max Lip Colour in 01 Silencio. Essentially,  this is a lip eyeshadow and shouldn't work, but it does and the result is a natural, intensely pigmented, long lasting colour. I have two shades from the line but I'll definitely be picking up more. 

It took me a long time to decide whether or not I actually liked the Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara, but I've settled on the side of love. Steer clear of this if dramatic lashes aren't your thang, but if they are, you can look forward to easily achievable thick and voluminous lashes with this mascara. Yay - a mascara from The Falsies line I actually like!

I finally got my dry winter skin under control this month, and that can totally be attributed to the Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum and the Clinique Moisture Surge Moisturiser. I'm going to do an updated skincare routine post in the next week or so, so keep an eye out for more information on these products then!

And lastly, a shout out for the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finishing Spray. Yes it's expensive, but damn it's worth every penny. Spritzing this into the lengths of my hair gives that messy bedhead texture I crave. Especially since having my hair chopped off again last week, this gives me the style I love.

Phew, that was a long one! What have you been loving this month? 

A Week In The Life Of A Freelancer

I get a LOT of questions about freelancing (and I'm happy to answer any that you have!), I guess it's one of those things that's common but not much spoken about! I was totally inspired by Tasha's video, 5 Days in the life of a Graphic Designer, and decided it would be fun to try something similar!

I think it's super interesting to peak into other people's lives in this unobtrusive but still quite informative way, let me know what you think!

Also, I was originally only going to do 5 days, but being a freelancer means no such thing as a day off, so I filmed a whole week for you to see!

I hope you enjoy it! 

So You Want To Start A Blog

After the positive reaction to my blog post last Sunday, I thought I'd make this whole blogging tips thang a regular occurrence. In the comments & on Twitter a lot of you were asking for more advice on where to start with setting up a blog, so that's what we're gonna talk about today. I'm going to talk today more about the decision making process than the technical stuff, because there's loads of information available on that (try searching how to make a blog on Pinterest!).

Setting up a blog can be pretty daunting, it's hard to know where to start. I think the most important thing is to remember that it doesn't have to be perfect right out the gate, hell it doesn't have to be perfect at all. I've been blogging for four things and there are always things I want to change and improve on - and that's a good thing. If you're always trying to improve, you're doing the best you can.

The best thing to do when thinking about starting a blog is to sit down with a big old piece of paper, and make notes. Create a big blogging brainstorm, right down every idea you have. The kind of posts you love to read and the kind of posts you want to write. The things you want to offer your reader, the styles of post you like to read. What you want your blog to look like and how you want to come across - all these things are so important. Get it all down on paper, and look at it as a kind of goal sheet. 

Then take a smaller piece of paper and write down the topic, title and the date you want to have your blog up and running by. Stick it somewhere you will see it a lot, on your desk, in your planner, on your computer, so that you're always reminded of it. 

And then, before you start doing anything, even creating a Blogger or Wordpress account, write a few posts. Figure out your style, how you want to address your audience, and what you find easy to write about. Doing this first will make style and name decisions easier down the line. 

Contrary to popular belief, running a blog does not have to cost you a small fortune. You don't need a domain name, an expensive hosting service or a new camera to start a blog. Sure, somewhere down the line you may want one or all of these things, but they certainly aren't essential to having a blog. What if you start blogging and realise you hate it a few months down the line? Set yourself up with a .wordpress or .blogspot address to start off with (I personally would recommend Blogger over Wordpress for newbies as it's a lot more user friendly!). Nothing is permanent and you can make changes and investments if you want to further down the line. 

So sign up for an account, find yourself a cute design you love (there are plenty of free ones available online that are great), and introduce yourself! Let your future readers know what they can expect to find there. 

Don't forget that the whole point of blogging is to enjoy what you're doing and well, you're not going to get very far if you spend all your time doing what everyone else is doing, or only being in it for the freebies. Write a blog because you want to share something you're passionate about!