Pixi Picks

Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Brow Wow | Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Review

Everyone knows I love a good brow! I have followed the ever changing trends with such dedication that when the no eyebrow look started being adopted a weird part of me fancied trying it.

It seems I am not alone in this thought with sales in eyebrow makeup sky rocketing! Some of this hype is down to a little lady called Cara. According to the american research group NPD the top products come from MAC, Clinique and Benefit. But a new brand born in America and made famous by Cara is Anastasia Beverly Hills and it is taking the market by storm.

I first heard of Anastasia Beverly Hills when I worked on the beauty desk at Vogue. At the time I was doing some research for a feature on Cara Delevingne and her famous brows; I wonder if she has them insured? The woman behind the brand is legendary eye brow guru Anastasia Soare.

Cara swore by the Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade, a product that catapulted the brand to cult status. Sadly, back then there was no way to get the products in the UK and my little feature was scrapped. But now with the amazing techno behind Cult Beauty and Sephora now shipping to the UK, it is possible to get your hands on the suff!

I opted for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz *puts tongue back in mouth* in Medium Brown, a pencil with a retractible nib, very similar to the Clinique Brow Pencil which was my go to brow product.

What they say: Sometimes brows need a little magic. Long wearing pencil feature an ultra fine nib to easily fill in gaps and mimic brow hair.

Before (*I tint my eyebrows)

After using Brow Wiz

What I say: The AB Brow Wiz's fine nib means you can individually draw hairs onto the skin, great if you have the time and patients to watch paint dry- I do not. I found that I had to really layer the product to get some depth of colour, but it meant I made less mistakes and the brows looked a lot more natural. I can't imagine the nib would last very long with the amount you have to use, which is a shame seeing as it costs £15.50. But I do love that it comes with a little synthetic brow brush to tame unruly hairs.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, RRP £15.50, Cult Beauty

Stay Beautiful

xoxo

Sunday, 13 July 2014

What's in my Sephora Haul

It is often said that America is the land of dreams, certainly for me it is the land of my beauty dreams. I recently took a trip to America but stupidly missed every Sephora store over the two weeks I was there. I was clawing to go! I was sneakily directing my friends so we walked past stores and casually hinted that I wanted to ‘pop’ in. What I should have done was scream and jump up and down until I was in the Mecca of beauty heaven. But I didn’t and the two weeks past without a visit.

For those of you who don’t know what a Sephora store is I will explain…. Imagine a Boots, but not just any kind of Boots, one that holds only makeup and from brands that hold a cult status. I recently heard that you can order from Sephora online and get it shipped over; jumping on my laptop I placed an order straight away!

They are a little bit funny about what you can and can’t order. Nail polish, aerosols and perfume are a no no. But weirdly so are a lot of eye shadow pallets, like the Urban Decay Naked Pallet. So after an hour of going through I chose some of my favourites and paid the postage (not cheap, but better than paying double the price in the UK) Note: the prices on the website do not include tax, this is added on at the end, so make sure you think of that when you are purchasing anything.

I was so excited for my parcel to arrive! Here is my excited face!

Wanna see what I brought?

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Contor Palette - Kim Kardasian's answer to perfect cheek bones

2. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector - The cult blogger favourite for highlighting – fakers way to luminous skin (Review)

3. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz - Another cult hero product for getting the Cara brow! (Review)

4. Too Faced Natural Eyes Shadow Pallet - The perfect combination of colours for day and night looks I am going to review these products separately, so look out for the posts.

5. Free Samples!!!

Have you ever brought anything from Sephora? I would love to know your favourites!

Stay beautiful! xoxo

Friday, 11 July 2014

Rapunzel's secret colourist: LGD Twist Hair Salon Review - Cardiff

Taking a trip to Cardiff or are you a welsh lady?? Then this post is for you!

Pre warning: This post contains no makeup selfies!!

I am very particular about my hair. It is a love affair I have strung out for some 10 years. Having mousey hair that was neither brown nor blonde I begged my mum until I was blue in the face to let me have highlights for my school prom. I turned up all podgy and wedged into a tacky Jane Morgan dress but my hair was a hit. Since then I haven't looked back.

I have constantly changed from platinum blonde, during my student days, to a more demure natural blonde in my now late 20s, apparently I needed to grow up. But through out this constant change of colour there has only ever been one hair stylist, apart from when I once cheated and visited Toni & Guy.

But Janine knows hair better than any Toni and Guy colourist and every time she gets it right. She knows what colour I am after without getting her little book of hair swatches out and I always leave loving my new do. Last year she opened a small salon, LGD Twist, in the heart of Cardiff to teach the new generation of stylists and colourists the ropes and I want to share it with you.

As I am writing this I am sat with delicate foils threaded through my hair with the same excitement I have done for the last 10 years. You are provided with a constant supply of tea and the occasional cheeky doughnut in a relaxed environment. Unlike the larger salons LGD Twist is small and more intimate, it feels like a family run establishment where clients are friends and there is the obvious lack of blasting hairdryers and people shouting – often got from larger chains.

This is my little secret that I want to share with you, so much so that every 8weeks I get on a train to come back to Cardiff just to have my hair done. The best part is the price! To have the owner, Janine, work her magic on your hair it is £45.00….yes fall off your chair, its that good! This is for a FULL HEAD of highlights mind. You heard right! In Toni & Guy I paid over £130 for exactly the same thing. LGD Twist also run special offers, recently you could get a full head on a Thursday for just £30! Don’t be fooled by the price, the service is top notch, the colours are the same as the pricey salons and the finish is even better!

Janine starts by using a mixture of Matrix highlights and low lights which are brushed onto the hair and sealed in foils. Once they are all in you leave them to work their stuff for 20mins and then wash the colour out. I like to have a Matrix Fiber Strong treatment on my hair every time I have highlights, constant colouring can damage the hair so keeping it in silky condition is a must – condom head!

It is slightly cheaper to have one of the stylists do your hair, if you do I recommend you ask for Jodie. She recently came third in a Welsh competition and you can see why!