Pixi Picks Is Up To New Tricks! TOM FORD GIVEAWAY

People call me the problem child; I’m either moaning about my flat hair, lumpy stomach or spotty skin or spending a small fortune on products that promise to change my world and make me look like Kendal Jenner. When I started my blog I didn’t really know what I was doing or what to expect. It was just a place for me to occasionally rant or rave about some products I had been trying. I have learnt so much from the world of blogging, met some inspirational people and gained more confidence than I thought possible. 

At the beginning I didn't want my face out there for the world to comment on. But as my confidence has grown taking a 'selfie' with friends, beauty products and the occasional animal has shaped me for the better. Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave on my posts they really mean the world!

After a couple of years of not giving my little project the love it deserves I have given it a little overhaul with the help of Baggle Design. So my lovely, wonderful people out there! Pixi Picks has a new look, isn’t it swish?!

To celebrate I have decided to do a little give away. Fancy adding a little bit of Tom Ford worth £40 to your make up bag? 

Well here is your chance!

Tom Ford Indian Rose is my go to nude lipstick. There is just something super lux about adding a swipe of a Tom F over your lips; it just finishes an outfit perfectly. It is also the ideal companion for a smokey eye! The packaging is beautiful with an art deco feel to it, would you expect anything else from Mr Ford? Being my favourite shade, I wanted to share it with one lucky winner.

All you have to do is make sure you are following me on Bloglovin and my social channels (I am lonely!) and Tweet about the giveaway! Simples…..! Oh also, it is open internationally for the readers across the pond -YAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Hand Luggage Holiday Essentials

I am exhausted and I have just got back from a four day holiday. How is this possible? I did nothing.....apart from lazing by the pool and slapping on the SPF, I spent the 4 days eating my weight in paella and drinking like a fish late into the night. My family have been holidaying in the same Spanish resort for nearly 25 years and not being one to break tradition I hopped on a flight and spent a long weekend in the sun. 

In preparation I tipped the entire contents of my beauty stash onto my bed and starfished in them for a while. My house mates think I am crazy to have so much! As any beauty addict will know it is often painful to decide what to take on holiday, you never know what may be thrown at you and the warm weather requires extra strength products to stop you face looking like you have slapped on a melting mask. 

So these are my top picks for hand luggage holiday essentials -

1. Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair 6 Effect Serum

I try really hard to look after my hair. Highlighting it every few months had left is really dry and damaged. The effects of chlorine and intense sunlight on holiday do nothing to help banish the candy floss fuzz. I discovered a new hair hero in the Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair 6 Effect Serum and I am obsessed. After washing my hair I rub a pea size amount in to the ends of my hair, where most of the breakage is. It seals the cuticles and nourishes the split ends to prevent breakage, leaving it silky smooth and soft. I can't live with out this product and it saves my holiday hair.

3. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Oil Free - Shade: Blush

If there is one product that you need this summer it is this one! I have never been much of a fan of tinted moisturiser, having struggled with acne I find they do not give enough coverage. Having been on Roacutane for a couple of months now my skin has cleared up considerably and so I can now get away with slightly less coverage. The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Oil Free gives the exact amount of coverage that you would want pool side. It blurs imperfections and evens out skin tone, but it gives a lovely natural dewiness to the skin that you don't get from thick foundations. It also has the added benefit of SPF and the tube lasts for ages. 

2. Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45 

My natural skin colour matches that of a cold chicken you find in a supermarket. Pale, slightly yellow and you can see every thread vein or skin follicle; so sexy. Because of this I need to protect the skin on my face with a relatively high SPF. The Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45  is so light it can be used under your moisturiser or foundation. It comes out slightly tinted but once it is rubbed onto the skin the colour disappears. I love this product because it doesn't leave the thick greasy feeling on your face that some other facial SPF's leave. I am pleased to say my face was the only part of me that did not burn, the rest of the supermarket chicken got cooked! Ouch!

4. Clinique Lash Power Feathering Mascara - Shade: Black Onyx

I am having a bit of a Clinique fan girl moment. When I first tried this mascara I really wasn't keen. It dries up very quickly and you do need to add a few layers to get the lashes looking nice. But after taking it on holiday with me I am now obsessed! It coats each lash making them appear longer and fuller. The best part is that with even an excessive amount of sweat and pool time there was not a panda eye in sight.

Goldwel DualSenses Rich Repair 6 Effect Serum, RRP £9.60

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Oil Free, RRP £34.00

Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45, RRP £26.00
Clinique Lash Power Feathering Mascara, RRP £18.00

Do you have any holiday essentials?

Stay beautiful

xoxo

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

Faking a Bone Structure | Sleek Makeup Face Form Contouring Palette

I blame my lack of bone structure for the fact I am asked for ID when I am buying paracetamol or alcohol. I have quite a round baby face, which many say I will appreciate when I am older, but for now it is annoying. I am a 25 year old woman with the face of a teenager. So in my hunt to chisel my features I asked fellow bloggers on Twitter (@pixipicks) to recommend a contouring pallete to help. There was one product that stood out and was the top of all of their lists, Sleek Makeup Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette. I popped off to Superdrug to see what all the fuss was about.

Blusher

Highlighter 

Contour Powder

Contour Powder / Highlighter / Blusher

No Contouring

What they say: With multi-tasking elements such a contour powder, highlighter and blusher in one neat compact designed to suit all skin tones.

What I say: The idea of having all three products in one neat compact is genius. The matte brown powder is perfect for creating shadow in the hollows of the cheeks. The best way to find the hollows of the cheeks is to make a fish face and suck them in.

Run the contour powder from the ear down to the hollow of the cheek and blend. I like to use the Real Techniques Contour Brush. The blush is a nice shade, but it isn’t very heavily pigmented so you need to build colour. I’m not keen on the shimmer in the blush; I think it would have been better to have a matte colour as there is the highlighter that can be added afterwards. It is a little too much shimmer to add them both. I use the highlighter down the ridge of my nose, chin and forehead. 

Before Blending

After Contouring (This photo looks edited but it's really not)

I really like that it is s easy to use and is small enough to carry around. Also the price is pretty damn good!

Sleek Makeup Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette, RRP £9.99

Rant or Rave?

RAVE

Stay Beautiful

xoxo

(Purchased product)

Summer Holiday Nails: Red Carpet Gel Manicure Review

Once in a blue moon I treat myself to a manicure, sometimes it is nice to indulge yourself and have someone else do it for you. But I must admit I am never quite satisfied and often think I could have done a better job if I had done it myself. I love the glossy look of Shellac and Gelish nails, there is something so refined and polished about it, it can pull an outfit together. So when I decided to invest in an at home kit I was pretty torn between which to get. Although Shellac is great I didn’t like the idea of sicking my hand under a sun bed twice a week - especially as my skin is the colour of sour milk.

Then as if fate had made my decision, ASOS had a flash sale on their beauty products and the Red Carpet Manicure System caught my eye. I purchased it, along with three extra colours and hotly anticipated its arrival.

Free: Red Carpet 

Simply Adorable 

Paparazzied

Tinsel Town

What they say: A home version of the popular professional gel manicure available in salons. It uses the same technology and each layer is ‘cured’ under an LED lamp in as little as 30seconds. Once you have finished the application the nails will be dry and you can get on with your day.

107 Simply Adorable 

107 Simply Adorable

What I say: I decided on the colour 107 Simply Adorable. I wanted quite a neutral colour as I was going to Royal Ascot (read here) and my dress was quite bright.

The application is very quick and each stage is easy to apply. Some of the lighter colours I felt I needed to apply three coats rather than the recommended two because the colour was so thin you could see the nail underneath. But once I had cured the nails and finished with the top coat I was really chuffed with the results. Even the pale colours were vibrant and glossy with a really lovely shine. So many people have asked me about them and if I did it myself. What is really fantastic is the longevity of the polish; I can easily go two weeks without a single chip! My negative thought for this product is the price. I know that you are saving the money you would have spent getting a professional manicure, but each tiny bottle of product is nearly £13.00 each! And the kit full price will set you back a cool £90.00! On the other hand that is less than 5 months of manicures.

Final thought is that I can’t rave about this product enough. I am so pleased I invested in the kit and I can’t wait to buy some more colours for summer! 

Red Carpet Manicure Starter Kit, RRP £90.00

Have you tried Red Carpet Manicures?

Stay beautiful! 

xoxo

p.s don't forget to follow me on Blogloving

Blogger Crush: Company Magazine #StyleBloggerAwards 2014

Having a girl crush moment……

Having lived in the world of beauty for such a long time I have sort of been living under a rock when it comes to fashion, until Wednesday. Myself and fellow blogger Alisha Magic were lucky enough to be invited to the Company Magazine Style Blogger Awards 2014 at The Oval in East London to recognise and award the best in the industry. 

It started off as a bit of a nightmare as the Central line was suspended and Alisha was stranded in commuter hell, I was relaxing in a park soaking up the sun mwhaha! I decided to head along to the awards on my own and check it out. While I waited I propped up the bar with some delicious Pinky Vodka cocktails and dished out awkward smiles to the other party people. I even got my hair sorted buy a fabulous Lee Stafford stylist who wanted to give me a rocky edge, fairly difficult with my very fine hair. When Alisha finally arrived we threw some interesting looking shapes on the dance floor, ate some gluten free Heck sausages and drank some head spinningly strong Koperberg vodka cocktails – flirting with the bar staff gets you triple measures ;)! 

What I wore:
Top - Zara
Trousers - Zara
Shoes - Dorothy Perkins
Bag - Mulberry
Lip Stick - Joan Collins Timeless Beauty in Fontaine

Music was provided by the fabulous Zoe London, one of the nicest girls, and we chatted to Kayla Hadlingtion , Leanne Woodfull and Scott Emery for most of the night. I have to say that these two made my night and I now have a big old girl crush, check out their blogs! Sadly by the time we left there were no goody bags left, which is a shame seeing as we provided a lot of entertainment with our on stage dancing and toilet selfies - keep scrolling to see what I got up to.

(disclaimer - very drunk faces and blurry selfies, got to be done..)

What I didn’t expect from the night was that I would meet such a lovely bunch of down to earth and genuinely friendly people that I had THE best night with. I am so proud to be a part of an industry that celebrates talent and recognises creativity in such an incredible way.

So, who won what! 

Congratulations girls and boy on your well deserved titles! 

BEST DESIGNED BLOG - What Olivia Did
www.whatoliviadid.com

BEST PERSONAL STYLE BLOG - In the Frow
www.inthefrow.com

BEST FASHION BLOG - Melon Lady
www.melonlady.com

BEST PERSONAL STYLE BLOG - Lydia Rose

www.lydiarosexo.blogspot.co.uk

BEST BLOGGING DUO - London's Closet
www.londons-closet.com

BEST INTERNATIONAL BLOG - Thunder and Threads
www.thunderandthreads.blogspot.co.uk

BEST TEEN STYLE BLOGGER - Rose and Vintage
www.roseandvintage.blogspot.co.uk

BEST MALE STYLE BLOG - Steve Booker
www.stevebooker.co.uk

BEST FASHION BLOG (NEWCOMER) - The Pixie Cut
www.thepixiecut.blogspot.co.uk

BEST INTERNATIONAL BLOG (NEWCOMER) - Creepers and Cupcakes
www.creepersandcupcakes.blogspot.co.uk

Are there any fashion bloggers you think I should be following?

p.s don't forget to follow me on Blogloving

Pixie's Picks is Under Construction

There comes a time in many women's lives when they feel they need a little nip and tuck, perhaps a cheeky face lift. We are one of them! Pixie's Picks is feeling a little run down and so we have found an incredible talent who is going to give us a pick me up. I am so excited to show you all I could pee a little! 

So once the new blog is in place I will start blogging regularly, with ten posts just itching to be let onto the web! It should only take a couple of weeks so please hang about and check back! 

I am also planning on running a little Tom Ford give-away to celebrate the relaunch of Pixies Picks, so make sure you follow to be in with a chance!

Speak soon! 

Stay beautiful

xoxo