DECEMBER FAVOURITES

Well hello there!

Welcome to 2018, I wish you all an amazing year and hope it is your best one yet! I am starting off the  new year with the same post I started my blog off with, it is of course favourites time again and this is for the month of December. Also, you may have noticed I have a new theme for my blog! I absolutely love it as it looks more clean and professional, my next step is to get my own domain which I am really looking forward to.

My first favourite is the Benefit Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil. I used to swear by the Freedom Eyebrow Pomade, but I randomly decided to buy a Benefit Eyebrow set in Boots a couple of months back to try something new. Turns out I now love this product and now use it everyday! It is sooo much easier to use than a pomade, and takes half the time as well! This pencil is pricey it costs £20, but I use it everyday so I think it is worth the money. 

My second favourite is the Batiste Dry Shampoo. I usually wash my hair everyday which I know is so bad for the natural nutrients in your hair. I am trying so hard not to wash it everyday, so what I will do is use the Batiste Dry Shampoo in between washes which works amazing. I have tried other dry shampoos but this one tops them all and it is not expensive either, it only costs around £3. It does such a good job of making my hair look freshly washed, and because I have blonde hair you can't see any white patches from the product.

Next is the Tarte Ladies Night Clay Palette. Can I just start off by saying that this smells so delicious, it smells like chocolate! But apart from that I have been constantly using this palette for the contour, blush and highlight shades. It is quite a warm contour shade but if I use a little amount and blend it out nicely, it looks really good on the skin. The blush is just a tad too dark for my skin tone, but if I lightly tap my brush in it then it looks pretty. The highlight shade is beautiful, it is a pale gold colour and is very pigmented! 

My last favourite is the Naobay Equilibria Gel to Milk Cleanser. Which as you know, I received this in Decembers Glossy Box Opening. This product makes my skin feel so soft, and I have noticed that a few dry patches on my face has been disappearing. It feels so light and gentle on the skin, almost you are massaging nothing into your face. I know this is a tad pricey but sometimes for good skincare, it is worth the investment.

Those were my December 2017 favourites.
Thank you so much for reading,

Want to see more from me?

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MY FAVOURITE MAKEUP OF 2017

Well hello there!

For my last post of this year, I thought I would share with you my favourite makeup of 2017! These products are items I have constantly been going back to all throughout the year and ones I can't live without.

Anastasia Beverley Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette

Without a doubt this is my most used and loved eyeshadow palette that I own, I'm sure a lot of people who own this will agree. The quality of these eyeshadows are nothing like I have ever tried before, they blend so easily and the shade range is gorgeous! It is expensive - it is £41 but trust me it is completely worth the price. It is a warm toned palette which as you know are my absolute favourite colours to put on my eyes. Even the packaging is pretty with a velvet material on the outside, there is also a mirror, you get 14 shades with a brush as well. If you have not got this, it is definitely worth the investment. I am always going back to this palette when I go on nights out because I know it works and looks very good.

Jeffree Star Skin Frost

I have mentioned this a couple of times on my blog before so you might have expected this one, but the Skin Frost highlighter in Ice Cold is truly my favourite highlighter of all time. It is so pigmented and blinding, you will never have dull cheekbones with this highlighter. Again, it is another expensive product it's £25 but the pan size will last you a life time. You also get a mirror with it which is not a common with a single highlighter. 

Mac Cosmetics Lipstick - Velvet Teddy

This is a classic but to me I only got into Mac makeup this year - unbelievable I know! I picked up one of their most popular shades which is Velvet Teddy, and I absolutely love it - I use it all the time. The Mac lipsticks are so creamy and one of my favourite brands for lipsticks, they are £16.50 but I have 6 Mac lipsticks now so you can tell how much I love them!

Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eyeshadow

This product is practically what it says in the name - magnificent. It takes your eyeshadow look to level 100, it is stunning. I have mine in the shade Diamond Dust which is a silver glitter. It is very easy to apply with the wand, (I like to have a brown crease colour and put this all over the lid). You just let it try for 20 seconds or so, then it looks gorgeous and super reflective. Again, it is expensive because it is £23 for the small bottle, but I would buy this over and over again. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
This is such a classic drugstore concealer, but no matter how many new concealers I try I will always come back to this one. It is very cheap as it is only £4.19 and mine has lasted me a very long time. It has very good coverage for such a cheap concealer, if you have not tried this then I strongly recommend you do! I want to try their colour correcting concealers as well, I'm sure they are just as good.

Mac Big & Bold Lash

I may have only got this not too long ago, but I use it all the time! I am so glad I purchased this because I have not been able to put it down. It is £19.50 but so worth the money, I have talked about this in my October Favourites as well. It separates my top and bottom lashes extremely well and gives them the ultimate length that everyone wants.

So those were my favourite makeup products of 2017, I hope you had an amazing Christmas and I wish you all the best for 2018.

Thank you so much for reading,

♥Alix♥

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MY CHRISTMAS MAKEUP LOOK

Well hello there!

First of all Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you all have an amazing day and eat lots of delicious food! As it is Christmas day I thought I would show you a classic red lip and glittery cut crease (first attempt) look. I went for glowy skin including a strong highlight, sliver glitter on the eyes and a bold red lip.

I was inspired by a photo I had seen on Pinterest and I just had to recreate it.

For my primer I used the ELF Hydrating Primer, this just basically feels like a moisturiser. Lately I have been getting a lot of dry patches under my eyes so I like to use a hydrating primer. For my foundation I used one of the Primark ones, the 'Perfect Finish Foundation'. This claims to be medium coverage whilst having a semi-matte finish. I do agree that it is semi-matte as it definitely has a glow, however it hasn't got the best coverage - I would say it's light to medium. It is very liquidy as well. For my concealer I used the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer in shade 'Light' as this is also a hydrating product. I love this concealer, it feels very nice and smooth on my skin and it has very good coverage as well. For my powder I used my trustee Rimmel Stay Matte Powder which is amazing, I have spoken about this before on my Everyday Makeup Routine. I also used the Rimmel Natural Bronzer which I use nearly everyday. For my contour, blush and highlight I used the Tarte Ladies Night Clay Palette - which blends out beautifully on my skin and smells like chocolate! For even more glow (because I clearly am extra) I used the shade 'Chroma' in the Luna Glow palette from Primark (review coming soon). 

Next onto eyes: For my eyebrows I used to swear by the Freedom Pomade but recently I have fallen in love with the Benefit Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil. It takes half the time as a pomade and is much easier (I am in the shade 3). For my eye shadow I used the Soph x Makeup Revolution palette, and I used a combo of the red, brown and transition shades. I then got my Boing Airbrush Concealer and cut half of my crease, this was my first ever attempt of doing it so probably not the best. For the glitter I used the Stila Magnificent Metals in the shade Diamond Dust - which is STUNNING! I want more of these, it is so easy to apply. My eyelashes are the Primark SoSu lashes in the style 'Holly', these are so pretty and fluffy I love them. I used the Mac Big & Bold Lash Mascara for my bottom lashes and the Mac Eyeliner in shade 'Teddy' in my water line. Finally, for lips I used a Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip in the shade 'Creeper'.

I hope you enjoyed this post, definitely something new for me. If you enjoy these makeup look posts then let me know in the comments, and I'll be sure to do them more in the future!

Thank you so much for reading,

♥Alix♥

Want to see more from me?

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WOULD YOU RATHER...CHRISTMAS EDITION

Well hello there!

Thank you to Luci Barker who very kindly nominated me for this tag.

Eat Brussel Sprouts or Cauliflower Cheese?

I don't like any of them..so neither!

Have twinkling lights or still lights?
Twinkling lights! They are much prettier to look at

Eat Gingerbread or Ferrero Rocher?
Ferrero Rochers! Love a bit of chocolate

Open your presents with only immediate family or with all of your family members?
Definitely immediate family

Cook Christmas Dinner for the whole family or don't eat Christmas Dinner at all?
Cook Christmas dinner! I actually enjoy cooking I just don't do it enough

Have a real Christmas Tree or a fake one?
I have never had a real tree so a fake one - they are reusable and I have 3 dogs so I don't think a real tree would go down too well!

Use Blue, Yellow, White or Multi-coloured lights?
Multi-coloured is more fun!

Eat Mince Pies or Christmas Pudding?
Again I don't like either of these..so I will pass on this one

Wake up at 6am or 10am?

10am! I would much rather get a few more hours sleep, plus the present opening only lasts half hour and you have the rest of the day!

Drink Champagne or Hot Chocolate?
Erm is both an option? How about hot chocolate during the day and champagne at night

 Eat Heroes or Roses?Heros! I have the advent calender...so yummy

Get a Puppy or  a Kitten for Christmas?
Of course a puppy, I love dogs so much

Watch ELF or Home Alone?
I love both but probably ELF, that's the one I have watched more

Only be able to listen to Christmas Music all year round or never hear a Christmas song again?
Christmas music all round - put's me in a good mood!

Wake up bright and early and get all the best Boxing Day sale goodies or stay warm and cozy in bed wearing your new Christmas Pyjamas?
Stay warm and cosy in bed, I can always online shop!

With this you also need to nominate others, I nominate:

Bryony Baker

Hannah Jayde

Bronia Jane

Just A Little Bit Of Lauryn

A Daily Dose Of Holly

Life Of Little Things

So that was my xmas edition of would you rather!

 Thank you so much for reading,

♥Alix♥

Want to see more from me?

Twitter: alixholdenx

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MY HIGH END BEAUTY WISHLIST

Well hello there!

For today's blog I thought I would share with you my high end beauty wishlist. There are so many products out there that I wish I could buy but I just don't have the money for.

So...if I did have all the money in world what makeup exactly would I buy?

1. 100% the first thing I would purchase is the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer:
 This stuff is so good apparently that people can't even find a close enough dupe for it. I need this in my life but it's so bloody expensive which makes me sad. You can buy it off of the Tarte website but it costs £22, but I just can't bring myself to spend that on the concealer yet. I seen so many reviews on this and it's apparent that it is the best concealer on the market. You can buy this (here).

2. The Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation:
 This has just recently come out and is all over YouTube. If Nikkietutorials says a foundation is amazing then you best believe it is exactly that. She has the exact same skin type as me and she absolutely loves this foundation, so if it will work for her then I imagine it will work amazingly for me as well. This foundation costs £32 which is not the most expensive foundation price tag I have seen, but still is far from being the cheapest. You can buy this (here).

3. Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow:
Look how stunning this is..it costs a whopping £49 because of the brand but my god I would not mind this in my makeup collection. It has a contour shade and a highlight shade which look absolutely gorgeous. You can buy this (here).

4. Too Faced Just Peachy Eyeshadow Palette:
I love the colour arrangement in this palette, it has everything you need for an everyday look and more. This isn't available in the UK (which I am praying it will soon) so it won't be as easy to get. This palette smells like figs and peaches which sounds so good. It costs £33 which I think is quite reasonable considering it is a high end brand and their other eyeshadow palettes cost a bit more. You can buy this (here).

5. Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder:

I have been wanting to get my hands on this for the longest time but I just can never justify spending £29 on a setting powder! I have heard so many good things about this so it must be worth the money, but I just can't do it. You can buy this (here).

6. Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder:

Lastly, this is a big wish. If you were to look at the price and the amount of product you actually get in this, you would think it was a joke. This costs £35 and the pan size is sooo small!! It is incredibly tiny which you think for that price it would be much much bigger. The queen of makeup (Nikkitutorials) has this and she loves it, and also my favourite YouTuber (Sophdoesnails) has it and she loves it as well! I seem to buy a lot of products that they hype about because I trust their opinion. You can buy this (here).

So that was my high end beauty wishlist! What is on your wishlist?

Thank you so much for reading,

♥Alix♥

Want to see more from me?

Twitter: alixholdenx

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GLOSSY BOX OPENING | DECEMBER 2017

Wello hello there!

It's Glossy Box time again and this for the month of December. I absolutely loved last months box and was so happy with it, but this months box is even better and I can't wait to tell you about it!

In this months box you get:

Naobay Equilibria Gel to Milk Cleanser - I have never heard of this brand, which is a good thing because I am really enjoying trying new things. This is a revitalising face cleanser for normal/combination skin, which sounds really good. I love face cleansers so I was very excited to see this in the box. It is a golden gel that transforms into a cleansing milk when in contact with water, and leaves your skin feeling hydrated. When I saw the price of this I was in utter shock, it is a full size product and retails for £15.99!! It's worth more than the actual monthly subscription! As it is expensive, it does make me more excited to try it so I will give you an update if I do end up loving it.

Model Co 3D Lash Primer - I have never tried a lash primer before, in fact I didn't even know they existed! This product claims to condition and thicken your lashes in preparation for mascara, and makes them longer and fuller. Sounds really good to me - I just hope it works! This product retails for £7 which if it does work, then that is a reasonable price. However, if it is a complete gimmick then I'll be glad it came in this box and I didn't buy it!

Soaper Duper Rich and Creamy Shea Butter Body Wash - We did get a body wash in last months box so I wasn't amazed to get another one this month, but I will still try it and see what it is like. I must say, this smells really good as it has vanilla pods in it which is one of my favourite scents. It is made of 97% natural ingredients and has no parabens, mineral oils or sulphates. This is not a full size product but the full size does retail for £6.50, which is more expensive but has it is 97% natural you can see why the price is more high.

Laqa & Co Cloud Lips - As you know I am obsessed with makeup (obviously - my blog is competely dedicated to it), so when I saw a lipstick in the box you bet this makeup addict got excited to get this. Also, can we talk about the packaging? Rose gold! I love a bit of rose gold and when its packaged with makeup - the best combo! The lipstick is in the shade 'Day Dream' which is a beautiful pinky mauve colour, it swatches quite pigmented so I am looking forward to trying this on my lips. It does not have a scent which is sometimes a good things as it can be quite overpowering. This is a full size product and it retails for £12.70, which is more expensive than most drugstore brands.

Steve Laurant Precision Tip Eyeliner - Another makeup item?? Eeeeeeeekkkkkkkkk! This time it is a liquid eyeliner which is amazing! The packaging is also rose gold which by this point I am going to cry with happiness. I have not tried this yet, but what I do love about it is that it is smaller packaging, it's a lot thinner and has a very fine nib which for me will be easier to hold and control. I have just swatched it and it is really black, I hate it when eyeliners aren't fully opaque. I let it dry down and rubbed across the swatches and they didn't budge which is good as it will hopefully be long lasting. Oh my god this liner retails for £18! How crazy is that. I am super happy about this product.

So that was the December 2017 edition of Glossy Box. I am so so happy with this months box, these products all add up to over £50 and you only buy the box for £10! If you love trying new things then you definitely need to try Glossy Box. The box this month is also a stunning pattern and says 'mince pies starry skies' which is super cute. You also get some Raffaello Coconut treats in there, which I'm sure is just a little something from Glossy Box as it is Christmas which is lovely of them.

You can sign up for Glossy Box (here).

Thank you so much for reading,

♥Alix♥

Want to see more from me?

Twitter: alixholdenx

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(CLOSED) CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

Wello hello there!

Some very exciting news...I am doing a Christmas giveaway! This giveaway is just to say a big thank you to all you guys who read and enjoy my blog posts! Also, it's Christmas? I love giving gifts to people so I thought this was the perfect idea to give back.

So in this giveaway you be firstly be getting this Tam Beauty Christmas Bundle. It includes: Makeup Revolution Skin Kiss Highlighter in shade Champagne Kiss, Makeup Revolution Rose Gold Lipstick in shade Chauffeur, I Heart Makeup I Heart Chocolate Golden Bar Eyeshadow Palette and a Makeup Revolution Amazing Volume Mascara in Black. Obviously I am obsessed with makeup so I thought this was a perfect bundle that covers my favourite products. 

You will also win a Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter in the shade Starlight - which as you know is the one I have and love! 

Lastly, you will be winning this 2018 Vinyl Diary! I just thought that you can't go wrong with a diary, they are very useful. This one is gorgeous because it's silver glitter and it isn't a big diary either so it is very good to put in your handbag.

Those are all the goodies that you could win! To enter this giveaway it will be on my Twitter (alixholdenx) and all you need to do is simply retweet the giveaway post. You also need to make sure you are following me as well! The winner will be announced a week from today so that's Tuesday 19th December, so I am praying you will get it before Christmas!

Click (here) to see my Twitter giveaway post.

Good luck!

Want to see more from me?

Twitter: alixholdenx

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