A Shop Dixi Addiction

 Shop Dixi 

Lotus Ring and Crux Garnet Ring 

 La Luna Ring and Artemis Wishbone Ring

Xena Triple Ball Wishbone Ring (Sold Out)

I've featured Shop Dixi on my blog before, it's cropped up on my instagram, and I've also tweeted about them too. In case you can't tell, it is my absolute favourite website when it comes to jewellery. Particularly rings as you can probably guess. I realised that I have a nice little collection and it might be nice to show them all together. My first were the garnet ring and the triple ball ring which you can see in my January favourites. I actually broke the triple ball ring because I kept getting it caught on things at work and it turns out it was quite fragile. Whoops. Then I got the Lotus ring which I think is really gorgeous and the milky stone is perfect because it goes with every nail colour because it's not a brightly coloured stone. Unfortunately I can't seem to find it on the website but you can still get the same design with a gorgeous blue topaz stone. My most recent purchases are the La Luna ring, which I love because it looks really simple and elegant and when you look closely you can see the engraving and I really like the moon, and the Wishbone ring which is so dainty and adorable, I've worn it everyday since I got it. 

I love having a few rings from the same place because they all coordinate with each other so you can create amazing stacks but they also work as stand alone pieces. They're also all sterling silver which means you don't have to worry about tarnishing and I honestly don't think I'll ever buy a non-sterling silver ring again. Shop Dixi rings may be more expensive than a ring from Topshop but I think it's a bit of a false economy. After wearing one from Topshop for a couple of months it'll go disgusting and you'll never want to wear it again whereas spending a bit more on real silver will last you forever. If you haven't checked it out before and you're into jewellery I suggest you do it now.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know in the comments if you know of any similar websites. Lots of love, Annie xx

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Drugstore Haul/First Impressions

I was rummaging around in my makeup bag hoping for blogpost inspiration when I realised I've actually got quite a lot of new drugstore bits knocking around in there and why not show you them today. On with the post!

Real Techniques Sculpting Brush 

I am always willing to try new Real Techniques brushes so was happy to pick this one up in Boots. I've used it a few times as a contour brush with a powder product but I think other people use it as a foundation brush. It's quite dense therefore it picks up a lot of product so it is quite easy to go over the top. However I think it's also really good at blending so you can blend out any accidental harsh lines you make. I'm enjoying it so far but am still getting used to it because I haven't contoured with anything other than my Real Techniques duo fibre contour brush for about a year.  

 Bourjois Aqua Blush in 03 Pink Twice 

I'm really loving cream blushes at the moment so decided to try out this new Aqua Blush from Bourjois which comes in a little pump. I put a small blob on the back of my hand then use a stippling brush to apply a light layer to the apples of my cheeks and up my cheekbones. It leaves a really natural looking wash of colour but you can also build it up quite a lot. I've really been enjoying using this. 

 Maybelline Master Sculpt

I started by getting the light medium shade in this product which for a contouring product is quite warm and I don't know if it's because I'm used to the incredibly ashy Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment but I find it difficult to get away with it. I'd probably use this as more of a bronzer than a contour from now on. I decided to get the Medium Dark shade to see if it worked any better. I've only used this once so can't really give an impression on it but it looks much more cool toned so will hopefully work a bit better. (Also I don't use highlighter so I can't comment on that)

Makeup Revolution Awesome Eye Foil in Rose Gold

My sister uses this almost every day so I decided to pick it up too. I've used it once and I feel like it's quite difficult to use because you have to mix the foil with the liquid eye primer so it's not exactly a fuss free product but it is a gorgeous colour. It's called Rose Gold but I'd say it's more of a champagne shade with an amazing amount of shimmer. I think you can put too much on and that a thin layer is enough to create a beautiful look on the lid. Perfect for summer.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara

I love the normal version of this mascara and only got the waterproof version because the shop I was in had sold out of the normal one and I desperately needed a new one. It's just as good as the non-waterproof version. I had a very cry-y couple of days the recently and my mascara was miraculously fully intact. The rest of my makeup was not. 

That's all for today, thank you for stopping by! 

Lots of love, Annie xx

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Nars Audacious Lipstick in Natalie

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Natalie

Hi everyone! A little while ago, my sister and I took a little trip to Leeds to do some shopping. Among the many... many... things I bought was this lipstick from Nars. I took the photo of the lipstick almost immediately but when it came to taking pictures of my actual face wearing the lipstick it all went horribly wrong. I could not get a decent picture of my face and that put me off taking anymore blog pictures for a good month (you're beginning to understand why I'm such a terrible blogger and why my last post purposely didn't require a picture of me). But today I finally bit the bullet and managed to get one I can bear to put on the internet. Success!

  I already have one of the Nars Audacious Lipsticks in Olivia which you can read about here (In that post I'm doing the exact same pose and I realised I'm wearing the same eye makeup, yay for consistency?) but I was in Space NK and absolutely fell in love with the shade Natalie and decided to treat myself. It's a gorgeous pink that is bright enough to be considered a spring/summer shade but isn't neon so you can get away with it for all occasions. It is also dark enough to be considered a bold which are my favourite colours to wear. Why is it that I always choose to write about shades that I can't describe at all? But I do love the colour and think it goes with loads of different looks. I use a brush to apply it just like my original Audacious lipstick as it makes it more matte and more of a stain than if I applied it straight from the bullet. They are incredibly pigmented so one swipe is all you need for complete opaque colour which is amazing. It lasts really well and overall is just a gorgeous product to own. It's nice to not regret spending £24 on a lipstick :S

Thanks for stopping by! 

Lots of love, Annie xx

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Beauty Things I Suck at!

Hello everyone! I don't do many chatty blogposts like this one but I've seen videos and other posts like this and thought it would be quite fun. Because there is nothing I love more than revealing how useless I am. At everything. On with the post!

1. Washing my brushes. How is this not on anyone's list? Despite the fact I am repulsed when I see other people using foundation clogged brushes and despite the fact that I love the feeling of freshly washed brushes and despite the fact that I know my makeup goes on better when they're clean I still put off doing it. What is wrong with me?

2. Keeping my nails painted. I'll do it once and really like how they look but then they chip after less than a day and I can't resist picking it all off. Then I won't do it again for weeks because I get so pissed off at how quickly they chip. Same goes for false nails, once one comes off they're all gone and I can't be bothered to stick them on again. I'm destined to have hideous hands.

3. Doing things with my hair. I have my hair down every single day in the exact same style. I go through phases of having it a bit more curly or adopting a different way of using the straighteners to curl it but other than that it's exactly the same. Your milkmaid braid tutorials are completely lost on me. 

4. Listening to hair care advice. I complain about my damaged hair constantly but no amount of telling me to stop washing it everyday or to stop using so much heat on it will have an impact. I know it's sage advice and it would probably work but my second day hair is like most people's fifth day hair and my natural hair is inexplicable. I have to wash it everyday (if I'm going to be seen by the general public) and I have to use heat on it, there are no other options!! 

5. Concealing. Like... I do it... but I don't think I have ever successfully concealed a spot. It conceals around the spot but the redness always shows through. What's that all about. 

6. Plucking my eyebrows. They can pretty much just go die for all I care. 

7. I can't do the same makeup twice.  To be fair it probably looks the same to everyone else but if I think 'oh yeah I liked my makeup yesterday I'm gonna do the same today' it will fail miserably. Oh! and doing my makeup for a special occasion (for all those special occasions I have). If I really want my makeup to be nice I'll try too hard and have a disaster. Fact. 

The moral of this post is that I'm shit at most things. Good then. 

Thanks for stopping by! Lots of love, Annie xx

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May Favourites

Hi everyone and welcome to my first post on my new Macbook pro ohh maaa gaaaahd. I've never had an Apple laptop before so I'm still getting used to it, it actually took me about an hour to figure out how to get pictures on to this post. And seeing the pictures on such a good screen makes me realise how not good my camera is but oh well. On with the post! 

Makeup Revolution All About Cream Palette and Iconic Pro 2 Palette

 I mentioned these in my April Look of the Month post and I've continued to use them all throughout May and I really love them. The blush palette has every colour you could need and the eyeshadow palette has the perfect mixture of neutrals and not so neutrals. I've mostly been using the first, second and fourth colour in the matte row and the third shade along in the shimmery row on the bottom. For such a low price the quality is amazing. 

L'Oreal Infallible 24 hour Matte Foundation 

 I gave into the hype with this foundation after hearing 6000 rave reviews about it. And I can honestly say that this has become my new everyday foundation. My Nars foundation hasn't got a look in since I bought this and I am sooooo relieved because this is £7.99 compared to Nars' £32. I'm going to be living off student loans as of September so it's really good to know I can rely on this when I won't be able to indulge on high end makeup anymore. It lasts really well on the skin but isn't drying and I love it! The only thing is that I don't think the shade range is great. My sister won't buy it because she says all the shades have pink undertones and she is much more yellowy so that might be something to consider.

Xen-Tan Moroccan Tan

 I've loved having a bit of a tan this month and feel so much more confident with it on. I put it on at night then when I shower in the morning any uneven-ness washes off and it leaves a really natural looking tan. It's expensive but good.

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil and Sleek Brow Perfector in Clear

 I've changed my brow routine up this month. I've gone back to the original Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil which I've really been enjoying as I think it makes my brows more natural looking. Then to set them I've been using this teeny tiny product from Sleek. I prefer it to the L'Oreal plumper I was previously using as I think it sets them into place better.

This necklace came as part of a set of three from Primark for something like £3, it has a little blue stone in and I just think it's really cute. Primark jewellery is pretty hit and miss but I occasionally find something I love and this is one of them. 

That's all for this month. I hope you all had a good month and hopefully see you soon! 

Lots of love, Annie xxx