Christmas day OOTD

Merry Christmas!!! Hope everyone had the best time :)

I've ate so much food, been sales shopping, watching films and spending time with my family and I'm not ready to go back to normality.

On Christmas day I was so excited to wear this necklace I've had it for ages and only worn it once or twice but I love it so much!

Dress: Zara

Jumper: Primark

Necklace: Anna Dello Russo for H&M

OOTD in the park

This week I was in the West End taking some pictures for a uni class, all my classes are finished for Christmas now so it feels good to have a bit of a break! I'm so excited to watch Christmas films and spend time with my family, I'm also a big fan of dramatic Christmas day soaps! 

Shoes: Zara

Skirt: Joy

Pink Jumper: Primark

Scarf: Zara

Fur Gillet: Topshop

Bag: Primark

No Poo Method, Review and How To!

Recently I've been trying a new hair washing routine to help with growing pretty long hair and to soothe my sore scalp. For the past year or so I've had problems with a really dry/sore scalp and tried a bunch of prescription medicated shampoo and scalp treatments with no real improvement. Medicated scalp treatments tend to be full of chemicals and the ones I used would strip the dyed black out of my hair and be SO nippy on my scalp when I applied them. I tried using coconut oil and different dry oils in-between, washed my hair more often/ less often but it would always be pretty annoying.

So I decided to give up the medicated shampoos and use other natural methods to try fix my scalp. I bought the Lush Trichomania solid shampoo bar which helped because its pretty moisturising but I was still getting dryness so I decided to try the no poo method after I was told how amazing it was.

 So no poo haircare basically is where you don't use normal shampoo or conditioner to wash your hair. Instead you use baking soda as a shampoo and apple cider vinegar as a conditioning rinse.

Most normal shampoos strip the natural oils from your hair and your scalp can then over produce oils meaning you need to wash your hair more as it will get greasy more quickly. 

Other benefits include 

- More body

- Added shine

- Its really cheap

- Improved scalp condition, because regular shampoos can have lots of irritating ingredients. 

This method is really easy to do !

1. First mix 1 or 2 spoonfuls of baking soda with water and use this as a shampoo, this is actually a little tricky because it doesn't produce any lather, nothing at all so its hard to tell if your doing it right or if your hair is actually getting clean! But as long as you've rubbed it in and rinsed good your hair will be all nice and clean! This step can be done twice if you have lots of build up or don't was your hair as regularly. 

2. For conditioner I used  this Dr Bronners conditioning rinse instead of the vinegar because my hair is really dry and this has more conditioning oils, but using cider vinegar or any other conditioning rise is fine. You dilute this with water the same as the shampoo!

After my first wash using this my hair felt SO dry I used some coconut oil after I had blow dried and it helped a lot. Apart from that my hair did feel clean and my scalp felt dry. I went a week until my next wash and my scalp was greasier than usual (this is normal while your scalp adjusts to the change), but my scalp felt better and wasn't so itchy!

I'm now at the end of my third week using this method and my scalp isn't getting so greasy any more and my scalp is a whole lot better! Also my hair looks lovely and shiny and its SO SOFT! I'm surprised by how good the results of this have been and I would definitely recommend this method especially if you suffer from a dry/sore scalp like I did, It does take some getting used to but the benefits are really worth suffering that for a week or so. 

                                                                             

Cat Christmas Jumper OOTD

I LOVE this cat jumper, its super cute and the glasses pretty much match my glasses. I love this faux fur gillet its super cosy and easy to wear over jumpers. I can't believe its Christmas so soon this month has flown in so quickly! 

Cardboard Christmas Tree: Ikea

Boots: New Look

Skirt: Joy

Shirt: Primark

Jumper: Joy

Scarf: Zara

Faux Fur Waistcoat: Topshop 

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil, review and swatches.

So I feel like I've been neglecting my blog, but writing a dissertation and all other uni stuff is keeping me super busy and when I've got time off I just want to watch tv and eat ice cream, but I decided to do a review of a product I've been loving recently.

I got some pretty NYX products in their cyber monday sale and the Jumbo Lip Pencil is my new favourite lip product!

I got Plush Red and Chaos for £5 each. The NYX description of these says "What could be better, a lip liner and lipstick in one! NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil delivers precise lip lining while filling your lips with a smooth creamy, moisturising colour."

I totally agree that they are creamy and moisturising. These are highly pigmented and go on so smoothly, give full coverage, the colour lasts for hours and it stays moisturising throughout, but it can be hard to get a precise line because they are a little big. 

The only problem I had with these is that they don't twist up, they need a sharpener and are not easy to sharpen, I don't know if its because they are a hard plastic, but I've gone through 2 sharpeners on these! Maybe I'm just buying a rubbish sharpener.

So if your looking for a highly pigmented, moisturising lip pencil these are totally worth a try and they are really affordable!

Babyliss Curl Secret first impressions and review

So my mum bought the Babyliss curl secret so I had to try it out. I'm in constant pursuit of perfect curls, that last all day so was really excited to try this out!

The curler is really easy to use you just put your hair in and it does the rest! BUT for my super thick hair it got stuck lots, took absolutely ages to finish and the curls weren't anything special. I made a video about it :)

xxx

Little green beauty box, Christmas edition

So beauty boxes are something I love the idea of, I like to try out a bunch on new products from brands I haven't tried before and its really fun to look forward to a little gift!

For me buying cruelty free make up is something I feel pretty strongly about. Finding out a brand has changed their cruelty free policy is something that would make me stop buying from them completely. I always look out for cruelty  free options so this box was all the things I was looking for. 

I got this box from souksouk.co.uk, this is the christmas edition box and it costs £30 plus around £3 pp. This box has 12 beauty products so I think this is a really good price!

The Limited Edition Christmas Box includes:
• Faith in Nature Raspberry & Cranberry Shower Gel & Foam Bath 
• Sranrom Sleep Tight Body Cream 30g, naturally derived ingredients & chemical-free
• Avril Mascara 
• Avril Eyelash curler
• Eve of St Agnes Refining Bamboo Exfoliating Polish 
• Eve of St Agnes Hydrating Facial Silk 
• Vitabella Hydrating Face Cream 15ml, made with organic aloe vera
• Badger Lavender & Bergamot Sleep Balm
• Pure Thoughts Mint & Avocado Foot Repair Balm 
• Glam Mineral Eyeshadow in Antique Gold
• Avril nail lacquer in Arabian Nights 7 Free including no formaldehyde, parabens or camphor
• MOA Mini Green Balm, natural ingredients and chemical-free

I've not tried any of these products before, but they are all things I would use so I'm excited to try them all out!

I also made an unboxing video :) 

Hope everyone has a great weekend 

Maxine xxxx

Winter knits

So I had a really pretty grey cardigan from last winter, but its falling apart so I need a new one. They go with everything and more importantly don't show up cat hair like black does! With 2 extremely fluffy cats I tend to always try and buy clothes that are not black/ fabrics that don't get super hairy. I love polo necks and oversized cardigans over dresses these are my favourites! I love the Zara wrap cardigan so that's on my christmas wishlist!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Winter knits by snarfcat featuring grey tops

Zara wrap top
zara.com

H M grey top
$81 - hm.com

Warehouse brown leather belt
$160 - houseoffraser.co.uk

H M outerwear
$40 - hm.com

Pull Bear gray jacket
$65 - pullandbear.com

Lush Haul

So today I filmed a mini Lush haul and actually remembered  to take a thumbnail :) I've not tried any the products I bought yet, but I'll probably do a review on some of them soon!

Thanks so much to everyone who's watched and subscribed to my channel so far!!!

Maxine xxxx

What's in my bag tag

I've been having so much fun making videos lately, and hopefully this weekend I can figure out how to properly work the editing software I have! So far I'm finding it hard to get enough light in my videos I will probably have to invest in some kind of little light to help, but I have no idea where to even begin to look for affordable lighting or what will work well! But just now I'm working with what I've got :)

Thanks so much if you've watched any of my videos so far!

Cosy Knit OOTD

It's getting COLD. So this weekend I went to Primark and got this lovely knitted, cropped jumper. I love a polo neck, but have been struggling to find one that's not awfully itchy! This one is soft, pretty and only £13. 

Dress: Forever 21

Jumper: Primark

Necklace: River Island

Shoes: Zara

My first haul video

So today I finally got round to filming and uploading my first haul video. Watching it back I've said 'like', about A MILLION times, but hopefully the next one is better! But anyway I had lots of fun and I hope you subscribe :) !!!

The Versatile Blogger Award

So last week Lucie from fat beauty, nominated me for the The Versatile Blogger & The Liebster Awards which was sooo super sweet and kind of her!! I'm pretty new to blogging and still like does anyone actually read what I write or like it? I blog because I have a lot of fun thinking about things to write and because I LOVE to read all about other peoples lives on their blogs. 

I really like the idea of these awards and helping out other bloggers. So thanks so much Lucie for nominating me :)

How it works

1. Recognise the nominator(s).

2. Nominate 10 other new bloggers.

3. Answer the 10 questions that the nominator asked you.

4. Create your own 10 questions.

5. Let nominees know you've nominated them.


My nominations
1. Lucie. 

2. jewelsharee.blogspot.co.uk

3. victoriajane-reviews.blogspot.co.uk 

4. xovintagewayoflifexo.blogspot.co.uk 

5. http://shrewd-fox.blogspot.co.uk/

6. theadventurouslifestylelab.blogspot.be

7. lucysworldinlondon.blogspot.co.uk

8.www.girlonarockinghorse.co.uk/

9. theblondegalaxy.blogspot.co.uk

10.theblondegalaxy.blogspot.co.uk

Lucies Questions

1. If you had to pick your ultimate meal based of any starter, Main and then Desert what would they be?

I love noodles or sushi and cheesecake for dessert :)

2. Do you have a favourite garment of clothing you always want to wear?

For winter I love faux fur trimmed coats.

3. What was the last 5 songs listened to on your Ipod / phone / youtube player? ( if you dont have one, list 5 songs you are jamming out to at the moment )

I don't put music on to listen to a lot! Just now im obesssed with the Night Vale podcasts.

4. If you could change your name, would you? and what too?

No I like my name and I don't know any other Maxines!

5. List me the contents in your handbag ( dont lie to us now :P )

I have A LOT too much to list, seriously haha its a big bag.

6. Do you have a lucky number?

Nope

7. Do you like Marmite?

Yes! On a bagel with cream cheese.

8. When was the last time you painted your toes?

Umm a few weeks ago 

9. What do you think came first, The chicken or the egg? please explain your answer :P

Chicken???? 

10. What's the funniest Joke you have ever heard/ can think of?

 I like peep show and curb your enthusiasm I hope that counts.

My 10 questions

1. Favourite TV show ?

2. Do you have any pets ?

3. What's your favourite food?

4. Do you have a wish list of places to visit ?

5. Beauty products you couldn't live without ?

6. Do you have a favourite film ?

7. Do you have a favourite kind of blog post to read?

8. What do you like most about writing a blog?

9. Advice for other bloggers who are just starting out ?

10. I love what's in my bag videos, do you have any tage videos you like ?

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer SX5 Review

After looking for a new full coverage, matte foundation for a while I decided to try out the Kevyn Aucoin sensual skin enhancer as I'd seen a lot of really good reviews and it seemed most like what I was looking for. I bought this product from Space NK for £38. This is a little expensive, but I do like to pay more for a foundation that's really good quality. 

The shades available in this range are really confusing the SX4 looks much darker than SX5 ?? So actually picking a shade was difficult, usually I go for pretty light foundations usually the 2nd or 3rd lightest. Luckily the SX5 is a pretty close match! 

When this foundation arrived I was surprised at how teeny tiny it is! Its super tiny, but its the thickest foundation I've ever seen so a little goes a really long way. It does have a slight scent, but that's gone after you apply it. 

 To apply this I mixed it with some of my normal daily moisturiser and some primer to make it less thick and used my real techniques expert face brush. 
I really like this foundation its gives a great full matte coverage, but if you wanted it lighter it would be easy to just mix with more moisturiser or primer to make it lighter. Its long lasting and blends in really easily. After a whole day of wear it was still in place pretty well and my skin didn't feel dry or like the make up was too heavy. 

This is with flash .

And in natural light without, I look super pale here.

Overall, I do definitely think think foundation is worth paying the little extra because its so highly pigmented and gives a lovely finish!

Monthly Favourites

So while doing uni working weekends I don't have much time to think about things I want to blog about. I have ideas, but not much time to take photos or do whatever else. So monthly favourites is a good way for me to have something I can write about when I've not got any other posts to work on. 

I ran out of my favourite Dr Bronners lip balm and I'd seen this balm a few times and always wanted to try it out. M&S do some of my favourite mini products, usually they have these at the till along with mini wipes, hand sanitiser ect. All M&S stuff is cruelty free. This lip balm is really good, its similar to Dr Bronners because it feels oily and a lot more moisturising than other balms that can actually dry your lips more, it's long lasting and doesn't really have any strong smells. At £1.20 this is probably my new favourite lip balm.

Last week I got a contact lens stuck in my eye, like really, really stuck. I tried to get it out for a while, but it just would not budge. Thankfully I got an appointment right away at Specsavers and a lovely lady was able to get it right out! I was so relieved because I was in pain and my eye was all horrible and swollen. I got a check to see if my eyes were okay after this and it turns out they were badly scratched on both eyes. My eyes are really sensitive and get sore super easily so I was told getting some eye drops for allergies would help. I got Opticrom and Systane and these are amazing my eyes are a whole lot better!  Before if I had sore or itchy eyes at night I could pretty much be sure that in the morning they would be a lot worse and red/itchy/sore for most of the day, but if I use these at night when my eyes are sore it makes a huge difference! 

 Sanctuary are my go to skin care brand, I think their products are super effective, gentle and generally make my skin feel a whole lot better. The thermal detox mask is good for a deep cleanse without leaving your skin feeling really dry. Its a clay based product and the warming effect is pretty strong, when removing the mask I can still feel the heat. This is around £10.50 which is a little more expensive than other brands, but this product does go a long way.

The Jasmine and Henna hair mask from Lush is a product I've had for ages but just recently been using again. This mask does leave my hair looking noticeably smoother,while being light and not leaving a heavy coating on my hair after I've washed it. When I curl my hair after using this I feel like it sits much better and the curls last longer which makes me happy. I'm obsessing over all hair growing things at the moment, so I try to use a hair mask every time I wash my hair.

I should have done a Halloween themed post, but I haven't even bought a pumpkin yet :( Hope everyone has an amazing halloween :)