Body shop lip & cheek tint review

Normally I would never trust Body Shop to do good makeup products, as they're most well-known as a bodycare brand, so I'd assume they'd be best at those kinda products. So, I was slightly sceptical when my aunt gave me this cheek & lip stain in 02 (they couldn't even come up with a good name!). However, when I tried this out I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous rose-gold/bronze colour that came out of the tube!

 The stain has the same effect and is quite a similar colour to a couple of the stila cheek stains (like coconut crush), but for a good deal cheaper at only £10! A nice side effect was that when I removed the bronze colour, the product left a deep raspberry hue behind, which made my lips look so nice, making it 2 products for the price of one! There is a beautiful gold shimmer run through the tint, meaning it almost reflects and is super eye-catching. 
 

 I would rate this product a 3.5/5, because apart from the actual colour (which I guess IS the main part), it's pretty unremarkable - the packaging is boring, the name is boring etc. 
I guess I'm kinda a sucker for cute names! However, for the price this is a top-quality product and I would definitely buy it again.

Kisses,
The Polished Pixie
xoxo

P.S. hope you're all having a wonderful day, unlike me feeling sick and skipping my play rehearsals... :(

LA colors - Tropical Storm nail polish review

For 99p, it is totally worth taking a chance on this polish. Luckily, my instincts were right, and this is perfect! I had used LA colors before and was surprised by how good the outcome was, because cheap polishes normally aren't up to scratch. However, I have almost no qualms with this product. The packaging was fairly standard, not particularly exciting, with a similar resemblance to the OPI products - and the quality was just as good.

 Tropical Storm is mainly a deep gunmetal/chrome grey metallic colour, with a little shimmer and a streak of green added in the mix. With just one coat, the polish glided on excellently, wasn't watery or thin and definitely didn't take long to dry! After about 5 mins my nails were touchably dry and the finish was gorgeous. 

From a distance the colour looks quite ordinary, but up close the effect has hues of green-blue in it! The brush was really great, and I was able to apply the product in 1-2 strokes! However, the lid is a slightly inconvenient shape and I felt I was struggling to grip it (as with OPI). 

I

 I would really recommend popping to Beauty Base and having your own polish spree, as they have a gigantic range of colours, it was difficult to leave with just three...
Despite one teensy and insignificant flaw, this product is amazing - I give it a 4.5/5!

Kisses, 
The Polished Pixie
xoxo

Gilly Hicks, H&M, Topshop and Beauty Base haul!

Today I went to the Westfield in Shepherd's Bush (for the first time in FOREVER!), and was really pleased with all the things I bought. Firstly, I got the softest, fluffiest pair of white slipper boots with a bow on the side from Topshop for only £5 in the last dregs of the sale - bargain!

I can honestly say I'll wear these every day! I decided to get a size bigger than I normally am so they'd be all slouchy (i.e. comfortable).
 Next, we went to H & M, where I saw my next steal - a pair of aviators for £4.99. I've had my EYE (glasses joke...sorry that was actually not funny at all) on these for a while but was reluctant to buy sunglasses in January... In the end I decided I didn't want to leave the store without them!

I realised a while ago that I am obsessed with anything vaguely rose gold; I subconsciously pick up anything that's slightly pinky-gold! 
 Anyway, then we went in to Beauty Base, which (for those of you that don't know) is a cheap beauty products store - it has fragrances, nail polish, makeup etc. Their nail polish range is so unbelievably cheap for the quality, so I picked up 3 different shades instead of the 7 I originally picked up - my friend Lucy restrained me!

Across from left: Twilight, Lovely, Tropical Storm

 The brand is called LA colors, and the 2 color craze polishes were each 99p, with the Nail Lacquer range one coming in at £1.99 (still incredibly cheap). A full review of the Tropical Storm colour will be coming your way very shortly! I was really happy with these three purchases, as I've been wanting a few metallic shades for a while now, as well as a deep nude-peach colour.
Whilst I was in Beauty Base, I fell in LOVE with this perfume:

This scent is literally made for me! The packaging is so simple and elegant, the name is perfect as I am such a hopeless romantic, and not to mention the divine fragrance! The Ralph Lauren website describes it as "The women's fragrance that evokes the timeless essence of falling in love. Discover the sensual essence of velvety woods, extravagant florals and seductive musk". The retail price is around £44, however if you go to www.theperfumeshop.com then it is available for £35. This is definitely going on my "scents-to-get" list.
 Finally we arrived at Gilly Hicks, a fairly new sister brand of Abercrombie and Hollister. I would say the obvious difference is that currently the store is a lot more feminine than the previously mentioned. I got some underwear (which I won't be posting!), but this bag is just too cute:

They come out with a new bag each season, and I'm currently collecting because the designs are gorgeous!


Kisses,
The Polished Pixie
xoxo

Quote of the day!

I'm so upset that I haven't been able to post recently... Had ridiculous amounts of work these past few weeks! For all of you who have had a stressful week - this made me think:

Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it - Hans Selye

 In response to this, I have decided to be very relaxed about my workload, and not complain at all. Surprisingly, this is going swimmingly well and I advise it to all!

Kisses,
The Polished Pixie
xoxo

P.S. exercise is a well-known stress reliever! 

Apple sharlotka!

Today I've had quite a lazy day, mainly reading Midsummer Night's Dream (one of my favourite Shakespeare plays), because I'm seeing it in a few weeks time and need to recap! So, I decided to try out this recipe I saw on another blog for an apple sharlotka. This is a delicious Russian pudding with layered thin slices of apple covered in a batter and topped with ground cinnamon and powdered sugar. I adore any kind of cinnamon or nutmeg flavour, so applied this liberally and it was divine! The batter goes all crispy and is dee-lish!

I just got a nice surprise this evening when I realised I still smelt of my delicious Neal's Yard Geranium & Orange Body Lotion, which I had applied more than 8hrs ago! The smell is amazing and its only £5 for a 100ml bottle, available in most Neal's Yard stores across the UK. The lotion is described as uplifting, nourishing, and it contains vitamin-rich pumpkin seed oil to leave your skin velvety soft!

Kisses,
The Polished Pixie
xoxo 

thanks mama pixie

My mama got home 20 mins ago from the languages course she's just started, and I was super excited to see she'd hit the Accessorize sales and picked me up something... Only just tried it on but couldn't wait to share it!

A gorgeous new infinity scarf! It is a wool, oatmeal coloured material patterned in a cute take on the classic fair isle print. For example, it has cute little pink woolly owls, bright flowers and even some argyle print on the scarf, which I haven't seen before anywhere!
Unfortunately they don't have them in stock online anymore, but I'm sure if you hurry to your nearest Accessorize store they might have a couple left!

Kisses,
The Polished Pixie
xoxo

Quote of the day!

In honour of Etta James, one of the greatest soul singers who lived:

My mother always told me, even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it. I'd like to think I did that - Etta James, 1973-2012

I like to think that this is true for every field, whether it be music sport, academics, drama, art; you can always add some of you to it, even if somebody has done the same thing already.