Pixi Double Cleanse

Ok without trying to sound too excited I have a new favourite skin care brand. Pixi. And it all started with the duo cleanser that I tried. I picked the Pixi Double Cleanse up from Marks And Spencer for a pricey £24.

The packaging of this product is definitely something that is eye catching. Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm a sucker for pastel colours, in particular pastel green. So I was instantly drawn to this range, and it definitely stands out of the shelf compared to other brands.

The duo cleanser is separated into two parts; the solid cleansing oil, and a luxe cleansing cream. So although it is contained in one box, it contains two products so I think it's great to have a two in one product.

I've found the solid cleansing oil to be really efficient in removing any impurities on my skin. Anything that remained on my face after removing my makeup simply glides off with this product. Like I mean literally glides right off leaving nothing behind.

The cleansing cream has proved to be really soothing. I just find that it's the perfect finishing touch to a deep cleansing routine.

As far as improvement to my skin, I've found that this product has really worked. I can truly say that my skin itself has never felt so clean and smooth. When I say it removes everything from your face, I well and truly mean EVERYTHING.

Overall I would rate this product a 10/10 and I will most certainly be repurchasing it. I honestly don't think I can live without it and I'll keep trying to convince people to give this a go because people are honestly missing out if they haven't tried it. Have you ever tried anything from the best brand ever, Pixi? If so let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade

Today it's finally time for me to start reviewing the makeup I got for Christmas. Better late than never eh?!

 

 

I was very lucky to receive the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in the shade Medium Brown. This retails for £18 pounds so is definitely on the high-end side of makeup. But the question remains, is it worth it?

The colour of this particular shade is very pigmented. You only literally need to dip your brush in the pomade and you will be able to fill a large chunk of your brow. The colours themselves appear slightly bolder and a tiny bit darker than the colour of the pomade itself. So especially when ordering online this is something to consider. However, I find that the shade "Medium Brown" is a good match for my natural brow colour which is crazy bold as it is.

The formula of this pomade is something that I would rate very highly. As I said earlier, you only need a small amount, and that small amount blends really well and smoothly. You are able to create precise definition to your brows and blend them to make them look as natural or dramatic as you wish.

And what is the lasting power like? One word: impressive. This product will not budge throughout the day, and not create any smudge either. As someone who lives in the sunny West Midlands (note the sarcasm) I have to put up with a fair bit of rain. And the dip brow pomade has seriously got your back in all weather, trust me it's not going anywhere.

Basically if you couldn't already tell I love, love, love this product. Looks like I'll have to be spending that £18 every time it runs out because I don't know how else I'll get those on fleek brows that are so essential in this day and age. I would rate this product a phenomenal 10/10, yes I went there. Have you ever tried this product before, if so let me know what you think,

Izzy K xxx

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Today I'll be talking about the well-known and well-loved Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. I've tried out the shade Light To Medium, which retails for £40. Here are my thoughts on the powder palette...

   This particular palette comes with 6 shades, 3 of which are highlight shades and 3 are contour shades. The highlight shades are the following:

• Vanilla- A pink/white matte highlight shade, perfect for a natural glow.
• Banana- A light yellow highlight shade, perfect for under the eyes baking
• Sand- Similar in colour, this highlight has a hint of shimmer
• Java- A warm toned bronze shade
• Fawn- A cool toned contour shade, perfect to contour cheekbones
• Havana- A warm toned contour shade, perfect for adding a warm glow to your face

Vanilla

Banana

Sand

Java

Fawn

Havana

The pigmentation of these shades is just beyond incredible. You only need to dip your brush in the shades to pick up the colour and it blends out really well. The palette itself doesn't have the largest pans in the world, but my gosh does the product go a long way. The lasting power is also outstanding since I don't find myself ever having to top the contour up throughout the day, whereas with other I do.

So there you are, that was my review of the ABH Contour Kit. I can honestly say this is the best powder contour kit I've ever tried, and would rate this a 10/10 because I honestly can't think of any improvements. Have you tried this contour kit before? If so let me know what you think in the comments below,

Izzy K xxx

Buy Or Boycott? #2

Welcome to the second edition of my "Buy Or Boycott" series where I talk about which brands I'll continue to buy based on if they're cruelty free. You can check out my cruelty free beauty standards too. 

So here is the email that I sent out to different companies:

Let's take a look at this month's companies...

ColourPop

Their reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

Seed Beauty

How I respond:

I am pleased that all my questions were answered in the email. Since they do not sell in China nor test on animals themselves I would class them as cruelty free. Also, their parent company has the same policies so it appears that they play no part in animal testing. 

Buy Or Boycott this brand?

Buy. You can check out their website here!

Kylie Cosmetics

Their reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are partnered with Seed Beauty.

How I respond:

I am glad to see that they do not perform animal testing themselves, nor do their parent company. Although they did not mention whether they sell in China or not, I did research of myself and they do not appear to distribute in China. I am also glad to hear that they work with their supplies to ensure they do not test on animals either, meaning no other companies test on their behalf.

Buy Or Boycott this brand?

Buy. You can check out their website here!

Morphe 

Their reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They do not have a parent company.

How I respond:

I am glad to hear that they ensure their suppliers are cruelty free. I also like that they offer vegan alternatives for their customers. Since they do not sell in China, they are not required to do any sort of animal testing.

Buy Or Boycott this brand?

Buy. You can check out their website here!

So here are all the brands I decided to discuss this month. It's also my first post of 2017, so I hope it's been useful! Thanks for reading,

Izzy K xxx

My Pinterest Winter Inpsirations

Something I'm really obsessed with doing is browsing through a little gem called pinterest. I hardly save things to boards, yet I'm oddly obsessed with just searching for pretty things on that website. My account is called izzyk1998 (in case you're wondering) #shamelesspromo

Whatever you're looking for, pinterest has a picture of it. And when I'm in need of Winter aesthetic inspiration, you know where I go to. I just get inspiration for everything in my life through this method, so here are my top winter pinterest pics:

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So this post was very short and sweet, but I'm gonna be honest, I haven't got long to finish this post before it needs to go up. I hope I've given you a little inspiration for Winter aesthetics, because, if you didn't already know Winter is without a doubt the best time of year. Thanks for reading,

Izzy K xxx

Top 5 Winter Makeup Items

Hi guys,

Today I'll be starting my Winter series here on this blog. And what better way to get started than talking about makeup, one of my true passions in life! One thing I simply adore doing is matching my makeup to the season. And here are the makeup items which, in my opinion, complete my winter glam look.

Revolution Iconic 1 Palette

This is my absolute go to palette all year round, yet alone in the winter. It's got a mixture of natural colours for an everyday look. And it also has shimmery colours, including my personal favourite gold shadow, which are perfect for that Christmas party look.
Retails for £4

Barry M Natural Glow 2 palette

I can't even begin to tell you how much use I've got out of this palette. The pigmentation and lasting power of these palettes are incredible. This has a little mixture of matte and shimmery shades, and they are definitely the shades for everyone's skin tone.
Retails for £6.49

Revolution Golden Lights Highlighter

For that Winter glow, I find a highly pigmented white highlighter is the perfect thing. And honestly, nothing gives a stronger glow than this product!
Retails for £3

Sleek Old Hollywood

What did I even do with my life before I discovered liquid lipstick? This shade is the classic red matte shade, and when you layer it up it goes into a dark cherry colour. This is absolutely perfect for late Autumn through to Winter.
Retails for £4.99

Charlotte Tilbury Glastonberry

(The bottom swatch is Glastonberry)

If you haven't heard me talk about this lipstick then hi, you must be new here. This is my ultimate favourite berry lipstick and really does the trick to complete your look. It's such an elegant colour and the formula will last for hours and hours. Absolutely ideal for any Christmas do's you might have coming up!
Retails for £23

So here were my absolute makeup essentials for Winter, and there is no doubt that you'll see me rocking these products. What are your makeup must-haves for this Winter? Let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx 

Buy Or Boycott? #1

Welcome to my new series "Buy Or Boycott" where I talk about 3 brands every month and discuss whether I'll continue to buy from them, or boycott them for now. As you may know if you've been reading my blog, I'm giving my absolute best efforts to consider the brands I use and whether or not they are cruelty free. If you want to know what I class as cruelty free then you can check out my cruelty free beauty standards, and every brand that I have investigated will be linked in the tab above under "Brands I Buy Or Boycott"

So this is the email I've sent out to various different companies that I wanted to research:

Let's take a look at the companies that I'll be talking about this month...

Rimmel:

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

Coty, Inc

How I Respond:

At first glance this seems good, but you do have to continue to do your research. I do have to credit the fact that they seem to acknowledge the topic of animal testing, and their parent company has been working hard to find alternatives to animal testing. However, I am disappointed that despite knowing that China, a country in which they sell in, requires animal testing they still continue to sell there. And nowhere in their answer do they say whether they sell in China, hence avoiding my question about it. Still, I hope they one day manage to convince the Chinese authorities to look at alternatives to animal testing.

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Boycott.
Why? - They sell in China

TAM Beauty

 (Makeup Revolution, Freedom Makeup, I <3  Makeup):

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are not owned by a parent company.

How I Respond:

I am very pleased that they answered all my questions from my email, and mentioned the fact they are not owned by anyone. They got to the point, and China is the only country that requires animal testing by law. Hence, if they do not sell they they have no reason to test on animals.

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Buy. Check out their website here!

Lush:

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are not owned by a parent company.

How I Respond:

I am very satisfied with Lush's response, and fighting against animal testing is something that Lush feels very passionate about. They answered all my questions from my email, and linked me to pages upon pages of information about their ethics and animal testing policies. Not only am I happy that they in fact keep their word and don't sell in China due to their policies, but they have an active approach in trying to stop animal testing on a global scale. It's clear to see that stopping cruelty to animals is a genuine lifetime goal of this company. 

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Buy. Check out their website here!

So there are the three brands I decided to discuss in this post. I've done my best to research these brands to the best of my ability, but please let me know if you have any research or evidence that contradicts what I stated. I will be sure to correct myself if you do. If you have any requests for companies that you'd like me to research than I will most definitely look into them. Thank you for reading, and I hope you've learned something and wish to take part in the cruelty free movement too,

Izzy K xxx