Shop Dixi - Mini haul and review

Hi all,

Like most people I think, Shop Dixi first some under my radar due to Instagram. I'd seen a lot of their jewellery in posts and also linkied YouTube videos ( I'm pretty sure Bunny from Grav3yard Girl has a necklace from there) and I sort of dismissed them. Why? For example, the large crystal necklace I had my eye on was out of my price range, and they were probably an American company who would cost me loads in shipping and customs right? Wrong. 

I only bothered to do some actual research into them when I saw the "Lone Wolf" ring ( now sold out, sorry guys). Becoming recently single for the first time in ten years ( I'm 26) it seemed fitting for the strength I believe I have shown and am planning on continuing to show while I learn how to just be me, without another  person.  I had to have it. Unfortunately I used a ring sizer which indicated to me that my size would be a 17.5", which was  sold out. Wah.  I tweeted the company a couple of times but didn't get a definitive response. Sort of fair though, companies don't always know when exactly stock will be in of specific items and probably don't want to make promises that they then cannot keep.

 I then received a newsletter email from ShopDixi, informing me that they had 20% off all rings. I couldn't resist that. There were others I wanted. First one I put in my basket was a thin, sterling silver band reading "Moon child" which is another perfect description for me. The full price for this was £22. I also ordered their "casket" ring which is a small sterling silver coffin ring prices at only £26 (not including discount)

 The final ring of this order is the beautiful "Sunset lovers ocean blue " ring which I got a really good deal on as it was from one of the sample trays. It is  sterling silver and due to being worn on a photo shoot was discounted down to £14. 

The only sign that it had been worn was the sample sticker attached.

 It's perfect and I would really reccomed checking the sample trays out to snap up rings that you like at a discounted price. Obviously there is usually only one or a couple of each though so act fast if you find one that you love. 

I also purchased a heart necklace which was on sale for £5 and reads "witch" not to everyone's taste but it suits my style perfectly 

In my excitement of checking out, and the pain of using terrible hotel wifi, I realised I had mistyped my email address and so did not receive the confirmation email (rooky mistake) I emailed ShopDixi customer service and also included another request about the "Lone Wolf" ring. They got back to me very quickly (within a couple of hours) resent my email and advised that unfortunately they would not be getting any more stock in of the ring now but I could keep an eye on the sample trays as it might appear there. I panicked and immediately ordered the ring in 18" with the intentions of getting it resized.

 As I was in holiday at the time I got all packages at once when I got home, however shipping was incredibly quick (a couple of days max) and cost only £1.95! Bargain! The " Lone Wolf" ring was £36 but was reduced down to £24 with the 20% off. Turns out that, as the band is thicker, I would have needed the larger size anyway, and it fits perfectly stacked with my other purchases. As all the rings are sterling silver, my fingers won't be going green anytime soon! Hurrah! 

To sum up, Shop Dixi DOES have expensive things out of my personal price range but they also have very good value, affordable products, are a UK company and have quicker, cheaper shipping then most! What's not to love?! Unfortunately that particular promotion of 20% off of rings has now ended however I would definitely recommend signing up to their newsletter before buying as they seem to have discount codes on a lot! They also do special offers on specific items which I believe changes daily so keep an eye out for those too! All in all I'm very happy with my purchases and am sure I will be shopping with them again sooner than my bank balance would appreciate  

Has anyone else bought anything Shop Dixi? What are your thoughts? 

Xxx 

(Another!) Cherry diva mini haul!

*sigh* Sorry if you guys are getting fed up with these posts but.. I can't stop shopping here. So hauls will continue. This is what I purchased on my latest online spree! 

This was what I originally went on for and the photo does not do it justice! I've been wanting a neckline like this for ages and this little beaut was only £5. Unfortunately I've managed to break the plain chain section already (no idea how but it did travel to Lanzarote) but it's still wearable! I love it! Super 90s and grunge and pretty

Next was this little baby that I've been eyeing up for a while now 

It was only £1 and no idea why I haven't bought it before but I finally caved. It reminds me of Snow White and I love it 

Next was this bad boy which I'm wearing today! It's embossed with roses and is super cute (for a skull!) 

It's on a lot gold chain and it's quite big too! Only £3.50

I've been eyeing this next choker for a while but now that it's in the sale for £1 it would have been rude not to

Lastly was this layered necklace. I haven't worn it yet (I'm a little afraid of "chain" style necklaces) but I'm sure I'll be brave enough soon. I just loved the vintage looking key mostly. This one set me back £5

So all in all I only spent £16.50 with shipping costs (only 99p in the UK) cheap as chips! 

I think I was quite restrained but I do already have my eye on this so who knows how long for?! 

I also recommend signing up for their newsletter if you are considering making a purchase as they always have different offers and flash sales and the like 

Shop Cherry Diva here ; http://www.cherrydiva.co.uk

MAC Cinderella collection - First impression

I love Disney. LOVE Disney. I would go Disney World/Disneyland every year if I could ( and yes there is a difference between the two) In fact, scrap that, I would live there.

I'm also a sucker for their merchandise, so when a collaboration with MAC for the new Cinderella film was announced I know I would be first in line. 

How pretty though?! 

I was online the morning of the UK release, refreshing my page like a mad man from 6am. Frustratingly, the collection came out at some entirely random time, like 9:10 am or something. 

Luckily my persistence paid off and I managed to get everything I wanted. I had obviously studied the collection and swatches beforehand and the main thing I really wanted was the eyeshadow palette, "Stoke of midnight" 

It didn't disappoint and is beautiful. Only one of the colours is actually limited edition and that's the black shade, with flecks of glitter. I know some people were put off by this as it may mean duplicating shades in their collection, but I only have a couple of MAC eyeshadows so this was not an issue for me. Usual MAC quality, pigmented and buttery ( not as soft as Urban Decay but enough to keep me happy)

Here are some swatches on my super hairy bear arm 

The first two don't show up because I'm so fair so please excuse that. They work lovely for an inner corner highlight on my eyes though. 

Next up is the lipstick in "Free as a butterfly", which I'm sorry to say but I was very disappointed with, to the point where I considered returning it. In the tube it looks like a brownish nude, but watched it's so sheer it looks just like shine. Literally. The only reason I didnt return it is because the packaging is so pretty, and if I can get over that and decide to get rid of it, I will put it on EBay instead. 

I don't know. I guess it just wasn't what I expected. 

The last thing I ordered was the "Beauty powder" (whatever that is!) in "Mystery Princess". I had studied the two face products and had chosen this one as it has a more champagne tone and on my fair skin I can use it as a highlight. I'm really happy with this! It leaves my skin with a glow without being too glittery or shimmery and I can get away with being a bit heavy handed without looking mega shiny. 

The finish on the packaging is super reflective and makes photographs very hard so please excuse that!

And a swatch

Overall I'm really happy with the collection and glad I managed to pick up the products that I wanted, even if the lipstick isn't really to my taste. 

Honestly though, Disney and makeup are my two favourite things so I think they could have thrown anything at me and I would have loved it. I can see why some people are disappointed as a lot of the products/ shades are just repackaged which is a little lazy in my opinion. I have also seen photos online of brushes that we didn't have, so that would have been lovely if us in the UK would have been given the change to purchase those. 

Here is a look I created with "Stroke of Midnight" eyeshadow palette. 

As "Coffee break with Dani" would say.. Welcome to mah face! 

Have you tried anything from the MAC Cinderella collection, and if so, what are your thoughts? 

Xxx

My top 5 Youtubers! People I love to watch ...

Hi all!

So I first got into makeup and beauty properly around 2 years ago. I was after a foundation that would make my skin flawless and cover my broken capillaries. I took some advice from a friend and took my first trip to MAC. This led to many more trips to MAC and all other makeup selling places and I soon became addicted. After noticing the foundation just wasn’t looking as good as I felt it should, I googled it and realised it was because my skin was dehydrated and so it was dull… one thing led to another and my skincare obsession was born! I had lots more questions and so turned to YouTube for advice and discovered a whole host of makeup/beauty Youtubers, some of which taught me a lot (Lauren Curtis deserves a mention here!), and others that I mostly watch for entertainment purposes and the makeup stuff is just a bonus. Here are a run down of my top five Youtubers I love to watch! (I hope they don’t mind but I stole some pictures from the internet, I’m assuming they are all thumbnail’s anyway!)

CoffeebreakwithDani

Easily my favorite YouTuber! She is the type of woman I want to be best friends with. She is sweet without being overly so, and always has a positive attitude while still being a strong woman (She’s got a degree, had a teaching career, now YouTube and is raising her son with the ever elusive Mr Man). Obviously I don’t know her in “real life” but I just feel she has a kind heart. Her videos are funny, entertaining, and although she likes to remind us she is no makeup artist she has taught me a lot personally. Her subscriber numbers have risen very quickly since she first started YouTube and there’s good reason. Honestly, I know its cheesy but she inspires me. This might be cheating slightly by keeping it to just five YouTubers, but her friend Samantha Reilly is also worth a watch! She deserves more subscribers than she has in my opinion.

Shaaanxo

Shannon is just brilliant. Her videos are funny, down to earth and educational (in makeup and beauty of course) She knows her stuff and also manages to produce more videos than most Youtubers without losing her passion or sounding half-hearted, which to me is very impressive. She clearly has real passion and love for what she does and it shows through.

Britney Lee Saunders

What can I say? She makes me laugh! She’s not your typical beauty guru (and even has a parody about that!) but she does do tutorials, hauls and reviews as well as non beauty related videos. Not for the faint hearted or easily offended, if you don’t like swearing don’t watch her, because I don’t think she would change for anyone!

Glam and Gore

I have recently discovered Mykies channel and am just in awe of how talented she is. As the name suggests, she does “normal” makeup tutorials but also does more theater/horror type makeup looks and makes herself unrecognisable. Some of her videos freak me out if I’m honest as the end look is a bit too scary, but that’s just me being a wimp! She is beautiful and just.. wow. Just watch her video transformations and you will see what I mean!

Glow of grace 

Not actually named Grace,  Rachel is another positive woman who is just enjoyable to watch, whether its her Wednesday wow videos, tutorials or general chit videos. She has been a bit quieter as of late as she has recently given birth to a baby girl (named Grace!) and I even enjoyed her pregnancy blogs despite not having children or plans to have them anytime soon. 

That’s it folks! Please let me know who your favorite Youtubers are, as I always love finding new people to watch!

LUSH! My first Lush experience and HAUL

So being the total mad head that I am, I decided to make the Christmas Eve eve the first time ever to visit Lush. The main reason for this is because I'm lucky enough to be off work for a week or so over Christmas so thought it would be the perfect time to try some nice bath products. 

I have never shopped in Lush before as I have very sensitive skin and always assumed I would be allergic, but after watching some Youtube videos I realised that they do cater for sensitive skin and the main rule is to avoid anything glitter. 

So I walked into the super packed,overwhelming store and people were going crazy. I literally couldn't get to the displays. Luckily I was only standing there for about a minute when a Lush employee saw my lost puppy expression and asked me if I needed help, which was really nice. I quickly told her I have really sensitive skin and there were some products I had heard of that I wanted to try and listed them off for her. She then took my basket and shopped for me! She squeezed through to displays and picked up the bits I asked for, passed them to me, told me about the product scents and skin benefits and let me choose whether or not I wanted to purchase. I asked her loads of questions and she could not have been more helpful..very impressive first experience especially considering how busy the store was. I ended up betting everything I wanted to try plus a few extra bits. 

In no particular order;

Coal face - which I don't have a picture of as I bought it for my partner and he hasn't tried it yet. Clearly he was not as excited as I am by Lush! 

Buffy bar - I'm a sucker for the name as I am a huge fan of Buffy the vampire slayer so obviously I had to try this! I also bought a tin it keep it nice

Safe to say, I LOVE this stuff!!!!!! It's super scrubby for expholiating ( which I love for my legs in winter) smells amazing ( I can't really describe scents ) and it is magical as although it scrubs, it also has a buttery texture so leaves your skin super soft. I'm finding it hard to limit myself to using this once or twice a week. 

Snow fairy shower gel - 

I love sweet scents so knew I wanted to try this. Now the description says cotton candy, but to me it smells like my favourite sweets, which are these little babies 

I do really like the scent of this, but I am used to shower gels by Philosophy, which lather up way much more in my opinion..

Angels on bare skin - 

Now the helpful staff member recommended this to me because I asked her for a gentle expholiator for sensitive skin. I was really hesitant to purchase this as it is marketed as a cleanser, and I love my Liz Earle so much, but she insisted this was the best for regular gentle expholiating. At first I hated this product, all gritty and weird the texture is like stuffing mixture and the smell is very different to anything else. I looked up videos on how to use this properly and realised that I wasn't mixing this enough into a paste before using and now I'm enjoying it much more. However this is not good enough to remove the hundreds of coatings of mascara that I use, and I feel like the grits get stuck in between my lashes, so I only use it in the mornings now. I am not sure if I will repurchase this.

American cream conditioner - 

I got a small bottle of this to try as I love the scent of strawberries and cream but have heard that it doesn't actually do much for the hair. Unfortunately I found this to be true and much prefer my secret pound shop conditioner! It does smell nice, but not as nice as the Milk_shake brand whipped cream products which are my absolute favourite thing to put in my hair, so I won't be repurchasing this.

King of skin- 

To say I love this stuff is an understatement. As previously mentioned I have sensitive, dry eczema prone skin so anything that adds moisture is right up my alley. This stuff smells like white chocolate and I am so addicted to it it's already half gone. It does moisturise the skin and as mine is so dry, I tend to put it on wet skin and not wash it off completely, but my skin is still itchy after? Not sure if this is a bad reaction to the product or just because my skin is so dry this time of year? It's mostly my arms that are the problem and I LOVE this stuff to really hope it's not a reaction. Going to have to do some experimenting to find out. 

Butter bear - 

I love this!! I tried using half of it but gave in and chucked the whole thing in the bath. It makes the water all oily and soft without a super strong scent and did wonders for my skin. It did leave a residue on my skin but this is the Shea butter in the product and I love it as I didn't have to moisturise after. I bought two of these but gave one of them to my boyfriends sister so I hope she loves this as much as me! I went back a few days after Xmas for the Boxing Day sale and picked up a few more of these, as well as the Christmas hedgehog and melting snowman.  I also braved the Boxing Day online sale and after about 3 hours of technical difficulties was able to order 2 half price boxes of the candy shop which contain a butter bear in each so I will have four more in total when that arrives so I'm very happy about this

Overall I have to say my experience at Lush was really enjoyable and they have definitely earnt a new Lushie! Super helpful, friendly, informative but not pushy staff teamed with cruelty free, yummy and effective products, what's not to love? 

Let me know if you hauled at Lush this year and what your overall shopping experience is like there? I will probably do a mini haul when my online Boxing Day order arrives and let you know what I think of those products too!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a fantastic evening tonight whatever you may be doing!