Ti2 Titanium jewellery from Jewel Street

A little while ago I had a pretty exciting email from Jewel Street.  Before then, I'd not heard of them, but after hours, and I mean HOURS of searching through some pretty stunning jewellery, I finally found a piece I couldn't take my eyes off, I actually said 'wow' out loud when I saw it.  Enter, the Ti2 colourful wave ring by Prisim design.

This ring, like all of the Ti2 Prisim design jewellery, is made from titanium.  A very hard, long wearing and light metal (the hubby's wedding ring is actually titanium).  The only downside to titanium is over time it does gather little scratches, but that's no biggie for me, I think it adds to jewellery making it look more loved.

This particular piece has a wave groove cut through it all the way around. You can choose to have 1 diamond on there (+£55), 3 diamonds (+£125) or a full eternity ring of diamonds (8 diamonds - +£395) so depending on how many diamonds you add, depends on the price.  The starter price for the ring without diamonds is £125.

Inside the prismatic groove cut into the ring, is a wave of changing colour, going right through the spectrum and changing seamlessly.  This is what caught my attention the first time I saw it, it's so different from any other jewellery I've seen.

The lovely people over at Prism also found out it had just been my birthday and included these as a belated birthday present, how lovely is that!?  This pair come in at £55 each, and you have 3 different colour combinations to pick from (although I can't work out which mine are from the list - maybe mine are bespoke!).  Once again, made of titanium which makes them lovely and light.  What I love about these is they're perfect for the festival season, very boho and would look beautiful with a flowy maxi dress and floral crown.  If you want to have a look at the colour options available, you can see them here.

One of the things I really liked about the Jewel Street website is that I was able to search by design, so I could search using the term 'star' and see all the jewellery they had that was star themed. I was also impressed with their really wide range of jewellery, and it's by smaller designers making more bespoke and unusual pieces, something really different from the high street.  Their prices range from standard affordable high street prices like, £15, right up to in the thousands if you're looking for something really special and unique.

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Bargains with Cosme-De

If you're a regular reader of Makeup-Pixi3 you might well know I've worked with the lovely people over at Cosme-de on quite a few occasions over the past year, most recently on the Benefit lip gloss giveaway I hosted for them.

Well the brand has just turned 7 years old (awwww) and to celebrate they have a big offer on where you can buy lot of their products at discount prices.

I was also a very lucky little blogger and was sent some treats to try out (squeee!).  Possibly my favourite has been the perfume Lady Million by Paco Robanne, I can't get over how amazing this smells.  It's sweet and slightly floral but not overpowering or sickly with either scent.  I think this might be the most beautiful scent in my collection, overtaking the #1 spot which was previously Touch of Pink by Lacoste - this just smells so much more refined, but so wearable as an every day scent. I love the unusual bottle too - it doesn't stand upright, which makes it quite different from others.

Another iconic product that Cosme-de are selling is the moisturiser Embryolisse - you know the one loved by models and makeup artists.  Well, while this isn't a big old review of it, I can give you a bit of a first impression.  I've been using it for about a week (this is why it's not a full on review).  Since using it my skin has been feeling so lovely and soft.  I did have some dry patches cropping up on my cheeks, but this has really helped stave that off and make it hydrated again.  It's currently discounted to $19 on Cosme-de which is around the £13 mark so not a bad price at all. 

Last and by no means least, is the Dior Addict Lip Glow Colour Awakening Balm (what a mouthful!). It's a beautiful soft pink lip balm in a lipstick form. It gives your lips a beautiful soft pink glow that looks really natural, kind of 'your lips but better' which makes it go well with pretty much any makeup look your'e going for (unless you're going for a bold lip!). My lips have felt really hydrated when I've been using this - it's not greasy either, it's soft and buttery.  This is currently $26 on Cosme-de, which is around the £17 mark.

All these products are part of their 7th anniversary discount selection - you can see their full range here if you want to bag yourself a bargain.  If you plan on buying a couple of things an spending over £110 ($169) you could also pick up Frances the teddy bear as an anniversary freebie (order needs to be in by 6th May

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My first OOTD - Blue maxi dress

Ok, before you scroll down to look at the picture I'd like you to read this first.  I'm not someone who is body confidant, pretty far from it.  I've been overweight since I was in my mid-teens - sometimes not very overweight, and other times very overweight.  Currently, I'm very overweight.  Yes I've recently had a baby, but I'm not using that as an excuse.  Yes I have an under active thyroid too, but again, that's not an excuse.  I'm overweight, end of story.

I have put off doing any kind of outfit post for the last 3+ years because I've never had the confidence to 'bear all' in a post.  Some of you have met me in real life, and know the 'real' me, not the photograph snippets I share on here.

After watching the likes of Callie on Plus Size Wars the other day, I really felt inspired.  There I was watching other women who are like me - yeah we're all different sizes, but they're all overweight too and confident in their skin - something one day I hope I am.  I'm not saying I wouldn't like to lose weight, of course I would, but I have begun to accept myself for who I am - an overweight woman. So, if anyone feels I shouldn't be sharing this, well that's your opinion and you're entitled to it.  But this is me, un-edited and un-photoshopped and saying #effyourbeautystandards I #honourmycurves.

Dress c/o New Look Inspire £19.99* | Cardigan is from Asda | Necklace Dorothy Perkins | Bracelets are a gift

The dress is a blue bold print bandeau maxi dress - something I wear a lot (maxi dresses) and wore a lot through my pregnancy.  It's made of a very light material (viscose), and the bold print really helps to disguise those lumps and bumps.  The only things I'd change about this dress is I'd make it shorter, I'm about 3" too short for it so it really needs to be taken up, and I'd like to see it being more fitted around the bust as it's really quite baggy around there at the moment, but other than that this is a really lovely dress that I've loved adding to my maxi dress collection.

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*PR sample

Mummy Monday #1

As much as I'm still regularly updating and maintaining my mummy blog, there might be a time in the future that I decide to bring that all over here.  So I thought I'd start up a series called Mummy Monday, so every Monday will be a mummy themed post (but not a product review), whether it'll be mummy beauty, mummy fashion or just 'this is what being a mummy is like' - so if this isn't your cup of tea, you might want to skip visiting on Mondays :)  (thanks Mummy's Beauty Corner for the suggestion!).

So, this last week was a big one for Squidge and I.  It was the first time I left him alone for a whole day with his Grandparents.  I had a work-thing to go to, crazy golf at the Celtic Manor, which was really great fun.  It was so hard leaving him though - my intention was to spend the first hour washing my hair, doing my makeup and getting to town nice and early to do a bit of me-shopping and have some me-time.  Alas, that didn't happen.  I spent the first hour in floods of tears, missing him loads just knowing I wasn't going to see him before he went to bed.

I finally got my act together and an hour later than planned got to town.  I wanted to head to New Look to see what they had in their Inspire (plus size) collection - but very disappointingly they seem to have reduced the range available significantly here in Cardiff, and it was nearly all black.  Being a bit disappointed, I headed to Starbucks to grab some lunch, when a display in Mothercare caught my eye.  Jools Oliver (Jamie Oliver's wife) has launched an exclusive Mothercare collection called Little Bird - it's retro kids clothes that look like they're straight out of the 70s - amazing! I couldn't help myself but pick up a few pieces for him - so after shopping for me (fail) I ended up with loads of baby clothes for Squidge (win).

On Friday for the first time, he also properly sat up by himself! He's been doing it in little bits for a little while, but always with one of us holding him up to balance him - but on Friday he was sat in the middle of his play mat (surrounded by pillows!) by himself for a good 5 mins before he fell, with no one holding him up :)  He's also so close to crawling - when it's in that inflated donut thingy in the pic above he can bring his knees under him and push right up, he only needs to coordinate both and he'll be off! (I know it'll be hard work, but I really can't wait to see that too) :)

Squidge fast facts

• He's just over 6.5 months old (7 months on 6th May)
• At last weigh in nearly a month ago he was 16lb 4oz (he's being weighed again tomorrow)
• He's in size 6-9 month clothes
• His favourite foods are pineapple, chicken and cod - he also really likes cucumber & plums

I hope you've enjoyed this post and look forward to the next one :D

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Bathroom art print wish list

Over the summer when we were waiting for Squidge to arrive, we re-decorated the whole of the upstairs, and had a new bathroom fitted.  I've never made that much effort with the bathroom before, but since it's now so lovely, I've actually been on the lookout for nice things for it.  Something we've never had in there before is any kind of art, and to be fair, it's a very small bathroom so can't really fit much in there on the walls, but there is a space above the loo (which is nestled between a mirrored cabinet and the shower) which would be a perfect place for a little bit of art.

After searching the internet I found a site called Minted which had some really lovely prints on there. The bathroom walls are blue, so I'm sticking with a bluey/greeny theme for the artwork, and above are the prints I've narrowed it down to.  I think the top left one is my favourite (although, I love the middle one too!), what do you think?

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Pen Heaven Competition: My workstation photo entry

Pictured || MacBook Pro | Fountain Pen* | Notebook | iPhone 6

As you probably know, I'm not normally one to enter blogger competitions, but seeing as I'm a complete stationary nut, I just couldn't help myself with this one.  Pen Heaven are running a competition to share a photo of your workstation.  My workstation isn't quite what it used to be - I had a gorgeous white glossy desk from IKEA, with the 'blogger drawers' underneath to store my makeup, it was lovely.  But that room is now Squidge's nursery, so my workspace is mobile.

Sometimes it's as simple as my MacBook on my lap while I'm on the sofa, and if I have some serious work to do and it's not too bright in the conservatory, I'll sit at the dining table (pictured above) with my notepad, pen and phone.  Yeah, I don't sit there with a camera lens out, I mean who does! I just thought it would make the picture look nice :)

Another reason I thought this would be a nice competition to enter is because I really LOVE seeing people's workspaces, usually ending up with a lot of office-envy!

To enter:

1.  Simply photograph your workstation and publish the blog post by the 29th April

2.  Title the post 'Pen Heaven Competition: My workstation photo entry'

3.  Send a link or tweet to Pen Heaven using the hashtag #PenHeavenWorkStn

The first prize is an assortment of stationary to the value of £200, and there are 2 runners up prizes of  a personalised pen and journal to the value of £60 each

So if you want to be in with a chance of winning - get photographing, there's not much time left!

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*Post contains a PR sample

My first Essence haul

The other day I dragged the hubby along to Wilko's so I could make a cheeky Essence haul.  Well, that's not technically true - we were out in the car on the way home from visiting a friend when I asked him to drive me there - I suggested that since we were already out it wouldn't be a big deal :D

Anyhoo - after spending a good 5 mins drooling over some of their kitchen goods like Kilner jars and clay baking bowls, I finally found their beauty section where they had a double Essence stand.  I felt like a kid in a sweet shop!  Where to start! Well, I posted a photograph on Instagram of all their mascara's asking 'Which one?' but sadly the only reply I had was after I left the shop :P So I winged it - I picked up a selection of lip liners, lipstick, blusher, eyeliner, eye shadow and brow products.  All together it came to about £25 which really isn't bad considering how many products I picked up!

I'm definitely going to be reviewing the blusher, mascara, lip products, eye shadow, eye liner and brow products... well, that's pretty much all of them so keep your eyes peeled! I do actually have a comparison video coming up for the brow tint, comparing it to the Benefit Gimmie Brow :)

What are your favourite Essence products?

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INTERVIEW | MAKEUP SAVVY

Let me take you back to last month, I started a blogger series where I interview successful fellow bloggers (last month was the lovely London Beauty Queen) in the hopes of uncovering some of the secrets to their success, and you know, a bit about them too :)  Well, this instalment I have none other than the lovely Fee from Makeup Savvy - the very blogger that created the iconic #bbloggers hashtag!!!!

1.  Can you remember what first inspired you to start blogging?
I first got inspired to blog about interiors when doing up my first house and I would seek out inspiration from blogs like Madeby Girl and Design Sponge. But after my house was complete the blog dwindled and that's when I discovered beauty blogs and videos! I mainly read Lipglossiping at the time and thought "I could do that!" so I did!

2.  How did you feel when you published your first blog post?
I actually mentioned Charlotte from Lipglossiping in my first blog post and must have tweeted or commented on a blog post, as she left me my first ever comment!! So I remember feeling pretty elated at that. 

3.  Have you ever thought about venturing into YouTube?
I have but it's always been with the thought of money in mind and not that I think I'd enjoy it. Which is why I don't think I'll ever do it as you need to have some passion behind what you're doing. The reason I don't think I would enjoy it mainly stems from reading the comments on beauty bloggers videos I love and seeing such negative and often dumb statements like "I don't like your hair" or "You were so paid to do this video - unsubscribed". I think comments like that, if I got them, would grate on me majorally! Also I'm quite self-conscious as it is and would hate watching myself back to edit the videos, though I'm sure I'd get use to it!

4.  What do you love most about blogging?
Without a doubt the photography! I took a year course in Photography at college and loved it back then but really couldn't see a use for it other than as a hobby. Now I get to do it most days and be as creative as I want. I love how a blog post looks with bright, put together photos. 

5.  What would you say is the best moment your blog has brought you so far?
Oh, that is a tough one as I'm not really one for putting myself forward for things or taking opportunities; I just love the day-to-day feel of blogging. But seeing my name and blog in a few magazines now has been pretty great! I'm sure I will keep the magazines I've been featured in forever!

6.  What do you find your most popular content to be?
At the moment we seem to be going through a 'blog tips' trend where every blogger and their instagram-worthy pet has something to say about blogging and how it should be done. I actually love this and I'm so glad that they are my most read posts. However makeup storage posts or collections will forever be my most popular posts.

7.  If you hadn't found blogging, what job would you see yourself doing?
It would have to be something creative and probably self-employed. I'd like to think it would be in interior design as I did dabble in it before blogging and loved it. That, or a Prop Stylist!

8.  Is there one tool or platform that's really helped you grow your blog?
For me it's been a mix of everything - being active on Twitter, getting 'pinned' on Pinterest and being featured on different websites/blogs. But Bloglovin' in the past few years has really grown my readership. I don't really have any tips on how to gain a lot of followers on there but if you haven't claimed your blog, then do! 

9.  Just for fun - tell us something most people don't know about you.
Another tricky one! Not overly interesting but a few years ago I taught myself to remember things really well. So if someone gave me a list of say 40 objects I'd be able to remember them in the correct order and even recite the list backwards a few days later. It's only really handy for shopping lists and phone numbers though!

10.  Lastly, what are your top 3 tips to new bloggers looking to make their marque?
Pick a blog name/url that will grow with you. Be consistant with how much you blog - even if it's once or twice a week, keep it up. Get to know other bloggers by leaving blog comments (no spamming!) and on Twitter or Facebook. 

Don't forget to head over and say hi to Fee and thank her for her lovely interview - thanks Fee!!!! And how amazing is it that she taught herself to remember things so well!
BLOG | TWITTER

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YoSo Compact | Deep Cleansing System

A few weeks ago a lovely parcel landed on my doorstep.  Inside were skincare treats (I talk about them in my winter skincare routine video here) and this little beauty, the YoSo Compact. I'd never seen, or heard, of anything like this before. It uses ionic technology to draw out any dirt or impurities that have been left on your skin after cleaning it. 

Things you'll need to get going:

2 x AAA batteries

A clear cleanser (It works best with a water based cleanser as opposed to a cream based one)

Cotton pads

How it works

Ok, so depending on how old you are, if you remember buying blank cassette tapes to record your favourite songs off the radio, they'll you'll probably have bought Maxell tapes? Well, they're the good people behind the YoSo.  It used positively and negatively charged ions to draw out the impurities and dirt in your skin, resulting in a deeper and better cleanse, and cleaner skin.  Now, I must admit, I was dubious over this, I had no idea how effective it was going to be.  I did expect a sound, or vibration, something to let me know it was doing it's thing, but it's a silent technology.  You make sure that your hand is gripping both the metal bars that adorn the sides of it for it to work, select the level you want it on (I have it on the highest setting (4)).  

You take the cover off, place a cotton pad on the black rubber disc, squirt some of your cleanser onto the pad, grab the YoSo Compact by both metal bars and move the cotton pad over your skin.  Beauty Crowd have actually uploaded a really good 2 min demo video on how to use it (that's where I learned what to do with it) just in case my description was confusing!

What did I think about it?

Here's the bit that surprised me.  It really worked! Despite it not making a sound, giving me any real indication that it was on or working, it did work!  After taking my makeup off and ensuring my skin was 'clean', I'd use this, and low and behold, there would be dirt on the cotton pad after going over my skin with the YoSo Compact, dirt that would have remained there otherwise, possibly turning into spots or blackheads.  It didn't break me out, it only left my skin feeling soft and very clean :)

If you're interested in buying one yourself, you can pick them up from Beauty Crowd for £59.99.

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*Post contains a PR sample

Makeup Revolution Ultra brow palette

My swatches have come out a little paler than they actually are - you can see in my eye brow pic below how pigmented and dark they are

It's been a while since I shared with you a new Makeup Revolution release so I thought I'd throw some caution to the wind and not break the habit of a lifetime :)  I've had this in my collection for about 2 weeks now and is currently available for £7.99 as part of their Ultra series.

This palette is the same size as their eye shadow palettes, so quite sizeable! Certainly one to keep at home in your collection and not in your travel makeup bag.  The palette has 4 brow powders, 2 wax's, a concealer, a highlighter, a brow pencil, 2 brushes and a set of tweezers. There's also a huge mirror that fills up the lid of the palette.

The shadows have decent pigmentation (you don't want anything overly intense for your brows!) and they have a nice range of shades for light to medium. I tend to use the two darker ones.  I can't comment on what the waxes are like as I don't tend to use them - I prefer to set my brows with either a clear mascara or a tinted brow gel.  I've also been using the concealer and highlighter - not products I tend to use, but since I have them I thought I'd give them a whirl.  They really do help to create a more precise brow and lighten and brighten above and below the brow - I'm a convert!

This is a really nice kit which is great value for money and the brushes included are really decent too - I haven't felt I'd had to reach for a different brow brush to apply the product.  My only niggle with this palette, is a tiny one - I'm not sure if it's the pencil or the tweezers, but something is stopping me being able to close the lid shut. It's not a palette I'd take out of the house anyway, but it is a bit annoying that I can't close it :P

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Easter Sunday at Cefn Onn Cardiff

As you might know if you saw my recent post, I want to start including more lifestyle posts here, more snip-its from my life.  I was going to post this over on the mummy blog, but I thought I'd post it here instead for a change, in an effort to mix things up a bit.

So last Sunday, Easter Sunday, we went for a walk around a park which is only a 5 min walk from our house.  It's in North Cardiff and is home to some of the biggest trees in the UK.  It has the tiniest car park for those driving in, and despite lots of signs asking to keep dogs on the leads (some of the trees have disease and dogs running freely helps to spread that) it is a favourite park for dog owners to let their four-legged friends free to run about in :)  It's not a particularly long walk, and just over half way there is a lovely little lake/pond too, and frequent benches to rest on and take in the peacefulness.  

On arrival in the car park :)

The little man was busy sleeping when we got there

Random post :)

New fence - I liked all the twists :)

Twigs and sky

New buds

So many trees!

Pretty fence

The trees are out in blossom

What a beautiful picture this turned out to be! It looks like a sculpted soap!

Another beautiful flower

And more...

Hubby and Squdige - still asleep!

About half an hour into our walk there we needed to stop and feed the little man, and ourselves. We'd brought some food with us so we sat on a bench to eat our sandwiches while we were waiting for Squidge's bottle to warm up.

After being fed he was a happy man - I was having a no-makeup day :)

If you're ever in Cardiff and want somewhere to walk, Cefn Onn park is just lovely, it's not too taxing, long etc, and a lot of it is under shelter from the trees.

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