After buying my hair straighteners ( check out my last post ) I decided that I really wanted to get a curling wand. I ended up buying the Pearl Wand by Remington with some John Lewis vouchers I received for Christmas.

"Remington's exclusive ceramic coating with real pearl provides even heat across the barrel whilst styling. The professional barrel shape helps to create beautifully soft or tight curls that last"

The wand comes with a Heat proof pouch, which is great to store the wand in, as well as a protection glove.  I tend not to use the glove as it gets in the way but it does stop you burning yourself!
It heats up with in 30 seconds of turning the wand on and changing the temperature;which is displayed by a digital screen. It also has an automatic safety shut off and a cool tip to minimize the risk of accidentally burning yourself. One of the most useful features this curling wand has is a 3m salon length swivel cord. I think swivel cords are a must when curling your hair to avoid any tangling!

I was a bit curious at first as my hair never really held the curls for long they would drop almost as soon as I walked out of the door. But with this product they will stay in for the whole day and I don't have to worry about my hair going flat.  I love the fact that it doesn't have a clip or anything like that because it makes the curls smooth.

I love this product as it super fast to create really cute, soft curls that last all day. Now i'm obsessed with curling my hair !

Boots John lewis
                                                                             Thank

In January I decided that I needed to buy a new hair straightener and after lots of research I came across the Remington Stylist Multi Style 210°C . Even though I only really wanted to invest in a hair straightener the reviews for this were pretty good and the fact that this not only straightened hair but curled it and created waves could only really be a bonus!

What Remington claims : "This incredibly versatile, all-in-one multistyler allows you to create multiple looks with just one, yes one, styling tool – it’s like having your very own stylist in your hands, no appointments necessary.  At a flick of a button, the unique Multi Style changes width so you can create smooth glossy straightness with the straightening function, or wrap around the barrel for tight disco curls, tumbling curls or natural waves.  Just choose a curling bar setting and get creating!"

The features :

• Create multiple looks 
• Advanced ceramic coating 
• 2 X smoother glide 
• 3 X longer lasting 
• variable heat 150 - 210°C 
• Heats up in 15 seconds 
• Longer length slim 100mm plates
• Worldwide voltage 
• Auto shut off after 1 hour 
• swivel cord 
• heat proof pouch

I absolutely love the effortless beach wave hair and now that it's getting into spring / summer weather I thought I'd do a review on two sea salt sprays.

Both of these products are suppose to give effortless textured waves to your hair to give a "just of the beach look" but I'm going to do a review of both of them to find out which is better!

1) Superdrug Salt Spray Expertise 
When I first started using this I wasn't too impressed with it, compared to all the hype of other salt sprays but I put that down to how inexpensive it was . However, I found myself reaching for it once I had tried the VO5 product . It doesn't give the best waves on normal hair with out any heat  , I found that it worked really well on already curled hair and then it gave the curls a more effortless and wavy look! The other way I found it worked really well , which really surprised me , is that it works soo well on straightened hair ! For a couple of quid you can't really complain !

2) VO5 Give me texture salt spray
I'm really disappointed with this product . Not only is this double the price of the Superdrug spray the quality and results you get from it is not nearly as good. I can't get any waves from this and it does not keep the tousled look any longer then 5 minutes. Although, it does make curled hair stay curled for longer and can give a little bit more volume but that's what hairspray is for right ? The only thing I love about this product is the smell but even that doesn't last !

I would steer clear of the VO5 but the Superdrug spray is worth the try - especially if you are looking for something really inexpensive .

I'm thinking about trying the bumble and bumble salt spray so comment down below if you would like to see a review on that !

                                                        Thank you
                                                         And
                                                         Hope
                                                          This
                                                           Helps!
                                                        LOVE. Liv x x x

It occurred to me the other day that I had not yet written a post about anything to do with hair, so I've decided to dedicate this month to do with all things hair !

   In my Christmas stocking I received  the Hask argon oil intense deep conditioning hair treatment. I'm always on the lookout for good hair masks that are inexpensive and I knew that these where available at Primark so I couldn't wait to test theses out and see how effective they are.

So far I've done 2 treatments and I've worked out you can get 3 treatments out of one sachet but I was so impressed with only doing 2 trials that I purchased 2 more sachets at the weekend!

I'm someone who constantly uses heat on my hair so I really needed something intense to keep my hair hydrated and split end free ! And I was so taken back once I tried this because my hair was extremely smooth and looked so much healthier, I instantly saw a difference ! It also keeps my hair tangled free.

All I do is clean my hair like normal; then apply the hair treatment to the ends of my hair , run a wide tooth comb through and then leave for 10 minutes!  I would repeat weekly or once every two weeks !

I would definitely recommend this and at £2 a sachet you can't really go wrong !

       Thank you
              And
               Hope
                   This
                        Helps!
      LOVE
           LIV X X X

I received the studio London makeup palette  as a Christmas present from my best friend Becky and thought I'd do a makeup tutorial using it. So thank you Becky !
 I think this look is perfect for everyday and would be amazing for spring / summer. The eyes are super shimmery when it catches the light which is gorgeous .

1) Start with applying your primer , foundation and concealer ( only apply if you need too )
     then apply a powder. Fill in your eye brows and I added a bit of bronzer to my cheeks to have a subtle contour.                 

Eyes

1) Apply Mink all over you lid ,use a flat brush to do this. I used the flat end of my urban decay naked palette brush .

2) Apply Truffle in to your crease, I used the dome end of my urban decay naked palette brush to do this.

3) Blend ! Keep on blending truffle through your crease , until there are no harsh lines. If you want to keep applying truffle to get the pigmentation you desire but remember to blend ! I used my Mac 217 to do this.

4) Grab a flat brush and apply pretty pink to the outer v area of your eye but still keeping inside the area from the shade truffle.

5) Grab you blending brush , again I used Mac 217 , and blend the pretty pink in to truffle.

6) Apply Mink on to the centre of your lid  with a flat brush.

7) Then blend again ! Do this to your whole lid just to make sure there are no harsh lines. This time I used Mac's 224 brush.

8) Go back in with the pretty pink and apply to your inner corner as a highlight.

9) Using the chocolate brown eyeliner pencil run it on the upper lash line ( don't worry it doesn't have to be perfect) and on the lower water line. Get an angled brush and blend the eyeliner the upper lash line to smoke it out a little bit.

10) Now apply your favourite mascara!

Face

1) From the blush and highlighter palette , apply the highlighter to your cheek bones and brow bones. ( this looks stunning when the light catches it but soft enough for everyday use !)

2) Apply pink suede blush to your cheeks, I used my real techniques brush to do this. You could apply Candy pink instead or even mixing the two together but today I wanted to go for a matte blush as there is a lot of shimmer already going on !


Lips
1) apply the perfect nude lip gloss to your lips.

And then you are finished ! Although it seems like there is a lot of steps its actually really simple and quick to apply.  Thanks again , to Becky for buying this palette for me !

http://www.superdrug.com/studio-london-pretty-natural/invt/657154&bklist=  It  currently out of stock but it should be coming in really soon.
              Hope you enjoyed this makeup tutorial and I've been loving all the comments so keep them coming :)

                                                                         Thank you

I feel like I'm a little bit late to jump on the soap & glory bandwagon, but better to be late then never!
To be 100% honest I always thought of Soap & glory to be a little bit over priced for drugstore products and even though this scrub has had a lot of hype over it in the beauty world, I never even thought about buying it !  So when I received this in my Christmas stocking I was a little bit curious to try it out !

I've been using this scrub for several weeks and I'm so happy that I eventually tried it out !  It's made out of smashed brown sugar & sweet lime, almond oil & Macadamia grains. I love it because the grains are really refined so It's not too harsh on your skin yet does exfoliate and get rid of dry skin !
Plus the smell is absolutely delicious ( almost good enough to eat .)
It leaves my skin feeling smooth and refreshed , a perfect way to start your day !
I really recommend this and I can't wait to try out the rest of Soap & glory's products !

 *tip*
Don't use this after shaving ... It will sting !

         http://www.boots.com/en/Soap-Glory™-Sugar-Crush™-Body-Scrub-300ml_1222485/


Photography by my sister, who writes an amazing blog so go check it out ;http://laurajmarsh.blogspot.co.uk/

                                                                        Thank you

Happy New Year guys !

I hope 2014 has been great for you so far and I hope you have an amazing year. But first I want to reflect on last year for my 2013 favourites.

Makeup :

1) Maybelline the falsies mascara. This has been one of my best 2013 finds and I love it. It's so cheap yet makes my lashes look their best ! It's probably the best mascara I have ever tried because it has a lovely brush , lasts long but does not stick to the eyelashes to much , coats every single lash and makes my lashes thicker and longer ! I did a more in depth review here: Drugstore favourites

2) Estee lauder foundation. I've also done a review on this so go check it out http://livvyandallthingsbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/estee-lauder-double-wear-light.html It has lovely coverage , the lasting power is amazing and gives a fresh faced dewy look . Perfect for a new year !

3) Urban decay naked 2 palette. Again I've done a review on this! http://livvyandallthingsbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/urban-decay-naked-2-palette.htm I purchased this around this time last year and have worn it nearly everyday!

Nails: 
  Barry M Gelly Nail paint.  I purchased two bottles of these nail polishes in the summer. One being a vibrant pink and the other a vibrant mint green. I'm not the best at painting my nails because I'm so impatient that I can't let them dry properly. Plus you have 3 stages with the base coat , followed by colour and then the top coat . But this Nail varnish has a thicker formula with a top coat shine finish included so it makes your 3 step process in to a 2 step! Plus it lasts a really long time !  Make sure you always use a base coat to start. http://www.superdrug.com/barry-m-cosmetics/barry-m-gelly-nail-paint-pink/invt/553350&bklist=

Skincare:

1) Of course I had to include my Clinque's anti -blemish cleansing foam face wash! I have done a review on this also so go check it out! http://livvyandallthingsbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/my-favourite-face-wash-clinque-anti.htm  I use this every day, twice a day and its a life safer!

2) TED BAKER Body soufflé .  I received a ted baker toiletries gift set as a present last year. I don't think they do that collection any more but it does have similar packaging to the " Origami Ocassions" set. It smells soo so so good ! And the texture or the soufflé is perfect , its not too thick but nice and creamy! Plus its not sticky. I love it so much and I can't wait to try out different sets! http://www.boots.com/en/Ted-Baker-Origami-Occasions-Gift-Set_1233758/

TV:
1) Grey's anatomy box set anybody who knows me will know how obsessed over this series I am! It's amazing and I can't get enough. I watch it every Sunday as that's my relaxing day  .. so guess what I'm spending my day doing !? I'm currently on series 7 and we just brought series 9 so I'm very happy.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=grey+anatomy&tag=mh0a9-21&index=aps&hvadid=2978975706&ref=pd_sl_6xl4giiqsl

Drinks:
 Mocha Frappes I started drinking these in the summer and they are my favourite drink ever! I even make them at home sometimes! As it's winter they aren't on the menus of some café shops so I've been settling for a normal mocha but I prefer the frappes !

Food:
     Onion rings. This is really random I know and not the most healthiest of things but they taste so good! And they don't take much time in the oven.

Free time activity:
                      Youtube! I've been watching youtube for the past 3 maybe 4 years and have been loving it ever since then but my friends have only started watching in the last year may 2 so it's been nice to talk about it and enjoy it with my friends!

Writing this blog ! I love writing this and I hope your enjoying my blog so far! I just hit 512 views which I never expected that many people to go on my blog! Also having people around the world reading so thank you ! :)


                                                                          Thank you
            

• Suitable for normal to oily skin types
• Banishes shine
• Helps make-up stay in place
• Smoothes  "