Hair tales

Hi there!

How are you?  I've been busy performing and resting the past few days so I haven't been blogging much.  When I last posted about what I had been using on my hair it was all about hair repair.  I'd been investing in masks and oils to try to help my over long straggly hair which was always breaking like crazy.
Just before Christmas I got my hair cut and told the hairdresser to cut off as much as she felt it needed to be healthy.  A lot was cut.  The difference though was amazing!  My hair felt so much healthier, soft and strong.  Since then I haven't even been feeling like I needed to use any products other than shampoo and conditioner.
Before it was cut I bought the Macadamia Natural Oil No Tangle Styler Brush.  I've been wanting to try one of these Tangle teaser style brushes for ages and this one came with a few Macadamia product samples which I also really wanted to test out.  I only used it a couple of times before I got my hair cut but I definitely felt it was better for my distressed hair than my normal brush.

One of the samples that came with it was this Healing Oil Treatment which I don't really feel my hair needs now but I've used a couple of times after washing anyway.  It smells nice and my hair feels soft.  I'd have to test it out when my hair is feeling more damaged though to know how effective it really is as a healing treatment!  I also received the deep repair hair mask as a sample but haven't tried it out yet.

It's got really really cold here, minus 24 degrees celcius this morning! Brrrr.  My neck has begun to seize up accordingly.  Right now I've got a wheat pack around it which one of my dancing partners recommended I should try to do more often even when it's not stiff.  I've only ever used it before as a treatment, not as a preventative measure but it seems like a really good idea.  I've got it on before my neck gets really bad and it seems to be helping!
Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Black and White Dresses- Instant Vintage and Sparkle and Fade

Hello lovelies,

how are you?  I've been feeling philosophical lately.  I was talking to a friend recently about life in general and she said to me that she was frustrated because she wasn't busy enough and she had too much time to think about all the things she wasn't happy with in her life.  I wondered then, is the problem that you're not happy with your life and should change it, or is it that you're just not busy enough to forget about your dissatisfaction?  It seemed to me a different way to look at things and I'm not sure what the right answer would be there...
On to other less philosophical things.  After the Christmas holidays I returned with two pretty dresses in tow.  Each dress is very different from the other: one creamy white and pretty, and the other black and sexy.
The cream dress was a Christmas present from my Mum from a little shop in Bath.  I can't remember what the name of the shop is but the dress says Instant Vintage on the label.  It's really cute and pretty and I love the beaded collar.

The other dress was from Urban Outfitters and I wore it to a New Year's Eve party.  It's slinky and see through around the waist.  It's by Sparkle and Fade.

It felt gorgeous on and was such a bargain at half price in the sale.  The only problem with this dress was that when I took it off at the end of the night it had dyed my skin purple.  Yes purple!!  It was everywhere I couldn't believe it!  I had to scrub really hard to get it all off.  Somehting like that has never happened to me before.  It seemed pretty dodgy.  I might try and soak this dress in water or something so it doesn't happen next time....

Anyway those were my two newest dresses.  I love them both and they're so different!  

It's time for me to curl up and get in to bed.

Twirlybirdie :)

Natural soaps - Nurme Seep Cleansing Facial Bar and Goats Milk and Chocolate Soap

Hello!
How has your day been?  I've been lucky to have a day off today.  Waking up without the alarm going off was bliss.  Another bonus was that it was sunny.  One of the positive sides of the temperatures plunging to below -10 is that you get more winter sun.  It's just a shame that it's too cold to stay outside!

A couple of months or so ago I decided I wanted to try products which were as natural as possible for washing as my eczema had flared up quite badly.  I had no idea if it was something I was using, or eating, or thinking or what that was causing it but I decided to buy some products that was as natural as I could find for using on my skin.

I came across an Estonian brand called Nurme Seep which had a sticker on their soaps saying that they are 100% natural.  Sold.  I ended up buying the Goats Milk and Chocolate soap and the Deep Facial Cleansing Bar.

Both theses soaps smell amazing.  I can smell the essential oils in them and I've even noticed my bathroom smells so much nicer with them in there.

I really like the Chocolate and Goats Milk soap.  I find that it isn't drying or irritating for my skin at all, in fact it feels moisturising, perhaps from the goats milk?  I really like using it and the only thing I don't like is that it is disappearing quicker than I would like.

The facial cleansing bar smells a bit earthier and richer, probably because it has activated charcoal in it as well as lavender oil.  This foamed up much more than expected and feels soft and cleansing to use.  I feel like I have to be really careful not to get it near my eyes because I think the essential oils could be irritating.  I like using this but when my skin is bad I do feel like I need something stronger with salycilic acid in it.  I've been using this together with my usual Garnier face washes and am glad to have something more gentle to use when my face doesn't feel like it needs stripping with stonger stuff.
My foray in to the natural soaps world has been a positive one so far, particularly with soaps for the body.
Vegetarian shepherds' pie is in the oven, cooked for me by my fiance.  Yum!  So until next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Lumene Skin Care, Vitamin C night cream

Hello!

How are you?  I hope you have had a great day.  I've been grabbing some last minute bargains in the sale.  I've really wanted to try some Lumene skin care products for a while.  I'm attracted to the natural ingredients they are meant to contain.
Due to a recent re-branding of some of their skincare the old versions were being sold at a much cheaper price in the sale.  I had a brief look at the ingredients list and they seemed more or less the same as the newer versions apart from one or two ingredients but I'm not sure I would pay the higher price for the new versions of the products.  I bought the Vitamin C+ Pure Radiance Night Cream and Eye Cream.

The night cream is for normal/dry skin.  I have been using the Nivea pure and natural night cream which, although moisturising, doesn't really do anything else to the skin.  The Lumene night cream contains Vitamin C and cloudberry nectar which is meant to brighten the skin.  It also contains 'antioxidents to protect the skin against the signs of aging'.  That sounded good to me!

I haven't been using this cream long enough to test out those claims but I definitely felt a difference in my skin after using this.  The cream is rich but not as thick as the Nivea one and it really seems to sink in to my skin and make it softer.  My skin still feels nice and soft when I wake up too.  Luckily a little goes a long way so hopefully it will last me a little while.

I need to test out the eye cream a bit more before I post on it.  I think these products are basically what is now called the Bright Now Vitamin C range but I'd have to take a closer look at the ingredients to see what if anything has changed.

I'm feeling pretty sleepy now!  Time for bed I think, time to put on this night cream!

Good night :)

Twirlybirdie

My Body Shop Shop!

Hello!

How are you?  I'm relaxing at home after a bit of a whirlwind day at work.  I'm feeling less anxious today because my rehearsals at work went a bit better than they did the previous two days of this week.  I had a little bit more time at home than usual so I managed to have a little bath pampering session using my new chocolate and clay face mask by a brand called Joik.  I also managed to get two loads of washing on which never happens.

I recently used up all my Body Shop Blueberry Body Butter which bothered me because it really was the best moisturiser I've found for my eczema.  I find oils don't really work on eczema as well and other moisturisers that have a more waxy like quality don't sink into my skin as well as this body butter does.  

The body butters are really expensive over here so I waited until sale time and found two that I was interested in; the Mango one and the Passion Fruit one.  I held off until I had had time to look at the ingredients online (it really annoys me that you can't easily see the ingredients on some Body Shop products on the packaging).  I found out that the Mango one had parabens in it and the Passion Fruit one didn't so that decision was easy.

 I also ended up getting the sweet lemon beautifying oil because I had it in the summer and I really loved using it.  My normal skin drinks it up and it feels gorgeous to use.  I love the fruity fresh scent too it's not too subtle but also not too heavy.

The body butter has a subtle sweet fruity scent to it and I find the consistency to be really similar to the blueberry one which I also liked.
I'm really looking forward to snuggling in bed soon.  Have a nice evening!

Twirlybirdie :)

Life lately, Sequins and Pretty Cards

Hi there!

How are you?  I've been feeling anxious recently so I've been trying to find ways to take my mind of things this evening.  I even managed to take advantage of my anxious energy to get out the hoover!  Anyway I thought I would share some random photos I've taken recently.

We got some of the nicest cards I've ever seen since after we got engaged!  I didn't even realise people sent cards to people when you got engaged before!  The sun was out and they were sparkling so I took some photos.

Aren't they lovely?  We've had a few more through since then too.  I feel like it's my birthday!

I took some more photos of these earrings because the sun was making them sparkle and I'm obsessed!

My fiance moved some things around in the flat and it looked really nice.  This table used to be in the bedroom but is much more suited to this little nook here.  It's a very decorative light stand.

I bought some new candles because we went to an out of town store where they are cheaper.  I bought three random different scents because I couldn't pick just one!  They've been smelling great in the living room.  Particularly the large vanilla one.  They also seem to be quite long lasting which is great.

I thought the candle looked pretty on the table too.

This awesome sparkly skirt from Dahlia arrived in the post.  I got it for half price in the sale.  Now I just need somewhere to wear it!

I hope your week is going well.  I'm looking forward to the weekend although it will most probably all be spent indoors now that the temperature has dropped to below minus 10!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

My New Art Deco Eye Shadows

Hello!

How are you?  I hope you are having a good day!  Continuing with the theme of sales shopping I picked up some Art Deco Eye Shadows in the sale recently which were a bargain at 2 euros 90 cents.  I've always fancied having one of their compacts with the magnetic holding strips so you can put in whatever colours you fancy but they were a bit expensive.  Luckily they had one in the sale so I bought it to put my new eye shadows in.

I bought shades 13, 289 and 227.  I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that the box didn't even come with an eye shadow brush.  I was also fooled by the blurb on the back which stated that it was for 'eye shadows and blusher of your choice'.  So I assumed I could fit eye shadows and a blusher in there so that there would be two compartments.  That was not the case you can use this for eye shadows or for blusher so it's a good job I decided not to buy a blusher then as well!

The colours seem quite richly pigmented apart from the purple-pink one which takes a little work but is subtle and pretty, perfect for me for work.

I'm thinking of taking the pink shade out of the palette and replacing it with my Art Deco eye brow shadow so that I have a nice palette of browns.  The palette is quite light which is nice as it will be comfortable to carry around in my handbag.
I really like the idea of having a compact like this where you can choose your own content.  The refillable magnet system is really clever.
Have you tried any Art Deco things before?

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Shopping Lately

Hello!

I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday.  For me it was the first day back to work after the first two day weekend I've had in ages.  Somehow I still felt pretty sleepy.  I managed to get a nice massage in at the end of the day though which is helping to sort my neck out.

I'm enjoying the scent of my Glade candle I bought last week.  It was apple and spice or something like that, something Christmassy!  I have a really bad memory...

I thought I would do a post about a few items of clothing I've picked up in the Winter sales.  I was really bored of wearing the same jumpers over and over again so I bought two new ones.  Both of them with floral design but in quite different ways.

The black and white one I got with 30% off in the sale at a shop called Mojito.  I thought it would go really well with a red lipstick as I was going through a bit of a dark clothing with red lips faze.
The white jumper with blue flowers was from Mango and was half price in the sale.  I'd been after it for ages and it looks really pretty over blue skinny jeans.  I wore it on Monday with my ASOS pinafore.

The sun actually shone yesterday for the first time in ages so I tried to take a few pictures for future posts as normally I'm trying to take them in the dark and it just doesn't float my boat as much.

Enjoy the rest of your evening.  Don't forget to follow me :)

Till next time

Twirlybirdie

My big news :)

Hello!

So a couple of days ago I said I had some big news to announce and it's probably quite easy to guess.  My big news is that I recently got engaged to my boyfriend!  He proposed on New Year's Eve with a beautiful Art Deco 1920's antique ring.

I'm really excited and I'm sure I will be blogging about wedding things a lot more from now on!

It's so pretty!  It's still only just sinking in that I'm engaged but I'm looking forwards to the future!

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for eyes- Lots o' Latte

Hello!

I'm enjoying my Sunday off work, the first for a while as we've been performing recently every Sunday.  I hurt my neck a couple of days ago which was quite stressful so today consisted of a trip to an out of town shopping center to buy a foam pillow to see if that will help.  I've been pulling the muscles in my neck quite frequently in the last two to three months so need to try something to stop it happening.  I'll let you know how I get on!

When I was home for Christmas late Christmas Eve I was left on my own waiting for my family to turn up to Debenhams.  My sister had forgotten to phone me to let me know they'd taken a little detour on their way, typical!  I ended up wondering around the beauty section for so long I started to feel like I was looking a little weird and had better purchase something!  Haha.  I managed to test out quite a few Clinique products in that time and really took a liking to the colour of the Lots o' Latte Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for eyes.

I really like the packaging of chubby sticks, they're really easy to use.  I've also been obsessing over neutral colours I can wear to work recently and this fit in with that really well.

The colour comes out a little darker on these images than it does in natural light (of which there isn't much around these parts lately).  It's a nice soft wash of colour that lasts a while.  It has a slight shimmer to it.  It does sit in the crease after a bit but all my cream eye shadows seem to do that.
I'm happy with this and can see it getting a lot of use.  I've bought a few new eye shadows recently as I seem to be going through a bit of an eye shadow plus mascara faze in place of my old eyeliner plus mascara routine.
I would love it if you would subscribe to my blog!  You can use one of the links in the right hand sidebar.  I hope you enjoy the rest of you Sunday :)

Twirlybirdie!

My Latest Earring Creations

Hello!

I hope you are having a nice day.  I've been a bit under the weather but I think I'm over the worst of it now, though I still feel like I need to take it easy.  I have some big news to write about but I'll post about that at the beginning of next week!

A few days ago I got out my jewellery making tools and made use of a few pretty beads I had lying around.  One of my favourite pieces of jewellery to make are earrings because it is relatively quick and easy to do.

These simple jet black Swarovski crystal drops are so easy to wear with a simple black leotard for work.

 These clear plastics beads are super sparkly in real life.  I made them to wear as the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker because the beads remind me of icicles.

I love the deep green colour of these multi-faceted glass beads.  They also sparkle really prettily in the light!  They are a little heavy for the ball and post findings though so next time I'd probably make them using an ear wire instead.

I made black, green and clear earrings and then I made earrings that were black, green and clear!  Simple and chic.

These pretty fluttery babies are Swarovski Crystal Butterfly beads in a lilac colour.  Simple and pretty.  I put these on sterling silver ear wires.

These ones I actually made a while ago but they're really pretty so I wanted to photograph them.  These are London Blue Topaz jewels that my boyfriend bought me as a present.  I wire wrapped them in sterling silver and added them to sterling silver ear posts.  These are so pretty but I don't get enough wear out of them as they're too heavy for work.  I need more evenings out!

My new favourites!  These are swarovski crystals that I've wired wrapped in tarnish resistant wire and put on sterling silver ear wires.  These crystals are really big and sparkly!  I can't wait to wear them out.  I'd seen earrings made with these crystals in the shop and they were pretty expensive so I thought I'd just pick up the same beads on-line and make them myself.  These beads are from www.jillybeads.co.uk where I've bought a few things from before.

Oh yeah just look at that sparkle!

Last photo is taken by candle light.  Sorry I've posted so many pictures but I'm really in love with these.  I'm thinking of making more using different crystals of this size and maybe making gifts with them!
Do you like to make jewellery?  I definitely feel inspired to make more now.
I hope you enjoyed this post!  I would love for you to follow me on bloglovin', the link is in the right hand side bar.

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie