Becoming A Pixie @ Peter Mark, South William St

Before

Last week, I got a pixie cut in The Style Club in Peter Mark South William St. I actually sat as a model for a stylist in training, who was completing her final exam. I was allowed to pretty much ask for anything I wanted, and since I've been wanting to get a short hair cut again for a while, I opted for a pixie style cut.

Before we go any further, no I didn't get my hair cut because of a man, or to make any statement, I got it because I hated my long hair and I was wearing it up off my face anyways. I was toying with it for a while, thinking about an undercut, shaving it off entirely, and then I saw the Instagram feed of Nothing But Pixies and I knew that was the direction I was headed.

During

Aimee was my stylist and I pretty much just gave her some pictures of styles I liked, but let her do her own thing. I'm very much an advocate of letting the people who are good at what they do just do their thing. I will of course give some input, but for the most part, once I get what I want, I'm cool to let people have free reign.

So. Pixie cut. We started with washing my hair and cutting in the basic shape, and then we got to tinting. I knew there would be some color done, as that was part of the exam, and to be honest I was terrified because I love my ginger locks, but Aimee assured me it would be a temporary tint, and it wouldn't be drastic in the least. She bleached in some ballyage into my fringe, and let that process. When it had lightened my hair a slight bit, she applied the Chromia (I think) Colour Pop in a custom blend, which basically just brightened my natural shade. The tint will wash out in 8 ish washes, is non damaging and giiirl, it smelled straight up like mango! Delish!!

After

When I was all rinsed and back in the chair, Aimee got down to the serious chopping, evening out my layers and making me look beautiful. Then she dried my hair and styled it and trimmed it into its final form, and I was done!

I'm absolutely in love with it, it's so well executed and I've had so many compliments on it already!

Thank you so much to Aimee for letting me be her model for her exam! 

So... What do you think?

Amy

xx

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REVIEW - 7th Heaven Tea Tree Face Spa

Its no secret that I love 7th Heaven products. The Blemish Mud is my favorite face pack in their whole range. I had never tried one of their fabric face spas before, though, so while I was waiting for my scrip to be filled in my local pharmacy, I picked this up to try out.

On the package it claims to be a pore cleansing fabric facial, and it contains Tea Tree and Spearmint. I have a soft spot for Tea Tree Oil to heal piercings and bad spots, so it piqued my interest from there.

So how does it work? Well, on the back it has five steps, which I shall list for you, cause I'm a sound cookie!

• Cleanse your skin
• Apply the sheet mask, 
• Relax for 5-10 minutes
• Remove the mask and massage the residue into the skin
• Rinse your face and pat dry. 

Because it's a no mess, no fuss kind of product, it's aimed at people who want a quick fix or pick me up. Unlike mud packs or peel off masks, you can apply this pretty much anywhere, and chill out for 10 minutes. If you have a hectic schedule or a jam packed social life, I can see where 10 minutes of chill time would be appreciated. 

While it was on my skin, it felt really cooling, and there was some tingling sensation, especially on my cheeks, which I would consider one of my "problem pore" areas. The tingling wasn't painful, it was actually quite pleasant, it made me feel that the product was actually doing something for me. 10 minutes later, I popped it off, massaged my face, let the residue sit into my skin and then rinsed my face with warm water before patting it dry with a soft towel. 

Overall, this was a nice treat for my skin, and it was even more relaxing because there was no mess to clean up once the chill out portion of the mask was over!! 

I picked this Tea Tree Face Spa up in my local pharmacy for €1.60, they are also stocked in supermarkets such as Tesco and Supervalu nationwide. If online shopping is more your thing, you can pick it up HERE. 

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Park Lane via Specs Post - One Year On

The frames I got to choose from!

Last year, I was lucky enough to be afford the opportunity to work with the English company, Specs Post. Specs Post are an online store that sell high quality frames at a low cost. I of course, being short sighted, was thrilled to get the chance to pick some frames and review the store. Since then, almost one year later, I'm back on the wagon. No, I've not gotten to work alongside them again, but I'm going to let you know how I got on with the frames I chose.

I picked from four frames, though three were in the running from the day they arrived for me to see, and eventually, with the help of friends, family, social media, my boss at the time, and my ex, I opted for the Park Lane style frame. I always liked acetate or plastic frames, because they're tough and I'm clumsy. I also loathe nosepads, and plastic frames don't have them. Generally speaking, plastic frames are the bomb diggity!

My Park Lane frames came to me with my scrip in them, and in a lovely case. Now, I wear my specs pretty much every day, unless I'm wearing lenses. For that reason, I never really have them in the case, so the case Specs Post sent me the frames in has managed to get lost. If I wear my frames, when I go to bed, they sit on my bedside table, and I rarely fold them up. They get folded up and put in my Penneys case if they're coming with me, like to my boyfriends house, overseas or even just in my handbag. When they go into that case, they share it with my lens pots.

So how did I get on?

Well, in 12 months, I haven't broken them, though I've dropped them, sat on them, had them slip off at work, and even managed to fall asleep with them on a few times. They've never needed to be repaired by my local optician, they've no scratches or signs of wear, they've only needed the arms tightened once, and they've always gotten compliments.


In fact, the only bad thing that ever happened, was I forgot them once on an impromptu overnight stay in my boyfriends house, and had a hiccup with my lenses which meant I had to get home from South County Dublin to my home (two hours, two kinds of public transport) with horrible, blurry vision the next day. I learned my lesson, they come everywhere with me now, if I might even possibly be staying out.

Honestly, these frames are possibly my favorite pair I've had since I started wearing glasses almost 14 years ago, and that's a big statement, considering my penchant for specs in general! I love the plastic frame, the deep navy and turquoise accent, the rounded shape with the horn rim, the silver detail, everything. They've never hurt my head, which I cannot say for other frames I've had through the years, a trait which seems to be common in other plastic frames.

I can tell you right here and now that I'm due an eye test in April, and I will be using Specs Post again. I've even picked out the frame and everything!!

Amy
xx

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Current Favorites

Today I'm going to give you a run through of all the things I've been loving lately...

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation has been my latest every day foundation... It's a really nice consistency, lasts well and doesn't seem to oxidise on the skin during the day. I press it into my skin with a damp RT Miracle Complexion Sponge, and it looks great. I like that it doesn't cover up my freckles but it helps to even out my blotchy face. To the best of my knowledge, it's currently on offer in Boots for €9.99.

I've been all about my Rose Gold Mini Wallet that I bought for Amsterdam last month. It's really dinky, but it holds all my cards, as well as having a coin pouch inside. I originally bought it because it was small and that seemed ideal for travel, to save space in my bag, and the plan was to go back to my large Parfois purse when I got home but I'm still obsessed with it! I'm pretty sure it's still in store for €3.

Beauty Kitchen Chill Me Wonder Balm has been a favorite for months now, and I use it to keep my stretched lobes moisturised and healthy. I have used it to stretch, to heal and to maintain and I'm absolutely in love with it. It contains shea butter, cocoa butter, rosemary oil, olive oil, lavender oil and geranium oil, to name but a few! It smells incredible and my ears feel so lovely because of it. You can get it HERE

Can we all take a minute to appreciate how great Penneys PS False Nails are?! I've been obsessed with them lately. They're great quality, last incredibly and they are cheap as chips! I tend to just buy a nude color and paint them to suit, which helps them look a bit more real in my opinion. There's a tonne of options, shapes and finishes and they are all €1.50

Finally, I'm going to give epic snaps to my beloved Hema Longer Lasting Lipstick in 05 and my Penneys PS Lipliner. This is literally my new favorite lip combo, they go perfectly together. The Hema lipstick set me back €3.50 in Amsterdam, and the lip liner was €1.50 in Penneys. Together, they last really well through eating and drinking and they look great with pale skin.

So there you have it, my most recent favorites. Anyone who follows me on Twitter will probably have seen me wax lyrical about these products in some form or other in the past while. 

What are your recent favorites? 

Amy 

xx

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Crazy Factory Mini Haul

Since I've started seriously modifying myself (stretched ears, multiple piercings) I've been using Crazy Factory to pick up a lot of my jewelry, though to be fair, I have been wearing tunnels and nothing more until now, since I was trying to get to my goal size. 

So I went on Crazy Factory last week and picked up a few little bits, and I'm going to show you them today! There will be clickable links to all the items, so if you want them, you can find them easily! This post isn't sponsored or supplied by Crazy Factory, I just really like them, they're very affordable and they do great stuff! 

First, I picked up some plain steel single flare tunnels in 10mm (00g) with black O-rings. They were €1.39 each, and obviously I needed two, so the total was €2.78. You can find them HERE 

Then I picked up a silver septum clicker with clear stones, the bar that goes through the piercing s 1.2mm and the jewelry is 7mm in diameter, for a nice snug fit on my tiny hobbit nose. I have the exact same style of clicker in blackline with peridot stones and I love it, but I wanted something that would go with everything. I only ordered one, but they sent me two, so I don't know what to do with the spare. If you have your septum pierced and you want the extra one, tweet me @redlips_redhair and I'll send it to you! You can find it HERE for €4.49, and there are a bunch of stone color options to choose from! 

Finally, I picked up the coolest plugs I've ever seen, glass spirals! I got them in a turquoise color, because I'm a creature of habit and I'm very aware of the colors that suit my skintone and hair. The cool thing about these plugs is that you have to order one for the left and one for the right, since they're made to sit a certain way in your ear. Find the LEFT HERE and the RIGHT HERE. Each one was €4.99 and there are four colors to choose from! 

So that's my little mini haul from Crazy Factory, I am a huge fan of this store, it's super reasonable price-wise, the shipping isn't extortionate (over a certain price is free, actually!!) and it arrives super quick. You can also earn Crazy Cash points on your purchases to redeem against orders. 

Find Crazy Factory on www.crazy-factory.com and on twitter @CF_Piercings!

Amy 

xx

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Dex Does: Viviscal Scalp Serum*

Hey everyone. Today we have a brand new Dex Does. As I've said before, I don't edit his posts beyond spelling and punctuation here and there, so rest assured this is 100% undiluted Dexter! 

So where to start with this product, hmm I guess I'll start with me and my scalp/hair background to give ou an idea of what I was like before trying this product out. My scalp is NOT perfect in any sense of the word, I haven't been formally checked but I believe I have a mild eczema/skin-condition on my scalp from time to time. this irritation comes in the form of flakes falling from my scalp and getting caught in my hair for the world to see (sad face) and itchiness around my crown from time to time. I tried any number of products across all manner of shelves and never could find anything with permanent results. Eventually I progressed onto using, what for me was, the best thing of all time for my scalp. Anyone ever heard of it? It's 'nothing'. That's right, for about 8 months now i use absolutely no products in my hair to treat my scalp. The only thing I use regularly is gel for work to keep my man-fro under office-professional-looking wraps. Short and sweet is not using any products increased my scalp health tremendously and my hair too, it's never been any softer or stronger before now. I still get slight irritations from time to time but they are few and infrequent, que Viviscal into my life.

So, Red-Lips here asked me would I review this hair-product that got passed her way and I was trepidatious at first but after looking ta the product I said  'Sure!' because why not? truthfully I wanted to see if this no products test was really working for me and I figured if I could get something like Viviscal into my hair I could really test if I was just using all the wrong products before and had finally stumbled across the savior of scalp treatments. So we shall hop right into it.

Viviscal is a VERY pretty product, a little annoying to use in the shower (seriously who designed that bottle, you can't stand it anywhere. Who is that useful for? This annoys me far more than it should but talk about impractical.....anyways) but very pretty and comes in a very aesthetically pleasing box too. Nice colour scheme, the cream is a normal color too nothing usetting there. It smells nice too, kind of like what I imagine upmarket medicine of the hair product world smells like. Nice, clean, minty, and like it'll do magic for your affected area. So, so far so good on the looks department. 

Start reading about it. 100% drug free, okay that's actually a great point, some scalp treatments out there have some steroids in them or parabens or SLS/SLES in them that can have awful affects on you if you use them. Point for Viviscal, go you. 99% naturally derived products, another point for Viviscal. 25 years of research and backed by doctors (doesn't mean much to me, find it hard to find more than a couple studies of research for just this product as opposed to the whole range so I take this with a grain of salt). Few other advertising points you usually see, easy to apply non greasy etc. Quite a few success stories for it online and backing from people like Oscar blandi a well renowned salon owner. It's looking pretty good for Viviscal, I am sold on the product to try it out!

So I read the instructions and I think this should be clarified for people, this serum bottle  says that this bottle is a twice daily use product that requires 2/3 "pea sized" drops to cover most peoples hair. That is not accurate, I tried to, I REALLY tried to make 2/3 pea sized drops go over my scalp but believe after ten minutes of rubbing my scalp and my shoulders aching from the task i couldn't get the pea amount across half of of my scalp let alone the whole scalp. I tried it with wet hair and dry hair but I couldn't do it. Instead I upped the amount to a 'dollop' which just about did my whole head. It was easy enough to apply after that, still alot of working it into my scalp though which is unfortunate. As a commuter and morning gym goer I don't have an extra ten minutes in the morning on top of the rest of my routine to do this every morning in the changing room, so that was a real disappointment/frustration. It smelled nice enough when I used it if that matters to anyone. And the little bottle lasted me nearly the whole month too (maybe  around 4 days short of the full 30 days) so even though I used 'dollop' sized amounts it still lasted me nearly the whole month. Those are large peas Viviscal, very large peas. 

So my month was up of using it consistently everyday and my scalp is pretty okay I thought, good in fact. Thought I'd go back and write it up as a stellar success story but then I thought, maybe I'll give it a week and see how we go, let's see if my scalp stays healthy. And boy did it not stay healthy. Towards the middle of that very week my scalp was itchy like never before and flaking like it was trying to make up for the lack of snow at Christmas which was horribly embarrassing. My shedding rate increased every time I slept or brushed my hair. Luckily gel kept it mostly in place during the day at work and at home I just had to bear it and try not scratch my scalp clean off my skull. 

It took about 3/4 weeks but it finally got back to normal again and now it's not itchy anymore after no product use in it for near a month. So for this reason and experience I don't recommend Viviscal to anyone, I didn't see the benefit of it and in fact it only made my scalp worse. As an aside apparently Viviscal say you need to use this product for 3-6 months to see the benefit of it. That's €90-€180 worth of serum alone. If that's the case I'll stay with my free no product regime and continue how I'm going. It's working a treat so far with no set backs yet. Sorry Viviscal, you're pretty and you smell good and have good groundings too in your ingredients but you just didn't work for me. 

On another note, the last thought I'd like to put out is after many hours researching the product there does seem to be alot of genuine positive results from people across the globe about Viviscal. Particularly around the tablet treatments. If given the chance I might consider going for the tablet treatment myself. Maybe my scalp is just a senstivie prissy scalp and no product will ever be good enough for it but all I know is, it doesn't like this one. Sorry Viviscal, I really wanted it to work and all.

*Viviscal was sent for review purposes. 

It was sent to me (Amy) and I passed ot on to Dex. 

All opinions are his own. 

Skin Fixes With Skinfix*

Good morning, all!

"Treats and manages eczema, dermatitis and dry skin conditions"

Recently, I was sent some skincare stuff from Skinfix. SkinFix is a skincare company based out of Nova Scotia and they're coming to Boots!! Ahh!!! The whole range is fragrance free, suitable for people who suffer from eczema, dermatitis, and other skin issues.

Hand Repair Cream

This was the first product of the two that I tried. Since my forearms are tattooed as well as being the owner of two hands that are generally pretty horrendous looking, I applied this at night before I went to sleep, all the way up to my elbows, and when I would wake up in the morning, my hands were super soft. After showering, I would apply a small dab just to boost the moisture. After about a week I was aware of how soft my hands were, and after ten days or a fortnight the skin just above my cuticles was no longer split and sore.

I would happily give this to my mum and she has the most finicky, sensitive skin of anyone I know.

I found that this cream sinks in quickly, with no discernible scent (a fact I really enjoyed, because I don't get on well with fragrances in products in general), my hands weren't sticky and they weren't greasy either.

Final thought? This hand cream has literally fixed my hands. I'm repurchasing this as soon as it's empty.


Eczema Balm

The eczema balm from Skinfix was the product I was most excited to try, because I have horrid dry skin on my face, around my nostrils in particular. I dab on a reasonably thick layer of this balm every evening to combat it. The dry skin on my right nostril has completely gone, and the left side is clearing up rapidly. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. Honestly, I thought I would be dealing with the horrible cracked, dry skin on my nose until the weather got warmer, and who knows when that could be?! I have even put this on my lips before I start getting ready to go out as a super moisturising treat for my lips and it's left them so soft and supple I can't even begin to tell you!!

While I'm super impressed with the miracle this balm managed to work, I don't think it would be suitable for use every day as a daily moisturiser. It's very thick, sort of difficult to squeeze out of the tube if its cold. It's not too greasy, but it does leave a kind of silky feeling over the skin. This is part of my nightly routine now, because it leaves my dry patches looking and feeling so much better on the morning time!

This comes in a tube of 60g, which will last forever, with how little you need to use to treat problem areas. The back does say to apply generously, but honestly, less is more.

I am so excited for Skin Fix to hit shelves in my local Boots. There's a body lotion in the range I am dying to get my hands on!

Be sure to drop a comment if you enjoyed this review and let me know if you're going to try the range out for yourself! 

Amy x

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Skin Fix was kindly gifted to me for review purposes.

All opinions are my own. I wouldn't bother reviewing it otherwise. 

Penneys PS Treats - Bargain or Bull?

Recently, on a trip to Penneys Mary St, I picked up some bargain treats from the PS range. I spent less than €5 on these three items, and I'm going to give you my honest thoughts today!!

PS Fashion Nails - €1.50

In this little box, you get 36 nails, glue and instructions. I picked out the right width nail for each of my natural nails, pushed my cuticles back and trimmed them, lightly filed my natural nail, applied a decent blob of glue to the nail-bed, and then applied the false nail firmly, pressing each one in place for 10-ish seconds. When they were all applied, I took a nail scissors to them and trimmed them to a length I could deal with, filed them down to round off the sharp edges, and then painted them a deep blue black color. When they dried, I somehow got the notion into my head to deep clean my room, and in doing so moved every stick of furniture to get the job done. Not a single nail was lost. The next day, I delved into my desk, product collection and bookcase, to really go through it with a fine tooth comb and once again, my nails were perfect!! Perhaps that was down to the amount of glue I used, but honestly, I think these nails are really resilient.

I'm seriously chuffed with them. I've had people ask me if they are gel or acrylic, and when I've said "Penneys finest!!" there has been gasps of "...No!! Really?!". Yes. Really.

PS Face Treats Dark Circle Reducer - €1.50

I have to say, these didn't make a huge impression on me, but they did feel quite cooling and relaxing on. They're sort of squishy and feel like they would be super moisturizing on, but overall they're just...meh! As far as brightening goes, they didn't do a whole lot but I would really enjoy them if I was after having a rough night and needing some TLC on your puffy eye situation. For the price point, they are lovely as a cooling treat, but don't expect them to work miracles. If you want bright under eyes, get a highlighting concealer.

PS Feet Treats Scrub and Lotion - €1.50 

This foot treatment was lovely. It was exfoliating and made my feet so soft, and the foot cream smelled so nice. I popped my feet into a basin to use the scrub, and I used an exfoliation glove to boost the scrubby quality on the soles of my feet. It really made my feet feel so wonderfully soft. When I applied the foot cream, it made my skin feel really cool but smoother and more supple. This is definitely worth investing in every few weeks especially coming into sandal weather!

Overall, I thought these products were a lovely treat for very little money and I really think that it's worth taking even €10 out of your budget and picking up a few treats every month or so, just to remind yourself to have some "you" time, even if it's only the time it takes to glue on a new false manicure or scrub your feet so you can wear new sandals.

Amy x

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Red Lips Quick Travel Tips

Hey all! I'm coming at you with a quick post, giving you some last minute tips. You might already know this stuff, but since it's my last post before I go, it's worth being thorough. 

Photo: Consumed By Wander (www.consumedbywander.wordpress.com)

Before You Go 

Triple check the details. Seriously. Triple, quadruple, quintuple check when your flight is, when you're getting to the airport, make sure you have checked in online if you can, and you have your passport and boarding passes. Make sure you have photocopies of everything you need and put them in a place where you will have them but separate to the originals. Check that you have them again. Yes I know, I sound so naggy and I'm not your mum but I want you to actually be able to go to your destination.

Download a weather app. I picked Accu Weather, but there are dozens, and you can get them for all operating systems. The weather app will come in handy when you're packing, when you're picking your outfits day to day, and when you're planning your activities! 

Know what you can and can't take. Airport websites will all have a list of items prohibited, and a helpful guide to security regulations. Take ten minutes to read them, make a cup of tea and sit down to really go through it if you're not an experienced flier.

Set a second alarm. I had a conversation with a friend last week in which I told her that I had set an alarm to wake me to get up for my flight a full week in advance of that flight. I will probably set another alarm to go off in case the first alarm fails. And to be fair, my lovely boyfriend will probably set an alarm on both of his phones too. Sleep but don't oversleep.

On The Day

Don't try to bring your lovely glass bottle of water through TSA. Your bag will be pulled, it will hold everyone up. Just don't do it. Buy it in duty free. It might be a waste of €2 but it's worth it to save time and embarrassment at 5am when you want to nap at the boarding gate.

You might be asked to take off your shoes, so avoid your beloved 14 eye Doc Martens, opt for something less bulky. Personally, I got through TSA both in Dublin and in the UK with my Converse on. If you're wearing anything bulky, you're gonna have to put it through the xray machine. Toms would be a good option too, or any kind of plimsole, slip-on or maybe even sandals.

Pee before you get on the plane if you can. The plane toilets are yucky, I would much prefer to go in a real bathroom before I get up in the air. This also helps if you're inclined to be a nervous person, you might find it will make you feel more comfortable.

Don't get too flustered. One thing I didn't realize the last time I was in Dublin Airport was the sheer size of the place. It's huge. Don't let that intimidate you or make you flustered. There are staff everywhere, signs everywhere and plenty of people around who might be getting the same flight as you. Who knows, maybe if you ask that nice lady with her gran, she might point you in the right direction!!

When You Get There 

Enjoy yourself, take plenty of photos and try the local food. 

Have fun on your trip. Send me a postcard! 

Amy 
x


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