Glamour Beauty Festival 2017 // Pixiwoo // What's in the goodie bag?

Whilst having a quick coffee break and a magazine snoop, I came across an ad for Glamour magazines Beauty Festival. Between a coffee sip and a page flip I decided I was going, the decision was that quick. Normally I would plan things like this well in advance and probably not even go - I mean it is an effort getting a train to London right? but for some reason I really fancied it. So I booked daddy day care in, bought my ticket, and spent the next few weeks eyeing up the listed goodie bag. OK that is not the only reason I wanted to go, I was keen to watch Pixiwoo in action as they were attending the event and even giving a few lucky audience members a mini make over. There were other interesting talks planned over the weekend including Fearne Cotton and well known bloggers such as Inthefrow were discussing desert Island beauty items. But for the slot I attended (Saturday morning) Pixiwoo was the highlight for me. It was only when I got there that I realised that I needed to book in advance for the talks, luckily I managed to wangle a seat, after all its not what you know its who you know (totally didn't know anyone, had to wait until the queue went in to see if there was a space)

So what nuggets of wisdom did I gather from the Pixiwoo talk?

The main message for me, whether they realised they were saying it or not, is that the best thing you can do is be you. A familiar message that I am slowly coming to terms with. But we all know this is true, what else can you be? statements like "Contour just to suit YOUR face shape, no Kim Kardashian" "Don't stick on someone else's eyebrows" "Use products that suit you" etc all added to the Be Yourself campaign. It's good to hear that from make up artists though, as I guess they would have a strong urge to be creative and use your face as a canvas, instead the message is do what suits you. Whether that relates to time restraints, finances, or maybe you're just not that into make up and for you less is more.

So what products were used? Hourglass was a big one (I went into SpaceNK afterwards and almost bought a palette because of them) MAC Fix, concealer palette & face and body foundation, Clinique Lip Pops, were the products that stood out to me. It was also refreshing to hear that all the steps there are these days in make up application are not necessary and that, for example, contouring and strobing have become popular for the purpose of selling product. Am I wrong in thinking that strobing is just wacking a bit of highlighter on? no didn't think so. And I don't know about you but sometimes I watch YouTube videos and feel overwhelmed (and under educated) in the world of make up, all leading towards the spiral of comparison (no I can not name brushes by their code, I prefer language such as the fan one/big one/angled one etc)

A couple of other things mentioned were that, on the whole, colour correctors are not that necessary when you have the right foundation, which I can see truth in. When I find the right foundation, there simply is no need for anything else.

A couple of tips I picked up, Sam suggested using a waterproof eyeliner if you suffer with greasy eyelids - it's obvious when you think of it but I never considered that for staying power.

Nick suggested using a bright/light sparkly shadow for your crease - apparently this is usually a no no, but it really helps to open up deep set eyes.

With my tips and inspo noted, I headed out to explore the rest of the festival (that was after I asked Alessandra Steinherr for a selfie - sorry I had to get at least one of them, she was my victim) and actually she was a great host and kept the talk flowing and upbeat.

Next port of call was nails, I was in desperate need to have something (anything) done to my nails. the options were a Nails Inc. manicure or Elegant Touch set of false nails, I went for Nails Inc. But in hindsight I wish I went for the falsies, y'know just to be a bit diva, plus I was scared to bump my nails after my manicure. I opted for a light mint green pastel shade from the new collection, I like it but it's not quite as green as I was hoping, lesson here? if in doubt pick the pink.

There were many brands there showing their latest beauty items, but for me I really liked the look of the Fresh face masks. They were offering mini facials but I didn't want to take my make up off (I didn't want to scare tourists walking around London with a naked face) so instead I entered their competition to win a set of masks, fingers crossed! Something else that caught my eye were the Marc Jacob palettes - heart eyed emojis!!!

I will be honest I am a bit of a people watcher, so I enjoyed moseying around seeing what people were having done, earwiging (not stalking in any way, promise!) and left without having any more treatments. Don't get me wrong the options were there, facials, make overs, eyelash application the lot, but I was happy with my fill and went off into London to do a bit of shopping. But on my way out I had to stop and take a few pics in the inspo tunnel (as I've called it) where hearts, pretty things and inspirational quotes adorn the wall. I wonder if hubby would let me do this to our bedroom?

Now we move on to the goody bag - and yes it is rather good. In fact I like ALL of the items in the bag. There were items from most of the brands that exhibited at the festival, Pixi glow mist, Nars Orgasm blusher to name but a few, if you fancy having a nosey at whats inside, I show every item in the vlog below. **warning - it features my three year old assistant**