Festive NOTD aka. My Christmas Nailpolish

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe that there are only three more sleeps till Christmas!!! Today I thought I should share the nail polish that I will be wearing on Christmas day.

The nail polish is "In My Santa Suit" By O.P.I It is a red shimmer that sparkles incredibly in natural sunlight, the formula is really easy to apply and I only used two coats in these photographs. I picked this polish up from Trade Secret at a bargain price of $9.95 compared to all other retailers selling it at $19.95. I absolutely adore this nail polish and I think that it is a perfect holiday shade.  I definitely would recommend giving this polish a try if you are looking for that perfect, classic holiday red nail polish. I hope you all enjoyed this little review :)

 Keep scrolling for some pictures of my Christmas tree :)

xoxo,

Steph

I Got Pinterest!

Hello Hello Everyone!

Woohooo it's almost Christmas! Rest assure I have some very holiday inspired posts coming your way in the next few days, stay tuned for one tomorrow :) I just wanted to say that today I set up a pinterest account. I can understand why everyone loves it so much, it's amazing!

Feel free to follow my pinterest here- https://www.pinterest.com/xobeautyheartxo/

Happy Holidays and see you tomorrow,
Steph

Remember Me?

Hi Everyone,

Wow. I have missed writing on this blog for so long, It feels so good to be back. I have been so incredibly busy for the last few months with exams, travel and starring in a musical. Doing all of these things really used up all of my free time to be able to write blog posts and I just forgot to try and find the time to write.

Now as we are going into the holiday season and new year I have a lot of free time to constantly be updating the blog. I have many new posts lined up and fun things planned such as giving the blog design a complete revamp and creating a second tumblr which I will link when it has been completed.

Thanks for sticking around <3 Stay tuned for new things to come!

Steph

1 Year Blogging Anniversary!!!

Good Morning Everyone!

Today is the 1st birthday of xobeautyheartxo. I cant believe that it has been one year already, it has flown by so quickly. I just wanted to write this post to say thank you all for sticking around. In a year I have gained 16 followers! 2667 pageviews and an audience of over 10 different countries. I absolutely love having this blog and I love that others enjoy what I write on here. Thank you everyone again <3

Thank you,

Steph   

The Liebster Award

Hello Everyone,

Today I am finally getting around to doing the Leibster Award!! I was actually tagged three times to do this first by the lovely Molly, then by the lovely Emily and them by the lovely Zhixin. I am so happy that I was tagged to do this as It looks like so much fun :) Since I was nominated by three people I decided to answer all of their questions.

 

 

 

Rules

-Post eleven facts about yourself.

-Answer eleven questions provided by the person who nominated you.

-Nominate eleven blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

-Link your nominees in the post.

-Create eleven questions for your nominees.

-Let your nominees know that you've tagged them! Remember: No tag backs!

Facts about me

1. I am an only child.

2. I am in complete love with the one and only Dave Franco.

3. I am a very random and quirky person often coming out with weird things to say at random times.

4. My favourite music is indie/alternative stuff. I adore the 1975, Arctic Monkeys and Lana Del Rey.

5. I absolutely love gaming with the  Assassins Creed Series being my favourite.

6. I love to watch TV shows, some of my favourites are The Vampire Diaries, Switched At Birth, Pretty Little Liars, Twisted, The Walking Dead, Sherlock and Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

7. I laugh and smile a lot.

8. My favourite food is pepperoni pizza.

9. My favourite classes are English and Science.

10. I used to do taekwondo.

11. I love singing and acting.

Molly's Questions

1.What is your favourite quote?

My favourite quote is "Be the change you wish to see in the world"

2.Describe your dream holiday?

My dream holiday would be a trip to Hawaii with my friend Jaime, My family and of course Dave Franco.

3.What does a typical day in your life look like?

It honestly depends which day, If it is on a weekday I would be at school for most of the day but if it was on the weekend I would probably be going out somewhere with friends or family and just relaxing.

4.What is your favourite topic to blog about?

My favourite topic to blog about is beauty, I just love reviewing products and sharing my opinions on them with people.

5.Who is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is my Mum, she supports me no matter what and never gives up on me.

6.Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

In 5 years time I see myself at University (I'm not quite sure yet on what I plan on studying)

7.If money was not a factor, What would your dream job be?

My dream job is to be an actress (cheesy I know) but I just have a major passion for acting and love doing it.

8.If the sky's the limit, What would you do next?

Climb up to the top of a really tall building and try to fly :)

9.What do you do in your spare time?

Play Assassins Creed, Listen to music, eat, watch TV, watch a movie, read a book, watch youtube videos, go on Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

10.What do you feel are the best and worst aspects of blogging?

Best: I think some of the best aspects of blogging are connecting with your readers and other bloggers, getting to talk about what you love and being able to share that with other people and having a space on the internet that is yours and you have control over what goes on it.

Worst: Some of the worst aspects of blogging are feeling pressured and stressed about a lack of posts and haters.

11.What quality do you appreciate most in a person?

When someone is just genuinely nice and never say mean or negative things.

Emily's Questions

1.What made you start blogging?

I decided to start blogging as I was inspired by people like Zoella and Sprinkle Of Glitter, but I was way to nervous to start a youtube channel so I decided to start a blog instead.

2.What do you worry the most about?

I tend to worry and stress most about schoolwork and assignments.

3.Would you say your more of a cat person or dog person?

I would say that I'm more of a cat person, I love cats a lot they are just the cutest things ever.

4.Look back a year ago, how different is your life now?

My life hasn't really changed much since a year ago :)

5.Now look foward a year, what do you want to achieve?

In a year I hope to have an idea on what I want to study when I leave school.

6.Think of the last time you were in a car where we're you going to?

I'm actually on a bus now traveling home.

7.Where would you like to travel to?

I would love to travel to Hawaii.

8.If time travel was real what era would you go? Past or Future?

Definitely the past, I am a huge history nerd.

9.Books or films/movies ?

I think films, I love actually being able to see what is described.

10.What are you saving up for of would like to receive as a gift?

For my birthday this year I have asked for a Playstation 4!!!

11.If you were a character in any film/movie who would you be?

Stephanie from Grease 2 hands down :)

 

 

Zhixin's Questions

1. If you could marry one celebrity, who would it be?

DAVE FRANCO!!!

 

2. What stores do you usually buy your clothes from?

Dotti, Forever New and  Forcast.

 

3. If could master one dish, what would it be?

Probably the KFC Hot and Spicy chicken.

 

4. Who has inspired you and why?

I'm constantly inspired by all of the people in my life daily. 

 

5. What is a childhood memory you'll never forget?

Going down to the same beach house every year with my Mum and Dad.

 

6. What is your #1 most played song at the moment?

Robbers by the 1975

 

7. If you were to migrate to somewhere in the world, where would it be?

I would probably migrate to England :)

 

8. What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would probably share it around my family and then give some to charity.

 

9. What's your biggest turn off in the opposite sex?

When a guy is too overconfident.

 

10. What's your favourite movie?

Ooooh... This one is hard, Probably Endless Love or Grease 2 

 

11. What do you like about blogging?

 Connecting with your readers and other bloggers, getting to talk about what you love and being able to share that with other people.

 

 

My Questions

 

1. What was your "dream job" when you were younger?

2. What is your all time favourite food?

3. If you had all the money in the world and could buy only one item what would it be?

4. What is your favourite song of all time?

5. What is your biggest fear?

6. Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

7. What was the last photo you took on your phone?

8. What famous person do people say you most resemble?

9. What is your heritage?

10. What is your favourite season?

11. If you joined the circus what would you be?

 

I nominate (only 4 sorry!)

Emily

Barbara

Nina

Jenny

 

 

Thanks for reading :)

 

Delicious Healthy Smoothie Recipes

Hi Everyone,

Today I am finally writing my first lifestyle/food post!! Recently I have been trying to improve my diet and eat much healthier. One way I thought I could do this was to make some smoothies. I was searching online for recipes but I couldn't find anything that was exactly to my taste, so I decided to just create my own smoothie. My Mum and I love fruit and smoothies so we decided that this would be a fun thing to do together, plus we both have different tastes so I thought I would share with you both of our smoothie recipes.

Berry Based Smoothie

 

Banana Based Smoothie

 

    

 

For the berry based smoothie you will need...



• Three Berry Mix (Blackberries, Blueberries and Raspberries)
• Dried Goji Berries
• 2 Vanilla Yoghurts
• Manuka Honey
• Ice
• Milk

For the banana based smoothie you will need...

• 1 Banana
• Small Handful of Dry Roasted Almonds
• Small Handful of Three Berry Mix (Blackberries, Blueberries and Raspberries)
• Dried Goji Berries
• 2 Vanilla Yoghurts
• Manuka Honey
• Ice
• Milk

And of course you will need a blender. Any blender is fine for this :) I used the Breville Blend Master.

 

And there you have it enjoy your smoothie :) Let me know in the comments If you would like to see more food/ lifestyle posts.

-Steph





*Please note that I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All of these products were bought by myself or I received them as a gift from friends and family. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.

My Balayage Hair & My Favourite Hair Products For Colour Treated Hair

Hello Everyone,

 

As you can tell by the title of this post I have dyed my hair!!! Last Saturday my Mum and I went to the hairdressers and I got my hair done. I wish I was a hair expert so that I could tell you all more about the process and how they did this but all I can say is that they used foils in my hair instead of just applying the bleach freehand. The only place in my hair that they applied the bleach freehandedly was just on the very tips. I am absolutely in love with this look and am so happy with the way it turned out :) One thing I was unsure about when deciding to do this was that there would be a solid line in my hair where the brown just suddenly turned to blonde but I am so glad that it looks gradual.

 

 

One thing that I have to be very careful about now is the shampoo and conditioner that I use. As my mother has colour treated hair she immediately suggested that I use the Matrix Biolage Colour Care range and so far I love it!







 

 

This range helps to maintain your hair colours tone, depth and shine and I absolutely think that it does a great job at that. It leaves your hair feeling soft and shiny and smelling really great. After just one wash both of my parents actually mentioned how shiny and smooth my hair looked. I picked these up at hairhouse warehouse for $44.95 in a duo pack but they can also be purchased separately. As with all Matrix products they are a tad pricey but in my opinion completely worth it.

 

Thanks For Reading :)

-Steph

 

 

*Please note that I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All of these products were bought by myself or I received them as a gift from friends and family. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.

Balayage Here I Come!

Hello Everyone,

Today I thought I would tell you all about my plan to dye my hair in a couple of weeks :) Recently I have wanted to give my hair some life and spice it up a little, I just didn't know how to do that. I have always wanted to do some form of ombre on my hair but I wanted a more natural look. My Mum recently recommended that I get balayage done to my hair instead. I have been searching far and wide for some inspiration pictures that I can show my hairdresser, I thought I would show them on this post so that maybe they could give others some inspiration.

I will keep you all updated on my hair and I will write a new post as soon as I dye my hair including before and after images.

~Steph

Back Into The Blogging World

Hello Everyone,

I am so sorry that I have not been active on the blog for a couple of months :( I have just finished exams and I have been having major technical difficulties with my computer. I have so many ideas for new posts written down so please stay tuned and enjoy :)

Sweater Weather Tag!!!

Hello Everyone :)

















As it is now Autumn I thought I would do the Sweater Weather Tag. Lets get started!


Questions:

1. Favorite candle scent?
In autumn and winter I love to burn anything Vanilla scented, Yummy :)

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Hands down hot chocolate <3 I am a very fussy tea drinker and I hate coffee. 

3. What's the best fall memory you have?
Being a little kid and noticing that the leaves were changing color on all of the trees. I would always go out and try to collect a stack of leaves and put them in a book.

4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner? 
DARK LIPS!! I love how classy they look in the colder months

5. Best fragrance for fall?
Wonderstruck Enchanted By Taylor Swift, The smell just reminds me of a cold autumn day.

6. Favorite Thanksgiving food?
We don't have Thanksgiving where I live but it would probably be turkey.

7. What is autumn weather like where you live?
Pretty cold and raining most of the time

8. Most worn sweater?
I have this mustard orangey colored one that I wear a lot from Princess Highway

9. Must-have nail polish this fall?
Black Cherries by Rimmel London

10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
Definitely jumping in leaf piles 

11. Skinny jeans or leggings?
Skinny jeans for the win, I can't get enough of them.

12. Combat boots or Uggs?
Combat boots for out in public and Uggs in the comfort of your own home :)

13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
No I prefer the Starbucks Hot Chocolate in the fall.

14. Favorite fall TV show?
VAMPIRE DIARIESSS

15. What song really gets you into the fall spirit?
I feel as though there is only one answer to this question SWEATER WEATHER BY THE NEIGHBOURHOOD!!!!

February Favourites 2014

Hello Everyone,

Today I have rounded up my favourite products and random favourites for the month of February :) How quick is 2014 moving along!! 2 months have just flown by in what seems like a blink of an eye. This month I have been loving all things pink and girly due to valentines day so let's get into it.

Beauty Favourites

Revlon Colourstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin: In the month of December and most of January I stopped wearing foundation and just opted for concealer and powder but I have recently been getting into this foundation so much. I love how it gives great coverage but still looks natural on the skin and lasts all day without creasing or fading definitely my favourite foundation that I own.

Essie's "Cute As A Button":  Whenever I was wearing nail polish this month it was bound to be this one, I absolutely love the colour of this polish and the formula is also great as well. I will definitely be going out soon to pick up some more Essie nail polishes as they also have a great colour range

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Cherish": This is my first purchase from the Just Bitten Kissable range and I absolutely love it! the whole idea of this product is that it is a lip stain and you apply it to your lips and as it wears off during the day it gives you this light stain on your lips as though you have been "Just Kissed". If you are looking at picking one of these baby's up I suggest this colour as it is the perfect girly pink colour.

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick In 700 "Nude Delight": Every girl must have a nude lippy right and this one here did not. On a Big-W makeup shopping trip I was on the hunt for a perfect nude lipstick and I settled on this colour. This is the perfect colour for everyone as It compliments any skin tone. This product has an amazing formula and leaves your lips feeling perfectly moisturized and plump. 

Random Favourites

TEMT Watch: This watch was given to me for Christmas and I absolutely love it. This month it has been a staple item to every outfit.

Rexona Women Clinical Protection Fragrance Collection: About exactly a month ago I found my self standing in Priceline for about half an hour trying to pick a new deodorant. I had really wanted to try one from the Rexona Clinical Protection range and when I saw that they had one that was different to the original and had a fragrance I just had to pick it up. This deodorant smells so good!! It has a nice sweet girly smell that is not too overpowering and it has extra protection to ensure that you don't get wet underarms or any B.O during the day. Whenever I put this stuff on people always ask me what perfume I'm wearing as it smells absolutely delicious!!

Fox Frilly Socks From Rubi Shoes: These socks are sooooo cute every time that I wear them I find myself singing what does the fox say again and again so yeah.......

My Favourite Movie Of February

ENDLESS LOVE!!!!!! Ahhhhh, I loved this movie so much. I saw this with a friend two days ago but I thought I would still include this in my Feburary favourites as it came out on valentines day <3 This movie is such a beautiful love story and is just a really fun movie to watch. I definitely reccomend going to go see this flick soon :)

My Favourite Song Of February

I'm sure that everyone has probably heard this song already as it has been featured in so many things, but if you haven't definitely give if a listen. This has been on repeat all month on my ipod :)

Review: Burt's Bees Peach and Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for starting blogging so late into the year but from this post onwards there will be new content on the blog at least every fortnight. Okay enough blabbering lets get on to the review!!

Today I will be doing a review on a product that I have just started using this month and that is the Burt's Bees peach and willow bark deep pore scrub. I use this twice every week and so far I cannot really fault it. This product was given to me for Christmas by my Mum and I absolutely love it!!!

This product is a white colored paste with chunks of peach stone. It can sometimes be a little harsh on the skin as the chunks of peach stone are not exactly finely ground but if you are looking for a good exfoliator then I would recommend this one as it does a great job at removing dead skin cells in order to give your skin a clearer and brighter appearance. I love that it does not leave my skin dry and flaky like most other exfoaliators do. The only fault in this product is its price, a tube of this stuff will set you back about $25 AUD but that's the thing about Burt's bees products they are all 100% natural and this causes them to be much more expensive than it's other competitors. I would definitely repurchase this product again as It works wonders for the complexion of the skin. Go Burt's Bees!!

Ingredients:

aqua (water, eau), vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, stearic acid, glycerin, prunus persica (peach) seed powder, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, parfum (fragrance), sodium borate, salix alba (willow) bark extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, hydrastis canadensis (golden seal) extract, fuscus vesiculosus (bladderwrack) extract, hedychium coronarium (hawaiian white ginger) root extract, sucrose stearate, xanthan gum, glucose, sodium chloride, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, limonene

Thank you for reading

Lots of love,

Steph

*Please note that I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All of these products were bought by myself or I received them as a gift from friends and family. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.