Mark Hill Sexi Flexi Hot Rods

Sexi Flexi Hot Rods 

For my Christmas my Mum bought me the Mark Hill Sexi Flexi Hot Rods.  I had asked for these after seeing them in Boots and it reminded me of a set I used to play with when I was little.

The concept is easy and although they are not as popular as they were in the '80s/'90s - I would say I prefer to use them versus my hot rollers or curling wand.

The rods heat up fully in about 10-15 minutes in the pouch and I would recommend leaving them in your hair until they are at least cool (10 minutes) or as long as you can spare.  They do get very hot so I would take out a couple at a time to allow them to cool just a little so you don't burn your fingers.  The set comes with the Mark Hill heat protection "gloves" which is a little glove that sits on your thumb and two fingers.  I find that they don't stay on very well and I can't feel what I am doing properly.

The rods themselves are made of a rubber material and feel pretty lightweight when you have them curled up.  The only fiddly bit I have is when I try to straighten them out to go back into their slots in the pouch - they will never be perfectly straight after using them.  That said, as long as you get rid of any major kinks they slide in fine.

As with any hair product like this the results vary depending on the size of the section of hair you are using.  I usually use a small section as I like the fact they give a tight curl - you could get a loose curl but you could do that easier with a curling wand (in my opinion).

plus side to these would have to be that they are less damaging to your hair than other heat tools.  This is because you hair is not in direct contact with the heated element and the rubber protects your hair.  Having said that you should take your time removing them; this is to avoid pulling at your hair and breaking it.

Although they may look like they give one style of hair (due to the one size of rod) that's not true.  Mark Hill has videos on Youtube which shows how to use them to create a different style.  For example; larger sections of hair only curled half way up the head, then brushed out.  This gives a soft, curly, fluffy look.

These are great if you are looking to get a truly curly look while being able to do other things - that all important make up routine. 

All in all I think the
flexi rods should make a come back!

What's your favourite hair tool?

Nic xx

Series Post: Lips the Favourites

My Series Posts: Lips the Favourites

I thought I would do a series post so I wouldn't run out of things to blog about and I like organisation so this helps keeps things in order haha!

For my first series I thought I would choose lips as I was looking through my make up and there were a few items that fell under certain categories.

First up - my favourite lip products.

These are just a few of my favourite lip products at the moment starting with lip balms, through to lip gloss.

Lip Balms

  

I am a sucker for lip balms and I own a lot of them.  However I am often disappointed with them due to their lack of moisture of the tacky texture.

This however is my favourite one for moisturising - Palmers (either plain or dark chocolate and mint).  I apply these at the start of doing my make up and they really soften up my lips in time for my lip products.

Lip Liners

I was never really into lip liners for a long time until Youtube twisted my arm!  I am still in search of the perfect nude but I have found my two favourite pinks (for the mean time).

The first is by Rimmel and is in shade 063 Eastend Snob.  This is a twist up design and is a very soft crayon type product.  It goes on the lips beautifully and doesn't snag or drag your lips.

Next is by Maybelline and is in the shade 132 Sweet Pink.  This is a more traditional pencil but I still find it to be soft and easy to apply, unlike some MAC lip liners I am sad to say.

Both of these apply well and are easy to work with colours.

Lipsticks

This is by far the hardest category to whittle down!  I have chosen three of my favourites and although the colour scheme doesn't have much range I tend to stick to nudes and pinks.

This is by far my most worn lipstick MAC Creme Cup and it was my first MAC purchase.  This is an easy to wear pink with a slight blue tone to it.  It goes on like a dream and doesn't take too much effort to get it looking good.

Next is a Barry M lip paint in 147 which is a nice coral shade.  Sometimes I find the lip paints to be very dry and hard to work with but Palmers lip balm sorts that out!

This Summer I have fallen head over heels with a statement lip and this is one of my favourite shades - Rimmel 004 Indulgence.  It works great with a natural look or a dark smokey eye for  a night out.

Lip Crayon

I don't have many of this type of product because I don't usually like them however these two I love.

Bourjois 04 Peach on the Beach really caught my eye in the shops and after reading up on them I knew I would have to give in.  I only went with one to start with as I was unsure how good the colour pay off would really be.  It isn't a strong colour but it gives a nice touch of colour and gloss to the lips.  They are also so easy to carry and touch up with.

Revlon Crush caught my eye last year and I really liked wearing it in Autumn.  It is has a stronger colour pay off than the Bourjois versions which make up not as 'throw on and go" - I do tend to worry about bleeding with this one.

Lip Gloss

This is probably my least favourite category.  I am not a huge lip gloss lover because I am very picky with them.  There are many, many colours that I swoon over yet when I test them the formulation just doesn't tickle my fancy.

This one I do like - MAC Fashion Whim (cremesheen glass).  This was bought as Christmas gift from a collection but I think it is a permanent colour?  I could be wrong there.  It is a great nude colour with no shimmer and although it may be a little too sticky for me, if I apply a little bit it works well.

Next is Revlon 04 Nude Lustre.  It is a slightly darker nude but is less sticky - a definite favourite for me.

This is a LONG post but I hope you enjoy this type of post.  I will do the counter part to this post next - it may take even longer to whittle down what to include haha.

Any other good lip products I should look at?

Nic xx