[BEAUTY] How I grew my eyelashes at home

Hey everyone!

Long time no see, how are you all? I’ve become one of the worst bloggers out here… I don’t even think I can call myself a blogger anymore! I have actually been so so busy, so many exciting things have happened in the last 4 months I have not had the chance to sit down and write anything. Hopefully one day soon I can do that, as even though I doubt many people still read my blog it would be nice to just have everything written down so I can remember it at a later date. If you’re reading this and you’d like to see that definitely let me know in the comments! Also, leave me a quick comment with your blog link so I can have a good stalk through it 😉

Anyway, I was sent the Quickmax Eyelash Growth Enhancer, which does what it’s says – grows your eyelashes. I believe you can also use this product for eyebrows too, if you want to make them thicker, but I didn’t test that out.

So here’s how I used it:

Every night, for around 7 weeks, I applied the serum (which comes with a thin applicator in a small gold tube) to my lash line, as if I was putting eyeliner on. I made sure to do this right before I went to sleep, to ensure that it can really sink into my lashes without interfering with make up/other products, or getting in my eyes whilst they were open.

I took a few photos of my eyelash growth progress and I wanted to share them with you here (sorry that my eyes look so tired and weird):

As you may see, there isn’t a massive difference. I was expecting a significant increase in the length of the eyelashes, especially considering the hefty £49 price tag, and the fact I used the product for nearly 2 months! However, there was a noticeable difference in the thickness of them, and this was further exaggerated once I’d applied mascara.

In conclusion, this eyelash growth enhancer didn’t cut it for me; I would not recommend spending £49 on a product that doesn’t do much… Then again, this is my own judgement and everybody is different- this serum could work wonders on your eyelashes, you never know until you try! Plus, it’s currently on offer for £24.95 so you could give it a whizz for a cheaper price.

Have you tried any Eyelash Growth Serums that you could suggest for me to try?

Love, Kavi xo

[BEAUTY] My New Hair – The TRANSFORMATION

Hi everyone! How are you all? So I’m sure you will all know that I have decided that blogging is not a regular, scheduled thing for me now – I just write spontaneously when I feel like it, as this is when I enjoy it the most. Anyway, I started back at school again- and I’m not going to lie it’s very tough, but oh well we all have to go through it at some point so instead of complaining I’m just getting on with it. Luckily, so far I’m managing my time quite well which is why I have enough time to write a good blog post 🙂 I hope you’re all well, have you gone back to school/work?

As it was a new year and I wanted to change a few things, including my general mindset towards things and positivity, I thought it’d be nice to also switch up my hair a little bit. I’ve never really done anything dramatic with my hair because it’s very frizzy/curly which means it’s already hard enough to manage as it is. However, it used to be a rich, dark, chocolatey colour and I wanted to change it by adding in some light to lift it up a bit. The look I decided to go for is called Balayage, and I have been getting a lot of questions on it so I thought I would write about the process.

I went to have my hair done at a salon called Gibson and Powell. Here, they sat me down and brushed out my thick, dry hair (see the picture below). The stylist then straightened my mane so that she could have more control when applying the dye. After, she used a mixture of bleach and a light brown/blonde tint which she brushed through my hair using a thick brush. Brushing it on free hand ensures that there is no obvious line, which you can see when people ombre their hair.

(The hair is blonder/lighter underneath)

(The hair looks different in different lights)

She left out bits of my hair to make sure that it looked more subtle and sun kissed, instead of a block of blonde hair. Therefore some bits of my hair is lighter than others, and other bits are the same as before. The whole balayage look focuses on applying the dye on the lower half of your hair, instead of all over (otherwise it would technically be called highlights). After the dye was painted on, it was left on for around 25 minutes. The longer it stays on, the lighter the hair. And finally, it was all washed out and roughly blow dried. I find that with the colour my hair looks better and nicer when it is curled, so I have been curling it or keeping it natural with my mad hair.

So that’s the whole transformation. I really like it, it adds something different to my hair but it’s not too IN YOUR FACE HELLO. The sun kissed look is definitely what I was going for, so I am very happy with it. The only downside is that my hair is very dry, so I have to use double the amount of hair oil that I used to.

I hope you guys enjoyed learning about my hair transformation.. Let me know what you think of it! Have you done anything different with your hair at all?

Love,

Kavi xox

[LIFE] 10 Things That Really Annoy Me

Hello everyone! I think it’s going to be a tradition for me to start every blog post saying what a rubbish blogger I am.. I think my blog posts are going to be spontaneously posted now so forget about my schedule, so sorry for confusing you! How’s everyone’s Summer going? Have you done anything nice lately? I went on holiday about a week ago *dances reggae style* and it was amazing, I genuinely had one of the most wonderful week of my life, I couldn’t be more grateful for it. I really wanted to appreciate my time there and take everything in so I actually went phone/device free for the majority of the holiday, which was so refreshing and enjoyable. Now I’m back home and I have the holiday blues.. I might do a post full of pictures from the holiday if it doesn’t bring too many tears to my eyes (I don’t think I can cope waking up to dull, grey, miserable English “Summer” weather much longer).

Anyway, ramble over! Today I thought I would do a little different post on 10 Things That Really Annoy Me. Lately I’ve really been enjoying writing about lifestyle related things over Beauty and Fashion, but I have been shopping (yes, again) so expect a haul coming up. I’m going to jump right into the main juicy bit of my post, I hope you like it and can maybe relate to it.

1. Mornings. I hate mornings. So. Much. No, genuinely I hate them with a passion and I can’t deal with the hatred I have towards them. Mornings are meant to be slept through until you wake up rested and ready for the day. Alarms are also frowned upon in Kavi land.
2. People who think it’s okay to talk to you in the morning. Why?! Why on earth do you think it’s acceptable to talk to me in the morning and expect a response? The most you will receive is a mere grunt or nod, if I like you that is. However if you ask me to do anything in the morning please keep in mind that you will 100% get a very dirty look from me and multiple hate messages, telepathically.
3. When people don’t smile back at you. I don’t understand why people don’t do this? I have gone out of my comfort zone to move my mouth up to try and make you and I feel a bit happier, and all I get in response is a blink. Well okay, don’t you worry about me I’ll just sink back down into my worm hole of misery where no happiness is shared.
4. When people think I wear make up or clothes to impress other people. Umm, no. Hate to break it to you honey, but I actually enjoy dressing up in clothes that I feel happy in and I like applying my make up every day if I’m going out or staying in.
5. People who edit the living daylight out of their pictures. Now I don’t mean that literally, but I’m pretty sure we can all think of one person who seems to enjoy faking their way to look amazing online when in reality they look like ‘Waka Flocka’ (yes I stole that from Twitter). It’s fine to bump up the brightness, maybe add a filter because that doesn’t change your appearance, but blurring out your imperfections and inflating your bum does nothing for your self confidence. How can anyone else love you if you can’t accept and embrace your unedited self?
6. When the English Forecast is rain, storms oh and did I mention, rain. Yesss, that’s exactly the kind of Summer weather we all look forward to every year!
7. When people are blunt. If you know me in real life you will know that I am a very chatty person and will write long paragraphs/chat for days with you, and I am actually interested in your life and ask lots of questions. So when people reply bluntly like ‘ok’ or ‘hmm yeah’ it instantly puts me off and I can guarantee you that I will stop putting effort in with you.
8. Being a girl. There are so many things we must do as a girls and I just can’t be bothered for that life. I mean sometimes it’s okay but there is so much you have to do and it really annoys me. Hair treatments, buying a new mascara every 4 months, making sure your eyebrows are ‘on fleek’..
9. When people fill in their eyebrows too much. Okay, if there is one thing I will teach a little girl it will be to NOT fill in your eyebrows with a sharpie. Your face is not a colouring book, if you want to use sharpies simply use it on paper, do not block fill in in your eyebrows because I promise you in 10 years time you will regret that.
10. 10. When people think their hair is frizzy. Darling, you think your hair is frizzy? You haven’t seen mine, I’m basically a caveman who’s just trekked through the Amazon Jungle and then decided it would be amazing to get electrocuted. Can you imagine the look I so regularly sport? So please, do not say your hair is frizzy unless you want me to politely slap you round the face and show you my hair 🙂

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, I know it was quite different to my usual stuff but I enjoyed writing it a lot.

What really annoys you?

Love,

Kavi xox

[LIFE] 25 Things On My Summer Bucket List

Hello everyone! I’m such a rubbish blogger, I know I know.. I promised I would blog every Sunday at least, but it was my birthday and I had a few parties, I was finishing up school and I also went to Wales for a school trip. So basically, I have had no time to sit down to write a post. I’m going to try and write a few and schedule them in, before I go abroad on Tuesday.

I’m so excited that Summer has begun, 6 weeks of paradise!! Have you guys got any summer plans?

Last year, I wrote the same post which you can read here, and I really liked sharing it and crossing things out as I did them. I actually have 50 things that I want to do this Summer, but I crunched it down for this blog post as it would get too much. I hope you enjoy reading my list..

1. Visit Brighton beach
2. Do something for charity
3. Have a water fight
4. Have a Nerf gun fight
5. Have a movie marathon
6. Watch a TV Series
7. Complete a Spanish course
8. Get my 2nd Ear Piercings
9. Have a BBQ
10. Make Lemonade
11. Go Horse riding
12. Become a running person
13. Watch the sunrise
14. Go to the Zoo
15. Drink from a coconut
16. Stargaze on a roof
17. Go rock climbing
18. Make ice lollies
19. Play golf
20. Try the new Starbucks drinks
21. Make a summer playlist
22. Meet internet friends
23. Buy a new vinyl
24. Make a slip and slide
25. Learn a song on the piano

So that’s a few things I want to do this summer! I hope this list gave you guys some inspiration, and if you have any ideas please do comment them down below.

Thanks for reading, I hope this post wasn’t too boring!

Kavi xox

[Beauty & Fashion] Huge Summer Haul

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday ❤

If you don’t know already I am back to blogging for good now – fill yourself in by looking at Sundays post if you missed it. Anyway, I promised a haul for you and this time round its fashion and beauty, as a couple weeks ago I went shopping in Oxford Street with my best friend – it was so much fun but some pretty bizarre stuff happened. Firstly there was what sounded like a plane but was actually a massive colour bomb dropped from somewhere, to celebrate the Queen’s birthday and it looked insane. As well as that, the Sunday we went was ‘National Naked Cyclist Day’, which meant there were a good 100 or so men and women cycling through the middle of London, completely nude. Lovely.

I always seem to sidetrack… Onto the haul!

Let’s start with beauty. I was kindly sent these facemasks from StyleLux, which I’ve been meaning to review for a while but obviously unable to what with the radio silence of my blog. They are called Blackhead Killers*, and it’s basically a black substance that you put over your face and peel away the blackheads. Luckily, I don’t suffer with many blackheads but I did around my nose, and after using these I don’t have any in this area now. The facemask is very strong, so be careful if you have sensitive skin as this stuff really does ‘kill’ your spots away.

When I went shopping for some new make up, Superdrug were offering two of these cute make up bags for free with your purchases, which are so handy as I always run out of space to store my make up when travelling, not to mention how nice they are. The makeup I actually purchased is this Revlon lip butter that I’ve been wanting for years (genuinely years) in ‘Juicy Papaya’, which is so pretty and easy to wear, plus it’s extra moisturising so basically feels like a luxury tinted lip balm. I also got this cream to powder eyeshadow in ‘Bronze’ from Maxfactor, and a beautiful beautiful blusher called ‘Seductive Pink’, which is surprising because usually I never purchase anything from this brand as nothing particularly interests me. Being the Barry M nail addict I am, I of course had to try the new Sunset range, I mean how pretty is the packaging and how exciting is it to have an affordable gel nail polish you can do at home?! I picked up the shades ‘Fuchsia Generation’ and ‘Peach for the stars’. I have to say I am quite satisfied, but you will see my full opinion on them when I review them, if you are interested.

Next up.. Clothing! I love clothes, and there are some really lovely pieces out in store right now so I don’t think my purse will be full any time soon.. I did pick up some other stuff a few months back, but I don’t doubt you won’t see that featured on here at some point, maybe for a Summer Lookbook? Anyway, I got this beautiful dress from Miss Selfridge for only £18, which is brilliant for them as usually the prices are pretty steep for a high street brand. It’s a bit out of my comfort zone, but it has that festival vibe and I just couldn’t resist buying it. From Bershka, I picked up a few things as the summer collection is on point this year. All the items are focusing on this years top trend of the Off the Shoulder look, which personally I find very flattering. The white lace top looks so pretty with high waisted shorts, and the black with floral print top is also a killer with a high waisted item on the bottom half. I then got this super girly and cute white dress, which is longer on I promise!! It’s so thick and really makes me happy as it fits perfectly. My last clothing purchase is this super feminine (Serena from Gossip Girl like) pink lace dress. It was super affordable, as H&M usually is, but looks so elegant on and I can’t wait to wear this soon for my birthday.

That’s everything I got guys! I know it’s not HUGE to some people, but altogether this was quite an expensive haul, so it’s big for me!!

What’s your favourite thing I featured? Have you done your summer shopping yet?

Love,

Kavi xox

[LIFE] Guess who’s back?!

Hello everyone!! Remember me?! Yes, it’s me Kavi 🙂

It feels so weird to be writing on here again… I’ve missed it though and I’m so glad I’ve finally started this post.

I am so sorry for not writing in ages, and leaving this blog with a massive cliff hanger.. Will she come back? Where is kavichick2000 at? I bet your minds were filled with these worried thoughts 😉

Anyway, a lot has changed whilst is was MIA, and whilst I didn’t mean to take such a long break without any update, I’ve been fairly busy and some things were quite big that I needed to prioritise.

However, after being overwhelmed with the amount of lovely and supportive comments on my ‘closure’ post and many questions face to face, I decided that I could never end this blog for good because it has been a part of my life for two years now and I have worked incredibly hard on it, so I am passionate continue writing on here, but with a few changes.

Firstly, I changed the password on my Bloglovin’ so I would forget it and never go on there. All of my posts will still publish on there so if you follow me on there only don’t worry! I haven’t unfollowed any blogs either, but I have bookmarked my favourites which I will check regularly, so not to worry I shall still be lurking somewhere on your blog. If you’re wondering as to why I did this, the answer is that I felt pressurised by all the amazing blogs in my feed which made me feel like blogging was a competition, which is certainly is not.

Secondly, I have given my blog a complete makeover! Feel free to look at the page here and give me your opinions on the new look. I have rearranged things and created 4 different menus (Life, Beauty, Fashion and Food) so that is much easier for my blog readers to navigate and find what you are looking for. I have also deleted many of my old posts or some posts that I was not proud of, although if you miss something that used to be on my blog do say and I shall try and recreate it. I am overall really happy with the new appearance of my blog as I spent ages on it so I hope you find it refreshing too.

I have also decided that I will be posting whatever I want in those four categories at 5pm (GMT) on a Sunday, and if possible the same time on a Tuesday. However, I am going to be much more chilled about the deadlines so that I feel less pressurised and can produce content that both you and I will enjoy.

I’m glad I had the chance to fill you in about how kavichick2000 is going to change, and I hope you will support me and continue to read even after such a long break.

I already have a list of things I want to post about, as the 4 months gave me plenty inspiration, so look forward to that. Also, if you have any post suggestions or questions please ask as you know I don’t bite 😀

I hope you are all well, I can’t wait to catch up on all your blogs! Please let me know how you’ve been in the comments as I have missed talking to everyone in this lovely community.

Thanks for all your amazing support guys, you are all incredible and your comments make my day. The lovely people in the blogging group is one of the reasons I continued, so thank you for being so nice!

It feels so weird to be ending a post again, but thanks for reading and I’ll see you on Tuesday for a Haul…

xoxo, Kavi

[LIFE] The End…?

Hi guys 🙂

Lately, I’m questioning where my belonging in this community stands. I don’t really know what kind of blogger I am, what my unique reading point is for everyone and if I’m the kind of blogger that brands want to work with and people enjoy reading. At first, I started this blog because I really enjoyed writing it and I wanted to share my creative outlet online, even if no one was reading. But now, I feel like as blogs become more common, there is so much competition and pressure to be a certain blogger to attract brands and readers, and I seem to find it more of a ‘Things to tick off my To-Do list’ than a pastime activity that I look forward to.. I have been blogging for over two years now, and I may have gained multiple followers and some loyal readers who make me very happy, but I feel like most other bloggers have gone so much further in a shorter amount of time or the same amount as me and that doesn’t make me feel too great, even though I know it’s not about the follower count, or how many brands you work with, or the amount of likes you get. I check my statistics everyday, read blogs daily and absorb tips on how to become a better blogger all the time….

If I’m honest with you, I have considered starting a new blog with a completely different writing style and making myself more of an established blogger. But then, I have come quite far with this blog so it would be a shame to delete it and start a new one, which could also fail.

Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m not suited for blogging? Blogging is not supposed to be a competition but I feel so down when I don’t get a comment on a post I worked really hard on, or when I see how well other bloggers are doing. Maybe it’s time to find myself a new hobby…

What do you guys think? Have you ever felt like this? Shall I take a break in the hope for more inspiration and then write again?

Thanks for reading, sorry if this post made no sense and was too much for your brain!

Kavi xox

[FOOD] The Chocolate Whoopie Pie Recipe

Hello lovelies! Happy Sunday 🙂

I haven’t posted in a week because I didn’t know what to post about and have been a little busy.What have you been doing this week? I feel like this blog has taken a back-seat in my life but with a week off I will hopefully be able to prepare and get back on track!

Anyway, yesterday I got in the kitchen and decided to try baking something new and different – Whoopie Pies! If you don’t know what Whoopie Pies are, they are two cake/cookies sandwiched together with a filling.

The Whoopie Pies I made are rich, soft and indulgent chocolate cookies with a whipped chocolate ganache filling. Someone scream YUM YUM!

So if you want to know how to make these beautiful babies, keep on reading..

The Content

For the Pies:

• 1 Egg
• 75g Unsalted Butter
• 125g Caster Sugar
• 5 tbsp plain Yoghurt
• 2 tbsp Milk
• Splash of Vanilla Extract
• 200g Plain Flour
• 80g Cocoa Powder
• 3/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder

For the Ganache:

• 200g Dark Chocolate
• 240ml Double Cream
• A pinch of Salt

The Method

1. Cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer, and then add in the egg.

2. Mix the milk, yoghurt and vanilla together and using a wooden spoon quickly stir this into the egg mix.

3. Now add all the other (dry) ingredients into this batter and fold it together.

4. Put the mixture into the fridge for 20 minutes and in the mean time, turn the oven to 170C and line two trays with baking paper. 

5. After the twenty minutes is up, spoon around 6-7 circles of the mix onto each tray. They should be a little smaller than the size of your palm. Pop into the oven for around 15 minutes, until they look and feel firm but still maintain a spongey consistency. 

6. Leave the pies to cool to room temperature, and in this time you can get on with the filling! You want to pop the cream in a saucepan and let it boil on medium heat, then take it off the heat and add the chopped chocolate and salt in. Let this sit before stirring the ganache to a shiny, smooth texture.

7. Leave the ganache to completely cool to room temperature, but making sure you regularly whisk the mixture so it doesn’t harden. After it’s cool, use an electric whisk to whizz and firm up the ganache until thicker and fluffier.

8. Spoon the ganache onto half of the whoopie pies and sandwich the others on top. Et Voila, Chocolate Whoopie Pies complete!

Have you tried Whoopie Pies before? Will you be making these?

Thanks for reading guys,

Kavi xox

[LIFE] How To Instantly Feel Happy :)

Hello lovelies! Happy Sunday 🙂

I’m not feeling to great today and had an awful sleep which really sucks because Sunday’s are made for sleeping in late! How are you?

Today I’m back with a lifestyle post, which I haven’t done in a while. I love doing tips posts because I think people enjoy reading them most and it’s nice to share our tips with each other! As much as I love writing my beauty posts, I think this post is very much needed because sometimes we all feel a bit down in the dumps or miserable, and sometimes we don’t know what to do in this kind of situation. We all have those days where we just feel a little poop, or angry, or grumpy – for whatever reason! So today I’ve gathered some of the best tips that will instantly help to make you feel happier and better than before 🙂 Enough of this long rambilicious introduction, onto the post!

1. Blast some tunes. This one is a really quick and easy way to feel happier within minutes! Play that Happy playlist you have on Spotify and turn the volume to the max. I do this all the time, and I’m not promising that I don’t hide in my room and pretend I’m a professional dancer.. Oh come on, tell me you haven’t done this before?!

2. Bake a cake. You don’t necessarily have to bake a cake, but baking always puts me into a happy place and makes little butterflies in my tummy when I know that I get to lick the bowl at the end.. Food is always and forever, the secret to happiness 😉

3. Workout. If you’re feeling angry or you’ve got a lot of thoughts bubbling inside of you, instead of letting it out on other people why don’t you let the sweat out instead? Honestly, it feels brilliant to work your butt off and you feel so strong in the end – definitely the way to go if you need to release some feelings.

4. Get some fresh air. Sounds simple, but getting outside no matter what the weather will always perk you up. It’s a chance to just take in life, clear your mind and appreciate the world. Going alone can really help because it’s the perfect way to let yourself think.

5. Look through photos. If you’ve got some pictures printed or on your phone, looking through them is a great way to reflect and remember the good times. Even if you don’t feel so happy, remembering how happy you were at that moment in the photo can always help cheer you up.

6. Phone a friend. Sometimes chatting to someone who really cares about you and can listen to you will really make you feel worthy. It’s better than typing it because typing takes forever and it’s just nice to hear a comforting voice. Remember there is always someone that cares.

7. Switch off your phone. This kind of contradicts with the last point, but if you don’t want to talk on the phone unplugging from any form of social media really helps. Social media can get a little too much sometimes and it’s nice to enjoy life without the online world.

8. Read. Reading a book can distract your busy thoughts and let yourself escape into another world. It’s a fab way to switch off and can make you feel much better.

9. Do some online shopping. Hmm, a typical blogger thing to do that’s for sure. But treating yourself every once in a while can make you look forward and excited to the upcoming week!

10. Write it down. Whether that be in blog form, on a notepad or in a journal – writing down your personal feelings in a private manner may help you to work out what is wrong.

They are my tips to feel happier! I hope they helped you 🙂 What are your tips to feeling happier? Please share, I’d love to know!

Thanks for reading,

Kavi xox

[LIFE] MY FIRST BLOGGER’S EVENT

Hello lovelies! How are you all?

In December I did something I’d wanted to do for ages… I went to my first blogger’s event! I was super nervous but at the same time really excited because I couldn’t wait to ramble on to people who had the same interests as me and finally talk face to face to people I follow online.

Sarah and Bex organised the event, and there were supposed to be a lot more people attending but in the end it was just a handful of us, which is understandable because it was Christmas time and the holiday season is always jam packed! Although I didn’t get the chance to properly talk to all the bloggers, we all had a lovely time and have agreed to do another meet up soon, which is good news.

The event was held at Pizza Express where we munched on salad and Pizza, chatted about our favourite bloggers, explained our FOTD’s and OOTD’s and snapped away pictures for our blogs. The lovely bloggers were Sarah, Beth, Bex, Lisa, Shona and Emily. I must give a huge virtual hug to Beth from BeautyInBeta who is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met and was so caring on the night! I was so excited to meet everyone behind the screen 😉

Here’s the gorgeous Beth and I! Yes, we were wearing the Christmas Cracker party hats..         (photo credit to Sarah)

Sarah very kindly bundled us each with a lovely little goodybag, filled with make up and a little yankee candle (because I don’t already have enough candles).

All in all it was a lovely event and I can’t wait to attend another one!

Have you been to a blogger’s event? What’s your opinion on meeting the girl behind the screen?

Thanks for reading,

Kavi xox