Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream

Since moving to England, especially after the cold winter my lips would get so dry and I needed to reapply my lip balm several times a day in order to keep them moisturised and flake free. That was until a couple of weeks ago that I found the Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream on offer for a mere 50p in Tesco and decided to get it and I'm so glad I did!

Within first application the balm melts onto the lips and feels very moisturising, getting rid of dry skin instantly. The effect lasts well over 24 hours without the need to reapply: I put it on in the morning and the next day my lips are still soft, and if you apply it just before going to bed you will wake up to super smooth lips.

The Nivea Lip Butter smells great and feels as if it forms a protecting layer on my lips that prevents the loss of moisture, plus it contains shea butter, castor oil, almond oil and glycerin, all known for their hydrating and moisturising properties.

I am quite impressed with this product actually, because for such a low price (especially when on offer) it does an amazing job. I would definitely repurchase this lip balm and highly recommend it. You can find the Nivea Lip Butters in Tesco, Superdrug and Boots for £2.25 and they're available in Caramel, Vanilla, Raspberry and Original.

Have you tried the Nivea Lip Butters?

xo

Liebster Award

I've been nominated by the lovely Jess from wild vagabonds.
"The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow." 

11 Facts about me:

1. I used to go to piano lessons when I was 8 years old and can play a couple of songs.
2. I am obsessed with skincare and prefer it over makeup.
3. I used to live in a really hot city (Monterrey, Mexico) where in the summer it is like 40 C and didn't like being hot all the time but now I'm cold most of the time here in England haha!
4. I graduated from architecture school in 2011.
5. I love photography and for years have been really wanting to get a nice camera to take awesome pictures with.
6. I really like ink and watercolour illustrations and enjoy drawing/painting some myself too.
7. I used to be a bit of a goth girl in high school haha.
8. My favourite shop is H&M but I like Topshop's leather bags too.
9. I don't drink.
10. My favourite food is Mexican (obvs) and my current favourite sandwich is Tesco's chicken and bacon haha. Fave cakes are carrot cake and cheesecake ♥
11. I am 1.56m tall (or short?) and don't really like wearing high heels because they hurt my feet - I prefer platforms.


Jess' 11 questions:

1. Favourite place to go for inspiration?
Instagram! I've been following lots of new people on there that post beautiful pictures that make me so inspired.
2. Fashion trend that gets to stay?
I would say the punk trend because who doesn't love a bit of leather and plaid?
3. Which designer is your favourite?
I can't choose just one but I really like Marc Jacob's feminine designs and bags, Valentino's dresses and Chanel's dreamy couture pieces.
4. What scent is your favourite?
Vanilla. I only started really wearing perfume until recently but before that I always used a vanilla body spray for years.
5. Makeup must haves?
Eyeliner for me is a must and powder to prevent shine.
6. Fashion must haves for all seasons?
A cute dress for summer, a leather jacket for fall, an oversized coat for winter and a pastel coloured jumper/cardigan for spring. (And leather ankle boots all year round)
7. Dream day out?
I love going to Southend with my husband, do some shopping and having lunch, then have a little walk along the seaside. That or going out for dinner and then a concert at night!
8. Where in the world would you like to travel to?
I would love to go to Japan and to Paris
9. Favourite quote?
I can't think of any but I pin the ones I love here.
10. Favourite movie?
I love intense dramatic movies like Thirteen, Lila says and White Oleander.
11. Go to blogger?
I don't have one go to blogger because I like different types of content and usually bloggers stick to just one thing they like to write about but I love to read reviews, look at styling posts, skincare tips and recipes too.

Now my 11 questions for you to answer:

1. How would you describe your style?
2. What is your favourite type of blog post to read and favourite one to write about?
3. Flats or heels?
4. What was the first perfume you ever wore?
5. What's your most treasured or favourite clothing item you have/ like to wear all the time?
6. Makeup or skincare?
7. Are you a shoe or bag girl?
8. What is your favourite fabric/material in a piece of clothing?
9. What is your must have skincare product?
10. Who is your celebrity style icon?
11. What is your favourite thing about yourself?

And I tag these 11 people:

Ally
Yasmin
Melo
Angel
Shreya
Gigi
Liz
Anita
Rebecca
Wiktoria
Macarena

If you want to do the tag then I nominate you too! Don't forget to leave a link with your post so I can read your answers

xo

Floral Nails Tutorial

I made a little how to for floral nails as I've just started getting into nail art. 

You will need: 

• A Base Coat
• Background Colour
• Light Pink
• Dark Pink
• Green 
• Top Coat
• Nail decorating tool

1. Apply your base coat and then your base colour.

2. Add small circles with the light pink nail polish.

3. Use the dark pink nail polish to add some detail over the light pink circles.

4. Paint some leaves on with the green nail polish and finish with your choice of top coat.

Tips:
Use a light colour as a base so your design stands out.
Don't forget to allow to dry between each step to avoid smudging.
Try experimenting with different colours!

Are you a fan of nail art?

xo

Daisy print dress

Dress: Primark (similar)

Cardigan: H&M

Shoes: H&M (similar)

I wore this dress on my birthday last Monday. I really love the print but it was a bit loose fitting on the top so I had to take it in a little bit. I'm no expert seamstress but it doesn't look too bad I think haha.
Didn't do much that day besides going out for dinner but my husband had already taken me shopping to Westfield the previous Saturday ;)

xo

Love, Want, Need #1

H&M white cotton top / H&M button knit cardigan / H&M pencil skirt / H&M stretch pants / H&M black shoes / H M wallet / H&M aviator sunglasses

Current favourites from H&M. I've been thinking about those leather cutout boots. A lot.
It was my birthday on Monday, so should I or shouldn't I? (I think I definitely will).

What is on your wishlist?

xo

Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Day & Night Cream

Not so long ago I was looking for an eye cream and when I found the Simple Regeneration Age Resisting day and night cream stating they were suitable for use on the delicate eye area, decided to give them a go, especially when they were on a buy 1 get 1 free offer.

The Regeneration line claims to fight premature ageing and the day and night creams differ in a few things.

The day cream has SPF15 and "is a special blend of active ingredients that protect and replentish your skin throughout the day", with "4 skin loving nutrients": 

Green tea extract - fights premature 

Mushroom extract - refines skin tone

Oat-beta glucan - helps reduce sensitivity 

Allantoin - actively soothes

The night cream is said to "revitalise and restore your skin throughout the night", with "7 skin loving nutrients":

Green tea extract - fights premature 

Mushroom extract and Ginko biloba - refine and regenerate

Shea butter and Borage seed - nurture and replentish

Oat-beta glucan and Chamomile - gently soothe and reduce sensitivity 

Both creams contain "2 vital vitamins": Pro-vitamin B5 and Vitamin E to soften, smooth and improve skin condition. There is also "no unnecessary or harsh chemicals so it won't upset your skin", however they do contain parabens. Full ingredient lists here (day cream) and here (night cream).

The packaging is very similar on both products, though the boxes they come in are different colours on the top and on the inside (silver/gray for the day cream and green for the night cream) which I would have thought more suitable to be the other way around but that's just me.

I first tried the night cream (lower swatch) and found that it was quite light for a night cream, it also was easily absorbed, very moisturising and softening on my skin. The fact that it was so light made me excited to try the day cream, as I thought it would be as light or even lighter than the night one, sadly it was not. 

The day cream (upper swatch) is thicker in texture and takes longer to absorb, leaving a white-ish cast on your skin if you don't massage it in correctly/long enough. I like that the day cream has SPF 15 and it is quite moisturising too but a little bit heavy if you have oily skin like me. 

I've been using the night cream every night since running out of my serums a few months back and I would repurchase it. Unfortunately I don't enjoy using the day cream as much, so I'm not so sure if I would repurchase it. 

Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Day & Night Cream available in Boots and Superdrug.

Have you tried these products before? 

xo

Polka dot shirt

Shirt, shorts, shoes: All H&M 

Leather bag: Topshop

Today my husband took me to Westfield and let me pick a few things for my birthday.
He always spoils me ♥

Can't wait to show you what I got (and style it!)

xo

Printed skater dress

Dress, cardigan, shoes: All H&M 

Bracelet*: Gili Jewels

This is currently my favourite dress, I got it last year and just love everything about it: the colour, print, shape, fit, lenght and material. It can be worn in almost every season of the year, styled in different ways (cardigan and flats, leather jacket and boots, jumper and tights) and since it is made out of cotton, it doesn't need ironing. Perfect dress? I'd say so.

Do you have a favourite dress?

xo

All Used Up #2

I renamed the empties series "all used up" because I thought it sounded better, and even if it doesn't I like being different haha.

Garnier mineral ultra dry roll on*: I won this last year in a Garnier competition along with the Ultra lift serum (which I talked about here). I'm not the biggest fan of roll on deodorants because they take time to dry, but aside from that this is a good product, with a fresh smell. I can't comment on the 48 hour claim as I don't wait that long for my next shower haha. I couldn't find the roll on version online but there is an aerosol version available here.

Witch anti blemish pressed powder: This is a good powder but not amazing. It mattifies the skin but has very little coverage, is not very fine so it's hard to pick up the product with a brush, and is better for pink undertones. It is an affordable powder, and is usually on offer. It's also supposed to help with breakouts but I didn't see a massive difference while using it.  I have actually repurchased it once and have almost run out but I'm not sure if I would get it again.

Cowshed slender cow extra firming body butter*: As mentioned on the What's in my travel skincare bag post, this is a really good product. Excellent at deeply moisturising and firming the skin. Recommended.

Gardenia of London red rose & magnolia moisturising shower cream: love the scent of this shower cream, it reminds me of Paul Smith Rose. It is really fresh and floral so I think both products go well together. You can also find this range at Tesco.

Sanex dermo invisible: This product didn't really work for me and I wouldn't repurchase, although the formula has been changed recently, so it might be better now. 

Bloomsbury & Tate warm vanilla & neroli hand & body lotion: Lots of &s. This was part of a set with a shower gel. The scent is really warm and nice, like oranges. I think it is best suited for when the weather is cold because of the warm scent. The lotion is slightly thick and contains sweet almond oil, bitter orange flower and vanilla extracts, vitamin E and shea butter so it is very moisturising and leaves skin soft with a lovely scent that lingers for hours. Unfortunately I don't think you can buy this online and since it was a gift I don't really know where to find it, but I would definitely try it again.

Have you tried any of these products? Did you like them?

xo

Studded jumper

Jumper: Miss Selfridge

Shorts: Primark (similar)

Shoes: New Look 

Today we went to the park with the family and friends and had some fun in the sun, ate some delicious cake, played frisbee and a bit of football haha.
I wore my shorts and even though it was sunny, when the wind blew I got cold, fortunately I took my jeans as well so I could change into them. Obviously after all the running around I got hot in the end.

When we got home I took a long nap to recharge as I was very tired, so I guess I'm getting old... though before our nap we went to the bookies and they asked for my ID, which I didn't have it with me so we had to leave. I'll be 26 in 9 days but apparently I look under 21? (I certainly don't mind!)

xo