New In: August 2016

Last month it was my birthday, plus we went to visit my family in Mexico, so I received some gifts and treated myself too which is why there's a lot of stuff on this edition of New in.

For my birthday Dot got me a leather bounded Alice in Wonderland book, hedgehog pjs, sticky notes and tiny hedgehogs that you place on the border of your glass as decorations. From the in-laws I received a set of socks, keyring, pens and makeup bags, as well as some souvenirs from their trip to Blackpool. From my in-laws and nieces I got some money in my birthday cards which I used, along with a £5 H&M voucher, to get this grey wool coat. 

As a treat for myself I ordered these New Balance 420 trainers in black leather. I also needed another pair of summery pjs to take to Mexico and a new trolley suitcase. For my birthday my mum got me a couple of tops from H&M. 

On our first day out shopping in Monterrey, Dot got me Pedro Paramo, which I've since started reading. We also paid a visit to the city's first H&M store, where I got a bralette and a contrast piping grey T shirt, then another ringer t shirt from Forever 21. I also got 2 layered chokers and Dot got me a set of tattoo style chokers.

My dad got me some spicy sweets, a couple of pens and some powdered iced tea and tamarind drinks (not pictured). Dot got me a new cover for my iPod. My mum gave me a set of socks, a scarf and a set of heart decorative cushions. And I bought myself a pair of leather loafers and a Mexican doll when we were in Guanajuato.

xo

Dress & Choker

H&M Skater Dress // American Apparel Sweatshirt // Fresa/Magenta Choker // Adidas Stan Smith // Primark Denim Backpack

(Similar: Skater Dress, Velvet Choker, Backpack)

Lately I've been very into the 80s and 90s trends with the dresses and sneakers and of course, accessorising with chokers. On our trip to Mexico I bought a pair of chokers, including this one and Dot got me a couple more of the classic 'tattoo style' ones. The sun was shining so bright that day I couldn't even look up to the lens for the pictures, hence the weird poses and faces haha.

xo

Back From Mexico

The last couple of weeks we went to Mexico to visit my family. We went to San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato, GTO. We also visited the first H&M in the city of Monterrey and went to the cinema about 10 times haha.

xo

Pink T-Shirt

H&M Pink T Shirt // Topshop Leather Loafers // H&M Ripped Shorts

(Similar: Pointed Loafers)

Since I became a fan of pink a couple of years ago, I've started to build a little collection of pink items in my wardrobe (when in high school I wouldn't be caught dead wearing pink and now look at me). This t-shirt is a very faint dusty, almost lilac pink with one pocket in a very flowy fabric, which makes it great for summer. Also, it was the first time I wore it that day and of course I spilled food on it ha.

xo

Garnier Ultimate Blends Blonde Illuminator Collection

No, I didn't go blonde nor am planning to, but I decided to get the Garnier Ultimate Blends Blonde Illuminator conditioner and oil from the range to try them out and lighten my hair slightly for the summer. Chamomile is a common and natural ingredient used to lighten hair, and it happens to be the main feature in the Garnier Ultimate Blends Blonde Illuminator Collection. In need of both a new conditioner and hair oil, went for this line as they're affordable and would brighten up my locks.

The Ultimate Blends Blonde Illuminator Conditioner promises to illuminate your natural blonde with chamomile and acacia honey, leaving hair feeling silky to the touch. This is a pretty average conditioner: the texture is not very thick and it doesn't soften my hair a lot. It is easy to rinse out and smells nice but doesn't seem to be doing that much for my hair other than perhaps lightening it slightly and leaving it mildly soft. I don't think I will be purchasing this again as there are better conditioners out there but if you only need a lightweight conditioner for blonde hair you might like this product. 

The Ultimate Blends Blonde Illuminator Oil mentions having an incredibly soft, lightweight texture and a delicate flowery fragrance that infuses blonde hair with luminosity, leaving it with a summery shine and silky soft to the touch. The texture of this oil is not heavy and absorbs easily into my hair, it has a very similar scent to the conditioner but doesn't linger. It doesn't weigh down my hair but again, doesn't leave it extremely soft, which is what I expect from my hair products. I have noticed though that my hair is looking a bit lighter under the sun which was the main reason I got this oil for. Still got lots of product left even after using 3 pumps per application so it will last me a long time. Do try out this product if you seek to brighten up your hair naturally and don't need a lot of conditioning/softening to your hair. 

Find the Garnier Ultimate Blends Blonde Illuminator Collection in Boots. 

xo

Button-Up Skirt

Topshop Button Up Skirt // H&M Knit Stripe Top // Topshop Leather Loafers

(Similar: Pointed Loafers, Striped Top)

This is what I wore on my birthday, we went to Southend and had afternoon tea at Patisserie Valerie. Even though the sandwiches, scones and cakes were tiny, we couldn't finish them all! But everything was delicious (except the bitter honey marmalade haha). There were cucumber, salmon, ham, chicken and egg sandwiches; plain and fruit scones with butter, cream and 4 toppings available; and mini carrot cake, eclairs, Victoria sponge, chocolate cake and a fruit mousse. We also got a teapot each which was more than enough. Everything was delicious and I would definitely wouldn't mind having it again ;D

xo

Sanctuary Spa Radiance Exfoliator

Ages ago I won in a competition a Winter Facial set from Sanctuary Spa, which included miniatures of various products, including the Radiance Exfoliator. I started using it last year but only a couple of times, and more regularly about 2 months ago, and sadly I have now finished but have used it enough times to write about it. 

The Sanctuary Spa Radiance Exfoliator promises to instantly reveal a brighter completion with the use of ultra fine apricot granules & grape seed to exfoliate the skin, while pumpkin, pineapple & papaya extracts help to increase cell renewal to leave skin smooth and glowing with radiance.  

The first thing that I noticed when first using the Sanctuary Spa Radiance Exfoliator is that it has a light gel texture with medium exfoliating grains, which I don't mind the size of as long as they do their job, and when applying, the second thing I noticed was the smell of it, which is a bit woody with a hint of fruit, almost like tamarind and the look of chamoy sauce (which I like btw haha).

When I put it on my face I notice it slightly warms up, then I massage onto my skin and leave on for a few minutes to let the fruit acids exfoliate my skin even further. When I rinse the product off my skin feels clean, soft and smooth, but not dry or tight. Quite like this exfoliator and would actually purchase the full size for myself. 

Find Sanctuary Spa Radiance Exfoliator in Boots.

xo

Ripped Shorts

H&M Ripped Shorts // Topshop Leather Loafers // H&M Sheer Shirt

(Similar: Sheer Shirt, Leather Loafers)

When I bought these shorts online didn't realise the rips went all through the fabric and not just a top layer, so I decided to add some panels of fabric behind the rips to avoid ending up with holes too big on the shorts haha. This weekend we are going to visit my family and friends in Mexico, can't wait!

xo

New In: July 2016

Last month I got more pens because stationery-obsession, these Uni-ball Eraseable Pens are from The Works. It's also the month where I got mascaras, one every weekend for 3 consecutive week haha. The first one was from MUA and it's the Nourish & Care Volume.

The week after that I got the Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water, and used a discount I had to get The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara and the Lip & Cheek Stain.

Then the following week in Lakeside I got another mascara, this time the Natural Collection Water Guard Mascara to wear over the non waterproof MUA one, as well as a Lip Balm from Blistex and a Bralette Set from Primark.

Last but not least, with BHS closing down and having a clearance, I went to see if I could find yet another wire free bra (comfort for the win) and found this one for about a third of it's original £12 price.

xo

Printed Skater Dress

H&M Skater Dress // Topshop Leather Loafers // H&M Angora Cardigan

(Similar: Skater Dress, Leather Loafers, Longline Cardigan)

It's my birthday tomorrow! We might go to have afternoon tea but we'll see what happens! I really wanted to get a new dress to wear for my birthday but couldn't find any that I loved (except the one I saw a woman wearing in Tesco, asked her and it was from forever 21, couldn't find it online). Either way I'm quite happy with my summer capsule wardrobe collection which includes this skater dress that I got about 4 years ago. Even though I really love it I didn't wear it last year but I rediscovered this summer and have already worn it quite a few times.

xo

My 1st Football Match At Wembley

I never considered myself a football fan, but Dot is and a while ago he got tickets to see Liverpool vs Barcelona at the Wembley stadium in London on Saturday. I didn't know what to expect as when I see football on tv it is always boring to me, but I actually really enjoyed it as it is 10x better to see a match in real life than not. 

The stadium was clean, we had seats in the shade, it didn't smell, it wasn't as loud (I wore earplugs anyway), the pitch was bright green and the whole experience was quite fun actually. Liverpool won 4-0 though we missed the last goal on the extra time as we left a bit early because of the trains.

I was hoping to be on the big screen and wasn't but all the children that got their few seconds of fame did "the dab" (?) haha. The only thing that wasn't fun at all was getting heatstroke in the tube on the way back home, we had to get off at Westminster but Dot got me a drink and then I was fine.

xo

We Wear Short Shorts

H&M Ripped Shorts // Topshop Loafers // H&M Striped Top // H&M Hat

(Similar: Topshop Loafers, Stripe T shirt, Hat  )

On Saturday we are going to watch a football match in London and then on Sunday we are probably going to the town to get some gifts for family and friends as (I don't know if I wrote this before) but we are going to Mexico later this month after my birthday. The hardest thing yet has been deciding what clothes to take with me haha!

xo

MUA Nourish & Care Volume Mascara

Recently MUA came out with a new mascara, the Eye Define Nourish & Care Volume Mascara, which contains avocado oil and claims to encourage lash growth as well as give you volumized lashes. As it is only £4 I decided to get it to try it for myself. 

When I used this mascara for the first time I noticed that the formula isn't to dry nor too runny and it is very black, which I liked, it is also buildable so you can get some noticeable volume and a bit of length as well. On the downside it does flake after wearing it a couple of hours, it doesn't really smudge, and if it does you can easily wipe it off with your finger. Also if you are not careful, your lashes can end up the same thickness from root to tip, making them look spidery. The brush is very big, so applying on top lashes is easy but it can be a bit messy when using on the bottom ones. 

When I read the packaging, which lists the full ingredients, I noticed that it only contains 6.5 g of product, which is less than you normally get but because the tube is so big, it seems like you are getting more product, which is misleading. 

It is easy to take off with any remover and I have noticed that some of the lashes on the bottom outer corners of my eyes look a bit longer, which must be thanks to the use of Collagen, Biotin, Olive, Jojoba & Avocado Oil, Panthenol and Peptides in the formula.

If they improved the formula to make it flake-free, then it would probably be a favourite of mine, but for now I have been using it under a waterproof one to seal it and get the results I want. 

Find MUA Nourish & Care Volume Mascara in Superdrug. 

xo