Stripes & Black

H&M Striped Top // Uniqlo Jeans 

(Similar: Striped Top)

One of the things I got for my birthday is a tripod, so I can now take outfit pictures and self portraits without compromising the integrity and safety of my camera by balancing it on uneven surfaces and actually getting more of me on the frame ha.

xo

Why SLS, Silicone and Paraben-Free Hair Products Are No Good

We all have heard about how SLS, Silicones and Parabens are "bad" for us, which made me want to try products without those ingredients out of curiosity, but the truth is they each have a purpose in beauty products. Here is why I won't be avoiding SLS/SLES, Silicones and Parabens in my hair care products: 

1. SLS/SLES: Also known as Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulphate, is a surfactant that helps to break down oils and dirt, therefore helping cleaning a surface or in this case, the scalp. There are milder alternatives to SLS and SLES, of course but they somehow seem to dry out my scalp further. And if you are a fan of foaming shampoos then you'll probably prefer one that contains SLS (or its milder version SLES). 

2. Silicones: They're substances that contribute to the fluidity of a formula, as well as leaving a smooth and/or shiny finish. Without silicones I've found that my hair doesn't feel as soft and it was very hard to get a brush through it. 

3. Parabens: A type of preservative used in very commonly in cosmetic products. There's a lot of controversy around parabens, however I don't have a problem using them in products that are going to be in contact with my skin for only a couple of minutes, then rinsed off. Plus hair products such as shampoo and conditioner, which stay in a warm and humid environment, need some sort of preservative, otherwise they go off faster.

Of course the use of SLS, Silicones and Parabens is down to personal choice, and I generally try to avoid them on skincare products as they are milder, less likely to clog pores and won't stay on my skin for the rest of the day.

I recently acquired the Organic Shop Argan & Amla Shampoo & Conditioner, only to realise that I had used this brand before, and while it seemed to work at first, after a short time the products started to go off. Deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt, I used the Argan & Amla range twice and my scalp was even drier (I've been trying to find out how to make it less dry) and my hair was almost straw like, so it's safe to say I won't be trying any more of their products as sadly they don't work for me. 

What's your opinion on these cosmetic ingredients? 

xo

New in: July 2018

Not a lot of stuff again because I don't even have room to put stuff anyway haha! Trying to minimise as much as possible all the impulse shopping but there are times where I can't resist. Such was the case of those Pacifica Solid Perfumes, as they were just 90p each in Tesco. I got Fig, Vanilla and Rose. 

The Murad AHA BHA Cleanser came free in a magazine. Then in the H&M sale I got a new broderie anglaise top (only £12)  to wear on my birthday, which is in a couple of days. I only get used to my age and then it's my birthday again ha. Does that happen to you?

And last but not least, is the small Bella Freud makeup bag that came free with a magazine too. 

Did you get anything nice this month?

xo

Top 3 Summer Hobbies for Introverts

These are the things that I enjoy doing now it is nice and sunny and would love to feel extra motivated to be more consistent at them: 

Zoé in London

When Skincare Isn't Enough: Beauty & Technology

This is a sponsored post. 

In some cases skincare isn't enough and sometimes we need a bit of extra help when it comes to looking after our skin and improving the way it looks and feels. 

At Firstman they have a wide range of product categories, such as home beauty, Anti Wrinkle Machine and beauty whitening.    

In the previously mentioned anti wrinkle category, there are a couple of items including the Rf Wrinkle Removal Machine, which uses ultrasonic technology in order to stimulate and tighten skin.

The home beauty instrument category has articles that are easy to use at home, such as eye massager, optical hair removal and a Black Head Removal and Pore Cleaning Instrument, which is a device that you can use on your skin to suck oil and blackheads out, as well as stimulating collagen production and helping get rid of dead skin, which in turn aids to better skincare product absorption. 

Have a look on the Firstman website to enquire more about each product.

xo

Hottest Day Of The Year

Top 3 Facial SPF 50 Sunscreens Under £15

Cetaphil Daily Defence Moisturiser £13 // Nivea Sun UV Face Shine Control £8 

Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Anti-Age £7

As you might know, we're having a very intense and dry heat wave in the UK, and all this sunshine is making the small hyper-pigmentation patch I have on my face reappear and darken a bit, which isn't ideal as it seemed to be fading already. 

So one option to prevent this from happening again or getting worse is wearing a highly protecting sunscreen, which is why I've compiled my top 3 facial sunscreen wishlist, with all products being  SPF 50 and under £15.

What's your facial go-to sunscreen?

xo

Stripes & Hat

15,000 Reasons to Follow Me on Pinterest

Pinterest is one of my favourite platforms to find and gather fashion, beauty and home inspiration, recipes, tips of any kind and lots of aesthetically pleasing pictures. If you don't follow me already, you can find me here.

xo

Stripes & Sunglasses

Orla Kiely Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London

Pencil Skirt & Ice Cream

New in: May & June 2018

Spring Pastels

One Product, 3 Uses: Palmer's Face Oil

As I've been getting more into oils for skincare, I tried and tested a few of them so it was only a matter of time before I "discovered" a couple more uses than it is originally marketed for, making it a very versatile product. 

Last year I got my hands on the Palmer's Facial Oil, which is a facial oil meant to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, uneven skin tone and ageing skin. These are the 3 ways I've been using it:

1. Facial moisturiser, which is the most obvious one as it's what it was designed for. The formula with a mix of oils with high oleic + high linoleic acid content makes it suitable for both oily and dry skins. However I feel it is a bit heavy on my skin, so I found myself using it on my face less frequently than the next two other uses.

2. Bath oil: even though it comes in a tiny 30 ml bottle I didn't want it to go to waste as I wasn't using it much on my face. I only use about 3 drops in my bath water and I find that that is enough to make my skin feel moisturised afterwards because the oil spreads out onto a fine layer that covers your whole body as you get into the bath. If your skin is feeling very dry you could even add a few drops to your body moisturiser to boost nourishment. 

3. Scar treatment: last year I had to go through a laparoscopy which left visible scars on my abdomen. After my self dissolving stitches fell off I started applying this oil onto my scars, which has made them less red and visible, as well as helped them shrink a bit. I know they won't disappear completely but it has definitely improved them a lot.

Do you know of any other uses for this product?

xo

Stripes & Trench

A Town Called Sandwich

Pink Angora

2 Lip Products for a Natural Look

Fur & Sunglasses

Favourite Lip Combination for Spring

Morse Toad Chocolate Postbox Gifts + £100 Giveaway

*This is a sponsored post.

Heart Shaped Glasses

New in: April 2018

Red Stripes

Nivea Sensitive Day Cream

Wearing a moisturiser with SPF every day is imperative, even on days I don't go out. Recently I've been using the Nivea Sensitive Day Cream, which came with the Night Cream (along with a lip balm, wipes and an eye makeup remover) as a set that I received last Christmas.

I've reviewed the Night Cream before, so today I'll just write about the day cream. At first I was a bit scared it would be too heavy for my skin as the texture is somewhat thick. The first few times I used the Nivea Sensitive Day Cream it felt like it didn't absorb completely and would leave my skin looking a bit shiny and feeling a bit suffocated, but the more I used this cream, it seems to be absorbing better and not leaving my skin as greasy-looking. Any shine is easily vanished with some powder.

Just as the night cream, the day version has Licorice Extract and Grape Seed Oil, which are meant to reduce signs of redness, tightness and dryness; and it's free of perfume. The ingredient lists are a bit different between the 2 versions as the day one includes SPF 15, and the night one features shea butter. The day cream does moisturise, doesn't irritate my skin and the fact it has no fragrance is nice too. All in all, it's not my favourite moisturiser but for days when I'm staying in it does the job.

Find Nivea Sensitive Day Cream in Boots.

xo

Cashmere & Lace

Always love a good detail shot when they pop up on instagram or pinterest. This Hamsa Hand necklace was a Christmas gift from Dot and my cardigan is a cashmere blend from H&M that I found in the sale and got with a gift card, again from last Christmas. Black lace bralette also from H&M. (Similar:  Grey Cardigan, Lace Bralette) 

Update on my eye: pretty sure (about 99%) I caused it with the curlers as I dug them into my socket and pressed down a bit for some reason (to make my lashes curlier, apparently) but it's so much better 10 days after it started getting bloodshot, most of the redness is gone. Needless to say, I will be staying away from eyelash curlers for a while, if not for ever ha.

xo

Spring Fashion at Zaful

The sun is shining bright outside and it makes me want to wear all the summer dresses! Zaful has lots of really cute pieces perfect for this heat wave. Check out my favourites below:

White broderie anglaise dress // Rib Knit Tank Top // Pink Striped Shorts // Heart Shaped Sunglasses

I've been looking for a cute white dress for spring/summer and this broderie anglaise one looks adorable, plus the wrap style makes it super flattering. The heart shaped sunglasses are a fun touch to any outfit. A ribbed black vest top is a basic must have in any wardrobe and the pink striped shorts are a cute cover up for the beach, for practising sports or even as comfy lounge wear around the house. 

Ps. There is currently a Mother's Day offer at Zaful where you can get up to $20 off your order.

xo

Glamping

Sunset

07/04/18

Pretty sure I gave myself the worst bloodshot eye I've ever had using an eyelash curler during the weekend :(

Navy Jumper

Lacura by Aldi Glycolic Pads

Welcome To Japan

New In: March 2018

H&M was having a sale and they offer free delivery to H&M Club members, which I am part of, so decided it would be nice to add to my collection of casual items a hoodie with a retro Pepsi logo, which is intended as something ironic because you might know I don't drink fizzy stuffs and I haven't done regularly in over 10 years (I only drink it when the other choice might be alcohol). 

Anyway, the other thing I have to show you is a new bag of Epsom Salts, which are amazing for putting in your bath and relaxing, plus I believe it helps with hormones. It could also be used to make a body scrub but I haven't tried that yet. I got mine from b&m for less than £2.50 but you can also find it in Superdrug and Boots.

Hope this isn't too disappointing for you as I actually didn't get that many things last month, and most of them I already mentioned in my last video (above) that's why there's not many pictures. But here will be more to see on the next New In instalment.

xo

Pink Sweatshirt

Keratolytic Ingredients in Skincare

A keratolytic component aids in the removal of excess skin caused by lesions on the epidermis. These type of ingredients can soften and also thin the skin on and around the lesion, which causes the outer layer of skin to loosen and shed. So if you've ever been left with a bump of skin after scarring, you might be interested in using a product with a form of keratolytic in it. 

Keratolytic agents include salicylic acid, urea, lactic acid, allantoin and glycolic acid. Most of these ingredients are typically found in anti acne products (salicylic acid), moisturisers (urea, lactic acid and allantoin) and anti ageing products (glycolic acid).

Over the years I've noticed that my skin's been left with some tiny bumps, particularly on my chin area and thought I could try something to make them less apparent, then realised I currently use skincare with such ingredients already, with the exception of salicylic acid so it is an ingredient I'm interested in trying again, especially after a couple of weeks of rebellious skin I've been having. 

A product with salicylic acid I'm interested is The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution. With glycolic acid I've been intermittently using the Lidl dupe for Nip + Fab Glycolic Pads, and my Simply Pure serum contains urea and allantoin. 

Do you have any recommendations for skincare with keratolytic properties?

xo

Printed Hoodie

Pattern by Orla Kiely

Got this book because I really like Orla Kiely's design (not only the patterns but also the clothes and accessories) and because I only paid £5 for it when I got it from the Works a few years ago. 

It is a great book full of inspiration if you are a creative and visual person, and has pages full of her patterns, designs and things that inspire Orla Kiely personally.

Find Pattern by Orla Kiely at Waterstones. 

Have you got this book? 

xo

Navy Coat

Easter Weekend

Hope you had a lovely weekend and that you didn't binge on chocolate too much haha. This is actually the first picture I ever took with my DSLR, back when I bought it in 3 years ago (07/04/2015).

On other news, I haven't had anything with dairy in it for just over a week. My skin seems to be improving. Hopefully it's not just my imagination.

xo

Nails Inc Releases A Vegan Range

My personal favourites, from left to right: Goji Berry Beat, Raw, Pink Pepper Riot and Lavender Ghost.

Nails Inc has released a new vegan range of 10 beautiful and classic nail polish shades that are completely free of Phthalates including DBP, Camphor, Formaldehyde, Toluene, Formaldehyde resin, Animal derived ingredients and Parabens. 

Along with the 10 shades there is a Conditioning Treatment + Base Coat, a Seaweed Strength Treatment and a 45 Second Top Coat.

The new vegan Nails Inc range is exclusively available at Holland & Barret.

Will you be trying any of these products?

xo

I Cut My Own Hair

You read that right. For the second time actually, and as I felt a bit more confident doing it I only took about an hour (!) compared to 2x 2 hour sessions 6 months ago haha. Back in September I was being extra careful and took the longest time, then I wasn't completely happy with it so the next day I tried perfecting it further.

It's just that whenever I've been to the hairdressers here and ask for the back to not be blunt nor cut straight across they insist on doing the opposite. Tired of that I decided to take matters into my own hands and watched a few YouTube videos on how to cut your own hair in long layers. This time around I think it looks a bit better than the last. If there are any funky bits I don't like I will fix them tomorrow, let's see how it settles first.

Have you ever cut your own hair?

xo

The £3 Serum You Need To Know About

You've probably heard about hyaluronic acid and how amazing it is for skin as it attracts and holds water, which means more moisture for your skin. And you might have heard about ceramides as well, which are fat molecules that compose the membrane of skin cells. 

Now let me tell you about the Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum, which has these 2 popular skincare ingredients and it only costs £2.99!

The Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum is formulated for sensitive skin and is meant to replenish and nourish, thanks to its Ceramide Blend; as well as calm the skin with "Soothex" or boswellia serrata gum. 

Boswellia Serrata or frankincense helps reduce oily skin and wrinkles. Other ingredients found in the Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum are hydrating glycerine, soothing allantoin, and other natural moisturising factors such as phytosphingosine, urea and cholesterol.

This is actually my second bottle, I repurchased it as I was quite pleased with how it worked with my skin. The texture of this serum is very lightweight so it is fast absorbed, it's not runny as most serums and it has more of a lotion consistency, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. 

The Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum lightly moisturises my skin without feeling heavy or sticky and layers well under other skincare product such as oils and creams. So if you are looking for a light, plumping serum that won't break the bank then I definitely recommend this one.

Find the Simply Pure Hydrating Serum in Superdrug. 

Have you tried this product?

xo

New Discoveries

Have you heard the saying that you learn something new every day? Today I learned that there is a thing called pollo-tarian haha. I had made up the term chicketarian a few months back when I decided to stop eating red meat, turns out it already existed - kind of.

xo

Discount Shop Haul Video

New video up on my channel, it's in Spanish but it has English subtitles. I hope you like it!

xo

Has This Ever Happened To You?

I'm excited. But every time I talk about something good that happens to me I jinx it, so I think I won't even mention it haha. Does that ever happen to you?

xo