Heatwave Done Right With My New BFF: Nivea Sun UV Face Shine Control SPF50

After a mini break from the blog, I am glad to be back! And I'm not the only one who's back; the sunshine has come to stay for a couple more days (hopefully a lot more days) and I must say, this must have been one the best summers I've experienced in London in the 13 years I've lived here! Glorious sunshine, temperatures above 25 degrees every day, all the ice cream...what else does a girl need? Oh that's right, sun protection! I know we all need (and long for) some sun exposure especially when summer comes round after long miserable winter days. But too much unprotected exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer. Remember sun rays are comprised of both UVA and UVB rays. UVA contributes to premature ageing and UVB to sunburns! So whether you're jetting off for a beach holiday or simply relaxing in the garden this summer, protecting your skin from the sun is a key step to achieving and retaining youthful radiance. And with this in mind, I wanted to share a product I found that works amazingly well for just that! Keep on reading to find out more!

Portugal Travel Dairy & Lookbook: Part 3

To commemorate quite possibly the last day of summer weather of the year (today, 25 degrees!), let me throw it back to the beginning of the month when I was in Portugal, more specifically Sintra and Lisbon, enjoying the amazing weather, the food (which is what I miss the most) and the pretty sights. If you've read part 1 and part 2 of this series you will know my holiday started off in Algarve, home of the gorgeous Lagos beaches and caves, and the Albufeira nightlife which was situated very close to where we staying. After a week in the sun, we decided to leave the amazing villa we had rented and head to Lisbon for the weekend before flying back to London. We hit the road and just after a 2 hour and 30 minutes drive our first stop was Sintra!

Portugal Travel Diary & Lookbook: Part 2

You know the feeling when your head is here yet your heart is elsewhere?! That's exactly how I feel about my latest holiday. If you haven't yet read my previous post, check it out here and you'll understand how much in love I am with Portugal. When I usually go on holiday for over a week, I normally can't wait to get home after a few days. This time it was different though; I most certainly was not looking forward to coming back; gorgeous beaches, sunny weather, great food...I was in heaven!

Portugal Travel Diary & Lookbook: Part 1

I'm BACK! I've missed this space! On my previous post, I told you my family and I were heading to Algarve, Portugal for just over a week and I'm now back with my batteries recharged, ready to share everything about our holiday which was one of the best I've ever had. 

Algarve, Here I Come + International Giveaway

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The time for my holiday has come, eeeep! If you haven't already heard I'm off to Algarve tomorrow in the early hours of the morning and I can't wait to spend a whole week (and a day) in the sun tanning my extremely pale complexion, swimming in our pool and, enjoying the villa and surroundings. I have never been to Portugal before, and with my fiancé practically being Portuguese I couldn't be more excited. We plan to spend a day or two in Lisbon too and Sephora is already calling my name! I also hear shops like Zara and Berksha are a lot cheaper over there so I'm definitely leaving a little space in my suitcase to bring back lots of new goodies. I might also shoot some outfit posts out there in the streets of Lisbon as I hear they are gorgeous!

S/S 2016 Trends: Pom Poms Are Everywhere!

I love anything in white, black and grey but you will agree with me that summer has to have a bit of colour and this year I have really been trying to embrace more shades in my outfits and it is so much more fun. Which is why there is one particular trend I (alongside major fashion bloggers) am loving and that is the pom pom trend. It is very unlikely that you have not seen this all over social media and if you haven't, where have you been?! The pom pom trend has taken Instagram by a storm and it is permeating everything from accessories to footwear!

Summer Holiday: My Poolside Essentials

With my holiday a mere month away - and a day but who's counting - it's time to sort out my stuff and decide on what I'm actually going to take. And let me tell you, for someone who excessively over packs, this is a tough one. Amidst the different pairs of bikini (even though I will most likely stick to only wearing one), roughly ten very similar dresses (out of which 6 will return unused) and the many pairs of shoes (Havaianas will miraculously go with any outfit), I have to leave room for my poolside essentials. And I call these poolside essentials because I am much more of a pool kinda girl than a beach bunny. Don't get me wrong, I love exploring and finding new beaches but the mixture of being wet and sand doesn't appeal to me in the slightest so thank goodness for the swimming pool in the villa we rented out; if you need me I will be lazing around there in my pretty flamingo floater. Here's what I'm taking to make sunbathing time more fun and fashionable!

Beauty Haul: Summer Holiday

Goodbye money, hello beauty products! My Monday was a little sucky, mostly because I was too sleepy to be at work. In order to cheer me up a much deserved trip to the nearest Boots was in order (do you guys do that too? :p). And, as you know, when you enter the drugstore fairyland, you cannot come out with just what you actually needed...and that is exactly what happened. I'd rather not disclose how much the final bill was, but here is what I picked up for my upcoming summer holiday (Cyprus, sunshine, beach here I come!).

From left to right we have the Bourjois Paris Maxi Delight Bronzer | £8.99 (shade 2) which I have yet to try, the Bronzing Powder Brush (see here) and the beautiful Bourjois Paris ColorBoost Lip Crayon | £7.99 shade Peach on the Beach. The lipstick is already in my handbag and it is the perfect lippie to wear at the beach as it contains SPF 15 and is so moisturising! These were all Summer Collection free gifts and they couldn't have been more perfect for my summer holiday.

Additionally, I got the famous Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour Correcting Cream | £9.99 in the shade Ivory and it is a great product! I've only used it twice now but I really like how the colour suits my skin perfectly and how light yet good coverage it provides. I think a full review will be in order, what do you girlies think? I also brought home the Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher | £7.99 in the shade Healthy Mix, a spot-on summer orangey blush. I love how it comes with a little brush and mirror, ideal for on-the-go!

L'Oreal products were on sale and who doesn't love a good bargain?! L'Oreal Infallible Mattifying Primer | £7.99 has been on my wishlist for so long; I heard great things about this primer and wanted try it out for myself to see how it worked with the Infallible foundation. Fingers crossed it lives up to my expectations. L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Exclusive Nudes | £6.99 are also fairly new and Eva's Nude is a gorgeous marsala colour that stood out for me. The lippie packaging is so expensive looking, and both of these have a reserved spot in my travel nécessaire.

Onto skincare and haircare; if you haven't already found the right solution for blackheads, look no further. Bioré® Deep Cleansing Nose Strips & Face Strips | £5.49 are quickly becoming my July favourites. They work so well and really do remove those stubborn little things. It does hurt a little when you pull, but no pain no gain right?! And last but certainly not least, the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil | £9.99. I reviewed this here but in short: the best oil I have ever used which makes my dry summer hair so much more manageable and shiny! Love it <3

Have you tried any of these?
If you wanna see a review of anything in particular, leave a comment below :)
Thanks for reading beauties and until next time!

xoxo