CORNWALL, UK

Hellooo! This summer I visited so many amazing places so it's about time to share it all with you...

So here's the list of the places I went to this year and have some pretty cool photos from (after all are posted, they will have links to each post)

1. Cornwall, UK

2. Chamonix, France

3. Geneva, Switzerland

4. South of France: Nice, Cannes and Antibes

5. Monaco, Monaco

6. Brighton, UK

Hope ya'll had a good summer!

Natalia x

AVON PERFECTLY MATTE LIPSTICKS

Due to pure curiosity, I ordered 3 of these Avon lipsticks. I was never really a fan of Avon but I was intrigued to try these matte lipsticks...

These lipsticks are on sale from £8 to £5.50 and you can buy them here.

As almost a third of the price of a MAC lipstick, these claim to be "more matte than MAC'. First I tested these on their own, but when I saw the results, I didn't even think about swatching these next to my MAC matte lipstick because it was clear that these are no way near as matte as MAC!

^ Left to Right: Marvellous Mocha, Absolute Coral, Posh Petal

^ Left to Right: Posh Petal, Absolute Coral, Marvellous Mocha

Formula:

These lipsticks are very creamy during application and they are very pigmented for their price. However, they do not last very long and tend to wear off quickly when you eat/drink which is inconvenient. When applied, they have a slight sheen and you would expect it to go matte but disappointingly it doesn't.

Shade range
On the website the shade range for these lipsticks looks incredible and very similar to some popular high end shades. It is unfortunate that the shades don't match the corresponding ones on the website which is also very inconvenient if you're looking for shade dupes for trails. If you do find a good shade that would be an alternative to high end lipsticks, the price of these lipsticks is conventient for trying out if you like the shade before you spend a lot of money on a high end one.

Is it worth it?
Personally, I won't be purchasing more of these lipsticks and i'd recommend spending a bit more on a higher end lipstick for instance MAC, or there are plenty dupes in the drugstore like the Rimmel lipsticks that are closely compared to good quality ones.

Shades

Absolute coral is an orange toned red which is great for summer. This lipstick shade doesn't match with the colour on the website which is more of a brown toned orange. I think this lipstick would look good on a lot of skin tones due to the red undertones.

Marvellous Mocha is the most successful shade out of the 3 that I have. It also corresponds to the colour on the website the most. It is a shade that would be a dupe for many lipsticks since it's a very pretty browny nude shade. 

Posh Petal is a very baby pink shade that would only suit the most fairest skin tones. The colour on the website looks very lilac and mauve when really it is straight up pink. Do not purchase this if you have darker skin tones because this can be closely compared to a pink undertone concealer.

Let me know what you think of these lipsticks if you own one..

-natalia-

TOP 7 BEACH ESSENTIALS

Hello! It's been a while since I've written a blog post - I've lost the plot and creativity but now summer is coming up and I have one too many posts & products to share with you..

Here are a few of my beach/holiday essentials which should be in your beach bag!

1. The Body Shop Fijian Water Lotus Body Cream £14

I think we all know that The Body Shop is the best with their seasonal ranges.. Now that it's summer, we have a Fijian Water Lotus range which smells of breezy fresh goodness. Trust me, go smell it. 

This is a Body Cream rather than a Body Butter which means it's much lighter and thinner so it absorbs very fast therefore you won't have that sticky moisturiser can't-touch-anything feel. The range also includes fragrance mists, shower gel, eau de toilette, and lotion - all you could ask for.

2. Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation £22

Usually, no one likes wearing a full face of make up during the summer. This product is perfect to just swipe on for a little bit of natural coverage if you're going out in the evening and you don't want the hassle with foundation etc. It also isn't heavy or thick looking which is good.

3. La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC Anti Shine Matte Fluid SPF 30 £12

If you have oily spot prone skin and you want to protect your face from the sun at a reasonable price, stop right here and purchase this in your local Boots. The consistency of this sun cream is really thin and white, when applied it absorbs very quickly. It doesn't make me less or more oily than I already am, it also doesn't break me out at all unlike a usual thick sun cream would. Can I also mention that this is water resistant? Amazing.

4. Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray £22 

So for the days when you wear makeup, this product will help your makeup stay on and look good all day. It also removes any powder residue in your makeup for a flawless finish. It is also oil free so it's perfect if you have oily skin.

5. Barry M Gelly Nail Paint 'Lychee'  £3.99

I made a post talking about the Coconut Infusion Nail Paints which you can read here. I really liked those and I thought I'd try the original range. I picked up a similar shade to "skinny dip" since I really like natural nude shades for nails. Both ranges are perfect for summer with the different range of shades at a small price.

6. Graze Subscription Box £3.99/month

I have been subscribed to this box since mid May and I loved every box from them. These are simply little boxes of joy. You can pick out what you like, dislike, want to try, and what you'd like them to send you in the next box. My favourite snacks have been: The Graze Brownie, Brilliant Banana Bread with Dates and Hazelnuts, Original Fruity Flapjack and last but not least the Herby Bread Basket. I highly recommend this subscription! They also give a lot of offers and free boxes when you sign up!

7. SPOTIFY! £9.99/month premium

Recently I purchased 3 months of Spotify Premium for 99p which was the best decision ever! And I know I will carry on my subscription with the full price after it ends. It just feels amazing to be able to click any song you want without ads and shuffling the playlist! 

Here are my Top 10 Summer Upbeat songs which you probably never heard of.. 

1. Don't Need Your Love by Lucas Nord

2. U Know by Fossa Beats

3. Borderline (Vanic Remix) by Tove Styrke

4. 3 Strikes by Terror Jr

5. Indian Summer by Jai Wolf

6. Gold by Kiiara

7. I'm In Control by Aluna George, Popcaan

8. Able to See Me by Hippie Sabotage

9. Stay by Kygo, Maty Noyes

10. Never Be Like You by Flume

Let me know what your favourite Summer Vibe songs are. I'd love any recommendations!

***

I'd like to recommend a brand that retails things like swimwear and sleepwear. They have every style, colour or shape of swimwear that you would ever want! I've had a long browse through their lovely swimming costumes and I'd love to let you know about it too! If you click HERE you will be redirected to their shop and HERE to their Instagram page! Let me know what you think of their gorgeous items!

***

Natalia x

 Here are just a few more 'artsy' close up s

hots of products mentioned in this post :)

YOUR HAIR GUIDE TO SUMMER (Part 3 of 3)

Click one of these to be redirected to another part of this guide:

Part 1 - Makeup

Part 2 - Beauty

Part 3 - Hair

This is the short but sweet and to the point guide for hair. I don't know about you, but in the summer when it's hot I don't feel like doing anything particularly great with my hair. So here are the three great products that will help you out.

TRESemmé Instant Refresh Dry Volumising Shampoo

This isn't like any other dry shampoo that I've used in the past, you know when you have that horrible dry shampoo feeling in your hair and you can't bare to touch it or put your hands through it. Those make your hair feel dirtier than it was before you put it in your hair. So unlike other ones, this one leaves movement in your hair and also masks excess oils. It is very weightless and fine but one downside to this product is that it doesn't volumise your hair to the maximum - but if you needed that you'd buy an actual volumising product. This product just lifts your hair slightly but still manages to keep your hair feeling fresh. This Instant Refresh Collection comes with three different products that suit best for you. There is a Cleansing, Translucent and Volumising one.

L'oréal Curl & Gloss Curl Mouse 

Any lazy hair girl out there? This is what you need. Wash your hair, put this foam in your hair, plait two dutch braids either side of your head, sleep, wake up and you're ready to go. Overnight heatless curls have been a life hack for girls since I can remember. But no one really put anything else in their hair when they did that. This product will keep the curl in your hair for about 2-3 days. It will also leave your hair with a natural shine but not greasy or oily looking - it is very subtle. I love to use this because it never leaves my hair feeling crunchy and I found many products like this one that always feel hard and unnatural. 

Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray

Do you ever look at photoshoots on a beach and you see a girl with amazing wavy hair - sort of a beach vibe. Well this will kind of help with that in minutes. This product creates texture and body with light to medium hold so unfortunately it won't be intense and looking as if you just curled your hair and messed it up slightly. You can use this on damp or dry hair and it will leave your hair looking, lets say, 'beachy'. You can use this on the days where your hair is looking particularly dull and just boring.

natalia x

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YOUR BEAUTY GUIDE TO SUMMER (Part 2 of 3)

As promised, here is the beauty part of this Guide. I could've put all of these into one whole post and just titled it "your ultimate guide to summer" however it would be extremely long and I doubt that anyone would want to sit and read over 1,000 words of my rambling. So this part of the guide is about body sprays and face creams etc. Keep on reading to find out what I think are some of your summer essentials.

Click one of these to be redirected to another part of this guide:

Part 1 - Makeup

Part 2 - Beauty

Part 3 - Hair (available on 18-04-16)

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight - Eau De Toilette

I've really been enjoying wearing this scent for Spring, but before I try describe how this smells, I'm just going to copy and paste the description from the Debenhams website: A lush and fruity floral, Daisy eau so fresh delight edition puts a twist on the original with an enticing rush of blood orange flourished with exotic tiare tahiti, mingled with the sweetness of raspberry. Velvety apricot leaves a lingering impression. Have you pictured the scent yet? I like how its not too over powering or too sweet, it's the perfect fresh and fruity scent.

Lush Tea Tree Toner Water

This is another refreshing, wake me up product in the morning or just throughout the day, however it has the benefits of making your skin better. You can spray this directly onto your face and then let it dry or wipe away with a cotton pad. Alternatively, you can spray it on your cotton pad and then apply to your face to help remove any left over makeup or cleanser. I like to use this because it has Tea Tree which is antibacterial, anti fungal and antimicrobial, which in normal words means it keeps away the bacteria that can cause spots. 

Hollister Crescent Bay Mist

I really like this mist too as an addition to the perfume throughout the day as a touch up. Again with the bad scent descriptions, here is the description from the Hollister website: Juicy watermelon and California poppy come together to create a brilliant, playful scent. I definitely think that this scent is watermelon, poppy and sugary woods combined into one. This scent isn't sickly or too sweet but it's more fresh and enlightening. Since this is a mist, it won't stay on as long as a perfume would so bare that in mind that it doesn't last very long. 

Mitchum Pure Fresh Anti-Perspirant Roll On

This is the best deodorant that I have ever used and I mean it. I've repurchased this about 3 times now - it's also good to mention that it lasts a fairly long time e.g. it doesn't dry up or run out. You know when you feel like you really need to reapply your deodorant through out the day. Well, now you won't because this will keep you smelling fresh all day - or 48hours as they say. You will no longer have to worry about if you're the one that smells really bad.

Olay Complete Sensitive Day Cream SPF 15

This is a new and recent purchase of mine but i've really been liking this demagogically tested moisturiser. It is suitable for normal to dry skin and it hydrates any areas of your skin that are dry. This claims to be a 3in1 moisturiser in the sense that..

1) it has a SolaSheerTM technology with broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection SPF15 gently protects the surface of your skin from daily incidental UV exposure. 

2) It has many nourishing vitals such as B3, E and Pro-V B5 which help strengthen your skins natural  moisture barrier

3) The 24 hour moisture hydrates your skin 7 layers deep to let your inner glow come through.

Now, if that doesn't tick all of the boxes of a normal simple moisturiser with all the benefits that you need then i don't know what else will at the price of only £4.99 (on offer now as of April '16 - costs £9.99 when it isn't)

Stay tuned for the last part of the guide next week :)

Natalia x

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