January

Wednesday 31 January 2018

WHAT'S IT REALLY LIKE FOR ME TO STUDY, WORK AND BLOG ALL AT ONCE?



Not many of you will know this but I’ve been blogging since around the age of 9-10 when I was going through a hard time due to personal reasons and found that it made me feel invincible. I had my first blog at that age and it was a creative writing and art website (it’s been deleted years ago, but I really enjoyed writing it and creating original images using Photoshop and other software). To say that I did all that at such a young age is crazy, but that’s when I knew it was definitely something I’d want to pursue further as a teenager as I felt that I wasn’t old enough to put myself on the Internet - my blog at the time was anonymous. 
My current blog, my little baby, has actually turned 5 years old this month and I’m very excited to start sharing some more content with you all. After being absent for over a month, I feel like I need to get back into the game and I’m sorry for that, but I will explain what’s been going on with my life for me to not engage fully with my blog and audience.

Let’s be honest, blogging isn’t an easy job to do. I love it, but having to stay on top of my social media accounts, engage in group chats, schedule posts, and reply to all emails is getting a bit too much for me to handle. I’m a third-year university student so you can only imagine the ton of work I’ve got to do this upcoming semester. The blogging community is also not what it was last year, I mean I’ve made a lot of friends but I have also come across many bitter people who see everything as a competition rather than a hobby. Blogging for me is a hobby and something I’d love to do full time if it paid enough, but it seems like so many people join this creative community to get free stuff and bring others down...

I recently left my job at the Disney store and moved onto something bigger - a job in makeup. My new job suits me very well and I love it, I love making others feel beautiful in their own skin and other perks that come with the job, such as the clientele, colleagues and discounts of course. But since starting my new job I feel like I’ve fallen behind on my blogging, not only because I’ve been away on training or had to learn a lot of things, but also because I see beauty at work so don’t want to talk about it all the time on my blog too... hence why I’ve decided to create more fashion content this year as these posts seem to go down very well with you all. I will by no means neglect the beauty side of my blog, I will continue to do product reviews etc. But I will also share makeup looks on my YouTube channel to which you can subscribe here. 

Being a third-year student, I find it really difficult to manage my time especially as my work rota constantly changes making it even harder for me to plan out my days. I would ideally like to do at least 20 extra hours a week of uni work as well as post 3 times a week on my blog, and daily on Instagram and twitter but I don’t see that happening anytime soon... I also recently decided to change my diet completely and slowly transition to being vegan which I’m very excited about and cannot wait to make lots of delicious recipes from The Little Blog Of Vegan
With my poor spending habits, I have bought many notepads including a daily diary which will help me manage my time better. I have one for normal everyday tasks and a separate one for my uni work. I also bought a budget planner which I find very useful because it does help me with my spending a lot, and even though I have treated myself a lot this month as it was my birthday recently, I have saved more money than ever and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. This has actually helped with my mental health and I feel a lot more in control of my mind and what goes through it. No more overthinking, and no more letting little things bring me down.

As I have neglected my blog, I will try to write more now that I’m getting back on track with my life, however I find it difficult to schedule posts on time with all the work I have got to do, so please bear with me and I promise I will reward you with a giveaway soon. But for now, I will work my butt off to produce the best content ever for you as well as try to engage myself in more Twitter chats, Instagram stories and posts.

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Monday 6 March 2017

2017 || JANUARY FAVOURITES





Oh, have I been spoilt for my birthday this year! Turning 21 really does mean you get old - but we only get better and wiser with age!

During my birthday month, I was enjoying the Lovestruck perfume by Vera Wang which I was kindly gifted by my other half. I really love the scent of it, it's very fresh and feminine - perfect for the Spring.

Of course, a nail varnish had to make my top 5! I've gone back to my old trusty Barry M in the shade 04. I can only wear nude nails for work (boring I know) and I've been loving this matte little number. You only need one coat and it covers the nail bed perfectly! I would definitely recommend this shade for those who like a cool-toned nude.

Benefit always manages to amaze me with their products. As soon as Dandelion Shy Beam came out, I knew I had to bag it up. It's the most perfect matte highlighter for pale gals like me. It looks beautiful on its own as well as with a dust of powder highlight on top. I would recommend this to everyone who has problems with finding the perfect highlighter for them! - Don't let the price tag put you off, as this is very worth it!

Colourpop is one of my favourite affordable brands, but it costs a fortune to have it shipped to England! :( I've only made one order with them so far, but I will definitely be buying more of their products for sure. I have been using the Ultra Satin Lip in shade Barracuda nearly every day. It is a beautiful pink shade which suits all skin types and feels great on the lips. It's not drying at all and I found that it doesn't smudge throughout the day - ding ding ding, we've got a winner!
Another one of my favourites is their eyeshadows (all shades tbh!). I don't remember the name of this shade, but honestly, the pigment and consistency of these are amazing! If you can get your hands on any of Colourpop products then I would definitely suggest getting the pressed pigments.

What have you been loving this January? Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Saturday 20 February 2016

2016 || January Favourites

Good Evening Everyone!

I know I've been really naughty and slacking in blogging - I'm really sorry! It's just really hard to find enough time to edit photographs and write long posts while revising for exams and catching up with coursework, hence why all the rubbish short posts on my blog! I promise I'll try harder from now on! 


Right, let's get to the point. I know everyone will start doing the 'Feb Faves' posts, but I need to catch up and do my January Favourites!! So, as most of you know I turned 20 in January. I am officially an adult and I feel sooo old! I can't get away with things like I used to, I need to be responsible (ish) now! :(

My most loved item has to be my Michael Kors watch that I got from my parents as a birthday gift. Just look how beautiful it is! It's the exact same style as most girls already have but they tend to go for the all-round rose gold. I however, wasn't so keen on the rose gold ones as I thought they blended with my skin too much, but when I saw this navy beauty I instantly fell in love and had to have it. It is very unique - I haven't seen anyone wearing the exact same watch as me yet so I guess I have good taste!

Next up - which actually isn't in this picture, is also a birthday gift which I received from my other half. A heart shaped ring with a pink diamond. It is beyond cute and so me!! My boy did well! ;)

My favourite beauty product throughout January has to be MAC's lipstick in Spirit. It is a lovely brown-nude which compliments any skin tone and makes teeth look whiter. I would recommend this shade to those who love a nude lip and aren't a massive fan of Whirl as this is a bit more toned down.

I only recently started using eyelash curlers as I never felt the need to use them - my lashes are naturally curved. However, as I was given Benefit's They're Real for Christmas, I wanted my lashes to stand out even more so I grabbed my Kiko cosmetics lash curlers and omg they are beyond good! 

I was also gifted with an acrylic nail set so I could do my own nails at home, I'm never satisfied when I get my nails done as the staff always mess them up and then try to say that I have wonky fingers!! How rude!! So, I've bought a nude matte nail varnish from Barry M for only £3.99 and that's the only colour I've been wearing all month!

Who had the chance to get hold of Ellie Goulding's MAC collection? Well, I did! I bought one of her lipsticks in shade 'Only You' And the bronzer/blusher compact x2, and also the 209 Rose Gold Eyeliner brush. Let's just say I have no regrets, but my favourite product out of those three has got to be the eyeliner brush as it makes the application so much easier and my liner comes out more precise each time!

Last but not least, my beloved Fairytale Designer Collection at work released beautiful notebooks and we didn't have any in store until somebody had returned them from purchasing them online! And what did I do? I bought them! I've been loving this Peter Pan one the most just because Tinkerbell looks so adorable there! I do own a matching dress from the Fever Collection online store which you can see here.

Have you tried any of these products or own any of the items above? 

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Drugstore Beauty Haul


So, yesterday I went a bit mad at Boots and bought a few beauty items - even though I was only after a foundation! I grabbed myself a basket and started shoving everything I liked in it. I did save a lot of money as most the items I purchased were on offer.
So as you can see, I bought L'oreal's Line Studio Hair products, foundation and primer. Then from Rimmel I got a foundation and powder, and from Seventeen (One of my all-time favourite high street brands) I got a brow kit, bronzer, mascara and lipstick.


First up, we've got the Seventeen products. So, I've never used these but have heard great things about those products. The Brow's That kit was on my wishlist for quite a while now, especially as I've seen how amazing it looks on my mum as she has one. I really enjoyed using it and it's a fantastic dupe for Benefit's BrowZings but comes with a brow pencil and a highlighter for the brow bone instead of the tweezers. a small brow brush is also included, however, I prefer to use an angled brush for my brows.
The Instant Glow Bronzing Powder in Medium caught my eye as I was looking at powders in the 17 section. It is very pigmented and looks natural at the same time. It's matte so it gave me a nice subtle and natural-looking contour. I will definitely repurchase this product when (or shall I say IF) I run out of it, as it's very pigmented and you don't need a lot of the product for the desired look. I would say it's very good for beginners as is a much cheaper option than opting for Benefit's Hoola.
The Supreme Shine Lipstick in shade Bon Bon is a great dupe for Ellie Goulding's MAC lipstick in shade 'Only You'. The finish is lustre but is quite pigmented and looks natural - my new go-to lipstick for a natural look!
Right, moving onto the mascara - I didn't realise that I picked out the colour Brown/Black, therefore, I can't say much about it as I will be exchanging it for a black one, but I really like the slim packaging of it!

I've wanted to try L'oreal's Infallible products for quite a while now and was stuck between the matte and satin finish foundations. As you can see, I decided to go for the Matte finish as it provides full coverage - and I have enough light to medium coverage foundations so thought I'll try this one out. I really like the primer, it has a gel texture and glides on beautifully onto my skin, filling out all the pores and imperfections. The foundation is also a very good buy, YAY! It does not look drying when it comes out of the tube and is very easy to apply. It does not dry as soon as in contact with skin which makes it really easy to blend. I would say I prefer this foundation to MAC's Studio Fix, but I need to wear it for a few days before making my mind up completely.

If there is anyone who hasn't yet tried Rimmel's Stay Matte powder then you really need to reconsider whether you really are into make-up or not. It is my holy grail and for only £3.99 I don't see why you wouldn't have it in your make-up bag already. I always choose the shade 'transparent' to set my foundation. It does not dry out my skin and makes it look natural as well as mattifying.
I've not tried the foundation yet, but I've heard many good things about it. I am slightly concerned about the shade though as it has a yellow undertone and looks like it would suit someone with olive skin, rather than pale me. However, it is the lightest shade from the collection and I am willing to try it even if I have to apply fake tan beforehand.
Last but not least, a few non-beauty products. I don't know about you, but I always have a body spray in my handbag to use throughout the day - it's a necessity if you're always busy and on the go. This one was actually reduced to 43 pence I think, total bargain!
I do like L'oreal's hair products and I've used the hair mousse before and loved it, therefore repurchased it for the first time. On the other hand, the Sculpting Spritz is a new addition to my hair products and I am hoping it will keep my hair in place! I do love a sleek ponytail or hair swept back and straight. I will do a full review of it once I start using it.

Have you used any of those products? If so, did you like them? What other high street products do you recommend?

Lots of love,
Maya xo 

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Review || DermaV10 Q10 Innovations Regenerating Moisturiser

Good Evening Everyone!!
How's everyone holding up knowing that Christmas is over? No more lay-ins but late nights and sleep deprivation to get that work done! I have been very poorly since September and have got given yet another antibiotics so had been staying in bed for the past three days :( I miss my friends!! I'm trying to be on top of everything, including my coursework, revision and also uni preparations!! I cannot wait to get my LNAT out of the way next month, along with my mock exams. I am so excited to finally join my friends and go to university to study law!! How great is fresher's week going to be?! WOOO!!
Anyway, excuse the enthusiasm! I have recently found this AMAZING skincare product and am over the moon with it. In my previous post I have told you about my first experience with DermaV10 and how happy I was with the product especially for the price! (here) This time I bought an anti wrinkle cream (better to be safe than sorry!) and it was only 99p. Yup, that's right - 99 PENCE.
As you can see, it is a new product recently added to their wide range, and is suitable for all skin types. I will definitely buy more of those products to review for you guys, and I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
So here is what the jar looks like. It is plastic and doesn't look great but come on now, what can you expect for the price? It looks pretty good to me!
The product was sealed so that's always a good thing. Very hygienic. The actual moisturiser looks like any other one, kind of reminded me of Nivea by the scent and texture.
The consistency of the product is very thick and you don't need a lot for your face. It glides on smoothly and leaves your skin replenished, hydrated and silky smooth. I have been using this product for over a week now every day and night and I have noticed results after the first use. My skin feels a lot smoother and healthier, with a nice dewy glow. I definitely recommend this product to any girl my age who hasn't got wrinkles but wants to prevent them, and also any older woman who needs that extra boost for their skin, because it might actually help you! Because I don't have wrinkles, I cannot tell you whether it's good for people who do, however it's worth trying as it won't do you any harm, it's gentle for the skin and very affordable.

What do you guys think? Should I do a give away of DermaV10's products? Have you tried any of them?

Lots of love,
Maya xo
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