2018 || WHAT TO WEAR TO A PROM/GRADUATION/FORMAL BALL THIS SPRING/SUMMER

I often find it very difficult to find the right outfit for a formal event. This summer I will be graduating from university and I couldn't be more excited and proud of myself. I remember how long it took me to find my prom dress and it wasn't even my first choice but I had to pick something, right? So now I am more prepared for my formal event this time and have picked around 5 different outfits to choose from (you will see the 'chosen' one in an upcoming graduation post).

In this post, I will share with you my top pick from an online brand that I think would make a great outfit for a formal event this spring/summer. I'm a huge fan of dresses at the moment which is a massive change for me as I am more of a jeans-and-tshirt kind of gal, but I can't say that I'm not loving it!

After a thorough research, I found that lace, mauve and lilac are very stylish colours and material to wear this year. I was kindly gifted with a gorgeous dress by Tobi which is an online clothing brand based in the US and has something for everybody.

I was really excited to receive my parcel from Tobi as I haven't previously shopped from there but have wanted to for a while now. It was difficult to choose the outfits I liked the most, but once I did and they arrived I couldn't be happier. One of the items that caught my eye straight away was this beautiful Kinsley Lace Ruffle Skater Dress.

The quality of this dress is absolutely exquisite and I couldn't fault it at all. It is very comfortable and true to size, I was worried it'll be see-through as I wore it without a bra but it really isn't! It looks great on and is very flattering on my figure - we're not all blessed with a tiny waist(!).
If you did want to wear a bra for extra support, then I would suggest wearing a strapless or stick-on bra as then you won't be able to see it, but do make sure it isn't a balconette bra but more of a low-cut style one like this one here.

The off-the-shoulder lace sleeves are very flattering for people with broad shoulders. I don't particularly have very wide shoulders but I feel like this dress looks quite nice on my arms and makes them look more toned than they are, which is always a plus! The length is also perfect as it isn't too short but not too long either, making this dress a great outfit to wear in the summer - (bear in mind that I had these pictures taken when it was 3 degrees outside).

What drew me to this dress the most was probably the neckline detail. I have always been a huge fan of drawstring type of tops and to see it on a classy dress is always a positive. The strings are adjustable so you can show as little or as much cleavage as you like, but it's also great for gals who are a different size in their top half to the bottom half as you can really adjust the way it looks and sits on your figure.

Now I really want to get it in the other colours too! You can shop this gorgeous dress here (BTW IT'S IN THE SALE, GO GO GO!)

*I was sent some clothes by Tobi in exchange for an honest review. This is not a sponsored post but does include some affiliate links. All opinions are honest and my own. The photographs were kindly taken by my talented sister.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || THE NEW AND IMPROVED MOISTURE SURGE 72-HOUR AUTO-REPLENISHING HYDRATOR

Some of you may already know that I recently started working for Clinique, and I couldn't be happier to be sharing one of my all-time favourite products with you. The original Moisture Surge Hydrator has been around since 1980's and has not been spoken about enough. Moisture Surge has been labelled the UK's number 2 best-selling moisturiser of all time which is very well deserved. I have tried many moisturisers for my oily-dry combination skin and none of them seemed to work as well as this one.

The first Moisture Surge I have tried was the newer version which was released in 2012 (I think) and I absolutely loved it. It felt very lightweight and soothing on my skin and made the perfect base for my makeup. The new, and improved version, however, is pretty much the same texture as the previous one but with more benefits.

The inspiration behind this miracle in a jar was to bring our skin to a baby-like condition. As we mature, our skin loses its ability to create its own hydration, becoming drier and losing its natural suppleness and healthy glow. Now, the new Moisture Surge 72-Hour Hydrator has been designed to keep your skin hydrated for up to 72 hours from within the dermis even after washing your face! This, of course, does not mean that you shouldn't apply the product twice a day, but what it does mean is that it will deliver a continuous flow of hydration to every living layer of the skin - sort of like watering a plant you can see the water sink in to the roots and that is exactly what this product does.

There are actually 7 different ways you can use your Moisture Surge Hydrator, which make it so much better value for your money! These include:
5-Minute Moisturising Mask - apply a generous amount to your entire face and wash off after 5 minutes for a hydrating face mask.
Cuticle Treatment - tidy up your cuticles in seconds by massaging the product over each nail bed to soften and soothe dry and rough cuticles.
Frizz Fighter - get rid of frizzy hair by applying a dime-size amount onto your palms and running your hands lightly through the ends or any frizzy bits.
Glow on the Go - apply a small amount of the product on the back of your hand alongside a thick swatch of the Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight, mix both products in together and apply the mixture to the high points of your face as you would with a liquid highlighter.
Dry Spot Soother - apply a small amount directly to any dry spots in need, even over your makeup.
Sheer Bronzer - mix in a liquid bronzer then blend the mixture all over your face for a sun-kissed glow.
Wow Now Practice - apply Moisture Surge onto the back of one of your hands and dab over with face powder - apply only powder onto the other hand and compare results - you should see how smooth the hand will look where you've used the hydrator.

My initial thoughts on this new Moisture Surge are that it made my skin feel like velvet and baby-like. If you've read my Porefessional review you will know what sort of feeling I meant by this, but it is quite indescribable unless you've tried the product yourself. Once I've applied the Moisture Surge I let it sink into my skin for a couple of minutes, (it does have a tacky feeling to it so if you like to put your makeup on such consistencies then go right ahead as it will make it last longer) and go on to apply my makeup. I've found that my makeup sits on my skin a lot better when I use Moisture Surge 72-Hour and actually lasts longer without my foundation separating. Even after I take my makeup off, I can feel how smooth and velvet-like my skin is - this is definitely the best product of 2018 and it's only February! So, well done Clinique! You have really outdone yourself this time!

*Available in UK stores from the 2nd March 2018.

You can purchase the new Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator through their website here.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

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

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 16 - THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES (ZOELLA'S RECIPE)

These might not be the most appetising-looking cookies in the world, but they sure do taste good! I always make some festive treats this time of the year, so I thought it'd be useful if I shared with you my favourite sugar cookie recipe.
This is actually a recipe I got from Zoella's blog and I absolutely love how these came out (taste-wise) as I'm not the best at decorating cakes due to lack of equipment but hopefully I'll be able to share more recipes with you in my new house soon.

You will need these ingredients for the cookie batter:
140g Icing Sugar
250g Butter (cut into chunks)
1 Egg Yolk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
375g Plain Flour

For the icing:
225g Icing Sugar
1 Egg White
Cold Water

The Method:

Preheat the oven to 190oC.

In a mixing bowl, add butter, icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Once you're happy with the consistency of the batter, start adding in the flour bit by bit and mix it in until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in cling film and set aside in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
Spread some flour onto a worktop/chopping board and roll out the dough with a rolling pin (I don't have a rolling pin so I used a cucumber wrapped in cling film hahaha - desperate times call for desperate measures!). Once you roll out the dough, pick your favourite festive cookie cutters and start carving out some shapes. I actually used a pumpkin cutter as I couldn't find any festive ones, so I tried to turn them into baubles but as you can see in pictures they look like something a 5-year-old would make haha. Now that you have your cookies cut out and ready to bake, place them on a baking tray laid out with baking paper to avoid sticking and pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
While the cookies are in the oven, you can now make the icing mixture. In a bowl, mix in the icing sugar and the egg white until smooth. If you find the consistency a little bit too thick then you can add a bit of cold water to make it more spreadable. Once you have a perfect consistency, put the icing into a piping bag and decorate your cookies once they're cool. And voilá! 

Obviously, my cookies don't look good at all (it's okay I already laughed at my failure), but they really do taste great and are very easy to make! I feel like this is an easy family task everyone would enjoy - especially when it comes to decorating.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 15 - GIFTS FOR HIM - AFFORDABLE LUXURIOUS SHIRTS FOR MEN FT. MILL NO. 8

I always struggle to buy gifts for my boyfriend or my dad, because who wants to receive tons of skincare products or alcohol every year for all occasions? Not the men in my family, that's for sure... So when I was contacted by Nehal from Mill No. 8 asking if I wanted to try out their service and receive a free shirt, I jumped to the opportunity as I know my boyfriend loves to wear shirts on special occasions and our 5 year anniversary is just around the corner.

First of all, the website is very easy to navigate so it does save a lot of time when you're looking for something in particular. There is a huge variety of different clothes to choose from - the images included throughout the website are very high fashion and almost persuade you to buy the whole outfit thanks to the photographers and models, of course.