2017 || AUGUST FAVOURITES

August wasn't the best of months for beauty products for me, but I did manage to find some products that I loved - including an app which I never really mention on here. The one makeup product that I loved was the L'oreal Infallible Total Cover Foundation in shade Porcelain (yup, I'm that pale). I must say that this is one of the best full coverage drugstore foundations I have ever used and reminds me of this high-end product. As August was a bit of a hit-or-miss month when it came to the weather, I was loving Carmex's Lime Twist lip balm to hydrate my dry lips. I love the scent and flavour of this little gem, as well as the tingly feeling it leaves on my mouth - does that sound weird? Because it works amazingly!

My current skincare consists of smothering myself up in Vaseline's Intensive Care Advanced Repair moisturiser, followed by the St. Tropez Instant Tan for a natural and glowy look. I have to admit and say that I'm quite lazy when it comes to caring for my skin, especially when I have to moisturise as to me it feels like a chore. However, since I started using this moisturiser I have noticed positive results in my dry skin and it feels a lot more nourished than usual. The St. Tropez Instant Tan is great as a last minute tan boost before an event etc. as it develops very quickly and doesn't stain your clothes!

The app that I've been using daily (besides Instagram and Twitter, obvs) is My Fitness Pal which has helped me keep track of how many calories I eat in a day and what foods to avoid, and what to eat more of. It also sends me reminders to drink more water which I've been trying to be very good with - my goal is to drink 3 litres a day.
I've been trying to lose some weight and tone up for the past few weeks and I won't lie and say I've been good because I haven't. I will try and keep up with my fitness routine and get back to y'all in a couple of months.

My favourite hair products during August were the Lee Stafford Coco Loco Coconut Heat Protection Mist, and Superdrug's Bloomin' Barnet Dry Shampoo. I was in need of a new heat protection spray so grabbed the Coco Loco one to try out as I'm a sucker for anything coconut scented and I must say that I love it very much and use it all the time before using hot irons. On the other hand, the dry shampoo is my life saver on sweaty and oily days when my hair needs a little bit of refreshment, as well as for when it needs some extra 'oomph'.

What did you enjoy using this month? Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned in this post?

Lots of love

Maya xo

TRAVEL || HOLIDAY MUST-HAVES - WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU ABROAD

Who's off on holiday this year then? I love travelling, it makes me very happy and excited for the future with Kieran when we can travel the world and see all sorts of places together.

We have actually already been on our holiday this year and have learnt a few new tips from our recent trip to Rome! So I thought I'd share with you my holiday must-haves.

1) Sunscreen - duh! This is probably the most important item you will need to take with you on a holiday. I usually take factor 30 as I'm naturally very pale but because I have educated myself on how important it is to wear SPF that I decided to take factor 50 with me this year. I used to be very bothered about not being able to tan like the rest of my family, but now I understand that my skin produces freckles rather than tan to protect itself. I have also recently started to wear fake tan more which suits my lifestyle a lot more.

2) Sunglasses - My eyes have become very sensitive over the past few years as I use the computer more than ever and don't wear my glasses all day every day. I think I'll end up having to get some contact lenses soon as I hate wearing my glasses due to them rubbing makeup off my nose! I've taken with me my trusty Oscar De La Renta sunnies and a few more Primark ones which are very instagramable as well as affordable!

3) Travel sized cosmetics - this is very important, especially if you don't have a hold luggage allowance. I usually take full sized products and try to use them up or leave some behind, but this time I thought I'll be good and save up plenty of space and weight by putting the majority of my products into smaller containers or just simply buying travel-sized products e.g. shaving gel, shampoo etc.

4) Sunhat - you have to make sure that you have some sort of heat-protective headwear with you as the sun abroad, especially in places like Greece and Spain is really strong. I usually bring a big floppy hat with me and wear it every day.

5) A good book - I love reading, but I never seem to find the time for it. I have just finished reading 'Getting rid of Matthew' and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This holiday, I took with me Grey by E.L. James as we only went away for one week.

So here are my top 5 must-haves to take with me on holidays. What are yours? Let me know in the comments section down below!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2017 || JULY FAVOURITES

I know this post is now long overdue, however, I found it quite hard to balance out blogging while on holiday as I stupidly didn't schedule any posts before setting off! Thus, not only is this post a bit late but I also included the UD Naked Heat palette in my July's favourites as I had a couple of weeks longer to play with it rather than judging it by its first use, even though it's bloody amazing.

HOW TO RESTORE SEVERELY DAMAGED SHORT HAIR - MY STORY OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM DUE TO HAIR LOSS AND OVERUSING HEAT

Oh dear, my hair journey... ha! Where to begin? Let's start from the first time I dyed my hair - I was a very self-conscious 13-year-old who felt the need to do everything to not look like 'me'.
I was in a very bad place at the time because of bullying and trying to settle in my new school, but now I wish I never touched my hair.

I had beautiful golden blonde hair which was long and healthy, it wasn't very thick but it was definitely thicker than it is now. I begged my mum for months to let me dye my hair and she finally did which made me very happy. I kept bleaching my hair until the age of 15 when I decided I wanted to have brown hair?! - If you're thinking about dying your hair brown but you're a natural blonde, make sure you speak to a professional beforehand, because me going brunette was the worst decision ever. After a couple of weeks, I got bored of my dark hair and wanted my blonde hair back. Oh, boy was it hard to go back to blonde then! I bleached and bleached and bleached my hair until it went a horrible bright orangey-yellow colour and very bad condition.

For my prom, I wanted to have long and curly hair but did I f**k... The hairdresser I went to BURNT MY HAIR OFF!!! She burnt my hair off the DAY of my prom.... The condition of it was so bad that all was left for me to do is have it cut really short and re-grow it. When I say short I don't mean Pixie-cut short, I mean above shoulder-bob-length which I hated. Thinking back now, I should have sued the woman! She was so rude as well, not helpful when it came to me picking out a hairstyle at all... and the fact that she did not dry my hair properly and using styling irons which weren't suitable for wet hair on me made me so angry. But, you live and you learn...

After 5 years of trying to grow my hair out and dye it less, I can say that I'm finally happy with the condition of it due to this routine and these products:

My current hair care routine consists of scrubbing my scalp every time I wash my hair - 2-3 times a week, depending on my plans. Once I've scrubbed my scalp and got rid of all the dry skin, excess product etc. I then move onto shampooing and conditioning my hair as normal, I have recently been using the whole Lee Stafford Hair Growth range and I've noticed a massive difference in the quality and length of my hair already. Once a week I will use a hair mask to nourish my hair, I love this one from Lush and any of the Lee Stafford ones.

I used to wash and straighten my hair every day for at least a year, so I have cut down a lot on using heated tools. When I was regrowing my hair properly I refused to use any heated tools and just let my hair dry naturally and put it up using scrunchies or invisibobbles.
Now, I blow dry my hair every time I wash it because now that I'm older I take care of my appearances more than I used to, and from time to time I'll either curl or straighten my hair too. I have been really enjoying using Lee Staffords' Coco Loco Heat Protecting Mist as it smells bloody amazing, and works wonders for my hair too! Jeez, this sounds like a sponsored post but it really isn't! I paid for all these products with my own money and I only buy hair care products when they're on offer anyway.
Another issue which bugs me is that my hair falls out so much every time I brush it... I know it's normal to have up to 100 strands of hair to fall out but my hair is thin enough as it is!! Would you recommend any hair products or how to reduce hair fall out?

Have you ever been through something similar? What are your holy grail hair products?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

CHEAP AND HEALTHY SNACKS THAT WILL STOP YOUR CRAVINGS

So, you've clicked on this post and now you're wondering what snacks can be 1. yummy, 2. healthy, and 3. cheap all at the same time? Well sit back and relax hun, because you're in for a treat (no pun intended)! I usually do my food shopping in Tesco as it's close to my workplace and house, but since I'm moving to a new place in September my closest shop will be Aldi (I'm very happy about this). As you can see, these things were all bought at Aldi on my recent trip for some vegetables but as you can see the trip took a different turn and I ended up buying some goodies - #NoRegrets.

Ever since trying Popchips for the first time in my life this year (and loving them obviously), and hearing from many influencers that Aldi does a cheaper version I had to try some out. They come in two flavours - BBQ and Sour Cream & Chive - the BBQ are my and Kieran's favourite, and at only £1.29 they're a bargain! Aldi's Pop Outs are made with a lot less fat and are actually a healthy alternative to regular crisps so you can still enjoy yourself and indulge in some heavenly crisp sandwiches.

Talking about a crisp heaven, I came across these sweet chili gluten free rice cakes which are AMAZING. I've always been a big fan of rice cakes and usually tend to go for slightly salted rice cakes or plain with a bit of peanut butter to taste but these are great on their own as either a lunchtime or late-night snack. As I mentioned above, these are also gluten free so anyone can enjoy them! - they also come in a few different flavours but this one sounded the most appetising to me, and at only 79p per packet you cannot go wrong!

I used to be obsessed with peanut butter but since literally over-dosing on it a couple of years ago I stopped buying it and would only have it on special occasions. When I came across this wonderful jar of Wholenut Smooth Peanut Butter which has no added sugar, I had to buy it. It's great on toast, mixed in a smoothie or protein shake, with porridge - the combinations are endless! It tastes very nutty which I personally love and know that even Kieran will eat it if it's mixed in with his food! I believe this only cost me £1.29 on offer with the usual price being around £1.50 which s still very affordable.

Cacao powder was on my shopping list for a while but I wasn't going to buy any until we had settled in our new flat but seeing it in Aldi for only £1.99 I had to buy it - come on now! It only has 37 calories per 10 grams which is pretty good, especially if you like to add it to unflavoured protein or porridge. I bought it to make a healthier version of brownies or granola bars that taste good so my little brother and sister can enjoy them as well as the adults.

I feel like I've saved the best 'til last! These are honestly the best brownie bars I have ever tried and believe me when I say I've tried a LOT 😳 They are gluten free, soya free, vegetarian, and it says milk free so I guess they're also vegan? But make sure you check the ingredients list before you buy them as they may contain some traces of animal produce. It's like they're a cheaper version of the Nakd bars which are pricey but oh-so-delicious! I believe these only cost £1.49 for 3 bars so it comes up to 50p per bar which for a healthy snack is fantastic - my university sells a piece of fruit for 80p so I'd much rather stock up on these and carry a packet around in my handbag to snack on inbetween lectures for an instant energy boost.

Have you tried any of the snacks I mentioned above? Did any of them tickle your fancy? I know for a fact that I'll be getting some more of these during our weekly food shop as you can't go wrong with tasty, healthy AND cheap snacks like these.

Lots of love,

Maya xo