Tanya Burr for Glamour Magazine

Hey guys!

So yesterday I picked up a copy of one of my all time favourite magazines - Glamour. I was so excited when I watched Tanya Burr's video where she announced that she's going to be on the cover of Glamour's December issue. She looks phenomenal. She's always been portrayed as the good girl but now we can see a different side to her - slightly more edgy and sexy. I must say she definitely is my new girl crush!

I think what excited me more than Tanya looking fabulous, was the free gift that came with the mag! Clinique have always been one of my top high-end brands and to find out that they were collaborating with Glamour yet again and this time they included lipsticks was like music to my ears! I quickly grabbed a copy with a gorgeous nude lipstick shade and I instantly fell in love with it. I know there's an another shade which is more reddish - I think it's called Cherry Pop? Either way, it will be mine once I find it!

Did you manage to get a copy for yourself? If so, what free gift did you choose?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2015 || August Favourites

Hi lovelies!

I have actually forgot to post the August Favourites, hence why the September Favourites post has been posted before this one! I don't have a lot to talk about as I don't remember what I used much that month, however I did manage to get hold of Miley Cyrus' new Viva Glam range and were using both her shades throughout that month religiously.

The Viva Glam 1 is an amplified hot pink which looks great on with a smoky eye in the evening or in the day with a bit of black waterproof mascara. The Viva Glam 2 is an orangey-red matte finish which looks fantastic with a classic winged eye liner and false lashes.

Do you own any products from Miley's range? Which one do you prefer?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2015 || September Favourites

Hey guys!

Most of you already know that I am a massive tea drinker and I've previously reviewed Clipper's tea here. As September is such a dreary month, I've been drinking more tea. I'm a big fan of green and herbal teas, especially in the morning while I'm getting ready or at night before bed. 

Lemon green tea are very refreshing to have in the morning and because it has caffeine it will wake you up instantly. If you find green tea a bit bitter, you can always use a sweetener or one teaspoon of sugar for added taste. I would recommend using honey instead of sugar just because it tastes nicer and is healthier. :)

You could also add a slice of lemon or orange for extra taste. I love putting slices of lemon, orange and a couple of mint leaves in filtered water as it's a good cleanser for your system and gets rid of unhealthy toxins!

This tea retails at around £3.00. I bought it on offer for only £1.00 which is a complete bargain for 80 tea bags.

The Snore&Peace tea is very calming and sends you off to sleep. It is especially useful for people who share a room and feel like they are disrupting the other person with their snoring as this tea helps to clear out the nasal cavity, enabling the person to breathe through their nose without snoring. It is very tasty, and I highly recommend it to those who have snoring problems or are just after a peaceful night.

Have you tried any of these teas? If so, what did you think of them?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

BEAUTY || FACE OF THE DAY USING LUXURY AND DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS

Today I wanted to share with you my top beauty products for an every-day look. They are mostly high-end products, however, they can be easily replaced by more affordable alternatives on the high street.

I never thought that I'd find a primer that's nearly half as good as Benefit's Porefessional, however, the Clinique's colour correcting super primer is amazing. It glides onto my face making it look and feel velvet smooth and on top of that it tones down the redness of my cheeks. It's a perfect base for anyone who suffers from rosacea or any type of redness on their face.

The next product which I am obsessed with is the Esteé Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover foundation in shade 'Creamy Vanilla'. The current price of this product is £29.50 from what I can remember, but I have actually bought it for just under £15 on feelunique.com back in March when it was on offer. It is very thick and creamy in consistency but very easy to blend. You also don't need a lot of product for your whole face which is always a plus as it will last you longer. The only downside of this product is that it doesn't come in a lot of shades and the one that I use is the lightest shade that I usually wear when I fake tan or mix it with another product.

MAC's Studio Fix seems to be everyone's favourite foundation, however, I am not the biggest fan of it myself. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good foundation and it is affordable as it can last up to a year for only £21.50 that's only £1.80 per month, however, I find it too mattifying and drying for my skin type. BUT when I mix it with my Esteé Lauder foundation to create a lighter shade it works perfectly well and gives my skin a flawless finish. This way my face doesn't appear dry nor oily. I use the shade NW10 which I find slightly too pale for myself, however last time I purchased the NW15 and that was too warm for my skin tone! Maybe next time I will try the NW13 or continue to mix two shades together.

After applying the base I set it with a Chanel loose powder for extra coverage and to make my make-up last longer. I swear by this product and it lasts forever, I have over half of it left and I've already had it for over a year. I'd love to recommend this product to you all but sadly it was a limited edition item and is no longer available to buy.

So, the next step I applied my Bourjois bronzer. Loads of people boast about this product saying how good it is - I won't disagree with them as I do really like it but I wouldn't call it my favourite just yet (I haven't found my favourite bronzer yet, so if you have any suggestions please note them in the comment section below!). I usually apply bronzer under my cheek bones to make them look slimmer and when I've acquired my desired look I then apply some bronzer to the sides of my forehead to further contour my face. I then apply my favourite highlighter to the apple of my cheeks for a nice natural glow.  The product I have used to highlight is by MUA and I think the shade is called 'Iridescent Glow'.

For my eye look, I used MAC's Brûlée, Era and Naked Lunch. Firstly, I applied Brûlée across my eyelid and under my brow, then I blended in Era in my crease to add a bit of colour to my eyes. Era is an earthy brown shade which makes blue eyes pop out more, hence why it's one of my favourite colours! After I've blended in Era with Brûlée in my crease, I applied Naked Lunch across the to give my shadow that extra shimmer and make it look more glamorous! This is definitely one of my favourite looks to do as it is super simple and only takes a couple of minutes.

Of course for my eyebrows, I used one of my favourite compacts from Benefit. I have been using this product for nearly two years now and I still have plenty left. It is one of the best beauty purchases I have made and I must say that Benefit have smashed it with this product! I have tried a few different types of brow powders, but this one is my ultimate favourite.

I received a sample of MAC's new mascara with my recent order and I am in love with it! It's the False Lash Mascara in Extreme Black (Sadly it is not discontinued). It covers my lashes perfectly well, and as most of you know I have really fair lashes so it makes my eyes look bigger and there's no need for falsies as you can actually see the definition on my real lashes which look super long and thick! When I went into MAC's pro store in Nottingham last week to pick up a few things, the full-size mascara was on my list and I was very upset to find out that it was out of stock! :( To add more volume I applied a coat of Zoom Lash (also by MAC) which I wasn't so keen on when I first got it but it's grown on me a bit now.

I don't really like this eyeliner but it was the only one I had at the time - it's the Loreal's Super Liner Blackbuster. The brush applicator is too thick to handle with ease, which makes it harder to draw flicks to suit my eye shape. However, it's a good product but not my favourite. It's long-lasting, so would be perfect if it had a slimmer applicator.

For my lips, I used MAC's Cremesheen lip liner in shade 80% (discontinued) and Brave lipstick on top for an ombré nude lip. This is my favourite lip look which I find looks really good with most eye looks. I recommend this combo to everyone who loves a 90's lip - a darker liner with a pale middle. 

Do you own any of these products? What is your daily go-to makeup look?

*This post contains affiliate links.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Recent Meals Out

Hey guys!

Due to being a super busy student I haven't had much time to eat proper meals at home so as a result I've been eating out quite often. My favourite place was propably Fat Cat in Nottingham City Centre.

 

I went out to Fat Cat twice in one week, the first time with my girl friends Evie and Ama

rah, and the second time with the boyfriend. The first night we ordered a round of never ending cocktails/mocktails and a platter of nachos with jalapeños, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. They were so delicious that the second time I went with Kieran we ordered some too!

Me and my lovely went for a pizza to share and nachos to start off with. Of course the food was delicious as always, and I am planning on returning there very soon!

Next up is one of my all time favourite restaurants - Zizi's. I love the food there, it is so rich and full of flavour and the staff always seem very friendly. I went there twice, once with my good friend Safina, and the second time with Kieran (we appreciate good grub). Me and Safina ordered a garlic bread platter which was to die for. The sweetness of the caramelised onions contrasted very well with the bitterness of the flat bread and garlic.

For our mains we chose a pizza each (obviously). It was crispy, full of toppings and it melted in our mouths with each bite.

                   

What other way to end our lunch date than to celebrate with a bottle of wine? 

When me and my other half went to Zizi's in the evening for a lovely meal I chose a chicken, parma ham and spinach calzone which was out of this world. It was so yummy that I will definitely recommend it to any pizza lover.

Kieran went for a bacon wrapped chicken kiev with roasted baby potatoes which according to him was also very delicious!!

Another one of my favourite restaurants is Bella Italia and that's where I usually end up with, with my best friend Jess. The started was very small. It was a selection of mushrooms covered in garlic with sour dough bread. There wasn't a lot of it however it was rather tasty.

On the other hand, the calzone I went for wasn't the best. It was soggy and didn't have a lot of filling on the inside, bearing in mind there was a piece of chicken stuck on the outside of the crust and some tomato puree poured on top of it which made it taste odd and even more soggy than without it.. I wasn't impressed with the food this time and am hoping for a big improvement on my next visit.

My most recent visit was to Chutney which is an Indian restaurant/takeaway. I chose the Tajj Mahal which was a mixture of beef, lamb and chicken with spicy potatoes. It was lovely, however I could not handle the spice for too long!

And here's a cute picture of me and Kieran promoting Chutney's charity event to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust in the name of Brian and Musa.

Have you guys been out anywhere nice recently? Any restaurant recommendations?

Lots of love,

Maya xo