FOOD || FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SMOOTHIE BOWL - FAIL!

Good Morning Everybody!

I've been getting so much inspo from Instagram smoothie bowl pages that I wanted to create my own.

Smoothies are a massive part of my life anyway, I tend to have at least 3 a week because they give me lots of energy and just make my mornings 10 x better!

For this smoothie bowl I had used:

-a handful of frozen berries

-half a frozen banana

-almond and coconut soya milk

-special K cereal with red berries

This is what has come out of it! I don't know about you but I think that's acceptable for my first attempt haha!! At the end of the day, it was really yummy and healthy and filled me up for the whole morning!

Have you tried a smoothie bowl? How did it turn out? 

Lots of love,

Maya xo

OOTD || DAY AT THE BEACH - GLAM HOLIDAY OUTFIT, FROM THE BEACH TO THE BAR

Hey Everyone!

Many of you already know that I've been to Rhodes earlier this year for 2 amazing weeks and I really want to go back! In order to keep myself happy about the memories I made, I keep going over my photo albums and reminiscing. 

I recently came across the company Adore Me who sell gorgeous swimwear pieces, and I've especially been loving their swimsuit range! 

I can't go anywhere without me statement shades - the lovely Oscar De La Renta sunnies I bought back in April for only £16.99 from TKMaxx.

Any sunglasses will work with this outfit, but remember - the bigger the better!

I absolutely adore this swimsuit! It's one of my favourites that I own (and believe me when I say that I've got a lot!). I bought it in the River Island sale last year for £20 reduced from £40, bargain! You can find it here.

The swimsuit has an another gorgeous detail to it - the cutest tassels ever! They have little beads at the bottom and look very flattering on the leg making me look a lot slimmer! Woohoo!

Like I said earlier - it's all about the detail. I love this beach cover up from Primark, I believe it was only £8 so an amazing price for a wonderful product! It has an ombré effect and goes from turquoise blue to deep ocean navy. I love it!

I got these shoes in the Primark sale for I think around £5! A fiver!! They are very comfy and I could literally walk in these all day and night and my feet still won't hurt. I believe they're flatforms with a slight wedge so they are very easy to walk in.

I thought they would look great with this outfit, especially the velcro bit - makes it lots easier to take them off and run to the sea! 

*This post is not sponsored. 

Have you been away anywhere this year or are planning on going somewhere soon? What's your favourite go-to beach outfit?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || MODELS OWN HYPER GEL POLISH IN MIDSUMMER MAUVE - BEST NUDE NAIL POLISH

Hey Lovelies!

I haven't done a nail polish review in quite some time now, so I thought I'd share with you my favourite varnish this year - the Model's Own Hyper Gel Polish in shade Midsummer Mauve. 

I've been using this shade since December (which was when I bought it), however I have been wearing it more often now for work as we're not allowed to wear any bright shades or makeup - keep everything au naturel but my way.

I really like the bottle, I think it's very stylish and the lid is easy to hold while painting. Also, the cap has the colour of the polish shade on it so it makes it easier to pick out from my collection as I have quite a few nail polishes.

I usually apply two coats of this product, but sometimes you only need one depending on how much you apply the first time round. For those pictures, I applied 3 coats just to see whether it'll be any different to when I only wear 1 or 2 coats, and I was pleasantly surprised! They actually looked like real gel nails and lasted slightly longer than normal.

I would say that it starts chipping after 4 days which is amazing for a nail varnish for only £4.99 as many of my Essie polishes chip after two days.

I honestly recommend this product to those who love new shades on their nails and want a high quality effect. I mean, you can either go get your nails done for £20-odd or only spend £4.99 and have this little bottle last you for months!

Have you tried any of Model's Own Polishes before? If so, which ones do you recommend or stay away from?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

HOW TO GIVE FEWER F***S - ALWAYS PUT YOUR HAPPINNESS FIRST

Hey Dolls!

I've been recently having a really shit time in my life. Constantly feeling like I'm second best to some people and it messed with my mind a lot. Idk, maybe it's because I've not been eating well nor working out or just simply because I'm fed up with peoples' BS and wanted to finally get things my way.

Imagine being friends with a lovely group of people and never being invited anywhere, yet you've done nothing wrong (EVER)? Well, that's happened to me on a number of occasions so I finally decided to take action and not give a fuck about what people have to say. I stood up for myself and confronted them all, only to find out that they wanted me to come but knew I'm always working - considerate mates or total BS?

This actually caused me to cut fake friends out of my life - aka best decision ever! There were so many people that I previously called my 'best friends' and once I decided I had enough of the shit they put me through. E.g. one time when I was 15 my so called 'best mate' stood me up to go see a lad without telling me! I was ringing and texting her loads hoping she was okay and that nothing had happened as I was waiting for her in town, only just to get a text off her mum saying she went off to meet her boyf, LOL what a bitch!

***

I remember walking into school without makeup on and the first thing I heard was 'OMG are you okay? You look really ill - maybe you should go home?' WTF who says that? Mate, I've not slept well and I can't be bothered to wear makeup today, what's the big deal? Sorry that I don't look like Megan Fox, I really am - she's so hot, but jeez let me do me and worry about yourself! We're not all meant to be flawless without our fave beauty products! 

The best thing to do when you're in a similar situation is to smile and say you're perfectly happy/well and take pride in your beautiful makeup-less face!

***

When someone comments on your weight - laugh it off. They're obviously so self conscious that they feel the need to point out your 'imperfections'. I stopped listening to people's negative remarks as I think they're pathetic. Yes I gained 10 pounds, yes I am aware that now I buy bigger clothes, and no I certainly do not give a fuck about your negative opinion. 

Whether you have lost or gained weight, it does not matter what other people think as long as you are happy in your own skin - that's what makes you appear more beautiful than a stupid figure. You work out and eat clean? Great! You cut down on snacks to lose a couple of pounds before a big event? Fab! You've been binge eating Ben&Jerry's Phish Food? Lucky You! What's not okay is people telling you that you look better/worse in a certain shape - obviously it's best to eat healthy foods and exercise a few times a week for your own good, but if that's not for you then that's also OKAY!

I'm sick and tired of people being nasty and fake for no reason - always put your own happiness before others, but don't be a bitch, there's nothing worse than being horrible to others to make yourself feel better.

I hope this helps you guys feel better and make decisions that benefit you over others!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || HONEST OPINION OF THE NYX LIP LINGERIE LIQUID LIPSTICK IN SHADE EMBELLISHMENT - FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND REVIEW

Hi Everyone!

Who doesn't own a NYX liquid lipstick yet? Either if it's a Soft Matte Lip Cream or the Lip Lingerie, it doesn't matter - NYX has been raved about for quite some time in the UK now and I've finally joined the bandwagon once I heard that my local Boots store opened up a NYX counter.

It wasn't long until I grabbed a few items including this gorgeous shade from the Lingerie collection. I really wanted to get more shades but the ones they had left weren't my cup of tea as many were sold out almost immediately...

First of all, the packaging is gorgeous. It looks a lot like the Kylie Jenner Lip Kit but for a fraction of the price, haha! It feels quite heavy and expensive to be honest, I actually thought it'd be quite flimsy and light but I'm glad it's not - this will make a great present for a friend or family member.

It took me forever to try and find the name of the shade ha ha, how embarrassing! I actually thought that this was a collection rather than the shade!

As you can see, the wand is really flat which makes it quite easy to apply. However, I do prefer Jeffree Star's wands as they are shaped to hug lips for better application, on the other hand I feel like NYX could have improved their wands as it's quite hard to get in the corners of the mouth and it always feels like I go out of line when applying this onto my lips.

So, not only is the wand flat but it's quite thick so it makes it even harder to apply! I think this would be easier to use with a lip brush however, I just slap on a bit of lipliner and go over with this lippy and have the perfect untouched lip for at least 5 hours!

Here's a swatch with the flash on, and the one below is a swatch with the flash off.
It actually looks a lot warmer and brown on my arm than it does on my lips as I feel like it's more of a nudish purple shade.

Overall, I was really impressed with the pigment of this lipstick and loved the colour when I swatched it on my arm, but because it shows up purple on my lips it slightly disappointed me and I wish I chose a different shade, as well as the wand isn't very up my street. But hey ho! What can you do? It was only £6.50 and the formula is great so I can't complain!

I will definitely add more of these to my collection, next on the list is Ruffle Trim!

Have you tried any of the NYX lip products? Which ones did you like best?

Lots of love,

Maya xo