THE MOST PERFECT BLUSH/BRONZE PALETTE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO TRAVEL

I knew that the initial release of the Hoola Lite wasn't for a while, so I decided to get this Cheek Parade palette which retails at £49, which isn't the most affordable palette however you get 2 bronzers and 3 blushers that usually cost £24.50 each. Another reason for why I bought this was that it actually includes the newest blusher Galifornia - yes, please!

The Benefit Hoola bronzer has been my favourite matte bronzer since the day I bought it (roughly around 1.5 years ago, and I must say it was a life-changer. So, when I heard about Benefit bringing out a lighter version of their original bronzer I was over the moon as I am naturally very pale so the original Hoola can sometimes seem a bit too dark to wear, especially in Winter. The Hoola Lite, on the other hand, I feel will be amazing for me to wear in winter or when I don't fake tan. I also feel like it'll be a great contour shade as it's more cool-toned than the original Hoola.

I love travelling and unfortunately, I don't travel light haha... I always bring a bag full of makeup so I thought that this palette would be great for travelling as it has everything you will need in it. I think that Galifornia would look great on its own as it has shimmer so will give an illusion of a highlighter.

Dandelion has been on my wishlist ever since I bought the Dandelion Shy Beam. I recently got back into wearing blusher after 5 years of swearing by bronzer and contour so I was pretty excited to start using this palette straight away. I find it gives a very natural blushed look which is perfect for every-day wear, especially for people who are a similar skin tone to me.

Last but not least, the Rockateur blusher. To be honest with you, I wasn't too fussed about it as the colours seem very similar to a blusher that I already own, but oh my is it a beauty! I love the shimmer in this blush, it's perfect for Spring as it adds a natural blushed look as well as some shimmer which can be a substitute for a highlight.

Overall, I must say this palette is amazing - it's not too big to travel with, you get a lot of product for your money which is great, and the products are great for all skin tones. The only downfall of this product is that it is still quite expensive compared to this set which actually has 8 products but costs less than 1?! Crazy - I just bought it as a treat for doing well at uni!

What do you think? Would you buy this kit? Have you tried any of the Benefit face products?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

HOW TO STAY FEELING HEALTHY THIS SPRING WITH HELLO DAY

This Spring has been a weather roller coaster. From gorgeous sunny days to miserable rainy ones, it feels like England will never settle! I'm one of those people who's moods change depending on the weather - I feel super productive and happy on sunny days, and down and lazy on rainy ones! So, when I heard about the Hello Day Spring Box I was very excited to try it out for myself to keep on top of my mood swings!

I love the box itself, it's so pretty and screams 'Spring'. The colourful butterflies make it a great decoration for Spring time. I wasn't expecting the box to be as big as it was,  I was happily surprised as it's easy to store and useful to store medicine/supplements inside once open.

The Hello Spring box comes as a seasonal kit (there are also Summer, Autumn and Winter boxes available), containing 4 coordinated food supplements to improve your health and wellbeing. The Spring Box comes with Vitality Balance, Circulation Activate, Digestion Detox, and Libido Stimulate (ikr). I was really keen to try out the Detox sticks which you dilute in water the most as I have recently been trying to lose weight and tone up, and what's a better way to start than have a full on body detox?

Both, Digestion Detox and Circulation Active come in a form of 'sticks' which contain the product in powder that needs to be diluted in a glass of water and best taken during lunch. The Digestion Detox is formulated with Fennel which helps support a healthy appetite and aids the digestive tract to detox. Like I've mentioned above, I was very excited to try this one out as I feel like I've definitely put on some weight over Winter, and I find that this product works well but I don't like the taste of it so as soon as I drank it, I follow it up by a full glass of water to wash down the taste!
On the other hand, the Circulation Active sachets contain Red Vine Leaf and Blackcurrant Berries (much more tasty) which help improve blood circulation and lower blood pressure naturally - my dad would love this. For best results this should be taken before dinner diluted in a glass of water - it's a pre-dinner treat due to its sweet taste!

The Libido Stimulate tablets - not a very well spoken topic on this blog, helps to reduce fatigue, promote desire (yup) and restore positive wellbeing. This little one is formulated with Magnesium and Maca Root which are the key ingredients for supporting sexual function in men and women, and has best effects when taken after dinner.
Last but not least, the Vitality Balance are great multivitamins combining Magnesium and Siberian Ginseng to reduce tiredness while strengthening mental and physical energy (yes please). This one can be taken whenever with a glass of water to help keep it down but I like to take mine in the morning with my breakfast to start the day off nice and fresh!

Overall, I'm very happy with my Hello Spring box, I'd love to try the other boxes available throughout the year to see if there would be a visible difference. I do have to say that I feel more energised and less bloated thanks to these supplements and following a healthy diet.

You can buy a Hello Day Box for £69.00 here, or download the free Hello Day app from the App Store or Google Play to manage your health and wellbeing.

*The Hello Day Spring Box was sent for me to review, all opinions are honest and my own!

Have you tried a Hello Day seasonal box? 

Lots of love,

Maya xo

MY GYM/WORKOUT MUST-HAVES

I've lost track of how many times I've attempted to stay motivated and exercise a thousand times now with the same excuse - "I'll try again tomorrow". I've had enough now as I feel so bad about what I eat and how I feel on the inside when I don't work out, so I finally decided to eat cleaner (but not deprive myself of chocolate etc.) and work out more. I think what's motivating me the most right now is the fact that I'm going away in July so I want to feel good in my own body and reduce bloating! Honestly, even a cup of bloody tea makes me bloated now!

My absolute workout must-have is weights. Even if they are very light, such as 1kg, they make a huge difference and make any workout more intense and I always notice the difference whenever I'm able to move up a weight. The most important thing when using weights is to make sure you do it the right way. You can watch a very helpful video on how to tone up your arms with or without weights here. I always ensure that I have my gloves with me as my hands get really dry from doing weights, this helps me reduce the dryness and prevent getting calluses.

Another staple is a good sports bra. I'm currently loving this one from H&M. I feel like I work out better knowing I have nice sportswear and am comfortable. I'm currently obsessing over yoga tights - I have some gorgeous tie-up ones that make a cute bow on the calves from Primark which only cost me £3 in the sale (I bought them in black, and grey!).

My favourite gym top has to be the Ivy Park Oversized T-shirt as it covers my bum up (reduces the number of looks I get from both girls and boys) and covers up my sweaty back hahaha!! I don't think I'll ever be one of those girls who wears a sports bra as a top because I'm way too self-conscious. Also, if you already do or want to do Yoga then I suggest you wear a vest or a tight top as it makes it easier to move around.

My no.1 tip: ALWAYS stretch before and after exercise to reduce achiness the next day!

What are your staples for working out? Any particular outfit that you love to wear?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2017 || MAY FAVOURITES

For me, May was a good month full of amazing new beauty products I got to try out! I love trying out new things, as well as using up old products haha - I don't know if it's just me but I find it so satisfying to use up products and chuck out the empty packaging??

First up, we've got my beautiful Vivienne Westwood Orb Earrings which I received for my birthday from the other half. I love them so much and try to get a lot of wear out of them but they're so precious I'm scared to lose them :( One of my close friends lost her VW earring down the sink, so imagine how painful that must have been for her!!

The fragrance I've been constantly using throughout the month of May is Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb - come on now, the clue is in the name haha, it's the most perfect scent for spring! I love the cute bottle, it comes very handy if you're travelling as the bottle is easy to store.

I don't know about you but I've never really seen/heard any makeup gurus rave about any high-end face powders but when I got my hands on this little number by Lancome my life literally changed haha. The packaging, for one, is gorgeous. I love the lid - it screams expensive. This powder was a part of a limited edition collection for Christmas in 2014 called 'Parisian Lights' and has bits of shimmer in it. I got this from my mum as she works in makeup and is lucky enough to get her hands on LE stock that can't be sold to the public anymore - sort of like Bicester village.

Another one of my May favourites was the Makeup Revolution Contour Palette. This bad boy only retails at £3.50 (last time I checked anyway). It comes in a cute compact with a mirror, a cool-toned bronzer shade, bright highlighter and rose-gold blusher. I've already used up one of these but the one I had before didn't come with a mirror which makes me feel like this one might be slightly more expensive, but most likely still very affordable. My favourite part of this palette is probably the highlighter as it is BLINDING. It looks great on my pale skin which is hard to find, to begin with, so if it shows up crazy bright on my skin tone you can only imagine how piercing it'd look on darker skin tones. The blusher reminds me a lot of Nars' Orgasm but for a fraction of the price. The bronzing shade is also great for those who prefer cool-toned contour shades over warmer shades.

What best way to tone up than using a Firming Anti-Cellulite Gel?! Haha don't get me wrong, this isn't going to make you look like Rihanna but it will help reduce the appearance of cellulite wherever you desire to get rid of it. I've been using this for a while now and have noticed a slight difference in the cellulite on my thighs. I've also been trying to drink more water and work out harder at the gym so I can gladly say my Summer body is coming along nicely! (Update: 16/02/2021 - I was very obsessed with having to look a certain way and have since become confident in my own skin and would never recommend a cellulite 'removing' product as 1. this cannot be done, and 2. cellulite is normal!!!)

Last, but not least the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - the saviour. I had a lot of deadlines and a few exams in May so it resulted in many sleepless nights thus making my eyes very puffy. This cream is amazing and I have raved about it many times before so if you'd like a further read on it, check my post here.

*This post contains some affiliate links.

What have you loved in May? Did you have any important deadlines to meet or exams?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || URBAN DECAY BROW BEATER IN TAUPE

Urban Decay never fails to surprise me with new launches. I absolutely love their collaboration with Pulp Fiction, the Naked palettes, All Nighter Setting Spray etc. You know the gist! So when I saw that they came out with ABH style brow pencils I had to try it for myself. The colour range isn't the best which is a shame, but I opted for Taupe as it seemed most appropriate for my hair colour.

I usually use blonde shades and they often turn out to be too warm for me so I thought that Taupe would be the best colour choice. The packaging is very similar to their eyeliners which is nice as they stuck to the original theme however, I feel like it looks too much like the ABH brow products.

I must say that I was very happily surprised with how pigmented this brow pencil was. It applied very easily and wasn't too waxy which made it look very natural once applied to the brows. The tip is very small and thin which makes the application more precise and easy to draw hair like strokes for a natural look.

The finish of the brow pencil is very odd, it's not quite matte but it's not shiny either... satin maybe? Either way, it looks great on and I would highly recommend it to those who want to try something new without it disappointing you. I must add that I have never tried any of the ABH brow products so I can't compare the two, but this one has worked for me well and I will continue to use it until I find the ultimate most perfect brow product ever!

Do you have a favourite brow product? Have you tried the UD Brow Beater?

Lots of love,

Maya xo