HOW I TAKE CARE OF MY DRY, SENSITIVE AND ACNE-PRONE SKIN

My skin has had its ups and downs recently, it gets especially bad around that time of the month. I started using new skincare products along with my old ones and I've really noticed a difference in my skin. Having combination skin consisting of an oily t-zone, dry patches, acne and being sensitive to a lot of products, makes it a lot harder to take care of.

I've been after a good exfoliating brush for a long time, and while a lot of people tend to go for the Clarisonic one I bought the Rio one for only around £13 from Asda! It was a great buy as it works really well and removes all the dirt from my skin after a long day of wearing makeup.

The Regime London Deluxe Collagen tablets have been my lifesaver during the winter months when my skin is feeling extra dry and my nails are breaking. I think it's a great supplement for those who are a bit lazy when it comes to skincare and want to look youthful with minimal effort.

One of my all-time favourite products to cleanse is the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, as it purifies very well without leaving an oily residue on my face. I find that majority of toners don't clean well but spread dirt around - especially in the t-zone.

My recent additions to the skincare family include the Buff&Butter Tea Tree and Olive Squalane oils which are great for my skin type. I use the Tea Tree to combat spots as it dries them out and has healing properties, on the other hand, the Olive Squalane is fantastic for dry skin and leaves my face feeling like a baby if I leave it on overnight!

Ever since I bought the Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque I've been in love with it. I try to use it once to twice a week as I feel that it clears my pores so well as if I have had a facial done! If I were to recommend any face masks, it'll definitely be this one - don't be put off by the price as it is worth it and lasts a long time.

MAC's Mineralise Charged Water is great for those wanting an effective primer/setting spray but suffer from dry skin. It helped my skin look a lot dewier the past few weeks of owning it.

The biggest impulse buy was the Opatra Gentle Exfoliating Gel which I bought for £20 at the Clothes Show in Birmingham last year. I feel like it works well for getting rid of dead skin cells however, I do find it hard to believe that it isn't the product itself that is creating a shedding effect... Either way, I feel like it does something to my skin which I guess is a good thing haha!

Decleor honestly makes the most gorgeous bottles of serums. I got given this set by my mum and I must say it's great for the warmer days. The small size means it's easy to travel with and I know for a fact that I will be taking this whole set with me on my holiday to Rome.

What is your current skincare routine? Have you tried any of the products that I'm currently using?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

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