Holiday Essentials

Nivea SPF Lip balm
Polish Sun cream

Similar Portable charger
Similar- cheaper

Barry M nail varnish- Pink

Crabtree & Evelyn body lotion

Girl Online

New Look Floppy hat

Primark sunglasses

I am going on holiday to Poland TOMORROW! But then the dreaded moment comes- packing... I wasn't sure on what to pack so after gathering a few ideas on what essentials to take, I thought I would help you if you have the same problem.

1. Sunglasses
It is the summer holidays and it will be very hot in Poland- fingers crossed! So of course, my sunglasses are coming along with me. Two years ago I made the horrendous decision on not taking any sunglasses with me when I went to Spain- honestly guys, DON'T DO IT! I was squinting the entire time and all the photos looked awful because I literally had my eyes closed. So this year, I'm taking two pairs to be on the safe side.

2. Your favorite bikini
I think this is totally necessary, having a bikini which you feel confident in will make your holiday 10 times better.
Topshop bikini- £28

3. Sun-cream and SPF lip balm
These two are probably the most important when going away on holiday, remember that you can still get a nice tan when wearing SPF and you will not get burnt which is a good thing as it will not cause skin cancer or peeling of the skin.

4. A book
I don't usually read books as I get really bored but so far I have been liking Girl Online by Zoe Sugg and I will continue to try and read it more on holiday whilst I sunbathe, and through the 26 hour car journey...

5. Bright Nail varnish
A bright nail varnish will enhance your beautiful tan

6. Floppy hat
Floppy hats are very 'on trend' during the summer and they are very cooling

7. Moisturizer
And finally moisturizer! Remember to moisturize everyday to prolong that beautiful tan of yours!

Martaxo

5 Beauty Hacks You Should Know

Hi!

There are a few beauty hacks that I am aware of + are effective as they make the life of make up so much easier, so I thought I'd share them with you:

I've chucked away a lot of mascaras because they have dried up but don't do it! Just put a few drops of eye drops into the mascara, then shake and the mascara will be much better and you will be able to still get a few uses out of it.

Another good make up hack I'm aware of is for fuller lashes- who doesn't want them?

All you need to do is put some baby/talcum powder or translucent powder onto a cotton bud and brush it on your lashes, making sure you look down so no fall out goes into your eye! Then continue like normal with mascara and voila, longer and fuller lashes.This is so quick and easy but yet really effective.Here is a picture of my mascara alone and the other with this technique with translucent powder:

Left: Mascara       Right: Powder and mascara

(My lashes are already thick and cling on well to mascara this is why the results are subtle, they work better on my friends)

Mix Vaseline or petroleum jelly with a loose pigment or eye shadow to make your own lip gloss. Just squeeze out some jelly onto a spoon or container and add how ever much pigment or eye shadow you want (depending on the intensity) then give it a good old mix and you will have made your own custom lip gloss- you can also mix colours! I love to do this myself because I can get the colour I would like.

I don't know about you, but my skin tends to get a little oily during the day and there is a little hack for this. Whenever you go to the toilet, grab some clean toilet paper or blotting paper from a drugstore and pat it onto your oily patches. This is really quick and easy and doesn't take anything out of the purse! You can also use the blotting papers linked below, even when you are not oily and it will give your skin a matte finish. 

Blotting paper- £2.69

And finally the last hack- if you've ever bought a foundation that is too dark, it's not as bad as you think because you can just mix it with some moisturizer to lighten it up. Sometimes it is easier to buy a darker foundation so that you can use it during the summer when you are a bit more tanned or can lighten it up when you need to in the winter. I also like to buy a darker and lighter foundation so that you can try and mix them together depending on your skin colour. 

I hope that some of these hacks you havent heard before and may have taken your fancy and I hope you have a chance to try them out :) 

Marta xo

First Impressions!

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would do a first impressions post as I had a few new make up items and thought I'd give them a little love. It's also extremely hot in England at this moment (hope I don't jinx it!) and I'm writing this blog post outside in the sun so it's a perfect time to type some stuff on the laptop for you.

After college, I made my way to Superdrug with my friends and noticed the most beautiful brushes my eyes have ever seen. They are made by the brand Lottie London (which I have never heard of) and the prices were very affordable, so I thought I would give it a try. I have the powder brush, the handle and tip of the bristles are in the colour light blue- which, for me, is very visually appealing so it grabbed my attention straight away. 

After trying out this brush for a few days, I really enjoy using it, it's very light and soft on the skin so will not irritate, however, the bottom of the bristles that are black do feel a little more harsh. Absolutely beautiful brush and I will definitely be purchasing more! 

Lottie London Powder Brush- £7.99

***** out of 5 stars

Moving on to the Master Sculpt by Maybelline which comes in two different shades, one in Light/Medium and the other in Medium/Dark so you will probably find one that suits your skin tone- I have the shade Light/Medium because I'm pretty pale :( The contour shade is very pigmented and easy to blend with a fluffy brush so is perfect for contouring. It does have a slightly orange undertone but isn't too noticeable. The highlight side is gorgeous but it is not as pigmented as the contour. The pallet also has a mirror and contouring brush which makes it a handbag essential! (However, the brush is very hard and doesn't work for me as I think it may irritate my sensitive skin, so I take a different one with me)

Maybelline Face Master Sculpt- £6.99

**** out of 5 stars

I received the Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation from my sister for my birthday- thank you! I was really excited because I haven't used a whipped creme foundation before. Mine is in the shade 40 light ivory which will be great for the cooler months when my tan wears off because right now it is a little too light for the rest of my body (it's finally really hot in the UK!) It is a very creamy formula and blends really well into the skin, the coverage is light to medium and can be built up without looking cakey. I feel it has a slightly matte effect onto my skin but does get oily throughout the day because it's very moisturizing- I find if I just touch up with some powder or blot with some blotting paper I do not have this problem. I think the foundation will suit any skin type but will suit dry skin the most as it is very hydrating and lightweight.  

Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation- usually £9.99 now on offer for £5!

***** out of 5- will be using it a lot in the winter! 

The last product I have is the L'oreal Paris Brow Artist Genius Kit. It is packaged beautifully with a big mirror inside- which again is great to throw in your handbag. The kit has a powder side and tinted wax which are both really good and pretty pigmented. A little more pigment would be better though as I spend quite a while filling in my eyebrows with this and it takes a lot of product. This kit would be amazing for beginners as it has the powder, wax, mirror, spoolie with an angled brush on the other side and some small tweezers- so basically all you need for brows in one! My kit is in the shade Light/Medium as my hair is becoming blonder because of the sun and I don't want super intense brows so the shades are perfect.

L'Oreal Brow Kit- £9.99

**** out of 5- because of the slight lack of pigment.

Thanks for reading! 

Marta xo

Ways To Deal With Stress

Evening!

This is quite a touchy subject... but I thought I would talk to you about it because pretty much every teenager suffers with some form of anxiety, whether it's just being scared of speaking in front of people in class or something more serious like suffering with panic attacks. So I thought I'd give you a few tips on how to calm it down a little or deal with it a little better :) 

Think about the way your mind thinks, is it negative? Are you jumping to conclusions? These are all unhelpful or negative thinking styles, so work on trying to think a little more positively. For example, if you are getting on a bus and you think you will fall over or drop your money (of course, this is a possibility but this can happen to anyone!) Just think to yourself, will it really be the end of the world? Everyone has their own things to be getting on with, their problems so they may not even notice or look at you because they have their own stuff to be dealing with. 

Can't sleep at night because of the billion thoughts in your head? Try to write down everything in a little notebook. Write in all your worries, problems and things you have achieved during the day. After writing them down, remind yourself that you cannot solve anything through thinking at 1 in the morning so leave it in the notebook and come back to it tomorrow. (Leave a cute notebook and pen by your bed so whenever you can't sleep you don't have to rummage through your room.) This honestly helps SO much and so I would definitely recommend doing this if you are having troubles sleeping!

Another tip is, if you are having one of those bad days (we all have those :( ) write down everything you have achieved and you are proud of. Keep on adding more as days pass- whenever you have another bad day and you think you are worthless, look at the list of all the things you have achieved and it will lift your mood.

 It is also helpful if you talk to a close relative or best friend when you are feeling anxious or down because it won't help if you're alone so talk about your worries. Support from others is so important, so let it all out and then have a good old chinwag about anything that makes you happy.

Remember to breathe. Try to practice your breathing by using a breathing technique like the 7/11 breathing method. If you practice a few times a day for a minute or two, you will get used to breathing like it so it will help you when experiencing a panic attack. 

I hope I have helped you in any way, please comment or get in touch if I have or if you have any questions- I'd lovee to hear from you! 

Marta xo