everyday inspiration

Birthday Beauty Wish List

Hey hey, it’s been a while, how y’all doing? I decided to take a break from blogging to catch up on a few other things and set some personal goals etc etc. but I’m back and guess what it’s almost my birthdayyyyy. Official countdown (like I wasn’t countdown down from the 23^rd of April Last year LOL).

Been a beauty blogger has allowed me to hear of a ton of brands and products which naturally I would love to try(#productjunkie) so this year, in addition to my Birthday wish list, I decided to also do a Birthday Beauty Wish list which is a list of all the beauty items I would love to try. In case you are wondering what to get me lol, this should help! I will link everything to make it SO easy for you to find 🙂 here’s 10 of the beauty things I would love the most (this was HARD)

Let’s get started (in no particular order)

Charlotte Tilbury Dry Sheet Mask, £18

I pretty much live for sheet masks (Sephora Collection hello!) and we all know the come wet soaked in serum. So when CT released this DRY SHEET MASK which can be used 3 TIMES, I was like gurl you betta take this money lol

YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer, £29.50

Even though I’m pretty pissed with YSL for getting rid of some of the dark shades of the foundation, the texture of this primer keeps the love part going in my love/hate relationship with them. In addition to pretty amazing reviews, the primer feels so nice on PLUS it has gold flecks in it. I dunno if this is God playing tricks on me but ever since I tested this primer and loved it, almost every YT tutorial I have watched since has been using this primer SMH

Armani Code Satin Perfume, 75ml for £67

So every year its custom for me to get a new perfume for my birthday ( as well as a new watch, dress, lipstick, bag, purse, shoe and jacket. I SO extra). I originally wanted the Armani Code Cashmere perfume which I fell absolutely in love with in Vienna but didn’t purchase because I thought it would be available in the UK and 2. Liquid restrictions. I can’t find Cashmere anywhere here but the Satin is amazing as well

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, £34

This foundation is all kinds of beautiful and I have been lusting over it for a while! I love my Sheer Glow Foundation but there is something about this one I love too. I’m not sure of my shade but you can always give me the funds to go and purchase it LOL

Peter Thomas Roth meet your mask kit, £21

I have had my eye on PTR for a while now and though his stuff are expensive, this kit is the perfect way to get introduced to his well known face masks!

Nyx cosmetics lip lingerie in After hours and Cabaret Show, £7 each

Nyx have recently expanded their lip lingerie shades and these two are among the new shades I want.

Estee lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum, £52

Granted 52 is a lot for a serum but this serum is life! I had a deluxe sample size and in the two weeks it lasted, my skin looked so good! It’s an investment but one that will definitely yield good returns

Elf brushes

After a brush shortage on a trip lol, I realised the importance of not only have the enough brushes, but the right brushes too. I have been eyeing the Powder Brush £5.00, Flat Contour Brush £7.50 and the Highlight Brush £4.50

Caudalie beauty elixir set, £32

I’m a setting spray fanatic and this Caudalie beauty elixir has been on my radar! I love this set because for the price you’re basically getting two more items free!

Gleam in Bronze Gold, £14

I love me a glow esp in the summer and Gleam is one I really want but can’t seem to find time to go to Camden to get! It’s also available in a bigger size so feel free to get that if you want 🙂

That’s all folks! I can’t wait for my birthday and this one is quite special because, for the first time in a looong time, I am finally excited for my birthday! Happy birthday to all the April-borns out there! Hope you have a great day on your day

Looking forward to getting these soon lool

Happy Easter!

RHOVIRGIN RELAXED YAKI FULL LACE UNIT

First look plus 2 weeks update

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing great and is enjoying the month of February so far. This post will be an introduction to my new hair unit from RhoVirgin Hair Company and I will be talking about my Relaxed Yaki full lace unit!

Let’s get started!

So I really wanted something different and natural- something that was similar to my natural hair’s texture. Then she sent me this

A friend who also got the same texture sent me a couple of photos and gave me a brief review on it. I was really drawn to how natural it looked and the THICKNESS (gurlll, I aint playing!). I decided to get the full lace unit, 22inches. It did take a while to get to me than usual, but it was so worth the wait.

So you can see it has 4 combs in the front, 2 on the side and 1 in the middle (which I will be taking out. I don’t think anyone ever uses those). It also has one in the back and your standard adjustable straps. I wasn’t asked for a cap size but the uni does fit pretty snug on my head. (For the first week I wore it, I didn’t have to add an elastic band. I only did so in the 2^nd week to keep the ‘ear tabs’ (lack of a better word) from lifting when I want to put the hair up.

The hair isn’t black, maybe it’s a colour 2 which I really like but I think I will be dying it pretty soon ( of course I will be showing this here). I am really impressed with how natural it is. The lace and the hair line look almost undetectable. And it’s a real plus to be able to part it anywhere. This is basically my dream length and thickness of my natural hair (LORD PLEASE!)

Nitty details

Shedding/tangling/matting?

So with this much hair I know some of you are wondering what the shedding, tangling and matting is like? Well for starters, I have experienced no tangling so far! This is really great. A few strands came out when I first washed it (nothing major) and when I comb it but nothing to phone home about lol. In terms of matting- very minimal and with hair this thick and long I would expect more.

If the hair is too thick for you, you can always straighten it and it will ‘calm down’ which is what I did the first time I wore it. I am going to try curling it later to see how well it holds a curl.

So far I have only co-washed it and deep conditioned it. I will keep you up dated on how it looks.

So far so good. It’s been 2 weeks and I am still loving it. I get looks all the time with some people looking to see if it’s my natural hair and girls double checking my hair line to see lace or whatever they are looking for lol. Here are some pics of it in action

That’s all from me folks. If you are interested in this unit or just want to have a look at what she offers, her details are as follows

I also have other hair extensions from her, check these out. This is my 1^st full lace wig and I am loving it!

RhoVirgin Eurasian Tight curl- http://wp.me/p1uQOd-qo

Cambodian loose wave- http://wp.me/p1uQOd-hz

Have a great day guys and happy Valentine’s Day. ( who is going to see 50 shades of grey?)

Xoxo

Sarah

RHOVIRGIN EURASIAN TIGHT CURL ONE MONTH UPDATE

Hey guys HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope this first week of 2015 is going great for everyone, exams, deadlines and all. Taking a quick break from revision and updating you guys on my fabulous Eurasian tight curl extensions from RhoVirgin hair, you can view my first impressions on it here >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-pK

Let’s get started.

So I have been wearing this just close to a month or a bit over (I am not really sure). I will be addressing

Manageability( curly hair right), Hair care routines and Hair products used

Manageability

ZERO TANGLES, MINIMUM SHEDDING (bear in mind I did cut a lot of my wefts when I was making my unit). Guys, curly hair that does not tangle (need I say more?). I only experience shedding when I am co-washing the hair and with that it’s very minimal. The hair is very easy to manage on a daily basis- I just spray (using twisted sister 30 second curl spray- smell- amazeballs, £1 from savers) and go

Hair care routines and hair products

I make sure I co wash and deep condition every week to keep the curls defined. A side by side picture is shown below of the curls- freshly air-dried (lack of better wording) and after a week of wear. By the end of the week, most of the definition is lost and the hair gets a bit of volume (which I have no problem with). In terms of hair products, for co-washing- I use my co-wash mix (loads of conditioner, minimum shampoo and argan oil), then deep condition with either the smoothing hair treatment oil (by the way this stuff is the bomb.com, in the picture below with the extremely defined curls, I used one sachet on the hair for 10 mins. YES you’re welcome. £1each I think 3 for 2 in boots. You’re welcome again) or argan oil intensive hair mask (not shown but also £1 from savers). Both of this products work very well on the hair. I deep condition by saturating the hair and wrapping in a plastic bag ( I know everyone has a bag full of plastic bags in their kitchen somewhere, this will come in handy when you have about 3 units to wash anyway) and placing in hot water for about 10 to 30 mins (or more) for extra penetration ( no pun intended)

Moving on …

So whilst the hair is wet I spray it with the argan oil leave in conditioner. Short review can be viewed here>>>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-nD or mixing a bit of the herbal essence wavy conditioner with water or using the mixed roots curl control leave in lotion which works very well. Then allow to hair dry.

And that’s pretty much it! I am still on my hairfinity grow out challenge, month 2 and 1 reviews can be seen here >>>> month 1>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-qe month 2 >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-qh . I am on my final bottle which is going ok. Thinking of carrying on or switching to another hair supplement. We will see. If you need the contact details of Rhovirgin hair check below and tell her I said hi (I’m Sarah btw).

That’s it folks and going back to revision. See you guys real soon, first impressions post coming up again.

Love Sarah

FIRST LOOK- RHOVIRGIN EURASIAN TIGHT CURL HAIR

Hey family! I hope everyone is well and doing good. Just briefly, I wanted to share my new hair extensions from RhoVirgin Hair Company. Check out my previous posts about them by clicking on these links. http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ok , http://wp.me/p1uQOd-hz

So this time around I wanted a different look, I normally get body wave extensions or loose waves but this time I decided to let my inner diva out( like it hasn’t been out all this while lol!) and I was on the hunt for something new. My inspiration came from Tokyostylez instagram page ( and ladies if you are a hair fanatic you NEED to follow this guy, his wigs are LAID. Period) I was browsing as I do and came across this beauty

And I needed that texture in my life. I started to look around and again on instagram and on the RHOVIRGIN page she had posted this and I was sold!

I got 3 bundles and a matching closure- 24. 20. 18 plus 14 (4×4) closure of the EURASIAN TIGHT CURL HAIR ( also a new texture I havenot had yet) also I have never used 3 bundles for my hair before so again, something new. I think the specs of her hair in the picture are 22.20.18 and a 16 closure. Either way I am in love with this hair and I havenot even installed it yet.

First impressions?

Well she has stepped her game up since the last time I purchased hair from her. Your package will now come with business cards and an instruction sheet on how to care for your tresses including recommended products.

The hair has a pleasant smell. Almost like new clothes you order online if that makes any sense. I know and have heard of people who got hair from other vendors and were not pleased with the smell. Quick tip- you can either co-wash and deep condition if you don’t like the smell or for really strong smells, I have heard some girls use (wait for it) fabric conditioner to wash it out! ( cant comment on its validity though). A nice smell is always welcomed and a good sign.

Bundles were true to length and were full from weft to tip. The hair naturally has some very beautiful brown/blonde highlights so my dark and lovely jet black box dye gon have to wait! LOL. The thickness of the bundles was also expected as in you get less hair on longer lengths and more hair on the shorter lengths. The knots on the closure were bleached and it came with baby hair. The ends of the hair were in ok condition, a bit frizzy but nothing a good deep conditioning session cant fix.

So as always I co-washed and deep conditioned the hair and allowed to air dry over night. This is a side-side picture of hair straight of the packet and freshly co-washed hair. Curls be popping girl! The ends are back to life!

top pic- freshly co-washed bottom- fresh out of packet — top pic- freshly co-washed
bottom- fresh out of packet

For co-washing, I used my co-wash mix I mixed up myself ( 900ml conditioner and I recommend conditioners for dry/frizzy hair in this case I was using tresemme salon silk conditioner for frizz prone hair or something of the sort, 50ml herbal essence shampoo with Moroccan argan oil and 50ml argan oil- for extra moisturising properties) I use this mix on my hair as well and my curls be popping like crazy lol! Obviously I do not use a 1000ml of product on my hair at one time, its just a mix I have in my bottle I use.

Afterward I just deep conditioned with macadamia nut extract deep conditioner( smell? Amazeballs!), put in a bag and let it sit in hot water for about 10 mins! Cold water to rinse the product out and air dry

I also sealed my wefts with fray stop glue (this stuff is a nightmare, I mean its hi-tack so its probably very good but it takes forever to dry! So it took about 4 days to seal all my wefts- front and back)

So now that my hair is ready, I just need to find time to install it. As always I will be doing 1 , 3 and 5 months updates then from there on as I feel like it. Really looking forward to what I can do with this hair.

Ps hairfinity challenge going strong. Cant wait for month 1 update on the 2^nd of November. Stay tuned!

Peace out. Xx

EBAY STORE- NOW ACTIVE

hey guys, I hope everyone is having a great time! Its been a while since I updated my blog so I figured why not share with you guys something I am starting now- my ebay store!

yes! since my time in Spain is about to come to an end I decided to de clutter my closet and lo and behold- clothes that I have never worn( tags still intact), used clothes etc came up and I decided to put them up for sale online. Check them out too. Some big brands at discounted prices, just seller search- slimtings1 on ebay and my stuff will come up. Support a sister!

Have a happy week!

Also I want thinking of doing a used clothes sway. I dont know if people will find it creepy, but let me know what you think!

Sarah

Cadiz: little town Great beaches

Located in the south of Spain. Cadiz is one of the oldest cities in Spain. Thanks to its location, it boasts of some of the most beautiful beaches I have been to. Its all about weather and if youre lucky enough to catch the sun whilst here do not miss that opportunity to go to the Tk3 bar in El puerto de Santa Maria where you can get some really good cocktails famous within the town. Stroll along the beach which is right opposite the bar or sit by the fires and reminisce of all your travel adventure. This is where good company is needed. (Or if you are a solo traveler you will love the tranquility)

Eat fried calamares and drink tinto de verano in another well known restaurant I el puerto called Romerijo’s. Also try tortillita de camarones .Dont forget to visit los italianos in the center of cadiz to taste some good icecream to cool down in the sun. (Try the strawberry! )

Also try to visit Puerto sherry and have lunch by the beach in one of the resturants. I had lunch at an italian restaurant called blanca paloma.

The city of Cadiz is good for history. Dont miss the wall in the center and the castle. Visit the park Genovés opposite the university of Cadiz. Notice how most of the houses are white.

I think that as this was the last city and bad weather I didnt really get a sample of the place, however I do plan on going back there soon. Hopefully I can get more pictures and better ones too.

Granada: small town with rich muslim roots

Make no mistake as you walk through Morroco I mean Granada,( see what I did there). Thinking youre in Morroco! I was pleasantly surprised on how similar some patterns and parts of the town was to Morroco. So it was no surprise when the main attract in Granada is the la Alhambra.

Granada was apparently the… wait you want the best features of the place not the history( thats Wikipedia’s job)

Stroll along the river outside the las Alhambra. Its a sort of hill with pebbled ground so wear sturdy shoes. Go into the Alhambra if you can.

Take a walk into tge center and enjoy more muslim influenced architecture. When you get to the plaza de carmen there is a road that has a lot of restaurants. ( so bummed I didnt get a picture or the name of the place I ate at but I do have a picture of what I ate :))

My time here was very short. First i missed a day because the only tickets available from Valencia to Granada were overnight, therefore I only had one day there, however I was lucky enough to see the Paso de semana santa ( which I did not enjoy!)

Ok folks that’s all. I hope to go back there another time and spend more time there, so until then its off to Cadiz- the big finish ( For now)

VALENCIA: A TROPICAL PARADISE

Valencia, the birthplace of the famous Paella (watch how I learned to make this later!) and the 2^nd city on tour. With palm trees and sunshine, I felt like I was in a tropical paradise. Again I was surprised on how different this city was compared to the others.

What blew me away about Valencia was… everything! There was something about this place that kept reminding me of a tropical island. Maybe it was the trees, or fountains or just the open spaces I saw either way, here are the things you should miss whilst there

The city of arts and science

Park Turia

Stay in the Ayre Hotel Astoria Palace. This hotel is the bomb.com! I was surprised and in doubt for the duration of our stay there and how much I paid for the room. To me, this is a 3 to 4 star hotel but booking through agoda.com ( which by the way I totally recommend) I paid 106 euros for a double room and a private bathroom for 3 days 2 nights. This hotel is really nice. Its location is perfect! It’s not your typical backpacker’s hostel/hotel! I stayed on the 8^th floor so you can imagine the view!

Take a walk to Park Turia which is all around the city. I first went to the place with the massive sculpture of Gulliver (from the movie Gulliver’s Travels) and my inner kid surfaced! (So yes I did go down the slides and climb it too)

Then I went into the park itself with the flowers and fountains and the trees. Then I found out that the final of the Spanish cup was been played in Valencia and the Real Madrid camp was right there! I even saw the coach which was on its way to pick the players and went past the hotel the players would be staying at! And all of this and it was the last day there!

Also visit the many plazas I saw but forgot to take pictures because it was soo hot.

And of course eat Paella and drink horchata both very typical of the city!

Don’t be scared by the number orange trees you see, it’s very common there. Also try the agua de Valencia (translation- water of Valencia) I didn’t get to try this so I don’t know if its water or another drink but do let me know when you go!

Let your inner scientist out at the city of arts and sciences and explore the very fun and interactive science museum. You need a maximum of 3 hours in there. And I say that because there are so many interesting and interactive games and activities for everyone! From building an arc hand mind battles to seeing ghosts! I think this place is for all ages! These are a few pictures from the museum.

Next visit the hemispheric and catch a show about the universe! With the intelligent design of the place (well it looks like a hemisphere) you feel like you were right there in the moment! Language options are available for the audio. And also student’s discounts are offered so remember your student id!

There was also a market which I went to but forgot to take a picture of the name.

other discoveries

More or less Valencia, go experience it for yourself! next stop GRANADA!

BARCELONA- CITY BY THE SEA

Spain’s second most famous city, located in the east in the Catalan autonomous community (it is the capital city of this community), there is a lot I can say about this beautiful city. From the famous Camp Nou for the football fans, historic buildings and architecture for the photographers and history fans to the amazing food for the foodies, it comes as no surprise that Barcelona is a popular destination for travellers and my starting point of my 11 days tour around Spain!

I was excited for Barcelona. It was only the 2nd time I had been out of Madrid but nevertheless I was looking forward to it. After months of planning and saving for my trip, I boarded the overnight train to Barcelona on the 10th of April, due to arrive there at 7 am next day!( if you are already in Spain and want to travel there, check out renfe.com, alternatively you can catch a plane there too) I was pleasantly surprised on how different Barcelona was from Madrid, building, culture, food and even language(they speak Spanish there too almost everyone can speak Spanish however the main language is supposed to be Cataluña). I wonder if that’s why they want independence and all.

These are my thoughts/suggestions for Barcelona

Don’t miss

The Sangrada Familia

Font màgica de Montjuïc/ Fuente mágica de Montjuic (Catalan/Spanish)

Park Guell

Barcelona port

Las Ramblas

Stay in

Low to medium budget –Pension Segre which is where I stayed. About 10 mins walk from the Drassasans train stop which is about 10-15 mins from the main train station.

Literally 5 mins walk to Las Ramblas and the Barcelona port

Have lunch in Las Ramblas. You are spoilt for choice on the number of restaurants you can choose from. Almost all offering the same meals but different deals so if you’re not too hungry have a good look around at the deals about. I ate at the San Remo. And if none of the restaurants tickles your fancy there is always those bars/tapas places on either sides on the roads you can have a pizza or tapas at. Drink Sangria or Tinto de Verano. Don’t miss the hotdogs or crepe by the port and remember to take a river cruise whilst there! You can also check out the shopping centre and visit the bar which gives you a view of the sea. Make sure you come out at night. With all the lights on the city really comes to live!

Visit the market, La Boqueria located just of the Las Ramblas. Fruit heaven! You will enjoy fruit salads or shakes for very cheap. Have a look around there are other things to discover!

You cannot miss the show at Fuente mágica de Montjuic! Try and get there for 7’Oclock when the show starts. Any time after that and it will be crowded and you may not get a place to sit.

Get your hiking shoes on and go to Park Guell it’s located on top of a sort of hill so it’s. Long walk up!

Sagrada Familia is worth a visit too!

I tried to visit as many things as possible been in Barcelona. When every time I’m in a city I try to walk as much as possible. So that’s exactly what I did. I only caught the bus or train when I was going really long distances or in the evening when I was so tired to walk back, but other than I walked everywhere and I discovered some cool stuff which may not be on the map!

20140411_163059 — this is the catalan plaza

Ahh what else can I say about Barcelona? Other than I will definitely visit there again and stay longer! But in 3 days 2 nights you can get a feel of Barcelona and enjoy what it has to offer. Next stop Valencia!

BACKPACKING ACROSS SPAIN!

Hey guys! Happy Easter in advance! I hope everyone is fantastic wherever they are and have some fab plans coming up for Easter because I certainly do! Ok so here is Spain we have 11 days of for Easter, and since it’s the week leading to my birthday also and I LOVE to travel, what better way of spending that 1 week backpacking across Spain!

Yes guys, I will be going to Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Cadiz, Seville (maybe) and finally back to Madrid! I am so excited and can’t wait to get started! I purchased my 40L backpack from Amazon (Mountain warehouse brand) and I am ready to goooo. The weather has been amazing so far and I am hoping it gets better. And by better I mean hotter! So my itinerary is as follows

10^th-13^th– Barcelona

13^th– 15^th– Valencia

15^th– 17^th Granada

17^th-21^st – Cadiz (and if there is time, a quick visit to Seville/Malaga as well as it’s only an hour to drive)

With only 11 days I tried to visit the main cities and hopefully in July (if I have money) go to the others. It’s a lot of travel- overnight trains/coaches, but everyone knows the journey to your destination is half the experience! And with my 21^st birthday the day after I come back, it’s my birthday present to meeee! What I am going to try and do is make sure I buy a tshirt from every city and wear it to the next city I am visiting! (super!)

So I’m out guys. So obviously there is going to be a 5 part travel update on all these places including what to see, where to stay etc. so stay tuned!

So once again, have a happy Easter and see you soon!

Love Sarah