Summer Favourites!

Hi there lovely people! How are you today?

Given that I was out at the beginning of August I didn't do a July Favourites, so I'll try to fit them all into a Summer Favourites post! I'll try to narrow it down because otherwise it will get too long!

-Herbalism face cleanser from LUSH
I wrote a review on this product and I'm seriously in love with it. It's really hard for me to keep a routine, to be honest, and since I started using this cleanser I've noticed a change so big that it has motivated me to use a cleanser, toner and moisturiser every morning and evening on my face (which I have NEVER managed to do.) It's even more perfect now that it's really hot (honestly, how are we at 35ºC on September?) and my face gets oily really quickly. I really, really recommend it!

-Evolu Protective Day Cream SPF15
Another part of my daily routine and I absolutely love it! I've talked about this one as well because it's the face cream I received from Rosie for her giveaway. A little goes a long way and it doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy at all! I use both these products along with the LUSH Tea Tree Water toner and my face looks honestly better than ever.

-Bonté Spring Water body mist
Refreshing, affordable, long-lasting... there's nothing to complain about. I have to go to the store to find a new scent when Autumn comes!

-Bonté Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
I always had trouble with taking away my mascara with Bonté's Cleansing Milk and I honestly found the solution with this product. My mascara goes away SO quickly and it doesn't hurt my eyes at all!

-Essence Lash Princess volume mascara 
Loving Essence as much as I do, it was about time I bought this mascara, which is pretty much everyone's favourite from Essence. The brush is a little weird and at the beginning I didn't use it well so it didn't work that much, but when I got the hang of it looked great on me and left my lashes with a lot more volume. Also... the packaging is stunning!


-Essence All About Matt! Oil Control Paper
As I said, it has been a really hot Summer, and these have helped a lot when my face was feeling too oily and I was wearing makeup. You only have to pat them on your face and they absorbe the excess oil without messing up your makeup!

-All The Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven
I have read a good amount of books this Summer, and this one definitely stands out from the others. As someone who's dealt with mental illness for many years, I can say this is one of the best pictures of teenage depression I've found in a book. I strongly recommend it to everybody and I can't be grateful enough for Zoella to have recommended it!

-Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
I love me some Jane Austen and, funnily enough, I hadn't read her most famous work in the original version. It's still tricky to read a 200-year-old non-native language, but I've managed way better than I did when I read Emma last January! There's definitely a reason these books keep being published and printed and they have an undeniable quality.

-Sara Bareilles (especially her musical, Waitress) 
I've gotten into her music a lot recently, and it's weird because Gravity is one of my favourite songs and still I hadn't heard more music from hers! I discovered Waitress some months ago and I loved it the first listen (you NEED to listen to She Used To Be Mine, it's brilliant). Recently I've been listening to it non-stop! She has such a gift and the concert she did, which is fully uploaded on youtube, is the funniest one I've ever seen.


That's it! I hope you have a lovely day and your September isn't too tough!

A big big hug,


Acqua

Really Easy Nail Art Design (no tools)

Good afternoon guys! I hope you're having a lovely day!

Today's post is going to be a little different, but I'm reaaaally excited about it! If you know me, you know my favourite beauty-related product is nail polish. I couldn't have too many shades! I don't have the patience to do nail art though, and I honestly quite like having only one colour on them, but accent nails are something I've done in the past and really like.

I found a tutorial on youtube that I'll link here and tried to follow the steps it suggested and guess what! I ended up with acceptable nail art I was really proud of! And remember... if I could do it, you can too!

As you see, the design is supposed to be a splash of paint. I used it as an accent nail, but you could do it on all your nails too, you could do more than one splash in each nail... it's entirely up to you! And the best thing is you don't need any tools, you only have to use a toothpick!

First of all, you put on a base coat (always use a base coat, don't be lazy!) and two layers of the nail varnish you decided to go for as the background. I used Basic Cosmetics' oxygen base and Maybelline's shade 342 Coral Craze from their Colorshow range, which you know are my favourite nail varnishes! You let it dry for quite a long time (I actually waited until the next day) and go for the design. Pick the colour/colours you want to use and drop a little on some plastic (you could put it on a youghurt lid, just something you don't mind losing). I used shades 130 Winter Baby and 335 Broadway Blues from the same range. Pick up a toothpick, dip it in the drop and apply it on your nail. Apart from the splash itself, paint some spots that would work as drops from the splash. Top coat (I used Basic Cosmetics') and let it dry! That's the worst part for me hahaha Before applying the top coat, wait a little, I was too impatient on my right hand and I carried a little of the blue varnish away with the top coat.

As you see, it's super easy! Given that we're still at almost 40ºC where I live I went for a summery look, but I love how this design could work throughout the year using different shades.

That's it! Let me know how it goes if you try it.

A big big hug,


Acqua

What I'm Bringing On Holidays!

Good morning everybody! This time tomorrow I'll probably be in Italy already, and that's soooo exciting! We're jumping on the car tonight to travel to the Umbria region in the North of Italy (and hopefully we'll visit as much Tuscany as we can too!) We're staying near Assisi and we'll stay there for over a week (I'll have wifi though, so I plan on writing posts anyway, expect loads of pictures!)

I've never done a post like this one, so I thought I could try it out! I'm going to show you all the beauty-hygiene products I'm taking with me for my trip. There are a lot, so let's go!

BAG NUMBER 1: Hygiene / bathroom products

(From left to right - I forgot the hair brush and hairbands and everything!)

-GingiLacer toothpaste: the best thing I've found for my gum problems! (I always bleed when brushing my teeth)
-Extra Soft Toothbrush: same reason, stronger ones don't help!
-Bonté Purifying Attack: you apply it on any spot you might have and it dries out overnight.
-LUSH Tea Tree Water Tonic: I had this in a favourites post and I absolutely love it! You just spray it and you're ready to go.
-Evolu Protective Day Cream SPF15: I won Rosie's giveaway and this was one of the prizes! I received it a couple of days ago and I'm already obsessed with it. I'm so sad this is only in New Zealand! And New Zealand is... well, literally on the other side of the world. The antipodes of where I live ^^'
-Bonté Professional Satin Liss Hair Mask: Bonté's hair masks are some of my favourite products in the world. I haven't used conditioner any more since I found them! Right now I'm loving the Satin Liss one, but the Keratin&Argan one and the Repair&Protect one are great as well.
-Pantene Repair and Protect Shampoo: I'm a big fan of Pantene's shampoos and I'm always switching from this one to the AquaLight one.
-Bonté Romantic Orchid Body Cream: You apply it after a shower and it leaves your skin feeling really smooth.
-Avène Cleansing Gel: my Herbalism cleanser sample has run out. NIGHTMARES! Instead I'm using this one, which to be honest, is very good as well. It's soap-free and directed to oily skin.
-Lactovit Shower Gel (not on the picture): I forgot, okay, over it.
-Bonté Sun Spray SPF20: I don't need a high SPF because my skin doesn't burn easily, and I always use transparent sprays because my skin is too greasy for the creams. I'm not bringing Aftersun so let's hope this one works!
-Bonté Spring Water Body Mist: refreshing, smells great, affordable, LOVE IT.
-Bonté Fresh Watermelon Hand Cream: it has argan oil and it's the perfect size to carry around. I always have one in my bag!


BAG NUMBER 2 (makeup)

I'm not bringing a lot of makeup as I don't think I'm going to wear it too much. You know I'm an Essence girl, so I'm mainly bringing my favourite Essence products!

-All About Bronze Eyeshadow Palette: shiny, gold, everything I might need on holidays!
-Multi Use Eyeshadow Brush: it has an angled brush, a crease brush and a sponge, so it's really useful if you don't want to carry everything around!
-All Eyes On Me Waterproof Mascara: my favourite mascara: it just adds a little volume and blackness so it still looks natural, it lasts all day long... I love it!
-LongLasting Eye Pencil in the shade 01 Black Fever: my go-to black eye pencil.
-Kajal Pencil in the shade 21 Feel The Eclipse: it has a really pretty blue undertone that I love. It doesn't stay defined, but the slight blurriness gives you a softer, pretty look anyway!
-Bonté Cleansing Milk: it's very moisturising and takes away my makeup very easily.
-Primark Beauty Sponge: not the best beauty sponge in the world but hey, it cost me 1€ and it does its job!
-Coverstick Concealer in the shade 04 True Nude: now that I'm more tanned it doesn't match as well as it used to, but it works great to conceal any imperfections and undereye bags.
-All About Matt! Oil Control Paper: this. Is. Great! When your skin is feeling too oily or sweaty, you just pat it on your face and it takes away all the excess oil! This way your makeup doesn't fade away as you rub the oil.
-XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss (Velvet Matt) in the shade 06 Soft Nude: it looked better when I had less of a tan, but it still looks lovely and surprise! I've found out it works magically to put under your lipliner if you want to use it to fill your lips. I was really shocked hahaha It makes it feel smoother and more moisturising!
-Longlasting Lipstick in the shade 06 Barely There!: this has quickly become my favourite lipstick. It's a stunning dark nude and it's perfect for every occasion.
-Lipliner in the shade 07 Cute Pink: I own 3 Essence lipliners and I can truly say I think they are Essence's best products. I think they cost €1.29 which should be illegal, and I absolutely love them. This shade is my favourite, but I own 15 Honey Berry and 12 Wish Me A Rose and they're great as well!
-XXXL Nude Lipgloss: I've said this is my favourite lipgloss before and I stand by it. Moisturising, looks cute, feels good, lasts a fair amount of time... love it!
-Liquid Lipstick in the shade 06 Make A Statement: I love it, it looks good on me but I still haven't had the courage to wear it outside my house! I tend to go for nude shades and it's quite scary to be honest, but maybe it's time!
-Rimmel London Keep Calm And Kiss Lip Balm: it's very moisturising and it has a really pretty pink undertone. I wear it all the time!

Wow, that was quite a long post! I hope you're not too bored by now and you've found new products you might want to try out. Have you tried any of the ones I mentioned? Let me know!

I'll keep on packing everything! Have a great week, I sure will ^^

A big big hug,


Acqua

Herbalism Review (LUSH)

Hi guys!

When I went to LUSH last month I was given two free samples of their products, and one of them is the face cleanser Herbalism. For some reason I hadn't used it until recently, and I thought I could review it!

First of all, the product itself. It's a kind of green powder that you put in your hand and pour just a little water into. Then, it becomes more fluid and you can apply it to your face. You only need a tiny bit (I was given a small pot for the sample, I've used it for a week AND I STILL HAVE SOME LEFT!) and you can cleanse your whole face. You can also leave it for some more minutes and use it as a face mask.

The product itself is unlike anything I've seen before, and I like it even though I applied either too much or too little water at the beginning so it didn't work as well. It takes some practice to get used to it, but once you get it it becomes very simple. It goes away from your face very easily as well.

You can feel the change even after the first time you put it on (I would add specially the first time you put it on). I find it works better if you wear it on your face for three or four minutes at least, and it leaves your skin feeling like a baby's behind. I don't think my skin has ever felt this soft! It has taken away spots I had, and every time a new one appeared, it would dry out in a couple of days. It does a really good job with helping your pores to breathe, and that's something I'm really thankful for in this hot Summer (it's over 30ºC every day, help me.)

As you can see, I'm verrrry impressed with this product. I don't have acne, only some spots here and there, so I can't tell you if it helps with that, but maybe someone can share their experience on the comments! It did a very good job with my greasy skin and I can feel some traces from old spots I managed badly starting to fade away, which is something I NEVER thought would happen!

Now, the price. When I went to the LUSH store, I thought "there is no way I'm buying this when I come back, it's way too expensive!" but I might change my mind. Yes, it is pricey, but it's handmade and, most importantly, it lasts for ages. I think the whole pot would last for maybe 3 months and it costs a little under 10€, so I'm fine with it.

Overall, I find it's a really good product and, honestly, it adds to the list of items I've tried from LUSH and I loved (which is every single one.)

Have you tried this cleanser or any other cleanser from LUSH? Let me know your recommendations in the comments!

A big big hug,


Acqua

June Favourites!

Good afternoon and happy 4th of July to all my American readers! (Okay, okay, this was meant to be published yesterday... happy late 4th of July?) I hope you have a wonderful day :)

I'm a little bit late for my favourites post, I know, I'm sorry! I wanted to post it last Friday but I didn't have time because I've started my July job and it's quite stressing. But I'm extremely happy because of the acceptance of my last post, Letting Go Of What Never Was. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! I never thought so many people would relate :)

Anyway, let's get to my favourites because I have quite a lot this month!

- Tea Tree Water liquid tonic from LUSH
I went to Lush, I bought a lot and I've loved every single thing so far. But speaking about favourites for the month, I thought this was better because I've used it every single day for the last weeks and it's worked amazingly. I have oily skin and it has been really nice and gentle to my face. It's lightweight and really, really easy to apply: you only have to spray it and let it dry! It's hard for me to keep routines, so this has been really useful. I highly recommend it!

- Anti-grease Dry Shampoo from Schwarzkopft
I had wanted to try a dry shampoo for quite a long time and I was really impressed! My hair doesn't even look a tiny bit greasy after applying it. It's amazing!

- Summer Glow Self Tan nourishing lotion from Dove
I was looking for a self tan from Nivea, but I found this one instead and I'm really happy with it! If you take your time with applying it and letting it dry, after a couple of days you'll have a very natural tan a little bit darker than your usual skin tone. I've been using it on my legs because the rest of my body gets tanned quickly while my legs stay snow white... and I love it!

- Barely there! (shade 06) lipstick from Essence
You'll know that the only cruelty-free makeup brand that sells in my village is Essence, and I really like their products. The last time I went to the store I only picked up things I had seen recommended on blogs and youtube videos, and it was the best thing I could've done! I loved them all and I actually have most of them in my favourites today. Barely there! is a favourite in the blogging world, and I can totally see why. It's the perfect nude lipstick, a little dark but not too much. I never wear lipstick if I don't have a special event, but I've been using this one on several weekdays and I love it!

- XXXL Velvet Matt lipgloss (shade 06 Soft Nude) from Essence
I also bought this the last time I went to the store and the same thing has happened: I have worn it a lot this month, even on weekdays! It's a light nude, and it goes really well with bright, corally t-shirts (and let's be honest, I wear quite a lot on Summer, it's one of my favourite colours!) The only downside is that it smells a little funny... like something being burned. But the consistence is really nice on your lips, it sits down amazingly, and it's quite hidrating too. An absolute win in my book!

- 07 Cute Pink lipliner from Essence
Essence lip liners are considered by many their best products ever, so I had to buy one. They are really affordable and now I can say they are very good! The one I own is a really nice pink shade, and you can wear it as a liner or use it to fill your lips: it looks good either way! It's easy to apply, not drying at all... I can totally see what all the buzz was about!

- The Kingkiller Chronicle saga
I told you this is one of my favourite books because I used a quote from it for a quote of the week... but it had to be here. I'm in love with this saga. The Name Of The Wind and A Wise Man's Fear are among the best fantasy books ever written. I wasn't prepared for how much I'd love to reread these. I absolutely wasn't.

That's it! Quite a lot of favourites this month... what have you been loving? Thanks and I'll see you on Friday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

A French Kiss Bubble Bath Review | LUSH

Hello everybody! As you know, I went to Lush some days ago and I've been trying out some of their products, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you!

Lavender is one of my favourite scents ever, so I was really excited to try out the A French Kiss bubble bath. The main ingredients are lavender, rosemary, thyme oil and coconut oil.

The first thing you notice is the smell, as it is very strong. But on the moment you start melting it under running water, it becomes natural, more delicate and less overwhelming, and it fills your bathroom with the nicest scent ever (which, as a bonus, lasts for a whole day). It doesn't stay on your skin for a long time, but it does leave you smelling fresh.

When it comes to the bubbles, I was really impressed! It's true that I had never had a bubble bath before so I don't have a lot to compare it with, but I melted half of the product and almost my whole bath was covered. What I should have done and will do the next time is break a piece off the product and melt it, because I put the whole thing and then the humidity of the bath didn't help for the rest to stay solid and ready for the next time I use it.
 

Sorry it's blurry, I was really worried about my phone falling in the water!

Apart from the bubbles, it left a pinky-purply undertone to my bath which was really nice. The oils really do their work, because they left my skin SO immensely soft, I was quite impressed by that. I left my bath feeling relaxed and full of energy at the same time. Moreso, I always have problems because I breathe too quickly (my singing teacher always scolds me because of that) and I swear I left the bath breathing slowly and inhaling and exhaling looooong breaths.

The only downside it had is that I find it quite expensive for the amount of product you get. It cost me €5.95, and in pounds it's 4.25. I think that for just two baths, it's too much. Having said that, I think I'll repurchase it because it worked wonders on my skin and left me feeling immensely relaxed, it's been my favourite product from LUSH out of the ones I've tried so far!

Have you tried this bubble bath? Let me know what you thought in the comments!

And by the way, I finally have my blog twitter account! You can subscribe here so we can interact over there ^^ See you!

A big big hug,


Acqua

HAUL | Primark, LUSH, Claire's

Hi there!

I want to start today's post apologising because I haven't been commenting on your blogs lately >.< I've been very, very busy with my Uni exams and I just wanted to focus on that! But I finished on Wednesday, so I've started to comment on everything I owe and I plan on doing it for the whole weekend! So if I haven't commented on your blog yet, I'm sorry, but I'm going to soon!

Wednesday finishing my exams also meant something else... I have the tradition that, on the day after my last exam, I go shopping on Barcelona because I deserve it hahaha I didn't buy much this time, but I still wanted to do a haul :) And it's my first haul, so I'm really excited!

Claire's

The first place I went to was Claire's, because I have a singing show on Monday and my singing teacher asked me to wear a flower crown, so I went and picked one up. I wanted to pick one I would actually wear on a daily basis, so I chose this one with the delicate pink and white flowers which I thought was really cute! I also picked up some hair bands and scrunchies, because you can never have too many!


Primark

This is usually where I spend most of my money, but I was saving for Lush so I didn't buy a lot this time! I just picked up a t-shirt (this kind of t-shirts with a little pocket are my favourites, I own some in different colours!) and some black shorts. I also picked up two t-shirts for my mum, a blender sponge, some white socks and a couple pairs of tights.


Lush

This is where I wanted to go all along! Let me say first, thank you all for the recommendation. Some of you have been telling me to go for ages and omg... I wish I had gone there before! It smells amazing, and the girls who worked in there were the NICEST PEOPLE EVER. I'm not kidding. When I go shopping on Barcelona I'm used to being ignored, but they just came to help but weren't too pushy about it, because some times you feel a lot of pressure when that happens! They just gave me a cute basket to put my items in and let me know they were there in case I needed any help. After having picked what I wanted to buy, they also asked me about my skin and gave me a couple of free samples of what they thought would be good for me! I was really happy and can't wait to try everything out!

Anyways, I'm rambling, so here's a list of what I bought!

- Butterball bath bomb
- Dragon's Egg bath bomb
- Think Pink bath bomb
- A French Kiss bubble bath
- Tea Tree Water liquid tonic
- SAMPLE Herbalism face & body cleaner
- SAMPLE Rub Rub Rub exfoliant shower gel


FNAC

FNAC is a place with electronic products and books and music and geeky stuff and I just love it. I went because my little sister is reaaaaally obsessed with the Falling Kingdoms saga by Morgan Rhodes, and the fourth book has just been published in Spain and she asked me to buy it. I also picked up Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, which I've been wanting to read for a while. One of my resolutions is to read more classic English literature in English, because if I want to translate books from English as my future job it's something I need to do :) And I'm quite enjoying it, although it's a bit hard not being a native speaker!

I actually went to The Body Shop after that, but I didn't find anything I especially liked (I tried on samples of their new Piña Colada range, but even though they were quite hidrating, I don't like pineapple so I didn't like the smell hahaha). I was also running out of time, so I left to get to the train.

This was my morning in Barcelona! I had such a fun time there :) Expect reviews for the Lush products soon! I've actually tried a couple already, so maybe on Monday?

I hope you enjoyed this post and see you on Monday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

LUSH & The Body Shop Wishlist

Hi there guys! I've finally managed to go to Barcelona next Thursday and I'm finally going to Lush! I'm really excited because I've been dying to try out their products for such a long time... I'm also going to The Body Shop and Primark and I think I'll be broke by Friday!

I've been going through their products and I've put on a wishlist of some things I'd like to buy, but I also need your help! If you've been to Lush and/or The Body Shop, pleaaaase let me know what you recommend! I'd love to check out your favourites :)

Without any further ado, here's the list of things I'd love to buy from Lush!

- Angels On Bare Skin face & body cleanser

- Creamy Candy bubble bath

- Big Bang bubble bath

- A French Kiss bubble bath

- Blackberry Bath Bomb

- The Experimenter bath bomb

- Dragon's Egg bath bomb

- Think Pink bath bomb

Okay, I'm definitely not buying all of them because I have a limited budget, but... these all look so good! Do you have any other recommendations? I dont have a The Body Shop list because I'm not looking for anything in particular, but if there are any specific products that you love please let me know!

A big big hug,


Acqua

May Favourites!

Hi there! May is about to finish (which means exams are about to finish and I approve) so as always, I've gathered the things I've been loving this month and I'm sharing them with you! Let's go!

1- The Endgame novels
This is the book discovery of the year! I was talking to a new friend from Uni about what books I like, and she immediately recommended this saga because she knew I'd fall in love with it. If you like Divergent, The Hunger Games and/or The Maze Runner, please check it out. The writing style is quite different from anything I've ever read, and it's really interesting. There are a lot of characters, but once you get used to it, it's not complicated to follow. You become invested with their stories. The writing could be better, I have to say, as with Divergent and The Maze Runner, but the story is so interesting and the plot so finely schemed that you don't mind at all.

2- Bonté's hair masks: Satin Liss and Repair and Protect
You know I love Bonté! I decided to try out their hair masks this month and I can see a HUGE difference on my hair. The Satin Liss one is for rebel hair, and it's quite thick. The Repair and Protect one is for damaged hair, and it's lighter. They both smell amazing and work wonders on your hair. They moisturise it without making it greasy (which tends to happen with my hair), so I'm definitely sticking with them for a loooong time!

3- Essence's Coverstick in the shade 04 True Nude
I bought this stick concealer because I was looking for something I could use without foundation, which I don't feel comfortable wearing, and I found exactly what I needed. It works really well with my spots and imperfections. It doesn't completely hide my eye bags, but it tones them down and you can't even see I'm wearing something, which I feel would happen if it covered them completely. What surprised me was to see it had a creamy texture. It's not drying at all! But at the same time, it works amazingly with greasy skin and you don't need any powder because it's not shiny. It won't last the whole day though, just for some hours.

4- Essence's LongLasting eye pencil in the shade 01 Black Fever
If you remember, on my Top Essence Products post I talked about Essence's Longlasting eye pencils because I had one in the shade 09 Cool Down, and I really liked the product although it didn't look good on me. I was trying to find a black one, and I finally did! I think it cost me less than €2, which is a complete bargain, and it just works well. It's easy to apply, even on your waterline, it lasts quite a lot, it doesn't spread all over the skin around your eye... Great!

5- Sara Bareilles' Waitress
As you know, Gravity by Sara Bareilles is one of my favourite songs, but some weeks ago I found out Sara Bareilles had written a musical! What? It has a song that speaks to me so much. It's called She Used To Be Mine, and the character singing it talks about herself when she was younger, how different she was and what huge dreams she had. It's just gorgeous.

6- Chester See
I already talked about it, but Chester See (youtuber and singer) has just come back! I decided to check out his content and he's amazing. And his songs... they're gorgeous! If you're into the youtuber world, you need to check him out. And if you're not... this could be your doorway! You can thank me later ^^

That's all for this month! I'll leave it here and I'll see you on Monday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

April Favourites

Hi guys! How are you! I'm really excited because today I'm going on a holiday! Well, it's actually not a normal holiday, because I'm going to a big theatre event with loads of people, you can easily see 6 plays everyday! The people there are really cool and the hotel we're staying in is too, and we're gonna be playing our play on Sunday so it's really exciting!

But before going I wanted to post this April Favourites! I've been loving a lot of things, so it's been hard to narrow it down, but without any further ado, here are my favourites!


1- Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days Gel Nail Color varnishes
I talked about the 230 Berry Stain shade on this post and you know I loved it, so I bought another shade more suited for Spring! It's the shade 130 Rose Poudré, and it's a really pretty nude pink. I think it's very elegant and it's perfect if you tend to go for warmer, more natural colours. It faded a little bit faster than the Berry Stain one, but it still lasts a lot and is really easy and quick to apply. The formula is awesome and there are more beautiful colours on this range, so I'm sure you all can find your style!


2- Essence's Nail Polish Corrector Pen
There's a lot of nails on this post, I'm sorry ^^' But you know nails are my thing! I bought this corrector pen a couple of weeks ago and it's SO useful! It's a kind of marker with nail polish remover instead of ink, so you can use it to "erase" the varnish left outside of your nails if you're clumsy like me hahaha It makes my life so much easier, I'd definitely recommend you give it a try! I bought Essence's because it's the only one I could find, but there are more brands that make them!

3- Bonté's Express Nail Polish Remover
GUYS THIS IS MY LIFE SAVER. It's the best thing I've purchased in a while. It has a sponge inside with a hole in the middle so you just put your finger inside, rub it a little bit on the sponge, take it out and voilà! No nail polish! It works so fast and so well and it saves me a lot of time and effort when I want to change the colour on my nails. I'll let you know how much it lasts, but for now it doesn't seem to dry out or stop working. I think it was like €1.50, so definitely worth the money. Again, I've found more brands with this kind of product, but I bought Bonté's because it was the cheapest and for a trial I didn't want to pay a lot if maybe I wasn't going to like it. I'm definitely repurchasing it!


4- Essence's Kajal Pencil in 21 Feel the Eclipse
This is actually my favourite Essence Eye Pencil, but I absolutely forgot about it for my "Top Essence Products" post! I used it a couple of days later and I wanted to smash my head for forgetting it, so I thought I'd put it on my favourites :) It's not completely black, it's a beautiful deep dark blue and I'm absolutely in love with it! It looks black if you don't look closely, but then you can see it's a touch away from being black. It lasts a fair amount of time for its price. It won't last you a whole day, but maybe a morning or an afternoon.





5- Pantene's Aqua Light Shampoo
I usually use the "Repair and Protect" range from Pantene and I really like it, but a friend recommended this one and I gave it a try! It's really good, it doesn't have as many components as shampoos usually do, so that's definitely a plus. It doesn't damage your hair and it leaves it feeling really smooth and clean. My hair tends to get a little bit oily quickly, and I've found this one to avoid it. Also, I think my hair is less frizzy since I started using it!

6- Danielle Bradbery's Potential
You know I love reality singing competitions and Danielle Bradbery, winner of The Voice US Season 4, is one of my favourite singers. We're being really patient because the process for her second album release has been really long, but some days ago she had a concert and dropped this new song which is SO GOOD. I wasn't in love with her last single, but if the songs that are coming are as good as this one... well, I'm sold! Please take a listen to it, I've had it on repeat for some days and I don't get tired! It's so good!


That's it! I hope you'l have an amazing weekend and I'll see you when I come back!


A big big hug,


Acqua

Top Essence Products & 2000 views!

Hey hey hey! Today I'm reaaaally happy because I REACHED 2000 VIEWS! It's been only a month and a day since I told you I reached 1000 views and I did not in a million times think I would double it in just a month. This blog is a blessing. Thank you so much for trusting me and spending a little bit of your time in my corner of the internet ^^ I'll be forever grateful!

I've been requested before to talk a little about the makeup I use, and I thought I could share it! I started this post as a "Makeup Bag" post, but then I saw how much Essence there was and I decided to make it just Essence. But before starting, let me warn you that I don't use makeup that often and I'm not an expert. I haven't owned a lot of products so I can't really compare quality-wise... So forgive me if I say something that's completely wrong! What I can do, though, is share what I use and maybe you can tell me about what alternatives I can find and if you have used them as well.

Also, my makeup is bought exclusively in a place in my village, and the only brands that they have are Maybelline, Essence, Basic Cosmetics and Rimmel. I've been asked that too, so there you go! That's why I'm jealous when I see all of the cheap and awesome brands you use hahaha Now that I've told you that, let's move on to the Essence products I like the most!

 EYES

All About Bronze Eyeshadow Palette
They're quite new, but I've put them on on a couple of concerts and they work pretty well! They're not as pigmented as I would've liked them to be, but they're quite shiny and long-lasting. I think they cost me about €5, so it was definitely a good deal!

These are from left to right, first row and then second row

Multi Use Eyeshadow Brush
This is honestly perfect for me because I have everything I need in one brush: you can see in the picture there is an angled brush, a sponge and a crease brush! It doesn't have the best quality but it works the way it needs to. I don't think you should buy it if you use makeup often, but for a few occasions it's the perfect one.

All Eyes On Me Mascara
I put this mascara on my March Favourites and I stand by it. It gives that little extra and I've been putting it on everyday recently; no other makeup, just mascara. It lasts all day long and it doesn't make my lashes look too big, it just accentuates them. I really like it!

I <3 ROCK Gloss Eye Pencil
I actually rescued this one a month ago from old makeup, I think I hadn't worn it for over a year! I don't use it a lot but it's my favourite one from Essence. It tends to fade a little bit, but apart from that, it's a good eye pencil! (I don't even think they make it anymore, but whatever hahaha)

LongLasting Eye Pencil in the shade 09 Cool Down
Okay, this eye pencil is really good, but it has a problem: I'm not crazy about the shade! I messed up when I bought it hahaha But the eye pencil itself is long-lasting and precise. I'm definitely gonna but a black one if I can find it! It's kind of bittersweet, because it's good but I don't wear it because of the shade. If blue eye pencil looks good on you I totally recommend it!


LIPS


XXXL Nude Lipgloss in the shade 03 Taste The Sweets
This one was actually on my Lip Product Tag! It's my favourite lipgloss I've ever owned: it has a beautiful pink tone and it's not sticky at all. It doesn't dry your lips, which is not easy to find in drugstore lipglosses! I still have to try their matte lipglosses, which I got recommended, I'll let you know if I like them as much as this one! ^^

Lipstick in the shade 13 Love Me
I didn't like it in the beginning to be honest, but I've put it on again after some months and I'm finding myself liking it! I find it looks a lot better if you apply it over a lip balm (maybe that's obvious but I didn't know it, okay? hahaha), this one especially. It's just a simple pale nude pink, and I think it only goes along well with a certain skin tone (maybe that's why I didn't like it in the beginning, I'm paler now haha).

Lipgloss + I Feel Pretty + Love Me

Lipstick in the shade 09 I Feel Pretty
I also put this one on my Lip Product Tag and it's my favourite! I think it gives life to your whole look. It's the one I wear the most on concerts (if you haven't realised, that's when I wear makeup hahaha). I have a problem with lipsticks: I feel really weird when I wear them full-colour, to put it in some way. These two let me apply them just slightly and they look really good like that. They are pigmented enough to be noticed but not too much, and that's something I love about them.


NAILS

Hello Autumn's Nailpolish in the shade 02 Meet My Pumpkin
This is quite misplaced because it's Spring and it's an Autumn shade hahaha But you know I had to include nail products in this! This is an AWESOME nail polish because it's thermo changing. It goes from a very pretty orange shade when it's hot to a brown shade when it's cold and you can't tell me that's not the greatest thing you've ever seen hahaha Essence released this range last Autumn and I fell in love with it. It's not really long-lasting but it can't have everything!






And that's it! Have you really gotten here? I might have gone off the rails a little bit, there are a lot of products hahaha I hope you didn't get bored! Let me know if you have any Essence products or just drugstore products in general that you recommend. Thanks for reading and I'll see you on Monday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days Gel Nail Color Review | 230 Berry Stain

Hi there, guys! How are you today? I hope you're having an amazing day and you'll enjoy this post! Let's go!

I have never done a product review, so I thought I could give it a try. I recently found a blog post (though I've lost the link, I'm sorry >.<) that featured a summary of all the Nail Polishes in the Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days range, and let me say I instantly fell in love with all of them! I especially liked the Berry Stain shade, so I broke my hiatus (it had been 6 months since I bought my last nail polish! I kept buying more and I needed to calm down hahaha) and bought it!

The top picture was taken some hours after having applied it, and you can see the shade is completely gorgeous. I don't think I've EVER gotten so many compliments on a nail polish shade, I got a lot for this one! I also like that it is wearable during every season, even though I think it would look its best in Autumn (I live in a zone full of vineyards and it would suit the season so much!). It's quite glossy, even more if you apply a top coat, but the colour is opaque and very pigmented: you only need two layers and it's done! It dries really quickly too, which is something I really like because I don't seem to manage being still until they get dry. It's not bubbly, the brush is quite thick so you don't have any problems when applying it, it dries evenly, no streaks...

It's not hard to see I loved it A LOT! It's more expensive than the ColorShow range (€5.99 against €1.99), but I think I'm gonna be checking out more of them, even though I'll stick with ColorShow most of the time because the price in relation to the quality is a bargain. I've already eyed new shades from both the ranges and I can't wait to try them out. Bring them on!

Finally, the last question comes: do they really last seven days? Well, you can see on the picture below that they do. I've been wearing it for 8 days now and, although it has begun to fade at the top of some nails (don't mind the thumb one, I didn't do my best job at applying it so it's competely my fault), they still look amazing. If I wanted them perfectly perfect I would change it by now, but I'm not really picky with that and I reckon they will last some more days, maybe even a week! I think next time I use this shade I won't apply a top coat to see if I can notice any changes.

All in all, I totally recommend buying it. The shades are gorgeous and the quality really good. I bet you won't be disappointed!

Have you tried any nail polish shade from this range? Which one would you recommend? Thanks for reading and see you on Monday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

Top 5 Spring/Summer Nail Polish Shades & 1000 VIEWS!

Heya! How are you guys? As you see, there isn't a Quote of the Week this Monday, and this is because I've decided to change things up a little bit!

Looking back into my older posts I've realised that a lot of them are really similar. And I like that kind of posts, but I think I have to combine them with other things so this blog will cover more areas and you won't get bored with it! Don't worry though, it doesn't mean the QOTW is over, it just means that my schedule will change a little bit: on Monday, I'll alternate a QOTW and a Favourites post, and on Friday, who knows what might come! What do you think about it? Do you like the new schedule? Let me know if you have any suggestions!

I also want to thank you BECAUSE I REACHED 1000 VIEWS! This is honestly so crazy. Thank you so, so much for taking a little bit of your time to read and comment, it means the world to me! I started this blog a month and a half ago and I feel like I've come such a long way since then. And I also made the appearance of my blog a little more personal... what do you think about it?

So thank you again, and on with the post!

As you know, I'm not someone who wears make-up everyday, and I'm definitely NOT an expert on beauty-related things, but if there's one thing I absolutely love is having tons of colors to wear on my nails! I'm actually in a hiatus of buying new nail polish shades because I just had so many I didn't use all of them hahaha (I kept buying more and more, I love it!)

Spring is around the corner, and it's my favourite season, so I'm pretty excited about it! I'm seeing lots of people talking about their favourite Spring products, so this post was just meant to be. Again, I'm a drugstore girl, so my FAVOURITE brand to buy nail polish is Maybelline! They are so cheap (€1.99) and honestly, they dry so quickly, they don't crack until a long time has gone by... you can wear them for a couple of weeks and they still look amazing! I do have more brands, but my favourite Spring shades happen to be all from Maybelline's range Colorshow (previously called Colorama) hahaha Well, I hope you won't mind! So without any further ado, here are my absolute faves!



1- Canal Street Coral (shade 329)

This isn't only my favourite Spring/Summer shade, this is my FAVOURITE SHADE EVER. You can tell because I'm about to finish it (and it's not the first one I bought!) It's so bright and cheerful, the tone is reaaaaaally pretty (it's a kind of bright pinky orange), and I also have a t-shirt of the same shade, so when I wear both I just feel so well combined hahahaha I haven't worn it since September, I think, and I cannot wait to put it on again! It's also a lot better than it looks on the picture haha Trust me on this one!


2- Park Avenue Pink (shade 333)

It's a deep and bright pink, and it's the perfect shade to cheer you up! The only problem is you can't wear red clothes when you have it on, because they just don't match hahah But I love the tone, I highly recommend it!


3- Candy Apple (shade 15)

This is my favourite red because it's a bit darker than most reds and it's perfect when you want to feel a little bit more dressed up (you can't quite appreciate it in the picture.) It has a wine-y tone to it, but if you apply more layers it will be more plain red. It's up to you, depending on your mood and on what you decide! My personal preference is the wine-y shade :)


4- Urban Turquoise (shade 120)

This one can be controversial hahaha one of my best friends hates it because she only likes reds, pinks and so on, but I love it because it's such a statement and again, it just cheers me up when I see it! It definitely draws attention to the nails and it's a bold choice, but if you like this kind of shade, it's really good!


5- Broadway Blue (shade 335)

You know I had to buy it when I saw the name! You can honestly wear it all year long, because it suits all the seasons (I wear it a lot on Winter too), but I think it looks good on Spring too. It helps you get away of the typical colours but it's still bright and it has a cool vibe. I don't know if that made any sense hahaha I just like it a lot!


So there you go! I'm really happy about this post because I get to share one of my favourite things with you :) Let me know your favourite nail polish shade in the comments, and see you on Friday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

The Lip Product Tag and the Get To Know Me Tag!

Hey hey hey! How are you doing? I've been nominated for a couple of tags, so that's what I'm going to do today! But first of all, I want to thank everybody who commented on my last post, it was really hard for me to write and seeing that I have your support means the world to me! I won't forget it :)

Before I start these tags I'm going to answer a couple of questions some of you have been asking! I wanted to keep where I'm from private because I was so obsessed with being anonymous, but given that I'm gonna be talking about products that are found in my country it wouldn't make sense to hide it! And anyway you all must have had a growth in Spanish visits in your blogs hahaha so yes, I live in Spain, but my mothern language is Catalan, since I live in an area called Catalonia, and it has its own language, traditions, history, and so on. But I can speak Catalan and Spanish equally! There you go hahaha you know something more about me now!


The first tag I'm gonna do is the "Get to know me" tag! I've been nominated by El the bookworm, whose blog I absolutely love, if you haven't, go check it out!


What is your favourite way to style your hair?

I usually wear my hair down (I have really long hair), or I take some shorter strands from the front and pin them back with bobby pins! It's halfway through a half-up half-down style hahaha In Summer either one or two braids. What you'll NEVER see me wearing is a ponytail or anything that puts all my hair back and leaves my face completely free, since I have a wide face and it does NOT look good on me! And I always wear a tiny braid lost among all the hair!


What is one movie you could re watch over and over again?

Probably The Proposal! I love me some Romantic Comedies, and if Sandra Bullock's in it... I'm sold! I'm quite a Drama Queen and I love dramatic movies, but some times I'd rather see a lighter plot, and I don't get tired of it!


Do you have any pets?

Yes! I have a white kitty... insert picture here! She was spoiled by an old woman who later sent her out, and we kept her... but she's so annoying now! I hope we'll calm her down!

 


What's on your nails right now?

Right now, I'm wearing shade 04 Keep Calm & Go For A Walk, from Essence's collection "Hello Autumn" (I know, Autumn is far away, but the shade is gorgeous!). It's a really cheap thermo changing nail polish, and it goes from nude pink (cold) to orangey pink (hot) depending on the temperature!


What's your favourite thing about blogging?

I think it has to be the comments I get, and also seeing the list of countries from which people are reading my blog. It's mindblowing! I love languages and cultures and diversity, and the fact that my words can reach someone on the other side of the world is amazing to me! So thank you, all of you, so very much!



Bold eyes or bold lips?

Bold eyes! But that's coming from someone who isn't to be trusted when it comes down to make-up hahaha


If you could blog about one brand's product, which brand would it be?

Hmmmm I'm a drugstore girl with not much money to spend on beauty, so I think I'll go with Maybelline or Essence!


Most used/loved product?

Actually a hand cream from a Spanish supermarket's range! (The range is Bonté by Clarel, if anyone was curious.) I was really surprised when I tried it, it smells amazing and it leaves my hands so moisturised! It also comes in a small package, so it's the perfect size to have on my handbag.


Would you rather have flawless skin and not be able to wear any makeup or never wear skin makeup again but still be allowed to use makeup?

Flawless skin hands down. I don't use make-up that often anyways hahaha


What is your most hated thing about wearing makeup?

I think there isn't a special thing to hate about it! I'd rather leave it for special occasions because I don't feel comfortable wearing it every day, but that's just me, and I totally love hearing about brands and everything. On the times I wear make-up, having to take it away before going to sleep does bother me actually!

I nominate V, nycheartsme and Girl on Rainbow!


And now, on to "The lip product" tag! I was nominated by ItsElla and, honestly, I was terrified, because I don't have many beauty-related products, just a few drugstore ones that I like and that work for me for the few times I wear make-up. But I asked a friend for help to complete the questions I didn't have my own answer for! So thanks, Ella, and you all make sure to check her blog as well, it's awesome!

Favourite lip balm or treatment

I'm currently using Rimmel's "Keep Calm And Kiss" (these people are so original with the names hahaha) lip balm from the Rita Ora range and I love it! It also has a pink undertone, which makes it  really pretty.

Favourite eye catching red.

I had to ask a friend for help with some questions and actually, all of her answers were the same: MAC's Russian Red! She's so obsessed with it she told me to put it everywhere I could!

Best luxury and drugstore product

That would be Russian Red again! My favourite drugstore product is Essence's lipstick in the shade 09 I Feel Pretty! It's so beautiful, it's not really bold (because I don't usually wear make-up I feel really weird wearing something you can see from miles away!) and it really suits my skin tone.

Best MAC lipstick

You guessed it! Russian Red! ;)

The first one is Essence's "I feel pretty" and the second one is Basic cosmetics' lip pencil!

Most disappointing lip product

That supermarket I told you about also has a make-up range called "Basic cosmetics", and I bought a lip pencil from that range in the orange shade. It's a pretty tone, but it makes your lips feel and look really dry and it doesn't really allow them to breathe!

Lipliner - Yes or No

Not really. I'm just too lazy hahaha

Favourite lipgloss

Essence's XXXL nude lipgloss in the shade 03 Taste The Sweets (wow, I've just realised there's a lot of Essence on this list!).


So that's it! I'm not nominating anyone for this one because I've seen almost everybody do it! If you haven't, consider yourself nominated!

I've been hesitant about writing a make-up related post because I'm not an expert, but maybe you'd like to see what's in my make-up bag... I'm quite happy about what I have and it's not expensive at all! Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing it! What I'm actually obsessed about is nail polish, I might make a post about that as well. I don't know... what would you like me to write about? I feel like most of my posts have been really similar and I'd like to change things up! It would be great to see your opinion, to know what you'd rather read :)

A big big hug!


Acqua