I love using face masks so much. They make me feel luxurious and relaxed but I haven't found any good brands for a reasonable price in New Zealand. My friend came back from Korea last week and I asked her to get me some of my favourite face masks.
She picked up quite a few new types for me that I have never tried before. My favourite brand for face masks are Dr Pharm but I have no idea where
to get them from in New Zealand. If you know where to get them from in
New Zealand please let me know. I also got a Leaders Insolution brand face mask and a Etude House one which I have never used before but it looks really good. I typically use the snail essence one which I find is really smooth and silky on my skin. The face masks types I got are pearl, pomegranate, hyaluronic acid, aloe, honey, green tea, tea tree and snail essence. They look so colourful and inviting and I'm really excited try these. I know that honey, aloe, green tea and tea tree are really good for the skin but I am really curious to try the pearl, pomegranate and that random acid one.
Comment below if you would like a review on these face masks.
Finally got my lazy butt out of bed and painted my nails. I chose this bright blue colour with a hint of shimmer. I love this colour because even though it is quite sheer after two coats it looks so beautiful and since it is quite sheer with one coat you can't really see any mistakes which I always have on my right hand. This shade is ice cocktail by Gade. I really live their polishes- they are just so smooth and easy to apply!
Comment below what your favourite nail polish shades are and I will be sure to check them out.
When it comes to winter we all know that skincare takes priority. I don't know about you but my skin gets so dry in winter and with dry skin comes itchy patches and pimples. So here are my top five skincare products.
1.My favourite cleanser for the winter time is Cetaphil gentle cleanser. I find it very gentle on my face which is great because in winter my face tends to break out and I need something that will clean my face without irritating it. This cleanser is a little pricey for a cleanser- I got my from the supermarket for $22 but I think it is great for problematic skin! This is a product I trust 100% because this was actually recommended to me by my dermatologist when I was having really bad skin.
2. My next favourite skin product is the Victoria Secret lotion. It smells so delicious that I always get compliments on how I smell when I use it. I actually got this as a gift from my dad when he went to America so I don't know where to get this in New Zealand. If you know where to get Victoria Secret stuff in New Zealand please let me know! Additionally the lotion is very moistuizing and is great for hands. I keep mine beside by sink so after I wash my hands I remember to use it. I don't know about you but in winter my hands are the first to show signs of drying- in summer I can get away with less moisturising but not in winter! Definitely check his lotion out if you are looking for a good one!
3. I know that typically oil blotting sheets are used in summer but I find that i still need to use them in winter. I really love these Za oil blotting sheets! In the winter I still find my face getting oily which I cannot understand how my face can be dry and oily at the same time! Someone please explain that to me! I love using these at school because they are super convenient to carry around at school since they are super small! More importantly these do a great job keeping my face matte without breaking me out!
4. Next up is the Estée Lauder nutritious night mask! When I first discovered this I instantly fell in love with it! I call this my miracle cream to my family and I have actually got my brother and my mum hooked onto this cream. It is so moisturising and great for the skin. I put it on a night twice a week and I wake up with flawless skin! It takes away any redness and smoothed out my faces. If there is one product you try this has to be it. I know that it is quite high end but it is definitely worth it.
5. I don't know about you but working out and winter is my least favourite combination! I don't like working out as it is but add in the cold and rainy winter I hate working out even more. One thing that makes it better slightly is the Estée Lauder radiant energy lotion! I love to use this after I work out because combined with the natural goodness of working out this lotion gives my face a quick boost. I like to think of this as a quick fix to making my face more presentable after working out. It is not as moisturising as other lotions but it gives my face a healthy glow and lift! Sometimes I also like to use this in the morning to make myself look more awake and fully of energy when in reality I actually pulled an all nighter on my maths assignment!
Here are my top 3 songs of the month. Comment below your top 3 songs of the month and I will be sure to check them out because I am always on the look out for new music.
1. Salute- Little Mix
This is the perfect summer anthem! This is one of those songs that the more you listen to the better it gets. I love the upbeat chorus. It just makes me want to dance around and scream to. I actually have this song on my workout playlist because it just gets me pumping and excited to work out. I also love Little Mix and their music and I love girl power music. This is one of my favourite songs to listen to on road trips and whenever it comes on the radio, I always sing the song at the top of my lungs!
The music video is super fitting for the song because it's a lot more mature than their other music but the dancing as usual is amazing. Definitely check this song and music video out if you haven't!
Try- Colbie Caillat
I
first discovered this song after I read an article on the song in Dolly
magazine. The moment I saw the music video and heard the song I fell in
love. This song has been on repeat constantly this month. I love the
meaning of this song and I think he lyrics are just so beautiful. My
favourite line is "Do you like you?". That lyric really relates to me
because I have always been self conscious and insecure. I put a lot of
pressure on myself to be pretty and skinny and I was really unhappy with
myself. That is why I love this song so much. It reminds me to live
myself the way I am because it's my life.
I
have been a big fan of Colbie Caillat since her song bubbly came out a
couple of years ago. I love her summery simple melody with beautiful
lyrics. She is a
huge inspiration and more female artists should be promoting self
confidence in girls.
I also love the video concept. At the beginning we have Colbie and a range of women wearing lots of makeup and they slowly reveal themselves without makeup through the video. I have to say that Colbie looks beautiful without makeup as well as the other girls! I just wish they had shown some Asian girls in the video but I commend them for having a wide range of ages and ethnicities. It is a breath of fresh air in the pop music world!
Somebody to you-The Vamps ft Demi Lovato
This song has been all over the radio and the pop world and there is a reason for that- IT IS SO DAMN CATCHY! It is the perfect summer dance party song because it is so upbeat and fun. I also love Demi Lovato- She is just a goddess in this music video. She looks so beautiful and I wish she had more lines because her voice fits perfectly with the song. I actually am quite new to The Vamps and I am still discovering their music and I still don't actually know who they actually are! I don't normally listen to this type of music but it is so catch and fun that I couldn't help loving. If you have any other songs by The Vamps that you think I should listen to, comment them down below and I will check them out!
Today for lunch I had a little more time to spend. Whenever I have time for a meal I always try to make it healthy and delicious. Sadly today there wasn't much in the fridge so I whipped up this open toasted sandwich ( I have no idea what this is called?). You can tell I was really scrounging around since one piece of bread is multigrain and one is white. They were the last pieces of bread left in the pantry.
I placed two pieces of bread in a sandwich maker and on top of that I slice up some avocado, mushrooms and used some leftover lemon pepper tuna. For the mushrooms I'm not comfortable eating raw mushrooms so I boiled them in some water for one minute just so they were cooked. On top of everything I placed some nice cheese. I leave it in the toasted sandwich maker for 5 minutes just so the bread gets nice and crisper and the cheese is melting.
And voila! This is such an easy healthy lunch and I just love to make this when I have an empty fridge because it only requires a few ingredients but it is so yummy! You can totally customise what you put on top of your toast. In the past I have used leftover chicken, cucumber, fresh tomatoes, and capsicum and it always tastes good.
Comment below what you like to make for lunch and if you decide to try this please comment below with a picture. I would love to see different takes on this!
Got lots of love from my last DIY lyric art so decided to do another one. This is the chorus from Don't you worry child by Sweedish house mafia. This song isn't typically my kind of song but I remember listening to it a couple of times and just falling in love with the lyrics. I really live the lyrics because I am one of those people that just worry themselves to death. I am always so anxious and when I was little I used to have serious panic attacks but luckily I outgrew them as I got older.
Personally these lyrics are a little reminder that there is a bigger picture that sometimes we can't see. It helps me to stop worrying and just live out my life without fear. I hope you any this artwork because I worked really hard on it.
Comment below any other lyric art you would like me to do next.
In the middle of winter there is nothing better than a good gingerbread cookie. Now I am really picky about my gingerbread cookies. They have to be soft and warming but still gingery and sweet. I know that the 'American' gingerbread men recipe contains molasses but molasses are a rare and hated thing in my house. I think it's a New Zealand thing? I know most of my friends have no clue what they are. Anyway when I first began to make gingerbread recipes I bought a jar of molasses and I tried a couple of 'American' recipes that called for 1/2 cup of molasses and for someone who doesn't like the taste of molasses they all turned out horribly. Even my brother who will eat anything didn't eat them. I think it's because here in New Zealand we don't have the taste for traditional gingerbread. Instead I found this perfect recipe from Zoella last Christmas and since then I have made these cookies 4 times. These gingerbread men are so delicious. The molasses flavour is hidden underneath the ginger and cinnamon but still provides a warm spice. This recipe is really different because it is made on the stove but it works and makes cleanup much easier as everything is in one pot!
As I said this recipe is from Zoella but I've altered it a little bit. I found that this recipe makes about 50 small gingerbread men. it definitely makes heaps so if you want less you can halve recipe. These are so yummy You should definitely try these. If you do comment below and tell me what you think!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup (I prefer to use honey)
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon of ginger
100g of butter
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 3/4 cups of flour
Mix everything except baking soda and flour in a bowl.
and melt it over a low heat.
When everything is melted add the baking soda and stir quickly. It should change into a golden colour. Once everything is combined take it off the heat.
Slowly add the flour until it makes a dough and roll it out. Take a cookie cutter and make some cookies!
Place them into an oven for 8 minutes. Check them constantly because they burn easily. If you want the soft and chewy bake them for 6 minutes.
And Voila!
For the icing I used one cup of icing sugar, one teaspoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoon on milk. I prefer a lemon icing because the sourness goes perfectly with the warm ginger spice.
I love the way they turned out. I think they are super cute and fun for a lazy winter day!
