2016 January Favourites ♡

I cannot believe that the first month of 2016 is now over. The thought of it is just crazy although I hope it was good to you! January was a pretty fun month for me; coming to the end of the holiday break isn't so much but I'm excited for what's next.

♡ Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: To start the new year I thought it would be nice to change up my make up look. I really got into wearing quite sultry shades on my eyelids and fell in love. I received a Mecca Maxima voucher for Christmas and decided to buy this palette. I love Urban Decay eyeshadows. They're buttery, easy to blend and cruelty free! Playing around with this for a while I found that these shadows work better with a sticky base, so either a primer or concealer will help with the pigmentation. Other than that, these shades are beautiful. My favourites right now are 'Burnout', 'Nooner' and 'Blackheart'.

♡ Rimmel London Fix & Protect Make Up Primer: I never really got into wearing primers until recently. Primers are used underneath foundation to help it last all day. This one from Rimmel is so good because it allows better application and creates a smooth base. This primer does have SP525 which can be not so great when taking photographs due to flashback, although I wore it to a concert and party and it was fine!

♡ Benefit Girl Meets Pearl: As well as primers, I never was one to wear an illuminator/highlighter on my face. That was because my skin does get quite oily in the t-zone and I already have a glow. However, I found this in my collection, gave it a try and now i'm obsessed. It's a beautiful pearl liquid highlight that I apply either before or after my foundation on the tops of my cheekbones. I apply it with my ring finger or with a beauty sponge. It is so stunning!

♡ NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray: I know I mentioned that I have oily skin but this is amazing. Once this is done i'm going to pick up a matte one to compare the difference. I have really been loving glowy skin for the summer time and I love spraying this on my cheeks, trying to avoid the t-zone. This helps with the lasting affect of my foundation and feels light and comfortable on the skin. If you have dry skin, you'll love this!

♡ E.L.F Daily Brush Cleaner: The one thing I dread doing, is cleaning my make up brushes. We all have to do it but the thought of it kills me! A few times a month I do like to deep clean all my make up brushes, although on the daily basis I like having clean eye brushes as it makes application better. This stuff is great and super easy to use. It works well on smaller make up brushes but not so much foundation brushes. I'd give this a try if you're looking for something quick to use!

Music:

Rise - Selena Gomez

Wake up - The Vamps

I found a girl - The Vamps

Clean - Taylor Swift

UGH! - The 1975
Pillow Talk - Zayn

Food:
I have been obsessing over my Vegan Date & Coconut Truffles. They are so delicious and easy to make with simple raw ingredients.

Book:
Girl Online & Girl Online On Tour by Zoe Sugg. I honestly have had Girl Online sitting in my desk draws for well over a year. and it wasn't recently I decided to read it. I'm the type of person that enjoys reading but never makes time for it. I've always had this problem with visualising text, and I struggle to find books that I can make sense of and really feel and understand the characters. Girl Online had me hooked, I honestly could not put it down! I was feeling every emotion in the story and fell in love with the characters. I finished the whole book in 2 days and that's a record for me because it normally takes months! I just finished reading Girl Online On Tour and i'm so sad. I really want a Noah in my life! (Zoe please bring out book 3)

Memory:

Ending on a high note, I did get to see one of my favourite bands perform; The Vamps. I saw them on the 23rd of January and they were so incredible! It was such a feel good show where everyone was up and dancing, jumping and screaming their lungs out (me). I wish they had sung more songs because I was on a high. Thinking about it makes me miss it even more! The photos aren't the best quality as the lights were a little crazy and I was shaking too much!

They were my favourites from the month on January. It was a real fun month and I'm keen for the next! I hope February is good to you.

Love always,

Sara

Vegan Date & Coconut Truffles

When it comes to treats, there is nothing better than truffles that you can customise to whatever you like. A while ago (before I became Vegan), I did a post on some other protein balls which are nothing compared to these. These ingredients are super simple and good for the soul. I was so keen to make these and I am very pleased with the turn out, so I hope you like them too!

YOU WILL NEED.....

For the mixture:

♡ 225g of pitted dates
♡ 1/2cup of almonds
♡ 1/4cup cocoa powder
♡ 1/4cup coconut milk
♡ 1Tbs shredded coconut

For the toppings:

♡ Shredded coconut
♡ Cocoa Powder

To make life easier:

♡ A food processor
♡ Measuring cups

Procedure...

1. Add pitted dates into your food processor and mix until they form a gooey constituency.
2. Throw in the almonds and blend until they are chopped.
3. Pour in the cocoa powder, coconut milk and shredded coconut and allow that to combine into the mixture.
4. Once the mixture is all blended together; roll the mix into balls (any size) and then roll them into a bowl of your desired toppings.
5. Leave in the fridge for 1-2 hours and bon-appetite!

These treats are perfect for those who think Vegan food is disgusting, so share them around!

Love always,
Sara

2015 Reflection

If someone were to tell me that 2015 was going to be a year like it has been then I would of laughed in their face. Looking back on my 2014 reflection has made me aware of how different this year has been compared to the last. The first half of the year is where I faced most difficulty. Difficulty in almost every aspect of my life, including relationships with people and myself.I learnt so many things in the past year. I've learnt that not everyone I stumble upon is going to like me. I've learnt that it's okay to remove the negative people in my life. I've learnt how to be more confident in myself, how to look at the world from a different perspective by the means of understanding other peoples situations and just connecting with people on a daily basis.

One thing which i'm sure if you've read previous posts of mine, you would know that I'm a big believer of the saying "you are who you surround yourself with". This quote played at the back of my head like a melody every single day for a really long time. I had to reflect a lot on myself and question why I am the way I am. That resulted in me having a say or as my dad says 'being the star of the show' and just removing people from my life. And yes I mean people close to me that were just making me feel so miserable about myself. I just really want whoever is going through a similar situation to know that YOU WILL BE OKAY. I can't even count how many times I thought I was such a horrible person for doing that but I realised that my happiness is so important and in order to learn to love myself, I had to do what I felt was right. That decision I made has allowed me to connect with people who I never thought I'd be close to now and understand other people more.

Another aspect that was a big part of my life was to stop dancing. Dancing for about 11 years or so was amazing and such a fun and memorable part of my life. I love performing and getting that adrenaline rush before going on stage. Earlier this year, I decided it wasn't as enjoyable anymore. That could just be because I did feel quite anxious a lot which kind of made me question the things I love. I would love to do it again, but for some reason team work stresses me out so for now i'm okay with discovering new things I'm passionate about.

Speaking of passionate things, I am now a proud member of the veggie life. On August 2nd, I decided to switch to a Vegan diet. The process happened over the course of a few months when I came across Vegans on You-tube such as Bonny Rebecca, Free-lee the Banana Girl etc. These you-tubers opened up my eyes about something I've never really thought about before. Veganism gave me purpose; I've always wanted to be involved in change for the betterment of society. I've always wanted to make a difference in someones life and it was only until August of 2015 which I connected with the world. Evidently, there are people who don't really understand the lifestyle and I have copt a few invasive comments from relatives and friends but I am only now starting to develop thick skin.

To sum it all up, 2015 was a roller coaster. It was a year where I learnt a lot about myself and one that I'll never forget. I pray that 2016 blesses us all and is a year where we can discover our own happiness. Please always remember, no matter how tough it was, no matter how stressed, anxious or sad you felt, you survived another year and I'm proud of you.

Love always,
Sara.

2015 December Favourites ♡

2015 is officially over and we are now starting a new chapter of our lives in the year 2016. This past year was tough yet memorable. I developed a love/hate relationship with my bank account, although discovered some of my holy grail beauty products. This is what I've enjoyed in the month of December.

♡ Too Faced Le Grand Chateau Palette (blue): I reviewed this palette in a previous post here. This set is limited edition and is part of the Too Faced Holiday Collection. The set comes with three palettes and this one is my favourite. It includes six shades ranging from matte to shimmers. The pigmentation is amazing as well as all Too Faced shadows in general. This palette is perfect from day to night wear and also includes a pretty pink blush which I love also.

♡ Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara: I have done a full review on this here. This mascara is perfect for every day wear. It is lengthening, volumizing and doesn't clump together. The packaging is super cute, the wand is made of fibres so it creates a really soft flutter to the lashes. This is the first product I own from Tarte and I definitely want to try out some more of their stuff.

♡ Maybelline The Elixir in '025': I recall mentioning this product in some of my past monthly favourites. I was rummaging through my make up collection and came across an old favourite of mine. The quality of this lipgloss is amazing. I love the packaging, the doe-foot applicator, the pigmentation, lasting power and everything about this lip product. The shade I have is a pinky-mauve but I want to pick up some others asap. I highly recommend these to try! 

♡ CK One Red Edition For Her Eau De Toilette Spray: This basically smells like you have a man in your life (but I really don't). It is a light and fresh fragrance, perfect for every day wear. It is described as a floral-fruity scent with watermelon and violet. I've been wearing it like crazy and now have two bottles and a body wash thanks to Santa Clause. 

Music:

Youth - Troye Sivan

Hands to myself - Selena Gomez

Honest - Kodaline

Movies:

Star Wars-The Force Awakens: I cried, that is all I have to say.

Arthur Christmas: It is not the festive season without this film. So good, watch it now!

That's really all I've been loving in the month of December. I hope you all have a wonderful year ahead in 2016! 

Love always,

Sara.