MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2019

OMG, where has the time gone? Most importantly, why am I still sat here with a box of chocolates on my lap like I haven't just become a little pig in a blanket? 

I honestly have felt like 2018 has just flown by in a blink of an eye and that's probably due to many reasons. I had quite a hectic year in 2018, between changing 2 jobs in the space of 8 months, losing people and friends I never thought I'd lose, gaining new friends, meeting an amazing bunch of people I'd never thought I'd meet and just generally living and getting through every day life. 

This time last year, I had a vision in mind as to what I would have liked to accomplish by the end of 2018 and I'm not afraid to admit, at this stage, I don't feel I have accomplished any of the things I'd have liked. However, is it worth me sitting here dwelling on it? Nope. 

I've really learnt that sometimes, no matter how much you try to plan and imagine things going a certain way, no matter how much you try to control everything; sometimes it just isn't meant to be and this is OK. Before, I really would have felt demoralised but finally, if there is one thing that I learnt in 2018, is that everything will come in ITS OWN TIME!. 

Just because I've paid for almost 8 months of gym membership without going doesn't mean I should give up now and that I'm forever going to feel like "a pig in a blanket". Just because, I have not achieved some of my goals, does not mean that I should give up on them.

Faith. Have it and you shall get to where you need. 

So, I usually set myself 10 'Goals' or if you want, we can call them, 'Resolutions' for the new year. However, this year I am going to half that number and try to stick to it...

Here is my list of my TOP 5 RESOLUTIONS FOR 2019: 

❤️ GYM 

I'm going to use the word Gym but what I actually mean is just try to be more active all round. Whether I go for more walks, do some light exercise at home or actually make use of my gym membership. Whatever it be, I will try to be more active. I'm determined to feel good about myself again! 

❤️ LEARN TO COOK 

Now some of you will probably be thinking, girl you've been to uni, you've lived abroad for a year and you cant cook? 
To answer that question, I feel like I can cook food for myself but if I had to host a dinner party, I wouldn't be confident that people would like my food. I'd love to be able to learn to make tasty food that my friends and family could enjoy. 
I see so many scrumptious looking meals all over social media, magazines, blogs etc. and I would just love to actually be able to learn to cook even 5 fancy-er meals which also look presentable... You wait, one day you'll see me wearing a white chéf hat ;)

❤️ BECOME MORE ORGANISED 

Again, if anyone that knows me is reading this right now, they'll probably be thinking, really Marianna? 'You ALREADY are organised!' I'd personally say this is half true. I can be, very organised, however at times, I can also be really disorganised and totally unprepared for things. I'd like to actually be able to take more control of my life in 2019 and aim to be more organised with everything that I do, rather than just certain aspects of my life. This will also mean that I will be needing to create a schedule for my social media as I would like to make my posts more consistent across all of my active social platforms. In a matter of fact, if you guys have any days in particular where you are more likely to sit and read blogs or even, sit and catch-up on you Instagram feed, do comment down below :) 

❤️ IMPROVE PHOTOGRAPHY 

I can really appreciate pretty pictures, so why shouldn't I be able to take pretty pictures and share them with others? Photography has become so important in the bloggers world and one thing I'd really love to be able to do is learn to create beautiful flat-lays. Perfect flat-lays really catch my eye whenever I am looking through Instagram. As well as flat-lays, I would also love to be able to learn more about my camera, different functions and hopefully along the way, be able to find my style. 

❤️ BE HAPPY 

As cliché as this may sound, in 2019, I would like to be happier all-round. I have learnt that happiness is found from within. As I said earlier, 2018 wasn't the best year in terms of fulfilling the things which I thought would make me 'happy'. However now that it has come to an end, I cannot truly say that I am unhappy as a result of the things that I did not accomplish. In a matter of fact, I feel happier now compared to how I felt this time last year. That's because I have the best family, friends and boyfriend, who are always around me, loving, supporting and motivating me to always do my best. These are the things that make me happy and as long as I have these things around me, I will always strive to be the best version of me. 

So, we have come to the end of my 2019 resolutions and I really hope that you have enjoyed reading this. I'd like to wish you an amazing new year and I hope that it will be the best year you have ever had :)

Comment down below and let me know what your new year's resolutions are! 

❤️

   Love, ML x

Instantly Soft Lips with Bali Balm

Hey Beautyholicgirls,

Now, I don't know about you but I've noticed that as soon as the weather has gotten a little colder, my lips have started to get dry and chapped. Ergh. Usually, I am the worst person when it comes to dry lips because I end up biting them and trying to rub the skin away. 

In the past, I tried several lip balms and Vaselines which certainly helped but did not give me those smooth kissable lips in an instant. It would usually take a couple of days for my lips to become smooth and to top it off, in order to achieve this, I had to ensure that I kept reapplying them throughout the day. Of course, if you know me, I am the laziest person when it comes to reapplying anything on my skin; the minute my lips would begin to get better, I would forget to reapply my Vaseline and before I knew it , I was in one of those cycles where my lips would get worse and worse to the point where they start to bleed. 

After years of searching, I feel like I have finally found the perfect 'lip-rescue' for me and I want to share it with you all.

*DRUM ROLL PLEASE* 

Bali Balm *

This lip-balm has been a complete cult product for me over the past month. Here are a few reasons why: 

❤️ Vegan: The packaging and the ingredients in this balm are all 100% vegan. I feel that at this point in time, companies no longer have the excuse to get away with testing on animals. It is possible to obtain a good quality product that is also vegan.

❤️ Scent: The Bali-Balms come in 4 different scents, Bergamot & Grapefruit, Cinnamon & Burnt Orange, Lemon & Black pepper and Sandalwood & Ginger. I personally have the Bergamot & Grapefruit and I absolutely love this scent. I find that it's not too over powering and it just smells gorgeous and soothing. 

❤️ The Packaging: I absolutely love the packaging of this lip balm. It is so minimalistic, yet the dark orange internal part of the box adds a touch of luxury.

❤️ "Kiss the Planet Pledge": This is a campaign started by Bali Balm to support eco-friendly, sustainable and cruelty free practices in the production, packaging and usage of their lip balms. The pledge is a commitment to use only natural and recyclable products and processed that do as little harm to the ecosystems and the environment as possible... I don't think I need to add anything else as the pledge speaks for itself. 

❤️ Suitable for Him & Her: It's not just ladies who suffer from dry lips. Men should also be able to find products that work so I think it's great that this balm is suitable for everyone...Also, with Christmas coming up, I think they would make an excellent stocking filler for the men in your lives and that's an added bonus! ;).

❤️ Instant Results: For me, this is the most important point. The Bali Balm ACTUALLY works the second I apply it. Not only this, my lips feel moisturised for the whole day without any need to reapply it. I simply apply it in the mornings when I do my makeup and then go over it with my favourite lippy. 

The Bali Balms are available for purchase directly through the Bali Balm website. Retailing for £20, I admit that they are a bit pricier than your everyday drugstore lip balms. However, for me, the results are worth the price tag.

I would definitely recommend Bali Balm to anyone who suffers from chapped lips in the colder months. Plus, I don't know about you but I would always be happy to spend a few extra pounds for a product that is ethically produced and most importantly, does what it states on the packaging. 

Let me know if you have enjoyed this review and tell me what products you enjoy using to rescue your lips in winter. 

❤️

   Love, ML x

*PR: Products in this post were sent to me complimentary. However all photos and opinions are my own and I do not earn any commissions from sales.

SKINKISSED - VITAMIN C SERUM REVIEW

Hello Beautyholics,

I hope you are well!

Today, I am going to blog about something that you may have already come across on Instagram, the Skin Kissed Vitamin C serum.

I was contacted by SkinKissed last month and I was asked if I would be interested in testing their Vitamin C serum. After looking into the brand and serum, I thought I would give it a whirl.

Personally, I have come across quite a few reviews of this serum and so far, I am yet to read a negative post...

The product claims to: 

Nourish, enhance and leave your skin glowing. It contains 4 ingredients: Vitamin C, Hyaluronic acid, collagen & rose oil.

The instructions for use are to use it twice a day, morning and night after washing your face. It also claims that it can be used under your foundation and it is also supposed to help combat acne.

I suffer from enlarged pores and quite dull skin and I often find that when I wake up in the morning my skin doesn't look as plump as I would like it to be - which often then leads me to piling on makeup and covering my face with foundation. Yep, I know, this is probably also another reason why my skin doesn't look its best! However, you get it - its a vicious cycle!

I'm not usually someone who uses many serums, mostly because I try to keep my skincare to the minimal basics. However, when I received the bottle I was really excited to try it out.

It came in this small black bottle with gold writing across it. Very simple and plain... but you know me, I LOVE simple things, especially when it comes to skincare. However, I found this serum really easy to use because I only needed a few drops and I used it instead of my moisturiser at night time. I did also use it under my makeup in the day time.

The thing that I was the most impressed with, was that it comes with a pump which allows you to measure how much product you use, ensuring that there is no wasted product.

I'm one of those people who dislikes wasting things, regardless of what it is - probably also why I'm a chubba, because I always make sure none of the food on my plate gets wasted ;) (haha). Anyway, I find that one of the many downfalls with most products is that they are not designed to prevent product wastage. So I was glad to see that this serum was not part of the wastage gang.

I decided to test this serum out for a whole 28 days before giving you guys a review as I wanted it to be honest. So now that the full 28 day are up here is what I found:

Pros

❤️ Barely any scent - this is great because I used this before going to bed at night and I did not want anything highly fragrant
❤️ Skin felt softer after application
❤️ Plumper skin - I found that when I got out of bed in the morning my skin looked brighter and all round healthier
❤️ It did not break me out
❤️ Absorbs right into the skin enabling you to apply makeup over it without it slipping off
❤️ Not tested on animals - I think nowadays, given the modern advancements, there is no excuse for companies to test products on animals. I'm all for brands who care about the planet and do not test on animals!

Cons

❤️ Retails at £29.99 for a 20ml bottle -  I think that they could do with giving more product for the price. However, they do great offers if you purchase more than 1 bottle...so if you can get yourself a bestie to also try the product you can save a little - I mean, this is also what besties are for right? ;)

So, my overall opinion is that it is certainly a GREAT product which I would urge you all to try out. It did really help my skin look plumper and I actually saw a reduction in blackheads - particularly around my nose and forehead. So for this reason I would rate it a solid 9/10!

How about you, have you tried any Vitamin C serums before? Let me know what you have tried and how you have got on!

❤️

   Love, ML x

New Look Bargain - £2 Foundation

Hello my Beautyholics,

I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having!

Today, I want to blog about a recent purchase which I thought was totally worth sharing with you all.

Last week I was browsing through New Look and stumbled across their makeup section as they had a HUGE sale on. I mean, there was items, cheaper than chips which I thought was really, really good! I don't know about you, but I am one of those people who really struggles to find a good bargain when browsing through sales - probably because I get annoyed half way through and just give up!

Anyway, I had some time to spare so I actually stopped to look through things properly and I noticed they had put some foundations on sale for as cheap as £2. I checked their original price and they were usually going for £4.99 (still pretty cheap). However, since I rarely find foundations as inexpensive as that, I thought I would give them a shot. I have actually not been wearing much foundation lately, mostly because I have got a bit of a tan and have particularly been enjoying using the HDBrows Sun Stick, which I blogged about last week (just popping the link for it here "High Definition Beauty must haves - Sun, Sculp & Glow Sticks".

At the moment, all of my foundations are a bit light for me as I am trying to hold onto my sun-tan for as long as possible and I have not really wanted to go out and splash dollars on a darker foundation which I probably wont get through.

So anyway, I decided to give this foundation a go and I picked up a slightly darker shade in "Natural Tan". It comes in this really basic black tube - reminds me a little of the MAC foundations and for the price, I feel like its quite a generous size.

The foundation comes out in really small amounts, which is great because you don't waste any of it. I was super impressed with how the colour matches my skin and it is a very light formula. It is also very buildable, however in the photo below I had only applied a very small amount.

I applied it in the morning with the rest of my makeup and it stayed on all day. It's perfect to even out your skin tone and to just add a touch of glow to your skin whilst still looking makeup free! Out of 10, I would definitely rate this foundation a solid 8/10.

I'd love to hear how you guys have found New Look makeup and whether anyone else has tried their foundations?

Let me know in the comments!

 ❤️

 Love, ML x

HIGH DEFINITION BEAUTY MUST HAVES - SUN, SCULPT & GLOW STICKS

Hey Beautyholics,

It's been a while!

I have been dying to share this review with you but for those of you who follow me on Instagram, you will know that I have been away on holiday (FYI, Holiday blog post is totally pending!), so I was unable to blog about these earlier.

I was recently contacted by High Definition Beauty and was asked if I wanted to test out their new Sculpt, Glow and Sun sticks and review my opinion on them. Of course, if you know me you know that I am OBSESSED with being tanned - I swear, the saying is real, Life is so much better when you're tanned! So of course, I instantly accepted to give these sticks a whirl.

If you have never heard of High Definition Beauty, they are an award-winning luxury British beauty brand. They started off as eyebrow specialists in 2008 and also go by the name HDBrows, however, since 2014 they have branched out into make-up and now offer beauty essentials for eyes, lips, face and brows.

When the sticks first arrived, I was really impressed by the sleek packaging and sizes that these products came in. I love anything Black, so I found their all-black packaging perfect! 

I received two Sculpt sticks - in cool and warm tones, a Sun-Stick and two Glow sticks. I was absolutely in awe when I opened them because of how beautiful the highlighter shades were.

The Glow sticks I received came in a Champagne and a Rose Gold, respectively swatched in the image below. The Champagne is a gorgeous gold shimmery highlighter, whilst the Rose Gold is more of a subtle shimmer. What I particularly loved about these sticks, is that they are highly pigmented and suitable for all skin tones. They are also very buildable, so you can create both subtle and full glam diva looks.

The Sculpt sticks came in two different shades. A cool shade (first swatch) and a warm (second swatch). Without a suntan, I found that the cool shade suited me more as looked less orange once applied over my foundation. Whilst the warm shade is recommended for those with darker and more yellow undertones.

Finally, the 'Pièce de résistance' from this review is the Sun-Stick. GURRRLLL! You do not need to lay on the beach soaking up the rays for a tanned look. If like me, you love to look tanned, you just need to add this Sun Stick to your beauty bag (bottom swatch).

I have been using it every day since coming back from my holiday and I have not needed to wear any foundation.
Despite me spending the whole day at work and then coming home and sitting out in the sun sweating, it stays matte on the skin and I find that it stays put on my face for the whole day. I apply it just like you would apply any cream contour stick and then use a soft brush or beauty blender to blend it in.

During the past week, I have also started to apply a thin layer all over my face just to add that extra bit of colour to my complexion and since I have started to do this, I have received lots of compliments and people asking me if I had been out sunbathing - My response: "Yes, of course I have" ;)

I can absolutely see myself using these stick for the next couple of months as they've really become indispensable items in my every day beauty bag and I will probably purchase them once they run out.

These sticks, can be purchased directly on the High Definition Beauty website - click here. If you check them out during this month, they currently have 30% off all of their Sun, Sculpt and Glow Sticks, so you'll be sure to get yourselves a really good saving.

Below is a cheeky selfie (hope you don't mind), that I took of me wearing my favourite Duo - Sun Stick and Champagne Highlighter.

Oh, I really do wish I could be tanned forever!

I'd be also interested in knowing whether anyone else has tried these sticks before and how many of you would be willing to give them a shot?

❤️

   Love, ML x

Disclaimer: Products in this post were sent to me complimentary. However all photos and opinions are my own and I do not earn any commissions from sales.

What I got in the Influenster UK Rimmel London Voxbox

Hello Beautyholicgirls,

I hope that you are all doing great.

I am back with an exciting post today. I was kindly sent the InfluensterUK voxbox last month and it contained some really cool products which I was so excited about sharing with you all.

As many of us here in the UK know, the new episodes of Love Island were aired on ITV at the begginning of this month. To commemorate this amazing time for us all, Rimmel London UK have teamed up with InfluensterUK and sent some very lucky bloggers the following products:
3x Wonder-Swipe Eyeliners, Scandal Eyes WOW Mascara and some festival worthy, ultra-glamorous instant tattoos!

Now let's just say that when I opened the box and saw those tattoos I was MEGA excited. I literally had not used instant tattoos in years and they really blasted me back to the 90's.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will probably know that I am one of the plainest people on this planet when it comes to makeup. This is mostly because I really enjoy nude colours and as much as I wear foundation, eyeshadow, contour and the whole shebang every single day, I do still like to keep it very neutral. For this reason, when I saw the colours I had received in this box, my instant thoughts were: "Wow, they're erm, a bit extravagant".

Nonetheless, I was open to trying these out and to seeing whether a plain Jane like myself could rock some bold coloured eyeliners.

Before doing these looks, I did have a look on Instagram and I had seem some really awesome makeup looks that other bloggers had created with these liners. However, I am in no way an expert when it comes to makeup; so I decided to keep things simple and just try them out the way I would usually wear eyeliner.

As you can see out of the three colours I was sent, the grey one on the left was quite dark and very close to the black eyeliner that I would normally wear. So I chose to take the plunge and try out a look with the purple and gold eyeliners.

In the past, I had read that purple really complements brown eyes; as someone who likes her neutral colours, I was always afraid to believe that. However, I must say that when I applied this purple eyeliner, I really could see how much more the colour of my eyes stood out. In addition, I absolutely loved using the eyeliner because I found it very easy to work with and also very buildable. I also used the gold liner just to add a tiny pop of highlight in the inner corners of my eyes.

I found that the consistency of the gold liner was slightly runnier compared to the other two shades and as a result the glitter smudged a lot more easily. Despite this, when you compare it to other glitter products I would still rate it a solid 8/10 for product consistency and pigment.

The next product that I was initially really excited to try out was the Scandal eyes WOW Mascara. If you know me, or have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that mascara is my holy grail beauty item. I could give up all makeup but could never give up mascara! So of course, when I saw a spanking new mascara, in the prettiest shade of lilac packaging, I was in awe!

I absolutely love, fibre bristles on mascara wands. I swear by them and it is for that reason that I have always been able to have long and defined lashes. Many women, swear by plastic bristles, however, I find that they clump your lashes and just generally make more mess than anything. So when I opened this mascara to reveal the wand, I was disappointed to find that despite all the pretty packaging, the wand came with plastic bristles :(

I still decided to give it a shot and not to let my past experiences dictate how I would feel about it. However, after trying it out every day for a week, I still cannot say that I am in love with it. Whilst it is A LOT better than previous plastic wand mascara brushes that I have tried in the past, it is still not a product that I would repurchase. I found the bristles too thick and they ended up really clumping my lashes together. If you have tried this, do let me know how you have got on with it!

Last but not least, the final and most exciting item in this box was the instant tattoos. As already mentioned, I was mega excited to try these as they are the sort of thing that I used to be crazy about when I was a little girl. There was so many to choose from and I can't really say that there are any that I did not like. I pretty much love all of the tattoo designs that were included.

I have always toyed with the idea of getting a real tattoo and I always said that if ever I would get a tattoo I would get it on my wrist. So I decided to try out the design in the image below.

I absolutely loved how glam these tattoos turned out to be. The design transferred so easily and whilst I was so scared to peel off the bottom layer in case it had not properly transferred, it all properly adhered to my skin really well.

I would also like to add, that despite me sweating in the gym and showering twice a day, this tattoo did not budge for a whole 5 days! A definite MUST have for this summer festival and beach holidays! ;).

On the whole, I was super happy with the products I received in this month's InfluesterUK voxbox. Apologies if this blog post has been a rather long one...but yano, it had been a while after all!

Let me know your thoughts and also whether you have also tried any of these products.I'd love to hear your opinions.

❤️

   Love, ML x

Disclaimer: Products in this post were sent to me complimentary. However all photos and opinions are my own. 

Marc Jacobs Matte Highliner Gel Review

Hello Beautyholics,

Who would have thought that colour pop eyeliners would come back in fashion?

If you're like me, you probably stay away from colours when it comes to eye make-up. I like to keep things very basic and a black winged liner usually does the job.

However, last month I was very fortunate to have received a parcel from InfluensterUK, containing not one, but two complimentary samples of Marc Jacobs Highliners. I was really not expecting to receive the parcel so you could imagine my face when I opened the parcel *Screams of Excitement*.

I received a dark brown shade called 'Earthquake' and a pastel blue shade called 'Déja Blue'.

My initial reaction was, "WOW, I love the brown but what am I going to do with the blue"? SO, I started swatching and playing around with them. As I began swatching it, I realised just how creamy the eyeliners were, it felt like colouring in with a Crayon.

I then went on to try using it on my eyes. I must say, for someone who is used to doing their winged liner with a felt-tip pen, it was a struggle to get a neat wing with this pencil! Nonetheless, I still managed to get a 'neat-ish' line. When it came to the 'Deja Blue' shade, I was unsure about where to apply it. I had considered putting it on my water line, but I didn't think it would look appealing with my dark brown eyes. Instead, I chose to pop a little in the inner corner of my eye and just take it up a little.

I must say that, I was quite happy with how it turned out - Not bad for someone who only ever uses black liner!

I loved the durability of these, I did the make-up in the morning and by the evening the eyeliner had not smudged nor had it lost any pigmentation - 10/10 for that!

How about you, have you given these a go? I'd love to hear your reviews and how you used them! Share your comments below :)

❤️

   Love, ML x