Mini Beauty Haul

As it was pay day at the end of last month and as someone who has little self control when it comes to makeup, I decided to treat myself and to expand my collection. I may have gone a little over board but to me, it was worth it.

So firstly I decided to get a new foundation, as summer is speeding past and autumn will be here soon, I didn't want to be using my BB cream when it came to the colder days. I decided to give Benefits, Hello Flawless foundation a go, it's a light coverage foundation and it doesn't leave your face looking cakey plus it leaves a nice dewy finish, which I love. And to blend in the foundation and to give it a flawless finish, I got the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This little sponge is now my new favourite thing, I don't know why I didn't get it sooner!

Every girl on this planet will know how hard it is to get both eyebrows to cooperate and make them look identical so having the right tools will ensure that everyday is a "eyebrows on fleek" day. I got Benefits Brow Zing in the shade medium as I wanted my brows to look natural and not too dramatic. To assist in making sure my eyebrows looked on point, I purchased Maybelline's Brow Drama in the shade dark brown to ensure my eyebrows were set throughout the day.

If you're an active member of YouTube or the Blogger community, you've probably heard of Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara. This mascara has been talked about so much, it would have been stupid of me not to get it. However if I'm perfectly honest, I don't understand the hype as for me, the mascara didn't do much. It might just be because I have really short Asian lashes but I don't think I'll be purchasing this again anytime soon.

By picking out the waterproof version of Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara, that meant I needed something to get it off since we all know how much of a pain it is to remove waterproof mascara. And to be frank, it was the colour of the liquid that caught my attention and made me want to buy it. But so far so good, I'm liking it.

Another product that I've heard a lot of things about is Revolution's Vivid Baked Highlighter. I got it in the shade Peach Lights and I'm glad I purchased this because it's such a subtle but pretty highlight. Plus for only £3, I'd have been crazy not to get it. Moreover to apply the highlight, I purchased a blusher brush from Superdrug that was slightly angled to give a more accurate application.

For someone who has really chubby cheeks, contouring is my favourite part of  applying makeup, as it gives you a more defined face shape. The Real Techniques Sculpting Brush is perfect for when you need to carve out those cheek bones. The brush is very dense so it distributes the product evenly.

 The lipstick that I wear everyday is Taupe by Mac but I'm getting bored of that so to mix things up a bit, I got these two Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks. The red lipstick is in the shade 111, you can never go wrong with a classic red lip. And the nude lipstick is in the shade 38 but the colour is just too light for my skin tone so I apply the smallest amount of Taupe to darken it.

So what do you guys recommend to add to my collection when I take another trip into town?

       Thanks for reading, ItsNatarika x

Review- Ogx Hair Products

As someone who loves to dye and bleach their hair a lot, I needed something that will restore the life back into my hair. As I went into Boots, I came across these Ogx hair products and as I've only heard good things about it, I thought I would give it a go. Plus Boots had an offer on these products which was 3 for 2 so I couldn't resist. There were many different types to chose from, all had different purposes for the hair. I choose the Weightless Hydration Coconut Water shampoo and conditioner and the Renewing Argon Oil of Morocco. As I have said before, having dyed and bleached my hair a lot, the ends of my hair were very dry and needed some hydration, which was why I chose the coconut water. 

 Firstly I really like the packaging because it is so simple and sophisticated, I believe that a little goes a long way. Moreover the smell of the shampoo is a very subtle smell of coconut, which is very pleasant because in my opinion, having a strong scent can be off putting. The product definitely does what it says on the bottle, it's hydrated my hair so much, even though I've only been using it for over a month, my hair is back to the best condition it can be. 

Alongside the shampoo, I use the conditioner to help restore some more hydration and this conditioner leaves your hair feeling so silky and soft. Combining the two products will really help achieve the best results. However as the conditioner is not as runny as the shampoo, it is rather hard to get out of the bottle as the bottle is rather thick and trying to squeeze it out can turn into a workout. 

The Argon Oil is definitely my favourite. It leaves my hair so soft and shiny and my hair just feels weightless. I don't know whether it's just my eyes or the lighting that I'm in but after spraying this in my hair and blow drying it, my highlights and my hair just appear to be lighter and more noticeable. This product is now my holy grail, I think I'm in love with it!

Overall I am very happy that I purchased these products because now my hair is better than ever. What hair products are you guys loving at the moment? 

        Thanks for reading, itsNatarika x

OOTD: Nothing But Black

This is an outfit that I wore a few months ago and as I live in England, the weather is bloody freezing but I'm the type of person that likes to dress and impress every day so a bit of rain and cold won't stop me. I wanted to keep it quite casual but wanted all the attention to be on my grid skirt so I paired it up with a black off the shoulder crop top, tights (so I don't freeze to death) and my wedge boots. You can never go wrong with black. 

Plus I can't forget a jacket, since it was still practically winter so I wore a black leather jacket as it goes with everything and completes a look. Overall I love this outfit because it's so simple that you can wear it everyday but still look fabulous while you're out and about doing your daily things. Furthermore you can wear it when the weather gets warmer and not have to worry about a jacket or you can show off your legs without wearing the tights, which is a bonus!

         

                       Top- Primark

                       Skirt- Ark

                       Boots- Primark

                       Jacket- Topshop

         Thanks for reading, ItsNatarika x

What is the Benefit?

As a girl, I’m obsessed with makeup. And a member of social media, I have heard a lot about Benefit Cosmetics because of all the beauty gurus that rave about it. It did intrigue me because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, however I was a bit put off by the prices as I love a good bargain.  But my inner beauty goddess gave in and I bought some products. I decided to  purchase 2 beauty kits because I wanted to test some of the products before buying the full size version, which I am glad I did because I was very disappointed with some products so buying the full size version would have been a waste of money. So I purchased Primping With The Stars(£26.50) and The Bronze of Champions (£26.50). Moreover I decided to review Primping With The Stars for this post.

The Primping With The Stars includes They’re Real mascara, Stay Don’t Stray primer, Benetint, Some Kind– a Gorgeous foundation, Girl Meets Pearl and the Porefessional Primer. Firstly, the product that I am loving from this beauty set is the Porefessional Primer. I can see why everyone hypes about this because it is worth it, the full size costs £24.50 which is a bit pricey but I think its lives up to that price. You only need a pea size amount of product and it will work miracles. The next product that I did like was the Girl Meets Pearl. This could be used as a highlighter or you could mix it in with your foundation to give your skin a dewy look. I used it as a highlighter and I was quite pleased with it. You only need a little drop and as it is a liquid, it was easy to blend. This has a nice scent and it has pink undertones which would suit every skin tone. It is £24.50 for the full size so personally I wouldn't pay that much for a highlighter but it is a good product. Being the UK’s no. 1 selling mascara, I was very disappointed with the They’re Real mascara. The product was very wet which meant that it took a while to dry and this meant that it didn't hold my curl. Despite that, it did lengthen my lashes and separate them but I wouldn't spend £19.50 on this mascara when I can get something for less than £10 and it does the exact same job. Even though, I’ve heard positive things about the Stay Don’t Stray, Some Kind a Gorgeous foundation and the Benetint, I personally wouldn't buy them as they don’t live up to the expectations. You are paying over £20 for each product and honestly, its not worth the money. The Stay Don’t Stray concealer and eye shadow primer is something you can live without. However it does help your eye shadow from creasing but I wouldn't spend £20.50 for this. Moreover Some Kind a Gorgeous foundation is the worst foundation I own. It leaves your skin looking cakey, it is very light coverage which means that you have to apply loads. This will leave your face looking fake and greasy. For product that costs £24.50, it doesn't match the quality you would expect. In addition the Benetint, which is £24.50 and the UK’s No.1 best selling other colour item for 3 years, it didn't have an impact on me, I didn't love it or hate it. I’m pretty sure that you can buy a cheap blusher that will do that same job. Overall I believe that all Benefit Cosmetics are overly priced even though the quality is top notch. I would suggestion that you buy the beauty kits first, in order to see how they work with your skin and what the texture will be like. 

Thanks for reading, ItsNatarika x

Dating; Fantasy vs Reality

As many people are in relationships these days, the expectations and “relationship goals” are becoming more and more unrealistic. Whenever I am going through social media, I always see someone posting about their perfect relationship and I constantly think to myself, it’s never going to happen. It may sound depressing but that is the harsh truth. Real life is not a fairy-tale and a Prince Charming isn’t going to save you on his white horse. I mean it may happen to someone, they will get there happy ending but there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Relationships are hard work and stressful and people need to realise this before they get their hopes up. Nevertheless relationships can be rewarding and I completely understand that having someone there is comforting and assuring but people are setting up these ridiculous ‘relationship goals’ that is so silly that it is intoxicating the minds of society. For example recently I saw on Twitter, someone tweeted their relationship goal and it said something about being woken up at 3am to go on an adventure with their partner. To some people, they might find it romantic but to me, this is just stupid because firstly I would not like to be woken up at 3 am and if you do wake me up, I would not be happy. And secondly that “adventure” would probably be going for a drive to the closest drive-thru and eating junk food in the car. I mean that might sound perfect to some people but to me, it would be pointless. All these “relationship goals” are setting up boundaries that real life people cannot reach and this will mean you become disappointed. When you’re dropping little hints expecting your partner to surprise you with a present yet that’s not going to happen unless you tell them; they are not mind readers. Overall I am not saying that relationships are bad and that you won’t be happy however it just means that you would have to work hard for it as relationship are difficult but can be pleasing. Likewise I am not saying that you shouldn’t want a relationship and want it to be amazing but you shouldn't get your hopes up, there’s more to life than love, set yourself life goals that are realistic and work hard for them which will mean that you will get somewhere in life and succeed in whatever you want. But seriously stop making impossible goals and actually work on making the relationship work and last.
 

Thanks for reading, ItsNatarika x

 

OOTD: Primark Special

The other day I bought a new coat from Primark for £22.90. And to be honest, when I first saw it, I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not but the adventurous side of me decided to try it on and see whether it would look good. And amazingly, it did! And the material is so soft, it was like hugging a cuddly teddy. So the day after I brought it, I decided to experiment and see what will look good together. Finally I can up with this look, black high waisted jeans, a grey crop top and black wedge boots.



Coat; Primark- £22.90

Crop Top; Primark- £5 (won't be in stock as I got them a long time ago)
Black High Waisted Jeans; Primark- £10

Wedge Boots; Primark- £15





Overall, I was very happy with this look, it was definitely something different and bold, which is why I loved it! To spice things up, I decided to plait my hair into two French braids which I thought made the look even more edgy, it was superb. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, sorry it is short.

Thanks for reading, ItsNatarika x

Learn to love yourself

As human beings, we have a lot of emotions, some are stronger than others. And a lot of those feelings are love and hate. I know from experience, many people love/hate certain things about themselves. For example, certain people love the way their smile is or how nice their hair is. On the other hand, some people hate the way they smile or how messy their hair is. It's such a big contrast between everyone and I feel like we need to learn to love ourselves because if we don't love ourselves, then who will? I am still learning to love myself and still getting my head around the fact the I am different to everyone else but here are a few things you can do to learn to love yourself and in general, to have a better view of life:

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. I know what it's like to compare yourself to others because I do it all the time. I could walking down the street and see a girl and think "wow, she is so pretty, why can't I look like her?" or I could be on Instagram and see so many beautiful girls and it makes me sad that I don't look like them. But everyone is different, no one looks alike and what looks beautiful to you could be the opposite for someone else. You are beautiful and no one is like you, you are special in your own way and don't you forget that.
2. Be grateful for being healthy and alive. You might be thinking about all the wrong and bad things in your life but take a moment and think about all the good things. Be grateful that you are healthy, strong and alive because not a lot of people are given the opportunities that you have. Never take anything for granted because you are very lucky. I know I'm grateful because I have a happy life and I get so many opportunities to do something worthwhile with it. Once you think about all the good things in life and how lucky you are, then I promise you, you will be happier.
3. Don't care what others think of you. I discovered this myself a couple of months ago and honestly, I am happier because I get to do the things I love and be the way I want and not caring what others might think is such a relief. I could be in college or in town and I will do whatever I feel like doing; I will dance around, I will laugh my head off, it doesn't matter what I do because I enjoy doing it, I like to be free. And people will look at me weirdly but I don't care, their opinions are invalid because it won't impact my life, it won't change the way I am. Their opinions don't matter because they don't know me and it won't stop me from doing what I want.
4. Laugh and smile as much as you want. Naturally I am a very happy person, I will laugh at everything and anything. I don't know why but smiling and laughing just makes me feel so much better and I have at least one laughing fit a day. In my opinion, laughing and smiling will make your day so much better and it feels good. It makes you think of the happy times and all the good memories. Also it makes you appreciate the life that you have and how good it feels to be you.
5. Surround yourself with positive people. This is very important, you need to be around good, positive people who will bring out the good side of you. They will help you and be there for you and they will bring a positive vibe that just makes everything feel better. I've been around people who are so negative and are always thinking of the bad things and honestly, it is draining and boring. It just ruins my vibe, don't get me wrong, I love to moan and be grumpy but when it's all the time, it just ruins my mood. I guess it's different for everyone but to me, being positive is the way forward. Being around good people makes life so much easier.

I hope you guys learn to love yourselves and see all the good things in life. And lastly, you are a special human being and don't ever change the way you are. I hope you enjoyed this post and it wasn't too optimistic for you!

Thanks for reading, ItsNatarika x