Motivational monday #4

There's someone I've been spending too much time with recently whose immediate reaction is always negativity. 

Before every activity is a list of risks and things that could go wrong and the idea they might be bad at it. I just think it must be so exhausting to think that way. 

Being negative is so time consuming and energy consuming, it takes over your life leaving you with not enough time to so anything apart from breed more negativity. 

Being around this negative person has started impacting me, making me nervous and unsure, as a result I have got so much less done and then berated myself for being unproductive. 

I am training myself to let go of that, to do things without imagining the worst and to embrace the idea of crossing that bridge when I get to it, and not visualise myself falling off. 

5 ways to celebrate the summer solstice

This summer solstice is a pretty important one as there is also a full moon so it would be a waste not to celebrate it, but it can be overwhelming knowing what to do so I've put together a list of simple and easy ideas below.

1:  Create an altar. you could use candles, oranges bright flowers and also add some crystals if you have them to charge them full of energy.

2: Collect tools and potion materials, it is said that herbs collected on the solstice are more powerful than those that are not, and traditionally the solstice is a day to gather herbs for the winter, you could also gather rain water and other 

3: Light a fire, whether you have a big bonfire or simply light some candles, fire is an excellent method of cleansing and you could also write down some wishes to burn or add herbs to the flames

4: Remove negative energy from your home, being at home on the solstice isn't a bad thing and you could either cleanse by burning dried herbs around your home or cleanse with wet herbs by bundling sage and lavender together, dipping the tips in water (or rain water) and sprinkle about your home. 

5: Leave gifts and offerings, this year I will be leaving gifts for the faeries but you could make an offering to any deity or spirit you like. 

Motivational Monday #3

One of the biggest contributions to my insecurity has always been comparing myself to others but as I've gotten older I've realized that there are so many different types of beautiful and that there is so many beautiful people in the world, but their beauty doesn't make me any less beautiful, even if I am nothing like them, and changing myself to be like someone considered beautiful simply takes away from my unique beauty.
I think a lot of this comparison based insecurity is because society constantly pits women against each other in order to sell us things, from magazines comparing which celebrity wore the best dress rather than acknowledging how beautiful they both looked to telling us that buying from certain brands will make us more like the model in the advert and therefore make us more beautiful.
Disregard the idea that being like someone else will make you more beautiful, the thing that makes you the most beautiful is your individuality.

Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray review

If you've read some of my other posts you will know that I recently purchased the Urban Decay De-slick oil control setting spray, this was a bit of an impulse buy because it was starting to feel like I'd tried every single 'oil control' and 'mattifying' foundation under the sun and still not managed to keep my makeup firmly on my face because of my pesky pores and I was getting sick to the back teeth of constantly having to cake on powder.

I have combination to oily skin and wear quite a lot of makeup on a daily basis so I was really curious to see if this worked for me, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed.
This for sure helps with oil production as I'm no longer facing the dreaded 2pm shine and it really creates a barrier over the face, almost like a hairspray. It doesn't solve my makeup disappearing problems totally but it means that I only need to re-powder once during the day rather than three or four times a day.

But the main thing I love about this product is the versatility, as well as using it to set my makeup I have had amazing results using it before my makeup, mixing it into my primer and using it to wet my beauty blender to apply my foundation, all of these methods have worked really well and I definitely recommend using this as a base product as well as a setting spray.

I think if you have really oily skin this may not be as effective for you, but you could use this as an oil controlling base and set with the all nighter setting spray as well.

I definitely want to repurchase this product as it is so easy to use and effective enough to justify the cost, I also find that all of my makeup looks better and lasts longer (even my eye makeup) and my skin has improved since using this product too!

Let me know if you've used this product and what you thought!

5 ways to make fashion hair colour last longer

I feel like anyone who has dyed their hair has faced the frustration of feeling amazing for the first week then realizing just how much the colour has faded.
Luckily, as a hair dye veteran, I have a few top tips to keep your locks looking luscious.

1- wash your hair less often
Ideally don't wash your hair more than every other day as this will cause the colour to fade, invest in some dry shampoo or check out my Instagram for some cute second-day hair style inspiration.

2-wash your hair in colder water
Cold/ lukewarm water will remove much less colour than using hot water to wash you hair, it will also make your hair look shinier when it's dry too. It might be a bit unpleasant to wash your hair in colder water but I opt for putting my head upside down so the water doesn't drip down me.

3- avoid heat where possible 
This doesn't just go for the temperature of the water you wash your hair with but also styling methods, make sure your blow dryer, straighteners/curlers are on a low heat setting and try to use heatless styling methods when you can. Make sure you use a good heat protection method when styling and going out in hot weather.

4- use gentle or colour preserving products
Using products formulated for coloured hair is something I never did but it's really worth it as it has made such a difference to me. Products made for coloured hair will be gentle on the colour and will add moisture back into your hair which will help your hair grip the colour for longer.

5- Don't shampoo immediately after colouring
After having my hair coloured I like refrain from washing it again for at least 48 hours to let the colour settle in. This is a super easy tip but definitely one of the most effective.

If you have any more haircare tips and tricks I would love to know!

collective haul

Before I left to go to download festival I treated myself to some lovely goodies and bits I needed so I thought I'd show you what I got.

Sunglasses

Primark Black round sunglasses  - I see so many cool alternative girls looking amazing in round sunglasses so I decided to try them to see if they'd suit me, I really like them and they're a bargain at £1 which is great as I have a habit of leaving sunglasses in silly places.

Black and red sunglasses- mum actually got me these as a treat so I'm not sure where they're from, they're a black and red tortoise shell design with a cat-eye style frame which makes them feel quite vintage-esque, these are much brighter than the picture and as they match my hair they create a real statement look. 

Beauty/ hair

Lush 'lava lamp' bath bomb - as the Mr and I were headed off to download and knew we'd be feeling really grubby and disgusting we wanted to pamper ourselves before we left with a nice bath. This one is gorgeous and citrus-y which is our favourite kind of scent, and it makes for an amazing bath (other than having to clean the purple stains afterwards)

Fudge Urban Iced raspberry and vanilla hairspray - Normally I go for a cheap hairspray, probably superdrug own brand or something but this was on sale and after smelling it I just had to have it. It has great hold and lasts for ages as well as leaving a lingering smell. 

Schwartzkopf live ultra brights hair dye (pillar box red)- I really needed the red in my hair topping up so bought two boxes of this dye for £7.50 it's worked really nicely and is incredibly vibrant for such an affordable dye. 

Biore baking soda cleansing scrub - I really rate Biore skincare products so decided to branch out and try something new, I'm still a bit unsure about this product as it feels very drying but I think it could be good to use before a conditioning face mask or something. 

Luxury purchases

Ghost Deep night eau de toilette- I've been itching to try a new perfume and I was drawn in by the bottle of this one but the scent is just perfect, I will be posting a full review pretty soon!

Paperchase planner-  I've been trying really hard to get on top of blogging recently so decided to treat myself to a fancy planner to help with that and generally keep me organised, this one comes with so many useful sections and additions! 

I hope you enjoyed this collective haul, I posted a sneak peek of this on instagram (@sabina.salemx) and you can follow me there for more behind the scenes action! 

Motivational monday #2

I am a person who doesn't deal very well with stress and has a tendency to make problems bigger than they are but if I have learnt anything in the last year or so it's that a cup of tea and a biscuit solves everything. 

It may not solve the problem itself, but it gives you the time to step back from a stressful situation and focus on liquidy goodness in the form of tea, and since having this epiphany I have become a lot calmer and happier. Sometimes a cup of tea is all you need to think logically about a situation or mull the situation over with someone. No problem is too big to contemplate over a cup of tea, and no problem is too pressing that you can't escape from it with tea. 

Go and grab a cuppa and click these links to find tea related joy from Twinings (not sponsored, I just love their tea) 

Salted caramel green tea 

Lady Grey

Winter spice tea 

Quick and easy natural remedies for blemishes

Blemishes are the bane of my life, but having suffered with terrible acne for years, here are some quick and easy fixes hopefully using things you may already have that are all natural and kind to skin.

Tea tree- you can put a drop of tea tree oil onto the spot to dry it out, tea tree is used in many anti blemish products but can be very drying on the skin so only use it where you need it, otherwise you will dry out the skin and make it produce more oil,

Witch hazel- this works on the same principle but I find it to be kinder to skin

Toothpaste- a small blob of toothpaste on the spot will dry the spot out, making it reduce in size, redness and more.

Tea- holding a cold wet teabag over the spot can help to soothe it and calm any redness

Download festival makeup bag

I'm off to Download festival pretty soon and this post will be going up while I'm there, but I thought it would be really interesting for you to see what makeup I'm taking.

 I know some people wouldn't really take makeup to a festival but I like to have the option of putting on makeup, that said, I didn't want to take too much so I've narrowed it down to this!

Maybelline 'matte maker mattifying powder' // MAC 'Coppertone' blush

 Revolution makeup 'mermaids vs unicorns' palette // Collection lasting perfection concealer

Collection extreme liner // Urban decay de-slick spray (travel size)

MAC smoke and mirrors palette

Download festival doesn't allow glass bottles, and while I'm sure they mean alcohol bottles. I didn't want to risk taking a foundation so I've opted for concealer as a lighter and more practical option, I want my makeup to stay in place so I have taken my usual setting spray and powder, the setting spray will hopefully be nice and refreshing if I need to top up. I also wanted to take products in sturdy packaging, so I'm hoping my MAC products are up to the test, the Coppertone blush can serve as a blush and contour shade and also looks amazing on the eyes and the MAC palette has everything I need in for eyes and eyebrows which is a great bonus. For some variety I'm taking my Revolution mermaids vs unicorns palette as I enjoy doing colourful festival makeup, the pigmentation isn't the best but the colour selection is good and I didn't want to risk my beloved urban decay shadow box.

I'm also taking some adhesive gems, but I wanted to take as little as possible.

What would be in your festival makeup bag? 

Lazy girl hair care routine

Since getting my hair done it's been a bit dry due to bleaching and dying it so I've made extra effort to look after it to keep it in good condition. But, being a bit lazy, I don't have a particularly complicated hair-care routine so I thought I'd share some tips and tricks as well as the products I use.

Herbal essences bee strong shampoo // herbal essences bee strong conditioner

Herbal essences hello hydration intensive mask

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not sponsored by Herbal essences, I just like the brand!)

This shampoo and conditioner are my absolute favourite, I much prefer these to all the overpriced crap I've tried throughout the years, they are so soft and creamy and leave my hair shiny, soft and smelling delicious. But this mask, oh my goodness, it's absolutely amazing and I fully believe that this mask is to thank for the softness of my hair. 

Before I get in the shower I apply a generous amount of the mask all over my hair and then tie it up or put a shower cap over it and leave it while I scroll through Facebook for about half an hour. I then  get in the shower and rinse it off and shampoo my hair twice, once to wash my hair and the second shampoo activates the properties within the shampoo. I then thickly lay conditioner on, and leave it for a few minutes while I wash my body and do some in-shower skincare. I then rinse it out and get out of the shower.

I towel dry my hair by patting it lightly to soak up excess moisture, rub some coconut oil into the ends then leave it to dry naturally, I don't use any heat on my hair apart from occasionally my fringe. After having my hair bleached from black to blonde at the tips and dyed red four weeks ago my hair is in the condition it was before it was bleached due to this hair-care routine.

5 top tips to being a festival tosser.

So recently I've been getting pretty annoyed with people who obviously don't understand festival etiquette, but if you really have a burning desire to be that person at a festival that everyone hates, never fear, you'll be the most unpopular person there with these great tips! 1: make sure you don't bring enough food and drink, and instead of buying yourself more, just ask everyone else for it. 2: alternatively you could just pester everyone for money 3: get absolutely wasted and attempt to start a campsite singsong at 2am. When no-one joins in, make sure to walk into the side of peoples tents. 3: set a fire and let it catch your tent at the end of the festival, it will then pass to the other tents and the whole campsite will be toasty and warm and not have to take tents home. 4: be that person who throws their drink 5: wake up really early and ensure the whole campsite is awake by being noisy.

If you have any other suggestions for what not to do at festivals, let me know!

Motivational Monday #1

Something I've been considering is how much  courage it takes to be kind not only to others but to yourself, we are our own worst enemies and conditioned from a young age to hate ourselves, to want to change ourselves in order to try and reach unobtainable standards and then reduced to being disgusted with ourselves when we can't reach those standards. Most industries thrive on the idea that we hate ourselves and need to change and this issue that all but consumes people is simply a marketing strategy. Being in a world full of this negativity means that it can take guts to stand up and say 'Actually, I'm happy with myself, I like who I am'

 We are taught that the needs and desires of other people, our jobs and lifestyle come before our own needs and desires, that we are secondary beings and we are made to believe that self love and self care is a radical idea when actually being kind to ourselves should be instinctive.

You are you, and you are unique and special, you have no flaws but simply a different type of wonderful so I urge you to take the time to be kind to yourself.
Buy the dress, eat the chocolate, remind yourself that you are worthy of respect, tell yourself how great you look.
Be good to yourself and don't deny yourself desires and needs, listen to your body and your heart and the sense of deeper self awareness and happiness is beyond anything else in the world.
Just take the first step today
and have courage and be kind, to yourself as well as others.

Skincare favourites (oily/combination mixed race skin)

Right now I'm in a pretty good place with my skin and it's definitely down to these products. 

Garnier Micellar water // Body shop tea tree toner // Body shop seaweed mask 
Olay complete lightweight day fluid
I wear a lot of makeup every day so my skincare is really important to me after suffering so long with acne,and this is the first time my skincare has really worked for me. I have combination skin that contains a lot of oil but not enough water, my skin is sensitive and blemish prone so I have to be vigilant about my skincare and makeup removal.
I used to have to use so much makeup remover to take off my makeup but now I use a tiny amount of garnier micellar water, it can be used on the whole face and on sensitive skin which is such a bonus. I find my makeup just disappears when I use this so I'm no longer scrubbing at my skin to remove my makeup. I absolutely love body shop skincare, I think it's a great price point and their products really work for me, I am in love with the chamomile cleansing oil I've had no dry skin since using this despite previously really suffering on my cheeks and forehead and my skin is noticeably softer, less spot prone and my scarring has slowly started to fade. 
I've been obsessed with the tea tree toner for a while now, I love how clean and refreshed this makes my skin feel, I think this is one of the main reasons why I don't get as many blemishes, it's also great for oil control but can dry out my skin a little, but since I have started using the chamomile cleansing oil I've had no dry skin issues whatsoever and I've not had particularly oily skin because the combination of the products works really well to balance out the oil production. But when my skin does need some extra TLC I've been religiously using the seaweed face mask, it feels so nourishing and my skin looks noticeably better since using it. To combat any dry skin I've been loving the 'Olay complete lightweight day fluid' for sensitive skin. This is really smoothing and for a lightweight product it gives my skin a great amount of moisture that lasts throughout the day, this product also makes my makeup sit really well.

Let me know if you use these products or if you have any other recommendations!

Top 5 tips for festival fashion

As a seasoned festival goer I thought I would share my top 5 tips for festival wear that I've learned over trial and an awful lot of error!

1- don't take anything fancy Obviously 'fancy' means different things to everyone but basically don't take anything expensive, hard to wash, easily damageable or that you care a lot about, because it will be muddy and some asshole will probably throw his drink. 2- take versatile clothing. You don't really want to take a ton of stuff so take things that look good with multiple different things and that can be worn in all weathers, for example take a pair of shorts that go with all your tops and a pair of jeans that go with the same tops. 3- be prepared for all weathers Even if it's predicted to be perfect weather, take warm clothing just in case. take something waterproof but also take some things you can wear if it's really hot. Have multiple warm things that you can stack on at night. 4- focus on footwear Footwear is pretty important because festivals put a bit of trauma on your shoes, take a pair that can survive mud and that aren't going to start hurting after an hour or so, bear in mind you will be on grass and mud and people may step on your feet. I would also take shoes you don't mind potentially ruining, and another tip is to take foam flipflops if you plan on showering as the floors can be gross. 5- layer Given that the weather is so unpredictable I suggest taking clothing you can layer so that you can remove or put on layers as the weather changes, things like kimonos/wraps are perfect.


Let me know if these tips helped you and what your top tips for festival fashion are!

Mini makeup haul

Recently I went and had a little browse in debenhams and boots and ended up buying a few little bits! Urban Decay Oil Slick Setting spray, I've wanted to try an urban decay setting spray for absolutely ages and they didn't have the all nigher spray in a travel size so I opted for this and will have a review up later this month when I've used it more as I'm unsure about it Collection lasting perfection concealerr, this is a staple product with me but I go through it ridiculously quickly! I'm shade 4 (the darkest shade) Natural collection loose powder I have never tried a loose powder before so thought I'd get a cheap one to try out. Maybelline matte maker powder , as my laval powder has run out I have the perfect excuse to resume my search for the perfect powder

May Favourites 2016

This month has been pretty uneventful and there haven't been too many new things but definitely some firm favorites in the mix! 

Films/ TV and books! 
I've been really obsessed with the 'alien' films this month, they terrify me but I love them! I've also watched 'Star Wars: the force awakens' far too much! 
As for television and books, I have been loving the new game of thrones series and have began reading the books which are incredible. 

Skincare:
I've developed a love for coconut oil, I know everyone raves about it but it's made the condition of my skin so much better! I've also been using the Body shop cashmere cleansing oil which is absolutely divine and makes my skin feel so soft and moisturized

Makeup:
I have a love/hate relationship with Urban Decay Oil slick setting spray but I definitely love  Lime Crime 'black velvet' velvetine liquid lipstick, I purchased this second hand but unused just to try it out and I absolutely love the formula! 

Fashion:
I have been glued to my necessary evil coat from Kate's clothing ever since I got it because it's so warm and soft! I'm planning a full review and some outfit posts of this soon.