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.

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 #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.