IGK - MY HAIR HEROES

IGK was a brand that was introduced to me through YouTube. Many youtubers were posting about them a few years ago and their packaging always stood out to me. With SpaceNK being one of my favourite beauty shops ever, I was delighted to find this brand there. After browsing around for a bit I was so stuck on what to get, because quite frankly I wanted to buy everything. Their scent was what sold me on their products initially, a gorgeous coconut-y smell that isn’t overpowering or too much, it’s more like a fresh coconut scent on a hot summer evening after the beach when there’s a cool breeze. Did that even make sense? Over the last few years I have tried a lot from the brand but here are my top 3 products. 

I’ll start with the product I use first after washing my hair, their Thirsty Girl Leave In Conditioner. This comes in a spray form and you have to shake it before spraying onto damp hair. I personally like using this as detangling spray as I find that it does an amazing job of getting rid of tangles and makes me brushing my hair a walk in the park. But it is very hydrating and helps inject some serious moisture into your tresses.

I then go in with Mistress. This used to be marketed as a leave in conditioner but is now marketed as a hair balm which I think is much more suited to the product. It does come out as a balm and it gets rid of any frizz and smoothes out the hair while giving it shine and hydration. I use this both on damp hair before styling, but also on dry hair after styling to smooth out any unruly bits. The smells of this product is just beyond incredible! I’ve had so many people compliment me on how nice my hair smells when I use this. What can I say, I'm in love with the coco!

And lastly, their First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo is a delight to use after a workout. Not gonna lie, being a cabin crew, the name of the product is what made me buy it haha, but it’s actually so amazing. It feels very heavy duty at first, very thick and dry, but that feeling quickly goes and leaves my locks feeling smooth and smelling like coconut-y goodness. 

I love that most of their products also come in a smaller version which is great for travel, but also for people who want to try the brand and don’t to commit to a full size. What have you tried from the brand? 

Lots of love, 

SFS.

A MINI, SPENDY, BEAUTY HAUL

If you read my previous post you will know that all I’ve done during this lockdown is spend money. I can’t help myself. It’s the only ‘normal’ thing I have left. I can’t go into the shops and browse, I can’t hang out with friends and family, so shopping online has really helped me through this time and brought a smile to my face. It also gives me something nice to look forward to. Have I excused myself enough yet? Ok, so here is post on some orders that arrived this week. 

Let’s talk eye cream. The one I am currently using is from Clinique as much as I like it, I don’t love it, so I wanted to try something new. Rodial is a brand I haven’t tried a whole lot from, but the few bits I have tried, I loved. I had a cheeky £10 Incentive on SpaceNK and used it towards this eye cream as it’s a hefty price tag. It’s their Vit C Eye Soufflé. I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t even touched the cream. I’m waiting for my current eye cream to finish before I dabble with this one. I don’t even want to ‘swatch’ it as it’s so pricey that I don’t want to waste it. Because of this, I can’t report on how it feels/first impressions, but as soon as I start using it, I will report back.

Since we’re talking of eyes, I wanted to buy some eye patches. I have used eye patches in the past and loved how they felt, but I always bought a single pack and wanted to get a pot with a few of them inside so that I can treat myself whenever I fancy it. I mainly like eye patches to deal with puffiness around my eyes, which is why I went with the Pixi DetoxifEye eye patches. It has 60 patches inside, so 30 pairs and it also comes with a spatula that makes it easier to separate and remove them. I have tried them and they felt very cooling and refreshing around the eyes. I love Pixi as a brand, so I wasn’t surprised when I loved this product from them.

Now here’s a thing I never thought I’d say, but I am very much into slicked back hair. I usually love volume and normally hate seeing my hair flat, but I am getting into sicked back low ponytails and buns. Again, usually I’d be more of a high top bun and a high ponytail kinda gal, so this is all new to me. But to aid my new slicked-back-hair-dreams, I bought a Texture Clay from Moroccanoil, just to help my hair stay in place and keep a matte finish. I fear that if it’s glossy, it might make my hair look greasy and that’s not the look I am going for. I am yet to try this, so hopefully I will have nice things to say about it in a future post.

As if ordering eight lipsticks wasn’t enough, I decided to order one more. If you don’t know what I am talking about, read my previous post. I’ve been obsessed with Lorna Luxe’s morning instagram stories where she does her makeup and she sold me on the Nars Afterglow Lip Balm in the shade Torrid. It’s a beautiful warm coral shade. It’s ever so sheer, that if you have slightly more pigmented lips like I do, you’ll barely be able to see it, but it’s there and it adds a beautiful something, something. It also smells amazing and the packaging is beautiful. This product requires no mirror, so you can apply this on the go and know that your lips will look juicy and plump. 

And last but not least, I bought the Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser in the shade Glow. Again, a Lorna Luxe influenced purchase. I have had this product in the past, but I bought such a dark shade back then that I ended up giving it to my mum and never thought about giving it another go. I was actually under the impression that I didn’t even like this, but I decided to give it a go again and I am so glad I did! The shade Glow is perfect for me at the moment. I am quite yellow and this has a lovely golden undertone, so it suits me just fine, however I do think that I could’ve gone with a slightly darker shade as I know that I tan easily. But I’ll just mix it with a darker foundation or some bronzing drops later in the summer. The coverage is light but it has a gorgeous glow and makes your skin appear so healthy. 

So that’s it… for now. Let me know your thoughts on these products if you’ve tried them and let me know if there are any others I should try.

Lots of love,

SFS.

IN LOVE WITH ORANGE

Lockdown is doing things to me guys. It’s making me gain weight for one, but the main thing it’s doing is making me spend money. I’m supposed to be saving for my wedding, but here I am splashing out cash on makeup and skincare every other day. I’m surprised I still don’t remember my card details and still need to do the walk of shame to my wallet in front of my fiancé every time I’m checking out.

Any who, spring is amongst us and that to me just means one thing, orange lipstick season! I have been a lover of orange toned lipsticks for many years, be it a true orange, a red-orange, a grapefruit, coral, whatever, I don’t care as long as it has some sort of orange in it. This year I went crazy and bought eight new orange lipsticks. Eight! When I swatched them all side by side the other day, I honestly couldn’t tell some of them apart. Oops! Having said that, I don’t regret a single purchase and I am very much in love with my new lippies. I will eventually post about them all, but for todays post I thought I would keep it simple and show you my current top three. 

(Stain the Matte Shaker leaves once rubbed off)

Let’s start with the Lancôme Matte Shaker in the shade Magic Orange. I heard a rumor recently that this line is getting discontinued. Don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, it’s a real shame! I love the packaging, it’s like a little cocktail shaker. You do actually need to shake the lipstick and when you open it it has a little sponge that is soaked with product and you run this over your lips. It feels a bit like water on your lips which is so refreshing. The colour payoff is also great considering how wet it is. After a few minutes it sets to a lovely matte finish. No stickiness or uncomfortable dryness. Just a lightweight formula that looks and feels really fresh. The colour is also beautiful, not really a true orange, it definitely has some hints of pink in there, but I love it nonetheless. The best part about this formula is that it fades so evenly and leaves behind a stunning stain. It’s quite hard to get rid of it, but I love that I don’t have to worry about reapplying and I can just pop a lip balm over it.

Another Lancôme offering and probably my favourite of the three, their L'absolu Lip Lacquer in the shade 515 Be Happy. I saw this on so many YouTube videos and every time I saw someone wearing it, I would head to the description box and find that it was shade 515. This formula is interesting, still very lightweight and wet, but feels like a balm at the same time. It’s also really long-lasting considering the amount of shine it has. It’s versatile in its wearability. What I mean is that it’s very buildable. You can apply one coat for a fresh, dewy lip, two coats for intense colour and shine, and three coats for even more shine and pigment. If you’ve tried any nudes from this range, please let me know which you’d recommend as I am very interested in trying some more. 

And last but not least, the Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl lipstick in the shade Orange Magnetique. The whole thing that got me started on this massive lipstick shopping spree was the fact that I am so into lip stains and balmy, comfortable lipsticks. I’m not so much into mattes and heavy formulas anymore. This lipstick was the first that I ordered and it did not disappoint. Once again the formula is beautiful, so creamy and glides on the lips like a dream. It doesn’t settle into any lines and feels so moisturising. The packaging itself is also worth a mention, because wow, would you look at that?! The colour is more of a grapefruit shade, but I bloody love it!

Any brands or shades you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments.

Lots of love, 

SFS.

GETTING FRESH

Ugh, Fresh, what a beautiful brand. I’ve been in love with them ever since I tried their ever so famous Soy Face Cleanser. I got it as a birthday present along with their Rose Deep Hydration Sleeping Mask and I’ve been in love with the brand ever since. I’ve tried almost all of their face masks, some of their serums and moisturisers, and I am yet to find a product that I don’t like. Loving so many of their skincare products, I thought I’d try out their body range. I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know they did bodycare until I went on their website. What a delightful surprise. After scrolling and reading about all their amazing products, I decided on the Hesperides Grapefruit Bath and Shower Gel and also their Life body lotion.

Let’s start with the shower gel; it smells incredible! It’s so citrusy and fresh. The smell spreads throughout the house after I use it and have even had my boyfriend ask me what I used as he loved the scent so much. I can tell it’s going to be a great one for summer. You know one of them you use after a day at the beach or the pool, come home and bathe yourself in a lovely, summer smelling fragrance? This is the one. It lathers up really well on its own, but works well with a loofah too. It’s also very nourishing and feels lovely on the body. 

Although the Life body lotion isn’t the same scent as the shower gel, they do smell somewhat alike, the body lotion just isn’t as fruity. The formula is very easy to spread which I love. I hate creams that require a lot of effort to rub in. This also absorbs pretty fast and doesn’t leave that horrid sticky feeling behind that some body creams sometimes do. It has vitamins C & E in it too to protect the skin which is an added bonus. 

Let’s move onto my favourite, the Sugar Roll On Deodorant. This was a purchase I didn’t plan on making, but I had a ‘what the hell’ moment and threw it in the basket. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the BEST deodorant I have ever used in my life. I am a massive fan of Sure and Dove roll ons, but I have to say that this surpasses anything I have tried before. It has such a lovely fresh scent (ha, how fitting!), not at all strong or overpowering, it just smells clean. It’s very wet so I try to let it dry before getting dressed, but you don’t even have to do that! It doesn’t leave the horrible white marks on your clothing, how amazing! But of course my favourite thing about this is the effectiveness at keeping me odour free all day long. I really put this to the test when I bought it. I wore it to work, went to the gym after for a heavy leg workout session, I was dripping in sweat and before I hopped in the shower I sniffed my armpits and I hand on heart, smelt nothing. It was such a clean, neutral scent as if all I did was sit at home all day. It’s also alcohol free which is a blessing for me as I have very sensitive armpits and most deodorants will aggravate them. The only downside is the price, £17 for a deodorant is a little hefty, but I just haven’t had the same results with any other formula or brand. I’ve been telling everyone about this and I couldn’t recommend it enough. 

Have you tried anything from the brand? What are your favourites?

Lots of love, SFS.

HOW TO TREAT SEPARATION ANXIETY IN DOGS - 5 SIMPLE STEPS

I dreamt about having a dog pretty much my whole life. Any friend or family member of mine will tell you that I would never shut up about how much I wanted one. In December 2018 my dream finally came true when we picked up our little fur baby, Twinkle Bear. She’s even cuter than the name *.* 

Having a dog for the first time was definitely harder than I imagined. The amount of attention they need, especially as puppies is a lot to handle. She turned our life upside down and I would be lying if I said I didn’t question our decision to get her at some points. However, we powered through and we now have the most adorable and loving little Bear. 

Very early on we decided that we wanted to get a dog cam to check on her when we left the house. We had an idea that maybe she didn’t like being alone as she would follow us everywhere in the house and she would cry when we had to close off a room while we were cleaning. However, the dog cam revealed that she was in massive distress when she was on her own. She would bark, howl and cry consecutively until someone came home. Sometimes for hours on end! I can’t tell you how much that broke my heart. Even though we hired a dog walking company and had an amazing group of friends who checked on her regularly and took her on walks while we were at work, it still felt like we weren’t doing enough. 

I may have shed a few tears watching her in distress, and inevitably this ended up having a huge impact on our social life as we would feel so guilty for leaving her alone that we would actively turn down any invitations to go out, and even stopped having date nights so we wouldn’t leave her alone more than we already had to. 

After a couple of months we realised that we weren’t able to deal with the situation on our own and that we needed professional help. That’s when we hired a dog trainer. The trainer came to the house and asked us many questions about Twinkle's behaviour and gave us endless advice and tips to follow which we started implementing immediately. Hiring a dog trainer isn’t the cheapest thing in the world, so here I am sharing my knowledge with you so you can hopefully save some money and help your pup. 

REDUCE AROUSAL 

Before going to work we would always take Twinkle to the park and have her run around like crazy so that she could get tired and hopefully fall sleep while we were gone. This was the wrong technique. The dog trainer said that yes, we should go out with her before leaving the house, however, it should be a relaxed, non stimulated walk. If you don’t have time to go out with your dog, make sure you don’t excite them before leaving. They need to be in a relaxed state so that it’s not such a drastic change when you leave. 

PUT YOUR SHOES ON 

These next tips are a bit weird at first, but they are so effective! Twinkle would always chase us around the house whenever we moved from room to room. She would get particularly stressed if she saw us putting our shoes on as she would associate it with us leaving the house and her being alone. The dog trainer told us to start putting our shoes on at random times while we were at home, so we started doing that. We would be sat on the sofa watching TV and would get up, put our shoes on, walk around the house, take them off and sit back down on the sofa. Of course Twinkle would follow us in the beginning, but we would ignore her, and eventually she stopped going after us. 

JIGGLE YOUR KEYS 

Going hand in hand with what I wrote in the previous point, start jiggling your keys at random times. Say you’re cooking in the kitchen, pick up your keys, jiggle them and put them back down. Do this as often as you can, always ignoring your dog. They’re always looking for a reaction, even if you’re telling them ‘don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere’, they don’t know what it means. Just be very casual about it, pick up your keys and put them down as if it’s something normal to do. 

WALK TO YOUR DOOR 

I think you’re probably starting to see a theme here. Do things that indicate that you’re leaving the house but actually aren’t. Start walking to your door, your dog will follow you the first few times thinking you’re going to leave, but simply open the door, close it and go and sit back down on your sofa. Start doing all these things on their own in the beginning and with time, start incorporating all 3 things at the same time. Put your shoes on, pick up your keys, walk to the door, open it, close it and go back in the house as if nothing happened. 

GET A NOVEL OBJECT 

This one we didn’t actually use because we didn’t need it, but if you’re still struggling with your dog being stressed out, it’s worth a try. The dog trainer told us about getting a novel object, could be anything, but something new and something your dog has never seen in your house before. You’re meant to use it when you’re at home and you want to tell your dog that it isn’t play time. Dogs are used to having all the attention when their owners are at home, having this object ensures that they know when they have your time and when they don’t. Let’s say this object is a candlestick. You take it out at random times, and during these times you completely ignore your dog. This way, the dog knows that while this object is in sight, he/she won’t have your attention. So when you leave the house, you put this object out and your dog knows that he/she won’t have any play time. 

I’m sure there are plenty more tactics out there, but these are the ones that really helped us and now Twinkle stays home by herself without being stressed. She no longer barks when she’s alone and she even falls asleep! That’s a miracle. She never used to sleep when she was home alone, no matter how tired she was. We’re honestly so happy that we went with a dog trainer, it really changed her life and ours. I hope you found this helpful if you’re also training your puppy. 

If you have any other tips, feel free to share them below. 

Lots of love, SFS.

DRUNK ELEPHANT D-BRONZI - REVIEW & SWATCHES

I’m back again with an Allana influenced purchase. Listen, I know that I’m repetitive and that I’ve been talking about her too much, but the obsession still hasn’t gone away, so bear with me ok? And I mean, she has great recommendations, so… She’s mentioned the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Sunshine Drops many times on her channel and me being a Drunk Elephant fan, just had to try it. 

First and foremost, this is a skincare product. It’s a bronzing serum that helps protect the skin against environmental damage. It has loads of great ingredients such as platinum peptides to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, white tea extract which is a great antioxidant and has anti-pollution properties, vitamin E to preserve the skins natural lipid balance, and of course marula seed oil which is a star ingredient for Drunk Elephant. These are just some of the great ingredients, read more about the rest here. As if this product didn’t sound good enough already, it’s also free from fragrance, silicones, essential oils and is cruelty free. I mean, wow! 

The bronze shade is quite dark, so you have to mix it in with something. Personally I love mixing this with my moisturiser. As you start to apply it on the face it can look a little crazy, but just keep working it in and you’ll be left with the most insane glow like you’ve just been away for a weekend in the sunshine. Once blended in it’s very natural looking, but it makes such a difference! It’s ‘my skin but better’ kinda vibes. It works really well under makeup, but I personally love using it on my makeup free days. It gives me that extra boost of confidence in my skin. 

This is a great product for those of you that want a sun-kissed look but without the sun damage, and without the faff of applying a self tanner that most times ends up looking patchy. With this, you’ll still look sun kissed and you can wash it off at the end of the day. I also wanted to mention that it doesn’t transfer onto things. I was initially scared that it would rub off onto clothes or something of the sort, but it stays put all day. You can also customise how dark you want it to be by how much product you apply, so it’s very versatile. I also love that it comes with a pump and is compact enough to travel with. It’s definitely the step I look forward to the most in my skincare routine now. 

Have you tried anything from Drunk Elephant? What is your favourite product? 

Lots of love, 

SFS.

5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR MOOD DURING A HARD TIME

With everything going on in the world at the moment I’m sure most of us are feeling stressed or anxious over the uncertainty of the next few weeks or even months. So much worry over money, jobs, health, friends and family. It’s a lot to worry about and It’s hard to switch off from the news because it’s everywhere! Even on social media where we would normally go to take a break from life. The internet and the news are a blessing, but I think we need to know when to switch off for our own sanity and mental health. Here a few tips on how to get yourself into a more positive mind frame and hopefully improve your mood. 

CLEAR YOUR SURROUNDINGS 

Clutter and untidiness causes me so much stress and unease. It makes me feel like my life is a mess. So on the days where I feel anxious or stressed, I always make sure to tidy my house. Making your bed in the morning is a great start and ensures that you’re going to keep on the right track throughout the day. Put your dishes away, fold your laundry and cleanup as you go. If you keep leaving things out of place or dirty, chances are that you’ll feel overwhelmed with the amount of things that you have to do and you will most likely put it off because you won’t want to deal with it. Remember, clean house, clean mind. 

KEEP IT MOVING 

With all the gyms being closed it makes working out very challenging, especially if you like weight training and don’t have access to equipment at home, but it’s very important to keep your body moving. I don’t know about you, but I spend 90% of my days on the sofa either glued to my phone or binge watching Netflix. I feel the need to move and to get a sweat on otherwise I start to get restless. I’ve been switching it up and training different muscle groups on different days, and I also like to throw in a HIIT somewhere in the middle to really get a sweat on. There is a lot of pressure on people to workout at the moment, and I understand not everyone is in the right mind frame to do it right now. Personally, exercise has been an escape and crucial to keeping my mind in a healthy state. If you’re not in the mood to workout, try going on a walk, but do something. I promise it will make you feel more energised and happier! Get those endorphins!

DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE

This is something that is guaranteed to boost your mood. There is nothing quite like helping others. Check in on your neighbours, especially the elderly ones. Ricardo and I recently wrote letters to our neighbours offering to walk their pets or do their food shop. It’s something so small, but it makes you feel good about yourself and is also a great gesture. If you really don’t want to leave the house or can’t leave the house, look for a charity to donate to online. 

PUT ON A HAPPY SONG 

I know that when you’re depressed or feeling down the temptation is to throw on a really sad song so that you can cry and feel sorry for yourself, and that’s ok! I would highly recommend that you let it all out instead of suppressing your feelings. However, after you’ve had a good cry, put something happy and bright on! Listen to a song that brings back happy memories, or a song that is really upbeat and makes you want to have a little dance. Honestly, never underestimate the power of a good song. 

PLAY WITH YOUR PETS 

Ugh, pets are so underrated! Since having my little dog, Twinkle, there hasn’t been a single day where I’ve woken up in a bad mood. Just seeing her on my bed first thing when I open my eyes fills my heart with joy! So if you’re lucky enough to have a pet in your life, play with them, cuddle them, go out for a walk with them. Just the fact that I now have someone to look after other than myself makes me feel so good. She makes me leave the house even when I don’t feel like it and I love it. I love that at least once a day I go out on a walk and breath in some fresh air. It really does wonders for my body and brain. If you don’t have a pet, offer to walk your neighbours pets or to take care of them. I guarantee it will you make you smile from ear to ear. 

BONUS: LAUGH IT OFF 

I understand that not everyone has pets or likes animals, so I wanted to throw a little bonus point in here. Laughing is a great way to improve your mood. Watch a funny movie, play a game with your family or housemates, FaceTime someone who is uplifting, hey, laugh at yourself! The amount of times that I’ve laughed at myself for falling down, or for saying something really stupid… I mean, if you can’t laugh at yourself, how in the hell are you gonna laugh at somebody else? If you know, you know #RuPaul 

I honestly hope you are all doing well. I know I feel like I’m going insane sometimes being locked up in the house. I swear most days I don’t even know what day it is. It’s been tough, but at the same time we need to remember to be grateful! Be grateful for our health, for our family, for the fact that we have a roof over our head. It’s the small things that matter the most, and I think that now more than ever we can see that so very clearly. 

Stay safe everyone. 

SFS.

CHANEL ROUGE COCO FLASH - THE PERFECT SPRING LIPSTICKS

With Spring finally here I had an urge to buy some new lip products. I spotted the Chanel Rouge Coco Flash lipsticks at the airport a couple of weeks ago and after swatching almost the entire collection, I ended up buying two shades. 

First things first, let’s talk about the packaging. Classic black and gold Chanel packaging but with a twist! The lid is see through so you can see the colour of the lipstick through it. I love how they somehow made something that can sometimes look tacky, look so elegant. 

Now onto the colours! I picked up shade 53 Chicness and 62 Fire. Chicness is a lovely brown toned nude. It’s very much ‘my lips but better’. I’m always drawn to these shades and if I’m being honest with myself I probably have about five or six lipsticks in my collection of a very similar colour, however what sets this one apart is the formula. The Rouge Coco Flash lipsticks are so creamy and moisturising, they feel like a balm. They contain a blend of oils which make them hydrating and they also leave a glossy look to the lips. If a lip balm, a lipstick and a lip gloss had a baby, it would be this. 

My favourite of the two is definitely Fire. I mean, the name says it all really! I live for orange toned lipstick during the warmer months and I can tell this one is going to be in my handbag all summer long. Because this is a hydrating formula, I like to swipe this on my lips and then rub it in with my fingers, exactly as I would a lip balm. I find that rubbing it in makes it look a bit more natural… well, as natural as an orangey red can look. 

They don’t last very long which is probably the only downside I can find to these, apart from the price of course, but it’s Chanel, so you know what to expect. Even though they don’t last very long on the lips, they do leave a slight tint behind once they’ve faded which is really nice. 

Have you tried this formula? What is your favourite colour? 

Lots of love, 

SFS.

KKW BEAUTY LIP LINERS & NUDE CRÈME LIPSTICKS - REVIEW

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been completely immersed in Allana’s channel. I’ve watched every single video that she’s uploaded in the last year, and also quite a few from the very beginning of her Youtube career. I’m honestly obsessed and need someone to hold an intervention! #help 

In so many of her videos she mentions the KKW Beauty lip liner in the shade 1.5 and of course, I had to have it. As the shipping to the UK was quite expensive ($14.95) and I knew I would have to pay customs, I ended up ordering a few more things. I ordered three lipsticks, one of which was a birthday present for a friend of mine, and two lip liners from the nude range. Shipping took around two weeks and I had to pay £23 for customs charge.

The lipstick packaging couldn’t be more on brand for Kim K, clear on the outside and nude on the inside. Very minimalistic. I went for shades 3 and 4 from the Nude Crème collection. The formula is very smooth and buttery, they feel so nice on the lips, not drying or uncomfortable at all. They’re not very long wearing, but the same can be said for almost every other buttery lipstick out there. You can’t have it all my friends. Shade 3 is my favourite of the two. On the website it’s described as a mid-tone terracota shade, and I would have to agree. It’s a gorgeous orangey-brown that definitely leans more on the orange side, but a beautiful nude. Shade 4 is a cool toned nude. I reach for this kind of shade a lot, it’s pretty much my go-to everyday nude. 

Onto the lip liners! I got shades Nude 1 and Nude 1.5 of course. Thank you Allana. Firstly I have to talk about the packaging. I’m not sure if my pencils are faulty, but the lids on them aren’t secure at all. They fall off every time I pick them up and it’s really annoying. I’m not sure the product will last very long with such a loose lid. I’m sure it will dry up quickly. Shame really because I love the product. Nude 1 I’d say is my favourite as it’s a lighter shade and easier to pull off on an everyday basis. Nude 1.5 is slightly darker and deeper, it really reminds me of MAC Stripdown. When swatched side by side I couldn’t tell them apart. Both KKW lip liners are really creamy and easy to apply and are super long wearing. 

Overall I am very impressed with these products. The lip liners would’ve made it into my everyday makeup bag if it weren’t for the faulty lids. I like that Kim K really thought of everyone when she came out with this colour range, the same can’t be said for many big brands out there. Have you tried anything from the brand? What are your thoughts?

Lots of love, 

SFS.

D&G L'IMPÉRATRICE 3

A few days ago I was travelling from Porto airport when I spotted the Dolce and Gabbana L’Impératrice perfume in Duty Free. I stopped to give it a sniff and immediately looked around to see if anyone was watching me - something about spraying perfume on myself in a shop or in an airport feels ilegal lol. Does anyone else feel like that? Thankfully I was alone and proceeded to douse myself in it, hehe. 

I had a whole two hours of flight time to regret my decision of not buying it, but luckily for me, I spotted it on my way out of arrivals with a 40% off sticker on it! It was clearly meant to be. 

It’s the most perfect fragrance, soft, light and feminine. It smells quite fruity with a bit of floral, but the musky notes really bring the sexiness to it. I also love the bottle. It’s very minimalistic and simple, but somehow very sophisticated. I feel like it matches the scent so well and it looks beautiful on my dressing table. I actually look forward to spraying this on myself which is a feeling I haven’t experienced in a very long time. 

What perfume are you loving at the moment?

Lots of love,

SFS.

TOP 3 DRY SKIN SAVIOURS

It has been a hot minute since I felt excited about skincare or makeup, but recently the love for both of those things sparked again! I went crazy and made so many orders, I am actually scared to add up the total because I know it put a serious dent in my bank account… a serious dent! I made some amazing discoveries when it came to skincare and I am so excited to share my love for these products with you. These have been my go-to’s when my skin has been crying for help and have undoubtedly become staples in my skincare routine.

I heard about the Noni Glow Face Balm by Kora Organics through Allana’s channel. I recently found her on YouTube and I can’t believe I didn’t know about her sooner. I have been binge watching her videos pretty much on a daily basis and I honestly can’t get enough. If you’re looking for someone new to watch who is informative but is also super hilarious, look no further! Anyway, back to the product. This is perfect for on the go. It’s small and compact so it fits in your pocket if you don’t fancy carrying a bag with you. It’s a very moisturising balm that comes in a handy twist up stick, so you can just glide it over your face at any point you feel like you need some hydration. I personally like to use it when my skin is feeling a little tight and dry. Sometimes I layer it over my normal skincare, other times I use it on its own. I mainly love it for travelling as my skin tends to shrivel up during flights, so I just whack this out, sweep it over my face and it really helps to make my skin feel comfortable again. It’s also a great one for after the gym if you don’t want to carry your whole skincare drawer with you.

An oldie but a goodie, the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream. This one isn't a new discovery, in fact I’ve lost count of how many tubes of this I’ve gone through. My favourite use for this is when I have a cold, or when my skin is so dry that it cracks. This has a very thick consistency and I love to rub a generous amount over my nose before going to bed. It never fails to amaze me! I could go to bed with the driest, most flaky nose, and I will always wake up to a smooth one the morning after using this. It’s a miracle worker! I also love to rub it in my cuticles before bed. 

My friend Veronika introduced me to the Weleda Skin Food cream back in October. I remember loving it and saying that I would buy it, but ended up forgetting about it. Thanks to Allana I was reminded of this fabulous product again. It feels like I’m repeating myself but this is also a very thick cream and everything I have been missing in my life! I love to apply this to my elbows and knees, but I mainly love putting this on my face after a long week of flights. It makes my skin feel like a baby’s bum, so soft! I bought the small tube in case it broke me out, but now that I know that my skin loves it, I will be buying the bigger size.

What are your skincare saviours? 

Lots of love, 

SFS. 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GOING TO NEW YORK

New York was never a place I was dying to visit, in fact, it was pretty low on my list. I just never got the hype around it. Maybe because I lived in London for most of my life and couldn’t imagine it being very different… boy was I wrong. Even though New York wasn’t my dream, it was most definitely my brother’s. He wanted to visit New York for as long as I can remember. In August 2018 we took the plunge and booked a trip there, me, my brother and Ricardo. We booked it through the Virgin Atlantic website 3 months in advance. I personally found it super cheap at £590 per person for 5 days, flights and hotel included. Not bad at all! I’ve paid more for for trips within Europe. 

HOW TO GET THERE

Firstly, let me talk about the flights. Our flight to New York was with Delta and it took almost 8 hours. The plane was super comfortable, the food was actually quite tasty considering it was plane food, and they had great series and film selections, so the 8 hours flew by. The crew on the other hand, were sadly quite rude. One of them threw a bag of pretzels at Ricardo so aggressively that 3 more bags fell along with it. She also dropped a cup full of ice on him and didn’t even acknowledge it, she simply shoved some tissues in his face and moved on with the service. Me and him just stared at each other in disbelief. The flight coming back home was operated by Virgin and due to a massive tail wind we got to Heathrow in just over 6 hours. The service with Virgin crew was absolutely lovely. They were all so polite and friendly, literally the opposite of Delta. The food was equally as nice - I clearly very much enjoy plane food by the looks of it haha. Although Virgin crew were lovely, I did prefer the flight with Delta. The flight back home was in the evening and even though I was super tired, I just couldn’t relax. My TV kept crashing, the image quality was very grainy and my headphones didn’t work properly either. If only we could’ve had the Delta plane with the Virgin staff…

WHERE TO STAY

Let’s move on to my favourite bit, the accommodation. We stayed at the Intercontinental Barclay. What a wonderful hotel! I swear to you, they have the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on! I even took a picture of the brand of pillows they use so I could buy some, but unfortunately they are exclusive to hotels. I can’t tell you how gutted I was at this discovery! It’s been two years and I still talk about their beds and pillows on a regular basis. We got a Deluxe Double Double room and it was very cosy, very clean and surprisingly very quiet. The location was also brilliant, it was only a short 15 minute walk to Times Square, a 10 minute walk to the Rockefeller Centre and a 20 minute walk to the Empire State Building. Pretty much a dream location if you’re going there for the first time and want to do all the touristy things. They also have a gin bar/restaurant if you fancy having a little something before or after a day of exploring. 

HOW TO GET AROUND

It won’t come as a surprise that the best form of transport there is the subway. I always thought it would be crowded and super busy, but I genuinely didn’t find it that bad at all. It’s very easy to navigate and you can purchase a MetroCard at the ticket machines. A single costs around £2 but if you’re going to be exploring the best option is to buy the weekly ticket for around £25. 

Avoid the taxis where possible. I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories about New York traffic and they’re not wrong. It is manic out there! We only took a taxi twice for the sole purpose of taking us to and from the airport to the hotel. In terms of prices, there is a fixed rate between Manhattan and JFK Airport of around £45 which I think is very reasonably priced considering it’s a fifty-ish minute ride. 

I have to quickly mention the hop on hop off tour buses. Please do not go on them! We spent a total of 6h sat in them on our third day. The traffic really is no joke, so please bare that in mind before you decide to get on one. 

WHERE TO EAT

When it came to food we tried to keep it simple as the prices there are a little over the top. Most mornings we would have breakfast in a Pret across the street from our hotel. It was easy and saved us time walking around trying to find something else. However, we did have breakfast in a place called Lexington Brass which wasn’t too far from where we were staying and the food was delicious! We all asked for different things and I can safely say that they were all mega tasty. I asked for avocado on toast and coming from someone who isn’t that much into avocado, I absolutely loved it and would happily eat it again and again.

For lunch we would just grab something easy from the food trucks such as hot dogs and burgers, although we did stop at a bagel place once called Bergen Bagels and they were delicious! Highly recommend. Dinnertime was when we went out to proper restaurants for food. We went to Heartland Brewery and Rotisserie, it's near the Rockefeller Centre and the food was very nice. It was such a huge place, you could tell that they must get lots of people eating there after a busy day of sightseeing. My favourite place however, was Wolf & Lamb. We went there for Ricardo’s 30th birthday meal and wowza, such tasty food! They had the best mash potato that I have ever tried. The staff were also super friendly and got dessert out to Ricardo with a candle so we could sing happy birthday. 

THE SIGHTS

It was our first time going to New York, so of course we had to tick off the classics. I’ll write things out based on what we visited/did each day, this way it’s easier for me to remember everything and also gives you an idea of how much you can fit into one day. The first place we visited was Times Square. Our flight got there late in the afternoon and after a little refresh in our hotel room, we headed off to see all the amazing screens. It was so packed, but it was stunning! I thought it would be something like Piccadilly Circus, but not at all, it was much, much bigger. We made a quick stop at Grand Central Station of course. I’m a massive fan of Gossip Girl, so it had to happen. 

On our first full day we hired out some bikes and explored the beauty that is Central Park. It was such a gorgeous, sunny day and we had the best time! In the late afternoon we made it to the Empire State Building. This one I have to say I was a little disappointed with. It was way too crowded and it had barriers all around the building, blocking the view of the city. Ok, not fully blocking, but you know what I mean. I just didn’t expect it as I had never seen pictures of it like that. Things did get better when the sun went down and all the city lights came on, so I would definitely recommend visiting the ESB during the night. We opted not to go to the highest floor, simply because we were already high enough. We didn’t feel the need to pay an additional amount to go up a few floors. 

On our second full day we wasted so. much. time! Where? On the hop on, hop off tour bus! We wanted to get this bus to visit the 9/11 memorial and visit the museum, but little did we know that it would take us almost 3h to get there! Sure, the views along the way were nice, but it was bloody freezing and we desperately needed a wee. They were the longest 3h of my life! But we made it there eventually and the place really made me emotional. Both myself and Ricardo work in aviation and it’s heartbreaking to think of what happened. We also went to the museum and spent the whole afternoon there listening and crying along to the tapes that they played. It was so beautiful but made my heart hurt at the same time. 

Our third full day was the day where we had to make up for the time we spent on the tour bus. We packed as much into the day as possible! We started off with Top of the Rock. This was by far my favourite! We woke up super early to try and get there before everyone else and it worked! We went on a very windy, but mega clear and sunny day. Honestly, the view from there is breathtaking! We grabbed some food and got on the subway to visit Washington Square Park. We literally only went there to see it, snap a picture and leave, but I can imagine it being a very nice place to hang out during the Spring/Summer months. After that we headed to the transport museum, I know it won’t be on everybody’s list of things to visit, but we really wanted to go there and it was very interesting. If you have some free time while you’re out there, pay it a visit. It’s also great for snapping those coveted subway pictures without having random people in the background. 

Me, my brother and Ricardo are massive Brooklyn 99 fans and so we really wanted to visit the ‘99th precinct’ - fun fact, the 99th percent doesn’t exist. It’s called the 78th precinct in real life. After making a few funny videos, imitating Jake Peralta we hurried and still managed to visit Liberty Island! We weren’t playing around LOL. I was surprised at how small the statue of liberty is, but I guess that compared to all the skyscrapers in the city everything seems small. Unfortunately we ran out of time to visit Ellis Island, but that means that we’re going to have to go back, right?

On our last day there was only one thing left of our list of places to visit and that was Brooklyn Bridge. I don’t think anything could’ve prepared us for how cold that day was going to be. It was so windy and the real feel was -16 degrees celsius. Ouch! Ricardo ended up having a frost bite on his forehead, bless him. Brooklyn Bridge was stunning though! It was so crowded, but understandably so. 

RANDOM BITS

Visas! Don’t forget to take care of your visas. Maybe even try to take care of it before you book your flights just in case you have some issues. A friend of mine is Polish and had her visa application denied three times before they finally accepted it, so just bare that in mind.

Before you go make a plan of the main things you want to see and try to get a city pass ticket. It means that you can skip hour long queues and depending on what you want to visit, might even work out cheaper. 

In terms of spending money, we too £300 each and joined it all, so we had £900 total to spend out there. For us it was more than enough. We even managed to do some shopping and still had money left at the end of the trip. But of course, it all depends on what you want to do there. Like I said before, we did keep it simple on the meal front. The only meal we paid separately for was at Wolf & Lamb as it was Ricardo’s birthday and me and my brother wanted to pay for that ourselves. It was 200 dollars, so I hope that gives you an idea of how much you’ll be spending if you eat out at ‘proper’ places every night.

New York ended up being my favourite place that I have visited so far! Coming from someone who wasn’t even that interested in going, I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. I would honestly go back in a heartbeat and have told Ricardo multiple times that if he ever wants to surprise me with a trip, New York is the place! So there you have it, my New York experience, tips and recommendations. I hope you found something helpful in the middle of all this.

Lots of love,

SFS.

THE LAST 10 YEARS

As we enter a new decade I think it’s nice to take some time to look back, to see what we’ve accomplished and to see how far we’ve come. I’ve seen a lot of hate for these types of posts on social media, and to be honest, everyone just needs to mind their own business. If someone wants to look back and reflect on the decade they’ve had and see all the great things they’ve accomplished, let them! We tend to only focus on our failures and think a lot about the things that went wrong and how shit we are at things, but if we just take a moment to look back over the years, we will realise that actually we have so much to celebrate. Quite frankly I really need a pick me up after a very crappy, difficult month, so here are some of my favourite achievements of the last decade. 

• Started dating the love of my life <3 
• Was offered a languages teaching assistant position at the collage I attended. Made me feel great that my teachers thought so highly of me that they were looking forward to having me teach alongside them.
• Getting my childhood dream job. I always wanted to be a cabin crew and making it happen in 2010 was a dream come true. 
• Going to Germany on my own to attend a training course. I had never traveled outside of the UK and Portugal on my own, so this was a very big deal to me.
• Moving out of my parents house at the age of 19. Having my own place and my own independence was something I always wanted, and making it happen at such a young age made me feel so happy and like I had my shizz together. P.S I didn't.
• Traveled all over Europe and also outside of Europe. I know so many people never get to travel, so having visited so many places already makes me feel very proud.
• Took a solo trip to Tenerife on my days off. As someone with anxiety I never thought I would be able to go on holiday by myself, but I did. It was a bit strange at dinnertime though LOL.
• Got promoted to a Cabin Service Supervisor. I mean, wow. 
• Also got promoted to a Line Checker. Again, wow.
• Bought my first ever pair of designer shoes, which then lead to a bit of an obsession.
• Bought my first ever designer handbag.
• Passed my theory test first time round and with great results too! Will always remember how nervous I was sitting the test haha.
• Also passed my driving text first time with only 2 driving faults. WTH?! Beyond proud of myself. It was a 9am test which was super busy and my test lasted over an hour, so to only get 2 driving faults was quite impressive. I will NEVER forget how I felt after passing. I felt elated and honestly, if I could bottle a feeling to experience again, it would be that one. Pure happiness and pride!
• Traveled with my mum and brother. That was something I always wanted to do since I was a kid (with my dad too but he couldn’t get time off work.)
• I got my first car! It was actually purchased a week before I sat my driving test haha. That gave me some motivation I think.
• I got engaged! THREE TIMES! To the most amazing man on this planet <3
• We got our first dog. This was such a big dream of mine. She’s everything I could have ever hoped for and more!

I’m sure there are many more things, but these are the ones that immediately came to mind. To some of you this may not be a lot, however, with my background, some of these things I never thought would be possible, but yet here we are. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I did have some incredible lows, however, I prefer to focus on these highs! :)

If you’re not feeling quite yourself lately, I suggest you whack out a pen and paper and start listing the things you’ve accomplished over the last decade and see how far you’ve come. I’m sure you’ve done some great things!

Lots of love, 

SFS.