The shortest month of the year is over. Spring is supposed to roll around the corner, but guess what we are all covered in snow, some from head to toe, and the cozy sweaters, the layering and hot chocolates are making a come back.
All things beauty related
A few months ago I’ve finished one of my all-time favourite face masks that I used as a moisturizer, the Estee Edit peony face mask. It was so good to my skin, made it feel so soft and look radiant.
I have been searching for a good moisturizer and while I was shopping in Boots with my mom, I heard someone calling my name, and when I turned around I saw the Botanics Hydration Burst Day Cream and the Radiant Youth protecting day cream with SPF 15 with luminous halos above their beautiful packaging. Drama queen alert, I know, but I really like their products and I highly recommend them as they are a plant-based skin care brand.
To go with that I also use the Radiant Youth hydrating eye cream with ginkgo, which regenerates your skin.
I use the radiant one before I apply my makeup and it makes it the foundation glide on smoothly and makes your face look flawless.
Alessandra Steinherr is one of my inspirations for all things beauty related. She recently collaborated with Estee Lauder and became their ambassador for the Advanced Night Repair serum, created a sample and sent it out to those who wanted to try it out. Of course, I wanted to give it a try as I trust her opinion and recommendations. I have been using it this month, at night after I remove my makeup and cleanse my face. After applying the serum I use moisturizer I mentioned above and voila, my skin looks amazing in the morning and is the perfect canvas for a new makeup look.
Staying on the skin-care route I have purchased some products from Soap&Glory, and they are actually really good. The body butter and lotion smell incredible and leave your skin feeling soft and nurtured.
I am not one who goes with the trend and I didn’t do this when the oval brushes appeared a few years ago. However, I was browsing in Primark and I saw they had brushes in the beauty aisle of the store. I haven’t tried any other beauty products from them, but can I just tell you these brushes are really good. I have been using them to apply my foundation (Rimmel London Match Perfection 103) since and I really like the way it applies it. The foundation is never streaky and you can apply it so quickly and make sure you aren’t late for school or work. What’s more interesting is that they cost around £4 each, and I got them on sale for £2 – what a bargain. Here is a comparison between the MAC Cosmetics brushes and the Primark ones.
Cleansing my body and soul
In the middle of February, I had a revelation and decided to stop smoking and go on a cleansing diet.
I don’t want to say for how long I had been smoking because I am not putting a good example out there in the world, but if you know me you probably know this as well as I was always with a cigarette in my hand when we went for drinks or anywhere basically. Even though I know it is not good for your overall health I did enjoy it. In my case, it was all about the habit and the routine, for example, making myself a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette, or lighting a cigarette after lunch and dinner. But I decided to quit and take care of my body. It is not at all an easy journey, but this is what makes it worth it.
Also, I have been on a diet for about 18 days now and I already feel much healthier. Let me know if I should write a blog post all about my diet and document the milestones. This is not my first rodeo, as they say, and after years of not feeling good about my body appearance and testing out different weight-loss methods, I know what works, for my body at least, and what is just a myth. I am not vouching for diets as I know how hard it is to follow them and their restrictions, but once in a while, I need a health kick.
I recently realised how mentally incapacitated some people are, the people who feed off of your sadness and hurt, and if you follow me on Instagram (@IrinaIacob) you probably read my rant. Never surround yourself with hatred and negative vibes. Cut them out of your life. I did it and I feel so much better and free from negativity. Do it for your soul.
Peaky Blinders
My boyfriend’s sister and her boyfriend told us about this TV show this past January. The TV show is set in the 1920s in Birmingham and is everything from action, drama and crime. The action follows the Peaky Blinders gang and their leader Thomas Shelby engaging in illegal activities. I am proud but mostly sad, to say we have finished it and now we have to wait until 2019 for the new season. Take my word for it, you will absolutely love it!
In a few weeks I will post a Netflix binge-list, so stay tuned for more TV shows.
Exploring London
My friend, Oana, came to visit and I was her London attractions tour guide. We walked for hours, I considered that to be more than my cardio for the month. We took hundreds of photos – yes, hundreds. I already posted on my blog about the main London attractions, which you can find here. I will post part two of the London series next week featuring Notting Hill, Portobello Road and the Kensington Palace.
P.S I decided to put more time into this blog as it is one of the things I love most doing – writing and sharing my experiences and thoughts with people who are on the same page as I am. So, if you enjoy my blog posts and you’ve made it this far down the page, then sign up to receive an email every time I post something new!
See you soon
♥ Irina
Irina Iacob 