Interactive 7 Things for 7 Days List

Louise has started an interactive community post, in which everyone posts seven things they want to do in seven days or just throughout the month as lists are posted on a monthly basis. I love making goals and lists so I thought I would join in too!

In August I will:

1. Decorate: we are moving into our flat next week, so August's main goal will be to get it all in order. We already have most of the furniture and decorative things we need so it should just be the simple task of deciding where everything goes!

2. Project bikini body: it's a few short weeks until I'm sunning it up in a bikini and I want to be a little bit more toned before getting half nakie!

3. Work on my blog: as you already know this is a really new blog and I love working on it so far, so I want to continue as I mean to go on!

4. Finalise engagement party guestlist: we're having a big engagement party. We want it to be only family and very close friends and there's a few people I'm debating over but we're going to have to finalise it in the next month and send those invites.

5. Switch to more organic products: as I'm using up lots of the products I have now, I want to replace them with more organic ones.

6. Reconnect with friends: it's been a crazy busy month with sorting out the big move and working all the time, so I think a few of my friends have been neglected :( Maybe a housewarming party is the solution? ;)

7. Revise!: I have a couple of exams to take which I couldn't do during the actual exam period because of the crash my fiance and I were in, so the resit period is looming and that means I need to hit the books!

There are my seven things! I will come back to this at the end of August and let you all know how I got on with my list!

Lush 9 - 5 & Skin Drink

 

I think this video below says everything there is to know about the brands ethics! I personally think it's a bit uncomfortable to watch but it is a very important message they are trying to promote.

 

 

When the Lush consultant was taking me through the different types of cleansers they had on offer, I am going to be totally honest and say that my ears definitely pricked up when she said that this is the one that didn't require any water! I was truthful and said I am pretty lazy about skincare late at night when I'm tired, so I put 9 - 5 next to my bed and used it just as I settled down in bed for the night. I like using this more than cleansing wipes, as this feels more moisturising on my skin. It has a lovely fresh scent and takes my make-up off easily and quickly. I would definitely get this again.

Skin Drink is made from organic sesame oil, almond oil, evening primrose oil and cocoa butter. I was advised that this is good for dry skin, so that was the main reason I bought it. It feels a little bit greasy after application, which quickly sunk in and left my skin feeling hydrated for a few hours afterwards. However, the effects didn't last all day and I regularly had to re-apply once again throughout the day when I felt my skin getting dry again. I thought it was ok but I'm not in a hurry to go out and buy it again, I am currently thinking of other moisturisers I can try next. Both products are suitable for vegans and you can find your nearest Lush store here

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

I finished a couple of products over the weekend and The Body Shop Shea Body Butter was one of them, seeing as I suffered from a bout of sunburn after spending the whole day at the beach on Saturday clearly having not used enough sun protection - ouch!

When reviewing products from now on I want to start off by describing the brand's ethics as I know this is something a lot of people (including myself) are interested in before purchasing. It clearly states on the back of this product that it has not been tested on animals. The shea butter has been fairly traded from Ghana. To read more about the brand's values, click here 

This body butter is a best seller for The Body Shop and it's pretty easy to see why - it smells like a holiday in a tub (it does to me anyway!) and the product itself is thick but dissolves into a creamy texture when warmed up in the hands and applied on the body. It thoroughly moisturises without that 'greasy' feeling I kind of thought I was going to get before I used it. It keeps skin hydrated and soft for hours afterwards, and has never irritated my skin which can be prone to a bit of sensitivity. I would definitely re-purchase this product, it is a bit more expensive than a lot of other moisturisers out there but I would say it is worth the money as it lasts quite a long time (a little goes a long way) and most importantly of all, it works! You can buy it for £12.50 from The Body Shop website

Week in Pictures

The smiley-face breakfast Craig brought me in bed

Seaburn

 

My gorgeous future husband :)

The red arrows

£2 Balance Me Skincare

Screencap from the balanceme.co.uk website

I have an interest in natural skincare and love trying out products that I've never heard of or tried before, which is why I'm excited that Glamour magazine are giving away Balance Me products this month. Balance Me are giving away four of their skin care products which normally cost £11 each, so to get all four for £8 is amazing! I've done a little bit of research on the company itself and their website states that their products are made in the UK and are free from: parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, and artificial colours and fragrances. They are also against animal testing, so the brand seems to tick all of my boxes. I have started using some of the products but don't want to review them until I've been using them for at least a month, so I'll come back to Balance Me at a later date when I've seen the longer-term results, but I just wanted to let you all know about this fab giveaway!

My Top Five Travel Destinations

As well as make-up and clothes, I am also really into travelling and have been lucky enough to travel to some amazing places. I just wanted to share my top five (in no particular order) travel destinations and share my thoughts and recommendations for each one! All pictures used are my own personal holiday snaps.

1. Las Vegas

I am desperate to go back to Las Vegas, ideally for my hen weekend (hint hint). We stayed in the Luxor hotel (pictured above) which is right on the strip. Needless to say, the clubs are amazing. For shopping, my favourite spot was the shopping mall attached to Caeser's, it was huge and it had some amazing shops. The Venetian hotel is also amazing for shopping and features more designer shops. For sightseeing, hoover dam and the grand canyon are close by. I hate heights so I had mixed emotions whilst at the grand canyon, on one hand I really liked it, but they don't even have barriers next to the cliff edges! You could just fall right off, that bothers me! I also went on the glass-bottomed bridge that goes over the canyon which was terrifying to me but looking back now I'm glad I did it. Hard Rock Cafe's are also a must-visit, and the volcano thing on the strip is also pretty cool. Word of warning though, it is not a cheap place to visit so have plenty of cash! Then do what my dad did and win all your spending money back at the casino the night before you leave haha!

2. The Bahamas

The Bahamas is a really beautiful and relaxing place, ideal if you like your holidays to revolve around sunbathing, napping and eating! I loved the pirates of the caribbean museum, the straw market and swimming with dolphins. Blue Lagoon Island where they do the dolphin encounters is really, really good as the dolphins are all in their natural habitat, they educate you about the dolphins and they appear to be really well looked after. The people who live on the islands are really laid back and lovely. We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel which is on New Providence Island. I would definitely recommend that hotel to anyone. The Atlantis Hotel is also a must-visit, the shops and casino are good and you can visit the 'lost city' of Atlantis which is like an aquarium. I've visited the Bahamas as a child and an adult and I loved it all the same each time, it's a place for everyone of all ages to enjoy

3. Cyprus

Cyprus is one of my favourite places in the world! The first thing that springs to mind is the FOOD! It is amazing! I am a really fussy eater, so you know that if I say it's nice, then it really must be! As well as having amazing beaches, there is so much to see here, and it helps that I am actually quite interested in Greek mythology. You can go to Aphrodite's rock, the baths of Aphrodite, Achille's house (well what's left of it lol), the mosaics and so much more. For beaches, good food, sunshine, history and clubbing (Ayia Napa), it has it all, and I love it!

4. Tunisia

I went to Tunisia with one of my best friends Alex and we had the best time ever! The whole fortnight was such a laugh, even though we barely left the hotel, which I'm sure put my mother's mind at rest haha. We made friends with all of the rep's who worked there who were all Tunisian and they took us out clubbing a few times. The clubs were actually really good! One night they took us to a club, then for food and then we decided we wanted a go of the golf cart at 4am so we whizzed around on that for a bit before watching the sunrise on the beach :) I have so many good memories of that place and I hope to go back one day.

5. Egypt

I've always been hugely fascinated with Egyptian history so I was so excited about going to Egypt! We stayed in Hurghada then travelled to Luxor through the valley. The highlight of the trip was visiting Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun was in his tomb there. Apparently if you visit him in his tomb then you're cursed, and funnily enough we all ended up ill afterwards and my mam even ended up in hospital! Then I had an injury which forced me to give up dancing on a professional training level a month later - coincidence? Probably, but the tomb itself and what happened to us after was pretty spooky!

No7 Fanomenal Lashes

While I'm on a break from packing, I decided to do a review of the new No7 Fanomenal Lashes mascara. Admittedly I would never have even thought of buying this mascara, it was actually a little present from my fiance who decided to buy it for me one day. I usually wear Elysambre Long Lash Natural Mascara, which is a natural, mineral-based mascara (I will do a review on this soon). However, I decided to try this mascara anyway and I have to say I was very impressed with it.

I am the kind of girl who needs false eyelashes whenever I go out on an evening. I just don't feel done without them, and although I've had some good mascaras, none are good enough to make me feel I could just use that product and not need the falsies. This isn't the product that will make me give them up (I don't think there ever will be!), however it's the best mascara I've used in terms of getting that full and thick, false-lash effect.

As you should see, it's a thin comb-like wand, which really helps seperate and define the lashes. In the few weeks I've been using it, it has never made my lashes clump together.

I need to work on my close-up photography skills, but anyhow you should see how long and curly this mascara made my eyelashes look, and whilst it made them thicker they still look very natural as well. This mascara is £12.95 from Boots

Welcome to Bella Vita

Hello everyone,
I've been reading beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogs for a couple of years and have wanted to join in and start my own for a while now. Over the years I've discovered what interests me most is natural, organic make-up and skin/hair-care, a little bit of fashion (I like clothes and shopping, but I'm not one for keeping up with catwalks and trends), health and fitness, and more recently since becoming engaged, wedding planning and interior decorating! So hopefully there will be a little something for everyone who may stumble upon this blog to enjoy. Happy reading :) x

The sunset from my bedroom window tonight