I'm back! (I think..)

Hello Beauties!

I really miss the blogosphere and the fabulous experience I've had sharing what I love and enjoy with you guys. For a while, I've been reconsidering whether opting out of blogging was the solution to being too busy to post. However, I figured that tomorrow never comes and if I don't do what I want to today, then I might not ever get the chance to, I hope you guys missed me as much as I've missed you! Hopefully this time around I'll be able to balance out my schoolwork and my blogging a bit more efficiently.


Love,
Taibah xx

What is Beauty?

YES, this a beauty-related post.
NO, it is not about make-up or fashion or skincare.

Recently, I've noticed that with each and every passing day, someone looks into the mirror and finds something new they dislike about themselves. Whether it's "I have cankles (for those of you wondering, calf-like ankles)" or "I hate how bushy my eyebrows are" or "Why aren't my eyes blue?" 

I'm going to be as honest as I possibly can here. One girl's beauty dilemma is another girl's wish. For example, a girl with major curves would diet like mad to be skinny, and a skinny girl would hate that she's flat and try to accentuate whatever curves she can come to find. Another example would be the constant discontentment with hair that we're all familiar with. If your hair is pin-straight, you'd want it to be a bit curlier, and if your hair was curly, you'd wish it were more sleek and straight.

Our level of satisfaction? ZERO.

But it's human nature. For those of you who embrace your natural beauty, well done. It's okay to want to make some changes to your appearance. Dying your hair doesn't mean you're insecure with it. But when it gets to the point where no matter what you do, you always feel less than beautiful, that's when you need to realize that beauty is simply a matter of perspective. Sure, not all 7 billion people in the world will find you drop-dead gorgeous. You can't please everyone, and that's how life works. That in mind, what you hate about yourself could be someone out there's exact idea of beauty. So the next time you apply your make-up, don't forget to add some confidence!

You are all beautiful.


 

I got nominated for a Livi Award

So, apparently, I've been nominated for the Livi award by the sweet Olivia of Color Coordinated Life. I believe this is the first one she's ever done. I've been nominated for a couple of awards before, but this one involves actual voting, which is a bit interesting. She included bloggers for, as I recall, 3 categories. I ended up being in the category of 'Best Role Model' (which, even though I don't win, is still an honor). Normally I'm not one to really care who wins or not, as I've checked out the other nominees and they all have great blogs. However, if you feel I deserve the title, then vote for me (Cheshire Cat) here.

Attention Fellow UK Bloggers and Readers

I'm going to be in the UK on the 20th!

I would love to meet you guys. I'm going to be there for a rough two weeks, and I'll be leaving on the 4th of September. I haven't really planned out a proper itinerary or anything yet, as the trip itself is supposed to be about spontaneity and not really having to worry about plans or waking up early (eukh). I'm not really sure about a meet-up, because as I mentioned previously, I think almost everything I do there is going to be pretty impromptu. HOWEVER, I would be thrilled if you guys contacted me on twitter and let me know if you wanted to meet! Until I'm back, I won't be posting as much in terms of actual fashion and beauty posts, but I will be updating you guys about my trip and post some vacation-related pictures. I'm really excited about this trip, because I haven't been to the UK in quite a while (about 2-3 years) and I really do miss it. I'm thinking of seeing a couple of stage productions and I'm definitely going to go all out on British goodies (maybe, possibly, Cadbury eggs? hahah). I am going to be there with a couple of friends of mine, and I'm really hoping not to be too much of a mainstream tourist when I get there. I've been to the UK a rough 7 or 8 times and everytime I go, I promise myself that I'm not going to spend all my time in Oxford's Topshop and Primark, lugging all the shopping bags my arms could possibly take. My promises to myself are the equivalent of the Titanic promising not to sink, as I really cannot keep them for the life of me. I usually cave in to the annoying tourist voice in my head telling me to, once more, visit Madame Tussaud's, London Eye, and Westfield. I'm hoping, this time, to see some smaller boutiques and have a finer dining experience than Garfunkel's or Nando's (I have yet to walk by one of the above without cravings kicking in). If you guys have any recommendations on places to see and things to do there (doesn't have to be limited to just London, anywhere I can go by train is fine with me) I would love to hear them! Leave them below, in the comments.

For people wanting to meet me in person, contact me on twitter: @PrettyCheshire and I will be sure to follow and reply!


xoxo,
Taibah 

Day in the Life Of/Boots and Topshop Haul

I needed to do some shopping for my 11 year old cousin since it was her birthday (her gift needed some finishing touches), and so I had some friends tag along with me. I'm so glad they did, because for some reason I'm incredibly indecisive when it comes to shopping for others (especially birthday gifts). I always worry they won't like it, and even though the cliche still stands: "it's the thought that counts", I worry we might not be on the same page thoughts-wise either. I'm so glad I actually found some great things for her! A couple more things, and I'm set for her birthday gift. I ended up buying some things for myself as well (I can't hold myself back all the time hahah).

Ps. My friend S took us around the grocery store for ages searching for grenadine molasses, because she heard it was really healthy and truly makes a difference in complexion, hair, and overall health. We finally found a bottle of it and she was ecstatic. Have any of you guys ever tried it? I'll be sure to ask how it worked out for her because, hey, who doesn't want to rock thick hair and a good complexion?

My friend D knows I've been on the hunt for the perfect white polish, so she became her sweet old self and got  me Waltz by Essie. Thanks girl!

My cousin's only turning 12, so I thought getting her make-up might be a bit of a stretch. I got her the next best thing, though: nail-polish! Got her a pink crackle finish from Barry M, as well as a mint green cream finish.

Thought she'd love these: The bracelets on the left resemble things like wisdom, happiness, peace, and love, and the cute little pearl necklace on the right is actually a smiley-face wearing headphones.

I got this for myself. I heard some good things about it and wanted to give it a go for my upcoming trip to the UK, to keep me busy on train and plane rides. I'll let you guys know if it was a good read or not.

I got her this body spray from soap and glory, just because I feel like it's such a cute girly scent that isn't too heavy, but is still distinctive.

Another purchase I made for myself. I've always wanted to try the Beautiful Skin range from No.7, because so many people have been raving about it. I didn't want to get the full sizes, just in case these didn't work out for me and I'd be wasting a major amount of product if I didn't like the range. (Stay posted for a review!)

I got her this set from Soap and Glory, which has a hair mask, a scrub, a body butter, a body wash, and a body spray. I found it was a cute addition to add to her gift.

My friend D actually got this so that I could properly review the product for different skin types; (Mine is combo-dry, and hers is combo-oily) I didn't want my review to be bias towards only one skin type and so I thought I'd let you guys know how it worked for 2 different people.

My friend S's outfit. She definitely stole the show tonight. Pants: Zara (previous collection), Vest: Local boutique (look at that detail near the collar!), shoes: Local boutique, Bag: Celine (Nano)

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Day in the Life Of: Family Gathering (+OOTD)

So, as you all know, I got my Canon fixed and now, I will be able to take much better quality photos than I normally do with my iPhone (woop woop!). Today was pretty eventful. Had a great meal with my close family before some distant relatives came over for a large gathering. Of course, I was very excited to spend time with the family members I don't normally see very often (minus that one aunt who ALWAYS manages to make things awkward). I took a few photos during the day, including my outfit, and I'm happy to share with you guys!

Yummy green salad! Minus the tomatoes, just the way I like it.

The lovely people at the salon brought me green tea and water as I was getting pampered..Too sweet!

Semi-finished result. The lady doing my hair kept telling me not to touch it hahah, but I couldn't help it! It looked so soft and bouncy!

Plain gold bangle: Topshop
Tiger cuff: Vintage

Really not-that-high black patent leather heels: Office (UK)

Rose-gold necklace: Cartier

White body-con dress: Reversed (Czech Republic)
I apologize if you guys can't see it all the way to the bottom, but there's not much to see really. It just reaches right above the knee in the same structure you see above.

aaaaand, that's all folks!

HAULAGE!

So, I went a little cray-cray today.

Mac's Lipglass from the Hello Sailor Collection (minus the striped packaging, because those ran out and I just had to have the color) in  Orange Tempura. What a weird name for a collection like Hello Sailor lol.

Revlon Matte Lipsticks (LOVE!) in Smoked Peach, Stormy Pink, and Pink in the Afternoon. Again, so sorry for the camera quality, as my SLR is still being fixed :(  All three of these colors are gorgeous, and completely matte. I do recommend using a lip scrub before-hand, though., because when I applied Pink in the Afternoon and Smoked Peach, my lips looked very chapped.

Revlon PhotoReady foundation in a shade WAY too dark for my skintone because I recently bought several foundations a few shades lighter than my skintone, and I'm planning to mix and match for the perfect color/coverage.

Revlon Pearl finish lipstick in Caramel Glace. Don't think I've ever gone for a pearl finish in the color brown before, but I definitely loved this. It's subtle, but it's still somehow a statement semi-bold lip to go with a statement semi-bold eye hahah. (balance is key, no?)

AIRY FAIRY BY RIMMEL! AT LAST! It was discontinued for so. LONG. This color, in my book, tops any other shade of nudy-pink. Period.

And finally, MAC's Studio Tech compact creamy foundation in NC40. I needed a new compact, and for some reason, powder compacts cake my make-up and make it look a bit too airbrushed. I don't like to look too dewy, but I think the completely matte look isn't really for me. This is very high coverage, and yet it feels so light! It comes with the classic white sponge beneath, for application. I prefer to apply this using the sponge, then blend with my fingers, though.

And that's it, my loves! My mission to go on a make-up buying rampage is officially out of my system. Hope you enjoyed!

I wonder..

So if you've been reading my post on July Favorites lately, you'd know how much I love the Dove Weightless Nutri-Oil hair care range.

I was just pondering to myself as to why my hair goes into a messy, frizzy frenzy whenever I use organic and natural-origin based shampoos (not to mention they make my hair smell like the forest... not good.), however...

My hair seems to cooperate just fine and dandy with (give or take) most drugstore shampoos. 

I know! I'm equally confused. 

Is it just me, or are there others out there with the same, well.. I wouldn't really call it a dilemma. I feel like my hair loves the chemicals hahah... because organics are just too mainstream for it these days.

I feel like, shampoos more or less don't have any impact on hair growth or hair loss, because all they do is clean the scalp (provided you're using the right one for your hair type, of course.) But if you want to go the extra mile and nourish your hair and scalp using natural remedies, you should skip the over-priced lush natural products and actually use the botanicals themselves! For example, instead of using a shampoo infused with raspberry vinegar and egg protein (that doesn't really sound like a good mix LOL), go out and purchase some raspberries and eggs and make a home-made mask instead!
That way, you'd be 100% sure you're giving your hair the complete natural care it needs without any harsh chemicals. Because I highly doubt that products including natural ingredients wouldn't have any chemicals as well. 

When you read the title, you were probably thinking to yourself "wow, this is going to be such a deep meaningful post." 

You were wrong, my friends. This is a hair-based rant I've conjured up because I couldn't get any sleep.