Beauty

My favorite beauty bits (Low Cost Essentials)!

May 30, 2018


Lately, I've been getting really into makeup again and even though this post may not seem like it (bc of the fewer products I'll talk about), I'm meant to try new products soon and get better at applying them lol. I have a real love-hate relationship with makeup, some days my eyeliner is ON POINT and some other days I can't even apply my mascara properly, is it weird? 


Anyway, I'm going to start with my everyday products and by that, I mean concealer, powder, mascara and foundation.

· Foundation: The foundation I've been using a lot recently (i'm actually on my second "bottle") is the Maybelline Fit Me! Matte Poreless foundation, tone 128 which I'm not sure if it's my actual skin tone but I just try to roll with it. It gives me a natural look but at the same time kinda covers all spots marks, I'm willing to try better foundations for my skin type so if you know of a good and affordable one for oily skin I'll be glad to try them! Still, very happy with the end results of this one. 

· Concealer: For Concealer, I use the also Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer, tone 20 which I actually found as a dupe of the NARS one on Pinterest and I really like it! It's the only concealer I ever tried that actually seems to cover the dark circles underneath my eyes as much as possible 'cause they're REALLY dark, ugh.  

· Mascara: My Mascara is also from Maybelline (lol, almost everything I use is from this brand tbh) and it's the kinda new Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara and I saw this product on a lot of influencer's Instagrams and I decided to give it a go. I'm actually really surprised with it! My eyelashes are quite short and straight but with a curler and this mascara, they look cute and kinda long. 

· Powder: For setting powder, I use the Essence All About Matt! fixing compact powder. It's a translucent setting powder which works really great with my foundation bc It's colourless so I'm not worried about it giving me even more colour lol


When it comes to lipsticks I've been trying to find a perfect everyday tone and I think I found them! These four lipsticks are all I wear!

· Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink: These liquid lipsticks are EVERYTHING! I need the full collection, honestly. They are TRULY super stay, they stay on all day without even worrying about having to put it on again every hour. If you eat chances are the inner side it's going to come off but nothing serious, tbh, I even fell asleep with it and woke up with it perfectly on and my bed sheet clean lol. Now I only have the Ruler (80) and the Voyager (50) ones but I'm planning on getting at least a couple more. 

·Nyx Lingerie Liquid Lipstick: So, the famous NYX liquid lipsticks. I love the range of colour they have, I actually have 3 different ones. I love how they feel on the lips and how the colours look but what I don't like is the fact that they don't stay that long and the way the "brush" is. Still in love with this one! It's the Exotic one and it's a cute shade of reddish pink that looks perfect for an everyday kind of look on the sun. 

· Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick: I actually bought this lipstick on the shade number 02 expecting the worst and to use it at work just bc it's actually pretty similar to my natural lip colour and I was very, very surprised. It comfortable and cute and quite easy to apply, also don't forget about the amazing price! This low-cost brand has surprisingly good products, right now I'm using their eyeliner and it's awesome! Would you like a full post about this brand?


The last thing I'm gonna talk about are these fragrances which I use on a daily basis and think they smell quite good, also LOOK HOW CUTE THEY LOOK. 

· Women's Secret's Eau My Secret: This fragrance it's actually my favourite one of their range of three and also the fresher one. It is soft, delicate and fresh. It's been my everyday smell since my uncle bought it for me as a Christmas present and I love it! 

· Bershka's Candy Touch: Ok, so I wasn't going to buy this but a friend of mine actually told me it smelt very nice and it would be good for work. Again, I ended up buying it and using it on an everyday basis and not just for work lol. I don't usually buy fragrances on clothing shops but it looked and smelled very good so for the price I decided to give it a go.


So here we go! Here are some of the things I use every day and I've been loving for the past few months! 

I can't wait to try new products and also finish Uni so I have more time to write some bits and boops here!


Africa x

2018: Changes, Changes...

January 11, 2018



It feels like years since I wrote but the last time I posted, was about how fast the year ends and here we are HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Some things changed since my last post folks, I said I wanted to move to London but I'm still in Barcelona because my summer job called me and honestly that saved me and my economy lol. So right now I'm still studying and working, there's no plan in London but I have some plans to travel as much as I can so at least there's that! There's always time for everything, right?

As I said in my last post, I'm one of those people who love a good old list (i even write them on paper lol). This year I'm gonna try to do a lot of new stuff, and change some of the things I always did, so here's another post about my purposes:

1. Healthy LIFESTYLE. I always said I wanted to get healthy because I wanted to lose weight, now what I want is to change my lifestyle. It's not about going on a diet, it's about being always healthy. Obviously, once you're in a good place with yourself, you can eat some junk food, but only from time to time. For me to be there, first I have to be healthy. I already joined a GYM and been eating healthy since the end of the celebrations (Monday). 

2. Re-decorate my bedroom. This year (hopefully) it's when my sister finally moves out, it's not that I don't love her (ofc) but the time has come. We've always shared a bedroom, so for me to have a room for myself it's gonna feel kind of weird. Having a room for myself only means one thing: DECORATION, oh boy I love a good home decor. I already planned some things, saw some inspiration on Pinterest (again) and made myself a couple of list of things I have to do and buy. 

3. Take care of myself. By taking care I don't only mean of my skin and, as I said before, my body, but I also mean going more to the doctors and dentists. I've always been scared of going to the dentist and that's paying off now. So this year (as weird as this may sound) I HAVE TO go. 

4. Travel, A LOT. Ok, maybe a lot will not be possible but hey, anything will do, to be honest. One of the visits I'm already planning in Amsterdam with some friends (hopefully some post will be done about it) but I'm thinking about some other visit, even if it's in my country. 

5. Get my car license & a car. I've been in my driving school for two years now, but I made a mistake, I joined the worst one in my town. This year I'm changing to another driving school and this time it's for good. I'm gonna get my car license, promise (to myself) and with that, I have to think about a car I want to buy 

6.. Save Money. Even though all of the things I said before costs some money, I also wanna start saving money. First, i'm gonna start saving money for the things in this lists with some DIY jars and saving pots and then, gonna just try to spend less and less by each month that passes.


I'm gonna end the list here, even though I know that if I keep thinking I'm gonna end with a lot more, but these are the important ones, for sure. 

Honestly, this year feels weird. It doesn't feel like purposes I make myself to make me feel better but like things, I'm actually willing to do. I'm excited to do everything and get to the path I want. 


Babes, take care and do more of what makes you happy.


Africa xx

Lifestyle

The year is ending: My lists.

October 20, 2017


I can't believe the year is almost ending. Even though this is my favourite time of the year I can't help but feel that time is flying by and I still haven't made half of the things I wanted to do this year.

This year has been the year of realizing a lot of stuff like who my friends actually are, what Io i want to do for the rest of my life (still not sure yet on that one), where I want to be... but still I have so many things to do and think about yet like how do I make my dreams possible. 

I am one of those girls that are obsessed with making lists about anything, so to make sure I have clear what do I want to accomplish by the end of this year (so little time) here's my little list for you to see:

1. Eat healthy/take care of myself. So this one is one I always have on my list and even though I have times where I'm doing it I never see to get it stay on me. I always end up messing it up. So by the end of the year, I want to be healthy (lose some weight) and take care of my skin and body. Pinterest is helping me with that because I have pinned a lot of different nice recipes and smoothies that I gonna 100% make soon. You can follow me and/or my little folders here.

2. Move to London. Ok, this one is difficult to make true, I know. I've been trying really hard to find a host family and move as an Aupair first with a friend (she's already there now...) but I don't have any luck with that and even though I'm going to keep trying and wish for the best (wish me luck babes). Anyway, even if I don't find a host family, at least I would like to find a job here and start saving money to then next summer move for sure.

3. Write more + Study more. You may not know this but I'm studying in an online University at the moment (it's my second year) but recently I have been feeling down and with no will to do ANYTHING, I was feeling really good and with a big amount of energy to do everything I want and have to do but they fade away and I don't know why. So writing this (I actually should be studying...) I'm trying to get my energy up again and write more and study more.


4. Read more. This may sound weird but I always loved a good book. Now, I feel like I've been leaving them because of my phone and laptop and I want to get back to them and the cosiness they give me. I will always love a good book with some music and a candle plus I have so many books to read! I recently bought the Richard Castle ones and I only read one of 4, I still have one or two John Green books to read as well and I also have a list of books I want to buy/read. So by the end of this year, I want to read the ones I already have so next year I will be able to buy new ones and read even more. 



So this has been some of the "serious things" but I also have some things I want to do this time of the year so I thought "why not share them as well?"


  • Learn some pumpkin related recipes.
  • Learn some festive recipes.
  • Write on my recipes notebook.
  • Go to Barcelona and take some nice autumnal pictures.
  • Learn some festive make-up (mostly eyeshadow) tutorials.
  • Save money but also start to buy Christmas gifts.
  • Watch more of my "movies to see" list.
  • DIY more.
  • Hang out with friends more.
  • Make/buy my "secret Santa" gift early.



Here are some of my lists, as you have seen I have so many lists is starting to get scary haha. What're some of the things you like to do this autumn/end of the year?

Travel

My Trip to Paris

October 03, 2017

Oh, Paris... such a lovely city with a lot of things to do, places to visit and streets to embrace.


Last August I went to Paris (and I never got to make a post out of it sos) with a friend. We went for three days and I came back home with mixed feelings. 

I was so excited to be in Paris that we rushed everything so we could see everything in only 2/3 days. It was almost possible. Yes we enjoyed our stay and yes we visited a lot of places ( WALKING- YES IT'S POSSIBLE) but we didn't see everything and I feel like we needed a couple of days more to see everything (like the things that are far from the centre) and enjoy the view more but don't worry I know for a fact that we'll be back. 

In this post, I'll show you some pics that I could save ( with the weather a lot of them look bad or my face...) And explain where did I take them and how did I visit Paris in 3 days in a VERY low-cost way. This is more of a photography post so I don't talk much, I hope you don't mind.

DAY 1:


We arrived in Paris at  11am (more or less) and we walked from the bus station (Porte Maillot) to the Airbnb we arranged (lucky enough, we were REALLY close to the Eiffel Tower). Once we arrived at the apartment, we went to a coffee shop right outside. First error of the trip. We just wanted a nice cup of coffee because we were tired and cold, and damn it was expensive (compared to other ones we had, and how much they cost in Barcelona). 

Once we started our walking adventure, we first went to see the Eiffel Tower from close (of course)

This is the bridge that separated our Airbnb to the tower

My friend from a very nice point of view

As you can see in the last pic, it started raining, like the three days that we were there...

That same day we made a route of everything that was kinda close and saw a lot of different things. AND EVERYTHING WALKING. Amazing. 

Musée de l'armée

Musée du Louvre

Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf

Notre Dame
To see all of this, we basically followed the river and kept walking. Thanks to Google Maps we were able to see everything before it was too dark (remember the bad weather). Such a lifesaver.  We also visited/saw The Tuileries and Carrousel Gardens (Very beautiful as well), L'arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, The Fontaine Saint Michel, Le Grand Palais and The Victor Hugo font (quite disappointing tbh). 

After all that walking we decided it was time to start walking home (the longest walk!) we stopped at some supermarkets and souvenir shops to buy things to eat and for our families. Once we arrived at our apartment we were so tired we just talked and had dinner.

DAY 2:
The Cimetiere

The second day we went to Montmartre and everything that was in that zone of the city. First, though, we went to Champs-Élysées and saw the pretty AF Arc Du Triomphe. We took longer to see everything because it was raining a lot and we had to stop but at the end of the day we actually saw everything we wanted: Le Moulin Rouge, Le mur des je t'aime, The Cimetiere of Montmartre and The Sacre Coeur (and a very cute garden featuring a stray cat) with some shops and caffés on our way back to the apartment. After we had dinner and chilled a bit, we decided to go to the Eiffel Tower at night, to see it's beautifulness with lights and everything and we fell in love with it. SO BEAUTIFUL. 


Arc Du Triomphe

Le Moulin Rouge

Le Mur Des Je T'aime

Le Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur Garden

Eiffel Tower at night

PD: excuse my awful hair :(

DAY 3:


Our third and last day were pretty chilled but stressful at the same time. When we woke up we decided to go to the Trocadero and then for a cup of coffee before we had to leave to the bus station. But once again, obviously, it started pouring! We were in the middle of the Trocadero when the rain started so we had to stay ina little crepe shop with a lot of people until it stopped a little bit that we went to a crepe shop and eat there and stay for a little bit. We then decided to go home, get changed and chill until it was time to leave. We stayed all afternoon in the airport. 

Trocadéro

Toque&Tablier

Views for the Trocadéro


And this is the end of my trip to Paris with my best friend, Carlota. Sorry for the small amount of text and my bad explaining. We went in the start of August so... It's been quite a while but I couldn't not post about my Paris trip! Hope you enjoyed the pics. 


Africa xx

Beauty

New Beauty Obsessions

June 16, 2017



Someone get my credit card because every time I try to save money I end up buying something! It can be online or in a shop, anytime and anywhere... ugh!

Even though I always complain about spending money I should be saving... I love buying new things and I thought "Why not talking about it on my blog?"

So here's a quick post where I talk about some things I bought recently and I liked.


1. Garnier's Micellar Water All-In-One: I bought this product two weeks ago with a friend because we started talking about how much we needed to take care of our faces and I realised I ran out of products to remove my makeup and I personally read a lot of good things about this micellar water so I decided to give it a go. To know more about what it does and how to use it read this.
 It removes all the makeup very nicely and it leaves my face soft so I'm gonna keep using it and probably keep buying it.

2. Garnier's Fruit Energy Gel Scrub: Ok, so I also bought this one the same day that I bought the Micellar Water and I thought it wouldn't work if I'm being honest. It smells really good (I think that's why I gave it a go) and It really helped my skin! I usually get a lot of acne and spots but recently my face has been looking fresher and softer so I'll call it a win! If you want to know more about this product read this



3.Kiko's Extra Sculpt Volume Mascara: I bought this mascara because it was really cheap (Kiko is currently doing a super sale on mascaras - at least in Spain-) and I was running out of mascara so when  a blogger I read a lot talked about it in a post, decided to give it a go. Even though I haven't used it much I like the formula but I still don't know If I like t the brush, I'm not used to it but we'll see. If you want to know more or buy it go here.

4. NYX Lip Lingerie in colour Embellishment: I actually bought this in Poland but daaamn I love it! It looks good with any makeup look, it doesn't matter if it's daytime or nighttime, I'm soo obsessed with I just had to show you! I love NYX makeup and mostly, I LOVE the Lip Lingerie range, all the colours are nice, they feel nice on the lips and it's kind of long wear (it fades depending on what you eat but still- very nice!-) so if you want to give it a go, or to any other shade here you have them 'cause I'm for sure going to buy more of them soon.

If you've tried any of these products don't doubt to talk to me about them! Tell me what you think!


Lifestyle

What I wore in Poland

May 23, 2017

As you may or may not know (I talked about it in my last post) at the start of the month I went to Poland. (I may write another post about it - this time about Poznan- not sure yet.). So I feel like talking about the outfits I wore.

 Poland is colder than Barcelona so even tho I went kind of prepared, my friend had to let me her jacket(which I feel in love with) and I really liked my outfits, even tho I spent 4-5 days there, I only have pictures of 2 because we kind of chilled out as well haha.

FIRST OUTFIT

This first outfit was the one I went in and the pictures were Taken in Warsaw. To be honest with you, my clothes are from local shops from Barcelona or old so I'll try to find similar ones in case you like something.

        


          
Jacket: This jacket it's oooooh so comfy and soft! It's actually from a Supermarket (that also sells clothes) IT's called Carrefour, I don't know if you know it, but it's actually really well made and It's perfect for this kind of weather (not too cold for a huge jacket, but not hot enough for a cardigan). I found similar ones HERE and HERE

Jumper: This black jumper/sweater (however you call it), it's actually my favourite. I wear it all the time because it's comfy, it looks good with EVERYTHING (I mean obviously, it's plain black) and I love dark clothes so.... it's a win-win situation tbh.I love it's neck too btw, it's not a long neck but it's not a regular one either. It's from H&M, and here's a similar one, even I'm gonna admit and say that this one is actually prettier than mine's lol. 

Jeans: My mum jeans are from Bershka but you can find them anywhere.  I have a problem with these jeans. I lovee them but I got a way too big size and now they look huge on me... So I might go and buy me another pair (in my size this time) but I still love how they look on people and how they can go with a looot of stuff. 

Shoes: Ok, so my shoes are actually from a local shop, but as you can see they look like Adidas's Stan Smith ones or you can find similar ones everywhere now like here or here. 


SECOND OUTFIT

For my second outfit, you can see my friend's jacket and boots and the pictures were taken in Poznan.

 

Jacket: This is my friend's bomber jacket, I think it's from Stradivarius but (as everything so far) you can find it in any shop at the moment 'cause it's so in! Here and Here are some examples of where to find them. It seems so light but It actually covers me more than mine and I looked pretty cool on it (if I do say so myself). 

Shirt: I'm so obsessed with this shirt! everything black, with laces and that look like band tees... GIMME! If a shirt has one (only one!) of these factors, it's like 90% possible that I'm gonna like it. And when I saw this shirt in Stradivarius.... I just fell in love. Here you have it!

                                                                   

Jeans: My all-time go-to clothing, black high waisted jeans. I buy them from Bershka because they're the ones that I find comfy and with accurate size. I'm willing to try new ones tho! 

Shoes: These boots are my friend's too because I thought the would look cooler with the outfit and I just took with me my white sneakers (BAG SPACE) so she let me borrow her boots (friendship goals - I know!). She told me they're fromStradivariuss too so I think they might be this ones, and if they're note, they're really similar haha!



Travel

I Went To Poland: Warsaw

May 17, 2017

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Poland. To me, that was always a place we never talked about enough. No one talks about how pretty the buildings are or how nice their local food is. At least I never saw it.

Anyway, I went to Poland because my friend's there (Erasmus) and I thought"Why not?" I've been to places I've never been before (If I'm being honest, I never thought about visiting them) and I've seen a friend that I haven't seen in ages and I missed her.

In this post, I'm going to show you some pretty cute pictures I took (and my friend took of me) in Poland, and I'll tell you reasons why you should go to Poland.

I've only seen Warsaw and Poznan and I feel in love with them.

WARSAW

I arrived in Warsaw on a Monday, so we explored the city before going to Poznan (where my friend is living at the moment). We saw the Chopin garden,

- I might do a different post talking about my outfits and another one about Poznan because I don't feel like doing a very long solo post tbh. - 

Once we arrived at the centre of the city, we didn't do much. We sat in front of the Palace of Culture and Science and ate our sandwiches while we caught up in our lives and enjoyed the nice weather (the only day in my trip with a sunny and clear sky tbh...) and the views. When we finished our food (and realised it was getting a bit late...) we started walking towards the Lazieski Park to check the Chopin statue but we ended up staying for hours! It's such a pretty place... We didn't want to leave! But we had to, and even though we spent hours in the park, there's still part of the park we haven't seen (guess I have to go back sometime haha!)  Oh... I almost forgot! We also saw the Warsaw Old Town which I found really pleasing and I just wanted to see every inch of it (there was a medieval fair too!) but we had to leave soon so we could get to the train to Poznan.

Excuse me for the amount of pictures.... 

Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science

Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science

Lazieski Park

Lazieski Park

Lazieski Park

Lazieski Park

Warsaw Old Town

Warsaw Old Town

Warsaw Old Town

PD: If you want to see more pictures you can follow my Instagram (self-promo - sorry not sorry - ): africaouass

Lifestyle

The Girl On The Train (Movie VS Book) [Spoiler free]

November 04, 2016

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So the other day it was the cinema party(where I live) which means the cinema was really cheap. Because of that, I went twice in two days(which it's incredible) and today I wanna write about "The Girl On The Train" film.

I read the book a while ago and I really liked it, I still do. So I went to the cinema and I saw the movie, I have to say, I was really disappointed. Even though the movie was really well made and the actors were amazing, It just wasn't what I the expected.

Starting with the actors, even though they are really good actors and they did It really good, they just weren't like the characters. Emily Blunt as Rachel? The character is described as "a drunk, fat and quite ugly" girl and Emily isn't fat and ugly and they could have used another actress and the film would still be fire! I hate the fact that even though the character is supposed to be fat and ugly, Hollywood can't stand having an actress that looked like that, It's so frustrating!... And what about Edgar Ramírez as Dr Kamal Abdic? Edgar is a really handsome Latin actor (don't get me wrong) and the Dr Kamal Abdic (even for the name you can suppose it) it's supposed to be Asiatic and even in the movie, they say it's North American which is crazy and that leads me to the next thing...

The location. Why did they change the city of London for New York? I get that it hasn't to be exactly like the book but still! why change the city when the actress is British? The name of the town is quite similar but when I heard "Manhattan" I just couldn't believe it. It doesn't make sense to me why would they do that? Maybe I should be more informed, but I still think it was wrong


They did a good job explaining the story  (they are some essential scenes missing, in my opinion) and showing how the book is made but I think that anyone that has seen the movie and hasn't read the book, do it. Read the book and enjoy it. I know it's going to be hard not to picture Emily as Rachel but try and you'll love it.

My favourite scene is the end tho, I loved it in the book and I loved it in the movie also, it's shocking and on point.

IF you haven't seen/read it. Do it, and tell me what you think!



have a nice day!


Africa.



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