World Challenge trip to INDIA!

Hey guys!

My exams are coming to an end (woohoo!) and it's getting closer for me to leave to India on the World Challenge trip. It's basically an organization that allows students all over the world to go to India and treck and explore the country and also learn some skills and work as a team and we also get to do some fund raising prior going on the trip to help fund a project we would like to start in India. Over the past years my school has been taking lots of trips to India and  they've been busy re-vamping a school. And now since it's our time to shine we will be re visiting the school and finishing off anything else that needs to be done at the school. But before we start re-vamping the school we do have to trek for 3-4 days. We will be camping and also will have to try and communicate with the locals and budget our day to day expenditure. It's an amazing opportunity and I can't wait for this adventure to start! Since this is such an amazing adventure I don't want to go on it alone so I have come up with a plan! I'm going to VLOG everyday in India and keep a video diary and once I'm back at my humble abode I shall post these daily VLOGS on here for you to see! I hope you guys are now as excited as I am and I sincerely hope this works! ;) My adventure to India starts on the 2nd of July and ends on the 17th! I promise I shall try and capture as much of the fun as I possibly can!


 Until next time Amigos,

From the other side of the rainbow, 

xxx

Summer Essentials.

Hello again,

I hope everyone is having a good time in the summer sun! I'm doing something a little different today and  hope you don't mind. This might not be everyone's cup of tea but I thought it would be fun to do anyway! Since the sun is blazing down on us currently, I thought this would be an appropriate time to mention some products that have already become my summer must haves. Living in the middle east for the majority of my life has unfortunately not helped my skin adapt to the harsh sun so, I've been using a couple of products for more than a couple of years and some are a few new ones that I've found. I will show you each product and give a mini review. I hope this helps anyone else out there who has difficulties coping with summer weather and trends. :) I have separated the products by type so  you can skip to the sections you would prefer to read about. Enjoy...

So I'm first going to start with cleansers:

1. One cleansing product that I've been using for quite a while now is something that I was introduced to by cousins. And this mysterious magical product is 'Rose Water'. It's basically rose extract and purified water. The one I use is by 'Flavor Mate' and is Natural so it doesn't contain any alcohol or chemicals and such. I just soak a cotton ball with it and rub it all over my face. It does tend to dry out my skin a little and would probably be too harsh for me to use it everyday so I use it once a week. It smells like roses (obviously) and is not too strong or sickly sweet.
2. The next cleansing product I use is one by MAC. It's an 'Active softening lotion' or in layman terms a toner. This is fragrance free and very light and watery so it's very refreshing. I try to use this everyday before I put on anything else but I tend to get lazy and just skip it sometimes so I probably end up using it 3 times a week. It works really well and soaks into your skin very fast, so it's super easy to clean your face with. It's probably one of the priciest cleansing products I own, but because it works really well and leaves my skin feeling really refreshed and clean, I will probably end up repurchasing it.  
3. Next on the list is the 'Neutrogena - deep clean makeup removing wet wipes'. It's oil free and has a non-greasy formula so it doesn't clog up your pores and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean and makeup free. It also does a really good job of removing waterproof makeup. One packet contains 25 wipes which I feel is is a bit of a shame, but I do keep repurchasing this product so it must be good. 
4. Next up is a face wash. I never tend to stick with one face wash for long because I like to try new ones and because if I use one face wash for long I tend to find I stop seeing results so I like to switch 'em up often. The one I've been using recently is from Boots and it's one of Boots' products. It's their 'Tea tree + Witch Hazel???? exfoliating face scrub'. I use this one every morning because it's really refreshing and immediately wakes you up. It also leaves my skin looking a lot brighter so that's also a plus point. I have really dry skin so this is a good product for me because even though it cleanses really well it doesn't leave my skin feeling raw and extremely dry. 

Now onto creams and lotions:

1. First up is my daily facial sunscreen. The one I use is by MAC and it's a 'Hydro-charged moisturizer hydratant with spf 30 /PA++' (Whatever that means...) I use this everyday on my face and on my neck, even if I'm staying at home all day and have no intention to put anything else on. It's really hydrating and tends to dissolve into your skin very very fast. The bottle I have is quite small and contains 50ML and it has lasted me probably 2-3 years now because just a pea sized amount goes a long way. I'm not sure if they sell it in a larger size and I'm not sure about the price (though I'm sure it's a bit pricey) but it's definitely worth it!  Unfortunately, I've just found out that they don't sell this MAC product worldwide so I won't be able to make a repurchase, however I have found an alternative and this alternative is just as good. It's the 'Neutrogena - oil free moisture with SPF15'. It's extremely light weight and doesn't clog my pores which is good and bonus point ... IT'S HYPOALLERGENIC!One bottle contains 118ml and this product is a hell of a lot cheaper than the MAC one so I suppose it's for the better. 
2. Next is my body moisturizer. I use the 'Vaseline - healthy white SPF24 triple lightening'. It comes in a bottle with a pumping mechanism at the top and contains 350ml. I try to use it everyday and apply all over my body but most days I get lazy and just tend to apply it only on my arms and feet. :S It's moisturizing and isn't thick so it doesn't have that gross sunscreen texture that's sticky and makes you feel gross. (I just read the back of the bottle and it says it has UVB protection:SPF24, UVA protection:PA++ and Vitamin B3). * did you know that Vitamin B3 deficiency can cause Pellagra (at least something good came out of all that Biology revision (; ) And trust me you don't want pellagra! Go type it into google images - it's gross! :S 
3. Next is a tinted moisturizer which was introduced to me by one of my friends. The one I have is by 'Avene'. Where I live they don't have the different shades so I was stuck buying the only shade they had, which unfortunately is way way way too dark for me. So in order to use it I mix it with my daily facial sunscreen (look above: #1) and then apply it all over my face. This gives me minimal coverage but it's super lightweight and makes my face feel really breathable so it's great for summer time. 

Lip products:

1. My lips are dry and peel all year round (but tends to get really bad during summer) so I'm constantly using lip balms. The first one which is my absolute favorite is by a UK brand called 'Molton Brown' and it's their 'Vitamin lipsaver'. It's typically for men but I use it anyway (who can tell?). I found this in one of my dad's drawers along with other samples my parents had collected. I found two and stole them and have been using them ever since! Since I'm using the samples they're small and only contain 7ml but as soon as I've used up every last drop in the samples you can bet I'll be ordering the full sized ones (even though they're quite pricey at £12 for 15ml). I highly recommend this product! On the back of the tube it says 'intense protection for the vulnerable lip area with honey, beeswax and vitamin E to soothe sensitivity and smooth away fine lines.' And I can assure you it does exactly that! 
2. Next lip balm I use is by 'Labello'. It's the fruity shine, pomegranate flavor. It tastes and smells amazing and has the prettiest packaging! It's super moisturizing and has a reddish tint to it so it's good if you're looking for some colour. It's easy to build up the colour to an intense red and, since it's a lip balm it's so much easier than a lipstick because you can just reapply throughout the day without worrying about your lips drying out or the colour fading. Labello  has a good range of lip balms and I've tried a lot of them. They do have a lip balm that comes in a tube and is a lipgloss which is really clever and is great to use over lipsticks when you're having a bad lip day ;). I've also tried their sun protecting one but unfortunately didn't like that one because it made my lips look white and made the cracks in my lips evident. 
3. The most recent addition to my lip balm collection is the 'Neutrogena - 6 hour protection lip balm.' It says 6 hour but I find I have to reapply a lot sooner than 6 hours :S But it's a really good lip balm. I don't however like the taste so I don't think this lip balm is one of my favorites. 
4. Last but not least is a Lip stick! This is my favorite lipstick to use during spring and summer because it's lively and bold and brightens up my look. :) It a MAC lipstick in the colour 'Vegas Volt' and it has an amplified finish, which means it's super super super pigmented and the colour you see on the stick is what you get. I like this lipstick a lot because unlike some other lipsticks this doesn't dry out my lips and I just love the colour! It's a beautiful coral pink. 

Nails:

I instagram-ed a picture with the yellow one on, if you'd like to
see how it looks on the nail. (I used two coats).

1. I love painting my nails and so I change my nail colour very often! I love changing the colours I use according to the season and the two nail polishes that I'm loving for the summer are both by 'The face shop'. The first one is PK108 and it is a browney pink? 
2. And the second one is colour YL702 and it's a bright sunshine-y yellow.

Perfume:

1. I have a collection of perfumes that I like to choose from, depending on my mood and the weather. The one perfume that I've been loving for the summer weather is 'Someday-Justin Bieber'. It's has a really floral scent and it's not heavy. It's light and refreshing and is great! And the packaging rocks too! :) 

That's it for my Summer essentials! I hope you enjoyed this post. I know it's quite long but I hope it didn't bore you. Don't forget to look for me on Instagram and Twitter.  Enjoy the sun! Until next time Amigos, 

From the other side of the rainbow 

xxx