Candy Blossom

In 2016, Barbados

Travel Diaries | Barbados #2

30/11/16

Today was a whole day spent with the family <3 we had a day out and went to quite a few places, including a big family picnic with lots of yummy delicious food. They literally make all their own food because they don't really have any halal take away shops but all my aunties cooking was top notch! (and other relatives who made food/desserts for the picnic)

My cousin also took me and my sister for a drive around the island. We drove to the top of the island called St.Lucy. This is also where the Flower Cave is. It is a very popular tourist attraction which was very interesting. There was this flower that opens when touched and I found that super cool. Don't have a picture of it though.
Had to take my shoes off whilst going through the cave because it is very hard to walk in shoes with lots of rocks. All that walking in the cave made my feet hurt! Walking on rough rocks with some slightly sharp edges isn’t exactly fun but the views from the cave were stunning so it was worth it! <3

The views from the top of the island are just everything! Just look for yourself.
Isn't it just phenomenal!

We then headed back to the park with the rest of the family for the picnic at Farley Hill. Later on that day we went to another scenery tourist place called Cherry Tree Hill which by the way was stunning too! After that we headed back to the park and had some snacks and desserts with the fam, chilled out with my cousins and explored around - as tourists do!

01/12/16
Harrison Cave is one of the most famous and popular tourist attractions. My relatives took us there. It was a little drive there but not super far. I just love sitting in the car with the windows rolled down and having that cool breeze blow on you! 'Ahhh so perfect <3

Harrison Cave had some history to the place and I learnt a few things.

To get to the cave you have to sit on a tram which takes you there.

At first seeing the cave underneath is WOW- but then as you carry on going you see pretty much the same stuff. They take you around in a tram under the cave and at certain places it stops so you can go out and see things up close and take pictures too! It is an amazing gallery full of stalactites hanging from the caves and stalagmites which emerge from the ground. They are all so unique and come in many different shapes and sizes. If you love science and history this is definitely an interesting place to visit!

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, by Fatima

In 2016, Barbados

Travel Diaries | Barbados #1

Hey, What's up guys. As you may or may not know, I recently went on holiday to Barbados. I decided to make a mini travel diary of my time there as I recorded a couple of the days of what I did during my stay. Below I highlight some of the things I did there so I have something to look back at and for those interested in what I got up too - this one's for you!

This will probably be split in two or three parts because it will be too long if I was to do it as one.

27/11/16

Off to the beautiful island of Barbados today <3 Super excited!!!
I am currently on a 9 hour flight over the Atlantic Ocean and sipping away on some hot chocolate that I picked up from the airport. (Kind of gone a bit cold now though)

There’s one stop and then another 45 min-1 hour, so a 10 hour flight all together! So far it’s not going too bad, there’s some empty seats near me and my sister which means we get extra space to stretch or lie down which is a bonus right?!

If you don’t know where or what Barbados is, it is basically a small island which is located in the Caribbean.

(Hours Later)
Landing Soon....!

Arriving in Barbados was amazing - it's unbelievably crazy how friendly and kind everyone is over here and as a tourist that's always nice to see. Oh and care to mention the weather... So much better than the UK.

28/11/16

Went down to the beach this morning. It was so much fun! Haven't been to the beach for a dip in the water for years so thoroughly enjoyed myself. Just look at how clear and blue the water is. The views on this island are absolutely stunning <3

Once we got back home, went for a shower to got nice & fresh again! Getting ready soon to go over to eat at my aunties and then heading for dessert in the evening.

After dessert we went board walking (which is like taking a walk by the beach in the night)
It was so calm and relaxing <3

I've already started getting mosquito bites and they are ridiculously red and are itching me like crazy! Totally forgot to buy insect repellent before coming here! :'(

29/11/16

It's pouring it down here with rain! Kinda' reminds me of the UK but just not as cold. Was indoors almost the whole day. Was so much rain that there was some areas which were actually flooded! Crazy to think that much rain could fall somewhere where it’s always so hot right?! Glad it rained though because it’s slightly cooler now but hoping the sun comes back tomorrow or looks like it's going to be another day in doors.

Also, the 50th independence day anniversary of Barbados may be delayed because of the heavy rain. Rihanna and Prince Harry will be visiting too- imagine seeing them!! :O

Didn't get a chance to go out to get some insect repellent either so just been another day of me itching. Put some powder on but don't think it helped much. Honestly I hate my feet being on display and open right now because they look so bad with all those bites but don’t really fancy wearing socks in this heat!

Fatima
xox

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, by Fatima

In Hot Drinks, Leicester

Review | Saints Of Mokha

So my bestie and I popped in to Saints of Mokha over a week ago now as I really wanted to try it out. I've seen so many people post pictures on insta especially of their coloured coffee so finally stopped by at this place! (I can now join the bandwagon and upload some insta worthy pictures haha)

The place itself is a quite small but I like it that way. It has a wooden rustic vibe to it with the colours and decor. I love how they have frames and cool quotes up around the shop as well. For me personally I love seeing quotes and stuff around - it just adds a little something to the shop.

I was sort of hungry so I decided to go all out and brought a chicken tikka panini with salad on the side. Alongside it I got a hot chocolate and a Terry's chocolate orange cheesecake. My friend brought a flat white with a slice of oreo cake.

When everything had arrived, I probably spent a good couple of minutes changing the setup of it and taking pictures. My bestie literally sat there waiting for me to take piks - I mean I wanted to take the best shots possible but had to be quick because I didn't want the drinks to get cold & on top of that she let me use her camera because her phone camera is way better than mines.
She always makes sure there's some battery left for me to take pictures because I love photography and of course who doesn't want a nice picture of hot drinks and desserts! (Shout out to yah Zainab ‘kuz I know you be reading this!)

Speaking of battery life, they also have sockets there so you can charge your phone. I love it when I see plug sockets in a shop because if you're like me and end up rinsing your battery life then any shop with plug sockets are a life saver! Also if you're there doing some work on your laptop then sockets will come in handy when it comes to charging your laptop.

Back to the food and hot drinks..

Starting off with the mains, The chicken tikka panini was yummy and with the salad on the side it tasted even better <3

The hot chocolate was deee-licious as was the cakes. I definitely had an overdose of chocolate but hey sometimes it’s okay and after all chocolate does help to boost your serotonin levels which means you will be happier :D so all in all there's some good that came out of it :P The hot chcolate was decorated with marshmallows and cream on top. Love a good cuppa' hot chocolate!

When it came to the cakes, we both shared them and had some of each others. (I say we had some of each others but my bestie isn’t a big fan of so much chocolate so she didn’t taste mine!)

I LOVED the Oreo cake <3 The cake was so soft and fluffy! It was actually pretty light as well and not so heavy which I liked. It tasted absolutely amazing <3 It was covered in a layer of Oreo icing with an Oreo at the end. I'm not good when it comes to describing so you can see how it looks in the pictures. if any of you go in to this place next time defo try out there Oreo cake if it is available - you will love it!

The Terry's chocolate orange cheesecake is obviously much heavier. I like the actual chocolate bar but haven't had it in ages! This tasted so damn good too and I could definitely taste that Terry’s chocolate orange- Yumm!

My friend didn't even eat any of this so basically I munched away on half of it and ended up taking the rest home - I wasn't going to leave something that tasted so good behind! :P

Overall, I would say this place is definitely worth the hype! I thoroughly enjoyed everything that I had and will be popping in to there sometime soon hopefully when I get the chance. The service was great and everything arrived very quickly. The owners there were also very friendly.

If you haven't already tried this place and you're around the area then pop in and go try something.. Maybe a hot drink or a coffee? Afterall, that’s what they are known for best!

Go follow and check out there Insta page whilst you're at it @saintsofmokha

All reviews are my own honest thoughts and opinions on this place.

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, by Fatima

In Gerard Cosmetics, Hydra Matte Lipstick

Gerard Cosmetics - Hydra Matte Liquid Lipsticks | Review

I ordered a bunch of Gerard Cosmetics lipsticks a while back as they were being raved about all over social media and I can certainly give you feedback and say I think that this product was worth the hype! Recently I purchased a few more of their matte lipsticks as they had dropped a few more new colours to the collection. (If you follow me on instagram I uplaoded a picture of the ones I got) Today I will be swatching and giving you a honest review of my personal thoughts on the hydra matte lipsticks.

Packaging

So from the start.. The boxing and design of the outer packaging is minimal and very simple with a basic black box, their gold GC logo and all the other important information in white.

The actual product itself is designed in a sleek transparent frosted tube with a gold top which has their brand printed on there.

Personally, I love the actual product packaging. There is just something about that frosted finish which I love <3 I feel as though the packaging of these are so appealing and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. So if you're one who likes to keep some of your makeup on display, I think these would really make a great addition on your vanity!

The wand of this product is like any other regular lipstick with a doe-foot applicator which makes it easy to apply on the lips.

Each lipstick has a sticker at the bottom which indicates the shade of the lipstick.

The 3 colours that I picked up were

- 1995

- Cher &

- Everything Nice

Below are the swatches of each shade so you can see the colours against my skin.

Review

Overall, I love the selection and range of colours Gerard Cosmetics provides as they have some really unique and gorgeous shades in their collection.

I think the formula of these are great and super pigmented. They do dry rather quickly on the lips and after a minute or two it should dry in to a complete matte finish. For me I find that these can dry out my lips but I mean it is a matte finish after all so before applying any matte liquid lipstick be sure you exfoliate and moisturise your lips very well so that when you do actually apply the liquid lipstick it will prevent your lips from drying or getting any cracks.

The lipstick lasts on the lips for quite a long time. I never actually checked how many hours it’s lasted on me but it’s pretty amazing - even after eating food (including Indian foods which tends to be oily) most of the product is still on my lips. There's only a tiny bit that probably comes off which can easily be reapplied. Usually when I eat, most of the lipstick I'm wearing has pretty much rubbed off by the end so for this one to stay on speaks for itself.

I’m in love with all the shades I picked up. The one that become my fave very quickly was the shade 1995. I’m so glad they made this in to a liquid lipstick. 1995 was originally in a lipstick format and was a very popular lipstick which was inspired from the 90’s. It also became very popular through Kylie Jenner. 1995 is this really gorgeous mauvy-brown colour and I think this one is going to become one I pick up regularly!

The second shade I have is Cher which I actually already had but my sister loves it so I ordered another one to stock up and with it I decided to get the Cher Lip liner too. Cher is a beautiful rosy dusty mauve with a berry undertone. I love this colour and it is definately a colour I recommend you guys to try out as it is one that can be worn daily and also one that would suit many skin tones.

The last and final colour is Everything Nice. (This one did't quite make it in the picture because the lip shape didn't come out right so it didn't look as nice as the other two!) I would say this colour is very similar to 1995. Gerrard Cosmetics describe this colour as pale cofee beige but I would say it is more of lighter cofee brown with a hint of rusty red/orange.

Price

These liquid lipsticks are retailed at a reasonable price, although they have recently increased the prices from £9.50 or £10.50 to £11.50 which is a bit disappointing. However, sometimes you will find that they have a sale or discount codes available so it’s great to order then! I mean who doesn't love a good discount?!

If you're deciding whether you should try this lipstick then I would definately say YES and tell you to take a shot and try it because I think you will be pretty impressed with it :D Gerard Cosmetics can be purchased directly from their website but if you live out of the US you may get custom charges which ends up working out very expensive so I purchased mines from Beauty Bay.

Have you tried any lipsticks from the Hydra Matte range or anything from this brand that you’ve thoroughly loved? If so, then do share them with me in the comments below.

Lots of Love

Fatima

Xox

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, by Fatima

In 2016, Autumn

Primark Haul | Autumn/Winter 2016

So recently I've been spending and splashing out so much cash on clothing items and before the month has even ended, my bank balance has literally dropped and now I'm officially broke again! I think it’s safe to say no more shopping for me. I've been abusing my card a bit (too much) lately - Sorry Santander!

Speaking of shopping, I've also done a lot of online shopping as well - it's so hard to resist the temptation of online shopping especially when you see the word SALE in bold capitals as soon as you go on any online store. If you do want to see another haul on some of the items I ordered from online then do let me know.

Anyhoo, I picked up loads of items from Primark but did end up returning quite a few things because they didn't really suit me. I hate it when you see something that looks so good in store but then when you try it on, it looks totally different and doesn't flatter your body in any way, shape or form :(

Primark have some great Autumn/Winter pieces in right now. I literally spent over an hour and a half in there! Walk in at your own risk - Once you’re in your most likely going to be walking out with at least one item!

Anyway let’s cue some of the lovely autumnal items...

Clothing

As you can tell both the jumpers I got are kind of similar shades.(Well actually not that similar!)
The first jumper I picked up was this chunky knitted one which I absolutely adore. It's in that burnt orangey-brown kind of colour is just so beautiful for this time of year. What’s great about it is that it has that layering effect and looks as though you've paired it with a shirt but really it’s just an all in one jumper! It's a life saver for them days where you're running late and don't have time to get ready in the morning. You can literally just chuck on and it will look like you made an effort putting the outfit together. Laaav’ing this and cannot wait to wear it.

The second brown jumper is one of my fave purchases. The material of this is super soft and once you wear it... It’s even better! I picked this up in quite a large size because all the other sizes were gone. It does look kind of big for me but not sooo bad. Although I may have to go back and see if they have restocked the sizes to see if I can go down a size or two and also maybe pick up another colour whilst I'm at it. These jumpers would look great worn alone or with something layered underneath it.

The next item that went in to the basket is this shirt in a lovely blue-ish colour. It has white lines sort of going across it. It's just a nice casual shirt for everyday wear. It's another great item for layering. I also got this in a bit of a big size because I like the general look of an over-sized shirt. This was only £8.

I also picked up this basic black ribbed top. I never used to be a big fan of the rib detailing but lately I've been loving it. This is one of them tops that are made extremely fitted so it really extenuates your body. I obviously didn’t want that so I opted for the largest size which was available (size 18 or 20). I like the overall fit of it as it isn't as figure hugging but the only things is the sleeves are a bit long but that’s not such a big problem. When I tried this on, it was actually pretty cosy. (more than I had expected it to be) This was only £6.

Now for basics tee's the men section does it for me. I don't know why but men's tops are so much cheaper than the ladies. So if you’re looking for a good buy head over to the men's section of Primark and you will find some pretty good picks of basics!

I picked up this dark grey tee in a large and I love it. It was a slim fit so I sized up and I'm all about the loose over-sized fit so I tend to go for bigger sizes anyway. It's just an essential basic wardrobe item and the price of this was only £2.50! I will definitely be going back to pick up some other colours too.

Footwear

Moving on to shoes, I must admit, Primark actually have some nice boots in for the autumn/winter season and the quality of them is pretty darn good. I liked a couple of boots but they weren't in my size. I came across these simple chelsea style boots which I really liked and had to pick up a pair in both black and tan brown!

Can you believe these were only £10?!

Pyjamas, Accessories/Other Bits

Primark always have cute P.J's and I couldn't resist a set of PJ's so I had to pick up this one for £8. They have a ton of pyjamas with some lovely prints and designs on. I had my eye on a couple but ended up going for this one in the end. I love the touch of green detailing <3

Whilst I was in Primark, I also got a pack of cotton shoe liner socks. I prefer these ankle kind of socks more because they go with anything especially ankle boots and trainers. These were only £1.70 for 7 so that was a pretty good buy!

Last but not least I picked up some gold rings as I actually don't own many rings! I didn't get a chance to look through the jewellery properly though because it was so busy in there!
(I sort of realised when uploading and editing the pictures that I hadn't taken a picture of the rings but if you scroll up you will see it made a sneaky appearance!)

And that concludes for this haul post - until I'm back shopping elsewhere! Hope you guys enjoyed hauling’ with me and seeing the items I picked up.

Have you guys been splurging out on any items lately? leave a comment below and tell me about some of the things you've purchased!

Lots of Love
Fatima
xox

3Comments

, by Fatima

In Essence, Lipliners

Essence Lip Liners | Review + Swatches

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, by Fatima

Pages

Travel Diaries | Barbados #2

Travel Diaries | Barbados #1

Review | Saints Of Mokha