Summer essentials

                                     

                             

                             

Usually i'm not much of a summer girl and prefer autumn and spring over summer any day. Actually scratch that I love summer and the feeling it brings with the sun kissing my skin, scattering a million freckles on my face. Warm summer nights sitting outside having a barbecue or going for a late night swim. However it's when the weather decides to be over 35 degrees that i start questioning my love of summer. When all you want is to sit inside with the air con on the coolest setting after having just come from outside drenched in sweat (Maybe a bit TMI).

Anyway lets move on from that. I thought today I would share with you in the above pictures my favourite trusty summer items. Now that it's hit the brim of summer and autumn is slowly approaching I thought it was the perfect time to share with you all what has got me through summer so far.

In my beloved summer hand bag(s) I will most likely be carrying invisible zinc. Now my skin is really fair and when the sun has been warming up the beautiful weather its also warming my skin into a wonderful shade of shrimp or even close towards the colour of a tomato. Yep, so to keep my skin protected I love to use the Invisible Zinc sun screen. There are no nasty chemicals that must sun screens have and it even helps your skin tan just that little bit. Now invisible zinc can be a little on the pricy side, but trust me your skin will thank you for it.

To keep fresh and smelling like a daisy, one of my all time favourite perfume brands is Marc Jacobs Daisy (See what I did there). At the moment I am completely in love of the Daisy Dream scent. It's has a clean fresh scent with some sweet undertones that can be perfect to wear all year around. People are constantly asking me what kind of perfume I use because they love the scent (bonus).

Staying on the smelling fresh side. The deodorant I love to use and works the best for me would have to be Dove Original or invisible. Either is fine, it keeps the nasty bio smell away especially while sweating a bucket full during summer and it gives you the confidence the rest of the day to know you are smelling fresh.

My trusty Ray Ban sunglasses might be one of my all-time favourite gift given to me. Unfortunately they were limited edition, but on the inside of the glasses they have little doodles of London. Yep who doesn't love London?

Last but least which isn't a hand bag essential, but have brought me a lot of joy through out summer so far are my Birkenstock Arizona sandals. A lot of people have been raving about them and I thought I would pop into a store to see what all the fuss was about for myself. When I walked into the store I saw these dark brown sandals with rose gold metal clips. Naturally that was the pair of shoes i wanted to try on. Never have my feet felt so comfortable before. the sole is so comfortable and supportive its like little cushions for your feet. Honestly, they are a little on the expensive side, but if you have a little money set aside for a good pair of shoes these are definitely the ones to buy, especially as they will last you a pretty good amount of time.

I hope you enjoyed reading my post, 

until next time!!

Nicole xoxo

Happy 2015!

Happy 2015 to all! At first I was a bit apprehensive about writing a 2015 post. Thinking it was a little cliche as every other blogger has most likely posted one of these. Nevertheless I am seated here in front of my laptop being sucked into writing one of these posts (Because you know, I secretly like writing these posts). 

Making new years goals and aims for the next coming 365 days is probably one of these most logical things to do. Now don't get me wrong I would probably be one of those people too. However somewhere i've read or seen something that someone said and it kind of got me thinking that, that isn't actually such a bad idea. So instead of making goals and aims for the year, make weekly goals. Make a goal each week and by lets say Sunday you aim to have achieved it by that day.

So today be it Sunday my aim for the week is to drink at least 2 litres of water.

Try and do some exercise every other day.

Enjoy the sunshine outside now that its summer.

Also to be a little more traditional I've set myself some goals i'd like to achieve within this year also.

1. Try not to over think things.

2. Try my hardest not to procrastinate. (Lets face it everyone does it from time to time.)

3. Don't feel to overwhelmed and remind myself to take it one step at a time.

4. Finish my first year of studies (and not to change my mind about the course again)

5. Just say yes, I often tend to miss opportunities because i'm to scared or I over think scenarios. Which probably leads to procrastinating, to begin with. Leaving a certain thing to the last minute because your to scared to face with disappointment, which isn't always the answer.

Just remember to make your goals for the year achievable. If you know that it's something that is to challenging or unreasonable don't set yourself up for disappointment. The more reasonable goals, the more goals you can achieve. Which in my mind usually makes me feel a lot more better in myself as well.

What are some of your goals for this coming year. I hope that everyone has a terrific, safe and happy 2015 with lots of adventurous and new experiences! :)

xx Nicole

Daniel Wellington

                                   

                           

                           

I have been eyeing this watch for a while now. Seeing them frequently appear on lots of fashion bloggers wrists and hyping about them. For a while I was perfectly content with my little ol' Urban  Outfitters watch. While I still really love my globe Urban Outfitters watch. I just wanted something a little more fancy. Something that can be worn more than just as an everyday type of watch. 

A couple of weeks ago I spotted the Daniel Wellington watch at a jewellery shop at the beach. Of course I had to try it on just to see what it was like and instantly fell in love. The beautiful rose gold finish and lovely thick bands is what got me. It's simplistic yet elegant. A watch I have been scouring the city for a while. 

I pretty much went home, browsed the web and looked at more reviews from different bloggers about the watch "it can't hurt to do a little research". I found nothing but lovely reviews on was instantly sold. It didn't take me much convincing from there, before I jumped on the Daniel Wellington website and ordered my watch. 

With it being so close to christmas I wasn't positive my watch would arrive on time. However I was stunned to get my watch within a week of ordering. Opening the package I was absolutely over the moon. It came in a beautiful black box. With a white leather detailed band down the middle with Daniel Wellington pressed into the fabric. A perfect storage box to keep it in safely while not wearing it. The Leather straps "or bands" are made of really nice sturdy leather, i'm sure it won't break anytime soon. My only mistake with having bought the watch online, was that I accidentally bought the watch mm size to big. However while some might not agree. I find it a little quirky and different. Appearing as a statement piece/ watch to add a little bit of quirk and elegance to my style. The watch I picked up from the range is the classic bristol (which now i realised I bought from the mens range which is why the clock itself is to big). So if you are after the slightly smaller more feminine size I'll put the link here for you to go on :)

So if you are browsing to add to your watch collection, and are looking for something thats simplistic yet elegant. I'd definitely take a peek at these beautiful range of watches Daniel Wellington has to offer. "If not for the watch then definitely for the box ;)"

So thank you Daniel Wellington for the beautiful watch and quick delivery!

What are some of your favourite watch brands??

xxx

Nicole

Festive make up

                                 

With Christmas and New Years approaching I thought it was the perfect time to treat myself to some new lipsticks to broaden my collection for when the next couple of weeks during the festive season. I couldn't help myself and had to pop into Mecca and Kit Cosmetic store.

To try something different and to be a little more daring I thought i'd pick up a deeper colour. This specific deep wine coloured lipstick from Kit ( called Go deeper) is just the colour that I was looking It didn't doesn't wash me out or is to bright for my fair skin colour. It's a deep rich sheer colour that is quite hydrating and it has a long lasting formula. This specific deep mulled wine like lip colour is perfect for people that have fair skin and hair and want to try something a little more daring. I know choosing bright lipstick doesn't always suit blonde haired people. I definitely think that this lipstick will be my new go to lip colour for going out!

For a while now I've been looking for an everyday lip colour that wasn't to pink or orangey and that is also moisturising not leaving that cracked lipstick look behind. Finally I found the shade that I had been looking for, for some time now. The Smashbox Melondrama lipstick is the perfect everyday coral like lipstick (at least for me) and I did feel like doing a little mini dance in the shop when I saw it. I'm not entirely sure yet if its hydrating enough, but it definitely is really pigmented making it quite long lasting, I maybe had to apply it once more during the day. 

The Kit lipstick (Go deeper) retails at $24.95

The Smashbox lipstick (Melon Drama)  retails at $26

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what your favourite lip colours are!

xx Nicole

Summer feeling.

          

                                                               

Previously I wrote a post about sunflowers and bringing summer into your home. Now that you can feel the weather definitely heating up and it's time to bring out the summer dresses and shorts, I thought I'd write another summer appreciation post. Previously I've never really been much of a summer person, much rather preferring autumn. However lately I've pinpointed out all the things I do love during summer, and maybe, maybe I've just convinced myself that (besides the overbearing heat that I'm not a big fan of) I might actually be a summer person. 

Nothing beats watermelon to hydrate and cool you down during summer time. The delicious sweet fruit not only consisting on mostly water, but is really filling also.

Cherries are also a delicious sweet fruity treat during summer time. Along with watermelon, and grapes, cherries would have to be one of my favourite summer fruits. It's great in summery fresh salads  and tastes great along with feta cheese. 

Another thing I absolutely love to eat during summer time, is corn on the cob. grill it on the barbecue and add some salt on it, makes the perfect quick snack!

Lastly there is of course ice cream, be it yoghurt ice cream, gelato, or ice lollies. The perfect yummy treat to cool down in the heat, my favourite being lemon gelato mmmm!

What are some of your favourite summer delights?

xx

Nicole

Pictures from Pinterest

Clear skin

For the past two years I have been really struggling to get clear skin. Either I would get an outbreak on my forehead full of inflamed tiny little pimples along with the pimples on either side of my chin. Nothing is worse than not feeling confident and positive in your own skin.

I've been using all kinds of different scrubs, skin washes, toners. Nothing seemed to work. Some products even made my skin worse than before!

So for the past month and a half I've finally seemed to have found the gold on the other end of the rainbow (ok, thats a little to dramatic). I'm a big believer in using natural skin products, especially after having used so many products that have consistently failed, or even made my skin worse. 

There aren't any nasty chemical skin strippers or hidden nasties in these products. I have genuinely felt a big difference in the texture and feel of my skin also. It's much softer and less oily.

The tea tree range from The Body shop has definitely been a big life saver for me. My skin is still not entirely clear, but I have seen a difference the redness has significantly decreased and unlike all the other products I've used it hasn't left me with overly dry/oily skin. 

To hydrate my skin i've loved using the Swisse Rose Hip moisturiser. With a lot of moisturisers i've found that my skin can be extremely sensitive and cause a reaction to it. When applying the Rose hip moisturiser I only have to apply it once in the morning and it leaves my skin feeling nice and soft for the rest of the day.

I hope you found this little post helpful. Being natural skin products I feel that they range in very affordable prices and your skin will love you for it also.

xxx

Nicole

Banana Pancakes

                                 

Eating my usual yoghurt and granola with berries for breakfast can get a little boring and repetitive sometimes. Having Coeliac disease can be a little challenging sometimes with trying out new things. Usually sticking to the same thing is the easiest option. Today however I wanted to share with you a quick and delicious easy to make and 100% gluten free! It's nourishing and completely guilt free consisting of only eggs, (rich in the much needed vitamins K,D,E, B6, calcium and Zinc. Which helps with gaining a healthy body and skin.) Banana's (A good amount of fibre, potassium, Magnesium and vitamin B6.)

Serving size: 1 person.

All you need for this recipe is:

1 1/2 banana's (2 depending on size of banana)

1 tea spoon baking powder

1 tea spoon cinnamon

2 Eggs

2 teaspoons coconut oil

Topping (optional):

mixed berries

Maple Syrup

Instructions:

To start of the process heat a pan with some coconut oil. While waiting for the pan and oil to heat, grab your bananas and peel team, placing them on a plate. Grab a fork and mash the bananas. Make sure you don't mash it into to small pieces or the pancake won't hold together. Next grab a bowl and place the mashed banana, cinnamon, baking powder all in one bowl. Grab the two eggs and crack them into the bowl with your banana mixture. Gently mix them together till it turns into a nice thick batter. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes.

Now that the pan and oil is heated up, bring the bowl with your pancake batter and slowly pour some batter into the pan. You can make pancakes as big as you want. Once you've used up all your batter and your pancakes are done. Place them one by one on your plate. to finish off you can garnish your pancakes with some mixed berries, maple syrup or anything you desire.

Let me know if you tried out this recipe. I'd love to see how your pancakes turned out! :)

xxxx

Nicole