balance Me. Skin Balancing Cleanser Review.

The past couple of weeks have been somewhat stressful on my skin and it has retaliated! A major breakout was JUST what I needed to kickstart the weekend! Sigh. I have combination skin and at the moment it's having a difficult time trying to adapt to the changes in weather. The breakout dilemma was what drove me to swap my beloved Bioderma cleanser for the balance Me. daily essentials pure skin face wash. HALLELUJAH!

"Enjoy benefits of balancing spruce knot extract, anti-oxidant rich rice bran oil and sense-awakening frankincense, grapefruit and ylang ylang oils. Allow wash to dissolve make up and daily grime to achieve a balanced, clean complexion without stripping away your skin's natural moisture levels.''

Wow! I found this miracle worker amongst my stash of products that I've been meaning to test out. My breakout included the appearance of blackheads, oily patches and spots which turned scabby. To sum it all up my skin was lifeless, dull and blemished.

This product is 98.8% of natural origin which makes this product even more appealing to me. The smell is a citrus-y fresh clean grapefruit smell which lingers slightly on the skin and it took me a while to get used to. It has a pleasant consistency when rubbed onto the skin and a little goes a long way. Once I rinsed my face with lukewarm water and patted it dry using a face cloth, I immediately felt refreshed. I found that my skin felt more balanced without feeling a dire need to moisturize (as some face washes leave you feeling). After I followed up with my Bioderma Miscellaire Solution and to my surprise there was no trace of make up left on my cotton ball. Basically this product does all that it promises!

A week into incorporating this product into my routine and I can see the results clearly! Most of the damage had been erased and a radiant youthful appearance was restored. All I have left are a few fading blemishes. I was most impressed by the extent to which this product lifted make up off of the face. I'm looking forward to trying more of the balance Me. line of face care products in the future.

Forever and always

♥

                                                    

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Winter Picnic

I just LOVE Sundays! And what better way is there to spend a sunny Sunday than at a lovely picnic surrounded by great friends :) Picnic at Ta' Qali was followed by a football match in H'Attard which our fellows won :) after the match we headed to 'Extra Time' to fill our bellies with delicious grub! The boys and my beast of a best friend had a MASSIVE burger, rightfully given the name "The Heart Attack", to satisfy their ravenous appetites! These are just a few snap from Sunday! Hope that everyone had a lovely weekend!

Forever and always, 

Clara

♥

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Thoughts on Lent - Be the Best Version of YOU.

According to the Roman Catholic calendar today is Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent. Lent is the period of 40 days preceding Easter. During this time, many people chose to fast or offer something (or the lack of something) as a sacrifice to God.

However, the intention of this blog post is not to teach you about the history of Lent. I am a catholic however, my views and beliefs are not as, how shall I put this ... coherent? with that of the church.
What I wanted to write about was actually what I believe that lent should be.

In my opinion, Lent should be a time where one should focus on bettering themselves fully. In everyday life, you come across people with such positive attributes that you wish to enhance, adopt or develop yourself. During lent, we should all take the time to reflect on the person that we were, the person that we've become and the person that we want to be. Only through reflection can the process of change begin. During these forty days,energy should be directed towards development. The forty day period is just enough time for a person to adopt, or get rid of a habit. Repetition is the mother of all learning. Hence we must persevere and push through our walls in order to emerge out of this period of sacrifice and change, a better more well rounded human being.

I for one have a number of things I wish to improve within myself:

1. I sometimes cuss. Sometimes my cussing gets out of hand when I'm at home or around friends. But when I hear other people cussing I become fully aware of how horrid and snotty I sound. So during these forty days I will try my utmost to eliminate this horrible habit from my life.

2. Fitness. I am a very healthy person when it comes to nutrition, however during these forty days I am going to put in an extra effort by going the extra mile! I will cut out all sweets from my diet (birthdays are an exception) and I will exercise everyday throughout these six weeks! (I am planning to join a gym).

3. This is the toughie but I'm going to stick to it. Everyday I will have at least a minimum of a 2 hour study session with no distractions whatsoever! That means that I shall study with no iPad, no iPhone and no laptop in the near distance. No listening to music or watching films or tv series during these two hours. Fully concentration required. This is the long hard road to a levels ad success.

That's it really. As you can see these goals aren't really sacrifices. They are merely just guidelines of habit which I wish to change or develop. I didn't want to overwhelm myself with more goals so I can fully concentrate in achieving each one. I hope by the end of these 6 weeks I would have become more well developed individual. I hope you all have a lovely lent and easter period xx

Forever and always, 

Clara

♥

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Instagram Diary #1

From left to right, top to bottom:  1. Cozy no make up day, spent studying.  2. My little ball of fur, Tammy. 3. My friends Kay, Sean and I in our Gozo farmhouse. 4. Yummy seeded bread squares. 5. My Outfit for a relaxed night out . 6. Tea, honey, candles and biofreeze for my injured ankle. 7. Lunch with the fam, feta cheese salad. 8. My bestie and I on my birthday. 9. Just a quick snap before going to a chemistry lesson. 10.  Strawberries in the middle of winter make me happy. 11. Outfit before school. 12. Before a great  night out!

I've decided to hop on the Instagram blog post wagon! These  are just a few pictures of what I've been up to the last couple of months. Feel free to follow me on instagram @himynameisclara :)

I absolutely love Instagram pictures and I'm hoping to get a bunch of them printed soon! Have you had your instagram photos printed? I'd like to know where the best place to get them printed is. I've heard of Prinstagram so far.  Please leave a comment if you know of any other  websites which offer this service. Big LOVE and many thanks. Hope you all had a lovely weekend xx

Forever and always, 

Clara

♥

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Biolage Conditioning Balm Review

The Biolage Hydratherapie Conditioning Balm by Matrix is an intense, deep conditioner which I have been using for over two years now so I thought it was worthy of a review.

To start with, the product promises an intense conditioning treatment for very dry, thick or coarse hair. It helps eliminate frizz and smoothes out any unwanted volume while simultaneously locking out humidity. It is formulated with silk amino acids and shea butter, algae, wheat germ and aloe vera botanicals to enrich dry hair making it softer and more manageable.

This conditioner is thick in consistency as it is a balm and honestly a little goes a long way so I say it's well worth the splurge because it will last you ages. It has a very particular smell which leaves the hair smelling very fresh and clean however it is not an overpowering scent. 

My hair is rather fine and isn't very dry however at the moment it is recovering from the distress of ombre. I loved my ombre hair this summer however in combination with hours spent in the sun, chlorine from pools and the sea water, the ends are in  need of some TLC as they've become rather split (going for a trim this week). I use this product once a week, I apply a small amount of product on my ends and massage it in. I leave the product on for approximately 2 minutes and rinse it out. 

Although it's not really necessary, I like to follow by applying the tiniest amount of my favourite conditioner which I work through my hair from root to tip. Because I have fine hair I don't apply this to my roots as this product reduces the volume greatly. I do not recommend leaving conditioning treatments for longer than recommended as the same proteins that restore your hair's health may also be the ones that degrade it - so 2 - 4 minutes should be just enough time for the product to work it's magic!

It has helped improve the condition of my frazzled hair greatly as it reduces the visibility of split ends. Also, if I'm planning  to straighten my hair (which I  rarely do) the end result is perfection in combination with this product as humidity is locked out and your hair is soft and frizz free. However, I do not recommend using this just before curling your hair, since the smoothness of your hair will not allow the curls to hold (it's THAT good). 

The product comes in either a 500ml tub (which is the one I purchase) or the 250ml tube.I believe that I bought this product from my hair stylist at a little less than €20 while the 250ml version can be found on offer right now on beautybay.com for €9.07.

If you're looking for a hair care product to revitalise your hair I would definitely recommend this. I've also heard great things about the TIGI S Factor Serious Conditioner which I am looking  forward to trying! Do any of you use this product? If so what are your opinions on it?

Hope you found this review helpful :)

Forever and Always, Clara

♥

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25 Facts About Me

1. I was born on the 1^st of January. Yepp, I was a New Year’s baby (poor mum).

2. Christmas is my favourite time of the year followed by Valentine's Day! It's most magical time in the year. Mean Girls and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone always remind me of Christmas.

3. I am a vegetarian. It's mainly because it's a healthy lifestyle that suits me more, and I also absolutely love animals.

4.  When I first meet people I am rather shy but when I warm up to someone I feel free to be a total weirdo. During my second year in college I met a handful of people that catalysed my transformation from the super shy, reserved girl to the more confident individual I am today. Thank you!

5. I was a professional swimmer for about 5 years. I also used to train swimming from the age of 6. Swimming is a very challenging sport which requires a lot of dedication, but it taught me so many values, and the experiences, friendships and memories I will cherish forever. (sometimes I still wish I trained).

6. I LOVE cheesecake, red velvet cake and carrot cake!

7. I keep huge memory boxes full of the most odd and random stuff. When I'm feeling blue I turn to my wonderful memory boxes. They're my happy place! The memories make me feel all warm and tingly inside.

8. When I’m at home I have a particular set of mini forks which I like to eat with. 

9. I get super anxious when people breathe heavily (Sorry Dad!).

10. I love all things Disney. I wish I was a Disney Princess!

11. My favourite word is Mamihlapinatapai which is defined as "a look shared by two people, each wishing that the other will offer something that they both desire but are unwilling to suggest or offer themselves."

12. I love watching youtube videos. I love everything from beauty video to nyan cat.

13. When I was 16, I travelled to Australia and New Zealand for 6 weeks where I did the Nevis Bungee Jump! It was the most exhilarating experience of my life.

14. I make friends with guys easier than I do with girls. Possibly because we usually share the same sense of humour and taste in music. And there's usually a smidge less drama.

15. During the summer months, I work as a swimming coach at a children’s summer school. It's a job which I truly love and enjoy doing.

16. I can blow spit bubbles out of my mouth. I consider it my special talent. hahah

17. I have an app for (almost) everything.

18. I live on an island (Malta) where everyone knows each other. This comes with consequences such as the fact that gossip spreads like wildfire.

19. Although I'm a total clutz (I am a self confessed walking hazard) I have never broken a single bone in my body (touch wood).

20. I HORRIBLE at maths! I've always been, however in primary school my mum pushed me, insisting that I can get 100/100. I studied my butt off and managed to actually get the grade proving that if I put my mind to something, I can definitely excel at it.

21. I have known my best friend, Maria for 11 years now! She's been with me through everything and I love her to bits.

22. I usually let things get to me even though I don't admit it. 

23. I'm super ticklish.

24. I'm not particularly scared of anything besides mould which I truly disgust and gives me the shivers.

25.  I LOVE hugs.

That's is all for now :) If you've read  this and we have some things in common leave a comment below, it will  make me super happy and i'll definitely check out your blog. If you've written one of these leave a link below

Forever and always, Clara♥

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What I Bought this Month

Hey there :) 

It is now February and the January sales have come to a sad end. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I get very anxious when a store is very unorganized and this makes it difficult for me to shop during the sales because of the topsy turvy state of the stores. However, I have made a few purchases this month which I thought I'd share with you all.

First up are 3 shirts which I bought this weekend. I LOVE LOVE LOVE shirts. I also bought a cosy pullover!

1. Horse Head Print Shirt - New Look

I rarely ever buy clothes from New Look, I mostly go there for shoes, however, I found this New Look shirt reduced from €32.99 to €17. It is not a sheer fabric as most of my other shirts are. It's a lovely creamy beige polyester blend, with long sleeves and metal tips on the ends of the collar which I really like. And obviously, the horse heads which I think are pretty neat.

2. Printed Pastel Shirt - Suite Blanco

I first came across this store in Barcelona and found that they have very affordable clothes, shoes and accessories . I was over the moon when I heard that they'd opened up a store in Malta. This shirt is actually from their new collection however it was a bargain at €29.99. It's a sheer fabric with pastel pink roses, blue checked background and black baroque print. 

3. Sheer Zara Basic Geometric Print Shirt - Zara

I love Zara! The main item I wanted to purchase from Zara this month was a pair of black leggings with gold zippers which I already own. I love them soo much that I wanted another pair to spare however they did not have the exact same ones in stock :( (NOOOOOO!). I did come across this cute sheer (again!) geometric print shirt which I really liked. It was reduced from  €39.95 to €19.99. SCORE.

4. Champagne gold pullover - Zara

This pullover/sweater/jumper whatever you wanna call it is great for wearing over shirts. It also looks great worn on it's own with a pair of black leggings and boots. It's a lovely champagne colour with sparkles and shimmers of gold in it to give that little bit extra oomph haha!

Nexxxtttt up: Dresses! 

From Left to Right: Black  Open Back Rare Dress, Cream River Island Lace Dress, Black and Beige Rare Dress

I actually bought these three dresses a while ago from the Asos sale. Procrastinating from my studies always leads to interesting online purchases from Asos!

1. Black Open Back Dress - Rare London

This dress is super cute! It's got an open back in the shape of a heart and the fabric is a nice lace print which gives it an edgy finish. This dress was reduced from €60.68 to  €26.30 and it can be found here.

2. Black and Beige Dress - Rare London

I absolutely love this dress. It's got a lace flower print over a champagne coloured skirt which looks absolutely beautiful. It has bust support and a poofy underskirt for a fuller princess-y look.

3. Cream Mesh Cut Out Lace Dress - River Island

It seems like it was all about the lace this month for me (along w. blacks and beiges). I think this dress is my favourite out of the three. It has cut outs at the sides and in the middle of the chest. The fabric is lovely and light. It's a very flirty and fun dress which is great for nights out. It can be found in pink here and it was reduced from €60.68 to €16.18! What a bargain!

The pattern of the three dresses.

Shoes and Accessories!

1. Creepers - Underground

This month my shoe purchase just consisted of a brand new pair of burgundy creepers by Underground. They were on sale on Asos. I love wearing creepers because they make an outfit that much more interesting. I also find them comfortable as well as stylish. Being a tall girl I sometimes opt to ditch the heels and pair up a casual dress with my creepers on a night out. This deep wine colour is perfect for dressing up a casual dress. A navy patent pair can be  found here at a reduced price of €64.05.

2. Solid Necklace - Suite Blanco

I bought this chunky necklace because I don't own many short statement necklaces. I think this necklace would go great with a buttoned shirt. It's also great for dressing up a plain shirt such a block colour peplum shirt. This charming necklace was €17.99.

 
 

So that's about it for this blogpost :) Have a nice day bubba beanies xx

Forever and Always, Clara

♥

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