Summer Essentials

Summer is considered the best season for some people (me) and in order to enjoy it to the fullest, some precautions are necessary.

In Portugal and other countries the temperature can be so high that it becomes difficult to be outside and endure the warm breeze. Going to the beach isn't the only place where you have to protect yourself, having a stroll around the city can be tiresome when the sun is on its' peak.

Before leaving the house I always check the weather for that day and dress accordingly. If I am too hot I tend to feel weak and dizzy so I usually opt for shorts/skirt + tshirt/croptop/tank top or a dress. 

Tank top - Tally Weijl
Shorts - Lefties

Afterwards I spray sunscreen on the parts of my body that are exposed, even if I'm not going to the beach, because ain't nobody got time to get sunburnt. And don't forget to take the coolest sunnies you have to protect your eyes (or any sunnies, really).

I prefer to have my hair loose but if it's one of those days when I know it's going to be really hot, I just put it up in a ponytail. I only apply the anti-damage multi-protection cream (Kérastase Soleil displayed in the photo) when I go to the beach - it protects your hair from UVs and salt or chlorinated water. Also take a lipbalm with you, especially if your lips have a tendency to become dry like mine.

Lastly, don't forget to keep yourself hydrated. Take a bottle of water with you or buy one when you feel like you need a nice cold drink :)

Happy Wednesday! x

(take care of yourself)

Don't Forget to Love

When does death become easy to deal with?

Some of us "experience" death with a young age by hearing that a relative, a close friend, or maybe someone who was well known in our locality passed away. If my memory doesn't fail me, the first time I had to deal with death was when I was still in primary school. It was an old lady who lived next to my dad's office and she used to invite my older brother and I to her house and give us madeleines.

My reaction goes through a long process and has always been the same: the news shock me and as I digest them, I reminisce about all the memories that I shared with that person. It's the same feeling as when you finish a good book and you just sit there thinking about it. It might take a while but eventually it finally hits me that that person is gone, forever, and the tears start rolling - the moment leading to it is as if I was expecting someone to tell me "it's okay, you can still see him" and then I realise that that is not possible.

I didn't want to write a sad post but today, two years ago, my bunny passed away.

His name was Chico and my dad brought him home to us after his own father, my grandfather, passed away. I never truly forget him, there are some days when I remember him out of the blue and I smile. The day he died was really painful and I cried through the night and the morning after...

I suppose the reason behind this post is to remind you to love those around you, even your pets, because no one is imortal. Tell them you love them, hug them, kiss them, because one day you won't get that chance.

Some people might have a pet and forget to love him because work is occupying them, they have to go away for a week or they are too tired. Don't forget to always find some free time for your pet, they too deserve to be loved :)

Happy Monday! x

(hug your pet and loved ones)

Pierre René Nail Polish

One thing I like doing on my free time and whenever my nails haven't been bitten to death is to give them a pop of colour. I can't say I am the best at this job, sometimes they look like a child paint them, but I try and I am extremely happy when I succeed in my girly task.

Somehow when I use the Pierre René nail polish I hardly ever mess up, it's like it has some anti-fail magic! It's really easy to use and most of the times my nails look good with only one coat which is a time saver.

The nail polish on the photo is no32 and my absolute favourite.

I already own around 6 different nail polishes of this brand and I definitely want to purchase some more :)

Happy Monday! x

Book Review: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Uff, that title is a mouthful!

Today I bring to you a review of a book I had to read for one of my university classes. I had no expectations and I usually enjoy every type of book, be it drama, romance, comedy, etcetera. However, other than the occasional funny parts, this book isn't a favourite and it took me a while to finish. One of the reasons can be the fact that it was a required reading and that usually takes the pleasure out of it, or maybe it just simply isn't my cup of tea.

There's no mistaking with the title - the book is indeed about the adventures of a boy named Huckleberry Finn and he is the one 'writing' the book therefore the spelling isn't always correct, be it that some words are written the way you pronnounce them. Sometimes the phrases are a bit tricky, especially when the slaves are talking, and a solution that my professor gave us was to read out loud in those parts, it actually helps understanding. They also refer to the slaves as the 'N-word' so if you are sensitive about that kind of things then I definitely don't recommend reading this book.

As I have already said, the story has some really funny parts but it can get a little boring at times. If you are into American literature or/and adventure, you should give this book a try :) I'll leave you with the synopsis that is on the back of the book.

Favourite Quotes:

• "The average man's a coward."
• "Human beings can be awful cruel to one another."

Happy Saturday! x

App Review: FatSecret

I was recently introduced to an app that allows you to keep track of your eating habits and your daily, or once in a while, activities/exercises (walking counts as an exercise) called FatSecret. At first I was skeptical about downloading it because I didn't want to constantly worry about my weight as that isn't healthy at all and can lead to depression and lack of selfesteem; but I decided to give it a try because I knew I could just delete it if it turned out for the worst.

I suppose the thing that draws me the most to it is the fact that I can have everything neatly organised, I can be quite the perfectionist. When you create an account it will ask you your gender and your current weight and height and whether you want to lose/gain/maintain. It informs you about your DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) and your nutritional summary, etcetera - you just need to register daily what you eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks.

(My account is in Portuguese but you can choose your country)

If you can't be bothered to register everything you eat then maybe this isn't the app for you! It's like a personal diary for your food - if you slack on the entries then it beats the purpose of it. If, however, you're like me and you don't like having too many apps on your phone or you constantly worry about the battery, it doesn't consume that much and you can always stick to the online website, it functions exactly like the app. There's also a section for the community where you can share your weight history and support others on their journey.

This app had the opposite effect on me than the one I thought it would have - it really motivates me to eat healthy and do some exercise when I eat more than I should (as you can witness on the first photo). By eating healthy I don't mean that suddenly I revolutionised my eating habits because I love my McDonalds and a good crepe but it does help keeping track on how much I am consuming.

You also have the option to weight yourself daily so you can see the transformations on your body daily but I prefer to only do it once a month; I have heard that doing it daily can severely affect your selfesteem because our bodies are always changing and we start worrying that we are doing something wrong.

Note that right at the start they warn you that they aren't professionals and some information may be wrong! Common sense goes a long way, don't use this app wrongly. If you determined to lose weight you should probably consult a specialist.

Let me know what you think of it, whether you have already used it or if you try it now! :)

Happy Thursday! x

The Cutest Powerbank

Powerbanks are something I had never heard of before until my boyfriend bought me one as a Christmas present. The word wasn't familiar and I had never seen one in my life so I was completely clueless when I opened the present.

He explained that it was meant to charge your phone if the battery died whilst you were on your whereabouts and you didn't have the charger with you, or the time to keep it plugged long enough for it to gain sufficient battery.

You just need to connect the phone to the powerbank with the white cable that comes with it and voilá, a portable charger. It fits perfectly in my bag so I always have it with me :) My only recommendation is, if you use it, to leave it charging overnight to be sure that it can charge your phone's battery completely the next time you need it. Depending on its' capacity it can charge your phone a certain amount of times before it, too, needs to be charged but I don't understand any of that so I rather play it safe.

It's also super easy to know when it is completely charged. It is only when the red light at the bottom stops blinking that it is at 100%.

My boyfriend bought me a black powerbank but, for some reason, it charged every phone except mine so he bought me this cute pink bear one and kept the black one for himself <3

It is literally so handy that I was puzzled that no one had ever mentioned it to me before!

Happy Wednesday! x

To Love Is To Share

To share happiness, sadness, achievements, failures. Love can be selfish, but it can also be caring, passionate. To love is to share a life in common. A life in the plural.

My boyfriend and I bought a digital money box to put some coins in every once in a while, even though we still don't know what we are going to use it for.

It has been suggested that we save up until Christmas time in order to have sufficient money to buy the gifts we idealise for each other. I have also thought about using it for future travels together, although that would take a while. Or we could just use it whenever it was necessary, it's always nice to have a backup. Be free to share what you usually spend your savings on :)

We opted for a digital one because it makes it so much easier to keep track with how much money you have deposited, even though this way you are confined to coins. I suppose you could put notes in there (if you are feeling rebel) and then add it to the total of the coins.

What I really adore about it is how it knows which coin we are dropping because it measures its' size. You can see on the screen how much you have added before it gives you the total result. There's something addicting about this process; so far we have collected 10€ and it was bought yesterday...

Hope this post has inspired you to save up instead of spending it all ;)

Happy Friday! x

Book Review: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

I love reading and I have been a fan of Zoe, or Zoella as she is best known, for a couple of years; when she announced that she was writing her own book I felt happy for her and excited with the thought of one day having it in my hands.

In this kind of situations, when we know the author as closely as we do (fans/readers) because of her blog and youtube channel, the pressure and the expectations are incredibly high. Each one of us has an idea of what we want it to be, how we want or how we expect it to be written.

Personally I was hoping for a different story. Zoe announced what it was going to be about and she shared the name of the main characters and gave a little hint at the plot and in my head I started imagining the way it would develop - it didn't disappoint me. However, there were some moments that made me cringe and I even got second-hand embarassement. Sometimes it was just too corny. I can see a Disney adaptation in the future exhibiting during Christmas time.

But the truth is, I loved it. It is honestly so easy to follow and I was completely hooked. It took me about three days to read and it could have been less if I hadn't been so busy. There were some bits that I wished had been explained better but they are insignificant, I just pay too much attention to details. It is truly well written, I have a few favourite quotes to share! It also portrays difficulties that are felt nowdays (and always) like bullying and panic attacks.

I recommend it and I will definitely read book two :)

Favourite Quotes

"(...) sometimes you just have to let people go."

"There are some people you officially fall in love with, within seconds of meeting them."

"Just because most of the world does something, it doesn't make it right"

"Because when you find someone who really likes you for you, and you really like them for them, you have to do all you can to not lose them."

"you are my inciting incident"

"It's very hard to be good all of the time."

"It's so hard to try to describe how I'm feeling. The best way to put it is that when I'm with him I feel like I've met my matching person."

"Whenever something horrible happens to you time goes by so slowly that every second feels like an hour, but whenever something really amazing happens to you time goes by so fast you blink and an entire week has gone."

Happy Friday! x

Book Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Today I bring you a review of a book I had to read for a university class.

I have watched the movie adaptation of one of Jane Austen's novels, Pride and Prejudice, so when I was told we were to read Sense and Sensibility I dove into it with that adaptation in mind, even though it is two different novels.

What I read didn't differ much from the movie I saw in terms of society and plot. With this novel, Jane Austen intended to characterize and stress the differences between sense and sensibility (the title couldn't be more obvious) and how that affects the relationships and feelings of the characters.

We have Elinor who represents 'sense' and Marianne, her sister, who represents 'sensibility'. Both will learn and help each other through heartbreaks and the pressure of society, thus leading to a better division of their feelings.

The plot is engaging and it has some funny parts, especially when Austen ridicules the excess of the feelings of either sense or sensibility. There is a lot of kinships and sometimes I found myself confused, focus and rereading helped.

Overall it is a fun read and I would like to watch the movie adaptation of this novel and read Pride and Prejudice :)

Favourite Quotes
"'Of his sense and his goodness (...) no one can, I think, be in doubt, who has seen him often enough to engage him in unreserved conversation. The excellence of his understanding, and his principles can be concealed only by that shyness which too often keeps him silent."

"I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way."

"(...) it was impossible for her to say what she did not feel, however trivial te occasion (...)"

"She said little, but every sentence aimed at cheerfulness, and though a sigh sometimes escaped her, it never passed away without the atonement of a smile."

Happy Monday! x

My New Year's Resolution Is...

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014 had its ups and downs but overall it was a great year for me. I laughed, I cried and I learned with my mistakes. I am not in the habit of elaborating resolutions for the new year but, instead, I think on how I can better myself as a person and I reflect on my failures and successes. My goal is to comprehend myself, to grow, to improve my flaws, and that is something that you can carry with you and accomplish every year.

There are other more objective things that I wish to improve on (eg. stop biting my nails) but I can never think of any when it comes to the time nor do I bother to go forth with them (like everyone else), so I decided to get a little help from... a generator.

The only thing I needed to provide was my name and then choose what I wanted to improve on in 2015. I decided to go with the option 'random' just to see what I got and despite all the funny suggestions, there was one that really struck me and it was as follows: "In 2015, I resolve to spend more time making eye-contact than staring at my phone."

I don't think anyone, including myself, ever thinks of the times when we are hanging with our friends or family and we completely remove ourselves from our surrondings by turning on the wifi on our phone and emerge on the social media apps.

Although I recognise that this generator is meant to give funny suggestions, I really want to set myself the goal of enjoying the personal company of others and I highly advice everyone else to do the same. You will always have social media, but people don't last forever. Live the present :)

Lets kick off 2015 with the right mindset and companionship!

Happy Friday! x