Exploring Lisbon

Yesterday my boyfriend and I went on a little adventure. Since he had a day off at work it was the perfect opportunity to explore outside of our city and to just take in Lisbon's beauty.

We decided to go to the Colombo Centre to have lunch and walk around. He was really keen on having Burguer King (we don't have one in our city) and to check in on the new technologies, whilst I just wanted to look at clothes and books (my favourite things) and, indeed, we found all we were looking for there.

I browsed through Bertrand's store to find Marzia's new book but they only had it in Portuguese and I prefer reading in English so I guess I will have to order it online which is a bummer but oh well. Although I did buy a new shirt from Primark which I love!

Afterwards we took the metro to Terreiro do Paço and my boyfriend was delighted (I think he had never been there). It was packed with tourists and rightly so, it is beautiful.

(The big green screen behind the lady is where the Euro games are transmitted live)

We stayed here for a little while enjoying the sun and taking photos and then it was time to make our way to the São Jorge Castle.

We decided to walk there and if you are planning on doing the same thing please take some fresh water with you. It's a long way up and with the sun on your back the whole time it can be quite tiresome. We made the terrible mistake of not taking water with us and we had to stop at a place which sold it for 1€... you can literally buy bottles of water in the supermarket for 20cents, it was stupid of us.

The price to enter the castle varies depending if you are a student or not, your age, etc. We both paid 5€ and it was definitely worth it, the view you get from the top is breathtaking.

Hope you enjoyed all the photos that we took. They weren't that many because I wasn't planning on writing this post and they were also taken with our phones instead of a proper camera (Xperia Z1 and P8 lite) but I quite like how they turned out so I decided to share them here :)

Happy Friday! x

Annie Recommends: A Padaria Portuguesa

After almost a year without writing in my blog, the little writing bug has come back. I'm not entirely sure why I stopped - sometimes I don't know what to write about, or I'm just too lazy, or I simply can't find the time to sit down and write about what I want because of university. But here I am again. And I'm bringing you something I don't think I have ever done before - a recommendation.

Trust me, if I take the time to write you this is because I bloody well love this place! It's called 'A Padaria Portuguesa' and you can find it almost anywhere in Lisbon. It's a cute café with a rustic vibe to it, extremely cozy. They serve salads, sandwhiches, every kind of bread and they have a multitude of cakes to choose from.

The first time I went there was to try their brigadeiro cake (probably a poor translation for 'bolo de brigadeiro'), my mouth is already watering. It was so delicious.

More recently I went in there to try their new 'tarte de morango' (again, I don't really know how to translate that haha). I always ask for an orange juice but you could take advantage of their deal of a cake + a coffee for 2€.

If you ever visit Lisbon and don't know where to grab a bite, don't forget my recommendation, you won't regret it!

Happy Friday! x

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)

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

Summertime Sadness

This week marked the end of the summer holidays and the beginning of my second year in university. It was really nice to catch up with my friends and getting back into the rythm of waking up early and having the whole day planned. However, rain and wind have made its way through and summer will be officially over on monday the 22nd, which saddens me because I am definitely a summer girl.

I  reckon writing a post with my summer highlights in pictures is what I need in order to put a full stop on the warm season and fully embrace autumn so here it goes, enjoy!

Ah, I already miss it. Until next year Summer, I heart you.

Happy Friday! x

My First (Mini) Haul

I did a little shopping last month and I thought it would be fun to do my first ever haul - mind you it is going to be a brief one!

I don't know how familiar people outside of Portugal are with Shop1one but it is one of my favourite stores. The clothes aren't expensive and I would buy most of the items in the store if I could. That being said, last month I was just having a stroll around the shop, checking what's new, when I found the perfect leggings. And when I say perfect I mean it because I am not a leggings type of person, I much rather wear jeans.

It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I absolutely LOVE them (and as you can see by the tshirt I was wearing I have a thing for clothes with holes haha). They are really comfortable and look good with anything; my only problem is that they seem to be a bit see-through at the back, or maybe I am too self-conscious, so I always try to pair them with baggy tshirts.

Next up I bought a new pair of earrings in Bijou Brigitte. I really want to start wearing earrings more often and the only pair I had were a gift from years ago so it was time to go out and buy new ones. I had a hard time choosing because everything in this store is literally beautiful. Luckily I was with my boyfriend and he picked these out for me, they are so cute!

After buying them I started worrying that they might not look good on me or that I might not like them but alas, they do look gorgeous!

They aren't plastic or any valuable material like the ones I was eyeing at the store but that makes them different and more special in my opinion. I will definitely wear them often.

Finally I went to ZARA and I bought my gala dress (you can see that HERE), and a crop top that I will mention on this month's favourites so look out for that!

I hope you enjoyed my mini haul :)

Happy Monday! x

Gala Party Look

My faculty organised its' first ever gala party and I obviously couldn't miss it. As my friend said, "if you miss the first then don't even bother going to the second" (maybe it doesn't need to be that extreme). But we all know the follow up parties are always going to be compared to the first one and if you missed it then you will never know how much it has improved! More important than that, it was a way to have fun after all the hardwork from classes. We definitely deserved it.

After planning with my friends how we were going to prepare ourselves before the party and where we were going to stay after it, there was only one thing missing and, in my opinion, the most exciting: what were we going to dress?!

I was window shopping with my mum in ZARA when we spotted the perfect dress; a white maxi dress with a strappy low back.

(Click HERE if you want to have a better look at it)

I thought the look was missing something so I added a necklace that a friend kindly borrowed and I believe it really made a difference. The necklace was made by said friend so it's one of a kind :)

As for makeup, I went for something simple - black eyeliner, mascara and red lipstick.

Eyeliner - Bellaoggi Glossy Liner (top) and Avon SuperShock gel eyeliner (bottom)
Mascara - Avon Colortrend mascara
Lipstick - YesLove lipstick 210

The party started around midnight and we danced until 4am, my legs were literally aching! It was one of those nights that I will always remember and cherish.

Happy Thursday! x

First Year at University

This week was the final week of my first year at university and I couldn't be happier. This whole experience has changed my life and has made me grow in person (and responsabilities).

I have to go back in the next two weeks to do an English presentation and a final test and then, hopefully, I can stop worrying about everything for 3 or 4 months.

(It's a lie, spent a lot of money in books - source)

One of the beautiful things about university is that you make a lot of friends from different cities and you get to share with each other traditional aspects - even your accent causes excitement! I'm happy to have shared this experience with the new friends I have made and I hope we share the same classes next year for new shenanigans.

I also feel like I have learned a lot more this year than in any of my previous years in school. Maybe that's because I am finally in the course I want, studying the subjects I want; that must have a big impact in your attention and reception of information. Plus the fact that the teachers are so laid back and they treat you as an adult, rather than a child.

I'm actually looking forward to the second year! I am guessing it will be as good or even better than this one because now I have seen what it is like and I will be prepared for new challenges.

You can read more about my university here, when I got my acceptance letter, and here, about my first semester :)

Happy Sunday! x

TRESemmé Shampoo and Conditioner Review

I have had blonde highlights on my hair for two years now and it has been a chore to find a shampoo and conditioner that make my hair look alive and shiny whilst protecting its' colour. Usually they make my hair look lifeless and it doesn't take long until it needs washing again. That was, until I decided to try the TRESemmé range for colour treated hair.

It says on the bottle that it protects colour for 40 washes and I have already noticed a HUGE difference. My hair is really soft and loose and it smells sooo good, salon like!

I bought both the shampoo and conditioner because my hair had a few split ends and I reckon it needed treatment (also the products were 50% off). When you buy the shampoo it is recommended that you buy the conditioner as well for a maximum colour protection, precisely what I need. Considering the size of the bottles it should last you a few months.

I always wash my hair first so, the way I do it is, I start by applying the shampoo by massaging it all over my hair (which takes a while because I have long hair) and then I rinse the best I can.

Afterwards I apply the conditioner, paying special attention to the ends of my hair and working upwards, and I leave it acting for 2-3 minutes.

If you are having problems dealing with your coloured hair then I highly recommend these two products. Hope they work as good with you as they did with me.

Happy Friday! x

Metal Night

A Portuguese garage band contest had been happening every Saturday of this month and every weekend a band would be chosen out of four to participate in the final that took place this Saturday the 29th or, more precisely, yesterday.

I went to one of the playoffs on the 15th with my boyfriend and a friend of ours but we only listened to two of the four bands that were competing before calling it a night. All the antecipation and excitement were confined to the final as there would play a special guest that we all knew and wanted to be there for, Hills Have Eyes; specially two friends of my boyfriend and I.

The night was cold and there was barely anyone in the streets - that is, until the start of the contest. Nearing its' hour, groups of friends started to gather around the entrance and waited until every thing was ready. We had to pay an admission to enter and they stamped our hands so they knew who had already payed incase we wanted to go outside.

There's a bar, a TV with a sofa close by and a few tables with chairs for us to sit around on the second floor whilst the actual contest (and every show for that matter) takes place in the third floor.

There were five bands competing between each other and before the announcement of the winner we heard Hills Have Eyes, the special guest that night! It. was. bloody. brilliant. If you don't like this type of music (metal) you possibly won't understand my happiness and will cringe at the music but I absolutely love it. I suppose the best thing about the concerts of this type of bands is that I always feel a sense of companionship amongst everyone. If someone falls, everyone helps them up. There's even people crowdsurfing! That's mental.

I recorded some of it on my phone but the sound quality is rubbish and, unfortunately, there aren't any videos up of the event itself so I will link to you the music video of the song I most liked from this band.

The winner were Stone Dead incase you want to search them up.

Oh and here's a small video on my instagram of the crowdsurfing: http://instagram.com/p/mKiX_BlaQQ/#

Happy Sunday! x