Summer strolls around London

In the UK we haven't had much of a summer so far this year (as usual), however this week the rain has kept at bay so my boyfriend and I decided to do some sightseeing around London. We often overlook and take for granted some of the beautiful sights and things to do in the countries we live in; however even a simple stroll around some famous landmarks on a sunny day can be a nice day out.

♥OOTD

Although the sun is currently nowhere to be found, it is still very warm and humid in London at the moment so I opted for a light and airy crochet top with ripped knee jeans and heeled sandals. The top is actually a bikini cover up from Primark last year but there are no rules in fashion! My jeans are from Boohoo.com and my sandals are from Primark also (I love a bargain).

♥WHAT WE GOT UP TO

These heels certainly weren't made for walkin' so I swapped them for some flip flops LOL. Flip flops on, we travelled to South Bank which is one of my favourite places in London. There is the beautiful view of the River Thames, restaurants galore and City Hall is also located there, in case you wanted to meet Boris Johnson. We also visited the London Eye which is surrounded by lovely green areas where you can stop to have a picnic after taking in the scenery. All in all, it was a lovely day out and it didn't cost much money at all! I would definitely recommend a bit of sightseeing or just visiting somewhere different in your city if you're bored and don't want to be stuck indoors, especially during the summertime.

Thank you for reading,

Chantel x

My natural hair transition tips

Transitioning from chemically altered hair back to your own natural hair state can be a very empowering process, but it can also be extremely difficult as I have found out from my own transitioning experience. As of October 10th 2015, I stopped relaxing my hair. Before this I had tried to make this change on numerous occasions but buckled around the 3 month mark due to not knowing how to style my hair, however this is the longest I've ever transitioned and I am hoping to big chop in around 3 months time. In this post I am going to share some tricks that have helped me during my transition.

♥ DETANGLING IN THE SHOWER  

 - detangling in the shower, when your hair is saturated with conditioner will make detangling much easier as your hair will have slip and your fingers or comb will be able to slide through it much more easily. Matting and knots have been the most frustrating part of transitioning for me but when I started finger detangling in the shower, I had far fewer knots and tangles. For more stubborn knots, I like to use a wide tooth shower comb to detangle.

  

♥ PROTECTIVE STYLING

- The less you have to style your hair during transitioning, the better. The line of demarcation (the point where your relaxed hair and natural hair meets) is especially susceptible to breakage and so excessive combing, and styling will eventually lead to your relaxed hair breaking off which defeats the purpose of transitioning.

My favourite protective styles during my transition have been:

Box braids

Buns, buns, buns

Full head weave with closure

Cornrows 

♥ MOISTURE & PROTEIN 

- A balance between moisture and protein in your routine is always important, but even more so during the transition to natural hair when your hair is particularly weak. For a light protein treatment I like to use ORS Hair Mayonnaise and for a moisturising deep conditioner I like to use Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration Intensive Mask.

Protein 

Moisture

♥ PATIENCE 
- Last but certainly not least, being patient with my hair has helped me greatly. Although it can be tempting to compare your hair growth, type and texture to other naturals this can make the transitioning process even more painstaking than it has to be. Everyone's hair grows at different rates and this is something that you cannot really change so its easiest just to accept, love and embrace your new growth however kinky, curly or coily it may be and the journey will fly by!

Happy transitioning :) 

Chantel x

JULY WISHLIST

Here is a list of beauty, fashion and other random items that I am currently dying to get my hands on..
♥ KIKO MILANO WATER SHADOW (SHADE 208) - I've swatched this shadow in the Kiko store and the pigmentation is to die for! This shadow can be used wet or dry and I can imagine the pigmentation if used wet would be crazy. Also this shadow can be used as a highlighter and is said to be a dupe for Mac's 'Soft and Gentle' mineralize skin finish which has been a blogger favourite for some time.

♥  ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS GLOW KIT - Yet another highlighter I am dying to get my hands on, but you can never have too many highlighters!! From the swatches I've seen this palette looks gorgeously pigmented, and although slightly pricey (£39 on beautybay.com) you do get 4 gorgeous shades so I believe the price can be justified.

♥ YOGA MAT - This has been something I've been meaning to get for a while. I really want to incorporate yoga into my daily routine because I've seen its numerous health benefits including; increased flexibility,improved posture and improved state of mind which was the most appealing benefit to me. I have been quite unhealthy with exam stress taking its toll and I want to get healthy. 

♥ KOKO LASHES (GODDESS) - I never used to wear lashes much, however recently I have become addicted; falsies are the perfect finishing touch to any eye look and can instantly transform your face. These Koko Lashes are so flirty and gorgeous and I definitely need them! I've seen so many eye looks on Instagram where I thought 'wow what are those lashes?' and it turns out to be these badboys.

♥ REEBOK CLASSIC NYLON - The traditional leather Reebok Classic's that have been a British favourite for many years now have had a stylish revamp and I am loving it! The slim trainer would look gorgeous with skinny jeans or even a skirt and the light nylon material is perfect for the Summertime.

Birthday weekend makeup

On the weekend of my birthday, I decided to celebrate; and with celebration, comes a glamorous makeup look. I decided to try my first ever glitter eye look because I wanted to look extra glam for the day and I definitely felt glam. 

As I knew I was using glitter, I decided to do my eye makeup first to avoid glitter fallout onto my base makeup.

Eye products used:

• To do my eyebrows I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown. I applied this with an angled brush from ELF.
• As an eyelid primer I used my LA Pro Concealer set with MUA Translucent Powder.
• I then used a light brown shade from Makeup Revolution's Flawless Matte Palette as my transition shade, next I added depth to the crease with a dark brown shade from the OPV Cosmetics Gorgeous Palette.
• I then used this same palette and added a copper shadow to the lid.
• I then added a glitter on top of this. The glitter used I purchased from Ebay, I ensured the glitter was cosmetically safe. This is important because if glitter isn't certified as cosmetically safe it can scratch the corneas and cause eye damage.
• I then placed the dark shadow on my lower lash line to balance the look.

Base products:

• I used Estee Lauder Double Wear as my foundation.
• I used LA Pro Concealer set with MUA Translucent Powder under my eyes also.
• I contoured my cheekbones and forehead with Sleek's Contour Kit.
• I used a tiny amount of Mac Raizin blush.
• Finally, I used Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in 'Global Glow'.