Hi Lovelies,
Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕
I am back from my home country (I went to take care of my mom who is mid-chemo, and took some time off from social media too) and I thought what's better post to come back than Summer Faves, isn't it? I have loads of ideas and reviews lined up, but as I as I managed to catch flu upon return, those will have to wait a bit. As I enjoy Faves posts and Youtube videos, I hope you will enjoy this post too? Shall we get started?
Quiet time with my family
As this wasn't holiday per se, more supporting my mom during this difficult time, I shunned holiday and any unnecessary stuff too and just spent three weeks with my mom and my younger kid. As my mom has no computer and no internet, it was a digital detox for us too, which I quite enjoyed. I prefer real interactions anyway.
Reading
I really enjoy reading, and as I had free time on my hands, I finished about six book and re-read my school favourites, Native American Indian books.
Living Libations Spirulina Shampoo
This is a recent addition to my stash, and that was the only haircare product I took with me. 200ml bottle lasted me for a month and I have a third of it left, which I took back. Really enjoyed this shampoo and I shall review it shortly. (photo on my IG page here)
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| Green Life In Dublin Summer 2017 Favourites |
Inika Light Reflect Highlighting Creme
I'll be honest with you, I took loads of make up with me, and ended up using like three to five products max, and surprisingly to me, this was one of them. I am not big on highlighters at the best of times, you see. Inika is a great brand which I am yet to review, so please stay tuned. I have quite a few products from this brand and I got some more via LLABP on the way, so comprehensive review will be on your way in a couple of weeks. When it comes to this liquid highlight, it quickly became my fave, I love the fact that it lasts all day (you have to work it in quickly though) and it is the perfect balance of gold and silver, which would suit most of the skin tones.
Nude By Nature Touch Of Glow Highlight Stick In Bronze
Phew, that's a mouthful! In short, this is a really gorgeous highlight in a handy chubby stick, and I loved it! I am way too pale to use it as an actual highlight, so I used it as a bronzer. If you love glowy bronzers (no glitter though, just shimmery, but subtle enough for daytime), you would love this! I have a full review on this and a few more Nude by Nature products, and I will link it here. That reminds me to buy their mascara, which I thoroughly enjoyed earlier this year because of zero flaking reasons!
Luk Beautifood Lipsticks
Just like I said earlier, I took loads of make up with me, including a good few brightly coloured 100%Pure lipsticks, and after wearing them maybe once, I quickly switched to these products, which are more like a tinted chapsticks in terms of colour intensity, but were much more closer to my comfort zone, and i wore them non stop. You don't even need a mirror! So moisturising too.
Dudu Osun Black African Soap
Really great natural soap that is definitely due for a review but for some strange reason it's forever in my 70+ drafts (yes, really) - I should pull it together soon! Only natural ingredients, works great, gives great lather, not too pricy, comes in cardboard box, so has no waste to it, lasts a great deal too. Definitely a fave of mine and I think I will make it a permanent purchase from Love Lula from now on.
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| Green Life In Dublin Fashion Faves Summer 2017 |
Rebecca Minkoff 5 Zips Bag
My one and only designer bag, and I go through phases of wanting to use it more and "saving it" (oh, the frugal side of me!) - and after not using it at all last summer, I consciously took it away with me. I planned to take it as my one and only handbag for holidays, but ended up throwing in one more across body bag in leopard print into the suitcase at the last minute. This bag looks great, but it is a tad heavy due to metal hardware. Still love it though.
Small Square Leopard Print Bag
This is the other bag I mentioned earlier, and I am so glad I took it - I ended up using it more due to it being light and convenient. Love leopard print and have been for years - I consider it a neutral, but most often I use it as an accent "colour" as in a bag or a scarf maybe. It is easy to overdo it with leopard print, or get it wrong - pair it with gold and you are instantly in the "trashy" territory, so I err on the side of caution. But I love me some leopard print.
Thrifted Leopard Print Scarf
This was one of the very few thrifted purchases this year, and this has to be one of the fave pieces I have to say - love those giant square cotton scarves in general, and if they come in leopard print, so much better! I find a million uses for them beside hanging it on my neck - I have covered buggy with it, used it in the car to give shade to my child, clipped it onto beach umbrella, used it as a impromptu plane blanket - you name it, I have probably used it that way. Best 50 cents or 2 euro investment if you ask me :)
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| Green Life In Dublin Fashion Fave Summer 2017 |
Blue Shirt
I happen to love shirts with jeans lately, and although I took a few of them, this happened to be my fave and I ended up using it most frequently. It is made of of tencel, aka the wood pulp, but what I really love about it is how beautifully it hangs on the body (good cut helps too) and I after getting tons of compliments on it, I think I will look into more clothing made of tencel. My hubby wants a man's version of this shirt too ;)
White runners
Call me daft, but I only now discovered that white Converse type of runners go with EVERYTHING in summer! Insert covering eyes emoji here. And I did wear them non stop indeed. Will have to invest in real Converses come next summer.
Oreganol P73
This has got to be the best natural savior I've discovered to date, natural antibiotic, antiseptic, antimicrobial and antiviral agent all in one? Yes please! I talk more in depth in my Top Three Natural Products blog post here if you want to know more. I never travel without one now, and it did come handy once again, this time it was mostly used for bug bites on my little one's legs (followed by ISUN Soothing Balm) I have to tell you this particular bottle is not travel friendly though, it leaked twice on me before, and it happened again this time, so now all my carry on smells like oregano times thousand. Hmm.
(and a funny story to go with it - the bottle of OreganolP73 I'd bough from Nourish as a gift for my mom (I got her hooked on it too) turned out to be EMPTY!!! I was shocked and dumbfounded to discover I bought an empty bottle for 30 quid, and what's more, it was a gift, not something for my personal use. It probably was a manufacturing error and came that way to the shop, but still, I was not a happy bunny about it. As one income family, 30 quid have to go far, and in this case we ended up paying twice for it, as I had to ask hubby to get another bottle of it. And no, it didn't leak in the transfer, because there was no smell in my carry on pouch or luggage whatsoever, and we all know this smells like oregano times thousand. I haven't gone to the shop to complain in person, as I was away for a month, so I assumed no one would believe me and would say I used it all up and want my money back a month later, but I sent email asking for a stricter inspection of the stock before handing it to unsuspecting customers. No reply yet, and it's been more than a week).
Ere Perez Arnica Concealer in Light
This was one of the very few things I used daily and I hit pan on it big time. Review here if you are interested, and I have to say I've come to love this concealer a lot. Yes it is thick and sticky, but it has great coverage, something I need, and on me it does not crease (I wear eye oil underneath).
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| Green Life In Dublin Fave Accessories of Summer 2017 |
Vivienne Westwood Necklace & Hematite Bracelets
Here's a thing about me - I am extremely picky about my jewelry. (Picky is not something I would use to describe myself though, but in this case I am). I don't like cheap high street merchandise, I don't want to look like every other woman I meet either, so I choose very minimal jewelry that has a story and meaning to me, and these items definitely do. No offense if high street is your thing, but I prefer to go off the beaten track. When I said "cheap" I meant "cheap looking" stuff, I don't discriminate against any price point jewelry, but it has to be styled in the right way. For example these three hematite and some natural stones bracelets were about a fiver, but I love them as much as my VW pendant, which came at a price, but I saved for it for years, and when it comes to the cost-per-wear, it definitely paid off by now. (Oh, how I laughed at this cost-per-wear concept when I read about it in magazines at first. Oh, how I get it now!)
Favourite Souvenirs
I am getting more and more into crystals, so I couldn't resist picking up these cute brass elephants (which my family also collects) and when I found two cutest ever mini turtles carved out of natural stone at my mom's house, I I immediately fell in love with them! I went to my mom wanting to trade those for something, but to my surprise she said they aren't hers, they are mine that I'd left them at her house long time ago, so I can have them. So needless to say I did. Thanks for taking care of them mom!
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| Green Life In Dublin Fave Skincare of Summer 2017 - ISUN |
ISUN Skincare
A line of products I fell head over heels for, please see reviews here and here if interested, or scroll through my Instagram feed and read my thoughts on them. And stay tuned for more, there might be more giveaways coming soon! Spoiler alert, much?
Sorry to leave you on such a teasing note! What are you guys loving lately? Please share with me, I would really love to know!
Please like and share this or any of my posts on social media and you will forever have my gratitude. Follow me on other social media, all linked at the bottom of my blog. What is you favourite social media outlet? Mine is definitely Instagram! Hope it does not change too much.
That is all for now,
Lots of Love,
Renata.
Related Posts:
(yearly faves instead of Winter faves)
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Disclaimer. Because I have to. After some recent events I have to start stating that my blog posts and my photos are my assets and you can't use them without my permission. I used to think it is obvious, but I learned not everyone thinks that way.
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Disclaimer II. Some of the products featured were sent for me, but I am always crystal clear about it in my reviews. Some affiliate links in this post too - I thank you for using them, and they are at no additional cost to you.
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