LEVINIA GOES TO THE MOVIES | JUNE & JULY

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've done a movie post and so today I thought I'd continue the series combining a few months of movie releases together. I'm going to pick out a few movies that I watched in the months of June and July. I'll be giving you a short synopsis and review on each as well as a star rating. Don't worry, there's no spoilers here!

TIME TO TALK | BEING AN EXTROVERTED INTROVERT

introvert

noun

1. 1. 

   a shy, reticent person.

For most of my life I have always considered myself a bit of a loner - comfortable in my own company and content without the need of often forced, awkward social interaction. I've always had friends and good ones at that but keeping my circle small has always been what I have preferred. In large groups I tend to feel a bit suffocated and often I can come across as shy and quiet. On the flip side however, I'm strong minded and confident in my actions, I love to talk and enjoy going out and laughing with my friends. And so, I've come to accept that I'm an extroverted introvert and as annoying and confusing as that can be for me sometimes, I've decided that it's okay. We don't all have to be the loudest in the room to still be heard and it's alright to not always want to be around people. Being a introvert however comes with its misconceptions and in todays post, I thought I'd discuss some of the ones I encounter the most. Can you relate too?

AHA's and BHA's and why you should be using them

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a good day today. In today's blog post, I'm going to be discussing chemical exfoliation and AHA's and BHA's. This post can be considered a pre-cursor to a review on a beloved skincare favourite in the beauty community - Pixi Glow Tonic.

A key ingredient in Pixi's Glow Tonic is glycolic acid - which falls under the category of an "AHA" - also known as an "Alpha Hydroxy Acid". In simple terms, AHA's are great at detaching dead skin - they help to loosen up the dead cells of the skin allowing them to fall away revealing brighter, healthier and plumper skin. This helpful subreddit explains the main AHA's and the uses and purposes of each. As an ingredient in skincare, due to their focus on the renewal of dead skin, AHA's are popular for those of us who have drier skin types.

You may also be thinking of other acids that have not been mentioned above such as salicylic acid. Well, that falls under the term of a BHA instead. Unlike AHA's, BHA's focus more on purifying the skin and deeply penetrating and cleaning out the pores. Due to this, BHA's and salicylic acid as an ingredient is very popular with acne, oily and blemish prone skin types and it will often be an ingredient found in skincare products used to treat these skin issues. BHA's however are well known to dry out the skin which is why adding moisture back into the skin is important in order to prevent skin from once again overproducing oil and breaking out. Again, this subreddit contains more information on BHA's and their uses.

LUSH FOCUS | MAGIC WAND

Hey guys! Today's post is yet another Lush focus in which I review a specific goodie from Lush and tell you all about it. On the blog today is Magic Wand - a reusable, candy scented Christmas bubble bar, enjoy!

Here's what Lush has to say about this product:

Conjure up candy suds. Close your eyes, swish your Magic Wand in the tub as it fills, and your wish for mounds of sweet cotton candy-scented bubbles will be granted! There’s enough magic in this wand for several baths full of candy-scented bubbles and sweet pink waters, so pop it on the side of your tub for the next time you need a magical bathtime escape.

As the description states, Magic Wand is a reusable bubble bar - the bubbles themselves are created by swishing the bubble bar in running water until satisfied. The scent of the bar is much like that of the much loved Snow Fairy and this factor definitely makes it one of my favourite Christmas products from Lush. I'd say you can get around 3-5 baths from it making it also one of most cost effective bubble bars in the range which is always something that I look for!

The design of this bubble bar is also super cute with the glitter coating and the pretty little silver bow wrapped around the handle with a bell attached - it's festive yet still girly and cute which I love!

LUSH FOCUS | PEEPING SANTA

If you don't already know, I love Lush products. I especially love their bath bombs and melts - they are one of my favourite ways to relax and pamper myself. So in a new series of posts, I thought I'd feature different products from Lush (mainly their bath products) and give you a short breakdown and review of each of them.  Today's post is going to focus on a Christmas bubble bar - Peeping Santa.

A Christmas favourite, Peeping Santa is a bubble bar containing ingredients such as: shea butter, bergamot oil, geranium oil and olibanum oil. Lush's official description of the product is:

Santa may use his dairy-free chocolate eyes to see who's been naughty or nice come Christmas, but, at this time of year, he also looks out for the perfect batch of hand-churned shea butter. Nipping over to Ghana, he visits the Ojoba women's cooperative, who crack and churn the shea pods into a rich, chocolatey butter. Blended with Fair Trade, organic cocoa butter, this indulgent combination is sandwiched between fragrant bergamot and geranium oils. Crumble under running water for sack loads of fruity bubbles.

Ingredients:

• Sodium Bicarbonate
 
• Cream of Tartar
 
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
 
• Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter
 
• Lauryl Betaine
 
• Cornflour
 
• Laureth 4
 
• Bergamot Oil
 
• Olibanum Oil
 
• Geranium Oil
 
• Fair Trade Shea Butter
 
• Benzyl Alcohol
 
• Hexyl Cinnamal
 
• *Linalool
 
• Colour 14700
 
• Colour 45380:3
 
• Dark Chocolate

• 
  

*occurs naturally in essential oils.

I love the cute design of this bar and especially this chocolate eyes which is a cute little detail. The scent is mild and pleasant - mainly smelling of both the shea and cocoa butter. Being a melt, I find this bar to also be fairly moisturising - though not as much so as something like Butterbear / Ball. It's definitely moisturising enough however that you feel it and don't necessarily need to moisturise after if you don't want to. This bubble bar definitely does go a long way - I decided to use half but I think you could certainly use a quarter and still get the same results. Overall, this is a lovely, relaxing and moisturising bubble bar that I'd definitely recommend you pick up around Christmas time!

2017 READING CHALLENGE

As a child, reading was easily my biggest passion. I loved to write but I especially loved to read. I would visit my school library and hire out several books each week and spend all of my free time lost in a new fictional world. As an adult, I haven't lost that passion for reading, I've simply lost the time for it. At least that's what I tell myself. So, for 2017 I'm setting myself a goal to get myself back on track to reading regularly again. I'm going to compile a list of books I want to read / re-read and I have until December 2017 to complete that list so wish me luck! I've decided on a modest goal of 25 books - a number that I'll hopefully exceed.

Yeah.. I have a Kindle. I know some avid readers are quite against e-readers but for me and my current limited space, real tactile books just aren't practical - whilst I do own a few and nothing quite beats a real book in your hand, my Kindle has been my main literary outlet and I love it!

Here's my list:

1. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy (All 3 Volumes) By J.R.R Tolkien

2. 1984 by George Orwell

3. Never Let Me Go by Kashuo Ishiguro

4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harpee Lee

5. The Stranger by Albert Camus

6. Forty Years of Murder by Prof. Keith Simpson

7. Crash by JG Ballard

KEEPING ORGANISED WITH BAN.DO

I'm a sucker for organisation. I love planning and above all, I just love lists. Perhaps it's my tendency to worry that is so influential on my need to plan things but all I know is that I don't really feel like me if I'm not able to organise what I'm doing. One of the things I love that helps to keep me in check is my Ban.do diary. I first got a diary from Ban.do in 2016 when I spotted the one that my beautiful friend Tanith of ThingsTanithDid was using in University one day. She had shown me through hers and other than how beautiful it was to look at, I loved how it was laid out and organised and knew I wanted one. I swiftly went on to ASOS where I knew Ban.do organisers were sold and I bought myself the same one. I used my diary throughout 2016 and I absolutely loved it so I knew I'd want one for 2017 which is why I asked for one for Christmas! I was lucky enough to get one so in today's post I thought I'd show you through it and tell you why I like it so much.

Both the 2016 and 2017 versions of the diary are pretty much the same in terms of what they include internally. The only key differences that the 2017 version has is the size and layout of these sections. For starters, the 2017 diary is much wider and contains fewer pages. This does mean that the diary is a little bit on the bigger side so it isn't going to necessarily fit in a bag as easily as the narrower 2016 one did. I don't mind this too much however as I find it fits easily into near enough all the bags that I use including my current one. The diary also has a beautiful floral design just as last years did except this one is designed using more muted, pastel colours which I really love.

Inside of the diary there's a handy pocket for documents containing a cute little slip which details the diary's "Secret Code" - symbols that are scattered around the pages of the diary and which are encoded messages that you can decode in your spare time. The diary also has within in two full pages of adorable little stickers - I especially love this little novelty addition to the diary as it allows you to really personalise it.

As you enter the actual pages of the diary itself, you firstly find a layout of the year showing you all the days of each month from January 2017 on to December 2018. Then, there's also a page allowing you to write down some notes or "Reasons to Party" for each month of 2017 as well as a neat little list of the nation holidays of the year too.

As we get into the pages for every month, each section is divided with a handy side tab meaning you can easily flick between months to find a specific date or page. The first page of each month shows you a layout of each day of the said month giving you room to write down a small note or two. Whilst the 2016 Ban.do diary also had a section for each day of each week of every month, the 2017 version has downsized on this and decided to simply divide each bit of its pages into weekly sections. I like this change as when I finished University in particular, I didn't feel that I needed room for each day of the week for note taking and so that left a lot of blank space in my diary. Having sections for each week of the month rather than each day for me means i'm more likely to utilise all of the space in the diary - there is also a small notes section provided on each month page for any extra things that you may need to jot down too!

As well as novel little additions like the secret code on certain pages of the diary, there's also motivational sayings and messages of encouragement too. I think this is a lovely addition to the diary and it's nice to be able read a comforting and feel good message now and then! Finally, at the very end of the diary there's a super large section of pages for notes - always handy as you never know when you may need to write something down.

Overall, I think this is an awesome diary - from it's layout to its design, I'm really impressed with how it's been produced and I know I'll definitely get a lot of use out of it just as I did with last years. Organisation is something that is important for me and having such a useful, handy diary like this one means that planning is so much easier. If you're on the look out for a good planner, I'd certainly recommend this one!

As mentioned above, you can get Ban.do diaries from ASOS as well as from retails such as John Lewis and Selfridges. 

Instant Memories

For a long time now, I have loved and appreciated photography. I love the fact that I can capture a moment in time - everlasting within an image for me to look back upon and reminisce of times gone by. So when I was gifted an Instax Mini 8 for Christmas, it's safe to say I was more than pleased about it. My friend James gifted the camera to me and my other lovely friend Heather got me the accessory pack that matches - also containing a selfie attachment which is totally appropriate for me.

After receiving it just before Christmas, I have been pretty obsessed with capturing festive moments and photo-worthy snapshots these past few days. What I find so cool about this camera is the fact that it's a polaroid and that you can have your image in your hand within seconds ready for you to admire. This instant component of the camera is what I think makes capturing images on it it so much more meaningful as you're much more aware of wanting to capture a special photo - you get one shot to get the image you want and so it really makes you appreciate what you're snapping even more in a way. 

Being a polaroid, every image also has this lovely, vintage feel and look about it and once again it really adds that special something to taking a photo - it draws you back to childhood memories and reminds of you a time when moments couldn't simply be recorded with the tap of a phone screen.

I have been writing the dates and a small description on each of the images I've taken so far. I plan to use these as part of a scrapbook I'm (eventually) going to compile. This camera is actually a brilliant tool for the scrapbooker as your images are printed there and then for you and ready to add straight away.

So, as you can probably tell I'm totally in love with this camera and I know I'll definitely be getting a whole lot of use out of it. If you're a photography lover, this may be something you'd be interested in and I'd certainly recommend it!

LIFESTYLE | 5 Months, 5 Goals

Whilst I'm not one for new year's resolutions, I do believe in setting goals for yourself and putting your mind to things that you'd like to achieve - however big or small. I am an individual who enjoys looking ahead and I especially love to plan and have goals set in place as it makes me feel like I'm on track and moving forward in some way. With that in mind and with 5 remaining months left in the year, I thought I'd share 5 goals that I'd like to make a reality whether in their complete entirety or just in some small way.

1. Start Learning to Drive

At 21 (almost 22, yay!) it's safe to say I'm over the whole public transport thing and whilst it's a notion that completely terrifies me, I would like to start learning how to drive. I'd like to begin my theory revision and eventually my lessons in the next few months, hopefully things go well for me and I'll be causing around in no time!

2. Workout Regularly Again

I've fallen off the workout bandwagon recently and definitely want to get back on it. The gym has never been an environment for exercise that has interested me so at home workouts are definitely more my cup of tea and so I plan to start making time for these!

3. Find a New Job

As a soon to be official graduate, I am now in that stage of my life where I (try to) figure out what kind of career path I'd like to take. I want to have hopefully secured a job within that area within the next few months or to be on the way to doing so - fingers crossed.

That Feeling

Sometimes it's easy to get stuck in a rut. It gets hard to remember what you're supposed to be doing and more than that, why you're supposed to be doing it. You lose your sense of motivation and you lose your drive. The things you used to find interesting don't seem to feel that way anymore. The work you have piled up to do seems pointless, worthless even. 

You feel lonely. Disconnected with the world for reasons you can't quite comprehend.

It's difficult to get out of this rut, to shake off this inescapable feeling. I feel it's one we have all experienced to a degree - its difficult to name but easy enough to recognise when you describe its symptoms. I've been stuck in this rut lately and I'm now in the midst of trying to get myself out.

Bioglan Supergreens Powder

Today I'm mixing it up a little bit and doing a post that I've never actually done before; I'm going to be reviewing a food/drink item. The item in question is the Supergreens Powder from the brand Bioglan. 

But first, a little bit of information behind the product...

Bioglan's Supergreens Powder is a mixture containing all sorts of nutritional ingredients that are derived from fruits, vegetables, greens, herbs and live cultures. There are varying flavours in the range but each serving of this powder is at least the equivalent of 10 portions of fruit and vegetables.

That all sounds pretty impressive, right? The whole concept that I could simply drink 10 portions of fruit and vegetables is what really caught my attention and so I decided I just had to give this product a go. In terms of preparation, you have quite a few options regarding how you consume this powder. You can for instance, put it into milkshakes, juices or even yoghurts - though there really aren't any rules in how you want to have it - whatever works for you.

As far as I have seen and researched, there are currently 3 flavours available in this range and I have tried all of them. My favourite by far is probably the Cacao mix which is equivalent to 14 portions of fruit and veg and my least favourite has to be the "Tropical" flavour (which tastes anything but) that is the equivalent to 10. Finally, there's also the Berry Burst flavour which doesn't have much to it in terms of taste but it is still quite pleasant. As I said, the Cacao mix is definitely my favourite because when mixed with milk, it literally just tastes like chocolate Nesquik which is a win for me.

In terms of seeing any effects or changes from using this product, I'd definitely say that it is a little early to really tell if anything big has happened. Like any healthy lifestyle change, you need to give it time for you to see improvements and development and this would need to be a product that you are regularly consuming. However, it is still in my opinion nice to know that I am consuming ingredients and nutrients that are good for me and having read reviews from others that have consistently used this product, it has definitely been said that they feel and even look better! I will be sure to update you guys in the near future on my thoughts and feelings on this product after continuous use - this post is mainly an overall review on my opinions on its concept and to tell you all about it.

At a price of £21.99, I do think this product is quite expensive but when I consider what it claims to be giving you in just one portion, it actually isn't that bad of a deal. One packet will last you for 2 weeks - for me, I have even found I can sometimes get 3 weeks use out of it, too. If we compare how much it would cost to physically eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetable a day, I think we can begin to see that the price difference may not actually be that big. Another thing that makes this product a little more worth it for me is the fact that it is regularly apart of Holland and Barretts "Penny Sale" offer meaning you can get over £40 worth (2 packets) of this product for the price of one - and that is when I like to buy it.

Overall, I think this is an interesting concept and one in which I think is definitely worth giving a go. Of course, already consuming fruits and vegetables in still definitely important but I think that this product is a great way to get some extra nutrition into your system which can't be a bad thing. As stated above, I'll definitely get into a more consistent regime with this product and I shall share with you my results in doing so!

My Favourite Teas!

I am an avid tea drinker, it is probably one of the most quintessential British qualities that I possess. Though I am definitely accustomed to a good old cup of traditional English tea, I thought it only right to branch out a little and try some different kinds of tea. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you some of my favourite teas!

1. Twinings Fruit Tea Selection 25 Pack | £1.50

I really enjoy this selection of tea because it has a great range of flavours within it. All of the teas are caffeine free and made with natural ingredients which means they're great to relax with and enjoy any time of the day. 

There are five flavours in this selection which are: Strawberry & Raspberry (my personal favourite), Cranberry & Blood Orange, Blackcurrant & Vanilla, Mango & Strawberry and Cranberry & Raspberry.

2. Teapigs Green Tea with Mint | £4.19

I am a fan of peppermint tea but usually find it too strong for my liking. Recently however, I found this green tea from the brand Teapigs that has mint infused within it. For me, this is the perfect balance of the mint flavour and I think it works really well with the taste of green tea. The flavour is strong but not overpowering and the particular green tea they use in this brand is not as astringent and so is actually more on the sweeter side!

3. Clipper's Green Tea | £2.99

This particular tea is very refreshing and is in my opinion, just an all round easy to drink tea whatever the time of day. It makes a great replacement for normal tea and it's flavour isn't too overpowering either which I enjoy. I do like to add sugar to this as sweeter teas are more to my taste but it does taste very pleasant without it! If you're new to trying herbal and fruit teas, this is a great one to begin with.

What are some of your favourite teas? I'd love to know!

My Little Box: April 2015

Well, it's been a while hasn't it? My apologies - as you probably all know by now, I'm a Uni student and sometimes I get pretty swamped with assignments and deadlines. This past week has been one of those weeks in which I've basically been doing work non-stop - the joys! Anyway, I'm back and today I'm doing something a little different - an unboxing of sorts.

I've always wanted to subscribe to a good beauty box - I've tried Glossy Box and was not impressed at all but I've still been on the search for a good one. I've seen 'My Little Box' a lot on other peoples blogs and so decided to check out their site. My Little Box is described as:

"A handpicked and beautifully designed box of fashion, beauty and lifestyle surprises. With accessories, products and other goodies created exclusively for you and based around a different them every month, each box promise to delight the lucky recipient - be it you or a friend."

So, after checking out their site, I decided to go ahead and order my first box which was for the month of April. The theme of this months box was Dreams. Upon getting my box in the mail and checking it out I was instantly in love with its design and packaging. It feels and looks very cute, girly and most of all, like someone has put a lot of effort into it which I am a fan of.

Anyway, lets get into the box now. The first thing I saw in this box was a super cute piece of paper with an inspiring quote on it from Walt Disney. On the back, it encourages you to send yourself an email about your goals which via their website you will receive in exactly one years time. I feel like this is a really cute and fun little task you can do for yourself and the piece of paper will look great in a frame or just stuck somewhere on your wall for you to see! Under the paper was the 'My Little World' magazine that I believe always accompanies these boxes. It has some interesting tutorials, interviews as well as a little note area for you to write down your dreams for the month.

Underneath those two was the actual contents and items within the box - kept together neatly with a cute little bow. The first items I received were in a lovely little envelope-type container illustrated beautifully by My Little Box's own artist known as 'Kamako'. 

Within the container was an adorable stamp set with all sorts of awesome sayings and phrases on it - this is a great little piece to decorate your notebooks and diaries with and I think it will look really cute on display too. (I feel like I'm going to be saying cute a lot in regards to this box).

Rotating Stamp Set - £8.00, mylittlecorner.fr

I also received a little pendant necklance from the French designer Delphine Pariente as well as a 20% discount for her boutique items.

'Bonnie Etoile' Necklace - £20.00, Delphine Pariente

Next, in a little draw string bag (which you can totally re-use for something else) were the rest of items I received as well a card that tells you the price and information about your products. Firstly, there was a 100ml sized bottle containing a hair mask - this mask is from My Little Box's own beauty range; My Little Beauty. It has walnut oil and shea butter and is a repairing mask for dry and damaged hair.

 I also received a roll on, solid perfume from the brand Sabe Masson. Made in France, this perfume is non-alcholic and made from natural ingredients. The scent I got, 'Copacobana' is very fresh and pleasant - a lovely day time fragrance.

I also received a tinted Lip Balm from the Loved By range - it has a subtle, natural red tint to it which makes it perfect to apply on the go and keep in your bag at all times!

Sabe Masson Solid Perfume - £15.00, www.sabemasson.com/en/magasins
My Little Beauty's Repairing Mask for Dry Ends - £7.00, mylittlecorner.fr
Lip Balm Loved by Lou Lesage, £8.00, mylittlecorner.com

And that was everything for the contents of this months My Little Box! Overall, I'm really impressed with the box - the items themselves totalled £58 in their individual worth with the box itself only costing me £11 plus p&p! 

Not only that, I really love the unique packaging and the time taken to make the box about more than just the products - encouraging us to take part in cute little tasks as well as take part in their tutorials and DIY's.

 I think this is really lovely subscription service and I'm very impressed with how everything is put together and given to you - it's unique and I love the fact that a lot of the products are from France meaning a lot of the stuff are things we cannot easily get here in the UK. This is a service I think I'll definitely be continuing and I look forward to next month!

Are you subscribed to any monthly box's? If so, which ones?!