A must share

All Time Favourite - Make-Up Remover for Eyes

A product I need to highly recommend and also commend as a purchase that does what it says on the bottle is Nivea's Double Effect Eye Make-Up Remover. I first came over this product in an advert and decided to try it out. I've always been on the search for a great mascara remover because waterproof mascara is the only type that will hold my lashes up but the downside is that it can be a pain to remove. 

Nivea have claimed that the remover dissolves even extreme waterproof mascara without rubbing and works due to the Cornflower Extract. It also protects sensitive eyelashes with its caring bi-phase formula and does not leave any unpleasant greasy residue. I was pretty much sold by the description!

But since I had previously tried many 'waterproof make-up removers' before that all claimed to be THE one that could do the best job, I had a biased opinion that it would not be all that. 

But I was wrong...

After shaking up the liquid and soaking two cotton pads for my eyes, I held it onto my eye make-up for about 5-10 seconds and as if by magic, one swipe and the majority of my make up had transferred onto the pad, I couldn't believe it! I tried it with all types of eye make-up to just make sure and it really is compatible with any product. As previously mentioned, many products will advertise themselves to the one that will do the job, however this only really does!

This make-up remover can honestly be called a holy grail. 

If you are a make-up wearer who uses anything fancy for the eyes, I seriously recommend this product. I cannot praise it enough for doing exactly what it claims to do. It also does not feel like chemical or anything harmful and importantly does not affect my contact lenses when I have those in. It is a super product and something I will continually have as one of my staples. It also makes me optimistic about Nivea's skincare range! 

Do you have any highly recommended products you like to go to?

Please let me know in the comments below!

Love Anna x

Istanbul, Turkey

I'm back...

So it really has been a while and a lot has happened since the last time I posted! But it makes me excited to be back as I have lots to share and I can't wait to get posting and showing you all what I've been up to. 
Most of my time has been dedicated to my job which has been such an experience. I met so many amazing people and learnt so much :) 

Then I've been travelling quite a few times! and that's where I'm going to begin...

With a flashback to Istanbul!

I went for a week in July with my boyfriend and his family and we stayed at the Arena Hotel, located around the corner from various iconic sights. 
The hotel was a perfect combination of traditional and modern which I loved.
The holiday was mostly spent with each other, exploring the different sites that Istanbul had and tasting some of the local cuisine.
So as always, this post is pretty bombarded with pictures! 

The Obelisk of Theodosius

The famous Blue Mosque that had the most intricate ceiling and walls.

For our first night, we dined at a restaurant close to where our hotel was and it gave us the first glimpse of the cuisine served in Istanbul. Something we certainly learned from our eating experience was that Istanbul dishes are very meaty with only tiny side portions of vegetables, so I was definitely craving fresh fruit and salad by the end of the holiday.

Our favourite dessert that we use to have after dinner was assorted baklava! Due to Ramadan, there was a small lane of market stalls near our hotel that came alive at night and had fancy treats of Istanbul for the locals to feast on when the sun set and the baklava definitely went down a treat for us all. There was also the traditional turkish delight which was interesting to taste as well.

One of my personal favourite places that we visited was The Grand Bazaar, which was filled with loads of small stores filled with detailed and delicate turkish finds and also LOADS of fake designer goods. I loved the colourful and mesmerising lanterns that were hung across the bazaar, I was really tempted to buy one however decided not to after realising I'd run the risk of completely smashing it on the journey home.  

Our visit to Topkaki Palace was rich of colours, patterns and luxury. We got to walk across a lot of the ground and see so many aspects of the palace, each as elegantly designed as the other, which makes you think how much time was put into it. 

For one of the evenings, we went to a really 'must-try' restaurant called 'khorasani' which specialises in kebabs and grills. It was so popular with us that we returned another night, so I definitely recommend this place if anyone is visiting the area!

Towards the end of the trip, we took a boat tour of the Bosphorus. It was fun as the top of our boat was fake grass and open top so we got to soak in a lot of the sun as we viewed all the famous sights. 

We also got to take the ferry to visit other areas such as Maiden's Tower, located on a small islet. After arriving by a small boat, we climbed to the top of the tower where we viewed parts of Istanbul.  

We had dinner at Aras, where we got to try the slow cooked clay pots and these get smashed open top or bottom at your table, so its like a type of personal show before you get to feast away. One of our favourite dishes of the trip, had to be the classic mixed meze plates as it was perfect for trying different flavours and for dipping our bread into.

After dinner that night we took a visit to Basilica Cistern, the ancient cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul. There was something so mystical about the tunnels in the darkness along with the fish swimming under the walkways.

For our second to last meal, we decided to try out a recommendation made to us, a restaurant called amedros. I always trust a highly rated tripadvisor restaurant and after dining there, I definitely have to say it deserves all of those great reviews. It had a great atmosphere, the staff were polite and importantly...the food looked and tasted delicious!

Istanbul was a great place to visit with fabulous sights and great food. I definitely recommend it for those who like to take cultural walks and are massive meat eaters! The restaurants, 'khorasani' and 'amedros', we went to are definitely worth a try if you are in the area as I can guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Despite going at an interesting time of the year, which allowed us to see how locals celebrate Ramadan and Eid, the sights are still accessible throughout the year and it's a great city to travel to. 

Have anyone to be Istanbul before? Please share your experiences in the comments below!

Love Anna x

School Reunion

5 Years On...

It's crazy how fast times passes and on May 9th of this year, it marked my 5 year anniversary of leaving school. We all got invited to a school reunion and I couldn't wait to go back and see how much of it had remained the same and changed too...

The best part was seeing my friends and having an amazing lunch together reminiscing about the old days. It was also great to see the teachers who were still there and the classrooms we use to sit in. Especially as we walked around, it felt so odd thinking that it had already been 5 years since we last roamed the school grounds and now we are either studying to a graduate degree or working! Here's a few photos to share though :)

(We noticed in the handout that they put in a picture of Susan, Nadine and I in the old common room and by chance in the lunch we were sitting together as well!)

Sitting in our old chemistry seats! Such good memories here :)

Forever an OHS girl and proud!

Love Anna x