The Beauty Blogger Tag 2014

Here's a secret for you: whenever I feel like I'm unable to write, I look for a tag. It just gets puts me in the mood again. I was doing that exactly when I came across The Beauty Blogger Tag 2014 over on Beauty and the Bird's blog. I haven't been nominated, but I thought it would be fun to do it anyway. I think it might just be the second tag I've ever published (I did write a Spring Tag!), so let's hope it's not too boring for you haha

I'm not going to nominate anyone, but if you happen to read this post and want to answers these questions, let me know so I can have a look (you can tweet me at @thearistochats!).

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Curly. I'm a curly haired mess.

2. What is your natural hair color?

The one you see in the pictures, light brown.

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I haven't done it in about three years as I'm rocking my natural hair color now but if I only wanted to dye it (no highlights or anything like that) then I would get my mum to do it for me. She used to work at a hair salon so she knows what she's doing!

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Too often. When I have to go to class, that is, Monday - Thursday, I wash my hair every night. Yes, I know it's awful. I know I shouldn't do it. But I just can't stand unwashed hair. Major pet peeve right there.

5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it?

I never really get too far from my style. I wish I did, but I'm just not brave enough to change it up that much.

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do it myself. I actually find it relaxing!

7. How often do you change your nail polish?

Once a week. Every Sunday is Manicure Sunday!

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just in the summer?

In the winter too.

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

It depends on how much I'm putting on and also on how much time you give me. If you tell me I have to be ready in ten minutes, I will, but if you give me two hours then I will definitely take my time.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face. Unless I'm doing a dark smokey eye, otherwise it gets everywhere and ughhhh having to do your face (or concealer, at least) all over again? Ain't nobody got time for that!

11. Do you *collect* makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I'd say I just buy what I think I need but a couple of colourful palettes and a bunch of lipsticks might not agree with me on this one...

12. How often do you wear false lashes?

Never. My lashes are long enough, so give me a good mascara and I'm ready to go.

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

If I'm going to university or meeting someone, then yes. If I'm just running errands around town I'm totally okay with my (almost) bare face - I always wear mascara and concealer!

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

Nope. I do if I'm going over to somebody's place, even if it's my family, but I don't put on any makeup just because we have visitors. 

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

I do it quite often and I'm okay with it, but as I said I usually always wear, at least, mascara.

16. How many high ends products do you have?

Not many, actually! I don't make that much money and so I'd rather to spend 40€ on three different eye palettes than a single bottle of NARS foundation.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

Definitely not often enough...

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

I do plan everything every night and it takes me forever.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

Uh, I use different ones for uni and when I'm going out so I don't really get tired of them. I just change them when I find new bags that I love.

20. What time do you get up and go to sleep?

On schooldays, I wake up at 7:30 and go to sleep at 12 or 1 am. If I don't have any plans I usually wake up at around 10:30 and I'm a bit of a night owl.

21. How often and when do you work out?

I didn't use to work out at all but for the past few weeks I've been doing it every single day in the evenings. It's making me feel so much better about myself.

22. Left-handed or right-handed?

Right-handed.

23. How tall are you?

5'3".

24. Do you speak any foreign language?

I speak English, Spanish and Catalan. I did take Italian last year but my knowledge of the language is actually quite limited. Scusa!

25. How many pets do you have?

I have a beautiful dog named Bonnie and she's everything.

26. How often are you on Blogger?

All the time, basically.

27. Do you read the comments posted on your blog?

Obviously. I love it when someone takes the time to comment. :)

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

I don't, actually, but I definitely should.

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

The Aristocats was one of my favourite movies as a child since I wanted this blog to be a place where we could chat, not only about beauty, but about everything in general... voilà! The Aristochats!

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

My old -but very useful- Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS.

31. How often do you clean your house?

Ahhhh, I put it off as much as possible...

32. What is your favourite colour?

Dark plummy pink.

33. What is your favourite beauty/fashion magazine?

Glamour, probably.

34. Do you swear?

Sadly, yes. Not as much when I'm speaking Spanish, but I do swear in English sometimes. 

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Right after I publish this post I need to go to work and then I'll come back home and do some reading (I'll probably end up watching Criminal Minds...).


Remember to tag me if you do it! :)

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Beauty Haul: Sleek, Revolution, Rimmel & Maybelline

I'm going to go ahead and confess something: I did not buy a single beauty product this summer. None. I bought so many things last Spring that I felt like I just had to at least use some of them before I even thought about spending more money. It worked, I've been using products that I had barely even looked at before, so that was good. However, my spending ban came to an end a couple of weeks ago.

It all started because I needed a couple of things to feel prepared to kick off the new school year, so I went to The Body Shop and got their All-In-One BB cream (review here). Then I also had to get a new concealer because mine was running out and funnily enough I didn't have any other that I liked at home. I went to the mall, got another tube of my current favourite drugstore concealer... and then I started spending money on makeup again. (As you will see the economic damage is not irreparable so I should not be sent to Shopaholic Anonymous. Yet.)

I'd had my eyes on the Makeup Revolution palettes for a while now, especially on the Girls On Film one, but to purchase it I would have had to buy it online and we all know what happens when you want to buy one thing online. It's never just one thing. You end up with a full online basket. I was able to control myself, though, and I ended up getting only that palette plus Sleek's Blush By 3 palette in Sweet Cheeks... for 2'95€. Three blushers for less than 3€. I cannot believe life. I have not had the time to try them all yet, but I used the Candy Floss, darkest shade, yesterday and the colour payoff is unbelievable. Now that's how you shop.

As I said, originally I went out to buy a new tube of the Match Perfection concealer by Rimmel, which is great for every day use -even though the applicator is not my favourite thing-, but I ended up getting an eye liner and one of the new Baby Lips. I don't think it shows on camera but the eye liner, from the Soft Kohl collection by Rimmel, is *drum roll* purple! I keep hearing how purple eye liners make brown eyes stand out and so I had to give that a go. And lastly, apparently I was all about purple that day because I got the Berry Bomb lip balm. I didn't know whether I'd like it on the lips or not but somebody blogged about it (can't remember the blog, sorry!) and she absolutely convinced me. This is definitely going to be in my makeup bag every single day this autumn.

What have you bought lately?

Have you tried any of the products I mentioned?

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Fall Style Inspiration: Taylor Swift

It's no secret that I have always loved Taylor Swift (her music, her style, her different hairstyles, herself), but ever since the she moved to New York City a few months ago she seems to be living on a constant catwalk. While looking at pictures I read some comments saying that her style change must have had to do with her hanging out with certain Victoria's Secret models more and honestly, if that's the case, bless Karlie Kloss. I may be biased, but she has been looking amazing.

While there are certain outfits I can only admire from a distance and wish I could pull them off, just like I mentioned on my Bethany Joy Lenz style post (here), I think most of Taylor's outfits are very wearable and most of us could easily pull them off to go to work, uni or just to run some errands. Or an affordable version of them, at least! You will see that most pictures were taken quite a few months ago since her style has been a lot more summery lately, obviously, but I thought we could take a look and get some inspiration for the upcoming months. 

From all black combos to colourful jeans and the loveliest jumper (I can't even tell you how much I love that one), she always looks on point. She's got a very neat, classy style that makes me think this is just how Old Hollywood stars would look if they were thrown into the stardom nowadays. I also love the red lip ("Dragon Girl" from NARS!), which she very rarely seems to leave the house without and it's become kind of her trademark.

What's your favourite outfit? And style icon?
Let me know!

Tania x

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#1Day10Pics - Back to Uni

Not long ago, I came across a post that really caught my attention. It was written by Kerri from Crumbs in The Bed, with the title "#1day12pics || A Day In The Life". I was immediately attracted to the idea so I started wondering whether I could pull that off... then, as it usually happens when I start overthinking, I tried to brush it off. Most days my life is not that interesting anyway and my post would mostly include a bunch of pictures of my dog and some Criminal Minds screenshots. But I was absentmindedly ignoring the fact that I was going back to uni this Monday and so, after overcoming my pre-final year blues, I decided to documment my day. It is surely not going to be that interesting, and I'm definitely kind of shy when it comes to taking pictures (stupid, I know), but I tried my best. 

Here's a day in the life of me - featuring sunrises, sunsets and a shameless selfie that I'm going to regret posting as soon as I hit Publish. And my dog. Obviously. Enjoy!

I had the earliest start I've had in a while, which neither me or that lovely ball of brown fur were too happy about. Fortunately, and basically just because it was my first day, I was in a good mood. Two highlights about that part of my day: I met a really nice girl at the bus stop who just moved to town and I got to watch the sun rise from there as well. Only good part about being up that early in the morning!

Waiting for the train for thirty/fourty minutes every day can definitely be a pain in the butt, but it all looks a lot better when you've got a good book to read. I'm currently reading and loving The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen and it was so nice to be back in my usual spot... wait, that sounds lame, doesn't it?! Haha, it's true though! I know lots of people hate routine but I don't. That's something I definitely love about being back.

Then we picked up our new folders and planners and met for coffee before going to class. I mean, what do you go to uni for if it's not to sit at the cafeteria?

Eeeek, I missed a bunch of hours! The truth is I was in class from 10 to 1, then I rushed back home and then I spent some time with my little cousin, whose mum I'm not sure would want her pictures on the internet, so I'm just gonna save those for myself.  After all that, I went through my notes and wrote them out neatly (ooh, such a good student... yeah, but that doesn't really happen that often after the first week!) and watched a few YouTube videos, including Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee's new Amazing Impressions one which cracked me up. Then I decided I'd go running, but that didn't really happen as I was extremely exhausted, so I ended up just going for a mountain walk. Good enough, right?

All that happened afterwards was just too boring to take pictures of, just standard weeknight procedures, so that's where my #1Day10Pics ends. It wasn't the most exiciting day, but I enjoyed taking a few snaps here and there! I hope you're having an amazing week and if you're starting/going back to class this week as well, I hope you're having a great time :)

Love,

Tania x

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Let's Chat: Final Year Worries

I had a cute little post scheduled for today, something about a coffee shop we found in the city last week, but I decided to leave that for some other day last minute. The reason? My mind's not really focusing on anything other than the fact that tomorrow marks the first day of my -hopefully- last year of university.

I've been at  university for three years now, as it's a four-year degree, and so far it's all been good. Most of the time I love what we're doing and it's only when we have too many tests to study for and too many papers to work on that I'm truly stressed and willing to drop out and join the circus or something (just kidding... but that would be pretty cool). I work hard, again, most of the time, and so passing all of my subjects and generally being what I guess you could call a successful student has not been that hard - especially last year. Surely there have been some difficult times, but in the end it's always been alright. So why am I so afraid of this new school year?

The answer is very simple: it's my last. I'm not nearly as scared about this year as I am about what's going to come next. I have always known I wanted to go to university, even before I even knew what university really was or what I wanted to study, but I have never been certain of anything beyond that. This is as far as my life plan goes. It's not that I don't have dreams or goals - I definitely do. There are many things that I want to do, and they are all so different that I'm just really scared of having to choose. Of choosing the wrong thing. Of chasing two rabbits and catching neither. Of what comes next.

On a lighter note, I'm really excited to go back this year. I want to see everyone and see what my new classes are all about and all that, so I'm pretty sure once tomorrow comes and things go back to normal I'll feel a lot better about it. For now, though, I just wanted to be honest, both with you reading this and, most importantly, with myself. I'm scared and that's okay. Now let's beat this year's ass. ;)

Tania x

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First Impressions: The Body Shop "All-In-One" BB Cream

This poser wanted to be in the pictures as well...

and who am I to say no? ;)

I have always been a foundation kind of girl. Give me medium coverage and I'm happy. However, I tan very easily and 1) I really enjoy seeing my tanned face without a lot of product on (gotta make the most of it while it lasts) and 2) my foundation is now too light for me, so I was on the hunt for a new one. I didn't know which one I wanted, but I did know I wanted light coverage and I had seen bloggers rambling about The Body Shop's BB Creams, both the All-In-One and the Tea Tree one, and so I decided to take a trip downtown and check them out myself.

 After asking the lovely girls at The Body Shop, they told me that the All-In-One would be best for my skin. Tea Tree is supposed to absorb the oils off your face and, having very dry skin, that's probably not a good idea for me. The All-In-One feels a lot lighter, which is what I was looking for anyway, and so I decided to give it a try. The downside to reading so many good reviews, though, is that your expectations are too high. I don't know what I was expecting, but at first I definitely didn't like it.

It goes on smoothly on your skin and just a little bit goes a long way, so there's no need to worry about how small the tube might look. As you can see in the pictures, it comes off white but as you blend it in it adapts to the colour of your skin, which is what I needed (see how dark my skin looks? My mum says whenever I use bright nail polish it looks like I have dirty hands. So funny, my mum). However, being used to foundation, I got the impression that this barely gives you any coverage at all... buuuutttt after applying a little bit of bronzing powder and blush, I did look a lot more alive and, to be honest, my skin had such a natural finish. It looked like my own skin, but better. Even my mum noticed the change and loved it. At night I used a makeup remover wipe (ooh, cheating) just to see how much product came off and the answer is barely any. I guess it starts wearing off after a few hours, but it feels so light on your face that you barely notice. 

So, in a nutshell, very light coverage but very natural finish. Not sure yet if I would repurchase, but for now it's a win for me!
Have you tried it? Did you like it? 

Tania x

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Autumnal Nails

One would think that while visiting another city, you would actually walk into the stores you don't have in your hometown. Yeah. Right. It makes sense. It just doesn't apply to me.

While wandering around the streets of Madrid at the end of August, I spotted what's probably one of my favourite makeup stores when it comes to certain products: KIKO. If you live abroad, if could be a weird or exciting find, because as far as I know you don't have that many KIKO stores. Here, in Spain? It's a very popular brand, so it's not surprising to spot a little store, whether you're in Barcelona or Madrid (or any other Spanish city that I have not had the pleasure of visiting yet!). I obviously had to walk in and take a little look at their sales. I was travelling on a budget after all!

Their range of nail polish is, well, pretty much huge. Don't believe me? Check it out here. No matter how many times you've seen it, it's always impressive to walk in and see that massive stand with so many colours to choose from. And, obviously, you always end up purchasing some - especially if they're 1,50€! (Their usual price is 2'90€, I believe, which is not that expensive anyway.) After a good 20 minutes going through a million shades, I finally chose three very autumnal colours.

243: a dark purple, burgundy colour, which is perfect for the cooler seasons. I'm a huge fan of dark nails but not such a big fan of black polish, so I've gone through several bottles of very similar colours to this one and I love it.

318: Although I love pink nails, personally I don't think it's easy to pull them off in the winter/autumn. Maybe that's just me. Anyway, I thought this dusty pink shade was a great alternative for brighter pinks.

329: I've been trying to get into the white nails kind of trend, but it just isn't for me - it's too much like wearing Tipp-Ex on your fingers! However, I think I may have found the alternative that works for me: a very light gray shade with blue-ish undertones.

What are your favourite nail colours for autumn? 

Tania x

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From High School to University: Tips & FAQ

 Credit

I remember my first day of university like it was yesterday. I was shaking-legs kind of nervous - had been that way for a whole week. For the previous six years I'd attended the same high school, with the same people, the same teachers and the comfort of having the building five minutes away from home. I didn't have to move away for college, luckily, but to get there I would have to take the bus and the train every single day for the following four years. So different from what my high school journey was like for me.

The first thing you need to remember is that you're not alone. Everyone's in the same situation. There are very few people who go to university with friends, very few, so you should remember that everyone's feeling as lost as you are. Everyone's nervous, anxious and overwhelmed. It's a new environment for everybody, so that's what makes it easier to make friends. It doesn't mean you have to be friends with them forever, because you're definitely not going to like everyone you meet at university, but you will start meeting people right away. Believe me, you will find people you can trust, people you really like, people who will be nice to have by your side for the following few years - and hopefully long after you've finished your studies. If you want my advice, if what you want is to take your classes seriously and do well, which I'm guessing you do, you want to befriend people who are on the same page as you. The jokers are fine, they're oh so much fun to be around sometimes, but they will do no good to your academic life. Something you can do to start meeting new people is to set up a Facebook group. For example, "Art (University of Edinburgh) 2014 - 2015". You will be surprised how many people want to join. Plus, it's a really useful tool to have throughout the school year in case you need some information or somebody's notes if you couldn't go to class that day.

Then there's the teachers. I've been lucky with mine and I've had some amazing professors in my three years at university, but I have also come across a few demons. My advice is, no matter if you like the teacher or don't, talk to them. Ask them about the things you didn't understand. E-mail them if you're writing a paper for their class and you have some doubts. Let them know that you're interested in their classes, and also let them know that you don't agree with your mark if you think you did better than that. Don't be afraid to communicate with them. It is something that I rarely ever did in high school, but it's proven to be really useful at university. Trust me, your teachers won't bite you, and in most cases they will appreciate the interest and be really helpful with whatever you need. (Note: I'm not talking about being a suck-up. You won't get better grades just by talking to a teacher. Want better grades? Work your arse off.)

Things I wish I'd known

Is university hard?

Yes. It is hard. Especially if you're an easily overwhelmed person like me. Sometimes you might want to pull your hair out. You'll say "I'm gonna have to stay up all night" more often than you ever thought you would - and not exactly because you're going out. But it is so worth it. University is such a rewarding experience. Choose something you love and you'll survive.

What if I don't make friends?

Stop worrying - you will make friends! Everyone does. What's great about university is that there's no judging - at least not as much as in high school. It really is like going from a fish bowl to an ocean. No one cares and no one will judge you based on what you like, so it's a lot easier to get along with people. Trust me, I would know... I like One Direction. ;)

How much will I spend on books?

You are expected to spend a lot of money on books, as if university wasn't expensive enough as it is. Especially if you're doing a degree on literature. But if you have a tablet, e-reader device or even just a regular computer (if you don't mind reading from your screen), just download them. You can find most books online for free. You can even find text books now. It'll save you a lot of money! (Kickass Torrents is my best friend.)

 What if I fail a test/subject?
This is probably my very own frequently asked question. It's something that's on my mind 24/7 when it's finals season. I put more preasure on myself than my parents ever have and that's probably the worst kind of preasure. They, my parents, understand that there are things I'm not going to be that good at and they always say the same thing to me, something that we can all use: "If you do fail, it's not the end of the world." And really, it's not. It's probably going to happen - almost everyone fails at some point. It doesn't mean you're a failure. It doesn't mean you chose the wrong degree. It just means that we can't just be the best at everything. My advice? Be the best you can be. Always. Go to class (I know how tempting it is not to). Revise. And then revise some more if you feel like you could do better. That way, even if you do end up getting lower grades than you were expecting, you'll know that you have really tried. Academically speaking, there's nothing more satisfying than knowing that you have done your best.

And then, of course - have fun! You're going to learn some amazing things, which can also count as having fun, but you're definitely going to need to let go of the preasure somehow. University is a work hard, play hard kinda thing and I don't know how many more times in life we're going to be able to get away with that. Whatever might work for you, do it. Want to go out and party like a crazy animal? Don't hesitate. Want to sit and watch old re-runs of Jersey Shore with your friends? No one's stopping you. Want to blog all weekend? I don't see why not.

Good luck everyone :) 
Enjoy the ride!

Tania x

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August Highlights & Favourites

I know most people say it every single month but August really did fly by! It must have been the lack of responsabilities, or maybe lack of plans for most part of the month, for that matter; but I feel like I wrote my July Highlights post just a couple of days ago. As I said, I didn't have much going on in August as most of the people I know were away on holidays and so I was doomed to stay in my hometown for about three weeks. I read a lot (good), wrote a lot (pointless good), had a lot of time to think about me and my life choices (not so good), spent a lot of time with my family, convinced my sister to watch all four season of Teen Wolf... Guys, I even started working out. Not that it's a bad thing, obviously, but that's just how bored I was for the first few weeks.

Then I went to Madrid, which was super awesome, but you can read all about that here.

As for what I've been loving...

Books

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green

If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

The Queen of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen
(currently reading)

TV & Film

Teen Wolf is obviously the main thing I've been watching this month. I also found a TV show to fill the huge sitcom shaped hole in my heart - Young & Hungry, a silly, lighthearted comedy starring Emily Osment.

I went to the cinema to watch Begin Again with some friends from uni and I actually really liked it. It's not mind-blowing, but it's got this cute, 500 Days of Summer vibe to it. And the soundtrack? Amazing. I had Lost Stars stuck in my head for days. Another movie that really stood up to me this month was Good Will Hunting. I'd wanted to see it for the longest time and it obviously lived to -and surpassed- my expectations.

Beauty

KIKO Smart Lipstick in 914/Amaranth

Revolution Baked Blusher in "All I Think About Is You"

(got so many compliments!)

August Playlist

Albums:

Begin Again Soundtrack - Various Artists

Picture Show - Neon Trees

Believers Never Die - Fall Out Boy

Songs:

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift (!!)

All About You - Hilary Duff

Mulholland Drive - The Never Ending
Life Of The Party - Shawn Mendes
The Weight - Shawn Mendes
Not In That Way - Sam Smith 


What did you love in August?

Tania x

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Back from Madrid: Friends, Tourism & The Lion King

As I told you a couple of posts ago, I went away for the week - one of my closest friends and I finally went to Madrid, after first discussing the idea with each other over four years ago. We had both been there before but I hadn't really seen much of the city as I'd been there for entertainment purposes (ahem, concerts) so we had the best time being real, sunglases-and-tour-guide tourists!

The highlight of our trip was, obviously, the musical of The Lion King. It is unbelievable. If it happens to be near your, please, go. You won't be disappointed. It was so overwhelmingly beautiful that I started crying the moment they came on stage and boy, was it hard to stop. Another highlight was finally getting to see my friend Marina. We hadn't seen each other since early October as she lives in Madrid -having friends that live far away from you really does suck sometimes- and she spent the day with us, making us walk so much I thought I was going to pass out (jokes... kinda). It was wonderful having two of my favourite girls with me. Ladies, if you're reading this, 'cause I know you do read my blog from time to time... I love you. So much. Thank you for being the most amazing friends ever.

All of our pictures were taken with our phones as we were too lazy to carry our cameras around, but I still think they're worth sharing. :)

Quite a few, huh? Haha

Where have you been this summer? 

Tania x

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