Nokia Lumia 1520

A few months back I was offered the opportunity to review the Nokia Lumia 1520 - I know smartphones aren't technically something a beauty blogger would write about, and although I'm definitely not an expert in the field I hope you will enjoy this post anyway! :)



First of all, the Nokia Lumia 1520 is huge - I mean, that's pretty noticeable. It's way bigger than an iPhone (I have a 4S): it's basically like a smartphone and a tablet had a baby! My dad would call it "a phone for women", and I would agree, because it would only fit in a purse and not in most trouser pockets. Even though it's so wide and tall, it's very thin and super lightweight, so much more than my iPhone 4S which weighs as much as a brick. I'm so used to the size of iPhones that I was convinced I wouldn't enjoy using such a big smartphone, but strangely enough I didn't find it too cumbersome: I just don't like the fact that you have to use both hands to use it most of the time.





The quality of the screen is impressive: the colours are so bright and the resolution is extremely sharp, which makes it a pleasure to look at the screen - it definitely is the best part about this phone, together with the camera. The Lumia 1520 has four camera apps: the Nokia Pro Cam is the core camera app, which pretty much has the same functions as my DSLR has, which is pretty amazing. Nokia Creative Studio offers a few photo filters, definitely not enough for Instagram-addicts like me! Also, you have Nokia Cinemagraph to create animated gifs.

I like what the different apps do, but I would prefer having the different editing functions combined in just one app.



I love the fact that the camera captures so much details... Perfect for macro shots!

One thing I can't get myself to like is the Windows Phone 8 interface. I just find it a bit confusing, and being the OCD crazy person that I am, I much prefer the little iPhone square icons.
Also, there are not as many apps available for Windows Phone 8 like there are for iOS or Android. There are the main ones (Whatsapp, Instagram, Viber...) but the choice is not wide. 

Moreover, I found it doesn't offer a quick access to Wi-Fi settings... I just find the Nokia is not as easy to use as are iPhones, but that's just a personal preference.

Overall, I would recommend investing in the Nokia Lumia 1520 if the main thing you look in a phone is the quality of the camera, and you don't mind it being almost as big as a tablet! The camera on this smartphone is just perfect.

Have you ever tried a Nokia smartphone? What do you think about the Lumia 1520?

* I was not paid by Nokia. All opinions are my own.

Little Things I Do To Relax

Look who's back! I have been so busy for the past couple of weeks that I didn't even have the time to do a little blogging. I feel like I don't even remember how to write a sentence in English! Hopefully I will have more time to dedicate to my blog in the next weeks. 

It's definitely been a stressful couple of months for me, mainly because of Uni exams, and I honestly can't wait for them to be over. I study a lot during the day, and that's basically all I do when the day of the exams gets near. However, I like to take a few moments for myself each day and try to forget about everything school related, so I wanted to share with you what I like to do to relax!  

I got a Filofax about two months ago and I have become completely obsessed with it. I am a huge list maker and before committing to a Filofax I had sticky notes and reminders everywhere! Ever since I started using a planner, I feel like my days are way more organized and I know exactly what to do and when to do it. I feel like by writing down every task I have to complete during the day my mind is a little less 'cluttered', especially during stressful times like those I am going through. I also use my planner to write all those things that you always forget about, like movies I want to see, books I want to read, projects I want to do in the house and so on. 

There's a huge Filofax community on the internet - I suggest checking the #filofax hashtag on Instagram and looking on Pinterest for inspiration! 

Let me know if you would like me to write a blog post all about my Filofax - I would happily do that ;)

Something that always manages to relax me is watching Youtube videos; I mainly watch beauty ones as it's one of my biggest interests. I find listening to other people talk about things I actually enjoy learning about is so relaxing, and it keeps my mind occupied with something that's not Uni related! 

While I was looking for Filofax reviews before buying one, I stumbled onto Organized Like Jen's channel on Youtube and I have literally become obsessed with her videos! I may or may not have queued them all in my "Watch later" playlist ;) She has three different channels where she talks about beauty, lifestyle and organization tips. I find her voice so soothing (weird, I know) and she's always so cheerful and inspirational! Her videos always leave me with a positive mood. I highly suggest you check her blog and Youtube channel out! :) 

While I'm watching a movie or some videos after dinner, I always enjoy sipping on some chamomile tea or hawthorn herbal tea to get my body ready for a good rest. I love having hot drinks all year round, regardless of the season!

Chamomile and hawthorn tea almost have the same kind of effect, but I like to drink chamomile tea if I have had coffee during the day so I can get asleep faster, while I prefer having hawthorn tea if my dinner was particularly heavy. 

Certainly, everyone has different tastes in music, but you can't deny that classical music definitely gets the job done when it comes to unwinding. I definitely am not an expert in the field, but I have been enjoying playing some right before bed or doing some stretching, another thing that relaxes me both phisycally and mentally. My two favourite pieces to listen to at the moment are Debussy's notorious Clair de lune and La fille aux cheveux de lin.  

KIKO Soft Touch Blush #112 'Light Plum'

With my skin getting better on the acne front thanks to the Roaccutane treatment I have been going through, I decided to start experimenting with blushes more. When my skin was looking terrible and inflamed, there really was no point in wearing it as it was already hard enough for me to cover the blemishes and red marks. Since I have no clue when it comes to blushes, I decided to get a cheaper one just for the sake of experimenting with a new product, and obviously the first brand that came to my mind was KIKO!

In my opinion, KIKO is the cheap equivalent of MAC: they have so many colour options, especially in the eyeshadow, lip products and nail polish department. For some strange reason my local KIKO store only had 6 Soft Touch blushes available, so I decided to go with the most natural looking of all, which is #112 'Light Plum'.

KIKO Soft Touch Blush in #112 'Light Plum' is a cool toned mid-pink shade, which looks much darker and scarier in the pan than it is on the skin. It doesn't have the softest texture in that it's a bit chalky, but it applies nicely on the cheeks and it blends quite well. It gives the most natural flush of colour without being too obvious, which is great because I have extremely fair skin. I apply it very sparingly because I'm still not used to wearing blush, but you can definitely build it up without it looking too fake. It's completely matte as well, so that makes it a lovely everyday product.

I am so happy with this blush and I have been using it everytime I do my make-up! I would definitely recommend it to the pale-skinned girls out there like me, and to those who are looking for a very natural looking blusher without spending an excessive amount of money - at €7,50 it's an absolute bargain for its quality!

Have you ever tried any of the KIKO blushes? 

Redecorating My Room: Part 2

Today I'm bringing you the second installment of my Redecorating My Room series (I published the first one at the end of March!) It's something different from what I usually post, but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless :)

I have two set of shelves in my bedroom that were already there when we moved in: one is smaller (it's the one I showed you in the first post of the series!) and one is twice as big. My books were originally stored in the smaller shelves, and they were definitely outgrowing that space. On the other hand, the bigger shelves were almost empty aftter putting away all my highschool books a few months earlier. 

After thinking and thinking about how I could make the most out of both, one day I went organizing-crazy and decided to swap their content! 

I organized my books by colour and I just love how they look. The rainbow effect the spines create makes me happy every time I look at them! My bedroom is my safe harbour and it's extremely important for me to make it look more like how I want it to be. My room looks so much more organized and less cluttered now, which makes me feel so relaxed and satisfied! 

This project took only a few hours to complete, but it made a huge difference in the way my bedroom now looks. I hope this inspires you to change something in your house, or just in the room you live the most in - I promise you will feel so much better afterwards! :)

CLICK HERE TO READ 

THE FIRST POST IN THE

REDECORATING MY ROOM SERIES!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'Apricot Punch'

My current obsession for coral has expanded in the nail polish department. In my quest for the perfect pinky coral nail polish I stumbled upon the Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'Apricot Punch' while I was in my local beauty shop - it was on offer for about €4,00 and a Rimmel nail polish remover was included, too! Not too shabby, I dare say. 

The shade of this nail polish is just perfect for the Summertime: it's a very vivid, almost neon orange shade. As you can kinda tell from the photo, it looks a bit more muted in the bottle and that's why I originally purchased it: if it had been just a bit more pink, I would have been just amazing. It's not that I don't like the shade, but unfortunately it clashes with my super pale skin! 

The formula of the Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polishes is very creamy and opaque: you could even get away with only one coat! The finish looks super glossy and almost gel like, I absolutely love it! The application is very easy as well; the brush reminds me of the Essie ones as it's very wide and covers the entire nail in one or two swipes. It claims to dry in 60 seconds but I didn't really check the time; I would say it dries pretty fast, but I usually wait more than one minute to do the second coat, just to be sure ;)

For the price, it's a fantastic polish and I am definitely going to try more from the range. I was really impressed with the quality, but unfortunately the shade doesn't look very nice on me. Oh well, one of my friends is getting a present soon.. ;)  

Have you ever tried any of the Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polishes?