Summer Beach Bags + Essentials!

With Summer creeping up on us, I figured it would be fun to put up a couple of summer related blog posts (*crossing my fingers there will be more than one!*) for you guys! So, to kick off this series, today I'll be sharing some of these cute beach bags I found around the internet. I'm guessing everyone will probably be visiting the beach or the pool this summer at least once, so if you're searching for a cute summer bag, I got you covered! ;)

Most of the places where these items are from ship internationally but I'll state the prices (shipping not included) in US dollars for it to be more convenient for everyone! :3

1) Summer Tote Bag - $30.29
2) White and Yellow Striped Beach Bag - $29
3) Sunshine Shopper - $22.44
4) Reversible Beach Bag - $40

1) Campfire Dayz Backpack - $64
2) Tote Along Totebag - $23.60
3) Sea You Soon Backpack - $59.50

1) Day at the River Backpack - $23.99
2) That's Ostrich Tote - $8.99
3) Welcome to Paradise Tote - $34.99

1) Drifter 2 Rucksack - $62
2) Homegrown Girl Bag - $39.50
3) Chillax Beach Tote - $48
4) Chillax Bag - $48
5) No Worries Bag - $46
6) Stop Start Bag - $36
7) Getaway Bag - $32
8) Awake Bag - $32
9) Chill Out Cooler Tote - $40

1) Zigzag Beach Bag - $12.80
2) Colorblocked Striped Bag - $21.80
3) Geo Beach Bag - $12.80

1) O'Neill Bayside Beach Tote Bag - $45.50
2) I'm Really A Mermaid Tote Bag - $15

Once you've got your beach bag, you'll need to stuff it with some essentials! Here are my go to summer essentials:

Extras: Makeup remover towelettes, hydrating body lotion and any fruity body spray! <3

Happy Summer!!!

Kisses,

S

♥ My Favorite Skin Care Products ♥

I've always had issues with my skin growing up. From breakouts to dry skin to oily skin, the list goes on. I was never one to use that many skin care products growing up. I know that some people say that skin usually breaks out from products and I will agree with that to some extent but in my case, I noticed my skin actually started to get better once I actually started to use products! So for today's post, I'll be sharing some of my favorite things that I use for my skin! These are things I've used or have been using for a while now and they have worked really well for me. I have combination (oily-dry) skin in case any of you were wondering!

FACE

Go 360° Clean Anti-Breakout Facial Cleanser & Go 360° Clean Deep Exfoliating Scrub

I have gone through so many facial washes and I'm so happy to find a brand that works so well for me! Initially, what drew me to this product was actually the little scrublet it came with. It's unlike anything I've seen before so I decided to give it a chance. The first one I picked up was the anti-breakout one. I instantly fell in love with it after the first use! I noticed that it made my skin SO much softer and my skin felt super clean. I don't use any makeup removing products prior to washing my face so I wash my face twice. Once to remove the makeup and another time to cleanse my skin. I've been doing this for so long now and it doesn't dry out my skin or anything. Anyway! The next time I went to re-purchase it, they were all out but I saw the exfoliating one and it smelt so nice and fresh, I figured why not try this one? I currently use both but I alternate between them every day.

Bioderma Crealine H20

After I wash and rinse my face, I take an exfoliating cotton round and pour some of this magic stuff on it. It removes traces of makeup and gunk still left on my face. I love this stuff because it's super gentle on my skin but still effective. It doesn't sting or leave my face feeling tight and dry. This gets plus points on my book because it doesn't require rinsing after!

Maybelline Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

This is my favorite for removing left over eye makeup! I soak a cotton bud and rub it around my eye area and it significantly wipes off mascara and eyeliner residue. No more morning raccoon eyes!

St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer

I recommend this moisturizer for people with really dry skin. The moment I rub this stuff into my skin, I instantly feel it re-hydrates and moisturizes my skin. The formula does run on the thick side, so I like using this during the night time.

Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 55

The only other sunscreen I ever tried that I trusted enough to put on my face was from my dermatologist. I wanted to try something new and I came across this one from Neutrogena. I love that this is made especially for the face. It doesn't break me out or anything and the best thing about this is that it does not feel greasy on my face at ALL.


BODY

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream

I've talked about this product in a previous post and it's so good, it deserves to be featured in another post. This is a wonderful hand cream to use anytime of the day! I like keeping this in my purse so I can whip it out anytime I feel my hands getting dry.

Lush Helping Hands Hand Cream

And my hand cream obsession continues. This other one from Lush is my favorite to put on before I go to bed. It has a rather thick formula so it's nice to let it sit and repair dry hands overnight. It can be used any time of the day though! It just needs a good time to completely sink into skin.

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

This was actually one of my very first Lush purchases! I got this little tub sometime last year when I was on vacation in Lebanon. At that time, I didn't know we actually had a Lush here in Kuwait so I flipped out and went a little crazy. This, however, turned out to be one of my favorite things from the stuff I ended up getting. It's really a cuticle cream but can also be used on any dry areas on the skin. I like to use this on the heels of my feet. It has a fresh lemon scent and the consistency is quite think - almost butter like. A little definitely goes a long way here.

Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream

I like using this foot cream all over my feet. I massage this stuff on my feet after my shower. The color is actually a really pretty baby blue shade that reminds me of peppermint. I put on some socks after and leave them on throughout the night.

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I find myself gravitating towards more fresh and fruity scents. Don't get me wrong though, my "vanilla obsession" is still very strong! But I love this particular body butter from The Body Shop because it's super moisturizing and it smells so yummy! I kid you not when I say it smells just like pink grapefruit!!

St. Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter Body Lotion

I got this lotion sometime late last year during the winter time. My skin was reacting terribly to the cold weather and I was cracking everywhere - it was not cute. A friend recommended this and I'm so thankful she did! It is SO moisturizing and healed my dry skin within days! I still use this on my legs regularly. I can't stand when lotions leave your skin greasy and what's great about this is it does not do that at all.

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

I was really taken aback by this product! It's inexpensive yet doesn't disappoint. First off, it smells incredible! I use this scrub about once every week all over my body - including my face. It's not super abrasive and it exfoliates my skin pretty well. The apricot scent lingers slightly on my skin when I get out of the shower so that's a plus!

Lady Speed Stick Fresh Infusions Deodorant

Since we're talking about skin stuff, I thought I'd throw in my favorite deodorant. I've been using this brand since I can remember and I absolutely love it! My favorite is the Orchard Blossom scent but any scent from their Fresh Infusions line is great.

Lush Honey I Washed the Kids Soap

If I had to pick one soap to use for the rest of my life, this would be it! I know it sounds intense, but honestly this stuff smells incredible! It smells of honey and toffee and caramel and candy dreams. Ah! The smell is so addicting. Aside from it smelling phenomenal, it lathers up pretty nicely and doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or anything. If you had to try one thing from Lush, I would definitely recommend checking this one out! <3

Kisses,

S

What's On My iPhone!

I wasn't too sure about putting up this post cause I didn't know if others would find it interesting but I figured since I enjoyed watching these kind of videos on YouTube, why not!? So today, I'll be giving you guys a little peek inside my phone and show you my favorite apps! 

I have the 4S and this is what my lock screen is currently looking like! I have the beautiful Alexa Losey as my wallpaper! <3

And that's what my main home screen looks like! It's mostly just basic built in apps.

My next screen is the one with all the fun stuff! I like to keep all my apps organized inside these little categorized folders so everything can have it's own little home.

Inside my "Utilities", I just have the apps that came built in that basically you can't really delete. I also have my bible app and shelf wallpapers app (where I got my current bunny wallpaper from!!) which I use pretty frequently!

I have the most common social apps. My favorite thing to use to message though is the app called Line. It comes with these really cute stickers that basically have every emotion you could think of! I definitely recommend checking it out! :3

As for pictures, these are the apps I commonly use to edit/upload! If you have an Instagram, my username is mykiwiseed so feel free to follow!

And what's a phone without games? I had a phase where I was obsessed with some of the games on here that I literally would play them 'til my battery dies...

Since I am a nurse, I like to keep these apps handy cause you never know what could happen! Better safe than sorry, right? :)

This next little folder contains two of my favorite apps right now! If you haven't heard about Goodreads, it's basically an app where you can keep track of all the books you love. It may be something you have read, are currently reading or even want to read. The cool thing about it is that it has a barcode scanner feature so you can actually scan a book's barcode and read actual reviews before buying it! The next app I'm loving I've talked about previously and it is the iBooks app. It is perfect for me! I love the convenience of just having all the books I'm reading on my hands and the best part is that is doesn't weigh me down! I'm currently reading the third book of the Slammed series by Colleen Hoover. I highly recommend this series if you're looking for something to read this summer! It won't disappoint! ;)

My lonely music folder only has one app but it's the one I love most! When you open up Songza, the music concierge allows you to choose what activity you're currently doing and it plays music for that moment! They always update their playlist so you always get new songs to listen to! 

I would love to say I use these apps on a regular basis but sadly I don't. Don't get me wrong though, they're great apps for home exercises but goodness knows I am the laziest person you will ever meet! I like having these on my phone thought as motivation to hopefully maybe someday try them out! I do use the last one though and it is the Period Diary. It keeps track of your period and is handy to have around!

Lookbook has always been a great site for me for fashion inspiration and when I saw that they came out with an app, I downloaded it immediately. Sadly, it lags sometimes and I don't know if it's just me but I still like it, nonetheless. ChaCha is an app that I honestly just downloaded for the fun galleries but it's a question - answer type app where users post questions and anyone can answer. And of course, I also have the Ikea app because I'm obsessed with Ikea.

The last three folders I have on my phone are just bookmarks I have saved on my home screen for easier access. I've recently been really into baking so I have a lot of recipes bookmarked! :3

I guess that's it for this little peek into my phone! I'm always looking for new apps to download so if you have any interesting ones that you think I should check out, please leave them in the comments!

Kisses,

S