Lovely Day Happy Sweet 23 | daily notes

Birthday gift made by the wonderful designer Fábio Castro | Instagram & Facebook | THANKS!

Can you figure out how I'm feeling today?
I'm kinda happy, actually! Yesterday was my birthday!!!
I wasn't planning in making a big fuss about it, but it was a really nice day.

I spent it with a friend that I love, I drove to class on my gordo, ate a nice breakfast, worked on my latest painting project (that I'm loving, iey), ate delicious food (mom knows best), slept a bit on the sofa to regain strength, drank a nice cup of coffee with the best company and received some thoughtful gifts.

What more could I ask for, right?

Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday, made my day!

Personal Birthday Girl | 23

It's my birthday! Today I've completed 23 years!

Oh my, oh my, 23 years old... and just to think that when I was turning 17 I felt really old!

I learned a lot in 23 years, well, to be truthful I learned most of it this year. It was such a strange year but I don't regret rien.

Gonna spend the day with a friend. See you later!

Outfit You trained me not to love After you showed me what it was

A black crop top... seems the most simple thing anyone should have in their wardrobe. Everyone should have at least one, right? This basic and essential street style product was lacking in my clothes' collection, can you believe it?

When I saw this black crop top from Blue Vanilla I knew I had to have it, and it only costs 12£! This black zipped back beauty went straight to my wardrobe, with extra quick shipping! What a joy!

Blue Vanilla had already won me over with their dresses (do you remember my outfit post?), and I was curious to know if they were as good in other pieces of clothing... and they were in fact excellent, iey!

My new crop top has mid length sleeves and it's made with ribbed fabric. It's also available in grey, blue, pink and white.

This kind of crop tops are amazing to wear with high waist jeans and that was exactly what I did! I also added my new amazing coat (getting a bit addicted to this kind of coats) from Choies, my kick ass boots and my black tear drop necklace from the Portuguese store Locas Biju.

This was the outfit I wore to Expocosmética, it was the perfect outfit for an event like this, it was a simple look but stylish at the same time, I felt amazing wearing it!

Did you like the photos and the outfit? Hope to show you some more awesome outfit ideas wearing this perfect crop top! How would you wear it?

Thanks Helena, for taking the time to shoot some amazing photos, and to e-tailPR for connecting bloggers with brands!

You can follow my instagram for extra photos from this day and you can also check out Blue Vanilla's Instagram and Facebook.

See you tomorrow, darlings!

Suggestions Blazers | entering adulthood

Blazers have been gradually entering my wardrobe. Blazers give all outfits a professional look that I didn't think suited me every well when I was younger.

Now that I have some part-time jobs, art exhibitions (iey), and I'm finishing college and entering adulthood I think blazers are more than suited for this new phase of my life.

And as you can see I even started using it more and showed you some outfit posts with blazers. Which one is your favorite? The first one or the second one?

Having that said I guess I have to buy more blazers, one in each color, please?

Here are some blazers from Style Moi that I really love, all the products are linked to their own product page.

Personal Lately | bits & pieces

Oh my! This couple of days I have been so strange, sad, happy, busy...

Me and some colleagues created an art exhibition and it's inauguration was this Friday. You can see what I wore in the previous blog post.

Expocosmética was yesterday and I got the chance to see some familiar faces, that I love, and meet some new lovely people. Was a tiring day, but it was worth it! Gonna show you the things I got there and the look I wore to Exponor soon!

I also had the privilege to have one of my photographs on the Expocosmética magazine!!!

I received another letter from my pen pal and she sent me a lovely bracelet, she wrote to me that this bracelet will help me get rid of negative things, hope so! Thanks, dear!

I also won a contest held by La Redoute, iey me! Gonna receive some lovely clothes soon!

And I guess that's all I have to say for now! See you!

Lovely Day Art Exhibition

Hey.

Just wanted to show you what I wore yesterday to the art exhibition, a grey dress and a black blazer.

On my way to exponor, gonna see you there?

Personal Art Exhibition | Inauguration

It's tonight! Me and some of my colleagues created an Art exhibition and tonight it's the inauguration!

Yesterday was a really full day, working to have everything ready for the gran opening.

I still don't know what I'm going to wear, but maybe a dress ?! What do you think?

Hope everything works out for the best and I'm going to try to take a lot of photos to show you.

Wish us good luck!

And for the girls I am going to see at Expocosmética on Saturday, see you tomorrow!

Outfit Wonderwall

All photos from Helena | Lovely necklace from Vanilla Vice

This week as been so exhausting that I don't even have the strength to write today.

Today I'm going to prepare an art exhibition with my colleagues, Friday is the inauguration and Saturday we have Expocosmética.

Who is going to be their Saturday? Don't forget to say hi!

Personal Not wearing makeup | and what I learned from it

I'm not the kind of person that wears a lot of make up, I usually only wore a bb cream, concealer and sometimes a bit of brown eyeliner. The last couple of weeks I decided to challenge myself and go without makeup for a week, and only wear it on photo shoots.

I made it! (And also extended that period a few more weeks)

The first days = The horror

I have to say that the first couple of days were a bit terrifying! I felt so self-conscious, like every little flaw was accentuated to its max!

I even commented with my friend Sabina (that doesn't wear makeup AT ALL) how bad I was feeling and then she said "You look exactly the same".

My mum said exactly the same, but mums are mums, right?

The first day I stopped wearing makeup was a particularly full day, I spend the whole day with a friend, and that friend was a boy, a really critical one, and he didn't said any bad thing about my face, which is pretty good!

Accepting my flaws and loving them

We all have flaws, and we should embrace them, always. I had a harsh allergic reaction a few months ago and obviously the marks are still there, but who cares? Everyone has zits, and acne scars.

Does that bother me? Not anymore, no.

Trying to cover them up with makeup only slows down the healing process and I really want my baby skin again!

Am I saying that people that wear makeup are fake? NO! People should be able to do what they want. For me wearing makeup meant feeling confident and I just don't want to be dependent of a product to feel beautiful, and I was giving those products a whole amount of power in my life.

Do I look better when I wear it? Well, that's debatable. Those products give me a flawless skin, without spots, but what if I tell you that I love to see girls without makeup?

Maybe I'm a bit crazy but I really love to see girls with those little "flaws", I think that's what makes them unique.

As I said before, wearing makeup gave me a sense of confidence but I really prefer myself without it, no masks, no deceit, just me.

Could you go a whole week without wearing any makeup?

Well, I asked that question myself and loved the result. It really made me learn a few more things about myself. Can you go without makeup a whole week?

If you are willing to try and you want to post your progress on instagram tag me so I can see your lovely faces without makeup! I'm @lovablemaria there.

#weekwithoutmakeupchallenge

Suggestions Triangvlvs | cute purchase

I don't quite know how I found out about Triangvlvs' instagram page, but I'm really glad I got there!

All their products, bracelets and necklaces, are of the most perfection you could ever find. Their simplicity was what captivate me at first. Simplicity at its best, I can even say!

I already showed you on my instagram account this beauties from Triangvlvs, I just couldn't wait to show you my new amazing accessories. If you were really observant, and saw the image I posted when I received my package in the mail, you could see the perfection of the packaging! Every product had their own square bag with an amazing image, printed on it you could see some watercolor drawings and the word Obrigada, the portuguese word for Thank you.

So, as you could deduct Triangvlvs is a Portuguese store, but they sell their beauties worldwide!

If you live in Portugal you can have free shipping with orders over 10€ and the rest of the world can have free shipping with orders over 25€.

You can order some beauties by sending a message with your choices on Facebook, Instagram or by e-mail.

Ah! And the prices are amazing! The "Kindness reveals Beauty" costs 2,5€, the other bracelets, that are just lovely and remind me of Summer, 2€ each, and my two layered necklace with a cute elephant costs 5,5€.

And there's another thing, the service is amazing! They even asked me the measurements of my wrist to fit me perfectly! I'm sold!

Don't forget to buy lots of stuff, for you and for friends, and then take lots of photos and tag the store, they love to re-post clients photos!

You can find all of this photos on instagram

Outfit Fairy Tail

This lovely lace dress arrived a few days ago! I really loved taking this photos, I almost felt like I was in a fairy tail (a modern one, look at my gorgeous sneakers).

This dress is all in lace, is really light and I'm going to use it A LOT this summer, it's just perfect!

This dress is from Lalalilo, what a funny name. I actually discovered this store last month, the clothes and prices stole my heart. I selected some of my favorite things from this store as you can see bellow. Everything is linked to their own product page so click on everything and have fun shopping.

Hope you liked my dress and the photos I took. See you tomorrow!

Giveaway White and Blue Jumpsuit from Znu

I really love it when a brand reaches out to me and says "We want to give your followers a gift". As you may know I love to make giveaways for you, and I was beyond myself when Znu contacted me with this awesome news!

We have to offer you a gorgeous white and blue backless jumpsuit, with a lace top.
To win it you just have to like the blog's Facebook page, Znu's Facebook page and then register at their website.

You can also do some optional entries to win more points, like following us on instagram, following my blog, a bunch of options.

Enter to win this beautiful jumpsuit for yourself or for offering to a special someone.

White and Blue Jumpsuit

Suggestions Sherry London | Prom Dresses

I didn't go to prom in high school. You all know that social events were kind of hard for me back then.

But looking back I can't see what made me think I didn't want to go, if we think about it, it was only a day to dress up, which is kinda great.
I didn't had the opportunity to go in high school but don't make the same mistake as I did.

Last week I found out about the store Sherry London, and guess what? Prom dresses are something they have, in every shape, size and color, and each one more beautiful than the other.

They have dresses for every taste! Delicate feminine dresses, dramatic and extravagant, sexy, classic and modern ones.

With all this cute dresses maybe I'll make my own celebration for completing University, I'm almost done, iey!

Sherry London also sells Junior Bridesmaid Dresses, that are beyond adorable, evening dresses, cocktail party dresses and also homecoming dresses.

You can also send your own measurements for a perfect fit!

Here are some of the Sherry London's dresses that stole my heart! They are linked to each product page so click on every single one of them and have fun dreaming about your perfect prom or event!

Suggestions Draw it & Shrink it | You can DIY

C. from Joan of July sent me an email last month announcing her new project, You can DIY. If you don't know C. you really should, she's a wonderful girl filled with ideas, amazing ideas!

I love to give my support to great projects, specially if they are from lovely Portuguese people, so I decided to purchase a box from You can DIY for 12,50€ *free shipping*

I chose the "Draw it & Shrink it" box because I have been wanting to experiment shrink paper for a while now and this was a great opportunity to do that!

In this DIY box you can find all the things you need to create your own key holder, cute magnets or, in my case, some lovely necklaces. This box includes twelve coloring pencils, three magnets, accessories to make three key holders, instructions and four A6 shrink paper.

You may or may not know but, shrink paper is an awesome paper that you drew on, or print some photos on it, and it shrinks 5 times its original size.

In my first shrink paper I drew my blog's logo and a cute cactus! I really, really, loved the result and I can't wait to wear this and show you everything on instagram and to do more awesome creations!

In the You can DIY website you can also find two more boxes, the "Make your own soap (For beginners)" and the "Make your own tea" box. Isn't it just amazing?

If you have a wonderful project like this one don't forget to email me all the details, I would love to know your store! lovablemaria.blog@gmail.com

Beauty Batiste Cherry Dry Shampoo |Review

It took me a while to post this review but I wanted to make sure of it's efficiency before writing to you.

In just a few words: It smells delicious and it does what it promises.

This beauty is perfect for you if you feel that your hair is getting greasy in the middle of the day and you have no way of getting in the shower immediately.

It gets rid of all the grease and leaves your hair with a wonderful cherry smell.

Another thing that I noticed is that it gives a little volume to my hair, which is great because my hair is usually really flat.

You can also find it in a portable size that you can easily carry around everyday without over weighting your bag. It has my stamp of approval!

Outfit Army Green

Hey!

This was the look I decided to wear to my snack/reunion with Helena. (All photos by her)

It's the most basic outfit ever! Some jeans, green sneakers, an army green coat, a basic top, my new and beautiful necklace from Triangvlvs (cute elephant for the win), and a black purse. It's simple, but it works!

Specially when I'm in those days that I don't want to think much about my outfit.

As vencedoras dos cartões Vip para a Expocosmética foram:

Rafaela Arcanjo + Ana Laura Rodrigues 

Vou vos contactar até ao final do dia de hoje. Parabéns!

Suggestions Boneca | Amazing Store

There are rarely no store that we can say with absolute certainty "I love everything!", but Boneca is here to change the odds!

I had the opportunity to visit this wonderful store last Saturday with the girls. The store was presenting their new collection and I was beyond myself to find out that every single piece of clothing was perfect!

I fell in love with so many clothes, and the space was so amazing! I felt like I had entered a dream store where everything was super cute, like a fairy-tail.

Boneca has their own line of clothing but you can also find other brands like Brigitte Bardot Collection, Miau Frou Frou, Manoush and so much more.

And that's not all! You can also find in the upper floor an Image Consulting office where Grabiela Azevedo can give you the best fashion tips.

You can shop online or you can find it in Braga, Portugal. [Rua Dom Gonçalo Pereira, nº21 4700-032 Braga]

I want this sweater!

Lovely Day Vlog | Bloggers Travelling - Braga

And here you have it, a little video that depicts what me, Helena and Daniela, done last Saturday.

That cute store you see in the video it's called BONECA (it's the Portuguese word for Doll), and you can find it in Braga, Portugal, but I'll talk about that later.

What's your favorite part of this video?

Outfit Bloggers Travelling

Yesterday, me, Helena and Daniela went to Braga to attend Boneca's Press Day.
It was a fun day and this was what I wore!
The sunglasses are Helena's, I forgot mine (drop them accidentally) at home ...
Thanks H, for the sunglasses and for the photos

Lovely Day Planning the day |with Helena

Necklace: Triangvlvs

Yesterday, me and Helena met at a coffee shop to plan our Saturday, we were planning to go to some workshops but things didn't quite work as we wanted them to.

We didn't demotivate and we decided to spend Saturday together, as planned previously, but doing something else.

We are going to take a walk in a gorgeous city, take lots of photographs and go to a store inauguration. And we are going to have the lovely company of Daniela, from Ballerina Bird.

You can follow us on instagram.

Do you also want a Vlog? We never done one before and we were curious to try it. 

Photos by Helena