Julia Speaks: April 2015

April 26, 2015 4 commentaires

Last week, I went to Edinburgh with two friends for a few days. I've always wanted to visit Scotland, and Edinburgh seemed such a mysterious and beautiful city that I could not go anywhere else... and I did well! The atmosphere is so peculiar - peaceful, I thought, which is amazing considering the thousands of tourists like me that have invaded it! I loved my stay there, and I know I'll go back one day, because one needs a very long time to explore the city and experience it fully.

I want to share with you some of the photos I took while I was there, because Edinburgh is too beautiful not to be mentioned in my blog. My photo diary will be divided in two, otherwise you'll be drowned in pictures! This first series will be about my first two days, and the other two will be up next week.

During these first days, I have loved:

~ walking around in the city, taking photos of the castle. From Princes Street, the view is breathtaking.

~ visiting the cemetery of the Church of St Cuthbert, because old tombs are fascinating and the blossoming flowers were touches of joy in that rather gloomy place.

~ feeling like I'm in a fairytale castle in the Great Hall of the National Portrait Gallery, where the ceiling is painted with stars and where light flows in beautifully.

~ seeing a Jane Eyre quote in the Portrait Gallery, and one of my favourite Winterhalter portraits of Queen Victoria - two of my main women, which means intense fangirling.

~ discovering Carlton Hill, and seeing the Scottish (and apparently unfinished) version of the Athenian Parthenon - rather different when you see it in person, but from afar, they look strangely similar.

~ climbing up Arthur's Seat, and enjoying one of the best views of the city.

~ finding the tombstone of Tom Riddle in Greyfriars Kirkyard - proof that wizards exist, seems like they can't always hide from the Muggle world!

Have you ever been to Edinburgh?

If you like the city, keep an eye on the blog for part 2 of my diary! ♥

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April 19, 2015 7 commentaires

If you have curly hair, you'll know how difficult it is to take care of it and style it. Especially when you're keeping it long! So even though I'm constantly changing my hair routine and trying new products, I thought I could share my current hair routine with you.

When I wash my hair, I always use a shampoo for coloured hair. At the moment, I'm using the Dove Colour Radiance shampoo. I love Dove, their products are of great quality and really unexpensive.

Then I use a hair mask, not necessary for coloured hair - I switch between masks for dyed hair and for dry hair. My favourite haircare product is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, that I've been using for months now! I've got the one for coloured hair, the one for long hair, and the one to make the hair shine. My favourite is the coloured hair mask, it makes my hair so soft and actually quite shiny. I haven't got on really well with the long hair product, I'm not sure why - I'll have to keep using it and see if this changes!

Once my hair is clean, I leave it in a towel so that most of the water is absorbed - I find that when I let my hair down very wet, it is more frizzy and the curls have less shape.

Then, on damp hair, I apply some hair mousse. Mine is the Pantene Defined Curls mousse, and I really like it because it does not make my hair clumpy once it is dry, as some other hair mousses tend to do. I just use a bit of it on wet hair, as I'll add some more afterwards.

That is pretty much all I do while my hair is still damp. I never blow dry it, because as it is quite dry I don't want to use heat on it. I let it dry naturally, and try NEVER to go outside when it is still wet - this is the best way to get frizzy hair, so avoid going outside with your hair wet if it is curly.

Once my hair's finally dry, I apply once again some mousse in it, just to give a final touch to the curls and make them hold, give them a bit more shape.

I also like to add some dry oil to the length and ends of my hair, and my favourite oil is the Huile Prodigieuse by Nuxe. It smells amazing, and gives more shine to my hair. Be careful not to put too much of it, otherwise your hair will look quite oily and we don't want that!

(just realised the whole thing looks like clips taken from a video, oh well too bad YouTube is not for me!)

Aaaand that's it! Most days I just keep my hair down and pin the front bits of the side otherwise it just falls on my face. Of course I don't straighten it - why would you get so much effort into getting curly hair right only to remove all the curls once it's done? :P

I hope you found this routine helpful! There's not that much in it, I have phases when I'll take a lot more time and use a lot more products on my hair, but at the moment I'm quite happy with it looking that way.

Tell me in the comments if you have curly hair, and if you do, what are your favourite products to style it! I'm always trying out new products, so recommendations are welcome!

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April 14, 2015 3 commentaires

I look so cheesy in this photo that I had to use it for this post, don't you think?

This post is totally inspired by Rebecca Coco's post, that you can read here. As a naturally rather grumpy person, I like to feel happy and carefree whenever I can (that really sounds as if I have to make an effort haha but don't worry I'm not desperately grumpy either!).

A lot of little things add a bit of happiness to my everyday life, and I thought I would share them with you! It's nice to remind ourselves that life isn't as bad as we think it is sometimes, and that thinking positively can make a big difference in how we live and how we behave.

We should always choose to be happy!

And here are a few of the things that make me happy...

~ Looking through the window in my room, because the view I have on the lake is amazing. When I can see little squirrels running around, it is even better.

Hello, I live in a forest.

~ Staying in bed with a book for hours. There's nothing better than reading a good book to get some rest on lazy days in.

~ When I randomly see cats outside. Yes, I am one of those people.

~ Good hair days make me feel super happy and confident.

~ The positive vibe I feel after working out. Am I the only one to feel proud once I'm done with my pilates?

~ Looking back at old photos. I often do that, and then I tell myself that there will be plenty of such times in the future as well!

That day last summer when I walked through narrow pathways to find a waterfall.

~ Singing along to Disney songs. This is something everybody does, but never admits to. Come on, we all love a good ol' Disney song! What's your favourite? ;)

~ Having glitter nail polish on. I love glitter, especially on my nails. A nude nail with pink glitter is my to-go princess manicure!

~ Baking cakes. I love baking for my roommates or my family. It's nice to do something that makes people smile. And of course, you get to eat stuff that you've made yourself so you can be proud of that :P

~ Wearing a pretty dress. I wear dresses or skirts most days, but I just have a few that I always feel super feminine and princess-y in no matter what. I don't wear them a lot for some reason, but when I do, I feel happy :')

What are the things that make YOU happy?

I want to know all about it!

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April 07, 2015 8 commentaires

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