Get Ready With Me: Autumn Edition | Zafira
Hi!
Every time I post a photograph of me of on my Instagram I get a lot of questions about what’s on my face. Whether that’s the lipstick I’m wearing, my foundation or even skincare and I thought the best way of answering all those questions was by filming a little get ready with me.
I do a lot of these. These are the only videos I film because 1. they don’t require me to speak (i hate my voice) and 2. they’re pretty straightforward and easy to film. Maybe one day I’ll venture out and become a full blown beauty guru but for now, I’m happy with my once a year get ready with mes.
Without further adieu, here’s me transforming from a dying Bella Swan, to an amazing catfish. Enjoy!
Products Used:
VITAMIN E HYDRATING MIST
I use this day, night, on my beauty sponge and literally whenever I just need to wake up it’s the best thing ever.
hyaluronic acid serum
I use this day and night too and it’s amazing if you have dry skin like me. It’s especially great for this time of year when it gets a little chillier.
alpha arbutin serum
I started using this about a week or two ago and I’ve already noticed such a massive difference in my skin. I have a lot of scarring from previous acne and this helps a lot with pigmentation.
glossier invisible shield
I’ve recently started using sunscreen everyday because I don’t like that I’m getting older and any sign of ageing will 100% send me into a full on breakdown. This one from Glossier is what I’ve been looking for my entire life. It doesn’t leave you looking white or sticky or feeling like you have sunscreen on at all.
kiehls ultra facial cream
This is easily the best moisturiser ever. I suffer with dry skin so finding a moisturiser that does its job but also doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin used to be such a difficult task until I found this beauty.
glossier balm dot com
I think I enjoy eating this more than I enjoy putting it on my lips. It tastes so so so good. I’ve started using this everyday because it’s pretty and sparkly and also because it’s one of the best lip balms ever.
maybelline fit me matte and porless foundation
If you’re looking for a cheap drugstore foundation then this is your best friend. For £6 you really can’t go wrong.
revolution conceal & define
I never used to wear concealer mainly because I’m lazy and I’d rather just embrace the whole ‘I haven’t slept all night’ thing but once I used this concealer I never went back. It’s so good. I can’t leave the house without wearing it anymore because it makes me look so awake.
laura mercier loose setting powder
In the shade ‘Translucent’.
I’ve had quite the love/hate relationship with this powder. When I first used it, I found it really cakey but I spent £30 on this so I gave it another try a few months ago and now I love it. It makes my face look so smooth when it most definitely is not.
nip + fab contour palette
This is in the shade ‘Dark’.
This palette as you can see is so well loved. I use this not only for contour but bronzer, blush, eye shadow and even for lipstick. I’ll use a mixture of the top 3 brown shades for my contour, the empty brown shade for bronzer, the pink for blush and I also like to pat a bit of this shade on my lips. I think it looks really nice when your blush and lipstick match. I’ll also use any of the top 3 brown shades as eye shadow.
maybelline lash sensational mascara
I’ve been using this mascara for years and I don’t think I’ll ever switch because this is truly the best of the best. It doesn’t clump at all and makes my eyelashes fluttery and long.
mary-lou manizer
I’m not too crazy about highlighter, I think this might be the only highlighter I’ve used in my life. It’s such a great shade for brown girls too.
barry m lip liner
In the shade ‘Chocolate’.
I use this lip liner everyday and have done since I started wearing makeup. It’s the perfect brown lip liner. I use it before any lipstick I apply.
nyx soft matte lip cream
In the shade ‘Rome’.
Along with the Barry M lip liner, I’ve also been using this exact shade of lipstick ever since I started wearing makeup. This with the lip liner is my favourite lip combo of all time.
urban decay all nighter setting spray
Honestly, I only started wearing setting spray this year because I never felt the need for it but now I can’t even leave the house without being drenched in this. Not only does it keep your makeup on all day but I think it really helps with making your makeup looking a little less cakey.
Thanks for reading (and watching too i guess)! Let me know if you want to see more stuff like this on here.
Lots of love,
GRWM: Autumn Editon | Zafira
Hey!
Ever since I posted my summer GRWM in July, I've had a few messages asking if I would do more videos like that and honestly, I wasn't planning to since not a lot changes in my day to day makeup routine. But a few days ago, I was looking over photographs from over the summer and I look like a completely different person. It's crazy how much can change in a matter of months.
I decided to make another GRWM anyway but an Autumn edition. I would love to do these seasonally so I'll see how this one goes and make my mind up from there. I'm trying to get into doing and trying new things so maybe these GRWMs will be a good reason to try things (at least on my face).
Here's a list of everything I used in the vid:
Superdrug Vitamin E Mist
Mon Amour Lipbalm by Rejjie Snow x Neighbourhood Botanicals
Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation in 350 Caramel
Collection Loose Powder in Translucent
Revolution Contour Palette in Medium
Mary Lou Manizer from The Balm
Revolution Palette in Newtrals 2 (blush & eyeshadow)
Revolution Soph Palette (gold eyeshadow)
NYX Professional Tame & Frame Brow Pomade in Black
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Rome
Barry M Lip Liner in Chocolate
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Summer GRWM | Zafira
Hey!
I did a poll quite a while ago over on my Instagram asking what sort of video you would like to see next and the one that got the most votes was a summer get ready with me. My first ever YouTube video was a very glitchy grwm and a lot of people enjoyed that so I thought it would be perfect to an updated summer edition to switch it up a bit.
PRODUCTS USED:
Superdrug Vitamin E Mist
Burts Bees Lipbalm in Pomegranate
Bare Minerals Pure Brightening Serum Foundation in Bare Espresso
Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation in 350 Caramel
Collection Loose Powder in Translucent
Revolution Contour Palette in Medium
Mary Lou Manizer from The Balm
Revolution Palette in Newtrals 2 (blush)
Zoeva Cocoa Blend Pallete - only used Substitute for Love
NYX Professional Tame & Frame Brow Pomade in Black
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara in Black
The Body Shop Lip Liner from about 10 years ago sorry this isn't available but any red lip liner will be more than okay
Max Factor Long Lasting Lipfinity Lipstick in Ever Sumptuous
I hope you enjoyed it!
Lots of love,
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Blackpool | Zafira
Hi!
Since everyone enjoyed my Wales video so much, I thought I'd make another one with some random clips I had lying around. About a month or so ago, me and a couple of my family members headed over to Blackpool to just relax and watch the sunset. I think if you live especially in Manchester, you have this very vivid image of Blackpool because as soon as it gets a tiny bit hot, you know you would probably be going there to spend the day since it's pretty close by. When I was younger, Blackpool seemed like the coolest place ever but in more recent days, it's become a somewhat overrated and downhill place to be.
When I went to film this video, the beauty that Blackpool once had offered to me as a young child didn't appear to me straight away but something happened at sunset I was hit with all these amazing and very surprising sunlit surroundings and found that it was the perfect opportunity to film some bits.
I used the song 'The End of Love' by Florence and the Machine because it was on one of Spotify discover playlists and I'm not quite sure why but it reminded me a lot of being at the beach. I feel like it's pretty in-tune with the montage.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Lots of love,
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Wales Video FAQ | Zafira
Hi!
So if you've been following me on my social media, you'd know that a few weeks ago I made and posted a little video montage of my weekend away to Wales and ever since I've had so many questions about it so I thought I'd answer them all on here.
I've seen quite a few videos in the film and 'Super 8' style and I completely adore them. I love the grain and nostalgia feeling behind them. I wanted to replicate that with my montage of Wales because this was the very first time my entire family had gone away together and it was one of those things I know we'll look back at for the rest of our lives. It was most definitely a trip to remember. I wanted it to have that sort of home video-y feel to it but also still be something very visually appealing. I used the song 'Fear of the Water' by Syml because if you know me very well then you'd know I have this weird relation with water. I can't swim so large amounts of water are a big no no but I adore the sea and the ocean and everything that comes with it. I was listening to it on the way to Wales and it's what really spurted the idea of this video.
Okay so the most asked question is how did I get it looking like I shot on film or on a Super 8 camera? A lot of people have also asked what camera I used but my secret really is Adobe Premiere. I am a student so even affording something like Super 8 camera is ridiculous without even thinking about getting the film developed which is another huge dip in the bank so using Adobe Premiere and achieving something that looks pretty authentic was amazing. I just started off my filming with my DSLR and then imported it into Premiere, cropped it into a square shape, added a dash of grain, lowered the contrast, increased the saturation and added the film reel sound and I was good to go. You can even get away with filming with your phone and anything really, the quality of the video isn't really as important because when the overlays and grain and stuff are added on top, the overall quality lowers.
I used two videos I found on YouTube to overlay and help create a perfect and central square shape and to add effects and here they are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZM9bcUYonY
This first one helped to create those orangey/pink hues that appeared spontaneously which is common when using film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1rCxzJnmiM
And then the second one is what I used to get the square shape. I wasn't sure on how to get the rounded corners so that's why I stuck with the square. I didn't really like the effects on this so I used as a stencil and guide of where to place each clip and then ended up only keeping the audio from this.
I watched quite a few YouTube tutorials to help which were really handy but when it comes to doing the little things like altering colours and such it's pretty much up to your personal preferance. I added a slight yellow tint to emphasize that nostalgic feel and then a handwritten title and subtitle. I got a lot of questions about that too, some people thought it was a font but it's just my crappy handwriting lol. I used a graphics tablet which is actually my little brothers but it's become very handy for me so we'll just say it's mine. I used Photoshop and started off with a black landscape A4 sized document and wrote in yellow. I used a black background because when you usually insert titles in Premiere the background is always black anyway.
Here's the most helpful YouTube tutorial that I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrmmJK9QwPo
The last thing I had a loooot of questions about was where this was filmed and as you can probably tell from the title, it was filmed in Wales but more specifically in the small town on Pemaenmawr alongside Llandudno and Snowdonia. They are amazing places to photograph (click here to check out my 'Wales on Film' post) and film because it feels so calm and serene. It's so beautiful to be out in nature and be surrounded by beaches and hills and mountains which is something I tried to capture in my video.
I plan to do a lot more of these because I adore making them, it's so much fun to film and make so make sure you follow my social media to find out when and where I release my next video!
Lots of love,
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How to Stay Organised | Zafira
Hello!
The most difficult thing I find about being at college is definitely trying to stay organised. It can get pretty messy with the work load and trying to manage some sort of system that helps you get everything done. But I'm in my second year of college and I've finally found a few tips that have really helped me stay on track!
1. Move out of your soft office.
We all love our beds. I love mine dearly and I think I spend the majority of my life in my bed. However, when you're working, the last thing you want to be is chill and sleepy. Separate your bed from your work life, it'll make your bed more of the sanctuary and place of rest that it's supposed to be rather than a place of work. It's a really hard move to make but it will definitely help you stay focused whilst working.
2. Make sure your work place is clean, minimal and tidy.
I have only just started to use my desk properly this year and I wish I would have used it sooner. I used to use it as a place to dump all my crap such as books but this year I though I'd tidy it up and make it a decent place to work. Wherever you're working should be clean and tidy, try and move things that are distracting away from your work area and keep it as minimal as possible. As they say 'tidy desk, tidy mind' and it's 100% true.
3. Pack your bag the night before.
I used to pack my bag the morning of school but ever since I've started college, I've been doing it the night before and it's saved me so so so much time in the morning. Give yourself about 15 minutes the night before school, college or uni to pack all your essentials just so you're completely ready for the day. This bag is from River Island btw and I think I've been using it for like 4 years now. I'm very surprised it's even lasted this long.
5. Plan your outfits the night before.
This is sort of on the same lines as packing your bag the night before. It will save you so much more time in the morning to fully prepare yourself for a day in hell but at least this way you'll be looking extra cute even though you're in pain. This jumper is from Bershka and is the comfiest thing I own. It isn't available anymore but you can buy a very very similar one here:
https://www.zaful.com/lantern-sleeve-mock-neck-sweater-p_379337.html
6. Keep a copy of your timetable at home & a calendar to fill in for the month.
Keeping a copy of your timetable at home is pretty useful especially when it comes to knowing what lessons you have, when work is due and what to pack for the day. On my timetable, I've colour coordinated my lessons so when I fill in my diary/planner or my to do list, I use that certain colour so I know it's associated with that certain subject. Usually I'd just make my own on Word but this time I just printed a couple off Google Images, there's a lot of different cute ones. Calendar wise, print one that has boxes for everyday of the month so you can fill in what work is due and important dates. The most satisfying thing to do at the end of the day is to put a nice big red 'x' through that day's box.
7. Get a diary/planner.
A planner or diary for the year is a necessity. Not only do they help keep you organised but they're so much fun to shop for since they come in so many different styles, designs and structures. I got mine from TK Maxx and it's A6 sized so it's so easy to take with me everyday. I fill in everything in here, whether it's homework, university associated stuff or even appointments. I love cats.
8. Make lists of everything you need to do.
My friend Cherie bought me a couple of these cute notebooks whilst she was on holiday and they've been amazingly handy. I like making lists. Whatever the situation is, I'll most likely make a list whether it's a pro or cons or a list of stuff to take on holiday or in this case, a list of work I need to do. Usually I'll make one for the week and one for the weekend. This notebook is quite handy since at the top it has little section to fill in the date so you know what you're on but just any notebook will do or you can even get yourself a to do list pad.
9. Post stick notes are your best friends.
I don't think I would have even survived my first year without these. I stick these e v e r y w h e r e. I am an organised person because of these. I use them to write down important work that's due, to highlight sections I need to revise in books, important areas in books, the list is honestly endless. They will be your saviour for the rest of your life in education.
I hope this gave you a few ideas on how to get your life somehow together, don't worry if it isn't perfectly organised, mine isn't and I can assure you that no one else's is 100% organised either 😏
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Movies That Changed My Perspective on Life | Zafira
I'm a huge movie person. I'll pretty much watch anything, same with TV series but I think I'll save that for another blog post. As you can tell, photography is kind of my thing but cinematography is also something I've always had a keen interest in. It's like photography but it moves. I love it.
I don't know what it is but recently, I've had a thing for movies that make you rethink your entire life. Maybe it's because I'm in such a fast paced changing era of my life where every decision I make seems to affect me in someway or another or maybe it's just because I want a new perspective on life in general.
Here are a few of the movies that 'shook' me and made me want to change who I am.
1. American History X
For anyone that knows me irl, then you'd know I think skinhead culture is so fascinating. It's strange that it was even a thing but I still think it was quite cool minus the whole racism thing. Anyway, this is sort of on the same lines of This is England for those of you have seen that. It's set in America and is focused on the character of Derek who was a very popular neo-Nazi skinhead and how he tries to prevent his brother from following in the same footsteps as him. I don't really know why this affected me so much. I think maybe it's because I have a younger brother too and I don't want to do anything that reflects onto him badly. It's also made me appreciate my family so much more, I'd do anything for family if it was the best for all of us in the end.
2. The Matrix
This summer I wanted to watch all of the 'classic' movies and the Matrix was one of them. I sat and watched it until about 4am with family and it just messed with my head so much. I'm a huge conspiracy theory fan. Sometimes I'll sit on YouTube all day and watch one conspiracy theory after the other. Obviously, I don't believe most of them because they're just so wtf most of the time but they're still very entertaining to watch. Anyway, my main point here is the Simulation Theory. It's all about how reality today is all fake and we and life around us is nothing about a simulation (you can read more about it here PUT A LINK IN). It really messes with your head, and for a 2nd year college student running on little to 0 hours of sleep, it was probably not a good idea to watch this movie or read about the theory. In the Matrix, a computer programmer by day and hacker by night begins to question his reality once he is contacted by a group of rebels. It's literally the weirdest concept ever. Even the CEO of Tesla, a well known company, heavily believes in this theory. It's a such a good movie, just strange.
3. When Marnie Was There
Oh.My.God. This movie made me bawl my eyes out. I'm not a crier. I don't cry at any movies ever or anything really but this was so sad. A young tomboy gets sent to live with relatives in the countryside and becomes obsessed with this old mansion. The story unravels as you get more into the movie but the last 10 mins or so are the most shocking and upsetting. I don't really want to say much about it because I think it's better if you just watch it and feel all the feels. It just made me feel so sad and appreciative of everything really.
4. Her
This is such a hipster/indie movie but it made me feel so lonely after watching it. It's set in the future and the writer Theo starts a strange and unusual relationship with his operating system. Firstly, it's filmed so beautifully. In some scenes you can truly see the isolation that Theodore is feeling just by certain scenes. I love love love movies where they focus on small things like this, it makes watching not only an 'entertaining' experience but a pretty beautiful one too. The operating system is voiced by Scarlett Johanssen and it's so weird how real the operating system seems. It almost feels like she's a real person. The audience connects with the operating system 'Sam' just as much as Theo does. It's such a good movie and I've watched it so so so many times. I consider myself an independent person much like Theo, like I'm not one to get out much or to spend a considerable amount of time with friends so in some ways, I can sort of understand where Theo's loneliness and isolation comes from.
5. Every Wes Anderson Movie Ever
I love love love love love love love love Wes Anderson, I think I've watched all of his movies except from 2 maybe? I'm huge fan. I think the amount attention to detail is insanely beautiful. Some scenes are so so pleasing to the eye. The colours, the symmetry and the 60/70s vibes to every movie he makes is what drew me in. His movie ideas are so original, I think my absolute favourites are The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tennebaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel. All such amazingly filmed and constructed movies. I feel like movies like this are quite good if you have like artist's block or photographer's block or anything along those lines. You feel incredibly inspired. I think the first Wes Anderson movie I watched was Moonrise Kingdom and I remember all I wanted to do was paint and go out take pictures and that's what I did for about 3 weeks straight. I had never felt so inspired before.
JUST LOOK AT THAT PINK
6. Whiplash
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to watching this but it was so amazing. It's based on the character of Andrew who is a young drummer and he gets chosen to be mentored by a mentor who pushes musicians beyond their limits to realise their potential. I quite like Miles Teller in movies because he's quite a natural actor and pretty quirky too which I like. In this however, his character is a bit more serious which was very different. I watched this pretty late at night and you know when you have those really deep thoughts at like 3am? Well they got pretty deep after watching this. I think when it comes to my potential, I usually stop at what feels comfortable, if whatever it is I'm doing becomes harder than I would like then I just give it. But maybe it's time to change that. The mentor of Andrew pushes him so hard and at the end he becomes an amazing drummer just like he had always wanted. So, I think it's time for me to cross my boundaries and maybe after watching this, you should try to too?
7. American Psycho
Everyone that knows me knows that I've become so obsessed with this film and the book too. It's not very healthy. I'm actually writing about this for my A Level English Literature coursework and even writing about the subject manner of this book and now movie is so gruesome. American Psycho is based on the character of Patrick Bateman who is very wealthy businessman based in New York who has an alternative ego where he's basically the most psychotic and craziest serial killer I've ever seen. The movie itself is nowhere as graphic and violent as the stuff in the book but it's still pretty unsettling. Patrick Bateman looks and seems like a trust worthy man. After all, he's wealthy, well dressed and is well groomed but I think this heavily enhances how you should never judge a book by it's cover. (Christian Bale is Patrick Bateman btw 😉)
"I'm into murders and executions mostly."
8. American Honey
This I literally watched yesterday. I think I found the trailer on the A24 channel which I've become to love because the trailers of movies they upload are so original and just so beautifully filmed. American Honey is an amazing coming of age movie about Star, a teenage girl who joins a a travelling magazine crew where she begins to travel around the US, party and makes new friends. When I first watched the trailer, I was blown away by the cinematography. It's what made me want to watch it in the first place and I was not disappointed. Some scenes filmed of the American South are breath taking. It's insanely beautiful. I liked how the whole movie was focused on Star. We become so close to her and see everything from her perspective and overall get to see her find out who she is. Also Shia Labeouf is in it who's character is amazing in this and fun fact of the day, Shia is the only 'professional' actor in this. The main actress Sasha Lane was spotted by Andrea Arnold, the director of the movie, whilst she was in Florida for spring break. This definitely made me want to be more adventurous. The character of Star is so free spirited, fearless and wild. She embraces life.
If you like blog posts like this about movies and TV series let me know because I love writing about this stuff!
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Summer on Film | Zafira
Hi!
So I've decided to start a new series on here. I'm going to start doing a blog post about whatever month it is but shot in film. I hope it gets me experimenting with film a lot more and also one thing I really love doing is talking about my photographs and why I took them which is why this series is pretty much perfect. I love love film. I can't even get over how much I adore shooting on it. I'm always trying to find new and fun ways to document my life and so far, using film has been my absolute fave. I just love how it looks and shooting on it is so so so much more fun that digital. It's exiciting, you don't know what the outcome is going to be.
The first post in this series are some shots I took over summer, I honestly didn't get out much. I spent a lot of time travelling to see family but I was either indoors or in a car most of the time or just at home lazing around.
Here are some of my favourites from over this summer!
Like I mentioned earlier, I want to document my life and I feel like I've currently hit my peak teen years, next year I'm going to be an adult which I don't even wanna talk about. But here's the door to my room which makes me feel so young and childish and I love it.
I own a troll that looks like a roadman. I don't really know why I bought this but it's sat on a shelf in my room looking quite cute.
I remember I took this when the weather because extremely bipolar and it was raining cats and dogs once minute and the next it was so sunny. You can see the grey clouds clearing in the top of the picture. I love taking pictures of the sky.
Just the view outside my bedroom window.
I wanted to take a picture of the moon but obviously considering it was the middle of the night and it was pitch black, the picture didn't come out as great as I had visioned it too but it still looks semi cool.
Here's my cat that isn't actually my cat. I think it belongs to our neighbour but it seems to love me a lot.
Here's my cousin looking pretty cute, I spent a lot of time with family this summer and it was really nice.
A cute tiny little vase thing with flowers in with pink water because my obsession with pink has honestly hit a new level of extreme where I'm basically killing all my plants with this pink water that consists of paint.
I also bought a hat (from New Look) and this shirt (from Zara, also in my prev blog post) which I wore like everyday. It's a cute combo.
I also took this on digital which you can see over on my Instagram, links to everything will be at the end of this post.
Of course there was some pictures of the lovely Hannah on my camera as always. She's my go to model and I had to take some images for my photography project for college. These film ones are quite blurry because I didn't use lighting and I didn't really want that artificial look to them. But, I really like the different tones and hues in these and I don't mind the blurryness at all. These were all inspired by the photographer
.
Here's a behind the scenes of the star face shot, this is my fave image I've ever taken.
Also for my college photography project, I had to choose another phtotographer and create images inspired by them. So I chose
and here's a behind the scenes. If you check out my Instagram, you can see one of the final versions from this set! Links to all my social media will be at the end of this post.
It was Eid on September 1st and here's me looking overly happy in my Eid outift.
I took this the day before college started, pretty sure I was procrastinating and avoiding all the work I had to do.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram and my other social media to find out when I post the next post in this series and when I just post in general!
The Start of Something New | Zafira
Hi guys!
You're probably like wth is this blog post all about but finally after a long time of over thinking, I've decided to properly start my own YouTube channel. It's something I've always wanted to do ever since I started watching YouTube videos, the process of creating new content whether it's a video or a picture makes me extremely happy and excited. I'm overjoyed to join another platform where I can express myself. I'm not sure how often I'm going to be uploading but I'll try and get some vids uploaded whenever I can. In the meantime, enjoy this glitchy get ready with me which was so awkward to film lol.
PRODUCTS USED IN THE VID:
Carmex Cherry Lip Balm
Superdrug Vitamin E Mist
Freedom Pro Conceal Palette in Medium/Dark
Bare Minerals Pure Brightening Serum Foundation in Bare Espresso
Collection Pressed Powder in Misty Beige
Sleek Face Form Contour Kit in Medium
Mary Lou Manizer from The Balm
Revolution Blush in Sugar
Zoeva Cocoa Blend Pallete - only used Freshly Toasted
NYX Professional Tame & Frame Brow Pomade in Black
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara in Black
Barry M Lip Liner in No.6
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Rome
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Exploring Manchester: Cat Cafe | Zafira
Helloo and welcome to today's post!
I've lived in Manchester my entire life but I've never really had the chance to explore it so I thought, as I explore more of Manchester, I'll document it and write about it on here!
Today, me and friend Britt finally decided to go to the Cat Cafe. Since she loves cat and I have no idea how I feel about them we thought it would be the perfect place to visit. First thing I noticed was how friendly the staff are. I've never felt so at home and welcomed before in my entire life. We only stayed there for about half an hour which came up to the grand total of £6 which is not bad at all considering all drinks are unlimited. It's such a chill and relaxing environment, there's soft music playing in the background and the room is filled with homely furniture that adds to that overall comforting feel.
The cats are basically everywhere doing just about anything but mostly chillin'. It's so lovely to see all these cats with so many different personalities. I think one of the things I was pretty scared about was like a cat jumping onto me or attacking me or something like that just because I've not really had a lot of experience with cats. But I can assure you that nothing like that happened lol, the cats are pretty friendly and won't jump onto you but will come and walk around and near you which is pretty cute.
There's just something in the air whilst you're in there that makes you feel so happy. Me and Britt were almost in tears from happiness whilst we were in there and even after we left. It was such a pleasant experience and will most likely become sort of tradition for us. I think it's perfect for a little get together with friends, dates or just as a stress reliever. I can imagine myself sat in here a lot when exams are going on. It's such a wonderful place and I can't wait to go again!
Here's a few pictures I took today!
I should become a cat photographer.
Not a cat but she might as well be.
Heaven.
Just look how chilled out this angel is, what more could you want in life?
This is Bert, you can follow this qt on Instagram by clicking on the following link:
As you can tell from this, Britt was pretty much crying once we left the place.
Make sure you check out my Instagram for more snaps! 💮
Get to Know Me | Zafira
Hey ❀
It's a sad, gloomy Saturday afternoon and the weather has put me in such a relaxed yet creative mood and I've been making notes and plans like crazy for this blog and also some photography projects. I'm so excited for the future of this blog! Today I decided that I would do a get to know me tag. I've had this blog for a year now (whoop whoop!!!) and I don't think that you know me very well. I think it's about time you get to know who I am. Enjoy ♡
What is your name?
My name is Zafira Ahmed if you couldn't already tell by the title of this bloggie.
What is your favourite subject in school?
I really enjoy art now. I consider myself a very creative person so me and art go together very well. It's a great way to express yourself.
What’s your favourite song at the moment?
I can never just have one favourite. I'm liking 3 songs right now and these are...
- Alive by Sia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2NgsJrrAyM
- Heartstrings by Leighton Meester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUoKS89yZiU
- Technicolour Beat by Oh Wonder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FfYWp_d5w
What’s your favourite book?
I have two and these are Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen and Misery by Stephen King.
What are you reading at the moment?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
What’s your favourite colour?
I love most shades of blue. Especially navy blue and turquoise.
What’s your favourite animal?
I'm not a huge fan of that many animals but I adore wolves. I think that they're so beautiful and majestic.
What’s your favourite perfume?
Flower by Kenzo is definitley one of them. I featured the miserable empty bottle on my vintage collection blog post last month.
Click here if you haven't read it yet!
It's smells very clean and fresh.
It's a really nice everyday scent. I also love J'adore by Dior. This is more of a floral scent and the bottle for it is so pretty.
Do you speak any other languages?
Yep I speak Bengali as well as English.
Do you have any siblings?
A younger brother who is 10.
What’s your favourite store?
I really TK Maxx or TJ Maxx as they call it in America. It's a great place to buy branded things for less.
Do you like school?
Erm NO. I dread going everyday and I pretty much hate it when I'm there 99% of the time but I know it'll be worth it in the end when I get my GCSEs.
Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?
I have so many but here's three of my current faves:
- The Michalaks are absolutely amazing. They are small family consisting of the lovely Hannah, the hilarious Stef and little Grayson and the quality of their vlogs are phenomenal.
It's literally like watching a mini movie of their lives every Sunday. And THEY'RE DOING VLOGMAS!
Check them out:
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Samantha Maria (previously known as beautycrush) is probably my favourite fashion blogger as well as Youtuber. Her style and taste in fashion is stunning and she always looks incredible.
Check her out here:
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Meghan Rienks is my last fave at the moment. She is so down to Earth and also so funny. I've really enjoyed watching her for the past couple of months.
Check her out here:
What’s your favourite movie?
I LOVE anything by Wes Anderson. His movies are so beautiful and vintagey. They are really quirky too and my favourites so far are The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. I really like Requiem for a Dream and Trainspotting too. Requiem for a Dream is the stroy of 4 drug addicts and how their addiction progresses and Trainspotting is similar but more about overcoming an addiction.
What TV shows are you currently watching?
I'm now watching Empire, Suits, Scream Queens and Twin Peaks whenever I'm free. They're all really wonderful TV shows.
What phone do you have?
I have the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
What colour are your eyes?
I have really dark brown eyes, sometimes they even look black. It's kinda cool.
When is your birthday?
June 24th. I have the same birthday as Gustav Wood from Young Guns and also Mindy Kaling.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?
I'd love to go to Italy, especially Florence. It seems like such a dreamy, serene place and I can't wait to go one day.
Who are your favourite band?
Brand New and The NBHD are joint first on my list of favourite bands. Both very different but still amazing bands.
Favourite photographers?
A majority of my favourite photographers are on instagram but one photographer that has always stood out to me is David Bailey. He was a big hit in the 60-70s and I fell in love with his portraits of Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton.
If there are any more questions you'd like to know the answers to then feel free to leave them down below on Instagram!
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