The importance of good photography in our life

Our photographs tell us what is important to us. When you ask people what possessions would they rescue from their burning house, one of the most frequent answers is the photo album or a computer  - holding their digital images. It's so interesting that when panic mode hits, you're most likely lunge for you photos rather than for your valuable jewelry. This impulse to save our recorded memories is a powerful force that just show us the important role photography has in our life and our constant desire to distill and imortalize our most precious moments into images.

Photography preserves the most important events and people in our lives. Photos are our personal story, they construct a timeline of our lives, filled with faces and places that we love.  And they allow us to share our life and important moments with others. They allow us to share and communicate, and can convey all kinds of emotions! 

So yeah. Having good photos, that really capture the moment is very VERY important. But not every one can do that. We all have some amador photographer in us. And that's enough for every-day memories, vacations and family gatherings. But for important moments -- moments that you want to capture no only the people but also the feelings -- you have to with a professional photographer. Don't ask you cousin that own a professional camera to take pictures of your weeding. You will definitely regret it! 

So, how do you find the right photographer? It may not be an easy task, but you only have three rules:

1. Find a photographer that matches your style, your aesthetic. Some with the same sense of style as you. Because most likely he will produce something that he likes, and if you have similar taste, you will like it too.

2. Find a photographer who edits well. Editing can really change a picture, the mood and the feeling it conveys. You if you have an editing style in mind you should find a photographer that is capable of delivering that style with consistency. If you don't know what you want, go trough your prospect-photographer's portfolios and see if you like what you see. Just make sure that the photographer you pick has a consistent editing processes, and be sure to communicate the tone and atmosphere you want your photographs to give off.

3. Find a photographer who has a good personality. Your photographer will be everywhere with you. Up in your face all day long. And there is nothing worse than having a photographer who is too opinionated, too boisterous, or too awkward to be around. So find someone you really click with. That is positive and has has an upbeat personality. Try meeting him over a coffee and really get to know him, build relationship with him, turn him into a friend!

And how about where to find the right photographer?

You can google it, ask your friends for recommendations OR you can use Fixando. Fixando is an online platform that makes hiring profissional services very easy, including a professional photographer. It's really easy to use -- you just answer a few questions about what you are looking for, how much is your budget and this information will be sent to all the available professionals registered on this platform. They will then submit their proposals and you can compare the different professionals, check their portfolios and compare prices. Fixando is available in several 

locations, including Portugal. So yeah, if you are in need of a Photographer in Lisbon or Photographer in Porto or a Photographer  really anywhere else in the world, Fixando can help you.

GLAMOUROSA | Sensilis and Lierac with great prices!

I just realized that I've being the dumbest person on the face of the earth. Why, you ask? Well... I've been buying all my body/skin care products at my local pharmacy while I could be being them from Glamourosa all along. I know what fiscally buying the products is better because you can try them, smell them, feel them... however, they are way more expensive...

Today I've received an email saying that Glamourosa now carries Sensilis and everything is 15% off! I have a few products that are on my wishlist that are a great deal! I always wanted to try their skin care products but they are super expensive...

Even my favorite sculpting cream is on sale here -- it's expensive as hell, but it works wonders! Actually, all Lierac products have 20% off and this is really awesome. I will be definitely placing an order real soon. Also, there's a full review of this product coming out in the next few days!

And if these amazing prices weren't enough, you can always use my code thenotsogirlygirl at the end of you purchase for an extra 5% off!

I honestly invite you to take a look. It's all original products and they carry a lot brands -- including  Benefit, Kat Von D, Huda Beauty, among others. I love fancy brands and if I can save a few euros, it's always a good deal!

INBOX | Embelleze Novex My Beach + GIVEAWAY

If you are an Embelleze ambassador, you know you are getting spoiled with some amazing goodies. They always send us the best products. ALWAYS.

This time, they sent me to try this NOVEX set of Shampoo & Conditioner and Hair Mask specifically created for the summer. This line is amazing - It's called Minha praia (in English - My Beach) and yeah, as the name implies it's a line specially designed to protect and nourish your hair throughout the summer. It leaves your hair all smooth and shinny and smelling like a yummy coconut!

Since currently I exclusively use a solid shampoo, I've decided to give this way to a worth-worthy  soul. Head over to my Instagram @thentosogirlygirl8 find this photo and follow these simple rules:

- Follow my page @thenotsogirlygirl8

- Follow @embelleze_portugal

- Double tap the photo

- Comment #thenotsogirlygirl and tag two friends. You can comment as many times as you want as long as you use the # and always tag different friends.

-The giveaway closes on July 12th and the winner will be announced on an instastory shortly after!

Good luck!

-- Please follow the rules! In this case Embelleze kindly sent me this products but most of the times the stuff we give away are bought with our own money, and we do this because we want to promote our IG accounts and our blogs, and it honestly sucks that no one really cares --

Inbox | Embelleze Christmas Kit

Thank you so much Embelleze ! You guys spoil us with so many goodies! 

GLAMOUROSA | High End Products With Awesome Prices + Discount Code

You know I love to shop online... I'm honestly starting to hate going to physical stores, to wait in lines to pay or to try out stuff.  Including make up and beauty products... Recently I've come into this super cool store, called GLAMOUROSA, with the most awesome prices and great discounts! If you are like me and you like expensive brands, you know the struggle of managing expensive prices.

GLAMOUROSA is a portuguese online store that sells the most awesome, trendy, high-end brands, at really really good prices! They have all type of products, from make-up, skin-care, fragrances, hair... From what I've seen, almost every product has at least a 15% discount over their regular price, which is pretty awesome!    They guaranteed me that all their products are genuine!

Another cool thing -- they offer FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING for orders over 60€, which honestly is not hard to reach. And they always, ALWAYS, send you some samples of cool new products for you to try! 

Here are some products that currently on my wishlist. I know their prices at Sephora and so, and I can't guarantee you that they are way cheaper here.

And because they are super super awesome, they gave me a 5% discount code to share with you! I know, 5% isn't a lot, but don't forget that all their products have already pretty good discounts! Just use the code 'thenotsogirlygirl' at the end of your purchase!

Asbestos & TreatMesothelioma.org

If you've been here for while, you probably know that I'm into a natural products. I like to know what is going into my body -- even though sometimes I know that things aren't that good for me. 

But one of the things that really concernes me the most is asbestos -- amainto, in portuguese. You've probably heard of it. But the truth is that we can be severely exposed to this and we may not even realize. It's in the roofs of your houses, our offices, our schools! It's something that you cannot really avoid, because most of the times you don't even know it's there. Asbestos causes cancer. And you know how fucked up that can be.

Thankfully there are a few organizations that help people affected by this. Mesothelioma Treatment Community or  TreatMesothelioma.org is dedicated to the assistance and guidance of asbestos and mesothelioma victims around the world. They exist to inspire hope during these unbearable times as they strive to provide palliative care and comprehensive information through their website, resources, and educational videos. These resources are designed to help guide patients and their loved ones toward the answers and support they need to improve their quality of life, prognosis, and life expectancy. They are the ONLY Volunteer Mesothelioma Website in the United States.

For me, these organizations are really important. Specially in the US, where healthcare is too expensive, and insurances don't really cover everything. And I'm sure that they would really appreciate if we could all help share their message and mission, and awareness on the dangers of asbestos.

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Poison Prevention Week 2016 | Asbestos & Mesothelioma

Today I'm bringing you a post a little bit more serious from my regular posts. I was contacted by Cameron and his wife Heather to talk a little bit about toxins and to promote Poison Prevention Week. Heather was exposed to asbestos as a young girl, and in 2005 was diagnosed with a type of cancer that is caused by being exposed to asbestos. Since than, Cameron has made his mission to spread the word about toxins and their presence in our homes. 

We've all heard about toxins, right?. But do you know what is a toxin and where they can be found? Most people don't. They think that toxins are something that is only found in dangerous and controlled substances. Well, you know what? That's no true at all. We encounter toxins in our daily basis, in our common household objects, and we don't even realize.

A toxin is a substance that is harmful for humans, that comes from a natural or biological source. It's just a fancy name for a poison. This word is much more scary, don't you agree...? Poison... Yeah, but that's exactly what a toxin is. And we are poising yourselves everyday without even knowing. And many of this toxins -- if not all --  affect our bodies by causing cancer.

Some of this toxins come from compounds that are present in plastics, detergents or even in textiles. But having this information, we can pay attention and try to avoid buying products that contain specifically this specific products. For example, a lot of make up products or shower products already clearly claim that they are "Parabens  free". It is important to avoid this type of products specially if you have kids, if you're trying to get pregnant or if you have a historical of cancer in your family or if you are more prone to have cancer for some reason.  If you know how cancer "works" you know what I mean... Anyway, whatever is you case or situation, you want to keep the odds of having cancer at bay. At least I know I want. I have been concerned with this issue for many years, and whenever I can I try to pay attention and avoid products that my be harmful.

But there are one specific thing that what worries me the most. Asbestos (amianto, in Portuguese).

Asbestos can be found in roofs of schools and public buildings, It was the main material used for roofing in 70's. And it causes cancer. In fact, it causes a specific type of cancer called  mesothelioma. Since the connection between mesothelioma and asbestos was scientifically proven, a lot of buildings were re-roofed, replacing the asbestos for other materials. But not all of them have been converted yet. Actually, last week I saw on the news that a kinder-garden in the city where I live still have asbestos on the roof. The news-piece was basically the director of the place was saying that ALL the ladies that worked there had some sort of cancer in some point of their life. Coincidence? I don't think so. I know that kinder-garden, I know people that went there. It scares be, because we just don't know that it is there.

Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma, after giving birth to her baby girl, years later after being exposed! She was given 15 months to live, but luckily after a life-saving surgery she is well and thriving today! If you'd like find more information about her journey and history you can check her blog series at  mesothelioma.com/heather/survivor .

Mesothelioma -- as well as other form of cancer -- are preventable, but it is important to be informed about toxins and carcinogens.

To Heather and Cameron, thank you so much for sharing your story with my and with the world and thank you for the opportunity to share this information and be a part of this event.

HAVE YOU ENTERED THE GIVEAWAY?

HERE

GIVEAWAY | FIRMOO.COM [CLOSED]

Hey everyone!

Today I'm bringing you another awesome giveaway! This time, one of you will win a free pair of glasses (eye-glasses or sun-glasses, you choose! ) and one 10$ Vouchers to five of you to be used on Firmoo.com! How awesome is this?!

Firmoo is an awesome online shop that sells all type of awesome, trendy glasses! It's one of the most popular online eyeglasses store! It has a huge variety of models at a super affordable prices!  But the low prices are not synonym of low quality. NO NO NO! Firmo know that glasses are an a crucial accessory for some of us, that we have with us everyday and they understand that it needs to endure our busy lives!

To win one of this prizes, all you need to do is to follow my blog and to make a comment where you tell me the model you want! You have to chose your favorite from HERE!

Once again, I'm running this giveaway using Rafflecopter, so don't forget to sign up in the widget at the end of the post. It will end on Saturday 27th of February at 12:00 am. I will announce the winner shortly after!

Good luck everyone! :D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's escape winter | HomeAway

The weather has been dreadful. Rainy and all grey. And I hate this. It makes me so depressed. When I look out the window all that my heart wants is to go away! To travel to a nice warm beach. And just lay in the sun and relax!

Let's imagine for a second that we could do this ok? That we could chose a nice warm sunny place and just leave our busy lives behind and go! Let's plan our trip shall we?

What do you think about Florida Panhandle ? The Sunshine State sounds awesome to spend some quality time! Yes, I can definitely imagine my self just relaxing on St. George Island, maybe going to Disney World! 

As for accommodation... Well HomeAway has so many great vacation places to rent, with so many price points that, tbh, I am sure that I would find there some great options! If you are actually thinking about you holidays and starting to plan them, don't forget to check HomeAway! It's cheaper then a hotel and you are renting a whole house, which gives you the freedom to have your won space, make your food, and have no schedules! Something that annoys me when going to hotels is having to respect the meals schedules -- like breakfast is only until 10 am or lunch only until 14h. And I just hate having to worry about that!  

But now, the hardest thing --  what to pack! It is always hard to decide what to take! But I have a few essentials that I cannot live without and that I have to take with me! Of curse I'm not showing you the obvious stuf but a few awesome things that I think are a necessity for some great holidays!

(1) A nice summery colorful flowy jumpsuit. Good for going to the beach but also nice enough to walk around with. And of course, super comfy! For me soft tie-dye pastel colors just scream summer and beach! Love it! -- HERE

(2) A nice backpack to carry  all my stuff with me! I think that the Herschel Classic Retreat Backpack in khaki is just amazing! For me it screams summer adventures! -- HERE 

(3) An amazing beach towel is also something that I need with me. This ones by Vertty are just the coolest ones I've seen! First they have a really unique shape! Also, they have a waterproof  pocket for you to keep your phone or keys always dry! I love the Coral one! -- HERE

(4) My JBL Clip+ Bluetooth Speaker is also something good to have on hand! It's great to listen to some music, in the beach -- since it's splash proof -- or in the morning when I am getting ready! -- HERE

(5) We cannot forget about sun protection! My favorite brand for sunscreen is from Vichy and I always use SPF 30 for my body and SPF 50 for my face. For my lips, I like EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm with SPF15 in Sweet Mint!

I hope you liked it! Let me know, in the comments, what would you pack for escaping the winter? And don't forget to visit HomeAway!

Partnership | Oriflame by Ana Dinis | Gift Ideas

OK. So we are three days away from Valentine's days. Do you already have everything ready for the big day? Have you bought a nice gift, made reservations in a fancy shmancy  expensive restaurante and prepared a super romantic evening for you special one? Have you? NO?! Well, me nether. No one has time for that. But anyway, society tell us that we need at least to get a SMALL gift for that person that warms our heart.

Even if you don't have a sweetheart, I think you should give yourself a gift ok? Just because, don't ever ever forget that you have to love yourself before loving anyone else!

So today I'm brining you 5 sugestions for her and 5 sugestions for him, all from Oriflame.

(1) Eau de Parfum Love Potion Secrets  

(2) 5 em 1 Lipstick Colour Stylist The ONE & Liquid eye-shadow Metal The ONE 

(3) Ultimate Lift NovAge Set  (4) WellnessPack woman  (5) Long wear nail polish The ONE

Parfume is the most classic gift. And oh my good this Love Potion Secret has such a cute bottle! Love it! Make up is always a good idea! A new lipstick, some eyeswhaodws or some high quality nail polishes are perfect as a small gift! As well as some face cream, anti-aging produts! This ones are awesome and can be bought as a set or separtalty. The weelneess pack is also a great idea, it's a food suplment that helps her feel good and younger, with more energy with perfect skin!

(1) Eau de Toilette Giordani Man Notte (2) Discover Icelandic Purity Set (3) Modernd Watch

 (4) WellnessPack man  (5) Eau de Toilette Be the Legend

For him, a perfume or a watch are always two classic gifts that never fail. Also some guys are actually a lot into health and skin care  -- although most of them don't want to admit it --  so I think that the Wellness Pack or this shower goodies pack can be a perfect gift!

Don't forget, if you want to get any of this products -- or any other Oriflame products --  talk with out lovely partner Ana Dinis and she will help you! She is awesome and she will make you a 10u% discount if you use the code girlygirl10!

Let me know what are you getting your Valentin this year? I'm super curious! ^^

GIVEAWAY [CLOSED]

Today I am bringing you a Giveaway! This is my first sponsored giveaway and I am so excited! Some of this products were kindly offered by the blog lovely partner Ana Dinis! Thank you Ana for all this awesome stuff :) This includes a bunch of samples, some full size products from Oriflame and a cute make up bag! 

To enter the giveaway, the only requirement is to follow the blog via GFC. You can do this by clicking the "Join this site", on the followers section on the right side of your screen! There are a bunch of stuff that you can do to get extra entries, such as liking and visiting some things! This giveaway will be ran with rafflecopter, so you have to sign up in the widget at the end of this post. I hope you guys enjoy this awesome giveaway because I've putted a lot a work in to in. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dresslink Wishlist !

Hey y'all! 

I have always shopped online, specially on Ebay. I've ordered a ton of cheap clothing items, accessories, make up. But I've never shopped of any online Asia-based shop. Honestly, because I didn't knew any that I could rely on. But now I've found Dresslink, and I have to say I am amazed with the amount and variety of products that they carry! I've been browsing their website for the last 4h -- yep 4 whole hours -- they have so much stuff it's crazy -- and I've chosen my top 10 items and  I created a wishlist. It was hard to only 10, I have to admit! I've chosen things not only because they are super cute, but also because I was super impressed with the price! What do you think?

(1) Button Down Cotton Shirt (2) Vintage Knitted Sweater (3) Faux Fur Short Vest

(4) Chiffon Dress (5) Hot Pink Messenger Bag (6) Rainbow Feathers Blouse

(7) Gold Plated Ring (8) Geometric Necklace (9) Concealer Pallet + 20 Brushes

(10) Soft Powder Brush

Partnership | Oriflame by Ana Dinis

(1) Age Defying Giordani Gold Foundation (2) Eau de Parfum Vip Only

(3) Lipstick The One 5 in 1 Stylist Intense Collection

(4) Micelar Water DiamondCellular (5) Mascara The One Double Effect

(6) Long Lasting Nail Polishes The One

(7) HairX Hair Line: Shampoo TimeResist , Conditioner TimeResist & SérumTimeResist

Our lovely partner, Ana Dinis, came up with this great suggestions for starting the new year all pampered and beautiful! All this products are on sale on Catalog nr 1 for 2016. And don't forget, if you want to purchase one of this products -- or any other Oriflame products -- contact Ana and tell her you come from the blog! She is awesome and super helpful! You can find her contact info down here :)

Partnership | Oriflame by Ana Dinis

(1) Body Scrub Discover Parisian Delight  (2) Nika Bracelet  (3) Massaging Soap - Limited Edition

(4) 3 in 1 Retractable Make-Up Brush (5) Winter Make-Up Bag  (6) Giordani Gold Make Up Pallet

I've been browsing through Orifliame's website, trying to find some cute gift ideas and this is what I'vefound. The nr 4 -- the 3 in 1 retractable make up brush is just awesome! And the Frozen-ish make up bag -- ADORABLE!

If you order from our lovely partner Ana Dinis do not forget to use the promo-code girlygirl10 to get 10% off any purchase!

Partnershirp | Oriflame by Ana Dinis

Hello Hello! So today we have again another Oriflme post!
Do not forget --  like our partner's facebook so you can see all the new products that are available or that are on sale! And don't forget, you can always use the promocode girglygirl10 to get a 10% discount!

So, Oriflame is a brand that stands out not only for its quality but also for the variety of products that it offers -- from soap to nail polish. This month the long lasting nail-polishes TheOne are on highlight on catalog 15, where there are featured the most beautiful Fall/Winter colours: Reds, nudes, purples! Keep your nails perfect for a very affordable price! Look at this awesome colors!

This long lasting nail polishes have an Expert Gel technology that gives you an uniform coat and a vibrant color that resist to fade and chipping. They have a wide and high definition brush that helps you apply this nail polish very precise and to have perfectly painted nails! This is great! I suck at painting my nails -- specially my painting my right and using my left hand.. yeah it gets messy.

As for the prices, they are at a very very affordable price! 5,95€ - 10% makes 5.36€ witch for me is an OK price for a nail polish. Specially if it stays for a long time! I hate when I paint my nails and two hours later having already a piece missing! 

Don't forget, visit our partner's Ana Dinis facebook! And since you're at it, like the blog's facebook as well! 

Let me know in the comments what is your favorite color from this line! Mine... i'll have to say number's 6 and 7! I love red nails and that purple is just awesome!