Good. Customer. Service.

This blog post is mainly about customer service and how important it is to have good customer service for your company/store.

I was recently in a beauty store called Nat Lab and I just felt the need to talk about how great their customer service was! I know I have already mentioned them in a post on my beauty tab of my blog, but I can't stop raving about their products, and what the company stands for. Nat Lab is a store that sells a selection of all natural soaps, lotions, body butters, etc. They are an amazing company, and I am so happy that I got a chance to visit their store in Corfu.

I wanted to address the amazing customer service I had! There are so many stores now a days, where the employees slack off, and don't give the customer the time of day, but Nat Lab, was the complete opposite. I met a very nice employee by the name of Liza, and did she ever know how to treat a customer! As soon as I walked in the store, she gave me a really nice greeting and made me feel very welcome. She proceeded to let me know some of the best sellers, and helped with all my questions! She helped me choose amazing products that have now become some of my favourites. She was so humble, and sweet, and she knew exactly what I was looking for. She paid attention to me and was very knowledgeable about the products she was selling. Since I bought so much, she ended up giving me a few free samples to try in case I wanted to buy anything else! I cannot begin express, how much good customer service matters. It affects how your business does in more ways than one! If you make the customer feel important, you will sell more, and the customer will want to come back to your store.

Btw, if you haven't checked out their online store, please take a look! Trust me, their products are amazing!
Here is the link: Nat Lab

A good business + great customer service = Success!!

I hope that when I have a job, I can be just as great as Liza was, and It is important to know the customer service Do's and Dont's!

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Food for Thought: Youvetsi

This is a lifestyle segment I like to call, Food for Thought. I love food and I am always trying new dishes, and I thought I would share some of my favourites with you!

This dish is called Youvetsi. It is a classic Greek dish that is comprised of Orzo, pieces of Beef or lamb, and cheese. The flavours in this dish are outstanding and I would suggest it to anyone! 

I had the luxury the other day to go out for dinner in Corfu, and I ordered Youvetsi. It was probably one of the best Youvetsi's I have ever had. They served it in a clay pot, and they melted fresh cheese ontop! 

The best way to cook Youvetsi would be in a clay pot, or in a large casserole. I have tried several different recipes for Youvetsi, but my favourite recipe by far is by the Three Greek Sisters. They call it Braised beef with Orzo in their first cook book, "Three Sisters Around the Greek Table". They have a fantastic recipe that is easy to follow. You can always put your own spin on it! You should definitely check out their cookbook for the recipe, and for more amazing Greek recipes! 

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OOTD : Making a Statement

Today's OOTD is all about how to style a bold print!

I wore a magenta and purple chevron printed dress from Francessca's. It is fitted at the waist and then flows away from the body. I find that sometimes it's difficult to style bold patterns, but a dress is a good solution. It is one piece, and you could enhance the look with a cute pair of shoes and some accessories that are more simple.

For accessories, I went with a Pandora bracelet, and a white over the shoulder bag from Mango. The bracelet is mainly silver, so it does not take away from the bold print of the dress, and the bag is white to add a light feel to the outfit.

For shoes, I chose a pair of sparkly sandals. I felt that this outfit needed a bit of sparkle, and these sandals were the perfect fit. They are not too over the top, and they add to the bold print.

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Marc Anthony: 2 Products I've been Loving for the Summer

I have been looking for a new dry shampoo, and a new mousse for my hair that I could use during the Summer. I stumbled upon two Marc Anthony products that have done wonders for my hair, and saved me from some bad hair days!

I found a dry shampoo by Marc Anthony called, "2nd Day Clear Dry Shampoo". You spray it on your roots, or wherever your hair is the most oily, and gently massage your fingers where you sprayed the shampoo. Then you leave it for a about one minute before brushing out your hair. Once you brush out your hair, you will see how the dry shampoo removed most of the 2nd day oils, leaving your hair soft, and silky! I highly suggest this brand of dry shampoo. Unlike other dry shampoos, this one is clear and leaves no residue or powder in your hair once blended. This is one of my new faves for the summer and you should try it! 

I also found a mousse for my hair by Marc Anthony. I had tried other mousses before, but none of them did the trick for me. My hair would stay flat with little volume. I wanted a product I could use in the summer, because my hair is naturally wavy and I thought that a volumizing/curling mousse could help enhance my natural hair. This mousse by Marc Anthony is amazing! I usually spray about a palm size of the mousse into my hand. Then I flip my head over and slowly work in the mousse from the top of my head down. I scrunch the mousse to enhance my natural waves, and it does the trick! It lasts for the whole day, and it smells amazing!

Definitely try these products!

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My second home - Corfu, Greece

So I'm in Corfu right now and I am having a blast! I thought that I would post some photos of our vacation so far! Enjoy!

We were so happy to arrive in Corfu! 

The stunning sunset at Pelekas.

Another beautiful sunset.

First day at the beach with my sister!

We clearly loved the beach!

We had lunch at a little taverna. #delicious

We took a nice evening walk into town.

Glifada beach <3

Walked into town and were lucky enough to see a live mulicultral performance. Different dance groups came from various countries and performed in Corfu!

The boats at sunset.

The boats lit up by the moonlight. 

Another picture of the beautiful boats.

The clouds looked so cool, that my dad had to snap a pic!

Sail boat at Thassia Beach.

Marianna and I playing cards on the dock at Kondokali Beach!

Sail boat at midnight.

Apparently we both wanted the spotlight! 

Pool time!

It was raining quite heavily at Kondokali Beach, so naturally we took a picture!

The rain really picked up, but it made for a beautiful shot!

Evening stroll with my Nona!

We met up with some friends in Corfu, and went out for a nice dinner by the Marina.

More pics to come! 

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All Natural Cosmetics....Check!

I was shopping in Corfu and I was just browsing around all the different stores. There were many that caught my eye, but there was one beauty store in particular that had my attention! It was a lovely store that sold soaps and lotions. The amazing smells of the soaps is what enticed me to take a look. Little did I know that all the soaps were eco-friendly and hand made. All the ingredients were fresh, and all the soaps contained natural olive oil. I picked up a small bar of hand cut soap for only 4 euros! The scent I got was Kiwi, and it smells amazing in my bathroom! It was well worth it and I also found out that they ship all worldwide!

Here is the link to their online site: Nat Lab

You never know what treasures you will find!

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Jewelry I Couldn't Resist!

Since I'm in Greece, I thought that I would do some shopping! There are so many unique, and beautiful stores here in Corfu, that I couldn't resist browsing around! I fell in love with one store in particular while I was shopping around.

My purchase was from a jewelry store called, "Antica Murrina". This store featured jewelry made of murrano glass. I decided to take a quick peak inside, and came across the most unique bracelet that I had ever seen! I instantly fell in love with it, and had to have it! I tried it on in the store, and It made me feel so special! I think it was the colour of turquoise in the bracelet, and the different sized droplets that drew me in. I was also very happy with the price of 35 euros! It was well worth the money!

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OOTD: Black + White

This outfit is all about how to style black and white! I decided to go with a pair of black lace shorts, and a black top with small white polka dots. Even though they were both black, they were are very different pieces. I chose a more structured pair of shorts because I wanted to contrast the loose fitting chiffon top that I paired it with.

For accessories, I went with a simple silver chain, and a white cross body purse from "Mango". These accessories tie in the outfit. I went with a white purse because it brought out the white polka dots in the top.

For shoes, I went with a nude pair of low heeled sandals. These are great because they do not take away from the outfit, but they add the finishing touch!

For Hair, I decided to put it in a low side bun with my bangs braided. It was a very hot night and a bun felt like the perfect solution!

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☼ Beach Bag Essentials ☼

Everyone loves the beach! Walks along the warm sand, and swimming all day long in the ocean, is what I love about the Summer. The beach is a wonderful place to be. For you to enjoy your beach experience even more, you should have your beach bag essentials! This list of my essentials may vary for other people, but here are my top 17 items that I bring to the beach:

My beach bag from the beach in Greece! 

1. Bikini
2. Floppy Hat (protect your head from the sun please!!)
3. A Wrap or Something to wear over your swimsuit. You can even bring a change of clothes!
4. Flip flops
5. Towel
6. Sunglasses
7. Magazines : I usually bring fashion magazines like "Elle Magazine"
8. Book : I highly suggest Ellen Degeneres's book, "Seriously I'm Kidding"! It will have you laughing for days!
9. Lipbalm : Your lips get very dry after being in the salt water, so having a moisturizing lipbalm will keep your lips nice and moist! Mine is from "Baby Lips". *A good tip is to get one with SPF in it!
10. Sunscreen : I highly suggest the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer, SPF 30. It goes on very smoothly and lasts! 
11. Dry Shampoo : I don't always use this, but sometimes if I am in a rush, Dry Shampoo will add the extra nourishment and moisture to my hair. The ocean always leaves my hair feeling dry and brittle! I use the Marc Anthony "2nd Day" dry shampoo. 
12. Smoothing Spray : This is something that I've recently used, and it works great! The brand I use is "Biolage", and it is the smoothing shine milk. This acts almost like a leave-in conditioner. I would put this in my hair after I get out of the ocean.
13. Hair Brush : Once you get out of the ocean, your hair might be knotted and tangled! I suggest you let it dry for a bit, and then brush it out to avoid too much breakage to the hair. It helps if you apply a smotthing spray before you brush your hair!
14. Water Bottle : It is important to keep yourself hydrated at all times.
15. iPod : I know that I love to listen to music while I'm lounging on a beach chair while watching the waves!
16. Tissues
17. Hair Elastics : I know that after a long day at the beach, sometimes I need to get my long, thick hair out of my face! 

I hope this helps in deciding your Beach Bag Essentials!

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About Mel

Hi! My name is Melina, but most people call me Mel! I am a Public Relations student with a passion for fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle! This is what drove me to create my blog.

I started my blog in 2014. I knew that it would be only a matter of time until my blog was created. My blog talks about my main interests, and passions. I love expressing my thoughts on certain fashion trends,  Talking about travel bag essentials, learning about new recipes, and even reviewing makeup, and beauty products. 

I feel that blogging is a good fit for me because, I love to talk and express my thoughts on various subjects. As soon as I wrote my first blog post, I knew that blogging was for me! I still have a lot to learn, and improve on, but I am very excited!  

Although I am a new to this world of blogging, I hope to grow as a blogger and learn from other bloggers as well! 

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Contact Mel

I'd love to hear from you!

How to contact me / my other sites:
e-mail: mel.kokkinos@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Melina Kokkinos
Pinterest: @melinakokkinos


(More ways to contact me will be coming soon!)

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OOTD: How to style Floral

Hey guys! Here is an OOTD (outfit of the day) for you! I apologize in advance for the amount of OOTD's there will be in the Style tab of my blog, but I just love fashion so much! 

This outfit shows how you can style more than one item of floral clothing in one outfit! 

I decided to go with a cute pair of loose fitting salmon coloured floral shorts. I feel that loose fitting shorts are a great option for summer weather, because they remain comfortable, while being sophisticated and stylish! I paired these floral shorts with a white chiffon top. This top in particular grabbed my attention, because of the delicate white flower detail that was on the top of the shirt. This is a good way to go from wearing a simple white t-shirt, to a more formal white blouse. Both these floral items, the shorts, and shirt, do not overpower one another and work quite well! 

For accessories, I wore a beautiful chain necklace from "ALDO Accessories", and a pair of gold aviators from "Smart Set". Both these items tie in this whole outfit! Every outfit needs a bit of sparkle!

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