MOVING CITIES, MOVING PLACES

I have moved so many times in my life, maybe like 10 times already? You would say I am bit unstable, maybe I am. The more I am looking forward to finally have our own little apartment. Living with someone has its charm, especially when you are 18, finally moving from your parents’ house living the big University life. Well, graduating Uni and finding my perfect boyfriend, it started to feel like we should be looking for something we could share with each other and not anyone else. Living in London was perfect, fun and crazy, but thinking about settling down, we have decided to come back over to Dublin where my boyfriend comes from. So soon, I will be another Dubliner and soon we will have our own little place I can change into little cozy and sweet home. Can´t wait! 

Moving is a hard work. Packing all, and wrapping all the stuff carefully. Scheduling deliveries and pick-ups and drop offs and everything around it, trains, flights, viewings, contracts, it gets messy sometimes and very often I feel like I just don´t want to do it (especially around Christmas time!), but I hope the result will be worth it: dream come true, little home, my own one. With all this sufferings, there comes the positive side of it all: decorating. Argos catalogue. Ikea shopping. Ikea shopping again. Zara Home. Candles. New lounge clothes. Ach. 

Starting brand new, I am just thinking about what I would like our new home to look like, I have few ideas,  thoughts and wishes  I want to share with you.

source: Pinterest

source: Pinterest

source: Pinterest

source: Pinterest

IN LOVE WITH CHAMPAGNE PINK

I just have a huge crush on color, if that is possible. It started with a birthday present I got from my boyfriend: rose gold watch. This watch has been on my wishlist for some time and having my 25th birthday in December (getting older here!) I finally got them. Then I just bought new earrings in matching color: rose gold/ champagne pink pearls. I found these in H&M, this set I picked contains 4 pairs of pearls in different sizes, perfect.

Another present for my birthday was Swarovski Miss Aura, amazing perfume! I instantly fell in love. The smell is so unusual and so unique, but so easy to wear at the same time. It is mostly floral perfume, with hint of rose and patchuli. The packaging is stunning too. At the top of the bottle, there is this big crystal and again, the color is such a nice rose gold /champagne pink color, elegant yet girlish. Miss Aurora is sold in Sephora.

Looking at my presents, I realized I had two beautiful pinkish nail polishes, perfect to match the goodies mentioned above. I haven’t used them in months, maybe years. And I realized I forgot how absolutely stunning they look. I don’t really fancy shimmering shades, but these are just gorgeous, good for this festive season. One of them is Rimmel Ethereal 801, a shimmering very light pink shade. The other one is Gabrielle Salvate in shade 157, very similar but little bit more pearl and pinkish shade.

MOROCCANOIL RESTORATIVE MASK

If there is one hair mask you should definitely have, it is Moroccanoil Restorative Mask. All the myths were true, this is really something. Longing to try this mask for some time now, I felt like buying the (let´s admit it) bigger pricey pot in the times of moving apartments and cities would not be very economical; I opted for the travelling version. The 250ml pot is usually for something around £32,  this 75ml tube was for around £9 and lasted me 3-4 applications (depending on length of hair). 

I will not go into too many details as I know Moroccanoil has been around for some time and many of you know about this brand, the miraculous hair oil and about this magical treatment, But I still want to mention this mask as for me it´s a new thing and definitely worth the mentioning. And definitely worth the hype! The magic trick here is the protein that does most of the job. You can find protein naturally in your hair. When using colorants and styling tools like straighteners or wands, the hair gets damaged and it lacks the main thing: protein. So then this brilliant product full of proteins comes to help restore your poor hair. 

Smells absolutely incredible. I mean, the smell is so gorgeous you just want to leave this on your hair forever. The directions say to apply generous amount into your strands and leave for 7-10 minutes. This treatment for me is a real treat, so I leave at least for an hour to make the best of it. And followed by conditioner. The smell usually stays in my hair for a day or two more (yay!). You can see the change in your hair already when rinsing your hair. It feels smooth, strong and sleek. The quality is instantly better, hair is shinier and the split ends are gone. Brilliant mask.

WHITE BLAZER LOVE

Spending hours and hours browsing the Pinterest I realised one thing - how much I want a white blazer/ suit jacket. I saw dozens of pictures of stunning outfits where the main IT piece is a perfect white suit jacket making an absolute fashion perfection and I just think this is a thing every young girl/ lady should have in her wardrobe.The greatest thing about this jacket is its versatile. You can mix it with anything in your closet and yet create the most unique outfit. You can dress up your ripped jeans. Or dress down your black jumpsuit. You can wear it with casual t-shirt or with fancy top. You can pick any colors you want and still look bit posh and fancy. That's another great thing about this - you will always look a bit glamorous, bit posh, bit fancy, but not too much. Just to make you feel bit special. And I say yes to it!

Hunting for the perfect one I made my way to H&M and there I found it. Not expensive at all, not ordinary at all, beautiful and exceptional. 

What I really love about it is this leather stripe and zipper on each side. They make the whole piece very exceptional and rare. 

Below you can see my favorite outfits I found on Pinterest:

1.White blazer + grey tee + black jeans. This combo is so cool and so easy to wear. Simple, but still very chic. Golden accesories (belt, watch) and sunglasses to make the look complete. Layered medium length hair. Massive envy.  

 

2. White blazer + blue ripped jeans + bright color. So casual. Dress down for a lunch with friend or just coffee after shopping. Don't go overboard with accesories as this outfit makes a real statement. Heels are a must!

3. White blazer + black jumpsuit / black dress.Things are bit more serious here. Perfect for some evening occasion, maybe drinks on friday night or a date. The combination of white and black is so chic and sophisticated.

source of pictures:Pinterest.com

LAZY DAY BASE

Sometimes I just feel like I can't be bothered with the whole 'perfect base' action. Sometimes it's  just too much effort. And sometimes I am just super lazy. Or ill. Or hangover. Or I slept in. Or I have a good skin day. In cases like these, I for just don't want to apply foundation, because let' s admit it, it can take ages to create the perfect canvas and it can be one hell of the work. But still, I want to look good, I want my skin to be radiant, glowing and healthy looking. Not the pale white ghost face I wake up to. With my massive under-eye circles.

Let's meet our two little helpers. One is by Garnier, the other one is by L'Oreal. The common thing these guys share is that they have something to do with all this anti-aging and revitalising magic I don' t need yet.

I have never properly understood all the madness around BB creams, CC creams, DD creams and 123 creams. For me it's unecesary complicated and not what I am looking for. I need a cream that I could apply and spread with my fingers in like 15 seconds. I dont want it to look cakey, thick, layered, too dark, too plastic or oily. I want to look natural, effortless, yet bit more perfect then my 'zombie morning'. 

These two buddies can do the job. Garnier Miracle Skin Cream is a white sparkly looking cream you can apply instead of your moisturizer or on top of it. After spreading, it turns intro natural color and gives you very nice, healthy and glowing complexion with some light coverage. Smeels delish, very fruity. Sometimes, to look bit more flawless, I dust little bit of pressed powder on top of it just to smooth things up a bit. L'Oreal Revitalift 10 is probably something more fore mature skin, but I use it anyway. This is supposed to be a replacement for your ordinary day cream, when you need to pop a bit of color in to your complexion. Again, smells fresh and fruity (I know it does not matter that much, but still, you don't want to spread over your face some socks stinky mud, am I right?). I use this one when little bit more coverage is needed. Revitalift can be found in three shades" light, medium and dark. On the pictures below you can see 'medium' shade, which is (as usual) very dark. Garnier cream is sold in one color that will match your skin color. 

What is your favorite BB, CC, DD or just any tinted moisturiser?

THE FESTIVE RED

Like I mentioned in my previous post, there is a deal going on in Boots with L'Oréal. I am not sponsored by anyone, I just would like to mnetion it again as I think it' s an absolute bargain and every budget friendly deal is great thing for make up lovers. 

Also, the little "present" you get is absolutely brilliant. You can find there a red Color Riche lipstick in shade 461 Creme de Rogue / Scarlett Creme, red Color Riche nail polish in shade 408 Exquisite Scarlet , Volume Milion Lashes So Couture So Black mascara (I will do a review soon) in Extra Black shade (how perfect is that?) and white eyeliner (I don' t really use a white eyeliner, but it' s good to have one).

In this post I would like to mention the nail polish and lipstick, because they both are in such a beautiful shade of red, very festive Christmas-y red. I can imagine the Christmas party or dinner, wearing LBD with some lace details or with few sparkling gems and as a festive statement I would definitely choose these two for lips and nails. Both colours are very rich (very) matching each other perfectly. I love Color Riche lipsticks, because they smell so nice and feel like balm on my lips, but they are so rich in colour, great product. Both, the lipstick and the nail polish have a gold packaging whick makes them look quite luxurious. Perfect as a treat for yourself or a present for someone else...

L'OREAL LA PALETTE NUDE

Well... How gorgeous is this? I think it was love on the first sight as you just HAVE TO love these beautiful colours. Let me tell you something, we have been waiting for a good drugstore affordable palette that could be so daring to actually beat some high - end ones, and here SHE comes: this little mademoiselle La Palette Nude by L'Oréal .Here comes 10 beautiful rose - nude shades. Well, the palette is called Rosé, but I would say the colours are more purpely-violet than rosé which makes them pefrect for the autumn and colder months as burgundy is number one colour of this season. At the same time, the shades are so neutral, perfect for casual every day and I think they must suit to any skin tone and any eye colour. 

You can find here 4 matte shades and 6 shimering shades. The shimering shades are slightly better and kind of easier to blend. The packaging is lovely, really. Looks quite posh amd fancy, but it is very thin and narrow, which makes it perfect for travelling. I like the sleek black design with golden details, looks really beautiful. I am happy with the quality of these eye shadows. You have to keep on your mind that you are buying a drugstore product, so please don't expect Naked 3 dupe. But good quality one with 10 amazing shades ! 

With price 14,99 pound it's basically must-have, especially now - if you pick up L'Oréal make up products for at least 14,99 pound in Boots, you will get amazing present with lipstick, nail polish, eyeliner and mascara. This deal is until the 31st December and I think it' s totally worth it. The review for present coming soon :).

VITAMIN E TONER

There are not many affordable toners out there and when you find some, you just want to give it a try thinking it might be actually good one. I have tried a few and I am still looking for the best one. But Vitamin E Hydrating Toner by The Body Shop is worth to be mentioned because it is efinitely a good one. I tried few different toners I found in TBS, but this one is probably the best one TBS can offer. I quite like the whole Vitamin E range because it is suitable for sensitive skin.

This toner is really great for dehydrated and dry skin as it gives your skin a big moisture boost (more then different products). Like I said, it is tailored for sensitive skin so it is not harsh at all. No itching, no redness. There is no scent or odeur, another big plus. It has also a magic power to remove remaining dirt from your already cleansed skin (haha). Sometimes I think it maybe makes my T-Zone bit more oily/ shiny. The consistency is bit thicker comparing to other toners. To use it just tap few drops on a cotton pad and apply all over face, followed by moisturiser. 

Overall it is a very good toner, quite affordable for £8,50 and does the job. Leaves the skin clean refreshed and really hydrated. I will probably repurchase, but now I am looking for a toner that could help to reduce my spots. I am already using La Roche Posay cleansing lotion and it does miracles! What toner do you use? 

BEST BODY BUTTER

Aaaaaaaand it´s gone...... It´s unbelievable how quickly I am out of this product everytime. Don´t get me wrong, the pot is not small, more like a normal size. But after every purchase I just need to use this butter like daily.  The texture is so soft and it´s so easy to spread, dries in few seconds and moisturises for more then 24 hours. But I bet you have already heard about Body Butters by The Body Shop, because they are well known and praised by so many people that it´s impossible not to know about these. 

I just love them. This Almond scent is my favourite one, then I also like Moringa scent and Cocoa is absolutely gorgeous also. They are bit pricey, pot for 13£, but I usually pick up many when there is some bargain deal like 40% off or sale 5£ per piece and trust me, that happens quite often. One can make a nice present, it would definetely make me happy to get few more for Christmas. Especially some with the Christmas themed scents like Frosted Cranberry or Glazed Apple. Yummy!

BUDGET EYE KOHL LINER

This must be the best kohl liner you will ever try. Budget buy, a must have of every beauty bag. Affordable product, great quality. Scandaleyes products have been around for some time now and these waterproof kohl kajal pencils gained some good reputation. Just went to pick new supplies (I have these everywhere: handbag, drawers at work, bathroom, bedroom) and realized that I should mention these. 

If you should invest in two colors, make it black and nude. Black one is like a gem. You can use it in your waterline for little bit of rock look, or as a thin line underneath your lashes, to add bit of shape to your eyes. Use on uppoer lid, either thin line for every day look, smudge it with bruh for bit more casual look or create nice wing for more fancy look. It´s up to you, but you can get any look with this one. The nude is an essential for a camuflage kit. After sleepless night, pop som nude color into your waterline, just to erase the redness from your eyes. Makes wonders! Waterproof, so lasts all day. Super soft, so easy to apply. You can´t go wrong here.

Just make sure you use Waterproof make up removal to get rid of every bit when removing your make up and cleansing your skin.

THE BARGAIN PALETTE

Beautiful colors, aren´t they? I bought this little palette last weekend out of curiosity, mostly because I was wondering how good can actually be a palette that cheap. And I was very surprised. All about the eyes palette by Collection costs 3 quit, I picked up my one in Superdrug. You can see there are six shades, from left to right: 

Feather - skin alike shade, perfect for "no make up make up"

Sunkissed - bronzey shimmering shade, very warm shade

Golden Sand - golden glittery shade, perect for party

Dazzling Brown - taupe shimmering shade, my favorite

Cocoa Dream - darker brown matte shade

Blackbird - black maete shade 

I would say the shades are really great as I managed to wear each one last week at least once. The pigmentation is bit weak, but buildable, so you can actually get very intensive look. The shimmering shades are better to work with, but generally drugstore matte shades are never great. But yet still I could create very nice looks. With an eye shadow primer they can stay perfect for maybe six to eight hours. The packaging is very cute, similar to the Soap and Glory one. 

I would like to say that I am nicely surprised. Of course, this is not a perfect palette, but it is a good alternative for someone who is new to make up, or just to have it in your handbag as an emergency eye shadows. 

AUTUMN COLORS

Autumn this year is still quite mild, we haven't experienced a coldish morning yet, The leaves are now red and orange and yellow, the sky is grey and streets are wet. Feeling this autumnish vibes, I picked up three new nail polishes by Barry M. I really like Barry M nail polishes, they last four days minimum and there are so many wonderful shades for every season, and you can choose if you want to go for matte effect, gelly effect, shimmering etc. Amazing. 

From left: The darkest shade is called Nightshade and it´s one of the shades that looks black, but is not black. It is very dark plum color, perfect for autumn and winter. In the middle you can spot Vintage Violet, the perfect shade somewhere between cold violet and plum, very deep color once painted, bit darker in real then it seems. The brightest color is called Ballerina and it is vintage rose/pink color, pretty muted shade. I know this one seems bit summery, but I am just huge fan of pink nails and this was the most suitable subsitute for all the summery baby pink shades, so. 

What are your favorite autumn/ winter shades?

SHOWGIRL

Showgirl! This little lady arrive into my shopping basket as a little bonus when spending 10 pounds for Barry M cosmetics. There were two versions of Showgirl - the volume mascara and the length mascara. As I have quite some supplies in the length department, I decided to pick up the volume version of Showgirl. 

And I was so surprised! You can see the packaging is quite something. I must say I love it, it looks really fancy and glamorous and not cheap at all. The product itself is great as well. It gives some ohhh volume and is very easy to apply in to the corner lashes that are sometimes very difficult to reach. The color is very very black, no complaints in this area. No smudging, no dripping, good pigmentation.... What I did not know, Showgirl is waterproof which makes it best friend to all fans of Clint Eastwood movies, enthusiastic scuba divers and the sensitive ones. Overall, Showgirl is ideal for every day casual look - for a bit more dramatic look just apply two or three layers. 

You can find Showgirl in Boots, on the Barry M shelves, it costs around 4,99 pounds. 

CUTEST CASE

Well, how cute is that? I have been looking for some fancy Kindle case for a few months now. Not sure what design I would like, not sure what price I was willing to pay, I was just checking websites here and there, bookstores, shops, commuters in the bus in pursuit for something nice. 

And then I found this little cuties. At the moment I saw this one case, I just knew this is the one I want. The pink color is so nice, really vibrant and radiant, but not too bright. I am in love, really. Haven´t taken it in anywhere since as I want to keep my case so clean forever (irony). The best thing ? It cost me 1 pound in Poundworld. Insert Win Baby Meme, please. Really happy now. 

If you want your one, I believe they would still have some. There were many colors available, like sleek black, grass green or vibrant blue. Or this cute pink. Smiley face.

EFFACLAR

Thinking about my skin when I was teenager and I must say I was a lucky gal. Tiny spot here and there, sometimes little bit of redness but in general my skin was okay. No special treetments, no special needs, no special diets. Just little bit of Clean and Clear, Nivea cream and lets go out partying. That is how it used to be when I was fifteen. I am turning 25 in few weeks and every other week my face turn into mine field and I look like patient zero of some horrible spotty disease. Taping the spots with little bit of tea tree oil didn´t seem to be efficient enough and my passion for squezing every imperfection on my face left me looking like a girlish version of Scarface. Almost crying every time I see myself in the mirror. 

"It´s not that bad," my mum always says, when she recommends to throw all the chocolate bars, pints and crisps in to the bin. Eat an apple she says. Or kale. Avoiding all guilty treats, yet still my face looks like I am in trouble. "Probably hormonal," I was told by Clinique specialist. And recommended to visit a doctor. Ain´t nobody got time for it, so I did a little Sherlock job at the blogosphere and found out there might be a savior (understand everything called Effaclar). 

Since day 1 I have been in love with this couple. I say couple because I just use these two together in the morning and in the evening as well. Basically, these two little buddies are a miracle. I noticed super progress in getting rid of all the spots, blackheads and little red spots. Today is the day 21 and I already feel my skin is so much better. So far I had only one "sore" spot. Really. And I used to have like five at once. Crazy, I know. If you are desperate, but still want to keep it simple and pill less, go for La Roche Posay Effaclar. Effaclar Duo is 40ml cream you can use in the morning and in the evening as well. It contains some super goodies to eliminate all the bad stuff going on in your skin. If you want to go for a really healthy skin, pick up Effaclar toner and I use it to get rid of the dirt and oil. There is also a facewash Effaclar - for a complete antiblemish skincare routine, but I have not tried that one yet. But I could swear by the first two mentioned products, indeed. In love.

FLAWLESS

For few weeks I have been looking for something nice and new from Soap and Glory. I love their body products, especially body butters - they smell divine. But I wanted to try something from the make up range as well. After watching many many youtube videos and reading many many blog post from fellow bloggers I found out there are few bits we could possibly call must-haves aka go and buy it, now.

I am fan of a flawless base. I like my skin smooth, spots covered, eyes brightened up and basically all perfect. Soap and Glory have few powders to offer and I picked up this one - One Heck of a Blot. Sounds.... interesting, right? What I love: transparent/transculent/invisible which means that it does not make your complexion darker or lighter and leaves the colour job on your foundation. After application the skin is really smooth, looking so perfect. No cakey effect. But no coverage either. Nevermind, you have your foundation. Total verdict: The best drugstore powder ever.

Another one little buddy so praised among beauty gurus: Solar Powder. It is a bronzer. Guys, I hate bronzers. I am very bad with bronzers. I usually look like someone smacked me in the face. All my bronzers are too orangey, too warm, too pigmented (who would say that is a con), too everything. So I did not want to buy another useless bronzer, right. But I was so wrong, using bronzer can be actually very pleasant and in the end it is my favorite one and I have been using it ever since I have bought. This bronzer is absolute must. No orangey or warm undertones, not too dark, easy to apply and so easy to blend. Total verdict: Te best drugstore bronzer ever.

The last beauty bit is this lovely Kick Ass Concealer. It is like a little magic pot, inside there are two tiny pots, one for under eye concealer, one for redness or spots. And there is also one more pot in the packaging and that is the setting powder. How cute is that? So cute and so good also. I use the one for covering under eye circles every day - makes me very happy because it covers all the darkness so well and stays also. The part that is supposed be used for spots redness is not that good, but it is not dissapointment as I think that any concealer works for me and my spots (any advice?). After all, I would say it Kick Ass is better than average drugstore concealer. 

ASOS BASICS

Hooooooo another minihaul. I don't really do big shoppings of clothes. More often I pick up one or two pieces in one particular shop or just order something from the internet. I usually have a list of things I need/ I want and I try to stick with this list. Sponatanoues shoppings are very rare and later I usually regret these decisions.

My style is very simple. I don't wear jeans unless they are black. I don't like colours, I perefer different shades of beige, grey, black white etc. I like to combine simple tops with simple trousers for every day look. To make my outfit a bit interesting I like to match some gold accesories, gold watch, earrings etc. And good make up of course. And great handbag. And great shoes. Shoes and handbag. They just make the outfit.

Last week (SALE TIME) I picked up few basic tops. I had these, but after some time the tops ae just out of shape, bit clumpy, so I just wanted to pick up new ones. ASOS has sale time now, so each top was only for five quit, yay! They all have long sleeves, scoop neck (quite revealing) and I picked up white, black and grey to keep ut classic and easy to wear. Lovely. The material is just lovely. 

NUDE NAILS

 As I usually do when the Autumn arrives, I very repeatedly fall in love with nude nails. I don't know why, but I just feel like it is too cold for bright neones or pastel colours like baby pink, mint green, baby blue etc., but the weather is not ready for the heavy burgundy and dark grey shades that I love to wear in the Autumn. 

Might sound silly, might be only my thing, or might be common opinion, but at these times, when I just don't know what colour put on my nails - then I always opt either for nude or classic red. I mean, these shades both are very easy to wear, so effortless, so beautiful !!! and just go so well with anything.

I found a very nice nude colour in my "nails" drawer, a colour I almost forgot I have. It's Rimmel 367 Bare Necessities. I don' t think you can still buy this shade in drugstores, because it's very old. So I was very happy when I found out that my one is not dried out at all, and I can still have some nude fun with this little one. I remember I always liked this one, because it lasted so long on my nails and just looked gorgeous. Well, time to find a new nude sweatheart. Any tips ?