Empties | 2016

People usually do monthly empties posts, but I don't have nearly enough products to do so, so you'll read my yearly empties.

Note: Short reviews will be written next to each product. If there's a post about it, I'll insert a link to that.

Merry Christmas | 2016

Merry Christmas everyone!

I wish you peace and joy.

♥

Holiday outfits

Time around Christmas and New Year is probably most special to me. That's why I always plan outfits for those occasions very carefully. I haven't done any outfits this year, but I'll show you what I planned last year for these holidays (that's why all 5 pictures are edited in the old way).

Note: All outfits can be found on the links below the pictures and all items are visible on the links. Just hover over the item and you'll see the name, brand and the price.

http://www.polyvore.com/no_19/set?id=141860095

New in: Make-up (NYX & MakeUp Revolution & Essence)

In the past few months, I've bought quite a nice collection of make-up. Some of it I really needed, some just looked pretty, but now I have it all and I wanted to show you what I got. About two months ago NYX came to my country so that was a perfect start of this haul post.

I've been using some stuff, that's why there are fingerprints and there's no original packaging.

Fashion: Cozy fall into winter (2)

If you haven't read the first part, read it here.
Note: All outfits can be found on the links below the pictures and all items are visible on the links. Just hover over the item and you'll see the name, brand and the price.

http://www.polyvore.com/no_11/set?id=141375301

Mani Monday: Black and white colorful manicure

I haven't done ombre nails in quite a while so I decided to revive my knowledge of how to do it and I chose the safest combination ever - black and white. But to spice things up, colorful glitter polish made everything so much better.

Fashion: Cozy fall into winter (part 1)

Get it? Fall? Into winter? Great, I know. Anyway, with winter approaching, I made another fashion post with 5 outfits for this transition time.

Note: All outfits can be found on the links below the pictures and all items are visible on the links. Just hover over the item and you'll see the name, brand and the price.

http://www.polyvore.com/no_155/set?id=182857948

Rainy fall outfits

We're still in this warm-cold weather (although it's getting colder by the minute) with possible rain. So, we basically have to wear everything just in case. Here are few outfits to help you get through the fall.

Note: All outfits can be found on the links below the pictures and all items are visible on the links. Just hover over the item and you'll see the name, brand and the price.

http://www.polyvore.com/no_102/set?id=179488232

Review: Garnier fructis Wunder butter

You've probably read about my previous hair masks (if not, you can find them here and here). Here's the one I've been loving lately.

Review: Fruttini body scrub and lotion

I saw these in my local store and there was some offer if you buy two you get one for free. So I chose mango as this was the only fruit that had a pair at the moment. I got strawberry as a present.

These are body lotion and body scrub by Fruttini.

DIY: Rhinestone phone case

Phone cases with rhinestones have been so popular lately. Since they're a bit pricier, I decided to make my own, unique case. Most of these cases are gold or silver, but why make what everybody is expecting, when there are colors! Also, I have a thing for airplanes so this was my main design I knew I needed to have.

Tag: The fall favorites

I don't know if you're familiar with the fact that I dislike fall, but I've been tagged to do this and I just love tags so I can't say no to dear Millie from Modish Rambling (her tag post is here).

Reasons why I don't really like fall is rain when I have to leave my apartment for something obligatory (I don't mind meeting my friends or going shopping, I mind going to college or work...) and because it's usually so cold in the morning and evening, but actually warm in the mid-day. But I do think fall is most fashionable and most interesting when concentrating on fashion.

Note: I did some categories Millie did, but I added some of my own. I wanted to have 10.

I do not own any of the photos. Collage is made and decorated by me.

News, changes and schedules

Hey. I think it's been a long time since I updated you guys on what's going on here and things are going to go from now on.

Note: You can find all posts like this under the label "intro and info" on the left or at tab "info posts" above.

• scheduling

I've never taken this too seriously so I just posted whenever I had time or something to write down about. I've tried to post 3 times a week, but that was too time consuming so I went back to my freestyle. Now I'm going to try and post every Monday. I know everybody hates Mondays so I thought this would be a good thing. I'll give you something to read on the worst day of the week. Also, I usually read, watch and comment on other blogs on Saturday. Then I work on my own blog on Sunday so this was the easiest way for me to keep this going...

• changes

I don't know how long have you been here, but I recently changed the look of my posts. Now, when you visit my first home page, you'll see the title, one picture and small amount of text to go with it. There's "read more" clickable link at the end of each short intro. Until now, I had the entire post right there on the home page. I think it look much neater this way and you are able to open only the posts you're interested in. Also, since posts are shorter now on the home page, I'll put more of them on one page. There were five of them till now; I'm going to put 10 up there.

• news

You can see all links to my social networks on the right. New one is Instagram. I'm very much active there, on Twitter and on Polyvore too. Have in mind that Twitter is mostly connected to this blog, while Instagram is more private. Check it all out and see if you're interested in anything...

• appreciation

The last thing I want to say is thank you all for coming, reading and commenting. Once again, you can comment anything even as an anonymous. Also, there are ratings on every post so you can easily just click there and state your opinion.

Thank you for reading. Come again :*

Mani Monday: White tribal manicure

If you are a fan of simple, but eye-catching manicures, this is post for you. Also, I've included just a bit of color and some tribal motives.

New in: make-up

I've bought quite a lot of make-up lately so I'd like to present to you all I got. This is not a haul because I believe a haul is when you buy everything at once (correct me if I'm wrong) and I've been collecting these for the past 2 months (if I'm not mistaken).

Garnier's BB creams

BB cream is pretty much all the foundation I use so finding a good one is really important to me. I like the feeling of a light foundation with good coverage combined with good duration.

Note: I bought darker one right after I got from my summer vacation so it turned out it was a bit too dark for my skin. That's why I bought lighter shade. Unfortunately, they only have these two shades (at least in my store) so I like to mix them. That's why I'll do a combined review. These are both by Garnier as you can see.

Cleaning make-up brushes

You know I'm a newbie when this is my first proper cleaning of my make-up brushes. I have only few of them, but it seriously was a pain to wash them all.

I used:

• brush cleansing spray by Essence (although picture shows their fixing spray - I realized after I took pictures)
• hand soap by Nivea
• silicone cleaning glove - bought on eBay here
• water
• paper towels

How I did it:

• spray each brush with cleansing spray - it disolves make-up and you need less time to wash it
• leave the spray to soak the brushes for about 2 minutes - brushes that have liquid/cream products leave a bit longer; brushes with powder are almost immediately ready
• wet/rinse off the brush
• swirl the wet brush on the soap bar until you see some color going off
• swirl/swipe brush on the glove until its clear
• rinse well and place on a paper towel

Do you have some other tip on cleaning brushes?

9 questions for beauty bloggers

Ever since I got into blogging, make up and YouTube, there are these questions in my head and nobody has answered them so far. Google-ing on my own has not gave me any results so here I am asking you all to help me with explaining some stuff.

Note: Before you start, I want to tell you that I'm not judging, although I know it will seem like that, but I'm just very curious and confused. Also, my friend Anchy helped me with this post, so feel free to check her blog out once you answer all of these :)

I really thought I wrote down 10 >.<

• strobing vs contouring vs highlighting

OK, I just learned what contouring was (not that I use it, but I know what it is) and how to put on highlight and now this new term strobing came and I'm confused. I tried searching the Internet about this and some say it's just a fancy name for contouring and some say it's a fancy name for highlighting. Since these are two different things, I'm curious what strobing really is.

• contouring vs bronzing

Contour with cold tones and bronze with warm ones. Correct? But, what's the difference? Because all tutorials I watch show contouring and bronzing in the same places on the face. Although bronzing should give warmth to your face and contour should give definition to it, it still looks the same to me.

• 10+ foundations

Every single blogger/youtuber I follow has at least 5 foundations. I don't understand why a single person would need it. Hear me out. If you like a foundation you have, there's no need to buy another one. If you don't like it, you throw it away or give it to someone and you buy one for yourself. Also, all of those may be by different brand, but you usually look for the same stuff in a foundation (example for oily or dry skin) so they have to be basically the same. Also, all of them have to match your skin so they're all the same color (except summer/winter edition).

• contouring pretty much everything

Since contouring became a thing, it has developed so much! It all started with cheeks, but now we're contouring noses, necks, boobs, yaw line and chin, neck,... What's next? I get it that everybody wants to present themselves in the best possible light, but doesn't it all look weird? I mean, we all know you don't really have a dark brown line along your face...

• bullet journal

Seriously what are bullet journals? I've been seeing pictures of them all around Twitter and blogs, but I still have no idea how to make them or how to use them. Please, I really need explanation for this one. Although they do look pretty, why would anyone put so much effort in making one?

• CC vs BB cream

Probably my biggest mystery. I read so many articles and blog posts and I still don't know what's the difference and which one is better. There are also some other letters there, but I'll start with baby steps.

• HD make-up

I've been seeing lots of people using the term HD when reviewing some make-up products. What is this? Is it like in videos meaning high definition or something completely different?

• 50+ make-up brushes

OK, what's the deal with this? I'm watching all these YouTube videos and pictures on blogs and everyone is having like 4 big jars full of make-up brushes. I'm currently starting my make-up journey so I'm naturally in love with all of it and I want a 1000 brushes, but I'm not going to buy them because they're freaking expensive. So explain, why?

• painting on eyebrows

I can't really remember when this became a thing, but everybody is doing it. Except me. And people look at me funny when I say that. Anyway, why do you do it? I know eyebrows shape the entire face, but most girls I follow already have natural eyebrows and that should be enough, right? I don't understand how can somebody even think that painted eyebrows are looking natural...

I really hope you'll have the time and will to help me out with all of these. :)

Black and white collection (part 2)

Black and white are timeless (non)colors and they go great with any other color. They're also suitable for almost any occasion, but without a doubt, they look both classy and edgy. Here's the second part of my collection, first part is here.

Note: All outfits can be found on the links below the pictures and all items are visible on the links. Just hover over the item and you'll see the name, brand and the price.

http://www.polyvore.com/no_65/set?id=169621315

http://www.polyvore.com/no_67/set?id=169654746

http://www.polyvore.com/no_68/set?id=169656120

http://www.polyvore.com/no_69/set?id=169658114

Do you like more black and white combinations or colors? :)

How much is my face worth?

This is not a new and original post so I'll get right into it.

Note: When reading this, have in mind that I wear almost minimal make-up and I'm not a professional nor even "Instagram good", but I am trying to get better at this. I also have my favorite brand which is Essence, but, in general, I usually buy cheaper or more affordable make-up. I also don't own five closets/desks/drawers full of make-up so I'll list down the cheapest of all that I got.

Every day look without much time:

• primer - Catrice Prime and fine pore refining anti-shine base - $6
• concealer - Max Factor Mastertouch all day concealer - $10
• foundation - Essence All about matt oil-free make-up - $4.50
• lipstick - Essence longlasting lipstick - $3 (shades 06 barely there!, 16 I am yours!, 23 velvet matt)

Total for every day look: $26

Every day look with some extra time (first look + ...):

• color correcting concealer palette - Essence ...all I need concealer palette - $4.50
• blush - Essence mosaic blush - $4
• highlighter - Catrice High glow mineral highlighting powder - $6

Total for extra every day look: $40.50

I do not own any photos. These are all taken from the links listed above and made into a collage.

I hope you like this. Feel free to write down suggestions for some new good make-up. :)

More about me

I usually don't write personal stuff on this blog, but I know people like to see what other people like, do or know, so I'm writing this so you could get to know me better. Here I go...

Note: I took this somewhere from the Internet and I did not read the questions before doing this.

1. I'm heterosexual. Looking for a boyfriend.
2. Umm... I don't think there's anything I'm that bad at, but I don't like playing sports or card games with bunch of people because I'm so out of shape so I can't run/jump and I don't pay much attention to cards so everyone gets pissed off at me for loosing.
3. Oh God. I did not see that one coming. Everyone knows Cristiano Ronaldo has been my celebrity crush for about 10 years, but I couldn't pick one. Also, if anything, I'd like to date them, not just fu*k.
4. Non existent. Not totally true. I vary from feeling awesome to feeling totally not good enough. So, it depends. But I'd say somewhere in the middle?
5. If I'm going there, I have to mention two names - Joan and Dora. They have been in my life the same amount of time and they both know all the sh*t that's going on in my life.
6. I'm not much of a book worm, but I'd choose Wings by Danielle Steel.
7. I'd love to travel a lot and visit many places, but New York is on the top of my list. Madrid and Maderia are also pretty high on that list.
8. Both Joan and Dora are kind, funny, patient (more or less), supportive. Well, all you need in a best friend.
9. I'm totally a dog person!
10. My elementary school friends that grown apart with.
11. Turquoise, but I like buying red clothes since I look good in it.
12. I have my ears pierced. Each on the standard lobe and one and two more piercings on each upper lobe (picture to explain it is here and I have this on one ear and this on the other).
13. I'm so afraid of death. And not like I'm going to die tomorrow, but in general. And the end of the world is just terrifying. Out of "usual" fears, I'm afraid of the dark.
14. I usually notice the hair first. Then the rest of the body. But I like when they don't skip the leg day, you know? Guys don't have to be super fit, but they have to be bigger than girls (according to general standards) and they have to proportional.
15. I'm more on the can't-let-go side. Even though I sometimes say I'm done with something or someone, I most probably am not.
16. I always take chocolate. But I've been loving orange and banana lately.
17. I don't think anyone knows this, but I love to go on the top of the hill behind my grandparent's house. I just stare at the green valley and woods. I just love it there.
18. Being really (really!) emotional kid with low self esteem, I took everything really personal. So, I heard people in my school talking behind my back how I'm such a hairy girl and it's disgusting, how fat I am, how ugly stuff I had were,... This still gets to me.
19. I've only lived here, in my city where I was born. I did go at my grandparent's every summer for about 3 months and I do spent a month a yeah at the shore.
20. ...you treat me right. If you're funny and kind, if you listen to what I say and if you treat me like an equal to yourself. That's not too much to ask, right?
21. I wish to finish college, get a job, get married, have kids, buy a house and have pets. I also wish to keep all of my current relationships alive and meet some new good people. I'd also love to travel more.
22. There are those: "Treat others how you wish to be treated." and "Treat others how they treat you." Can't decide.
23. I would just love if I had a switch to turn on the highest level of my self esteem.
24. I once peed my pants in school when I was about 7 because I was to shy and scared to ask the teacher to let me go to the bathroom. Nobody noticed though. And I can't believe I just wrote this here.
25. Can I just write one? My body. Belly and thighs to be precise.
26. I would buy myself, my grandfather and my brother cars, I would buy myself a motorbike, I would buy a house, pay off my parent's debt and renovate my grandparent's house. And I would go on from there.
27. On everything an average girl does. Lately I've been buying a lot of make-up. But there is always clothes, bags, shoes...
28. OK, I can do this. Good listener, calm, patient, loyal, naive.
29. Flowers! It's better if they're alive, but since every plant I ever had has died, I now have plastic/artificial flowers and they look amazing.
30. Oh God. I really go to concerts a lot (!), but most of them are national performers so I don't think you'd know about them. I've seen Shakira, Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi. I had tickets for Robbie Williams, but I couldn't go. I'd love to hear Rihanna, Beyonce, Eminem,... Also Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley (I know they're dead).
31. I'd like to have kids. I wish for two of them. I want them to be twins, a boy and a girl. (Yes, I've thought about this.)
32. Definitely neat. I don't like stuff everywhere and dirty clothes, dishes or anything. I'm also very organised. Not obsessed, but I do like some order.
33. I could say I am. I do wish for some progress in building up my self esteem and finding the love of my life, but I am happy.
34. I don't have anything that traumatic, thank God. But I do remember one time when my brother went to the woods to cut a tree. There was our friend, our grandpa and me. Once he had cut it, it started falling in the wrong direction and treetop fell on him. There was a second where we all thought he is dead or badly injured until he yelled he's fine.
35. Nowhere but here. I do not wish to move away from my city. I do wish to move out from my parent's apartment.
36. Maybe not the nicest thing ever, but I loved it when the girls from my class which I didn't hang out with (and who I found to be cool) said that I have a good figure after I been working my ass off for six months. That's was a pretty great moment.
37. Is this a questions where I live or how my life looks right now? But I like both, so it doesn't matter.
38. I usually have a general list saying, for example T-shirt, dress, etc., and then I randomly choose some. But I do write down all essentials like phone charger, sunglasses,...
39. I have one brother and I love him as much as a person can love other person. We usually get along great, but, like all siblings, we have our weird moments.
40. That's I'll end up alone. Not that that's bad, but I have other plans.
41. World peace? I know it's a stupid answer, but seriously, that would be great.
42. Mostly good. We also have our moments and days when we disagree and fight. But it's all normal. I'm definitely more attached to my mum than my dad.
43. Exercise. I'm not all about healthy life and fitness, but I do wish to be slimmer and in shape and I'm not doing anything to achieve that.
44. Joan because we watch the same show at the moment. And I'm in a chat group on Facebook with my three best college friends, so it would be all of them.
45. My tonsils surgery, my dog dying, breaking my arm. That would be it I think.
46. My low self-esteem (haven't I pointed that out enough by now?), by belly and fat thighs. My dandruff and my hairy body (but I love the actual hair so that's 50:50).
47. Definitely Tom and Jerry. I loved lots of them, but this and Barbie were my dearest.
48. Oh, I just love buying stuffed animals. I have 46 of them (just counted) and I always need more. They are all over my bedroom walls (even though I'm 21).
49. I'm currently in college, but it's similar. I hate the long hours there and mean kids who think they're better than all the others. I also hate when teachers are disrespectful just because you're younger. And the fact they all think school/college is all you do in your life and every one of them gives you 15 hours of homework.
50. I can go from totally dressy and elegant to sporty, I can wear rock outfit... I wear heels and flowers, black clothes with studs and sneakers and baseball cap and I love it.

That's a lot of text, but I hope you like it. You're very welcome to answer all or just some questions in the comments. Also, I'd like to know what we have in common.

If you're a blogger, do the same on your blog and send me a link to it :)

Essence brushes haul

I still consider myself new in this make-up world and make-up isn't my whole life, so I'm buying really affordable products. Lately I've been seeing all different types of make-up brushes in my local stores and, as usual. Essence draw my attention with these live colors and cute packaging. I got total of 9 brushes and a bag to store them in for $24.50.

I'll write down what they say about it as well as how I'm planning on using it.

Concealer brush. The ideal brush for applying and blending a liquid or cream concealer precisely. Use the pointed tip to help camouflage small imperfections easily. The flat side is ideal for larger areas like under eye circles. For a perfect and flawless finish! Since I got their concealer pallete (post Spring make-up haul), I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a brush that will help me get this green (which I usually use) on my face. This brush was $2.

Smokey eyes brush. Perfect for an easy application. Blend the two eyeshadow shades. Smudge the contours of the eyeliner. I don't actually know why I got this one cause I never smudge my eyeliner, but I think I'll use it for regular blending and applying eyeshadows. This costs $1.50.

Eyeshadow brush. Eyeshadow brush with soft hair for precise application of loose or pressed eyeshadow. If you read my Essence eyeshadows post then you know I recently got these beautiful shades and I needed something to apply them with. I used the sponge applicator till now, but as soon as I saw these, I knew I had to at least try them. I got two of these so I could use multiple colors without having to wash them every 5 minutes. Each costs $1.50.

Eye blender brush. Eyeshadow brush with extra soft hair for blending and shading one or several eyeshadow colors - for softly blended colors and a perfect finish! Also if you read my post about eye shadows (link here), you would know that I used some flat brush I found to blend everything together. Even though it did a good job, I wanted to be more professional and buy this for easier blending. This one was $2.

Blush brush. Professional blush brush with a special slanted shape, provides precise and expert application of blush. For perfectly highlighted cheekbones. Works especially well with the Essence powder blushes. Good thing I bought their powder blush (in the post Spring make-up haul). I thought this would be super cute brush which is not completely round so you could apply blush more precisely, as they say too. Also, saying blush brush is just a fun thing to do. It costs $3.50.

Powder brush. Professional powder brush with a rounded, paddle-shaped brush provides even application for a flawless finish every time. Works especially well with the Essence compact powder. I also got two of these because I have two powders, one translucent and one with a pigment, both by Essence, so I didn't want to apply both of them with the same brush. Each is $4.

Kabuki brush. Professional brush with a round shape provides even application of powders on face, decollete and body. Suitable for compact and loose powders. Works especially well with the Essence bronzing powder. Unfortunately, I don't use bronzers as I don't know how to, so I think I'll use this for applying my translucent powder to set my make-up cause it's big enough to cover all of my face in just few swipes. (You maybe know I also own a "baby kabuki". Post is here.) This one was $5.

Brush bag. I know it's popular to keep your brushes in a cup, preferably those from IKEA, but this is so cute. Although you can't fit a lot of brushes in there, it will be perfect for travelling. It costs $5.

I hope you liked this. Which brushes would you recommend?
I've been thinking about Spectrum brushes. Or Real Techniques. Or Zoeva. Or Morphe. Any thought on these? Or any others? Help out a fellow blogger :)

Steal the fashion style

When it comes to fashion, most people seek for inspiration in famous people. Their outfits always get some attention, even if they're the most simple combinations ever. Here's the first of "Steal the style" fashion posts.
Note: Link to each item and prices is below each picture.

http://www.polyvore.com/no_70/set?id=170639384

http://www.polyvore.com/no_44/set?id=148117788

http://www.polyvore.com/no_88/set?id=177126009

http://www.polyvore.com/no_46/set?id=150456574

http://www.polyvore.com/no_98/set?id=179122747

http://www.polyvore.com/no_14/set?id=141797265

Like it? Dislike it? Which famous person should I pick next?

Mani Monday: Shattered glass and hologram

It's summer here in Europe. What type are you? Partying all day and all night or long walks along the beach? Maybe both? Well, this manicure will look great no matter whether the light from reflector or the moonlight hits it. You'll own the place.

Note: Video in the end :)

I used:

• turquoise nail polish #40 play with my mint by Essence
• protecting base coat by Essence - I don't think mine is still in production, but I'd suggest this
• the gel top coat by Essence (no lamp needed) - couldn't find exactly mine, but this is it
• black holo stripes nail art stickers by Essence - find similar here
• holographic nail foil - can be ordered here

Process:

• base coat first
• one thin coat of turquoise nail polish - let completely dry
• another coat of turquoise nail polish - when almost dry, add foil cut into triangles and gently tap it into the polish with your fingers (watch out for all the edges to be attached to the nail)
• add stripes between every piece of foil
• add top coat and let dry

This video was filmed 5 days after doing my manicure. Look at all that shine!
P.S. I only saw this video after posting it. It looked better on my phone and on my computer. But you see the shine, right?

So, how do you like it? Yay or nay for these days?

Essence eyeshadows

I haven't put on make-up on my eyes in about 5 years and then, one day, I saw these eyeshadows in the Essence aisle and I chose these three I thought would go great together.

#20 rosy happiness, #07 you better mauve!, #21 keep calm and berry on

Packaging! As always, Essence has really simple transparent containers for quite large amount of powder in there. They are really easy to open, but won't open by accident in the bag. Also, what you notice immediately after opening it, they are not just pressed in there. All eyeshadows have some pattern, but the new "the velvets" collection has this amazing and cute pattern looking like a knitted blanket.

First impression! In the store, I thought they were really pigmented and good matte products. #20 and #21 have just a bit of shimmer in them, but that's almost not visible. When I tried them on at home, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with both how they applied and the pigmentation. However, I did it on my bare skin. So, next time around, I applied an eyeshadow primer (or you can do it with just a regular primer) and the result was completely different. They held on pretty great and the primer really pulled out all the pigment. They are also really blendable and buildable. I applied them with sponge applicator and the first flat brush I could find, so you really shouldn't have any trouble with better brushes.

Wear test! I went to a fancy dinner and I decided it would be a good time to put these three to a test. I had my primer on and then I packed them on. They were holding great for about 6 to 7 hours which I think is amazing for about $2.

Do you own any of their eyeshadows? What are your thoughts?

Mani Monday: Pink, pointy and French

I got myself new stencils (which you can read all about here) so I wanted to use them. As I usually do all my manicures without any special tools (including stencils), I wanted to start small so I chose this easy pointy version of French manicure.

I used:

• base coat
• pink nail polish #55 be awesome tonight!
• colorful rhinestones

Note: I took these pictures a week after doing my manicure, so that explains the missing rhinestone and chapped nail polish (on my pointer finger). Also, I broke my nails that week so that really wasn't my nail week. :(

• ♥

This really didn't turn out as I thought it would, but it's not too bad. What do you think?