Rose-gold ombre abstract nails

This is more a mix of rose-gold, bronze and pink color, but it's still a super fun and easy manicure. As usual, I started with no idea what I'm going to do and then, about an hour and a half later, this was done.

Plain nails are pretty too

Whenever I post my nail design here, it's about nail art, rhinestones, stickers,... Most comments I get on those are: "I could never do this. That's why I'm not painting my nails." Now, of course, painting nails is a matter of personal preference, but if you like it and can't do nail art, you can still have pretty colored nails. Today I'll share just some of my 'plain manicures'. Of course, I don't always have time to make some fancy creations so I'll just put a coat or two of any color and maybe a glitter top coat to finish it.

Note: This are mostly by Essence and this is not sponsored. Also, I'll link all posts that I already wrote about these manicures for you to see more pictures and text cause some of these aren't finished here and some are reviews for nail polishes. All links to easy and really simple manicures are below.

Fearless black - not a finished manicure

Greasy hair eyeshadow hack

I'm sure we all have some eyeshadow that's just there and we don't use it. If not, go on and buy some cheap one matching your hair. Why? Because it's the best thing to have when you have greasy hair or if you have small amount of hair. It can also help you with hairstyles when your hair is up.

She eyeshadow (no shade on my packaging)

First things first. I had this weird emo/all-black phase when I was still in elementary school, so I bought this dark, black eyeshadow (yes, I was "emo" and I loved glitter haha). I found it a couple years later and, of course, I'm not using that on my eyes. It was then that I got the idea not to throw away almost full container, but to put it to a better use.

I don't use it often, but it comes in very handy when I have greasy hair because when I do, my hair looks not as thick as usual and then the greasiness is visible even more. To cover this all up, I apply an eyeshadow to my scalp where my hair is parting. This immediately makes my hair look cleaner and thicker. Another bonus thing you can do is to apply dry shampoo before doing this. That way you get the full effect.

Also, I've seen people using it when they put their hair up to create an illusion of baby hair to frame their face. And it works! When you pull your hair up, the most likely place to be left out of hair is the upper side part (next to the forehead). You just apply a bit of eyeshadow there and it will create an illusion of hair.

This maybe looks like it's not a perfect match (cause it's not). But I promise you it is not as visible in person as it is here. Also, glitter eyeshadows are not the best option, but they work just fine.

That's all. Will you try this hack?

Spring make-up haul

As I'm weak for all the pretty and colorful stuff, me going into my local drugstore was a big mistake. Or the best thing ever? I got so many stuff I actually divided this post into two according to products I bought. Here's what I got.

Note: I'm not the professional make-up artist (I won't even say I'm that good at all of this), so I'm not going to spend a million dollars on make-up. Essence is my go-to brand as I find them a great balance between price and quality.

Nail polishes. As you were able to see, I'm a huge nail art lover so buying these two bright and spring colors was a done deal. Peach one is #24 indian summer and the turquoise one is #40 play with my mint. They are both by Essence and each was about $2. The sparkle one is by S-he. I needed a good glitter polish and I hope I found one. It's #110 and it was about $3.

Hair bands. I'm sure you've all seen this rubbery elastic twisted hair bands that are supposed to be better for your hair as they do not pull your hair as much as a regular hair band would. I bought these dark brown ones as they go great with my hair. I'm a bit skeptic as I love high ponytails and I don't think they'll provide enough support, but we'll see. I got five of them for $2.50.

White eyeliner. My friend sparked the interest with talking about this and bigger and brighter eyes so, when I saw this, I had to have it. It's waterproof gel eye pencil by Essence. I have to admit I'm pretty curious how this is going to turn out. I got it for $3.

Blush. It's mosaic blush by Essence. I immediately fell in love with this one as it has three colors which I find is more natural then just one pink one. We'll see. I also loved the look of it because it's not flat, but has like little pyramids. I payed $4 for it.

Highlighter. I never used this, but I love the idea. I also tried one by Essence, but it was creamy and I didn't know how it would apply with a brush (although I did try it on my hands and it looked amazing). I chose this High glow by Catrice. I loved how the packaging looks and how shimmery it was on my hands. I got this one for $6.

Concealer. This one in a stick form is Mastertouch all day concealer by Max Factor. I got one for Christmas and I just loved it. I got this one because I ran out of my old one and it's definitely worth repurchasing. It costs $8.50.

Concealer palette. It's All I need palette by Essence consisting 5 most important colors for color correcting. They are all creamy so I'm curious how it's going to apply but I loved the idea of all the colors in one place. Also, the packaging is cute and practical. It costs $4.50.

Do you like anything you see? Have you tried any of these?

What's in my beauty bag?

There are some things, regarding beauty and make-up, that I like to keep by my side in as many occasions as I can. Considering that I do not have a clutch purse with me, I'm carrying this sweet half-transparent pink beauty bag with me. I got it years ago and couldn't find the use for it anywhere. Thank God I had the need to carry some essentials with me.

First there is a small package of hand cream (or hand balm, if you like). Currently, I'm carrying around this Nivea Repair & Care (I wrote a post about it here). I wish it was a smaller package but I love this one so much I have to have it.

Next is a 3 in 1 comb, brush and a mirror. It doesn't look like much but this comes in handy very often. It's small and practical in any occasion. I used to have only a brush and a mirror, but adding a comb made my life so much easier.

This is the cutest package of nail files. As everybody knows I love nails, I got this as a present from my friend. There are six nail files. So small and so practical I just had to put it in my beauty bag.

Since I never know with my hair, I have to have some hair bands and few bobby-pins. I got this whole panel of bobby-pins in H&M last year (they are always available there). Regarding hair bands, I have two brown ones (as my hair is brown) and two small black ones just in case I want braids or something small with my hair.

There are, of course, these new oil control papers I bought recently. (Post on where and when I got it, and the price, is here. Review post is coming soon.)

The last two thing I have in there are two lip products. First is my lip balm (post about it here). I just have to have lip care all the time. The other one is lipstick by Essence called #65 Glow neon glow! Although they said it's lipstick, I would say it's only transparent lip-gloss. I would not necessarily recommend buying it (I got it as a present in the magazine), but I do like the gloss so I could easily turn plain lips into more elegant ones.
So, that's it. What do you keep in your beauty bag?

Essentials: Nails

There are few items you need to have if you want to have great nails and manicure. This depends on what kind of person you are - 'nail art lover' or 'decent manicure is enough' - but here are some pieces I find essential.

Sealing top coat by Essence, Matte top coat by beauty uk, Protecting base coat by Essence

What you absolutely need to have are base and top coat. Well, top coat is optional but it does provide extra shine and it protects your manicure. I think base coat is a must-have because it protects your nails and prevents them going yellow due to usage of dark colors. I also added a matte top coat here since it can really change your manicure and make it stand out.

Color Expert Nail Lacquer #02 by Golden Rose, Color & Go #144 Black is back by Essence

Black and white nail polish. These two (non) colors are the base for everything else. They are so neutral but painted on the nails they are the most statement colors out there. You can do lots of manicures with just these two nail polishes. They are also great for drawing and all nail art you can think of.

7 days long #855 by Deborah Milano, Max effect mini nail polish #59 Silver Me by Max Factor, Color & Go #189 New York City call by Essence,  The Nudes #08 Crunchy Cake by Essence, The Nudes #10 Nude sweet nude by Essence, The Nudes #05 Pure soul by Essence, The Nudes #03 I'm lost in you by Essence

The nude collection! I think nude tones are perfect for days when you don't feel like putting much effort in your manicure or when you just can't decide which color to choose. These are really neutral and can be perfect for any occasion.

Color & Go #113 Do you speak love? by Essence, Color & Go #114 Fame fatal by Essence, Color & Go #115 Redvolution by Essence, Lasting colour #11 by Miss sporty, unbranded

Red power! Now red is a bit more bold color but will look great on both long and short nails. It is also a perfect color for all nail shapes. The darker you choose, the more elegant it will look. My opinion. Choose this color for any elegant combination. (I think it will look great even with pink dress.)

The gel nail polish #43 Girl's best friend by Essence, Lasting colour #35 by Miss sporty, Paris nail lacquer #69 by Golden Rose, Nail art twins glitter topper 2 #02 Julia by Essence

Crushed crystals #04 Oyster & Champagne by Catrice, Nail art special effect! topper #22 Black dress and white tie by Essence, Effect nail polish #31 Rebel by Essence, Care + strong nail lacquer #165 by Golden Rose, Get more #115 by Smart girls, Nail art twins glitter topper 2 #03 Clyde by Essence, #195 by S-he, #280 by S-he

Effect top coats. I'm more a fan of silver than any other color when it comes to top coats so I have these four. This is totally a matter of your preferences. There are so many effect top coats so you can really find your favorite one. 

Nail files, brushes and dotting tool

An absolute must-have for nails is nail file. I don't think you can have good nails without taking care of their length and shape.

For any nail art, essentials would be brushes (ordered from eBay here) and dotting tool (order one on eBay here).

That's all folks. I hope you liked this. Rate and comment below!

Feels like snowflakes

I am well aware of the fact that it's not snowing anymore and winter is passing by slowly, but it doesn't mean it's all over yet. We can still use winter designs and associations to it.

Other than real snowflakes and snowmen, nothing says winter like white and light blue color. Preferably with sparkles. That's why I used it in my former nail design.

• First you need to shape your nails, of course.
• Then do the French manicure with the light blue nail polish (you can, of course, do it with white or any other color).
• Take the all-glitter nail polish (make sure you choose the color that goes great with the base one) and apply large dose only on manicured part. Make sure it's thick enough (not too thick though cause you won't be able to stretch it).
• Leave it for few seconds to dry just a bit. Then use your brush from that glitter nail polish to stretch glitter on your nail. Go slowly and don't press it like you're actually painting your nail. Make soft moves and don't go all the way to the end of the nail.

If you do everything right, you're supposed to get snowy nail design. I hope I explained it well. If not, feel free to comment and don't forget to rate. Thanks.

Enjoy the snow on your nails. :)