Nivea's Soft cream

After getting my skin in a good place, it wanted to try something else. (First post about Nivea's cream here - Nivea's original cream.) So, I chose Nivea's soft.

This one is my new favorite! It's extremely moisturizing and is great for hydrating your whole face and hands. When I first tried it, I took quite large amount of it - I couldn't be more wrong. It's so soft and light that you only need it on the tip of your finger. I first used it only for my hands because I bought this small one and it fitted in my purse just right. At that time, I didn't realize how watery it really is. It did a great job, but using it on my face really changed my view on it. It's great that you don't even feel it on your face. It absorbs really quickly and leaves only refreshing feeling. I literally felt like I just washed my face in the morning. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who needs just a basic every day skin care. It has jojoba oil and vitamin E.

I got this 300 ml for $4.50. Small one is 75 ml for about $2.

Both of my editions.

Also, both of these Nivea creams I wrote about can be used by guys too because they are unisex and have no scent other than natural cream one.

Advent Calendar

Since Christmas is coming, every store in my city is decorated and filled with perfect Christmas and winter stuff. One thing caught my eye and I had to get it. This is advent calendar.

It's basically a box full of stuff and you open each window at specific date in December. There are 24 windows; you're supposed to open the last one on Christmas Eve. I will not be able to write what you get and a review because I really want to be surprised every day for the whole December. This should be fun! Anyhow, since I saw it and you have to buy it before 1st of December, I thought it would be a good idea to share it with you guys.

I got this calendar in H&M stores for a price of about $30 (price may vary from country to country). I know it seems a lot for a box but when you think about it, you pay about $5 for only one necklace (if you're lucky).

It contains:

• 7 pairs of earrings
• 6 pendants
• 5 rings
• 3 bracelets
• 3 necklaces
• 1 ear decoration
• 1 pin
• 1 key chain

I wonder which windows have double surprise.

Also, you kinda know what to expect if you just look at the H&M's jewelry department (I opened US online shop so the prices would be in dollars. You can choose which ever country you're from.). Look around and you'll see if there's anything you like. I really hope surprises will be like what they usually offer.

I also saw a calendar by Essence. I wasn't really interested in it because I have almost every nail polish, but if you don't and you want to try them all, this is a great opportunity. (The more I'm writing about it, the more I think I'll buy that too.) They have 24 nail polishes for $28.

Nivea's original cream

Since I've first started using creams for my skin, I've used (mostly) one brand - Nivea. Of course, at that point I was too young to buy anything, so I only used what I got and that was the original Nivea's cream.

I used to have really weird skin. It was a mixture of really oily and really dry, if that's even possible. My skin was actually exfoliating at any point and the rest of the face was covered in oil. Since I had two problems, I had to take care of one at the time. Dry skin was the first on my list. 

This one, in it's well known dark blue container, is the original! And it's great. It is really thick which kinda makes it hard to apply. But actually it's a good thing because while you're moisturizing your face, you're also massaging it. Without a lot of talk about ingredients and stuff like that, I'll just tell you that my face isn't exfoliating at all any more. I do still have problems around my eyebrows but that's inherited disease and I don't think this will go away but it has certainly became better since started using this cream. I changed my cream recently (will talk about it in future posts) but I still put a small amount of this one on my problematic areas before I go to sleep. And it smells really nice. Without any perfume, it has a really natural smell but very appealing. Also, Nivea's creams are really gentle and I am not worried about using them around my eyes or mouth. Of course I try to avoid putting cream in my eyes, but I do put it on on my eyelids and I haven't felt any irritation or changes in my eyes. That's always a plus when buying skin care products.

I highly recommend this for anyone with dry skin. I got this 75 ml for $3.

I think it was Valentine's Day when I bought mine. Or Mother's Day.

One more thing about Nivea - it doesn't test their products on animals.

Make-up stand

For so long I wasn't a make-up person. This has been changing over the years and recently my make-up collection has grown rapidly. I'm mostly talking about lipsticks since I had none and now I have 5 of them and 2 lip glosses. I've been looking for something to store my make-up in. Due to lack of free (or any) space in my room, this was really troubling.

I finally found this make-up stand and I love it. When you first look at it, it is like crystal. It is very bright (transparent) and looking at it from different angles enables you to see the rainbow in every "wall". It is made out of heavy and strong plastic (acrylic they say); almost looks as glass. With that being said, if it breaks it won't cause as much mess as glass would, but it still looks very elegant which is amazing. As I said it's made out of heavy plastic, it's not too heavy; it is light in my hand (not heavier than two glasses of water). The dimensions are 22 cm x 12 cm x 8 cm (length x width x height).

It has:

• 12 smaller compartments for lipsticks or nail polishes
• two longer, deep and thin compartments for brushes, lip glosses and pencils (eyeliners and lip liners)
• long shallow compartment for maybe eye shadows
• one big but shallow (at front) compartment for probably foundations and blushes

All in all, it has quite enough room for your make-up if you're regular girl with "normal" amount of it. I bought mine in Müller (it's German store but it has stores around Europe and maybe ships to other countries) for $13 but I saw some in Ikea too for $20 (link here; this one is a bit bigger). Of course there are these stands on Amazon (look for it here) and eBay (look for it here). You just have to find the perfect one. I'm in love with mine.

Sorry for the flash.

Quick nail polish repair

If you paint your nails, you had to experience that horrible moment when your nail polish messes up before it's even dry. Especially if you are impatient person when it comes to drying your nail polish, like me.

You'll need:

• one of your fingers
• nail polish remover
• top coat

Picture is not mine! It's the property of YouTuber Meliney. (This is not a commercial for her; I do not follow her nor I have any benefits by doing this.) I did try it and it worked for me too.

Once you destroy your perfect manicure, here's what you need to do:

• put a bit (just a bit!) of nail polish remover on your finger tip
• gently tap it onto the ruined part of the nail (gentle! and do not pull your finger; tap it!)
• once you're satisfied with the coverage you can either put another layer of the same nail polish (really thin layer!) or just put a top coat

How it works:

• nail polish remover dissolves nail polish
• nail polish around the ruined part becomes watery and fills the gap

There are similar methods here:

• Beauty Zone
• Finder6
• BeautyHeaven
• Reem Noobo

P.S. I do not have any benefits by showing you any of these blogs/videos/pages. And I hope if people find here their photos and videos, they will not kill me for using it. I found about this method a while ago and it worked so I had to share it with you.

Review - L'Oreal and Maybelline lipsticks

I was in a search of a good dark red lipstick lately so, now that I've found it, I can write something about it. Also, as I am, while I was buying one lipstick, the other one caught my eye so I have two reviews to write.

I'll start with the one I've been looking for so long. This is perfect dark red lipstick called Laetitia's pure red from Collection exclusive by Laetitia by L'Oreal Paris. There are more red colors in the collection so check them out. It is really long-lasting dark red lipstick with just a bit of brown effect once put on the lips. It is enough creamy to be easily put on the lips but not that creamy that you will have the feeling of having a lip gloss. Stating that it has a great coverage, one layer is more than enough. I would recommend you to buy a lip liner in the same color as the mistakes are really visible with this one. Another thing that I love is this perfectly designed container in matte black with few gold details.  It looks really elegant. It has standard roll-out procedure.

This lipstick costed me around $15. I would say this is a perfect price for the product you're getting.

I would highly recommend this lipstick! But, if you want it please hurry cause I heard that this collection is soon gonna be canceled. I'm buying the same tomorrow cause I'm so satisfied with it and I want to have it as long as I can.

Moving on to my new love... This is No. 342 Mauve mania by Maybelline New York. The collection is ColorSensational. I chose this one for everyday use since it's only few shades darker than my lips but still in the same tone. It's basically darker (not really dark) pink shade. Once put on the lips it has slightly purple tone, but the pink one is still dominant. It is creamier than the above one which should mean (I learned it like that) that it will not be as durable as the L'Oreal's one but I just had it for 5 hours and it was the same as when I put it on. I would say that's what you're looking in a lipstick. The color I expected was light pink but the lights in the store confused me and now I have this. I still love it, this just means I'll have to buy another one. I think I'll find another lighter one also by Maybelline NY since the formula and the price are great.

This lipstick costs around $9. Now, that's a perfect price for quality make-up. Coverage is great but, as I'm used to put more layers if I have light lipsticks, I put 2 layers and the color was amazing. Also, this one does not require lip liner.

If you're into something simple, do go and get yourself a new lipstick!

P.S. I do not own the photos below. I found them on the Internet but I thought they could help you see what you're getting.

My favorites: Eye make-up

When it comes to my eye make-up, I like to keep it simple. Eye pencil is most of the times my only partner, but I do have my favorites.

My first and most important choice is Long lasting eye pencil by Essence. This shade is 01 Black Fever. For me, there is only one color made to be on the eyes and that is black. It suits me the best so I found this eye pencil perfect. It really is long lasting. It has thin pencil inside which enables me to draw straight and smooth lines around my eyes. It can't be removed with only water, but it does smudge a bit if you're sweating or in the rain, etc. It has a great roll-out system so you do not have to sharpen it like the old style pencils. Because it has a really great coverage, you need to put only small amount of it, just one layer. With that in mind, and the fact that it's really long pencil, this item could last you really long time. The price of this amazing product is only around $2. This is the best investment in my eye make-up collection I ever made. It also comes in different colors so definitely check it out. There are also a lot of products similar to this one by Essence so check it out which one suits you the best.

My next favorite product is gel eyeliner, also by Essence. This shade in particular it 01 Midnight in Paris. The only thing you need to worry about this product is the fact you'll need a perfect brush to apply it. I use gel eyeliner brush by Essence. This eyeliner is an amazing product. It is really intense, the coverage is perfect every time, the gel is waterproof. If you're looking for an eyeliner, these are what you're looking for. It comes in the cutest little round container and it is so practical. One more thing about it. If you buy a brush made for gel eyeliners (the brush should be harder than those for e.g. eyeshadow and narrower to the tip) you can just dab it in the gel once and that will be enough color for the whole eye. You don't need to scratch on the surface with it. Gel is about $4.

P.S. This isn't my eye. I'm just showing you the coverage.

Now, this is not really my favorite (only the top two products are), but I also love it. If you're more a smokey-eyes kinda girl, there is I love glam powder eyeliner and eyeshadow. It doesn't say which color this is (black of course, but the exact name isn't written) so I guess there's only black one. Great thing about this is that it leaves a darker line in the middle and smudges the edges. You basically get eye pencil, eyeliner and eyeshadow in one product. However, this is a bit trickier to work with as it has dust and little glitter in it so you have to be careful how you put it on. Besides that, application is really easy, maybe even easier than with any of the above products. When I put it on, I like to blow at it from all the sides just to be sure all extra dust is gone. As for the items above, this one also lasts a long time since you only need a small amount to make a line. However, this one is not proven to be waterproof. So be careful with it.

Light purple with rainbow rhinestones

Diagonal manicures are one of my favorites. They are really easy to do but they look different and, that being said, very unique and great.

You'll need:

• base coat
• light purple nail polish
• darker nail polish with a striper
• colorful rhinestones
• top coat
• optional - nail glue

• First goes the transparent base coat.
• After the base is dried, we're going in with light purple from one corner of the nail diagonally to the other corner. To make it more precise you can make a line with a pen or pencil and then cover it with nail polish. Do not stress if the line is not perfectly straight.
• Pick some nails you want to put rhinestones on.
• To disguise a rough edge, we'll cover it with darker nail polish. Straight line is made with a striper in the polish or a thin brush. It goes on all other nails but those previously picked out.
• Choose whichever rhinestones you think go together and start placing them either on wet top coat or on nail glue.
• Seal it with top coat. Or don't. Mine don't have top coat.

I used:

• base coat: protecting base coat by Essence
• light purple nail polish: No. 59 Silver me by MaxFactor (there is no "Silver me" any more but it should be similar to No. 30 Chilled Lilac)
• dark purple striper: No. 11 grape-metallic rocks! by Essence (I couldn't find it in Essence's page but this is what are you looking for)
• top coat: sealing top coat by Essence

Winter incoming

As we are currently struggling with the weather change and it is getting colder, it's time to bring warmer clothes in our closets. Better prepare in time.

Who says black is for the winter? This is adorable light combination perfectly cozy and warm for fall/winter days.

I think I started it with this beautiful white knitted sweater (which are usually the best for cold days). Since I went for this lighter look, I had to choose beige jeans (white ones would be too much for my taste).

With all this in mind, black accessories would be to much so I went with big beige bag and beige gloves. The hat is white so the person wouldn't feel like wearing a beige uniform.

Timberlands (fake or not) are just perfect footwear for cold weather. These are great because of their neutral color and white fur (hopefully fake) to round the whole look.

I only chose a necklace as jewelry. It is slightly yellow to match both the light tone and shoes.

Make-up is really natural and light, with highlight on the eyes and golden nails.

This outfit has a grey tone. Gray is a great color as it can be combined with almost everything (as white and black).

There are some simple blue jeans which are great base for any outfit. Next on, I added, again, knitted sweater with white and pink details to break the monotony. Fitted gray coat is just a perfect round-up of the whole upper part.

As there are, for now, only white, pink and gray colors there, I chose accessories in the same style. There is white knitted scarf, gray knitted hat and gloves.

Now, again to break the gray part, there are two black leather (fake if possible), very important pieces.

I chose above-knee-height boots which are an absolute must-have during fall/winter. They are practical and look great on skinny jeans or skirts/dresses.

Not to leave boots alone in the black department, I chose simple smaller black bag. It will round the upper and lower part as a whole since it's a long strap bag.

You can see all the pieces and their prices on Polyvore (even if you aren't a member).

• Outfit 1 on Polyvore
• Outfit 2 on Polyvore

Fast face recovery

We all have those times when we just do not want to take off our make-up, when we do not want to have the whole process of taking care of our facial skin. Most of the times we regret it when we make unexpected plans to meet somebody or when somebody is coming over. Thankfully, there is a trick how to revive your skin in really short time.

You'll need:

• cosmetic sponge
• warm water
• cold water
• soap (optional)

No matter if you have or don't have make-up on, or if you haven't really cleaned your face for more than a week, this works the same. Of course, this works if you have light make-up on. For heavy make-up it would be better if you took off even one layer (so the sponge wouldn't get dirty and then smudge it all over your face).

Process:

• soak the sponge with warm water and start rubbing your face (if you have it, you can include just a bit of soap)
• once you think you covered all the places, either soak the sponge with cold water or just put cold water in your hands and cover your whole face with it

How it works?

• warm water will relax the skin and it is better for cleaning than cold water
• once your face is clean and gentle, cold water will close the pores
• also, cold water "removes" wrinkles and gives you "morning freshness" look

The redness should be gone in about 3-5 minutes.

Have in mind this is my experience.

I can not really tell you which sponge I use cause my mom threw away the packing but they are really all the same. If you choose any that looks like the one below, you're good. Do not use the ones which are too smooth.

Also, these sponges are around $2.

Cosmetic sponge