Searching for a sun cream?

Not so long ago I went to an event in a restaurant, where you and your friends got a perfect girl night out with make up artists making you look ready for the night and hand massages, where you could eat delicious food and talk, talk, talk. It was such a lovely evening. In this event we got a beauty bag, which -among many great little surprises- had a Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection sun lotion in it.
I've been using this product in these past few weeks and I've been so satisfied with it. It is in a small size, which I love as I can just throw it in my bag and carry it around with me. It gives great protection from the sun and makes your skin glowing. The only way I can describe the smell is ..that it smells like summer...like holiday? It has that buttery (you know what I mean? ) coconut smell. Maybe I should stop trying to describe it.    It is amazing.
Since the day I spent a few hours in the sun and got arms the colour of a lobster, I wouldn't go out without using it. Protecting your skin is really important, probably the most important thing in summer, never forget that! :)
I hope your summer is full of laughter, fun, friends and love!

Have a lovely day!
With love,
Alexandra

Oriflame Nature Secrets Exfoliating Shower Gel with Energising Mint & Raspberry

One thing I love in summer is quick, refreshing showers. When the weather outside is unbearable and you can't find anything to help you feel ok again, then it is always a good idea to hop in the shower and just feel as the lukewarm water pours onto you. In summertime there is a shower gel which can't be missing from my bathroom essentials. It is -as the title probably told you- the Oriflame Nature Secrets Exfoliating Shower Gel with Energising Mint & Raspberry . First of all mint, raspberry and the word "energising" is all you want in the heat. However, when you add exfoliating grains to the mixture it's like heaven has come to Earth. I love the smell of it, I love how it feels, I love how I feel after using this and I love that the whole product screams summer for me. 

It is just perfect!

If you are searching for that perfect summer shower gel then this is surely worth a try! :)

have a lovely day!

with love,

Alexandra

Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation

 Hello guys,
first of all, I'm so sorry for the lacking posts but I had exam period,which was one of the hardest and then my camera broke so yeah...life happened... but I'm baaack! I'm taking these pics with a Sony Xpera Z so if the quality is a bit..unusual then that is the reason.
Recently I run out of foundation. I loved the one I used before, which was from Oriflame but I wanted to try something new. My firs choice was the Wake me up foundation, however, none of the shops had one in the colour ivory. I don't know how that happened. Then I spotted this one on the shelf. I. really. do. love. it.
Seriously guys, give it a go! It lasts ages, has a great cover and has SPF20 in it, which is really important in summer. I wear it nearly every single day and it's not heavy, stays in it's place (even when the weather is crazy and it feels like in a sauna) . The bottle says, it has "comfort serum" in it and whatever that is, it works! I've been enjoying wearing it in these past weeks. I bought it in the colour "ivory" . I love that it comes with a pump (my previous one didn't) and that you only need a small amount to reach your "skin-dream" goals. I'm sure that I'm gonna use it for a looong-loooooong-loooooooooong time... :)
If you'd like to try this product, you can find it here .

Hope you guys have a lovely day!
with love,
Alexandra

Yves Rocher Powder Brush

I am in a love- hate relationship with brushes. I love them because a good one can make life so much easier (that goes to many other things, too...like... friends and relationships... woah...deep...back to the post ) but I dislike them because it is so hard to transport them. I know that Real Technique brushes come with a transport ...bag kind of thing... but whatever I tried to get internet shopping work, it said no and just did not work. So I gave up on ordering one. 

I tried to find a good alternative, which is just as good as the Real Technique ones, which is available in my city and which is for a good price. And there you go:  

 I fooouuund iiiit! Ok, let me start rambling about it a little bit. It is not expensive at all- and that is an important thing to me, I think you guessed it by now ( I mean I support great investments, however as a university student with only my pocket money available, I feel like as long as I can find cheaper things with great quality, it is ok. Maybe on one beautiful, sunny day I'll finish university, get a super job and buy whatever my eyes want. Not many people can do that to be honest and it is completely ok. The things I show you are tried by me and I love them and I am happy that they are for an affordable price)
This amazing brush is honestly so. soft. Like that OMG kind of soft. It is great! The size is perfect, it is easy to use - as won't "eat" half of your powder and this brush is now something I enjoy working with every single day- because (being so soft) it gives you that one last lovely feeling touch in the morning before heading out the door.... I'm weird again. Ok.
But seriously, before this I just used those mini sponge kind of things which you could just put into the box of your powder and you were good to go, but no. Not anymore!
I truly recommend this product, which you can find here :)
If you like it, give it a go!

with love,
Alexandra

a fruity smoothie

I'm trying to live a healthier life- in the name of healthy is the new sexy and if your body is happy your happy, and all that stuff. I'm not only trying it because nowadays it seems like everybody is doing the exact same but I do it because I came to that point in my life when I felt uncomfortable with my daily routine and when everything turned upside down. What time would be better for a change?
So I started doing workouts in the evenings, using coconut oil for cooking and yes, cook. I started making healthy food and salads. I have to tell you, I enjoy it a lot- ok, maybe not the part when I have to convince myself that working out is good.
One thing I discovered is that waking up at a decent hour and eating breakfast is very important. Now. We hear that from our mums, our grannies, and from our teachers and we just say, ok, who has time for that?.... However, just try it and you'll see that it makes wonders!
Sometimes I don't feel like eating a proper breakfast and maybe I'm the weird one but there are days when even if I'm hungry, I'm just not in the mood to eat anything. Yeah, I'm afraid I am the weird one. Oh well. Anyway. If that is the case or I'm just in a rush and don't have time, I always make a quick smoothie. The great thing is: it gives you energy to start the day and You can drink it on the go or while you are walking around the house, trying to decide what to wear. Smoothies are also great when you just want an afternoon snack.
As I'm sitting here, writing this post, I'm drinking my freshly made smoothie as I literally just took the pictures, so it is one, which I tried and I love.
What I used (but literally you can just throw everything and anything you want to drink into the blender -that sounds ...weird):
- strawberries
- half a banana
- one kiwi
- some milk
aaaand that's all! Cut them into pieces to make it easier to blend and then just turn on your blender, pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy!
There are 2 extra thoughts:
1. this is not too sweet, so if you want something sweeter just add some sugar before blending it
2. as I have a sore throat today ( :( )  I didn't want something cold but when I do, I usually just add frozen fruits to it and it'll do the trick. If you're doing this, make sure that your blender has that program which is suitable to crush ice, otherwise your blender won't like it.at.all.

 hope you enjoyed this quick post! :)
Have a lovely week!
with love,
Alexandra

the Yves Rocher lipstick

I was searching for a spring- summery lipstick colour for soooo long. Today I wandered into Yves Rocher to buy a powder brush (I'm gonna blog about it later :) ) and I saw this Sheer Botanical Lipstick in the colour "rose cocktail" . Now first of all, who wouldn't want to wear something which has cocktail and rose in it's name? Then when you see this colour... I swear I tried to capture it...mission impossible. It's just such a beautiful colour, between pink and red and orange that there is no lighting or camera which would reflect the exact shade...  it looks so funky, feels creamy and lasts long enough to go through the afternoon without reapplying it! I would definitely recommend it and I will most surely wear it almost every single day! 

( I took some pictures for a hair routine post, in which I'm wearing this product but it's still not the exact shade- in real life it's a bit more... vivid (though close enough))

have an amazing week!
with love,
Alexandra

The Body Shop mist

Recently I bought this body mist from The Body Shop. I have always been curious about mists and how they feel, how they are different from any perfumes.

I have been loving this product! I did not choose an overly summery scent as I wanted something a bit more laid-back. The shea body mist does a perfect job: it has a lovely smell, not too sweet and gives you that fresh feeling throughout the day. Biggest advantage? You can spray as much as you want and it'll still smell amazing and won't have the effect of the "OMG-how-much-perfume-do-you-use?-Did-you-just-rob-a-perfume-shop?" ... For me it is also an advantage that it isn't expensive so you can just throw it into your bag and you're good to go - while if I did that with my perfume, which is really expensive, I'd be worrying all day that I might lost it or break it or anything . (Maybe I'm too paranoid :) ) 

As it is for a good price, you can buy many if you want to and change it, this way you're gonna have different scents for happy days, for more relaxed days and for days you just want to close your eyes and disappear. 

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

with love,

Alexandra

Micellar water and Face scrub

I am desperately searching for a morning routine. Sounds ridiculously but it is what it is. I am not a morning person and can not bother about using thousand different products in the morning or in fact, before bedtime either..
It came to the point when my skin screamed "help" (though biochemistry exam and not eating regularly and 2 nasty wisdom teeth could have been another reason for that) .
One day I decided that I needed a change! Cause it is easy like that: you just have to make the decision then stick to that - which is usually the hardest part.
I went out to buy some products and after a weak, I found out that they are amazing, easy to use and really help. The reason behind not naming this post "morning routine" is that I still find it incomplete. I still think that I need more things to use and to do in the morning but this is certainly on the right path, it is just not enough. Anyway.
When I was younger I never thought that it is possible to have every skin type on one face. Oh my... how wrong I was.... In the past few weeks my skin was dry, too oily, had spots, scars and was really sensitive. So no wonder that I said stop.
The 2 products I bought, help to clean your face and leave your face feeling amazingly smooth and comfortable.


Loreal Micellar water

When I first heard about micellar water I was a bit sceptic but now after using it for a week, I just simply love it! I usually use baby wipes to clean off my make up but micellar water gets off the remaining make up you were not aware of wearing! It is literally amazing! ( and a bit scary to see the cotton pad after using it and  after figuring out how much dirt is on your face after a day in the city)

Nivea gentle exfoliating scrub with Vitamin E & Hydra IQ.

The sad thing about this product is that you can only use it 2 or 3 times a week cause it is sooooo good that you'd want to apply it every single day probably every single hour. You know the smooth face of babies? Your skin will be exactly like that! For me it made wonders and it definitely worth trying as it is a super cheep product! The vitamin E as a natural antioxidant is a huge plus!   

After using these products and cleaning your face it is important to hydrate your skin! Personally I use a hydration cream made in the pharmacy. It is super effective, not too expensive and the last time I went in for some hydration cream they made me so much that I swear I won't have to buy any for a whole year..

Have a lovely day!

with love,

Alexandra

Rimmel stay matte powder

I did not want to write about something I hadn't tried. So I took the pictures and waited and waited but to be honest I really wanted to share this amazing product with you guys after the first day. When I run out of my previous powder I was like "hm I need something better, which would stay on my face so I won't look like a clown by the end of the day" . And this does exactly that! I have that matt look for hours after applying and it keeps my make up in place so I won't have dark circles from my mascara or eye-liner. Buying this powder you won't have to worry about re-applying or about spending a lot of money as it is a great quality product which is also very cheap.

There is only one thing missing from this and that is the little sponge thing they usually provide for powders in their "boxes". Now you can say that applying with a brush is easier and much better. True, you are right but for those ones who travel a lot or just sleep in 3 different places during the week, that is a life-saver... Or it is for me as I usually forget to pack a powder brush and applying powder with your hands...now that is a challenge...

Hope you like this product and my mom's pretty purple flowers :)
with love,
Alexandra

eyebrow styling

Hello everybody!
I had a massive issue with styling my eyebrows. I preferred to go to the beautician once in a month and ask her to colour them and shape them. I still say no to home shaping, I only do it when an emergency situation comes and I just have to touch them. However, I really wanted something which would help me to look better, which would colour my eyebrows when I need it and something which would be extremely easy to use...aaaand... I found it!!!!!
It is  Brow drama by Maybelline . Ok, let me tell you one thing: this is a lifesaver. You can get it in 3 different colours and it is incredibly easy to apply (before this I used a brow pencil and sometimes I looked a bit too funny when the lines were uneven...)! It only adds 1 more minute to your morning routine and you're good to go!
I picked it up in a dark brown colour as I have brown hair and I wear black mascara and black liquid eye-liner most of the time. This product helps me to have organised brow, gives them a little colour and stays in it's place for a loooong-long time.I definitely recommend it to you, to anyone, to everyone! If you like it, give it a try :)

With love,
Alexandra

Springfield haul- 2015 spring

Sooo sorry for being absent. I hope that everyone had a lovely Easter and ate tons! I did exactly that and for 3 days I haven't been hungry at all....
Anyway, since the weather started to get a bit warmer and I took out my "spring clothes" from the wardrobe where they had they winter beauty sleep, I realised that I am in need of more colours and new clothes. One reason for that is that I had lost weight during winter (ok, let's say during exam time) and I hadn't got a skirt which was in my size. In fact I was totally clueless what my size was.

Every single year around this time, Glamour magazine organizes a great shopping adventure for everyone called "glamour days" where you can get 20% off in different stores. As it is happening now, I felt the urge today to go out and spend my savings.
I visited many shops -unfortunately, 2 of my faves were not on the list and there wasn't an H&M in the shopping centre where we went- but couldn't find anything. Why am I always trying this??? Every single time, when I want to refresh my wardrobe, I visit many shops and always end up buying nearly everything in one of my favourite stores. Today wasn't an exception. Everything in this haul is from Springfield .
I may or may not have a little bit of obsession when it comes to Springfield. It. is. just. simply. awesome. You can get great quality& lovely styled clothes for a reasonable price.

Now, I have to talk about one more thing before I show you the things that I got, and that is: colour. In my wardrobe I have many many. many. blue or navy, white and grey stuff. I felt like I needed some colours as spring is all about forgetting the gloomy days and waking up with the nature. However, I am really self-conscious and when I wear harsh colours I always feel like I am in the middle of attention which leaves me feeling uncomfortable.  So what you gonna see is that everything is in a peachy-pink/ coral colour as it was pretty, spring-like but not too harsh.

Soo let's begin

 The first thing I picked up is this flowery t-shirt. It just grabbed it on my way to the counter, I bought it without trying it on or looking at it twice... I really like it, as it is lovely, has a great material and will be really easy to wear it with nearly anything when the weather is a bit warmer.

 I really wanted a lovely cotton shirt so I bought this cream shirt with little flowers on it. Though I have to admit I should have ironed it first before taking pictures but I was just too excited. I love how you can wear it with skirts or trousers, dress it up or dress it down. It is also a great advantage that it is really comfortable which is really important when it comes to wearing something on the looong- looong uni days.

 Next I picked up this coral coloured skirt with a little belt. I just love the colour and how practical it is. I can simply just put on my Lacoste shoes or my ballet pumps from H&M and I am good to go.

 Talking about shoes... I picked up a pair of ballet pumps in this navy- cream colour. They are the most comfortable pumps I have ever owned. I bought some heel protector, too as I have it in every pair of shoes of mine.

Last but not least I picked up a long sleeved T-shirt for the colder days with butterflies on it. I had my eyes on this one for a while but now that it was on sale, I just could not stop myself.

And thaaaat's all.
I hope that you liked my little haul! What are your spring essentials?
Have a lovely day,
Alexandra

Learning to play a new instrument by yourself?

I love music. Seriously. I couldn't live without it. My brother plays many instruments but first of all, he learnt to play the guitar at a young age. I was soooo jealous. I watched him as he played and sang - we have terrible voices but also have the passion to sing. I wanted to play the guitar, too. I wanted to close my eyes and sing and I wanted to write songs- and be Taylor Swift ( don't we all want that? ) However, I did not know how to begin and my brother tried to teach me but it just did not work.
One day while listening to a Kina Grannis song called "Valentine" I desperately wanted to learn it to play to my boyfriend- cliché, I know. It did not work and he looked at me like I was crazy. I probably was but in that moment I decided: one day I will play the guitar.
In that year Pink came out with the song "f*cking perfect". I was totally obsessed with it. Then one afternoon I sat down in front of my laptop and typed "f*cking perfect guitar chords" into the Google search bar. I could not understand a single thing. How do I play a G chord? or a D? or an F? what are these lines with numbers written on them? I googled the name of the chords and typed "f*ucking perfect guitar lesson/tutorial" into youtube, grabbed a paper and pen and started writing and drawing whatever I saw.

  (It took me AGES to find the original paper but I found it!!!!!)

I learnt that the numbers mean your fingers: the first is your index finger, number 2,3,4 are your other fingers and number 5 is your thumb.
I won't lie: it was hard and painful. Yes, painful cause the first time I put my fingers on the strings I thought "ok, this is impossible. It's bloody masochistic" . However, after sitting down and grabbing my brother's guitar again and again and again, after trying to play it many-many times it started sounding like a song. Then one day I woke up, sit down, tried to play the song and I finally understood: "OMG, it's easy, you just keep putting your fingers to different places" Sounds stupid? Yes, it does but after that I just understood and learnt where to put my fingers, how to play some basic chords and it wasn't that painful anymore. Yepp, my fingers looked terrible for many weeks but I can tell you: it worth it!
There are many songs which has the same, easy chords - Taylor Swift songs have really eeasy chords and are perfect for those ones who want to learn to play the guitar.

Youtube is also a great help, as many amazing people do great tutorials for various songs.
For me it was easy, I could always borrow my brother's guitar. However, if you can borrow one from someone or if you can afford a cheap one and you really want it: you can learn to play the guitar from the internet! How amazing is that???! When people ask me "where did you learn this?" and I answer "from the internet" they just keep staring at me, not knowing that it is not that hard after all.
No, I can not play it perfectly, I do not know many chords and if you put sheet-music in front of me, I will just stare at you not knowing what to do, but I can sit down on lonely nights, close my eyes and play and sing! It is an amazing feeling and helps me to get through hard times (like when I wasn't sure if me and now-my-boyfriend would get together and I played "untouchable" by Taylor Swift every single night)

For my 19th birthday I got my own guitar from my brother, I love it! It is from Cort.

It is also good to have a capo as it is needed many times to play the easy version of songs :)

I use really soft pickers but after a while I learnt to strum without them ( the first time I tried, it looked impossible)
I really hope that you like this post and that I could inspire you to be brave and try to learn new things from the internet- After all, it is an amazing place :)
Have a lovely weekend!
Alexandra