Mint Trousers

I really wanted lilac ones but could not find any anywhere!

I settled for mint.

I bought this pair in H&M for about £16 so I would say it was a bargain. The fabric is really soft and they are a very good fit. There is only one thing I worry about. That is them becoming saggy in the bottom area. I have seen quite a few girls with trousers similar to this pair hanging on the bum. I’ve worn them a few times now and everything seems to be in place but we will see what they’re like after the first wash.

This outfit is super simple because it’s full on summer here and I wasn’t prepared for it clothing wise. So I’ve been wearing simple cotton t-shirts and my light colored clothes i.e. mint trousers.

I have couple more days here and I’m coming back to rainy England. This makes me a bit sad but I do miss my boy and Scratchy the cat!

Book update:

I’ve finally finished “Look at me” by Jennifer Egan. It took me forever to read it and I regret ever starting. If you’d like to see my goodreads review click here. Just like every other person on the planet at the moment I am reading The Hunger Games and I have to say I am really enjoying it so far.

Hope your Monday isn’t too bad!

Sylwia x

H&M Conscious Collection Nude Blazer

I have been looking for it for about a month now and finally found it.

The perfect nude blazer.

It comes from H&M Conscious collection and I bought it in Poland where I am at the moment. I haven’t seen it in England but I would guess the same collection should hit the English stores at some point too.

This blazer is perfect for me because it’s tailored, not too pink (althou it does look very pinky in the pictures) and is made out of structured, shell like fabric.

To add to it’s perfection, buying it serves a good cause which you can read more about at hm.com/conscious

Seeing my family and friends is great and I’m having lovely time. It’s still quite chilly here but sun is shining and that’s good enough for me.

Take care sweeties!

Sylwia x

I have never over packed in my life

Hello my lovelies,

I am going on a holiday! Yeeeey!

It's not really a proper holiday with hot weather and sandy beaches. I am going to see my friends and family in Poland for 10 days which is still really nice! I am not sure if I will post anything from there but I will try! My mum loves to take pictures so maybe she could be my photographer for outfits of the day :)

I thought I will share with you what I'm taking with me cosmetic wise. As always I have taken way too much stuff but I think I will never learn… I kind of have an excuse because I have divided my skincare and makeup into two different sections. For skin care there is stuff I want to simply use up and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity and products I just need for my everyday existence. For makeup there is section of products I never get to use because I forget about them and products which are my holy grails and I just could not go anywhere without.


Skincare products I would love to finish off before I come back to the UK:

 *Original Source Daily Scrub Cranberry and Honey – smells great but has Laureth Sulfate which I am steering away from
*Soap&Glory Fab Pore – will come in handy when my skin hits different climate and goes crazy (happens each and every time) and only little bit left so hoping to finish it off
* Beautifully Delicious Coconut & Shea shower gel and body butter – just one of these mini size products that never gets used
*Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser – I got this in the beauty box and I don’t own clarisonic! I will see how it works on its own ;)
*Caudalie Body Lotion – another beauty box sample. Just something to use up
*Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer – only tiny bit left there! It’s going out of date this month so need to use it up
*Dead Sea Spa Salt Brushing – I figured I will need to scrub up once or twice so might as well use this instead of taking massive pot of scrub
*Benefit minis – I don’t know what possessed me to buy this little set (I think packaging lured me in!) but I will try those little things out and see if it’s worth getting the full size items

Skincare products I need on a day to day basis:

Bioderma Solution Micelle, Superdrug Vitamin E hot cloth cleanser, Clarins daily Energizer (this I will be trying out for the first time), Alpha Hydrox Souffle (for bad skin days which will occur), Garnier roll on, Soltan Veautiful Bronze for the face, Lirene bronzing balm for the body, Ziaja anti-perspirant, Boots Oil absorbing sheets, Sensodyne toothpaste, Avon Far away Exotic perfume (no too sure about this scent yet…)


Makeup I always neglect and would love to use a bit more:

*Mac Studio Sculpt and Clarins Tinted Moisturizer mixture – I mentioned this a few times. I am just trying to use the Studio Sculpt really as I don’t like it on its own
*Elf Warm Bronzer – I am trying to use it as much as possible because it will be to shiny in the summer
* Elf Blush Tickled Pink and MeMeMe Rouge – both gorgeous blushes but I don’t use them enough because I am lazy and just pick up The Balm Frat Boy all the time (it’s the safest optioncause it goes with absolutely any makeup)!
*Rimmel Smokey Brun eyeshadow quad – super pretty but just gets forgotten
*Catrice Long lasting eyeshadow – awesome product but again gets forgotten due to laziness
*Garnier Anti –dark circles roll on –  trying to use it a bit more just like the other products
*Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara – amazing mascara! I want to use it a bit more becaue I’ve had it for a while and it’s drying out
*Benefit eyebright, Avon super shock pencils in khaki shimmer and plumful – I never use those and I don’t know whybecaue they are gorgeous!
*Revlon Sueded Brown pencil – only little bit left so trying to use it up
*Mac Creamsheen Glass – I’ve had it for a while and I think it starts to smell funny so I better use it up

Makeup I need for a daily portion of slap:

Revlon Colorstay foundation (I moved it to a different bottle cause it has a pump), Mac Mineralized Skinfinish, Rimmel Matte Bronzer, Mac Hang Loose Mineralize Blush, The Balm Frat Boy, Max factor 2000 Calorie mascara, Elf eyebrow kit, Max Factor eyebrow pencil, MUA clear mascara (this is new and I will be trying it out as a brow gel), Mac Painterly Paintpot, Mac Blacktrack fluidline, Mac studio finish concealer, Catrice light reflecting concealer, Elf eyelash curlers, Catrice Be Natural lipstick, Sleek Minx Pout paint, Sleek Bare Minimum Pout Polish, Ardel corner lashes 301 and invisiband luckies, Inglot magnetic palette with my favourite eyshadows :)


Is this too much for 10 days?

Sylwia x

My Basic Make up Routine

You know these mornings when you're just about to do your make up and realize that creativity is still asleep and you just cannot be bothered to faff about with an eye shadow, eyeliner & all that jazz?

Well… I know these mornings very well! When I work early morning shift I have to get up at 4.30 am and that isn’t the time anyone should be asked to get up, leave alone put nice make up on!
On those days I would rather stay in bed 10 more minutes than do nice eye makeup (I love make up but I love sleep more).

Here is what I do to make myself look half decent in 10 to 15 minutes (initially it took me about 20 minutes but I did work on that speed ;) ). I do switch products up but I mostly rely on these in the below picture. When I don’t have much time I need to know things will be easy to apply and everything will look good together.

1) Foundation – get the base right and everything else will look right! I am focusing my time on blending the foundation well so it looks flawless and as natural as possible. I’m using mixture of Mac Studio Sculpt and Clarins Tinted Moisturizer at the moment but I switch my foundations up all the time.

2) Concealer – I use brightening one (Catrice Re-Touch Light Reflecting Concealer) for under the eyes to make me look more awake. For red patches and spots on the face I use yellow based concealer (Mac Studio Finish).

3) Powder – I do tend to get shiny throughout the day so I powder everything with translucent loose powder to prolong the staying power of foundation (NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder). 

4) Eyebrows – I have done a post on how I do my eyebrows so click here if you’re curious. I use Max factor pencil and Elf Eyeborw Kit.

5) Bronzer – matte bronzer for contouring (Rimmel Sun Shimmer) and shimmery one ( Elf Warm Bronzer) for all over the face for a bit of a glow. I only use shimmery bronzer in the winter because in the summer sunshine picks up all the shiny particles and makes me look too much like a disco ball.

6) Cheeks – I layer two blushes for that bright, awake looking face. I use The Balm Frat Boy on the whole cheek and Mac Hang Loose for the top and apple of my cheeks. Hang Loose has that beautiful sheen and it acts like a highlighter for me.

7) Eyes – I curl the lashes and apply mascara. I really like this thickening 2000 Calorie by Max Factor.

8) Lips – I use something to match my blusher and in this case it’s Sleek Pout Paint in Minx and Sleek Pout Polish in Bare Minimum.

And here's everything on my silly face...

Ps. Mac Hang Loose was part of a collection but I have seen it on Cheap Smells! It really is a gorgeous blush.

Sylwia x

Itchy scalp?

I have to say that I don’t know if the above problem is a common thing. I don’t really hear or read much about it and couldn’t find much on how to solve it.

I have dealt with itchy scalp for a few years now. I never had dandruff and that is still the case but my head was just constantly itching! It’s annoying, embarrassing and can be painful at times. I have dry and sensitive skin on my body and I guess my scalp is just the same.

I don’t know why but I never tried to deal with this problem. I just didn’t think there was anything I could do because I can’t exactly moisturize my head! To add to a problem my hair became very oily recently. It got to a stage where I would wash my hair and about 3 hours later they were greasy.

About a month ago I decided to slowly move towards more natural and delicate cosmetics. It’s not only my scalp having a bad time! If you’d like to read more about it click here. Due to this resolution, I started to research cosmetic ingredients and found few interesting things. It turned out that one of the big irritants is Lauryl Sulfate used in shampoos and shower gels. It creates the foam in the product. It can irritate sensitive skin and cause dryness, itchiness and burning. Weak and dry scalp is trying to recover and produces a lot of sebum which makes the hair oily.

So I found the most probable reason for my problem. After that I went on a hunt for a sulfate-free natural shampoo to see if it would help. There are quite a few brands specializing in natural products like Liz Earl but I’m not too happy to spend about £10 on a shampoo.

Then I found out about Naked Bodycare. Natural ingredients and reasonable price – I immediately placed an order with Boots. I purchased a few bits but today I wanted to tell you about Mild Shampoo for Sensitive Scalp.

I have been using this shampoo for about 3 weeks now and noticed such an improvement! Althou I still get an odd itch from time to time it definitely isn’t half as bad as it was. My scalp feels calmer and it doesn’t burn if I have a little scratch. My hair starts to look slightly oily after about 36 hours which is a big improvement for me.


The product itself has herbal scent and lathers fairly well.


Naked doesn’t test their ingredients on Bambi, Lassie or Skippy and packaging is made out of 50% recycled material, plus it can be recycled again. Perfect for a green freak :)


I hope that maybe this came helpful to some people. Let me know if you’ve ever had an itchy scalp problem and how you dealt with it.


Sylwia x

Sunday Share 15.04.12

Another bunch of lovely blog posts. Enjoy the read.

1) I would like to thank Cat for the post about smoothies from her Fitness Fridays series. I am so bored with cereal it'ss unreal but I always thought that smoothies involve a lot of work and effort to make. As it turned out that is totally not the case and I will definitely be trying them out for my breakfast.

2) The Sunday Girl reviewed absolutely gorgeous blush from Mac called Immortal Flower. I adore this colour and I think it would really suit my skin tone. My only worry is that it might be to sheer for my colouring. What do you guys think?

3) Thanks to Skin Scrubs and her Kleenex facial cloths review I know I will definitely stick to the regular cotton pads. Sometimes the simplest things just cannot be improved.

4) Remember when I did My Favorite Spring Nail Polishes post? I said I really like Revlon Mint but it can look a bit much on my nails. I think I will be trying Essie Absolutely Shore as it’s a more muted version of mint. Thank you for shearing Lilit!

5) I am in the process of changing my skin and body care at the moment. Molly wrote a guest post on Love Lust & Fairy Dust on Dr. Hauschka Radiant You Regime. I am really intrigued and will be trying some of the tips from the post. I would also love to try Dr. Hauschka products but like I mentioned few times before I have to use up everything else I’ve got first. This will take a while…

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend my lovelies!

Sylwia x

Get the Bronze on!

Ah, the (in)famous fake tan. When handled with precaution it can make you look gorgeous but if you’re not careful… we all know how that can end!

I personally like a bit of bronze all year round. My skin in naturally very pale and a lot of redness is coming through it. I hate how every spot or scratch goes extremely red and visible on my body and leaves horrible scars afterwards. Tan – whether real or fake, masks skin imperfections and gives me a bit more confidence to get that skin out ;) I always try to make it look as natural as possible and keep the colour sun-kissed (lol! I couldn’t help myself)

Here are my bronzing choices:

1) Boots Soltan Beautiful Bronze Face Cream – not a big fan of this particular one. It doesn’t smell very nice and clogs my pores :( I have been mixing it with my regular day cream because it feels really heavy on its own. That way it acts like a day time gradual tanning lotion. I didn’t like how my skin felt in the morning when I applied it before bed and I felt like washing my face took it all of anyway.
2) Boots Soltan Beautiful Bronze Shimmering Lotion – this doesn’t smell too good either but it’s from the same brand as the face one so this was expected. I would not recommend this for all over body usage. There is some serious sparkleness going on inside of that bottle. It’s nice to use on the legs before a special night out. I think it would look too shiny during daytime especially with sunbeams hitting it. Formula is a bit dry but quite easy to blend.
3) St. Moriz Tanning Mousse – I highly recommend this product! Very easy to blend, gives lovely looking tan plus it smells quite nice. I use it all over my body about once a week.
4) Lirene Gradual Bronzing Balm – I am a big fan of these gradual tanners in general. They usually are moisturizing enough so I don’t have to use regular lotion and give subtle colour to the skin. This one smells awful and formula is really thick and gloopy. My favourite one is from Garnier which I am going to repurchase after using this one up.
5) Pretty Poly Natural Tan Leg Bronzer – I had these two PP products for quite some time now and I never used them. I have no idea why because they are brilliant! I tried them out on my legs just before writing this post and I can’t believe how good they look. One in the tube is basically a liquid bronzing makeup for the legs. It’s super easy to blend and washes off with soap and water. One in the compact is like a bronzing shimmer to add that extra shine to the legs. I applied it just on the top of my legs where the bone is. Sort of like a leg highlighting. I will be definitely using both of these in the spring and summer when getting the legs out ;)
6) Elf Warm Bronzer and Rimmel Sun Shimmer – this is a no brainer. Elf bronzer is shimmery so I use it in the winter time all over my face. I find it looks too shiny when sun hits it in the summer but gives lovely glow during dull winter months. Rimmel one is matte so I use it to contour my face and a bit all over my face and neck with a big brush.

Few more bits:
*Remember to exfoliate regularly to avoid bronzy patches
*If you’ve got dry skin moisturize before applying self-tanner. The colour will be softer but the application easier and you’ll achieve even effect
*I always add a bit more tanner on the legs because for some reason there are always so much whiter looking then the rest of my face
*Any recommendations for a nice face self-tanner?

Hope you’re having a great week so far.

Sylwia x

Empties #6

Hello my lovelies,

I can’t believe my last post on here was a week ago!  I have a few excuses but I think it will be better if I just move on and try to catch up :)

I managed to use up quite a few products last month. I didn’t buy anything new which makes me even more proud of myself than using stuff up! I will be moving towards natural skin/body care so my challenge is to finish everything I own at the moment and then make more thoughtfull purchases. I will post an update on that soon!

Anyhoo… here are the empties:

* Perfecta Spa Chocolate and Coconut Body Scrub – the scent of this is unbelievable! I wanted to eat it every time I used it! Click here for my review.
* Superdrug Vitamin E Body Butter – I can’t say this saved my skin but it did help a lot to sooth the dryness during the winter months. It’s a very good price for the quality.
* Soap&Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser – I really liked this product initially but it didn’t turn out to be that great in the long run. Consistency is thinner than my other hot cloth cleansers and it feels too slippery on the face. It removes all of the makeup very well but I didn’t notice any improvement in my skin’s condition like I did after using Liz Earle.
* Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub – very gentle and delicate scrub. Feels lovely on the skin and doesn’t cause any irritation. I personally don’t use normal scrubs like this anymore because I don’t really feel the need but if you do then this is a great product.
* Balance Me Hand Cream – for a review click here ;)
* Biosilk Therapy – awesome product for dry ends (of hair off course ;) ). I apply it when my hair is wet and it makes them easy to comb though plus soft and shiny after drying. Only tiny bit is needed so this little bottle lasts for ages.
* Cetaphil Skin Cleanser – I wasn’t impressed with the product and its ingredients. Review here.
* Batiste Dry Shampoo Tropical – I love when my hair smells of coconuts and I am a blond so I don’t mind it leaving a bit of whiteness on the hair. This stuff is a savior for not a morning person like me ;)
* Bioderma Solution Micellaire – another bottle gone! I love this stuff and couldn’t recommend it more. Thankfully I am going to Poland for a few days so will get back ups. If you’d like to know more about Sensibio H2O click here.
* Sanctuary Body Scrub – meah…. To gentle to be a scrub and too rough to be a daily shower gel :/
* Beauty Formulas Feminine wash – to be honest I don’t really think this is any different to a normal body wash. It has sulfates, fragrance, colors and alcohol as ingredients so it’s not gentler than any random shower gel!

When I looked back at my product use up posts I noticed two things:

1) I don’t use up any makeup items – I wonder if I ever'll manage to do that.
2) I can be quite harsh on some products. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone. I am quite demanding and particular of what I like and expect.

Hope you all had a great weekend and I wish you great week darlings.

Sylwia x

Mints and Lilacs

Thankfully weather predictions were totally wrong this weekend and it didn’t snow or rain. It was sunny and bright but temperature definitely went down a few degrees and the chill was in the air.

I thought this kind of weather is perfect for my new pastel clothes. If you can’t tell already I became obsessed with pastels, especially mint and lilac so I was dying to wear my new wardrobe additions out.

I found this scarf on Asos.com and instantly saw it going with lots of my clothes this season. It has a multicolored psychedelic flower pattern. At first I was a bit disappointed that mint shade is a more of darker and brighter version of my clutch but I realized that it actually is a good thing. Because pastels can be a bit blunt this adds that famous ‘pop of color’.

Blazer is from H&M and it’s a boyfriend relaxed style. It only has a lining in the sleeves which makes it perfect for the chilly evenings in the coming seasons as it’s not too thick. I think it will look great with summer dresses or shorts and tee.

Now onto my favorite bit … The clutch! I don’t really think there is much to say about this. To me this is gorgeous! Color, style and size… I just love it so much! I was a bit shocked at myself that I paid £25 for it but I think handbags and shoes are my weakness and I just can’t help myself!

I love how this Barry M Pale Purple nail polish looks against the mint green.

This blazer had a horrible black button which was too much of a contrast against the light cream fabric. I removed it and sawed this mint one on instead :)

Blazer – H&M £19.99 couldn't find it on the website :(
Clutch – Accessorize here
Pumps – H&M here
Scarf – Asos here
Jeans – Top Shop brand but I got them from ebay
Sunglasses – Primark £1

That is me done with clothes shopping for a while now. I also got beautiful Zara skirt which no doubt I will show you in a near future. Only thing I couldn’t find was lilac jeans but I shall keep an eye out.

I hope you didn’t get sick from my pastel obsession!


Sylwia x

Sunday Share 01.04

Please don’t get me wrong but I struggled to find something interesting to read on beauty blogs this past week.

I feel like most posts were about new Benefit foundation and Revlon lip butters. Both of those just launched in the UK and I guess they stole the entire spotlight. I also blame the good weather. I do love sunshine and I don’t want it to ever go away but who wants to sit in front of a computer when they can be outside catching some tan ;)

So today I have a bit more fashion and random stuff to share with you.

Enjoy!

1) I am looking forward to wearing skirts and shorts but not to getting my white legs out! Solution? Fake tan! Thanks to Paula from La Vida Fresa I remembered I actually already own awesome St. Moriz! Today was my first application but my pale skin needs a few more to be ‘outing approved’.

2) Just a whole load of pretty pictures on Ellie’s Blog :)

3) Just read this and you will laugh your head off! BDP WORLD on a tampon issue! I absolutely agree with her by the way!

4) Another lipstick I need in my life is Coy by Top Shop. All that thanks to Style so Coy blog :)

5) I love Julie’s style. It’s quite simple but I would never think of putting the outfits together like she does. T-shirt with a pencil skirt? Yes please! Sincerely, Jules here.

6) For a You Tube video I picked Emily Noel’s Self Confidence talk part 1. She is an amazing spokesperson and I think her confidence series will be very helpful for my and a lot of other girls out there.

How was your weekend my darlings?

Sylwia x