Nude & Mint Gradient Nails

I’ve seen gradient nails on quite a few blogs now and I really wanted to try it out for myself. I don’t normally play with nail art simply because I’m rubbish at it and I don’t have the patience. But this seemed easy enough so I gave it a go.

Things didn’t go too well at first. Revlon Minted is not very opaque so I had to sponge on three layers and even then it didn’t look nice. It just looked like I slapped some polish on the tips – no gradient effect whatsoever. I thought I’m just no good at it, applied top coat and left it looking awful. I went to have my pedicure done (I have Shellac on! Will off course update on it…) and couldn’t stop thinking how to fix this gradient thing.

I came back home and found The Nailasaurus website with amazing tutorial. I got the sponge out, painted stripe of nude and stripe of mint, dipped the sponge in and voila! Everything looks so much better. I ultimately have about 10 layers of nail polish on my nails at the moment but hey, it looks nice :)

I love Nailsaurus’s peach and pink combo so I will give it a go next time I decide to do gradient.

Polishes used:
Essie Brooch The Subject
Revlon Minted 028

You can use typical makeup sponge for this but remember to wet it beforehand otherwise it will soak up all of the nail polish. I’ve learned the hard way…

Book update:

I finished Hunger Games Catching Fire and it wasn’t as good as the first one but still awesome read. I thought I might as well finish the series and started Mockingjay now. Anyone knows when’s Hunger Games movie DVD released?

Have an awesome Friday everyone!

Sylwia x

And I never Listen to anyone

So I wanted to be one of the cool kids and have a title made out of song lyrics.
If I was going to call it something else it would probably be Obsessed With H&M…

Yes, everything apart from the t-shirt here is from H&M.Oh, and the belt is from primark :)

Same old bag, same old flats, same old nude blazer … Shorts and earrings are old too (last years).

Nonetheless I love this smart/casual look. I feel very comfortable in this kind of outfit and think it’s very me. Makes me feel pulled together but not overdressed.

In some other news I got convinced to read Shades Of Gary. I don’t like doing what everybody else is doing but couldn’t stand being out of the loop for any longer. Will let you know what I think but my friend wants to have a debate with me when we both finish it and recons I will totally be con. Cause you know, I’m sarcastic, skeptic and pessimistic for the most times. Plus I tend to disagree just because everyone else agrees…

I’m on home holiday this week and it’s turning out to be better than I expected. I’m catching up on reading, watching tv shows, meeting friends and most of all just chillin which I haven’t done for a while.

Please excuse my overgrown garden and have an awesome week!

Sylwia x

Sunday Share 24.06.12

Hello my lovelies!

Portion of some great reads today. Enjoy!

1) I love beautebelle's foundation routine! Nothing makes me feel more confident makeup wise than perfect looking skin. Stacey looks gorgeous as always!

2) I so agree with Terri about festival fashion. Maybe I haven’t been to a festival but gone though few outdoor overnight stays and last thing I would wear to one of those was cute pair of lace shorts and high heels! I actually had seen a youtuber suggesting applying false eyelashes on during the festival. It’s no time to be glamorous and precise … Terri is definitely keeping it real!

3) Tereza from CityscapeBliss was definitely smarter than me and bough loads of these great Essence polishes. I got one when I was in Poland and so regret not coming back for more… next time!

4) How gorgeous is this Stila Convertible Colour in Gerbera?! Obviously I couldn’t stop myself and purchased it… no regret thou! Thanks Miss Natty!

5) You seriously need to check out SprinkleofGlitter on you tube. She’s hilarious!

Hope you all had an awesome weekend peeps!
Sylwia x

I finally found my perfect hair care routine

I seriously don’t remember the last time I repurchased the same bottle of a shampoo and conditioner. I couldn’t find anything that would work the way I wanted. I was about to agree with the fact that my hair will never look the way I want them to, when I found out about going sulphate free.

My initial reason for picking up sulphate free shampoo was suffering from itchy scalp. You can read my post about getting rid of the problem here.
After seeing great results I went all natural with my hair care and I couldn’t be happier!

I feel like I need to mention that my hair has been highlighted with bleach about 3 times before it started to literally break. It looked more like hay than hair for quite a while. About 6 months ago I started to highlight it (well…my hairdresser did) with blond hair colour. It’s been done twice now and its condition improved a lot but I still have pretty dry ends where bleach is coming through.
I realize this is not for everyone but if your hair is naturally quite light (so colour will stick) and you like more golden blond then this is definitely healthier option.

1) Naked Body Building Shampoo – I shampoo my hair twice each time I wash them with this fella. It lifts the hair at the roots and gives lovely volume that lasts for about two days (on quite greasy scalp like mine). It smells herbal-y –pleasant and subtle. It doesn’t foam as well as normal shampoo but I got used to it pretty quick.

2) Naked Conditioner – at the moment I’m using strengthening one but decided to try hydrating just to have a comparison. I use it only on the ends of my hair to avoid putting weight on those just volumized roots ;)
I always feel like my hair eats it up cause there is hardly any left when it comes to rinsing it out. I’m guessing that’s a good thing!

3) Naked Leave-in Conditioner – I rub grape sized dollop of this goodness on towel dried hair and leave in for about 10/15 minutes to absorb. It protects my hair from the heat styling and breakage.

4) Avon Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum – I use this from time to time when my ends are particularly dry looking. I rub tiny bit into ends of my hair and it makes them look shiny and healthy. I try not to use it too much as it contains silicones which stick to the hair surface and ultimately puts weight on them.

5) Comb, Brushes – wide tooth comb for wet hair after washing - doesn’t pull out as many as regular brush. Tangle Teezer for everyday brushing – due to lack of silicones and other smoothing chemicals hair becomes tanglier so this tool is a necessity. Round brush for styling – I dry my hair with head upside down for a while and then take sections and smooth them with this brush.

Before I developed this routine my hair was greasy looking, flat, dull and dry. I was never happy with it – everyday was a bad hair day! Now I look in the mirror and actually think that my hair looks nice! Such an improvement! I also use coconut oil as a hair mask from time to time just like I mentioned in my previous post.
This routine won’t work for everyone but you need to stick with it for 2-3 months to see the full effect it can have on your hair.

Naked Hair Care is cruelty free and 97% natural (no parabens, sulphates, silicones or any other crap!). Plus packaging is fully recyclable ;)

Sylwia x

My favourite uses for Coconut Oil

Long time no see my lovelies!

I could go on about how busy work was, how I’ve been suffering horribly with hay fever and how guilty I felt for not posting anything… But I won’t so let’s just get right onto the interesting stuff ;)

I was a bit skeptical at first and didn’t really think all these natural oils and remedies are worth the hassle. But since I really want to live healthier I thought I have to at least give it a try. I bought a tub of Coconut Oil and tried a few super simple things to see if it’ll help condition my body.

Result?

It’s amazing!

Coconut oil is a solid texture so it needs a bit of warmth to melt. Not too much thou cause it will lose its nutritional value.

So here's what I use it for:

1) Hair mask – approximately once every two weeks I slightly warm up two spoonfuls of coconut oil and rub it into the ends of my hair. I twist the hair, pin it on top and leave for about 20-30 minutes. Then I wash and style my hair as normal. What’s so amazing with coconut oil is that it doesn’t just make your hair soft and smooth until the next wash. It actually moisturizes your hair to the core improving overall condition and appearance of them.
If your hair is dry all over, don’t be afraid to use coconut oil on the whole length. Just remember that hair close to your scalp may look greasy even after two washes.

2) Body scrub – this is so easy to make! All you need to add to the coconut oil is sugar or salt. Warm up the oil just slightly and add salt for more invigorating (you can use sea or table salt) exfoliation or sugar for more gentle scrubbing. You can use essential oils like lavender or vanilla (or whatever you like!) for a lovely scent but this is completely optional.
Please remember to be careful in you bath when you scrub away! Surface will be slippery with all the oils…

3) Body moisturizer – this is an option for those girls (or boys) with dry skin. I suffer with very dry skin on my legs and use coconut oil as a treatment about once a week. It is an oil and it is oily (dah..) so not very nice to apply before getting dressed or going to bed. I spread plenty of it on my legs and arms (these get dry sometimes too) and go exercise or do some house chores. After a while most of it sinks in and it’s ok to have a quick shower to get rid of the greasiness.

4) Cuticle oil – this is really self-explanatory. What’s the point spending money on fancy cuticle creams when you’ve got amazing, natural moisturizer at hand. Rub your finger on the surface of the oil and rub what you’ve picked up on your cuticles.

Remember that there are lots more great uses for Coconut Oil so if you’re curious just google!

I got my massive tub at amazon here but you can easily find it in health stores like Holland and Barrett.

Have a great week guys!  I hope you’ll try coconut oil and let me know how it worked if you do :)

Ps1. Follow me on Twitter for daily dose of randomness @BeautyfulWorlds
Ps2. Follow me on Instagram (mybeautyfulworld) for mini reviews of used up products, OOTDs and other random stuff.


Sylwia x

Soap & Glory Glow All Out

Recently I got into the whole glowy cheek and been on a look out for a powder highlighter. What I wanted was something like my Mac Mineralize Blush in Hang Loose. It’s a perfect combination of a lovely pinky blush and lilac highlight. But because it’s strongly pigmented I can'tt use it over the top of certain blushes.

So now I am hunting for a powder highlight that will give me the glow without the sparkle.

Glow All Out is a first one I decided to try. It’s described as a Luminizing Radiance Face Powder but I would definitely not recommend putting it all over the face. Risk of face looking like a disco ball!
It's a peachy pink shimmer with tiny silver sparkly particles.
It blends very nicely and doesn’t have chunky glitter. It adds radiance to the face and makes me look fresh and well rested. It’s sheer enough to apply on top of a blusher which is what I’ve been looking for.

One minus point is for fading quicker than Hang Loose. It stayed glowy for about 6h which isn’t bad but about 2h less than Mac.
Another minus is for lack of that wow factor when used. This is due to Hang Loose being my very favourite highlighting product and it still impresses me each time I use it.

Overall I really like Glow All Out and will continue to use it. I think £11 is fairly reasonable price for the quality.

Sylwia x

Sparkly lilac with Ciate and Essie

Yup…

I did my nails just the way every other beauty blogger on this planet did. Ring finger glitter. It’s not original and you’ve probably seen it ten thousand times but here it is!

I used Ciate Bon Bon nail polish which came free with Marie Claire magazine as the colour for most of my nails. It’s a light, dusky lilac shade I would call neutral.

I love that we get free stuff with magazines here in the UK. It’s such a great way to try things out without paying the full price. It can be a bit addictive thou so I always spend a few minutes in front of the newsstand. I take a deep breath and think twice before I put it in the basket (I’m amazed how reasonable I’ve become!). Nail varnish was definitely a good choice because my collection lacks a pretty colour like this and I’ve always wanted to try very much so hyped Ciate.

As for Ciate itself I am not that impressed. The bottle is adorable and it’s an opaque, easy to apply formula. Unfortunately it only lasted couple of days before rubbing off at the ends. I look for longevity in a nail polish and this hasn’t got it. But if you like to change your nail polish every other day then I’m sure you’ll love Ciate. Just bear in mind that it’s a bit pricey at £9 per bottle.

For my ring fingers I’ve used Essie LuxeEffects Set in Stones. Very thick glitter here! Three coats are enough to cover the nail completely in sparkles. Here I used two coats because I like when a bit of a bare nail peaks through and also because I’m a bit lazy and didn’t want to wait too long before it dries ;)

I should also add that I used Seche Vite fast drying top coat.

What do you think about statement finger manicure? The boy said it looks weird with one finger being different but I love it! What do they know anyway, ha? (I mean boys of course).

Sylwia x  

Empties #7

Getting through the stash....

*Avon Senses Vintage Glamor Shower Crème – lovely feminine scent and didn’t dry my skin out. Good size for the price (I think it was only £2)

*Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Lotion – lovely scent and deep skin conditioning. Rescued my dry skin on the legs.

*Bioderma  Sensibio H2O – another bottle finished! I don’t think I will ever use different eye makeup remover.

*Asda Sensitive Mouthwash – gentle and effective plus works just as good as a branded stuff for a fraction of a price.

*Asda Revitalising&Refreshing Dry Shampoo – smells nice and doesn’t leave white marks on the hair. But I found it doesn’t refresh and volumaize the hair as well as my favourite batiste.

*Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser – got this in a feel unique box but I don’t have a clarisonic brush :/. I’ve been using it with my hands in the mornings but it didn’t do anything for me (I guess but only guess it’s due to it not being used with an actual clarisonic brush???)

*Benefit Toning Lotion – this just like any other toner didn’t do anything for me and I found its thick consistency difficult to use.

*17 Mirror Shine Beehive – love, love, love! Soft peachy pink shade and texture of a lipstick combined with a lipgloss. Doesn’t stay on for too long but not many lipsticks do on my lips… Will definitely buy this one again.

*Ziaja Coconut Lipbalm – polish brand here. Smells nice but not very moisturizing.

*Beautifully Delicious Coconut&Shea Body Lotion – very light, mousse like consistency, absorbs quickly into the skin. Smells lovely too.

*Catrice Light-Reflecting Concealer  - great stuff! Good coverage blends well and stays put. Don’t say no more! Will defo pick this up again then I’m in Poland next time.

*Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara – best traditional brush mascara I’ve had. Delivers everything it promises and more.

*Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Crystals Lip Gloss – sticky and glittery… not for me.

*Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish – I don’t use traditional scrubs anymore but if I did this is the one I would purchase in full size. Creamy and has lots of tiny beads doing a great job at exfoliating but being gentle at the same time.

*Avon Advance techniques Smoothing Cream – not sure why I bought this, really. My hair is straight so I don’t need anything to help them stay like that. So I can’t really say if it works or not lol
Made combing through easier thou:)


Sywia x

Summer Smart in White Shirt and Coral Skirt

I’ve recently noticed lack of some basic clothing items in my wardrobe and I’ve been gradually trying to fill in the gap.

One of the items was surprisingly hard to find. Talking about a classic white tailored shirt. I had a few requirements and after a long search I found a piece that delivered them all and more:

1) White
2) Tailored
3) Long enough to tuck into trousers/skirts
4) At least 95% cotton
5) Long sleeve that can be folded up
6) Fun collar

Shirt is from asos.com and I think £25 is not bad considering the quality (very good by the way) and the fact it’s a timeless classic item out of which I will get a lot of wear.

The skirt is from H&M Conscious Collection just like the blazer I got last month. Serves a good cause and it’s gorgeous! Fabric is very soft and lace looks very nice. It’s more coral than pink shade and it brightens up that smart office outfit. It comes in a nude colour too but I found it little bit dull looking. Lace design was lost on the skirt because the lining was the same colour. Whereas coral lace and nude lining complement each other perfectly.

Shirt – asos here
Skirt – H&M here
Bag – H&M here
Shoes – nude sandals I will show soon (if the weather will improve)

Hope you’re having an awesome Jubilee weekend!

Sylwia x

My Best and Worst from Elf

Low prices and lots of ravings on blogs managed to lure me into buying from Elf quite a few times. I own few bits from each of their ranges: basic, mineral and studio. Overall studio products are best quality and althou their prices went up a notch, £3.75 is still a bargain for a good blusher. Plus once you order from the website, you will be receiving lots of discount coupons on your email so you can save even more pennies.

There are few things I like and reach for from time to time but they don't stand out for me. You won’t see those in this post ;) What you will see are products I love and use almost on a daily basis and products I truly dislike and not been using at all.

Best:
1) Studio Cream Eyeshadow in Dawn – lovely taupe with sheen. Colour is definitely buildable. It’s not very creamy but thanks to that it doesn’t crease and stays on all day! I wear it on its own or as a base under a powder eyeshadow. It works both ways.
2) Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium – little bit dark for me (that’s my own fault for not picking up light one!) but works fine applied light handed. I mix powder and wax together with an angled brush and fill out my eyebrows. It keeps them looking groomed but still natural.
3) Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink – formula is kinda between matte and cream. Stays on the lips for a long time without fading and doesn’t dry them out. I tend to blend it in with my finger, reapply it and blend it again. That way it creates sort of a stain on the lips and stays on even longer. I have two more shades from this range and they’re just as good!
4) Studio Blush in Tickled Pink – creamy, long lasting formula here. It’s not super pigmented but buildable shade. Quite light colour so suitable for light complexion girls. I actually like that it’s not very pigmented because it’s easier to blend by applying 2-3 layers. I always end up with massive blob of colour with strongly pigmented blushes!
5) Studio High Definition Powder – translucent, finely milled finishing powder. I’ve never owned such soft and delicate powder before! It doesn’t take away from dewiness of foundation and keeps the shine at bay. Looks white and scary but doesn’t leave any colour on the skin.

Worst:
1) Six pc. Eyeshadow in Smoky – shadows are dry and very hard to blend. Pigmentation isn’t bad but glitter goes absolutely everywhere but it doesn’t stick to the lid. I’ve tried using it a few times and gave up. Not worth the effort for £3.50. In fact it’s not worth the £3.50.
2) Brightening eyeliner – way too hard for me. I need soft and blend able liners and this isn’t it.
3) Super Glossy Lip Shine in Malt Shake – the reason I’m disappointed in this is because the colour is NOWHERE near the one showed on the website. Picture shows pretty pink and I got brown and I don’t do brown lips. Shame because lip gloss itself is really nice – thick, pigmented and not too sticky.
4) Clarifying Pressed Powder – very drying and looks powdery on the face. Not much pigment in there either.
5) All Over Color Stick in Lilac Petal – glittery and difficult to blend. Looks very unnatural plus it disappears from the face after 5 seconds.

Considering how much stuff I bought from ELF five disappointments is not much at all! And for such a low price I really don’t mind trying stuff out.


Have an awesome weekend guys!


Sylwia x