Ombre Nail Look: White To Purple

Hey guys! Well, we all saw this coming: one more Ombre nail look from me. Does it seem like I'm always wearing Ombre nails? But can you blame me? My hands look so fun (or crazy? I'm gonna go with fun). What I'm loving about this look is the super shiny top coat that tied it all together.

Products used (from thumb until pinky):

Base coat: essence, Studio nails, XXL nail thickener: This base peels off in chunks if you wear it alone. I do not think it does much for my nails. I got it during the last sale, so it should no longer be available.

essence, nail art, Stampy polish, 001 white: This polish is great for stamping, but not great when worn alone. It cracks easily and is very streaky, and the texture is like rubber.

Maybelline, mini colorama, 26 candy bar: This is an old polish, but it's better than I remember (I'm trying to use up some of my older polishes). Surprisingly, it gives even coverage. I love this shade of bubblegum pink.

Catrice, 030 Meet Me At Coral Island: An old polish with even coverage. This shade is closer to orange than to coral.

essence, colour&go, old pink polish: I loved this old line better than the new one. And now the new one will be on sale (all the polishes are leaving), and the new polishes are coming out. I love essence polishes, there are great ones in their collection. This one has the best texture and covers in one coat.

Catrice, 120 Plum Play With Me: Another oldie, I'm wearing two coats. Gives even coverage, but it's too dark, the purple color gets lost and all you see is black.

essence, Studio nails, better than gel nails, top sealer: Loving this top coat! Top coats are very important when you're wearing Ombre nails - they tie everything together. This one dries insanely fast and it's so shiny.

Olival, Olovka za njegu noktiju i zanoktica: Ova olovka mi je OK, ali nisam pretjerano oduševljena. Privremeno mi nokti izgledaju bolje, ali ne primjećujem neko značajno poboljšanje stanja mojih noktiju. Jedna zamjerka: jako se sporo upija. I ima snažan miris po eteričnim uljima (nije za svakog).

So I wore yet another Ombre nail look. What do you think? To me, these look fabulous! I'm so wearing Ombre tomorrow as well! What do you think of this color combo? 

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to follow me on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram (links are on the right).

Love to all, J.

Essence, Match2cover! Cream Concealers, Review

Hello! Today I'll talk about a great concealer with light to very light coverage that I'm using on a daily basis. Effortless blending is the main thing I love about this product. And while some love to hate this concealer, it perfectly fits my daily needs, so I have no problem recommending it. Continue reading to find out why this product is great for you if you have to put make up on in a hurry.

Type of product: light coverage cream concealers

Brand: essence

Product name: match2cover! cream concealer, shades 10 natural beige and 20 soft beige

Price: 23 kn /2.3g (shade no.20 is going on sale soon)

Rating: 8/10 (if you need light coverage), bad rating if you need more coverage

Would I repurchase: Yes

My opinion: Let me explain why I love this product and what I use it for. I do not have significant flaws on my face, a few blemishes or redness here and there. And most of the days, if I'm just running errands, I do not put on foundation, I only use this product and setting powder. This product is perfect for me because I'm always late (sorry to the people who have to wait for me), and I usually need to apply make up in a hurry. That's why this product works for me so well: the texture is very creamy and light, and it's so easy to blend. I just dab it here and there and it effortlessly blends into my own skintone (that is, no.10 fits me better, no.20 is a bit too dark for me). Anyways, I hide all my blemishes in under 2 minutes. I have oily skin, so this will eventually slide off my face in 4-5 hours. But by that time I'm usually back home and taking my makeup off. Shade no.20 is leaving the range in this current sale, I believe the reason is because the colors are a little bit too dark for light skin girls. The shades in no.10 are a lighter nude shade with a yellow undertone, and a very light nude shade, while in no.20 there is a darker tone (for tan people) and a nude shade with a pink undertone. Testers for these products are available, so please, don't be gross and dip into the items someone might purchase (women in Croatia do this gross thing all the time, btw). I usually do not mix two shades together, but use individual shades (works for me). I do not use this under my eyes (too creamy for that), instead I use it for blemishes or red corners of my nose, etc. These concealers do not provide a matt finish.

Conclusion: This product suits my needs perfectly, and that's why it's found its way into my daily routine. If you have zero to mild imperfections, this might be a product you'd enjoy. If you have significant imperfections and need high coverage, I don't think this product will make you happy. It's great for in a hurry, also great to take anywhere with you, so you can fix your imperfections withing a minute. I'm loving it. So, though they are not what they are advertised to be (not high coverage, and not matt), they fit my needs just fine.

This product is for you if: If you need light coverage that blends easily and is great for when you're in a hurry.

You should avoid this product if: If you need long lasting or high coverage, or if you have significant flaws to cover.

Swatches: Colors are accurate, but these are the non-blended shades. Texture is light, so they blend into your skin tone easily.

See how creamy the texture is and how easy it is to work with. No need to warm it up between your fingers, it slides right on:

 Swatches:

Have you tried this product? Loving it or hating it? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by.

Love, J.

Ideje za poklone u zadnji čas

Pozdrav svima! Ako ste kao ja, i vi ste se u zadnji tren sjetili da trebate kupiti još par sitnih poklona za neke od prijatelja. Danas vam donosim par preporuka ako idete sutra u shopping u zadnji tren (kako i ja idem, ajme meni, svake godine isto, pa šta mi to treba, ozbiljno haha). 

Prva stvar koju želim spomenuti su ove knjige 'Ptice tu oko nas' i 'Ptice prirodnih staništa Hrvatske' (autor Zdravko Dolenec). Ne znam tko od vas voli ptice (ja ih obožavam), ali sve do nedavno nisam imala pojma kako se koja ptica zove. Znala sam ajde vrabac, kos, sova; ali to je to. Prije nekoliko godina počela sam ostavljati hranu za ptice u vrtu i iznenadila sam se koliko različitih vrsta živi samo u mojoj neposrednoj blizini. Zato sam i uzela ovu prvu knjigu, 'Ptice tu oko nas', kako bih saznala malo više o pticama koje vidim svaki dan. Knjige su super, prilagođene su našem području (vrste koje se nalaze kod nas), a sve je jednostavno objašnjeno. Sad već mogu bez problema raspoznati ptice oko sebe. Knjige preporučujem SVIMA, a posebno ljudima koji imaju djecu: trebali bi znati više o svijetu koji ih okružuje, zar ne? Bird lovers unite! hehe Postoje još dvije knjige iz ovog serijala koje još nisam pokupila, ali možda me iznenade pod borom (hint hint). Cijena im je oko 90kn, ali ova prva je bila nedavno snižena na 65kn. Isplati se. 

Osim knjiga, zadnji dan uglavnom kupujem sitne poklone koje ubacujem 'u čarape'. Od proizvoda koji su spomenuti na blogu, ove preporučujem kao poklon za frendice/supatnice koje isto vole šminku:

Catrice Velvet Matt sjenila za oči, posebno 'Al Burgundy', OVDJE

Catrice Absolute Matt paleta sjenila, OVDJE

Maybelline rumenilo, no.501, ova nijansa svima dobro stoji, OVDJE

H&M mini kabuki kist, moj ovogodišnji favorit, OVDJE

H&M nakit, tako je sladak, OVDJE

Nikako ne možete pogriješiti niti sa LOOK by Bipa kistovima za šminku ili sa Body&Soul kistovima koje možete pronaći u Mulleru (super cijena, sjajna kvaliteta, a izdržljivi su).

Uglavnom, ako i vi idete sutra u last-minute shopping, onda se vidimo u gradu hehe.

Pozdrav, Jelena

Hair Products Reviews, December 2014

*croatian* Pozdrav svima! Budući da sam zabušavala neko vrijeme, kao ispriku donosim ovaj post o 14 proizvoda za kosu koje trošim (ili sam već potrošila) u zadnjih nekoliko mjeseci. Imam prirodno ravnu, glatku kosu koja se brzo masti (ugh!). Počela sam nositi Ombre frizuru prije 3 godine i od tad ju ne skidam (I likes it LOL). Znači, evo jedan post samo o kosi ;)

Balea Professional, Oil repair haarol, Ulje za jako oštećenu i suhu kosu, 100ml (34,90 kuna):
Proizvod sadrži arganovo i suncokretovo ulje. Što da kažem, uzela sam ovaj proizvod nakon što sam pročitala tonu dobrih recenzija, i stvarno se slažem s curama, ulje je savršeno. Već znam da ću ga uvijek morati imati u rezervi, a ako ga povuku, kupujem višegodišnju zalihu. Ugodno miriši, zaglađuje mi kosu. Kosa izgleda sjajno i zdravo, a ne javlja mi se pretjerana masnoća te nemam osjećaj da mi je kosa ''teška''. Pakiranje je super. Sve u svemu, ovo ulje mi savršeno odgovara.

Balea, Trend it up, Beach-style salz-spray, Sprej za kosu s morskom solju, 200ml (16,90 kn):
Razočaranje. Očekivala sam približno izgled kao s plaže, ali to nisam pronašla u ovom proizvodu. Proizvod mi snažno isušuje kosu (doslovno izgledam kao da nisam koristila regenerator 3 godine), pa zbog toga kosa izgleda čupavo i neuredno (i to ne na sexy način haha). S takvom suhom kosom teško je surađivati (čitaj: izgleda kao slama). Što se tiče kovrča, nikakve divne kovrče nisam dobila, već nekakve sićušne zavijutke (tipa Julia Stiles, circa '10 things I hate about you', kad joj je kosa izgledala kao živi užas). Sve u svemu, meni nikako nije odgovarao ovaj proizvod. Možda će biti bolji nekome tko već ima koliko-toliko kovčavu kosu.

H&M, gumice za kosu (5 komada za 15 kn):
Ovakvih gumica ima svuda (i essence ih ima u asortimanu), meni su dugo izgledale bezveze, tj. dok ih nisam probala. S njima lako zavežem kosu, ne oštećuju mi vlasi, mogu svezati i punđu, i to sve bez puno muke. Vidim velik pomak na bolje u usporedbi s klasičnim gumicama. U potrazi sam za istim proizvodom, ali u manje kričavoj verziji. Što se tiče 'revolucionarnih' gumica za kosu, vidim da se cure furaju na one koje izgledaju kao telefonske žice iz 80ih, te mi izgledaju kao golemo sr****. Ove su super.

Batiste, Dry shampoo, Floral and flirty, for all hair types, Šampon za suho pranje kose, (200ml, 20kn):
Da li proizvod radi svoj posao? Da. Da li je super za dugu kosu? Ne. Jednostavno, malo mi popravi situaciju, ali nije kao da izgledam kao da sam taman oprala kosu. Poboljša situaciju, ali nije to to. Otkad sam uzela novi (mnogo snažniji) fen, treba mi 10 minuta ili manje da osušim kosu, tako da ako idem negdje, radije operem kosu, nego prtljam s ovim proizvodom. Super je ako ste u žurbi, ali za ljude s jako dugom kosom (i ako vam je plan nositi ju raspuštenu) jednostavno nije. Vjerujem da su suhi šamponi puno bolji za nekoga s manje masnom kožom, tako da se ja s njim nisam baš složila.

Schwarzkopf, Taft, Heidi's heat styles mousse, Ultra strong pjena za kosu (200ml, 20kn):
Ova pjena namijenjena je za stilove kreirane upotrebom sušila za kosu. Nema se puno za reći: pjena mi super odgovara, kosa se stvarno ne lijepi niti izgleda kruto. Ovo mi je idealno kada imam neku prigodu, budući da se moja prirodno ravna kosa odmah vrati u prvobitno stanje ako ne koristim pjenu. Sviđa mi se i miris.

Schwarzkopf, Taft, Volume hair lacquer, Double volume, Ultra strong lak za kosu, (250ml, 20kn):
Ovaj lak mi se puno više sviđa od Niveinog kojeg sam koristila prije. Pakiranje je spretno (makar je boca zapravo golema). Ono što mi se sviđa kod ovog proizvoda jest što će držati kosu na mjestu, ali ona neće izgledati masno ili ljepljivo; često kada stavim ovaj lak zaboravim da ga uopće imam jer se čini baš prirodan. Koristim ga i kada trebam obuzdati vlasi koje strše (ako nosim visoki rep). Toplo preporučujem.

Schwarzkopf, Got2be, Guardian angel, 220C heat protection, Blow dry + flat iron, Zaštita od topline (200ml, 38kn):
Čini mi se da ja umišljam koristi koje ovaj proizvod 'pruža'. Moja frizerka misli da su ovakvi proizvodi glupost i da zapravo ne čine ništa, te da uopće ne štite kosu. Kako god bilo, stalno ga iznova kupujem. Lagan je na kosi i ugodno miriši. Trudim se rijetko peglati kosu (samo za posebne prigode), jer sam vidjela kakva oštećenja se javljaju, posebno otkad nosim Ombre (usprkos tome što koristim ovaj sprej). Mislim da ovaj proizvod ipak neće spasiti kosu ako ju prečesto zlostavljate peglom, ali meni se čini da ipak štiti kad se radi sa sušilom za kosu (posebno kad sam u žurbi pa sušim kosu na najjače).

Syoss izbjeljivač, 35kn:
Ovim postižem Ombre efekt na kosi. Korisitila sam i stariju verziju ovog proizvoda, sada su promijenili pakiranje, ali proizvod je ostao isti (bar se meni tako čini). Stvarno sam zadovoljna, Syoss izbjeljivač je jednostavan za korištenje, a rezultati su super. Kosa mi nakon izbjeljivanja nije 'spaljena' (kao što sam kod nekih znala vidjeti), već izgleda normalno. Ako želite raditi Ombre kod kuće, ovo je proizvod za vas. Jedno pakiranje je dovoljno čak i za najdužu kosu, tako da ne morate kupovati duplo.

Syoss, Repair therapy (20kn svaki):
Što se tiče šampona, niti jedan Syoss šampon koji sam do sada isprobala nije mi dogovarao, pa tako niti ovaj. Boce su nezgodne za doziranje, šampon je jako teško isprati iz kose, te nikako ne odgovara mom tipu kose (masne). Operem kosu, ali već idući dan mi se čini masnom. Odustajem od njihovim šampona. Međutim, ovaj regenerator mi je super sjeo: zaglađuje mi kosu i čini ju mekom. Ugodno miriši. Nakon što ga upotrijebim kosa mi bude nenormalno mekana, kao da sam stavila jako hranjivu masku za kosu. Ako imate jako oštećene ili suhe vrhove, ovo bi trebao biti proizvod koji ste tražili.

Schauma šamponi, 15kn:
Ne znam zašto uporno trpam ove šampone u košaru, valjda 'nek se nađe'. Nikako mi ne odgovaraju. Nisu tako teški kao Syoss šamponi (itekako se lakše ispiru), ali nemam neka pozitivna iskustva. Ne odgovaraju mojoj masnoj koži, a što se tiče razlike među pakiranjima, nisam je pronašla jer mi svi šamponi imaju isti učinak, bez obzira što piše na kutiji. Mentalni memento: prestani kupovati ovo. Mislim da bi bili ok nekome tko nema zahtjevnu kosu.

Schauma regeneratori, 15kn:
Ovaj crveni (Color Glanz) regenerator je najbolji od svih njihovih koje sam probala. Zaglađuje mi kosu i čini ju iznimno mekanom. Nije najbolji kojeg sam probala, ali super je za kosu koja ima umjerena oštećenja. Sviđa mi se miris. Ovaj novi ljubičasti sam isprobala i stavljam ga u kategoriju sa svim ostalim njihovim regeneratorima: isti učinak, bez obzira što piše na kutiji, a taj učinak je slab. Crvenu verziju preporučujem, druge su mi premlake. Ali uvijek ih imam uz sebe, za one dane kada kosi ne treba puno prehranjivanja.

To je to za današnji post. Ako ste isprobali išta s ovog popisa, javite mi vaša iskustva u komentarima. U zadnje vrijeme sam zadovoljna time kako mi izgleda kosa. Otkad sam je skratila (i to preko 20cm) izgleda puno zdravije (bravo za frizere, hehe).

Čitamo se ubrzo

love, J.

Creative Talk: Polymer Clay

Hello everyone and happy weekend! A few days ago I discovered polymer clay. I heard about it before, but I've never tried it myself: it looked so difficult to do. Boy was I wrong! In this post I'll share with you a few cute figurines I made. For those of you who are not familiar with this, polymer clay is like Play-Doh, except that after you've made it, you cook it in the oven, and it becomes hard as a rock and forever keeps its shape (and color).

I've only made 4 tiny figurines so far: two penguins and two snowmen. The way I do them is basically 'monkey see - monkey do': I googled 'polymer clay', and I recreated what I saw. There are so many talented people out there, but polymer clay is very easy to work with, so don't be discouraged. The polymer clay brand I use is called FIMO (CLICK HERE), and it's the only brand I've been able to find in my country (I do recommend getting the SOFT version since it's easier to work with). You know, none of the stores I usually go to had it, so I had some difficulty finding it, weird, huh?

Because I didn't make a step-by-step tutorial, I thought I might describe how I made these little guys. A few general tips: always wash hands in between working with different colors, especially if you're working with white, since it stains easily. Tools will come in handy, but if you have none, a toothpick will be enough. Also, dust grabs like crazy on these things before you bake them, I totally forgot about this and I left them outside, so there are dust particles on them (#sad). Tips for baking: follow the instructions on the label and place your figurines on baking paper. Also, be careful when you take them out, one of my snowmen was fine after baking, but I dropped him because he was hot and his nose broke off (totally my fault, sorry little dude). Also, you can draw on these figurines with a black marker once they're baked, but I think they look cuter when they're made entirely out of one material. However, I'm still learning about this, there are some Youtube tutorials, so it might be better to listen to people who've done this a lot longer (and a lot better) than me.

PENGUIN INSTRUCTIONS: create the body - create the head and attach it to the body - make sure the figurine stands and doesn't fall over - make two yellow circles and flatten them, then jam the body on top of them (feet) - attach the hands - create the white belly and face (flatten a ball) and attach it - place the beak first, then the two tiny eyes - don't forget to put a little round ball in the back, as a tail - with a toothpick make the nostrils on the beak and marks on the feet - attach the tie or the flowers on the head (flowers are made by rolling a straight line of clay) - bake.

SNOWMAN INSTRUCTIONS: roll up balls for the body and head, put them all together and make sure it stands upright - attach the scarf - attach hands if you want them - place buttons on the body - put buttons on the face (eyes and mouth) - put on hat or headpiece - attach nose (you want to keep the nose for last, because it sticks out and it's the most delicate part) - bake.

So there you have it. I just had to share this because it's so much fun and these little guys are so adorable and cute. It's not exactly a piece of cake making these, since the FIMO clay can be very hard and my hands hurt sometimes, but the results are amazing. I'm so glad I discovered this awesome new hobby. What do you think? I've done a topic like this before, remember the DIY colorful necklace LINK?

Make sure to leave your thoughts below, and have a great weekend,

xoxo, Jelena.

3 Nail Looks That Prove I Can't Paint

Hey beauties! So, some time ago I got these nail art brushes to review, and as I was doing that, a painful notion came back to me: I can't paint to save my life. How sad is that? :( I mean, I guess my expectations were too high, I was expecting some nice looks, but instead I got this average mush - and it's all my fault. Nevertheless, in this post you may find three nail looks that should have looked at least 3 times better. But, I suck, so...

The first look I did was a skyline look. I used:

Deborah Milano, Pret A Porter, no.29, Blue Paradise

essence, nail art, stampy polish, 001 white (sponged on)

black acrylic paint

essence, better than gel nails, top coat

To apply the acrylic paint on to my nails I used this product from KKCenterHk:

N.Nail 15 Pieces White Pink Wood Handle Synthetic Fibre Nail Pen, JR1180 LINK HERE

It includes 15 different brushes and pens that you can use to create your nail art. My experience with these brushes has been positive: they're easy to clean and maintain, and there are lots of different brushes so you have all the tools you might need. I would not recommend using these with nail polish, because I don't think the brushes can handle being cleaned with acetone. Overall, the brushes are good, it's me that sucks. I guess I'm no Leonardo Da Vinci LOL. What I also like about the brushes is the design: white and pink is such a cute combination.

So, if you're thinking about getting a set of brushes or getting into nail art, let me tell you: prepare yourself for learning. Because it's not a piece of cake and you do need to practice a lot. 

Here is one more desperately bad nail look I did, that's supposed to be a penguin, btw. Actually, I think the little guy turned out OK, in a few practices I think I'll get a lot better. Nude polish used here is by Eveline cosmetics, shade 496, and the confetti top coat is by Maybelline, Polka Dots, shade 197.

And here is just a random nail look. Here I just wanted to test some new acrylic paints I got. Working with acrylic paint is easy, you just have to make sure to seal it in with a top coat. In my experience, top coat does not mess up the design (like it does if you do stamping and do not wait for it to dry). 

I also used the dotting tool from this set in a nail look I posted HERE, but I'll put a photo below as well:

So, what do you think? Did you try painting something on your nails, and it turned out NOT like what you expected? I might file some of the looks in the 'nail fail' category haha. Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to share your thoughts below.

love, Jelena

***KKCenterHk has sent me the nail art brushes for reviewing purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

Balea Aqua Serum: za baš sve tipove kože?

Pozdrav! Već dulje vrijeme susrećem recenzije ovog proizvoda, u kojima cure tvrde da ovaj serum odgovara baš svim tipovima kože. Odmah mi je to bilo sumnjivo, budući da je ovaj serum namijenjen isključivo suhoj koži. Imam masnu kožu i ne vjerujem da bi mi mogao odgovarati proizvod namijenjen potrebama suhe kože, pa sam odlučila testirati ovaj proizvod. Zapravo danas donosim recenziju tih iznimno pozitivnih recenzija.

Podaci o proizvodu: dm, Balea, Aqua Serum, 30ml (25kn), Aqua hidratizirajući serum za suhu kožu

Primjena: ujutro i navečer nanijeti na očišćeno lice

Ocjena:
Za suhi tip kože: 10/10, stvarno je divan

Za masni tip kože: 0/10, strava (razumljivo, na proizvodu stoji da je samo za suhu kožu, bez obzira što vam drugi govorili)

Imam masnu kožu, pa mi ovaj proizvod nije odgovarao (jer mi uopće nije namijenjen). Da ne duljim, pruža previše hidratizacije za moj tip kože, tako da se sjajim još i više nego inače. Nije pogodan za ispod šminke, budući da mi sve sklizne s lica. Što se tiče noćne njege masne kože, opet mi ne odgovara, lice mi bude toliko ljepljivo da mi se lijepi za jastučnicu (užas). Da mi je vidjeti cure koje su pisale ''Ne znam zašto na njemu stoji da je namijenjen suhoj koži, kad odgovara svima.'' Ma daj! *kolutam očima*

Nažalost, mogu ovaj proizvod recenzirati i s aspekta suhe kože: imam nekih (novih) problema s licem, zbog kojih povremeno moja koža postane potpuno suha. Javlja se zatezanje i pucanje kože, perutanje lica: baš sve ono najgore od najsuše kože. Nemam ove simptome stalno, možda 6 puta godišnje, uglavnom traju po tjedan dana. Odlučila sam isprobati ovaj serum tijekom zadnje ove 'epizode', i vidjela sam zašto ga svi hvale: pružio mi je potpuno drugačije iskustvo nego s masnom kožom. Serum je bio lagan i ugodan, brzo se upio (to se nije dogodilo na masnoj koži), a pružio mi je ne samo osjećaj trenutnog olakšanja, već su mi simptomi brže nestali.

Zaključak: Ovo je apsolutno divan proizvod za suhu kožu (must-have, posebno sada za zimu), ali NIKAKO nemojte ovo uzeti ako vam koža imalo naginje prema masnoj. Ne slušajte gluposti koje vam neki govore. :) Ovaj proizvod je za vas samo ako vam treba intenzivna hidratacija.

Samo da napomenem, makar je ovaj proizvod namijenjen isključivo suhoj koži, još uvijek je 100 puta bolji za moju masnu kožu od onog Garnierovog 'Oh so matte...' sranja koje sam isprobala ove godine. LINK

Hvala na čitanju, uživate li u blagdanskom raspoloženju? Ja obožam božićne ukrase (i božićne kolače NJAM), tako da se veselim prosincu. Čitamo se uskoro,

love, J.