Decorate your Christmas tree | Gingerbread man idea

This holiday season has not been really nice for me, though after a whole year of feeling terrible, I am not surprised. I struggle with feeling festive and I did see a lot of people saying it comes with being an adult. I do not necessarily think that is the reason as I have not been one this year, to be honest. Most likely it is a side effect of a little 'early twenties crisis'.

Gingerbread man baking

However, I made it a point to have a bit of festivity on this blog of mine this year. Originally, this idea was for last week's post but delays happened. I understand if you already have your baubles ~ or ornaments, whichever you prefer ~ up on your tree but do not stress!...There is still time to replace those and use this gingerbread man cookies instead! *hashtag winky face* 

Gingerbread man icing

The idea came from wishing to have different ornaments this year. You know...originality and all. But one thing is for sure, Christmas ornaments are definitely overpriced and I am definitely broke! So I decided to make them myself and what could be better than gingerbread man cookies?

Gingerbread man

Honestly, it did take me quite a few hours to bake them. Mostly because I do get easily distracted so that slows me down. I did really enjoy the process. They are so easy to make and having all the spices aroma in the air really does give you the sense of Christmas being near. Also, I find baking very relaxing ~ when there is no one telling me how to do it mostly. I did not plan on posting a recipe for these cookies, but if you do wish one feel free to leave a comment.

Gingerbread man ornament

I find my cookies really nice this year. They turned out to look really cute and were not that difficult to decorate since I made my own icing. The buttons and the bow ties WERE supposed to be much darker colours ~ you know...red and green, the colours of the holiday. I also believe I got a sugar rush from the amount of the dough I tasted trying to get it off my hands and two of them did fall off the tree at one point. But not everything goes as planned, and I love it when it does not.

Christmas tree | Gingerbread man decoration

I can not wait to see photos of your trees. I know there will look wonderful! If you use this idea of  hanging at least one gingerbread man up on your tree please send me a photo I would love to see yours! What is your favourite Christmas activity? As this is the last post before Christmas:

I wish you a merry Christmas and lots of time spend with your loved ones wrapped in hugs and kisses!

Christmas presents for him

Buying presents is not all that easy. Especially if you want to be original and are avoiding any classic gifts ~ not that those are any bad. I always found it more reasonable to buy things you think would be perfect for someone right when you find them, rather than waiting for Christmas shopping season and not know where to get them now. Then again, I always was the one to leave everything that needed to be done for the last moment. Got myself in a bit of a pickle there.

But to help you out of your pickle, I went and found some Christmas gift ideas for any special man in your life. Boys are difficult to buy for. I always find it hard to think outside of the box and ignore the typical "guy stuff", such as belts, boxers or aftershave ~ even though I did buy a really nice smelling one once for my dad ( BINGO! ). Give it a look.

1. Scratch Map

For any traveller out there this is a really nice gift to receive. It is a good way of keeping track of where you visited and where else is left to explore. If I was to receive this map I, for sure, would be so excited, especially about the scratching part. What is really nice is that they can frame it and hang it on the wall. However, they can also roll it up and store it into one of those poster tubes and take it with them in a suitcase! Also, I may be wrong, but I have read that this was created by a Croatian couple who are travellers. The price of the maps varies depending on the model but the original one is £18.95. Kind of pricey, but I think it is worth it ( find it here ).

2. A wireless charger

This is something I feel a guy with love for technology would love to have. I do not think there is an easier way of charging your phone than placing it on this and that is it! The design of it makes it easy to incorporate into the home decor as it is very simple yet modern. Also, for all the clumsy people this is very practical as it sits in one given place. You do not have to touch it, so there is no reason to lose the charger or damage the wire ~ as it happens to me with everything…This one is from Ikea and the price is £30 ( find it here ).

3. A notebook

Any creative person usually writes down their ideas and thoughts. Whether it is for the purpose of venting or just for making notes for later, it is always good to have a personal notebook close by. I stumbled across this gorgeous notebooks the other day and though they would be really nice as a gift. The design of it is like a diary, though it does not have to be one, but it makes them look that more personal, which I love! I would recommend taking a look at this site as it has some CRAZY discounts right now and this notebook is only $7. Quite nice, right? ( Find it here ).

4. A beer mug

Now, let's not forget, men are men, and the probability is they like their beer. Living many years with my father, I know he prefers certain glasses or mugs to drink his beer from. I guess there is just something special about the experience of drinking it. Such a guy, right? However, these glasses can be quite expensive depending on the design and the brand. I once bought one for my dad in Prague ~ they
are known for their beer ~ though I can not remember the exact price. I did find this one for 14.90 EUR. Pricey, but hey, Christmas is only once a year. ( Find it here ).

5. A cookbook

This one could be potentially risky. However, some guys do enjoy cooking as does Jamie Oliver. So why not get them a book of recipes of their favourite cuisine. There are many to choose from ~ Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, quick meals, complicated meals, healthy food…you get it. I personally chose the 15 Minute Meal only because I hope that is not enough time to completely destroy the kitchen if the guy decides to cook but is not very good at it. #Sorry The price is £12.00 for a hardcover via Amazon ( find it here ).

• Stocking fillers

I find Christmas stockings very lovely and sweet tradition. My family does not really use them but I love to create mini presents to fill them up with. I love that the goal is to find as many smaller items that would fit in but would also be useable. Here are some ideas that I adore. I personally love them all, though I really like the anchor detailed bracelet that is still quite simple and the beanie because if I am honest, beanies on guys are pure perfection. All these are from H&M and can be found here.

Hopefully this will help you somehow. Maybe you like a certain item, maybe you get inspired for something completely different. Anyway, I just hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! Have a nice holiday!

Baking ingredients beauty benefits

It is close to Christmas time and preparations are already under way. Excitement is starting to show and if you are anything like me, you are already imagining your perfect Christmas holidays. What is your favourite part of it all? I am most excited about all the baking that will soon take place and all the aromas of spices that will consume my kitchen air space. But did you know, many of the baking ingredients can be used for beauty purposes as some are very beneficial.

• Cinnamon
Adding a tablespoon of cinnamon a day to your food will help you get rid of toxins as it provides the body with fiber, thus leading to your skin not being clogged and your skin tone improved. It has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic and anti parasitic properties which help with skin conditions such as acne, different skin infections, eczema or to soothe and soften the dry skin. It is also a good exfoliant and can be used as a hair mask to stimulate the scalp and provide nourishment to hair follicles. Some use it for plumping their skin (mainly lips) as it stimulates blood vessels and brings blood and oxygen to the surface. However, use Ceylon, not Cassia cinnamon as Cassia has high percentage of coumarin which can cause allergic reactions so before anything you should do a patch test just to be safe.

Cinnamon

• Ginger
Rich with antioxidants, ginger helps with getting rid of toxins and stimulates the circulation delivering more nutrients to the skin. As cinnamon, it also helps with acne by killing the bacteria responsible for creating acne and can also reduce the visibility of white scars by rubbing it directly on the scarred area. Ginger can help with hair growth by increasing the scalp circulation and stimulating the hair follicles. Also it is rich with vitamin, zinc and phosphorus making it good to use if you have dry hair or suffer from hair loss and split ends and it's antiseptic properties help fight dandruff.

Ginger

• Coffee
Caffeine is good for reducing eye puffiness by constricting the blood vessels under the skin sufrace. It's antioxidants eliminate free radicals that cause ageing of the skin which is why it is popular ingredient of anti-ageing creams. Also adding ground coffee to a homemade body scrub helps reducing the visibility of cellulite by extracting water from fatty cells and thus tightening the skin. Caffeine is also beneficial for hair growth. It penetrates into the roots and stimulates them while preventing hair loss and increasing hair growth and it's life cycle.

Ground coffee

• Cocoa
Cocoa is rich with antioxidants and fatty acids so it moisturises the skin and promotes collagen production. Cocoa powder contains lots of minerals such as calcium, potassium and zinc. Cocoa butter has many purposes and can even be used with your shaving lotion to prevent any irritation. It has healing properties so you can use it for any scars or even stretch marks or if you are struggling with chapped lips which is why it is an ingredient of many lotions, moisturizers and lip balms.

KRAŠ cocoa powder

• Sugar
If you are living healthy lifestyle, the possibilities are sugar is something you steer clear from. But did you know that sugar is a source of glycol acid which is commonly used in skincare products for it's capability of penetrating into skin? It reduces wrinkles, acne scarring and hyperpigmentation and exfoliates upper layer of skin. Also sugar scrubs are more hydrating than salt scrubs which can strip skin of its natural oils. Use brown sugar scrub for the face and sensitive skin since it is softer than granulated one.

Sugar

Hope this was somewhat informative to you. Are you familiar with using any of these products in your beauty regime? Or will you give it a go after reading this?
Thank you for reading if you came this far and hope you have a nice rest of the day!

My facial skin care update

Skin care is very important to me. It is one of the things I feel I know quite a lot about. I am always researching what is good for the skin, what I should not be doing or how to improve some imperfections. And I have always concentrated more on improving my flaws rather than hiding them with makeup. So if you wish to know what products I use, stick around because you are about to find out.

Before you begin treating your skin, it would be good to know the type you have. I, personally, self diagnosed myself with a dry skin judging by the fact that every time I wash my face it feels extremely tight as if I have a peel-off mask on my face and I have to put on a moisturiser. If you have oily skin, you will notice an excessive amount of oil in your T-zone that will also be quite shiny most of the time. Mixed type ~ well, bless you, you will not have these problems.

Afrodita Clean Phase Cleansing Gel

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Products that I currently use are actually mostly random ones I found or took from my mom. But hey, they seem to work. On a good morning I like to give my face a good cleanse. After I wash my face with a warm water, I apply, on still wet skin, a CLEAN PHASE cleansing gel by AFRODITA COSMETICS to get rid of any dirt. Just for an extra clean skin I use GARNIER Micellar Cleansing Water that I leave on. I also found the GARNIER Ultra Lift cream that comes in a tub for the skin under your eyes that should reduce wrinkles ~ we will see about that! Finally, because my skin is dry I often use Melem, which I know is very healthy for skin, and I apply it all over my face. I can say from experience that it's benefits are astonishing.

Garnier Ultra Lift eye cream

Melem

Recently, I faced quite a bad breakout which is unusual for me since I never (other than that one time) had more than a couple of pimples on my face. It was most of the time pretty clean and acne free and now I do not have any scars or dips left. Hashtag panic when strange things start to show up! My guess is that the pimples were showing up because of the hormonal imbalance, though I can not be sure because I am not about to have my blood checked just for acne. No thanks. However, I noticed that often the black spots around my nose get inflamed and create really painful pimples. So to keep that under control I use a paste made with lemon juice and baking soda and so far it seems to somewhat clean out my black spots.

Ingredients for black heads paste

Of course, dealing with acne is stressful and it is understandable that you will not feel the best about yourself. As with anything, it is a case of trial and error and you have to find out what works best for you. Some products with great reviews may do absolutely nothing to improve your skin and some you find accidentally may work wonders. Basically, be sure of what you are looking for, whether it is a moisturiser or an exfoliator or something to reduce an excess oil. 

10 Clothing Items I Regret Spending Money On

It happens to me over and over again that I buy a certain piece of clothing when I like it on the spot. It, more so, happens when I think it will add up perfectly with the renewed wardrobe that I  am trying to build up. I usually buy things with what I already own in mind, to create a well put together, cohesive clothing collection. However, the truth is that half of it never ends up being worn because once I come home I realise I made a mistake. Can you relate?

I went trough my pile of clothes I have not worn in ages and these are the top 10 I regret buying:

Graphic design grey hoodie 

Red plaid autumn jacket 

Purple polka dots shirt

I have never worn this shirt even though it is very nice and light for warm weather. You can not see but there is a string to tighten it around the waist. Unfortunately, what that does to me is makes my boobs look too big and gives me a weird belly and I already have enough of both xP. A fun fact is that my mother made it for me but boy did we make a mistake.

Purple graphic design t-shirt with a hood

Olive green thigh long half sleeve shirt

Knitted turtle neck short sleeve crop top

I admit, this was bought just when crop tops were starting to be a thing thinking 'what a good purchase'. Yeah…not really! What I forgot to think about is the fact that it probably will not look good on me since I still struggle with weight. And I do not really wear high waisted anything. It was never worn and it is time for it to go!

Black graphic design bat sleeve shirt

Purple long sleeve blouse

Thigh length graphic design tank top with a belt

Grey short sleeve puffy dress 

Obviously, some of these items are untouched and even though they are very pretty, I do not feel comfortable wearing them. Do you ever go trough your closet and eliminate the things you do not even wear or is it just me? Maybe I'm just a bad shopper...

P.S. I apologise for the low quality photos. The lightning was so off.

• DISCLAIMER: All the listed items will be up for grabs as soon as I figure out how all the online payment works! If interested, you can always message me. ;)

DIY Halloween Mask | Pumpkin Home Decor

So here it is! The Halloween special blog post! The idea came to me not so long ago when I, very randomly, remembered the time we made masks in school. Now, we do not celebrate Halloween at all, other than an occasional carved pumpkin or two, but we do have a similar holiday in February where kids mask themselves and some towns organise parades. Therefore, we made masks in February.
Knowing there is a lot of you who love little DIY projects, this seemed to be the one worth sharing in the spirit of the Halloween!

All you will be needing is a homemade glue, a pile of newspaper and a balloon. Do not use regular glue because your mask needs to harden and not be a floppy paper.

A balloon

For the home glue mix 1 cup of plain flower with 1 cup of cold water until there is no lumps. Boil 2 cups of water and add your mixture to it. It will get lumpy again so stir it the best you can and cook for about 2-3 mins more until the consistency is slightly thick. Once that is done, preheat the glass jar or any container of your choice and transfer the glue into it. Leave it to cool down.

Flower & water homemade glue

Once your glue is cooled down, prepare your workplace because this can get messy. Start by coating the surface of the balloon with a layer of glue. Place a piece of newspapers on top of the glue and keep repeating the layers until you are happy with the thickness. Do not overuse the glue, you do not want the whole thing to slice off. Once you are finished, support the balloon with a bowl and leave it to dry off ~ that took me a day and a half plus a hair dryer since my house is too cold xP.

DIY Halloween mask | Pumpkin

DIY Halloween mask | Pumpkin

You do not necessarily have to make a mask. This technique can be used to make lots of different home decorations such as candy holders or, as you can see, I made a pumpkin. Though it depends on the shape of the balloon.

Now, the wisdom behind the balloon. In order to use your mask/decoration/bowl, you have to pop the balloon to detach it. Make sure the whole thing is dry completely or you will have a hard time peeling that balloon off. Use the scissors to cut the parts you do not need and get painting. I am not the best artist so my masterpiece ended up looking like this.

DIY Homemade mask | Pumpkin ~ finished look

•NOTE: If you make this pumpkin DO NOT put a candle inside, instead use battery operated one. No need for the fire.

Happy Halloween!

5 Things I've Learned While Living Solo

5 Things I've Learned While Living Solo

I never was the person who wants to live with their parents for too long. Since forever, my goal was to move out and have a place to call my own. The time for that came when I was nineteen, and had to move for my studies. Even though everything was payed by my dearest father and I was not as independent as I felt like, it was a great learning experience worth sharing with you.

• Cooking takes time
Whether you are home a lot or not, cooking could be a problem. I had my classes during lunch time so I relied on meals that are easy and quick to make. If the time is not something you have, consider trying out meal preparation. You basically take one day of the week and cook a bunch of nutritious food, portion it in smaller containers and place those into the fridge. You can also make some snacks this way to last you throughout the following days. Be careful the food you choose will not go bad too fast.

Cooking preparation

• You are a ninja
You may be the 'World's Biggest Scaredy Cat' but once you have no one to save you and get rid of a strange mutant bug running around, your skills will get so sharp in order to avoid and remove it without having to touch it.

• You are the boss around here
If you are a careful money spender, like myself, going to the store will be very satisfying. Finally, you are able to decide when to spend it and when to save some. I love being the one buying the food as it allows me to monitor how many nutritious groceries I get, while going with parents results in 3/4 of money being spent on the stuff you should not eat that often.

Coins

• Landlords can be 'rude'
No matter where you are, if you are paying the rent, you have the right for privacy. My flat layout was made so my room doors were about tree meters away from the front doors. Imagine waking up to the sound of the front door unlocking ~ with you being the only one living in there ~ while you are still in your pajamas  and fearing someone will burst into your room ~ because they do have a key and you do not know what they are doing in your space. It is also very inappropriate of them to let other random people have the key to your flat without notifying you, only for them to use your washing room or the empty room as their storage. I don't know about you, but that does not sit well with me!

• You will smell much nicer ;)
Because I was on my own, I did not have that much clothes to wash. So it would happen that I would wash a piece of clothing after wearing it only once, to have enough to fill up the washing machine. That, of course, resulted in me constantly smelling of clothes softener. Not that I complained.

Ornel - Clothes softener

These are just some of the perks/flaws of living alone. I could possibly think of more so there could be a follow up post. What do you like the most about having your own space? Do you miss anything?
Thank you for reading!

My 10 worst habits/flaws

No one is perfect, right? I saw this question in a lot of interviews ~ yes I like to watch those ~ and I thought it would be a good subject to write about. It is good to sometimes take a step back and look at the things you can improve about yourself or at least accept your flaws. And that is what I am doing. So, what are my worst flaws?

1. I mess up my speech
It would be nice to know exactly why this happens. Perhaps I do not talk enough or it is because I am bilingual ~ plus learning two more languages. I noticed that I usually either combine two words into one or I am thinking of the next sentence, then start saying it before finishing the one before. If not that, then I say a word from other language and make it sound like a word from language I speak at the moment. I know, makes no sense.

2. I pick at my skin
I never really had any skin problems ~ except one lovely month when my whole forehead was inflamed with acne. Other than that my face was always pretty much clean. However I do get a couple of pimples here and there and THEN they go dry, and THEN they annoy me, and THEN I start picking at them trying to get the dry, dead skin of. I do not make any new wounds but I always feel like there are bits of dead skin I need off my face so I sometimes have a red dot or two.

3. I can be very blunt
This is one of my embarrassing characteristics. I do not have a problem saying random thoughts, whether they are (playfully) rude, funny, dirty minded or just weird. And I am prone to randomly embarrass myself which I do not mind at all. I like making people laugh but sometimes they do not get the joke so they look at me strangely. And I do not like to be judged. :(

4. I am very strong minded
I was raised to be independent. And maybe that was not the best idea because it caused me to concentrate on bigger things than what normal child should worry about. And that caused me to develop some serious opinions on my own. I sort of know the kind of person I am and I realise my perception on the world is usually different than anyone else's so that leads to some arguments

5. It is hard for me to stick to one thing
I am the type of person who wants to know EVERYTHING. However, my attention span is so short that by the time I just got into something I have already found something new. So I start feeling like this is taking too much time and I never get to being 'really good' at anything. Ahh, so many hobbies gone down the drain…Would you like to know more about those?

6. Sometimes I let myself go back to the bad place
This past year was really hard for me. I went to a really bad place where I lost myself, my purpose and my goal. That is hard for some people to understand but it often happens when you finish your education and you are free to do anything. I got scared of everything and felt forced to live by someone else's rules which I can not do thanks to being stubborn. Recently, I have been doing good but there are still times where I can not help but feel bad especially if I start my day wrong.

7. I am socially very awkward
I blame non existent socialisation process in my childhood for this. I went to daycare for an extremely short amount of time and have not had the best time there. Add to that the fact I grew up with a bunch of neighbourhood kids with whom I felt comfortable around. So basically, I never learned how to make friends and develop relationships with people. I get so flustered when I have to meet a group of people at once so I stay quiet and make bad first impression on people. I am sorry. But if you read this and still want to meet me, I will do my best to be my normal self. =)

8. I do not clean my room often
Guilty as charged! Cleaning is like a therapy for me. The state of my living space is the current state of my mind and it is not likely I will clean it unless I am determined to start fresh or I am just really annoyed by the mess. But you will be happy to know I do not have mice or cockroaches running around and there are no spider webs. I would never go that far, ew.

9. When fighting, I say mean things to hurt the other person
I do not like the confrontation. I always start crying when arguing, mainly because I find it hard to cry and I have a lot of bottled up feelings of frustration in me that come out at worst moments. It hurts me to fight with anyone and because I deal with so many emotions and hurt I selfishly want the other person to feel like I do for a moment. I don't know, maybe it is a way for me to tell the person that I am hurting.

10. I can not do something if someone commands me to
Just so you do not think wrong, I am polite and I do try to be genuinely nice. But if I am in a bad relationship with you right now and I feel like there is a lack of respect, there is no way you will get me to do something for you by ordering me to do it. I do it out of spite, I know that. I just can NOT be forced to do something if I feel like I have to do it because you expect me to because it is my obligation, and not because I would want to out of love. ~ That is a lot of 'becauses', I do not know if that even makes sense.

Please do not take this post extremely serious. I am not trying to bring myself down, I am just acknowledging my imperfections and I am fine with that. I tried to make it lighthearted. If some of them are a bit negative, I am sorry, it is a post about flaws, what can I say.
If you took the time to read this, thank you so much! I love you and enjoy your day!

Schwarzkopf Omega Repair | Instant Repair Serum & BB Beauty Balm Review

Schwarzkopf product review

Some time ago I received a really nice birthday present from one of my best friends. It was the Schwarzkopf hair repair serum and balm for damaged hair. What a way to subtly say there is a bird nest on my head ~ not that I have enough for half of the nest xP.

OMEGA REPAIR Instant Repair Serum & Beauty Balm contain ULTIME-4-complex of pearl extract, panthenol, refined protein and keratin. Side info: panthenol is a B5 vitamin suitable to use on fine hair. It has the ability to go into your hair shaft and the root of your hair improving its elasticity, moisture retention and flexibility helping your hair strand thicken up to 10%. Also it promotes hair growth.

Schwarzkopf | Instant Repair Serum & BB Beauty Balm

The best result you get with this serum and balm is the silky, soft touch to your hair. Depending on your hair type you can struggle with it being knotty and dry after washing it. If that is the case I would definitely recommend using this as it is a quick solution to getting the hair you want without going though hours of using hair masks and oils.
However, I do have to say that I am not the biggest fan of the scent. I never did like the sweet fragrances so this does not surprise me. Nor does it bother me. When looking for products I focus on the benefits not  the scent.

Schwarzkopf | Instant Repair Serum

Schwarzkopf | BB Beauty Balm

Both products are very easy to use. You can either apply them on wet or dry hair, then leave them to do their magic. I usually use them when I do not feel like using my normal hair masks because even if I only wash my hair with a regular shampoo I can still have silky, shiny hair. Being obsessive over my hair condition, it is very important to me to have easy to comb and soft hair so I can prevent ripping it off as much as I can. Every strand is important in my case!

Hopefully you decide to give this products a try because they really are incredible. As I said, if you are struggling with your hair, these could come in handy. After all, it is all about trial and error and finding out what works best for you. 

If you have any tips on regrowing the hair, please share them with me, God knows I need help!
Thank you for reading!

My blanket & pillow collection

For the longest time I had a slight obsession with blankets. Whenever I go to the store I gravitate towards that shelf. But can you blame me?

The little personal heaven of softness, warmth and bright colours. Very helpful in winter when my house turns into ice popsicle. And it is a BIG house. So you got to do what you got to do, in this case turn yourself into a blanket burrito.

Blanket design

My favourite one is the red one with the snowflakes. I do not know how I got that one, though I believe it was my mum's and she gave it to me. It is a really nice, christmas-y, red colour, making me wish it was winter whenever I snuggle in it. I did get quite picky with the materials once I found much softer ones. They are more expensive so it is not very likely I will end up with a new blanket anytime soon.

Pillows

Now, I feel like some of the pillows are missing. I remember having lots of them. Pillows are my favourite decorative item, and the one I love the most is the long brown one. I can not even describe how soft and smooth it is. I got it with the intention of it being a decor on an armchair I will get once I move out again. So for now it is just patiently waiting to be used.

Material texture

This is just one of my modest collections. You might know I do have seemingly a lot of obsessions with different things. Let me know what is your favourite piece of home decor and thank you for stopping by!