What's in my makeup case

Whether it is a case or a bag, everyone has some storage space for their makeup. I wanted a makeup case for so long just because they have always fascinated me and I wanted to have a piece that well organised. I did get one as a birthday present, however, the organised part never really came.

You may assume that being a female human being, I have a large amount of makeup, right? As seen from the evidence attached, most of the space in here is taken by random bits and a lot of hair clips I rarely use ~ there is not much hairdos you can do with my hair, what is the point?

The second level of my makeup case stores slightly more items. The eyelashes are actually from three years ago. Out of fifteen times they can be used, I only used them once then stored them for eternity. The eyeshadow palette and the lipstick are from Müller makeup kit and were given to me by a friend ~ never used those either. Lastly, there are a bunch of animal shaped bracelets ideal to cut of your circulation, and a pretty letter A.

As the most significant part of my makeup case is its bottom. Here, I store my hair lotion which I do not think it works. Also, a couple of cotton pads and some shoe laces that untie on their own. Essentials, no?

What do you keep in your makeup case? Are your organization skills Tumblr worthy?
If you would like to share your makeup storage photos with me, tag me on Instagram at andrea_benzo.

20 must have items in your 20's

Just entered 20's? By now you probably realised some essentials are needed. Whether those are self care products, fashion items or things you must have as a young adult. In hopes of helping you out, I decided to put together a list of things you should have once you are at this age.

Starting with beauty products. Your presence highly depends on your health and your skin is the mirror of it. Body/face moisturiser, eye and sun cream, concealor and foundations are your set of tools for a smooth, hydrated and bright looking skin. Eye cream is especially important as the area around your eyes is very thin and prone to wrinkles that you want to prevent not cure. Lessen the impact of UV rays with an SPF 30 and use makeup as a way of evening out your skin tone and hiding small blemishes.

Mistake many make is not caring properly of their hair. Hair is as important as your skin so always use a conditioner for a silky, easy manageable texture. Use oils such as castor and coconut oil, that promote hair growth, and heat protectants every time you apply heat to prevent any damage. What you should keep in your purse every time you go out is a small comb and a hair tie. If the wind is wild, putting your hair into a ponytail is a quick way to make it look presentable.

20's are also the time when you will need to impress some humans, especially when searching for a job ~ unless you are your own boss. It is ok to splurge some money on dressy pants and a shirt as you will now find yourself in situations where you will have to be "dressed for the occasion" and leave your 'casuals' at home. This also includes a nicely fitted black dress as a must have. For more comfort on busy days, have a good pair of stretchy pants that you can later combine with nude pair of heels for a night out.

Of the random bits to have are definitely a driving licence ~ even if you do not own a car ~ and a LinkedIn profile ~ nowadays highly used when searching for jobs. If you have not already, take the time to place all of your documents in one folder as you will be using them a lot. Another tip is to start a saving account ASAP. In a longterm, you will thank yourself for financially securing yourself if you get into a situation or will not have a large income when older. As a last thing, join a gym as you do not have PE classes anymore and that fat has to go out somehow.

That is all! Are you all set for your 20's? Leave a comment.

PANTENE nature fusion 2 minutes Strengthening Masque

Struggling with your hair? Welcome to the club! Wouldn't life be better if you could just roll out of bed and look presentable not having to stress so much about the mane on your head?

I was never the person to really worry about styling my hair. It always was pin straight and I found that good enough. It became stressful once I realised how rare it got and how bad that looked. After cutting it short, I started nurturing it with vitamins, minerals and all those goodies ~ inside and out ~ mainly focusing on natural homemade remedies. There is, however, a product I recently bought and really fell in love it. So let's talk about it!

PANTENE 2 minutes strengthening masque is a moisturising, repairing hair mask. It contains panthenol which is a B5 vitamin able to thicken your hair strand up to 10% and keep moisture inside it. I only got this mask because it was on a really good sale, not knowing anything about it ~ so it is quite surprising how much I love it! 

It is very easy to use. Apply it after shampooing your hair, hold for 2 minutes, then rinse it out with lukewarm water. 

The scent is very mild, not overpowering so no worries for those with sensitive nostrils! Also, it leaves your hair feeling soft and smooth and easy to brush through.

I did come across some negative points. The lid is shut quite tight ~ as it should be, we do not want any spillage, do we? Though it is unnecessary hard to open. I already scratched my finger and honestly it is just a call for a broken nail. Another thing is it takes slightly longer to rinse out. At first it feels smooth like a conditioner on your hair but after a while of rinsing out, the feeling is as if you just wash your hair with a shampoo.

All in all, I do recommend this product. It might not be right for everyone but you will not know until you try it. I like how it prevents me from breaking half of my hair while combing through it.

Do you have any recommendations for regrowing the hair for me to try? Leave them in the comments.

Thank you & have a lovely day!

How to develop your own style

Sense of style is not something everyone was gifted with. Unfortunately. While it is important to be aware of your self presence I understand it is difficult and challenging to make it work if you do not know much about styling or are on a on a budget.

'It is a trial and error'
If you are like me and dislike trying on clothes while shopping ~ you should start LOVING it! That is the first mistake you can do when building up your wardrobe. There is no way for you to know how something looks on your body unless you try it on. Sometimes, what you think might look like a disaster could possibly fit you perfectly. This is also a way for you to try on clothes you would never think of getting and to get to know your body type. Trying out the clothes will also reduce the number of clothes you dislike once you get home.

'Shop smart'
Start thinking of your wardrobe as a cohesive collection of pieces that look good when combined. When shopping, think of the outfit you can wear with the new piece of clothes you buy. If it does not fit, do not buy it. I assume you are familiar with the frustration of standing in front of your closet not being able to match that cute shirt you just got.

'Don't force it'
I had to learn on my own that you can not force a style on yourself. You might be a fan of certain community such as hip hop or skateboarding, and following their style but you need to realise some clothes will compliment you and some will not!

'Style does not mean expensive'
First of all, if you have an average income but go and spend 100$ on jeans ~ I am sorry, but I do not understand you! You do not have to be rich to look like it. Stores such as thrift shops or even some cheaper chain stores are your friends in this case. There are a perfect option if you need to stock up on some basic, usually overpriced, items. Also, you are bound to find awesome clothes no other store has. Smart spending can get you a long way.

'Age appropriate'
How many times have you seen an older person dressed way too young? Or a young girl dressed way to serious? Mistakes like this happen all the time. Age, a career path and how you want to portray yourself is what you must keep in mind.
Teens are to make mistakes ~ do not force yourself to look older.
20's are to be fun and experimental ~ but do dress for the occasion.
30's are to embrace your mature side ~ allow yourself to look like a strong BOSS  lady.
40's and above is when you are a woman and should not look like a girl.

I will stop now. Can't bore you with too much text. :P
Any thoughts?

5 ways to keep your skin healthy

Growing up most of us struggle with keeping our skin healthy at some point. Having inflamed acne, scars, bumps, dry patches or any blemishes is never pleasant. Even though certain things, such as our hormones, can not be influenced without paying a visit to a doctor, there are still so much you can do to prevent your skin from giving you headaches.

Here are some tips I use myself:

1. Water
Drinking lots of water keeps your body hydrated and your skin moisturised. There are a lot of moisturisers out there for you to use but they alone will not help you much. Think of it like this: a plant needs water ~ it gets water through the roots ~ if you only wet the leaves they will become old and wrinkly, like your skin. Your inside is your root so drink plenty of water to stop your skin from drying out.



2. Aggressive cleansing
I see a lot of people use scrubs or those rotating devices to take the dead skin off. I, personally, do find exfoliation important. However, using such aggressive methods can be damaging to your skin rather than helpful. Instead, opt for a gentle scrub or make your own using sugar as it is a natural source of glycolic acid which moisturises the skin and protects it from toxins.

3. NO hands
Honestly, this is what I struggle with the most. Picking at your skin is a huge no-no! Not only can you cause scabs and long lasting scars, your hands carry a whole lot of bacteria that can get into pores or blood through one of the open wounds and can cause a major infection. If you feel like you have some dead skin bits use a gentle scrub to get them off.



4. Morning routine
This is a process of a bit of a morning pampering everyone should do. With the hectic lifestyles our skin needs every bit of help so it is very important to prepare it for the day. The most important products to include into your morning routine are body lotion, suncream, face moisturiser and eye cream. Whether it is winter or summer UV rays are present and should be prevented from infecting your skin. Also, you should start using eye cream if you are not, as the area around eyes is very thin and develops wrinkles early in life.

5. Junk food
Choosing a healthy lifestyle does not only reflect on your weight but also on your mental health AND your skin. If you noticed your skin acting up, check how much sweet, oily and processed food you eat because that might be the cause of it. I know it is so easy to go and buy a burger with french fries when you manage to find a break in your schedule. Though, it really is not that hard to replace the food you like with a healthy version you can make at home and bring with you.Why would you consume junk food if you do not want junk on your face?



Hopefully you find these tips useful. They are pretty common though there probably is someone who is just learning all the beauty hacks and is figuring out the effects of things. If I was in a position where my skin is not at its best, these are the ones I would appreciate to know of. To you, all the best luck with improving your skin and thanks for stopping by! If you know of any other proven tips leave them in the comments and I shall try them out! =)

My New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you have a good one!
How many of you make resolutions every year? How long do you stick to them? I feel like New Year's resolutions are made mainly because of this 'new year, new me' belief, where we feel so excited and motivated to turn a new leaf and make good changes for ourselves, but are not really ready to make them. So we fail.
Personally, I do not usually make any resolutions. I do have personal goals I wish to achieve and after a bad last year, I am using this motivation to get out of the mindset I got stuck in and start doing things I feel like I am meant to be doing. So this is my 2016 plan:

Work on starting a career

I always struggled with the idea of finding a job, and being employed, and having a boss, and being restricted with time and to a place because of my job. This does not necessarily apply to every job. Mainly what is known as a 'student job' such as being a waitress. Without going into depth, I always strived to have a successful career and it scares me to 'waste' a period of my life on a job that will get me no where. I am looking for an entry level job in my field, which is audio engineering, simply because that is something I want to learn more about. Knowing I can not spend five more years unemployed while I start my own business, working in a creative field feels like it will not scare me off as everything else since I am used to being around productions.

Blog updating

Blogging has been hard for me. I never thought how much I would love it and how much I would fight to continue doing it. However, I need to learn how to blog at a certain time to be consistent but still be able to focus on my real life. This year I would love to be courageous enough to establish a working relationships with brands and see where I can go with this platform that I have. (And that's not me being a stuck up...thing, I promise)

Regarding the design of the blog, I really wish to change it's name ~ I could use your help with that *insert puppy eyes* ~ and match it with the URL address so it can be found easier. I will most likely design a new header once I have decided on a name, and I plan to introduce categories, including new Fitness category.

More interaction

Blogging community is such an amazing group of people that I can not cope with how lovely you all are! I love talking to you all during chats even though I did not really become friends with anyone. I can only blame myself for that because I know for a fact that I do not try hard enough to stay someones friend mainly because I feel like I am forcing someone to like me. So, I will try my best to talk to a lot of you and at least introduce myself so you can freely form an opinion about me. Hi there!

The famous 'I will lose weight'

I can say that last year I worked on getting myself into the mental state of living healthy. I started working out and testing my strenght and capability while exercising. I also have been eating healthy throughout the year and now I can say that I do not have any cravings and can easily say no to any bad food in front of me. This resolution came from noticing how much better I felt while eating lots of healthy food and from wishing to, after 21 years, take control over the way my body looks. This year I want to work on consistency of my exercises and their intensity to achieve the fitness level I want to be on.

There you go. Those are my main goals to achieve this year.

What are your New Year's resolutions if you even make them? I am rather curious.