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?

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!

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!

5 little things that make me happy

I find it extremely easy to keep falling back into feeling down over and over again. Until now i tried to hide my feelings and pretend nothing bothered me. But let's be real, that is not healthy for anyone. This time I am determined to get on the right path again no matter how much wrong choices I make. It is hard to do anything when there is no will. Knowing this is no way to live a life I force myself to daily make small changes with the time I have. And there are just a few ways I brighten my mood slightly.

• HYGIENE

  Does anyone else feel like they can conquer the world after they are freshly washed/ brushed/ shaved/ waxed/ plucked/ manicured/ pedicured/ anything else? Well, I do. Strangely, I have never been one to worry too much about all that but Lord, that feeling of being so smooth! Do I love it, or what?!

• CLOSET REORGANISATION

   Is it a saying 'keeping your space clear helps clear your mind'? Probably not. Should be. In my case, there is some truth in it. My closet is humongous and it having items scattered around creates this unsettling feeling that bugs me like all those twenty-something mosquitoes that had a taste of me this past week. 

• MUSIC

  Yes, yes, a logical way of influencing your mood. Not many would guess, but jazz and classical are what gets to me the most..also are those I have the least knowledge of. As I am writing this I am going trough all the Disney music there is and I just can NOT cope!

• COLOURS

   I have a huge obsession with colourful items such as crayons. Having a bunch of them in one place makes me really, really happy. Like a sunshine in the morning…but does not make me boil from heat. I especially like to write in different colours if I am writing down plans for my blog. It gives me that extra inspiration I need.

• EARLY MORNINGS

   I am that crazy person that is cheery in the morning. But let me explain. I work best between the hours of 4am - 10 am. I love to be awake at the time when the world is waking up. It is a really special feeling. However, I do not force myself to wake up because if I am tired there is no way I will be able to concentrate on anything. When I am tired, I am basically a walking zombie. I do usually wake up around 8am thanks to the sun that is frying my legs.

What are some of the things you do to cheer yourself up? And do you, like myself, have quirky little obsessions that put a smile on your face? I want to know.

Thank you for reading!

Into the Woods

          Hello lovelies! The sunshine is out and it is the perfect opportunity to catch up on that vitamin D. Just yesterday I was in such a bad mood, I made myself get up and get out. My friend and I went on a little hike-like walk at the park, Maksimir - just so you know it's name, with my sister's dog. She is overweight at the moment so she needs extra exercise…and so do I. We had an extremely nice time, excuse those few intense encounters with other dogs, so I decided to introduce you all to my hood! =P Enjoy in these woodsy pictures as you scroll down!