Spring-y Nails

Spring is finally here (yes, it’s here! Yesterday we reached 26°C, or something like that) and this is the season when I take my coloured nail polishes out of their box. Don’t think that I don’t use them in winter or fall, it’s just that I feel more inspired to wear them as the temperatures rise.

I want to talk about three nail polishes.

Kiko Celebration Nail Lacquer 422
Call it mint, Tiffany, aqua, whatever you want, this colour is one of my favourites. It makes my hand look refined and pretty, more feminine I guess. Its colour is full in a single application. I find that Kiko’s nail polish brushes are a little too small, I wish they were a little bigger. Unfortunately, this nail lacquer belongs to a past collection from two years ago, but in the permanent collection there is one other which is the same, identical colour.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 360 – Plums The Word
I know what you are saying, it’s not summer-y. Well, to me it is! It’s a dark, mauve-toned variation of a very dark pink, which is perfect for spring. No, ok. It’s mauve, a really full, intense mauve, but it look wonderful on nails. Its finish is extremely glossy and it’s the perfect transition colour from winter to spring and, in a couple of months, like the end of August, from summer to autumn.

Kiko Cupcake Nail Lacquer 647
Another limited edition, but I sincerely hope they will introduce these lacquers in their permanent line. It is a funny nail lacquer, it has sprinkles in it and it should look like the frosting and topping of cupcakes, I think. Well, it’s lovely and I like how it feels on my nails.

These are my choices regarding nail polishes. Have you anything to suggest me?

Get Fit for Summer – Tips and Resolutions

Summer is coming closer. No no, I’m not trying to hurry time up, because summer essentially means exams and I don’t want to think of them. But, since the warm season is approaching, as every girl on earth, I feel like I should start thinking of getting fit. Again.

I’m not overweight, I’m perfectly fine as I am. The problem is, of course, on my flabby tights, because of cellulite. I want to fight it. From now on.

Reading a bit online, I found many useful pieces of advice and I decided to report them to you all, just in case you needed another point of view.

1. List all the reasons why you want to shape up. Write down your goals, that must be realistic and responsible. In my case, I want to have toned muscles, but I don’t want to turn into a gym-maniac.

2. Keep a food diary; it’s especially useful if you want to lose weight, but since I eat a lot out of lunch and dinner time, I want to keep track of what I shouldn’t eat. The hardest thing in this part is being honest: don’t lie, your body knows that you’ve eaten. And, most importantly, have breakfast. Don’t forget the most important meal of the day.

3. Buy the necessary equipment. Don’t go running with your flats, don’t go swimming in your bikini. Find the best gear and use it properly.

4. Move more. Even a walk of 30-60 minutes helps toning and losing weight, because you can lose up to 400kcal simply by taking a nice walk outside. Don’t sit all day long in front of the computer, move!

5. Take up yoga. I’m not a lot into yoga, but it fascinates me and I think I might start doing a bit of it everyday, just to see if it helps me in some way.

These are my five pieces of advice and resolutions, I will update you in a couple of weeks or so about my progress!

March Most Played

My most played are becoming more and more monotonous. Well, waking up everyday at 6 am I need to know that some products work for me, so I keep on using them because I know they work wonders.

This month I used:

• L’Oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint in shade 120

• NYC Mascara Big and Bold

• Urban Decay Naked Basics palette

• Catrice Eye Brow stylist in 120

No lipstick, really? Yes, no lipstick, because I played with them a bit and used a different one each day, so none of mine actually was a most played.

As usual, check Chiara’s blog and Facebook page for every news on the Team Most Played (we have cookies!)

The Colour of the Month: Aqua Reflections

March is the month of spring. And spring usually means pastels and bright colours. Well, to me it means every shade of blue ever seen on this Earth. And in March it was aqua that was on me most of the times.

I have these beautiful owl earrings, that my mother bought me four or five years ago; I remember I wore them on my first date with my boyfriend, so, they are not the newest addition to my collection.
The purse with the bows is a purchase from last year, and I’ve used it non-stop for the last few months. It’s small, but everything that I need fits perfectly in it.
The tape-dispenser is from Tiger and it’s the cutest thing ever, it gives a touch of colour on my desk.
The nail lacquer from Kiko is from a Limited Edition that came out three years ago, but they have the same shade in the permanent collection (here, in shade 389). I use it every spring, because it’s wonderful and is the perfect transition colour to the brighter polishes of summer.
Lastly, the shirt is another gift from my mom. It’s lose and airy, and the lace details on the sleeves are lovely. I keep on wearing it!

What was the colour of your March? I want to know!

The Spring Sparkling Challenge – week 1: Brights up your skin!

Spring is here and we have been blessed with an entire sunny week.
This post is my first answer to the tag created by What’s in my bag and Consigli di Makeup, two Italian bloggers that I follow since I first reached the blogging world.

What is this tag about? Well, s pring! And how we live it!

This first week is dedicated to skincare and how we prepare our skin to the glow of spring and summer. I also talk a bit about haircare, just a hint of what I’m going to do for the next months.

The first step in the preparation for the spring is removing everything from my pores, let the skin breathe! Twice a week I apply Lovea’s Green Clay Paste, a fragrance free clay mask that really helps my skin removing everything undesired. I apply it, wait ten to fifteen minutes – while I usually check the mails – and I wash it off.

The next step that I do every morning and every night is wiping my face with Garnier’s Micellar Water. It does remove most of my makeup and is very gentle on the skin, unlike other similar products.

Last, but not the least, I tone my face with Cien’s Refreshing Facial Toner; it is the last touch before applying makeup or going to bed, before the face cream and before I apply foundation. It smoothes my skin and leaves it soft for the whole day/night.

I said I’d talk about haircare. Yes, it’s true. It happens just because I bought two new products at Carrefour, the Shampoo and Conditioner for blond hair with camomile and wheat germ by Nectar of Nature. I’m not blonde. I used to be, when I was little. My hair grew naturally darker, and now I’m a brunette. But my hair in summer gets wonderful blond-ish locks, and I’m looking forward to enhancing it. So, from April on, my sole and only aim is to get those blond reflections.

Don’t forget to check out all the posts with the hashtag #thespringsparklingchallenge

Do this tag too, if you want!

I tag Piper and Grace!

Handmade Easter – Candles in the Grass

Hello everyone! This post is going to be bilingual, so if you speak Italian, you can read below!

Today’s post is part of a collaboration of a group of 40 bloggers and crafters from The Creative Factory. We are all somehow interested in handmade projects and we do the most different things with our little, tiny, creative hands.

Easter is approaching, it’s less than a week away. I have been taught that Easter is the celebration of light and life, so I decided to fuse those things together and what came out of my mind was “Easter candles!”. We all know that candles remind everyone of Christmas and winter and fireplace lit, where you can relax and read, but Easter is a perfect moment for candles too.
It was also the occasion for the creation of a present for one of my friends, whose birthday was a week ago.

How do we create these Easter Candles?
First of all, we take – candles, of the length and shape you prefer;
– a hairdryer;
– different tissue napkins;
– scissors

All you have to do is cutting out of the napkins the shapes you like (I chose flowers) or you cut the napkins so as to cover the whole candle. And this is the simple part. Then, you have to switch you dryer on and wait until the heat melts the wax of the candles, working as glue for the napkins we positioned on it. It takes a while (for the wholly covered candle it took me 40 minutes), so you can watch your favourite TV show in the meanwhile.

Isn’t this easy and cute?

The candles, the purple napkin, and the grass-y basket are from Tiger, if you are interested!
Happy Easter (in advance!)

(Italian Version!)

Ciao a tutti!

Il post di oggi è parte di una collaborazione fra 40 blogger del gruppo The Creative Factory. Siamo tutte, in diversa maniera, interessate ai progetti fatti a mano e facciamo le cose più diverse con le nostre piccole, creative manine.

La Pasqua si avvicina, è a meno di una settimana. Mi è stato insegnato che Pasqua è la festività della luce e della vita, quindi ho deciso di unire entrambe le cose e quello che la mia mente ha prodotto è stato “Candele pasquali!” (con un tocco primaverile). Sappiamo tutti che le candele ricordano il Natale, l’inverno e il caminetto acceso, davanti al quale ci si rilassa o si legge, ma anche Pasqua può essere il momento perfetto per le candele.

È stata anche l’occasione per creare il regalo per una mia amica, il cui compleanno era la scorsa settimana.

Ma come facciamo queste candele pasquali?

Prima di tutto, prendiamo – candele, della forma e lunghezza che preferiamo;
– un asciugacapelli;
– diversi tovaglioli;
– forbici

Tutto quello che dobbiamo fare è tagliare dai tovaglioli i motivi e le forme che preferiamo (io ho scelto i fiori) oppure tagliare il tovagliolo in modo da ricoprire totalmente la candela. E questa è la parte semplice. Dopodiché, accendiamo l’asciugacapelli e aspettiamo fino a che il calore non fa sciogliere la cera della candela, che funziona da colla per I tovaglioli che abbiamo disposto su essa. È un procedimento abbastanza lungo (per la candela ricoperta totalmente ho impiegato 40 minuti), quindi potete guardare un episodio della vostra serie TV preferita nel frattempo.

Non sono semplicissime da fare e carinissime?

Le candele, i tovaglioli viola e il cestino con l’erba li ho presi da Tiger, se vi interessasse.
Buona Pasqua (in anticipo!)

Inoltre Alex di C’è Crisi C’è Crisi ha indetto un Linky Party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Qua sotto trovate i nomi delle altre ragazze che pubblicano oggi i loro progetti:
Alessia De Bonis di Le Chat Gourmand
Camille Nancy di La Mini Factory
Mara di The Ice-cream Parlour

Lovely Empties (2)

During the last months I tried to finish up as many products as possible. I think I might have done a good job!

1. Roberts Rose Water – the last step of my cleansing routine, the one product that removes everything that’s left on my face. But I’ll try something different.
2. Nivea Sensitive  Micellar Water 3 in 1 – it is a good micellar water, but it doesn’t work so good with waterproof make up. I’m not buying it again.
3. Essence pink Nail Laquer  (the name is long gone) – it’s not over, but it’s completely dry. It won’t write anymore.
4. Sephora Ginseng Fiber Mask – once a month I need to take a bit of me time, and this mask is so easy to use!
5. Garnier Shampoo and Conditioner for light hair – my hair is light-brunette and this two products help enhancing the blond reflections. I need to buy them again for the next summer!

Monday Breakfast #13

It’s Monday. It’s spring, even though yesterday it rained and the sun is not going to shine even today. I had my hair cut (yay!) and I’m feeling a bit refreshed.

This weekend was a tough one, I hope the rest of the week will be better!

Monday Breakfast #12

Spring is so close, we can all feel it. Last week was a sequence of sunny, warm days, and I can’t wait to get rid of sweaters, even though I love them. It’s time for ballerinas and t-shirts (almost).

Easter is also coming really close! Spring break, here we come!

How are you getting ready for spring?

#DearMe

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR 16 YEARS OLD SELF?

It would mean going back to 2009 and talking to a redhead-wannabe. I never dyed my hair, anyway. Very good idea, Valeria, you saved your hair from endless struggle to get your natural colour back.

Dear Valeria, you should quit re-reading the Twilight saga. You will in a couple of months, anyway, but you should focus more on those wonderful novels from Jane Austen that look suspiciously at you from the bookshelves; you already read one of them, Northanger Abbey, and you loved it. Go on, and finish them. Or by 2015 you won’t have yet.

Dearest Valeria, stop obsessing over the same kind of guys, those who don’t notice you. The one is coming just behind the corner, it’s not so far from you, I can almost count the days to your meeting (a very strange one indeed). Oh, wait, I was still 16 when I met him! So, yes, keep calm and he’ll come to you.

Dear little me, stop feeling unloved. That’s not true. Well, perhaps someone you think is near and dear to your heart really isn’t and you’ll have to find out in the worst possible way ever, but don’t worry, it is going to end. The loneliness you feel sometimes is already going away. Don’t focus on the sad side of your life, enjoy every minute you spend with a smile on your lips!

Dear me, you probably already know the enormous mistakes you’re going to make in a couple of years, they’re already there. I can’t warn you, or things won’t get better after them. Just remember that you don’t have to be afraid to ask for help.