Ready to wreck

Being a book hoarder, I'm quite protective of my books, trying not to give them to anyone, keep them nice and stain-free. So for a while, I doubted if I could do anything destructive with a book. So this is where Wreck This Box comes in. It is a collection of three books by an author and illustrator Keri Smith. All these books are supposed to be telling the owner's story, they are targeted towards creativity and expanding one's comfort zone. 

I've decided to start them when it gets warmer outside, when you can find flowers, grass and less dirt or snow, as it is recommended to take them anywhere you go. You can also share these books with your friend, sibling, partner, It would be so fun that way. So now, I'm really looking forward to spring, maybe even will make some posts on my favorite pages!

Do you own any of these?

Lots of love.

Nika xx

A nice bath

Just got out of a steamy Monday afternoon shover, feeling all relaxed and sleepy, craving a big nice cup of melissa tea and a comfy blanket. I'm all about taking baths, maybe watching some Big Bang Theory episodes, lying in warm bubbly water. I use L'Occitane's Shower Oil, which lathers in a soft foam and smells like buttery almonds. After taking a bath, my skin dryish, so I always moisturize. Now I'm using Caudalie's Antioxidant Body Milk, which has a fresh scent and absorbs quickly, so there's no need for waiting ten minutes for putting a pajama on.
I'm not big on expensive candles, despite eyeing up Jo Malone and Diptyque, so I lit candles when I feel stressed, like today, so now I have a L'Occitane's Green Tea candle, which has a green and leafy smell.
Now I need a cuppa and some sleep.
What is your bath/shower routine?
Lots of love.
Nika xx

No.07

I was so excited when our family's friend came back from London and brought a little present. It's a perfume from Rituals No.7 White Patchouli & Cedar Wood. I bought  it while visiting Amsterdam and ran out so quickly, because it's gorgeous. First of all, the packaging is so nice, I love the wooden lid and a sleek glass bottle. The smell is quite strong and woody, with warm cedar tones. It's based on natural ingredients and organic alcohol, so despite the fact that it's strong, it's not sickly or overpowering at all.

So now I'm saving it for bad days to light up my mood!

Have you tried it?

Lots of love.

Nika xx

My mom's favourites

My mama is not quite a fan of make up or skincare. She often comes to me asking about products she could try. Not to say I'm an expert, I just spend some time on researching this kind of things.

I'm writing this post maybe to give you ideas on what to recommend to your mother or aunt, or just to anyone who has more mature skin. 

So these are some of my mother's favorite products. She removes make up with a Biosource Cleansing Milk from Biotherm, massages it into the skin and then removes excess with a cotton pad. As a toner, she uses the Biosource Instant Hydrating Lotion, which has simple ingredients, works as an exfoliant and leaves the skin both clean and fresh. In the morning mom uses the Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing and Antiwrinkle Day Cream, and a corresponding Night Cream in the evening. As all Korres products, they contains 80% percent natural ingredients, with no mineral oils, no silicons and parabens. She also uses the Reve de Miel Lip Balm from Nuxe, which I bought her recently and loves it, too. 

her favorite lipstick is Dior Addict Extreme in Cherie Bow, a pinky mauve color. It's quite pigmented and moisturizing as well. The Bronzer is Soleil Tan de Chanel in 907 Sable Beige, unfortunately, I can't find it on the website, maybe, it has been discontinued.

So this is a little run-through some stuff that my mom uses. Please, leave comments telling about your mom's or aunt's favorites :)

Lots of love.

Nika xx

Throwback edit: Amsterdam

I haven't travelled a lot, but my soul craves visiting new places, I'm flicking through pictures of London or Berlin on tumblr and sigh with sadness. If only I could live there, or just spend there a few days. Last spring my mom surprised me with a European tour, so we explored some magnificent places in just two weeks. Amsterdam stole my mind and my soul. I've never been anywhere as cozy, as friendly and as colorful.

The fact that you can rarely see blinds or curtains on the windows just blew me away! In Ukraine, people try their hardest to conceal their private life, hide behind the curtains, but here - everything is transparent, so clean and elegant. Big fancy cars are such a rare find, because these little vintage ones look natural in such a rustic, but modern, environment.

We were lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh's museum, as it has just opened and that time - the queues were huge, but we've managed to get in. The whole place was so nicely organized, the staff couldn't be more friendly, but the paintings! Oh, you just have to see them.

This picture makes me want to come back. The little boats, the dancing buildings, pots with fresh flowers. It's like a little gingerbread fairytale, and it looks like this without smoking some pot :D

These are some main and the most lovely purchases I've made there. Don't judge, I love seeing what people are buying, especially while traveling. The top is from COS, as well as the sandals, they are leather and were 99 Euros if I'm not mistaken. The Fry Chronicles and the yellow Moleskine I got at the American Book Center, which is a huge book shop and it's gorgeous. My mom literally had to drag me out of there, because I wanted to buy everything I saw!
Have you ever been to Amsterdam? Maybe you live there?
Lots of love.
Nika xx

Everyday skincare

The key to my everyday skincare routine is simplicity. I try to make it as minimal as possible for two reasons: I'm quite lazy and overloading skin with products hasn't really been a benefit for me. My skin is a mix between dry and normal but also there's some acne prone areas: chin and forehead.

When it comes to cleanser - Clinique's Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser is the bomb. It has no fragrance and other nastyness in, has a mousse texture and cleanses the skin gently without stripping.

For some exfoliation I use Arnaud Rituel Visage, the beads in it are quite small and don't irritate the skin or make it red, which is always a pleasant thing.

Next step - toner. I either use an Avene Thermal water which is refreshing and makes the skin feel awake, or the La Roche-Posay' Micellar Solution that isn't technically a toner, but is nice before applying make up.

My two favorite moisturizers are Effaclar duo and Hydreane legere - both from La Roche-Posay. Effaclar duo is targeted towards the skin with imperfections and calms down spots and redness quite well. The Hydreane, as the name suggests, is a hydrating moisturizer for sensitive skin, I apply it either before Effaclar Duo, or on its own, if my skin isn't irritated. Occasionally I use Bioderma's Sebium AKN serum, which reduces imperfections, but tingles severely on my skin, so I don't get on with it as much.

I've only recently purchased an eye cream, just to see what it's like, the one from Garnier is affordable and to my opinion does the job at moisturizing the under-eye area. Next time I will probably buy something more fancy - a Caudalie one.

If I had more money to spend on skincare, I'd load my cart with Nuxe products. The quality is amazing, the texture, the smell... I love them all. In my stash I own a couple of cult numbers - Reve de Miel lip balm, which I'm sure you've heard of, a Huile Prodigieuse, which is a dry oil and can be applied anywhere, including hair, but personally I like it on my face, as a night serum. The last product is a Reve de Miel hand cream. It's so rich and smells divine!

So that's all I use day-to-day, tell me about your favorite products. Any recommendations from the French drugstore?

Lots of love.

Nika xx

The Liner

I've never really ventured into a whole feline eye look, because it seemed too complicated. Recently I've decided to experiment with it and purchased the L'oreal Super Liner and Maybelline Gel Eyeliner. The Super Liner has been more friendly, it has a thin felt tip and is quite easy to use, the downside of it - it dries out quickly. The Maybelline liner got mixed reviews, but I was expecting a lot from it, but...
The brush that comes with it is useless, in my opinion. Is it that hard to make a thin little brush? So I need to find a nicer brush that would work, maybe an angled one, and then I'll report back.
Also I've found quite a useful article in Vogue: top ten liquid lines, if you're interested, here's a link.
In the photo I'm wearing the Super Liner by L'oreal.
Please tell me what are your favorite liners? Or is there any you'd like to try?
Lots of love.
Nika xx

What's in my pouch?

Since I don't have to go to uni until Monday, the last two weeks have been all about carrying pouches or small bags, where I can fit all my essentials, but keep it minimal and clutter-free. When I'm on the go, I don't need too much stuff to carry, so the photo is pretty much self-explanatory.
The pouch is from Esprit, got it at the end of summer on sale, seems quite small, but fits inside a lot+super durable. My notebook is from Butler's and is getting quite old and battered, but it's still well-loved and frequently used ('to do' lists and other random stuff). My IPhone 5, a Kindle (currently reading A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood), a wallet with cards, money and driving license, my car keys (I drive a little white Fiat 500), Clarins Lip Perfector in 05 and an old but true love of mine - Chanel Blush in 82 Reflex.
So this mini kit is pretty much all I can carry around with me, make up products can vary, but usually it's a nude lip and a peachy blush, I don't own too much make up. A Kindle could be replaced for an IPad, but usually when I'm at university, and that's other bag and other blogpost.
What do you carry around on weekends or holidays?
Lots of love.
Nika xx

Lust=Motivation?

I think we all are a bit OCD and have a 'tiny' wishlist in our notebook. For example, these are some items that I really want to get my hands on in 2014: a white-gold watch by Swatch, Wreck this Box by Keri Smith, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy, a Moleskine planner, some classic white Converse, Comme de Garcons 2 Perfume (never smelt it, but bet it's my cuppa tea) and a Fujifilm Instax 8. 

I'm posting this to motivate myself, because I really lack motivation. The only thing that gets me running is a lust over a certain thing or even an activity. So right now I'm closing blogger and going back to work.

What keeps you motivated?

Any cheeky tips?

Finish what you start

In life, there are many beginnings. Projects, newly purchased books, blogs, work assignments, but I struggle so much with finishing all of them, like this John Green book, for instance. Not to say that it's bad or boring, no, it's just I can't seem to concentrate on one thing and then go on to another. So without further banter, I'm starting this blog to finish what I start, to keep going, stay interested and share with others.
Lots of love.
Nika xx