Birthday Postcards

Sooo, today I turned 20 ! Yay!

Wow, that feels different from the way I felt yesterday .... nooo, I'm kidding, it's actually not, but obviously it's the new decade for me and that can't stop my thought process about what I want to do and achieve, in this different, more adult-like era for me. So, I've been thinking about it for a while now, I think it's always good to stop from the constant running from one errand to another on the daily basis and actually think about yourself and your aspirations for this year, for the 5 year period and for the life in general. How you're doing right now and where do you want to be. So these moments for me happen twice per year - on my birthday week and on the first week of the year, in January. But today is not January, it's May, so let's talk about that first) When I do these analysing days - I'm preventing myself, on the day of my actual birthday, to have this feeling that I lost something and that something needs to be done, and I just enjoy this day and have fun!) Yep, it's that simple for me!

This year 23d of May happend to be very sunny and warm day, so that was a first and really huge gift for me, thank you nature) So we decided to spend this day outside and booked a table, on the terrace, but the wind was so strong there (it was 5th floor), that we decided to go inside and finish our lunch there.

Then we went for a walk, obviously, because this restaurant is located in the city centre, therefore surrounded by such famous sights of our city, as the Kazan Cathedral, the State Hermitage Museum, Palace square, The Church of the Savior on the blood, etc.

By the time we came back home - cake has arrived and it was very unusual from what I had on my previous birthdays, we went more creative with the inside (coconut biscuit with an exotic and coconut mouse and mango confiture, topped with the cream cheese) as well as with the outside and the decorations this year, you can find the pictures of it down below. 

Well, this day was so good, filled with love and laughter and I couldn't be more greatful for that and everything else in between) So that was my day - simple but yet memorable!) How do you like and prefer to spend your birthdays, I'm very curious, so I'm waiting for your messages in the comment section and that's it for now.

I wish you a wonderful day, and I'll see you in the next post)

Lots of love,

Katya, xx

What I was wearing

Blouse - ZARA

Jeans - H&M

Purse - Urban Outfitters

Nails - Essie "Blank"

My Winter/Spring Beauty Essentials

Hello my lovely readers! It feels so good to be back! I'm finally ready to do lots of new and interesting blogposts in the nearest future. And today's one, as you have probably already noticed by the title, is about my beauty essentials in the winter time, things that made me going through and the tough winter weather conditions (the temperature even went down to -25 C in St.Petersburg this year!) much easier. So I divided everything on three categories, here we go!

For Skin

1. My skin saver this year has been an amazing moisturizer called Ultra facial cream by Kiehl's . It has been tested by the people who have been climbing Everest and by expedition in the Greenland so that cream is not afraid of cold at all, i have tested as well.

It is basically a 24-hour moisturizer, which does an incredible, yet simple job in restoring our skin's moisture throughout the day. And this is exactly what I needed and what everyone needs in the cold seasons. It doesn't matter whether we are staying inside our houses with radiators working at full power, which dries out our skin like a hell or outside facing frost we need moisture either way.

I have been using this cream every single morning and night after cleansing my face and applying my favourite serum (only at the night time) also by Kiehl's, which I can't show you cause I've run out of it. But it truly evens out the skin tone by the morning and makes it super soft, and should I say that it smells absolutely divine as well? It smells lavender, which is one of the serum's ingredients and I'm a huge fan of this fragrance! It calms me down right before going to sleep and I enjoy my dreams like a baby)

2. Another favourite skincare product for cold weather of mine was this Collistar eye contour perfection cream. I love its thickness and how quickly it absorbs into the skin without drying it. Also what i really liked about this cream is that it instantly lightens under eye area thanks to the caffeine in it which stimulates micro circulation and it does a whole lot more than only that - it firms, corrects and illuminates under eye area as well as concealing bags, dark circles and little wrinkles. So it's a great product and I enjoyed using it.

3. The last but definitely not the least skin favourite was a lip product. It's called Vanilla&Macadamia lip butter by Nivea. And seriously guys, it's awesome! I've been putting it overnight on my lips and by the morning I had super soft, plump and extremely hydrated lips. Its consistency is so rich that it made this the first lip product I reached for! And did I mention that it's super affordable and smells divine? Total winner!

For Hair

1. My all time favourite hair essential especially for cold times of the year like winter and spring (well, at least in my area of living in spring it's cold as well as in winter) when hair are extremely tangled and dry is my beloved an original Tangle Teezer. It doesn't damage hair when you brushing them and detangles both wet and dry hair. So I always rely on this amazing yet simple product.

2&3. The next two guys I used when washing my hair. An incredible job in repairing damaged hair (again from dry air) and restoring hydration in them does this incredible Repair Miracle conditioner by Aussie followed by Pantene pro-v oil with vitamin E which also acts as a heat protectant. I put this oil on the ends when done with washing. I found that combination of these two products are creating wonders with my hair. They've become baby soft, freeze free, lightweight, super nourished without being greasy and therefore just happy overall. Can't recommend you them more enough!

For Soul

1. And to wrap everything up I decided to include in my list of favourites a product that helped me overcome winter depression and it's Relaxing lavender roll-on by french brand L'occitan. Again it's lavender and what fragrance can be better in calming and relaxing us on the long dark nights than lavender? I actually enjoy using it everytime I feel too stressed out or just when I want to escape a feeling of a non-stop pressure when everything becomes just too much. I just put it on my wrist or neck and deeply inhale this scent and everything becomes all good again)

Alright, so that's it for today's post, I hope you found it helpful. Let me know in the comments section what products you've been loving and also don't forget to share it with the people you think might enjoy reading this. See you in the next post.

Much love,
Katya