Office Style

Hello lovelies!

How are you today? ♥

I had an amazing weekend with the boys, we visited Powerpark amusement park and had fun with the rides and especially driving some go-kart (which I wasn't as bad in as I predicted, yay!). We were all kinda sore this morning because of the trip, but it was definitely worth all of it. Tomorrow, I'm starting the school again for this year and will be working and studying at the same time at least until December. Also, tomorrow I'll go to a Linkin Park concert, which is so cool! I can't wait. It's my all time favorite band.

Today, I just wanted to share this outfit with you. I wore this a while back in the office and loved it quite a bit.

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Blazer: H&M Skirt: Seppälä Top: H&M Sneakers: Adidas Necklace: a gift from friend Bracelet: Gina Tricot Rings: H&M, Gina Tricot

So this was a balancing act between sporty and girly. As you might have noticed, I'm quite obsessed with the shoes here. They're so comfy and cute I could live in them. Also the fact that the skirt is a bit detailed is one of my favorite things in this outfit. I tried to color-coordinate the accessories to the shoes and I think it went pretty well. Even though some might say statement necklace and sneakers don't go together. But you know, rules are meant for breaking.

What do you guys think about this look? Let me know in the comments!

Now, I gotta go get some sleep because tomorrow is quite a long day. I try to update some vibes to social media throughout the day, so follow me there to see more. I also hope I will have the time to write a quick post, but we'll see about that.

Have a fabulous start for the week ♥

Instagram Do's & Don'ts

Hello lovelies!

How are you all today? ♥

I've been prepping this post for a couple of days now, and finally it's looking like I want it to, so I can show it to you guys. And today, we're talking about Instagram - and how to make most of your account. (And sorry for no pictures, I couldn't get my computer and IG to work together enough to provide photos. Next time, I promise!)

I'm by no means expert at the field, nor the super popular cool girl on Instagram, but I've figured out some things you should and shouldn't do if you want to grow your audience and/or use the IG account as supportive platform for your blog. But always remember, no matter how many guides you would read on the subject, the main thing is to do things the way you feel good doing them, even if "experts" would consider it "wrong". Of course there's some science behind some of my tips - at least that's what some of the articles claim - but you definitely don't need to be a slave to it.

And no, I don't have all this fully applied to my own IG yet, but I'm getting there. But these are some of the things that make an Instagram feed worth following, to me at least. Nothing I say is the absolute right or wrong, but instead they're more like tips and guidelines you can choose to follow. And, I'm mostly looking at this from a blogger/vlogger point of view, not so much from the angle that I would have a personal IG for my friends and family. If you get what I'm saying.

DO

- Take clear pics
Usually clear, well lit pics are prettier, which is important when dealing with such visual platform as Instagram. All my favorite accounts ha beautiful, clear photos that are fun to look at.

- Try to have some guidelines to your feed
I read a thread online where these young girls were saying how they hate themed IG feeds so much. I strongly disagree. While you certainly can have whatever you want in your feed, I think having an idea on your editing, subjects or other visual things will make your feed more professional looking. If you just want to share pics to your friends and/or just wing it, feel free to ignore this.

- Use proper hashtags - but not too many
The best way to get any exposure on Instagram is to use relevant hashtags to let people find your pics if they're looking for a certain tag. (Like #nails for a mani pic, or #ootd for the pic of your latest outfit). Be careful with these though, because it's so easy to overdo the amount of hashtags (been there, done that. And some might say I still do). If you don't know which ones to choose, find people with same niche as you, and see what they do to get tips.

- Make it unique and interesting
Because we don't want to be basic, right? With millions of active users on IG, it's not worth it to try to be super popular by copying someone else. Again, you can always have similar elements if you are into the same things as someone super popular, but never be a copycat. You're certainly interesting enough as you are, as you are unique. Remember that.

- Be kind
People tend to prefer the ones who are nice, and more than that, being positive brings around more positivity. Take for instance Kandee Johnson, who has the biggest heart in the planet. Can you ever see her posts and feel bad? That's what I'm talking about. I personally try to write at least 10-20 nice comments every day to other people, because I know how nice it is to get kind things told to you and I definitely want to pass that good feeling around.

- Be real
Being fake is not the way to do it (unless it's a carefully planned role, then it can be cool). Despite what people might think, it's actually quite easy to see who's a poser and who's the real deal. Real people have most of the time so many interesting layers to them - and they are not afraid to show that. And that makes people interesting. I don't know if you can call me interesting, but I will use myself as an example: I may write this girly blog and all, but underneath that I listen to  metal, love ice hockey and F1 quite passionately, play video games and love to spend time with boys doing not-so-girly stuff. Also, my favorite animal is shark even if I love all things fluffy. And I try to bring that side of me up because I think it's more relatable than pretty nails and such (even if I'm a nail addict).

- Comment, like, follow - be social
Because then people know there's someone in there. Also, people are more likely to like and follow those who interact. And of course, because ignoring everyone on purpose (especially if there's not that many comments yet, like in my account) seems pretty stuck up. To me, at least. I know that people may have their reasons to not answer everyone/anyone on social media, but that really seems to go against the idea of the social media. One thoughtful comment has more potential of giving you likes and followers than any meaningless spam.

- Do challenges etc.
Don't know what to post? There are a ton of articles giving ideas for your IG posts, but I've found out that a good way to find friends is through challenges. Any photo challenge that is up your alley is good, just go with it, do your best and use the official hashtag, and people will find you. Also, remember to be polite (and moreover, curious) and go check out other's posts too.

- Find your thing, niche
Best IG feeds have an idea around them. Just like in blogging, discover your strengths, and use them to create cool content that looks like you. If you're aspiring makeup artist, do daily/weekly looks, themed looks, collabs... If you're a fashionista, build your feed around daily looks, flatlays of planned outfits, sneak peeks of hauls. I know I post lot of pretty random stuff, and while that's not wrong, it might sometimes slow down the growth - if people don't know what to expect if they follow you.

- Figure out the right schedule for you
Again, a similarity to blogging, you may need some schedule to this. I'm not talking about having a certain minute when you post everyday, but as a convenience to your current and potential followers, try to be consistent in how often you post. If you post daily, or few times a day, you can have some shots ready in your phone in case you get uninspired to photograph (or you're just too busy). I usually always have a couple of posts in store that I can share to keep my feed active no matter what. You can also use scheduling tools to help you remember to post at right times. NOTE! You don't have to be active daily, if that's not feeling good to you. Even if it's 1-3 pics per week, just stay consistent with that, so people know when to expect content from you.

- Remember credit!
Sometimes we all find pics worth sharing even if they are not our own photos. There's basically nothing wrong in that IF you remember to give credit to rightful owner, and you don't make money out of using someone elses photos. More on copyright in the Don't section, and in a future blogpost. Or you can google it.

DON'T

- Expect everyone like everything you post
No one will ever post anything that every people on the planet will love. That being said, post whatever you desire, and don't feel bad about people not loving it. Even with over 1500 followers (Which is still not that much, I know. But I love my followers, it feels like a big number to me.) I still get likes pretty inconsistently. One pic might have well over 100 likes, while the other one doesn't hit 30. But that's totally okay, because that just shows me what kind of content people like more, and I can have those elements in some posts later on.

- Be purposely rude or judgemental
I haven't seen anything positive coming out of that. Ever. People don't like bullies. Also, as a blogger, it looks very unprofessional to attack on people. Bashing others online has never been cool, and it never will be. There's too much hate in the world without us spreading it around.

- Ridicule others
I know we all love those funny pictures of someone failing and so on, but always remember to ask if the person in photo is okay with being laughed at. I can imagine it being quite horrible to find that terrible pic from that night long ago spreading viral on the internet. Also, secretly taking pics of others in spite of laughing at them in social media seems like a definite no-no to me. Would you be game if someone did that to you? If not, don't do it.

- Spam
Literally no one likes this. Taking pics every five minutes and posting them is more Snapchat material, so save everyones Instagram and carefully choose what to post. Also, don't spam with comments like "10 likes for 10 likes?" or "Pls follow me pls", because that's just unnecessary. Good pics get likes, when properly tagged. Spamming definitely seems like you're trying so hard to be super popular. And traffic through spam isn't really that good traffic for bloggers, because I don't think potential cooperators (companies, other bloggers) see that relevant to them. At least I wouldn't. Exception to the pic spam rule is if you're being in a big event or something else special, and you know your followers want lots of updates. Although Snapchat or a vlog might still do that better.

- Just take selfies
I know this one works for pretty girls, and that selfies do get quite a bit likes, but no one cares about anyones face THAT much unless you're a makeup artist or a celebrity. Of course, if that's your thing and it works for you, keep it up. But again, for any professional use it's not very good of a choice. Many people see persons taking lots of selfies as narcissistic, maybe not so pleasant personalities, which might work against you. Unless you are a model or you do all kinds of makeup things, when your face is a tool, basically. I love seeing different makeup looks from all the talented girls out there, so I'm not really against selfies. But there's a lot more to that then people just thinking you look good today. I could write a whole post about this, so I just tell you to google it. (And yes, I take too many selfies myself probably. But I usually try to show my makeup or hair in them so let's pretend it's not that bad.)

- Take blurry, too dark or unclear pics - without artsy purpose
Because you can do pretty much anything in the name of art, I'm gonna say you can totally rock a artsy account full of "bad " pictures. However, as a norm, clear pictures with good light and proper composition do well on Instagram. So no matter what you do, make it visually pleasing to your own eye, and others will love it too. (If you would follow similar account than yours is, it's a good one.)

- Steal pics
Nowadays it's so easy to get lots of piccs from all around the web and claim their your own. But that's basically a crime, because photos are compyrighted material. You can't take pics - especially if you make money out if it - and falsely say they're yours. You can get into big trouble for it if the rightful owner finds it out. Which is almost as easy as finding the pics in the first place. And yes, it's still illegal to take them if they're not watermarked. The owners tend to have the originals around, which can easily prove they're taken before the stolen one is published. There are also sources where you can borrow pics any way you like, and I will tell you about those later this year.

- Edit pics too much (unless art)
Too harsh editing in Instagram - or any pictures - can look so bad if not done correctly. In our super digital society, it seems people rather see real people and real pics instead of super polished and carefully done ones. I personally love photos that seemingly have quite a bit effort to them, but too much is too much. Especially in editing - and especially in selfies. So careful with the filters, darlings.

- Use too many (irrelevant) hashtags
This is totally my personal sin. I use way too many hashtags, especially in nail pictures. But I'm trying to cut the amount down especially in others than nail ones. Irrelevant hashtags look like you're spamming for likes and follows. Which is why I'm cutting the amount of mine down. If you look at professional accounts or very popular ones, you don't see that many hashtags. Of course, since the public has already recognised them, there's no need for that much exposure anymore. Even if you use loads of hashtags, make sure they're relevant to the pictures, and don't just take a list out of application without checking it through. That doesn't look like you put thought to it, but just that you took out first list you found and slapped it on a random photo. Don't do it.

- Buy fake followers 
Where do I even begin with this one? You don't need fame that much to anything that you should lower yourself to do this. It's kind of against IG policies to even do that, although I think not so much so that they would ban anyone for it. But, Instagram tries to remove all the fake accounts every once in a while so why bother buying something they can erase if they want to. Even if you buy followers, it only makes you look more popular than you really are, but it doesn't give you real feedback on if your content is good or not. It's ridiculously easy to see if someone has fake followers once you know what a fake account looks like. It's such a fast way to lose your reputation - especially if you use Instagram as a working tool. Companies nowadays have social media experts who can go check out your followers anytime to see what kind of people you have in there. If they're all/mostly fake, how that it makes you look? I actually told a friend who's not on IG about this phenomenon of some people buying fame, and he couldn't figure out why people would do it unless they are out of their mind. So rather put a little effort to your pics and account and get real traffic instead. Save yourself from looking bad.

Do you have any other things to add to the lists? You can give your advice in the comment box!

That's all I have for you, and this was a borderline rant, but  I have many thoughts about the subject. I hope this wasn't all too much, and I promise next post will be lighter as usual. If you have any posting ideas, you can leave those in the comments and I can try to make them happen. 

But I'm off now to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another busy office day and I hope I will get loads done. Follow me on my social media accounts for more recent updates.

Have a fantastic day ♥

Classic Combo

Hello lovelies!

How are you today? ♥

I should be in bed already but I really wanted to come and share this quick little work outfit with you. More chit chat probably on next post, but today I just keep this simple and outfit-oriented. So let's see the look then, shall we?

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Blazer: H&M Pants: Mango Top: H&M Shoes: Nelly Necklace: Gina Tricot Bracelet: KappAhl Rings: H&M, Gina Tricot, JC, gift from a friend

So I was rocking this simple look to office a while back, and I think this was kind of a classic outfit with the black, white and red - and the heels. I loved wearing this and even though I'm sneaker kind of girl, I liked the heels quite a bit (gotta dress up some days, right?). Also I matched my lips to the pants and my nails to literally nothing, but I personally liked the whole thing a lot.

What do you guys think about this look? And what do you like to wear to office? Let me know in the comments!

Now, I'm seriously need to go catch some sleep so that I can get through the day tomorrow (so much to do!). I will see you guys tomorrow, or on Wednesday the latest, so stay tuned! You can also follow me on social media for more updates.

Have a lovely day ♥

Head2Toe Beauty Nail Haul

Hello lovelies!

How are you all today? ♥

I've had a great weekend since the F1 (and supporting classes of motorsports) was on again this weekend. We have basically just stayed home watching sports, but today we took an hour long walk out in the sun after the race, which was pretty amazing (and romantic, even).

Today, I wanna share my latest nail polish haul with you. I was shopping for more autumn shades from my usual nail polish shopping place Head2Toe Beauty, and below are the ones I got:

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From left to right: Wood You Wanna?, Rain Dance The Night Away, Feeling Twinkly and Ruby Pumps

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Left to right: License & Registration Pls, Let's Dew It, Boho Blues and What's She Dune?

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Left to right: Towel Boy Toy, Techno, Golden Enchantment and Cabin Fever.

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Left to right: Make A Spectacle, Wanderlust, Too Yacht To Handle and Trip Of A Lime Time.

So, quite many again, plus a new bottle of Fairy Dust since the previous one is almost gone. Below, you can see swatches and a bit of description of the colors.

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Cabin Fever is a cute duochrome polish that goes from pink and red to copper and even a hint of green I think. It's a lovely shade for autumn and would go very well in many different designs. I try to come up with few nice ones for you to show.

Wood You Wanna?  is a pretty metallic with loads of fine glitter in it. It's kind of a metallic taupe shade, or something like that if you'd want to label it, but it's pretty, it's kind of dark yet it has dimension to it.

Ruby Pumps is quite a classic as so many ladies have named it as their favorite, and it's no wonder since it is a gorgeous rich red with plenty of glitter in it. It's perfectly festive for the holidays, but also appropriate for any occasion since it is such a classic shade of red.

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Feeling Twinkly is clear based polish with plenty of bright blue glitter. This can be built up to a quite opaque glitter, but probably looks its best over a color polish. I love the shade of the glitter, it's absolutely gorgeous blue.

Let's Dew It is also a blue-ish glitter, although this one has different sizes of glitter and it could be also almost called lilac. Almost, but not quite.

Make A Spectacle seems like a layerable polish to me, meaning that it really needs something else under it to actually look like something. I kind of fell for this after seeing swatches of it over dark polishes, so that's what I need to show you all later in the future.

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Techno is also one of the legendary CG polishes, it seems everyone and their mom has it - and that everybody loves it as well. I can definitely see the appeal of this silver glitter topper that shines in every color of the rainbow. I think the different-sized glitters and make any mani that much more fun. I can't believe I haven't gotten this one earlier to my collection.

Golden Enchantment is the golden equivalent of Fairy Dust, but seems not as common of a choice as the silver one is. This is a topper with super fine gold glitter that shines in different shades. I  have to make some research on how to properly pair this, but I'm sure it at least looks stunning over dark shades.

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Towel Boy Toy is a shimmery turquoise that is bright and cute - and more of a summer color than an autumn one, but what the hell. I kinda liked how this looks, and I thought I didn't have enough blues, so...

Rain Dance The Night Away is a lovely turquoise, and looks more different from the previous one in real life than the picture shows. It's a bit brighter and lighter, and it doesn't have shimmer in it. (I don't have a problem, I really need this color too.)

Licence & Registration Pls is a lovely medium blue color that is kinda bright even (again not showing that much on the pic), but definitely a super wearable color that goes well with so many shades. And unlike the blues on Electric Nights collection, this doesn't seem to stain. Love that. 

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Wanderlust is light lavender/pink with some golden shimmer in it, it's super cute shade and I'm wearing it actually at the moment on my nails. It's a very subtle shade that's appropriate everywhere.

Boho Blues is a light blue that turns bit to the lilac, but it's blue nevertheless. I loved wearing this a few days back and it's absolutely one of my favorites I got in this haul. It also matches quite perfectly to Let's Dew It, which you will see in another post later on.

Too Yacht To Handle is another favorite of nail bloggers all around the world, it seems. Again, it's no wonder because it's quite perfect shade of neon turquoise (almost mint, even), and it totally makes your nail art pop. So. Freaking. Gorgeous. I love this one to bits and I'm so happy I got it.

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Trip Of A Lime Time is a lovely green that is quite yellowish at the same time. I was obsessed with this shade as a teen and actually wore a lot of clothes of this color (yes, I may have looked like a pea around that time, just not as cute). So this was actually pretty nostalgic. It's kinda similar to CG S'more Fun from what I gather, so you may not need both if you got one of these.

And last but not least: What's She Dune? is a beautiful neutral shade (of beige) that is super nice option for a nude shade. It's bit of a sandy color which to me is super pretty, and it makes a great base color for so many different manis. I love this one so freaking hard.

These were the polishes I got this time, I hope this post is any helpful is some of you are thinking of getting any new autumn shades for your nails or so on. I think I won't be buying polishes for a couple of months now, just so I will save a bit more money and also because I have a plenty to use as it is. (You will see exactly how many in the future posts, so be prepared.

Are there any colors you are liking? Or have you tried out any of these yourself? Let me know in the comments!

Now, I'm hitting the shower, and then the bed, because tomorrow is yet another long day at the office, and I need to be fresh and awake to get through all the tasks and so on. I will be posting something fun again tomorrow, but haven't yet decided what that will be. But I'll see you tomorrow anyways!

Have a great start for your week ♥

Khaki Pants

Hello lovelies!

How are you all today? ♥

I've been doing quite a bit at home lately, so I've not been too active here on the blog - or on my laptop anyway. I feel very bad about that, as I love writing here, but being on the computer 8 hours everyday at work is so much that I really don't want to spend that much on my laptop at home. Especially this week when we've had such nice weather and all. But haven't forgotten you all, don't worry!

Today, I wanted to share this outfit from the colder days with you. I wore it to work a while back and liked it quite a bit. 

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Jacket: secondhand Pants: secondhand Shoes: Adidas Floral top: Bershka Bracelets: KappAhl, Gina Tricot, gift from friend Rings: H&M, Gina Tricot, Born Pretty Store Necklace: Gina Tricot

So that's my look for today, a laid back outfit with khaki pants and some floral, topped with some leather to give it some edge. The shoes give it some sporty vibe too, which I liked quite a bit. 

What do you guys think about this outfit? Let me know in the comments below!

That's all I have for you today, and tomorrow I will show you my latest nail haul. Now, I will go make some food and spend some time with motorsports (because the summer break in F1 is finally over). I hope you'll all have a super nice weekend, and I'll see you all tomorrow!

Have a fabulous day you all ♥

Gluten Free Life - One Year Update

Hey lovelies!

How are you today? ♥

I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now, and today I'm finally sitting down and typing it for you. I hope this can be inspiring, comforting and maybe educating, even.

As many of you might remember, I got diagnosed with celiac disease about a year ago (last July), and have been eating gluten free since. It certainly has been  life change, and today I want to talk about how the past year has been for me.

One Year Gluten Free

So, what having celiac disease means is not being able to eat wheat, barley or rye - because they make your body sick. Luckily, the treatment for the disease is to eat the right food (albeit more pricey one), so compared to many others, this isn't too bad. Of course, if you are super sensitive or have the type of celiac that gives you skin rash, it's definitely not a walk in the park. As a person who nearly downs everything that doesn't run away from the plate, adjusting to watching what I eat has been a bit challenging. But on the other hand, being able to everything also helps when I've had to remove the unholy trinity from my diet. 

So thanks mom for raising a girl that isn't afraid of any dishes!

How being gluten free has worked for me so far?

I don't have nearly any friends who are celiacs, even though few eat gluten free because of gluten sensitivity or because their body just feels better without it. So I get some questions abut my diet every once in a while, one of them being "Has it felt any different since starting the new diet?".

And the truth is, it feels different. Because it feels better. So here's a list of some pros and cons I personally feel about my diet:

Pros
+ I have more energy
+ I don't feel nauseated so often
+ I'm not bloated every day
+ I don't feel as stressed
+ most restaurants (in Finland) can handle the diet pretty well
+ it is a chance to network with people all around the world
+ there's quite a lot recipes on the Internet
+ there are more and more foods out in the market for celiacs

Cons
it's more expensive than "normal" food
- you need to be careful with what you put in your mouth
- you need to have it in you to stand up for yourself to get the right kind of food everywhere
- it can give you some social anxiety
- some of my favorite foods are not on my menu anymore

I wouldn't change my diet back since I'm feeling so good with my body right now, and there are still more pros than cons - obviously, as this is my medication. I know some people think having celiac disease ruins or life - I don't agree to that. It may be a challenge, but at least you have food to eat (as I feel this is more first world disease).

How I feel about eating gluten free just for the trend

Some people think that you should do gluten free for fun or for trend, which is kind of questionable if you go to restaurant and ask gluten free but still order something that potentially has a lot of gluten in it, it might sometimes confuse the waiters as they don't necessarily know whole lot about celiac disease and how strict you should be with it. Because not that many people truly know about it if it doesn't really touch them too much.

But of course, if you like gluten free food, by all means eat it. It can give the signal that there's demand fr more gluten free products and I feel it's good for celiacs. So you know, there's many sides to it.

There are not that much scientific health benefits for eating gluten free for fun, but if your body feels better that way, why not do it. I like the fact I've gotten some of my normally eating friends to try out the gluten free alternatives, and that they have actually liked most of them. But to make my point, I don't mind if someone eats whatever is trendy because I believe it can encourage companies to bring out more gluten free options. I know many of my fellow celiacs may feel trend eaters are bad and I get it, but I choose to see the positive in it (as a marketing and business student, too).

Is the gluten free diet really a big deal?

I think this kind of depends on you point of view, but I'd say it's still quite a big deal. Like with any allergy, you have to make sure you don't get the bad ingredients in your food, you need to educate people around you, you have to stand up for yourself... The worst part for me are some little traditions that include foods, as with those I need to be careful and try to change them into my diet and so on. It can be mentally challenging at first - and for some all the time - but I feel it's totally something you can overcome. It set challenges in many social situations, sure, but it can be taken as a learning experience.

And it brings so much positive with it I don't mind that much about the negatives.

How to handle friends/family who feel it's a super big deal?

I get so awkward when people make a big deal of the things in my life, so that's why I'm including this. Of course it is important that people take this seriously, no doubt about that. And I appreciate that people feel for me for my diet since I'm kind of forced into it. But as I personally feel it's just food, as in fuel that gets you from one day to another, it's just important there is some. My way of going is to thank people for being considerate, and letting them know I love that they care, but then calming them by telling that I still live a normal life, I just watch what I eat. In the era of people choosing to be vegans, vegetarians, eating just raw food, not eating red meat etc., it's not that weird to have a certain diet you follow. 

And I usually tell that this is a diet for champions as I've heard few athletes to do it as well. ;)

How to educate people about gluten free living?

As with any lifestyle, you should tell the pros and cons about the diet. Also, if you are celiac like me, you can also tell what that is all about. Let them know your favorite dishes, share recipes, show food inspo... You can do quite a lot. 

The biggest concern people seem to have is whether my food is good. That's probably because not too long ago (I've heard) the gluten free food has been quite poor consistency (the cakes, bread, etc.), very dry and even weird tasting. I usually ease people's minds by letting them taste my foods, and they end up being positively surprised. I also try t show I actually have quite many options I can eat, so no one should be concerned about me.

How to handle social situations with food?

If it's get-together with friends, I offer to either bring some on my own, to help with shopping and cooking or to provide gluten free recipes and info on where to buy gluten free food. If it's going to a restaurant, I like to do some research beforehand to know if the place does gluten free food (I google menus, reviews, and sites that recommend gluten free places), so I can be sure I can actually eat something (more than a salad). 

I get how to some, the social situations with food might be awkward, and I can say, even to me it gives anxiety at times. But it's important to remember food is the cure here, so it's no causing a scene if you make sure your food is good enough for your body, and you're not rude for asking questions. Gluten can cause days worth of pain for a celiac, so everyone should learn it's kind of serious. I'm personally always happy when gluten free options are printed on menus, because then the responsibility is basically the restaurant's - although it's usually good to mention you need your dish absolutely gluten free so that kitchen gets the message too (and doesn't touch your food after petting bread). 

My advice, all in all for this is just to go with it, gluten free diet is just as normal a any other one. Just stand up and be clear about it. It can't go too wrong.

Do you have any special diet, or a story related to this? Let me know in the comments below!

Now, I will head to bed and hopefully tomorrow I can get an outfit post out for you. Follow me on social media for lighter updates than this. I love you all a lot, so see you soon!

Have a fabulous day ♥





Favorite Jeans

Hey lovelies!

How are you all today? ♥

I've spent my weekend addicted to videogames and going on food dates with my husband. So that has been fun. I've also been cleaning our place, so sorry for being MIA for the weekend. I really need to get more on my blogging game, but that will get better next month by the latest (as my lazy school schedule starts).

Today, I just quickly wanted to share this outfit with you - which is actually the look I got married in,  because we didn't get married in a church and just had the celebration the next day. So yeah, this is actually a special outfit for me, haha.  

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Jeans: Gina Tricot/DIY Top: Cubus Loafers: SpiritStore Scarf: secondhand Bracelets: Europehouse, KappAhl, H&M

So there, basically this was my wedding look. I had the princess day the day after, and I will try to get the pictures from that day soon - I need to sort out the good ones with my husband and all before that. It's been a bit hectic now with sorting out my studies and all that lately, so I hope you guys understand. Okay, focusing on the outfit... I personally love the jeans a lot, and for the kinda chilly summer here in Finland, I've gotten to wear them quite a bit this year. I was hoping to wear more girly looks and all but I get cold a bit too easily so I haven't been able to wear all the looks I've been planning.

Anyway, what do you guys think about the look? Let me know in the comments!

Now, I'm gonna go test out a new tanner and get some night snack with the hubby. Tomorrow I try to get a new post out, because I have so many things to post for you and I don't keep you waiting all of them until the Christmas or anything. So yeah, the struggle is real. I would also want to do some back to school stuff but we'll see whether that will happen. Remember to follow me on social media for more frequent updates!

Have a fantastic start for the new week ♥

Nail Art 101: Weekly Nail Care

Hey lovelies!

How are you all today? ♥

You know how I was talking about bringing a series back from the dead? Well, it's the Nail Art 101. I did one post a year and a half ago, and it was pretty popular post, but then life took over and I regretfully forgot about the whole thing. Now that I've been better in many levels with my life, I finally sat down and figured out I actually have quite a bit I could write about nails.

So, I have planned some posts and kind of photographed some of them already as well. You can go check out the first part here (click!) if you want to read some previous blabber about Basic things in nail art. And today, I will tell you about my weekly nail care and how it works for me.

Clean up

First important step while starting your nail care routine is simply to remove the previous nail polish you may have on your nails. All of it. I personally use this affordable X-tra one currently, but you can use whatever remover that does it for you. I clean my nails with cotton pads is moisture with the polish remover, but once again, you can do whatever feels right.

Except I wouldn't recommend filing or ripping the polish off for obvius reasons (that will damage your nails). And of course, you can use a peel-off base coat for easier removal. In upcoming posts, I will share my tricks for removing glitter polish, in case some of you might need that kind of info.

Also, after this you can rinse off the acetone (or the remover in general) and make sure the undersides of your nails are clean too (as they gather way too much dirt under there).

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So my nails go from painted (above) to naked (below).

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So yeah, my nails get stained kinda easily, and I know they don't look that amazing without nail polish. I should probably have more days when they could breath but I love having them done too much, so... But anyway, you can see they look a bit nasty and dry, and the cuticles need to be pushed a bit. So the next step is:

Oil bath

I love doing this weekly - not that I like when my hands are soaked in oil, but because it makes a huge difference for my cuticles and nails. Basically for everything I may touch with acetone while painting/removing polish. So I soak them in a bit of olive oil for 10-15 min per hand (and leave the other one free just in case), after which I dab them dry on a paper towel.

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Next up is time to make the cuticles neat.

Pushing back the cuticles

Now, this is a part where you probably need to concentrate a bit. Cuticles are usually pretty sensitive and might get easily damaged, so you want ot always be careful when working with them. When you are doing a manicure, it always looks a tad neater if the cuticles are pushed back. Some people even go as far as cutting them, but it doesn't only sound painful, it also actually is a bit risky.

So I would rather recommend getting an orange wood stick, and using the flat end to gently push the cuticles back. I'm sure there are actual tutorials for that on YouTube, but I can also try to make one for you later on. It's important that the skin is quite soft when doing this, so it's best (in my opinion) to do this step after soaking the nails in oil or after shower. The skin should be clean and moisturized so that this step is the easiest.  

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Lastly I shorten my nails into the shape and length I want to, and the result is something like above.

Shaping the nails

Now, if you usually cut your nails, this could be the time to put down the scissors and get a file. A file damages the nails less as there's no harsh cutting movement. Of course, filing the nails wrong may be bad for them as well, but at least for me switching from cutting to filing has made my nails to break less and it gives me more control over the shape of the nails. Of course again, you need to do what works best for you. If you don't have any problem with cutting the nails, go for it.

I usually keep my nails medium length and square shaped. I feel like that works the best for me, even though I loved my long almonds as well. You can shape yours however you like, and if you need to know more about nail shapes, I'll be talking about them in some post later on.

Now, you are ready paint your nails, which we will talk about in the next part.

Tips for taking care of your nails all the time:
  • Drink enough water - it'll keep you hydrated and your nails will feel better
  • Eat enough vitamins - again, healthy body means healthy nails
  • Moisturize - get a hand cream, cuticle oil etc. and use it anytime your hands and/or cuticles feel dry. Keep a moisturizer with you all times. I
  • Clean up under nails daily - because hygiene
  • Be careful with soaps - if you have a sensitive skin like I do, you should avoid touching too much soap. Of course, you should keep your hands clean and all, but for example the dishwashing liquid may dry up your skin totally. It breaks up oils and grease which is bad for the nails as a nail without any natural oil will split and break. Use gloves when cleaning (the house) to avoid contact with cleansers etc. as you would with sensitive skin

With these tips, you should be able to keep your nails in quite a good shape.

Did you find this post helpful? And what are your nail care tips? Let me know in the comments!

That's all I have for you today, I really hope you have at least half as much fun reading this as I had writing it. I also hope these posts will be helpful for you if there are any nail things you have ever been wondering. And for those who are wondering what does this have to do with nail art, it's like painting whatever. You need to prepare the canvas for the artwork to look its best.

Tomorrow, I will have an outfit post for you, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, you can follow me on social media for more frequent updates on everything possible.

Have a fabulous Friday ♥

Foodie Post: Red Berries Tea Lemonade

Hey lovelies!

How are you today? ♥

The week has gone by so fast, and I feel I haven't got much done. Except at work, there I have actually accomplished something. So last night (when I was also typing this post ready for today), I sat down and went through all the photos in the archives I have taken with my hubby for the blog (but not yet published) and actually edited them ready to go. And I also added most of them into the post drafts, so basically I have nearly 30 posts only waiting for texts, and that doesn't even include everything I want to post in the coming couple of months. I can tell you, there are some new and some returning series coming up, and I think you may like it.

Also, I possibly figured out how to solve my problem with videos, which has been my overheating camera. But I googled things yesterday and may have found the fix for it. I'll let you know how that goes later on. And if we get the video thing working, I have some pretty fun things planneed for you.

But today, I really just wanted to share this Starbucks inspired recipe I found online a couple of days back. It's a perfect little summer drink and probably quite easy to make into healty one by reducing the amount of sugar/replacing with something else. The original recipe I used for this can be found here (click!). I didn't make mine out of passion tea because my local grocery store didn't happen to have that, but this is just as good.

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Red Berries Tea Lemonade
2 servings

2 tea bags
16 oz (4,7 dl) water
4 oz (1,2dl) lemonade
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla

Boil water. Remove heat, add tea bags, sugar and vanilla. Allow sit for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and put it in the fridge for at least one hour. Add ice to a tall closeable container. Add 8 oz tea and 2 oz lemonade per serving. Shake well to mix.

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And it's ready to drink! I really wanted to make this for my man as he loves ice teas quite a bit. I'm sure different variations of this will belong to our kitchen from now on, as my husband liked this one so much.

Have you tried this recipe at home? Or have you tried making other Starbucks style drinks yourself? Let me know in the comments!

That's all I have for you today, later this week I'll bring an old series back from the dead, we'll check out my latest nail haul and I will also post a new outfit. So stay tuned for that and other fun stuff. Remember to follow me on social media to see more frequent updates!

Have a lovely day ♥


USA vs. Gradient

Hello darlings!

How are you today? ♥

I had quite a break from blogging - and almost from the Internet altogether - for being at the cabin with boys. I didn't win our little beerlympics (although I was surprisingly good in couple of games), but it was a lot of fun nevertheless. Our car had a little incident on Sunday, and our front tire said bye bye. Luckily we still manage to get home safely, and the tire is now fixed.

Yesterday went by running errands for the start of thw week, and today, I'm hoping to get the aparment cleaned and my online life sorted out. My posting schedule has seemed like a mess to me lately, so I really want to step up my game and do better for the rest of the month. I have been planning to do kind of opinion posts, since there are somethings I want to talk about more than just the 140 characters per tweet. So I hope that sounds good to you too. On top of that, I've been planning a couple of tutorials that I just need to shoot first.

But today, it's time for nail art as usual. So let's get that show on the road!


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First are these nails I did for 4th of July. We don't of course celebrate it here in Finland, but seeing all the related stuff on Instagram, I really had to make these. I'm not 110% happy with these, but I think they came out okay.

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These were  also my nails for my bachelorette party, and since it was rock themed (in a way), these were totally appropriate for that too. I personally really like the dry brushing on the pinky.

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For this mani, I used China Glaze White On WhiteSeas The Day, One Track Mind and Essie Set In Stones. Nail vinyls were used for the stars and stripes, and the heart on pinky is hand-painted. The Statue of Liberty is from a Born Pretty Store stamping plate, and it was made into a decal by using China Glaze Liquid Leather. (I can make a tutorial for that technique the next time I use it!)

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The next mani is this cute gradient, to which I saw the idea on the Internet. I loved this color combo so I had to recreate it, though I put my own spin on it with the ring finger design.

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This was also one mani I absolutely loved to wear, because the colors made me think of unicorns or something as magical. And the giltter on top made it perfect.

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For the mani, I used China Glaze White On White under the gradient, Glow With The Flow, DJ Blue My Mind and UV Meant To Be for the gradient, Fairy Dust to top the gradient and Liquid Leather for the ring finger. The rhinestones for the ring finger are from Born Pretty Store.

If you'd be interested for a tutorial for gradient, I could try to make that happen soonish. Just let mee know you want to see it!

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That's all I have for you today, and I hope you've enjoyed this post.

What do you think about these designs? Let me know in the comments!

Time to go now, but I'll see you on a new post tomorrow. I think we will have an outfit post coming up, and hopefully other fun things late this week, so stay tuned. Also, remember to follow me on social media for more frequent updates and so on.

Have a fabulous day ♥