27 May 2016

How to walk in high heels?

So, I got myself brand new heels for spring/summer time (aren't they the cutest?) and I can't wait to wear them. Then I remembered this would probably be helpful.
I wore my official first heels in the first grade of high school, I think. They were so low, I'd call them flats now. But starting out, they were a big deal for me. I wore them about 5 times before I upgraded my game to the full 11 cm heel. That was an even bigger step, but it took me only about 10 minutes to get used to them. If you're not so lucky, here are some tips how to make walking in heels less painful and more graceful.
  • Buying heels
Start small. Lower heels provide more stability and less difference between them and sneakers or flats you usually wear. Also, you'll learn how to keep balance without the risk of breaking your legs.
The wider the better. Having a block to support your leg is much better than having a tiny stick. Wider heel is more stable and your legs won't hurt as much because you can put more weight on your heel as you naturally would.
Wedges. Shoes with full heels are easier to control. Since there's no gap between your heel and toes, you're gonna have more of a feeling like you're walking in your flats.
Closed heels or straps. I personally can't wear heels without straps because my left leg is half of number bigger than my right one, so it's always a battle which number to buy. Straps, thin or wide, will provide much more support and your feet will not be able to move out of the heels which is super important!
Platforms. Although heels without platforms can look more elegant (and usually are), walking in platforms is so much easier even though it may not look like that (of course, it depends on the height of the platform as well). Even if you have wood under your toes, you'll feel more comfortable than walking on a thin layer of anything. I don't know what's actually happening here, but trust me on this.
I do not own any of these photos.
  • Testing heels
Walk in the store. It's not the same to walk 10 feet in the store and walking all day. That's why, when I choose the heels I plan on buying, I like to walk around the store in them browsing a bit more. That way I have them on for about half an hour so I can start to sense what I'm getting there.
Test the height of the heel. Once you try the heels, stand up straight and try to lift yourself up on the toes so the gap between your heel and the shoe is minimum 1 inch (2.54 cm). That way you'll know there is still room for your feet to move and heels are not too high.
Walk at home. After you buy your heels, go home and walk in them for some time. Don't do it all day every day cause your legs and feet will die. Choose an hour the first day, hour and a half the next and so on. You'll get used to them in no time.
  • Adjusting the heels
Gel insoles or pads. These are your friends when it comes to walking in heels. I personally use gel insoles for the area under my toes and toe mounds (I Googled 15 minutes to get this word). Mounds are usually parts that suffer the most so having a soft gel or pad to soften the surface is a great thing.
Plaster. There are some shoes I can't wear even after few years of having them. That's why I already know where to put my plasters. But, if you wear the same shoes very often, I would suggest placing a plasters on the shoe so you won't throw away so many plasters. Replace them when you see there's no more use of them.
Sticky foam pads. There are like bandages, but they were made for shoes, usually for the part just above your heel where the edge of the shoe goes.
  • Walking
Small steps. You'll see it's not that easy to make large steps in heels. Also, smaller steps provide more stability. The less time one foot is in the air, the less chance of loosing balance. Also, smaller steps look more elegant.
Different surfaces. Walking on concrete is the easiest. On slippery surfaces, make smaller and slower steps. If there are some uneven surfaces, like grass or gravel, put all your weight on your toes because your heel will get stuck either in mud or in stones.
Order of movement. While walking in heels, heel goes first, but it is immediately followed by the toes (small steps, remember?).
Distribution of the weight. Not all of your weight should be on your heels because they are usually thin and you could easily break them or loose balance. However, if they're thicker, you can put more weight on them. I'd suggest evenly distributing your weight on both your toes and heels, like you would do in flats.
Walking on steps. Steps can be really tricky while walking in heels. When you're walking up the stairs, all of your weight should be on the toes because you could easily miss the stair with your heel (happens more often than you think). While you're walking down the stairs, place you're whole foot at the same time and distribute the weight. Also, rails are there so you would have more support - use them.
  • Extras
Have a break. It wouldn't be normal if you spend 24/7 in heels. It's OK to switch to sneakers and flats or whatever you find comfortable. Don't push yourself and let your feet have some rest.
Catwalk. You see all these models walking crisscross and you have a feeling they're gonna get tangled with their own legs. This style actually makes your walk look more elegant. I personally don't do that, but it does give some finishing touch to it.
Perks of wearing heels. Wearing heels should make you straighten your spine and have a great posture. With this, you should also feel more comfortable and more confident.

I really hope some of these helped you! Tell me your advice and experience!

23 May 2016

Gliss hair mask

I'm on a great mission of improving my hair so I'm trying different products. Last mask I used was Total repair extreme hair mask by L'Oreal Paris (review here). Today I'm presenting my new one. It's Gliss total repair hair mask by Schwarzkopf.
As you can see, they say it's anti-hair breakage treatment for dry and stressed hair. Also, it contains liquid keratin complex and we all know that keratin is the protein that protects epithelial cells from damage or stress. It's also the key structural component of hair.
You're supposed to use it on a clean wet hair. Spread it evenly through the hair and leave it on for about 3-5 minutes (if I'm not mistaken). Once the time passes, rinse it off and dry your hair normally. Also, this is great to use because it's a substitute for a hair conditioner so there's only one product for two purposes: untangling your hair and repairing your hair.
In comparison to my previous one, this one is thicker and you have to use more of it to cover the same amount of hair. As usual, I used it only on my hair tips, and just a bit (what was left on my hands) on the rest of my hair. Right after putting this on my hair, I could feel the silky structure of my hair. Also, a good scent is a big plus.
Verdict? I would recommend this hair mask as the results are visible immediately. Also, I believe it has a better long-term results on my hair than the previous mask I used. Even if I didn't use it every single time I washed my hair, I could still feel the small impact of the last time I did use it.

Have you tried it? Liked it or not? Share your thoughts in the comment section :)

19 May 2016

Black & white collection (part 1)

Black and white are timeless (non)colors and they go great with any other color. They're also suitable for almost any occasion, but without a doubt, they look both classy and edgy. Here's the first part of my non-color collection.
Do you like it? Which one is your favorite?
Stay tuned for part 2 :)

16 May 2016

How to clean your suede shoes?

Before you start: There are two pictures for both before and after. First one is without any filters or editing. I just used flash so you could see the stains better.
So, I bought this cute and simple beige suede shoes for a wedding I went to last year. There were so many people at a relatively small dance floor and this is the result of it. Most of it is just people's footprints as they walked all over my shoes, but the really dark black stains on the sides are shoe cream a man just put on his shoes. So yay.
You can click on the picture to enlarge it.
Anyways, I was so sad that my beige shoes were destroyed so I decided to take them to a shoemaker (cobbler) to fix them. He did it before with my boots, but their method is to sand the entire shoe and with that remove all the stains. However, my boots came home two shades lighter then they really were. Although, I didn't like this, I was desperate so I decided to take my heels as well.
Thank God, I found a great tip on the Internet. All you need is an eraser. Just take your shoes and erase all the stains and marks.
You'll see that not all of my stains are gone but majority of them are, and those that are left aren't that dark and visible as they were before.
I also heard that you could do the same with a nail file, but I was scared that it would do the same thing that happened to my boots. I think a nail file method works only for black shoes, but I'm not sure. I'm so happy with the way this turned out I just had to share it.
Hopefully, this will be helpful! Tell me if you try this and how it turned out :)

12 May 2016

Nivea face care

Since I ran out of my face scrub (which I called sugar, but it's actually salt), I needed something new for my face. As you could have seen on my blog before, I love buying Nivea products because I find they're great balance between price and quality. There were other colors, including blue which I love, but I chose green combination as green is my favorite color and differences between products weren't that drastic.
I'll start with the wash gel. This is gel for cleaning mixed and oily skin. There is said to be sea algae and Hydra IQ in there which should clean your skin deeply, remove extra sebum to remove oily glow without changing your skin structure. I've been using it almost every day before I go to bed. I'm only using light foundation (if I wear make-up at all) so this has been a great product to remove my make-up in the end of the day. Also, you're supposed to use it on wet skin, so I always choose warm water to open up my pores so they could be cleaned as well.
Verdict? I think this is a good face cleanser. It's not too harsh on the skin and granules dissolve really fast. The only thing you really need to be careful is not to get it into your eyes cause this thing burns (I tried)!
Now onto the face lotion. I started using this right after cleaning my face with the product above, but I realized they're pretty much the same, so I changed my routine. I use this in the morning. It's the first thing I put on my face. Then I wait a bit for my skin to absorb it and then I put on my make-up. They say you should put it on twice a day after properly cleaning your face, but this works for me so I won't change it. It gives you satin feeling on your skin. It is for oily skin so it does dry your skin a bit, but not too much. Also, it somehow leaves the healthy glow without the oils. 
Verdict? I'd say you go and get this because it's great for fast cleaning and prepping your skin for the day. Another good side is good scent (smells like a baby shampoo). Also, I use only this as my pre-make-up routine, so my skin has only this as a protection and it works great (have in mind again, that I put really small amount of make-up; only concealer and BB creams).
What's your experience with Nivea products? Will you try these or you have some other recommendation?

08 May 2016

Maxi collection (2)

If you haven't seen my part one of this collection, it's here.
For the first post, I only chose a bit more elegant styles, so, for this one, I have more casual combinations.
Do you like my creations? Which one is your favorite? Hopefully, this will give you some ideas for these spring weather :)

02 May 2016

Mani Monday: Blue sugar effect

I'm a huge fan of sparkling nails so I had to try and do the sugar effect myself. This is extra messy manicure and I suggest you putting a sheet of paper under your hands to collect all the fallen glitter. Also, pressing glitter down into the half wet nail polish is a must. Otherwise you'll get almost non of the glitter as shown in the picture with both hands.

I used:
Do you like it? You think you'll give it a try?