Breastfeeding with inverted nipples? How I switched from formula to exclusively breastfeeding!

Breastfeeding. 
The most beautiful, magical, yet such a natural thing. 
Being able to nurse your child and seeing him grow and prosper on something your body produces, to me, is everything. I'm so grateful that I'm able to breastfeed my son for 7+ months now and I'm hoping these precious moments will go on for a little bit longer!

Find out more about my breastfeeding journey and how I switched from formula to exclusively breastfeeding, overcoming my inverted nipples problem, in my recent YouTube video here:

Please share with me your breastfeeding story!

My Baby Boy's Clothing, Food & Essentials Haul in Croatia!

Hi guys!

Recently I went with my little family on a short trip to my home in Croatia. It was sort of a mini vacation and we all enjoyed it pretty much!

When I was there, I went in a few stores that sell baby clothes & other essentials, and I picked some items that I want to share in today's post.

My dear long time friend Fatmira came to visit us, and she gave me a gift card to use in S. Oliver's store (as she said, she wanted to get to my little Sebastian some cute bits from that store, as their clothes is really cute and nice quality.)

This is actually the first time I was shopping for my boy in S.Oliver's store and I can say that I was very pleased with what I picked out!

My little son already has quite a big selection of summer clothes (and babies grow fast), so I decided to pick a few things in bigger sizes, that he's going to (hopefully) be able to wear next summer!

Aren't these T-shirts and a little bandana adorable?

I also went to Drogerie Markt and Muller drugstores and I picked some yummy baby food and hygiene essentials:

I'm still breastfeeding, but my baby is 7 months old now, so he does eat some solids too. I usually cook his meals (I got the Philips Avent blender & steamer that I'll be reviewing soon), but I discovered these delicious Frutek meals that you can offer to your baby as a breakfast or dessert, and boy, does he love them!

They're made in Slovenia, and...well done! They're super delicious (can mommy have one too? lol), and I even went back the next day, to buy some more (as I haven't seen them here in Italy).

I also bought some baby hygiene essentials, such as Penaten creme (recommended by my Mum. She said she used Penaten products on me and I never had any irritations or nappy rash), Water Wipes (probably the best wipes on the market, as they don't contain any chemical ingredients, only water and fruit extract), great for sensitive skin. I like to buy them whenever I'm in Croatia, because I can't seem to find them here where I live in Italy :-(

You can get them in DM and Muller, but in Muller they're more affordable!

I also picked some cute bath products and his first toothbrush (by MAM). He only has 2 bottom teeth so I think it's still a bit early to start brushing his teeth (he doesn't even know how to spit yet!), but I'd appreciate to know your experiences and advices, when did you first start with your baby's oral hygiene?

You guys know that I don't share pics of my baby on the social medias, but here are a few "candids" where you can see bits of him and his daily life activities.

He's such a good and dear boy, he loves to play and he always smiles! I love him more than life!

You might have noticed that, since I became a Mum, my blog has been moving into a slightly different direction...Well, I started my blog a very long time ago (has it been 7 or 8 years now?), and it never started as exclusively fashion blog, but it had a mixture of everything (fashion, beauty, lifestyle...)

A few years ago, I started posting mostly outfit photos and my blog was taking almost exclusively that fashion direction. I got to work with numerous fashion brands and I'm not going to lie, I loved it.

Some really cool outfits and fashion posts were created in that period.

But since I gave birth to my precious boy this January, taking outfit photos has been pretty much impossible to me! I would try to "steal" a moment whenever we were out as a family, but those photos never looked as professional and put together as they used to (we used to go on a hunt for the perfect location, and my stylings were always carefully planed days ahead).

I don't say that I miss that, I'm just saying that, being used to delivering one type of content, it felt quite frustrating knowing that I took a step (or two) back in the quality of the content that I'm currently producing for you guys.

That's why I decided not to stress out about impossible situations, but to "adjust" my blog to my current lifestyle. As I truly enjoy being a Mum and I believe that my son is the greatest blessing in my life, I really want to share with you more of "Mum" related topics here, and tell you more about my & my son's journey :-)

You were already able to notice that I posted more beauty topics and reviews in the past week, and I'm planing to continue in this direction.

So from now on, there'll be lots of more beauty topics, lifestyle and Mum & baby related topics! Of course, fashion is still my love, so I'm going to try and surprise you with an outfit post whenever I can, and also "New In/ Haul" type of posts.

Since I'm doing this blog update, I also wanted to be honest and straightforward with you and let you know that sponsored posts and "wish lists" are also welcome here on my blog, as they're giving me the possibility to earn some extra $$$ to invest in my blog/ youtube and to provide better quality content for you. This is the only reason I say yes to those type of posts, as every single $ earned, I like to invest in my blogging/ vlogging. However, I always state, at the bottom of the post, when it's sponsored.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I really feel better about blogging again and I feel more motivated.

I think I really needed to pour my thoughts into this post, as everything looks clearer now!

I hope you'll keep following my (blogger/Mum) life journey :-)

My Anti- Aging Secret: Snail Gel Cream!

Hello beauties!

Today I'd like to reveal my anti aging secret to you.

When you're in your mid 30-ies, and you're a new Mum with a constant lack of sleep, you need great beauty products to come to your skin's rescue!

Now, when I say "great products" I don't necessarily mean "high end!"

As a beauty blogger, I tried many skincare brands, from high end to drugstore to lesser known, "local" manufactures and I can tell you that the price doesn't always mean quality!

First, you need to know your skin type and your skin's need, then you got to focus on the ingredients that a certain products provides; the name of the brand comes last.

Lately, I've been loving snail gel (as gross as it might sound), for my face care!

I picked this product at Drogerie Markt drugstore in Croatia, for a very modest price of cca 5€ ($5.75 USD) and I can honestly tell you that I'm loving it!

My skin has become quite dry and thirsty (especially now that I'm breastfeeding) and this gel really moisturizes and soothes my skin! It works well even as a serum (used before another, even richer, day or night cream).

It's a German product, by a brand Jardin Naturel and it's quite a little gem! It's actually suitable for multiple things: From skincare to body care (it's also great for treating acne prone skin, wrinkles and fine lines, stretchmarks, sun burn etc.)

It contains vitamin B6, allantoin and collagen, all great for your skin!

The only "negative" product is the smell: Well, it's not really pleasant! I mean, I don't like my skin care products to be too fragrant as I think that's too artificial, but this one...I don't know, it's even too natural! When I'm putting it on my face, I can imagine this is what a snail stinks like! 

But the good news is that the smell fades away almost instantly, so it's something I can definitely overlook at (but I'm sure that not everybody can!)

Because the benefits are so high, I decided to go on using this unusual beauty product, until I finished the entire container!

The packaging itself is nothing fancy, but it's the content that matters, right?

The formula is a gel consistency that absorbs really quickly and it's non greasy.

Have you ever tried snail cream? Or any other similar, "weird" beauty products (such as viper's poison cream that should act as natural botox)?

I'm curious to hear about your experiences!

If you have really dry skin, you can use this gel in the mornings (it's good even as a makeup base) and at night time switch to a thicker consistency, more nourishing cream (such as beauty sleeping masks or similar).

I like to bring this gel all the way to my under eye area and I put it on top of my under eye cream (for that extra anti aging effect).

When it comes to this product, I really am a satisfied consumer, as it delivers great results for such a modest price! There were more expensive snail gel creams available, by other brands, (I guess there's a lot about marketing too), but I'm quite pleased with this one by Jardin Naturel and since I don't think it's a hyped up brand, I thought I'd be the one to praise it a bit.

You can read more of my Glam Express articles here

#DirtyPinkHair By L'Oreal Colorista (Review & Demo)

Hello beauties!

As I mentioned in my previous post, this month I was finally able to go to Croatia and I paid a visit to my hairdresser (after exactly one year!) so she made me super blonde again.

Before that, as you probably already know (if you read my previous posts), I was keen on experimenting by myself and trying out different box hair dyes and one of the last ones that I tried were from the L'Oreal Colorista Washout range in #dirtypinkhair

I also tried out the #beigeblonde Colorista Paint and you can check out my review here in case you missed it!

From the Washout range, I actually picked 3 fun colors that I wanted to try out, in attempt to do the "mermaid" or "unicorn hair" but, before doing that, I opted for coloring my hair pink!

As I knew it's a washout color, I didn't fear of doing this crazy experiment, as I knew I wasn't going to commit to anything permanent and it was actually fun to have this crazy colored hair for a few weeks!

The application is very simple, easy and quick: The product comes in one tube, ready for use, and it acts as a hair mask (you should apply it on previously washed hair).

I left it on for cca 30 min and then washed out. The whole tube wasn't enough to cover all my hair, that's how I got this "undone" / "ombre" effect.

I was pleased with the results, the only negative thing is that it washed off very quickly from my blonde hair and on the roots where my hair was slightly darker, it faded into this reddish shade that I didn't like :-/

If you'd like to hear a more in depth review & see the demo (how I applied the Colorista Paint in Dirty Pink Hair), check out my new video

This color is created for blonde hair, but L'Oreal Colorista has other shades available to suit darker shades of hair.

I hope you enjoyed watching this review/ demo, it's going to be the last in this series (at least for a while), as I recently went to my hairdresser and I'm blondie again! :-)

Let me know have you tried any of the fun Colorista shades and which one did you pick?

Read more of my Glam Express articles here

My Summer Fashion Story

Hello beauties!

I wanted to put together a few of my favorite photos from this summer and through them, tell you my own summer fashion story...

This is our first summer as parents, so it was definitely new and different to us. And when I say "different" I honestly mean better, because even though I didn't have "me time" to lay on the beach and take loads of outfit photos, my little son brings me so much joy and happiness and fulfills my life in a way that I really, honestly don't miss anything from past summers, when it was just me & my hubby.

Luckily, my hometown is full of coastal walks, so instead of laying at the beach all day long, we preferred going for relaxing, long walks by the sea with our little son.

For those occasions, I would wear my flowy, "easy breezy" summer dresses. I particularly like the one I'm wearing in this photo, because it's very lightweight and the print is lovely! It also comes with this golden necklace detail, so you don't need to worry about accessorizing it!

I bought it a few summers back at a Bershka store on sales and it's still one of my "go to" summer dresses.

When we went to the beach, it was in the late afternoon hours and this photo tells you that I kept things practical, when it comes to my beach outfits: jeans shorts are always a must and I combined them with colorful bikini tops and a straw material fedora.

I love this photo where my hubby managed to capture the waves in the movement: our Adriatic Sea is usually calm, nothing like the Ocean, but on some days, it can show its temper.

Of course, we HAD to buy a little swimming pool! Lol, just big enough to fit all 3 of us. We had so much fun in it as my little boy was splashing the water and clapping his hands and moving his legs, laughing and enjoying himself!

I would go in the pool for a quick refreshment before breakfast, to awake myself and start the day with a smile.

Also, I managed to visit my hairdresser, so that was another reason to smile, thanks to her, I'm a blondie again!

It was good to pamper myself after exactly one year since I went to have my hair done...I needed it! Blonde hair is the best accessory, I don't need any makeup...well, maybe just a really cool pair of sunglasses (like these ones from Matthew Williamson that I picked at H&M years ago!). The white swimsuit is also from H&M. I find these one piece swimsuits to be very elegant and flattering!

Evening walks by the sea were priceless! Even when the weather was promising rain, we feared not!

I love how beautiful my hometown is! For this evening walk I was wearing my ripped skinny jeans by H&M, floral top by an italian brand Francomina, little Zara bag and comfy Adidas sneakers.

All good things come to an end, so that's how we also had to return to the reality of our lives in Italy...Upon our arrival, one package that was waiting for me, made our return a bit sweeter...

When you receive a cool swimsuit like that, you know that summer isn't over just yet!

I'm looking forward to some sun in September and hopefully another quick holiday by the sea.

I hope you liked my summer fashion story.

How was your summer?

View more of my posts for Glam Express here

Jeulia engagement rings for women online sale

Hi guys!

A month ago, my hubby & I celebrated our 10 years wedding anniversary! That's a big deal, right? ;-)
I didn't blog much about it, I just made a short announcement on facebook, but we spent that day and the following weekend honouring and celebrating our love, even more so now that we're a family of 3 (actually 4, if you count our little doggy, she's a part of the family too, right?)

This recent event in my life inspired me to blog about some precious jewellery gift ideas, that are appropriate to give to your loved ones in such occasions, as a sign of love and devotion.

Jeulia is an on-line jewellery store that offers a vast selection of beautiful jewellery for all occasions, and now also offers a possibility to personalize your jewellery and make a statement with these cool designs.
You can also browse through their "Gift Ideas" section in order to get inspired, but if you're looking for engagement rings for women, this is the right place to be!

Emerald cut engagement rings are very popular among young couples, and here are some of the prettiest pieces:

This lovely heart cut created white sapphire ring is the star of vintage inspired engagement rings. Very delicate and sparkly, it has its own special love story to tell!

Next popular engagement ring is this three tone design, it features a trio of shimmering round created white sapphire set, intertwined. This model is perfect fo all women who love modern jewellery that makes a statement.

For every girl who loves classic and simple, dainty pieces, this design is the way to go! Solitaire engagement rings are timeless and never go out of style.

I really hope that I gave you a few good inspo/ ideas as to what to get to your loved one. On Jeulia website you'll find many other styles and models, so take a look!
May your special day be as memorable as mine was :-)

* sponsored post

My pink shades from GlassesShop.com

Hi guys! Today I'd like to show you my new pair of sunnies that I picked at GlassesShop.com
They have a really big selection of eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses and if you don't need a prescription lenses, you can get a regular ones too, just like I did!

I decided to go for these cool pink frames as I think it's a nice pop of colour to add to my everyday outfits! I really like the delicate frames and the overall style of this particular model!
I also like it because it's very lightweight. 

If you're looking for eyeglasses online, GlassesShop.com offers a great selection of different models at very competitive prices!
As a part of this collaboration, I got a special coupon code GSHOT50  to share with you, which is 50% off for all eyeglasses and sunglasses with free lenses (only throughout their website, with the exception of sales frames.)

Being a new Mum, sunglasses form an essential part of my everyday outfits, whether it's sunny or cloudy, because I don't always have time to do my eye make up, and sometimes I need them to cover up any signs of restless nights!

I think that these delicate, pink frames really suit my pale complexion, so this is certainly a model I'm reaching for most often in this period.

What is your favourite model of sunglasses? How many pairs of sunglasses do you own?

New In & My Summer Essentials!

Hello guys!

In this photo I showed you some of my summer essentials: Some of these things I've been loving & repurchasing for years now, and some are my new faves!
I recently ordered this gorgeous yellow bikini at chicgrace.com and it looks fab on! It's definitely a very trendy piece this summer, so I'm glad I was able to get my hands on it :-)
To complete my beach look, I also ordered a pair of ombre pink sunnies, these were very affordable price wise. Overall I'm very pleased with my little "new in"!

Bikini is available here $ 16.29 (it also comes in blue)
Sunnies are available here $ 2.69 (other colour combinations available)

These days I'm actually packing for my summer vacations and here is my list of the products I'm certainly bringing along:

- Yves Rocher Monoi shimmering body oil
- Kerastase Soleil hair shampoo
- Lidl Spray on body lotion (coconut scented)

Here's just a quick OOTD photo from this weekend: I was out & about with my family, and my new sunglasses really completed this sporty/ chic look!
How do you guys like it?

Denim vest: Zara
Striped shirt: Jennifer
Shorts: H&M
Espadrilles: Zara
Sunnies: chicgrace.com
Bag: Zara

I hope you're all having a great summer :-) Have fun, enjoy!

In love with my new Konifer watch!

Hi guys! I'm sorry, I know I was a little bit absent, but Mum's life was quite busy these past few days! Anyway, I have a few exciting "new in" posts coming up, so stay tuned :-)
I recently got this wooden watch by Konifer brand, and it arrived all the way from Canada (very quickly, I must add!)
You guys know me, I love the whole "wooden watch" concept, so I was super pleased to get this dainty and feminine, and quite special watch! Just look at the combination of woods on this one (the model is "Bonzai Army"). This watch is a striking blend of smoky blacks and warm greens, and it's entirely handcrafted in pure ebony and green sandalwood. This is definitely an eye catching and beautiful combination. This watch is also sleeker than some other Konifer's models, but that's exactly what makes it super feminine and gracious!

Some of Bonzai's top characteristics:

• Entirely handmade using eco-friendly methods
• Allergy-sensitive, non-toxic satin oil finish
• Genuine Swarovski crystal details
• Ultra-light weight (just 40 grams)
• Adjustable, two-tone band fits every size of wrist
• Full five-year warranty

I'd also like to mention that Konifer brand cares about our environment; in fact with every watch sold, they oblige to plant 1 tree with Weforest!

Free worldwide shipping is also an added bonus, right? :-)

On their blog section you can find a video tutorial on how to easily adjust your wooden watch, as it may be too large for your wrist when receiving it, so make sure to check out their DIY tutorials! :-)

I think this watch is also the perfect accessorie: I'm packing my suitcase for my summer vacations, and this time I want to travel light and not overpack my suitcase with too many accessories; I believe this wooden watch will complete and complement a lot of my summer outfits!

If you decide to take a look at Konifer's offer, let me know which model of watch do you like best?

Konifer also offers very cool men's watches, wooden rings and wooden belts, which could be great gift ideas for your boyfriend, hubby, friend, brother, or any other significant male in your life! :-)