j a n u a r y . f a v e s

Heyy there! time sure flies. I am still fixing 2015 to 2016 when writing the date in my notebook and January is already over. But it's okay, it was a good month and I had a bunch of opportunities to try new things. Nonetheless, in this post I'm sharing with you my January favourites.

s k i n c a r e

Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant – I have oily skin that tends to break out and I can’t say that this cleanser gets rid of all my spots and impurities, but it does  leave my skin feeling very clean, smooth and it doesn’t dry it out. 

Vitamin E Moisture Cream and  Nourishing Night Cream – both worked well on my skin, but if I had to choose between these two, I have to say, that I would probably pick the Moisture cream just because after applying it onto my skin, it absorb in a few moments and leave a matte finish, where the Night Cream felt a bit too heavy and would probably work better on dry-to-normal skin. 

Vitamin E hydrating toner – simple, easy and useful. I just put some on a cotton pad, wipe my face and let it absorb. It would leave my skin less red and squeaky clean.

The Body Shop lip butter - I got it as a gift and have been loving it since. One downside is that when you put it on, it looks a bit white, so I usually use it at home to deeply moisturise.

b o d y c a r e

The Body Shop Mango and Passion fruit body butters - super hydrating, i absolutely love the scent and you only need a very small amount.

m a k e u p / n a i l . p o l i s h

Maybelline’s The Nudes palette – 12 beautiful everyday colours, some I love, some I don’t really use, but this nevertheless. I still enjoy it very much. 

Eye Studio Brow Drama from Maybelline – I would only recommend it if you have large brows, because I personally like it, but I heard a lot of bad reviews, that the wand is too big, so be careful before buying it.

L’Oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream – this one always gives my skin (p.s. my skin is oily) a matte finish, although I noticed that if you put foundation after, it gets a bit clumpy. It’s a perfect product for when you want a natural look and a bit coverage.

H&M white nail polish – colour ‘whiteout’

L’Oreal light lilac nail polish – colour ‘859 gourmandise’. Max Factor nude nail polish – colour ’25 desert sand’

r a n d o m 

THINGS HAPPEN planner/notebook – one of my goals for 2016 was to start a personal journal that I can use to write down all my deepest thoughts, fun memories and draw sketches. I personally never thought I could keep up writing something everyday, but after a few weeks it has just become a way to express my feeling and I just really love it♥ THINGS HAPPEN is also based in Vilnius, so it’s nice to support local businesses. 

m u s i c

Prellow – Why does everything happen so much EP

Made in heights – MADE IN HEIGHTS.

The Neighbourhood – Wiped Out!

 This ended up being a super long post, I probably won’t upload a favourites post every month, but stay tuned for other exciting post coming soon! What are some of your favourites now and what kind of posts would you like to see in the future?

With love, Maria♥

p e r v a l k a

/usually when things have gone this far, people tend to disappear

no one will surprise me unless you do

i can tell there's something goin' on, hours seems to disappear

everyone is leaving, I'm still with you/

i spent my New Years in a very small paradise called Pervalka. and it was mesmerizing..

With love, Maria♥

w a y s. t o. r e l a x

Hey everyone! It doesn't matter if you're still in school, college or already graduated and now at work - the start of a new year can be stressful. Everyone usually feels the pressure to set new goals and resolutions.. We all have our weak, stressful moments, so this post will be about a few ways to relax, take a break and just "zone out".

1. Listen to good music.

I'm sure you already heard of this tip, but I cannot think of a better way to relax, than just to plug in your earphones to your phone and jam out to a few of your favorite songs. You'll instantly feel happier, more motivated and less stressed. Who doesn't love a good, short music jamming session? 

2. Go for a walk or a jog.
One of my personal favorites. I understand, that not everyone likes to work-out and that's completely fine, but going out for a walk or quick jog is just such an amazing way to forget about all the problems that are bothering you at home or at work. I guess you can say, that you are literally running from your problems :D. Oh and while you're walking, you can always catch up on all the new Youtube videos, that you missed, while you were working or at school.

3. Talk to a friend.
When we have alot of work or homework to do, we often forget to keep in contact with our loved ones. Call your friend or talk to a relative - they'll be happy, that you thought of them and you'll feel better, because you will know, that you have awesome people by your side, who support you.

4. Cook an Instagram-worthy meal.
When school starts, I usually fall into a circle, when I start to only eat snacks and I can tell you that DEFINITELY not all of them were the healthiest :D Make some time in your day to cook some pretty pancakes, maybe an acai bowl or one of the most basic Instagram foods - avocado toast. Cooking with music is actually very fun and the result after is food and everyone loves delicious food. mmm.. food.

5. Read a book/watch a movie.
Both are so similar yet so different. Similarities - both let you escape your reality for some time and you can earn a lot of knowledge from reading or watching a movie/tv series. Of course watching a movie is a lot quicker and that's why I often prefer movies over books. Ain't nobody got time for those 500 pages. But okay, I take that back, because books are life.

Those are some of my tips on how to relax and take a break, do you have any tips to add to this list?

With love, Maria♥

t o . n e w . b e g g i n i n g s

   
     Hello everybody and welcome to my blog! Ahh, it honestly feels so good to say that and I am just sooo so excited to present you Minimal Layers! Here, you will find posts about fashion, lifestyle and basically everything that I find interesting and want to share with all of you!

     The reason I am starting this blog is because I feel that this will be an amazing social platform, where I can express my point of view on a lot of things like style, photography, fashion, music.. The things that I feel very passionate about and maybe you do too!

     Why Minimal Layers? To be honest, I don’t even know that myself. If you are a blogger, you can probably relate to the torture that is thinking of a good blog name. And this one stood out of all of my other options, because it just sounded right to me. The type of right that you feel when you come home after being away for a long time and just feel like you really belong there. The type of right you feel when you hear a song for the first time and you already know that it will be your all time favourite. ♥

     So again, welcome, and I hope I can inspire you to reach your goals, because for me, this is the start of reaching mine.♥

With love, Maria♥