Things That I Love #4. Dogs

As you may have guessed from this picture - I love dogs... I do love all animals in general, but dogs always had a special place in my heart. They are just so beautiful and kind - you can always see the love in their eyes. For me that is so unbelievable... Dogs always stay loyal to you, when you are away - they always are waiting for you and when you come home, nobody greets you better than your buddy :) When I moved to England my dog had to stay at home with my parents, but I do visit them frequently and every time I came home my doggy always recognizes me and is very happy. At the moment I own German Shepperd and she is the cutest and the most wonderful dog ever. I do love Golden Retriever as well - they are my favorite, just have a look:

Isn't he cute? And I love that cuteness:

Aren't they wonderful? What about you? What pets do you have? Feel free to share :)

Love

Lace Butterfly

New Beginning

Two weeks ago I decided that I need a complete body overhaul. Let me just say that I am not overweight, obese or extremely fat. No, but I did let myself go... I got lazy... I have a bit wobbly arms, muffin top and cellulite is starting to show...In addition to that I am half alive after using stairs to get to my flat, which is on the 4th floor (damn you, broken elevator!) I just returned from a holiday in Tenerife and I must admit |I was ashamed of my body. I am young and attractive, so what is the excuse of being like that? None!!! So after a big kick in the ass from myself I started with re-evaluating my menu. No more of my favorite crisps and no more to Papa John's (the best pizza in the world!)... Bread is used to the minimum and only wholemeal version,  rice and pasta - wholemeal, no mayonnaise or butter, less fried and more baked or steamed. Now my fridge is packed with fruits, vegetables, chicken and turkey. I try to forget about potatoes and introduced to my diet wholemeal cous cous and quinoa. So far  - not bad. The hardest thing is exercise. I try to do them four times a week - as it is when I have free time and I give myself a weekend off. 

I do hate gym and prefer to exercise at home, so You-Tube has been my savior. There are so many workout available for free! I tried various sets of exercise and discovered the most beautiful girl, who is a nutritionist and personal trainer as well as model. She is from Russia, but lives in US. Her workouts are very simple, but effective at the same time. They will make you sweat a lot!!! But after two weeks of doing her complex training I feel much better, have more energy, stairs are not killing me, my skin looks fresh and cellulite is starting to improve. She also has very useful videos on nutrition and diet. You can check her channel here. It is in Russian, though, but do not worry - she has English version as well here. You can also check her blog.

I will update occasionally on my results and I am hoping I will have a beautiful body for Christmas and next time on the beach I will look like Victoria's Secret model :)))

Love

Lace Butterfly

Things That I Love #3. Traveling

Traveling is my one true guilty pleasure. If I could travel as often as I would like to - I would. Unfortunately, it is not cheap hobby, if I may call it like that. Up until I was nineteen I never left my home country, until as you know, I decided to go to England. Traveling away from home for the first time, by yourself is a huge step and despite missing home at first, I loved it. I always wanted to see the world, but never believed I actually would.... I always had a list of places I would like to visit - Rome, Paris, Venice, Milan, Verona, Barcelona, New York - those are just few of them... I truly hope that I will be able to visit them all. And I am slowly moving forward. I have already been to Poland, Lithuania and recently came back from the most amazing trip to Tenerife! Visiting that beautiful place made my love for traveling even bigger - I jut loved it! One thing that I can not understand is how all the people who are visiting those places spend all their time at the hotel's pool? I mean, sure, it is a holiday and you are entitled to have a time off, but there are so many places to go and so many things to see - it is a crime not to!!!
Anyway, next place I am hoping to go in the near future is Paris - especially because it is so close to England - it takes 1,5 hours to get there form London! So, fingers crossed... :)


Lace Butterfly

Product Review: Alpha-H Liquid Gold

Let me tell you about this wonderful product, which I would say is truly a gold. I heard about this brand for the every first time about a year ago from Ruth Crilly, who is amazingly beautiful model and writer, who has her own web-site A Model Recommends where she shares her tips and tricks that she learned during her time as a model. I would definitely recommend you to check her website as well as You-Tube channel - there are loads of useful videos and product reviews.
Back to the Alpha-H. It is Australian skincare brand, which is focusing less on the packaging and more on the effectiveness of their products. I tried several of their products and they really do work and deliver good results. I love their Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera and this little beauty - Liquid Gold.

The description of this product says that it is a "...powerful revitalising and firming lotion which works like an "overnight facial" to brighten and revitalise tired, ageing skin and visibly improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, open pores and pigmentation." Now, I do not have any lines or wrinkles, but I use it every other day during the summer and only two times a week during the winter. This liquid contains 5% Glycolic Acid and Licorice Extract that helps to remove the dead skin cells, resurface and brighten the complexion. It is a really good alternative to the facial scrub as it removes the dead skin without abrasive action. You just pour this liquid on a cotton pad and wipe over your face and neck. That is it. You are supposed to use it during the night and it works best if you do not use moisturizer afterwards. That was a bit scary for me as my skin tends to get dry without a thick layer of cream, but with this lotion it wasn't the case. Also you are supposed to feel a slight tingling sensation on your face, but I never did. 

This lotion doesn't leave my skin tight or dry so I really do not need to use moisturizer on top of it. What I really like about this product is the fact that it really delivers. It makes my skin very smooth and bright. It also helped to fade my acne scars, which are much less noticeable. 

I definitely recommend this product, however, if you have very dry or sensitive skin test it before using.

Love

Lace Butterfly

Things That I Love #2. Beach

The beach with white, soft sand and beautiful crystal clear water... When I was living at home my parents used to take me and my sisters to the beach, but because it was very far and my parents always were very busy we only went there once a year. For only one day. Sad, really, but there was nothing we could do. As we got older our trips to the beach became even more rare. Sometimes weather was not fit for a day at the sea, but the worst reason ever - we had to work. I started helping my Mum with her work at the age of ten. Since then I really disliked the summer, which is my favorite time of the year. During the summer, when everyone else went to their grandmothers, to the beach or to the camps I had to start working. So with time I forgot about the beach and did not see it for few years.

Then six years ago I moved abroad and now I live in a very nice town, which is situated right on the seaside. I am very happy about it. Also I love traveling to beautiful places and the beach is one of the main points which helps me to choose a holiday destination.

Sea is one thing that makes me very relaxed and happy. When I am on the beach I forget about everything and that's what I love about it - it takes away my misery and worries... Hopefully, when I will own my own house it will be also close to the beach...

Love

Lace Butterfly

Things that I Love #1. Reading

Let me tell you about my first and biggest love - books! I learned how to read at the age of three and have been reading ever since. During my time at school I usually hated the summer reading lists as our teachers usually chose very boring books, that were not interesting at all, but always very huge. I always preferred to choose the books I want to read myself.  Out of all books that I had to read for school I really enjoyed only three! Some of them I never even managed to finish - the perfect example would be The War and Piece by Leo Tolstoy, which consists of four parts. I only read two parts and it took me all summer... Horrible!
Anyway, I love to read! Always did and still do. The only difference is that I have less time for it now. When I was about eight years old I discovered loads of old books in the attic of my house. They were supposed to be destroyed as all books were old editions and nobody needed them anymore.  I still remember the first book that I selected form that pile and decided to read - "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. I absolutely loved it! That book reignited my passion for reading (although I was very young) and I was reading ever since. I was very unhappy, when my Mother was making me to leave the book and go outside to play with my younger sisters. Toys didn't interest me anymore - only books.
As I grew up I had less and less time to read what I wanted. Now, when I am studying at University during the day and working part time in the evenings I have even less time if not at all. However, I am still buying them. I know that electronic books are becoming very popular and I do understand the benefits of having an Amazon Kindle or other similar gadget for reading, but for me nothing beats the feeling of holding a book in my hands, feeling the smell of the fresh ink and flipping through the pages. I don't think I will ever stop reading real books and switch to electronic ones. Call me old fashioned, but it is not for me.
Now regarding my favorite titles. I like books with a good and interesting plot, where you can learn something. Like Jodi Picoult novels. I love Sophie Kinsella - she is so funny! I also like thrillers and mysteries, but not the bloody horrors about psycho killers that are torturing people for fun... Also you will never see me reading sleazy romance books. That is not for me at all.
Let me start with request - please don't laugh and make fun of me, but I do love Harry Potter books. There, I said it! I am twenty five year old woman, who likes reading Harry Potter! You have no idea how many people find it silly or funny.. Why? What's wrong with that? They are really good books! In the beginning I was thinking they are books for kids. I never went to cinema with my little sisters to see the movies and I was not interested. It was only when the fifth movie (!) came out, when I decided to give it a go and see for myself why the world is going Harry Potter crazy. And I did... My Dad had to take them away from me in the evenings, because I just couldn't stop reading them up until the early mornings... That was my big obsession.
Then there is another one - the Twilight series. Yes, you heard that right. I loved those books - funny, intense, exciting. I also read "The Host" and I hope the movie will be great.
I must admit I do like to read the books, which have movies based on them. For example, I read "the Time Traveler's Wife" long before the movie came out. The same was with "Lovely Bones". I love comparing my own vision of the book with the one which is presented in the movie.
My recent purchases were "Little Face" b Sophie Hannah and "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffengger. I finished Audrey's book already and let me tell you it is nothing like the Time Traveler's Wife. It had the unexpected ending, but not the one I expected. It was so weird and made me feel like I read the whole book for nothing, hoping for things that never happened.
I am yet to read the "Little Face" and it looks like a really interesting book. It is about the woman who just had a baby and had to leave house for the first time without her baby daughter. When she comes back, the child she finds in the cot is not hers, while all her family is trying to convince her that this baby is her daughter. She is not convinced and tries to find out the truth while everyone else are thinking that she is crazy. Can't wait to read this one!
Has anyone else read this book or others form this author?  Are they good? Any recommendations?

Thank you again for reading



Lace Butterfly

There is Something in the Name...

Hello again!
It is possible that someone may wonder about the name of the blog - Life of a Butterfly. Well, let me explain. For various reasons I chose not to use my real name. It is better for me this way. Maybe in the future, I will reveal it, but for now it will stay as it is. This blog will be about all the things that happen to me or things and people that I find interesting. They will be little pieces of my life - that explains the first part of the title.
Now to the butterflies. They are beautiful, aren't they? So delicate and gentle, bring no harm to anyone. However, they do start their life as an ugly caterpillar. And that exactly what I was.... Don't get me wrong - I never was or am ugly! Thing is - for a very long time I felt that way. I am 25 years old and only now I realized how silly and insecure I was. Nobody ever taught me how to be or feel beautiful. Nobody ever told me I was... That for years was knocking down my confidence and I was convinced that it will be like that forever. Until I get a chance to change my life and reinvent myself. I did a long journey and I am not a caterpillar anymore!  I am a butterfly, but a very young one, so I am only learning. Hopefully somebody will follow my journey here on this blog. That will make me a very happy butterfly! :)


Lace Butterfly

Welcome!

Hello dear reader! It is possible that you just accidentally stumbled across this page. It is very likely that this page is not at all what you were looking for.  I do sincerely hope, however, that by reading these posts you will get interested and stay here for a little bit longer or even come back some time soon... That would be very nice.
I do realize that I created this blog with strong assurance that nobody will ever read that and that is fine. I am absolutely fine with it. I created it for Me in the first place. This is the place where I can share my thoughts, likes and dislikes. Something like a personal on-line diary. Sure there are other ways of keeping a diary, but I prefer this one as maybe somebody will read it. Maybe somebody will feel exactly the same and will share his or her thoughts. Maybe it will actually be useful not only for me.
Just to keep it fun and various, without making everyone being bored by my random writing I will be adding some reviews. However, do not be mistaken! I will be adding reviews not only about make up and skincare, but also about books, music, TV, travel and so on... If you are interested - thank you and I am glad you are here! If not - thank you anyway and good luck to you in your everyday life. Anyway, if somebody is reading this - Thank You!



Lace Butterfly