Postcards from Opatija, Croatia

Hello guys!

It's been a while since I did a "postcards" blog post and I'm sorry about that because I honestly love sharing with you my fave places or new places that I visit. 

So I thought I'd bring back the "Postcards" this time I'm taking you to a wonderful little touristic town called Opatija, located in Croatia in the Kvarner region. Opatija is also a place I consider my home. It's situated very close to my hometown (sometimes it seems they're one town as they lay right next to eachother in a Kvarner bay). This is where I spent my childhood days (numerous walks by the sea with my parents), and also my high school days (I opted for touristic school that is located in Opatija). Each morning I'd travel 30 min by bus, but I loved the school and I loved spending my time in such beautiful surroundings.

We, as a family, spent a few days at our home in Croatia and so we took the opportunity to go and have a little walk by the sea! It was very warm, even in evening time (which is quite unusual for this time of the year). Opatija was filled with people, students and tourists from Japan and other distant countries. I loved the atmosphere that was in the air. I remember Opatija being much more quiet in the late '90s when I was attending the school there.

One of the symbols of Opatija is this statue of a woman with a seagull but Opatija is also very famous for its health tourism and wonderful parks with egzotic plants and trees from all over the world.

Even though in winter time, the climate here can be quite harsh, in Opatija there are some tropical plants that prosper regardless of the icy cold wind and the constant rain.

My son absolutely enjoyed this evening walk. Where we live in Italy, we have only fields, so we learned to appreciate these sights even more. And the salty sea air is much healthier!

Here we are on another walk by the sea, this location is called Skalete and it's in Rijeka, but overlooking the coast of Opatija.

We tried to make the most out of our short stay in Croatia, even though it was more of a business trip than anything else. But every minute free that we got, we tried to spend by the sea, and all together as a family. Sebastian's grandma (my Mum), also came to visit and joined us for a walk!

This time we didn't vlog much, but next time I promise to vlog for you guys, so I'll even visually be able to bring you a little taste of my home.

I'll talk to you soon,

* more fashion & beauty posts at Glam Express

I'm Still On Vacation Mood OOTD

Hello beauties!

How was your summer? It feels like fall here in Italy these days, and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic already, thinking how summer has come to an end. Anyway, I spent very nice couple of weeks at my favorite island in Croatia, Rab. I already mentioned how that's my favorite place for summer vacations as it's very relaxing, (almost) always sunny & warm, and with beautiful beaches and breathtaking sites!

In this post I'm going to share with you an outfit that I wore to the beach - do let me know how you like it in the comments below.

In my wardrobe I have many beach dresses and this summer, I liked this red one with floral print. I got it somewhere online, for just a couple of $$.
It's a bit see through, so it's ideal as a bikini cover up. I like it because it's flowy and breezy so it's ideal for summer heat! I'm also loving the cute flower print which is on trend.
I accessorized this look with my must-have summer jewelry: colorful bracelets, seashells and a wooden Konifer watch.

I pulled my hair up in an effortless bun and tied a silk scarf by Guess.

This summer, silk scarves in your hair are a big trend, and you can wear them many different ways: sometimes I wrap them around my pony tail, or sometimes I'll incorporate them into my braid. They're so chic and easy solution when you don't really know what to do with your hair!

With this cover up, I also wore my cute heart print denim shorts (old, from H&M), and Havaianas (also quite old, but still my ideal footwear for the beach!)

Here's a little family selfie. We've had such a lovely holiday and we already miss being at the island of Rab! Here we are at the Gonar location, one of our favorite spots at the island, along with Suha Punta. If you ever have a chance to visit Croatia, make sure to stop by Rab, I'm sure that you'll love it!

I still have quite a few summery ootd posts to share with you, so I hope you don't mind (considering the fact that autumn days are already here!). I was quite busy with work and life so I haven't had a chance to upload sooner :-/ 

I've been struggling a bit lately with keeping up with blogging/ vlogging, as I'm a working mum of a toddler! But I do still have a passion and will to film/ blog, so I'll try to find a way to keep doing what I love! Sometimes it can be quite frustrating, not being able to give 100% and create a great quality content that would satisfy the standars I've set for myself, but I just have to remember that I'm doing this out of passion. I don't have a team of people working for me on creating content and promoting it on social medias, and at this point in my life, my ray of sunshine is my little son and he is my top priority! I don't want to miss out on anything, and time really do flies by so quickly and they grow so fast. I want to enjoy him to the fullest. Family first, then comes blog. I hope you understand.

Let me know all about how was your summer and what are you up to this fall?

xo from Italy,

* find more fashion & beauty posts at Glam Express

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

VLOG: October's Snow & The Day of the Dead in Croatia

Hello girlies!

I haven't vlogged in a while, I just wasn't feeling inspired, plus I haven't been out & about much...

Ever since this bad weather arrived I was all about house-work-grocery shopping, nothing much was going on...ughh :(

So my recent trip to Croatia was the perfect occasion to put together a new vlog!

I went to Croatia on the occasion of The Day of the Dead (01.st November), it's a holiday in Croatia, and we have a tradition to spend this day visiting the graves of our beloved ones who are no longer with us on this Earth, bringing them flowers, lighting the candles and saying prayers...

My entire family has roots from the town in the Croatian mountains of Gorski kotar, called Delnice, so ever since I was a child, every year around the Day of the Dead, I would go to the graveyard there, to remember my late family & relatives...

This year, it was painful, because my Dad sleeps there now...

My Dad & I, on my wedding day, 21.07.2007. in Italy
♥
I MISS YOU SO MUCH

Tears are falling from my eyes now, as I'm writing these lines, but I promise you, my vlog wasn't about sadness, but it was about making the most out of every single day of your life, and about re-connecting with the family, about getting in touch with your roots, and about remembering that my beloved ones who are no longer alive, keep living in me & through me...

And this is what gives me strength to keep going on & to live my life with joy & happiness!

You can watch my vlog, see what was I up to during my trip, (and also see the October's snow!! yes, it was that cold!), here:

Here are a few random pics that I took during my short stay in Croatia:

When we were in Delnice, we went to this cozy little bar/restaurant "Tron"
I took some pics of the interier, as I really liked the way it's decorated :)

Interier of "Tron" restaurant, decor in old/mountain style
A part from the decor, have I mentioned, the food was yummy?
Def. must return here! ;)

Re-connecting with my family...my uncle Miljenko & I :)

A gift from my Mum for my house in Croatia :)
This flower decoration is beautiful!

THANK YOU MUM ♥

Have I mentioned, by the end of my vlog, I'm also showing you some bits & bobs that I bought while I was in Croatia, at DM and Kozmo drugstores? haha, I know you always enjoy my beauty hauls :)and this time I was very pleased with some low price/high quality croatian beauty products! I will be talking more about them in my upcoming beauty videos...

I was sad to leave my home in Croatia, the atmosphere was so warm & pleasant & whenever I'm there, I can really feel the presence of my Dad in his house :)

But, this past Friday, I had to work, so I had to go back to Italy! At least I managed to spend a few nice days in Croatia :)

Thanks for joining me on this trip & for watching my vlog!

Kissss from Italy,

xoxo, S.

Please take a moment to vote for me in Starcentral's magazine FASHIONISTA OF THE MONTH Poll! It really means a lot!

You can vote for me every day :)The contest is open until November, 21st. 2012.

Thank you so much!!! 

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ME (AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE)!

♥

Easter 2011. & My Trip to Croatia...

Hello girls!

I'm back from my short trip to Croatia! Even though I'm still not fully recovered from an ear infection, upon doctor's advice, I've decided to travel to Croatia & visit my family...

We went on a trip this Sunday (on Easter Day) and in a few hours I was at home with my family.

I tried to get a credit (to top up) my prepaid croatian internet account, but surprise, surprise, none of the places I went to were selling it (apparently, one can only buy the credit at the post office, or directly at Tele2 shops...)

As it was Easter and then Easter monday, those places were all closed, so I stayed without an internet connection...That's why I was M.I.A these days...

I could have bought the credit Tuesday, but honestly, I didn't want to, because I knew today I'll already be back here in Italy, with my internet flat line :) So if I already stayed without internet connection this Sunday and Monday, one more day wouldn't have made such a difference...

I'm so happy I got to see my family!

I'm always a bit depressed when I return to Italy, because I would love to be able to spend more time with my granny & help her out in daily activities.

Also, my Dad is going through a rough period health wise (he was at the E.R. almost all day yesterday and when we took him home it was already almost 22.00 p.m.)..All these things are constantly on my mind.

I wish I could do more to help them out!

My ear still isn't back to it's normal, I'm feeling much better, but still I'm not healed and have to continue my therapy...Tomorrow I start working again, hopefully everything goes well...

I'm a bit anxious as you can notice, but I'm praying & hoping everything will work out for the best!

I did manage to take some pics while I was in Croatia (I was planning to do much more, but I just didn't get a chance with all these things going on...)

So I'll just leave you to enjoy these colourful pics ;)

...

Easter In My Heart :)

My Outfit for the Easter Monday

It was raining a bit, so these are just a water marks
on my skirt, these aren't stains, so don't
you worry! :)

My clothes:

- everything is from H&M

Oxford style shoes:

- Best Shoes

Bag, Watch & Accessories:

- My handbag is by Guess

- Watch belonged to my grandfather (Doxa)

- Bold ring is from H&M, Anchor necklace is by Camaieu, DIY wrap bracelets made by moi ;)

<3 you!

xoxo

My hubby was teasing me, blowing dandelions at me! My hair was covered in dandelions!!!

grr...I'll have my revenge! :D

FOTD

Here are a few close-ups of my make up. I wanted to stay as natural as possible & be as quick as possible when doing  my make up!

For a natural, "acqua & sapone" look, on my face I'm wearing:

• boi-ing concealer by Benefit, shade 01
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
• essence All Over Highlighter in 01 Illuminate!
• Avon True Colour Blush in Russet
• Avon Super Shock mascara in black
• Avon 24k gold eyeliner in Golden Brown
• Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream lip protectant stick

I have a busy end of the week ahead of me, but I'll try to post again soon!

I'll take the rest of today's day for relaxing, doing my manicure & catching up on my youtube & blog subscriptions! I'm eager to see what were the other girls, whom I'm subbed to, up these days!

xoxo Sonja