January 27, 2014

International Beauty: Slovenia

Welcome to the 2nd instalment of the new series on Makeup and Macaroons where each fortnight we'll grill a blogger from a different country with the aim to identify cult products from their home town. For the first instalment, Australia, click HERE

Today we're visiting Slovenia, a country I have heard lots and lots about because of friends, but never had the pleasure to visit... yet! Telling us about cult Slovenian products is Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really. 


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Hello to all of Lilit's lovely readers! My name is Živa and I blog over at Nothin' Fancy. Really. Today I'm here to talk about my favorite beauty buys which you can get in my country, Slovenia. So if you're planning to visit or are just curious, read on for some of my recommendations.

Slovenia is a really small country in the heart of Europe (how poetic am I, huh?) When Lilit asked me to participate in her new project, I literally had no idea which products to feature. I did some research and planned a trip to town, and whatdoyaknow, came back with loads of Slovenian beauty products! I was surprised myself and I think any visitor who's partial to a beauty bit or two (or twenty-seven ... no judging) will love exploring our shops and drugstores. I put together a little walk through Ljubljana's center which should take you about an hour (not counting the time you'll spend in the shops, because that can take you a whole day, tee hee) and I promise you'll find some great things. Now let's get on with the products, then I'll take you through the shops.

One brand I've noticed before and really liked was Krasna. Kras is a beautiful region in Slovenia which inspired this lovely beauty brand. It's mostly made with lavender, so if you like its soothing scent, you'll love it. They have a beautiful range in gorgeous packaging and I had quite some trouble choosing the right product. You can buy everything from body to skincare. I chose this dry exfoliator, which I think is pretty nifty. It comes in a dusty form with dried lavender flowers, which give off the loveliest scent when crushed between your fingers. You make a paste with the exfoliator and some water and apply it to your face, gently massaging the mixture in. It's very gentle and I absolutely adore the pleasant scent. I also chose a lip balm from Krasna, which I wasn't even going to feature, but it's so wonderful I just had to tell you about it. It is also made with lavender and is incredibly creamy and moisturizing – as a lip biter (fo' shame, I know) I find this to work wonders. The products are inexpensive as well, the exfoliator will set you back about 10€ while the lip balm is a mere 2,5€.

Next I was on the search for some beautiful soap. I like nothing better than a beautiful bar of soap with swirly bits and a to-die-for scent, so I immediately knew I had to try Organica. It's a brand that you can buy online or in Nama. I chose the latter and gave all of their soap bars a sniff, finally settling on this gorgeous Christmassy one. Come on, who isn't partial to a bit of Christmas in January? I for one am counting down the days until it comes again! This baby is called 'The taste of holidays' and smells of ... Well, Christmas! Oranges, cloves, mulled wine, ginger, all those goodies and more. If you don't like those, they have an absolutely beautiful selection (I especially loved a soap with dried rose buds) that you can choose from. And the best part? The soaps are only around 7€ and will last you ages!

Finally, I'm featuring Bubbles, a brand that you can get online or at one of these locations: Glam in the city square, Atlantis in BTC and Alaja in Šiška. One of my good friends got me their body scrub for my birthday and I absolutely adore it. Ocean Breeze is a gorgeous bright blue creamy exfoliating bar, which smells  of cocoa. It's absolutely lovely and I find it gives my skin a nice ol' scrub down. It's made with sugar, by the way. Bubbles also has a really pretty line of products, including bath bombs which are just lovely.
Top left: Krasna dry exfoliator and lip balm.
Bottom left: Organica "taste of holidays" soap
Bottom right: Bubbles Ocean Breeze exfoliating soap


Phew, it was hard choosing just three brands to talk about! There are so many more I'd like to feature, but I'll mention them quickly when I take you through the stores. (Click map to enlarge)

Our little walk begins at Maxi Market, a department store which has beauty products on the ground floor. You have a nice selection of makeup, natural cosmetics and perfumes. You can also get Zoya and Orly nail polishes here, if you're looking for them. Next, continue your walk across the road from the Thai restaurant Da Buda (they have the best Pad Thai if you're into that ... expect a lot of these OT's as I want to tell you as much as possible) and pass the sports store and Mladinska Knjiga. This is a bookstore with a nice English selection on the first floor, if you fancy a read. You'll also pass a flower shop and then you're at your next location – Nama. On the ground floor you'll find brands like L'Occitane, Melvita, Burt's Bees, perfume and Organica, which I mentioned before. Just go through the store and you'll come out on the other end, seeing Zara before you. Now no one will judge you if you make a quick trip to check out some sales in there, will they? When you're done, go across the road again, passing hotel Slon and go past H&M on Čopova Street (again ... the sales are calling your name). You will reach our biggest drugstore, Müller. You have two floors of goodies here with perfumes and makeup on the ground floor and hair, body and face products on the first floor. You can buy OPI here at extortionate prices. They also carry REN. I would especially recommend two brands which are really inexpensive – Catrice and Essence. They are absolutely lovely, I like Essence for their limited edition nail polishes and blushers, while Catrice is just awesome all-around. I like everything I've tried for them and it's so affordable. When you're done, you can check out the book store Felix on the other side of the street – great selection of English books on the first floor with some books on offer for 7€, I even got some hardbacks here for 5! Continue your walk across square Prešeren and ooh-and-ah at the statue and church there, then go across one of the three bridges called Tromostovje and you'll see Lush in front of you! Who doesn't love Lush, I ask you? Across from Lush is our drugstore, Drogerie Markt. Here is where you can buy Krasna. You can get Essie polishes here as well as a bunch of great brands like Balea and Alverde. They have some awesome stuff! I would recommend Balea's Aqua Face Serum and their hand lotions which come with a pump. They also carry Bourjois.

There you have it, that's our beauty walk complete! I would suggest you finish off with a trip to Park Zvezda, where you can have a lovely cake and some delicious coffee (order the Vanilla Latte, it's great). Another gorgeous coffee shop is Lolita next to Tromostovje, but I wouldn't recommend it if you have your boyfriend with you – mine feels threatened by the 'girly stuff in there'. Oooh, in Park Zvezda you can grab some healthy-ish fast food in Frks, where they make delicious wraps with chicken and great cupcakes, too. Zvezda also has a bistro, which is a tad more expensive, but serves delicious food with vegan options, which are divine.

Okay, I think I've rambled on enough! This should do for a quick visit of Ljubljana. If you're staying longer, check out the shopping at Citypark, go clubbing in Cirkus, visit Bled and Predjamska jama. I could go on, but I'm going to force myself to stop now. I do hope you enjoy your stay here. Slovenia is beautiful. :)
Another big thank you and hug to Lilit for having me, and I hope you enjoyed this beauty walk-through.

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Thank you so much Živa, that was very interesting and the map will surely come in handy for anyone visiting Ljubljana! If you'd like to hear more from Živa you can find her on her BLOG, TWITTER or FACEBOOK

8 comments :

  1. Oh wow, what a great idea for a post! x

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  2. Loved the latest edition from Ziva - such a great idea including a map and having a 'beauty walk' !

    Sarah | More Than Adored

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    1. I know! I feel like I should jump on a plane now and head over to Ljubljana as now I know where to shop!

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  3. Great set of products Ziva:) Beautiful pictures :)

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  4. Yay for my fellow beauty blogger! :D Great idea for a post/series Lilit... :)

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  5. Loved posting for you Lilit, your idea for this series is just amazing - I cannot wait to see the rest of the posts! :) xx

    Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really.

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  6. Great post idea Lilit! Love the post Ziva! I think the beauty walking tour of Ljubljana is genius!

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