Products I've Used Up // June

I swear I do not color coordinate the products I use up. I feel like this happens quite often even though I definitely do not plan for it. That is getting me to wonder though if I shop in color schemes without noticing.

Catrice Liquid Liner Waterproof 010 Don't Leave Me: I did not actually use this product up. There is still product left in this but it does not hold up as well as it used to. I already repurchased this and the new liner works just fine.

Nivea Double Effect Eye-Make-Up Remover: This is a really good eye-make-up remover for waterproof mascara or eye liner and I will probably repurchase this soon.

 alverde Eye Creme for Every Skin Type: This is a long time staple in my skin care routine. I have sensitive dry skin and this is by far my favorite eye creme I have ever tried.

Weleda Skin Food: I repurchase this moisturizer multiple times a year. I use it everyday at night all throughout the year. 

Balea Shaving Gel Travel Size Caribbean Dreams: I hated this. This thing has been sitting on my shelves for forever. I wanted to use it up this month to finally get rid of it because I never liked this product. After I use this my skin burns and I finally decided to throw it out without using it up because it is just not worth it. I want to ad though that I really like the other Balea shaving gels I have used - I do not know what is wrong with this particular one.

ISANA young Limited Edition Shower Gel Dream Catcher: I really enjoyed this shower gel. Even though I prefer this one over the normal Balea shower gels I have not repurchased this. The only reason for that is that when it comes to shower gel I simply prefer to try out new products and new scents. I will definitely check out more of the ISANA shower gels in the future.

Dove Advanced Hair Series Oxygen Hair Mask: This was a good hair mask. I still like the Garnier Fructies Oil Repair 3 Hair Mask better which is the only reason I will not repurchase the Dove Oxygen Hair Mask. I have long hair and I have a lot of it but if you have problems with your hair being weight down by products this might be a good option.

Got2be Schwarzkopf Guardian Angel Heat Protectant Lotion: I do not know why this is called a lotion because it is definitely a spray. The scent is nice and not too strong and this bottle lasted me forever. I think it generally hard to tell how well heat protectant sprays work. How do you verify that? All I can say is that I am happy with the results but I also wanted to try another brand to be able to compare the to products.

What is your go-to heat protectant?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes // Review

I am not quite sure how to categories Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - contemporary maybe? I do not want to spoil anything for you my summary of the plot is very vague. The story is set in a small town in England in 2009 and follows the main character Lou who - after losing her job at a cafe - starts a new job as a carer for Will Traynor who is a quadriplegic person.

This is my first book by Jojo Moyes and I loved it. I flew through it - I only had to take a little break to sleep for a few hours. Those are my favorite kinds of books, the ones you cannot put down and basically read in one sitting. I loved all the characters, the setting and I cried multiple times. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads and I would definitely recommend anyone to pick it up who is in the mood for a good, emotional, not too sugar-coated read.

I have worked as a carer myself and even though there were a few parts that were a little unrealistic to me the author still created a story that felt very authentic to me. I have heard negative opinions from people that are disabled and felt very misrepresented in the novel. I am not disabled and do not want to speak for these people but my personal opinion on this is that while I think I can understand what upsets them I still think this story is very specific to the characters involved. Every person has a different way of dealing with their circumstances and how they effect not only themselves but the people surrounding them. To me this novel was about people having very different but at the same time valid opinions about certain subjects and while you can try to change somebody's mind they are still entitled to their on opinion and have the right to follow through with their decisions on how to live their life. (I am sorry. I am not a native speaker and I find it quite hard to put these things into words without giving anything away about the plot).

The movie Me Before You is hitting theaters right now - but if you have not read the book, be warned: there are spoilers in the trailer! Even though I have not seen the film yet the trailer makes the story look a little more cheesy than the book actually was. I actually bought the book after picking up a brochure advertising the movie at the cinema when I went to saw the new X-Men movie that included a little extract form the book.

What did you think about Me Before You?

Please do not leave any spoiler in the comments!

Astor Lip Butter Elegant Nude // Review

Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butter Matte 027 Elegant Nude

I am generally a big fan of the Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butters by Astor. I only own three colors but their color selection is fantastic I could easily get ten more colors I like. They offer amazing colors and finishes - I think they currently have a range of 25 colors. 

The packaging for this lip product is pretty much a perfect match to the color on your lips. It is easy to get a opaque, even coat of color on your lips. I am rather pale and I usually find it hard to find nude or rose shades that suite my skin tone. This to me is a perfect mix of the two. It is a little darker than your usual nude or rose lip stick but maybe that is exactly what makes it work with my complexion.

As most matte lip colors this product is a little drying. It also makes the lines on your lips a little more visible but it is not to a degree that would keep me from wearing it. Other than that you can probably tell from the picture that you cannot get a really sharp contour on your lips with this. Personally I do not mind that because if yu are not zoomed up to my face as you are in this picture you simply cannot tell. Maybe you could solve this problem (if it is a problem to you) by using a lip liner but I do not think you would need one. Elegant Nude stays on my lips forever (without staining my lips). The one downside there really is to this Lipcolor Butter is that you cannot wear it when your lips are chapped. It just looks messy and the fact that this lip product is on the drying side will make it look worse as time goes on.

Overall this is my favorite, most-worn lip product of the moment - so obviously I would recommend anyone to check out this Astor Lipcolor Butter. It is a great everyday color but because it is a little darker I also like wearing it on a night out.

What do you think of the Astor Lipcolor Butters?

Drugstore Haul // June

This is actually a pretty reasonable haul - I needed all of these products and I did not make any impulse purchases. I am still trying very hard not to do that anymore because I just want to use what I already have (especially when it comes to make-up and nail polishes) and if I do purchase something new to add to my collection I want it to be a well thought out decision. 

Garnier Skin Active Waterproof Make-Up-Remover All-in-1: I have only heard good things about this make-up remover and since I just ran out of mine and this (massive) bottle is cheaper than the eye-make-up removers for waterproof eye make up I have used before I decided to give it a try. I do have to admit I do not like the color of the product... it just reminds me of old, used cooking oil.

Weleda Skin Food: Having repurchased and talked about this multiple times I do not really feel the need to talk about this product too much. I have very dry sensitive skin and this is my favorite night-time moisturizer.

alverde Eyecreme for Every Skin Type: This is another one of my most repurchased items. My eyes get irritated very easily and this is the only eye creme that moisturizes my skin well while not irritating it. I am pretty sure this is also the cheapest eye creme I have ever used (or at least one of the cheapest).

Catrice Liquid Liner Waterproof 010 Don't Leave Me: It has been a long time since I have worn winged eye liner which is rather sad because that used to be my favorite go-to look. The only reason I did not wear eyeliner was that I could not find one that stayed put without transferring to my lid or a smudged wing. This used to be my go-to, stays-all-day eyeliner until one day it did not do that anymore. After trying a lot of other eyeliners I almost forgot about my old favorite. Then I recently tried it again and (no surprise) it wasn't smudge-proof and it transferred to my eyelids (it looked really bad) - but then it occurred to me that maybe that only happened because my liquid liner was old. That's why I want to give it another shot - maybe this new one will my my old-new-found favorite.

What drugstore products did you shop for so far this summer?

May Favorites // 2016

I only just realized that this moths favorites are almost all Astor products. Maybe I should check out more of their stuff? Do you have any favorite Astor products?

Catrice Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer 010 Porcellain: I am as pale as a vampire so it is rather hard for me to find products in the drugstore that match my skin tone. The shade 010 Porcellain is definitely lighter than the Maybelline Fit me! Concealer in the color 15 and I do prefer the formula of the Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer. It does not dry or darken up during the day, nor does it draw any unwanted attention to the little wrinkles around the eye. It is easy to blend and the coverage is buildable.


Astor Perfect Stay Gel Shine Nail Polish 502/302 Crème Brulée: I only wore this polish twice since I got it but it is already one of my favorites. It is the perfect darker nude color that stays on my nails longer than most other nail polishes ever did.

Astor Quick & Shine Nail Polish 502 Hot Chocolate Season: At first I was hesitant about this polish because I do not wear a lot of metallic nail polishes. On top of that it is not a typical spring / summer color to me (like the name would already suggest) - but I still love this nail polish and I am so happy I got it. The quality is amazing and you do not need to apply more than two coats to get an opaque, even finish. This is a perfect going-out-at-night nail color to me. While it is still a classic metallic shimmering polish the color and finish are quite special - at least I do not have anything even remotely like this n my collection.

Astor Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butter Matte 027 Elegant Nude: This is definitely my most worn spring lip color. I have yet to find a 'truly nude' lip product that actually looks good with my skin tone - so for now this is my version of a nude lip. I freaking love it.

Do you have any recommendations for me when it comes to trying out new products from Astor?