Beauty Favorites // February

This month I did not shop for any new products (which I am very proud of) but focused on the products I already had. That is why all of these products I have owned for a long time or - in the case of the perfume - have been around the beauty world for a long time.

Christina Aguilera By Night Eua de Toilette: Didn't I just talk about how I am not the biggest fan of perfume? Well, I guess it means a lot then that I included one in this months favorites. This perfume smells exactly like what it looks like - at least to me. It s a rather heavy vanilla scent which usually isn't my thing but I really like this one. The warm scent comforting to me and it lasts really long on my skin while not being overpowering.

essence I Heart Nude Eye Shadow 03 Crème Brûlée: This is a beautiful, shimmery nude shade that is really close to my skin color. I like wearing this all over the lid or on the inner corner.

essence I Heart Nude Eye Shadow 05 My Favorite Tauping: This taupe color has a more of a satin finish I either wear all over the lid or in the crease and at the bottom of my lower lash line.
 

essence Cookies & Cream Trend Edition Eye Shadow 03 Last Night A Cookie Saved My Life!: This is a wonderful, deep brown with a satin finish to it that I love to use to darken my crease.
 

I loved combining all of these shadows together and wore different looks like that all throughout the month. I wore  Crème Brûlée on the inner third of my lid, My Favorite Tauping on the rest of the lid and on my bottom lash line and Last Night A Cookie Saved My Life! in my crease. When I felt like wearing something a little darker I liked to add a little smudged, dark brown liner to my top lashes.

The quality of these eye shadows is good but not amazing. I did all of the swatches on top of the Urban Decay Primer Potion because that is what I always use when I want to wear eye shadow. When I compare these shadows to MAC, Inglot or Urban Decay they cannot keep up. They do not last as long, they are not as easily blendable and the color pay off is not as good. All that said, I still like them. The price is a lot lower that all of those high end products and they work fine for everyday wear. When you try to layer up My Favorite Tauping to get a more intense color it can get a little blotchy so I would not recommend you do that - but because all of these colors are lighter neutrals you cannot see their weaknesses as well.

What are your ffavorite rediscoveries of the past month?

Products I've Used Up // January

A few months ago I decided to do Products I've Used Up posts every other month instead of once a month. Now I am starting to think maybe that wasn't such a good idea. This is a rather long posts about a lot of products and next time I am going to try and keep it shorter. Also, I have had to use new software to work on my images and I am not quite happy with it yet. It just takes time to figure all that out.

Carmex Classic Moisturizing Lip Balm: This is the most effective lip balm I have ever used. It helps with dry, chapped lips and it looks like a simple, clear lip gloss when you apply it. I have already repurchased this lip balm and I will probably do it again when I use up the next tube.

alverde Face Scrub with Apricot & Calendula for every skin type: I just wrote a review of this product that I will link here: click. Overall I really liked this face scrub and I already repurchased it.

alverde Eye Creme for every skin type: I have generally dry skin but the area around my eyes is especially sensitive. The eye creme that works best for me is this one by alverde. The company does do eye cremes especially made for dry skin but I still like this one the best. It is very moisturizing and sinks in quickly. The creme also does not irritate my skin and it is one of the most affordable eye creme I could find in the drugstore.

alverde Body Butter Macadamia Nut for very dry skin & alverde Limited Edition Fairy Tale Forest Body Butter Snow White: This is the most lovely body moisturizer I have ever used. I do not like the scent of macadamia nuts but I still loved this body butter. The Snow White body butter that was part of a limited edition miniature body butter set smells like apples. I usually like that scent but there is something sour about that scent that I do not like. It is my least favorite scent from the set but I am still very happy with the product. Alverde body butters are the most moisturizing but also the quickest body products to sink into the skin. On top of that Alverde body butters are usually vegan which is a great plus.

 

ISANA Creme Shower Limited Edition Forbidden Apple: This the best shower gel I have used in a while. The combination of apple and caramel is just lovely and I am looking forward to repurchasing this.

Fa Limited Edition Winter Love Blueberry Dream Shower Creme: This is a really long name for a simple shower gel. I liked the scent and I liked the overall product but I do not remember it as anything special. The one thing I really did not like was the packaging - it just looks a little cheap.

Guhl Deep Repair Conditioner: This is already my second bottle of this conditioner. I feel like I used up this product a lot quicker than I usually do but maybe I am just imagining that. I have dry hair and this conditioner takes great care of that. It also makes my hair a lot easier to brush through than if I do not use any conditioner on it.

Schwarzkopf Schmusekatze Anti-Frizz Lotion: I have been using this product for years. That in itself should tell you how much I like this lotion. The only reason I did not repurchase this product and will not recommend it anymore is that there are hormonal substances contained in it. I personally try to avoid those substances which is why I no longer want to use this product. I luckily happened to use the product up right when I found out about the hormonal substances so none of it will go to waste.

Dresdner Essenz Limited Edition Winter Magic Bath: I love taking baths in the winter time. This product had a wonderful apple caramel scent but it does not translate that well to the water. I would like the scent to be more intense but other than that I really liked this product.

 

essence Colour & Go Nail Polish 146 that's what I mint!: This was a very on trend nail polish a few years ago - a dupe for a more expensive essie nail polish. I try do go through all of my nail polishes at least once a year so I can sort out the once that have gone bad or maybe rediscover an old favorite. This is one of the polishes that has gone bad. The polish has separated and the consistency is simply no longer the same. I still really like the color but if you are looking for a similar polish I would recommend the Maybelline Super Stay Forever Strong Gel Nail Color 615 Mint for Life.

Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover & Balea Shaving Gel Limited Edition Oriental Flower: Both of these products are regulars in my Products I've Used Up posts. I have repurchased them both multiple times and will probably do that again soon. There are different scents available of the Balea shaving gel and I personally prefer other scents to this floral one. The scent is just to heavy for my taste but that is simply a question of preference.

What products did you use up this month?

Products I've Used Up // November

It is hard to believe it is already December - time is flying by. I have not been that active on this blog in the past month because on one hand I had a lot to do but on the other hand I did not really know what to write about. This is one of the posts that is pretty much a given. There are always products I have used up and now it is time to talk about those.

Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2in1: My eyes are getting more and more sensitive and this is one of the few products that still work well with my skin. It works well and is gentle to the skin.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof: This is by far my favorite mascara. It gives length and volume to the lashes and holds a curl all day.

essence Lash & Brow Clear Mascara: Sorry for how this look but that is just what happens with brow gel in a clear packaging. It just starts to look dirty. Aside form that I really like this brow gel. It works well and it is rather inexpensive.

Catrice Liquid Camouflage Concealer 010 Porcelain: I have not actually used this product up completely. It may look full but there is not a lot of product left in there. I use concealer pretty much every time I wear make-up but I do not use a lot of it. I guess that is why it takes a long time for me to use up a concealer. Since this is such an old and well used concealer it is starting to dry up and it is simply time to throw it out.

the Body Shop Body Scrub Blueberry: I like the the Body Shop Body Scrubs but I have been using them for such a long time now that it is time for something new. If you have never tried these body scrubs I can highly recommend them. The exfoliate well while not drying out the skin (and the scnet selection is amazing).

essence the gel nail polish top coat: I can recommend every essence top coat I have ever tried but my favorite is still the essence better than gel nail top sealer which is why I did not repurchase this.

Nivea Intense Repair Shampoo: I wrote an entire review about this shampoo and the corresponding conditioner you can check out here: click.

alverde Shower Gel with Pomegramate & Ginger: When it comes to shower gel you would think that pretty much all of them work fine. Lately that has not been the case for me which is why this shower gel stands out to me right now as one of the best I ever used. The scent is intense and a truly original combination and the product is not drying out my skin.

dusch das Shower Gel Red Apple & Grenadine: This is the shower gel I was really disappointed by. The scent on the skin is just weird and not pleasant at all. The consistency is very slippery and it was not as moisturizing to the skin as other shower gels I have used. Overall I did not like this product and I will probably stay away form dusch das for a while.

What did products did you use up this autumn?

What's in my Travel Make-Up Bag // Autumn

Even though it is not quite December yet the holiday season is close. While most people will be traveling home to see their family and friends closer to Christmas (or whatever it is you're celebrating) I usually tend to travel a lot even before that. I like to visit friends when the holiday spirit is already in the air and the Christmas markets start to pop up but the stressful, hectic part of the holiday season has not quite taken over yet.

Catrice Liquid Liner Waterproof 010 Don't Leave Me: This is a product I have been wanting to write a review about for a long time. I do like it and it is by far the best eyeliner I have ever used but it still is not the perfect liner I would want. I love liquid liner, especially when I am traveling because it is such a quick and simple yet effective look - especially on pictures.

Maybelline Color Tattoo 35 On and on Bronze: Most of the people that use this eye shadow seem to use it as a base. It does not work like that for me. I do use the Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base and this as a normal creme eye shadow on top. The color is a beautiful, deep bronze that is perfect for this time of the year.

Fleur de Forcen Lip Gloss 020 Written in the Stars: This is another one of those products that I will write a review about soon. There are pros and cons to this lip gloss but I generally like it and I like taking a lot of lip products with me when I travel. Switching out the lip product can quickly change the whole look you are going for. When traveling that is an easy way to have lots of options without carrying a whole suitcase of eye shadow palettes with you.

essence Lipliner 15 Honey Berry: This is a great color to wear on a night out. Putting on some liquid liner and this bright purple on the lips and your look is done.

Catrice Ultimate Stay Lip Liner 030 Boysenberry, Precision Lip Liner & 080 Read My Lips!: These are three of my favorite and most worn lip liners ever. Catrice lip liners can be a little drying on the lips but the color pay off is amazing and they stay on a long time.

KIKO Skinny Fit Kajal 05: Black liner is great but sometimes brown is just a better fit for a look. This was a limited edition eye liner but it is my favorite brown kajal I ever used.

essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara: Brow gel is part of my everyday make up routine and of course I will take it with me when I travel.

benefit the POREfessional: This is a relatively new addition to my make up routine but I already would not want to miss it. This is a rather expensive primer and there are other pore minimizers out there. While this is my favorite pore minimizer I have tried it is also by far the most expensive and I am not quite sure whether I will repurchase it again because of that.

Catrice Ultimate Color Lip Stick 260 It's A Mat World: This is one of my favorite lip sticks of all time. A classic bright red lip is pretty much always a good idea so of course I take one with me when I travel.

essence bloom me up! Limited Edition Eyelash Curler 01 Lovely Lavender: Eyelash curlers are something I use almost every day but when it comes to packing for a trip I tend to forget to pack these. I have no idea why that is but this time I will make sure to take them along.

Sleek i Divine Eye Shadow Palette Au Naturel 601: Whenever I travel for longer than just a few days I always bring one of my Sleek eye shadow palettes. There are mat, shiny, glittery and metallic eye shadows in here and - this is important - a simple black mat shadow you can always use as an eye liner. Sleek palettes are amazing value for money and there is a palette for everyone (nope, not sponsored).

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof: This is my favorite mascara of all time. The fact that it is waterproof makes it even better for traveling because no matter what the weather will be like this mascara will stay put.

Urban Decay Primer Potion: If there is one high end make up product in my collection that is worth the hype and price it is this one. This eye primer does not only make your eye shadow stay all day it also keeps your eyeliner from smudging and helps colors pop on the lid.

MNY Blush: This make up brand has been out of business for years now. I never liked their packaging but their products weren't that bad. This is my most used everyday blush but it is a color I would say most brands sell. When I travel I usually only take one blush and that one should be one that goes with pretty much everything. This is such a color to me. It is well pigmented, there is a slight shimmer to it and is neither too cool nor too warm toned.

Catrice Eye Shadow Duo 070 Double Espresso Macchiato, Please!: The dark shade on the left hand side is what I use as a brow powder to do my eyebrows. My eyebrows are black but when I use straight up black products to fill them in they just end up looking strange. What I need is a dark, cool toned powder or pencil to fill them in with that has no warmth or redness to it. Since that can be quite hard to find this is the best I have right now.

Fleur de Force Eye Shadow Quad Lunar Rose: I love these eye shadows. There is no need for me to take these along when I already packed my Sleek eye shadow palette but I am just so into this quad right now I would not want to travel without it.

Astor Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butter Matte 027 Elegant Nude: This is a lip color I love to wear in my everyday life but it only looks good when your lips are in close to prefect condition. It is convenient to trave with because it goes with pretty much anything but at the same time you should bring alternatives in case your lips are a little bit dry that day.

Catrice Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer 010 Porcelain: Of course I also take concealer with me when I travel. My skin usually starts to act out when I travel so I use more concealer when I travel than when I am at home.

I am very well aware that I probably pack more make up than 'necessary'. I just like having options with me and this is honestly what I will be taking when I go home to visit my family in the next weeks. Other make up products I pack - that I did not take about in this post - are brushes. I take a lot of them but I leave my 'good' brushes at home. I also leave my more expensive make up products like the Urban Decay Naked 2 eye shadow palette or my highlighters at home because I am just too worried they will shatter during transportation. It has not happened to me yet - knock on wood - but since I own other products I can take I do not mind leaving them at home.

What is in your Travel Make-Up Bag?

Drugstore Haul // November

When you put aside the Isana shower gel you could think I deliberately shop only for products that fit into my color scheme. This is quite a big haul to me but I am (again) proud I did not buy any make-items that I did not need.

ISANA Limited Edition Forbidden Apple Shower Gel: Apples are my favorite food and my favorite scent. Combine that with caramel and you made the perfect shower gel for me. I have such high hopes for this product (especially because I was really disappointed by the last apple-scented shower gel I used) because I liked the other Isana shower gels I tried before.

Fa Shower Creme Winter Love Blueberry Dream: First of all I do not like this packaging. I have never tried Fa shower gels but I know a lot of people that like them. The scent is really nice and wintry, so I am looking forward to trying this.

alverde Limited Edition Winter Love Shower Creme & Body Butter: This is one of the limited edition gift sets alverde just came out with. The body butter looks smaller but is just as big as the regular body butter by alverde. I love their body butter and was really excited about this limited edition. Even though there is a also a shower creme included in the gift set it is still more expensive than buying alverde's regular products. Since I do like alverde products very much and they are both vegan I am very excited about these new products. I still a have a few products to use u before I can start using these but I am looking forward to that.

alverde Limited Edition Fairy Tale Forest Body Butters Sleeping Beauty with Wild Rose, Cinderella with Pansy & Snowwhite with Apple: Well, I do have a lot of body butter back-ups now. This was another limited edition gift set by alverde where I like the packing less but I am just as excited about the products. I love the body butter by alverde and I am really excited about these new scents. Again this gift set is more expensive than the regular body butter but since this is a limited edition I think its fine.

Guhl Shampoo for Long Hair: I have not bought shampoo in so long it is a little surreal. I had a lot of back-ups I wanted to use up before I bought any new shampoos. Now I am all out of back-ups and it was time to get some new shampoo. Guhl is one of my favorite hair care brands and I don't think I ever tried a Guhl product I did not like. These products are a little more on the expensive side when it comes to drugstore hair care products but they do go on sale regularly in Rossmann so I just wait for that.

batiste Dry Shampoo for Brunettes: About a year ago I used dry shampoo on a regular basis and I do not really know why I stopped that. batiste dry shampoo works wonderfully with my hair but I have never tried this colored version. Let's hope this works with my hair just as well.

wellaflex Hairspray Frizz Control: I get all my hair spray recommendations from my best friend. Whenever I get ready at her place I use her hair spray and I am always happy with the results. I do not know how I always overlooked this special frizz control version of the hair spray I used to use anyways. The main reason I use hair spray is to control fizz and keep my hair in place so this works perfectly for me.

Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2 in 1 Waterproof: This is probably my most repurchased drugstore item ever. I wear waterproof mascara and eyeliner and this is the best make-up remover to take it all off at the end of the day.

essence Lash & Brow Mascara: I only use this mascara as eyebrow gel. It works fine for me and it is really inexpensive. The only down side to this product is the clear packaging because it starts to look really dirty really quickly (as you will be able to see in my next Products I've Used Up post).

What did you buy from the drugstore this month?