February Favorites 2014

It is the end of the month and that means it is time for favorites! I had a really stressful time this February which is why I did not bother to wear more make up than the usual concealer and mascara. That's why this moth there are no real beauty makeup favorites but skin care and random ones.

My skin was going crazy this month! It just got really dry and generally bad :(
What helped with that were the Weleda Skin Food and the Balea hydrating eye cream. I did a review on the Weleda Skin Food earlier this month after just using it for a week and promised an update in my February favorites  post, so here it is: I still love it and would repurchase it over and over again!

I got the eos lip balm in cranberry for my birthday and will soon do a review on that. But it is in my favorites this month so I gues you can already tell I like it very much ;)

Allegiant is the third book in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I have not been ready a lot in the last month which is why I have not finished it yet (no spoilers please!). I am not good at book reviews so all I will say is that this series is definitely worth reading. Because I have not been readying for the last year in general I set a reading challenge on Good Reads for myself. Good Reads is an amazing website for book lovers! You can rate books, keep track of what you want to read in the future and check out reading lists of other people! I spent way to much time on there....

Guess what I got for Valentine's day? - Right! Taylor Swift's first album. I have been listening to this a lot. You can check out what else I listen to this month in my Spring Playlist post from last week. Another song that totally got stuck in my head this moth was this one:

Acapella by Karmin

On to my two last favorites. The first one has to be Pull&Bear. I love that shop and if I could I would by almost every single piece in their store o.o The other one are my cream white rose studs. I bought them last year in the sale so you will not find these exact ones anymore but you can get rose studs everywhere. I wore these almost every single day.

Do you have a Good Reads account? If so let me know in the comments :)

Thank you to everyone who ever reads one of my posts <3

- Myra 

Drugstore & Decor SALE HAUL - Rossmann & Xenos

This is a different haul for me be because I actually managed to only buy what I had intended to purchase :)
Rossmann had a 30% on all mascaras sale going on which was perfect because mascara is what I went there for. I had heard lost of good things about the Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara and I have never tried a mascara with a wand like this. I am almost out of my essence eyebrow gel  and because it is labeled as lash and brow mascara it was on sale as well.

I have been looking for something to store my tea in for what fees like forever! My best friend has this exact box from Xenos in pink, so I had to go there and get one for myself. It was only 1.99 Euro :) It does not fit all of my tea but it has enough space for my favorites. 

What is that last thing called? I have no idea. You can put a tea candle inside and then put (in my case) a tart by Yankee candle on top so it melts. I like the simplicity of it and it was only 1.49Euro.

I hope you enjoyed this little haul. I used to do collective hauls more often but I personally like little hauls like this as well.

- Myra

Products I've used up February 2014

Looks like now I should have a little more space in my shower - no I don't. Of course I had to fill up what little space I gained by using up the following products with new once to replace them. New products make me happy but so does using old ones up.

the Body Shop body scrub in chocolate
I got this from a friend because she could not stand the smell of it. I did not like the smell either but I used it up anyways. When you apply it to your skin it looks like dirt. Like muddy water. So I did not like the smell and it does not look good either - BUT I love the effect! It just makes your skin feel soooo smooth. I am debating about whether to get it in a different scent because then the color and the scent would of course be different. What keeps me from doing that is the price tag. I'll update you if I ever buy it again.

Balea shaving gel in Buttermilk Lemon
I buy this all the time. I love the scent even though I might want to try something different the next time I already repurchased this. All time favorite.

Yves Rocher shower creme in Jardins du Monde
This smells like chocolate again which is why my friend gave me this one as well. Again I did not like the scent but the effect is great. It simply feels good when applying it to your skin. The consistency is thicker than normal which I like as well. I got a giant bottle of shower gel for my birthday (Mango by treacklemoon) so I will not be buying shower gel or creme for quite some time now. Well at least I should not ;)

Balea shower creme in mandarin
I like Balea shower gels, I buy them all the time. I like the consistency of the Yves Rocher one better but I enjoyed the smell of this one a lot more. They are really in expensive and they have a great variety of scents that they update all the time.

alverde body butter in Beerentraum
This smelly like berries (the name would translate as maybe something like "berry dream"). It says it's especially good for really dry skin which I have and it really did help with that. I loved the consistency, the scent and it sunk into my skin quickly. They still sell this and I am thinking about getting a back up... the only problem is that I already have two bottles of body lotion stocked up. But body butter is different than body lotion right? hm... BTW the last three body lotions/butters that I bought were all by alverde, I really like their products.

Do you buy backups a lot? Because I usually don't but now I feel like doing it....

- Myra

My Spring Playlist 2014

Last year I did a spring playlist post and this year I want to do it again! I still listen to all the songs I linked in that post but I thought I would tell you about some more recent additions to my playlist. These are all songs I have been listening to in the past weeks:

Money on my mind by Sam Smith

Breathing in the Pieces by Martin Felix Kaczmarski

I also loved How's it going by Martin Felix Kaczmarski but I could not find it on YouTube so here is a link to where you can listen to it: click here.

I see fire by Ed Sheeren

I was lucky enough to see him preform this song live earlier this month and he sounds exactly like this. It was simply amazing!

Only one by Bob Bradley

Another song that I listen to all the time is We went through the storm by Alex Arcoleo but I could not find that on YouTube either so here is the link: click here.

Of course - as always - I am listening a lot to Taylor Swift but I don't have to link any of her songs here, right? People know her songs ;) (Right now I have Holy ground and Starlight on repeat)

I have been listening to more songs than these six but I did not want to do too long of a post - and now maybe I have enough left to link some new ones in my February Favorites? Who knows :P

What have you been listening to lately? Any tips?

- Myra

Spring Nail Polish Favorites

I cannot wait for spring to finally start! I have already started to go through my closet and my make-up collection looking for what I want to wear when the season  is finally here. (I know that is stupid and you can wear whatever you want whenever you want - but I want to save it for when it really is spring so that I am not already tiered of it when it actually happens. I guess it's the same as not wanting to decorate for Christmas too early...)

Three out of these four nail polishes I have already worn one I have yet to try out.

essence color & go nail polish 146 that's what I mint!
I think I got this polish around this time of the year last year. I really like the color. The polish is said to be a dupe for essie's mint candy apple but owning this color and loving it so much I don't even want to try the original out anymore.

Catrice Eve in Bloom limited edition Ultimate Nail Lacquer C05 Blossom you, blosso me
This polish was limited edition and you cannot get it anymore (sorry :( ). I bought on sale when the time for bright colors like this was already over and waited quite some time to eventually put it on.

OPI nail lacquer Sweet Heart
This is an all time favorite of mine. I love the color, it is perfect for the season, it has amazing quality - what is there more to say?

essie nail lacquer 38 nice is nice
If you do not have this color and you want to get it but you are on a budget you do not have to get the original by essie. There is a far cheaper alternative by essence that I talked about in a previous blog post. I really like pale purple in general - especially paired with nudes.

What are your favorite nail polishes for the upcoming season? Do you even care about what season it is when it comes to nail polish?

- Myra

DIY - mason jar decor

I love decorating my place - and because I do not have a tone of money to spend on that hobby I love doing DIYs. You can buy jars like this one in every home decor store nowadays but it is so easy and more inexpensive to make them your own. All you need is a jar of what ever size you want (mine was just a glass of cherries), an permanent marker (that writes on glass permanently) and some kind of pattern you want to draw on the jar.

If there are any labels on the jar you want to use you can let it soak in warm water and soap for a few minutes so you can easily peal of the labels. When the jar is clean and dry you are ready to continue. I wanted a simple "S" on mine for "straws" because that is what I wanted to store in it. I printed out the letter "S"  in "Algerian" in a size 200 and cut it out. If you want any other designs you can add them around the letter. After that you put the paper inside the jar, position it where you want the design to be and tape it to the glass so it does not move anymore. Then you take your your permanent marker and draw your design directly onto the jar. I had to do two coats until it was opaque. The only thing you have to do now is to remove the draft from within the jar and you are done!

Do you do DIYs to decorate at home? Do you have any ideas for me to do?

- Myra

Spring Drugstore Lip Product Favorites

With spring coming up there is one thing I am getting really excited about and that is brighter lips! I am saving the bright pinks for summer but light blush tones, nudes and reds are exactly what I like to wear this time of the year. Where I live it is still cold outside and it probably still will be for quite some time - therefore I am trying to incorporate things that remind me of spring into what I wear while still keeping warm. Lips is what I feel like the easiest way to do so!

essence 53 All About Cupcake (top left)
essence 52 In the Nude (top right)
These two lipsticks are a part of the old lipstick range of essence. They are rather sheer (which is why 52 In the Nude looks so scary in the tube (?)) but therefore easy to apply and I still really like them. The finish is more glossy which makes the color look fresh and more natural.

essence 52 In the Nude, essence 53 All About Cupcake,

essence 13 Love Me (middle left)
essence 07 Natural Beauty (middle right)
essence 04 On the Catwalk! (bottom left)
These lipsticks have a silky finish that is not glossy like the other ones. They are all part of the long lasting lip stick line by essence (and may I say the packaging is so much better then the old ones!). They are more opaque but not as moisturising. I love all three colors but out of these 13 Love Me must be my favorite.

essence 04 On the Catwalk!, essence 07 Natural Beauty, essence 13 Love Me

essence Stay with me long lasting lipgloss 02 My favorite Milkshake
Maybelline Super Stay 10h Tint Gloss 370 Infinite Mauve
Up until now I did not notice that all the products but the Maybelline Super Stay Tint Gloss are by essence. That was not on purpose! Haha. The essence gloss does not "stay with you" that long but it is far more opaque than the other glosses by essence that I have tried. I like to where this with I make up because it sort of tones down the natural red of your lips while still managing to make them look natural and of course nice and glossy. The Maybelline Tint Gloss was a Christmas Gift that I have loved ever since I got it. The only problem I have with it is that you have to have "perfect" lip before (so no chapping or anything like that) because otherwise it will make those "imperfections" stand out even more. It smells like cherries and I just love the color. There is something about it that is very flattering against my rather pale skin. I love it <3

Maybelline Super Stay 10h Tint Gloss 370 Infinite Mauve, essence Stay with me long lasting lipgloss 02 My favorite Milkshake

Is it already getting warmer where you live? What are your favorite Spring products (I am thinking about doing a spring nail polish or jewelry post)?

- Myra

BERLIN FASHION HAUL - Pull&Bear

I spent the last weekend in Berlin and discovered what might be my favorite new store: Pull&Bear! (I looked it up online and there is a store near where I live that I did not know about) I would have liked to buy almost every single item in there - but of course I did not. I bought mostly spring / summer items and almost everything was on sale - and the sale was amazing!

This is beautifully beaded top that would have originally been 25 Euro which I can understand but I would not have paid. It is rather heavy but that makes it feel really expensive. I just love the look, even though it is a size to big for me I am looking forward to pairing this top with jean shorts. I like loose fitting tops with shorts the best. - 3.99 Euro

I have been on the hunt for the perfect fitting jean shorts for what feels like forever. These are a nice length and I like the wash. They were the only item I bought that was not on sale but the prize was still good. - 15.99 Euro

This is a loose fitting, three-quarter length, light knit top with slits on both sides and a leather collar. I own nothing like this. I love the cream withe against the black and the fit is really flattering. This was on sale as well but I do not know the original price.- 3.99 Euro

This dress has a really odd shape on the hanger. It is very loose fitting (notice a theme there?) and a little big on me (it is a size small but the did not have it in extra small so I could not try it on a size smaller) but I like that look. It is just perfectly comfortable and the asymmetry of the pattern and the cut makes it look more interesting. - 7.99 Euro

What can I say? I just love this store! Now I am really looking forward to the warmer days of the year. Have you already bought stuff to wear in the upcoming spring / summer?

- Myra

Weleda Skin Food - Review

I just bought this product a week ago, so I cannot give a final review yet. I have just been using this since last Tuesday but I can already see a difference in my skin! I generally have dry skin but in the last three weeks it got even worse. I remembered FleurdeForce talking about Skin Food in one of her recent videos so I went to the drugstore to check it out.

75ml cost 7.95 Euro which is not much at all. You can apply it on your face and body but I have only used it on my face yet. I put it on every night and on mornings when I am staying home that day. Why is that? After applying this my face is shiny and sticky which I do not want my skin to feel like throughout the day. That is why I apply it when I do not have to leave the house afterwards. One thing I really do not like about it - i fact the only thing that is bothering me - is the smell. I do not know how to describe the scent- herbal maybe? But not like herbal tea (that I would like)....You can still smell it after you apply it but not for long.

Now comes the great part! I love the effect it has on my skin. I have no dry patches on my face anymore. They are gone. I have breakouts and my skin still is nowhere near perfect but I have no dry patches anymore! That is huge for me because even when my skin was doing better I still had problems with that.

I have only tried this product for a week now - that is why I am going to update you on how I like it at the end of the month in my monthly favorites post that I will link here as soon as it is up.

Have you tried other Weleda products before?

- Myra

BIG forgotten Drugstore HAUL

I do not know why but I totally forgot to do this post! I took these pictures in the beginning of January and just rediscovered them! Haha... well, you can still get pretty much all the products so I guess I am still going to post this.

p2 Intensive Nail Hardener
This is a backup for a polish I use every time I do my nails. I love this as a base coat!

essence Get Big Lashes Volume Boost mascara
Review is coming soon!

essence long lasting lipstick 04 On the Catwalk! (top right)
It looks a lot more "red" than I thought it would. To me the color looked really special in the tube (?) but on the lips it does not look the same. Nevertheless I still like the color it was simply not what I expected.
essence lipstick dark romance limited edition 01 Red Romance (bottom right)
I adore this lipstick! I have been wearing it nonstop since I got it! It does look a lot darker on the lips than it does in the swatch. It is the perfect dark lip to me.
Catrice Rocking Royals Velvet Matt Lip Color C02 Of Royal Blood (left)
This I love as well. The color is amazing (and somewhat really unique) and I love the mat finish.

Balea Oil Repair Hair Oil
My hair is very dry and I have been having  problems with frizz lately. I got this to hopefully help with that.

Balea Cream-Oil-Body-Scrub Apple & Cinnamon
The smell is what made me buy it. I did not need a new body scrub but I could not resist the scent!

Alverde Body Lotion City Whisper
I find it hard to find body lotions / butters in the drugstore that I actually like the scent of since a lot of them smell like vanilla or coconut which I just do not like. I love the citrus smell of this one and I discovered alverde's body butters this winter and really enjoyed using them.

Rexona shower fresh deodorant
I have not tried a lot of different deodorants and this one was on sale. I bought it because I heard a lot of good things about Rexona so I wanted to try it myself.

Balea Aqua eye cream
Just like my hair my skin is dry as well. I have used another version of this eye cream before and now I am running out of it.

Balea Aqua cloth mask
This is a repurchase. You look a little like you were planning a bank robbery when you put this on - but it is worth it. I like the effect it gives.

Rival de Loop Clean & Care eye make up remover
I buy this all the time - so I am not going to bore your with that ;)

This is a lot of hauls in one week but this is a collective haul of all the things I bought in December.

See you soon,

 - Myra

Drugstore HAUL

Weleda Skin Food
My skin is super dry right now and I don't know what to do about it. I have generally dry skin but in the last two weeks none of my moisturizing  products seem to be enough anymore. FleurdeForce talked about Skin Food in one of her last videos as a product she likes using an an airplane when her skin gets super dry so that is what I got. At first I was hesitant because of the price but you get 75ml in one tube which is more than you get with most other face creams.

Balea Eye Cream
I had this eye cream before and I really liked it. I am currently using another one by Balea but even my eye area (even more than the rest of my skin) is really dry so I am switching back this version. I looked for another alternative for a long time but there just are no eye creams for dry skin in the drugstore (only a lot of anti aging products -.- ).

essence Long Lasting Lip Stick 13 Love Me
This is my first product from the new essence spring range. I love the long lasting lip stick line (I already own two other shades). It is super affordable and I really like the quality and color range. I almost bought the shade 01 as well but I think I will save that one for a souvenir from Berlin.

These are both the same lipstick. The upper swatch has just one coat, for the other one I layered on more color.

Are you interested in any of these products? Or have you tried them already? Do you have any suggestions on how to handle my suddenly really dry skin?

- Myra