Products I've used up - January 2014

The end of January is almost there and so it is time for another 'Products I've used up'. I am very happy that I can actually show you some other products than just eye makeup remover.

ebelin cotton pads
These are my favorite cotton pads ever. Other cotton pads are often to harsh for my skin or tend to fall apart when you try removing your nail polish with them - these do not do either of these things. I love them.

Schwarzkopf got2b anti-frizz lotion
I think this is my third bottle - I love this stuff for my hair. I have already bought a new one. I use this pretty much every time I wash my hair and I have never tried something better than this.

L'oréal Paris Elivital Nutri-Gloss Crystal Shampoo
I will not repurchase this. If you wash your hair every day I think this is a great shampoo for you because it did make my hair feel nice and it did it's job. I wash my hair every other day and this is just no use for that because it does not keep my hair clean and good looking for two days in a row. 

TheBodyShop Special Edition Blueberry Body Scrub-Gelee
The best body scrub ever! I already got two backups for this in the after Christmas sale at theBodyShop and so far I love them just as much.

alverede body butter in Vanilla & Mandarin
If this had not been a limited edition I would have bought it again. Instead I got the new version in Vintage Rose and I cannot believe I am saying this but I might like it even more.

What products did you use up this month? And what is your opinion on the products I talked about?

H&M SALE HAUL

I don't think I have ever bought this many shoes in one month in my life :O
I usually do not like shoe shopping. I do like shoes but since I have rather big but slender feet it is hard to find shoes that do not look like a clown's shoes on me. My feet just look a little out of proportion because I am actually not that tall. Because of that it is hard for me to find shoes that still look good in my size - and this month I found four! I can hardly believe it ;D

15.00 Euro

These are actually the ones that I am not 100% sure I am going to keep. They are rather shiny dark brown heeled ankle boots. Usually these kinds of boots are not my thing but this season I have seen a lot of pictures of Taylor Swift (I feel like a stalker saying that) wearing boots that I feel are rather similar to these (at least their silhouette). I do not like them on their own but I love how they can complete a look. Does that make any sense?

15.00 Euro

A friend of mine has this shoes and I love them on her! I have never owned a pair of black flat shoes (that are not ballet flats) and I have a feeling I will get a lot of use out of these.

17.00 Euro

You have no idea how long I have been wanting a pair of oxfords! They look like they are such high quality, it is a little ridiculous for the price. My boyfriend is not the biggest fan but I still love them ;)

14.99 Euro

These are not from H&M but I thought I would still include them in this haul. They were a bargain at TK Maxx (or TJ Maxx depending on where you live). These Esprit flats were originally 69.99 Euro which I never would have paid. They are not really fashion forward or anything special but I got them anyways. It is always good to have a pair of 'good' simple flats you can were for more formal occasions like an interview or an oral exam (you want to dress up a little for that, right?).

Maybe I should get an additional shoe shelf? Probably soon...

Did you get anything form this seasons sales?

Love,

  Myra

New In: It's a Matt Word

Catrice, Ultimate Colour 260 It's A Matt Word

Should it not be 'A Matt World'? Maybe the native speakers can help me out with this. What is the reference behind 'A Matt Word'? The first thing I could think of was 'it's a mad world'...

Enough about the name - back to the lip stick!

Somehow the lipstick always looks a little shiny in pictures. In real life it is pretty mat.

I do not know why but this color reminds me of something Emma Watson would wear. I am still a little disappointed. When I swatched the lipstick in store it looked a lot less 'plain red'. Now that I am thinking about it that actually happens a lot to me. I own a lot of red lip colors that when I swatched them in the store under the neon lights looked a lot less 'plain red'.

I guess I would call this a semi-mat finish (which does not dry out my lips!).

Do you have any lipstick recommendations for me?

Love,

  Myra

Nail of the Day - Out Of The Dark

Catrice, Ultimate Nail Lacquer 60 Out Of The Dark

Basecoat: p2, Intensive Nail! Hardener

Topcoat: essence, studio nails, better than gel nails, top sealer

I have been eyeing this dark brown metallic polish with plum undertones. The most amazing thing about this polish is that you only need to apply one coat! I applied two coats simply out of habit. What bothers me a little bit is that you can still see the brushstrokes. It is not that bad because of the metallic finish, so you can hardly see it.

Winter Playlist

I have not done a playlist post in a really long time. These following songs are just a few examples of what music I have been listening to for the past weeks (maybe even months). Hopefully there are some new or rediscoveries for you in there:

Wilkinson - Afterglow

That song is cool but can we talk about that video?! I personally just love it.

Banks - Waiting Game

I love how different this song is. The one thing that bugs me about it is that I think I heard it in a movie soundtrack before but I cannot for the life of me remember what film it was :(

Ed Harcourt The Way That I Live

This has been my Christmas soundtrack for 2014 and I still love it. I think this is also my favorite commercial ever. (Burberry ads are simply the best)

Taylor Swift's cover of Vance Joy's Riptide 

No need to say that I have been listening to 1989 pretty much every single day since it came out but I wanted to share something maybe a little less obvious. I love this cover song!

Ed Sheeran - Tenerife Sea

This is one of my favorite Ed Sheeran songs ever. I could insert a ton more of his music (like Give Me Love, I never grow tired of that song either) but I thought one was enough for this list. I went to see him live in concert in November - it was amazing! I have seen him preform before but to see somebody do a show like that just on their own is truly mind-blowing.

I hope you enjoyed this little different post - definitely leave me your music favorites down below in the comments! You can never get too many good music recommendations.

Love,

  Myra

P.S.: I did a Spring Playlist last year, you can check it out right here.

Big Nail Polish HAUL

What am I supposed to say? 'guess I bought a little too much nail polish lately? Oops...

Astor Perfect Stay Gel Shine 604 Just Fabulous

Astor Limited Edition Perfect Stay Crystal Effect 001 Elegant Amethyst

These two I did not actually buy - my boyfriend got them for me as an early Christmas present <3 I have worn them both and I love them both. If you are thinking about buying the limited edition color do not be fooled by the color they painted on the display as an example for how the nail polish will look on your nails (somehow it looks pink there?!). The polish has an amazing and interesting sand finish that makes the polish really special.

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer 60 Out of the Dark 

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Effect Coat 41 Two Million Dollar Baby

There was a 'buy two pay one' sale going on at Rossmann for these following Catrice polishes that I could not pass.

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer 55 Get the Blues

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Effect Coat 50 Glitterazzi

Get the Blues looks a lot more green on the nails than it does in the bottle. It still looked really pretty but it was not as 'duochrome' as I had expected it to be.

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer 51 I'm so aNude

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Effect Coat 45 Kitch Me If You Can

I'm so aNude is such a pretty pink color! You would think it's nothing special but I think the settle shimmer makes for a perfect finish. I have been wanting to buy Kitch Me If You Can for sooo long! Now that I finally have it I have to say it is a beautiful glitter topper that looks great with every color I have paired it so far. You can take a closer look at it in my last Nail of the Day post that I will link right here.

I will try to resist buying more nail polish in the next few weeks - I promise!

Love,
  Myra

Winter Beauty HAUL

Last year was the year that I rediscovered The Body Shop. What I loved the most was their body scrubs. Naturally when I past by one of their stores and saw that they had a sale going on I had to stock up on them: The Early-harvest Raspberry Body Scrub has more jelly consistency while the Sweet Lemon Sugar Body Scrub is a lot thicker. The Body Shop is a more expensive brand than what I usually buy but I really like supporting the company's fair trade policy as well as their stand against animal testing!
Last year I stopped buying body lotions and only bought body butters anymore. My favorite body butters are most definitely by alverde. This time I decided tehir new Limited Edition Vintage Rose Body Butter for very dry skin.
I pretty much always buy the same mascara - Catrice Glamour Doll volume mascara - and in order to try something new I got the Maybelline the Colossal Volume Express mascara 100% black. I like it so far but I do not think I will repurchase it any time soon.
I found a new weapon for my fight against dry winter skin: alverde facial oil in wild rose for dry skin. I am still testing it out an so far I really like it.

What have you been shopping for lately?

Love,

   Myra

Nail of the Day - Kitch Me If You Can!

Glitter Topcoat: Catrice, Ultimate Nail Laquer Effect Coat 45 Kitch Me If You Can

Base Color: Manhattan & Buffalo: Nail Polish 96E

Basecoat: p2, Intensive Nail! Hardener

Topcoat: essence, studio nails, better than gel nails, top sealer

Left: Catrice, Ultimate Nail Laquer Effect Coat 45 Kitch Me If You Can

Right: Manhattan & Buffalo: Nail Polish 96E

I just love this combination! I applied two coats of the Manhattan polish and one coat of the Catrice effect coat.What I like the most about the effect coat (which I think is rather special) is the combination of large rose colored glitter and the little silver fine sparkle. The first time I used the glitter polish I found it hard to apply it since you have to be careful every stroke: you have to almost 'pad' it on to get the glitter flakes to stay on your nails. Even though I always have to apply a rather thick coat of the glitter polish it drys rather fast.

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Love,

  Myra

Favorites 2014

Hello there!

There are a lot of products I enjoyed using last year and now I want to share those with you that I actually discovered in 2014!

I resisted buying the labello (or NIVEA) lip butters for sooo long, since if there is one thing I clearly have enough of it is lip balms. It did not replace my Carmex obsession but I still loved using this at home. Skincare was a big deal for me in 2014 because my skin just seemed to get dryer and dryer. What helped were the Weleda Skin Food and the alverde eye creme for every skin type. I did an entire review on the face creme that I will link here. Another product I repurchased again in 2014 was the Catrice Glamour Doll volume mascara. I loved it especially in combination with my (beautiful)  essence bloom me up! Limited Edition eyelash curler 01 lovely lavender. 

Something not beauty related that still had to be mentioned is Taylor Swifts new album 1989! I am in love with it! The only thing I do not get is why the two bonus tracks are not regularly included in the record - they are two of my favorite tracks of the album! Buy the D.L.X. version if you can!

One last thing that I wanted to talk about is a book: The fault in our stars by John Green. I read this in December 2014 and simply wanted to recommend everybody to give it a try, it is a truly amazing book!

Love,

  Myra

Products I've used up - Winter 2014

Happy New Year!

As part of the fresh and clean start into the new year I want to share my used up products with you today so I can through all the empty plastic containers away.

Make up-wise I finished the usual products - the Catrice Glamour Doll volume mascara and the essence lash & brow mascara. Another product by Catrice that I will get rid off is this simple black eye pencil kajal. There is obviously still product left but you cannot sharpen it anymore so unfortunately I cannot use it up. I was very upset about having to give up upon my favorite nail polish Maybelline Forever Strong Professional Rouge Couture in 287 Midnight Red but it dried up after I had not closed the bottle probably. (Luckily I got a new one for Christmas! Thank you Santa ;) )

A new love I discovered last November was the tetespt limited winter edition Winter Fairytale  bath salt. I only used two of them last year because it was sold out everywhere! A constant favorite of mine is the alverde body butter in mandarin and vanilla for dry skin. I am using up my second tub right now ;) The next two products I did not like and sure won't repurchase: Garnier Fructis oil repair shampoo and the Balea moisturizing conditioner mango and aloe vera. They simply did not do enough for my hair and there are better products out there. Another product I grew to love last year was the alverde eye creme for every skin type that I already repurchased. I rather liked the Herbal essences pampering moisture hello hydration hair mask and surprisingly enjoyed the scent (I usually do not like coconut too much). Anyway I bought another hair mask and did not return to this one because I still was not quite 'wowed' by it. I have had this vanilla bubble bath sitting on my shelf for forever! - not because I did no like it but simply because I never took baths.

Last but not least I had to include the boring products that I buy, use up and repurchase all the time:
Rival de Loop clean & care eye make up remover and Balea shaving gel in blueberry love.

Sorry for the long post :P
I hope you had an amazing 2014 and that 2015 will be even better!

Love,

   Myra