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 // February

Over the past few months I only did Products-I've-Used-Up posts every two months so I could talk about more products in one blog post. That worked out fine at first but the latest blog posts just got too long because there were too many products to talk about. That is why now I have simply decided to do them whenever I have accumulated enough empty products to write about. That might make them a little irregular but that is just they way I will go about it for the next few months to test it out.

XX by Mexx Perfume Wild: Wild is the perfume of my teenage years. I believe this is my second bottle but I have not used this perfume in years because I was scared to use it up. It is no longer available in stores and so I am very sad I cannot repurchase it anymore. There is a little bit of perfume still left in the bottle but it has sadly gone sour (which is no surprise considering how old this bottle of perfume is).

Schupp Shower Gel & Shampoo Happy Holidays!: This shower gel is very out of season now and I am sure I would have enjoyed a lot more would I have used it in December. I never used it as a shampoo so I cannot say how it would have preformed as such but I rather liked it as a shower gel.
Garnier Fructies Hair Mask Oil Repair 3: This used to be my favorite hair mask. I still love the way it moisturizes my hair but since I found out it contained hormonal substances I decided to not repurchase it again.

deep steep Argan Oil Sugar Scrub Peppermint Vanilla: This was the strongest peppermint scent I have ever experienced in a product. The scent but also the scrub itself was very intense. This is the first deep steep product I ever used but I would like to try some more of their products.

 

alverde Clear Face Scrub & Mask: I do not like throwing away products that I have not used up this face scrub / mask has been sitting on my shelves for too long now. It has sadly expired before I could finish it. In the beginning I used to really like this mask but as my skin got dryer and dryer it just no longer fit my skin type. I also happened to discover another face scrub by alverde that I now use instead.

ISANA Limited Edition Heart Warmth Bathing Pearls:This is one of the few bath products I really did not like. The scent of the water when I used these bath pearls was not strong but what little I could smell I did not like. It did not do anything special for my skin and overall I just did not enjoy this product.

 

ISANA Nail Polish Remover: Considering how much I change up the nail polish I wear I would think I would use up nail polish remover more regularly but it actually takes quite some time for me to do that. This is my favorite nail polish remover. It works well, it is not expensive and it does not smell too bad.

How often do you check the products in your collection for their expiration date?

How often do you have to throw out products before you can use them up? 

alverde Eye Creme for normal skin // Review

The alverde Eye Creme For Normal Skin has been my favorite everyday eye creme for quite a few years now. I tried other brands and other eye cremes from alverde themselves but this is still by far the best I ever used.

My skin is generally dry and especially after I take my make up off I need moisture to be put back into my skin. The area around my eyes is rather sensitive and easily irritated by products. This eye creme actually helps my skin when it is irritated and red. It calms down my skin, moisturizes it wonderfully and sinks in quickly. Even the alverde Eye Creme For Dry Skin was not as moisturizing as this one for normal skin is (apart from that my skin got heavily irritated by that eye creme).You do have to wait a few minutes after applying it until you can start to put on male up though but that is not a big issue to me because any eye creme I ever used was like that.

On top of working really well this is also one of the cheapest eye cremes I could find. Eye creme can be very expensive but so far I have never found one that I thought was worth spending so much more money on.

I try to only use natural cosmetic products in my everyday skin care routine and this has been a staple in said routine for years now. I would generally recommend this eye creme for every skin type and every age. The only downside to it is that it has no SPF but that is generally hard to find in drugstore skin care products.

What is your favorite eye creme?

New Valentine's Day Products // February

Last year right before Valentine's Day I did four posts about products that make me excited for the holiday (if you can call it that). Valentine's Day is looked down upon by many people because it can seem ridiculously materialistic. That is why I wanted to look at my collection of products that I already owned that reminded me of the holiday. I divided the posts up by color last year. I did one about purple, berry, pink and last but not least the obvious red ones since these are the colors typically marketed for Valentine's Day. I did not add nearly enough new products to my collection over the last year to do four posts again but I thought I would do one big post about the same topic again.

These are some of the products that I did not talk about last year but I did not buy any of these especially for this post. I generally try to be more mindful of what products I buy and so it only makes sense to look into my own collection before even thinking about getting anything new. I often rediscover old favorites or even find products I once bought but never really used before.

KIKO Mirror Nail Lacquer 629 & Astor Perfect Stay Gel Shine Nail Polish 502/302 Crème Brulée: I love both of these colors all year round but they feel especially appropriate right now. Crème Brulée is an exciting alternative to wearing baby pink (a Valentine's Day classic) by wearing a deep pinky nude instead. Another great new interpretation of pink is simply wearing rose gold on your nails.

Catrice Glam & Doll False Lash Mascara: Usually I prefer waterproof to non-waterproof mascara but when I want to wear non-waterproof mascara this is the one I go for. I just wrote an entire post about this mascara last weak, so I am not going to talk too much about it hear again.

Fleur de Force Eye Shadow Quad 020 Lunar Rose & Inglot Freedom System Eye Shadow 397: Can you tell I am really into rose gold? I know it has been a trend for a long time now but I am still very much in into it. The top right color in the Fleur de Force eye shadow quad is a true, deep rose gold shimmer color that translates perfectly to the eye. It pairs amazingly with all the other colors in the palette and the quality is great, the Inglot eye shadow is still a bit better when it comes to quality (it is also a lot more expensive). This is wonderful peachy-pink, shimmery eye shadow perfect for everyday wear. It is very close in color to All that Glitters by MAC but the Inglot eyeshadow is a lot more cool toned.

Astor Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butter Matte 027 Elegant Nude & 018 Pretty in Fuchsia: Even though these lip products are from the same range by the same brand they apply and wear very differently. Elegant nude has a mat finish and can be a little drying on the lips. Whereas Pretty in Fuchsia has a more moisturizing formula and a shiny finish. It also stains your lips quite a bit which Elegant nude does not do at all. They are both long lasting and I wear them both a lot.

Tom Tailor Eau de Toilette East Coast Club Women: Perfume is the one 'beauty product' I don't really get. I like the 'idea' of wearing perfume but in reality I hardly wear it. I am in my early twenties now and sometimes I feel like I should start wearing 'grown-up' perfume but I just like the cheaper perfumes better. I honestly never smelled a high end perfume I really loved but I do like a lot of the cheaper perfumes. (I also do not think buying an expensive perfume would be worth it for me because it would probably go bad before I would ever use it up.) East Coast Club is one of those perfumes that I feel is marketed towards younger girls than me but I still really like that. It has a fresh, fruity scents that I love to wear in the spring / summer time (if I ever wear perfume).

What is your favorite Valentine's Day perfume?

Catrice Glam & Doll Mascara // Review

As of today there are five versions of the Catrice Glam & Doll mascara. They used to be called Glamour Doll mascara but it is still the same product. These are the three versions I have tried so far but I might also try the new rosegold Glam & Doll Sculpt & Volume Mascara. There is also a pink version called Curl & Volume but I only ever heard bad things about that mascara so I probably won't try that any time soon.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara (black)

Back when I used to only wear non-waterproof mascara this was my favorite and I repurchased it multiple times. It was the first plastic wand I ever tried and I obviously really liked it. It does not necessarily give a lot of volume to the lashes but it did not crumble like almost all other mascaras do. It gives a more natural look to the lashes which I can imagine is not enough for most people. To me it is more important how mascara wears throughout the day because it does not matter if I get perfect, voluminous lashes but after a few hours my under eye area is full of black crumbs.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof (blue)

The wand on this mascara is pretty much the same. This is the mascara that I have been wearing almost every day for over a year now. Since I have switched to waterproof mascara there is no going back. This gives a lot more volume to the lashes than the non-waterproof version does and it holds a curl like no other. This is literally the perfect mascara for me. It keeps my lashes looking good all day long and it does not crumble or smudge. On top of that it is also easy to take off which is not always a given when it comes to waterproof mascara. I do have to admit it is not as easy as non-waterproof mascara, but pretty close. One thing that I should add here is that this mascara is not actually waterproof. Sure, it holds up better than non-waterproof mascara in the rain but I would not recommend going to the pool with this on.

Catrice Glam & Doll False Lashes Mascara (lavender)

Didn't I just say there is no going back to non-waterproof mascara for me? Well, sometimes there is. Sometimes I want to be extra gentle to my eyes or I know I am not going to be out all day I do like to opt for non-waterproof mascara. What is especially interesting about this mascara is the wand. It is the same as the other two but this time it is curved. I do not know what exactly that is supposed to do for yur lashes but it works fine for me. The finish of this is a little more intense than the original lack volume mascara but it does not hold up as well as the waterproof version does. When it comes to non-waterproof mascaras though this is without a doubt my (kind of) new favorite. (And I adore the packaging - that color is so pretty!)

from left to right: black, lavender & blue

The lavender and the blue version of the Catrice Glam & Doll Mascara are without a doubt my favorite drugstore mascara. On top of that they are also amongst the most affordable mascaras in the drugstore. They all contain 10ml of product and coast 3.99Euro each. Another good thing about these mascaras is that they seem to be rather popular which makes me hope they won't be discontinued any time soon ;)

What is your favorite drugstore mascara?

Drugstore Haul // February

I used up a lot of products lately and so naturally I had to fill in some of the gaps. I repurchased some but I also decided to give a few new products a try.

alverde Shower Gel Limited Edition Vanilla & Mandarine: Usually I am not the biggest fan of vanilla - not to say I do not like the scent - but alverde somehow figured out a way to make me love it. They have come out with this exact scent a number of times in limited edition products before and I just hope one day they ad it to their permanent collection.

alverde Shower Body Scrub Magnolia & Shea Nut: I just used up my last body scrub and wanted to try a body scrub from the drugstore next. I generally like alverde body products and even though I do not like the scent of shea butter this product has a subtle enough scent that it does not really matter to me.

Guhl Moisturizing Conditioner with Tucuma & Oil: Guhl hair products work really well with my hair. Most of their shampoos contain hormonal substances which I am trying to stay away from but their conditioners do not. The conditioner is especially designed to give moisture back to your hair and I hope that is what it will do for my hair.

Garnier Fructis Oil Repair 3 Wonder Butter: This is actually an accidental purchase - I thought I was buying shampoo. I should have been paying more attention in the store but now that I have this conditioner I am actually quite excited to try it out.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof: There is an entire post coming up next Friday about Catrice mascaras so I am not going to talk too much about it here. This is my favorite everyday mascara and I have been repurchasing it for a long time now. 

ISANA Nail Polish Remover:I used to try out different nail polish removers every time I used the old one up but I have been sticking to this one for a few years now. It does a great job at removing nail polish while still not drying out the skin and nails like a lot of other nail polish removers do.

Balea Shaving Gel Pink Grapefruit: This is another repurchase. When it comes to shaving gel I am actually quite picky and this is by far my favorite. The packaging is amazing but I am looking forward to them changing it up again. dm usually switches out their scents and packaging every few months but this particular one has been around for quite some time now.

 

Nivea Double Effect Eye-Make-Up Remover: There was a sale of Nivea products at Rossmann which is why I bought this eye-make-up remover again. I like this product for removing waterproof mascara and eye liner but I think I might like the Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2in1 better.

What did you shop for this month?

Favorites // January

When I put together the collage at the top I actually thought about excluding a product or two from this post just so the collage would look better. Pretty pictures are undeniably a big part of a blog but to include or exclude products because of the way they look seems hypocritical because I do want to talk about the products I actually like. That whole concept just seems a little messed up...

DoveNutritive Solutions Oil Care Spray: This is a wonderful new discovery of mine. I have written a review about this product already so I do not want to talk about it for too long but if you struggle with brushing your hair after washing it maybe you should give this product a try.

Astor Perfect Stay Gel Shine Nail Polish 502/503 Crème Brulée & Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer Effect Coat 41 Two Million Dollar Baby: I have been posting a lot about this Astor nail polish over the past few months but I just keep coming back to it. I have worn this combination of nude and golden glitter twice in January - which is a lot for me. I hardly wear the same nail polish on my nails two times in a row.

batiste Dry Shampoo For Brunettes: About two months ago I got a hair cut - which is nothing that special but this time I finally did it: I got bangs! Now they are pretty much grown out and I am going to have to get them re-cut but when I still had full on bangs I had to change my hair care routine. With that my biggest rediscovery was dry shampoo. I generally like using dry shampoo whenever I want to avoid washing my hair for another day. With bangs it was the most practical product ever. I wash my hair about every other day and there was nothing better for my second-day-bangs than this product. I love the look and texture it gives to my hair and especially my bangs.

alverde Limited Edition Winter Love Body Butter: It is no secret that I am a big fan of alverde body butters. This is one that has a thicker texture and I do prefer a 'softer' texture when it comes to body butters but I still like this one. It still sinks in quicker than any other body butter or lotion and it moisturizes my skin wonderfully. This is a rare limited edition version of the alverde body butter but I hope that in the future they keep coming out with special editions because to be quite frank I do not like the 'original' scent that much.

H&M  Little Black Handbag:  This is the bag I bought on Black Friday last year and is one of the best 'fashion investments' I have made in a long time. I use this bag almost everyday. It s small but still fits a lot of stuff and it looks good with any outfit I wear. This is basically the little back bag of my dreams.

Shape of You by Ed Sheeran: When there is a new song that I really like I just listen to it on repeat and any other musics tends to get neglected. This is one of those songs. It has been so long since Ed Sheeran's last release and I am so happy he is back.

What were you favorites in January?