My top 5 festive nailpolishes 2013

With the festive season in full swing I've been rummaging around in my nailpolish collection to pick out my favourite nailpolishes that I now want to share with you.

China Glaze Ruby Pumps:

My first favourite is China Glaze Ruby Pumps which I only recently got. I'ts my first China Glaze nailpolish and I really like it. I love it's fine glitter and the ruby red colour which I think looks quite elegant and wintery. It is opaque in two coats and looks even nicer with a clear top coat to make it extra shiny.

Barry M Nailpaint in Red Glitter:

I bought this on recommendation of my friend Alice from Pretty Wonderful and it is just the perfect red glitter for me and looks oh so christmassy. It is slightly lighter than the China Glaze one and the glitter is chunkier too.
I like applying it on top of a plain red nailpolish to make it more opaque (another tip from Alice). As with most glitter polishes it takes some time,patience and quite a few cotton wool pads and nailpolish remover to get it off again but for me it's so worth it. With a price of under 3 Euros it's a bargain aswell.

P2 Color Victim in Free to be:

First of all I have to say that this one was incredibly hard to photograph and the pictures don't do it justice. It is a beautiful dark emerald green with a nice shimmer which makes it look very nice and wintery. I love how quickly it dries and it is fairly opaque in one coat although I prefer two coats just to make it look perfect.

P2 Color Victim in Next exit-Party:

As you can see from the pictures, this is a beautiful gold colour with some very fine glitter and a nice shimmer to it. I think the name next exit:party is very suitable because the first thing I thought when I saw it was that it would be a great colour to wear for a new years eve party. It is very easy to apply and dries very quickly aswell, leaving the nails looking great and almost like covered in golden metallic foil.

Essie Beyond Cozy:

Last but not least is Essie beyond cozy which was part of the 2012 Winter Collection. Again the pictures don't do this beautiful colour any justice. Depending on the lighting the chunky glitter looks either golden or silver and is one of the sparkliest nailpolishes I know. It applies like a dream but is a pain in the bum to remove (but I don't care ;-))
As you might be able to see on the picture, I've already used up about a third of the bottle and I will be very sad once I used it up. If any of you know any dupes for this please let me know.



So these were my top 5 festive nailpolishes. Let me know which are yours this season.

Merry Christmas to all of you. :-)

Julie XXXX

Currently on my wishlist #2

1. Origins Starting Over Age-erasing eye cream with Mimosa

I've heard loads of good things about Origins products and since I'm in need of a good eye cream I really would like to add this to my daily skincare routine.

2. Dorothy Perkins Blue Lace Dress

I'm really into lacey dresses because I think they look so nice and elegant. I'm in love with the colour aswell and think it is the perfect dress for the festive season.

3. Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner

I came across this on youtube and I liked the look of it. I like that it is less harsh than other toners and would hopefully not irritate my sensitive and rather blemish prone skin. I'm definitely going to give it a try in the future.

4. H&M Jumper

In recent years I've really been liking H&Ms winter jumper collections. They are nice and fitted and keep me cosy and warm (there aren't many things that I dislike more than being cold ) and they also come at a reasonable price, so I'll definitely invest in some of these.

5. Jo Malone Perfume

For quite some time now I've been interested in the Jo Malone perfumes. I've seen loads of people feature them on their blogs or in perfume collection videos on youtube. I find the different scents and the possible combinations of them really enticing although I must say that I didn't get the chance to smell them yet due to the fact that Jo Malone products aren't that widely available in Germany.
I hope to buy one of their fresh scents next time I'm in London though :-)

What's on your wishlist that shortly before christmas? Do you own any of the things mentioned or have you tried any of the products?

To bathe or not to bathe...

image source

Ah isn't it nice to have a nice hot bubble bath with some candles on the side and maybe an audiobook or some music playing? 

Whenever I come across a nice picture like the one above I think how nice it would be to run a bath and just relax for a bit. The same happens when I browse blogs or websites like lush.co.uk 

and see all the beautiful bath melts,bubble baths, bath bombs etc.

I also really like smelling nice bath products in the shops so overall I would think that I'm pretty fond of having relaxing baths.

Only...that I'm not.

Whenever I actually have a bath something odd happens. I run the bath, get in and then....nothing. Unlike other people I don't actually enjoy it all that much. After usually about 15 minutes in it I start getting bored and way too hot for my liking too. I can't relax either as I constantly have to keep myself in the right position so that I don't slip too low into the bath or have my neck in an uncomfortable position. (I'm fairly short you know)

I don't know why it always seems to turn out like this for me. On the one hand I think "No big deal, so you prefer showers.What's all the fuss about?" but on the other I wish I could enjoy baths more.

Since there doesn't seem to be a solution to that problem (although problem is quite a strong word for something minor like that) I think I'll give up on bubble baths for now. That is not to say that I won't give it another try in the future but for now I will concentrate on all the nice shower gels and other products that companies like lush have to offer. :-)

I wonder whether there are more people who feel like me about that?

What are your thoughts ? I would love to know :-). Do you enjoy having baths?

Have a nice day everyone :-) xx

Review: L'Oreal Absolute Make up Remover Eye and Lip

For quite some time now, I've been on the lookout for a good and gentle eye make up remover. Up until recently I've been using either normal make up remover wipes or different cheaper eye make up removers from the drugstores own brand.

Although they always managed to take off all my make up, I was never entirely satified with their performance as they either ended up ripping loads of my eyelashes out because it took quite a bit of rubbing to properly clean my eyes or they stung my sensitive eyes and left my eye area with an oily residue that I didnt like.

When I recently ran out of eye make up remover I decided to try the L'Oreal Mild Make up Remover for Eyes and Lips. It's from the same line as the much hyped 3 in 1 Micellar Solution and comes at a price of approximately 4 Euros. Compared to similar high end products the price is ok I suppose but since I was used to buying the cheapest eye make up remover there is, this products felt like a bit of a splurge to me at first.

It promises to remove longlasting lip products as well as waterproof eye make up without irritating sensitive eyes or leaving a greasy residue.

After using it for several weeks now I can say that it definitely keeps all of these promises.
I really enjoy using it because it gets the job done and is gentle on my eyes which I really like.
For me it's definitely worth the money although I think that L'Oreal should refine the opening of the bottle a bit as it spills some of the product when I apply it to a cotton wool pad. Apart from that I couldn't find anything wrong with it really and I will repurchase it in the future. :-)

Have you tried it yet? And did you like it too?

Have a nice day :-)

My favourite autumn nailpolishes 2013

 Today I thought I'd share my favourite autumn/fall nailpolishes with you. I have never been much of a fan of the rather darker and colder seasons but since last year I definitely try and embrace autumn a bit more by trying to enjoy it as much as possible and making the most of it.Where's the point in moaning about something that I can't change anyway, right? ;-)

I'm usually not the kind of person who thinks that only certain colours are appropriate for certain seasons so I like to wear whichever colour I please but my selection this year turned out to be more autumnal than I expected.

Barry M Nailpaint in Raspberry:

I love this colour so much as it is quite elegant and matches most of my outfits but at the same time it is very vibrant and brightens up those grey autumn days. It also applies like a dream and is pretty much opaque with only one coat (although I prefer to put on another one). This coupled with the pretty quick drying time and the unbeatable price makes Barry M one of my favourite nailpolish brands from the drugstore.

Kiko nail laquer No.317:

I bought this colour in the sale as my first item from Kiko at only 2 € (I just love a good bargain). I like wearing this berry colour on days when I want some colour on my nails but I'm not in the mood for the brighter Barry M shade above. I'm really impressed with the quality of this nailpolish because it is opaque in only one coat and lasts quite long on my nails despite being priced under 5€ even when it's not on sale.

Essie Damsel in a dress:

First I must say that the picture doesn't do this colour justice at all. In real life it is a beautiful dark plum colour with a subtle silvery shimmer but without any noticeable chunks of glitter in it. I like the way it looks different in different lighting and as with all of my Essie polishes so far I love how easy they are to apply. The only thing I don't particularly like is the price of 7,95€ but who am I kidding, I like even more expensive nailpoilsh brands and I don't see this changing any time soon.

Astor Fash'n Studio No.106:

I picked this colour up some time ago and hadn't been using it at all for at least two years but once I had given it another chance I started liking it again and wear it quite regularly again.
The colour is probably not very special but when I bought it I had been looking for a simple taupe colour and that's exactly what I got here. In comparison to the other nailpolishes it is lacking a bit when it comes to opacity but with 2+ coats it starts looking nice on my nails so I'm ok with that for now. I can't remember the price but it was definitely under a fiver.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nailpaint in Prickly Pear:

Ok so this colour definitely stands out from the other ones in this post (or so it would if the picture had turned out better *hmpf*) because most people would probably consider this to be a spring colour. I had been eyeing this colour for some time on the internet and really wanted it desperately as it is the perfect pastel lilac for me <3.
Unfortunately Barry M products are hard to get in Germany so I couldn't buy it, but then a few weeks ago it arrived in a little package along with some other goodies for my birthday from my lovely friend Alice from Pretty Wonderful. I was so happy when I saw it and obviously had to apply it right away. I noticed that it isn't quite opaque in just one coat but with another one on it looks super pretty. I'm really happy with it and love wearing it. Thanks so much Alice :-)
If you are interested in great reviews,tutorials,hauls and more head over to Alice's Blog that I linked above and show her some blogging community love please. She really deserves it.

P2 Color Victim No.017 elegant:

Last but not least is this P2 nailpolish that I've had for ages and rediscovered. On the picture it looks like a rather boring light grey but on the nails it has a subtle pinky-lilacy shimmer to it which just makes it look a lot more interesting in my opinion.It is also cheap as chips at 1,55€ but the drying time isn't too great.

So these are my favourite colours for autumn this year. What's your must have nailpolish this season? Please let me know in the comments as I'm always interested in growing my collection ;-).

Have a great day. :-)

Currently on my wishlist #1

1. J.Crew Quilted Tack Jacket:
I really love this classic jacket and would like to add it to my autumn wardrobe but the pricetag of 156€ means that it will probably stay on my wishlist for quite some time.

2. J.Crew Seville Wedge Espadrilles:
I've been looking for some wedges like these for ages. I love wedges as they are easy to walk in even on surfaces that are tricky for most heels (grass, cobblestone etc.) I like how they can look sporty as well as very elegant and feminine. But since they are J. Crew they might be slightly out of my price range at the moment.

3. Forever 21 Rosebud Cosmetic Case:
I think I don't need to say much about that do I ;-) I love my florals and love almost everything from Cath Kidston. This make up bag is a nice and reasonably priced alternative from Forever 21 and I really like it.

4. Macadamia Oil Boar Bristle Paddle Brush:
I first saw this in a youtube video and liked the look of it. I already own another brush from Macadamia Oil and I really want to get this one aswell.

5. Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave in Conditioner:
I've never tried anything of that brand before but this somehow caught my eye and might be just the right product to nourish my dry hair.

6. Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon- Peach on the beach:
I'm not much of a lipstick girl but this colour doesn't look to intimidating and loads of people are raving about this product.

What's on your wishlist at the moment?

July Favourites 2013

Wow July has gone by so quickly hasn't it. It's been great here in Germany for the most part as the weather was super hot and sunny which I liked (although I sometimes wished I had a swimming pool nearby to just quickly hop in to cool off a bit).
There have been quite a few products I love in the past month and I thought I'd share them with you :-)

Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Ultimate Oil Elixir Express-Repair-Conditioner:

I recently picked this up as I was looking for some help with my extremely dry and strawy hair. I like using it both on my wet hair as well as in between washes on dry hair in an attempt to make look a bit more smooth and make it feel nicer. I really like the spray because it is a no-fuss product that I can easily apply and that gives me instant results. I know this won't repair my hair at all though but I didn't expect that anyway. Overall I really like it and I would definitely repurchase it.

L'Oreal Hair Expertise Ever Rich/ Ever Riche Intense Hair Mask:

I bought this hair mask shortly after I bought the spray- in conditioner above to help me nourish my hair even more. I use it about 2-3 times a week instead of my usual conditioner and I love the smoothness is gives to my hair. I won't say too much about it though as I posted a review on that right here. :-)

Real Techniques Powder and Blush Brush:

These two beautiful make up brushes are my absolute favourite. My lovely friend Alice from Pretty Wonderful sent them to me as a gift, amongst other things ,and I really love them. They are super soft and very good quality in my opinion and since they aren't available in Germany I was over the moon when I received them. <3
Please make sure to check out Alice's fab Blog and Youtube channel too as she does great posts and videos and is a lovely girl on top of that :-)

Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara:

This mascara was another gift from Alice and I started liking it a lot over the past month. Depending on which of the two lids you unscrew the brush has more or less product on it (at least I think thats the trick behind it ;-)) and therefore can create length or volume. I like the two different options and appreciate that it doesn't make my lashes look clumpy either. Again Rimmel is another Brand thats not available in Germany (anymore) so I will try and not use it too often so that I won't use it up too quickly.

Essie Mademoiselle:

I love Essie Nailpolishes so when I was looking for a neutral, elegant and quite natural shade I reached for Essies Mademoiselle as I've heard a lot of people liking it. As with most Essie nailpolishes it is easy to apply, dries fairly quickly and lasts on my nails a fair amount of days. I noticed though that it seems to be slightly more flexible and soft than other colours as I noticed that it doesn't chip off but rather developes little sticky up bits that can be easily pulled of (if that makes sense?!). I still like it though and have worn it a lot during the past month. I think it might be a good colour for upcoming job interviews too as it is very subtle.

Annemarie Börlind Natural Beauty After Sun Soothing Lotion:

My mum gave this after sun lotion to me some time last month and I like that it smells very nice and fresh and isn't too sticky either. I keep it in my fridge so that it is extra refreshing after a day out in the sun. It is rather pricey as it can be between 10- 15 Euros but thats mainly because it is natural cosmetics and they are usually more expensive than normal drugsstore products.

La Roche Posay Effaclar K:

After trying the Effaclar Duo Creme for some time now, I went straight back to this one as my night cream because I think it just has a much better effect on my skin. I tend to use it only once a day (mostly at night) since it can be a bit too drying if I use it too much but overall I really like it. I only wish it was a little bit cheaper than 12-14 Euros for 30ml.

So these were my July Favourites.

I hope you enjoyed them.

Have a nice day :-) xx

Review: L'Oreal Ever Rich / Ever Riche Intense Hair Mask

For quite some time now I have been noticing how the end of my hair got dryer and dryer. This is partly because my hair is colour treated and therefore quite damaged anyway. On top of that summer has arrived in Germany with very hot temperatures ( not that I'm complaining ;-))which dry my hair out even more.

 Thats why I was looking for something that would be nourishing enough to make my hair at least a little bit less strawy and brittle. I ended up getting the L'Oreal Ever Rich Intense Hair Mask (Ever Riche in the UK), hoping that it would do the job.

 The little pot contains 200ml of product for about 5,95 Euro which I think is an ok price. It smells quite heavily like vanilla, which definitely isn't my first choice of fragrance but it is bearable and wouldn't be a reason for me to not buy it.
It is sulphate free which is apparently a really good thing although I have no idea why exactly that is. Maybe I should google that some time ;-)

I've been using it for a few weeks now, probably every other time I wash my hair and I really like it so far. I apply it only to the lengths of my hair as I suspect that it would make my hair incredibly greasy if I'd put it all over and who wants that?! I also always make sure to not apply too much as a little of it goes a long way.

After using it I definitely noticed a difference in my hair. It is much easier to comb through and just very soft and silky, which I really like when I want to wear my hair down. The effect lasts for quite some time, but in all honesty I don't think that this product can actually repair my super damaged hair. (I don't think any product can really) It makes my hair look more shiny, less frizzy and overall more healthy and I love it as an addition to my everyday hair routine.

Overall I'm happy I bought it and will probably repurchase it. :-)

Have you tried it yet and do you like it?

Have a nice day xx

My Current Obsession: Peach and Coral Nails

Over the past few weeks I've fallen in love with painting my nails in bright shades of peach and coral. This took me a bit by surprise as I've know myself to like mainly pastels on my nails around this time of the year.

Although I have all sorts of different colours in my nailpolish collection I mostly ended up reaching for the same ones over and over again. But then a few weeks ago I just felt like wearing something more bright on my nails and I started to really like it. So I ended up wearing the following four nailpolishes in turns over the last few weeks.

Barry M Nailpaint - Peach Melba:

I really like this peachy colour because it has a nice cream finish and is a great compromise between my beloved pastels and a fun and bright summer colour. It's super easy to apply because of the typical Barry M brush which makes it soo much easier for me to paint my nails despite my utter clumsyness. ;-) It dries rather quick and is fairly opaque with just one coat but I prefer applying another one to make it a bit more even.

P2 Color Victim - Wow Wow Wow:

This colour is a bit more on the red side in comparison with 'Peach Melba' and I've been wearing it a lot in the past month. It's quite creamy and I like that it is easy to apply. The only thing I really dislike is that it takes aaaages to dry properly...so annoying. But once it is all dry I just love it and it lasts quite some time on my nails without any major chipping.

Wet n Wild Wild Shine - Blazed:

This colour is a very bright pinky-coral. It caught my eye some time ago while I was minding my own business at the local supermarket. I really liked how bright it looked so it had to come home with me. :-)
I'm totally in love with this colour but it is rather thin and runny in my oppinion so putting a proper basecoat underneath it is a must, as well as applying at least two coats. Once it's dry though I love it on my nails even in combination with some of the other nailpolishes in this post.

Barry M Nailpaint - Coral:

Last but certainly not least is another Barry M polish. Again it applies like a dream and dries quickly. Despite this being called 'Coral' I consider it more of a strawberry-ish colour but no matter what it's called I like how bright and vibrant it is. For me it is the perfect summer version of a classic red nail.

Does anyone else like these kind of colours at the moment? I'd love to know :-)

Have a great day xx

Review: The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream

 I recently came across this moisturizer while browsing my local branch of The Body Shop. I had been looking for a decent, not too expensive day cream to add to my skincare routine but was somewhat disappointed by most of the ones available in German drugstores.
My skin is more on the oily side with the odd dry patch, mainly on my cheeks, and it is quite blemish prone on top of that. (Well thanks for that..)
When I had a look at some drugstore products I was surprised how few products there are for my skin type.
Most moisturizers were either for dry skin, "normal" skin or suitable for all skin types (which I kind of doubt).

Obviously I haven't tried all drugstore moisturizers but the ones I have tried either were way to greasy, broke my skin out grrrrr....or didn't seem to do anything (neither for my oily nor my dry areas).

So by the time I came across the Seaweed line in The Body Shop I was already a bit desperate.

To cut a long story short, I picked the Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream up and after using it for some time now I can say that I really like it. The first thing I noticed was the very fresh and pleasant smell, which isn't always a given with face products. The product itself is more of a gel rather than a proper cream consistency which I like because it is not too heavy  and sinks in very nicely into my skin.

According to the packaging it "moisturises dry areas and controls excess sebum and shine" and I definitely think it does just that. I have to say though that I haven't tried it in winter yet when my dry areas are particularly dry, so I don't know whether it would be quite enough for my skin then, but for now I'm very happy that I bought it and I'm always looking forward to using it in the morning. :-)

Another great thing about it is that I only need to use the tiniest amount of it to cover my entire face which  makes up for the price of 14 € for 50ml. I'm sure it'll last me quite some time.

So there you go..my final verdict is that this moisturizer ticks all the boxes for me and I can't see myself falling out of love with it any time soon.

Have a great day xx

I'm back...and a walk in the park

Wow so I really haven't posted anything on this blog for almost a year have I ? I kind of got out of the whole blogging loop before I actually was properly in it but I guess that's what happens when life gets in the way.

Anyway, I want to start posting on a regular basis now and I thought I share a few nice pictures I took when I had a walk in the park several days ago for a start. :-)

 

I had a really nice afternoon in the sunshine that finally arrived in Germany and had a little stroll in the botanical gardens. There were not too many people about so it was nice and quiet and I got the chance to test my camera  as well as my non existent photography skills. I'm quite happy with how the pictures turned out so maybe not all hope is lost with me lol ;-)

Well anyway, enough for now. Have a great day :-)