New Year's Eve

A few days ago, I read an article in the latest Instyle Germany issue, where a women decided to spent NYE alone at home. Only her dog was allowed to spend the night with her. 

The article in the Instyle issue

The reason for this was that her past experiences with planned NYE events turned out to be unspectacular. All the preparation, excitement, money spent were almost for nothing, because most events and party during the year were a lot better than the "legendary" NYE party. 

I think that NYE is totally overrated. Many people plan it weeks or even months before, including outfits, accessories, and also think about other related subjects e.g transportation, who am I going to meet etc. In the end, in best case, it turns out as a normal party, but in most cases it is even worse. The earlier people start planning and preparing, the higher the expectations are getting. People are disappointed that the party is not that special, and just a normal night, they are frustrated looking back to the past year, scared and anxious thinking about the upcoming year and things take their course. 

The thing about spontaneous, unplanned events and parties is that we do not have ANY expectations that cannot be fulfilled. And this is why these parties are the best and will always be remembered. 

Picture: taken by myself Dec 2011

So, folks, stop thinking about NYE, do not stress yourself if you do not have anything planned by now, just be spontaneous and start something. 

So long, Happy New Year

XOXO

My favorite beauty and make up products 2012

I really like reviews and recommendations for everything, I am a big fan of these peer-to-peer recommendation systems. 

This is why I decided to do a review about the things I liked most this year. 

Since I lived in France for quite a long time, I also tested many things that are popular there, but the good thing about Europe and internationalization is that people bring products from one country to another. 

1. John Frida's Frizz-Ease Intensive Masque
I use this one for years and could not find anything better in the same price range. It costs around €10, and you can buy it in any drug store or warehouse. I particularly love the smell, an it makes your hair shiny and soft. The best thing about it is that you have to leave it in only for 3 to 5 minutes, 2 is even enough if you are in a hurry. 

2. Sephora BB Cream
I bought this at Sephora for €15 in October and use it every day since that day. I guess that other brand's BB creams are a lot better, but by now I am very happy with this one. It makes your skin soft and even, hides red spots or other irritations and comes along with SPF 15. I'll probably go for the Clinique one next time once this is finished. 

3. Bioderma Micelle Solution
This one is multitasking. You can use it to remove face and eye make up, to fresh up or to clean your face. It moisturizes the skin and does not make it feel dry. It is awesome for traveling! I bought it in a French pharmacy, often they offer 2 for 1, and it was €20 for two bottles of 500ml. 

4. Organix moroccan argan oil
I bought this one in NYC, but today you'll find argan oil products everywhere. I use it when my ends are dry, and it does not make your skin look greasy. It is unscented, which I like, because most shampoos and conditioners are scented and I do not like mixing too many odors. 

5. Sephora Express nail polish remover
This one is magic! You dip your fingers in the bottle, move it a little, take it out and all nail polish is gone. It only struggles a little with glitter polish, but ok, this is always hard to remove. It makes removing nail polish really quick and easy. I bought it at Sephora at €7. The only problem is when you use a lot of red or dark nail polish, the foam inside the bottle keeps the colors and after a while gives color traces on your finger. Until now I did not have that problem, but my friend had it, and I told her to try to clean the sponge using normal nail polish remover. I think this should work.  

6. Benefit Hervana blush
I wanted to buy Coralista first, but it was not to be seen on my skin. I really like the color, it is very subtle, very good to use it every day. I also love the smell, like fizzy tablets. This is available at Sephora or Douglas for around €32. 

7. Artdeco eyeshadow 29
I use this every single day as the base color. Together with the base (number 12) it lasts forever. Plus I have it for more than one year and still the bottom is not to be seen. You can buy it at Douglas, for example, and it is about €6. 

8. Urban Decay Naked 2
I already posted about it on the blog before, it is great. You have tons of possibilities to combine the colors, darker or lighter; work, party, restaurant visits. It is around €50, I bought it also at Sephora. The only disadvantage is that it is not suited for traveling, I ordered it online and when I received it most eyes shadows were destroyed. 

9. Clinique all about eyes
Eye cream, does not burn in the eyes, and does not move into the eyes neither. This one is great for summer and spring, for the colder months the rich version might be better. 

10. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream
I had some issues with my skin a few weeks ago, and the woman at the Kiehl's counter recommended this one to me. I tried so many different creams and moisturizers, but nothing worked. 30 mins after applying them my skin felt dry again and started itching. She gave me two samples, and convinced me. You can buy it online on the Kiehl's website, in their store or in some warehouses. It is about €25, but you only need a small amount. 

11. MaxFactor lipstick 755 Fire Fly
Great color, good for the office, shopping, and even parties, lasts really long and is only about €7. I also like the packaging. I saw this one on funnypilgrim's blog, and really loved the color. I like red lipsticks, but do not always find the occasion to wear it. People sometimes look really irritated. This one is really for every day. 

12. Artdeco eyeshadow base
Eye shadow lasts forever, even really cheap one. I recently recommended it to a friend, and she now adores it as well. It is around €8, I have mine for more than two years now, use it every single day, and it is not even 1/3 empty. 

13. Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara
My favorite since they launched it. It makes the lashes long, nicely curled, and does not smudge. It is around €30, what I think is a lot of money, but it is worth it. The only thing I did not like at the beginning, is that it is slightly perfumed, what I think is total nonsense for a mascara, but I got used to it, although my eyes are easily irritated. 

14. Dior powder and eyeshadow brush
I bought those ones on sale for minus 30 or 40% and they are both awesome, super soft, and apply powder or eyeshadow equally and easily. I also have many essence brushes, and they are quite good as well, but there is a huge difference between premium brand brushes and low cost brushes. The minute you use it you feel it, and if you take good care of your brushes, they will stay with you forever. I wash mine at least every two weeks, make up brushes even once a week, using mild baby shampoo. 

15. Tweezerman mini brow rescue kit
I got this one in NYC, well, I could not understand why a tweezer can be that expensive, but once I used it I could understand. There is no better tweezer than a tweezerman. This kit came with a highlighter pencil, a brow brush and brow mousse, and all products are great. The whole kit costed around $25. 

My Christmas gift for me by me

Whenever I buy Christmas gifts for my beloved ones, I always find something for myself as well. 

Once I had all the gifts this time, I could not resist entering the Christ store. So finally I bought this DKNY ring, about which I thought so many times. 

I was very lucky, it was the last one in my size. This gave me the final push, well, I deserve a Christmas gift as well, right? 

What should I say? I love the ring and wear it every single day ever since. 

The problem is that the sales women had an awesome Michael Kors watch, well, I fulfilled one wish and immediately added another. That's life...

I hope you have spent some peaceful and nice holidays with your family and friends...

Primark shop opening?

Rumor has it...

Today I discovered that maybe there is a new Primark store to be opened in Cologne at the end of 2013. While this is a long time to go, I am happy to hear about it. I think that in terms of growing strategy it is really necessary to go to the bigger cities. 

I have been and are still surprised about Primark's market strategy for Germany. The first shop in Germany was in Bremen, followed by Francfort, but then they opened in smaller cities, for instance, in Gelsenkirchen. Cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich were always missing. This summer, they finally opened a store in Berlin (Source: www.primark.de). 

My problem with Primark is that whenever I go there I feel that I really should grap the opportunity and "buy things ahead". By this, I often buy things that I do not need and will never wear. Having a Primark close would, hopefully, change this buying behavior. 

things I bought at Primark in June (solely the pink shirt is from Blanco);
good hunt since I have been wearing all pieces regularly during the summer months

What I am also missing is an online store, but since the inventory turnover is really high, this implementation really is a challenge and so I give them some time to set this up. 

Happy shopping!

Christmas

I know, November has just begun. Still, Christmas is coming for sure, and always sooner "than expected". All over sudden, Christmas eve is there. Although it is always at the same day and I know it, it seems that I forget about it. Last-minute-panic because of missing gifts, food or drink preparation, planning, organization, and at the end I promise myself that next year will be different (while thinking of a nice sunny place with no Christmas trees). 

And now, this time starts again. Why do we always want this "perfect evening" on Christmas? Can't we just relax, being with someone we love, having a good but decent meal with ONE glass of wine? Without all this preparation and planning for weeks, going shopping once and coming home with all gifts? 

via marthastewart.com

By now, I did not manage to do it the other way. Shops are open today, so I am heading downtown hunting for gifts. Almost two months before Christmas. Yeah. 

Urban Decay NAKED2

I have been reading so many different reviews about the Urban Decay Naked2 eye shadow palette, and I thought about buying it for a very long time. Still, 43€ is a bunch of money.

Eventually I found a 10% coupon for Sephora in my bag I had completely forgotten about. So I ordered (I also needed a birthday gift so I had a good excuse to pass the order...)

Love the nude colors

Then when I received my order, it was damaged. There was eye shadow powder everywhere, so I had to return it. I am pretty sure that it was not Sephora, it has to be the French mail.

Now I received a new one in perfect shape, and I can't wait to test all the colors.

A pretty box

Flea Market

Again. I start being addicted to flea markets, but I think that this is due to the fact that I always find something. 

This time I found a dark grey woolen turtleneck pullover from Lacoste (8€) as well as a no-name blouse (5€). I really like the design and think with a classic skinny jeans and some nice shoes it will look awesome. 

My BF came with me this time, he bought a Hugo Boss button-down shirt (5€) and a Ralph Lauren polo shirt (7€).