The Tenerife Beauty Haul

Guess who's back, back again? It's me! I know, it's been some time, huh? I've actually been home since Friday, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and write anything for my blog for the past few days. I don't know whether that's because I wasn't ready to let go of my holiday yet, or because writing my thesis is taking all the fun out of writing for me, but somehow putting this up took me half a week. Go figure.

Anyways, onto the matter at hand. Exciting new make up! I actually didn't even intend to go this ham on my trip to Tenerife - I mean, it was a beach trip and around this time, I hardly wear make up anyways as it just tends to slide off my face - but then I kept discovering more and more brands or products that aren't available to me over here in Germany, so I ended up buying way more stuff than I thought I would.

So, as I myself love having a good snoop and look at what people buy over their holidays, or pretty much all the time, I decided I'd share some of my exciting new purchases with you!

When it came to all things make up, Hiperdino, which is the Canary Island's biggest supermarket chain, was a right ol' paradise. When I walked in there and spotted a Rimmel counter, I actually squealed out loud a little. I've always ordered my Rimmel products online, so being able to actually swatch them before putting them into the shooping cart was pure joy. I ended up getting one of their infamous Kate Moss lipsticks in '105' as well as the Provocalips Ligloss in '730 Make Your Move'.

I also picked up the L'Oréal Paris Nude Magique BB Cream in 'Light' in Hiperdino - which has come back to bite me in my butt because it's now actually quite a bit too light for me. I must've tanned more than I thought!
This caught my eye as I like to wear a lighter base all through summer and well until October and have run out of my favorite Maybelline cream. It's not available over here, so I decided to give it a go so long as I had the chance to get it!

Another brand that's rather hard to get hold of where I live - do you notice the general pattern here already? - is MakeUp Revolution, which is a bummer because I've seen so many people rave about their products, especially their eyeshadow palettes.
Well, what a lucky girl I am - I coincidentally stumbled across a tiny store that selled some of MakeUp Revoultion's stuff, and their Beyond Flawless palette was on display. The shadows included are drop-dead gorgeous, some of them are matte, some glittery and there's so many of them that the possiblities of using it are endless!

I've had my eye on H&M's collection for quite some time now, but for some reason I've always put the products I swatched back down and left. When I spotted their lipstick in '003 cream chestnut', I was sold, because even though I own plenty of nude lipsticks, this weird pink-brownish shade is something that was missing in my collection.

The last thing I got technically isn't make up, but it's so damn good that I just had to share it with you anyways. Pull&Bear's Purple Burst perfume has a very unique scent - I couldn't telll you the exact ingredients for the life of me - but it smells extremely fresh and citrus-y and thus is the perfect summer time perfume!

from left to right: H&M '003', Rimmel Provocalips '730', Rimmel Kate Moss '105'

Do you go crazy when you're on holiday some place where new brands are available to you, or do you just try to get them online?

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Song Lyrics That Stayed with Me

Music has always been a big part of my life. I've started singing in choirs and performing in musicals even before I could read or write and played the flute for ten years. Even when I wasn't making music myself, it still surrounded me at all times - I've always listened to it whenever or wherever I could.

Because music has played such a vital part in my life, it's not only the tunes themselves, but also the lyrics they carry that have stuck with me - I write them down on snippest and plaster them across notebooks, pinboards and the like to always have them near me if a situation where I need motivation, comfort or affirmation arises.

So, coming from this musical background, I recently read Erin's blog post on some of her favorite songs - and it inspired me to share some of the song lyrics that have stuck around with me over the years with you!

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1. "I'm the hero of the story, don't need to be saved." - Regina Spektor, Hero of the Story

2. "You are beautiful, no matter what they say, words can't bring you down." - Christina Aguilera, Beautiful

3. "Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you." - Elvis Presley, Can't Help Falling in Love

4. "I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion." - Rachel Platten, Fight Song

5. "Dreams just aren't enough, I'll be waiting for the real thing - I'll know it by the feeling." - Nickelback, Gotta Be Somebody

6. "You're dripping like a saturated sunrise. You're spilling like an overflowing sink. You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece." - Halsey, Colors

7. "If today I woke up with you right beside me, like all of this was just some twisted dream, I'd hold you closer than I ever did before." - 5 Seconds of Summer, Amnesia

8. "Love of mine, some day you will die, but I'll be close behind - I will follow you into the dark. No blinding lights or tunnels to gates of white, just our hands clasped tight, waiting for the hint of a spark." - Death Cab For Cutie, I Will Follow You Into The Dark

9. "I'm not scared of dying, I just don't want to - If I'd stop lying I'd just disappoint you." - Robbie Williams, Come Undone

10. "A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar, they're worth so much more after I'm a goner. And maybe then you'll hear the words I'd been singing - funny when you're dead how people start listening." - The Band Perry, If I Die Young

11. "All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends I can still recall. Some are dead and some are living, in my life I've loved them all." - The Beatles, In My Life

12. "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways - and no message could have been any clearer: if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at youself and then make a change." - Michael Jackson, Man In The Mirror

13. "And I try to refrain but you're stuck in my brain. An all I do is cry and complain because second's not the same." - Halsey, Is There Somewhere

14. "You're dangerous 'cause you're honest." - U2, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

15. "War is not the answer because only love can conquer hate." - Marvin Gaye, What's Goin' On



Do you have any favorite song lyrics? If so, please feel free to share them with me!

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How to Take Care of Your Tan

I love summer - the warmth, all the free time on my hand, spending as much time outside as I possibly can. And you know what comes with all of these three things I you lined up - a gorgeous tan.

As I'm naturally very pale - and I'm talking my teachers ask me whether I'm ill kind of pale - I always look forward to tanning which will help me look a little healthier and give my skin that little bit of extra glow.

Tanning is fairly easy. You rub some sunscreen into your skin, sit down or walk around in a sunny or even shadowy spot and even after a few hours, you've got yourself a nice little tan going.

While I think we're all aware of how tanning works, many might not know how to take care of their tan properly to make it look good and last for as long as it possible - and because of that, I thought I'd share some of my tips and tricks on how to properly take care of a tan with you guys today!

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1. Use a skin scrub before going on holiday.

The human skin continuously renews itself - it completes its "cycle of renewal" every 28 to 30 days -and it will continue to do so after you've acquired your well-deserved tan.

To avoid going on holiday mid skin-cycle and possibly losing your tan earlier than you want to, you should exfoliate your skin using a skin scrub, preferably one that with a herbal or sugary basis.
By exfoliating your skin before leaving for your trip, you'll ensure that your skin is fresh and new and only slowly starting to renew itself when yous start tanning, which means you'll get to keep your tan for longer.


2. Drink water directly after spending time tanning.

Tanning might not only make you feel dizzy, it will also make you feel really dry and dehydrate your skin a lot.
Due that, you should always drink plenty of water after a tanning session and also remember to drink while you're still lying in the sun.



3. M-o-i-s-t-u-r-i-ze.

Directly after tanning, apply moisturizer to your skin to help it cool down and regain its moisture - using an after-sun lotion is even better as most of those products contain ingredients like aloe vera which make them feel lighter on the skin and help it stay cool even more.

If you're on holiday and more or less tanning at all times, you should also mosturize your skin twice a day - preferably in the morning and at night - on top of that to assure that your skin is hydrated and healthy.


4. Take breaks between tanning sessions.

I think everyone will know that tanning can really wear your and leave you feeling tired and in the worst case, even ill, so taking breaks between extensive tanning sessions is an absolute must.

It will not only protect your brain from possibly being cooked inside your head and giving you a sun stroke, but it'll also give your skin a much needed break. Exposing it to the sun for too long may damage it severly which would show in a sunburn or blistered skin; besides that, it also raises your risk for skin cancer - so to prevent all of these things, you should definitely leave several hours between long tanning sessions; even more if your skin has been damaged already,


Do you have any tricks when it comes to looking after your tan?

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Make Up for When You're Going Away

I like using a broad variety of the make up I own, especially when it comes to eye and lip products - I have two drawers full of those that I can use every single day, so there's plenty of choices while I'm at home.

When I'm travelling, however, I can hardly bring all my drawers full of make up with me. I need to cut it down to the bare essentials if I don't want to end up with excess baggage, which can be quite difficult for me - and I can imagine that a lot of other beauty lover feel the same way; and that's why I want to share the make up I tend to pack for my trips with you guys today!

When it comes to face products, I tend to only pack a fair few, especially during summer when I wear a lot less make up as it would just close up my pores or slide off my face thanks to the heat.

For days when I'll feel like I need a little more coverage, I'm taking Maybelline's Pure 8-in-1 BB Creme in 'Light' with me as it feels extremely light on the skin but still covers minor spots or redness - same applies for MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in 'Light Plus', which works just as well but isn't as thick and harsh on the face.
To take care of my dark under-eye circles, I'm packing MAC's Mineralize Concealer in 'NW20', and if any other blemishes need fixing, I'm taking NYX's HD Concealer in 'Fair'.

On days when I want to dash out and add a little something to my face, I'm also taking Avon's blush pearls and Essence's Blogger's Bronzing and Highlighting palette with me.

As far as eye products go, I'm lying low even more than I am on the face products just because I will only need them for a night out or a fancy dinner, so stacking up on them for my travels woudln't be wise.

The one essential when it comes to my eyes is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, which is my absolute favorite mascara and the one product I'll always wear, even if I don't have the nerve to put on anything else. The Shape and Shade Eye Contouring palette is a close second to the mascara - not filling in my eyebrows comes close to a deadly sin; and what's especially great about this palette is that all products can be used on both the brows and the lids!

Besides that, three of my favorite single eyeshadows also made my suitcase - KIKO's single shadows in '220' and '224' (which have sadly been discontinued) as well as light, glittery rose one by PS...Love, Primark's beauty brand, which sadly doesn't seem to have a certain name.

As you might've realized, lip products are the one area where I just cannot cut it down to a few products - I like to take a broad variety so I can always have a lippy that matches my outfit, even if it means taking five nude lipsticks with me. Don't judge me.

The four lipsticks that made the cut are all by MAC - 'Kinda Sexy', 'Fanfare', 'Brave' and 'Viva Glam II'; almost all of which are pink shades and perfect for the summer!
 Besides that, I'm also taking three glosses - Maybelline's Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in '05 Nude Flush', Essence's XXL Longlasting Velvet Matte Lipgloss in '05 Velvet Rose' and NYX's Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Abu Dhabi'; so you could technically say that they'll be my go-tos for nude lips.
To finish it off, two lip liners I cannot go without during summer - KIKO's Smart Lip Pencil in '702', an incredible fuchsia pink and the light nude pink P.S...Love lip liner in the shade '01'.

I'm not too fuzzy when it comes to taking make up brushes with me - I often apply my make up using my fingers, so I don't need to have too many with me anyways. My Beauty Blender, however, is an absolute must as it works wonders when it comes to applying my MAC powder.

For applying eyeshadow, my holy-grail brushes are Zoeva's 223 and 235 - I can make eye make up work just fine with these two by themselves, so I don't even bother packing all my other eye brushes.
For applying blush, I'm taking the Zoeva 128 one with me and for blending their 104.
The only other brush that comes into the bag is their infamous 322 Browline brush, which is the only eyebrow brush that has ever worked for me.



Do you have any beauty essentials you always have to have with you when travelling?

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Summer Book Haul

 If there's a perfect time for reading, it definitely has to be summer. There's less work on my desk that needs to be done, my balcony is extra inviting as the sun beams onto it and I generally manage to make more time for myself - and is there a better past-time than reading?

I've shared some of my favorite book quotes on here before - twice, because the first post was so popular! (you can find part one here, part two here) - and also reviewed some of my recent reads, but I've never actually shared a book haul on my blog.

But when I went shopping and picked up a whopping five books to take with me when I go on holiday, I thought - why not? You guys seem to enjoy the times when I talk about books and reading is one of my biggest passions, so let me tell you a lil' something about the books I picked out the other day!

It's no secret that I love Rainbow Rowell's writing with all my heart, so one could think that "Eleanor & Park" might've been sitting on my shelf for ages already, but nu-uh. I don't know why I haven't bought this earlier because I've certainly had it in my hands before - what the hell had I been doing?
I actually don't know much about the book's arc because I like to dive into books head-first, but from the information at the book I've gathered that it's about two teenagers called Eleanor and Park who are both the odd one out in their own way and, once they find each other, fall in love.


I had never heard of "Vanishing Girls" prior to entering my favorite bookstore and seeing it there, but I've read several of Lauren Oliver's books and I know how much they can draw me in - I often end up reading them in one or two sittings - so I read up on it on Goodreads.
It is esentially a thriller surrounding the disappearances of several girls and how ugly sibling rivalary can really get - it's said to be extremely gripping and deeply compelling and was even compared to Gone Girl, so I'm very interested in if this mystery lives up to the great reviews.


"Miss Pergerine's Home For Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs is another novel that has been talked about widely - it was even turned into a movie directed by Tim Burton!
I've always refrained from it because to be honest, I was afraid it might creep me out too much. I know, I'm the biggest scaredy cat, laugh at me all you want. But judging by the snyopsis, a book about a boy exploring an abandoned orphanage on a remote island doesn't sound too funny, especially when it says that the children the orphanage housed might not be so dead.
The book also includes photgraphs of some rather creepy looking children, so I feel like I'll have to read this at the pool or beach where I won't have to be afraid of the dark.


Nina Lacour and David Levithan's "You Know Me Well" is a fairly new novel that has received great ratings, so I was intrigued when I saw it sitting on a shelf in the book store.
It's about two teens who know each other from school without ever really getting to know each other, who unexpectedly meet one night. As both struggle with issues of their own, they grow closer to one another.
What I love about this already is that both of the story's main characters are gay - I want to read more books that represent the LGTB community, so this is a win-win situation!


Compared to all the other books I purchased, I know next to nothing about "Aristotele and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz - I purposely tried to avoid any reviews or synopses because every book blogger and YouTuber I follow has praised this book high and low, so I wanted to make up my opinion on this all by myself without being influenced by others.



Have you read any great books recently? If so, please let me know - I'm always looking to add books to my 'to-read' list!
If you're interested in keeping up with me and my readings, you can add me on Goodreads as well.

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