Best Of Beauty 2015 | Beauty

Happy New Year's Eve guys!
You saw this one coming, didn't ya? Being a beauty blogger, I obviously needed to fulfill my duty and share the best beauty bits I used this year with you. It wouldn't feel like New Year's Eve otherwise, right?

If you've been here before, you will probably have seen me mention some of these products a couple of times - I actually reviewed most of them during the year, so I will link to those down below - because really, they're the best of the best. The Crème de la Crème. The products that I always reach for when in doubt.
You get the gist, so let's get into it. 

Base:

Up until this year, I did not have such a thing as a steady base and that was mainly due to the fact that I just couldn't seem to find a foundation that fits my extremly pale skin tone and didn't make me break out into a rash. As I looked to other bloggers for advice - as I do - many recommended Rimmel for drugstore bases, so I bit the bullet and purchased the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (full review here), and that might've been the single best thing that I've ever done. It matches my skin tone almost perfectly, my skin accepted it without any fuss and on top of that, it gives my rather dull skin a healthy glow.

Another struggle of mine has always been nasty dark shadows under my eyes that appear even when I get ten hours of sleep each night for a week. That wouldn't have been an issue, though, if there had been a concealer that covered them up. Only that there wasn't.
But when I decided to go on a spending spree after finishing my finals this past summer, I picked up Benefit's Erase Paste (full review here) up on a whim. To be fair, the shade selection isn't ideal and I could never use this one on spots or red patches, but for concealing my dark circles, this is perfect. Even on days when I was running on 2 hours of sleep, this kept them hidden away neatly.

Eyes:

Urban Decay's Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette has definitely been one of, if not my most used product this year. It was a gift from my lovely best friends for my birthday back in February, and ever since then, I have barely used any other eyeshadows - except the other two Naked palettes. No joke.
The quality and lasting power of these shadows really is as great as everyone claims it to be, even more so if used with a primer. At one point I've worn one of these shadows for 20 hours on end, and I experienced only very little fallout. Insane!

Another game changer I stumbled upon this year is the Lash Sensational Mascara by Maybelline (full review here). You might not know this, but I have insanely short eyelashes. They're stumps, really, so most mascaras make them clump together more than lenghten them. I was actually pretty tempted to try out Benefit's much raved about Rollerlash, but as this one was rumored to give you similar result for a third of the price, Maybelline it was. Good choice - only two coats of this mascara make my lashes appear to be three times their original lenght!
Another great thing about this mascara is that it hardly ever smudges, which is pretty handy for us clumsy girls.

Lips:

2015 has been all about the lipsticks for me. I mean, I've always loved a good old lippie, but throughout this year, I've managed to collect over 30 of these babies. It's an addiction, but I'm not going to stop, soz.
I've been especially big on the MAC lipsticks this year - all of the ones I own - except for one - were purchased this year. I completely fell for the quality and shade selection MAC offers, so it's really no suprise that my two most used lipsticks are by MAC.
They're both nude shades as well, but they couldn't be more different. 'Kinda Sexy' (full review here), one of their Mattes, is a light rosé toned nude shade, which wore none-stop throughout summer. During the colder seasons, I leaned more towards 'Viva Glam II' (full review here), which is a brown shade with rosey undertones and a Satin finish. Every time I wear this, someone compliments me on my lipstick - definitely one of those 'feel-good' shades for me!

Nails:

As much as I collect lipsticks, I'm a nail polish horder - I own an entire drawer full of those, and I bet some of them have already gone bad, but I just can't bring myself to throw them out. I know, it's bad.

Because of that, I didn't purchase heaps of polish this year, but I did have one favorite for each summer and fall/winter.

During summer, I mainly wore Essie's 'Bikini So Teeny' (full review here) after purchasing it when I was in Berlin upon hearing about it from either Anna or Lily. It's a gorgeous light blue shade that has tiny bits of glitter running through it - doesn't that just scream summer holidays? It damn right does to me. It's longevity is insane, by the way. It only starts to chip after around five days - great for when you're away and just can't be bothered to do your nails.
For fall and winter, Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in '610 Red Zin', a deep, rich wine red, which is funny because I actually received this as a freebie in a magazine and didn't pick it out for myself. Thank god I did, though, because it's absolutely amazing. It's gel-like finish doesn't budge whatsoever - I've been doing loads of swimming ever since the ongoing semester started, and not even chlorine does anything to it. I can wear this for a week and it'll still look good. I need more of these. Soon.

Perfume:

There was only one really significant perfume for me this past year, and that's Marc Jacob's Daisy Dream. It's pretty much the only perfume I have worn this year and it has definitely become my signature scent, so I'm pretty sad to see that I only have a few spritzes of it left.
It's very much my style of scent, being, as the name suggests, very floral, with notes of wisteria and jasmine, but also fruity, with notes of blackberry, pear and litchi.
The only downside of this is that isn't too long-lasting, it'll stick around for around two to three hours, and then it'll dissolve into nothing - but really, when a scent's this great, I will happily deal with this.

And there we have my favorite products of the year 2015. I feel a little weird saying this, like I haven't fully accepted that this year is almost over. This one has been an insanely good year for me, I have been more happier and I feel more like myself than I ever have.
So thank you all for making 2015 an amazing success for me, and I'm looking forward to improve as a blogger and provide even better content for you in the new year.

Happy New Year to all of you lovelies!

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What I Got For Christmas

So, it's been quite a while since I've sat down and written a blog post. Over a month, actually. I almost feel a little weird typing away at my laptop again. It's been way too long!

I know that I promised to write more, but then finals came in crashing over my head like a wave and left me struggling not to drown in them. Seriously, I was so stressed and emotionally strained that by the time I finished the last final before Christmas break, I went to the bathroom and cried. Nice.

Anyways, now that I'm on a break and have more time to look after myself, I found my fingers aching to write more - and as the Christmas holidays are now well over, I thought it'd be a fun idea to share what I got for Christmas with you guys!

Just a quick disclaimer - I in no way intend to brag about my presents, I now that I was spoilt rotten this year, and I'm eternally grateful for everything. I'm just a seriously nosey person myself, so I thought there'd be a few people like me out there who'd like to have a snoop.

I sadly couldn't take a photo of my main present, which is an iPhone 6s in gold because I was actually taking the photos with it. But look at the quality! Compared to this one, the photos my trusty old Samsung took are dust.
I totally wasn't expecting this one as I didn't even wish for it as I assumed it would be way to expensive for my parents, but thanks to a few good connections, this miraculously landed under the Christmas tree. Again, I might've shed a few tears. I weep easily, alright.

These two presents also made my heart leap in joy. I had more than once mentioned to my Mom how whenever I'd wanted to purchase MAC's 'Velvet Teddy', it had been sold out - for what felt like the entirety of 2015. Again, I don't know how she managed to do it, but she got both herself and me one of these bad boys. 

In addition to that, my parents also got me Urban Decay's Naked 2 Basics eyeshadow palette, which I have also been eyeing up for ages. I already used both this and my new lippie to create a look for when I went to visit my aunt on Boxing Day, and the quality of the shadows is definitely as great as I expected it to be.

Gifting perfume has become a tradition in my family, and so I watched in awe as my Mom unwrapped the new Dior parfume my Dad got her, but when it was my turn, I was equally as excited - Lancôme's 'La Vie Est Belle' has been on top of my 'to-try' list ever since I found a sample of it in a Cosmopolitan magazine, and my Mom even got me the largest bottle available!

I love the scent of this as it's quite unique, it's both sweet and also floral and has notes of vanilla, pears and pralines to it.

This is already sitting on my dressing table as well after I first wore it out on Boxing Day, looking absolutely stunning.

My Dad really did suprise me this year, as he got me another perfume totally out of the blue. He stumbled upon Santini's 'Miriam Modemoissele' when he was in the Czech Republic for work and picked it up for me on a whim - and it turned out to be a total success. It's totally my kind of scent - flowery with notes of roses and freesia, but also sort of wodden with notes of amber and cedar.

In fact, it smells so good that my Mom secretly sneaked a few spritzes onto herself - that didn't go unnoticed though because the scent is damn strong and persistent!

My little brother might often sometimes be a pain in the ass, but look at how sweet he can get! He got me KIKO's Romance & Desire Scented Set, which includes a roll-on perfume, a body lotion and a candle. All of the product share the same scent of vanilla, passionfruit, caramel and cedar.

The scent is subtle yet absolutely amazing, so for a candle (and perfume, for that matter) lover like me, this is an ideal gift set.

On a total different note,  with the next few presents my inner geek really comes to show.

As for this one, I've been a fan of the Sims franchise for as long as I can remember - I think I got The Sims 2 soon after it came out, which means that I must've been around five or six at that time!
And in the decade that followed that faithful day, these games have not lost the ability to get me absolutely hooked. In all seriousness, ever since I got The Sims 4 for Easter, I have played it for over 2000 hours in total. That's over 80 days. See you guys in rehab, huh?

My growing addiction has been fueld even more by the new expansion pack 'Get Together', which came out mid December - and it really lived up to my expectations and even exceeded them by a lot!

My family know me too well. Seriously, my Mom probably monitors me when I'm oooh-ing and aaah-ing at books while in the bookstore downtown because I've wanted to read all of these for soo long but never really had the money to get them or the time to acutally sit down and read them.

'The Rose Society' by Marie Lu might be the one book I was the most excited about - it is the sequel to 'The Young Elites', one of the best books I read this year (it's actually so great that I wrote an entire review on it) and as the first book ended on quite a cliffhanger, I was aching for answers to the thousands of questions inside my head.

This fantasy triology (with the final book in the making) tells the story of Adelina Amouteru, a sixteen year old girl living in Kenettra, a city that is losely based on ancient Venice, in 1361 and how her life changes when a plague sweeps across the country, leaving its children with weird marking and even weirder powers.

'The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire' by Dan Howell and Phil Lester is technically not a book in the traditional sense, but more of an autobiography mixed with comical elements and the like.

Part two of my confessions - I love these two. I've been subscribed to their YouTube channels ever since early 2012, so you could say I did kind of grow up with them, and as cheesy as it sounds, they did help me become who I am today.
And if you're thinking "They're just some silly guys who think they're famous" - they're very much the opposite, they're down-to-earth, relatable dudes who never fail to make me smile.

I honestly don't know why I didn't already own 'The Bane Chronicles' by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. Fun fact, if you need to know anything about me, it is that I love Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series to death. As in, throw a quote at me and I'll tell you in which book you'll find it, the context and who said it. I'm serious about these books.

This book however is not part of the series but rather a collection of short stories about one of the serie's characters, the warlock Magnus Bane, who is an absolute babe and has a sense of humor that sometimes leaves me speechless, so this'll be a trip and a half.

Rainbow Rowell's 'Carry On' is actually a companion novel to her much hyped novel 'Fangirl', which I too loved. While Fangirl revolves around Cath, a struggling college student who is a huge fan of the 'Simon Snow' book serious and writes fanfiction about said series, this gem right here is the actual fanfiction Cath was writing throughout the novel. Rainbow Rowell actually sat down and wrote the whole damn thing. I squealed when I saw this because even though I have not read a single page yet, I know that everything she does turns out to be amazing.

Lastly, another long awaited sequel I got was 'Girl Online On Tour' by Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella. Now, while I used to watch Zoe's YouTube channel sort of religiously last year, I don't really anymore - I still make time to read her blog from time to time, though. But I loved what she did with her debut novel 'Girl Online' so much that I read it in less than a day and then was left aching for more.

The protagonist of the story is a teenage blogger called Penny - can you see why I found this intriguing? - who meets a young rock star called Noah and eventually falls for him. As the sequel's name suggests, Penny now joins Noah for his Euorpean tour and is faced with a lot of difficulties on the way.

To close it up, my lovely aunt got me a mini cake stand along with some of my favorite chocolates from Ferrero - yum!

I think I'll use the cake stand for displaying jewelery rather than actually cakes though.

So there we have all the gifts that I got for this year's Christmas. I don't deserve them, really. I know how annoying, stubborn and skittish I can be; and that makes me appreciate all of this even more, especially as I've also experienced very different Christmasses in the past.

What did you get for Christmas?

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How To Deal With Stress | Lifestyle

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Seeing as my finals are coming up next month, I figured that a lot of others are probably struggling with just as much stress as I am right now. I mean, I'm literally running on a couple cups of coffee (I have seriously lost count) and loads of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Oh the sweet life of a student.

In all seriousness, though, I think that most of us don't really know how to deal with stress properly - and I'm not at all excluding myself here - and might start feeling overwhelmed once a certain amount of pressure is put onto their shoulders, so I thought it would be a good idea to share a few ways to wind down when the entire world is constantly winding you up.

1. Fresh Air

Whenever I feel like I'm starting to drown in the workload that's pilling up on my desk, I try to get fresh air in one way or another, whether that's by simply opening the window or even going for a walk.
It's amazing how much calmer you'll find yourself to be after you have taken a few deep breaths of fresh air and cooled down a little.

Also, going for a walk can feel like an actual for of therapy when you feel like you're going nowhere with your tasks because you'll get to see something else than your workspace while also physically moving - which leads me to my next point...

2. Exercising

Don't panic, I'm not telling you to go for a run every time you feel stressed out - I bow down to people who can keep up with running, because I sure as hell cannot.
Anyways, fret not, because it is proven that literally any form of excersise, from aerobics, to boxing, to yoga, can act as a stress reliver, so even if you consider yourself to be rather unfit, there will be something for you.
I myself have found yoga to work best for me when I need to calm myself down, and swimming when I desperately need to move and let out some negative emotions that have been pilling up over time.

Doing any form of sport will bump up the production of endorphins in your body, which basically act as your brain's feel-good neurotransmittors. It usually also needs you to completly focus on what you're doing, which obviously takes your mind off whatever is stressing you at in that moment.

3. Treat Yourself

I feel like there are a very few things that a hot bath can't cure, especially if you add one of Lush's bath bombs. The hot water will not only relax your muscles, but also your mind - especially when you, like me, love a good read while you're soaking in all the goodness.

Afterwards, I love to do my nails and out on a face mask, all while sipping ona hot chocolate and binge-watching one of my favorite shows or jamming out to some Spotify playlist.

You wouldn't believe how good a proper pamper session will leave you feeling!

4. Writing

This might just be the creative gene in me, but over the years I've realized that writing about the things that bother me in a way helps me deal with them - do you realize why I'm writing this right now?

Laying out all of the thoughts that are tangled up in your mind, the things that keep you awake at night or haunt you while you while you try to relax - write them down on paper, or even type them out. Seeing them right in front of you can help you think about your problems and even possible solutions to them.

5. Put Yourself First

In an achievement-oriented society like ours, it's very easy to just ignore the signals your body's sending you when you're working on a challenging task, but something you have to remember that no matter what it is that's causing you all this stress is much less than your health.

Take me as the best example - I'm such a damn perfectionist, I can literally not rest peacefully until I have gone through with something and I will literally find myself waking up at night in cold sweat because my stress followed me into my dreams and turned them into nightmares.
Don't do that to yourself. This might sound totally stupid, but getting not that much of a good grade or not getting that promotion you wanted or handing in that project a week late will not define your worth as a person, but stepping back from something that is making you feel negative in any way can only bring profits for you and your mental health with it.

How do you deal with stressful situations?

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Christmas Wishlist

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Once we hit mid-November, my family starts decorating for Christmas and cracks out the Christmas cookies and mulled wine, so there was no way I could escape the rising excitement and warmth in my stomach. So I'm typing this while looking out at the lights I put up on my balcony and munch on some gingerbread. I'm not even ashamed at this point.

I've also found that it was really hard for me to make up my mind on what I could wish for this year. Usually I'll have an at least one foot long list by early September because whenever I'm broke, I just chuck the things I'm lusting over on there. However, there's only a few things that would make me cry were they to land under the tree - and here they are!

1. Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie (27,99€)

I've been lusting after Yankee Candles for the longest time, but as they're pretty hard to get a hold of in Germany and on top of that, quite expensive, I never had the courage to commit to pruchasing one.

However, I stumbled across their Christmas themed scents when I was downtown the other day, and I fell head over heels for this one - it was basically love at first sniff. I had to have it.

Christmas Cookie smells, as the name suggests, like delicious, sweet cookies, without being overly sweet or sickening, but very much making my tummy rumble.

The jar is also huge, so this one will definitely last you for quite some time.

2. Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera (90€)

How cool are polaroid cameras? I'd love to take one of these to a special event and just snap away - without getting to see the outcome on a screen, or editing them, or pressing 'delete' 99% of the time. Those would be some damn rare and real photos.

The only reason I don't own one of these yet is their price tag - ninety Euros is quite a lot for a stundent who is barely scraping by. I'd have to live off of toast and cereal for much longer than two weeks to both pay my bills and afford one of these.

3. iPhone 6s in 'Gold' (849€)

It's so beautiful. And so shiny. And just checking the price tags downtown made me see stars.

Truth is, I'm a true Android girl. I've never ventured into the world of Apple before, simply because I'm not made of money and holy hell, these things are so expensive. Especially when you, like me, need at least 64GB of memory because you simply can't delete any of your pictures.

Even though this is by far the most far-fetched wish on this list of pretty things, I could not not put it on here as I've literally been oooh-ing and aaaah-ing at it ever since it's been released.

4. Lancôme La Vie Est Belle EdP (106€)

I actually mentioned the 'Intense' version of this perfume in my fall wishlist, but somewhere along the way, I started to realize that it was way too overpowering. Overpowering in like, I spritzed some of it into my hair when I checked it out while shopping and then went home to wash my hair - only that it still smelt of the perfume after I had washed it. What even?

La Vie Est Belle is both a sweet and a fruity smell and has notes of vanilla, pear and pralines in it. It's such a wonderful perfume for the colder seasons and could both be worn during daytime and for a night out.

5. Benefit 'Do The Hoola' kit (37€)

I've only ever tried one of Benefit's products before, which is their Erase Paste, a concealer that I loved so much that it became a staple in my daily routine. Other than that, I've always admire the Benefit counter from afar.

The 'Do The Hoola' kit, however, does make my fingertips tingle just a teeny tiny bit. It includes the 'Dew The Hoola', a product exclusive to the kit (which is a good enough reason to get it, let's be real), as well as minatures of their infamous Hoola bronzer, They're Real mascara and the Benebalm, which means that you get to try out four of the brand's products for a relatively small price - compared to what they'd usually cost - and make up your mind about them before you go ahead and buy a full size!

6. Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette (28,99€)

It's no secret that I'm in love with Urban Decay's much talked about Naked palettes, and while I sadly didn't get the opportunity to pick up the smoky one, I have been eyeing up the second of the 'Basics' palettes for a while.

I love that it's so small and compact which makes it very well suited for travelling (unlike the pretty bulky other palettes) and also the shade selection, which is right up my alley.
Also, with Urban Decay, I know that I'll get good quality, so this definitely is money well spent.

7. 'The Rose Society' by Marie Lu (8,70€)

This book right here is the long awaited sequel to 'The Young Elites', which was one of my favorite reads this year - I even wrote an entire review on it here.

Ever since finishing that book, I've been waiting patiently anxiously for its follow-up because I was so desperate to find out how Adelina's story continues. The wait was actually physically painful - that's how dedicated I became to this story and its characters, woah.

And on top of all the goodness that Marie Lu's books are anyways, I haven't had the time to read in months, so having a good book to sit down with over the holidays would be really freaking nice.

8. Ted Baker Reubin Large Zip Around Purse (~99€)

I don't know what it is about Ted Baker's bags and purses, but somehow I'm magically drawn to them. Everytime I pass them in a store, I just have to take a look at all the pretty, shiny goodies - only to leave with a sigh.

I've wanted to get a Ted Baker purse for so long now, but I never really had the spare money to do so - or, when I actually did, I thought I'd feel way too guilty about spending so much money on a purse that I didn't. So I totally added it to the Christmas wishlist, because who knows, maybe someone who loves me might have less inhibitions than me when it comes to being so spendy. (If only.)

9. The Sims 4 Get Together (39,99€)

I grew up with the 'Sims' franchise, and I've been obsessively playing it ever since 'The Sims 2' came out. Major throwback, right?

The Sims 4 is definitely the reason why I never get shit done. I love the game so much that I like to accidently let it consume next to all of my free time - I'll sit down to play and suddenly it's two hours later. Woops.

So, being the addict that I am, there was no way I would miss the new expansion pack that's coming out at the end of November, which is called 'Get Together'. 

I'm so ready to pull an all-nighter, and I wish I was joking.

Which lusted-after products made your Christmas list this year?

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Lush Christmas Haul | Beauty

I've had the past week off and should feel all refreshed and chilled out, but no, Mrs. Perfectionist over here obviously can't sit down until all the work is done. Essays, presentations, studying for exams - throw it at me. Also, hosting parties and going out to meet people? Sure. And all the cleaning up afterwards? Whatever.

Keeping up an academic career as well as a social life is impossible and if you manage to do it, please let me in on your secrets.

So, stressed out student I was, I decided to take yesterday off and treat myself to a day downtown with my Mom and how could I not drop into Lush while I was there?

I have to admit that when I saw all the products from their Christmas range, I might've been a little overwhelmed. All of them were so cute, and all the products smelt divine (I felt slightly high after leaving the store, not gonna lie) so picking out which of them I wanted to take home with me turned out to be quite the challenge.

So, how about we have a look at the ones that made the cut?

Candy Mountain (Bubble Bar) 4,95€

I've been dying to get this all year! 'Candy Mountain' is my all-time favorite Christmas product out of all the ones Lush offers and I've been purchasing it for years, so obviously I had to get this. I think I smiled like an idiot while smelling this. Yes, I'm a nutter.

This has an insanely sweet smell of vanilla which I believe is either exactly the same scent as the 'Snow Fairy' shower gel or at least a fairly similar one - so if you love that one, you'll be guaranted to fall in love with this product as well! The scent also sticks with you after you get out of the bath for a couple of hours, so this could be perfect for a bath before a Christmas party.

And, on top of all that goodness, it is also a bubble bar, which means that I'll get at least two, if not three uses out of this so it's definitely worth every cent. I shall get more of these.

Father Christmas (Bath Bomb) 5,95€

I'm no stranger to this product either as I first picked it up shortly before last year's Christmas and absolutely loved it, so I was also looking to stock up on more of these this year.
It's also a really suprising bath bomb because it looks quite rosey on the outside, but once you plop it into the bath it'll turn the water a vibrant shade of green! On top of that, with this in the bath my skin always ends up feeling insanely soft afterwards, so that's another plus.

This actually has a really similar smell to Candy Mountain, only that it's not as strong - so if you don't like sicklish-sweet scents, you might want to look into this one rather than my beloved bubble bar.

Peeping Santa (Bubble Bar) 5,50€

How cute is this little guy? I could simply not leave him at the store, he was too adorable.

The 'Peeping Santa' bubble bar is a new product that Lush brought out this year and due to it's scent it was definitely the most appealing new product to me! It smells of strawberries, one of my favorite scents, and has some bergamot and geranium oil thrown in there, so it's not your typical sweet Christmas scent, but rather fruity and fresh!

I'm really looking forward to get a few baths out of this one and watch my water turn red and full of bubbles! Oh so festive.

Butter Bear (Bath Bomb) 2,95€

Much like with the 'Peeping Santa', the cutesy factor was strong with this one.

I don't expect this to have a massive effect once it's thrown into the bath, but it's described to make it feel creamy, and it also smells of cocoa, so it'll definitely have a 'feel-good' effect on me.

Also, it has a pretty low price for a Lush product, so there's another reason to totally go out and pick this dude up.

What's your favorite product from Lush's Christmas range?

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Why It's Important To Love Yourself First | Lifestyle

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If you are one of the people who happened to meet me for the first time this year, I'm probably a bubbly, happy go lucky person in your eyes. A girl with a tongue so sharp she might cut herself on it, always a witty comment on hand to make those around her laugh.

But that wasn't the case all the time.

Like a lot of pre-teens, I was pretty darn miserable from the ages of twelve to around fourteen or fifteen.
It's that time in a lot of young girls' lifes when they realize that there are plenty of other fish in the pond, and damn, they're so much better at everything they do.

I used to compare myself to others my age a lot, even when, quite frankly, my life was not half as bad as I made it seem to myself.
But how could I be satisfied when that one girl had such a pretty face? When my crush's new girlfriend had such a nice body? When I was getting beat even at my favorite sport?

And if that wasn't bad enough, we all know that kids are horrible, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who had even more horrible things thrown at their head - right in my face, or even worse,  things voiced behind my back.

And because I know from talking to friends and family, I'm definitely not the only one who was once stuck in that kind of situation (even though I definitely believed myself to be), I'm left wondering why the hell all of us keep putting others and even more so, ourselves down instead of building ourself up.

If, back then, someone told me about self-love, I would've probably laughed. In my eyes, if there was anything loveable about me, someone would certainly love me, but as I felt so alone a lot of the time (even though I was and to this day still am friends with some of the most amazing people), that couldn't have been the case.

Looking back at it, I can feel a migrane coming on. Sometimes, I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that obviously, you'll get knocked down by life every once in a while, but eventually you'll have to get up, and the amount of time you spend lying in the dirt is entirely up to you. No one will drag you up with all their force. They will try, but the most important person in that progess is you.

Putting the pieces back together is a long and maybe painful process, but you need to make it happen. I've found that to be truly happy, you need to make peace with yourself and who you are before anything else. And you need to embrace who you are, even with all those little things that nag at you at 2am.

I used to think that someone else's love would built me up, but that's not the case. One of my relationships dissolved mainly because I was too broken and my significant other was too overwhelmed with trying to fix me when all I did was crawl into my deepest, darkest hiding places.

And this is why you need to love yourself first.
You need to be the one who picks you up when you're sitting in the shower crying, who wraps you in a warm towel and makes you some tea.

You need to be the person who can take care of you in the best way possible, the one who knows when to push you and when to leave it be.

Because falling in love with yourself first doesn't make you vain, or even selfish. It makes you indestructible.

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October Favorites | Beauty

I actually can't believe that October - and with it, the majority of fall - is over. I'm already longing for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, warm days and comfort food, but it's bearable, really, because we're very well onto Christmas now!

I really enjoyed playing with loads of autumnal colors during the past month, like golds and red and sometimes even purples, and that defenitely shows in my most used products from October.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 'Light Porcelain' (12€)

If you've been here with me for a while, you might know this foundation right here was my holy grail base product in spring, but once summer came around and I got my first sunburn of the season, it was suddenly two shades too light for me. Sad face.

Now that my tan has faded and I've gone back to my original pale self, I finally got to crack it out again - and I fell back in love with it instantly.

This foundation adds that bit of glow to my skin which it's lacking during the colder and darker months of October due to the tiny specks of shimmer included in it, but it's also insanely easy to blend and sinks into the skin very quickly.

And as my days get longer as my schedule grows and grows, this one's very practical as its lasting power is insanely strong, even when worn by itself, without any primer or powder. When the latter are used in combination with the foundation, it lasts pretty much all day without needing a touch-up.

KIKO Smart Lip Pencil in '712: Rose Mauve'  (2,50€)

It's no secret that I adore next to all of KIKO's products, so their lipliners, especially the 'smart lip pencil' line, is no exception.

I originally picked this one up because I found it to be a next to perfect match for MAC's Twig, which I still think it is, but I've found that lately, I've been wearing this one on its own much more than the combination.

That's probably due to the fact that it's so easy to work with - if you applied a little bit of lipbalm prior to the liner itself, this glides on smoothly, without any tugging or struggling.

It's also very pigmented, which means that it works very well by itself - and its staying power outlives those of a lot of my lipsticks, due to a matte-like finish.

And all of that for merely 2,50€. That's less than I pay for lunch on a daily basis.

If that's no great quality for money, I don't know what is.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in '610 Red Zin' (8,99€)

As I mentioned in my fall nails post, I never owned a Sally Hansen product prior to this one even though I've read quite a lot of rave reviews about them.

In fact, my Mom picked this one out for me because I'd talked to her about how I wanted to incorporate more autumnal colors into my make up collection. (Love you, Mom!)

This nail polish has suprised me on so many levels, I'm not gonna lie.

For one, the finish of this is so pretty. Once you've applied two coats, you achieve full coverage and, on top of that, a super shiny finish that makes your nails look like you just had a super expensive manicure.

But, even more importantly, the longevity of this exceeds any of my expectations. I went an entire week, going swimming multiple times, cleaning the flat, cooking and doing all kinds of work and only on the seventh day, it started chipping. I have no clue how that is possible, but I was so amazed that I instantly wanted to check out more shades with this formula.

Essence Lipliner in '06: Satin Mauve' (0,99€)

Essence is one of those hit-miss brands for me - they have some amazing products that give you great value for money, but then you have products that you buy because hey, it's a budget beauty brand, and you end up with either a nasty rash or, at least, pretty crappy results.

But as one of my friends recommended their lipliners, and the shade 'Satin Mauve' in particular, to me, I thought that at less than one Euro, there really wasn't a lot for me to loose did it turn out to be horrible.

Turns out, I was yet again very wrong - for one, the pigmentation of this, as the name suggests, mauve shade is amazing so that it can easily be worn by itself, which I usually do, on the other hand, application also isn't much of a fuzz with this product because it glides on rather smoothly, much like the KIKO liner.

What product(s) did you love in October?

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Fa(ll)bulous Nail Polishes | Beauty

It's probably no secret that nails are somewhat of my personal playground - I mean, there was a point in time when I wore a different nail polish every single day. That's how much I enjoyed doing my nails. No, I have no idea where the hell I got the time from.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love playing around with pretty pastels or bright shades during spring and summer, but fall's the time when some of my all-time favorites come out to play - all kinds of reds, purples. Throw in some brown shades and Franzi's heart will swell with happiness.

This fall, I got extra lucky with finding new nail polishes to try out because some of them turned out to be absolutely amazing, and when I re-discovered some polishes I loved last fall, I thought, why not combine two of my favorite things - fall and nail polish? (Also, I hope there's someone out there who appreciates the effort I put into that damn pun for the title. Admit it, I'm hilarious.)

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish - Rita Ora Collection in 'Rain, Rain, Go Away'

I actually got this one during summer and then never wore it - classic me move right there - and only realized that it had been hiding in my drawer for all those months when I looked for some shades to switch up my usual nail polish routine.
And man, am I annoyed that I didn't try this one out earlier!

The formula of this is outstanding. If you read my recent 'Life Lately' post, you might remember that I'm taking swimming this semester, which means that I spend at least two days a week at the swimming pool - not an ideal situation when you're as lazy as me when it comes to your nails.
This, however, doesn't come off one bit even when I'm swimming, it lasts around five days before it starts to chip! 

I know that it's not our typical dark fall shade, but as it is purple/grey-ish, I still like wearing it at the moment because it doesn't look summery at all (even though this is from a summer range. woops)

Avon Nailwear Pro + Polish in 'Sinful Romance'

Moving on to more of a true purple shade - Avon's nail polishes were some of the first I tried because , well, I maybe used to steal my Mom's polishes - maybe - and as the quality of their products has always been really great value for money, I sticked with them.
So, when I realized that they recently brought out some new shades for their 'Nailwear Pro +' range, I couldn't resist picking out the most autumnal shade.

I must've mentioned before that I really like the formula of these nail polishes as for one, they're very pigmented, so you'll only need to apply a layer or two for them to look opaque. On the other hand, they last for around four days on my hands without chipping, which is also great for a busy gal like me.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in '610 Red Zin'

This one is hands down my favorite of them all, which is ironic because I never would've picked it out for myself, it was actually included in a magazine my Mom got me.

The polish stayed perfectly in place even after both hours of swimming and cleaning, which in itself is amazing, but it also stayed put for another week. One week. I've never had a nailpolish stay on my nail for that long.
Also, the shade is a deep, rich red, which means that you'll only need a maximum of two coats for it to look perfect, which is not at all hard to work because the polish also dries insanely quickly, looking glossy in what feels like a minute.


Essence Colour&Go! Polish in '164 Crazy Fancy Love'

Even though Essence took their Colour & Go polishes out of shops some time ago, I still wanted to incorporate this one into this post because damn, look at that shade.

As the name suggests, these polishes are designed to be quick-drying, which I can't get enough of. Sadly, they aren't as long-lasting and start chipping after three, sometimes even two days - but as they were less than 2€ a bottle, I really can't cry about the quality all too much.
I also really love this shade as it's not just plain, which I usually go for, but changes with the lighting - super fun for nights out or even when Christmas time will roll around!


Avon Nailwear Pro + Hollywood Collection in 'Drive In'

Even though I love wearing dark shades that make me feel like I can kick ass and conquer the world once fall starts, I'll sometimes feel like something lighter on particulary gloomy days - and what would be better than this rosy nude?
Honestly, I can't quite remember how this ended up in my drawer, but I'm glad it did anyways. It's my go-to shade for when I'm feeling ultra feminin or need a neutral shade for a special occasions, so it's basically an all-arounder.

Because it's a fairly light shade, three layers of the polish are needed to achieve full coverage, which means that you have to have some time sit down and look after your nails, but the shiny finish definitely makes it worth it.

Much like the original Nailwear Pro + polishes, this one has great longvitey and lasts a fair few days before chipping up a storm.



What are your favorite nail polishes for fall?

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Five Minute Make Up | Beauty

I bet there's loads of people out there who get up at the crack of dawn and sing along with the birds while getting ready, but I'm definitely not one of them.
I love sleep, and I love being comfy, so having an alarm that literally makes me bolt up at 5.20am every single morning isn't my ideal idea of a great start into the day.

Because of that, I sometimes happen to press snooze and tell myself that staying in bed for a few more minutes is totally okay - and then fall back asleep.

On days like that, getting ready definitely is an adventure. But over time, I've worked out a sort of routine for when I need to make myself look like a human being in as little time as humanly possible.

And as I bet there's some people out there who are very similar to me when it comes to a bad habit of snoozing, I decided to share it with you!

I'll start off with applying Benefit's Erase Paste under my eyes to cover the dark circles that bespeak of late nights up studying. This is the first ever concealer that manages to cover those bad boys completely while still matching my skin shade - and because you only need to use a tiny amount of it, it lasts absolute ages! Due to it's very creamy consistency, it takes a little while to work into the skin to avoid it looking cakey, but the results are definitely worth it.

After that, Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation, which has a very glowy finish and is perfect when you're skin is looking dull and needs a little extra pick-me-up, comes into play. It's the most fuss-free base product I've used to date - it's very easy to work into the skin and sinks in rather quickly.

When that's done, it's time to set my base with my favorite powder, the Stay Matte Powder in 'Transparent' by Rimmel (which, I know, is looking a little sad right now after I dropped the bag it was in. Sad times.) . As the name suggests, it has a matte finish, so only a little of this sets my foundation into place nicely without looking chalky. This also has become a day-to-day favorite of mine because it helps my make up last pretty much all day long.

When I'm running late, I obviously don't have any time to waste on eyeshadow or even eyeliner, but something that I'll always take care of before leaving the house are my eyebrows. As I've found that eyeshadows work best for me when it comes to filling them in, I use the shade 'Lady Luck', a dark brown that matches my brows almost perfectly, from W7's In The Buff: Lightly Toasted palette.

To finish the look of, I'll use Maybelline's Lash Sensational Mascara which more than doubles my lashes in lenght. That way, my eyes look more open, which in return makes me look a lot more awake as I am - that, and coffee.

What are your go-to products for when you're running late?

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Life Lately - Where Have I Been?

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I've tried to sort out my thoughts over and over before sitting down to write this post, debating whether or not to just whack out a normal kind of post or actually adress the elephant in the room.

It's about time I call myself out on this - I've been really absent from my blog lately. It's been on my mind constantly, but I was - and still am - so overrun with what life has been throwing at me lately that I pushed it back to the far corner of my brain, where it stayed, reminding me that I'm really neglecting my blog.

And I didn't disappear all too voluntarily - I tried to sit down to write every now and then, if I was to actually find the time to, but to be honest, I either just sat there, starring at my screen and hoping that the words would somehow magically start coming out of my fingertips (they never did) or literally just falling asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

So, what has been keeping me on my toes over the past few weeks?

Well, for one, you might know that I started school again back in mid September, which started off rather slowly and then, all of a sudden, hit me damn hard. Hard as in, I spend around eight to ten hours at school each day and then come home to another two to four of homework and preparation, which means that I hardly even see the sun anymore, nor do I get remotely enough sleep - which has lead me to apparently pay Starbucks one too many visits as the baristas are starting to recognize me. 

Besides that, I also started to work more - two seperate jobs, might I add - in order to A, pay for my growing coffee addiction, and more seriously, to earn the pile of money that I'll need in order to visit my friends all the way in America next summer. 

And, on top of that, I was lucky unfortunate enough to make my year's swimming course, which means that I hardly ever shower at home anymore because I spend a lot of evenings and/or weekends at the swimming pool in order to practise - because let me tell you, the requirements to score high are absolutely insane. I kid you not, I had to swim 25 meters yesterday - underwater. Holding my breath the entire time. And it was a god damn near death experience - but that's a story for another post.

So now that I've been crying you guys a river about how damn stressful my life is, I probably seem like the whiniest person alive. No lie, I probably am - I kind of love complaining, and it did feel really great to just vent and get all of this off my chest because it has been getting heavier with each day and started to feel like it was suffocating me.

I know that I'm not the only one this is happening to, but that voice inside my head often tells me to man the hell up because there's a lot of people who have more on their plate an appear to be dealing just fine - which, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, leaves me feeling pretty guilty.

I mean, I've basically been neglecting my child.

I have, however, picked up on my notes again and am currently working on a few new ideas I want to share on this blog, and as soon as Sunday rolls around, I should be back on my original schedule, which is Wednesday - Friday - Sunday, again.

Thank you so much if you sticked with me through not only this rant-y post, but also the past few weeks. I'll try to make up for all the lost time in the near future - even more so than you might think right now.

Keep your eyes peeled!

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Comparison - And Why It's Unnecessary | Lifestyle

I feel like it's been quite some time since I've brought an issue that has been spooking around my head to this blog, but since it's the end of one hell of a week where I was busy with what felt like a hundred things, none of which involved blogging and I'm currently trying to have a good old pamper session to cool down, I felt like it was important to voice my thoughts on this one.

I don't consider myself to be a very jealous person. Not at all, really. Yet, for some reason, I always find myself comparing myself to other people.

I'm not quite sure where that comes from, but I suppose living in a society where you're always forced to compete with those around you in one way or another, be it in a professional environment, with your siblings or even when it comes to a hobby like blogging, leads to that sort of thing - you see others as competition, so naturally, you start to ask yourself why you can't outshine them or, at the very least, be equal to them.

And while comparing yourself to others in itself is a natural process that could probably help you bettering yourself when used rationally, it can very well have a heap of negative consequences.

It poisons relationships, but even more importantly, it poisons you as a person.
You start becoming bitter, constantly comparing yourself effects your mood, your thoughts. After a while, you might even feel like the fact that everyone is out there is doing so much better than you are is starting to feel somewhat depressing.
That's kind of scary, right?

And nowadays, it's so easy to stay updated on how everyone's life is going, what they're wearing, what they have for dinner, where they're going for vacation. Especially Instagram is overrun with pictures of pretty people and their pretty lifes, and it's fairly easy to get sucked right into that make-believe world when you're sat on your bed in your pjamas, scrolling through your feed while eating ice cream.

Notice how I said make-believe world? Because that's exactly what it is.
Think about it. Would you ever share the things in your life that are nagging at you, giving you headaches or making you cry under the shower? Yeah, probably not.
And that's what everyone out there does. They share the glamorous things, the extravagant events. The nights out with friends, the vacations to white beaches with sky-blue water.
But they would never let you know that a few hours after that group photo with their friends was taken, they were throwing up in front of some pub after drinking too much, all while trying to get over a really hard break up. Or that they took on a loan to afford the vacation to that beautiful island and have no idea how to ever pay it off.


To round off that rant that kind of just erupted out of me - nice little image for you there, you're welcome -  people only show you what they want you to see, each and every one of us is creating some sort of illusion for those around them.
But no one's life is a roller coaster that only goes up. It's all ups and downs and ups again. Only that the downs are slightly less glorious than we'd like them to be, and because we feel like we're the only ones failing, we hide them.

You just need to be aware that everyone has things they hide, and things they like to show off to distract from those.
So the next time you're oooh-ing and aaah-ing at those pretty people in the pretty pictures, think about what uglies they like to keep from the world. Do you still want to be them?

Didn't think so.

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