The Lipgloss For Me - Essence's Velvet Matte | Beauty

I have never really liked lipglosses because let's be real, they are pretty impractical, especially for people like me who have long hair - it will always end up getting stuck in the lipgloss. Not only when it's windy - that's a nightmare in itself - but also when you're just casually letting your hair fall into your face. Nice.
On top of that, I also can't deal with my lips being all sticky. It's just weird. I don't like it. Leave me alone.

I've stayed away from any sort of lipgloss for as long as I can remember for all of the reasons I just mentioned, but I realized that when Essence had come out with a new range of 'Velvet Matte' shades as an addition to their 'XXL longlasting lipgloss' line, I was intruiged. For one, I have been a faithful lover of Essence, an affordable German drugstore brand, ever since I started experimenting with makeup, and secondly, I just have a thing for matte lippies. They always end up coming home with me - and as this one was only 2€, I really couldn't resist trying out a matte lipgloss for the first time ever - I went for the shade, 06 which is called "soft nude" - as you can see in the swatch below, it's a medium brown shade with pink undertones.

The first thing I noticed about this product was its scent - it smells deliciously sweet, a little like vanilla. However, the scent is not sicklish or overpowering.

Application wise, this is fairly easy to work with, the product doesn't come out clumpy or smudge while applied with the wand, although it would be great if the wand picked up a little more product because it often comes out a little sparse.

After applied to the lips, the product dries very quickly (very much to my satisfaction due to my hate for anything sticky), leaving a velvety looking finish. It looks like your usual matte lipstick! I'm so amazed that I actually does what it claims to do.

Wear wise, this is amazing! Hardly any of my lippies sit this comfortably on my lips. It doesn't make my lips sting or leave them feeling tight, either.

It lasts for around two or three hours without budging, however it does not last through heavy/long meals, but compared to the longevity of an average lipgloss, that's still really good.

Altogether, I think it's safe to say that this lipgloss is outstanding! As I mentioned, there are a few tiny things that I don't exactly love about it, but the overall quality you get for such a low price is amazing! And they're a great alternative for people like me who aren't too fond of the average lipgloss but still don't want to give up on them altogether.

Have you ever tried a matte lipgloss?

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The Pressure To Have Your Life Figured Out | Lifestyle

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I'm going to be one hundred percent honest with you guys on this matter - this semester has been kicking my butt to the moon and back, and I don't even mean that I've been getting bad grades or anything like that, I'm actually doing pretty swell on paper, at least compared to my mental state.

My issue is the fact that as soon as I stumbled - or rather, fell and full on face-planted - into Junior year, almost every single person in my life has been putting pressure on me. They all want me to know what the hell I'm going to do with my life in a little over one year's time.

Whether it's teachers, or family members, friends or even neighbors, they all keep asking me what I want to do after I've finished high school.
My answer is always "I don't really know yet.", but you can actually scratch that really because that makes me sound too optimistic. I have no freaking clue. I'm lost, drowning.

Obviously, quite a few people in my year have already figured out what they want to do and who they want to become - they want to go to University and study medicine, law or history, they want to go to Australia for a year, they want to start working in some job. But me?
My teachers find it shocking that I'm still not set on my plans for the next few years because we've had so many events at our school where we could gather information about all the endless possiblities, we all researched and presented a certain job in class, we even worked as interns before - but really, those things have only opened my eyes to all the raods I don't want to take.

I think it's easier to find the right path for yourself if you're really good at certain things. If you're great a sciences, there's a whole field waiting for you. If you're great at IT, there's opporunities for you. If you're doing good in economics class, you might've found your calling in life.
But I'm not really good at any of those - I love languages, and I love writing. (And I love acting and singing, but I think all my neighbor's can agree that we can scratch at least the latter.) Now, technically I could become a journalist, or an interpreter - but for one, those don't pay all that well over here, and secondly, getting a degree to work in that field is something else that makes me feel nauseous.

I don't even know if I want to go to University, to be honest. Obviously, all my friends are urging me to go because of my great grades, but I honestly don't know if I can survive another three or four years of constant studying, stress and sleep deprivement, especially as most of my friend's will either go someplace else or not go altogether, and I'm both socially awkward and struggling with social anxiety, so there's always that voice nagging at the back of my head that I will completely lose my marbles if I end up all alone.

And while all of the above paragraphs made me sound like the biggest negative Nancy in the entire blogging community, I've started to look at the entire issue differently.

Yes, I've had my fair share of meltdowns and cries in public places and deep late night conversations about this topic, but all of those made me realize that I'm not the only one who's experiencing this. For everyone I know who seems to have their life figured out, there's two people who don't. And that's completely alright.

We're still so young - hell, I'll only turn seventeen next Thursday, so why are we trying to rush everything? If we're not ready yet and still need time to figure out who we are and where we want to go, there's still enough time to do that. There's no need to dive into something head first if it'll only end up making you feel miserable - like studying law made my cousin - so take your time. It might seem like all of the "should-be's" and "could be's" are causing one big mess in your brain right now, but in the end, you will find something that is just right for you. I'm sure of it.

Meanwhile, I will continue brooding over my own crisis over some ice cream and pizza - because no situation is so bad that those two things can't manage to make me feel better.

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How To Get A Good Night's Sleep | Lifestyle

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I love sleep just as much as your average teenager or young adult does, but I've somehow always struggled with getting a good night's rest. I either try to - and fail to - fall asleep for hours, or I keep waking up several times a night, or I wake up at 3am and can't fall back asleep.

My sleeping issues started to increase my stress levels even more during my finals, which I took in December and January, which meant that I turned into an actual insomniac. The dark circles under my eyes testify that - they haven't completely disappeared yet.
Obviously, I had to do something about the fact that I didn't sleep a wink, so I tried quite a few things that were supposed to help me fall asleep - and as I can't be the only one who's struggling with getting a good night's sleep, I'm going to share the four things that helped me out the most with you guys!

1. No screens before bed:

This is what most people told me when I asked them for advice, and even though I've always believed this to be a hoax, it definitely works.
I've always been that person that turns off their laptop and TV, just to creep into bed and whip out their phone. No lie, occasionally I even fell asleep with my phone in my hand - am I the only one who does this?

However, turning off any kind of screen, be it my computer, TV or phone, around 30 minutes before going to sleep has definitely helped me with falling asleep. I used that time to sit down in bed and read a little - I'd forgotten how soothing that can be! Putting down the electronica definitely helped me calm down before bed, which is the first step to getting some quality sleep.

2. Having a hot bath:

I don't know if that's just me, but whenever I'm having a hot bath I start to feel insanely tired and somewhat dizzy around twenty minutes in. However, that means having a nice, hot bath just before heading to bed can work wonders when it comes to sleep!
I've found that whenever I use bath bombs or bubble bars, flowery and fresh scents like rose and lavender work their magic a lot better than heavy, sweet scents.

3. Exercising:

I admit it, I'm not exactly what you'd call fit - actually, I'm pretty lazy - so this point is not something that I would have ever included in my evening routine, but when I did manage to remove my butt from the sofa and actually exercised, it did affect the way I slept more than I had ever imagined.
I'm not even talking about heavy exercise, but rather yoga, which does not leave absolutely breathless but definitely helps me focus and still leaves me tired so I can have a quick shower and then creep into bed!

4. Don't eat late:

I never thought that eating at later hours would affect the quality of my sleep, but apparently it does!
For one, eating after 6pm to 7pm means that you're most likely to gain more weight than you would if you were eating at an earlier time - this counts for both dinner and snacks - but it also means that as your stomach will be busy dealing with your late night snack, your body will be able to relax a lot less, which in turn means that you'll probably either have trouble falling asleep or at least not sleep very well at all.

5. Pillow Spray:

This was actually a tip my Mom gave me - she's dealt with some heavy sleeping problems as well and whenever she just couldn't seem to be able to fall asleep, she used the AVON Planet Spa 'Sleep Serenity Pillow Spray', which smells of lavender and chamomile - not at all persistent, it rather lingers on the pillow and makes you feel insanely sleepy within less than two minutes - absolutely amazing, especially if you can't find anything else that seems to work for you.
Another blogger's favorite when it comes to pillow sprays is the this works 'Deep Sleep Pillow Spray', which is supposed to work wonders.

Is there anything that helps you when you're struggling to fall asleep?

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The Most Hyped Lipstick Ever - MAC's Velvet Teddy | Beauty

If you're into your beauty products, you're probably no stranger to the lipstick in question. Ever since rumors started that MAC's 'Velvet Teddy' was the lipstick Kylie Jenner used, people rushed to the stores to try it out themselves, because really, we've all dreamt of having those full, perfect lips of Kylie's before, let's not lie to ourselves.

When more and more bloggers started to rave about how great this shades is, however, the hype around it was taken to a whole other level - it sold out literally all around the world, which means that I have been chasing this lipstick ever since Spring 2015. I kept going back to my local MAC counter to check whether it was back in stock, and the lady working there had to tell me that it sold out only a day after they got it every single time- it was craziness.

At the end of the year, when I had offically given up on this godforsaken lipstick, I opened a box on Christmas Day just to find it in there. I have no idea what my Mom had to do to get it, but she's an actual angel.

So, no that I finally got to try out what must be one of the most hyped lipsticks in the blogging community, do I still find it as great as everyone made me believe it to be?

First of I have to say that I'm in love with the shade itself. Because of my really pale skin, it's pretty hard for me to find a nude that compliments my skin tone, but 'Velvet Teddy' works perfectly for me. Besides that, my mother, who has medium dark skin also owns this shade, and it suits her a lot as well, so this one's a nude that's worth checking out for several kinds of skintones!
It's a beige shade with slight rosy undertones, so it's a very laid-back shade and great for every-day wear.
The color-payoff of this lipstick is also really, really great, because you don't need to apply a lot of this at all for the shade to transfer onto your lips.

'Velvet Teddy' has a matte finish, which has it's pros and cons.
As for the pros, the matte finish obiously makes the lipstick sit in place nicely for several hours on end, not smudging or sliding around at all, even when you drink and eat.
Sadly it also dries out the lips a lot and defines all the dry patches you may or may not have got, and during cold days, I've found my lips feeling like they're going to burst into pieces after wearing this for an entire day - so if your lips are usually dry, you should definitely moisturize and exfoliate them before using this lipstick, or it won't look good - or feel good, for that matter - at all.

Wear wise, I mentioned a lot of apects already. Ahead of my time, whoops.
I've worn this lipstick out for a few really long days, and it usually sat in place for at least three to four hours, which in my eyes, is amazing. It also doesn't budge when you're eating or drinking, which is great for clusmy eaters like me who sometimes end up smudging their lipsticks all around their mouth. Oh the shame.

All in all, I really love this lipstick. The shade is so versatile and goes with a lot of the make up looks I create, so I have gotten an insane amount of wear out of this already - I've worn it for almost the entire month!
Obviously, it's a pretty pricey option at 20€, especially as there are some really great drugstore dupes out there for like Essence's "In The Nude" lipliner or Maybelline's "Color Drama Lip Pencil" in Nude Perfection which are almost identical in shade for just a fraction of the price.
However, if you, like me, appreciate the quality you get with MAC's lipsticks and prefer them over drugstore ones, this one is definitely a nude you should try!

Have you ever tried a product that had a lot of hype around it?

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Urban Decay's Naked 2 Basics | Beauty

It really is no secret that I'm a fan of Urban Decay's eyeshadow palettes - ever since my friends got me the three Naked palettes for my birthday last year, I've been basically praising their quality non-stop. I apparently talked about them so much that my Mom picked up on my on my love for them and got me the Naked 2 Basics eyeshadow palette for Christmas, which made me insanely happy because I had been eyeing it up for ages!

Now, I gave myself some time to truly get to work with this before giving you guys my two cents about it and as I finally had the time to sit down and think, here you go!

I'm not going to lie, I had pretty high expectations when using this for the first time because I absolutely loved all of Urban Deacy's products I have tried so far, and thank god I wasn't let down.

First of, I really love the size of this palette - because it's so tiny (it does appear to be a lot more bigger in the photos) and still includes a mirror,  it's ideal for when you're on the go.
Besides that, its shade selection is superb, all of the shades are neutral, which I love because they're very easy to work with when you're going for a more natural make up look. However, the shades don't really work well with one another in my opinion, so don't expect to create any extravagant looks with this.

Now, as you can see from the swatches, the color pay-off of these is really great, except for the "Skimp", which is the first shade - a really pale yellow that sadly hardly shows up on my equally pale skin.

Applying the shadows is an absolute dream, they apply super smoothly and are very easy to blend, so if you don't like all the fuzz that comes with creating a banging eye look or don't have a lot of time on your hands, these are ideal for you!

Wear wise, these have definitely proven themselves to be equally as great as the original Naked palettes. I hardly experienced any fallout with these, and if I did, it was after six hours or more weartime, which means that if anything, they are definitely long lasting.

My favorites out of the shades included would definitely have to be "Stark", which does look a little orange in the swatch above, but is actually a soft pink shade, and "Frisk", which is a light grey shade.
Something that I definitely need to work on is stepping outside of my comfort zone when it comes to darker shades because "Cover" and "Primal" are really pretty shades that do somewhat bring out my blue eyes, but they're just so damn intimidating. Does anyone else feel that way about darker make up or is that just me being weird? Who knows.


Overall, this palette is for you if you are looking for some really great quality when it comes eyeshadows, or if you're really into your neutral shades - and if you're not afraid to pay for that.
 Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely in love with this and I've been using it a lot ever since I got it for Christmas., but as of right now, this gem is 30€, which is quite a bit of money, especially if you, like me, are still trying to make your peace with darker shades.


Have you ever tried any of Urban Decay's eyeshadow palettes?

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Let's Talk New Year's Resolutions | Lifestyle

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New Year's resolutions and I have some kind of love-hate relationship. When I was younger, I always had loads of resolutions and I was so determinded to go through with all of them, but fast forward to March and I had almost forgotten about them entirely.

I still really like the idea of them. I like the idea of sitting down and reminiscing about the past year on New Year's Eve and thinking how you could become a better version of yourself. But really, has anyone ever gone through with one of their resolutions? All of my friends have come to the conclusion that no one we know has.

So when I was celebrating the new year before, at and after midnight, maybe a little tipsy on all the champagne, I started to think about resolutions, of all things. This year is the first one I didn't make any for in the first place, because not sticking to them would just make me feel guilty, and that's really not the point.

So I instead of wording my goals for this year, I thought of some mantras that should help me get through it, and I wanted to share them with you - maybe you, like me, are not a big fan of resolutions that are set in stone, or you're just curious to see what everyone wants to do with their lives this year - either way, here you!

1. This year, I want to banish as much negativity from my life as possible.
Now, I know that that is pretty hard when you're putting yourself out there on the internet for everyone to see, but when I am in control of what's happening, and I like to believe myself to be most of the time, I want to cut the crap, whether its people around me who make feel bad, or things that make me unhappy, I want to be strong enough walk away from it.

2. I want to do more for my health.
I don't mean that as in "I will join the gym and work out five times a week!" because that would be great, but it just isn't realistic for someone who's as lazy as me. I mean it in I want to look after my body more and react to the signals it gives me - don't drink as much, walk rather than taking the bus, go to bed sooner.

3. I'd love to get back into writing.
Starting this blog reignited my passion for writing, not just as in writing blog posts, but fiction, too. I used to fantasize about publishing my own book one day and god, I wrote for hours on end.
Sadly, during the past few months of 2015 my life has been so hectic that I didn't really have the time to do anything than work, eat, sleep, repeat, so that dream did kind of dry up. But in my eyes, a new year means tons of new chances, and I want to seize this one and get back on track.

4. Most of all, I really want to up my blogging game.

As I mentioned, I've been slacking real hard lately and in 2016, I want to make up for that. On top of improving my writing skills, I want to drastically improve my photography - ever since I got the iPhone 6s I have been basically practicing non-stop because the quality of the camera is outstanding.
By doing so, I want to improve the content I provide you guys with to show you how much your support means to me. My blog is to turn one soon, and it baffles me that people still enjoy reading about my opions and experiences - but that soppiness is for another post!

Do you have any resolutions for the new year? I'd love to hear about them!

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