March Favorites | Beauty

I've been saying it for the past two months and I'll say it again - I can't believe just how quickly this year has been flying by! It feels like yesterday when I got onto a bus for a trip to Weimar on the 2nd of March, but that's actually almost a month ago. I feel a little weird realising that.

Anyways, time to stop being soppy. To me, March marks the beginning of spring, but somehow Germany had different plans - it only started getting warmer and sunny at last during the past week.
Now would be the point where I'd explain that during spring, I like to wear a lot more pinks, which is still true, but if you've been following be for the past two months you might know that I've been struggling with quite the severe skin condition - I'll get into that later - and that also shows in my favorites. So let's get into them!


Mario Badescu Drying Lotion (25€)

Onto that nice little skin condition of mine - I'm still clueless as to what caused it as I've been waiting to get a doctor's appointment for weeks, but I'm sure it's hormones. I've had huge, rash-like breakouts around my mouth for almost two months now. Nice image there for you - sorry.  I mentioned in my review of Lush's 'Don't Look At Me' mask how they'd gotten better, but they came back twice as bad.

I was quite sceptical about using acne products, mostly because I've had more than enough negative experiences with them to last me a life time. When I heard about this one, though, I just had to try it because I've never seen so many rave reviews!

Thank God I did, because it has improved my skin's state so much that, for the first time in two months, I feel alright not wearing make up.
You apply this to your pimples and red areas and leave it on over night, and when you get up in the morning, they will have shrunken in size immensly, smaller ones often are gone completely!

I thought long and hard about purchasing this because it is pretty pricey, but the results it helped me achieve, especially as my skin doesn't seem to get worse, are absolutely worth that money!


KIKO Infinity Eyeshadow in '220 Metallic Golden Rose' (6,90€)

I make no secret of the fact that I love KIKO's Infinity Eyeshadow range - it includes such a huge variety of gorgeous shades of great quality for a relatively small price.

I picked up '220 Metallic Golden Rose' when I was out shopping with my friends sometime in winter, and because I missed the warmer seasons so much, I thought it'd be a great idea to buy a nice pink-ish shade for when spring comes. Done deal. Only that I threw it into a drawer and forgot about it. Classic.
I rediscovered it when I was looking for an eyeshadow I could wear for around Easter, and when I do get to do my make up, I don't wear any eyeshadow but this one, I love it that much.

'220 Metallic Golden Rose' is, as the name suggests, a rosey shade with tiny specks of golden glitter running through it, making it shimmer.
I've found that while it isn't as pigmented as some of the other shades I've tried, it still lasts almost all day long, even when you don't use any eyeshadow primer, which is super practical if you, like me, are constantly busy running about town.


Neutrogena Unperfumed Hand Cream (4,99€)

Back to the topic of "what the hell is my skin playing at", besides the pretty outbreaks, I also struggled with insanely dry and irritated hands this month. You could say it was a handful. (Admit it, you at least smiled at that.)

I tried several hand creams I had lying around in my drawers, but all of them left my hands looking, and especially feeling, worse. At one point, the skin was completely torn open and bleeding.
I was frantic, so when I stumbled upon this hand cream by Neutrogena while in my local drugstore, I decided to give it a go, because how much worse could my skin get?

I think it worked as well as it did because it is unperfumed, so there really wasn't anything in there that could irritate my skin.
After just a few uses, my skin was a lot less dry and my little wounds had closed up. After around three days, my skin had almost healed completely and didn't show any signs of dryness!
Much like the Mario Badescu drying lotion, it is pretty high in price, but it works so well that if I was struggling with dry hands again, I'd happily bite that bullet.


Zoeva 322 Brow Line Brush (9,99€)

I already mentioned how much I adored Zoeva's brushes in my last favorites (if you're interested in those, you can find them here), but for some reason I completely brainfarted and forgot to include my favorite brush of all time.

I've seen a lot, and I mean a lot, of bloggers rave about the '322 Brow Line' brush, and I can definitely see why. Before I received this for my birthday, I always used an eyeshadow brush to fill in my brows, and it looked about as horrible as it sounds.
This, hoewever, easily helps your create the most precise brows ever!

What I also love about Zoeva as a company is that all of their products are vegan-friendly, so if you're looking to pick up some great quality, animal-friendly brushes, you're in for a treat with Zoeva!


KIKO 'Romance & Desire' Eau De Toilette Roll-On

Because of just how bad my skin was, I wanted to avoid anything that could possibly irritate it, which meant I not only stopped using make up, but also perfume almost entirely.

When I did feel like I needed a little something, however, I stayed away from 'normal', spray-on perfume and went back to my KIKO roll-on, which I received in their 'Romance & Desire' scented for Christmas.
You guys know I suck at describing scents, but to me this smells very feminine - very sweet and sensual, with notes of caramel, vanilla and sandalwood.

I was suprised by how longlasting this is! Even though it technically isn't a high-end perfume, it lasts for several hours, longer than some insanely expensive perfumes I've tried, so this definitely is a hidden treasure!


What products - or others things as well - have you been loving in March?

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Milka Easter Cupcakes | Lifestyle

Happy Easter you guys!

I love myself some baking, I always have, so I usually like to whack out something special once holiday seasons roll around. When I was brainstorming for what I could try out for my family's annual Easter bash, I stumbled upon Lauren's recipe for cupcakes - Lauren, for those of you that don't know, is an insanely gifted baker whose creations make me swoon regularly.

Because I loved the look of her cupcakes so much, I based mine on them - I tinkled around a little and added some personal touches here and there, and boom, the Milka Easter Cupcakes were born!

The response to the picture I posted of them on Twitter was so huge that I decided to share the recipe even though it's technically Easter Sunday already - hey, maybe you could use up your leftover Easter eggs to make these?

To make these, you will need:

Cupcakes:
- 2 large eggs

-115g flour
- 115g caster sugar
-115g non-salted butter
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 baking powder
- 2 Milka Mini Eggs (I used the 'Confetti' ones)

Buttercream:

- 115g Butter

-175g icing sugar, sifted

- 50g melted Milka chocolate

Decoration:
- 10 Milka Mini Eggs (I used the 'Confetti ' ones)

Method:

Cupcakes

1) To make your cupcakes, place all of the ingredients but the chocolate eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk for around two minutes so you'll have a well combined, smooth mixture.
2) Now, chop the two chocolate eggs into small pieces and add them to your cupcake mixture. Then whisk for another minute.
3) Place an even amount of your mixture into 10 cupcake cases.
4) Bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven 190 c/170 c fan for twenty minutes - once that time is over, use a coctail stick to check whether your cakes are done - stick it into a cupcake, if some dough sticks to the stick when you pull it out, then your cakes aren't done yet!

Buttercream

1) Whisk 115g of butter until it's very fluffy - the amount of time depends on how fast your whisk can go, really - then add 175g of icing sugar into the same bowl.
2) Following that, add your melted chocolate into the bowl and whisk for another two to three minutes.
3) Once your cupcakes have cooled down, you can pipe the buttercream onto them using a piping bag.

4) To finish the look of your cupcakes off, now slice your remaining chocolate eggs into two halves - you might want to heat your knife up using hot water before doing this so the eggs won't curmble in the process - and add two each to the top of your cakes.

And that's it! These are actually very easy to make, and for the most part very fuss-free - and they're super delicious as well, especially if you love chocolate as much as I do!

Do you like baking? If so, did you bake anything special for the holidays?

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Home Décor Wishlist | Lifestyle

Ever since I moved into my own flat last spring, I've been really into interior design. And by really into I mean that I collect magazines and browse IKEA's website for hours on a daily basis. I sound like a teenage version of my Mom, oh my life.

And because I love comming up with new ideas and concepts on how to decorate my small space, I was very excited when I was contacted by UncommonGoods to check out their products.

UncommonGoods, for all of you that don't know, is a New York based retailer that features unique jewelery, designer décor, tabletop items and handcrafted gifts - most importantly, all of which were created without any harm done to either animals or people.

Ever since the company's launch all the way back in 1999, they've been following their mission of providing a platform for artists and designer - half the products they sell are handmade.

I was amazed by the concept behind this company - they offer gorgeous, cruelty-free decór items, most of which are handmade and include recycled materials.

The best thing about their products, however, is that there is a story behind each and every one of them, which you can read up on while browsing their website!

While doing exactly that, I stumbled upon so many amazing décor pieces that I felt like I couldn't not share them with you guys - if you, like me, are looking for some inspiration on little pieces that'll add a lot of personality to your flat, you're in for a treat!

1. Boquet Wall Print (140,95€)

I feel like, out of all the different categories of products UncommonGoods offer, their prints definitely stand out the most - if you're interested in seeing more of them, you can check them out here.

I fell in love with this one right in the moment I saw it - I've been looking for a world map to cover a huge bare wall in my bedroom for some time now, and this one featuring flowers as countries is absolutely dreamy.

2. Giraffe Family Bookends (61,49€)

For someone who owns as many books as I do, bookends are such a sweet, creative way to display them - how come I don't own more than one?

I was actually overwhelmed by the variety of bookends I was greeted by when browsing - you can check them out here - but this one that includes a mother giraffe and its baby was just too cute to pass up. It actually made me squeal out loud.

I need it. Desperately.

3. Vintage Camera Pillows (52,03€)

Now, my inner blogger definitely urged me to put these three pillows into the shopping basket right away, chanting "buy them, buy them", but I stayed strong. Mostly because my bank balance wouldn't be able to take any more damage this month.

Now, joking aside, this trio of pillows is absolutely adorable, and for sure an eyecatcher! They'd sit super nicely on my sofa, adding a bit of my personality to my living room.

4. F-Bomb Paperweight (42,57€)

This actually made me laugh out loud when I first saw it - have you ever seen a décor item that is any more me?  In case you don't know, I have a bad habit of swearing a little too much in my free time - I somehow manage to control my toungue while at school and work, but once I come home, it sort of does its own thing. Whoops.

This would come in really handy for my desk because I constantly have several sheets of paper floating around there - and it definitely is a hilarious conversation starter!

5. Deep Sea Sand Art (80,40€)

This piece of art is nothing short of breathtaking.

It contains light and dark sand which shifts into all kinds of landscapes once you rotate the glass ring - that's one of the most innovative décor items I've ever seen!

It also appears to have a very calming, natural presence, according to people who have bought it, so this would be a really nice addition to an office space.

6. Cork Globes (75,68€/113,51€)

Picking back up on the travelling vibes I started off with when I added the world map to this list - how adorable are these cork globes? There's a mini and a large size to these, so you could make use of these in smaller spaces as well!

They don't just look cute, though, but you can also actually track your travels in three-dimensional style with color-coded pushpins, so this could come in really handy as I'm travelling more than ever this year!

7. There Are Always Flowers Print (35,95€)

If you follow me on any of my social media, you will know that I'm a very positive and optimistic person, so this lovely print here is right up my street.

I love the way this saying is fittingly framed with pretty flowers, and I'm a big fan of its message - that one should always look for beauty, no matter one's surroundings.

8. Indulgent Food Pillows (61,49€)

Yet another item that very much fits my personality. These pillows are made by the same lovely lady as the camera ones I mentioned earlier, and they are equally adorable. There were actually quite a few other ones that I adored, but this list would have been absolutely endless - you can find all the other cute pillows they offer over here.

I'm now having the internal struggle of trying to work out which would go better with my living room's color scheme. I want them all. Dang.

9. Record Bowl (23,65€)

While it is specifically stated on the website that these should not be used to serve food, how great would this be to display little knick-knacks or to keep all of your jewelery in one place?

What I love about these bowls is that you can actually chose the record your bowl will be made out of, so this would also be a perfect option for a personalized gift!

Now that's quite the long wishlist I've managed to mount there, huh?

Obviously, I could never cover all of the amazing products I stumbled upon while browsing UncommonGoods' website, but if I got you interested in their décor items, you can go here to check them out.

Have you picked up any decorative items for your home lately? If so, make sure to share them with me!

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*This post contains sponsored links, however, all of the opinions I voiced are completely my own.

A Healthy Pancakes Recipe | Lifestyle

I've been trying to eat healthier during the past couple weeks, especially because I've been dealing with a lot of outbreaks and general redness of my skin.

But, me being, I obviously didn't want to give up on some of my favorite foods completely, so I've been experimenting while cooking a lot and I feel like I've come up with the perfect recipe for a healthier version of my favorite pancakes.

I asked on Twitter whether anyone was interested in me sharing that recipe on my blog, and because the response was so positive, here I am!

To serve four people, you will need these ingredients:

- 4 big eggs

- 400ml/13 fl. oz. of (lactose) free milk - lactose free is optional, but as milk makes me feel bloated I like using it

- 100ml/ 3 fl. oz water
- 400g/ 14 ounce of flour

- 100g/ 3,5 ounce of sugar

- one packet of vanilla sugar

- a few drops of sunflower oil

- an apple

- any fruit you'd like as a topping - I went for one banana

1) To start off, place milk, water, flour, sugar as well as vanilla sugar in a mixing bolw.

2) Then, seperate the eggs - put the egg whites into a sepearte, smaller mixing bowl, while the egg yolks go into the first one.

3) Following that, you will want to whisk the egg whites until stiff.

4) Now you can start to whisk the ingredients in your first mixing bowl for around two minutes so that they appear well combined.
 After that, you add in the stiff egg whites and whisk the whole thing for another minute.

5) To finish off your pancake mixture, you now skin an apple, chop it up into very small dices and mix it into your already prepared mixture.

6) At this point, you're finally ready to actually cook your pancakes!

To do so, turn your stove on medium heath and heat some drops of sunflower oil in a pan. Once the oil appears to be hot, add a small amount of your pancake mixture into the pan.

7) You'll want to check the bottom side of your pancake very frequently to make sure that it turns a nice shade of brown and doesn't burn - once that bottom side is well-done, flip your pancake to fry the upper side of it as well!

8) Once your pancakes are completely done, it's time to add your topping of choice - I went for slices of banana because that's all we had left. (Being an adult and remembering to go grocery shopping is hard.)

I bet these would taste delicious with various kinds of berries or other fruit as well!

Et violà - there you have some semi-healthy pancakes! I know that they're not completely fit for clean-eating or anything, as there's still some sugar in them - but they're definitely a healthier option to your typical nutella filled pancakes or crepes.
Even if you don't want to add any topping to your pancakes, you will still be able to taste the apple you added to your pancake mixture - it adds a nice

Have you developed or found a great recipe recently? If so, please share it with me, I'm always on the lookout for new things to try!

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Recent Reads #6 | Cinder

When I was a child, I was pretty much obsessed with fairy tales - I would always get my Mom to read some to me before bed, or forced my parents to watch pretty much every Disney movie with me.
Those fantastic worlds fascinated me, and they still do to this date, so when I heard that there was a book series that was basically a modern spin on the stories I loved in my childhood, I was more than excited.

What I'm referring to are the 'Lunar Chronicles', a series by Marissa Meyer.
I had never read a book of hers before picking up "Cinder", and boy am I annoyed at myself for not doing that earlier!

"Cinder" is set in the futuristic town of New Bejing, which was founded after World War IV. So much damage had been done during that war that the Earth was split into six big countries - the United Kingdom, the European Federation, the American Republic, the African Union, Australia and the Commonwealth, which New Bejing is part of.

The book follows the story of Cinder, an European teenage girl who was turned into a cyborg after barely surviving a horrible car crash that killed her parents at the age of eleven. Following her surgery, she was adopted by Linh Garan - who ended up dying soon afterwards, leaving Cinder with a stepmother who hates her. Sounds familiar? I told you, it's a futuristic Cinderella story.

But it's not just Cinder's stepmother who hates her - all over the Commonwealth, cyborgs are shunned and despised - so you can imagine that Cinder's job as a mechanic isn't exactly a walk in the park for her.
Well, up until one day, the Commonwealth's prince, Kai, shows up at her booth, practically begging her to fix an android of his that appears to hold some extremly important information.

And if Cinder's life couldn't get any more overwhelming, her younger stepsister Peony, the only human being that showed any sort of affection for Cinder, catches a lethal ilness called "letumosis" - one there isn't a cure for.
When Cinder's dreadful stepmother loses it and sends Cinder to a scientific organization looking for a cure for letumosis as a "volunteer", the scientists discover that there is something more special to Cinder than her just being a cyborg - she is immune to the disease that millions of people have fallen victim to.

What results from that is an even bigger downward spiral of chaos.
Cinder becomes so devoted to finding a cure to save her sister's life, and then there's Prince Kai who appears to be falling for the young mechanic - until the Queen of the moonfolk, the Lunars, comes to visit Earth to negotiate about peace between the two nations.
There appears to be only a small price the Earthern Union has to pay - she's asking for Kai's hand in marriage...

Looking back on that summary of the book, I can see how it might appear pretty confusing and all over the place at first - I did feel that way when I started reading the book, not gonna lie.
I feel like with fantasy books, I always need some time to make myself comfortable with the world, its rules and characters - but once you're fully settled in, you're in for a real treat with "Cinder".

There is so much the book has to offer.
For one, it has an amazing plot, one that keeps you hooked and has interesting and unforseen twists and turns that keep the book exciting. 

Besides that, I really love Marissa Meyer's writing style. It's easy to read without sounding like it was written for kids or teenagers entirely, and it contains a good portion of humor and sarcasm, which is basically me in a nutshell, so I thoroughly enjoyed that.

And then there's the characters, which to me either break or make a book. In this one, they're so complex and carefully structured, that sometimes you feel like you might actually see them in front of you or hear them talking. Especially Cinder and Kai often felt so damn real to me that I couldn't help but not only relate to them, but actually feel for them - I got so attached to this book's characters that I sometimes squealed or swore out loud while reading, no joke.

All in all, I can definitely recommend this book to everyone, even if you're not too into fantasy books or the like, because Cinder is so much more than that.
It's a gripping story told from the view of two rare, relatable main characters - and the best things is that this is only the beginning! There are three more books for me to explore - in fact, I have "Scarlet", the second installment in the series, already sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting for me.
Yes, I'm that excited about this series. That's when you know it's great.

If you want to check it out for yourself, "Cinder" is available on Amazon for 9,05€.

Have you read a really good book recently?

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What's In My Bag? | Lifestyle

I would definitely be lost without my handbag, mainly because I'm one of those girls that keeps literally everything in there. I mean, my friends and family always come to me when we're on the go and they need something - need some tissues? Sure. Want a sip of water? I've got you covered. Having hair troubles? Here's a Tangle Teezer.
It's gotten to the point that my parents started joking about me pulling some sort of small animal out of there sooner or later.

So, judging by the fact that I often seem to lug around half of my belongings with me and also to celebrate the fact that I found this super cute new bag in a small botique called 'Der Italiener' in one of my town's shopping centers, I thought I'd give you some insight into what really is in my bag on a daily basis!

First off, I always make sure to have my Ray Ban glasses with me because I'd be pretty much lost without them - my eyesight isn't too bad, but the further away something is, the blurrier it appears to me, which kind of sucks if you're trying to order at a restaurant or keep up in class.

Another essential in my bag is my portable charger - my phone is in my hand pretty much 24/7, so it's bound to run out of battery throughout the day. I got this one by EasyAcc off Amazon in late 2014 and been faithful to it ever since as it's absolutely amazing - I can completely charge my phone with this at least twice!

While I'm really big on beauty - in case you haven't noticed yet - and like to sit down and take the time to work and experience with my make up when getting ready at home, I just really can't be bothered to carry all of the make up I use around with me - mainly because I'd need another bag, not gonna lie.
Due to that, I'll often just chuck the lip product I'm wearing that day into my bag - I've been switching between MAC's 'Velvet Teddy' or Essence's Velvet Matte Lipgloss in '06'  lately. On top of that we have the Blistex Lip Relief Cream, my holy grail lip balm.

On days when my skin isn't looking its finest, I also like to take some sort of base product with me if it needs any touching up. I recently picked up the NYX HD Concealer in 'Fair' so I've been keeping that close to me to get as much out of it as possible - together with a cute little pocket mirror so I can touch up my make up on the go whenever I feel like it.

To be prepared for any form of emergency, I also take my Tangle Teezer, the Victoria Secret Body Spray in 'Love Spell', a nail file and my cute plasters which are covered in heart-print - girls gotta be all geared up for any last minute appointments or injuries, right? Not that my life is all that exciting.

I also like to have a tiny notebook and a pen with me in case I ever feel inspired and need to scribble down some ideas because I'm soo forgetful - if I don't put it to paper, it will most likely dissolve into thin air!

Last but not least, we have all the not so exciting and glamorous stuff: my purse, which is not actually a real Prada one - I definitely don't have the kind of money to be able to afford one, haha - as well as my headphones, which are often the only thing that keeps me sane on my bus to and from school, and some Airwaves chewing gum, which is my absolute favorite. I always have to keep a tub of those around somewhere because I'm super afraid of having bad breath. Too much information?
Probably.

Do you have any essentials that you have to keep in your handbag at all time?

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My Bucket List | Lifestyle

I think everybody has a few things in mind that they want to do or see in their life, but only a few actually write them down and create a bucket list.
I myself actually never felt the need to write the things I dream of down, mainly because in my eyes, seeing them all laid out and then not being able to achieve them would probably depress me - up until my R.E. teacher asked us to write down all the things we'd like to do before we die.

Ever since then I've kept a small list to myself, but as I read a fair few fellow bloggers' posts on their bucket lists, I thought it'd be a nice idea to share mine as well - because there must be other people out there as nosey as me who like to get to know these kinds of things about others!


If something is bold, I've already managed to cross it off the list - I'll try and keep this post updated on my progress as well!

1. Visit the seaside. (Nope, I've actually never been! Update: I went to Tenerife!)
2. Swim with dolphins.
3. Go skydiving.
4. Visit Rome.
5. Watch the Olympic Games live.
6. Get married.
7. Own a designer handbag. (Hey, a girl can dream, right?)
8. Ride an air balloon.
9. Visit the United States.
10. Attend a Fashion Week.
11. Celebrate Christmas in New York. (It just looks so damn dreamy, oh my)
12. Explore every single continent.
13. Write my own book.
14. Go on a road trip all throughout Europe.
15. Visit Disneyworld in Florida.
16. Invite my Mom on a girly get-away for a week to completely spoil her.
17. Own enough books to fill up a shelf that takes up an entire wall.
18. Go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef.
19. Get a tattoo and/or piercing. (Shhh, don't tell my Mom)
20. Score a role in a movie or on a TV show, no matter how minor it is.


Do you have a bucket list? If you do, what's one of the items on it?

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All Used Up | Empties #4

I don't know about you, but I always feel a little too proud of myself whenever I manage to finish a product up. I've acquired such a pile of all kinds of beauty products over time that using one of them up completely actually feels like somewhat of accomplishment.

I've realized that I haven't posted about my empties ever since all the way back in September, so now that I had a fair few of them collecting dust in my drawer, I decided it was finally time to talk about them on here!

Marc Jacobs 'Daisy Dream' EdT (89€)

I've lusted after this parfume for such a long time before my Mom got for me last May, and I managed to wear it almost every day until late January.
This is easily my favorite perfume ever and it has become my signature scent - I've had several people tell me that they think of me whenever they smell it. It's a very unique scent as it's both fruity and floral at the same time - some of the main notes include blackberry, wysteria, pear and jasmine.
What I really liked about it that it isn't heavy overpowering, but being a lighter scent this sadly didn't stick around for as long as I would've liked it to - after two to three hours, most of it will have disappeared.

Would I repurchase?

I've received three different perfumes for Christmas, so I feel like splurging out on this one would be a waste of money at the moment because it isn't exactly the most affordable one out there.
However, I did love this perfume more than any other I've ever owned, so once I've used up all the ones lingering around on my dressing table, I will definitely repurchase it.

Rimmel 'Stay Matte' Powder  in 'Translucent' (5,30€)

Hitting pan in a pressed powder is always an achievement in itself, but I basically licked this powder clean, that's how much I liked it - I even wrote an entire review on it, which you can find here.
Having a rather oily T-Zone, this helped me keep my foundation from sliding down my face throughout the day - without making it go cakey or making me look like I got chalk all over my face, even though I'm using the lightest shade of it.

Would I repurchase?

I already have! I'm not using it as much at the moment as my skin is not as oily throughout the colder seasons, but once it gets warmer, this will become a staple in my make up routine again!

Garnier Micellar Water (4,90€)

This one's a familiar face to my empties series, basically because I go through this stuff at high-speed.
I used to take off my make up with make up wipes before I discovered this product, but they would always break me out - no more of that now!
I've been using this for over a year now, and it has never caused any irritations, it's very gentle on the skin and works very well so you don't have to drag the cotton pads you use it with over your face.
What's also nice is that they do an extra version for acne prone skin, which is the one I'm using.

Would I repurchase?

As I already mentioned, this is my holy grail when it comes to removing my make up - I would never use anything else! I already have reserves of it waiting in my bathroom cupboards.

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' Foundation (12€)

Much like Garnier's Micellar Water, this foundation is a firm favorite of mine.
For one, it's one of the very few foundations on the market, and quite possibly the only drugstore one, to match my pale skin tone - bless Rimmel for catering for us pale people, I'll never have to look orange again.
And on top of that, its formula is amazing as well. It's so lightweight that you don't even feel like you're wearing anything on your face at all, and its dewy finish is just the right 'pick-me-up' for when my skin's looking dull, which is most of the time.

Would I repurchase?

Now, this is where I thought I'd be all adventurous and broaden my foundation horizonts, so I opted for Rimmel's 'Match Perfection' foundation instead of repurchasing this one, but joke's on me, because it made me break out real bad.
So, judging by the fact that I'm not too keen on any more allergic reactions, I just placed my order for my good ol' friend Wake Me Up a few hours ago.

Blistex 'Classic' Lip Balm (1,29€)

This lip balm is actually one of those products that I would've never gotten myself because I simply overlook them while shopping, but my Mom uses a lot. So when she gave it to me because I had forgotten my lip balm at home one day, I liked it so much that I accidentally kept it. Sorry Mom, I'm literally the Bermuda Triangle where all of your stuff ends up.
This bad boy is great because it keeps my lips soft for hours, which is quite the challenge, and on top of that, it has a really lovely, light smell.
And then there's the fact that it costs just a little more than one Euro, which is nuts if you ask me.

Would I repurchase?

Not at the moment, because I'm currently using Blistex's lip relief cream as my lips are being very problematic at the moment - I mentioned that one in my February favorites, it's amazing as well!

Have you used up any products lately?

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Skin Confidence | Lifestyle

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If there's one thing that has made me feel self-conscious throughout a huge part of my life, it definitely has to be my skin.

I know what a lot of people will think right now - every teenager has to deal with some sort of skin troubles, that's nothing one should get worked up about.
That's true, I'm not trying to deny it - it's just that I was a walking, talking, outstanding case of acne. Imagine all the spots that bother you on a daily basis, multiply that by twenty and place them all over an eleven year old's face.

Can you imagine the wonders that condition worked for my confidence?

Amongst all the treatments I decided to undergo - most of which either did nothing at all, or worse, made me look even more like one huge impersonated pimple - I started wearing make up pretty early on.
Really, if I had had the choice, I would not have applied thick layers of concealer to my face at such a young age - but I felt so damn ugly. I was called "spot-face", "unhygienic", the list goes on. I just wanted to look like my friends, who had clear skin that showed no sign of redness whatsoever at that time - because how many eleven year olds experience hormonal breakouts?
The make up part, as you'll see, would become an even bigger problem in the future.

It took me some years to get a grip on how to deal with my skin, but by the time I finally did, I was fourteen and my self-worth pretty much non-exsitent.
Teenagers are insanely confused and self-conscious anyways, but conditions like acne make you feel even worse. It keeps nagging at you, even after it's gone, and it takes a lot of time for you to feel comfortable in your own skin again.

I'm still a teen as I'm typing this - I'm only seventeen. I'd like to say that I've grown a lot over the past six years, and while I definitely made some progress, I still have a long way to go.

I've gotten so used to covering up my face and its flaws every single morning over the past few years that wearing make up feels more natural to me than not wearing it in a way.
I mean, I'm comfortable to be bare-faced around my family and my close friends, who I know couldn't care less about my spotty, red chin - but besides that?
Last week I thought about the last time I went to school without wearing any make up. I seriously couldn't remember it, A huge part of my year must have never seen what I look like under all of these products. And that thought made me really sad.

So I made a decision. I went bare-faced on Friday. Alright, I'm making this sound like I did something really heroic, but to me, it somewhat was.
And the thing was, I felt so good in my own skin - my actual skin - when I left the house. I forgot about all those little voices in my head for a while.
I was scared of people's reactions, I was afraid of what they'd think - and the reactions were very mixed.
What made me really happy is that out of everyone I know, nobody dropped any shady comments like "Oh, you look so dead today!" or "Wow, you look really ill!", they were all very sweet about it.

It was the strangers on the streets that got to me.
I had several groups of girls - most of which were younger than me - give me weird looks, mutter about me as they walked past, or even point their fingers. And that's what made me really angry and inspired this post.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having spots, blemishes, redness and scars grace your face. We all have to deal with them at some point in our lives, so why shame others for their struggles when they put themselves down enough already?
I was told to "put on some make up to cover all that mess", but why would I? Definitely not to please anyone. If I do wear make up, it's because I want to wear it for me.

So screw those people.
I'm obviously still not completely comfortable with/confident in my skin, but I'm going to try and work towards that. Not to please other people, but for myself.

My skin is part of who I am, with all its redness and scars. I'm the one who wakes up with every morning, so I should be the first one to make peace with it. And I'm working towards that.

I'm working towards being able to tell my reflection in the mirror that I'm beautiful, mess or not.
Because what does any skin condition have to do with beauty?

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