Book Quotes That Stayed With Me | Lifestyle

If you are no stranger to my blog, you'll know that I'm a huge bookworm. I like to read entire books in one day and often stay up until 3 in the morning because I simply cannot put the book I'm reading down.

 I'm serious about my books - so much that I often share my opinions on my latest read in a series I call "Recent Reads" - if you're interested in reading a little about the last book I finished, you can check that out here. 

And because I've always loved books ever since I was a kid, I've accumulated quite a few favorite quotes from all the books that I've read . On top of that, I'm also a person for lists and organizing everything, and because I like to keep a book with all of my favorite quotes anyways, I decided to share some of my favorite book quotes with you guys!

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1. "It's not what you take, it's what you give." - Jennifer Niven, All the Bright Places

2. "We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss." - Cassandra Clare, City of Heavenly Fire

3. "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."    - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4. "The darkest minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces." - Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds

5. "If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. This is so fundamentally human that it's found in every culture, without exception. Yes, there are assholes who just don't care, but they're massively outnumbered by the people who do."       - Andy Weir, The Martian

6. "It's always the fear of looking stupid that keeps you from being awesome." - Kiera Cass, The Selection

7. "Usually, I'm remarkably good natured. Try me on a day that doesn't end end in y." - Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

8. "Some things you can never leave behind. They don't belong to the past. They belong to you."        - Rick Yancey, The Fifth Wave

9. "It takes ten times as long to pull yourself together as it does to fall apart." - Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

10. "If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself." - Rick Riordan, The Lighting Thief

11. "It's painful to see that people prefer a bad guy who looks like an angel to a good guy who looks like a demon." - Susan Ee, World After

12. "The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive." - John Green, Looking For Alaska

13. "Ulitmately, the universe doesn't care about us. Time doesn't care about us. That's why we have to care for each other." - David Leviathan, Every Day

14. "When you love someone, they become part of who you are. They're in everything you do. They're in the air you breathe and the water you drink and the blood in your veins. Their touch stays on your skin and their voice stays in your ear and their thoughts stay in your mind. You know their dreams because their nightmares pierce your heart and their good dreams are your dreams, too. And you don't think they're perfect, but you know their flaws, and the shadows of all their secrets, and they don't frighten you away - in fact, you love them more for them." - Lady Midnight, Cassandra Clare

15. "It's pointless to believe what you see, if you only see what you believe." - Marie Lu, The Young Elites.

Do you have any favorite book quotes? If you do, please let me know!

Also, if you're interested in keeping up with me and my reading, you can send me a friend request on Goodreads - I love to connect with fellow book-lovers!

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Pinks For Spring | Beauty

Now that April's almost over, we're very well onto spring - all the trees are blooming and cherry blossoms are flying through the air, the days are getting longer and it sometimes gets so warm that you even dare to crack out a skirt again.

During spring, I always like to re-introduce some color into my make up routine as it's usually rather neutral during winter. Pink shades are ideal for that, but because they can be quite scary and some pink products work better than others, I thought I'd introduce you to some of my favorites.

Lips:

When I wear pink shades, they're usually featured on my lips - pink lippies are the perfect middle between a nude, which I love but sometimes get tired of, and reds, which are reserved for special ocassions. Because of that, I own quite a lot of them, but these are my go-tos!

MAC is the address if you're looking for a very specific shade of pink as they offer such a wide range of shades - two of my favorites, "Kinda Sexy" and "Brave" (both 20€), are actually very different. While "Kinda Sexy" is a lighter, brown-toned nude pink, "Brave" is a deeper berry shade - but both work amazingly well for spring!

KIKO caters for all you lipstick lovers as well - I love the quality of their products, and they're not expensive at all! Their Velvet Mat Satin Lipstick in "602" (6,90€) is the perfect inbetween shade if I don't feel either of my MAC lippies, and it's also the softest formula of a matte lipsitck I've ever tried.
And then the most out-there, and especially out of my comfort zone shade - Rimmel's Kate Moss Lipstick in "16" (7,25€) - it was part of their spring collection last year. I never thought it'd look such a bright shade of pink when I ordered it so I was intimidated by it at first, but it's great for days when I'm feeling brave and want to add a little something to my make up look.

Eyes:

I've stayed off rosey eyeshadows for the longest time because in my eyes, they often make my eyelids look like I have a hot infection going on there, but I've found a few that work for me, so if you too have always been put off by these shades of eyeshadows, you should keep an eye out for these!

If you're more of a palette kind of gal, I highly recommend Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette (53 €) to you - I know that everyone must be tired of seeing these palettes, but they're seriously my favorite eyeshadows of all time. The quality of these is amazing and you can create so many different looks with them!
If you're looking for single shadows however, KIKO's where it's at. Their Infinity Eyeshadows are super cheap and still work insanely well, and there's so many different shades to chose from - my favorite pinks are "220", a very light, bordering on white pink that also works well as an eyeshadow base, and "224", a darker rosey shade that has flecks of golden glitter running through it.
I also picked up Catrice's Eye'Matic Eyepowder Pen in "020" (3,99€) the other day, which is a shade that could very well be either a glittery pink or purple, but I decided to include it nonetheless - it's really not pricey and the shade is absolutely gorgeous and very well long-lasting!

Face:

Now, I've been struggling to find base products I could include in this post, but there's two awesome blushers and my favorite highlighter that I want to introduce y'all to.

Those blushers include MaxFactor's Pastel Compact Blush in "Nude Mauve" (8,49€), which I've already told you is worth the hype surrounding it - it's a darker mauve shade that can sometimes look a little dark on my fair skin, but that's nothing a little blending can fix.
The other side of the coin are Avon's Blush Pearls (9€). I got these a while back and then completely forgot about them, but I recently fell in love with them again. You just swirl your brush around in the tub to create the perfect shade, then apply the blush to your face. What I love about these is that it's not just a blush that you're applying, there's a little shimmer to the shade as well so it's light a highlighter and a blush in one!
Speaking of highlighter, Essence's Soo Glow! one in "10 Look On The Bright Side" (3,95€) is my go-to. It's a very light champange shade that you apply to your face with your fingers, then blend in. It's very buildable and easy to work with, and pretty long-lasting as well - and you don't have to splurge on this at all!

Nails:

Not too long ago I realised that while I'm the proud owner of a drawer full of nail polishes, there were no pink or rose shades to be found in there - besides a few that had gone off, oops.
Ever since then, I've been keeping an eye out for ones that I could try out, and these are the ones that sticked with me.

P2's Volume Gloss Nail Polish in "530 White Liar" (1,99€) and Essence's The Gel Polish in "35 Engaged" (1,59€) are both light pinks, which I adore for this time of the year. But while they're similar in color and price, I feel like P2 definitely shines regarding quality here - their polish takes ages until it starts chipping!
Manhattan's Last & Shine Polish in "260 Lo-Lo-Love It" (3,49€) is the most gorgeous shade of mauve, and I adore the glossy, shiny finish of the polish, but sadly it isn't quite as long lasting as I'd like it to be. I'll still use it as the color is to die for, but that's a little minus point there.


Do you switch up your make up routine throughout the year? Let me know in the comments!

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Feel Good Movies | Lifestyle

Everyone has those days when you just want to crawl into your bed, hide under a lot of blankets and just forget about all of your responsibilities and your endless to-do list.

I don't know about you, but whenever I had a horrible day and start crying at little things like spilling my drink or burning my food, watching some "feel-good" movies always makes me feel a lot better.

I'm sure there's quite a few movies that'll come to your mind when you feel like you need a little pick-me-up, and because I always love finding new movies to watch and anyway, sharing is caring, I'm going to share my favorite feel-good movies with you guys today!

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1. Finding Nemo

This one came out when I was four years old, and I've been loving it ever since. In case you've never watched it (where have you been?), 'Finding Nemo' tells the story of a clownfish called Marvin who travels the entire Pacific Ocean after his son Nemo disappeared.

It's such a sweet story about family, devotion and downright love that always makes me a bit teary, but thanks to Dori, Martin's companion during his travels, there's so many absolute hilarious lines in this that it makes you laugh a lot as well.
Just because it's a Disney movie, it's not just for kids but rather fit for everyone in my eyes - my parents still like to watch this with me, even if we've already seen it ten times.

2. Pitch Perfect

This one includes music, which always has me sold anyways, but then the music and the story are good as well - what more could you want?
'Pitch Perfect' is about an a cappela group consisting of more or less outcasts at their college that is completely thrown into disarray when Beca, their newest member, falls in love with a member of their rival team.

I love this one especially because it shows that everyone can strive for success, no matter their appearance, popularity or social background - and that by being yourself you always shine brighter.
Also, how can incredible a cappella music not warm your heart?

3. The Intouchables

This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
It's about the friendship between two men who couldn't be any more different: Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic and Driss, an unemployed man from a very poor family. The two of them meet when Driss applies to be Philippe's caregiver, not really wanting the job but rather just to get a signature so he can prove that he's making an effort to find a job and can keep living off welfare.

What follows is a heartwarming path to a deep, genuine friendship that truly warmed my heart and made me happy-cry a tiny bit, not going to lie.
It's a movie about leaving social boarders behind, living with disability without losing your wit, and obviously, friendship - if you're looking for a movie that'll make you laugh equally as much as it'll make you think about life a little, this one's the one.

4. Mr. Popper's Penguins

I would've never even watched this if it wasn't for my little brother dragging my twelve year-old me into the cinema, but I'm glad I went with him back then.

Basically, it's a comedy movie about a man called Thomas Popper whose father travelled the world and died while exploring Antarctica - what he leaves behind for his son are six penguins. Now imagine a real estate entrepreneur struggling to take care of his two children visiting him for a weekend as well as the chaos six penguins produce? It's both hilarious and adorable.

5. Mean Girls

The obvious. I feel like everyone and their mother has seen this movie and if you haven't, I highly suggest you should because you don't want to miss out on the best teen comedy movie out there. Or at least number one in my heart.

In this one, Cady, a sixteen year-old girl who grew up in Africa enrolls at a public school for the first time after her family returns to the United States. Even though she was warned to not mingle with them, Cady eventually becomes part of the school's most popular clique - the "Plastics", three pretty shallow girls, one meaner than the other.
Being a high school student, this made me laugh out loud a couple of times - at times, it's actually an acurate portrayl of the everyday hell that is a student's life.
There's a lot of great lines, a lot of drama and a bit of romance, completed with a lesson for all of us.

6. The Last Song

Oh man, this movie. It was my ideal summer back when I was eleven.
"The Last Song" ought to be a coming-of-age romantic drama, and it completely forgot about its dramatic aspect while watching every teenage girl's dream of a summer play out on screen, until the whole thing got real sad.

But it's a good kind of sad, a cleansing one, like having a good cry (which you will definitely have while watching this) makes you feel a lot better afterwards, so will this.
After you've wiped away your tears and snot, you'll smile to yourself, because this is the kind of stories that life writes, and they're wonderful.

7. Bend It Like Beckham

Yet another movie I never would've picked up myself, but my English teacher made us watch it last year, and I ended up liking it a lot.
"Bend It Like Beckham" follows the stories of Jules and Jess, two London girls who both love football over everything - but while Jules is thoroughly supported by her parents, Jass' Indian family has forbidden her to play football because she's a girl and should focus on her education.

But Jass stays true to herself and goes behind her parents' backs to join a women's football team, which ends up making it to the top of the league.
This is such an empowering movie that shows you that your gender, or any other factor, for that matter, should hold you back from achieving your dreams - because if you work hard enough, nothing else matters.

8. Ratatouille

Yet another Disney favorite. Don't pass it up just because the main character is a rat because he's literally the cutest thing you'll ever see. And so is the story - this movie even won an Oscar. It's that good.

Much like "Bend It Like Beckham", this is one I'll reach for when I need something empowering, something that will make me feel like I can go out and conquer the world.
Because really, if one little rat can chase his dream of being a chef and turn an entire restaurant upside down, then you can seize all those chances as well.

9. ... and pretty much every other Disney movie.

Disney movies never fail to make me feel all warm and fuzzy - they're the perfect thing to watch in all of life's situations.
There's so many of them that you'll have to find one that appeals to you eventually, and in my eyes they never get boring - you can rewatch them a hundred times and still be in love with them.
They also remind me so much of my childhood - I was a total Disney child, not going to lie - and it's nice to reminisce about times when life was still easier sometimes.


Do you have any movies that you always reach for when you're feeling down?

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Recent Reads #8 | The Martian

I always read a book before I watch its movie adaption. For some reason it's so much easier for me to enjoy a movie even though I already know the story, but reading a book when I already know everything that is going to happen just bugs me. It feels so wrong.

That is exactly why I haven't seen 'The Martian' yet, even though everyone keeps praising it - I wanted to read the book first, but as I hardly had any spare time since the beginning of the year, it just sat on my shelf and judged me.
But I finally managed to pick it up, and man, it really was a ride!

'The Martian' by Andy Weir tells the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut who strands on Mars after he is pierced by an antenna in a crazy sand storm, leading his crewmates to believe that he is dead - so they just abandon him. On a planet where Mark should be doomed.

But Mark Watney isn't just an astronaut, he's an engineer and also has a degree in botany, so after he miraculously survives his accident, he's as inventive as one can be to find a way out of what seems like a lethal situation.
He uses some of his supplies - potatoes, to be precise - and works out a crazy way to actually grow them in his base.
The storm destroyed his base's means of communication, so he cannot contact NASA to let them know that he is in fact not dead, so he takes a tiny Mars rover that is supposed to be used for short distance drives only and drives for twenty days just to find an outdated communication system that he tries to fix up - and manages to do so.

Meanwhile, Mark notes his experiences down in a log - at first, just so someone could find it long after he had died, but as the story progresses, it becomes so much more than that.

As all of this unfolds, the entire world is watching.
NASA works day and night to work out means to get supplies to their stranded astronaut and eventually, how to save him - but the pressure of time prompts them to make some horrendous mistakes.

And then there's Mark's crewmates on the Ares 3, lightyears away from their friend as well as Earth.
At first, they're kept in the dark about Mark being alive, but how will they cope when they have to face that they just left him there? What insane ideas will it make them have?

'The Martian' is honestly one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.

Mark obviously is the driving force of this story - and he's the realest damn person to ever be a character in a book.
He's funny, dorky and relateable, and even when he is faced with situations that might possbily kill him - which there are a lot of on Mars - he keeps his wit. But then he also writes an e-mail to his best friend, telling him how to explain their sons death to his parents. There are many faces to Mark Watney, the geeky botanist, the clever engineer, the reckless survivor - but also the somewhat broken human. And it's wonderful.

I'm not going to lie, there's quite a lot of science involved, because we are technically talking space travel here.
But even though I was a little overwhelmed when Mark described the way he worked on all sorts of things or people working for NASA spat out some crazy terms, it's actually all explained fairly easily once you've settled in and gotten used to it, even for people like me who don't know the first thing about science.

What I also really loved about this book was the way its plot was structured.
There are so many twists and turning points that it always stays fresh and gripping - you don't get tired of this story at all. There's always something going on that keeps you turning the pages, muttering "just one more chapter" at three am.

All in all, I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone.
'The Martian' is a book about space travel, but then it's also so much more than that. It's a story about how much one person can endure, a story about the lenghts humans will go to to help someone else, a story about insane devotion and friendship.
It made me laugh, it made me sniffle, and most importantly, it also made me think.

If you're interested in reading this book yourself, it's available on Amazon for 7,58€.

Have you read any good books lately? Feel free to recommend them to me!

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The Best Concealer For Blemishes | Beauty

I feel like I'm forever on the hunt for the perfect concealer. I either find one that works great on dark circles but is no use when you're trying to cover spots - like my beloved Erase Paste - or one that creases in my under-eye area likes there's no tomorrow.

And when they're the full package, they never come in a shade that is light enough to match my insanely pale skin. I can never win.

So I was very intrigued when one of my friends told me how much she loved her NYX HD Concealer - she praised it high and low for how well it works for covering blemishes, and because I still am to find one of those that works for me, I decided to test it out!

This concealer comes in nine different shades to suit all kinds of different skin tones, ranging from very light porcelain to even a pretty dark brown, which is basically unheard of for a high-street brand. They also do this concealer in a lavender, yellow and green tone if you're looking for shades to correct different pigmentations

I got Fair, the second lightest shade, mainly because the lightest one was sold out. It's a tad too dark for me as of right now (my face is a little more tan than my hands), but it'll be the perfect match as soon as I've tanned a little more. Sun, where are you? Come out of hiding please.

I've got to say that my friends was right on this one - it is the best concealer I've ever tried when it comes to covering up any form of blemishes. NYX claims it to be medium coverage, but it acts almost as if it was full coverage, no lie - once I've applied this, there is no redness to be seen anywhere!
It also doesn't get patchy or disappear from my face at all; even if I wear it out all day long it only wears off a tiny bit - and we're talking ten-hour days here!

If you're looking for a concealer to cover your dark circles, however, this might not be the one for you.
I've tried to use it on my under-eye area, but it hardly stayed there at all - it started creasing less than an hour after application and slid off my face completely not long after that.
I have no idea why it acted out this much when it worked so well on any other part of my face, but oh well. I already have an incredible concealer to cover those dark beasts, so I'm all good.


So if you're looking for something to cover any redness or blemishes that you might be struggling with, you should definitely give this one a go! The quality you get for the low price of 6.99€ is incredible - I've payed over three times that for concealers that didn't work as well.
For anything other than that, it sadly won't work out as well - but there's quite a few amazing under-eye concealers to be had, like Maybelline's Eraser Eye or Benefit's Erase Paste!


What is your holy grail concealer? Please let me know in the comments so I can check it out!

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Travel Bucket List #2 | Lifestyle

Now that the warmer seasons are more or less onto us - less in case you live some place where the weather is equally shitty as it is in Germany - it's time for me to start dreaming about visiting far-away places again.

I'm in love with travelling, I probably enjoy visiting foreign countries and learning about their culture and history more than anything else. I'm not at all well-travelled, however, because I've always depended on my parents getting time off work, which basically never happend. So we always stuck with family holidays at places not too far away from home, and now I'm left feeling like I haven't seen any of the world yet.

But as I'm lucky enough to be able to visit three different destinations this year, including Rome, which I've dreamt of seeing ever since I was a little girl, I decided it was time for me to share a new edition of my travel bucket list! (I also did one last year, which you can check out here.)

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Tokyo:

How absolutely insane is Tokyo? It's everything you could want from a city - a lot of beautiful nature and gorgeous parks, skyscrapers, breathtaking shrines, so much amazing food.

And then there's the general overwhelming cuteness that is everywhere. I don't know about you, but shopping passages and centers just look so much more appealing in Tokyo than they do over here.
I've also always wanted to visit Tokyo Disney, so if I ever go there that is a must-see for me as well!

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Amsterdam:

If I see any place that is on this list, it'll definitely be Amsterdam. For one, it is only a couple hundred kilometers away from where I live, and secondly it would love to invite my Mom there for a few days.

To me, Amsterdam is the perfect mix between relaxation and culture. You could ride a bike around the city, enjoy a walk in a park or take a canal cruise - but there's also so many museums and other historical sites to explore, like the famous Anne Frank house. This would be perfect for a three or four day trip when you just need some days away from home to clear your mind.

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Sydney:

Australia has always fascinated me, and ever since a couple of people who graduated from my school last year spent a year in Sydney, I was sold. I knew I had to see it for myself some day.

This would be a lovely place to visit in either fall or winter as it'd give me an opportunity to escape the cold and rain, which I hate, to lots of sunshine and heat, which I like a lot better.
It'd also make for a lot of culture and sightseeing combined with enjoying the sun at some beautiful beaches - a perfect mix!
I wouldn't even mid getting lost downtown here as there would be so many different things to awe me.

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Los Angeles

Ah, Los Angeles. How many things I've heard about you.
Seriously, I probably see this city on TV every single day, but I've never experienced it for myself - and I so desperately want to! It's second only to New York on the list of American cities I want to visit.

I'd love to take a few snaps in front of the Hollywood sign - don't call me basic, I know you'd do it as well - and go on some tours through the city's movie and television studios, see the Walk of Fame, relax at Santa Monica Pier and also go shopping at an actual American mall again. Oh how I miss them - somehow they were so much better in the US than they are here.

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Rio de Janiero:

Much like visiting Tokyo, travelling to Rio de Janiero would mean discovering all-new terrain for me because I have actually never ventured outside the continents of Europe and North America!

Obviously, it'd be a dream to visit the city during carnival season to experience the festivities with all their music, dancing and street celebrations, but Rio has a lot of other amazing sights to offer all year round, including some seriously beautiful beaches, gorgeous landscape with all its mountains and a lot of culture - so again, it's the best of both worlds!


What places are on your 'to visit' list?

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Worth The Hype? | Beauty

We all know them. The blogger favorites. The so proclaimed "miracle products". They're raved about in what feels like every second post that shows up on our Bloglovin' feeds, and if we're being honest here, we are a tiny bit sick of seeing them.

But what makes everybody love these products so much? There clearly needs to be something to them if everyone and their mothers is head over heels for them.

I'm not even going to deny it - I myself have definitely been influenced to make the odd purchase by other bloggers, and not always was I quite as happy as everyone else seemed to be.
So - which blogger favorites are really worth the hype surrounding them?

Marc Jacob Daisy Dream EdT

I've talked about this perfume so much on here that everyone is probably sick of hearing about it, woops. It isn't just a firm blogger favorite among the likes of Jo Malone, it's also my all time favorite perfume.

As the name suggests, it smells rather floral, but there's also fruity notes, like pear, to it. What I really like about this is that its scent isn't at all heavy or overly sicklish, but it's light and lovely - perfect for the warmer seasons.

The only issue I have with this is that it has days when it just doesn't seem to stick around for long - give it an hour or two and it'll have disappeared. Not cool.

Worth the hype?

With perfumes, it always depends on the kind of scents you're into, but if you, like me, love lighter, more floral and fruity perfumes, this should definitely be for you!

Essie Nail Polishes (review)

I think almost every blogger on this damn planet owns at least one polish by Essie. For the longest time, I never even bothered with them - I know, I know. But I just didn't see the appeal of them, and I have an entire drawer full of nail polishes anyway.

I'm so glad that I finally picked one of these up last summer, because they're probably the best I've ever tried.

For one, you get the widest shade range, so there's got to be something that appeals to you. And then there's the quality of the nail polishes - they look soo opaque, and they last almost an entire week without chipping, even if you do a lot of work with your hands.

Worth the hype?

Definitely! The quality of these is outstanding, and at 7€ a bottle they are both a lot cheaper and still a lot better in quality than a lot of high-end products - this beats my Givenchy polish by miles!

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

No lie, I bought this because I saw so many bloggers rave about it.

And it did sound great - it comes in 12 different shades and even caters for the paler and darker skintones, which most drugstore brands tend to forget; other bloggers claimed it to have a lovely finish; I love Rimmel anyways. I was sold.

I ended up not liking at all. The formula is so hard to work with and blend in, it ends up looking patchy and cakey soon after application every damn time. Its longevity also isn't too great - after a mere hour, the foundations has disappeared from my T-Zone altogether, and my skin isn't even majorly oily.

Worth the hype?

No. I don't know how others got this to work for them, but I doesn't work for me in the slightest.

I much prefer Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation, which gives my skin a nice, dewy finish.

MAC Lipstick in 'Velvet Teddy' (review)

This has to be one of the most hyped lipsticks of all time. Ever since word was that it was one of the products Kylie Jenner used to achieve her perfect lips, it was constantly sold out for what must've been over a year.
But there's a lot more to this than just the Kylie Jenner pout.

This might be the most versatile nude I've ever come across - it suits all types of skin tones (for example, I'm pale as heck while my Mom has olive toned skin, and it suits her a lot). It also goes with next to every make up look, so it's a perfect every day shade.
Its pigmentation is pretty strong, and because of its matte formula it lasts on the lips for an insane amount of time - because of it being matte, it sadly tends to dry out the lips, so a little prep is needed when using it.

Worth the hype?

Yes. As it's so versatile, you'll get a lot of wear out of this - which makes the 20€ price tag a little more bearable.


Max Factor Pastel Compact Blush

These were featured on what felt like every single beauty blog around this time last year, mostly because they are great dupes for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes, which are both incredibly pretty and hideously expensive.

As for the Max Factor ones - they're the shit. These are so pigmented and give great color pay-off when applied with a brush, but they're also very easy to blend into the skin if you want to avoid looking like a clown. They also last suprisingly long - I've never had a blush last on my cheek for half a day before these ones!

Worth the hype?

Yes! The quality of these is claimed to outrun even the likes of Hourglass and MAC, so you might want to think again before splurging on a blush next time.


Zoeva Brushes

These have been getting quite a bit of attention in the blogosphere over the past few months, and rightfully so. These are great quality vegan brushes - the synthetic hairs are soft as hell, even after washing them a couple of time; they don't fall out at all and they pick products up insanely well without losing too much of the product.

Worth the hype?

Yes, most definitely - especially their buffer, eyebrow and all of their eyeshadow brushes have completely changed the game for me. These are so handy and using them to do my make up really makes a visible difference compared to other brushes.


Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara (review)

This was praised high and low as a great dupe for Benefit's Roller Lash, and because I've always loved Maybelline's mascaras and just can't justify splurging so much on something as simple as mascara, I gave it a try.

The results I achieve with this are amazing! It more than doubles the lenght of my lashes and also adds a little bit of volume to them. There's hardly any fallout to be had, and no sign of smudging at all.

Worth the hype?

Definitely - it works almost exactly the same as Roller Lash does for me and costs a third of the price!

Urban Decay's Naked Palette

I think almost every woman in her twenties will have heard of Urban Decay's infamous Naked Palettes before. They're basically worshipped by bloggers, and rightfully so.

The quality of these eyeshadows still amazes me to this day - they're so super pigmented, even the very light shades, which is basically unheard of, and they're also very long-lasting. If you combine these with a primer, you'll achieve even better color-pay-off and have the shadows last you literally all day long.

Worth the hype?

Hell to the yes. While these palettes are really expensive, you can create so many different looks for different occasions with them, and I don't know any brand to match the quality of this range.


Beauty Blender

This little sponge made it really big in the blogging community last year - it seemed to be a miracle product when it comes to application. Like always, I couldn't keep myself from giving in to the hype. Well, I guess you live and you learn.

I don't know why, but I just couldn't work with it. It needs to be damp for application, and that alone was enought to put me off - it felt messy, and it was as well. It also seemed impossible for me to build any coverage with this at all and I always ended up making my foundation look patchy and uneven.

Worth it?

Not in my eyes. Make up brushes, like the Zoeva ones, or even my fingers work a lot better when applying foundation - no need to splurge on this little one.


Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in '07'

I feel like this is a lot of people's favorite red, myself included. I think that's because the darker, berry shade of red suits quite a few types of skin tones - even the palest of us don't look washed out. Props for that.

It's a matte formula, which means that it's pretty long-lasting - however, it doesn't last through heavy eating the way Velvet Teddy does - but it's also heavily drying. I've never had anything affect my lips as much as this did, I was pretty sure they'd start bleeding. Not too nice.

Worth the hype?

It depends on whether or not you'd be down for splurging a little on a lipstick with a better formula - if you're okay with wearing drugstore lippies, you should definitely give this a go!


Have you ever given in to the hype and bought blogger favorite?

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Why Being Politically Involved Is Important | Lifestyle

[source]

They told me not to talk about politics. It will only enrage people and end up in heated discussions about values, principles and morales. It will not make you any friends.

But why should we keep something so important under wraps? Especially when it is something that concerns all of us, even people as young as I am.

Just so you get a better understanding of where all the frustration that drove me to write this post comes from - try discussing your country's political situation with people between the ages of fifteen and twenty. In most cases, they will either laugh at you, roll their eyes or simply walk away.

When I talked to one of my friends about finally being able to vote next year, they told me that they definitely won't go to the polls - they have no clue about politics and anyways, you're way too young to think about that kind of thing at eighteen.

I'm really sorry to be this blunt about the matter at hand, but statements like that make me very angry. In which way will you benefit from being ignorant towards the way the country you live in is lead? Shouldn't you at least be a tiny bit interested in the affects current political situations will have on your life?
Because they obviously will have some, and you sure can't ignore them forever - at one point, you will realize that new legislations were passed and you can't get plastic bags at shops aymore, for example. And that's just a minor change to our lives, there's often a lot more at stake.

I'm this passionate about how important it is to inform and educate yourself on politics because my country's political situation isn't exactly a walk in the park at the moment. There's quite a bit of chaos and distempers going on, and the only ones benefitting from that are extremist parties - which I don't want to have a majority in parlament, if I'm completely honest.

By simply not going to the polls, whether it's because you feel like you don't know enough about politics, you think your vote won't make a difference anyways, or you want to make some sort of statement by not voting for the party you used to vote for, you're doing more damage than you think.

It's always better to go.
If you feel like you don't know enough, watch the news, do some research on the partys policies on the internet - you'll be caught up in no time.
If you feel like your vote doesn't make a difference, think again. It might sure seem that one single person doesn't matter, but it'd be a whole other thing if thousands of others thought the same thing.
And if you think that you'll teach the politicians a lesson by not going or voting for extremist parties, take a look at their policies - do you really want people who are homophic and xenophobic to run your homecountry?


I'm not really sure where I'm going with this entire ramble.
I obviously can't force anyone to do something they don't want, but I guess I'm appealing to people's common sense here.
This doesn't just concern some politicians far, far away from you, but also your future, your life. It's a matter you have a say in, so you should use your voice to speak up.


What's your view on this topic? It's highly controversial, so I'm sure a lot of people will see this in a totally different light - I'd love to know your opinions!

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The Wardrobe Edit #2 | Fashion

I think I have a problem. By this point, I'm pretty much a shopaholic.
I didn't even realize how many new clothes I bought over the past month until I started shooting for this post - I never would've thought it was this many. 

But, as I'm still going with what I started in my first wardrobe edit - investing more in versatile, basic pieces that I can combine with different things - I'm currently telling myself that it isn't quite as bad as it looks. You can never have too many basic shirts, right?

H&M is a bit of a hit-or-miss situation for me - I either don't seem to find anything I like in there for months, or I love almost their entire range. At the moment, it's definitely the latter - all of their spring pieces are so cute, I didn't know what to try on first!

In the end, I took these two tops for 9,99€ each home with me.
The rose one on the left is perfect for spring - both because it's a fitting pastel color and because it's light enough for me not to break a sweat but still doesn't leave me freezing in the mornings. I actually love it so much that I featured it in my recent outfit post!

The khaki shirt is a very different style of clothing - it's a lot more casual and laid back, which is great for when I can't be bothered to get all dressed up for school.
It's super flowy and airy, the cloth feels very soft on the skin which is always lovely, and I also really like the detail that it's quite a bit longer at the back than it is at the front.

Also from H&M, I picked up this basic red top for 4,50€ - there's really not too much to say about this one other than that the pattern adds a nice little touch to an otherwise simple piece of clothing.
I'd look good with both my leather jacket and my cardigan and I could also combine it with several pairs of jeans I own - quite the versatile choice for such a low price!

 

Sticking with the basic pieces, Urban Outfitters has some really great ones to offer at the minute.
What I like about their clothing is that while it is a little more pricey compared to the likes of H&M, he quality is also quite a bit better.

Both of these shirts are made of insanely sleek, smooth material that feels almost like satin on the skin; they're also a little flowy so, like everything I bought, perfect for the warmer seasons.
The red shirt (27€) is a lot more oversized and baggy than the shirts I usually wear, but I liked the way it looked on me in the changing room and decided that it's time for me to step out of my comfort zone a little, so there's a little challenge for me.
The one on the left handside (20€) is much more 'me' - it's a little more fitted (not too much though because no one needs to see my stomach's padding, let's be real) - and on top of that I'm absolutely in love with the shade; the light blue suits my pale skin and is a nice spring-y shade.

 

The only fancy, formal piece of clothing that I added to my wardrobe this month is this blouse from C&A for 25€. I really wish my camera would've picked up its color better in this lighting because even if it doesn't look like it, the blouse is actually the richest, most vibrant shade of blue I've ever seen - I'm really looking forward to styling this for some summer partys this year!

While it looks rather simple at the front, the real party's going on at the back - there's actually a second, black layer of clothing hidden beneath the blue one, which is shown off due to the slit at the back.

And last but not least, the sneakers of dreams. The Nike Air Max Thea TXT in Smoke Purple. Have you ever seen such a pretty shade? I'm head over heels.
I've been eyeing these up and down downtown for a good two months now, but with a price tag of 119,90€, they just weren't a purchase any broke student could've justified.

But my family, being the bunch of wackos they are, pooled money so they could get them for me. They're nuts, and I love them. I feel like a spoilt little kid, but the shoes are so gorgeous that my heart-eyes override the guilt for now.

Have you made any additions to your wardrobe lately?

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Mario Badescu Drying Lotion | Beauty

It's not secret that I don't exactly have great skin. I actually have quite the opposite - I suffered with severe acne for three years, and I still have periods of time when I can hardly look at myself in the mirror without wanting to smash it in. I actually talked about how much I struggle with feeling good in my own skin before, so I won't get too into that now - if you're interested in reading that, you can check it out here.

After struggling with some sort of weird breakout/rash for over two months, you can imagine how desperate I was. None of the products I tried helped my condition, most of them even made it worse, so I was really intrigued when I saw Iva rave about the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.

Mario Badescu is a company that produces products suited specifically for people struggling with acne, and their Drying Lotion is claimed to get rid of all sorts of spots without doing any harm of skin.

Sounds too good to be true? That's what I thought as well, but apparently miracles do happen.

Even though it's not quite visible in the photo as the ingredients combined while I tried to shoot my flatlay (blogger problems right there), the Drying Lotion actually consist of a translucent fluid and a pink mixture at the bottom.

Application wise, this is a rather easy product.

Once you've placed your bottle on an even surface and its contents have seperated again, you simply use a cotton stick and dab it into the pink mass. Then you apply a generous amount of it right onto any nasty spots you want to get rid of.

Let your skin absorb it over night and wash off with warm water in the morning.

Now to the interesting part - did it really live up to its rave reviews? Totally.

I was amazed by how well this product works for me, especially on whiteheads. It actually got rid of smaller spots pretty much after a one-night use, while it obviously needs to applied a little more often when it comes to bigger blemishes and ones lurking below the surface - but even those will have shrunken after one use and also appear a lot less red than they did the night before.

The only downside to this is that, as the name suggests, it does a lot of its magic by drying out your spots, which also means that as you use it, it may dry out your skin in the process, especially if you use it ever single night, like I do.

If your skin is on the drier side, you should avoid applying this to larger areas and try to apply it precisely to your spots - that way it will not affect the skin around them.

Nonetheless, this is probably the best product for acne I've ever tried.
It's ridiculous how quickly, and especially how effectively, it helped me with battling my breakouts - my entire mouth and nose area was covered in redness and small spots, but now almost all of them have faded without any scaring!

It definitely isn't the cheapest product on the market with a price tag of 25€, but let's be real - it's better to invest some money in some good products that will improve your skin than to save some Euros and end up doing more bad than good.


Have you ever tried a skincare product that changed the game for you? I'd love to know!

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Recent Reads #7 | About A Boy

If you know me, you'll know that I like to shout from the rooftops how much I hate assigned readings.

That's not because I don't like reading, I actually love reading. I'm the biggest bookworm you'll ever meet, but I'm a picky reader, and that's exactly why I hate assigned readings.

My teachers always managed to pick out some book that sounds promising at first, and ends up being so bad that I don't want to finish it, but I obviously have to for class. I could pull out my hair thinking about it.

Keeping that fact about me in mind, I really wasn't thrilled when my English teacher told us she wanted us to read something over the holidays. However, that changed when I actually picked up the book in question, which is 'About A Boy' by Nick Hornby.

To my suprise, it was good. Not decent, 'I'll get through this somehow', but really good. At times, I even struggled to put it down.

Now you're wondering, what is that miracle book about, Franzi? Well, let's get into it.

This story is unfolds from two points of view, and what essentially makes that so oddly charming is the fact that those two are so very different.
One of the people telling the story is Marcus, a twelve year-old boy who moved to London with his mother after his parents' divorce. Marcus, a shy and rather intelligent kid, is strongly influenced by his mother, who is somewhat of a hippy - because of that, he's considered "uncool" and "weird" at his new school, simply because he dresses differently and doesn't listen to the mainstream music, which results in hideous bullying.
But then we also see the story through the eyes of Will Freeman, a 36 year-old who lives a life in luxury, even though he hasn't worked a day in his life. After inheriting a fortune from his father, Will enjoys the "good life", partying, drinking, and most of all, avoiding any form of responsibility, especially when it comes to having a family.

Now, how would one of those two people ever fit in the other's life?
After Will dated a single mother for a while, he realized how much better everything about that realtionship was compared to his previous ones, so he sets himself a goal to only date single mothers from that point on.

The only problem is that single mothers don't just fall out of the sky at random. Struggling, Will makes a horrifying decision - he makes up a three year-old son and joins a single parents group.
You think the situation is looking awkward now, but it gets worse.

When Suzie, one of the mothers Will starts seeing thanks to the single parents group, takes him out to a day in the park with some of the group's kids, he meets Marcus for the first time and, judging by how utterly different the two are, you can imagine how well they get along.

But then Suzie and Will bring Marcus home at the end of the day and find his mother lying unconcious the sofa, a pill of bottles in her hand, and shit hits the fan.
After the whole process of calling an ambulance, spending the night in the ER and living of vending machine food, Will and Marcus are inextricably linked with each other in a weird way. His mother's attempted suicide drives Marcus even further away from her, and seeing that he doesn't really have anyone else to go, he goes to Will.

At first, the relationship between the two is rather awkward, and how could it not be? But over time, they start to warm up to each other more and more - whether Will likes it or not. Will defends Marcus against his bullies and even goes shopping with Marcus to buy him clothes his mother refuses to get him.

But how long can a relationship like this one really last, especially when one half of it is an unreliable, unresponsible teenager in an adult's skin?


Now, I've got to say that while I did still enjoy this book quite a bit, there were still things that bothered me about it, so much even that I sometimes had to step away from it because I was getting a little too frustrated,

I loved the book's plot. I tried not to reveal all there is to it in my review because there was so much to it that it always kept me interested, sometimes even on edge. Not every author manages to construct a conherent story that doesn't get boring, so kudos to Nick Hornby for that.

Now to the characters, which were my main problem about this entire thing.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Marcus - I hardly ever read books that are written from the point of view of someone this young, so that's one thing I found very interesting. He's also a character with quite a lot of depth, and he's so adorable in his own way that I sometimes wished that I could pat his back and ruffle through his hair.

But Will. Oh man, Will Freeman, sometimes I wanted to reach into the book and downright slap you.
It's hard to read someone's story when you don't relate to them one bit, and I really didn't relate to him at all. He completely has his head in the clouds most of the time, he's very selfish and, especially at the beginning, a downright jerk. He stops talking to his friends after they had a baby simply because he hates the idea of having a family, let alone children. Huh?
Even though he does, to an extent, show character development throughout the book, he never changes completely, so for the whole 278 pages, I either grunted in disgust or made some other feral noise that made people change seats away from me on the bus. Cheers guys.

And then there's also the issue with Fiona, Marcus' mother. The reader is introduced to her as someone who's struggling with a lot of emotional baggage, she's later revealed to deal with depression. Now, the reader can play the guessing-game to find out what more there is to her illness, but as Marcus is too young to fully grasp the concept of depression and Will doesn't care too much, we don't really find much about Fiona's struggles at all, even though she does attempt suicide quite early into the book.


Despite its issues, 'About A Boy' is still an enjoyable read. It tells the story of an extraordinary relationship, and an even more extraordinary young boy who is struggling to find his place in the world when the whole world seems to turn against him.
'About A Boy' is available on Amazon for 9.99€ - and if you're not one for books, 'About A Boy' was turned into a movie back in 2002, so you could check that out as well!


If you're interested in what other readings I get up to, you can check out my Goodreads - and while you're at it, please send me a friend request, I love meeting other bookworms like me!

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