Rome Fashion and Beauty Haul

I cannot be the only one who seems to absolutely go ham when it comes to shopping once on holiday. Back home, there's always that little voice at the back of your head that tells you that you don't really need all of those fancy things and that spending money on them would be unneccesary.
But once you're hundreds, if not thousands of miles away, it's all "screw it".

That's pretty much how I ended up with all of those shopping bags and their contents - when I opened up my suitcase once I arrived at home, I was astonished by how much stuff I picked up while I was in Rome. (If you're interested in finding out more about my trip because it was seriously marvellous, you can find my photo diary here.)

And as "haul" actually came in first place when I asked in a Twitter poll what content you guys would like to see upon my return from Rome, let's dive into all the things I got!

Make up wise, I actually managed to hold myself back. I had a really long wishlist, especially on items I wanted to buy from sephora, but only one of them ended up flying home with me.

From Sephora I got the Too Faced 'Better Than Sex Mascara' for 23€, which I've wanted to try for such a long time - as the brand isn't available here in Germany, I was super excited to pick it up. 

However, I wasn't so lucky with all of the other products on my list - a lot of brands like Tarte or Anastasia Beverly Hills weren't available there either, probably as they're American. Sad face.
However, I also got their Pomegranate Eye Mask, which I really enjoyed.

From MAC I got the Lip Liner in 'Soar' for 15,20€ - best decision ever, as not only is that damn lip liner constantly sold out where I live, but it was also a few Euros cheaper than they are here.

Now, first off, I have to admit that I've lost the bags to these two clothing items. Woops.

The jumpsuit on the left is from a botique called Shebar we randomly stumbled upon while on the go with our class - they specialize in jewelery and shoes, but they had some amazing jumpsuits and dresses on offer as well, and I immediately fell in love when I spotted this white/khaki one. It cost me 25€, which is an okay price that you would have to pay in "usual" stores as well.

I picked up the top on the right from a store called Terranova. I'm so upset we don't have one of those here because they had some really great quality clothing for extremly low prices!
The top, for instance, only cost me 12€, which I never would've gotten it for in my hometown.
Besides its price, I also love the lace detailling at the hem, which make the otherwise cropped top appear to be your usual one.

Brandy Melville is a store that I've seen people get gorgeous pieces of clothing from but never actually bought anything from as we don't have one in my city and online shopping often goes really wrong for me.

However, I managed to snag these super cute flowy shorts for 15€ from there. The cloth is extremly light and soft, which is absolutely perfect for summer when you're sweating like no end and want the lightest clothes you could possibly find.

Besides that, I also got a really delicate gold bracelet with a tiny pendant that resembles the hand of Fatima, which is absolutely gorgeous. At 5€, it really wasn't expensive and still look absolutely beautiful.

Sticking with stores that I had never set foot in previous to my trip, Double Agent was a very random discovery of ours, but I'm so glad we stumbled upon it because they have so many amazing items.

Their clothes reminded me of a mixture between Hollister and Brandy Melville, looking adorable and being pretty laid back.

The top I got for 18€ is a perfect example of that (even though it's horribly wrinkly in the above photo. I cringed while sorting out the shots as well. Why Franzi, why.) It's slightly cropped and a little lose; really simplistic and nice pastel color except for for the brest pocket, which I absolutely adore.

H&M is a store I frequently shop at, however there were some items in the Roman shops I hadn't seen around here yet - step up your game, Germany!

Those include this gorgeous flower print top, which is super light and very summery and only cost me 9,99€, as well as a golden ankle bracelet for 1,99€ - two absolute bargains!



What about you - are you also a heavy holiday shopper like myself, or do you refrain from buying a lot while away?

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Pink Lips for People Who Hate Pink Lipstick

Aaah, pink lipsticks. The enemy of many. When I shared a poll on Twitter asking you guys about your favorite shades of lipsticks, only one or two people voted 'pink.'

I totally get why a lot of people aren't too fond of these shades of lipsticks because if you don't watch out, you will end up looking like Natascha Ochsenknecht - if you don't know who she is, google her - and will want to literally punch yourself in the face whenever you see photos of your lipstick disasters.

For that reason, I hardly ever wore pink lipstick for the longest of times.
However, I've found a few pink lippies over time that I can pull off just fine - and as so many people struggle with coming to terms with pinks, I decided to share a few pink lipsticks with you that even people who hate pink lipsticks will love!

from top to bottom:
KIKO Velvet Mat Lipstick in '602' ; MAC Matte Lipstick in 'Kinda Sexy';  Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in '05 Nude Flush';  Essence Velvet Matte Lipstick in 'N02' ; MAC Satin Lipstick in 'Brave'

The 'low-key pink':

I feel like everyone should have that one lipstick that just always works for them, no matter for which occasion or situation. KIKO's Velvet Mat Satin Lipstick in '602' is definitely one of those go-tos for me.

What I love about this shade that it's very subtle and quite light, which means that it isn't in-your-face at all and can be worn to work. However, it can also be combined with a catching eye-make up for a stunning night-time look, so it's quite a versatile player.

The 'eye-catching pinks':

Now, these two are some of the more extroverted shades of pink, however you shouldn't expect them to be too extreme as they are recommended by me, the queen of fear of bright lipsticks herself.

MAC's  Matte Lipstick in 'Kinda Sexy' is classed as a nude shade by a lot of people, but to me it's a pink, and it's one of my favorit pinks of all time.
As it's on the lighter end of the sphere, it looks even more gorgeous on darker skin tones or if you're sporting a tan - besides that, it also looks great on paler skin tones; you should just keep in minds that it will most definitely come off as even lighter than it appears to be in the swatch.

Staying with MAC, their Satin Lipstick in 'Brave' is more, contrary to its name, for the not-so-brave - while it's still a quite vibrant shade, it's darker than 'Kinda Sexy' and thus, less flashy. Due to that, it can definitely be worn during the daytime to jazz up an otherwise simple look.

The 'not your average pinks':

I'm certain that to some people these two lippies will count towards other shades, but as they do have pink undertones I decided to include them in this post. Close enough, am I right?

They are definitely ideal for people who aren't interested in drawing too much attention to their lips through their lipstick - they're  pretty neutral and appropiate for day-time wear.

Maybelline's Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in '05 Nude Flush' appears to be a relatively dark shade in the swatch, but on my fair skinned gals like myself it'll appear to be a lot lighter, almost boardering on orange-ish.
It does take some time to dry to its matte finish, especially if you've applied a good layer, but it looks amazing once it's done. This can also look good with a lipliner underneath!

Essence's Velvet Matte Lipstick in 'N02' is more of a mauvey shade, nearly berry-like. Again, it does look a little different on the lips compared to the swatch - lighter and more pink-ish.
What's especially great about this is its quality, it doesn't fade and looks amazing for hours!

How do you feel about pink lipstick; and do you have a favorite one?

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Rome's Best Bites

What is Rome most famous for, besides all of its anique sites and culture? Exactly, the exquisite food you can literally find around every corner. Or. technically, multiple times on every single street.

Being a huge food lover, even the thought of all the authentic Italian pasta, pizza and desserts I was going to try made my mouth water.

Now, we were on the move basically 24/7, so as we got around a lot, we didn't eat at the same restaurant twice. That means we tried a lot, and I mean a whole lot of dishes, and as there always is, not all of them were as excellent as we hoped they would be - we literally went throught the good, the bad, and the ugly (12€ for 1,5 litres of water).

But as the good definitely outweighted the bad, I really wanted to share three of my favorite Roman restaurants with you - recommended by a student, they won't break your bank balance while still being insanely good!

           

Ristorante da Paolo (Viale Vaticano)

After spending the entire morning and most of our afternoon exploring the Vatican as well as the Vatican Museuums, we were more than just hungry. More like boardering on hangry. Beware, annoying pickpockets or street vendors.

It was really convenient that we spotted this cute little restaurant just across the street from the entrance of the Vatican Museuums - da Paolo's looked inviting and the staff welcomed us rather warmly, so we decided to stay there for dinner.

Compared to Germany, the prices for pasta might make you feel a little dizzy, but compared to the Roman standarts, they were really average and not expensive as you might expect from the restaurant's location.

I had the spaghetti alla pesto and shared a pizza with Nutella for dessert, which were delicious; definitely some of the best dishes I had during my trip. The spaghetti were most definitely worth the eight or nine Euros spent on them, and the portion was so big that even on an empty stomach, I struggled to eat up.

I just checked the restaurant's reviews on Google and was really suprised as the ratings are a lot worse than mine.

My experience with this restaurant was overally really good - okay prices and short wait times, the staff were very friendly to us even though we were very obvious young tourists - not everyone was this welcoming - so I suggest that if you ever happen to visit the Vatican, you should definitely check this restaurant out as not everyone's experiences are as bad as Google tells you.

Antica Domus (Via di S. Giovanni in Laterano)

Another day, another spaghetti alla pesto. I literally have no regrets, I ate as much of it as I could because it's really hard to get hold of such good pesto here.

This is definitely a table with a view, and it didn't show in the prices at all! My spaghetti were even a little cheaper than the ones I had near the Vatican, and I literally ate a few feet from the Colosseum.

The meal quality was good; there might've been a little too much oil involved in my pesto, but it wasn't all too bad.

You could technically sit inside as well, which might've been more comfortable than sitting on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. However, we wanted to have the view rather badly, so when we asked our waiter whether we could be moved to another table where we wouldn't have to sit in such an uncomfortable position, he was very attentive and anything but annoyed and still jking around, as were the other staff - the service was amazing!

'Gusto (Piazza Augusto Imperatore) 

We spent the first half of our last evening power shopping and trying to hunt down all of the stuff we had previously spotted but didn't have the time to purchase; and as shopping often leaves you rather hungry, we were looking for a place to eat near the famous Via del Corso afterwards.

On our hunt, we found the 'Gusto, which appeared rather fancy, but as it was our last day, we thought we'd induldge a little. And we did. A little more than we originally itended to.

I shared a pizza funghi with a friend of mine; and while it definitely appeared to be smaller to us, as it does in the photo, we were both stuffed after eating our share of the meal - I don't think I would've been able to eat the whole thing in a million year! It was delicious, to say the least; and priced at 9€, sharing it meant that I got away with a rather cheap meal.
Honourable mentions go to the burgers and self-made fries two of my friends had, while they cost almost double the money we spent on our pizza, they were to die for and absolutely huge!

The only bitter aftertaste about this dining experience is the service we were confronted with.
We were often plainly ignored or made fun of by our waiters, and waited very long for our food to arrive. 

This would've been alright if the restaurant didn't make us pay 11€ for their service. Eleven Euros for a staff whose members mostly looked down on us, maybe because we were a lot younger than their other customers and didn't arrive in fancy clothing.

The only reason we didn't rage quit was the fact that the food was so good - but the restaurant should really work on the way their waters deal with customers.

Do you have a favorite place to eat in Rome, or any other place you've visited?

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An Accidental MAC Haul

I've got a confession to make: I feel like I have lost every ounce of self-control.

I've been doing so well over the past few months, hardly buying any new make up products - or wearing make up at all, for that matter. I bet you my bank account has been crying happy tears with every single week I went without a shopping spree.

But, to my defense, it's almost impossible to venture into a MAC store without stumbling upon a product you fall in love with.

Ask all the girls lingering in front of the lipstick counter, they know the fascination that has you swatching lipsticks for half an hour.

Said fascination has also sucked me in quite a while back, and that's sort of how this spending splurge came to be.

As an avid lipstick lover, I myself was swooning over the array of lip products, inspired by the fact that my friend bought one of the most gorgeous lipsticks ever when we were in Rome - Plastique, a frost finish. While I had always told myself that I'd never touch one of the frost finishes, as I was sure they'd make me look as if I had just kissed a glazed donut, I was most definitely intrigued.

While looking at the frost finish lipsticks, I stumbled upon the shade "Jist" (20€), which I instantly fell in love with - the shade itself is unlike anything else I own, and I actually like the frost finish on this a lot. It looks like a metallic lipstick, I'm all heart eyes.
However, I must mention that the shade does look different on me when you compare it to the swatch above, so I suppose it might look different on people with other skin tones as well.
For the very pale like me, it looks a little more vibrant and like a deeper orange shade.


Now onto the actually spur-of-the-moment decision here.
While I had the intention to look at some lipsticks and might've just bought the lipstick by itself, I did not in any way intend to buy the next two products, but thanks to the lovely lady who introduced me to them, they now have a prime place on my vanity.

I was just looking over MAC's face products when I realised that they do very, and I mean very light shades of foundation, concealer and powder - if you have a very light skintone yourself, you'll know how hard it is to find products in shades that match your skintone.

When I asked the lady who worked at the store whether she could match me to a shade of the Mineralize Concealer (24€) just for reference, she didn't only show me the best shade for my skin (plot twist: it's not the lightest shade! It's NW20); she was also kind enough to set my make up.
For this she used the Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in 'Light Plus' (32€), and I was so over the moon with how my face looked when she was finished that I ended up buying not only the concealer, but the powder as well.
What I can already tell you about this powder is that it doesn't cling to my dry patches, I doesn't go cakey, and it actually provides some amount of coverage, getting rid of any trace of redness.

And that's the story of how I ended up with a new addition to my ever-growing collection of MAC lipsticks and my first ever face products of theirs! Unexpected, but my lord am I happy I went into the store that day.

What is your favorite products by MAC?

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An Outfit Fit for a Roman

You don't even have to read the title of this post to know whereabout these photos were taken; you can see it in my smile and the happiness radiating off the pictures. We're in Rome, the city that has stolen my heart, duh.

Well, technically we're in Tivoli, a town around 50 kilometers from Rome, where we visited the Villa d'Este, an ancient Roman villa with the most impressive and gorgeous gardens I have ever seen - you might've already seen pictures of it in my Rome photo diary.

There is so much lush, rich greenery to be had here, tropical plants growing what appears to be in a wild manner - obviously they're taken care of, but it all just seems so natural.
Besides that, the gardens include the cutest trick fountains I've ever seen and on top of that, some legit waterfalls.
Can you imagine I could not keep my jaw from dropping repeatedly during our visit?
I seriously wonder how I didn't end up with a fly inside my mouth, to be honest.

As for the actual outfit at hand here, I tried to go with the lightest clothing available to me at that point in time - we had temperatures over 32 degrees Celsius every single day during our stay, with peeks at around 36 degrees, I tried to pick clothing items I would sweat the least in.

I had picked this adorable flowy khaki top up from a shop I had never heard of previously the the day before - how adorable is the lace detailling at the hem? The cloth is also super light, which was perfect for the occasion.
I've also been obsessed with khaki everything lately, so this is yet another addition to my growing collection of khaki-colored clothing items. Oops.

As for the shorts and sandals - I've had both for absolute ages now. I feel like black shorts are my go-to when I'm not sure which bottoms to match to my tops; and the sandals are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn - perfect for city trips where you've got to do a lot of walking!

I laid really low on the accessories for that day, only sticking with my sunglasses, which I would've gone blind without; and my watch, as I physically cannot leave the house without it.

Where did you spend your last holiday? I'd love to know - I always like to add places to my bucket list!

TOP - Terranova (similar)| SHORTS - Madonna (similar) | SANDALS - Rieker |  SUNGLASSES - C&A | WATCH - Michael Kors 

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Rome Photo Diary Pt. 2

I haven't been able to shut up about how much of my heart I left in Rome ever since returning last Friday - and if you've seen all the photos I shared in the first part of my 'Rome Photo Diary' and the emotions they contain, you will understand why I feel this way.

While we explored most of Rome's ancient ruins as well as the Vatican during the first half of our trip, the second half included architecture from the Baroque area, a day trip to Tivoli to see the most amazing villas and a visit to the Colosseum!

DAY 4 - Tuesday



A farmer's market at Campo de' Fiori

Sant'Agnese in Agone

The Pantheon's outside

The Pantheon's inside

Fontana di Trevi

DAY 5 - Wednesday

 

 

Villa d'Este in Tivoli

Villa Adriana

Fontana di Trevi at night

DAY 6 - Thursday

Archbasilica of St. John Lateran's outside 

 

Archbasilica of St. John Lateran's gardens.

 The Colloseum

Lunch with a view

Technically, there was a day seven, but as it was the day of our flight home, we hardly explored anything at all before leaving for the airport - no glamorous photos of that day exsist!

I hope you enjoyed my photo diary nonetheless, and maybe I even made you want to see all of the beautiful sights and places for yourself someday.

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