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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