Why do you wear makeup - TAG

Hello Muggles,

a few days ago the beautiful Megan from Wonderful You  did the "Why do you wear makeup"-TAG and I thought it was interesting, so here we go...

 
1. When did you begin to love makeup? 

This is actually not that easy to answer. When I was about 12 I really loved clear lipgloss - and I wore like the whole content of one lipgloss tupe on my lips every day. xD

With about 14/15 I went through quite a bad "emo" phase (but fortunately it was new to everyone, so I was the only person to look like this... people didn't make fun of me then because they we're probably scared, which would have been a whole different thing if I started 1 / 2 year(s) later xD) and I used to wear red lipstick and a lot of black liner around my eyes... yes, you read right: lipstick around the eyes. This and black liner were actually the only two make-up items I owned. This is embarassing? Why do I even tell you? :'D

Since December 2011 I'm discovering the make up world again and from a very different point. I started to watch Youtube videos and think more about what make up is really about. I'm not super into it but I'm interested and yeah... so long story short: I'm not immensly in love with make up but interested.

2. How do you feel without makeup?

I'm glad to say that I'm fine without makeup! :)

3. What do you like about makeup? 

I like the fact that makeup can underline your natural beauty. Most women probably don't wear makeup to do this but to make themselves look totally different - however in my opinion this is not the point.

I also really enjoy makeup as being a form of art. Take the girls from "pixiwoo" for example; they do the greatest things with makeup and this could definitely be considered as art.

4. Three 'Holy Grail' Items: 

1) Mascara - the classic.

I think the nice thing about mascara is that it really just underlines or highlights what you've already got. Everyone has lashes but some people (like me -.-) don't like their own lashes to be short, straight and light but a little bit more "out there". What I personally love about mascara is that it always makes you look a little bit more feminine, which I go for because I'm almost a little tomboy otherwise. :D

The one I use at the moment is the ASTOR Volume Artist Modelling Mousse in Waterproof - 800 Black. 

If you know any black, waterproof drugstore mascara, which gives you lots of volume: let me know, please! :)

2) Lipstick  / Lipbalms

I love red-, berry- and plum-toned lipsticks and tinted lipbalms.

The Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus is a perfect "your lips but better" product for me. It just highlights my natural lip colour, which I love, plus it is super nurturing!

3) Brow Pencil

My brows are not very full and defined, so I help along with a eyebrow pencil.

Currently I'm using the Catrice Eye Brow Stylist in 020 Date With Ashton, which is a very affordable pencil in the perfect shade for my eyebrows.

I did a whole eyebrow related post some time ago, which you can check out here .

***

That was it for the "Why do you wear Makeup" TAG.

If you want to do this TAG on your blog as well, feel free to do so and leave me a comment, so I can read it. :)

However, I would also like to tag some people:

        Lauren from "A Lauren to Herself"

Anna from "And This Little Piggy"

Amie from "Belle-amie"

Amy from "Brighter Shade of Pale"

Megan from "British Beauty Geek"

Hannah Justyne

Becky from "Rose Petals"

Sophie from "Sophie Rose Hearts"

Hayley from "Water Painted Dreams"

Have a lovely day and see you next time,

Hermione

Mini Beauty Haul & Review

Hello Muggles,

in the last two weeks I bought two lipsticks and a mascara and I thought of telling you about it. :) 

Because my camera wasn't working I couldn't take pictures before, so this is why I used all items quite a lot already and can make reviews as well.

I bought both Astor products very early in the morning when my train has been cancelled about two weeks ago. My thoughts when I entered the drugstore were something like: "I definitely need a new waterproof mascara and I will buy the Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express one because I read good things about it." Standing in front of it, I figured that I didn't like the brush - so screw all the research, which should have helped me finding the perfect mascara and go for one you don't know anything about. :D

This is what I did and I ended up buying the Astor Waterproof Volume Artist in 800 Black.

As you can see it has quite a small wand but I prefer those one to the huge ones because they often already look clumpy and clumpy eyelashes is definitely something I want to avoid. ;)

I'm a little disappointed with the volume the mascara gives - because it's not that noticeable - but it's a nice mascara to wear everyday. It makes your lashes look more black and defined (I know it's a black mascara and of course it makes your lashes look black but my lashes are quite fair and I already saw mascara that looked a little "dusty").

On this day I also bought an Astor Lipstick in "123 - Rose Attraction"

I think the colour could be described as a blue-toned purpely pink. :D It is shimmery but I'm sure it will look very nice in winter because it's quite a cold colour.

At the beginning of this week I went to the drugstore to buy ear-plugs for a concert... and I went out with buying another lipstick and forgot the ear-plugs. :'D

I got the p2 Pure color lipstick in "101 - Rue de Rivoli".

I already mentioned it in my "Tops & Flops (September)" post because I'm totally in love with dark lipsticks. :) I think this one is a very nice autumn colour and a perfect mixture of a dark cherry-red and plum. As much as I love the colour, I have to confess that the lipstick itself is not that overwhelming. As you can maybe see on the picture above it is very pigmented but the colour tends to be blurry and not 100% perfect. This is probably why I got it for 1,95 Euro. :') 

Nevertheless, you can work with it! I will do a post about how to work with beauty products that are not perfect but for now all I do is to apply it with my fingers and put some lip balm on top because it is too dry for me.

As long as I'll not be able to buy MAC lipsticks or anything like that I will like it - it kind of became my favourite thing to wear on my lips. :)

Another product I forgot to include at the top photo is the Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2in1 Wash Mask.

When people ask me what skintype I have I always answer with "Dry!" but actually I found out that it's slightly more a combination-thing. It doesn't make any sense but my forehead is extremely dry and has some oily parts too... I don't know.
Well, nevertheless, the Neutrogena Visibly Clear helps to calm my skin in general. It removes the flakes from my dry parts and helps the rest of my forehead to not become too oily.
Works for me and I'm fine with the product! :)

*** 

I hope you enjoyed this tiny haul.

Comments are appreciated as always. :)

See you next time, 

Hermione

Products I regret buying #1

Hello Muggles,

today I would like to talk about beauty products and I don't like and I regret buying.

Before I start I would like you to know that this is my opinion and it's totally okay if you don't agree with me. I don't want to offense anybody! I always considered these kinds of posts as very useful / helpful because you see the negative side of beauty products then and think about getting a product a little more. ;)


I hope you have fun! Let's get started...

# One

The first product I would like to talk about is the L.A. Girl Crème Lipstick in the shade Pure Ecstasy (3,95 €). The reason I bought this was it looked totally different on the page I ordered it as you can see here: 

                                                           

This is the colour I wanted - and I still want because I'm totally into those rosewood colours! - and which was titled "Pure Ecstasy". In this case I think it's obvious that these two colours don't match at all and I this is kind of rude.

But there's more. So not only the colour is not at all what it should be (you can see that it is the brightest orange / coral, which looks unbelievably bad with my pale skin and reddish hair!) - no, additionally it looks horrible on the lips!

It's so creasy and makes your lips look awful. It also doesn't get into the "inner" section of the lip, as you can see quite good on the picture above.

Urgh, it's just the most horrible lip product I ever owned! 

# Two

Next up there is the P2 All Day Matt Make Up in the shade 010 charming ivory (about 3-4 €), which is the first foundation I've ever bought. I really don't know why I chose a matte one because my skin is very dry and this had to go wrong. Well, I still sometimes use it as an alternative for concealer under my eyes and that's okay but for a real foundation it is simply too matte and also too dark for me. Although I already picked the lightest colour, it doesn't look right on my pale skin.

I hope you can see that it seems to be quite rosy-toned but the truth is that it's not at all! The strange thing is that I have rosy-toned skin on my face but slightly more yellow toned skin on my hands and arms; so when I swatched it, it looked all right. But after applying the foundation on my face it just looked as yellow as every other drugstore foundation, which I think is very sad! :(

# Three

Now let's get to eye shadows. I bought the Maybelline EyeStudio Intense Chic in Vivid Pinks / Roses Magnétiques for 7,95 € if I remember correctly. Predominantly I bought it for my ball / prom in school because I had a pastel pink dress and thought the eyeshadows would look nice with it. Unfortunately I couldn't swatch it because there were no samples and you couldn't open the eyeshadow "palette" because of that little stripe of tape you maybe can see on the upper picture. To be honest that was a mistake. For such a "high price" I thought I would get pigmented and pretty colours but the truth is this:

The first three colours almost look identical. Especially on the eye you can't make a difference between them. The pigmentation is lousy considering the cost! What's also strange is that the 2nd colour looks more bright and white than the 1st one. But not enough yet: The eyeshadows smudge and "crumble" a lot! This is why the packaging looks so dirty although I only used them twice. 

This product probably has been the most disappointing one! Pity!

# Four

The next product I've got for you is an eyeshadow as well. The quatro eyeshadow in 01 xoxo by essence promises "4 long-lasting, trendy eyeshadow shades for creating endless looks". 

I actually knew what I was doing. This one was only about 3 € and I was quite sure that I wouldn't be astonished by it's beauty because I only got it for a Halloween make up but nevertheless I think that it's not okay to sell such crap. Here's what they look swatched:

Again they are very shimmery but the pigmentation fails. I think the purple colour is the best by far but still not what I expect an eyeshadow to be. This product I also wouldn't recommend. ;)

# Five

I forget to put the last product on the picture at the top but still I would like to talk about it. I bought the Catrice Cosmetics Volume Plus+ Waterproof Mascara after seeing a Blogpost by a German Blogger and Youtuber. Klick here to get to Reni's Review about the Mascara. I think it looks super pretty on her, so I got it.

Unfortunately it doesn't work for me at all! After using it for the first time my lashes felt extremely heavy and I only applied two coats maximum! It also makes my lashes stick together, so it looks like you only have five several lashes - and this is what makes me not like it. When using a Mascara I want full and voluminous lashes not five thick single one. :/ 

                                       

I tried to take a good picture but this one is the only one that turned out okay. In reality this looks much worse! But we also have to talk about the good things: I took this picture after wearing the Mascara for about eight hours - and they still look the same as after applying them. I think Catrice did a fine job with that! :)

***

So that was it. I hope you can take any use of it (although these products are probably only available in or around Germany) and had some fun!

Please leave a comment saying, which products you regret buying or wouldn't recommend! :)

See you next time,

Hermione

Products I've used up #1

Hello Muggles,

I never thought that I would be able to do an "Empties" post but obviously I can now! :)
There are some products I used up and I would like to talk about everyone of it.

First, there is something unspectecular: Toothpaste!

I would love to have white teeth (my natural teeth colour isn't that flattering) but I don't use any toothpaste, which says it makes your teeth white because there is fluoride in every single one I know!  Unfortunately many people say it's healthy and it's good for your teeth but that's not true! Fluoride is a toxic substance, which was given to the jewish people during World War II to make them abulic and easy to control and now I should believe that it helps me when getting in touch with it while brushing my teeth or even while drinking it (there are many countries that have fluoride in their drinking water - officially Germany is not one of them but I'm not sure about it)? 
For me it just doesn't make sense at all and long story short: This is why I'm using the Lavera Toothpaste, which doesn't contain fluoride and which you can by in health-food shops (in Germany). It costs 1,99 Euro, so maybe slightly more expensive than the average toothpaste but it's worth it for me.


The next two items are shower gels. I didn't use them up alone but my boyfriend helped me. Not that he would have his own shower gel, if you know what I mean. ;D
They both were very cheap because I don't see any sense in buying an expensive shower gel if a cheaper one does the same job. ;) To be perfectly honest, the only expensive shower gel I ever owned (it was one by Yves Rocher, which I got as a gift by my boyfriend's mother) gave me some unpretty rushes and irritated my skin immensely!
So, the first one is the Balea Shower Gel Sensitive with Aloe Vera and on the packaging it says that it's especially mild and protects your skin from drying out. I got it because my skin is super dry and well, it's fine. Doesn't work wonders but what do you expect? I'm okay with it as long as it makes my skin feel fresh and clean and that definitely worked. ;) The scent is all right; it basically smells like a normal soap.
The second one is the NutriSkin Intensive Clereshing Shower Gel by Fa. There's a tiny story behind this one... last year I went to the Netherlands with my sister, her husband and their children for holiday. I then got the Fa Shower Gel because it smells like peaches (this was the only reason) and I love peachy scents. While using it I wasn't really impressed. It's okay but the peach scent doesn't really work out that nice on my skin, which might sound strange. Nevertheless I actually only bought the second one, which you can see on the picture above, because it reminded me so much on that holiday and that's just nice. :) All in all I'm not a super fan of it and I wouldn't recommend or repurchase it... except for nostalgic reasons. :D

Now we have some more interesting things.
First, there are Cleansing Wipes by bebe. I got the ones for dry skin and on the packaging it says that they even remove waterproof makeup, moisturize your skin and they're extra mild on your eyes. 
I really liked them! They really did remove my waterproof Mascara (which I also used up) and my skin seemed to like them basically. ;) The only thing I didn't like that much was that they were very wet. I often took one wipe out of the packaging and left it outside for some time so that it dried a little. Right now I'm using the ones for normal skin (same brand) because you got them for free when buying a moisturizer and they aren't that wet but perfect! Nonetheless I will repurchase them after using up my cleansing wipes for normal skin.
Next, there is my favourite mascara ever. It's the Essence No Limits Mascara in waterproof... and it was cheap as hell! I'm not sure about the exact price but it has to be something like 2 Euros. This was actually the first Mascara in my life I really used almost everyday. My lashes are not very long and curly, so I'm always looking for some extra length and volume. The Essence Mascara isn't the perfect one for that but for an everyday eye-makeup it does a lovely job! Your lashes do not stick together at all and the products also doesn't clump. It's perfect if you're in a hurry and you need a product you can really rely on. I will definitely buy this one again and do a precise review (with pictures and comparisons to other Mascara).

The last thing I used up is the Schwarzkopf "schauma" Cotton Fresh Dry Shampoo. It is supposed to give your hair an extra day of freshness without washing them. You only have to spray a little on your hair parts, let it dry and brush it out. 
Now, I've got some problems with this one. This is probably the third can I bought and it always worked fine but the last couple of times it didn't. Does anyone know why that is so? There's just no difference in my hair after using the dry shampoo, which makes me mad. In the end I'm glad that it's empty because now I can look for another one. Any recommendations? :)
Oh, and before I forget: I hate the scent of this one! It smells like lemons but in a cleaning agent kind of way. Urgs, it always makes me think of super clean toilets - but this is not what I want to think about after using dry shampoo! ;)




Okay, that is it. Sorry if this post was a little too long but I just have to say a lot about everything (and I could say even more). :D

I hope you liked it! Leave me a comment down below and follow me if you haven't already - that would make me haaaaappy! :)

Oh and let me know if you are interested in a guest post! ;)

See you next time,
Hermione

xx