It’s rainy and cold here so we’re pretty much just chilling at home.
I’m crazy about a good haul post, so I thought I might as well write one myself. I’ve compiled all the little things I bought back in February and came up with a list of purchases plus reviews to share with you.
These are the things I bought in February.
My Bucket List: Journal – If you’ve been following for a while or if you happen to know me in person, you know how fond I am of lists in general. I love having a bucket list because it helps keeping my goals in perspective. I feel like if I write down my goals they’re more likely to happen. This bucket list journal couldn’t be more perfect. I love that it is divided in categories. It cost 5€ at Flying Tiger.
Knitting Journal – This will double as a crochet journal because I’m more into crochet than knitting. I forgot to take pictures but I love how it has space to catalog your yarn and all your projects (including pictures as well as a few helpful guides such as stich abbreviations in different countries. It cost 5€ at Flying Tiger.
The cutest plant – I don’t really know what kind of plant she is but I absolutely love her and her beautiful flowers. She’s currently at my home office where she’s happy and thriving.
Belei Rich Eye Cream – I was in the market for an anti-ageing eye cream and decided to try this one. It’s Amazon’s own brand and very affordable (I paid around 6€ for it). It’s supposed to “improve elasticity and plump skin”, which I’m not yet sure it does. I like that it is pretty fluid and not greasy at all and that you only need a couple of drops.
What the Fake: Plumping lip filler by Essence – I have to say I’m very happy with this product. It does actually make your lips look fuller and plumper and I’ve even gotten compliments while wearing it. I’ve been wearing it as a lip gloss but I might start wearing it as a lip primer, under regular lipstick too. It does sting your lips a little bit because it contains chili extract. Just like every other Essence product, it is super affordable at less than 4€.
Strong Hardener: Nail Advanced Treatment by Essence – My nails have always been extremely weak, soft and breakable and, even though they’ve gotten much better with pregnancy, they’re still quite pitiful. I decided to try this hardener, which I’ve been using as a base coat. To be honest, I haven’t worn it enough to tell you if it actually works, but for 2,50€ it is definitely worth a try.
Lip Care Booster: Lip Peeling by Essence – This might be my favorite beauty purchase of the month. It is said to “moisturize, condition, renew and smooth” and I can confirm it does all those things, while also lightly exfoliating. My lips are super dry and so I have to exfoliate them quite often, otherwise they become flaky. I’ve been applying this every night before bed and I can tell a difference. My lips are less chapped and much softer. Priced at about 2€, it costs like nothing and it works so well. Will definitely be buying again.
Ink Liner: Intense Black by Essence – It is my dream to be able to draw a perfect winged liner though I don’t think I ever will. I still bought this and intend on practicing my eyeliner skills. Have yet to try it as I haven’t been wearing much makeup at all. Will report on it later. Like every other Essence product, it’s rather cheap at less than 3€.
Read Harder: Reading Journal – I’m very into journals and keeping track of all activities lately so I’ve been looking for a reading/book journal for a while. I do track all my reading on both Goodreads and The StoryGraph and they’re great apps but I like having something I can actually write on. Besides a reading log it comes with many reading challenges which I plan on taking on. It cost about 12,50€ on Amazon.
Moisture Meter – An absolute lifesaver for a convicted plant killer, either by drowning or extreme dehydration. All I need to do is stuck this in the soil and it will tell me if it is too wet, moist enough or too dry and then water accordingly. I’m pretty sure some of my plants are only alive because of this purchase. I bought it on Amazon for about 12€ and it is worth every cent.
Even though most of my purchases have been baby items, I still like to treat myself to a couple of things each month, nothing fancy or expensive, just a few cute items that bring me joy.
I’ll be back tomorrow with my Pregnancy Update for weeks 29 and 30!
I’d tell you that my hair is falling like crazy. I mean, I must have lost about 50% of my hair in the past year. I had some blood work done and it turns out I have an iron deficiency, meaning I’m close to being anemic. My doctor thought that might be the cause and that an iron supplement would stop my hair loss. Nope. Keeps falling. I have a dermatology appointment booked for this week and hopefully they’ll figure it out. Should I have gone about 6 months ago? Yes, but I procrastinate.
If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you I’m sort of suffering from adult acne. I never had any pimples as a teenager but I’ve been getting them for the past couple of months, mostly on my forehead. It’s not bad, just a few here and there (except for that one time a couple of months ago when it looked like I was having an allergic reaction which coincided with my first makeup trial for my wedding) but it bothers me that my skin is changing right now, at 27.
If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that my best friend and maid of honor (sort of, that’s not exactly what we call it here, it’s like you have a pair of godparents for the bride and another for the groom. She’s my “bridal godmother”) is coming here to visit in June (she lives in Vienna and I never get to see her) and I can’t wait. I’m so excited and wish June would just hurry up and get here. She’s one of my absolute favorite people in the whole world and I miss her so much.
If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you Rui and I are attending a wedding in May and are very exciting. We’ll be among his friends from high school whom we happen to be very close with right now (life is very funny because we all ended up living in the same city, which is about 300 km away from where they all went to high school) so it will be so much fun. I should say they’re my friends too, otherwise they get mad. It’s so nice that we’ll share the year we got married with that couple.
If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that it’s less than 6 months until our wedding. October 5th. We’re very excited. Everyone around us is very excited and looking forward to it. I’m so glad we decided to have a “big” wedding. I thought I’d be fine with a very small civil ceremony but I think I’d regret not doing something more traditional.
If we were having coffee…
I’d ask you if you’re married and then I’d ask about your wedding day and hopefully get some wedding advice 🙂
I’ve been wanting to do this post for a while now, because it is one of my favorite posts to read on other blogs. Do you enjoy reading beauty routine post?
I think I’ve mentioned how simple I am when it comes to my beauty products. I don’t try any new things unless I’ve run out of something. I don’t have doubles of most things, especially when it comes to makeup. I don’t spend much money on it either.
I would like to start with my perfumes and body sprays:
As you can probably tell, I like floral scents. The two perfumes are by Yves Rocher and were both a present from my mother. One is “flower Party By Night” and it is exactly what they say, a floral perfume. My sister wears “Flower Party” and I actually prefer it. The other one is a simple rose perfume, from a collection they have. I would like to own them all. There’s lilac mauve, cherry blossom, lily of the valley, green tea and verbena. They sell for 15,99€ for 100 ml, which is not bad at all. We get them with a 30% discount, so they cost us a little over 11,00€, which is really cheap, considering that they last a long time. “Flower Party By Night” costs 23,95 per 50 ml, being a little more expensive, even with the 30% discount. They are both really fresh and soft and even if you don’t apply much, they lastw all day.
The body sprays are both from H&M, probably from 2 years ago. One is melon, so it’s actually too sweet for me. Rui says it smells like bug spray. The other ones is mauve and I love it because it’s very very soft. I use them both on my body and to refresh the house sometimes. They are great for that too. I have no idea how they cost but I would bet they were about 3€ each, plus staff discount.
I have been, for the past few years, wearing men’s deodorant. Sometimes I share with Rui (we buy whatever spray deodorant that is on sale for him) but now I have my own, as I prefer roll-on and they last longer than spray. Why do I wear men’s deodorant? Because it smells better and it lasts longer because it’s stronger. I hate having to reapply deodorant during the day when I have already sweat. With men’s deodorant, I don’t have to. I apply in the morning and it lasts all day, but not the 48 hours that they advertise. My favorite deodorant is actually Dove’s in stick and not roll-on or spray, but they have stopped selling those here. I rarely seem them on the store and when I do, they’re extremely expensive. I have heard many women saying that they actually wear men’s deodorant too. Have you ever tried? What’s your favorite, most effective deodorant? What’s the worst you have tried?
I buy whatever shower gel I can find on sale (and the bigger the better) but, for body exfoliant, I prefer the ones by Yves Rocher. They smell delicious and they are strong enough for my super dry skin, but not too strong to actually heart my sensitive skin. They are not made with plastic beads, but with fruit seeds or crushed apricot kernel. Beads from exfoliating products are very pollutant, as they are too small to filter and get to rivers, lakes and oceans. I love that these are not bad for the environment. Also, they’re not expensive at 4,75€.
I’m not too picky when it comes to body milk or body cream, as long as they’re not too thick or too sticky. I like the ones that are easy to apply and fluid, as they dry faster and are more comfortable under clothes. The olive one is a store brand from a local supermarket chain and it’s pretty cheap (about 4€) but really good according to my preferences. The other one is my favorite because I LOVE Yves Rocher moisturizers. They check everything in my box and smell amazingly. They sell for 6,95€. They are both about 400 ml and so they last a long time. I might get something a little thicker for winter, though.
Having wavy hair and super dry hair, I always need to apply some sort of wave or curl cream. I have first bought the Garnier Fructis one, which I’m almost done with. To be honest, I smells really good but does nothing for me. It’s like it’s not even there. Then I bought (I actually stole it from my mother because she had stolen one I had before) the pink which is from a brand I don’t know much about. I think it costs about 6€ and it’s much better than the green one. But, I hate the smell and it’s too sticky. The best one I’ve ever tried is actually the purple one, which is from a local supermarket chain (E.Leclerc), it’s really cheap and it holds my waves so well. Plus, I do love the smell which is a bonus. I will finish all of them before I buy a new one, for sure. I don’t like to be wasteful. But when I buy my next one, I’ll go with the purple one.
Then I always use a hair mask, about twice a week (if I even wash my hair twice a week) because my hair is super dry. I used to get the ones by Yves Rocher but they are not very effective and are quite pricey for the amount of product. This one is by the same store as my purple hair cream (so, store brand) and really cheap too, for a good amount. It lasts a long time. The other product is a nutrition cream for your ends and I have yet to try it. I used to buy one which is an oil but I dislike oils so I though I might try this one, when I finished the other. You know I cut my own hair and I try to trim my ends every month or so to keep them healthy and not split. I follow the technique used on this video:
For my face, I alternate between this masks:
The green one is a green clay mask by Le Petit Olivier. It’s the best I’ve ever tried. It’s not very expensive (about 5€) and you get a good amount of product and it works so well. It kind of smells like freshly cut grass and dirt, but it does wonders to my face. It’s purifying and it really does the job. I apply it all over my face, leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash it off with a wet washcloth. It leaves my face looking so clean and tight and fresh. I love it. I wear it about once or twice a week. The middle one is a nourishing or hydration mask that I wear about once or twice a week, because the skin on my face is very dry and extremely sensitive. I just leave it on my (non-wet) face for about 10 minutes and wash it off with a washcloth. I try not to use the exfoliant (the blue one) too often because it’s kind of harsh and, like I sad, I have extremely sensitive skin that gets red very easily.
To wash my face I use the clean&Clear face wash, which is the best I ever tried. It’s very effective but not too harsh on my face. It helps with blackheads, as I used to get a ton of them, especially on my nose and chin. Then I apply my Yves Rocher toner/micelar water and wait until it’s dry to apply my face cream. It’s really good because it lasts a long time and leaves my face feeling tight, as well as being a second cleaner.
Then, there’s my face creams. I have the one by Yves Rocher (the white and pink one) from their sensitive skin line. It has a SPF of 20, which I think it’s kind of low, but at least I’m wearing some. To go with it, I apply my eye cream, twice a day, morning and night. I love both as they are really moisturizing and not greasy. The baby face cream, I use on my face when I’m not going anywhere, because it’s gentle and moisturizing and really cheap. Finally, I’m in love with my night cream (blue lid). It’s really greasy and sticky but it’s also extremely good for my skin. It leaves my face so moisturized and glowing. The only problem is that it sits on the skin, so you cannot touch your face for a few hours and you need to be careful not to get your hair all greasy. I don’t care, my face loves it. Besides, it’s a drugstore brand (Aldi) and it’s really cheap. I’m really happy about it and have gotten compliments on my skin (always dry) since I’ve been applying it.
So, it’s time for my makeup. I don’t have much, as I’ve said before. One foundation by Yves Rocher, which is actually a little dark or orangy for me, but I’ve got to wear it (making it lighter) because I hate throwing money away. Then I have my store brand (Aldi) powder, that I use on top of my foundation or instead of. It’s one of the best I’ve ever tried and it’s extremely cheap. My concealer stick is a mistake, as I think I need a something more liquid and fluid because of my dry skin. But I make do with it. It’s also by Yves Rocher. Then I have my blusher, by H&M. It was very very cheap, on sale, and I love the color, but I need to be careful not to overdo it, or I get really red and it looks like I’ve put on my makeup in the dark.
So, you know that mascara is my favorite makeup product, right? I have really light and short lashes, as well as eyebrows, and they look so much better with some mascara. I mean, they look like they exist with mascara. I’m currently wearing “Scandaleyes” by Rimmel, which is not so bad but it’s also not wow. It does the job well if I apply a layer, let it dry, use my eyelash curler and apply a second layer. My eye makeup remover (again, by Yves Rocher) is really good and not harsh at all. It’s a mix of cleaner and oil and so it doesn’t leave my eyes burning, because it moisturizes at the same time as it’s cleaning. I hate oils, but I do like these eye makeup remover. Then I have cheap, Primark eye pencils, a black one and a dark brown one, for when I want to apply some but not get a really black and strong look. It’s great with brown and neutral eye shadow.
So, this is the only palette I actually use. I have another which comes with all sorts of crazy colors, like yellow, but it’s not my thing. I’m all about neutrals or maybe a little color but pastel and soft looking.
Just basic eyebrow tools. A brush and a pencil to fill in, by H&M. I try to use as little as possible to look natural and not, well, painted.
These are all the makeup brushes I own and they’re more than enough. The small ones I in my to-go makeup bag or to travel. The other ones are for regular every day use.
And finally, my very small lipstick and lip gloss collection. I used to have a few more but I gave them to my sister because I didn’t wear them and I don’t like to keep things I don’t wear. I recently broke one that I loved. Such is life. They’re from different brands: Yves Rocher, Wycon, Essence and H&M. The cherry one is a tinted lip balm. It smells amazing and while it gives you a bit of color. I have just the one lip liner, skin colored. The Vaseline I use on my lips (or feet or elbows) when they are really dry. It’s really good.
Now I’m going to show you the colors, by the order the tubes are placed:
My red pencil lipstick looks a bit orange in pictures, but it’s just actually bright red, comparing to my other red, 5th one from the top, which is a darker red. As you can see, I tend to wear reds or pinks. I’m currently looking for something burgundy or maybe closer to purple. Any darker colors. Do you have a favorite from my collection?
And I guess I’m done. I just wanted to share this with you guys.
I’m sorry because the post is long;
I’m sorry because I don’t know how to do beauty posts;
I’m sorry because my pictures are bad because the phones is not so good, I am not so good and my hands shake;
I came across this video yesterday and it gave me a lot to think about. Do you choose to love your flaws? I know I don’t. Could I ever? I have no idea.
Pink for Days 