Sunday 27 April 2014

Have You Discovered…? - Blush



Hello lovelies!

Here we go with another sunday post in the Have You Discovered…? series! This time the topic is: Blush.

First of I have to say that I don't wear blush on a day to day basis, but I enjoy a little flush across my cheeks every now and again! And I've recently picked up the MUA Pink Shimmer Kisses Blusher on a trip to Superdrug so let's talk about this little foursome of cute pink blushes!



This product caught my eye because I thought these four pink tones would be perfect for a fresh spring makeup! It contains a darker pink shade, a peachy pink shade, a very light shimmery pink - which you could probably use as a highlighter - and a lighter corally pink shade.

I have to say it's quite hard to "catch" only one of the four shades with my big blush brush but I found, that if you whirl your brush through all of the shades, they blend together very well and give you a lovely pink blush! I thought they probably won't got well together but they do!



The colour-pay-off unfortunately is not the best, if you want a more visible and intense flush on your cheeks you would have to repeat the brush whirling process a few times. But sometimes I prefer just a faint flush and for that it's great.

Here are the four shades swatched for you:



For the price of £3 it's definitely a good addition to my make up bag, as I probably wouldn't get much use out of a more expensive blush!

I hope you enjoyed reading this little post and have a lovely sunday evening!

What's your favourite blush? Is there a blush that I need to try and that could turn me into a blush-girl? Please let me know!

xx Ann-Kathrin

Thursday 24 April 2014

LUSH "Tender Is The Night" Massage Bar Review

Hello lovelies!

Today I've got another review for you! As you might have seen in my "What I Got For My Birthday" blog post (if you haven't already, read it here!) I received a little LUSH goodie from one of my best friends! The product that I'm talking about is the "Tender Is The Night" Massage Bar!



I discovered LUSH a few years ago on my first holiday trip to London and fell in love with the store! Not only does it smell lovely when you walk past, but their products are fresh and handmade and just gorgeous! And also the staff is so nice and funny! But I have to say that I don't really treat myself with lots of LUSH products because, unfortunately they're quite expensive in Austria! But I love to receive them as little treats and also like gifting people with them!

I've never ever tried a Massage Bar before so I was very excited to try it and see what it's like! The smell of this little gem is just delicious! When I first opened it in my room, it was filled with a lovely, rich scent. Tender Is The Night is a cream-coloured oval massage bar with a cute little pink flower on top of it.

The ingredients of this massage bar are Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Jasmine Absolute and Ylang Ylang Oil, alongside some others which you can find on the website. It smells intense, floral and like nothing I've ever smelt before.



You have to be careful with holding the product as it will soften and melt quickly due to the heat of your hands. You basically glide the bar over your skin so that it "melts in" thanks to the contained Shea and Murumuru Butter, leaving it moisturized. The butters also lock in the moisture. You're left with really moisturized and lovely smelling skin.

For me personally the product can feel a bit greasy sometimes and it also takes a while for it to sink into my skin, that's why I wouldn't use it everyday. But it's really lovely if you just had a bath, moisturize with the massage bar and then put your pajamas on and get into bed with a good book! You'll still smell delicious waking up the next day!

All in all it's a great product if you want to treat yourself or one of your friends! The product used to be in their Valentine's Day collection but apparently it's now a permanent product! It costs £6,50 for 60g.

Have you tried "Tender Is The Night" before? Can you recommend any other massage bars or LUSH products you love?

xx Ann-Kathrin

Sunday 20 April 2014

Have You Discovered…? - Bronzer



Hello everyone!


I hope you all are enjoying a lovely Easter sunday! I'm back with another sunday post and the topic of today's post in the Have You Discovered…? series is "Bronzer".



If you would have asked me half a year ago if I use bronzer, I would have answered with "No I actually never tried bronzers before!" - shock! Horror! But yes that's the truth I only "recently" discovered my love to bronzers and now it really is a love story! I can't tell you why I never used it before, why I never even thought about using it. But those times are gone and I'll never look back!

The product I'll introduce you to is MUA Mosaic Powder Natural Glow. I've talked about great MUA products before, like my post about their primer here, and this product is just as lovely!


I picked this product up back in september or october on one of my first ever trips to Superdrug and I've been using it pretty much everyday since then. And I'm also still on my first tin (even though I already hit pan and the lid is broken, as you can see!)


You have to swirl your brush around in the powder to fuse the different colour shades together. That was actually the main reason why I picked the Mosaic Powder - I had hoped for a great sun-kissed colour when swirled together! And that's what I got out of it! The shades blend together perfectly and go on your skin easily!


I also love how you can either go with just a very faint-looking bronze or build it up to a lovely sun-kissed bronze tone! And I also didn't have the problem of looking dirty or muddy, which can come with other bronzers.

I decided to go for the shade "Natural Glow" as I thought that the shade "Sunkissed Glow" would be too dark for me, and the "English Rose" shade too pinkish. And I feel I made a good choice with this!

The MUA Mosaic Powder is a great bronzer and for the price of £2,50 an absolute bargain! It's also a great product if you're just getting into bronzers and want to experiment! I will definitely repurchase this as soon as my current bronzer is finished!

Please let me know if you have ever tried this bronzer! And if not what's your go-to bronzer that I should definitely try?

Have a lovely sunday evening! And don't get sick from eating aaall the chocolate eggs ;)

xx Ann-Kathrin

Friday 18 April 2014

Thank You!

Hello lovelies!

I just wanted to upload a quick blog post saying a HUGE THANK YOU to you! Thanks to all of you gorgeous people following this blog, leaving comments and for just being here and so lovely!

When I started this blog back in November 2013 I would never have thought that anybody would be interested in my ramblings and opinions. But it's so lovely to see that there are some people that actually read my posts! I can't thank you enough for that!

Now I've been traveling around for the last two weeks and didn't have proper internet connection so I've missed the exact date when I hit 100 bloglovin followers! But I checked it today and now there's already 112 of you! You can't imagine how much this means to me!



I've already thought about doing a cheeky giveaway for when I hit my next milestone - keep your eyes peeled for that!

So I hope you'll continue reading and enjoying my content! Because I really enjoy writing for my little space on the internet :)

Hope you have a lovely evening and a great Easter weekend!

xx Ann-Kathrin

Also: are you already following me on bloglovin? ;)

Thursday 17 April 2014

MAC Cosmo Lipstick Review

Hello everybody!

As I mentioned in my March Favourites post I've got a product that I rediscovered in my make up stash that I'd love to review for you today! And the product I'm talking about is the MAC Cosmetics lipstick in "Cosmo"!



I got this lovely lipstick from a friend for last years christmas present and somehow I never reviewed it for you! Which is odd since I was soo excited and over the top to receive this! It is in fact my first ever MAC product! And nope you're not the only one shocked - my friend who gifted me with this was shocked as well! haha

First of all I need to say that there is some kind of satisfaction to own one of those sleek black lipsticks with the words MAC on them. Yes now I get it - finally! The packaging is beautiful and classy. No more to add to that!

So now on to the lipstick itself: it's a beautiful pink which looks much darker in the tub and swatched, than when applied to the lips. Once applied, I would describe it as a "my lips but better" pink shade!



please excuse my horrible dry hands!
here a slightly blurry instagram selfie with the lippie - but I swear without a filter :P

It has a amplified creme finish which I love as it's creamy, light and I feel it moisturizes my lips and doesn't leave them dried out! But as I've never owned any other MAC lipsticks I can't say if that's the case with all amplified creme finish lipsticks!

It also has a lovely taste and scent! I don't really like products that smell to "cosmeticy" (is that even a word? No.. well you know what I mean, hopefully!) but that's no problem with this one!

For me it's the perfect daytime lipstick as it's not too bright but still is a beautiful colour on your lips! It has become my go-to lipstick and is now a must-have in my bag (along with some other well-loved lip products!). And I think I'll re-purchase this lippie as soon as my current one is finished!

This lipstick retails for £15 on the MAC Cosmetics homepage!

I'd love to know what you think of this lipstick! What's your favourite MAC lipstick? And please tell me what finish you like most!

I hope you'll have a lovely thursday!


xx Ann-Kathrin

Sunday 13 April 2014

Have You Discovered…? - Powder



Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having a great sunday! It's time for another instalment in the Have You Discovered…? series! And the topic today is "Powder / Blotting Methods".

My product of choice for this topic is definitely not undiscovered but it's my favourite powder and I haven't seen many blog post praises about it lately! So let's bring it back: the Stay Matte Pressed Powder from Rimmel London!


thank god I found an old photo of this because the writing has come off by now!

I've bought the powder tin that I'm still using back in october after reading some rave reviews and heard some beauty gurus mention it in their youtube videos. The shade I use is "001 Transparent" and it was my first time using a transparent powder. Honestly I didn't know what to expect when I first purchased this but I've grown to love it after giving it a whirl!

I love the fact that it sets my foundation perfectly and I don't look cakey when it's applied. I find that a lot of coloured powders can make you look caked if you apply to much (yes I'm talking from own experience …sigh). This is a light powder that applies smoothly and hides any oiliness that might be on your face. It's supposed to give you a matte finish and that's exactly what it does!

On the tin it states that the powder will give you up to 5 hours natural shine control but honestly I rarely touch up because I feel it still looks fine after more than 5 hours (but maybe that's just my opinion). The powder also claims to help minimize the appearance of pores - which I can't tell because I don't think my pores "stand out" too much.

I've already hit pan with this powder and once I've used it all up, I will definitely be repurchasing it! It's a great product and for the price of £3.99 a great deal!

Have you tried the Stay Matte powder yourself? Or tell me what your favourite powder is!

xx Ann-Kathrin

Thursday 10 April 2014

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water Review

Hello everybody!

I know, I know you're probably already sick of reading about the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. But i really wanted to share my views on this "miracle water" - that's how I misread it first, but actually it's a great description.




A month ago I didn't think I would jump on the bandwagon and purchase this product. I felt like I didn't really need it in my life and that I could go without it just fine. But oh boy, I was so wrong!

I picked it up from Tescos at the beginning of last month (read my Beauty Haul here) for £3,99. The bottle contains 400ml which should give you 200 uses and I think that's a great deal for that amount of money.



With this product it takes me only 2 cotton wool wipes to take off my make up! Not only day time make up but also make up after a evening out, which might be a bit heavier to remove normally. You don't have to rub the cotton pad on your face at all, just swipe it across your eyes and the make up is (magically) gone.



It is gentle to my eyes and skin and doesn't irritate at all! I also like the fact that it doesn't have any smell to it. After using this cleansing water my face feels refresh and, well of course, clean!

This is the first cleansing water I've ever tried and I think it's a great product and I'm glad I gave it a go!

Please let me know if you have tried the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water yourself? Or do you like other Cleansing Waters better?

xx Ann-Kathrin

Sunday 6 April 2014

Have You Discovered…? - Concealer



Hello everybody!

I'm back with a sunday post in the Have You Discovered…? series! This time I'm talking about a great concealer!

I talked about this product in a previous blog post back in december. It's the Full Coverage Concealer by KIKO Cosmetics in the shade "02 Natural".



As I mentioned in my KIKO Haul my mum got this product for herself in the first place, but it turned out that she liked her usual well-loved concealer better, so she gave it to me. As for me, I really enjoy this concealer and I find myself using it all the time (alongside the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - but that's another story!).

Firstly the packaging: it comes in a little sleek black pot with a mirror in the lid - which I think is always great. Then on to the product itself: the concealer has a lightweight and creamy texture that applies easily whether you use a brush or your fingers. It conceals all my blemishes very well and also under-eye-circles are no problem. The product is also described as being non-greasy and easy to apply thanks to anti-thickness pigments. It's also perfect for oily skin.

The Full Coverage Concealer retails for £7,50 on their website which I think is a reasonable price for this product. I also feel like a little can go a long way. I've been using this product since december now and I still haven't hit pan and it looks like it won't be soon till it's finished! But when I finished it up I'll probably repurchase it.

That's everything I have for you today! A short "love letter" to this concealer but I hope you enjoyed it anyways!

Please let me know what your favourite concealer is! I'd also love to know what you think about KIKO Cosmetics - have you tried their products before and if so what's your favourite?

xx Ann-Kathrin

Thursday 3 April 2014

March Favourites

Hello lovelies!

Yes it's already the beginning of another month and, yep I'm about to say the probably most common phrase ever, I can't believe how quickly time is passing by! I still feel like the beginning of the new year was just a few days ago. But oh well… Let's get into my list of March Favourites!



The first thing I've been loving this month is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water that I picked up at the beginning of the month! But I won't say to much about this, as I've got a review of this product coming up for you ;)


Another product I really enjoyed (I'm actually still enjoying it as it's not empty yet!) is the Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Lotion from The Body Shop. I bought this back in december, but haven't used it up until now because I had to finish some other products first. It's such a lovely flowery scent which I think is perfect for spring. I also like the fact that it sinks into your skin quickly and leaves it super moisturized. I hate when I'm sticky and need to wait ages for lotions to sink in. So a big plus for that!



The Soap & Glory Flake Away Body scrub is the next product on my list. A delicious peachy sugary sweet smell combined with a great exfoliating scrub for dry skin. I've used it once or twice a week to get rid of dry skin (and also some fake tan). After using it in the shower I felt like it already moisturized my skin a bit - so it's definitely not drying out!



On my nails I've been loving the Barry M Silk Collection Nail Paint in the shade Pearl. It's a gorgeous white pearl shade with a sheen matte finish. I've been looking for a colour like this for a long time and that's why I've been wearing it nearly non-stop!

And a product I "rediscovered" in my make up stash is my "Cosmo" lipstick from MAC Cosmetics. I got this beauty as a christmas present from a friend and I actually have no idea how it ended up nearly forgotten in my make up box - never again! It's a lipstick with an amplified creme finish, a beautiful "your-lips-but-better" shade and therefor a great everyday lipstick! And also my very first ever MAC product - SHOCK! I might do a proper review on this one - would you like to see that?



Those are all my beauty favourites this month, not to many actually but these products stood out to me and that's why I wanted to mention them! Also: can you see a pink & white theme going on? haha

I also have some non-beauty related favourites for you:

First of I've got a book, or better a book series that I've been loving: Cassandra Clare's "City Of Bones" and "City of Ashes" from "The Mortal Instruments" series. It's a young-adult fantasy book series set in New York. The main character is 15-year old Clary Fray who finds out that she's not as ordinary as she thought she was. She actually is a descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, who battle against demons to keep the world save and protected. When her mother disappears she joins other Shadowhunters to find her and bring her back. She finds out that there's also a hidden world called Downworld where demons, vampires, warlocks, werewolfs and other creatures exist!

I know it's probably not everybody's taste but I'm really hooked on the books and already stocked up on the following books so I don't have to stop reading! At first I actually thought I wouldn't enjoy them, but I gave it a go and love them - so why don't you give them a read as well? They also made a film about it that I need to watch!



I also listed to one band (nearly excessively haha) this month, the band being "The Kooks"! My friend introduced me to their music at the beginning of the month and since then I've been listening to their albums. They're a band from Brighton, which got me even more excited, as I'm going to Brighton this weekend - eek! I've never been before and I'm really looking forward to it and I know The Kooks will definitely be on my car playlist!

Those are all my March Favourites wrapped up! I hope you enjoyed reading!

I'd love to know what some of your march favourites were! And do you have some music recommendations for me? I'd love to get into some new bands or artists! Please leave me a comment below!

xx Ann-Kathrin