day and night metallics

eyes: with a blending brush (the most underrated brush, i might add) i applied a matt medium brown to my upper lid. this brush makes it so easy to intensify the color in the crease to create super easy sculpting. starting at the inner edge of my eyes i drew gold with an eye liner pencil, along the top lashes. again staring at the inner crease i drew silver over my tear duct. the waterlines got some lovin' too... with a black kohl kajal. when i coated my lashes with mascara i made sure to not neglect the little hairs in the inner and outer corners.

lips: burts's bees replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil  and mac's lip pencil in vino. i caught myself doing this lip-look a lot lately, so guess what...... i bought some new lip products, that i will be reviewing for you.

for the evening this look got an update….. apart from refreshing my foundation and blush i added… a hair accessory (… a la joan)… a second coat of mascara… and lipstick in media

and then i went to dance my butt off ……somewhere in brooklyn.

have fun

karl …little things that make me smile

is this card not the greatest card ever? unfortunately the photo doesn't show that the sunglasses are plastic tied onto karl's face. (i lifted them and peaked underneath ... he has no eyes. ...incase you were wondering)

 

my wonderful sister sent it to me for my ny-birthday. not only does this card makes me smile, but also the lovely words my sis wrote inside.

 

 

my nail color (a dark-dark-green) is sephora by opi in dark room, with a matt top coat.

 

 

send someone you love a card and make them smile!

soiree

i finally used my new bare escentuals, bare minerals eye shadow, i got for christmas (thx j!), soiree. (ok, i haaave used it before (of course. i wouldn't be able to wait this long to try new make-up) but i just haven't told you about it yet... sorry) anyway, it is totally friends with my new hair color. don't you think? 

what i love about the bare minerals eye shadows is that you apply one color, that is just so insanely sparkly/shimmery, that it always looks like you spent waaay more time, layering colors and blending and all that jazz, than you actually did. oh the tricks, the tricks.....

for this look i really only used soiree, a bit of gold eyeliner on the inner corners, and mac's plumage along the roots of my lashes. et voilà!

i tinted my lips with benetint by benefit
 

mid-week quote

amen sista!

 



5 dollar happiness

so here is finally a picture of my new hair color. i know you have been dying to see it ....unless of course, you follow me on instagram, in which case you can call me out on being totally behind on my posts. and i know, super-professional-blogger style instagram-selfie.... but it kind of goes with my super-professional-die-job... in my bathroom with hair-die for $5.29. yes ladies fiiive dollars. i used ion color brilliance brights semi-permanent hair color. 

...not too shabby, hu? it was more or less spontaneous. i did my roots first and then the ends to get a subtle baby-ombre. ok i did have to scrub the entire bathtub after wards (which was kinda suuuper annoying), because it looked like a certain scene... from a certain movie... called psycho.
 

anyway, i love it. so there. not that easy to find thaaat much happiness... with only 5 bucks. 
well, 5 bagels are pretty awesome… or a matcha green tea latte from doughnut plant (yes, i aaam able to go in and not(!) buy a doughnut. sounds like no big deal? i dare you to try it.)… and of course a guaco taco form brooklyn taco.  
yes yes, those are 5 dollars well spent.

in the picture you can see my friend emerald and i, freezing our butts off. 

i am wearing escada sunglasses and a self-knit scarf.

my big ring is from my special jewelry-lady ching, the spike (my favorite) is lady grey (from the helmut lang store) and the green one is a flea-market- find.

 

what do you spend 5 dollars/euros/punds on, that makes you really happy? because lets not forget my (and therefor (in my mind) also yours. jk.) new years resolution! to smile more!

joan….. ain't gonna stop me from trying

if you follow my pinterest board, bad-ass... beauty you might have noticed that one of my never-ending-girl-crushes is angeline jolie. she is (in my eyes (well, anything on this blog of mine is "in my eyes" i guess…)) so drop-dead-gordgeous…. and so bad-ass.

i think one of the (few) reasons i like her so much, is the role she played in the movie playing by heart (from 1998). her character, joan, has been an inspiration, since the first time i watched this movie. (it was my favorite movie for a while… watched it almost every day for a while. i would say about junior year of high school... which lead to me being able to (to this day) recite pretty much every line…) 

anyway, she is…… hard to describe. any kind of generic word that is coming to my mind right now doesn't quite do her justice…. i guess you just have to see it for yourself. i caaan tell you that she is a hopeless-romantic… all about finding/believing in love and stuff (which is not exactly how i (or anyone who knows me) would describe myself. and not generally a quality i long to have….). but i love her for her for being a…. character ….her crazy outfits and some ridiculous (in the most positive sense of the word) monologues, that i have definitely quoted when the occasion arose.

to give you some examples: 

"i don't know… he might be right. but it ain't going to stop me from trying"

"the least i can do, for taking your last quarter, is letting you buy me a drink" (don't use this one (anymore), though. 'cus i don't let men buy me drinks. incase you were wondering…)

"why don't you do the world a big fat fucking favor and crawl back into your mothers womb."(a little hostile, i admit, but… come one… a goooood quote, that haaas come in handy… not gonna lie)

having said that… she is my muse (for now). starting with the red hair….

so, have fun and check out playing by heart.

i would love to hear if a movie character has inspired you, and how.

platinum tease

a little teaser of rachel's new hair color....

 

 

photo by me

three-ply

my skin has been suuuuper bad lately…. redness and breakouts and all that bad stuff that kind of makes me think i am 13 again. …..uuuuuh. but(!) ladies, luckily we have the privilege of…. cheating. 

for this evening look (with a version of a smokey eye and nude lips) i really wanted beautiful skin ...without looking like i am wearing a thick cake-y mask. as appose to using heavy concealers and foundations to completely cover my skin i like layering light products that all allow my skin to shine through. (these are all products that i have told you about before, but in this combination they are pretty much... freakin' amazing) 

mac, prep + prime skin

mac, face and body foundation

bare escentuals, bare minerals, original foundation

have fuuun, ladies!

black line

the look: plain and simple… no color. the only focus is a black line on my top lash row. 

skin: when i do minimal make-up (like this) i make sure to have as flawless skin as possible ('cus there is no sparkly eye shadow or bold lips to distract from imperfections). to start out with an even base i used victorias secret's, vs pro, airbrush fx illuminating primer. (i had a sample of it) it did the job but has a very pink tone ....too pink for my skin. around my nose and forhead i worked mac, face and body foundation and for the final layer i brushed on bare escentuals, bare minerals, original foundation. this product also has amazing air brush abilities on it's own, while also adding a beautiful heathy glow. as far as blush goes, i used sensual pink from the benefit's 10 bronzing and highlighting duo, on the apples of my cheeks. and for extra glow i added mac, mineralize skinfinsh, in soft and gentle on the highest part of my cheekbones, and lightly down the bridge of my nose.

brows: i didn't use color on my brows… i only controled them with eyebrow gel. (i recently had them threaded, which is why they still look groomed even if i don't fill them in)

eyes: the no-color eyeshadow was mac, brule, that i dusted on my entire top lid and along the bottom rim of my eyes. i created the subtle sculpting by also placing mac's, mineralize skinfinish on the centre of my movable lid. and of course… black liquid eye liner along the top lash row, followed by mascara.

lips: for non-color lips i used revlon, just bitten, lipstain+ balm in instinct with a random tinted lip balm.


have fun, ladies!

quick reminder

just a quick reminder that the next summer will(!) come. ……..right?

summer of 2009, lago di garda, italy in vintage dress

summer of 2012, wolfgangsee, austria… workin' my escada sport straw hat and tom ford sunglasses

(they are kind of the more modest (but equally as fabulous) version of the ones i bought last fall)

summer of 2013, rockaway beach, new york ...with my flea market sunnies and that ach-so-perfect-beach-hair

because i am sick of looking like this......

my escada sport coat and self-knit scarf are keeping me warm…… but, smudged make-up, wet hair and  crooked glasses just ain't cute….

but whatever the weather… don't let it stop you from having a fuuuun friday night!

mid-week quote

i have been feeling a little down lately ….let's blame it on the weather.

 

hmmmm, is it maybe time to dye my hair? (yes, this is meant to be a teaser)

 

what do you do when you are feeling blue?

spice it up

sometimes we get in to a rut….. with our outfits, our hair styles or make-up looks.

to spice up one of my classic soft-greyish-brown eye make-up looks, (that you might have seen here or here.) i added a line of shimmering green to my top lash row, and gold to the bottom waterline and lid.

(sorry, the pictures don't really show it too well….)

so. take one of your favorite looks and just add a little something new. 

a new pair of tights with your favorite dress…

some little accessories in your hair…

or

an new spice in your default dinner….

and have fun!

eye liner… lip liner…...

eyes: i covered both lids with bare essentials  bare minerals eye color in vanilla sugar. along the crease i drew a band with a pink eye shadow that has a frosted finish. i recently bought this drug store, liquid eye liner that looks like a very pointy marker. i like it becasue it is very easy to control and has good coverage. that is what i used to pull the cat-eye line. with an angled brush and black eye shadow i defused it into my lashes. on the bottom lid i used my current favorite little add-on.... a silver eye liner pencil.

lips: after moisturizing my lips with burt's bees lip balm with pomegranate oil that has as very light tint to it, i drew in my lips with mac's lip pencil in vino. this way my lips got a nice darkish coloring without being completely covered in an opaque color.


have fun!

polar vortex shmortex

 

 

all pictures of new york's polar vortex ... taken by me

soooo sunday

so. first off i have to say that i do not consider myself a fan of kirsten stuart.... not really a fan of the whole twilight-thing (even though i did see some of them)... and not really a fan of her i-am-actually-to-cool-and-real-for-this-stardom-shit attitude. having said that... i did enjoy reading an article on her, on into the gloss.

i had to smile to myself when i read about how she doesn't take her mascara or eyeliner off at night "because it looks good the next day". and honestly.... i know exactly what she means. (i know i know you should aaaaalways take your make-up off at night) but(!) the real funny part, about reading that is that i kind of (mor or less) subconsciously faked exactly that look, for a sunday brunch with my friend.

it was that time.. sunday noon-ish... in new york. where every cute/neighbourhood/healthy/downtown brunch place is over flowing with efortlessly cool/naturaly beautiful/(potentionally hungover) ladies and gents. in my case, i was meeting my friend rachel at the butcher's daughter. and the morning-after-make-up look (kirsten was talking about) could not have been more appropriate necessary.

skin: tinted moisturizer and my default blush....golden gate by bare escentuals.

brows: i brushed them upward with clear brow gel.

eyes: the only eyeshadow i used was a mac's coppering... mainly at the roots of my lashes and fading out towards the crease. the roots also got deepened with black kohl eyeliner. and now the simple trick to get instant fake yesterdays-make-up... vaseline. don't go crazy with it because, by the time you ordere your french toast/acai bowl/poached eggs/granola, it will do more damage than you would think at first. just dab a little of it on your crease and browbone and it will make it's way over the lid to cause that lovely creasing, that you would actually neeeever want (and will never get if you use my beauty secret... artdeco eyeshadow base). then of course mascara.... a couple of strokes shy of clumpy lashes.

lips: ok with my lips i did not do the yesterdays-make-up thaaang. (even though stila's liquid lipstick would totally survive the night, despite pillows and drool). but this color, aria is just so cool and easy.


so ladies, have fun and then... take your make-up off. your skin and pillowcases will thank you.

it's my first biiiiirthdaaaay

today i am celebrating my birthday. my ny-birthday that is. people keep on telling me that it is called "anniversary". but no, i meeean birthday. one year ago my ny-self was born. stepping off the plane was like emerging from the womb. to descriptive? aaaanyway, after one year some things changed.... i don't do certain things any more, that i might have done before/in the beginning of living here.

here are some examples....

 

i don't... leave the house on time… what should i say, new york took my punctuality….

 

i don't... role my eyes when i hear "juice cleanse". ...... the girls at juice press on rivington are my buddies and i even have a membership.

i don't... think i can survive without an air conditioner in my room. i still hear myself saying "i'll try without" ......yeah no.

 

i don't... wear heals. this really surprises me. because of course, before moving to new york, you think to yourself "uuuh, i'm going to be so fabulous and all sex-and-the-city styled up." weeeell somehow i heardly ever wear heals now. in munich i was known for aaaalways wearing heals. generally i have gotten more minimal with my outfits and make-up. ….which takes me to the next point.

i don't... have… time. i am absolutely convinced that time passes faster, here in new york. (still trying to figure out a way to prove that scientifically). but that must be the reason why i, for example, don't have time to take lunch breaks... do crazy hair-styles... or re-do my entire make-up, before going out at night.

i don't... give people, asking for "a little help" on the subway, money (like i would in my first months). performers… totally different story. especially the break dancers who hang from the subway bars. they are just incredible!

 

i don't... suggest meeting anyone before noon, on the weekend.

i don't... stop to take pictures of film crews, on the street. living in the lower east side and working in the meatpacking district, it is a rarity to not trip over thick black cables that cross the sidewalk. I will however keep my eyes open for celebs. come on, everyone loves a celeb-sighting.

i don't... do my own nails. i used to polish my nails pretty much every second day. but no need for that, since i got my long fabulously-tacky nails. i thought i would miss it.... but i really don't.

 

i don't... have a question mark on my face, when the bartender asks me "keep it open?"

i don't... really have the urge to go to soho, if i don't really have to... and to think that I used to want to live there.....

i don't... think of walking somewhere for 20 minutes to be "far".

i don't... consider ordering a car service, for trips from and to the airport, a total luxury. that, i blame on the lack of escalators in the subway stations.

 

i don't... assume that when i hear "lets hang out on sunday", that i will aaaactually see that person on sunday.

 

i don't... think that i need to make a reservation for the movies.

 

 

but even though i have grown... adapted... and evolved there are some things that I will always

always do....

 

i will always... find it inacceptable when people come late to yoga class or leave early. that's just not how i was raised as a yogi (by angela in the turnraum, in munich).

i will always...smile when i see the crysler building (my favorite sky scraper).

i will always... enjoy the cazies in the streets or the subways, yelling the most random things to themselves, or whoever is around... or whoever they are imagining. it's just so new york….

i will always... miss my family.

i will always... love the fact that i can buy a watermelon at 10 o'clock at night.

i will always.... use celcius. sorry but farenheit is just dumb ....and so are inches/feet.

i will always... sigh at how americans pronounce me name….

i will always... cringe at the excessive and unnecessary over-use of plastic bags. (two plastic bags for a box of tampons? really?)... and plastic things in general (straws, paper cups, delivery food...)

 

 

so that's that.

oh! and i will always love new york. duuuh.

how have you changed in the last year?

oh housewife.......

i was contemplating not mentioning the muse who inspired this look.... but y not? y not tell you that i totally watch the real housewives of atlanta? watching this show has the same effect on me as watching rupaul's drag race ....it makes me think to myself: "now that(!) is a lot of make-up......". i also think cynthia is a beautiful woman (especially in her reunion-look.... damn!) and one of her make-up looks in the new season inspired todays make-up. you can find inspiration anywhere...  aaaanywhere… 

shin: foundation, powder and natural blush for flawless matt skin ...without any crazy sculpting (like cynthia actually would...)

brows: i filled them in and enhanced them a bit, without creating hard lines, since this look already has enough going on with the eyes and lips...

eyes: the first layer of my eye shadow is mac's parfait amour. on the center of the movable lid i dabbed a silver loose-powder with my fingers, before rimming my eyes with sephora's shimmering violet eye shadow pen. the finishing touches were silver highlights on the inner corners, with a (random drugstore) eyeliner ...and (of course) mascara.

lips: this is the first time using my new bite beauty, high pigment pencil in bramble. i bought it because it has this perfect deep cherry color and a nice... juicy finish. in fact this is my first product from bite beauty. i was happy to hear that it is the most natural/organic line sephora carries. and i like that the pen has the screw mecanism and won't need to be sharpened. unfortunately, i wasn't too impressed with the lip-life (shelf-life on the lipes. get it?), but that is the price you pay for that beautifully-hydrated look. like when using a lipstick, i had to prep my lips with foundation, powder and lip liner (i used mac's vino), to keep the color from creasing at the edge. 

have fun with finding inspiration in unconventional places!

innovation… beauty secret

let me start this post off ith a little story...

one of my best friends, anna came to visit me in new york, a couple of weeks ago. and of course we had an amazing time! our days were filled with an endless amount of good-old-girly-shit.  and to make a long story short…. one of the effects that had, was her suitcase (very likely) being overweight. (but really, the weight limits nowadays are pretty much impossible…). well, she decided to leave all her shampoo, etc at my place. one of the products she left was nivea's in-dusch körperlotion. 

so i used it. and i have to say…. i love it!

i was skeptical (how on earth can that work?) ...but i was proven wrong. and for being someone who really does't usually use body lotion (it makes my clothes greasy…. gets stuck under my rings… and is just not a priority, in my beauty-routine. but let me tell you… not moisturizing during the dry-new-york-winter is really not an option) i am thankful for it and might actually be addicted. (thank god for the price!). it saves sooo much time, doesn't leave any greasy-ness, but super spoft moisturized skin. need any more reasons? …i don't think so.

the only problem…. nivea doesn't sell it in the us... yet.
aaaaah, another product i have to buy in bulk when i am in munich. along with my eyeshadow base and mascara (i know… i already promised you a post on that)