is there a better place to go beauty shopping than London? I don't think so. it has department stores with alleys of beauty counters which sell the most luxury items, it has huge drugstores to get beauty on a budget and most likely, brands that I can only order online are available in person. whenever I start planning a trip to London, I start saving up too. there will always be some sort of beauty shopping and I do want to treat myself to something new or get a product I have been itching to try for ages. usually, I leave with my savings spent, my suitcase filled to the top, excited to try everything I have just bought. so it might be no surprise that I did some beauty shopping when I stayed in London at the beginning of may and I want to share everything in this post with you.
in with the new
one thing I was very excited about was the deciem stores in London. one is in Covent Garden and one near Shoreditch. the ordinary changed my skin and there's not one day I don't use one of their amazing products which means I had to pick up a few items. mainly favourites and one new item. I picked up a back up of the hyaluronic acid as its the best thing that ever happened to my skin. I also got the natural moisturizing factors and the organic rosehip seed oil. both of them I use daily. the new product I picked up is the AHA/BHA peeling. it looks very scary and doesn't smell good at all but my skin felt amazing when I used it for the first time.
in space nk I picked up a powder I wanted to get my hands on for ages and even though the brand itself is available here, the powder weirdly isn't. it's the famous Laura Mercier translucent setting powder. a very luxury product but an amazing one too and because I can't resist minis I picked up a mini hourglass ambient lighting powder.
by far the biggest damage was done in boots. I just can't resist uk drugstore beauty and boots or Superdrug sucks me in every time. I originally went in for the Isle of paradise tan. it has been all the hype lately and I wanted to get it for myself to give my very pasty legs some colour. I'm very fair and I don't tan very well and actually try to avoid direct sunlight most times so I went for the self-tanning drops for the face in light and self-tanning water in medium. I used both of them already and they are really lovely and super easy to use. I also picked up one of my favourites and I just wish it was available here. its the Liz Earle cleanse and polish and they had a limited edition with a different scent. I love how gentle it is when removing makeup and it leaves my skin clean but also silky soft. there was a 3 for 2 on soap & glory bodycare and I love soap & glory so much and actually wanted to stock up. so I went for the breakfast scrub, the rich and foamus shower gel and the smoothie star body lotion as well as the sugar crush body scrub, the sugar crush shower gel, and the sugar crush body lotion. I absolutely love the scent of both ranges and haven't got them in ages. I also went for a mini of the glam glow glowsetter setting spray as I wanted to try it for ages. another thing I wanted to try since my best friend loves them is the fleur de force lashes. I went for the fleur loves ones as she recommended them to me.
the last thing I bought is the urban decay all nighter setting spray which I bought at the airport. it's my favourite setting spray and I have recently run out.
so here we have a very big London beauty haul and I love every single item I bought. is there a favourite of yours in there? let me know what you think.
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there are many things in life I'm grateful for and one of them is living in Europe. you can catch a flight or even jump in your car and after a short while, you end up in a country that's so different from the one you came from. different languages, currencies and deep routing cultures and traditions. it opens your eyes and lets you breathe in something new and you are never too far from home. from the deep and green forrests of sweden with its deep and cold lakes sprinkled along and little wooden houses that just make you feel "lagom" to the white and windy beaches of denmark, townhouses in amsterdam and flower fields in the netherlands, the impressive and snow covered moutains in austria until you end up on a curvey street along the coast line of southern italy, seeing a sea so blue and hearing bugs buzzing along in olive trees or the always so effortless lifestyle in south of france where the sea has a certain shade of blue that I have never seen before. luckily, I have seen all the describes sceneries and many more with my own eyes, experiences different seasons in different European countries and would confidently say, I'm well traveled when it comes to Europe, thanks to my parents who took us and showed us whats around Germany.
there are many places, I feel comfortable and places I'm happy to go back to anytime but there are only a few that stole my heart and pull it so tight that I almost get homesick for them and sad when I have to leave. streets I wander so confidently like I wander the ones of my hometown and one of the places I feel most at home at is London.
even though my first visit was very long ago and is a faded memory of a school exchange, I only remember it being beautiful. after getting so drawn in by the UK beauty blogger and YouTuber scene a friend and I fly out for a day to just go shopping and after that, I got hooked and booked a flight and hotel multiple times of the year just so soak in the city and every time I leave my heart gets heavy and I try to work out when I can come back as soon as I board my flight home. maybe I'm supposed to live in London for good.
1. I speak the language
this might sound weird but one reason why I feel so good about being in London is that I speak English and I speak it well. I've always been interested in foreign languages and would certainly love to learn more but I feel like even though everyone in Scandinavia speaks English very well, you never really arrive until you speak Danish, Swedish or Norwegian. it makes me feel so easy and settles knowing I know how to articulate myself and I can ultimately be part of a community without the barrier of not speaking the native language.
2. it's a big city
coming from a big city myself, the dimension of London doesn't scare me. I'm used to all types of public transport, to the hustle and bustle and the hectic kind of rude that might come with living in a big city even though I find Londoners polite as one can be compared to some I've met in Berlin. a big city means you can explore, find different souls of the place at different places and dive into almost different worlds in one big place. it also means that the anonymity of a city makes you blend in and you can learn to adjust at your own speed. it can also mean loneliness but I have never felt that in a big city. if you like to compare a big city to a party, F. Scott Fitzgerald's quote fits it quite well: "I like big parties. they are so intimate. at small parties, there isn't any privacy.".
3. it's just beautiful
well, that does sound a bit off and probably anyone actually born and raised in London will roll their eyes. I know every city has its sketchy and probably pretty ugly spots but what I have seen from London, its just a beautiful, beautiful place. every corner I turn is photogenic. one reason why so many London bloggers have the prettiest blogs and feeds is probably that London has a pretty face. you can't resist the white townhouses and streets of cherry blossoms. the little streets filled with cafés and a possible insta shot at every corner. its a bloggers paradise and I want to live in it.
4. the opportunity
to be fair, I don't know where this blog will ever go. what I do know is that I certainly would love to take it full-time at some point in life, if I had the chance. being an English writing blogger from Germany makes me feel very isolated and almost left out. the market I work towards and the market I reach is not the one I'm living close to and that makes it hard for me. I met such lovely girls online and shooting the featured photos with Lucy made me realize how badly I want to be closer to other bloggers I love and to more opportunities for me to grow and brand myself as a blogger and London certainly would offer me just that.
my outfit
shirt: ASOS
jeans: Primark
bag: Zara
sunglasses: quay
maybe I'm looking at London in a very dreamy way and in a way only a person who has never lived there and experienced the truth of living there but I can't help and feel homesick for it. my heart wants to explode with happiness when I land there and that does mean something. I'm aware how costly it is to live there and I have no idea if I could actually afford it one day. the one thing I know is that London will probably always have a special place in my heart and I will always feel at home there. maybe one day it will actually be my home for a while.
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oh, it feels so good to be in the swing of things again. I don't know where my sudden lack of motivation and lack to keep up a work routine comes from but this week I managed to get out of it again and it feels just so good. I like being busy and productive and there certainly is nothing I love more than creating content and having my social media up to date. it has been a very good week indeed and I hope I can keep my motivation up this weekend as I have such a full on week ahead of me. luckily, it's a long weekend here which means a little more me and blog time than I would usually have.
what I did
this week was mainly spent in front of my laptop typing up posts and snapping photos for upcoming posts and to be fair, it was blissful. after the busiest weeks ever some home time was well deserved and needed. I felt like my ability to interact in a social context was running very low and only being surrounded by my cats and boyfriend seemed like the best idea. I did a spot of shopping on Thursday when I was waiting for my boyfriend to finish a meeting and I also purchased something very naughty...a vlogging camera and I even started vlogging. I couldn't be happier. vlogging has been my favourite thing since I gave it a proper go last October. so just expect loads of vlogs from me.
what I didn't do
see my friends during the week but I was just as introvert and anti-social as one could be. I had a birthday party coming up on Saturday and after a week all to myself, I was very much looking forward to being surrounded by amazing people and celebrating one of my best friends birthday and it was lovely.
what I ate
the highlight food wise of my week has been the food at my friends birthday. different kinds of salads, slices of bread and dips, potatoes, chicken, cakes and even macaroons. and I ate it all.
what I want to do next week
next week will be full on. work will get super busy as my boss is on holiday and I have to take over. hopefully, I can still manage to vlog a bit and I will make sure to keep my blog updated too.
one word to describe the past week
good
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there are some things in life that are just so hard to resist. it can be the last piece of cake waiting in the kitchen or a spontaneous glass of wine with your best friend. there also might be stores that you can't resist. maybe its TKmaxx or Zara but for me, it has to be lush. whenever I see one, I will have to go in. baths just mean ultimate relaxation to me and a well deserved zen time when the days just get too hectic and too full on. so today I was out waiting for my boyfriend to finish a very important meeting and I went into lush. I did not only go in, I left with a bag full of goodies which are all very lavender based. nothing relaxed me more and makes me sleep better than a lavender-infused bath so it shouldn't be a surprise that most of my favourite lush products are contain lavender and smell like it. like a French countryside dream.
south of France dreams
the first thing I popped into the little lush wicker basket was a big tub of sleepy body lotion. it's just so dreamy and soothing. not only is it so moisturizing and lovely on my skin. the mix of an oat infusion, lavender flowers and tonka beans just smells like heaven to me. it just is a pamper night in a tub. another lavender themed item is a limited edition bubble bar and its the baa bar. a little lavender scented sheep. it was part of the mothers day collection and when I first used it I got obsessed with it. it's basically sleepy in bubble bar form and it fills the tub with heaps of bubbles and turns the water into a soft lilac colour. it so calming and provides for the best night of sleep. there luckily is a lavender bubble bar in permanently and it's my fave. its a french kiss. lushs website describes it as a blissful bedtime and that's exactly what it is. its more herbal than sleepy since it contains rosemary and thyme oil so basically its the south of France in a bubble bar which after visiting myself, is a dream come true.
lush is probably known for its bright and glittery bath products but as this haul shows you, my favourites are always the very basic products and one of the bath bombs that looks so plain but is just so good for the skin is butterball. if I'm in need of a very big pamper session I will use a bubble bar and a butterball in one bath. scent wise it's probably my favourite. the rich and creamy cocoa butter scent makes it so relaxing and my skin feels super soft after. another firm favourite is the comforter bubble bar. its huge and I can get about four baths out of it. usually, I don't like black current smells of flavours but this just has such a deep non-artifcial fruity scent and to me, it's very relaxing and the bubbles it creates are the best.
so here we are with a very lavender lush haul which I couldn't resist. I hope you enjoy it and what are your favourite lush products?
so here we are with a very lavender lush haul which I couldn't resist. I hope you enjoy it and what are your favourite lush products?
❤︎
may just has to be one of my favourite months. its still spring but almost summer, loads of blooms and flowers everywhere and peonies come back in season. the first heat waves are hitting us but they just mean sun and warmer days and nights, not the very humid and just awfully sweaty heat waves we have in summer. may means accepting that summer is on its way and saying goodbye to spring which makes me quite sad sometimes as spring is one of my favourite seasons.
with the days getting longer and the weather gets better, its time to make plans for days off and the weekends. the past years, I tried to do my best to explore and take time to create memories that I will cherish on rainy autumn evenings and freezing winter days when going out sounds like the worst idea and the snuggly blanket and fuzzy slippers are your best friends. especially since I started printing photos and putting them into a scrapbook to look at for years to come and when spring, summer and the warm days seem ages away, a distant memory. so in today's post, I will share my summer bucket list with you.
1. go fruit picking
when I was a kid, my parents used to take me and my sister to fruit farms and fields almost every year. we picked everything from strawberries and cherries and took buckets of fresh fruit home and snacked our way through endless fields and farmland. I have been setting this goal for the past years and it never happened even though there's a field so close to us. this year, i will make it happen. I want to pick ripe and red strawberries and cook them into jam if it's too much to eat.
2. do a proper summer picnic
I always picture this so beautiful and dreamy. packing up food prepared with love into my basket, taking blankets, pillows and making my way out. I want to find the perfect spot surrounded by beautiful country side and i want to sit down, enjoy my food and take in a summers day. there are no time limits and no to-do lists. maybe I will take a book with me and just enjoy myself. I might be wrong with my expectations and just in case, I will take mosquito spray with me and make sure I wear something comfy and not too insta worthy but I think a summer's picnic will make the perfect day out without having to spend a fortune or travelling too far.
3. explore my surroundings
when it comes to planning trips, I always dream of destinations far away. white beaches and beautiful cities all over the globe but there really are so many hidden treasures around me. I'm lucky to live in Berlin which gives me heaps of places to explore but I'm not looking for urban destinations. I want to see all the little chocolate box villages, the open fields and many old ruins and castles or places that have been left to get back to nature. its all on my doorstep. I want to find places I have been to before like acres of cornflowers and poppies that we found on a joy ride to the countryside. sometimes the best spots are just a little drive away.
4. go for more swims
there are loads of lakes and rivers around me and when i was still living with my parents, I went for a swim daily and there's something so calming about diving into crystal clear water at golden hour. even when the water is still cold, it refreshes me so much and clears all foggy thoughts. I love to swim in lakes and just soaking in nature. last year I was so busy and law school took over my life and I only managed to go for a swim once so this year I have to make up for it. i already went for my first swim and it was heavenly.
outfit
Jumper: Zara
Jeans: ASOS
Boots: Zara
Glasses: Vintage
Watch: Franco Florenzi
Bangle: Franco Florenzi
Location
Marylebone, London
The wisteria is located on Dorset St. right at the corner of Manchester St.
Jeans: ASOS
Boots: Zara
Glasses: Vintage
Watch: Franco Florenzi
Bangle: Franco Florenzi
Location
Marylebone, London
The wisteria is located on Dorset St. right at the corner of Manchester St.
so here we have my bucket list for this summer. I might add a few things to it but I want to make sure to tick all the activities off. enjoying each season and creating memories is one of my main focuses this year. do you have anything on your bucket list? please let me know.
❤︎
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