Beauty Empties: May

Not having written an empties post last month I'm back with quite a lot of emptied stuff. Again it's a really mixed post which goes from hair care to makeup to perfume. It also contains products I started using years ago and others I only opened some months ago. And of course we're having yay and nay products, but read for yourselves:

New In: Shoes

If you read my "Sneakers Love" post you know how much I have been craving these Nike Free trainers! I think they look perfect for everyday life and the pastel purple is just such a pretty colour for spring and summer. In fact the price kept me from buying them for a long time but then I had to admit that they're perfect to take on holidays in order to have at least one pair of comfy shoes. I also hope that they will motivate me to work out more often, haha!

#youdidnoteatthat

Models in front of a huge bowl of pasta, actresses holding a takeaway burger and bloggers indulging with a pink, sugar-loaded donut - we all know these pics as Instagram is full of them. While some years ago everybody was glad to see that the beautiful people are just humans after all, we have a new trend going on lately. youdidnoteatthat is the name of a quite popular (almost 65.000 followers) Instagram account. And what is it about? You might already have guessed it: the anonymous owner of the account has made it her task to regram food pictures of skinny beauties, providing them with a sarcastic caption like "So excited to get paid by Magnum to hold this in my hand whilst staring vacantly into my iPhone in celebration of their 25th anniversary. And then promptly give it back to the publicist just off screen making this happen. #youdidnoteatthat" (under the picture of blogger Chiara Ferragni eating or not eating a Magnum ice cream).

Hema Wish List

Oh my goodness I am so in love with this shop! I think I could buy everything at Hema and as you can see my current wish list is a dream in blue and pink. Since the launch of the German online shop I wanted to place an order but when I tried to last week almost everything I wanted to get was sold out. Right now I'm happy about that because today Hema is offering 15% off on over 25.000 products! How could I possibly resist?

Spottster: Your Online Shopping Buddy

Online shopping is boon and bane of all fashionistas and shopaholics. Often we add an item to our virtual cart as soon as we spot it and totally forget about online shopping's biggest advantage: every item can be purchased for less, you just need to find the right time or the right shop. Now it may happen that we save an item for later, hoping that the price will soon be reduced, but then totally forget about it. If that has happened to you before but you still want to save money Spottster may become your new partner in online shopping. This web page allows you to save products and contacts you as soon as your dream piece has reached the price you actually want to pay for it or as soon as the price drops. At the same time you can arrange your favourite products in different lists so you have a nice overview of outfit ideas or season must haves. So far Spottster is collaborating with more than 1300 shops which aren't only fashion and beauty orientated but cover all spheres of life. Also Spottster is trying to bring in even more shops (you can submit your favourite ones). Now I quite like this whole concept and I was super flattered when I was contacted by Spottster and asked to become a fashion and beauty trendsetter on their web page and create a list of my personal must haves. At the moment my list is still quite humble but I can totally imagine using it for my "Monthly Must Haves" posts so I'll have all the products and links in one place and of course I will use Spottster before making a more expensive purchase.

Manic(ure) Monday: Summer Affair

Is there anything better than trying new beauty products for free? Lately the German perfumery Douglas has been looking for voluntary testers again and of course I raised my hand really high. Last week I got my parcel with three nail polishes and three lip glosses from Douglas' own brand Douglas Absolute. They have shortly released their new collection called Summer Affair. The nail polishes are available for 4,99€ (which I think is an adequate price) and the lip glosses are available for 7,99€ (which I think is highly overpriced as they're not worth the money). As suggested I'm not satisfied with the lip glosses which is why I don't think I'm gonna write a review about them (if you want one anyway tell me in the comments), but I quite liked the nail polishes and here is why:

My Week On Instagram

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Mary Kay Party

You surely all know these Tupperware parties where a saleslady comes to your house, shows you their newest products and urges you to buy some of them, right? Well such parties also exist for candles, jewellery and most importantly makeup and beauty products. On Thursday I was the host of a Mary Kay beauty party and I had invited three friends of mine (among them Julia and Carla, two fellow bloggers). In case you don't know the brand you should read my first post about Mary Kay, where I explained their sales strategy and where I reviewed some of their makeup products. So back to the party: on Thursday evening my friends and Heike, our consultant, came to my house and we started off with some personal chatting. Julia, Carla and I introduced Heike to the world of blogging, so she wouldn't be too overwhelmed by our constant photographing (she admitted that she never gave a party where the guests would take pictures of every single detail...). In the course of the evening Heike introduced us to various facial care products and had individual creams and cleansers for each of us (she had informed herself about our skin situation in advance so she would be able to give each of us the right consulting). We were all quite impressed by the one or the other product even though we all had some creams or scrubs we didn't like that much. Personally I really liked the texture of their face cream and the perfectly matching shade of their foundation. Mary Kay also sells a face brush which we all really enjoyed trying. In the end we all decided to reconsider the products so none of us has bought anything yet. Being the host however, I got two really lovely presents. For a start I got an invitation to a makeup workshop which I will definitely be attending and secondly I got a foundation primer, a product which quite impressed me at first use and which had never tried before. If you want a review about it just tell me in the comments. All in all it was a super funny and also insightful evening as Heike didn't only talk about the Mary Kay products but also about facial care in general. She was also super kind which is the reason why I will probably book another party with her these months. If you're interested in Mary Kay products or if you want to host your own beauty or makeup party you can find your nearest consultant here. And now enjoy the pics which are largely courtesy of Carla:

OOTD: MBFWA - Blogger Contest

Attending a Fashion Week is a long-cherished dream of mine. It's the goal of almost every fashion blogger to sit in the front row of the fashion show of a super known designer in Paris, London or Milan. For me it doesn't have to be the front row and it doesn't have to be Paris, London or Milan. What about Fashion Week in Amsterdam? Fashionchick is giving all German, Swiss and Austrian bloggers the chance to win a trip to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Amsterdam including the journey, a 4-star hotel, access to two fashion shows, two outfits and even more vouchers. Now if that ain't generous! Needless to say that I really want to win this contest! In fact all a blogger has to do to enter is to post a summer outfit which he or she would wear to MBFWA and explain how this outfit would attract people's attention. So here is my look:

Blogger Meetup at El Caballo

When I first started blogging I really didn't think about interacting with other bloggers in real life that much. It thought maybe it would be nice to have a blogger friend so we can take each other's outfit pics but that was about it. Never would I have guessed to find a whole blogger family here in Germany! On Monday we had yet another meetup and again I met new bloggers with interesting stories to share. We had decided to go to the Spanish restaurant El Caballo which was super exciting for me as I really like Spanish food but hardly ever get the occasion to have some. The restaurant had quite a lovely atmosphere even though we were about the only guests in there. I especially liked the beautiful tables which you will be able to see in my pics. Also we were served by the owner of the restaurant herself and she was just super lovely and friendly. She even gave us a free and super yummy fortified wine at the end of the evening. And now the most important part: the food. I had fried chicken wings as a starter and a salad with goat cheese as a main course. The chicken wings really were the best I ever had in my whole life and the salad was super yummy as well (I didn't like the honey they put on top but next time I would just order it without). Here is some food porn for you:

Cooking Made Easy: Guilt-Free Banana Ice Cream

Do you know when being on a diet sucks most? Right, when everybody else is having a yummy dessert and you can't. However most desserts can easily be made guilt-free, you just need to know how. I have tried it with an apple crumble, muffins (recipe) and cookies (recipe) before. Now it was time to make some healthy and low calorie ice cream for myself. It's not only super easy but you'll probably already have everything you need at home.

Manic(ure) Monday: p2 Satin Supreme

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen a picture showing a table full of nail polishes. It was shot at my local drugstore dm where you were invited to sit down and paint your nails for free with some lovely polishes and top coats. Of course I had to grab the chance and even though it felt quite strange to paint my nails in public I totally enjoyed trying nail polishes which I don't have at home. The only bad point: painting your nails right before doing your grocery shopping is a really bad idea so I had to go back for a second layer after I did my shopping. As you will be able to see in the pics below I went crazy for the new p2 Satin Supreme polishes. As the name suggests the polishes are meant to look like satin so they're softly gleaming which is just super lovely for spring. As I wanted to show you all of the shades I simply used all of them and came out with a cute pastel rainbow manicure. The only shade that wasn't available is the pistachio green called "Stay Polite!". So here is what the shades look like applied:

My Week On Instagram

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OOTD: All Blue Everything*

After weeks and weeks of rain it's finally sunny in Western Europe! For the next week we're expecting really summery temperatures so I'll finally be able to wear some new summer clothes! When it comes to today's outfit I must say that I really adore wearing the royal blue top and baby blue cardigan together. Blue is my favourite colour for summer outfits anyway so you can imagine how amazed I am by this top. WalG sells the so called Cami Top in quite a few colours and I seriously consider buying it in a few more shades. In fact it has everything that makes summer tops so adorable: spaghetti straps, layers, high-low cut and really light, transparent cloth.

Event: Fashion Flash

Yesterday I had a really great but also super busy day. With two other bloggers I had planned to go to the Fashion Flash in Bonn. I had never heard about this event before but it promised to be quite interesting. Basically it's an outlet event which means that the promoters travel from city to city and choose a location where they sell hundreds of pairs of shoes at up to 70% off. The manager of the event had furthermore called on all bloggers to get in contact with him to get an additional discount. So when Sara, Carla and I went there yesterday we were really curious how the event would be like. In fact the huge hall was quite empty which was of course good for us as we didn't have to grind out our favourite pair of shoes. The shoes where arranged by sizes so it was quite easy to see your choice.  In fact it was really funny trying on all these shoes (some of them really crazy ones!) and looking for the ultimate bargain. After about one hour we had all found our favourite pair(s) and went to the cash point. There the manager told us that we would get a 20% off blogger discount which of course made us really happy as it's super generous! So in the end I paid 15,92€ for some lovely summer boots that would normally have cost 34,95€. Nice, huh? In fact I was quite sad that I didn't find more shoes but then again I really don't need more shoes, haha! Sara and Carla found some really amazing pairs, too so if you want to see them you should keep an eye on their blogs these next days: Sara blogs at Schokoholic and Carla blogs at La Fripette. So here are a few impressions of the event, I only took pics with my phone as I wasn't sure if the event would be worth blogging about. But now that I found these cute boots I would definitely go back there when the event next takes place in Bonn.

Cooking Made Easy: Asparagus Gnocchi

Ingredients (serves 2):

400-500g gnocchi

500g green asparagus

10-15 cherry tomatoes

about 50 ml cream

20-30g Parmesan cheese

1 shallot

salt and pepper

some olive oil

fresh basil leaves

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie...*

... Red/Blue Polka Dot Bikini. Okay the original polka dot bikini from the song is yellow but red is much prettier anyway, don't you think? The last bikini I had bought was this Primark beauty which I have been wearing two seasons long so it was about time for a new one. I didn't have a special one in mind when I came across this super cute polka dot / striped bikini by S.Oliver. (How cool is it to have a bikini that is striped and polka dotted at the same time? And that also has my favourite colour combination for summer: red, blue and white?!) I ordered it via Sister Surprise, an online shop where you get underwear and beach fashion. In fact I had a hard time choosing between this bikini and a pretty hot ethnic look bandeau bikini. Which one would you have chosen?

Manic(ure) Monday: Golden Flowers

OMG I'm so in love with my nail art stick! The possibilities for super easy manicures are just endless! You get flowers that look super nice by just dabbing some dots on your nails! Gotta be a huge fan of that... In case you haven't already figured out here is how I proceeded: I started off using a base coat (the p2 one I listed above is really good as it dries quickly!). Then I used this lovely purple nail polish which is one of my all time favourites. I went over to using my nail art stick and dabbed 3 - 4 golden dots on each of my nails. As soon as the golden polish was dry I painted the flower petals with white nail polish. That's it (but don't forget the top coat).

My Week On Instagram

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OOTD: Embroidered Skirt*

As you can see I got another PR sample from my UK collaboration partners. It's this lovely embroidered skirt from Sugarhill. So far the cooperation with them has been my favourite but I will tell you more about that at the end of my UK cooperation test. Anyway the skirt is just a dream, honestly I can't remember having owned such a cute and above all versatile skirt before. I mean it's of course the perfect summer skirt with the lovely flowers and the thin cloth but then again as it's a jeans style cloth you can also wear it with black tights and thus make it the perfect transitional skirt. Also I love the fact that the flowers are green/yellow as it gave me the idea to pair this skirt with one of my favourite blouses and I must say that I love the colour combination! In fact I had not planned to wear the outfit with my purple boots though but the weather didn't allow me to wear my white flats. Oh and I had told you that the LYCD bag turned into my favourite bag as soon as I got it so you will probably see it in quite a few outfit posts these days.

What do you think? How would you pair this lovely skirt? I for one can't wait to wear it with a white top and cute sandals this summer...

5 For The Weekend: Savvy Fashionista DIYs

It's Friday again, time really rushes doesn't it? In case you don't have any plans for the weekend yet you should try one of these DIYs! I'm really intrigued by the jeweled sandals... Aren't they just too cute? Anyway I will be spending this weekend catching up with friends, going to a flea market and doing stuff for university. What about you? Will you give one of these DIYs a try?

1. Marni Jeweled Leather Sandals
Craving that latest pair of designer shoes but can't afford it? What about creating your own and way more unique pair?

10 Things About Food I Wish I Knew As A Teen

Food is a huge part of my life and so I thought it would be fun to share this post. I learnt a lot about healthy diets over the years and I also think I have a better relation to food than I used to have as a teen. If you want more posts like this you should check my "10 Things About Clothes I Wish I Knew As A Teen" and my "10 Things About Makeup I Wish I Knew As A Teen" posts.

OOTD: Palms in Spring*

If you saw my last outfit post you probably noticed that I'm doing sponsored posts again. I haven't been working with clothing brands for a while as I was highly disappointed by Asian wholesale stores (read my post about them here). Now I decided to give UK shops a try and I'm currently in contact with quite a few shops for sponsored posts. By the end of the month / the end of all cooperations I will make a review about how it was to cooperate with them and whether I appreciate their offers more than the Asian wholesale ones. Until then you will be able to enjoy a few more OOTD pics than usual, which shouldn't be too bad for you. As you can see I got both the shirt and the bag sponsored. The shirt from Fashion Union is not a piece that would normally have caught my attention but it was quite fun combining it with a black blazer and I can't wait to wear it in summer with white shorts or so. The bag from LYDC is just pure beauty and even though I've only had it for a few days it already turned into one of my favourite bags! The size is just perfect and the design is beyond cute, don't you think so?

Cooking Made Easy: Vegan Fruit Muffins

A muffin a day keeps the doctor away? With these muffins this slightly altered saying is finally true! 'Cause these fruit muffins contain no sugar, are low in calories, vegan and can easily be made gluten-free as well. No need to mention they're super yummy as well! I found the recipe on Popsugar and I really wanted to share it with all of you and also talk a bit about the baking process so your muffins will succeed right away.

Manic(ure) Monday: Confetti

As some of you might know I'm a huge fan of transparent manicures i.e. manicures with a clear base (other examples here or here). I think they look more sophisticated but also more playful than manicures with a white or coloured base for example. Today I decided to get a fun confetti manicure with flashy orange and pink (summer mood, anyone?). Doing dotted manicures is just so simple with the right tool (I'm using this one) and a little practise. Just remember not to put too much nail polish on your nail art stick.

My Week On Instagram

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OOTD: Feeling Overdressed*

I got this beautiful dress from ChiChi London and if you ask me the blue color is just a dream! Also this kind of lace application is quite trendy right now so I was really lucky to get the chance to have my own lace dress. The only thing that irritates me and that makes me feel highly overdressed are the two layers of tulle... Maybe I will have them removed professionally so the dress has a cleaner cut. Also it was the first time I had to do with ChiChi London and the shipping was just super quick and really surprised me!

Talking about the shoes you might remember them being from the blogger collection by Caroline Blomst. It's the first time I'm wearing them and so far they're really comfy!
Now what do you think about this look? Too overdressed and tulle-y or still okay?

5 For The Weekend: Awesome Girly Wallpapers

Since I bought my new MacBook I've been looking for a pretty wallpaper and also my iPhone likes to be all dressed up. A few days ago I stumbled upon Carrie's gorgeous "Bring me Sunshine" wallpapers for laptop, phone and tablet and I totally fell in love with them! Is there any better combination than pink spring flowers and a golden font? Probably not. Anyway if you're still looking for a nice wallpaper for your tech you shouldn't miss out on these 5 posts featuring free downloadable gorgeousness:

1. WishWishWish

Monthly Must Haves: May

1 H&M // 2 Deichmann // 3 H&M // 4 Primark // 5 Gina Tricot // 6 H&M // 7-10 Gina Tricot // 11 Topshop // 12 H&M // 13 Gina Tricot // 14 Birkenstock via Zalando // 15 Kurshuni via Lajoia // 16 Leaf Fine Jewelry Lajoia // 17 H&M

Aww, isn't all that stuff too pretty? I want all of it! I'm not sure if I should get the Birkenstocks because I have a pair but those silver ones are just too pretty! Also I'm still lusting after the Nike Free sneakers I had shown you... Which of both pairs do you think I should rather get? A new discovery of mine is the Lajoia jewellery, their shop is a real treasure chest for all jewellery lovers... Anyway, what is on your wish list this month?