Healthy Sunbathing with Sunscreen

Spring has finally arrived in Germany and I think most countries enjoy some warmer days already. Since the beginning of spring is usually the start of sunbathing and so many people want to get the perfect tan as fast as possible, I thought it would be time to set the focus on sunscreen, to enjoy the tanning process on a healthier way.

I hope by now, you have heard already that the exposure to sun can be damaging to your skin. Sunburn is the most popular form of damage, but too much exposure to the sun can also lead to faster skin ageing (wrinkles) and skin cancer.

Too avoid all this, there are different things you can do.
Alone the wearing of clothes means protection from the sun to certain degrees. But, who wants to wear long sleeve shirts and jeans at the beach?
Another option is to stay in the shadow and not directly in the sun. I think most people don’t want to take a parasol with them and trees to lie under are very rare to find at the beach.
That leads to the only save option, the sunscreen, which you can find in various forms as lotions or sprays. That sounds easy, right? Just apply some cream and be good for the rest of the day. But there is more to know and it all starts with your skintype.
First compare your skin to the ones described in the 6 different categories below:

The Celtic Type

-very fair skin (almost no pigmentation)
-red or light-blonde hair
-green, blue or light-grey eyes
-freckels
=> Self-Protection Time: 10 min

The Nordic Type
-fair skin
-blonde or light-brown hair
-blue, green or grey eyes
-often freckles
=> Self-Protection Time: 10-20 min

The Mixed Type
-medium skintone
-dark or light-brown hair (very rarely light-blond or black)
-every eye color possible
-occasionaly freckles
=> Self-Protection Time: 20-30 min

The Mediterranean Type

-brownish or olive skintone (even if not tanned)
-brown eyes
-brown or black hair
-no freckles
=>Self-Protection Time: 30 min

Dark Skintype

-dark skintone often with greyish undertone
-dark eyes
-black hair
-no freckles
=> Self-Protection Time: 60 min

Black Skintype

-darkbrown or black skintone
-black eyes
-black hair
-no freckles
=> Self-Protection Time: Over 90 min

Now that you know in which category you belong, take a look at the Self-Protection Time at the bottom of your category. Naturally, your skin has an own level of protection against the influences of sun. That means,  you can stay in the direct sun without getting burned, as long as you stay in the time frame of your Self-Protection Factor/Time.

We are going to work with this value in a moment.

The next important step is to determine what ‘Sun-Protection-Factor’ (SPF) your sunscreen should have.

In general you can say,  the higher your Self-Protection Time, the less SPF needs to be included in your sunscreen. But this is just a minimum, you can always use a higher SPF.
Here is an example: If you are a ‘Nordic Type’ you should use SPF 20-25. A ‘Mixed Type’ should use minimum SPF 15, but if you are a ‘Black Skintype’ you’ll only need a minimum of SPF 4.

A false interpretation is to think, once you have your sunscreen on you can stay in the sun all day, if you just regularly reapply the cream. That’s wrong! There is a maximum time you can stay in the sun and be protected, which is lower/shorter than you might think.

If you’ve determined your skintype and you know the SPF of your sunscreen of choice,  you can easily calculate how long you can safely stay in the sun.

Self-Protection Time x SPF = Maximum time per day

 Let’s assume again, you are a ‘Nordic Type’ and apply a sunscreen with SPF 8, we come to the following conclusion:

20 min x SPF 8 = 160 min

I hope this was helpful and you feel more secure from now on during your relaxation in the sun.

Happy Sunbathing :-)

Becca - Velveteen Eye Palette

I was very surprised when I've found this palette in one of my 'Glossybox' a couple of month ago. Through previous videos I had seen, I knew I wanted to try something from this brand, but was not interested in paying such a huge price, so I decided to skip an entry on my wishlist.
I was one of the lucky girls who got this palette, which by the time, I had already forgotten about and was really happy to hold it in my hands.

After the first swatches out of excitement, I loved the shades and wanted to try a makeup immedeately. I got to the point where I've tried all the shades except for 'Barbarelly', which is a matte black. So far I was really happy about the colours and their quality, but that quickly changed once 'Barbarelly' was on my brush.
Somehow this shade is just not working, the colour pay off is little to not noticable and an evenly looking application is not possible. After that first unsuccessful trial I decided to try it again with a tiny amount of water and use it as a cake liner, it certainly worked better than the dry application, but it still was not at all a good result.
I don't know what exactly this shade is meant for, but the consistency is so dry and densely pressed into the pot, that the idea of an cake liner is the only ourpose I could think of.
I stopped thinking about this black shade and just used the other colours, which are really nice neutral colors, even though they have the tendancy to create some fall off.

Now, let me show you the colors in detail...

Becca - Velveteen Eye Palette
ORGANZA

Becca - Velveteen Eye Palette
LUREX

Becca - Velveteen Eye Palette
CHINTZ

Becca - Velveteen Eye Palette
SHANTUNG

Becca - Velveteen Eye Palette
BARBARELLA



For a neutral makeup I actually really like to use the colors in this palette, but honestly I don't think that I would repurchase this one, or think about getting an addition palette with different shades. The colours are nice to work with, but still I find this palette too pricey.

Let me know what you think about the quality, if you already own it. I'm really interested in hearing what your experiences were with 'Barbarella'.

I'm back with my Top 10 Beauty Products

I’m back from my long YouTube/Blog-Break and I want to get started again with all the Beauty-Talk I’ve missed so much. To find back in the flow I thought it would be appropriate to tell you something about my favorite beauty products. This post is about my ultimate favorites of the last year. To be more precisely: It’s my Top 10. With these products I’ve spend a lot of time in the morning to get ready or before I was going out to a party.

On YouTube you can also see a video with me talking about my favs (*click*).

Here they are:

Cetaphil-Moisturizer

Cetaphil Moisturizer

Even though the packaging is not one of my favorites the subject matter sure is. I have neurodermatitis since I’m little, it got less troubling over the years, but still I have to deal with it. Rosacea is a rather new condition my skin is showing in addition to my generally sensitive skin. All those parameters make it necessary to carefully pick products I want to apply to my face. This thick cream was probably one of the best choices I made beauty-wise. Since the very first application my skin was happy with the moisturizer and never showed any type of irritation or allergy and the dryness is under control. If my skin is in urgent need for whatever reason, I know this is going to calm the itching and alike.


Laura Mercier-Hydrating Primer

Laura Mercier-Hydrating Primer

A year ago I knew nothing about primers, except of you apply them prior to your foundation and supposable make the foundation last longer. This information was not enough to create a level of interest, making me think I need to try one. I have to thank the nice Sephora Girl from Times Square in NY (I think Stephanie was her name) for literally throwing the little sample pot of the Hydrating Primer in my shopping basket. She knew I would love it and she was right. It makes my skin feel so good, I’m talking about soft, smooth and moist and that feeling lasts all day long. Even on my foundation free days I still like to apply the primer, since it diminishes my redness already a tiny bit. In combination with the foundation it makes my skin look nicely dewy and even.
I really don’t want to miss my primer again and I will always reserve a space for it in my makeup bag.


Laura Mercier-Moisturizing Foundation

Laura Mercier-Moisturizing Foundation

For the first couple of weeks if not month, I’ve used this foundation without the mentioned primer and was already in love with it. That’s why I know it’s not just the primer making me think that this is my personal ‘Holy Grale’ product. The chronic dryness of my skin often causes cakey areas once most of the foundations are on. If the dryness is not the problem then the redness usually is. The redness on my cheeks, chin and nose is another challenge, which requires high coverage.
My previous foundations were able to handle just one of my problems and often made me breakout in addition.
This foundation has changed my life, even if it sounds dramatic it is nothing but the truth. Dryness is not a matter anymore, the redness is mostly covered (as long as it is not one of those bad skin days) and I’ve never discovered any allergy or irritation so far.


OPI Nailpolish- Alter Ego

OPI Nailpolish in 'Alter Ego'

Those nailpolishes are popular enough, so that I can leave out the quality aspect. I’m concentrating on this one particular shade called Alter Ego. This is the perfect neutral everyday color for every nail event. It adds color to your fingers, without being too intense in any way. Actually I do prefer opaque polishes, however this is not one of those, probably that is the reason why I do apply two coats on each nail.
I’ve experienced that this combination of a babypink-beige color matches every outfit and every occasion as well, without being just a boring understatement. This clearly has been my most worn color of the last year.


Bobbi Brown-Bronzing Powder

Bobbi Brown-Bronzing Powder in 'Golden Light'

This bronzer is available in various shades and this is one of the reason why I’m so happy with it. Most of the bronzers are way too dark to get along with my fair skin, without creating an embarrassing fake tan effect. My shade of choice is ‘Golden Light’, which is the lightest shade, but exactly right for me.
Another reason for making this one of my favorites is the absence of glitter/shimmer. If you are going for the holiday bronzed look ala J.Lo this is not what you will achieve with this bronzer. I prefer to use bronzer to add some contours to my face and somehow make it appear a little slimmer and that purpose requires a matte shade rather than a glowy powder.


Clinique-Lash Doubling Mascara

Clinique-Lash Doubling Mascara

This is my favorite mascara for many years already! No matter how often I try a new one, they never fascinate me enough to make me stop using the ‘Lash Doubling Mascara’. I do like to add some volume to my lashes to make them look fuller, which works great with this mascara. As an extra bonus I can add some length to my lashes as well, which is something you can’t be sad about. My lashes are nicely separated and curled and will stay this way through the entire day. For those of you (and me) with sensitive eyes, this is an “irritation free” mascara, not causing any redness.


Clinique-High Impact Lipstick in Pink Style

Clinique-High Impact Lipstick in 'Pink Style'
(this color looks less red in reality)

Again, this is something for an easy everyday look, where you don’t want to experiment much, but still want to look nicely made up. I was searching for such an allrounder for a long time and concentrated on the drugstore variety, which wasn’t too successful. I ended up getting this pricier version, because it was exactly what I was searching for. It’s one of those safe colors, matching every eye makeup or outfit you’ve put together.
There is another reason why this is a special lipstick to me. Have you noticed the packaging? I feel very feminine every time I’m putting it on since it looks so elegant, like it jumped out of an old classic movie with Liz Taylor.
Another important fact: Of all the lipsticks I’ve tried this one is lasting the longest on my lips, but is not drying at all.


Mac Eyesahdow-Carbon

MAC Eyesahdow in 'Carbon'

One of the “Must Haves” in a makeup collection in my opinion is this eyeshadow. You just need to have a matte black eyeshadow and this by far is the best. I use it on a daily basis instead of an eyeliner to do the tidelining technique along my lashline. I prefer this black over all the others I’ve tried before, because it actually looks black once applied and not just like a really dark grey, it’s not creating any fall off problems and it is easier to blend than usual black eyeshadows.


Mac-Liquid Cool Powder in Honey Rose

MAC-Liquid Cool Powder in 'Honey Rose'

A highlighter is probably not something you necessarily need to have, but if you want one it’s important to find the right one, which I did. Highlighter for the eyes is a rather easy thing to look for, but to find one for your cheekbones can be difficult. The problem that I was regularly facing, was looking like a glitterball, because the highlighter decided to move all over my face and not just stay put on my cheekbones. This loose powder is completely different, probably because it actually works like a cream. Don’t get confused it is a powder, but the name tells you that it is a special formulated powder. It feels cool and moist on the skin and is easy to blend to get a nice sunkissed glow.


Urban Decay-Naked Palette

Urban Decay-Naked Palette

This is something you are seeing everywhere, but for a good reason and since you probably own this palette too, I can keep this part short.

I love it!

I’ve used this palette probably on 300 days of the last year, since the included colors are so easy to work with and the possible combinations are endless. My favorite and most used colors are Virgin, Naked, Buck and Toasted.

Looking back at my ‘Beauty Developments’ I would consider 2011 as a successful year and I hope 2012 continues the same way.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and liked the products.

Let me know what your favorites were?

Have a nice day, Beauties.

"Back 2 School" - Outfits (from Forever21)

In combination with my recent "Back 2 School"-Makeup Tutorial (*click*) I wanted to show you some nice outfits, which are going to make your beginning of the next school session much more fun.

I know that there is the possibility of some regulations set by your school/college. I can't know about all of them, since this varies from school to school and country to country. Never the less, I think I have a good idea what is wearable for school. Keep in mind, even if you are not bound to specific uniform-regulations, there are a couple of things I would call inappropriate for a school outfit.

Before I show you my outfit-ideas I want to state a few things, which were important to me, while creating those outfits.

- You need to feel comfortable in it. You are wearing your school outfit for the most part of the entire day. You don't want to deal with annoying readjustments on your clothes.
- I wanted to create otfits, which are fashionable, but not too outstanding. You want to wear them to school and not on the runway.
- I think wearing different layers is helpful, because the weather/temperature could chance during the day.
- I wanted those outfits to be easy accessible for you and budget friendly, that's why I've picked only things you can find on Forever21.com .

Okay, let's go to the the most important part of this post:


The first outfit shows a colorful and sportive outfit. Wearing this outfit requires some braveness, because of all those colours you'll catch some attention, but on the other hand you'll feel comfy and it makes you look well dressed without looking disguised.


The second outfit is more casual and feminine at the same time. It's a little edgier because of this rustic denim blouse (which belongs underneath the sweater for this outfit), but it also looks very sweet, because of the swinging skirt. Especially for those who love to wear skirts, this one is perfect since it has a kneelength, which is more appropriate for school time.

The best part is, that those outfits are not just the perfect school outfits, but also very nice for your freetime activities.

I hope you'll have fun with shopping and have a great start at school :)


Disclaimer: I don't own the copyright for the used images, which all belong to Forever21.

Hair & Makeup inspired by HANNA MARIN from PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

As a startup of a new planned series of tutorials on YouTube I've uploaded my Hanna Marin Video showing you how to do the makeup and hair inspired by her. *click*
And since I've promissed to show you the pictures I've chosen for my inspiration, here they are...

...I've picked a makeup she has worn often in various episodes...




...and here is a picture of her most worn hairstyle...



In addition I've listed all the products used in the video:

MAKEUP

- MAC-Eyeshadows in Electra, Expensive Pink and Carbon
- ARTDECO-Eyeliner in Blue (no 72)
- CLINIQUE-Doubling Lash Mascara in Black
- MAC-Tapered Blending Brush
- ESSENCE-Angled Liner Brush
- CLINIQUE-High Impact Lipstick in Pink Style
- ESSENCE-Blush in Adorable

HAIR

- REMINGTON-Straightening Iron
- GHD-Creation Spray for Iron Style
- L'OREAL-Infinium Queen Hairspray
- Hair Clips
- Brush


That's all you need, for this particular look of Hanna.
I hope you like it :)


Disclaimer: I do not own copyright of the images used in this post.

My Favorite MAC-Eyeshadows

I've uploaded a video to my YouTube-Channel, where I'm showing you my favorite Top 10 MAC-Eyeshadows *click* .
Since this is a video, where swatches are very important, I wanted to give the chance of seeing my favorite colours on an image as well.

Here you have pictures of all the colours you could see in my video...







I really hope you like them and please let me know your favorite colours.

StyleStar of the Month: KIM KARDASHIAN

I wanted to add a new Fashion-Series to my Blog and my idea was to pick a celebritiy each month, who is going to be my StyleStar. According to each StyleStar, I'm going to search for a nice Outfit worn by this celebrity and restyle it, with Fashion-Pieces you can find currently on the market.
This month I've picked a female celebrity, who is in my opinion such a beautiful person with a very elegant and esthetic style: IT'S KIM KARDASHIAN.

I think it's amazing how she is showing everyone, that you don't have to have the "Ultimate Size Zero"-Body and still can be sexy, beautiful and confident, just the way you are!

This is the outift I've picked, worn by Kim Kardashian and the additional "Re-Styling"...


I've decided for this specific outfit, because Kim is wearing this cool huge hat, which is totaly in style at the moment!

Here you have a list of the clothes & accessories I've found to recreate Kim's outfit:

HAT:
Eugenia Kim
Catherine Wide Brim Hat with Pierced Feather
$ 385,-

BELT:
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Tab Suede Waist Belt
$ 128,-

SHOES:
Boutique 9
Wendell V Platform Pumps
$ 150,-

PURSE/HANDBAG:
Forever 21
Leatherette Studded Handle Handbag
$ 29,80

WATCH:
Forever 21
Lacquered Watch
$ 19,80

JEANS:
Charlotte Russe
Refuge Runway Everyday Boot
$ 36,99

BLOUSE:
Forever 21
Office Woven Top
$ 19,80

NAILPOLISH:
OPI
Red My Fortune Cookie
$ 7,-


I really hope you like my pick of the month :)

Some StreetStyle Inspirations

I love to work as a stylist for friends and family and even though I'm not working as a stylist professionally (at least not yet), I still get asked sometimes: "Where do you find your inspiration?"
Honestly, I don't really like those questions, because I can't really give you an answer to that! Inspiration is everywhere around you, you just have to learn to see something more in what is around you and try to imagine something you can work with. But that is easy said, when you don't really know where to look...and that's why I've picked this post for today.

I guess you've already heard, especially when we are talking about fashion, that a lot of people are finding inspiration by looking at the outfits of random peeps on the street. I'm one of those Public-Outfit-Viewers, too.
BUT keep in mind to try to find inspiration, you are looking for things giving you new ideas and not an invitation to copy someone's "creation".

Seeing what other people are wearing (and I'm not talking about judging, what someone has put on) makes we want to get creative and I feel some sort of passion for it. On the other hand I won't feel that much inspiration floating through me, when I'm looking at fashion magazines. I'm sure that's because I know there was so much money involved to find the perfect outfits to show the future customers, which makes it less fascinating to me.

Okay, enough of the rambling ;)
I'm searching through the internet from time to time, to see those StreetStyle-Pics of Fashion-Lovers and I've put together a little summary of my favorites.
(Please click on the image to enlarge it)


Now you have a couple of pictures to get creative with, but maybe you still want some hints to realize what is so special about these outfits:

- all of the girls played with different materials
- they combined various layers of garments
- you can see very bright/intense colors combined to one outfit
- the girls wear different styles at the same time (for example feminine & sportive)

And most importantly the girls are confident about what they are wearing, which makes the outfits look perfect and I wouldn't change anything...

I want to show you a little more in detail, what exactly inspires me by talking/writing about this following outfit.


Just have a look at the rusty-red thights and now imagine what the outfit would look like without the red thights.
It still would look wearable, but actually a bit boring and not so special in my opinion. That's why I always like to say, that the little details are making the difference.
Since we are already talking about the red thights, I like to mention the dark blue jacket and that little yellow piece of a plastic bag (I suppose it's a plastic bag), as well. This lady just followed a simple rule from colour-theory: The three primary-colours (red,blue & yellow) are always working together, they compliment each other, weather you like those colours or not.
And it might has happened by accident, but she also contolled the colour-weight: Yellow is a heavy colour, because of it's brightness you won't need much to make it recognizable, that's why this little yellowish piece is just perfect. Imagine what the outfit would look like, with yellow thights instead of the red ones. For my taste that would be way too much of such an intense colour.
Again: The little details are making the difference and I just love it!!!

I want to come to an end right now, because this post was just meant to be an inspiration to find inspiration (if that makes sense) :)

I hope this was a little help for you and you feel the power of creativity starting to burn inside of you...


Let me know, what inspires you the most!

FOTD: Everyday Eye-Makeup with the Naked Palette

I’ve never posted a FOTD on my Blog before, but there is always a first time.
This is the Eye-Makeup I’ve showed you in my latest tutorial *click* and since this is my favorite look at the moment I thought it would be appropriate to also show it here.


This is the list of products I used to create this everyday look:

Cetaphil-Hydrating Cream
Laura Mercier-Hydrating Foundation Primer
Laura Mercier-Moisturizing Foundation in Porcelain
Urban Decay-Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Urban Decay-Naked Palette (Virgin,Naked,Buck & Creep)
Sigma-Blending Brush E25 (Travel Size)
Essence-Angled Brush
Tweezerman-Eyelash Curler
Clinique-Lash Doubling Mascara
Clinique-High Impact Lispstick in Pink Style
Bobbi Brown-Bronzer no.1
M.A.C.-Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose

I hope you like this look and please let me know what you think about it…!

M.A.C.-Vegas Volt

I wanted to post something colorful today, since the weather in Germany is nothing but cold, wet and grey for the past weeks, even though we have midsummer.

What could be better than a swatch of the brightest red lipstick I own. I’ve picked a color by M.A.C, which I’ve chosen, when I was attending the Back2Mac program, a couple of weeks ago.
I opted for Vegas Volt…


It’s not a pure red color. It looks orange, coral and red at the same time, which makes it a very versatile and wearable color.


On the image the lipstick looks creamy (maybe even opaque), since it’s an amplified finish this would make sense. But I have to admit, that this creamy finish, will not last for long. It turns into a matte and dry finish very quickly. This might be a problem, when your lips are generally missing some moisture. A good lipbalm is a necessary friend, when you want to enjoy this color.
However, even though the finish changes rapidly, the color stays on forever and is not losing its high pigmentation!

Let me know, what bright color you prefer for your lips to shine…

Monthly Favorites: JUNE

I’ve uploaded a video showing my June-Favorites to my channel and was thinking that this might also be interesting to show on my blog. Why not?

On the image below you can see all my current favorites, but I have to mention that this post does not include my "All Time Favorites".



Sooo, what can you see above?

>Laura Mercier-Moisturizing Foundation
>Laura Mercier-Hydrating Foundation Primer
>Urban Decay-Naked Palette in particular the eyeshadows “Virgin”, “Naked” and “Buck”
>M.A.C.-Single Eyeshadow “Quarry”
>Clinique-Lash Doubling Mascara
>Tweezerman-Eyelash Curler
>Essence-Gel Liner Brush
>Essence-Pencil/Blending Brush
>Neutrogena-Chapstick
>Hair-Donut (I can’t remember the name of the brand, but you can find those in drugstores)

That’s it for now, but I’m sure there are some new favs of mine coming soon…

What are your favorites at the moment?

COVERGIRL-Pure Romance Quad

During my recent New York-Trip I was able to get hold of a Covergirl eyeshadow quad. Since it's very hard to find Covergirl products in Germany I was so happy and surprised, that you can find them in almost every drugstore in NY. I've decided for the "pure romance" palette, because of the mixture of mauve and brown colors, which is always nice to have.
Let's have a look at the swatches...






I really enjoy those colors and it's perfect to take this quad with you on a trip over the weekend, because the colors suite any occasion. BUT I'm not such a big fan of the pigmention, you need a lot of product to make the colors visible on the lid. However the colors do last long and they are easily blendable. And one more thing I want to mention, with my sensitive eyes I find that these eyeshadows sometimes irritate my eyes a little, but in comparison to other drugstore eyeshadows I've tried it's nothing too bad.

I know that Covergirl is very popular, so please let me know about your favorite quads and colors.

Hope you'll have a great week :)

URBAN DECAY-NAKED PALETTE

Today I have some more eyeshadow swatches for you. I know that there have been tons of posts and videos about this palette, but since I love it so much, I really need to do one for my Blog as well. Even if it's just for my own fun ;)



Look at this beauty, isn't she gorgeoues, with all the neutral shades...


Here you have the snapshots of the pans...





And of course the swatches (please click on the image, for a larger view)...



I love all of the colors so much. Someone who is not deeply interested into makeup, probably would think, that it's useless to have that many neutral colors. BUT every beauty lover, will notice the difference between the shades. Of course you won't need all of them, still I really think this palette is a good investment.

+ The brush coming with this palette, is amazing. Not comparable with those sponge applicators, which come along with a lot of palettes. I think just the brush is worth half the price of the entire palette.
+ You'll also get the Primer Potion, which I know is loved by a lot of you guys (But I need to mention, it's not a full size bottle).
+ The pigmentation is amazing, the color shows up immediately without layering tons of coats.
- The only negative thing (which is a common problem) you won't find a lot of matte shades, which I think is sad.

Hope you'll have a great week, with a lot of sun and fun.