Tuesday 31 December 2013

2013 End Of Year TAG!

Hi everyone!

Can you believe that this year is already over? I could swear this time it passed even faster than it ever did before! But we can't help it, tomorrow 2014 will start! Hope that this will be a good year, but it kind of feels like it. But before moving on to 2014, lets reminisce a bit about the past year with the End Of Year TAG!

Feeling towards 2014?
Rather positive feelings to be honest. I am not sure why, but I have high hopes that this is going to be a great year!

Done for the first time in 2013?
Driven a car (I just recently got my driver's license), been to great concerts and been on vacation with my best friends.

Unfortunately not done in 2013?
Kept up with my blog regularly! I really hate that I was so inconsistent!

Word of the year?
Escalation! One of my best friends likes to say this all the time, no matter in what context.

Gained or lost weight?
Gained I guess, but not in any significant measure, it rather stayed the same I guess.

City of the year?
I've been to a lot of great cities this year, but it has to be Munich. I went there so often for all kinds of things, going out for dinner, the movies, shopping, everything!

Alcohol and parties?
Not so much actually! Some time in spring my friends & I were all broke, so we decided to have fun relaxing on our own, which we kept for most of the year. But there were some great parties, too!

Hair longer or shorter?
I kept my length :)

More or less money spent?
More, definitely. So many expensive activities going on!

Highest phone bill?
Nothing dramatic, really. Don't ask be about the electricity bill though, that is huge because of all my time spent on the computer :D

Been to the hospital?
No, not once! Luckily!

Been in love?
No, unfortunately not!

Most called person?
My best friends, it's devided between them :D

The best time spent with?
My best friends, again. We did so much cool stuff together, I loved that!

Most of the time spent with?
That's a tie between my family and my best friends.

Song of the year?
One Direction's Best Song Ever.

Book of the year?
That's a difficult one, because there wasn't anything new that I adored. But I think I'd have to go for The Hobbit.

TV-Series of the year?
Oh, definitely the BBC's Sherlock. Best TV show ever, believe me. And Supernatural has to be included as well, and maybe Doctor Who. SuperWhoLock all the way!

Realization of the year?
There's nothing wrong in being different than the rest! This mainly counts for my group of friends and me as we don't be have what others call "normally".

Something of the year you could do without?
All the pressure and stress from school.

Greatest event?
My trip to Italy with my best friends.

2013 in one word?
Entertaining!

Well guys, that's it for my review of 2013! What was your year of 2013 like? Feel free to answer the TAG or just tell me in the comments below, I'd love to know about it!

Everyone, have a happy and safe New Year's Eve, don't drink and drive, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves! I love you all! :)

xoxo, Misch

Tuesday 24 December 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hey everyone!
I'd like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas! Happy Hoildays guys! :)
Have yourself a happy Christmas, spend it with people you love and have lots of fun! I wish you the best, thank you so much for your support!
I love you guys!
xoxo, Misch

Friday 13 December 2013

Book Review: A Casual Vacancy by Joanne K. Rowling

Hey everyone!

I tried Grammarly's online plagiarism checker free of charge because failing whole classes because of tiny little citation mistakes in your term paper is a real thing here in Germany, and it isn't nearly half as much fun as it sounds.

I've finally had time to get around to a bit of reading, which I especially love doing during Christmas time. Well, I don't mind reading during any other time of the year either, but cuddling up on the couch with a good book is the perfect excuse not to go outside when it's cold :D

So, I read Joanne K. Rowling's A Casual Vacancy. I tried not to see it as a book from the wonderful person who wrote my favourite books ever, the Harry Potter series, because I knew that would lead to my comparing the two. And luckily I was able to do that! So you also won't find any comparison in this review.
A Casual Vacancy is the story of the little town of Pagford, where one of the town's most beloved citizens, Barry Fairbother, dies. The story then starts right there, and then continues to describe what happens in the following time. There is no definite story visible in the beginning, as the book picks up on different persons' lives.
A huge variety of people is represented: you have your poor and your rich families, ones that are liked and some that are outcasts, people with illnesses, people of all ages, people that are nice and some that are just utterly hateful. Drug addicts, alcoholics, social workers, gossipers, teenagers in love, pretty much everything you could imagine. Each person has an interesting personality with specific reasoning for any action, and Rowling does a wonderful job describing them, making them comprehensible and authentic. That does not mean, however, that they are all likeable. To be honest, I found myself to dislike most (pretty much all actually) of the characters.
None of these characters is utterly positive or does only positive things. That means on the one hand that none of them can be identified as the hero of the story or any of the sorts. On the other hand, however, it also makes the people wonderfully realistic. Not realistic in a sense that readers can relate to them, however, because I don't expect the main readership to be similarily behaving drug addicts. But realistic in a sense that these people are, just like your everyday people, flawed, uncontent, selfish and insecure.
It was very interesting to follow the evolvements of the characters. Some undergo growth, others just remain as ignorant and pretentious as they have been all along. There are of course a lot of different events that take place during the course of the book, connecting all characters.
Partly I was very infuriated by this story. Some characters' behaviour or actions just made me very angry, as they were reminding me of the fact that these things can be very real to a significant number of people in real life. The story is filled with domestic violence, abuse, rape, manipulation, greed and ignorance. Not very pleasant topics to be honest.
A Casual Vacancy was a very very interesting book to read. Even though in the beginning no real plot is foreseeable, I was hooked. I wouldn't call it a pleasure read, but it's not that difficult either. Definitely nothing for you if you look forward to a perfect little story with likeable characters and one main villain, because that does not exist. But that also makes it special and worth a read.

Has anyone of you read it? What did you think of it?

xoxo, Misch

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Spotted: Essence Dark Romance LE

Hey everyone!

Today I'd like to talk about Essence's current LE, called Dark Romance.
This LE contains 2 eyeshadow quads, 2 eye pencils, 2 lipsticks, 2 lipglosses, 1 cream highlighter, 2 velvet mousse blushes, 4 nail polishes, 1 nail art decoration kit and 1 set of body tattoos.
All products can be seen here *click*.

The eyeshadow quads are are of nice colors, but unfornately there were no testers, so I can't tell you anything about the pigmentation. The colors did look rather pretty, though.

The two eye pencils contain a slight shimmer and are of one light and one dark color. On one end there's the color, and on the other a little smudger. That can be nice to create smokey looks, even though I prefer actual brushes.

The lipsticks are of a red and a darker berry color. They are both matte and looked as if they were very pigmented, just like those from last year's holiday collection.

There are also 2 lipglosses in this LE, one almost white-silver and the other one is of a greyish color. I'm sure they are rather sheer and just add a ton of glitter to your lips.

Then it also contains a cream highlighter, and that's the only product I bought from it. It's of a white-ish very pale color and contains a fine shimmer. That is actually very fine, so you don't glitter too much. It has a thick creamy consistency. A review will be up soon.
Then there are the two mousse blushers. They are of deep red colors, very intense. Unfortunately no testers here either.

The nail polishes are all of interesting finishes, nothing standard. I wish I could have had a look at them, but they had already sold out when I got the check out this LE. Bet they must've looked great!

The nail jewels are all pretty, and if you are into that kind of stuff I'm sure you'll be able to do great nail art designs with them.

Lastly, some body tattoos. Not exactly my style to be honest.

So, to sum it all up, this is a fun LE that is very ordered as all of the products match the others. It disappointed me a bit, though, as it's the December LE, but it's clearly not that Christmas-spirited. Oh well, still a nice little LE.
What did you think of it?

xoxo, Misch

Tuesday 3 December 2013

November 2013 Favourites

Hi there!

Before I start to forget about this, time for my favourites of the month of November!
Ebelin Beauty Blender - I love this little thingie to blend all kinds of things, especially foundation and tinted moisturizer. Used it quite often this month! Review can be found here *click*.

Ebelin Concealer Brush - I really like this brush to apply concealer to all parts of my face where I need it! It's originally meant to be an eyeshadow brush, but I prefer it for concealer. Review: *click*.

Urban Decay Bootycall - One eyeshadow from my Naked 2 that I used on seriously every single day of the month. It's the perfect light, slightly rose-colored highlighting shade. Swatches: *click*.

Illamasqua Never - Another pretty eyeshadow that I had totally forgotten about. Pulled it back out this month and used it to wear a subtle but colorful eyeliner. Swatches can be seen here *click*, and here *click* you can see how I wore it.

Catrice Hollywood's Fabulous 40ties LE Blush C01 Gone With The Wind - One of my all time favourite blushes. The perfect matte rosewood pink shade, worn every day. A review can be found here *click*.

Benefit HighBeam - One of my all-time favourite highlighting products. Great stuff. Review: *click*.

Maybelline Super Stay Powder - A new powder I've been testing. Really really like it so far, a review will follow very soon.

So, that's it for my favourites of the month! Quite a lot this time, and all great products. Leave me some links to your favourites in the comments!

xoxo, Misch

Sunday 1 December 2013

NOTD December 1st: China Glaze - Glittering Garland

Hey everyone!

It's December, and therefore holiday season for real now! And I want to start this off with China Glaze's Glittering Garland.
Glittering Garland is a deep green color, neither blue nor yellow-toned. It contains lots of glitter particles, bigger than just shimmer, that are also green. Very Christmas-appropriate!

Application was fine, it was a bit thin and patchy at first but built up nicely. I did 3 coats and top coat here.
Glittering Garland was part of China Glaze's Holiday Collection from 2011, called Let It Snow. It might still be available, though!

What do you think of it? And are you in the mood for Christmas yet?
xoxo, Misch