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

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

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

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

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

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

Movie Review: Thor - The Dark World

Hey guys!

A movie I recently saw was Thor - The Dark World, and today I'd like to share my thoughts on it with you.
It is the sequel to the first Thor movie from 2011, and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and many more. It is a Marvel movie.

Spoilers ahead!
The plot takes up on the events of the first Thor movie and the Avengers movie, so if you want to fully understand every reference and situation, you've better seen these two.
This time, the world (or better all worlds) are being put in danger by a new dark force, the Dark Elf Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston). Thor tries to defeat him and for that has to ask his brother Loki for help. At the same time he is reunited with Jane Foster.
That's as much as I can tell you without giving too much away!

The whole movie was exceptionally beautiful. All the images and pictures and backgrounds and landscapes where so utterly gorgeous and simply stunning, I was amazed.
I loved the story, it was typical superhero Marvel action kind of story, but not boring or obvious. Some plot twists left me quite shocked!
I love the actors, I'm overly fond of Tom Hiddleston, he's my favourite part :D

And I always have to laugh at the end. The second the movie is over, everyone gets ready to leave. Wrong thing to do when watching a Marvel movie! After the first part of the credits, everybody disbelievingly turns around to see that there is an extra scene, then they all leave. Next big mistake. It was seriously only my friends and I, as well as three guys, who waited till the very end of all of the credits to see the second extra scene. Even the cinema employee didn't know about the extra scenes and tried to hush us out of there when the credits started! Always interested in seeing who's enough of a Marvel fan!

I was very very entertained by this movie, enjoyed it a lot! If you're a fan of the genre, or Marvel, or any of the actors, I can definitely recommend it!

xoxo, Misch

December LE Previews

Hey guys!
With December almost upon us, I thought I would share two LE previews. Both Limited Editions are supposed to be released within the next couple of weeks.

Essence will launch a LE called Dark Romance, and it can be seen here *click*. It looks rather interesting with some cool products like the velvet mousse blushes and the cream highlighter, but it doesn't exactly look festive to me. I always love Essence's holiday themed LEs, but this year I feel like we're missing out! But we'll see at the store :)

Catrice will release a LE called Celtica, which is to be seen here *click*. This isn't exactly filled with Christmas spirit either, feels more like one of Catrice's January LEs. I do quite like it on the pictures, even though it starts to remind me spring, which is not what I need right now :D But again, we'll see!

What do you think of these LEs?


And to all those of you who celebrate it: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I made pumpkin pie for the occasion, which is great :D Have a lovely holiday guys!

xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 27: Catrice Rocking Royals LE C03 Royal Blue

Hey there!
Know it took me a while, but here you finally have the swatches of the other nail polish I got from Catrice's Rocking Royals LE, C03 Royal Blue!

Royal Blue is, as the name suggests, a blue color. It's very cool toned and definitely doesn't lean towards green, and also not purple. It has a very strong silver shimmer to it.

It applied really nicely, a tiny bit thick but very very pigmented. Here I'm wearing 2 coats. It dries to a somewhat muted finish, but I put a top coat over it.

This shade actually reminds me a lot of OPI's Russian Navy Suede, which you can see here *click*. They are nowhere near being close in color and finish, but I do see some similarities. Can you agree with me?

What do you think of this one?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 15th: Catrice Rocking Royals LE C04 Emerald Queen

Hi there!

Today I'd like to show you a nail polish my sister recently picked up: Emerald Queen from Catrice's new Rocking Royals LE.

Emerald Queen is a light green shade with blue undertones. Looks very aquatic actually! It has this strong silver shimmer in it.

Application was great, it's very very pigmented. I barely needed the second coat I applied. It also dries very fast and to a somewhat muted finish, but not utterly matte. Reminds me a bit of a more shiny version of OPI's Suede finish! You can't really see that here, though, as I added a top coat.

The Rocking Royals Collection is out now, November 2013, and it contains 4 more nail polishes. I have another one of these to show you within the next couple of days :)

What do you think of it?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 8th: Essie - After School Boy Blazer

Hi guys!

Today I'd like to show you one of Essie's current nail polishes, After School Boy Blazer.

After School Boy Blazer is a very deep blue creme, very shiny, too. It's not blackened, however.
Application was great, it is very very pigmented. 1 coat was almost enough, but I added a second coat just to be sure.

After School Boy Blazer is part of Essie's Fall Collection for 2013, called For The Twill Of It. It is available now!

What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

The Fifth Estate Movie Review

Hi guys!

Today I'd like to review a current movie called The Fifth Estate, which I saw this weekend with a fellow bitch of mine!

The Fifth Estate is a dramatized portrayal of the years 2007 to 2010 in the life of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. It focuses on his relationship with Daniel Berg, who wrote a book about this matter, on which the movie is partly based. These years mark the growing success of WikiLeaks and therefore have a lot of story to be told.

Julian Assange is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and Daniel Berg by German/ Spanish actor Daniel Brühl. In addition to that, we have David Thewlis and Peter Capaldi starring in it.

I'm gonna start right away with the fact why I was really really impressed by this movie: the acting. Sounds unspectacular, we're talking about a movie with acting in it after all :D But the acting in this movie was utterly brilliant. In front of everything, Benedict Cumberbatch. It's no secret he's a great actor, and I really enjoy the stuff he does. But in this movie, I was blown away. His talent is unbelievable! He was stunning, mesmerizing, fascinating and utterly impressive. The things he can do with body language and facial expressions, the multitude of emotions he can portray in a perfectly realistic way...it's amazing!
He was not the only good actor in this movie, though :D I loved Daniel Brühl, he did an equally great job and was a great counterpart for Benedict Cumberbatch.

The plot was okay, but at some times left things open. It did do a good job telling the story, but at some parts I felt like it should have been done a bit differently. I really enjoyed the very last scene, however!
But what the plot lacked was compensated by the actors. I wouldn't watch it solely for the story, but for the whole of it. Trust me, it's worth it!

I definitely recommend it, I enjoyed it a lot!
Has anyone of you seen it?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 6th: Essie - School Of Hard Rocks

Hey everyone!

Today I'd like to show you Essie's School Of Hard Rocks!

School Of Hard Rocks is a dusty creme. It's color is somewhere between blue, green and grey, quite hard to define! On me it looks mostly like a tealish blue in my opinion.

Application was good, it was on the rather thin side but easily manageable. I did 3 thin coats for this result as it was a bit patchy after 2.

School Of Hard Rocks was part of Essie's Winter Collection of 2011, but you might still be able to get it!

I really love this shade, it makes for a gorgeous fall color, and it's very interesting!
What do you think of it?

xoxo, Misch

October '13 Favourites

Hey there!

Today I'd like to share my favorites of the month of October with you guys :) Even though I wasn't really posting frequently, that doesn't mean that I didn't use any cosmetics!
Here are my favs:

Sleek Blush by 3 Flame - I love love love this blush palette! The colors are bright and warm, perfect for autumn, and they are great to wear :) My review can be found here *click*.

Essence Superheroes LE Thermo Effect Nail Polish 01 Fantastic Girl - even though I only bought this towards the end of the month, I am so so mesmerized by its effect that I just had to include this here! You can see it on my nails in this post *click*.

Essie Not Just A Pretty Face - this is a stunning nude nail polish, and I love wearing it on my toes! I always just reapply it, a great shade! Can be seen on my nails here *click*.

Kiko Eyeshadow 132 - a beautiful warm brown shade with a golden shimmer. Great for all kinds of looks! You can see swatches of it here *click*.

Sephora Waterproof eye makeup remover - I bought this one during my recent trip to France, and quite enjoy using it! A review will come up soon :)

So, that's it for my monthly favorites! What were yours? Share them with me!

xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 3rd: Essence Superheroes LE Thermo Effect Nail Polish 01 Fantastic Girl

Hi guys!

Yesterday I already shared my thoughts on Essence's current Superheroes LE with you, and now I'd like to show you the nail polish I bought, Fantastic Girl.

Fantastic Girl is a so-called Thermo Effect Nail Polish. That means it changes its color according to temperature. In the bottle it looks like a medium berry purple shade, without any glitter particles whatsoever. But this color varies. When I'm totally warm, it is of a bright barbie pink. When utterly cold, for example after putting it under cold water, you get a deep purple shade. The color really varies! It's also not limited to the whole nail, sometimes only the tips discolor, or different parts!

The reaction is immediate. It literally changes color within the second you put it under a different temperature water. That is really awesome!

Application was fine, it's a bit sheer at first, and with 2 coats you still have a bit of a visible nail line. I did 3 here, and no top coat as I was afraid it'd alter the color changing effect. It probably does.

I'm a huge fan of this nail polish, it's just too cool!
What do you think of it?

xoxo, Misch

Spotted: Essence Superheroes LE

Hey there!

Long time no see, very long time! Deeply sorry for that, but I just never found the time...but better now than never, so yay, a new post from me!

I recently saw Essence's Superheroes LE at the drugstore, so this is what I'd like to talk about today! I didn't even know about this LE, there you go, that's how much I've been up to date recently!
But anyways, this is a fun LE themed around nail art and stuff.
It contains 6 effect nail polishes, 3 glitter containers, 1 brush, 2 sets of nail stickers, 1 nail polish remover and 1 beauty bag.
You can see promo pics of everything here *click*.

The nail polishes are of very different effects. From liquid sand to holo and flakies, there's something for everyone! I didn't find them to be that exciting, except for one: the Thermo Effect Nail Polish. It's called 01 Fantastic Girl and it's of a deep berry pink shade. But it changes its color according to temperature! It can go from a bright barbie pink to a deep purple, and that stuff really works! It's like the coolest thing ever! I'll be showing you pictures of it on my nails tomorrow so you get an idea of how cool the effect is!

The little containers of glitter are quite fun, they are just loose particles.

The brush is there to brush off loose particles when using glitter.

The sets of nail stickers are two very different ones. One consists of comic stickers, and the other of silver and golden stripes. I got that one because I figured it might be nice for Christmas themed nail art :) It's called 02 rescue me!

The nail polish remover is pink and has glitter in it, it's quite awesome :D

Last but not least, the beauty bag. It's rather small and very glittery, but I'm sure could be nice.

Well, after all, this is a rather fun LE that does have some cool things in it, but still didn't utterly excite me. But I love the nail polish!
Did you get anything from it?
xoxo, Misch

Happy Halloween!

Hey everyone,
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I hope you all have a fun day, eat lots of candy and dress up as whoever you'd like to be! Have some fun today! :)

More posts are coming up soon, promise!

xoxo, Misch

NOTD October 21st: Halloween Doodles

Hey there!

With Halloween approaching, I wanted to do some nail art for that occasion!

I just went for some random Halloween-themed doodles in black, on a base of orange. The shade is My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours by OPI.

What do you think of it? Do you have any ideas for some more Halloween nail art designs?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD October 14th: BCAM Pink!

Hey guys!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! It's our goal to raise awareness about breast cancer among as many people as possible, and this is my contribution to it!

Pink is the color of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I chose to paint my whole nails pink! I used OPI - I Theodora You for that. On my ring fingers I added the little ribbons in a darker pink.

Have you also already worn something pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

xoxo, Misch

September Favs

Hey guys!
I know I'm horribly late with this, but better late than never, right?! Here are my favorites for the month of September!

Nivea Body Milk - this is my favorite body product of all time. Whenever it gets colder, I pull this out. It's the perfect moisturizer after a nice shower!

Sebamed Soap-free wash piece - I've been trying this new product for my face, a cleanser! It looks like a soap bar, but it's actually soap-free! It's supposed to support your skin's own processes to keep your skin clean. A review will follow soon!

Sleek Blush by 3 Flame - my friends brought me this blush from London, and it contains the greatest colors! I really love them, especially for fall, they are so great quality! Here *click* is my review on it!

Sephora Cotton Flower Eau de Toilette - this is a cute little scent that I picked up at Sephora during the summer. It smells sweet but also clean, and I really like it!

Essence Longlasting Lipstick 01 Coral Calling - a lovely peachy pink lipstick with a creamy texture. I wore it quite often! Review: *click*.

Well guys, that's it for my favorites for the month of September! What were yours? Let me know!
xoxo, Misch

I'm Back!

Hey everyone!
Sorry for my long absence, but I'm now finally back!

Today I'd like to tell you something about my little trip to Alsace last week. Together with my French class I went there, spending 5 days.
We went there by train, going from Munich to Strasbourg via Stuttgart, and we also travelled from Strasbourg to Colmar and back by train.

Our first 2 days we spent in Colmar. It's a very cute little town, with a gorgeous old part of town called "Little Venice". We walked around town, visited a vineyard and went bicylce touring along the wine route, while also visiting Équisheim.

Then we went to Strasbourg, where we spent 3 days. It is also a very beautiful city, with both very modern and very old parts. We did a boat tour on the Ill, visited the European Parliament and went shopping.

During the whole trip, we had lots and lots of great food. It started at breakfast with croissants, then crêpes and galettes for lunch, and tartes flambées for supper. Café au lait during the day, lots of great wine such as Riesling with supper. It was all so so yummy, and I never wanted to stop eating :D

We had lovely and warm weather, and it just was a great experience! It was my first time in Alsace, and I enjoyed it so much! Definitely want to go back!

Has anyone of you ever been to that region of France?
xoxo, Misch

Off to France!

Hey guys!

Today I just quickly wanna let you know that I'm gone for another week!

As a part of my French class this year, I'm going on a trip to France with a few fellow classmates! We're going to visit Alsace, a beautiful region near the German border. We'll be staying in Colmar and Strasbourg, two cities I really look forward to seeing!

So I'll be away for one week, hope you won't miss me too much!
I'll see you soon with some pictures from my hopefully fun trip!

Have a good time,
until then,
xoxo, Misch

NOTD September 21st: OPI - I Brake For Manicures

Hey there!
Today I'd like show you an OPI nail polish of mine, I Brake For Manicures.

I Brake For Manicures is a very dark creme. It's a smoky purple grey shade, but so dark that it looks almost black. It does have some muted and muddy qualities to it which make it look different than a plain blackened shade.

Application was good, it's very squishy and smooth. At first it looked a bit patchy, but the coverage is already great with 2 coats. I did 3 here to be sure.

I Brake For Manicures was part of the Touring America Collection from Fall 2011. It should, however, still be available at some places.

I really like this shade, it looks elegant but not boring, and it's a nice shade for autumn!
What do you think of it?

xoxo, Misch