no one tagged me but I wanted to take part anyway ;-)
1. I don't like soft towels, they always feel to me as if they wouldn´t do their job properly. It just feels so much more satisfying to dry yourself with a rock hard towel therefore I would never ever put them in a tumble dryer.
2. I would never wear sandals without having my toe nails painted, never! Looks just wrong.
3. I regularly buy hair styling products like heat protection spray, curling fluid or volume foam but hardly ever use hair dryers or anything similar so I end up not using the products.
4. I can´t leave the house without wearing perfume. Happened twice so far and I went into the nearest perfume shop and used the testers.
5. I like looking at my skin in the mirrow. Checking for blemishes,
lumps and bumps, applying products and messing around with the tweezers.
I find it relaxing...and after being on holidays always look forward to
come home and have my mirror back again ;-)
My birthday is already over a month ago again but I still wanna show you what lovely and thoughtful presents I have got from three of my friends.
First is the brilliant "Parisian chic" style guide by the former model Ines de la Fressange. I have been thinking about buying this book for a while but never did...thanks to a very attentive friend it is mine now. Although loads of the style advise probably only works if you are a size 6 and living in a chique Paris left bank appartment with your millionaire husband, it still is simply a beautiful book to look at. And to be honest...she recommends that leather jackets should always look used so you should walk on them or put them under your mattress. Mine has been in bed for a week now...;-)
Next is this truly inspiring "Book of Home Sewing" from Liberty. As you all know I love this shop a lot. And I got a sewing machine last year and since then started making my own pillow cases and curtains for the house. So this book works in two ways: as eye candy for the Liberty lover and as a really useful sewing guide. Love it and love the fact that I have time now to start new projects!
Last but not least I got this modern classic. So many places which are probably all amazing...and so few I have been yet. Not sure I will ever tick most of the boxes in this guide but it is a nice and inspiring way to flick through and escape everyday life for a while.
What do those tell about me? That I am a stylish fashion conscious, crafty interior designer and globetrotter? Or that it is about time that I learned about those things at last? Just kidding...I love all three (and the thought behind)!
Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike theatre performances that are split into three parts by two intermissions?! Seems to be a fashion nowadays with ballet performances. I can see the reason behind this. Three completely different pieces need something in between to separate them. Dancers need to catch their breath and need to get changed. But the poor audience just gets bored!
Yesterday was one of those evenings. I went to see the ballet evening "Das magische Kaleidoskop" at the State Theatre in Wiesbaden. I felt as if, in the end, I spend more time wandering around the building and reading the leaflets than seeing some actual dancing on stage. Not really great, especially for all the "on-their-own-to-theatre-goers".
Not a bad evening in terms of modern dance and creativity but it didn´t get me. The first bit, "Testing machine" by choreographer Stephan Thoss. made me wonder about the meaning behind it so much that I had no time enjoying the dancing. The second part, "La chambre noir", was relatively boring and the third part, "Sechs Tänze" by the famous choreographer Jiri Kylian was simply too short to get into the right sort of mood.
Have a look at the trailer, as often with trailers, it looks promised more than the evening could deliver.
For all of you out there who love watching make up videos and tutorials as much as I do. A funny video by my favourite youtube make up artist, Wayne Goss. Great tipps, a handsome man, and a sexy accent - what more do you want? Maybe a sense of humour too...check out the video ;-)
As this box seems to be a German phenomenon only I decided that it makes no sense at all to write in English, sorry (there´s always google translator :-)).
Bei meiner täglichen Blog-Lektüre bin ich die Tage bei Alice und ihrer "Wohlfühlbox" der online Apotheke medpex hängen geblieben. Das Konzept klang ungewöhnlich aber die prall vollgepackte Box und der niedrige Preis von 5 Euro hatten mich schnell überzeugt. Und da ich mich ja vehement weigere Porto zu zahlen, wanderte noch das ein oder andere in meinen Warenkorb um über 25Euro zu gelangen.
Ich bin so ein Opfer...aber nun sind die Vorräte an Anti-Floh-Mittel für den Tiger und Sterilium für meine Handtasche immerhin wieder voll ;-)
Mein Mann konnte sich das Lachen nicht verkneifen. Kaum ist sie 30 schon wird groß bei Apotheken geshoppt, es geht abwärts mit mir...
Genug gejammert, nun zum Inhalt (der übrigens in allen Boxen identisch ist):
Diasporal Magnesium Direktgranulat mit Orangengeschmack für 8,50 Euro
und 20 Stück Inhalt
Artelac Rebalance Augentropfen mit 3ml (Probe)
Bach Originial Rescue Kaugummi, 3,50 Euro
75 Gramm Tüte
Kinder Em-Eukal Bonbons, 1,29 Euro
grüne
Duftkerze mit Apfelduft.
Choco Nuit Schokogetränkepulver mit 10 Einzelsachets für
einen gesunden Schlaf, 5,95 Euro
Spitzner Duschschaum Creme 50ml (Probiergröße) in einer Blechdose
Cranberry Direkt mit 60ml, 2,74 Euro
Bei Choco Nuit bin ich ja mal echt gespannt, so der große Kakaotrinker bin ich eher nicht aber wer weiß. Kinder Em-Eukal mag ich, die Rescue Kaugummis liebe ich schon seit Jahren und vertraue auf die Wirkung in Stresssituationen (das war mein eigentlicher Grund erneut zum "Boxenluder" zu mutieren). Magnesium, Cranberry Extrakt, Kerze und Duschschaum werden auch benutzt. Nur bei den Augentropfen bin ich mir noch nicht so sicher. Habe noch nie welche benutzt und habe glücklicherweise auch nicht mit trockenen Augen zu tun. Meine bessere Hälfte schon...aber der kippt schon beim Gedanken an Augentropfen aus den Latschen. Mal sehen, probieren geht ja bekanntlich über studieren.
Insgesamt bin ich echt angetan von der Vielfalt, Füllmenge und Preisgestaltung dieser Box. Danke Alice für´s Anfixen :-)
Yes, another month has gone by and another Glossybox has turned up.
I´m sure (if you are in Germany) you have heard the whole uproar about their price rise starting with the next box. If not then please google it, I don´t wanna discuss this matter here as so many bloggers have done it before.
This months box beared the possibility of amazing products like an Ellis Faas lip gloss, the Kryolan brow powder or a mini bottle of the perfume "Aura" by Swarovski - or mediocre things like a coconut water drink or loads of anti aging products.
This is what I got, pretty mediocre as well:
Mini OPI Nail Lacquer in "Lincoln Park after Dark" (nice, cute, tiny)
Mini AHAVA Extreme Day Cream (yes, I´m still 30...more anti-aging stuff)
Mini WELEDA Citrus Oil (nice product, tiny)
Mini AVENE Extremely Gentle Cleanser (useful, smells of not much though)
the mysterious "???" Peeling (possible Clearasil) (very useful and smells lovely)
Well, all quite useful. Nothing with a wow effect though. And apart from the peeling nothing in full size which disappoints me a bit. Let´s see what the april box will bring, it better will blow my socks off as I still like the whole concept and would be sad if I would have to unsubscribe.
Had a lovely day yesterday visiting an old friend from school in the small student town of Marburg.
Although I have lived in Hesse all my life I never really ventured out further north than Frankfurt. Was about time that changed!
In Germany jelly (aka "Wackelpudding" or "Götterspeise") is made from powdered mix that comes in 2-3 different flavours (red, green and yellow).
In the UK you can buy jelly in many different sorts of flavours and colours but they come in cubes made of jelly concentrate...another dazzling revelation :-)
Have a nice sunday!
I never put something back to its place...sometimes not for months. Especially bad with cards which I dump in my bag instead of putting them directly in my wallet again...and then I change my bag...problem
people always seem to have a problem to say no...I always say no first and have a problem to say yes in a spontaneous way
which leads to the next one:
I am not spontaneous at all. I plan my day, plan my week, it doesn´t necessarily mean that I do what I plan but at least it was planned
which again leads elegantly to the next one:
I have no discipline whatsoever. Deadline is at midnight? I hand it in at 23.59. A bar of chocolate? I eat it, completely. Already have enough bags/shoes/clothes/shower gels? Fuck it, I only live once. Yes, quite bad...
I am vengeful. I can forgive someone something but I will never forget. And when I say never I mean it. I write all things into my diary and even keep lists of who forgot my birthday in what year. Silly, I know....
In a magazine I found something strange last week.
A new line of anti-aging products is launched in Germany now and, as far as I know, will be sold in pharmacies. So far so good. Despite my age I don´t consider myself as a potential customer...yet.
What made me read the ad again was the name. Boots laboratories? Boots? Serum7? Something made click in my head.
This is nothing different than the English much loved anti-aging skin series from ordinary Boots drugstores! Weird to see somethingso quintessentially English being sold here now. Weird to see it in different packaging, with a different name and maybe even a different price (it is not cheap there and won´t be cheap here I guess). Don´t think that this could be a first step of a British invasion - with DM and Rossmann I don´t really see any market for Boots in Germany - it´s just another Procter&Gamble product line.
You will think now "What? Why does she write about this old film now?". I can tell you why: because I watched "Shakespeare in Love" first when it came out - and found it boring, strange and completely redundant. Last week then I had my final university exam about "Elisabethan Theatre" and, as I am the most lazy and but clever person in the world, my preparation finished with watching the film again.
Will Shakespeare is a known but struggling poet, playwright and actor
who not only has sold his next play to both Philip Henslowe and Richard
Burbage but now faces a far more difficult problem: he is bereft of
ideas and has yet to begin writing. He is in search of his muse, the
woman who will inspire him but all attempts fail him until he meets the
beautiful Viola de Lesseps. She loves the theatre and would like nothing
more than to take to the stage but is forbidden from doing so as only
men can be actors. She is also a great admirer of Shakespeare's works.
Dressing as a man and going by the name of Thomas Kent, she auditions
and is ideal for a part in his next play. Shakespeare soon see through
her disguise and they begin a love affair, one they know cannot end
happily for them as he is already married and she has been promised to
the dour Lord Wessex. As the company rehearses his new play, Will and
Viola's love is transferred to the written page leading to the
masterpiece that is Romeo and Juliet. (imdb)
I blame it on my young age back in 1998 that the film for me wasn´t an instant hit. Now I enjoyed it a lot. The plot is a good mix between romantic fiction and historical authenticity. There are so many different layers, so many cross references to his 39 plays - I guess the film is entertaining if you would have never heard of good old Will Shakespeare but the more background knowledge you´ve got the more fun you will have watching.
The line-up of great actors is pretty amazing too. I´m probably one of the few ladies who actually doesn´t fancy Joseph Fiennes and it is strange to see Gwyneth Paltrow playing yet another English character but it was fun to see lovely Colin Firth playing a baddie and Judy Dench´s portrait of an old and scary Elisabeth I..
A great film that I had overlooked for too long. The more you are into Elisabethan theatre, the more you will enjoy it!
(By the way, got a 1,3 in the exam and have been told that I´m "obviously an expert on Elisabethan Theatre" - sometimes it pays being a sloth ;-))
"Life is what happens to you while you´re busy making other plans"
I'm a list lover but this one I have never started. Life is so unpredictable and can be so short or messed up that I never felt that there is much point in having a to-do-list which might be only there to make you feel as if you missed out on a lot or haven't tried hard enough. Anyway, before that makes me too psychological, here is my list:
1 -3. The first thing that comes to my mind is to create something that exists longer than life. A family, a work of art, a book...just something to give me at least the feeling of not disappearing without leaving a trace...quite selfish and in retrospective possibly utterly pointless.
1. have children
2. write a book
3. have some sort of positive impact on other peoples life (basically letting my inner Amelie Poulain out), e.g. through charity work and/or random acts of kindness
and on the more projectable and fun side:
4. going to the opera ball in Vienna
5. learning Russian so I can travel on the trans siberian railway and communicatewith my fellow travellers
6. be brave enough to walk into the Louis Vuitton flagship store in Paris and buy a handbag
7. going on holidays outside of Europe and finally doing a long-haul flight
8. speaking fluent French
9. walk to Santiago de Compostela (or anywhere else as long as the walk is long and lonely)
10. make a "water-proof" testament
Eureka!
I got the Mango jumper that apparently everybody wants. THE jumper...the one Kate Moss is wearing in the ad. Probably the only similarity I will ever have with Kate Moss...
It's the result of a oh so typical shopping process.
I see it on a poster...doesn't click but I do see it...I see it on blog one...getting interested...I see it on blog two...need it!...go to shop one...sold out...go to shop two...wrong size...search online...daily...sold out...have a look on blog one and two again to confirm that I really need it...go to shop two again just to check...nope...go to shop three...GOT IT!!!
My shopping behaviour really has gone mental since I started this blog. I always have been very enthusiastic but those sort of cravings and desperate hunting patterns are a bit worrying, I think.
But anyway, it made my day...and now I own the lovely soft jumper that is nearly a 100% copy of an old one my mum used to wear and found it too old fashioned one day...everything recurs...even sold out items in the shops :-)
...for beginners.
If you like candlelight, have a thing for scented candles especially, dream of having your own crackling and cozy fireplace at home but either your building or your budget doesn't let you - help is near!
Woodwick Candles!
I came across them a while ago and first didn't get at all why they were supposed to be special and so damn expensive. Unfortunately the "bakery cupcake" smell was so delicious that my husband went back to the shop and got me my first Woodwick Candle. As the name tells you, the wick is made of wood here...initially I thought of that as just some sort of gag to make them stand out but then I lit the first one:
the burning wood creates a crackling noise. constantly. like a real fire...a miniature real fire.
I love this effect but it can get a bit irritating for some sensitive people I'm sure so maybe think about that before going on a shopping spree.
The smell of both candles I tried so far is wonderful but on the stronger side as well so nothing for people who might already have developed a dislike in Yankee Candles or similar.
To summarise: lovely powerful scents, burns long, stylish glasses, a surprisingly pleasant, satisfying and fascinating crackling noise. Unfortunately not cheap at all but, for me, worth the money...
Maybe it is an age thing - suddenly I'm thirty and suddenly I'm (even more) obsessed with pricey leather bags. So far I thought that the bags from German label Liebeskind are bland, boring and over-priced...then came all the wonderful bags in nude, cognac, yellow, powder, baby pink, stone, ...
Now I'm lusting after them...still thinking that they are too expensive but keeping my eyes open for some special deals and sales.
To keep myself satisfied I bought a cute and handy little cosmetic bag made from lovely soft leather. Might be a proper grown-up lady soon and keep make-up in my bag for touch ups all the time...I might...
I know that this post comes terribly late as the Garnier BB Cream has been selling now for several months. Anyway, although I was following the hype and the bashing of this cream since the launch it took me a while to get some tester sachets. Many people in their reviews found the light colour too dark and orangey, many disliked the smell, the texture and the fact that this simply isn't a "proper" BB cream in the asian sense (read here if you wanna know more).
As started to use foundation on a nearly daily base now I was interested in trying out alternatives. This cream promises:
"2 letters for perfect-looking skin...instantly! Garnier’s
B.B. cream, Miracle Skin Perfector, with mineral pigments and vitamin C.
It unifies, illuminates, hydrates and helps protect with SPF 15.
Available in two shades."
Ok, it might not deserve the name BB. It might be just a relaunched tinted moisturizer. But I like it. The coverage is not overwhelming but ok, especially for less spotty days and a bit of sunshine coming. The texture is thicker than expected (and I always get out too much of the tube) but blends in fine. I use it without any extra moisturizer so on colder days it sometimes gave me a few dry patches on my forehead. The lasting power is surprisingly good, will see how this will do when the temperatures are on the rise...
All in all I like it though cause it is easier to apply than full on foundation and with its SPF 15 will be great for summer.
Probably not for everyone with too high expectations and with only two tones available - but try it if you get the chance and find out for yourself (I think on their website they are still sending out test sachets).
it has been a while since I filled in one of Miss W´s "Blogstöckchen" - the latest one is about music:
Which sort of music do you like?
impossible to limit myself here to a few genres...rock, indie, classical music, chansons, some folk, some pop, etc.
When do you listen to music?
honest answer? mostly on youtube late at night when I should be doing something else (like writing an essay...like now). I own a lot of cd´s, even have an iPod (only for the camera, hipstamatic app and wlan) but don´t listen to music very often. Don´t even own headphones... for me it is unthinkable to go for a walk or sit on a bus with music, way too worried about missing something!
The first three songs on your playlist?
Don´t exactly know what a playlist is but the first three songs that appeared when I had the iPod on shuffle where those:
...now you know what I mean with varied taste aka seriously split personality ;-)
A song that reminds you of your childhood?
Many as my mum constantly listened to the radio. Probably "Live is life" by Opus. Together with my mum we never really understood the lyrics and made up our own.
Favourite band or singer?
varies...a lot...Robbie Williams for sex appeal, Garou for the voice, Adele for the emotions, Status Quo for the rock and Queen for the roll.
Most memorable concert?
Robbie Williams at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 2006...stunning. Best concert experience ever.
Secret favourite cheesy song?
I'm absolutely no Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion kind of person. So this has to be "Sorry seem to be the hardest word" in the Elton John/Blue version.
Who would you like to see on stage?
when I was young I was desperate to see the New Kids on the Block - did that a few years ago so made my peace and now I'm free of any obsessions like that. The Rolling Stones would be nice...
Do you like musicals, operettas and operas?
My love for theatre of every kind started with a performance of the opera "Hansel und Gretel" on the 1.1.1994. Never ended since and probably a life changing experience for me. So yes, I do love operas a lot - some more than others of course. I do like an operetta every now and then but normally get scared of by the fellow audience that comes with it. And I do love Musicals since I saw "Sunset Blvd" and fell in love with Uwe Kroeger...but again, there is a lot of crap about as well.
Do you like festivals?
I like the idea of it...like watching Glastonbury on tv...I´m dreaming about going...dreaming about wearing Hunter boots that actually fit...dreaming about being cool and wild and young and rebellious for at least once...but I can´t see myself surrounded by thousands of drunks...and portaloos...no. But I will go to a festival actually this summer but it will be a different type.
Doesn´t happen often that I see something new and unique in a shop, especially in the relatively small town of Darmstadt (which is, by the way, a perfect place for shopping and shouldn´t always be overlooked).
Today I saw those bags, similar to Freitag bags or the ones made out of sails.
They are made out of used firemen hoses, I find that cool (and not only cause I have that misty-eyed romantic image of handsome firemen saving kittens... ). Not exactly cheap but definitely hardwearing.
(<-- it´s a quote from "Love actually" so not just rude but a sort of intelligent intertextual reference ;-))
I like swearing!
I have grown up that way and never in my life experienced any bad reactions because of that. If someone is an arsehole he or she simply is - no point in trying to hide anything. And "Where the fuck is my fucking coat" is just so much more fun to say than "Where did I leave my coat?" (did you get this quote as well by the way?).
People who wanna cover it and say things like "Sugar!" (the English version of "Scheibenkleister!") or mentioning "the f-word" come across as incredibly pathetic, imho.
In Germany swearing is not that much of an issue (at least in my world). Not everyone does it, not everyone loves it. But I never experienced any detentions in school or shocked faces for the use of a more graphic language. And there are definitely swear words on daytime tv, oh yes.
In England I feel that swearing is more of an issue. On TV you get constantly beeped at and on radio rude words in songs get hidden as well.
Then you leave the house and meet up the first "real" people (I´m talking short hair, tracksuit, trainers and bulky dogs here - sorry if I come across as arrogant but sometimes I just can´t help/hide it). All you can here is "fuck". 4 times, 5 times, 10 times in one sentence. Amazing. Unfortunately the effect wears of a little by that overuse... well dosed they are much more powerful, trust me.
There seems to be such a gap between media and streets. Apparently only lower and upper class swears, even there the class system keeps appearing...
I´m sure linguists and other sorts of scientists have written countless pages about this subject...I find it quite fascinating and will remain the in-yer-face German :-)
By the way, my beloved Stephen Fry has made a tv series about language last year and one episode dealt with swearing. Hilarious! Watch it if you get the chance!
"Swearing is a really important part of one's life and it would be
impossible to imagine going through life without swearing and without
enoying swearing"
Miss W thinks that I am a versatile blogger and has given me this award.
Thank you very much for this :-)
Great to know that there are actually people out there reading what I´m writing here...and, even better, that they find it interesting! Thanks :-)
Here are my 7 facts, completely spontaneous and unedited:
1. I never learned how to ride a bike.
2. I love grocery shopping in discounters. Proper supermarket prices make my heart bleed.
3. I was always a big girl and a bit of a freak but thankfully got through 13 years of school without being bullied. Either means I'm frightening or that I've just been lucky...guess/hope it's the latter.
4.I don´t like changes but at the moment life is full of them.
5. I have become a youtube vlog addict (I only say the SacconeJolys)
6. I can´t walk over bridges with slight gaps in the floor without panicking about losing my wedding ring or something else. Always walk there really anxious with clenched fists buried deep in my pockets.
7. I hate that I just have started 6 sentences in a row with "I"
In cinema, as so often before, I missed this Wim Wenders film. I guess the whole 3D hype scared me off so my experience is based on watching the conventional DVD. The film was nominated this year for an Oscar by the way but didn't win in the end.
The film was planned not as a pure documentary but as a glimpse into the work and art of German choreographer Pina Bausch and her famous ensemble in Wuppertal, Germany. The whole project got overshadowed and changed by the sudden death of Pina Bausch at the beginning of the filming.
What you get to see is a mix of very personal statements of the dancers about Pina and about their work together, memories and cultural inheritance.
Everyone expecting a good old dance film with a plot will probably be disappointed. Anyone who is looking forward to a traditional and informative documentary will be as well. What you get is dance theatre. Some scenes more abtract, others are more palpable. All scenes are of a weird visual beauty, the music is strangely addictive (more than one day I have had the music from the trailer stuck in my mind for hours!). More than once was I surprised about the otherworldliness and futuristic look of the Ruhr area in Germany where the scenes were made.
The whole film is like a dream, flushing you away...but leaving you (or maybe just me) at the end wondering "What was that?". Will have to watch it again (and maybe the 3D experience would have been worth it this time) and try to "grab" more of it, to understand more. In case there is something to understand of course. Maybe it is just the student in me who wants to interpret too much.
For now I find it inspiring and beautiful but lacking a bit of substance at the same time.
A beautiful thing to watch if you are into dance and theatre or, ideally, dance theatre. It won't explain you anything or tell you some truths directly but it will inspire you and charge up your creative batteries.
