Stereo Rose

Last week another hype rocked the blogosphere.
The launch of MAC´s "Après Chic" collection and with that the re-launch of the much loved Mineralize Skinfinish in the colour "Stereo Rose"

My dashboard got swamped with posts about the benefits of using this baby so I thought I should give it a go. Send out my fearless husband to the duty free shop at Heathrow and, voila: got it! My first ever Mineralize Skinfinish and my second MAC product at all.
So far I have used it as a blush as it seem to be quite strongly pigmented and shines golden but it works just as well as a highlighter or overall shimmer.
Happy :-)

And in case you are hooked now - too late, it is sold out pretty much everywhere. Evil me...;-)

Quartet

director: Dustin Hoffman
year: 2012
with: Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, etc.

story: The inhabitants of a retirement home for former musicians and opera singers prepare for their annual concert when former star soprano Jean Horton moves in and brings trouble...

what I liked: a beautiful English country house, Dame Maggie Smith, classical music and some theatrical backstage magic and eccentric characters spell my sort of setting.
I really liked the idea of showing old pictures of the actors during the end credits, added to the feeling that they all were young and successful once...Another plus was that the final sung quartet from Rigoletto was heard but we didn´t see it - there is nothing more cringe-worthy then watching actors pretend they can sing.

what I didn´t like: Billy Connolly. -  I hate his Scottish accent, don´t find him funny as a stand-up and found him fairly annyoing in this film too. And the scene when a school class works out that opera and hip hop are actually very similar - if all classes were that tame, enthusiastic and behaved even I would consider a career in teaching lol

verdict: A nice little film though not very realistic. Nothing spectacular but worth it...and even if it´s only to hear Maggie Smith say "Fuck you" on the screen :-)

Glossybox 12/2012

• Cosline Concealer Nr. 965 (well, a concealer in a slightly too warm shade from an unknown to me company, hmm)
• Dr. Hauschka Lipstick Novum 01 glossy chocolate (ok as I quite like sheer brown lipsticks and like the "wholesome" smell of natural cosmetics)
• Eau Thermale Avene D-Pigment (I´m sure it is a fab and luxurious product...if you have problems with pigmentation. Fortunately I don´t (yet) so it´s a bit of a very expensive waste. What a shame. )
• Gerstein for Ahava Holiday Ornament Body (useful for travelling as it contains a small body lotion and a small body wash, the smell is absolutely divine but very potent too. Similar to "Poison" which, lucky me, is one of my favourite scents!)
• Korres Eyeshadow (nice...matches the lipstick)

plus: the pointless as ever Glossymag and some fake lashes. Curious to try them as I never ever have so far! But no Lush product, no Essie "Penny Talk" nail colour, no Bunnyrouge product...bit disappointed. But compared to  previous months at least I´m moaning on a fairly high level :-)

Freitags-Füller 34

Ich schaffe in diesem Jahr tolle Dinge, das rede ich mir nun einfach mal ein :-)

Wenn ich alleine bin mache ich es gar nicht und auch in Gesellschaft schaue ich nur extrem ungern Fernsehen.

Sie haben von der sibirischen Wetterpeitsche gesprochen, haha. Ich waere froh wenn es mild bliebe aber ich befuerchte das dicke Ende kommt noch.

Ist ungenügend nun eine 5 oder 6? Egal, hatte beides recht oft in der Schule.

Was ist bzw. wer ist eigentlich Kim Kardashian?

Das Ende des Christmas Specials von Downton Abbey war an Tragik kaum noch zu toppen.

Was das Wochenende angeht, heute Abend freue ich mich auf Hackbraten essen und danach eventuell ins Kino um "Quartet" zu sehen, morgen habe ich mit der Bluebell Railway durch die Gegend fahren geplant und Sonntag möchte ich auch nochmal irgendeinen schoenen Ausflug machen, wenn moeglich an die Kueste und danach packen!

the way to someones heart...

...is through the stomach.

A really clever and simple idea which I came across recently (and directly asked myself why I never thought of it before!).
As a child I loved my "Poesiealbum" no matter how old-fashioned it seemed or how uninspired some of the entries were. This book is based on the same idea only that this time you collect recipes from your friends instead of wise words and stickers.
You hand it around and your friends will add one of their favourite recipes to it so in the end you should get a nice, personal and varied collection.

A fantastic idea! And of course you can use any book for this and don't have to buy the "official" one. Will definitely start soon.
Tell me if you are planning to do the same, will be interesting to see where this might lead to.

Auld lang syne II

one last end of year post, I promise! From now on the new year has properly started and I will hopefully be posting a variety of stuff again :-)

Last year I had a look at my old resolutions so I wanna do the same reality-check this time.

2012 I wanted to:

• lose more weight/ keep on running -->hmm, no. Same weight and haven't been running for ages.
• stop talking about starting a family and doing it instead -->well, the biological clock is still ticking but I'm still damn good at blocking it out with the white noise of everyday life
• read 30 books -->a mere 11 I managed. I blame the internet...
• go to theatre 30times -->over achieved on this one, yeah :-)
• watch 30 films -->mission accomplished!
• get that 2 tattoo -->I still want it, I know what I want, where I want it and who should do it...only need to DO it now
• change of shopping behaviour -->still binging on Primark and sale items unfortunately but maybe a little less often
• use more foundation ;-) -->yes!

 so "drumroll", 2013 I want to:

• buy/consume in small independent shops/cafes instead of chains whenever possible
• read less reviews, forums and yellow press online as it tends to wind me up or upset me only
• work harder for both universities
• more de-cluttering at home
• trying to be more groomed, always...no more chipped nail polish or grown out hair cuts for the generation 30+

• the same "30-rule" when it comes to theatre, books and films
• all the remaining points from 2012 (tattoo, shopping, running, family planning!)

so let's keep our fingers crossed and let's all try our very best to keep our resolutions going. Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2013!

bring out the old, bring in the new

inspired by Petra, here my abridged version of her end of year questionnaire...it's a bit late but it took me a lot of thinking to write this. Hasn't been an easy year...

what themes defined 2012 for me? 

loss, recovery, forming of new routines, optimism, energy

what things have I been putting off that I need to execute on before the end of the year? 

ha, writing this exact post (amongst many others)

what have I accomplished this year? 

I finished my university "career" in my beloved Mainz

what emotional lessons? 

life goes on, always.

what got in my way?
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"...as valid as ever

who contributed to my successes?
my husband and my father obviously.
But one friend in particular as well...without her kicking my ass to get on with uni again after dropping out and without her unbelievable help with editing my final thesis I wouldn't have a degree now!

what do I need to let go of? 

my mum

what was missing for me this year? 

life as I knew it

I stopped... ?
saying or doing this only cause I'm supposed to...I have become even more honest, outspoken und rigorous, at least I hope that

I started... ?
studying photography...as well as history and literature

I created... ? 

many many photos

I loved... ?
on a shallow level: watching Downton Abbey...seeing Cate Blanchett on stage...sniffing Cartier Baiser Vole...my new Freitag bag...cooking, eating and travelling

I was embarrassed by... ?

nothing serious...the older I get the more it takes to embarass me

I was frustrated by... ? 

superficiality, platitudes

I needed more time for... ? 

myself...when it comes to me-time I'm high-maintenance

I missed... ?

being part of a large family

I went... ? 

to Stratford-upon-Avon, Hamburg, Munich, Karlsruhe, Lubeck, Marburg, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Bruges, DePanne, Bath, Glastobury, Bristol, Volterra, Pisa, Florence, San Gimigiano, Lucca

I relaxed when... ? 

...I'm in theatre, at an airport, on a train, going for a long walk, in my bed or having a bath

time flew when... ?

every single day...I mean, 2013! Really?!?

I want to repeat... ? 

nothing, it happens for a reason that nothing in life can be repeated

I felt most alive when... ? 

I was walking through my beloved London on my own on a sunny and quiet Sunday morning

physically, the biggest difference since last December is... ? 

about 40cm less hair

psychologically, the biggest difference since last December is... ? 

being free of the extreme worries considering my mum's health

spiritually, the biggest difference is... ?

knowing that whatever happens, it will pass

socially, the biggest difference is... ? 

realizing that we all have a different ways of life now and that sometimes it is very difficult to connect again with people you once were close with. Next step is to fully accept that now.

my biggest win was... ? 

concert tickets worth 50Euros each

I want more... ? 

"quality time" (oh how much I actually hate this phrase) with my husband

the best thing I did for someone else was... ? 

going on holidays with my Dad I guess