Life Lately + Evening Routine

Hi again!

While I do love talking about fashion and beauty, I thought I would say a word or two about what's going on in my life at the moment before I move on to a little beauty bit. Not much, in reality, but I like knowing things about other bloggers lives, so I thought I'd do the same on this blog, too!
While I am currently still savoring the last days of (rainy) holidays in the Netherlands in my boyfriends' parents house, I am returning to Vienna to take up my studies (English and French Literature) again next week. Classes don't start til october, but this way I have a little time to look for a part-time job.
Partly, that makes me really excited (I get to see my bezzie Kym again who I haven't seen in 3 months!), but it also makes me sad as hell because it means that, for the time being, Brandon (the bf) and me return to our previous 'long distance' stage. That's only momentary though, as he is planning to move to Vienna for a few months at the end of november. That's all the major updates so far!

On a side note, in my introductory post I didn't mention that you can follow me on different social networking sites, so I thought I would include them here:

Tumblr:

Art, literature and personal blog: bianne-k.tumblr.com  

Fashion and wishlist blog: moodywoman.tumblr.com
Twitter:

@lastfl0wers
Instagram:
/lastfl0wers
Pinterest: 

/lastfl0wers
Polyvore:

 /lastfl0wers

On the body front, I'm still dieting (haha, when am I not?). I've had a few ups and downs during the summer (very hard to keep my weight steady when I was on holiday in Finland), but I'm back on track and have shed a few pounds again. I'm still hoping to lose 20 pounds before the end of the year, which should be doable, since I tend to be a lot more strict and consequent with my diet when I'm at uni and don't go out as much (damn you, booze!). As for my skin, that I've steadily been trying to improve lately, I think I've found a decent beauty routine that has really helped make it clearer and smoother. And since I promised, I'll include my evening skin-care / beauty routine essentials of the moment!

To start off, I brew myself a cup of tea, so that when I'm done with my evening routine I can cuddle up in bed and have a cuppa. My favorite for the evening is unsweetened green jasmine flower infused tea, which is really healthy, full of antioxidants that will keep your skin glowy and radiant. Mmmmh.
Then I wash my hands thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap to keep them safe and clean.
To take off my make-up, especially the heavier eye make-up, I use cleansing towels, like these by Simple. Once the thicker top layer of make-up is removed, I use an (organic or fairtrade) xl cotton pad and put a little bit of my Bioderma Eau Micellaire facial cleansing water (that my darling friend Emily brought me back from her recent trip to Paris) on it to get the last bits of make-up off and refresh my skin. Then I rinse my face with warm water, squeeze a little of the Garnier Pure Active Exfo-Brusher Wash onto my hands and rub it into my skin with a manual face complexion brush (I prefer to use that than the plastic bristle brush that you get with the wash). The circular motions of the brush help the product to penetrate my skin and deep cleanse, but it also helps my circulation and gives me a more radiant complexion. Rinse with cold water to close the pores. If I'm having a break-out, I will apply a thin layer of the Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask to further cleanse my skin, or the Neutrogena On-The-Spot Acne Treatment, which I dab on the spot or problem zone carefully. Even though I have combination-oily skin, there's still areas of my skin that get quite dry, so I use the tiniest amount of the Olay Firming Night Cream and rub it into my skin carefully. Finally, once I'm tucked into bed after brushing my teeth, I dab a little Carmex Lip Treatment onto my lips and then massage some of the Body Shop Hand and Nail Almond Cream into my hands for really smooth skin.
That might seem like a lot of steps, but I like to be very thorough, and only use small amounts of all products so that my skin doesn't get irritated. This routine seems to work quite well for me, as I can tell my pores have diminished in size and I've had less break-outs.... I'm sure my routine will change over the next few months, with the arrival of winter, but for now it works brilliantly!

Any products that you have been loving these days? Any major life events? I would love to know a little more about our readers, so do comment below!

The Body Shop Haul

One of my best friends Fiona has bought a 21€ gift card at The Body Shop and gave it to me on Saturday at my pre-birthday-party. Since I wished for it and already knew what I wanted to buy, I went shopping today. This is my acquisition! A facial wash, a lip butter, a conditioner and a gift set containing two shampoo, two conditioners and a comb. The Body Shop products are not tested on animals, support fair trade, protect the planet (the packaging as well) and the human rights and are said to boost your self esteem since you can feel beautiful after using them. The concept is really appealing then.

Banana Conditioner 250ml, 6€

I was given advice in the shop and the nice employee explained to me that this product is perfect for damaged and dry hair such as my bleached ombré tips. Body Shop products have never disappointed me, so I decided to go for it and try it out. The smell is amazing as usual, it smells like dried banana chips.

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash 60ml, 3,50€

This range of products is breathtakingly good. Many beauty blogs are talking about the spot removal stick, but for selective elimination I use the famous model-method: toothpaste. It works with all different kinds, you should totally give it a try. Toothpaste dries out the spots over night. Please don't use it as mask you will ruin your skin! Anyway, I have already used up this facial wash before and it worked quite well on my skin. The smell is weird though, it has a tea smell and some UK readers will hate me now but I have never been such a big fan of tea.

Chocomania Lip Butter 10ml, 6€

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes to Body Shop Lip Butter. The smell and the taste are super good, the price is really high, but if you want something on your lips that makes you want to eat them up instantly than I present you here the product you have been looking for. Any scent/taste is good!

Rainforest Oil Balance Shampoo and Conditioner 60ml plus Comb, 5€

This try-it-out set was half-priced so it was my duty as a person with really oily hair to at least give it a try. I am surprised that there were two of the shampoo and also two of the conditioner bottles inside since this is a probe/gift set, but on the other hand I am happy about it if this range is useful. I have already tried out two Shampoos out of the Rainforest Collection and they worked really fine, so I think I will not be disappointed this time.

probe of the Vineyard Peach Body Butter, free

After every (I think every, but maybe not really every) purchase in the shop, you get a small free probe of one of their newest products. This time the employee threw a 5ml pot of the Vineyard Peach Body Butter into the bag and I will totally try it out because have I mentioned before how good The Body Shop products smell? Yes this one does too. They smell like the Sour Peaches from Haribo taste, if you know them. I hope m boyfriend won't eat me up!

What are your favorite The Body Shop products?

B's Summer Essentials

Hi everyone!
It's been really rainy these last two days here in the Netherlands (admittedly a welcome little change after the weeks of humid and unbearable heat!) so I've had a little time to take a few pictures! I thought I would show you guys which products I have been loving and using a lot so far this summer: from make-up to dry shampoo, body butter and lipstick, it's all there. I'll include all the necessary shop names/sites where I can.

You can buy all these products via the Body Shop Online Shop.

I'll start off with my body care / shower essentials. Aside from my Garnier facial scrub (boring!), my Elmex toothpaste, my Elvital Color Protect shampoo & conditioner and my Nivea Stress (or Dove Silk Dry) deodorant, these are the things I've been using in my body care routine lately... I may or may not have raided the Body Shop when they had a sale a couple of weeks ago! I am going crazy for tropical scents at the moment, so all things fruity, coconut-y and fresh really appeal to me. Not included in the picture is my nearly empty Passion Fruit Shower Gel, which I highly recommend. The Body Shop are great when it comes to creating smooth, soothing products that smell delicious without being sickly sweet, and it's always good to buy fair trade and vegan where you can!

                                        You can buy Batiste Dry Shampoos via ASOS.

Next stop: my hair. Because of the unbearable heat, I have been washing my hair less often than usual. I have incredibly thick, long, hair, and A LOT of it, too, and to my dismay it tends to curl and frizz a lot when I let it air dry - so I blow dry it after every time I wash it. When it's that hot outside though, I just cannot be bothered to go through the 20 minute long hassle of blowdrying!! Instead, I wash it once every 2-3 days, and use the Batiste Dry Shampoos on the days where I don't. I have the scents "Tropical" (COCONUT!) and "Cheeky Cherry". They work wonders, because they don't make my hair feel rough and sticky, but they definitely give it a fresh feel. I'm pretty addicted to it - though I do prefer the tropical scented one.

                               Cacharel "Amor Amor - In a Flash" via The Perfume Shop

Talking about scents: I have discovered my new favorite perfumes and have been completely in love with them over the past two months. The first one is my every day go-to perfume: "Amor Amor - in a flash" by Cacharel. From the packaging to the scent, it's completely perfect. It's sweet, girly and fruity, without being too overwhelming so I find it perfect for every day wear in summer.

       L'Occitane "La Collection de Grasse" Spring/Summer 2013 Collection Box Set via L'Occitane

My other favorite scent is actually a whole little collection: the "Collection de Grasse" by L'Occitane. It's composed of four little perfume flasks, and I can't even decide which of the four scents I am more obsessed with. The scents are: "Jasmine & Bergamot", "Magnolia & Blackberry", "Vanilla & Narcissus" and "Green Tea & Bitter Orange". I know right? They sound divine, and they really are. I own the box set which has all four scents in 18mL bottles, but you can also buy them individually in bigger bottles if you like one of them particularly! Have a look here on the Birchbox Site!

     Chanel Le Vernis in "Black Pearl" and in "Lotus Rouge", Barry M Nail Paint in "Prickly Pear"

Recently, my nails have been really weak and chipping a lot, so I've been trying to give them a little time to regenerate and air to breathe and have been going easy on the nail polish. I also recently moved away from home and had to leave a biiig part of my collection back! So sad. These are my favorite polishes though so they had to come with me: The two Chanel ones are my all time favorites, as they're perfect for any outfit or season, classy and elegant and still pretty fierce. I've been loving this lilac-y / lavender-y shade by Barry M because it's light and pastel-y and perfect for summer. Their gel nail varnishes are so good - they give such a nice glossy finish and stay chip-free for at least 3 days. Admittedly, the Chanel colors aren't that long-lasting or chip-free if you don't use a top coat, but they do make the prettiest colors ever!

           All MAC Shadows via the MAC Cosmetics Store -  Estée Lauder Quad - H&M Palette

Now to the more exciting part: my summer make-up essentials. I'll start off with my eyeshadows, since they're my favorite bits from my current make-up collection. As I've mentioned before, I've been loving the nude shades for my eyes, so these here have been my essential life supply in the last weeks. I like to mix more high-end make up with drugstore make-up, just because I can't go 100% high-end but don't wanna use only cheap things either, so I try to find a compromise! I am eagerly saving up for an Urban Decay Naked Palette, but in the meanwhile, the eye shadows that I do have serve me well. My hands down favorite is my MAC one in the shade "Brulé", which I use all over my eyelid up to my brow bone on a daily basis (that explains why my little beauty is nearly empty - going to cry!!!). I also dearly love my eye shadow quad in the shade "Truffle" by Estée Lauder. It combines a khaki-olive-y brown/green, a warm, coppery bronze shade, a shimmery deep brown shade and a satin-y champagne tone. For a summery smokey eye, this combination is perfect. My other every day go-to shadows are "Bronze" and "Expensive Pink" by MAC and my "Soft Nudes" eyeshadow palette by H&M which is surprisingly good for a fairly cheap product. You can pick it up for 4,95€ in your H&M!

I've been trying to keep the rest of my make up fairly light so I haven't been using tons of foundations, setting powders and concealers. These are my few bits and bobs that I've been using a lot though. I use the Catrice Cosmetics facial primer, which is great cos it is really cheap, not oily and makes my skin feel smooth and moisturized without making it greasy. I swear by the Maybelline New York Dream Matte Mousse (I use the shade 01 Ivory) because it's a great light weight foundation, and since it is matte I don't need to use any powder make up on top. For dark circles under my eyes, I use the Maybelline Dream Lumitouch highlighting concealer, also in the shade ivory. Recently I've had to cut back a lot on both of these though, as ivory is slightly too fair for my tanned skin at the moment! Luckily, the sun and lack of make-up has made my skin clear up a lot so that's not a problem. My absolute favorite product at the moment is the Benefit High Beam highlighter. I blend it on my brow bone, my cheek bones and a bit on my nose for a fresh faced summer look. I'm going to be so gutted when it runs out as it is such an expensive product, but really worth the investment.

I usually pair my nude eyes with a very thin line of black liquid eye liner and a combination of three mascaras (one for length, one for separating and one for volume) only on the top lashes. As an alternative to my liquid liner in black (and for a softer look), I've been using my MAC eye pencil in the color "Powersurge" as well as my MAC Kohl liner in dark brown. For days when I don't want to wear any proper foundation at all, I go with my GOSH Cosmetics BB Cream in the shade 01 Sand - Primer, tinted moisturizer, and SPF 15, all in one! For my eye brows, I usually use my Barry M Brow Pen in dark brown, paired with my Catrice eye brow pencil in light brown, and on my cheeks, I love to use the Benefit Bene-Tint color stain for a healthy glow. I also like to use it on my lips and usually pair it with my Benefit Sugarbomb Lipgloss or my MAC lipstick in Crème in Your Coffee (my all-time favorite lipstick! I have naturally very pale lips, so it helps me look a bit fresher and healthier). You can pick up most of these products in bigger shopping centers at the cosmetics counters, or you can check out the Benefit Online Store as well as the MAC Cosmetics Online Store.

From left to right:
Barry M in Neon Pink #52 and Baby Pink #100, Manhattan in Nude #95L, MAC in "Crème in your Coffee", Manhattan in Purple #56U, Kate Moss for Rimmel London in "Kiss of Life" #111, Catrice in "Princess Peach" #050, Manhattan in Coral #34N, Kate Moss for Rimmel London in #10, Manhattan in Deep Red #54V.
Below: swatches of the lipsticks (order doesn't coincide with the above picture.)
From left to right: MAC "Crème", Barry M #52, Barry M #100, Manhattan #95L, Manhattan #56U, Manhattan #54V, Rimmel #111, Rimmel #10, Manhattan #34N, Catrice #050. 

Since I go mostly nude on my eyes most days, I've been loving crazy bold lipsticks! I'll let the colors speak for themselves, so there you have my Summer 2013 Favorites. (I wear the brighter, coral-y and candy-pink tones during the day, and the deeper, darker shades like purple and red at night).

If you want any special advice on how to use/wear any of these products, where to get them, or a more detailed review/opinion on them, let me know in the comments below! Sorry for the long, photo-heavy post, but I thought this was a good time to show which products I've been loving so far and will continue to love til the end of the summer for a fresh faced, light summer look with a pop of color.