organic? not quite!

some german beauty companies have come out with products that are hybrids between organic and irritant free.

what does that mean? 
they are not 100% organic and thus not as expensive as products that are because those need to be certified. these products are about 95 to 99% organic and irritant free: no silicones, parabenes, PEGs, mineral oils or other "bad" additives.

what's in it for me?
personally i don't HAVE to have a certified product that is 100% organic. my skincare being irritant free is far more important to me so now i get the best of both for a relatively low price.

what are they?
here are two examples for this sort of product...
#1 a very well known german cosmetics brand NIVEA

the good thing about this line is that it contains a lot of different products for face and body and is easily accessible at drugstores and supermarkets. the bad thing is that even though they are not 100% organic they sure are almost the same price as (drugstore own brand) certified organic products .

#2 a drugstore own brand BALEA

the good thing about this is that the products are considerably cheaper than the nivea ones, they are however only available at dm drugstores and there are only the three products available that are pictured above.

french skin care

my bf and i are going to paris in summer. and while german pharmacists DO stock loads of french skin care, it's still very expensive over here, so i thought i would splurge at a french pharmacy instead ;) after having watched countless youtube videos and read numerous blogs about french skin care, i would like to let you know what i have decided on getting. it's mostly organic and if it isn't i made sure the products have no irritants in them. i have also decided to get products for every category of my skin care regime, so here goes:

1. eye make-up remover: bioderma créaline H20
2. cleanser: caudalie cleansing solution
3. toner: caudalie eau de beauté
4. moisturizers/serums: embryolisse lait-crème concentré, la roche posay hydreane légère, caudalie vinosource mattifying moisturizer, caudalie vinosource serum SOS
5. lips: nuxe rêve de miel lipbalm, caudalie chapstick
6. body: caudalie zeste de vigne line (bodywash, lotion, scrub, perfume,...)

any thoughts on that? anyone? did you notice how many caudalie products there are in this list? ;)

also i'm still looking for tips concerning hair care products i might want to try. i have very fine hair that tends to have NO volume at all- also i have a sensitive scalp.

organic hair and skin care on a budget

that actually works for ME!

hair:
shampoo and conditioner - yes to tomatoes
(alternatively the eco awesome range by tigi)
deep treatment - the body shop rainforest moisture

unfortunately the treatment that goes with the yes to tomatoes products (yes to carrots leave-in conditioner) contains irritants :/ and the shampoo is sometimes kind of hard to come by (like right now!) which is why i have an alternative option to switch to.

face:
alverde by dm
alterra by rossmann
nonique by schlecker/ihr platz

body:
alverde by dm
alterra by rossmann
nonique/naturé by schlecker/ihr platz

i like to switch things up in my face care routine depending on whether it's summer or winter and in my body care routine, because i like a new scent once in a while. but the brands in general offer affordable organic cosmetics and there's a very wide range of products to choose from! IF you live in germany or the bordering countries that is, because the brands mentioned above are local drugstores' own brands :/ (anyone interested in a product swap, please message me!)

i might throw in the occasional product by lush or the body shop, but i usually stick to my staples AND save some money at the same time ;)

back to basics!

in terms of skin care. funnily enough i figured out that cheap brands work best for me. expensive moisturizers tend to break me out and organic ones make my skin go itchy. so, here's what i've been using recently:

masks and exfoliator

left to right: cleansing mask when i get spots, scrub/mask by soap&glory to use once a week, moisturizing mask when my skin feels dry

cleansing

cleanser and make up removal wipes

toning (and some extra boost in winter)

toner and a vitamin serum for the colder months

moisturizing

left to right: daytime moisturizer, nighttime moisturizer, eye cream

face care and glossy box september

okay, i've given up on the AOK stuff altogether- be it organic or not, i'm not happy with the results i'm getting. i'm back to some very basic cleansing products:

in terms of moisturizers i'm using a basic one for night time and a sample of a very pricey one  (klapp extreme) from my latest glossy box:

i really like the weleda hand cream, but i'm not going to repurchase it as i have other (cheaper) options that work just as well.

i quite like the moisturizer, too. i am, however, not willing to pay about €50 for a jar of the stuff.

haven't tried the nail polish yet, so no review on that.

the shampoo was okay- organic and all that- but i needed a lot of conditioner afterwards to get some moisture into my hair.

loved the burt's bees lotion, but there are other options for that as well.

eye opener!

over the summer vacations my bf and i did quite a bit of experimenting concerning shampoos and conditioners for thin hair that needs volume (*YAY* for having the same type of hair as your bf). we have come up with the following (it's different products for him and me simply because our tastes in scents vary):
i'm going to be using the YES to TOMATOES shampoo and conditioner and he's going to be using the ECO AWESOME shampoo and conditioner from tigis love, peace & the planet line (please excuse the whacky link for the later as the tigi site seems to be down). that is after we've used up all the left over samples and half emptied bottles that have accumulated X)

i have decided on something else as well. i am giving up on going all organic for good. i don't seem to be able to find purely organic products that work for my skin (face or body). i will be using what works best for me and what i like the scent of (i'm very much a scent oriented person). in terms of haircare my shampoo and conditioner will be free of silicone as i've noticed that too much of that weighs my thin hair down even more. other than that i just don't care anymore what's in my cosmetics. most of my favorites are organic, though. i'm still on the lookout for a good daytime moisturizer that works for my combination skin. it should not leave my skin all shiny or too dry...

as soon as my list of favorite products is complete in all departments (hair, face, body) i will post an update here ;)

i noticed something else as well. i used to be a huge fan of THE BODY SHOP as a teenager simply because there was nothing comparable about. then i switched to YVES ROCHER as their stuff became more readily available (in shops instead of just via catalogues) and then went into a right LUSH frenzy (i have more bars of soap than i'm every gonna use up in my life!) and now... i went all the way back to THE BODY SHOP. i think it's gonna be for good this time- not that i don't shop at the other places occasionally ;)

reviews for you

i've been testing out a few things- mostly organic and irritant free. i'm liking these combos:

yes to tomatoes shampoo and conditioner, swiss haircare volumizing mask

i got the yes to tomatoes stuff in a miniatures set. it was for my hair and skin type and i really like the effect it has. however none of the products smell nice :/ the swiss haircare mask i got in my july glossybox. i like it, but i have yet to check whether it's up to my demands in terms of being irritant free.

yes to tomatoes face mask and daily moisturizer, kiehl's acai berry tonic spray, the body shop carrot moisturizer

the two yes to tomatoes things complete the set i got. the kiehl's spray was in my july glossybox and the body shop carrot moisturizer has been my favorite for a while. unfortunately in contains silicone oil and i will have to find something else to use for night time :/

i have also tried the vitalumière aqua foundation by chanel and i LOVE how it feels on my skin. i wouldn't buy it, though, as i don't really use foundation anymore. here's a link:  CHANEL VITALUMIÈRE AQUA

and then i had a few trial sized packs of a multi-purpose cream by neutrogena that i really liked. it's my mum's bday on the 17th and i'm considering to buy her one of these: NEUTROGENA

had the afternoon off...

...went for a stroll in the city center, picked up a few things.

first i went to try some new scents:

l'occitane - fleurs de ceriser

betty barclay - pure style

*yum yum* i really like it- it's not fruity or flowery, though

then i came across this fabulous new LE by essence

i got the orange lipstick and the red nail polish :)

need help!

as i already mentioned in an earlier entry i am trying yet again to make my entire routine sulfate, silicone and parabene free. it's not as easy as you would think. i'm gonna tell you now what i got so far and which products i still need replacements for:


hair:

shampoo - garnier natural beauty granatapfel & bierhefe, yes to tomatoes, the body shop rainforest

conditioner - alterra feuchtigkeitsspülung granatapfel, yves rocher himbeeressig, the body shop rainforest

deep cleansing shampoo - lush big

deep conditioner - alterra granatapfel, the body shop rainforest

leave in conditioner (detangler) - schauma seiden-kamm, the body shop grapeseed glossing serum

i am also gonna try to go back to only washing my hair every other day!


face:

make up removal wipes - balea young pink, my skin pink or blue

tonic - balea young green, florena mattifying

cleanser - balea young pink, nonique (all available lines)

mask - montagne jeunesse sheet masks (all types)

eye cream - alverde augentrost, nonique

what i'm still searching for are day and night creams. i'd prefer a light, moisturizing cream for daytime and a more nourishing cream for nighttime. most day creams i've used were mattifying and all of them contain bad ingredients (mostly silica). i might go try the nonique moisturizers for daytime. i'm currently using my trusty carrot moisturizer from the body shop at night, but it contains silicone oil (which is less harmful than proper silicone, but still...). has anyone tried the yes to tomatoes facial hydrating lotion?!
also i'm still looking for a face scrub- or maybe i'm just gonna switch to using one of those little brushes?!


body:

hand cream - alverde vitamin, alterra granatapfel

body wash - creme 21 jasmine & vanilla, the body shop earth lovers, alterra (all scents), balea young turteltäubchen/raubkatze

body lotion/butter - yves rocher mandelmilch, alverde macadamia, florena körperbutter

deodorant: hidro fugal doppel effekt roll-on

here i'm looking for more options in terms of body wash and lotion. i'm also still on the look out for a decent scrub and shaving gel :/

tiny haul :)

left to right:
nail hardener (which i'm gonna need as i'm letting my gel nails grow out)
limited edition holographic nail polish
lip gloss with spf
two hair scroos- gonna try them out and then maybe buy more (they are supposed to hold your bun together without a hair elastic)

there are decent girly shirts out at my uni, finally- had to get one!

a lovely outfit from promod- couldn't pass up the cute apple design X)

glossy box may 2011

unboxing:

the contents:

the only thing i've tried so far is the l'occitane hand cream and it's VERY good indeed.

my body mist collection and some other stuff

my body mists:

my favorite one is the body shop - japanese cherry blossom, but i also love the secret - lavender (THANK YOU, alexis, for that one!) and the avon - black cherry & nutmeg one. the two on the right are a local drugstore brand and even when layered with the matching body lotion the scent doesn't last for 30mins :/

i bought two trial size bottles of new skin care by nivea:

a body lotion on the left and a body wash on the right. they are okay, i guess, but nowhere near as good as my beloved creme21 stuff ;)

and then i bought two pairs of shoes for summer:

left: crocs from the new translucent line
right: ipanemas by gisele bündchen

new stuff... and new ideas ;)

today was my first day off *YAY* of course the first thing i did was to go to the city center to get some shopping done:


just a few things. the only really expensive item being my new wallet by fossil. i had asked for it for xmas, but the original price was €70. today i saw it on sale for €40 :D here a few close ups:



and with the angelology book definitely being too boring for lovely spring days this makes for two new additions to my purse:

(yes it's machiavelli and yes i deem this fitting for spring time)

this afternoon i went to my parents' place to have an early easter lunch with mum, as my parents are visiting grandma over the holidays. we went for a little stroll in the village and at one of the local shops i spotted this pretty cord fabric:

any ideas what i might use it for? it's 1,60m wide. btw, here's a site that sells the fabrics online: http://www.farbenmix.de/

speaking of crafting. i'm having a case for my blackberry custom made from this site: http://www.vomheimathafen.de/

and i also ordered my first glossy box (it's like birch box for germany): http://www.glossybox.de/

what's in my purse and some new stuff

this is an updated "what's in my purse"- including a "what's in my make up bag" to show you how i have decided on what to take with me:

my purse and an overview of what's in it:


close up of the stuff:


the make up/emergency bag:


and two close ups:




also i bought some stuff from the drugstore, from the body shop and from avon (yes, AGAIN!). 

avon:


drugstore:


the body shop:

glamour shopping week

that's what this week is/was. not that i had any time to GO shopping so far. i might go downtown again this afternoon or tomorrow morning as frank has a meeting. i originally only got the glamour shopping card, coz it had an offer on levi's curve jeans. i am very curvy and usually struggle to find a pair of jeans that really its me, so i was gonna treat myself to a pair of levi's. or so i thought i would. turns out the nearest store that has the offer is in cologne and no way do i have time to go there anytime this weekend :( the next item on my list was a pair of tamaris ballet flats from goertz. i went there today to try them on: a size 38 is too small and a size 39 too big. so bugger that! what i am definitely gonna do though is get my special offers from the body shop and douglas :)

avon sleep therapy pillow mist

i usually have a very light sleep- i have problems going to sleep, i have problems sleeping through the night. so i thought i might go ahead and try a pillow mist and it DOES work! i have the feeling i go to sleep more easily and i certainly sleep all through the night now. the pillow mist smells lovely :) i do recommend this!

the product at the official avon site

new essence range

i got just a few things X)

here are some details:

reviews are to follow as soon as i've tested the things. i'm especially curious about the "no panda eyes" mascara that's supposedly water resistant, not waterproof.

new stuff...

so here's the beauty haul that i promised (sorry about the quality of the pictures).

i had some vouchers from local drugstores so i went and bought a few things:

repurchases first (things that i'm very happy with and that i will be repurchasing for a while at least).

a new limited edition shower gel that smells lovely and goes great with the fruity body butter that i bought the other day *yum yum*

then i went to the body shop as they had a 3 for 2 offer going on their new organic shower gels:

here's all that i got in full...

and in detail:

frank and i went and had a sniff the other day so i came prepared and knew which ones to get.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the scent of this!!!

yesterday i got my order from avon in. i hadn't gotten anything from there for ages, but now that i had the opportunity...

this is everything- rarely any make-up, though ;)

a lovely dark plum lipstick that's vanilla scented and heart shaped. what more can you ask for? ;)

a long necklace that allows you to fiddle in trollbeads or pandora or whatever...

a lovely perfume for summer that smells of coconut and tiare flower :)

a pillow mist that frank and i tried last night- we loved it :D

last but not least i went and got some goodies from the old catrice range- everything was on sale, so...

the powder is another repurchase/back-up.

a lovely pinky coral lipstick.

and a pink one with sparkles *little girly girl squeee*