Thursday, December 19, 2013

I'm back! (updated with video)

Hey yall,

Sorry I was MIA for a few days this week. As I mentioned earlier, my boyfriend flew in from Sweden for a few days so I didn't have much time to post ;) But I'm back now and want to tell you a little about his trip and the city, Bremerhaven, that I live in.


Firstly, we stayed in a Jugendherberge or youth hostel because there wasn't room for him at my aunt's where I stay. It was pretty pricey but the room was big and had a nice couch and we had our own bathroom since there was no one in the room next to us.


The first thing I wanted to show Martin about where I live is something called the Klimahaus, or climate house:

This bad boy goes along the 8th east degree of latitude, starting in Bremerhaven and traveling to places like Cameroon, Niger, Samoa, Italy, and Antarctica, just to name a few. The rooms are built specifically for the country they house, and they really go all out. Let's just say, it is very hot in Cameroon and very cold and icy in Antarctica. You also get a chance to learn about the lives of the people who live in these countries and find connections between you and them. It's really interesting and we had a great time. I'm going to go picture-crazy in this post but I hope you guys enjoy it :D

 Sitting on a lamb
 Antarctica! modeling hahaha
 we love this picture haha it's very me

 IF THIS FISH WITH TEETH DOESN'T CRACK YOU UP, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU




BONUS! A Quick Get Ready With Me Video, Antarctica Style!









Next, we visited the Auswandererhaus, or Emigration house:





This museum retells the stories of the millions of people immigrated to and emigrated from Germany over the 300 years or so. It was amazing to see the various reasons people left, the sheer numbers of people traveling to the US in particular, and for me, the conditions on the ships that took the passengers across the big seas to their new lives. Let's just say, 3rd class was not living the dream..yet, anyway. We also took a test at the end of the tour, that contained a sample of the questions immigrants were asked when they reached the US. Based on their answers, they'd either be let into the country or sent back. Someone, Martin got accepted while I (AN AMURICAN CITIZEN YALL) got turned away. Ain't that a damn shame smh. Anyway, pictures!

 this style suits me, no?
 I found the loo..

chillin' in third class!





We also visited the (small) Weihnachtsmarkt here to eat some Schmalzkuchen..if you're familiar with funnel cake, imagine that instead of a cake, you have little round pieces covered in powdered sugar. That's Schmalzkuchen. And it's deliciousness is life-changing. You can ask Martin ;)
very excited for Schmalzkuchen



We went bowling with my cousins (Martin said he hadn't played in 2 years but broke 100 every round) and I played embarrassingly awfully, as usual.


We also ate lots of junk food, watched a lot of person of interest, and just enjoyed seeing one another in person :) (Even though I'll be seeing him next week when I fly to Sweden haha) It was a great 4 days that went by too fast, but I'm excited for a New Year's in Sweden..That should be an interesting post ;)






yours,
expat


Saturday, December 14, 2013

Scandal

If you don't already know (which I'm assuming most of you reading this do not), I am obsessed with the TV show Scandal on ABC. Literally obsessed. Unfortunately being in Germany I can't watch streaming on TV when it airs thursdays nights (they do have the first season in german though!), but I can always find the episode online the next day.

source: IMDb


Now, if you don't watch Scandal (WHICH YOU SHOULD, yes im yelling) it's a show starring Kerry Washington (finally jesus a black woman on primetime) as Olivia Pope, who runs her own company called Pope and Associates (one of whom is Columbus Short...mmm..) She's a "fixer" in Washington, DC so basically whenever someone is caught up in a  "scandal" they come to her to clean up their mess. She's also having an affair with the president which I know many people say is an abusive relationship but I say its TV so let me have my Olitz.






*SPOILER ALERT* Shit got real in the winter finale. All along, we thought Papa Pope was the bad guy as the head of B613, an org within the government that has spies etc does murdering etc is bad etc, however, turns out Mama Pope was a bad bitch and was actually in the wrong all along. Which, of course, they find out after they've put her on a plane to "safety" in China. I realize I'm using a lot of quotation marks right now but i want you to catch my sarcasm/puns :p. In other news, Cyrus's husband James slept with the VP's husband, who she then murdered, Quinn is hooking up with sexy B613 guy, I hate huck, i love abbie and David together and re-election shit is in swing.



SO the question is, what happens when Scandal returns in February? Do James and Cyrus divorce? Does Mama Pope come back for Olivia? (we already know she's in DC for the moment). What becomes of Papa Pope now that Jake (gross) is the new head of B613? What happens with Quinn and Huck? Will Harrison ever get a story line?


Guess we'll have to wait until February..



bis naechstes mal,
Expat

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

New Lip Products!

So i've been on the hunt for the perfect nude lipstick lately (and maybe picked up another color or two along the way) and i actually think i've found it! I've got four items to share with you guys today.  I'll include swatches in the post, and if I can't get my face to stop facking up and looking like a gross face then I'll post pics of them actually on my lips so you can get a better idea of what they look like IRL.


So the first is the Catrice pure lip shine. It's a sheer lip balm, which I got in the shade Sheers! (whatta cute name huh?) I like it, its a bit boring but perfect for days when you want a little shine and  smooth lips. price tag: 2,95 (euros)

Next, I bought the L'oreal collection Privee Jlo's Nude. I really liked the swatch of this, and it goes on pretty nicely but I think the pinkish undertone makes it a poor choice for a nude for my skin, which has more of a yellow undertone. It's still a gorgeous colour though, and goes on very smoothly. Can't attest to how long it lasts, though. price tag: 9,95 (i think! or 12,95..big difference, I know, but I ican't remember and I can't seem to find it online. I believe its 11$ in the US though).

Thirdly, we have Maybelline's luminous beige 742, and i LOVE IT. It goes on so nicely, has a nice shine and is the best nude shade I have found for me this far. It was 9,95 so not too expensive at all and I just cannot rave enough about it. It has more of a  brown undertone so it's better suited for me.. (cuz im brown yall)

Lastly, I purchased the Max factor colour exlixir lipstick in 715 Ruby Tuesday. This red is absolutely gorgeous. normally I prefer matte reds like russian red from MAC, but this slight sheen on this is really beautiful. Its more of a pink-ish red than a true red, though. price tag: 12,95






from L to R: Catrice. Max Factor, L'oreal, Maybelline

just a hello :D


stay warm, today!

Monday, December 9, 2013

My Piercings and Tattoos

Hey yall,

So I decided to try and make this blog a bit more personal so I'm going to be talking about my piercings and tattoos today. I have 2 new ones (one new piercing, one new tattoo) which is what gave me the idea.

piercings and tattoos are so great because people of all walks of life have them--you could have absolutely nothing else in common with someone other than the fact that you both have a little tattoo hidden away somewhere, but that's still a connection. And that's what humanity is about--finding those connections. So I've decided to share some of mine :D

I also made a youtube video where I talk through all of the information (costs, pain levels, etc) so feel free to check that out if you want more info or leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

This is gonna be a pretty picture-heavy post, but I tend to like those on blogs so I hope you guys do, too.

So, first things first. What do I have pierced?

Ears - 8, 5 on my left ear, 3 on my right (used to have my cartilage on both sides but they closed up. hoping to get my tragus and anti-helix soon :D) -----1
Nose --2
Tongue --5
Belly Button --3
Left Nipple -- 2
Dermal next to left eye -- 3

(the numbers next to the body part are my pain rating--keep in mind I have a pretty high pain tolerance)

And what are my tattoos?

On my left upper arm, I have in script "Fear Nothing" (I fear everything, so I don't know if it's doing its job.. haha) --- 5

On my shoulder I have my sister's birthday in roman numerals ---- 3



And now for the pictures!









and an outfit of the day :D


bis naechstes mal,

Expat

Sunday, December 8, 2013

new video! foundation routine


super quick foundation routine :D enjoy!


products used:

shisheido urban environment sunblock
manhattan matte foundation bronze 86
loreal true match 7 caramel
ben nye banana powder
physician's formula bronzing powder

What I've been up to

So the past few weeks have been slightly (read: extremely) uneventful. I still haven't worked unfortunately, and am broke as I found out I now have a gambling addiction. Addictive personality, I guess. so no more casino for me.

The restaurant I work at had a christmas dinner at this Serbian restaurant and I have to say, the Schnitzel Siziliano was DELICIOUS. I had a great time with my colleagues, and got pretty drunk for free which is always a plus. HAHA. (pics below-- L: my delicious schniztel, R: Me and my friend Marco...I'm drunk if you couldn't tell ;))





















My family has also started decorating for Christmas, so there are Advent candles and stars and window stickers out the asshole. But it's nice to get into the holiday spirit, even though I don' feel it much. It's hard to be away from my family-family (parents, siblings) around Christmas time. This is usually my favorite time of the year :/ Luckily my boyfriend is coming to visit from Sweden in a week so that will definitely brighten up my mood a bit :D

We're staying in a Jungendherberge because there's not enough room in the Inn for the virigin mary to--oh wait, I mean there's just one shower here for 6 people and when everyone else has jobs and whatnot, that doesn't really work out. Luckily its cheap and comes with a  free ticket, so I can take Martin (my bf) into town and show him the Weihnachtmarkt (Christmas Market) and everything. I'lll try to go there sometime this week so I can post some pics for you guys. Christmas in Germany really is a beautiful thing.

So Martin will be here the 15th-19th, and then I'll be flying to Sweden right after Xmas on the 26th and staying until the 2nd at his family's farm. I'll definitely be taking lots of pics there, since it's such a cute place and his mom owns a candle store where they (dangerously) let me make my own candles. I already have a few that I've made:



My sister is flying home next week from S. korea (lucky bitch) and I'm so jealous. But at least now when I skype with her there will be other people I love there too. Plus, she needs a break. She's been over there for a year and a half now, and she must be more homesick than I am.

But! My Lehrbuch for my german course finally came in so I can really start buckling down to study for my exam in february. I actually sent for some info about a cosmetology course they have in Bremen in May, I may try to partake in that instead of going back to Uni since I hate Uni. But I do need something to do until I move to Sweden next summer..


I'm also uploading a quick foundation routine to my youtube channel..its just a super quick speed-thru of what I do for a full coverage look in the winter but I'l be sure to post it in case you're interested :D


Anyway, that's what I've been up to. What do you guys do to get into the holiday spirit? Any Christmas traditions in whatever country you're reading from?


Bis nachstes mal,

Expat


Monday, December 2, 2013

Sunday, December 1, 2013

MIA

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days, everyone. was in sweden for a weekend and then had a lot to do in regards to the german course im taking (ordering books, etc). However, in the next two days I should have up a haul (mostly H&M and New Yorker) as well as my first impression on the effaclar K. I'm debating doing video hauls/reviews instead of photographs, but the imaging is so poor on my macbook and i don't have a proper camera at the moment. I'll fool around with it and see what works best :D

bis naechstes  mal,
expat


bonus: some pics from my time in Sweden :)





drunk...eating mcdonalds. my bf is so lucky

love him <3

Monday, November 25, 2013

FIRST IMPRESSION: Dior Purifying Cleansing Milk


So today I was flying back to Germany from visiting my boyfriend in Sweden, and even though I'd done some minor damage at H&M I hadn't satisfied my shopping itch. So I stopped by the Euroshop in the airport (luckily they accepted euros, even though I had to receive my change in SEK) and I found something I'd always been interested in purchasing but never found the right time. Well, this was the right time. I found the Dior purifying cleansing milk for about 245 SEK, a little under 30 euro.


From the packaging:

 PURIFYING CLEANING MILK
with crystal iris extract
normal or combination skin - for face and eyes

"At the heart of Dior cleansers' performance are 3 voluptuous flowers with unsurpassed benefits in the first step of the skincare ritual. For normal or combination skin (I lean more toward oily but in the winter can be more combination), Dior has selected purifying Crystal Iris. The Purifying Cleansing Milk eliminates all traces of makeup while respecting the skin's balance. Freshly unveiled, the skin is clear, matte, radiant."

Ingredients:
Aqua, butylene glycol, isohexadecane, ethylhexyl palmitate, isdododecane, glycerin, diaprylyl carbonate, iris florentina root extract, phenoxyethanol, octlododeceth-25, aacrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tetrasodium edta, parfum, sodium hydroxate, BHT**

**Now, these are a whole lot of words I don't understand so I'm not going to be making any claims about the benefit of them on the skin, I'm just going by what Dior is stating.


Me with a full face of makeup-- manhattan matte foundation, ben nye banana powder, mac blush, smashbox eyeshdow in 'chestnut', l'oreal liquid liner, l'oreal balm riche on the lips, and smashbox sumatra to fill in my brows


After reading some reviews online, I figured my best bet for using the cleanser was to apply it to dry skin, massage it in (I did this one area at a time--first on cheeks/chin, then on forehead, then eyes, removing the cleanser with a cotton pad after each section). I then did one final cleansing and rinsed with warm water. This may have been overkill, tomorrow night when I use it I'll just use it as a normal cleanser and compare the results. After about two/three weeks or so, I'll have a full review for you guys. But, after having used it tonight, I have to say my skin feels extremely soft, not tight or dry like with some other cleansers. I do have a little eye irritation, but I have unbelievably sensitive eyes and it might have been from rubbing the cotton pad a little too vigorously. Only time will tell.

 I used my trusty neutrogena toner to see if any makeup remained, and this was the result:



Based on the coloring, I would say this is mostly the eyeshadow I use to fill in my eyebrows. Still, not a great first impression for  an expensive designer cleanser that claims to remove all makeup. I'll keep experimenting with methods of use, and get back to you all with my final thoughts. On the bright side, I do have to say my skin looks really radiant and and feels very smooth.


Face post-cleansing (the power of makeup, amirite?)
Stay tuned for a full review in a few week's time! Will be purchasing La Roch Posay Effaclar K soon, and post a first impression about that as well.


Bis naechstes mal,
expat



Sunday, November 10, 2013

Haul!


Finally filmed my mini haul, it's fairly poor quality but I'm working on addressing that issue. Please check it out on my YouTube channel located in the left sidebar or by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/user/yourthetops 


Ps I couldn't figure out how to film myself wearing my new boots so here are some shots :) they're from a brand called mode queen 29.99 €


LG
Expat


Saturday, November 9, 2013

i'm too sexy for my shirt



3 guesses as to who I blazed with.. ;)

Wtf

Saw chippendales show last night..blazed with some of the dudes after. What is life

LG
Tired expat 

Friday, November 8, 2013

I got 99 problems but a cat ain't one

After an annoying, somewhat complicated by the language barrier doctors appointment, I decided to treat myself to a bit of shopping. The real highlight came when I got home and saw this furry little thing hanging around the parking lot. I consider myself a dog person but he came right up and started nuzzling me and was so cute and friendly he may have changed my mind. :) haul of what I bought today coming up soon!


LG
bis naechstes mal
Expat