Recent *German Drugstore* Purchases

Taking adventure of some time left alone in the house today, I decided to go for a walk and maybe pick up some makeup products along the way. Germany is tricky when it comes to make up, because they have several "american" brands such as l'oreal, maybelline and even wet n' wild I believe, but the rest of the drug store products (with the excepetion of Max Factor) leave a lot to be desired. In the US, it's a pain in the ass trying to find a foundation if you're skin tone is deeper than sun beige. In germany where there are EVEN LESS black folk, it's damn near impossible.

Being mixed race, it's not quite as hard for me as, especially during the winter months, I can get pretty light skinned, but for anyone darker than me, there is zero options. Unless, of course, you go to Douglas [mini German version of Sephora (but fails horribly in comparison)], where you can find designer brands such as CHANEL and Dior. Anyway, I'm rambling. Today I went out to see if I could find a matt, full coverage drug store foundation in my shade. I was previously using L'oreal True Match in a mix of w6 and w7, but it just doesn't offer the coverage I like. Then I reverted to my good old makeup forever HD in 153 but even that seems to not do the job.

Well, as luck would have it, I stumbled across a matt mousse foundation from brand Manhattan (which I believe is a French brand). With the 30% Rebatt they had going on, it came in at a whoppin 2,75 euros. What a steal, amirite? One thing I do appreciate about german drugstores is they usually have testers out of all the makeup (and sometimes skincare products) so you can shade-check before you purchase. HOWEVER, fluorescent lighting is not your best friend when it comes to makeup, so I still wasn't exactly sure it was a good match, and unlike in the US, you cannot return used cosmetic products :/ bummer. I ended up leaving with the shade  Bronze 89 (let me reiterate: the DARKEST shade they had). Here's what the makeup claims to be:






Manhattan Powder Matt Make Up:
"Tenderising creamy matting foundation makeup that leave sa velvet matt powder-finish after application. The micro-powder pigments help the avoid shiny skin and create a regular matt consistent and teIder complexion--without leaving bothersome verge lines." Tts 30 ml, pretty basic size over here and so far, I really like it. I've only just tried it, but the color match is decent and the coverage is really good. Will do an updated blog post with my full-review and possibly a demo :) oh! and maybe of the blush tint as well, once I figure how to get the most colour payoff :D

&more!

(1)Maybelline Volum' Express lift-up Mascara in black (so far, no good)

(2)Catrice Eyeliner Pen

(3)Catrice Blush Tint for Cheeks and Lips in Rosh Flush

(4)L'oreal Super Line Ultra Precision Pen

and last, a nail polish:

(5)Catrice Ulti Mate Nudes in the shade 05 Bonjour, Chérie!

(1), (5)                                                                                                                     (3), (2), (4)

I've included some swatches of the nail polish, the blush tint, and the eye liner pens:

Eyeliner (Superline one left, Catrice liner on right): In my opinion, the L'oreal isn't great-- the felt tip doesn't not offer as much precision as I was expecting, but it's better than the catrice--hell, it better be at twice the price!

Blush tint (patted into skin on right):

Nail colour:

And one final thing! My cousin Nadine loaned me her copy of P.S. Ich Liebe Dich--i've already read the english version and see the movie, so hopefully it won't be too hard to understand!

LG

bis nachstes mal,

expat

Current Nightly Skincare Routine (Featuring Neutrogena, L'oreal +more!)

I know that birth control pills can be a bit of a divisive topic among certain political affiliations, but in all honestly birth control is the only thing that has genuinely helped with my acne. It clears and prevents it in ways no topical product has ever seemed to do. At the moment, however, I've run into a bit of a problem because I've been living in Germany for the last 7 months, and I only came over here with a four month supply. Probably packed too much clothes..

In any case, I've been breaking out quite badly lately, particularly in the chin/jawnline/lower cheeks area (which is not somewhere that is usually problematic for me). I've assembled a bit of a super team in an effort to try and control the acne until my dr appt. next week to get a new BC script.

For my nighttime routine, I like to start off in 1 of 3 ways (so high maintenance, amirite?) For cleansing, since my poor clarisonic broke (FOR THE SECOND TIME!), I bought one of those facial cosmetic brushes from the drugstore. So I either 1. use that with my SebaMed PH balanced foam cleanser**, 2. Use my Neutrogena cleanser/mask duo as a cleanser, or 3. 2 -3 nights a week I will use the Neutrogena as a five minute mask.


**I find the Neutrogena cleanser a bit to harsh to be used with a brush, so I opt for the gentler of the two options







After this, I use a (1)neutrogena toner to settle the skin and get a little medication in there, followed by my L'oreal Skin Perfection serum, my 40 Carrots sleep cream, and then some retinol eye gel if I've feeling luxurious (which I'm usually not ha!). If I have any really bad active spots I will spot-treat with my LaRoche Posay Effaclar Duo spot treatment (which I absolutely LOVE and high reccommend).

   

So, there you have it! My nighttime skincare routine. I hope this was helpful to any of you with skin like mine, or even skin not like mine (now you know what NOT to use :p) Keep in mind, skincare is an everchanging things--as far as products are concerned as well as your own individual skin. What works for you make not work for everyone, so keep experimenting until something clicks! And seeing a dermatologist, if you have the means, can also be helpful.

LG

Bis nachstes mal,

Expat