Friday, December 20, 2013

Favorites of 2013


Hi everyone!

So, first off: a huge apology is due for the weeks and weeks (months, to be completely honest) that we've neglected this blog and haven't uploaded a single post - absolutely shameful! The Christmas holidays have finally arrived though, and we now have a little time off from work and university and revision and exams to concentrate a bit more on our darling blog.  To make our comeback at least a little interesting we decided to put together a little list of our favorites products and pieces from the best of the world of fashion and beauty this past year. A lot of them are classics that have been around forever, and some are new discoveries, but here goes, our 'favorites of the year 2013'!

1- Grey-Camel Boyfriend Coatigan / Primark 



I'll start off with fashion, cos most of my favorites this year have been beauty-related so I'll get that out of the way. I only recently bought this coat at Primark, it was reduced down to 15€ which I think is such a bargain! Since most of my coats are black or khaki I was really looking for something grey or beige-y to add a little bit of a different touch to my all-black daily uniform of skinny jeans and jumper. I really love this, it's grown on me and become one of my absolutely favorite ones! I usually wear this with my trusty black Asos cut-out boots, some thick wooly socks peeping out, a colorful (tartan!) scarf and some skinny jeans or Zara leggings and the sleeves rolled up a little to show the sleeves of my jumper underneath, it's really become my standard outfit these last few weeks.

2 - Strappy Lace Bralette / Monki


This is another recent purchase, but I loved it so much as soon as I opened the parcel it came in that I simply had to put it into my favorites list. I've been shying away from bralettes/strappy bras because they usually don't go up to my brasize, but this one was so goddamn cute that I couldn't resist and took the risk, which I'm soooooo happy about because it fits like a charm despite my cup size. I'm super excited to wear this with camis, as the straps are so thin that they're really elegant. And the pattern, and the lace, everything about it is just drop dead gorgeous. Monki, you did it again! (ps: shoutout to the boyfriend for buying me this)

3 - Necklaces / Kukee 

One last fashion-y bit that I've really been loving recently and thus decided to include here are these two necklaces. I love the dainty little detail of the brass pendants and love how they look paired together. The little quartz stone on the shorter necklace is sweet too, and all together I'm really fond of these two. They're from a little online jewelry store called Kukee, which has been mentioned here many times as it always carries interesting, original designs and definitely caters to all kinds of tastes and styles! I was actually lucky enough to win this necklace when I participated in a twitter competition and got this and a few other goodies, but these two are definitely my favorites out of the lot. You can pick them up here.

4 -  Bufferbrush 182 + Concealerbrush 195 / MAC Cosmetics


Now to the beauty part of this! To start off with the base, I thought I'd include some of my favorite brushes. Neither of these are much talked about in the beauty world (especially not as much as the 217 and the 239 eyebrushes!) but I really adore these. Especially on a bad skin day, the concealer brush is amazing to dab on concealer in a very precise spot without too much rubbing off on the brush, and it really helps hide all the blemishes (you little bastards). The buffing brush is great too, though I tend to use it as an allover face powder brush on the go and just chuck it into my make-up bag because of its handy size.

5 - Essentials Kit & Face - Base Brushes / Real Techniques


I know, I know, the swooning over these brushes never stops and this has been said millions and trillions of times in the beauty world, but Samantha Chapman just really is a hero. It might get old after having seen them so many times, but I just can't exclude them from this list, cos these brushes are perfection. Despite owning a few more, I decided to only put the face brushes in there, cos those are the ones I use the most. The contour brush for contouring and highlighting (and sometimes for blending in under-eye concealer), the expert face brush for foundation, the buffing brush for pretty much any job since it's so versatile, the flat pointed foundation brush for concealer and brow bone highlighting, and the blush brush for any all-over-face powdering job, bronzing or blusher. The bristles are so soft that it genuinely makes applying make-up fun and exciting. I don't care how often this gets said: Sam Chapman, you're my goddess!

6 - Colorstay Foundation for Combination Skin / Revlon


 

Being the youtube addict that I am, one of the earliest make-up artists whose tutorials and recommendations I followed was Lisa Eldridge. Not only does she have the most beautiful face and elegant, soothing voice, she also just reaaaally knows what she's talking about. Having quite an oily t-zone, I was on the hunt for a good foundation that would keep its promises of lasting forever, suit my complexion and pretty much not budge from my face until my Bioderma cottonpads wipe it off at night. In her 'foundation' series, Lisa Eldridge recommended this for my skin type, and after having seen this on quite a few more blogs, I went ahead and bought it and have not regretted it for a minute. I might have gotten a shade lighter than I wanted (I have it in '150 Buff'), but it's winter time so I'm pale as fuck anyway. This is lovely, blends nicely, sits comfortably and doesn't feel cakey or chalky. All in all I think this is the best foundation up to date and can definitely keep up with its high end competitors. All thumbs up for my foundation of the year!

7 - Stay Matte Finishing Powder & Scandaleyes Nude Eyeliner / Rimmel







I've been using the Stay Matte powder forever, and to be honest I don't think any other powder can compete with this. I've used Mac powders, Shiseido powders and many other high end ones, and at the end of the day, I just like this the best every single time. It doesn't sit on the skin uncomfortably and it just does the job nicely. I wear the shade ' 00 transparent' or '03 peach glow' in this. Long story short: this works amazingly and it's really affordable, so it deserves its place in the top picks of 2013. Only negative: I really hate the packaging, it looks pretty cheap and the lid can sometimes come off.
As for the nude eyeliner, this is another one of my absolute must have daily make up items. I wear it in my bottom waterline every single day, to brighten tired eyes and just generally make them look more awake and pretty. It's from the Scandaleyes collection, so it's waterproof, and I think I own 3 of these cos I'm so worried I'll run out. Rimmel: I love you.

8 - Eyeshadow in 'Cranberry' / MAC Cosmetics



To be honest, I picked this eyeshadow in the shade 'Cranberry' (frost finish) because it suits the autumn/winter season, but there's a dozen other MAC eyeshadows that I would have wanted to add in here, so this will have to represent them all. I've been buying eyeshadows there for nearly 10 years, and I don't really care about any other brand, because these are just the best. No one makes colors like MAC! I love this particular one because of its frost finish and the luminous glow it leaves on your lid, it creates the most gorgeous smokey eye looks but also looks great simply lightly dabbed onto the lid or used to line the bottom lash line for a grunge-influenced look. Some of my other favorites are 'Ricepaper', 'Patina', 'Brulé', 'Charcoal', 'Sumptuous Olive', 'Twinks', 'Trax' and 'Expensive Pink'.

9 - Eyeshadow Mini Palette / Estée Lauder

This little palette is pretty close to perfection in my opinion. I've had Estée Lauder's "truffle" quad (and mentioned it in a post here last summer) for a while, but my brown and champagne shades were nearly empty after many many wears, so I was chuffed when I got this. I'm not quite sure whether this palette is actually in shops, because this is a pr sample (the eyeshadows are full size though). It features four matte shades (a plum-y brown, a chocolate brown, a champagne-y cream color and a light pink), as well as five shimmery shades (an olive green, a sparkly cream, and different shades of shimmery pinks and browns). All the shades make a nice little palette for a nude eye, or you can build it up to create beautiful smokey eye looks, and with nine shades in a small palette this is amazing for traveling, too.

10 - Vampy Lip Pencils / Lord & Berry, Gosh, IQ Cosmetics, MAC Cosmetics







As I've mentioned many times I'm before, I'm a matte lips kinda gal. I'm yet to find a lipstick that really meets my expectations for a matte lip, soI tend to just wear lip pencils as an all over lip color instead. Because of the fall/winter season, I have been loving a really dark, vampy red or purply lip with a nude eye (only mascara). My most recent acquisition is the lip pencil selection of Lord & Berry, that came in four gorgeous shades: two nude-y pinky tones ('Blossom' and 'Blush') and two reds, a bright, slightly brick-red-y vibrant color ('Sienna') and a very dark, burgundy red (my favorite, 'Black Red'). The pigmentation is amazing, and they really do apply completely matte. They are very drying though, so I recommend doing a lip scrub and moisturizing very carefully before you rock these darker colors to avoid chapped lips and flaky patches. The 'Black Cherry' lip pencil by Gosh has an even better lasting power. Make out sessions with the boyfriend, meals, nights out: it's stood by me through it all, incredibly! Head over to Asos if you want to snag up these gorgeous pencils here.

11 - Cleansing Cream & Lip Treatment / Kanebo Sensai



The Sensai line of Kanebo Cosmetics International is actually an anti-ageing line, but I got a few samples of these products so I fell in love despite the fact that I'm not yet battling the wrinkles. The Silky Purifying Cleansing Cream is one of my bedtime routine staples, it's smoothing and makes the skin feel so soft and clean. The Cellular Performance Total Lip Treatment is really my favorite here though: it's like some sort of insane amazing magical lip thing that makes your lips feel like silk overnight. Both these products are super pricey, so check if you can get some samples! For saving my chapped lips from the grips of the cold winter, these deserve to be in my top picks.

12 - Detangling Hairbrush / Tangle Teezer by Shaun P.







This is yet another much-raved-about product in the beauty world, but once again I didn't wanna pass the opportunity to say that all the praise is deserved. Cos of my ombre hair (and because it's reaaaaally long) I have slightly dry and brittle ends, and this detangles them gently and without pulling or breaking my hair. The bright neon color is perfect so I always know where it is when it gets lost in the depths of my handbag, and to be quite honest I never want to have to use another hair brush again; full marks to you, Tangle Teezer.


13 - Short Stories Collection "The Dubliners" / James Joyce 

It might seem a little random to add a book in my favorites when this blog is 99% of the time dedicated to beauty and fashion related things, but I didn't feel like this list would be quite right for me if I didn't add a little bit of it anyway. I picked Joyce's 'Dubliners' (a naturalistic/realistic short story collection about Irish middle class life) because it's one of the books I am currently reading and loving, but truly it could have been a ton of other books I discovered and fell in love with this year. I just felt like adding it to make my favorites list complete!


So, that's pretty much it for my Favorites of 2013 list. Forgive me for the random bits and bobs, the awful picture quality (the lighting in my flat is abysmal) and the repetitive posts about products that have already been much raved about, but I just can't really deny that these have just been my most fave products and items of the year. I hope you enjoyed the (long, oops, sorry!) read. Kym's favorites post is coming up real soon, too. In the meanwhile: which have been your holy grail products that have taken your heart by storm this year? I'd be really interested to hear about them.
I wish you all the merriest of Christmas and a really happy holiday season!!!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Life Update 2.0


Hi guys!
Just a little heads up and to let you guys know I am currently in between two apartments, dismantling and rebuilding furniture, packing suitcases full of books, driving back and forth to Ikea, stacking shoes in boxes, disassembling shelves of Make up products, and of course packing boxes and boxes full of clothes! AH, so much work to do and still to be done! 
Aside from the move I'm also running back and forth between my university campus and my work place, so please bear with me in this busy time and get excited for lots of Christmas-themed DIY's, cosy and warm OOTD posts, and little christmas-y hauls and cute party season outfits coming up soon. You might even get a little sneak and peak of my new flat! From what I know (we've been so busy, we haven't seen each other in a month! Sad times for bffs), Kym is currently tackling her immense maths course work for uni. The only times we've gotten to 'spend together' lately is when we've been internet shopping together late at night, ha ha! I'm super excited though cos as the great friend that she is she's offered to come help me with the flat in the next few days. Fingers crossed, I am hoping to be done with moving by sunday night!
Either way, I just wanted to let you all know we're still very much alive, just busy little bees at the moment. We'll definitely be back shortly with lots of great posts. 'Til then, we hope you're having a great time, and as a consolation prize, here's a little collage of what's been on our Instagrams lately:

Bodyshop clay mask - fave movie of the year - overflowing closet #1 - typical instaselfie - make up bag of the day - messy fishtail braid - obligatory lift selfie - heavenly gifts from the US - Chanel, what color today? - grey's anatomy & coffee - stocking up on life necessities - new Asos chunky knit turban selfie - 90's vibe for fancy dress party - lipstick galore - primark or 'oops I did it again' - good night beautiful sun/ hello winter.



Kitty cat ring - flowy rose top - finally candle season! - cutest cupcake ever - healthy breakfast every morning - silly texting - tasty chocolate peanut treats - disco leggings and cute flats - beautiful Vienna town hall at night - 21st birthday cake - new chairs! - Austrian parliament & breast cancer awareness - gorgeous sunny view - maths maths maths dominate my life - cosy scarf - german google poetry.

 
                                                           

Sunday, October 13, 2013

K's Weekly Wishlist #5

Hello Sweeties!

I am so very sorry that I haven't been blogging for a while. A few weeks ago my new studies have begun and since then I have been incredibly busy, it has taken up my entire life. If my boyfriend wasn't living with me, I would be all on my own with my books and my co-students. And yes, this means I have not seen my friends in a while. Now to my wishlist:




I am still in love with statement necklaces, the chunkier and bigger the better. Some weeks ago I found one at Primark I really like, for a really low price (what a surprise for Primark huh). I really need this kind of jewelry so that my outfits don't look dead boring, mainly because they are so minimal and simple.
I have been recommended Batiste Dry Shampoo so many times, I cannot count them anymore. Many blogs rave about it and so does Bianca. I think I will finally give it a try. This will give my hair a break because I have to wash it every single morning!
This kind of shoes have been on my mind for as long as I can think. I had to give away the ones from Primark I have owned for many years and now I have been looking for cheap but pretty ones everywhere. Zara products are of higher quality, so I might get my hands on those in the future.
I have been buying many lip pencils already and what upset me a bit is that the staying power is quite bad. After reading some reviews on the Bourjois Color Boost lipstick I am eyeing with this one.
The leggings shown in the picture are not only on my wishlist but also on their way to my closet! I am really excited for them to arrive. I am totally into leggings lately and I don't want to miss the wet look ones.
Cut-out boots. Yes to going with this hype. They look a lot like the ones from Jeffrey Campbell, which I like, and I really need some with gold details. They have to be minimal and not suede. I have fallen in love with the ones shown in the picture but my size is sold out already... I really hope they will restock!
No, I have never been someone who wears watches. I have mobile phone, I don't need a watch on my wrist. Well, maybe I was wrong and wearing one would be a lot more practical. And if I decide to get one, I will still have to choose between digital and analogue. Even though I prefer analogue to digital, I cannot bear the ticking for a second.

What have you been wishing for lately?

Thursday, October 10, 2013

B's Wishlist #6


Wowee, it's been 3 weeks since we last updated, that's horrible I'm sorry! 
Life's been really busy lately. I've returned to Austria to go back to uni, but in the meanwhile I've also gotten a job as a part time teacher, plus I've found a flat into which I will be moving in a couple of weeks, so please bear with me during this busy time and forgive the occasional dry spell of articles.
I know the wishlists are normally a saturday thing, but better late than never, right :)
Summer's most definitely gone entirely now, the skies are dull and it's windy. I love it! Without further ado, here my wishlist for the first half of october:

   

I know this was a really big trend in summer especially, but I still can't let go of the boyfriend meets mom jean trend. I recently had a cheeky look on the Nastygal website, and have had a 500€ wish list saved on there ever since. These gorgeous jeans are topping the list. I love the ripped knee detailing, the mid-waist, slightly oversized legs, turned up cuffs and gorgeous wash. While they look best with heeled sandals, I'm sure I could make these badboys work with some cute cut out boots and a jumper.
Next on the list, as usual, something from Monki! A standard piece to have, but as you know I can't get enough of crop tops. I'm really into muted shades, black, burgundy, grey, so this is perfect. Want!
Sadly it's starting to get so cold that I need to wear socks with my cut-out boots, but I suppose that gives me the perfect excuse to order these per-fect houndstooth pattern socks by Monki, which are bang on trend.
I only recently discovered the site Choies, but I'm already in love. My top pic from their website is this beautiful cropped, oversized knitted jumper. So cosy!
I've been eyeing this Marc by Marc Jacobs rose gold watch for an eternity and it's still on my wishlist, but I just found this ASOS similar version which is about 300€ cheaper, so I'm gonna have to opt for that in the meanwhile.
As I mentioned above, I am moving into a new flat soon, which is super exciting and is making me a little interior-decoration-crazy. I NEED to get myself some fairy lights, especially with winter coming up, to  make my new home warm and cosy. You can get gorgeous ones from the Urban Outfitters home section.
One of my staples in my make up bag is a pack of good blotting papers so I don't need to re-apply powder during the day. I caved and bought these beautiful special edition ones by Paul & Joe. The packaging was just too darling not to get them, right?
With my love of muted colors has come a love of extremely simple, classic jewelry. This statement collar necklace with a big onyx stone and silver detailing is literally my idea of perfection.
I recently realized that my collection of eye liners is a bit of a sad excuse, and that I really need to get a few more. This little set by Pixi is genuinely everything you need for autumn: a good creamy black, a highlighting pearl-y color, and a deep plum, olive and brown tone.
Last but not least, two skin care products which I just need to get to combat by occasional stress breakouts: the Origins Spot Remover Treatment Gel, as well as their Charcoal Mask.

Anything you've been dying to have for winter? Let us know x


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Insta-Roadtrip aka K is back!

Hello Sweeties, I'm back!

I have actually been back for a few days now, but I have been really busy until now. It is a traveler's dream to drive from New York to Los Angeles, there are so many wonderful places to see and enjoy on the way. On the map below you can see what our "exact" way was. (It sure wasn't on the mile exactly and stupid google maps doesn't show the entire way, the last bit is missing.)

you can find a more detailed view here

We took the southern route hitting places like Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Flagstaff and Las Vegas. We didn't miss the Grand Canyon or the Death Valley either! All places were breathtakingly amazing.
I will not bore you with the hundreds and hundreds of photos I made, and since I haven't made a selection of the most beautiful ones I will show you my instragram updates! (You can click to enlarge the photos)


New York City                              My first Mac Lipstick

 Philadelphia                                  Washington, D.C.

Super good Juices                              Sign on the road

 World of Coca Cola                           Georgia Aquarium

Pink hair chalk                                           Atlanta

On the road                                       New tote bag

New Orleans                                   Daily Breakfast

Pink Lemonade                               Doxie Necklace

Houston                                              Dallas

 Eldorado                                            Phoenix

Grand Canyon                                    Death Valley

 Amazing Frozen Yoghurt                       Venice Beach Walk


You can follow me on instagram here: instagram.com/kmhntz
I hope you enjoy my photos! What is your next destination?

Saturday, September 14, 2013

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


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!