What's in my makeup bag currently (75% drugstore)

Hey, guys! I am back with a beauty post after what feels like forever! I have done one of these "what's in my makeup bag" before (read the post here) and it's still one of the most popular ones I have done, so I really wanted to do an updated post, since quite a lot of the products have changed.

I have tried to organize the products after the sequence I usually use them in, so starting with the face products I have 3 foundations in my makeup bag at the moment.

The Rimmel's Wake me up in 300 Sand is way too dark for me at the moment, but when I fake tan or want to attempt to contour my face, this is nice to use on it's own or mix with the others. The consistency I lovely for a dry skin like mine and the coverage is pretty decent, the price range - affordable and the finish - glowy.

At the beginning of my internship I ran out of my usual foundation completely (which was Rimmel's Wake me up in the shade 100 Ivory) and decided, that with the moving and all, it's not the month to invest into a high end foundation - so I went with the L'Oreal True Match in Rose Ivory, because I have heard so many good things about it - for example from Lauren Curtis on Youtube. While I was impressed by the coverage, the formula seemed a bit too drying on my skin. I don't regret buying it, but I am not absolutely in love either. I also found, that it didn't wear well during the day - around late afternoon all my imperfections started to show - spots, my dark circles, my red nose... yet you could still see, I am wearing a full face of something. In my opinion, that's like the worst case scenario. I mean, if it has to wear off, it should - evenly. I am, however, also partly blaming this on my previous powder, which I'll get to, that's why I am looking forward to giving it a few more tries.

So, typically, as it always happens, when I attempt to be clever and save, but end up paying double, I went back to the store a few days later and got color matched with the Bobbi Brown foundations. The assistant who had dry skin of her own talked me out of the foundation sticks, which was what I was originally planning to get. Don't ask me why - I guess apart from their eye liners and shimmer bricks, the foundation stick is sort of a signature product of theirs in my opinion. However, trusting her judgement, I picked up the Moisture Rich Foundation in the shade Beige 3 and I am very, very pleased with this foundation. The formula is extremely moisturizing and feels lovely on the skin, however, the coverage is impressive and the finish - still very natural. Basically all you want from a foundation, if you ask me. The lack of a pump is not bothering me too much so far, but I am just letting you guys know of it anyways.

For applying my foundations I either use my fingers or the Nilens Jord Black Diamond N° 102 Foundation Brush Flat Cut, which I love.

For concealing I use the Bobbi Brown team for my under eyes (Corrector in Light Bisque and the Creamy Concealer Kit in Sool Sand and Pale yellow), because, believe me, I am not messing around with my circles - they are b.l.u.e. I really do struggle with some under eye darkness, so this is really worth the investment for me.

On random spots I sometimes use the L'Oreal True Match Concealer in 4 Beige, which is relatively new and so far I think it's fine.

Moving onto other face products I like to use my Maybelline Dream Touch cream blush in 02, which I like to apply with my M-Cosmetics flat foundation brush and blend out with my Diamond foundation brush or my fingers. I love the coral shade the most, however, I also own a beaten up shade 05 and an even more beaten up L'Oreal powder blush in Sandalwood pink. However, lately I have been loving to finish off my cheeks with the Elf's baked blush in Peachy Cheeky as it adds not as much color as a beautiful glow and highlight using my Essence Powder blush (which I love for the softness, the size and the price). I use the 02 on top of my foundation, apply my powder and go back in with a touch of the Elf's blush.

Another new and shiny hero of my makeup bag is the newest addition - my first ever Mac product, namely the Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium. I was color matched to this back in October, but never got around to buying it as I was in need of so much else, but as I kept growing more and more frustrated with my Rimmel's Stay Matte powder in Translucent, I couldn't wait any longer. I had hit pan despite the fact that I found the finish drying, cakey and unnatural, not to mention - short lived on my skin. It just wasn't working for me anymore, although I appreciate the amazing price and what the powder does, when having a light hand. The times I have applied my MSF on top of the Bobbi Brown foundation with my Organiqs Powder brush No. 081 are by far my favorite makeup days in a long time.

I also apply a slight contour with the Rimmel Sunshimmer 3 i 1 Shimmering Bronzer in 002 Bronze Goddess with my Benecos Blush brush and blended out with the Catrice Blush brush.

Moving onto brows and partly - eyes, I variate between using the Gosh Cosmetics Eyebrow Kit followed by the Essence clear eyebrow and lash mascara and the Maybelline Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Brown, depending on the look I am going for. The Gosh kit definitely gives a darker, more structured look, with more control over the thickness and shape of my brows, while the Maybelline one simply sets my brows in place, making them slightly darker and thicker as they color the lighter, shorter hair.

I have also included the Rimmel's Exaggerate Eye Liner in 001 100% Black - which is my favorite liquid liner so far. It's really black, dries fast (not in the packaging, I might add) and lasts all day. A small angled shaped brush which I sometimes use for my brows and sometimes - for creating a line with my powder shadows. Last, but not least, an old favorite of mine - the 0,01% high end product from my previous post - CHANEL LE CRAYON KHÔL Intense Eye Pencil in Noir, which is soft and black as can be, perfect for both smokey eyes or defined lines.

Some more bits and finishing products - at the moment, I keep three eye shadow palettes - the Farmasi Soft Touch 4 Color Eyeshadow 04 - which has some pretty purple colors and two nice highlight shades. Next up, I love the Maybelline Big Eyes in Luminous Purple 05 which (despite the fact I dropped and shattered the lovely highlight shade) I use to create a very flirty, spring eye look - and the shadows are very pigmented, easy to blend and work with. Last, but not least - a staple in anyones collection - a basic, bronzed, neutral brown palette - in this case - Rimmel's Glam Eyes in 019 Sun Safari. 

I keep tweezers, of course, have included a couple of brushes, an old favorite - the Avon, Beyond Colour, Metallic Shine Eye Pencil in creamy ice, which is nice to use in the lower waterline, as a primer on my eyelids or a highlight color.

I also have recently began to use the famous Maybelline Falsies, which I enjoy so far, and a couple of lip products - one of my favorite lip balms - the Oriflame Tender Care protective balm in Blackcurrant and the Burt's Bees Tinted Lip balm in Hibiscus, when I want a slight color.

And that's pretty much it! I decided not to include the brushes I don't use every day and the lip products I am not loving at the moment, so that's why they are not here.

Let me know, what you think and speak up, if you have any comments on feedback down below, I will make sure to get back to you :)

Hope you enjoyed the post and have an amazing day!

Renate ❤ 

Life lately

Hi, guys!

Gosh, it's been such a long time. Not that I have been lazy - I have since moved apartments, started an full time internship, been studying Danish every second I got + taking full time classes every Saturday aaaand just had an operation! I can't describe how much better I am feeling now that I am well into actually DOING all of what I just typed, not just worrying about it and wonder how hard it'll all be.

The operation was something I was particularly uncomfortable with as I have never had anything medically wrong like that before. To make a long story short (and do skip to the next chapter, if you're sensitive about stuff like this) I had an ovarian cyst, that was pressing on my bladder fx and just got too big for comfort, wasn't reducing or disappearing and was causing me to feel less that great for way too long (we're talking months). I was so iffy about the anesthesia, the stitches, the pain and needles, but can happily say - it was not at all that bad and the staff was amazingly service minded, skilled, professional and kind. I am typing this on my couch and after a couple of days will be up and running again, hopefully feeling a lot better, which I can't wait for. This (although a bad excuse) has affected the way I eat, move and subsequently - look - as I have been comfort eating more and have not been wanting to exercise at it caused me pain at times.

Other than that I have been busy, as imaginable, have shopped a bit and tried out some new beauty stuff, which I am excited to share.

I am merely doing this update post separately, because - well, I wanted to do one, but the next post I wanted to do was an updated "what's in my makeup bag" and I didn't want for people to have to read this when that's not what they opened the post for, so I wanted to keep the information organized and separated.

So to conclude what I am trying to say:

1. My internship is going as good as it can go - I am definitely way out of my comfort zone at times, but I enjoy being challenged and overcoming my own reservations and doubts towards my own abilities
2. My Danish is subsequently challenged daily, which will hopefully help me at the exam, even though I don't get nearly as much time to do my homework as I used to
3. I am in love with my new apartment! Both my boyfriend and I are beyond excited and pleased with the way this place felt like home from the get-go and I cannot wait to share some apartment posts in the upcoming future, as it's finally something I want to do. I also feel like having people over, organizing dinners etc., which is something that makes me very happy
4. My beauty routine still needs tweaking, but I am relatively happy as to what I am doing with what I have and look forward to sharing it here in the upcoming posts
5. I am doing good in general and feel very optimistic and cheerful about the spring/summer 2014
6. I am doing a beauty post tomorrow, hopefully followed by regular posts again at least 1-2 every two weeks, so hopefully you can start to look forward to that (I know I am)
7. I hope everybody has been doing great and I look forward to catching up with some of my favorite blogs again - actively commenting etc.

So that's the scoop for now! Hope to talk to you soon and have an amazing day!

Renate ❤

Reading the signs

Hey. Happy Motivational Monday!

Do you know the feeling of thoughts slowly developing in your head? Like you know the answer is just in front of you, but only when you put all the peaces together, everything makes sense? I kept browsing the Pinterest page to update it enough to be able to add it on my blog, but kept seeing the same message over and over again.

And can you relate to things in life stalling a bit, like a car, struggling to start and then, suddenly, everything happens at once? A few of weeks ago I was hopelessly jobless, looking for another place with my boyfriend, struggling with some health issues, learning Danish full time and, sure enough, in a matter of a week - we found a place, I found an internship, my doctor's realized I need a (minor) operation, I found out the exact date of my final exam and the planning began.

In a month's time we'll be moved, I'll be well into my internship working full time plus going to Danish every Saturday to prepare for the exam, I'll be recovering from my operation and will hopefully have managed to arrange all the practicalities related to moving and changing of address.

On top of everything else blogging quickly became a very demanding and unfortunatelly, stressful task in my list of the day trying to prepare for the upcoming months.

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And then I realized it's true. I love blogging, I truly do. It's fun, therapeutic and exciting. But I am a serious person. I go into things. I research and proof-read and it all takes time. And, truth be told, I just can't justify this time as a priority any longer for the time being. It was a luxury I enjoyed whilst looking for a job and going to school, but in the new circumstances, I should probably hit the gym, when I catch an hour here and there, not hunch over my computer or get lost into my phone screen.

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I mean, I'll still blog, I can imagine. 3 months is a long time and I'll miss it too much. I am just saying, that I won't be able to invest as much of my time in it as I could before. Because everything is still so new to me, I find the routine of blogging, including promoting, scheduling etc. slightly too overwhelming sometimes.

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I don't want you to feel sorry for me, or I am not complaining about the way things are. As a matter of fact I am very excited for the upcoming Spring. I am just explaining, that for the next three months I will be out there trying to life my life and I don't think I have been so good at it recently.

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I am also an all-or-nothing kind of person sometimes. I want to do it all and I want to do it well, otherwise, I start trying to spare my time. Therefore, my goal is also to gain some balance - a little bit of things I enjoy, things that are good for my body and my soul and things that simply need to get done, because - well, that's life. Nobody tends to blog about running errands, dealing with paperwork, paying bills or dropping by the post office or the bank, but I have a suspicion I can't be the only one.

That being said, I want to thank everybody who subscribes, comments, follows, reads and returns. I appreciate it all and it really does make me want to keep going. I can just foresee, that fewer blog posts will come up and I'd rather explain it now, not address it months later, where people are disappointed and over it.

I will still update my Instagram, if anything, so make sure to check that out every now and again, if you're wondering, what's up.

Here's to a new chapter and I will talk to you soon! 

Renate ❤

Renate's closet diaries #3 Work outfits

Hey, guys! An exciting (for me mostly, let's be honest) post today! As I mentioned in one of my previous posts - I don't do fashion too much on here - partly because it's not really my cup of tea and partly, because I simply don't have the photo shoot set-up figured out - somebody to take my photos and all.

HOWEVER, (one long winded intro of excuses later) today I've stepped out of those boundaries to bring you this! - one fashion post to go, please!

As some of you might or might not know, I am starting an internship soon, which means - office wear, which means - Renate's out of her comfort zone. Thanks to the internet and me apparently having too much time (it hurts just saying it, even though I'm joking. too much time? - find me a person these days...) I put together a little look book for (me, again) you guys.

I just want to mention, that most of the items have been in my wardrobe for a long time already and a lot of them I have thrifted, so... other people have had them in their wardrobe for a long time ;) which is just my way of explaining the missing online links. I hoped this would work more as a visualization and an illustration as to what I usually wear. If you see something you really like, though, leave me a comment down below and I'll make sure to give you more info!

Another disclaimer - these outfits obviously are just a basic idea - they need to be styled with different accessories, hair styles, makeup etc., which I haven't done here, because I am not doing my looks in retrospective.

Okay. Let's see, what we got.

The power suit

Twist on the classics

Laid back

Back to basics

It's a men's world

Never gets old

Plain & Easy 

Light & Dark

And that's it for today's post! What do you think?

Hope you'll have a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon! I am working on something exciting and fun, so I can't wait to share it.

Renate ❤

The battle of the cleansing waters

Hey, guys!

Just a quick post today about something I really wanted to share.

First and foremost, thank you so much for the lovely comments & for the support. As you can see, I am continuously adding things on here - have created a facebook page, began to use twitter & instagram a lot more, added a blogroll with some of the blogs I love to keep up with, so I hope you enjoy dropping by this blog even more, if you do already, which would make me very happy.

On the actual post - I was so excited to share a new discovery, which will definitely find a way into my regular skincare routine.

As you all might know, I fell into the hype of the famous Bioderma micellar cleansing water and for good reason! This product feels amazing on the skin - light, natural, refreshing, calming, yet removes e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. and leaves the skin super clean and well cared for. Since picking my first bottle up and using up quite a few ones ever since, I've always dreaded the feeling of slowly, but surely running low as I have only been able to spot this product back home in Latvia and (for my great excitement) also in Bulgaria during my summer trip there.

I have been falling addicted to the stuff (I'm not going into specifics, but trust me, it's embarrassing and borderline funny) and were planning my upcoming move of repurchasing this somehow, as - you can see - I'd come to soon enough.

Just before my weekend trip, I read a well-timed blog post by some of my favorite Danish beauty bloggers the Beauty Junkie where Cille shared her February Favorites. As I have tried quite a few products based on her recommendations and haven't been left disappointed, I grabbed the Nivea Sensitive 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water as soon as I saw it with the corner of my eye.

Where do I begin? For half the price, this product is a winner on that alone. However, it also works. For me, it does the same job and while it might not feel as... luxurious as the Bioderma and haven't been using it consistently for months, I couldn't be happier with the product and how it gets the job done, which means I will not only continue to use it, but will gladly repurchase another bottle. It removes my eye makeup without irritating my eyes and prepares my skin for the second (proper) cleanse in the evenings.

Do I still love Bioderma? Oh, yes. Will I purchase a bottle (or two... or three) next time I am in Latvia again? Pretty sure. There is just something about it, that makes for a lifetime commitment and loyalty.

However, I couldn't be happier with stumbling upon such a mighty alternative. Finding an affordable, affective, readily available product is really a win in my beauty books and if you happen to be in the market for saving money, trying out a new cleansing water or switching things up a bit to begin with, I can only add to Cille's recommendations - it's really worth a try.

Let me know, if you've tried it and what do you think! I'd love to know. Hope you enjoyed the post and are having a wonderful start of the week, I will talk to you soon!

A very exciting (for me) fashion post coming up on Friday, so stay tuned!

Renate ❤

GRWM - OOTD + MOTD

Hey, guys!

Now that we're done with the secret code language, let's jump right into the post. I don't usually do outfit posts, simply because there's nobody to take the pictures, but for the sake of variety, I decided to post my makeup & outfit for my boyfriend's dad's birthday's reception a couple of days ago.

Let me just quickly mention, that I have finally created a Facebook page for the blog! It's just ultimately such an easy way to reach out an receive instant updates on my latest posts and behind the scene photos :) Feel free to drop by!

Outfit details:

Dress: Only (Similar here 60% off)

Shoes: Bianco

Cardigan: H&M originally

Earrings: Pilgrim (only silver)

Clutch: Magasin

Moving straight on from the awkward posing (can you say - out of my element?), I wanted to do something simple and Spring inspired, comfortable, but still put together.

The dress, the clutch and the shoes are all from the wedding I attended in Bulgaria this summer, what I did was add the fluffy cardigan I picked up at the second hand bazaar last weekend and my new Pilgrim earrings, which I now wear religiously.

I really felt good - the shoes are extremely comfortable, as well as the dress, the cardigan kept me warm and covered up, nothing complicated was going on, which is what I like.

As for the make-up I wanted to keep things somewhat simple - no liquid liner, bright shadows or lips, so this is what I chose to use.

Seems excessive, I know, but it's not like I just slap on everything in one go. I did a bit of fake tanning the first time in a long time, because I was feeling a little too pale and felt like I could pull it off with the color of my eyes and hair.

Due to the tan, I mixed quite a few foundations together to get the perfect shade + I like adding the Rimmel 25 hour foundation on occasions where photos are taken, since it doesn't have SPF in it as far as I can see. I then use the whole shebang of Bobbi Brown undereye concealing (including the hydrating eye cream, which is claimed to work as a primer too) and let me tell you - these products get the job done. I almost want to do a before & after, because when I say that I struggle with dark undereye circles, I really mean it, but as you can see from the pictures below (which are not retouched in any way) I look somewhat awake and healthy, no? I use the Bobbi Brown powder from the kit on the rest of my face too, add some blush, a bit of a bronzer (also on my neck, shoulders and chest area; set my eyebrows, use basically 3 brown shades on my eyelid, tightline my eyes, mascara, lip gloss, a little spray with the Body Shop mist and I am good to go.

What are your favorite products at the moment and what kind of looks do you like to pull off in the Spring time? Let me know, if you want to see a more detailed tutorial on the makeup or more outfit posts to come!

Have an amazing weekend! I just wanted to say, that I am off for a trip this weekend, which I am looking so much forward to!

Hope you enjoyed the post and I will talk to you soon!

Renate ❤

A life update

Hey, guys!

Today I don't feel like writing about makeup, hair or clothes. Too much has happened (and is about to happen) in the past (and next) few months and I need to put this down in writing.

I moved to Denmark in 2009 to study, finished my bachelor 3,5 years later last January and despite my initial plan to move back home, by the time I reached my graduation, I had a life build up around me - a boyfriend, friends, an apartment, a student job, so I simply geared up and have been learning Danish ever since. The past year has been difficult, an investment in many ways, dealing with the sense of underachievement and impatience, however, also a lovely break, where I was able to focus on myself, my plans and goals.

In the mean time, I was looking for jobs, applying, had a couple of interviews (in Danish), a 2 month internship in Copenhagen, where I had to move to temporarily, but somehow, despite the amazing milestones, along the way I lost the trust in myself and my chances of finding a job within my field in Denmark. When you're educated in the building branch at 22 years of age with no experience and not being a Dane, the odds are sometimes against you. Had it not been for my amazing boyfriend, I would have given up a lot earlier. 

No matter what happened, I decided that Danish is a must, so I engaged in the classes with all I had. I was the annoying student, always asking questions, making notes, bringing extra homework and choosing to study instead of working out with my friends, for example. I decided to focus my attention to this one goal - going through all 5 modules and, possibly try the 6th one as well, which is essentially a must for studying in Danish at the uni.

At the moment I am less than 3 months away from finishing my Danish and I suddenly decided to take a leap of faith and really challenge myself in the hopes of getting an exciting outcome.

I called up the partner of the company I had my first (and very successful, in my opinion) job interview, offered him a 2 month unpaid employment and he ended up taking it. I start within 3 weeks and finish right at the same time I have my final Danish exam. This means, for those 8 weeks I will be working full time + going to school during the weekends to keep up and prepare for the exam.

At the same time, my boyfriend and I are moving to another apartment, we have plans and commitments towards our friends and families, I have health issues that need to be taken care of and me? - I am, well... petrified. I struggle not to feel intimidated by the language, the job I am educated and interested in, but have no experience with, the challenges, expectations (mostly my own) and, of course, the possible failure.

However, I cannot express the excitement, the energy, the anticipation and how much I am looking forward to increasing the speed of which I am doing things at. Things will get busy. I hope I'll have the time for myself, my loved ones, my goals and commitments.

If this blog will fall to the sideline for a while, well, frankly, something's got to give. I really don't feel like I'd be hurting anybody out there by not putting out posts every other day or so. I'll try to keep some sort of consistency, however, since this is something I truly enjoy doing.

Yesterday, my amazing boyfriend turned 33 years old. I cannot express how much I love him look up to him, learn from him every day and how much he charges me and pushes me forward. He's truly inspiring me to be a better person. He's extremely giving and always very selfless, so I really wanted to spoil him, which is why our friends, his family and I got together to give him the experience gift voucher for racing two different Porsches in Sweden, which has a story behind it, trust me. His face in the moment of opening the present and what I have seen and heard since makes my heart melt and I am so, so happy, that this thought will put a smile on my face for a very long time to come.

We ate at his favorite restaurant, surrounded by our friends (which he wasn't aware of prior to our arrival) and I truly had one of the best nights in a long time.

Today, we will be celebrating another birthday and take a weekend trip later on to celebrate with the family, so it's many amazing things coming up.

What I want to wrap up this with is that things will turn around. You will catch a break, even though it gets tough, discouraging or frustrating. Follow your heart, take breaks, when you need to, push harder, when you have to, make adjustments, when you need to and never, ever give up on yourself and your dreams.

I really hope for an amazing Spring to everybody I love and care about and have not felt so empowered, fired up and calm at the same time. I hope you all are doing wonderful and I will talk to you soon!

Renate ❤