the better option

I’ve been reading Maddies blog dariadaria.com for quite some years now and even though I am far from being vegan or wearing only fair fashion, I have started thinking about the things I’m buying and consuming.  I’m not sure if I could go all in but I think a little still goes along way and it’s better to do something than nothing at all, don’t you agree?

For example, I started washing my hair with products from Lush a while ago. Not all products are vegan but as far as I’m concerned they are doing a great job with fair trading and what I particularly like is that they list the ingredients in a way everyone can understand.  As I mentioned in this post, I am washing my hair only once (during winter) or twice (during summer) a week. I can’t tell you how much time I have to spend on Youtube now instead of washing my hair every other day ;)

See who I like to watch here, here and here

Since I got my acne treaded with Isotretinoin a year ago I try to stay away from chemical creams and serum. I love the brand Aesop. The products might smell funny but work miracles on my skin. At this point I have to admit that they first tricked me with their branding and design but after trying out their stuff I can’t imagine putting anything else on my face. Follow this link for the most hilarious product (that actually works!).

For my body I use only vegan products as for example Lush’s the olive branch and Biokosma’s aloe vera.

Although I am trying to buy “better” products now and do my research beforehand (I like to use codecheck.info), I am not just going to throw all the other products I already own away; I don’t want to waste anything. I’m using them up and then replace them with a better option.

That’s just all about: finding a better option.

Wishlist: Fragrnace

Only 15 days to go!

Counting the days! Guys, do you know that feeling when that special day is coming closer and closer and you get those butterflies in your stomach? Isn't it wonderful?!

Next to my beauty wishlist there are also some fragrances I absolutely NEED to have! I already have the Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and girl one year later I'm not at all tired of that flowery, flirtatious, light smell of it. I only got the small 1.7 oz bottle definitely have to get the bigger one though. And as I finished nearly all my other perfumes I'm looking forward to getting some new ones (maybe Elisabeth and James Nirvana and the Estée Lauder Modern Muse Chic). Any recommendations?

Wishlist: Beauty

Only 22 days to go!

If you happen to not know what I'm referring to I'm happy to help you out on this one ;) My brother and I are going on a one month roadtrip through California in mid-april! So you guys know from this posts here, here and here that I'm watching lots of Youtube videos and as I do so I always make sure to write down the beauty products I'd like to get my hands on. I'm already loving the Kiehl's ultra facial cream - and the creamy eye treatment which I totally forgot to put in this little collage - I'm taking prescribed medication for my skin and this moisturizer does amazing things. I'm going to list all the other products below and hopefully going to be writing a review very soon!

Benefit Cosmetics - Puff Off!

Kiehl's - Ultra Facial Cream

Soap & Glory - Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme-Plump Collagen Lip Shine

Laura Mercier - Translucent Loose Setting Powder

Kat Von D - Tattoo Liner

Laura Mercier - Tinted Moisturizer 

First Aid Beauty - Ultra Repair Lip Therapy

Hourglass - Ambient Blush

Beauty Blender

Top Knot

As it is getting a little warmer outside and the sun is showing up every now and then I kinda feel the urge to dress up a little more - if it's 0°C or below I definitely just want to wrap up in my super warm coat and oversize scarf and put on a beanie - and try out some new hairstyles or simply just DO SOMETHING with my hair. I love me a top knot half up and these ladies surely do to:

Pictures  via

Hair Care - Lush

Are you all still in that mood where you're thinking of things you want to change in 2015? I am. I actually already started to change some things  in 2014. What I'm talking about is my hair care routine.  I've been using organic shampoo and conditioner since october 2014. You can really see and feel the difference. I know that Lush still uses sulfates but what really is not good for your hair are silicones and they are staying away from those, which is great. I know we all like this silky feeling when we are running our fingers through our soaking wet hair under the shower but silicones are not doing our hair any good. I'm not a pro but what I learned in the short time I worked as a hairstylist is that our hair cannot breath when it's packed with stuff. So rather than having my hair suffering from breakage I give them..right, a break! As silly as this may sounds to you, I let them be and do whatever they wanted in the first month of using Lush products. They felt and looked funny at first, but now my hair is healthier than ever! I only have to wash them twice a week - okay to be completely honest with you I'm washing them once a week. Isn't that incredible?! And it's not like I'm walking around with greasy hair or anything. They are very soft, silky and healthy and stay nice for days! Of course it depense on the season but for now I'm good with washing them twice a week max. I'm currently using Lush's Big shampoo and the RETREAT conditioner. 

BIG
I love the smell of the sea salt which reminds me of california, where I used to live quite close to the ocean. Although, I found it weird to put sea salt in my hair at first, I fell for it within the second time using it. It deeply cleans your hair from all the dirt and leaves your hair soft and voluminous. 

RETREAD
I apply the creamy, almost milky, conditioner to the length and let the cantaloup work its magic. No need for brushing or combing, really. Your not doing your hair any good if you do so anyway. At least not when it's soaking wet. So stay away from the brush or the comb and get to the other stuff, like washing your body or shaving those legs. After only 2-3 minutes your good to go and clear your hair with lukewarm water. Et voilà, no more tangles in that now shiney and super silky hair, right?!

I also tried Daddy-O and ROOTS but "BIG" still works best for me. During this winter season I couldn't live without The Olive Branch shower gel. Mhh..that stuff smells uh-mazing!!

Follow my Instagram (@NissyBunique) to see some selfies with ma awesome hair ;P

kiehl's lip balm

i could eat that whole thing. 
seriousely. i know i'm not supposed to eat it, but i could! mango is one of those fruits i wouldn't eat "raw". however, i love smoothies, shower gels, lotions and everything else that smells of mangos. this little tube just made it on my top ten list of my current favorite things (next to the miss dior blooming bouquet perfume and these & these paez espadrilles)last week and i wouldn't want to live without it! the kiehl's lip balm in mango is amazballs!! i usually am not a fan of this glossy look since it's too sticky, but this lip balm totally convinced me with its light glow and the smoothing effect. honestly, i have to remind myself not to lick my lips all the time while wearing it.

if you aren't a kiehl's fan yet you definitely gonna turn into one after trying their lip balms..

*i am not getting paid for writing about this product. i only blog about products i love so much that i want to share them with you guys.

morning routine: makeup

makeup
as a next step i apply the anti blemish solutions liquid makeup which is very light and great for a no makeup makeup on regular working days.
if some important meetings or dates are planned for the day i put on mac's mineralize skinfinish natural powder and highlight my cheeks with the mineralize blush. other than that i only add black eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. i'm kinda addicted to lipsticks since the glasses i'm wearing are pretty chunky and there's no eyeshadow or any kinda eye makeup you actually would see behind them. so a pop of color on the lips is the perfect thing to add.

morning routine: moisturizing

moisturizing
i apply the dr. hauschka facial toner by spraying it on my face (two pumps)and spread the moist with a cotton pad. now my pores are fully prepared for hydration.
i tried a few day creams by dr. hauschka but they just don't work for me, which is why i stick to clinique's moisture surge intense. i know they recommend using the intense cream only for masks and for the night but it works great for me during the day. i always assumed that using rich creams was total nonsense since my skin already was oily but when i started using the intense cream my skin regenerated and the pimples soon got less. my skin over compensated the dryness by regreasing! who would have thought that!?! 
in summer i always apply sunscreen. it's so important to look after your skin - not only on your face! i received this facial sunscreen in a goodie bag and even though i used it every day last summer i still got some left. it smells a bit funny but did do it's job pretty good. however, i'm eager to try out some other ones. if you happen to know a good & not too heavy facial sunscreen please let me know! additionally, i use the city block sheer spf 25 which works perfectly as a makeup primer. 

morning routine: cleansing

on a rainy day with summer in my mind i'd like to tell you about my morning routine which lightly changes during the warmer days.
as you may know I've got very sensitive skin which tends to outbreak on any occasion speaking lack of sleep, alcohol consumption, malnutrition ect. that's why it's even more important to me to stick to my daily routine. i haven't gone to bed without taking off my make up in years and neither did i left the house without taking care of my skin first. you still with me? okay, let's get started step by step (which means i'm going to post one step a day):

cleansing
first i wash my hands since it's important to me to start this whole thing right: clean. second, i wet my face with lukewarm water which opens up the pores and prepare them for the good stuff following up. then i gently get rid of the sweat and dead pores by scrubbing my face with clinique's 7 day scrub cream. you don't wanna get rid of your skin though, so as i said: g e n t l e! next, i rinse off the scrub cream and apply dr. hauschka's cleansing cream as shown here. i stop the water in between each step!

blooming bouquet

i've been craving this scent forever! 
you guys know how fragrances can smell totally different on various people skins, right? i think there are certain perfumes that are simply made for y-o-u and blooming bouquet is definintely me in all ways. i actually got lots of compliments wearing it which i never experienced before in switzerland because most people here aren't as outgoing as in for example california ;)
i got the earrings at forever21 in barcelona and honestly think they go perfectly with the fragrance!

miss dior blooming bouquet fragrance | forever 21 earrings

 

 

 

rebel

it's only the second month of the new year and i'm already stress out - S.O.S! as my skin was finally getting better due to this all natural product, it broke out again this weekend. i also got a gross blister on my bottom lip. my friends named him allen harper (those who watch two and a half men know why) which i find matches perfectly. although, i have to deal with some more pimples (and the blister) i feel much better - even more confident - since i started using the dr. hauschka cleansing cream. moreover, i'm positive that my skin will recover as soon as the working days are getting shorter and i'm able to catch up on sleep.

this is what the world wide web told me (i just googled "face mapping"):

excuse my tired eyes

 

new year, new look

hi lovies,

as it's a new year and there are new chances, new opportunities and new things to try. 
i already made some visual changes like getting my hair cut (-10cm) and wearing new glasses. I also did some research on beauty products to get rid of my (pubertal??!!) pimples and decided on dr. hauschka. the products are organic, which i find great! to put less chemicals in my face has to be a good thing, right?! you can find details on how to apply the products to your skin and what incredients are used HERE and in the video below.

i started off with the cleansing cream and even though i had to get used to the applying technique i feel like i can see how my skin is changing already. however, a beauty products don't work by themselves, which is why i started eating less sweets and i drink at least 2 liters a day (the water bottles became my best friend, you should get yours too)!

let's see how this is going to turn out!

christmas nails

hi lovies,

i'm a nail polish kinda girl and as i kicked off the holidays yesterday i'm looking for inspiration on my nail do. i guess i got a little ahead of my self when i picked those designs below because i am never gonna get them to look like this ;) but christmas is the time where you dream of all kinda things....and, EVERTHING'S POSSIBLE at this time of the year =)


on which one would you decide?

via

a braid for a change

hi sweetie pies,

as you know, i'm totally in love with hair (in general) and i find mine the best accessory i could possibly every have! so when i got bored of my normal look which appears to be dry blown straight hair i decided to make a change. since i'm kinda lazy these day (workaholic whould be the right word to describe myself) i just braided my wet hair into a french braid and let it dry over night. then in the morning i looked like a lion ;) check out the pics.

before bed

unbraided

ready for work

MAC Cosmetics

Acutally I just wanted to get a lipstick. Those who read my blog regularly already know that of course I ended up with some more goodies than just a lipstick ;) 

My natural lip color is already redish (bright red/dark rose). But since I just wear brown eyeliner during the day (black when I'm going out), I thought it would be fun to add a little more color.

By the way, I don't use any mascara. The reason is simple, I just don't know how to apply it right. My lashes always stick together and after two minutes wearing my glasses I get pissed because they are full of mascara ^^

I felt in love with the MAC Cremesheen Crosswires. The color is not too loud (the lipstick looks redder on the picture than it acutally is) and perfect for day time. As mentioned before I not only bought the lipstick but also powder and blush (both MAC as well). Normally I just apply Clinique's City Block Sheer (SPF 25 or 40) and that's it but it feels nice to wear some powder and a little blush when I'm going out. I feel comfortable and pretty. But the best thing about it: it's the first time my skin does'nt respond with hundreds of pimples - yayy!

What do you think about MAC products? And which is your favorite?

MAC Cremesheen Crosswires A62

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium Plus & MAC Mineralize Blush - Dainty

I Won A Give-Away!!

Hi love bugs,

I'm back from Cancun (more in another post) and when I skyped with my parents, they had a little surprise for me. 

I have participated in the Give-Away of dariadaria and I was overjoyed when I received the email from Madeleine that I won. I've never won a giveaway! 

Since I'm in California these days, I entered with my swiss address. Last week, the Glossybox packet was in the mail and my parents opened it for me when we skyped today. I was pretty excited even if I can't use the products til december 2012 when I'm home again. But actually it's a perfect timing! My hair will look forward to be treated well after the big changes of the weather  they have to go through (sunny California, tropical Florida, cold Switzerland). 

I want to say "Thank you" again to Madeleine and Glossybox.at!

For more information about the products click here.

via dariadaria

Glossybox CH

Hi friends,

every month I have to look at those great pictures about what's in the Glossybox on several blogs from Germany and Austria. I really can't wait for the release in Switzerland (as always, Switzerland is a few steps behind the rest of the world ;)). "Unfortunately", I'm in California these days, so I have to wait until January 2013 to sign in for this cool idea. 

I really like all kinds of beauty stuff and I think the whole Glossybox project is a great idea. You can test the products you receive every month for little money (check out the 'How It Works' graphic below). Swiss people, check out Glossybox CH and sign in to get informed via e-mail when Glossybox starts (click on the picture below) and like Glossybox on Facebook.

via Glossybox UK

Coachella Style

It's a shame that I can't attend the Coachella festival. At least I'm in California. I'm a huge fan of the blog entries of my favorite bloggers during/after the Coachella. I love the "californian style" and these snapshots are such an inspiration...

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