Sunday Read {Vol.3}

Hey my Beauties,

it’s sunday again and you know what that means. It’s time for our weekly {Sunday Read}, where i share with you some great posts, written by my fellow bloggers.
Sometimes it’s just a mix of random beauty & lifestyle topics, or like today – a special subject.
As usual, you can always go ahead and take part in this sunday read event. Grab this Sunday Read photo!
The rules are very simple:
Pick out some of your most favorite posts written by others &  tell me exactly why you picked them.
Then all you need to do is to link up down below. 

I have always been a big lover of homemade face masks and body scrubs, but if i find a really great sheet mask or a clay in store, i will go for it. 😉 So let’s talk Face Masks. (I think it suits the “sunday pampering” mood anyways.)

My treasures this week:

1) So there is this Korea-Canada blog, ( i guess the writers name behind it is Sonya) that i just recently discovered and stumbled over an interesting topic:
{Paper face masks: A Korean beauty secret},  which apparently hit the US-market last year. You have to know, that these affordable paper face masks, are incredibly popular especially in Korea and target busy women, who want great & fast results for very friendly prices are totally in love with them. Of course we have that type of masks here in Europe as well (I bet same in the States), but i have to admit, the clay type of masks are actually more represented in stores. Every woman wants “hydration, brightening, wrinkle fighting or pore tightening” effect and it was interesting to see how forward the korean market there already is. 

2) Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady wrote a great Skincare Series post, where she talked about her favorite {Masks}. I liked the variety of different brands and types she described. All of them “do different things, targeting different skin concerns and issues.” I think it’s important to pick the right type of face mask, focusing on what you’re actually wanting to improve.
Sophia shared her detailed opinion on Origins,  Dr Jart+, REN and other brands, so there should be something for everybody. 

3) Kelly and Gemma from Pages and Perfume shared their thoughts on {‘Love Lettuce’ Face Mask by LUSH} that “contains something called ‘fullers earth’, an ingredient consisting of a number of clays which is meant to absorb grease and debris, and also tighten the skin.” For all you LUSH lovers out there, this should be a product, you already heard about. If you are up for an easy pampering and exfoliating experience, that could be your go-to product. 

4) Meghan from Painted lady – besides being an aspiring medical esthetician, is also a lover of great face masks, so when i saw her post on {Face Mask Friday! Wild Rose and Honey}, i knew i had to share it with you. I have to admit, i have never heard of the brand Wild Carrot Herbals before, but a “mild exfoliant + loaded with enzymes” definitely sounded good to me. It’s a thick great smelling honey based mask, with an antibacterial & calming effect. If you are a honey scent lover, you might enjoy this one!

5) And as i love fresh homemade masks, i’m going to share with you one more post, that i found on another “new to me” blog – Carpe Diem For All (how great is that blog name?!). I spotted this {At Home Oatmeal Face Mask} with organic and healthy products in it. The pictures, that have been used for the post are lovely and the actual recipe seems to be like something everyone should already have in the kitchen.
So if you like “your skin soft and glowing” – take a closer look at that blog post and say “YES please” to oats, mild & honey!
(Pictures taken from each of the sites, all rights on these belong to the mentioned bloggers.)

There you go, my Beauties. That was our Sunday Read for this week. Hope you like the idea of one topic post.
Say HI to everyone, when you visit their blogs and enjoy the recipes & mask ideas. 

What posts’ did you like over the past week, my gorgeous readers? 
Please link up and let’s all benefit from it.

Until next time – stay beautiful!

Four Favorite Things in May – FMSphotoaday Day 31

Hello my Beauties,

happy friday and happy end of may to all of you. I can’t believe that it’s actually almost june (and hopefully summer) and also that our may challenge is now over. 
I’m very proud of everyone, who managed to get through this May Photo a Day Challenge (but also the Blogging Every Day in May) and really sticking to it  – which would include myself as well. The encouraging words on Twitter & email definitely helped!

So today is Day 31 and the topic is: “Four things“.
31. Four things: Choose four things and take a photo. They can be anything.

As a reader of a beauty & lifestyle blog you might already know, that by the end of a month we usually like to talk about the most used beauty products and why we loved them so much.
So in the best tradition – here are my Four May Favorites.
Let me start by saying, that besides the Naked palette and my NYX high-definition eye shadow base, these were definitely the four most-reached products of May.
So what are they exactly and why did i enjoy using them so much?

1) NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in 725A Rose Glow is a light weight products, that can be used as powder or blush. It gives an incredibly nice rose glow on your cheeks and since i’m so fair-skinned, i can even use it for contouring my face, which makes the product really multifunctional.

The powder consists of  4 different colors, from light to dark. Some are matt and others are bit shimmery.
Of course the packaging is a little of a down point here, since it’s not really pretty or sturdy and will probably not survive a fall on a hard ground.
But on the other hand in doesn’t cost the world – around $4.99 and it also comes in other shades, like Bronze Glow, Translucent Highlighter Glow, Pink Glow. So there’s something for everybody.

2) Lip balm Papaya by Greenland is a natural lip balm with cocoa butter, jojoba oil and shea butter.
Greenland is a dutch brand, that exists since 1990 and uses only raw materials for their bath and skin care products. 
The papaya lip balm (3,9 g – 4,95 €) doesn’t have any paraffin and mineral oils in it, that for it doesn’t dehydrate your lips, which would make you want to apply even more and more balm every time ( that’s the addictive effect ). The packaging has a quite cool metal look to it, which makes it stand out from the usual lip balms in my eyes.

I find the scent to be fruity & balmy. I wouldn’t really say it smells like a real papaya though, but it’s still a nice smell and doesn’t irritate my sensitive nose (especially when it comes to lipsticks & balms).
What i prefer to do is to apply the balm right in the beginning of putting on my makeup and by the moment i use lipstick, my lips had enough time to get some hydration and my lips look a lot smoother. 

3) Volume Effect Faux Cils Luxury Volume Mascara in 4 Fascinating Violet is one of my all time favorites, when it comes to mascara, especially the colored ones. This is probably my third YSL purple mascara.
I love the traditional brush and the length of it (not too big & not too small). I also like how my rather dark lashes get that nice purple look, without being too bright and totally out there. Makes any daily look a class of it’s own. By getting a second layer on, you can even create that “B A M” – effect.

It separates the lashes nicely, doesn’t smudge and gives great volume. And what i especially like, is the fact that i don’t see any “fall outs” in the evening, after wearing the mascara all day. (Don’t we all hate that?!)
Of course it’s one of those luxury products, where every girl has to decide if $30.00 for a YSL mascara is a good investment or not.
I stand by my treat for a few years now and didn’t regret it yet.

4) Wisteria by Crabtree & Evelyn is a nice Floral fragrance, that has been on the market since 2003. (30ml – $25.00)
The fragrance features wisteria, lily, violet, gardenia, ylang-ylang, mandarin orange, pear and white musk. To me it’s a fresh and floral, spring & summer scent, that comes across even a little powdery. It appears to be clean & innocent if that makes sense.
Love the wisteria & violet accents in the fragrance.

I prefer using eau de toilette instead of the actual perfume, since i like scents to be light and not lasting for over 3-4 hours. But i guess that is just my personal preference.
You might have noticed i  like Crabtree & Evelyn a lot ( i talked about this scent before HERE ), as there is always something slightly distinctive and sophisticated about their scents and skin care products. 

These are my monthly beauty favorites. What have you been using mostly during may? Tell me about it by leaving a comment or a link to your blog posts!

Until next time – stay beautiful!

ps: If anyone like to participate in the Jule Photo a Day Challenge – HERE is where you find the needed information.

ps2: Just got the notification, that i’ve been featured in a {Feature Friday} post! How unexpected was that!! 
If you like to find out more what has been said “About the Blog & Blogger” –  click HERE.

Favorite beauty tool – FMSphotoaday Day 30

Hello my Beauties,

how is everyone doing??
Can you believe, that this challenge is about to end already? We almost made it through the whole month.
Those of you, who kept on going and blogged every day (raise your hands) – you can be very proud of yourself.
Hope it helped your motivation as much as it helped mine. 🙂
I think a challenge like this, where many different people participate, is an enormous motivation booster, since you can exchange your experience and get inspired by other people work at the same time.
I think i might be doing another challenge sometime later this years again. And then, i hope to see you all participating! 😉

So today is Day 30 of the May Photo a Day Challenge and the topic is: “Tool“.
30. Tool: A tool in the garage or something useful that helps you get through life. Perhaps in a cooking tool.
Find one and share it.

I’m going to talk about a tool, that i’m sure by now everyone out there, who loved makeup and all the innovations knows about.
This is my new beauty blender knock off, by Germany’s own drugstore brand Ebelin – “Professional Make Up Ei”.
Let’s admit it, it looks a lot like to original blender, doesn’t it?
I want to take a small step back and tell you who i actually learned the trick with the beauty blender from.
About 2 years ago i was still struggling with my foundation. Even that i was quite happy with the actual product, i couldn’t get the flawless result on my face. No matter what i did.

Applying foundation with a brush somehow always left stripes on my face – well it might have been me and not the brush, but anyways.
But when i saw a youtube video by my friend Michell, who showed how she used a blender and a simple sponge to get an even application on her face, that changed the whole makeup world for me.

In case you are not familiar with the wet sponge application, you might want to check out Michell’s video HERE.
By that time – remember it was over 2 years ago – we didn’t have any “beauty blender” here in Germany, so Michell was so nice to send me the one that is being sold in Ulta and oh heaven – it worked so fine!
I have to say though – a good big and dense drugstore sponge, usually triangle shape, work well too. The technic is still the same.

Now back to the “Professional Make Up Ei”. About 2 months ago Ebelin brought this “makeup egg” on the german market and the beauty community went wild over it. You could literally see all the german blog’s & youtube channels blow up.
I think the “makeup egg’s” were even sold out in the very first week. 
The hopes and expectations were high for this product and i have to admit, i was not disappointed. 
It’s a little bit bigger and pointier than the original Beauty blender and it’s also a little more dense, which is alright.  
The “makeup egg” has a bigger surface to work with, especially the “bottom part”. It’s pretty elastic and literally jumps back after you squeeze it.

It also gains on volume when you wash it. I would say, it get’s almost at twice as big, but doesn’t lose it’s form after becoming dry again.
The actual application goes smoothly, it’s really easy to get an even coat of foundation using this “egg”.
I’m not sure if this one is going to last as long as the original Beauty blender, but i after 3 months or so it would definitely be justified to get a new one, since it only costs 2,45€.

I’m glad our drugstores are becoming more and more aware of the “quality trend” of tools, since a few years ago the brushes & other tools had a horrible quality and i had to get everything from a high-end store or the internet. 

Have you used any kind of beauty blender before? What’s your experience with it?
And what’s your favorite beauty tool? Tell me your secrets.

Until next time – stay beautiful!

Swap Fever and a Kiss – FMSphotoaday Day 29

Hello my Beauties,

i hope you are having a lovely mid-week. 
I have to tell you, i’m in a huge “swap fever“, which can be easily explained.
I’m currently participating in 2 especially organized swaps, one is the Summer Lovin’ Swap and the other is the Sweet Summer Swap, that was put together by Polish Alcoholic and I.
You will see posts on both events sometime in june, so please stay tuned. But that’s not it.

Somehow it happened, that a few more bloggers decided at almost the same time to send me a few goodies over, since we all love trying things from other countries and i’m not an exception to that.
(Of course i did send them something as well!)

So these days the packages started to arrive and i can’t even express how grateful i am. Always when someone takes the time to think through what kind of goodies to get, wrap it all nicely and write a sweet note…what can be more personal?!

Without further rambling, this was the surprise from one of my favorite bloggers, the Sweet Jelly Bean. I believe by now you must know her, if not – stop by & take a look on her fabulous blog.
OMG where do i even start?! Let me tell you the most important thing first, there was nothing in this box, that i didn’t like the idea of and have tried before. I guess i have only seen Dr.Organic products on other people’s blogs.
The package came all the way from the UK to me with a lovely hand-written card (love it) and Donah’s blogger-business card.
Wow, well done!! That is such a cool (and important) idea to have a “blogger card”, in case you meet right people at the right time. I guess if you start taking blogging seriously, you need this kind of “tools” in your purse!!
If you read Donah’s blog, you might know, that she is a big lover of korean skin care & cosmetics. And as i have never tried any korean products, she was so nice to include these samples of creams, serum & BB creams, so i can get an idea of what kind of beauty comes from Korea. I’m very excited to try them and as Donah always speaks so highly about their brands, my expectations are quite high as well.
As mentioned before, i saw Dr.Organic on many british blogs before & many ladies were talking pretty good things about the products. So when i saw these two babies in the box and made a little “yeay”noise.
So here we have:
Organic Lavender Skin Lotion – An intensely aromatic moisturising lotion based on Organic Lavender oil with Aloe Vera, Cocoa butter, Shea butter, Olive oil, Sunflower oil, Irish Moss, Vitamin A and Vitamin E. An intensely aromatic and moisture rich complex which combines the properties of organic lavender with cocoa butter and shea butter.
Organic Virgin Olive Oil Skin Lotion – Bioactive Organic Virgin Olive Oil is a super hydrating, intensely nutritious fruit oil, rich in Oleic Acid, a powerful antioxidant. In combination with a proprietary blend of bioactive, natural and organic ingredients this incredibly effective skin lotion.
I already looked on the official site & notice that the Olive Oil range is a bit wider that the lavender, so i guess it must be Dr.Organic’s best seller. Thank you Donah for the opportunity to try these lotions.
Next lovely product was the Bluebell Hand Balm from Cath Kidston. And look at how it was wrapped?! I guess Donah’s little son was helping her – that’s so adorable. 🙂
A fun blue tub filled with a thick cream, very moisturising for hard working hands. Contains shea butter, glycerine and vitamin E. Delightful, fresh floral fragrance with notes of freesia, fruity geranium, muguet, violet and jasmine, resting on a base of patchouli, musk, cedar wood and amber.
I didn’t want to open this cream yet, since i still have so many in use right now, but on the official site it looked like the balm has a little blue color to it & should smell heavenly floral. Loved the description.
And because Donah knows me so well, she found an incredibly nice smelling citrus ginger hand & nail cream. The tube itself reminds me a bit of the L’Occitane or Crabtree & Evelyn packaging, which i love. I’m not exactly sure what the actual name of the brand is – London Apothecary Nr.18? Donah might help with more information… I’ so happy someone remembered my love for Ginger & Lime tea’s and included that scent into a wonderful hand cream. 🙂
Last but definitely not least, there was literally the sweetest little treat. I guess it was customized, since the chocolate says: Luchessa on it. Awww!! How can i possible eat it?! Thank you so much, Donah (it didn’t break!)

My Sweet Jelly Bean, i appreciate all the thoughts you put into this package and please give the little bean a HUG for helping you wrapping everything.
I can absolutely not wait to try everything and report back about what i liked the best.
Oh and because we are still in May and it’s Day 29 of the May Photo a Day Challenge, i added a BIG KISS to my “thank you” as well.
29. Kiss: This is our charity prompt. We’re going to kiss MS goodbye. So wear red, or pop on some red lipstick and show us a ‘kiss’!
Have you used any of the products mentioned above before, my Beauties??
Has anyone done a swap lately? If so, please leave a link below, so i can have a look. Love posts like that. 

Before i go, i would also like to thank Trine-Marie for sending me her hand-made friendship bracelets, that i won a week ago.
It’s always such a nice touch, when it’s actually hand-made, don’t you think?? 
When we finally get some summer here, i will made sure to wear them with a cute summer dress.
Until next time – stay beautiful!

ps: Here are some read’s, that you might enjoy.

Win a copy of Eat Love Pray.
Link up with us in the Friendly Bunch Blog Hop.
What does the Beauty Blogger Community mean to you?

 

What you’re doing now? – FMSphotoaday Day 28

Hello my Beauties,

it’s an incredibly rainy & stormy day here today and if i’m honest with you, i feel a little tired today.
But as i’m still very motivated about the May Photo a Day Challenge, i didn’t want to miss Day 28  to blog. 
Today’s topic is:
28. What you’re doing now: Choose a moment in your day and take a photo of it.

As i just came home from work and was in serious need of a dinner, i decided to combine the two things: My food & post in one.
So here we go: 
From my time in Spain i learned to cherish their typical tortillas, as it’s also one of the most commonly served dishes there.
It’s often part of a tapa or appetizer, but as far as i experienced it – it’s really nice for dinner.

Btw, if you ever go to Spain, you can ask either for tortilla de patatas or tortilla española. (It’s the same dish.)
Sure it’s basically a potato omelet, but please try to remember not to call it an omlet in Spain, people could be offended, since the Spanish tortilla is more about potatoes than eggs. 

I really like it as a this basic dish for dinner, it’s really filling and with some fresh vegetables it’s always a little party for my belly. 🙂

Do you have a favorite spanish dish? And with the word’s of this challenge: What are you doing right now? 😉
I’m off to eat now…

Until next time – stay beautiful.

ps: Don’t miss our Friendly Bunch Blog Hop – stop by & link up.
And here is your chance to win the book Eat Love Pray & find some motivational blog posts.

Can’t live without – FMSphotoaday Day 27

Hello my Beauties,

hope your new week has started well and you are motivated & full of energy.

Today is Day 27 of the May Photo a Day Challenge and the topic is: “Can’t live without“.
27. Can’t live without: What would you rather not live without?

It’s one of those philosophical questions, where you get to decide whether you want to answer it the smart & “indispensable” way or from the beauty and lifestyle blogger (and simply a woman’s) point of view. 
Guess what – we are on a beauty journey here, so here is my short photo answer to the question, what i can’t live without. 😉
Well, those of you, who are following my blog from the beginning know exactly, what a hand cream addict i am.
I simply have to have at least one tube in each handbag, on my desk, in the bathroom, in my kitchen…i guess you get the picture. 
I can’t live without my hand creams.

I love those Hand and Nails treatments, like the Clarins one which is incredibly moisturizing, but also those  nice chocolate or fruity smelling ones. 🙂
Did you notice, these tubes know exactly how important they are, they even wear their impressive mustaches! 😉

I like trying different kind of hand creams from everywhere in the world. So far a have a few bulgarian, german, american, russian, canadian and israeli ones. I bet there are more to come! 🙂

What kind of hand creams do you love the most & why?
What are you beauty products you can’t live without?

Tell me your secrets.
Until next time – stay beautiful!

You might also like the latest posts:
The Friendly Bunch Blog Hop

The {us} in the Beauty Blogger community

Sunday Read {Vol.2}

Sunday Pampering

The Friendly Bunch Blog Hop (#14)

Hello my Beauties,

happy monday! You know what that means, right?
It’s time for another fresh week of the exciting Friendly Bunch Blog Hop action. It was a big success last week and we are happy to  invite you ones again to a fun journey through the blogosphere. Stop by all the lovely blogs and don’t forget to tell them how they were found! Spread the word & let’s enjoy the ride!

This week we are glad to be joined by a lovely lady as our co-host. She has a gorgeous blog where you can find many different posts on beauty, fitness and knitting. So we highly recommend that you stop by her blog. 

Meet the co-host for this week:  Fizzy Peaches.

If you are interested in co-hosting the blog hop, please contact Nia.

 

Now, in our share section this week we have a DIY glass jar pen holder for $1. Or in better relation to the beauty world, brush holder.  It is a really simple process shared by Jenna at SAS Interiors, plus it costs almost nothing.

 

If you want something a little bit more fun for your brushes, you can put labels on them, cover the section you want in glue and add glitter, or even spray paint them. There are so many different options. So, if you would like to see the full post on how to make these, please visit SAS interiors.

On to the Blog Hop!

Rules:

1. Please follow the Hosts & {possible} Co-host via GFC {or wordpress} and/or Bloglovin’ and/or email

2. Visit the other links and don’t forget to say hi.

3. Add your link

 

We would also really appreciate it if you:

– Share this blog hop’s button on your blog

– Share this blog hop with other bloggers on your facebook/ twitter/ google+. The more the merrier.
{Use hashtag #TFBBH on twitter}

– Follow Nia and Luchessa on Twitter for updates and fun.

Grab our button:

 

Sunday Pampering – FMSphotoaday Day 26

Hello my Beauties,

today we have Day 26 of the May Photo a Day Challenge and the topic is: “Favorite thing to do on sunday“.
26. Fave thing to do on Sunday: What’s your favourite thing to do on Sundays? Sleep-in? Eat out? Party? Share.

Sunday is that one day in the week, when i really love to sleep in ( i even have the slight feeling, i was a sloth in my past life…).
Besides the amazing wakeup up without the alarm clock, i treat myself with a big bowl full of fruits and berries – similar to what i told you about on Day 7 of this photo challenge. I love to start my free day with something that healthy & delicious.

But what i love the most about Sundays, is my personal weekly ritual, that i try to hold on to, as far as possible.
It’s all about {Sunday Pampering}.
First of all, i really enjoy a good bath, usually using some kind of good smelling salts.
In this case – a generous gift from a dear fried, who got me the incredible lovely {Spider Lily Bath Salt from the India Hicks Island Living® by Crabtree & Evelyn}. (Contains moisturising coconut, soybean and avocado oils) $30.00 / 34,00 €

I’ve been a fan of Crabtree and Evelyn‘s ranges for quite some time now (you might know that Wisteria is one of my all time favorite perfumes) – i can’t pass their store here in town, without going in – and the India Hicks range is simply amazing.
I know, it seem pretty expensive for “just” bathing salts, but I see it as a bit of a treat!
Of course any other nice bathing oils or salts would help the relaxing effect, but that’s the one i’m using & loving right now.
Besides, i like how sturdy the packaging is and the little sea shell scoop is a nice touch as well. Brings the beach closer to my bath tub!
Another big favorite of mine for a good pampering session is my {HydraQuench Cream-Mask} for dehydrated skin by Clarins.
I like to apply a good amount of it right before taking a bath and when i come out of it, i simply remove the excess with a cotton pad. My skin feels so fresh & moisturised afterwards.
I have tried many different hydrating masks on the market and since my skin is quite sensitive, i’m a picky customer. The HydraQuench Cream-Mask is definitely one of a few favorites of mine so far. The feel and look of my skin has improved since i started using it a few months ago. A 75ml tube retails here for 35 €. The 15ml i use right now was a sample from a beauty box. 

My current hair shampoo is the {CALLIOPE Rescue Hair Wash for dry & flaky scalp} from the greek brand Fresh Line.
During this cold & rainy weather (yes i feel like we are back in november) my scalp tends to be dry, so i went for an effective solution – a hydrating and soothing shampoo with key ingredients like Tea Tree, Chamomile, Garlic, Neem Oil and Echinacea.
It has quite a strong herbal scent, but somehow i really like it. If also doesn’t foam too much, since it has a lot of natural ingredients in it. The shampoo cleans my hair really well and after drying it doesn’t look flat, what i personally would really hate.
What most important, my scalp doesn’t itch or burn afterwards, but feels really nourished and calmed.
The big 200ml bottle costs around 14,00 € in Europe. The bottle i currently have is a travel size of 75ml.
I will not talk about my daily shower gel in this post, since i still use the {Yves Rocher Energizing Shower Gel} – Spanish Pomegranate, that i shared with you before.

As you can see i also love burning mini tea candles, while taking a bath. I don’t know if that’s a cliché, but it really clams me down and in this case it’s a {Yankee Candle Bahama Breeze}.
It’s a cool summer refreshment in this tropical blend of pineapple, grapefruit and mango.

After coming off the bath tub, i like to treat my skin with a good body lotion. Along with the Satin-Smooth Body Lotion by Clarins, i use {Kiehl’s Creme de Corps} – rich nourishing cream, that leaves my skin incredibly hydrated. I would say, that i probably like the smell of the Clarins body lotion a bit better, but over all – the Kiehl’s body moisturizer is a solid product. And in a mini version like mine (30ml), it’s a great traveling size for your vacation. A 75ml bottle retails for almost 10,00€ here in Europe.
After a nice pampering afternoon like that, there is definitely going to be a tea moment! 😉

What about you, my Beauties? What are your favorite things to do on a sunday? Share your stories with me. 

Until next time – stay beautiful.
Ps: Don’t forget to stop by and check out my Sunday Read – you might find a few great posts!

 

Sunday Read {Vol. 2}

Hello my Beauties,

happy sunday to you. Another week went by and so much has happened in the bloggers community. 
Of course i have found a few really great posts, written by talented bloggers, that are worth sharing. 🙂
So grab your favorite smoothie and let’s get started with our weekly {Sunday Read}.

As usual, you can always go ahead and take part in this sunday read event. Grab this Sunday Read photo!
The rules are very simple:
Pick out some of your most favorite posts written by others &  tell me exactly why you picked them.
Then all you need to do is to link up down below. 

My treasures this week:

1) When it comes to our jobs, we often think back of th every first one and how we felt, when we made those little mistakes, from which we learned afterwards. Am I right? We all learned how to become a better team player and worked on our social skills, which are as important as all the needed IQ for the particular job. And as little as it looks, we learned to smile that confident and friendly smile, that makes us a “human colleague”. Jade from Jade Isabelle talked about these and many other interesting topics in her
{5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job} post, that i found really worth sharing with all of you. 

2) Most of us love to travel. It’s a great way to experience new cultures, great local food, meet people and get inspired by the way they see life, even fashion and beauty tendencies can be incredibly different from what we see day by day in our own countries. 
Traveling opens your eyes to the important things in life, if you give that destination a real change to show its whole beauty to you.
That and what discovering of great new landscapes can really mean, is what Organised Clutter talked about in her
{Why You Should Travel Out of Your Comfort Zone}.

3) While scrolling down my Blogroll a quote caught immediately my eye. It was saying: “Comparison is the thief of joy”.
So i had to stop and look at that blog post.
The quote consisted of just a few words, but there was so much meaning behind them.
It basically challenges you to believe in yourself, your knowledge and power to move things, to come forward in life and by being  just yourself – being happy. Tianna from Storybook Apothecary made her point very sharp and clear and left me somehow very inspired for the rest of the day. Read for yourself: {Stay Inspired}.

4) What do you think about challenging yourself to go a whole week without complaining and being negative?
What about trying to see all what’s happening around you in a bright and positive way?
I came across this great {7 Days No-Negative Challenge} over on Brooklyn’s blog This little Blonde and thought, that i had to share this with my readers and remind myself to go more positive through my working week and take things easy.
Try it, challenge yourself and have a wonderful & happy new week!
(Pictures taken from each of the sites, all rights on these belong to the mentioned bloggers.)

I hope you find the motivating posts interesting to read and enjoy checking out these blogs.
Don’t forget to say HI from me.

What posts’ did you like over the past week, my gorgeous readers? 
Please link up and let’s all benefit from it.

Until next time – stay beautiful!

ps: To celebrate the week of motivation and positive thinking i’ll be giving away 1 (english) copy of Elizabeth Gilbert’s book:
“Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia”
How liberating it would be to just cast off the reins of your current life and go on a year-long trip to three far flung countries of the world? Elizabeth Gilbert does that in Eat Pray Love, by embarking on her journey with specific purposes – one country for pleasure of the senses, another for spiritual enlightenment and the third to restore balance in her life. 

How to enter:
Leave me a comment saying what are the motivating things in life, that help you in your sad moments.
What makes you feel better? (Please write a little more than just 5 words, would love to hear about your “remedy”!)
Winner will be chosen on friday May 31st via random.org

Good luck!

The {us} in the Beauty Blogger community – FMSphotoaday Day 25

Hello my Beauties,

i really hope the weekend weather forecast in your area is much better than mine.
It’s another grey, cold and rainy day in the paradise, but i try to see it from the bright side – the blogger’s perspective. 
There was no sunny saturday brunch outside, but there was room & space for a productive blogging afternoon instead. 
And that’s equally good, don’t you think? 😉

Today it’s Day 25 of the May Photo a Day Challenge and the topic is: “Us“.
25. Us: Us could mean your workmates, family, friends or otherwise. How will you show everyone your ‘us’?

To me the actual blogging experience is about sharing and finding new useful information, when it comes to lifestyle, traveling, beauty in general and fashion.
And let me tell you, by finding your blogs and discovering the personalities behind them, i learned so much, which inspired me to be dedicated & motivated about my own blog.

I really hope, that by sharing {The Us in the Blogger Community} it will help someone else not only to discover great beauty & lifestyle bloggers, but also to become inspired and be closer to their readers and friends.
Because what makes it more fun for everybody, is the interaction & being active. Just believe me 😉

There you go, here is my small selection of wonderful bloggers. 
Each one with their own story and opinion about life, beauty and fashion journey, small and big joy & happiness.

Please don’t be sad, if your name isn’t mentioned in this post. 
If i would name each and everyone, who i found so far along my blogging experience, this post would become way too long… 
But let me just point out: You’re more likely to get in one of these posts, if you keep interacting & being active on here & Twitter. 😉 
*wink wink*

From left to right:
1. Donah from Sweet Jelly Bean
2. Maria from Trine-Marie
3. Nia from Cherry Fashion
4. Laura from A Scottish Lass
5. Caroline from Style on the Side
6. Melissa from Pink Lady Beauty 
7. Kaye from Beautiful Kayekie

and here are a few more…
From left to right:
1. Ange from Hairspray and High Heels
2. Kareen from Ziba blog
3. Nykki from Nykki talks Beauty
4. Flori from Sunshine Citizen
5. Miss Angie from My so-called Chaos

This bunch of talented & very open bloggers has been so supportive and helpful, that i simply wanted to give some of it back.
So that’s it for today’s challenge. That’s my version of “us” – the beauty blogger community. I can’t wait to meet more new fabulous #Bbloggers out there.

Tell me, how would you show the world your “us”?

Until next time – stay beautiful!