Ampelmännchen – From Street Lights to Souvenir Idol (FMSphotoaday – Day 24)

Hello my Beauties,

it’s finally friday again and after a few more hours you are free to relax!!

Today is Day 24 of the May Photo a Day Challenge and the topic is: “Go“!
24. Go: A green light means go, but what else symbolises this energetic word?

I have to say, in my city there is a little underground superstar and everyone seems to love him. His name is Ampelmännchen.
Yes it means little traffic light man and its’ a little symbolic person shown on traffic lights at pedestrian crossings.

Originally the green and red little men are  from East Berlin, they were removed after reunification, but ever since they have been brought back (after huge protest of their removal) they gained a big cult status.
You wont believe it, but they even have “their own” souvenirs shops, where you only get Ampelmännchen related gifts to bring back to your loved ones from Berlin.
You can get t-shirts, mugs, books, beer glasses, post cards ect with this little star on it.
Even when you walk through the most touristic places, you will find these beach type of  folding chairs middle in the street.

These symbols are literally everywhere in the city. 🙂

Btw. do you know what made these Ampelmännchen so unique and a whole new trademark? It was the hat. 😉

So that’s my little “GO”-story for you today. What does “go” mean to you, my Beauties? 
Share your stories & photos with me.

Until next time – stay beautiful.

Cosmetics around the globe – russian goodies.

Hello Beauties!

Every time I hear about exotic new brand names or see amazingly done packaging in a very feminine style, my heart goes “boom boom boom”.
Even if the product isn’t that easy to get, I still enjoy learning more about it, while comparing to the items I already have in my collection.

That and your answers in my beauty poll were exact my motivation to start this series about the cosmetic items around the globe. And let’s be honest, we all want to know what kind of fabulous things they are using in Japan, Australia, Belgium, Turkey or Russia.

So why not starting with the last one.
I was lucky to get my hands on some russian decorative cosmetics in a very distinctive vintage parisian chic style.
The brand name I’m talking about is Vivienne Sabo. It was created in 2006 in Samara, the sixth largest city in Russia, by Gradient Cosmetics (one of the leading distribution companies in the country).

After having a better look at their official site and the products itself, I realized it was quite a good marketing decision to create a “french brand” in Russia. It combines definitely some aspects of conservative traditional makeup along with fresh and innovative ingredients.

That’s what the brand claims: 
Vivienne Sabo is a brand with a romantic Parisian soul, modern and classic, enigmatic and democratic. When creating the cosmetic products from Vivienne Sabo we use up-to-date textures and formulas. Fresh violets fragrance makes you feel Paris’s air in spring, this delicate flower decorates the collection.
The packaging of Vivienne Sabo’s products has symbols on it. Polka dot is the most romantic French pattern, an absolute classic. Violets are a symbol of revival, love and spring, a symbol of Paris.

Make-up by Vivienne Sabo embodies the true Parisian chic and elegance. It is created with the modern cosmetic products and corresponds to the latest fashion trends. Vivienne Sabo is a company with a very beautiful history and named after a beautiful heroine.

Genuine cosmetic romanticism…

                                                                          (Photo was taken from the official Vivinne Sabo homepage.) 

Why not looking at the products a little bit closer and see what they are really all about. 

First up was a blush in light rose, which applies really sheer, but is also buildable. It gives you the chance to intensify the color if needed. The feel is very powdery & velvety. Might be nothing for the cream blush lovers out there. But over all it’s a nice every day product.

Next item is the beautify shaped eyeshadow trio – Fleur de Velours nr.73.

I didn’t even want to touch the flower, since it looked so lovely, but of course I was excited to see how well the color pigmentation was. Unfortunately I have to admit that only one of the three colors was pigmented enough for my taste. (The silvery blue shade looks very pretty on the lid.) We often see that phenomenon of drugstore eyeshadow being less pigmented than high-end products. In this case I hope to be more successful when using a primer beforehand.

Next two items have been the smoothing lipsticks with wine extract in nr.410 and nr.411.

First of all, how cute is the packaging? The polka dots are spot on at the moment, immediately giving the little box a vintage flair.

The shape and even the application is similar to the L’Oréal Paris Color Riche lipsticks, maybe a slight reminder of the Revlon Lip Butters through their creamy and moisturizing formula and very wearable colors.

They apply very well and leave a shiny finish. But the best is definitely the smell. When you take off the cap you instantly smell wild strawberries. It’s an incredible smell that reminds me personally of my childhood. So far the smoothing lipsticks have been my favorites from this collection. I enjoy wearing them a lot these days.

There are still two different mascara, powder pearls and a moisturizing brilliance lipstick in testing (which you can see in the main picture). So stay tuned for more of this brand.
Hope you liked the little overview of the russian cosmetic brand. Have you tried anything from that country yet? If so, what was it?

And if not, what are you most worn blushes and lipsticks of the past season? Share your secrets.

Living my dreams!

There’s always a first time for everything they say.

And this is my time to write the very first post in my brand new blog.

You don’t have any idea how long i have been wanting to do that. But even though i have a thing or two to say about beauty and trends, traveling, new delicious food and the most exciting city places, i never felt it was my time to really express myself and share the knowledge or observation.

Now the right time has come.

It’s this powerful feeling of motivation and enthusiasm that makes you overcome any possible doubts.

It makes you fly!

So let’s start the beauty adventure and see where it takes us!