P2 Matte Deluxe Lipstick in 050 I Adore You

To follow on from the dark nail polish I've adopted for winter, here's a dark lipstick. I've found a few budget brands over here with decent products, & this is one of my favourites! P2 is a German budget brand, aimed at teenagers & is seriously affordable. I haven't tried much yet, but I will!

I was out one night & admiring my friend's lipstick from afar. A few vodkas later, I asked her what it was, convinced she'd say it was MAC Rebel. But nope, she pulled the small silver tube out of her bag & told me it was a lipstick she'd picked up that day for about €2. The next day, I wasn't too hungover not to go sprinting into town to find it.

It looks unbelievably scary in the tube.. But it's more nicer than first impression.

 The Matte Deluxe Lipstick comes in 6 shades, one of which is I Adore You - A deep purple-pink shade. I always think it can be hard to find a decent matte lipstick, especially on a budget. So many of them just dry out your lips & settle into every line that you need ten different lip balms before applying them, which ruins the matte effect. But I Adore You is matte, without being drying. It does tend to apply a little bit unevenly though, so you have to pay attention on application.

I don't actually own MAC Rebel, but I imagine this to be close to it. On the night in question, my friend told me the lipstick I was wearing was identical (Kate Moss 107), but I Adore You is much more pink toned! It is quite similar in finish to the Rimmel Matte lipsticks though, & like 107, it is perfect for cold winter days.

I Adore You cost €2.95 in DM, a German pharmacy. 

Also - Does it bother you seeing things that aren't available in Ireland? If I do a give-away of German products, would this interest you?

Chloe x

Wishlist - Skincare, Body & Make Up - Irish Edition

So anyone who has flown Ryanair will know how hard it is to squeeze all your stuff into a suitcase.. Especially when you can't bring too much in your hand luggage either. Therefore, being very clever, I decided I'd just replace most of my beauty products over here. BIG MISTAKE. I underestimated the cost of moving & currently cannot justify loads of money on cleanser, or a hair mask. (Give me another 2 weeks!) I also underestimated the availability of certain things. No joke, every exfoliator I have picked up seems way too gentle. Plus.. I have to admit, I don't even know what half this stuff is. There is a chance that the make up remover I've been using is actually mouthwash. (That's a joke. Mouthwash has a picture of teeth on it.)

So, I decided to put together some of the products I REALLY miss & will hopefully order online, or buy over here when money comes through! Because my skin is in bits. I've had a massive chin/ jaw break out, which goes from big spots to flakiness. Even my body is covered in hives & a rash!

Clinique Moisture Surge Relief, €44 on Debenhams.ie

For something that I got as a sample, I really started to love this moisturiser. Even though my skin is combination, it is mostly dry & quite dehydrated, but I don't recall any flakiness or tightness when using this!

Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff, £4.50 for two, Feelunique

I still have not found a proper exfoliator here, and a good scrub with gloves or a shower puff just does not give the same result as this pink wonder. Also missing Cocoa Brown Tan like crazy, but Marissa Carter just announced it will soon be available in Germany!

Loreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil, €10.79, Boots

I really like oily cleansers. I've been using a cleansing water here & I feel like my face is stripped (though pores look smaller.) I can't say I feel any particular affiliation with this cleansing oil but I was using it at home & I like wiping it off with a hot facecloth! Any cleanser recommendations welcome though.

La Roche Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque, €16

As I said, my skin feels stripped & dehydrated. While I'm horsing water into me, sometimes you just need a quick fix which will plump up your face stat.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Light, €26.50.

Long story short, I bought this powder, loved it, lost it, thought it HAD to turn up so just bought a replacement cheaper one. It has not turned up & I feel cakey with the replacement. While I have been going powder-less quite a bit, I miss it.

REN Gkycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, €35, Cloud10 Beauty

I really, really need masks right now, okay? I had a sample of this & loved how it brightened my face & helped get rid of old acne spots & marks - My face could do with a bright of radiance & replenishing!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation, €17.80, Boots

This is my go-to foundation in winter. I haven't used it in months because it is so heavy coverage & also very pale, but my current foundation don't seem to last as long as I need (As in, college til 8PM. Longlasting is my aim.) I haven't seen Revlon here so will need to get some, soon!

St Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub, €5.69, Boots

While I love chemical exfoliants, I also like giving my face a nice scrub once a week to make me feel like I'm getting rid of the dirt & dead skin. I haven't found a better exfoliator than this - It is quite gritty, but I like that!

So there we have it. basically, the products I took for granted til I couldn't get them. However if anyone has any alternative suggestions - Feel free to leave a comment!

Chloe x

Life on Erasmus #1

Catchy title, eh? But hey, it is what it says on the tin! It doesn't feel like I've only been here just over two weeks (Not sure if that's a good or bad thing!) But, from the start.

Arriving in my new town after a flight & train journey

Strangely, I had no problem leaving home. After my crying the night before, I was okay. It felt weird to be the one comforting my parents, but I took it well. Til I got on the plane, & a few tears escaped. Since then, yep, I have cried a little. The first time I Skyped my little sisters, I sobbed afterwards! But it's all good now.

View from the train station

I really like the city. It's small enough to feel comfortable here & know the place, but big enough to be interesting & there are lots of places nearby to travel to. Some of the buildings are beautiful & the scenery pretty much is breath taking. The view out my window is lovely! (Which is good, because I have no curtains.) But my room is massive, so I can deal with it.

The River Saale in the local park

Yeah, it's not all sunshine & lollipops. When we arrived, I couldn't move into my apartment for another week, so I spent a week sleeping uncomfortably. We had no internet, & wifi just doesn't seem to be a thing here. I was waiting for my phone to be unlocked to use a German sim card, & when it was unlocked, I had to wait to get internet to actually complete the process, so I was spending massive amounts of credit! We were supposed to do a language course, which was cancelled. So basically.. We probably arrived a week too early.

View from the tower

But Monday, we start college, which I'm looking forward to. We have (finally) met other students, who seem really nice so hopefully I do actually make friends! And I think this year might really change me as a person. I'll have to wait & see :)

Me & my new home!

Chloe x

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.

That's a lie. My bags are not yet fully packed, but they will be. Soon.



Just in case there is a person left on this planet who has not yet been told; I am moving to Germany tomorrow, for one year. I study Law & German, so I'm off to study Law in Germany on Erasmus. Terrifying but exciting but confusing but it's happening. Despite my best efforts to thwart it!

I'm taking it all very casually. Out of my class, I was the one not bothered where I went, as long as it wasn't alone. I was the one to wait til last week to book flights. I was the one who just ended up being a disaster at organising myself! Two weeks ago, I was in London, where I lost my passport. Faced by the decision to either apply for a new one by Express Post (10 working days) or go to a counter (3-5 working days plus a bitta extra cash), I went with the cheapie. But hey, passport turned up last Friday. THREE DAYS EARLY.

There was then my suitcase fiasco - I bought my case last week, & started to pack it yesterday. After throwing in a few bits of clothing, my make up & some shoes, I decided to weigh it, just for some guidance on how much extra I could put in. Except the luggage scales read 30KG. A whole 10KG over. I threw out all my underwear, determined I could go commando for a while. All three tops were taken out - I was wearing them. Anything not liquid or sharp was dumped into my handbag. Surely I'd get away with it now? Oh wait. I was looking at the 'lbs' measurement, not KG. Turns out I have lots of extra room in the case!

Then there was going to print my boarding pass, with no ink in the printer. Grand, I'd do it in the library. Once there, I realised I again had no passport with me. A run home & a call to my dad in work, & we were sorted.

So for now, I am sitting in the middle of my (very clean but covered in clothes) room, which my sister has claimed strongly. I will charge my phone, iPod, & laptop before they're thrown in. I will pack some warmer clothes. I will wash myself... Just in case it takes me a while to buy shower gel in Germany. I will steal all my mammy's teabags & I will hopefully blog lots about my experience!

PS After writing this I went to look for travel quotes. I am now crying. I AM TERRIFIED. But it's only a year & it is an amazing opportunity. Onwards & upwards!

Chloe x