Beauty Blogger

BODYSHOP HAUL

Published on November 11, 2018November 7, 2018 by simplycarinaxo12 Comments

Good morning beautiful souls,

I recently purchased some new Bodyshop goods, products I haven’t tried before. I thought about doing a first impressions post, but then decided to try them out a little first before reviewing them. So without further ado, here’s what I thought:

Waterproof Mascara –

I’m going to be blunt – I hate it and definitely will not be repurchasing this again! Saying that I like the brush, it makes for a an easy application and creates good lash length. However the product itself leaves me with dark circles under my eyes quite quickly and removing it at the end of the day is practically impossible without ripping out half of my eyelashes!

Lipgloss –

I didn’t need a new lipgloss but this beautiful shimmery metallic rose tone just wanted to be bought haha. The application brush is a works really well and the lipgoss has a nice consistency and sparkle to it without being uber shiny and sticky which I hate.

Vitamin E Face Cream –

I’ve been really enjoying this face cream as it is nice and light and doesn’t feel like it clogs up your skin. The reason I picked this though is because it has an SPF 30. It’s important to remember to protect our skin from the UV rays in autumn and winter too when the sun and sunburn aren’t as obvious! I use this every morning and am very likely to repurchase!

Primer –

I’m going to admit I one of these people who doesn’t really pay much attention to primers, I mean I understand what they do, but as to whether my makeup is really smoother or stays on longer, I really couldn’t tell you. Saying that it does make the application process easier and does seem to soften and even out the skin well.

Have you tried any of these products?! I’d love to know 🙂

LIEBSTER AWARD

Published on April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 by simplycarinaxo13 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

A couple of weeks ago I was nominated for the Liebster award by the lovely m4gical.com; if you don’t follow her already please go check her out she writes a lovely blog from makeup reviews to her wonderful ‘If we were having coffee’ chat posts – go show her some love!

The rules are:
1. Make a blog post saying you’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award
2. Include the picture in your post
3. Answer the questions I ask below
4. Nominate new upcoming bloggers
5. Set them your own questions

Here’s the questions I have been asked to answer:

If you had to rename your blog, what would you change it to?

Ok this is really difficult, I really have no idea, I struggled with the name part of my log the most having had previous blogs before I felt like I was running out of ideas aha, so no idea what I’d choose now if I had to rename my blog! Sorry!

What made you start a blog?

I started my first ever blog when I was about 13 and it was a book review blog hehe. Since then I have had different blogs on and off. I love writing and connecting with people. A blog is the best platform for me to share my passions with others and hopefully inspire and bring joy to other people too!

If you could choose anywhere to live where would it be?

I want to say somewhere warm, but then I don’t actually do well with the heat aha! But I mean Bali and so many other places look amazing! I would want to live in a place with ocean views and white sandy beaches as well as beautiful mountains for walks through stunning scenery close by. A place with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. A place with like minded people close by…

What’s your favourite colour and why?

Can I say black?! Ok I don’t have a favourite colour, but so much of my wardrobe is filled with dark colours haha. I’d say the autumnal colour schemes are definitely my favourite!

Do you like cake and what is your favourite kind?

Who doesn’t like cake?!? But again favourite?! I’m sorry peeps haha, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know I’m not good with favourites! I have been vegan since January though and haven’t tried too many vegan cakes yet, I’m looking forward to baking and trying more in the future though! Before I went vegan one of my favourite cakes was a chilled strawberry cheesecake my dad would make for his cafe – it was the absolute bomb! ❤

I nominate:

https://elsielmc.wordpress.com

https://kittyp0p.wordpress.com

https://hunidasblog.com

https://justhannahhere.wordpress.com

https://ameliainhull.wordpress.com

And here are the questions I would like you to answer:

What made you start a blog?!
What would your dream vacation include?!
Do you have a favourite cocktail and if so what is it?!
Last series you binge watched on Neflix?!
Do you have a middle name? If so what is it?!
Favourite ice cream flavour?!
What was the last song you listened to?!

Thanks again for the nomination from m4gical.com, I enjoyed writing this post and look forward to reading your answers too nominees! ❤

MY FAVOURITE FACE CREAM

Published on February 21, 2018March 2, 2018 by simplycarinaxo14 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

For Christmas a friend of mine gifted me with one of her beautiful handmade face & body creams. As I still had plenty of face creams open at the time I didn’t use it immediately. I was excited though because it smelt divine!

Now I know this review won’t be of much use to you as it is not a cream you can buy, however I’m so in love with it that I had to share!

It’s a thick cream but softens quickly through the warmth of my skin making the application nice and easy. At first I thought it would take forever to sink into my skin as it seemed somewhat oily once applied, however to my delight I was mistaken. It soaks up quickly and leaves my skin glow and smooth. What I also love is that it still feels like my skin can breath unlike some thick creams which feel like they leave a layer on my face. Best of all because it’s homemade there’s no nasties or preservatives in it, just natural goodness!

So as you can see my beautiful readers I’m in love with this cream and hope my friend will keep making it for me once this little tub of gold has run out!

Has anyone else tried any homemade creams??

Love Carina xo

3 DAY JUICE CLEANSE – 8lbs DOWN

Published on February 16, 2018March 3, 2025 by simplycarinaxo2 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

A couple of weeks ago I watched a documentary on Netflix called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, which taught me a lot about juicing and it’s benefits. I’d also heard lots about juicing from various Youtuber’s I follow so it’s been on my radar for a while, although I never really considered doing it because juicing machines can be rather expensive. However, Jessica and I had popped into our local British Heart Foundation store to look for a secondhand food processor a while ago, and although they didn’t have any food processors they did have a juicer for £10, so I instantly decided to buy it. I could tell it wasn’t the best straight away, but for a £10 who could complain?!

Having been really ill last week I thought it would be a good idea to cleanse my body and give it a few days to detox, so I decided to give my immune system a boost and went on a three day juice cleanse. It wasn’t an easy three days but it was definitely helpful not having to do it alone as my housemate Jessica joined me.

I’d previously tried a smoothie diet (just drinking smoothies – I can’t remember for how long I set out to do this but I didn’t last long). The thing I found hardest was just drinking meals, I almost instantly missed the action being able to chew and actually eat something. Although I’ve not done a juice cleanse before I knew I was going to face the same problem as when I tried the smoothie diet. It was going to be hard, but unlike last time I was determined to complete a full three day detox.

We started on Tuesday, my day off. Every morning began with a cup of green tea, then a glass of lukewarm water with a tablespoon of chia seeds. The slime of chia seeds when wet is supposed to help clear out/scrape toxins from the body and they have great nutritional profile so are very good for you. After this we drank ca. 800ml of juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 1 was all juice. By day 2 we were craving food really bad and so we compromised dinner by having a homemade well blended soup. On day three we did the same juicing for breakfast and lunch and having a soup for dinner. Being able to have something savory and warm in the evening definitely helped.

I don’t know how much hood this cleanse has done me as I don’t think I did it long enough to see the difference, as in day 3 is supposed to be the worst regarding how you feel (eg. more tired and headachey) and then you’re supposed to feel an increase in energy and the likes. It’s hard for me to say how tired the cleanse made me because I was working ridiculous long busy days at work with no real break. But I did loose ca.7lbs in three days so I’m happy with that!

I decided to slowly work food back into my body by having a smoothie for breakfast and lunch today, and now for dinner finally having my first meal in four days.

I’m glad I stuck out with the cleanse and loosing some weight has only motivated me to continue eating more healthily! And I will definitely be adding a juice day into my life now and then!

Has any one else ever done a juice cleanse?! I’d love to know!

THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD

Published on January 28, 2018January 28, 2018 by simplycarinaxo17 Comments

Hey there beautiful souls,

The other day I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely Sarah from Vintage Tea Rose – so firstly I’d like to say a big thank you to Sarah for nominating me! And secondly, if any of you don’t follow her already you should definitely go check out her beautiful blog!

RULES

Thank the person who gave you this award and link to their blog.
List 7 things about yourself.
Nominate 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award

7 THINGS ABOUT MYSELF

I am quarter German, quarter Austrian and half Northern Irish. I was born in Germany and lived the first 11 years of my life there; which means I am fluent in German, although admittedly somewhat rusty.
I have 16 piercings and 11 tattoos, here’s just a few:

If I could travel back in time I would choose to visit the roaring 20’s with all the fabulous music and dancing in all the speakeasies or I would go even further back to the times of Jane Austen in the regency era, the fashion and the accomplishments ladies had to have in those days are right up my street. They had to be musical, artistic, enjoy reading… I mean those are my main talents, so what’s not to like?! (and I know I know it was only the upper classes who had those privileges, but you know, one can still dream hehe )
I graduated with a BA in Fine Art in 2016 (if you’d like to see some more of my art click here or follow me on Instagram @carinaroxannenausnerart) I love working with many mediums from photography to painting, printmaking and mixed media.

I am pretty much the same height and shoe size as my mum and sister which is 5ft 2in & size 5 / 38
I have never travelled outside of Europe, something I mean to change as soon as I have saved up some dosh!
About 3 years ago I shaved all my hair off for the Macmillan charity. I went from beautiful long red hair to a level 2 buzz cut!

NOMINATIONS

Savanna from Rose Recast
Bradley from Brakinsop
Michelle from Plantiful Trail
Jasmin from UGHMANGO
Maria from What Is Maria
Rebecca from All Things Allatt
Angela from The Life Of Angela
Kat from KatX
Sarah from Sarah Aurora
Miggy from Kpop Khop

(Note: Yes I know there aren’t 15 nominations here, sorry guys! Hope you enjoyed this post though)

CHRISTMAS !!!

Published on December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by simplycarinaxo7 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

I’ve had a lovely couple of days off celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Being both German and Irish my Christmas traditions are a mixed bag and I love it. Here’s what I got up to.

I have always celebrated Christmas on Christmas eve – that’s the German tradition and I love it! This is the first year I have my own place and am not just home from uni for the holidays, so it was the first year I didn’t have a family breakfast on Christmas eve with my parents and sister. Instead I made a yummy brunch for Jessica and myself and we had a relaxing morning watching Santa Claus, drinking coffee and enjoying a cheeky sausage on avocado & egg toast.

After a lazy morning I packed all my things up to take to my parents later that day and got ready. I enjoyed the routine of glaming up and putting a full face of makeup on whilst listening to Christmas songs and feeling more festive with every song I sang along to. I decided to pair my LBD with a wine coloured polo neck as my parents house tends to be on the cold side compared to mine and then went for dangly earrings as a statement piece and dark lips to match the polo.

Just after 2pm my mum and sister picked me up and we went into Durham to go to the 3pm 9 lessons and carols service at the Cathedral. We didn’t stay for the full thing however as sadly being right at the back we could hardly hear and had to stand; however we did enjoy belting out some descants to our favourite carols before we left. As we’d left a bit earlier we decided to grab a coffee before heading home to give my dad a bit more time to rest because he wasn’t feeling great. We popped into Flat White in Durham and treated ourselves to some nice peanut butter bar thing too.

Finally it was time to head home and for me to see our Christmas tree for the first time!! I love our Christmas tree; we always get a real one and the pine just smells wonderful. After adding my presents to the pile under the tree I finished painting my nails (as I’d totally mis-planned my time getting ready earlier) and then we all sat down together for our Christmas Eve dinner. It was time for another first this year as we changed up our family traditional meal for some salmon with rice and salad. It was very tasty but I have to say I missed our usual Christmas eve meal.

After dinner we read the Christmas Story and sang some carols together in both English and German before sitting around the tree to open all our presents. We always take it in turns to open gifts so everyone sees what the other received and also so the process of opening gifts lasts as long as possible. About half way through we usually pause to make some tea and enjoy some Lebkuchen and Stollen some of our favourite German Christmas goodies. I’ll do a what I got for Christmas post soon, but for now I’ll just share my best present with you. I got a cello on loan!!! I haven’t played the cello in about 6 years as I’ve never owned my own instrument so when I stopped lessons after 9 years I had to return the cello to the music school. I’ve been itching to have another go at the cello for years now and so to finally be able to do this was the best present I could ask for – and it was a complete surprise! What made me even happier was that I remembered a lot more than I thought I had!

Eventually we were all tire and crept to bed, but not before filling each others stockings. You see with also being British we still get stockings and Santa on Christmas Day, even though Christmas eve is our main celebration. The last few years we started a new tradition where everyone in the family was responsible for one persons stocking, this year I had my mum. So the next morning I got everyone out of bed at around 9am – no more 6am wakeup calls like when I was younger, although I ma still always the first one up who gathers everyone together so that we can open our stockings together. Once opened we made breakfast and enjoyed a lazy morning. In the afternoon we went to pick up Jessica who was joining us for Christmas dinner and some games. It was a lovely afternoon which we ended with snuggling up to watch the Call The Midwives Christmas special before my sister drove Jessica and myself home.

On Boxing Day it was our turn to host and we invited my family over and my good friend Anna from work for a yummy spread, cocktails and games evening. We got stuck into Cluedo and Settlers which were both great fun!

So all in all it’s been a lovely couple of days relaxing and enjoying each others company with good food, drinks and lot’s of laughter. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

Love Carina xo

HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL

Published on October 26, 2017October 26, 2017 by simplycarinaxo11 Comments

Good evening guys,

Halloween is one of my favourite times of year in part because I love dressing up and having some fun with face paint! So with only 5 days till the 31st here’s an easy skull inspired makeup look – hope you enjoy!

You will need:

White face paint – black face paint – a little dish of water – black liquid eye liner – black pencil eye liner – dark grey/black eye shadow – white eyeliner – black mascara – makeup brush – beauty blender/sponge

Fresh faced – make sure you have washed you face and moisturised it before you begin.

Start by wetting your makeup brush to dilute the white face paint and apply all over your face and down your neck. Use the beauty blender/sponge to pat out any brush strokes and blend the paint into you neck.

Next use the black face paint and apply similarly to your normal contour lines (as well as encircling your eyes in black) before blending in with your sponge. Tip – do one contour line at a time and blend in with sponge; if you paint on all the lines first they will dry very quickly and prove difficult to blend!

Once the basic contouring is done, keep layering on the colour till you have the depth you want before setting in with dark grey/black eye-shadow. Next grab your black liquid liner and paint on the nose bone or rather lack of and go on to blend your eyes into their dark surrounding with your pencil liner. Use it to fill in your eyelids and darken your waterline. Now it’s time to use your black mascara to define and darken your eyelashes.

And last but not least take your liquid liner again and draw on the stitched up mouth – start with the horizontal line before adding the smaller vertical lines. Remember to take the horizontal line all the way from right to left and over your lips not just from the corner of your lips outwards.

And there you have the final look! Nice and easy and quick!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love Carina xo

AUTUMN WISHLIST!

Published on September 21, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Good morning guys,

Recently I have been in a real shopping mood because there are so many cosy autumnal things that I currently want. It’s a dangerous time seeing all these things I want to buy and it’s difficult trying to restrain myself from spending too much money aha.

I like all seasons and can never decide which is my favourite time of year; however when it comes to fashion, Autumn has definitely got to be my favourite! I am a sucker for deep dark colours so when the mustard’s and wine reds come out and it’s time to snuggle up in big knits, I get really excited, I mean what’s not to love?!

Another thing I have become obsessed with in the last 3 years is homeware. I feel like I should have studied interior design so I could homeware shop all day long for other people, because I just don’t have the space or money to constantly rejig my bedroom theme or buy more homeware decorative pieces or add to my kitchen… aha.

Well, here are some of the things on my current wishlist, I might treat myself to some, like a new candle, others, like the yellow velvet shoes, I really want but would barely get any wear out of, I will only gaze at from a distance but not buy. Sometimes I wish I had an office job so I could wear nice clothes, get my nails done and wear heels aha, but when you work in a cafe/as an artist your clothes will always get dirty with coffee or paint, your nails would be ruined in no time and you’re on your feet most of the day so heels are not comfortable at all. Anyway, here’s my current autumn wishlist:

Yellow Velvet Block Heels, Wanderlust Canvas, Chevron Knit Throw, Cream Colour Block Ladder Lace Up Jumper

These New Look Mustard Velvet heels are the bomb! I am in love! However I know I would only ever wear them once or twice as I am not good with high heels; but that doesn’t stop me from admiring them from a distance!

This canvas from Wilko’s is just super cute and would fit well into the accessories scheme in my bedroom I think. I dream of travelling one day, this wish is so rooted into me that I feel it would only be appropriate to have the Wanderlust definition on my wall with this pretty floral nature pattern around it.

Throws, throws and more throws, I mean you can never have enough right?! This throw from Next just looks super cosy and snuggly and I need it aha. It’s getting solder now and my duvet just isn’t quite warm enough anymore so I want a new throw to match my new bedroom colour scheme to keep me that bit warmer at night.

What can I say about this River Island jumper?! It’s just so funky! I love the colour mix and pattern with the laced through effect on the side and sleeve. This would also look well cute with the velvet boots and a pair of black skinny jeans.

black-suedette-embroidered-block-heel-boots

Black Suedette Embroidered Block Heel, Yankee Candle Cosy By The Fire, Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette, Black Sheer Floral Duster Coat, Black Fringe Sleeve Sweater, Vegan Polley Shoes

Again another pair of beautiful New Look Boots and again a pair I will probably admire from a distance as I sadly just wouldn’t get much wear out of them, but oh the embroidery is just stunning. I love floral patterns and this is a really nice design in beautiful colours.

I know it’s not Christmas yet but Yankee candles just smell amazing I think it’s never to early to accost your nose with wintery smells. They just ooze out cosy evenings and I love nothing more than to enjoy an evening in candle light whether it be with my favourite book or watching a movie with my housemates.

OMG can someone please just buy me this pallet already!?! Ever since Urban Decay’s Naked Heat pallet came out I have been drooling over these beautiful rustic colours and itching to try them. However I try to be sensible and I’m not sure I can justify splashing out on this at the moment whilst I have plenty of eyeshadows for the time being; but wee’ll see, maybe I’ll cave aha!

This River Island duster coat just aught my eye because of the beautiful rusty hues. This is probably to cold to wear without a coat in autumn, but would be perfect for a night out with a LBD for example.

Ah Dr.Martens how long I have eyed your shoes up! These pretty Polley shoes are from their Vegan range as I would not buy real leather shoes anymore. I am in love but at £115 I’m going to have to save up for quite a while!

I do love black as it just goes well with anything and this tassel jumper is just fab. The tassels just add that something extra and make it fun. You could pair this with a skirt, on top of a dress or with jeans, it’s a great versatile jumper.

the-little-book-of-hygge-penguin-hot-chocolate-lisa-hjalt-02

Grey Check Trousers, The Little Book Of Hygge, Palm Leaf Duvet Set, Light Wash Ripped Mom Jeans

Trouser time! I have always been a leggings girl, but recently I have been loving my black cropped jeans and really want to add to my trouser collection. I love these checked high waisted trousers from River Island. They are smart but can be worn casual with just a black t-shirt and so they’d be perfect for me to wear to work still as well.

The Little Book off Hygge – it’s been on my wishlist for a while. Learning how to live well, finding a peaceful state of mind, seems like an important thing fro everyone to do! I think this is one of my wishlist items I will treat myself too!

Bedding – I love new bedding and I have resisted so long to buy new ones, but this one from Asda I just love. All my bedding is white or light colour based with greens and greys, but I love that blue is the background colour here. It gives a nice rich feel and with it getting colder I think I want a deeper darker coloured bedding, so I think I will invest in one.

And last but not least these cute River Island Mom Jeans. I struggle to find jeans that fit; as I have big thighs for them to fit there they will then usually be to loose around the waist. But I as I mentioned I have been loving a pair of black cropped skinny’s which I found in a charity shop actually, and they made me want to start wearing jeans more often which is great for this time of year anyway. I think I will definitely have to go jeans shopping soon!

So that is it for my current wishlist, do let me know what you think guys and I’d love to hear what’s on your current wishlist too!

Love Carina xo