My Brush Cleaning Routine

After I posted a blog post about the make up tools that changed my life (klick here), I received many questions on how I clean my brushes and sponges. Therefore, I decided to write an entire blog post about it. 

To begin with, I have to mentioned that I actually have two sets of brushes and sponges which I use on an every day basis. Those brushes would be a powder brush, a blush brush, a highlighting brush, a bronzer brush, two eyeshadow brushes, and a beauty blender. I have many more brushes, which I don't use every day. Due to me having two sets of brushes, I clean them every two weeks. But I only use one set for a week and then the other set the next week. The reason behind this is quite simple. I don't want to clean brushes every week. So I bought a second set. Now, I clean all of them every two weeks. However, I do clean my sponges twice a week because I use them with liquid products like foundation and concealers. And I kind of don't like to use them more than three times without cleaning them. 

The items I use for cleaning my brushes are two small towels, a mild baby shampoo, and a small bowl. I put a small amount of baby shampoo into the bowl. I usually start with the bigger brushes, because they need more time to dry. I dip the tip of the bristles into the shampoo. Then I hold it under the tap, which runs on a lower level. I run the brush over my hand and circle it around to get all of the product out. I hold the brush under the tap again. I, then, repeat it for a couple more times until the foam is white and clean. And then I hold the brush under the tap until all of the soap is washed out. After that, I carefully squeeze the water out and then I squeeze the rest of the water out into a towel. The brush should only be moist after this. I, then, place them bristle down onto a another towel in order for them to dry. I clean my sponges in a pretty similar way. I put the baby shampoo onto the wet sponge and work the soap into the sponge and the rest of the make-up rests out of it. I also hold it under the tap. I do so until the foam comes out white and clean. I, then, squeeze and release the sponge under the water until all of the soap is out of the sponge. I squeeze the rest of the water out of it and I repeat that with a towel. I let the brushes and the sponges try for 24 hours before using them again. 

Don’t wash or place the brushes with the bristles up because then the water can run into the part where the bristles are clued together and into the brush. The water can damage the entire clue. 

This is my brush cleaning routine. It is very simple, but effective. 

La La Land - Nominated for 14 Academy Awards

If you haven’t seen La La Land and want to see it without knowing anything or reading any other opinions on the movie, you should better stop reading right here and come back another time. 

If you do want to hear my opinion on the film, keep reading. 

I finally went to see La La Land yesterday. I had the movie on my list for a little while but I wasn’t quite sure if I really want to see it in theater or wait until it comes out on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or even on DVD. 

In general, it is a romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the lead roles. It is about an aspiring actress called Mia (Stone) and a passionate musician called Sebastian (Gosling) who meet and fall in love in Los Angeles. Both of them struggle a lot while trying to achieve their dreams. Mia dreams of becoming a well-know and successful actress. She goes from audition to audition but cannot seem to get a job in the business. Sebastian is a passionate, Jazz-loving pianist who dreams of having his own Jazz club. 

I won’t give more information on the content, because someone, who still wants to see the movie without knowing the proceedings, still wants to watch it. 

My expectations of the film were kind of high, because it received such a large amount of Oscar nominations and it won in every category it was nominated for at the Golden Globes including best performance in a motion picture actor and actress.  Therefore, I kind of expected a great movie. 

In my opinion, the film is very good and it deserves all the nominations and winnings. The scenery is very authentic and one is able to see, that it was shot on several locations in and around of Los Angeles. I loved this, because it gives the film such a great authenticity. The dialogues between the several characters are very thoughtful and thought through. They are witty, humorous, and genuine, but at the same time also serious and sincere. The chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and their characters fits this movie perfectly. But what I enjoyed most is the music. It is placed perfectly. And it fits the content and the scenery very well. I have to comment on the capability of singing of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. First of all, I was not surprised of the beautiful voice of Emma Stone. I have never heard her sing before, but I kind of thought that she would be great at it. And she is. On to Mr. Ryan Gosling. There is no doubt in the world, that he is an amazing actor and a very good looking and handsome man. But why did I not know that he could sing like this?! He has a deep, sexy singing voice which makes him even hotter. I was pleasantly surprised by his performance. And then there was also John Legend. He kind of put the cherry on top of incredible musical performances throughout the film. 

Nevertheless, I have one point of critique. Although I think the film is great and I loved it, I think the first one third of it kind of lacks content a little bit. I thought it was a little dull. But they made up for it towards the second and third third. I am capable to overlook this. I liked the content. It shows two individuals trying to find their places in two different fields —film and music — but at the same time they are connected due to their relationship with each other and their similar struggles. Last but not least, I was kind of surprised by the ending, I did not expected that. 

Overall, La La Land is a great film which deserves all of its award nominations and winnings. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling did a very good job of portraying the two lead characters. At this point I also have to give huge compliments to the writers, producers, choreographers, and all the people who worked on the film. All of them did an amazing job. 

If you have not see the film, go watch it. You won’t be disappointed. 

Changing Make-Up Products from Cheaper to more Expensive Ones

As some of you might know, I like to buy, own, and test makeup (I know I sound like a 14-year-old teenage girl, but I am not). I usually do not wear that much on a daily basis (although my daily makeup routine changed a bit from the last time I told you about it). But when I do wear more, I like to play around with different things. For the past 10 years, I used to only buy drugstore products, and most of the time the ones on the cheaper — but still good — side. I always thought why should I buy the expensive things if they are all the same anyways. But in some areas of the makeup world I was very wrong. The first items I changed were my brushes. I used to use drugstore brushes — not the cheapest ones but still from the drugstore. They were/are good and they definitely do what they need to. When I found out about the Real Techniques brushes, I immediately wanted to try them out. Not only, because I only read and saw good reviews on them but also because they were a little more expansive but still very affordable. Well, what can I say. They kicked my drugstore brushes’ booty. I learnt very quickly that using a good brush changes your entire makeup. (If you want to read more about the Real Technique brushes, go to my blog post The Makeup Tool(s) that Changed My Life )

About a year ago, I decided to test more expensive products. The first product I changed was my concealer. I did not really went from drugstore to high-end, but from drugstore-cheap to drugstore-more-expensive. I started to use the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. It is not that expensive, but I actually experienced a huge difference. In my opinion, it has great coverage and it lasts very good. Although I like it a lot, I still want to test a more high-end one such as the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer or the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Other great concealers, which are not drugstore-cheap but drugstore-more-expensive and which I really like are the Instant Age Rewind Concealer and the Better Than Skin Concealer by Maybelline and the Match Perfection Concealer by Rimmel London. I love to use the Instant Age Rewind one and the Match Perfection one for concealing dark circles under my eyes. 

The next item I changed was my powder. Again, it is a drugstore-more-expensive product. It is the Stay Matte Pressed Powder by Rimmel. I love this powder. I stays on really well throughout the day. By the way, can anyone tell me why Rimmel does not sell anything in Germany anymore?

I will move on to even more expensive products which I absolutely fell in love with. The first one is a blush. I decided to get a really good one and which would be the perfect color for me. After doing research and going to the stores and asking makeup artists for help I decided on buying the NARS Blush in the color Orgasm. It is a pinkish, peachy tone which suits my skin perfectly. It gives it a wonderful healthy glow. Additionally to the blush, I also decided to get a good bronzer and highlighter. Therefore, I decided to get the Hoola Matte Bronzer by Benefit and the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighter in the color Soft and Gentle. What I absolutely love about all three of those products is that you do not need a lot of product on your face to make a difference. 

I also decided to get two good lipsticks, which are the perfect colors for me. I decided to get the NARS Lipstick in the color Catfight and the MAC Lipstick in the color Capture. I cannot tell you what a huge difference I experienced with those lipsticks. Both of them stay on all day, after applying them once in the morning. They survive drinking and eating. I actually was very surprised. 

Overall and for me, I believe that in some areas a more expensive product is the better choice, because it stays on a lot longer and better and you do not have to use that much product in general. From now on, I will purchase more expensive makeup products. They are more pricey, of course. But what I experienced is, that you do not need that much product than of a cheaper one. For example, the lipsticks from MAC and NARS are very durable and you only have to apply the once in the morning, whereas other lipsticks have to be applied a couple of times during the day. Another thing I experienced is that the pigmentation and color is so much better. 

Although, I really love the pricer products, I will not only by them. I still think, they are way too expensive. And I still believe that drugstore make-up is very good. What I have changed and will continue to change is that I won’t buy the cheap drugstore make-up any more. I will continue to mix  more expensive drugstore make-up with some high-end products here and there. I just want to add that this is my opinion and my experiences. I am not saying that cheaper products are bad and you should stop using them. I only wanted to tell you more about my experiences and opinions. At the end, you should do whatever is right for you and buy whatever is right for you. 

By the way, my absolute favorite mascara brand is not high-end or drugstore-cheap. My favorite brand is Maybelline. In my opinion, they have the best mascaras on the planet. My favorites are The Falsies and The Falsies Big Eyes. 

Welcome 2017!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I cannot believe that it is already the third day of the new year. Time surely flies incredibly fast.

Anyway, I wish every single one of you a very happy new year!! May all your dreams and wishes come true and may your year be filled with lots of positivity.

Saying good bye to 2016 was bittersweet for me. A lot of good things happened - graduating college, my USA adventure, many fun days with family and friends - but also a few negative things happened - I will not get into detail here.
2017 will be an exciting year for me. I am currently on the job hunt. Therefore, I do not know what the year will bring for me. All I know is that this year will bring a lot of changes. And I am excited to see what they will be like. I definitely will keep you updated.
Everyone makes new years resolution. I decided that I will not do any for this year and that is a first for me. It is a little unconventional but I thought, I will try out not having any resolutions. Let's see how that will go.

I will talk to you soon. Have a wonderful day.