Current Beauty Routine

I tend to use the same products over a long period of time and don’t seem to change things up too much although I do add or exchange some products. Currently I am using general things, nothing too exciting. Shampoo, toothpaste, showergel, hairspray… the usual. My newest product is the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye cream (blogpost about this here). I enjoy all of these products and I like the results they have. I am really loving the Vineyard Peach Body Mist from The Body Shop. The smell is quite sweet- something I wouldn’t usually go for but I quite enjoy this. It’s really light for summer compared to my D&G signature scent.

I am going to London soon so I am quite excited to go to Boots and check out some new things. Launches and products are always earlier in the UK than in Germany or Austria so that should be fun (not for my bank account).

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Friends

Old love, new fire! Back in the day when Friends was actually on tv, or new on dvd or video or whatever was the thing in those days I din’t watch it. Only a few years ago I got hooked onto it. Season 1 & 2 were my laughs in the morning when I had breakfast during my time in Bali. Because I recently moved to Berlin I still have to settle in- I still do not have internet in my room! So being at home without internet is quite boring, let me tell you. I’ve been reading quite a bit but enough is enough. I went out to buy the season 3 & 9. The store didn’t have the forth one so I thought I’d go with 9 because that’s the one where they all go to Barbados.

So anyway, I have been loving it again! I am hooked once again- I crack up so many times no matter how often I re watch the episodes. But since I haven’t seen some of the ones I now have on dvd I’m super excited. Plus, the clothing style they had then, is now back in style so that’s fun. Getting inspired by Monica and Rachel’s clothes. And I might add that Matthew Perry is the singular most hilarious person ever. That guy is the bomb, always makes me laugh so hard.

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Calcium and Magnesium Deficiency

Because I don’t drink or eat dairy and am also not great on the fish or meat front I need additional calcium and magnesium to keep me healthy. I have found that these pills from pure encapsulations are quite easy to add into your diet and the body takes them quite good. It does say on the bottle that you should take 2x2 tablets per day but I only take one with breakfast. After a hard workout or something I do take additional magnesium powder that you mix with water to get the mineral levels in my body back up.

I know that this brand makes all sorts of added minerals and stuff and it is quite affordable so if your body is low on anything, they are worth a look at. They are also easy to swallow and do not have any taste to them.

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Kiehl's Midnight Eye Recovery

So many people have raved about this eye cream- especially TalkBeckyTalk. It is quite pricey and I was still contemplating buying the Shiseido Eye Cream (previous blogpost here) but there was a Kiehl’s shop here in Berlin so I went in to see it. The girl showed me a different one first, that was more oil based and also the one from the Men section which has a cooling effect but nevertheless I went with the Midnight Recovery.

I haven’t been using this for a very long time but I absolutely LOVE it. The results are incredible. It does actually minimize (sometimes even erase) dark circles under the eyes and just leaves the eye area feeling so smooth and nice. I can’t stress enough how amazing this cream is. And as for every eye cream, a tiny amount goes a long way. I actually thought the tube would be bigger from the videos that I’ve seen Becky use it in but it is a quite handy size.

Overall I really, really like this product! I am glad I bought it and I do think it justifies the price of £21.50 or €28.00. Also it is free of parabens, fragrances and mineral oils which is a plus.

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Healthy Breakfast

I am normally not the person that eats very healthy. I am just too lazy to cook vegetables every day or eat fruit all the time- my main nourishment is pasta, my greatest love of all times. Thank the Lord for the Italians!! But yeah, not too healthy eater. However, I do enjoy some fruit from time to time, especially strawberries or any type of berries for that matter.

I’ve been buying strawberries and blueberries here quite frequently. There is a small stand at my bus stop that sells organic local strawberries and there are just delicious. I just chop them up and add some blueberries and put some granola in the mix. The granola I use is a German one called Vitalis Knusper Honey however you can use any type of granola you want. This particular one is sweet because of the added honey but the fruit is quite sweet anyway so you could also use unsweetened granola.

I find that this gives me enough energy for the morning and I can go until lunch easily (with hard labour work I have to say), also it is a nice and healthier alternative to my normal nutella bread for brekkie.

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Travel sized minis

I love everything mini - but doesn't everybody. As you might know I have moved places and am now living in Berlin, for the summer at least. I thought it'd be pointless bringing full sized bathroom essentials with me since I can buy them in Berlin anyway. So I went out and bought travel sized things and had to contain myself not to buy every single thing the store had.

I picked up toothpaste, deodorant, hairspray (which I absolutely love! I actually always have mini sized deodorants and hairsprays in my handbag), a mini blush which is super cute and other things. 

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin (with everything mini),

Liz x


Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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The Body Shop Splurdge

I recently signed up to become a Body Shop Member (http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk) or whatever it's called. Now I get emails with deals and sales all the time- last week I got a 50% SALE email. Oh dear....

I tried to keep it together and don't go too crazy and I think I did quite well. I picked up the Shower Gel in the scent Early-harvest Raspberry and Vineyard Peach. I loved the peach scent so much I picked up a body mist in the same scent too and I cannot get enough of it! I've been spritzing it all over me several times a day. The scent does linger for a while, however not as strong as perfume, but it's only a body mist so I guess it does a good job anyhow.

The Body Butter were very very tempting, although I do find they are a bit sticky after I apply them and in summer I prefer something with a lighter formula. 

Another thing I picked up was the Vitamin E Face Mist. Which apparently should fix your make up too, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've used it a few times now, to fix my make up but I don't really like it. There is so much liquid coming out with one squirt (disgusting word, I know, I apologize) that it makes my makeup run down my face!! Which is definitely not the purpose of it. I now spray it on a cotton pad and pad it all over my face which seems to work better. However, I still like it to spray on my face in the morning or before I go to sleep to give my skin a boost of moisture and obivously Vitamin E. 

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Kedem Dead Sea Nail Kit

I have bought this Dead Sea Nail Kit a bit before Christmas last year. It consists of a special nail buffer, cuticle oil and a hand cream. Kedem Cosmetics is a UK base company that have specialized their products on Dead Sea salt minerals and extracts. All of the products are ISO certified and free of raven and animal ingredients. Also they do not test on animals. The products are quite pricey but the quality is really good obviously. I got this set on a promotion deal which was great because I got almost 60% off!

I love all of these three products. The nail buffer is amazing! It makes the nails all shiny by taking off the first layer of dirt and grime and whatnot, and stimulates the blood circulation from the nails. The shine is supposed to last for 30 days and I find that it doesn't quite stay for that long but still for a long time. Even when I paint my nail on top of the shine and take the polish back off again the nails are still shiny underneath which is great!

The cuticle oil is something I tend to use every now and again since I store it on my desk. So whenever I am working on university work or on my laptop I coat my nails with this and it really help them not to crack and stay smooth.

The hand cream is by far my favourite though! It smells really nice and it leaves my hands soooo smooth. It sinks into the skin really really fast which is a must for me in hand creams.

Overall I really enjoy this set and it's a great present for anyone who loves nail care!

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Filofax Organizer

I tend to be a very organized person anyway but I got this Filofax (www.filofax.co.uk) for my 18th birthday and I absolutely love it! It is probably one of the most used things throughout my day. I sometimes carry it around with me in my bag because the size is quite handy and it's not too heavy. However, I do have all my dates and meetings in my iPhone too so in case I don't have my Filofax at hand I am not completely lost.

This particular Filofax that I have is called Personal Finsbury Red in Real Leather. Filofax have different sizes so in case you want to order one online I would highly recommend going to a store and looking at the sizes since a A5 filofax is not necessarily the same A5 size you get in paper. I find that this "Personal" Size that I have is pretty much the same size than an A5 piece of paper. 

I love love love the red colour, it's so vibrant, although red is not really my favourite colour. You can get different inserts for the year. I have the ones where one day is displayed on one page, because I find that I sometimes have more than two meetings per day so the space is sort of limited on the one week-two page layout. The only downside I find with the one day one page layout is that the whole year hardly fits into the Filofax since I have my address book and other pages in there aswell, so I always end up carrying 6 months with me which is fine too. Since I don't plan THAT much ahead in time. It also has a Today ruler like thingy so I can also open it easily on the right day. 

In the back it has different pieces of paper for notes, projects, financial things and a whole contact book. I have ordered an additional plastic carrier for business cards, in which I keep various cards right at the front. It also has sowed in slots for cards and a bigger slot for anyting else. In the back it has a pen holder which is super super practical so I don't always have to go fishing in my bag for a pen. AND it has a zip locked little pocket in the back where I keep secret little notes and sometimes money or credit cards.

Overall I really like this and I hope it will last me a long time, but the quality of the leather and the material inside is fantastic and you can even get your name emboissed into it and have a personalized one!

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x


Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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What's in my bag?!

I have recently bought a new bag because my all time favourite bag is pink. I am certain I will do a What’s in my bag with that one soon since I absolutely adore it!

But yes, I bought this Suede Cross Body Bag from Mango (€39.99) and I really like it because it has suede leather in the front and normal leather in the back. It also has this massive tassle which is fancy.

I always have a packet of tissues in all of my bags, followed by a lip balm and a pen and (very unglamouros I know) a tampon. You never know what will happen in life! I also carry a mini deodorant and a travel sized perfume with me to keep me smelling nice throughout the day. 

Another new addition to my stash is my Anker external charger. I absolutely love this- I don’t even know how I managed without it since my phone is flat after half a day. Especially because I have long days at uni sometimes this guy is very helpful to keep my phone alive. And it’s pink so that’s a plus.

Then I have my Jim Thompson lipstick holder in my bag, along with the lipstick I am wearing. In the last few weeks this has been the MAC Satin finish lipstick in the colour MYTH which is a very pale nude. 

Sometimes when I know I’m going to be out all day or I’m sleeping over at my boyfriend’s house I bring my little pink makeup bag from Occitane with some essentials like facewipes, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, mascara, hairspray and so on. 

Then i have my snazzy gold wallet from Fossil which I absolutely adore. It’s super practical since it has so many slots but it doesn’t bulge too bad which is great.

The last thing in my bag will be my keys which are very excessive due to the many key rings…. Can’t help it.

That is all in my bag! Until then, cheerio from Vienna,

Liz x



Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Shiseido Eye Cream

I have been giving a sample of this eye cream and instantly fell in love with it. The texture is amazing and you only need the tiniest amount to cover your eyes. I tend to cream my eyes with this in the morning and before bed. I take it all under my eyes (to get rid of dark circles, as it advertises) and up on my eyelids and under my eyebrows. 

I am so amazed at how good the results were. It made my eyes look so more rested and bright in the morning. This sample has only 2.5mL but it has lasted me for a really long time with daily use. After I finished this I went back to the store to pick up a full sized one, only to find out that it cost 45€ (approx. £35; $55). I'm a student and therefore on a rather tight budget so spending so much money on a cream is not really an option.

However, this cream is an absolute miracle and I love the formula. I've been using a cheap dupe of it that is nowhere near as good as this. Anyone that can recommend a good eye cream please do, I a, on the hunt. Otherwise I will have to bite the bullet and treat myself to the Shiseido one.

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x 

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Dolce & Gabbana no 6

I haven't had a real signature scent to me ever. I was quite enjoying the Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl perfume and then switched to a lighter flowery scent from Puma. During my travels a goof friend used the Dolce & Gabbana Number 6 L'amoureux and I absolutely loved it on her! When I was back at home I decided that I would like to have that particular scent and went into town to buy it. Dolce & Gabbana have a range of scents in this collection. Going from number one to number 18 and beyond. Some of them specifically for male and females. Turns out this very special number 6 that I was on the hunt for was part of a limited edition line. When I finally found it in a store here in Vienna (the last one they had) the boy said Pour Homme (for men), so that really confused me. But I took it out of the box anyway and it is actually that very scent I loved on my friend Mel. It does however smell differently on me, but I've had it for a while now and I really like it. 

Sadly, because this was limited edition I do not know for how long you will be able to purchase it and you definitely can't go to a store and have a sniff of it. I am crap at explaining things and when it comes to smells I am totally lost so I will not even attempt it. What I can say is that it is a rather musky more manly smell but it suits me very nice and I've gotten a lot of compliments for it (also from men which is funny given that it IS a mens scent).

Given your location I don't know if you can buy it online however, the German online store Idealo does sell it. And as far as I'm concerned they do deliver in Europe, don't know about US or other outside-Europe places. 

Until then, cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x
Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Moving cities

I am studying in Vienna and am now living in Berlin temporarily for the summer because I am doing my internship at a hotel here. Since I've been travelling for a whole year and in general don't have a problemw ith adapting to a different environment I don't find that moving away from "home" into a different city is such a big deal. 

Finding housing from Austria has been a pain in the bum, excuse my French, but I did eventually find a place to stay. I am really excited to explore a city from the bottom up once again. There is nothing like the feeling of walking around in a new unkown city and the feeling you get once you kind of know your way around is even better! Thinking back of my year in Australia I can still remember very clearly the streets of the citites I spent a while in. 

My internship is part of my study program so I have a specific time of hours I have to work in order to get the ECTS points credited to me. So I will have two days a week off, sometimes one day if I go on overtime. I am sure I will come to like Berlin, however I am really happy in Vienna since it's a big city- but very intimate and closely knit. you can walk all the main attractions in Vienna in one day! If you don't stop to look at things I would even say you can walk the sights in 1,5 hours! Berlin compared to that is MASSIVE! I am living in what I call the "outskirts" of Berlin, but people say I do actually live rather close in the centre. I do need 40 mins by public transport every morning to get to the hotel located directly on the famous Kurfürstendamm. Not so much city centre if you ask me.

Anyone who is scared of moving cities or environments I have one advice- GO! It will be a great experience. Even if you end up not liking the city, you have gone and explored it. It's always better to say I don't like it rather than saying I was too scared to go. 

I have travelled the world, and I don't plan to stop! Travelling is the one of the most precious gifts you can have in life- so do it!

Until then, Cheerio from Berlin,

Liz x

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Sephora Foundation and Powder Review

I have never used foundation or powder since my skin is very fair and I seldom  have breakouts. I din’t like the idea of plastering my face with stuff and quite frankly I am a very lazy person so the thought of having to wash all of that off at the end of the day was not very applealing to me. 

However, I did go and buy a foundation and powder at my “local” Sephora in France because I thought it’s time for me to get started on these things.

The lady there was very friendly even though my French was rather rubbish when it comes to explaining her my problems and wishes in makeup related things- in the end she did find a almost perfect shade for me and I have actually been loving wearing it. 

I got the Sephora Fond de Teint Perfection 10H (probably this is the French description, 10H Wear Perfection Foundation would be English I guess). Along with the 8H Matifying Pressed Powder, both in the colour 20 clair/light. 

Somedays when I don’t feel like being too pushy with my makeup and I want a more natural look I just wear the powder. The powder erases the greasy look that my daycream gives me and together with my blush it looks really natural and nice. 

I’ve had both of these since Christmas and they are still lasting very good. Granted, I do not use them everyday but I am still surprised that there is still so much left in the bottle and in the powder I can still see the Sephora S outline. 

Overall I am very happy with these two and would definitely go back to get another one in case I run out of these. So I’ll have to go on the long journey to France…. the things girls have to do for good makeup!

Until then, cheerio from Vienna

Liz x


Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Syoss Dry Shampoo Review

I haven't tried any dry shampoo before- this is the first one! I didn't quite understand the idea of it. Not washing your hair and just spraying it with something so that it doesn't look disgusting was not very appealing to me. Estée from Essiebutton had a whole review about good and bad dry shampoos. She has a whole video on How To Use Dry Shampoo and mentioned a few different shampoos in there. I wanted to go and buy the Dove Dry Shampoo that she highly praised but it is not available in Austria so I thought I'd give Syoss a go. As you can see from the picutres, I apologize, everything is written in German but they're both Dry Shampoos. 

The green one beeing mainly for very greasy hair and the blue one having an additional effect of volume lift. I am quite happy with both of them and could now slap myself for not using them earlier. They both smell amazing! And the scent does linger around for a while, so make sure you like the smell of it before you buy. They make my hair look really nice and the volume the blue one brings is actually incredible! I am glad I tried these and can now go longer without washing my hair. My hair tends to go greasy fairly quickly and I also fiddle with my hair quite a lot so that doesn't help. But these do the job and I really like them. 

I can really recommend these to you- although I am a dry shampoo virigin so people who are experts might tell me these are rubbish. Nevertheless worth a try in my opinion and the price is quite reasonable (4€ per bottle).

Until then, cheerio from Vienna,

Liz x


Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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Non Beauty Favourites May 2014

As much as I like beauty I have a whole load of non beauty favourites because let’s face it- food is my all time number one!

First of all! Oh my god. My parents were over in the UK for a week and I was so jealous I couldn’t go with them so I basically forced them to buy me at least some hot cross buns (not Easter without hot cross buns!) and jelly babies. I might be getting too old for jelly babies with 21 now, but hey, who cares that stuff is amazing! So yeah, I enjoyed my hot cross buns and have been able to get through a whole packet of them in one day. Thinking about it I went through a packet of jelly babies in one day too.

I’ve had this book since a little before Christmas and I only started reading it in February. It’s called The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriaty. Because of uni and all the other crazy things I am up to all the time I haven’t really had time to read and wasn’t really feeling it to be honest. But I’ve been taking this with my on the tube so whenever I was on my way somewhere I would read and I managed to get through it quite fast in the end. I love this book. I’m normally more the romantic novel girl but this book has a twist to it since it’s all about this one big secret but I can’t tell you anymore about it or I’ll spoil it for you. But let me tell you it’s really good! Plus it’s based in Australia which is a major plus for me.

Probably late to the party here but I only just bought the Fault in Our Stars. So many people are gonna hate me and now while reading it I am asking myself why I didn’t read it before. I have no idea. I’ve watched the trailer for it and I am obsessed with movie trailers but lets not latch out about that. I watched the trailer and it’s amazing so I was like hey ok let’s go and read it. Literally SO HARD to put down! This book is amazing! Not quite finished it but John Greene, you have outdone yourself once more!

I’ve had quite some time on my hands recently and I am totally in love with Gossip Girl- who isn’t?! I own all the six season but have recently started watching them all over again. Season 4 & 5  have been my companions during early morning breakfast and lazy afternoons. Ok also midnight snack episodes I cannot deny that. The whole concept is brilliant and if a genie came and granted me a wish- well first of all I’d have to ask for 2 more because I totally need Serena and Blair’s wardrobe PLUS a Nate Archibald by my side….

Until then, cheerio from Vienna,

Liz x


Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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May Beauty Favourites 2014

Time to recollect myself and think about all the things I have been loving this last month!

My Guerlain blush in the colour Golden High is my absolute favourite at the moment. It has the rosy lighter pink shade and the darker peachy shade. Combined they just look amazing but I have hit pan on the dark shade already even though I only got this for Christmas so I’m a bit freaked out at the moment. Anyway, I have been wearing the lighter shade by itself and it gives a very natural looking blush and looks very flattering and subtle and I have been wearing it for my everyday makeup.

Another thing I have been loving is my Occitane Honey Foaming Gel. Let me tell you this stuff smells amazing! I’m normally not the honey scent type of person but I love this so much and it leaves my skin feeling nice and soft when I get out of the shower.

My labello hyrdocare has been one of my best friends this month. It has been some crazy weather and my body was unsure whether it was summer already or still winter so my lips were chapped quite a bit. This is so hydrating (probably why it’s called hydrocare). But it leaves your lips so moisturises even when it’s faded away. And it gives your lips a nice glow and shine so it looks like you’ve got lipgloss on.

Summer is coming and when its hot there’s nothing worse than being sweaty and sticky and overall feeling very disgusting! The Eau Thermale from Avène is fabulous for hot days. I even spray this on my face- even with make up on and it cools my skin down and hydrates it at the same time. My mom uses this to spray it all over her body on hot summer days- it feels amazing! Like running under the sprinklers although you’re not soaked at the end.

Of course I can’t come around the Body Shop’s Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. So many people have raved about this so I thought I’d try it too. And yes- I have become one of the Camomile Oil lovers! I will not rave on since so many other people already did it for me.

Another thing from the Body Shop is their Raspberry Body Butter that they gave me a sample last time I went it. And it’s amazing. I’m not a big fan of body butter I prefer normal creams but I totally love this. Might have to go back and get a full sized one…

 

Until then, cheerio from Vienna

Liz x

Disclaimer: The pictures above are my own and therefore I own all the rights of these pictures. Please invoice my in case you want to use them. The products mentioned were all purchased by myself or were gifts. None of the links are affiliated.

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