Loving in September

September has been such a strange month, in a great way, but super strange. Starting new university (for the uhh 4th time), going to France, not working as much and just the feeling of hope has really been strong in September. There have as well been some sad and incredibly stressful things been going on but I did not go into hiding mode but just kept my head high (ok, I did cry a lot) and kept on going! 

I am really loving writing these posts, I love to see how many of my goals I have accomplished, I love just having something I can look back on. Because that was the main reason I started blogging, to prove to myself I can actually do things. 

My September Goals:

1. Blog every day!
I did manage to post 14 posts this month! I knew I would have trouble with this one because of the trip to South of France I took, school and all sorts of other things. However, I am fine with that! I still want to break my record of 27 posts a month! 

2. Do one photo an hour day.
That did not happen, the days I wanted to do it were too stressful and the days that weren't stressful I spent at home with my nose in a book, not picture worthy. 

3. Post four outfit posts. 
I did one!

4. Finish the 100 things decluttering challenge.
Didn't happen, this challenge is much more difficult than I imagined! 

5. Record what I am eating for 25 days.
I did take pictures of what I ate for a week, I just need to find a platform I am comfortable with.

6. Plan a nanny evening. (planned it but didn't manage to go)

7. Lose 2 kg (4-5 pounds)
Almost, I lost about 1.4 kg this week :)

8. Gain control over the laundry mayhem.
For me this is the biggest victory in the world! I cannot believe this actually happened! I feel like I got my apartment back!

9. Bake a cake 
I made an amazing lime and coconut cheesecake.

10. Go for a trip
I went for a lovely family trip to South of France, I had amazing time. 

Top 5 posts in September :

Review: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick Sheer Tint (May 2012)
Review: Yves Roches - Tribal Attitude Lip Gloss (June 2012)
Review: Migros - I am Natural Cosmetics - Detox & Energy Crème Soufflé (September 2013)

Tag: I Heart Autumn (September 2013)

Workout & Weight Loss Wednesday (September 2013) 

And some posts I have been loving in September :

Our Daily Ocean: Day 200 from It Starts With Me

[The Disappoints] I would like my money back, please. from Peanut Butter and Chocolate Life

What I have been loving in real life in September :

family, good food, studying, Mr. Handsome, Óðinn, finishing products, being organized, naps.

Friday Favorites and Flops #2

This week was such a strange week for me, I haven't been feeling well so I just want to stay in bed and do nothing! But that isn't how you accomplish things in life. Hopefully things will pick up for me this weekend and I will kick next week's ass! 

Favorites:

* Losing some weight and reaching a weight goal. Wrote about that here. 

* Talkin on the phone with my dad, it always brightens my day.

* I am so close to reaching 50 000 hits on my blog. Every time I see that number go up I am shocked and happy!

Flops:

*Food poisoning, that is all I am going to say.

*Not having the motivation to blog, I have no idea where it went. I have so many things that I want to blog about but I am just feeling too meeh, to actually sit down and blog.

*Woke up this morning with a big scab on my nose!

As I said, I have just been a bit off this week! But hopefully things will pick up next week!

Bisous

Workout & Weight Loss Wednesday

So I realized I totally forgot to write about what I actually changed like I promised last week! But, hey! What I changed and have now finished my second week of is that I stopped eating gluten.

There were many reasons for this, I always felt nauseous and had horrible stomach ache after I ate. It wasn't after every time I ate but most of the time, and most of the time I was eaten things with gluten in it.

The past 2 weeks I haven't had any issue with my stomach! I feel amazing! I was planning on testing out being gluten free for 3 weeks and now I have one week left! I really haven't changed anything else but the gluten, I still eat bread (gluten free) and pasta (gluten free) and I made AMAZING gluten free cheesecake which I ate, I ate the whole cake! Poor Mr. Handsome only got one slice! 

Last week weigh in: 80.2 kg (176.8 lbs)

This week weigh in: 79.7 kg (175.7 lbs)

BOOOYAAAA! I actually screamed when I stepped on the scale (and scared Mr. Handsome). I reached my first goal so I am looking for some great cardigan for me! I am so happy! SO HAPPY!! HAPPYYYYYY!

My next goal is to reach 77.4 kg (170.6 lbs) and I actually fell like I can reach that goal! Hopefully I will be able to reach the weight goal I made for September which was to lose 2 kg (2-4 pounds) at at the moment I need to lose 600 grams more! 600 grams is something I will hopefully manage! I finally have my groove back! 

I am just so happy and I have so much energy at the moment and I am really putting all that energy into studying for University and it just feels great!

Bisous

Friday Favorites and Flops #1

Since I stopped doing my monthly favorites I wanted to start to do something else, first I started my Loving in... and I realized how much I like writing these kind of posts so I decided to start a new type of post called Friday Favorites and Flops, they will mainly be a lifestyle type of post but I might sneak in a product once in awhile.

Favorites:

*This week the temperature has gone down and it has stared to rain, I love autumn! LOVE IT.
*I have been feeling so much better since going gluten free.
*School work is going great and I am loving being back in University
*Talking to some people I haven't talked to in years.

Flops:

*All my towels are have purple stains because of my hair.
*My skin has been really bad this week. I don't really know why and it frustrates me.
*Had couple of anxiety issues.

What where your favorite moments this week and did you have some flops?

Bisous

Workout & Weight Loss Wednesday

For the past two weeks I decided to change a certain thing about my eating, I will talk more about it tomorrow (with pictures) since today I just want to talk about weight loss. Because I actually lost some weight this week.

Last week weigh in: 81.1 kg (178.8 lbs)

This week weigh in: 80.2 kg (176.8 lbs)

Now I am back to where I was when I started (wrote about it here), I am hoping to get lower next week! But I am still going to count it as almost 1 kg lost for my September Monthly Goals. I am hoping that with my new diet that things might go better in the next couple of weeks.

Battle strategies for this week are:

- Start my mornings by drinking water.

- Finish the sit up challenge!

- Wake up at 7 every morning

Bisous! 

Review: Weleda - Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream - Firms and Renews

After I finally finished all my other hand moisturizers it was time to buy new ones, luckily I saw the Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream on sale (two for the price of one, score!) and I jumped on it. I already have the Weleda Pomegranate Firming Serum (Reviewed here) so I really wanted to try something more from them. I love pomegranates! It is my favorite fruit and I just love how they look.

Anyways, back to this hand cream. On the Weleda homepage they describe this cream like this:

Keep skin looking youthful and firm using nature's best – Pomegranate Hand Cream

Hands showing signs of aging are nourished and revitalized by this skin-renewing Pomegranate Hand Cream. It’s a powerful regenerating treatment with potent antioxidants and rich essential fatty acids that restore youthful beauty to your hands.

This natural cream for aging skin contains organic pomegranate seed oil which is naturally rich in antioxidants that protect your hands from free radical damage and promote skin renewal. Organic shea butter, a soothing emollient packed with essential fatty acids, renders your skin silky smooth and lavishly moisturized.

Dermatological tests show that our Regenerating Pomegranate Hand Cream increases the skin’s moisture level by 34%* and reduces roughness by 9.1%** in just four weeks.

This skin-renewing natural cream nourishes the vibrant look and feel of your skin. Get a firm grip on your timeless beauty by using Pomegranate Hand Cream for soft, youthful hands.

Since I am only 24 years old, my skin isn't really aging so technically I wouldn't need this hand cream. However, I love it! My hands feel extremely soft and I don't find myself using this cream every time I wash my hands since my hands stay moisturized! At the moment I use this hand cream about 3-4 times a day since I have hands that just don't hold on to moisture. But with most moisturizers I need to use them after every time I wash my hands (so about 14 - 20 times a day).

What I don't like about the cream is the packaging, mine has now a tear in it and keeps on leaking a bit all over my bag! Super annoying!

It does take some time for the hand cream to be absorbed into my skin, but I don't mind that at all. I would definitely recommend this hand cream if you suffer from dry and rough hands or if you just want a nice hand cream!

Bisous

Review: Migros - I am Shower - Juicy fruits & Oil and Lemon & Oil Frischedusche/Douche Fraîcheur

At first I was wondering if I should write two separate reviews about these I am Shower gels but since they are the only two that are similar in the I am Shower range I decided to just write one post about them.

I am always looking for some good shower gels, I have a problem with them drying my skin too much but these don't cause that issue. These shower gels are not peeling gels even though they have small blue beads in them, the beads are actually oil beads and quickly disappear.

What it says on the back of the bottles (translated from German):

The unique combination of freshness and care pampers the skin and provides an extra dose of moisture. The oil beads melt gently on the skin and leave a pleasant well maintained, soft feeling skin.

The only flaw I found with these shower gels is that they both have ingredients that I don't like such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Methylparaben and Benzyl Alcohol. But as I mentioned before, my skin doesn't feel dry after I have used this shower gel, it feels moisturized and smooth.

Both shower gel lather nicely up and the scent of them fills up the shower when showering and even lingers on the skin for awhile after. 

The Juicy Fruits and Oil Shower Gel has a sweet fruity scent, I cannot pinpoint on what kind of fruit it is but it just smells so warm and welcoming.

The Lemon and Oil Shower Gel is a bit of a mystery as well on the front of the bottle is a picture of a lime, the color of the shower gel is green and it smells like lime! However, it is called Lemon and Oil Shower Gel, lime would be much more appropriate! Name aside it just smells amazingly like lime, it wakes you up in the morning with it tangy sweet smell. 

I cannot choose which one is my favorite one, the lemon one is just so tangy and fresh and the juicy one is just so juicy and smells so sweet! 

Both are available in Migros in 250 ml bottles for 2.40 CHF each. 

Bisous 

Review: Migros - I am Natural Cosmetics - Aqua Tonic - Peeling and Face Mask

Today I wanted to talk about a new product in the Natural Cosmetics line by Migros, I accidental stumbled up on it when I went to the "big" Migros buying some Catrice and Essence cosmetics and found this as well! I am actually quite exited about this product line, they are made with Glacier Water and being half Icelandic I jump on everything that might remind me of Iceland. 

You can read my other reviews about products from the I am Natural Cosmetics line here.

What I found as well quite intriguing about his mask is that it is a two step process, the first step is the peeling and the second step the face mask.

Step One - Peeling

What it says on the back (translated from German):

Skin refining scrub with glacier water from the Monte Rosa mountain range and organic Malva extract. The refreshing formula, with sand scrub, gently removes dead skin particles and stimulates the skin micro-circulation. The skin is wonderfully smooth, even and perfectly prepared for the subsequent care mask.

The first thing I noticed with the peeling cream was the stench of alcohol, not surprisingly when you see that the second ingredient is alcohol. The second thing I noticed was how much of the peeling cream there was!
It did peel my skin gently but I could not breath with my nose without almost getting drunk. My skin did feel wonderfully smooth and you could feel the sand massage your skin. If it hadn't had this horrible alcohol scent I would have loved to buy a big bottle of it!

Ingredients for the peeling

Step Two - Face Mask

Pampering mask with glacier water from the Monte Rosa mountain range and organic Malva  extract. The special formula with high quality babassu oil provides the skin with an extra helping of moisture. The skin is relaxed, perfectly maintained and has winning radiance. 

The face mask felt amazing and it was shocking on how much actually absorbed into my skin! At the end of the 10 minutes it had mostly absorbed in my skin so I left it for a bit longer until it was fully absorbed, and let me tell you, I do not regret it. That extra helping of moisture really did its job! I think I would actually buy this on in full size if Migros would start selling them!

Ingredients for the face mask

All in all, I did like the face mask but not the peeling. Therefore I won't repurchase it (unless they would remove the alcohol).

Bisous

P.S. Any face masks you have been loving or hating lately?

Outfit of the Day #6

Bag - Satchel Bag With Zip Flap (in Orange) - ASOS / Tights - Dark Blue - Avant-Première / Shorts - H&M (old) / Tunic - Tunique fluide (Blue) - Mim / Shoes - Reebook (old)

I wanted to talk about about life lately with outfit posts but as I am sitting here I don't really know what to say. I started school again, which is great, or maybe not so great. I do enjoy it and I really feel confident since it is a distance education and I don't feel anxious about it all. Which is great. But at the same time I am so afraid of failing! I hate failing but I am starting to become so used to fail, so failure seems to be the norm. a bad bad norm. 

But back to what I am wearing, I bought this tunic yesterday and I am in LOVE with it! LOVE! It is so comfortable and I just love the color of it! I am really looking forward wearing it with other things!

I love this bag, I wasn't sure when I bought it if it would be exactly what I imagined but it was. I have been using it all summer and it show very little wear! Which is amazing for fake leather! I cannot forget to mention the tights, if you live in Switzerland you will know Manor and these tights are from Manor and are my favorite tights ever! I always buy a bunch of them when they are on sale (couple of times a year they are 50% off) and those usually last until the next sale! For me they are just perfect for both summer and winter.

Bisous

Book Review: No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

I haven't written a book review in a long time and the pile of books that I need to write about is just getting bigger and bigger!

Today I want to talk about No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. I had never hear of Linwood Barclay before but I probably will check out some of his other books!

The house was silent. No sound of her parents getting ready for work, or her brother late for school. Were they punishing her for last night? She'd been out on a date when she should have been studying, and had a huge fight with her father. So where was everyone now? Why had her family disappeared?Twenty-five years later the mystery is no nearer to being solved and Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Where her family murdered? Abducted? If so, why was she spared? And if they're alive, why did they abandon her?Then a letter arrives, a letter which makes no sense. Soon Cynthia begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made...

The book is written in 1st person, which is something I usually cannot stand but with this book it wasn't a problem. What I found a unique touch to the book is that the speaker of the book isn't Cynthia (the main character) but her husband Terry. It gives the book such a strange (in a good way) vibe, you feel like an audience to the events that are happening since you are not reading them from the view of the main character.

The story line was as well good, not great since it was very predictable but I enjoyed it (even though I knew exactly how it would end). The characters were great, and I liked how Linwood added some extra character for some suspense. There weren't too many character, which is good because it can be come confusing, but just the right amount of them.


There are couple of chapters that are about two mysterious people that aren't named until the last chapters of the book, those chapter still give so much away so only the first chapter is mysterious and the rest obvious. I think that that part is the only thing I don't really like about the book, I felt they were more of a page filler than important for the story line. I even felt like they destroyed the suspense of the story!

At last, my favorite part about writing book reviews the quotes.

"I'd never been to a shrink before. About all I knew came from watching The Sopranos' Dr Melfi help Tony work through his problems. I couldn't decide whether ours were more or less serious than his. Tony had people disappearing around him all the time, but he was often the one who'd arranged it. He had the advantage of knowing what had happened to these people." Page 71  

"I acted on impulse. I opened the closet, picked up the typewriter - God those old machines were heavy - and put it inside, on the floor. Then I draped some other things over it, an old pair of pants I'd used to paint in, a stack of old newspaper." Page 229

"If I could have brought myself  to call Detective Wedmore I could have asked her outright where I might find Vince Fleming and saved myself some time. She'd already said she knew the name. Abagnall had told us he had a record for a variety of offences." Page 271

What kind of name is Abagnall? I think that is the only name were I was dumbfounded by, I mean, how do you even pronounce it Ab-a-gnall? Ab-gnall? Who knows!

All in all I did like this book! Which I feel sometimes is a rare occurrence!

Have you read this book or any other book by Linwood Barclay?

Bisous

Workout & Weight Loss Wednesday

This week I was careful what I ate, I tried to sleep more, I went out for walk and finally wasn't extremely stressed, and this week I of course gained weight. Because that is always what happens, as soon as I start looking at what I eat I gain weight. I am sorry body, that consuming more than 400 calories makes you gain weight, I am sorry that finally when I feel a bit better I gain weight, I am sorry that I hate my body for being such a pain in my gigantic ass. GIGANTIC! Or as I described it to my friend, I feel like I am a rotting corpse that is about to explode. Yes, that is how I feel. I am sick of it all, I am sick of feeling tired all of the time, I am sick of having heartburn all of the time, I am sick of feeling nauseous all of the time and don't get me started on those headaches. 

So this weeks numbers suck, I was hoping to lose those measly 300 grams and reach my first goal, but no I gained a kilo, and that kilo is not muscles since I haven't been working out more than before. I am pretty sure it is a kilo of self hate and failure.

Last week weigh in: 80.2 kg (176.8 lbs)

This week weigh in: 81.1 kg (178.8 lbs)

Do I have a plan for next week? No, I have other things to do and I decided to put these feeling and problems on the back burner until next Wednesday when I will start on an experiment with my annoying body. 

Do check out Tilly's Workout & Weight Loss Wednesday post, it is more happier than mine!

Bisous

Review: Migros - I am Natural Cosmetics - Detox & Energy Crème Soufflé

When I finished my previous lotion (reviewed here) in August I finally allowed myself to buy a lotion I have been eyeing for months! I think it is quite obvious that I love the I am Natural Cosmetics line that Migros produces and I am planning on reviewing every single product in that line (except for their shampoos)! Isn't that a great goal! It will take some time since I don't like having too many products lying around! You can see all my reviews from that line right here. 

Today I wanted to talk about one of their moisturizer, it is called Detox & Energy Crème Soufflé and comes in a bright yellow 200 ml plastic jar.


On the jar it says (translated from German):

Firming cream soufflé with a special biological complex 2 tea, lime and citrus extract oil from controlled biological cultivation. Enhances the appearance of the skin, promotes its elasticity, smooths and provides a spa experience. The silky, creamy texture moisturizes the skin and gives it energy.

And as with the other products from the I am Natural Cosmetics the products are without mineral oils, artificial color, fragrance and preservatives. 

The Detox & Energy Crème Soufflé doesn't have any parabens, which is great since I am trying to stay away from them.

The cream itself is silky smooth but it does take a bit of massaging for it to be absorbed into the skin, but that is something that I actually like about the cream since it reminds you to massage your skin. But when the cream is absorbed the skin feels amazingly soft and it smells so nice! I would describe the scent as being a sweet lemon, somewhere between a lemonade and a lemon candy. But it isn't a synthetic lemon smell but like a freshly squeezed lemon.

At the moment Migros has four other body moisturizers in the I am Natural Cosmetics line, they are Vanilla and Coconut body milk, Sea Buckthorn and Ginger body milk, Almond and Peaches body cream and finally Grapefruit and Bamboo body lotion. I cannot wait to try them all out!

What lotion are you using at the moment?

Bisous

Tag: I Heart Autumn

Lena from Little Random Sparks tagged me in a I heart Autumn tag and since I love Autumn and never really get tagged for anything else than Liebster award (which I already have done) so I was quite happy being tagged!

1. Favorite Autumn Lip Product
I have to say the Blistex DCT ( Daily Conditioning Treatment for lips), it has Aloe and Cocoa Butter and Vitamins A&E! It as well smells heavenly!

2. Favorite Autumn Nail Polish
I never separate my nail polishes between seasons so I just use the ones I have.

3. Favorite Starbucks Autumn Drink
I love Chai Tea Latte all year round but I do get excited for the Gingerbread Lattes (don't arrive until December so that is more winter thing)

4. Favorite Autumn Candle
I have to say Apple and Cinnamon candles!

5. Favorite Autumn Accessory
Scarfs!

6. Haunted House, Haunted Hayride or Haunted Corn Maze
Nothing haunted for me please!

7. Favorite Halloween Movie
I don't know, I don't like scary movies so it has to be a non scary Halloween film!

8. Favorite sweets to eat on Halloween
Every single candy on the earth, please?

9. What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
Nothing, we don't celebrate Halloween here.

10. Your favorite part of fall ( yes you have to choose one! )
The rain! I love rainy gloomy days!

11.Your favorite fall tunes
Don't have any special music that I associate with autumn.

12. Your fall Outfit
My normal clothes with tights and boots!

13. Your favorite fall scent
The smell of wet leafs.

What is your favorite part about Autumn? And have you done this tag?
Bisous

My Monthly Goals: September 2013

There is something about September that always makes me happy, I think it is all about new beginnings and the weather finally cooling down!

I only managed to accomplish 5 of my 10 August goals (see here), however I am pretty sure I will accomplish most of my September goals!

1. Blog every day!
2. Do one photo an hour day.
3. Post four outfit posts.
4. Finish the 100 things decluttering challenge.
5. Record what I am eating for 25 days.
6. Plan a nanny evening.
7. Lose 2 kg (4-5 pounds)
8. Gain control over the laundry mayhem.
9. Bake a cake
10. Go for a trip


Do you set yourself monthly goals?