theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Archives for October 2013

Happy Halloween.

filed under: holidays

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This is a pumpkin I actually carved. 3 years ago. That’s how long it’s been since we carved pumpkins for Halloween. Pathetic, I know. I really like the idea of carving pumpkins, but every year – unless we have someone talk us into it – we usually keep postponing until all of a sudden… “oops, it’s Halloween. Too late!”

I admittedly have mixed feelings about Halloween. I really like the fall decoration and jack-o-lanterns and I love little kids getting dressed up, but I am not much of a costume person myself and there aren’t any kids in our neighborhood (no trick-or-treaters… which also means, no leftover candy! I see that as a good thing) and so every year, I am a little bit hemming and hawing when Halloween comes around. Our office is disappointingly boring when it comes to celebrating any holidays (I did consider just coming as a “Red Sox fan” today and I did wear my Boston sweater, but nobody noticed. Haha.)

J loves Halloween, mostly for the scary movies (which I, however, am not a fan of), so it can get tricky around here (← see what I did there?). I want to see “Hocus Pocus” and J wants to see “Halloween 2”. Compromising on this one is hard. We’ll see who wins this battle tonight.

Like every year, I need to mention that the (Catholic parts of) Germany  should be celebrating, too, because “the term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe’en, is shortened from All-hallows-eve, as it is the evening before “All Hallows’ Day” (also known as “All Saints’ Day”)” (Wikipedia) which we celebrate in Germany on November, 1. So,  it only makes sense that Halloween should be celebrated in Germany (and believe me, these days, Germany has undoubtedly adopted Halloween traditions like carving pumpkins and scary movies, as well as the opportunity to throw parties and get drunk!), especially considering that  the next day is a holiday  and people can nurse their hangovers. How very convenient.

So wherever you are and whatever you do tonight/tomorrow,

have a spooky Halloween.

My Red Sox ♥

filed under: love, sports

 

So yeah, me again. Talking about the same old. It’s no news… I’ve mentioned it a lot here lately: my love for baseball and my team, the Boston Red Sox. I promise you, this will be the last time for a while. Baseball season is officially over. But tonight was a special night. Tonight, my Red Sox clinched the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park in Boston for the first time in 95 years.

Oh, how much I wished I could have been in Boston for that.

I don’t have words for how much love and adoration I have for that team, their love for the sport, their athleticism and dedication. This was a brilliant year for baseball and to see this team come back from the worst last year and then go all the way to the World Series and not just play it, but win it in a landslide? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Every single player in this team did their part. There was a different guy at every game coming through for everybody else. Baseball is a team sport and the Red Sox are a real team, guys who like each other and who like to play ball. They never gave up. They always stayed calm and focused until the very end and this is how they were able to make magic happen.

Despite all the other crap going on my life, tonight I am just truly happy.

Clarisonic Update: after one month

filed under: beauty

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So, as promised in my last post about the Clarisonic Mia 2, I am going to share some more thoughts about the gadget. I’ve had it for a little over a month now and I wanted to let you know what I think.

In one word: AMAZING.

No, really. I am so, so happy with it so far. My skin is softer, I feel like it is looking fresher and it absorbs products much better than before. Fine lines have diminished, my pores look smaller (at least I think so) and overall my skin feels glowier and healthier.

My Clarisonic Routine:

I currently use the Clarisonic twice a day. I’ve read that some people only use it at night or even every other day, but for me personally, I like to use it in the morning and evening (for now).

In the morning, I use the Clarisonic in the shower. As I mentioned last time, the Clarisonic is water-proof and perfect to use in the shower. In the morning, when my face is should be pretty clean from the cleansing the night before, I use a small amount of the Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash for Sensitive Skin and work the brush for one minute over my face. I also sometimes (not daily though) use it a second round on my neck and décolleté. When I get out of the shower, I use my Neutrogena toner and then immediately moisturize.

In the evenings, it takes a little bit more work. I usually start with removing any eye-makeup with a cotton pad and makeup remover. Then I use Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser  and rub a small amount on my face to remove any foundation or other makeup. I rinse my face and then apply a little more cleansing product to my face, wet the brush head and then start the 1-minute cleansing routine starting with my forehead. I move it around in small circular motions, then work my way over to my nose and chin area and finish with my right and left cheek.  I am not using much pressure, just let the brush head lightly move around on my skin.

The first few times, I was amazed how much product still came off my skin with the brush. You think (!) you’re doing a good job with your hands, but the brush really cleans your skin deeply.

As much as I wish I could report that I didn’t have any more breakouts since using the Clarisonic Mia 2, unfortunately this has not been the case. I did have a few more breakouts. If this is part of the “purging phase” or just my regular every-so-often breakout phase, I can’t say (yet). More insight on that hopefully to come with time.

Note: I always make sure to wash my brush with soap and hot water after cleansing, and then I dry it with a towel. You do not want to create a breeding ground for bacteria by leaving it wet and used on your bathroom counter. 

So what are the pros and cons overall?
Pros:
  • my skin is the softest it has ever been. No, seriously. It feels so nice to run your hand over it.
  • it only takes 60 seconds out of your cleansing routine. Totally doable. You know that the effort that you have to put into any skin care routine usually dictates how diligently you will use it over time and I feel that the Clarisonic really makes it easy to stick with the routine, because it requires such a short amount of time and effort.
  • small and convenient for traveling (comes with its own little travel case)
  • every time I use it, it feels like a mini-spa experience, because my skin feels so clean and pampered afterwards.
Cons:
  • I wish it came with a stand (I think the even more expensive Clarisonic brushes do). Our bathroom is very small and we don’t have much “counter space”, so I have yet to find a convenient way to keep the Clarisonic at hand.
  • the charge only holds about a week (especially when you use it twice a day like me). It’s not a big deal, but for travel, it’d be nice to not have to necessarily bring the charger along.
  • it hasn’t completely gotten rid off my breakouts, but a) I am not sure if I am not still in the purging phase and my skin just needs more time and b) I am sure that other factors play a role for breakouts to develop and the brush can’t solve that problem alone. (So this might not even be a “con”.)
The verdict (after a little more than one month):
In my opinion, it’s absolutely worth the hype and money. I am planning to write more updates as I continue to use the Clarisonic, but so far I am really, really happy. It’s not a “miracle tool” that can take care of all potential skin problems alone, but I feel like it’s a great tool to add to your skincare routine that definitely has added benefits. I’ll share any new findings as I continue using it, if you’re interested.

2013 in pictures: week 43

filed under: a year in pictures

2013 in pictures: week 43

Spinach-Tomato-Alfredo • Greta’s birthday • 5 •
sunset • Halloween • Fall day •
Turkey burger • breakfast • World Series •

October Birchbox

filed under: beauty

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I am sure you have heard of Birchbox. In the very rare case that you haven’t, it’s a monthly subscription service where you “receive monthly deliveries of high-end beauty and lifestyle samples from top brands. It’s the best way to discover new products and buy with confidence” (birchbox.com).
As usual, I am somewhat late to the party, but hey, better late than never. I am a sucker for stuff in the mail (who isn’t? And please, just look at this cute, simple brown paper box, which by itself almost makes the subscription worthwhile!) and a monthly surprise box with little goodies is just what makes my little heart happy. I do enjoy trying new products and what better way to discover and try new products for a reasonable price without having to buy a full-size version of something, only to realize that it doesn’t work for you, right? Right.

I kind of missed out on posting about the first Birchbox delivery last month, but did want to take the opportunity to blog about it this time.

So, you fill out a profile on the website and they kinda tailor the monthly box to your preferences and then you wait. They put together a varying number of differently stuffed boxes every month. I received Box #39 for October. To find out what box # you got, go into your account and click on “Box” and then “Women’s Box”.  Scroll down to the “Box History” section and then click on “October 2013″.  The last number in your URL is your box number (bb39 = Birchbox 39).

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The October Birchbox theme is “Beauty Buzz”.  Here’s what I received (*calculated value of the samples in parenthesis):

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Bain de Terre Macadamia Oil nourishing shampoo ($1.51) and conditioner  ($1.70): I am slightly obsessed with any hair products that have macadamia and/or argan oil in them, because I feel like they really make my fine hair smooth and silky soft without weighing it down. Therefore, I am really looking forward to trying this combo. Preliminary bonus point: the smell is really, really nice.

Karuna Clarifying Treatment Mask ($7): Some honesty up front: I am not a face mask person. I’ve done it a few times in the past, but never with any consistency or great excitement. But: I’m willing to give this a try. This is a cloth mask (I’ve only done cream/lotion mask so far), so this will be interesting. It promises to calm irritated skin, and eradicate excess oil and bacteria.

Benefit Fakeup hydrating concealer ($2): For the longest time, I ignored the value of undereye-concealers and I really can’t tell you why, because I have been dealing with dark circles as long as I can remember. This concealer with crease-proof formula promises to effortlessly mask dark circles and keep skin hydrated for up to six hours. Promising.

ChapStick® Hydration Lock ($2.99): This is a Birchbox Find, which is an “extra” that they’ll send on occasion inside your monthly box, but these must-try extras are in addition to the usual samples—they never replace them. I do use chapsticks/lip balms quite a bit, so I definitely like this. There was also a $1-off coupon in the box to get another one with a discount. I approve!

The total value of the October Birchbox comes to $12.21 (without the “extra”) or $15.20 (with the “extra”). Not bad for a $10 investment. I know from some googling that sometimes the value can be even more than twice that much. I definitely feel that it’s a nice little splurge that is worth the money so far (ok, I’ve only gotten two boxes, but…), because I liked all the products that they sent me and it’s been a nice little surprise every month to look forward to.

Do you subscribe to Birchbox (or any other subscription services)? Do you like it?