30.1.15

Stay motivated until you hit the finish line



As you may have already read in my 2015 New Years Resolutions i want to get more into the healthy and fit lifestyle. To keep me motivated (or better to force me) to work on my goals, i thought i will start this monthly series, where i talk about fitness or health related stuff i want to mention. So at the end of each month there will be a Fitness/ Health related post.

This month's will be about tips how to stick to your fitness and health resolutions. When the new year starts everybody is highly motivated and is sure that this time they will make it. But like with most things you loose the motivation, you let things get loose and stop sooner or later completely. I am not different (first weeks of January super motivated, now not that much anymore). So i will show you a few tips, that will motivate you again and will help you (and me) to stay that way.

KEEP TRACK
First things first if you want to accomplish something, you have to have a plan. So keeping track of what you do/did is a important step, because otherwise you will get confused. No matter what you want to change, if it's drinking more water, eating healthier or workout out more. KEEP TRACK of things! Count the glasses of water you drank, make a list of what you ate and analyze what you could do better next time or make a list, on which you can tick up the workouts you have done. For me (the list making monster) it is a satisfying feeling to tick of the day, if i did a workout. Moreover it makes your head less full of things you have to remember by writing those things down.
If you want to know what i use to track my progress, let me know.

STAY FOCUSSED ON YOUR GOAL
Always keep your goal in front of your eyes, whether it's a remember note on your mirror, the Instagram feed full of fit and healthy people or a jeans you want to fit in. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it reminds you everytime you see it, that you shouldn't give up. Sometimes I can forget my goal, when i look at a delicious cake or i am feeling to tired to workout.

BE REALISTIC
We all have plans and imaginations that are impossible to follow. If you just started workouting, you won't do five workouts a week. Your body will be sore and then you shouldn't workout again. So keep it real. If you are a beginner start with maybe three times a week to have a day or two space between workouts. Your body needs time to recover so keep that in mind. Otherwise you will loose your motivation very fast, due to the fact that you just won't be able to stick to your plans.

DON'T FORCE IT
If you are to tired, came home late or have a event you want to attend, then don't workout. You can do it another day and even you left out one workout of the week it won't kill you. You shouldn't leave it out to often, but when you aren't able to motivate yourself or simply can't fit it into your day, than that's ok. You are not an athletic or training for some kind of competition. You have to be happy with it.

HAVE FUN!
Try to find sports you like something you enjoy doing. If you have to force yourself through it (sometimes that's okay though), it's not worth it. If the treadmill isn't your thing, try something different. Maybe you are more the group sport kind of person, than you should do that. You have to find a kind of sport you have fun doing. Sometimes it is necessary to go out of comfort zone and do something you don't enjoy that much, but if you do that all the time you will loose your motivation.
Another tip i read about is starting a workout journal, where you note down how you feel after you completed your workout. So if you feel unmotivated to workout read through your journal and remind yourself that you will feel good afterwards.

Do you have any methods or tips you use to maintain your motivation?

26.1.15

How to clean your brushes



I watched a ton of videos and read a lot of blogposts about how you should clean your brushes and i finally established a brush cleaning routine i am nearly satisfied with. I am not an expert or anything and there are a lot of products and a lot of ways to clean your brushes, but i thought i will share my way. 

THE ACTUAL CLEANING PART
Cleaning your brushes is very important, because they will last longer and look and feel good longer, if you clean them correctly. Moreover it prevents your skin from breakouts caued by old makeup on your brushes.
Firstly i wet my dirty brushes (clean only the dirty brushes, not the ones you didn't use) with warm or cold water. You don't want to use hot water, because that can destroy the brush's hair. Another important thing is to hold your brushes with the bristels pointing down so no water gets into the binding and destroys the glue.
Next i put a bit of my shampoo on my palm or what i prefer on the pink rubber pad i have (more about this thing later) and swirl the brush until it's clean. Rinse them in water until the shampoo is gone and squeeze them gently with a towel afterwards to remove excess water.

FREQUENCY
How often you should clean your brushes depends on how often and how much you use them. If you use the brushes for your everyday makeup, doing a deep cleaning once a week should be enough. You can use brush cleaners (f. e. from MAC) to quickly clean your brushes, during makeup application to be able to use them immidiatly again. Nevertheless your brushes need a deep cleanse once in a while.

LET THEM DRY
You don't want to place your brushes with the hair upwards, because the water will affect the glue (again :D). So i like to place them on a table or something with the brush part over the edge to help maintain the shape.

PRODUCTS I USE
I would recommend using shampoo, soap for sensitive skin (f. e. baby shampoo) or special brush cleaning products, because the brush bristels are sensitive and need to be handled with care.
You can clean the brushes on your palm or use a rubbery face cleansing pad (like i do). Mine is from ebelin (Germany), but any rubbery pad with little "bristels" (for peeling purposes) should work. (I recently found a similiar pad here) I like to use this pad, because it is way quicker than cleaning the brushes on your palm.

A TRICK HOW THEY STAY SOFT
 If you want your brushes to stay soft, you can use some conditioner now and then. It does not have to be any special conditioner, because it is just for soften the brushes (the conditioner should smell good though). My brushes see the conditioner not more than once a month, but it depends on how often you use and wash your brushes. So if you have the feeling they are getting a little bit hard and scratchy, just use a bit of conditioner after cleaning them the next time (make sure to rinse them in water afterwards).

23.1.15

Another Neutral Eyeshadow Palette





Yes, i love my neutrals (if you couldn't have guessed already). This one is from Zoeva, which i ordered along with the brushes (i've done a review about those brushes and i am obsessed with them) and it's name "Naturally Yours" describes it very well.

The palette has five matte and five shimmery shades, which is a good mixture to be able to create a daytime or evening look. My favorite shade is "Sweet Sound" a bronzy shade (i love my bronzy eyeshadows), which doesn't look like the normal boring one, due to it's slightly coppery undertone.
I love to use the dark brown and the black eyeshadow for creating an eyeliner to finsih up my eye makeup.

The packaging is as lovely as Zoeva packaging is always and they have different themes for those palettes (all of them here), so if you want more bright or more dark colours, they definetly have a palette for you too.

Now we are talking pigmentation and lasting power. After i used the brushes, i wasn't surprised to notice, that those shadows have amazing quality. The pigmentation is great nearly as good as Urban Decay eyeshadows and they do not have noticable fallout or anything. Those eyeshadows last ages with a eye primer underneath and you don't have to worry about having eyeshadow everywhere.

So if you are looking for a nice neutral eyeshadow palette you can use for a everyday or nighttime eye makeup, you should have a look at this palette. You won't be disappointed, i promise.

19.1.15

Top 5 Instagrammers you should check out



Instagram has become a serious addiction of mine. I love the way of communicating through Photos and you can edit the photos with filters and a lot of other feautures. I mean you all know how instagram works right? (You can follow me at @laramariadoe ). I am following a whole lot of people, but i was able to narrow it down to my top 5. Ok, let's get started.
She does stunning outits and the best flatlays i have ever seen. I am so in love with her style. And all the cute, pinky pictures she takes from her shop are so gorgeous to look at and make me want to buy everything in gold and pink.

This is a Fitness instagram account and shonda shares super delicious looking and healthy recipes. Plus the best things are her short workout videos for every part of your body. So if you are not sure which workout to do today, go check out her account and you will definetly find one you like.

Another british Youtuber/Beauty Blogger i loove. I love her Night Out Outfits, she is posting here and there. And her hair is am.a.zing! I am going way overboard with fangirling right now, but we will just pretend i didn't. A bonus is that her dog Duke is so cute! (By the way he has an Instagram Account too, if you are interested).

@mimiikonn
Mimi is another Youtuber, but she is more focused on hairstyle tutorials and fashion videos (here hair is stunning!). She posts a lot of outfit of the day pictures and i love her style. You will be able to find a lot of her outfits on my Pinterest fashion board. Her pictures from all the places she is traveling to are making me want to go there too.

@findinghappinessquotes
I like to see a motivating and inspirationell photo here and there, when i scroll through my instagram feed. Just to light up the everyday grey and start to see the good again. So this side ads my daily dose motivational and inspirational quotes to my insta feed. (Most of the time i make a screenshot and will regram the quote at some point, ups).

For the german peeps here, i really like @considerlena and @considerleonie from considercologne and @kindofrosy as well.

16.1.15

A little Haulin here and there


Going through the isles of the drugstore is very relaxing for me. Swatching here and there and sometimes finding products you didn't expect to find. So this time i did a little bit of damage at the drugstore, The Body Shop and at the Clinique counter.

Essie Nailpolish in "Dress to kilt" , "After School Boy Blazer" , "Find me an oasis"
In Germany we had those nailpolishes in limited editions and i wasn't able to pick those colours up, because they were sold out so quickly. When i found them, i was tempted to do a victory dance (i just did it in my head). I don't know if the people in Canada had those nailpolishes in a limited edition before or if they are new. Nevertheless if you were searching for "After School Boy Blazer" (a nice dark blue colour) or "Find me an oasis" (a light blue colour with a little grey hint) you can find them in the new limited edition from essie.

The Balm "The Nude tude" Palette (here)

I wanted this palette for a long time and i was surprised when i found it at my local drugstore. But it went straight into my basket. It as very nice nude and brown shades plus a black and a burgundy red colour. There are matte and shimmery/glittery eyeshadows. Moreover i adore the design of the palette and especially the cute names of the eyeshadows.

Real Techniques "miracle complexion sponge" (here)

I love Makeup Sponges and i left mine at home so i desperatly wanted a new one. I don't want to buy the original Beauty Blender, because there are so many good dupes out there. Like this one from Real Techniques or for the german readers the "ebelin Makeup Ei". Although the shape of the Real Techniques Sponge is a bit different, because it has a flat side.

Clinique "Moisture Surge" (here)
I started to get little lines on my forehead caused my a lack of moisture, so i was looking for a rich moisturizer. In the end i picked up this moisturizer from Clinique. It has a gel like texture and is supposed to sink very quickly into the skin. I will test it for a few weeks and will let you know, what i think about it.


The Body Shop "Seaweed Iconic Clay Mask" (here)

Originially i wanted to buy the Origins "Clear Improvement" Mask, but it was not available. So i was happy to find this Clay mask at The Body Shop. It is supposed to purifie and cleanse your face and for those with combination or oily skin it also should remove excess oil.

The Body Shop "Vitamin E Moisture Serum" (here)
 I wanted a serum to help to solve my lack of moisture problem like i mentioned before and i waned to buy the "Vitamin E Serum-in-oil" but it wasn't included in the Buy 1 get 1 50% of they had so i decided to go for this one. You put this one your face first and then put the moisturizer on top and it should help to moisturize your skin.

12.1.15

What a love



This post is dedicated to the Essie nailpolishes, because they are great in more than just one way. The colour range is amazing! I mean they have every shade you can think of and their shades aren't just normal shades. Essie has a way to make even the simplest shade look different and special. Those nailpolishes dry quickly (which is perfect for people like me, who can't wait longer than maybe a minute for their nailpolish to dry) and last for a minimum of 3 days without chipping. They last longer than 3 days on my nails, but i think that may be different by someone else. I am just in love with essie nailpolishes and they are the only nailpolishes i buy except if i want a perticular colour. My nailpolish stack is cleared from nearly every other nailpolish brand.

And i have to mention the packaging, because it looks just so nice, sleek and elegant. I even use the nailpolish bottles as a part of my decoration. By the way the names are just out of this world and so "cute as a button" (now i quoted a essie nailpolish name, oh gosh).
So to sum this post up, i will go and buy some more essie nailpolishes soon! (:D)

9.1.15

Books, books and more books



When i first thought about this category i wanted to do it monthly and write about all the books i read in this month. Sometimes it doesn't work out the way you thought. This kind of posts will come up round about every two month and i will only talk about my top five books i read in this time. So i don't have to read like crazy (what i still do) and you don't get overwhelmed with a ton of book recommandations. (I did the short descriptions on my own, but you can go and check out the official description too if you like). Let's get started.

CITY OF BONES - CASSANDRA CLARE  ( here )
I am late on this one like i am late on everything (haha). I really liked the film although everybody, who read the books first. didn't. After watching the film for the third time i decided i wanted to read the book. I really like the world and the setting of the book, because it is well thought through and darker, sexier and more evil than other books from this genre. I think the book is better than the film (the film is still good though), because you get a whole lot more of information about the world, the story and the background.

"It is about a "normal" girl named Clary, who has to deal with normal world and normal girl problems. One time she goes to a club with her best friend Simon and follows a strange boy into the backroom. But the boy isn't alone, there are three young people in there with him, who kill this boy. One of them, Jace, tells her about strange things, that the boy is a demon and they will send him back into his dimension. When Simon appears to look, what happend to Clary, he doesn't seem to see the three people in the room and Clary starts to question herself. She refuses to believe, that what Jace told her is true, but then her mother disappears after she got attacked and a strange animal thing tries to kill Clary. By trying to find her mother Clary gets sucked into a world full of demons, shadowhunters and dark creatures, she didn't know existed. She finds out, that nothing is as she thought it was."

THE SELECTION SERIES - KIERA CASS ( here )
A book about Princesses for my inner princess (putting on my imaginary crown). I wanted to read this for a long time and i finally picked it up. By the way this is the first english book i read without being forced and it got me into the english reading (it's not so hard as i expected it to be). The book is maybe a little bit tacky in a too romantic, cliché kind of way, but i still like it. At first it was hard to get into the world, because there was no explanation of the system etc of the world, but after a few pages i got it. Surprinsingly this is a series where i like every book of the three and not only the first.

"Prince Maxon of Illea will chose a women, the future queen, in his Selection. The Selection will be formed by 35 girls picked randomly out of the applications from the whole country. America's mother wants her so bad to participate in the competition, but America does not want to marry the prince or be queen one day. Her secret love and friend Aspen wants her to at least send in her application, becuase both of them never believed she, America Singer, could be picked. But she did. America has to participate in a competition the never want to be in, with her heart set for someone else and a prince, she isn't interested in. But as always things are different than expected and America gets torn between her feelings."

SHATTERED SERIES - TAHEREH MAFI (here )
I randomly picked this book up, because i liked the background text and i wanted to read ne dystopian novels. This is a more fanatsy like, with magical powers and of course a love story. And in the end a lot of war. One thing that made the book stand out from others was the way the author wrote. She has a very unique kind of writing i never saw/read before and i loved it. Again i don't really like the end of the series, because i would like the book to end different, but whatever. I still really like the idea of the series. Out of the three the first book is my favorite.

"Juliette is locked away in a dark room with only one window and noone to speak to for years. She is a monster. She can kill someone with her bare skin and everyone who touches her skin will suffer incredible pain. But everything changes, when a boy gets thrown into her prison. Why did they do this? Juliette has to face the fact, that she can't hide from this boy forever. And to survive at this dark place they have to work together. But the boy isn't who he pretends to be, he frees Juliette from the prison and her whole life and view of the world is about to change. And the boy, Adam, is able to touch her without getting hurt. This is the first opportunity for her to love without being scared."

DELIRIUM TRILOGY - LAUREN OLIVER (here)
Another Trilogy where i like the world and the basic idea of the book. This was a recommendation at my local bookstore and i don't regret buying it. This is another series where i liked every book and the story didn't lost it's way or it's drive after the first book. This is again dystopian and of course with a love story (which is a love story i really liked though).

"Amor deliria nervosa is a disease that nearly killed the entire human kind. Now "love" is declared as a dangerous disease and everyone over eighteen will be healed, so they will never be able to fall in love anymore. Lena believes in this and can't wait to live her life after the operation. Her best friend Hana does not want to be healed and drags Lena into the dangerous and adventorous world of the rebelious young people. But Lena isn't convinced until she meets Alex and doubts if love is really so dangerous."

FOUR - A DIVERGENT COLLECTION - VERONICA ROTH (here)
For the record i am obsessed with the Divergent Trilogy ( i read the whole series probably three times in a row) and the film and with Four (i mean just...yummy!). And i really like to get the other point of view from the two main characters (for example in Twilight or in the shattered series). It is refreshing and interesting to read the story from the other point of view and you know things you otherwise wouldn't. Futhermore the story of Four on it's own is worth a book, so i am happy there is one about it. Most of the time i was reading the matching passages in both books at the same time to have both point of views (yes, that's weird.)

"This book includes 4 short stories. Three about Fours life before he meets Tris. What is going on in his head, when he is in te situation to decide about his future life and decides to go to Dauntless? How does he experience the time as an initiator and what happens in this time? His life after completing the initiation and his struggle to claim his place in Dauntless. And finally how Four experience his meetings with Tris and what is going on behind his head."

What are your favorite books or which ones did you read this month?

5.1.15

December Favorites


Here we are again and it is time for my December Favorites. This time i only have Makeup Favorites, because my Lifestyle/Song Favorite stayed nearly the same over the month. At first i wanted to do a Haul Post, but when i was taking the photos for this post, i realized that nearly all of the products i bought are feautured in this post. So i decided to skip the Haul post, because i don't want to mention the same products twice.

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION
I wanted to try this foundation for a long time, but i Germany it is hard to get your hands on this. So i bought the foundation the first time i shopped at a candian drugstore. I am all on for the glowy dewy foundations. This foundation does excactly this. I leaves you with a nice dewy glowy finish, which doesn't look sweaty. The shade i have is a little bit too dark for me, but with a lot of blending you aren't able to tell. It has a medium coverage and looks natural on the skin. Some people don't like this foundation, because it has little little glitter particels in it. I don't see it as a problem, because it has a very nice effect.

TBS RADIANT HIGHLIGHTER
This one is again a recommendation from essiebutton. You can use the highlighter under your foundation as an all over face illuminator/primer or you can use it as a liquid highlighter only on your cheekbones. I like both methods and it has a nice rosy glowy effect, which doesn't look too much.

E.L.F. STUDIO HIGH DEFINITION POWDER
In Germany it's not easy to get your hands on the e.l.f. products. We have an online shop, but there is just a little amount of products. So i took the chance to buy e.l.f. in Canada. This powder is a transulent loose powder. It looks really nice on the skin, sets everything without making it look cakey. I like to use it for setting concealer or put it just all over my face. One odd thing about it is, that it is hard to not splurge the powder everywhere, because it is so fine.

REAL TECHNIQUES DUO FIBER COLLECTION
Real Techniques Brushes are soo damn good. I love them all. There are all different type of brushes and i have this kit and the blush brush. I think the Core Collection will be the next addition to my collection. The brushes are really good quality, the hairs are so soft and they don't loose any hairs. This Collection includes a big powder brush, a small eye blender brush (this will be mentioned later on again) and a small contour brush, i like to use this for setting my concealer, too.

MAYBELLINE COLOUR TATTOO / "BAD TO THE BRONZE"
Yes, i know i am late on raving about the maybelline colour tattoos, but better late then never. I love all type of bronzy eyeshadow shades and this is a dark bronzy shade with silver glitter. I like to pop this all over my lid and blend it with the blender brush from the Real Techniwues Collection i mentioned above. A lot of mascara a bit of concealer and blush and you are ready to go.

NYX BUTTERGLOSS / "ECLAIR"
This gloss is honestly my very first product from NYX. Unbelievable right? Yes, i know. But there are more to come, because this gloss is so nice. It is not too tacky so that my hair gets stuck on my lips all the time and it also smells really nice. I think next time, when i go to the drugstore i have to pick up more shades.

RIMMEL EXAGGERATE LIPLINER / "EAST END SNOB"
This time it is a recommendation from Amelia. She said, this is a dupe to the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in "Pillow Talk" (which is on my wishlist). And i really like it. It is a Your-Lips-but-better-kinda-shade and makes your lips look smoother, fuller and just gorgeous. You can put some lipgloss on top of it, leave it as it is or use it as a lipliner for a bold lip for example.

L'OREAL MISS MANGA MASCARA
The next product i bought after the hype is gone. This mascara has a bendable wand and a wand that gets smaller at the end. I like the effect of the mascara, because it lenghtens and volumizes my lashes. One thing i don't like is that it tends to stick my lashes together, but when you are careful or let the mascara dry out a little (that sounds kinda wrong) it shouldn't be that big problem.

TBS CAMOMILE CLEANSING OIL
I am using the Maybelline Micelle Water for ages now and never used something different, that i liked until now. I picked this cleansing oil up at the Body Shop a few weeks ago and use it since then every evening. I use two pumps, apply it on my skin, then splash a bit of warm water in my face and remove the oil and the makeup with a towel. It removes the heaviest eye makeup without rubbing and if you gently rub it over your lashes your mascara disappears, too. Last but not least it leaves your skin feeling soft and not itchy or dry.

L'OREAL NUTRI-SLEEK HAIR OIL
I needed a new hair oil, because my old one was nearly empty and i left it at home. They had some kind of offer on this one, so i thought i should take it. After washing and drying my hair with a towel i put two pumps in my palms and massage it into the ends of my damp hair. It really smoothes and nourishes my ends and prevend them from looking to frizzy. And it doesn't make my hair look greasy at all.

2.1.15

Changes and Chances



HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
New Years Eve is over and the year 2015 is there. I could say, that 2014 was going by so fast, but that is something i could say every year, so i won't say it this year.

2014 was quite a busy and exiting year. I finished school and had to write my exams for my A levels, there were some changes in my family and living situation. The major thing that happend was, that i left my family and flew alone over the big pond to stay for ten month in Canada. This was probably the most exciting thing i ever did. Now two month are nearly over and there are eight to come. I am excited.

Every beginning of a new year everyone wants to make a new beginning, changes and take chances. New Years Resolutions are a thing. Everybody makes them, everybody makes too much and just a few people accomplish their goals they set for themselves in the end.
So this year i decided to keep it simple (hahaha...not really) and just set 4 goals. I thought about those goals for a little while, because i didn't want ridiculious ones or just some that would be impossible to accomplish.

1. HEALTHY AND FIT LIFESTYLE
This is something i set myself every year and never really do it throughout the year. There are periods of time, when i am really dedicated and others where i am not. This year i will try to keep it simple and take small steps instead of wanting to change everything at once. I want to incorporate Workouts and Fitness into my daily routine and don't stress about it too much, when i don't fulfill my plan 100 percent. We will see. And there will be a Fitness post/roundup at the end of each month (more about it at the end of January).

2. DO MORE.
That's an addition to number one, but still is a point for itself. I used to sit around a lot especially after i finished school. Most of the time in front of the computer or the tv. I want to do more with my day, get more things done, do more outside, visit people or just do something new.

3. DOTSINGOLD
I started this blog in November 2014 and it is not quite ready yet, but due to number 2 i don't have that much time anymore to spend hours for changing things on my blog. So i do it in little steps here and there. I want to blog throughout the whole year and i am excited what will happen this year.

4. MAKE MY TIME IN CANADA AMAZING
I will be away from home for that amount of time, probably just one time in my life. And i won't be able to repeat this experience, so i want it to be the best time it could be.

Do you have any New Years Resolutions?

Zoeva Brushes, one of the best



I already mentioned them in my November Favorites and i am going to rave about them in this post a little more. I am always on the hunt for good but not too pricey make up brushes. Sephora, Sigma or Mac brushes are good, but i don't want to spend so much money on a brush, because you need more than just one brush.

Zoeva brushes are still high quality, their hairs are soft and smooth and the brushes aren't loosing hair.Something that is important for me is, that they stay in their shape after i washed them. The really big and fluffy ones tend to loose their shape a bit after washing, but i like to put them in the protection case they came in to get them back in shape
The hairs are a blend of exquisite natural and synthetic hair free of dye.

The brushes are not only super soft and nice to work with I also really like the desigb of them. They look chic, but still simple. And i am dreaming of the rose golden set for a long time now. These brushes are just gorgeous.

 The price range is between 23€ and 8€ for single brushes, but they also have different brush sets.

I own the 101 Luxe Face Definer for applying bronzer, the 102 Silk Finish to apply foundation, i am using the 105 Luxe Highlight for my highlight, 122 Petit Stippling is for the application of cream blush and the 142 Concealer Buffer is for applying Concealer seamless.
I also have some Eye brushes, for example the 227 Soft Definer for blending in the crease, which is by the way very similar to the Mac 217 brush, and last but not least the 226 Smudger for smudging the eyeliner to get the smokey Kate Moss look.