Empties: June '15

Ah yes, it's that time again, when I've gather up enough empty containers of products I've used and tell you what I think about it! However only a mere dent in all the products I still have, waiting to be used. (Yes, I know it's September. I was away.)

Form the top! Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses lip stain from Rimmel London in the shade 300 Perpetual Plum. I actually didn't use this up, it dried up. Granted I've had it for a long time, but I have however hardly used it, so it did disappoint me that it'd dried up.

Luscious Liquid Lipstick from ELF in the shade Cherry Tart. Very much enjoyed this, however I have noticed that the different shades of this product will have varying texture, which I think is far from ideal.
Masterpiece Max mascara from Maxfactor. The regular Masterpiece was my favourite when I was young, but I'm not sure about this one seeing as I think it dried up before I could really tell how I liked it properly.

Left to right; Morning Burst Fruit Infusions cleanser from Clean and Clear, this is the mandarin one for oily skin. I enjoyed this product and it lasted me a really long time, which also is due to my not being consistent with my skin care regimen, but hey!

 Tea Tree Water toner from Lush, mmm yummy! Again, I had this product for ages, and I used quite regularly! I had a hard time figuring out how I liked it, but after using a different toner after this - I MISS IT SO MUCH! I spritzed it on my face after cleanser and before moisturizer, it soaked into my skin really well and of course has that tea tree feel to it, luckily without being overwhelming. (I'm not a big tea tree fan!)
Forest Glow body scrub from Allison Scandinavian Purity. I really don't care for this product. I don't like the scent, I didn't feel like it did anything and was just happy to get it used up! In terms of the scent, I have the body lotion in the same scent, and even though the scent is the same in these two products, I don't mind it in the lotion.. Hmm, maybe just me being odd?

Top left; Cocoa Body Butter from Derma V10, I enjoyed this product in the beginning, but with prolonged use the scent started to feel a little overwhelming and strangling for me. Product wise OK, nothing special, but suitable for my needs and a cheap products. I used it on my legs which do have a tendency for dryness.
To the right of the body butter is Moisturising Hand Cream with almond oil and shea butter from Cien Bodycare. This was alright I suppose, nothing special, not particularly good or bad.
At the bottom are three little samples from The Body Shop, the bottom left sachet is a sample for Vitamin E Moisture Cream, I did like this and would consider buying the full-size when I need one.I also really enjoy the scent! To the left in the green sachet is a sample of Drops of Youth Concentrate, what I assume is a serum. When I put this on my face it was quite yucky and tacky feeling that a serum or gel can have, but I was happy to experience that it soaked in/dried up quickly and felt fine to sleep with. In the little tub to the right was a scoop sample of The Body Shop's body butters in the fragrance Green Apple. Green apple is my favourite scent, and I was very excited about this! However I felt that the scent of the product changed over time and I don't care for that much. As a body butter I do like it and have other body butters from The Body Shop. Btw, this little jar lasted me a long time!

Top: Rainforest Balance conditioner for oily hair from The Body Shop.

Bottom: Rainforest Balance shampoo from The Body Shop. Honestly, I hated these. Both. I thought they left my hair really yucky and ewwie and just. No.

X Hard as Nails topcoat from Sally Hansen, I really enjoy Sally Hansen's different, and those are usually the ones I go for, liked this one very mucho!

 Impulse deodorant in Tease, I like these because they are always super cheap and have no aluminium in them, which many deodorants do and that can be breast-cancer inducing. I also like them because they're a smaller size, so I can try alot of different ones with different scents!

Volume Powder from H&M and I were not friends. I think as volume powder, it's probably fine. I did get volume from it, and it also kind of worked as a dry shampoo, I just don't like the feeling it leaves in my hair, so I decided to toss it even though it wasn't empty. 

Sensitive toothpaste from Zendium. This is my all-time favourite toothpaste. I do have sensitive teeth, and for a while I used a different toothpaste for sensitive teeth, but still experienced uncomfortability, so I switched to my old buddy here, and it was fixed within two days.

Ahh yeah. I know this was mega-late, but I've been away all summer, and had forgotten all about this post which I had half-written, but forgotten to finish and upload before I left for the summer!

 - Elk

Haul: Hamburg - Budni

Hi guys! Yesterday my friend and I went on a roadtrip to Hamburg, Germany, because she wanted to go see a outdoor-store called Outdoor Aurüstung, and I wanted to go on a roadtrip! Other than the outdoor store, we also went to Biomarken Barmbek, a healthfood store, where I got some delicious vegan foods that I would show you, but I ate them all - YUM! Although if you're interested I just uploaded a video to my YouTube channel, a What I Eat in a Day video where some of those foods are featured.
But right now, I thought I'd show you a couple of bits and pieces I bought at Budni, a German drugstore.

I got a mascara from Essence called Plump no Clump Deep Black Volume Mascara, and a Velvet Matt Smokey Eyes Pencil from Catrice Cosmetics, in the colour 20 Avokhaki. It's en eyeliner with a smudger brush on the other end of the pencil, and the swatch shows the liner with and without being smudged.

Left to right; One Ginger Morning bodywash by Treacle Moon, oh this smells so lovely like ginger and a bit citrussy! I personally really enjoy the smell of ginger, but if you don't like it, this is probably not for you.

In the middle there is a Vanilla and Coconut bodyscrub from Budni Marken's own brand, Budni Care. I've used it a couple of times in the shower, and so far I quite enjoy it. Admittedly I don't have alot of experience in bodyscrubs, but I definitely like this way better than the previous one I used. I also want to note that this vanilla scent I find to be of the vanilla bourbon type, and yes - there is a difference in types of vanilla scents!

Last but not least, to the right is an Anti Grease shampoo with lemon balm from the brand Guhl. I've used this a couple of times, and do enjoy it as a shampoo, but can't state if I find it more helpful for my oily hair than other shampoos. 

On the left is a  Fresh Pommegranate deodorant, again from Budni's own brand Budni Care. Why did I buy something as simple as deodorant on roadtrip to Germany? Simple, Germany, as well as other European countries (that I know of) are much better at leaving out aluminium in their deodorants. A metal that is added to deodorants for it's abilities to fight off sweat for longer, however is also breast cancer inducing. In Denmark most deodorants have added aluminium, and seeing as I don't want breast cancer, I snatch up deodorants that doesn't have it when I find it in Danish stores, and when I go on trips to Germany, England etc.

On the right is another tub of my green hair dye from La Fiché, Directions Semi-Permanent in the shade apple green. It's not from Budni, but I thought I might mention it anyway.

Left to right, Luxury Laquers from Catrice Cosmetics in the shade 02 Mrs. Boombastic. I believe this might be from their Liquid Metal SHINY line, but that' just what I'm getting off the bottle.
Middle is Gellicious Nail Polish from Just in the shade 70 Be a Mistress. I've been trying some gel-type nail polishes, and liked them a fair bit, so I thought I'd try this out. To the right is 3in1 Top Coat from Just.

Essence Eyeshadow (from Essence, if you hadn't guessed) in the colour 18 All I Need. I. Love. This. Beautiful!

Last but not least, Stay Natural Concealer from Essence in the shade 01 Soft Beige, now I am fair/porcelain type shade, but this is absolutely fine! It's one of those twist-uppy ones that I really prefer for undereyes!

I hope you enjoyed my little haul and ramblings!
 - Elk

Makeup: Swinging Sixties!

Hi guys! It's Saturday night tonight, and I'm feelin' it! I wanted to do some nice makeup, but I couldn't decide on anything "normal", so I thought SHUCK IT and decided to try something fun. Here's the result, the swinging sixties dollybird look.

I even managed to put on false eyelashes, which I normally can't do, not even if my life depended on it! Hope you all have a great Saturday night!

Makeup: GaGa inspired

Mad eyeliner, luscious red lips, lots of fun! Inspired by Mama Monster - Lady GaGa.

- Elk

La Fiché Directions Review/Hair Update

I dyed my hair green - well some of it at least.

I used this hair-dye which I bought in Black No. 1, a goth/alternative shop in Copenhagen. Dye is from La Fiché Directions and the shade is Apple Green.

I realize that sadly it's only a semi-permanent. I really wanted a permanent, but apparently a permanent green hair dye is hard to come by. (How can that be?!) However to my great disappointment, after just two hair-washes have the green bits almost washed out. I reckon this is the type of dye you'll have to touch up once a week or so, which of course is a pain - but the green hair is so cool! 

This is the front bang after just two washes. The dye sits in your hair for 15 minutes and then you rinse, next time I'm dying it I'll try to let it sit for longer, but the constant touch ups is really going t be a pain!

 - Elk

I'm on Instagram!

Hi guys, as the title says I'm now on Instagram, posting pictures of delicious vegan food, makeup and other bits and pieces from my day. Have a look if you're curious!

Elk's Instagram!

Insanity

I bet that many of you have heard this saying and nodded in agreement. It makes perfect sense, if you apply a solution to a problem and it doesn't work, wouldn't you try a different way of solving the problem?

So please, why on earth are you trying to loose weight and gain health and fitness the same old way?

I heart lots of people say that losing weight is easy, but they don't bother to to, or think it's not worth it. The high exercise, low food, sad sad calorie restricted diet - lean meats, no carbs, no sweets, no fun. 

In my personal opinion and experience, that way of weight control and lifestyle is nothing but a sure road to hungry misery, binging and endless guilt everytime you put something in your mouth.

I love eating, I love food, I love shopping for it, cooking it and eating it. But once upon a time, I had this weird things, a compulsive idea that men shouldn't see me eat. I couldn't stand having men watch me eat food. Not because I ate ridiculous amounts or ate really messily, but because I was ashamed that I ate - period. I was fat, and the way you get fat is that you eat. (Or so I thought, later I've learned that it#s about what you eat.) I was ashamed to follow my most natural human instincts, I was ashamed to put food, energy, nutrition into my body when guys were nearby.

I'm not sure who I think I was fooling, my appearance and my body spoke for itself. 

This was back in boarding school, luckily my pet peeve didn't evolve into anything compulsive or obsessive, and I COULD eat in front of guys, I just tried to avoid it if possible and I ate perfectly normal in front of girls. I have shed this pet peeve, but recently I did find myself uncomfortable by just telling my boyfriend that I had to eat food, again - I felt ashamed. It was a sad flashback from past ghosts. 

And guess what, I never lost weight. All I gained were crazy thoughts that men couldn't see me eat, hunger, low energy levels and binging on cakes and "treating" myself with a whole bag of hot wings or cheesy pizza when things got a bit rough. What a depressing time, it brings tears to my eyes looking back and thinking about it.

So here's my plea to you. Stop. Right now, I want you to stop being insane. I want you to stop circulating, stop doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, because guess what Sherlock, you're not going to gain a different result unless you apply a different way of solving your problem. Enter high carb, low fat veganism!

Lastly I'd like to recommend you watching this video. It's evidence based, scientific really good information on calorie restriction. The results of this study are staggering and will leave you with something to think about. You are your own best friend, so make sure to nurture yourself and enable yourself to thrive.

 - Elk