FASHION | CLUSE watch first impressions

Hey there,

recently I got a watch by the brand Cluse. The reason for that purchase was first that I needed a nice watch for every day and second that this particular watch was on a huge offer. And I found out about this brand while browsing through Instagram. Cluse is working with a lot of influencers and advertizes their watches a lot in social media. I purchased this watch myself.

The colour is very neutral. It is grey but with a hint of beige. I guess the more wear time you give this one, the more it fades into a beige colour. The quality of the leather strap is very good. It is a high quality brand but cheaper than Daniel Wellington for example. The clock-face is huge although this model is one of the smallest they offer in general. But I guess it is just trendy at the moment to carry bulky watches. It is such a timeless piece. Anyone can wear such a style. Because I got it with a discount I am satisfied with the value to money ratio but you do pay for the name. At the end of the day it is just a watch with a large clock-face and leather straps that are changeable. Of course it has good quality and it looks very elegant on your arm but I wouldn't say that it is worth about 70 Euros. I hope it will last quite some time but I will keep you updated. The watch is water-splash-proof. I've tested this. But you can't dive very deep with this watch. Further technical information you can find below. It is a fashion piece and not a very functional watch. It has no clockhand for seconds, only minutes and hours.

 Information on the model: 

- stainless steel back

- Japan movt

- 3 atm water resistant

- model: CL18215

- Cluse La Bohème CL18215

- clockface: 3,8 cm width 

- leather straps 1,6 cm width 

Do you own a watch by the brand Cluse and are the prices of the models justifiable in your opinion? 

xNat

MAKE UP | Like a rose

Hey there beauties,

Today I am back with a makeup look!

I just love a rose colour on the eyes.
I guess it is not really approriate to talk about flowers in the middle of winter but still I do love roses all year round. A light pink shade on your eyes is a colour you surely can wear in all seasons.
I love including rose colours in my makeup looks. A pink shade on the eyes and a sheer red colour on the cheeks and you will look youthful and fresh. This time I used my blush as an eyeshadow colour. There are so many makeup products that you can use for many different purposes at one go. For example a lipstick can be an eyeshadow colour, a blush and of course a lipstick. Pink shades can be applied on many points of your face, they are so versatile. But be careful and don’t overuse a rose colour on your face because you may end up looking like you just did a marathon run. This is a very basic makeup. I applied foundation, highlighter and the blush. On the eyes I used my highlighter as a base. Over that I applied the blush and a sparkly pink eyeshadow shade. In the crease I applied a matt brown shade to create more definition. I rounded up my eye look with my statement feline flick. Then I applied a rosewood colour on my lips and I was good to go.

A flower does not think 
of competing with the flower
next to it.
It just blooms.

quote by Zen Shin

What did I use?

Foundation- Rival de Loop Natural Lift Make-Up in 01 Light Beige

Lipgloss - L.O.V LOVlicious caring volume gloss in no. 170 Tempting Grape

Eyebrow gel - essence make me brow in 02 browny brows

Highlighter - Alverde Naturkosmetik Rose Tinted Highlighter (love it)

Blush - H&M Beauty in Pale Pink

Eyeliner - essence 2in1 eyeliner pen in thin/thick

Mascara - p2 Hero Lash mascara in 010 super black

Matt brown eyeshadow - EYLURE cosmetics London Fleur de Force brow powder and brow highlighter

Lipstick - p2 Full shine lipstick in 080 tell me a tale

Eyeshadow palette - essence ...& the lovely little things in 02 ...& the love story with my wardrobe (limited edition)

Information: The brand p2 is no longer available but this makeup look should rather be an inspiration and the exact products don't have to be used to achieve a similar look.

Do you have a favourite mascara that you can recommend? I am in need of a new one.

I like lengthening mascaras. Volume isn't as important to me.

xNat

MAKE UP | Essence follow your ♡ (heart) eyeshadow palette

Hey there beauties,

today I want to show you some swatches of the palette by essence called follow your ♡.
Recently I've been updating my makeup collection and I noticed that I don't have a good eyeshadow palette with neutral colours that I could use every day. It had to be nothing too colourful or artsy. I just needed nude/neutral/skin coloured tones for my eyes to accentuate them daily. So I went into our local drugstore and found a palette by essence that was reasonably priced. I didn't swatch it in the store because I thought that essence has a decent quality in general and so I thought their newest eyeshadow palettes should work for me anyway and I ended up buying the palette with the most neutral colour selection of their range. I have to say that I am disappointed with the quality of the shadows. Maybe the palette is for a very young target group where less pigmentation goes a longer way but the colours can't be build up as they are very dry and accentuate every tiny wrinkle on your eye. They are very powdery and the fall-out is absolutely above average for these shadows.
I am just not impressed at all. You can see on the photos below that the pigmentation of the darker colours is quite okay but the lighter colours are just invisible. To be real, I wouldn't have that much of a problem with the low pigmentation if the shadows would be buildable. But because they are so dry
an advanced eyeshadow look would be just intense crumble action. I think I have to give the palette a second chance and apply the shadows with a wet brush. Maybe they will work for me that way. But for now I can only say that my first impression is that they are low in pigmentation and sadly very crumbly. The palette contains 13,5 grams. What's nice is that it has a mirror inside the palette which is very handy. It has a magnetic closure.

Only the colours jet set and rich copper are glittery. The others have a matt finish.

To summarize, I will try to use this one up as much as possible but I won't buy an essence eyeshadow palette again as I am not satisfied with the quality of the shadows. The palette doesn't cost very much but still I can't accept the level of crumbliness of the shadows. It may be a good makeup beginners palette or if you are very young and want to keep your eyeshadow looks quite natural you surely can work with it but I will continue my mission to find a neutral coloured eyeshadow palette where the nude tones are highly pigmented and buttery in consistency.

Are you satisfied with essence eyeshadows? If yes, what eyeshadow can you recommend?

xNat

Your life is full of opportunities

Hey my dearest readers,

Right now I am sitting in a local library typing this blog post.

I could as well continue studying for my upcoming exam.

I could as well visit a nice restaurant and eat my favourite meal.

I could as well visit a friend.

I could as well just sleep.

I don’t want to bother you with scientific theories but this concept of missing other opportunities while focusing on the opportunity you are currently executing and thus indirectly creating costs of missed opportunities is the basic concept of the theory of opportunity costs. It is one of the main theories in economy.

Why do I mention this theory to you?
Well, especially now in the preparing phase for the upcoming exam period I find myself in the daily struggle of arranging the time I have given on a day the best way possible. But this isn’t easy. Oftentimes I am not so sure if I should continue studying, have a break or watch an entertaining video on youtube. The funny thing is: no one but you can answer this question. Other people don’t know of your capabilities. They can’t feel if you are currently having a break because you are exhausted or simply bored.

I find it frustrating at times that our current society standards are only focusing on success.
You can always be better. No matter how good you are at something, there is always gonna be someone who’s better at it. There’s not much you can do about it. It is unlikely to be the very  best at anything when comparing yourself to the whole human kind. But you are able to set your own standards and goals. I would describe myself as an ambitious person but there are times when I think about the costs that I pay indirectly day by day. You never know about the exact 'price' you are going to pay because you have chosen that one opportunity. Life is about constant decision making and believe me, no one can overview or supervise your decisions other than yourself.

Sometimes when I am sitting in the library I feel sorry for the social contacts I am neglecting.
I don’t want to neglect anybody, it is just not physically possible for me to focus on so many things at once. When I feel extremely tired in the evenings and just decide to sleep I feel bad in the morning and tell myself: you could have studied harder. But I feel that we are never really satisfied with our current situation. We are given the technical devices to be able to compare ourselves with millions of others within seconds on-line. If you post a life-goal you have achieved there is always someone who will surpass you. Or someone who makes fun of your goal because they might not understand the reason behind it. A simple comment under a picture you post can be the trigger for you to feel unmotivated and hopeless.

And in the offline-life: In school everyone told us that without the A-Levels you won’t be able to find a good job. After gaining my A-Levels everyone told me that without an academical degree I won’t find a good job. I don’t know what will happen after Uni but I am sure that some people still won’t be satisfied with what I have achieved. I guess they will never be. This is the game of society. For the masses you are probably never good enough. The thing is, back in the day you could only compare yourself with a sibling, cousin, the boy/girl living down the street. Nowadays the ways of comparing your life to others is endless. That is very dangerous if your aren’t confident in your own skin.


Comparison is the thief of joy. You can take inspiration from other people but never compare yourself in a direct way to them. They are in other stages of their life. You are different. That is a fact. And that is good. I’ve learned that the only opinion that matters is my own. There are many ways to reach a certain goal. You don’t have to choose the path that is the most recommended, the most walked on. If you are satisfied with yourself it’s all that matters.

And let me tell you: having fun is more important in life than working.

You have to balance out the work with something your body can regain energy from. Once your energy is gone, it has to be recharged. I mean everything has to be recharged. Not only technical devices but your body and mind as well. Have some me-time regularly.

I believe that everything in life is balanced out. You have to find your optimal balance. Though I don’t believe there is an optimal balance. All these optimizing theories are theories, literally.
However humans aren’t theoretical. We are real and imperfect.

You can’t avoid missing certain opportunities. Just try to be happy with your life in general and focus on the one opportunity you are taking at a time. Make the best out of your choices. Live your decisions. If you feel good with what you are filling your life with and you don’t hurt anybody: just continue doing it. Goals are important but don’t feel sad if others don’t appreciate your effort.
Celebrate every tiny victory on the road to your life-time goal and most importantly be proud of yourself!

Of course this is all my perspective on things. Please don't take it personal if you share an other opinion. I don't want to offend anyone.

xNat

Tips for surviving the exam period

Hey there,

I am a university student with a few years of experience. I wanted to share with you a few tips that I have encountered working for me the best when preparing for exams. In my case, all my exams happen during a short period of time, in like about 2-3 weeks. So for me it’s essential to prepare for several exams simultaneously.

1. Start early

I know this tip is extremely obvious but in Uni you have to know a lot (also unnecessary information) by heart and it is simply physically (and psychologically) not possible to learn a script with about 400 slides the night before the exam. Maybe if you are a genius that is a way to go but don’t play it harder than it is. In my studies I have encountered situations where there was a question in an exam asking the definition of a certain technical term. And such a definition can be a small passage somewhere in the script with about 400 slides. Exams in Uni are all about the details.

2. Make your own summaries

I find it very hard to remember everything when just reading the printed version of the information. I am a very visual learner, so to write the information down manually with my own hands is obligatory. When revising my learning material has to be my own handwriting or else I won’t remember the details so well. I always use different colours when approaching a new topic. Also try to rewrite the information as much as possible in your own words. But be careful: Some professors are really strict and want a one-to-one copy of their own slides as the correct answer in an exam (already had such experiences). Oh, and if you have a mathematical exam don’t just look at the sample solutions. You have to do all of the exercises yourself! Otherwise mathematics (at least for me) is impossible to master. If you write a mathematical exam exercise the mathematical problems until they get boring.

3. Do all of the past papers you can find

Teachers in Uni usually nearly always use the same scheme for their exams so when you do all of the exams that were published in the last semesters you really get into the topic, learn about the different exercise models your teacher uses and you get an overall idea about how the exam could be structured. Teachers aren't walking encyclopedias (referencing Lilia) . Each professor has their field they are specialised in and you may look up their research works of the past. If your professor for example has recently published a research paper on a topic there is a high chance that this particular topic will play a role in the exams the professor will create. Experienced this situation as well.

4. Don’t make yourself crazy

The exam period is over so fast. When you are in the middle of it you don’t believe for it to ever be ending but trust me you will survive all of the exams. I always tell myself: students before you have passed this and that exam so why should you fail at it when you have done everything possible in advance to pass it? It will be over soon. Trust me.

5. Feel free to ask for help/socialize

This is a point that I have neglected during my studies. I was mostly afraid to ask fellow students or the teachers/professors for help. But the Uni staff gets paid for teaching you. If you have a question on how to solve a certain exercise just visit them in their office hours or write an e-mail. They surely won’t bite you. But you have to be prepared, that means you have to have an exact question. Most teaching staff will be happy for students having an interest in their research field. And you are invited to form study groups. The human being likes to get social. Together with a fellow student friend the pain that Uni can cause is more bearable.

6. Make nice plans for afterwards

I feel so much more motivated during exam period when I know that afterwards I will get to spoil myself. It is the best feeling when you know that you have given your best and finally deserve something that you have dreamed about a longer time like a vacation, designer item of clothing etc.

7. Indulge yourself
While studying you have every right to indulge yourself to stay sane.
You can make the rule that you only allow yourself to eat your favourite kind of sweets while you are studying. That way you will connect studying with something positive. You can listen to beaufiul music while you read a book. Be creative. You have to surround yourself with positive energy while you are studying. That way your stress level will lower a bit. And the aspect of social media should be adressed here as well. Of course all kinds of entertaining media are a distracion while you are studying. You lose focus and your high level of concentration when browsing through social media. So you have to reduce your active social media time. But because giving up on social media can be quite harsh on your psychological system I learned to use social media in exam periods the best way possible. I follow a lot of study accounts on instagram. That way you even get inspired when browsing through social media as your feed will be full of motivational study posts. Moreover I like to check youtube's study with me section or day in the life of a student videos to keep me inspired and motivated. In the following I will link some study accounts on social media that I follow regularly (some are German).

♡SOCIAL MEDIA STUDY INSPIRATION♡

INSTAGRAM:
@expertin.mit.ausstrahlung (Yasemin)
@studyingwithlily (Lilia)
@academic.eve (Eve)
@wiwi.student
@girlylawyer
@selbstorganisiert
@studylikegranger (Melanie)
@that.depends
@achtzehngewinnt
@miss_jurastudentin (Lena)

YOUTUBE:
LilyLikecom
studytee
TheStrive Studies
사랑Sarang

Good luck to everyone preparing for their exams! You will rock it.

Would you prefer to write one exam every month instead of about 5 in one week in your exam period? Of course in the latter you would only have the high stress level in a short period.

Writing an exam each month would leave you under constant pressure. But too many exams in only one week is quite hard. Please leave your thoughts on that topic in the comments below. 

xNat

Breakfast for the cold season ♡

Hi there!
Ok, this breakfast isn’t the most healthy.

But you need that kind of comfort food in the gloomy season. Am I right?

Basically this is a french toast with decoration but I simply wanted to inspire you and give you an idea for a delicious and filling breakfast. This is really simple to make.

Ingredients:

• You just need white bread. I cut it out into a heart shape. But I don’t think you are able to tell on the picture. Well, it is the thought that counts.

• You also need some eggs. It depends on how many slices of bread you are going to fry. This is a sweet breakfast so don’t add salt and pepper. Just crack the eggs and you may add a dash of milk to make the whole dish even sweeter.

• Soak your bread in the cracked eggs. Put a tiny amount of oil in a pan and prepare to fry the bread, coated in eggs. I used too much oil. Be cautious!

• Then fry the slices of bread. This doesn’t take long. You don’t want your bread to scorch.

• When the toasts are the colour you wish just place them onto a plate and here comes the exciting part.

• You can pour honey over the toasts or add nutella. Do add all kinds of fruits as well. Like bananas or red berries. I added cinnamon because I love it.

Et voilà, your sweet french toasts are served!

Enjoy your meal!

The youtuber called Chanelette (link) inspired me to use this particular recipe.


Do you like it sweet or savoury for breakfast?

Comment below!

xNat