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I am traveling right now, and this post was written in advance, meaning it doesn’t really cover the whole of August. I had to cut it short, otherwise the August update wouldn’t have happened, makign this a short and sweet overview. There is makeup from r.e.m. beauty as well as a whole lot of sunscreen. The majority is old favorites you have seen on here a few times already, but there is also a new one I have been meaning to try for ages: the Beauty of Joseon Sun Relief, but in the Aqua Fresh version.

 

 

Fun fact, when I opened the makeup parcel, my daughter was with me and asked who it was from. Quite smug I answered, „that makeup was sent to me by Ariana Grande“ (which I admit is a stretch), figuring she’d be impressed AF. Turns out, she hadn’t even heard of her yet, apparently other things are hot with girls her age. So my proud moment turned into me feeling quite old and disconnected…

 

 

 

New In from r.e.m. Beauty

r.e.m. beauty wasn’t really on my radar before I was offered the opportunity to try some of their products, mostly because I don’t keep up with new makeup launches. I am pretty set in what I wear and like these days and buy a lot of drugstore stuff. They launched in November 2021 with 12 different products and became available in Europe via Sephora in 2023. According to the „About us“ section they want to give you the tools to „express, accentuate and add a touch of magic to evey day“. And I can tell you, my every day is in dire need of a little magic!

Most products lean on the shimmery or even glittery side, but there is a little skincare sprinkled in with the offers and a few products that are a little more subdued as well. Now what did I get?

The first thing is technically speaking a serum, so skincare with peptides and hyaluronic acid, supposed to be used as last step in your skincare routine. It is called r.e.m. beauty Dreamglow Highlight Serum in the shade Honeypot (30,7 ml for 22,62 €, full review coming soon). Now there is no denying that it has Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and a few other things usually found in a hydrating serum, but I am sure you will agree with me that it looks more like makeup, a highlighting base to be precise. There are four colors available and Honeypot is described as champagne with a subtle warm golden flip. I love it – I am a magpie – but don’t think there is anything subtle in the shimmer it gives. I will experiment with different ways to use it in my routine and then report back.

The second one is a liquid eyeshadow, the r.e.m. beauty Starlet Lustrous Liquid Eyeshadow in the color Muse (7 ml for 17,49 €, full review coming soon). It is a metallic bronze, again very glittery, and has a little spongey applicator that you can use for application. I have worn it twice already, the color is very close to what I wear on a daily basis anyway, but need to experiment with different ways of blending before I can give you my full opinion.

And the last one is a lipgloss, the r.e.m. beauty Essential Drip Glossy Balm in the color Shirley (4,7 ml for 16,62 €, full review coming soon). Shirley is a coral toned red, but the color payoff is very sheer, so for an intense lip you need to layer it on top of either a lip liner or a lipstick. There are ten shades in total, more classic ones like Shirley, but also quite experimental ones like a baby blue. In terms of texture it is  a little sticky, very hydrating and with a faint vanilla scent – truly a throwback to the glosses of my youth, the ones your hair would stick to. Sounds odd, but I love that.

 

 

New In from Stylevana

It was time to stock up on sunscreen – I wear it year round, but go through more in summer and have to share some of my facial favorites now that my daughter isn’t as oblivious to texture as she used to be anymore. So I stocked up on the SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50+ (50 ml for 10,19 €, full review here) that conveniently came in a two pack, so I have four in total – I use this one for every day, office or weekend, with the exception of beach days or hiking.

And then, also four, but packaged individually the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ (70 g for 8,59 €, full review here). This is the one I reach for when I reapply – should I leave my office during lunch break, or when I cycle home from work – only in summer though, I don’t really bother doing that during winter. It is SO lightweight, I don’t mind it as additional layer.

The only one I picked up that is new to me is the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh Rice + B5 SPF 50+ (50 ml for 16,20 €, full review coming soon). It is no secret I have been loving the original one for years, and I still do, but if it is really hot, it is a little too rich. Apparently this one is like the lighter sister, so I had to try it eventually.

I purchased all of mine from Stylevana, but they are of course also available elsewhere.

 

 

Things I have done, read and watched in August

August was the month when the kids were off school for summer, with two additional weeks extending into September, so I tried to spend some quality time with them on the days I wasn’t working. We did some hiking, went for ice cream, the usual stuff, but also watched a few movies together. One being Naked Gun 2 1/2 – it is the kind of humor that really gets a nine year old boy excited, even though some of the jokes still go over their head. The other one was a movie called Woodwalker, based on a childrens book by Katja Brandis. The author is German and the film was produced in Germany, with German actors, but was supposed to play in teh Rocky Mountains. Let’s put it that way: I have rarely experienced a more stereotypical  German school and German family than the one pictured here, which felt really odd with everyone trying to pass it off as not being in the Alpes, but in the Rockys. Anyway, the kids loved it, but if you are above the age of 12, I think you can pass without missing out.

For books I am almost done with „Daughters of Night“ by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, a historical crime novel/ thriller based in the England of 1782. I should probably have started it in November, as sitting outside in the sun while reading it didn’t really match the vibe, but it had me hooked throughout the whole 500 plus pages, one of these books that you really look forward to coming home to and that costs you sleep because you are going to read „just one more chapter„. I highly recommend you give it a go. But be warned it, touches on sexual power games and child exploitation – back then the official age of consent was 12 – so you need to be able to deal with that. Apparently it is the second one, with „Blood & Sugar“ being the first, but they are more loosely connected. I haven’t read „Blood & Sugar“ and don’t feel as if that is a disadvantage.

Fashionwise I don’t have much to show you because basically all our money was saved for our trip which, I realized that when reading back last months post, I often mentioned, but never explained. When you are reading this, we are somewhere in Western Canada, touring the national parks in a camper van. So if you don’t hear from me anymore, I have either been eaten by a bear or decided to move to the woods and forego civilisation.

 

What have you been up to last month?

 

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