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Welcome back to the Skincare Stash and Life Update for October, again with very little skincare to show you. I have two things from Geek and Gorgeous, then some hair care from Garnier and body care, again from Garnier. Everything is purchased myself, no PR, which is a relief to be honest. I don’t get around to posting as frequently as I used to, so not feeling guilty because there is so much piling up that needs a review is a win.

 

 

Of course I have some books and shows to talk about as well, so let’s dive right in!

 

 

 

New in from Geek and Gorgeous

New In is actually a far stretch, if you are a regular, you will have seen both of the products several times on here already.  Both are staples in this household and frequently repurchased. On is for me, the Geek and Gorgeous C-Glow Serum (30 ml for 12,50 €, full review here). I picked it up at my local drugstore and I recently got the question if it is safe to pick up at there in terms of shelf life. One of the main selling points is that they only do small batches and then send them out quickly, so the Vitamin C doesn’t oxidize. Now you obviously can’t tell how long it has been sitting in the store already, which means it could already be quite old when you buy it. I have been buying it in store for more than a year now and never had one of them turn yellow before I managed to finish it, which takes 3 months on average. I have also made the experience that the shelves are often empty when I go get a new one, so I don’t think they are sitting in store for a long time, it is popular, and for good reason.

The other one is Geek and Gorgeous A-Game 10 (30 ml for 18,80 €, full review here), one of their Retinaldehyde products. I use prescription Tretinoin for my adult acne, but this is what my husband uses for his mimimalist well-aging skincare routine. There are different strengths available with 0,05%, 0,1% and 0,2% Retinaldehyde respectively. I have reviewed the strongest one here, but while there was no problem with irritation, the 0,2% leaves a noticeable yellow tint in his stubble (he usually shaves clean in the morning, but has noticeable regrowth by evening), so using the 0,1% version is a vanity decision, not a performance one.

 

 

New In from Garnier

Another thing I had to stock up on is hair care, specifically the Garnier Fructis Mult-Use Wonder Oil (150 ml for 4,75 €, full review coming eventually). My hair is thin, long, bleached and prone to damage, so I swear by silicone based oils for my lengths to make combing through them less damaging. I have tred a lot of different ones, but this is the one I keep coming back to for everyday use: It gets rid of the knots, tames frizz and doesn’t overly weigh down my hair, all without leaving a weird residue.

And because I enjoy that one so much, I picked up a bottle of Garnier Fructis Oil Repair 3 Duo Effect Milk and Serum Leave In (150 ml for 3,19 €, full review coming eventually)  – quite a mouthful. Now what did I want from this one? Basically the same I want from the oil, but with a focus on caring more than on smoothing I guess. I feel with everything I put my hair through, it deserves something in between washes to nourish it. Is that necessary? I can’t say for sure, but I know it would make me feel better. Sadly I have a problem with the product that I have with several other leave-in conditioners as well: If I use it on dry hair – which it explicitely says you can – it adds a little tackiness that I feel makes the hair knot up more quickly. That doesn’t happen when used on damp hair, but I wanted something for in between washes. So far I haven’t been able to figure out what is causing this problem, so if you have any idea, please share!

Thirdly I purchased a new Garnier bodylotion, the Garnier Body Urea 24h Smoothing Body Lotion (400 ml for 3,95 €, full review coming eventually). It is the one I used all through last winter as it is very hydrating – Urea is one of the Natural Moisturizing Factors occurring naturally in the skin and a very good humectant (read more on them here) – and my legs get super dry once the temperatures drop. There are two downsides to the cream you need to be aware of: It is quite firm, so once the bottle is down to around a third of the product, you have to put in a little work to get it out. And second, it takes a little time to completely sink in. Not hours, but I don’t like applying it and immediately getting dressed in „real clothes“ afterwards. PJs are no problem.

 

 

What I watched in October

I actually have two things to mention here, a Netflix series and a movie. The series I watched is Wednesday Season 2. When it comes to the Addams Family, I am from the in-between generation, „my“ Addams Family are the ones from the movies with Anjelica Houston playing Morticia and Christina Ricci playing Wednesday, so obviously I will always compare the newer things to what I know. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy the show and am happy it will return for Season 3, but … I am not happy with how Gomez Adams is portrayed. Now obviously, new actors will give a role a different spin, and Catherine Zeta Jones is not the Morticia I am used to either, but the Gomez depiction is too much slapstick for my taste. Gomez always was a different kind of man, devoted, romantic, but in its way unique and someone to be take serious. Not your alpha-bro, obviously, but an equal to Morticia. The new one seems to be an afterthought to the family, which doesn’t do him justice. In terms of gore and horror, the series is borderline what I can stomach. I am very, VERY! sensitive to these things, so don’t let this be your guide, but (SPOILER!) the brain eating zombie gave me nightmares for days.

Speaking of things I can stomach, the second thing we watched was the first John Wick movie. Yes, I know it has been out for ages, but I had watched the last of them in cinema with my husband two years ago when it was released, and ever since he insisted I watch them all to get to know the John Wick universe. Well, I might not be quick when it comes to these things, but I am persistent, so two years later, we started. There were obviously no zombies involved, but a lot of blood and pain, which again isn’t something I enjoy watching, especially the pain and torture parts. Strange if you think that working as an emergency doctor I have probably seen worse in real life. I have been to car accidents, train accidents and have treated people that fell from buildings, and apart from empathy for the patient and their loved ones that doesn’t really bother me. I don’t faint at the sight of blood, body parts and I am well versed in dealing with people that are in tremendous pain. It is just that if I have to sit there and watch it, without being involved, it stresses me out tremendously. Yes, even if I know that these are actors in a movie and that no one is really getting tortured or hurt.

I should probably only watch Rom-Coms from now on…

 

 

What I read in October

I also managed to read two books last month, which I feel pretty smug about. I have established the habit of reading at least ten minutes every night before bed, which isn’t a lot, but adds up. And it really helps me unwind, much better than scrolling my phone (don’t you hate it when they are right about things like that?)

The first one is one that has been on my list for ages, so I felt really lucky when I stumbled upon it in one of these open libraries where you can exchange books you have read against new ones. It is „I feel bad about my neck“ by Nora Ephron, a collection of essays in which she talks about her life. Despite me being younger than she was when writing this, it felt really relatable – I mean, don’t we all wake up some day and realise that we should probably have started taking better care of out neck years ago? I certainly know I did, and I can relate to a lot of the other things she talks about as well. If you are familiar with Goodreads (I love me a list, so I use it to track my books on there), you might know that beyond every book there is a list of reviews that range from balanced to absolutely unhinged. Underneath this one was a comment about how aloof this writing was and how far fetched as it only depicted the viewpoint of a white, wealthy woman. Usually I just skim through other peoples thoughts, but that one stuck with me. I mean, it is autobiographic? And she is a white woman that got wealthy with her writing? Which certainly means she is living a very privileged life compared to others, but how is that an issue in the book if she is literally writing about her own life? People never fail to surprise me.

The second one, quite different to the first, is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Yes, the „fantasy bad boy enemies to lovers dragon“ book everyone on TikTok seems to be obsessed with, and I understand why. The female lead is capable and witty, the love interest is a type of morally grey I can get on board with and there is enough story to keep it interesting if they are not engaging in bedroom activities, which in some of the other books out there seems to be the only part of the writing the author put some thought into. Is it a must-read? Probably not, but it is a very entertaining way to spend my evening. I am currently on book two (it will be four, but only three are out yet), which is dragging a little – I will tell you next month if it picked up pace or if I will leave the series after it.

And now I have nothing more to share, except an apology for my lacking upload schedule. I am focussing on my new job, which takes up most of my time, and then on my family, so YouTube and the blog need to make do with what little time I have left. Yes, I do have time to watch Netflix and read (I even managed to play World of Warcraft a few times), but I need that to unwind and remove myself from my laptop. I can’t promise that will be different anytime soon, so for now: Please accept that there will be less to see from me.

 

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