Autumn Shopping

So my mum decided I need new clothes, of course I didn't object. I wanted a few warmer things for the upcoming months anyway and having someone who actually pays for them makes the whole thing even better. I'm trying to get back to wearing more elegant things again, I have been really lazy this summer, I wore flat shoes, no make-up and wide t-shirts. Now in autumn, my favourite season, I can't wait to get the dresses and heels out again.

Things I need:

• A jumper or a jacket that can be worn inside.
• A long coat.
• Winter boots.
• Winter shoes.
• Gloves.

Things we bought:

Winter shoes. I love them, I adore them, they are perfect and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. My mum says they looks like real leather but they really aren't!!

Warm gloves, I love them, they are really cozy!

A winter dress that isn't very keane on being photographed, not even when I wear it. I tried, I swear. It has some really pretty black embroidery on the neck line and it looks less like something you carry potatos in when you wear it.

The second dress didn't like photographing either, I'll try again when I wear it tomorrow, until then have a detail shot:

Stars!! Also the fabric is really nice and thin, very floaty, like a proper fairy dress!

A skirt that looks horrible on the hanger. Wow, I just realised how bad I am in doing this whole thing, I should do outfit posts more often to learn how it's done...

Aaaand:

A super soft jacket with awesome sleeves and big military style buttons. I got it in my very favourite shop called Paranox. The original price was 100€ but it was on sale for 79€ and the shop owner gave it to us for 60€ without us asking for a discount, just because she is nice like that. There was no way we wouldn't get it after that! Ignore my face and the weird posture, I'm trying to show off the sleeves.

What's still missing is a coat and winter boots and obviously we bought a bunch of stuff I didn't really need. Yeah, not complaining.

Aaaand finally I want to show you a pair of shoes I bought in spring but kept in my wardrobe for autumn.

I really like that colour, I think it looks great with an all black outfit, especially in autumn.

Do you do season related shopping trips?

Have a great day,

The Countess

It's a Lush life

Today I went shopping because I needed some sandals. I didn't find any nice ones so naturally I bought something else. That's just how it works. I went to one of my favourite stores ever: Lush. I love everything about that brand: Their products are amazing, they smell gorgeous, 80% of them are vegan, the rest is vegetarian, none of them are tested on animals, the packaging is all recycled plastic and paper and many of the products come on solid form in order to avoid unnecessary packaging. 

This time I bought the Stepping Stone foot peeling. I first was not really sure if I really wanted to get it because 5,50€ is not exactly cheap for me. In the end I still got it and I am really happy I did! It smells like lemon grass, perfect for summer and not only does it remove unnecessary skin cells but it also pampers the feet with oils. All in all, it is great!

I have realized that I own quite  few things from Lush which is mainly because I just looooove what Lush does to your skin and hair and I just feel good knowing that my money goes to a brand that shares my ethnical values and helps spreading them. So I have decided to show you my little 'collection'.

So far I have:

Hair:

- Ultimate Shine Shampoo Bar

- Karma Komba Shampoo Bar

- Seanik Shampoo Bar

- Jungle Solid Conditioner

-Veganese Conditioner (2nd bottle)

- two samples of R&B Hair Cream

Body: 

- Stepping Stone Foot Peeling

- Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

- Fresh Farmacy Cleanser

- a sample of Karma Kream

- two bath wands that were limited edition. The are mot on the picture because I forgot to get them out of the bath room. I got both of them for my birthday.

It sounds like alot, at least to me but many of those products were given to me as a present and I also got a gift card for Christmas. I am not one of those people who just go and spend 30e in a Lush store, I can't and and do not want to spend that amount of money on cosmetics. I basically go to Lush when I want to get a special treat for myself, it is always special to get in the store and choose a product. 

What about you, do you Lush? What do you think about the products, the brand, the ethnics?

Have a great day,

The Countess

The Story of a Pair of Shoes. And donating blood.

So, I had really good plans for today: I only have one class of Uni on Tuesdays (I know, right? Sometimes life just loves me!) and it's basically in the middle of the night. 8:00 am. Okay, okay, I am exaggerating... but I have to get up in the middle of the night to be there (05:30 am) and after that one class I don't really have anything to do because my friends are all at Uni and I am a lazy shit and don't have a real job ( I tutor kids on Wednesdays and Fridays). So I decided to do something good for society and my bank account and donate blood. Normally, I do it for free at the Red Cross but I missed the last date because occasionally I do have Uni so I went to the University clinic in Bonn where they give you 25 €. 

Normally. 

Normally doesn't seem to work that good for me though. After going to Cologne central station after Uni and eat a way too early lunch at 10:30 to be fit for losing half a litre of blood and after going to the Uni clinic which was a trip that took me over a hour to get there, after nearly getting lost at the friggin' clinic grounds and after preparing myself to not get a panic attack when they come up with those huge needles they didn't want my blood. 

Let me repead that: They. Didn't. Want. My. Blood. They didn't even test me for asiderosis ( the deficiency of iron in the blood). They asked me which asthma sprays I use, discussed for a while whether or nor not I was a suited donour and that was it. 

I was a little perplex. As I already said I do have donated blood before (3 times) and my medicine had never been a problem. I was afraid that maybe the Red Cross had made a mistake those times and that my blood wasn't suitable for transfusions so I simply asked why it was a problem that I use those sprays. The lady on the counter gave me a quite annoyed look and said: "Well, we aren't the Red Cross, we give the blood to very ill patients, there mustn't be anything in there."

Oh really?

What do you think does the Red Cross do with the blood? Sell it to occult sects? Give it to My Chemical Romance so that they don't have to youse paint in their photo shoots anymore? Paint walls with it?

Or maaaaybe they give it to "very ill" people who have lost a lot of blood? Well, no, that idea is far of!

Don't get me wrong. I am not pissed because I couldn't donate and didn't get the money, I am pissed that I used my free time to get there and do something good and they treat me like an idiot. The counter lady was annoyed the whole bloody time! I tought my question was a valid one, I should know why my blood isn't good for transfusions, shouldn't I? Argh!

So I went back. I took the bus to Bonn central station and then remembered that there are no train connections to my home town from there, only to Cologne. Therefore, I decided to walk through the city and do some window shopping because on the other side of the city I could take a metro to the city next to mine and from there I could easily get back home. 

Long things short, I suck at window shopping, I always buy stuff.

I have been looking for a decent pair of flat shoes for weeks now. I am not exactly a fan of shoes without heels, I mean where is the point in wearing them? On the other hand, I have to do quite a bit of walking on some days of Uni and I still have problems with my right metatarsal ( or rather the tiny extra knuckle that is next to it and that shouldn't be there. I am a mutant...) since January so heels are not always an option. 

Unfortunatly, I haven't seen any nice shoes, neither high nor flat, during the last weeks. I don't like mainstream shoes but getting and overpriced pair of gothic brand shoes isn't really worth the money as I "only" needed flat shoes. 

Luckily, I wasn't allowed to donate blood and luckily I was pissed and wanted to cheer myself up because I found the perfect pair of shoes. At H&M. Seriously. I try not to buy at those kind of chains of stores because I do not like the conditions under which they produce their products. The workers are often minors and underpaid. Urgh! On the other hand, I cannot afford to buy my basics at my favourite gothic store where I know where everything comes from, so...

Well, back to topic. 

I found them.

They are perfect.

I think I am a little in love with them.

Here they are.

Patent-leather goodness with ribbon shoe laces

And a wannabe plateau

 Aren't they just awesome?

The correct answer is yes.

I also had another lucky finding. A black agate ring with a diamond pattern. I got it at Bioux Brigitte for less than 2€ which is really cheap. Did I mention that I love semi-precious stones? Well, i do.

Ihad to take about 100000 photos in order to get two decent ones

Did you have any lucky findings in the last time? Or are you more the organized and structured shoppers?

Have a great evening, 

The Countess