Five Things.The "It's almost September"-edition.

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is wonderful! I will go to my first bridal shower ever tomorrow and I am pretty excited because I have no idea what to expect. 
Please check out my friend Celeste's Five Things too!

It is almost September so I feel like I need to prepare myself for autumn and I think these 5 items are perfect for fall.

1.This candle.

OpalAndWonder

I found this soy candle in a little etsy store called OpalAndWonder and I love the design and the description of the candle. I think it would be perfect for some colder fall days. 

2. These boots.

Stella McCartney

Well, new season means new shoes, am I right? So I really need to go and do some shoe shopping because I don't want to get cold feet. And I think these would be perfect.

3. This scarf.

TomieHarlene

I also found this in an etsy store, it is called TomieHarlene and I must say that I immediately fell in love. The colors are perfect.

Am I the only one who spends hours searching for stuff on etsy? I guess not. 

4. This hot water bottle.

Jeannes Tea Room

A bunny as a hot water bottle? Do I really need to say more? I don't think so. I am in love and my feet will love this one too because they love everything that keeps them warm. Definitely need this. It is from an etsy shop called Jeannes Tea Room.

5. These gloves.

Fashion Field

Also found on etsy. Those are vegan gloves. When it gets cold I never leave the house without gloves and a scarf. So these are must have items for me. 

What are the things that you need to get before autumn arrives?

Have a wonderful weekend!

I can't wait to see this TV show...

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Thursday! I hope you are all doing great!

It is hard to believe that we are already talking about fall TV shows.  I guess that means it is time for some fall shoe shopping too. But that's another topic....

My "old" favorites.

I discovered some new really great shows over the summer - for example Orange Is The New Black, The Bridge, Rectify, Family Tree. But I am also excited to see some more of my old favorites.

The crime shows - Bones, The Mentalist and Castle.

My good old Grey's Anatomy - because I need to find out what happened to Dr. Webber.

The Walking Dead of course, because we all want to see some more Daryl Dixon action.

And the funny shows - New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother.

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Something new.

I have to say that I am not well informed when it comes to new shows. I had to google it first and it seems like there will be a show called "About A Boy" based on the Nick Hornby novel (which I loved) and the Hugh Grant movie (which I also loved but not as much as the book). So I guess I have to check that one out.

Do you have any suggestions?

Have a wonderful Thursday!

My holy grail of moisturisers - MuLondon Organic White Chocolate Truffle Moisturiser

Hallo meine Lieben,

today I want to tell you a little bit about one of my favorite skin care products ever. I have heard about MuLondon a couple of weeks ago and I immediately knew that I had to try these products. The wonderful Boris - who is the owner of MuLondon - kindly offered to send me my favorite product: the Organic White Chocolate Truffle Face Moisturiser. Thank you again, Boris!
When I first heard about the product I wasn't sure if I want to eat it or use it as my moisturiser. It just sounds so delicious.

I was excited like a little kid on Christmas Eve when my package from London arrived - I just couldn't wait to try it.

I opened the jar and I just couldn't believe the smell: it reminds me of something from my childhood. I can't exactly say what but it might be the hot chocolate my Mom always made for me. So the product already won me over because of the smell. I mean, it reminds me of my Mom so that's already enough to make me happy.

I really love everything about the product: the smell, the packaging, the texture, the ingredients, the way it makes my skin feel....
I am using this product for a while now and it makes my skin feel so soft and healthy...and then the smell! It quickly became my every day product. I am so in love!

Here are the ingredients:
Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea Butter)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Butter)*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil)*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Extract)*, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla Extract)*, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Extract)
*Denotes Certified Organic Ingredients.

All products are natural and organic, vegan and cruelty-free, mild & concentrated and without preservatives. They are also registered by The Vegan Society, The Vegetarian Society and PETA.

I use it as my day and my night cream.
This is definitely not my last MuLondon product. I am planning on buying the Organic Rose Foaming Face Wash and the Organic Rose, Rosehip & Rosemary Face Moisturiser. 

I really can't recommend this product enough. 

I also recommend following MuLondon on Instagram because Boris shares the most wonderful pictures there! Boris, thanks again for sending me this wonderful product!

What do you think of the MuLondon products?  Do you want to try them?

Sunday Confessions. Sad days, vegan cheese and a heavenly smell.

Hallo meine Lieben,

can't believe it is Sunday already! Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and the next week will be fantastic!
You can link up with Alyx here.





Confession #1.
Vegan cheese makes me happy. I got some Daiya cheese yesterday and now I want to eat nothing else. 

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Confession #2.

I have found my holy grail of moisturisers. I am using the MuLondon Organic White Chocolate Truffle moisturiser for a while now and my skin feels so soft. And the smell is so heavenly. Plus it reminds me of my childhood.  A review will follow soon. And that's definitely not my last MuLondon product. 

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Confession #3.

My  Mother's birthday is on Tuesday. Or would be. I still celebrate it. And I will never stop. I miss her every day but days like that are especially difficult. 

What do you have to confess? Have a great week!

Six things.

Hallo meine Lieben,

my wonderful friend Sara from Sara In Le Petit Village wants me to answer 6 out of 9 questions she asked...me so here we go.
Thanks for passing this along, Sara!

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend by the way.

This is me drinking. I thought it's better to add a random picture to this post.

What is your favorite time of the day and why? 

I would say early evening, between 7 and 8 pm. All the work is done (in most cases) and it is time to relax. Plus it is dinner time which is basically the most important time of the day. I probably think too much about food. 
But I also love to get up early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. It is so quiet and peaceful then. 

If you could invite five people for a dinner party (alive or dead) who would you choose?

Paul McCartney, Norman Reedus, Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Wollen and Sophie Scholl. I think this would be a fantastic dinner party. 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

There are several places and it is hard to decide. Dublin, Ireland or Amsterdam, The Netherlands. But also Reykjavik, Iceland. 

What would your last meal be? 

First of all my Mom's semolina-garlic-soup which she always made me when I was sick.
Then I would like to have a huge Indian curry with lots of spices, chick peas, potatoes, broccoli and so on. I would also like to eat a Laugenbrötchen (pretzel roll) with Wilmersburger vegan cheese (the spicy one). Oh, and some fried tofu with veggies. 
A vegan coconut cream pie for dessert and some cookie dough ice cream. 
I would like to drink a bottle of Bitburger beer and some Dr Pepper Cherry. 

If you were given €50,000 what would you do with it?

I guess it is smart to say that I would save some of the money. But I would also do some lovely things like going on a vacation, buy some Stella McCartney shoes and go to a book store to buy all the books I am interested in. 

What is your dream holiday destination? 

Probably a trip around the world with stops at all the places I am interested to see. This would be a long trip because there are so many places I want to see. Norway, Christmas Island, Iceland, Ireland, South Africa, India, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Madagascar, Kenya, San Francisco and and and. I want to try some local food, meet some local people and see all the interesting places around the world. 

Have a lovely Saturday!
And thanks again, Sara! You rock!

Five Things. A green plant loving dinosaur who wants to live in your house.

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Friday! I hope you are all having a wonderful time!
Please check out my friend Celeste's Five Things as well!

1. This lip balm.

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It is from a company called Bare Bones Body and that's what you need to know about their products: "Ingredients you need. Nothing more, nothing less. No toxins, no animal products, tested only on humans." Sounds great to me. I definitely want to check this out.  I also love the packaging a lot. 

2. This dinosaur planter.

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I love the idea and I need to get one for my house too. I would also love to have an elephant planter and a hedgehog planter.

3. This shirt.

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It is from a cute little shop called VeganVeins. They also sell the cutest animal jewelry. 

Humans are the only ones who drink the milk from another species on a regular basis by the way. At least in adult life. 

4. This  bag.

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I am so in love with this Stella McCartney bag. I really admire her for work. There should be more designers like her. 

5. This island.

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When I was 13 years old I read a book about a woman who traveled around the world. One of her stops was Christmas Island. Since then I am fascinated by that place and want to travel there so badly to see the crab migration.

Have a wonderful weekend!

A place in my city I love.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope you are having the most wonderful week. This week's Random Thursday topic is...

My German city.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of this, but there is a massive old tree in my home town which I love so much. I can see it from my Dad's house and it makes me happy to see that huge tree every time I look at it. People who drive through my town (I have to admit, not many people drive through there because it is such a tiny place) even stop to take pictures of that tree. When I walk to the cemetery I always pass by that tree and I always have to stop to just stand there and look at it. 

My American city.

There is not much in this town but there are some fantastic hiking trails. I love spending time in the nature, it is the perfect way to relax.

Except of that my favorite place in every town is the book store. When I see a book store, then I have to stop and go inside and look around. I guess my life goal is to visit every single book store that exists. 

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I wish this one would be in my town. 

What places do you love in your city?

Have a lovely day!

My 10 favorite crime writers.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope your week is going fantastic! You can link up for Ten On Tuesday here.
This week I want to talk a little bit about my favorite crime writers. If you read my blog on a regular basis then you already know that I am a huge book worm and that I am especially addicted to crime novels.

Number 1.

Håkan Nesser

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He is a Swedish writer and he has written two crime novel series among other books. I recommend all his books but both crime series are fantastic. The first series about  the detective Van Veeteren consists of  10 books and the second series whose main character is Inspector Barbarotti consists of 5 books so far.

Number 2.

Henning Mankell

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My first crime novel love! Another Swedish writer. Mankell's  books will always have a special place in my heart because I started reading them as a teenager because of my Mum. She loved his books so much so at some point I started reading one of her books and wasn't able to stop.

The main character of his crime novels is called Kurt Wallander. The movies are also good but can't beat the books.

Number 3.

Arnaldur Indriðason

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He's an Icelandic writer and I have always been fascinated by this country. The main character of the books is called Erlendur, a detective who lives in Reykjavik. I discovered this book series because of my Dad which is funny because he does not even read crime novels. But he always sends my my favorite crime novels to America. One of his coworkers is also a huge fan of crime fiction and one day my Dad brought me one of Indridason's books that his coworker gave him. Since that day I am in love.

Number 4.

Jussi Adler-Olsen

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Adler-Olsen is a writer from Denmark and I read his first book in just one day. The books are fantastic. Pretty brutal and breath-taking. And the main character Carl Mørck is definitely one of my all time favorite character from a book. The 5th book of the series will be released September 13th and I couldn't be more excited.

Number 5.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

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Another Icelandic writer, this time with a female main character. And another series that my Dad discovered for me. Yes, he actually goes into a book store and looks for new crime novels for me. How sweet is that? There will also be a new book by this writer soon, I am stoked. 

Number 6.

Åke Edwardson

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This writer is from Sweden, as you can see I am in love with Swedish and Icelandic crime fiction. Edwardson's main character is called Erik Winter and loves Jazz. Sometimes he solves murders together with his friend, a detective from Scotland. Sweden and Scotland in one series. Sounds perfect to me.

Number 7.

Helene Tursten

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Another Swedish writer. Why do female writers always have female main characters and male writers always male main characters? At least in crime fiction. I really wonder why that is. So if I ever find the time to write a crime novel then my main character will be a guy. 

Tursten is another writer my Dad discovered for me. I got her first book as a Christmas present in 2011 and have read all her other books since then. 

Number 8.

Lars Kepler

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My latest discovery! I started reading the first novel a couple of days ago and I honestly can't wait to read them all (3 so far, the 4th one will be released next January). Lars Kepler is a pseudonym of a Swedish (surprise) couple who writes crime fiction. The Hypnotist is the first novel and the main character is called Joona Linna. It starts off pretty bloody so obviously I am stoked. 

Number 9.

Arne Dahl

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Arne Dahl is also a Swedish crime writer. I haven't read all of his 13 crime novels yet but I am working on it.  I can only repeat myself but my day needs at least 8 more hours to read all the books I love.

Number 10.

Ian Rankin

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This may be very shocking but Ian Rankin is not a Scandinavian writer, he is from Scotland. Another country I love so I can make an exception for his great books and his main character John Rebus who is basically the Kurt Wallander of Great Britain. I am working on reading all the 18 John Rebus books.

Well, there are more crime writer I love but this is called "Ten On Tuesday" so I have to stop here. As you can see, I mostly read  Swedish and Icelandic crime novels. Why? I really don't know. I guess they are the best. Do you love crime novels? Do you have a favorite writer? Maybe some new books for me to discover? I am always searching for some new crime series to check out.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Conscious Box August - vegan edition.

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Sunday! Today I want to share with you the goodies I received in the Conscious Box. It is a subscription box which you can receive for 19,95 dollars each months and it contains "the healthiest and most eco-friendly products". Sounds pretty awesome.

There are three options: the regular box, the gluten free box and the vegan box. Obviously I have chosen the vegan option.

And here is what I got.

(Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I had to take them with my iPhone because my "real" camera is broken.)

And here are the products I received in detail.

MRM All Natural Veggie Protein. Chocolate flavor.

I have to say that I never tried veggie protein before but I mixed this with a banana and almond milk and it tastes pretty awesome. I would definitely use this more often.

Skout Organic Trailbar Apple + Cinnamon

I haven't tried this one yet but I expect it to be delicious. I like trailbars and I like apples and cinnamon so this can't be wrong.

Barbara's Organic Snackimals Cereal - Vanilla Blast

I have to admit that I did not make the effort to eat them with almost milk, I just ate them directly out of the bag and they taste really good. I felt a little sorry to eat them because they have cute animal shapes...monkeys, elephants and so on.

Eden Wild Berry Mix

Nuts and raisins, blueberries and cranberries. I liked them a lot, I wish the bag would have been bigger. 28,3 grams were not enough.

Flora - Flor Essence Rejuvenating Cream

There is also a coupon which gives you 5 dollars off if you purchase that cream. I haven't tried it yet but it is not tested on animals, paraben-free, contains no synthetic fragrances and is scented only with essential oils. 

Acure 100% Organic Moroccan Argan Oil.

I have a hair masque with argan oil and like it a lot. This bottle is tiny. So tiny that it does not even say how much is in it. 2 drops probably. But I'll try it. It says it is a 5 in 1 product: facial serum, cuticles, hair serum, elbows & knees, scars and fine lines. Well, there is definitely not enough products to try all of them but I guess I will try it on my face.

Doctor's Best - Suntheanine  L-Theanine

I haven't tried this yet and I am not sure if I will. It says " Relaxation without drowsiness, reduces stress and tension". I think I'd rather drink a tea to relax.

Goody Good Stuff - Sour Fruit Salad

Vegan gummi bears! I love gummi bears so this is my favorite product of the box. I will definitely buy this again because 100 grams wasn't enough. 

Ecover Natural Dishwasher Tablets.

These are phosphate and chlorine free, biodegradable and not tested on animals. I could use them if we would own a dishwasher. 

L'Ecuver's Gourmet - Mexican Blend

I am a huge lover of spices, everything I cook is very spicy so I can't wait to try this one. It contains cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ginger, dry mustard and parsley. No onions, thank you!

Coupons. 

Also, there was a cute postcard in the box with a dandelion on it. You can see it in the first picture of the whole box.

A card made by Smockpaper.

This one is really cute. I like it and I will definitely check out the company's website.

What do you think? I was so excited to receive the box. I guess everybody loves these surprise boxes. I think it is a great way to discover some new products and I love the fact that they offer a vegan option.

Next thing I want to try is the Vegan Cuts box. 

It is so exciting to receive boxes and don't know what to expect. I love the surprise factor of these subscription boxes.

Do you have a subscription to a box like this? How do you like it?

Have a lovely Sunday!

Five Things. A vegan burger, a crafty magazine and the perfect boots.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday!
Please go over and check out my friend Celeste's Five Things.

1. This magazine.

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I think I have already mentioned it before but I really love magazines. Especially the ones about food, science and being creative. Mollie Makes is a fantastic magazine and the best thing is that you get 50% off of all the older digital issues right now. Needless to say, but I ordered two this morning. Can't wait to get crafty. 

2. This giveaway.

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You can win a collection of fantastic eye shadows on my friend Martha's blog. The giveaway is open internationally. You can enter here. 

3. This burger.

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Except of the onions, of course. Brr, I hate them! But that's a smoked chickpea burger and I am definitely planning to make one of them myself. Because chickpeas are one of my most favorite vegetables. 

4. These boots.

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Aren't they perfect? Oh, I am so in love. I would love to own these cute little boots. They are from Stella McCartney which means that they are vegan. Maybe I can find a similar pair which is not 610 dollars.

5. This  book.

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I am constantly searching for new crime novels to read and I recently discovered a Swedish crime series written by Lars Kepler (a pseudonym for a Swedish husband and wife) and the books sound so fascinating. Seriously, Scandinavian crime is the best.

Here is what is it about according to Goodreads:

"In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes."

I have to check it out!

Have a wonderful weekend!