A beauty traveller's guide

When I was a spring chicken, I used to backpack to various places around the world and get into all kinds of mischief and as glamorous as that sounds, I was always on a tight budget (summer jobs can only take you so far). There always comes a point on the trip where I had to sacrifice eating for the day or buying some beauty products - or worse, shoes. Now that I'm no spring chicken, and I can actually afford to buy food and beauty products at the same time, my interest in trying out new products (on a budget) has never really left me.

I'm such a sucker for a bargain and for reasonably priced products, if you have ever lived in Australia and bought a skincare product from an American or European brand then you will probably share my hate for import tax - it is not your friend, it is your life long enemy. So when I have the opportunity to fly somewhere, I always make sure to leave a reasonable space in my luggage for some local products.

These posts are just a bit of a guide for myself really on the things I should look at or steer away from when I'm in that particular part of the world.

Revlon at Seibu

(Lip Butters in Berry Smoothie and Peach Parfait - Colourburst lipgloss in Rosegold - 3D Extreme Mascara in Blackest Black) 

I was in Jakarta a couple of months ago for a short trip and there is not so much to do during the day than to shop, and the shopping centres are a plenty. I found myself at Grand Indonesia (as you do) and walked into Seibu - a Japanese owned department store. Seeing as I was with mum (a longtime Revlon fan) she was interested in checking out the Revlon stand. I wanted to try out the lip butters so I picked up a couple and while the nice saleslady was picking out colours for me, she asked what Uni I went to. I embarrassingly and quietly answered that hadn't been to Uni in half a decade, to which she screamed "What?". She was so impressed that I looked young for my age that she gave me a full size Colourburst lipgloss and a sample size mascara for free.

Although I'm not a fan of buying make-up from foreign shopping centres in Indonesia as the prices tend to be bumped up a bit, sometimes when you are super nice to the sales people, you can get some really nice freebies.

Where: Seibu (Rp.75 000, about €5.90 for 2.55g)

Culling the beauty cabinet

My husband politely but sternly pointed out to me today that our tiny bathroom has been infested with beauty products - more specifically mine. I just as sternly pointed out to him that in case he forgot, he did actually get married to a woman, and women tend to use beauty products. Ok as much as I would like to be in the right in this scenario, I must say, the amount of products we have in the bathroom is getting to be in a quite ridiculous state at the moment.

So I have managed to gather all my products (even the ones I've been hiding here and there) and decided to organise them, from unopened ones, to ones that are half empty and ones that are on their last legs. I've seen some posts of empties here and there on other blogs and figured that it was a good way for me to do a bit of culling with the products I currently have (I hate wastage!) and to also minimise my current stash. So, on with the culling!

Herbacin Wuta Kamille Handcreme

When my mum visited me here for the first time, she went to my local DM by herself, without knowing any German, and found this little Herbacin gem. Actually she found this whole mini-sized section in DM and found a little Herbacin 20ml tin of cream. Her hands tend to get really dry at times, so dry that they itch and as soon as she puts on a dab of this cream, the itchiness goes away. So when she ran out, she requested that cream from me.

Unfortunately I have yet to locate this elusive Herbacin tin, so I always get this tube version for her instead. I think the only difference between the tin version and the tube version is that the tube version contains glycerin which I'm not a fan of but I have tried it, and I like that it doesn't have a strong smell, it absorbs completely into the skin so you don't have to air out your hands for a while after putting the cream on and it's not greasy at all. I think this is a great, unassuming little product for those who suffer from itchy skin or mild eczema.

Where: DM (€1.15 for 75ml)

Estée Lauder Time Zone Anti Wrinkle Cream

I bought this cream after I had tried it during a transit in Singapore and really liked how it felt. I think it was in one of those gift sets where you get the day cream, night cream and a small serum for around €85 and I thought, well, when this cream alone is €85 then I might as well get the gift set.

I'm not sure whether it helped against wrinkles but it feels so hydrating and soft on my skin. It's one of those creams that I can happily put on all day looong and herein lies the problem. For the price, I can't really afford to lather this puppy up because this thing runs out fast - and I only use it in the evenings. I'm really going to cry when this cream runs out because I really don't think I can afford to buy another one because I would just go through it like melting ice cream.

Where: Karstadt, Kaufhof and Douglas (€85 for 50ml)

DVT Golden Vintage lipstick for Artdeco

It seems like I've come a little late to the Dita von Teese fan-club party. Her third and final make-up collection from Artdeco was released a couple of months ago, and while I am not a fan of hers or her look per-sei (although her lingerie line is really something else, just not on curvier ladies unfortunately) this Golden Vintage collection makes me wish I could pull off her look.


I love me a golden packaging so I was sold on this collection the moment I laid eyes on them. Elegant, luxurious, and quite sleek - I also like the fact that the Artdeco logo is displayed front and centre on the lipstick because I don't really like walking around with a famous person's name on my beauty things. I really wanted everything from this collection to be honest with you but it took me a while to talk myself out of buying them all as they are mainly suited for pale, cool toned skin.


I finally settled on the Golden Vintage lipstick in the no. 28. It is quite a deep red with a hint of pink undertone but not as pink as the other two and although it is quite matt, it has quite a satin texture.

Where: Karstadt,  Kaufhof and Douglas (€14.80 for 4g)

Dermalogica daily microfoliant

I was in the market for a new exfoliator as my old one was Australian made and quite difficult to get my hands on. I had a bottle of this in my stash I thought I would give the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant a go.


This product comes in a powder formula and comes out of these two openings ontop. It contains no artificial fragrance or colour.

Directions: After cleansing, dispense about a half teaspoon of Daily Microfoliant into very wet hands and create a creamy paste by rubbing hands together. Apply to face in circular motions, avoiding the eye area. Massage gently for one minute, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. Use daily.

When I use the directions on the bottle and create a creamy paste by rubbing my hands together, I feel like the beads are dissolving between my hands as opposed to on my face, so by the time I put it on my face, I get a couple of circular motions and within seconds, the beads have already dissolved and the product starts to lather up.

My Directions: I wet my face with water, while my hands are wet, I put the product on one hand and use the tips of my three fingers of the other wet hand to dab the product onto my face before scrubbing away. I found that by applying the beads sort of "semi-wet" on my face, it gives the beads a chance to do what they are supposed to do and exfoliate my skin.

I think this should be called a macro-foliant because the beads are so fine that you might as well be rubbing castor sugar on your face, not to mention they dissolve faster than a Redoxon in water. Since they come in powder form, I can't exactly use it in the shower because once the powder touches water and gets soggy, it's unusable so you have to be careful to keep the bottle away from any water or steam. This product requires me to cleanse beforehand, an added step to my routine which I don't like. I use this in the evenings when I have a bit more time, but to be honest with you sometimes I look at it and think "...too much work".

While it is recommended to use after cleansing, this product is so gentle that it leans more towards a cleanser than an exfoliant because once the beads dissolve, it lathers up to be a creamy cleanser. Perhaps this is better for younger skin (maybe early/mid 20's) where there is not alot of skin cells to buff off but for the older ladies like myself, this is more like a luxurious cleanser.

Where: Available at local facial and day spas in Australia ($58.65AU for 75g)

Nivea Soft Moisturising Creme

I bought a tub of Nivea Soft just as we moved to Germany when I noticed my husband had been putting on the Nivea Cream on his face. If you are unfamiliar with this cold cream housed in a dark blue Nivea tin, it is a very very thick cream, so thick that it is quite tough to apply - you literally have to pull and push your face in order to get rid of the white film residue. I found this and thought that seeing as it was still a Nivea product, and smells like the trademark Nivea creams, he would be more inclined to try it.

Not only has he been wearing it, so have I! The tub states that it can be used on the face and although the hubs uses it for this purpose only, I'm a bit more reserved. This is really a great all-round cream, it's a light enough texture to apply on my body without having to wait around for it to dry but also hydrating as a hand cream. I have a smaller tub of this in my handbag in case I get dry patches on my face and it will definitely be a household staple if not just for the Nivea smell.

Where: DM, Rossman, Lidl and Rewe (€2.45 for 200ml)

I think my face is a little homesick

As my Australian skincare stash is rapidly depleting at the moment (I mean, I'm down to putting all the products upside down just so I get every last bit) I have been doing a bit of testing here and there with some new products and it just seems like my skin is rejecting everything at the moment. That, and coupled with a very harsh winter I feel like my face (and myself) is feeling a little bit homesick and I have no idea what I'm going to do when they all run out eeekk!

Across the pond

Having been living for the last few years in a tropical country and enjoying the perks of weekly salons and facials, I have realised that I've been ditching my skincare routine for a long time. It wasn't until I got to Germany that I noticed my skin was getting blotchy, I was getting dry patches and these really weird fine wrinkles on my cheeks were appearing. I guess I was naive enough to think I had good genes when really, it was the weekly facials I was going to back in the day. So now that I'm well and truly a German (not quite) local I have really been proactive again in my skincare regiment and what a great place to explore some German (and European products) whilst living in the heart of Europe!