review: PURA VIDA BRACELETS

Hey, sweeties!

Today I wanna talk to you about a brand called:

It is kind of a special bracelet/jewellery brand established in 2010 and every bracelet purchased helps provide full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica.
The brand was founded by the two Southern California friends Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman. During a visit to a small community in Costa Rica, they crossed paths with two men named Jorge and Joaquin who were peddling bracelets on the street. The colorful bracelets were handmade in a simple way that seemed to capture the essence of their journey. Soon after Thall and Goodman returned to the States their friendship to Jorge and Joaquin blossomed into a full-fledged business relationship.
The phrase “Pura Vida” (pu·ra vi·da) means "pure life" in Spanish. The pura vida lifestyle is embodied by the enjoyment of a life lived slowly, the celebration of good fortune, and the refusal to take anything for granted. It's about being free and living life to the fullest.

Their Charity Collection was created to give back to charities all over the world through the sale of individual charity bracelets. In 2013 we were able to donate over $140,000 to 190+ charity organizations and the brand has only grown since then.  From the protection of our ocean habitats to cancer research, this wonderful company tries to support as many causes and organizations as possible.

instagram.com/howepuravida

instagram.com/jewelboxno

I ordered my first pack of bracelets in January 2015 as a late Christmas present to myself and they arrived  surprisingly quick at my place (eventhough the shipping was just 10$!!).
The moment I opened the parcel was a good one, I was sitting on my sofa with a glass of red
wine.
Anyway, the quality of the bracelets is wonderful, like they look exactly like on the photos
on their homepage and each bracelet string is covered with a "plastic", a little bit sticky,
jacket to protect the bracelets from water, dirt etc.
I could leave them on 24/7 and they would still look beautiful after years.
As many of you may know, I work as a nurse, so I have to take the bracelets off whenever I go
to work, which brings me to another positive point of Pura Vida Bracelets. They have a special
clasp/ fastener (no knot needed), which allows you to take them off anytime and also
allows you to vary the different bracelet depending on mood and what you wanna represent.

I am so happy about the existence of this brand, I love wearing bracelets and I was so unhappy
when I had to take them all off when I started working, so having found this brand is my inner
14-year old screaming with joy and me wearing the bracelets with a huge smile on my face.

For more information, check out the brands homepage:
http://puravidabracelets.com/
or their instagram page: 
https://instagram.com/puravidabracelets/

Lots of love, Eva

Man Overboard concert -- Outfit Post

 Hey, sweeties!

Just a small outfit post for now, but I am writing a big product review post for you, guys. I hope it will
be up tomorrow throughout the day!
As many of you may have realized over the years, I am a massive fan of music and go to every concert possible.
Tonight I am going to a concert of a band called "Man Overboard" and the concert is  in a small, really tiny venue called "B72" and so I am superstoked.
There will definitely be a few bruises on my skin tomorrow Moring.

What I am wearing:

• black, studded jean vest by Forever21
• a flowery muscle tank which is band merch of a band called OF MICE & MEN
• black shorts by Forever21
• light tights by Calzedonia
• all-black Vans sneakers by Vans

Also, I am just bringing a light black cardigan with me, because the weather is supposed to stay at a max.
of 17°C this night and after all the jumping and dancing around at the concert I don't think I will feel cold.
I will be buzzing and feel warm from within, HA.

I wish all of you a wonderful evening, day, night (whatever time it is in your country) and enjoy
yourself!
xoxo Eva

Saying goodbye is never easy // fever dreams

Hey sweeties!

I normally should be in bed, sleeping and getting myself healthy again. I've caught a bug and it caused
trouble literally the last few days. Yesterday I felt much better and took it kinda too far . Today it was quite ok until like 1 p.m. and I ate pizza and all. The whole afternoon I was suffering like hell and now I got fever, so I really shouldn't be blogging.
BUT I can't....there is something I have to get off my chest now or I won't be able to rest at all...
my little (ok, he's the same age as me, don't judge) cousin - the closest thing to a brother I will ever
have ('cause I don't have siblings, duh) is going on a big journey tomorrow.
He will leave us for a world travel that will take him away from home for a year and I kinda feel it in my gut that he won't come back. He is a free soul, he isn't meant to be stuck in one place and I think he will find a new temporary home somewhere else after that year. Well, his travel route is quite impressive:
Ireland, USA, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, UK. He is supposed to be back home next March.
I was always pretty close with him and he was always the "little" brother I wish I had and the one I could
give advice to. It kinda turned out that way, 'cause after I returned from my travel he kept asking me about it and he told me how much he dreamed about leaving home and travelling the world. Ever since he dropped that sentence I kinda pushed him to travel himself, I brought it up EVERYTIME we talked.
When he spilt the news to me a little while ago that he plans on travelling and that he finally (!!) got proper plans, I was and I still am so excited for him.
Now tomorrow is the big day for him, but I can't be at the airport to say goodbye. I should be at work, well now I am at home with fever and stomach ache.
Anyway I wrote him a letter a while ago and I cut some parts out over time to make it shorter than the original version, 'cause he's a boy afterall and we all know that they have the concentration of a fly. No, I am kidding, or am I not?

"Dear my beloved favourite cousin,
You're leaving tomorrow, oh my God! I really hope you're not TOO excited. I can't be there tomorrow to say goodbye, but I wish you all the best for your travel, may all your wishes, hopes and all your dreams come true on that travel. Walk with open eyes through the countries you travel to and take everything in what you see, hear and smell. Be curious. Learn about each and every culture and its oddities. Skate wherever and whenever you can. Bend the rules and break some. Learn whenever you find something special that is worth to be learned, because you will learn the small and really important things without noticing it anyway. Make friends with everyone on the road, but stay loyal to your friends at home. Never stop believing in yourself when times get hard and believe me it will be difficult from time to time. Stay brave and strong. Send a few photos home every now and then and let us know that you're safe and sound. I know how you feel, I've been there too. Don't have doubts in yourself and if it was the right decision to leave everything behind for travelling, it was the best decision you've ever made in your life. Take care of yourself, you're the only one you have and trust your instincts, they will help you make the right choices.
I will miss you so much, eventhough we had some tough times in the past and haven't seen each other as much as we wanted to. You inspire me. xx"


I have to say, I teared up a bit, when I wrote that. OMG, it's really time for me to head to bed now.
xoxo Eva

My Weightloss Story

Hey, sweeties! 

Let's start this blog post with a quote from one of my favourite bands Paramore: "It's just a spark but it's enough to keep me going." while I finish my strawberry milkshake haha

At the moment I am having a bit of a down and I am trying to get all my motivation back. So I decided that this is the right moment to write up my weight loss story so far, because when I think through all of it, my whole story, maybe I find the motivation again. The spark of it is definitely still glowing, I just need to ignite the fire again.

Let's head back to my youth or the time from being a baby until I got around 12. I was really overweight, always have been. On my baby photos I look like a monster, like Bib from Michelin.
Well, I never knew what healthy food or anything was, so I ate whatever my mum was making and she made sausages and oily stuff like that a lot and there were sweets and chocolate at home all the time, so that didn't really help. On the other hand I was always really sporty, well I kinda loved being in the nature and taking super long walks (up to 3-4 hours) or went jogging. And my mums boyfriend pressured me into loosing weight as soon as I got 14. I really had an eating disorder back then, I lost a lot of weight in a real short amount of time, but it was never enough for me. I was disgusted by food and skipped too many meals.
I changed schools when I got 15 and then I started eating normal again, like I restored my weight and my hip bones stopped poking out.
The next four years I was in nursing school and it was psychically and physically the hardest thing I have ever done!! It was so much pressure, because I am a perfectionist. I wanted to be perfect and have the best grades, I put so much pressure on myself to get the best grades and be better and more loved than anyone else. And everyone needs some stress relief, mine was food. And it took me too long to see that. I just realized some time ago that I am a nervous eater and I always eat when I feel stressed eventough I am not hungry. Which brought me to the situation that after those 4 years in school I had all together put on exactly 30kg/ 60lbs.
I knew that I was overweight, but I really thought it wasn't that bad. I thought that restricting over the daytime and stuffing my face with food at night was the answer to everything. I had no idea how bad I treated my body. I was kicking my health with my feet. My mind knew that I was wrong and that I was terribly ill, I started hating myself with a passion.
After graduation I went on my travel and the first three months in India I actually lost quite some weight, I lived in an Ashram and "clean eating" made some sense there. I remember one situation which is actually quite entertaining to me now, but back then I was super sad, because I thought I was not fat, but "normal" weight. A little boy came up to me the day I arrived and instead of saying hello, he said: "Why are you so fat?"
India blew my mind, like I said before I knew that I had to lose some weight to get myself and my life into a better condition, but my travel kept on going and I spend another time in Perú. All the weight I had lost in India I put on and some more there. The food was horrible, just fat. Everything is fried or rolled in sugar, or both.
I came back home at the start of October 2013 and my mum said to me just some weeks ago that she almost started crying at the airport, because I put on so much weight during my travel, but she didn't have the guts to tell me that.
Life was so busy when I got home, because I had to find a job and wanted to earn money and move out. But then health kicked me and brought me to my knees. I had to undergo surgery....I got my gall bladder removed and that is an operation 60-year-olds normally have, not a 20 year old! I was so shocked when I got diagnosed and I was in such a bad state that I had the operation less than a week after the diagnose!! But everything went well and I went home after 3 days in hospital.
And guess what causes gall stones? Yes, bad nutrition! It took me a while to realize that my nutrition was NOT good or healthy AT ALL. And that I was lying to myself all this time. It was like I was running around with a wrong picture of my whole life in mind. I was in a shock and guess what I did?! I ate even more. It was kinda pathetic.
In hospital I got my first job and started working two weeks after the operation. It was actually the most dangerous thing I've ever done in my life. I was officially not fully recovered and there was always the risk that my scars would re-open and I had to get another surgery, but I didn't care, 'cause I wanted to work so bad.
I started working at the start of November and the plan of loosing weight was in my mind by then. I entered a local gym at the end of November, when I knew I was fully recovered.
I worked full-time by then and also volunteered at Warped Tour (which is another story), but I kinda felt that I lacked energy and strength. I always went home after work with back pain and the feeling of being powerless and I fell into bed after every single shift. It was horrible. I knew that my weak body state was the reason of me being like that and I wanted to change it.
It kinda clicked in my mind.
I went to the gym on every single day I had off and sometimes even after a shift. I was happy and the adrenaline after a work-out made me feel relaxed. Also, I started using an app called "MyFitnessPal" and started counting calories. At the start I had NO idea about nutrition, but I spent hours and hours of reading through internet pages and instagram pages about food and nutrition and the effect of nutrition and fitness.
I finally found something that was really interesting to me. It took me until March to be confident the first time to take a bikini photo. When I look at it now I can't believe that I thought back then that I got "skinnier". It just makes me smile.
I lost quite an amount of weight until August and then I again thought I was finally skinny, which I wasn't.
I started using Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide somewhere around that time and it really kicked my butt. I never thought that you could see results in such a short amount of time, but it made me thoughtful. Why should I go to gym, when I could do it at home aswell?
Well, that's kinda when everything went down. At the start it was the best thing ever, I did a quick workout every second day, but then I got lazy again and stopped working out at all.
I am still using "MyFitnessPal" and I still go to the gym or work out at home....but I struggle with finding any motivation to do so.
And I think every weight loss account on instagram or wherever that tells you that they don't struggle are lying. I struggle a lot, I am a lazy person...working out was never a part of my life until last year, so I don't think my mind is fully into it yet. I had a bad nutrition for 20 years, you can't change that within a year and make everything good.
After doing sports and being in the process for so long I kinda forgot what kept me going in the first place.  "Make them regret the day they called you fat." was my motto from day one and I just found out that one of my skinny friends from back home put on some weight and I feel like the tables are finally turning. After years of being left behind and being laughed at I am in the position to laugh, but I won't, because that would just make me the same awful person than they are.

To sum up my weight loss story/ success until now....I lost 26kg/ 57lbs, lost 20cm/ 7.8 inches around my hips, 10cm/ 3.9 inches at my waist and around 4cm/ 1.5 inches around my arms. I have more energy now and as soon as I started working out the back pains stopped completely.

I think I am writing this post as a motivation for everyone out there.
If you want anything you can do it, you just need to find one thing that keeps you going.
You have to work incredibly hard for what you want and you might share some tears, but if you keep your great goal in mind you will be blessed with amazing opportunities and happiness.

xoxo Eva 

Berlin Fashion Week, Part II

Hey sweeties!

I am really sorry that part 2 of my post about the Fashion Week is just coming up now...the thing is, my life at the moment is super busy and this will probably the last post about the fashion week for a while. I know I was super excited about it before and it is a big part of the past that I blogged about each Fashion Week, but I kind of don't feel "it" anymore. I am not sure what the "it" is, but I feel that this blog is taking more and more a different direction and it doesn't feel right anymore to blog about stuff that is so far away from my personal life and stuff I don't have connecting points with.
I rather tell you about stuff I tried, experienced etc. than about fashion shows I never will attend, because I don't even have any interest in attending it.




So about the Fashion Week, Day 2 to 4; 20th to 22nd of January.... some really interesting stuff was going on and it would be a lie to tell that I've seen all designers, I've not even seen all I wanted to see.
Anyway, I was so excited for Lena Hoschek this time. And she blew me away, her prints were so floral and a lot of her designs had shades of blue in it and I loved it. This is one of her best years so far.

Another one that blew me literally away was REBEKKA RUÈTZ, the make-up of her models was simply phenomenal and her designs were over the moon. Of all the shows I've seen this year, I think her show was my favourite, I love the prints, I love the design and I absolutely adore the coat you see on the model on the left in the following photo:

Once again, can we talk about the amazing make-up?!!

There have been a few more outfits that caught my eye. Marc Cain had many, many pastel shades in his designs and his show seemed so light and like a free spirit and gave out a pretty positive and warm vibe.

I've noticed a lot of black and grey this year, so this Fall/Winter will be a dark one. Not that I can complain, I think black is the most beautiful shade of all.
 I hope you all like this post, eventhough this will be the last Fashion Week post in that form.Have a wonderful evening, babes! :)


xoxo Eva

Scrubbing The Day Away/ Product Review

Hey, sweeties!

Today I am going to write a little review about my favourite Peelings/Body Scrubs.
I love taking care of my body and skin. When I was younger, around 10 years old, I suffered from a slight case of atopic eczema, especially at the start of winter (when the season of the heater started) and actually also when at the start of spring, when the weather started to get warmer and I started sweating. It all ended through puberty and I am more than happy about it, I hated the rough skin on my elbows and knees back then.
Now I really take care of my skin. I use body lotion, either the typical one from Nivea or „The New Charity Pot“ by Lush Cosmetics, every day after showering. I lotion my face two times a day and my knees/elbows, when it feels necessary, in between. Also, I work as a nurse, which means, putting disinfectant probably more than hundred times in one shift on my hands. Of course that makes my hands super dry and the skin hates all the alcohol in the disinfectant. This is why I especially use hand lotion every few hours, to keep the skin on my hand hydrated.
I am really obsessed with having soft skin, probably because I got many compliments when I was 14, 15 years old about the softness of the skin of my arms and hands. Also, I am really lucky when it comes to the skin in my face. I just have minimal problems with the skin in my face, like black dots and a pimple every now and then and I suffer from terrible big pores, but other than that I am very lucky. My skin care is another topic that I might talk about in the future.

Today I am going to introduce you to my three favourite body peelings/ body scrubs. I tried A LOT in the past, often the small free samples I got, but the three following crossed my path and they are too good to not talk about them.

1. „MY body Meersalzpeeling Aroma Spa“ by Bipa (www.bipa.at)

I have to say that this peeling was one of the first peelings I’ve ever tried and I still love it. They sold it in a little different variation when I first tried it, with less essential oils in it, it was mostly pure salt back then, but I am not angry, about this change. This little magic pot is filled with the essential oils of menthol, rosemary, eucalyptus, and gives you an intense warming feeling and an aroma sensation. It removes death skin cells and encourages the blood flow. Native, essential oils leave your skin feeling soft and glowing.
It’s a really good cheap alternative, if you want to peel your skin, but don’t have super much money on the side. It just doesn’t nourish your skin that much, which left me searching for alternatives, because I got sick of lotioning my skin after doing a spa peeling, the whole essential oils plus lotion left my skin little bit oily afterwards, but without the lotion the skin somehow seemed dry and not nice the next day.
It is a good cheap alternative, but if I should recommend something, you should spend a little more money on one that leaves your skin and you happy. € 3.99

2. „You Snap The Whip“ Body Butter by Lush Cosmetics (www.lush.at)

I tried this body butter the first time as a free sample when I bought my „Charity Pot“ one time. I tried it at home right away and fell in love.
This piece of art is sold as a body butter, but it is more like a peeling to the skin, a bar of charcoal and pumice filled with sweet-scented oils and luxurious butters. It srubs away any layers of death skin, while cocoa butter and macadamia nut oil nourishes the skin. Also it contains Cassis and the fruity smell of it reminds me of blueberries and I’m addicted to blueberries, that’s why I think I fell in love with it in first place, also because it nourishes the skin and leaves me smelling like blueberries!
On a negative note, it leaves your shower/bath tube super dirty, but with a little bit of water it washes off the remaining pieces of the butter pretty easy, but it leaves the shower very slippery, which makes it overall an dangerous experience.
What I simply love about Lush Cosmetics is that they don’t test on animals and all their products smell heavenly and I think they sell their stuff for a solid price (one bar lasts around 6 showers). € 10.95

3. „Original Coffee Scrub“ by frank (www.frankbody.com)

 

One fact before I start talking about this scrub is that I have an unhealthy obsession with coffee, I drink at least 3-4 mugs of the black gold every day. There is nothing better in the morning than the aroma of fresh brewed coffee in the air, which brings me tot he most amazing body scrub I’ve ever tried and smelled.

The scrubs by Frank Body are made for everyone who likes or loves coffee or more the smell of it! When you open the bag fort he first time a big wave of coffee hits your nose.

I bought the „Original Coffee Scrub“, which is a special blend of coffee beans mixed with brown sugar and sea salt that peels off any death skin cells and moisturises and tones the skin with cold pressed sweet almond oil and uses vitamins & minerals to work its wonders. And it leaves you smelling good with a little essence of orange. This scrub targets dry skin, cellulite, stretch marks, psoriasis, varicose veins, eczema and acne.
Some of you might know that I lost a lot of weight last year (25kg/ 56lb) and my skin really took it good fort he most part, but I can’t blame it for the stretch marks I have. Also I had an operation and i fit does all these things, it might leave the scars a little lighter, we’ll see.
Frank is an Australian company, the products are vegan and not tested on animals. There are different kind of scrubs the company sells, if you wanna know more about each scrub head over to their website and read through the describtions, for me the original version oft he scrub seemed to be the most fitting one.
My experience so far (because that’s the peeling/scrub I use at the moment) is a very positive one!! I love the smell oft he scrub so much, my whole bathroom smelled like coffee and I love that I can also use it on the face. I put it on my hands while putting it on my body and washed my hands afterwards, the skin even after that few minutes was so soft and smelled nice. After the prescribed 10 minutes I washed it off and, oh my God, my skin felt amazing! It was so soft (actually for 2-3 days!) and smelled fantastic.
You can feel the oils on the skin, but I had no problems with putting on tights right after the srub.
Of all the peelings I tested, this one ist he one I would ALWAYS and forever recommend.
Do yourself a favour and try this one. 

Oh, and they ship for free, so there is no excuse not to buy it. € 11.00

Now, it’s time to follow my lead and get dirty in the shower and make your skin and you happy!
xoxo, Eva 

Berlin Fashion Week F/W 2015

Hey sweeties!

After an exhausting 12.5 hour working day at the ward I work at, I feel super tired. BUT nothing will stop me to check out what happened on the first day of the MBFW in Berlin that started today.

 My favourites of Day 1 - 19.01.2015:
Pearly Wong - Runway
Laurél - Runway
Augustin Teboul - Kronprinzenpalais
Honestly, I just checked a few minutes of each show out and the labels I named above looked beautiful and absolutely killed it, I can't wait to share a few pieces of their A/W lines with you later this week.

Anyway, I can't wait for the next few days and I'm really stocked what the other designers got in their pockets for us.
xoxo Eva