November 23, 2015

das jute leben - the good life


www.dasjuteleben.de
It has been quiet around here for a while. But behind the scenes it's been a whirlwind of inspiration, fun and adventures! Whilst on a four week holiday in Sweden with my friend Lisa we decided to found "das jute leben - the good life" together. 

Over on www.dasjuteleben.com you can find what enrichens and embellishes our lifes, what inspires us and what we dream of. The lust for life is only one of many passions we share. Beauty and fashion, movies and music are our interests, as well as baking, cooking and travelling together - all those enjoyable and good things in life!

I will no longer post over here on juliesdreams, so I would love you all to go over to "das jute leben - the good life" and join us on our journey through the good things in life!

You will also be able to find us on social media (all @dasjuteleben)!

                            

Lots of Love 
and thank you all so much for the creative moments we've shared so far
Julie 


May 22, 2015

The Outfit: building a wardrobe - capsule pieces


summer and spring 2
As I share a spring and summer capsule it's not as easy to narrow it down to a certain amount of pieces as during autumn and winter. Here in Germany it still can be very cold on some days even during summer so I just can't completely ban thicker sweaters and longsleeves from my wardrobe. But I'm still all about the airy and flowy pieces.

I've already told you in the last 'building a wardrobe' post that I'm all about white and blue during the warmer months and this year is no exception. I already got all the pieces I need for my spring/summer capsule. I've just purchased one pair of new flats as I really needed some (the blue/black/white vans style ones you can see above). As for the rest I'm really happy about what I got last year.

this year's capsule pieces are
  • staple dresses with bold prints that I will be able to wear on it's own without looking too basic
  • airy blouses that can be worn over jeans and shorts as well
  • jeans shorts and printed shorts
  • striped crop tops which go with high waisted jeans or skirts
  • basic tops that can be dressed up by accesorizing 
  • mint trousers (go with blue, white, black and grey...)
  • blazers - I'm especially in love with this bright yellow one from Zara I got last year
Esentially it's all about mixing bold patterns with basic pieces. Either bold shorts with a basic top or the other way round. As the hotter months aren't really about layering this is the way I like to stand out a bit.
Lots of Love
Julie 


May 20, 2015

The Life: 5 Things I Love


Sunshine and flowers. Oh I'm so in love with spring and summer. I always have been. Don't really know how this happens, but everytime the sun finally gets out again after long months of grey coldness I instantly feel happy and fullfilled.

Facetime. Quite a bunch of you might know that my boyfriend is currently studying abroad in Japan. He's been away now for over two months and it's honestly been quite okay. Sure I would rather have him by my side everyday, but with my favourite app Facetime everything has been way easier. Being able to talk to each other and see each other on a daily basis really makes things a lot more bareable.

Holiday planning. As I already told you in my last '5 things i love' post I will be visiting my boyfriend in Japan at the end of July and afterwards will be heading on a 4 week interrailtrip through Sweden with a friend. So excited!

My skin. My skin has been behaving amazingly. I've always suffered from really dry patches especially during the colder months. But somehow it seems that I've found the perfect products to keep those patches away. Feels incredible!

Watching Netflix. My current favourite's are 'Ripper Street', 'Better call Saul'  and 'Orphan Black'.
Lots of Love
Julie 


May 15, 2015

The Favourite: Muted Nails

I'm all about the warmer months so I'm really excited that it's finally getting warmer where I live. Today I'm showing you my current favourite muted polishes (all by Essie...). Perfect for hands and feet!

'Go Ginza' is a beautiful light purple shade that looks very chic and sleek on your nails. Applied onto your nails it's almost a white shade with a strong purple colouration and it makes your skin look really tanned.

'Eternal Optimist' is a rusty pink. You could get away with just one coat, but two make your hands look divine. Such a simple, but still unique colour.

'Fashion Playground'. As turquoise is one of my favourite colours I immeditately fell in love with this shade. It looks perfect and lasts an amazing amount of seven days without chipping.

'Spin The Bottle' might just be the perfect nude shade for my skin tone. Wearing this my hands look well-groomed and chic.

I've posted photos of my nails with all of these shades on over on my  Instagram.

Lots of Love
Julie 


May 13, 2015

The Life: 2015 Reading Challenge - Update

At the beginning of this year I told you about my personal reading challenge for 2015 (read about that here). I want to read and listen to at least 20 books this year. So I wanted to give you a quick overview of what I've read so far:

Marc-Uwe Kling: Die Känguru Chroniken (The Kangaroo Chronicles)
Just for german readers.. You have to listen to the audio book read by Marc-Uwe Kling himself though: AMAZING! I'm so in love with the characters.. Life with a kangaroo..
Patrick Modiano: Straferlass (engl. Suspended sentences)
I had never read anything by Modiano before, but after reading 'Straferlass' I sure will. It's a quick read that really sucks you in and mesmerizes you.

Rita Falk: Griessnockerlaffäre
Again for german readers only. Set in bavaria this is the fourth book in a series set around villageofficer Franz Eberhofer. It's all about local dialects, food, personality and of course murder. 

Rita Falk: Sauerkrautkoma
And there you have the fifth book in the 'Eberhofer'-series.
Marc-Uwe Kling: Das Känguru Manifest
Second book of the 'Kangaroo Chronicles'. Brilliant! In my opinion it's the best book of the trilogy.
Alexa Chung: IT
Sucked in by the hype aroung Alexa Chung and her book I got it for Christmas. With a lot of pictures and scriblings this book is a really quick, but fun read. As I adore Chung's style it's really interesting to get to know her influences and thoughts on fashion.
Marc-Uwe Kling: Die Känguru Offenbarung
And yet the final book of the 'Kangaroo Chronicles'. As much as I loved the series as a whole I'm a bit dissapointed by the third book. Nevertheless it's still brilliant and Marc-Uwe Kling pursuades by impersonating the kangaroo in it's funny and bullheaded way.
Lilly Osborne: The Life Changing Magic Of Order
I love organizing, rearanging and feeling comfortable in my home and environment. I've never read a book about organizing before so I thought I'de give it a go. And although there are quite some spelling mistakes in this book (maybe hire another editor next time..) it really satisfies the organization-lover and there are some usefull tips and tricks that I will try to adapt.
Marc-Uwe Kling: Die Känguru Offenbarung
Yes, again! I've listened to this audio book three times already. I just love it more every time...

So far I've ticked these books off of my list:
  • a book with a one word title (R. Falk: Griessnockerlaffäre)
  • a book a friend recommended (M. Kling:
  • a trilogy (M. Kling: Kangaroo Chronicles Series)
  • a book you can finish in a day (A. Chung: IT
  • a book published this year (L. Osborne: The Life Changing Magic Of Order)
  • a book that was originally written in another language (P. Modiano: Straferlass)
Lots of Love
Julie 


May 11, 2015

The Tag: Step Into Spring

After a bit of absence here on juliesdreams I thought I'd get back in the game again by answering the question of the 'step into spring' tag. I love the warmer months and am so excited about every bit of sunshine.

What 3 colours remind you most of Spring?
I love pastell shades during spring, so a light turqoise and soft pink are favourites. The most beautiful colour is the vibrant green from all the trees that start to thrive again.
 
What is the first thing you'd add to your wardrobe in Spring?
Cute flats! It's still quite chilly during spring here in Germany so the best subtle way to upgrade your winter wardrobe is to add open shoes and leave out the socks.
 
What is the first wardrobe item you ditch in Spring?
My heavy coats. I hate carrying them around all day when I am inside..
 
What are your ultimate Spring nude and Spring bright lipsticks?
I don't really wear nude lipsticks as I haven't found a good shade yet, but I love brights. Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in '210 Pinkadilly Circus' and L'Oreal Caresse in '301 Datin Coral' are my faves.
 
What is your top Spring fragrance?
Definitely Dolce by Dolce&Gabbana! Amazing scent, just feels like spring to me.
 
What do you add/drop from your skincare routine in Spring?
I add a higher SPF and drop the heavy duty night time creams.
 
Do you change your hair up in Spring?
I really like the way my hair currently looks, so the answer is no. Dreaming about a bit of ombre though...
 
Are there any exciting beauty releases you're waiting for this Spring?
I finally want to get my hands on a bottle of 'Bronze Goddess' by Esteé Lauder. What a heavenly coconut summer scent!
 
What are your top 3 Spring nails shades?
There's actually 4... 'go ginza', 'eternal optimist', 'fashion playground' and 'spin the bottle' all by Essie (there will be a more in-depth post about these shades on friday!).

Lots of Love
Julie 


April 17, 2015

The Outfit: building a wardrobe - capsule inspiration


summer and spring

During the warmer months I've always been into white and blue. They're just my favourite colour combination and if I had to I would gladly wear just those two till the end of times. There's something really fresh and airy in that colour combination and it always reminds me of Greece's blue skies, white houses and turquoise ocean. Perfect for summer!
Although I want to streamline my wardrobe and am currently quite good at controlling myself to NOT buy any more dresses, shoes and oh so cute shorts I love to browse online shops to gather inspiration. And this year it's all about stripes, airy shapes and clean lines. If you want to know where all the pieces above are from simply click here to hop over to my corresponding polyvorecollage.
Upcoming in the 'building a wardrobe'-series: capsule pieces / pieces I want to get / my spring capsule

Lots of Love
Julie 


April 10, 2015

The Outfit: building a wardrobe - planning the capsule

inspo
(source: 1, 2 & 3)
At the beginning of January I told you all about choosing the right colours for your capsule wardrobe (read about that here!). During the colder months I wear a lot of warm autumnal colours like burgundy red and dark green. Now it's slightly getting warmer and we're really moving into spring, so I start to think about the colours and items I will wear during spring and summer and slowly transition my wardrobe from cold to hot weather.
steps of capsule planning
  • browse pinterest - get to know which style and items you like
  • search your favourite online stores - gather pieces in a collage, either print or polyvore
  • get an overview of which pieces you already have from previous years
  • let your ideas rest for a while!
  • get back to your inspiration and really think about all the pieces - it will be the capsule of your whole season, so you got to be quite sure about them
  • buy needed pieces and put together your new capsule
  • transition spring items into your winter wardrobe and slowly switchover the whole wardrobe
Upcoming in the 'building a wardrobe'-series: my inspiration collage / capsule pieces / pieces I want to get / my spring capsule
Lots of Love
Julie 


February 25, 2015

The Music: February Tunes

My favourite tunes from the month of February. Something for everybody from slow indie songs to upbeat top 10 hits. And it's a long one, so grab yourself some hot tea and a new nailpolish and listen on!

Lots of Love
Julie 


February 23, 2015

The Wishlist: February 2015



Although I'm currently trying to streamline my makeup and skincare collection I still have a massive beauty wishlist. But you can still wish, can't you?
 
Essie Nailpolish in 'Bond with Whomever' // KIKO Liquid Skin Second Skin Foundation // TheBodyShop Smoky in 2-in-1 Gel Liner // KIKO Golden Game Sculpting Bronzer // Zoeva Rose Gold Face Brush Set // Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask // KIKO Mosaic Blush

Lots of Love
Julie 


February 16, 2015

The Current Favourite #7

favourite beauty products rituals thebodyshop eucerin kiko 
My eczema prone skin has been really well all autumn and winter long and has just started to get a bit dry over the last couple of weeks. As you might have read at the beginning of autumn I've found the perfect products to combat those dry patches (read: The Beauty Quenching Skin's Thirst).  But with more than 20 weeks into cold weather and a couple of stressing weeks behind my back those products need a bit of help. 

I already showed you a Rituals Soothing Shower Oil in my last favourites (read here!). But this time around it is the Shanti Shower scent. And oh my it smells divine! Me and my boyfriend have been indulging ourselves in hot baths at night since the beginning of the year and have never used anything else than this shower oil to produce bubbles, smooth our skin and fill the room with a soothing smell.

After getting out of the bath I've been applying the Eucerin Aquaphor Repair Balm (which you can currently win on my blog here along with some other beauty products) to my ellbows, armpits, feet and hands. These areas get especially dry during winter, so I like to pay extra attention to them. And when I wake up in the morning they feel extremely soft and repaired!

And to remove dry and dead patches from my face I love the The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Exfoliator For Sensitive Skin. This has already been feature in my favourites from August (read here) and I still enjoy the small and gentle beads that thoroughly exfoliate my skin.

To combat my dry and really tired eye area I've been uisng the KIKO Natural Concealer in '02' which covers my dark circles perfectly, whilst hydrating and nevertheless not creasing.

What have been your favourites lately and do you also suffer from dry skin during the colder months? Leave a comment down below and don't forget to enter my current giveaway!
Lots of Love
Julie 


February 11, 2015

The Life: 5 Things I Love

Planning my holidays and booking flights. Instead of interning all summer long (as originally planned...) I will be visiting my boyfriend in Japan for about two weeks and afterwards I'll be travelling beautiful Sweden with a friend of mine. And I'm so into the planning process! I just adore looking up places to visit, cafes to lunch at and gear to pack. So if you've got any good recommendations for either Osaka, Japan or Sweden then you're very welcome to leave them in the comments or send me an e-mail.

Listening to audio books. As I've been quite busy the last few weeks I haven't had to much time to read a physical book. But my boyfriend and I have been listening to 'Känguru Chroniken' by Marc-Uwe Kling and the two sequels every night before sleep. I'm so in love with the entertaining characters and Marc-Uwe's amazing voice!

My filofax. I've always been a stationary junky. There's just something about writing into a new beautiful notebook with a beautiful pen. When I opened my boyfriend's present at christmas I was beyond happy about it being a filofax. I'm now the proud owner of the Filofax Metropol Personal Organizer in red and have been using it ever since. The system that allows you to organize dates, deadlines and every day life just the way it suits you best is amazing. And the ways you can decorate your pages have made me happy as well and even more pleased to plan the day ahead.

Memory keeping. I've dedicated the whole past week to sorting through photos, arranging them by year and putting the best ones into photo albums. My parents have kept photo albums from 1993 to the end of 1995, so the first few years have been covered and I've made it my task to choose photos from then on and arrange them as beautifully as they did. And with every photograph I've looked at I'm even more grateful for the wonderful family, friends and memories I have.  
              It's not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters.
Lots of Love
Julie 


February 9, 2015

The Beauty: Makeup from abroad


When I hear Brits complaining that the newest launch from the US hasn't hit their counters yet (just about a month after the original launch) I always get a bit frustrated. Here in Germany we'll be waiting over a year for the 'new' launches to arrive and then they'll already be a bit out of fashion. Of course this has advantages as well. The whole blogging world will already have tested all the bits and raved about them in their latest favourites. And when the products finally hit up our counters I will just browse my favourite blogs and know whether a product will be worth the splurge.

But still there will be brands that I'm not able to get here in Germany, so I like to browse farmacies and drugstore whilst on holiday or even get friends to bring me some items from abroad. Whilst in France and Spain I've picked up quite some products from Bourjois. In the UK I've splurged on Revlon. A good friend brought me some Tarte from the US. And I've ordered products from Real Techniques and Dainty Doll online.

I love the thrill every morning to use products from abroad and they make makeup application even more fun. Although I've started cutting down my usage of the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush, because I'm getting scared I might hit pan soon.

Do you know any online shops that sell products you can't get here in Germany?
 
Lots of Love
Julie 


February 6, 2015

The Thank You Giveaway

Today I want to thank all of my lovely readers for sticking with me, commenting on my posts, suggesting different products, sending me e-mails and chatting along with me on Instagram and Twitter.

Over the last year I've really got into a routine of brainstorming post-ideas, taking photos and writing up blogposts. And it makes me so happy, when readers get back to me and tell me that a certain cream or product has helped them a lot and they want to thank me for my recommendation. So today I'm thanking all of you with a giveaway! 

About three weeks ago Eucerin send me a couple of tubes of their new 'Eucerin Aquaphor Repair-Cream' to combat dry and irritated skin. After testing it myself for a bit over two week's now - and totally loving it (review coming soon!) - I want to send a couple of creams out to you guys. Thank you again Eucerin for sending them to me!

But those won't be the only things that I'll be giving away. I will send out one bigger box of beautygoodies and two smaller bags. As I've told you quite some times now I'm in love with KIKO's Eyes Clics System. So I went to my local KIKO store and purchased a quad and four of my favourite eyeshadow colours to click into it. 

Another favourite brand of mine is TheBodyShop, so I'll be giving away a couple of divine soaps and a body butter collection tin to house all of the goodies I'm sending out.

Big Bauty Box
TheBodyShop Body Butter Collection Tin (no body butters inside!)
TheBodyShop Cranberry Joy Heart Soap
2x Eucerin Aquaphor Repair Cream
KIKO Eyes Clics 4 palette
KIKO Infinity Eyeshadow '240 Mat Dark Taupe' (the perfect mat brown for into your crease)
KIKO Infinity Eyeshadow '234 Pearly Wine' (a beautiful shimmery dark red)
KIKO Infinity Eyeshadow '214 Mat Desert Sand' (your perfect all-over-the-lid base colour)
KIKO Infinity Eyeshadow '257 Metallic Light Copper' (the most beautiful coppery gold)

2x Small Beauty Bags
2x Eucerin Aquaphor Repair Cream 
TheBodyShop Chocomania Heart Soap 

There will be three winners (1 Big Beauty Box winner and 2 Small Beauty Bags winners). You can enter through the Rafflecopter giveaway below. The giveaway will only be open throughout Europe and will end on the 20. February 2015 at 12am. Winners will be anounced on 21. February 2015 on twitter and instagram and will be contacted via e-mail.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you all so much for your love and support! I really enjoy running juliesdreams and will continue to do so with the help of my lovely readership.  
Lots of Love
Julie 


February 4, 2015

The Interior: Wall Art


 
Wall art is a great way to fill your walls with pictures, cards and prints you love. I like to frame self printed pieces or just tape them to the wall with washi. Choosing different sized frames and a slight variety of colours, but still staying in one kind of style looks lovely and organized, but not to narrow-minded. I love to add new framed pieces to my wall and keep it growing. 

To gather inspiration I tape pieces from magazines or printouts onto the wall as a kind of moodboard and change them up every couple of weeks. You can also type up your favourite quote or song in a lovely font and simply print it yourself. Nobody will guess, you haven't got your artwork from Etsy!

What do your walls look like? And do you lay out your wall art setup before you hang them or just take a go?
Lots of Love
Julie 


February 2, 2015

The Favourite: With A Little Help From My Friends


beauty tools
Besides the beautiful products I like to slap on my face from day to day - which I talk about on here a lot - there are those beauty tools I just can't live without. They might not appear on your face, but they are the little workes behind the scenes that need a mention as well.

Face Clothes
To take off my cleansers and to gently exfoliate my face I love to use a face cloth. My favourite ones are from IKEA and come in a pack of 10. They're really cheap, but also very soft and efficient.
 
Cotton Pads 
I use oval cotton pads as I like to get the most out of one pad. To take off my mascara quicker I like to use slightly structured pads.

Brushes
Real Techniques and KIKO currently are my favourite brush brands. Both are affordable, but still great quality. I love the Real Techniques Stippling Brush and their Buffing Brush. The 201 from KIKO fits perfectly into my eye socket.
 
Tweezers
I've owned these tweezers by Pylones for about 5 years now and they're still amazing. With their really sharp tips they get out every small hair. And their theme is just too cute!
 
Eyelashcurlers
My favourite ones are from KIKO. They really grip your lashes and curl them in a beautiful way. 
 
Hair Supplies
Invisibobbles have been my favourite thing recently. They really grip onto your hair with pulling and don't leave a dent even after wairing a high ponytail for the whole day. I've also relied on small and big hairclips for clipping back strands of hair or a quick and easy updo. And to tame my mane I'm in love with my TangleTeezers.

Lots of Love
Julie 


January 30, 2015

The Style: Back to Black


 
1 & 2
Wearing all black is one of my favourite things to do. Everything goes together. And despite looking effortless it really is effortless to put together an all black outfit. One thing I always pay attention to is trying to incorporate different textures like thicker knits and silk like fabrics. I would love to include more leather into my outfits though!
3 & 4
5 & 6

Lots of Love
Julie 


January 28, 2015

The Life: 2015 Reading Challenge


reading challenge 2015
I've set myself a reading challenge of 20 books for this year over on goodreads. By setting myself a goal I don't want to put pressure on myself, but to motivate myself to step away from the internet at night and grab a good book to relax in bed instead of scrolling through instagram and twitter. 

I'm a quick reader and really adore diving into books and loosing myself in another world. But whilst studying for my B.A. I always felt the pressure to read academic papers and lost the pleasure of reading a bit. 

So I thought I would set myself a goal of 20 books, which gives me two and a half weeks to read one book. Sounds like an insanely long time to me to read a book, but I will be busy with academical papers and writing essays nontheless, so I want to keep it realistic and achievable.
reading challenge 2015 
To challenge myself a bit more and to make picking a book even more fun I chose 20 types of books I wanted to read this year. Although I will probably end up reading +23 books, as one of my book goals is to read a trilogy. So far I've checked 4 books off of that list, although I've read 6 books. Some books just don't fit into these categories or have already been ticked off.
  • a book with more than 500 pages
  • a book written by someone under 30
  • a book with a one word title
  • a book a friend recommended
  • a trilogy
  • a book that became a movie
  • a thriller
  • a book set in a different country
  • a book you can finish in a day
  • a book set in the future
  • a book published this year
  • a bok with a number in the title
  • a book from an author you love that you haven' read yet
  • a book that came out the year you were born
  • a book that made you cry
  • a book that was originally written in another language
  • a book you started but never finished
  • a book with a colour in the title
  • a book by an author you've never read before
  • a graphic novel
I mostly read in german and english, but like to mix it up with dutch and swedish.
 
I may add that I also include audio books into my reading challenge. As I drive to work a lot I love to listen to audio books to have a better time. And for me listening to an audio book and reading a book is the same since both keep me from sitting in front of the computer way too long.
 
Would you be interested in a frequent update of my reads? 
Lots of Love
Julie