Another month over! When I was a kid, I didn’t understand what the grown-ups meant when they said “My goodness, time flies!”. But I am “grown-ups” now I guess, as much as I don’t want to accept it. And I can confirm, time does fly, indeed. Writing this, I am sat out on the balcony for the first time this year, soaking up the glorious sunshine. What a dreadful, long and cold winter it has been. I am so ready for spring. But enough weather reporting for now, let’s get into my February favorites!
February Favorites: Beauty
I feel like I have a tonne of beauty favorites this month, so I’m going to try and stick to the best of the best. Can’t make any promises though.
Haircare
I have finally jumped on the band wagon and started oiling my hair once a week. And as per usual when you put good things off for a long time, it makes you wonder “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”. I don’t have an answer to that question. But let me tell you, I can feel such a difference in my hair after using it! It is so incredibly soft after I use it, way better than any conditioner or hair mask I have ever used.
The one I use is the Naissance Sweet Almond Oil, and I massage it onto my scalp once a week. I actually decanted the oil into an old spray bottle, which makes it much easier to apply exactly where you want it. Then I leave it in for as long as I can, which usually is around 6 hours. Ideally, I would go to sleep in it, but unfortunately, that doesn’t work out with my hair washing schedule. Because once thing is for absolute certain: I wouldn’t ever leave the house with the oil in my hair. Not a vibe.
Skincare
As I said earlier, I am sat outside in the sunshine right now. And what should be one of the first things that spring to mind when you hear the word sunshine? That’s right, SPF! And I have found a pretty affordable one that made it into my February favorites, that actually doesn’t leave my skin super greasy.
I actually learned only a couple of weeks ago that sunscreens have to be a bit greasy, or else they wouldn’t be waterproof. Because if the were water based/soluble, they would rinse right off once you jump into the water. Why did it take 29 years for me to realize this? I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter anyway. The one I have been loving this month is the Sunozon Sun fluid with SPF 50. It’s less than 5€, so fairly affordable for sunscreen and with a great SPF. And like I said, it sinks into the skin nicely and doesn’t leave it greasy at all.
Make Up
Speaking of greasy skin: the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Face Powder is another on of my February favorites. This one isn’t particularly affordable as far as face powders are concerned, but boy does it make the skin look great! For me it’s the perfect mix of mattifying the skin, while also keeping the glow we all strive for. I think a lot of (cheaper) face powders can make your face look really dull or flat, but this one doesn’t do that for me at all. Plus you only need a tiny amount to cover all the crucial areas, so it’s going to last you a long time.
February Favorites: Fashion
If you’ve been looking around my blog, you might have noticed that there is a tab that says “Fashion”, but there actually aren’t any posts. I just haven’t mustered up enough courage to post something fashion related just yet, as people can get very critical when looking at somebodies outfits. Or maybe I’m just a chicken. Plus, 80 to 90 % of the time I’m in my gym kit anyway, because I workout a lot and work as a sports therapist. There’s lots of gym clothes I could recommend, but I’m not sure you guys would be interested in it. But anyway, I think it’s time I venture into the realm of fashion blogging and tell you about my fashion favorites in February.
Gym Kits
The irony about this February favorite isn’t lost on my, considering I have just told you how you probably aren’t interested in gym clothes. But I couldn’t not tell you about the best workout leggings I have bought in a long time! They are Adidas Performance Tights and they are so comfortable and somehow make your legs look really nice and long. Don’t know how this sorcery works, but don’t care either, as long as it does so!
As far as “support” goes, I’d say you could wear them for any activity you want. Lower intensity stuff like yoga as well as higher intensity, as running or CrossFit (like myself). They do not make the booty look amazing, but that’s not something particularly look out for in workout leggings. What you see is a pretty accurate depiction of what is actually there, haha.
Basics
The next fashion item from my February favorites might come as a surprise as well: it’s a basic off-white tank top from Scotch & Soda. I know it’s boring, but that’s what makes is so versatile. Plus it’s a bit of an unusual neckline for me, so leave me be. I got this during the Black Friday sales, but haven’t really worn it until this month, because I’m super conscious of my arms being on show (don’t really love them). However, I am making an effort to venture out more and try new things/style for me, and actually found my arms don’t look horrible in this. Quite the opposite, if I dare say so. So good job me!
Accessoiries
Last but not least are some earrings, one of my favorite ways of spicing up an otherwise simple outfit. I had been on the look out for some bigger, dare I say statement-y ones for a while, and finally found these. They have a stud closure rather than a ring, which I personally find much easier than having to fuzz with a ring closure. And even though they are a bit bigger, they aren’t heavy or super dangly at all, so won’t irritate your ear.
February Favorites: Podcasts
Now for the more sophisticated favorites this month: the podcasts. I do listen to podcasts a lot, but find that (just as with the books I read), I am really picky when it comes to the voice of the podcaster or the vibe of the show. If either of those are off, I can’t bring myself to listen to it, no matter how great the content itself is. But lucky for me, there are a few podcasts that fit my criteria.
Weird Crimes
This is one of the two German podcasts I listen to. Since I haven’t talked about this one before, I’d recommend all of the episodes, they are all so weird and entertaining at the same time. There are however some episodes, that I absolutely loved.
First up: The case of Mike Malloy. Set around 100 years ago in New York City, some “friends” of Mike take out a life insurance for him – only to then try and kill him. And the way they tried would have killed everybody else without the shadow of a doubt (for example feeding him a sandwich spiked with broken glass and nails), but Mike Malloy didn’t even pass out. Absolutely worth a listen!
Next up is the case about the perfect female serial killer, who for over 15 years commits all kinds of crimes in Germany, Austria and France. But can never be caught – or even seen on scene of the crime. Again, worth the listen!
And last but certainly not least: Tall, hot, blonde. The way this story twists and turns is just as the name of the podcast suggests – weird. And entertaining. And worth listening to. Obviously.
Diary of a CEO
Just like last month (read here), a few episodes of the DOAC podcast made it into my February favorites.
First favorite is episode 215 which is all about mindset. Prof Steve Peters, the author of the famous book “The Chimp Paradox”, talks about how your emotions control you, rather than they other way around. He also tells you about self-esteem and how to improve it, which I think becomes increasingly more important in the society that we live in (comparison truly is the thief of joy). And if you want to know why it can be so damn hard to apologize to somebody, definitely check out this episode!
The last episode I want to mention in my February favorites is #218 with Prof Giles Yeo, author of the book “Why Calories Don’t Count”. As I have been getting back into consuming everything there is to know about healthy eating, or rather, what actual science suggests rather than Instagram, I absolute loved this episode. Because as I keep saying, a calorie isn’t a calorie. Period. In the episode, they also talk about all kinds of fad diets, keto, vegan, juice cleanses, or gluten free ones. And guess what: none of them work for everybody, which is a stark contrast to what some companies or social media wants to make us believe. It’s a long episode, but very entertaining and educational!
February Favorites: TV Shows
Usually, I am really far behind on the shows that I watch. I tend to go through phases of watching them a lot, but then I can literally go years without a single episode. Needless to say, I lose track. But nonetheless, I thought I’d include some TV/Netflix shows into my February favorites.
Downton Abbey
This is a perfect example for a show I probably went a whole year without watching. But, luckily, this isn’t one of those shows with a crazy complicated plot. Quite the opposite actually. To me, this is a “feel good show”, one that you can just watch pretty mindlessly. As I have said on this blog before, I am utterly obsessed with the UK. And this is quintessentially England 100 years ago.
Summed up in a sentence: You watch the Crawley family live their luxurious lives in the British countryside in the 1920s, with all the love and all the drama. But what I love most about the show isn’t the plot, but the places it takes place in. I just have a thing for old English interior, and the houses the family members live in are just divine. It makes me want to move to the English countryside every single time I watch it.
You
OF COURSE I had to mention season 4 that just came out on Netflix! Most likely everybody and their grandma has watched it, so I’m not going to go into great detail. But I had to put it in my February favorites, because it combines two of my favorite things: crime & England. What a win for me! And I do think the authors did a great job with changing it up, because for once, Joe isn’t the villain (well… if you know, you know). Very excited for part 2 of this season!
Let’s Dance
Let’s Dance is the only show I ever watch on TV, and the one I’m super excited about to start every year. I actually only rediscovered it 3 years ago, but have been a fan ever since. Let’s be clear, I know absolutely nothing about dancing. But it is great fun to watch and to see the celebrities get better and better. To the trained eye they are probably still only doing an okay job, but that’s the great thing about knowing nothing! Because to me, it looks very impressive. If you are like me and hate watching shows live on TV because of all the commercial breaks, I’d recommend you watch it on RTL+ the next day. There are some commercials, but not nearly as much as on Friday night. Plus, if you get a subscription for it, there aren’t any. If you’re into Let’s Dance, let me know who you think is going to win! And also let me know how many of the celebrities you knew beforehand, because I think I only knew 2-3 (getting old).
February Favorites: Books
Although I did a fair amount of reading this month, there are just two books that made it into my February favorites. Let’s get into them!
The Hungry Brain – Outsmarting the Instincts that make us overeat by Dr Stephan Guyenet
The hungry brain has been in my bookshelf for a few years now. I started reading it when I first got it, but for some reason never finished. I was still in Uni back then, so maybe I had other stuff to read. Anyways, since I had forgotten pretty much everything I had read back then, I started over this month. And I couldn’t really figure out why I didn’t finish reading it the first time around. I think it’s a brilliant book, both educational and with a lot of practical tips on how to stop overeating.
It explains nicely why we overeat, and why we would probably never ever do so on broccoli. Even if broccoli is your all time favorite vegetable. There are a lot of interesting studies in there, proving that genes do play a huge role on weight gain or loss, appetite, digestion, etc. Which is once again pointing to the fact that there is no “one size fits all”-diet out there. Highly recommend this book to anybody struggling to understand their eating behavior, but also just generally curios people.
Achtsam morden im Hier und Jetzt by Karsten Dusse
Achtsam morden im Hier und Jetzt is the fourth book of the series, and I have found them all hilarious. Well, hilarious and educational at the same time, I should say. Because even though it is fiction, a novel, there are a lot of take away messages about mindfulness, living in the present, and being conscious about what’s going on around you. And also how to dispose of a body in the same mindful, present, conscious way. Which I think is very practical for everyday life. You never know.
This time, the protagonist gets into tantra, which is a whole new concept for me. And it goes to show, that some people will do whatever it takes to reach power over others. Even when it comes to mindfulness.
February Favorites: Everything Else
Reflecting back on this past month, there are a few moments I would like to share with you:
- I unlocked another CrossFit skill: Double-unders. I had been able to do a few DUs in a row, but could barely get more than 10 on a regular basis. But something flipped this month and suddenly I’m able to do almost as many as I have to. My biggest problem now: my forearms get tired too quick. Will work on that.
- We managed to do all the qualifier workouts for the Deutschland Showdown. We did have to redo one (somebody counted our reps wrong), but it was great fun doing them all with my favorite person.
- I did my first official CrossFit Open workouts! I got “bullied” into signing up for it, but obviously I’m just doing it for fun. It’s going to be nice to compare how I’m doing next year, compared to this season.
- I made my very first kombucha from scratch! I got this kit online, followed the steps, et voila, kombucha. After reading Spoon-Fed by Tim Spector I got really inspired to get my gut microbiome up to par, and having fermented foods/drinks is a great way to do so. Plus, the one I made actually tastes pretty good. I’m excited to experiment with it some more.
- Just today actually, something SUPER EXCITING happened! My boyfriend and I got tickets for the Olympics on Paris next year! How freaking cool is that? It’s more than a year away, but I am already looking forward to the trip and the experience!
… and that’s a wrap!
Thanks for reading everybody! These favorites posts can get very long, and I appreciate every single on of you reading them, even if you don’t make it all the way to the end. And if you did and are reading this, know that it means SO MUCH to me. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to me rave about the most random stuff. And if it inspires you to try a product, read a book or listen to a podcast, please let me know your thoughts on it! I would absolutely love to have a chat about it.
Lots of Love,
Lena
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored.
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