Accessories

Today I would like to take some time and write about accessories.

Accessories are all these little things that can highlight an outfit without much effort. In a dictionary you might find a definition similar to: “An accessory is a thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more attractive.”

Some people hate accessories and other love them and own tons of different things. It really depends who you are and what your style is.

Over time I discovered the following accessory-lovers: People that wear jewelry and watches to highlight outfits, those using scarfs as addition to their styling, the shoe lovers who own a pair of shoes for every dress and of course last but not least the bag lovers!

I realized that most people have a preference towards one or two accessory types. It is rare that a person “collects” everything. Even though it surely exists. 

I personally ware a lot of scarfs and jewelry. I do not own many interesting shoes or bags. Mine are rather functional and not the highlight of my outfit. What I like about jewelry and scarfs is that you can even wear a black shirt and jeans or a simple dress and you will still look nicely dressed without doing much. It really makes a big difference with little effort.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Hermes scarf tied with scarf ring in the middle

Overall I prefer dressing in a more neutral color and then adding a nice silk scarf in order to add some color. For me this is the easiest way to wear most of my cloths in multiple occasion without feeling repetitive.

As for jewelry I prefer delicate fine jewelry over big pieces which often times look a little too heavy on me. The Pandora bracelet is the biggest and also heaviest (literally) piece that I own. The reason I prefer fine jewelry over fashion jewelry is because it is more durable. This is very subjective as the quality of cheaper fashion jewelry can be good as well but I personally did not make good experiences with it. Too often rocks fell out or the color suddenly turned from gold to black that I try to stay away. I prefer investing in timeless pieces that fit the majority of my cloths and accessories so I have many years to enjoy them.

Discovering Tatcha Skin Care

Tatcha is a Japanese brand developing skin care products based on ancient Asian traditions and ingredients known for decades to be good for the skin.

I have heard about Tatcha skin care products over the internet as the company is very popular for their blotting papers (which I do not need for my dry skin). Even though I have no need for blotting papers I was curious about the other products they might sell.

Spontaneously I decided to purchase their “One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil” and their “Rice Enzyme Powder”. In order to get to know also their cream and serum I also bought their “Discovery Kit” containing sample sizes of all their products. The order got processed quickly and three days later I was holding the package in my hand.

The Ritual Discovery Kit from Tatcha    -Cream & Serum will be reviewed later

Today I will speak about the two cleansing products only as I need a little bit of more time to test the cream and serum to provide a better picture of how they perform in the long-run.

First of all it needs to be mentioned that everything was beautifully packaged when it arrived.

The One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil costs $48 for 150ml. It comes in a plastic pump dispenser. The cleansing oil is clear and has no scent which I can detect.

The product is used on dry hands and dry face. I pump once and apply the oil over my face and eyes. The makeup literally melts away with the soft oil. As a next step I am washing the oil off with water. All makeup and waterproof mascara is being removed. It is really easy and no hassle.

Afterwards I am using the Rice Enzyme Powder for sensitive skin. It costs $68 for 40gr. It is coming in a plastic jar and is light pink. Also the powder does not have any scent.

The powder is applied with wet hands on wet face. I am using about half a teaspoon of product and I rub the powder in my hands which then transforms into a foam. The foam is being applied and massaged on the face. Then I wash it off with water and dry may face carefully.

After having removed the makeup with the oil and deep cleansed my face with the Enzyme Powder my skin is ready for the day or night cream.

Overall I really enjoy using the Tatcha cleansing products I feel they leave my skin clean and soft. My skin does not feel dry after the application which I really like.

Summing up:

Pros:

• Cleanses sensitive skin gently
• Removes makeup without traces
• Jar and pump dispenser well designed

Cons:

• Price maybe

Travelling to Jerusalem

Lately I have been travelling quite a bit around Israel as we are in the middle of the holiday season.
Today I would like to share with you a few snap shots I took in Jerusalem this week visiting the Western Wall.
During the Jewish New Year and Jom Kippur many believers come to Jerusalem to pray for forgiveness. This is the reason why you see so many people standing close to the wall. On a normal weekday you might see only a third of the amount. The place is holy as the wall is the last part of the ancient Jewish Temple which was not destroyed (the temple itself was destroyed twice in the history). The wall is the western outer wall of the temple. So behind the wall the temple itself was situated.

What you see here in the above picture is what is known to be the Western Wall. But underneath the ground and especially towards the left (where the wall seems to end) the wall actually continues under the ground.

I have visited the tunnels underneath the Western Wall this week and I will share with you how it looks like.

So once you get down into the tunnels it gets pretty dark which is why the photos are not great. we were walking along the wall with a guide and she really explained very well which part of the wall we are passing and where it relates to in the temple, Can you believe that there are about 800-900 meters of wall left which you can not see when you are standing outside in front of it? The largest stones are more then ten meters long! (In the picture above the Western Wall is the wall on the right hand side,)

As you can see the wall underneath the ground is massive and it is unbelievable that it is man-made. If you know a bit about Jerusalem you might wonder how this is possible as the Western Wall neighbors with the Muslim quaters of the city. Well, for that the answer is surprisingly simple; the wall passes actually underneath the Muslim quarter.

The holiest part of the Western Wall is the place where you are actually standing closest to the altar which is about half-way into the tunnels along the wall. You will find there many people praying which is why I did not photograph it.

I found this trip quite impressive which is why I decided to share it with you. There was a very unique spirit. 

Next week I will be writing about a new skin care line which I am currently testing.