I’ve been quite M.I.A., yes, but I suddenly felt the need for a blog post today since there’s so much talk about fall fashion.

Some of the trends according to glamour.com: winter whites, classic patterns, over-the-knee boots, turtlenucks (ew), shades of green, slouchy pants, statement outerwear, folk-inspired pieces (huh?) and rounded shoulders.

Here are some of my purchases made in preparation for this beautiful season.

I’m in love with this item. It’s the Haute Houndstooth Coat from Daily Look. It’s elegant, the fit is nice, the length is great – I give it a 10 out of 10. AND it covers two of this season’s trends: classic pattern and statement outerwear *pats herself on the back*.

Fine-knit Sweater from H&M. Cute, comfy and I’m totally into the length of this sweater. The quilted imitation leather sections on the shoulders make it perfect for fall, giving the sweater that teany bit of edge. Paired with black skinny jeans + biker boots = perfection.

I’ll admit, I was definitely not rocking the pastel/colored jeans trend this spring/summer, since my limbs are not as slim as they could or should be. But I’m really loving the dark colored pants for this fall/winter. I bought a pair similar to these but in a darker, hunter green shade.

Gotta have some cute cardigans on hand for some serious layering this season. This one has a fun print, classic colors and will work with a lot of different outfits.

Found this uber cute bow scarf on Daily Look. I couldn’t say no – I just love scarves. End of story.

A really great nail polish shade for fall is Chinchilly by Essie. It’s elegant, has a bit of edge and just looks pretty. I have it on my talons today and added some tiny pearls for a bit more femininity. Other great shades are: Merino Cool, Lilacism and Going Incognito (fall trend “shades of green”, anyone?)

Last but certainly not least, I’ve got a “Real Deal vs. Steal” for you guys.

The should purse on top is the Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. Clutch which sells for $295in the US – the “real deal” if you may. (I’ve seen this exact bag here in Switzerland selling for 500 Swiss Francs, which is nauseating!) The purse on the bottom is the version I went for from Daily Look, the Sleek Tassle Purse in gray. I’m much happier paying 45 bucks for it and honestly, I think it’s a nicer shade of gray AND the faux leather is textured giving it a very elegant look.

Hope you enjoyed this type of fashion post, I know I love seeing what everyone’s buying for the new season :)

xo, Michelle

In June of this year I participated in a photography challenge called the “30 Day Snap” which Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter created. The challenge rules were quite simple: upload one photo a day in the month of June – that’s it.

I really wanted to participate in this challenge because I thought it’d be fun to capture the little things in life on a daily basis. It’s really fun to look back at the pics and remember that day or that event. I also thought it’d be fun to find other people / bloggers through the hashtag #30daysnap on Instagram. I actually made a few “online friends” through this challenge!

So anyway, here’s the roundup of my pics if you missed them last month :)

Check out my posts in June for the individual photo posts if you’re interested :)

And some extra Instagram (michelle_inanutshell) snaps:

Did you participate in the 30 Day Snap? How did you like it?

xo, Michelle

The very loved and well-known Tart Deco by Essie. Very coral, very summer, very cute!

And I added one round glitter piece to each nail to make it a bit more fun (and sometimes I just can’t leave my nails alone without adding just a lil somethin somethin…). I used the glitter nail polish Which is Witch? by OPI from the OZ The Great and Powerful collection. Gorgeous silver glitter in different sizes with iridescent sparkle – perfect.

My next step will most likely be to cover one whole coral nail with this glitter…. or maybe two….

Which summer nail polish shades have you been loving? Let me know in the comment section down below!

xo, Michelle

Hope your week is grand so far :) Mine hasn’t been too special, just work work work…

I wanted to share my eye makeup look from Saturday because I really, REALLY liked it! It’s a subtle version of Tanya Burr’s Haifa Wehbe Arab Inspired Makeup look. I love Tanya’s videos and tutorials – she does some amazing looks! And she has over 1 million subscribers on her YouTube channel so ya, a lot of people obviously like her videos haha…

If you check out Tanya’s look, she went very heavy-handed with the eyeliner on the upper lid and she smudged out the teal liner on her lower lid quite a bit. I didn’t want such a dramatic look so I went a lot easier on my eyeliner. Here’s how it came out :)

Here’s a close-up of my finished eye makeup look photographed with my iPhone in the car haha… I used the Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoo gel-cream eyeshadow in Eternal Gold (Bold Gold in the USA) on my lids. This first step was my own personal touch since I like adding the Maybelline color tattoo cream eyeshadows under regular powder eyeshadow to make it last longer and for the color to pop.

Following Tanya’s tutorial, I then added Half Baked from the Naked palette to my lids. This is a gorgeous gold, shimmery shadow with unbelievable pigmentation. So pretty!

Next I used Buck from the palette and blended it into my crease in a window wiper motion. This is a matte, brown shadow so it balances out the shimmer of the gold shadow on the lid. Perfect for creating a deep shadow.

Next up, the stunner of this makeup look: the Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Undercurrent by MAC. This is a shimmery, sparkly teal liner which literally glides on and stays put. So gorgeous. I lined my lower lash line with this pencil and darkened it a teensy bit close to my lower lashes with a simple brown eye liner pencil by MAC. I’ve learned that teal/green and purple shades make brown eyes pop and I must say that I really like the pairing of the teal liner with my brown/green/hazel eyes.

The rest ist simple: brown liquid eye liner on the upper lash line and 3 coats of Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume mascara on top of one coat of the Diorshow Maximizer lash plumping serum.

On my lips I’ve got MAC lipstick in “Faux” – the perfect “nude” for me since it’s more of a taupe shade than an actual beige/nude shade. I find this works best with my skin tone.

And on my cheeky cheeks I’m wearing Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée Blush. I reviewed this product in my last blog post, check it out here :) I love it!

Have you incorporated some color in your eye makeup lately? Strayed away from the typical nudes? I’m definitely trying ;)

xo, Michelle

In the past few months I’ve made these two purchases and I have to say, I really love them and actually use them a lot. Sometimes, you’ll buy a high-end product just because it’s popular or because it’s “pretty” but you won’t get much use out of it unfortunately. But these products are  worth the high-end prices – they definitely give you enough bang for your buck!

 On the left: Estée Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée Blush
This is the first one of the two which I purchased. It’s from the Pure Color Pretty Naughty Collection by Tom Pecheux for Estée Lauder. I’m not quite sure if you can still find it in stores, but it’s still sold online. The texture is very soft and smooth. It’s a powder, gel and liquid in one – so it’s not too powdery at all and the feel of it is quite unique. It applies super smoothly and it’s very easy to apply a small amount or to build it up to a “high sheen highlight” which makes your skin glow. I love using this as a blush. You could of course us it only as a highlight or also on your lids as a shiny, light pink eyeshadow.

On the right: Estée Lauder Pure Color Illumination Powder Gelée
Since I loved the blush so much, I went ahead and purchased this beauty from the Bronze Goddess Summer 2013 collection. It’s a high shine bronze highlighter which I like to apply on my upper cheek bones to give me a summer glow. There is no trace of chunky glitter in these products which gives your skin a glow without it looking glittery and like the face of a 6 year old.

I would definitely recommend both these products – even though they are quite expensive. In the beginning I was a bit unsure when handing over my hard-earned bucks, but I’m very glad I did it. I use these products on a daily basis and I think they’ll last me a very long time.

By the way, I love applying the Gelée Blush with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.  It costs only $9 and it’s freakin awesome! It’s the perfect size and it doesn’t lose any bristles – win-win!

Do you own any of these products? Do you like them? Let me know in the comments below! :)

xo, Michelle

(Credit for background of image above: HQ PaperMaker; edited myself)

 A million thanks to Jess from Jess Classy for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award! She is the cutest thing – definitely go ahead and check out her blog.

So this is how the Liebster Blog Award works (text stolen from Jess’ blog):
Once you get nominated you write a post on your blog answering 11 questions your nominator asked of you along with a list of 11 facts about yourself, 11 questions for people you nominated, and 4-11 blog nominations of your own. The people you nominate must have 200 followers or less and must be notified. Then they too pass along the achievement. Liebster is a German word for lovely and endearing. It’s supposed to signify your blog as a great start and establish some links in each other’s blogs to gain more followers.

I think this is a great idea to show some support for blogs that don’t get enough views and to get them recognized on other blogs to a whole new group of viewers :)

So here we go!

When did you first start blogging?
I just started blogging this year. My first post was on January 20th, 2013 :) I’ve been reading blogs and watching YouTube videos for so long and I finally decided I too want to be part of the blogger community and share my beauty interests. I love photography so it’s very fun creating and editing photos for the blog and for me, it’s just like chit-chatting about beauty products etc. I don’t know many girls (in real life) who are interested in these subjects, so this is where I can vent, share, story-tell and more.

What’s your favorite type of sandwich?
Hmmm…I actually like many different sandwiches. PB&J, Club sandwich, BLT – you name it, I probably like it. Nutella sandwiches and mushed up egg with mayo sandwiches remind me of my childhood and I still really love them to this day!

How often do you like to blog?
I love to blog whenever I have time to, basically. I work a full-time job, meaning Monday to Friday, 7am/8am to 5pm/6pm. My commute is an hour by train and I usually enjoy reading a book in that time slot. Unfortunately, my mobile internet is crap so my dreams of blogging on the train were quickly crushed. Gotta get on that. So my schedule can go from posting every day to only posting once or twice a week. I know that’s a big no-no in the blogosphere, but it’s the only way possible for me :)

What’s one thing you would like to achieve before (x number) of years old?
Well, I feel like I’ve achieved quite a lot until now. I have a full-time job, I live on my own with my boyfriend and puppy, am able to travel and experience new things, etc. I think the next (typical) achievement for me would be to get married and then have a baby (cue the *awwww’s*). It’s the truth – I very much look forward to having my first child.

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
I honestly wouldn’t change much about my life because I know I’m very lucky. When you start to compare yourself to others living in poverty, in third-world countries, living with sickness, etc. then you really appreciate the life you have. Of course, I wouldn’t say no to winning the lottery….

Name something you cannot leave your house without.
My phone. How sad haha… I usually have a purse with me which definitely contains my phone, my wallet, my keys, some makeup for touch-ups, blott sheets, some lip products, a book, my blog notebook, a pen and a few other things that I lug around for no reason.

What did you want to be when you were older?
I honestly can’t remember having any great aspirations as a child. I know that when my sister and I were little, we played “school” a lot and I always was the teacher. I’d promise her she would get to play the teacher role afterwards, and when it came to that I would tell her I didn’t want to play anymore. What a great sister I was! :) I wanted to be a teacher but then life happened and we ended up in Switzerland so that goal was harder to achieve.

How often are you engaged with social media?
I’m pretty addicted to Instagram so I’m there quite a few times a day. And I also check into Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest a couple times daily, but I have to admit I’m not too active on those platforms.

Do you watch reality TV? If so, what shows do you like?
YES, I do. Totally my guilty pleasure. I love so many shows: Keeping up with the Kardashians, Jersey Shore, Geordie Shore (British version of Jersey Shore – they’re even crazier!), Toddlers and Tiaras, Teen Mom, 16 & Pregnant – the list goes on and on.

Coffee or tea? Pick a side.
Definitely tea. Hot or iced. Looove chai tea latte from Starbucks. Even the chai frappucino is delicious. But I do enjoy an iced coffee from time to time.

Name a person in your life who has greatly influenced you.
I would say my parents have influenced me a whole lot. They are pretty much the best people in my life. I learn a lot from them and because of them I’m the person I am today (for the most part at least… maybe I brought on my love for spending money myself hehe…)

6 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
I could eat olives everyday // I’ve lived in 4 countries on 3 continents // I can be very picky and OCD about certain things and then be totally lazy and unorganized with other things // I’ve had some major issues with acne in the past // I speak 4.5 languages (I’m counting French as 0.5 haha..) // I really want to improve on my photography and photo editing skills

I nominate:
Jess Classy (right back atcha girl ;) )
Moxiblog
Knitwitterful
Une Fox
Daily Living in Geneva

Definitely check these ladies out!

100 points to you if you read this whole post :) Thanks for checking in and I’ll be back soon!

xo Michelle

AND I can’t help but be excited that it’s July because in 4 weeks we’re off to Turkey for summer vacation – woot woot! The countdown has officially begun ;)

I’ve only got one snap as my last & final pic for the #30DaySnap challenge. Gotta leave this challenge on a girly note and show you my latest manicure!

I’m loving these nails!

Firstly, I applied one coat of OPI Nail Envy as my base coat, as usual. Then I added two coats of the nail polish Anny in shade “Love Touch”. For me, this is the perfect classic red with orange undertones. Love it for any time of the year. And I actually really like the formula of Anny nail varnishes. They apply really nicely and easily, leaving you with opaque and non-streaky nails. And Anny polishes are quite cheap too! At least cheaper than Essie and OPI here in Switzerland…

I chose to switch up the finger I use for my accent nail this time – choosing my middle finger instead of the usual ring finger. I applied the Essie Sleek Stick Nail Appliqué in “Love to Love You”. How appropriate that both the names of my polish and the nail stickers have the word “love” in them…hrhrhr ;) These stickers are, and I quote, a “freshly inked manicure with romantic calligraphy on calla lily white” – very pretty if I do say so myself.

I finished off my nails with one coat of the Seche Vite top coat, which is a given.

I really like the mix of classic red with a black and white accent and I really like playing around with these nail stickers in a subtle way (not applying them to each nail and having them be too over the top…).

Hope you enjoyed my last pic of the #30DaySnap challenge!

Did you participate in the challenge? Leave me your link below if you did!

xo, Michelle

For my snapshot of the day, I thought I’d share one of my cutie pie puppy, Bentley.

He can be a crazy, annoying, devil puppy sometimes, but he’s lucky that he’s so darn cute! I love when he’s calm in the early morning and in the evenings – he gets so cuddly! :)

xo, Michelle

We went to the restaurant Thai Garden which is in Lucerne. I’ve heard many great things about this place but never visited myself. I had received a gift certificate so I thought I’d treat my boyfriend to a birthday dinner.

The restaurant is so gorgeous, the food was delicious and the whole ambience was so lovely! It’s quite expensive but I’d definitely go again if we have another reason to celebrate :)

As usual with Thai cuisine, the decorations on the plates were so pretty! I’m always so impressed with them, especially knowing that they’re fresh from that day and handmade!

I took this photo with my iPhone and it was quite dark in the restaurant so the quality isn’t grand – but I wanted to share anyway because it impresses me so much! This white rose was carved out of a turnip cabbage *eyes fly wide open* *jaw falls*. I know, it’s awesome. They told us that these decorations are handmade out of fresh veggies every day.

I think these are perfect additions to a plate of delicious food :) If you’re ever in Lucerne, I’d definitely recommend going to dinner at this beautiful restaurant.

**By the way, I edited this photo on my iPhone using the A Beautiful Mess photo editor app. It’s  really cool, check it out if you’re always looking for unique and quick ways of editing your pics!

xo, Michelle

Unfortunately, I don’t have a snapshot for day 26 of the #30daysnap challenge, BUT I thought I’d share some tunes since I didn’t post my Tuesday’s Tunes post this week :)

I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons

I’ve loved Mumford & Sons for a while now and I’ve loved this song for so long – it just doesn’t get old! Their style of music is so unique and interesting and I love how they made the banjo kinda cool haha :)

 A Wake – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Evan Roman

Of course, I could mention “And We Danced”, “Can’t Hold Us”, “Same Love” and “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore, cause I love them ALL, but I’m going to feature “A Wake” because I just love the melody and the woman’s voice who sings the chorus. Macklemore is just freakin awesome – nuff said. The lyric “Apps this good, whose got time to make friends?” is just pure genius, haha!

The A Team – Ed Sheeran

 Drunk – Ed Sheeran

I thought I’d share both these songs by Ed Sheeran because I’m so in love with them. They make me sing really loud in the car and they make me want to learn guitar and play/sing them! I actually do own an acoustic guitar which sits in the corner of our guest bedroom so maybe these songs can finally motivate me to learn how to play? We’ll see…

Hope you enjoyed my tunes for this week! What songs have you been loving lately?

xo, Michelle