Author: Margit Rüdiger

CultureAndCream Author from Munich To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn't do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don't know yet. But I am not only interested in "culture" and "cream", I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell .  Such unique experiences I want to share with you.
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Tested for you: „Paradise Dual Palette“ from Dear Dahlia

Never heard of the Dual Palette and Dear Dahlia? It is a vegan luxury cosmetic line from Asia. There the dahlia is a symbol of timeless beauty. But not only that. Each product contains the Dahlia Variabilis flower extract in addition to many other certified organic ingredients. This makes the products rich in antioxidants and ensures the skin is supplied with moisture. And it is easy to recognize on the OTC shelves, because Dear Dahlia stands out from all other products with its octagonal packaging in a marble design, which, by the way, stands for the dahlia in its full bloom.  Multifunctional dual palette I love products with multiple uses, especially when you are on the go and – hopefully soon again – travel a lot. The “Paradise Dual Palette” is exactly my case, and the color duo “Fortbildden Fig” was made for me. The duo consists of a darker, rosewood-colored balm and a lighter powder in dusky pink for the eyes, cheeks and lips. The two perfectly coordinated color nuances can be combined in many ways to create new looks. I also like to layer them both. If the cheeks should be less accentuated, I apply the balm first and put a touch of the lighter powder over it. Only on the lips I dab a little powder in the middle of the lower lip to highlight them. Spread it all over, the lips would become too dry. The double-sided mirror in the middle of the box is ideal for a touch-up on the go. At home, however, it is better to use a larger copy of make-up. “Paradise Dual Palette” by Dear Dahlia, 9 color nuances, 32 US$ each… weiterlesen
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Knitting is Fun. How I got there.

The corona pandemic and especially the long lockdown are already blooming. I started knitting. After all my closets had been cleaned out, clothes reduced and the apartment painted, I had to look for another field of activity. I wanted something that you can do with your hands, because my head is more in demand in everyday work. But what to do? Back to my soapstone sculptures? Makes too much dirt in the apartment and the utensils have to be put away all the time. To batik? The same problem. The Instagram account knittingisfun_ of a dear colleague and her many wonderful knitted pieces (I own a dream scarf from her!) gave me the idea of knitting. Not that I dare ever compete with Irene. She is far too professional for that. But after all, you need role models. The internet makes knitting possible for me Speaking of role models. Like Irene, simply knitting without a template is of course out of the question for me. I need precise instructions. I praise the Internet for not having to go to the kiosk like in the past to just buy an old-fashioned booklet with boring knitting and crochet instructions. I quickly found what I was looking for online. Modern, trendy suggestions for knitting, which are sent to the house with the appropriate wool and, if desired, with needles. My order arrived two days later. As a beginner – not that I haven’t been knitting before, but that was 20 years ago – I start with a simple piece: a warming loop with a cable pattern in a classy pigeon blue. One right, one left I can just manage right, left and edge stitches. It gets more difficult with the braid. But a YouTube video enables me to look closely at the hands or needles of a talented knitter. The round scarf is ready quickly. I am satisfied with my first work. Well, you can’t go wrong with just a loop either. Next, I’m trying my hand at a sweater. Baby pink with matching different colored fringes on the front. But soon I reach the limits of my art of knitting. The instruction is far too complicated. I have to keep counting the knitting stitches that I don’t make a mistake, and I can hardly see a progress of my work. Watching TV on the side doesn’t work at all! After a good 20 centimeters I lose interest and I separate everything again.… weiterlesen
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My new Column – today: Why does Men never feel any Cold?

I keep hearing from you guys that I should post more personal things about myself on my blog. That’s why I decided to introduce this section, where I regularly share news from my life – what’s happening, what touches, annoys, and pleases me. The little things from a completely normal everyday life. For example, I wonder why men and women feel so differently about cold. My husband finds a room temperature of 18 degrees pleasantly warm, and I get chilblains. I can’t put on so many layers that I feel comfortable at such a room temperature. We have now agreed on 21 degrees in the living areas. In the bedroom it stays at 16 degrees. In this case he is stubborn. For this he gave me a sheepskin for Easter. It should replace my admittedly not exactly erotic, but cozy electric blanket, which he finds absolutely impossible. But I can’t necessarily recognize sheep’s fleece in eroticism. But I show goodwill and try to make friends with this new party in our bed. I feel always cold Obviously, I am not alone with my “it’s-too-warm-in-here-again” problem with the men when I ask around in my surroundings. My sister tells me that her husband sleeps best with the window open, even when it’s freezing. My friend’s boyfriend flaunts his – unfortunately untidy – feet in Birkenstocks, not only in summer without socks. Our neighbor is already sitting on the terrace in shorts and a T-shirt in the first, still cool spring days, so that the chill runs down my back at the sight, even though it is well wrapped up under a sweater and fur vest. Of course, men with an average of 40 percent muscles have a clear advantage when it comes to the “body’s own heating.” Muscles burn energy and generate heat. Women, on the other hand, have to get by with only 25 percent muscle, but the “insulating” fat percentage is higher. The slimmer, the less there is. So too thin is not good either, I always say that. And yet again and again I have noticed geographical differences. With English women, for example. How often have I been astonished when they went to their club in London at night in the dead of winter – with bare legs in high heels. So there are probably different sensations of cold among women. Or are the Londoners just hippier and more capable of suffering when it comes to their style?… weiterlesen
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Tested for you: Collagen Capsules and Powder from Glow25

It is always said that true beauty comes from within. And when it comes to smooth skin and firm connective tissue, collagen plays an important role. After all, it is the most abundant protein in the human body. The amino acids not only give it elasticity, stability and resilience, but also bind moisture.This in turn makes the skin appear plump and smooth. Last but not least, collagen ensures full hair and strong nails. Unfortunately, the body’s own production decreases from the age of 25. But can capsules and powders really catch that? Stir and swallow I ordered both from Glow25. I should add 1-2 tablespoons of the collagen hydrolyzate (from controlled cattle farming) to shakes, smoothies or soups every day. Some also stir it into their coffee. But I don’t want to spoil the taste. Better my green smoothie is now enriched with the powder every day in the morning, because you can hardly taste it. In addition, I take two capsules at noon and in the evening and drink a large glass of water with them. The capsules are enriched with hyaluronic acid, pomegranate extract and vitamin C. Studies show that the body needs enough vitamin C so that it can use the collagen it supplies. It is a so-called cofactor to incorporate the individual collagen building blocks into the complex structures. More power with yoga Nothing happens for the first few weeks. But after four weeks I notice that my skin on the face and body looks smoother and, above all, dry areas have disappeared. The nails are also much stronger. What strikes me especially after another two weeks of taking collagen is that I am more flexible when doing yoga. I can easily manage the “crow” now. Even after a long, strenuous tour on foot or by bike, my muscles and joints recover much faster. Nothing cracks anymore. Collagen Power (460 Gramm) und Collagen Capsule (180 Stück) from Glow25, each 29.99 Euro… weiterlesen
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Maldives: Barefoot on the Island of the Senses

Changing lockdowns and the restriction of normal life gave us a hard time. We don’t want anything like get away! In the corona pandemic, the Maldives are currently one of the safest and easiest holiday destinations in the world to travel to. All hygiene guidelines at Malé Airport and in the resorts are consistently implemented. All that is required for entry is a negative corona test (PCR) in English. It may have been carried out a maximum of 96 hours before departure. You must also submit an electronic entry form, which you fill out on the Maldivian border authorities website within 24 hours of departure maledivischen Grenzbehörden. But the effort is immediately forgotten when you arrive on one of the 1200 islands . The best thing for me about the Maldives: You can walk barefoot everywhere. The three pairs of shoes you brought with you remain in the suitcase. Dressed stylishly and elegantly even in the evening for dinner is no faux pas without shoes. The second most beautiful: the color of the sea from light to turquoise to azure, a play of colors that changes depending on the depth of the water. The third most beautiful thing: all senses are activated. Sounds that one would otherwise like to overhear in the hectic pace of everyday life are consciously perceived. The singing of the birds, the shimmering of the sun, and especially the swaying of the waves in the morning, which increases to a roar in the wind and lets the waves slap onto the beach. Gourmet cuisine and selective wine cellars pamper the palate. Body and mind regenerate in the sensuality of atmospheric-aesthetic spas that you never want to leave again. Huvafen Fushi – awakening the senses For me one of the most beautiful islands is Huvafen Fushi in the North Atoll of the Maldives and only 30 minutes by speed boat from the capital Malé. Nevertheless, there is no need to fear aircraft or boat noise. The small island, translated as “dream island”, has a name it deserves. The Maldivians (local language Dhivehi) call it Fushi. Short and sweet. There is so much more to say and rave about Huvafen Fushi. The “adult only” luxury resort (from 16 years) guarantees togetherness, peace and privacy. Many celebrities, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, have flittered here. 44 pavilions, no reception. The highlight among the beach residences is the 800 square meter luxury villa The PlayPen.… weiterlesen

Tested for you: „Secret du Dragon Lip Serum“ from Okoko Cosmétiques 

Lips to kiss – that was the announcement of the press agency, which sent me the “Dragon’s Blood” lip serum to try out. And then a blue pencil twists out of the pure white case. I am sure nobody wants to kiss blue lips. So, to be on the safe side, I first tested the colour on the side of my hand. Not a hint of blue! But where does the blue color of the stick come from? All natural, confirms the manufacturer. No artificial coloring. It owes its bright blue appearance to the blue tansy in combination with blue spirulina algae, whose job it is to regenerate dry, chapped lips. The highly concentrated lip serum contains other repair substances such as dragon blood extract, oribga oils, moisturizing extracts of tomato, prickly pear and broccoli. Pure nature lip serum I find the term serum a bit misleading because it is used to imagine something liquid. The pen is just the opposite. Rather hard to apply, especially in colder outside temperatures. A natural product! But this is not uncomfortable because it stimulates the blood circulation in the skin of the lips. Slightly warmed, the texture becomes supple and leaves a pleasant, well-groomed feeling on the lips without shining penetratingly. In times of Corona and FFP2, I am grateful for that. „Secret du Dragon Lip Serum“ from Okoko Cosmétiques, 4 ml, 45 Euro. Order via GenuineSelection… weiterlesen

Shower in the Morning or in the Evening? New findings.

Dermatologists agree that showering or bathing too often and too long is harmful to the skin. What does this mean exactly and when is the best time of day to cleanse the body with soap and water? And what about a soothing bubble bath, for many a beloved ritual where you can relax so wonderfully? A small study in my environment – which of course makes no claim to general validity – gives me the first clues. When asked “When and how often do you take a shower?”, Two camps emerge: the early showerers and the late showerers. The morning showers swear by their wake-up shower after getting up. The evening showers wave aside: “I prefer to sleep a little longer in the morning”. And those who shower twice a day do it routinely, “because that’s how you learned it after all”. So it’s obviously a type question. In truth, there is more to it than that. After all, showering does more than just cleanse the body. Hot or cold shower? No discussion, morning grouches start the day much fitter after a shower. However, the water should be rather cool to wake up. When taking a hot shower, the body temperature rises first, but drops just as quickly as soon as you step out of the cabin. Cooling down makes you tired and leads the organism to believe that bedtime is approaching. Because even without a shower, your body temperature drops in the evening and you get sleepy. For people with problems falling asleep, a hot shower in the evening can be beneficial: the artificial cooling makes you tired faster. Morning showers may again argue that the body sweats at night and the bacteria then lodge on the skin and bedding. And you want to get rid of them very quickly after getting up. Last but not least, hot showers are ideal for relaxation, to loosen up the muscles and reduce stress. So do you prefer your shower twice a day? Anyone who does not have problematic skin is welcome to do so. However, even then: keep an eye on the time. In terms of duration and temperature, you shouldn’t overdo it under the shower or in the bathtub. Ten minutes are sufficient when showering. If you don’t want to do without an occasional full bath, you should stay in the water for a maximum of 20 minutes at 37 – 40 degrees.… weiterlesen

Tested for you: „Wildflower Eyeliner“ from Sprout

Sprout is a Danish company that specializes in green innovations. Everyday products are being rethought and made more sustainable. The company is concerned with more environmental awareness in everyday life. For example, plantable pencils and colored pencils or plastic-free spoons. Around 80 percent of Sprout employees are women. What could be more obvious than developing a beauty product to give the cosmetics industry a gentle boost in a greener direction. Because 120 billion tons of plastic waste comes from cosmetics alone. The result was an eyeliner pencil from which wildflowers grow. How does this work? You read that right. The wooden pencil with a recyclable, green sugar cane cap has a seed capsule at the other end, again made of cellulose, with bee-friendly wild flower seeds. If the pen is too short to use it for make-up, you put it with the seed pod side in a pot of soil, where it turns into a meadow of flowers without leaving any residue. It’s so green First of all, about the make-up liner. Because what good is the wildflower meadow if the pen doesn’t work? But he does! The eyeliner isn’t too hard and not too soft. Tough enough to draw a precise line. And soft enough that it can be gently blended if necessary. The black color also shows enough intensity on the skin. The wooden pencil lasts a long time and can be easily sharpened if it has become too blunt. Even in a handbag at warmer temperatures, it doesn’t get greasy. When the liner is so used up that the sharpener no longer grips properly, I become a hobby gardener. I prepare a small pot of soil and insert the pen with the seed pod down at a 30 degree angle. It gets a place in the sun and is watered regularly. I wait and scan the earth almost every day for a green movement. Finally, after a week or so, small germs appear, first leaflets, then tentatively yellow flowers. Now I’m just waiting to be able to transplant the wildflowers into the garden so that they can spread to the meadow. „Black Eyeliner“ from Sprout, ca 19 Euro More from Sprout like pencils and drawing pens you find here* * This is an affiliated link. You don’t pay more. It is just a little thank you for our team.… weiterlesen

DIY Gel Nails: Vegan and Gentle

With the long lockdown, you have almost forgotten what it was like when you could still keep your manicure appointment regularly and get your nails painted by a professional. In the meantime, I’ve tried a few things at home on nail varnish – more or less durable – on foils – better than I thought. Ultimately, I was won over by a DIY method for gel nails from France. The “Green Flash” nail polishes are clean. They consist of 84 percent organic raw materials such as sugar cane, cassava and cotton. In addition, are 9-free. This means that they do without nine ingredients that can have a harmful effect on the body. In addition to the three substances with the greatest health risk – formaldehyde, methylbenzene, dibutyl phthalate – these are toluene, formaldehyde resin, camphor, xylenes, parabens, triphenyl phosphate and animal by-products. The complete Pro-Set contains everything you need for DIY gel nails: a 36 watt LED lamp with 21 small lamps in the inner arch, an acetone-free nail polish remover, a base coat, a top coat and a colored varnish, which I could choose from a wide range of over 30 colors. My favorite: “khaki”. Gentle on my nails No filing, no maltreatment of the natural nail as it used to be necessary for my gel nails, which I had done by a professional for years. For this system you only have to degrease the nail surface beforehand with an acetone-free varnish remover. If necessary, file the nails into shape beforehand. I have already connected the bridge-shaped lamp with the enclosed power cable. The LED display is on “00”. The device can be programmed to 99, 60, 30 seconds and shows the countdown on its display. As a right-handed woman, I start with my left hand and apply a thin layer of base coat. Then I place my hand under the lamp so that all my fingers – including my thumb, very important! – be captured by the light. 60 seconds. Then do the same with the right hand. Now that both hands have been “primed”, it’s time to paint. It has to be spread very thinly in two layers and dried under the lamp for one minute in between. The color I have choses is a very nice khaki, not too muddy, not too green. The brush size is just right, so that you can pull the color well over the nail without having to apply too often.… weiterlesen

Tested for you: „The Absolute Restoring Eye Cream“ from Noble Panacea

When a Nobel Prize winner does beauty, that’s something special. In 2016, the Scot Sir James Fraser Stoddart and his colleagues, the French Jean-Pierre Sauvage and the Dutch Bernard L. Feringa received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their “molecular machines”. These are molecules that function like submicroscopic artificial muscles or motors. Three years later, Stoddart, who had been Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University in Illinois for many years, applied his knowledge to his own skin care program. The result was “Noble Panacea”, sounds not very modestly but it deserves it. The line is based on the so-called OMV (Organic Molecular Vessel) technology, which uses the tiniest particles as a means of transport for active ingredients. “These OMVs are around 10,000 times smaller than skin cells, so they can penetrate them and release the active substances there,” explains Fraser Stoddart. “And about ten times slower than the average cosmetics available on the market.” This is the really new thing about these OMVs. They are programmed in such a way that the substances precisely perform their tasks and are maximally absorbed by the skin in the right place. This allows them to penetrate up to 35 percent deeper and work more efficiently. Pretty classy Noble Panacea has two lines on the market: The entry-level line “The Brilliant” with active ingredients such as the retinol alternative bakuchiol, glycolic acid, brown seaweed, malachite and probiotics. The “The Absolute” line for mature skin includes retinol, coenzyme Q10, Argireline, peptides and goji berries as well as valuable oils. To get to know each other, I decided on the eye care products from the anti-aging series, because the prices of the noble products are just as luxurious as the packaging. Every product is packed in single doses in elegant, shiny, octagonal boxes. I like both, because the single doses are protected from contamination, moisture, light and heat. The products are free from parabens, silicones, mineral oil, fragrances and ingredients of animal origin. When it comes to packaging, sustainability is the name of the game thanks to renewable and recyclable materials. The high-quality boxes are made of starch and natural fibers. And you don’t have to throw it away when it’s empty: since the beginning of this year there are 30 day refill packs for each of the eight products. But back to my test: tearing open the round individual doses along the perforation is sometimes a bit difficult.… weiterlesen

Traveling and Beauty are my passion.
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