The perfect Christmas gift!

 

Only last week I got this ah-maaazing gift bag from Estee Lauder and I can honestly say that I have been using these products non stop ever since!

 I was so excited for this gift set, mainly because it contains 8 full sized products, which are 2 lipsticks, 2 eye shadow palettes, their best selling mascara, Sumptuous Extreme, a blush and highlight palette, the amazing Advanced Night Repair serum and the Gentle Eye makeup remover and as a little bonus, a mini Revitalizing Supreme + anti ageing face cream; and of course, that gorgeous burgundy bag! And all for something like $90 ! Considering that only their Double Wear foundation costs $40, you can imagine how much all these products would cost individually! So it was kind of a bargain for me and I knew this set had to be my Christmas present for myself!

   

The pigmentation of those eyeshadows is quite good and they last 10 hours without creasing or fading away (I've tested them!) one palette contains blue shades and the other one is a bit more warm toned and has purple shades, both matte and shimmer. The lipsticks are also lovely to wear, they are not long lasting matte lipsticks, their formula is quite creamy and moisturizing, but the colors are gorgeous! And what is Christmas without a red lipstick, am I right?

 

 I, of course, love their luxurious packaging, all gold and shiny, simple and clean.

It makes a great gift set, I mean, how could anyone say no to a free gorgeous bag and loads of makeup products?

As an ending note, I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas and maybe, a luxurious one!

Christmas cupcakes ideas!

 

One more day left and Christmas is here! 

I think that actually the most joyful part of this holiday is all the preparation and anticipation for it rather than Christmas day itself - oh wait, there also the gifts opening on that day, nevermind what I just said, that is the most exciting part! 

So in honor of this holiday, as I felt very festive, I decided to make some Winter themed cupcakes which I am totally excited about. The idea came into my mind in a minute and in the next hour I was out purchasing all the necessary ingredients. The decorating ideas came into my mind as the baking process went all along, so naturally, I was missing some red pigment or some glitter, I'm also not too happy about the cupcake paper forms, they started to disintegrate in the oven, but after all this, at least they are insanely delicious and my level satisfaction was sky high!

 

I have my snowmen which I made with extreme care out of fondant and I used some pretzels and chocolate tiny bubbles as I like to call them, as decor

Next I have my polar bear paws made out of chocolate glazed biscuits and chocolate almond dragees - I actually had to glaze them myself because I could not find anywhere small chocolate biscuits with glaze on them - it was mission impossible IX

Aaaand my little reindeer and snowballs, I used the same fondant for both, some dragees and lots of coconut flakes as decor!

For these cupcakes I used simple ingredients, like 250 g flour and sugar, 3 eggs, a teaspoon of baking powder, 100 ml sour cream, 170 g of butter and some vanilla extract for the dough. Baked in the oven for 20 minutes and done!

For the white icing, I used 100 g of cream cheese, 25 g of butter and 50 g of powder sugar.

As for the brandy icing I used 200 ml of whipped cream, 30 g of powder sugar, one tablespoon of soluble coffee and a bit of brandy for flavor.

Simple right? The decorating part is the most challenging but also, fun to do!

With this, I am wishing you all a very Merry (and sweet) Christmas and I hope you are also feeling as festive and joyful as I do! 

See you soon!

6 Christmas Makeup Essentials

 

Christmas is just around the corner and I am feeling more festive than ever!

 I wanted to share with you my excitement and so, I put together a few makeup products to try out for Christmas. Or rather, my idea of a makeup for this occasion. I am going for something simple and yet daring. I am feeling attracted to the red color more than ever this time of year so I was really yearning to have a bold red lip while keeping my eye makeup rather simple.

 Scroll down to see what products I used and maybe you'll find them useful!

   

My idea of a perfect foundation is definitely the Revlon Colorstay; if you need a matte base and also a long lasting product, this foundation is the one for you. I have been using it for years and it never disappoints. Plus, now it comes with a pump, which makes the application much more easier and less messy!

 

And how about a bit of sparkle? For eyeshadow I used this gorgeous glittery pot from Glazel Visage in the shade C7, I am really sad I cannot show you how beautiful the color looks on the eyes, it has both pink and blue sparkles and it just looks really beautiful and festive, photos do not do it justice!

My go to mascara is the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes, Feline - to be honest, what attracted me mostly was the packaging, then the brush, it doesn't stick my lashes together as most mascaras do, so that's a plus too!

As for the eyeliner,  am currently trying out the Maybelline Master Ink Matte, a product I am loving so far, the applicator is firm and very easy to use, it glides on the eyelid like a dream!

Aaaand lastly, what else is suited for this holiday than a bright red lipstick?

I opted for this matte lipstick from NARS, I brand I recently started to try out and I have to say, this is one great lip stain. My lips don't necessarily feel sticky or dry, it literally lasts for hours and I just love the fact that I can eat and drink at dinner without feeling concerned that my lipstick will fade away.

Let's not forget about the manicure! Of course, the same classic red shade, this one is from Maybelline Colorama in the shade 43.

That is it for this article, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you are sharing my excitement for Christmas as well!

A few Christmas gift ideas

 

Christmas time is approaching us rapidly so I thought that an article with a few gift ideas is just perfect for this occasion; there are 15 days left (yay!) so be sure to find your presents in time to avoid the mayhem from the Christmas Eve. I know I used to search for the perfect presents on the day before Christmas Eve and it was simply chaotic.

I absolutely adore the idea of tiny gifts hidden in globes, I think they are just perfect for this holiday, so how about this adorable one I found in H&M that contains...socks! But not any socks, Christmassy ones with penguins with glittery hats? They are lovely and also, only $6 !

Next one contains a few eye makeup products, some eyeshadows, a black eyeliner and a black mascara - both in mini versions - they are great for travel especially! I found these in Douglas (this beauty retailer has the moooost amazing holiday offers) and you can get it for about $10.

The Benefit Frisky Six mini set is one of the many options they offer. All the products are in miniature version and they are great to offer to someone for a first try or just for yourself to keep. This box costs about $38 which is the price of one item only in full size! Available in Sephora.

This box includes:

Sun Beam Highlighter

Lolli Lip Balm

Lolli Tint - works for lips and also as a blush

Sugabomb Blush

They're Real Mascara -  one of their most famous mascaras

I mentioned about Onecklace before, they create personalized jewelry, you know, name necklaces, earrings and bracelets, but they also have other type of jewelry including the popular chokers! A little glow on our skin can make us look so glamorous and well, Christmas is all about glow right?

I don't know how many of you know about Yves Rocher but they are one of my favorite skin care brands! Especially during the holidays, they offer limited edition Christmas shower gels, hand creams and body lotions, they also have them available in gift boxes at a special price.

Pictured here is the Cranberry and Almond hand cream and the Clementine and Spices shower gel -  the scents are simply delicious!

Back to Douglas, I told you they have amazing holiday offers - this one is from Les Delices, a set of body care products with a scent of Rasberry Macarons - yes, it is as delicious as it sounds! The set comes in a cute pink house shaped box and it includes a shower gel, a shower sponge, body lotion and a bath foam.

Last but not least, how about some tea? For all you tea lovers, Basilur is a brand that offers the most delicious tea ever created. Black or green with so many different sublte flavors, but not only is the tea that is amazing, but also the packaging! Just look at that brilliant box. This one is from their holiday edition, they also have other adorable collections, based on a theme or by season. I really can't recommend them enough!

I hope you like my ideas, I'll leave you on that note and wish you Happy Shopping!

Memories from Vienna, Prague and Budapest

Hello guys! I am back from a short vacation across Central Europe and I am so excited to finally share my experiences and photos!

 It took a while to make a selection, it's just difficult to decide which picture is better or if one is more important than the other. 

But anyway, as soon as December kicked off, we embarked on a trip and went straight to Vienna for a day, just in time for the Christmas markets! The atmosphere was not as cozy as expected mainly because a very strong and cold wind was blowing our heads off, so we couldn't enjoy the fairs at the fullest. I really wanted to visit the Belvedere Museum and see Gustav Klimt's paintings - I really love his works and to see "The Kiss" in real life was a little dream of mine. There is no comparison, it's so different from what you see on paper or photos, because it literally shines and there are so many hidden details in it, it's just magical!

I left that place in awe, not just because of the paintings, but because the whole palace is mesmerizing.

I loved the Christmas decorations, they were so pretty and also expensive, but I left Vienna with a silk scarf and a beautiful mug, both illustrating Klimt's paintings - I'm such a tourist, I know!

Next stop was Prague and oh, how much I fell in love with this city! We barely explored about 30% of the old town, we managed to visit the castle and spent some time around the main square where the Christmas fair was happening.

Prague is a medieval city, is it's so different from Vienna which is more grand and austere.

It's simply charming, with all its tiny streets and extremely old buildings; the downside is that it's constantly so filled with tourists that you can barely manage to get from point A to point B. It gets exhausting after a while, so because of the crowds, we could's get a glimpse of Prague from the clock tower, but at least we spent some time on Charles bridge and gaze upon the river and also enjoyed some hot wine in the market.

Can you believe this view??

Like I said, charming!

I really loved it and I can't wait to go back and explore some more.

Next stop was Budapest. We've been here before during the Summer, but now we got to experience the Christmas mood from downtown, which was extremely lovely and also, busy. Filled with people, tourists, gingerbread and many, many lovely souvenirs and Christmassy stuff. Too bad we stayed there far too little, I really needed more time to feel the holiday vibe in Budapest.

And now we are back home, preparing for Christmas (at least I am) - this trip really got me in the mood to make awesome gifts and even though it was tiresome, I somehow feel energized and in a very good mood! It's amazing what happens when you leave your normal routine and explore new activities or places.

I hope you loved these pictures, if you want to see more you can keep up with my Instagram account (@lola.wonder) and I'll keep on posting bits and pieces of this holiday that did not make it to this post.

Now tell me, are you ready for the Winter holidays?