Smart casual look for Spring

 

Looking back at these photos makes me wonder how can the weather change so rapidly from sunny Spring to rainy Autumn. It feels as if we skipped Summer and went straight in November. Blame it on global warming or on mystical forces, but I simply find it hard to deal with. 

 So, my attempt for a new Spring outfit inspiration, a kind of smart casual look, feels like a joke right now in my country, but I hope that the rest of you who live in warmer climates are experiencing a much more delightful time and could actually dress like this! 

 The floral print blazer is a must have for me in the Spring season, this one has quite a relaxed, casual cut, so paired with some straight pants and a simple top really gets your attention and that is the whole point right?

 Right, well, for the next week I am back to my rain coat and heavy clothing (hopefully not sweaters!) so, I hope that during this time I won't have to post an article titled "Back to Winter".

 

Wearing: Sheinside blazer, C&A trousers, no name shoes, Adona bag, Zara top

Easter cookies and cupcakes ideas!

Are you ready for Easter yet? If you haven't finished your festive meals, here are a few suggestions of something sweet, of course! One of my biggest pleasures in life is to bake cakes and sweets, so whenever there is a major holiday coming up, it is natural of me to post some recipes on this blog. Decorating cakes is so much fun! So here I am with some Easter inspired cupcakes and cookies recipes, I hope you will love them!

 

I searched all around Pinterest for some inspiration and took some idea from there and decided to create some sort of bunny shapes from frosting while making the ears from sugar paste (or marzipan).

Then I made some Easter egg nests - these are my favorite! -  a few other bunny tails and the ones with strawberries were meant to represent carrots dug up from the ground, but my glazing technique failed me this time and it did not stick to the strawberries, so let's pretend  they are carrots, ok?

I also made some gingerbread Easter egg cookies, now I cheated a bit with these, because I used a dough mix from the store and did not make it myself, but I promise you I spent more than three hours decorating these!

I worked with four bowls or frosting, each in a different color and I messed up my kitchen with glaze, tiny butterflies and food coloring, but I so loved the final result, I mean, the whole designing process gave me such satisfaction!

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Easter is all about pastel colors and fun shapes, so creating these was so much fun for me, just looking at them brings me such joy, I bet that by tomorrow they will be all gone, at least I hope they are delicious too!

Here are the ingredients I used:

For the cupcakes dough: your basic 150 g flour, 120 g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 100 ml milk, 100 g butter and a bit of almond extract - my favorite.

Mixed all these and bake them for 25 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius

For the frosting - I used the same frosting for the cookies and cupcakes:

180 g of mascarpone cheese, 200 ml of whipped cream, a bit of vanilla extract.

You also need food coloring and various cake decorations, you can find them at the baking department in any hyper market.

I hope you like them and I will leave you by wishing you a very happy (and delicious) Easter!

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!

This Fall, I wish..

 ..for huge circle skirts and even pencil ones, more statement necklaces, retro coats and capes, that special vintage vibe from the 40's and 50's that is sooo feminine and appealing!
 Here is a small part of my inspiration for my Fall wardrobe (I wish I could have all these beauties) and also some proposals with items I gathered across the Internet at a much more reasonable price - and I already have that turquoise bag, muahah.

 

 Grazia UK, September 2013

 

 Miu Miu Fall 2013 campaign

 

Mulberry Fall 2013 campaign    

 Harpers Bazaar US, August 2013

 

 Vogue Japan, 2013  

 Oscar de la Renta, Fall 2013 campaign

 

Elle Canada, August 2013

   

 Alberta Ferretti, Fall 2013 campaign

 ..also, I wish to strut around on streets with that attitude and feel more than awesome!

 

Can't wait for Fall!

Lets praise the art of layering!

 Finally I have some Internet and I can show you a look I wanted to create for some time now. During fashion week, Dries van Noten caught my eye with this amazing collection and I know it's destined to next season but I thought it was appropriate for the warm Autumn weather, and also I couldn't wait that long!
 For the upper part of the outfit I took over my boyfriend's wardrobe and I had my Atmosphere pants which worked perfectly! I added a necklace since I didn't had a V cleavage like in the photo. I am quite satisfied with the result, what do you say?
 In the meantime, I had been unpacking million of boxes and wiped three inches of dust in my new apartment, oh it was chaotic..but now everything is settled and cute; all I have to do now is wait for the Internet guy to install it there.. Hopefully soon

Wearing:
Zara mens sweater and shirt, Atmosphere pants, vintage earrings and bag, MiniPrix boots, Meli Melo necklace

 

Contest Winners!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Romantic wild escapes in the woods or at the beach..this is what I dream of lately. Since I am so busy with work, I can't take the time to post outfits so I hope you will enjoy these photos as much as I do.

In other news, the winners of the Gala Avanpremiere contests are:

Gabriela and Sara Constance! Congrats girls!