What About a Spectacular Breakfast?

                              
Breakfast: that immensely important meal of the day, that energizer, that perfect start in the morning...that thing we always seem to have way too little time for.

And that's not ok. Breakfast should set you up for a great start filled with everything your body needs. 
As someone who wakes up in the morning and tries to do everything as fast as possible, I can tell you that during the week, the luxury of having a full and hearty breakfast seemed so far fetched I almost laughed at it.
But not anymore! Because you can do it fast and efficient and delicious.

Here's what you need:

- Yogurt
- Fruit. I've been having a peach moment,followed by a berry moment, but you can have any fruit moment
- Nuts. Almonds are actually my favorites  but that doesn't mean the rest of the nut world is not open
- Seeds. I was lucky enough to find a sesame/chia/pumpkin/sunflower seed mix for this one
- Chocolate. If you don't want to add sweeteners like syrup or sugar, just grate some chocolate on top

And voila! A filling and nutritious breakfast to last you for most (if not all) morning!



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Last Week's Favorite Manicures

Let me start off by saying that both these nail gracing presences happened by complete accident.
The first one was me being bored of that oxblood red and remembering I had one of the Rimmel Precious Stones polishes. One thing led to another, a coat of glitter was applied and I was in utter awe for most of the week.They looked like rubies! Even more astonishing that they looked good on the shortest nails I have had in ages.

Then on friday, my colleague brought some polishes to work and I felt the need to use some flakies. China Glaze ones to be exact. But since I had no nude,pastel or taupe-y polish in sight I figured, why not apply it just like that? And I've been staring at my nails ever since.

What's your favorite? It is probably clear that I'm in a shiny place right now, because glitters and flakies are making a massive comeback.
And seriously, don't the red nails look like Dorothy's slippers? I need that mani on my nails again!                               


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Week in Pictures # 36

This week started out pretty hectic, but by Friday it had gotten much nicer. Also due to the fact that it was so warm outside that you could have confused October 25th with a late August day. Sunny, warm, and we also got gifted a new park next to where I work, which makes the whole thing better.

 1. Comparing them nails 2. How funny are those glasses! "Mind the Gap" 3. It's autumn a'right       4. The cuddly phonecase

5. Ladies in the park, doing the regular poses 6. A bit of green left

7. Current read 8. THAT is a ventilator that spells Ice Cold. Do not know who invented it but it's fascinating 9. Nail love o the week: flakies 10. Fast coffee-ing

How has your week been? As nice and sunny as mine?

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Favorite Autumn Beauty Trends

Come autumn, a whole new color palette hits and slowly but surely, fall colors are occupying a very special place in my heart. Of course, it's not all about color, because there have been some gorgeous new discoveries, like this lipstick in pencil form mania, that I really appreciate. So let me show you some of my favorite beauty trends this autumn.

Have you been following the Fashion Week(s) ? The second I saw these glorious gold eyebrows I was hooked and I knew I was really going to enjoy gold making its comeback. It's beautiful as make-up, and it's beautiful on your nails. Giving just the right amount of sparkle and glow, this staple color cannot go missing.

NAILS NAILS NAILS! Yes well, definitely my favorite subject and for me, come autumn, metallics and glitters have their revival. I cannot explain why glitter mania hits new heights starting September, nor can I say I mind, but it's here and it's staying.
And of course, the staple autumn colors: the deep reds, grays, taupes, maroons and nudes. Gorgeous colors all year round, but they just seem to fit in and look much better come fall

Another thing I really appreciate is the evolution of the autumn eye. What was once just depressing is now magnificent. Browns,copper,bronze and blacks can make any eye looks magnificent and we now know how to use it! One of my favorite things this fall are the Maybelline Color Tattoos and I've been wearing them every single day.

Last but not least, my new favorite thing: Lip Pens!
I am absolutely loving the alternative to lipstick, because not only do they come in a a huge array of colors, they also come in uncountable formulas,textures and finishes. Some are sheer and shiny,some are voluptuously velvety and some are just perfectly matte. I was never much the lipstick person but I'm most definitely the lip pen person!


What are some of your favorite trends?


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Fingerprint Nails

I stumbled upon this awesome idea last week and just had to try it because there was a time where I would play with my fingers and nail polish with immense joy.Sure, I was 3, but the joy of sticking your finger in polish has not gotten less.

 As you can see, I'm the eternal mint and pastel kind of gal and couldn't skip them this time either. I think we've established by now that Barry M's Greenberry is my alltime favorite polish and Essie's We're in this together is my go-to pink.
This time I did it on a white base but can you imagine how great a golden polish would look on a black base for Halloween?
As I wrote this, my mind has already decided that would be my Halloween manicure.

                              

The fact is, I need some more exercise in fingerprinting my nails, mostly in being careful with the amount of polish I stick my fingers in. If it's too little, you don't see it, and if it's too much, you get a blob of color (as can be observed on my ring finger in gracious pink).

What do you think? Is fingerprinting right up your alley or do you prefer leaving it to convicts?


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Week in Pictures # 35

October was just beginning and now we're more than halfway through! This week went from sunny and pretty warm to rainy and full on dark. Last night, as I was out for a run, a cab driver seemed to feel the need to stop me and tell me I might get a cold seen as how I was running in a T-shirt at 5 degrees. But cold, thou shalt not defeat me! 

                               

1 Nail obsession! That glitter and polish combo is pure perfection! 2.  I was the one with the pizza. T'was junk food time that night. 3. Deliciousness in a glass, mango frappe 

4. No words can describe how fantastic that cheesecake was 5. Autumn's definitely here

6. My new obsession: green tea and apple syrup 7. The glitter lip experiment 8. Gettin my Oktoberfest on

How was your week? Feeling autumnized yet?

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Nailcare?

Everyone wants nice, strong nails but do we put the effort in getting them there and maintaining them? Especially if, like me, you're a nail painter, those nails will want to take a break every now and then and manifest their wishes in a less than joyful manner, like flaking,breaking,dry cuticles and many more.

Here's what I'm using at the moment to keep the tiny ones happy:

First up, you need to nourish those nails and the best thing I have ever used has been this turquoise mass from Hema whose writing has by now faded away forever but I know it is a growth and restore serum kind of thing, with calcium. If you're in a Hema (and this is for all you Dutch people out there) , you will definitely recognize it by its color.  I do recommend calcium based nail nourishing substances, because calcium is one of those things that keeps teeth and nails alike strong. Whenever I forget to use it, I definitely see the difference. And when I use it, I see the difference even more. My nails become Batman.

Then, for the cuticles, but also for the nail's all-round well being I like to use a nail oil and a cuticle butter. The nail oil I use is almond oil based and it's basically designed for the cuticles but oil on the nail is a great thing as it nourishes it. Same goes for cuticle butter. Great for cuticles but your nails will also be thankful. 
The funnies thing about this Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream  is that I once evening put it on my cuticles and nails and by the morning, my parched nails woke up looking stunning! So, that's something I will not be parting with.

Always be careful when putting polish on your nail. Nail polish is not made from unicorn sparkles and love, it has serious chemicals in it, which means you need to protect your nail as much as possible. My current favorite is Orly's Nail Armor which not only protects, but is enforced with silk fibres to strengthen the nail.

If you're curious about OPI's Nail Envy, I have tried that too but it didn't wow me at all. You can find the full "Why" in my review here
              
So what do you do for your nails?




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5 Shades | From Pink to Purple

What you are about to witness is a rare occurrence because pink is the color that sees my nails the rarest, but for some reason, it was looking at some of the pinks ( and I don't own many) and they were looking so cute that I decided to make it more interesting and create a pink to purple gradient.
I'm also experimenting with straight nails at the moment and they're seriously short. And I mean so short that I've almost filed skin while straightening them, but as I definitely prefer short nails right now, I figured it's as good a time as any to get my angles out.

Yes, I added a little dot to them just for the sake of it and by the looks of it, the color on my index finger would work really well with the color of the dot if I were to make a polka dot mani out of it, don't you think?

Speaking of colors, here's what I used:

Thumb  is Barry M, Index finger is Bondi, Middle finger is China Glaze, Ring finger  is Essie and Pinky is Revlon.
I kinda liked putting the names of the polishes in the picture and I might be doing it again. What do you think? Is it easier if I just write the name of the polish on the photo?               




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Week In Pictures # 34

I'm writing this on Sunday morning/night and my balcony door is open because after two weeks of polar cold, it's now back to 20+ degrees and I even managed to get some tanning done yesterday. The weather has definitely gone nuts, but that's not stopping us from taking pictures!

                                

1. Nail wheels at sunset 2. Yes, that's a melon! 3. The balloon love is still strong

4. My DIY gold candle jar 5. Outtakes

6. Best buds for at least two seasons 7. The pinks and purples have gathered! 8. New favorite combo?

How was your week? Autumn treating you well? I've accidentally discovered the best combination: green tea and apple syrup. Trust me, if you mix them you will not be drinking anything else. And this is coming from someone who has already consumed around 2 liters in a day.


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The Burt's Bees Collection

I've come to the conclusion that Burt's Bees is one of,if not THE favorite beauty brand of mine. Of course there are holy grail products from other brands, but as a whole, the bees of Burt manage to produce a consistent array of body love perfection. 
That's why I figured it would be a great idea to show you some of the things that I own at the moment.

The Peach and Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub  has become something I'm quite convinced I couldn't be able to live without. It has done things to my pores and skin in terms of cleansing that I never thought were possible. As you might suspect, I also did a review of it after much love had been exchanged.

In terms of cleansing, the Orange Essence Facial Cleanser is probably the nicest cleanser to my skin that I have ever experienced. Even if it has a gel-like texture, it behaves like the sweetest of foam/cream cleansers, even leaving your skin moisturized after use! I mean, who does that? And of course you can read all my raving here.

Last winter I also got the Lemon and Vitamin E Body Oil  that has been so nice to me! But I think right now, my skin is in a  "don't give me oils, I need thick butter!" moment due to the seasons changing and the less that joyful adjusting. This is my...third ( I think) bottle and it's a very useful thing to have. I carry it in my gym bag for body moisturizing after a workout.

The newest additions are the Beeswax and Bananas Hand Cream  which is a thick,delicious and super effective cream (review to follow asap!) and the Lemon Butter Cuticle Oil that I once slapped on my nails in  larger quantities before bed and woke up to non-breaking, super moisturized and insanely strong nails. I have a feeling nothing has and nothing will  work so fast ever again.

How do you get along with Burt? Are you also a fan?                         





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Monday Nails inspired by Lorde's "Royals"

Here's the thing, I don't know if you have or have not heard Lorde's song called "Royals" , but that thing has been sticking to my brain. Mainly because of its simplicity. There's no musical masterpiece happening, nor are there any intricate instrumental moments happening, but it latches on to your brain and you're left singing "but we'll never be rooyal,rooooyaaaaaaaaaal" for the next 10 days.
Which brings us to our current nails. Just like the song, they're not too intricate or difficult to create, but I paired up two colors that scream "royal" to me: navy blue and gold.
I find them to be quite appropriately royal. Not too in your face, but then again,not plain. And most importantly, I can definitely envision them in the video of that song. Which I haven't seen...Is there a video to that song?

Either way, what do you think? Royal enough?          

                

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Week In Pictures # 33

Today, or the first time in a long time, I'm doing a post with photos from just my phone. I simply don't get around to taking photos with my phone too often,and even less to downloading them from it. I've realized my phone is being well under used so I've been working on fixing it. This would be the result.
Also: it's October! <insert shocked face here> Where has the year gone? It's almost next year and it's pretty incredible! Ok, let's just enjoy autumn as much as we can. With that in mind, I'll go get a Pumpkin Spice Latte tomorrow

As the structure of this collage might be a bit unclear, I'll be doing descriptions to each row. The first row is 4 pics, the second is 2 and the third is again 4 pictures.

1. Shrooms! Fresh picked ones from the woods / 2. My desk on wednesday, as I realized I love balloons / 3. I seem to like to take pictures of my legs after running / 4. Found a gorgeous fallen tree trunk 

5. The South Bank is the ideal running place for me.Those views! / 6. Very much in like with Essie's Hip-Anema

7. China Glaze Unpredictable brings the shinies / 8. Morning coffee we must have / 9. The pre-coffee unimpressed face/ 10. Last chance to tan!

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The 4 Step Dry Skin Rescue

Last weekend I had to get through the realization that my skin was as dry as can be. Maybe due to temperature change, maybe the air conditioning at the office, who knows. Bottom line is that on Saturday I noticed with not so much pleasure that my skin wasn't its happy hydrated self. You can imagine, I had to fix it.

                               
Step 1: Clean it!
Piling stuff on is one idea, but if your skin isn't clear and unclogged to be able to take in the goodies, there is nothing productive happening. That's why, like with everything, you need to make sure your skin is clean and ready to enjoy the good stuff you put on it. This time I used the Burt's Bees Peach and Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub because even if it cleans and scrubs everything, it is the sole cleanser that leaves my skin moisturized. This thing is amazing! The absolute perfect texture and if you check my Favorites post from yesterday, you will find the review there too.

Step 2: Mask it!
What I did was use the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask in the evening so my skin would be ready for the full treatment in the morning. You can also do this as a last step, if you do the whole process in the morning. Clean it,moisturize it, then slap this mask on in the evening for extra hydration.

Step 3: Serum Time!
If you don't use or don't feel the need to use a serum every day, this will be right up your alley, because having a serum on standby for dry situations like this is ideal. Right now, I don't use a serum on a daily basis (but I will come winter and frosty winds), but putting it on when your skin feels extra dry is a blessing. It prepares your skin for the moisturizer and locks in all the moisture of your skin. I really like the Melvita Orange Blossom Extraordinary Water in small quantities. This thing really gets the job done and you need the tiniest amount for it.

Step 4: Moisturize it!
I'm really loving Mango Butter  right now, but just go with your favorite moisturizer at this point,to seal the rescuing deal. I find the mango butter to be doing a ton of good to my skin and it's so much more hydrating than the face oils I had been using. I don't think I'm going to be able to go back to just oils after this.

I can tell you that after that, my skin was feeling nice and puffy again.





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September Favorites

I once said it would be a miracle for me to post my favorites on the first day of the month, as I tend to usually post favorites a wee bit late. Well, the miracle has yet to happen but guys! It's the 2nd and favorites are up. At least a pat on the back is in order I'd say.

                                
99% of this month's favorites are new ones, and all except my trusty Burt's Bees Peach & Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub (review here) have been acquired in September or slightly before.

The Origins Drink Up Intensive face mask is basically everything and more they make it out to be. The one thing that really lives up to its hype. I mean, this thing is Fantastic!

I've been on the fence about getting the Benefit Sun Beam because they do say there are many dupes out there and the price is not fully justifiable. But I was in Boots one day and they had this cute Benefit mini pack which also contained the Sun Beam and I have to say, I am impressed! It lasts much longer than any of the dupes and the tiniest amount results in a beautiful glow.

Another thing that has recently reached me is the Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter and so far I'm really happy with it. Does its job SO well and smells amazing! Review to follow very soon,I'm just making it jump through more hoops at the moment.

Then of course, the Maybelline Color Tattoos. I've been using On and on Bronze most,but as you can see, I gracefully grabbed the wrong one. Nevertheless, everything about them impresses me: lasting power, color,texture...everything!

Moving on to lip love, I have become obsessed with the Top Shop Lip Crayons ( Review here ) . All I can say, this is what made me love mattes again. And of course, the beauty that is the Revlon Lip Butter    ( review also found here ). It's my go-to lip product at the moment. Sheer but strong enough to make an impact and beautifully moisturizing! 

So that was what I've been really liking this past month. Do we have any monthly loves in common and have you tried any of these?





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