UV underbase gets new family members

One of my all time favourite products is Shu Uemura's UV Underbase. As you all probably know I'm big on sun protection and this super light weight mouse from Shu Uemura protects with an SPF30, makes your skin look pore-less and over all more smooth. A must-have to prepare the perfect skin canvas for long-lasting make-up creations. It makes my skin look so lovely I never even put foundation on but if you want more coverage apply your foundation over the mouse for a flawless finish.
The underbase Mousse was developed based on Mr. Shu Uemura’s idea to create a product which performs as a veil between skincare and make-up for better make-up canvas.
The base has been going for 20 years and this spring its getting some brothers and sisters!

Shu Uemura launches its spring collection: Kimono a la mode by Mamechiyo, in which they teamed up with Mamechiyo, a modern kimono artist.
For this special-edition UV under base mousse and the cleansing oils have been decorated by Mamechiyo using four spring flowers cherished in Japan—Fuji, Sakura, Botan, and Ume, matching each bloom to a women's beauty.
There are the all ready excising UV underbase in pink, and the beige. And the new UV underbase BB mouse and  the underbase brightening mouse pink purple. 
The new BB mousse sounds lovely, it helps to improve the skin's appearance and overall condition whilst providing a natural cover which helps to conceal dark spots, blemishes and scars. The mouse delivers hydration and coverage with an aero-light texture. Cant wait to try!

Magazine crush: Mollie Makes

There is only one craft magazine in Britain that I think is worthwhile reading: Mollie Makes.
This lovely publication is full of craft ideas you want to make immediately, if not sooner.
The people of Molly Makes curate the best contemporary crafts from around the world into a beautiful and totally irresistible print magazine. The magazine brings you the best craft websites, a look inside the homes of the world’s most creative crafters, tutorials of cute little projects and shows tours of the crafty capitals of the world. Buy your copy, curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and get inspired!
For cute Easter ideas have a look on the Molly Makes website here.

Croisette Collection by Dior

Dior has some lovely treats in store this summer, they present their Croisette eye wear collection. A beautiful retro line inspired by René Gruau, famous artist and illustrator who worked with the house of Dior in the 40s and '50s. I'm loving the horizontal stripe frames, available in 5 colours: yellow, blue, red, plum and havana.

To spoil us even more there is also a Croisette Makeup collection, full of lovely eyeshadows, lip glosses, lip sticks, nail polishes and eyeliners. Inspired by the art de vivre of the French Riviera, the Dior Croisette Collection combines the peace of the French countryside with the splendour of Saint Tropez.

My favourites are the eyeshadow palette in Aurora, you can see the sunset in this palette, will look great on blue eyes. And the eye glosses, cant wait to give them a try.



Something for the weekend: Nutty cinnamon rolls

We have one hour less this weekend, summer time starts on Sunday, but that cant take away from the fact that this weekend is going to be great. The weather forecast predicts nothing but sunshine, the sky is as blue as can be and flowers are popping up everywhere in the garden.
And what is nicer on a sunny morning then nibbling nutty cinnamon rolls, sipping a fresh pot of coffee and reading the weekend papers.

For these 10 to 12 of my nutty rolls you need:

500 grams of flour

25 grams of butter

1 tea spoon of salt

2 table spoons of sugar

1 egg yolk

a sachet of yeast (7grams)

300 ml warm water

200 grams of nuts, I like using hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds

3 table spoons of cinnamon

2 table spoons of honey

2 table spoons of golden syrup

For the dough mix together the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Rub in the butter using your fingers and add the warm water and egg yolk. Use a mixer with dough hooks to combine all the ingredients, mix for 5 minutes. Knead the bread dough by hand for another 10 minutes.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel and let to rise in a warm place for an hour.

Mix the nuts, cinnamon, syrup and honey in a bowl.
Once risen roll the dough into a rectangle sheet, approximate 30x20cm
Place the nut mix over the dough and roll into a big log.
With a sharp knife cut the dough into 4cm discs, you will have between 10 and 12 rolls.
Place the discs on a baking tray covered in greaseproof paper, make sure there is 1cm between the discs as they will still rise. I like it when the rolls touch in the oven making one big breakable bread, if you don't want this leave at least 2 cm between the rolls.
Cover the baking tray with a damp tea towel and let rest for 20 minutes, in the meantime preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, 390F or gas mark 6.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown, when the rolls are ready they will sound hollow when you tap them.
Let them cool on a wire rack, make a pot of coffee and enjoy!!

D-Day: Vogue Nederland is here!

D-day, Dutch Donderdag, is here but this time not a message in Dutch but a blog post about the biggest launch in Hollands magazine world, the Vogue Nederland is here!!

The first issue of the Dutch Vogue goes on sale today and the cover with models Romee Strijd, Ymre Stiekema and Josfien Roderman photographed by Marc de Groot, looks very promising.
Editor in chief, Karen Swerink of Dutch Glamour fame, says in a Volkskrant interview 'Its a dream come true. This first memorable Vogue is chock full of everything the Netherlands excel in. It exceeds expectations on every page.' According to Swerink the Ducth edition of the magazine is 'an ode to, and a platform for all the talent we have in Holland.'
I certainly cant wait to get an issue to my side of the pond.
The Vogue Nederland website has a great backstage video of their first issue, have a look here.

So 2012 is the year of Vogue Netherlands but did you know the first Vogue was published in the United States in 1892? The fashion bible started of as a weekly publication, in 1909 Condé Nast picked it up and started growing the, now bi-weekly,publication slowly. In 1916 Vogue UK started followed in great success by Spain, Italy and France in the 1920s.
Diana Vreeland changed the magazine around in the 1960s and it started appealing to the youth of the sexual revolution focusing more on contemporary fashion and editorials openly discussing sexuality.
Vogue only become a monthly in 1973 under editor-in-chief Grace Mirabella and the magazine underwent extensive editorial and stylistic changes to respond to the changes in lifestyles of its target audience. Current editor-in-chief of US Vogue Anna Wintour took over in 1988.
The Vogue family grew a lot since the first issue, its now being published in 18 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States all have their own Vogue and now the Netherlands can join this list as well. And what about the side publications like US Man Vogue, Teen Vogue, the Australian Vogue Living, L'uomo Vogue and the Vogue Casa in Italy and ofcource the kids fashion editions Vogue Bambini and Vogue Ninos. I am curious what title Condé Nast comes up with next!

Vogue information taken from Wikipedia

Spring bouquet

On the second day of spring the sun is spoiling us and flowers are popping up everywhere. Magazines are full of colourful summer ads and department store counters overflown with fresh makeup products. There are so many pretty things around you don't know what makeup to buy but then you see this beautiful Dolce& Gabbana Bouquet poster and all becomes clear, you want this whole collection!!

I love the image, the dress, the makeup, the blue background, the girl,the name, absolutely everything is perfect. Dolce & Gabbana’s flirtatious new colour collection for Spring/Summer 2012 is an irresistible display of floral colours. Inspired by blossoming flowers and the fashion and fun of a 50's Italian summer the collection features six good enough to eat shades of nail lacquer, bringing Spring matte pastel trend to fingertips and toes. To make your eyes all summery there are six sumptuous shades of eyeliner, I'm loving the green one.
The Bouquet collection also has lip glosses and a eyeshadow palette but the eyeliners and nail tones are definitely my favourites.
Bouquet is exclusive on sale in Harrods but worry not if you're not near London, you can buy it online as well, www.harrods.com

We like fashion video

Last week I showed you some behind the scenes images from the 'We like fashion' shoot I worked on at the beginning of the year. I just stubled upon this lovely video the We like fashion people made off the shoot, hope you like it.
www.welikefashion.com

Whats in your makeupbag: Alex

For this weeks 'Whats in your makeup bag' we have a peak in Alexandra Stedmans Anya Hindmarch pouch. Alex is an amazing stylist working for Red magazine and writer of the money saving blog The frugality. If you haven't read her blog yet have a look right away, Alex has a lovely way of showing you don't have to spend a fortune to look and live fabulous.
But for now lets see what this stylish lady has lurking in her makeup bag.

Make-up brush: Laura Mercier. I remember at the time, I almost fainted at the price of this but 7 years on, this is the best powder brush I've used.
Powder:  Studio FX MAC. I've just always used this, and the colour works for me.
Mascara: Clinique. I love the double brush for different effects.
Liquid eyeliner: Clarins. I always thought I was bad at eyeliner, and then I used this and realised the problem was my tools! This does the best smooth line.
Cream blush: Clarins. I have quite dry skin, so always use cream blush. This, and another from Lancome, are my favourites.Lipstick: 'Vegas Volt' from MAC. I always recycle 6 products to get my free MAC lipstick (which is why all my lipsticks are MAC!). I love this orange, looks especially great with a tan.
Concealer: MAC. This is probably the one item I feel naked without. I forgot to take it one holiday and panicked, ran straight out and bought another one.

A great makeup bag, and some frugal tips as well, I didn't know about the MAC lipstick recycling, guess you learn something new everyday :)
I definitely agree with Alex on the makeup brush, they are expensive at first but so worth the money.
If you look after your brushes, wash them regularly, they will last a lifetime.
(For my post on makeup brushes click here)

Remember you can still send in photos of your makeup bag to be featured on the blog.
Have a nice weekend guys!

Coffee table makeover

Picking up a foreign magazine can sometimes feel like finding undiscovered treasure, like when I found out about the hidden gem that is Ideas magazine, a South African lifestyle title. You might be able to pick it up if your newsagent offers a wide selection on titles but I get mine form the Ipad app Zinio, an online kiosk where you can buy absolutely every magazine (also back issues).
Ideas magazine has items on craft projects, makeovers, decor, food, entertaining etc. But also articles on how to start your own b&b or run your webshop.
All around fabulousness!

In the October issue of 2011 I found a photo of this table thought it looks very cute only to realise it came with a tutorial, you can make this yourself!!!
You decorate a plain table with titles covered in your favourite fabrics and as my coffee table could definitely use an injection of fun, its a very plain square black box, I had a go and you can see the result on top of this post.
I used fabrics that I have around my house, leftovers from my curtains, scraps from cushions, table clothes etc. You can use any print or colour you like, I did find thin materials work more easy then the thicker curtain fabrics. Using a similar technique to decoupage you attach the fabric to the tiles. I also used a couple of plain tiles and decorated them with a porcelain marker, you can even copy some of the patterns of the fabric you used on to the plain tiles. I stuck with drawing little birds.
Once your tiles are dry attach them to the table with tile glue and your one of a kind table is finished!


Have a look at the Idea magazine tutorial

Want to find out more about Idea magazine? Have a look at their website http://ideasmag.co.za/

The eyebrows go bling!

I adore the makeup of last weeks Chanel show for autumn winter 2012/2013! Love the clean, fresh skin and then those amazing sparkling eyebrows, stunning!!
The makeup is designed by Peter Philips, creative director of Chanel makeup. And the eyebrow bling bling are embroideries by Maison Lesage especially made for the show.
On the eyes Peter Philips used the Crayon Khol in Clair, a lovely light coloured pencil and the eyelashes got a squeeze off the eyelash curler but no mascara, I love this clean eye look!
The lips got a dap of Chanels new lip conditioner, Rouge Coco Baume. This lip balm hydrates your lips and gives a high shine finish, a win-win situation.

Coming back to this season, Chanel has a great look out for this spring, all fresh faced pink and peach tones. I'm in love with their June nail polish, the Tiger lily eyeshadow and the Grenat eyeliner.
Have a look what are your favourites?
Chanel Spring collection

The house in the forest

Have a look at the latest Vogue Bambini shoot I worked on with photographer

Igor Borisov and stylist Ellie Lines, out now.

The location was absolutely stunning, here a few pictures

Teal the cows come home

OPI is doing a charity collaboration as part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month with Ovacome; a charity whose aim is to raise awareness about the symptoms of ovarian cancer to encourage earlier diagnosis and a better chance of recovery. It really is a fabulous cause.

A little bit of background: Historically, ovarian cancer has been known as ‘the silent killer’. Even today, the symptoms are not well known and the prognosis is not great as women often do not receive treatment until they are in the later stages of the disease.  Early detection makes a big difference; the overall five-year survival rate for women with ovarian cancer is only 44%. If the cancer is caught before it spreads, the five-year survival rate jumps to 92%, so awareness really could save lives.*
  * Stats from SEER, November 2011

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and teal is the charity’s recognised colour, so for every bottle of ‘Teal The Cows Come Home’ sold in March, Lena White are donating £1 to Ovacome. We’re hoping that if women are out sporting their ‘Teal Tips’ then not only will it raise some money for a fantastic cause, but it will also get women talking and raise awareness.

D Day, we like fashion

Het is donderdag dat betekend D day op de Makeup-Lifestyle blog!!
Vandaag wil ik je graag een paar images laten zien van mijn Welikefashion shoot in Kaapstad van vorige maand. Welikefashion is een webshop die al flink wat jaren bezig is maar vorig jaar een hele make over heeft gehad, nieuwe website, nieuwe naam noem maar op.
In hun online magazine hebben ze een leuke backstage reportage staan van de shoot in Kaapstad, have a look. De shoot is gefotografeerd door Elmar Krop en gestyled door Renske van de Ploeg.

Neem een kijkje op hun website hier

Ik heb zeker wat favourieten!

Thursdays mean my posts are in Dutch.

This week its about a fashion shoot I did with photographerElmar Krop in Capetown last month for Dutch brand welikefashion.

www.welikefashion.nl

Have your cake and show it off to!

Ive been looking for a pretty single tiered cake stand for ages but never managed to find one I liked for a reasonable price, so why not make one yourself?

All you need is a plate, a glass or cup, china glue and some porcelain paint.

I've found these ice cream bowls in a charity shop, 75p for the two off them and grabbed an old plate from my cupboard. Glue your cup upside down under the plate and let dry for how ever long it says on your glue bottle.

Once dry decorate the plate with a design off choice I used a porcelain painter  pen by Marabu. You can pick these up in any craft store. After drying 24h these paints are dishwasher safe. And there you have it an unique, one of a kind and very cheap cake stand! Mine cost no more then 50p!

If you rather buy a cake stand have a look at my favourites

Whats in your makeup bag?

Could whats in your bag be a sign of your personality? Of whats going on in your head?
I wouldn't go that far but it sure is fun to have a peak in somebodies makeup goody bag!!
I new recurrent item on the blog will give you a peak inside the makeup bags of fashion folk, and to start off I'm opening my own bag to you.
I have a little see-through pouch that's almost always in my bag. I like to travel sans makeup so this bag allows me to do my mini makeover on the train, plain or automobile.
Have a little peek

1.  Lancome Hydra zen tinted moisturiser
2.  l'Occitane cocoa flower hand creme
3.  Bobbi Brown shimmer brick in bronze (I use this on cheeks and eyes)
4.  Litle brush to apply the shimmer brick
5.  Shu Uemura eyelash curler, the one and only
6.  Vaseline, i love this creme brulée limited edition
7.  Clinique superfine liner for brows in soft blonde
8.  My Ellis Faas pens S202 and S207 used as concealer and eyeshadow
9.  Lancome hypnose dolls eyes mascara in black (trying it out at the mo, more on this later)
10. My fav lipstick ever, Lancome l'absolu rouge in 134
11. Memory stick, you never know when you need one
12. Kirby grip to clip away my fringe when doing makeup.

Want to show me your makeup bag? Please contact me, you might get featured!