Fashion Fetisj — Favourite KIKO Products

Founded in 1997 by the Percassi Group, KIKO is an Italian professional cosmetic brand without animal testing. They have a wide range of cutting-edge make-up and tools. They constantly update their make-up line and individual products to keep up with the latest innovations in the world of beauty and make-up. In all different KIKO-stores, you can ask for professional advice or buy a ticket to get your make-up done. When I lived in Salamanca, I had my make-up done at KIKO once, and I must say I was really satisfied with the result.

In this blogpost, you can read my review on my favourite KIKO-products, which I bought in the KIKO-store in Salamanca

1. Nail polish Fixer

The nail polisher fixer is the ultimate invention for all those hasty and, most of all, impatient people, like myself. I never have the patience to wait until my nail polish is completely dry. Consequence: scratched and shifted nail polish. The nail polish fixer promises completely dry nail polish in only a few seconds, and it totally lives up to this promise. After applying your polish, wait approximately 1 minute before spraying the fixer to your nails.

2. Dark Grey Nail Polish n° 381

The offer of KIKO nail polish is immense and despite the fact that this offer may seem a bit overwhelming, you can find every shade you are looking for at a KIKO store. The KIKO nail polish has a rich colour, a good cover and stays long, for a relatively cheap price. When you apply correctly, you only need one layer, at most 2 if you want a deeper colour.

3. Scrub & Peel

The scrub wipes are a good solutions for everyone of you who doesn’t like to put greasy scrub cream on their face and having to rinse it all off again afterwards. The wipes have a micro-relief side with a fine grain to remove the dead skin cells in an effective way off your delicate facial skin. The other side is a soft side and serves to soothe your face again after the scrubbing. The wipes give no hassle and they are easy and clean in use. That’s the reason why I like them so much. You can also buy a variant for your entire body. They suggest to use the facial scrub wipes twice a week, but I prefer to use them once a week, because I have a very delicate skin.

4. Hydrating Hand Fluid

With its rich formula, the KIKO hand fluid is perfect for my ultra-dry hands. The easy size of the tube makes it possible to always take it with you. The hand fluid absorbs fast and gives you really soft and hydrated hands. The scent of the hand fluid is subtle and not overwhelming, which is a plus, in my opinion.

5. Luscious Cream Lipstick n° 500

This is a nude lipstick for everyday use. The lipstick is soft and full, but not greasy. After applying, you don’t even feel it, unlike some cheap lipsticks, where you can feel the greasy and sticky substance on your lips all the time. The lipstick is hydrating and really stays for a long time. I am definitely a fan! However, I’m not so enthusiastic about the lipstick casing. It looks pretty, modern and futuristic, but it is not practical when you use it. So that’s a shame, but the content of this impractical case compensates largely! You can have a better look at the casing in the general picture above.

6. Colour Fever Eye-shadow Palette n° 1 Unexpected Rosy Taupe

This four-coloured eye-shadow palette is perfect for a rosy taupe smokey eye! The colours vary from light rose to deep burgundy, where the two middle tones have a little sparkle to it. They apply nice and light to your eye and last for the whole evening! The lighter tones are separately also perfect for everyday use.

How to Get More Traffic to your Blog

I found a really good blogpost on how bloggers can generate more traffic to their blogs. Since I only just begun to blog, this post is very helpful to me because I am still a toddler in in the blogging scene so I need every help I can get to develop my blogging skills.

Futhermore, I would like to ask you, my readers, if you have any suggestions, or tips on how I can do better, I would love to hear them. Because I want to know what you’re thinking, so I can improve and develop my blog and my skills.

Happy blogging!

How to Get More Traffic

Cooking Class — Baked Banana

An old delicious recipe, but I had forgotten all about it! Until recently, when I walked into the kitchen and I smelled a delicious scent…

Turned out my roommate was making baked bananas! She told me I could have a taste and I was immediately sold! It was delicious!

She shared the secret with me, and I am sharing it with you: the key to success with this recipe, is to leave the bananas lying in your fruit bowl until they’re brown and looking distasteful. Only like this, the magic can work!

Next you slice the bananas, sprinkle them with sugar (brown or white, your choice) and some cinnamon, if you like. Bake them in butter et voila!

Bon appétit!

DIY Diva — Crochet Scarf

I knew how to crochet and knit before it was cool. Does that make me old-school; or does it make me fashionable, quirky and original?

I learnt how to crochet in primary school, from my best friend’s mom. The week of Mothers Day, all mothers were invited to the classroom in turns to teach or show all the kids something new.

I learnt how to knit when I was about six years old. My grandma taught me the basics and all night, we sat on the couch together, knitting. I liked it instantly. So after that I knitted several lopsided things which I intended to be scarves; unfinished, sloppy doll blankets and other ambitious knitting projects, full of holes and uneven knots.

After some time of inactivity between me and my knitting needles, I started knitting again about 3 years ago.

I knitted in bed, on the couch, in the train on my way to school,… Of course, there were people laughing with me, on the train or at home, calling me a grandma. But I don’t care. I would rather be that girl who actually knows how to do something than a girl who is too mainstream to pick up some knitting needles.

But here in Salamanca, I felt the urge to crochet something for a change. So I bought a crochet needle and some green yarn. With knitting or crochet, I always start on time to finish it before winter, but in the end, I never make it in time. So I always tell myself there is always a new winter to wear my scarf. And this time, it’s not different. But I am trying to maybe finish it before I leave Salamanca. When I arrive back in Belgium at the end of January, it will still be cold enough to wear my handmade green scarf.

For those of you who have never picked up a crochet needle in their lives, I have a really good crochet tutorial for you. I hope I inspired you to pick up some crochet or knitting needles and to be that boy or girl who actually knows some real craftsmanship!

This is the scarf I am making. But I am having a hard time finishing it, because I have to study a lot these days. Maybe I’ll get it ready in time for Winter 2013!

 

 

Good luck!

Cooking Class — How to eat a Pomegranate

Full of potassium, vitamin C and polyphenols, the pomegranate is a very healthy fruit to add to your menu. The shrub on which pomegranates grow, can grow up to 6 meters high. Originally, pomegranates grew only in Persia, but nowadays, this fruit is cultivated in the Mediterranean region, the Middle-East, Caucasus, India and Afghanistan, but you can buy them all over the world.

The pomegranate has a part in a lot of different religious and mythical tales. For example, the Greek goddess Persephone was forced to return to Hades’ underworld every six months, for eating 6 pomegranates. Another example is Tutankhamun. He was buried together with several pomegranates, because the shrub of the pomegranate was praised since antiquity for its healthy influence and its royal appearance. The ancient Egyptians even believed that the pomegranate was an elixir of life.

But no matter how famous, loved and healthy pomegranates are, it is a true struggle to get to the small, red fruits which are well-hidden beneath the thick, leathery skin of the pomegranate. Several times, the result of my struggle was a juice-covered kitchen. So when I bought some pomegranates this time, I made sure I was prepared before starting to peel them.

On YouTube, I found a very good tutorial on how to get to the delicious seeds of the pomegranate without covering yourself and your kitchen with red juice.

Fashion Fetisj — Shades of red

To keep your outfit calm, always keep in mind to stick with a colour palette of 3 colours.
Combine different shades of the same colour for a refined look.

In this case, I used 2 different shades of red.

Pair your little black dress with an elegant red blazer and burgundy heels for a classy, quiet look.

To give your outfit that stylish edge, finish it with a statement necklace and a little black handbag.

Shades of red van ivynation met retro style dresses

Fashion Fetisj — Burgundy Jeans Pairings

Burgundy is one of the most popular colours for fall and winter this year.

It is a versatile colour to create many different looks, all with a different style.
You can for example create a comfortable look with some soft knitwear, an edgy look with a leather jacket and some heavy boots and an evening look with a tailored blazer and black heels.

The key to pairing burgundy, is to stick to 3 basic colours, for example burgundy, black and gold.

Burgundy Pairing van ivynation

Burgundy Pairing 2

Burgundy Pairing 3 van ivynation