Author: Christiana

Need to Try > Smoky Poppy Body Care and Makeup

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Contrary to many of my friends I cannot, in good faith, say that I am a loyal fan of The Body Shop. Fair enough I used to love it when I was younger, but growing up I somehow gravitated away from it. I still, however, find some of their products (like, for example, the Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream) to be absolutely amazing – and am often intrigued by their launches (as was the case with their earlier Shimmer Waves and their recent Red Musk range). This month their Smoky Poppy body care range has literally got me on my toes, with its sleek and sensual black & red packaging and its promise of a fragrance based on “a captivating blend of sultry spices, elegant florals and earthy woody notes” (which just happens to be right up my alley). The corresponding Smoky Poppy makeup also looks like something I can’t really frown upon – with some gorgeous nail colors and the company’s first ever chubby lip (& cheek) pencils thrown in for good measure. I …

Eat! | Broccoli and Stilton Soup

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In spite of being vegetarian, I have to admit I hate don’t particularly like eating certain veggies – broccoli being one them. This smooth blended, velvety version – combined with an assortment of other veggies and a generous amount of spicy blue cheese – somehow manages to make it a pleasure for me to eat, every time. A comforting, cold weather meal – which should go down well, with most of the family. Do let me know what you (& your friends, boyfriend, family, kids etc.) think, if you happen to try this… Ingredients 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (I used 3 tbsp of Greek olive oil) 1 onion, finely chopped 1 stick celery, sliced 1 leek, sliced 1 medium potato, diced 1 knob butter 1L low salt or homemade chicken or vegetable stock (being veggie, I used the latter) 1 head broccoli, roughly chopped 140g Stilton, or other blue cheese, crumbled (Onion and/ or garlic croutons and some extra, crumbled Stilton for serving) Method Heat the oil in a large saucepan and then add the …

Look Fantastic/ Bare Minerals Haul

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I’m back with yet another beauty haul which took shape, very innocently, when I tried to re-stock my Caudalie Hand Cream via LookFantastic. I had been hearing reading loads about the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipsticks and glosses and since we can’t really get them in store where I come from, I thought I’d briefly check out swatches online and order one of each, just to see what the fuss was about. Fast forward to a couple of days ago, when I received my LookFantastic package containing: – One 30 ml Caudalie Hand Cream – One Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss (in Maverick) – Three (!) Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipsticks (in Get Ready, Raise the Bar & Live Large) In my defense, I was getting one thing delivered anyway (plus Bare Minerals is so budget friendly), so it all kinda made perfect sense. Now, I haven’t actually used the hand cream yet – since I am still only half way through the 3 tubes of L’Occitane I bought myself just before Christmas (!) …

‘Full Dark, No Stars’ by Stephen King ~ A Review

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Back when I was in my teens I used to love Stephen Kind and would practically devour everything he published – especially his earlier “full-time horror” novels like ‘The Shining’ & ‘IT’. Somewhere along the line, my dwindling attention span combined with King’s tendency to increasingly verge towards the metaphysical made me give up on him and his high page-count books altogether. Having recently picked up and largely enjoyed some of Joe King’s work (check out my earlier reviews of ‘Heart Shaped Box’ and ‘Horns’), Amazon deemed it appropriate to suggest I buy one of Stephen King’s short story collections, ‘Full Dark, No Stars’. I thought it was about time I gave the ol’ boy another chance and I am delighted that I did. Shorter stories seem to be this guy’s major strength and the ‘Full Dark, No Stars’ collection features what’s possibly some of his best writing to date. Focusing on the inherent darkness of human nature, instead of on the supernatural, his stories are relatable, creepy and stay with you long after you’ve …

Pai ~ A Rampant Love Affair

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It all started with me ordering the Pai Copaiba & Zinc Perfect Balance Blemish Serum (which I am afraid to say I was so eager to try that I forgot to photograph properly – but I do believe I’ve got a snapshot of on my Instagram account) based on all the rave reviews by well established beauty bloggers, like Estee of ‘Essie Button’ and Ruth Crilly of ‘A model Recommends’. Now, I have to admit I was not a fan of its (very unique) fragrance and slightly “tacky” texture at first, but I did stick with it and boy have I been compensated by the results (not even a single major spot has reared its ugly head since I started using it, not even the persistent hormonal cysts I used to get around those days of the month). Impressed by the brand (& happy to have found an all natural, organic and animal friendly company whose products actually deliver on their promises) I proceeded to buy the Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser and the …