Threading

Last weekend my two bffs (which are incidentally males, and I'm not sure how they'd react if they knew I referred to them as 'bffs') and I organized a group visit in Manchester to see another friend of ours (more of that in another post). That visit was a turning point for my eyebrows as I was introduced to the wonders of threading!

So here is how it went: I marvelled at my (Mancunian) friend's eyebrows, how they were so neat, and tidy and not even a hair was out of place (my eyebrows, on the contrary, are quite high-maintenance as I have to pluck them every few days and I never seem to get them quite right). She replied she threaded them, and insisted I did the same. Now, this girl I have to tell you, is quite persistent and she does not take no for an answer. Never. So she just grabbed my arm (I'm being literal here) and took me to this very nice Indian lady who threaded eyebrows for a mere 5 pounds (gasp!).

Anyway, about ten minutes later (it usually takes even less, but I was a first-timer), I had quite thin, and very straight (the not-a-hair-out-of-place type) eyebrows. Which was quite a shock, since for many years my eyebrows where more on the thick side (think Natalia Vodianova), and now they are so thin. To be honest I haven't got used to them yet (let alone that in my opinion, too thin eyebrows are incredibly tacky and they make you look aged - but thank God mine are not that thin), but I have a feeling that I will come to love threading (again, they were so straight and flawless)!

 Natalia Vodianova - the goddess of thick eyebrows

Have you ever tried out threading your eyebrows/upper lip/whatever on your face? What do you think? :)

PS: Natalia Vodianova (pictured) is not particularly relevant, but I thought she looks beautiful anyway!

Bloglovin

 I've recently joined Bloglovin if you want to follow me there xx

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Love conquers all

This is something I found on Facebook, and I thought it was utterly impressive, so I just had to share it with you. These skeletons have been found in 2007 around the town of Mantova, in Northern Italy. They are what is left from a man and a young woman who lived during the Neolithic Age, and obviously died together, still holding each other after thousands of years.

Not even death did them apart.

What's in your handbag?

What's in your handbag is an exclusive website where you can share the contents of your handbag, see other users' handbags, and most importantly comment on the (beauty) contents! Is the inside of your handbag an intimate view of your personality or just random stuff?

I know a lot of bloggers have already been showing the inside of their handbags, but this is a rare opportunity to take a sneak peak inside the handbags of many more women, including some the most important people in the beauty business, sharing and discovering the latest must-have products! Enjoy :)

How is yours going to look like? :)

Fashion Update: Karl has arrived

Karl, Karl Lagerfeld's new, online-exclusive and far more affordable label, was unveiled yesterday on net-a-porter. With prices starting at €19 for a printed canvas tote, €49 for a pair of his trademark cutaway leather gloves (sold out) and €70 for one of his collars, it's bound to be a success! Here are some of my favourite pieces from the collection:

What do you think? Would you consider buying any pieces from his collection? :)

TOMS for ballet flats fans

image via marieclaire.co.uk

TOMS, with its pioneering concept of one for one (every pair you buy, another one goes to a child in need, in an effort to fight poverty), launches a new shoe: the well-loved ballet flat. More elegant and 'dressy' than the classic TOMS seen below, they are hitting the stores this coming March in burlap, suede and linen to choose from.

If you are not convinced yet about buying a pair of TOMS, here are a few good reasons:
- For each pair you buy, one goes to a child in need, and this can really make a difference to their lives; in summer 2006 only, 10 000 pairs of shoes were given to these children, all because of TOMS customers.
- Such children grow up barefoot because of poverty, risking soil-transmitted diseases as well as cuts and sores which could become infected.
- Most importantly, they can't go to school because shoes are part of the school uniform. I don't really need to expand on the importance of education now, do I?
- They are shoes, for God's sake! Can you say no to a new pair of shoes? Especially if it's for such a good cause?
- They also have a men's line for your better half.

The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas

The Slap will make you wonder - fact. You may even feel 'slapped' yourself.

The story is set in suburban Melbourne and is about a man losing his temper and slapping a child across the face at his brother's barbecue, but the problem is that the child in question is not his. Mayhem follows and each of the guests, people who are directly or indirectly involved find themselves also 'slapped'. Is it an issue of a man teaching a disgustingly spoiled three-year-old some discipline, or an incident of child abuse and physical assault?

And most importantly, whose side are you on?

Familial and romantic relationships are challenged, dysfunctional families come to light and ethics are questioned.

However, what sets this novel apart is the profound cruelty with which Tsiolkas treats the characters, with a good amount of racism, sexism and adultery thrown in, making it scaringly realistic, controversial and daring. And that's all set in the most ordinary and simplest of settings - a barbecue - despite the questions raised being far from simple or straightforward.

Although it's not everyone's cup of tea and even myself wasn't sure at the beginning, I highly recommend it. But please, don't watch the TV adaptation. Although it's fairly watchable on its own, when compared to the book it's a disgrace.

Anyone else read it? Any thoughts? :)

The Easiest Baked Salmon Recipe Ever

Hello hello! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I decided to post a recipe today to start the week with  good food - and everything else will inevitably fall into place!

This is my favourite recipe for salmon: it's simple,easy and incredibly flexible. And you can also save that trip to the supermarket, because the ingredients are so simple (shame on you if you don't have white wine at home!)

Ingredients: (serving 1)
- 1 skinless salmon fillet
- some white wine
- any herbs you have at home
- black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. Put the salmon in a shallow baking dish and pour over it the wine but don't let it cover the salmon.
3. Crack some black pepper over the salmon and sprinkle with any herbs you have at home (I like thyme and rosemary).
4. Put in the oven and bake until it's cooked - the salmon should turn an opaque pink, about 15 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, ideally with a green salad and a glass of chilled white wine.

;)

How to have a Michelin-star dinner for £10

You go to Hong Kong. Yes, really.

As I have argued again and again, good food, glorious food does not have to be expensive (if you don't believe me, I can take you to meet my grandmother), however, there is a certain Asian chef who put his money where his mouth is.

Reading about this in today's Times, I was beyond thrilled (and then sad of course because it is a teeny tiny bit difficult for me to go to Hong Kong), to find out about Mr. Mak Pui Gor who owns a Michelin-star canteen (!) in Hong Kong, and that dinner there will cost you a mere 10 pounds. Mr Blumenthal (as in Heston Blumenthal, as in 3-Michelin-star, second-best-restaurant-in-the-world- 2009- Fat- Duck Heston Blumenthal) also graced the canteen with his presence and reportedly also gasped at the £10 bill, despite his order of a dozen or so dishes (he's a connoiseur, he had to try everything, what did you expect?!).


Nevertheless, despite the housing rents being sky-high in the region, Mr. Mak refuses to increase Tim Ho Wan's (that's the canteen) prices because he 'loves the fact that my food is not really beyond anybody’s means'. We do too. We also love the simple, authentic comfort food he focuses on, insisting that people go there for the food, and not for the fancy decoration or service, so there's no point in increasing the food prices to pay for this. However, Mr. Mak did expand and now there two more canteens such as this one, one in the Sham Shui Po district of Kowloon and one on Hong Kong Island in the gigantic IFC shopping mall.

When he expands to the UK as well, expect a post.

The story of Selfridges and the Library

I love books. I've always loved them. I spend hours in bookshops and libraries, and the larger the better (which means more books). Thus, I was very very excited to find out that last Friday, Oxford Street's Selfridges among its food hall, beauty stands and endless rails of designer fashion, now has a library.  

With books that is. Lots of books. 15 000 to be exact, ranging from biographies to fairytales to photo-books, all in the Ultralounge space in Selfridges.

Did I mention I'm going to London in two weeks time? :)

And will you be visiting the Selfridges library/reading room?

Laduree highlights (pun intended)

At first the world was blessed with Laduree's wonderful macaroons. 

But then the French patisserie decided to join forces with the Japanese cosmetics company Albion (who also does make up for Anna Sui and Paul & Joe) to bless the world of beauty as well. My dear readers, the new line of very- yummy- looking-but -unfortunately -inedible make up is coming to town on 29th of January if you're in Japan, and next autumn if you're in Europe or the rest of Asia.

The elegant, classy, fancy and very French beauty line called Les Merveilleuses de Laduree (translated as 'The wonders of Laduree) will include 20 different colors of blush, liquid foundation, and lip colors. Just to give you a taste, here's a sneak peak :)

            Face Colour              

Pressed Cheek Colour

Cream Cheek Base          

Photos via www.luxury-insider.com/


I need a sugar fix.

Versace for H&M: The Cruise Collection

This is the second time H&M joins Versace for a long-awaited line, launching (exclusively) online from the 19th of January. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't very impressed with the last collaboration of Versace with H&M, but this one looks quite promising and very summery (there are summer fruits EVERYWHERE)! Here's a sneak peak :)

Silk Dress £59.99

Shorts £24.99

Bikini £24.99

Bikini £24.99

Silk Dress £59.99

Which are your favourite pieces? x

PS: There is a limit of one piece per customer, so it is even harder than it seems!

Video showing US Marines urinating on dead bodies

It has not be verified yet if the video is genuine, but I'm not sure what would be more sick, inhumane, disrespecful, barbaric (this could be a veeeery long list): to know that this indeed happened and the 'freedom fighters' did one of the most sick, inhumane, disrespectful, barbaric etc etc things imaginable, or to know that someone else has such a sick, inhumane, disrespectful, barbaric etc etc imagination and used it to frame the marines.

The human nature never seizes to amaze and terrify me at the same time.

PS: I did not include the video because I thought it was a bit too graphic, but you can easily access it yourselves on youtube.

Mary Katrantzou for Longchamp

via vogue.co.uk

This is another collaboration I'm very excited about! Mary Katrantzou, the Greek designer who was brought to us by Topshop last year, brings her floral collages to the French brand. The two bags designed by Katrantzou will be based on an East-meets-West theme.

The first one is large tote bag featuring orchids, dragons and temples - which the designer believes is the embodiment of Westernized architecture - while the second, smaller bag, combines eastern and western characteristics by having both the New York Carnergie Hall and an Asian temple, without missing the flowers of course! Moreover, Katrantzou does not restrict herself to two bags since besides the two exclusive ones, she also designed a floral print for the famous pliage line.



Excited yet? :)