London Haul

I might have done some sneaky shopping while being over in London. How could I not have? Space NK is heaven for all the beauty lovers. So I picked up a few make up bits but also some other stuff.

First I got the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 100 Ivory. I've been using it for the past week and I do like it. I'm probably going to do a proper review on that one.

Next, I couldn't resist the Scandeleyes Eyeshadow Paint in Rich Russet, because of Lily Pebbles. It's as amazing as she was claiming it to be. Just the perfect golden brown shade to wear on a day to day basis and so easy to just pop on, blend with the finger or a brush and you're good to go. The best part though is that it doesn't crease and it stays on the eyelids all day. Just the way I like it!

I also picked up an addition to my Real Techniques collection. The Expert Face Brush makes the application of foundation incredibly easy. It helps blending the edges perfectly and leaves a really nice finish. Great one if you want to invest in a good but affordable foundation brush.

I bought a matte nail polish from Topshop in the color Mystic, which is a gorgeous raspberry red.

Batiste Dry Shampoo is a must-have if you're lazy like me and you hate washing your hair.

I also invested in my very first two Mac eyeshadows plus the quad palette. The colors I got are Satin Taupe (a classic but so worth it) and Coppering.

In the tote bag from the fashion show I also received a mini Essie nail polish in Naughty Nautical, a Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me and a label.m hairspray (which smells delicious).

When we went to Covent Garden, I treated myself to this beautiful dress, which is so me. It's exactly the style of dress I love most and it was just made for my closet, so I had to have it.

Lastly, I didn't actually buy these shoes in London. I tried them on in Topshop and I wasn't completely sure if I wanted to get them. I've been wanting some classic black boots with a heel for a while. So when I got home I ordered them online and I don't regret my decision. They are from Kurt Geiger from the Carvela line and the shoe is called Tamera. Incredibly comfortable and very well made.

Keep smiling,
xoxo

Pichen

London Fashion Weekend: The Outfit

Soooo, as you may have read, I went to London for the Fashion Weekend.
Here is what I ended up wearing.

The dress I ended up wearing is really sleek and chic. The color of it is navy and I picked it up from S. Oliver.

Boots and jacket are from H&M and the bag is from Zara. 

Keep smiling,

xoxo

Pichen

London Fashion Weekend Outfit

Guys, I need your help!
I'm attending London Fashion Weekend next week and besides being CRAZY excited I'm struggling deciding on an outfit. I have narrowed it down to three options. If you could leave a comment down below, telling me which one is your favorite that would seriously help me out a lot.
I will try to take as many pictures as I can of the event and definitely show you the outfit that I ended up wearing. So stay tuned for that.


#1 

a little more summery, with the pastel flower dress and my rose gold Topshop necklace

#2 

a little black dress is always an option

#3

faux leather pants with black wedges and a white top

which jacket though???

 This post is especially dedicated to my best friend Sophia, because I need her opinion on this matter :*

Keep smiling,
xoxo

Pichen

Cupcake Madness

I made cupcakes!

You can't eat them, because that hasn't been invented yet (sorry), but you can look at them :)

If you forgot to buy something for your loved ones for Valentines Day, just show them the pictures and explain: "I would have made these for you, if I had time. Happy Valentines." 

Happy Valentines Day everyone! 

Keep smiling,
xoxo

Pichen 

Face of the Day

I thought I'd do a quick "Face of the Day" and tell you what products I'm wearing. Let me know if you are interested in any specific reviews.

Face:

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10

Maybelline Dream Terra Sun Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Bronze

Physicians Formula Multi-Coloured Blush in Blushing Peach

Manhattan Soft Mat Loose Powder in Natural 1

Eyes:

Maybelline Dream Terra Sun Bronzing Powder

Sephora Eyeshadow Palette the colour Sand

Rival de Loop Liquid Eyeliner

Maybelline the Colossal Volum' Express Mascara in 100% black

Lips:

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in 530 Starlet 

Alverde Eyeshadow in 35 Electric Pink

For brushes I used Real Techniques, Mac 217 and a couple For Your Beauty ones.

Photo Creds to my sister

Keep smiling,

xoxo

Pichen

Pistachio Macarons

I did some baking the other day and I thought I'd share the recipe of some super delicious Pistachio Macarons inspired by Byron Talbott. Check him out, he cooks and bakes some great stuff.

Ingredients

For the Ganache:
1 cup (250ml) cream
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup (70 grams)  pistachios
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 (300 grams) white chocolate or chocolate chips

For the Meringue:
130 grams (1 1/4 cups) powdered sugar
100 grams (2/3 cup) pistachio flower
2 egg whites
30 grams (1/8 cup) sugar
100ml (1/2 cup) water

Start off by bringing the cream, butter and 1/2 cup of pistachios to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the sugar, turn to a medium heat and stir regularly. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or 
until the pistachios have slightly softened. 

If you're using white chocolate, rather than white chocolate chips chop it up very finely. Take the saucepan off the stove and pour the mixture into a blender and blend away on a high speed until you have a smooth consistency. Add the chocolate into the blended mixture. Stir until everything is melted. Let the ganache cool down while you're making the meringue.

If you can't get ground pistachio at your local grocery store just make it yourself, by putting the whole pistachios into your food processor. Sift the powdered sugar and the pistachio flour and add one of the egg whites. In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil. Let it bubble away for about 10 minutes or until it has the texture of syrup. Stir constantly, you don't want it to burn.

In another clean bowl whisk the second egg white until stiff and fluffy. Add in the sugar water mixture half way through. 
Now carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture, until you have a smooth, not too runny batter. Fill into a piping bag with a small round tip and start piping it onto a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Try keeping them all roughly the same size and shape (about 4"/10cm). Once you are all done, give the tray a few taps on the counter, just to release any air bubbles that might be caught inside the batter. 
Let them dry for about 20 minutes, then pop into an oven at 300F° (150C°) for 10 to 12 minutes. 

Let them cool for at least 30 minutes. Pipe or spread the ganache on one cookie and place another one on top. I then put the macarons into the fridge for about 15 minutes, just so that the white chocolate mix could fully cool down. Now enjoy this 
delicious treat! 

My tip: If you want to go for a slightly cheaper option, or you just can't get a hold of pistachios, ground almonds for the batter work just as well and taste just as delicious. You could even go half pistachios, half almonds, that's what I did.

Let me know if you make some macarons yourself. I'd love to see them.

Keep smiling,
xoxo

Pichen

The CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL TAG

I felt like doing a tag today and I recently saw this floating around YouTube so I thought I'd give it a go. It was created by Fleur, from Fleur DeForce and gives you a little insight into my closet.

1. What is the oldest item in your wardrobe/closet?
I am not completely sure about this one, but the dress with blue and white stripes from H&M must be eight to ten years old and it used to be one of my favorites. In the summer I still sometimes wear it, however as you can imagine it has gotten a lot shorter over the years.

2. What is the newest item?
Yes, it is a faux fur zebra print jacket from H&M. I do not know when I'm going to wear this but I just love it so much. I don't know, there is just something about it that really appealed to me. I think it can be worn many different ways: casual, with jeans and maybe a red lip or for a night out, over a little black dress.

3. What is the most expensive item?
I don't really know if this counts, because I don't exactly keep it in my closet. However, since I wear my Chanel glasses basically every day, I thought it would be acceptable. I adore them!

4. What is the cheapest/most affordable item? (that you wear/use a lot)
My H&M tank tops in black and white. Basic, keeps you warm and just very useful in general.

5. What was the biggest bargain?
I really can't remember this one. But I've wanted one of the HOMIÈS shirts from Urban Outfitters for ages and they are originally 40€ (which is equivalent to $55) and I think that is a little ridiculous for a simple black shirt. But then I spotted them on sale, 50% off and I grabbed the last one. So that was my recent bargain. I don't know if it was the biggest, but it was a good one anyways.

6. What was the biggest waste of money?
I really don't know what I was thinking back then. I got this brown dress for my "prom" when I was 13 and I've never worn it since that day. Why brown? 

7. Show us your three favorite items right now.

high waisted skirt form "Hallhuber", grey shirt with embellishment from "Aerie" (picked it up at "Winners")  

black bag with faux fur from "Zara"

Keep smiling,
xoxo

Pichen