Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Bond Girl

On my recent trip to London there was one item on my wish list that I had to get: a Charlotte Tilbury lipstick. I have seen a few CT products in so many YouTube videos and they all look so pretty. As of now, this lovely brand is available in the Netherlands but two months ago that was not the case, so you would probably understand my excitement when I finally got my hands on one of her make-up products.

My sister and I went to Covent Garden and also payed a visit to the Charlotte Tilbury Boutique. The store is gorgeous and full of all the amazing products that I had seen so many times through my laptop screen. I immediately walked over to the lipstick area and swatched many of them on my hand. Yes, I was that crazy girl whose hand looked like a colouring book. In the end I went with ''Bond Girl'', a gorgeous rosy lipstick with a slight brownish undertone. It looks very natural and is not as bold as ''Glastonberry'', which is also a colour I really like. I assumed I would wear ''Bond Girl'' more often than a dark plum, so ''Bond Girl'' is my perfect first Charlotte Tilbury purchase!

One of the main things I love is the packaging. Everything about it is so luxurious and makes it a real treat to apply. The lipstick itself is gorgeous too and I love the matte formula. I like matte lipsticks in general because they stay on for a longer period of time and look amazing. Since the whole Kylie Jenner lip hype you can't really ignore matte formulas anyway. 

The application is really easy. The shape of the lipstick is a bit different than any other lipstick I own but still applies like a dream. The formula is very creamy and not drying at all which I find is not very common amongst matte lipsticks. The colour ''Bond Girl'' is also one of the prettiest colours ever. It's the perfect mixture of pink and brown. It stays on for ages too and looks so lovely on the lips. 

I always get many compliments when I wear it so this lipstick is definitely a keeper. Also the fact that Charlotte Tilbury is now being sold in a luxury department store in Amsterdam is music to my ears. I do find many of her products a bit pricey so you probably won't see me stocking up on all of her products soon. But a little make-up treat from time to time won't heart me, right?

What is your favourite Charlotte Tilbury product?

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The Amsterdam Food Hotspot:Coffee & Coconuts

Last week I started a new series where I tell you all about the best hotspots in Amsterdam. I know how hard it can be to find good places to eat when you are in a new city, so I hope I can help a little when you are visiting Amsterdam.

In an old cinema building in ‘De Pijp’, aka the coolest neighbourhood in Amsterdam ever, you will find Coffee & Coconuts: one of the most popular hotspots in town. Even though it’s a huge building – 3 floors of cosy couches and relaxing chairs – it’s always super busy and difficult to find a spot. Luckily me and a friend managed to find an empty place on a comfy sofa.

I actually didn’t eat a lot that day (it was 2PM), so why not order some food? It was very hard to choose because there was so much choice. In the end I decided to order an acai bowl, since I’ve never had one and really wanted to try it. This one was made with palm berry puree, raw buckini, blueberry, banana and dried coconut. I liked it a lot and I can’t wait to make one of these bowls at home.
Picking something to drink was also a tough decision. They have all these amazing juices and smoothies and you can even sip coconut juice from a real coconut. After contemplating for a long time I ordered the Coconut Coffee smoothie, which is a shot of espresso, banana, coconut, milk and chocolate poured over ice. Believe me: it tasted just as good as it sounds. My friend wasn’t really that hungry and chose the coconut lime bread, which is basically coconut cake with lime mascarpone on top. I had a bite and it’s soooo good.

We sat all afternoon on that comfy couch and chatted away. It’s a very relaxed and inspirational environment. Lots of people actually bring their laptops and work all day. I would do that too if I had my own company and wanted to get out of the house. Just be there early, pick a good spot to sit and work work work.

I highly recommend going to Coffee & Coconuts during the day for a coffee break or brunch. They have so many options and the vibe – can’t believe I am using that word – is really great!

What are your favourite food hotspots?

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Baking Healthy Banana Bread

As you may know, baking is one of my most favourite things in the whole world and I have these amazing recipe posts to prove it. This time around I really wanted to make something healthy, sweet and tasty, and I quickly came with the idea to make banana bread.

Now my mum has made it before - only it was not as healthy then- and I really liked it a lot so after some adjustments I transformed it into a healthy version. Oooh and it's so easy to make too!

What do you need?

3 overripe bananas

3 eggs

150 grams of self-raising flower (or almond flour for a gluten-free version)

2 tablespoons of honey

A pinch of salt

Lots of cinnamon

Two handfuls of raisins

Oven: 170 degrees Celsius

Firstly, you mash 3 overripe bananas in a large mixing bowl, add the 3 eggs and mix it all together. Now add the self-raising flower, salt, cinnamon, honey and raisins. Mix it all together until you get a smooth mixture and scoop this mixture in a greased cake tin. Place it in a pre-heated oven for about 50 minutes and take it out when it's done. Let it cool down for a bit and then it's perfect! Take a slice with a cup of tea and enjoy all this healthy goodness!

Have you tried to make banana bread before?

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Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone

As a person who is obsessed with make-up I have a beauty wish list that keeps getting longer and longer. Luckily I am very happy to announce that I finally crossed something off that list and that is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone (£32).
Now I was actually looking for the Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop highlighter - since everyone keeps on rambling about that - but when I swatched it in Space NK I thought it was way too gold toned. I decided to look at the other highlighters and quickly came across 'Moonstone', a gorgeous highlighter that I had also seen in some YT videos. I was contemplating for a bit but since it was my last day in London I decided that it was now or never –no High School Musical pun intended haha–.

This highlighter is one of the most expensive products in my stash and also quite different than the rest. I mainly own highlighters that are pink and cool-toned like MAC Soft & Gentle. Becca Moonstone on the other hand has a gold undertone which makes it a perfect addition to my collection.
However, when I first tried it on I wasn't too excited about it. There’s a lot of buzz around this product, so of course it's always hard to live up to a certain expectation. Then one day I walked across a mirror and saw the huge glow that appeared on my face and I immediately fell head over heels in love with this product.

The packaging itself is bloody gorgeous. I mean, look at it! As a beauty girl there is nothing that makes me happier than a pretty highlighter in perfect packaging. The powder inside is also very fine and super pigmented. You definitely don't need a lot when you are using this. I always dip my Zoeva Highlight Brush in the pressed powder and sweep it across my cheeks.
I do find that it sometimes doesn't really show up as well on my skin, but when the sun comes across it, it's like WOW! The MAC Soft & Gentle is a bit more powdery and noticeable on the skin, so maybe it's a good thing that you can't really see that I am wearing a highlighter. 
I also had to get used to the gold tone, especially since I am very pale and have only used cool-toned highlighters. I do really enjoy using it at the moment and this wil probably be the perfect summer highlight for me, as I hopefully will get a tan this year. – Let’s hope that will happen –

Is this highlighter pricey? Yes, but it’s also extremely gorgeous. I am not saying that you need this in your life but if you are a make-up addict like me, this Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector has to have a special place in your make-up collection!

Do you own any BECCA make-up products? What are your thoughts on them?

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The Amsterdam Food Hotspot: Pluk

Travelling is one of my favourite things to do, but I’ve also discovered that the cities near me aren't as bad as I usually thought. As a teenager I wanted to move to New York City or London because those cities seemed so amazing to me and they still do. I liked Amsterdam as a city, but never really appreciated it as much as I do now. I also think Amsterdam has changed a lot over the last couple of years. It has really become that cool, ''hipster'' city with lovely hotspots on every corner of the street. Now that's where I tag along, because if there is one thing I love in life it's catching up with friends in a café that you've never been before.

I have already written quite a lot about some food hotspots in Amsterdam, but I really want to make it into a little series. A blogpost where I talk about a place that I've visited and you really need to go too if you get the time to visit Amsterdam. A place like: Pluk.

'De 9 Straatjes' (The 9 Streets) in Amsterdam are basically the place where you find cute independent shops and trendy hotspots. In one of those streets you will find Pluk, a tiny lunch café that will have everything you need. I have been there twice: once for lunch and once for eating cake, and both times were a lovely experience.
Now when I say tiny, I really mean tiny. You order your food and drinks downstairs and via a very scary staircase - I've never liked those - you can take a seat upstairs. During lunch time it can be very busy, so I always cross my fingers for a table. I do that at any popular food hotspot though.

On my first visit I went for the 'Green MILF', a delicious green juice full of pear, cucumber, spinach, lime, mint and chia seeds. To go with that I ordered a sandwich with smashed avocado, a poached egg and chili flakes. The bread was a bit too crunchy so it was impossible to eat it with a knife and fork – with these types of things I never know if I need to eat with my hands or use the tools next to my plate, please tell me I’m not the only one with this issue! -. It maybe was a bit messy to eat but it was all really tasty.

What I also love about this place is that you can shop too. They have the most amazing home ware and other bits and bobs. So finding the perfect, unique gift should not really be a struggle anymore.

My second visit was a week later around 3:30 PM and luckily it wasn't very busy. Trying to shake things up and not go for the same juice as before I went for an Autumn Awesome smoothie, full of banana, almond milk, honey, cinnamon and walnuts. I also decided that it was time for some cake and if you follow me on Instagram you know that I do that way too much. The carrot cake looked really amazing so I picked that - even though the muffins looked great too - and took my drink and cake upstairs. The smoothie and carrot cake were both really good and I highly recommend stepping inside Pluk for a tea and cake break. I know I will!

Have you ever been to Amsterdam?

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Una Brennan Super Facialist Skin Renew Cleansing Oil

In the past I haven't had the best of luck with cleansing oils. The MAC Cleansing Oil was fine, but a bit pricey and The Body Shop Cleansing Balm and Cleansing Oil just gave me major breakouts. Now rumour has it, this cleansing oil from Una Brennan is like ‘‘the one’’ when it comes to drugstore cleansing oils, so I was very lucky to finally get my hands on one when I went to London in January.

Super Facialist by Una Brennan is overall a very good skincare range. I've heard quite good things about many of their products so I had high hopes that I would fall in love with the Super Facialist Skin Renew Cleansing Oil (£10,99) too.

Now the first thing I was worried about when using this were the breakouts. After using it for a couple of days there were still no spots in sight and even now I still don’t get a lot of breakouts. The ones I do get are more likely caused by all the chocolate I eat than this cleansing oil haha. The scent is very strong and orangey and strangely enough I like it a lot. It reminds me of summer holidays to England when I was little.

The cleansing part is amazing too. That's why I really like cleansing balms and oils in general; they just get the job done very quickly! I take a bit of oil into the palm of my hands, massage it into my skin and rinse it off with a cleansing cloth and warm water. I wouldn't recommend this on your eyes though. At least for someone like me who always uses waterproof mascara, this doesn't work as well. And besides that, I don't really like smearing my entire face with old mascara. Raccoon eyes are more my thing!

After the cleansing oil I use a tiny bit of my F.A.B. cleanser to make sure every single bit of make-up is removed and then I apply some Pixi Glow Tonic on a cotton pad and swipe it over my face. After that whole routine I am left with super clean skin that feels and looks amazing. It's also supposed to be very brightening and give the skin an amazing glow. I am using a lot of other brightening products, so I can't tell if it's because of this oil, but my skin definitely looks more radiant.

This is the first cleansing oil that really works on my skin and of course I have to travel all the way to England to get it. Oh well, at least I have a good excuse to book my next London trip!

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