Because sometimes, the people you can't live without can live without you

Currently loving: Mixing patterns!

Top & Earrings - local shop in Seoul, Scarf - Zara, Bag - flea market
I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

♥

Current craving: nail ring

I absolutely love this show-stopping nail ring by Bijules I just discovered on the Cult of Pretty blog. It's unlike anything I have seen so far, so I thought it was worth sharing.

What do you think of it, would you wear something like this?

Image: Cult of Pretty

Make up routine

Foundation: Clinique anti-blemish solutions / Powder: UNE mineral powder / Eyebrow: Skin Food Choco Eyebrow / Eyeshadow: Étude Choco Brown, Maybelline Cosmic Black / Eyeliner: Missha waterproof Gel Eyeliner / Mascara: UNE Casual Volume / Blush: MAC Melba Matte / Lips: Yves Rocher Baume Lipbalm, Skin Food Candy Lipstick

♥

Thursday's Beauty Post: ethereal and fairylike

Source:

1: We Heart It

2/3: Solange by Daniel Gurton for Vs. Magazine July 2011 via Fashion Gone Rogue

You say that you love rain, but you open your umbrella when it rains. You say that you love the sun, but you find a shadow spot when the sun shines.

The last couple of days were not really summery in Zurich but I don’t really mind wearing trousers and jackets already (mainly because I know I will escape to the sunny south soon). I'm planning to do some posts featuring my favorite places in Zurich (cafés, shops etc.) because we always get inquieries from out-of-towners so expect that soon.

I jazzed up this quite simple outfit with my newest accessories, some of them like the watch and bracelet I received as birthday gifts. The set of three silver rings, which can be either worn stacked like in the picture below or separately on three fingers like in the fourth picture were a courtesy of Rhomberg. I just love the simple design and the fact that two of the rings are matte and of them has a slighly shinier finish, which makes them more interesting.

Rings: Rhomberg Watch: Tissot Bracelet: Swatch

Slingbacks: Bata

Denim jacket: Mango Belt: Avant Première

Trousers: H&M White top: secondhand, altered

Latest favorites

I want to share with you some latest favorites of mine:

Silken mint blouse - Mango: Perfect for summer days!

Colored bangles - flea market: Always useful to complete an outfit!

New Gent - Swatch: This is my summery watch from the Swiss brand called Swatch. I just love the rubbery material since it is so light and you don't need to be constantly on guard to prevent scratches!

Maybelline Eyeshadow Cosmic Black - I always thought that shiny eyeshadows might be too much for a daily make-up routine, but I was totally wrong. This palette from Maybelline now belongs to my favorite make-up products. I love to apply the black eyeshadow along my lower lashline and the outer corner of my eye. The pearlescent pigments let the black color appear very soft! I will try to take some pictures of my make-up soon!

L'Oréal Color Riche Serum Radiant Rose: Hot pink for hot days!

Have a good start into the week everyone!

Wednesday's Inspiration: bright and nude combinations

I can't wait to go on my well deserved summer vacation where I hopefully will be able to get lots of pictures for outfit posts but in the meantime inspirational pictures from others will have to do. I just love the combination of neutrals & brights and how good it looks with a kissed-by-the-sun tan. Countless combinations that could be created with my own closet are running through my head right now and I'm counting the days for my trip to Italy...

Source:
2/3: Bisous Chic

huit8 Lingerie Launch at The Winery on Crown...

Mrs Wang, China Girl; Opium & Love in Shanghai!!! All served with songs from Chanteuse Caroline Nin, glasses of Moet, Quiche Loraine & Rocket Salad... And some simply stunning Women walking by us with nothing on-only thier underwear. Well Surry Hills does have something of a reputation for these kind of goings-on but this was something new for me!

Paris lingerie label huit8 have officially launched in Australia. One of the first things to really strike me about this range from huit8 was its femininity without going all girly ribbons and bows bringing a French sensuality and sophistication. Emerging designers please take note; "Less is More", it's all about the quality and design, the fabrics and the Vision. Tradition blended with inspiration.

And of course I think, there is something for the man in a womans life here too if you follow my thinking; as well as the kind of 'day wear' lingerie that is feminine and comfortable. Or so my female companion informed me..

Now on with the show!

















www.huit.com
www.symbolpr.com.au
www.carolinenin.com

Yes sometimes it seems I need to pinch myself and remind myself I am not dreaming; this really is real! Thanks to Symbol PR for having me along.

Winner of the Dring Dring cupcake bell

Thank you everyone who showed interest in winnig the Dring Dring cupcake bell kindly offered by the Urban Bike Store. Via random.org I picked the winner and it’s commenter no 26, chouchou’s little world. Unfortunately she didn’t leave an email address or has an open blogger profile, so if the winner doesn’t get in touch with me in a couple of days I’ll have to pick someone else.

We will have a new, big giveaway soon exclusively for our facebook fans so if you don’t want to miss out on the news, hop over and “like” our fan page! :)

Have a good week!

Enmore Sunday Night, Long Coat & Bowler Hat

Yes its been getting pretty cold out on the street at night. Much thanks to this fabulously attired person unknown who allowed me to photograph them at around 11.30 PM last night! Long black coat, black knit scarf & finger-less gloves, black shoes and bowler hat with a 'Mad Hatter' tag in the hat band. And some nice piercings too! Well were in the hip Enmore/Newtown hood say no more. The tree shots from another cold night a few weeks ago in Enmore Park; could not resist putting it up as well.

Chocolate Strawberry Layer Cake

My 25th birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago, called for a special torte so I decided to create a three layer chocolate cake topped with strawberries. Unfortunately the génoise didn’t rise enough so it was really difficult to cut it into three layers but with a little help I manged somehow. I filled the layers with a thin layer of strawberry jam and chocolate frosting, which I also used all around to frost the cake. The ganache drizzled over the top made this cake look so chocolatey delicious but the frosting was way too sweet for my taste. The next time I’m going to change it up a bit.

If someones’s interested in the recipe (which is just too long to translate and type right now) I’ll edit this post later. Just let me know by leaving a comment.

On an other note, the giveaway for the cupcake bell kindly offered by the Urban Bike Store is now closed to further entries. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow!

Edit: upon request here's the recipe!


Génoise (sponge cake):

140 g dark chocolate
75 g butter
6 eggs
180 g sugar
100 g flour
50 g corn starch
2 teaspoons baking powder

Note: the recipe for the sponge cake is from this one. I can only recommend baking the Foret Noire cake as well, it’s delicious and not that difficult to make.

How to:

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water. Separate the eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff. Stir in the egg yolks with the sugar until it’s fluffy. Stir in the melted chocolate into the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Sift in the flour, corn starch and baking powder over the egg whites and combine delicately. Fill the batter into baking sheet-lined springform pan. Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 175 ° C. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack. After the cake is completely cooled down, divide it into three layers. This can be done either by a sharp knife or by marking the spot with a knife and putting a piece of string or yarn around the bottom and pulling it diagonally. I do the second method but as I said, you could also do it with a knife.


Frosting:

125 g butter, softened
450 g cream cheese
230 g dark chocolate
half cup of brewed coffee
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
750 g powdered sugar

How to:

Brew coffee and set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine butter and cream cheese. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add in powdered sugar and coffee, beating well after each addition.

Note: I found this frosting way too sweet for my taste so you might want to tweak the recipe a bit or try a completely different recipe.

Ganache:

115 g dark chocolate
Half cup of heavy whipping cream

To make ganache, pour the hot cream over chopped bittersweet chocolate and stir the mixture until smooth.


Garnish:

60 gr dark chocolate
Strawberries

Pipe or spoon melted chocolate onto waxed paper in decorative designs, let stand until set. Arrange strawberries on top of cake.


I assembled the cake by spreading a thin layer of strawberry jam and then a thin layer of frosting onto the first layer and repeated this with the second, being sure not to spread to the edges of the cake. Using a spatula I spread a thin layer of frosting over the sides and top of the cake and put it into the fridge for half an hour to set the frosting. Then I spread another, thicker coat of frosting. A couple of hours before serving I made the ganache and drizzled it over the cake and garnished it.

Let me know if you make this cake and how it turned out!

Style, You Got it or you Ain't!

Style, yes you've got it or you haven't; and this is cool & laid back style personified. Of course great style is always personal and there are quite a few style quotes about, Fashion being for those without a sense of style... Fashionistas beware!



And so it was while I was playing pool last Saturday at the Carlisle Hotel in Newtown when I spotted this guy with his fabulous man bag phone holster. No problem checking his style he was playing pool on the other table. The whole ensemble is great, just check that vest out too. Speaking of fashion; it seems shooting pool is way way out-of-fashion these days as its now super easy to get a table even on open-table free-pool nights. Which suits me fine; my game needs all the practice I can get, seems my youth was not quite as miss-spent as it should have been.