What I love about NY Eve?$

Hi darlings! 

Well, there are two main things I love about New Years Eve!

1) Oliebollen! 

You might think, huh what on earth is that? Well, oliebollen are small round Dutch doughnuts. They are a traditional food to serve on New Year's Eve in Holland. The name of these tasty treats literally translates to "oil balls." But don't let this unappetizing name fool you, Oliebollen are truly delicious!! They are made by using two spoons to scoop dough and dropping it into a deep fryer filled with hot oil. So a round shaped “oliebol” emerges. In December many 'Oliebollen' stands appear around the country, selling the freshly baked warm doughnuts. A national newspaper even runs a yearly nation wide test that scores the many stands to find where you can buy the best Oliebol for that year! :) This is me and mum enjoying an oliebol in the city of Haarlem a few days ago!

Yesterday on my last day back home, dad & I made fresh homemade 'Oliebollen'. I think I ate about 5 of them, uh-oh ;) In Holland a lot of people make them from the packet because it's so quick and easy! So yes, I admit it, we cheated too and used a packet! All we had to add was water, the raisins and currents and let the dough rise. Then we fried them up in hot oil.....Check out the finished result:

If you want to make these (you know you want to & trust me, you won't regret it!) here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

500 grams flour

25 grams yeast

350 ml milk

250 grams (in total) of currants and raisins

Pinch of salt

Oil for deep-frying (use fresh vegetable/sunflower oil)

Method:

Put the flour in a bowl and make a depression in the centre. Pour in the yeast, which has been dissolved with a little lukewarm milk. Add the remaining milk, salt and stir. Stir the washed currants and raisins into the mix. Beat it to a smooth and airy mass, cover with a damp cloth (eg, a tea towel) and leave to rise in a warm/draft free place/room around 45min to one hour.

Heat the oil in a deep pan or in a deep fryer to 175 degrees C (= 350 degrees F). To check whether the oil is at the right temperature, stand the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If little bubbles form around it, the oil is ready. Use two tablespoons or an ice-cream scoop to shape balls and slide them into the hot oil. Fry the balls until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. They should turn over on their own when they are ready to brown on the other side, but keep an eye on them and flip them as necessary. They should be soft and not oil soaked inside. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or similar tool to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining dough. Serve them warm with a generous dusting of icing sugar! Yummmmmm

2) Celebrating a new start! 

I always see the New Year as a great opportunity to set new goals and resolutions for myself :)

Some of my News Years Resolutions for 2011 are:

♥ Planning more fun travel trips now that I am back in Europe
♥ Start exercising again.....
♥ Making new friends in London 

♥ Not being too hard on myself sometimes; allowing myself to relax & enjoy life a little more!
♥ Finding love?
♥ But most of all....

Here's wishing you more happiness 

Than all my words can tell, 

Not just alone for New Years Eve

But for all the year as well! 

xoxo Roz

Happy Hump Day %

Hello my lovelies!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas? I really enjoyed mine with family back home in The Hague. We had lots of snow & relaxed at home with lights, candles, LOTS of amazing food and all this by the smell of a real Christmas tree (♥ it!). Here a quick little collage of my time in Holland over the holidays :)

Also I got this cute email from a friend a few days ago and wanted to share it with you all because it's such a lovely message and much very in the spirit of Happy Hump Day and the upcoming New Year celebrations :)

'Let's keep living our lives like we know best, and to fly even further and higher in 2011!' 

Lots of love xoxo Roz

Christmas OOTD

Merry Christmas Everyone! Thought I'd quickly share my Christmas Morning OOTD

I got this jumper in London last week when I spotted it in a sale, cute right?

Louche Pearl Intarsia Sweater from Joy

Get it online here now on sale for only £24.50

Hat - Santa's ;)

I also want to take this moment to say a HUGE thank you to all my readers and followers! I only started this blog in February this year and never would have thought that I'd have over 660 followers by Christmas time :) I truly hope you all have a MAGICAL Christmas, filled with joy and happiness. Mine will be spend with family and lots and lots of food ;)

xoxo

Christmas White Chocolate Rocky Road

Hey everyone,

I am happy to report that, very early this morinng, I arrived safe & sound in a freezing and white Holland. After a little power nap I spend the day catching up with friends over Glühwein (= mulled wine) at the beach (which was covered in snow....) Afterwards I wrapped up all my presents, placed them under the tree and did some last minute 'baking'. I love giving people foody presents and when I found this recipe online, I thought it was an excellent idea as a Christmas treat! It's really easy to make, with no baking involved and you can pretty much change the ingredients according to your own preferences. 

Check out my DELICIOUS Christmas White Chocolate Rocky Road:

Ingredients:
♥ 250g white chocolate, chopped
♥ 1/3 cup chopped pistachio kernels, toasted
♥ 1/2 cup dried cranberries
♥ 100g white marshmallows (I used mix of white and pink)

♥ To make them even more festive & Christmassy; I added some silver decorative sugar balls to mine!

Note: You can be pretty flexible with the types and amounts of ingredients you use.

Method:

♥ Line the base and sides of a baking tin with baking paper and allow about a 2cm overhang. 

♥ Place the white chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until melted and smooth.

♥ Place pistachios, cranberries and marshmallows in a large bowl. Toss them all together. Then add melted chocolate and stir to combine. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 hours or until set.

♥ Cut into squares and serve. Or like me, wrap them up in cellophane and give them to people at Christmas! Don't they look yum and Christmassy? ENJOY! Merry Christmas xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

Hi, I hope you are all well and not stressing out to much to get everything ready before Christmas? Only 3 sleeps till Santa!! :) I had planned to leave for Holland this Friday morning with the Eurostar train but due to the snow & increasingly bad weather conditions in London and Europe, there have been some SERIOUS delays and cancellations. These poor people have been queuing at the station for days in the cold and were not getting on trains :( The idea of not getting home in time for Christmas really started to stress me out, so I decided to cancel my train ticket and change my travel plans. Plan B: I'm now going on a massive overnight mission by bus & boat tomorrow night! It's been YEARS since I have spend Christmas at home with my family & I'm really looking forward to it so fingers crossed it all goes according to plan....

Happy Hump Day:

Feel a bit sad however because I got some very bad news regarding my grandmother's health today. Even though it wasn't completely unexpected, I was still shocked and upset.  It made me think about the concept and value of time, so when I spotted the above picture, I thought, gosh if only we did have the option to have 'pause', 'forward' or 'rewind' buttons for life.... I really hope you all value and enjoy the time you spend with your families this Christmas, because you know what? Life is just too short and precious NOT to! Lots of love xoxo 

Mini Bourjois

One of the lovely presents I got for Sinterklaas a few weeks ago was this clever little gadget from Bourjois. Tada, let me introduce you to the 'Mini Bourjois'.....

Basically it's one of their 'Effet 3D' lip glosses provided as a miniature version, that comes with a little cord so that you can attach it to your mobile. I'm not really into having things attached & dangling to my cell phone so I decided to put it onto my set of keys instead. Perfect! Now I always have a pretty little lipgloss handy :) Unfortunately, the box didn't state which colour mine was but guessing from 8 shades they provide in 'Mini' versions I think I got 'Rose Artic'. Am loving this lipgloss, nice texture, taste and it's a gorgeous pink/nude colour. Perfect for work or every day glossy neutral lips! 

Definitely think this is a cute idea by Bourjois! For a list of stockists, colour range and further information on the Bourjois mini collection products (turns out they also have mini eyeshadows & nail polishes!) check out http://www.minibourjois.co.uk xoxo

New Header!!

Hey everyone,

I'm so excited to announce that my new Blog Header is up! It has been designed by my amazing friend, Zelle, who recently finished her design degree and was so kind to do this for me! Zelle is super talented - well 'duh' you can obviously see that ;) and we have been working on the design for a while now. I am just so thrilled & over the moon with the final result. So a MASSIVE thank you to Zelle! Also if you are interested to use Zelle for any design work or would like to see her portofolio, please feel free to contact her. 

Another big thank you is owed to one of my best friends, Lulu. During a fun brain storming session on the train a few months ago, her mastermind came up with the brilliant idea for the design of my 'logo'. Lulu, you are a STAR and a big ray of sunshine in my life! Big hugs and kisses!!
Anyway I hope you all like my new logo and blog header :) xoxo

Bourjois - Little Round Pots

At the end of November I was invited by the wonderful people of Bourjois to a bloggers event at their funky London office to check out the launch of their new and improved Little Round Pots!

Can you believe that Bourjois's little round pots have been around since 1863? Their new formula is hypoallergenic, paraben & fragrance free and the new texture contains mineral pigments making the eyeshadows ideal for sensitive eyes. The silky soft formula is easy to blend and doesn't fade or smudge. What's more the baked powder formula can be used wet to intensify the colour! 

At the event, beside being treated to some DELICIOUS food and drinks, the talented Cassie Lomas demonstrated a couple of great looks and techniques using the new Bourjois eyeshadows. There are 22 colours from natural highlighters to cutting edge brights in the range and they have added 8 new shades to fit with season trends! At the end of the day we got to pick 8 little round pots to take home with us! Christmas came early for me that day ;)

These were the colours I chose:
Top L-R: #90, #08, #10 & #93

Bottom L-R: #11, #74, #13, #4Swatched Dry (left; natural light - right; with flash)Swatched Wet (left; natural light - right; with flash)

I have swatched Bourjois eyeshadows before in the past but was always a little dissapointed with their pigmentation. However I think the new formula is a huge improvement. Especially when using them wet, they have a real WOW factor to them! Plus when priced at only £5.99 per pot; that's fantastic value for money. 

My favourites are:

♥ 08 - Beige Rose Delicate. A gorgeous shimmery cream shade. Very pigmented and smooth, non glittery. Perfect for on the lid or as a brow highlight.

♥ 93 - Tabac Blond. A warm and velvety bronzed gold colour. 

♥ 74 - Brun profond. A plum brown eyeshadow with blue accents.

I will aim to post some FOTD looks using these new shades! Have a lovely day! xoxo

Getting into the Holiday Spirit $

Hey girlies,

Boohoo I am at home sick today :( Came down with a dry tickly cough a few days ago and immediately stocked up on medicine to try to beat it, but I failed. Feeling rightly miserable today so am warm in bed entertaining myself with cosy Christmas movies! They are getting me all in the holiday spirit so thought I'd share my favourite romantic Christmas films: 

Love Actually (2004)

Massive star studded cast! The story begins five weeks before Christmas and follows the lives of ten different couples or individuals through the events of their lives and romantic misadventures up until Christmas Day. 

Just adore everything about this movie and cant count how many times I have seen it on both hands! 

The above is definitely one of my favourite scenes in the film ♥ Super cute!

The Holiday (2006)

Two career women in different countries, Amanda (Diaz) and Iris (Winslet), need a break from their lives and swap homes for the holidays through a home exchange website. Hoping the change of scenery will help them forget the men who have disappointed them, they unexpectedly find that a little Christmas magic fills their holiday escape with new romance.

While you were sleeping (1995)

In this romantic comedy, Lucy (Bullock) has a boring life as a fare collector with a crush on a man she sees daily on the Chicago railway. On Christmas day she saves him after a mugging that lands him in the path of an oncoming train. Lucy ends up at the hospital and is mistaken for his fiancé. Things snowball and she gets to know his family, including his brother Jack (Pullman), who doesn’t believe she is his brother’s fiancé. Old school but Sandra is just adorable in this movie!

Four Christmases (2008)

When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate (Reese Witherspoon) and Brad (Vince Vaughn) find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided. Vince just cracks me up in this film,  to the point of getting tears of laugher at some scenes :p

What are some of your favourite Christmas films?? xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

Liking this quote today:

Happy Hump Day Everyone - only 10 more sleeps until Santa! Crazy......

Also check out these gorgeous images of Natalie Portman in the January 2011 cover spread for Vogue (USA). She's currently promoting her movie 'Black Swan' which I can't wait to see!

I love Natalie Portman, she is just so beautiful and a fantastic actress at that!
Have a fabulous day xoxo

Glamour-ous Savile Row NOTD

When I was traveling to Holland in early December, I picked up some in-flight reading entertainment in the form of Glamour's December issue. Lucky for me it also came with a FREE nail Polish!

There was a choice of 4 polishes by Nails Inc:

L to R: Hampstead Heath, Warwick Street, Savile Row & Jermyn Street
Nails Inc polishes are usually priced between £11-£15, so getting one for free was quite the bargain!

My copy of Glamour magazine came with Savile Row, which is a deep glossy plum nail polish.

This is my first experience with Nail Inc polishes. I ♥ this super chic shade - it's perfect for the winter months! The formulation of the polish however was a little thick for my liking making it tricky to apply easily. This NOTD was after applying two coats (and a little tidying up with my nail polish remover pen)

UK Ladies: you might still be able to get a copy of the December issue to score your free Nails Inc polish :) xoxo

My Christmassy Chocolate Sunday!

Hey everyone!

Hope you are having a nice weekend? I have loved the weather this weekend, not so freezing for a change YAY :) I enjoyed a lovely Christmas lunch with my London flatties this afternoon in Clapham and just wanted the share a photo of my AMAZING dessert! Chocolate Fondant is my all time favourite dessert and as soon as I see this on a menu I just can't resist......I mean check out the gooey chocolate coming out of this baby, ahhhh.....Nom nom :)

Besides dessert we had a delicious dinner with wine, presents and of course Christmas crackers! Christmas isn't complete without them right?! Check out the lame joke in mine ;)

After lunch I decided to go shopping for Christmas presents. Did I buy anything? Yes. For anyone else than me? Ummm.....No! LOL I was naughty and got myself something that's been on my wish list for ages!

My brand spanking new HUNTER Regent Savoy Wellies! ♥

Check them out online here. In most shops or online at £115 but I ended up scoring them for £95 woop woop!

Me = Very happy girl tonight :)

xoxo

Retrospeck EOTD =

One of my favourite MAC eyeshadows is "Retrospeck".  It has a lustre formula & is described by MAC as a beached blonde colour. Its a lovely pale shimmery gold that is sriking but not too overpowering. I love wearing this eyeshadow all over the lid with different crease colour combinations. 

It really seems to make my eyes 'pop' :) So here is a quick EOTD of how I recently used Retrospeck:

♥ Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Retrospeck eyeshadow (all over lid)
Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow (crease)
Urban Decay Hustle eyeshadow (outer V & lower lash line)
MAC Smolder eyeliner (waterline & smudged out on upper lash line)
MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Mascara

♥ Lips:
MAC Creme Cup Lipstick

Another look I did a while back using retrospeck can be viewed here or see it swatched here.   xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

Hey Everyone,

I hope you are having a good week? Luckily, even with all the snow troubles in London, I managed to get to the Netherlands safe and sound on Friday for a wonderful St Nicolas weekend with my family. The streets were all white, covered in snow, which is bizarre SO early for this time of the year but it did make it nice & cosy to be inside eating delicious St Nicolas treats and opening presents. See some pictures from my weekend below. If you are wondering what on earth that "head thing" is that I am holding.....Well my dad had me for secret Sinterklaas and made a "Top Chef" creation out of clay (which is supposed to be me)! I had my brother's girlfriend and made her a SuperWoman sign. Sinterklaas is a bit of a tricky tradition to explain but basically it's a time where we all get the opportunity to mock each other and over indulge on sweet treats :) I just ♥ it!

Then after my great weekend back home, I started my new job on Monday! So far, so good :) The people have all very nice, welcoming & helpful. I am busy and learning loads of new things (...a bit of information overload occasionally - but I will get there!) Plus the fact that I got a bottle of Bollinger Champagne and a brand new iPhone4 on my first day definitely put a HUGE smile on my face :)

Speaking of my iPhone4 (which I love love love btw) - I want to get a nice case for it - any suggestions?

Being Happy Hump Day....

Does anyone else ever feel like this?
Lots of love xoxo

ChapStick - What's your flavour?

As mentioned earlier, the last week it has been pretty darn freezing here in London with lots of snow piling up on the streets. Snow is super pretty but also, brrrr, cold! After living in New Zealand for almost 8 years I am finding it's taking a little while to acclimatise to all this wintery weather. My skin and lips are feeling the cold....Therefore I was pretty happy when a little gift popped through my letterbox a little while ago! A Chapstick! How perfect to keep my lips healthy and soft during these minus zero temperatures.

What Chapstick says:

"Keeping your lips looking & feeling healthy is quick and easy with ChapStick Flavours. With a choice of Strawberry, Cherry or Apple, ChapStick Flavours offer a fruity way to protect your lips. Why? ChapStick Flavours have been uniquely formulated to soothe, soften and nourish lips while preventing moisture evaporation. ChapStick Strawberry includes SPF 15 sunscreen to protect your lips against the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. The formulas include:

Strawberry: Vitamin E, Camphor, Carnauba Wax and SPF 15 Sunscreen

Cherry: Carnauba Wax, Beeswax and Camphor

Apple: Carnauba Wax and Beeswax

When? Apply frequently throughout the day, especially before exposure to the sun, wind or cold weather." 

Me & my Strawberry flavoured ChapStick in snowy London!

My thoughts: 
It's been fabulous wearing the lip balm in the cold weather. It's really soothing and healing for my dry and slightly chapped lips. It's not glossy or sticky, which is nice when your lips are chapped and maybe a little sensitive. However I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of the strawberry flavour. Strawberry flavoured things just aren't my cup of tea. Even things like strawberry flavoured yoghurt, milkshakes or icecream - nope I don't like it haha. So think might have to check out the other flavours or the original version to help heal and prevent dry, chapped lips this winter :)

When I checked out the Chapstick website they had this funny little test you could do to see 'What does your ChapStick say about you?" I did the test and I got:
"You're a Genuine Original!

We reckon you’re the honest, straightforward and dependable type. There’s no hidden agenda – you’re simply a really good mate. Your ideal partner is the caring and sensitive type (and no – we don’t mean "dull"). Favourite food? Something tasty and natural – like a simple salad or tomato and basil soup. In other words, nothing that hides the real flavours. Your wardrobe is the same – full of classy items which mix and match beautifully, rather than anything “high fashion” or loud."

Not far off reality I think, well done ChapStick ;) Take the 'What's your Flavour' test here now for a laugh! 

Plus a quick photo of me in the snow!  

I've been keeping my feet nice & warm with my black Topshop buckle fur booties! Loving them :)

The small print: PR Sample.

Life is good...

Hey lovelies,

I have to admit, life is pretty damn good right now and I'm feeling very happy!

I am stoked to announce that I am officially no longer unemployed! I found a great new job in London and I start on Monday :) I will be working in the city for a Management Consulting company and the people all seem lovely. I can't  wait for this new exciting phase in my life to really take off!

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" Confucius

What else is new? Well I am off home (Netherlands) tomorrow to celebrate Sinterklaas (St Nicolas) with my family. Sinterklaas is a fabulous Dutch tradition that we celebrate on the 5th December - it's like our Santa Clause and Christmas time. We get presents and eats loads of yummy sweets/cookies! I can't wait! Well that's if I make it there....... It's been snowing like mad here in London and as much as I love this pretty wintery white weather, it's not ideal when you are trying to leave the country! I have my fingers and toes crossed that my travels will all go smoothly this weekend. Can you cross your fingers and toes for me - it might help?? ;) Not sure if I will be able to blog much the next few days so hope you all have a great weekend! xoxo

H&M Shoping Haul

Oh how I adore London shopping! I recently checked out the fabulous new One New Change Shopping Centre in Central London and just loved it. I was so lucky to be there whilst everyone else in the city was slaving away at their desks (this being one big bonus about being unemployed, haha) so it was very quiet - which is very rare anywhere around London at this time of the year. They also had an H&M in the 'mall' which was SUPER quiet. It was a strange put very pleasuring experience. I ended up picking up the following goodies:

Wraparound dress with gathers at the shoulders & removable elasticated belt with metal buckle. I ♥ the colours of this dress and think it will be great to wear out with heels, boots and tights or even to work with a black blazer as pictured (blazer by ZARA) You can get this dress on SALE online here now at H&M for only £7.99!

Bright red figure-fit jacket with small puffy sleeves & a hook-and-eye fastening at the front. They also had it in black but I liked the bright red, especially for the holiday season! This cropped blazer is part of H&M's Holiday 2010 Collection and available online here now for £29.99. 

Left: A simple black knit roll neck jumper/dress which can be worn with jeans or leggings. Perrrfect for this cold snowy (!!) weather. Middle & Right: warm long sleeved  v-necked knit dress (just above the knee length) in black. Sorry the photo is a little dark so you can't see the nice knit detailing in the skirt part very well. I will wear this dress casually with boots & tights/leggings and can be accessorized with belts, scarves and cardi's. (Both items were UK Size 8 at  £14.99 each)

I also found these tan (or they seem to call it cognac brown LOL) imitation leather ankle boots with side zip and satin lining for only £7.99! I liked the nice and sturdy not too high (8cm) heel. Check them out online here.

Have you picked up any items at H&M recently? I am still dying to get my hands on some Lanvin pieces but fear I have missed the boat on that by now.... xoxo