How BenjimanTV saved my life

Hello everyone!

How are you? This blog post will be different from my other posts. This will be a personal message to Benji, also known as Benjimantv who is Judy's husband and also has his own youtube channel (Link) and uploads great food pictures on his Instagram account (Link). I am not silly, I know that he probably will never read this, but I really have to thank him. If you want to know why, then keep on reading.

Dear Benji,

firstly, congratulations on birth of your lovely girls Keira and Miya. Also with having your sweet daughter Julianna and the wonderful Judy, you are having such a beautiful family!
You are not only a great father and inspiring considering your regular workout routine, but also an amazing cook. And that's actually the point of this post. You are focusing on cooking healthy with lots of vegetables while keeping it tasty. Additionally, you are combining Japanese food with international recipes. I love the excitement that you put into buying groceries and preparing the recipes and in the end, sharing that all with us.

Because of you, I have rediscovered my passion for healthy cooking, enjoying cooking and actually carrying about what I put into my body.
The thing is that I have a rather hard relationship with food. 4 years ago I became anorexic. The cause were personal problems in school including bullying. It took me a long time to find a way out of this illness and only stopped therapy 1 1/2 years ago. Since then my relationship to food stayed pretty difficult as I swapped between an incredible healthy lifestyle to eating total crap.
It was never that bad that I only ate fast food because I always stayed an athletic person and never wanted to ruin my body totally. However, I stopped carrying about food, I didn't enjoy eating and didn't want to eat any veggies explicitly.
You not only pushed myself back into my old fitness level, but also revived the conscience of eating healthy and actually carrying about what I put into my body. I am also not talking about a temporary change as I already changed my whole eating habits for one month now and I am not even thinking about changing this any soon. As everyone says, fitness and health is made in the kitchen and I can totally confirm this.
So thank you so so much, Benji! By sharing your healthy and tasty recipes with the world, you have changed my life completely. You helped me to come back on track and to actually build up a healthy relationship to food.
Thank you very much for this!!!


All the best,

Marie

3 Simple & Impressive Hairstyles to Become the Prom Queen

Hello guys!

How are you?

We are finally coming almost to the end of our little Prom Series as this is the second to last post considering Prom. I hope you still enjoy reading these posts and that you find them helpful. So today I want to share with you my Top 3 Hairstyles for Prom. There are a ton of lovely hair tutorials on Youtube and I admire everyone you can create such an amazing work with their hair. I would consider myself as being totally untalented in this, thus, I choose quite simple, basic and easy hairstyles that still look sophisticated and like you have spend a ton of time in front of the mirror. So let's have a look.

Hairstyle No. 1 - Braided flower bun

It goes without saying that Lilith Moon is the most talented hairstyle guru on Youtube. She creates amazing hairstyles and one of them is this beautiful braided flower bun tutorial. It looks actually harder than it is which is great because you can look absolutely breathtaking and amaze other people with your skills without actually having any. ;) This look is great for the formal part of Prom and would look great with a dress that has some detail going around your chest. A nice updo also always look a bit more formal and will enhance your beautiful collarbones.

Hairstyle No. 2: Romantic Half updo

Another beautiful style by Lilith Moon which is now a half up half down hairstyle for all of you who want to get the front hair out of their face, but still want to show their beautiful hair. This look is simple, but looks romantic and cute and the glittery hair grips give the look the extra touch. I would say that this look suits to a romantic girly dress and if you are more on the cuter side :)

Hairstyle No. 3: Sexy Side Swept

Another amazing hairstyle guru is Imogen from Foxylockextensions. She sells her own extensions but also shows incredible hair tutorials on Youtube and one of these is this simple but sexy side swept inspired by Kim Kardashian. The side swept is a quite basic hairstyle for formal events, however these curls are not that tight and accurate, they are softer and looser and transports this sultry and sexy look. I would recommend this version to everyone who wears a "sexier" dress and isn't afraid of playing with ones femininity. 

So these were my Top 3 simple, but sexy and romantic Hairstyles. I am going to choose one of these hairstyle, however, my favourite is currently hairstyle No. 3. There are plenty of other beautiful hairstyle tutorials on Youtube, so I highly recommend browsing a bit over there. I hope you liked my choice and let me know which hairstyle you are going to wear?

Wish you a wonderful day!

Love,

16 Breathtaking Prom Dresses - My Top Picks

Hello my beautiful friends!

How are you?

As you might know, Prom seasons is going to come soon and I also have to attend to my graduation ceremony. The most important thing about this evening is to find a nice prom dress. I have already told you in my Prom Series how you can find the perfect dress for your body shape, however, today I want to share with you my top picks considering the dress choice. So this is my personal style and also mainly focused on brands that are available in Germany, nevertheless, I hope this will give you some inspiration for your prom dress. So let's start!

1. Coast - Pale Pink Maxi Dress (Link)
2. Luxuar - Dark Blue Dress with Rhinestone Detail (Link)
3. Butik Dayi
4. Luxuar - Dark Blue Dress with Rhinestone Detail (Link)
5. Coast Red Maxi Dress (Link)

1. Butik Dayi
2. Young Couture - Pale Pink Dress (Link)
3. Butik Dayi
4. Laona - Burgundy Satin Dress (Link)
5. Butik Dayi
6. Luxuar - Cockail Dress with sequins (Link)

1. Mango - Black Cocktail Dress with Gold Details (Link)
2. Jake's - Dress with Contrasting Colours (Link)
3. Coast - Red Bandeau Dress (Link)
4. Mango - Draped Navy Blue Shoulder Dress (Link)
5. Coast - Blue Crepe Dress (Link)

I divided my Top Picks in long dresses, short dresses for the graduation ceremony and formal dresses which would be great when you get your actual certificate. I discovered this brand Butik Dayi (Link) which designs amazing creative dresses that have a slight oriental touch without being over the top. I hope you liked this selection and tell me which dress you are going to wear for Prom?

Wish you a wonderful day!
Love,

3 Proven First Date Outfit Ideas!

Hello everybody!

How are you?

I am doing really really well. As I ave mentioned in my New Years Resolutions, I intended to get a boyfriend thus year and I am currently working on this project really intensively. I hope that the spring feelings are also successful for you and you will find a nice guy or woman or you just have a lovely relationship already. Nevertheless, I wanted to share with you 3 First Date Outfit Ideas, that had been really successful during some dates, thus, they are really proven. On a first date, you should enhance your best features without revealing too much of you, therefore, a tight jeans is fine, but without a low neckline. So let's have a look.

#1 Casual First Date Outfit *favourite*

1. Beige handbag - La Redoute Creation
2. Black ballerinas - Les Tropéziennes
3. Black V-Neck Shirt - Arrival
4. Skinny denim jeans - Meltin Pot
5. Black leatherjacket - AJC
6. Perfume Parisienne - Yves Saint Laurent

#2 Chic & Edgy First Date Outfit

1. Perfume L'Imperatrice - D&G 
2. Black V-Neck sweater - 3 Suisses
3. Golden necklace - LEAF
4. Dusty rose skinny jeans - Conley's
5. Black leather jacket with gold studs - Mango
6. Black ankle boots - Anna Field

#3 Dinner First Date Outfit

1. Black bag - Anne Weyburn
2. Red nail polish - Artdeco
3. Strawberry coloured blouse - Best Connection
4. Black A-line skirt - Zalando
5. Black ballerinas with a bow - Georgina Rose

I hope you found this post a bit helpful. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable in the clothes you are wearing and don't try to hard on the first date. Try to stay casual, but sexy. I know that the first and second outfit are quite similar, but I really like this style combination and again, these outfits were successful ;)

Let me know what you like to wear on a first date!

Wish you a wonderful day!
Love,

5 Stunning & Photo-Friendly Prom Make up Ideas

Hello everyone!

How are you? 
Welcome to the third part of my Prom Series in which I am exclusively going to talk about make up and which make up look I find the most flattering during prom. If you have missed my previous posts of my Prom Series about finding your perfect neckline (Link) and finding your perfect dress according to your body type (Link), then have a look there.


So, if you look in Youtube and type in         you will find a lot of amazing Prom Make up looks from real make up artists or ordinary people that share tutorials for a makeup specifically for Prom. For example, Lisa Eldridge shows a professional look (Link) as well as the Pixiwoo sisters (Link) also with a red lip (Link). But because you can find these tutorials so easily, I want to show you other tutorials that are not primarily designed for Prom, but still absolutely appropriate for it. 

Look #1 - The Classic Look

This is a very classic yet elegant and pretty make up that suits to every dress. It makes you look fresh and sophisticated and can also be combined with a red lip. By the way, this lady reminds me so much of Leighton Meester. :)

Look #2 - Demi Lovato Makeup Tutorial

This look is pretty similar to the one above except of the fact that the liner is much more thicker and heavier, thus, this look is a bit more dramatic and also focuses on a dewy skin. This look suits to any dress again and is perfect for you when you want to dramatize the classic make up a bit.

Look #3 - Amanda Seyfried Oscars Makeup Tutorial

Because of the purple eyeshadows, this make up is different than usual ones, but don't be afraid of using a bit of colour as this look still looks amazing and breathtaking. Even though there are no harsh liner or bold eyelashes involved, this look is absolutely striking. However, I wouldn't choose this look when you are wearing a dress in this colour range. 

Look #4 - Millie Mackintosh inspired wearable smokey eye

I would describe this look as being actually a wearable smokey eye for everyday, however, I find this look so flattering, sexy and outstanding that it is definitely appropriate for Prom. I can imagine this look being combined with a dress in warm colours or with golden details or worn by someone with a rather golden skin undertone.

Look #5 - Jennifer Lopez Makeup Tutorial

As this is by far one of the best make up tutorials on youtube, it shouldn't be left out in this Prom make up idea list. This is a beautiful, brown and golden dramatic eye make up that suits to a dress in warm colours or with golden details again. It is a unique version of a regular brown smokey eye and will make you appear elegant, but sexy in the same time.

So these were my make up ideas for Prom. I still haven't decided which of these I am going to pick for my graduation party and in fact, I have to choose two make up looks as I have to attend to two graduation events which, however, are on the same day. But that's another story. So I hope you found this a bit helpful and tell me which make up look do you like to wear on official evening parties?

Wish you a wonderful day! Love,

Give Me 2 Seconds And You'll Want New Fitness Clothes!

Hello everyone!

How are you and what are your fitness goals are doing? 
Well, as you might have realised, I have started running and while I was running outdoor when it was freezing cold outside, there was only one thing in my mind: I definitely need more outdoor running sport clothes! Considering this case, I started browsing through the internet again and found a couple of really nice running clothes. This time I wanted to focus on cheaper clothes, longsleeve shirts, jackets and tights and also this list doesn't replace my latest Fitness Wish List (Link). This is rather ana additional wish list. So let's have a closer look.

Longsleeve Shirts, Bras & Tops

The most important investment is a good windbreaker jacket and some longsleeve, transpiration-absorbing shirts that serves as a second layer in between my jacket and my bra.

 

1. Odlo turtle neck shirt Evolution Warm (Link)
2. H&M Sports Jacket(Link)
3. Nike Element Half-Zip Women's Running Top (Link)
4. Adidas Women's Response 3-Stripes Long Sleeve Tee (Link)
5. H&M Sports Top (Link)
6. H&M Sports Bra (Link)
7. H&M Sports Bra (Link)
8. H&M Sports Top (Link)

Tights, Sportwatch & IPod Holder

When I don't take my IPod with me, then I don't know what time it is, so I would love to have a tiny sport watch. Also, when I don't have any pockets, then I still want to take my IPOD with me, thus, an IPod Holder would be perfect. Lastly, I'd love to have some more sport tights from H&M, however, the ones from NIKE still caught my eye.

 

1. IPod Nano Sport Armband (Link)
2. Air Sports Watch (Link)
3. H&M Sport Tights (Link)
4. H&M Sport Tights  (Link)

So this was my second Fitness Wish List which is more based on running outdoor now. I hope you like that I tried to include a few cheaper clothes as I think the H&M sport tights are really comfortable to wear. Besides, I would have to have a fortune in order to buy all the popular sport brands even though I would buy everything from their collection! :)

Are you also addicted to sport clothes?

I wish you a wonderful day! 
Love,

3 Spring Outfits - From Business, Edgy To Casual

Hello guys!

Recently I talked about the latest spring trends that I considered to be most wearable (Link) and also shared with you my first spring outfit idea with a trendy short suit (Link). So before I am going to make a zillion posts of all my spring outfit ideas, I thought that I will sum them up to one post. Thus, today I want to show you 3 different outfits in three styles inspired by this year's spring trends. I hope you can find something for your style.

Outfit No. 1: Elegant Cut Out Dress

1. Off-white bowling bag by Morgan - 69,95€
2. Ivory belt by Marc O'Polo - 29,90€ (reduced)
3. Black Cut Out Dress by mint&berry - 49,95€
4. Sterling silver ring by Esprit - 34,90€
5. Sterling silver earrings by Esprit - 49,90€ (Link)
6. Black pumps by Zign - 64,96€ (Link)

This outfit is for a business day or during nighttime, so when you want to look a bit chic in general e.g. for a nice dinner. I wanted to incorporate only two colours: black and white/off-white/beige and a classy black dress with cut out details that are the latest spring trends. The pumps with the metallic tip add an extra touch to the outfit.

Outfit No. 2: Casual Neutral Bermuda Shorts

 

1. Brown vintage bag by Esprit - 39,95€
2. Khaki chino bermuda by Billabong - 74,95€
3. Dusty blue chiffon blouse by Esprit - 14,99€
4. Golden watch with leather strap by Nixon - 164,95€
5. Grey suede oxford shoes by Best Connection - 79,90€ (Link)

This outfit is perfect for a casual shopping day during a chilly spring day. In this outfit, I wanted to stay on the neutral side, so I stayed away from bright colours and rather worked with browns, khaki, and dusty colours like the dusty grey and dusty turquoise. Bermuda shorts are really in trend this year and I think golden accessories and a stylish pair of oxford shoes complete the outfit.

Outfit No.3: Edgy Dusty Rose Spring Outfit

1. Retro sunglasses by Promod - 11,95€ (Link)
2. 26 silver bracelets by Promod - 12,95€ (Link)
3. Brown studded sandals with heel by Vic - 148€ (Link - reduced)
4. Grey sweater with metallic detail by Esprit - 29,99€
5. black clutch with studs by Accessorize - 65€ (Link)
6. Dusty rose jeans by Conley's - 99€ (Link)

This outfit is inspired by the lovely Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and it is my favourite outfit. This outfit actually only consists of basics, but by adding all the accessories it starts to become so interesting. I also think that the combination of brown, black, grey and pastel colour works really well and looks incredibly stylish. This outfit is great for any occasion as it can be worn during a casual shopping day and when going out to a stylish bar.  

So these were my 3 outfits inspired by the spring trends for this year. I hope you liked the outfits and found one that suits to your style. As spring time is not that warm where I live, the lighter and shorter outfits will come in summer. Let me know what was your favourite outfit out of these three? 

So I wish you a wonderful day and I hope you can enjoy the warming sun somewhere.

Love, 

Trendy & Bright Short Suit Outfit Idea

Hello everbody!

How are you? Do you have a nice day?

Ironically when I started to plan my Spring Series, it started to snow in my town, however, I don't see that as a sign right now and just keep on doing my spring series as I have planned to :) So I have already talked about my top 5 wearable fashion spring trends for 2013 which you can read here and I thought I'll start a spring series where I show you my outfit idea for every spring trend as some of you might find it hard to transform runway fashion to "normal fashion." So let's get started with the first trend - Short Suits:

My outfit:

  

1. White Blazer by Best Connection - 49,90€
2. White Shorts by Vero Moda - 29,95€
3. Necklace by Baur - 17,99€
4. Coral pumps by Ravel - 68€
5. White Bowling Bag by Morgan - 69,99€
6. Coral blouse with ruffles by 3 Suisses Collection - 12,99€

I love the white shorts & blazer as it is not only a trend colour in spring but also is absolutely perfect for a bright but yet elegant and polished look. By choosing your short suit, when you don't buy the two pieces from one line, you have to pay attention that blazer and shorts have the same colour tone and cooperate with their textures. So a linen shorts doesn't work with a satin blazer. To put in some colour into this outfit, I choose coral for the blouse and the heels, but stayed with white for the bag and the jewellery. I think, two different colours in this outfit are totally fine. I went for a blouse as it is a more sophisticated look, however, it doesn't has the conservative cut but rather some ruffles which is a softer, beautiful version for spring and summer.

So this was one of my outfit idea for my spring fashion trends 2013 and I will come up with a few more outfit ideas during the couple of days. I hope you like this idea :)

Wish you a wonderful day! Love,