Friday’s Fancies #28: New Years Eve

New Year’s Eve is definitely one of my favorite days of the year. You know me well: I’m not really a big party animal and the best New Year’s Eve I can imagine is at home, with my fiancé and my closest family, and with loads of delicious food and champagne bubbles. The thing I love the most is that perspective of a fresh start, that conviction that I can leave the old year behind and look forward to all the fabulous new things that lay ahead! These new beginnings hold so many wonderful promises and I’m ready to believe all over again that everything is possible! Aside from Christmas, this is the best time of the year. So why not to celebrate it with style? This week I’ve completely blown off my Friday’s Fancies imaginary budget and I’m really proud of it. Those stunning dresses and fabulous shoes are definitely among the most beautiful things I’ve seen this year!

What about you? Do you like this perspective of a fresh start as much as I do or are you sad to see the old year go?

1. Marchesa Sequined Silk Mini Dress, $4171.30

2. Marchesa Embellished Silk-Crepe Column Gown, $5500.00

3. Jimmy Choo Marlene Feather and Suede Sandals, $1995.00

4. Anya Hindmarch Valorie Glitter Clutch, $550.00

5. Alexandrine´s Trillion Cut Blue Ring, $64.99

6. Jean Dousset Blue Emerald Cocktail Ring, $160.00

7. Chanel Blush Horizon de Chanel, $58.00

8. Chanel Le Vernis in April, May, June, $25.00

Check out all the stylish and fabulous ensembles at Long Distance Loving!

Beauty: Perfect party makeup

I’m still not sure what my New Years Eve outfit will be (nor do I know what I´ll be doing for that matter, my fiancé is taking care of the organization this year so it will be a surprise), but I’m already sure what my makeup will look like. I’m a huge fan of smoky eyes, but I never really got around to loving the classic, black version. Maybe it’s because it always looks so harsh on me. I love to experiment with various color palettes, and greys and greens are definitely my favorites. This time, I’m going for an unexpected Union Jack combo: silver, blue and a hint of magenta. Can´t wait to see how it turns out! Several coats of jet black mascara are a must, as well as a swipe of fuchsia gloss. Essie’s Size Matters is my new favorite, and it’ll look wonderfully festive with a glittery copper top coat.

 1.Dior Skin Perfect Refining Protecting Moisturizer, $65.00

2. Burberry Sheer Luminous Compact Foundation, $52.00

3. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, $28.00

4. Chanel Les Tissages de Chanel in Tweed Pink, $62.00

5. Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze, $5.49

6. Rimmel London HD Union Jack Eyeshadow in True Jack, $12.71

7. Benefit BADgal liner waterproof, $20.00

8. Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Singulier, $30.00

9. Dior Addict Lip Gloss in Outrageous Fuchsia, $27.50

10. Essie Nail Polish in Size Matters, $8.00

11. Sephora Traffic Stopper Copper Top Coat, $9.50

My style: Green sparkle

I can hardly imagine Christmas without some sparkle and this beautiful sequined pencil skirt has proven to be surprisingly versatile. I paired it with a simple black top and colorful accessories, but it would look equally fabulous with a crisp white button-down or a sharp black blazer. Do you have your special Holiday go-to outfit?

Christmas snapshots

To me, Christmas is definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year. I’m always so happy to get back home and spend some time with my little family. I’m more than enjoying the quiet days, the lack of obligations, the fact that I have nowhere to be. For the past few days I’ve been tasting all the delicious meals and sweet treats made by my Mom, drinking more eggnog than I care to admit, catching up on all my favorite magazines and blogs and reading by the lights of our Christmas tree. Here are a few snapshots from my Christmas weekend. I really hope you’re all having a fabulous time!

The detail of our beautiful orange & purple Christmas tree.

Festive table setting.

Santa was really generous this year!

The most dangerously beautiful cookies.

The most spectacular gift. Ever. Finally I´ll be able to design AND make my own clothes!

Friday’s Fancies #27: White Christmas

When I arrived in Slovakia yesterday, I was welcomed with a fresh coat of snow, and I couldn’t be happier. Christmas without snow is kind of sad and dull since I have so many beautiful childhood memories running around in the garden, making snowmen and snow angels… To celebrate this beautiful white Christmas, I more than enjoyed putting together a fabulous white outfit. I was instantly drawn to this sleek, stunning and feminine dress. To me, it epitomizes Christmas glamour in its most glorious kind. I would accessorize it with a bunch of metallic items and sparkling jewelry. I’m sure that if you appeared dressed like this, nobody would see the Christmas lights!

Here’s to a stylish and fabulous Christmas! 

1. Fancy Shirley Sleeveless Dress with Belt, $1914.00

2. Michael Michael Kors Metallic Silk-blend Tweed Jacket, $160.00

3. Jimmy Choo Greta lamé-covered suede sandals, $1095.00

4. Rebecca Minkoff Mini Sweetie Bag, $395.00

5. Kenneth Jay Lane Crystal Clip Earrings, $175.00

6. Kelly Wearstler Pyrite Cluster Cuff, $445.00

7. Luz Elena´s Flower Cocktail Ring, $54.95

8. Kirby´s Crab Cocktail Ring, $75.00, $65.00

9. Essie Size Matters, $8.00

10. Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow Nail polish, $20.00

Check out all the beautiful white ensembles at Long Distance Loving:

From my kitchen: Sweet gifts

You know me well: I’m a huge lover of everything sweet, and baking is one of my biggest passions. 

I’ve always loved the idea of giving home-made sweet treats as a gift. The best part is, you can personalize every package according to everyone’s taste and preferences. These past two weeks 

I’ve been making tons of truffles, like it’s nobody’s business. Chocolate, eggnog, rum, kirsch, you name it. And even if it’s very hard to give them away (yum!), I’ve made a few little packages I’m planning to give to people I love. This is what I call sweet Christmas!

As you read this, I’m already on my way to my parents’ house, to spend the Christmas with my family. If you have similar plans, I wish you all a safe trip! 

From my kitchen: Eggnog truffles

I have a huge weakness for truffles and pralines. When you lived in France and Belgium for a few years (like I did) it’s really hard to resist them. But until this Christmas I never ventured into making them from scratch. Maybe I just thought that it would be difficult to make something better than Godiva. But I’ve found a very tempting recipe and since I had a bottle of Mom’s delicious Christmas eggnog in the fridge, I just made the leap. And I couldn’t be more surprised and delighted with the results. 

The eggnog with pecans make for a delicious combination of flavors and a hint of rum is all it takes to make it perfect. Covered in white and milk chocolate frosting they are almost too pretty to be eaten (but only almost, since they’ve been disappearing pretty fast, as far as I’m concerned). They will surely be part of the special Christmas diner I’m preparing for my fiancé tonight. Since we can’t be together on Saturday, we’re having our own Christmas Eve tonight, with foie gras, champagne and gifts…It’s such a lovely way to celebrate Christmas together, regardless of the date!

PS: And for all those who asked yesterday, a gingerbread house is really easier to make than it seems! And no, we won’t eat it, it’s only for decorative purposes and I’m afraid it wouldn’t taste good.

 

 

 

 

DIY Gingerbread house

I’m simply unable to imagine Christmas without the smell of the beautifully decorated gingerbread cookies. When my Mom starts to make tons of them, that’s when I know that Christmas is just around the corner. But believe it or not, this is the first time that I actually tried to make a gingerbread house. I’ve been eyeing them here and there on the internet, but it was my trip to Vienna Christmas market that made up my mind. I was really impressed and inspired by the huge gingerbread house I saw there and I really wanted to try it for myself. Of course, my gingerbread house is nowhere near as huge, but I’m still pretty giddy with the results! It’s cute, colorful, and it makes me happy every time I see it.

What about you? Did you make your own gingerbread house this year?

My style: Rachel Zoe moment

Orsay blouse, Levi´s jeans (similar here), Tally Veijl faux fur vest (similar here), Dorothy Perkins floppy hat and clutch, Asos shoes, Forever 21 rings and bracelets

When it comes to my style icons, Rachel Zoe very often tops my list. Not only she has one of the most fabulous and enviable closets in the world, she also lives and breathes for fashion, and that’s definitely something I can be inspired by. I’m nowhere near enough to having such an inspiring and successful career, but seeing her hopping around in her 5-inch platforms, juggling everything from fashion, to marriage, to motherhood, is very empowering. She proves, that when you live what you love (and you glam it up, while you’re at it), everything is possible. And this outfit is kind of a homage to Rachel’s impeccable 70s’- inspired style. After all, when it comes to faux furs, floppy hats, sequins and tons of jewelry, what’s not to love?

Travel: Vienna Christmas market

When we moved to Austria, one of the things I was really looking forward was visiting the Christmas markets. And while all the Graz markets (they say there are 8, but we only managed to find five, so the challenge is still up) are beautiful and inviting, when I think of a spectacular Christmas market, I always think of Vienna. It’s so old and famous, and I can hardly believe that I had to wait 25 years to see it! But it was well worth the waiting. I don’t know what I loved most: the delicious kirsch punch, delicate white Christmas ornaments, all those sparkling Christmas lights or a giant gingerbread house… But I’m pretty sure that spending some quality time with my parents and seeing them happy and content again, was definitely the best part of this trip! I’m already looking forward to the next year!