Marzia Bisognin's Blog, page 5

PEACEFUL MOUNTAINS.

January 15th, 2018

A quick visit.

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On Thursday evening I landed in Venice to spend a long weekend with my family and some friends.

On Saturday, my dad had the idea of driving up to Recoaro Mille, a mountain site not too far from where my parents live, to get some fresh air and look at the snowy peaks. 

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It was a spontaneous decision, so at 11am we drove up, reaching the top within an hour.

From up there, you could look down at the town. Recoaro itself is where our mineral spring waters are produced, and my dad told me that it used to be a very popular and rich area – many years ago – that unfortunately didn’t manage to keep upgrading and developing, resulting in a very quiet, almost forgotten, yet beautiful town.

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To connect the village to the ski resorts and facilities, there used to be a cableway, which my dad worked on, back in the day (my dad is a carpenter). This is now barely ever used, and when we were there, the whole area seemed abandoned.

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The almost complete absence of snow – which melted away the past week, due to high temperatures of 20*C and sunny days – made this place look even more lonely: not a single person was there, other than the woman running a local restaurant, where we stopped by for lunch.

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With our bellies full, we went for a quick tour, in which my parents explained to me how – when they were growing up – Recoaro was considered one of the finest mountain places, with luxurious hotels, stunning buildings, and incredible views.

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Now you see lots of pretty houses, with ‘for sale’ signs attached to them.

Apparently, the small amount of people still living there, have no interest in bringing the town back to life: often, in Italy, you will find conservative people, that won’t allow changes to happen.

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Although I too can appreciate the beauty of place for what it is, and drift away from wanting a change, seeing this beautiful place – that has so much potential – left untouched through the years if not by time itself, does bring a bit of sadness.

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I may have gotten it all wrong, and maybe just visited in a low day; but in the past few years my dad brought me here 3 times, and with each trip, I could see it getting more and more deserted.

I do not live in this area, and growing up I never came here, so I don’t personally have anything to compare it to, but this is just the feeling I had.

Either way, I have been enjoying going up there – every once in a while – as it is really peaceful, and the cold mountain air is always refreshing.

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I am now back in Brighton, sitting in the couch with a cold and painful sore throat. Unfortunately, it seems like there is a 50/50 chance every time I’m on an airport, that I will catch some illness.

This doesn’t feel too bad at the moment, so don’t worry about it, but I am a bit frustrated because I had planned and booked something really exciting for today and was forced to move it. Oh well – something to look forward to!

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For now, I’m glad I got to spend a few days in Italy, as I didn’t get to see my family for Christmas.

I hope you are all well, and that your week had a nice start!

Marzia

SHOPPING!

January 6th, 2018

With friends.

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One of the goals I have this year is to spend more time with my friends… well, not friends in general, but rather, my girl-friends.

I very often hang out with friends, all coupled up, and I love that – but I also miss, at times, having some girl time.

I didn’t waste any time this year, and a few days into January, I made sure to ask my friends, here in Brighton, to spend an afternoon with me. 

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I used the excuse to film a video to gather them all at Beyond Retro (I’ve done a blog post in the past as this shop is really cool) and asked them to pick out an outfit each, for me (and of course some stuff for themselves).

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Sophie, Emma Blackery and Emma Pickles managed to come, and we all had such a good time. After spending an hour or so in the shop, we stopped by a café, ate some sweets, and chatted for a while – it was really lovely, and just what I needed.

The day after I filmed my video, in which I try to guess who got me which look. I’m going to post a photo for each, as I think they all did an amazing job at styling me, and I’m curious to see if you can guess right!

LOOK 1

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This is very much something you would see me wearing, as it features a baker boy cap, a turtleneck, and some high-wasted pants.

LOOK 2

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This is the more tomboy-ish look, with a camouflage jacket and cropped pants.

LOOK 3

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This final look it the edgiest, with lots of faux leather and a pop of colour.

Leave your guesses in the comments, I’m curious to see who you think bought me what.

After that, watch this video to see if you were right!

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I actually felt inspired to doodle after our shopping day together, and used my iPad to draw with for the very first time. It’s not the best, as I’m new to the app, but why not share it!

I hope you are all having a fun week-end and – very quickly – thank you so much again for the amazing feedback and replies in my previous blog post; everything helped me and I feel more positive than ever.

︎  ꒰* ॢꈍ◡ꈍ ॢ꒱.*˚‧

Marzia

STARTING OFF.

January 2nd, 2018

Not sure how.

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I’m the kind of person that waits until the clock hits a certain number before posting a video. Would anyone care, if I posted it at 17.03? I doubt it. But I have to make sure it’s either 17.00, or 17.05. Which is very strange, because I never tend to care about things like this on any other situation.

I live my life in the middle – in every sense. I’m okay with not being the best, but not being the worst; not standing out too much, but not be invisible either.

I think maybe with this specific topic, it is different, because I’m unsure, and I’ve always been.

Today I’m gonna talk about many things, but mostly focus on my Youtube ‘career’ and what that entails. I went for a walk and couldn’t shake off these thoughts, so I figured writing would help me, as I’m hoping you could shed some light on it as well.

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You would think that after all these years I’ve been on Youtube, things would be clear for me: I should have things figured out, and a strong point of view. Yet, I never had.

I think that’s why, when people first started coming across my channel, and only really caring because of who I am associated with, would hurt. If I knew who I was, and what I had to offer, I would be able to brush things off. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not down about it at all, I’m just sharing these things because it’s a new year, and I really want to make a change. I’m feeling positive, and I think that’s why I’m okay to post about my insecurities, because I’m fine with feeling this way, and truly want your feedback.

If you pick out each one of the close people in my life, like Emma, PJ, Felix (as well as all the others I hang out with) you can clearly tell what their strengths are, and what they are putting out there with their content. They are all very defined, I can easily tell their styles, their personalities, and so on. They are all such interesting and talented people, and from each one I am inspired by.

Now, don’t misunderstand this: I’m in no way saying I compare myself to any of my friends – I know that PJ is an incredibly gifted story teller and filmmaker, and Emma is an artist when it comes to makeup, so I’m in no way trying to meet their skill levels – what I’m saying is that I don’t know what I bring to the table.

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When it comes down to me, I believe I do have multiple skills, but none that I truly excel at (I’ve touched upon this in a past blog post) – which to be honest, it’s fine for the most part, as I enjoy being able to try out and expand my interests, but it is quite frustrating not knowing what you true strength is. If you take a look at my channel, I don’t even know who I really am, so I’m not sure what comes across. I don’t know what my videos say about me… or maybe I do; they just never felt like a true representation of me, which is what bothers me.

Sure, I am a positive, light hearted person, that finds happiness in the simple things – like shown in my videos – but I do think there is much more to my personality, I just can’t seem to share that through the lens. I don’t know how to do that.

My fear is that, possibly, even my close friends don’t get to experience that from me; I sometimes notice how everybody is nicer to me that they are to others – which I do appreciate, of course – but I can’t help but feel like I’m perceived as naive and weak, and need to be shielded by reality and criticism.

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This year I would love to make a change, be able to open up, talk about different topics I don’t usually discuss, add some depth and meaning to my channel, to show that there is more to me. But in all honesty, I have no idea how to do that, mostly because – as I mentioned – I don’t even know what I’m good at to begin with.

I know and appreciate the fact that people take my channel for what it is: a place where I post uplifting and positive videos about anything that interests me in that particular moment; from pet videos, to travel vlogs. But I also feel like I’ve been doing just those type of stuff for long enough that I should allow myself to grow and experiment with other things as well. So this is – in no way – an attempt to change, stop or remove the things I’ve done in the past, but rather a starting point to open up something new.

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Because I’m so lost, I thought writing all of this on my blog could be a good starting point.

This post is all over the place, I’m aware of it, but hopefully something is coming across. If you don’t mind me asking: what makes you want to read what I write? What do you enjoy from my videos?

I’ve noticed lots of people asking me to bring the ‘monthly notes’ series from 2016 back – I’ve decided to listen to all the requests and do another year full of mini goals; hopefully that will push me to experience new things, which can never hurt, and come closer to finding myself.

But, I guess another question I have would be: is there anything you would want me to do, on my channel? Is there something I’ve never done and you would enjoy seeing me try out?

Even just thinking of my next video, I don’t really know what to film. Sure, I have plenty of ideas written down already and some series I want to do this year, but I simply don’t know how to begin 2018 – Youtube wise.

I feel like making a video about this topic could have been interesting, and a good way to change things up, yet I’m unable to open up like this on that platform, which is part of the problem.

I don’t know, maybe this year will turn out just like any of my other years, as far as content goes, and things will be just fine that way – but I think that at least spending some time thinking about ways to improve, and let you guys know how I really feel, is a step forward.

—-EDIT. This post has been up for a few hours now and you guys honestly gave me the most incredible encouragements, advices and feedback. I actually had teary eyes as I’m so happy you guys are part of my journey, and helped me see that what I do is meaningful to others, even if my interests are all over the place, and many of my videos document the simplest things in life. I truly appreciated reading through your comments, and feel even more positive now about this new year. Thank you all so much for sticking around, and for being the most amazing community. I feel incredibly lucky!

Marzia

 

AMORE SAMPLES.

January 1st, 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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I hope you had fun celebrating last night!

Today I’m being very productive, as I woke up feeling very positive and creative: I’ve redone the graphics for the blog and youtube; I’ve set up my bullet journal for the new year; I’ve caught up with e-mails; and I’ve took down the tree and cleaned the house.

The last thing left to do is this post, in which I wanna announce a quick giveaway to send out some samples from my current line. If you wanna join, open up!

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While working on my collections, very few pieces come out exactly right on the first try. This time, the felt beret and the pink sweater were great right away, but the other pieces took some tries – I don’t have a use for those samples, so I thought I would do a giveaway, like I did for the Limone line.

THE PIECES.

I have the following items available:

2X Burgundy dresses;

3X Pants;

1X Slip dress;

1X of each Turtleneck (camel and white);

1X of each Skirt (pink and olive).

THE ‘ISSUES’.

These pieces – being just samples – are not complete, but totally wearable: some may have different zippers that the final pieces; others have the wrong heart placements (or missing); and so on…

For example, I have two burgundy dresses, one of which is the original sample, showing a velvet collar instead of a lace trim, and a tighter fit; the other one is exactly like the finished piece, but a bit larger on the shoulders. So basically, they are more than fine to wear, just not exactly like the finished products.

The pants, which I have 3 of, all have a different fit: on the first try, they were much tighter and looked more like skinny jeans; the second pair looks complete, but it is a bit too wide on my hips; the last pair is exactly the right fit, but doesn’t have the correct zipper and is missing the hearts.

I’m writing all of this to make you aware that it is a bit of a gamble, as what you are going to receive may not fit you 100% right, but there is also a chance that it will!

Also note that all are sizes XS or S, unfortunately (I’m sorry, I know this excludes people but these pieces are made so I can try them on myself and check the way they fit).

Edit —– THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Here are the 3 winners: if you are one of them, please check your comment as I wrote you back on how to claim the prize.

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Thanks everybody for joining!

New giveaways will come soon.

 

PS. I haven’t heard from one of the winners from my ‘Something for the holidays’ giveaway. Anyone reading this – if you entered it, please go back to that post and check if you won. Thank you!

Marzia

2017 BEAUTY.

December 29th, 2017

My TOP 5 picks.

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This year, thanks mostly to PR packages, I got to experiment with lots of different brands and beauty products, finding some must-haves that I always make sure to have while travelling, and most often reach out for while doing my makeup.

If I went over all the products I liked this year, this would be a long list, so I’m limiting myself to the top 5 items that I definitely need and will repurchase in the future. 

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VANISH FOUNDATION STICK BY HOURGLASS

I’ve started using this foundation in July, I believe, and since then I haven’t used a different one. It has become my go-to, and since switching to this one, I’ve also stopped wearing concealer (I do occasionally, if I’m doing something special or on really bad skin days, but probably only used it about 5 times since the summer).

I apply this with a beauty blender, and I find that it’s so easy to move around as the consistency – even if it’s a stick – is very creamy. The thing that I like the most about it is that it really does vanish into the skin. It blends incredibly well, but still gives good coverage.

I struggle with acne, I’ve talked about it before, but I dream of a natural looking skin. This foundation is the first one, I believe, that gives me that: I can apply very little all over the face, giving me an even skin tone, and then simply dot some areas, layering the product, wherever I need. It looks so natural, almost like I’m not wearing foundation, and also by the end of the day I don’t feel like my skin is miserable, itchy, and tired of wearing makeup – it just feels light, doesn’t get much oily at all, stays in place, and it’s barely noticeable. I truly love this.

I recently run out of it, in November, and ordered another stick off of e-bay. I think I got ripped off as I ended up paying £90 when I now see, on their website, that it’s only $46, which is totally worth paying.

If it can help anyone, my shade is ‘shell’.

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LIPPIE LINGERIE BY TARTE

This lipstick comes in 8 shades, and they are all great. I’ve talked about this product so many times that I don’t wanna repeat myself too much, but if you haven’t gotten your hands on one of these, I would recommend you grabbing one.

They cost £20 each, but they last a long time as you get quite a lot of product, and if you use them like I do, so mostly dotting it across the lips and blending them in with a finger, you will have them for a while.

I love these because they are moisturising, yet have a matte finish. They are all nud-ish shades, so they make your lips look soft and poutier, and fade wonderfully. They are so easy to reapply; I always make sure I have one in my purse, and 90% of the times I do my makeup, I put some on. The shades are all really pretty, some more intense but I often go for the lighter ones, like Exposed and Whisper, to keep a more natural look.

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NATURA PALETTE BY MARZIA X WINKY LUX

I know it may seem weird that I’m including my own product in here, but this eyeshadow palette has been my go-to, and I really love it.

It’s small enough to fit on a purse, so when I travel this is an easy choice, but it also has plenty of colour selection to go from a natural look (using Sole and Rosa), to something more bold (like Fuoco, Foglia or Rame).

I have a few of these for myself, as I definitely do not want to run out, but unfortunately I just saw on the website that they are all sold out (it costs $25). I know you guys really loved this palette too, which made me so happy!

I have a whole blog post dedicated to it, so if you want to, you can read more about it over there – just know that it is my favourite palette of 2017, followed by the Peach Palette from Too Faced.

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FELT TIP ILLUSTRATIVE EYELINER BY EM COSMETICS

I always like to rock a cat eye, so I have quite a bit of experience with eyeliner pencils and gels. I can honestly say this is the best eyeliner product I ever came across: from the rich black colour that doesn’t fade or smudge, to the cool cap that has a bit of resistance when you close it (don’t know how to properly explain this, but it’s a nice feature that makes the pen feel luxurious, in my opinion).

The felt tip is extremely precise and has just the right amount of flexibility – it’s not too soft, and not too hard.

This lasted me a while, but unfortunately now I run out of it, so I will be sure to make a new purchase. It retails at $15, which is a pretty good price!

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MAGNIFICENT METALS GLITTER & GLOW LIQUID EYE SHADOW BY STILE

Uh. That’s a long name!

You saw me unbox these back in Spring, and instantly love them. They are a bit pricey, at £23 a tube, but you need so little of it that they will last ages.

These are simply stunning, layered on top of you eyeshadow. I’ve been wearing them any time I have somewhere nice to go; I just dot my eyelids on top of what I was already wearing, and within a few seconds my look goes from everyday to glam!

There are 9 different shades of this specific product, as well as 3 extra for the Duo Chrome shades. I definitely would recommend picking the one you like the most, and keep it by your vanity to spice up any look.

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Alright! These are all 5 products described. Have you tried any of them? Do you agree? And do you have any makeup items you love and would suggest me to try out?

Have a Happy New Year!

Marzia

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP MILKSHAKE.

December 23rd, 2017

With a healthy twist. 

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It’s not a secret: I love sweets and desserts. But if I decide to make something for myself, it has to tick two boxes – it needs to be easy to make, and it has to be healthier than things you can buy.

This milkshake is vegan, requires just 3 ingredients, and takes about a minute to make… oh, and the best thing is that it’s packed with some good stuff for your body and skin. 

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In fact, all you need is your dairy free ice-cream – I enjoy Booja Booja, which is made with cashews – some dairy free milk (my absolute favourite is Oat-ly!) and this Green Superfood Powder by HUM.

This last ingredient is key, which is what makes this recipe so healthy (not just the absence of dairy): this package contains 30 servings, and comes in a light brown powder form. I picked the ‘mint chocolate chip’ flavour, but also comes in ‘vanilla & berry’ – which I’m planning to try next.

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When you open it up and smell it, you would ever be able to tell that it’s made from 39 different detox superfoods; I got some powder on my fingers and it tasted just like chocolate.

I was very happy when HUM reached out to me and decided to sponsor this blog post, because it felt like something I would totally want to try, and the fact that you can just add a scoop of this powder into any of your favourite drinks, or even just water, to make a tasty treat, made it clear that it was a product I wanted to have on hand.

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So for this recipe I kept it simple, and mixed 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 cup of ice-cream and a scoop of the superfood powder.

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Of course – you guessed it – I blended the mixture for a few seconds on my NutriBullet, and then topped it off with some whipped cream, and dusted the powder on top. I wish I had some mint, but I still wanted to put a little leaf on top so pretend it is mint!!

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And you are done! Simple, quick, and incredibly tasty.

I let Felix try some as he is a big fan of anything mint chocolate flavoured, and he loved it. I drank it after lunch because it helps with energy; these past few days have been madness, I don’t know how so much work has piled up, so I could really use this milkshake.

Have you ever tried this product?

Let me know if you give a go to this recipe!

Happy Holidays.

 

Marzia

SOMETHING FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

December 21st, 2017

It’s officially winter!

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The holidays are approaching, so I wanted to show the PR packages I’ve been receiving, and share some of the products with you!

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Last weekend I rented a cottage in Camber Sands, so that Felix could help me take photos of my Amore line.

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We were extremely lucky with the weather: the morning was very bright and sunny, so that allowed us to get great photos, and then in the afternoon, we got to go on a walk at the beach, since the pugs love it so much!

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The day after, it was -3*C, and you could see white fields covered in ice.

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It was so gorgeous! For a moment I thought we were going to get a cold, snowy winter, and I was so happy – but now the weather has warmed up again, with yesterday night hitting 10*C. Still hoping it will snow on Christmas day!

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When I arrived home, there were a few new packages waiting to be opened, as well as some others I had put aside for this blog post.

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I’ve never heard of the brand Lipland, but I have to say this lip set is incredible.

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The shades are all so pretty, definitely colours I like to wear (even the darker one, on my bravest days). They are matte liquid lipsticks, so they dry up within a few seconds and stay perfectly put. I tried washing off these swathes and let me tell you – they did not want to fully come off until I took a shower a few hours later.

I love the look of liquid lipsticks, and how rich and pigmented they are; yet I find myself collecting them rather than using them on. I tend to use chubby lipsticks that feel moisturising; the Tarte ones, for example, are my all time favourites because they are so easy to put on, fade nicely, feel soft on the lips, and I like to “smear” the lip colour with my finger around the edges to create a fuller, poutier look, and not so defined.

Then I see people like my friend Emma Pickles, or Taylor R on youtube, who really make liquid lipsticks look incredible, creating fuller looking lips, and want to try them myself, but it never turns out that good.

I guess that a moisturising lipstick is a lot more forgiving on application, which is why I enjoy them, but would love to master my liquid lipstick skills for occasional wear. Any tips for me?

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Talking abut moisturising, forgiving lippies, these little tubes by Kopari have been my go-tos during natural makeup days. They have a tint to them (which at first seemed too intense for me), but the moment you spread them across the lips, they became more faint, giving you a healthy colour and shine.

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They look like glosses, but they are not at all sticky, they are more like lip butters – which you wouldn’t think by the look of them. They are a very nice product, definitely recommend them!

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A brand that sent me quite a few products is Moonshot, which again, I had never heard of, and actually sent stuff to Felix and simply included this for me in the package.

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It’s a Korean beauty brand, and the packagings seem quite futuristic to me (maybe because of the silver and squared combo).

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I was instantly intrigued by the eyeshadow jelly pots, as I don’t think I’ve ever came across a product like this before. The texture is very unique, and at first I thought they would be tricky to apply, but to my surprise, it was incredibly easy and looked gorgeous layered on top of my usual eyeshadows.

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One brand I did know was sending me a package is oVertone. When I first dyed my hair pink, I expressed how I was having trouble keeping my hair bright and colourful. You guys recommend this brand, and I was lucky enough that they noticed my hair was in need, and send over their conditioner and treatment.

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The colours seem really bright, but they actually work great for my pink hair. I’m looking for a pastel pink rather than super bright pink – as you know, I dyed my hair too intense by mistake – what I want is to keep a pretty baby pink without having to re-dye it so often.

With the treatment they sent I can do a mask to bring back the colour; whilst with the conditioner, I can take a hot shower without worrying to wash off all the colour.

You have no idea how happy I am about having these products, as they will make my life much easier!

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The final package is from Bellami; they sent me two of these extensions kits, so I used one for myself, which I’ve dyed and cut already; and then I kept this one for you – although, of course, not everybody has this shade, I think it will work for most anyway as you can simply dye it, just like I did.

The amount of hair in these is really great, I actually only use half the set and gives me plenty of volume.

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Today I’m giving away two boxes: in the first one you will find the hair extensions with tools; the eyelashes; and the Tarteist ProGlow palette.

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In the second box there is more makeup, from the Tarteist Pro Beauty (Red)efined palette (a bunch of different shades); to some Soap&Glory makeup (+coupon); the Moonshot eyeshadow jelly pot; and a Glossier brush.

The giveaway is open internationally: if you wanna enter, simply comment either ‘BOX 1’ or ‘BOX 2’ along with your comment. I will select winners at random tomorrow and post they names on this blog post, as well as reply to their comment.

Please: NO spam; and check back tomorrow to see if you are the winner.

 

Good Luck!

Marzia

AMORE LINE.

December 19th, 2017

Winter clothing.

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After many months of work, the new line is available – find it HERE!

 

My collections usually include 6 clothing items + a few accessories: this time we only have one, which is an olive green beret with heart embroideries.

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This line features soft and warm materials, and the theme of love is repeated through the heart and text embroideries. The cuts are relaxed yet feminine, and the colour palette focuses on green, white and pink.

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This slip dress is made of a faux suede material, and has some interesting string details in the front, and a chunky gold zipper in the back.

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In fact, gold zippers are another feature of this collection.

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This sweater dress is romantic, very comfortable, and comes in a burgundy colour – which is a choice I made as I wanted a piece that would stand out.

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It has a cute lace collar, the embroideries that follow the shoulders, and puffy sleeves.

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I can see this being the perfect dress to wear during the holidays!

The material is super soft, so I used it – in pink – to create a comfy sweater.

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This is my personal favourite item out of the entire line, as it’s warm and versatile, and it’s dusty pink colour makes it easy to wear.

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Instead of a lace collar, it’s a turtleneck with raglan sleeves and little hearts that follow up to the top.

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I’ve paired it with a pair of pink pants, that have an interesting hem with cropped front and side slits.

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It took 4 tries to get these right, but now they have the perfect fit – not too tight, not too baggy.

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And again, these also feature the same chunky zipper and heart embroideries by the waistline.

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The final look is the only one with colour options.

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The turtleneck, perfect for layering and on its own, comes in camel and white.

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The A-line skirt, with this massive front zipper and pockets, comes in olive green and pink.

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For this line I created softer, a bit more girly silhouettes, but I definitely believe that paired them with edgier clothes could create wonderful outfits.

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Here, for example, you can see how well the pants go with an oversized hoodie (this one is from my Limone line).

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I really do hope you like it, it turned out exactly as I wanted it, and we managed to keep prices a bit lower than usual, which is amazing! I know, still pretty high, but always consider that we are a small team that does limited runs, and produce everything in Canada.

PS. Use the code AMORE for free shipping!

Which was your favourite look?

꒰✪ૢꇵ✪ૢ꒱ෆ⃛

Marzia

ZUCCHINI & POTATO SOUP.

December 14th, 2017

Ready in 15 minutes.

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Today, for lunch, I opted for a soup.

Now that winter is approaching, warm soups are a must, but to be honest with you, I usually go for broth, as I never realised how easy it is to make soup!

For this one, I mixed my favourite two vegetables, and created a smooth, delicious dish, so I’m here to share this recipe. 

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For the base of the soup, we are gonna need just a few veggies: a shallot, a courgette and a potato, as well as a vegetable stock pot. I based my recipe on this particular one, but made a few adjustments.

After making this soup I already know I will try many different variations of it, by mixing different ingredients, but I do think this one turned out extremely well so I will be remaking it in the near future.

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I started by chopping everything into small pieces, so that the cooking time wouldn’t be too long.

Felix went to the post office and asked for food to be ready when he got back, so I didn’t have time to cook and take great photos at the same time – that’s why these are not as pretty to look at, but hopefully will be okay to guide you through this recipe.

I took out a deep pan and poured some water in – just enough to cover the potatoes. You don’t want extra water as it will mess up the consistency. Depending on how big your potato is you may need to adjust the amount you pour, but for me it was around half a cup.

I put the potatoes to cook alone first, for 5 minutes.

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Then I added the courgette and shallot, and let them cook for 5 more minutes.

For the final 5 minutes I added in the stock pot, as well as a tablespoon of sunflower spread, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and let it all cook together.

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Right after, I moved everything into the big cup from my Nutri Bullet – which I’m still loving so much – and blended it for about 10 seconds.

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I wanted one of the toppings of this soup to be crispy noodles. Yesterday I was watching Chef & My Fridge on Netflix, and one of the chefs made it seem so simple to make that I decided to try myself.

I broke just a few spaghetti into smaller pieces and cooked for around 5 minutes in boiling water. Then I drained it, kept them in the pan, and added some vegetable oil to fry them.

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I let them fry for one or two minutes, and then placed them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

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They did come out crispy, but a bit hard. We were able to eat them just fine, but I think – next time I do this – I will keep them cooking in boiling water for a bit longer. Any tips on this? I didn’t really look up a recipe, but if you guys know how to make them properly, let me know!

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After blending the vegetables, I poured the soup in two deep bowls and served with a pinch of black pepper, chia seeds, and the fried noodles.

I absolutely loved this, and Felix did too – in fact, Felix generally has two ingredients he likes to add to my dishes: either Sriracha, or some vegetable spice to boost up the flavour.

When I brought him the soup I saw he had his spice near him, but after the first spoon, he didn’t add it! That was a win for me, as 90% of the time – as I said – he needs to add flavour (as I prefer much simpler tastes compared to him), but not this time.

I hope you guys try it and like it as well! 

Marzia

THINGS TO READ AND WATCH.

December 8th, 2017

Stuff I’ve been loving.

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Lately I’ve been reading and watching a few new things, so I figured I would talk about them on a post! 

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#1 GOOD MORNING CALL – Season 2

Some of my favourite shows on Netflix are Japanese, particularly Terrace House and Good Morning Call.

I’ve loved the first season of this show, but wasn’t expecting a second one, so when I saw it popping up a week or so ago, I let out a small scream and grabbed Felix.

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It is about Nao and Uehara, two high-schoolers that end up living together after getting scammed.

Nao is a kind, pretty and innocent girl; whilst Uehara is the cool, quiet guy all the girls like.

To be honest, I’ve spent most of each episode of season 1 hating Uehara and shipping Nao with any other guy… and although in season 2 he becomes a lot nicer, Natsume is introduced and OH. MY.

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THE DRAMA.

Please watch it. Do it for me. I loved this season (it has 10 episodes) and both are extremely enjoyable – the show is based on a manga so the reactions are usually exaggerated and the editing is so over the top. I love it.

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#2 KIMI NI TODOKE

Talking about manga, I’ve had the first 3 volumes of Kimi Ni Todoke (From Me to You) by my bedside table so today I finally got around starting the first one.

I instantly got into it… possibly because of the similarity of Sawako with Sadako (from the horror movie Ringu).  It’s sweet – not a horror at all – and beautifully drawn.

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#3 BLEND S

To stay on theme, an anime Felix and I have been loving is Blend S.

He was the one that asked for us to watch it, and it’s just so fun. We are all catched-up with it and always can’t wait for a new episode to come out.

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It’s about Maika, a teenager interested in foreign countries, that wants to save up some money to study abroad. The managed or a café sees her and instantly falls in love, which leads to him hiring her. The humour is so good!

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#4 CHEF & MY FRIDGE

This is another show I recently came across on Netflix, and it’s a Korean cooking show.

While watching the very first episode, both Felix and I were very confused, but as soon as the chefs started cooking, we got drawn in. The tension!

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In each episode there are two celebrities that bring their own fridges, and some chefs have to battle each other by creating a dish with the ingredients provided… in just 15 minutes!

It’s insane how creative and quick they are. I’ve been watching this during dinner, and has been giving me some ideas for meals as well as useful tips.

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#5 THE DISASTER ARTIST

Last night we finally got to watch it. The wait was worth it, as we all laughed and loved The Disaster Artist so much.

I found that the movie was tweaked a bit and skipped lots of things written in the movie, but overall did a great job with the adaptation.

For the occasion, I wore a red dress and bought a red rose for myself and all of my friends coming to the cinema; Felix dressed up as Tommy and Jack had a wig to match Mark’s (Greg) hair.

So there are my top 5 picks this month, for entertainment.

Have you seen/read any of these? Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

Marzia