My Summer Bucket List

It's SUMMERTIME! I know it technically has been for more than a week, but my exams are finally over so my summer break has officially started!


In honor of long summer nights, nice weather and the best time of the year I'm going to share with you my Summer Bucket List (inspired by Lauren Conrad and the Tone It Up girls).

1. Read A LOT! (preferably in the sun with a nice drink)
2. Go on a spontaneous weekend (road) trip
3. Try out new recipes
4. Go on holiday with my boyfriend (beach and/or pool are required!)
5. Have as much FUN as possible with my family, girlfriends, BF, etc.


And off course I will be sharing all of these summer adventures with you ;)

Healthy habits: 5 healthy breakfast ideas

As mentioned in my latest food related post, I've recently been trying to eat healthier. The most important meal to me is my breakfast. I've found that if I start my day right it makes a world of a difference! 

In this post I will be sharing my top 5 healthy breakfasts with you:

1. Smoothies

One of the easiest and fastest breakfasts out there are smoothies. The one you see in the photo is a mixture of fruit to which I added a handful of spinach.

I actually never follow recipes, I just use different fruits I have at home at the moment. I also like to add one or two spoonfuls of oats to make it more filling.

This is an ideal breakfast to eat (or drink?) while getting ready in the morning, or even on the go.


2. Oatmeal

One of the more filling breakfasts out there is oatmeal. 

For this photo I used a prepackaged one serving packet by Quaker. The only thing you have to do is put it in a bowl, add liquid and pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes. (I do make oatmeal from scratch too, but this is just so easy...)

I like to top it off with fruit, a dollop of greek yoghurt and some walnuts.

This is definitely more of a "treat" breakfast, it almost tastes like dessert ;)


3. Overnight oats

Another variety on oatmeal is overnight oats (I know you can't really see it but it looks like regular oatmeal). I got this idea from Lauren Conrad's website and I made it a lot ever since!

The reason being that it's just SO easy! You put it together at night, pop it in the fridge, take it out in the morning and add any fruit you like. That's it!

The only thing is you have to try a few times to find the right proportions... Btw, I like to add raisins ;)


4. Yoghurt with fruit and granola

Yet another very easy and fast one! 

Take yoghurt (I like natural greek yoghurt), add fruit and top it off with granola!






5. Healthy pancakes

This is probably the most decadent of them all, but don't fear! They are healthy! Say what?? 

It's not just regular pancakes, they are made with protein powder instead of flour. All credits to the Tone It Up girls for the recipe ;) The only adaption I make is using a whole egg instead of egg whites.

To put it out there, I don't eat them on a daily basis! They are a special treat, especially after a morning workout!  

I hope this gives you some inspiration to start your day the right way!

Loving: Burberry kisses

Tonight I'm writing a short extra blog post for you all! Subject: the newest campaign from British beauty and fashion brand Burberry. 

I received their newsletter yesterday afternoon, it only said "Burberry kisses". I was a little intrigued but ignored it at first. Then I started to see more and more about it on my social media, so I had to check out what all the hype was about!

I watched this short clip about the campaign, it explains it perfectly:

As the clip shows you can send an e-card with your own kiss to someone you love. The only thing you need is a device with a touch screen, which makes a print of your lips. Then you choose a lip color, from actual Burberry lipstick shades, and add a personal message.

I think it's a very cute idea, so I immediately sent one to my boyfriend! He even thought it was cool ;) Off course you can also send them to your friends, family, etc.

Besides, I'm all about big brands that look at the bigger picture. I think it's very admiring when they start campaigns that aren't aimed at selling products.

Face Mask: Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate

In my opinion there is nothing better to relax after a long day then pampering yourself. Enter a hot bath, an at home manicure or... a face mask! 

Last week I used an ultra deep cleansing White Chocolate mask from Montagne Jeunesse. Chocolate on my face? Yes please! ;) 

The pros:
+ It feels nice and creamy on the skin
+ My skin felt clean afterwards but not dry at all

The cons:
- It smells nice but more like dark chocolate, which I found a bit odd
- About the ultra deep cleansing claim: my skin felt clean but I didn't see a noticeable  difference in my skin 

Overall, I liked this mask. However, I won't buy it again as I'm still looking for a good cleansing one. Recommendations are always welcome in the comments!

If you like the idea of a chocolate mask, check out my DIY mask for blemished skin!

Manicure Monday: Essie Hip-anema

If you read the blog post on my first Essie experience, you'll know I'm a big fan of the brand. In fact, I haven't bought any other polishes since! 

One of the newest additions to my collection is this bright orangy red from the spring line. It's a fun color for spring and summer but also classic enough to wear all year round. Although I do believe there are a lot of similar colors available, so there is no need to rush to the stores ;)

As far as the formula goes, it compares to the other Essie polishes I own. It is opaque in one layer, however I always prefer to use two.

Recipe: Red Lentil Risotto (carb free)

I've been on a real healthy eating kick lately. Don't get me wrong, I still love me some fries and desserts! But I try to make healthier choices throughout the day.

One of the things I do is trying to avoid carbs for dinner. This is a pretty difficult one, as I still live at home. Soups and salads are a pretty easy way but can get boring too. So I like to try out recipes that substitute regular carb loaded products by healthier options.

Recently I made a Red Lentil Risotto, a recipe from Sorted (if you don't know about them, you should check out their videos!). 

I did change the recipe slightly: I added some courgette and topped the risotto with watercress in stead of rocket. It tasted just like a regular risotto and satisfied all my Italian comfort food cravings! 

I will definitely make this again and maybe even experiment with other flavors... 

I recommend you give this one a try. Either if you avoid carbs too, or just because you're curious ;) 

Let me know what you think!

Deauty Box May 2013

Yesterday I received my May Deauty box (Deauty is a Belgian beauty subscription service). I've been subscribed since the very first box, which was 9 months ago. Their boxes get better every month and this one got me particularly excited! 

Some of you won't be able to subscribe but you might be interested nonetheless...

First of all, the packaging is always amazing! It feels like getting a present every month :)

• The first product that caught my eye was the full size Garnier Ambre Solaire BB Cream. I've wanted to try a BB cream for a while but I think I'm more of a foundation girl... You can expect a review of this one soon!
• The second product is a shampoo from Klorane, a French brand that's available from the pharmacy. It's a 100 ml sample so I think I will keep this one for traveling.
• The next sample is an After-sun Repair Lotion by Avène, also a French pharmaceutical brand. Not something I will use right away either because of the absence of sunny weather. Hopefully it will come in handy during summer or on holiday. 
• The product I'm the most intrigued about are two reusable makeup removing wipes by Lamazuna. You only need water, they can be washed out and reused up to 3OO times.

• The product I was most impressed with is a bronzer by Bo-ho Green Revolution*. I have never heard about this brand before but I'm very curious now. The bronzer itself is very beautiful, not to orange and with a nice amount of shimmer. Some much needed summer feeling in Belgium!

That's it for my May box! 

If you want to see reviews of these products, please let me know in the comments!

*I did some research on the brand and found out that this product exists in multiple shades. Mine is TC 06 - Terre d'outre mer.