Mini Sephora Haul

There is a very big difference between the products you find on Sephora USA with the products you find in Sephora Spain but still I have to be thankful that at least there is a Sephora with a big variety of products here. The big mistake I have made is to be on their newsletter because they enchant me with their sales online every now and then and I have little-to no self control when buying makeup.

So when I received an email last week telling me there is a «gift» from Marc Jacobs makeup I had to succumb to the temptation of buying more than 40 euros so I could receive my gift and I am pretty I did.

1. ZOEVA palette in «Naturally Yours»
2. Marc Jacobs little purse mirror
3. Glam Glow «Youthmud» mask in travel size
4. Marc Jacobs mini lipstick (246 Slow Burn)
5. Too Faced «Better than Sex» mascara in travel size
6. Marc Jacobs (Velvet Noir 10) travel size mascara
7. Marc Jacobs travel size eyeliner

This is my first time trying  ZOEVA products and I have to say that the packaging is very nice and most of the colors blend well (the three nude colors in the corner were actually not pigmented at all even though I used some Mac Fix + to blend them in my eye). I wanted a travel friendly palette that wouldn’t ruin my bank account (this palette was 22 euros) and to be fair the rest of the colors were lovely.

 

 

5 things I learned this year

This year has been hard. If I had to resume it all in one story it would be like this: picture you are a child waiting for your Christmas present, then Santa comes along and brings you that present with a slap in the face. Oh boy you will remember it.

Yes, that is what 2016 was like. But, as all bad comes with something good…I have to say that it also brought lovely things…still with a slap in the face.

I learned a lot of things the hard way in 2016 and I want for 2017 to be a little more gentle with everyone this year (like please please please.)

What I have learned:

1. The Universe cannot care less about your timing. The Universe has its own timing and you have to accept it just as it is. You cannot control it or modify it, just flow with it. I had plans for my Summer people. I had like a whole agenda for the rest of the year planned to perfection for me to vacation, then come back film our videoclip, finish our record and then go through a plan of promotion. Nope. Like a big fat NOPE. Broken arm, endless physiotherapy and paused plans for everything else.
2. Friends are like stickers; some stick like there is no tomorrow…others stick at first, unglue themselves and then leave an unpleasant residue. I did my best this year to be more social and be more patient with a lot of people but I learned that sometimes true friends are not the ones you know your whole life, but the ones who enter your live and stick forever. Thank you to the ones who were there for me this year and helped me through bad times.
3. Your body can endure more pain than you can imagine, it’s your mind you have to convince. I broke an arm and also I broke something inside me that I thought would never go back the way it was. The broken arm was just the beginning; my mind started to play an important role in the whole healing process. Even if it sounds crazy I was not allowing myself to heal. I still have to work on that.
4. Relationships are like plants; you have to take care of them…if not, they will eventually die. (Enough said).
5. If you are not feeling ok nothing will be ok. Stop convincing yourself that «when ____ happens I will be ok, when I’ll accomplish _____ I will be ok, when I’ll have ____ I will be ok». No you will not be ok if you don’t start working on feeling ok NOW. Then when whatever good happens on top of you being ok…it will be like the cherry on top of the ice cream. See? Getting wiser every year 🙂 )

So I hope you guys learned a lot this year and I hope that 2017 will bring you amazing things. Have a wonderful 2017!!! 🙂

Making of…»Bailame» music video

When I broke my arm I had a lot of spare time to think and write (with one hand obviously). In the last six months I had been writing and writing but when I went to record what I had in paper…I realized that I had a bunch of deep and sad songs (honestly I was kind of feeling that way).

So one day in the studio we decided it was time to cheer ourselves up and Jimmy came up with the «Bailame» beat. Together we sat down and in one hour we had the promo song ready. That is the amazing thing about music; you never know when the inspirational muse visits you.

We filmed the video in different days; we had the studio day, the chroma day, the details footage day and the black background day. The behind the scenes video I am about to share is just from one of those days. I hope to share the music video really soon with you guys because I am dying for you to see it! Until then…here it is:

5 tips to stay fit during the Holidays

Yes you read that correctly.

I (and half of the world) tend to flush down the toilet our healthy eating habits when it’s Christmas time and in the last five years I have learned that is way more enjoyable to start the year with 1-2 extra lb. than 10. Not to mention the famous New Year’s resolution of «I am going to lose ___ pounds».

By no means I am a specialist on nutrition or I am telling you that this is the way to go but these five tips have helped me to keep on track during the stressful and (yummy) Holidays.

1. Give yourself two cheat meals a week. Don’t ruin your healthy eating by focusing on «oh Christmas is just once a year». Yes it is only once a year but you don’t have to spend 31 days over-eating. Negotiate two meals a week where you can have a green light with your favorite foods.
2. Don’t skip the gym. Since you are going to be in the festive mood please by all means don’t skip the gym. It is good for you and it will boost those happy happy happy endorphins. If you are not a gym person then keep active.
3. If you get invited to lunch, dinner or coffee with friends or family have a smaller portion of everything this way you taste all the good food but half the calories.
4. Keep track of your alcohol intake. I personally don’t drink that much, but when I do I tend to go for the fruity, sugary drinks. (Yes, I know…) So try to keep track of the empty calories here and there.
5. Keep your body hydrated. Water is your number one friend these Holidays (and the rest of your life too).

Hope this helps 🙂

That time of the year…

This year went by so fast the last thing I remember was sitting here writing the 2016 New Year resolutions post. I mean… as I grow older my years go by faster and that is something to keep in mind next time I am worrying about something stupid. Last year I wasn’t feeling the whole Christmas vibe around me and started to decorate a bit late but this year topped last year and for some reason I am not feeling Christmas at all. I remember my first holiday here in Madrid; I was utterly excited and I just want to feel that excitement again.

I don’t know if it is because this will be another holiday without my parents or the fact that European holidays are way much different of what I am used to, but I am trying by best to get in the warm Christmas vibe.

The best way to cut out negativity? Being grateful.

So instead of my usual Monday list post I want to take a second and feel grateful. There is always something to be grateful about.

 

November: you have been kind to me

This month has brought so many good things that I am starting to forget all the crappy ones that happened this year. I guess this is a very good way of ending 2016 and waiting for 2017 with open arms and a big smile.

I have to confess that this time of the year I get a little nostalgic and I scan my year to see what I have accomplished and where did I fail. I try to always point out the positive but the negative is there to remind us that we are human, that not everything turns out the way we want and sometime that is a lovely thing.

Lately I have been bouncing from one physiotherapist to another and finally found a place near home that is good and helps me with my arm (yes, my elbow has seen better days). Just to keep you guys updated…we have finished recording most of our songs and now are working on filming the video of our single called «Bailame» (Yaaaaaaaas).

Thank you November, you have been really kind to me.

 

Halloween 2016: Black Swan

This year I was sure that my Halloween costume would be Harley Quinn. I even bought the blue and pink hair pigments, the baseball bat and the wig. The only problem was that the wig was a online-late-night-half-asleep purchase and when it arrived it was…well yes…wait for it…TERRIBLE.

So not to feel discouraged I opted for my favorite movie ever: Black Swan. I love getting inspired in pop culture for my costumes. For the ones that have followed this blog since the beginning you know how much I love this movie (my 25th birthday party was Black Swan themed…thank you very much). I tried to replicate the makeup of the poster and I am writing this post with blood-red eyes since the black gel I used for the eyes was irritating AF and that came in really handy to complete the look.

Hope you guys have a wonderful Halloween ❤ 🙂

 

Easy and simple: Greek salad

I am currently working on adding a bit of fun to the blog so I thought to start sharing from time to time some videos instead of pics. We have filmed a lot of recipes lately and I will incorporate them very soon.

So for the first video reference tutorial I chose the Greek salad because let’s face it: who doesn’t love Feta cheese? There are billion of ways to make this salad out there but I did stick to my mom’s recipe and this is the way I now make it at home.

Ingredients (serves 2) :
-1 cup sliced cucumber
-2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
-1/2 green pepper sliced
-1/2 red onion
-8-10 olives
-1 cup feta cheese
Dressing:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tbsp. capers
-1 tbsp. oregano
-1/2 tsp. salt

Hope you guys enjoy! 🙂

 

Room tour: my office

When we moved to our current apartment, I was excited to finally have my own office. Back in Caracas my office was in the middle of the hallway (remember this post?) and in our last apartment I had a microscopic one. Well… I think I have upgraded myself to a more office-like space and I love the natural light that this room has. We are renting and that is why I don’t have anything hanging on the walls.

This room is my office and my «beauty room»; I have a working space and a vanity table. I also store my bags, shoes and jewelry so this brings more color to the room. Should I point out that Nina always is by my side? She keeps me company every time I am in here. ❤

My bags were thrown inside my closet and they kept losing its form. So my mom gave me the idea of buying a hat/coat rack and hanging them instead. I bought mine in Ikea.

What do guys think? 🙂

Valencia: day trip

The first time we visited Valencia was not what we had expected so we left with a sour taste and not willing to come back never again. Then our good friend Ivan told us last week he would be going so we decided to give it a second try. (Spoiler alert: in the end…we had a blast!)

First thing first: café con leche in the nearest coffee shop and then some touristic walks around Valencia’s city center.

We stumbled across the Mercat Central or Mercado Central (you guys know how much I love a farmer’s market) and we tried some Jamon Iberico and Manchego cheese. 

Time for some modern architecture: The City of Arts and Science was breath-taking.

Since we had a car (not like last time) we visited two beaches and considering it was late Summer, it was rare to have all the beach for us. We stayed two hours in each one and had a very relaxing time. I got to take my arm brace off and sun bathed a little being very careful not to fall since my arm is not  100%  ok…yet. (Can you spot my very thin arm? Well I guess it will take a lot of crossfit to gain my muscle back) 😦

Madrid: 2 years later

Two years ago, I was arriving at Barajas Airport in Madrid utterly scared and also excited to start a new life. Jimmy and I didn’t know what to expect since this was our first time in Madrid. We left behind so many things and felt heart-broken for many reasons.

I remember being scared to come here just for the reason that eventually I would have to leave again. But here we are two years later blending in this lovely city. I didn’t look back: I just said good-by to my family and left. No farewell parties, no calls, no social media «I-am-leaving» posts. We just took our things, our hopes and dreams and left for a better life.

So how can I manage to resume our two years here without making this a tremendous long post? With a list, obviously. 🙂

1. Two years, two different apartments. Our first one sans elevator and the second one with a lovely terrace. 
2. I have two of my old friends from school here in Madrid, but in these past two years I have made incredible new ones. I am so grateful for that.
3. We have built a solid video reel with all the things we have filmed since we got here.
4. In two years we have changed from one music producer to another (It didn’t actually work out for us, but still keep in touch because they are good friends). Now Jimmy and I haven’t stopped making music because we found our music flow together and we are loving it. I hope to share some new music soon.
5. Talking about music, I wrote a song for the SRF Eurovision Switzerland Song Contest and we made it to the final 6 from 400 people! It was an amazing experience!
6. I traveled to Paris, Pisa, Zürich (two times) and Thessalonica (3 times). I also made a fast trip to Miami with my parents. These two years have been busaaay!
7. Nina moved in with us last year and I was the happiest person on earth to have my little monster here. 
8. I finished the first draft of my book. It is still a work in progress but I am trying to squeeze the time to actually polish it.
9. I work every single day to get what I want, I feel I have made such a big progress but there is still so much to do.
10. Finally, I am still learning new things every day. Madrid, you still haven’t seen the best of me. 😉

5 things right now: Summer through my Iphone

I have to admit that even though I thought my arm would be useless forever, I am starting to feel a little better. When I say a little better I mean I can move my fingers now and grab a cup of coffee with my right hand again. Still, there is a lot of healing left and I am trying to be as patient as possible.

Some nights I stare at the ceiling (since sleeping on my back is the only position I can manage right now) and think about all the things I didn’t get to do this Summer and all the things that are «paused» until I get better. I have to stop this silly behavior and start focusing on the positive because either way time will pass and it is up to me to be miserable or focus on the good through it all.

Good news is I am writing a bit more since my hand is starting to work a little better now. Still planning ahead future projects and polishing some old ones. I did get to meet Toledo in a small day-trip, I am enjoying my terrace more and with Jimmy’s help I did get to upgrade and organize in a fun make-over my office/beauty room (post coming soon).

1. Sunday trip to Toledo.

2. Coffee with my favorite mug (thank you Ivan 🙂 )

3. Nina’s company

4. Behind the scenes of Hispanic Kitchen’s videos (big thank you to Belen ❤ )

5. I am going to miss sunsets like these.

Are you guys having fun this Summer? 🙂