A nail polish trend for literal pennies, candles and cookies! There WILL be something uplifting for you when the season’s greyness brings you down. More in November best beauty finds!
Catrice Sheer Beauties Nailpolish and Power Gel 2 in 1
You know what is so astonishing about Catrice’s Milky Not Guilty (yeah, eyeroll, I know) nail polish? It’s an iridescent, milky semi-sheer off-white polish that’s NEVER streaky. It ALSO accomplishes that for less than 4€. And that’s, ladies and gents, amazeballs. Because white nail polish is so often streaky that you have to build it up to full opacity to remedy that, but this one?! Manages to be super easy to apply and then to catch all the buzzy nail polish trends – glazed, milky, donut, what-have-you. You can apply a sheer one coat, or build it up sans streakiness. (3,80€ for 10,5 ml.)
What’s even more amazing is the 2 in 1 Base & Top Coat that I only bought because I went on a trip and needed to seriously minimize my makeup bag. So, here we were, and I frolicked around Crete with the Catrice combo on my nails and it wouldn’t chip. No matter the harsh pool water, or sea water, and me hiking around ruins – nope, this one wouldn’t budge. I’m a convert. (3€ for 10,5 ml.)
Zara Creatively Shanghai candle
The Holidays rush screaming towards us, and I need all the help I can get. I find the Holidays and generally the end of year period incredibly stressful for a number of personal and professional reasons (who doesn’t, really), and I need a hug. In lieu of a personal support alpaca this candle delivers: it gently hints at the season while not being obnoxious about it. Basically, it’s mandarin oranges, cardamon and blonde woods, and it delivers great quality (it’s from the Jo Malone line) with a really good throw for an affordable price. Annoyingly, I can’t find it at the Zara.de site right now, but I’ve never understood that one and never will. I don’t believe it’s discontinued, so just check frequently (I got mine in store).
If all fails and I want to escape the Holiday bruhaha, I light Diptyque Baies and call it a day. The greenish, blackcurrant fragrance paired with rose works all year round and WILL lift your mood.
Matcha Cookie and Raspberry Macaroons recipes
I’ve posted the Matcha Cookie one before, but really, if you do any Holiday baking, add these to your repertoire (recipe). First, it’s nice to have a non-cinnamon, marzipan or nutty bake, and second, this and the bonus recipe below are easy to make and delicious to eat. No brainer, right?
Great if you have to use up egg whites (or try it with Aquafaba!) are these delicious raspberry macaroons (not macarons!).
You need
- 4 egg whites
- 300 g sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 400 g desiccated coconut
- 125g raspberries (I always use frozen ones)
- Dark chocolate to decorate
Method
1.) Preheat your oven to 150°C.
2.) Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
3.) Alternating, add sugar and lemon juice and whip until the sugar has dissolved and isn’t grainy anymore.
4.) With a big spoon, first mix in the coconut and then the raspberries carefully. You don’t want a pink mush, but a kind of marble effect.
5.) With a teaspoon, put little balls on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake approx. 25-30mins, depending on size. Be careful to not let them brown (the browner the drier) and you want macaroons that’re moist on the inside. Let them cool ON the baking tray as they’re very fragile.
6.) Melt the dark chocolate and decorate with piped thin lines. (You can also dunk the tops into the melted chocolate for a bigger choc hit.)
7.) Transfer to a cookie tin after the chocolate is dry.
Done!
