Easter Day

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Illustration Sunday # 11

♥ I love sweets ♥

cookies | cupcakes | cakes | chocolate bars | pudding | banana split ice cream

In den Vorstädten (die Rede ist von bewohnten Siedlungen außerhalb der Mega City Manila) gibt es viele kleine Straßenbäckereien. Dort verkaufen sie frisches, selbst gebackenes "süßes" Brot. Süßmäuler bekommen da schon vom Hinsehen Appetit. Aber seht selbst:

sweet and soft(!) baked bread ♥ corner bakery at a random street

Kuchen isst man hier natürlich auch sehr gern. Dieser wird dann in der Bakerei des Vertrauens ausgesucht und entweder vor Ort gegessen oder gleich mit nach Hause genommen. Die Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte ist natürlich mit ihren gigantischen Schokoladenlöckchen ein absolutes Must-Eat!

  take a rest, eat your cake and watching other shoppers passing by   

(oh, and i don´t know what this little boy is searching on the floor^.^)

`°•.¸¸.•°` ♥ Happy Easter Holidays 

`°•.¸¸.•°``°•.¸¸.•°` ♥ Frohe Osterfeiertage

Have a beautiful Easter!

Have an incredible Easter weekend! We sure have a couple special things planned for the boys and the weather in portland has been unbelievably gorgeous! Great timing :)

This last week La Crema winery (the blog) featured Clementine & Olive, and I just wanted to say a quick thank you for your mention.

Take me to another galaxy | Outfit Post

I must admit that I rather loved having the snow around for my outfit posts, but I'm glad to see the back of it (for now); did anyone else have snow drifts? Some of the ones around my village were absolutely crazy and created snow-walls higher than my car!! Any way, how very British of me - let's stop the chitchat about the weather and get on to this little number...

Dress: c/o She Likes. Brogues: Urban Outfitters

I don't usually go for little tight dresses, but there was something quite endearing about this one - it feels playful, young and of course colourful. As you know I'm usually head to toe in black but the purples and blues in this dress are gorgeous and I love the contrast of the galaxy print against the snow. She Likes is a clothing brand I'm loving at the moment - quality, beautiful pieces for an absolute steal, this little badboy was only £15!!! And at those prices you can't really go wrong can you?

Do you lovely lot have much planned over the Easter weekend? Daniel and I booked some extra time off either side of the bank holiday's so that we ended up with a week off (yippee!!). It's mainly going to be a time to relax and do not much of anything, but we are going to be looking at a few houses which is quite exciting...I feel like such a grown-up writing that.

p.s. My little blog is a whole year old on 4th April, how crazy is that?! I can't quite believe it :)

Manila Bay

Manila Bay at twelve noon - it was so damn hot!!! 

....and i was so dazzled by the light - there is only one word to describe this setting:

 (∩＾ω＾)⊃ ♥ epic ♥

Vor ziemlich genau 7 Jahren war ich das letzte Mal am Meer. Ihr könnt Euch gar nicht vorstellen wie sehr ich mich gefreut habe nach so langer Zeit endlich wieder in Meeresnähe zu sein! Die Manila Bay ist ein natürlicher Hafen, d.h. geschaffen von Mutter Natur und von Menschenhand genau in diesem Zustand übernommen. Einer der Besten natürlichen Häfen in ganz Südostasien und der Welt. Außerdem ist sie eine sehr beliebte Flaniermeile. Ein Klohäuschen gibt es übrigens auch ;) - nur habe ich das am Anfang für einen Kiosk gehalten^^. Abends soll es da auch sehr schön sein - aber auch etwas gefährlich, vor allem für ausländische Touristen, da des Nachts eine Menge Taschendiebe und dergleichen dort unterwegs sind.

Teil Duncan Artwork

The figure study by Teil Duncan is absolute and I love how her color blocking brings such beauty to plain figure! To own one of these are definitely on my wish list but, which to choose? I really love them all!

Check out Teil Duncan website, she adds new paintings every week! I promise you, you'll be happy you stopped in.

Elemis Fresh Skin | Skin Clear Overnight Serum

You may remember my post from a while back on Elemis’ new skincare range. There were a few items in there that were really lovely, but as a whole the range wasn’t tailored particularly well to my skin. The lovely people at Elemis read my review, got back in contact and asked if I would like to try some of the Fresh Skin range aimed at blemished and problematic skin. Of course I said yes – I’m always looking for products that will help sort out my troublesome skin.

There a few products that I will be writing about from the range, but first up is the Skin Clear Overnight Serum. This product is aimed at blemished prone skin and aims to work its magic whilst you’re sleeping. Now – the bottle instructs you to apply a thin layer across the whole of your face; but being wary of anything I haven’t tried before I wasn’t very willing to slop a whole face full of this serum on. Instead I used a pea sized amount and spread it across the areas that were suffering with a few howlers as well as applying across my t-zone where I suffer with larger pores.

The smell isn’t at all overpowering and the serum sinks well into the skin without leaving a sticky residue (let’s face it, nobody wants that), whilst providing a cooling sensation on the skin. I have to say I’m really impressed with the results - the spots that were bulbous, red and painful the night before are left calmer, smaller and less prominent and my pores were tightened. Now I’m not going to fib and say it got rid of all my spots overnight, it didn’t – but it definitely helped to reduce them and take away the pain without drying out the area which I’ve found to be a common thing in most acne/spot treatments. My spots now hang around for 3 days, instead of 2 weeks.

It’s the most sensitive spot solution product I’ve tried to date (trust me, I’ve been through them all) and for the£17.99 price tag, it’s definitely going to be something I’ll keep as a staple in my routine. I’m not sure that I’ll ever use it as an all over treatment – perhaps when my skin and hormones change and is less sensitive I could use it to even out my entire skin-tone but for now the next products on my list are the facial wash and moisturiser…fingers crossed!

Have you tried anything from the Elemis Fresh Skin range? What were your thoughts?

Let it snow.

Oh, hello ridiculous weather at the end of March - what's that I hear the public say 'there was a heatwave this time last year'? Oh sod it, who actually cares? Let's just embrace the fact that we can make snowmen and perhaps have a day or two in the house getting bits and bobs done. And also, let's appreciate the fact that it makes your garden look very pretty indeedy and perfect for a spot of outfit snapping.

Blazer: Zara. Dress: Topshop. Hat: Accessorize. Belt: Primark. Shoes: Urban Outfitters. Lips: Urban Decay Theodora 

I love the winter, and I love wearing my big jumpers and leggings but sometimes (and I really mean sometimes) it's quite lovely to find a dress that actually keeps you warm in these colder months but still looks pretty and not like a sack for potatoes.
This weekend Daniel and I literally stayed in bed, watched Grand Designs and ventured out to Nando's for about an hour on Saturday (hence me actually getting ready). My Zara blazer I picked up in duty free has come in handy since I've been back from Aus and I have to say I'm rather attached to my little leopard beret. 

Did you all have a good weekend? Short week this week - and mines even shorter (hehe) I've only got to work until Wednesday and then I'm off until the following Wednesday YAAAAY! Have a great week everyone :)

Alpro #deskfest: Breakfast Day 3

The last day of my Alpro #deskfest is something that really fits the criteria; it’s perfect to have on the go, and at your desk, whether it is a morning or afternoon treat. 

I mentioned in the first #deskfest post that I’m not milks biggest fan. I can just about cope with it in my cereal and a splash in my tea – but you’d never see me indulge in a whole glass before bed (or whenever it is you drink a glass of milk, blergh). Alpro may have just about changed my mind - the thought never entered my head to try flavoured milk, or a flavoured milk alternative and I’m really quite excited. The taste of this hazelnut drink is so yummy, a glass is reasonably filling and you’re getting some vital vitamins including B2 (energy metabolism), B12 (skin, hair and nails), D (weight loss) and E (reduces cholesterol). There’s also no lactose or animal fat so it’s an all-round healthy, tasty drink. I'm thinking of using it to do some baking too, perhaps some hazelnut pancakes? 

Have you tried a milk alternative? Or any of the new products from the Alpro range?

Alpro #deskfest: Breakfast Day 2

Thursday was the first day of my participation in Alpro's #deskfest challenge. I received a tweet from them yesterday telling me I'd won a little prize for best picture! *fist pump* I didn't even know that was a thing, so that was very exciting - has anyone else won one?

Day 2 I had a little bit more time on my hands, to sit down at the table and actually eat my breakfast. I'm never one for over-indulging in the morning, it leaves me feeling stodgy and like I need to go back to bed so I always prefer something filling, but light. (Although, I would never dream of missing breakfast - that would equal one grumpy moo).

Alpen is my favourite cereal ever ever. The hundreds of little raisins give it that extra flavour and it is super filling, I always feel like I have a better day when I start it with that.
Topped with 4 whole strawberries and Alpro's vanilla pouring yoghurt I was very satisfied indeedy. 
Of course, you can't go anywhere in the morning without a glass of tropicana too.

What did you have for breakfast today? Have any of you decided to take part in #deskfest since my last post?

Kitaro Sushi

california roll with mango (i used to know that it is some kind of Japanese pumpkin instead)  

and chicken teriyaki

Fast jeden dritten Tag gehe ich nun zu Kitaro Sushi um mir meine wöchentliche Ration California Rolls zu gönnen! Kitaro Sushi ist eine Restaurantkette, die in fast jeder SM Mall hier auf den Philippinen zu finden ist. Ich werds vermissen wenn ich wieder in Deutschland bin. Klar gibt es in Frankfurt den einen oder anderen guten Japaner, aber es ist einfach nicht dasselbe. Asien ist eben Asien. Luft und Geschmäcker sind hier immer anders geprägt.

Als ich noch klein war, habe ich furchtbar gerne Essen gemalt. Vom Käsestück bis zur Hähnchenkeule. Da musste natürlich auch die Japanische Küche mit dabei sein. So entstand:

Was essen eigentlich Japaner? - ungefähr so Etwas:

What do Japanese people eat? - something like this:

Ikea hack done - Highchair

our chair

Remember I was inspired by the ikea hack i wrote about here, done by dwellings by devore, well I did it! I am so happy with the result. Chic gold legs and a vinyl monogram purchased in derikson´s etsy shop. The easiest DIY ever done. I am on the run, got to pick up Matt from daycare, will read your comments and reply soon!

the inspiration

Alpro #deskfest: Breakfast Day 1

Healthy eating is something that I’m slowly but surely introducing into my routine – and so far it’s been kept most steady with breakfast. So when Alpro contacted me and asked me to take part in their #deskfest challenge I was more than willing to give it a shot! They sent me some rather yummy pouring yoghurts, a hazelnut drink and some almond milk.

This morning was one of those days that you wake up late, and literally have no time to scrape your hair back, let alone plan what you’re going to eat for breakfast. On days like today I thank the kitchen for providing me with a blender (by the kitchen, I mean Mum).

Yogurt is one of my favourite things to accompany my breakfast so I thought I’d whack it in the blender with some strawberries and frozen raspberries to create a thick, tasty smoothie. I went for the simply plain one and the taste is SO GOOD. The consistency is runny enough to make it easy enough to drink but thick enough to be filling. It took me all of 2 minutes to make, and felt so refreshing.

If I’m honest Alpro isn’t a brand I’d tried before but the fact that it suits every diet is something that is so appealing. Alpro use soya to create their products, which is a plant-based extract, creating a naturally healthy alternative to milk. Milk is something I try to avoid where I can – I quite dislike the taste, so I’m excited to try the drinks and see how they compare!

#deskfest involves bloggers creating 3 of their own breakfast recipes and sharing them with their readers, but absolutely anyone can take part by tweeting their pictures, sharing on instagram using the #deskfest hashtag or simply just uploading their pictures to the Alpro website.

Are any of you taking part? I'd love to see your pictures or blog posts if you are. And please do let me know if you enjoyed reading this and would like to see more foody posts on Wonderful You?