Purple Haze

Hot chocolate with cream and mulled wine are my favourite winter drinks! What are your favourite winter drinks? :)

Winter Wonderland von lilorange49, Pottery Barn enthaltend

As the seasons change, we should also change our diet to preserve our health and vibrance. Winter is the time where everything rests and thus most of the food we eat must be "calm". The food must be cooked longer so that it warms and strengthens our organism.  Legumes are the winter-food! They strengthen our kidneys and the whole organism. Feel free to experiment with beans, azuki beans, black soya and other legumes.

Another great winter-food is buckwheat, especially if you like to spend time outside, because it warms and gives plenty of energy.

Although I know many people are not a fan of it (and neither am I :P), Sauerkraut is a great food to eat in the winter and can be prepared in various ways. 

Winter is the time for dry fruit, so feel free to indulge in apricots, plums, apples, raisins, figs and other dried fruit. Just make sure the ones you buy are without added sugar, because that is everything but healthy. 

If you tend to become less active during winter, make sure you adjust your diet to your lifestyle, because otherwise you won´t be able to spend all the winter food energy and calories. It is also important to mention that the central heating dries out the air, so make sure you take enough fluids (water, soups, teas) and /or reduce the amout of salty food you eat. 

A great way to relax in winter are baths. You can find great baths in your local drugstore or you can use some of the natural oils, such as black pepper, rosemary or rose geranium. They are great if you want to improve your blood circulation. 

I would also like to point out that it´s important to adjust to the nature and slow down in winter to prevent burn-out, viral infections and other consequences of weakend immune system. Also, don´t forget to work out! ;)

This post here was written with the help of the book "Winter" by Jadranka Boban-Pejic. It´s a guidebook for macrobiotic cuisine and lifestyle. I used to pratice macrobiotics, but I´m not that extreme anymore. I just love to follow some of the macrobiotic guidelines and I just love these books, I think they give great advice :D Hope you liked it too! :)

 Xoxo, 

This Maxi Flap Leather Jacket by Mango caught my eye.

It really looks cool and you can combine it with various combinations!

Here are some of my personal combinations. Hope you like it :)

Topshop oversized shirt

topshop.com

Mango black jacket

$275 - mango.com

Genetic Denim slim jeans

$355 - jades24.com

Converse sneaker

$65 - bluebanana.com

Leather fringe purse

shopbop.com

Ray-ban glasses

$290 - nelly.com

Mango flap jacket

$275 - mango.com

J Brand skinny leg jeans

shopzoeonline.com

Stuart Weitzman black leather booties

scoopnyc.com

Black leather handbag

shopbop.com

Chanel black glasses

$505 - liberty.co.uk

BaubleBar colorful scarve

baublebar.com

Mango leather jacket

$275 - mango.com

Donna Karan coat

$3,375 - veryeickhoff.com

Burberry black pants

farfetch.com

Old Navy riding boots

oldnavy.gap.com

Burberry leather purse

saksfifthavenue.com

Rebecca Minkoff bracelet

Source: BeautySweetSpot

Sensitive skin is very difficult to take care for. While I was working as a fashion model, it was extremely difficult for me to keep my skin healthy, as all the make up and products I was using would irritate my skin and make it red and inflamed. I have a very sensitive skin and am a natural redhead. People with sensitive skin usually cannot use majority of the cosmetics available in the drugstores or pharmacies, and are often disappointed even with the cosmetics aimed particularly for that type of skin, as I was. At one point I was literally changing my skin care routine every week because of my dissapointment and frustration. In this article I will try to explain some of the issues and offer some practical advice on how to care for your sensitive skin. :)

Sensitive skin is often dry, but not necessarily. Combination and oily skin can also be sensitive. You might  blush easily and get irritated from products you put on your skin. The most important thing is to find products that are REALLY suitable for sensitive skin. Even though some products claim to be for sensitive skin, if they contain denaturated alcohol (Alcohol denat.) or fragrance - they are not! So, this is the first rule in how to care for your sensitive skin.

1. Search for cosmetics without  denaturated alcohol (Alcohol denat.) and fragrance, especially if it´s on the top of the ingredient list

Paula Begoun talks about it on her website as well http://www.paulaschoice.com/expert-advice/sensitive-skin/ . 

2. Test the products on small areas before applying it on the whole face

Evan though some products don´t contain alcohol or fragrance they can still be irritating for your skin if they contain other irritating ingrediants, such as menthol. So before you apply the product on your entire face, test it on the area of your neck, under the ear for a few days. If there is no reaction, then you can apply it on your entire face. If you notice burning, itching, redness, dryness or anything like that - ditch the product immidiately. Lisa Eldrige talks about it in this great video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSzbv6dWqTs

3. Don´t over stimulate your skin

Don´t slather your skin with various cosmetics products. Let it rest and breath. A gentle cleanser and a moisturizer with an SPF should be enough. Foundation should not be applied every day. Cleanse and moisturize your face twice a day for optimal results.

4. Don´t touch your face!

Avoid touching your face. You hands are full of bacteria and if you touch your face frequently you will transfer the bacteria to your face which can cause breakouts and irritation.

5. Keep it clean!

If your hair is greasy, that would most likely cause breakouts on your face.

6. Apply compress

If your skin is irritated, consider applying cold compresses from either chamomile tea or, as dr. Schultz suggests mixture of water and milk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vwRKnG7f_E

7. Be careful with exfoliation!

People with sensitive skin should be very careful when exfoliating their skin because they can easily over-exfoliate it and damage it. If you are using mechanical exfoliants be sure to use gentle pressure. You can consider using natural exfoliants, such as yogurt or milk. They are super gentle and won´t harm your skin.

8. Use natural oils

You can try using natural oils aimed particularly at sensitive skin, such as almond oil and olive oil. I found it very useful in calming my skin. Almond oil also has antimicrobial properties so it also kills bacteria in a very gentle way. I don´t use it every day though.

9. Healthy lifestyle

Lead a healthy lifestyle. Eat well, sleep well, exercise, drink a lot of water, go out in the nature. This will help your skin look its best. :)

As you can see on this pictures, this is my skin before and after. I have no make up on either of them.

I hope this little article has been helpful :) If you have any question, don´t hesitate to ask me, I have a lot of experience with this subject :D

Yours truly, 

xoxo,