HALLOWEEN!

So with Halloween coming up, YouTube has been overwhelmed by make up tutorials and costume ideas for the season!
Now when it comes to dressing up for Halloween there are 2 types of people, I recon. Those who want to look pretty and sexy, usually women and go for costumes of super-heroins such as Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Xena or even fairies, Barbie,  witches, sexy nurse, sexy nun and many many other things!(like the Doctor Who Companions!)
On the other hand there are those who find Halloween a time to go crazy, creative and buy, rent or even make a costume unique, not necessarily flattering, but something they'd really enjoy! Those who fit into this category, usually men dress up like their favourite fictional character such as Superman, Batman, my personal favourite Doctor Who, Frankenstein, The Hulk, Bloody Vampire or anything they find inspiring for the season!

Berries and Chocolate Tart

So I know berries are supposed to be summer fruit, but my favourite tart for fall has to have berries...
This is a simple recipe that goes great with coffee on a Sunday, or as a desert after a  meat-dinner.

It takes about half an hour to prepare,  fifteen minutes for the base to bake in the oven and another hour for it to chill in the fridge!


You 'll need:

For the pastry:                                                            For the filling:

• 175 g butter                                                      100 g dark chocolate
• 50 g caster sugar                                               500 g full fat  crème fraîche
• 1 egg yolk                                           
• 250 g plain flour                                      

 For the topping:

• 750 g summer berries (mixed or not)
• 2-3 tbsp orange liqueur (you can skip this, but, man, it adds flavour!)
• 2 tbsp powdered  sugar
• zest of a small orange (smell and flavour)

 And...

• 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin

 In your mixing bowl, take the butter and sugar and beat together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Then add in the egg yolk and continue until it's mixture is smooth! Now add the flour and again bring the mixture together. Afterwards wrap it the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest in the fridge for 25 minutes.
 Preheat the oven to 200C.
 and line the base and sides of the tin. Then put it back in the fridge for another 10-15 minutes.
Again take the pastry out of the fridge let it sit for a minute and put to the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes, until it's golden and crisp.

While that's in the oven, that's your chance to melt the chocolate. Put it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or use a  bain marie. ( put the chocolate in a tin over a pot of almost bowling water to melt it)

Once you take the pastry out of the oven let it cool down for a couple of minutes and then apply  the chocolate on top evenly in a thick coat. Don't forget the sides as well! Then put it in the fridge for another 10 minutes!


Now beat the crème fraîche until it becomes fluffy and then put it on top of the chocolate!  

1. Let it in the fridge for another 10 minutes before topping off with the berries so that they don't sink in. Sprinkle the berries with the liqueur and decorate with the orange zest! Keep it in the fridge until serve!


                                                                         -OR-


2. Add some berries and top off with another layer of  crème fraîche, or chocolate, or both repeating the process we did above! And then add some berries to decor the top, sprinkle with the liqueur and the zest and again keep in the fridge until serve!
For this one you will need some more chocolate, I' m guessing another 70 g and some more crème, I'd say another 250g. For this one you need to make your layers thinner to fit into the tin or use a bigger tin! 
x,
Maria

EMMY AWARDS 2012!

So everyone has been talking about the Emmys 2012! I was planning to do a blog post about the best and worst dressed (which I will!) but to begin with I wanted to make a tribute to the one man who stole the spotlight! And he is none other than Benedict Cumberbatch! Most of you may know him from starring in the heat British show "Sherlock", portraying Sherlock Holmes himself!






*At this point  I would like to protest for the show having lost in all thirteen categories nominated but especially for losing the award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie" for "A scandal in Belggravia".*

Mr. Cumberbatch to me has an incomparable elegance, and is so handsome and attractive in an unconventional manner! He has a really good personal style and an amazing stylist, is always well dressed and well groomed.  He always looks manly, fashionable yet charming like actors from the 50's! His pale skin, his light green eyes and his toned figure... 



So yesterday, at the red carpet he looked stunning as always! A bit more tanned and with short blonde hair, both unlike his iconic "Sherlock",  Mr.  Cumberbatch proved that you can look elegant and red carpet-ready even in a laid back summer-ish style! He wore an off black suit with a navy blue shirt and black shades! He was quite charming with his signature smoulder and always polite and humble in front of the cameras!


 

 Finally, I would like to end this blogpost stating that Benedict Cumberbatch is a true chameleon, since he is able to pull off a tone of different looks! This picture----> from an interview he gave to the New York Times proves exactly that! Different hair, vintage clothes and that smoulder! You know it!








xoxo,
 Maria

Avene Eau Thermale Cleanance

                                                   PURIFYING CLEANSING WATER




 





So about a month ago I was looking to buy a toner, to balance out the "oiliness" that my cleansing lotion, or on a lazy night my face wipes, left behind. I wanted something that could take off any make up all my other efforts hadn't managed to... But primarily I wanted something that would leave my skin feeling fresh and clean that would work for eye make-up as well (even waterproof)!
So I went to the pharmacy and asked them for a lotion to do the cleansing part and then a toner that would take care of the rest! And then the lady proposed that since I have oily skin I would go for something that would not add more oiliness to it! And so she showed me this Avene product! It's a cleansing water, aka toner! It has cleansing properties that can remove even waterproof make up and leaves your skin feeling clean and fresh and moisturized but not greasy at all! I've been using this product for five weeks now and I haven't noticed any breakouts (or at least none that I can blame this product for) or excess oiliness ( as I ususally do with other make-up removing products).  It doesn't smell of anything as the key ingredient is thermal spring water. Also on the label it says that it's hypoallergenic and is marketed for young and problematic skin!
Truth is I 've grown to love this product and therefore I 've come up with a couple of different ways to use it!

At night I take a cotton pad and pour a little bit onto it and then gently begin from the bridge of the nose moving outwards and upwards! That way I tone and relax the face muscles before I go to bed so that I relief all tension! Afterwards, I remove my eye make up trying not to tag on my eyes! There are many videos on youtube on how to remove your make up properly without causing problems to your skin! Afterwards I don't wash my face cause I simply don't need to!

In the morning after I 've washed my face (with gels, or soaps) I use this to moisturize and remove anything left behind before I put on my make up simply because I don't want any impurities to layer underneath it and remain trapped all day on my skin! Also, on a Sunday or any other day I 'm not wearing any make up I tend to reach for this product to remove any oiliness gathered up on my skin throughout the day! I know I could simply remove with some water and soap but ... for me this product does not compare to anything else!


This product is a must-have for me right now! I 've still got plenty to go trough! Probably a good two months of excessive everyday use, or even longer than that! I bought the big bottle (400ml or 13.52 oz) which cost 16 euros (originally 18?). That's an amazing price given the fact that here in Greece everything is so much more expensive than the rest of Europe, not to mention the US!

 I would totally recommend this to young girls who want to control oiliness and deduce the concentration of sebum on their skin! Actually this is an incredible fix for acne prone skin!
 It's also amazing for school girls or busy women who are into make up but can't afford the time to cleanse properly or the money to buy many individual products!

If you 've tried this product please tell me what you thing in the comment section below!

xoxo,
Maria

Back to school Vol.2

        

 This is the second part of my series for back to school outfits! Make up will be coming up as well! This is pretty self-explanatory.... Just take a look at the assemble below!
Key piece is this almost cropped thin purple sweater and every other item is matched around it! The perfume is really irrelevant/optional but it worked with the purple color theme!


                                           
 

back to school 2 by maria-maniataki featuring nina ricci perfume

Hello Fall!

                                                                                                                                                            Fall's here and I 've been waiting for it! I've been preparing, staying up to date with the latest trends and working them into my fall wardrobe! So I 'll let you in on a little secret: Crimson is on! It' s on for clothes, it's on for shoes, it's on for nail polish, it's on for accessories,house decor,  it's ON!
                                                                              
     Therefore this is an outfit that I saw on the urban outfitters catalog and I paired it with a few other things to make it more special!
My most favorite item out of all these is the new Lady Gaga perfume! I didn't have high expectations for it but I fell in love instantly! Besides smelling good it 's also really cool! The bottle is awesome and the perfume comes off as a black liquid, that turns clear and does not stain!
So here you go!

                                                                                       

Halo Fall! by maria-maniataki featuring platform boots

Goodbye Summer!

                                                                                             

    So September is in and summer's officially out, which on the one hand saddens me, but on the other hand I 'm so looking forward to fall! However, it's only appropriate to wave summer goodbye! Therefore this is a laid-back outfit for those few chilly summer - ish nights left! Depending on where you live you might need to throw n a jacket or go for a pair of trousers instead of shorts!


                      

Goodbye Summer! by maria-maniataki featuring flat sandals

Back to school

This is gonna be a series of posts for back to school outfits! At my school there was no particular dress code so you could wear pretty much anything! Therefore in this "editorial-ish"  blog I 've featured shorts but also pants/trousers for those of you who have strict rules at your school. Ive matched everything around the lace-back top which I show below, which I got myself a couple days ago off of amazon and I love it! I can dress it up or dress it down as it's so versital and cute! You might also notice that black is the main colour in the outfit and that's because black is always the safest choice, flattering to all skin tones and slimming therefore for all body types! It looks amazing whether you are tan or fair and works with everything!  Now if you thing this outfit is much too black for you, or even for this time of the season I would agree with you! Just take some inspiration and have this assemblement in mind for future stylish problems! There will be many more BACK TO SCHOOL posts in a wider range of colours and styles!

back to school by maria-maniataki featuring h&m jackets