Julia Graf for Bobbi Brown & Meet-up Switzerland

(Bitte unten lesen für Deutsch!)

Hi everyone! For the next 2 weekends I will be appearing and doing free makeup demos and mini classes for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics at their counter in the Bern Westside mall, inside Globus department store. Here's how to get there: http://www.westside.ch/en-GB/anfahrt

***DATES & CLASSES***

Friday, Sep 20
2:30pm - 4:00pm: Elegant Daytime Makeup
7:00pm - 9:00pm: Glamorous Evening Makeup "Smokey Eyes"

Saturday, Sep 21
11:00am - 5:00pm
I will be working at the Bobbi Brown counter. I already have quite a few bookings on that day for make-overs, so sadly no classes then. But you can drop by spontaneously!

Friday, Sep 27
2:30pm - 4:00pm : Elegant Daytime Makeup
7:00pm - 9:00pm: Glamorous Evening Makeup "Smokey Eyes"

Saturday, Sep 28
11:30am - 1:00pm: Elegant Daytime Makeup
3:00pm - 5:00pm Glamorous Evening Makeup "Smokey Eyes"

BETWEEN THESE TIMES, you can drop by and see if I am free, I can show you some products, give you tips, and do your makeup. However, if you really want to make sure that I'll have time to do your makeup, you should preferably book an appointment by phone. You can book a 20 minute time slot with me where I will do your eye makeup, and maybe give you some personalised tips. Or, just come to the free classes, learn some new tricks, and have the chance to meet me, take pictures, ask me questions, etc. Bring your friends!

Switzerland: 0800 002 102
International: +41 58 578 85 85 (Ask the operator to connect you to the Bobbi Brown counter)


***GIVEAWAY INFOS***

In partnership with Bobbi Brown, I am giving away 4 gift sets!

The book "Pretty Powerful" by Bobbi Brown will be up for grabs directly through Youtube. This contest is open WORLDWIDE. Watch this video for all the rules and details: Link!!


The three other gift sets will be 1 Eyes Kit, 1 Face Kit, and 1 Glow Kit, all comprised of full sized Bobbi Brown products, handpicked by me. These will be given away in house at the Bobbi Brown counter in Bern Westside. You can pick up a lottery slip from me directly, or during the makeup classes. The lottery tickets are free, one per person only. You will fill this out with your contact details, and at the end of my time there, I will draw three random winners. The prizes will be sent to you from Globus.

Looking forward to seeing you there! :)

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Ich bin die nächsten 2 Wochenende zu Gast bei Bobbi Brown im Globus, Bern Westside. Und so kommt ihr dort hin: http://www.westside.ch/anfahrt

Ich werde bei Bobbi Brown GRATIS Schmink-Unterricht geben, also eine Make-up How-to Vorführung, wo ihr etwas lernen könnt. Ich werde mir eine Glückliche aus der Menge wählen, um einen Look vorzuführen, mit Schritt-für-Schritt Anleitungen und Tipps. Also so ähnlich was ich hier auf Youtube mache, aber diesmal live und ganz persönlich. Dazu gibt's noch ein Meet & Greet mit mir natürlich, Fragen & Antworten, Foto Session, individuelle Typ Beratung, und und und... Bringt auch gerne eure Freundinnen oder Freunde mit!

Hier die Daten wo ich da bin, und was gezeigt wird:

Freitag, 20 September 2013
14:30-16:00 Uhr: Dezentes Tagesmakeup
19:00-21:00 Uhr: Abend Makeup "Smokey Eyes"

Samstag, 21 September 2013
11:00 - 17:00 Uhr
Ist schon mit Termine verbucht, an diesem Tag deshalb leider keine Kurse - einfach Spontan schminken & drop-ins!

Freitag, 27 September 2013
14:30-16:00h Uhr: Dezentes Tagesmakeup
19:00-21:00h Uhr: Abend Makeup "Smokey Eyes"

Samstag, 28 September 2013
11:30-13:00 Uhr: Dezentes Tagesmakeup
15:00-17:00 Uhr: Abend Makeup "Smokey Eyes"

ZWISCHEN DIESEN FESTEN ZEITEN könnt ihr spontan vorbei kommen zum Bobbi Brown Konter, wenn ich gerade frei bin könnt ihr euch gerne von mir beraten und schminken lassen. Wenn du aber ganz sicher sein willst, das ich Zeit habe dich zu schminken, dann am besten einen festen Termin (20 Minuten Augen Make-up) mit mir (Julia Graf) buchen. Weil es kann sein das ich auch viel zu tun habe, da ist natürlich ein Termin am sichersten.

Tel Switzerland: 0800 002 102
Tel International: +41 58 578 85 85 (Dann lass dich von der Zentrale mit Bobbi Brown verbinden)

***VERLOSUNG***

Im weiteren werden 4 Geschenke-Sets von mir und Bobbi Brown verlost!

Das Bobbi Brown Buch "Pretty Powerful" wird direkt durch Youtube verlost, und ist offen WELTWEIT! Dafür am besten das Video ansehen für alle Regeln: Link!!


Im weiteren werden 3 Bobbi Brown Geschenke Sets direkt im Globus Westside verlost mit full-size Produkte, im Gesamtwert von 500 Schweizer Franken, ausgesucht von mir persönlich!

- 1 Augen Set, 1 Face Set, 1 Glow Set (Bild oben)

Dafür müsst ihr zu mir ins Bern Westside kommen, direkt zum Bobbi Brown Counter im Globus. Dort kannst du dann ein Tombola Los ausfüllen (kostenlos), und am Ende der Aktion werden die 3 Gewinner von mir gezogen, und direkt von Globus kontaktiert. Die Sets werden euch dann zugeschickt. Die Lose werden auch während meinen Schmink Vorführungen verfügbar sein, sonst einfach am Bobbi Brown Counter dafür nachfragen.


Ich freue mich auf euch! :)

Burberry Fall Look: Rich Plums

It's September, which means I can jump right into Fall looks! Yay! Who doesn't love autumn? This rich, deep plum look would be perfect for the cooler seasons, what do you think?

Get this look with my tutorial below, or watch directly on Youtube!

Face
Nars Sheer Glow foundation, Inglot blush, Kryolan Glamor Glow in Pale Tan


Eyes
NYX Jumbo Pencil Purple, Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Plum Pink 06, Maybelline Master Drama Kohl in Deep Purple, Anastasia Hypercolor Brow & Lash Tint in Ultra Violet, House of Lashes in Noir Fairy, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline

Lips
Inglot lipliner Nr. 859, Kryolan Sheer Lipstick Katherine, L'Oreal LeGloss in Midtown Hussle, MAC Velvetella lipliner, Nivea Bedtime Plum lipstick, Smashbox lipgloss in Tease

Nails
OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest

Mila Kunis Makeup Tutorial

Mila Kunis' makeup is one of the my most highly requested looks, and I finally got around to filming it. Mila has very large, "bedroom" eyes, so that's the feature her makeup artists usually emphasize. Because her eyes are so large, she can really get away with wearing a lot of dark colors, and black eyeliner that rims her entire lid. On smaller eyes - like my own - this technique can often make them look smaller, so when I apply dark makeup, I often apply a light color on my waterline to offset that. In this instance, however, there was no way to do Mila Kunis' look justice without doing the intense black liner she almost always wears.

Here is my take on Mila Kunis' makeup. What do you think of it? Where would you wear this to? Let me know in the comments!

My makeup tutorial for this look, or watch it directly on Youtube.

For reference, this is the exact look on Mila that I used as guidance:

  

Face

Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hr Wear foundation 1.1 mixed with L'Orèal Magic Lumi foundation K2, Maybelline Age Rewind concealer, Ben Nye Neutral Set powder

Cheeks

Manhattan Summer Sound bronzer 01, Make Up Factory Bronze Luminizer

Eyes

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Manhattan Magic Up cream eyeshadow in Nr. 2, L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in 407 Gold Imperial, Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Ore, MakeupGeek Eyeshadows in Bada Bing, Beaches & Cream, and Corrupt, Smashbox Limitless eyeliner in Onyx, L'Oréal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess mascara, Ardell Wispies lashes, Revlon lash adhesive

Lips

The Body Shop Colour Crush lipstick Nr. 315

Nails

Prevail - Central Spark

xo,

Julia

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Like this? Share it on Pinterest!

Spring Rolls, Egg Rolls, Salad Rolls...let's call the whole thing off!

Anyway, I love Vietnamese food, it's probably one of my favourite Asian cuisines. I love all the fresh, raw ingredients with lots of herbs and green stuff. I'd pick Pho any day over McDonald's! Unfortunately there aren't really any proper Vietnamese restaurants near where I live, so I have to make it myself. Sometimes the ingredients can be hard to find around here too. Today I was craving the fresh spring / salad rolls, which are actually pretty easy to make. They make a great appetizer, but I just made loads to serve as a full meal. It's gluten free too!

As you can see, my boyfriend and I made a boatload!! I'll also show you how to make two dipping sauces: Coconut-Peanut sauce and a fish-chili sauce. Both go so perfectly with the rolls and offer a nice flavour variety.

I'll state the recipe exactly with the quantity that you can see here. This is enough to make 22 rolls and we had a lot of leftovers, so if you want to make about 10 of them, I would cut this recipe in half. We just stuck the extras in the fridge covered with a damp but clean dishtowel, and will eat them the next day for lunch. They make a perfect packed lunch for school or work too.

Ingredients for the Rolls

22 Rice Paper Rounds
4 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/2 cucumber, seeds removed, julienned
1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch Thai Basil leaves
200g Bean Sprouts
2 medium-sized chicken breasts
250g shrimp (fresh or frozen, if frozen, make sure to fully thaw before)
150g rice vermicelli noodles


Ingredients for the Peanut Sauce

250ml coconut milk
150g Peanut butter, preferably the natural raw kind if you can find it
1-2 tsp Red Thai Curry paste
1-2 Tbsp Asian Fish Sauce
Juice of 1 lime


Ingredients for Nuoc Cham sauce

1 Thai Chili, very finely chopped with the seeds left in
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
6 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1/2 Tsp Sesame Seed Oil



Step 1: Make the rice noodles according to the package instructions, strain, then rinse well under cold water. Set aside in a sieve to cool completely.

Step 2: Get chop happy! Peel the carrots and slice into long thin strips. The cucumber you can do the same way, but make sure to remove the inside seeds with a spoon beforehand. You can either pluck the herb leaves whole from the sprigs, but I prefer to chop those up a bit too. Rinse your bean sprouts and set aside.

Step 3: Marinate your chicken and shrimp for at least 20 minutes, or preferably overnight. For the chicken I made a very simple marinade of soy sauce, ginger and garlic, and for the shrimp I added a bit of lemon juice, ginger and garlic.

Step 4: Cook the shrimp and chicken per method of your choice. Stove top is fine in a sauté pan, but I threw everything on my Weber BBQ. Tastes better in my opinion, but sort of nontraditional for this dish. But who needs tradition when you've got innovation? ;) Sizzle, baby!!!

Step 5: Right, time to make the dipping sauces! Let's do the peanut one first. There's so many different ways how to make a spicy peanut dip, and I have tried many recipes, some quite elaborate. While those are also tasty, I pared it down to my own simple recipe because it's so quick and easy. Throw the coconut milk, Thai curry paste, fish sauce, peanut butter and fresh lime juice (I used lemons because I didn't have any limes on hand) into a container of some sort...

...then grab a hand mixer and mix!!! Wheeee!!! If you don't have a hand mixer, a whisk would also do the job.

And presto! You're done with the peanut sauce. I told you it was easy! You can get all fancy-pants like me and garnish it with some mint leaves, or if you want to be even cooler, chop up some salted peanuts and sprinkle those on top. Oh yeah, Chef in the making here!

Step 6: Time for Sauce Numero Duo - the Nuoc Cham. In a small bowl, combine all the liquid ingredients including the sesame oil, then mix in the brown sugar and stir until it has dissolved completely. Then add the finely minced chili (1 is usually enough for most non-Asian people, if you like things very spicy try 2. Totally crazy? Add 3. Actually, 10!!! No, I'm kidding. I can't be held responsible what would happen to you.) Add the garlic and mix the sauce together. Done!

Step 7: Set up your work station in preparation for making the rolls. I like to put everything in little bowls or on a cutting board, and get a few helpers to join in on the fun. They don't wanna help? Tell them they gotta help if they wanna eat!! Slice the chicken into long, thin strips, and remove any shell left over on your shrimp. Also get a large bowl of water ready for soaking your rice papers.

These are rice papers I used but you can probably get generic ones that are just as good and maybe even cheaper at an Asian food market.

Step 8: Time to get crafty! Let's rollllll that yumminess up! Get one of the rice paper rounds, and carefully let it soak in the water. Depending on the thickness of the paper, this might take anywhere from 10-30 seconds. It should be soft and malleable, but not dissolving. I like to work on a clean plastic place mat that I've slightly dampened with a bit of water - that prevents the rice paper from sticking to your surface.

And here's my sort of haphazard rolling method. I'm sure some Vietnamese Great-Grandma would probably roll over in her grave if she saw my sloppy rolls, but hey gimme a break! I've basically never made these before!

I pile the ingredients in the centre of my roll - first the rice noodles, then the cucumber, carrots, and bean sprouts, then either the chicken or the shrimp, then the herbs on top. Or something in that order. Does it really matter?? Nah!

Then I fold the sides in first...

Then the bottom flap...

Then roll that shizzle up!! Try to get the roll as tight as you can without breaking the paper. It's actually a lot less fragile than it looks, rice paper has sort of a gummy, elastic texture.

My first roll!! The pioneer on the platter...

Well I'm hungry, so I'd better get back to work. I have a few more rolls to make.

COWABUNGA!!!!!

Time to eat!! My favourite part of this entire process! :P

I hope you enjoy this recipe and try it out! It's actually not that hard to do at all! If you liked this recipe, please take a moment to share it on Pinterest.

xo,

Julia

On Spinal Injuries and Press Samples...

I've been a bad blogger. Oh well. I'm not going to make any excuses about the lack of updates here because things have been busy.

First off, a week ago I was rushed by ambulance to the ER, and subsequently hospitalised for 3 days with a spinal injury. I lost control of and had a lameness in my legs too. I don't want to go into all the gruesome details, but it was scary and extremely, utterly painful. The worst pain I've ever felt in my life - and I'm not being overly dramatic. I've never had to be rushed to the ER in the middle of the night before, so incapacitated by pain that I couldn't walk or move. The spinal area is where many of your nerves are bundled, and an injury that affects one or numerous nerves - well it ain't fun, that's for sure! Since some might wonder: no - it was not due to an injury from my workouts or fitness regimen. But I will say that morphine is one hell of a drug!!

Anyway, I am slowly on the way to recovery. I am back at home but my movement is still restricted, and there's still some pain. Sitting for long periods is uncomfortable. I'm bored out of mind, I can tell you that. Lying around watching TV or reading all day is fun for maybe 1 or 2 days, after that it becomes mind-numbing and depressing. I'm giving my body ample time to heal, because I want to avoid surgery if at all possible. I'll have to see how things develop. I currently can't film any makeup tutorials due to this either.

This also means that my #SummerFit fitness and workout series on Youtube will have to undergo a - hopefully temporary - hiatus. I was told to avoid any kind of exercise and fitness for 6 weeks! Maybe more, until I am entirely pain free. After that, I'm uncertain at this point if I will be able to do the same intensity of exercise as I did before, and I might have to look into alternative workout routines that are suitable to my injury. It's really sad, going out on my runs was such a balanced routine for me and a literal breath of fresh air, and I'm going to sorely miss kicking around the fallen leaves on my forest trails this autumn.

OK so now that's out of the way, I wanted to address something that's been bugging me. I deliberated whether or not I should even talk about this, but in the end, I think it needs to be said. It concerns my "What's in my Mailbox" video series, and some comments I've been getting, which need to addressed by me. I'll go through some of the comments and my response on them.

"You seem really ungrateful for all the things you're getting."

I don't know why some people think I am ungrateful, I thank every single company (both verbally in the video and personally by email) for all the products they send my way. How many times do I need to say thank you until I am deemed "grateful"? Do I have to speak in a fake, bubbly tone of voice, or maybe bounce off the walls? It's really a condescending assumption to make, because the truth is - I am grateful for all the things I get sent my way. I am one of the few Youtube gurus who publicly shows all the items and packages sent to me. Other gurus get press samples too, but maybe they don't feel comfortable sharing that so openly. I do it for transparency, so you can see what items I get sent, and which ones I buy myself. To me, there isn't a huge difference anyway. I hold products to the same standards, whether I purchased them myself, or whether I received them for free. Also, it's fun to film and most of my viewers love watching these videos, it's a bit like Christmas every time!

"Why would you say something negative about a product you got for free? That's so rude!"

Let's get something straight: These products are sent to me by PR in the hopes of advertising a product (for FREE no less) and getting the name out there to their target consumer audience. They are not sent to me because Company X wants Julia to have a lipstick just because they like me so much. Well, they probably like my video and the work I put out there, but they also know that there is a HUGE audience attached to my work - namely you, the viewer and reader. A big company like Illamasqua or L'Oréal or what have you, probably is not going to send out hundreds of dollars of merchandise to a Blogger or Youtuber with 50 followers. It's not worth their time or resources to do so. I'm sorry if that sounds mean or arrogant, but this is the hard truth behind online marketing and just how things work. In today's age where print media is majorly on the decline, online media and bloggers play an increasingly important role for brands. It may be as simple as sending some free products to a prominent blogger, in the hopes of being featured on a popular online platform.

I have worked extremely hard for more than five years to get to a point where companies send me their merchandise for free, because it is in their interest to do so. The brand stands a lot to gain from being featured on my channel. A recommendation from me, a link, or a rave about a product, means someone out there will probably buy that product. Established Bloggers and Youtubers have a huge influence, and our opinions matter. I have often purchased a product that another well-known blogger or Youtuber has raved about - who hasn't? This is why I am extremely careful choosing what products I recommend, because I know the influence I may have. That being said, what works for me, might not work for everyone else, of course.

Also, I want to give an honest feedback to you - my viewers and subscribers. You are my number one priority, not the brands! I honestly don't care if some company gets offended if I don't rave about their product because I didn't like it so much. My critiques are honest and thoughtful, I have never trashed a company. Our input might help that company makes changes to a product, to be more popular with consumers.

Does a Book reviewer for the NY Times get admonished for giving a book a bad review, simply because the book was sent to them for free? In what kind a screwed-up reality are we in that a Blogger is admonished for *gasp* speaking their true opinion on a product? These aren't "gifts" and "presents" sent to me, these are press samples sent for review. And that's what I'm going to do: Review them.

"Why don't you give that makeup away because you have so much? Why don't you donate it to a women's shelter?"

I think it's actually really poor form to outright demand that Bloggers and Youtubers do giveaways. You would never go up to a stranger or a friend and ask them, "Hey, why don't you get me a present?" Would you do that? I just think it's rude.

That being said, I have held numerous expensive giveaways in the past (Hakuhodo brushes, Canon cameras, Stila palettes, etc.) and I plan to do more in the future. However, as all the samples I receive are already opened and used by me, I'm not sure how I feel about doing a giveaway with what are essentially my "castaways". Also, there is the hygienic aspect to consider, as some things cannot be properly sanitised. I do give away tons of used makeup to my family, friends and colleagues, who can often dig through boxes of makeup at my house and take home whatever they like. I have never resold or made monetary profit from any of the free press samples sent to me!

About donating it to a women's shelter: It's a great idea in theory and when it was first suggested to me, I actually contacted a few shelters near my area to see if they would take it. None of them would take my cosmetics! Many of them said it was due to hygiene issues, and others said it was due to a lack of storage space for non-monetary donations. So that's the end of that.

Also, I actually enjoy testing out and using the products - I mean that's why they're sent to me in the first place. I love showing you all what new products are coming out, what is worth the money, and what isn't. If I didn't have PR sending me those samples, I would never be able to afford to show you half the things I do! For example my Halloween videos - those are some of the most expensive and time consuming videos I make. If I didn't work together with brands, I couldn't afford to make my Halloween videos and costumes as elaborately as I do.

Most successful makeup artists, and top Bloggers and Youtubers are able to get the vast majority of their products for free. We have all had to work extremely hard to be able to attain this opportunity. Many of us still spend our own money on top of that for makeup products, camera equipment, and additional materials to do our craft.


"I'm going to start a Youtube channel / Blog to get free products! Can you tell me how to do that?"

Please don't. If that is the driving force behind you starting a Blog or a makeup channel on Youtube, you are never going to enjoy the experience. Do it for the right reasons! You will have to put in hundreds and hundreds of hours, and maybe years of hard work, to reach a point where companies will contact you to send you samples. I have heard of one website called Influenster where you can sign up to get free products in exchange for an online review, that might be an option for Bloggers who are just starting out. (I personally have never used their service so I can't say how they work.) If you are already an established Blogger with a huge following, publish a business email where interested companies can contact you if they like your work. All companies that have sent me products have contacted me directly, or I have met them personally at events and business meetings. I turn down the majority of offers from companies to send me products, and only accept offers from brands that genuinely interest me, and I think might be beneficial for my audience also.


I hope that's cleared up some of these misunderstandings. If you still don't understand, then please just don't watch those videos and leave nasty comments. The majority of my viewers who watch those videos really enjoy them, and I enjoy making them, so I will continue to do so.

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.


xo,
Julia

Dramatic Arab Eyes Makeup

Like this look? Pin it on Pinterest here! 

Eid al-Fitr (the feast that marks the end of the Ramadan fast) is coming up for many of my Muslim followers, and the occasion inspired me to come up with a new Arab makeup look. Maybe it's a bit too strong for some of you to actually wear on Eid, but I wanted to use really bright, fun colors. It was sort of inspired by my scarf too - it's a really inexpensive but great find from H&M!

Want to see how I did this look? Then watch my makeup tutorial below, or here's the link for Youtube.

A break down of all the products I used is below. Yes, it's product heavy but you could maybe narrow things down a bit if you don't have all the corresponding products or similar dupes. Enjoy! :)

Face & Cheek
Nars Sheer Glow foundation, Make Up Forever Full Cover concealer, Smashbox blush in Bare, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light

Eyes
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Kryolan Viva Brilliant Color in Raspberry, MAC Bright Fuchsia pigment, Make Up Forever Nr. 92 shadow, Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Alluvium, Kryolan Matt Night Blue shadow, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Loose Colour in Datura, Revlon Lash Adhesive, Kryolan glitter in Navy Blue, Lit Cosmetics glitters in Material Girl, Roxy Rolla, Champagne Wishes, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline gel liner, MAC Pink Pearl pigment, Kryolan Aqua Color 070, Illamasqua Sealing Gel, Anastasia Covet Waterproof Eyeliner in Noir, Covergirl Lash Blast mascara, Ardell Wispies lashes, Eyemazing Shine lashes Nr. 47

Brows
MAC Spiked brow pencil, Anastasia brow kit in Blonde, Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake in Gaze, Anastasia clear brow gel

Lips
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars in Interlace and Pris

Nails
Gina Tricot 67 Luxurious

My Summer Rooftop Party

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I threw a big party at our new place. When we moved into our Penthouse, I knew I wanted to throw a big housewarming shindig here in the summer - you can't let 80 square meters of rooftop patio go unloved! Haha! We eat dinner out there almost every night, we have a gas BBQ which we use a ton (I highly recommend the Weber Q by the way, it's phenomenal and the meat always comes out even and perfectly grilled) and when it's sunny I lie on my sun lounger and sunbathe - bad for the skin but oh so good for the soul! (Don't worry, I use a really high SPF.)

We began to organize and plan our party about a month ago, and let all our friends know the date well ahead so they could reserve it on their calendar. So important during the busy summer weekends! Then last Saturday was finally the day. We prepared most of the food on Friday evening, and got our shopping done on Thursday. We ordered two kegs of beer at a great local brewery, which we could just pick up on the day of. I had bought colorful paper plates, napkins, cups and all that stuff the last time I was at IKEA. As much as I hate it from an environmental aspect, disposable is really the way to go here. I don't know about you, but I do not have 30 plates or enough cutlery for such an event, and it makes clean-up so much easier. Plus, no drunk people dropping your fine china in a daze! Just make sure you opt for recycled paper plates and stuff.

Doing most of the work way ahead of time saved us all the stress on Saturday. All we had to do was set everything up, pick up the kegs, and wait for our guests. I even had time to lounge in the sun and enjoy a strawberry-watermelon vodka margarita. Might as well get a head start - *hiccup* !

We gave our guests a flexible time slot, and wrote from 6 pm onwards til open end on our invite. At about 6:30 pm, the first people started to arrive. I was so busy hosting and making sure everyone had a drink and was taken care of, plus of course talking to everyone and having fun, that I didn't even have time to take that many pictures. But here's a few that I took! Because of privacy reasons, I'm not posting any pictures of my friends on this Blog right now. I'm not sure if everyone would like that, due to my public life.

CHOW TIME!!

We set up the seating area outside on the patio obviously, and our apartment has a wrap-around glass front with a huge sliding door. So you can basically open up the front of the apartment to connect with the patio - very cool! We set up the food on our dining room table in pretty, colorful bowls and dishes, along with all the plates, cutlery, and non-alcoholic drinks. That way, everyone could just help themselves buffet style, and all we had to do was fill up the dishes again when they were running low. We had made all the salads in gigantic Tupperware containers, which we stored in our cool basement overnight because they didn't fit in our fridge.

Tossed mixed green salad with tomatoes in the centre, and a massive quantity of potato salad that was just perfect for the BBQ. We made about 6kg of potatoes for that salad! We washed all the lettuce and stored it in ziploc bags in the fridge for easy refilling.

I made several homemade dressings and dips. It goes without saying that everything is made from scratch here! I don't eat ready-made food and I'm not about to serve my guests something out of a can or a jar. On the left is my homemade salad dressing - I used a hand mixer to emulsify and it and it came out so creamy and smooth. I filled it into an empty plastic water bottle, and just filled up the sauce jar when it was running low.

I also made a Spicy Peanut Sate sauce (pictured on the right, above) and that was also a big hit, with some people asking for the recipe. It was mainly chunky peanut butter, sautéed onions, ginger, chili, and some Thai herbs and spices. I made it a couple nights ahead of time.

I also made fresh Tzatziki with Greek yogurt, cucumber, and loads of fresh herbs from my garden, and Hummus, which is made from Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemons and Tahini (sesame seed paste). We bought several loaves of bread for dipping up the sauces.

This Melon & Pancetta Bacon Pasta salad was absolutely delicious and I'll definitely make it again sometime. It also contained tons of basil and fresh mint leaves, and a yummy dressing. I used three different types of juicy, perfectly ripe melon and it was so refreshing - a perfect summer dish! Yummy.

Fresh crusty olive bread for dipping the Tzatziki, Hummus and Spicy Peanut sauces. We also bought different baguettes and more breads to refill the basket.

All I can say is: Cheers! This was 30 Liters of beer - this picture was taken the day after when the beer had long been swilled away. Kegs are the easiest and most cost effective way to offer your guests an alcoholic beverage. It comes way cheaper than buying bottled beer or wine, and you can often get some really interesting varieties at some micro breweries. We ordered a 20L keg of an amber beer, and 10L of a light lager. Make sure you also have some non-alcoholic stuff to drink too, though!

Now we obviously didn't have seating for that many people, so we organized some extra tables and benches from someone we knew. They were a pain to transport by car since they are really long, but each table and bench combo fits 8 people comfortably. Then we pushed our own patio table together, so that everyone had space to sit and eat. They fit perfectly on our big patio, and it was so great to finally be able to use all that space! On the tables we served a variety of chips and also olives as little snacks and appetizers, so that our guests would have something to munch on right away while mingling.

Since everyone likes different things to put on the BBQ, we asked everyone to bring their own meat and grilling food. This is pretty much standard practice in Switzerland when invited to a larger BBQ party, because meat is really expensive here when compared to other countries, so no one ever expects the host to buy meat for 30 or more people - well unless it's a wedding or something like that. If I throw a smaller dinner party, I'll of course pay for the meat, but for a larger party, it's really the easiest way to make sure everyone has what they like, also for vegetarians! That way I made sure to provide all the rest. 

We lucked out and had absolutely phenomenal weather, and a gorgeous sunset. We put our stereo speakers outside and blasted fun, summery music - Cuban Salsa, Lounge, drum&bass, downtempo - you name it! It can get quite windy sometimes on our rooftop patio, but luckily that evening was very pleasant and warm. The sun set and I lit all the candles. I don't much like electric or solar lights on the patio, so I got loads of candles and put them in a bunch of empty jam jars. Super inexpensive, wind-proof, and if you get the larger IKEA tea lights (not the standard smaller ones) they will last you for many hours.

I also purchased these three large, ultra-wide candles from IKEA which I had burned down to the right height over the course of a few weeks prior. Both the candles, and the candle vases here, are from IKEA. Put some sand, or salt (cheap alternative), on the bottom of the vase, then stick your candle into that as a perfect base. When it was dark, I carried out and placed one vase on each table. I also had lots of lanterns going, unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the beautiful night time atmosphere at our party, which sucks!

These thick candles need to be lit for several hours if you want them to burn down evenly, so they take a bit of thinking ahead. Light them in the afternoon if you plan to use them in the evening for a party, so that the wax will burn all the way to the edge. Otherwise, you will get a candle tunnelling problem, which can cause the wick to not burn properly after a while.

We have two bathrooms in our place, so we made one for men, one for women. I wanted to make some humorous signs, so I printed these out from the computer.

Channing Tatum for the Ladies...

And sexy Rosie Huntington Whitely for the men!

It was an absolutely wonderful party. With a bit of planning ahead, it can be very easy and stress free. Just don't leave everything to the last minute! Buy your groceries at a discounter, make dishes that features seasonal produce to avoid high costs, or buy things in bulk. It wasn't that expensive to throw such a party for that many people, and it's definitely something I plan to do again! Everyone had so much fun, and we were laughing, eating and talking well into the night. Make sure to set the right atmosphere with music, decorations, lighting and even some pretty flowers.

Here are some of the containers that I planted for our patio - I have a couple more that I didn't photograph yet. I love the tall grasses blowing in the breeze, which adds some interesting movement, and the flowers at the base add some color.

My lavender in bloom! This is my all-purple container.

I hope you enjoyed my post! Leave a comment below if you're planning to throw some kind of a BBQ or a party this summer, and what you've got in mind for decor and such. I just love entertaining in our new place.

xo,

Julia

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