Autumn Splendor

I had to share some of these images I shot on my favorite running route a few days ago. I drained my iphone battery with pictures and videos, just trying to capture the beauty that is autumn. There's no greater way to enjoy this season than in a deserted, quiet forest on a beautiful sunny day, with leaves crunching underfoot. These are just some quick iphone snaps, nothing super creative with my SLR.

It certainly makes it so much more enjoyable to exercise outside when you've got scenes like that surrounding you. The only problem is that I had to stop every few meters to whip out my phone and take a picture!

This last one was shot in the evening from my rooftop patio, the mountains in the background.

How have you been enjoying autumn this year?

Arabian Autumn

I was inspired by the beautiful colours of Autumn for this Arab inspired eye makeup, and here's what I came up with!

These copper, gold and olive green colors remind me of the leaves changing color, and the dramatic Arab-style eyeliner makes this look seriously bold and dramatic! I love this look, and I'll definitely be rocking it at some event soon, it's a must!

Check out my makeup tutorial to get this look, or watch directly on Youtube here.

Here's all the products I used:

Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, Sleek MakeUp Blush in Suede

Eyes
NYX Jumbo Pencil in White, Astor Perfect Stay Eyeshadow Liner in Vivid Green, Kryolan Pigment in Copper, L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows in Gold Imperial and Cosmic Black, MAC Malt, MAC Shroom, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Manhattan Eyemazing Eyeliner in Black Lacque, Maybelline Master Drama eyeliner in Couture Green, House of Lashes Noire Fairy lashes, L'Oreal Voluminous Excess mascara,

Lips
L'Oreal Collection Privée JLo lipstick, Kryolan High Gloss in Wave

Nails
Butter London Wallis

How do you like this look? Where would you wear it?

Julia Graf in NZZ am Sonntag

Last Sunday I was featured in one of Switzerland's biggest, nation-wide newspapers, the NZZ am Sonntag. The article talks about the importance of online content, and how it has become much more engaging and professionally made. I was interviewed as the main protagonist, and the article talks about what I do on Youtube, how my audience has grown over the years, and how my content has been improved to keep up with the times. Whereas I once started with a cheap web cam, now my videos are on a near professional level.

You can click on the picture to enlarge it, so you can read the article in German. Unfortunately, there is no free online version, as you need a newspaper subscription to access it. I couldn't scan a little bit of the article as the newspaper was too large to fit my scanner, but the main part is there.

You can read more Press about me here.

Julia Graf in Zurich Tagesanzeiger and Der Bund

Back in April I was interviewed for the Zurich Tagesanzeiger, another one of Switzerland's biggest and most widely read papers, especially in Zurich. It was at the same printed in Der Bund, another influential Swiss newspaper. The coolest part: I made it on to the front page of both newspapers with a picture!!

I then had an ENTIRE page in both papers dedicated to my article and a big picture, which is quite lengthy and in depth. I will have to take a picture of the article later, as it wouldn't fit on my scanner.

You can read the entire article online here. Honestly, this article in these two papers caused a slew of other press inquiries which I have posted before this. It was a bit of a whirlwind for me, and quite surprising, but amazing too. Thank you to Angela Barandun for the interview!

Read more Press about me by clicking here.

Julia Graf on Aeschbacher

On June 6, 2013 I was invited as a guest on the most popular Swiss late night talk-show, Aeschbacher. You can think of it as a smaller version of something like Leno or Letterman (much smaller of course, as Switzerland is a small country.) The host Kurt Aeschbacher has interviewed local and internationally known celebrities, politicians, artists, writers, and sometimes just interesting people with a unique story to tell, like myself.

I was invited on the show to basically talk about myself, my success on Youtube, what kinds of videos I make and how I made a career out of it by working together with key players in the industry, what a normal work day looks like for me, etc. Unfortunately there's no subtitles, but I can tell you the interview is very light-hearted and fun. The host as a way of infusing the talks with his own charm and wit, making it entertaining for everyone to watch.

Honestly, this was probably my biggest media appearance yet. The show Aeschbacher is known by everyone in Switzerland, and it's a completely different audience than on Youtube, for example. I was both proud, but also extremely honoured to be asked to come on the show. Kurt Aeschbacher is such a gentleman, and the staff are so professional and made me feel at ease right away. Thank you for having me! It was a wonderful experience.

To see more Press about me, click here.

Julia Graf in Schweizer Familie

I was interviewed and photographed in my new studio for the 27. June 2013 (Nr.26) issue of the Swiss magazine Schweizer Familie. Click on the image to see and read in full size.

For non-German speakers: This article was a short portrait at the very beginning of the magazine (page 9) that gives readers a quick look into who I am, what I do, and how I make my videos. It talks about how I make videos in English and German, how I made a career out of my beauty blog and Youtube channel, and how many people watch my videos.

Thank you for the interview, Schweizer Familie!

To read more Press articles about me, click here.

Julia Graf in 20 Minutes

I apologize in advance for the slew of press articles I'm going to be post on my Blog today. A lot of these are articles that are slightly older, but I never uploaded them here, and I want to have them all present. Maybe some of you haven't seen them yet either, and are interested!

Here I was interviewed for an article on May 2nd, 2013 for the largest daily free newspaper 20 Minuten. Click on the image to read it full size.

For non-German speakers: This article doesn't contain any groundbreaking news that my longtime viewers and readers don't know yet. It basically talks about my Youtube channel, what I do, how many people watch my channel, and how I got started doing videos on there. Nonetheless it was great to have exposure to such a huge readership, because this newspaper is read by basically everyone on the trains, buses and trams in the morning here.

Click here to read more Press articles about me.

My Fitness Diary (10) : Starting Over

Hi everyone! It's been ages since I've checked in with you on a fitness / weight loss post. So let's get up to speed, shall we?

I was really motived in the spring of this year, and started posting a lot of my #SummerFit videos on my second Youtube channel (you can see those here if you're interested). I was exercising regularly, getting back into great shape, my endurance level was going up - and then it all came crashing down!

I had a spinal cord injury beginning of August (which I blogged about here) that left me hospitalized for three days, and in a world of excruciating pain.

After I was released from hospital, I couldn't sit or walk properly for a while. The pain continued and of course I couldn't do any exercise at all, as I was advised by my spinal doctor. He also told me to avoid any exercise for at least 10 weeks. I had to go back to leading a very sedentary life, where I was basically getting very, very little movement throughout the day. I found it hard to sit for very long, so I resorted to editing my pre-filmed videos (which I thankfully I still had a couple stored up) in a horizontal position on our guest bedroom.

Now it's October and I am slowly back to a somewhat normal existence. I can walk, sit for a good 4 hours before the pain comes back, and I am undergoing physiotherapy. I see my therapist twice a week, and we're working on flexibility, strengthening, and increasing movement again. An after effect of my spinal cord injury is that my left leg is partially lame, and I have a loss of feeling. It's slowly going away at a snail's pace, but for a while it was very scary, and also annoying. I kept tripping over my own feet because my leg and foot wouldn't function properly! 

So where has this left me fitness wise? Well of course it totally threw me off my course, and since August, I've not been able to do anything in the way of fitness. It's been a nearly 3 month break, and only now am I slowly easing back into it. I'm also having to change up the kind of exercise I do. Goodbye Insanity fitness DVDs, goodbye high-impact exercise - hello to low impact! Ugh. A part of me hates it because I feel like such a grandma. I was so proud of the strength I had before this, and now I feel really frail. I know, however, that my back needs time to heal, which can take up to 1.5 years for it to go back to normal, but it's my absolute priority right now.

Of course I gained some weight, not dramatically, as I've been trying to watch what I eat a lot more since I cannot get a lot of movement in. It's really frustrating because I absolute hate restricting myself on food, it just doesn't make me a happy camper. I just feel really unfit and soft right now, a lot of the muscle definition I had worked up is ebbing away. It threw me for a loop, I admit, after being so energetic and fit for the past 2 years or so. It made me realize how much it's become a part of my life, and how much I miss going outside to exercise when I can't do it. It's not only good for your body and health, but also for your mind. It's depressing when you have an injury, and you just can't do anything for so long afterwards.

After getting the green light from my doctor, I made the decision to join a gym that has an indoor pool. I've always been sort of against gyms for myself, because I just never really enjoyed it. I hated the smell, the gross public showers, and running like a hamster on a treadmill, never really going anywhere. But I went for a trial work-out at this place nearby, and it was very clean, with really new equipment, lots of windows, and I loved swimming. I used to swim a lot as a teenager, and then again as a student in university, so I'm actually quite good at it. Right now I can do front and back crawl; breast stroke still hurts my back somewhat because you have to arch your back. I also want to start weight lifting for my arms, because I just hate the softness I have there, and no amount of running will change that. I'll have to be careful with lifting weights on other parts right now, because it can be bad for an injured back. I'll just have to see what works, and what doesn't.

I'm excited to start a new routine, but also sad that running will have to go on hold at the moment. I tried some speed walking but it just wasn't the same. I will miss my beautiful wooded trails in autumn this year. It also means I'm unsure if or how I will be able to film fitness videos again, as I will be in an indoors environment, which makes things extremely awkward for self-vlogging. I'll have to see how it develops and if I feel comfortable doing that with people around, who might not be too keen on being filmed working out in the background.

That's it from my side, and where I'm at. As you can see, we all suffer set backs at some point, for some it might be small things, in my case it was a bit more scary. The important thing is just not to give up, and when you're ready, to hop on the wagon again!

Have you ever suffered a set-back in your fitness or weight loss routine? What happened and what did you do to overcome it? Please share in the comments, I would love to get some feedback as this is something I think everyone struggles with from time to time.

xo,

Julia

Soft Neutral Fall Makeup

This is a really easy, natural and soft looking autumn makeup that is very wearable for everyday occasions. I like the strong, bold makeup too, but sometimes you just want to take things down a notch. Also, there's no fear that a makeup like this will clash with your outfit - it will go with everything!

Watch my tutorial for step by step instructions:

Face
Bourjouis Healthy Mix foundation, Make Up Forever Full Cover concealer, L'Oreal Magic Soufflé Plum blush, La Roche Posay blush in Rose Dorée

Eyes
MAC Soft Ochre paintpot, Maybelline Tough as Taupe Color Tattoo, Margaret Astor Hot Coffee e/s, L'Oreal Hourglass Beige Infallible e/s, MAC Malt e/s, Bobbi Brown Sparkle Sunlight e/s, Smashbox Gel Liner in Deep Bronze, L'Oreal Lash Out Butterfly mascara

Lips
Essence In The Nude lipliner, L'Oreal JLo's Nude lipstick, Revlon Lipgloss in Peach Petal

DIY: Starburst Mirror with major WOW Factor!

A few weeks ago I was in the mood for another DIY project, after my Jewelry Frame, which you can watch here if you missed it. We have this large empty wall in our dining room, right behind out table, which was just begging for some decor. I really wanted an eyecatcher there, so instead of just some boring picture frames, I decided to make a large Starburst mirror.

Like this project? Pin it on Pinterest!

I was going for a kind of wild, not-too-perfect looking, somewhat random starburst. I used branches to achieve that look. Here's some more detailed shots of the mirror up close.

This was a really fun, if time consuming project! The mirror is TRANBY from IKEA, and the branches are also from there, and called SMYCKA. They can be found in the dried flowers and plants section of IKEA. I opted to spray mine gold, but you can choose any color of the rainbow of course. Watch my video tutorial to see how I did this, plus some tips and tricks of what I would do differently next time!

I absolutely love the end result, and even though it was a lot of work, I would definitely do it again. I love the way it looks in our dining room. It has such a wild, unique look, and I've received so many compliments from friends and family who can't believe I made it myself!

Is this a project you might do? If you try it out, tweet me your pictures with the hashtag #DIYwithJulia to my Twitter account: @hellojuliagraf

Harley Quinn Halloween Makeup

Here's my interpretation of a Harley Quinn look for Halloween. This is based off a design I saw on Tumblr, the original artist is named Luciferismydad. It's a more artistic version than the plain ol' black mask, which is kind of boring, in my opinion. See my tutorial how I pulled this off, or watch it directly on Youtube.

Here's all the products I used:

MAC Airbrush foundation in White, L'Oreal Magic Lumi foundation, L'Oreal Infallible Super Slim eyeliner in black, Maybelline Color Tattoos in Timeless Black and Pomegranate Punk, Ben Nye Cherry Red e/s, Illamasqua Obsidian e/s, Kryolan e/s in burgundy color, Ben Nye Toast e/s, Sleek MakeUp Russian Blue eyelashes #233, Manhattan Xtreme Last Lipliner 44N, Illamasque Pure Pigment in Berber, L'Oreal Infallible gel eyeliner

I hope you try out this look and let me know how you like it!

Masquerade Makeup

This is a fun design you can wear to your next Masked Ball party, or for Halloween! It's very effective and eye-catching, but make sure to allot enough time to pull this off. It isn't something you can pull off in 5 minutes, but the special effort will surely be worth it! ;)

Watch my video tutorial to see how I did this look, or watch directly on Youtube:

Here's a list of all the products I used:

L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, 120 eyeshadow palette from ebay, Bella Pierre eyeshadow base, Maybelline white eyeliner, MUA eyeshadow #9, Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Noir, Illamasqua eyeshadow in Obsidian, MAC Blacktrack Fluidliner, Latissé false lashes, OCC Lip Tars in Hoochie, Yaoi and Rx, cosmetic grade glitters from Kryolan and OCC, rhinestones from a craft store, Illamasqua Precision Ink in Alchemy, Kryolan false lashes

The Walking Dead ZOMBIE Makeup

Like this? Pin it on Pinterest!

Stop!!! It's ZOMBIE TIME!!!

In my over 30 Halloween videos that I've made to date, I've never done a zombie! It was time to change that, and I took inspiration from the TV show "The Walking Dead" here. I wanted to create a zombie without all the expensive, technical and time consuming special effects with open wounds and peeling off skin, since most of my viewers probably won't be able to recreate this type of stuff anyway. Plus, special effects ingredients can be really hard to find, and are expensive! So for this you will only need 2, maybe 3 special things which aren't too expensive and easy to find at Halloween or costume stores now.

Watch my step-by-step video to see how I made this look! Or, watch directly on Youtube.

Products used:

White Clown cream facepaint, Kryolan Rainbow Circle "Black Eyes" Body Makeup, Kryolan eyeshadow in a burgundy color, Illamasqua Obsidian eyeshadow, Ben Nye Gray eyeshadow, Ben Nye Cherry Red eyeshadow, MakeupGeek Gel Liner in Poison, Kryolan Film Blood, Ebelin "Beauty Blender" sponge dupe, Manhattan Supersize Mascara, Skindinavia makeup setting spray

Nailpolish I'm wearing:
Manhattan - Ma Marals #16


Just as an aside note, what the hell is with the Blogger picture uploader? Look at the ridiculous filter it added to my original image (same as above). It doesn't even look the same! (The one on the top I just linked from Facebook). It looks so washed out!! Anyone know if this is a new thing with Blogger? I've never seen such a huge difference before. Any help would be useful!

Update: Thanks for the tip, Eva!!! You have to go into your Google+ Settings, and in the options for Photos, make sure the box for "Auto Enhance images" (or something like that) is NOT checked! Wow, how ridiculous Google!! Thanks for never alerting me to that. That "enhancement" is completely unnecessary. Then your photos should look exactly as they are on your computer.

Pumpkin Ginger Spice Cupcakes

Fall is now official, and that means all the beautiful bounty of autumn harvest is upon us! One of my favorites right now is any kind of squash, and these Pumpkin Ginger Spice cupcakes are an absolute delight. The crystallised ginger and spices harmonize perfectly with the sweet squash, and the Maple-Cinnamon Creamcheese frosting is so creamy and luscious. If you're planning to make these for a crowd, be sure to double the recipe as your guests will definitely be wanting seconds and thirds. Seriously, they are that good!

Watch my video tutorial below to get all the step by step instructions, or watch on Youtube.

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes

125g / 1 cup flour (I used whole wheat but you can also use white)
50g / 1/2 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
30g / 4 Tblsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger
115g / 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
50g 1/4 cup white sugar*
50g 1/4 cup brown sugar*
2 eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla bean paste (or extract)
220g / 8 ounce pumpkin puree (see recipe below)

*If you use a sugar replacement such as Stevia like I did, make sure to read the package instructions to see the sugar conversion chart. If the ratio is not 1:1 you will need to adjust accordingly.


How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Purée

You will need one Red Kuri Squash or other suitable cooking squash, of which you will use about half of it, depending on the size. (If you make more purée than needed, it keeps well in the freezer in a Ziploc bag for other pumpkin baking recipes.) Wash and cut the squash in half, and remove the inside seeds and stringy flesh in the center. Steam the cubed squash for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Alternately you could also roast them in the oven.

Once fully steamed, they should be very soft and fall from your fork. Use a hand mixer, or a potato masher, to blend to a smooth purée, then allow to cool.


Baking the Cupcakes

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and half of the crystallized ginger in a bowl; set aside.

Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree with the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make sure your cupcakes are completely cooled before you frost them, otherwise you will have a melting mess! It also helps if the frosting is chilled before working with it. Sprinkle the remaining crystallized ginger on top of the frosted cupcakes for decoration.

Maple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

200g / 8 ounces plain cream cheese

50g / 1/4 cup butter

120g / 1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tblsp. dark maple syrup

Cream the butter in a brown until creamy and fluffy. Then cream together the cream cheese with the butter, to prevent any lumps. Mix in the maple syrup and cinnamon, then gradually whisk in the confectioner's sugar. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Enjoy! Let me know if you make these, how you liked them?

Happy Fall!

-Julia

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! :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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