So, I don’t really care that Gisèle Bündchen‘s face is not visible in the BLK DNM campaign. The essence of the jeans is the fit. And even though Gisèle has a near to perfect body, I’d rather see more of the jeans than more of her.

Photographer Johan Lindeberg seems to share that idea, and used a somewhat unusual approach in fashion photography; no hair, no makeup. It’s a real timesaver though, because they’ve finished the shoot in 2 hours.

The result is nothing ‘butt’ Gisèle. Or, well its mainly Gisèle’s butt we see…

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Think rich organza and silk fabrics, golden sunsets, tropical bamboo forests, luxuriously vibrant colours and ornamented details. From sparkling blue oceans to peacock feathers, the collection has turned such illuminated colours into wearable makeup. Primary tones are marine blues and greens, with subtle accents of yellow and gold, inspired by the plumage of an exotic bird.

New in the line is the Nude Tan Paradise Duo, which combines a bronzing powder (to warm the complexion) and blush (for a pop of colour) in one dose. The powder comes with a couture design brush, which naturally blends the iridescent shades. It’s a must-have for sun-kissed skin with maximum radiance this summer.

For eyes: Diorshow mono eyeshadows are available in two new hues: a silver-indigo-blue, and a metallic petrol blue with light golden flecks. There’s also a waterproof liner and eye gloss in a warm, sandy brown (which promises to give your lids a golden glow).

For lips: the Jelly Lip Pen is the product for summer ’13, delivering hydration, shine and rich color pigment. The jumbo-sized pen is packed with pure colour for an intense, glossy look, and it’s available in four sunny colours (my favourite is Carioica, an orange-coral). The Dior Addict Lip Maximizer is also available in a new shade: apricot. As per always with Dior Addict, it’s ultra-glossy and colour-rich.

For nails: The statement look is inspired by a mismatched bikini. Think fingernails in turquoise and toenails in hot pink.

Text: Lydia Parafianowicz

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It’s no coincidence that our Friday Fashion Envy happens to be a Missoni plaid. It would look wonderful on my black couch and the rest of my coulourful interior accessories.

The ‘Oberon’ throw is knitted from a soft wool and cashmere blend, and best placed on your sofa, lounge chair or bed. It measures 180 (w) by 142 (l) cm.

Find the throw at Net-a-Porter for € 448.

More Friday Fashion Envy here.

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Puravita products are so pure that the brand is able to label itself as 100% natural and organic. This means there are no artificial substances like mineral oils, synethetic musk compounds, silicones, phthalates, parabens, preservatives, colors, or genetically modified ingredients.

Instead, only soothing oils and raw plant extracts are added. Ingredients are all cultivated ecologically, so they can bring your skin back to life.

My favourite product is the Hydro Flower Body Milk, which combines Vitamin E, shea butter, sunflower extract, orange flower, ginger and lily for an invigorating shower wash. I recently took it with me on a trip to the tropics, and it worked wonders in freshening my skin after a day by the pool.

Puravita has BDIH Certification, meaning it’s a certified natural cosmetic company.

Best of all, products won’t break your bank account. Most range between €8 and €20, and are available at De Tuinen or online.

Text: Lydia Parafianowicz

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Burberry

See it shine already? Each year the Cannes Film Festival and amfAR host a charity fashion show and gala. This year’s theme is ‘gold’ and the show is curated by no less than Carine Roitfeld.

“I have themed the collection around the color gold – because it represents warmth, love and success” says Carine Roitfeld

The event, as part of the 20^th Cinema Against AIDS to benefit amfAR during the Cannes Film Festival, will feature gold looks specially made for the evening. Here is a first preview from fashion houses Chanel, Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, Armani, Shiatzy Chen and Tarun Tahiliani, illustrated by Lula Herself, which will walk the runway at 9PM CET tonight.

Forty models will shine on the runway, including topmodels Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros, Andres Velencoso Segura, Angela Lindvall, Giovanna Battaglia, Irina Shayk, Isabeli Fontana,  Joan Smalls, Jon Kortajerana, Karlie Kloss, Karolina Kurkova, Liberty Ross, Lily Donaldson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Toni Garn and Roitfeld’s own daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld.

The event is made possible by LoveGold, an initiative of the World Gold Council and online community dedicated to gold jewelry highlighting gold as a precious and inspiring metal. A livestream of the event will be exclusively available on Lovegold.com.

Watch the teaser in the video below:

Armani

Chanel

Roberto Cavalli

Shiatzy Chen

Tarun Tahliani

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Don’t know about you guys, but I actually put away all my winter jumpers in the back of my closet. And now it seems I was a bit to optimistic.

Luckily I have some nice inbetween pieces; tops and scarves from lighter materials. Worn together it will help me survive the drop of temperatures forecasted for this week.

What I am wearing:
A top from Warehouse (new), fake leather trousers from Weekday, leopard print wedge ankle booties from Jonak, leather jacket from Zara (they still have similar ones in the collection), a grunge circle scarf from River Island, my vintage Céline bag, cuff bracelet from H&M and the sunglasses are from Dunhill.

To bring you comfort with these non-Spring circumstances, we have a nice exclusive discount for you! Until May 31st you can use the code Digitalistas15 and receive €15 discount by spending a minimum amount of €75 on www.andotherbrands.com. Happy shopping!

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Upon arrival we had a quick introduction in the Grand Marnier distillery on site. In copper tanks, the blend of crus (grapes from different soil areas) goes through the distillation proces. There are five growing areas where the grapes for the cognac-based liqueur have been harvested, which makes quite a difference in taste as we experience the next day.

A quick explanation: The cognacs used in Grand Marnier liqueurs come from the five finest crus: Grande and Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois and Bons Bois. After two successive distillations, the eaux-de-vie are then selected by the Cellar Master and aged in oak barrels at Château de Bourg-Charente. The Cellar Master then goes about blending the cognacs: marrying various crus and vintages in order to obtain a unique, complex and well-balanced cognac which is the perfect match for the essence of bitter orange.

Now we also know the influence of the oak barrels on the cognac’s taste. We’ve visited ‘Tonnellerie Vicard’, one of the largest independent factories where the oak barrels are produced (mainly by hand!). About 50.000 barrels a year are produced here, mainly for Bordeaux wines and cognac. Only French oak from Troncay or Limousin is allowed for the barrels, otherwise a cognac is not an ‘appélation’ (quality guarantee also used for wines).
To make a barrel, the timber is bent, and kept in place with metal hoops. Afterwards the barrel gets ‘toasted’ (which can go from 40 mins to 2 hrs). The different ‘toastings’, officially named ‘chauffe’ of the inside of the barrel are also responsable for a -more or less- woody aroma of the spirits.
Subsequently, the barrels are polished for placement of the lid. The lid is fixed with a mixture of flour and water, no chemicals or glues. Then there’s a leakage test on each barrel before it gets the last preparations for transport.

After the visit to the ‘tonnellerie’, we made a little tour at the other distillery on the Château premises where the orange peels are macerated to retrieve the essence -the ‘heart’- of the Grand Marnier. The Société des Produits Marnier-Lapostolle has its own plantation in Haiti where everything is supervised to guarantee the high quality of the fruit used. The oranges are carefully selected and handpicked while they are still green which is when they are at their aromatic peak. The oranges are cut up and the peels are dried in the sun. After being sorted by hand one last time to ensure that they are of perfect quality.

To conclude all the background stories, we went down to the Château’s cellar for a tasting. An interesting tradition, is that over-aged cognac is retrieved from the barrels at some point, saved in huge bottles with wicker casing (Dame Jeanne) and kept safely locked in the cellar, because these old cognacs cost a small fortune. During the tasting, the differences in the crus were quite remarkable. I preferred the ones from Grande or Petite Champagne because they are sweeter. When comparing Grand Marniers of various ageing -Cordon Rouge, Louis-Alexandre, Cuvée centenaire, Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire, my favorite was the last one. Maybe because it was launched in my birth year?

Of course our stay in the Château was paired with good food, wines, Grand Marnier cocktails and cigars (note: I’ve skipped the cigars. It’s more of a guy-thing). All part of the French ‘joie de vivre’.

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Promising to deliver “not quite sheer, not quite opaque” color, the product gives the perfect finishing touch to your lips.

The famous formula is filled with mango and shea butter, so it’s also hydrating for chapped or dry lips.

Thanks to the thick, rounded tip, it’s fool-proof to apply and glides on easily. One swipe on your upper and lower lip — *smack* — and you’re ready to go. Plus, it never needs sharpening — all you need to do is swivel the the tube to reveal more of the balm.

My color pick goes to Chunkiest Chili, a deep brownish-red with a frosted finish. It’s the perfect (not to mention, very cute) lipstick when you’re on the go.

Text: Lydia Parafianowicz

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Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in colour, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter and it looks creamy, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes. If the eggs are cold, the mixture may look slightly curdled. On low speed and in 3 additions (3 flour, 2 milk), add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each paper liner with 1/4 cup of batter (an ice-cream scoop works well), to about 1/2 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the cupcakes from the pan onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, grated lemon peel, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth, about 1 minute, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute to lighten the frosting further. Use a small spatula to spread about 3 tablespoons of frosting over the top of each cupcake.

Make the glazed lemon peel, if desired. Using a vegetable peeler and a slight sawing motion, remove the lemon rind from the lemon in large strips. Trim off any white pith that remains on the rind and cut the rind into matchstick- size strips. Put the strips in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Strain, then rinse the lemon strips with cold water. Heat the water, sugar, and vinegar in the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon strips. Simmer for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the strips from the syrup to a small bowl. Cool thoroughly. Arrange several pieces of the glazed peel over the top of each cupcake. The peel can be left in its cooking syrup and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. The cupcakes can be covered and stored in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe courtesy Style At Home.

The post Lydia Bakes: Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on The Digitalistas.

It has been a while, but I’m back with new inspiration coming from me and my life.

My brother and his girlfriend just moved to a beautiful apartment in Eindhoven and they have asked me to help them decorate the apartment. Since my brothers’ style is very different from my own style, I decided to make a mood board of what his style is, so when I am shopping for him, I can keep this mood board in mind and use it as guidance.

I did some shopping at several thrift shops. See the result of that -together with a creation that I’ve made for in their bedroom- in next week’s Inspiration by Sanne!

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