Thursday's Beauty Post: Coconut Oil

A while back, MiJi posted a picture of this jar of coconut oil we both ordered from Twist, where you can finds lots of other natural and organic skin care products. I've been using coconut oil in the kitchen for some time now and always wanted to use it for skin care as well. There are apparently lots of benefits of including coconut oil in your daily diet but I was curious to find out how it can be used for beauty purposes and here's just some of them: 

• conditioning hair mask: Since I have really dry ends, I warm some coconut oil in my hands and work the oil into the dry parts of my hair. Then I let it soak in for a couple of hours (or overnight) and wash as usual. 

• lip balm: Totally safe to lick off and re-apply as needed.

• skin moisturizer: I love coconut oil as an all-over body moisturizer. It is said to reduce stretch marks and prevent any new ones but I can't say much about that except that it leaves my skin silky smooth and tropically smelling. Usually I apply it on damp skin to lock in as much moisture as possible.

• body scrub: You could mix some sugar or salt (whichever you prefer) and make a paste with a bit of coconut oil. I have yet to try this but I'm sure I'll love it just like any other homemade body scrub. 

• eye makeup remover: If you don't mind the oiliness, this might be a perfect natural alternative for you. Especially effective to remove waterproof mascara. 

I have been using this jar for about 6 months regularly and have been only half through, so a little goes definitely a long way.This is one of the products I woul keep purchasing because it's so multifunctional. Do you also have these kind of multi-purpose products you swear by?

Timeless

This week I'm going to post a couple of outfits I wore some weeks ago but actually it doesn't matter when I wore this because it could as well be years ago (click here for a similar look 3 years ago). What I mean is that classics such as a long navy blazer and a tan leather shopper will always be classics in my book. Here I paired them with a black skirt & white shirt and added this beautiful necklace my sister gifted me.

Blazer: Joseph Alain Scherrer Creationen

Shirt: Mango

Skirt: Zara

Necklace: FiliNi

Leather shopper: c/o Rothirsch

Zalando: Dune Provence

Sunday's Recipe: Spring risotto with asparagus and lemon

I'm sure everyone who lives in a country where it's been (and still is) very cold for this time of year yearns for some spring sunshine. This recipe might help to tide you over until that with a comforting creamy risotto and my all time favorite spring vegetables - asparagus - beautifully complemented with lemon zests.

The recipe for this was slightly adapted from this site (I like to add onions and garlic in my risotto) and instead of using accurate measurements I just eyeballed the ingredients. While you're blanching your chopped asparagus, prepare your risotto according to your go-to recipe.

Next, chop the arugula leaves and grate the parmesan and lemon.

Stir in everything into the rice and add lemon juice to taste. Grate some more parmesan and lemon on top before serving. Enjoy!

Snow White Earstuds

 

New in our S(e)oulish_42 assortment: Snow White Earstuds

 

Click here!

 

 

Red Hair & Neon Fun

Instagram moments @miji_b

 

left: my new red hair, right: necklace from Korea, L'Oréal & Maybelline Lipsticks in vivid colors

 

 

Sunday's Recipe: Creamy chicken and broccoli calzone

These days my favorite place to look for new recipes is Pinterest. It's funny how you sometimes stumble upon something you didn't even know you were looking for, but as soon as you see it you just know it's a perfect match. In this case, it was a perfect match of ingredients the recipe called for and our leftovers. I had made a bit too much of my favorite pizza dough and was looking for a non-traditional way to use it up with some veggies I had in my fridge. Enter the creamy chicken and broccoli calzones by Bev Weidner posted on her blog Bev cooks. Everything sounded so delicious that I didn't want to change up much, I only added some mushrooms into the mix. My favorite part about this recipe is that I got to try out a mouthwateringly delicious sauce - that is only if you're a garlic person. I can totally see this white sauce working for pasta variations as well.

Click here for my favorite pizza dough recipe (in german) that you let rest in the fridge for two days (if you can resist, but it's totally worth it!)

a very creamy roasted garlic sauce - yum!

I prefered blanching the broccoli before folding the calzone but I guess it's not really necessary. Do as you please (or how much time you have on your hands).

Bake in the oven and enjoy your homemade calzone.

An afternoon in Bern

Blazer & Top: Zara

Bag: Zalando (Zign)

Although it might appear so, I haven't fallen off the edge of the digital world completely. True, postings from my side were extremely sparse on the blog but I've shared some personal snapshots on Instagram (nesdem) and Vine (Neslihan Demirtas) on a more regular basis. From that you might have the impression that my live revolves around an adorable cat and lots of food - which isn't completely missleading actually. I feel like I'm slowly waking up from a very deep winter sleep. Right now I am longing for spring and a new established routine.

Jeans: Lee

These pictures were taken on one of those super warm days we experienced last week, albeit for a very short period of time. I took advantage of the weather and visited a friend in Bern. After lunch at her place, we went to the old town and soaked up the sun with a delicious drink.

For the occasion I wore some items I've had forever (except the shoulder bag) and felt really good in it. I have to admit though that I was much more comfortable in the flats I wore afterwards. Just like slacking off on my blog posts I've also become too lazy to wear high heels. So many people have resolutions at the beginning of a new year and I seem to develop them just now for spring/summer. Blog-wise I have some posts in mind, let's see how long I can keep up with the rest of my resolutions... Wish you all a lovely Friday!

Ring: from a local shop in Istanbul

Sandals: Zara

Love the earth - Kiehl's giveaway

Kiehl's & BioRe charity bag, designed by Blanda Eggenschwiler, available in all Kiehl's stores in Switzerland starting May 2013 for 18 CHF

Lately there has been a lot of talk going on about sustainable and eco-conscious consuption not just about energy and food matters but also in the fashion and beauty industry. I am sure by now you are all aware of initatives like H&M's conscious line or for instance Kiehl's return and reward program where you basically get some sort of reward when you return old garments - or in the case of the latter empty products - in order to encourage customers to think about their ecological footsteps. I am all about recycling in many aspects of my daily life and think it's very important we're all aware of such possibilities. A couple of weeks ago when I moved to a new place, I discovered lots of things I no longer need or love as much as I used to and gave many bags full of clothing to friends because it's all about sharing and re-using.

Talking about sharing - recently we were invited to a press conference by Kiehl's and the environmental organization BioRe, who is working on social and ecological awareness projects in Tasmania and India to support local farmers and families. For this charity project, Kiehls and BioRe teamed up to create a limited edition charity bag to be sold in May 2013 in all Kiehl's stores in Switzerland. All revenues will be donated to the organization BioRe to support their projects. Swiss graphic designer Blanda Eggenschwiler created a print for this bag, which is made of organic cotton retrieved by BioRe and processed by Remei.

In honor of earth day (which was last Monday) we would like to give away two of these limited edition bags to our readers. All you have to do is leave a comment under this post and like our Facebook Fan page, if you feel like it. Unfortunately for our international readers, this giveaway is only open for Swiss residents. The winners will be contacted Monday, april 29th and have the option of either picking the bag up themselves at the Kiehl's flagship store in Zurich, where they'll also get generous product samples or email us their addresses to receive the bag by post.

Kiehl's products which have become part of my daily skin care routine:

 Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate

Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
 

Don't kill my vibe

S(e)oulish_42 Strike Out Shirt - purchase here!

♥

  

Thursday's Beauty Post: Love To Love You

 

Essie Nail Stickers Sleek Collection

Would you believe me if I tell you that the nail stickers from Essie are super easy to apply? All you need to do are these 3 tiny steps:

 

1. Clean and prep your nails as you would when preparing to polish them (trimming, pushing cuticles back etc.).

2. Chose a nail strip that fits your finger, adjust it and press on to the nail.

3. Gently file off the sticker excess (nail file is included in the package). Then apply a top coat.

 

Now you're totally good to go!

 

 

Online Shop Reopening

 

 

S(e)oulish_42 is back with new clothes, bags and accessories! We are starting the season with a small set of discounts on selected products!

 

Find us here for product updates and information:

 

S(e)oulish_42 Online Shop

FB Fanpage

Instagram @seoulish_42

Let the Spring-Styling begin!

 

 

A/SH Magazine and Vivids

Instagram moments @miji_b

 

A/SH Magazine

Maybelline COLORsensational VIVIDS

 

What a joy!

 

 

Wednesday's Inspiration: Mint & Flower Prints

My friend Anna's outfit makes me looking forward to Spring so badly that I had to share it with you! I love the big flower prints combined with the flashy mint! I'm so ready for endless sun rays and Spring stylings :)

 

Sunday's Inspiration: White lies

Source: Net-A-Porter, Collage by me

 

Shoes - Alexander Wang, Bag - Jil Sander, Leather Jacket - Acne, Earrings - Kimberly McDonald, Wallet - Stella McCartney

 

Current obsession: WHITE / HOLOGRAPHIC

 

This and that

 

Instagram moments @miji_b

 

Pants - Zara, Blouse - from a local shop in Korea

Nail Polish from L'Oréal - Top Coat Matte, Top Coat Confettis, Top Coat Carat

Nailartstickers from Essence

 

 

Saturday's Inspiration: Rare/Vintage Chanel

Collage by me

Looking at all those amazing rare/vintage Chanel bag models makes me sigh and drool...and wonder if I'll be able to get my hands on one of them in the near future... 

 

Happy Easter dear readers!

Pastel lavender lips

I'm really curious to see how these shades will look on me, which are from the new Viva Glam collection for which MAC teamed up again with Nicki Minaj. They should be available mid-February in Switzerland if you're tempted to try them as well.

I hope you're week starts out well!

Ombré hair at home with L'Oréal

 I always found ombré hair more approporiate for sunnier months, because it reminds me of naturally lightened hair. In an attempt to give my hair a sunkissed look, escape the winter blues and make spring come faster I decided to use the at home dye-kit by *L'Oréal Préférance called Wild Ombrés No. 1 with a little help from my sister. The kit comes with 2 creams, the lightening cream and developer cream, as well as the lightening powder and conditioning shampoo.The kit also includes gloves, an applicator brush and an instruction manual. Below you can see step by step pictures taken during the process...

1. First I thoroughly brushed my hair in order to not have any annoying knots and splitted my hair in two equal parts. This makes it easier to brush through your hair with the dye afterwards.

2. The kit doesn't include some sort of cover-up so I used a pelerine to cover my shoulders. 

3. Now you can uncover the developer cream bottle and add the lightening powder to the cream. Also open the lightening cream tube and squeeze out the product into the developer bottle. Now shake thoroughly so that the three products are well mixed. Next you load the brush with the dye so that all parts are covered. Don't forget to wear the gloves provided in the kit!

4. Decide where you want to ombré look to start. Usually they advise to go from your ear or chin downwards - depending the lenght of your hair - which we did more or less. It's not important to be very careful since you don't want to have any harsh lines. Just make sure you don't just brush the dye over your top hair but also go in with the brush und do the hair underneath. 

5. They say to let the color develop itself for 25 to 45 minutes. Since I didn't want an ombré effect as strong as on the box, I washed my hair after 40 minutes with the shampoo that came with the kit. 

So far I am actually very happy with the result. I like that the ombré effect isn't as strong as on the box, but keeping in mind that I had the dye on for the amount of time advised, I'd suggest you use the kit for lighter hair if you want lighter tips. Now is just need to take extra care of the ends of my hair since coloring usually makes my hair a bit drier.

*L'Oréal Préférance Wild Ombrés is available in Switzerland starting February 2013. This product was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration on Styleseeking Zurich.