Shop 'til you drop

Alternative title : Eat - Shop - Repeat, without the Eat of course!! As you can see I went out on a binge and bought everything I've thought this last month, all at once!!

It all started with a simple visit on BeautyJoint. Big mistake!! The shopping cart was getting fuller and fuller and with great self-restraint I managed to limit my purchase to only four products.

The first, and the reason why I went on the website in the first place, was of course the NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Mauve. Rumor has it that it's a dupe for a certain lip pencil a certain celebrity wears - *cough* Whirl *cough* Kylie Jenner - so I went for it!! 

Then I stumbled upon the Studio Matte Lip Color by Elf and just couldn't resist to another nude matte lipstick, so I got one in the shade Tea Rose.

And then I remembered all the good things I've heard about the Jordana Matte Lipsticks, so I got one of these too.. in the shade Taupe, which surprisingly is just the same as the mauve lip pencil from NYX.

To end the BeautyJoint binge, I decided to get this little Blossom Blush Brush, which is just great for contouring!!

But that wasn't all, because the next thing is a Sephora suddenly appearing before me.. so I went in.. and got a thing or two - most likely three!!

First I was on the look for a new mascara and my eye caught the Sephora Outrageous Volume Mascara. It has a very similar wand to Benefit's They're Real Mascara, so I thought to give it a try.

Then I recalled that I always wanted a nude eye pencil so I got the Sephora Long Lasting Kohl Pencil in Infinite Beige to try out.

And as there weren't enough for me, at the cash register I saw a travel sized GlamGlow Mud Mask just standing and waiting for me to buy it. And so I did!!

There are a lot of stuff, I know!! And I will probably have to starve for the rest of the month.. but what can I say??? I love them all and I'll manage!!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

After last week's poor attempt to find inner peace and re-adapt to everyday life, I'm back again with another Eat - Shop - Repeat!! After all there's nothing like shopping and eating, when you try to survive Summer In The City!

EAT : It wasn't long ago, actually it was in this post right here, that I went on an endless rant about the new craze of cocktails on a stick! So, because when I like something I wanna have it ALL the time, I tried to make my own! And I succeeded!! To be fair, my attempt was to make a watermelon popsicle, but accidentally threw a little booze in the mix.. accidentally!! I used this recipe and I adapted it to taste - the amount of sugar in the recipe is far too much!

SHOP : The crop top madness continues and I've enlarged my collection by one more! I got this one last week from Tally Weijl - for heaven's sake if someone knows how to pronounce it, please enlighten me!! - and I'm in love with it already! It's a basic black and white with a little neon green running through it and a halter neck, which I wasn't so keen on - until now! What you can't see in the picture is that it has cut-outs on each side and a zipper running down the back! My describing skills are so bad, but it'll have to do, as I couldn't find it in the website.

The one with Vacation Blues

Fake it 'till you make it, or else, how to persuade yourself that you enjoy coming back to Athens and reality, when vacation days come to an end!
I'm exactly in this place since I've been back on Friday and I'm trying to find ways to distract myself from thinking that all I want is more holidays!! So since I'm having the blues and I don't want to leave the house there's one thing that always saves the day.. starting a new series!!

So in case you're in the same page as me or you just want to start a new series, here are two recent favourites of mine!!

The first one is Hannibal. I'm assuming that most people know the famous Hannibal Lecter from the Silence of The Lambs but even if you don't, this is a great way to meet him! Hannibal is basically a crime series with a lot of horror and thriller elements. It's not for you if you have a weak stomach, I assure you, but if you like a little suspense then give it a go!! 

Continuing with the whole mystery and horror theme, there is Penny Dreadful. This series is an absolute favourite. If you are a fan of the supernatural and/or famous fiction characters like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray then this is your thing! I found it and started it mainly for Eva Green, whom I've loved in the Kingdom of Heaven and Casino Royale but the whole series is really well made!!

I know my picks are a little dark, but I assure you they're both worth it! So that's it for this week, it's no Eat - Shop - Repeat but this is what happens when Vacation Blues knock on your door!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

This week I'm channeling all kinds of summery vibes and I hope one of those will get you too!!

EAT : I'm going to introduce to you something new and completely groundbreaking - okay I didn't discover gravity, but this is quite exciting too! It's called Papoto and you can find it exclusively at Bios - read more about it here! Basically it's a cocktail in a popsicle form, made with fresh fruits and a bit of booze!! I had my first experience with it last Thursday at the Papoto Craze Night Party at Bios, where they gave out little mini versions of it and the people declared the best flavour of them all - watermelon!!

SHOP : I spoke about summery vibes and other than swimsuits, there isn't anything more summery than sunglasses!! I have created a little collection over the years and I can't help but making it bigger and bigger! So this summer I went for colour and chose this pair of sunglasses from Pink Woman. The lense has a little bit of a blue going on and they just seem so funky and laid back!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Eat - Shop - Repeat is back after a brief leave of absence. This week we talk about how Sales mess with my mind and how I can't do without chinese takeout.

EAT : It was 13 years ago when my parents had the brilliant idea to take their 10-year old to eat chinese food and since then I've battled with this addiction. I love, love, chinese food and I have tested every takeout in my neighbourhood. Lately I've been in love with Asian Corner. It is a place with a more modern take on chinese food and focused on noodles and fried rice. Great big plus.. the portions are humongous!! Favourite noodle dish : Singapore Noodles. Vermicelli rice noodles with chicken and prawns, in a mild curry sauce. Pure awesomeness!!

SHOP : SALES!! What else do I need to say?? But just for the sake of clarification, I'll continue with the fact, that sales mess with my mind. There's something going on when I hear the word sales, that makes me go crazy and think that I must shop. I MUST SHOP. So this time - and with great self-control - I went in and got a thing or two. First of all I got this bag from Bershka ,which was done in a spontaneous spirit - saw it, loved it, got it! And then I got this pair of shorts from Pull&Bear, which was totally planned, as I had spotted them on the Pull&Bear web page in advance.

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Another Sunday is here and the shopping and cooking spirits have overcome me once again!!

EAT : Fact about me : I love eggs! Poached, scrambled, omelette, sunny-side up or straight up boiled, I don't care, I love them anyway!! In a recent visit to Hip Cafe, I tried poached eggs with salmon and then I tried to recreate it at home with scrambled eggs instead!! And it worked!! I used a technique for Quick Cured Salmon (link) by Chef John - check him out, if you don't know him already - and the result was truly yummy!!

SHOP : So the Kimono trend is no news for many of you. It's been going on for some months now and though I've seen many shapes and sizes in the stores, I was still looking for that perfect one!! In my mind it was short sleeved and with a length reaching to the hip area and not so much a maxi one. After a meticulous search, I found the perfect one at Bershka (link to the kimono) and I can tell that you'll be seeing more from it soon!!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

If there is one place that combines Eat and Shop perfectly, that is IKEA!! Being a foodie and a shopaholic this is the place to be, so this week I'll tell the tale of my IKEA adventures.

EAT : What IKEA is best known for, is of course the swedish meatballs! Everybody is going crazy about them and the raving is non-stop. So call me stubborn but I went for the Chicken Schnitzel with fries - although I stole a meatball or two from a friend. And the verdict? The meatballs are great and all, but the schnitzel is even greater!! Juicy, tender and a big enough portion to feed two - or me!

SHOP : Now this was the challenging part. Everytime I step foot to IKEA, I feel an unbeatable urge to redecorate my whole house, buy new kitchenware and even get some garden furniture - for the garden that I don't even have! In the spirit of sensibility though, I decided to buy only what was needed - plus a completely unnecessary scented candle! With that in mind, the checkout found me with a new Matilda curtain for my bedroom ,a Sinnlig candle that smells of tangerines and a mind full of ideas for an extreme makeover: House edition!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

In this week's Eat - Shop - Repeat, the baking success continues with some of the most addictive cookies ever eaten by mankind and two new purchases, a necessary and a totally unnecessary one!

EAT : Starting with the yummy stuff, hurray to me for managing to bake something lemony, without it resulting to total disaster - thinking back to this moment!! Today we're talking about Lemon Crinkle Cookies and I'm setting the bar really high by saying that this is my all time favourite cookie!!

RECIPE

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp vanilla

powdered sugar for rolling

I always start with the butter and the sugar and when they are combined I continue with the egg. After that I just throw everything in the bowl with no particular order and mix until everything is well combined. I know it doesn't sound very fancy, but it works every time!! The mixture is quite runny and cannot be rolled into a ball by its own, but if you place a teaspoon in the powdered sugar then you can shape it into a little ball. Place the cookies on a baking tray and bake for 10' in a preheated oven on 180° Celsius!

SHOP : And on to my purchases!!! Breaking the habit of getting the same mascara over and over again, I decided to try something new!! Bourjois launched a new mascara called Volume 1 Seconde Mascara and in a spur of the moment, I just went and got it. It has a plastic spiky wand and claims to give 360° clump-free volume. Taking into consideration that my beloved Avon mascara is almost finished, this was the necessary purchase!!

The unnecessary one : another simple, black top! Maybe it's the strappy neck, or the flowy material, but when I saw this top at H&M, I thought it was meant to be!! It comes in many colours and now that I think about it it could be possible that I need another one..

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Eat - Shop - Repeat is back and this time there are no baking failures.. this time it worked!! On the Shop part of the post, I tried out H&M's makeup line and it also worked! It's a win-win for today's post, so let's get to it..

EAT : Since I first saw people eating pancakes in all those lovely American movies, where the Sunday breakfast table is full with stacks of them, I made it my life's goal to make them myself! Through trial and error I found the perfect recipe - simple, quick, efficient and above all yummy!! I know it's no news for most of you, but if anyone hasn't tried them.. please, give them a go!

RECIPE

3/4 cup milk

2 tbs. melted butter

1 egg

1 cup self-rising flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

And that's it.. just put them in a bowl, combine well and then pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each pancake in a small pan over medium heat, after covering the pan with the thinnest film of seed or sunflower oil you can manage - even better if you wipe the pan with a paper towel after you pour the oil. When you see little bubbles on the pancake, it's time to flip!!

SHOP : All those times I've been to H&M and I haven't tried their makeup line... Shame!! I bought this liquid eyeliner mainly because of the colour. It has an olive green base but has a strong metallic - almost aluminum foil - gold effect. It's just gorgeous and as you can imagine, there's a full review coming up!!

We Scream for Ice-Cream

It must have been about a week ago, when while walking around Monastiraki I stumbled upon a display full of fruity goodness, vibrant colours and yumminess!! With one quick glance I realised I was in front of Davinci - or as I will refer to it from now on, The Ice-Cream Paradise!!!

When it comes to ice cream I am always drawn towards more fruity flavours and upon seeing flavours like lime, green apple, blood orange, melon and mango, I was completely sure this place was made for me! There are of course other more creamy flavours, like toffee, dark chocolate and cheesecake, so there will be something for everyone!!

The place itself is very well designed and it is apparent that there is great attention to detail in all aspects of this shop. The staff is very helpful and will even suggest new flavours for you to try or combine, in order to create the best ice-cream tasting experience.

I really didn't know which flavour to choose but at last went for pineapple and melon and I wasn't at all disappointed - more like totally in love!! I also got a taste from my friends strawberry cheesecake and it was heavenly and very true to the original flavour of the dessert!! So three down, many more to go, before I finish my mission - tasting all the ice-cream flavours Davinci has to offer!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

In this week's Eat - Shop - Repeat, it's all about crop tops and baking failures - hence the "stolen" picture of the lemon squares!

EAT : It must be psychological in some way, because every year around this season I find myself craving lemony desserts. Either it is cupcakes, cookies or plain old ice-cream, if it is lemon flavoured, I'm into it!! So I tried myself to make Lemon Squares (link) - for the second time! And I failed - for the second time! This recipe just doesn't want to be made right and though it tasted so lemony and buttery and perfect, it looked like it had been in a car accident - and smelled kind of funny too! I don't know what's going on, but I'll confine myself to cupcakes from now on!

SHOP : I'll also put the blame on the warm weather for this shopping splurge that happened last week. Whenever I was in a shop and there were crop tops on sight, I just saw red lights and something was beeping in my head, saying "Target Locked"!! So I gave in, with good measure, and got only two! The one on the left (link) caught my eye during a casual walk, when I randomly found myself in H&M. The right (link) one is from Pink Woman, a shop in The Mall Athens, that I always passed by but never went in.. seems like I'll be visiting it again!!

Eat - Eat - Repeat

As you can tell by the title.. this post is all about food!! I pondered for a minute to add a little bit of "Shop" in here but who am I kidding?! This place and the food there is so perfect that anything else would be a diversion!

I'm talking about New York Sandwiches (link), a little place at Ampelokipoi, hidden near Mesogion street. It's one of these places that you pass by but never notice, which is a pity really because I can tell you, I had the best burger of my life in there.

I wanted to go for a long time, as I had read about it in many articles - all saying about the great sandwiches and burgers this place has to provide - and the time at last came.. Here I am standing outside with great anticipation and awe!!

I had a BBQ burger, which at first look didn't seem much, but it proved itself from the first bite. The fries coming with the burger were oh so great and I tried to eat all of them even though I was so. (Attention, picture of the burger coming up)

All in all this place is a must-go, great food, great prices and a very nice set up with a New York essence lingering all over the place. I will definitely be going back for more, maybe one of the hyped sandwiches this time!! One thing you should have in mind though, this place is small.. like.. really small!! So let's hope for a remodelling of this place, or I am surely prepared to fight for a seat!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Back to the classics (?!) with another Eat - Shop - Repeat and this, is a good one!! The pictures speak for themselves and make you drool with just one glance - or it's just me..
The past week was one of my favourites, it was my birthday, me my friends went for a picnic and... I bought a new camera!! So without further ado, let's get to it..

EAT : So as I said, we went for a picnic in the park and we decided for each of us to contribute with either a sweet or a savory treat, with mine being : Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie Swirls (link)!! Ok it is a mouthful, but that's a good thing for a brownie, right?? Just bare with me.. It's a brownie and a cheesecake and it's red velvet on top of that.. What's not to love?? I swear it's the best brownie I've ever had and it isn't quite so difficult to make.. for the recipe click on the link above and you won't be disappointed, at all!!

SHOP : I'm trying so hard not to leap from joy as I'm about to say that now I have my very own camera!!
I've wanted one for so long and I was always postponing it but now I set my mind to it and I got it.. and let me tell you she's beautiful - not quite a trait for a camera but what can I say..? I got the Samsung NX2000 (link), a mirrorless camera, which is actually if a compact camera and a DSLR had a baby!! I've had it only for a couple of days and I'm trying to explore it's full potential which I'll never get to do because I don't know a thing about photography, but I'm at least trying and it's something!!

Procrastination Weekend

It's one of those weekends when creativity and energy go for a walk leaving you with their little cousin, procrastination!!
So let's embrace it and take it out of our system.. I'm Dim and I'm procrastinating!!

I wanted to go for walks, organise some future posts for the blog, study for my exams and many many other things.. but instead I lied on my bed like there was no tomorrow!! And let me say, I enjoyed it!!

As far as I'm concerned there are times that you just need to shut down and recharge without even a hint of shame!! Just watch TV, browse the web and maybe read a magazine.. And some times during the endless and pointless browsing in your computer, you come to discover a couple of new exciting things!!

So in this weekend post I haven't got a great little place for brunch to recommend, or a new purchase to show but I have this..

and this..

Two new shows, with great premises and really really fun to watch!! About A Boy and Mixology..
They're both in their first season and I really hope they do go on..
So , if you're a junkie for TV shows like I am, give these two a go!! You won't be disappointed!

Brunch Brunch Brunch

As you can understand this was supposed to be a Sunday post, but fate had it in another way.. Nevermind, I'm here now and I have a great place to recommend!

On Saturday I was craving brunch.. I know Sunday is the most common for brunch but I follow my heart and my stomach at all times!! So I went to Hip Cafe!! It is near Syntagma square and it's the best place for brunch I've gone lately!!

I went for pancakes with maple syrup and seasonal fruits, although I also got a taste from my friend's chocolate chip pancakes, and I gotta tell you.... It was heaven on a plate!!

The menu is short and efficient, with variations on the classic pancakes and many different plates with eggs!!

So next time you're on a walk in the centre of Athens, go by Syntagma and give Hip a go!! You won't regret it..

Lazy Sunday Mornings

Alternative Title : Not getting out of bed!

After a 4-day trip, a serious case of overeating and some "missing my bed" moments, I decided that this Sunday I wouldn't get out of bed no matter what!

I broke this promise only for the sake of eating (what a surprise!) and went to the kitchen. Praline spread, some bread and I'm ready to go!! I wanted to make some tea, so I hovered a little over my tea collection -don't judge me people!! The winner for this morning being Lipton Strawberry Cupcake green tea and yes, it tastes as delicious as it sounds!

Back to bed, cozied up and ready to finally finish reading my L'OFFICIEL and catch up with some of my favourite blogs that I have seriously neglected this week.

What is your perfect Sunday morning?! 

+ here's a little something that got stuck in my head all week - enjoy!

My Weekend In Photos

These two pictures summarise my weekend entirely, as it was all about relaxing and eating!!

On Saturday I was determined not to leave the house no matter what. I spend all day cocooning with Minnie on my lap, organising my future posts and of course, eating (Domino's is a dear friend of mine).

On Sunday I decided to leave the warmth of my house, as lunch with friends is a must do. I went for sushi at the Far East of the Mall Athens (another dear friend) and continued on my journey to try ALL the flavours of AriZona tea.

With my belly full of yummy food and fully relaxed it's time to finish a diy shoe project I've started this week - which you'll hear all about in an upcoming post - and prepare for the week that's coming!!

Love you lots xx

A Long Weekend

So I love long weekends.. Who doesn't? Especially when they start with a day walking around my favourite shops, a good friend and some frozen yogurt!! Yum...me!! is a favourite destination when it comes to frozen yogurt. With flavours of yogurt like cheesecake or kinder bueno, this place is like heaven to me!!

Skipping to the following morning and my favourite meal of the day, breakfast!!

Nothing is better in the morning - after a slightly crazy night out with friends -  than any variation of the english breakfast and a cup of tea to start a lazy, relaxing day.

And then there was Sherlock. Even though I have seen all 3 seasons, there is nothing that could stop me from seeing all episodes again and again and again. It's my company of choice for days like these, when I've decided to stay in and relax, and a perfect distraction (I'm a proud member of the Cumbercollective) from the tough week I have ahead.

Weekends are all about Brunch

Saturday was a rainy day here in Athens and I was in need of a mood-brightener. The perfect way of doing that? Brunch of course!! So I headed down to the center of Athens, in a little hidden place called To Tsai. With its name meaning "the tea", this place doesn't disapoint at all as it has a great selection of tea drinks and other herbal infusions.

But back to the point, which is of course, the food! There is a brunch buffet here with anything a girl wants from her brunch. From soup of the day, to the classic scrambled eggs, to the not so classic - but equally yummy - vegetable noodles.

After I spend half of my day in this place, one thing is for sure : It's warm, cozy, with great food and great tea and I would totaly go back for a second round!! After all, I forgot all about the rainy weather outside and I guess it means something!!