KIKO & I

Let me tell you a little story....

Two years ago my best friend Ana called me, very excited, tolet me know she'd found the best place in the world. 
The place where dreams come true and the magic happens... 
KIKO Cosmetics.

At first, I thought she was going crazy (sorry bichito!) but then...

 I visited KIKO for the first time and I knew that moment would change my life.  

(Ok... Maybe not my life but my savings for sure!) 

  Kiko is an Italian professional cosmetics brand founded in 1997 and has more than 600 stores in 8 countries (Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria and Switzerland). 

If you don't live in one of this countries, you still can get KIKO products since they ship to 34 other countries. 

 Unfortunately, I don't have a store close to me so every time I fly home (Portugal for those who don't know) or any place where KIKO is, I take the opportunity to buy some products that I have previously seen on their site. 

 The greatest thing about KIKO is that you get quality products for a very reasonable price. 

My first acquisition was the Ultimate Pen, a black eyeliner. 

It's not super black, which is perfect for makeup beginners, and it won't budge. 
The thing about it is that it will vanish a few hours after the application but besides it the Ultimate Pen is great as an everyday eyeliner.

 

 I think I have never talked about it but I have a thing for lipsticks. I can't go out without wearing it. Being the addicted I am, I had to try theirs. 

915. Mauve - Smart Lip collection

604. Bright Orange - Velvet Mat collection

BOOM BLUSH!

 When I saw this stick blush, I knew I had to buy it and give it a chance to surprise me. 
Easy to use, this particular colour leaves a very beautiful brown/dark pink shade on your cheeks and, personally, I think it gives a dramatic final touch on your make up which I found lovely. 

Last but not least my white eye pencil. 
I think we all know the effect a white pencil has on our eyes. 
They will look bigger and brighter. 
I have tried a few before but this one has been my favourite so far.

 

01 - Taupe White - Refined

I think it was a limited edition because I can't find it on their site anymore.

 I'm no expert on make up but I think I can recognise quality when I see it. 
 So, if you haven't given KIKO a chance yet, think about it.... Maybe you'll fall for it too!

For more info check their webite

 

Love,

Raquel 

 

P.s: I'm sorry ok? I know it's been a month since I last wrote a post but past weeks have been busy ones. I've been working on something exciting for Jardin Secret and can't wait to share it with you!

Casa means home in Italian (Part 2)

Ciao di nuovo amores!

As promised, here we go for post number 2 about my travel to Milan! 

Ostello Bello, the best Milanese hostel:

As we are young, my friends and I wanted to stay in a comfy place with a relaxed atmosphere but still cool and elegant so nothing is better than a hostel.

Ostello Bello is the best hostel in Milan. 

And I don't say this for the sake of it! 

They actually have won lots of prizes and if you look for them on sites like Tripadvisor, you'll see that every single review is a positive one.

So yes, Ostello Bello was our choice and we regret nothing! 

First of all: The staff is lovely. 

Seriously, everyone is so nice! They are always ready to help you, with a smile on their faces, no matter what you need. 

They are very funny too! 

Another thing about the hostel is that every morning they'll write down some advice about what to do in Milan during the day, which is pretty useful!

It is very central, which means it's close to some of Milan’s most important places. 

It’s like 10 minutes away from Duomo! 

And most important, it's located in a very calm street. At least, I never felt insecure while staying there.

What I liked the most about OB is that it's like a meeting place for Milanese (Milan inhabitants). 

At the end of the day, you can meet lots of people there who come for the Aperativo and stay around enjoying the atmosphere!

Ostello Bello is more than a hostel.

They make you feel at home. 

("Your home in our town ." is their slogan actually!)

This was our room! Pretty nice, huh?

Miei amores, if you ever travel to Milan, stay in OB. I promise it will make you fall even more for this city!

Love,

Raquel

P.S: A very massive THANK YOU to the staff for their friendliness! I hope to be back soon!

 And congrats on your new hostel in Myanmar (Burma). Wish you the best!

  

 P.S.2: Please notice that some photos were googled! 

Amore means love in Italian (Part 1)

Ciao amores!

I'm in love.

Yes, I am in love.

Let me tell you how and why this happened!

So... 2 weeks ago, I flew with 5 friends of mine to spend 5 amazing days in one of the most known Fashion Capitals...

Milan

and I fell in love... with the city.

Milan is a wonderful city. I can guarantee you!

It might not be the most touristic city in Italy but  there's still a lot to see.

Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Cimitero Monumentale, Sforzesco Castle are some of the places you can visit while in there.

The weather was great during our stay.

We were actually expecting rainy days but we were blessed with a sunny week. (We deserve it ok? It was raining back at home when we left!)

We took the opportunity to travel because we found a very cheap flight on EasyJet so we were like... Why not?!

(I must say I had a very good experience with them so I'll be travelling with them again for sure.)

Italians are very friendly people, their food is delicious  and the weather... The weather is just great and I know if you go to South it just gets better!

And since an image is worth a thousand words… here you have some photos!

 Part number two will be published tomorrow so... don't miss it!

Con tanto amore,

Raquel

    

The 21 days challenge

Mes amours, mes amours,

it's 1st of March and it sounds like the perfect time to start my next "project"!

I've been ready to let you know about this for 3 weeks but there were too much things going on and, me being me, I lost control. 

But here I am, back again to let you know what has been happening.

March starts with a challenge for me. The 21 days challenge. 

Apparently it takes us 21 days to make or break a habit so why not?

In my case this challenge consists in leaving all my bad habits behind and start a healthier life (I told you about this here.)

(By bad habits I don't only mean eating habits but also letting toxic people 

be around me making me feel not good enough!)

As I have told you already, I want 2015 to be the year of my personal evolution. 

I'm doing my best to make a better me appear! 

Promise I'll do my best to share every single change with you. 

With love,

Raquel

Who said hoodies aren't fancy?

Bonsoiiiiir mes poulets!

Hoodies...

Hoodies aren't mean to be fashionable, right? 

I thought so too...

I usually wear them in the gym or at home because, I mean, they make you feel so comfortable and warm!

To be honest, I couldn't picture myself wearing a hoodie for school (or even to go shopping!).

But today was the day I proved myself that a sweatshirt is actually very versatile and can look quite stylish.

I had so much fun putting this outfit together... literally!
(I even searched for "How to wear a hoodie and still look good" on the internet.)

I wore my old black jeans and my faux fur coat to make the outfit a little bit chicer and (kinda) fade out the sport style.

To make things more interesting I put my bordeaux boots on and added some accessories like 

this messenger bag (which has the same colors as the rest of the outfit!)

  

my black gloves and this lovely earrings! 

I don't have any idea how to classify this outfit... Any idea?

Let me know what you think!

oh, and always remember to have fun with fashion and style!

Love,

Raquel