Wednesday 29 August 2012

BEST OF: ANTICIPATING A NEW MONTH, NEW EVERYTHING!

via Popsugar edited by me.
Credits: Left - Reed Krakoff Coat, Blue Emily Cho clutch & Christian Dior Heels. 
Right - Fendi Duffle & Jimmy Choo Pull on boots.

As Athens slowly returns to it's usual routine, and the kids are due to head back to school in the upcoming weeks, it's that time of the year where there's longing for change, action and newness.

SEE: Don't know about you, but I am dead excited and giddy as a kid high on candy for the new season of Gossip Girl. It is my ultimate guilty pleasure. There were some seriously envious style moments last season, such as the above images, which are perfect for fall. I have to ask, Will Chuck and Blair get it together??? Ooh, and Season 7 of Dexter will be out soon too surely? Bring on October I say!!!


SHOP: I popped into Zara earlier this week and stood there gawping at pretty much everything. I love the change of seasons the vibe of new collections in store. Right now I'm loving these little beauties.
HAPPENINGS: Lingerie brand Triumph appears to be going from strength to strength in Europe & Greece, especially with new store opening in The Mall in Athens. The new Essence collection from AW12 looks stunning too. Available world-wide.

DRINK: I love coffee, especially in the mornings, but with the new season rolling in, I do love to indulge in a good spiced Chai Latte on those cooler evenings when I've returned home from work. It's my revive me thing, that along with a coupla Digestive biccies. Perfect. I believe this will be a perfect winter warmer too with all the spices, smells wonderful &  it does kinda remind me of Christmas too!
image via here

What you need:



  • 2 individual tea bags
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (- I used way less than this as it becomes very sweet otherwise.)
  • Whipped topping and ground nutmeg, optional
Make it!
Place the tea bags, cinnamon, ginger and allspice in the coffee filter of a drip coffeemaker. Add water; brew according to manufacturer's direction.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar and creamer. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through and sugar is dissolved. Pour milk mixture into mugs; stir in tea. Dollop with whipped topping and sprinkle with nutmeg if desired. Yield: 2 servings.


Recipe via Taste of Home

BEAU-TEA:

Earlier this week I read a brilliant Beauty tip via Vanessa's recent post on Inspirational women on her blog Decadence for Divas featuring Sharon of Fashion-Isha.com.



Tea & tea bags are such amazing & inexpensive health supplements, Sharon's tip about using Green Tea leaves from the bag for your face is brilliant. It's full of antioxidants, helps clear skin (pimples), helps preserves youth and is also good for you if you drink it! No wonder Sharon looks that amazing, i'm still getting the fact that she's a busy mum and an entrepreneur too!

Earl Grey Tea bags: Great for comforting and healing cold sores, apparently an anti-depressant/mood lifter, full of antioxidants, fantastic fever reducer & relaxant! The bergamot in earl grey is good for inflammation and is a known for digestive aid.

Whenever I'm in Hong kong, I always pour myself a mug of Jasmine tea in the morning, my late grandmother always prepared a pot daily upon waking up. It has become one of may daily rituals too during winter. Needless to say there are plenty of benefits of drinking Jasmine or Oolong tea too - both are great for digestive aids... which is always why you'll see Chinese peeps drinking it during dim sum/yum cha! That alone would be my excuse to stuff my face!

 Image via Honest Cooking here

EAT: Tzatziki -Yup, I'm going all Greek on you. I figured I rarely talk about the cuisine which I love so much. This delightfully refreshing yoghurt & cucumber based dip is super easy & quick to make and goes with pretty much anything. Most commonly a side dish to go with meat or to fill with kebabs, it's also super scrumptious with warm crusty bread or pita. You only need a few ingredients and you're ready to go, but the secret is using a damn good Greek yoghurt such as Total - believe me it'll make a difference & remember to drain the cucumbers of water too.

What you need:
Cucumber
A tub of Greek Yoghurt (250g) or goat/sheeps yoghurt.
Crushed garlic - I use 1 large one, but if you prefer more go for it!
Dill or chopped mint leaves - down to preference
Fresh lemon juice
A little salt 
Drizzle of olive oil

Make it!
Peel a cucumber, cut it in half & remove the seeds. Finely chop or grate it - which is what I prefer and leave in a colander with a little salt until it has given up some of it's juices. Alternatively squeeze the water out and pat dry with kitchen towels then fold into a little olive oil & yoghurt. Season with a crushed garlic clove & a little dill or chopped mint leaves. Add a squeeze of lemon juice (or a wee bit of vinegar if you don't have lemons), et voila!

via here

This summer I've gone through many many books and I am finding it a little overwhelming just how many books I actually have. Before I moved to Greece I had to get rid of a load, usually passing them onto friends and now I find myself in a similar situation where the bookshelves are beginning to overflow again. 
It's clearly time to de-clutter and have a look at what I won't read again and get those ready for friends (we often swap, so I get a new read), re-sell via Amazon, donate to a library or give to charity. I'm not quite convince I'll ever become a Kindle person... but if I find myself in another book situ taking over the whole apartment, I'll consider making a floor to ceiling bookshelf like the one above.

Alternatively, I'd love to start a new room with a beautifully styled bookshelf like this one above. I love the use of plain white paper to unify the covers and disguise the spines.

Speaking of books, what are you all reading at the moment, any good ones to share?
X.O.X.O

p.s A warm welcome to new readers and big fat Greek style hugs to everyone else for sticking around! 
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Friday 24 August 2012

BEWITCHED: A DARK ROMANCE


Woohoo, it's Friday lovelies! It's still summer here and extremely hot, but that didn't deter me from my current obsession over all things bewitching. As we near the winter months, I love nothing more than  to indulge but all black. It's my safe & comfortable colour that can often hide a multitude of sins but is also deeply sexy when you're playing with textures or accessorizing to the nines after hours... Think Lace & leather, sheer silk chiffon & jewel embellished tulle or ornate beadwork... Darkly romantic, no?

I fell instantly in love with Gucci's AW 12 collection, especially the hypnotic black gowns, one of which Emma Stone totally rocked earlier this year (above). There were countless hero pieces that pack a mighty punch. Other favourite designers coveting all-black include YSL, Lanvin, Emilio Pucci, Ann Demeulemeester, Belstaff, Etro, Dolce & Gabbana, Mulberry, Bottega Veneta, Versace... Elie Saab however continues to create the most amazing black gowns ever - Daisy Lowe looks ridiculously striking & I suppose I ought to mention Monique L'Huilliers black gown from SS09 , which still takes my breath away today.

Other beautiful examples of Falls beautiful love affair with things evoking Gothic are these Dark Princesses - Charlize Theron at the Snow White & the Huntsman Premier & Natasha Poly at the amFar event 2012 - images via Just Jared and Zimbio.
Below, just a few to die for gowns... via style.com
 So black, so dramatic.... bring on the long gloves, faux fur and leather trim details.


 Alabaster skin, dark lips (bordeaux, currant & plums) & dark glossy locks. Alternatively, dark smoky eyes and nude lips are my thing too. via Vogue Nippon & below via Vogue Italia

Going shopping?

I swear everywhere I have looked recently has exploded with peplums... Wonder if the designers called each other up last season and asked if they were going to do peplums for fall!


1. Lace Dip Hem sleeveless top - River Island £30    2. Sara Berman Leather Tee - Outnet £180
3. Lace insert Maxi (Back view shown above) - River Island £40    4. Pu super skinny jeans - River Island £45   
5. Premium Spider Jewel Spike Necklace - Asos £50    6. Dominic Jones 23karat black gold spike ring - Outnet £132   
7. Wild thing bumper pack set of rings - Topshop £15   8. Ciate Caviar manicure set in Black Pearl - Asos £18    
9. Bobbi Brown Rich Lip colour in Crimson $24    10. Alaia Leather wedge sandals - Outnet on sale £427.50

Hope you enjoyed! Did I manage to entice you over to the Dark Side? 

The weekend is nearly upon us, have a brilliant time! What are you all upto?

Runway images via style.com,  the unknown one next to the Zara dress & studded glove shot are via Pinterest
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Monday 20 August 2012

FORGOTTEN PARADISE: EDEN BEACH & DREAMY CLIFFTOP HOMES

Welcome to the new week loves! I hope you've had a lovely and well rested weekend!

This weekend Mr. Perseus and I went on a mini road trip with some friends and ended up at Eden Beach, Anavyssos along Athens fabulous Riviera (en route to Cape Sounio - most southern point of the Athens peninsula, where the Temple of Poseidon lies).
It had been a good few years since we headed as far along the coast as this since we usually head towards Vougliameni or Varkiza way for beach action, depending on traffic. We did a pit stop at my favourite bakery/patisserie, or what I call the 'gateway to food heaven- Georgiadis for pastries, fresh bread & snacks before driving further along the coast. When we arrived at our destination I was welcomed with crystal clear waters and a cool breeze... simply perfect.

Jetskiing, canoeing, pedal boating- it was all there for hire & the rocks for those who wanted to go snorkelling. I swam pretty far out to discover just how clear the sea was and I could see stright to the bottom of the ocean and catch the odd school of fishes swimming excitedly undenearth my feet. 

Oh, I ought to mention at this point that I have a slight obsession with clifftop/hillside homes with ocean-views... See that first pic, on the top to the right? There was this amazing home with dark wood beams, white walls & floor to ceiling windows that led out onto a huge terrace and steps down toward the sea... all very dreamy stuff. I couldn't actually see the house from the front only the side facade, til I swam right out to get a whopping view of the back of the house. Sigh!

Delicious apple pie from famous Georgiadis patisserie. They have such amazing breads, gateaux/mini slices of cakes and the BEST Creme Brulee ever! The Mr. & I rarely go bananas over anything but sweet treats, so we often have a field day whenever we pop in there. If you're ever heading that way you have to pull up and taste a little bite of heaven!

Ok, now it's time to show off some Greek-style hillside homes that I adore! I'm saving one of my favourites til last as there's a 'lil story that goes-with!
Image via Vangelis Paterakis home #231 - This guy has shot some of the most stunning homes ever, including the one below!

This amazing clifftop home on the Greek Island of Kea, belongs to childrenswear designer Eva Karagiannis, more pictures via here.
 Below: Gorgeous 'Dolce' villa for rent in Mykonos via here. Who's gonna join me one day? Blogger get together?
In the day and sunset below... gorgeous no? I would just lie on those beds all day...

Now onto my dream home... Wild Rose Villa in Kefalonia.
Whilst I was on a bit of a mission Googling  & oogling clifftop homes, I came across this one and was seriously blown away... you'l have to hit the link above to see this place in it's full glory... and Pin away folks, you know you wanna! 
Uninterrupted view of Myrtos Beach via Villuxe

So I was giving this place another once over and to my shock I realised just which property this was after seeing the photo below. It was the place I'd been eyeing up everyday when I was in Kefalonia a few years back. Everytime we drove past I had the urge to scream stop, jump out of the car and bang impolitely on the large grey iron plated gates to demand they open the door to me for a proper lustful once over! I wanted to pretend I was someone from Living Etc or House Beautiful so I could see what was behind those high walls and iron gates! All I knew was that it had to be pretty impressive, since the infamous Myrtos beach was to the left (where it's impossible to take a crap photo btw) and views of my favourite place, Assos to the right!
Of course I tried to take photos (really tricky on that short, narrow bend-there's nowhere to stop) and all I got was the front gates! Ha!

image via here
Wouldn't mind this view of the clouds with my Greek pastries & coffee in the morning sat in the jacuzzi hanging over the cliff edge.

Isn't this villa to-die for? It's an eye-watering amount of money to rent out weekly, not to mention there are concierge services included, such as yacht charters & in-house chef! But hey, one day folks! For now a girl can dream!

Have a brilliant, super sparkly week guys! 
x.o.x.o

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Saturday 18 August 2012

CELEB-CONSUMER CULTURE: KARDASHIAN KOLLECTION OVERLOAD


Whilst I have the occasional celebrity style crush & also love to sneak a peek at what they're wearing every now & again, there's comes a point in time when you just have to say enough already!
I'm about a coupla days late into this story, but I heard that the Kardashian sisters were launching their 'Kardashian Kollection' with UK High-street retailer Dorothy Perkins for Fall. I don't despise them, I love Kim's beauty bites, but seriously is anyone out there as bored of their world-wide invasion already? 
The Kardashians have everything, from good looks to wealth and apparently a successful reality TV show, which I've never seen btw. I only came across them last year or so due to the over-obsessed media stories (about the wedding) in the tabloids - yes..., that's how I came to hear of them.

Anyhoos, I'm frankly a little disappointed in Sir Phillip Green. He has brilliant business sense, wields so much power in retail, I respect him massively, so I get why the collaboration with DP's would be great (from a money-making sales & brand profile point of view), but I've just had enough of the celeb-fied to consumer culture based partnerships. There is so much talent out there, it would have been great if the Arcadia Group could embrace & support any one of the Graduate Fashion Week winners for their first mini line/collection. These are the guys with real vision & the capacity to change (high street) fashion or at least make it innovative!
Here's what Sir Phillip Green had to say on the partnership via Retail Week.

So, what we can expect from their collection? If it's anything like what they're selling via Sears and their own personal style, then be prepared for fitted frocks, glamour and glitz. I'd imagine the price points to be along the same, if not a little more expensive than DP's own range - which is still significantly cheaper than Topshops.


It'll be interesting to see how well the collection sells & whether the UK folk will buy into the Kardashians style but I, however won't be spending my hard earned cash. 

...Maybe I'm not the only one who's bored of the reality TV family, Bourne Legacy star Jeremy Renner told the Guardian: 'Oh, all those ridiculous people with zero talent who spend their lives making sure everyone knows their name. Those stupid, stupid people.' Ouch! Ok, maybe that was a little harsh?! Via this interview here. Sorry there goes my Saturday rant over! So what are your thoughts? 

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Thursday 16 August 2012

VIBRANT, GRAPHIC & BOLD BEAUTY FOR FALL

This week I've been oogling over beauty editorials and this one caught my eye most recently. I adore the bold, badass, colourful & graphic looks, giving a quick nod to the 60's and 80's from Flare Magazines September Issue. Whilst these are totally fierce looks that I would no way in hell get away with, I still think they're fun! Which one these are your favourites?



all images via here,  shot by Chris Nicholls featuring models Jenna Earle & Amanda N.
Credits- Editor: Carlene Higgins, Assistant Art Director: Jessica Hotson, Manicurist: Leeanne Colley

It's so very almost the weekend loves, what are your plans? Summer is here to stay in Greece... Will any of you planning a getaway at all? 

x.o.x.o
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Monday 13 August 2012

LUSTING AFTER... RACHEL ZOE'S NEIMAN MARCUS JEWELLERY COLLECTION

Rachel Zoe Love me knot bracelet

Welcome to the new week lovelies, I trust you all had a blast watching the Olympics Closing Ceremony! I practically squealed with delight (cue jumping up and down like a teenager) when the Spice Girls came on! (I know a bit sad but it was a bit awesome!). Major respect for Gary Barlow of Take That who braved it and performed last night too... bless him, it must have been really difficult considering he was still mourning the loss of his baby girl. Anyhoos, there were so many brilliant parts to the ceremony, from the Mighty Supermodels in Gold, Emile Sandes beautiful performance of "Read all About it", plus it was so lovely seeing the flashback of images, families of athletes who had won... to Boris Johnson dancing... absolutely hilarious (still wish he'd arrived by jetpack to hand over the Olympics to Rio though)!!! Can't believe it's all over already, what next?

* * * * * * * *

I'm pretty sure you're all familiar with who Rachel Zoe is right? Stylist to the stars, Fashion Designer, Reality Star, er BFF's with Marc Jacobs & Co... Well we can add Jewellery Designer to the list of many talents this lady has and believe me, I was not disappointed with the new collection for Neiman Marcus. Check it out, there's enough bling and statement pieces to make any girl happy!


Having watched endless episodes of The Rachel Zoe Project, we know she has great taste, style, a penchant for anything uber glam/sparkly and a mah-jor love for Chanel and vintage jewellery, so it comes as no surprise that her collection embraces all of that and a little more.

Love the Art Deco inspired references, I feel a little 'Great Gatsby' vibe going on, don't you? (Why is the movie being moved to next Summer, infuriating much?) If there was one piece you'd indulge in, what would it be? I do love a little statement making costume jewellery, hmmm I think I quite fancy the wide crystal bracelet...

Well, that's all for now kids, still working on and playing around with the blog, thanks ever so much for your comments & being patient! Please ignore the fact that I have repetitive stuff on here - still playing around with the html. Ta ta loves!

Rock on this week! καλή εβδομάδα!


  • I can get over how many Tweeted WHY the Greek National Anthem was played, like seriously? History/Ancient Olympic Games
  • For full Olympics Closing Ceremony Playlist check it out here.
  • Mr. Perseus made me laugh, big time last week when we were watching  Ennis win Gold for GB... He pulled a "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" on me and asked if I knew that the word 'Heptathalon' was from the Greek Words hepta (meaning seven) and athalon (meaning contest). Me: of course I knew that!
  • images via Neiman Marcus, edited by me.
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Thursday 9 August 2012

CHANGES: BE RIGHT BACK DARLINGS...

image originally via Marie Claire South Africa "Ibiza Nights'

I'm currently attempting a few changes to the layout & experimenting a little etc... but it being so damn hot here, all I've been dealing with is the spinning beach ball of death and an overheated fan... My laptop sounds like it's about to lift off! Anyhoos, please bear with me lovelies... I'll be back soon!
via  here
 via here edited by me
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Monday 6 August 2012

Purple Daze: Amethyst, Aubergine, Lavender, Mauve, Violet...

 images via Elle Uk edited by me

Hello lovelies! How was your weekend? Did you relax, get stuff done or do absolutely nada? Amazingly enough, I managed to clear out 3GB's of applications & files of my laptop, it's not as snappy, but it runs a little better now. If you own a mac like myself (and still running Tiger) check out this brilliant post via LifeHacker & Maclife that got me through a major clear-out on the weekend! Oh and please remember to back-up your stuff before deleting.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Call it whatever shade you like, but purple is gonna be huge again for Fall 12/13... and I do love a good jewel tone for the colder months. It's one of my favourite winter colours to mix pops of other hues with, like lemon sorbet or even turquoise - as seen on "Amethyst & Turquoise Love"... hmmmm. 
Admittedly, I'm also reminded of a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate and quite possibly the hazelnut in caramel sweet wrapper from a box of Quality Streets but I love how deeply seductive and even sinister this shade can be when worn with black leather... 
Make your own style statement and play with different textures or hues in the home or in fashion, but if purple is a little too much, start with make up & experiment with a plum shade lippy or eye make up.

Love this vibrant concoction of purples, greens image with a hint of coral in the inner corners of the eye via PatMcGrath.tumblr.com
To see how this look is done click here.
Is this not the sexiest dress ever? via pinterest, is it Elie Saab?
Love me some matte sparkly nails via here Also going gaga over Deborah Lippmans new glittery polish in Let's Go Crazy
An apartment on the Upper East Side by Drake Design Associates via here

 This looks scrumptious, recipe via here & image via here
 via here
via here

It's a new week guys, make it your best week ever! 
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