SMOONSTYLE

Banana Bread for us is not a quarantine food, but something we enjoy all year around. It is the perfect way to use those over ripe bananas that are not looking to tasty anymore. You can also use them in a smoothie or chop them up and freeze them. Great to make nice cream as well. Today they are going to be used for Banana Bread. Yummy!

The first banana bread recipe that I posted on my blog is over 6 years ago. I have tried different versions of this classic and I must say that I found the perfect recipe that I altered a bit to my liking and also to what I have in my pantry. These days you have to freestyle a bit, because flour is hard to come by.
If you can't find whole wheat flour, you can also process oats in a blender. Works well and is super healthy and delicious.

The recipe that I used is from Cookie and Kate. I just love eating banana bread for breakfast. To completely honest to you, it is actually like a breakfast starter or a first breakfast. We are a family of Hobbits and love to have a second breakfast.

The only things that I changed were the amount of honey (Vincent and I don't like honey) and I added a quarter cup of yoghurt. Things that I have been enjoying lately is filming baking videos on Instagram.
I grabbed my tripod and camera and filmed this recipe for you:

Bananananana Bread


What is your favourite Banana Bread recipe?

All good things come in threes. If they are three minis it is even better and cuter! I am a sucker for miniature make up. I often end up not using them because I just want to look at them. I know, it is silly!

These cuties were my birthday present that I got for myself. Before our show in New York, I paid a quick visit to the local Sephora. I had my eyes on the Pat McGrath Matte Trance lipsticks for a while and wanted to see them in real life before purchasing them. I swatched all the lipsticks and eyeshadows that caught my eye and decided to get the mini trio, because I found it was the best bang for my buck so to speak. The chances that I empty a red lipsticks are close to zero, so I best get miniatures. One lipstick  costs around €41,00. This set was around $30 if I remember it correctly.

Three gorgeous red shades that instantly brighten my face and make Oliver run away really fast. He is not a fan of red lipstick, but I am. That is why I will continue to wear it haha.

Super comfortable on the lips, great pigmentation, long lasting and scent free. I prefer my lipsticks to be scent free, because I am very sensitive to smell.

Which color is your favourite? Do you own any Pat McGrath make up products?


Aren't these the prettiest lipsticks ever?

Always good to check the ingredients.

Obsessed!, Elson, Full Panic

From top to bottom: Obsessed!, Elson, Full Panic

The world of make up has no rules. You can create whatever look you want to wear. I love make up for many reasons. The first is to enhance your natural features and to make you feel and look like the best version of yourself.
Secondly it is a creative outlet for me. It always has been. I love to play with make up, it has been a part of my job ever since I became a singer. I enjoy the process of applying make up, to be in my own world right before a show starts. You could say it is some sort of ritual for me.

During our quarantine I decided to declutter all the things that I own. No more excuses. In between tours I just threw my make up in my drawers and things just kept piling up. There was no organisation what so ever. To start my decluttering project with my make up collection was quite the challenge, but it felt great once I was (almost) done. I still need to put the dots on the i's so to speak ;)

As I was decluttering, I found some real gems that I wanted to create looks with. I also found dried up liquid lipsticks, that went straight to the bin haha! Like a true Marie Kondo, I gathered all my empty boxes and started to use them to store my make up in a more organised way. In the past I would have just thrown those boxes away, or use them as packaging for whenever I needed to send out a package.

Have you guys started decluttering yet? Do you also find it soothing?









*Pr Sample

Happy International Women's Day! On this day we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world.

Wonder Women are everywhere. I have been very lucky to have encountered and also worked with a lot of incredible women in my career.

My intention is to empower and encourage other women to believe in themselves and to not be afraid to work in a 'Men's World'. One of the most asked questions that I get in interviews is: 'What is it like to be the only woman in the band?'. I do get tired of that question after answering it for over 17 years.

I count myself fortunate to be in a work environment that respects women. The guys I work with are very respectful towards me.
There have been awkward situations but those were mainly with male fans that did not respect my privacy and touched my hair and tried to kiss me without my consent. There is a misconception about artists in general. If you buy their art, you are entitled to touch them to your liking, as if we are public possession. Which we are most definitely not. We have to keep in mind that there are also cultural differences. Some countries are way more touchy than others. This has lead to great misunderstandings about me. #Donttouchmyhair is still a thing after many years.

There is a rise of women in the metal scene and I am grateful for it. I salute all women around the world kicking ass as mothers, artists, politicians, doctors, teachers, scientists and all the other professions.


You all rock!

xo Simone


Photo by Lori Linstruth

How I actually walk around town, but twenty bags. Looking like a proper tourist.

We had the loveliest time in beautiful Baden Baden. A little more than over an hour drive away from our home. Perfect for a family vacation weekend. We like it short and sweet, just like the overdose of chocolate content that is coming your way.

The hotel we stayed in was the Leonardo Royal, located only a couple hundred meters away from the city centre.
Check in time was 15.00, but since our room wasn't ready, we were given free drinks at the bar. Not bad!

We decided to stay in the hotel and explore the pool and sauna area. Of course, Vincent was more in the water than Oliver and me combined. He must have been a fish in his former life. No chance of getting him to come out of the water....

The restaurant at the hotel was fully booked for the night, but we were told that we could also order food at the bar. Perfect! Nice and quiet, except for the soccer game on the TV.

Off to bed to enjoy the whining of a dog not far from us. His owners left him alone in the room... We met the dog the next morning. He was twice Vincent's size. He looked like a samojede, but I am not 100% certain.
After a nice breakfast and a photoshoot in our room, we checked out of the hotel. Time to explore Baden Baden on a sunny Sunday.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather. It felt like spring! We walked through the Lichtentaler Allee. There were so many tourists that wanted to take photos of the flowers growing in the grass. From our point of view it looked a bit as if they were taking a number 2.... A funny sight to see.

Oliver spotted the beautiful café 'König'. We both agreed to pay a visit at the end of our day to enjoy some tasty cakes and more. Then we bumped into a Lindt Boutique, where we were stuck for quite a while. Oliver had his eye on the brownie (which was a bit dry), and I wanted to take photos of the magic chocolate ball. I ended up buying a couple chocolate 'balls'/Kugeln. My favourite Lindt chocolate is the 99% and the Dark Chocolate with Chili.

You can ever eat enough chocolate, right? That is what we thought and went straight to the patisserie 'König' to end our high calorie weekend in Baden Baden in style.

Have you ever been to Baden Baden? I can totally recommend it!

I could stare at this chocolate ball for all eternity.

All shops closed. Better for my wallet ;)

Time to go home again.

Goodbye Baden Baden, until next time!

The lipstick on this photo is mine. I didn't want to open a new one for the photo because of hygienic reasons ;)

This years Berlinale was again one big party! I spend two days in Berlin at the wonderful Hotel De Rome. My alarm went off at 6 am in the morning on Friday. The taxi was waiting for me to bring me to the airport. At the airport I met some of my blogger colleagues. We were all excited to join the bar opening of Room No. 311. The L'Oréal Paris Paris Bar No. 311 at the Alte Münze was the place to be on a Friday night at the Berlinale. Red lights, cosmopolitans and red lips on the mirrors. It was a night to remember. I have a little video as a souvenir where you can have a small impression.

Saturday was Red Carpet day! I already had my mind set on the dress that I wanted to wear, but just like any other woman, I packed a couple other alternatives. I am a chronic over packer. People that help me with my suitcase always get a hernia afterwards. Sorry for that ;)

The lovely Eren created my red carpet hair. My hair inspiration was old Hollywood Glam. Jessica Chastain often wears her hair like that. Eren knew what he was doing, I trusted him completely. We also filmed some impressions of him styling my hair, along with a funny time-lapse video.

In the afternoon, L'Oréal showed us the new products ranging from hair, to make up and skin care.
I already had the opportunity to test a new shampoo and conditioner and you can already see the effect on the red carpet, because I had washed my hair the morning with the new Elvital Shampoo.

With 'Old Hollywood Glam Hair',  I wanted a make up look that would match perfectly. The Red Carpet Limited Edition Lipstick, created especially for the Berlinale, was my base. On top I wore 'Be Brilliant', the new long-lasting Rouge Signature Brilliant.




After I was done playing around in the Glam Room and the bath tub filled with golden balls, I retreated to my room to rest before walking the red carpet.
The movie that we went to see was the premier of 'First Cow' featuring John Magaro (Orange is the new Black), by Kelly Reichardt which was based on the novel 'The Half Life'. The movie will hit cinemas on March 6th.
     

Nailpolish is L'Oréal '556 Granat Irreverent '

The limited Edition lipstick 'Red Carpet' (inside the giveaway goodie bag)

Orion Lee, one of the main actors from 'First Cow'

Together with L'Oréal I have three 'Simone at the Berlinale' make up goodie bags prepared for you.
If you want to make a chance to win one of these, leave a comment down below this post and underneath my post on Instagram   >  Berlinale 2020.
Open for Germany only.



xo


Simone

A little trip to the beautiful 'Altes Schloss' in Stuttgart is always a good idea. On Saturdays not so much, but let's just forget that it was a Saturday. It is almost impossible to get through the Königsstraße or to pay for your chewing gum at the DM (local drugstore).
Saturdays are the best days to avoid the city haha. I decided against that.

Two of my (many) favorite spots in Stuttgart are the 'Alte Kanzlei' and the 'Altes Schloss' (museum). The Alte Kanzlei is a lovely restaurant that has delicious Käsespätzle, which is a Swabian dish. You can compare to MAC and Cheese, but then with caramelized onions on top. Farts are included.

It is scrumptious and kind of feels like the seven lambs filled your stomach with stones. I do not recommend to go swimming afterwards, you might drown.

Take my advice and share a Käsespätzle dish with a friend. You can thank me later ;)

Always have to do at least one silly pose...

Photos by Ines and Madeleine