SMOONSTYLE

Oops, I did it again. After being so in love with Lisa's Velvet Morning, I decided to get more.
A new range with beautiful nudes was released and in a moment of weakness, I ordered two new gorgeous nudes. Velvet Fawn and Velvet Muse. They do look quite similar in real life and and on the photos, however, Velvet Fawn is much lighter and more nude than VM. VM has a touch of a terra-cotta red.

I had to restrain myself from using them before properly taking photos. Don't they look stunning?
So happy that I did make the splurge and got these babies. It is not the only splurge that I did.
A luxurious item that I have been eyeing for a while is a cream and powder eyeshadow 'Naked Bronze' from Tom Ford. When I was at a Sephora in Paris, I swatched a lot of products and decided to wait to buy until I would have a good online discount code.

The price is insane (€53,99), but you are definitely paying for the impeccable quality, instead of just for the brands name. Douglas had a 20% discount code, so I paid €43 in the end.
It still is a lot of money, but you get a lot of product that will last you a really long time.

The cream shade is so smooth and gorgeous on its own. When you top it off with the glitter powder eyeshadow, your look is complete. On my complexion it looked a bit cool. To warm it up a bit, I took a Real Technique Setting Brush and added bit of L'Oréal  Glam Beige in Medium/Light. That did the trick and tied the look together.

My choice of lipstick was Velvet Fawn. After I applied it, I defined the edges with a lip brush and also slightly overdrew my lips. This lipstick is long lasting, without drying out the lips.
Each morning, I always apply some lip balm in the beginning of my get ready proces. Like this the lips are nice and hydrated and ready to rock a matte lipstick.

What are your beauty splurges? What are your most expensive make up products, and are they worth the price? Let me know in the comments!

Douglas.de has a 20% discount code that is still valid today! Minimum order €59.
The images of the products are switched on the website fyi ;)

Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn

A close up on how the 'velvet' look is created.

The Movember foundation was founded in 2003. What started as an idea to grow a moustache during the month November with 30 moustaches turned into 5 million moustaches and so much more.
I can't grow a moustache, although I really did try;) What I can do is tell you about this great cause and by doing so, I hope to be able to contribute to raise awareness about men's health worldwide.

November is the month when the Movember Foundation is raising awareness about men's health. There are many different ways how you can join the community and get the conversation started on men's health.

The biggest health issues men deal with are: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide. Men are dying too young and I think that it is time to break the stigma around mental illness.
Why is there a stigma? Why do men always need to be strong and masculine? Men and women are build from the same flesh and blood and can experience the same wide range of emotions.

Guys are meant to be strong and not show too much emotion. Men don't cry.
That is all bullshit if you ask me.

The majority of men don't talk about how they feel, because they fear of being judged and being perceived as weak.
Let me tell you, if you seek help, you are anything but weak! You are incredibly strong and courageous for opening up.

Women that suffer from depression are more likely to ask for help. Depression amongst men unfortunately often ends in suicide. That is why the numbers of depression amongst men are not accurate, because they don't seek help and start therapy.

We need to ask and tell each other more often how we are feeling. Don't just assume that everything is ok. Ask again how someone is feeling and offer support. It can mean the world to them.
Some people are really good at putting on a mask, so that they can hide the fact that they are going through a rough patch or even having suicidal thoughts.
Reach out and help each other. Listen to what the other has to say. You might save someones or your own life by doing this.

So what can we do to support Movember? You can visit their website and donate if you can, spread awareness and open your eyes to your friends and family around you.

On top of that, L'Oréal Menexpert is donating €1 per sold Beard Oil to the Movember Foundation.

Barberclub

www.movember.com


xo Simone

One of my favourite cocktails is the Brazilian caipirinha. Unfortunately, I didn't get to drink one due to being ill. Mark and I both got food poisoning after the show in Sao Paulo, so no partying for us.

We felt so bad on the day of the show in Rio, that we weren't sure if we could even do the show.
When we arrived in Rio, we went straight to bed to rest until we had the VIP sessions. Such bad timing, finally at the beautiful Copacabana, and then having to lie sick in bed. The awesome audience in Rio really gave me the energy that I needed to do the show.

The morning after our show we felt much better. After a small breakfast, Laurali and I went to the beach with Isaac, who kindly agreed to take some pictures as well and here they are.
It was not so easy taking photos without having any other people in the shot. My favourite is the one where the grandpa is photobombing me.

For next time I should practice how to jump even higher, like Isaac. He's a pro at jumping high. But then again he is not wearing a dress and can do a different pose hahah!





My dress is from H&M (couple years old). Sunglasses from Calvin Klein.

Mark just after a nice swim in the sea.

Photobombed by a tanned grandpa ;)

Isaac's pro tip how to get the shot: you first run towards the camera and then jump. I know now for next time

This time I have created an eye look that was out of my comfort zone. The times that I wore green eyeshadow can probably be counted on on hand. It is one of my least favourite colors and I always thought that it doesn't suit me.

Sometimes it is good to step out of that zone and just play with colors and textures.
For this look I have used Natasha Denona's Gold Palette. I got mine on Ebay a while back, because it was sold out everywhere. The neutral browns and golds looked so stunning, that I had to have it. To be honest, I didn't care much for the greens. That is exactly why I did this look.

The colors that I used are Lime Chrome, Aurora and Python. I warmed up the crease with some browns shades and topped it off with Linda Hallberg Cosmetic Infinity Glass to get the glossy look.
On the lips I am wearing 'Famous' from Linda Hallberg Cosmetics and Beige in the City from L'Oréal Paris on top.

 Good news, the palette is back in stock at Sephora! You can get it here: Gold Palette

Which colors are out of your comfort zone? I challenge you to do a look with it.

Photo @zonophoto

Lisa Eldridge actually doesn't need any introduction on my blog, which is mostly about beauty related topics. If you love make up, you most likely know Lisa. She is a dream make up artist to the biggest Hollywood stars and now has her own line of beautiful and unique lipsticks, 'True Velvets'.

I will be honest with you guys. My lipstick collection hasn't grown that much over the last two years.
The colors I reach for the most are nudes or orange based reds. There are just not many new lipsticks that intrigue me. The True Velvets from Lisa did awake my interest and I was too late to purchase a gorgeous orange red lipstick called 'Velvet Morning'. When I heard that they were back in stock, I set my alarm in my calendar so I wouldn't miss out again.

My fellow photographer friend Zoë Noble and I had a photoshoot in her lovely studio back in August to capture the beauty of Lisa's masterpiece. We met up the day before our shoot for the first time to have some coffee and talk photography before I had to run to got a friends wedding.

I discovered Zoë though Youtube, as I was struggling to master the techniques of Photoshop. She has some marvellous tutorials on there and a very soothing voice to listen to. I highly recommend her. She has such passion for what she does and that exudes in her work.  Just look at the photos that she took of me and the close up of the lipstick. It is meticulous. Besides all that she is a lovely lady who also has a weakness for glitter, just like me.

Back to the lipstick. Velvet Morning is one of the first ones that Lisa released. Such a classic red that suits warm skin tones. Since her first lipstick colors came out, she has released a summer collection of pinks and now even more neutrals. All the previous lipsticks are restocked as well.

The formula is out of this world! Lisa knows what she is doing. From the design of the packaging to the velvet texture of the bullet. The velvet texture on the outside of the lipstick bullet looks so real. There is literally no other lipstick like it. A matt that looks and feels so smooth on the lips. It wears for hours. The only down side if I have to name one, is the scent. It is hard to describe, but it reminded me a bit of medicine. Once applied, you don't smell it anymore.

When Zoë and I took these photos, the lipsticks were sold out again and I was wondering if I would promote these and then you guys couldn't get a hold of them. That would just be cruel, wouldn't it?

Now they are all restocked and if you are looking for a special lipstick, these are the ones! Shall I order more?



 Lisa's True Velvets Lipsticks



www.zoenoble.com



Special thanks to Zoë for creating such gorgeous photographs, the good times and coffee recommendations!

If you guys want to use these images on Instagram, be kind to the original artist and tag @zonophoto on social media.

Thanks!

Photo @zonophoto

Photo @zonophoto

Photo by Daniela Glunz

On Friday the 13th of September, Vincent had his first day at school. In Germany they celebrate the first day at school big time. My first day at school in the Netherlands was not that big a deal. I actually don't remember much at all.

There was only one problem, and that was that I already had confirmed my shows with Ayreon, before knowing that Vincent would go to school the next year. We were still debating to let him stay at the Kindergarten one more year. We had this option, because his birthday is on the 2nd of October. Children born until the end of September have to go, and those who are born later, can chose.
Soon we found out that the Kindergarten was not challenging enough for him so we decided that he would go to school the next year.

When I found out that the first day of school would be when I would be in the Netherlands with Ayreon and Oli in the US with Kamelot, I panicked. This was a day where I had to be home, no matter what. Since the Netherlands is closer, it was more realistic for me to go home, even though it was still quite a big distance.

On the 12th of September, I had rehearsals with Ayreon until 22.00.  On the 13th the school ceremony would start at 9.00. There were no flights in that time, so my only option was to drive with someone from Tilburg to Stuttgart and then the next day back to Tilburg. I even contemplated on getting a little tourbus. It was important for me to sleep on both drives up and down.

In the end I found someone who was willing to help me out. We left on the 12th at 22.30, I was in bed at 4.00, woke up at 7.00, attended the ceremony at 9.00 and was back on the road at 12.30 and arrived at the 013, one hour before the show.
During both rides, I didn't get any sleep. I was exhausted, but so happy that I was there for Vincent's big day, even though it was just for a couple of hours. I made sure that I made a lot of videos and photos of his special day.

In Germany the kids get this huge bag filled with small gifts, it is called a 'Schultüte', that was also something that I as a Dutchie was not familiar with. A friend of mine helped me out putting that bag together with the help of a glue gun and some alcohol haha. I didn't want to buy one, but make one of my own. I cursed myself for that, but luckily I have great friends who help me out :)

The Ayreon show on the 13th went well and I slept like a baby that night.

A special thanks to Paul for helping me out! I am so grateful that things worked out in the end.


The things we do for our kids, right?

Who doesn't love donuts? For me the best donuts I've ever had were from Voodoo Donuts. Just the plain one with powdered sugar. It is pure heaven!

Vincent is a big donut fan. For his 6th birthday I made mini donuts with a donut maker. They were the treats he took with him to his classroom to hand out to his classmates. He was already telling the kids the day before his birthday that he was going to bring donuts.

I decorated them with some white chocolate and a couple of sprinkles. These donuts are not fried, but baked. They taste more like like sponge cake, then donuts. The kids loved them anyway and they are a little less unhealthy ;)

The recipe that I used is the one that is in the manual from the donut maker. I am sure that there are better recipes out there. I will definitely experiment more. Next recipe I will try will be with yeast. I saw that Laura in the Kitchen has some recipes. The ingredients should be a little different because these donuts are baked and not fried.

Here is a link to the one that I got from KIK:  Donut Maker

They were a total hit with 6- year- olds and my parents loved them too ;) I like that they were bite size.