Friday Fancies

A heartfelt welcome to the weekend aaaand a brand-new regular blog series called 'Friday Fancies'. I've come up with this idea some time ago, when I thought of adding a weekly category to the blog which should give you an insight in what particularly made me happy throughout the week. I love reading Emily's 'Five Things' on Cupcakes and Cashmere and hope my turn will meet your interest as well. Feel free to tell me your opinion on this new category! Advice and inspiration always welcome ;)

So, what kept me going the past few days? Since I had written some exams in the beginning of the week and additional appointments to keep, relaxation was desperately needed. I was so looking forward to spend some leisure time socializing and having a moment or two for myself, too. The white chocolate Duplo (limited edition) was there to accompany me while studying and could just as well be described as comfort food. I had quite a few of these, honestly.. Healthier and consumed excessively, tea was my steady companion 24/7! One of my new year's resolutions has been drinking more water/ herbal tea - mission accomplished (so far). As a magazine junkie, I love to restock my reading pile. The current issue of 'Cosmopolitan' is just too pretty to pass without buying it. I love the colours and think Miley looks great on the cover. Last but not least: 'IT' by Alexa Chung - a beautiful coffee table book that I finally got to grab from my christmas pressies corner and am planning to start reading this weekend. The book's pretty look made me happy, especially when I realized how perfectly all of these items go together. Now, here's my first edition of 'Friday Fancies' - a pretty pink, happy mood board of the little things that help make the monotony of everyday life so much more enjoyable.

Love, Julie.

Faux Fur and Kimono

Cheers to a new blog post - finally - and a less demanding time after my exams. I hope you're all doing well and are able to enjoy some relaxation now that the semester's (almost) over. Before I'll be kicking off a yummy new recipe, some spring posts and my Valentine's series (including an amazing giveaway!), I have a new outfit for you. I'm happily presenting my beloved Michael Kors bag and am wearing my best and - to be honest - only sale picks. A fluffy faux fur jacket that might be the coziest item in my wardrobe besides my pj's and a rose print kimono. I thought mixing these two garments would be fun - and here's the result. Hope you like it.

Love, Julie.

Jacket, Kimono, Shirt, Shoes: H&M, Trousers: Zara, 

Bag: Michael Kors, Jewelry: I am

Nivea Presentation at Restaurant Tian

Last night I attended a Nivea press event at beautiful restaurant Tian in Vienna's first district. Besides the product innovations of the cosmetic brand, the über fancy location had me head over heels from the beginning on. I've had a lovely evening meeting fellow bloggers, being shown new products and eating the most delicious food ever. So, today's post should not only give you a short glance at the latest Nivea product launch, but also give praise to this outstanding veggie restaurant.

So, skincare news are: a whole product range for sensitive skin, which' micellar formula helps reduce redness, tightness and dryness and is, by the way, free of parabens, colorants and perfume, and a new Nivea for Men sensitive range. And concerning Tian - you just gotta experience that amazingness by your own! If you don't live on a budget at the moment, check out my culinary tip at Himmelpfortgasse 24.

Love, Julie.

Blog Changes {New Domain!}

Welcome to the brand-new Stereotypically Me homepage! As you might have recognized, I got the blog a new domain that's much shorter and looks more professional and - which is most important to me - finally feels a hundred percent right. Within the next few months I plan on improving other things on the site, too, and as far as the content is concerned: that's when you get to decide! 

I really wanna hear your ideas and wishes! What do you wanna see on the blog (more often)? Tell me!

Love, Julie.

Stracciatella Mini Bundt Cakes

My first recipe that year is as simple and yummy as always, but rather low-fat and a quick dessert even if you participate in the current detox hype. Enjoy!

Love, Julie.

Ingredients:

50g butter
vanilla extract
50g powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla sugar
2 eggs
80g flour
30g dark chocolate
85g plain yogurt

1.) Preheat oven at 210°C and prepare your bundt cake baking tray.
2.) Mix vanilla extract and sugar, melt the butter and add it.
3.) Now add one egg and the yolk of the other one. Stir until creamy.
4.) Finally, cut the chocolate into small pieces and add it plus flour to the mixture. Stir well.
5.) Fill the dough into the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.

Red Roses & Rad Basics

My love for basics is well-known and as much as I hope that you don't get bored by my sometimes rather monotone outfits, as much does my affection towards such key pieces grow. When I found these skinny jeans in the sale section, I was head over heels in love. Not only do I like the colour a lot, especially the rose embroidery caught my eye immediately. Now here's another casual look for you which I've illustrated via Polyvore, too. The collage may be helpful when you need a little shopping guidance.

Love, Julie.

Jeans: Pimkie, Coat: Zara, Rest: H&M

Primark Opening SCS

When I was invited to attend the Primark opening at Viennese shopping mall SCS, I felt lucky yet guilty. Just a week before, I had accompanied friends to another Primark store in Vienna where I've only been once before. That experience left me thinking if I ever wanted to go there again; well, shopping on advent Saturdays is never a good idea, but besides the crowds of noisy people, I was really sore after leaving the shop two hours later. I could barely breathe through my nose, had a sore throat and a headache - that all pretty much felt like I had been poisoned by all the polyester and plastic smell.

Now, what can you expect other than cheapest material and bad working conditions for the people producing our clothes and accessories, when a t-shirt costs 4€ and - for most costumers - has an even lower value?

With that in mind, I feared the opening of another giant Primark store. Ain't I totally hypocritical for attending an event like that while knowing about the numerous grievances? Everyone who has been shopping in England or Ireland once, has most probably come across an overcrowded chaotic Primark somewhere, which was the very opposite from the new Primark store here in Vienna. Everything was neatly sorted and clean - even the air inside the shop. So, there was a completely different atmosphere than a week earlier. The stuff was nice and happily fooling around in kitchy oncies and preparing for what I'd literally call the 'calm before the storm'. An hour after the press reception the store opened its doors for everybody - and the crazy amounts of excited screaming people waiting outside truly frightened me. 

Long story short: the newly opened Primark store at SCS is a cheap and fashionable place to shop. You'll never find it as empty and clean as pictured in my post, but if you start your shopping trip early, there's a good chance you won't have to que too long in front of the dressing rooms. Finally, there's the ethical aspect to be questioned. And to my surprise, the company seems to be investing in 'fair' production and is one of the global leaders when it comes to hiring people of all nations, religions or whatever. Of course, how companies present themselves is always different to what they may look like on the inside, but at least they know that there's quite some pressure by the public eye on these very aspects. 

Love, Julie.