Baking | Nigella Lawson's Chocalate olive oil cake

Ingredients

What you'll need:
- 150 ml oliveoil (and some extra for greasing)
- 50 grams good-quality cocoa powder (sifted)
- 125 ml boiling water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 125 grams plain flower
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 3 eggs

First thing: preheat oven! 170°C/gas mark 3/325ºF

Put the cocoa in a bowl, add the boiling water and mix till a smooth paste forms. Then add the vanilla and set it aside to cool.

In a different, smaller bowl, mix flour with baking powder and salt.

Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs in a separate bowl and use a mixer, mixing around 3 minutes. You should get a yellow, light, thick and creamy substance.

Grab the cocoa mixture and slowly pour this to the sugar bowl, whilst the mixer is on. After these two are blended together, add the flour gradually.

Grease the tin and place a baking parchment on the bottom. 

Scrape the sides of the bowl and pour the batter in the tin.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, depending on the edge of the cake. If the edge is firm and the middle still a bit moist, it's ready.

Let it rest for 10 minutes after taking it out the the tin. After ten minutes, open the tin and turn the cake around on the plate (the top is now lying on the plate, bottom is up). If you, like me, like the top better, you can put this side up.

RESULT!

Enjoy!

This is a Nigella Lawson recipe, for more of her recipes click here

I will be baking two of these for Christmas dinner with my family! I am really looking forward to baking it, since it's a delicious cake and you can save some left overs for a few days (the oil prevents the cake from becoming dry). :)

What is your Christmas desert or do you not know yet? Let me know in the comments!

Love, Danielle

New blazer, new styling options!

A tailored blazer is classic, feminine and looks great on all body types. Pair it with anything: jeans, little dresses, trousers, skirts. - Nicole Chavez (star stylist)

Hi there!!
A blazer is a must have in every wardrobe. It can make or brake a complete outfit. It can make an outfit much more mature, which is perfect for a job interview or a more fancy dinner. But a blazer can also be used as a coat in spring or fall! Put on nice pastel or bright coloured scarf, and you're done. And it's a great piece to add to your christmas outfit!

Sometimes, I like to dress like I am an adult (even though I am not!!). I like wearing a blazer to make a casual outfit more classic. But having only one shorter black blazer (that I actually wear), I was running out of options! Which meant only one thing: blazer shopping! (I am leaving out the part that I had to buy a new black pants because I tore my old ones...)

I decided on a slightly longer blazer from H&M, not wanting to pay a ton of money on something I don't need on an everyday basis. The blazer does not have a button to close, which is great because I never wear a blazer closed. I also, consciously, went for black instead of colour. This because I have a camel coloured blazer, but I cannot find anything to pair it with. I feel like black goes with everything, and I can wear it on so many occasions!

I am really happy with the blazer (only costing me € 29,90!) and like the increase of options for my wardrobe :) I also love that the edging is a different, more shiny fabric than the rest of the blazer.

What is/are your favourite items in your wardrobe? Or do you have any suggestions to wear with my camel blazer? Let me know in the comments below!!

And don't forget to plan in a little bit of your time tomorrow to get a sneak peek of what I will be eating on Christmas!

Love, Danielle

4 Day Get Away | London with my mom

In the Netherlands, we celebrate 'sinterklaas' on the 5th of December. Sinterklaas can be compared to Father Christmas, but with a bit of a twist. Children place their shoe infront of the chimny or fireplace, sing a song and hope for a small gift the next moring. Another difference is that when children stop believing, everyone buys presents with poems. More information? Click here

 Unfortunately, my parents couldn't get off work and my brother has school. Sadly, we wouldn't be able to go on one last get away all together... 

This resulted in my brother going on a skiing trip with my dad, and me and my mom going to London! 

I had an amazing 4 days. Relaxing, Christmas shopping and seeing the sights in a very classic tourist tour bus! 

Harrods fully decorated in Christmas lights

Baubles by the escalators in Selfridges

CHRISTMAS DEPARTMENT

Christmas tree in Covent Garden

Covent Garden

Tourist tour: Big ben

London Eye in foggy weather :)

Winter Wonderland in Green Park. Best sign!

After four days it was time to fly back, but not without enjoying the tree at Heathrow!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for some Christmas outfit inspiration!

Love, Danielle

PS. Keep checking in, there might just be a little haul coming your way after Christmas ;)

Out and About | Go to outfit

Happy Friday everyone!!

The temperatures have been reaching a new low in Europe: dropping to a negative at night. So I've put together my 'go to' outfit for when I leave the comfort of my warm house. Hope you enjoy!

I am wearing:

Coat - C&A Clockhouse (old)

Headband - Pieces by ONLY (€ 9,95)

Scarf - H&M (€ 9,95)

Legging - Primark (last year's collection)

Shoes - UGG Australia (old)

What is your go to outfit? 

Love, Danielle

PS. I am going to be posting a new post every day till Christmas to (hopefully) inspire you last minute! Keep a look out on Bloglovin'. 

Behind the scenes of a video shoot

In the last week of November, I stayed at my cousins house for a few days to help her shoot a video she was producing and directing :)
She had asked me if I wanted to help her preparing some of the things prior to the days we were going to be shooting, and of course I said yes!!
My 'job' was to make sure everybody was on the right place at the right time. Making sure the actors (as shown in the last pictures) were going in make-up and styling on time, and were on set when they were needed. Another task was to have everything run as smoothly as possible... This was proven to be a little harder than I had expected, this being my first shoot EVER, because it is normal for the timing to be off.
This was easy to adjust to though!

It were a tiring few 3 days, getting up early and going to bed around 5 or 6 in the morning, but it were 3 amazing days! I had so much fun with the crew and the cast, and it was a very special experience!

The video is not out yet, but I will upload it once it goes on-line :)

Did you ever help behind the scenes?

Love, Danielle

Montly Favourites | November

November has gone by way too fast for my liking! In the months leading up to December (Christmas, snow and family time) I never feel useful :D I spend most of my time inside (as outside is WAY to windy for me) and read. 

In preparation of my November favourites, I had a hard time deciding if I wanted it to be a 'fashion' one or an 'all in one' favourites. I decided on the last one to give you the most complete look on what I have been loving last month. 

So without further ado, here are my November favourites!

Eyelash-curler by Primark
Ever since I have started using eyelash-curlers, I have been using one from Hema. I wasn't really loving it, and it would be ready for replacement after a month... As I was strolling through Primark a while ago, I decided to just give it a go. For only € 1,50 it was worth a try.. (the one I was using was €4,95)
I have been using this curler for two months now, and I absolutely love it! You do not need a lot of strength to get a good result, whereas my old one needed a few firm pushes to get the slightest result. I close the curler for 20 seconds, apply mascara right after and it will stay put all day :)

Black nailpolish by Maybelline

To me, wearing black nailpolish is not only for darker weather. I find myself wearing it throughout the year to finish an outfit or if I don't like my (too short) nails. 

In the winter months, I try to stay away from it as much as possible. I think black can give you a bit of a down feeling when the weather is not really 'fun' either. But... I have to admit that I still enjoy wearing this particular black. It's a shiny black, and the shimmer it has when applied, gives it a bit more sparkle than other black nailpolishes. 

I combine wearing this polish with a darker blue or a bright colour on one of my fingers. 

Blue cardigan by Primark

Trying to find a brighter colour when shopping for winter seemed like a good idea. That was until I actually went out and started looking for it. I bought this cardigan before the winter started, but looking for a bright colour was getting tough. Working in a clothing store, the comment I get most these days is 'Do you have any colour? All I see is dark red, black and brown' Which is true. I have been wearing this on days where it's really dark outside, just to brighten up my own day a bit by seeing colour.

Knit headband by Pieces (ONLY)
I am not the biggest fan of the cold temperatures (even though I love fall)... I do love accessories though! A few years ago these headbands were a trend, and I ordered a few of them on-line. Not having to go anywhere by bike, I didn't really use them and just wore them around the house :)
Having a job 20 minutes away by bike changed that. Whenever I have to go to work now, I pop one on my head and it keeps me nice and warm!

Chestnut Ugg boots by UGGs Australia

Living in The Netherlands, winters can be quite cold. When my feet experience cold temperatures, my toes will swell and feel like they are on fire. It's called 'wintertoes'. Unfortunately, this runs in my family and it was given to me as well. You can prevent this by wearing shoes with a rubber sole. I am aware that they are not be most beautiful shoes out there, but they are super warm and comfortable. Which is the only reason I bought them. (I want you to know that I had bought them before all the horror videos were showed about the way the sheep are treated!) As you can see on the picture, they are not brand new anymore. This will be the second or third winter I am wearing them :)  

What is your favourite thing from last month?

Love, Danielle

You are perfect

I came across this video a few months ago. Firstly, I was thinking this would be another funny video of Connor making me laugh and smile and everything that comes with it.
Like all his video's (Connor' Channel), he did. But at the same time, I realized something.

In the video Connor talks about being obsessed with being 'perfect'. And we are. At least, I know I am! 'Just lose that other kilo of fat' 'drink more water to lose more weight' 'What are the latest trends?' And mostly 'What do other people think of me?' 

The video showed me that although we all have our flaws, we are them. We are who we are, including the flaws.

'Work your flaws' as Connor says!

I hope this cheers up your day a bit if your having a bad day. Or that it makes your already great day amazing! :)

I really wanted to write a post about this video because I love his positive view on the topic and the eye-opening effect it had on me.

So for every single one of you out there feeling insecure, you are way prettier and more beautiful than you see yourself.

Love, Danielle

Sneak Peek December #1

Hello everyone! Hope Monday is not being too harsh on you... 

Today has been treating me nicely, I got a lot done for Bright Lights today and decided to give you a little sneak peek of what I have been doing and what to expect on here in the following months :)

The above picture is in Dutch, as I am Dutch... :D

I started my day by writing about my day with AFS. I met some very nice people, one of them also going to Australia with me! I will be flying with her if everything works out :) (I am planning on a small update for you guys, in English, soon!)

After uploading I wrote down what posts I wanted to shoot today. I normally think of one, shoot it and work on it before uploading Friday. I have a few things coming up in the next couple of weeks, and I want to be prepared! In total I shot 4, so pretty productive (if I may say so myself (; ).

I did have to clean my room before I was able to shoot... (Yes, my suitcase for Australia is already there... Excited much?)

My home-made camera stand! I am saving as much money as possible, and don't really want to buy a standard as long as I can get the same effect with stacking books on my couch! (I am in love with Lauren Conrad' writing.)

 Sneak preview :) Coming to you this week or the week after.

Another sneaky preview :)

After shooting my monthly favourites, I sat down in front of my camera and started snapping away trying to find a new profile picture for facebook, twitter and what not. 

As I am typing this, the sun is shining bright! So bright, that this is what I am looking into :) 

Let me know if you want me to do more of these posts!

Love, Danielle

Surroundings | After storm

In the beginning of this month, there was a big storm in The Netherlands. Trees fell over, cars were smashed, houses had lost their roofs, and the rain did not stop pouring.

There were some pretty shocking scenes, almost unreal, so I headed out a couple of days after the storm to see what the storm had done in my area.

The tree in the last two pictures was over 100 years old, and was pulled out of the ground by the wind. The pavement close to the tree had to be removed and resubmitted after the tree was taken away by the fire department.

I'm sorry there isn't a Fashion or Beauty post today, I didn't have time to write this week. I was helping behind the scenes of a music video :) I will put some behind the scenes pictures up on Wednesday!