The Euro Diva

The Diva gets a European Makeover...

After being in Europe for 4 months I started to become acustomed to the culture. Sure, I could not live without Starbucks, Clinique skincare, or Zara- most everything American is available there. However even though I was shopping in the same stores or occasionally ordering American food ( Yes, I did try McDonalds in almost every country I visited!) I started to embrace the different products and foods they offered. After all crossaints in Paris reign over anything you get in the States.

So here are my top 5 European inspired finds that you are sure to love!

1. Boyfriend Jeans.

It's almost like our obsession with tight leggings and well, tight everything else. Europeans love baggy. And it is so much more comfortable. I picked up a pair at Zara and love throwing them on with cute, graphic tees or a funky jacket and booties. It all depends on your personal style but these jeans are flattering rolled up and belted, with a simple top and loads of boho jewelry. Day look with flats and a lacey top; Night look with heeled boots and a blazer.

Citizens of Humanity
"Dylan" Boyfriend Distressed
$238
(www.anthropologie.com)

3x1
Destroyed Boyfriend Jeans
$265

2. Bunny Friendly Beauty

One of the coolest things about Europe is that they just passed a law that banned animal testing!! As you know this is one of the biggest life goals and passions, to create a culture that embraces animal rights and to make animal testing ILLEGAL in the United States. So this country needs to take the lead from the UK, Germany, and all other European countries and work on making all household and beauty products, cruelty free. Anyways some major brands in the U.S that promote this are Lush cosmetics and The Body Shop. Both offer products that are made with natural ingredients good for your skin and that are ethically tested- no bunnies or beagles are harmed!

(see more about EU's new law: http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/values/eu-bans-animal-testing.aspx)

Some of my fav, cruelty free products:

LOVE this light weight day cream- does not clog my pores and is perfect under sunscreen and makeup. I used it abroad and got some more for home!
$16.50
The Body Shop

This scrubbie is great for the shower after a day at the beach or lots of sweating.  It gets your face really clean, and tingles because of the vodka and lime in it that kills all the icky bacteria and crap on your face. A little cosmetic cocktail...fabulous!
$21.95
Lush

I love a devine drugstore miracle...like anything St. Ives! Their products are affordable but also more natural than other brands- no phosphates or silicone- and do not test on animals!
I use their body lotions religiously because they cost around $6 and last for months!

This is my favorite scent- it smells like coconut and is soooo smoothing.
$5.50
CVS pharmacy

3. NUTELLA

So this is a staple for Europeans- especially in Germany and Italy ( where it was invented!)

They put it on and in everything- toast, crossaints, crepes, icecream, cookies....pizza... ( just kidding!)

I became an addict.

I know I am a supporter of healthy living and eating BUT when it comes to sweets there really is no exeception. There is nothing sassy about "sugar free"

I would reccomend you keep a jar in your house at all times, just in case you get the hazelnut cravings late at night...or early in the morning!

I am hardly the baker.

I can make some delish cupcakes with the help of my friend Betty Crocker : )

But next time you make cupcakes or cake, take the time to make a Nutella Buttercream frosting to add some pizazz to your treats!

I got this recipe from a blog called Kitchen Treaty

 ( http://www.kitchentreaty.com/fluffy-nutella-buttercream-frosting/)

FLUFFY NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

This fluffy – and super easy – buttercream frosting recipe features everyone’s favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread, Nutella. Pure perfection.

Author: Kitchen Treaty

Recipe type: Dessert

Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ⅔ cup Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch kosher salt (up to ¼ teaspoon, to taste)
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer afixed with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and powdered sugar on low until well-blended. Add the Nutella and increase the speed to medium. Beat for two minutes.
2. Add the vanilla extract and salt and whip for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Add the whipping cream and beat for about one minute, until the frosting lightens slightly in both color and texture.

4. Lipstick

Listen ladies ( or Gentlemen) I have been converted I was always under the impression that you had to be like 25 to wear lipstick and red lips were totally tacky. I was wrong. Everyone over the age of like 12 in Europe rocked the lavish lip trend and I was hooked. A former lip gloss fanatic, I never realized how much my lips were a major part of my face. I think it all started when I was too lazy to put on any other makeup before rehearsal and I would play around the free samples I got. Blush pink or even a nude became my new go to for day and by night I was slicking on magenta, purple, and even red! With a smokey eye and a high pony, a crimson red is just the right club look. With a messy bun and cute sunglasses, coral pink is great for a day around town. I really do urge you to branch out and pamper your pout with a burst of color.

The key: picking a lipstick or stain that doesn't dry out your lips ( in Russia's dry, cold air that was essential).

This lipstick is honestly my new favorite. It is so smooth and nourishing to my lips, they never get cracked and feel dry with it in. Plus some of the colors are really rich and fun.
My pick: Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in 'Get Ready'
$18
Bare Escentuals

Trying new things, being bold everyday, and stepping outside your comfort zone will always be in style.

xoxo Diva G

I'm Back!

I AM BACK!

I know it has been forever my fabulous friends but I was off exploring Europe and all it has to offer for goodness sake! Now I am home for the summer and ready to start my new and improved blog...because this Diva has moved! I have packed my 4 huge purple suitcases and left the less than fabulous Massachusetts to live in my dream city...the city of angels....LOS ANGELES! I am now a full time resident of this amazing town and will be stopping by old favorite spots as well as many new, fab, fresh ones. And I will let you know all about them!

So this blog is dedicated not only to the secrets of daily fabulous living, but the who, what, where, and how of LA. I'm talking posh places to eat, the best beauty products, beach style, whatever this city has to offer this Diva!

Les Diva Diaries is getting a face lift. A So Cal one : )

I won't waste any more time....

The Luscious, Luxurious, Lavish L.A lifestyle of this Diva is about to begin!

xoxo

Diva G

P.S- Who wants to see some fab pics of me abroad? Here is a little taste!

Russia Baby!

Barcelona

Girona

Paris

Crepes!

On top of the Eifel : )

Street Style Paris

Louvre

Berlin

Rocking the high pony in Berlin

Viva la Crepe!

I will make this post short and sweet. Just like the crepe I just experienced. I may not be in France but I am in Germany where they value sweets, pastries, and bread just as much as I do. It is paradise for a diva with a sweet tooth. But I just had to share with the world the delicious little snack I got! Oddly enough it was from a stand in the underground part of the train station. The overwhelming smell of freshly made thin pancakes and chocolate led us to a small booth with a nice man who didn't speak any English. But he knew how to make good crepes! I scarfed mine down in 3 bites! He laughed at all of us girls and promised he would throw us a party in the train station with any crepes we desired!

Tschus! ( cheers!)

xoxo Deutschland Diva

Me enjoying my BANANA AND NUTELLA crepe on the train home. Nom nom!

Diva in Deutschland

Guten Morgen!! I am writing this from the far away land of GERMANY. As much as I love my east coast roots and the fabulous land of LA, it was time for some change and I am studying abroad this semester in Bonn, a small city in Germany, and Moscow in Russia aka my motherland. I might start a new blog just dedicated to this trip but for now I must let the world know HOW TO SURVIVE AS A DIVA ABROAD. This is very important seeing as I am a theatre major with a bunch of theatre majors so the egos are large and the drama isn't just on stage. When you go to live in a foreign country...things just cannot go your way all the time. The outlets don't fit your hair dryer and the amount of pastries and bread and beer does not do wonders for the figure. However these are not my concerns. I am not picky when it comes to food- except for being a vegetarian- and I really don't mind air drying my hair. But I will not settle when it comes to living the fabulous life. This means that I want to dress up and go out, see theatre, visit museums, eat delish food, and have a grand old time! I have only been here a week but I think that once I get used to the strange looking men and confusing language, I can take over this country with a BANG. When I'm not in class 8 hours a day or on school trips I will try my best to post my fab finds from this crazy place! If any of you divas happen to travel to Europe, Germany, or even Bonn let me know if you have any hot spot suggestions.

Even if you are not abroad, this semester is a time for adventure gorgeous people. It's time to start making the most out of each day because you only have one fabulous life to live! 

Stay classy and sassy!

xoxox

your Deutschland Diva G

Yours truly in front of a castle aka where a diva belongs! 

(Schloss Buresheim castle in the Eifel region)

2013!

First of all....HAPPY NEW YEAR DIVAS!!! 2013 is here and ready to shine brighter than 2012!!

Secondly, I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I have not blogged in over a week due to 

working (aka retail nightmare) and holiday craze (family overload). I have been the opposite of fabulous lately because dealing with crabby customers and crazy snowstorms- the downside of living on the East Coast- and haven't had a single second for some ME TIME. So divas I think that it is perfect timing that last night when the clock hit midnight and the ball dropped ( and my BAC rose even more) I thought to myself...it's been such a crazy time and I better make a CHANGE.

With every new year the age old tradition of making a resolution becomes a task harder then picking which stilettos to wear with your new dress. And what's even harder than making one...is sticking to it!!

I myself am a repeat offender of making resolutions, trying really hard for a week, and then falling back into the same old pattern. The classic "I'm going to go the gym everyday!" resolution NEVER happens...admit it, you go for 3 days and then quit once you notice that the Real Housewives marathon is on TV. There's the "I'm going to eat super healthy!" that doesn't make it past the pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. And my all time favorite " I am going to be less stressed and do yoga and take bubbly baths, etc" that you forget about the second you see your credit card bill or have to study for your midterms. It is just so freaking hard to actually live out these goals when we set out standards too high. When we tell ourselves that we are going to run 10 miles a day or write a novel it isn't that those things WON'T happen...they just requite baby steps! So if you are truly a fabulous person...well then you don't actually need to change anything! But what you can do is make small goals that you can actually achieve every single day and feel good about yourself because you did! Take a heart shaped post-it note and write that mini mantra on it and make sure you can see it from the moment you wake up to the moment you put on your silk sleeping mask. Here are some ways to spice of 2013 and give yourself a sparkly, new outlook on the year!

• Add exercise in to your daily routine in a fun way! Walk up the stairs on your toes/balls of your feet to give you bum a little lift. Take your doggies for a little jog down the street and throw the ball for them to work those arms! 
• Wear more pink.
• Bake cupcakes naked.
• Go to a yoga class and flirt with your hot yoga instructor.
• Rearrange your room- move the bed and swap out your posters for some news ones to set a different vibe.
• Buy some delightful scented candles and light them when you get home from work. Lavender really does the trick!
• Instead of ordering take out...again....type in the ingredients you do have in your fridge into a cooking website to find a fresh new recipe. A little bit of spice goes a long way!
• Actually, take one night a week to make a fun new meal. I recommend anything from the Ina Garten's cookbooks because she is the queen of happy food : )
• Stop buying Febreeze and start picking up fresh flowers from the store!
• Instead of dashing out last minute to find a hott dress for a big event (and then of course not finding anything that meets your standards and settling for less than perfect)...when you go on a casual shopping trip and try on a stunning dress just for fun and love it...BUY IT. And then create an event to wear it to!
• Gather up all your old clothes and shed the old...to make room for the new! Donate the clothes that are well worn but still useful for those in need- like sweatpants and jeans you don't need. Bring your outgrown designer digs or fancy clothes and shoes and bring them to a consignment shop and sell them off to make money for new items.
• Pick up a good book once in awhile. Or a magazine if novels aren't your thing.
• Start a journal.
• Start a blog : )

So there you have it divas. It is not that hard to make some small changes to your already wonderful life! You don't need to train for the Olympics or redesign your entire house to prove that you can out do yourself. Make each day a new challenge, laugh more, eat more sweets, and surprise yourself once and awhile. Life is truly fabulous when you live it to the fullest!

Happy New Year...CHEERS!

xoxo Diva G