asparklingjourney-blog

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Birchbox - February

Birchbox – February

Finally, I can review my February Birchbox! Why it took so long? Because myHermes delivery company took care of not receiving it and being in a dispute with them for a long time and in the end receiving no resolution. Thank you Birchbox for replacing it, even though it came in the wrong box, but it doesn’t matter anymore after almost 1 month of wait. This month I have received the following…

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Stuffed Peppers with Rice

Stuffed Peppers with Rice

Any food I would try, any spectacular combinations I would discover, any exotic tastes I would enjoy the papules, there is in my heart an unlimited appetite for home-made foods, as my mom does. Today I will present you the dish that my mom always prepares it for me whenever I go home: Stuffed Peppers with Rice, a vegetarian dish. First of all, we need to prepare the peppers for stuffing by…

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Estée Lauder - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10

Estée Lauder – Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10

Today I wanna talk about my new foundation from Estée Lauder, Double Wear, Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10. Why did I decide to try it? Well, I have heard very good reviews, including from my mom and now I would like to share my experience with it. Estée Lauder presents this new foundation as: “worry-free, long-wearing makeup stays fresh and looks natural through heat, humidity and nonstop activity.…

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Birchbox - January

Birchbox – January

New year, new plans! I’ve decided to post every simple month the content of the Birchbox. What is Birchbox? Birchbox is a subscription service that sends its subscribers a box of five selected samples of makeup, or other beauty related products. They combined monthly deliveries of personalized samples with original editorial and an exciting e-commerce shop. All you have to do is to complete your…

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Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Micellar Water

Today I want to show you Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Micellar Water, one of the best cleansing waters that I have ever used. I discovered it many years ago and now I’m happy that I can find it also in the UK. The Hydrabio H20 Micellar Water is specially formulated for sensitive, dehydrated skin which mines certainly is and it guarantees excellent skin and eye tolerance. Is designed to cleanse, remove…

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At the end of November decided to go and visit my friend that lives in Brussels as a way of escape from my city and work as I really needed a mini holiday.

During my mini stay, I visited Brussels and Bruges. I can say it was magical as the Christmas atmosphere was there and walking around on the cobalt streets full of lights and Christmas decorations was incredible, as the Christmas market was on and you can find stalls on all the streets from the city centre.

Also do not leave Belgium without eating waffle (I prefer them simple) and try their famous beers with cheery, apricot and other fruits. My favourite is the cheery one.

In the 1st 2 days, I decided to visit some museums and walk around the city. If you wanna go there or you plan a trip this is what I recommend you to visit. But before that, I need to mention that everything is written in French and Flemish, even in the museums, but you can ask for English maps or audio, but some of them might not have it any more, unfortunately.

Royal Museums of Fine Arts – Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts

This is, in fact, two museums. This prestigious museum incorporates the Musée d’Art Ancien (ancient art); the Musée d’Art Moderne (modern art), with works by surrealist Paul Delvaux and fauvist Rik Wouters; and the purpose-built Musée Magritte, one of the world’s most famous artist.

City Museum – Maison du Roi (French) – Broodhuis (Flemish)

This museum is dedicated to the history of Brussels, and if you have already seen the Manneken-Pis, in here you can take a look at his costumes. The history of Brussels is told over three floors from the Middle Ages to date.

Manneken-Pis – ‘Pissing Boy’ aka Petit Julien

The cheeky, chubby-cheeked Manneken-Pis is a major character in the folklore of Brussels. He is usually stark-naked but sometimes he gets dressed. He has an impressive wardrobe of 600 outfits displayed in the Maison du Roi.

Grote Markt (Dutch) / Grand-Place (French) during Christmas

Brussels’ magnificent Grand Place is one of the world’s most unforgettable urban ensembles. During Christmas period this area is magical and I will let the photos to speak and also there is a mini show with lights and music during the evening, and this year the music was Sia and her latest Christmas album. The atmosphere was magical and perfect! And guess what, I had to see it 3 times ☺.

Atomium

One of the highlights of the park is the Atomium. This is a glistening 102 metre (335 ft) high model of an atom made out of chrome and steel designed by André Waterkeyn. To really appreciate this structure, take time to gaze up and enjoy the sheer enormity.

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

I find these galleries the kingdom of chocolate. I also must confess that I’m not a fan of chocolate, but here I have tasted the best one at Neuhaus. This indoor arcade has an exclusive collection of luxurious delights including a few chocolatier gems. Here stands the world-renowned home for praline chocolate. You can also find here shops from Godiva, Léonidas, La Belgique Gourmande, Corné Port Royal, Mary. During Christmas is decorated and looks amazing and is a must see place for me in Brussels.

MIM – Musical Instruments Museum

If you love music or play an instrument, I really think you must visit this museum. The collection presents more than 1,100 historical and modern musical instruments, one of the richest in the world. But you must be aware that they can provide only a map of the museum in English, as the audio program is not available anymore unfortunately and you must know French or Flemish.

Parc du Cinquantenaire Brussels Belgium

The Parc du Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark is not only a park but a national landmark in Brussels. The name means ‘Park of the fiftieth anniversary’ and it was built during the reign of Leopold II to commemorate fifty years of Belgian independence.

Symbolically, the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels is built in the shape of a pentagon, like the inner and outer rings of the city. Cinquantenaire sits just outside the inner circle and is close to the European Quarter.

Palais de Justice

The Palace of Justice or Law Courts of Brussels is the most important court building in Belgium and was built on a colossal scale, on a high plateau overlooking the historic centre of Brussels. Unfortunately for a couple of years is under constructions and you cannot see the details of the architecture.

If you were here and let me know what you liked the most or if you plan a trip and have questions I’m here for you.

If you like this post and think is worth to be shared, please do so!

PS: I will be back in the summer to visit the rest and soon a post about Bruges! xoxo

Brussels At the end of November decided to go and visit my friend that lives in Brussels as a way of escape from my city and work as I really needed a mini holiday.

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Taormina

2 years ago I and my friends decided to celebrate their birthdays by going on a trip to Sicily mid-March. One of the days we spend it in Taormina. Taormina is one of Sicily’s most popular summer destinations that is spectacularly perched on the side of a mountain, a resort town popular with holidaying high-rollers and those wanting a taste of Sicilian dolce vita. The town merits a couple of days…

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Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Perfume

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Perfume

yves saint laurent black opium I wanna start this post with some quotes that I really find them inspiring and true, also a guide that I always follow. Jean-Paul Guerlain was saying that ‘perfume is the most intensive form of memory’ and I can’t agree more with him. C. JoyBell C. also said that “You are never fully dressed without perfume!” and this is how I feel when I leave in a rush and forget…

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Remington Keratin Radiance Straightener

Remington Keratin Radiance Straightener

Reminghton Straightner After a long time, I decided to retire my old Remington Straightener as lately, it wasn’t giving me the expected and desired results. But what product should I choose now? After asking some of my friends and making a little research I decided to buy the Remington Keratin Radiance Straightener with Keratin and Macadamia Protective Technology. I found the Keratin Radiance…

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My everyday skincare routine

My everyday skincare routine

Today I will talk to you about how important the skincare routine is for me because the skin is the most exposed of our organs and many of us tend to neglect it, making it vulnerable to sun damage, early signs of aging and skin diseases. I make sure I always remove my makeup before bed and I DO RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE! Your skin needs some time to breathe and renew itself, which it does when you…

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Bacon and Mushroom Egg Muffins

Bacon and Mushroom Egg Muffins

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and today I want to share with you my breakfast muffins. The above ingredients are for 12 muffins. First, we need to preheat the oven to 180C. I slice the mushrooms, spring onion and bacon. No, we need to fry the bacon, mushrooms, and onion together in the butter on medium heat, until the mushrooms have softened. While we are frying the some of the…

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Nectarine Cake

Craving for something sweet and baked in-house as I do lately? Don’t worry cause I have the solution :-). Today I want to share with you one of my favorite cake recipes, as I usually not a fan of sweet things. This one is made with nectarines, but you can also use strawberries, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, peaches or any other fruit you like more. We mix the eggs with the sugar and the…

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Thermal Spring Water from La Roche-Posay

Thermal Spring Water from La Roche-Posay

Hello my dears,   Today I’m going to talk about the Thermal Spring Water from La Roche-Posay. Why La Roche-Posay? Well, my skin decided to play with me and my nerves lately due to stress so after some intense research, I decided to go with this brand. In fact, I now use almost their entire line of products. In general, mineral water facial spray is an all-purpose solution for skin issues.   The…

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Back in May, I did a quick trip to Barcelona. Seeing the city of Gaudi was a truly fantastic experience, not to mention a culinary heaven.

  In this post I will share with you some of the famous treasures of Catalonia that I visited. I’m not going to use too many words though as I prefer to share my experience through pictures.

  Sagrada Familia is the magnum opus of Gaudi, the masterpiece where you can discover the Nature in architecture.

  Casa Batllo is a modern artistic myth and the tour will take you to another dimension.

Casa Mila – La Pedrera is a work of art in itself

As I mentioned, Barcelona for me was a culinary heaven as I’m love with sea food and I was lucky to try different dishes. I won’t say how delicious they were as the photos will speak for themselves (or so I hope :D).

I hope you enjoyed my short journey in Barcelona!

Have you been in Barcelona or you wanna go?

  xoxo

  Rox

Barcelona – City of Gaudi Back in May, I did a quick trip to Barcelona. Seeing the city of Gaudi was a truly fantastic experience, not to mention a culinary heaven.

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Leek and Potato Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

leep and potato soup As you all already know that I am crazy about soups, today I want to share with you Leek and Potato Soup recipe. Ingredients 4 carrots 1 medium onion 400g leeks 400g potatoes Olive oil milk butter sea salt parsley freshly ground black pepper paprika and goat cheese for serving I start by peeling and roughly slice the carrots and 1 medium onion. Then I cut the ends off the…

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Light Optimizing Primer SPF 15/PA+++ by NARS

Light Optimizing Primer SPF 15/PA+++ by NARS

primer Today I’m going to talk about my experience with the primer and the benefits of this product. I stared using primer after I realized that my foundation was going weird and the makeup wasn’t resisting all day. Another reason is the protection of my skin by realising a barrier between the makeup and skin. At the moment I’m using the Light Optimizing Primer SPF 15/PA+++ by NARS. I prefer this…

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My lifestyle blog

  lifestyle blog A Sparkling Journey is a lifestyle blog about me and things that make me happy! I will always be letting all my readers know about my everyday life and events that take part in my life such as places I visit and attractions I have the luck of seeing. This lifestyle blog not only give you the chance to realise what I do in my spare time but also gives you an insight on the foods…