We first met Nikki Kaapke when she appeared on The Bachelor trying to win Jason Mesnick’s heart. Most recently, Nikki appeared on the first season of Bachelor Pad. Although Nikki didn’t win the money, her life has been filled with nothing but success since. Nikki realized that by doing what you love, dreams do come true.
Check out Nikki’s website where she dishes on everything from cooking to cocktails. The Dekadent Diva is definitely a delicacy, which is why I was honored when she agreed to answer a few questions for my beauty blog. She’s got some great tips and product recomendations that I know you will love! Nikki, Thank You so much for taking the time to indulge my readers in your beauty secrets!
What’s your everyday cheapie, a product that we can buy at the drugstore that you use on a frequent basis?
Over the years I’ve tried drugstore, department store & high end boutique brands but my “never fail me ” go-to’s are:
- Target’s Sonia Kushuk’s Brow Kit Arch Alert Palette
- Walgreen’s Kiss False Eyelashes (perfect for on-stage, on camera or a special night out)
- Maybelline Coverstick Concealer and Shine Free Pressed Powder
- L’Oreal Paris True Match Roller
- Wet ’n Wild Bronzer (I have ivory skin and want a summer pick me up year round w/o the sun damage)
- Oil of Olay moisturizer w/SPF (I’m a 3rd generation user. My mum & grams always looked at least 15 years younger than their true age).
Your shorter hair is adorable and so shiny! What are your go to hair products and styling secrets?
Thanks! I love Sauvé’s Rosemary & Mint Shampoo paired with John Frieda’s Liquid Shine Illuminating Conditioner with a shine-infusing complex. I have naturally curly hair so I never travel w/o my Revlon flat or large barrel irons. To keep my hair in great “shape” I use TRESemme’s Classic Styling Tres Two Ultra-Fine Mist Spray or a handful of bobby pins to put my locks in a pretty do’ sans electricity.
What’s a beauty splurge that you know is expensive but SO worth it?
I cannot live without Dior’s Dior Show Extase Mascara, Make Up Forever’s HD Microfinish Powder, and Laura Mercier’s Hydrating Foundation Primer.
What’s your fave new beauty product/hair discovery?
I’m addicted to Victoria’s Secret lip glosses and Clinique’s Berry Kiss lipstick.
What’s your favorite Make Up Line?
I will never use anything but L’Oreal Paris for my base foundation! Every photograph I’ve ever taken while wearing it shows my skin looking flawless.
As I am getting older, the mirror is helping me realize that skin care is super important. What skin care products do you swear by?
Face: My skin is very fair and prone to sunspots (darn Irish/German family genetics). I keep my skin clear from blemishes with Aveeno’s Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser. My grandmother taught very early on that you’re never too young to start moisturizing your face (and that your make-up sits better on your skin prepped with it). I won’t go a day (or night) without Oil of Olay’s Moisturizing Lotion and Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle Replenishing Night Cream. Exfoliate at least once a week: St. Ive’s Apricot Facial Scrub.
Body: Anything from St. Ive’s with Vitamin-E, cocoa butter, collagen as an ingredient and I will use it. I have countless scars on body (and face) from being an active and very accident prone child, none of which you really see or notice because I lather myself in lotion with those ingredients.
What’s your signature scent?
(Summer/Spring) Vera Wang by Vera Wang
(Winter/Fall) Cashmere Mist by Donna Karen
You look amazing; your hard work has really paid off, especially being in the food industry. How did you lose all of your weight?
Thanks! I LOVE to cook just as much I love to eat. Life’s too short not to enjoy various and delicious dishes. I will admit to packing on 35 pounds while creating, cooking and “taste testing” multiple recipes per meal for my cook book. Hey, at least I had fun, right? Lol. I’ve always loved fresh vegetables/fruit and never shy away from a cupcake … or two. Once the cook book was finished and I saw “my hard work” in photographs I realized I needed to learn to balance my passion for food and physically activity. In the past (being a former pageant girl) I would put myself on strict meal plans (high protein, dairy free, sugar free, alcohol free…basically nothing fun or tasty). Now as a woman in my 30’s I’ve learned to pay attention to my body’s reaction to certain foods and compensate my indulgences with more daily physical exersion.
I went from a size 12 to a 4 over the past six months with very little effort. I didn’t “diet”, just changed my lifestyle habits and made sure to not set a “dead line” to lose X amount of pounds by such & such date. I never counted calories (too much math to figure out when hungry) and ate at least 3 meals a day (kept my metabolism busy). The only time I ever stepped on a scale was the 1st of every month to track progress and measure my success by how my clothes felt. If my clothing felt too tight I increased my daily physical activity. If they felt loose I knew that I was on the right track and kept going.
I detest (understatement of the decade) working out at the gym, so I found fun ways to “get in shape” like walking my French bulldog Harlow 4x’s a day (for a least 30 minutes each time), rode my bike along Chicago’s lake shore once a week (18 miles round trip) or hand whisked a recipe (like hollandaise sauce) until my arms felt like they were Jell-O. A good laugh session over a glass of wine (full of anti-oxidants by the way) with a friend is a great work out for your abs too.
As for my relentless sweet tooth I made sure to indulge in very small portions and once a week treats. That’s where “Frosting Friday” (enjoying something decadent after a week’s worth of being good) and “ChampagneThursday” (celebrating something positive, no matter how small with a glass of bubbly) started. This way I didn’t feel the urge to cheat and binge for denying myself during a craving.
Foodie Tips:
Olive Oil or Safflower Oil vs. butter
Nutella Hazelnut spread vs. chocolate
Avocado, fresh garlic and colorful vegetables(the more the better) are your BFF
Goat Cheese vs. Cow Cheese
Grill, steam, roast, or bake your meat/poultry/fish & veggies
Carbs are NOT your enemy (just walk an extra half hour)
Don’t be shy of seasoning and fresh herbs (great flavor enhancers)
Never frozen food (high in sodium/salt)
If it comes from a drive-thru, a paper bag, or card board box … say NO!
Drink as much water as possible. No soda or sugar “energy” drinks.
Tell us more about The Dekadent Diva. What’s next for your career?
The Dekadent Diva was founded while filming The Bachelor. There’s really not much to do in that big beautiful mansion (besides fall in love with a handsome man, get a tan by the pool, drink cocktails and be surrounded by TV drama. lol) so I stayed busy (and out of trouble) by cooking for my housemates (whom are now some of my best friends). The same happened when I returned for Bachelor Pad. Only this time I really got to use my culinary muscles because I was cooking for men which meant a lot of grilling, meat/protein based dishes and constant creativity to make a new dish for them daily. Jesse Beck couldn’t get enough of my nachos, so much so that I made them for him at least 3x’s a day. Until living with me, Wes Hayden had never eaten baked eggplant parmesan before. As for the girls, they all craved my Berry Rum Sundae nightly. But it was Elizabeth Kitt & Krisily Kennedy that encouraged me the most to “do something” with my passion for food when we finished filming.
I started a fun blog, called it “The Dekadent Diva” (spelling with a “K” due to my family’s German heritage & having so many K’s in my name) and things just took off from there. The blog grew into a website and the next thing I know I’m flooded with requests for recipes, catering and custom menus. Within months I was offered to publish a cook book which has been so well received that the first book, “Glamorous Cooking for the Simplest of Chefs,” is now out of print and my second book, “Deliciously Dekadent,” is set to launch April 7th, 2012 with a VIP book signing in Breckenridge, CO at friend Ann Csincsak’s boutique Vintage Sweet & Chic.
Another exciting adventure is bringing The Dekadent Diva to the small screen. I recently filmed my first pilot and currently in talks with several networks. In the meantime, I keep busy by creating new recipes daily and hosting sold out bi-annual Cupcake Crawls (a fun event spent on a luxury charter taking guests from bakery to bakery, picking up cupcakes while enjoy Champagne along the way). What’s even more rewarding is knowing that my success with The Dekadent Diva is because of my hard work and “talent” (I admit to not being a classically trained or professional chef. I just love to create delicious food on the whim of my appetite and cravings) and not a result of using my involvement with The Bachelor or Bachelor Pad.
I love baking! What are the secrets to making amazing cupcakes? What’s your favorite frosting and recipe?
The secret? Don’t be afraid of butter or sugar! There’s no such thing as a “diet cupcake”. And if there is I’m sure you wouldn’t want to eat it. I’m definitely more of a cook than a baker (keep me away from cookies. I’m banned from them! Lol. No matter what I do I always seem to ruin them). However, I’m certainly considered a “Cupcake Connoisseur” in my circle of friends. Give me a pumpkin spiced, carrot cake or banana bread cupcake with cream cheese frosting and I’m a happy girl. I worked for a German bakery in my hometown during my freshman/sophomore years of college and learned a lot about frosting; buttercream, whipped cream, mascarpone, cream cheese, meringue, mousse, and ganache. By far cream cheese frosting is my ultimate favorite!
Who do you still keep in touch with from The Bachelor and/or Bachelor Pad? Are you as excited as I am that Emily is the next Bachelorette?
Believe it or not I keep in touch with everyone! Never did I expect to gain the friends I’ve made from both shows. I’ve been a part of so many weddings, baby showers, vacations, and family holidays. We support each other in our daily lives, big events and hardships. Jesse & Ann Csincsak, Krisily Kennedy, A.W. Wells, Richard Mathy, Jillian Harris, Molly Mesnick, Melissa Rycroft, Erica DeSimone, Caitlyn McCabe, Megan Parris, Tara & John Presser, Jennifer & Chris Bradshaw, Wes Hayden, Jessie Sulidis, Jeremy Anderon, Ashley Hunt, Jason Resmini, Ty Brown, Erin Harper, Trista & Ryan Sutter, Peyton Wright, Ella Nolan, Jesse Beck, Suzie Williams, Brian Westendorf, Frank Nueschaefer, David Vargas, Graham Bunn, Stu Lopoten, Ben Castoriano, Tenley Molzhan and Kiptyn Locke …. That’s just the tip of the iceberg on listing who I’m close with and talk to. Yes, our “family” is zany and definitely has an unconventionally unique way of growing but I wouldn’t trade anything in the world to have them all in my life.
As for Emily Maynard as the next Bachelorette, I’m happy about the announcement! I was always a big fan of hers during Brad Womack’s (second chance) season. Emily will definitely be a unique Bachelorette. She’s the first widowed, single mother with a striking beauty (appealing to men) and charismatic personality (appealing to women) that will create a season of high ratings and (in my opinion) become the most loved Bachelorette in the franchise’s history. All I have to say is that ABC better give her the cream de la cream in selection of men that are 100% ready to become and instant father figure, give his heart completely to Emily, isn’t “in it” for fame or to become the next Bachelor himself! I think Emily will be this year’s Jason Mesnick. Because of the heartache Jason had (from the rejected proposal by Deanna Papas) and instant family (with his son Tye) ABC found a great caliber of quality women for him to find his wife (Molly Malaney-Mesnick). Now of course I’m bias (being a former “ex” from his season), but having actually experienced the “journey” and getting to know him and the other women I was extremely satisfied and supportive with the overall end. Emily deserves the same, as do the men she is given to find love with.
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