Travel: Paris Day 1

On 23 December we left for Paris to spend the Christmas days there. Since there were problems with the trains the days before, we left insanely early and of course, the trains never were more on time. ;-)
We arrived in Paris a bit after noon and checked into our hotel. Hotel Chalgrin is very much recommended. It's a beautiful, boudoir sort of hotel, ideal for a couple of nights with the man or woman you love.
The old man who welcomed us was a bit eccentric to say the least. :-)

2011 in lists

Main events of the year:
The Arabic spring, Fukushima, Belgium getting a government, the drama at Pukkelpop.
On a personal level: being happily in love.

Fashion: Christmas outfit

As I've posted here before, I bought my christmas dinner dress at Mango just before we left for Paris.
Loved wearing it. In fact, I'll probably wear it for our New Years drinkies at work.

Beauty: Barry M

I bought the golden shatter effect by Barry M in Canterbury some weeks ago. Now I've tried it for the first time on top of a red nailpolish.
It was a bit hard to get the right amount, not too much not too little, seems like it only went just right on the last few nails. ;-)

Merry Christmas!!!

Tomorrow morning, if all goes well with the trains, I'll be off to Paris for 5 days with my boyfriend to spend the Christmas days over there. It's a very special trip for us and we found a unique hotel located at 2 minutes from the Champs Elysées.
I will write a travel report when I'm back but in the mean time ...

Beauty: Dr Hauschka Rose cream light

The cold and wet winter air can be a brutal attack on your skin. It makes it dry, itchy and thirsty. I drive to work on my scooter everyday, through rain, wind, melting snow, etc. And now with temperatures (finally) dropping, it's very necessary to pamper my facial skin as much as I can.

I always use Dr Hauschka's Rose cream light during the cold winter months. It's a fantastic barrier against the chills and it's a good base for a light foundation as well.

Shopping: new dress

On the 23th, my bf and myself are going to celebrate Christmas in Paris for 5 days. On Christmas Eve we've got a romantic dinner planned so I thought it'd be a nice opportunity for a new dress. ;-)
Found a lovely one at Mango. Only 1 left and exactly my size. That's fate.

Daytrip: Brussels

Yesterday, I went to the Christmas market in Brussels with two friends. The weather was lovely, the food was good and the company was fun! :-)
Here some pictures!

Shopping: Canterbury part 3

I always tend to buy a lot of shampoo and other haircare products when in the UK, the range is wider and more varied.
At Superdrug, I bought a whole stash of Frizz Miracle Shampoo & Conditioner by Aussie. This is my absolute n°1 shampoo. After only one rinse, my hair is shiny, frizz-free, and luscious. You can't imagine how happy I am with it! :-)

Shopping: Canterbury part 2

One of my favourite shops is Boots. But now I noticed, actually I already noticed it when I was in London in August, that Superdrug is slightly cheaper than Boots! So we first went to Superdrug (next post) and what we couldn't find there, we bought at Boots. Again, some special offers and reductions were in order. result: me happy! :-)

Shopping: Canterbury part 1

Next to buying food supplements at Holland and Barrett, christmas cards at a card shop and panties at M&S, I also bought some more 'interesting' stuff in other shops. ;-)

Decoration: Christmas

I've put the christmas tree up this last weekend. Some snapshots of how my home looks right now.

Travel: Canterbury

Yesterday, I went on my annual Christmas shopping spree to Canterbury. Ever since the Channel Tunnel has opened, I've been there once a year in December together with my mum. The very first time I've ever been there was when I was 9 years old, with the ferry from Ostend to Dover. The journey took 4 hours (so 8 in total!) and when we arrived in Dover, we hopped on the train to Canterbury.
It has changed completely! Even in the last year, so many new cafés and restaurants have popped up! And of course, it's a bit of a shopping heaven. ;-)
I will show you a selection of what I've bought in the next couple of posts (so stay tuned this week! ;-) ) but today I'll show you some snapshots of the day trip itself.

Jewels: Owl Crazy

I love owls...and jewels with owls. A couple of years ago, you didn't see them everywhere as you do now. And in all honesty, the mass population of owls in jewel shops hasn't been very good for the quality of the jewels. Many now look quite cheap (the art is to find cheap jewels/clothes/shoes that look rather expensive! Love that! ;-) ) and break easily.
Anyway, I've got a little collection of my own, and always on the look out for more (but good ones!)

Cooking: Chocolate Cookies

Made a bunch of chocolate cookies yesterday for which I've taken the recipe from fashionata. :-)

Outfit : Winter Coat

Every two/three years I have the same problem: to find a good, decent yet fashionable winter coat. I need a really warm one cause I drive to work on my scooter, but I detest those 'duvet' type of coats. They honestly creep me out!
Last winter I found more or less the perfect coat at Mango...but it was quite expensive so I waited till the sales in January and bought it -40%, saved it till now so I have a spanking new one this winter. :-)

Beauty: hand cream

I have the tendency to have very dry hands, especially in winter but also in summer. So, I always, without fault, apply hand cream before I go to bed and in the morning when I arrive at work.

New poll!

77% of you voters buys clothes online! As do I! ;-)
There's a new poll online....So vote away.

Beauty: skin care

I'm trying some new products at the moment: a daytime elixir and a nighttime skin cream.

Outfit: Stripes

I quite like striped shirts & sweaters but often they are just not 100% what I want. I bought this shirt a while ago and even better, it has patched elbows! Strike! :-)

I think it's ideal to combine with a skinny jeans and some funky boots.

Beauty: Bloom Mascara

Finding the right mascara can be a difficult task: do you want full and outrageous? Do you want finer and flirty? Do you want natural? etc.
I prefer waterproof mascaras that are also good for people with allergies or sensitive eyes. my eyes are very sensitive due to a problem with my tear glands, sometime I experienced badly when having corrective laser surgery 2 years ago.

One of my preferred mascaras is Bloom's Full & Flirty Waterproof Mascara.

Outfit: Market day

On Saturday, I went to the market with my mum. It was a beautiful, sunny yet chilly autumn day so it was time to get out a  heavier coat.

Cooking: Amarena Cherry Cake

Yesterday, it was my boyfriend's birthday and we had some guests coming over for a cheese fondue. I also made a cake for dessert (along with some other things).
The cake was flatter than expected but was very tasty.

Beauty: Favourite Perfumes

Today I'll share my top 3 of favourite perfumes with you. I always have these three in stock...
But next to these I at the moment have a wide array of other scents waiting to be used...they are safely hidden in a dark space. :-)

Fashion: Shopping outfit

Last week, I went to an exhibit here in Bruges and then went for lunch and some shopping. Best thing to do then is to not wear heels that are too high (cobblestones!).

Combined some older and some newer items.

Nails: I am a star

This week, I tried another colour I bought from Catrice...I am a Star...
The nail polish is great dark colour...bit bronze, green, shiny. Really love it!

Cooking: Cherry Chocolate Muffins

Baked some delicious muffins this week with amarena cherries and chocolate.

Fashion: Dinner outfit

Went out for dinner earlier this week and this was my outfit...

Poll results: Versace for H&M

71% of those who voted in the poll weren't too keen on Versace for H&M...

New poll up! :-)

Beauty : Sebo Specific

As I've written before, I often order beauty products from Yves Rocher and have done so for many years now. A while ago I bought a new product I hadn't tested before.

Shopping: Jewels

I recently found a really cool webshop, Quirkyboutique.com
They have a fun and special collection of jewellery and an excellent service! Ordered a couple of earrings and a wonderful necklace & it arrived in a week and a half...lovely communication via twitter as well.
So, highly recommended!

so, what did I buy?

it all arrived in colourful parcels...

Fashion: Retirement party outfit

Last Friday, it was my mum's retirement party. After a career of 42 years, she's finally saying goodbye to working life at 64...good opportunity for an outfit post. ;-)

Health: Tempur

This is a less bling bling kind of post but I just wanted to share it with you anyway.
As some of you know, I've been battling back problems for a while now and because of that, going to bed (one of my favourite moments of the day) had turned into a horror fest. I often woke up at night because of intense pain, couldn't fall asleep easily and when I woke up and got up, I felt like a little old laydee.
So, I decided to go and look for a new mattress. After trying out some that are specifically good for back problems, I decided to go for the Tempur combi-mattress. For me the best (and also the most expensive one, sadly)

Shopping: Vero Moda

Went for a spot of lunch shopping yesterday and had a look around Vero Moda. It was a long time since I've last been there. They had quite a lot of lovely goodies in!
I left with two nice items: a skirt and a scarf.

Nails: Khaki Perry

This week, I tried one of the new Catrice nail polishes I bought some weeks ago. Khaki Perry - bit of an unfortunate name but anyway - is a very lovely colour...bit silver, bit greenish and it looks great on the nails. Not too much in your face. 2 layers give enough coverage. 

Cooking: Bruschetta

This is a dish I absolutely adore. It's simple, healthy and just so tasty!

Take a bruschetta and sprinkle it with olive oil.
I use a special baking plate with holes in it.

Shopping: New boots and shoes

Recently ordered new shoes and boots at 3suisses.be and now they have arrived. Had my eyes on them for a while but now they were on offer with quite a reduction.
I'm actually particularly pleased with the shoes...they are amazing!

Shopping: New stash

Bought some new stuff recently, and my order from asos also arrived...

Trend: Don't Mind the Tash!

For some time, T-shirts, jewellery,etc. with moustaches on it have been very trendy....Made a small collection of items that I've spotted....

Life is a Joke t-shirt (elevenparis.com)

Cooking: chocolate red wine cake

Baked a seriously delicious cake today.
You really should try it as well!

ingredients (for 6 pieces):
- 160 gr butter
- 150 gr sugar
- 3 eggs
- 165 gr flour
- 1/2 sachet of baking flour
- 50 gr grated chocolate
- 65 ml red wine
- 2 teaspoons of cacao

Fashion: Outfit of the day

Decided to occasionally start posting what I'm wearing. 

Boyfriend is not at home, so had to take pictures myself, apologies, next time I'll use my reflex camera and better angles. ;-)

Cooking: my favourite dish

This is absolutely my favourite dish, and easy to make. The recipe is as follows (for 1 person)

- 6 giant prawns
- 1 tomato
- bit of courgette
- handful of mushrooms
- wholewheat pasta
- sesame oil
- dried chilli pepper
- mixed pepper/salt/mustard/lemon

Beauty - product review: Aussie shampoo

When I was in London in August, I - as usual - raided Boots & Superdrug, and bought this new brand Aussie. There was a special offer and obviously, I had to try it.
Aussie shampoos and conditioners all smell divine, they have natural ingredients like berries, etc. and also target problems like frizzy hair,...

Beauty : Prada Candy advert

I just had to post this advert because I think it's one of the funniest perfume adverts I've seen in a long time....on the music of Running Wild (Some Like it Hot)

Enjoy! :-)

Beauty : my nail polishes

Today I'll show you what nail polish I have in stock. I always tend to get carried away when new colours become available, must learn to restrain myself. :-)

Beauty - product review : 2 phase eye make up remover lotion

I like luxury products (who doesn't?!) but I also like a good budget product. Hema has a wide range of good affordable beauty products and lately I've really taken a shine to this make up remover. It's a 2 phase one, so you have to shake it well before you use it. It's an oily texture and even the most resistant waterproof mascara melts away easily. It's very nourishing for your skin (I use it for my whole face and then use a kleenex to get rid of the excess).

more info: www.hema.be

Fashion - Shopping Wishlist

I'm completely in love with Mango's new collection. Always have been a big fan of b/w combination and these look just divine. I know where I'm heading next!

A glimpse into my handbag

I've seen it on other blogs I follow and think it's fun to share the essentials from my handbag. 

Beauty - product review : Roc Rides Correxion

I bought this serum a while ago with rather high expectations. Roc to me means quality. However, it pains me to say that I'm really not pleased with this product at all.

The serum is made for a 30 something skin (check) and to be applied under day cream. However, the texture is that unpleasant that it's impossible to wear it during the day because your face gets a yellow hue. Even after applying foundation, the yellowness still shows and the lines in your face, even lines you don't see otherwise, are even more apparent.

So, now I'm using it under my night cream but I can't say that it's comfortable and soothing.

My mother has the serum in the same line of products but for the more mature skin and she has the same problem with it. The yellow thick structure of the serum is why this product fails completely. Shame.

Beauty: perfume SOS

I used to never have perfume on me. I didn't want to run around carrying heavy perfume bottles until....

I found this travel bottle for perfume...to be filled with your own favourite perfume. I filled mine with Victor & Rolf's Flowerbomb extreme, a perfume I never go without, and it's even safe to take on planes! Who could resist?

I bought it at Galeria Inno for 13,50 EUR.