The Secret

A couple of years ago, a movie was spread all over the world. It was called "The Secret", a film created in 2006 told the story of the secret, a well-kept secret that, allegedly, has been used by all the great people of our time to become as great as they were. After the film, Rhonda Byrne wrote the book "The Secret", to elaborate on the concept she introduced in the film. It was widely worshipped, critizised and talked about. Everyone had an opinion about it, and regardless of the many success stories that were revealed, people were skeptical. How could this thing, a kind of magic, be true. Could it be this easy?

Stockholm Shopping Wish List

 Lately, nothing else but fashion has been on my mind. It has almost become an addiction and I don't pass a day without browsing webshops. Obviously, my next big shopping trip is Stockholm, and to avoid big financial problems, I've been working on a list to stick to. This way, I hope not to spend too much. Let me introduce you: the SSWL (Stockholm Shopping Wish List).

Love and happiness

Film after film, book after book, song after song. The inspiration for many a cultural masterpiece has been love. Or the lack of it, often. Growing up, we are influenced by the idea that the first great thing in life that we have to pursue, is love. I, myself, as well.

Gina Tricot

Lately, I've been noticing that a lot of bloggers around me have discovered Gina Tricot. I, myself, am a huge fan of Gina Tricot and that is why I would also like to introduce you to this great fashion brand. You'll love it :).

Outfit

Simple, but classy. A nice going-out outfit for all sorts of occasions :).

Fall Outfit

 Honestly, I'm pretty bummed out that summer's definitely over. On the other hand, I'm ready for true fall weather, now. I've been surfing the web for fashion and I absolutely love the heavy knitted look. The one I put together is not too hot for fall, because of the relative light coat and 3/4 sleeves of the knitted dress. I can totally see myself wearing this, a possible Stockholm outfit even? I've decided to bring one outfit and an extra pair of shoes and buy the rest there. Obviously, I will need a comfortable and flexible outfit, then. This might be the one!

Estocolmo!

Estocolmo. I'll always remember this from my time in Costa Rica. I was super close with a girl from Stockholm, Sweden, and I was fascinated. Sweden is a country that most Dutch people don't know a whole lot about. Including me. I wasn't all too enthusiastic about Scandinavia when I was younger, either. It all always appeared a little too many mooses and to few amount of style and trends.

Autumn Must-Have: Studs

Studs!

iPhone 5 Release

There were two major events going on yesterday for the people in the Netherlands: firstly, the elections. Secondly, and most importantly, the iPhone 5 release! Honestly, I do care about the Dutch government and believe me, I did a lot of research before deciding what to vote for, but when I realized that I wasn't in Rotterdam when I wanted to vote and had a Rotterdam voting pass, I didn't really care. So, I didn't vote yesterday. More excited was I about an hour before the Apple release, because I've mentioned before, I'm an Apple addict...

Walk-in Dream

Mrs. X' Walk-in Closet in 'The Nanny Diaries'

With moving on my mind, I can't help but imagine one of my greatest interior design dreams: a walk-in closet. Every single day, when I choose yet another of my fabulous looks from my wardrobe, I dream about standing in a room, being able to walk around with all my clothes around me, picking the most amazing outfits. With the anti-squat living, I have absolutely no idea what apartment will be offered, or if any apartment will be offered at all. But if I get to live somewhere in the end, how high are the chances that there will be that extra bedroom, open for suggestions? With a boyfriend who has a love for luxury and pretty things, I think there are no other options. He would be happy to share the walk-in with me.

I'm Back!

Haaay, I'm baaaack. Holiday was great. We chilled and did nothing all day, laying on the beach and by the pool, getting tan and taking a swim. I would have liked to be a little more active, but honestly, Turkey just isn't my kind of country. I love cities, or nice towns where you can stroll around or beautiful relaxed beaches. I haven't seen any of those. Still, it was a nice relaxing holiday and we enjoyed it! Next year, hopefully Curacao!

Anyways, you can be expecting about 3 articles a week from now on. Enjoy :).

Love,

Nails-of-the-day

Lately, I've been loving red nail polish. I had a lighter red version for a while, but currently I'm in looove with Catrice's 070 Caught On The Red Carpet. It's a very dark, luscious kind of red which I think gives a sexy and fashionable feel at the same time. Today, I wanted to add that little extra to my nail look. I remembered a flakey gold polish by Essence and decided to polish my nails with this. I thought of coating all nails with the flakey top coat, but then had the idea to just do my ring finger, for that shiny touch without overdoing it! Take a look: (I have to say that the pictures are awful today, but I just couldn't make my camera to work. Those days...)

Zara obsession

Am I the only one that has been noticing that Zara has gotten a lot more expensive? I used to be able to afford most of their collection, but now a days prices have gotten over the moon. On the other hand, I do think that the quality and design have gotten over the moon as well. Their fall collection is absolutely amazing! The jackets, the trousers are incredibly well made and designed. The shapes are minimalistic with an evident touch of studs. I absolutely love it and I feel that women wearing those clothes, are women in control, women with a goal and purpose in life that are beautiful and powerful.

Gilmore Girls

When I was talking about Gilmore Girls in my previous post, I got an idea. Why not introduce you to the most amazing TV series there has ever been? (In my opinion.) I absolutely love these series, I started watching them when I was around the age of 12 and I'm still able to watch all the episodes that I've already seen a thousand times with pleasure. You know how sometimes fictional characters can start to feel like family? I have this with Gilmore Girls. 

Book Wishlist

When I was a little girl, I was... weird. There is no other way to put it. I would read books days on end, until the age of 7 I hadn't spoken to any of my classmates when it wasn't necessary and I would create fantasy worlds tirelessly. Books where my world, my fuel. Anyone remember the 'Artemis Fowl' books? And the sentences at the bottom of the pages in an unknown language in the first book? Together with a translated letter in the book and a lot of common sense, I was able to translate more than half the book. Might not be a very remarkable thing, but I was nine. I would spin the large curtains in my room around me, as if I was transported to a place far away from home where I could read and translate. Yep, I could read 3 books a day, without any disturbance in concentration.

Summer hotness

I believe in miracles. Or at least, I will have to from now on, because the temperature here in the Netherlands has risen over 30 degree celsius. Tomorrow a temperature of 35 degrees is forecasted. 35! Degrees! I'm completely blown away, flabbergasted, so to speak. Today was about 32 degrees and I had to work all day... Fun! Anyways, I have 2,5 weeks off from work and tomorrow is beach day. I'm a little worried on wether it will even be bearable to lay in the sun, but I don't really care. Need. To. Enjoy. Sun.

Braid trend

I was pinterest-ing (hmmm, word?) around the hair and beauty category and I spotted a new hairstyle trend. The sloping - if that's the word - french braid. And it's beautiful. It gives this elegant, simple, yet intriguing touch and I want to learn it!


I did some experiments and the thing is, it's just a french braid with a difficult placement. I can do the french braid on the back of my head just fine, but this is a lot harder! You have to aim where to go and where strings of hair need to be placed in a sloping way without being able to see anything. My mom happens to be an excellent braider, brading my hair since 1995 and I asked her to help. This is the result:

The braid isn't as strong as in the other pictures, but you can achieve this effect by using some product on your hair. I have a lot of hair, but very thin hairs, and I didn't use any product, which resulted in this. I think it's beautiful. She first french braided my hair, than braided one string individually and braided this together with the other two strings to create a less strict braid. Some pieces are sticking out, but this is simply because of the fact that I have layers in my hair and because I love the braid to be a little bit more casual, not as tight as some people like it. Yeah. I just did it myself and I'm getting closer, it's an easy one!

Besides easy, it's playful and classy at the same time. I can imagine myself wearing this in all kinds of situations, whether it's on the beach, during a festival or when I'm going shopping. Furthermore, my hair stays out of me face, which for me means, that I don't touch it with my hands all the time. Result: non-greasy hair! 

Love,

Holiday destination: Marmaris, Turkey

A while ago, I wrote the post about the how I was debating which hotel to go to in Bodrum, Turkey. Well, suprise! Haha, we're not going to Bodrum at all. There was not a lot available in Bodrum for the time that we want to go and I heard a lot of good stories about Marmaris. So, there you go :).

Moving!

For a while now, I've been having some problems with where I live at the moment. It's a living room/bedroom combination with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen. First of all, the kitchen that I have to share is a little disgusting... Secondly, I have no idea who the people are that I share the kitchen with. All I know is that they are far beyond their student years in age and one of them is suicidal. I found out about that when the police was banging on his door and taking it down because they thought he had killed himself. So. Much. Fun! Anyways, it's also a little small and I'm over it, I'm ready for something new.

Hmm breakfast

Had a relatively healthy breakfast (lunch, oops) this morning! Strawberry sandwiches and radishes. Might be a little strange, but I loved the soft and hard flavours combined.

Love,

Best Birthday Present: Leco Love Boat mini case

Some time ago my mom and I found out about the Leco make-up accessory line. There is a wide range of make-up bags and brushes, varying from huge bags to the smallest travel size brushes. Not only the style is something that we have come to love, it is also the quality. The bags are of real leather and the brushes are great in their usage. No complaints whatsoever. Because of this mutual love, it has become a birthday ritual to give a Leco accessory as a gift. This birthday, I got the Love Boat, a travel size mini case with brushes included.

Best Birthday Present: Daisy by Marc Jacobs

One of my favorite scents that I managed to use completely is Oh, Lola! by Marc Jacobs. I wore it with every occasion. The notes of this scent are wild strawberry, pear, raspberry, peony, sandalwood and vanilla. Fruity and flowery! I honestly love fruity and flowery scents, they're sweet, but not too sweet. For a while, Lola's 'niece', Daisy, had been on my wish list of scents to buy, when my boyfriend's grandmother came to bring me a gift for my birthday. I had lifted just one part of the packaging when I already knew what it was. The little white flowers around the edge kind of gave it away ;D.

My Roaring Twenties?

Yesterday was the day, I turnes twenty. Twenty... I'm usually not the kind of person to make a big deal about ages, but TWENTY! Haha, for some reason, it's kind of an issue for me. Nineteen was just a really good age. I loved being the inbetween. You're still young enough to get away with things and to be able to flutter through life carelessly. While twenty means responsibilities, means knowing where your life will be going, means making choices. Nevertheless, no matter how fun being nineteen felt, I do think I'm reading for twenty, you know. I'm ready to start life, to go for it.

Primark Shoplog

Because of the fact that I work at a clothing store and I get a 40% discount, I don't really go shopping that much anymore. I used to go all the time, but the financial aspect of a 40% discount is just too attractive to go and spend my money elsewhere. But, because sometimes I just want to buy a lot of items without spending a lot of money. It is just such a fun way of shopping! Primark is obviously the best way to go. Usually, I like a little more quality when it comes to clothing, but as long as you combine and style it the right way, it is the ideal place to go and have fun!

Herome Nail Project

One thing is a fact, I have terrible nails. They are chipped, torn and damaged. I'm not sure when this started and what caused it, but whatever I do and no matter how careful I try to be, they look awful all the time.

Early birthday gift no. 1

A few days ago I got my first early birthday gift! And I have fallen in love. my previous watch was very classic and a little boring to be honest. Silver, with a rectangular dial and greek signs for numbers. I think you can kind of picture what it looks like. It was a DKNY watch and I had worn it with love, but it was time for a different one. My boyfriend thought so, too. And that is when I got this watch, way before my actual birthday.

Turkey! (The country, not the bird)

As you probably already know, I love to travel! And it's such a shame that I don't get to do it a lot. I study, work, go out and try to have a little fun, together with paying the rent and other bills every single month. I don't have a lot of money to spare... But every year, every summer holiday, I HAVE to go somewhere. Somewhere where it is hot, where the people are happy and where you can lay on the beach, swim in the blue sea, get a tan and drink cocktails all day. I have done the cultural holiday more than once, and I kind of feel like doing a sun, sea and beach (zon, zee en strand) holiday. All of these things I am not able to find here in The Netherlands, obviously... Most terrible western country to live, in my opinion. A lot of you will probably disagree big time with me on this one, but believe me I can't be convinced. With almost 20 years of experience in this tiny, little country, I think I get a say.

Two of my favorite things

Red nailpolish & Eight Hour Creme is love

Love,

Places I want to visit

So, some time ago I signed up for Pinterest and it is addictive! It is so much fun, I can spend hours on it, going through all the amazing pictures, views and images. When singing up, I instantly created a board with the name "Places I'd Like to Go".

Work + The Hills marathon yesterday, PR dreams today

That is pretty much what I did yesterday, hence the absence of a blogpost. Sorry, will not happen again! Anyhow, my future!

Apple!

I know a lot of people hated this commercial when it first came out, mainly because of the a little too overdone quirkiness. But I love it. It is so funny and the perfect image of what is possible with the Apple iPhone. People might want to use the iPhone for more intelligent purposes, but who cares?! The video is cute.

Life

A fun job, a great study, the best boyfriend and great friends. That's all I have, and no less than that. I can't really say I have anything to complain about. BUT there is always room for improvement and I love making bucket lists, inspiration views and vision boards. The following, as a little introduction to me, will be some impressions that I made.

Love,

Hello

Hi!

I love my life and you will, too.

love,

Lisly