REVIEW: Primark nail polish

During my most recent trip to Primark I purchased three shades of nail polish. A purple kind of pastel, a blue kind of pastel and a glittery nail polish. I've been trying out the two pastels shades and I'm ready to review them for you.

The bottle, in which the nail polish is in, is very basic. It's just a see-through bottle with the brand mentioned and a white cap. I have to admit that the package is not very inviting.

one layer of nail polish

The main reason why I bought these nail polishes is because of the cheap price (€2,35) and because I don't expect to wear the pastel shades as much as basic colors. Therefore I didn't feel like spending an awful lot of money on it.

two layers of nail polish

I didn't really have high expectations when I started doing my nails. The brush was a bit rough and I even had to cut a longer hair of the brush because it would make stains. After one layer I wasn't completely pleased. Although the colors from both the purple and blue nail polish are very pretty, they both didn't cover well after one layer. The blue shade covers better though as the purple one.

one layer of nail polish

No need to panic yet though. I tried on a second layer and all of a sudden I had reached a perfect (!) coverage. Some minor notes: in my opinion the Primark nail polish takes more time to dry than more expensive nail polishes. It also flakes off a bit sooner as others.

two layers of nail polish

All in all if you take the price into account, I'm very pleased about the quality. What do you think about the colors?

INSPIRATION: The bag with a wink

During the latest fashion weeks the funny bags where everywhere. Brands such as Judith Leiber or Charlotte Olympia have made them there trademark but now Moschino, Chanel and others have hopped on this train as well.

The first time this kind of bag caught my eye was during the first Sex and the City movie. As an ode to Carrie's temporary love affair with Paris and Aleksandr Petrovsky she carries around an Eiffel tower shaped bag. The bag is designed by Timmy Woods and doesn't come cheap. Of course Carrie Bradshaw is a trendsetter who is ages beyond all of us.

So this year during the fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris these quirky accessories started to pop up again. Kate Spade searched her inspiration in Asia with a bag disguised as a Chinese take-out box. According to Anya Hindmarch breakfast is the most important meal of the day, check out his Kellogg's inspired bags. Karl Lagerfeld surprised the fashion world again with his decor, this time he went for a total Chanel supermarket with milk bottles as bags,... Don't let us forget about Judith Leiber and Charlotte Olympia who make the most amazing and funny looking bags season after season. 

But the most talked about fashion show and sold-out collection is without doubt the "McDonalds" collection from Jeremy Scott for Moschino. The red/yellow bags and phone covers are everywhere.

I have been searching the internet a bit but unfortunately I haven't been able to find some cheaper yet pretty replacements for the expensive examples underneath. Do you have some tips for me?

From L to R:

Charlotte Olympia, Judith Leiber, Moschino, Anya Hindmarch, Chanel, Kate Spade

OUTFIT: When in Rotterdam

As you read in yesterday's post I attended the I love Fashion Bloggers Q&A last Saturday. The event took place in the NHow hotel and this hotel had a lovely view on the "Nieuwe Maas" and the Erasmus bridge. Of course some outfit pictures needed to be taken. I mean how often do you find yourself in Rotterdam on this amazing location. I tried on a business yet ladylike outfit. In my opinion you can still see in the pictures how ill I have been all week. Do you like this outfit?

Btw: a big thank you to Kevin for taking these pictures with his Canon camera. These pictures really remind me I HAVE to invest in a decent camera.

I'm wearing

dress: H&M, blouse: H&M, belt: H&M, blazer: Zara, Watch: Michael Kors, Bracelets:Silis

Often my readers and friends ask me where I bought my clothes. I always mention the brands I'm wearing but sometimes the pieces are from a previous season so you might not find the exact same item. Therefore I found a solution for you. With every outfit post, I'll give some alternatives. The great thing about this is that you can buy these item straight from my blog. 

EVENT: I love Fashion Bloggers Q&A

picture credit I love Fashion Bloggers

Last week I stayed home from work with the flu. The upside was some extra free time, the downside is that I'm not the kind of person who likes spending all day inside my house. I was so glad when it was finally Saturday and I could finally leave the house.

picture credit I love Fashion Bloggers

About two months ago I attended the Blogger Class Event from Yara Michel. This was such a positive experience so when I heard about the I love Fashion Bloggers Q&A, I just felt like: "I have to be there." During the Blogger Class Event I met some really nice Dutch bloggers and luckily Dutch people are a bit more spontaneous and open than Belgians so it was really easy to start conversations with other bloggers.

Great view from the terrace

In Utrecht I met up with Kevin and Esmeralda and together we traveled to Rotterdam. The event took place in the superb hotel NHow. I just spend the afternoon there but I'm quite sure you'll have a marvelous time spending a night there.

Esmeralda, me and Kevin

At 13h30 we were welcomed with some drinks and bites, read macarons and small cupcakes. At 2 P.M. the Q&A started. This event was organized by I love Fashion Bloggers and served as an inspirational and informative afternoon for newbie bloggers like myself. The organizers gathered three very experienced fashion addicts: Yara Michel from Chapter Friday, Instagram queen Negin Mirsalehi and Linda Tol.

Doesn't this look delicious?

I was so excited to meet these lovely ladies. Of course I had met Yara before but I couldn't wait to see the others in person. Negin Mirsalehi always looks so amazing in her pictures. Now I don't want to make you jealous but she even looks more incredible in real life.

picture credit I love Fashion Bloggers

The Q&A was really inspiring, blogging all comes down to working hard and going the extra mile. Of course I already knew that. Personally I have a hard time with finding a balance between my blog, my daily job and my personal life but I hope that time brings solace.

Negin, me (I still look so ill in this picture), Yara and Linda

Afterwards we had the opportunity to do some networking. I had a lovely time discovering new brands and bloggers. Some representatives from Senanga, Loavies and DL 1961 told us more about their services. I hope I can soon introduce some new cooperations to you.

Drinks at the bar

The networking took place in the bar of the hotel with a terrace which had a great view on the Erasmus bridge. I really love this "Big City Life" vibe and I can't wait to get away from my small farmer's town as much as possible. We also got the chance to meet Yara, Negin and Linda and take pictures with them. This was of course an once in lifetime opportunity.

The Erasmus bridge

I want to thank I love Fashion Bloggers for organizing this event, NHow Rotterdam for the great location and the three ladies for sharing their tips with us. Tomorrow you'll get more details on my outfit in a full post.

OUTFIT: Kenzo sweater

I'm so glad I can finally show you a new outfit. My best friend and I had a shoot with Anil Bayrak Photography a couple of weeks ago. Thursday evening we got the result on cd and I can't wait to show you the different outfits.

My first outfit, is my favourite. As you already know I finally bought a Kenzo sweater during last month's Fashionata's ladies night. Because the sweater is a bit of masculine, I decided to match it with an embellished skirt. 

I'd love to read your thoughts on this oufit! Enjoy your weekend!

I'm wearing

sweater: Kenzo

shoes: Steve Madden

necklace: H&M

Liebster Award

I just found out that I have been nominated for a Liebster award by Kevin from justKVN. Kevin and I met at the Blog Class Event from This chick's got Style and have been following each other ever since. Definitely check out his blog if you want some male style inspiration!

Apperentely the Liebster Award is to focuss on beginning bloggers like myself. You have to give 11 facts about yourself and answer the 11 questions your nominator asked you. After that you create 11 questions as well and nominate 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers. Bring it on!

11 facts about me

• My dreamjob is being a flight attendant.
• I love chocolate above anything else in the world.
• Well that's not entirely true, I love fashion and makeup above anything else in the world. Although I swear about 500 times a year that I'm going to quite shopping, it never really works out.
• My dreambag at the moment is the Antigona from Givency.
• I love Sci-Fi and Fantasy books and movies. Yes, I adore Harry Potter, Twilight, Divergent, Star Wars,...
• I'm in love with the big city life and wouldn't doubt once second if I had the chance to move to cities such as London, Paris or Berlin.
• The top three on my wishlist of cities I still have to visit are: Paris, New York and Istanbul.
• I'm a real party girl and go out at least 2 times a week.
• My favourite drinks are champagne, vodka redbull and Cosmopolitan.
• I still live at home with my parents. I mean I have to save all my money for my wardrobe ;)
• I have shoe size 42 which is super annoying. All great shoes are excluded from me. Anyone tips for me?

The questions I got from Kevin

• Has blogging affected your personality and your daily life? If yes, in which way?
  
  Thanks to my blog I dare to experiment more with my style both fashion wise and beauty wise. I try out new things which I wouldn't wear before such as a maxi dress.
  Further more I also try to "watch" the world more and suck in inspiration everywhere that I possibly can: looking for new trends, beautiful places to shoot pictures,...
• How do you use the social media to promote your blog?
  
  I have a Facebook, Instagram, Bloglovin and Twitter account. I'm mostly active on Facebook and Instagram.
  
• How do you react to negative comments in real life and blogging life?
  
  In real life, I will react on most of the occassions. I have a really hard time keeping my mouth shut and I will always try to defend myself.
  
  In my blogging life I didn't have to deal with negative comments yet but I think I will try to be more tactful.
  
• Which is your favorite season?
  
  It's summer by far. I hate having cold and summer time also means some time off from work and great outdoor parties. This season is also the easiest to get dressed definitely because I have a lot of dresses in my wardrobe.
  
• What/Who inspires you?
  
  A lot of fashion bloggers inspire me to go after your dreams and that if you don't try, you'll never know what you're capable of.
  
• What makes you laugh the most?
  
  My best friends.
  
• What is the best and worst about blogging?
  
  The best thing about blogging is getting invited to events and meet amazing people that you would otherwise never have met. You get in touch with people who are as passionate about something as you are.
  
  The worst thing about blogging is finding the time to write a decent article. I'm a social butterfly so I'm not at home that often
  
• What makes you different than other bloggers?
  
  I don't have the perfect figure so it's sometimes harder for me the put together the perfect outfit. Still I hope I can prove to everybody that you can have curves and still look great.
  
• If you can do anything you wanted for one day, what would it be?
  
  I would want to live in the shoes of an extremely rich person and spend an aweful lot of money.
  
• The best movie you’ve ever seen?
  
  Most of the movies with Leonardo Dicaprio: Titanic, The Great Gatsby and Inception to name a few.
  
• Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? This is clearly the most important question!
  
  Hot chocolate.

The blogs that I nominate:

• Sparklesofmakeup
• The Dutch Dauphine
• Rebellious yet Romantic
• Big City Life NY

My questions for the nominees:

• Why did you start blogging?
• What's your guilty pleasure?
• What's the craziest thing you have ever done?
• Who's your style icon and why?
• If you could keep only item from your wardrobe, which would you keep?
• What's your favorite tv show?
• Who's your celebrity crush?
• Which restaurant is your favourite?
• Which is your favorite cocktail?
• If your boss asked you to move to a city permantly, once one would you choose?
• Describe your perfect date night. 

Shoplog #6

I'm really sorry that I haven't been posting a lot the past week but I'm ill at home battling the flu. I haven't been ill all winter and now the weather is finally nice outside, I'm stuck into my house. 

Luckily I have some summer items from my recent shopping trip to Primark to cheer me up and bring some sun into my house. Let me know which is your favourite item?

I really like wearing head bands and since I go to lots of festivals each year, some flower head bands couldn't be missing in my wardrobe.

I'm really dying to try out these tree colors of nail polish. The Angelica nail polish comes at € 2,95. I hope the quality is decent. Normally I buy more expensive nail polish but because these pastels colors are a bit tricky and migth not be used that often, I opted for a cheaper version this time.

Instalab #16

My friend and I with caps while going out.



I had this lovely vegetarian salad during a dinner with friends.



After the healthy vegetarian salad, I took a millefieulle from white chocolate and strawberries as desert.



My family and me celebrated the 78th birthday from my grandfather at a local Italian restaurant. Again I had a vegetarian meal.



I obviously ate a lot the past two weeks. Last Thursday I met up with an old friend from high school. This time I took a pasta with aspergus.



After all that unhealthy food, I really enjoyed joining Belmodo and Gerlinea in their quest for a healthy week.



A banana shake from the Belmode x Gerlinea food box.



Last Friday it was Sex and the City time. I enjoyed a Cosmopolitan at the cocktail bar Abdis in Hasselt.

Film Festival Cannes day 1

Wednesday evening the annual Film Festival in Cannes kicked off. I guess this event goes without introduction. It's one of the most glamorous and prestigious events on the calendar. Every self-respecting star is present.

This year the Film Festival kicked off with the screening from the movie 'Grace of Monaco', it doesn't participate in the competition. Although only a few people have seen the movie, it already causes lots of fuzz. Firstly the Royal House of Monaco doesn't support this movie at all. This makes me off course more curious to see the film. Grace Kelly, who was an actress and afterwards chose to stay at her husband's side Prince Rainier from Monaco, is one of the most legend figures in recent history.

The movie didn't get a good response from press and other attendants. This won't stop me though from checking out the movie. I can't wait to drool over all the amazing dress and mind-blowing diamonds, because you can bet on it the film will contain lots of it. Are you going to watch this movie when it hits theaters?

As a fashion blogger I'm not really interested in the competition itself. All my attention goes the "side show", read: the looks, the gossip, the glamour,...

These pictures from the Film Festival have been able to catch my eye so far:

picture credit: http://instagram.com/iamblakelivelyy#

Three fabulous ambassadrices from L'Oréal: Zoe Zaldana in Victoria Beckham and Christian Louboutin, Jane Fonda in Elie Saab Haute Couture and Chopard, Blake Lively in Gucci Première and Lorraine Schwartz

picture credit: http://instagram.com/chopard

If you want a piece of Chopard and can't afford it, my golden tip is try to win a Palme d'Or.

Karlie Kloss in Valentino and Chopard jewelry

Paz Vega and Nicole Kidman in Armani Privé

Kendall Jenner with magnifient Chopard earrings

REVIEW: Dior Mirage number 338 nail polish

What it promises to do?

"Discover the new-generation Dior Vernis and its ingenious formula that plays up the gel effect.
Shine. "Gel Coat" resins with intense purity combined with a techno-polymer transform each coat of lacquer into a film as smooth and shiny as glass.
Hold. Enriched with organic silicon, the new Dior Vernis strengthens the nail surface for extra-long wear. The techno-polymer creates a seamless bond between the nail and the lacquer. For really long staying power.
Smart. Softer, longer, and flat with a rounded tip, the user-friendly design of the new Dior Vernis brush ensures flawless application - even for beginners.
Color. Color creation draws inspiration from the color charts of the couture collections, boasting a sweeping range that includes Iconic shades emblematic of Dior, It-shades on the pulse of fashion, bold Statement shades you can't resist, and the Essentials, those timeless basics.
Feed your color addiction with the new Dior Vernis, formulated without toluene, formaldehyde, phthalates or camphor."

Package:

The package is simple but sophisticated. The bottle is see-through with Dior's name and the name of the nail polish mentioned on it. The bottle has a silver cap.

One layer of Dior Mirage nail polish

My own experience:

I really adored this color immediately when I spotted it and it's a great match with my Yves Saint Laurent lipstick. As you can see in the swatches above and below, one layer is not enough to reach that fuchsia shade. At most you get a dark pink look. Two layers do the work tough. The Dior nail polish is very easy to apply and doesn't smear. This is very important since I'm quite clumsy.

As a minus point I have to note that I miss the gel effect that Dior promises. Even with two layers, the nail polish is not thick enough to resemble gel effect.

Two layers of Dior Mirage nail polish

You can purchase this nail polish on the Ici Paris XL website for € 23,70.

Shoplog #5

Last week when I attended the Belmodo x Triumph shapewear Shopping Night I arrived quite late in Antwerp. To my surprise and joy the Forever 21 store doesn't close at 6 PM unlike most stores. I really like Forever 21 for their great accessories in every color from the rainbow. My excitement got even bigger when I realized that there was a promotion on the accessories: get 3, pay 2. I'm really sorry but I just started shopping and I forgot to check the expiry date for this promotion.

Anyway here's an overview from the things I bought:

EVENT: Belmodo x Triumph Shapewear Shopping Night

picture credit: Belmodo

Thanks to the lovely team from Belmodo I was able to attend yet another event; the Belmodo x Triumph Shapewear Shopping Night. I can hear some of you thinking: "Why would we want to wear shapewear, is this not for grannies?". Some years ago I might have agreed with you, but shapewear has come a long way since  than.

If you check out the amazing  promo pictures with the lovely Tiany Kiriloff for Triumph shapewear you see what I mean. This collection is very sophisticated and chic, it uses a variety of nice fabrics and designs and looks very sexy.

Tiany Kiriloff and me

The event was organised at the Triumph store on the Meir in Antwerp. This store is rather small which made the event very cozy. At the entrance my mother (free drive to Antwerp) and me were welcomed very warmly by the Belmodo team and got offered cosmopolitans right away.

The mood board I created with the Triumph shapewear and some Zalando items

Tiany walked around the store to advise everyone on what to buy. Did I mention she's super nice? Every attendant could also participate in a contest to win a voucher for Zalando and a lingerie set from Triumph. I also enjoyed running into some familiar faces. Thank you Belmodo and Triumph for organising this great event!

Picture credit: Belmodo