I hope everyone has had an amazing Christmas! Did you receive any gifts? Had lots and lots of food? Tell me in the comments!

My Christmas was very relaxing as always. I've had a traditional Spanish Christmas eve dinner on the 24th, a huge breakfast on the 25th and -if possible- an even larger (traditional Brazilian) dinner with my flat mate and her lovely family. During the day I was sleeping, eating or reading Vogue (British and Spanish).

The Forever 21 Facebook page shared this quote by Bill Cunningham that I want to share with all of you:

''Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life.''

After reading Vogue for two days, I completely agree.

Enjoys the last hours of Boxing Day!

xo

I have a serious fear for the hairdresser. Which is why at home I always go to the same hairdresser and the same girl has been cutting my hair for years.

In October I really needed a haircut so I searched on line for a hairdresser in Barcelona that speaks English. I found one, made an appointment and the next day I had my hair cut. I was scared as hell! The girl cutting it really looked at the shape of my face, hair texture and asked me a lot of questions about my hair. She did a very nice job! Because I have bangs, she told me I could come back and have them cut for only 5 euros.

So, after days (weeks) of thinking: should I go to have them cut.. should I reaaally?? Yesterday I went back to have my bangs cut. One of the guys had time to do it. I explained I like them to be on my brows or slightly over the brows. Some minutes and chopping later he was done. ''Do you like it?'' he asked. ''Yes, thank you'' I answered, scared he would start cutting them a bit more. My bangs do not even touch my brows. Fml

This morning I woke up and immediately started to look on line for tips to make your hair grow faster.

Head massage
Avocado
Spicy food
Sunshine
Proteins
Vitamin B

With only 10 days to NYE I'm going to try them all.. while I'm hoping for a miracle.

Oops!

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Haven't blogged in a (over) a week! I'll be back soon again. I've just wrote a blog post that hopefully goes up tomorrow. That is, if I can get the photos I need to go with it. Fingers crossed! x

It might be weird to some and familiar to others, but a good breakfast, lunch or dinner can make my day. To keep my body healthy and my mind happy I try to eat healthy and get a work out done as often as possible. But, as life can get quite stressy, at times I do struggle with maintaining this lifestyle.

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An ideal day for me would be:

Breakfast:
A peach, nectarine, some pineapple mixed in with my overnight oats.
One big cup of green tea and a cup of coffee with soy milk.
Excercise:
A 30 minute run.
Snack:
A slice of rye bread with philadelphia light and half an avocado.
Lunch:
Salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, the other half of the avocado, raspberries, goat cheese and some balsamic vinegar.
Snack:
Hummus with cucumber sticks. A handful of almonds
Excercise:
A full body pilates work out by Cassey Ho from Blogilates.
Dinner:
Cod fish out of the oven, with jacket sweet potato and baby carrots.
After dinner:
A big cup of green tea and a few spoons of Total 0% fat Greek yogurt.

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I must say eating healthy may cost a little more and it surely takes up more time. But for me it is so worth it. I can notice a huge difference in my skin when I've been eating a certain way: acne free and glowing.

To stimulate myself to eat healthy I've decided that from now on, I'll be regularly posting food logs on my blog. Hopefully it does stimulate me and inspires some of you.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite healthy meals and snacks are!

Here's a fun quote to finish off with:
Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. - Jim Davis

PS: please don't deprive yourself! If you're craving chocolate, have a piece or two, just don't eat the whole bar. Same goes for all the other unhealthy but delicious things we sometimes crave.

Youtube: My Favorite Channels #1

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Ingredients for a perfect lazy day:
- an XL cup of green tea
- a (healthy) snack
- sitting on the couch with a blanket
- youtube

One of my favourite things to do when I'm home is watching videos on Youtube, I don't know why exactly but I find it very relaxing. My personal favourites are the make up tutorials, health & work out videos and the daily vlogs. I'd like to share with you some of my favourite make up related channels.

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#1. Pixiwoo
I first heard about these two make up geniuses in 2009. I was 19 and interested in make up but I wasn't any good at it. I think the only other thing besides the standard mascara, concealer and foundation I knew how to do was applying liquid liner.

The Pixiwoo sisters, Sam(antha) and Nic(ola) are professional make up artists from England.
They basically taught me everything; from a creating a flawless face and contouring to smokey eyes and the difference between make up brushes. Sam has worked together with Real Techniques and produced her own brush collection. I bought the Core collection and the Starter Set and I can highly recommend them, great value for money.

Pixiwoo also do brilliant celebrity inspired videos. Like I said, they're make up geniuses.

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#2. Pixi2woo
Don't let the name confuse you! Make up artist Tanya Burr is the girlfriend of Pixiwoo's younger brother. If I recall correctly, Sam from Pixiwoo created Tanya's Youtube account and named it Pixi2woo. I got to know Tanya's channel through the Pixiwoo girls and have been following her ever since. She makes lovely looks, the quality of her videos are excellent and I think she is a very nice person to watch and listen too. As I have a similar eye shape to Tanya I know that the look she creates on her own eye will work on mine too, yet another reason for me to love her. Girls with (slightly) hooded eyes, make sure you have a look at her videos.

Tanya also has a vlogs and hauls channel, December 1st she started vlogging every day until Christmas. All you Christmas lovers out there, click here and get addicted.

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#3. Lisa Eldridge

If the Pixiwoo girls are make up geniuses, Lisa Eldridge is a make up magician. This is the first video I ever saw from her and I still can't believe how she did it. Lisa makes great looks on her models as well as on herself. Her videos about make up removal, organizing are very inspiring. Because of her I am now a (thankful) Bioderma addict. After seeing her video about her beauty regime during long haul flights I started to take better care of my skin while travelling and I really noticed a difference afterwards. Just like last year, she filmed an amazing gift guide video for Christmas. This year she divided all the gifts into categories, per age group and type of person. I have already watched it multiple times as it really is helpful when you're looking for a beauty product to give or receive.


Let me know in the comments what your favourite youtube channels are. You don't have to stick to make up!

Stay tuned for #2.

 

Life: Birthday Blessings

Dear Me...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Yes.. today is my 23rd birthday and I feel old!

Old but blessed. Because even though I can't spend this birthday with family, I am lucky enough to spend it with one of my best friends.

We watched girly movies last night, toasted at midnight and this morning we had an amazing breakfast together. At midnight she gave me my first present (crazy, sweet friend)! It's a Sephora gift card and I'm so happy with it, as I already was planning on buying the UD Naked Palette later today.


I also received sweet birthday cards in the mail earlier this week and this morning some text messages and phone calls from family and friends.

Here's a slice of cake for all of you. Enjoy ;)

Happy Holidays: Wishlist.

I love Christmas. I love it all: the pretty lights, Christmassy beverages, even the cheesy songs. Oh and don't get me started on those cozy knitted jumpers.

Sad enough, I’m not celebrating Christmas with my family this year because of my internship abroad… but that didn’t stop me from making a wish list!

 

1. Pharrell – Places and Spaces I’ve Been.                   

 

I think this coffee table book would be a great addition to my copy of Influence by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen and my two Lauren Conrad books, Style and Beauty. I agree that Pharrell doesn’t really fit in this girly group but -Here comes a confession- I’ve been in love with him for years. I’m a big fan of his music, fashion and to me everything he touches turns into something gold, glittery, something I want to have. I. Want. This. Book. I want to read it in bed on a cold and snowy Sunday. I seriously believe I need this in my life.

All I there is left to do is pick a color (help me! which one?!) and wait until I'm back in Amsterdam to buy it.

 

2. Silver stacking rings.

 

Ever since I saw Lisa Eldridge's beautiful rings I’ve been on the search for something similar. Last week, I found exactly what I was looking for. ! I bought them on Etsy, the shop is called The Mustard Tree and the owner, Tanya, is just lovely. The rings are available in silver and in gold. Because the majority of my jewelry is silver, I went with that. I think they can even be combined with the three silver stacking rings I already have.

 

3. An Archie Grand Notebook.

The notebooks by Archie Grand are awesome. I have yet to decide for which one I'll go for. Right now I'm thinking:
- Secret Agents I Met And Liked
- Shopaholics I Met And Liked
- Designers I Met And Liked
- Lies I Told And Liked
Obviously, they are all just for fun as I unfortunately don't get to meet secret agents that often ;)

What's on your wish list this Christmas?

Music: On repeat

I don't know about you, but I sure do have winter and summer songs.

 

This year I've been loving Lana Del Rey's music, but I honestly love it more now it's getting colder. A warm winter coat, big scarf, a coffee on the go and listening to my Ipod playing Ride makes me very happy.

 

These are the songs I've been loving lately:

 

Lana Del Rey - Ride
Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness

Ed Sheeran - The A Team

Ed Sheeran - Lego House

Ben Howard - Keep Your Head Up

 

What are you listening to?

Travel: Curacao.

In 2011 I was so lucky to live on this beautiful island during my internship. As I enjoyed every minute of it, I thought I'd share my tips.

The people are very welcoming (especially if you learn a few words to say in papiamentu), great weather to visit the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and there are some interesting restaurants to check out while you're there. Even though it's not a big island to go around the island you definitely need a car as public transport doesn't really go to the beaches and more remote areas.

When I say public transport, please don't picture big busses and such. Although there are a few big busses, the busses that are mostly used are the minivans, holding space for 8 persons. I used to take these small busses to work every day. The drivers all have their own fare, so make sure to ask before you get in. The busses have a general route that they must go on, but it's common that locals get dropped of at their front door. If you plan on going somewhere by bus, make sure you have enough time to get where you want to go because it happens quite often.

Restaurants:

Brion Plein Cafe.
This nice place serves amazing local dishes for a very reasonable price. Make sure to try the stoba, a type of stew. The owners serve with a smile and can adjust the menu to taste. The terrace looks over one of the most wellknown sights of the island, De Handelskade and the floating bridge.
Address: Brion Plein in Otrobanda.

 

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Jaanchies.
A stop at Jaanchies will be an unforgettable experience for sure. This restaurant serves tasty- and typical local food (I tried some Iguana meat), the place looks like a small museum and Jaanchies himself will sing the menu to you. He goes very quick, so pay attention, it's over before you know it! Although it isn't the cheapest option on the island, it's more than worth it.
Address: Westpunt 15

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Beaches:
To be honest, I can't make a decision on which beaches I mostly reccommend. They're all beautiful and if you get the chance, go to as many as possible. De grote knip (for free, but no facilities), Porto Mari, Daaibooibaai, Cas Abou, Blue Bay Beach, Seaquarium Beach I love them all equally!

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Saint Tropez Ocean Club.

This is not a beach but a (infinity) pool where you can lounge all day for a small fee. They also serve the most delicious sandwiches. On lazy days this is a great option.

 

 

Some words in Papiamentu to get you going:

 

Papiamentu	English
Bon bini	Welcome
Bon dia	Good morning
Bon tardi	Good afternoon
Bon nochi	Good evening
Ayo!	Bye!
Danki	Thank you
Dushi	Sweetie
Kon ta Bai?	How do you do?
Mi ta bon	I am fine
Unda bo ta bai?	Where are you going?
Mi ta bai kas	I’m going home
Bo ta bunita	You look nice
Por fabor	Please
Di nada	You're welcome

 

Some days I just want to be a kid again. Why? Because kids speak their mind. They don't overthink.

This blog is where I can speak my mind. And I will. About all things that interest me. No overthinking, just sharing the things I like.

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