Brussels' Christmas lights

The day after Christmas I went to Brussels's Christmas market with friend Lynn. It's definitely the best Christmas market I've ever been to. (I haven't been to many of those actually) We took the train, and about an hour later, we arrived in our capital. We followed the crowd and entered this lovely market. It surprised me that it was some sort of a light show too, a bit like Ghent's festival of lights last year. But unlike the others days lately, the weather was quit ok. It only started raining when we were almost going home. So summarized, it was a good day (evening)!

The widely discussed Christmas tree of Brussels. Already a spectacle on itself.

The most awesome carrousel I've ever seen !

This was so weird! It's a Christmas tree, producing fake snow on top. That snow is captured at the bottom in some sort of an umbrella (upside down), and I guess it's then recycled to the top again.

Happy New Year !

Christmas mood

Still in the mood for Christmas holidays? Despite my finals, I am!
Yesterday I went to the Christmas Market of our capital Brussels, and it there was a truly amazing atmosphere. It's definitely the best xmas market I've ever been to.

But here are my pics from the beginning of this week. Starting with Christmas Eve, which I celebrated with my father's side of the family!

I painted a snowman for my uncle ! :D

One of my presents, perfect for my home in Ghent!

Christmas day itself was a lazy day. We celebrated it at home, together with my aunt.

This last pic is one of the candle lights my mum and sister made. It's a very easy DIY!
Just take some paper lace doilies and spray some fake snow on it. Be careful though, don't wipe it out.

Now there's just one more thing left to say,

Happy Holidays to you !

The Land of Papers

Hi peepz!
I'm aware of the fact that it's quit silent around here lately. That's because I moved over to the Land of Papers for a while. Luckily this hell is almost over, tomorrow is my last day here! But then it's time to pack my stuff and fly to the Land of Studying. Can you imagine that I'm looking forward to that?! Maybe that makes clear how horrible this Land of Papers is.

Here are some impressions of last December:

Welcome back mister leo coat. Since summer I was so looking forward to wearing this sweety again. It's the most cuddliest thing ever ! And perfect for strolling on the fair on a cold winter evening, when some of our ex-classmates from high school visited us here in Ghent. Minus three persons, our class was almost complete again! It felt like a little reunion. Such a pity that Ruby wasn't there also!

ZARA coat (2011)

But what I will most remember of this month is:

Studying.

Reading.

Stress.

Writing.

Stress.

Deadlines.

Even more stress.

All those things have one advantage, just one. I'm becoming a pro in making things cozy! Every day the candles are burning (Gift tip for me! ;), blankets here and there and tea. Yes, I'm becoming a tea-drinker. Ruby will be surprised! But I'm still working on my tea skills, as you can see in the picture underneath.

I had a hard time choosing nail polish last week. They must be perfect for a concert I had the day after. On facebook some of you suggested the black one, but in the end I choose another one. The red/pink one became the chosen one. Because I was cold. And because it was a nice warm colour.
The concert went fine, and the other one yesterday also. One more to go now, Saturday!

Collistar, GOSH, Catrice, OPI

Last Friday it was raining cats & dogs. And since my umbrella broke down earlier, and my hat got lost, I had no defence for the rain. So I decided to wear my only hooded coat: mister leopard.
As you can see in the picture, not a very smart idea. I kinda looked like a drowned cat.
But, my hair was still completely dry. Win!

Now I'm up for some Christmas shopping. Toodles !

The little things

Here are some random things from last October, never published, but worth talking about.
First of all, may I introduce you to a magnificent view from my window:

I can assure you, they are lying there for a couple months al ready.

Enjoy the little things, is a well-known phrase. It can be that magical moment when you and a stranger both have to laugh about some thing that just happened. Or when you come home after a long week, and your mum has cooked your favourite meal. Or maybe you're just admiring the sunlight, and how it enlightens things you normally overlook.

I just love how my make up was done here.
I'm only wearing some foundation and blush, and it felt like I had a thick layer of make up on my face, but it looked so beautiful. So healthy. I would definitely wear this everyday if I had the skills, products and time. Thumbs up for the Aveda team (aka Dosha) in Ghent.

see through top Forever 21, glass necklace vintage

Oh Christmas

Oh Christmas.
It's coming closer and closer and normally I'm "filled with joy" because of that. But now I'm not in the Christmas mood at all. I'm even getting stressed when I think about it! Reason? Exams in January and papers that have to be finished in a few weeks. So. Much. Work. Just three more weeks, then it's holiday and then exams al ready! Just three weeks!! See, I'm getting stressed again.
But I'm not going to ruin your Christmas mood. It is one of the best moments of the year. It's present season! And no, I'm not that selfish. :) Getting presents is nice, but the best part is thinking about which presents to give! Prepare your creative powers, cause it's almost time to use them, yay!
Here are some of my favourite things:

1. Urban Outfitters mug
2. Lien Hereijgers via De Invasie scarf Renoir
3. Topshop coat
4. Topshop Sesame street!
5. Topshop Xmas jumper
6. Topshop Elaine cat slippers
7. Topshop socks
8. Urban Outfitters hungover cookbook
9. Amazon One line a day
10. H&M home bath mat

1. Yves Saint Laurent blush
2. Monki Miracle purse
3. Mango Isabelle Marant inspired ankle boots
4. Komono via I/Object Fat Wizard watch in raisin
5. Zara trf
6. Topshop lace ankle socks
7. Topshop brooch
8. Topshop bandeau
9. Lulu Guiness key ring
10. Monki sparky tights (budget version of Bebaroque !)
11. Urban Outfitters wing ear buds
12. Topshop Mixed crystal jumper
13. Monki Laura scarf
14. Anniel via Urban Outfitters shoes
15. Lulu Guiness key ring
16. Comicstore Serial Shoppeuse
17. Topshop wine brocade glitter tights
18. Ever Eden via Glamhouse earrings
19. Topshop boots
20. Hartog & Henneman via De Invasie silverstone earrings
21. Lulu Guiness umbrella
22. COS ring
23. Topshop

Saturday's adventure

First of all, the Karen Millen dress was the lucky winner of my dress dilemma. It was just perfect for the gala. For a change I combined it with gold this time. A golden hair clip, golden vintage earrings, a brown vintage necklace with golden details and the same bag as last time guided my way through the party. The party was great, and I might have drank a little bit too much, but nevertheless I had an amazing time. Unfortunately the pics turned out rather bad. In other words, my face turned out rather bad on the pics. :p And you can't see any details. Anyway, here is a glimp!

But that wasn't what I wanted to talk about. Last Saturday I went to Amsterdam, like I said in the previous post. It was some sort of a school trip, not obligated, but recommended. The professor and my student union arranged a bus and early in the morning we left Ghent.  All my classes are in the afternoon this semester and I'm not a morning-person at all, so it was kinda strange for me get up that early. The city was still dark and quiet and it was extremely foggy, what gave it a mystique atmosphere. The drunk passenger who rave out incomprehensible nonsense somehow contributed to that.
After a two and a half hour ride I was surprised to see that it was still foggy! Nothing more mysterious then entering a "new" place when it's foggy, and you only see tops of buildings emerging.

First of all we went to the brand new EYE museum, and saw an interesting exhibition about experimental film. Probably because of the fog again, but it looked so much like a space ship!

Some impressions of Amsterdam...

Notice the huge bathtub above? That's the second museum we went to, het Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. I was truly amazed by the artists they displayed. All the big names of modern and contemporary art history were represented! From Monet till Mondriaan, Malevitch, Braque, Picasso, Appel, Warhol, Pollock, Newman, Judd and so on.

Afterwards I shot some quick outfit pics, just to please you, cause I was tired as hell! We arrived around 10.30 P.M. in Ghent again.

cardigan Mer du Nord - dress Monki - necklace gift from Ruby

And finally, my boughts! Yes, we had some spare time, and I had loved to go die hard shopping, but unfortunately my friend isn't as addicted to shopping as I am. No hard feelings, everybody has their own interests and I didn't want to push her. Though I was dying a little when I passed Weekday. I'm so glad we didn't passed Monki, that challenge would have been too big! Anyway, I'm certain that I want to go back soon. Maybe in February after my exams? Friend C talked about it with Ruby and me, and I must say, now I definitely wanna go !

Back to Saturday. We did go to some store and I managed to buy some useful stuff. Oh, I'm always so happy when I buy useful things. First we crossed Options, a contemporary department store which I read about before on belmodo.tv. They had some awesome stuff but my heart especially skipped a beat when I saw their Hurraw! lipbalm collection. Ever since I read about the effect of mineral oil in lip balm I wanted one without it. Buying one online was a little too much effort and I couldn't find any in Belgium, even good old The Body Shop disappointed me. On misslipgloss.nl I read about those ecologic Hurraw! lipbalms, and they looked perfect. So that's how I ended up with this little guy.

We also went to Waterstones, an awesome English bookstore that I also went to last time. But last time I was too full of doubt about buying a compilation of Jane Austen for just 18 euros for Ruby's birthday (I didn't eventually because I would have been a half year ahead), to notice the other great books. I bought a little diary for 2013. My previous one ended in August, but since I made it till November, I can make it one month longer without a diary.

And last bot not least, key caps! I was looking for cool key caps for so long, but I couldn't find any, even Urban Outfitter hadn't got any. I bought these Oreo-look-a-likes in the museum shop of the Stedelijk Museum. I still think they're beyond awesome! But I can't get away of trying one now. Yes indeed, I have never tried an Oreo! Don't you agree that they look disgusting? Come on, they're black, like drop. Yuk.

Five colours

Playing with make up is such a nice thing to do, don't you think? Especially when it's in the middle of the night and you urgently have to go to bed for a (school)trip to Amsterdam tomorrow !

I started with the lip pencil I bought a few years ago (and completely forgot about it) from Sephora. And then I wondered which colours would look good on it. Well, it seems that they all do!

(Catrice, Mac, l'Oréal, Nivea, Sephora)

A dress problem

Tonight I'm going to a very fancy gala ball, arranged by a student union in Antwerp. I've heard that there will be a chocolate fountain, a cocktail bar, a whiskey bar and even an oyster bar ! So when I say fancy, I mean very fancy!
I can't wait to dress up and choose jewellery and make up and all that stuff, but there comes the problem:

Which dress would I wear?

There are two options, my 'real' prom dress or the new dress I bought.

1. Left dress from H&M (new)

Pro:

-       Goes extremely well with my heart shaped purse (which I drew on the picture for you!)

-       I have lot’s of statement jewellery that look purrfect with it

Con:

-       rather modern, minimal, sober (aka I might be the only one)

-       huge shoe problem and not enough time to buy new ones

-       I can easily wear this dress on other occasions

2. Right dress from Karen Millen (from 2010)

Pro:

-       It’s a tight dress, it won’t fit for ever

-       Chic, perfect for this occasion!

-       Winter print and material (better wear it now then in summer!)

-       It was an expensive dress, it’s a waste to see it just hanging in my closet

Con:

-       I’ve worn it to the two other proms I went (picture problem!!!)

-       Bag problem, only the one I’m wearing on the pic goes well and I don’t like to combine it the same way

So, which one should I pick?

Lisa Colpaert

Hi there,
It has been quit a while now since the previous post, while I really wanted to write! But practical problems like making a new flickr account once more for adding pictures were standing in my way. And laziness. Lots of laziness. Well, as you can see this problem is finally solved, so were back in action!

In March Ruby, her sister and I went to Paris to see the Belgium showroom during Paris Fashion Week. One of the designers that caught our eyes immediately was Lisa Colpaert with her AW12 collection. Meanwhile I saw her collection again on several other occasions and I'm still impressed. Her graphic photo designs are truly amazing. Most people who know me well know that I'm a sucker for photo prints, but this time I'm astonished! Take a look for yourself.

Click here for our impression of the Belgian showroom (by FFI) in Paris.
And here you can find her silk scarfs online

Mysterious creatures

 

Just spotted on Belmodo and I can't get it out of my mind!

Join the magical world of Lolita Lempicka and let their wonderland overwhelm you. Follow the mysterious nymph on her path through the woods. Enjoy.

The girl reminded me a lot of Aisling from The Secret of Kells. The Secret of Kells is a Belgian graphic novel about the Celtic era. A few years ago they made a film out of it, which resulted in a perfect copy of the comic book. It's exactly the same actually, only the images are moving now and music and voices are added. Aisling is also a mysterious creature, that seems to be unstoppable, constantly moving and laughing. Watch and see..

Grays

I'm in the mood for a moodboard today!
But more about colour and texture instead of mood. So moodboard isn't a good description actually. Anyway, I loved the combo of my grey marl sweatpants with my anthracite top. Casual with chic, with a dot of colour from the nail polish (H&M, No Mambo Jambo). A cold, but neutral colour palette.

More of it:

(click on the picture for the source)