january shopping reflections
By On In Shopping238 Comments

This year started off pretty well with four new purchases. Yikes! Two items were bought on sale though and the other two are beauty related acquisitions which I normally don’t list, but I really like Xin‘s monthly reflections posts and thought I would give it a go myself this year. I usually travel to Antwerp in Belgium twice a year to scour the sales racks for a good five minutes and then move on to the new collections because I can no longer stand the heat, the mess and the crowd. But every now and then I come across a marked down gem such as the Massimo Dutti ankle boots. I had my eyes on them for months but ultimately decided I didn’t need them until I ran into them with a 30% discount and I could no longer resist. I bought a pair of similar leather ankle boots at Zara a few years ago but they’re so uncomfortable that I never wear them. I’ll probably sell them or donate them to charity.

I also managed to score another scarf on sale, this time the A.P.C. wool scarf. It’s a bit larger than the Acne Studios Canada scarf (see my review here) but otherwise pretty much the same. I suppose time will tell if it holds up just as well. I clearly didn’t need another scarf but it’s a nice change from the grey one that I have been wearing non-stop for years now.

january shopping reflections

The next two things were on my beauty wish list for a while. I don’t wear a lot of makeup except for a little mascara and lipstick but I really wanted a simple all-in-one travel sized palette. After extensive research and endlessly deliberating between Urban Decay’s Naked on the run palette, Bobbi Brown’s Deluxe eye and cheek palette and Laura Mercier’s Glam to go travel case (seriously, I spent a good hour reading reviews because those palettes are so darn expensive and I couldn’t make up my mind) I decided to go with Urban Decay’s Naked on the run palette. It has everything you need for a simple day and/or evening look and it’s a great deal. If you were to buy every product separately, it would be twice the price of the entire palette. So far though, I’ve only used to eye pencil, mascara and lipgloss because I still need to get an eyeshadow brush. That’s the only downside, it doesn’t come with brushes.

And last but not least, the infamous Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra-nourishing lip balm. My lips tend to get extremely dry and chapped during winter and I’ve tried so many lip balms over the years but this one does the trick. The texture feels a bit strange, gritty almost but it goes on very smooth and stays put for several hours. It’s not cheap but I do feel that you get a fair amount of product for its price.

That’s it for January! It’s a bit much, but I usually buy more things at the end or the beginning of a year and a lot less during summer. So for now, I’m not worried about going over my 10 pieces for this year. For a brief moment I thought about mentioning how much I spent in total but I’m not a budgeting blogger that wants to spend as little as possible on clothes, accessories etc. I just really like to carefully plan and review my purchases to make sure that I only buy things that I truly love and to avoid any shopping mistakes.

By On In Shopping119 Comments

At the end of last year New York based designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh made headlines by accusing accessories label Mansur Gavriel (mostly known for their bucket bags) of copying one of her designs, a pair of mule sandals. Mansur and Gavriel denied the allegation and claimed that it was a mere coincidence and that they cannot claim ownership of a mule, slide, block heel or colour. 

Now, I totally get that you can’t claim a heel, material or colour but when you combine these design elements in a certain way it can be hard not to draw any similarities. When I spotted low-heel suede pumps at MANGO and H&M, they immediately reminded me of Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s very popular and hard to come by Roberta heel (pictured above). If you’re an avid Instagram user or blog reader, I’m sure you’ve come across a pair of these shoes. Of course, this could all just be a coincidence but it’s much more likely that everyone’s favourite high street stores decided to do their own version of the ‘original’.

How you do feel about items that walk a fine line between blatant copy and original design?  

winter-shades-daarboven
By On In Beauty538 Comments

 “Red lipstick is a fashion accessory. So we won’t wear any other makeup with it. Then our hair has to be messy, our skin has to be perfect, and we’ll just wear jeans and heels because the lipstick makes the statement.” – Paris-based makeup artist Violette on French beauty, as told to Vogue.com

Nothing brightens up my face as a swipe of colorful lipstick. Additionally, it’s also the perfect way to glam up any outfit. My favourite combination: all black with a bold red lip. Although MAC’s Ruby Woo is my all time favourite shade of red, at the moment I’m slowly moving towards more subdued colours. NARS Dolce Vita is a lovely MLBB (my lips but better) sheer lipstick that I would love to add to my current collection. If you have any other suggestions that might suit my olive skin tone, let me know!

From left to right: Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle (€34),  YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Belle de Rose, L’Oréal Color Riche in Beige a Nu (€15), Chanel Rouge Coco in Rivoli (€34)

2016 style resolutions
By On In Style83 Comments

Better late than never, right? I almost finished this post a couple of days ago actually but then I had a momentary America’s Next Topmodel make-over breakdown because my hairdresser decided to cut my hair extremely short without my permission. So for the next few weeks I’ll be walking around looking like a Beatles member. But I do have to say: my new straight fringe looks really nice. So let’s forget about the hair drama and move on to more pressing matters such as my style resolutions for this year.

1) Be more conscious
Did you know that fast fashion ranks second in the worldwide production of pollution, behind big oil? Even though a lot of people seem to become more aware of the impact of fast fashion on the world through documentaries such as The True Cost and Sweat Shop, it hasn’t slowed down. In fact, H&M opened over 200 stores last fall alone. This year I plan on buying even less from stores such as H&M, Zara etc. which is going to be hard now that I have discovered & Other Stories but it feels like the right thing to do.

2) Spend/focus more on basics
Over the years I’ve bought so many basic t-shirts but the ones that are still with me today after countless times of wear are my two Isabel Marant t-shirts. Expensive yes, but worth the money. So this year I would like to invest more in quality basics. Especially jeans and t-shirts as I find myself reaching for these items on a daily basis.

3) Step out of my comfort zone and stop taking the easy way out.
In hindsight, I played it extremely safe last year as you can probably tell from my previous post. Lots of basic garments in black, grey and white. This year I would like to add a few statement pieces. Additionally, I need to stop wearing my sneakers on a daily basis and start enjoying the other shoes that I already own more often. Otherwise I might as well sell them.

4) Rethink the 5 piece wardrobe system.
This way of shopping has taught me a lot the past couple of years but it has occasionally become an excuse to buy things I didn’t need just because I was allowed to purchase five things every season. It’s a great way to start changing your consumerist habits but at this very moment there’s no point in adding a lot of new pieces. So I might change the rules a little along the way this year.

What are your shopping/style resolutions for this year?