grown-alchemist-facial-kit
By On In Beauty54 Comments

I don’t wear a lot of makeup, so my skin needs to look it’s absolute best. I mean, spending 10 minutes concealing any imperfections or spending an extra 10 minutes in bed? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. So I don’t mind investing in skincare brands like Grown Alchemist. Especially when the products are free from chemicals and animal testing, and the packaging is made from recyclable glass en PET plastic. Although I should probably mention that I’m a sucker for pretty apothecary-style bottles and minimal graphic design too. Anyway, I bought the Grown Alchemist Facial Kit with a couple of travel size products so I can try the brand without spending a lot of money on just one product. It makes a great gift as well since it comes in a cute hand made box with gold foil. I’m excited to see if it does anything for my skin. My Kiehl’s products used to work really well, but lately some of them make me break out a little. Fingers crossed!

Any favorite skincare brands you would like to share?

PS. If you would like to try the Grown Alchemist products for yourself and you live in Europe, make sure you order from Space NK. Their shipping rate is really acceptable.

H&M-Weekday-wool-scarf
By On In Shopping1,440 Comments

I’m back! And this time with 4 great alternatives for the uber expensive Acne Canada scarf. Yes, I do own one, but I got lucky a few years back and found mine on sale over at the mens department on Matches Fashion. Anyway, in case you’re looking to invest in a similar wool scarf that’s a little more affordable, check out the ones below. Most of them are 100% wool, except the one from COS that contains 10% cashmere (how awful, right?). But the very best part? They’re all under €60.

Left: H&M (€39,99), Right: Weekday (€45,00), Other options: COS (€39,00), & Other Stories (€55,00) 

Celine-luggage-bags
By On In Shopping6,467 Comments

I love buying new things,  if I could be a personal shopper it would be my favorite job in the world.

I’m always in touch with the latest products and news online and on magazines, always checking whats improving in the market, I currently work in a digital agency and this has helped me see so much in the advertising world when buying products, and determine the quality product.  The are several branding agencies that work in doing effective and real marketing campaigns and other who just talk and brand something to sell when it is a really bad service or product, but if you really want to promote a good product or service you should get marketing services as The Indexer to really help you with this.  So now that I know more of how it works I love to check the advertisement and follow it to go shopping or just go to the stores and find out more about the products while I relate them to their current market campaign.

Whenever I’m visiting the department store de Bijenkorf in Image result for shoppingAmsterdam, it’s pretty easy to locate me. I’m either trying out new stuff at the Kiehl’s stand or drooling over Céline bags in their bag department. Seriously, they sell the best bags.

But yesterday’s visit made me think about how blogs influence our shopping habits and how we always want more. Even though I already own two of my dream bags I couldn’t help but look around for the next possible purchase. I’m lucky that I can afford the occasional splurge now, but I still remember looking up to several blogs as a student. Seeing girls my own age, or maybe a few years younger even, spending thousands of dollars on designer handbags and buying new items every week, I wanted that too. But being a student and paying for everything yourself (housing, insurance, tuition, food etc.) by working in a supermarket, leaves little money for designer goods or clothes and accessories in general. Nevertheless, it’s really easy to get carried away with wanting all of the items posted on your favorite blogs.

Now that I have an actual grown-up job (I thought that would never happen after 11 years of studying), it’s great that I’m able to treat myself every once in a while. However, I do realize that posting expensive items on the internet on a regular basis may give the impression that I can afford it all. But trust me, I can’t. Buying luxury items is all a matter of prioritization. My salary is pretty average (but I really love my job so it’s all good) and then there’s the monthly bills of course. I live in a rented house with my boyfriend and we split everything 50/50. Bills get paid first and we have a monthly budget for groceries etc. The rest is ours to spend. Most of my money that’s left over goes into my savings account though, so I always have something to fall back on in case of emergencies or when I want to buy something expensive from my 5 piece French wardrobe list.

Speaking of the 5 piece French wardrobe, a little while ago I promised to post a list of my five must-have pieces that I’m planning to buy this season. Well, you know what, so far that list contains 0 items. I started one with a couple of things I liked (not loved) and a few really expensive things. You see, I have my eyes on a gorgeous Acne leather jacket and the Saint Laurent Lulu bag, but something is holding me back. I’m not yet convinced that they’re both timeless pieces that I can wear for a couple of years and I would hate to find out that I’m over them in 6 months. When I bought my Balenciaga bag, I knew I would love it forever. I bought one of it’s first knockoffs right after I saw it on Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in 2005 and was still madly in love with the design 7 years later. But these… what if I just caught the fashionblogger-bug and want them because I’ve seen them so often on other blogs and instagrams?

I really dislike the fact that I am not always indifferent to fashion blogs and the way they portray a perfect lifestyle filled with gorgeous expensive things. Let’s face it, nowadays some of these (full-time) top bloggers need to make a living and their blogs aren’t so different from commercial advertising. It’s hard not to get sucked in. I mean, would that pair of Acne Pop jeans or my Isabel Marant coat be hanging in my closet if blogs didn’t exist. Who knows. I probably wouldn’t have even known they existed. So to make sure I’m not making a huge mistake, I’m going to put that leather jacket and Saint Laurent bag on my wish list for a while and we’ll see how I feel about them in a couple of months.

So tell me, do fashion blogs have an influence on your shopping habits? And if you own a blog, do you ever feel pressured into buying new things in order to create posts and keep your readers interested?

margiela-beachwalk
By On In Shopping2,554 Comments

Yes, a list of three things I totally didn’t need but bought anyway this year. One turned out to be a winner, the others not so much. Because even when you carefully plan your purchases, a mistake every now and then remains hard to avoid. Sometimes you’re convinced you bought the item that was missing all along, only to come to the conclusion several months later that it’s still hanging in your closet, brand new and unworn.

Margiela Beach Walk
When I bought this, I totally believed I would wear this all throughout summer, but I didn’t. It’s a lovely scent that reminds you of the beach (well, duh!). But after wearing Molecule 01 for several years, which is really subtle, this fragrance was just too present. I could smell it all day around me (maybe that’s a plus though, great lasting power) and in the end it gave me a headache. I could have avoided this if I had taken a sample home. You know, try before you buy. Lesson learned.

Zara loafers
The perfect example of the description above; still brand new in a shoebox. Do I like ’em? Yes definitely, but they hurt my feet. Are you familiar with a hallux valgus better known as a bunion? Because that’s where I’m heading, with both feet. I’ve never worn high heels, or at least no higher than 8 cm. And I don’t wear those on a daily basis. It’s heredity, lucky me. Since they’re made out of real leather, I might try stretching them a little to see if that helps. That last sentence pretty much describes the problem by the way. I try to find excuses or solutions for something that shouldn’t be a problem to begin with. Raise your hand if you ever bought a pair of shoes that felt too small, big or tight and you thought to yourself: it’ll be okay if I wear them a couple of times / buy a pair of insoles/ stretch them and the whole thing turned out to be one big dissapointment. From now on I’m only going to buy shoes that are comfortable from the first time I try them on.

Acne Pop jeans
These jeans fall in the category ‘winner’. I was a bit skeptical about the fit at first but after I tried them on, I was sold. However, I didn’t want to buy them for a whopping €210, so I decided to wait until the sales started. Maybe I would get lucky, and I did! My skinny jeans are still my everyday go-to jeans and I don’t wear them as often as I should, but they are definitely a great addition to my wardrobe and I can’t wait to wear them again when it’s spring.