My day in Ypres!

Hi!
Yesterday I came home rather late and I told you I would tell you in today's post what I have been up to. Yesterday was not a regular day, we had a school trip to Ypres. If you don't know what Ypres is, I'll explain it really quickly.

Ypres was a very strategic and important place back in 1914, when the war started. A lot of fighting happened there and Ypres has the biggest graveyard for soldiers in the world.
I visited a museum (called Flanders Field, amazing but also creepy) and couple of the graveyards yesterday. One in particular was very big and had 11.959 graves (!).
The world war's have always fascinated me but I have to say that I'm more impressed than ever now. I just really wanted to write about it today and show you the pictures. I know this isn't a beauty or fashion post, but oh well, a bit of lifestyle never hurt anyone.

So this is a picture of the first graveyard we went to. It was pretty small. Most of the people were known and had their name mentioned on the stone.

Here and there there were flowers or rocks on the graves, but this grave in particular recieved a lot of attention. This is because it's the grave of a 15-year old who died during the war. Of course that was illegal but a lot of teenagers used to lie about their age because they were convinced that they would win and that they would come back alive after a war of three months...

In this picture you see a room which was used as nursing room. It was rather small there and hundereds of soldiers used to come there to get some help. I don't know how the nurses did it but I hope they realised what a good job they did taking care of all those people.
In every room and on every graveyard there were poppies as a sign of respect. Poppies were mentioned a lot in "In Flanders Field", a known poem by John McCrae - I guess that's why they came up with the idea of putting poppies everywhere.

I do have many many more pictures but they're uploading kind of slow so I'm probably going to put part 2 up tonight or tomorrow!
Thanks for reading!

Weekly Diary!

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to show you what my week looked like, with the help of pictures!

I hope you all had a lovely week as well! 

I, first of all, started reading again. At first I was feeling like I needed a break from reading because it wasn't interesting anymore, but it turned out that that was because of the books!  I have read Divergent again in the meantime and I'm absolutely in love with the series again!

It has been really good weather here in Belgium. Well, it has been raining a lot but we also had a couple of good, sunny, bright, warm days. Perfect to practice photography!

Just trying to be brave, haha! Read my previous post, it's the "Why do you wear makeup tag?"

In LOVE with my newest watch! It's from New Look and I'm in love with the mustache!

Every year we have a project week in school. Last week was project week again. This means that in all the language classes (English, French, Dutch, German) and in history, we talk about a certain subject for one week long. This year the subject was WW1.
The man in the picture is Siegfried Sassoon, he's one of the greatest war poets of WW1. Siegfried was very proud to be a part of the army but when he lost all of his friends, he became a pacifist.
A lot happened, he left and came back and wrote poems, but in the end he ended up getting shot in the head and spent the rest of war in the hospital.

Bookreview: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Happy Monday you guys! I know I'm a bit late with my update today but I got back from school really late. More about that tomorrow in a lifestyle post!

I have been loving dystopian books for a while now. Dystopian? If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain really quickly: a dystopian story is a story in which the government has all the power and controls the people - think of the hunger games, where the people from the districts are used for the Capitol's entertainment.
"Divergent" by Veronica Roth is a book just like that.

After war, people split into factions, each one meant to uphold a particular virtue of humanity: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave) and Erudite (the intelligent).
When you turn 16, there's a ceremony. People who are 16 get to choose if they want to stay in the faction they were born into, OR if they want to switch factions, but if you do this, you'll lose your family because they say "faction before family". It's like a rule, to always love your faction more.

The main character, Beatrice Prior, was born in Abnegation. Before the ceremony they all do a test to see which factions would suit you the best, but Beatrice doesn't get a clear result. She doubting. Should she stay in Abnegation, even though she struggles? Or should she switch factions and leave, disappoint everyone?
Beatrice ends up switching factions and she becomes "Tris". Her older brother Caleb switches factions too, he goes to Erudite (which is unbelievable because Erudite has been insulting Abnegation - where he was born in and where his family still is - for a really long time).

After they have chosen their new faction, they have a couple of weeks of training. They have to prove that they're worthy enough.
What the others don't know is that Tris has some kind of advantage, and what she doesn't know is that everyone would try to kill her if they knew.
And what is going on between her new faction - Dauntless - and her brother's new faction - Erudite?

I absolutely loved the book, I was so sucked into it. I think the author explains everything really well and that way you understand why everything is happening and why people in the book do the things they do. I also really wished some of the characters were real people (for those of you who have read the book: TOBIAS! - spoiler alert!). I really really enjoyed reading this book.

Oh and I just realised that the cover art (the fire) stands for Dauntless. Now, the next book has a tree on it so it's probably the sign of another faction.

Even my cat enjoyed the book!

I have now started reading the sequal called "Insurgent" and I can't wait to see what's going to happen in that book!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you read it too and what your opinion was!

TAG: Why do you wear makeup?

Happy Saturday! Today I'm doing a little tag post about makeup and about when and why I started using it. If you do this tag as well, please leave me the link, I'd love to read your version!
Okay, here we go!:


When did you start to wear makeup?
I think I started wearing makeup when I was about 12 years old. My mom got me a face powder and I was so excited! After a while I became more interested in it and that's how I got into it.


How do you feel without makeup?
A little bit naked and very pale. I'm going to be brave and show you my makeupless face! (Don't judge me!)

 

What do you like about makeup?
That you can cover up imperfections and enhance your natural beauty!

What are your three holy grail items?
Foundation, blush, mascara. I use these products from every brand, don't really have favourites - right now I'm using Maybelline FIT me foundation, Essence "It's popul-art" blush (from the Vintage District collection) and Nivea Lash Elastic mascara.

Thanks for reading!

Catrice smokey eyes set review

Hello everyone, good to see you back! I'm very sorry for not posting yesterday, I was having troubles uploading pictures (they weren't uploading at all), but luckely today everything is fine!

Ever since Catrice released new products, I've been getting some of them. I recently also this new smokey eyes set, called "Meet me at the bonfire". The palette holds a little brush, three eyeshadow colours and a gel eyeliner.

This is how the packaging looks. I do like it, I think it's looks very cute. 

 

On the back of the palette, there's a step by step tutorial. You can follow this in case you've never attempted smokey eyes (or if you just want to see what Catrice is suggesting).

So here are the swatches of all the colours (and the gel eyeliner). It's just one wipe. 

I wouldn't really say the colours are insanely pigmented. 

But every bit of bad luck has a bit of good luck in it: the fact that the eyeshadows aren't pigmented that well means that it's going to be easier to work with these dark colours. It'll be easier to build up the colours and mistakes won't be that bad.

 

I will make a look with this palette very soon. Would you guys like to see a tutorial video?

Let me know!

Hi everyone!
I'm just writing this post really quickly to let you know that I have troubles uploading my pictures! I didn't forget to write today, I just can't write reviews without pictures!
I'm terribly sorry and I hope that tomorrow all the problems will be solved.

Have a lovely night ♥

Show & Tell : Makeup palette collection and recommendations

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Today is going to be a pretty long post since I'm going to be showing you my makeup palette collection and I'm also going to tell you which palettes I like most and which ones I would recommend. It's possible that you have seen some posts or reviews on certain palettes already!

I'm not going to show you every single one, I'm just going to show you the brands that made me buy 'a lot' of their palettes.

So here's a picture of all the products in my stash. I do have a couple of other palettes as well but I couldn't find them. Most of the palettes I have are drugstore so they are cheap. I don't really care about the brand or the price, as long as it works good, it's okay for me. Also, budgetproof products are great because you get to build your stash. With thesame money, you get a lot more Essence products than you get MAC products.

 

So I own quite a few palettes by "MAX", it's all cruelty free and very cheap. It's sold in Dutch and Belgian shops called "Action", where you can get anything really, and all for a small price. I often get makeup from there because it comes in handy when carnival is around the corner! I also get fake lashes from there, that way I don't have to spend a lot of money on something I'm probably only going to wear a couple of hours.

One of my favourite stores to get makeup palettes from is Essence. I own quite a few Essence products (not only eyeshadow) and I have never regretted getting anything from them. Essence is a lovely brand that has a great price/quality thing going on. Catrice is nice as well, but I have more mono eyeshadows from them.

 

Next I have the palettes that came in my makeup kit. I have no idea what brand this is, nothing is mentioned on the labels. A pity really, because the pigmentation is amazing! I use the first palette, with the neutral colours for daily looks. Everything else is for colour pop looks or for carnival.

 Last but not least I also own two palettes and a single eyeshadow by NYC. It's a bit thesame like Essence and Catrice (only a little bit more expensive, maybe?)

The price/quality is good and there is enough variation in their product range.

I'm not so crazy about the first palette but the second one is really nice! I also like the fact that there is a lluminator and an eyeshadow base!

PS: I regret the fact that all we have here is NYC, Catrice, Essence and then there are brands like Rimmel, Maybelline and L'Oréal - but I only get lipsticks from those brands (don't ask me why, I don't know myself).

You could say I have tried every brand in my drugstore by now, after a while it gets a little boring - yes, I'm sorry to say this because I love our brands, but I really wish we would have more. I'm jealous of you guys who have MUA and Wet 'n Wild in their stores.

If there are any palettes you'd like to see reviews/looks on in particular, please let me know and I will grant your wish as soon as I can!

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

New collection: Warby Parker 1922 inspired eyeglasses and sunglasses - Limited edition!

Hello you guys!
A little while ago I was contacted by Warby Parker.

 "Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to create boutique-quality, classically crafted eyewear at a revolutionary price point."

They had some great news to share with me; the launch of their 1922 eyeglasses and sunglasses! I don't wear eyeglasses but I do like sunglasses, and since this is inspired on 1922, I decided I had to check out theit newest, limited edition line of bold eyeglasses and sunglasses.  
Guess what? I liked it.

 

"The 1922 Collection translates interwar glamour into a wearable future. Each of the three new frames comes with a sunglasses version, and all feature dramatic details in our signature custom acetate and stainless steel. In addition, just like all of our existing collections, for every pair sold, we are going to distribute a pair to someone in need through our non-profit partners."

I think this picture is insanely beautiful. Like I've mentioned before, I love the 1920's- 1960's, I think everyone always looked so elegant and this pictures reflects it perfectly! 

This made me fall in love with the collection, I mean, just look at them!

Below are a few models from the collection. I personally like the first model in particular!

I think the designs are really cute. I can actually see people in the 1920's wear this.
Also, I didn't just fall in love with the collection, I also fell in love with the brand. They participate in "Buy a pair, give a pair". Basically, for every pair of sunglasses or eyeglasses you buy, they give one to people who need it. You can read more about it on the site (which is linked at the end of this post!)

"We’re building a company to do good in the world."

If this collection isn't your cup of tea, or you want some more information, you can always visit their site for more!

Warby Parker sunglasses site

Warby Parker eyeglasses site

Go take a look!

Thanks for reading!

FOTD: Twinkle eyes

Hi everyone! I have written about my "Twinkle in the eye" palette by Catrice a lot on this blog. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in February, but luckely, I got the chance to buy it before it left the stores. Today I'm going to show you what look I made with it. I love experimenting with the colours. Today I used the blue, the pink and one of the browns. 

I applied the pink eyeshadow all over my lid, the baby blue in the inner part of my crease and the brown in the outer part of my crease.

Next I applied liquid eyeliner ("liquid ink eyeliner" by Essence) and mascara ("Lash elastic" by Nivea). In case you are wondering, the pencil that I used for my eyebrows is by Catrice too!

The colours are really light so they're probably not that easy to see but these pictures were the ones that made them most visible. I think this look is a lot of fun to make and it's great for spring. I've been wearing it for a couple of days now and I think it's really cute!

It's normal that the baby pink isn't that visible because it's close to my skintone, but in the inner corner of my crease you should be able to spot some baby blue. It's on my lower lashline (the outside) as well!

Let me know what you think?

Have a great day! 

Catrice eyebrow set review

Hi everyone!

Today I'm reviewing another eyebrow set for you. I'm, as most of my readers know, very interested in eyebrow products because my eyebrows look.... horrible. This time I'm testing the eyebrow set made by Catrice. Here's a picture of how the set looks:

The packaging is simple. Elegant and classy. Compact. Black with silver letters here and there. Small and handy.

The little box comes with two eyeshadow colours, a tweezer, a little brush and a mirror. That's quite a lot! I think it's great because you have everything you need right here in this little box. It's easy for on the go as well!

If you've read my Essence eyebrow set review, you'll notice that the colours in this set are more neutral than the colours in the Essence set. I do think this is good; it's easier to apply, more neutral etc.

Swatches!  (above)

And this is how my brows look after working with the eyebrow set. I've been using this one quite a lot lately and I love it. I use the lightest colour on the inner part of the brow (never make the inner part too dark!!) and the darker colour for the outside.

So, this palette has and does everything I want it to have and do. In one word, you could say that I'm pleased! Hooray for Catrice! 

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Diary

Hello everyone! How are you all? Time for my Weekly Diary! I don't have many pictures this week, just because I haven't had much time. This week was a fun week, it's starting to get warmer outside. I also started going back to school after a two week break.

I've been wearing this watch a lot lately, it's by New Look and I just got it last week. I think it's adorable, I love mustashes!

 

Hair cut! I finally got my bangs back! Now I just have to re-dye it. It's been about three months and my hair is starting to look orange. Still not quite sure what I'm going to do with it.

 

 

Swatching! I love these colours, I think I'm going to be wearing a lot this spring!

 

 

 

A new book! I've been getting quite a few new books lately. Too bad I don't have time to read it yet!

 

 

 

Outfit of the day! I didn't have the time to take pictures outside but here's a quick sneak peek!

How are you guys? I hope you all had a great week as well!

Catrice BB cream review!

Hello everyone! 

Last week, while I was shopping a bit, I decided to take this BB cream by Catrice with me. Catrice is a very known drugstore, budgetproof brand that has really good quality for the money you pay. I have a hard time finding a good BB cream because I'm quite pale and not all brands have very light shades but I need one for the summer so I thought I'd give this one a try. I got the shade "Rosy Beige", which is the second lightest colour. The reason I did this is because I will probably be using this BB cream a lot during summer, and I might get a bit more tan by then.

This is how the tube looks. I like the packaging and I also like how you can dose precisely.

The BB cream promises to be balancing, correcting, protecting, illuminating, covering and moisturizing. I'm not really the type to believe in all the marketing tricks but okay. Covering, correcting and balancing also all means thesame thing. Kind of.

 We'll see how it works!

So this is what the BB cream looks like when it comes out of the tube.

Whenever I put on BB cream, I don't put on moisturizer or anything. Well, Catrice promises that the BB cream is moisturizing so I shouldn't even bother to worry.

 

And this is what it looks like when I've rubbed it open on my hand. The colour isn't as dark as I expected it to be. The coverage is okay. I do feel like it's hard to apply sometimes. Some BB creams go on very smooth and others don't. This one takes a bit more time and a bit more work. Maybe I should try it with a beauty blender next time?

 

 Over all I'm pretty happy with the result. Of course I do still need concealer and the "6 in 1" thing wasn't intirely true, but it's not a bad product either. I think this'll be nice to wear in summer.

Book Haul: "Genesis" by Karin Slaughter

Hello you guys! These last few weeks I haven't only been reading young adult books (like The Hunger Games and Divergent) but also a lot of thrillers. Normally I'm not really good with thrillers because I get scared really easily but the book stand with thrillers on it in my bookstore has become something that I always check when I go there.

I think it was two days ago I went to the bookstore and I was hanging out there, reading the summery of a lot of books when I found this one. It seemed quite interesting to me!

"Three and a half years ago former Grant Country medical examiner Sara Linton moved to Atlanta hoping to leave her tragic past behind her. Now working as a doctor in Atlanta's Grady Hospital she is starting to piece her life together. But when a severely wounded young woman is brought in to the emergency room, she finds herself drawn back into a world of violence and terror. The woman has been hit by a car but naked and brutalised it's clear that she has been the prey of a twisted mind.

When Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Investigation Team returns to the scene of the accident he stumbles on a torture chamber buried deep beneath the earth. And this hidden house of horror reveals a ghastly truth - Sara's patient is just the first victim of a sick, sadistic killer. Wrestling the case away the local police chief, Will and his partner Faith Mitchell find themselves at the centre of a grisly murder hunt. And Sara, Will and Faith - each with their own wounds and their own secrets - are the only thing that stands between a madman and his next crime..."

I already get the chills when I read the summery. I can't wait to read the book and see what it's all about - more detailled. I love it when all the pieces start to fall together in thrillers, it's both fascinating and scary in a way! 

Have you read any good books lately?

Nail polish corrector pen by JM - review

We have all been there before: it's a spa night and you're thinking of painting your nails in a bright red colour, just because you're in the mood. When painting with your steady hand, there are no problems at all, but then there's the other hand... Stains all over! A lot of times, there's more nailpolish on my hand than on my nails. You can always use a Q-tip with nailpolish remover on it, or you could use a nail polish corrector pen.

The name pretty much says it all. It's a pen that you can use whenever you need to correct something. Like nailpolish.

The design is simple but not boring. It's easy to use. When you open it, you'll find the part that'll make your nailpolish disappear. It smells a little bit in the beginning but after using a couple of times, it's okay.

The pen is really easy to use, you can get in between every little space where you might have some unwanted nailpolish. After going over it on or two times, there are no more stains on your hands.
The only annoying thing is that the tip of your pen does change colour. When you're removing red nailpolish, the tip will turn red, which is not that nice - luckely it hasn't come off the next time I used the pen.

Do I like this product? Yes.
Would I repurchase it? No.
I think I wouldn't spend money on a nailpolish corrector pen. I only use it because I got it in a Deauty box once. I think when I empty this, I'll just go back to nailpolish remover and Q-tips.

OOTD: A spring thing

Hi everyone! Today it's pretty hot so I decided I wanted to go in the woods to take outfit pictures - it's been quite a while! 

I just got my hair cut and did a bit of shopping so I'm in a happy mood! I'm glad I have my bangs back!

I wasn't sure if it was going to be sunny today so I wore black pants and a black T-shirt by H&M. After that I decided I wanted some colour in my outfit too, that's why I paired it with flower printed ballet flats and a turqoise cardigan.

My accessories were all gold: my clutch is vintage and black but it has a gold chain, my watch is black but it also has gold in it and my ring is gold as well. Love it! 

Watch by New Look.

Ring by H&M

Necklace by New Look

Have a good day! Thanks for reading!