SIMPLE AS (T)HAT

Photos by Wannes R.

MANGO jumper / H&M hat / SACHA sandals

GOOD GENES boyfriend jeans / ZARA necklace

Hello everyone, on this hopefully wonderful Sunday morning! Here is what I wore exactly a week ago for a family brunch and an afternoon of studying (yes, it's that time of the year again). As you can see it is finally warm enough to sometimes even walk around without a coat, although we still have the usual rain drops and cloudy weather. This didn't prevent me from pulling my new Sacha sandals out of the closet for their first walk. I love their subtle lines and spiked little details and I'm pretty sure their colour will go with about everything in my spring/summer wardrobe. Another advantage from spring having arrived is that I can finally dust off my beloved hat collection again! During winter I prefer my warm knitted beanies but as soon as the sun comes peeping around the corner, the hats are back on track. Voilà, here you go, my totally Sunday-proof outfit that's comfy yet chic. What are you wearing today?

HUNKEMOLLER BIKINI

For some strange reason a lot of people instantly get attracted to aztec prints as soon as the festival season starts, even the ones who dress quite simple or minimalistic throughout the year. I guess the same goes for me: I do like some prints in my closet, but usually go for stripes or something floral. But whenever the sun comes peeping out after a long cold winter (or spring, here in Belgium), I crave for an effortless California look that gives me the illusion that life consists of counting palm trees, sipping from delicious cocktails and strolling around at Coachella festival. I won't ramble on about my summer longings, because why use words when you have a happy colourful aztec print that says it all? When I went to the Hunkemöller bikini event in Amsterdam a few months ago, I was told I could pick my favourite pair for summer! As you've seen on my pictures of the event, the collection consists of awesome jungle and palmtree prints that are a real hit this season. If you're still looking for a high-quality, affordable and trendy bikini I suggest that you take a look on their website. I bet my pair will be perfect for my upcoming trip to Barcelona in June! 

RED LIPS

A little while ago I sported red lips in an outfit post for the first time. For me, this was quite a bit of an experiment (natural is my middle name) and apparently most of you thought it daring (but pretty) as well. I received lots of questions about what lipstick I used, so I decided to simply make a little post about it! Let me first tell you some personal lipstick facts. The rare moments that I carry lipstick with me, it has to be matte. I just cannot handle super glossy coloured lipsticks. I think they remind me of Honey Boo Boo or something. (But no worries, nothing but love for Boo!) Secondly, as it is hard to find the exact colour you're looking for, I mostly go for a mix! You can just apply different layers of different lipstick colours, or you can mingle the colours on your lips by using a pencil — so profesh. To end this list with a weird interesting fact: when wearing lipstick, I always first lick my glass before drinking from it. People usually look at me as if I got stuck in some stage of childhood determined by Freud, but it does work! 

My two current favourites (the ones that I used in that outfit post) are from Essence and Catrice. Yup, I'm that cheapskate that shops her make-up at the grocery store. Usually I start off with the 10 Femme Fatale lipliner from Essence and finish with 360 It's A Matt World lipstick from Catrice. The lipstick lasts way longer because of the lipliner base, plus you can mingle any colour you like. I personally really like the result, but when I wore the lipstick to class the other day my friend asked me if I was feeling well. Maybe a warmer colour would fit me better? Do you have any ultimate lipstick tips and tricks? 

MAASMECHELEN VILLAGE PRIVATE SALE

Hi everyone! You know that shopping is pretty much my favourite hobby (next to my fave guilty pleasure: watching horrible reality and restyling shows on television) but simply nobody's shopping budget is unlimited. I greatly appreciate quality brands and can enjoy some luxury things now and then, but I can't afford a closet full of brand new designer clothes. My perfect solution = outlet villages! I don't mind things being "so last season" as long as I think they're pretty and they fit my style.

So, why exactly am I rambling about designer clothes and outlet stores? Today I have some pretty good news for my fellow shopping-lovers among you! Maasmechelen Village is Belgiums finest outlet village that stocks brands such as Michael Kors, Karen Millen, Versace, Ugg, Hugo Boss, Samsonite, Essentiel and (only recently!) Sandro and Maje. These brands sell older collections for a discount price, and this month Maasmechelen Village offers even more discount. From the 15th - 20th May you can enjoy an exclusive private sale where you can find fashionable treasures for up to 40% on the outlet price!

Why are you still staring at this screen...? 

Hurry over to the website of Maasmechelen Village to register with the code PRIVATE if you want to enjoy this extra discount! Make sure you do this before May 15, which is tomorrow! If your French is quite okay, you can also check out the video campaign starring Miss Belgium 2003 Julie Taton, right here:

Enjoy your hopefully not so rainy Tuesday!

Sponsored by Maasmechelen Village

DOUBLE DENIM

Photos by Dogs & Dresses

MONKI denim jacket / ZARA flared jeans / PULL & BEAR jumper

H&M shirt, necklace & ankle boots / CELINE bag

You know those days when you feel like you're rocking an outfit, until you step outside and feel totally blegh? This happened to me a few weeks ago and that's why it took me so long to post these pictures. I felt like the light and location didn't work out and that my outfit wasn't as cool as I had imagined in the morning. So I let the days pass until today, when I changed my mind and decided the whole result was actually still okay. So double denim and some white touches it is! The denim biker jacket that I got at Monki in Amsterdam is going to be a winner this season, and the same goes for this crisp white jumper and shirt underneath. I really love some good basics nowadays, they always help me out when in doubt about what to wear.

By the way, thank you for your responses on my hair issues in my previous blogpost! I think I have made my choice between messy or straight, but since I can be a tad whimsical sometimes I won't tell you until my hair has actually been cut. So I suggest you check out my Twitter on Tuesday! 

Forgive me the abrupt subject-hopping here, but I feel like I'm so done with this font. I'm dreaming of a Courier font, as it makes every word stand out and look ten times prettier. But I used to be afraid it would be not very 'me' and maybe hard to read. What do you think? Would you still enjoy reading my blog with the Courier font? Please let me know, as your opinion matters as well! Enjoy your Sunday!

Edit: it seems like I have finally found the second font that I have been eying for a long time. Now I know that most of you aren't fond (ha-ha) of Courier; what do you think of this one? Easy to read but more classy than my current Arial font, right? Shoot those opinions!

HAIR MUSINGS

Two months ago I chopped a few centimeters off my hair and I haven't regretted it for a second. Shorter hair feels so much lighter and I think that my face just looks way stronger with this cut. But since the chop has been months ago, my actual haircut has completely disappeared by now. My hair is just hanging there and not much is happening really. Time for another visit to the hairdresser! The appointment is booked, but I haven't figured out what haircut to choose. These are my two options:

What I'm really digging right now, is something shoulder-length with straightly cut ends. My ultimate hair example for this option is Josefin Dahlberg, a gorgeous Swedish blogger with my dream hair! Unfortunately, my hair has a different texture — it is similar to Barbara Palvins hair texture — so the result will be different as well. And that's what's my concern! So although this is my preferred option, I'm not convinced on how the result will look with my own hair.

My second option is a shoulder-length messy bob, something similar as I had last month. The ends should look very natural. Think Alexa Chung and the latest Filippa K campaign. But then again, none of these girls have the same texture as my hair so I'm not sure how it will look. Basically I just have to choose between straight ends and messy ends! I still have time until next Tuesday so help me decide guys!