Hello everybody! It's the end of the month again and that means: time for favorites! This month, I don't have a lot of favorites, but I used a few new products a lot this month so I have some stuff to show you guys.

Bye bye 2013, Hello 2014: My New Year's Resolutions

Hey, lovely marshmellows. Each year, I don't take the time to make New Year's resolutions. This is the first time that I actually want to take the time to reflect on last year and make goals for the new one. I have a feeling 2014 is going to be amazing.

                                                                                               Tumblr

Nail of the Day: Christmas Eve Edition: Wrapped Gift

Hello everybody! I'm back today with a NOTD. This is an attempt to do nail art. I saw this design on Cutepolishes 'Ultimate Christmas Guide' video on youtube and I decided to try it. I tried and it didn't turn out that amazing, but I still wanted to share this with you guys. 

The Christmas Tag!

Hello, my lovely readers! A few days ago, I was reading 'The Christmas Tag' on Sanja's blog. I wanted to do a Christmas tag for days now and I realised I better hurry up because it IS almost Christmas. So here it is, let's get to the questions.

1. Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?

At home, we always install a real Christmas tree, so that is what I prefer. It smells nice and it looks really beautiful. Synthetic trees can look good too, but personally, I prefer the real ones.

2. You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?

I actually never pick anything special, I haven't tried anything Christmas-related in a coffee shop. I usually stick with a vanilla latte with skinned milk. 

Highlight of my Day: Free Essie Nail Polish With Elle Belgique!

Hello everyone! Today, I went shopping with a friend in Antwerp. In one of the train stations from Brussels, we went to get something to drink in a little shop. Next to the register was the new Elle Belgique, with a FREE Essie nail polish. Elle is available in Belgium in two languages: Dutch/Flemish and French. I don't think you get the nail polish with the Flemish version.

The polishes are from the Essie Winter 2013 Collection. In the shop, there were two colors available and I got them both because I couldn't choose (Yes, my name is Astrid and I'm a Polishaholic!). The colors are 'Warm&Cosy Turtleneck', a beautiful mauve/purple and 'Shearling Darling', a dark blood red color. I love them both so much! I feel like painting my nails this evening!

Elle Belgique is available for €3,90 at your local new paper shop. I'm not sure if this offer is available anywhere, but I hope it is!

What was the highlight of your day?
xx, 
Astrid

November and December Empties 2013

Hello, my sweet marshmallows! Today, I'm doing an empties post. I haven't done one in a very long time, the last one dated from june. But I finished up some products and I wanted to share my opinion about them with you guys. 

December Haul: The Body Shop, Kruidvat and Di!

Hi sweeties! Last week and in the weekend, I decided to go to the mall near my home town to buy some Christmas presents! I also found some things for myself, because a lot of stores were having sales. I got some things from the body shop (there is a bit of a dramatic story behind this), Kruidvat and Di. 

Nail of the Day: Illamasqua 'Scarce'

Hello sweeties! Today, I'm showing you an Illamasqua nail polish in the color 'Scarce'. Sanja from Sparkle With Laughter sent this color to me and I painted my nails immediately with it! It's such a cool, interesting color.

A BIG thank you to Sanja from Sparkle With Laughter!

Today, I got a very special package in the mail! I won Sanja's from Sparkle With Laughter giveaway last week and the package got delivered at my door today. I was so happy! She included a very sweet card, that is now on my closet! :D

The prizes were: 
- 2 Yankee candles: 'Christmas Eve' and 'Kitchen Spice'. I could smell these even before I opened up the package! They smell amazing! I love candles so I can't wait to light these up.
- Illamasqua Nail Varnish in 'Scarce'. A beautiful milky pink color with black glitters. Very interesting color, I'm already wearing it on my nails (NOTD coming soon)
- Bare Minerals Shine On Palette. Oh my god. I can't even... It's one of the prettiest palettes i've ever seen! the gold packaging is so festive and beautiful! The products inside are so beautiful, I can't wait to try this out :D

So, with this blogpost, I wanted to give a huge shoutout to Sanja! She's an amazing blogger and she's so sweet! Make sure to visit her blog, you won't regret it ^^

xx,
Astrid

Nail of the Day: Rimmel Space Dust in 'Aurora'

Hello, sweeties! Rimmel's Holiday collection has finally arrived here in Belgium! I've been looking forward for this collection for weeks now. Ever since I saw photos of the Space Dust nail polishes, I know I had to get my hands on 'Aurora'. They had a few other beautiful colors, but this one was my favorite!

This polish is one of the 'Liquid sand' type polishes. It's very interesting because this is a gritty glittery polish, that looks quite matte at the same time. I love this kind of polishes. But if you don't like the texturised feeling on your nails, this might not be something for you.

What's On My Christmas List?

December is finally here and that means that we can put up our Christmas trees, go christmas shopping and enjoy the holidays! I've been wanting to do this blogpost for a few days now, but I decided to wait at least until december had actually started.  
Everywhere, Christmas collections and gift sets are popping up and I'm getting really excited for Christmas this year. I wanted to share some things with you guys that are on my Christmas list this year.

What's in my M.A.C. eyeshadow palette?

Hey girls! I wanted to do this post for so long now, but I never got around to do it. I want to show you guys my M.A.C. eyeshadow palette. In this post, I'll tell you what colors I own and what I think about them. I wanted to this earlier, but I had some eyeshadows lying at Ghent and I always forgot to take them with me. But finally, let's go! :D 

November Favorites 2013

Hey everyone! Today, I'm doing my first 'favorites' blogpost ever! I never did one of these blogposts ever, but I'm not sure why. So I decided to start this month! November has flown by so fast, I can't believe it's already december! 2014 is coming closer! I have 10 makeup products to share with you, let's get to it! ;)

The Lipstick Tag!

Hello lovely ladies! Time for another tag! Today, I'm doing 'The Lipstick Tag'.Like Gwyneth Paltrow once said: 'Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.' One of the first things you think about when the word 'makeup' comes up, is lipstick. I love lipstick so much, so when I saw this tag, quite a while ago, on Sanja's blog, I knew I had to do it some day.

Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/lipstick.html#pqHKiD26s7wz4bEL.99

Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/lipstick.html#pqHKiD26s7wz4bEL.99

How many lipsticks do you own?
I counted them all as best as I can and I think I have about 35 to 40 lipsticks (lip glosses not included). When I counted them, I was surprised because I thought I had a whole lot more! I'm not sure about the correct number because it is possible that a few lipsticks are hiding in a handbag or somewhere else in my room.

What was your first ever lipstick?
The first lipstick I ever bought was a very light pink and frosty lipstick by Hema. It's didn't look good on me at all and I haven't worn it a lot, to be honest :p 

Yves Rocher Cacao Collection for Holidays 2013

Hello everybody! Every year, Yves Rocher comes out with a delicious holiday collection. Last year, they had the 'Pomme Delice' collection, which smelled as good as it sounds: like caramel-cinnamon apples. I bought the candle and perfume back then. This year, they have a Cacao collection (I just notice that it's 'Cocoa' in English and 'Cacao' in Dutch/French... pretty confusing, but I'll use the word 'Cacao' because that's the name of this collection here) with three scents: Cacao-orange, cacao-framboise (raspberry) and Cacao-pistache (Pistachio)

Nail of the Day: Essie 'Parka Perfect' Swatch + Review

Hello girls, today I'm back with another NOTD. Last week, there was a sale on Essie nail polishes in the drugstore: buy 1, get 1 half off. This opportunity is very rare, so I bought two. I reviewed the first one, 'The lace is on', last week. Today, I'm showing you a color from the winter collection: 'Parka Perfect'.

NOTD: Essie 'The Lace Is On' Swatches and Review

Good Afternoon, sweethearts! I'm here today with another NOTD: Essie's 'The Lace Is On' from the Fall 2013 collection. I saw this in Amerixe's Youtube Channel, she talked about it in her September favorites, I think. I hadn't really looked at the collection, but when I saw this color, I had to have it.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 'Vintage Pink' Review

Hello Sweeties! Today I wanted to show you guys the new Moisure Renew Lipstick by Rimmel. I got this in the color 'Vintage Pink'. I've heard that Rimmel has given these lipsticks a complete makeover: new packaging, new formula and new, beautiful colors.

Sweater Weather Tag

Rain, sweaters and boots... Yes, people, Fall has officially arrived here in Belgium! Fall is one of my favorite seasons so I just had to do this tag when I saw it on youtube. Time to make a hot chocolate and begin answering these questions! ^^

1. Favorite candle scent? 
I really love vanilla candles, like 'Tindra' from Ikea. But my absolute favorite was 'Pomme Delice' from last year's Yves Rocher Fall collection. It smelled so good! I also have the perfume from that line. 

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
I really really really love hot chocolate. But I'll have to choose coffee here because a few days ago, I tasted the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte for the first time and it was so delicious! I've been thinking about getting another one for days now! Their Vanilla Latte is fantastic as well.

Catrice 'Liquid Metal' Eyeshadows in 'Gold 'n Roses' & 'Gold Leaf Me' Swatches and Review

Hello everybody! Yesterday, I was at Kruidvat with my friend Katrien and we were looking around a bit, 'just watching, not buying' (the lie we all tell ourselves)... But then we saw these Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadows. We swatched the testers and were amazed by the beautiful colors. I decided to pick up two colors: 'Gold 'n Roses' and 'Gold Leaf Me'.

Primark Fall Haul 2013

Hello lovely sweethearts! I recently went to Primark in Liège with my mom and sister in law. I did not expect to find a lot but I was so surprised... I don't think I ever bought so much beautiful things at Primark. The Primark in Liège is the only one in Belgium right now and it's not that close, so I go once or twice a year. But there will open up a store in Ghent and maybe Brussels soon (I hope)! I told a few friends about my trip and they suggested to do a haul. So here it is ;) 

Warning: prepare for a LONG blogpost. Get something to drink, make some popcorn, relax and have fun reading ;)

Nail of the Day: Halloween Edition: Bloody Nails!

Hello, my lovely readers! It's almost halloween and I was feeling a little bit in the mood for some nail art today. I used to be really into (easy) nail art a couple of years back. When I saw all the halloween tutorials on youtube, I really wanted to do a look as well. This is a look that I've seen a lot of people do, but it looks really cool and it's not hard at all! ;)

Visiting Studio Brussel 16/10/2013

Hello everyone! I have a entirely different blogpost for you today. This will be more of a 'Vlog/Diary' post. I don't really know how to call it yet. Monday night, I was having a little get-together with some friends in Ghent. We were talking, drinking some jenever and were listening to the radio. We decided, just for fun, to sent a text message to the radio station. The radio station, called Studio Brussel, called us half an hour later, asking if we were interested in competing in a little quiz about beer. We said yes!

From left to right: Siska, me, Jolein, Sofie (the author), Linde (the host) and Elke

Tag: My first time(s)

Hello everyone! I wanted to do a tag today and I choose to do the 'My First Time'-tag that has been going around on youtube for quite a while now. I liked this tag, because again, it gives you guys an opportunity to get to know me a bit better ^^

First tweet? My first tweet was on the 31st of August 2009. That seems like such a long time ago! It was a very creative and unique tweet as well... not really :D 
By the way, feel free to follow me on twitter. I don't spend a lot of time there, but I check it about one time a week or so ;)

First youtube video? I haven't made any youtube videos (yet!)
First person you subscribed to on youtube? Michelle Phan, I remember discovering her and I loved her videos so much! I also subscribed to JulieG713 and Xsparkage on the same day.
First Facebook profile pic?
I don't really remember what the very first picture was, but I decided to show you guys the oldest one I have on facebook now. It was uploaded in May '09. It's me and my best friend. And yes, I was yawning in that picture.

 

Riri Loves M.A.C. 'Her Cocoa' Eyeshadow Quad Review

Hi girls! I'm so excited to write this blogpost. As most of you know, M.A.C. and Rihanna have teamed up again and created a collection together, the "Riri <3 M.A.C. collection". The collection has lipsticks, eyeshadow quads, some brushes, a gorgeous blush and some other things. Most of the products (like the lipsticks and the blush) were already sold out at the M.A.C. store but I only wanted this quad and luckily, they still had a ton of them!

Garnier Pure Active Fruit Energy Scrub Review

Hello, lovely ladies! Last week, I posted a drugstore haul where I talked about the Garnier Pure Active Fruit Energy Scrub. I looked good, smelled amazing so I thought it was going to be amazing. To be honest, it was not...

Nail of the Day: OPI 'Peace&Love&OPI' Swatch and Review

Good afternoon, my girls! Let's talk about 'Peace&Love&OPI' from the new O.P.I. San Francisco collection. This is the only color I picked up from this collection and for me, it's also one of the more unique colors. It's a gunmetal grey color with a purple and green duochrome to it.

Sleek Eyeshadow Palette in 'Au Naturel' Swatches and Review

Hello, my lovely ladies! Time to show you guys the second Sleek Idivine Eyeshadow palette I got in London. This is the 'Au Naturel' Palette. Yes, another eyeshadow palette filled with neutral colors. Did I really need another one? The only thing I can say is: 'Yes, because this is a completely different one than the UD Naked 1 & 2!

Barry M Lip Paint in 'Touch Of Magic': Coolest Lipstick ever!

Like I said in my London Haul, the Barry M Lip Paint in 'Touch of Magic' is something very special. It's a bright 'Kermit the frog'-green color. Can you imagine walking around with lips like that? But don't worry, this is not the color that will appear on your lips.

Nail of the Day: Essie 'Tea and Crumpets'

Today, I was in the mood for a more neutral nail polish. So I looked into my collection and there it was: Essie 'Tea and Crumpets'. Probably one of the most beautiful neutral shades I own. A color like this is a staple in every collection.

                          Swatch: Tea and Crumpets, natural light

Kruidvat Haul: Sale items and Repurchases!

Hello everybody! Today, I took a little trip to Kruidvat. Kruidvat is one of the popular drugstore chains here in Belgium. I went there just to repurchase some of my favorite products and of course, I got sucked in and bought some sale items...So I wanted to show you guys my purchases now, I could'nt wait until tomorrow!

Sleek Eyeshadow Palette in 'Storm' Swatches and Review

Good morning, everyone! I NEED to show you guys this Idivine Eyeshadow Palette by Sleek. This is another naked/neutral type palette, which is right up my alley. !!Spoiler alert!!: this blogpost contains some insanely pigmented eyeshadow swatches!

Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in 'Lace' Swatches and Review

Hi girls! On this lovely, sunny sunday, I wanted to show you guys the Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in 'Lace'. I bought this a few weeks ago at Superdrug in London. I was very excited to get my hands on Sleek products, because I've heard amazing things about it!

The Body Shop 'Honey Mania' Eau de Toilette Review

Hi, my lovely ladies! Today, I wanted to show you guys the new 'Honey Mania' eau de toilette by The Body Shop. When I saw Essiebutton's review on this line, I knew I had to try out the perfume. Little fact: I love the smell of honey, but I don't like eating it at all.

Nail of the Day: Ciaté 'Dangerous Affair' Swatches and Review

Hello everyone! I'm back today with a review on one of the polishes from the Ciaté Mini Paint Palette. I got this palette in London, a few weeks ago. It contains 8 mini Ciaté nail polishes. Today, I'm showing you guys 'Dangerous Affair', a beautiful blood red color.

 

London Haul Part 2: Fashion, Shoes and Accessoires!

Hello, my lovely ladies! Today I'm showing you the second part of my London Haul. I didn't go to many shops, just Primark and New Look. I got some lovely thing for the Fall and Winter season ;)

London Haul Part 1: Make-up!

Hello, my lovely girls! I'm back, alive and kicking! After my exams, I went to London with my parents and I picked some products from Boots and Superdrug. I also have one item from Selfridge's.

Dropped & broken: Nars Alhambra Duo.

'Oh my god, NO!', was the first thing that went trough my mind. Today, I had a little accident with my Nars eyeshadow duo. I dropped my makeup bag... and I knew immediateley that something would be broken. I opened the little palette and this is what I saw:

The damage is not that bad, I know. I could have been much worse.Nars eyeshadows are very buttery and soft do I recommend to be careful with these. It's the first time this happened to me and although it's a bummer, it's a bit funny too. From now on, I think I'll be a bit more careful with these.

I also wanted to give a quick update: I'm almost done with my exams so I'll be able to write more blogpost in about a week ;)

I'll see guys then! 
Enjoy the very last weekend of the summer!

xx, 
Astrid

Nail of the Day: Ciaté Antique Brooch

Yes, you are reading the title correctly. I finally managed to get my hands on Ciaté's Antique Brooch nail polish. When an item is out of stock on the Sephora website, you can leave your e-mail address and they will sent you an e-mail to inform you that the item is in stock again. So when I got an e-mail from Sephora saying that this nail polish was available again, I didn't hesitate for a minute and ordered it immediately!

Beauty Blogger Tag (2nd Edition)

Hey everyone! A couple of days ago, I got tagged by Sanja to do the 'Beauty Blogger Tag'. If you don't know Sanja, I suggest you check out her blog. I love it!

First of all, the rules:

• tag the creator of the tag - Sparkle With Laughter
  
• tag some more beauty bloggers you want to do the tag
• title your post ''The beauty blogger tag''
• answer the questions

1. Name the beauty routine you barely do!

There are too much beauty routines I don't do, haha. I rarely use foundation. When I do, I never wear a primer because I actually don't own a good primer. I need to get one, but I haven't found one that I really want to spend money on. 
I don't use heath protector when I do my hair...
And last but not least, I forget to put on moisturizer a lot. I only use when I feel like my skin needs it.  

2. Is washing your make up brushes something you regularly do?

No, not really. I wash them about once a month with a bit of makeup remover. I should clean them more often and with baby shampoo in stead of remover....

3. How long will you last with chipped nail varnish?

Normally, I can't stand chipped nail polish. But i've been walking around with Essie's 'Turqoise and Caicos' chipped like crazy for days now... I'm taking it off today!

4. How long do you put off buying/replacing a beauty or nail polish product even if you need it (ie. top coat, foundation, etc.)?

I always buy a replacement before I run out. I always have a spare bottle of makeup remover, you never know when you're gonna run out of something. :D

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

I think taking off my makeup before I go to bed. Because it's summer, I go out a lot with friends and when I get home, I go straight to bed without taking of my makeup. A habit I need to get rid of as soon as possible!

6. Name something non-beauty related you put off doing all the time?

Everything school related. Writing papers, studying for exams... Every time again, I think: This time I won't procrastinate and I'll study enough! But every single time, I begin too late with schoolwork...

7. When going out somewhere do you leave getting ready to the last minute or not?

When I go out, I really want to look good so I take my time getting ready. I'll put on some music and I really enjoy it :)

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

Sometimes. When I go shopping thinking I need something (like a new pair of jeans), I can't seem to find something decent. But when I go shopping for fun, everything fits perfectly and looks great and that results in too much spending! Life can be weird like that :)

9. How organised is your makeup and nail polish collection?

I think it's okay. I always find everything I need. You can see the way I store my makeup here. I don't have a special way to organise my nail polish, I just have two big boxes with everything in it. I try to place them by brand.

10. What is the longest time you have gone without writing a blog post? 

 The longest time I've gone without writing a blog post is almost a month, I think. That's a really long time! :D I don't know why, though...

  
I tag:

• Mascara & Maltesers
• Ahem, I'ts Emme
• Classy Peach
• Cosmo Gloss
• Monkeytoes And Manicures
• You!

Thanks to Sanja for tagging me and I hope you all like this tag a lot! <3
xx, 
Astrid 

Summer of Bloggin, July 31: The end of Summer of Bloggin'

Hey girls! Today is the last day of July and that means that 'Summer of Bloggin', where I would post a blogpost everyday, is now officially over....

Summer of Bloggin', July 30: 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag!

Hey everyone, today I'm doing the '7 deadly sins of beauty tag'. I've seen this a lot on youtube and I saw it a couple of times on blogs too. It always looked like such a fun tag and I finally decided to it. Let's get to the questions.

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive? 

That's a tough one. My most expensive beauty item are my Urban Decay Naked palettes, I think. They were 45€ each. But if you do the math, you get 12 full-sized UD eyeshadows. Those are €17 a piece when you buy them as a single, so a UD palette is always a great deal.
My most inexpensive beauty item is a black Sinful Colors Nail Polish that was 1,99$. I got this on vacation in the States 4 years ago and it's crazy pigmented. One coat is enough to cover my whole nail! I never actually wear black polish, but I use it a lot for nail art.

Summer of Bloggin', July 29: NOTD Essie Turquoise&Caicos Review and Swatch

Hey girl! Today I wanted to show you guys my favorite and most-used nail polish EVER. This is Essie's Turquoise&Caicos. This was the first Essie nail polish I got and I think it's also one of their most popular shades. It's a beautiful 'is-this-bleu-or green?'-color. Perfect for spring and summer, but a year-round favorite for me.

Summer of Bloggin', July 28: Ouidad Botanical Boost Moisture Infusing and Refreshing Spray Review

Hey everybody! A quick blogpost today on the Ouidad Botanical Boost Moisture Infusing and Refreshing Spray. I got this in the beginning of july, it was included in my Beauty Bay Haul as a deluxe sample.

This spray is supposed to moisture and refresh your hair. You can use after washing your hair, to detangle and to moisturize your hair, or you can use it in the morning to refresh your hair. I usually use it after I wash my hair. It doesn't really detangle it that well, but it makes my hair nice and soft. It adds a healthy shine to it as well.

The funny thing is... This spray is supposed to be for curls. I don't have curly hair but I think people with wavy/straight hair can use this as well. I like it a lot, but I probably won't buy the full sized bottle when this gets used up. It's a bit too expensive and I don't think it's THAT special.

See ya'll tomorrow ;)
xx, 
Astrid

Summer of Bloggin', July 27: Urban Decay Naked Palette

I know that this palette has been around for a couple of years now, but I never did a review about did. I don't know why, because this is my absolute favorite of all the Naked Palettes out there.This palette had a very beautiful packaging, but because of the felt, it gets dirty very easily. Mine is a bit dusty, as you can see. Let's get to it!

Summer of Bloggin', July 26: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Honey' Review & Swatch

Hey again, everyone! For my second blogpost of today, I wanted to talk about the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in 'Honey'. I picked this up in Paris and I was very, VERY excited to try it out. I've heard so many things about them... not all of them were postive so I was curious to see how this works for me.

Summer of Bloggin', July 25: The Body Shop Leona Lewis 'Oh Deer' Shimmer Palette Review

Yesterday, I suffered from writer's block and I had absolutely no inspiration to write a blogpost, so today you guys get two 'Summer of Bloggin' posts! Today I wanted to show you guys a supercute highlighter/blush from The Body Shop. This blush is from a line created with Leona Lewis and is 100% Cruelty-free!

Summer of Bloggin', July 24: Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in 'Eternal Gold' Swatches&Review

Hello girls, today I wanted to do a short review about the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in 'Eternal Gold', a beautiful yellow-gold color. I bought this color on an evening marker at the end of June. It was only €5, which is very cheap for maybelline products in Belgium. 

Summer of Bloggin', July 23: NOTD Barry M 'Lychee' Swatch and Review

The perfect nude nail polish. Does it exist? I think I just gave found the perfect beige, nude nail polish for me. This Barry M 'Lychee' Gelly' Nail polish. I've tried this nail polish line before, in the color Prickley Pear. But I like this one so much more!