Hey everyone, today I'm posting part 2 of my perfume collection. These are the perfumes I keep at home in Brussels. These are also the ones I use less than the ones in Ghent. But they are still good! ;)
It was a bit more difficult to find desciptions of these perfumes, but two of them were already limited edition scents by a clothing store. I did my best to find descriptions or made them myself (pretty horrible :p)

1) Red Delicious by DKNY
Perfume composed of apple note surrounded with violet leaves becomes sweeter with a glittering start thanks to a splendid bouquet beautifully harmonized leaving us under the impression of having a real, juicy, ripe apple in front of us. Red and white bottle still looks like an apple perfectly matching the tantalizing character of this fragrance.
Notes:
champagne, lychee, raspberry, apple, rose, amber, musk and vanilla. 

I love all the DKNY fragrances, as you can may have noticed. This one has a softer apple scent then the green bottle. I like it a lot, it smells great. I wish I wore this more often.

2) Fuel for life by Diesel
This perfume was created by two ‘noses for perfumes’, Annick Menardo and Thierry Vasseur, who enriched the top notes with fresh mandarin and a touch of pink pepper. The heart is dominated by sweet and clear jasmine, decorated with nutmeg notes, while the base fondles with sensual notes of musk and patchouli. Use with caution !

And yes, you must use this with caution. It's a very heavy fragrance. The heaviest I own and it's my least favorite. It just doens't fit me, which I was bummed about because I like the smell :(
I also noticed that my dog acts very strange whenever I wear this, he gets a little agressive and crazy... I think it's because it's such a strong scent :/

3) Oh my Cherry by ZARA
A sweet, everyday scent by Zara. I got the rollerbal bottle, which is perfect to take with you. I'm not sure this is still available, but I really like it. It's a subtle, sweet, little bit fruity scent!

4) Music by Harajuku lovers
Harajuku Lovers collection includes fragrances , Lil' Angel, Music, Love, Baby and G, and each of them is devoted to one of her back vocals, Harajuku Girls, reflecting their fashion and life styles, while one represents her.
The scent of Music is charismatic and brings joy. The top notes bring fresh aromas of peach and clementine, the heart blends floral notes of jasmine sambac, sweet pea and honeysuckle. The base introduces vanilla, musk, and woodsy accords.

I really like this one, it's a very cute bottle and a great daytime scent.

5) Love Island by Pimkie
This was just a limited edition summer fragrance by a clothing store called Pimkie. It smells very fruity and sweet, which I loved a lot 4 years ago. To be honest, this one is very old and I haven't used it in a long time.

What's your favorite perfume?
xx, 
Astrid

Battle Of The Taupe Nail Polishes: Swatches and Comparison (I'm obsessed!)

Raise your hand if you have that one favorite color you just can't seem to get enough off. With me, that's taupe. I love taupe nail polishes, I think they can make your fingers look so pretty and classy and lady like. Now, I realise I maybe have too much taupe nail polishes. I have 8. 

Yes, I know what you're thinking! 'WHAT? 8 taupe polishes? Why would you need that?'
Well, the only answer I could think of is: they're different?

I decided to do a compairison on all these nail polishes, to show you guys how they all look and which ones are my favorite. All the swatches are taken in natural light and are 2 coats.

As you can see, these are all pretty different once you put them on. Essie's Chinchilly is the most grey of the bunch, O.P.I.'s You Don't Know Jacques is the most brown. Hema is the only polish with a metallic finish, it's pretty cool! Essie's Lady like is the most pinky/purple. Eyeko's Posh Polish is pretty dark, a bit darker than it appears to be in the bottle. H&M's Taupe is a gorgeous color, but the quality is terrible. I wore this once and it was chipped after 15 minutes. 15! Kiko's 319 is also pretty dark with a tiny, tiny hint of purple in it. Yves Rocher's Taupe Rosé also has a little rosy brown tint to it.

It's funny to see how many different colors there are available and they're all so different. I think there is a right color for everyone out there, you just have to find it ;)

My favorites? Hema's 004, Essie Lady like, and Yves Rocher's Taupe Rosé

What's your favorite one?
xx,
Astrid

My Perfume Collection: Photos and Descriptions (Part 1)

Hey everyone, I thought it might be a fun idea to show you guys my perfume collection. I keep the biggest part of my collection in Ghent, where I live during the week for my studies. I also have a few at home. I will talk about those in a different blogpost because this one is going to be VERY long. The ones in Ghent are my favorites and whenever I go home for a while (like spring break) I take one or two perfumes with me. I will add descriptions of each perfume, so you can have a idea of what it smells like. I found most of the descriptions on the Sephora website.

1. Daisy by Marc Jacobs.
Enter the world of Daisy: fresh and feminine, with a playful innocence. At the heart of Daisy is a floral with vintage edge: violet. Sophisticated, with a touch of whimsy, violet captures the eclectic, vintage flavor of Marc Jacobs' feminine, edgy designs. Always elegant, always enchanting. Daisy is a sparkling floral bouquet, spirited and fresh, wrapped in comfort and warmth.

Notes:
Strawberry, Violet Leaves, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Gardenia, Violet Petals, Jasmine Petals, Musk, Vanilla, White Woods.

This one is my all time favorite perfume. It smells so good, I can't even describe it. The description above pretty much covers it. It is feminine, fresh, warm, elegant. It smells like flowers but not too much. I would recommend it to everyone, it's just the perfect perfume.

2. Be Delicious by DKNY (very tiny bottle)
A modern feast for the senses. Served in a sleek metal and glass apple bottle, this juicy fragrance combines the scent of apple with a sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods. 

Notes:
American Apple, Cucumber, Grapefruit, Candid Magnolia, Tuberose, White Muguet, Rose, Violet, Sandalwood, Tender Skin Accord, Blonde Woods, White Amber.

This is a perfume that I always recognize immediately when someone wears it. The famous apple perfume. I think you can't go wrong with this. It's fresh and fruity, it's a lovely smell

3. Femme by Hugo Boss
The new interpretation of femininity, a floral sheer oriental fragrance that represents ultra feminine beauty. Complimentary ingredients form a radiant cloud of sophisticated femininity. The fresh citrus tangerine note lifts the emotions, preparing the senses for the floral bouquet. The Freesia note carries the luminous scent of Stephanotis and Oriental Lily. These notes are further heightened by Rose petals for a radiating floral aura of utmost femininity. Boss Femme perfume exudes a fortification of the aura with a creamy musk like accord gives the scent a silky smooth finish. (not on sephora website)

Notes: 
Apricot, Tangerine, Rose, Blackcurrant, LemonWood, Freesia, Jasmine

Another feminine smell. One of my friends has this one as well and it's her signature scent. When I smelled it, I loved it! I think it fits me not as good as her, but I still like it.
  
4. Apple Delight (Pomme Délice) by Yves Rocher
This was a limited edition smell by Yves Rocher, last Fall/Winter. It smells like sweet, spiced apples. I bought the little bottle of this. Because it was limited edition, you can't find a lot about it on the internet. It smells great, I think this a great scent for the fall and winter time.
  
5. The Beat by Burburry
Burberry The Beat Eau de Toilette is youthful, feminine, fresh, and elegant. It is a sparkling blend of unexpected notes that expresses the unique personality of the Burberry woman. She is naturally bright and luminous.

Notes:
Bergamot, Cardamom, Pink Pepper, Mandarin, Iris, Bluebell, Ceylon Tea, White Musk, Vetiver, Cedarwood.Style:Stylish. Sensual. Energetic. 

Again, I don't use this enough. It's a great fragrance, very fresh and a bit citrussy. Perfect daytime perfume, in my opinion!

6. Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel
Sexy, fresh Oriental fragrance recalls the irrepressible spirit of the young Coco Chanel. An elegant, luxurious spray closest in strength and character to the parfum form. The signature Classic Bottle is perfect for the dressing table or for traveling. Spray lightly morning and evening on pulse points at the throat and wrist.

Notes: 
Orange, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Litchi, Rose, Italian Jasmine, Indonesian Patchouli, Bourbon Vanilla, White Musk

A very heavy, sexy, seductive scent, in my opinion. I like to wear this when I go out. It's a grown up scent, but not too old. 

7. Maroccan Rose by The Body Shop
The perfume intoxicates with aromas of Moroccan rose enriched with lemon oil, vanilla, spices and musk.
  
This is the only description I could find of this perfume. This is now replaced by the 'Atlas Mountain Rose' line, I think. On both the english and dutch website, this perfume is not available anymore.  

This is a very strong rose scent. I love it, but I never use a lot of it because it can quickly become too heavy. If you would still find this at stores and you are a rose scent addict, don't hesitate. You won't be disappointed.

8. Golden Delicious by DKNY
DKNY Golden Delicious glistens with a glamorous burst of succulent orange flower water. The heart beats deeper with floral touches of white rose and muguet flower. In the base, musk, sandalwood, and teakwood blend together, lending a warm, lasting touch of sensuality. And, of course, the scent of Golden Delicious apple provides an elegant and memorable character that shines throughout the life of the scent.

Notes:
Orange Flower Water, Mirabelle, Golden Delicious Apple, White Rose, Casablanca Lily, Vanilla Orchid, Muguet, Musk, Sandalwood, and Teakwood.
 
I like this one, but I don't use it a lot. It smells less like apples to me (which is not a bad thing, the DKNY perfumes have to be different of course). I think I'll try to use this more, because I actually really like the scent of it.

So these are the perfumes I keep in Ghent. I'll do a part 2 soon, talking about the perfumes I keep at home. I hope you liked this post and if you have any questions about the perfumes, don't hesitate to ask!

What's your favorite perfume?
xx, 
Astrid

Nail of the Day: Essie 'Lady like'

Ladies, I think I have found my new favorite nude nail polish. My favorite nude shade ever is 'Dulce the Leche' by OPI but this one is a strong competitor. I'm talking about Essie's Lady like. This color was part of the fall 2011 collection. Essie became available in Belgium in the winter of 2011, so I had just missed the chance to get it. It was always I color that I wanted to try. Last week, I was at Di and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Lady like is now part of the permanent collection. Project Pan or no Project Pan, I had to have this!

                                        Swatch; Lady like, 2 coats

Where do I begin to describe it? I think the name is perfect for this color, because it is a gorgeous, everyday, neutral, soft pink-taupe color, with a tiny hint of a soft light purple. It is so feminine and pretty. I'm so haopy I got my hands on this color because to me, it's perfect. This had great pigmentation, it looked opaque in two coats. What I also like about Essie nail polishes is that they dry quite quick. I think I am going to use this one A LOT during spring, summer, autumn, winter... just all year!

It looks a bit like OPI's Dulce de leche, but that one is more pink. I love them both.

Essie nail polishes are available at Di and Kruidvat for €10,99.

What is your favorite nude nail color?
xx
Astrid

NYX Megashine Lipgloss in 'Beige' and 'Tea Rose' Review

After hearing so much about the NYX Megashine Lipglosses, I decided to finally try them out. I have them in two colors: Beige and Tea Rose. I found these on the Cherry Culture website and showed them in my Cherry Culture haul.

The packaging is, like all NYX packaging, simple and sleek. I like it this way and you can easily find the right color when you want to put one of these on.

Beige is definitely not a beige color. It's a soft pink color. Tea rose is a darker pink color and is darker than I tought it would be. 

In the next photo you can see swatches on my hand, but I also have swatches of the colors on my lips. The lipgloss feels creamy and just a little bit sticky, but not irritating. I love the smell, it's very sweet and fruity. It reminds me of a mixture of cherry and bubble gum.

                                                                Swatch: Beige

                                                            Swatch: Tea Rose

They are a bit similar on the lips, but Tea Rose is darker than Beige. I like them both but Tea Rose is my favorite. Even though Beige is a lighter color, it was 'brighter' and more noticible on my lips. Tea Rose is slightly more sheer than Beige.

These lipglosses are available on the Cherry Culture website. Nyx is an amazing and very inexpensive brand, I love it! I would definitely recommend these lipglosses to anyone!

Have you tried these lipglosses? Do you like them?
xx, 
Astrid

What's in my makeup travel bag? Spring 2013

Hi! Today I wanted to show you guys my makeup travel bag, that I brought with me on my vacation to Marocco, last week. 

I got this bag at The Body Shop a year or so ago, it contained a set of products (I can't remember which ones). This is not the bag I usually take with me on trips, but because I took so little with me, I decided to take this smaller bag.

 These are the products I took with me:
1. Revlon Colorstay 12hour Eyeshadow Quad in 'Decadent'
2. Nivea Lip Butter in 'Vanilla&Macadamia'
3. M.A.C. Paint Pot in 'Painterly'
4. Benefit They're Real Mascara
5. Sephora Smudge brush
6. Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer.
7. Eyeko Double Ended Eyeliner in 'Plum/Electric Purple' ( I LOVE the plum color)
8. NYC Color Wheel Blush in 'Rose Glow'
9. Sephora Depuffing Eye Gel
10. Hema Eyeshadow Brush
11. Hema Blending Brush
12. Too Faced Shadow Insurance (the very very very last bit, it's completely gone now!)
13. Sephora Kabuki Brush (I use this for my blush)

I also brought sun screen, moisturizer (Benefit 'Dear John'), Makup Remover, 1 Nail Polish (OPI 'Are you calling me a lyre?'), Hand Cream (Khiel's Hand Salve) and a scrub with me, but in a different bag.

I didn't use these products a lot of my vacation, I was a bit too lazy to put on my makeup most of the time. But these are some products I use on a daily basis and I like to take them with me when I travel.

What's in your makeup bag?
xx, 
Astrid

Liebster award!

Hey everyone! I have some pretty exciting news today! I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Jess from monkeytoesandmanicures! I was so surprised and almost speechless!

The Liebster Award is given to blogs you love under 200 followers. This is a great to discover fantastic, new blogs!

The rules are simple:
1. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
2. Choose 11 new bloggers to pass the award onto and put their links in your post.
3. Create 11 new questions for your chosen bloggers.
4. Go to their page and tell them about the award.
5. Each blogger should also post 11 random facts about themselves.
6. You can't tag your tagger back!

Here are my answers to Jess's questions:
1. How did you meet your best friend?
This may sound weird but I don't have 1 best friend. I have multiple fantastic, great friends and I can't chose ONE best friend. They are all, each and every one, so special to me and I would not know what to do without them.
- I met one of my great friends, Lynn, when I was 6 years old and she was playing in a sand box and I just asked if I could play along with her. We still see each other a lot and have fun together. 
- Through Lynn, I met an awesome girl named Vicky! She's amazing!
- Another fantastic friend, Yne, I met when a mutual friend introduced us to each other. We didn't became close friends right away, but one day we just started talking and we became close friends. I also still see her a lot, together with Lynn!
- When I was 14, I started taking dancing lessons and I met two girls (Lisa and Marijke) that are now very close friends. We don't see each other all the time, but when we meet we have so much fun together!
- When I was 13, there was this awesome girl in my class named Caroline (Caro). We go way back and whenever we see each other, we can talk for HOURS!
- I had to redo my 5th year of high school (some of you may know this as 11th Grade) and I became friends with a girl named Celien. She is now my best shopping buddy!
- My friends in my class are also amazing girls. At the beginning of the school year, I was a bit lonely in Ghent. But now I met all these amazing people in my class and they are all so different, but so much fun!
2. What's one makeup thing you struggle with? 
Eyeliner. I'm so jealous of all those girls on youtube who always have perfect winged eye liner. It's so hard! I have gotten better over the years, but I still struggle with it. I still can't do the wing, it's uneven and just looks like a mess.
3. What's one place you really want to see before you die? 
New York, as many times as possible!
4. What do you splurge on? 
Makeup. I love saving money and than go to Paris to buy makeup at Sephora. Benefit, Urban Decay,... They are not the most inexpensive brands, but they are worth the money, in my opinion.
5. Who would you pick to play you in a movie?
Blake Lively, because she is just gorgeous!
6. What is your absolute favorite store to shop at?
Right now, I love NafNaf and Bershka. I also like H&M, Zara and Pull&Bear. For beauty, I love to go to Sephora.
7. What is your favorite snack food?
I like chips, olives,... But something I love eating while watching television is toasted bread with nutella. I try no to eat it all the time ;)
8. If you could have a role in any TV show, what would it be? 
Glee. I just started watching this show and I love it!
A role in Sex And The City would be awesome too, that's one of my favorite shows ever.
9. You are having a dinner party. You can invite anyone, dead or alive. Who would it be? 
I think I would invite Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock, Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick, Audrey Hepburn and Marie Antoinette. I would also invite some famous people of today like Marc Jacobs, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and Neil Patrick Harris. Music would be provided by Amy Winehouse, Katy Perry and Adele.
10. What is one beauty product on your wishlist right now?
Urban Decay Glide on pencils, Too Faced Bronzer, Lorac Pro Palette, The Balm Nude'tude palette, the new Benefit palettes, Wet 'n Wild products in general, Revlon products in general,... I could go on for hours! ;)
11. What is your favorite cosmetics brand?
Benefit. Most of their products are awesome and the packaging of the products are like little pieces of art.

11 Random Facts About Me:
1. When I was two years old, I was jumping around in our living room sofa. I fell off the sofa and hit my head on our living room table (which was made of stone). I was bleeding pretty hard and had to go to the hospital to get stitches.
2. I study Occupational Therapy in Ghent, Belgium.
3. Even though I said I would like to appear in Glee, I can't sing. I'm the worst singer I know.
4. I met my boyfriend online. We became friends and decided to meet each other (in a public place!). It was love at first sight. Two years and 8 months later, we're still together.
5. My first tooth fell out while I was fighting with my older brother.
6. My favorite poem is 'Stop all the clocks' by W.H. Auden.
7. I have two pets: a dog named Dempsey and a cat named Prutske. 
8. I really dislike forever 21. I never buy something there, except jewelry.
9. I have two older brothers: Stijn and Thomas.
10. I really like giraffes.
11. I lost 22 pounds in the last 1,5 years. I would like to lose more weight, but living in Ghent makes it harder (less sport, more snacks etc,...) I even gained a few pounds. I'm going to find a way to do more sport and I'll try to eat healthier to get in shape for summer! :)

These are the people I nominate:
1. Louise @ Louisperfectlypolished
2. Katherine @ Procrastinails
3.Amy @ Allthelittlethings3
4. Charlotte @ Februaryairr
5. Maria @ Theycallthewindm
6. Claire @ Montageme
7. Jane @ Pagingdoctorpretty
8. Sloane and Claire @ The lipglossary
9. Steph @ Be beautiful
10. Jade @ Jadebradymakeup
11.Louise @ Streetchic1
 
Here are my 11 questions for them!
1. What are your favorite TV-shows?
2. What's the last place you went on vacation?
3. What is your favorite perfume?
4. If you were a guy for one day, what would you do and why?
5. What is your favorite TV show?
6. If you should repurchase 5 makeup items, which ones would that be?
7. Are you afraid of someting? What and why?
8. What is your favorite spring/summer nail polish?
9. What is your favorite restaurant and what do you usually order there?
10. What are your favorite fashion/beauty magazines?
11. How did you come up with your blog name?

xx, 
Astrid

Project Pan March Update + Empties!

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? I wanted to write a blogpost today, so I thought it would be the perfect time to update you all on my Project Pan. 

This month flew by so fast and it was quite easy to resist buying makeup. I had a busy time at school and I didn't go shopping that much. That made it easy for me to avoid makeup stores. But also online beauty shopping was not as tempting this month. I must say, I'm a bit proud of myself. However, saying all of this now... makes me realise how much I want to go shopping for makeup. I'll better stay inside for the next couple of days ;)

I, again, realise how long it takes to use up a product. I try to use up mascaras, but I think I just have too many. I now switch it up as much as I can, so they all get used. Hopefully, I use some of them up in April.

I have three empties to share with you this month.

1) Too Faced Shadow Insurance (sample)
This is a little sample sized eyeshadow primer that I got for free with the Too Faced Eye Love palette. This sample, as well as the Urban Decay one I finished last month, had lasted me a very long time. I also have the full size one, but I've never used it because this sample lasted me longer than I had expected. It keeps my eyeshadow looking great all day long, without creasing. Yay!

2) Yves Rocher Expert Repair Body Lotion
I'm a little sad. I loved this body lotion so so much and now it's empty. As I said in my review about this product, I just adore it. It makes my skin feeling soft and hydrated for days! The lotion smells nice and sinks into the skin very fast. 
My favorite body lotion ever. I will repurchase this again and again and again! 

3) Yves Rocher Jardin Du Monde Pomegranate Shower Gel
As you can see, I've used this to the very last drop. There is nothing really special about this shower gel but it smells divine: so fresh and fruity.  

So that's it for my Project Pan update! The end is almost there (not really, but let's stay positive) ;)

What products have you been using up this month?
xx, 
Astrid