Blue

I am wearing:
Blazer - H&M || Shirt - Primark || Jeans - H&M || Shoes - China Girl (no longer available)
Nailpolish - Essie 'twin sweater set'

 

Hello everyone!! 

For some reason, winter always makes me want to wear bright colours and bright shoes. This pair for example! It is the complete opposite of shoes that you can wear when it's freezing outside. Confession: I want to...

So, when the sun was shining, I went on with it and paired it with my favourite basic pieces. The outfit itself is warm enough for Winter wear, (again) the shoes are not. Obviously ;)

I really like that the shoes can completely lift the whole outfit, because the colour is very bold.

I originally bought them for my graduation ball, but I couldn't really show them off there because of my long dress. It made me feel really tall (I think the heel alone is 6cm?!) and I was pretty comfortable the whole time! The sand wasn't that nice, but once I got inside it was good :)

I have been getting into brighter shoes (with heels) lately, buying a pair of sneaker heels last November and these beauties in June last year! It's a nice contrast to my grey and black converse shoes.

Are you a converse of heel kind of girl?

Love, Danielle

Collections | Necklaces

Happy Friday!!!
It's been a while since I did my first Collection post. Today I will be showing you a small section of my necklaces and where I store them.

Enjoy!

I own a very large closet, with a lot of pre-made holes (for more shelves that is). I couldn't find a nice place to put my necklaces, and didn't want to lay them down and get them all tangled. I used hooks and secured them in the holes. On the right ride, there are 9 or 10 hooks secured underneath each other. The necklaces I put here are the ones I use the most. The two hooks on the left side are for the ones I never wear. These are the more bolt ones, with bright colours. These are also the ones that are very heavy to wear around my neck for a day...

I have been really into shorter necklaces lately. Since I started working at a clothing store, I had to wear appropriate clothing. I started wearing tops with a collar, but thought it was boring without something 'extra'. The top necklace was the first shorter necklace I ever bought, and I still wear it on a regular basis. Not only when I wear tops with collars, it looks great on a normal top too (both high and low cut)!

The second one is a bit different. Long story short: I saw it a couple of months ago in Primark, but was in a hurry so I couldn't buy it. In the beginning of December I came back, with more time and the hope it would still be there. It was, so there was not a change I was going to let it slip! It also was the last necklace, so I felt very lucky :)

The third and last short necklace is from Selfridges. I think it's from an H&M stand, but I am not really sure! It looks very shiny, and heavy. The shiny is true, it can make an all black outfit a lot brighter by putting this on. And it's not heavy at all! What I also really like about this one is that it has different parts, so it is stronger than it would be if it was one whole piece. The multiple parts also form around your body, giving it an even nicer look and feel.

On to the longer necklaces. I have a few more that I wear, but they have very slim laces, that I wasn't able to photograph in a decent way... These two are the ones I wear most, especially the bottom one. The top one is (again) one that I have been looking for for over a year, and finally found. It is breaking down a little, so I don't want to wear it too much. I hope it will last a lot longer than my last one (yes, this is the second one. The lock on the first one snapped as I left the train, and it disappeared on the train station).

The wing necklace is very important to me. I won't go into much detail, but it reminds me of my grandpa and of the family weekend I had a few years back with my parents and brother in Paris. Which is where I bought it. I still really love it. It is missing one stone in de middle, but I am not planning on replacing it.

Do you wear a lot of necklaces or other accessories? 

Love, Danielle

A Gap Year | A quick update

Hello everyone!
Today, I will be giving you all a very quick update on my Australia adventure. It will be a quick (and hopefully short) update because I want to get another post up along with this one.

So, here we go!
I got an email yesterday (Wednesday 15th). I was just telling Rosa, who is flying with me to Dubai, that I didn't have a host family yet. Just as I said this, my iPod screen lid up, and there was an email from AFS. The email was directed to the person I have been contacting about my visa, saying 'Attached is the AASES form for Danielle'. The form can only be sent to the embassy if there is a host family. I started freaking out, trying to open the attachment as fast as possible (and making the dumbest mistakes while doing so).

When I opened the attachment, I was met with the names and the address of my host family! I have a host family!! I am so happy that AFS was able to find one, because my departure date is coming closer and closer and I was getting worried that I might not be able to fly out on the set date.

I don't know much about them yet, though. They are still filling in the application papers, and when they have completed the application, I will get a profile with pictures and more information about them :) I did do a Google search on the address and my school, and it's not far from each other. The school has different programs, and has a great park attached to it! Students attending my school wear uniforms, with colours blue and white. This may seem normal to some of you, but in The Netherlands nobody wears a uniform to school. Also, my house is not very far from the beach and I will be very close to the city centre of Perth. (Note: this is what I found with Google Maps, so distances might be longer and further apart)

I am so extremely happy that I will have people that will take care of me and that I am (if the visa is on time) able to leave on the 5th of February.

A is my home address, B is my school address

Love, Danielle

Update: I got my host parents' profile sent to me yesterday! They seem really nice people, have no children but they do have two smaller doggies :) I am crossing off my lists (as I always do) and whilst pre-packing my stuff today I found myself being super excited. The weird thing is that when my dad called the office yesterday, he was told that they had already found them in November! Witch was a month or two after I had applied! Not that great that they forgot to tell me, could have saved me a lot of stress, but in the end I'm still breathing ;)

Like I said, I am super excited, and it makes it as really real. Not having a host family yet was difficult, not knowing if I could go. But knowing that I will be taken care of, makes me feel really calm. Scary and a little bit anxious? Yes. All the 'what ifs?' are going around in my head all day now. But I have come this far, last year has been the most eventful year in my life so far, so I think I will manage this year just fine.

London Haul 2 | Boots, Forever 21, Selfridges, H&M

                                

When I went to London in June, I spent as much money as I could in the four days that I stayed there. Last time, I did have a budget. I wasn't able to go in to a Boots store last time, strangely one of the things I wanted if I ever went there again. I did have a bit of a splurge there, but in my defence, they were all on my list! I went in prepared: THE frist night we wen tot à little Boots store near St. Pauls Church, and I got their Christmas special. It took me a couple of nights to make a list of what I wanted. On the last day, we went to Picadilly Circus, what we thought was a big
 Also, I went to my favourite clothing store in the world: Forever21. Last stop (where I actually bought something) was Selfridges.

Soap and Glory had a 2+1 promotion! There was another 2+1 promotion on all Christmas-selected products. I have heard a lot of positive things about Soap and Glory, so I wanted to make sure I bought some and see for myself! They don't sell it in the Boots stores here, and it was actually pretty hard to decide what products I wanted to try. I love body scrubs, so the Sugar Crush was the first pick. I like the smell a lot, which is why I chose the normal sized pot. And who doesn't love hand cream?

Another beauty product that is not available in The Netherlands yet, lip crayons! (Yes, they are available now. When I went to London the only ones were from Clinique, and I was not willing to pay over 30 euro for it) The Ted Baker crayons were boxed in the sweetest tin!!
The lip crayons from Ted Baker are a little bit glossier then the crayons from Seventeen, but the Seventeen crayons seem to have a higher pigmentation... Hmm.. (I will be doing a blog post on both soon!)

Next thing I picket up are clear elastics. Like all of the above products, no where to be found here... There is not a lot to say about this. Only that they are very easy to use, and I am able to wrap them around my hair 3 times. They are very strong and I love wearing them!

Tangle Teezer!!! I love it. I was never able to comb my hair after a shower (with 10 minutes left to get ready before I had to leave). This is another product I have seen a lot of people raving about, and I just needed to try it myself :)

On the first day, we went to Forever 21. 'In case you need some time to think about it' my mom said. She knows me better than I know myself, and she was right. MOVING ON! haha.

I should iron my clothes before snapping pictures...

I didn't go all out this time, but I did pick up the most comfy things! Sitting at home means I was staying in my PJ's a lot, and it got a bit boring. I don't own a one piece, so I mostly chill in my Pooh bottoms and H&M sweatshirt. The shirt is slightly oversized, and a bit shorter than normal on the bottom :) The legging in the warmestest thing I have ever worn, and I finally own a patterned legging. (White girl much?)

I bought this H&M necklace at Selfridges ;)  It's a short necklace, great to wear with a collared shirt! It's not really heavy and I like that it has different parts. The parts are being held together with small silver rings, making it more comfortable to wear (and less easy to snap into pieces).

Hope you liked it! I am really sorry for not posting it on Friday, my cousin was staying here for the weekend and I was helping my mum with getting the floor done in the garage.

Love, Danielle

I need YOUR help!

Yes, I need YOU!
What would you like to see on here? More beauty? More fashion? Pictures? Something else?

I will be writing a lot in in the next two weeks, so let me know what you want to read and I'll do something with it!

Love, Danielle

A Gap Year | A month to go

Today marks that I have one month left in my home country. I am going to assume I find a host family in time and that my visa will be ready when it's time. Yes, next month, around 10PM local time, I will be leaving my comfortable and familiar life behind and start a new one of the other side of the world: Australia!

The counting down has officially begun (it already did a few weeks ago, but the month mark is a biggy)!! 

So today I will be updating you on a few things: I pre-packet my suitcase for the second time, changed some bits and bops on my packing list and sent my visa application :) 

First things first: No, I am still not sure what everybody is talking about when they ask 'are you scared?'. I have been getting this question a lot, and I have not been feeling scared, nor anxious, nor doubting if I made the right choice. I am getting more excited every day! I cannot wait for the day I get to leave, and start a new 'normal' life again. Being at home since June gets hard from time to time (even though it might sound like a dream, it is not.) 

As I said before, packing before you need to pack, can save you a lot of stress, and give you more time to find the best way to store your clothes for the trip. There is no stress in 'pre-packing' (is that even a word?), I actually find it relaxing. Sitting on the floor, surrounding myself with the things on my packing list. Then playing a game of tetris, fitting as much stuff in a small part!  

Two or three weeks before Christmas, I received my visa application in the mail. Rosa has already warned me about the huge amount of paper, but the questions were standard so it was easier than I thought it would be. 

Like I said before, I am getting more excited everyday. I cannot wait to go back to school (yes I am serious). A six week holiday in Summer used to be a long time between years, but eight months... I CANNOT WAIT! 

I am also really looking forward to finding out what my host family or school will be like or what I will be doing when I life there. There also have been moments where I realize that I will be missing things back home (birthdays, family meetings, friends), but it does make me think twice on leaving. I know there will be times where I am missing home, not feeling well or just not wanting to be there. But I also know that this year will help me find myself and really become my own person. I know my best friends will still be there when I get back, and they will support me, even if I am not there in person (and the other way around). 

I hope to be writing another update for you all very soon, where I tell you I have found a host family ;)

Love, Danielle

Looking back at 2013

left to right, clockwise

2013 has been a crazy year for me. Some very high peaks, and dark downs. Looking back I am extremely happy to know the people that I know, and to be where I am today. Throughout this year, I wished things would had turned out different than they have, but it was for the better looking back. I think that I have learned a lot about myself and about what I need in my life. This year has made me feel stronger than I was before, and has made me believe in my own strength. I feel better about myself, and can enjoy life again!

Happy New Year!!

Happy new year everybody!!

I hope the new year will bring you good times, memories and everything you wish or hope for.

How did you spent new years eve?

Love, Danielle

PS. I haven't been able to sit down and write with the Holidays (friends, Christmas, family), but there will be a recap of 2013.