I’m a little late with this… But I wanted to thank everyone who voted for me for the Knack Weekend Blog Awards. I came in third, which is massive! I was extremely happy to see my name pop up on the big screen together with Sabine (who won the award!) and Lisha. Be sure to check out the whole list of beauty (and other) blogs here, because they’re all top notch. The award evening itself was really fun as well, it’s great to chit chat with fellow bloggers and friends. I’m preparing a small international thank you, so stay tuned for that :)

(thank you Essentiel for the awesome sunglasses!)

A couple of months ago I was asked if I was interested in testing out one of the new Secrid mini wallets - after putting some thought into it (am I fashionable enough to actually review wallets?) I caved in: these wallets actually protect your cards against information theft! And they were really pretty too. Aaand I finally discovered a cute wallet that would fit my Banana Republic black studded mini shoulder bag. So I said yes. I went for the cognac reptile one, and it really is really, really pretty. Exhibits below:

(on my nails: OPI - Go Nutty For Donutty)

The brand is Dutch (hello neighbours!) and is pretty much sold worldwide now. They have some quite fashionable mini wallets like the one I got, but also a regular line of plain colored wallets in different sizes and with or without buttons. I’ve been using the wallet for my most important cards (I store five in the card protector), but have been carrying my regular wallet with me as well. It is very mini after all, and I am a woman so my wallet and bag are always stuffed with random things. So I’m hoping they’ll release bigger wallets as well, so I can fit all of my loyalty cards and whatnot in it and still have my cards protected properly.

If fits, it fits, it fits!

And I saved the best for last: I finally have a mini wallet that fits my gorgeous mini shoulder bag by Banana Republic! I got this cute baby while I still lived in London during sales, but have been disappointed since neither my phone or wallets seem to fit in it. I can’t change my phone, but I can switch to this mini wallet now! 

I was doubting on whether or not to do this post - but I’ve been enjoying reading these kinds of posts on other blogs so let me go ahead and get this over with! I won’t bore you with my real life or work related resolutions, I’ll just provide you with the ones that also apply to the blog. In February I’ll be blogging on Nails & Cupcakes for a year and although the blog has already changed a lot since the first post, I know I can always improve (it’s very important to know you can!). Let’s start off with this picture I found at Everything’s Right. Because it’s true: what’s stopping you from doing what you want to do?

1. Post more often. As much as I’d love to do more posts, the limited time on my hands sometimes won’t let me. I promised myself to make more time for myself (& the blog) during weekends, so this is a promise to both myself & you.

2. Take better pictures. I’m really trying my hardest to keep improving, but sometimes it feels like I’m stuck. I’m exploring the world of photography using flashers & reflectors, but it’s a lot to take it and I’m slowly buying more equipment. The macro lens I bought halfway through 2012 already makes a huge difference in my pictures (whoa super sharp close-ups!), so let’s hope there’s still more improvement to be made. 

3. Take classes in food photography. Sometimes when I browse food blogs I feel like I’m miles away from where I should be heading in terms of composition and lighting. I love baking & want to do more food posts, I sometimes just get frustrated with the quality of my pictures. Another promise to myself & to you!

4. Buy products thoughtfully. No more hauling without thinking things over: do I really need another nail polish? I really don’t. So there’s my first promise: I won’t buy more than 5 nail polishes in 2013. 

5. Stick with products that work. This is a tough one, as I love changing up the routine and I’m always wondering if there’s something that might actually work better. I’ll get started with an example: I promise to use the same Kiehl’s moisturizer throughout 2013, unless of course my skin suddenly starts hating it.

Et voila! Happy 2013!

This weekend I finally got my Christmas tree & decorated it with some pretty things. You’ll notice my pictures to be all festive themed the coming weeks, just because I really love Christmas. And my gorgeous tree. I used matte black and red baubles and added some deluxe silver/gold pinecones and fantasy decorations. Take a look at some details below, and be prepared for more baubles and branches in the background of upcoming pictures!

This was such a good find at a local super cheap shop (think Poundland!), I think I paid just 3 euro for 4 of these. I also got smaller ones in silver & gold to put on the smaller branches on the top of the tree. 

I got this bird in the sweetest Christmas shop ever in the Kloosterstraat in Antwerp, called Christel Dauwe. Literally anything you’d want to hang on your tree was available there. Even a chihuahua, but I didn’t like it enough to spend 15 euro on it. So if you come across the perfect chihuahua Christmas ornament.. Let me know!

These smell like gingerbread and apple cake. I repeat: THESE SMELL LIKE GINGERBREAD AND APPLE CAKE! How cool is that? I bought these early November and had such a hard time leaving them in their box until the tree was finally here. They’re high up in the tree, so you could say they’re the king & queen this year! 

How cool is this one by Goodwill? I got it early this year during the Antwerp Press Days and just HAD to put in on my tree. I spotted THE perfect dog ornaments last month when I went and visited the press room, but I haven’t yet come across the brand in local stores. 

Birdie number two, also from the shop in the Kloosterstraat in Antwerp. 

October: Breast Cancer Awareness
You’ll probably have noticed already: the month October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness. Estée Lauder Companies have been drawing attention to this month for twenty years now, by creating great pink gift sets and donating a portion of the proceeds to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Estée Lauder, Clinique and Aveda each have Pink Ribbon products for sale this month at the INNO counters (select spa’s for the Aveda hand relief) in our country. I’ve been trying to get my hands on the pink Estée Lauder pouch, but this one has sold out already in most stores (sob). The other products are still available until the end of this month, so if you love pink & you want to help raise breast cancer awareness you can have a look & see if these items tickle your fancy. 

And not only Estée Lauder is participating, OPI also have a cute duo nail polish set available called Pink Of Hearts and Philosophy has created a special Pink Ribbon shower gel called Shower For The Cure (available in US only, I believe). It’s great to see how big brands collectively care and bring attention to this matter. And of course, you can always show your support by donating to a local breast cancer awareness cause. 

November, now known as Movember
Each year during the month of November, Movember asks men to grow a moustache to raise awareness for men’s health issues. Guys participating can register at the Movember website & can try and raise funds to support them in their beard growing activities. Growing a moustache out (without a beard!) will draw people’s attention and when asked about the moustache, the participating men can tell people all about Movember and what the campaign is all about. Movember started in Australia back in 2003 and since then 1.1 million men have already participated and collected more than 125 million euro’s for this good cause. Do tell your male friends, brother, husband, partner or father about this great campaign and be a true Mo Sista: support them during their moustache journey! I know I will. 

photo credit: aspirestyle.co.uk

Tomorrowland’s muddy damage versus London’s shopping spree. (bought at Vans Store, Westfield Stratford)

I’m such a sucker for chick lit. Back when I lived in the UK, I used to shop at the local Oxfam charity shop once a week because someone kept bringing in these kinds of books. A likeminded soul in NW8, you could say. I absolutely loved reading these at a fast pace, and my favorite chick book I read during my time there was The Nanny Diaries. I loved how it made me giggle as well as made my eyes teary at the same time. And everything was so recognizable. And also, you simply can’t always read Dostoyevsky, right? 
I bought these four books during my recent trip to London (at just £2.50 each!). We stopped at St. John’s Wood only to grab a coffee and browse at Oxfam. Actually, I really just love doing regular things there. Even though the city is so busy; it’s the only city that relaxes me.

Do share your favorite books with me! Chick lit or not, I love to discover new things.

If you follow me on Twitter you’ll have probably noticed how I went to Werchter festival last week. I’m very blessed to be able to do several festivals each year with my best friends & I always have such fun! However, as festivals are very dirty & sweaty you’ve got to be quite prepared when heading out there. Of couse you don’t want to carry a huge duffle bag with you on the festival terrain, so I advise you to pick your favorite small shoulder bag & select some useful beauty products that can make a true difference. I’m using my Kipling x Stylescrapbook camera bag this year as this baby deserves some more play time. It has very limited storage space, so check out which limited stash I choose to carry along with me. I haven’t included my wallet, keys & cell phone in the picture, but it gives you an idea.

A disinfectant gel is so useful during festivals! In my experience, good hygiene isn’t often to be found at festivals so you need to take good care of yourself. Don’t touch any food, touch up your make up or rub your eyes without first disinfecting your hands. As a first festival look aid, a good quality shine lipstick goes a long way when it comes to  plumping your lips. This year Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine is my best lip bud. Then, I find that the first thing about my make up to start smudging in hot weather is my blush/bronzer. I’m carrying my Topshop Cheek Duo with me, which is a pink blusher&light bronzer two-in-one. Use a stippling brush to touch up your cheekbones without adding too much product. And of course one does not sleep too much when going to festivals, so you will need some industrial strength concealer. I strongly advise MAC Cosmetics’ Studio Fix Concealer, which works miracles on my dark circles. 

There are still loads more festivals coming up this summer, so I hope you’ve all got some lined up. Enjoy!

So I totally decided to allow myself this luxurious (but still budget!) treat. I wasn’t going to shop until my city trip to London within 4 weeks, but I couldn’t resist. I spotted these bracelets on Sofie’s blog a while ago & saw them come back in a lot of her outfits. I have checked several times at Mango & this week I finally found them. These are the perfect summery festival bracelets! I love the tassles on the ends, it makes them so playful. I wear all three at the same time. And there’s no real reason for the nail polish, except for that every girl needs a Chanel nail polish (and a Chanel lipstick, but we’ll get around to that later on).

The sun has finally come through, which has really put me into such a chipper mood the last few days! Barbecues came and went, some (sensible & healthy!) tan was acquired & loads of strawberries were munched. I’ve also really been loving the color yellow, probably because of my new Nike Free sneakers in which I can finally go jogging in the evening (I don’t run in the cold or rain, I know I’m such a baby). So go for yellow this summer! On your nails (pictured here: Chanel-Mimosa & OPI-It Colour), on your feet or dangling ‘round your wrists (I’m on a hunt for those braided wrist bands in neon colours!). 

So let me tell you about these new yellow darlings! A few weeks ago I was invited for an after work event. Little did I know that I was actually invited for a Nike Run Free City Game (close friends of mine will already start giggling now) through Antwerp! My best friend was also invited & we teamed up for a run through Antwerp. Nike was kind enough to gift us these gorgeous Nike Free Run+3 shoes, which are super light & flexible to make your running experience extra ‘free’! My old running shoes are also Nike, but quite heavy. And I must say.. these new yellow babies have replaced the old ones! Although we came in last (hey, winning isn’t everything), we had loads of fun & finished the day in gorgeous sneakers eating fruit brochettes. What’s not to love?

(hey, if you eat loads of pies, biscuits &  cupcakes like I do: you gotta start running. trust me!)