Summer skin in winter. Yes it's possible!

With winter weather comes dry, cracked skin and other skin problems. Next to that you often start scratching your dry skin which results in little wounds on your face and a horrible look and more importantly a horrible feel! Impossible to fix this with concealer as you've all probably tried....  

It makes you dream of a summery glow on your cheeks. Unfortunately we're not quite there yet.

I have two little tips for you to get your skin through winter!

Recently I started using 8 hour cream by Elizabeth Arden.

It's a cream which was invented in 1930 so it has a big history to it. Its name comes from when it was first used on a little wound which closed up the wound in 8 hours. It has a bit of a mythical status but I had never used it up till recently so I just HAD to try it!

 The little quote on the inside of the box already made me smile and think : 'Damn right, girl!'

You can't see it very well on this picture but the cap of the tube has little 8s all over it. I also love the simple design of the packaging.

It has quite a special smell to it. It's smells a bit herbal with a hint of citrus and has the texture of vaseline. The smell is strange at first but in a way it gives me an energy boost so I actually like it a lot. At first I was a bit hesitant to be putting this greasy substance on my face but it really works. My skin glows and little blemishes dissappear much faster. Also perfect for dry lips!

Second tip is this mud mask. From time to time it is really nice to be using a mask as extra protection for your skin in winter. I try to use it every two weeks. This mud mask by Skin truth is for oily combination skin and is enriched with dead sea mud. It contains orange blossom and ginger to give your face that extra glow again. I love the way my skin feels after using it. It feels balanced and relaxed. 

And isn't that a great feeling, inside and out?

Take care of yourselves!

Happy Girl Dreaming.

Cups and Bowls

I love tableware with floral print and a bit of a pastel feel to it. They make me think of a spring day even when it's the middle of winter. And don't we all need this idea from time to time?

Typically known for this is the brand PIP. Check out their website. Lovely brand! I am currently even drinking a tea out of a PIP mug. Have a look at the cup on my coffee table!

But a great tip is to go into your local secondhand shop and go through the cups and bowls people donated. You can find great treasures and mix and match your own collection.Yesterday I found this pretty bowl in Kringwinkel Tessenderlo. It is voted one of the best recycling shops in the country by the way!

 

These little cups, I got as a gift from my late grandmother. Love them!

 

 

And these two bigger coffee mugs I bought in Albert Heijn when I went there for groceries a few days ago. There's pretty stuff all around you. Just open your eyes!

 

 

Have a floral Saturday!

 

 

 T

Yoga Socks!

Yoga Rocks!

Especially when I use these Yoga Socks. As you probably know I'm a big yoga fan. I especially love vinyasa yoga. It's a very intensive form of yoga in which you are in a flow of moving but find strength in your breathing. It is as intensive that I start sweating which makes things quite slippery on my yoga mat. To avoid all this, i recently started using these yoga socks. They are similar to what little kids use for support. Not only does it help me from sliding off my yoga mat but it also helps me spread my toes for a better grounded feeling (which is the essence of yoga)

This is a post i already prepared in september but i never managed to finish it. I was able to do a yoga session next to the canal nearby. Look at the amazing view. So calming... Don't you miss summer?

 

After a yoga session, I like spraying my body with pure Argan Oil. Then I lie down Savanasa (Relaxation flat on your back) for a few minutes which helps my body to soak up the oil.

Baby skin afterwards, girls and boys! So perfect for cold winter days when your skin gets dry..

 

Sometimes a girl just needs a bit of sparkle...

Some time ago I got a little bottle of face and body glitter dust from H&M. It comes in a very cute retro bottle which gives it a Parisian chic flair. I simply love it. It also comes with a very subtle smell which doesn't interfere with your normal parfume. You have a choice between two colors and I selected the golden one.

 

 

I am addicted to a little bit of subtle glitter. I use suncream with a sparkle, bodylotion with a sparkle,.... This product is different from other body glitter products because it doesn't have a wet texture like a lotion or spray. In the morning it feels great to immediately add a little sparkle to your day. When using the bottle it creates this dreamy cloud of sparkle. With the nice smell as an extra, it puts a smile to my face in the morning.

 

Body Glitter Dust | H&M

You should try adding some sparkle to your day too!

 

 

Have a glowing Wednesday, everyone!

x-x-x

Happy Girl Dreaming

 

Autumn outfit

 

What a lovely start of september it has been. The best weather ever! Since this weekend you can feel that autumn is coming. I can even see that the trees are secretly giving up on summer. It's a period of change with a positive outlook to the future. I'm so ready for it!

 

 

I'm wearing a lovely jumpsuit from ASOS. For colder moments I wear this great new Caroline Biss jacket. It's a sporty and very comfortable but stylish outfit which you can fix up with some nice jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jumpsuit | ASOS

jacket | Caroline Biss

shoes | Zara

watch | Michael Kors

bag | Primark

Unexpected gift

 

In the beginning of July I went on holidays  to Thailand. I got my friends a little souvenir. I bought these little handmade wallets on a market in Chiang Mai (north of Thailand). This morning I gave it to them while having a brunch together. It is wonderful to give a few friends a little souvenir while they don't expect you to. Do you like buying your friends souvenirs?

 

Begin juli ging ik op vakantie in Thailand. Ik bracht voor mijn vrienden een klein souveniertje mee. Ik kocht deze kleine handgemaakte portemonneetjes op een markt in Chiang Mai (noorden van Thailand). Deze ochtend gaf ik het aan hen tijdens een brunch samen. Het is heerlijk om enkele vrienden een klein souvenirtje geven terwijl ze het niet verwachten. Hou jij er van om voor je vrienden souvenirs te kopen? 

 
 
 

 

 

Healthy Friday snack!

Treat yourself to a simple but delicious snack to start the weekend!

I just put some rucola salad on a plate, cut a few strawberries in half and added some blueberries. Some pepper and salt to give it some extra flavour and I also added some balsamic cream to give it some acidness. De-lic-ious! The blueberries are full of antioxidants by the way so it's the best of both worlds. It's nearly the end of summer so we should enjoy those delicious fruits while we still can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next to the lovely salad I made myself a few toasts with avocado and some salmon. Both full of valueble fats and a real vitamin bomb!

 

 

Uhm... to top it all off I suggest you pour yourself a nice glass of white wine!

Have a nice weekend everyone!

x.

 

Nail pearls

It's such fun to experiment with nalpolish colors! Every beginning of summer don't we all buy the craziest colors? Just because it makes us smile! And this while we probably have enough nailpolish to be painting our nails day in day out for the rest of our lives. Oh well... isn't it lovely to be a woman?

 

Next to playing with colors you can also play with textures. Great example and supereasy to apply are nail pearls. You can find them in one color (on the picture i got the color 'it rains money' which is a shiny gold/silver) or you can aplly nail pearls in different colors (on the picture it's called 'candy buffet'). It is a playful extra. Fun to do and it adds a cute detail.

 

I know thes has been a trend since more than half a year or so. But it's not about when the trend is there but whether you like it. And right  now I really felt like trying!

 

I got the left set for myself and the right set is a little gift for my friend.

 

 

First I like to start with cleaning my nails properly. Then I apply a nail care pen. It nourishes the nails. I also use a nail hardener as a base.

 

 

Then I apply a first layer of nailpolish. I chose the color 'sparkling water lily' as a base. After applying the second layer of nailpolish you sprinkle the pearls over your nail. Fun to do, really! Make sure you put something underneath otherwise your floor will sparkle...

 

 

 

To finish it off I use a few express dry drops. It not only dries your nails much faster (which is much needed when you want to change your nailpolish quite often) but it also  fixates it a little.

 

Hope you enjoy applying the nail pearls as well!

Love.
Happy Girl Dreaming

Handy pocket books

 

I love these little books! They are small in size  and at about as heavy as a smartphone. These pocket versions are perfect to take to bed or to use on the beach. Because the direction of the text is in a different direction you can hold the book with one hand.

 

I am especially looking forward to reading 'Reizen zonder John' ( Travelling without John) of Geert Mak. It's a mix of historcal lines and looking for the little stories of regular people and how they fit into this historical version. It is about finding who you are by meeting all these other people...

And may I say that it's so important and rewarding to do so.



www.dwarsligger.nl

Shoes with a story

 

 

 

I love second hand shopping! It is wonderful to encounter old objects which belonged to somebody else. They each have their history and stories behind them. I always make up stories where the things I find might come from. 

 

 

A few days ago, I got these ethnic shoes in a second hand store. They look as if they've hardly been worn. I love the beading on them. They are a bit quirky but can look really fun with black skinny jeans and a crisp-white blouse.

 

I imagine them coming from a  positive dark-skinned mother who loves cooking a lot. Therefore she's in her kitchen for hours and hours to make big portions of unbelievably delicious food. No idea why I get this association. Hopefully they are like a Cinderella shoe giving me the talent to cook wonderful food for hours as well?

 

Love.

Happy Girl Dreaming

If it makes you happy

Today I wrote down a simple quote I try to tell myself more often.

 

 

Back on the mat!

 

 

During the past month I did not really practice yoga a lot.  Since this week I'm really back on the mat!

 

This balance pose is called 'Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana' which literally means 'stretching your hand to your big toe posture'. Asana means posture or pose. This one strenghtens the leg muscles and opens your groin.

 

It is done from your 'core'. So use your core muscles. To get into the pose focus is the most important. It is all in the mind. It is the pathway to finding your focus point strangely enough calms you down and makes you more balanced. And that's what yoga is about.

 

I just love balancing poses. They challenge you on different levels. And in a way any yoga pose is a balancing pose. It's about building on stable foundations and dividing your weight between these foundations.

 

I'd love to inspire you to try some other postures and modifications for different levels if you'd like me to....

 

"Be truly one, and everything will come to you" (LAO TZU, China)

Granola for a kick start!

'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day', somebody wise once said. Unfortunately it's not always as easy to spend time on breakfast. Most of us are more worried to get to work on time every morning. So lots of people skip breakfast which makes you grab unhealthy and unsatisfying snacks.

So planning is everything then! A friend told me about 'granola' and now I'm totally hooked. You can prepare a big jar of granola which will last you a week. It is supereasy to make.  Plus personally i just LOVE the little cracking sound when chopping nuts.

I never weigh these ingredients and just mix the nuts according to my liking but here's the general recipe :

What you need...

400 g oatmeal
150 g almonds
150 g hazelnuts
150 g walnuts
100 g pumpkin seeds
50 g grinded coconut
50 g sesamzaad
5  Tbs biological apple juice
 6 Tbs agave sirop
A bit of peanut oil
 Cinnemon
 Nutmeg


How to make it ...

1. Preheat oven on 180°.
2. Chop all the nuts in chunky pieces. Mix it with the oatmeal, grinded coconut and sesame seeds.
3. Add the apple juice and the agave sirop and mix it well.
4. Add nutmeg and cinnemon.
Don't be afraid to add nutmeg. It may seem strange but it creates a wonderful depth to the taste.
5. Add a bit of peanut oil. If you don't want it to be too sticky add less.
6. Pour everything on a baking sheet and place it in the oven.
7. Let it bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Halfway stir it around.
I like it crunchy so check for yourself what you prefer...

Then let it cool and pour it into a pretty jar.

 

Great with greek yoghurt and some frozen raspberries. Enjoy!

Bucket list of little things

Lots of people's bucket lists require an infinite amount of money and time and expect you to become a star at whatever you do. For me a bucket list isn't about any of this. We aren't all rich superstars or muscular action seekers.

Why have one then?  Writing down your dreams of (even small) experiences helps you to set goals for yourself. Do you even know what you want in life? Do you know what you want (full stop)....?

Achieving these goals you set for yourself make you feel successful. A bucket list is all about making your dreams clear and trying to achieve them. These dreams are different for everyone. You are the one deciding what it's about.

What makes it even more rewarding is when there's other people on your bucket list and when you focus on the little differences you can make in your and other people's lives.

This way you create wonderful memories and come on... it just makes your life so much more interesting in between the day to day routine.  And this has nothing to do with money or talent!


I like changing my bucket list as I grow older as I as a person also progress and change. So these are the things on my list for the following year:
- Be a tourist in my own city
- Do a road trip to someplace new
- Get to know 5 new contemporary artists' work
- Send a postcard from my home city
- Host a game night
- Sell my old clothes on a junk market
- Start a blog
- Do a wine tasting
- Bake homemade bread
- Bake cookies or cupcakes for co-workers
- Get a pedicure
- Go jogging in the morning
- Go a full day without spending any money
- Invite a neighbour over for a drink
- Log off facebook for a week
 - Spend a full day in silence
- Run 8 km
- Do a detox diet for 7 days
- Learn to do a baby hopper yoga pose
- Make a difference in at least one person's life
- Kiss in the rain
- Lying down on wet grass at the crack of dawn
- Wish upon a falling star
- Swim in a lake at sunset
- Plan a date for a single friend
- Throw someone a surprise party
- Find a signature parfume
- Help someone to achieve an item on his/her bucket list

I'd love to do these things within a year. Can't wait!
Ready to make your own bucket list?

On my nightstand...

How nice is it to wake up with some flowers on your nightstand. There are so many possibilities. I chose a bunch of pink carnations. It is by the way a supernice gift idea. Why don't you surprise someone with some flowers on their nightstand! Tip : Next week Thursdays is Mother's Day....

 

 

 

Hoe fijn is het om wakker te worden met bloemen op je nachtkastje. Er zijn zo veel mogelijkheden. Ik koos voor een bosje roze anjers. Trouwens ook een superleuk cadeau-idee. Verras iemand met een bosje bloemen op zijn of haar nachtkastje! Tip : volgende week donderdag is het moederdag...