The Amsterdam Mini Haul

So I went to Amsterdam yesterday because I just needed to get away from the rut I was in. The weather has taken a turn for the worse, summer is almost over and let’s not even start to think about school starting in just a few weeks. A small distraction in the form of a shopping trip was exactly what I needed. I grabbed my bag, my umbrella and some company and headed for my country's capital.

I love Amsterdam to bits, the architecture, the feel of it and all the lovely stores that aren’t available in my own city. I specifically love the 9 Streets. A collection of streets that are just a short walk away from the main (and incredibily busy) shopping streets. This collection of streets is littered with boutiques, adorable restaurants, coffeeshops (the ones that actually serve coffee) and galleries. My favorite has got to be the Runstraat, because it houses my favorite store, Skins Cosmetics.

Stocked to the brim with gorgeous beauty products, perfumes, skincare and makeup, I can litterelaly spend hours inside this store. Of course I wouldn’t subject my company to this horror so I only went in for a little while and came out with two lovely new additions to my collection.

Always a sucker for a gorgeous glow I couldn’t resist buying the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer. I have passed on getting it for far too long but since I’ve hit pan on both of my MAC Cream Color Bases it was justified, if only just a tiny bit.

I am pretty sure I have a weakness for Aesop. I can never seem to leave the store without one of their products. Whether it’s the pleasant experiences I have had with every single thing I have tried from them, the beautiful apothecary packaging or their lovely scents. I couldn’t let the Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser sit on the shelf.

All in all I think I behaved myself quite well, I certainly could have bought a lot more. Guess I’ll just have to go back soon.

BLOGLOVIN'  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK

The Things I Got For Christmas + My Birthday

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to put up this post. But after seeing so many of my fellow bloggers posting their links in the twitter chat last night I felt like maybe you would like to see what I got for Christmas. A little disclaimer, this is definitely not to brag or anything like that. I am extremely thankful for all that I have received over the holiday period. 
We do a secret santa with my family every year where we buy the drawn person items off their wish list up to about thirty-five euros. And then you buy the other members of the family a small gift as well. My secret santa got me some amazing things. I got the Real Techniques Core Collection brush set, some small thin silver rings, a canvas tote bag with a list of my favorite things.
Besides that my mom and dad got me Zara giftcards that will be put to good use in their sale and my boyfriend bought me a clock. Which is kind of an inside joke. Whenever he sleeps over he is extremely annoyed by the ticking sound my clock made. And I say made because he actually managed to break my old one. I kept complaining to him about missing a clock in my room, so he bought me a new one. 
The last present, and admittedly the most amazing one, is a new lens for my camera. I'd been in the market for something nicer because the kit lens that came with my Nikon D3100 is nice, but you can get much better pictures with a better lens. For my birthday I asked all my friends and family to give me money so I could put it towards the 'new lens fund' and I managed to get enough to buy it. I ended up going for the Nikkor AF-S 50mm 1.8f. I'll do a more in-depth post on this lens and its features in the New Year, because I am still trying to get used to shooting with a prime lens. 
That's it, those are the amazing things I got for Christmas and my birthday this year. I love every single thing and I want to thank all the wonderful people that have been there for me. Happy New Year everybody!

BLOGLOVIN'  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK

The Copenhagen Haul

Copenhagen was a fantastic whirlwind experience. Doing a world city in just nine hours is a challenge, but I guess it was a succes. I had fun and had a great time with one of my best friends. The Copenhagen photo diary will be up tomorrow, but for today I have a little roundup of what I purchased in this beautiful Scandinavian city.

This city has the longest pedestrian street in Europe, from start to finish filled with gorgeous shops, sounds like a dream for a shop-happy girl like me. When we first arrived in Copenhagen we walked up the street and took in what it all had to offer. I noticed a couple of stores I've heard quite a bit about but never had been able to see in person, like Topshop and Gina Tricot.

The Skincare Splurge

My skin has been a downright b*tch lately. Tons of breakouts around my mouth and dry terribly textured bits at other places on my face. It's hell and nothing seems to be working. So last night I spent a gadood few hours on my iPad and searched the internet for products that might help me. I came up with a shopping list and I went ahead and splurged on the items I wanted to try.

Mini Haul in Pictures

Payday means shop day, at least in the world of Kelly. I went for much needed to trip to rekindle my beauty love with all things high end. Even I know that splurging on a ton of items I don't need is not neccessarily the most mindful thing to do, so some restraint was needed.

Mother and me firstly went to purchase a birthday present for my niece who's celebrating her first birthday this Sunday. But of course we were distracted and had our makeup done, and bought more things we didn't need.

The only thing that was left out of my detailed pictures, is the sweater in the back. Which is from H&M, has a gorgeous gray, white and black structured fabric and some silver spiked studs over the shoulders and the chest area. It's so pretty and it was only €19,95.



First is the Douglas Luminous eye gel. Douglas has this really great skin care system where everything they do is in two sizes. Perfect for your purse, on holiday, or when you just want a smaller size to give the product a test run before purchasing a gallon. I went for this small tube of eye gel. This gel is supposed to cool and moisturize, depuff eyes and make your peepers look less fatigued.This 10ml tube was €6,95. Great price to give something a test run.

Next is the Lumi Magique highlighting concealer. I'm already a massive fan of the LM foundation. And when I saw someone using this -in Get Ready With Me-video I literally yelled at my iPad that I had to have it. So because the store was having a special offer with 20% off on most makeup brands, it was a perfect opportunity to give it a whirl. 

Anastasia Mini Brow Kit caught my eye when I was at check out. This 3 piece brow kit with all the Anastasia essentials was already reduced from €26 to €12,50 and with the special offer another discount was taken off. A really good price for Anastasia items. The kit comes with a really nice mini tweezer, great for touching up brows on the go. A little Anastasia matte highlighter and a clear brow gel. I'm really looking forward to using these items.

 

Last but definitely not least is the Bobbi Brown skin foundation. I had been looking for brand new foundation to satisfy my makeup lemming needs. The Bobbi Brown brand was sadly excluded from the offer but I had the wonderful sales lady match me anyway. Upon seeing this amazing foundation on my skin I knew I had to purchase it. A more detailed post will be online soon, pinky promise! 

So that's it... for today. I can't promise I won't show up with a basket full of new things soon. 

Video: Primark Haul

I have an unhealthy addiction with spending money at places that sell stuff for ridiculously prices. I give you exhibit A, yet another Primark fashion haul. This time I went with some friends, which is something I hardly ever do. I'm a bit of a lone shopper, I can just pick things better when I am by myself. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the day we spent browsing the racks and trying on some of the things. At night we went to the movies with a whole bunch of people, which was even more fun. Flight is a super cool movie. I recommend it to everyone.

January Sales Haul: Fashion & Beauty

Be sure to watch it in 1080p, it drastically improves the quality of the video. The sun decided to be a bitch and hide behind some clouds, but you can still tell what I am holding up. Enjoy!

I absolutely adore Zara at sales time. There are always loads of amazing finds between the crowded racks. I went back a few days after I filmed this video and found some more things but those will surely be featured on here soon enough.

Christmas Hauling!

We have just finished our annual secret santa giveaway at home. We are all gathered around the living room staring lovingly at our lovely new things. Including myself, of course. Yesterday was my twentieth birthday and to celebrate that big two oh, I gathered some of my savings and the gifts I got from my birthday and purchased myself an iPad 2. Which I have basically been glued to ever since I first took it into my hands.

But that is not the only thing that is new in my life. It turns out that my mother had my secret santa this year and she got me some amazing things from my wish list. Below are some pictures.

I love how my mom and dad both got me Zara gift vouchers as a christmas present, they must know that I am in love with that store. I plan to get some amazing things with these cards. The blue candle with stars has been a long favorite of mine. The Blond Amsterdam Vanilla scented candle was something that I was meaning to repurchase for quite some time, mom picked up on this obviously.

The electric blanket. To. Die. For. My parents each have one of these already, and how amazing is it to crawl into bed at night and already have it feeling lovely and warm. Finally I can enjoy this pleasure as well.

And then, not to be forgotten. The Lauren Conrad Beauty book. I have bought the Style book by her about two years ago and absolutely adored it. So when I heard that she was putting out the same concept but now solely focused on inner and outer beauty. I like the quote at the beginning of the book.

"To my mother. Who taught me that being a beautiful person goes beyond hair and makeup... but never failed to remind me to get my roots done."

It pretty much sums up my mother. She really is one of the biggest inspirations in my life. I hope I grow up to be as much of a strong and beautiful as she is.

Let's not forget that christmas isn't about gifts, it's about spending time with the people you love and being gorgeously comfortable.

French Pharmacie Skincare Musthaves

Oh yes, my mom and dad left for Paris last Thursday and I sent them on their way with a list of things that I was desperate to obtain. I'm really focused on perfecting my skincare routine lately, because I really want to start using less face makeup in my every day routine. I'd rather look fresh and radiant than caked. 

So when they came back from France this weekend I squealed for joy when I saw the little French pharmacy bag my madre was carrying. Inside, three French pharmacy skincare items I had been dying to get. 

Bioderma Créaline H2O Solution Micellaire - This is an incredibly gentle cleansing micellaire solution to expertly remove makeup from the skin and clean it. It melts makeup, even waterproof mascara, easily and removes it from the skin without letting the skin feel oily or greasy. As many other makeup removers often do. It's a favorite to makeup artists and models all around the world. It's unscented and incredibly suited for easily irritated sensitive skin.

Caudalie Eau de Beauté Beauty Elixer - This part-toner/part-serum is a perfect refreshment for during the day. I just spritz this over my face and the intense smell and the feeling of the mist on your skin is amazing. Makes me feel and look fresh, providing a real 'hello, wake up!'-feeling. You can also use it before you apply your moisturizer in the morning, during the day over your makeup, any time really. To provide hydration and a fresh feeling. 

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentré - A multi-purpose face cream. I use it as a moisturizer, but you can also use it to clean makeup from your skin. I love the feeling of smoothing this over my skin. It sinks in rather quick. It's very rich, but not too thick. This product has got a massive cult following and I'm already dreading the day I run out of this baby.

I cannot wait until I am in France again so I can stock up on these products, and maybe some other marvels from the wonderful world that is the French pharmacie. Because in the four days of using them, they have already become favorites. 

My spring fashion lookbook, and more haulin'

Another new video, man I'm on a roll. This time a short haul with some items that I really liked buying, they were sooo worth the splurge. And I closed the video with a rather quick lookbook with four outfits that are absolutely perfect for spring. 

I hope you like the outfits and the items that I purchased. I've been focusing on fashion lately, and as I said before I really want to incorporate that into secondhandspring a little more than I used to. So let me know what you think!

First outfit: The White Suit

Zara white zipper blazer
H&M white pants
H&M white blouse
H&M metallic enveloppe clutch
Zara sandals (not pictured)

Second outfit: Darkness Revealed

Zara backless shirt
H&M black high waisted shorts
HEMA tights
Knockoff Lita's

Third outfit: Soft Animal
H&M cream cotton blazer
H&M lilac a-line tank top
H&M leopard high waisted shorts
Zara nude slingbacks


Fourth outfit: Bright & Pastel

H&M cream cotton blazer
H&M lilac a-line tank top
Zara pink skinny jeans
Pieces suede ballerina flats

SHOPAHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Hi guys, I went shopping because it's midterm time and I needed the 'pick-me-up'. I went shopping because I REALLY NEEDED those scented candles, and those shorts and two pairs of pants... and all the other stuff I got. I went shopping because everything I buy has a purpose and a piece in my heart.

No, wait. I shop because I don't know how to say no. This is becoming a problem.

But all the excuses aside, I got some pretty things and I made a video for you showing the pretty things. Look at it?

Fashion + Nail Polish HAUL!

I tried the spending ban and failed, miserably. I just like shopping way too much. These are the numerous fashion items I got when I went shopping yesterday. And the pants I mention that were sold out at home... well my college city still had them. So they are now in my possession. I love them.

All of these items were paid for by my own money. I worked hard for those pennies!

Primark Haul!

Primark was scary and overcrowded, but I managed to get a few really nice items. Watch the video to see what I got!

Favorite products of January! and a haul video...

I know, I'm a little early with this. But I was pretty sure that these were going to remain my favorites.

I went on a shopping spree! See my latest fashion and beauty buys in this video.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for timely updates on the latest uploads. I'm uploading a Primark haul as I type this... So stay tuned.