This Queen Mum outfit is by far one of my favorites. Very casual, with the blazer giving it the extra elegance it requires. I’ve practically been living in these clothes.

Queen Mum is definitely one of favorite maternity wear brands. Besides a great selection of maternity jeans, they also have many colorful, perfect fitting T-shirts, dresses and tunics to choose from.

I’ve mainly splurged on their jeans and especially the T-shirts (which are super stretchy). The tees I’ve purchased, have lasted me from the very beginning of my pregnancy up until today, and they still fit me perfectly (with only one month to go!).

What I like is that the brand is affordable and the clothes are made to fit properly throughout the entire pregnancy. For example, I bought a second pair of Queen Mum jeans when I was about 3 months pregnant, which I paid around 90 EUR. The jeans still fit thanks to the adjustable tabs on the inner waistband.

Not all brands work with this adjustable system, and the fact that Queen Mum does, makes them stand out from other brands.Let me know in the comments what you think of this casual outfit, I’d love to hear!

T-SHIRT – Queen Mum
BLAZER – Queen Mum
SKINNY JEANS– Queen Mum
SHOES – All Star
BRACELETS – Bronzallure & Sal y Limon

You can check out the Queen Mum website here.

♥

Laura

Shaving is definitely not my favorite activity, I mean: it takes long, there’s the dizziness after hanging my head upside down for about 15 minutes, lathering, trying not to cut the skin around my ankles and knees, finding any missed spots and then repeating the entire process.

Shaving can be a real hassle. And that’s exactly what the Venus & Olay razor doesn’t bring along. No need to use a shower gel or women’s shave cream, and no lather needed.The Venus & Olay razor has 5 blades with two Olay moisture bars above and below the blades. The moisture bars give a slick lather when they’re introduced to water, and the glide is amazing! I just wet the razor under the shower and swipe it up my legs. Whereas I normally always use a shower gel, I can totally skip this step from now on.

The blades literally kill every hair. I don’t have to go over the same spot multiple times to get rid of all the hair, the razor eliminates them all.

This razor cuts my shaving time in half, which makes shaving more of a pleasant experience. Shaving takes less time, I spoil less water and the razor leaves my skin silky smooth.The only two downsides are that I don’t find this razor appropriate for the bikini area. The moisture bars make the razor pretty big, which makes it pretty difficult to shave in such a small area. The second thing I don’t like is the shower holder that comes with the razor. It doesn’t stay in place, falls down every two minutes, it’s worthless. Which means I haven’t found a good (dry) spot for my razor.

Conclusion? Byebye Venus Embrace, Welcome Venus & Olay!
I’m hooked and I’ve permanently replaced my old razor with this new one <3

Available
Since 1st February 2013, at department stores

Price
Razor: 15,99 EUR
Set of 3 cartridges: 16,99 EUR

♥

Laura

So, time to get organized and store all makeup and accessories so they can easily be found. There are a lot of lovely vanity tables out there, on “Uitmetkorting” for example, you can find some decent ones. Preferably a vanity table with a mirror, since you’ll probably prefer to apply your makeup close to where you store it. You can also have a look on “Uitmetkorting” for a cute mirror.First step is going through your entire makeup collection and deciding what you definitely want to keep and what can be thrown away. There are always items that have been out of sight, over date, products you haven’t used for ages. Get rid of any old mascaras, ugly lipsticks or hideous eye shadow colors from your grandmothers younger years. You’ll be glad to be rid of them!

The next step is grouping all the items. Get yourself some practical boxes to store all of your make-up in. One for lipsticks, one for eyeliners, one for lipgloss etc. That way you can easily sort your makeup by category.There are also a lot of tips on the Internet that will help you organize your stuff. Just Google “organizing vanity” and you’ll find a lot of useful tips! Or you could just figure something out by yourself, be creative. Go into town, visit a hardware store and let your imagination do the work! Give storage boxes your own vibe by painting them in a specific color or by decorating them with personal items. Make them stand out on top of your vanity table!

Once you’ve grouped all items, place the boxes onto your vanity table. Store things you hardly use in drawers! The things you do use on a daily base (like primer, lotions, mascara..), are better to be kept in easy-to-reach places. You can do this kind of organizing with your make-up, but also with jewelry, perfume.. Once your vanity table is neatly organized, playing around with make-up will become só much easier and way more fun!

 How do you store your makeup?

Source pictures: Google & WeHeartIt

♥

Laura

During my pregnancy, especially at the beginning of it all, I went on the hunt for trendy maternity wear brands. Believe me, it was a challenge!

There are a lot of brands out there that don’t seem to understand that YES, women in their early twenties do get pregnant, and NO, they’re not willing to suddenly wear old-fashioned or totally out of trend pieces.

Result? I spent hours and hours on Google, looking for young and trendy brands that would allow me to express my personal style during my pregnancy. Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to neglect fashion, trends or your personal taste!

One of the first brands I came across was Slacks&Co. What I liked was the stylish and on-trend image. For each season, they have categorized collections, each one focussing on a certain style. “Slacks Comfort”, “Slacks Fashionista” and “Slacks De Luxe”.. are just a few examples.

The Lookbook option on the website gives a neat overview of the different outfits and pieces per category. I found it useful for quickly finding what I needed. I love an easy navigation and clear directions when shopping online. The Lookbook pictures also give a nice idea of how you can combine and wear certain pieces. Neat!

I picked out a couple of pieces from the “Slacks Fashionista” collection (AW2012-13), mainly because I like the popular white and black look. Very trendy and perfect in-between season pieces.

What I was most happy with was client service. I received the items super fast and neatly packaged. Unfortunately I’d picked the wrong size, but they were very flexible with exchanging the item for a smaller size. Loved it, cuz’ you can certainly miss too much hassle and running around during your pregnancy!I’m curious to know what you think of the outfit I chose, because it was actually the very first maternity outfit I owned. Good pick?

SHIRT – Slacks&Co PORTO Matt Silk Look Shirt
SKINNY– Slacks&Co MILAN Skinny With Zips
HEELS – Zara
WATCH – Casio

Slacks&Co is available online here.

♥

Laura

If you’d ask me to name my number one favorite brand for body butters, I wouldn’t need much time before answering “The Body Shop”! (TBS)

Throughout the years, I’ve already bought and used up most of the available scents (Papaya, Mango & Strawberry being my favorites), and I’ve never ever been disappointed.

When TBS invited me for a blogger lunch last week to discover their newest “Brazil Nut” range, I was totally up for it.

Brazil Nut might ring a bell from a distant past. TBS once introduced it, BUT as limited edition. The great news is that, by popular demand, Brazil Nut will return with a permanent range of 6 nutty products. Tasty!At lunch, I met Gaston Kennedy (community fair trade supplier of brazil nut oil). Through the community fair trade program, he supplies Brazil nut oil to The Body Shop. It might sound strange, but I never thought talking brazil nuts, Peru and jungle adventures would make a Thursday lunch so interesting.

Gaston had us all eyes and ears with his story and accompanying pictures from Peru. It was so interesting to hear how families in Peru actually live from these brazil nuts.A short recap..

The nuts resemble a coconut from the outside and grow from trees which are up to 45m high. Once they fall down during rain season, Peruvian nut collectors collect them and bring them to the nut crackers. There, the nuts are manually cracked open, and from the various smaller nuts inside of the big coconut-like shell, brazil oil is produced. This oil is used by businesses like The Body Shop for their fair trade products.

I could ramble on and keep talking about this big chain, but I’ll stick to the short version of the story, you should’ve heard the story from the man himself..

The thing is, I always love a good story behind a brand or product. It gives the products more value and in this case, using fair trade products makes me feel even better knowing that me using them also helps many families out there.The Brazil Nut range offers:

           ♥    Brazil Nut Body Butter – 16 EUR
           ♥    Brazil Nut Cream Body Scrub – 15 EUR
           ♥    Brazil Nut Beautifying Oil – 10 EUR
           ♥    Brazil Nut Shower Cream – 6,50 EUR
           ♥    Brazil Nut Eau de Toilette – 14 EUR
           ♥    Brazil Nut Soap – 3,50 EUR

Every single one of them smells divine, you have to try these for yourself, because I’m a sucker in describing scents. I can however say that the shower cream smells exactly like Bailey’s, just to give you an idea ;-)

My favorites? The Eau de Toilette and Body Butter for sure, I’m drooling all over them after every shower.

Were you a fan of the first Brazil Nut range, or are you excited to discover it for the first time?

Brazil Nut by The Body Shop will be available in stores from 13th May 2013.

♥

Laura

Every year, April means press day month, and I always try my best to attend  those fashion and beauty filled days. Even though I’d rather concentrate on summer clothes and accessories right now, it’s interesting to see what the seasons will bring us next year.

I was mainly interested in the sequins and neons and also got a glimpse of (faux) fur here and there. As for shoes, creepers are said to get a lot of attention, even though it’s not a trend I’m too fond of. I did like the jewelry collections a lot, especially Sofie Valkiers for Diamanti Per Tutti and Just Julia.

As for beauty, many brands seem to work with and concentrate on figs. They have a lovely, fresh scent and I’m excited to see, try and smell more!

As usual, I ended up with a bunch of photos. I take pictures of anything that I find inspiring, items I’d like to see in my own wardrobe, fun gadgets etc. That way, I remember what’s upcoming & hot ánd I get to share my favorites with you.

So, here we go, a personal photo recap of the AW 2013-14 trends!

TOV EssentialsSpotted: neon trend!
Creepers by Pinko. They stood out, but I won’t be caught wearing ‘em #nolike!Julia JuneSpotted: sequins and bling detailingDolce & GabbanaSofie Valkiers for Diamanti Per Tutti   Noosa braceletsONLY faux fur vest. Want!Clio GoldbrennerCute baby stuff :-)Going through the Steve Madden collection, always a winner!Cliché. Rubber cases for iPhone, iPad etc.. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of this brand!Just Julia  Beauty trend: Figs.  New in from Le Petit Marseillais & CaudalieEspecially love the nail polish remover, super practical! Also, some new BE colors

Anything you like? Let me know what trend you are looking forward to!

♥

Laura

I’m not usually the one to often post press releases, since I find them pretty boring plus they’re published all over the internet in no time. I prefer working with my own material, pictures, swatches etc. But from time to time I do receive press info about collections or products that are 200% to my liking, that I’d willingly spend some $$ on, and that I do feel like sharing with you.

The Nude Beach collection features a range of very wearable sun-kissed shades for the face and body. There’s the usual bronze and gold tones for summer, with a surprising pop of pink color here and there. I LOVE it, so let’s check it out!Face & Body Bronzing Duo (Limited Edition)
The Bronzing Duo features a large compact with two new flattering shades. They can be used separately or blended together. Gives the face, neck, décolletage and arms the perfect summer sun-kissed skin.

Shade: Nude BeachSunless Tanning Gel For Face & Body (Limited Edition)
Skip the sun and achieve a natural-looking tan from head to toe with Bobbi’s Sunless Tanning Gel.Sheer Color Cheek Tint (Limited Edition)
This lightweight, creamy texture glides onto the skin and creates a beautiful glow. There are three shades to choose from, which give skin a bronzed, luminous glow or a pop of color. This portable product is ideal for on-the-go beauty.

Available in 3 shades: Nude Beach, Summer Pink, Sunlit NudeTube Tint (New)
Featured in easy-to-use tubes, these Tube Tints make lips pop without looking or feeling heavy – a warm weather essential.

Available in 4 shades: Bronzed Pink, Naked, Pink Cloud, Air KissLong-Wear Cream Shadow Stick (Limited Edition)
From a day at the beach to a warm summer night, these effortless Shadow Sticks will create intense color that lasts. To apply, simply swipe onto the eye and blend with fingers.

Available in 2 shades: Golden Bronze, Sunlight GoldShimmer Nail Polish
The pale pink shade is spot-on for the look of the season and perfectly complements sun-kissed skin.

Shade: Pink Pearl

If I were to choose, I’d love to try the tube tints and face & body bronzing duo.

Which product(s) from this collection are you curious for?

Bobbi Brown Nude Beach Collection is available from May 2013 at Bobbi Brown counters.

♥

Laura

A couple of years ago, a sales woman at Ici Paris XL recommended me the Yves Saint Laurent Matt Touch Oil-Free Primer. She promised it would work miracles for me. And oh dear, she was damn right!

Most important to me back then was that I’d go home with a A) mattifying B) oil-free and C) SPF-free primer.

Triple check! YSL Matt Touch primer covers all of the above mentioned demands.

It should be pretty clear why I mention mattifying and oil-free… Oily to combination skin, remember? But why is the SPF-free part so important? Because SPF can cause a whitish cast on the skin when taking pictures with flash. Very disturbing. If I know there will be pictures taken with flash, I always stay away from any SPF on my face. But I’ll publish a full article talking about SPF later on.

Back to the primer.Besides its mattifying effect, the primer also feels amazing on my skin. It has a silicone-ish feel, and sinks in quickly to leave a soft, powdery finish. I use a liquid foundation on top, which easily blends and doesn’t look cakey or dry AT ALL.

Also, you only need the very minimum. A pea sized drop is about enough to cover your entire face.

Aaaand, it has never ever caused me any break-outs, which in my case, is miraculous!This is most definitely my ultimate Holy Grail product that I’ve re-purchased up to 6 times. I’ve now almost finished up my fourth tube and decided to stock up on this primer since it’s a pretty difficult one to get your hands on. It’s always the very last tube that I get to buy, or they’d have to order it.. They even told me this one would eventually go out of retail, HELP! So I just bought as many as I could haha.

Downside, it is a bit pricey, but worth every cent. This is my most repurchased beauty product throughout the past couple of years, so that sort of says it all!

What’s your favorite makeup base?

Available at Ici Paris XL and luxury beauty retailers.
YSL Matt Touch Oil-Free Primer (30ml): +/- 34 EUR

♥

Laura

Can you guess?  Right, coral!

08 – Pink Grapefruit by Park Avenue

If I decide on color for my lips, I’ll grab a coral shade 99% of the time. The remaining 1% being soft pinks.

I often apply lipgloss on the go, in the car, while queuing.. So I always have a gloss or two at hand, that I can just pop out and quickly apply in between. Lately this baby has permanently been travelling places with me, it has claimed its spot in my bag’s lipgloss compartiment.

What I love about this Park Avenue lipgloss is the good color payoff and its scent. It smells very much of sweet candy and it also contains tiny glitters that show a subtle shimmer when the sun hits it.

What’s your favorite summer color?

Park Avenue is available at DI.
Pink Grapefruit (08) Lipgloss: 3,20 EUR

♥

Laura

Pro Longwear SPF10 Foundation & Peaches Blush

I decided to go for the Pro Longwear foundation, since I needed something less oily, lightweight and natural looking. A perfect match so far!

Along with the foundation, I also decided on a warm peach blush. Out of the many blushes I already own, none of them is as peachy as this one, and after having tried the color in-store, I was convinced I needed this in my everyday makeup routine.

Wildly Lush Plushglass, Jubilee Lipstick & Subculture Lip Liner

All set and done? Well..not quite! For a while already, the three lip products above have been on my wishlist. I’ve been wanting them for the longest time, but I have to admit they’re just a bit superfluous, since I already have quite an amount of lip goodness.

Anyone who has read ‘Amazing Astrid’ by Astrid Bryan, will know where I got this lip combo inspiration from. I’m a huge sucker for nudes and neutrals, so after seeing Astrid’s favorite MAC lip products, I had a difficult time saying “NO!”. And bought them. Sometimes it’s just not in my power #innerbeautyaddict

Let me know if you’re interested in any separate reviews or swatches, then I’ll get to it!