THE BODYSHOP: Smoky Poppy event

 Good morning my lovely readers,

It is finally weekend and we got wonderful sunshine here in Belgium. In other words perfect time to have a cup of tea and tell you all what i have been up to yesterday evening. Friday evening after work i went to the release of the new body shop line Smoky Poppy. No, no, i have not suddenly ascended into famous blogger land, this was an event open to all customers for which you could sign up per mail. In fact the bodyshop hosts these events several times per year and i think it is such a great idea to build customer relations. It is totally for free and you do not need to buy anything (although i always end up doing so ;) ).

 The staff in the Leuven Bodyshop is always very friendly but for an event such as this they really pull out all the stops. Not only did i get greated with fresh strawberry lemonade and a table of sweet and salty snacks, there was also possibilities to get your make up done with the new smoky poppy make up products, you could opt for a handmassage and obviously you could smell and test all the new products. To top it off, they also gave a 25% discount on their new line and a goodie bag worth 35 euro if you spend 30 euro. I enjoyed it greatly. I even got to talk to some other attendees about my favourite products (found a fellow honeymania lover). So yes, for me a perfect way to end a work week.

Obviously i also bought some goodies. Beside stocking up on some favourite and purchasing a few gifts i bought a small gift set of the new smoky poppy line which you can see in the title picture. The scent of this line is for sure a bit more mature and floral. I actually quite like the scent and the packaging is very nice and elegant. I bought just a small size for testing purposes and also because i might have to start soon building a second bathroom, just to stock my beauty products ;).

The goodie bag was a nice extra which i did not expect to much from since often such things contain  the rests of stock. But boy was i wrong. Not only was the goodie bag really cute, it also contained a gorgeous lipstick from the bodyshops colour crush line. It came in the colour 330 Spice things up which is a beautiful my lips but better shade with an elegant glow to it. I think what i love most about it, is how moisturising it is. It feels nearly like a lip balm but still has a decent colour pay off. I think it is a perfect daytime lipstick (swatch below). So well done bodyshop for getting me hooked on a new lipstick (i kind of want now more of those). 

I also recieved a mascara which i have yet to try and a small cocos body butter (can never go wrong with those). It also contained a small envelope with some poppy seeds for the garden. What a cute idea. So well i really enjoyed this small event and can just recommend them. If you are interested, keep your eyes peeled on their website or sign up for their emails.

This post is not sponsored. As i said the event was for free and open for all customers. The products were all purchased by me beside the goodie bag which was a special offer.

Little Primark haul

So i finally went to the currently only Primark in Belgium in Liège. I have been so far to Primark only once and that was in Edinburgh but it was love at first sight. I do not go there to buy a jacket or shoes but for a fun tshirt for one season or a nice summer dress its perfect and obviously what i love it most for: accessories and pyjamas. I had been looking forward to going there for a while but it is a bit of a drive from where i live and the hubby was not convinced that this was his prime saturday morning destination. But well i finally went. I had heard before that Primark can be a bit of a mess, but i thought surely that won't be the case in Belgium and for sure not in Liege. Boy was i wrong. So ye, i did not try on anything and i was very happy we went early. Never the less. I for sure want to go back. So here is a little overview of what i could get my hands on. I just noticed afterwards that i actually bought zero outside clothing but my brain functions reduced themselves upon sight of all the pyjamas and accessories . So that will be for the next trip.

So well first stop was indeed the accessories. I bought two necklaces which i have been wearing since then nearly every day. Perfect way to spice up a pullover or to wear with a tshirt and cardigan. The bracelets i got to wear a bit less since i cannot wear such stuff during lab work, however, i love them on an evening out or during a shopping trip. The last item was this two cute hair crunchies. They do not really look like crunchies once you have them in your hair but more like your hair is bound together by a ribbon. I just love those for a ponytail.

When i spotted this polka dot make up bag i just had to have it. It has so much space and it is now firmly residing on my make up table and contains my everyday make up. I think this one was just 10 euro.

And last but not least, of cause the comfy clothes. Nothing better for a cold autumn and winter day than to cuddle yourself into a comfy pyjama in the couch. I am aware that i went a bit crazy for the christmas theme but i could not resist. I also bought a pair of anti slip socks. When i was a child my mom made me wear anti slip socks in the house cause i would get my house shoes off. I rediscovered them as an adult. Just great for an afternoon on the couch without worrying to slip when you get up to get your tea and the cat thinks that in front of your toes is the best place right now ;). 

I also purchased a package of tights. Those are so amazingly cheap in Primark. The last item was a little owl tea light holder. It was just way to cute and i love owls. That little guy is now standing on my desk. I do not dare to light it cause i am worried my kitty will jump into it (the reason that in normally either put candles on a shelf or in that high wind light type containers) but well i have never been the reasonable one when shopping so i do not regret buying that one at all.

I also purchased several home wear items but i will put those into my christmas decoration post in December :).

In general i have to say the choice at Primark is amazing. Some stuff lacks quality but there is some gems in between. I am definitely going back. I even dug out my bits and pieces of french and answered the cashier upon the question how i liked the store: Trop formidable (Too awesome).

The first Belgian Birchbox

One reason i started reading beautyblogs is that i love trying out new products. So by nature, beautyboxes appeal to me. For a relatively small amount of money i get to try out a lot of new brands and products i probably would have never gotten to know otherwise. I have a Glossybox subscription, but since they do not deliver to Belgium, i get it delivered to my family in Germany and i usually get than 3 month in one go and looong after everyone else. So when i heard that the Birchbox would come to Belgium i signed up immediately. After fighting myself through the french only website, my first box finally arrived. Unwrapping a new box alwys feels a bit like christmas to me, so i thought i share this moment with all of you. I have to say, the first box for sure was no dissapointment.

I will show you in a bit more detail what goodies i got.

 

Number 4 super comb Prep and Protect (original size 200ml-23EUR, here 30ml)

Not a big fan of the packaging. It comes over as a bit cheap (which it apparently isn't) Other then that, i guess its functional. The spray promises to protect my hair against the daily damaging influences (i am bad at translations). I do use a similar spray already by Schwarzkopf Gliss kur but i am more than curious to try this one (beautyboxes are there for trying new things no?)

Verveine d'Huygens Bodymilk (original size 250ml -22,40EUR, here 37ml)

A  natural french bodymilk. Apparently this one is an exclusive for Birchbox and contains apparently verbena (i guess i am vampire proof then?) and a cocktail of three peppermints (that is if my french is halfway correct) and is made to 99% of natural ingredients. 

Well when there is one thing i am always up for than it is bodymilks so i am curious to try out this one.

 

Natura Brasil Ekos Hand lotion Casthana (full size 75g -15EUR, i got the full size yaaay) According to the advertisment, this is a number 1 cosmetics brand in Brasil (i will ask my brasilian friends about that later). Also this lotion is made of natural ingredients and is supposed to hydrate my hands and fortify my nails. Where other girls collect their lip balms, i am a huge fan of handlotions (lab work really dries out hands), so this is a very welcome addition.

Update: I just talked to my brazilian friend and she said it is indeed the number one in brazil and she says its amazing, in fact she has been searching for it here like crazy cause its harder to get. So yes, now i am even more exited.

One sample which could have been a bit bigger for my liking is the staniac-beauty queen by the balm (full size 8,5g -13,50EUR, here 1,2 ml). This stain doubles as lipgloss and as blush. I heard great things about the balm and i am super exited to try this. 

The last product is the Lollipops nail polish by Voyage à Paris (full size 12ml - 8,90EUR, no indication on the package but the size tells me that this is the full size i got). I love the color. It might appear a bit orange on the picture but let me assure you that it is a beautiful deep red.

So in total i am really happy with my first box and i am eager to try out all of this. Let me know if you would like a review of any of those products.

Did you subscribe to birchbox? What did you get in yours (also eager to hear about other countries birchboxes). Let me know in the comments.

Antwerp

from top to bottom and left to right: Antwerp station, Antwerp station at night; de Meir shopping street; the station seen from the Meir, De Meir shopping street

Hello my lovely readers. Unfortunately i have not been able to write a lot recently since I have been involved in organising an international PhD conference. However, on the train rides to Antwerp and back i have been thinking about what else to write and walking past the wonderful shops in Antwerp, I thought, loving city trips as much as I do, I love to read about other people experience visiting a city. So here we go, my small review of Antwerp:

Antwerp is a beautiful Flemish city in Belgium with a rich history (which i don't know nearly enough about) and beautiful old buildings! Above you can see some of the pictures i took during the limited free time i had at the conference. Since the airport is in Brussels and parking in Antwerp is a nightmare, most people arrive in Antwerp via the station. Its one of the most beautiful stations in the world with a stunning architecture. One thing which fascinated me, was that trains arrive on several levels opposed to all on one ground level and that you can see all the levels when you stand in the middle of the station. Maybe it is common in other places but that was new and interesting to me. Right in the station, you will also find one of the very few Starbucks in Belgium. It's just been recently that some of the bigger international chains found their way to Belgium. So when I am there I love to drop in for a hot tea or a cappuccino on the go. If you are interested in the famous Antwerp train station you can find more info here:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g188636-d241213-r175491230-Central_Station-Antwerp_Antwerp_Province.html

If you leave the station you are basically standing in front of Antwerpen Zoo. It is a beautiful old-fashioned Zoo which I loved to visit. However, being the animal lover I am, I would prefer a bit more spacey places for the animals.

Directly out of the station you find also the famous diamond district. However, since I do not own that kind of money, I have not been around there a lot yet :)

A bit more in my price range, you will find de Meir close to the station. A long beautiful shopping street (see picture) with historic buildings and all your favourite chains like Zara, the body shop, Yves Rocher, ici paris and more. Here you also find one of the two Lush stores in Belgium, so you can imagine where I went when I had half an hour to spare during the conferences lunch break. Prices are not very low in Belgium, so prices are okay but not a bargain, however, for us Belgian residents it is one of the few possibilities to shop in those stores without leaving the country. Beside that there is a palace, in the middle of the shopping street. Can you imagine? In previous times guests like Napoleon Bonaparte, Willem I of the Netherlands and the Belgian royals used to reside here. Now however, everybody can visit it, have lunch and enjoy some Belgian pralines.

http://www.paleisopdemeir.be/

Antwerp is a true fashion city with the royal academy and the fashion districts, housing all the big names and up and coming designers. I love to do some window shopping there (which is all i can afford in this district really).

So if you find yourself in Belgium with time to spare, Antwerp is truly worth a visit.

If you should pop by, do not forget to buy a box of hands. Yes, hands! The name of the city "Antwerpen" is derived from the two dutch words "hand" and "werpen" meaning "hand"(pretty obvious) and throwing. There is several stories how Antwerp got its name. My favourite involves a giant called Antigoon. He demanded a toll to be paid to him when a ship wanted to pass the river streaming through Antwerp. If the sailors weren't able to pay or refused to, he cut their hands of and threw them into the river. This was until young roman named Silivius Brabo defeated the giant, cut of his hand and through it in the river. Because of that story, the Antwerp hands were invented. Little cookies in hand shapes. And to be honest i love to eat a few when i come because i just love such stories.





Any of you have been to Antwerp. You have favourite places in Antwerp? Let me know in the comments!