winter essentials

//My top ten winter beauty products//

1. Garnier B.B miracle skin perfector c/o L'Oreal This is a pretty good base foundation. It does not cover up much, however it smells ridiculously good (peaches) and it applies really easily. 2. L'Occitane mum & baby balm c/o L'Occitane If you have dry skin, this is by far the most efficient and natural remedy. I discovered l'Occitane about two year ago and if I had my doubt then, I am now convinced. I go there for a few of my basic product as it is quite pricey. 3. Maybeline dream satin fluide This is the foundation I have been using for the last few years. I think I might change sometime soon. So if you have any good ideas or great foundation ( or not so great) that you have tested, do share. 4. L'Oreal Glam bronze I was skeptical of this little combo but I have been pleasantly surprised over the years. I like the fact that it has a lighter shade that I just use as a concealer and the darker side to add a bit of colour. 5. Maybeline great lash I swear by this mascara (and use the waterproof version during summer). I have to find one that does a better job, the brush is great, colour perfect and it stays on the lashes, where it is suppose to be and not on the cheeks. 6. Mavala nail polish I discovered this make when I was in paris, I like that the bottles are so small. I have yet to finish a nail polish (except for the 'normal' colours that I use over and over again). They are fairly cheap - that has a lot to do with how small they are - and tehy propose a great diversity and choice in term sof colours available. 7. L'Occitane hand cream Love this hand cream. Texture wise it is not too greasy or too runny and it smells great and fresh. Oh and it doesn't make your hands stick to everything you touch afterwards. ALways a bonus I guess 8. L'Occitane lip balm What more can I say except that it a great lip balm, a bit expensive for what it is but I would say worth it. 9. Essence by Narciso Rodriguez My boyfriend was tired of my Coco by Chanel perfume, so we opted for this one. Which is very light and fresh! 10. Topshop lip marker Last but not least, this ha sto be the best invention ever. I simply can't wait till they bring out other colours, and for other makes to jumps on the 'lip marker' wagen. It's so easy to put on as it is like colouring something in, it doesn't smudge everywhere and best of all it stays on for ages. I went to bed once and woke up the next day  with bright red lips.

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Snapped, Stored & Shared (#15)

1 & 2. I have been asked a few times about my pet, well he he is Swiffer, the rabbit. I know, not your usual rabbit or dog choice, but his fun 3. Amazing skirt from Mango, very Balmain 4. Found these paper bag midi skirt in H&M. They exist in orange, brown and black 5. Went to No Concept (great clothes stores in Brussels) on Thursday evening to have a chat and a drink with Cyrielle 6. Loved this outfit; new red bag (featured soon), Mango fringed boots (A/W 2010), and YesStyle coat 7 & 8. Spent most of my weekend catching up on my TV series (completely addicted to, well, nearly all of them) and cleaning the apartment 9. My nails are going heading for the greens and blues next week (from right to left: Kiko, Hema, Maval and Hema) 10. It might be winter, but that doesn't mean any less of my yellow heels (who have to be the most uncomfortable heels I own) 11. My two go to products at the moment c/o L'occitane and Oona 12. The most amazing sunset, on the minus side it's now dark as of 18h00 which is not going to make taking pictures any easier

I also wanted to share with you this pretty fun cool new hotdog place in the center of Brussels. It's all organic, tasty and not too expensive, oh and delicious of course. A must to try out, and a perfect Sunday snack.

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My top summer products

1. Crême de karité et baume de karité from L'occitane are the perfect creams for dry skin areas 2. The Honey Bronze from The BodyShop is the perfect for the summer. It is a dry oil so does not leave you all greasy and comes of really easily and perfect for the summer beach days, probably one of the best things they have come up with lately. 3. I have fallend head over heels for Nuxe's huile prodigieuse. It has the most amazing smell and it is pretty good in keeping you legs  nourished and soft. They also have a sister product which is the Huile Prodigieuse Or (which is fairly similar to the Body Shop's Honey Bronze, but probably a bit more shimery) 4. My three daily essentials are the Vitamine E daily illuminating  moisturising cream from The BodyShop, the 24h super stay foundation from Maybeline and the radiant highlighter from The BodyShop, which adds a great glow to any skin. I have been wearing it every day since the sun has come out on my legs, so forget the fake tan look this summer and go for the natural glow effect instead. 5. The Biguine blush is just perfect (and not shimery) and L'occitane brush is just amazing for applying it. As for the cheeks I use Bourgeois' Rose blush. 6. Two things I always have in my handbag; the duo lip stainer/gloss and the roll on eau de toilettes Roses 4 Reines, both from L'occitane. 7. L'occitane has some great lip glosses to chose from, and these three are my favourite (and not to sticky). 8.  I never wear very much on my eyes. The two things I am fairly consistent on are the waterproof mascara from Maybeline or the Falsies volume express and the Bourgeois felt-tip eyeliner (which is the easiest to apply and moves the less). I also recently discovered Arcancil's Khôl Kajal, which is a waterproof khôl. However, during teh summer time I tend to have my eye lashes tinted (i.e. dyed), it just makes life so much easier. 9-11. Nivea and Kiko have the best nail polishes in my opinion (both in terms of choice of colours and polish/stay, but also the prices are just unbeatable). Kiko especially has a wide range of products and a selection of colours that I have never seen before. It's an Italian brand and so far has proven to be flawless, a must to check out this summer. If nothing less at least their nail polishes for only €2,50 a bottle. 12. La Prairie cellular energising body spray is the perfect summer perfume, it is super fresh ans smells very good (think fresh lemons). It is a bit expensive but I worth it. (you can find it in Brussels at the Planet Parfum in the Galleries Louise)

I wanted to share with you guys my products, because there are some many out there to chose from. However, I never seem to know what to try and I have had so many product/make-up disasters over the years. More so, I very rarely believe what the ads are selling me and do not find them convincing one bit. More so,I have huge trust issues with the cosmetic industry as the reality often tells a very different story to what the ads propose. Do you guys have any favourites you can't live without or that you have recently discovered? Please do share!

Anouck Lepère x Maasmechelen Village

Had a quick bit to eat before the press conference/Jan Colpaert introduced the lovely Anouck who was wearing a design by Christian Wijnants which was just stunning/I loved that most of the journalist were still 'old fashioned' in their way of taking notes, I'm the same/The giant cupcake cake was pretty impressive by top Belgian chef/two of my favourites pics of the day; Anouck with oen of the photographers and with Didier/the cutting & eating (i.e. a flash disappearance) of the cake.

I was invited to Massmechelen Village to celebrate "10 years in style" with their ambassadrice Anouck Lepère (she really doesn't need any introducing but just in case. She is one of Belgian's most famous top models, born and raised in Antwerp and has made  a big name for herself on the international fashion scene). We had an delicious lunch, followed by a photo call and a small interview. I then had a 5 minutes interview with Anouck, it was refreshing to hear her  talk with so much enthusiasm about Belgium, and Antwerp where she grew up, we even got talking about Belgium politics, which trust me is not the most cheerful of subject (for those of you who don't know, we habe beaten the world record of the country that has gone the longest without a government).  She talked to me about one of the causes she is currently championing; Kageno - operating in Kenya and Rwanda, this project 's mission is to transform these communities into places of opportunity and give them hope. It would seem that lately, designers, models, actrices and pop stars are putting their faces on just about any cause. I do believe that such associations work and help bring projects like Kageno under the lime light, I am just not sure about the long term impact.  Thus all in all, a wonderful afternoon with an extremely diverse and eclectic group of people.

For the Belgians (or those of you planning on visiting Brussels), as I have been receiving a lot of email recently on were to shop in Belgium. I will an interactif map with best places to shop ( and will talk to you more about Maasmechelen village).

A huge thank you to Jan Colpaert and the Oona team for a wonderful afternoon and amazing organisation.

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