Girls Day Out OOTD

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd share another OOTD post! I wore this the other day on a girls day out with two dear friends. We spend the day in the city of Arnhem; catching up over pots of tea with home-baked apple & cinnamon cake (nom nom), shopping and a delicious dinner out! You can't beat lovely days like that :) 

♥ Grey knit sweater dress by De Bijenkorf (Dutch department-store)
♥ Black leggings by Witchery
♥ Black short leather boots by Cinderella

Got the sweater dress dress recently in a massive sale this department store has once a year. It was down from €70 to only €19! Couldn't resist a nice bargain. I love the shoulder detail and that it's super warm and comfy for winter! Hope you've all had a great weekend? xoxo

Colour Pop with Red Eyeshadow

Today's FOTD is inspired by a video I watched on YouTube the other day by one of my favourite makeup guru's: Tanya Burr. She's a professional makeup artist with a blog & YouTube channel.  She does lots of amazing tutorials and makeup looks.

In her video Tanya did a "Colour Pop" look on how to wear MAC Cranberry eyeshadow. I don't own that particular eyeshadow but I do own MAC Coppering and a few other red/burgundy shades which are pretty similar. Red/Burgandy/Pink shades can be quite tricky to pull off but I feel that when you wear a neutral lid with a colour pop of red on the lower lashline plus good black eyeliner, it becomes very pretty and wearable.  

I hope you enjoy my FOTD:

♥ Face:
Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer
Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 180
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC20
Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in Sunlight
MAC Springsheen blush

♥ Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Jest eyeshadow (all over lid)
MAC Wedge eyeshadow (crease)
mix of MAC Coppering e/s & MAC play on plums - dark shade (lower lashline)
MAC Fluidline in blacktrack (upper lash line)
MAC Smolder kohl eyeliner (waterline)
MaxFactor Calorie 2000 Mascara

♥ Lips:
Clinique's superbalm moisturising gloss in Currant

The popularity of red eyeshadow is definitely on the rise after it featured on many of the Autumn/Winter 2010 runways. Like these looks from the Cushnie et Ochs and Altuzarra A/W 2010 shows:

Some quick tips regarding red eyeshadow:

♥ Red eyeshadow tends to intensify any redness in your eyes so if your eyes are tired, save it for another time.

♥ Go heavy with eyeliner and mascara. This is a must to avoid a bruised/swollen look.

♥ Pick the right red. This is key in making the look work. Pale skin can pull off brighter reds while darker skin tones look best in deeper reds like burgundy and maroon.

♥ Pair it with another color. Throwing in a darker color like black, charcoal, brown and plum can make the look more wearable. Alternatively, adding a dash of shimmer in the inner corners also helps.

♥ The dye used to make red eyeshadows can potentially trigger off a bad reaction on certain people. Therefore please use with precaution, especially if you have sensitive skin

You can see the video that inspired me here. 

Tanya's Blog: http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk

Tanya's (pixi2woo) YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/pixi2woo

NOTD: Berry Ice Cream

Today's Nail of the Day is Barry M - #308 "Berry Ice Cream"

Not sure why they picked that name because it doesn't really seem like a 'berry' shade to me....

A lilac nail polish had been on my lust list for ages, so I finally picked up this little beauty up while in London. The polish was easy to apply (great brush & product consistency). Below is after applying 2-3 coats.

I think Barry M nail polishes are great quality, are a bargain at only £2.95 and they have a wide variety of colours available. You can buy them online here. Happy Friday darlings! xoxo

"Leather" Jeans OOTD

I have been eyeing up the leather trend for a while now & I have been wanting to join the 'cool crowd' by getting some leather pants or leggings myself. However every time I went shopping and tried some on, they just looked kind of weird on and OTT on me :( I was starting to get worried that the leather pants look & me, just weren't meant to be! 

BUT when I was in London I spotted the perfect "leather" jeans at H&M. They are black skinny jeans but have a shiny leathery feeling/texture to them, which makes them a great soft start for me to get used to the leather pants look!  What do you think? 

Pants:  SQIN &Denim H&M Jeans (low waist, slim leg - buy them online here)

Top: Simple white long sleeved fitted t-shirt from H&M

Vest: Grey Woolen Knit by United Colors of Benetton

Boots: Cinderella

Necklace: Tiffany & Co

Also I wanted to you let you all know that I now have a Facebook Fan Page & a Twitter account! 
You can see the link to my Facebook Fan Page in the left side bar here on my blog. If you join by "liking it", the page will give you feeds/notifications when I place new posts!

I want to start using my Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account (once I figure out how it all works, that is haha) to communicate with my readers, post photos, updates and other fun stuff.  
So pretty pretty please follow my Fan Page & Twitter account? ♥ MWAH xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

So true.....

Exciting update: I am officially moving to London!

I have booked my one-way train ticket for the 9th of November. 

Only 2 weeks to go...new life - here I come :) 

An easy look for lazy makeup days!

Yes you read it right - even I have lazy makeup days! So what do I do on the days when I just want a simple look? I apply on some natural eyeshadow all over my lid, pop on some winged eye-liner and I am ready to hit the road :)

To create this look you can use a liquid or gel liner. 

My usual go-to liners are:

♥ MAC Fluidline Gel Liner (applied with MAC or Sigma 209 or angled liner brush)

♥ MAC Liquid Liner 

(Personally I am a fan of liquid eyeliners that have "stubby" tips rather than long thin brushes as I find them much easier to use but I know a lot of people prefer the thin liquid liners)

However, for the above look I used Barry M liquid eye liner in black. I got this product at Superdrug for only £4 when I was in London and have been trying it out. I like the thick felt tip applicator brush which makes it easy to create a steady thin or thick line. The formula for this liner is opaque/matte black, it goes on smoothly and dries quickly to prevent smudging. The only negative I can say is that I feel it doesn't stay black enough (goes slightly soft black) once applied, but hey for £4 I definitely think this is a good product! 

Can't wait to see this movie! >

Fact about me: I'm a bit of a Ryan Gosling fan!
But I mean, how can anyone not fall in love with him after seeing "The Notebook" right? 
I'm so excited for his new movie "Blue Valentine" with Michelle Williams to come out (December 2010). See the trailer for the movie below. Looks super cute and romantic! ♥

Mini Shopaholic

I have been a true Sophie Kinsella fan ever since I first read one of her books "Remember Me". Since then I have read all of the "Shopaholic" books in the series plus every single one of her stand alone novels. Her books are always a guaranteed fun chick-lit read! So as soon as I heard she had released the sixth new book in the Shopaholic series called "Mini Shopaholic" I couldn't wait to rush to the store to get my hands on it! I have just finished reading it while on holiday so I thought I would share a quick review :)

Synopsis: 

"Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true a shopping friend for life! But it's trickier than she thought as two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is Mine, and she's even started bidding for designer bags on eBay. On top of everything else, there s a big financial crisis. 

People are having to Cut Back including all of Becky's personal shopping clients and she and Luke are still living with Becky's Mum and Dad. To cheer everyone up, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party on a budget but then things become really complicated. Who will end up on the naughty step, who will get a gold star and will Becky's secret wishes come true?"

My review:
I think this is a lovely light, fun and enjoyable novel to read.The writing style is as great as ever allowing the reader to quickly and easily slip back into Becky’s world, and once you’re there, it’s like you never left! I found myself laughing out loud often while reading about Becky's crazy schemes and adventures. She manages to get herself into a few messes in every story but always finds a way to sort them. She is a little silly and child-like because of her impulsiveness but she always has the best intentions. She was every bit as charming and lovable in "Mini Shopaholic" as she has been in the past five novels. I had a hard time putting it down and I definitely think "Shopaholic" fans will enjoy this new chapter in Becky's life.

Ps: I won't give anything away but the ending of the book definitely left room for a potential 7th book in the series! YAY; let's hope we'll see Becky again soon! :)

A sneaker kind of girl?

Well, no...I have never been much of a sneaker kind of girl. In the colder seasons I tend to wear a lot of boots (heeled or flat).  But for for a while now I have been craving and browsing the shops for some super comfortable shoes that would keep my feet warm plus that I could easily walk around in all day & carry off more of a "casual" look with jeans. Which meant something like a  "sneaker" but one that didn't look too sporty. Not an easy task to find, I tell you ;) But my mission was accomplished last weekend when I found my perfect winter sneakers!! So here they are my latest shoe purchase; the Converse All Stars (Chuck Taylor) Leather sneakers from their winter 2010 collection. 

I love the fact that they are black & leather, which makes them both stylish and warm! ;) plus they are oh so comfortable to walk in! Have been wearing them heaps with skinny jeans or even with a denim skirt and black tights! They came with black laces and white laces and cost €89.90 - not bad, not bad at all :) Think I will get plenty of wear out of these babies!

What are your favourite comfortable sneaker style shoes?

Sardinia #

Hey my lovelies, 

I have safely returned from the beautiful island of Sardinia, back to the (freezing cold) that is the Netherlands. Luckily, while on holiday we were blessed with fabulous autumn weather; sunshine (however sometimes a little windy)..and temperatures between 15-20 degrees! We explored mainly the northern part of the Island and visited the main towns of Alghero, Sassari, Olbia, Palau and the Costa Smeralda region. Sardinia is definitely a beautiful part of Italy and it was nice to visit out of the main season because areas weren't crowded by thousands of tourists. Definitely a place I'd recommend you visit, if you ever get the chance :) 

 Below a selection of pictures from my trip (click to enlarge) This holiday was definitely also a great time for me to reflect on "what's next" and now I am feeling all positive and motivated again to kick start this next phase of my life! :) xoxo

Arrivederci!

Hey darlings,

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend? I had a bit of a rough day yesterday - got some bad news about the job I was going for in London. Sigh, back to square one....Life feels a little like a massive puzzle that's in a 1000 pieces and I am note quite sure how to start putting the pieces back together. But I know I will get there, someday, somehow! Keep smiling right? :)

However on the mega PLUS side, I am off on holiday today for a week to the italian island of Sardinia!

I will miss blogging but I can do with a holiday to relax and re-focus. Good weather (fingers crossed) and delicious Italian food; what can be better to heal the soul? ;)

Arrivederci (bye bye) and see you in a week! xoxo

A Dangerous Affair with Marie Claire

I just love the magazine's in the UK! Why you ask? Because you get sooo many free goodies! Honestly it seems like every magazine provides some kind of free beauty goodie to seduce you to buy their mag! And I shamelessly have to admit, their techniques work ;) This month with Marie Claire's UK November Issue they enticed me with a beautiful FREE Ciaté Nail polish.

There was an option of two colours. This darker plummy red and a bright red one. I choose the darker red one because it perfectly suits the current autumn & winter fashion trends. 

The colour is called "A dangerous affair" Ooh la la ;) 

Shade looks a little lighter in this photo; it's more like the colour in the bottle 

but it was hard to reflect the true colour in the photo!

Ciaté says: "Long lasting full coverage nail enamel with mouth-watering shades that are terrifically "bang-on-trend" with names that scream "modern day woman!" Flawless painting made easier with optimum 250 bristle flat brush." 

I had never really heard of Ciaté polishes before but have since checked out their website and think their colour & product range is fantastic. Polishes are priced at £9 each and I found the application was smooth and only needed 1-2 coats to get great coverage!

You can check out their full colour range online. I am definitely adding 'Sugared Almonds', 'Cookies and Cream' and 'Power Dressing' to my lust list!  Thanks to Marie Claire I can also share with you lovelies an exclusive offer of 15% off the total order when you shop online at www.ciate.co.uk! How?

Enter code: CIATEMC at checkout! Note: Offer ends 18/12/2010 and they ship internationally.

PS: let me share my little secret when it comes to applying nail polish.....

Tada! It's my Essence Nail Polish remover pen. It's a real life saver, because I am not very good at tidy nail polish application, left hand ok, right hand...BIG mess. This pen comes in handy to fix up the smudges :) Are you a polish applicator extraordinaire or do you use little helpers like this one too? xoxo

The city of dreaming spires...

Last weekend (while in the UK) I went for a lovely adventure with some friends to the town of Oxford. For those of you that don't know; Oxford is an old city in South East England. It's known as "the city of dreaming spires" and is most famous for it's medieval University. The city is full of beautiful old University College's that reminded me a lot of Harry Potter (I actually think some scenes of the movies where filmed there!) 

We had a great time seeing the sites during the day and some of the oldest pub of the country at night ;) What a fabulous place; stunning historic pretty buildings and SO very English! 

Here is a quick Oxford OOTD picture: Leather Jacket by River Island (my aviator jacket (with woolen lined collar removed) 

White/Blue striped long sleeve VILA dress with padded shoulders

Leather gloves from Zipper (a vintage clothing store) in Amsterdam

We also visited the oldest coffee house in England - Oxford's "the Grand Cafe"There I enjoyed one of my favourite things about the United Kingdom.......DEVONSHIRE TEA!Oeh I just ♥ warm scones with cream and jam! Nom nom :)

Chanel - Enigma

For fall, Les Contrastes de Chanel collection is all about sultry, smokey eyes. It's dark, sophisticated and consists of grays, purple and olive hues.  When I spotted the Chanel # 19 Quad "Enigma" it was love at first sight! 

Enigma (noun): a person, thing or situation that is mysterious, puzzling or ambiguous.

Chanel Enigma Quad: My first ever Chanel Quad ♥ and it's a stunning mix of four luxurious creamy eyeshadow powders in shimmering peach, olive toned/chocolate grey, silver/mauve grey and deep plum.

This quad is definitely all about the smokey-eye which is right up my alley :) There are many looks you can create with this quad; from a soft pink lid with darker colours in the crease or really smoking it up using the dark colours all over the lid.

The pigmentation of these shadows is very rich. They are super soft and silky and may come across as powdery but are actually very easy to work with and allow you to build intensity of colour. All the shades can be intensified a notch or two by using them wet, rather than dry. I also love using the dark plum shade (applied wet) as an eyeliner! 

Below a quick picture of the "Face of the Day" I created with the Enigma Quad a few days ago:

♥ Eyes:

Chanel - shimmering peach colour (all over lid)

Chanel - silver/mauve grey (crease & lower lash line)

MAC Smolder (waterline)

MAC Fluidline in blacktrack (upper lash line)

Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara

I can't wait to experiment some more and try out different looks; especially a dark smokey look! Please note that if you like/want this quad, that it is limited edition, part of their Fall 2010 collection. However if you love grey taupe/purple smokey eyes, I would definitely recommend this product. Great quality and amazing colours for autumn and winter.

Berry Lips

Berry lips kept showing up on the Fall/Winter catwalks; from Proenza Schouler to Charles Anastase, currant coloured lips reigned supreme. Whether ultra glossy or chalky and matte burgundy, blackcurrant and bordeaux are the colours to shop this autumn.

That's why I just had to pick up ELLE's latest November Issue (UK) with Alexa Chung on the cover because it came with a Clinique's superbalm moisturising gloss in the colour "Currant" for FREE!

Meet Clinique Superbalm; lip balm with a colourful twist!

The superbalm will impart a delicate berry hue to your lips (ideal for anyone nervous of bold shades) or you can use it to layer on high shine to a dramatic dark lip. Not only that, but it will transform dry autumn lips into soft, pillowy ones; plus, this clever balm suits everyone no matter what your skin tone, hair or eye colour.

Love the colour, ideal for fall/winter and it feels extremely moisturizing and soft! This is definitely a product I will think of purchasing when I run out of my free one. So if you want to try this lovely gloss for FREE grab the November issue of ELLE (UK) now! :) xoxo

Elle - Women in Hollywood

Kate Hudson covers Elle's Women in Hollywood/November issue (USA) 

The issue honors the 31-year-old actress and several other women who have had an impact on the film industry including Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Sofia Coppola, Kerry Washington, Diane Keaton, Jodie Foster, and Diane Kruger. I think the photographs of Kate & Gwyneth are so stunning. Love these gorgeous ladies! 

FYI: Kate is wearing an embroidered dress from Marc Jacobs (♥ this dress!!) gold bangle from David Yurman, and a diamond bracelet from DeBeers. 

Ps: I am still in London, having a fabulous time and I have made some fabulous new purchases. All will be shared soon! xoxo

Hair Highlights @ RUSH

I'm not sure if you girls had noticed but my hair has been highly overdue for a colour appointment (it has been almost 4 months & the re-growth has been annoying me so badly!) So while I was in London I decided to get my highlights done! A friend of mine recommended RUSH hair salons. Rush has 54 salons across London & the South and has won various awards. However, the main reason I chose RUSH to get my hair done was because of their current special offer of 50% off for new customers in two of their salons! (Earls Court or The Strand) 

Check out the offer on their website! 

I ended up going to the Earl's Court Salon & got full head of highlights.

Me with my updated highlights; much better! 

Think the colour turned out great :)

I was very happy with the service at the salon, they continuously offered me drinks/refreshments. I stuck with drinking herbal tea but you can even have wine! LOL.  I didn't get my hair styled or anything, this was just after it was "rough" dried. I took this photo while walking around Knightsbridge, I just ♥ that area and the gorgeous houses there. One day my dream would be to live there...oh well a girl can dream right? :)

Me & the World Wide Web

Hi lovelies

I have done it, I am now 'official' on the world wide web. What did I do?

I GOT MY OWN DOMAIN! Hehe I know it's not really that big of a deal but it's pretty exciting to me. A few month's ago I never would have imagined that one day I would have my own 'actual' website :) 

So my blog is now official with it's OWN domain @ www.dutchessroz.com

I think Blogger automatically just redirects my old site to this new domain, but if not, then please save this new web address as your favourite ;) bookmark!

Recently I have been doing more celebrity, fashion, music and random posts because I'd had friends saying they like it when I do posts like that. Now I have been wondering; do YOU (my lovely followers) all agree & feel the same way? I would really appreciate if you could let me know in the comments below what kind of posts you like best and what you'd like to see more of on my blog!

I am in London at the moment because I have a big job interview tomorrow, eeek! So I'm apologizing in advance that I may not get a lot of chance to blog this week, splorry!

Being wednesday & therefore Hump Day I will close of with something that is on my mind a lot these days...decisions, decisions, decisions....

Happy Hump Day everyone ♥

A Rebel - Moi?

Not normally, but today I am hehe ;) Showing off my new military/khaki green coloured jeggings - they were only €15 at Vero Moda, bargain! I'm loving the military trend look for Fall 2010.

Black cardigan: ZARA

"Rebel" Singlet: River Island

Jeggings: Vera Moda/Pieces

Hollywood

Ok I admit it....I have a teeny-weeny crush on Michael Bublé!
Check out his new single "Hollywood" - Love it ♥

Style Icon: Rachel Bilson

Whenever I see pictures of Rachel Bilson, she ALWAYS looks chic and stylish. That's why she is one of my favorite style icons :)

Rachel Bilson is the queen of casual-cool and effortless-chic. She could be going to the grocery store or going to a red carpet event, but no matter where she goes, Rachel Bilson always looks effortlessly fashionable & chic. Bilson has a vintage sense of style and is usually seen sporting the “boho” look. She wears lots of boots, skinny jeans, scarves and jackets. Besides her hippie, casual style, she also can pull together a very glamourous tailored and chic look.

Her top designer favorites are Zac Posen, who she is seen wearing quite often, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Chanel. And when it comes to beauty, she chooses a slightly smoky eye and natural lips and wears her hair down, parted down the middle, or in a casual bun or ponytail. 

Oh Rachel, how I'd love to have peek around your wardrobe & play dress up's ♥ Call me ;)

XO

Oh dear, I have discovered the world of "Etsy". Etsy is a website described as "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage and supplies" You can browse and buy a enormous supply of gorgeous vintage or handmade jewellery, art, prints, clothes and bags! I spotted these adorable earrings online the other day and just had to get them as a present for one of my friends. She loves Gossip Girl and I always want to kiss & hug her, LOL so thought they were very suitable :)

XO (Kiss Hug) earrings in sterling silver from Etsy seller: MXM Jewelry.

Aren't they super cute?!

A few other items currently on my lust list @ from various sellers on Etsy:

Have you discovered the world of Etsy?

If so what are your favourite sellers or items on your lust list - please share?! XO :p