Love it: Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell

Now that it is finally december again, I started listening to one of the most beautiful christmas/new year songs ever made: Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis. This song was made as a soundtrack for the Sex and the City movie (which isn't that great, to be honest), but it is based on an 18th century poem. It is sung in Scottish and I don't understand it at all, but I love it nontheless.

Please enjoy!

Love,

Louise

Project 10 Pan

I know I am extremely late with this project (it being the beautyvlogger hype of 2010), but I really want to do it. I don't have an entire room filled with make-up, not even an entire cabinet. Let's first explore the collection.

I store my make-up in the first two drawers of my Ikea Helmer unit. The rest is filled with hairstyling products, bodylotions and skincare products. This is my current stash:

8 Eyeshadow palettes
6 Foundations
4 Concealers
3 Eyeshadow primers (all samples)
2 Face primer
12 Powders (normal powder, bronzer and highlighter)
8 Blushers
18 Eyeliners (liquid, pencil and gel)
21 Lipproducts (lipstick, lipliner and lipgloss. Balms do not count, do they?)
8 Small eyeshadow palettes (maximum of 4 shadows)
14 Single eyeshadows (powder, stick or cream)
3 Mascaras

I thought I didn't have too much make-up, but 21 lipproducts is insane for someone who never wears lipproducts. I am not insane, I promise...

Next to make-up, I have:

16 Hairproducts
14 Bodylotions (5 of those are samples)
8 Skincare products

Because I obviously also have a problem with skin-, hair-, and bodycare, I will alter the rules of project 10 pan just a bit. These are the rules.

1. You have to finish at least 10 products, before you can buy another one.
Note: Only exception in my case is mascara, because I need to get a new one every three months to prevent an eye infection! Of course deodorant and toothpaste do not count either...
2. At least five of these products have to be make-up.
3. I may not buy bodylotion before I finish at least three of them (I have a bit of a bodylotion problem lately)
4. Products that are thrown away, for any reason, do not count as finished.
5. If I hit pan on an eyeshadow in a palette, it does count as one product.

Wish me luck!

Love,

Louise

PS: updates on the project will be posted!

Panic Attack

Panic attacks suck. I get them every now and then, and they make me feel like I cannot breath, making me panic even more. They also make you dizzy and nautious, and most times they do not have an obvious cause. They just happen, making you feel embarrased and helpless.

To all the people that have them too: I know how it feels.
It's okay. You will be okay.

Because I am too.

Love,

Louise

Love it: Teddy Has An Operation

Searching youtube for hours can feel very unproductive. Trust me, I know. But when you come across a video that makes you smile and your heart melt, it is worth it. 

This video by zefrank1 did just that for me. It's a wonderful video about the love of a toy and the imagination of a child.

Don't watch it if you can't handle watching intestines! I don't mind it, and I think you should look past that.

I hope it makes you smile!

Love, 

Louise

Book to Movie: The Time Traveler's Wife

When I walk into my favorite bookstore, almost every good book gets degrated by a big, shouty sticker on the front saying 'Now a Major Motion Picture!'. No! It's a book. If I wanted to see the movie, I would go watch the movie. I understand that it's a marketing tactic and all, but why would I rather buy a book that has been made into a movie, then one that hasn't? However, after reading the book with the big old sticker, I do want to see the movie!

That being said, some book-to-movie adaptations do impress me. Today, I want to discuss the adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. The book is about the impossible love between a time traveler and the love of his unchronological life. Henry has a disorder causing him to travel in time, without him willing to. For that reason, Clare and Henry are always meeting at different times of their lives, with different knowledge about their past and future together.

The book made me cry at several different occassions, and the movie had the same effect on me. The book was written with a beautifully alternating perspective between Henry and Clare, and although the movie doesn't do that, it still has the same effect. You can relate to both Henry and Clare perfecly, making them a very emotional book and movie. A gorgeous love story that is a absolute must-read/see!

I hope you go read the book and watch the film (but read the book first!), because they are absolutely amazing.

Love,

Louise

Public transport rant!

To get to my university, I have to travel by public transport for approximately 10 hours per week. After doing this for more than three years, I believe I have every right to call myself a public-transportation-expert. And for that reason, I have to rant about it (also, I like making lists). Here are some of the most annoying things about public transport that I encounter with daily.

1. Trains being late. For the Netherlands, this is a very common problem. Somehow, trains are either 5 to 15 minutes late, cancelled or cannot go because of ‘technical’ difficulties. I understand that problems can occur in our busy railway-network. Still, it annoys me to death!
2. Food and drinks being ridiculously expensive! I have to pay €2,50 for a bottle of water. Yes I said WATER, not fluid gold. That’s just insane for something that sells for just 80 cents at a supermarket. More than 200% pure profit! So unfair! And don’t even get me started on food…
3. People that step out of the train (or tram, bus, subway) and STOP MOVING! Right in front of the doors! There are more people that want to leave this vehicle AND many people wanting to get on it. Go fix your outfit somewhere else!
4. Internet being promised but not working. A quit relevant example: I am typing this on the train. The doors of the train tell me there is free wifi on this train. There is no wifi. I will not upload this until this evening. Great.

Love,

Louise

PS: I apologize for the weird number of points on my list (Four! No! Either three or five!) and for the crazy amount of capital letters and explanation marks in this post. But what can I say, it’s a rant. It’s not rational.            

The Most Beautiful Dance!

While browsing youtube for the last episode of So You Think You Can Dance, I found this dance from the last season. It is honoustly the most beautiful dance I have ever seen. I believe that a good choreography can only work if there is chemistry between the dancers, and this video proofs that.

(The dancing part is until 2:45, the rest is just comments from the jury)

Love,
Louise

Autumn Storm: Top 3 Books for Stormy Weather

As you may know, today there has been a storm all over Western Europe. Ofcourse it sucks: railway problems, too dangerous to drive your car and the possible threat of a tree falling on your house... However, bad weather has its upsides! When it's raining, thundering and the wind is so strong that you are suddenly able to cycle backwards at 20 kilometers per hour, nothing beats staying inside and reading a good book! Therefore, here are my top 3 Stormy Weather reads (in no particular order).

1. The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse


I know it's technically not winter yet, but stormy weather does take you as far from summer as possible, doesn't it? So I say this story about a snowstorm in the French Pyrenees still counts.
This book tells a quite ghostly story about post-WWI France, when Freddie's car spins off the road during a heavy snowstorm, making him stranded near a small village. When he arrives at the village, he finds himself in the middle of a big feast. He decides to join the festivities and has an amazing conversation with a woman called Fabrisse, who seems to know quite a lot about him. The next morning, Freddie wakes up to everyone telling him that there was no feast, and there is no woman called Fabrisse living in or anywhere near this village.
If you haven't ever read a book by Kate Mosse, you will not understand the enchanting way she writes. I read this book from cover to cover in one rainy afternoon, sitting in my big chair with a cup of tea. I highly recommend you to do the same!

2. Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

I really can't say too much about the story, because I will probably ruin the book for you. The story is about a woman who wakes up one morning without remembering anything at all, having her husband tell her that she was in an accident and had lost permanent damage to her long term memory. Whenever she goes to sleep, she will forget everything that happened during the day. The story unravels into an extraordinary thriller, as it is written from the perspective of a women who forgets everything.

3. Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Do I really have to explain this? There are few things more comforting than reading Harry Potter during a stormy afternoon. The mystical darkness outside just adds to the feel of Hogwards and the Dark Arts. You can choose any of the books, really, but I recommend the Deathly Hallows.

Enjoy your books!

Love,

Louise

Love it: Vandaag - Bakermat

If you are shocked by the strange words in the titel of this post: fear not! It's just Dutch!

The song I have been listening to on repeat is 'Vandaag' by Dutch DJ Bakermat (the meaning of the titel is 'Today'). Bakermat mixes the historically unforgetable speech by Martin Luther King 'I have a Dream' with jazzy American saxophone sounds and a Dutch dance beat.
This way, he is making important parts of the speech accessable to my generation.

Not your standard dance song, but it works. It really does.

Love,
Louise

Discovering: Breaking Bad (spoiler free)

I'm hopping on the bandwagon and discovering Breaking Bad! I know, I know, way to late, but this piece of American Amazingness was not showing in my country until now...

Loved the first season: great plot, good filming and above all amazing characters! Because that is what they are, characters, from the first moment that you see them on your tv screen untill the credits begin to roll. And frankly, I find that pretty amazing. How many shows I have watched where the main 'characters' were just puppets to fill up the screen!

So hereby my homage to the cast and crew of the show that is currently filling up all my free time: Breaking Bad. Go watch it!

Love,
Louise

Love it: Tennis Court - Lorde

How amazing is this song and video by Superwoman Lorde? At only sixteen, co-writing (with Joel Little) such a unique song is pretty amazing if you ask me.

Not only is this one of the best songs I've heard this year, the video (directed by Joel Kefali) is so intriguingly simple and yet creative, that I unanimously pronounce this a Masterpiece!

Have a great Friday!

Love,
Louise