Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Three summer dresses - sponsored by Shein

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

First of all, I hope everyone had a great Christmas weekend! Mine was spent at my parents' place with lots of good food, general cosiness and lots of Christmas movies including classics like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, A Muppets' Christmas Carol. :-D

I had two sponsored posts already.. and this 3rd one is courtesy of Shein. I chose 3 cute dresses, but uhm.. they're more suited for hot summers! Obviously, it would not be very useful to delay a post like this for 6 months after they've sent me the dresses, right?

Thus.. once again, crappy and boring indoor photos it is!

The first dress is a short black dress with a split on the sides. My motto: one can never have too many LBD's!!


I got this dress in size M and just like previous LBD I got from another Chinese web-shop, it is still on the short side. One of the main reasons I wore these patterned tights with it. ;-)

The next item is navy sleeveless ruffle dress. When I think about having lots of cocktails on a beautiful warm summer night with my friends, I think about wearing a dress like this!


For the third and last dress, I chose something that I actually could wear in January or February, an army green casual dress. The long sleeves will make sure I won't be too cold. The dress is still short though! ;-)





Whenever I get free clothing or shoes, whether it's from a good friend or a company, the first thing is that I'm always grateful. It won't change my opinion of the items themselves.. but I won't deny that the feeling itself is a very nice one. :-)

My experiences with Shein was very pleasant. They were very patient as I received these dresses 6 weeks ago, but I just did not have the time. Anyway, here are the links if you want to check these dresses out!


As I've written before: I like filming outside. Sadly, due to the very bad and cold weather and lack of time.. I couldn't do that. So this time, I chose another part of my apartment to change things up. Hope you still like it!






Monday, December 19, 2016

Royally blue

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

Be warned, this blog-post will have lots of photos.. there were just too many nice ones to leave them out! :-)


Followers of my Instagram page (or Flickr / Facebook) have probably seen this dress when I was testing it indoor at home. Obviously, dresses like these are not meant to be worn in an apartment.


Ever since I got my hands on this dress, I knew that I wanted to wear it on a sunny day in a beautiful Royal Garden. And what a coincidence that the Netherlands is a kingdom.. filled with castles and palaces!


You can imagine that walking around in a dress like that did attract quite the attention.. and I got my fair share of looks. Perhaps practice for that future moment when I will be queen of the world? :-D



Anyway, women were complimenting me on my dress and they all said that it was totally appropriate wearing them at the Royal Palace and Gardens! Of course, that made me smile a lot!


Oh, by the way.. inside the Royal Palace, the clickety-clack of the heels would reverberate throughout all the hallways. So, to be considerate, I decided to wear sneakers inside. Did you ever thought you would see me wearing anything flat?! ;-)


The Monday is almost over.. a couple more days until Christmas. Can't wait until I will spend some time with my family and eat some really good food! Have a great week! ;-)

------------

Great weather, a beautiful dress ( if I may say so myself ) and royal garden, you can bet your bottam dollar that we also filmed a couple of video clips! :-)






Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Casually red with over-the-knee boots in Rotterdam

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

So, the last post was about outfit material that I hadn't yet posted, but obviously I don't sit still during the winter weekends! Especially when it's not raining and/or snowing. So there is also new stuff happening here. :-)

A lot of people know and love Amsterdam and so do I. However, when it comes to having that big metropolitan vibe with all the hustle and bustle.. there is no Dutch city better than Rotterdam.


For the outfit, I went with a red jacket, some grey skinny jeans and these gorgeous black leather over-the-knee boots from Buffalo. Seriously, they may be 5 inches high.. but these are one of the most comfy boots I own!


You might have seen this photo on my Instagram, but I wanted to share it here as well. It is just a perfect example of the Rotterdam skyline.



This quick photo-shoot was at the end of a long day. In the winter, the sun goes down so quickly.. and I keep forgetting that! On top of that, the batteries in my flash were dying.. so these were the only photos we could squeeze out! Ah.. fashion blogger problems! :-P


So, what do you think of those boots? Too much with this outfit or does this work with the grey jeans and red jacket?

Anyway.. it's Wednesday, so it's only a couple of days until the weekend! ;-)


Just a bunch of clips of me showing off walking in these gorgeous boots! I really need to wear these more often.. not just in the winter, but also during spring and summer! :-)






Sunday, November 27, 2016

Forgotten pink and white

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

It is still November, but soon it will be December again! And for the Netherlands, that comes with a lot of freezing temperatures, wetness (both of the rain and snow variety).. and holidays! First, the Dutch children's festival of Sinterklaas on the 5th and then, of course, Christmas and NYE!

For me, it's already a time to reflect on how tumultuous 2016 has been and also,.. to think about how I did or didn't finish my list of goals. It is also a time, to look at my collection of photo and video material on my computer and start posting some of the outfits that I never got around to.


Now, I really like this outfit! I think the dress is cute with the pink and white colours. And I wanted to style it with only black items.. so choosing the bag, jacket, scarf and heels was quite straightforward.


The trouble that day was that when I wanted to photograph and film this outfit, I couldn't really find an inspiring location. And thus, I didn't have that many interesting and distinctive photos to begin with.



You fashion-bloggers out there probably know that a couple of weeks later, you have so many more new outfits captured on camera! And then you will post those outfits and then other new ones.. and so it goes on! :-P


So yeah, I didn't want these photos to go unused.. because I really loved wearing that outfit on that sunny day! Let me know if this is something familiar to you too. I'd love to know!

Well, this was it for today.. wishing you all a very happy Sunday!! :-D


Sometimes, if the location is not that inspiring, I also find myself lacking interesting ideas of what to do in a video. This next video is probably one of them. Nevertheless, I hope you do enjoy it! :-)






Thursday, November 17, 2016

My second ROMWE sponsored post... indoor due to weeks of rain

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

So.. apparently, my first post with ROMWE went well and they gave me another opportunity to select a couple of things from their catalogue. And they gave me a 60% coupon code ( RWnatcrys60 ) as well for you!

Again, I chose 2 dresses, a jacket and a t-shirt/jogging pants combo that I will use for my High Heels Dance Classes. Unfortunately, it has been raining for weeks now in the Netherlands, so no opportunity to wear and photograph these clothes outside in nice daylight conditions.

Thus, crappy indoor conditions it is!

The first dress is a simple short black dress with a cut-out. I probably have more Little Black Dresses than I reasonably should, but hey... what's one more on the pile, right?


I got this dress in size L and it is still on the short side. Definitely something for a party or summer's day.. not for a cold day in winter. ;-)

The next item is a pink faux suede jacket. It is a very subdued colour pink (not the bright super sweet pink) and I actually think the jacket looks better when I zip it up. There were some loose hanging fibres that I had to trim, but otherwise.. the jacket (size L) fits well. I would also wear this with a pair of jeans.



Next up is a really pretty butterfly print dress I plan to wear in spring of 2017. I'm a sucker for these kind of dresses, because they create the illusion of hips.. and as I've said before, I need all the help in that department! :-P


Also, this dress was in size L. It's not me.. it's their sizing, I swear!

For my fourth and last item on my list, I again went for something I could use during my High Heels Dance Classes: a set consisting of a striped T-shirt and waist pants.


This was the only item I got in size M, which was a bit better for my confidence. ;-)


Again, my experience with ROMWE was pleasant. I still can't get over the fact that I actually get pick out clothes to try on and to model on my blog and my YouTube channel! And the 60% coupon code ( RWnatcrys60 ) is always a great thing.

You all know I much more prefer filming outside. There's more variety in locations, I can actually walk and twirl and do stupid things. And I think daylight looks better on me than artificial light. Alas, the weather did not cooperate.. so I hope you still enjoy this indoor haul video that I made at home. :-)






Friday, November 4, 2016

All about balance

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

It's November.. and it's getting colder. I noticed I have trouble getting out of my warm cozy bed.. and when I'm under the hot water streams of my shower, I just want to stay there forever!!

October in the Netherlands was a weird month. It was cold, but in the sun.. it wasn't too bad. I could even pretend it was summer. :-P


Anyhoo, in one of my Instagram posts ages ago.. I showed this dress in my bedroom. My intention was to wear it during this summer, but somehow I never felt like it. You ever have that feeling?

Work has been crazy again and my boss has suggested that I should start following management courses, so that has been asking a bit of my time. Fortunately, I know how to keep my balance!


Speaking of balance, while I was filming.. I was doing a little bit of swinging with my legs like I would do during karate practice. It might not be the most charming look, but I never take myself that seriously.. so I took some still images from the video (that's why the quality is a bit lower).

Now that you're done laughing.. back to the normal pics! :-)


In a couple of weeks, it will most likely be way too cold for dresses and bare legs, so I expect to be wearing my jeans, leggings and tights more often.


To my US American friends, how are you all holding up with the election frenzy? 

I believe in democracy, so go out and vote! :-)


So, how will your outfits change with the winter coming? Also, if you're from south of the equator.. I want to visit you when it's summer over there! :-P


I wasn't feeling particularly creative while filming this outfit.. so that's why I started kicking. :-D





Saturday, October 22, 2016

In her natural habitat :-P

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

Hello! Hope you are all having a great weekend! :)

Thank you all for the wonderful response to my last post! I know that some of you will always be wary about these kind of posts, so I hope you I can always have your trust that I will always be honest about my opinions and collaborations. :)

This will be a shorter post on how I still love shopping in actual stores the most (even if I do a lot of on-line shopping). It's definitely no secret that I love shoes.. and there no better feeling than going into the shops and be surrounded by wonderful (and expensive) heels!


Before this little shopping excursion in the Bijenkorf (which is Dutch for beehive), I had a great day at the Amsterdam Museum with first-year Social Work students who will also be facing LGBTQ issues when they graduate.

And any time I can make a contribution to increase awareness, understanding and acceptance.. I will gladly participate! :-)


I always love walking and shopping the Amsterdam Bijenkorf store, since it's one of the few places where I can get that high-class luxurious feeling. Sure, some of the brands will probably never be in my possession, but just soaking up the atmosphere is very nice!

Obviously, one brand that I can afford to buy is Steve Madden, so I just had get a shot of me with those shoes.


By the way, did you notice something? The straps of my shoe on my left foot was criss-crossed.. that's what you get when you're in a hurry in the morning! :-P

Regardless, I had a great day with my friend Bianca and we ended the day with quick dinner.


Whatever you're doing this weekend, I hope you're having a great time!


Doing a bit of walking in the store and Amsterdam, so you might get a sense of the atmosphere. Enjoy!





Monday, October 10, 2016

Clothing haul from ROMWE - my first sponsored post

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

So.. apparently, my fashion blog and my YouTube videos have reached monthly view counts such that web-shops have started sending me invitations to do collaborations. One of them is ROMWE, a Chinese on-line fashion shop. They told me I could pick 4 items after which I would make a blog-post and YouTube video about them.

I chose 2 dresses, 1 tunic (which I actually use as a dress :-P ) and a pair of yoga pants. I will give my opinion about them, honest and straightforward as always.. which is why I put the 'sponsored' right there in the title.

The first dress is a simple black dress with some white stripes. I love dresses that have these kind of patterns. And I really love this dress, though I will make two general observations about this dress and the other dress and the tunic:
  1. The length is on the shorter side. I'm 1.70 metres tall (or 5 feet 7 inches) and you can see the hemline is nowhere near the knee. ;-)
  2. The material is pretty thin, so I'd probably only wear these clothes in the warmer months.

Black White Patchwork Short Sleeve Shift Dress - size S
Black White Patchwork Short Sleeve Shift Dress - size S


The next item is a tunic with a black/white/yellow floral pattern. Yes, I know I should be wearing it with a skirt or some skinny jeans, but the weather was just too good (mind you, this is freakin' October!).. so bare legs all the way!! :-P


Cold Shoulder Florals Ruffle Dress - size M
Cold Shoulder Florals Ruffle Dress - size M

By the way, not part of the clothing haul, but a recent addition to my vast shoe collection.. what do you think about those black 5 inch stiletto peep-toe heels by Little Mistress? I think they're so sexy and gorgeous!

Next up is a blue and white dress, a little bit like Delft Blue pottery. I knew when I chose this dress that I would be wearing red heels with this one!

Blue and White China Print Dress - size M
Blue and White China Print Dress - size M

I also added a cute red bag with this outfit.. I really do love the combination of red with the white and blue. Again, the material is quite thin.. so you could my bra pattern up-close. ;-)

The last item on the list are a pair of grey yoga pants with white stripes on the side. I thought.. I still need some yoga pants for my dance classes, so why not pick one now?

Grey Contrast Striped Side Leggings - one-size-fits-all
Grey Contrast Striped Side Leggings - one-size-fits-all

This is a one-size-fits-all.. and I would say that for someone of my length, it probably is a bit too short, but I think I can still do all my moves and exercises with it. So I'm not complaining.. even if I had to pay the actual price (6 dollars).

All in all, my experience with ROMWE was pleasant. The clothes were delivered within 10 days, the quality is what you expect for the prices you pay.. and for me, the items fit nicely. But I will let you be the judge of that!!

I got the clothes earlier this week, but I only had time to film all four pieces of clothing on Sunday. It almost felt like working.. modelling so many items in less than 2 hours!! :-D






Sunday, September 25, 2016

Roman times: are you not entertained?! :-P

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

A whole month.. OMG! I guess I should just stop explaining why I never seem to satisfy my own desire to publish every week. Once again, it was a mix of work, deadlines, family stuff and sometimes.. sheer laziness when all you want is to enjoy a cold beer (or white wine) in the sun. 


Fortunately, my absence from social media did not mean I sat still though! My computer is full of photos and videos clips of my outings.. and I'm going to make an effort to share them on a regular basis.

And I'm starting with my trip to an archaeological park in Xanten (Germany) where they rebuilt an old city from the Roman Empire.


I went with my friend Sara who is a history buff like me, though she actually studied it. Though I did study 6 years of Latin in high school.. and I was surprised how well I could still translate all those ancient texts.


Colonia Ulpia Traiana, as the city was known in Roman times, was an important city and as such, had an amphitheatre. Obviously, I had to stand in the middle of the arena and yell: "Are you not entertained?!" while holding my water bottle as a make-believe sword. :-P


They say "When in Rome, do as the Romans do.", so I decided to wear a white dress to give it that ancient feel. I do wonder if they had wedges back in those times. ;-)


See, I didn't just look... I also fiddled around with ancient Roman technology. I don't think I quite agree with Obelix who always said (in the 'Asterix and Obelix' comic books) that the Romans were so crazy.


We were so absorbed with this fantastic park that I actually did not really want to interrupt the flow with taking long videos. So I ended up with just a couple of clips of me going up and down the stairs. Nevertheless.. enjoy!!






Wednesday, August 24, 2016

With flying colours

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

It's heat-wave time! :-D

My holidays have ended and it's back to work, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy all the sun that has finally showed up. My job does offer me the flexibility to start early and leave early in the afternoon. And since stuff is still quite quiet... I can actually take the occasional Friday off and enjoy a long weekend. Which is what I intend to do this week!


A couple of days ago, I had a full day planned with dinner with friends, meeting up with another friend at one of my monthly social gatherings and at the end of the evening.. there was still a birthday party of yet another group of friends.

For such busy day, I just try to keep it simple. And for me.. that usually means a Steps dress and Steve Madden heels. :-D


This dress looks like a skirt/top combo.. but it really is a dress.. and like most Steps dresses, it fits very nicely. I guess they had my body shape in mind when designing these dresses!


As this was mainly a social day, I don't have that many photos. I just didn't want to burden my friends too much. Some of you fashion-bloggers probably know how we have to be appreciative with the goodwill of our friends!


It's also the same reason why my video is super short.. and made with my smartphone instead of my regular video camera. I'm sure you don't mind, right? ;-)






Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Black and white.. just like a cow

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

Has this ever happened to you? You're looking forward to a couple of weeks of well-deserved holidays and during those last months leading up to it, you're putting in lots of hours to finish all the important work. And then.. during the first few days of the holiday?? Yes.. I got ill!!

Apparently, my body disagreed with my plans these weeks.. and it thought I should chill at home and take it easy. :-)


Now, this wasn't a real problem as the summer has been crap and the number of warm sunny days could be counted on a couple of hands. Nevertheless, if you're reading this, you know that I will use some of those days to go out, wear a dress and heels.. and have fun enjoying the sun. And of course, take photos! ;-)

I think it's no secret that I like anything with a black-and-white pattern. So, I think this dress is just perfect for me! And since I have no hips.. I absolutely love the fact that this dress has a petticoat-type underskirt.. and it gives me a very feminine shape. No, it's not cheating! :-P


Also, I thought this dress would make me blend in with the cows, because a lot of Dutch cows also wear my favourite black-and-white patterns.

But not that particular day! It seemed that there was miscommunication.. and they decided to wear brown-and-white instead. :-D


Obviously, the one thing that I knew the cows weren't wearing,.. were these sexy fuchsia peep-toe heels! Or perhaps I haven't everything yet in this crazy world!

Then again, trying to walk in the green fields while eating grass would be a bit more difficult, don't you think? ;-)


Anyway, for those who are now enjoying a holiday or a couple of days off.. how are you spending it? I hope you have fun!!


This sunny afternoon.. I was mostly enjoying the day.. so I actually don't have that much video footage. Still.. I hope you enjoy the short video.






Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Leather over-the-knee boots in broad daylight.. it felt empowering!

>> CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT VIDEO <<

Yay, it actually is summer over here in the Netherlands! How do I know? It's when most Dutch people start complaining about the heat and sun! :-P

I'm still working long hours because the project I'm working on is really taking off. And since it offers huge opportunities for me in the long term, I figure I might as well give it my full 100%.

Since walking around in pretty dresses and sexy heels don't pay the bills, it means that my fashion activities have to wait sometimes. ;-)


However, with this weather, I had to get out! And I thought, what the hell.. it's gorgeous weather and I feel confident. So I just went for a blue cocktail party dress.. short! And to add to the whole sexy look.. I decided to add black leather over-the-knee stiletto heeled boots!


Yes.. when I was walking around in the botanical garden, I got some looks and stares. But mostly, I saw nods of approvement.. as in.. you go girl!! And that's how I felt! :-D


I know some people will find this too much: why not wear sandals? Or cute flats?

What do you think? Your opinion always means so much to me! :-)


Of course, with any photo-shoot that I do.. I always remind myself to not take it all too seriously. Even though I am known to check all the photos and videos after they're taken! :-P


I am also brainstorming on how I can use these boots (by Buffalo, by the way) in more outfits without it getting too trashy.

Any ideas or suggestions are always appreciated!


If you're in the northern hemisphere.. I hope you have a great summer with cocktails. And if you're south of the 0° latitude line.. I hope you're having a comfy winter with hot cocoa!. ;-)


With this outfit, I definitely had to get some video footage.. and I got a lot! So, no surprise.. this YouTube video is a bit longer than the usual ones. I actually tried to take some super long steps going from tile to tile in the grass. :-P