Goodbye Old Friends

Please visit VERY VERONiQUE 

and bid this ol'blog adieu. I've had fun here and it has been a long journey. But I've come to the end of it here. However, I will be going through this blog and reviving my favorite posts (as I have already done so with one of the most visited posts yesterday) over on my new blog. That way, everything that I love will be all in one place.Yeay! See you there.

Very Veronique

I finally bit the bullet and I did it, I changed my domain, made a new blog. So that means I will no longer be blogging here but from now on I will be blogging over at

http://veryveronique.com/

The first post is up although it is just an introduction. However, I plan on writing another one asap so please stop by and check out the new blog. If you like what you have seen here on msveve you'll definitely like what's on Very Veronique. It's basically the same but just focusing on the fun and happy.

UPDATE: already 4 posts! Please visit Very Veronique to make Veronique Very happy.

Chchchchanges

The more I think about this blog, the more I want to change it. Actually, there are a few things that I want/need to change. The first and most important is my studying habits. They are currently at an all time low and this cannot go on. But concerning the blog - I feel like it has become way less fun than it once was and it needs some more "happy" all around. Mostly, I'm no longer happy with the name. I'm currently making up various titles and waiting if something sticks and I like it for longer than 10 seconds. And also if it's still available. Which is actually the worst part. I know I wrote that I would wait until all my exams are through but I don't think I can wait that long! Anyways, enough of that, let's move on to the shoes? *Now that I've stopped stressing about the pictures and I just take selfies and don't bother with mirror photos, it has become fun once again. I think addressing the problem has also really helped as it centered me and then I was like "this is easy to fix". Once in a while I can get someone to take my photos but in the mean time, I can still save a bunch of shoes:)

Shoes saved: Topshop Mary Jane two-tone flats

Wearing: H&M trench coat, thrifted beaded dress, H&M studded bag

Worn on: Monday (7.4.2014), coffee date with a friend

Monday was such a lovely day - the sun was shining and I was feeling really good. Though I did get less done than I had planned :/ Mr. Pig really enjoyed his afternoon walk. *Oh and while thinking about changing blog domains and everything, I have changed my instagram address. The new one is http://instagram.com/veroniqueloves#.

To learn more about the shoe challenge or to take part, visit www.shoeperwoman.com. See you soon with some more shoe saves and my daily adventures! Bya.

Drugstore Makeup Collections: Essence

I got a new idea for the blog yesterday. While I was waiting for my sis to go to lunch, I stopped by the drug store and bought a few things (two lipsticks - NYC and Catrice, one chubby stick - Essence and one lip gloss - Catrice) and then afterwards I thought it would be a neat idea to do a "Drugstore make-up collection" type post, organized according to the brand. Well, here it is.

I decided to start with the brand Essence because they are one of the cheapest brands but also have quite nice products. I tend to like their limited edition products the best but some of their permanent products are also worth mentioning. Below is a photo that I posted on my instagram as a teaser to this post and it shows most of the Essence products that are currently in my collection. I didn't include nail polishes as I just didn't want to have to go through them all and photograph them! Anyways, let's move on to the products that I am showing you...

To begin with, here are a few eye shadows and two eye pencils, a mascara, the chubby stick I bought yesterday (from their limited "Love Letters" edition) and one of my all-time favorite products, a fruity blush. I won't go into detail about all of the products, for instance I'm not so pleased with the eye pencils, they're okay but honestly nothing special. Neither is the mascara or the silvery eyeshadow.

Now this product is definitely something special. It's Essence's Fruity Blush Sorbet in 01 "Smoothie Operator" and I'm in love. I'm so sad that it was a limited edition as I would surely keep on buying it over and over again. It's a gorgeous blush that not only looks very natural and lovely but also smells amazing. It's one of those products that just makes you happy putting it on.

Sorry that this picture didn't turn out the best. I was trying to show you the actual blush but it photographs pretty badly as I was going for a very close close-up. But at least you get the general idea.

Next we have a super pigmented eye shadow (or well it's not really an eye shadow but just "pigment" and it's meant for the eyes and body). This was also a limited edition (I have warned you) from the Twilight saga Breaking Dawn Part 2 collection. Funny thing, I haven't seen the movie but I love this product. It's in the color #03 "A Piece of Forever". (I love it when make-up products don't only have a number but also a fun name to them. It just makes using the products so much more fun.) The product itself is basically like little tiny pieces of gold glitter. Very fun and I love gold for the eyes so I love it. It also lasts ages.

Next is Essence's Smokey Eye Set in #04 "Show off". The colors are both grey - one is a mat dark grey and the other is with some shimmer. I haven't really used this product that much but I think I'll be giving it a try this week in honor of this post.

As this product started it all, I want to give it some more mention. This is Essence's Jumbo Sheer Stick in #02 "Dear Peach!" (they had two choices and I think it was the name that made me buy this one though I am thinking of getting the other one as well the next time I go drug store shopping. But then again this is a limited edition so I should definitely hurry!) The color is a very light peachy color and it looks very natural on. I wore it right away and I don't think it lasts that long but I was pleased enough with it to repurchase so I guess that's really the biggest test right?

Besides making decorative cosmetics, Essence also make some other lovely products like nail polish removers. I have trouble with removing nail polish and a lot of nail polish removers just don't "do it" for me. I must say that the two nail polish removers shown below have been very effective and I'm very pleased with them both. The one on the left also smells quite nice (which is a welcome change for nail polish removers right??) and the one on the right has these flakes of glitter and so honestly, I just love them both. As for the pocket beauty stop shine oil control papers - well I don't really use these as I don't get oily at all but I just wanted to show you the range of products that Essence has available. They also have a huge selection of nail polish and nail products.

I couldn't not mention this product as again it is a favorite (wow so many favorites from a cheapo brand!) and it's Essence Glitter Eye Gel in #04 "Show Time". It's really just what it says - a glitter eye gel - and it works marvelously. I had a glitter eye gel from Too Faced Cosmetics and it just dried out super fast and I didn't really get to use it that much but this product - I've had it for longer and it still works. You only need to apply a little amount and it also lasts forever. You can see it "on" in one of the swatches photos below. I only used a tiny tiny dot of the product and even that really shows. (I didn't want to waste it and I think this was also a limited edition).

Now as it is absolutely obvious by now I love Essence's limited editions but as for their regular products, I'm mostly a fan of their lip product selection. Below you can see a lip gloss (XXXL shine lipgloss in #14 "Bubble Babe") - it's okay but I don't really use lip glosses that much, I'm more of a lip balm kinda girl, then another limited edition piece (sorry, I know, I know, this is getting annoying) Vampire's Love lipstain in #02 "True Love" - this thing is amazing, the color is beautiful and I'm a huge fan of lip stains in general so yeah. On the far right is Glossy Lip Balm in "Sweet Strawberry" - it's more of a lip gloss than a lip balm. It's okay just not a favorite.

Last we have the lipsticks. When I go to the drugstore I first check out Essence's limited editions and then I move on to their lipsticks. The lipsticks are very affordable and the color choices are quite nice. I'm actually surprise I have so few!

From left to right: #33 "Glam Girl", #55 "Coralize Me!", then #55 "Coralize Me!" again but surprisingly the colors are NOT the same! as you can see in the swatches, then #65 "Glow Neon Glow" - I don't really like this one, #52 "In the Nude" and I have this one twice as well and again the colors are different even though it's supposed to be the same product - this inconsistency is the only issue I have with Essence, and last is #54 "Honey Bee" which is a very shimmery lipstick, maybe even too much for my taste.

I swatched them in the same order as I listed them above. In the photo above the product that is the highest is 33 Glam Girl, then are the two 55s and you can really see a difference, one is more pigmented than the other, and last is 65 Glow Neon Glow. The photo above was taken in artificial lighting and the photo below in natural day light. The list is the same (these are the same swatches) so before it was top to bottom and now it's left to right. Oh and you can see the little tiny glitter eye gel swatch in these as well. I love that product!

Now the three "nude"lipsticks. Top to bottom and below it's left to right: 52 In the Nude, 52 In the Nude, 54 Honey Bee. The swatch above is a bit blurred, sorry, I was getting tired. Anyways, again you can see that the products that are supposed to be the same really aren't the same. I like them both so it's not really a problem but I think this is kinda weird right?? I guess you just really have to check the individual product before buying - looking at the lipstick not just the tester. Although when they were lined up next to each other the colors DID look the same. I really don't have an answer to this. I guess just risk it, plus they're really very cheap so it's not like buying a Mac lipstick and not getting the color you want. This really isn't such a big deal.

I just wanted to show you one last photo and that's of my pink Essence lipsticks and I quite like the packaging as well. I've already said I really like the quirky titles of the products and over all it's just such a nice brand. Very price friendly (I can't not stress this, the price is definitely a factor in buying these. They're really "guilt free") and very fresh and young. If I want to try out some make-up trend I'm not completely sure about I usually check out if Essence are doing it and buy it there first to see if it's worth further investing in. That way I'm not stuck with an expensive product I don't use and there's no regret. I'm not saying I go all crazy and buy everything but just once in a while I buy a few things and it just makes me happy. So thank you Essence.

Oh and this has NOT been a sponsored post or anything. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know if you liked it, what you'd like to change or any thoughts either through the comments here or by email. Next time I'm thinking of either doing the Catrice brand or Rimmel.

Lusting after and saaving shoes

Guys, my life is really super hectic right now. It's like there's always something I'm supposed to be doing and then there's work and school and house work and a social life. It's madness. So it's not too surprising that I haven't been getting any outfit photos taken. I actually had a super cute outfit on on Friday night but damn it, didn't get any photos taken because it just slipped my mind and then by the time I thought about it, I was already at home and then it was too dark and too awkward to take any photos. So today's post is more of a "lusting after"/stuff I think is cute and would maybe buy if I had the money post plus two half-assed shoe saves. It was either this or nothing at all.

I really love these soaps in tin cases by Mad Beauty, sold over at asos.com. I bought the "Purrfect" one and the one where one lady is whispering to another. The good news is that they're currently on sale (for 2 pounds each), the bad news is that only the "Purrfect" one is left. Otherwise I would have totally bought the kissing one as well. The soap smells really nice and the tin is just lovely. I'm thinking of using the tins to store jewelry or something. We'll see...

These tights are amazing really. Who wouldn't want glow-in-the-dark skulls on their tights? I would have totally bought loads of these but of course by the time I came across them only sizes S were left (and I'm too tall for tiny tights) and by now they're all sold out. But I'm still lusting after them nonetheless. These are also from Asos and I wish Asos had a "notify me if they come back to stock" option because look at those adorable skulls! I need them.

I think I may have mentioned this dress before, it's Asos's Pretty Jacqaurd Bardot prom dress and I think it would be perfect for Spring. It has a lovely shape and I really like the fabric as well. I'm thinking of getting it after payday.

Last on my lusting after list is this exclusive to Asos Anna Sui Mini Mouse make-up set. It is super cute, love the carved lipstick and all of the packaging. The only thing I'm not loving is the price tag. 48 pounds? I don't think so.

That's it for my miniature wish list. I mean, in all honesty, I'm definitely lusting after a bunch more but the products above were my favorites and I wouldn't want to bore you with the not so special stuff. Let's move on to the shoe saves, shall we?

 Shoes saved: H&M leopard print lace-up flats

Worn on: Friday, 28.2.2014, to work

Wearing: you can't really see anything from my outfit, which is a shame as it was quite quirky (though I must say that the outfit I wore at night was omg the best, but I didn't even get a shoe shot). H&M thick knee high socks, Bershka black skinny jeans, vintage tan leather belt, Sisley tan sweater, Zara grey jacket

Shoes saved: Zara black tiny bow ballerina flats

Worn on: Monday, 3.3.2014, to uni and then to work

Wearing: Zara pencil skirt, H&M tights, H&M collared shirt, Pull&Bear black cardigan, Topshop quilted fake leather jacket, H&M studded bag

It's dull and grey outside today and I'm off to meet a friend about a pair of shoes and I think I'd just rather stay at home but I promised. I probably won't write a post tomorrow but I'll do one on Thursday, so see you then.

Deadline!

Oh no! I totally spaced on one part of my Master's degree application - I was supposed to hand in my MA thesis along with my grades list, ops - the deadline is tomorrow so I've been working away today. I've decided that my thesis topic will be fashion and literature of the Romantic period and the Victorian era. I think that could be fun. Anyways, I'm kind of bummed out that I have to wake up early and go to uni in the morning and queue to see my academic clerk and then go over to our branch's office to hand in all the documents. What a drag! I had planned on taking photos for the blog today but obviously, I was short on time so that didn't happened. Instead I'll show you a photo of what I had for lunch, because it was very tasty and also very healthy.

The Veggie salad: contains cucumber, cherry tomatoes, a mix of salads, arugula, pine nuts, balsamic and some olive oil. Basically you just wash everything and then chop it up and voila, it's done. I'm thinking of starting a cooking blog but more on that some other time. Oh I have one more recipe I want to share. I found this online and am dying to try it:

The alternative to fries:

Instructions: cut a sweet potato almost all the way through, drizzle with olive oil (or butter), add some sea salt and pepper over the top. Then bake at 220°C (425°F) for about 40 minutes. Looks pretty good right?

A special Files of new

Today has been a special hectic type of day. I woke up before 6 a.m. and had gone to sleep late, trying to solve an installation problem on my new computer. Anyways, I went to see my hairdresser and am super happy with the result. My hair feels good, it looks natural (well, the color is a dead ringer for my own hair color so I guess that shouldn't be a surprise!), I won't have to color my hair so much and I got a blow out and I love blow outs.

I got home, had some lunch (potato mushroom soup, so good) and got down to business. I had to contact my school but unfortunately that didn't come to the conclusion I was hoping for. Then I contacted Microsoft support about the installation issues I had been having. The guy on the phone was HORRIBLE. Not only did he obviously NOT understand computers AT ALL but he also had an attitude problem. I think he was just pissed off that he had to be working but still, that's  no excuse.

He sent me some links that were complete crap and then he said he'd call me back in two hours to give me time to go through the links. It took me about ten minutes and still my problem remained. So I went to the US website and contacted customer support via the chat and was connected to Marc, who was just divine. He connected to my computer and in no time found the problem and solved it.

So I'm very happy right now. Very tired too and should be doing school work but I need a break. By the way, I do want to mention my outfit. Sorry for the blurry photo, I was in a hurry to have lunch haha.How do you like my new hair color?

Anyways, I'm wearing my H&M pink coat, pink pashmina, H&M studded bag, F&F thick tights (it got cold again), River Island boots, pull&bear cardigan, Angel Eye London dress. I felt good in my outfit:) and even better as I was leaving after getting my hair done. Oh And I haven't forgotten about the lipstick challenge it's just that I wasn't wearing any and so I'm skipping this week and will resume the challenge next week. (I never wear make-up to the hairdresser's - just a tiny amount of foundation and some cheek stain and that's it.) Anyways, my new computer says hi! He's white and so cute that I named this post after him...

Blurry Lines

My outfit today was short and sweet. I wanted to go for very vibrant colors and a big fun factor. Unfortunately I only managed this poor blurry photo. And then I was just too tired after work to retake it. Oh well, I'll do better next time...

I'll update this post later with the outfit details when I'll be on the computer but for now I'll leave you with a photo of my most recent shoe purchase: Harajuku Lovers studded bowed sandals in a gorgeous pale yellow. I so cannot wait for Spring/Summer!! Aren't these sandals super cute? 

New and improved

If you follow me on instagram, you would have seen the photo below with the caption saying that I have started a new cleanse diet on Monday. I want to mention it in a bit more detail here. For the past year or two I have become very sloppy with my health - I haven't been exercising at all and I have been eating horrible unhealthy food. Junk food, fast food, overeating. Yuck. Especially during my exams I eat really unhealthily. Now that a new semester has started I decided to stop eating crap. That means no sweets (only allowed sugar in my coffee 1x a day), no junk food (especially chips, I eat way too many chips), no over eating (I have rather drastically reduced my food intake). I only started on Monday but I think I can already see a little bit of results. I also went running yesterday and although I though I was going to die during the run, I did feel pretty proud of myself afterwards.

The photo above was taken on Monday as I was returning home after work. I thought since I knew I wouldn't get any shoe saves done during the work/school week, I'd at least wear a cute outfit that I could show you. (I only have a few wintery pairs of shoes left and all are with heels and I don't do heels when I'm running around hectically during the week. I also have a few wellies left haha so maybe you'll see those. Otherwise I'll be saving the remaining pairs of heels during the weekends and posting them during the week.)

Wearing: Zara Woman DIYed boots (they were knee length and awkward so I shortened them to ankle boot height), Asos green coat, H&M doggie scarf, River Island black and white dress, Zara hat, Parfois backpack, Pull & bear cardigan.

And continuing with the Lipstick Challenge I was wearing my Tony Moly Bunny Gloss Bar in #5 "Juicy Peach". You can't really see that I'm wearing anything though. I should really start taking photos in the morning!

I also wanted to mention: I have a new photo cover! It's from Asos and it's this cute monster with heart eyes and vampy teeth. It might be a tad too big but whatever, for now it'll do. Anyways, I spent a lot of time at work this week and it has been quite a change since during my exams I was working from home. But I have a new project that's only doable from the lab so I've been going there a lot.

Now I'll show you another close-up photo for the Lipstick Challenge. It's from today and sorry that I look so tired. I hadn't slept well and had this really freaky dream with spiders. A spider won't creep me out in real life, but that's if there's one. Or two. But in my dream there were lots and it was really disturbing. Let's forget about the whole thing. Back to the make-up.

I used Tony Moly Bunny Glossy Bar in "Juicy Peach" again and I added a layer of Maybelline Popsticks in 030 "Pink Lollipop". For my eyes I kept things really naked hahha with Urban Decay "Naked 2" eye shadows (I used "Foxy" all over and then just a smidge of "YDK" for some sparkle). I  used the Urban Decay brush to apply the eyeshadows and I really like the brush. I also added some F&F metallics eyeshadow in "Oyster shell". For the rest of my face I used Garnier BB Cream in Light (though maybe it's a bit too dark for me in winter and I'll use it in summer when I'm "tanned") and on my cheekbones I used Dermacol blusher/bronzer color duo #4.

 

Have to run, it's time for lunch. (Mini pizzas might not be the healthiest to eat but I've been really good this whole week and it'll be a reward. Still no sweets for me though, boo hoo.) See you next time, xo.

Zoo Time

Sorry about not posting on Friday, I was beat. I had my exam on Thursday and thanks to all who wished me good luck - I passed! Friday I went to the lab to work and then M and I had a family dinner and at night a friend came over to the flat for some wine. Saturday was SUPER BUSY: lunch at my parents' place and then we went to the Zoo.

I didn't get that many photos done because I wasn't feeling too well but the photo above is my favorite. What a looker. I didn't save any shoes during the zoo trip because I wanted comfortable walkable shoes instead of anything high and mighty. So I wore old favorites - Topshop  studded ankle boots. I really liked my outfit but I think you can tell in the photos that I wasn't feeling my best. Trust me, that smile is strained.

Wearing: Topshop "Adios 2" studded ankle boots, Zara Woman jacket (new! I got it right after my exam), Topshop fake fur hat, Reserved coral dress, Bata leather gloves, Pull & Bear sweater (thank goodness I bought two of these, because they are in constant rotation), Mango bag (one of my favorites)

 I knew I'd be posting these photos this week so I chose a lipstick that would be perfect for the lipstick challenge - 070 Orange Crush popsticks by Maybelline. This lippy is almost clear with just a bit of color and it's perfect for when you don't want to be wearing anything too much and it's also good as a base for other lippies. I chose it because I didn't want to wear any lipstick and this is a perfect choice for that criteria.

I don't have a close-up of my face (I told you, I wasn't feeling too well) so you'll have to settle for a product photo of the lipstick itself. I actually have two of these in my lipstick collection (two of the same color, I have more from this range) and I use it quite a lot (one of the ones I have I lost the cover so I'm really trying to use it up asap and get rid of it) just instead of lip balm.

Last but not least (and sorry for this post being so random but Friday and Saturday a lot of things were happening so this post reflects that), Friday was my name day and to celebrate I went to lunch with my sister to one of my favorite restaurants Radost FX. It's a vegetarian/vegan restaurant and we're so lucky that it's close by to where we work. They have a really big selection of foods and although they definitely aren't the cheapest, I think the food is worth it. The service is good and the waitresses are very pleasant and I'm just really a fan of this place. We both had the Fricasse menu. It's vegan and absolutely divine. Well, that's it for now, see you soon, mwah!