It is only four sleeps until Christmas now and I'm more than excited about it! I was wondering what to write about next for my blog, and a good Q&A is always fun to read and to learn more about the person behind all these words. So here it is, a Christmas questions and my answers to them.

1. What is your favourite holiday movie?

I haven't seen that many movies that are Christmas related but the movie I literally see every year is Home Alone. I even watched it in Spain during the summer holidays and I immediately was in a super festive spirit! I also really like The Holiday with Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black.

2. What is you favourite Christmas colour?

My favourite Christmas colour has got to be red. Everywhere you look in the shopping streets, you see red combined with white or silver of gold. If I had to choose a colour clothing wise I would say glittery black. You can never go wrong with a sparkly Little Black Dress.

3. Do you like to stay in your PJ's or dress up for Christmas?

Most of the time I am already in my PJ's, and if I don't have to go outside that day, I just stay in them (no shame!). But when it is the day of Christmas Eve, I wake up in time so I have enough time to get everything ready for the evening. After all, I have to paint my nails, pluck my eyebrows so they can be on fleek, shave everything, scrub everything, wash my hair, do my make up, ... You should understand it by now. :)

4. If you only could buy one person a present this year, who would it be and why?

This is a rather though question. In our family, we always buy a present for everyone. Which means my mom, dad and two sisters. I also buy a present for my boyfriend of course. But if I have to choose, it would be either my mom or my boyfriend. My mom does a lot for me and my sisters and works very hard so if there is one person who deserves it, it is her. But my boyfriend also does so much for me and he is one of the most important people in my life (if not the most important of them all). So yeah, one of them two.

5. Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

We have always opened our presents on Christmas Eve. We usually have dinner (that consists of a lot of food + dessert!) and in between dinner we open our presents.

6. Have you ever built a ginger bread house?

I have never built a ginger bread house! It isn't a tradition or something like that in Belgium and I have never seen it in shops but I would love to make one one day. They always seem to nice to eat them afterwards.

7. What do you like to do on your Christmas break?

My Christmas break right now is the time for me to study for our finals in January. I also have to work almost every day during the break next to the studying part, so there isn't much time left over to see some friends or to go out. I wish I could go skiing or on the other hand go on a holiday to a nice and warm country. 

8. What is your favourite Christmas song?

This is a hard question as well because I have been listening to so much Christmas songs for the last few weeks. One I always sing out loud when I hear it, is 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' from Mariah Carey. I know, it's cliche but oh well.

9. What is at the top of your Christmas wish list?

I'm in desperate need of new and good make up brushes. The ones I have at the moment are cheap and not soft at all because they are getting old. So some Real Techniques brushes are on top of my wish list, along with the Naked Palette 3 from Urban Decay. (no, my make up collection isn't big enough yet)

10. What is the most important thing about Christmas for you?

The last question and the most deep one haha. For me, Christmas is all about the festivities and the joy of bringing your family together. I love seeing my family laugh and smile and be happy, because most of the time I'm in a continuous fight with one of my sisters and on Christmas, it's all happy feelings for a day. My parents always say that we shouldn't buy them presents and to save our money but when they then open their presents and are happy with them, it just makes me happy as well. I am a happy person all year long and I always like to laugh, but this day and moment always fills my heart with a lot of joy. 

I hope you liked this post and learned a bit more about me. If you want, you could answer these questions yourselves and leave them in the comments below so I can read them as well :)

- xoxo -

Chiara

The Christmas tree would be up and decorated by the end of November if it was up to me. But since we have Saint Nicholas or 'Sinterklaas' on the sixth of December (who brings you presents as well) it would be too early. My sisters already decorated our Christmas tree at home when I was in Dusseldorf with my boyfriend, but as soon as we were back home, I desperately wanted to go and get one for his house too. His mom asked if I could help decorating as she always says: 'You are the interior decorator and you should be good at it', which I kind of take as a compliment. :)

Usually they buy a rather small tree, as they do not have space for a big one. Their tree stood on the dresser last year. This year we decided to go for a slightly bigger one and put it on the little table where we normally eat our breakfast. She also really wanted to go with a red theme, which I thought was a good idea since Christmas traditionally is red with white (reminds me of candy canes!). As she didn't had any red baubles, we went to the garden centre to pick some up. I loved this place so much because I am into all things interior related and this place was packed with every kind of decoration you could wish for. We also picked up little, cute penguins and some other decorations such as pinecones. 

I already mentioned that I am in a Christmas spirit in my earlier post. I only have to do some more shopping for all the presents for my family and my boyfriend's family, and then I'm totally ready for Christmas. Prepare for some more Christmas related posts in the next few weeks! 

- xoxo -

Chiara

When my boyfriend and I decided to go to Düsseldorf for our anniversary, (I wrote a post about the whole trip if you are interested) I knew it could be cold so I chose to wear a warm and cosy sweater as this is the type of clothing I reach out for the most. I paired this up with some black jeans and my comfy Nikes because we were going to be walking a lot. I also wore my blue parka coat and my boyfriend's black beanie to top the outfit off. 

I know the outfit is almost totally black, but I think black suits everyone and I feel really confident in it! I hope you like my outfit!

- xoxo - 

Chiara

- Sorry for the quality of some pictures, the front camera on my phone isn't the best. :)

As my boyfriend and I have been together for five years now, we decided to go on a little trip as we always do when we celebrate our anniversary. This year the plan was to make it that little more special as the number five is evenly special. 

When it starts to get dark outside around five or four o'clock, the feeling of Christmas creeping up is so exciting and heart warming. Every year, I get more excited for Christmas and the holidays and as soon as it is December, everything has to be decorated and everyone has to wear his Christmas jumper. 

Dusseldorf is known for its Christmas markets during these days or as they call it 'Weihnachts markten'. This was the first destination that came up in my head and it ended to be our destination.

When we first arrived in Dusseldorf, I noticed all the Christmas lights and cute little stands with the gingerbread hearts. I knew I was going to love this little town. We dropped of our bags at the hotel we stayed in and went straight on to the shopping streets. 

The first day we stayed here, we shopped and walked a lot, with a visit to the several Christmas markets in the evening. The second and last day we went to see the houses of Frank Gehry and also went to the top of the Rheinturm which has a full panorama view of Dusseldorf and further. To finish off our long day of walking, we bought some Dunkin' Donuts to treat our selves on the way back home.

This little trip was so nice and relaxing to just be with my boyfriend and to enjoy the city. Everywhere you looked, you saw some kind of a booth or Christmas decoration. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I am now in a total Christmas spirit and cannot wait for the actual holiday.

I hope this puts you in the same festive spirit as I am. 

- xoxo -

Chiara

Since Halloween is over, Christmas is starting to come closer every day. Christmas is my favourite holiday of the year. Not only for the presents you can give to your family but also the decorations, all the lights, the smell of gingerbread, ... This whole festive spirit also reminds me of the warmth indoors whilst it's snowing outside. There is nothing better than hot chocolates, some candles, soft and cosy blankets, all curled up next to your boyfriend (or dog!). 

I've been in a Christmas spirit for a few weeks now, and I will certainly not complain about it. My beddings have turned all soft and cosy. The beddings and cushions I bought at Primark and I also picked up a few candles as well. 

To make my room feel more nice and cosy, I've put up some fairy lights. These lights are the normal standard ones you would put in your Christmas tree, but I wanted something more cosy and not that bright. Cupcake cases are perfect for that vibe you would want to create. The shadows created by the cupcake cases are so beautiful and subtle. They totally complete the cosy feel to the room. 

Of course a Christmas outfit has got to be on your list. When I went to Primark (the same day I bought the beddings) I knew the Christmas jumpers were back in stores, so the excitement was high. The grey jumper, gingerbread man pyjama bottoms and fluffy socks are all from Primark and are all so cosy and warm. Everything I want during these days. I know I will be wearing these pyjama bottoms for weeks after Christmas! The last thing I do is paint my nails red. I've bought a gel nail kit a few months ago and the red gel polish came with the set. Not only is this the perfect colour but the gel also lasts for two weeks without any damage to the polish.

I hope you are in the same festive mood as I am by reading my blog post. Let me know what you do to get these Christmas feelings!

- xoxo - 

Chiara

As the title says, yes, I have got a new handbag! Let me tell you all about it!

Last weekend, I got a text message of a good friend of mine with the question if I had anything to do on Monday. This year, my classes at school aren't that frequent so Monday is one of the days I'm free to do whatever I want. She said she had a ticket leftover for a sale of designer handbags, shoes and clothing. I have never been to such an event so I said yes as I really wanted to have a look, and maybe, also buy some things.

When we arrived at the place of the event, I couldn't believe my eyes. So much colourful and beautiful items to choose from, all for a price you would never be able to find in stores. My friend also told me that everything wasn't available in stores until next summer, so we were going to be the ones with exclusive handbags! We picked up several handbags so that all the other women couldn't steal our favourites. In the end we chose the things we liked the most, but I only had one favourite bag and it is this one, my 'La Carrie Bag'. 

I'm so happy that my eyes fell upon this beauty. I have never had a designer bag like this one, but I know I will take good care of it for as long as I can. 

This 'La Carrie Bag' is like I said, only available from next summer on. It is black and white with black studs all over it (which are quite sharp I must say). This bag also comes with a chain to wear over the shoulder. It closes of with a zipper and inside there are three more pockets for your phone etc. I was also surprised by the weight of this bag! It can only mean it must be of good quality. 

At the sale I also got a new pair of Liu-Jo sneakers and a Guess wallet. I might write a separate post about these two last items. I hope you liked it!

- xoxo -

Chiara