Easter Day!

Now that the Easter weekend is well and truly over, I thought I'd share some pictures I took on Sunday.  My family has always celebrated Easter and when we were younger, we used to get some presents- it always felt like a second Christmas to me and my little brother, but in Spring! My mum always makes sure to make it a special day, so this Easter was no different.
We invited some family members and my mum made the hugest, most delicious brunch ever- complete with champagne and all! There was so much to choose from; bacon, pastries, chocolate, yoghurt, lots of little sandwiches, eggs, cheese, cake, donuts (check out the cool little donut man!) and even more! It's safe to say I ate until my little heart was content, and didn't get hungry until the evening. Everyone ate lots and we talked until the afternoon. My little cousins got some toys, including this beautiful pink My Little Pony, which I wish was mine! My little brother and me also got a few tiny presents and lots of chocolate. I got Divergent, which I was so excited about- I read 125 pages in about two hours. Call me crazy. I also got this delicious, huge Easter egg. We also did a little Easter egg hunt for my cousins, before the brunch and it was so much fun.
When everyone was gone, I decided to take a walk with my dog because the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was beaming and everything seemed so much greener and brighter. I love nature, I really do. When I got home, I decided to go sit in the garden for a bit with a glass of green tea and a huge bowl of fruit to read Divergent.
We also went out for dinner that night (I forgot to photograph that oops, bad blogger!) and I had the best chicken salad I ever had.

I had an amazing Easter. This post might seem a little bit overenthousiastic haha, but I really love those little holidays where you get to spend time with your family. It really makes me appreciate life that bit more. What have you been up to this Easter?

I'm Back!

Follow me on Instagram: @charlhxo

Super original title, but yes, I'm back! I haven't blogged since last summer and have to admit I really didn't feel like blogging anymore. I grew really tired of the whole blogging community and just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I started a new course at uni, which has been taking up a lot if my time. I've been really loving the course though, and I'm so happy I decided to do this! I've also been working, so you can imagine how busy I've been. Nevertheless, my love of makeup didn't fade away and I've been experimenting a lot.
I have a feeling this post is going to be all over the place, since there are so many thoughts in my head that I'm trying to write down. Over the past couple of months I kinda stopped reading (beauty) blogs en watching beauty related YouTube videos. I don't know why, but I think it was just a phase. I really think that you sometimes need to take a break from something you've been obsessing over for such a long time, and I definitely think it has helped me a lot. I feel more refreshed, and because I stopped blogging for such a long time, I now really can't wait to start again! I missed having a creative outlet.
As you can see in the little Instagram collage above, I got myself a Nintendo 3DS and I've been obsessing over it so much. I got the limited edition Animal Crossing one and also got Pokémon Y for Christmas, and I've basically played those games non-stop during my Christmas break. I think that's also why I kinda grew tired of beauty; I discovered the online gaming community and kinda converted to watching Let's Play's on YouTube. This probably sounds really lame haha, but I've always been a 'gamer' (I hate calling myself that, I don't know why!) and I enjoy it very much.
I've also been studying and doing uni projects non-stop. I've passed all of my exams so far (even Statistics!!) and I'm sooooo happy because of that. I guess you can say that I was really insecure about myself because I quit my uni course last year and I thought I just wasn't cut out for uni. Goes to show that when you really enjoy something and you work really really hard you can achieve anything you want! (It's pretty ironic that I'm procrastinating uni work while writing this... haha). Since the school year is coming to an end and summer is coming up, I don't have that much work to do for uni anymore and I have a lot of days off, so I now have more time to start blogging again!
I've also been trying to eat healthier and I've been really loving oatmeal with almond milk, bananas and cinnamon for breakfast. I also started to choose healthier snacks and I'm trying to stop having late-night binges- well, they're not really binges, but I always crave chocolate at night and can't restrain myself, which is not really healthy! I've also started to work out again and I'm feeling so much better for it.
So I guess that's all for now. I'm sorry this post was all over the place and not very interesting, but I'm really excited to start blogging again! I really need a creative outlet since my uni course is quite 'science-y' and not very creative. This blog isn't going to be all about beauty though, I also want to make it a little bit more personal. I think the biggest reason I stopped blogging was because I found it quite weird, and quite frankly a little bit embarrassing that people I know in real life read my blog. I don't know why but I still think most people think it's a pretty weird thing to do! One thing I'm working on is improving my self-confidence and not comparing myself to others, so I just thought I'd start this little blog up again. I like it, so why do I have to care about what other people think? I even un-privated (not quite sure if that's how you say it, but bear in mind that English isn't my first language!) my oldest blog posts because I really liked them and don't know why I put them on private.
Thank you so much for reading this post! I love and appreciate every single one of my readers. Hope you're all having a great day- I'm going to continue to do some uni stuff and then go out for a walk, since the weather is absolutely glorious today. What are you going to do today?

On Quitting University

Overdramatic title much! I’ve never really been that kind of person who has their entire future lined up in front of them. Being a child, I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was something different everyday: teacher, nurse, author, psychologist. To be honest, nothing has changed. I still don’t know what I want to do with mu future. When we had to decide what to study at university last year, I first wanted to do a teaching course. Then it changed to social work, then to midwife (yes, really). In the end I decided to go for psychology as I was (and stil lam) really interested in the subject. I was so excited for the course to start, but last December/January I decided to quit. It just didn’t feel right and I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I thought I would, and I just couldn’t picture myself doing something Psychology-related as my job. So I quit, went back home to live with my parents again and got a job.

This was a really hard time for me. I felt like such a disappointment to both myself and my parents and I hated that I didn’t know what to do with my future, contrary tos ome of my friends. I felt (and still feel a little bit) like a loser. Even though I worked, I was in a constant battle with myself and I got really, really down about not doing something productive with my life. I’m somebody who really has to evolve and move forward and I could never see myself doing a dead-end job for the rest of my life. I need goals to work for, and even though you might not be able to tell, I’m quite an ambitious person and am willing to work really hard for something I really want. But that was the problem; I still don’t really know what I want.

This was also a time when I felt very, very lonely. I felt like all my friends were moving forward and I was just in the same place, not really doing anything. In that time, I really wanted to do a journalism course, but I think that was just because I love writing and didn’t really knew anything else to do. As you may know, I’m a big feelings person, and something about that choice just didn’t feel right. I thought it were just nerves, but when I went to my old uni and read about a course I didn’t really know anything about, I immediately knew I wanted to do that course and not Journalism. I’m know registered fort hat course and just got an email that my introduction day is August 26, and I’m so so nervous for that. I’m not that good with people and making friends so it’s definitely a challenge for me.

I still don’t know if this course is what I want to do with my life and I’m absolutely scared to death that the same thing will happen and it just isn’t for me. But then again, I need to let go. I’m now starting to realise that this might not have been such a bad school year at all. Okay, I might have quit university and I lost quite a few really important people in my life, including my lovely aunt, who died of cancer on the 3rd of October last year. I’m still feeling really bad about that and I do have my weak moments sometimes, but I’ve learnt how to deal with it and am slowly starting to feel a little bit more positive. After all, I got my license this year (which wouldn’t have happened if I had continued with university) and as per next week, I’ll (hopefully) be a qualified beautician. I’ve earned money this year, more than I have ever earned, and have been able to treat myself a lot whilst still saving quite a lot of money. And I’m thankful. Thankful that the tuition fees aren’t that high in Belgium or Holland (where I studied and plan on studying in September) and me or my family doesn’t have any debts.

This was such a rambly post and it feels really chaotic, but my mind can be quite disorganised sometimes.  I was hesitating whether I would post this or not since I know quite a few people who read this blog, but after all this is my own little space on the internet. Writing just makes me feel so much better about things and also helps to put things in perspective. A lot.

In retrospect, this year hasn’t been that bad at all. I might have felt like a total disappointment, but my confidence grew and I learned to be thankful for so much things in my life. I’ve grown as a person.

Since I don’t have any pictures to accompany this post and I don’t like having posts that don’t have a picture, I just put in some Instagram snaps of this week. Nothing much ahs happened, except that I went out for dinner three (!) times. Once with my grandma and twice with my parents and little brother. I went shopping (which had been long overdue!), worked and passed the first part of my beauty therapy course (including the much-dreaded theory part!), and I’m so proud of myself for doing so! I also picked up Marc Jacobs’ new Honey perfume last week and I’ve been wearing it ever since. I do know own almost every Marc Jacobs perfume and I’m not even sorry.

Sorry for such a rambly and long post! What have you been up to this week?

Currently Reading, A Lack of Motivation and Love, Love, Love

Books are my one love. As I’ve said numerous times before, reading is my biggest hobby and my dream is to own a huge library in my house when I grow up (this makes me sound like a child). I don’t really have much time to read anymore however, but when I do, I cherish those moments and try to make the most out of the few hours I have to read. This frequently results in me finishing a book in less than 24 hours.

The book I’m currently reading is one that I’ve seen on many beauty bloggers desks. I had never really heard that much about it, but since I discovered Grace through watching ‘the September Issue’ I fell a little bit in love with her personality, so I figured I would really love this book. I’m not even halfway through, but so far I’m really loving it; reading about her childhood, haute couture in the 60’s-70’s and I absolutely love reading about the Vogue offices and what happens behind the scenes. There’s also a chapter about Anna Wintour, which I can’t wait to read, and the book also contains lots of photos of Grace when she was younger. All the illustrations in the book are drawn by Grace, and I really love them since they’re so quirky and funny. In the end, there’s also a few pages with pictures of editorials she shot which is absolutely amazing to look at. I do enjoy reading it, but I do however find that it can sometimes get a little bit dull and- dare I say it- boring. This isn’t really a book that you should complete in a day; reading tiny chunks is enough and definitely helps to keep it interesting.

On to general ‘life’ stuff: I have my beauty therapy exam on Wednesday, and I’m stressing out. There’s just so much to study and a lot of things we need to know are quite irrelevant to it all, like how the respiratory system and digestive tract work. But it’s nice to possess that knowledge and I guess that it can come in handy later on. I’m more nervous about the practical part of the exam, though. We need to do one half of it this Wednesday and then the other half on the next Wednesday, and I really hate it when people are paying close attention when I’m doing something like painting someone else’s nails (which I’m not good at to begin with) so I’m really, really nervous about that. I’m better with ‘theoretical stuff’, if you know what I mean. I started this course purely out of interest and just because I love everything beauty and especially skincare related, but I just don’t know if I want it tob e my job- yet. I’m starting university in September and then we’ll see what comes next, I guess. I do, however, lack the motivation to study and especially to practice doing my facials and manicures, so I need to find my spark back and go hard the next couple of days. I’ve only got tomorrow and Tuesday left, eek!

On another note; I’ve been loving loads of blogs and YouTube channels/videos lately, and I thought I’d share the love. The first blog I’ve fallen head over heels in love with and which is actually quite a new discovery to me, is The Dauphine. The photography is beautiful, just as Chelsey herself. She just has such a chic parisian look to her and always looks effortlessly gorgeous. Next up are From Roses and Vintage Machine, which are two blogs which I’ve been loving for a few months now. Not only is their photograpy absolutely beautiful, but their choices in beauty products are absolutely perfect!

I’ve also been obsessing over the Saccone-Jolys and I’ve been watching their holiday videos religiously for the past week or so. I love, love, love, love having a sneak peek into their life, and now they’re on holiday I’m vicarously living through their videos! I can’t wait untill I’m off to Mallorca next month, but until then, this has to do. Also, that’s some true dedication and passion there if they’re even blogging on their holiday!

I’ve also been loving Anna’s guide to holiday packing- I’ve printed out the PDF files she made and definitely scribbled down some notes for future reference!

I’m not really feeling my blog at the moment- I feel like I say this all the time, but I’m just really a perfectionist and way too hard for myself. I’m planning on taking better photo’s and improve my photo editing skills, and I also really want to improve the quality of my writing. I know my English spelling and especially grammar isn’t the best and I’m learning everyday, but it just is quite hard for me to write and describe things in English whilst everyone around you is talking Dutch and you’re simultaneously talking to a friend- or maybe I just need to stop multitasking and start focusing more on what I’m doing. To make things short, I just want my blog to keep evolving. I love blogging so much and it’s definitely become something I look forward to, and even though I don’t really blog that much, the moment I sit down and start writing is always such a moment of relief and creative freedom. Even though I’m not really creative, but whatever.

I want this blog to be more personal and I want it to be my creative outlet, a place where I can truly be myself and develop my personality, style, writing skills, photography etcetera.

I’m really sorry for this monster of a blog post. For those of you who have stuck until the end, I love you, I really do. I really hope you like these more kind of lifestylish posts, and if you want to, please leave a comment saying what you would like to see more of on this blog. I hope everyone who reads this has a lovely week!

An Update #4

001. I’m currently sitting in the sofa with a facemask on, finishing my cup of tea and smelling my freshly washed hair- Toni & Guy is where it’s at, review coming soon! This week has been really really busy, and I’ve finally 
made an attempt to sort my life out, starting with the cabonets in my bedroom. I threw away so many of my clothes and sorted out one of my closets which hadn’t been touched in years- really! Opening my closet and realising there are only clothes in there that I really like and actually wear is such a good feeling, even though it kind of hurts throwing out old clothes that have so many memories to them. But oh well, it really had to be done and my mind feels so much clearer because of it. I also bought some new, fresh bedding from Ikea and sorted out my books/school stuff cabinet, which now looks so much more organised and pleasurable to open. I do love me a bit of organising.

002. I had a bit of a revelation this week in terms of school and my future. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you may or may not know that I was studying Psychology but decided to drop out in January. Since then, I always thought that Journalism was where it’s at, but the past couple of months it just didn’t feel right. Whenever I thought of going to study Journalism coming September, I got this strange feeling that I can’t really explain, but I thought that were just nerves and it was normal to feel that way. On Friday, however, one of my best friends took me and another friend of her to my old uni for some presentations, and I suddenly missed it so much. My old uni was in Holland, and the schools there are just so much nicer than in Belgium. The people are friendlier and more spontaneous, and it’s a really international school with lots of different people, making it really interesting. The lecturers are so nice and the atmosphere there is just SO much nicer than in Belgian unis. When I got home, I was browsing their website for an overview of all the courses they had there, and I suddenly saw a course called ‘Health Sciences’ which seemed right up my street and I immediately knew this was what I wanted. I’m not quite sure if this is what I’m going to do coming September, but it sure feels more right than Journalism, which just doesn’t seem right for me one way or another. And if I really want to become a journalist, I can always follow an adult education course in it! I’m so happy I finally came across something that will probably suit me, and I’m also really grateful for having kind of a gap year. I have reflected so much about my past and especially my future, and it has helped me so much. I really hope I’m going to be making the right decision. I have always told my mom that my biggest goal in life was having a job I actually thoroughly enjoy and be passionate about, and I really hope I will achieve this goal in the next couple of weeks!

003. I don’t really have anything else to tell you right now. I haven’t been blogging that much in the past week because I just didn’t feel like it and I’ve been so busy, so I really hope normal blogging can resume this week! (Even though I’m not that much of a regular blogger, but sssht). I've been reading a lot these past two weeks, and I've finished The Fault In Our Stars in under 24 hours because it was just so amazing! I'm currently reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower (finally!) and have composed a reading list full of books I've yet to read. Any recommendations, throw them my way! 

004. Oh yeah, as you probably may know already, Google reader is disappearing tomorrow, so feel free to follow my blog on Bloglovin’!

An Update #3

001. I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE TODAY!!!!!! I'm so so so so SOOOO happy, you can't even imagine haha. I was (excuse my French) shitting myself yesterday, convincing myself I was going to fail. I had to get up at 6am this morning because my exam was at 7:30, and I was so nervous I was shaking all over. My instructor calmed me though and assured me that everything was going to be okay. When the lady told me I passed, it felt like such a relief and I'm so proud of myself for doing this! This might not seem like a huge deal to some people, but it means so much to me. I've reached one of the goals I set myself this year and I'm so proud of that, and I feel like if I can do this, I can do anything! So so happy.

002. Thought I would share some photos of this weekend, even though only two photos aren't exactly much, it's something haha. Went to McDonalds on Saturday which was really naughty but I only go there once in a blue moon so it's okay, really. On Sunday, we celebrated Mothersday by going out for lunch with my stepdads parents and we had dinner with my grandma, so it was quite a busy day with a LOT of food. I really liked my outfit that day so I Instagrammed it (naturally). My Instagram is @caleidoscopexo if you're wondering! You can also spot my new hair in this picture!

003. This week I haven't felt that motivated to do anything for my beauty course, but I think that's just because we didn't have classes for over two weeks. I always feel so much more motivated when I actually need to go there! We need to study quite a lot though, so I really need to sort myself out and start revising and practicing. Now that my driving lessons are history, I feel like I can focus so much more on my course. I feel relieved!

004. I don't really have much else to say because I'm boring as that. As you might have noticed, I'm feeling better. I didn't have such good news regarding my mum, but I don't really want to share too much of that on here. It's basically something that has been bringing my whole family down and really, really sucks, but we'll all get over it and I'm convinced something good will happen. Mum, if you read this, now we're all here for you and don't let it bring you down. I'll all be alright in the end and you'll be as healthy as ever.

An Update #2

001.Seeing as my last update has been over a month ago, I thought I would write another one just because I felt like sharing some personal things with all of my lovely readers (I appreciate every single one of you!). As you might have noticed I haven’t been blogging much at all-in April, and my last blog post has been over a week ago, which is a little bit shocking. I haven’t been into blogging at all, because a lot has been going on this past month. I’ve been really busy, had a lot to deal with RE: my personal life and I just didn’t have much inspiration to blog. I also didn’t want to blog just for the sake of it, because I want my heart to be in it, and I want to share my passion for writing and beauty with all of you. I don’t know if I’m the only one who feels like this?! I hope the month of May will bring me more inspiration and give me my passion back.

002. A little bit on my personal life; me and my boyfriend of almost 2.5 years broke up in the beginning of April. I don’t want to share too much about the situation, but as much as it hurts, I am now starting to think that we’re both better of this way. I’m not really feeling my blog at the moment though; it’s like my tastes in beauty and style are constantly changing and I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’m constantly trying to be another person because I’m not comfortable with myself, the way I look, the way my personality is and the way I’m living my life at the moment and the chaos I’m in. I really need to start sorting my life out and I think since we’re getting into the beginning of May, it’s the perfect time for a new start, starting off with a nice spring clean. My social life has also been non-existent, so I’m also planning on changing that. Beware- a new Charlotte is coming your way!

003. Time for some positivity; I’ve also been really busy with driving lessons. My driving exam is on the 14th of May, and I’m already so nervous for it I feel sick. I’m going tos crew it up just because I’m nervous like that. My beautician course is also going really well and I feel like if I can get my beautician license this summer I have a legit reason tob e really proud of myself since it will be my first ‘real’ achievement (after getting my driving license, of course). I’m still doubting about what I’m going to study at uni this coming September. I used to be so certain about going to study Journalism sicne it was what I’ve always wanted, but my beautician course has made me feel unsure about what I want to do with my life, which is one of the many reasons I’ve been feeling really down lately. I love writing, but there are so many things I want to do in life. Ah well.

004. I’m currently readin A Casual Vacancy as I’m still struggling with reading Lolita, which requires a lot of concentration. I really like A Casual Vacancy though, it’s a really easy read. The only downside to it is that there are A LOT of characters and I sometimes struggle with remembering who is who, but it’s a really easy read and I’m happy I picked it up. It’s nice to read something else from J.K. Rowling, even though it’s a little bit weird to read something else than Harry Potter. I love the way she describes things though and she has a really authentic feel to all of her books.

005. I also had a haircut last week, which I'm still not sure about- they were supposed to dye it back to my natural colour since I'm planning on growing my hair out, but they dyed it way too dark. They then had to put some sort of lightening product on it, which worked but I now have some blonde bits  shining through. They also cut in a straight fringe, but they cut it way too short and not that straight. I also find that my hair gets greasy so much quicker than normal, which makes me feel gross and just urghh. This has also been contributing to my current bad mood.

I’m sorry for this enormous post about me (it feels a little bit narcistic, writing that much about yourself), but I’m really glad I wrote my feelings down; it feels kind of relieving. I feel like I’ve got much more control over my thoughts now, and it feels really really good to finally be able to see through the chaos that is my life. As I said, May is for new beginnings and a fresh start. I’m starting my spring clean tomorrow, starting with clothes, and I’ve already got qutie a few new blog posts lining up. Here’s to hoping I’ll finally find my own style in May, and I really hope I will finally find out what I want in life this month.

An Update #1

A little bit of a different post today. Lately, I’ve been reading lots and lots of lifestyle posts, and being a little bit inspired by all of the lovely girls I’ve been online stalking, I thought I should write a more personal blog post, just to share a little bit of my life on this small piece of the interwebz that I’m allowed to call mine.

001. Last Monday, we celebrated my stepdad’s birthday. My mom cooked us a wonderful roast dinner which we ate on the lovely round table in our living room- a place we only use on special occasions. The food was absolutely lovely- pork with rosemary and a mystery sauce (my mom doesn’t want to tell me what’s in it), cauliflower, salad and pommes duchesses, with pudding for dessert. Yesterday, we celebrated again in a restaurant. We ate steak with mushroom sauce and frites, accompanied by a glass of rose wine and again, pudding with strawberries on top for dessert. Safe to say that my inner foodie feels satisfied after a week filled with lovely eats. I get hungry even thinking about all of the delicious food I ate this week.

002. I’m starting a beautician crash course this Wednesday, and it’s safe to say that my social anxiety doesn’t approve. After quitting university this January (I was studying Psychology which, after long consideration, prove to be nothing for me), I am now 99.99% sure that Journalism is where’s my heart at, so I’m starting a Journalism course in September. For now, I need to find something to fill my time with (except for work) and since I’ve been obsessed with beauty for quite a few years, I thought this would be a good choice. I’m really nervous though; I’m not so good at meeting new people and the thought of having to go there and find my way around the building on my own terrifies me beyond belief. I guess I just have to suck it up and pretend to be confident etc., but I still get nauseous even thinking about it. Please tell me I’m not the only one?! (Feels good to be able to write about it on my blog though!).

003. After putting it off for a few weeks, I’ve finally managed to start reading Lolita again. I’m now 100 pages in, and I absolutely adore the way it’s written. It’s quite hard to read and you have to be concentrated all of the time to understand Nabokov’s puns, but that’s what I love about it and I think that Lolita is on it’s way to become my no. 1 book. As I said in this post, I absolutely adore reading and writing, but I always put it off for some reason (not enough time, too tired etc.) but if I do manage to read something, I always enjoy it so much. I’m promising myself to read at least 10 pages a day now.

004. Lastly, I would like to mention a few ladies whose blogs I’ve absolutely been adoring lately. First, there’s the lovely Emily. Her lifestyle blog is my absolute favourite. She has a very humoristic and no-nonsense outlook on blogging, which is why I love her so much. Her beautiful photos and way of writing always draw me in (along with the little sneak peek she gives into her life!). Another blog I’ve been absolutely loving lately is Charlotte’s. I adore her way of writing and you should just check her out, because her blog is absolutely amazing.

I hope you liked this enormous post. It’s a little bit different from what I normally talk about on this blog (which is mainly beauty-focused), but it’s also really nice to talk about what’s currently going on in my life. It’s always nice to write about what’s on your mind; it relieves me to a certain point and always puts things into perspective. I'm off for a nice reading session with a lovely cuppa and some Oreos now! Let me now if you liked this post. Would you like to see more lifestyle posts on here?