28 before 29 - goals for a woman in her late 20s

I have celebrated my 28th birthday last weekend and managed to organize two different parties, first for some of my closest friends on Saturday and then one for my family on Sunday. The weekend was so stuffed with events, I haven't had time to properly share my 28 before 29 list with you. I have reviewed my list from last year already and it took me quite some time to come up with even one more point for this year. 

FBFF - Clothes I can't live without

I think every person knows this situation - we (mostly women) got tons of clothes in our closets, but still have just a couple of favorite pieces that we rely on for our staple wardrobe. Katy over at ModlyChic has made this the topic of this weeks' Fashion Beauty Friend Friday and asked her fellow bloggers to share the pieces in our closets we just can't live without. Mine are

1. Cardigans

I always carry a cardigan or wrap with me wherever I go. First of all to work with different temperatures indoors and outside, but also because I generally like to dress in layers. They just give the outfit a different look in a really easy way. You just look put together and ready to go.

White Summer

Last week was Pentecost and in the "fashion calendar" this means we are now allowed to wear white again - who ever started this tradition. I probably never kept it, but in honor of the official start of the white season, Katy of Modlychic asked us to share our opinion on wearing white for this weeks' Fashion Beauty Friend Friday.

Beauty Saturday - Daily Beauty Routine

For this weeks' Fashion Beauty Friend Friday we are talking Beauty - Katy over at Modlychic has asked her fellow bloggers about our beauty routine. What we use daily and what we can’t live without. 

For my Beauty Saturdays, I have already talked about my hair and facial routine and my favorite make up (blushes, lipsticks, nail polish). But today, I want to share all the products that I really use on a daily basis. 

FBFF - planning makes your style perfect

For this weeks Fashion Beauty Friend Friday Katy of ModlyChic has asked her fellow bloggers to share a bit about their outfit planning habits. For some fashion opponents it might be overrated, but for me it's a very important topic.

1. How do you go about picking your outfit for the day? (Do you lay stuff out the night before? Do you plan a whole week's worth of looks Sunday night? Do you wing it every morning?) 

I definitely plan my outfits just like I plan most of my life - in a semi-structured way :) I do have some ideas in my head of what I  need to do during the day and I do try to work my outfit around those things. 

Can women recycle their clothes?

Since I started reading blogs on a regular basis about two years ago, a very bad habbit has been omnipresent to me that I have only known from hollywood superstars before: wearing your clothes only once and then never again. Katy of ModlyChic seems to have recognized this same situation happening on several "A-List Blogs" now as well and made this the topic of this weeks' Fashion Beauty Friend Friday theme. I find it a very interesting and important topic and really wanted to contribute to the discussion.

FBFF - my Blog Tech

Katy of ModlyChic is hosting another Fashion Beauty Friend Friday(FBFF) and this week it is all about the blog technology. She says that so much of what we bloggers do is all about the tools that we use. Technology certainly makes what we do easier, even if it is sometimes a major pain. 

1. What are the tools you use to blog? 

Those have to be devided into several categories

Blogging in general

I am a Blogger girl. Have been using this provider from the beginning, as I am no geek when it comes to webpages and it helped me create a blog easily and without having to know HTML programming. I have been quite happy using Blogger for the last year+ and I think, I will stay here for a while longer. Wordpress is appealing, but I have difficulties with adapting my old habits and as long as the provider serves my needs, I will stick with it. I am a loyal sheep :)

Wish Wish

Christmas is fast aproaching and with my new job, I got about zero time to think about buying presents for my loved ones. I hope that I will get some shopping done next week as I hate to get gifts last minute. When Christmas is around the corner it also means my Birthday is waiting in line right after and my mom has been asking time and time again what I wish for this year for both events. We have a little tradition in our family that both my sister an I write a list for our mother with wishes in different prize categories on them. She then buys a couple of the things and distributes the things to family members and friends that would like to give us something. This way we never really get a crappy present, but receive the things we really want and need. Of course as a mom, she always knows some little things that are not on the list, but make us jump for joy when we find them under the tree! 

Do you have any Christmas traditions like our gift list?

This weeks' Fashion Beauty Friend Friday edition comes right on time to finally make up my mind about my wishes.

FBFF: Favorite Books

It's been a while since I last participated in the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. This week is all about books. Honoring the novel writing month November, Katy of ModlyChic asked her fellow bloggers to talk about our Top 5 favorite books. For me as a book lover this is a tough one.

I have read hundreds of books for university and still managed to continue with my personal reading throughout my study time. My big dream is to own my own little library one day. Books are more timeless and I rather spend my money on good books that I enjoy reading over and over and will look great in my bookshelf than buying tons of DVDs for example.

If you have to cry, go outside by Kelly Cutrone

Advice that changed me

This Friday, Katy of ModlyChic asked us to share some words of wisdom that had been given to us throughout our lives and had or still have an inpact on us. This Fashion Beauty Friend Friday edition is especially exciting and interesting to me as without those advices that I will share in a moment, I probably wouldn't be the person that I am today.

"Being a tall girl is cool and nobody can tell you otherwise!" - My mom

My mom has been telling me and my sister this almost every day since I can remember. Especially when we came running home from school crying because some other kid would make fun of our height, she would tell us that those children are just jealous. She helped us build up some backbone and self-confidence to survive the evil times of high school and growing up. We both have become strong, independent, proud young women and enjoy our lives on long legs! My mom still gives other people the angry look when they stare at us, but we are so used to it that we rarely ever notice anyways :)

Back to Black

Friday is FBFF (Fashion Beauty Friend Friday) time and this weeks' theme "Dressing To The Tune" is hosted by the lovely J. of adimpleate. We are supposed to dress ourselves according to a song that swirls around in our head.

{my outfit inspiration came from Sunday Crossbow}

My outfit is dedicated to Amy Winehouse and her amazing song "Back to Black". The song is great and when listening to it recently, I felt it so depicted the happenings that Amy herself just went through. Her death is such a loss for the world and we will miss an amazing artist. In memory of her and her work and because it's the beginning of Fall, I am going back to black. For that purpose, I wore my "new to me" vintage cape and an otherwise quite simple outfit: black long-sleeved shirt and burgundy skirt with black/gold jewelry.

This is for you, Amy!!

"... We only said goodbye with words

I died a hundred times

you go back to her

And I go back to

Black ..."

What I wore

Cape & Bag: Vintage; Thrifted
Skirt: DIY, Thrifted

Shirt & Headband: H&M

Shoes: Deichmann

Tights: Esda

Ring: Bijou Brigitte

Necklace & Bracelet: Thrifted

A funny one for the end!




linked up to Thursdays are for Thrifters!

FBFF - Locational Influences

This weeks Friday is all about how the place you are living or currently reside can influence your wardrobe choices. Fashion Beauty Friend Friday is all location and their ways of changing our wardrobe.

1. What part of the world do you blog from? 

I live in Germany, more precisely in the state called Saxony close to the eastern border next to the Czech Republic. My city is average in size, but can't be compared to any of the fashion cities such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne. Even though we got a University in town, it's a technical one and the 12.000 students really raise the age average, which is close to 48yrs. There are predictions that my city will be the senior citizen capital of Europe at 2025. Nice future, right? (add sarcasm here)

2. If you had to describe the overall mode of dress for where you live what would you say? 

The fashion is very average. I guess we got all the major retailers (H&M, Zara, Vero Moda, Orsay, the likes) here. So most of the young girls wear that. Bright colors are difficult, you always get the looks when wearing those! So it is nudes, black, brown, maybe some colorful accessories. Very boring. 

As I am a 50s/60s fan and a lover of vintage, life in my city and shopping for that matter is quite hard. I frequent every flea market and the couple of second hand stores, but most of my big thrift or vintage finds are made online or when I am out of town.

We recently (2 yrs ago maybe) got a TK Maxx and now also got some designer clothes, thank goodness!!!

FBFF - Where I blog from!?

This week is another visual Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy sked her fellow bloggers to show the places where we blog from. 

As I am currently writing my thesis, I am spending loads of time in my room in my shared apartment. Here, I do my research, but I also write my blog posts, edit my outfit pictures and read my favorite blogs. While sitting at my desk, I can overlook our big backyard and the adjoining playground.

I also take notes in this little Moomin Notebook when I have a new idea for posts or questions I would like to ask other bloggers.

All in all, I don't get out of this place much, therefore I try to take my outfit photos outdoors every day. I also like to use some time every other day to stroll around the city and take pictures. It calms me down and I can reload my batteries. My flatmate takes my outfit photos and we try to stick to our apartment block when taking them to not take away too much of her personal time. 

I have a couple of favorite places, such as the red brick wall and the fence with ivy. 

Friend Friday - What's in my Handbag?

Katy is normally hosting the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. Recently, she changed it to a bi-weekly schedule, but  Marie-Eve of A Pretty Nest had the idea of still doing something together for one of the other weeks. She asked us all to show what we got in our Handbag. I have seen those kind of posts everywhere in the blogging community and finally I will reveal the secret content of my handbag!

First of all, my current favorite: A green Satchel bag from H&M that has a long shoulder strap. I always have one favorite each season that I wear almost non-stop. The bag needs to be spacious to fit all of my stuff!


Beauty essentials (from left to right, top to bottom)

1. Shades (C&A) and case for them
2. Glasses (for reading and watching movies)
3. sparkly make-up bag holds
1. deodorant
2. mini perfume (Bulgari "Mon Jasmin noir")
3. mini Chanel "Inimitable Intense" Mascara
4. Essence 50's Girls Reloaded LE "Back to the 50's" Lipstick
5. P2 Pure Color "Park Street" Lipstick
6. Silver mirror
7. comb
8. Essence mini nail file
9. mini sun blocker SPF 30
10. Hand cream
4. tissues
5. Lactrase pills - so I can eat food that contains lactose

The useful stuff (from left to right, top to bottom)

1. notebook and pen (to write down ideas for the blog, thesis, things that come to mind)
2. umbrella and scarf (currently the weather is more like fall)
3. I pod and headphones
4. mints 
5. wallet
6. lip balm
7. box with band aids, headache medicine (started carrying it when I was an Au Pair)
8. phone (in a Marimekko case)
9. keys

I know, I got way too much stuff, but this is what I carry with me, plus my SLR most days. When I go out, I limit it to the most important things (it's hard, but I can manage)!

What do you need to keep in your bag on a daily basis? Are you a minimalistic girl or does your bag look similar to mine?

Sense of Belonging

My life has changed considerably since I started blogging in the beginning of the year. Even before, I had been reading blogs, mainly about fashion but also lifestyle, living and food, and by reading those had been looking for ideas to use when eventually starting my own blog. Katy of ModlyChic has once again challenged me with this weeks' questions for the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. This time it's all about labeling and how important a connection and clear definition for a blog is.

1. As a someone who writes/blogs about fashion, have you placed 

yourself into some sort of blogging category? 

I would put myself into the lifestyle and fashion blogging category. I think one should focus on a certain area to also appeal to a certain readership. Having a blog without a theme could just be too messed up. Of course people are interested in several things, that goes for bloggers and readers, but the interest might fade. Less is sometimes better. I have had some issues focusing only on fashion, I like to write about my life in general, but I try to keep the focus somehow fashion related in every post.

Friend Friday - Outfit Formula

It's Friday again - the week has been running!! Before I leave on my vacation tomorrow, I want to talk a bit about my day-to-day outfit formula. Katy of ModlyChic has once again asked some great questions for the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday group and here are my answers for that!

1. What’s your go-to outfit formula? 

I have to say that it has changed a bit since I started my blog and of course it also changes from day to day. In the last years, I would have said that I am a shirt and pants kind of girl, but in the last year or so, I have started appreciating skirts and dresses and what they do to my hourglass figure. Now my go-to outfit would be a nice shirt and a high-waisted skirt, layered with a nice cardigan, a scarf and some ballet flats. I could wear this combination all year round, of course in winter combined with some tights and a nice coat! 

2. How did you come about this formula? 

I have been a fan of 50s and 60s fashion for quite some time and for the last year been reading lots of fashion blogs that have tried to utilize that fashion style. I have searched for nice high-waist skirts and wonderful dresses to fill my closet with those items. 

3. Do you have different formulas for different occasions in your life? 

As I am a student, currently without a part-time job, I have no need for a work formula. My style has been quite dressy and business appropriate anyways and therefore I think it will nicely transition when I hopefully start working in my first job in a couple of months. I do like to dress up for outings with friends or for parties though and love theme parties where I can really pull all the strings for some special outfits!

4. Has it morphed over the years? 

When working as a student assistant, I needed to wear more work-appropriate clothes and started to buy dress pants and buttom-ups. Today, I love wearing more dressy clothes all the time. I think, it definitely changed my styling, which has been rocky and emo-inspired for most of my teenage years. Now, I prefer the classy and pretty fashion, not too girly though. Some edge is ok :)

5. Which other blogger’s outfit formula would you like to swipe? 

I love the style of Jessica of What i Wore. She styles recent pieces and handmade clothes so effortlessly together. Every outfit is pretty, still practical, but also really unique. Can't wait for her book to come out in two weeks!!

Change of perception

Like every Friday, Katy of ModlyChic asked her fellow bloggers to answer some questions for the FBFF - Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. This week, she wants us to think about changes in our fashion preferences since we started Blogging, some odd things we never would have looked twice at before. 

1.Since you began blogging do you notice a change in the types of things you gravitate towards while shopping?

Yes, definitely. I now really like vintage shopping - in thrift stores or at flea markets. I already liked searching for old fashioned accessories, but now I really like those clothes from past decades as well. I also check out almost every new trend in stores and try on some pieces. Who knows, maybe I think it doesn't work well as a trend, but maybe it actually suits me. I got a lot more confidence to try out new things.

Favorite Food

Katy of ModlyChic asked her fellow bloggers to share the recipe of our favorite seasonal dish.

I am a sweet tooth and can eat sweet stuff all day, every day, all year. My all time favorite dish is sweet filled dumplings with vanilla sauce, optionally decorated with some forest fruits.

I kind of never make the dumplings myself, as you can buy them in every supermarket around the corner, but it is a German speciality and therefore probably not available somewhere else. So here it goes. I have found a basic recipe here and changed it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• 3/4-1 kg / 1.6-2.2 lbs potatoes (white or gold, not Russet potatoes)
• 100-150 g / 3.5-5.2 oz flour (as needed)
• salt
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 kg / 2 lbs blueberries
• cubed sugar
• brown or regular sugar
• cinnamon (optional)
• Vanilla Sauce (ready-made or handmade)

Boil the potatoes, then press them through a potato ricer. Put it in a bowl, add the salt, 2/3 of the flour and the two eggs and stir with a fork. Knead the dough together (use the rest of the flour, if needed). Roll the dough into a 2x2 inch sail and cut it in 1/2 inch slices. Put some blueberries and a sugar cube between two slices, then form it into a ball. Boil water in a wide large pot. They need to be able to float around. Put the dumplings in the slowly boiling water. Simmer them for 5-10min, until they start floating on top. Remove one, cut in half and check if they are done.

Put dumplings on a plate, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon or add Vanilla sauce and forest fruits. With cold sauce and iced fruits, it is perfect for the hot season. Also, the dumplings can be eaten cold as well.

So what's your favorite dish for Summer or all year round?

Summer Trends

Katy of ModlyChic asked us what are our top 5 Summer trends that we are looking forward to wearing this season. So here it goes! ) 

Gold jewelry

My favorite Jewelry for the summer are all things gold. I normally prefer silver bling, because it works well with my fair skin, but even I get some teint during the summer months and love to use that for showing off some gold sparkle. Those are my current cravings, but my most favorite brand is Kalevala Koru from Finland. They make jewelry inspired by the old Finnish Kalevala tales. I got one ring already and could buy the whole collection. but of course Tiffany's is fine as well :) That Marc Jacobs watch will stay on mywishlist for the next months as well, until I can finally afford it, maybe with one of my first real salaries!!

Vacation dreams - let's do some packing

This week seems to be all about holiday. Now that summer is in full swing… and vacations are coming up, Katy of ModlyChic has asked what we blogger pack for vacation for this weeks' Fashion Beauty Friend Friday.

1.      When it comes to packing for vacation what’s your mantra? 

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I am a planner. I already plan all my outfits ahead of time and then add one or two extra things that work well with all the other combinations. Same goes for jewellery and other accessories. I even have a toilet bag full of little travel sized bottles with all my beauty essentials. I don't even have to think about what to pack in the beauty department, simply put that little bag in my suitcase and I am good to go for at least a week!

2.      What are your must packs? 

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I always pack my little travel kit - blow-up pillow, ear plugs and a sleeping mask. Those things are perfect for long travels, especially red eye flights. 

3.      What are you happy to leave behind? 

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If it is not a work related travel, I am very happy to leave my laptop and all things related to my studies at home. One needs to have some free time for mind and body, at least occasionally!

4.      Any packing secrets that help you get everything into one 

suitcase? 

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I don't think there are a lot of secrets. Packing light is important, as you will always want to pack extra things for every occasion.  Especially when you go to a good shopping location. Never underestimate hidden persuation of vacation shopping! I, for one, have lower self control on vacation when it comes to my credit card!!

5.      Beach reading… what are you taking with you to read in the sand? 

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On vacation, I splurge. I spoil myself and buy magazines that I would normally leave behind. I also buy at least one new book for every holiday. The best stories are fantasy stories, light reading that is totally different from normal life.