Beach essentials in Turkey

When heading towards the beach there are two or maybe three things you need to survive the sun with. Sunblock, deodorant and after sun. Sunblock and deo are the most important for my mocha skin. Aftersun is mostly not as necessary since I don't get sunburned too quickly.

Gifts and goodbyes

Tonight is my last nights in this wonderful city. I am so sad I am leaving, but very happy I chose to spend my summer here. Chicago has been nothing but good to me. Even the weather was amazing this year! Only a few > 37°C (= 98.6°F) days, always sunny, no thunderstorms or maybe one. I can go on about how much fun I had being here. But sadly everything comes to an end. I have been saying my goodbyes to my friends, telling them I might not be back for a long time. But such is life. You make a decision and then move on. And you know what, in the end everything will turn out just fine..

Only a couple days left in Chicago

Sadly my last days in Chicago have arrived and soon this whole summer break abroad will be nothing but a memoir. I will really miss this place, my friends, the beach, the shopping, the city, the foods, the drinks, everything. Chicago has been super good to me - the love I have developed for this city and how much it became my other home. I would encourage everyone to visit Chicago when possible, it's a nice city to spend the summer at. So many festivals going on, bars are open till 4 AM, clubs are always active, always an after party to find, Boystown is always being wild and happy. I think Chicago is a good real American lifestyle city. Far from the movies and also far from the dorky south. People here are smart, educated, friendly, crazy, open-minded and not-fat! haha..

Highlights in the city

Today's makeup, a hint of purple

Makeup makeup makeup. Every morning before I leave the house to get myself a warm cup of coffee or to go do anything except running, I have to do my makeup. I'm not really big in wearing makeup masks - I like to keep it natural and simple. Also the time-investment is a bit of a threshold when wearing too much makeup. So makeup should be quick, easy and little. But enough to not look sleepy.

A bunch of things and more

Last week I found a bunch of things I stored in my friend's basement after I left Chicago in November 2012. Two boxes were stored; one with clothes I am about to throw away and one with random stuff like purple Vans and some cosmetics. I remember myself saying last year that I wouldn't take drugstore cosmetics with me to Netherlands, because I can buy new ones there. But after opening the box I realized how good or bad some of the products were I left behind. I was really happy to see all the products, also because they'd give me flashbacks and memories from before.

The Lolla weekend at Grant park.

I still can't get used to the way my Chicagoan friends pronounce Lollapalooza. The O leans on the side of an A so Lollapalooza sounds more like Lallapalooza, and just every time I say Lollapalooza where the O is an actual O they respond with "what's that?". Funny how even in the US the accents are different. Diederik and I got our 3-day passes through a friend of his since the tickets were sold out in a snap. I love Lollapalooza, it costs quite a bit but it's definitely worth the money. And after a full weekend partying and one day recovering I can finally blog about what my weekend was about.

My first CC cream, review

I never opted for a CC cream before because I thought BB-CC what the hell, all the same no need to invest in a new product. But in search of a new BB cream I ended up with a CC cream definitely worth the investment. AmorePacific wasn't exactly a brand known by me probably because it's not overhyped by the bloggers I follow and not in a price range I would seize to. I did see an advertisement in the British Airways' High life magazine on my way to Chicago and the promising word sounded as if this product was a miracle to the skin. It looked interesting to me, but the magazine went back into the pocket at the back of the chair.