Tous, A Stylish Spanish Jewellery Brand

And it's almost August! Can you believe that?! Sometimes it feels like I'm living in a movie, because of how fast the time goes. I'm currently in Florence taking Italian classes, just arrived yesterday evening. Florence is one of my favorite cities, it's not too small, not too big and just perfect because everything is walking distance. Before this trip, I went with my family to Valencia, another one of my favorite cities. Everything is so relaxed there and the city is just beautiful. I always go there to the hairdresser Tony & Guy, it's cheaper than in the Netherlands. But also the style and how they cut your hair is different and I like it better. And the two nail polished you see in the picture are from the supermarket called Mercadona, which are super good! But I'll write a full review on that in another post soon. 

I stayed at the Illunion Aqua 4 hotel in Valencia, which basically is above the Aqua 4 shopping mall. Perfect for shopping! You have all kinds of shops there, from the Zara to Calzedonia, to Home decor and beauty stores. I have a high prescription, -5 for my glasses and plus the frame often makes it really expensive. So I tried and went to the local optic store and I came across this pair of glasses from the brand called Tous. I never heard of the brand before, but it's a famous Spanish jewelry brand. The frames they have are all square or round and are really comfortable. I also bought the lenses with it, and I'm super happy because you pay half of what I pay in the Netherlands. And besides that, the frame is just so cutee! Tous also has bags, watches, necklaces and much more things. Some of the things they sell are I think a little bit more for your girls, but you just have to choose the right items. I don't know if they have Tous glasses at the Corte Inglès, the big warehouse. But I'm sure they sell them at every optic store. For the jewelry and other accessories, you can easily find them at the warehouse.

The case for the frame is also cute, in soft pink. I could choose from a variety of colors, blue, green and pink. But, of course, I choose pink to go with the pink/purple frame!  The logo of the brand is a tiny bear, which is also visible on the sides of the frame and on the back of the case. If you're looking for a pair of glasses and for a new brand, than I would definitely recommend Tous.

What is your favorite jewellery brand? ❤

Valencia Travel Diary // Budget-Friendly Places

It's already the third time for me here in Valencia. I love the city a lot! I've never really had that with any city, well, except Florence. It was already the moment we arrived again at the airport that we felt at home here. And knowing the way to your favorite spots helps a lot too. (My sense of direction isn't the best;) Valencia is very photogenic, a lot of colorful buildings and cute cafes are ready for a picture to be taken off. I was afraid it was going to be too hot here, and it is very warm, but doable. Taking a siesta in the afternoon after lunch is the best you can do. I usually prefer going to the beach or really early in the morning or in the evening as the temperature is not too high yet. I'm here with my family for a week, but tomorrow is already my last day here. Sometimes I feel like the time just goes way too fast! But that makes me appreciate the moments here even more. 

Paella At The Beach 
Rice isn't my favorite food, but I heard so many good things about the paella here in Valencia that I couldn't just go home without having tried it. I searched online for some good restaurants to eat Paella. Oh, and did you know paella is typical Valencia?! Restaurante La Pepica at the beach Playa Malvarosa was the place where we ended up eating. The restaurant is specialized in paella and they are super good! There are many different sorts, paella made of seafood, vegetables, lobster and many more. They are all made fresh and are really nice, definitely recommend this place! You also have a relaxing view of the beach. You can order it starting with two persons, or if you want to order just for yourself you can choose the complete menu but it's more expensive. The neighborhood is El Cabanyal, you don't have a lot of supermarkets and bars there. So if you want to eat something good and affordable, the best thing you can do is to go towards the beach or to a shopping mall.

Hotel Near Ciutat De Las Sciences 
The first time we were in Valencia we stayed at Hotel Neptuno, a hotel on the beach and really lovely.  This time we choose the hotel called Aqua Illunion 4, a 4-star hotel very close to the famous Ciutat de las Sciences.  If your room is at the right side than you can actually see the parc from your window. I definitely want to go back to this hotel next time, because of the location. You're kind of halfway, around 5 min by taxi to the beach and 10 min to the historical center and the famous town Rusafa. The staff is very friendly and the hotel is above the shopping mall Aqua. If you love shopping then this hotel is at the perfect spot for you. Also, you can find here supermarkets, restaurants and basically everything you need at walking distance. We often go to the Mercadona, this supermarket has a big beauty section(I lovee the gel nail polish) and it's budget-friendly.

A Yummy Breakfast
There are so many places to go to for a nice meal or breakfast. Pans and Company is a restaurant and cafe which you can find at the beach of Malvarosa or in the historical center. I ate with my family, we are with three, in total for under ten euros. You can get croissants, toast, muffins, fruit and many more things. I've never eaten such a delicious croissant as here, compared to in Holland. I usually choose an integral croissant with a cup of tea or fresh orange juice for breakfast. Trying to eat healthily! You can also have lunch or dinner here. They have different kinds of toats and baguettes and small menu's.

Ciutat Vella is the part of Valencia is love the most! It's the oldest part of the city and you can find everything from Theatre's to bars, to typical local Spanish shops and the Mercat Central. (Huge market hall) Famous squares are the Placa del Ayuntamiento, Placa de la Reina, and Placa Rodonda.


Have you ever been to Valencia? ❤

Collistar Profumo Di Benessere Body Aromatic Water Review

Collistar is one of my favorite beauty brands. The brand always has good products and I especially love their nailpolish a lot! But I need to stop buying them, I have way too many already...  Now that it's summer, we don't need that much makeup as during winter. Just some mascara and lipgloss is most of the time enough. While walking in my neighborhood, I came across this body aromatic water. It's a refreshing body oil and I think is perfect to use after a day in the sun to take care of your skin. 

The last time I body a shimmering body oil with a light self-tanning. But this time I wanted to try out a different type of body product. The beauty product is called Collistar Profumo Di Benessere aromatic water. It's from the line Benessere, all with oils and aromatic plant extracts. It sounds like something they use at a spa and when you use it definitely also feels like that. With the right products you can create a relaxing at home spa. 

The product contains pure and natural oil extracts from the ginseng and gingko biloba together with the oils that make your skin feel super soft. It hydrates and also tones your skin a little bit. When I use it it does make you feel relaxed and I love the scent! You know, sometimes you try products and the scent is way too overwhelming, but this is very refreshing and not to over the top. Both men and women can use it. The scent lasts for around a few hours. 

It's very easy to apply the body oil. You just have to spray it over your body or apply it on your temples or wrists to get the full effect. The packiging from Collistar always looks luxury and expensive. I bought it for €28,95 for 100 ml. Overall, if you're looking for a good body oil or something that refreshes and takes care of your skin, than the one from Collistar is really good! I don't really have anything bad to say about it. I'm happy I tried it and every time I come out of the shower, the next step in my routine is to use a body oil. 

Have you ever tried a product from Collistar? 

Have a lovely day,

Isabella ❤

Breakfast At Valencia's Hotspot

I hope you're enjoying your summer just as much as me! I'm just back from a family trip to Valencia and I have to say, I would've loved it to spend my summer there! It's a lovely city and the people are really friendly. I always have the feeling I'm more surrounded by others in the more southern countries than in countries like the Netherlands. I think the people and their way of living have a lot to do with that. I love buying clothes for summer, it's the perfect excuse to buy that cute summer dress or skirt because otherwise, it's way too hot. 

Every season I tell myself to not buy too much summery stuff because the summers in the Netherlands are quite chilly. But this time I wanted to buy some dresses because I traveled a lot of warmer countries and it's nice too! They are easy to style and are cute outfits for summer. I bought this dress while traveling in Florence at a local clothing shop. It's flowy and made from super light material, which is perfect for warm days. The shoulder fringe makes the dress complete. I combined it with my white Birckenstocks. I prefer to wear sandals with a low heel, but Birckenstocks are more comfortable if you need to walk a lot. 

Valencia has a lot of hotspots, from restaurants to tiny bars with yummy food. This time we choose to go to La Mas Bonita, a small bar/restaurant at the beach La Playa Malvarossa is definitely worth a visit. It looks very cool, in baby blue and they hire students only as waitresses in cute kitchen outfits that match the atmosphere there. You can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner here. They have croissants, toast, cake, anything you want. I ordered a velvet cake, although 6 euros is a lot, I really wanted to try it once. And it's very good! The beach here is also very nice, with palm trees and big as well. 

Have a lovely day,

Isabella❤

TOMS | If The Shoe Fits..

.Hoi allemaal!

Ik ben alweer terug van mijn taalreis naar Valencia. De tijd gaat zo snel! Wil wel weer terug naar de zon hoor! Natuurlijk niet alleen daarom, Valencia is gewoon een super leuke stad. Maar het is toch ook wel weer fijn om thuis te zijn, in je eigen vertrouwde omgeving. Vandaag wil ik met jullie iets delen over het schoenenmerk TOMS. Lees gauw verder!

Ik weet bijna wel zeker dat je weleens van TOMS gehoord hebt. Het merk is begonnen in 2006, toen Blake Mycoskie, een Amerikaanse reiziger kinderen ontmoette in Argentinië die helaas geen geld hadden voor schoenen. Toen kwam hij op het idee om TOMS op te richten. Bij elke aankoop wordt er een paar schoenen gedoneerd aan een kind in nood. Een super goed initiatief! 

Ik heb er zelf eigenlijk nooit echt over nagedacht wat de boodschap achter dit merk is. Nu ik het weet, ga ik zeker een paar schoenen kopen. Niet alleen omdat het voor een goed doel is, maar ook omdat ze gewoon leuk staan bij een jurkje voor de zomer! Ze hebben heel veel soorten modellen en schattige kleuren waar je uit kunt kiezen naast het standaard model. Zoals kant, leer, suede en meer! 

Deze muiltjes zijn klassiek en kun je overal bij combineren. Je kunt ze zelfs in de herfst nog door dragen. Ze zijn in een soort honingkleur met een rubberen zool en ook te koop in het zwart. Maar voor de zomer vind ik ze in het licht oranje net iets leuker. 

Bedankt voor het lezen van mijn blog post! Niet te vergeten, Toms heeft ook een coole winactie waarbij je kans maakt op €250 shoptegoed!

Question time - Wat vind jij van dit schoenenmerk?

Liefs,

Isabella❤

Red For Summer

Red has always been one of my favorite colors. For every season, but especially for summer. Summer is the perfect time to wear those bright shades or pastels tints. I'm currently on holiday with my family in Valencia, and it's 41 degrees, super hot! In Holland, there is a heat wave as well, in the whole northern part of Europe it's sunny. When I'm wearing cute outfits, I feel more confident and who doesn't like shopping?! In my country, the shops are quite expensive and not a lot of choice in comparison to Spain or Italy. Here in Valencia, everything is much cheaper and in Florence where I traveled to a few weeks ago, there are a lot of local clothing shops that you can't find in the Netherlands. That's why I enjoy shopping abroad a lot. Over the years my clothing style changed a lot, and now I can tell that I found my style and combine it with new trends and ideas. 

This outfit is a red floral dress from the Zara. I bought it while traveling in Florence. The Zara here has more choice than the shop in my town, and I really like this dress. It's bright and with flowers and red combined with soft orange. It's just above the knee and the back a little bit longer for a wavy effect. I combined it with a pair of wedges I bought in a local shoe shop in Florence as well. They're made in Italy and from leather. The bright red looks cool in combination with the dress. The only thing I need to learn is how to walk in them, haha, they are pretty high! But practice makes perfect. And I painted my nails in red/orange too, to complete my summery outfit. 

Tees with big logos, I'm usually not a fan of. But when I was shopping at the Urban Outfitters store, I saw that they combined it with a red skirt from UO itself. I bought the skirt too, but this time I wore the shirt with a pair of denim shorts. The shirt is from Tommy Hilfiger and in cream, off-white kind of shade. It's made from pretty thick material, so maybe it's better to wear for chillier nights instead of to the beach. I love UO, they always have cute and different things, not like other stores. I never wear high waisted denim, but I kinda liked how it looked and the style of it. In combination with the shirt, it looks American varsity like. It's comfortable and I bought it at the Zara in Florence too. 

Have a lovely day,

Isabella🖤

20 Summer Lifestyle Blog Post Ideas

It's officially summer and I'm really excited about the next few months. I have a few trips planned. Next week I'm going to Valencia with my family. You may have read my post about my previous trip to Valencia, if not you can check it out here. It's a lovely city, and I'm going to show my parents around. It's fun to travel alone, but spending time with family is always nice too! Up next I'm going back to Florence again and maybe to Paris. So lots of travel posts coming up!

For today I would love to share with you some lifestyle blog post ideas. Coming up with post ideas can be difficult. There are weeks where I'm really feeling it, I have lots of new titles and drafts ready. And other weeks I just don't have enough ideas or inspiration. If you have that too, it's completely normal. Everyone has that once in a while. What can definitely help, is keeping a calendar with posts for every week so you're never out of ideas. My main blogging goal is having the calendar and write a few posts in advance as well. Below I've listed a few blog post ideas in the lifestyle niche.

1. One Week Watermelon Diet
Isn't watermelon a must have fruit to eat in summer?! Why not show everyone how fun and delicious it is to eat watermelon every day the whole summer long. 

2. Swimwear Brands To Check Out
Summer means beach. And going to the beach means that you have to have a cute bikini. There are tons of swimwear brands, show your followers where they can score the bikini you're wearing or one that's on your wish list. 

3. How To Properly Pack A Suitcase
Packing isn't the most fun part of traveling. With some extra tips, you can make it easier and faster for your readers. 

4. A Post About Your Dream Summer Job
Everyone has a dream job, but there are also dream summer job. Mine would definitely be to work as a lifeguard in Australia at Bondi Beach. How cool would that be! 

5. Share A Freebie 
You can share a freebie or any type of free printable. There are so many things you can design, maybe a cute notepad?

6. Make A Summer Scrapbook
Another creative idea. If you're really into crafting than this is the perfect time to share it to the world, with pictures of your recent trips or photos with friends. 

7. Share Your Favorite Smoothie Recipe
I wanted to write down, "share your favorite cocktail recipe'', but then I thought, I love smoothies way more! 

8. Make A Reversed Bucket List
Everyone knows the summer bucket list. But wouldn't it be nice to write down all the things you already accomplished?

9. How To Plan The Perfect Summer Party
If you're into parties, then summer is a great time to host your own. Let your followers know how they can plan their party too, with a complete party guide. 

10. Holiday/City Guides On The Places You've Visited
Maybe you've been abroad and came across some must-visit restaurants and hidden spots. 

11. Take The Time To Look For 5 Extra Books To Put On Your Reading List
I have to be honest, reading isn't something I like to do. Although, if the book is really good, I kind of like it to an extent. 

12. Show Your Favorite Go-To Spots In Your Neighborhood
You're a travel guide of your own hometown. Why not use that advantage and show your readers around. 

13. A Glimpse Into Your Morning/Bedtime Routine
During summer you wake up earlier and go to bed later. You can show what you normally do, what your daily routine is.  

14. A Living Room(or bedroom, kitchen etc.) Reveal
When it's summer you can make your home feel summery too, by adding cute and colorful decorations or furniture. 

15. How To Edit Your 'Natural Lighting' Photos
Taking photos is the most fun thing to do! Editing is a whole nother level. 

16. Ways To Spend Your Weekends During The Summer 
If you have a few months of summer holiday, the weekends are the best time to do things with family and friends. You can write a post about how you like to spend your weekends. 

17. Host A Giveaway
This is a great way to gain extra followers as well. And it's always fun to see others be happy with something they won. 

18. Interview Your Favorite Blogger
This is an idea I have in mind for quite some time. I'm still not sure who I'm going to interview, because I have so many bloggers I want to ask. 

19. Give Up Something You Love, coffee- Chocolate, tea
Sometimes giving up something you love makes you appreciate it, even more, when you don't have it. It's just a fun challenge. (For me Nutella is definitely a challenge)

20. What Makes The Summer of 2018 Special For You
And the last summer blog post idea is sharing with your followers why this summer is special to you. 

Best Things To Do In Florence

Do you have that too? That feeling you get when you just got back from a trip and are so excited to already plan your next adventure abroad? I have that, a lot. Travel for me is one of the things I enjoy doing the most. I still have so many places I want to visit. On top of my list right now are San Francisco, Paris, Oxford and Bordeaux. I'm more into the southern kind of lifestyles and countries. And you know, the thing about travel is, is that you never come back the same. All the new experiences and situations you experience while traveling are something to treasure for a lifetime. The first two weeks of June I went on a two-week language trip to Florence, the city of music arts and so much more! There were street artists, opera singers, people playing the violin in front of the Duomo and just music at almost every corner. Florence is quite a small city, I like that more. You can find your way around the city fast and feel faster at home too. I've listed some of the best things you can do in Florence. Get comfy and read further now! 

 

Academia Galleria 

This is definitely a must when you're planning a trip to Florence. It's a beautiful art gallery situated in the city center with the famous statue of David Michelangelo. It's one of the best museums in Florence. It was almost unreal to see the statue, it's much bigger than you think. When you walk into the entrance the first thing you see is a big group of people surrounding the statue with a camera. It's just out of the movies! The best thing you can do is to buy all your tickets for the museums online, you can get skip the line this way. Especially during summer the waiting lines can get as long as 4 hours. 

Amorino Gelateria 

This ice cream shop is close to the Duomo. There are many Gelateria's, but at this shop you can get an ice cream in the shape of a flower and with a macaron on top. It's perfect for an Instagram shot and it tastes even better! I choose strawberry, lemon and raspberry, with a strawberry macaron on top. The ice cream tastes really good, because it's made from 100% natural ingredients. You can find them as well in Milan, New York and Paris. They have the best ice creams!

Academia Europea di Firenze

During my stay, I choose to study Italian at a language school here in Florence. The school is called Academia Europea and lots of musicians from all over the world come here to take music lessons, study abroad, and in combination take Italian classes. It's not just a language school, but also a sort of academy for arts and music. It's cool that you can even take piano lessons free of charge on the side. The teachers are really nice too, you get a lot of personal attention and feedback and the lessons are usually in small groups. I was in a group of just three students. The academy also has fun activities, like going to a museum, having dinner with all the students and teachers or going to a concert together. If you're looking for a language school than I do recommend it! The location is also good, it's situated in the center close to shops and bars. 

Shopping 

Shopping in Florence is not very difficult. There are so many different shops, from designer boutiques to the more small vintage ones. You can of course shop at a Zara, H&M, Mango or Coin, the Italian department store. I did shop at Zara because I love the brand! But I also went to the smaller clothing shops with Italian brands, brands that you can't find back home. If you love jewellery, than you have to go to the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. There are jewellery shops all in gold left and right. I bought a ring with a small red stone as a memory of my trip. At Via di Tornabuoni you can find all the designer shops, like Dolce & Gabbana, Bvulgari, Prada and Gucci. 

Pitti Palace

Another museum that's definitely worth visiting is the Pitti Palace. The Palace was home to Luca Pitti, a banker from one of the richest families of Italy for over 300 years. It's really nice to see, especially the king and queen's bedroom. The palace is beautiful, the ceilings, balcony's everything is made with lots of color and detail. I haven't had a chance to visit the gardens yet, next time! 

Tips And Other Fun things:

-For a beautiful view of the city of Florence you have to go to Piazzale Michelangelo. 

-The closer you are to the Duomo, the more expensive restaurants and shops will be. If you walk a little bit further you can find good restaurants for less, and maybe even better. 

-If you want to be around less tourists, than you can cross the Ponte Vecchio. 

-If you love art, than Florence has lots of art exhibitions you can go to. 

-There also is a science experiment in Palazzo Strozzi. It's an experiment combining arts and science to see how humans reacts to plants and the other way around. 

Have you ever been to Florence?

Have a lovely day,

Isabella❤