Reading the signs

Hey. Happy Motivational Monday!

Do you know the feeling of thoughts slowly developing in your head? Like you know the answer is just in front of you, but only when you put all the peaces together, everything makes sense? I kept browsing the Pinterest page to update it enough to be able to add it on my blog, but kept seeing the same message over and over again.

And can you relate to things in life stalling a bit, like a car, struggling to start and then, suddenly, everything happens at once? A few of weeks ago I was hopelessly jobless, looking for another place with my boyfriend, struggling with some health issues, learning Danish full time and, sure enough, in a matter of a week - we found a place, I found an internship, my doctor's realized I need a (minor) operation, I found out the exact date of my final exam and the planning began.

In a month's time we'll be moved, I'll be well into my internship working full time plus going to Danish every Saturday to prepare for the exam, I'll be recovering from my operation and will hopefully have managed to arrange all the practicalities related to moving and changing of address.

On top of everything else blogging quickly became a very demanding and unfortunatelly, stressful task in my list of the day trying to prepare for the upcoming months.

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And then I realized it's true. I love blogging, I truly do. It's fun, therapeutic and exciting. But I am a serious person. I go into things. I research and proof-read and it all takes time. And, truth be told, I just can't justify this time as a priority any longer for the time being. It was a luxury I enjoyed whilst looking for a job and going to school, but in the new circumstances, I should probably hit the gym, when I catch an hour here and there, not hunch over my computer or get lost into my phone screen.

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I mean, I'll still blog, I can imagine. 3 months is a long time and I'll miss it too much. I am just saying, that I won't be able to invest as much of my time in it as I could before. Because everything is still so new to me, I find the routine of blogging, including promoting, scheduling etc. slightly too overwhelming sometimes.

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I don't want you to feel sorry for me, or I am not complaining about the way things are. As a matter of fact I am very excited for the upcoming Spring. I am just explaining, that for the next three months I will be out there trying to life my life and I don't think I have been so good at it recently.

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I am also an all-or-nothing kind of person sometimes. I want to do it all and I want to do it well, otherwise, I start trying to spare my time. Therefore, my goal is also to gain some balance - a little bit of things I enjoy, things that are good for my body and my soul and things that simply need to get done, because - well, that's life. Nobody tends to blog about running errands, dealing with paperwork, paying bills or dropping by the post office or the bank, but I have a suspicion I can't be the only one.

That being said, I want to thank everybody who subscribes, comments, follows, reads and returns. I appreciate it all and it really does make me want to keep going. I can just foresee, that fewer blog posts will come up and I'd rather explain it now, not address it months later, where people are disappointed and over it.

I will still update my Instagram, if anything, so make sure to check that out every now and again, if you're wondering, what's up.

Here's to a new chapter and I will talk to you soon! 

Renate ❤

Renate's closet diaries #3 Work outfits

Hey, guys! An exciting (for me mostly, let's be honest) post today! As I mentioned in one of my previous posts - I don't do fashion too much on here - partly because it's not really my cup of tea and partly, because I simply don't have the photo shoot set-up figured out - somebody to take my photos and all.

HOWEVER, (one long winded intro of excuses later) today I've stepped out of those boundaries to bring you this! - one fashion post to go, please!

As some of you might or might not know, I am starting an internship soon, which means - office wear, which means - Renate's out of her comfort zone. Thanks to the internet and me apparently having too much time (it hurts just saying it, even though I'm joking. too much time? - find me a person these days...) I put together a little look book for (me, again) you guys.

I just want to mention, that most of the items have been in my wardrobe for a long time already and a lot of them I have thrifted, so... other people have had them in their wardrobe for a long time ;) which is just my way of explaining the missing online links. I hoped this would work more as a visualization and an illustration as to what I usually wear. If you see something you really like, though, leave me a comment down below and I'll make sure to give you more info!

Another disclaimer - these outfits obviously are just a basic idea - they need to be styled with different accessories, hair styles, makeup etc., which I haven't done here, because I am not doing my looks in retrospective.

Okay. Let's see, what we got.

The power suit

Twist on the classics

Laid back

Back to basics

It's a men's world

Never gets old

Plain & Easy 

Light & Dark

And that's it for today's post! What do you think?

Hope you'll have a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon! I am working on something exciting and fun, so I can't wait to share it.

Renate ❤

The battle of the cleansing waters

Hey, guys!

Just a quick post today about something I really wanted to share.

First and foremost, thank you so much for the lovely comments & for the support. As you can see, I am continuously adding things on here - have created a facebook page, began to use twitter & instagram a lot more, added a blogroll with some of the blogs I love to keep up with, so I hope you enjoy dropping by this blog even more, if you do already, which would make me very happy.

On the actual post - I was so excited to share a new discovery, which will definitely find a way into my regular skincare routine.

As you all might know, I fell into the hype of the famous Bioderma micellar cleansing water and for good reason! This product feels amazing on the skin - light, natural, refreshing, calming, yet removes e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. and leaves the skin super clean and well cared for. Since picking my first bottle up and using up quite a few ones ever since, I've always dreaded the feeling of slowly, but surely running low as I have only been able to spot this product back home in Latvia and (for my great excitement) also in Bulgaria during my summer trip there.

I have been falling addicted to the stuff (I'm not going into specifics, but trust me, it's embarrassing and borderline funny) and were planning my upcoming move of repurchasing this somehow, as - you can see - I'd come to soon enough.

Just before my weekend trip, I read a well-timed blog post by some of my favorite Danish beauty bloggers the Beauty Junkie where Cille shared her February Favorites. As I have tried quite a few products based on her recommendations and haven't been left disappointed, I grabbed the Nivea Sensitive 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water as soon as I saw it with the corner of my eye.

Where do I begin? For half the price, this product is a winner on that alone. However, it also works. For me, it does the same job and while it might not feel as... luxurious as the Bioderma and haven't been using it consistently for months, I couldn't be happier with the product and how it gets the job done, which means I will not only continue to use it, but will gladly repurchase another bottle. It removes my eye makeup without irritating my eyes and prepares my skin for the second (proper) cleanse in the evenings.

Do I still love Bioderma? Oh, yes. Will I purchase a bottle (or two... or three) next time I am in Latvia again? Pretty sure. There is just something about it, that makes for a lifetime commitment and loyalty.

However, I couldn't be happier with stumbling upon such a mighty alternative. Finding an affordable, affective, readily available product is really a win in my beauty books and if you happen to be in the market for saving money, trying out a new cleansing water or switching things up a bit to begin with, I can only add to Cille's recommendations - it's really worth a try.

Let me know, if you've tried it and what do you think! I'd love to know. Hope you enjoyed the post and are having a wonderful start of the week, I will talk to you soon!

A very exciting (for me) fashion post coming up on Friday, so stay tuned!

Renate ❤

GRWM - OOTD + MOTD

Hey, guys!

Now that we're done with the secret code language, let's jump right into the post. I don't usually do outfit posts, simply because there's nobody to take the pictures, but for the sake of variety, I decided to post my makeup & outfit for my boyfriend's dad's birthday's reception a couple of days ago.

Let me just quickly mention, that I have finally created a Facebook page for the blog! It's just ultimately such an easy way to reach out an receive instant updates on my latest posts and behind the scene photos :) Feel free to drop by!

Outfit details:

Dress: Only (Similar here 60% off)

Shoes: Bianco

Cardigan: H&M originally

Earrings: Pilgrim (only silver)

Clutch: Magasin

Moving straight on from the awkward posing (can you say - out of my element?), I wanted to do something simple and Spring inspired, comfortable, but still put together.

The dress, the clutch and the shoes are all from the wedding I attended in Bulgaria this summer, what I did was add the fluffy cardigan I picked up at the second hand bazaar last weekend and my new Pilgrim earrings, which I now wear religiously.

I really felt good - the shoes are extremely comfortable, as well as the dress, the cardigan kept me warm and covered up, nothing complicated was going on, which is what I like.

As for the make-up I wanted to keep things somewhat simple - no liquid liner, bright shadows or lips, so this is what I chose to use.

Seems excessive, I know, but it's not like I just slap on everything in one go. I did a bit of fake tanning the first time in a long time, because I was feeling a little too pale and felt like I could pull it off with the color of my eyes and hair.

Due to the tan, I mixed quite a few foundations together to get the perfect shade + I like adding the Rimmel 25 hour foundation on occasions where photos are taken, since it doesn't have SPF in it as far as I can see. I then use the whole shebang of Bobbi Brown undereye concealing (including the hydrating eye cream, which is claimed to work as a primer too) and let me tell you - these products get the job done. I almost want to do a before & after, because when I say that I struggle with dark undereye circles, I really mean it, but as you can see from the pictures below (which are not retouched in any way) I look somewhat awake and healthy, no? I use the Bobbi Brown powder from the kit on the rest of my face too, add some blush, a bit of a bronzer (also on my neck, shoulders and chest area; set my eyebrows, use basically 3 brown shades on my eyelid, tightline my eyes, mascara, lip gloss, a little spray with the Body Shop mist and I am good to go.

What are your favorite products at the moment and what kind of looks do you like to pull off in the Spring time? Let me know, if you want to see a more detailed tutorial on the makeup or more outfit posts to come!

Have an amazing weekend! I just wanted to say, that I am off for a trip this weekend, which I am looking so much forward to!

Hope you enjoyed the post and I will talk to you soon!

Renate ❤

A life update

Hey, guys!

Today I don't feel like writing about makeup, hair or clothes. Too much has happened (and is about to happen) in the past (and next) few months and I need to put this down in writing.

I moved to Denmark in 2009 to study, finished my bachelor 3,5 years later last January and despite my initial plan to move back home, by the time I reached my graduation, I had a life build up around me - a boyfriend, friends, an apartment, a student job, so I simply geared up and have been learning Danish ever since. The past year has been difficult, an investment in many ways, dealing with the sense of underachievement and impatience, however, also a lovely break, where I was able to focus on myself, my plans and goals.

In the mean time, I was looking for jobs, applying, had a couple of interviews (in Danish), a 2 month internship in Copenhagen, where I had to move to temporarily, but somehow, despite the amazing milestones, along the way I lost the trust in myself and my chances of finding a job within my field in Denmark. When you're educated in the building branch at 22 years of age with no experience and not being a Dane, the odds are sometimes against you. Had it not been for my amazing boyfriend, I would have given up a lot earlier. 

No matter what happened, I decided that Danish is a must, so I engaged in the classes with all I had. I was the annoying student, always asking questions, making notes, bringing extra homework and choosing to study instead of working out with my friends, for example. I decided to focus my attention to this one goal - going through all 5 modules and, possibly try the 6th one as well, which is essentially a must for studying in Danish at the uni.

At the moment I am less than 3 months away from finishing my Danish and I suddenly decided to take a leap of faith and really challenge myself in the hopes of getting an exciting outcome.

I called up the partner of the company I had my first (and very successful, in my opinion) job interview, offered him a 2 month unpaid employment and he ended up taking it. I start within 3 weeks and finish right at the same time I have my final Danish exam. This means, for those 8 weeks I will be working full time + going to school during the weekends to keep up and prepare for the exam.

At the same time, my boyfriend and I are moving to another apartment, we have plans and commitments towards our friends and families, I have health issues that need to be taken care of and me? - I am, well... petrified. I struggle not to feel intimidated by the language, the job I am educated and interested in, but have no experience with, the challenges, expectations (mostly my own) and, of course, the possible failure.

However, I cannot express the excitement, the energy, the anticipation and how much I am looking forward to increasing the speed of which I am doing things at. Things will get busy. I hope I'll have the time for myself, my loved ones, my goals and commitments.

If this blog will fall to the sideline for a while, well, frankly, something's got to give. I really don't feel like I'd be hurting anybody out there by not putting out posts every other day or so. I'll try to keep some sort of consistency, however, since this is something I truly enjoy doing.

Yesterday, my amazing boyfriend turned 33 years old. I cannot express how much I love him look up to him, learn from him every day and how much he charges me and pushes me forward. He's truly inspiring me to be a better person. He's extremely giving and always very selfless, so I really wanted to spoil him, which is why our friends, his family and I got together to give him the experience gift voucher for racing two different Porsches in Sweden, which has a story behind it, trust me. His face in the moment of opening the present and what I have seen and heard since makes my heart melt and I am so, so happy, that this thought will put a smile on my face for a very long time to come.

We ate at his favorite restaurant, surrounded by our friends (which he wasn't aware of prior to our arrival) and I truly had one of the best nights in a long time.

Today, we will be celebrating another birthday and take a weekend trip later on to celebrate with the family, so it's many amazing things coming up.

What I want to wrap up this with is that things will turn around. You will catch a break, even though it gets tough, discouraging or frustrating. Follow your heart, take breaks, when you need to, push harder, when you have to, make adjustments, when you need to and never, ever give up on yourself and your dreams.

I really hope for an amazing Spring to everybody I love and care about and have not felt so empowered, fired up and calm at the same time. I hope you all are doing wonderful and I will talk to you soon!

Renate ❤

New Things

Hey, guys!

It seemed only fitting to follow a Wish List post up with a haul one, hence what you're reading now.

Firstly, I visited the Second Hand bazaar at the University last Saturday, which has become my favorite way to refresh my wardrobe for a fraction of the expected price.

Behold, my latest steals!

I think anytime a girl walks out from a shopping experience with 3 pairs of shoes for under a 150 dkk total, it's considered a pretty good deal. I mean - these beautiful sparkly pumps for 25 dkk? I wear it for a night out and have gotten my money's worth! Heck, I have hair bands for more than that. Similarly, I picked up these silver tip-toed black flats, which will be the easiest thing to throw on during the Spring/Summer season this year. And for 30 dkk I didn't really think twice. They're completely new, by the way. Lastly, I picked up the must-have of the year before - the platform flats. These particular ones are suede and leather, very good quality and from Bianco brand. I know my boyfriend is not the biggest fan of the style, but I feel so very Danish and integrated wearing them, not to mention comfortable and casual, I really couldn't say no to a 60 dkk pair of leather shoes.

From the same bazaar I picked up the grey tank top for 10 dkk, the white patterned T-shirt for 20 dkk and the fluffy black cardigan for 60 dkk, which I've already worn.

And last, but not least I grabbed the Vila playsuit (120 dkk), which I am excited to style both casually and for going out, for example. I also bit the bullet and decided to try the pink fluffy cardigan, because I am weirdly attracted to the potential outfit ideas, even though I have to  first mentally overcome the feeling of looking like a plucked chicken. I just figured, for 120 dkk (worn twice, the girl said) - this is probably the cheapest way to try out a trend that interests me and step out of my comfort zone a bit.

Then yesterday I was able to cross out a couple of things from my ever growing, yet extremely planned out & selective wish list. At the moment I have a very clear vision of how I want to look, what I want to wear, the makeup, skincare, haircare and clothes I want to own and use, the accessories I want to purchase and the looks I want to put together. However, there's only so much I can do at the moment due to my finances. So I have made a dauntingly long wish list, that I follow up every month, push the boundry a little and then eagerly wait for the next month to come around ;) Luckily for me, these past few months have been simply flying by, to be honest.

My biggest insecurity, and basically the only reason I use makeup to begin with, are my dark undereye circles. I am a big fan of most of the drugstore products, but as far as concealers, nothing is really up to the job as the heavy stuff. I already purchased the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream and their Corrector and yesterday, happily added the concealer due to my collection. Hence, the new angled brush to set the concealer under my eyes. I have yet to try it out, but will definitely follow up!

Some of you might recognize the style of the earrings from my last post and I am very excited to wear them. Pilgrim is one of my favorite jewelry brands, because they're handmade, classy, simple, good quality and yet - affordable. These cost me 179 dkk with a discount they have going on at the moment, which is not bad at all. For years I have been going back and forth between silver and gold, but I think have decided to go all silver for a while. Gold looks the best when it's real and high quality anyway and that's really pricey, so I am not really up for starting a collection at the moment :)

As far as the Korres Peach lip butter? That was a total accident. I was in the shop, had dry lips and was too lazy to reach into my bag to find my trusty Burt's Bees tinted moisturizer, so I picked a cute little balm to try and had to literally return to the shop 30 min later to purchase it, because I loved how it felt, looked and smelled.

Here's to a great Spring! A lot of exciting things coming up this month and hopefully a lot of fun posts!

Talk to you soon and have a great week!

Renate ❤

March Fashion Wish List

March Fashion Wish List by renaatte featuring TOMS

Enza Costa grey shirt
$175 - pret-a-beaute.com

River Island open cardigan
$25 - riverisland.com

Black Lace V-Neck Bralet
$13 - newlook.com

TOMS flat
asos.com

Silver earrings
windsorstore.com

Casio A168WA-1YES Digital Bracelet Watch
asos.com

Hey, guys!

Happy 1st of March - let's all get really excited about Spring!

At the moment I am sipping my Saturday coffee, ready to head to a second hand market in a couple of hours with a good friend of mine.

Seemed appropriate, that I'd share my "vision" of what expecting spring looks like for me this year. As always, the images are often a visualization of the items I lust after, not the actual, specific item I want to purchase (I'm mainly referring to the tank-top, because the price is a little... not for me, let's put it that way), so it's a mix, but this potential outfit, paired with some jeans or black skinnies, later on - shorts and skirts, really appeals to me greatly this season.

Let me get back to you with beauty and care wish lists (or hauls, if the damage has already been done), and let me know, what you're lusting after this upcoming Spring, I'd love to hear from you.

Have an amazing weekend and I will talk to you soon!

Renate ❤