Shoe-spiration ..

aka my Instagram pictures with the most likes.

I get likes on whatever I might post on Instagram but I always notice hysteria when I'm posting shoes. My shoes.

I can honestly say I have a sick collection.

My outfits are mostly demure and monochrome but the bling-factor is almost always seen at my feet.

Now new collections start to emerge everywhere in fashionista-land, I'm pretty thrilled and excited to discover my next purchase.

Shoes are for me what wedding dresses are to others ; I really need to feel it's wow-factor and a calling out to me like this :

buy me !

need me ! feel me !

When my hart starts racing and I feel a shoegasm coming up, I know I just have to say Yes to that dress pair of footwear. 

more shoes on marble is the new black 

similar model (less bling) also by giuseppe zanotti

brogues by Eli1957

Midweek Wardrobe Inspiration

I don't think Jane Birkin needs an introduction.

Known as wife of Serge Gainsbourg, inspiration for he timeless and epic

Birkin bag by Hermès, singer, actress, mother .. 

Jane has perfectly stood the test of time by still being effortlessly elegant, having that it-factor only very few people posses and an inspiration to many young girls around the globe.

Many have tried to copy but only few can compete this beautiful and talented lady.

Looking at only 3 random images, you can instantly tell the woman has got it ; even today, the clothes and hair she's wearing still look timeless and pretty awesome.

Copper

Always super happy when a new lunch address hits my neighborhood ; read about Copper over the weekend and decided to try it out as it's real close to my home.
Ran some errands first and headed to Copper.
Oh my, was I in for a treat ! 
The interior, the super friendly lady at the counter and it's delights showcased for us to choose.

A good testcase for me is to try a cappuccino ; my belly tells me very quickly if high quality products are used or not. And this is absolutely the case. Also had some roasted butternut squash with rucola, lentils and pomegranate seeds. The lady very kindly offered to serve the squash with lentils as I'm currently on a low carb diet. So breads and quinoa are out of the question !

No dessert but a nice hot fresh ginger tea instead made this meal complete : on top of that, the bill did not break the bank. 
I'm pretty sure a nice and fresh, healthy lunch + drinks under 15€ is a very good deal ! 

Copper recently opened at the Belegstraat and is open or business during weekdays. Follow them via Facebook or even better, their beautiful Instagram account ! 

Latest Fashion Finds {January}

A short recap of my latest fashion finds for January ; pretty soon we'll be submerged in plenty of fashion week - pictures so I thought it would be nice to have a small "best of fashion and make-up"  {look at what I found} summary.

I am pretty obsessed with my ACNE bomber jacket and just as I thought, yes I can wear this because Winter just forgot about us here in Europe, flakes of snow start to drop airily but determined. 
Winter is stinging us after all.
So hence my maxi Isabel Marant scarf to match my Rue Blanche Winter coat. {coat not seen here but shown on my Instagram account}. 
Urban Decay really promised what it is all about ; I never had such a well pigmented eye shadow before ; no need to dab your brush ruthlessly into your shades ! Just stroke it gently and you'll discover it will tint your eyelids to perfection. 
Liking the lipstick {Nude2} even more.
So ladies, if you're not a proud owner of a NAKED Palette eye shadow case yet, hurry up and move your a** to the nearest Paris XL store in town. 

As this morning, I discovered Diamati Per Tutti is launching their latest collection in Paris ; feel free to follow their Instagram account to see what's in store pretty soon.

Wishing you guys a lovely weekend filled with joy and beautiful experiences.

Latest Fashion Finds {January} by pomeline-duchesse featuring vertical wall art

Acne Studios satin jacket
€655 - matchesfashion.com

Zara black trousers
€12 - zara.com

Golden goose shoes
€200 - farfetch.com

Golden Goose lace up sneaker
€200 - farfetch.com

Mawi black satchel
€850 - lanecrawford.com

Carved ring
€610 - popmap.com

Isabel Marant gold tone earrings
€135 - farfetch.com

Isabel Marant silk shawl
€325 - lindelepalais.com

Tech accessory
€9,15 - amazon.com

Urban decay eye shadow
€50 - harveynichols.com

Urban Decay moisturizing lipstick
€20 - beauty.com

Cologne perfume
€115 - popmap.com

Arteriors vertical wall art
€200 - insideavenue.com

Urban Decay Naked Palette 1
€50 - harveynichols.com

Business is getting serious

Even though I am still officially a student photographer (another 18 months before I graduate) - I get asked to do shoots such as weddings, kids photography, portrait and my latest assignment, a nude shoot. 

The girl that booked me wanted to surprise her fiancé with this kind of shoot and asked me if I was up for such a particular recording.

Luckily for me the girl is such a beauty and has the most amazing figure I could hardly imaging this would be a hard job to do. 
So we booked a date and I did some research in finding a great spot to set a scene for the job.

Anyways, I found this lovely room in Hotel O in the South of Antwerp, did some research and checked out the place beforehand to see if it was pure and airy, so my model would get all attention and the pictures would not have some attention drawing features like funny furniture or bad wall paper designs and destroy the entire concept of my shoot.

B. was very happy with the result (so was I) and instead of just choosing this one picture she ordered a complete private book (think Selfish but with less pouting and no disturbing comments written next to each image) for her beau.

Might consider to do this kind of shoot more often ; of course it's something you have to overcome as a woman but I'm pretty sure I can handle any kind of situation and portray any kind of figure in the most flattering way.

The picture is pixelated to protect the privacy of my model. For those interested in this kind of shoot, feel free to contact me through my website for more no-obligation info.

more info on www.littleblackdarkroom.com

Dreary Mood

I guess the picture above describes perfectly how today felt : dark, wet and dreary .. 

The city looked uninhabited, the high streets empty and shops only filled with sales assistants ; to end on a positive note, loads of space in all the shops, no waiting lines at the counter and sales assistants finding time for a friendly chat while helping you out with sizes and more.

I even got my eyes made up with the Urban Decay palette {NAKED 1}

for free ! 

Let's sway, sway through the crowd to an empty space

by Mawi 

Still in shock to hear from David Bowie's passing, I literally forgot to post my 'after 2 days-picture' yesterday .. Instead, I did my bookkeeping and listened to David Bowie's music all day long.

Have to admit, the nails did not last and chipped like all my other polishes do.  But I really liked the dark red color and top coat finishing. So I'm not completely disappointed.

Did you guys find some real good sales ? I managed to get the DEALER bag by Mawi as seen above in the picture and I'm SO happy with it.
It's a real tongue-in-cheek accessory and an icebreaker too ; people smile and prevent me from walking by - they want to chat and admire the bag !! It's like you walk with a puppy dog in the street ; everyone wants to snog my bag ! Haha. 

Sally Hansen nailpolish review

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel n° 480 Wine Stock +101 Top Coat

I've tried A LOT of nail polishes before, I admit, so I'm always keen and curious to test yet another label and what it promises to be.

Sally Hansen says it's coatings are gel-a-like, without the use of lamps or light. Only an extra bottle of top coat should do the trick. On top of that {notice the wordplay here .. }, it should increase the nail top volume times 2, so you get the feeling and look of a genuine gel polish, as if it were done at your local salon.

This at-home polish has a nice range colorwise - and the best colors to test are the dark reds or pale pinks. Why ? Because those are the colors I like best and if the brand sucks, these are the ones that give away any imperfectness if that would be the case. 

Stripes, too translucent or patchy colors are things you don't want your nails to look like. In the picture above {no filters used} you can see the result of just one coating + the additional and required top coat to get a first gel-a-like look. Have to admit it rubs on very easily due to the wide brush and dries relatively quickly. 
They look alright ; today I applied an extra coating and now they really start to look like gel nails.

The only test my nails need to endure is how long they will stay put and look impeccable like this. So, lets meet again in about 2 days time, to post another picture and watch the results of my nail polish and see if the polish stood against the bearing of every day life.

Happy New Year everyone !

just a little message to you and myself