My mum, as some of you might know, has also a blog. [click here to go there] Her blog concentrates around our home and the way it's been styled. She's quite becoming a someone in the scene and when there are 'special events' she naturally can't be left behind. So she, my dad and I went on the road to go places. Home-y places, where they sell stuff out of their backyard (but not in the traditional car boot sale-sense, like, proper shops and everything that just happen to be in their house. So not their backyard. Although they are online. Online is where it's at, apparently).


Me being the 'official photographer' of her blog (and actually someone who just enjoys snooping around someone else's houses and taking the occasional home decor piece with me -without the owners of the house yelling burglar to me), I surely don't want to miss out on these kind of occasions (also: photo opportunity for my own blog. COMMING SOON. Need to think about this baby too, right?). Anyway...


Out of the blue I found a nice piece to play around with in my own home-y settings (aka my messy room. It's becoming worse and worse everyday. I'm actually afraid that I've got a poltergeist or something that's making the mess for me). Normally I'm not really a pink-minded girl (says the girl who wore a pink dress when buying a pink blanket), but yes I bought myself (or actually my parents gifted it to my -thanks mum and dad!) a nice ol' powder pink coloured blanket. The main thing you need to know about this blanket is that IT'S SO SOFT!! Just. So. Soft. And sweet. And amazing. And mine. It's mine!!! mwahahahhahahahahahha!!!


I mainly prefer faded colours above... well, not-faded colours. I'm actually thinking about painting my walls this kind of dark olive grey colour (still need to find the right one, though) and I think it'll go lovely with this ol' pink blanket and all the other stuff I own. So, ya know, clothes and such. Shoes. Bags. The real tastemakers for a good decor. ACTUALLY another something that's new and part of the decor is this Big Ben (that's its actual name. Don't know why. It hasn't got a big clock on it or anything). This bad boy is a record player annex CD player annex radio annex USB player annex recording something thingy idk. I mean, that are a lot of things within this ol' school looking record player. A real piece of history that's taken into the future. Isn't it cool? Well, I think it is. It took me a few buttons to push, but I can -with a slight confident smirk- turn on the record player, the CD player AND the USB player. I've practically become an expert, really.


On our road trip we also came across a charity shop where my dad found a knitting book from 1983. The most amazing patterns are to be found within it and I can't wait to get started on one of them. Although at the moment I'm still busy with all kinds of other things (and -still- nearly finishing three of them. So busy, busy, busy....).

How's your weekend been/going?

Love,
Dominique

In my quest of trying to find a good (and most of all matching) foundation, I've stumbled upon the brand La Prairie.


La Prairie has its roots in 1930's Switzerland with the surgeon Professor Paul Niehans. The Professor pursuaded many to go to his clinic in Clerens-Montreux because of his revolutionary techniques of delaying the effects of ageing. And don't we all want that! 

To put word to -further- practice, in 1978 the associated Laboratoires produced their first products under the name La Prairie. Now I myself was not at all familiair with the name, but the brand has been standing tall for about 35 years with their products. The secret?  The use of 'unconventional' ingredients. Take this foundation for instance. Looks quite ordinary like any other foundation you'll find in the shop. However this one has caviar in it. That's right, I voluntarily smear fish eggs upon my face in the name of beauty.


La Prairie introduced caviar into their products in 1987. And with so doing the brand brought another vision on to the skincare world. They found that marine substances, like caviar, have firming properties (so ya know, the power of keeping it all together). Thus putting fish upon your face can be very rewarding. Who'd thought?


A brand that sells fish-foundations isn't scared to stir the world in any other way. Most brands have a division between the colour variation of their products -say foundation- that they sell per continent/country. Asia for instance mostly gets treated with the lighter colours, whereby we European pale faces are left out. However, La Prairie has decided to sell their whole gradient of colours everywhere. So there's a right chance of you finding a good match. Yay!


The foundation that I've been using is the Dermo Caviar Anti-Cernes with SPF 15. I've chosen for the colour Porcelaine Blush, which is nice and pale (and more pink-based than yellow-based). The stuff itself I've found is very thick and creamy of consistency. However by using just a little you can easily spread it out like butter (a little goes a far way!) which makes it more lightweight on the face. I usually go for a light to medium coverage, but by using the foundation to its full extent you can certainly get a full coverage out of it.

At first my skin had to adapt to my new foundation of choice (as it always has to), but within a week or two we were back in the game. However, I don't know if this is just good service of the store where I bought it or a regular thing, but because of its value you (or at least I could) bring it back to the store and get a refund if your skin isn't as adaptive. Which I thought was a very nice thing of them, but before you decide to purchase it you naturally first need to try it out (ask for a sample! We love some good samples here...).

Love,
Dominique

Other one's words are most inspiring. Yes, you can probably tell yourself that you can't always get what you want, but there's no power behind them unless Mick Jagger utter them. It isn't necessarily that you aren't aware of the wisdom within you, but others often put it more eloquently and are easier to listen to. Especially famous people, somehow, apparently, know their shizz...


On top of that, famous people are very easily quotable. If they've said it or not, isn't always the point. Basically the name says it all. Or most of it at least. When Elvis talks (or talked. sorry.) about rock 'n' roll, you'd hang on the tips of every word he spoke, waiting for all the revelations that he has -had- to share with the world. But if I, miss no one from nowhere who can't even play a single instrument, tries to share her rock 'n' roll wisdoms with the world -not a lot are interested! (I say not a lot instead of no one because in this digital age there must be someone somewhere with an internet connection up for it, right? Call me... I prefer you not to, though. That'd be creepy (and I've got not much to say. So creepy and awkward. Not the best combination for a party)).


The power behind words is something undervalued. I mean, just take this Vogue tee. The word Vogue brings something entirely different into the picture than for example the word dog.

Words absolutely amaze me. Especially when you think about all the different languages and the different meanings behind those words that can be translated back into your own language. Only we all know it isn't all quite te same (or at least, those who understand both languages are aware of the difference between the meaning of a translated word. And just look at the way sentences are made or how they're spoken out. Truly mesmerizing when you think of it. How do we know that a dog is a dog and that the word dog fits to the image we have of a dog, ya know? What is a dog?).

Love,
Dominique

This Saturday I had the honours to go to an exhibition held by Geert Jan Jansen. Geert Jan isn't just any ordinary artist, but a master forger (who also did some time in France. So he's a proper one...). This exhibition was dedicated to some of the forgeries he's made throughout the years and also some of his original works.


The most mesmerizing about Geert Jan is his ability to paint almost anything from anyone. A Rembrandt was plainfully standing there in the company of some Renoirs, de Lempicka, COBRA's and works by Van Dongen. It seems with all easiness he's reincarnated the soul and the allure of these masters' works. The brushstrokes are unbelievable and are in almost no way to be distinguished from those made by the actual masters (as was naturally the goal of them a few years ago).


Geert Jan is by no means what you'd expect from ex-jail clientele. He's nice and very sincere about his work and towards us -the people admiring it. However, he has this sort of atmosphere hanging over himself that's indescribable, almost secretive. He doesn't look you straight into the eyes while he for instance talks to you. Although over excessive staring is naturally no must, quite awkward really.

The way he moves himself around his castle (didn't I mention it was held in his castle. Beautifully static from the outside and nicely lived from the inside), he's very trusted with the environment and at no means sacrative with his work (while they still come with a price tag that'll make you bankrupt), but still there's something wrong. Something out of place. Not right. But what? I couldn't tell ya...
 

I was very lucky that day. My dad (who was also there), Geert Jan and I got talking about his work and we talked a bit about my 'work' and out of the blue he gave me his autobiography (which he has written in prison -he whispered softly to us) AND also signed it for me. Thank you very much!


The way that the exhibition was organized, wasn't really as much in the traditional sense because of all the other paintings that were for instance just standing around on the floor. It was quite messy, but that added to the atmosphere. I very much liked how the painting Ceci n'est pas un pipe originally by René Magritte was casually standing around, while the concept behind that particular painting (the treachery of images) could in some way be one of the more critical points behind the art of forgeries. As goes naturally for Andy Warhols Marilyn's and his mass-produced screenprinting series of it.


I'm always very interested in the way forgeries can make a living on its own and how the view upon the works created by the hand of a certain forger can change over nighttime. So it was naturally an absolute pleasure to meet someone who's works have gone through such a process. Naturally I don't approve of forgeries and it brings a lot of (unseen) damage into the world. However these kind of stories are also very important and can bring an interesting discussion and new views on the table as to what art is and what art is not. Which are naturally questions in the greatest interest of our heritage.


It was nice to see how very grounded and down to earth Geert Jan was. I'm very much looking forward to reading his book and to get to know his side of the story a little bit better. Who knows, maybe I'll learn something and make a drastic career move.... ;)

Love,
Dominique