Two years of growing my hair long

It's been two years since I decided to grow my hair really long. In the first year the progress was really good and I did not have any haircuts. Judging from the photograph I made recently however, the second year clearly shows less hair growth. For some part this can be explained by the haircut I had six months ago, but that only cost me a few centimeters. I don't know why there was less growth this year, since I took care of my hair so well. It's a not a disaster, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Once you've decided you want long hair, things just can't go fast enough I guess. :) I'll have to be patient!

I have made the decision to only use paraben-free and SLS-free hairproducts from now on. It causes less damage to the hair and I have more faith in natural products anyway. All those nasty chemicals really aren't necessary to keep your hair in good condition. As long as you pamper your hair enough with natural hairmasks and oils, you'll have a good chance of having super healthy looking hair. Right now I am using Rainforest Balance shampoo from The Body Shop, which is a gentle but very well cleansing shampoo...just perfect for my oily scalp! But I'm also a big fan of Sabon's hair mask, which has a wonderful smell.

 

The only hairproduct containing SLS that I'm still using is the Jumping Juniper solid shampoo from Lush. I only use it once a week, to thoroughly clean my hair. Sometimes SLS can be good to get rid of any build-up from other products. Plus the shampoo bars are just so easy to bring along when you're travelling!

 Another change in my haircare routine is that I've started to wear my hair up quite frequently. While I do love the sight of my loose hair much better, it can be a nuisance when it's windy, when cycling or while doing anything physical really. It also damages the hair faster. Updo's can look really pretty and it gives you the opportunity to change your look a bit more often, which is always fun. I really like to make my hair look victorian, but with a dark twist. Adding black roses for instance is an instant success. I'll dedicate a topic to such updo's some time soon!

 I'm planning to have a small haircut again next week, since the ends of my hair are getting brittle. I also want to get rid of the layers gradually. And last but not least, I want to have my bangs cut again. I had this done last summer and even though I'm always in doubt about having bangs or no bangs, I really kind of miss them. So, back to bangs it is! Next week I'll post some pictures.

 

Back!

It's been a looooooong time since I last posted anything, but I'm eager to pick up blogging. The last couple of months have been a bit chaotic, mainly because of my studies (graduating, writing on an article, etc..). I have to admit I have neglected my blog entirely, but I've also missed it. In the meantime I did keep track of the blogs that I'm following, but I didn't have the energy to post anything myself. I'm done with my own excuses now....and I should have more time on my hands now that I'm looking for a job. Which is a pain in the ass, by the way. There are hardly any jobs in the cultural department right now and they all require several years of  experience on the workfloor. It's so unfair....but I try to stay positive and reply to any vacancy that could be of interest to me. Meanwhile, I still have very little money to spend. This is frustrating as well, even though it stimulates my creativity. I especially miss going to concerts and travelling.
Last year I wrote that I wanted to abstain from buying any new clothes for an entire year. I can proudly say that I succeeded in my mission! It was even a lot easier than I expected. My boyfriend did give me two t-shirts and a dress, but I allowed myself to accept presents. I never bought anything myself! This gave me a really good impression of the contents of my wardrobe and gradually showed me which items I was really missing. The main conclusion was that I have plenty of interesting things to wear...but very little to pair it with. The basics are missing, like a plain shirt or a vest that I can combine with many different pieces of clothing. Also, I've stopped buyng clothing on impulse. I take my time and think things over before I decide whether I really need something or whether it's worth spending my precious money on. I also learned to be more satisfied with what I have. Yes, I really think it was a good decision and I feel proud that I've managed it. On the other hand, I'm also a bit relieved that I can buy something new occasionally now. I'm just going to be more careful.
I'm thinking of making this blog a little more personal by also including posts on events I've attended, exhibitions I've visited, holiday trips etc. The main focus will still be on 'dark' things (e.g. gothic clothing, alternative make-up, concerts, places to visit that have a dark atmosphere), but they will be interchanged with posts on different topics.
I'm also still working on the lay-out of the page, but I'm not very experienced so things are altering slowly. I like the white background better than the black one I had before because it makes the text a bit easier to distinguish.
So much for this boring update! :) Thanks for sticking with me!

Red & Black outfit nr.6

I have my doubts about the clothes that I wore today because it kind of looks like a teenage outfit...nothing wrong with that, except I'm 28! Perhaps I should have picked a plain black skirt instead. Hmmm...mistakes happen I guess. :) I'm curious to hear your opinions!

- T-shirt: no idea what brand, but it only cost me 10 euros! I love owls...evil ones included, haha.
- Skirt: C&A
- Tights: don't remember...
- Shoes: Fidji
- Silver bracelet: bought somehwere in a tiny shop in Amsterdam

 

Thanks a lot VictorianKitty, for inventing the Red & Black week! It was lots of fun and I discovered many interesting blogs because of participating. I hope there will be more initiatives like this in the future!

Red & Black outfit nr.5

Today I was supposed to go to the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie with my boyfriend, but he felt rather sick so we decided to stay home. Quite a disappointment for the both of us, but the movie can wait... I did dress up in Pirates-inspired attire this morning though, while at the same time honoring the Red & Black Week. We managed to take some pictures outside:

- Red shirt with anchor and roses print: Rock Steady
- Skirt: Vive Maira
- Boots: Dr.Martens
- Red scarf: bought in Morocco a few months ago (it's actually a turban!)
- Jacket: H&M
- Nails: red nail polish from Hema

Red & Black outfit nr.4

Participating in the Red&Black Week made me realize that I really don't have many red things in my closet. Oh well, I managed to find something and put together an outfit anyway... Nothing special, but it feels good enough for a day spent mostly at home. I do have to put on some red lipstick though, judging from this unflattering picture! :)

- T-shirt: bought it at a The Cure concert (that event was a dream come true!)
- Skirt: Didi (a gift from my mom)
- Belt: Poizen Industries
- Lace leggings: V&D
- Shoes: Fidji
- Bracelets: no idea

Red & Black outfit nr.3 (festival outfit)

Not having much time today, this will be a short post! This picture was taken at the Summer Darkness festival in Utrecht (the Netherlands) last year, where I wore a black and red outfit:

Corset: Burleska
Petticoat: unknown (bought it at the festival a couple of years earlier)
Shrug: Succubus Clothing
Cameo necklace: made by myself
Black beaded bracelet: Bijjoux Brigitte 

Red & Black outfit nr.2

 

This is another outfit for Sophistique's Red & Black Week that I wore last week. It was a great opportunity for me to wear my new red shoes! Since I have a really unconvenient shoe size (EU 43/ UK9/ US11) it took me ages to find shoes in this color. I was actually looking for a darker shade of red, but settled for these ones in the end.

Top: Queen of Darkness

Skirt: made it myself (from a really simple pattern, with an elastic waistband)

Lipstick: Catrice Ultimate Colour  170 After Work Wine. I bought this lipstick after I saw how great it looked on a friend. It's a bit too dark for me to wear it daily, but great when going out. 

Lace trimmed leggings: V&D

Necklace: Alchemy Gothic 'Sacred Heart pendant'

Red & Black outfit nr.1

Today Sophistique Noir's 'Red & Black Week' has started and I'd like to contribute with an outfit post. Since I had to be at work today and wear a light blue / white uniform, there was not a chance for me to dress up nicely or even remotely 'dark'.  Therefore I took pictures of an outfit that I wore last week.
Red and black is actually my favorite color combination, so I had a great time looking for a nice combination of clothing and accessories. Here is what I came up with... A comfortable outfit with attitude, at least that's how it felt to me!

- Red t-shirt: H&M
- Skirt: C&A
- Belt: Poizen Industries
- Dr. Martens with red roses
- Necklace: made by my boyfriend's mom from an old zipper (She even makes steampunk jewelry, how cool is that?!)
- Silver bracelet with black onyx: bought somewhere in Amsterdam

And for something totally different: all red and black lovers should really see the movie 'Sleepy Hollow' by Tim Burton. (Though I expect many of you already have...) Throughout the movie, red and black keep appearing as leading colors.

Long hair video

It's been oh so quite on my blog lately... But I have to say it's a good sign! My thesis is coming along and soon I'll be finished at last. Which means I'll have a lot more time to update my blog and even make some positive changes to the lay-out. I have many plans for improvement! Also, I will have more time to spend on my sewing projects.
I won't be updating my blog for a while until I've graduated, but from June 5-10 I'll post my daily outfits since I'm participating in the Red & Black Week of Sophistique Noir. A great initiative!
For now, I have a short video to post which shows the length of my hair....still growing until I reach waist length! Another movie will be added a year from now, so one can clearly see the difference. I might also have a trim and a dye-job soon (adding black streaks), so this is a nice caption of the state of my hair at the moment:

Absence

I haven't been updating my blog for a couple of weeks now, which I really regret. It's a necessity however now that I'm working on finishing my MA thesis. There's still lots of work to do and so little time... I'm still reading  blogs though and enjoying it immensely! More frequent updates will follow in Summer.
Today I got a present from my boyfriend that I didn't want to withold: I saw a beautiful satin dress at one of the 'Koninginnedag' (celebration of the Queen's birthday in the Netherlands) stalls of a gothic/alternative shop that I  visit fruequently.  Its original price was 80 euros, but now they sold it for 10 euros only! Thanks to my boyfriend I am now the owner of a wonderfully versatile dress... Although it's from one of the 'main' gothic fashion labels in the Netherlands ('Laughing Vampire'), it could pass for an ordinary cocktail dress as well. It's perfect for a family dinner during Christmas, but would look wonderful to a gothic/fantasy festival as well when combined with the right accessories. The dress is a bit tight, but I'm working on losing some weight anyway (already lost 3 kilos!). Here's a quick picture: