Princess in the woods: Don't save me!

Princess in the woods: don't save me!
Or how to abjure your own boring reality and substitute it for a more fancy and simple at the same time.

I sometimes like to think of myself as a princess that got lost from her original (royal!!) family and now tries to live up to her natural-born-with standards. However, it's obvious that being as lazy as I am is another thing to consider, therefore not having to bundle up in jewelry and high heels sometimes seems an oasis of happiness. This is why, when I picked this stunning evening gown from Edressy, I instantly knew how I'd pose in it.
The dress is a perfect blend of long, ravishing silk, perfectly crafted cleavage and a lovely assortment of sequins and pearls. The diamond shaped cut in the back is so refined, yet extremely sexy(smokin').

Until the next time, go get yourself lost in the wild with a beautiful dress and no shoes. See how it feels!

Digital Divas Ambassadeur

Or actually Ambassador, but I like to give myself more posh-ness with some French name.

But yes, I am a Digital Divas Amabassador and I am now going to tell you what exactly this lovely event is about and why my keen interest in it.

Experience

The speakers will show you how your passion for blogging could be a real job.

Networking

A great opportunity to network with well-known fashion and beauty bloggers and celebrities.

Prizes

Every participant will receive a goodie bag with beauty products and cosmetics.

And not to mention all of the speakers!!! My personal favorites are certainly Ana Maria Morodan, Oana Pellea, Bogdan Th. Olteanu and Ovidiu Buta. Others speakers are the Fabulous Muses, Cristian Lupsa, Dana Paun, Mirela Bucoviceanu and Catalin Opritescu of Lightaholic.
Besides this, you might want to know more about Yvan Rodic (about whom I'll talk more in a future post) and about the fact that you are all invited to cast your vote in the People's Choice Awards (how exciting is that?).

You have to go here and vote for your personal favourites! My personal favourite is probably Add some style by Irina Sandu.

Until the next post, don't forget to request your invite over at the Digital Divas website!

Bande a Part

Hello, lovely birds! How have you been during this lovely Spring weather? Have you been travelling or relaxing yourselves as you should? Or are you planning your future trips as we speak? If so, I have the destination for you!

I was tellin you a while back (here) about how amazing Craiova is and the many places I saw during my stay there. After spending a whole week in Le boulevard, my dearest Catalina showed me a little piece of Heaven called Bande a Part *heart,heart,heart*. As you can see, it's the fashionista paradise, with walls filled with fashion in it's greatest form: the magazine.

What do I love so much about it? 

(In case you are still wondering)

I have to say that I love, most of all, the atmosphere. I saw a lot of boheme people, smoking their cigarettes and cigars while talking about arts (yes, I eavesdropped, oupsy), a couple of actors and models and even one famous photographer (Catalina told me he was and I believe her. I cannot, by all means, remember his name!).
I also adored the decor. Everything was white, "sprinkled" with vintage items, such as an old phone and wooden white chairs. La pie de resistance was, of course, the wall filled with magazines. I recognised some of the latest issues of Haarper's Bazaar, but also retro Vogue numbers.
Another thing I fell for? (There are countless anyway, no need for numbering) The alcohol tea! I drank Irish Tea for the first time in my life. It was no surprise I loved it, as I also adore Irish Coffee so much. But yes, tea just got into a whole new dimension of awesomness for me!

Le Boulevard

I told you I had tons of content from Craiova! But did you believe me? No? Yes?

Well here is the second post, this time featuring one of my now favorite spots to hang out in Craiova. I discovered it while in desperate need for a coffee in a lovely place and let me tell you, this pretty much sums it up. We entered the place very tired after the journey to the Olympiad and went out fresher than ever. Not only thanks to the great tea, that is.

What I love most about it is the decor,filled with a very girly, Belle Epoque and... girly air. The colors are really light and warm, consisting mostly out of nuances of green and beige. An unique aspect is brought to you by the chairs: there aren't 2 chairs alike: they are all different, in aproximately the same style, but mostly out of different materials. A cabinet filled with photo frames and a cabinet adorned with candle sticks and some more photo frames gives the place a cosy, home-y feeling and the glass case filled with sweets is simply mouthwatering(!!!). Also, half of the restaurant is placed above ground, with a wall made of glass, facing the street, exactly like a French cafe.

I am seriously planning of revisiting it as soon as I get back to Craiova and in case you get there before I get the chance to try some more delicious things, try the pizza with fries (do no ew me, it's quite delicious if you do give it a try!!), the Irish coffee and the Tiramisu (you're getting it served in tall glasses).

Until next time, stay fabulous!

One handsome pooch

My dear darlings, it's been a while since I last posted. And I truly apologize for that. However, I'm here to make it up to you by showing one of the most personal posts I have to offer. Ever. This is my best-friend, my companion for almost 13 years and my little angel: Oli. Not to be too sappy or cuddly, I have to say that this little creature has been here for worse and for better, much more than a spouse would.

I always wanted a puppy, like any kid back then, so when a coworker of my mom announced her dog had given birth to 4 adorable white little doggies, I somehow managed to convince my mom to get this little piece of fluff for me. I was entering 1st grade and as I'm approaching my high school graduation, I have to say that she has been the sister I never wanted my mom to give me. All the fun and smooshiness without the extra care.

She's also one heck of a beauty and a lady. She never bites, she barks like a mad man when she doesn't like something and she acts like a true queen. Not a princess, a queen. She's also wearing make-up. No, don't think of me as a complete nut job, just take a look at her perfectly contoured eyes and her lovely pink muzzle.

All in all, she's been my companion for so much time now, I believe it was time for someone to give her some credit. After all, a dog is a man's best friend.

Some Gentlemen and their sons

Some Gentlemen and Their Sons... Or the story of an unplanned outfit. You might also learn to remember it as the tale of how you should never pack light.

So how does the telling go? Well, this Friday, I arrived in Bucharest to spend some quality time with Prince Charming and relax a little bit. We were planning to go to some museums but, thanks to me forgetting my ID home and bad weather, we ended up in a calm and retro pub in the Old Center of Bucharest, called, as the title suggests: "Some Gentlemen and Their Sons". The place is very nice, it has reasonable prices and I suggest you pay them a visit in case you take a stroll through the capital of Ro.

But the tale's moral wasn't this, but the fact that if it weren't for my hoarding-like packing, I would have been obliged by the situation to either go out in a skirt and heels or face the world in my sweats. Because, yes, it was raining! So from now on, in case you are not required by law (there would be ways around that too), never pack light!

A modern fairytale

Let me tell you a story. A story about how "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and how each and every little thing can become not only a piece of art, but a variety of pieces of art.

Now continuing...

I never agreed with my mother's taste in fashion (maybe only in her twenties, when she would create herself some lovely outfits), especially now that she no longer embraces her femininity and goes for elderly looks, and especially with the clothes she buys for me. However, as soon as she buys a new piece, I somehow manage to either borrow it from her or steal it (or how I call it :"borrowing without a deadline"). I am not quite sure why I do this, but it's somehow thrilling to see my fascination and need to mix and match these items even more than anything I buy for myself.

The same thing happened last week, when my mother arrived home with this dress and a cardigan: they were a set. The cardigan is cute, but the dress seemed too bland... I might even say monotone. But this was even more of a challenge: it wasn't your average basic piece, but it was a great piece all together. My mind was filled with ideas on how to mix and match it so I took the opportunity of creating the perfect outfit inspired by city streets.

So what does this outfit say? It says everything about layering, about being feminine with an edge and about proving the impossible: dresses go well with pants. For me, this was a great alternative for letting my feet freeze in the weird weather that's currently residing in Giurgiu.

Now, stay tuned for part 2 of my challenge of mixing and matching my mom's green basic dress.

How to feel good: A lady's guide

Hello, my darlings! It's been two days since I showed you how I created my first batch of perfect Vanilla Meringues and I do hope some of you tried it and were as delighted as I was. Now, I'm enjoying myself by writing this post, checking some online reading and then I'm off to get up to date with my real-life reading. All while indulging in a big glass of wine ( you know the one Jules has in Cougar Town ?) and wearing my favorite pair of heels, which are, coincidentally, the same ones I am wearing in this post. Why am I telling you what I'm wearing and doing right now? It's because it's one of the things I find pleasure in: dressing up while I'm in the house and pretending to be a countess ( blame my favorite dark countess, Ana Morodan, for this). I think it's every little girl's wish to be a princess, we just develop on the way. So is this different from dressing up with a tiara? So here are my pieces of advice to you...

Vanilla Meringues

It's been a while since I last baked anything, so today I got the courage to try a new recipe I'd been eying for some time: vanilla meringues. I didn't want to spend the whole day working on a Michelangelo-level dessert, so I gathered these ingredients that are, usually, in everyone's home and started mixing.

Why I even thought of making these, besides the fact that they are easy to make? Well, they're very light. They're soft and kind of innocent. They're also pretty hard on the outside and very soft and marshmallow-y on the inside. Didn't I say that yet: perfect!

I'd love if you gave me some feedback in case you decide to try them!

Current obsession: The Wedge Trainer

Not a day passes by without me surfing the internet and falling in love, repeatedly, with all sorts of items. I've adored some types of jewelry, some types of makeup. Some have passed and some are still some of my fondest passions. This time, I fell in love with the so-discussed wedge trainer. I've seen the first pair a month or so ago, and it's stuck with me ever since.

The thing I love most about them is the fact that they're so cute and they're perfect for people with, let's say, not so lean legs, and for those who have lean legs all together. They make the old sports shoe very feminine and they do come in all sorts of amazing color combos.

One of my favorite ones is the CHLOE from above, mostly because of its color and high top! I have a thing for pastels, something that usually pops up as soon as I feel the first signs of spring, so I guess these were meant to become, among the next ones, my favorites!

Simona Semen Pre-fall 2013

Every time I check my e-mail in the afternoon, I find a newsletter from my favorite shop, some news from another and occasionally, a new collection brought up from some of the best designers. I adore surfing their look books, imagining how I would wear and pair them. This morning, one of these not so rare events happened: I got a little announcement about Simona Semen's first Pre-fall collection. Since many of you know how much I love her creations ( you can see last year's fall collection here), this one came just perfectly, as it is one of my favorite so far!

I adored ( and currently adore) the peplum trend, but Simona's creations are as structured as they are fluid and romantic. They are made with carefully controlled volume, textured insertions and extremely interesting fabric mix and matching. The patterns she used are so urban chic and also luxurious.

My favorite piece so far is the blouse/skirt. I love how the lower part of the top is a little bit peplum-like, but the many layers make it look like a flower in spring. I cannot wait to see it in her online store! Maybe it will be my first designer investment!

Pink-spiration

Good morning, lovely birds!
Today is one of those boring days that start boring and during which you hope with all of your soul that something will happen to change that general mental state. This is why I decided to take a different view on life today (actually took the photos yesterday) and wear pink. It might seem like an overdose of color with a pink blazer and a pink sweater and a pink necklace and pink shoes, but it surely brightens up the cloudy background.

In another idea, this post is also inspired by a collaboration with two other Romanian bloggers, from Coshuletzul Colorath, a manichure blog, and Valentina Bucur, a beauty blog. They each created something inspired, aka a make-up and a manichure, so feel free to get some of your pink-spiration from them too.

Don't forget to check the giveaway in my last post!

Stay fabulous!

Win a new glam dress for your Iphone

Hello, my lovely humming birds! It seems like it's time for a new giveaway, kindly offered by the beautiful people of Freckles and Gilbert. But before I tell you what exactly the contest is about, let me say a little bit more about a company with such a cute name.

Each and every one of us enjoys dressing up in a new skirt or adding some lovely earrings to a blouse that has been recently purchased, but every now and then, we also feel the need to dress our gadgets in some new pieces. And here, Freckles and Gilbert steps in to offer the solution: matching "clothing" for your gadgets so you can travel in style. This way, you can coordinate your Ipad, Kindle, Laptop and Iphone whenever you need to carry them outside the house! Also, don't forget they create their one-of-a-kind fabrics themselves!

We have a passion for design and have lovingly created each of our pretty fabrics with current trends in mind. Each design was originally hand drawn before being edited on the computer and applied digitally to the fabric. The beauty of designing our own fabrics is that we can bring out new designs through out the year, enabling you to change your gadgets look as and when you desire.

And here's the fun part: two of my lovely readers will be chosen through random.org to get, each, one of the cute Iphone covers that you can see below! The covers fit Iphone 4, 4S and 5 :)

So here are the rules for the giveaway!
1. Follow The Shoe Pendant on Facebook . (here)
2. Follow Freckles and Gilbert on Facebook . (here)
3. Comment on this post with your e-mail and the name you used to follow the above links!

For an extra entry, simply tweet the following :
Dress your iPhone over at @shoependant with @frecklesandgilbert giveaway #dressyourgadgets
Please add a second comment if you tweet :D

Giveaway ends 4th of March 2013 :)

Good luck, lovelies! And have a fabulous week!

This is panda

Fashion is the gift that keeps on giving. Even if it's not the reason I started showcasing my style, it's still one of the many perks of being a blogger: getting appreciation. This time, however, appreciation came through the way of an amazing E.thula tee and a very cute panda cap from Spoiled Brat. It might seem odd to mix the two, but sincerely, it's been a very hard task to mix the panda cap, whilst the tee whose is an extremely versatile item. This is why I thought the two of them would make a great combo. Add a leather blazer and some winter boots and you're done for the day. I couldn't believe how comfy this felt and how confident the cap made me feel.

Moreover, one might ask why I chose such a weird background for taking my pictures. Well, these days, light isn't as popular as one might think, so when the sun peeked a little bit from behind the clouds, I simply had to take the chance of shooting some pics. And that happened exactly as I was getting home. And that is how I got to pose in such an unusual scenery.

Happy V-day for tomorrow and see you soon!

How to dress for V-day

Kitsch or romantic, commercial or intimate, however you see Valentine's Day, there is only one thing we all know for sure: you have to look good for the occasion (as for any other day for that matter). If you're single, you might be going on a date and you want to look sharp or you may as well go out with your girlfriends for a night on the town. On the other hand, if you're in a relationship, he's probably going to take you out on a romantic date, so you have to fancy yourself up a little bit. In the end, you're going to look amazing anyway: It's the celebration of love!

And talking about love, this time the love for clothes, I believe that dressing up (and down) is always personality-related and, as I see it, personality is a little bit attached to your Zodiac Sign. So why don't you give your planet some credit and listen to its pieces of advice?

Your average day

Sometimes, it rains. Sometimes, it rains a lot. Sometimes, this happens in my little town, thus making me completely unable to shoot any kind of outdoor photo (for days). Today, however, I received a lovely gift from Prince Charming, a new camera lens, and I simply had to test it. I'm sure I'm not even close to understanding how it really works, but I thought that my today outfit, which is something I usually go to when going to school,was good enough to honor the new tech acquisition.

I really hope the sun is going to lighten us up with its presence (see what I did there?) and I'm going to be able to shoot some of the outfits that have been wandering around my mind for weeks now!

Stay fabulous and see you soon =)

Almost over

Walking around the school yard where it all started gave me a lot of things to think of. As I went there yesterday, with my mind set on taking some outfit shots with a different background, it all hit me: I started school here 12 years ago and I'm now almost taking my so dreaded final exams and walking away forever. Sure, it might not be the same school as the highschool I'm studying at now, but I can't get my mind off what I've been through for the past decade and something. Remembering my first day here, when I showed up with ponytails and holding my mother's hand, and seeing myself today, wearing plum lipstick and fur, made me realize how much I've come and how different I am now.

And it makes me think: how soon will I be saying this about university?

Flore's Giveaway: The winners

My dearest darlings, after a very long wait, here we are with the winners of the giveaway I've held over the past 2 months! I want to thank Florentina again for the lovely sponsorhip and wish her the best of luck with her amazing shop!
Click See more for the winners!

Beautiful Dangerous

Light and dark, dancing in a multitude of shades and on a different array of textures: cotton, jean and leather. This is why I am now in love with black and white pictures, with the message they transmit and how they easily embrace rock music. And since we're talking about music, I've found the perfect opportunity to present you with my plans for the 5th of February: Slash's concert in Bucharest. Since he's been Prince Charming's childhood idol, I thought this would be the perfect gift, so we're going together. (You can also see all the adds on the blog on the same theme =) ).
More about the music: although it might be a little different than his usual, my favorite piece is Beautiful Dangerous, featuring Fergie. Sadly enough, this won't be in the concert, but we're going to enjoy Sweet Child O'mine or You're a lie .
Enthusiasm overwhelming and all equals all day fidgeting and counting down the days (6)!!

Heartsy Cake Pops

Little or no posts, no Facebook activity and certainly no outfit posts. I am so sorry for this, but it's been my birthday (week) and therefore I had a lot of party planning and outfit shopping to do, not to mention starting school and having a ton of projects on my head. The "Apocalypse" (aka my finals) are too close and it's becoming quite crowded over here. I will still try and keep up with what I started this January and hopefully I'll see you too, more and merrier, when I'll finish my exams, with the same enthusiasm or even more.
Until then, I'll leave you with my little one on one cake pops and champagne celebration!

PS: They're red velvet cake pops, since this is my current baking obsession :)