Rocker, Skull Tat

t-shirt: H&M - jeans: Levi's - fake tattoo: Tattoo for a week

Of course I couldn't wait to wear my new Levi's. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who likes to put on ALL of their new stuff on, all at once, after going shopping. The top is new too: H&M often carries vintage style band shirts and since the band Ts you can buy online are usually a lot more expensive, I pounce on that shit. I restrained myself and only bought two: this one (THE WHO!) and a long sleeve Pink Floyd shirt (PINK FLOYD!).

I went all the way with the rock chick vibe and tacked on this AWESOME fake tattoo I picked up over at Tatto For A Week. I know that the design is probably an acquired taste (unlike, say, anything featuring birds or flowers), but I dig it all the way. SO BOLD! And dia de los muertos-style! I'm thinking of creating a proper halfsleeve with fake ink but it's not easy to find the right components. This will probably be part of it though.

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Why I Love Levi's Curve ID

Levi's 510, ICONIC

Yesterday I was invited to come over to the Levi's store in Antwerp for drinks, bites, talks and to pick out my very own pair of Levi's Curve ID. Yeah, sometimes blogging (and everything that goes along with it) can really be awesome!

This is most definitely the biggest cliché ever but yes, I was also once one of those girls who just about gave up on jeans (and pants in general) because I had such a hard time finding the proper fit. This was probably the number one reason I spent most of the past four years wearing dresses and skirts. 

My problem was the muffin top: I have a perky bottom and a bit of a waist, but my hips start high and then they just go straight down, I have none of that gradual curvature most hourglass shaped women seem to have. So if jeans flatter my butt and thigh area, I end up with a big ole' muffin top of back fat spilling out over the top of my jeans. Now, I'm ALL for body diversity, but(t) that was just not a look I felt very confident with.

I only know about this since doing some reading about the Levi's Curve ID collection, but it seems that muffin top is the CLASSIC issue for one of the four main categories of women Levi's Curve ID caters to. I pretty much predicted this beforehand, but I turned out to be a slight curve. 

I found out by getting measured with this cute little contraption that gets tied around your natural waist when you go in for a fitting. The sales assistants takes three different measurements in a matter of seconds, and then tells you what Curve ID you have based on the relative proportions of your waist, hip and butt.

Elien getting measured up in hurr

Literally seconds later, you're told what your Curve ID is and SNAP, you are led towards the styles of denim that will suit your figure best. I can attest for this btw, I just grabbed my waist size and BAM, the first pair I tried on fit me like a glove. 

Of course, it's still possible that your figure sits right in between different Curve IDs, but based on the fit you prefer and the fabric of the jeans you pick (different fabrics have different amounts of "give" or elasticity), you're pretty much guaranteed to find a comfortable, flattering pair of jeans without all of the hassle usualy associated with that search.

Like I said, I turned out to be a slight curve (or even less probably). You might be like me or you might fall into Demi Curve, Bold Curve or even Supreme Curve territory, all based on your waist to hip ratio. Demi Curve women are most evenly proportioned, Bold Curve women have their denim gap at the back if it fits their ass(ets) and Supreme Curve women have a problem with their denim covering all of their butt (plumber's crack).

I personally find it awesome that a major brand injects some tailoring into its marketing rather than having all of us fit into very broad, random sizing categories. Odd sizing is my NUMBER ONE pet peeve when it comes to shopping. Also, proportions celebrate your figure in my opinion rather than shaming you because you are either "too big" or "too small". So YEAY Curve ID!

sneak peek at my new Levi's Slight Curve IDs

While snacking on some delish bites, we shared some smalltalk with the Levi's team who told us that the Antwerp, Kammenstraat Levi's store is the only Levi's store in Belgium that carries all of Levi's lines, so if you're looking for a broad selection this is your place to be.

My favorite part of the store was probably the customizing corner where an awesomely tattooed lady was busy shredding and studding denim. If you want a unique pair, you can drop off your denim and your ideas and have them create it for you while you check out the shop!

I didn't have the time to get this done since I was meeting my guy for sushi straight after (YUM), but I'm toying with some ideas to stud my new denim at home.

OK this has been a long winded post, I'm leaving you with a short tidbit about my personal life.

I am mildly obsessed with Tao energy drinks. I don't even like energy drinks! Just found out these are 100% Belgian and 100% without added sugars so now I love 'em even more.

AND THAT'S IT, peace out! Go get your butts measured!

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Shana

It feels weird to write this. I never thought I'd be writing this, actually. I don't know if it's wrong or exploitative to write this on my blog, since I write about so many things on here, ranging from the utterly superficial to the intimately personal. But my blog helps me remember. It reminds me of what I've been, where I've been, how I've been. I like to read old sections of my blog to take a look at my past. My blog functions as a map of my history to me. Portions of my life are typed out and send off into cyberspace like a time capsule, meant to last forever and be found and revisited in due time. 

If I were to put together a collage of my life, Shana would most definitely be part of it. We met when we were young teens, on a forum online. We instantly bonded over our weird humour, our alternative taste in music and our ability to quote entire Disney movies off the top of our heads. We were bold, flirty, filled with equal amounts of insecurity and youthful arrogance. We shoplifted naughty underwear together, contemplated getting tattoos together, gushed over Kate Moss together, dared each other to jump into a fountain on a hot day together. That evening, we both rode the train home completely soaked to our skin. We shared experiences, food, obsessions and our own language.

I remember sleeping over at her place one time. We slept on a tiny one person mattress on the floor, back to back in our underwear because we were too cool to wear pajamas. Lying still, waiting for sleep to come take us away, we were probably the closest people could ever be while still being completely and utterly separated, stuck in our own minds, never really knowing what we meant to the other person. Your teenage years can be like that. You are as out there as you can possibly be, hoping that you can make people forget about what's going on behind that facade. 

The older we got, the more we talked. Real talk. Talk about life, about politics, about innermost our dreams, insecurities and flaws. About the things that had happened to us, the shit in our past and present that defined us, even though we fought hard not to let that be the case. Sometimes I hardly ever heard from her, but then we would flow into each others' lives again, and within seconds it would feel as if no time had passed at all.

Most of the time I'd be trying to fix her. She always seemed to be at a crossroads, inching towards a possible wrong turn. But somehow she always landed on her feet again, and I like to tell myself that I had a hand in it. Maybe I was just too conventional for her, too safe. Maybe I just never really got her. Can you ever really "get" someone? God knows I tried. 

She always seemed so eager for a connection, baring so much of her soul, opening up so much to people who opened up to her. But somehow, most of her was still unreachable, distant, covered in mysteries. I once told her that mystery was probably her most defining characteristic. She succeeded in simultaneously talk in length about that assertion of mine, and evade it completely. That's who she was to a T: reaching out, striving for a real connection, but never fully succeeding.

I keep writing and I haven't gotten to the point. Shana would have liked that.

Shana died last Sunday. I'm angry at how stupid death is, and filled with regret about the times we still could have, should have shared together. I wanted us both to find our place and share a bit of that happiness with each other. I guess we did, in a way. The last years, both of us had come into our own, slowly but surely. I know she was proud of me. I hope she knew I was proud of her.

Thank you, Shana, for what you brought to my life. You were a beautiful weirdo. I love you.

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Irregular Skirt, Clouds

top: Forever21 - skirt: Sheinside - boots: H&M - sunglasses: ASOS - watch: c/o Swatch - bracelets: Etsy

I took advantage of the last bit of the sales to order some fun printed tops from Forever21. There's still loads of cute stuff up there, so if you're looking, go check it out!

I'm a bit shaken to the core because of some news I just got about an old friend of mine, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I'm not in the mood to write more. Sorry. 

See you guys tomorrow!

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Efteling pt. 2: The Park

Now, without further ado, my day at the Efteling in pictures!

arrival

my sister's awesome nails (and a sandwich I sneakily ate before handing her the last scraps)

The map we were handed upon arrival, and the route we drew in lipstick to mark our must sees.

LOOKIT THAT ARABIA BACK THURR! SO Baudrillard Postmodern!

YUM oliebollen!

Some snapshots of Fata Morgana, a darkride. Do notice how even the entrance areas of each of the attractions are ACES at the Efteling. Truly like walking around in a fairytale.

CREEPY GIANT

The RIDICULOUSLY scary Python, which we did NOT ride. We did ride Joris en de Draak which seemed like not that big a deal while watching others face the terror, safely standing on firm ground, but as we approached the entrance we started to lose our shit. Evidence:

OHNOES

We did survive, but I almost pooped my pants. Now I know why the raven said NEVERMORE. My mom actually rode the rollercoaster btw. That woman is 60! INSANE!

After that megascare, we needed to chillax. A calm walk through the beautiful scenery and a boat ride were the cure for the lasting jitters in our stomachs.

Time 4 some refreshments!  See the resemblance?

And then we got lost in het Sprookjesbos or the Fairy Tale Forest. Seriously, that map was CRAP there, everyone we saw wandering about was cussing and looking for directions. But if you're in a wonderful place like the Efteling, even getting lost is great fun.

This tree was completely animated and telling stories, SO awesome.

The high point of our day was, without a doubt, the Droomvlucht or Dreamflight. I remembered it from my last visit when I was about eight years old. It made a huge impression on me back then so I could not WAIT to visit again. Another dark ride (my favorite!), visiting dreamlike worlds.

Now, show me a little girl who would NOT freaking love all of these mechanical puppets! The Unicorn was my fave, I didn't see it the last time I visited.

Of course this isn't everything we did and saw, but I needed to cut some corners in order not to completely flood you with pictures. My advise: GO to the Efteling! It was chosen as the best amusement park in the world for two years for a reason: TOP NOTCH entertainment for every type of person.

See! Both my mom and me loved it!

Hope you enjoyed my review! Can't wait to visit once more.

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