Life, views & wishes of a Label Queen

Silver or gold? When it comes to Guerlain, I'll take both!

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Hi dolls,

On my last blog I told you all about my shopping spree and showed my new lipstick off. The Rouge de Guerlain 'G' jewel lipstick compact. I also mentioned, that I actually wanted the newer Rouge Automatique in a rather nude shade.

But I was and am very happy with my gorgeous shade of red. I'm wearing it way more often than I had expected. The 21 gala color is great for day, as well as night. I'm especially loving it combined with my red heels and red lingerie.
For the pin up feeling, that is.

However, when I want something, I really want it.

Sooooo I went back for gold!

I guess when it comes to the house of Guerlain, you just can't go for silver alone. You need both. Which is why I spoiled myself with the Rouge Automatique lipstick in 101 Violette De Madame.

Usually I get lured in by the name of a lipstick or nail polish.
I would go for something that sounds attractive to me.
Initially I went to the cosmetic department store to see the shades Bal de mai, Cherry Blossom & Rose Bengale.

It was very crowded and a lot of testers were missing, which is why I grabbed the first nude to catch my glance. It was Violette De Madame. Little did I know, I would be walking out of the store with this shade. I first tried it on my hand and wasn't impressed. All the staff seemed busy, so after a couple of more looks, I left the store. But when I looked at the lipstick shade again, in daylight, I realized this was a perfect shade for me.
Went back, bought it and I've been wearing it all day now.
I love how it feels on my lips and the color is wonderful for those days, when I want to have a more bronze/nude/natural look, instead of vamp-ish and alluring.

Both shades are now living happily ever after in my handbag, so that they can be applied often and make the lips smooth to the kiss and seductive to the eyes. *winks*

Tacky, fun or pure glitz?

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:50:00 +0000

Hi dolls,

It's been a little while again, but I do not intend to become a full time blogger, so I'll be stopping by like its a friends house. This week went by so rapidly.. Time truly flies.

For those who haven't seen it yet, I started a second blog that I'll be attending to a lot, since it's more like a diary. A haircare diary to be precise.
If you want to take a look at it, you can find it here : Rapunzel who? Pocahontas' haircare diary

Here I wanted to share with you guys, my shopping spree with my brother in law.
On thursday july 21th we went to the mall, by his request to go shopping. At first I expected we'd mostly be buying toys for my little niece, but he suddenly clearly stated we'd be shopping for me.

We went to Sephora first, but I couldn't find what I was looking for so ended up buying nothing there. I wanted to sample the Guerlain 'Cherry Blossom' fragrance, but they told me the tester was stolen. But I can not buy a fragrance without smelling it first. Perhaps I'd get lucky at another cosmetics store.

We passed a shoe store & since my brother in law loves fashion (perhaps worries even more about it then I do) we went in. The first pair that caught my eyes, was a glittery, sparkly pair of pumps. I couldn't resist trying them on and just fell in love ♥

My brother in law agreed that they fit me just fine, so bought them for me. I'm sooooo happy with them. If I find a champagne-, or nude dress to finish it off, it'll look perfect. Black might work too.. Depends on the fabric etc. Either way, I was really contented.

Him knowingly though, we weren't finished yet. We passed a pair of red, shiny peep toe pumps which I mentioned looked like a pair of shoes Kourtney Kardashian was wearing in a KUWTK promo picture. I walked passed it, but he took them and said he didn't understand how anyone could walk in a heel like that. Are you kidding? I can run in them. Opting for the challenge, I put them on and walked through the store without any problems. My brother in law was shocked/surprised as the saleslady was as well (such an offense actually, why would you think I can't walk in beautiful shoes?) and I heard them saying I walked in them like it was a pair of sneakers. LOL!

My brother in law bought them and I couldn't wait for my sisters reaction. Not to him buying so much for me, but because she prefers flat shoes and a more demure style. Compared to her, I'm rather bold. Which I'm actually not.

At all.

My brother in law was kind of hungry, since he hadn't dined before we went out the door, so we entered a lunchroom. By accident I sat down against a table that was filthy. Perhaps a child had been messy with it's food? All I know is that my jeans showed white stains. Not cute.
My sister's fiance decided we should head for Miss Sixty next. The store is next to the lunchroom and the closest stop for a new pair of jeans. The saleswoman handed me a dark wash skinny jeans that looked slightly like the Levi's Bold Curve skinny I was already wearing. The only difference was the shade, that was a bit darker and the detail on the front (gold tone zippers). Usually I wouldn't go for a style like this, but when I tried it on, it fit like a glove. My brother in law agreed and bought it for me.
Another bold buy. After that we went to our local Indian store and he bought me some haircare products I wanted to get. I would have preferred buying these myself, but as a Pakistani he wanted to be the one to pay at the Indian store. Well, I don't know much about that quarrel so I accepted it.

I was ready to go home, but my sister's fiance reminded me of the fragrance I wanted to smell. We went to a cosmetics department store that is called 'Douglas'. It's like Sephora, but a bit smaller in range of products they sell. I was a bit bored there, because the store has been looking the same for years now. They never change a thing about it and I missed brands like Too Faced, O.P.I & Benefit.
But then my brother in law's eye got caught on a lipstick.
Yes, a lipstick..

He saw the Rouge de Guerlain 'G' jewel lipstick compact. According to him, it looked like something that could come straight out of a James Bond movie. Typical for a man to look at the packaging of a lipstick, but still feel like it relates to an action movie. I'd seen it before (my mom has the lipstick in a dark red) and was more interested in the new Rouge Automatique, preferably in color Bal de mai. I wasn't in love with the shade, but I adored the packaging. But my sister's fiance stopped me and told me I needed to reconsider the Rouge de Guerlain 'G' jewel lipstick compact in a bold color. He doesn't agree with the amount of nude/peachy/pinkish tones I'm always going for.
He wanted me to opt for a red.

First, I smiled and explained that with my skin tone, a red can easily look tacky and with the fullness of my lips, I might end up looking like some PoutZilla. But then I remembered my bold styled jeans, bold red pumps and went for it. I chose the red shade 'Gala' and he bought it for me.

It is truly a remarkable, beautiful red and (surprisingly) suits me quite well.

I am very contented and spoiled rotten, if you don't mind me saying so, by my brother in law.

Now, I just have to make sure I find something gorgeous to wear with my sparkly golden glitter pumps, something white or black to go with my red peep toe pumps (that aren't pictured yet) and wear my fab new lipstick without feeling too shy.

Enjoy your weekend dolls!

RIP John Galliano (the brand)

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:14:00 +0000

Well, who didn't hear about the John Galliano scandal, see the video of him talking badly about jews, read about Natalie Portman's reaction as the new face of Miss Dior Cherie and had to see his magnificent show after (where he wasn't even present)..? I guess everyone did.

I don't really want to have an opinion about it, but it did shock me to see the video. As I first believed it to be all rumor and lies. But I love John Galliano as a designer. He brought the house of Dior to a whole different level of extraordinaire fashion and style.

My budget wouldn't allow one of those beautiful creations he used to come up with, but I could afford a dress from his John Galliano line. I found a dress in pink with newspaper print, that came in various forms, but I loved the shape of a certain dress. A truly feminine, classic shape. Not too short either. Loved it, bought it..

The picture above is from Halloween, or Harlow-een if you will, 2010. I dressed up as vintage vixen as I possibly could. That was the theme of our family party.

After that I didn't get an opportunity to wear it for a long time. But about 3 weeks ago, my friend was invited to one of her friends birthday party. She didn't know anyone that would be there and was allowed to invite someone, so she asked me. I decided to go with her, but was living from a suitcase, since I was staying over. I hadn't brought any dresses with me, except for the Galliano, because the fabric feels like second skin. I hadn't worn it outside anymore, because I don't want to support anyone that expresses him/herself like John did though.. But feeling like a hypocrite for still wearing it inside the house, I put the dress on. I put a tank top underneath the dress, because I didn't want to be too exposed. The dress shows a lot of cleavage and we were heading for the kind of club you normally wouldn't want to be at all. *giggles*

It took away just a little bit of the 'spice' this dress gives. But mainly felt comfortable.

Actually, I just hadn't thought that anyone would ever approach me about still wearing Galliano at all. Quite frankly, I'd expected not even anyone in my town to know who Galliano was, let alone the scandal. But at the end of the night, right before we left the building, a bouncer came up to me to ask me why I was supporting a designer that was anti-semitic. Before I could realize what he was saying, another bouncer & a clubber started to ask me as well, whether I was against jews, why I'd be wearing something which I'd not fully support etc.

I politely answered that I am against any form of racism, discrimination and humiliation, but that I still loved my dress. No lies.

They kept throwing harsh words and questions at me over how wrong it was, so I just smiled, told them I couldn't make it any different than it was, that I understood what they meant, but that I wasn't going to ditch a pretty dress over the situation. I said pretty, but I thought pretty expensive. For me, this didn't come cheap. So to have a situation like this happening, where you suddenly can't wear it anymore, because the designer disgraced himself, is just sad.

Anyway, I left the club, couldn't stop thinking about it and again haven't worn it ever since. It was a great night with an uncomfortable ending.

I just can't make up my mind on whether it's still fitting to wear it sometimes. I bought it before all the drama, but it does have his name on it and since everyone knows, it seems to be offending to other people. That's why I've buried the dress deep in my closet for now. Just to show a little respect to those John Galliano had offended. Sad though. Such a waste of talent. I hope he'll have a good future either way.

In my book, this brand is no longer a 'do' due to various reasons.

*SMOOCHESSS*

Lanvin ♥ H&M

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:12:00 +0000

And you're thinking 'that's ages ago'. I know. But that's because recently the news broke that Donatella Versace changed her mind about doing a collaboration with H&M and will be doing it this year. All the previous collaborations, I missed either because I had a lack of interest or couldn't get myself to go to the store fighting the masses & missed out on the pieces I'd wanted.

Not so with Lanvin. I actually bought 3 dresses from the collaboration, but had to return 2. I had managed to buy them online, but only one was worth the keep. I didn't like the material on the other ones too much..

I still like it, but don't wear it too often as it feels like fulnerable material. Also, it's too short for my taste. Like with one of the Jane Norman navy dresses I blogged about earlier (with the buttons) I dislike it when it shows so much hip. Anyhow, I have mixed feelings about the Versace collaboration.

Versace is luxuriously attractive, but Donatella announced it's going to be 'rock & roll'. And well, if you've been keeping up, you'll know I don't like any harsh fashion. However, let's not judge before we see the results.. Perhaps I'll fall in love with a piece (or more) at sight!

*Kisses*

On the stairway of the sea wall

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Kinda sounds like a fairy tale, but it isn't. You guys know that Holland is famous for it's 'dykes'. No slang interpretation here please. I seriously mean embankment.

In Flevoland, a region close to Amsterdam (20 minute drive), there is a stairway on to the highway with the water on the other side. It's pretty, but they are still building a lot of houses and of course there are the cars driving by 'upstairs', which makes it difficult to take a walk alongside the waters.

These pics were taken by a friend on the stairway aka 'the safe side'. lol. You wouldn't want to run over just to see the water and get hit by a car. Okay, I did run over pretty quickly, but it seemed so dangerous and illegal (there is no sufficient path on the other side) that I even forgot to snap a picture. Bummer..

I have to add..It felt super romantic to be alongside such beautiful waters, nature & flowers. Tried to capture the moments, but the camera doesn't draw them out as beautiful as it really was. It's a 'go see for yourself' kind of thing, I guess.

So at the top of this bloggie you can see a still, little picture of the sun dawn made by H.H. De Graaf. Found it via Google, but decided to not post the full picture, due to copyright infringement. It's just to give you a look to see how beautiful the other side of this stairway is. They need to make some path there. It's too romantic not to be able to see up close (without risking your life).

*SMOOCH*

Navy dresses and fun in the sun! (p2)

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:31:00 +0000

If any occasion should be needed as an excuse to wear cute outfits, I would like to use Easter as one, this year. I usually do the same thing every year : we have a huge brunch with the family, stay in all day and watch Ben Hur, The Passion of the Christ or some other Christ-related movie.
Lots of fun, truly, but this year, the sun screamed for a change!

Unfortunately my mom had to visit my grandmother (to take care of her), my in laws were on vacay and my halfsister's boyfriend is muslim, so there was no brunch to attend. I could have set one up with my boyfriend, but he isn't into the true spirit of Easter, which is Christ's resurrection, that's why I'd put that idea aside. I was watching the Urbi et Orbi quietly when I realized I couldn't do 'nothing' on such a special and sunny day. My best friend didn't have a brunch as well, that's why we decided to have the ultimate fun in the sun. An Easter picknick. We would go to a flowery field nearby the beach. bring some bread, wine and celebrate. It would be sober, simple and respectful. Amazing plan!

Turned out different though. I couldn't possibly dress in a modest way with weather above 75 degrees! And I didn't feel like sipping on just water either. Plans change in a second...

I decided to wear one of the navy dresses I wrote about (the military style), my bikini underneath, my Christian Louboutin N. Prive slingbacks (the first Loubs I ever got, back in 2007) and I was good to go. I brought some potato chips, nuts, iced tea, a smoothie, premixed Mojito and nailpolish. I didn't have any wine in the house and stores were closed in my area. Such a bummer.

But Saffira, the friend that I was going to have this picknick with, had the chance to pick up some Jillz and premade sandwiches at her local store, which was open. PERFECT!

Above you can see a picture of me during the start of our picknick.

It was the first time I had Jillz, but it was actually kinda nice. Not as gross a beer as I'd expected it to be. I might even buy it again for another beachy day. The sandwiches were an exquisite choice of her as well. There were 5 sorts and of each sort, there were 2 sandwiches. So we got to taste all of them and still not overeat ourselves. I especially loved one with little chocolate pieces! (You see one missing in the following picture, because I ate it...*lol*)

If I look back, we didn't really have a proper Easter celebration, but we did have a great day! And even though I did realize the true meaning and I can't say I honored the day by drinking cocktails in a bathing suit, I haven't been a hypocrite either....

This Easter is one I won't forget soon! Maybe not ever... And I didn't even have 1 chocolate egg!

Navy dresses and fun in the sun! (p1)

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:26:00 +0000

Honestly, I've been having a lot of fun lately wearing navy dresses. Why is that interesting? I have 2 navy dresses, which are a bit different from each other, that I'd bought last year, but couldn't wear till now. It doesn't have to do anything with a change of sizing, but with the weather. Last summer there were a couple of sunny days, but no real heat. And otherwise, it would be unexpected and I would be wearing jeans and blazers, because the day would start off windy.
Now this year is completely different and I LOVE it!
Finally short dresses can be worn, sunbathing is back in my dictionary and 'fun in the sun' my new title for almost every picture I take.

To show the dresses I was talking about, I'm posting 2 pictures where you can see the style and tiny differences. I wouldn't have bought them both if they were equal, so I'll explain what I liked..
On the left you can see I'm wearing this over a jeans, because the weather was a bit tricky. The dress had a very fitted upper part and from the stomache goes into the tulip fit. Usually tulip skirt are something I watch out for, because they can make your hips look massive sometimes. But this one is perfect! Almost body con, but still tulip-ish. I wore this Jane Norman dress with a Levi Bold Curve skinny jeans, white Blink pumps and BVLGARI sunglasses. My bracelet is Thomas Sabo with charms..

Jane norman is my go-to brand when I want something nice for a low price... I'm more likely to buy something there than at H&M or Zara. In the winter, they have great sweaters too and it's always quite feminine. That is a must for me. I just don't feel good. If you run into me, wearing a loose fitted sweater and boy pants, I'm probably depressed. And not even outside, so you couldn't run into me like that. *giggles*

The other dress is more military styled, in my opinion. It is a fitted style again and the same shade of navy, but the buttons give it a different look and you can't dress it down like the first dress. Also, it doesn't really look good with leggings/jeggings or jeans. It should be worn showing of your legs. It's shorter than the first dress I showed, but very flattering if you're curvy...

I don't think I could really pick a favorite. Could you?

TFS's Secret Santa; FAB OR FLOP?

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:47:00 +0000

If you're a member of TFS, the title will be quite clear to you, but if you're not, let me explain.

TFS stands for TheFashionSpot.com

A place online where shop-addicts, professional models, wannabe models, stylists, wannabe stylist, photographers, wannabe photographers and fans of certain cel

ebrities/designers & their styles get together. With 'wannabe' I do not mean they're faking it (till they're making it), but mainly that they're upcoming and not necessarily well known yet.

Lots of bloggers, lots of different thoughts about fashion, weight and life. However, weight talk is hardly allowed. The point is the website brings a lot of people from over the world together to discuss and share their views.

Also, you can't just register. You have to receive an invitation. Just a security issue, to make sure everyone on TFS really brings something to the website. Whether or not every member makes actual changes in fashion is a mystery.

Since a couple of years though, when we're anxiously awaiting the Holidays, there is a thing called 'Secret Santa'. It is hosted by one person, that get

s everyone else a partner. Or like we call it 'an elf'. Everyone that wants to join, gets to put some information public about their personality and wishes. The host of Secret Santa will make 'pairs'. You, as participant, will get an elf that you will have to follow on TFS. You'll have to find out the person's likes, in order to sent the person a proper gift. Everyone HAS an elf and IS an elf. That way everyone should receive a gift from another member. It is quite safe, since you can request a member from another country. The santa, that buys the gift for the elf, should only make him/herself known after the gift is received by the elf. You can include

your name with a card or wait for your elf to confirm delivery and tell him/her online you

were his/her santa.

It is a lot of fun, but unfortunately, since everyone on TFS is allowed to join AND because sometimes things go wrong, not everyone receives a gift...

Utter disappointment of course.

When I joined for the first time, I got my elf a bunch of little cute gifts. Not too expensive, but not effortless either. You can see the gifts on the picture she took after receiving it. Only the christmas ornament is missing in the picture. She had put it in her Christmas tree already.

My elf was really happy with what I'd sent her and it made me very excited for what I would receive from my Santa..... I was a first timer and 17 years old, if I remember correctly, so you can imagine how I was thinking and wondering about it.

My gift never came. When january came to an end, the list of participants was posted so everyone could see who his/her santa had been. I contacted mine and she lived in Holland, like myself, but she had a skin problem and that's why, according to her message, she had not sent me anything. She promised to sent me something that following month, but never did. I was not alone. More participating TFS members had not received something. Some people never logged on to TFS, some never posted a reason, some claimed the postal services had screwed up. I thought of that as hard to believe. Since you'll probably insure a foreign package and then get refunded. From whatever would be refunded, you could send out a new gift, right? I decided to not join for the following years....

But when all the Halloween preparations were being made last year, somewhere between october or november 2010, I bumped into the Secret Santa thread on TFS.

I searched for the topics about the previous years and saw how I had missed out on a lot of fun. I decided to give it another go.

The person who was my Santa, was super quick in sending me gifts. She had read about my first experience and wanted to make this time a happy one for me. She was very successful. You can see the gifts she'd sent me, pictured on the left. A box shaped like a pink cupcake with a flower on top, a pink Chanel nailpolish, a written note with cats on it & a bracelet.

Perfect! I thanked her and thought this year's Secret Santa couldn't have gone better.

My elf was from the UK and I had written an article that paid off well, so I bought her an array of gifts. This time, luxury items were included. For example, I bought some limited edition Holiday make up from a high end brand. One day before I wanted to sent it out (the package was packed and labeled already) I logged on to TFS and then it started;

My elf had contacted the hostess of Secret Santa and decided to not participate any longer. She would not sent her elf a gift due to circumstances, so I had to switch elves and be her elf's santa instead. I was so glad that I hadn't sent it out yet, but my new elf was completely different and also from another country. I thought I'd better buy her some extra stuff to match her personality, instead of just forwarding the package to her.

I added for example 2 books that I'd thought she would like. And soon I sent out the package, well insured. Drama!

She never received the package and postal services gave me such a hard time to proof it. Only after threathening them with lawyers, they finally admitted to have lost the package and would refund me. But the refunding took forever. And not having a full time job made it difficult to buy something new. However when the refund finally came through, I went shopping directly. But when I sent out the package, I got it back after 3 days, due to poor labeling. While I'm writing this, the gifts are placed in a bag that's hanging on my bed. I will now change the theme into 'easter' and sent it out, again, well insured, in a week. I hope this time my elf will receive my gift. But I do know now that some people, that first year when I entered Secret Santa, might have sent out something as well, that just didn't ever arrive. I've seen it myself now..

This story is of course to be continued..... Hopefully with the update that my elf (or easter bunny) has finally received her gift.

Like father, like youngster (ZVZP)

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:46:00 +0000

Autumn 2009 and I get a call;

I am to be thought of as one of 3 others that look a little like Dutch soccer wife 'Yolanthe Cabau - Kasbergen' and we're needed as 'extra's on the show. Well, I don't think I resemble her even a little, but looks like a cute job so I accept.

On set we get more information. The show is relaunched and was popular in the 80s. At that time famous Dutch people would be the actual participants, but in this time of internet and media (you could look up who's who online instead of guessing), random people could participate in the game. The Dutch name of the show is 'Zo vader, zo puberzoon'. It translates to 'Like father, like youngster/teen'.

The game has 1 parent, a mother of father, and four youngsters/teens of which one is the actual son or daughter of the parent. 3 famous Dutch folks get to play it on set; meaning they attend the show and ask questions. They try to figure

out which kid is from the parent. Every time the parent asnwers to one of the questions, the kids hear music so they can't adjust their answer to the parent's. It's up to the 3 players, the audience and people at home to guess who is truly related. At the end of the show all 4 teens explain who they really are.

I got told at the studio that I will be promoting a New York trip in a flight attendants outfit in one episode, and will show myself as video girl in a corrupt cop outfit. The rap video type of girl, who isn't scared of roleplay. Every week there is a surprise guest on the show. On our episodes we had Joris Linssen, who also does a well known programme at the airport and Nicolette van Dam on the other. She also does programmes that involve interviewing random people on the streets.

The other girls were really nice by the way and now I saw they searched for a particular look which was most of all 'exotic'. We practiced the flight attendants part and it went really well. There was a lot of waiting involved, so we took some pictures, that I'm attaching.

Because there were no errors or extra takes, the staff decided to not have us practice the video girl part. I was almost 'thrown' on stage, not knowing what exactly to do. LOL.

I just showed off my outfit and that was it. I'm glad I didn't start dancing or anything, for it would have looked a bit odd. My heels were high in comparison to the other girls (named Shari & Cheimaa) so I tried to look 'shorter'. That wasn't successful. When I saw it on TV, it didn't look too charming standing next to them, but it was a great experience anyway.

The corrupt cop 'Ivana Bribe', that I was playing, was actually sexier dressed. Or 'tackier', if you will. It showed a lot of cleavage, which is why I wore a top underneath. It had a band around the neck, which looked quite X-Rated and the make up artist thought so as well, so she took it off, for me.

In this picture I'm with my friend Saffira that had come along with me to the studio. Even though the other girls were friendly, I was happy that she accompanied me, because we had to wait for hours...

At the end we took pictures with Paul De Leeuw, who is famous in Holland for controversial TV.

Would you re-do your 18th birthday if you could?

noreply@blogger.com (TheLabelQueen) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:16:00 +0000

Looking through my old photos, I found a batch of pictures from my 18th birthday. Nothing went as planned, that is why I remember it particularly well and decided to write something about it.

I was supposed to celebrate it with my late father in the USA, but he got really sick, so there had to be made last minute changes. As logical as the decision was, I also felt disappointed. I guess that happens when you're young and are anxiously awaiting something that certainly won't happen anymore.

My mom had to order a cake that would be ready 24hrs later and I hardly had time left to plan a party.

But when I woke up, there was this cute little Betty Boop cake, which suited me perfectly, since I'm crazy for Betty Boop.

My invited friends seemed a bit let down, because they had higher expectations, but for me, it was a dream coming true. Jessica Rabbit, Betty Boop & Penelope Pitstop are amongst my favorite cartoons. Being quite insecure back then, this was a turning point for me. Honestly, perhaps if this had happened one year before, I might have felt different, but this was my day. I didn't care about their opinions and ate 2 or 3 big pieces of cake. Yummie!

Also important is, my sister, who lived quite far from us, was on her way to me to celebrate my birthday. I have 2 halfsisters from my mom's side and with one of them, I've got a unique situation.

Her name is Saray and she is 7 years older than I am. She is next to me in this picture, both holding gifts we got, at her former house.

I was born on her birthday on june 16th, 1989. She hated it back then, because I'd spoiled her big celebration, but now we love it. Because people can't understand how two halfsisters, that are Gemini's, yet not twins, could be born on the same day. It's a fun fact now.

Of course it was her birthday as well and she managed to include me in her gathering.

There were decorations, flowers and while I hadn't expect it; a lot of gifts. Apparently they had bought me presents in advance, for when I would return to Holland and weren't left empty handed. I remember that very well, because I felt like no one had forgotten me, even though I was supposed to not even be present.

Going to bed that night, I was extremely happy. Not because I was spoiled, but because I felt like I couldn't have had a better 18th birthday. Not even if I'd been living it up on vacation with my late dad. Because I would have missed out on the presence of all my other loved ones. I would never consider, if some fairy would give me the chance, re-doing my 18th birthday. It was perfect. However, I would love to re-live it sometime!

Question for those who might read this; how was your 18th birthday? any special memories or feelings attached to it?