WHILE IN MONSTER

Go to the beach.

Hi, long time no see! Yes, i had been taking some time off blogging. Now I’m back! Well rested, more inspired. I also post (very nice) photos everyday on my Instagram 😉 Feel free to follow me if you’d like to!

Last weekend we celebrated the birthday of Wolf (our nephew), Masja (Bob’s sister), and Jan Jaap (Bob’s dad). We all gathered at a nice beach side restaurant in Monster (yes, it is the name of the city!).

Processed with VSCO with j5 preset — Father and son

When you go to the beach but wearing swimsuit is not an option because the weather is freezing cold and of course, windy. The sky was blue though, so I’m not complaining.

THE COAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MANGO
THE SWEATER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H&M
THE DENIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WEEKDAYS
THE SCARF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LUSH (VINTAGE)

Processed with VSCO with j5 preset

Processed with VSCO with a8 preset — What I had: fish plate with salad and fries and sweet white wine

Processed with VSCO with a9 preset — Glorious.

It was indeed a really nice day together with the family!

See you next post,

WHERE TO GO: BABASSU DEN HAAG

If you ask me to name one shop in Den Haag, that I would enjoy staying as long as possible, it would be Babassu. Located in the the centre of the city, Babassu offers a sweet escape for anyone who loves a dreamy world (at least that’s what I am.. 😉 ) Whether you desire an effective and relaxing spa treatment, are looking for an exquisite perfume, or a special gift which you will never find anywhere else, you are in for a treat!

I myself used to shop at Babassu online before they opened their store here in Den Haag for beauty brands like Becca, By Terry, and Oribe as I can’t find them anywhere else here in Holland. So when I heard they are now open in Den Haag, I just had to check it out. And it only gets better, once you enter the shop you will feel like you are entering a completely different world. They offer you something different than the other commercial beauty shops out there. It is an experience on itself!

If you are not aware of niche beauty brands, especially perfume, you should come here and see yourself how beautiful they are! Beautiful and unique packagings, exquisite scents that takes you to a completely different world, and of course all of them tells each own’s story.

The store staff Denise, she loves to tell you the stories behind each perfume. I myself fell in love with Memo Paris, a fragrance house founded by John and Clara Molloy in 2007. The pair met on a chair lift and decided to set off on a journey together. Each perfume they created contains memories from each places they’ve visited, hence the name MEMO (from memory). I am, honestly, so impressed by the quality of this perfume brand, you can smell the fragrance so clearly since the first spray instead of those “alcoholic” smell, and the staying power is amazing.

PS: I’m surely getting my hands on the French Leather this week!

They also carry Penhaligon’s perfumes. Remember my Ellenisia post? It’a an amazing scent for spring season! I also like Iris Prima, as it reminds me somehow of my childhood when I was still a ballerina 😉

You can also find a lot of different options for beautiful and unique gifts. Tea from Ladurée, scented candles from Cire Trudon or incense from Astier de Villate, or the very exclusive cologne and potpourri from Acqua di Colonia.

And if you are a fan of Molton Brown like I am, I promise you will be pleased here.

I am currently loving hand cremes from Benamor, a Portuguese brand that were based on natural ingredients and packaged in adorable art deco tubes that are so irresistible! My favourite ones are Rose Amelie and Jacaranda.

If you are looking for something unisex and minimalistic, you will be loving the vast options Laboratorio Olfattivo have in store!

Now let’s head to the cosmetics section which are so tempting!

And my favourite hair styling brand Oribe! I’m planning to get my hands on their Signature shampoo and conditioner after I finish with my Bumble and Bumble.

Upstairs is the spa treatment area. It is completely tranquil and allows you to feel fully pampered. There are different brands you can choose for your treatment, including Natura Bisse, Perricone MD, Dermalogica, Tata Harper, and Omorovicza. Beside facial treatments, Babassu also offers other common treatments such as manicure and pedicure, make up, waxing and IPL, etc. Check out their website for seeing all of their options.

One nice thing about the location of Babassu is that you can park your bike directly near the shop, so you can feel at ease coming for a treatment with no makeup on, directly to the shop and no need to walk through sea of people. Each one of us surely has one of those days, right 😉

That’s it for my another Where to Go series! I am so excited to tell you about places that I genuinely love here in Den Haag. I am that kind of girl who always comes back to my favourite places and never gets tired of it :)) I myself will go back to Babassu some time this week to get my hands on Memo Paris’s French Leather! Oh God I can’t wait….

Babassu Den Haag
Dagelijkse Groenmarkt 30
2513 AL Den Haag
070 360 8965

PS: They also have stores in Amsterdam, Leiden, and Wassenaar!

See you again on next post,
xxHegia

WHERE TO GO: HUG THE TEA DEN HAAG

Are you an avid green tea lover like I am? There is a perfect tea bar that you need to check out when you are in Den Haag (or The Hague in English). Located in a perfect little corner of Oude Molstraat and Nobelstraat, this tea bar has taken its specialty in serving only organic, premium quality matcha (powdered green tea leaves) products, directly from the Japanese tea farmers.

Claire & Lisa, the ‘Blending Tea Sisters’ created HUG THE TEA in 2015. You know, I really admire when young people like them create something and chase after their passion, it makes me feel so inspired and motivated! 😀

Claire does her matcha mixing routine with a smile 🙂

I went there twice, first time I was there I met Lisa, and the second time Claire was there. They warmly welcomed my friend and me, we also had a nice little chat, and of course, the matcha latte was perfect!

They also serve some matcha-made sweets, such as cake, biscuits, chocolate, and macaroons! They make a perfect match for the slightly bitter taste of matcha. Do you know that Japanese green tea is not only delightful, but do also have many different health benefits? Drinking green tea everyday helps to keep a healthy body and mind, since it is rich in antioxidants, catechins (EGCg), thein, theanine and vitamin C. It makes a perfect substitute for coffee, since it helps to make you feel that mind alertness but in more stable way ( you know what I mean, when the effect of the coffee starts to “wear off”…)

Despite a small space it has, you can always find a seat around the windows. I find it so nice, to drink your green tea while looking outside 🙂

The price is fair, you pay for the quality. A cup of matcha latte + a snack would cost you around 5-7 euros. You can also buy various types of organic premium green tea leaves here. They have a lot of exciting options!

And different kinds of tea accessories. They are so nicely displayed and I felt like I want to buy everything! :))) (Especially those adorable tea cans….)

They also hold Matcha Tea Tasting event every the end of the month. You can sign up on its Facebook event to participate and fulfil your passion for green tea! 😀

I personally am so happy to discover this place, since matcha is still very little known in European society. I’ve been craving for it for such a long time and now I know where to go. So thank you Claire and Lisa for creating such a beautiful place! Hope to come again soon and taste another green tea next time. There is still so much to discover 🙂

Hope you enjoy this post, I will start posting more about hidden gems in Den Haag since i love this city so much. Stay tune lovelies and see you soon :*
xxHegia

Winter in Paris| Part. 3: The End

Here we arrive at the last part of my Winter in Paris series! I apologise that it took me awhile, but here it is!

On that day we went to The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, or known as Sacré-Coeur. It was located up the hill with an amazing view of the city.

On that day I wore the baby blue coat from River Island, Skirt from H&M, Rebecca Minkoff bag, and of course, my babushka scarf 😀

And since I was craving so much for snails, aka escargot, we ended that day with having dinner at a specialty restaurant which has been well-known as the best place to eat escargot: L’Escargot Montorgueil.

You are welcome.

I stuffed my tummy in that night with 24 big snails. Soooooooo gooooooodddd…….. The truffle sauce and classic sauce……were on point. Speechless. If you are going to Paris and looking for an excellent place to eat escargot, there you go.

Anyway!

That is a wrap! Thank you so much for following my Winter in Paris series, I hope you enjoy it even though I know I might not have given you any super useful information other than flooding you screen with my vain photos :))) Shortly I want to express how I enjoyed Paris so much. The atmosphere, the people, the streets, the buildings, the food.. so good. We’ll come visit you again at some other time, Paris!

xxx

Hegia

Winter in Paris | Part.2: A life-changing experience

That day (20 December 2016) officially marked a good one year of our marriage! That’s why we decided to go to the tower which has been featured in too many love songs.

Who says that you can not wear your summer dress in winter time? Just layer it on top of any basic warm piece (in here I wore a basic white turtle neck), and there you’ve got a cute but warm outfit that is winter appropriate! And don’t forget your hero piece aka. coat, that will put your look together. And oh.. how I love red! I found this red coat at Bershka at a very affordable price. Such a steal for the look!

And don’t forget to add a bit of sparks with the accessories! I am not jewellery savvy, since I am too lazy to take 10 bracelets and rings on in the morning, and take all of them off at night. :p A little touch of gold is enough for me!

I have to say that it was the first time for me to visit Eiffel Tower. And climbed. Yes, we climbed up the stairs, not by elevator. Because why not 😀

Happy first anniversary to us!

Later that day we walked down Champs-Élysées which was lit so beautifully. Went to Ladurée for some pretty macaroons and had our anniversary dinner at Maison de l’Alsace, where I finally had a life-changing experience.

TA DAA!!!

I’ve always heard about escargots and how people love this French delicacy. So I finally tried it myself and I was literally BLOWN. AWAY. It was life changing. What have I done with my whole life??? Even though the rest of the meal we had was amazing, I still could not forget those burgundy snails. I went to bed that night couldn’t stop thinking about eating snails as the next day’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. #snailislyfe

That is for the second part of this Paris trip! I hope you enjoy this Paris series.
Stay tune for the part 3 :*

xxx

Hegia

Winter in Paris | Part 1: Babushka lvl. 99

Bonjour!

We were in Paris last week (18-22 December) to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, and it was actually my first time being there! I always thought Paris as one of the most overrated cities in the world, but now i admit it is indeed that beautiful. And romantic. Oui?

Before going, I already knew that it would be freezing over there. Hence I brought along three different coats with me (besides the fact that those coats are my favourite) and of course I wanted to make good winter outfit pictures! Kudos to my #instaHusband for his talent 😀

I was so happy that I also brought my Russian scarves along because seriously, it was that cold that I could get headache easily. The scarf is very warm since it was made of silk and wool and I didn’t care if I would look like a babushka (Russian granny) :p The pattern and the colours are also incredibly vibrant and beautiful, I regret for not buying other colours when I was in Russia 😦

We really enjoyed walking around the city aimlessly, I believe that is the best way to explore a city. I love the streets in Paris so much!

The bag and the shoes I wore were mentioned in my previous post here.

The black coat was from River Island. Speaking of which, I am happy that RV offers a wide variants of size. I picked the smallest size and it fits me like a dream! It is always a challenge to find coats in my size here in Holland. I find RV coats are of good quality compared to other high-street fashion brands out there, while still being within a reasonable price range. But unfortunately, they don’t sell this coat anymore on their webshop so I can’t give you the link 😦

On that day we went to visit Notre Dame de Paris.