My first 3 months in the Netherlands

Hey guys,

As I mentioned in my previous post – Life Update – your girl has moved to Amsterdam for university. Today I’ve decided to share some memories from my first 3 months living in this interesting city. I’ve also included content from my travels to other cities within the Netherlands. Let’s get to it!!!

Intreeweek

Intreeweek is essentially a week filled with parties and bonding activities, so you can get to know people who will be doing the same course as you. I was very fortunate to be blessed with a great Intreeweek Group, I loved every single one of them and we are still in contact. Group 101 forever!!!

The Hague

I’ve been to the Hague about three times since in my time here. The first trip was in my first month here, when it was warm, so we went to the beach. Enjoy these pictures of my friends from home and I enjoying the beach. 

 

My second trip to the Hague was purely just to visit my friend. We went around the city (mainly to do some shopping), I didn’t take as many pictures as I wanted to but I did manage to capture a picture of this stranger wearing this incredible headpiece that he had made himself. 

My third trip to the Hague was for the Mama Africa Halloween party, but your girl got to lit at the pre-drinks and didn’t even make it to the party. What a waste of my money… but I still had a good time.

Groningen

We went to Groningen for Mama Africa, which coincided with our friend’s birthday. Groningen was such a cute little city, we had to cycle everywhere though. We had that typical Dutch weather during our whole trip, I did not appreciate getting soaked before the party but it was still a great night. 

 

 

Gender-Based violence protest

During my first month in Amsterdam, a group of the South African diaspora organized a protest against the ongoing gender-based violence in South Africa. My friends and I participated in the protest and met some amazing people. 

Random stuff from Life in Amsterdam

I have over 300 pictures in my gallery from my time here, so let me just share a bunch with you. I don’t really have anything to say about these pictures, so just enjoy them I guess. 

Amsterdam and The Netherlands have been good to me so far. I’m really enjoying my time here!! I’ve met loads of incredible people who I hope stay in my life for years to come, I’m enjoying my studies as well -That’s for my mum and Aunts ;)- so that makes everything easier. It’s still going to take me a while to get used to this rainy Dutch weather, but hey I expected that. I hope that you all enjoyed scrolling through this post, I will try to be more active in the weeks and months to come. I love you all, stay beautiful and I’ll see you in my next post!!

 

Life Update

Hey guys, sorry that I’ve been M.I.A for months now. I’ve missed blogging but I was seriously lacking inspiration, but I’m back now (hopefully for good this time).

Let me fill you guys in on what has happened over the past few months. Your girl graduated from high school, had a 9 month break to rest and”discover myself”, worked for a fashion designer friend and moved to Amsterdam for university!!! It’s been an interesting year, I regret not sharing any of it with you guys. I’m finding a lot of inspiration here in Amsterdam, so hopefully I will start posting more consistently.

That’s all I have to say for now… I’m happy to be back and share some exciting things with you guys. Please let me know what you are interested in seeing and follow me on all my social media (tagged in the side bar). I’m yoyr friend, feel free you message me on instagram, etc. I love you all, see you in my next post!!!

My fashion resolutions

Hi everyone,

I know that I haven’t shared anything with you guys in AGES, I apologise, I’ve been extremely busy and have been lacking inspiration.

Anyway I have a lot of ideas for 2019, I’ve decided to start off with sharing my fashion resolutions with you. I have a sort of love hate relationship with New Year resolutions ( mainly because I can never stick to them ) so I’ve ditched the “normal” resolutions that I make. My fashion resolutions include things that I wish to add or change about my style ( in my opinion they are not big changes because I already made some changes towards the end of last year ). I am also going to share some of my style crushes with you. Let’s get started

1. To dress more like my Pinterest feed

I’m always saving things on Pinterest and always say “wow I wish that I could dress like that”, I do occasionally but I want to do it more often this year. I mean it shouldn’t be hard because most of the outfits utilise the same principle pieces ( follow me and you’ll see what I’m talking about )

2. Stick to more neutral tones

I’ve always thought that there is something so effortless and beautiful about plain white tees paired with blue jeans. I also love nudes and beiges but I’ve always feared that I would never pull them off and just look boring… anyway this year I’m living fearlessly and diving into neutrals. Don’t get me wrong I’m still going to wear some colour.

3. Wear more structured and feminine silhouettes

This is pretty self explanatory more blazers, tailored pants ( I already wear those ) and more DRESSES!!!

That’s pretty much it regarding my resolutions

Here are some of my stylspirations

@hi_mishka I love the way that this girl mixes patterns and different silhouettes

@lefevrediary

@samyjovalentine In my opinion she is the ultimate cool girl

@barbarakristoffersen

@adenorah I love a good leopard print piece too girl

@reginaanikiy

@ardiananicki

@bellahadid is my queen. I’m obsessed with her

That’s all folks, thank you for scrolling through my post. I have a lot of new and interesting things lined up for this year. Until next time

What’s new in my makeup bag…

Hey guys, 

Firstly I would like to apologise for being inactive for such a long time, I haven’t been inspired lately. But anyway I’m back now!!! Today I’ve decided to share my favourite recent makeup purchases with you, I got most of these products in December & one of the palettes in February. Let’s get to it….

1. Fenty beauty 

Of course I HAD to get some Fenty beauty products while I was in London in December. I stood in line at Harvey Nicols for Riri. 

I got some concealer, in the shade Suede

The star of the show & my FAVOURITE product right now, a little piece of Rihanna’s Skin, the foundation. I am a 410

 

I had to get the primer for the full effect.

I absolutely love these products, they are amazing!!! 


2. Naked: Heat by Urban Decay 

I love love love this palette, the colours are so spicy ( for lack of a better word ), the shimmer in the colours is stunning. The colours range from more subtle hues for the day time to more intense/warm colours perfect for a night out.  You can’t see the shimmer and intensity of the colours in the picture 💔

3. Sleek MakeUp

I was gifted this palette from one of my aunts. I’ve never owned a palette with such bright and vibrant colours, I tend to gravitate more towards neutral colours but I must say that these colours are stunning. 

That’s all folks… I promise to be more active in the future, I have a lot in store for you guys. Stay updated by following me on all of my other social media {linked in the sidebar } also I have a new Instagram account (@surayeats) dedicated to food and what I eat ( your girl loves food) so go follow me if you love food. Until next time. 

Travel post: London

Hey guys, 
Firstly I would like to apologise for going M.I.A with no explanation. Following my exams I decided to take a break from blogging and live my life to the fullest. 
Anyway, I just got back from a lovely trip to London. It’s been a while since I’ve been there and I’ve decided to share some pictures from my adventure with all of you. 

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Touchdown 

First day out, I went up Primrose Hill

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I almost fell after I took this



Trafalgar Square

Giving you Big Shaq vibes

China town

Covent Garden

Traveling by myself to see Safs

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Noodle bar

Atik

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Winter Wonderland in the snow

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Tate Modern

Shoreditch

Camden

Graffiti

Probably the coolest store in Camden

Oreo doughnuts in Nutella and mini marshmallows

Nutella and pistachio doughnut

Basic tourist photo

Christmas decorations 

Selfridges

Angels on regents street

2017 has been a good year, filled with its ups and downs and this trip was the best way to end it. I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for me 

Updated Hair Routine

Hey guys !!! 

I know it’s been a while since I’ve done a hair related post, I’m constantly asked about my hair no matter where I am. I’ve changed my routine slightly ( to make it easier ) . I’ll link my previous hair post in this post. This will be short and sweet, so let’s get to it…

Products: 

• Daily moisturiser 



Aunt Jackie’s: curl la la & curl mane-tenance | Shea Moisture: extra-moisture detangler 
I’ve written about these products before, they lock in the moisture and make your hair look healthy. They are all available at Clicks

• Once a week moisturiser 

MGL naturals: Coconut Oil & Shea Butter 
Well this isn’t available in this region of Africa, I have an aunt who brings it for me from Ghana. However, you get the same thing by mixing a good quality coconut oil with Shea butter :). This makes your hair have long lasting moisture ( natural hair key 🔑 ) I usually use this once a week after I’ve done my wash and deep conditioning. 

• Shampoo and Conditioner 

Aunt Jackie’s: oh so clean! | Mixed Chicks: deep conditioner 

I wash my hair twice a week ( it’s dusty outchea ) this shampoo is AMAZING it smells good and leaves your hair squeaky clean ( literally ) it is available at Clicks. I usually Cowash my hair and deep condition it once a week. This deep conditioner has a waxy feel to it and leaves your hair feeling super light and soft. Unfortunately Mixed Chicks isn’t sold in this part of the world but you can order it from https://mixedchicks.net 

• Combing and bed hair 

I still comb my hair but now I brush it as well, especially before I tie it up for the night. Brushing it has made it softer and sometimes my curls like bomb 😻. I really want a Denman brush though, you do this test on your hair type, etc and it suggests the perfect brush for you and the results you want ( here’s the link to the quiz https://www.denmanbrush.com/genie ) 

I used to braid my hair every night before I went to bed but that was tiring and took so long. Now I simply section my hair ( into 4 parts ) and comb & brush through each section before tying it up into 4 buns. Not only is this easier and less time consuming, it has the exact same effect as braiding.

Here are the links to my previous hair posts:

https://thepyramidjournal.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/surayas-keys-to-grow-a-healthy-mane/ https://thepyramidjournal.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/top-4-ways-to-make-your-hair-look-bigger/ https://thepyramidjournal.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/how-i-wash-and-condition-my-hair%f0%9f%92%86%f0%9f%8f%bd%f0%9f%94%91/ https://thepyramidjournal.wordpress.com/2016/09/15/diy-cowash/

I hope I’ve helped some of you :). If you have any questions about my hair feel free to comment below or hit me up on any of my social media sites ( linked in sidebar ) see you all in my next post xx 

First they were 2 now they are 1

Hey guys, 

Yesterday I attended my cousins engagement ( do I have to say anymore, you all know what this post will be about )  Let’s dive straight to the pictures. 

“All because he POPPED the question” The cute little gifts we got ( caramel & chocolate popcorn )

What I wore: 

Peep the matching shoes 👀

Dress: Izaura| Shoes: Studio W | Hoops: Colettes | Shrug: Foschini | Clutch: a gift

Pics from the event: 

I feel like such an idiot for not taking any pictures of the food and the amazing dessert 😦   But trust me it was to die for. 

They are such a beautiful couple, I wish them all the best and I can’t wait for the wedding. 

 Overall it was a great night, these two are obviously smitten and that is beautiful. Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media ( tagged in the sidebar ) 

Eid Mubarak

Hey and Eid Mubarak to all of my Muslim followers x. Today I have decided to share my Eid outfit with all of you 🙂 



I decided to rock a more casual look this year because I’m not doing anything fancy this year :). 

Head scarf: Woolworths ( tutorial will be in my next post )

Sunglasses: Cottonon ( also available at Zara ) 

Earrings: Colette

Peasant shirt: H&M ( snatched from my mums closet ) 

Vest: Foschini

Jeans: River Island

Boots: Forever21

I hope that you all have an amazing day and week, stay blessed 

My winter favourites

Hey guys, my favourite season is around the corner so I decided to share a few of my favourite pieces with you all 🙂 

1. A bomber jacket I mean no one can go wrong with a good bomber jacket, this one is super padded and warm plus I love the flower details on the sleeves ( major trend ). This beautiful cropped bomber jacket is from Cottonon

2. Leather mini skirt
I think that this is just a cute piece for a night out ( paired with tights of course ). I tend to wear a lot of dark colours in winter, so this piece just adds some colour to my outfits. This skirt is from Zara

3. An oversized denim jacket Everyone needs a denim jacket, that’s all that I’m going to say. This jacket is snatched from my mums closet 🙂 
4. Ankle boots Ankle boots are just so cute and are comfortable. These bad boys are from Forever 21
5. A leather jacket Every girl should have a leather/ faux leather jacket in their closet, they make an outfit look more polished and adds a little edge to your look. This one is from Zara

Thanks for checking out this post, obviously I have way more winter favourites ( the list goes on ) but I just decided to share a few. Don’t forget to check out my social media ( tagged in the sidebar ). see you later 

Product review: BIELENDA PROFESSIONAL

Hey Guys,

I was recently gifted this package of Bielenda beauty cosmetics, it has been about 3 weeks now so I’ve decided to share my opinion with you.

Bielenda Kosmetyki Naturalne is a Polish beauty company that was established in 1990 by Barbara Bielenda ( to find out more check out their website )

The 3 products which I received were from the FACE PROGRAM. 

1.  THE ANTI-BACTERIAL MAKE-UP REMOVAL GEL FACE WASH
   This product is really great. It cleans the excess makeup that is left on my face even after I’ve used my regular makeup remover. I have naturally oily skin, this product has helped reduce this and I’ve noticed that my face is less shiny. Rate: 8.5/10

 

2. SOOTHING FACE MASK

Like the previous product this product has reduced the oily shine of my skin. I have been using this mask twice a week for the past three weeks and I must say that it is slowly reducing my acne/how often I get acne. Rate: 8/10

 

3. ACTIVE SEBO-REGULATING MOISTURIZING CREAM

I am not very satisfied with this moisturizer, it leaves my face feeling dry and I find that i often have to mix it with another moisturizer. Regardless, it does do it’s job of reducing acne. Rate: 4/10

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this review, these products are certainly lovely and all have a captivating aroma. I will definitely order more Bielenda products in the near future. Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media ( link in the sidebar) for more regular updates and just to see more of me.