WEPHOBIA BLAZER

I bought this blazer from Wephobia at the pop-up sale which the girls Daisy and Minh Anh did together with me and Floralpunk ! I absolutely love their clothes, and since I noticed that they don’t have a physical store, I had to ask them to join me right away. Their pieces are so chic and of great quality, I was sold right away. I definitely want to stock Wephobia for Floralpunk ! Did you know ? Floralpunk will be super big soon. We have big plans for it, my new business partner Madox and I. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be so cool !

All Black in Saigon

top – AnnaCoco / bag, shoes – Zara / pants – NOSBYN / necklace – on Floralpunk soon

Black is without doubt the most dominant color in my wardrobe, and that’s probably because I like clean and minimal designs with a little twist. And the pieces that fulfill this criteria are mostly being produced in black. When it comes to fashion, I don’t aim to stand out. I prefer to stay subtle and make little details work for me. I don’t think that the way I wear clothes is special, but it’s me and mine in every aspect. And if people say they like my style, of course it makes me happy. People do need confirmation, even though I dress for myself and not others. Who doesn’t need a little bit of appreciation in life, come on.
Black outfits are not something you might find en mass in Saigon as you do in Germany, that’s why I’m standing out with it here, unlike in Germany, even though that’s not my intention. But what can I do : )
I’m still trying to figure out Vietnamese fashion, but I still have no clue about it, seriously. It’s something between cute and colorful and thrown together. Which doesn’t mean that you can’t find great pieces here ! I will do a shopping guide at the end of my trip. Let’s see what I can find !

Second Style Challenge : A Brown Bag

photos by Phan Nhat Minh bag, bracelet – George, Gina & Lucy / other bracelet – Floralpunk / ring – & other stories / hat – H&M / top – NosbyN / coat – Mango / shoes – Nike / necklace – Zara

What is it with me and brown. How is brown even a style challenge, right ? I don’t know why either, why I really disliked the color so much ! So I thought. When I was contacted to promote the brand George, Gina & Lucy, I was thrown right back to my times in school, when everyone who was cool seemed to have a George, Gina & Lucy bag. I wasn’t part of the cool crowd, actually my style was pretty weird, so I never had a George, Gina & Lucy bag. That’s why I felt so excited when I was offered to receive one of their bags ! Just that… it was brown. I could have declined the offer, but when I saw that bag, with it’s shiny brown and simple shape, I knew I could totally pull it off, and when I received it, suddenly I had no idea why I’ve been hating on that color for so long. Seriously, why ? For over two years I didn’t even think of touching or buying anything brown, and suddenly I feel like this brown bag goes with so many of my looks. And this is exactly why I do these style challenges. To get out of my comfort zone, try new things, or things I wouldn’t have tried otherwise, and to get proven that it is not possible that ‘brown doesn’t suit me’ (yes I used to say that.)

Btw, I always had George, Gina & Lucy as a bag brand in my mind, but they also sell cute accessories, like the bracelet that I received along with the bag. Sometimes it is worth to have a look at brands and shops of which you usually think that they are not your style, because exactly those might change your style altogether ! Check out their online shop here.

I’m sorry that it’s going a little slow with the style challenges and updates in general, but it was crazily cold in Berlin the past weeks. It slowly gets warmer these days, but I’m in the middle of exams, so it’s hard to squeeze shootings in between. So stay patient, stay tuned, because I have a whole lot of ideas to realize ! 

Much love,

Julia

About being in love with a too small bag

coat – Mango / bag – Alexander Wang / shoes – Converse / shirt – H&M / pants – Zara (perfect skinny jeans for people with small calves !) / earrings – Floralpunk

Just some photos my bf took of me today, when he actually wanted to take photos of his car. And one of the rare days on which I can wear my Wang bag. I spend most days either at uni, library and the gym. Or going to the post office and then library then gym. Or doing lash extensions then gym. Or uni then library. Which always means that I have to take a bag with me that fits all my stuff. A lot of stuff. Which this Wang baby certainly doesn’t. It fits my purse, my phone, my iPad Mini and minor stuff like lip stick, but that’s about it. Plus the bag is kind of hard to open. Not your everyday bag if you always have to carry lots of stuff with you, but sometimes looks really is all that matters. I can never wear it, but I still love it.

Julia

My Perfect Uni Bag / What’s in my bag Part I

What’s in my bag ?

Gina Tricot Bag: I have to be honest. Actually I don’t like Gina Tricot. Because the quality of their products is not up to my quality standard. The fabrics they use simply aren’t fabrics that I want to wear. The prices aren’t justified either, considering the really very low quality, and the shit working conditions the people who produce these products probably have to go through. Ok but I still go inside all the time. Why ? Because it’s so close to my uni, and the clothes look cool. Mainstream girl at heart. Yes, i think they look cool, but then I touch them, and I always get disappointed. I used to love their jewelry, but since I sell jewelry now, I don’t buy it anymore, unless I really really want something so bad, that I can’t forget it for days. Anyway, last week I went into Gina Tricot after an afternoon at library. I just wanted to get my mind off Chinese characters a bit, and checked out some of the stores around my uni, one of them Gina Tricot. Went in, saw this bag, tried it on, bought it. Because it fulfills 80% of the criteria I was looking for in a bag for uni ! It’s a shoulder bag, big enough to fit my Chinese book, my Macbook Air, and a whole lot of other things, without being too big, you know. It’s just the perfect size, no unnecessary details, just a plain black shoulder bag, which is easy to open and close. It’s no real leather, but the hardware is solid, and I can’t complain at all. I would have paid 400€ for the same bag in real leather, if I had found it somewhere. But I didn’t, so I guess I made a bargain for my uni bag. You can buy it here.

Macbook Air “11: The Macbook I’m using is the lightest and smallest Macbook in the Apple family. It weighs about the same as a normal iPad, and I love it so much, I don’t know how I would get my work done without it. I got it from my boyfriend on my twenty-first birthday, and I had never worked with OS X before at that point, and thought I’d never get used to it, and kept reminiscing about my Windows computer, but now it’s Apple or nothing. There is a reason why so many people use Apple Macbook’s these days, believe me. I didn’t want to believe it at first, but once you get used to it, you won’t wanna go back. At least I don’t. And the best thing about my Macbook model, it is so light, you can take it with you anywhere ! It’s lighter than some of my books, I never have to think ‘oh shit it’s so heavy, I’m too lazy to take my Macbook with me’. Never.

iPad Mini: The first iPad Mini model, without 3G, which I use in uni or at home, since I can only use it with wifi. I used to use it a lot for Instagram and my Floralpunk Facebook page, because I had a Blackberry before. But now that I have my iPhone, it has become a much less important product in my life. I still appreciate it when it comes to browsing though.

iPhone 5: OH-EM-GEE. I used to be sooo anti-iPhone, because everyone uses it. Yes I can. I hate because I want to haha. But now I’m addicted ! Seriously I use it all the time. All the time ! It makes me being able to work on the go, non-stop. While eating, on my way to the underground station, while shopping, all the time, anywhere. Anywhere, where I have 3G signal. I even stocked up my data allowance from 1GB internet to 3GB. (Oh Apple, you are so evil. Why are your products so easily to get addicted to?)

Floralpunk Daisy case: In case you still don’t know, I have an online shop called Floralpunk. And I sell this case. No I didn’t make it myself. If I did, it wouldn’t be that cheap. But that doesn’t make it less beautiful : ) You can buy it here.

Chargers: Iam always on the go, from dawn till dusk. Everyone who uses iPhone, knows that it runs out of battery extremely fast, especially if you are on Facenook, Instagram, Tumblr or Pinterest a lot. I never leave the house without a charger ! 

 & other stories purse: My coins always get lost below the paper money, business cards, bank cards and ID in this purse, but I love the sleek design and the feel of the leather. It looks and feels expensive, but it’s very affordable ! Get it here.

 Leuchtturm planner: What’s the big difference between Moleskine and Leuchtturm ? The size. Moleskine planners are a little smaller in width, that’s why I picked Leuchtturm. But except for the size, they are pretty similar. I don’t think the brand is important, but having one is ! It changed my life ! Buy here.

Eyeko mascara: I got this one from Nga : ) ! The reason I carry it around with me is that I usually leave the house in the morning, and don’t come home till late at night. I never go home to change or anything, but sometimes I want to add more emphasis to my eyes in the evening, so all I do is add more layers of mascara. Some girls have to carry around their whole make-up bag, I’m glad that all I need is mascara and eyeliner. Because I hate carrying heavy bags.

Pens & uni documents in a clear envelope: I usually only have one subject a day, so I never need to take more than one note book and different sheets of paper with me.

Ok, now you know what’s in my bag most of the time, and also what my perfect uni bag looks like : ) Part I in the title, because I will add more posts to this series. Of course I don’t want to wear the same bag all day everyday ! I’m definitely looking for more bags to add to my “perfect uni bag”-collection !

Cheers,

Julia

New In: Stylenanda Jacket

jacket – Stylenanda / earrings – Floralpunnk / shoes – Nike Roshe Run

Just a quick little update today, since Iam kinda super busy. I bought this jacket from the Korean Online Shop Stylenanda ages ago, because it looked fluffy and warm. And that’s exactly what it is like: fluffy and warm ! The quality is good beyond expectations, and there are so many little details, which make the jacket look less boring. Iam very picky when it comes to outerwear, because you tend to wear the same piece everyday, so I want it to look basic, but special as well. This jacket is exactly what I look for in a piece of outerwear. It’s cool, casual and comfi.

Cheers,

Julia

Blogger Bazaar Berlin

photos taken with my Sony Nex-3N

Oh my god it was incredible. This was my second time with the Blogger Bazaar crew, and they nailed it once again ! Iam so glad that I was able to participate once again, not so much for myself, but for my shop Floralpunk ! I had already sold 80% of the clothes I don’t wear anymore at the Blogger Bazaar in Munich, so my clothes were subsidiary this time. I put all the focus on Floralpunk, and I dare say that everyone loved the accessories ! Regarding the sales and feedback, I really can’t complain at all. This time I had my boyfriend there as my sales assistant, and without him I probably wouldn’t have been able to go to the restrooms even once. The location at Nhow Hotel was bigger than the location at the Stylight HQ, so it was crowded, but I never got the feeling that it was overcrowded. Many girls came for Floralpunk, and I really appreciate it so much. I can’t thank the Blogger Bazaar team enough for these opportunities ! Thumbs up, love you girls ! 

About the Blogger Bazaar itself, the music was good, there were yummy Tequila drinks, free Häagen-Dazs ice cream and cupcaked sponsored by Amorelie. I also got to meet new bloggers like Tissi, Amandine (who I bought something from) and the sweet Maxilie from Kalinka Kalinka, even though I didn’t get to talk to them much, because I guess everyone was just really busy selling. I also finally met the gorgeous girls from Videdressing, who I cooperated with previously for the Celine Bag giveaway ! (A girl from Singapore won btw.) They were so sweet, and I can’t wait for other cooperations with them in the future : ) I also just made my first order from Videdressing, very excited for that as well.

All in all it was a super successful day for me, and I went home super exhausted, but extremely happy as well. Many people were interested in Floralpunk, and I hope that will lead to more. It was also a great chance to make people getting more aware of Toughlookdonthurt, because as a representative, of course, I showed myself only from the best side, always with a smile on my face : D ! 

Cheers,

Julia

Stepping Into 2014 And Julia’s Personal Style Challenge

Looking a little dull but kinda liking this photo : )

coat – Mango / scarf – from Dawanda but sold out already / top – COS / pants – Zara / sneakers – Nike Roshe Run / earrings – Floralpunk

Hey kids, here is my first post of 2014 ! I spent New Years Eve at my dad’s in a small town, and arrived there around 10pm. My dad made me hurry, because people were waiting for us at his restaurant, to start the NYE dinner. I was wearing Converse sneakers at that time, and actually wanted to change my footgear, but my dad didn’t let me. My boots were in my big suitcase, and I would have had to dig them out from underneath my pile of clothes, and apparently there was no time for that. I wanted to change my shoes, because I thought it would be better to start into the new year with solid shoes. So I will walk through this new year with firmness, instead of chilling too much, which the sneakers symbolize to me. All bullshit of course. My choice of shoes has nothing to do with how hard Iam going to work this year. Actually I bought three pairs of new sneakers from my two of my favourite stores asphaltgold and VooStore. All Nike. All good. I feel very ambitious, and confident about the progress iam going to make with Floralpunk this year. All I would like to say to you is, if you have a vision, don’t be afraid to realize it. I have always thought of myself of the most average, hopeless bummer ever, but if I can make something work, believe me, you can do it as well. So if you have resolutions for this year, I can only encourage you to just do it. Trust me with this one. It will pay off.

Actually I was going to do my first style challenge today, with a tight and short dress, but it was too cold outside, so my boyfriend ended up taking photos of my casual outfit instead. It was cool this afternoon, and the mood and lights were caught so beautifully. I really love this set of photos. The Mango coat iam wearing is on sale btw ! 50% off ! Better get it before it’s gone.

About my personal style challenge: I want to experiment a little and overcome some of my personal outfit no-goes, and make things, which I usually would never ever wear, work. My current style is best described as casual, simple and non-colourful. No dresses, no skirts. Pants and shirts. Iam sure I could pull off a lot more, if I’d just dare. But like with everything in life, iam someone who prefers to play safe, so I usually don’t buy clothes, of which I think that they don’t match that current style. But I need to break out of this blackness, try things I never tried before, and I might experience a whole new thing for myself. As Nga has said recently, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” And I fucking need to get out of my style comfort zone ! That’s why I called this style challenge to life ! So if you have any ideas, whether it is beauty or clothes, of which you think that they might suit me, and you have never seen on me before, feel free to leave a comment !

Gone and returned

coat – Mango // blouse, jacket – H&M // pants – Zara // boots – Office UK // accessories – Floralpunk

Iam glad to be able to post these photos at last. I thought they got lost in my Macbook, but suddenly they showed up again, nearly two weeks later. 

This coat I got from Mango for a bargain of 40 Pounds, never keeps me warm enough actually, so I always have to layer and wear more jackets underneath. One of my favourite combos is the one with this quiltes H&M jacket I got at the sale for 15 bucks. Wearing my office boots, which I bought because my aching feet made me. I wore shoes in London which were one size too small. My feet ached so badly after 10 hours of shopping, I could barely walk anymore, that’s how much it hurt. So new shoes needed to be found, and I got mine at Office. I really like Office, because they offer a good selection of stylish shoes at very affordable prices, if you don’t convert to Euro.

Many more blog entries to come soon ! I have a lot to tell, so stay tuned.

Love, 

Julia

London Diary : The first night

photos taken by myself with the Sony Nex 3 NLB

Finally ! I got to edit the photos from my trip to London last month ! There are going to be a lot more photos, but I need to divide them into three posts, otherwise it would be too much photo material for one blog entry. What to tell. It’s not my first time in London, so don’t expect any tourist photos. I did all the casual things Londoners would do as well: shopping, eating and clubbing ! I had a great weekend, great food, and a lot of fun. The photos were taken with my new Sony Nex 3 NLB, and edited with Lightroom, to avoid questions. 

My friend Nomin and me took a flight with Ryanair, which is cheap in every way. But it’s cheap, so you can’t complain ! One return flight was 50€, and that’s less than what I pay to go to Munich. When we arrived, we took the wrong bus to town, during peak hour. We took the one to Victoria station, instead of Liverpool Street, so we sat in the bus for a good 2.5 hours. What a fail. Once we arrived we met our friends Yi and Junu, and had Korean dinner, which was not bad. Everything is better than fake Korean food in Berlin haha. By the way, one of the waitresses nicked the tip, but I was too shy to say a word haha. I saw her taking out the tip and putting it into her pocket, which is really not cool at all ! 

After dinner we went to see Nga for a bit, cos she lives nearby ! We should have gotten outfit photos taken man, what kind of fashion bloggers are we haha. But it was kind of awkward with so many people around waiting for us. There were my friend Nomin, Nga’s sister Nhung, her boyfriend, her cousin and Yi’s boyfriend, all of them standing at a street corner waiting for us to get finished with taking photos haha. 

We ended our night and started our morning at Fabric to the sounds of Boys Noize and other DJs from Boys Noize Records. Nomin and me stayed with Van Anh, of whom you can see more tomorrow, in the second part of my travel diary ! And if you want to see previous travel diaries of me, click here. 

Sorry if the text is a little lame and unexciting, but iam kind of in a hurry, and feel really uncreative at the moment haha. Tomorrow will be better, at least i hope so ! : )

Love,

Julia

P.S. You can still stand a chance to win the Celine bag, when you sign up on Videdressing via this link ! But stay on the German website !