Brussels, 26th of May 2021, 21h30

My heart skips a beat, because time has finally come to reveal the hard work we’ve put into this. I'm feeling excited, grateful and utterly happy to welcome you with a first post on a brand new The Sacred Closet.

New beginnings - dreams turning into reality

It was about time to carry out some renovation works over here, but for a long time I just didn’t dare to take the leap. Eventually, I jumped, knowing that I wouldn't rest until every tiny detail fitted perfectly. It took us blood, sweat and tears just to get the whole story right. But damn, am I proud of the result!

Together with a new look, comes new content. As part of the latter, I’m planning to keep a focus on the personal side of this blog, via diary but also original outfit posts. I hope this year I'll be able to share with you some tour guides resulting from personal experience again as well; I'm already crossing fingers for an obstacle free travel-Summer 2021! Furthermore, I’d love to broaden my own horizon in terms of peculiar, maybe sometimes less common collaborations and partnering up with inspiring people. Speaking of which, the team and I have an interesting project running that should be online in a few weeks. Be ready for a solid portion of #womenempowerment !

The last few weeks, I didn't only push passionately forward with my favorite pastime. Also my professional life took an unexpected turn: I got selected to become a Dermatologist! At the end of last year I opened up to you about my hopes and dreams for the future, as well as how a crucial setback made me remember who I was and what I want. It was at that moment that the whole game changed. I think it’s just insane that, only 5 months later, things finally have settled more or less and one of my biggest dreams ever came true. Now that I have the opportunity to learn more about our skin and all that good skincare has to offer, it would be nice if I could expand the Beauty section of this blog more broadly. I'd love to make use of the indispensable development I currently go through on a professional and personal basis, to also establish a positive impact on the evolution of this blog. In the following, you'll read about my first attempt on doing that :).

Your self-expression - a great service to the world

Nowadays it's nearly impossible to imagine the street scene without the sight of people wearing masks. Being part of the hospital staff, working with patients, I literally live of human interaction. Every day, we are faced with the loss of facial expression and personal contact that these masks rob us of. That's why I went on a mission looking for ways to bring this form of human intimacy back to some extent. Call it fitting in, but standing out!

I realised the city of Brussels will be my safe haven for some years to come, and so I hit its streets on a discovery tour together with Pauline, the ultra creative soul behind these pictures. I have never been a heavy makeup wearer, but in times of a pandemic I found it to be a helpful way to make our eyes speak and recover our expression. All credits for these sublime smokey eyes go out to Dorien, the powerwoman behind LØF Beauty Concept, a local feel-good concept store in the outbacks of Brussels. Besides make-up workshops, it’s a place where you can get advice on luxury but organic cosmetics. LØF stands for luxurious-organic-fair. Better said: indulge yourself with nothing but the best, while working on a better me, you and world. Her task was to not the easiest: making my eyes pop out so I could stand out of the crowd even when wearing a mask, but in a way that it could still pass for a daily, effortless look. I remember our chat about what the past has given us, as well as our aspirations for the future, and how it felt like the best hour of me-time I’ve had in ages.

Our skin and hair often tell us first when something’s wrong from within. Dorien is currently studying to become an epigenetic skin therapist, and I think her education and knowledge could be a valuable addition to the collaboration with beauticians and dermatologists.

Last but not least, let’s have a proper toast to a fresh, new start for The Sacred Closet. Everything may seem very new, and to be honest it’s kind of overwhelming for me too. Luckily, one constant factor will never change: and that's me!

Looking forward to see you here soon again,

Ornella ❤

❤ Massimo Dutti t-shirt and combat pants // Pinko boots (similar here) // Longchamp fanny pack (similar here) // Max&Moi anorak (currently in sales) // H&M scrunchie with pearls (similar here)

❤ LØF Beauty Concept: Watermolenstraat 61, 1654 Beersel (soon moving to Basiliekstraat 21, 1500 Halle)

❤ Pictures by P. Elle Photographie