Winter hair and beauty saviours

Tigi Bedhead After Party, Ghd hair straighteners and Aussie leave-in conditioner to smoothe dry winter hair / Givenchy Prisme Again blush and Guerlain Terracotta bronzer to bring some much-needed colour to a pale winter complexion / Chanel Inimitable mascara in black to make your eyes POP / Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask to moisturise dry tight skin

Aqua couture at asos.com - buy nothing today?

How cute are all these dresses!  I would love to put in an order for just one on asos.com, but which one to choose, and I'm also trying to save!  I may just have to admire from afar...

By the way, isn't today the international (??) Buy Nothing Day?  So I thought, but isn't it also the infamous Black Friday in the US, where the crazy post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas sales start at 4am, and shoppers scramble, trample and run over each other to get all the best deals at Wal-Mart and friends, queueing for hours and fighting with total strangers?
Which team are you on?

Check out more from Aqua Couture here.

x

Tonight's dinner - save or splurge?

Please excuse whatever font this is going to come out in - my blogger is all messed up today...

Friday is date night in our household, and we're trying to decide where to head out. Splurge on Salutorget or save and head to Ankkuri in Punavuori, for undoubtedly the best burgers in town? We'll see where the night takes us!

x

Dear Santa...

I'm not sure I've been good enough this year to deserve any of these things, but...

Lingerie Victoria's Secret / Preen Line dress net-a-porter / Digital camera Canon / Bag Prada / Make-up bag Gucci / Labrador Puppy / Giftcard Zara / Paloma Picasso Earrings Tiffany's / Tennis skirt Nike / Chocolate Karl Fazer / Bag Balenciaga

"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans..."

This is one of my favourite quotes, from John Lennon's song Beautiful Boy.  I love this quote because I'm a dreamer, and can get really caught up in planning and dreaming away all my time, rather than actually getting out there and living.  Or more accurately, I go through stages, and right now I'm in the dreamer stage.  I need to be reminded that life's about living it every now and again.

One of my very favourite things to plan is trips abroad.  My wonderful fiance and I have booked a weekend in Tallinn in a few weeks time, staying at an absolutely gorgeous hotel.  Even more exciting is the fact that for the 30th birthday, which is sadly coming up in just three months, my fiance has promised to take me somewhere really special... To the land of plenty, the city which never sleeps, the ultimate destination for all things glitz, glamour, sleaze and tack, the only city whose sparkling mainstreet is visible from space.  It's Vegas, baby!  Planning this trip is definitely half the fun.

x

Gorgeous sushi dinner @ Raku Ya!

To celebrate selling his apartment, my fiance took me out to eat at Raku Ya, the wonderful Japanese eatery in Helsinki's Eteläranta last Friday.  We ate and drank until I was ready to drop (quite literally) and my fiance was handed a hefty bill at the end of the night.  The food and drink was wonderful, especially highly recommended on the menu are the Sweet Shrimp Tail Nigiri, Yaki Niku, Ebi Furai, and for dessert, the Japanese Choco Mousse.  While it's usual to get good Japanese food, I do think it's unusual to get exceptional Japanese food, but Raku Ya was just that.  The service was friendly, atmosphere was lovely, and everything just tasted too good, for both our bellies and wallets. Oh lord, I want to go back for more!
x

Christian Louboutin for my wedding?

I know what I just said about getting married in Gina shoes, but just look at all the gorgeous (wedding?) shoes from Christian Louboutin!  As far as I know, they don't do a bridal collection, but I wouldn't mind getting married in any of these.  The thought of tying the knot in bright pink shoes is strangely appealing!

x

All shoes Christian Louboutin

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels...

Today's media has been writing about Kate Moss supposedly commenting that one of her mottos is "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels..."  There's been loads of discussion around whether or not she's promoting unhealthy eating habits et cetera, once again.  As a model, it's almost part of her job to stay thin.  Her image has been built on her waif-like grungy appearance of the 90ies, one she's managed so well, and she still remains at the top of so many "most fashionable" lists, 15 years after first being discovered.  One beautiful sunny June afternoon, when I lived in Paris, I ran into Kate on the streets of the 11th arrondissement.  Her hair was afro-like, she was wearing a tiny red kilt and real fox around her neck, and her skin was so luminous it looked surreal.  On her arm, a hairdresser/stylist/make-up artist gayer than Christmas.  She looked amazing, like she belonged to totally different planet than us mere mortals.

I'm currently reading Sofi Oksanen's book "Stalin's Cows", which deals with both anorexia and bulimia.  Today, scrolling through blogs, I also came across some pretty disturbing blogs written by women, devoted entirely to anorexia and bulimia.  Pages and pages of food lists, calorie counting, pictures of stick-thin models and Amy Winehouse, and extremely disturbing photos of super skinny girls on scales.  Blogs obsessed with weight with lots of followers, all egging each other on, talking about how they want to get rid of their breasts. What is it that makes people get so obsessed about weight and food, and deny their femininity?
As I get closer to 30 years of age, I'm starting to notice that for the first time ever, I have to pay attention to what I eat.  I need to exercise and move more, to maintain my slim figure.  I'm starting to understand for the first time what it's like to worry about and monitor weight.  But, I'm also what the french call a "gourmand", someone who loves food and wine.  I love nothing more than going out to a fabulous restaurant for an amazing meal, with my equally gourmand other half.  Looks like I won't be saying "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" anytime soon...

x

Little Gina shoes for your big day

These are some of the shoes I'm looking at for next summer's wedding.  I'm 99.9% sure my shoes are coming from Gina, as I've been for the past five years since my hungry little eyes first set sight on Gina's little shop on London's Bond Street.  "Those are the shoes I'm wearing on my wedding day..."  And so I shall.

All shoes from Gina (excuse the gold - I'm definitely going for silver/white when I marry!)

Mazel tov!

Some uplifting music and images into this grey grey grey Helsinki existence!

Mirrors and weddings and such

Our latest purchase from Ikea is a huge mirror - 94cm wide and 130cm tall.  It needs to be mounted, but it's currently leaning against the wall in our hall, waiting to be carried out in our next move, which will now probably take place in two weeks... At 99EUR, it's a great buy!

Levanger mirror - 99EUR Ikea

Also thought I would mention - my fiance and I are getting married next August, in Vanajanlinna, just outside of Hämeenlinna, the gorgeous city which for me is synonymous with summertime, as it's where I spent most of my holidays as a child.  Having gotten over the initial engagement ecstasy (and don't worry, I'm still definitely on a huge high), the practical wedding planning has got to start!  First on the list is the guestlist, which we'll need to start compiling like, last week.  What I have started doing though is looking at flowers and thinking themes and colours.  Right now, I'm liking the look of something like this

20ies party style...

I love fancy dress.  Somewhere, in the middle of still-unpacked moving boxes, is a big box of colourful fancy dress costumes.  Like many other girls, I have to admit I see fancy dress occasions as perfect excuses to dress in something racier than normal, get the legs and bosoms out, under the pre-text of fantasy.
In the midst of all our moving and changing jobs madness, I totally missed Halloween this year, but luckily there's a small 20ies to 50ies party coming up next weekend which will save me!  Because most of our stuff is still unpacked (and get this - my fiance's apartment we're currently living in has been sold, so I'm not unpacking anything else as we're moving again in under 3 weeks), I headed straight to asos.com to choose my party outfit.  Instead of going all out fantasy fancy dress like I used to, I'm trying to buy bits and pieces I'll wear again in the future.
The dress and hairpiece from asos will be paired with an original vintage wool cardigan with a mink collar, black velvet heels, and a faux fur jacket.
Let's just hope it all arrives on time!

This funky top also caught my attention and ended up in my shopping basket, for some non-20ies nights out...

All images asos.com

On Collins Avenue

Let's light up this dreary, dark, gray Friday the 13th with a little hint of bright colour!  In search of a little tiny something to lift my spirits, I headed to Kicks yesterday to raid their extensive nail polish collection.  Lo and behold, I found exactly the shade I was looking for, here in Helsinki!  Both my fingers and toes are now painted a larger-than-life coral pink, courtesy of OPI's "On Collins Ave".  This Barbie shade of red (which, by the way, completely sold out in the US earlier this year) is definitely better suited for tanned summertime holiday tootsies than washed out scandinavian winter skin.  So the fake tanners may well be making an appearance this weekend...

Where and what exactly is this Collins Avenue, which has inspired such an uplifting shade of red?  I should have known... Miami Beach, where else!  Collins Avenue, or the Strip of Miami as it's known, is home to many of the famous art deco hotels Miami is so renowned for.  Collins Avenue also houses some more recent luxury hotels, night clubs, fabulous shopping, stretching all the way down to South Beach.  Could this be fate?  Either way, sounds like my kind of place!

November's top list, so far

My top things for November include:
- Moving into my fiance's beautiful tower apartment in Kruununhaka.  I love it!

- Interior decorating my fiance's place (still can't get myself to say our place... Not til we're married!)

- Sticking up for myself and walking away from a completely unacceptable work situation.  I've realised that the most important things to me are my fiance, and my own personal happiness.  You have to follow your dreams, and live in the moment, rather than always in the future.  Happiness is made up of all those small wonderful every-day moments, ones you need the time and energy to recognise and enjoy.  Oh yes, and my family are up there too, but as long as I'm happy, they're there with me.

- (Re)-discovering Clarins beauty products.  The Multi-Active day and night creams, body oils, as well as the face and body scrubs, toning lotion for dry skin, and foaming cleanser for dry skin are saving my skin this winter.  I haven't lived in such a cold, dry climate in 12 years, and my skin was not liking it.  I've found my saviours!  Those who know me well will also understand the irony in this entry...

- Having time to dream.  I'm a dreamer by nature, and I've now got time to think about what I want from life.

- Hot drinks (tea is the order of the day, my poor nerves aren't coping with coffee at the moment) whilst nestled up inside.  Taste even better if it's snowing!

- Lighting candles.  They soften the mood, look romantic, bring light and warmth, and lovely scents too! We've been burning them every night, and I'm loving it.

- All sorts of Christmas c**p!  It's November, and because we don't have Thanksgiving here in Finland to distract us, we're now officially allowed to talk, think and plan Christmas.  My fiance and I and have our stockings hung up by the fireplace.  Much as I would have liked to hang up a sexy silk stocking, it just doesn't fit as many presents ;)

- Light therapy.  I'm beginning to understand what SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is all about.  We bought an energy light a few weeks ago, and I'm trying to use it as often as possible, and trying to remember to take my vitamin D, too.  

Restaurant review - Farang

I wanted to love this place - the location is really handy and central, and just around the corner from my parents' place, I love how it's attached to the Taidehalli, and I was starting to get cravings for Thai food.  I have to say - I've never been a huge fan of Asian fusion, it kind of feels like they can't get any Asian dish just right.  But I'm always up for being proved wrong!

One thing I just can't get used to in Finland is the cloakrooms... Farang has a big cloakroom as soon as you walk in, and you are expected to leave your coat there, in this hallway which everyone walks through to get in and out of the restaurant.  It might be normal here in Helsinki, and maybe I should learn to trust people more, but I just didn't feel comfortable leaving my belongings unattended in an area that people walk through all night.

Top tip: If going to Farang, make sure you book in advance, and ask to be seated in the first room with smaller tables.  The place get pretty full, even mid-week, and you'll get ushered into the next room which is fine, but not quite up to standard when looked at in context with the hefty price tags of this place.

First impressions on the menu: We didn't understand it!  Would have been great, and much less pretentious, to have clear explanations for each dish, or at least helpful staff who wouldn't mind explaining what the often foreign words meant.  We ended up having a gorgeous melange of three dishes; a cold beef salad, crunchy pork, and curry.  All beautifully presented, and extremely tasty.  Banana cake with coconut ice cream for dessert is not to be missed!  My white wine, Fleur de Lotus, was beautiful and went down better than Evian at room temperature.

The verdict?  Gorgeous, tasty food and drinks at close-to obscene prices.  At prices like this you do expect everything to be pretty perfect, and I would say the atmosphere in the second room, as well as the attitude of some of the staff, needs some work.  Also, I'm not the most faint-hearted, but is it appropriate to name a cocktail the "Bali Bomber"?
Will we be back?  Something tells me, yes we will.