Today's crush 270110

Interlocking gold and sterling bangles from Tiffany's
<3

Golden Globes winner - best dressed

Jennifer Aniston, always classy and so well put together, gets my vote.  My personal style is more adventurous, but I do love Jennifer's simple and elegant style.  She really knows what suits her!  The Huffington Post lists Jennifer alongside Mariah Carey as one of the Golden Globes worst dressed.  I couldn't agree less!  The cut of the dress is fabulous, and Jennifer manages to look both groomed and casual at the same time.  Love it!

x

True Blood - hottest hottt

Call me weird if you will - I am so into all things Southern US.  The vibe, the people, the steamy bubbling Mississippi river, the mystique, the humidity, the eerie at time dark history.  HBO's True Blood brings all of this to life in such a cool way, I almost get shivers down my spine when I watch these opening credits.
Perfect escapism, soo intriguing and hot.




x

Dream of shopping on net-a-porter.com?

I know I do!  Pretty much everything on the site is out of my current price range.  But there's a tiny twinkle of hope - in celebration of the site's 1millionth order, one lucky lady (or gentleman of course) will win a 25,000 GBP shopping spree on the site.  I've entered, and although it'll diminish my chances, you should too.  Good luck!
I'm off to enjoy my friday night now, first with a lovely bottle of white vino at home, followed by blinis with roe and more vino.  One new thing I've learned to love about Helsinki - Blini Viikot take place every year during January and February in numerous restaurants across the city, and I'm loving it!

x

Happiness is... 220110

- Seeing the sunrise
- finding wild strawberries
- dipping your toes in the water from a pier
- hoolahoops
- the morning dew
- Strawberry eskimo ice cream
- the smell of freshly cut oranges
- Fiskars scissors
- napping
- Chanel no 5 fragrance
- Cold Fazer yellow chocolate with a huge cold glass of milk
- laughing at yourself
- friendship
- loft apartments
- FRIDAYS!!

(Some stolen from 12 000 syytä olla onneliinen, published by Gummerus.  Others from my head.)


Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

x

Some gym inspiration...

Miranda Kerr, Australian Victoria's Secret model and girlfriend of Orlando Bloom, recently posed naked for men's magazine GQ.  Is it possible for any girl to look any more perfect than she does in these shots?  Definite gym inspiration for me... Baby, when you tell me I am the most beautiful girl in the world, I know you are lying.
Speaking of the gym, Forever Töölö was fabulous!  The gym is very calm, tidy, and frequented by lots of older people which I like.  The overall feel is kind of Far Eastern, very zen. :) My personal trainer seemed really nice and knew his stuff.  We're meeting again next week for a session on nutrition therapy.

x

Gym bunny!

Guess what everyone, today is the first day of my brand new fitness regime!  I am off to the gym now for the first time in about a year to meet with a personal trainer... I need to get fit in time for my wedding at the end of August!  And let me tell you, there's lots of work to be done!  I'm off to the Forever Töölö gym, and will keep posting about my progress.  Wish me luck as I will need it, I hate exercise and every single gym routine I've started so far has failed miserably!  This time I need to succeed, and get fit for our big day and the wonderful honeymoon we're planning!

xx

Love me some fairylights! <3

Fairylights (check - not Christmas lights!) must be one of the most adorable things ever!  I've always had a thing for hanging them in my house.  They lighten and brighten, give a great warm glow and colour, and really soften modern spaces.  We have a great pink plastic heart set just thrown across our dresser in the bedroom, and I want some more... Fairylights look great on the wall, over windows or mirrors, on tables, in bowls or candleholders, sometimes even on the ground.  So romantic!

x

Best winter boots ever ever ever!

My boyfriend is the greatest - we headed up to Lapland for New Years, and as I was panicking about turning into an icicle, or at the very least a very unflattering shade of blue, he very kindly got me the best ever winter boots.  Made by Helly Hansen and available at Stockmann, these are a size too big for me, but that's great!  More than enough space for that extra pair of wool socks... My toes haven't been cold since!  If I could afford it, I would get these in black as well as it's definitely more slush and sleet friendly.
Thanks baby - I love my booties!

x

Iittala lighting up these dark winter nights

Though they are a very obvious choice in Finnish homes, I do love Iittala's various different options for candles.  We've got the small "kivi" lights in various colours including the light pink and blue pictured here.  The small clear lantern was a gift from friends for our engagement, and the tall white one is our latest purchase from the Iittala store from a few weeks ago.  It's currently perched on our large windowsill, and I can't imagine our living room without it!  Is there anything better than candles and fairylights to light up dark winter nights?

x

Candleholders by Iittala

I'm dreaming of azure blue skies and waters...

As our holiday nears and I've had plenty of free time, I've been surfing on a couple of fashion sites, on the lookout for the perfect holiday wardrobe.  My first stop?  Melissa Odabash.  Our Portobello Road home in London was just a stone's throw away from Melissa Odabash's flagship store on Westbourne Grove.  I never actually went in, but spent plenty of time peering in outside her shop window.  Former bikini model Melissa Odabash designs simple, sexy, high-quality swimwear.  I might have ordered the sky blue number pictured below...  I've never tried her bikinis before, so here's to hoping I'll be able to squeeze my butt into the size I ordered!  Only problem?  The price.

For cheaper holiday alternatives, my favourite option is my number one all-time-fave internet retailer asos.  I find their site incredibly easy to navigate, and it never takes me long to find some gorgeous bits and pieces.  I love how easy it is to get summer clothes online in the internet age!  I'm loving the more pastel-y tones of my asos choices.

So the question is... Splurge, or save?

(Splurge... at Melissa Odabash)

(Or save, at asos.com...)

What's your choice?

x

Wedding dress shopping in Helsinki...

I've been looking for that perfect wedding gown for a few months now, and I've got a firm favourite in a store just down the street from where we live.  Exciting stuff!  Thought I would share some of my dress hunting experiences, as they might be helpful to others on the lookout for their perfect dress!

Some good hints and tips:
- Start well in advance!  Delivery times for dresses can range from 3 to up to 6 months, and you'll probably need to put time aside for a seamstress to do some work on it as well.  Our wedding is at the end of August, and I don't think I'm looking a day too early.
- If you can, try to book fittings at some stores, to ensure that they have time to see you.  Mornings and early afternoons, and all day Friday are really busy times!
- Wear tights if you don't want to be seen in your underwear!
- Have a look through websites and magazines before going into stores, to get an idea of what style you like.  Show it to the girls in the stores.  Also it's a good idea to ask the shop personnel what their favourite dresses are.  They know the dresses really well, and can make some great recommendations.
- Think about the colour of your dress.  Some people's skin tones are better suited to off-white, while others look better in bright white. I can't wear off-white, I look totally washed out!

Highly recommended stores:
- Seremonia.  Great service, and gorgeous dresses, particularly from Pronovias and Atelier Diagonal.
- Niinatar.  Super sweet service, and lots of dresses at great prices.
- Stockmann.  Selection lightly old-fashioned, but worth a look.  Best space and great mirrors to see your dress.
- Stilissima.  Lovely service.  Stocks Cymbelline dresses, which are just gorgeous!

Not so highly recommended stores:
- Meslewi.  The most bizarre service I've ever received.  Don't waste your time.
- Lavem.  The ladies working there completely ignored me and my mom.

I might still have a quick look in Morsmaikku, and will be checking out the dresses etc. at this weekend's wedding fair!

x

(Dress: Pronovias)