Treasures and pictures from Turku

Whew, what a trip that was! We did a lot of shopping with my friend Ilse and this post is dedicated to showcase the treasures I found and to show you guys what a fantastic time we had.

So, Turku is situated by the sea in Western Finland. It used to be the capital of Finland during Swedish rule but when we were taken over by the Russians, the capital was moved to Helsinki which was then nothing but a small village. There had been numerous reasons for this (such as the fire of Turku that destroyed many buildings) but the main reason is that Turku is close to Sweden and the Russians wanted to keep Finland in check. Turku is an old university town and it has a magnificent castle dating back to 1280. It is also, in my opinion, a great place to spend a summer day.




What surprised us on this trip was how many really interesting design stores there were (and how little customers they had). We found really unique things. This ice cream necklace and button earrings were bought from a shop called Televisio. It only sells Finnish design, like Ivana Helsinki, Globe Hope, Lustwear. And everything from jewellery to dresses. There are even purses made out of milk cartons! The necklace is by Kooky Gems and earrings are by Keltainen Orava ('yellow squirrel' for those of you who don't speak Finnish).

Televisio

Hämeenkatu 32, Turku

tel. (+358) (0)2 231 0400

Just around the corner from Televisio we found Boutique Minne which is a vintage store/boutique that sells both vintage clothes and their own designs. This is where a found the most beautiful skirt ever made. I made a deal with the owner to buy it and she fixed the skirt so it would fit me in a matter of seconds (it was a bit too big for me). I really love this store and the owner, Marjo, is such a sweet and imaginative person. She is a costume designer so she definitely knows what she's doing. She uses both old and new fabrics and if you should need custom made clothes, she's more than happy to oblige.

This photo is taken in Boutique Minne. Look at those beauties! I loved the red tartan dress lying on the table in this picture and I really like the combo on the left (the skirt, belt and shirt). I could have scooped all the stuff with me (well, maybe except for the shoes but only because I don't remember seeing size 7 vintage shoes).

And here is Marjo (the gorgeous lady in black) telling us about her designs. Behind her is her atelier where she does the hard work that transforms into gorgeous dresses and skirts and everything fabulous.

If there's one shop you should visit in Turku, make it Boutique Minne! They're going to be on Helsinki Vintage Fair in Helsinki in September so if you for some reason don't have the opportunity to visit them in Turku (though you really should), come and see their designs then.

Boutique Minne

Kaskenkatu 2, 20700 Turku

tel. (+358) (0) 50 5166 124

So I bet you're wondering what I got from Minne... Well, here it is!

Isn't it the most fabulous skirt you've ever seen? Sorry, this pic doesn't do it justice because I had to shoot it myself at the same time I was wearing it. It's a bit girly but it has some serious butt-kicking attitude. Love it. And it's unique so there is no other one. *blows a raspberry*

We also visited historical sights beside the coolest shops. Here I am in the courtyard of Turku castle. We were a bit hungover from last night so we're not completely sure if we saw the whole castle but we did spend 2 hours there going through the small passageways and the great halls.

It was a warm, sunny weekend and we had fun. In this picture I'm having a throbbing headache from the night before. I didn't stay up that late and Ilse came back to the hotel 5 hours later than I did. And I still think that I was in the worse condition the following morning.

So that was our trip to Turku. It won't probably be our last because once I have some more money, I'll be paying Marjo a visit at Boutique Minne ;)

MAC Too Dolly FOTD

Today I'm going to Turku (the former capital of Finland) with a friend of mine and we're going to spend the night there. A girly look was in order so I took the opportunity to use MAC's Too Dolly palette from the oh-so-coveted Hello Kitty collection.


Too Dolly FOTD

Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Himalayan (two layers)
Meow Cosmetics concealer in Inquisitive Chausie (to cover up blemishes)
Meow Cosmetics Top Cat Finishing Powder (over foundation)
Meow Cosmetics Crystalline Cat Glow Powder in Quartz (over cheekbones and browbone)
Meow Blush in Tickled Pink
MAC eyeshadow in Yogurt (from Too Dolly palette) (all over upper lids from lashline to brows)
MAC eyeshadow in Romping (from Too Dolly Palette) (outer half of eyelid and lower lashline)
MAC eyeshadow in Stately Black (from Too Dolly palette (outer vee and crease and lower lashline, over Romping)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (upper lashline)
Dior Diorshow Waterproof mascara in Black
MAC eyeshadow in Too Dolly (from Too Dolly palette) (inner corners)
MAC lipglass in Nice Kitty


Those of you who are familiar with Too Dolly palette, know that Stately Black is a blueish black eyeshadow. However, if you do as I did and use it over Romping, the result is purple. That's how I did my crease and lower lashline. I first used Romping and then went over it with Stately Black.

I wanted to use all of the colours in Too Dolly palette so I decided to use Too Dolly on inner corners to freshen it up a bit. Otherwise this look would've just been another pink+purple combo.

My Fluidline was flaking and I realized that it had been dried out. I was about to throw it away but then I took a piece of tissue and scooped the hard dry layer off. Now I can use it again and it doesn't flake or look greyish. Ta-dah!

I had a really bad hair day this morning but don't worry, I fixed it up a bit as soon as I saw this photo :P

Sorry for such a short posting but I have a train to catch! If you're not as busy as I am right now, please let me know what you think about this look!

Have a nice weekend!

Purely Cosmetics presents: Purple Koala eyeshadow now on sale!

Today, I woke up and it was pretty much the same as any morning. I put on my clothes, had some breakfast, put on my makeup and went to work. I was tired from yesterday's hot yoga class and from the lack of sleep. I was not in a good mood. Not in a bad mood either but feeling a bit 'meh'. Then I opened my Facebook and noticed that I had a message from Robyn of Purely Cosmetics.

This is when my morning became really the best morning with the sun shining and birds chirping and everything being fabulous.

The eyeshadow shade Robyn made for me is now on sale and it's called Purple Koala!

Like the LOL cats would put it: I can has a happy!

Big thanks for Robyn, the shade name is perfect and the colour is gorgeous! And I really, really hope that others than me will love it, too :)

You can get it here: http://www.purelycosmetics.com/purple-koala-p-243.html

If I could post a picture of me right now, you would see really wide grin :)

Aromaleigh Spring Solstice FOTD

I know most people have long ago posted their Spring Solstice looks and are now doing l'Orchidée looks but since I live in a land far far away, I just got hold of my Spring Solstice goods. And I opted for full sizes because I knew I wouldn't get the samples in time to make a full size order after sampling. So I went in blind. You already know that I got Alyssum which I adore but now I have two other beauties: Trillium and Zinnia.

Trillium is a "fresh Spring green full of shimmering green sparkles" and Zinnia is a "vibrant but soft coral-peach that turns into a blend of pinkish coral with a dominant violet iridecence". I also detected a hint of gold in Trillium which gave me the idea to combine with Alyssum that is a champagne colour with green shimmer. However, I wanted to use Zinnia too but after doing hand swatches, I couldn't think of a combination that would work. So I decided to use Zinnia as a blush instead.

Aromaleigh Spring Solstice FOTD

Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss in Inquisitive Himalayan (two layers)
Meow Cosmetics Concealer in Inquisitive Chausie (to cover up blemishes)
Aromaleigh eyeshadow in Zinnia (as a blush)
Aromaleigh eyeshadow in Alyssum (on the whole upper lid up to brows)
Aromaleigh eyeshadow in Trillium (half of the upper lid and crease)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (as a liner on upper lashline)
Dior Diorshow Waterproof mascara in Black
MAC lipstick in Sandy B


So what I did was I put Alyssum all over upper lid up to brows and then went over half of the lid and crease with Trillium. I used Trillium a little more heavily on outer vee. The colour is very easily layerable which I like. I was at first a bit intimidated by Trillium and when I had applied it a bit lighter at first, I needed to take a breather and convince myself that more is more. Then I went back in front of the mirror and applied some more. You can see in the picture above the green shimmer of Alyssum if you look at where the two colours meet.

I think Zinnia makes a lovely blush. You can see the pink shimmer in this photo. I think it's divine. I can't wait to use it on eyes as well.

I know this photo doesn't show the colours too well. There was a slight lighting issue as it wasn't sunny in our balcony. Oh, I can't wait for summer when I can just run outside in the park to take pictures there! Right now it would be too much work as I'd have to put on more clothes. But as soon as I can be outside in jeans and T-shirt, you'll get some nice pics outdoors, I promise!

Despite my expression in this photo, I'm actually delighted by the results. I've once again lost my ability to smile in front of the camera but that was mostly because I had a terrible morning. I had ran out of frozen blueberries that I use with Weetabix, bananas and milk for my breakfast. So I had to do without them and my brekkie tasted like crap.

So, what do you think of the look? Should it be forgotten like using concealer as lippie (btw, that never looks nude. It just looks like you've accidentally dug up concealer from your handbag when you were supposed to find your lipstick) or can I use it again?

Sale: -25% off of Aromaleigh L'Orchidée Limited Collection!

Girls, if you have been drooling over Aromaleigh's L'Orchidée collection but have not yet made an order, now's your chance to save some money! The collection is on a 25% discount until April 22nd so you get one full size jar at $6.

Some of my faves of the collection are:

-Orinoco
-Jewel
-Shadow Witch
-Unicorn
-Pink Fingers
-Wild Coco
-Seed Pearl

I'm already getting the first three from my list but now I might get more...

Fyrinnae Envy Me + Boytoy FOTD

As I've said before, I think Fyrinnae's Envy Me is a great green. Today it felt like a green day so I dug up my jar of Envy Me and a sample jar of Fyrinnae's Boytoy. Boytoy is very shimmery and sparkly forest green. So instead of giving you a fresh spring look, today is all about moody greens.

Envy Me +Boytoy FOTD

Purely Cosmetics Silk & Pearl Primer (on forehead, nose and chin as a primer)
Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing Foundation in custom blend
Meow Cosmetics Firefly Blush in Illuminate (on cheeks)
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (on lids as a primer)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Envy Me (all over upper lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Boytoy (outer vee and crease, wetlined on lower lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Shinkirou (inner corners of eyes)
Fyrinnae eyshadow in Cheeky (as a higlighter below brow)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (as a liner on upper lashline)
Dior Diorshow Waterproof mascara in Black
MAC lipglass in Viva Glam VI Special Edition

As much as I love the colour of Boytoy, it was a pain to apply. It was so full of shimmer that it just flew around my face when I tried to apply it. When I wetlined my lower lashlines with it, I lost my temper. The shimmer it has is very clumpy and thick when mixed with water, so trying to wetline with it was a bit like decorating stuff with those glitter glues that are sticky and too thick. What a shame. The colour is great but the formula is a bit lacking.

I also realized when taking photos that I use too much foundation when I use Purely's Skin Smoothing Foundation. I'm just so used to Meow's very light foundation that I don't realize that Skin Smoothing gives me heavier coverage with less product. Also, now that temperature is rising even here in Finland (slowly but steadily), my skin is getting better. So I may have to put Skin Smoothing aside for a while. But I still love the formula. I just think it works better in winter when my skin is dried out and flaky.

I love MAC's Viva Glam VI Special Edition lipglass. The shade is mauveish pink and utterly delicious. Also, by buying MAC's Viva Glam products you're donating money to a good cause: ALL proceedings go to MAC AIDS Fund that supports women, children and men suffering from HIV and AIDS. So there's a good reason to buy a new MAC Viva Glam lippie!

Almost forgot: something red hot from Easter

I was supposed to post a look during easter holiday and I took photos and all but then I simply didn't have the time to post it. I can't remember what I used but I wanted to share these pics because I have never before worn red eyeshadow and been pleased with the results.

I wish I had taken better pics but I was in a kind of hurry as we were going to have Easter dinner with my boyfriend's parents. And actually, this look was my boyfriend's idea. he wanted me to do "an Easter Egg look" and said that I should wear red.

The look was very wearable and I didn't feel self-conscious at all. Success!

Purely Cosmetics: Foundation samples - custom colours

I had fallen in love with Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation after I sampled it. The trouble was that no colour on its own was THE perfect match. I had sampled Peaches N Cream (for peachy undertones) that was recommended to me by Robyn of Purely Cosmetics and I had also sampled Fair Maiden (for pink undertones), another very fair colour. The trouble was that although I have peach undertones, my pink undertones are considerably more dominating in real life. Peaches N Cream gave my skin a lovely glow but at the same time made me look very yellow in natural light. Fair Maiden was a much better match for me BUT it made me looked a bit washed out.

What was a girl to do?

Well, I browsed through Purely Cosmetics website and found the solution from Kits & Samples. There is a product listed as 'Foundation samples - custom colours'. With this you can order 2 or 3 little foundation jars in the desired formula plus you get an empty 10g jar with sifter. 2 shades cost $12, Skin Smoothing formula costs extra $2 and a third colour can be added by paying $2 extra. So I bought 2 jars of Fair Maiden and 1 jar of Peaches N Cream in Skin Smoothing formula which cost me $16 total. Yesterday I mixed my custom shade and I have to tell you that it's perfect! And it didn't break my almost empty bank!

Problem solved!

Easter Grass FOTD

Okay, today's look is pretty basic. However, I wanted to incorporate the lovely Easter grass green to it so yesterday I rummaged through all my makeup (I was embarrassed when I realized how much stuff I actually have - and don't use that much) and found Lime Crime's Amazon (LE) which is a yeallowish green. Perfect.

Easter Grass FOTD

Meow Cosmetics Concealer in Inquisitive Chausie (to cover up blemishes)
Purely Cosmetics Silk & Pearl Primer (as a primer on forehead, nose and chin)
Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing Foundation in Fair Maiden
Meow Cosmetics Crystalline Cat Glow in Quartz (as a highlighter on cheeks and above brows)
Fyrinnae Glow Blush in Enrapture
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on lids)
Aromaleigh eyeshadow in Alyssum (on whole upper lid)
Lime Crime eyeshadow in Amazon (in outer vee and crease up to brows)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Platinum (blended over the are where Alyssum and Amazon meet, wetlined on lower lash line)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (liner on upper lash line)
Dior Diorshow Waterproof mascara in Black (upper lashes)
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Hysteric

The reason I chose to combine Alyssum, Amazon and Platinum was that Alyssum has this great greenish sheen (although the colour itself is champagne) and Amazon is such a striking green that I wanted to have a third colour to act as a 'medium' between these two colours. Platinium is a very strange colour as it changes from silvery to gold, depending on the light. I got just a sample but I think I may have to go for full size when the sample runs out.

Alyssum was a part of Aromaleigh's Spring Solstice Limited Edition Collection and is no longer in sale. I grabed a full size without sampling it because I had seen some swatches and thought it was a must have. I have this thing for champagne colours... What sets Alyssum apart from other champagne colours is the greenish shimmer. It's really lovely.

Sorry, I don't have a better picture for you. I had such a hard time photographing today. The sun wasn't too bright but the light clouds made it very bright and it was such a pain to turn my face towards the light and keep my eyes open.

As you can see, I'm no longer wearing Peaches N Cream. I found out that it made me look sort of yellowish and I have such strong pink tones in my skin. So I opted for Fair Maiden and it really looks so much better. I'm going to try to mix Peaches N Cream and Fair Maiden because Peaches gave my skin a really nice glow. So I'm thinking 3 parts of Fair Maiden and 1 part of Peaches N Cream should do it.

Fyrinnae's Lip Lustre in Hysteric is a very wearable pink with purple tones. It looks SO dark in it's container, I almost peed my pants. But on the lips it's very nice and juicy.

My dear and sexy boyfriend promised to get me some of the Aromaleigh's L'Orchidée Limited Collection Stuff and as Kristen posted some swatches, I'm thinking about getting Jewel, Orinoco and either Pink Fingers or Wild Coco. Which one should I get, any suggestions?

Aromaleigh April Limited Edition Eyes: L'Orchidée

Aromaleigh's Kristen loves orchids so she decided to use that love in her newest Limited Edition collection! The collection can be found here: http://www.aromaleigh.com/apliedeyl.html . Currently there are no colour descriptions available when I'm writing this but they should be up soon. Full sized jars are $8, samples $1.30.

Shades that interest me in this collection are:

-Wild Coco
-Moonset
-Pixie Cup
-Orinoco
-Pink Fingers
-Chatterbox
-Dragon

Check these babies out!

Meow Cosmetics Easter Egg Hunt!

Meow is organizing an Easter Egg Hunt, starting NOW. There are about 13 Easter Eggs hidden all over Meow website. Each egg contains a coupon code valid until April 12. Coupons vary from discounts to free shipping so start hunting! But be quick! Some of the coupons will dissappear once a certain number of people have used them...

I recommend:

-foundation
-Lush Blushes
-Crystalline Cat Glows
-Top Cat Finishing Powder

Twinkle twinkle little Saila FOTD

I have gotten some very interesting and fantastic new makeup lately and I had a really hard time deciding what to wear for my post. Well, that was before I got a sample order from Purely Cosmetics. I had talked to Robyn about foundation colours so I got a few samples. But nothing prepared me for a surprise she had for me: she had custom blended me a purple eyeshadow! So of course I had to use that as well as one of the foundation samples.

Twinkle twinkle little Saila

Purely Cosmetics Silk & Pearl Primer (as a primer)
Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing Foundation in Peaches N Cream
Meow Cosmetics Undereye Concealer in Inquisite Chausie (as a concealer on blemishes)
Meow Cosmetics Crystalline Glow in Quartz
Meow Cosmetics Lush Blush in A Lick and a Promise
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat (all over upper lid, inner corner and inner half of lower lid))
Purely Cosmetics eyeshadow in Salia Special (outer vee and crease, outer half of lower lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Shinkirou (as a highlighter under brows)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (as a liner on upper lashline)
Dior Diorshow Waterproof mascara in Black
MAC lipglass in Live and Let Dye



Never mind the spelling mistake in Salia Special, the colour is gorgeous! It's a hazy purple with just a little bit of shimmer and it looks fab on its own or with other colours. I'm immensely flattered by the fact that Robyn had blended this colour for me, I think it was probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.

I love Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, too. Too bad that the multicoloured shimmer it has doesn't show up in these pictures. However, in real life it's sparkly and there's at least pink and green sparkle to it.

I know this look is a bit like the one I did a while ago with Apparition and Daemon's Tail. This is because I'm a crappy photographer :D It really looks different from that look as these colours are more shimmery and multifaceted.

As you can see, I'm very happy with this look and my own special eyeshadow! Smiling in photographs is painful for me but now I didn't even have to try :)

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation is great for dry skin. My skin flakes every once in a while but this foundation has moisturizing stuff in it, like jojoba oil. My skin feels very smooth. It also adds a healthy glow.

I also have cut my hair again. I decided to move away from blunt fringe to a more assymmetrical one: it longer on the other side. This is great because I have sideparting (I don't want my face to look any longer than it already is). I'm desperately trying to grow my hair longer. However, since I'm not the most patient person in the world and I might cut my hair shorter any time.

So, what do you think about the new foundation I'm using? Is it a good match? And more importantly, would you buy a purple like Saila Special?

Check out Purely Cosmetics, there's a link on the right side of this page. Thank you, Robyn!

Don't be a fool!

This is no joke. You get 10% discount for your order at Meow Cosmetics when you use the code NOFOOLIN. The code is valid until midnight today (EST, people) so if you have something you crave from Meow, now's your chance to save some dosh.

My picks (not that I'm going to order anything, seriously):

-Lush Blushes
-Foundation
-Crystalline Cat Glow Powders