Wednesday Poll

1. How has your week been so far?

Sucky. My knee's been acting up, my appointment for hairdresser's got cancelled and I'd very much like to be able to get out of the apartment. Please.

2. What’s your favorite mindless distraction?

Twitter or DropZap.


3. What’s on the nails?

Lilacism (creamy lavender) by Essie. A yummy colour, perfect for spring.

4. Have you ever seen a UFO?

If you mean alien space crafts, no. If you mean flying objects I've not been able to identify, yes.

5. Do you eat seafood?

Sure.

6. Ever taken a photography class?

Not as such but from 7th to 9th grade I was in a class group that had more art lessons than other kids and we did take some photos.

7. What was your least favorite subject in school?

Mathematics and physics. I can barely count and I don't get vectors.

8. What was your favorite subject in school?

Languages, biology, geography and arts.


9. Do you wear scarves?

When I'm cold or when it's cold outside, yes.


10. Have you ever used LUSH Lemony Flutter? Was it good?

I have and except for the very strong lemony scent I liked it.

FOTD: The Grin of a Certain Cat

Yeah, I know I promised. But the thing is that I really want to see the movie and I can't because of the current situation. I have to wait at least two weeks still. Plus I really love the idea of Stephen Fry voicing Cheshire Cat.

I also have downloaded a theme to my trusty Firefox which is Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. And on the right upper corner of my browser screen is the grinning face of th Cheshire Cat. So I couldn't help myself, really. I took silver and turquoise as the colours (the cat is silver-grey tabby with turquoise eyes) and went a bit mad.

Weekly Poll

1. How has your week been so far?

Okay, I guess. I've been out walking for the first time in 6 weeks (I don't count the painful trips to a cab and back inside again), I still need crutches but it's been fun to walk in the sunshine and breathe the (relatively) fresh air.


2. If you had to only wear one brand of nail polish for the rest of your life, which brand would it be and why?

Probably China Glaze because their formula is usually good and they have loads of gorgeous colours. I particularly like Hi-Tek and IDK.


3. What are you wearing on your nails?

Essie Lilacism (lovely lavender creme) from their spring collection.


4. What is your favorite flower?

I love orchids.


5. What’s your favorite drink (alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic)?

For non-alcoholic, I'd say green tea (the good stuff, not tea bags). White Russian or Vodka Cranberry would be my favourite alcoholic drink of choice. As far as wines go, I love chiantis and chardonnays. Old country, of course.


6. If you had a chance to go to the moon for free, would you?

I don't know. For the views, maybe.


7. What decade is your favorite in terms of fashion and the way people/objects looked?

I love baroque so we'd have to move back a couple of centuries. Just listening to Jean-Baptiste Lully's 'Marche pour la cérémonie de turcs'.


8. What word do you loathe?

This part is going to be in Finnish but I hate when people use the expression 'josko'. It's not even Finnish. 'En tiedä, josko pitäisi mennä ulos' doesn't mean anything. Say 'En tiedä, pitäisikö mennä ulos' instead.


9. What’s your favorite word?

I don't have just one :)


10. If you could only use 5 beauty products the rest of your life, what would they be?

Black waterproof mascara, Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation, Fyrinnae Polar Bear pigment, Meow Cosmetics A Lick and a Promise blush and Fyrinnae Lace Gloves lip lustre (yes, they'd have to match, that's the point)

More Silk Naturals Swatches, Just For You!

So I got another haul from Silk Naturals. I was so pleased with my first order that it didn't take long to make a second one. This time I chose more colourful stuff to test if Silk Naturals were able to ace them as they do their more neutral colours. The answer is yes. I'm very pleased with the pigmentation of the colours as well as the complexity of the shades. Again, the shadows are quite shiny which I like but I want to point that out for those who don't love the shine. But don't fret, Silk Naturals also makes colours that are less shimmery and shiny. I'm just a magpie who's constantly distracted by shiny goodies.


Now, on to the swatches!

The Not So Pretty Face...

I was going to show you a FOTD with a list of products that I used like always but today turned out to be something quite different.

FOTD: Mad For Pink

I've done this very same look (with different products) the first time about five, six years ago when I was in Sydney, Australia. I had bought an eyeshadow palette that had a pink shade and a sparkly lime shade. I wanted to use it by applying the pink on my upper lid and the lime on my lower lid. I thought I was being different. One day my Japanese room mate came to me with a women's magazine that had a Shu Uemura ad on it. The woman in the ad was wearing the exact same look. Back then I was a little more sensitive and was offended by my room mate's guess that I had copied the look, and refused to do it again (yeah, I'm a really delightful person LOL).

FOTD: Heartless

Hi there!

I sorta promised not to do any Alice-themed looks with any Alice-themed products but I also promised to share my hauls one way or another. I got the coveted (or loathed) Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows a few days ago. I'm not going to post photos of the palette because the interwebz is full of them and yes, it's gorgeous. I don't have any Urban Decay eyeshadows so for me the palette was a new thing but as you know, all the colours are just regular UD colours with Wonderland names. Yesterday I also got MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick (and I opened the door wearing shorty short shorts and had to watch how the mailman rallied himself up to say "Have a good day". I couldn't even close the door myself because I was holding my mail on one hand and the cruthches in the other. I hope I made his day.) and this morning I wondered how I could use them both to fill in the requirement of sharing my hauls.

Giveaway Has Ended...

The Fyrinnae giveaway has ended and I have notified the winners by e-mail. I'm not going to publish the winners here because I understand if people want to protect their privacy. I did the drawing by using random.org to ensure fairness to all participants. I've already sent out one of the gift certificates and I'm still waiting the other winner to reply my e-mails. If I don't get an answer 48 hours from the time I e-mailed the winner, I will re-draw the prize. So check your inboxes!

I want to thank everyone who participated and I hope you keep reading my blog :)

FOTD: Spring Purrr

Thanks for all my readers for their love and support during my recovery. I wanted to do a complete makeup look today because although swatches are nice and all, this blog is about wearing makeup, too. I've spent the last two hours doing my hair and this makeup. Because standing up without cruthches for longer periods of time is hard, I did a very simple and neutral look with Silk Naturals I swatched here.

There Is a Haus in Portland and They Call It Gloi

I stumbled upon Haus of Gloi after reading reviews from Phyrra and Grey. Haus of Gloi is specialized in soaps, perfume oils and scrubs, all of which are vegan. The company is run by Britton and her husband . The things that set Haus of Gloi apart from other businesses or people selling soap are hauntingly beautiful (and different) scents, natural ingredients (no sulfates here) and gorgeous packaging. If you're looking for soaps that smell "something like strawberry" then this company may not be for you.

The F Word: Fyrinnae swatches

When you receive your order from Fyrinnae, you'll probably say the 'f word' a couple of times. Examples: "F*ck, I need more money!", "This is effing gorgeous!" or "How the f*ck am I going to explain this to my boyfriend?".

Safe But Elegant For Work: Silk Naturals swatches and review

Hi there!

I think I've finally conquered the damn virus that was pestering me for days so I thought I'd get back to blogging. Also, Happy International Women's Day!

I've received some hauls and I decided to swatch them because when you find something good, it's nice to forward the message to your fellow makeup addicts. First up is Silk Naturals.

Three Things About Me

Nea did this so I'm doing it, too :D

(I left out the first one out)

Three jobs I have had:
1. Telemarketer
2. General assistant
3. Translator

Three places I have lived:
1. Helsinki
2. Vantaa
3. London

Three favorite drinks:
1. Green Tea
2. Passionfruit juice
3. Water

Three TV shows I watch:
1. True Blood
2. QI
3. Project Runway

Three places I have been:
1. Istanbul
2. Tanzania
3. Sydney

Three places I would like to visit:
1. Tokyo
2. Rome
3. Barcelona

Three people who text me regularly:
1. My boyfriend
2. Mom
3. My best friend

Three favorite old TV shows: (had to change these, sorry!!!)
1. Black Adder
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Poirot

Three favorite dishes:
1. Sushi
2. Pasta salad
3. Oven baked salmon

Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:
1. Waterproof mascara
2. Mineral foundation
3. Black eyeliner

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. Being with my boyfriend until I'm old and wrinkly
2. Travelling
3. The cure to type 1 diabetes

I'm tagging anyone who wants to do this, leave me a link in the comments :)

If You Want More of My Ramblings..

..then follow me on Twitter. My tweets are protected (the first week I tweeted I got some messages from religious types saying that Jesus wouldn't approve of my foul language. Fuck that.) but I'll accept you after checking out your profile.

Reminder: Giveaway Ends Next Week!

I've noticed that I have gained some new readers (welcome, everyone!) so I wanted to remind you about my Fyrinnae gift certificate giveaway. Two people will receive a $21 gift certificate to Fyrinnae and the winners will be drawn at random.

So check out the giveaway post to enter if you already haven't.

http://adventurouspurplekoala.blogspot.com/2010/01/giveaway.html

My Skincare Routine

I'm treating you with a third post today. Actually, I snatched this idea from Phyrra who shared her routine and since I know have a routine of sorts, I wanted to do the same.

My skin is very sensitive and dry. I used to think my skin was greasy because it always seemed so oily but when I washed my skin, it felt tight and looked flakey. Sensitivity is another great problem. I've gotten skin infections from scented moisturizers and liquid foundation (after the first use, mind you. It wasn't old stuff). I've basically tried everything, even apothecary lines but there was always some ingredient that made my skin even worse.

I decided to turn to Garden of Wisdom, a skincare line that uses a lot of natural stuff. I was overwhelmed with their products so I e-mailed Jen who I know from Meow Cosmetics forum and who does some formulating for GoW. She gave me some pointers and I ordered samples. So this is how I have found my new skincare regimen. It sounds like I'm using an awful amount of products but every product has a purpose and the actual amounts are small.

The products are all from GoW.

AM
-wipe face with GoW Clarifying Coco-Fen Tonic
-apply either Concord Grape HA serum or Matcha Green Tea serum
-apply Cellular Eye Complex serum on the under eye area
-spritz Frankincense hydrosol all over face
-apply Hemp Seed oil all over face
-mist with Frankincense hydrosol
-apply waxless Fruity Meow Meow lotion

PM
-cleanse face with Creamy Cleanser (non-sudsing)
-otherwise same routine as AM

I also use an acid exfoliation twice a week and mask when needed (I use dead sea clay mixed with either water or yoghurt).

My skin has gradually gotten better. I no longer have volcano-sized blemishes and my skin doesn't feel tight or oily.

What's your routine?

Mini Review and Swatches: Sugarpill

So this is the second post of the day, as promised.

Everybody's been buzzing about Sugarpill and I have to say that after seeing the product, I can't say I wonder why. The colours are gorgeous. Seriously.

I placed my order on February 15th. I ordered two of the Chromalust pigments: Goldilux (flashy gold) and Magpie (blackened blue). Yes, before you say anything I really did order a blue eyeshadow. I was going to order Hysteric, the purple shade, but I wanted to take a risk and went for Magpie. I intend to use it for a smoky eye at some point. The Chromalust piggies cost $12 a piece which is more I normally pay for my pigments. The shipping was reasonable, $8. Sugarpill also has pressed shadows which seem to be matte.

My package arrived about two weeks later. What shocked me was the size of the parcel. I'm sure most of you have seen by now the lovely cardboard box the products come in, completed with a cutesy kitten image. But this is where I was disappointed. If I order just two eyeshadows, I think there's no need to use a parcel that's over 10 times bigger than the product packages. It was cute with pink paper around the goodies but I felt it was too much. Okay, ordering stuff overseas is not ecological but I still think that using that much packaging material is a huge waste. Sorry, this is just my opinion on the matter. Also, the packaging may attract the customs officers. I prefer my small orders in padded envelopes.

The product jars do not have a sifter or any kind of seal between the lid and the actual products so there was some minor spillage. This, as the packaging thing, are completely fixable problems so I won't go to that.

But the products? I feel like I have enough words in my English vocabulary. So I'm using the expression "fricking amazing". I did my swatches over TFSI and Pixie Epoxy and I only sweeped some colour that had been stuck on the lid of the jar. The pigment glides on evenly and you get great coverage with just a tiny amount of it. The colours are beautiful and shiny. You see the metallic finish without having to squint or slab on tons of the pigment.




(L to R) Goldilux, Magpie


I'm very happy with what I got and I'm 100% sure I will get more Sugarpill in the future.

What about you readers, have you tried Sugarpill? Are you more interested in the pressed shadows or the piggies? Any colours that interest you?

Dorothy May Have Had Her Pumps But I Have These

Hi everybody!

Today I have two small posts for you, this is the first one (obviously).

I love Converse trainers. They are comfortable and perfect for my huge but slim feet. There are always tons of colours around as well as a couple of style options (I personally love lo shoes).

BUT.

Converses can be terribly expensive in Finland. I've seen prices varying from 60 euros to almost 80 euros which is a bit too much for me, especially if I want to buy something I won't be wearing on an everyday basis. This also explains why I have only three pairs (grey, purple, magenta), all of which I'm wearing to shreds (especially the purple ones).

So, here I was, immobile and bored and I wandered to a site called Shoe-Shop.com. And they had these lovely sparkly, silvery ones on sale. 30 euros! About 40 euros with shipping! I was still winning with that kind of deal. WANT!

So I ordered them. The tricky bit was that they were shipped via UPS which I personally hate. I want to go to my post office to pick up my parcels and not wait for a delivery guy who cannot say which time he'll be able to come. I didn't know they shipped via UPS. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have ordered them. Who am I kidding? I would totally had ordered them anyway.

Yesterday they arrived delivered by an impatient and rather rude delivery guy. I was afraid that his sullen attitude had tarnished my precious shoes somehow. It hadn't. They are lovely.




My sparkly shoes!

They are sequined, they are lovely and I'm going to wear them the first day I get to walk without crutches!

What do you think? Have you already ordered new shoes for the spring?

The Monstrosity Without Stitches

Hi all!

Sorry I haven't been around almost for a week. My boyfriend caught the disgusting noro virus and I had to be evacuated to live with my parents.

So it's been a little over two weeks since I had the surgery. I got the stitches out on Friday. It was gruelling. It didn't really hurt but I was sure my scars would burst open and spray blood everywhere. Of course they didn't but that's how I felt like. The nurse told me about six times that the scars wouldn't open but I wasn't fully convinced. The good news is that they've healed up nicely and I have no infections. The bad news is that walking is still an issue. Especially walking outdoors. Yesterday I lost my balance outside about three times and what it does is it fucking hurts like hell. I wish the snow would melt completely because then I might be able to walk outdoors more confidently.

I'm posting some things this week, most likely swatches. Hope you like them :)

Here's an updated pic. I decided that I'm going to wear skirts this summer. I'm moving the responsibility to whoever decides to take a look at my legs. If someone has a problem with scars, they can look elsewhere.