Elle est arrivée

According to fragrantica.com, it’s all about black rose, violet, ylang-ylang and musk. Gorgeous.

Inspiration

 

Christmas Day

This is what my Christmas Day has been about:

Work, essay writing, a teeny bit of chocolate and random earrings. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate us, and commiserations and much love to people like me who are away from their families and spending the festive season at work. Someone’s got to do it after all.

Yes, I Fell From Grace..

 

..lost my cool and my principles of using all the perfumes I already have..

.. fell in love.

This beauty will be winging its way to me next for the year 2011. New Year, new perfume, new me..

Transition Blues

Some of history’s most famous military leaders were not just coincidentally Dynamic Thinkers. Leadership is simply in your blood. You are self confident, energetic and determined to reach your goals and if it is up to you, there won’t be any shilly-shallying. You are equally important in your work efficiency and effectiveness. Strategic planning, long term considerations, creative problem solving, and absolutely exact case analyses are some of your strongest points. The quotation “I came, I saw and was victorious” (Caesar) could also be written on your flag. You comprehend even very complex situations quickly and completely, and immediately issue comprehensive instructions on how they must be dealt with.
The extroverted part of your personality provides you with excellent communication capabilities plus a certain charisma, making it easy for you to engage other people in your objectives. With all that, your visions are not limited to the existing and the contemporary, but frequently extend far into the future. For your professional satisfaction you need these objectives like you need air for breathing. You especially enjoy intellectual challenges and don’t care for victories too easily achieved.
Since you belong to the extroverted Thinker types, working in a solitary environment is not for you. In order to be happy, you need to be in the company of people, with new excitement and tasks plus a little action. Although this frequently provides for a great output the human (all too human) needs of your colleagues could easily end up being ignored. As an intuitive Thinker type, you are always focused on the objective of your task and the welfare of the company, respectively. You quickly have the number of those who are not disciplined and performance-oriented and prepared to work equally hard on the task.
As the boss, you would probably show that particular person the door; as a colleague, you make him sense your contempt for his “weak” demeanor. Especially the absence of competency or a challenged intellectual aptitude quickly causes you to get impatient. Frequently, this is the case when people with your type have achieved leadership positions without being aware of it. One of your favorite expressions is probably: “Leave it alone, I’ll take care of that.” Dynamic Thinkers simply shove everybody aside who in their opinion don’t perform and to their surprise find themselves heading the organization.

My profile on http://www.IPersonic.com

For those of you who don’t know, I am very much planning on leaving my current job at some point after graduation. Not that there is anything wrong with my job as such, but the long working weeks and shift work can be quite knackering indeed, let alone detrimental to my personal life.

I have been pestering our career advisor about issues relating to getting a graduate job at the grand old age of 31, and it’s not easy. She seems to thing I should go and hammer the market as someone with job experience who happens to be graduating at the same time.

Thinking of a career change is a daunting thing indeed, especially since all I have done has been quite samey in the past. All in the same sphere of things, same area of work. I’m not bad at what I do the slightest, I have such a background it makes getting employers interested in me easy. But for me, there are no prospects in my job, so a change is needed.

Taking those first steps is daunting, most probably because I have no idea what to go for. I have passions and things I love, but how and whether to pursue them is a different matter altogether. so here’s for the first steps.. here’s for progress and the future.

I Have To Admit..

..that I really really want to try this and somehow adapt it to my everyday look

For Fabulous Fun

Ah, raven.. why are you the woman I’d like to be ?

More History–Liverpool

Historical Notes–London

I have been busy sorting out some issues with my laptop recently, thanks to some weird and wonderful error messages. So I have defragged, removed programmes, downloaded programmes, deleted photos, reinstalled iTunes and generally been shattered, tired, narked off and panicky about my laptop breaking jus as I need it.

So where new fashion/style/beauty photos have not been taken, I have found some old ones on my laptop that I thought I’d post.

This I will Have..

Bobbi Brown 'Red' lipstick. Heavenly shade, absolutely so.



The blusher and bronzer- duo from E.L.F. because I love mimimalistic packaging, and with this I can pretend to be a lot more chich that I really am.



The organiser from E.L.F. Purely because I saw it on a 'what's in my purse'_vidoe, and throught it'd be handy for when I eventually find that dream handbag of mine where everything can be carried around forever and more (or until I get bored and get another handbag. Even though the plan is not to carry on constantly doing that - see previous post)

Minimalist Revamp

I was today perusing the blog of a finnish cosmetics blogger/ sales person extraordinaire, Virve, and the entry of her new apartment and the massive cull in the items she owns.

This, for me, resonates quite a lot at the moment. I am planning on moving to a new city next summer, in search of a new career as a graduate, as well as new adventures (all things going well!). Because of that, I have to seriosly look into the amount of things I own, use up my excess cosmetics, edit, edit, edit.

But also, I have half of my student fees to be paid off in January, which adds to the intrigue in its own way. Because of the fees, I have to save money, only using what I have to. No buying more clothes, no makeup as I have plenty (one day I will actually blog of my cosmetics shame), no handbags.. just the necessary food, no frivolities.

I have also recently ate lots of crap food, and feel it in my physical appearance. Clothes don't fit, I feel sluggish and tired, my skin's lacklustre. I definitely am in need of a health kick, that is a definite.
It all links together, but how, may you ask. Simple.

Need to save + need to minimize and sort out wardrobe + need for a health kink = Operation Run-Up. A run-up to Christmas, a run up to 2011, a run-up to the move..

Where as people put on weight leading to the end of the year thanks to the holiday excesses, I intend to lose it. Whereas people lose money because of the same festivities, I intend to save it. My theme for the end of the year will be about loss - loss of weight, loss of an impractical wardrobe, loss of excess spending, loss of all the cosmetics I have in the house.
I will blog about it, I will ponder it, I will be honest about it.. it'll be a pain in the ass, but hopefully, it will be somewhat useful, both for me, but also for someone who reads the entries.

The issues I will tackle are:

* my wardrobe: my current wardrobe is quite disjointed, and doesn't really reflect who I am. I am a minimalis at heart, like materials like leather and felt, dark colours like black, grey and purple, inky blue and dark blue-green. Strong colours, strong lines, character.
I will actually, when I am clearing out my stuff, go through all my old magazines and create myself a general mood board, and maybe identify some new trends in the things I like. Fingers crossed, anyway, maybe I will have some sort of a 'lightbulb moment'!

* my health: I have put on weight recently, thanks to the wonders of hormones and eating loads of food which is less than healthy. I have already imposed a ban on candy, chololate and crisps - in the name of enjoyment I will allow myself the occasional pastry as life is too short to eat food what tastes like cardboard.
I also need to crack on with my gym routine, but also re-start my exercise classes again. Hopefully I will take up something that is more holistic, as at the moment I feel about as flexible as an iron bar, sadly.

* my finances: saving up and paying uni fees, tackling existing debts, it's all about re-evaluating my relationship with money and consumption.

* my future: I have been doing a lot of thinking recently, having tackled allsorts of issues at work recently. Evaluated what I want out of life, and believe you me, working 80+ hours a week and doing shifts.. really not a nice thing at my ripe age (of 31, if you need to know)

So there, such will life be. Looking at my dining room table, it doesn't look any clearer. But the crisp/candy/cholocate ban has worked since sunday. Just don't mention the handbag I ordered tonight ;-)..small steps.



Ooh, metal. My future new bag from Next, my staple for everything these days :-).

Sad Sad Sad

Will be back. Have too much work, a fear that my old supervisor will be coming back, and minor heartache of a relationship I seem to have totally screwed up over the weekend.
Oh well, onwards and upwards, people :-).

Today I have Mainly been...

..panicking about what to wear to London next week (am going over for a few days), and playing with the new Barry M Instant Nail Effects polish - shown here on top of the Primark Beauty UV-reactive nailpolish in 'Candy'

 

Apologies for the grainy photographs, they were taken with a shaky hand at half past eight in the evening after a day of dentist and general stress..

Wastage

 

Today has been a quiet day. I am heading off to do a nightshift tonight, and could get shot of some of my extra clothing because there's a charity collection at work. With my general plan of wanting to get rid of extra clothes I have and never use, that would be quite ideal.

But lo and behold, I have spent the day reading a magazine, waiting for a text off someone, pondering whether to change my work bag into a new Primark-purchased studded bag (more space for extra socks and warm gloves), wondering why I have so many lipglosses and why I have such girly rings when I am more of a minimalists non-frilly lady.

Life is quite funny like that, plans rarely work out when you have more entertaining things to look out for.

Clothing-wise, I am in a bit of a conundrum at the moment. I am trying to find a decent 1950s-style swing skirt, that I could wear with a simple top and maybe some heels, but to no avail. Everywhere seems to be full of pencil skirts, and I am abit wary of them. Much as I'd love the Joan Holloway-esque look, I think my reasonably heavy chest would benefit from a flared skirt (much as I love my big ass to be on display ;-) ).

I am having a few days in London ahead with someone highly important to me soon, and would like something that is a bit more pretty and not so plain.

Bloody fashion. Black jeans and red lipstick it is, then!

The Bitch Is Back

After a long silence, I am back. My internet works, my laptops works, I have Picasa on my laptop. Life is OK again :-).

This is how I have spend my time recently..

 

Oh Noes

..technology woes.

For some reason, my internet connection at home is failing miserably at the moment. Instead of doing the logical thing and trying to sort it out, I have given up and decided to pop down the my gym for a quick workout and a session with the computer here.

Hopefully I will be 'properly' online soon, as have a host of posts lined up. Most importantly, probably, my '5 last..' on handbags (will be getting a new one today, a fabric satchel from Next - I swear, the amount of money I have spent of bags from there, I could have gotten a Mulberry by now!)..

Students, Again

I have been reading the postings of the lovely Yummy (link in finnish, sorry), who's today travellened to London to start her University adventure. At the same time, today has seen an influx of student to the University of Nottingham - yes, it is that time again :-D.
I really remember those heady days of becoming a student, returning to Uni for a new year, making new friends, catching up with the old ones. The excitement, the alcohol, the freedom, the lecture halls.. such fantastic days!

My own studying will start next month - as always, my Uni is kicking off at the start of October, and my induction will be on the 6th onwards. Second year on a part-time Masters degree starts. It will be a busy year - two modules, one dissertation, a few applications to do a PhD.
Funnily enough, that seems progressing. I have an idea what I wanted to do, and approached someone who I wanted to be my supervisor. She's keen on the idea, and passed on my mail to the head of their department, who's sent me a mail saying he's very interested and the department would love to suervise me. Yay \o/ * victory dance *!

As a sidenote, there mas been very little fashion/beauty-type postings here. Simple reason - my camera wire has gone AWOL. I have a few pics of my new bauty haul stuff, as well as my handbags, but cannot post the little blighters.
Fingers crossed I will find the wire soon, and get back to business. The plans are to make a posting on the five last bags I bought (I am a bag lady), plus to post about sorting my wardrobe out.
Oh yes, the last one has been a task and a half. After deciding I want to keep my privacy and to stay home alone, I ave decided to move my stuff to the bigger bedroom with a few wardrobes. That has left me to the process of sorting out my wardrobe. I have lots of clothest that I do not wear, plus with a possible move ahead of me next year, because of my potential studies, I feel it is time to start downscaling with clothes, accessories and makeup. God knows how that will work out, seeing as I just today found myself a lovely eyeshadow quad by Tigi from TK Maxx :-p..

Laziness

I have been stuck at work since last week, and will carry on work until next week. I've had to call the fire service in, the ambulance in, have broken things, gotten grounchy, been tired, stressed, annoyed, generally shattered.
So where does that leave me?
On Wednesday, I will be finally having a day off, and will be popping over to Leicester to spend a day horading more books, and meeting up with a University friend for some coffee, lunch and chatting about further studies. But with the tiredness, I am suddenly struck with a dilemma - I really cannot be bothered to make an effort. Casual slouchy clothes, trainers, no makeup, hair thrown in a ponytail, those are the things that appeal to me. Not the usual stuff I like - looking minimalistically rock, having eyebrows that are done, generally looking, well, passable.

Damned you, work, making me want to look like me, with no improvements. We cannot have that ;-)!



P.S. I miss dancing.

Fly By

Just a quick note from me. Have been working lots, going to the gym (well, maybe about once in the past month), not sleeping enough. More to follow. But now, my crosstrainer song from today..

Personal Challenges, Part 1: Eyes

Everyone has things about them they like.


Me, I like my eye colour. It is quite nice, even if hard to describe. I don't like my eyes, though, they're small and a pain in the ass to make up nicely. Hence why I rarely try, I just let them be. And it's a shame, as I am sure I could really make something nice of them.. well, of the colour, anyway.

So that is my personal challenge. To learn to make something out of my eyes. Still, the problem is defining the exact colour of the damned things. I could highlight the brown, which is a nice enough colour. I could emphasise the gray-ish edge of my eyes, or the green in them.

I could play around with the eye liners I have but do not use. Slap on mascara. paint on eye shadow, play around with primer potions.

Where to start, people, where to start... and most of all, how to keep up the habit once I find something that works?

So What Am I Doing, Anyway?

A simple picture-less post from me today - have just accidentally deleted a post I was writing, so am just going to ponder today, after a long working day..

You'd think that a style/fashion blog would be an easy thing to write. Post photos of the 'outfit of the day', ponder about runway shows and talk about trends.

What about me, then? 'Outfit of the day' for me would be my work uniform (black trousers, white shirt, black shoes - hardly sartorial excitement galore). The perk of a work that requires a uniform is the sheer simplicity of it all. i don't have to think - I put my uniform on, and crack on to work. It makes me a canvas to which my employers wishes and expectations are projected to. I stop being an individual who has her own style and character, and become a part of a machinery.
Outtside work, I do not have an exciting style at all. I wear black, occasionally I wear jeans. At home I wear my 'home clothes' which usually consist of leggins and a hoodie or a shapeless but warm and soft cardigan.
My favourite shoes are plimsolls that have worn through and should have been binned months ago because they have a hole on the sole. I own a lot of high-heeles ubersexy shoes, but never wear them outside the house because I am afraid of falling ver and/or scuffing them.

I have lots of makeup because I love it, but I rarely wear it these days because I have no dressing table to apply it next to. My hair is tied back, and cut and coloured simply to suit my own reflection of my personality.



Runway shows I do not really watch or follow, apart from picking up the stuff I like. I catch the show reports on the media, think that majority of them are totally pants, and then go 'oooooh, I like that one', and 'boom', there's my focus.
This autumn, it's all about the military vibe and grungey hair. Quite handy for me, being an ex-soldier and someone who constantly loses their hairbrush.
Trends are the same ilk for me, I ignore them, unless I really like them, and even then I am likely to not really 'get involved' in them. I can appreciate a trend, but not take part in it.

So why do I write something that can only be described as a style- or a fashion blog?
because, people, I do like my fashion. I may not be the most fashionable person out there, but I appreciate it. At the same time, I don't feel like I am a slave to it. I just like it. And that, in my view, is enoug, because even 'normal' style is style.

Lumene Love

I am so tired after a nightshift, plus sorting out a financial disaster of the house deposit, that my head will not produce any text that will make any sense.

So here are a few photos from my Lumene haul from my recent finnish trip. Gorgeous colours. I am quite useless with the eye makeup side of things, but hopefully these will inspire me to dip my toe into it. I did get a few lipsticks too, but that's another whole post altogether..

13082010 - Friday the 13th

Truth be told, today hasn't been that bad of a day. Yes, I overslept, missed my bus and was late for work. But I also had a good day at work, got free cake and had a marvellous dinner, as well as came home to no bills. Bonus.

I was pondering about different things to blog about. I cannot do the usual 'what I wore today' stuff because not only do I wear a uniform pretty much every day due to work, on days off I tend to thrown on a black shirt, jeans and trainers. My 'outfit' is all about the bags, scarves and coats.
It's kind of hard to do a 'style blog' about an utfit when your outfit is all-black and quite simple - and always looking the same! still, style isn't always about the clothes, it's about the other stuff, too.

What I was pondering was writing about the stuff I carry with me, a kind of written version of 'what's in my purse'- videos. Which I love, by the way, in my voyeuristic way.
So that is definitely oncoming. As are blogs about my other obsession, make-up. Love the stuff, even though the question is why someone who doesn't wear makeup to work loves it so much. Lip cosmetics, I have always loved. But truth be told, I don't tend to use them that much either. A slick of lipbalm to stop chapping, and job's a good 'un.

Ideas, ideas.. all there, all good, all having to wait until later, or atleast until I have had my coffee.

Mania

Work has been a nightmare. 12 hour shifts involving lots of standing and walking around, lifting stuff, standing by an open door, boredom, snappy people and odd conversations with colleagues.
On top of that, a friend-of-a-friend has just been a victim of crime, so some reassurance (due to my previous jobs) has also been dished out, further reducing my energy levels.

On top of that, I have piles and piles of books to read for my course. All very interesting, but as you know, as soon as you need to read something it stops being interesting. But all in good time..tonight is not the time, either!

So tonight, Matthew, I am going to be.. sitting on my backside, watching YouTube fashion and makeup videos, listening to music :-) .

My Fashionable Life

Suppose you could say that this blog is quite orientated about stuff that has a lot to do with the external stuff like beauty and fashion.
I have to say, however, that I am not at all fashionable as such, or indeed particularly stylish. I am trying to get there - I have a very distinct view of how I want to look (it's all about black, leather, a bit of a minimalist with an definite S&M vibe occasionally peeping through :-p).


This will all require a few changes in my life, and more importantly, in me. Thanks to the wonders of hormones, I am chesty enough (I cry every time I have to get a bra becayse the lettering depresses me - you're never happy with what you have), and that has a tendency to make me matronly.
I still remember seeing my aunt on my holiday, and her saying to me how much I have slimmed down. For the recond, I was wearing a shirt which was a tad more fitted - and has actually put on about two stone since I last saw her (that I only blame McDonalds and my lack of wanting to go to the gym, lol).

So for the style to look good, I need to lose weight. Not so much that I resemble a stick, but so much that I won't look like a square box with legs (I have a long back, high waistline byt no real waist to speak of).
More importantly, I just want to get physically fit, because I will have a very busy autumn ahead of me.

But me and fashion previously, my on my :-D. A teenager who dressed up like a gansta rapper, or to ill-fitting blue jeans and thich jumpers, bad hair.. ouch, bad bad bad :-). Atleast now I have some sort of an idea of what to look for, even if my vision has yet to actually materialize.. but one day, it will. My god, it will, and that day will be soon :-)

Boots And Studs

Just a few things that make me hapoy at the moment.

First things first, a piece of ego-emphasising wrist jewellery from Kappahl from Finland, given to me by my mum. How lovely is this.




..and these are the beauteous boots I ordered from Next, perfect for the autumn/winter season. Thinking of wearing these with my long jumper and jeans or leggings..

Back In The U.(S.S.R).K

back in the UK, with most of my photos stuck in a computer in Finland as the broadband didn't work.

In England, what waited for me were catwalk guides for the autumn/winder 2010/2011 and the coolest biker boots for the winder season (photo will appear soon, once I get round to it).
I have to say that the a/w beauty trends are just my thing. A more polished grunge (just look at the Proenza Schouler catwalk look). Kind of works well after I just had my layers cut to a pretty-blunt bob which seems to encourage a certain natural wave to kick up a bit. Now all I need is a nice wine-coloured lipstick, and job's done! I have a few hiding somewhere, atleast I know that Rouge Noir is still there in my lipstick box. maybe I'll finally use it!

This is the mood for the autumn...
As a total sideline, why the hell do the best laid plans always get ruined whenever I get near my laptop, and more importantly, Spotify? Dammit..

A/W 2010 Inspiration

A/W 2010 by julietdeltasierra featuring Balenciaga bags

Promises And Plans

The weird thing about autumn, and on holidays, is that new plans seem to arise. Having been brought up in Finland, the autum marked the end of the summer and the start of something new. With four very distinct seasons, the autumn was a start of something new indeed.
The time to stop lazing around and to start new adventures and things. Schools and Universities kick off, summer holidays and all the excesses that are involved with it are over.

I distinctly have that feeling at the moment. In the end of September, Uni starts again, and for me, it will really be crunch time as I need to bring up my grades just that bit so I can start studying more. The more I think about it, and consider it, the more it is an issue for me, as I have a very distinct feeling of wanting things to change. I like work, but it's not a career. I like where I live, but it's not really a home for me.

The one thing I really have starte to realize now is that life is there to be lived the way you want to. I very much have an idea about the life I want to have, how I want to look, what I want to do. And that very much is the plan I intend to activate.
Small stuff is involved, style-wise - sort out hair, get a definitive 'look' for the make-up, get rid of stuff that isn't black from my wardrobe (as I am very much a 'black' person, someone dark and somewhat gothic). I need to get back into heels again. I need to sort out my accessories to suit my mood.
In the other aspects of life, I need to try to sort out the issues around the finances and health. Train more. Sort out payments of things I owe. Study hard. Blog more. Try to decide what life really has out there, all the things it has to offer.

Roll on, autumn, I am ready for you!

Castle Realm

Today was mostly spent at the Turku Castle. Naturally, I was all over the dressed, clothes and medals. Too bad I didn't get any decent photos of the brilliant uniforms that were on display (after all, uniforms and me have a long past together, what with me being not really a femininen girl the slightest!).

But what I did get were hats..


..military medals...


..impressive dresses..


..and impressive accessories!


And finally, my favourite topic - 'crime and punishment' - also handy for any future boyfriends :-D

Summer Holidays

During my summer holiday, I have predominantly taken lots of photos of plants...







..and (been) chased (by) bumblebees