facial peel-off cucumber mask and other winter hydrators

I've always been fascinated by peel-off face masks, but I rarely use them. But this one I picked up in Budapest. 2013. And just used for the first time - thank you personal bonus goals of 2016 - it has a nice fresh scent and makes skin feels pretty good too. I've only used it once so far, every other week I use Kiehl's ultra facial overnight hydrating masque. My skin feels softer, which granted also might have something to do with the fact that I only use Dermalogica face cream and serum these days.

The Freeman products are very affordable stuff, cruelty-free and as far as I can decipher with okey ingredients. Probably not the type of products I would rely on in the long run, but it's nice to pick up something different to try when travelling. 

Haven't begun using the Dermalogica recovery masque yet, but I will asap. I'm curious about their charcoal masque too. 

Have you tried it? 

Or do you have any other favourite facial masks
(for dry skin) perfect for winter?

lemon bread and grapefruit butter

A sourdough thyme bread with a hint of lemon that looks like a tiny sun. A little work of bread art. From a new (to me) bakery (Du bon pain = Gott bröd = Good bread) and oh my was it tasty! Made for the perfect Long Friday breakfast sandwiches. And enjoyed by paw inspectors too.

As for the grapefruit butter, well I wouldn't recommend anyone to spread this kind of butter on bread. Since body butter it is. Kiehl's fantastic creme de corps now apparently comes in the shape of body butter too. And scented versions. Since I'm a great fan of the grapefruit scent - or let's stick to one of my favourite words pamplemousse, shall we? - I knew I had to get a jar when I sniffed it. Will be perfect for my still dry winter skin I'm sure. And who doesn't enjoy the scent of pamplemousse?

 

Correct answer to that question would most likely be: the cats.

kiehl's moisture serum

Or as it's fancy name says: Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate. Yes I'm *rather* sceptical when it comes to serum-products, but with the battle of dry and sad winter skin being a seemingly neverending story I am willing to give it a go. And someone blueeyed is certainly excited about the product!

Because neither Kiehl's Skin rescuer nor Centella recovery skin-salve in combination with Ultra facial overnight hydrating masque are able to make a decent positive difference for my skin this time of the year. And in combination with the bare minerals foundation - which has worked wonders for my sensitive, flushed skin ie it's a must when I'm out and about - my seasonal skin is even drier. So I'm looking for that missing hydrating piece in the winter skin puzzle and this was my choice. Or rather I simply said yes to the Kiehl's lady when she suggested this one.

I will update this post with my views when I've used the serum more regularly.

I've recently also gotten the tip that organic jojoba or coconut oil is good for really dry skin. Sounds great and it could certainly be a good overnight thing.

What's your best tip for sad winter skin?

organic hand cream etc

I, or rather my hands, enjoy a good hand lotion. But admittedly most likely I don't use it as often as I should for best caring soft result. On the other hand, equally likely, I probably use it more often than people in general.

These two bottles of hand cream and hand & nail cream with arnica I got as a gift a while back. Used it a couple of times, it's quite enjoyable and the scent is lovely. Organic ingredients and paraben free. I'm sure it'll be a good hand companion come the cold, dry winter months. Never been a fan of Yves Rocher in general, which I suspect has not so much to do with the quality of the products but more of what I've felt over the years is the brand's frumpiness. Would you agree or disagree on that opinion?

Talking about skincare and winter skin I've come to realise during the summer months that the Kiehl's skin rescuer (updated blog post now) that really didn't work for my dry winter face has been really wonderful to my summer face. And perfect as a base to the bare minerals original foundation which has been such a hit. Different seasons and different weathers apparently call for different skin regimes, something that hasn't been obvious to me, until now.

How's your relationship with hand creams?
Do you have a favourite?
And do your skin calls for different skin regimes depending on season/weather?
If so, what's your favourite summer resp winter product?

centella recovery skin-salve

unfortunately it turned out that the kiehl's skin rescuer i got a month ago just wasn't enough for my sad, dry winter skin. it may be during summer (i'll save it for then) with the combination of cold weather, dry indoor air and spending a lot of time in front of computer it's not nearly enough.

so i went back and asked for something else. got this tube with a salve that supposedly soothes temporarily irritated and sensitive skin. (every time i go for a facial the beauticians assure me it isn't rosacea, so far i've trusted them in that. i may have to look into that more thoroughly again though...)

plus a bunch of advice and samples. the former i'm not very likely to follow as i am so not interested in a ridiculously complicated skin regime that takes a gazillion different products. a good cleanser, a good day/night cream and now and then a face mask that is all i'll ever use.

but i'll try the samples. who knows, they may be miraculous. the salve i've used a couple of days now. it feels ok, skin is still dry but it may look less flushed. fingers crossed. again. i'm getting rather tired of the look of nonresilient winter skin.

skin rescuer

still haven't found an all-year-round moisturizer that works for my skin. the aloe vera one from body shop that was lovely during the summer that was just isn't enough for my sad dry winter skin unfortunately.

and the classic kiehl's one doesn't do the pretty trick anymore either. probably an age thing, sigh. so i have high hopes for this one, skin rescuer from kiehl's too, which is supposedly good against redness too. fingers crossed.

also found out that kiehl's now has a recycle bottles in store-system in which you get bonus products. and even if one of course always recycles bottles and jars bonus or not, it is indeed nice to get a little sweet reward in life now and then.

what's your favourite facial product?

EDIT - during the hot summer of 2014 i found that this face cream is great for my skin actually. apparently it just isn't enough for my skin type during long, dry, cold winter months. but as a summer facial cream it gets lots of thumbs up!

december beauty

It's been well over a year since I last wrote one of those list of skincare products I've-used-recently. I'm thinking it would be neat indeed if I could get those bottles and jars, lotions and potions (opened, used and recycled) squeezed into one post before the end of December. I think that time has come, here's what I've been using since August 2010;

:: facial cleanser - mineral flowers facial wash with almond blossom water and mud. the older i get, the drier my skin gets, the more in desperate need of moisture it is. most facial cleanser are just too dehydrating for my skin. as i never wear foundations and such anymore i don't even use a proper cleanser every day. this facial wash (without parabens) is for dry skin, but i still think it's a bit too drying for my skin comfort, it's very liquid ie there's a slightly excessive amount coming out from the bottle when you just need a dollop. smells fresh and natural.


:: facial mask - formula 10.0.6 pores be pure skin-clarifying mud mask. bought a few small packages of different facial masks from formula, just to see if it was intriguing enough to get a bigger bottle of them. not sure this one was. although granted i'm so very less than committed to my facial cleansing regiment these days, should probably use it more regulary to make a statement about it.


:: facial cream - origins a perfect world. smells absolutely wonderful of apples and pears (contains white tea), with a very nice texture and a little jar lasted a long time. it was however too light for my dry skin, perhaps it would work during summers when (my) skin is less dry.

(i'm currently back to my favourite kiehl's cream and when that jar is finished i've a supersized one to tuck into. so me and my face are set for quite a while now.)


:: facial spray - l'occitane amande pomme (almond apple). now and then i do enjoya bit of facial spray to refresh. i'm always seduced into buying something when i step into a l'occitane shop. i think i got this gift bag with three different almond apple products incl this facial spray a couple of years ago. smells lovely and refreshing. i feel a tightening of skin, but i also feel a heating sensation and i think it's probably a bit too much for my dry and apparently a bit sensitive skin. undoubtedly it's a great product for other skin types.


:: facial peel - kiehl's over-night biological peel. the idea of facial peeling as such (and i'm not talking about a scrub) leaves me a bit queasy. i have done it in salons a couple of times and it has been fine and i didn't feel a thing, but still... anyway. this bottle was not something i would have even thought of buying myself. and i'm still amazed that m would even think of buying something like this when i asked him to get kiehl's at tax-free. it's such a weird li'l high-tech product. admittedly i have only used it a few times so far, i don't think i'm qualified to think anything about it yet. (apart from the fact that the face didn't fall off during the night.) i really should use it more regularly as i actually do feel a bit tired and sallow. when i have i'll edit this post.


:: shampoo - tommyguns pomegranate & orange flower. i usually use colour care shampoo, but when it's nearly time for the next hairdresser appoinment i like to try other shampoos too (daring, that's me). i enjoy the smell of pomegranate (and as an ingredient in things drinkable/edible) and this shampoo had a lovely scent, cleansed well, but i wouldn't praise it. it was just an average shampoo that did its job.

aussie take the heat. these past few years i practically never use a hair dryer, so from that aspect this shampoo's special features are not for me. but it was a freebie and i love it for it's lovely scent (jojoba) and its cleansing properties.

yes to cucumbers color care. got this bottle at the birthday getaway. smells fantastic of cucumber and a dash of green tea. very very nice indeed. wish they were sold in sweden.


:: conditioner - gosh professional. danish brand, picked it up in denmark when i had run out of conditioner on holiday. cheap, smells amazing. as far as conditioning features are concerned i can safely say that it won't compete with any of the top three conditioners in my book, it's just an average one, not terrible, not very good, but i do enjoy its scent very much.

kevin murphy born again. i like the natural idea behind the kevin murphy range, i adore the pretty understated bottles. i don't particularly enjoy the scents though, to strong and somewhat chemical. and i'm not very impressed about what it does to my hair. ie nothing special. for that price it really should be at least borderline mindblowing. i know my hairdresser is a big fan, she holds kevin murphy classes, me i'm not convinced.


:: shower cream - bath&body works japanese cherry blossom. a gift, it does smell better in shower gel version than in the hand cream one, but it's still not a favouirte b&b works scent for me. lather and gives a nice clean feeling.

body shop earth lovers apricot & basil. love it! amazing scent, leaving a squeaky-clean feeling and being 100% biodegradable, what more could one ask for? i'm so pleased i got two bottles at the same time, the first bottle is nearly finished.

treacle moon the raspberry kiss. first of all, it's crazy how many brands who blatantly copy the design and idea of philosophy bottles. this one if one of them. i think i bought this bottle at tesco in 2008. it has been biding its time in the bathroom ever since. it still smells faintly of raspberries, but i fear those years on the shelf has been too many and it probably would have been a good idea to use it up sooner. to me its just a very basic shower gel, now more scent-free suitable to bathe the dog in than me.

radox shower smoothie natural balance. with honey and almond. a fine, sweet scented shower friend.

rossmann wellness passionblume & aprikose (passion flower & apricot) harmony. picked it up in berlin. smells lovely, a very nice shower friend.

yes to carrots daily pampering. like most things yes to carrots i adore this shower gel. smells so fresh, lathers and cleanse well, is long lasting. once again, wish they were sold in sweden...


:: soap - fragonard eau du bonheur. a very nice gift, fresh scent, long lasting, very enjoyable in shower.

crabtree & evelyn nantucket briar. a very nice scented gift. unfortunatley it contaned palm derivates.

the isle of skye soap company sweet fennel & pumpkin seed. i adore such sweet-scented wee companies (i got a bunch of them soaps in 2008, this one was the last of that bunch). but as with their other soaps it does contains palm derivate (and i can't see any information on their website about that having changed...). such a pity.


:: hand soap - gunry mjukt & skönt (soft & clean) hallon (raspberry). cheap swedish hand soaps found in supermarkets. quite nice, cleanses well, long lasting and smells delicious. currently using the äpple (apple) and the björnbär avocado (blackberry avocado) scents and they're very nice too. quiet perfect for simple everyday use in the toilet/bathroom and in the kitchen.


:: body scrub - h&m body scrub raspberry & melon with organic apple juice & apricot seeds. the only reason for me buying a cheap product at h&m was that it was organic. i wish i could say that it did not only smell divine, it was a darn good scrub too. it wasn't. crap scrub features and uneconomical.

100% pure organic chocolate mocha. as crap as the body scrub above was as mindblowingly good this one is. it smells so overwhelmingly good of coffee and dark chocolate (and i'm not a great fan of either, when eating and drinking), it's an awesome revitalizing scrub and i love it. (apart from the fact that the shower looks full of coffeegrounds afterwards. but that's a small price to pay for such an experience i think.) i got it as a gift some years ago, i have stinted it, a good scrub is hard to find. but now i've seen it's available to at least order online in sweden. when the time is right i'm definitely going to but another jar.

body shop mango. smells wonderful. but really, i must remember to never ever but body scrubs with oil, i think they're nasty and leave you feeling oily and unfresh when you get out of the shower. not the feeling i'm after. a pity, i would enjoy this immensly if it had been sans oil.

sephora ananas grenadine. another good buy at the getaway. such a lovely scrub, such a lovely smell.


:: body lotion - sephora pamplemousse (grapefruit, but i love the french word for grapefruit, pamplemousse, mmm...) tangerine. bought it in athens, with a smell that reminds me of just that, the orange blossom scent of athens. affordable, with quite nice moisturizing features. it was a nice experience.


bath&body works sun-ripened raspberry. one of my top three favourite scents from b&b works - please, please, please, i know i keep repeating myself, but when will you open up shop in sweden?? - i love this body lotion for both its amazing fragrance as well as its excellent moisturizing features. have sadly only a few centimetres left in bottle, but i'm hopeful i've found a great personal b&b works dealer as from next year, hooray!


:: body butter - mineral flowers multi functional essential body butter with almond & carob wax for dry skin. i'm not a great fan of body butter in general, because even if my skin often is practically parched in desperate need of moisture body butter has a tendency to only offer surface moisture, forming a sticky layer on skin rather than being absorbed. but this one i loved. more body lotion in consistency than butter, smelled fresh (like the facial wash) and left skin soft and supple. had i the opportunity i would definitely buy again (i haven't seen it in sweden).

body shop moringa. smells absolutely divine, uplifting and calming at the same time. however, i feel that it does just that i don't enjoy with body butters, no matter how carefully i cream it, it does remain like a slightly sticky layer on skin. however, the scent alone would actually have me consider byuing it again...


:: foot cream - l'occitane dry skin. i wish it smelled like its fantastic sibling the hand cream with shea butter. this one also contains shea butter but it smells too much of lavender for my liking. but is nice to feet and long lasting.


:: deodorant - johnson & johnson bebe happy. smells lovely, sweet and warm, but is basically crap if one wants a decent lasting deodorant. one of those little cheap things i tend to pick up on holiday, but they most always disappoint and i return to my old favourites from nivea and dove.


:: nailpolish - first of all, i totally blame berlin for seducing me into buying many small, cheap bottles of the stuff and giving me a newfound fascination of nailpolish and not being able to stay away from the more expensive polish. here goes a lot of bottles...

sephora nail hardener strengthener & smoother white 03. got this as a freebie some years ago. probably only used once or twice. i don't have much use for any of those features nor a whiteish polish.

isadora graffitti nails subway green 806. a top coat that supposedly would give a crackled look. it just looked nasty to me.

depend nr 157. orange. not a very nice hue, too pale. cheap, small bottles, swedish brand. not sure why i got it.

pieces. three cheap bottles that i apparently couldn't resist getting last winter. in the colours cookie dough, plum gum and soul petrol. nice hues, nice names, but not very good quality (chips easily etc).

mavala mexico 30 (dark purple), acapulco 63 (dark red), london (bright red). i used to enjoy mavala polish, affordable, small bottles, many colours, but now that i've made the acquaintance of essie and opi the quality of mavala is sadly inferior. still, love the exemplary small bottles.

isadora turquoise 85. it must have been last year when i was on a hunt for the opi no time for the blues (which i found only this past summer and enjoy very much) and i got this one as a turquoise substitute. as with mavala i used to enjoy the swedish brand isadora's nailpolish quite a lot. still do, but it's not as good as opi and essie...

orly witch's blue (such a befitting nailpolish for you says m...). yay for small bottles! wonderful deep blue hue and a pretty nice polish that lasts.

more opi. do you think i'm tex-y? a lovely dark red-pinkish hue. but for some odd reason i don't think this one is as good and lasting as the other bottles. dulce de leche. a beige-pinkish hue i adore. and of course gettin' miss piggy with it. which i now enjoy very much.

gosh sweet peach, essence xxxl shine, essence 46 wake up!, 53 you belong to me, 36 enchanted fairy, 41 very berry, 39 lime up! - read what i think about them all here

essie 742 coat azure, 731 sew psyched, 725 pretty edgy - love them all for their colours and durability but my favourite still is the wonderful perky green pretty edgy.


:: mascara - lumene blueberry curl deep blue. what can i say but, just another crap mascara, sigh...


:: lip gloss - lancôme juicy fruit toffee r&d 93. smells wonderful and as all juicy fruits it gives a nice gloss.


:: lip balm - yes to carrots lip butter. a nice balm, but i'm not too fond of the faint yet distinct medical scent.


:: body splash - bath&body works sun-ripened raspberry. heart a lot. old time favourite. can't wait tp place an order at my new personal dealer after new year's.


:: scents - sheer stella by stella mccartney. the sheer stella version of 2008 i think. it was a nice scent in its own way, but i never felt it suited me as well as previous sheer versions so i recently gave in to that feeling and gave the almost full bottle to my mum. it smells nicer on her. perfumes are such personal, delicate and unpredictable things.

(i'm currently using one of my old favourites, clinique happy. and as usual it certainly does for my mood what it says!)

and here we reach the end of long list. any favourite skincare, scents and such you want to recommend (i might have tried them, i might not), i'm all ears and eyes to learn about them ~

gettin' miss piggy with it

There are three major recurring notions in trends I can't stand; animal prints, metallic and sparkly. Too much bling, hate bling in general.

That said, it was actually M who spotted the nailpolish display of the Muppet-collection from OPI, not me. I don't really  n e e d  another nailpolish. But I was quite taken with these, despite them being very glittery. I think it was the idea of having party nails, something sparkling amidst the recent weather glumness. I adore green and blue nailpolish, but I decided to go with red, seasonal and perky. I simply decided to Gettin' Miss Piggy with It. (Even if I have never been a fan of the Muppets.)

When I put on the first coat of polish I realised that hey, this isn't a proper polish, this is just a sparkly top coat. I can't find any about that on the OPI website nor on the display in shop and it was quite an initial nuisance to realise. But a couple of coats sort of gives the illusion of a nailpolish, red and glittery, flirtatious and very party even on a grey day. Plus, if it chipps it doesn't show as well since it's see-through and made up by tinsel. So it's pretty enjoyable anyway.

The other jars comes with a little M story too. I was going to use my discount coupon on a jar of Kiehl's ultra facial cream (the one that works best for my dry and at times apparently sensitive skin), turns out they sell it in two jar sizes these days, so I went for the big one. Oh wait, said the sales clerk, let me give you a limited edition jar, it's much prettier. It's not as I had to pay more for it, so why not go for something more pleasing to the eye when I had the chance? - the expression on M's face overhearing that discussion was... well, obvious.

And when she described the deliciousness of Creme de Corps body butter with soy milk and honey and I went a bit swoony when I sniffed the sample jar - his facial expression went even more... obvious.

Some people just don't get it. Obviously.

PS The prettiness of the limited edition jar is however very debatable imho DS

PPS I was going to say a few words about how unfortunate it is that Kiehl's products are quite expensive in Europe, not just in Sweden, but really, they're overall pretty awesome and I will stick to my definitive view that too many things we buy are the very opposite to expensive, they're too cheap and if the consumer doesn't pay a reasonable price someone else has paid an unreasonable one DS

october beauty

No surprise by now, that one of my favourite pleasures and simple relaxing, everyday luxuary things to do is taking a long hot shower (not a bath person me), dabble with hair paks, foot baths, lotions, potions, scrubs and scents. An especially enjoyable thing this chilly time of the year.

These are my companions pre-, in and post- shower since last ;

:: showergel - chocolate showel & bath gel, bettina barty. german brand, old bottle waiting on the bathroom shelf for a couple of years. still smells divinely chocolatey.

honey spice, honey cookies & roasted pecans, another lovely product from greek aromatherapy brand korres. it's said to have all sorts of beneficial features like collagen stimulating and anti-ageing. as i'm always sceptical about such promises i couldn't say. but what i do know is that it has a gorgeous spirit lifting spicy, autumnal scent and a lovely foamy creaminess.

as korres now is available (yeah!) in sweden too (alas at a whole other price level than the one in athens, still...) i'm pleased to know that the possibility of a refill isn't that far away. hopefully.

:: shampoo - sun kissed raspberry, alberto balsam. i got this (not available in sweden) really cheap herbal shampoo moisture splash with juniper and chamomile at boots last year. i got it on smell alone, it smells divine. as for shampoo features, well it's just pretty basic. for a nice price.

colour save, sachajuan. my first try of this swedish stockholm-brand of haircare products. and this will also most probably also be my last. because the scent that developes when the shampoo gets in contact with water can't be described like anything else than really strong and cheap after shave. it smells horrific. and i can't say i'm impressed my it's overall shampoo features either. major disappointment.

:: body scrub - grapefruit tangerine, sephora. sephora isn't a brand, or shop, available in sweden, but a place i do enjoy browsing when abroad. this bottle of great scented - being a fan of pamplemousse (grapefruit is even more appealing in french somehow) as well as wanting more than a whiff of athens (orange blossoms) - scrub i picked up in athens. reasonably priced, but quite disappointing in quality, it's coarse, drying and anything but long lasting. i would not buy it again.

:: facial scrub - oatmeal face scrub, thann. first product from spa brand thann i've tried. it smells really lovely and scrubs both gently and decisively. since i unfortunately saw too late that it contains palm derived oils - which i for animal wellfare as well as ecological reasons aim to never use products containing. unless they stand in line already on bathroom shelves of course. and if they aren't from a sustainable source. which one could probably find out, if one isn't the lazy type of person who instead just try and shy away from palm derivates alltogether - i will not buy again.

:: facial mask - detoxifying clay mask, thann. the second prdouct from thann i've tried and i love it. it smells heavenly of roses and cucumber, it cleanses, refreshes and doesn't dry the skin. will definitely buy again.

:: facial cleanser - energizing pomegranate, murad. my very first (better late than never) experience of murad. i adore this product (and i'm glad that the overzealous sales person didn't talk me into getting another of their cleansing products instead), apart from it's enthralling fresh pomegranate scent it's a lightweight, very long lasting mousse that cleanses and refreshes well without giving that irritating dry feeling afterwards. i'm hooked. new favourite. pricey but long lasting.

:: soap - lime feeling, himla. when i bought this soap from swedish brand himla it smelled really nice. it has been waiting in line for usage and now it doesn't smell a thing. as it also contains a whole lot of palm derivates it will certainly not be bought again.

:: face cream - ultra rich shea butter face cream, l'occitane. like most things l'occitane it smells lovely and it feels very creamy and moisurising for dry, dull winterskin. hopefully it will work wonders with my not so happy this time of the year facial skin.

:: moisturizing spray - rice extract body moisturizing spray, thann. third product from thann for me. this milky fluid smells really fresh and lovely from cucumber, aloe vera and other natural and herbal ingredients. it's soothing and great to use after spending time in the sun. unfortunately, like the above facial scrub it contains palm derived oils so i will not but again.

:: body lotion - mandarin and mint moisturising body lotion, arran aromatics. m brought this home from the western isles of scotland last year. (i'm pleased to say that he has more than whisky on his mind when on whisky trips). arran aromatics certainly seems like an interesting company, but i can't say i was that impressed by this lotion. bit to lightweight for me and the scent is more musty than mandarin fresh. wouldn't buy again, if i could.

rich body lotion with extra dark chocolate, by italian brand angelspa. a spur of the chocolate sniffing moment find from the åland ferry boat. it's just delightful, lightweight but creamy and moisturizing.

:: deodorant - double effect 24 h avocado extract, nivea. i really like this one, it smells very nice, it feels kind to skin (even though i seriously doubt its promise of supporting close shaves) and it works well deodorant wise.:

: sun screen - face & body sunscreen lotion, kiehl's. unless on holiday or in toy car on a sunny day i'm not big on using sunscreen in general. since 2007 i've only used this kiehl's lotion during summers/holidays and i think it's a great one, i like it that it's for both face and body. non greasy, water-resistant, lightweight it lets skin breath, prevents sunburn and feels kind to skin. with a pleasant light scent (even if it says fragrance-free).

:: self tanning - self tanning milk, clarins. i admit, i'm vain when it comes to tanned legs in early stockings-leggings-socks off season. i tan easily, but these days i'm not much for tanning so to get legs looking reasonably fresh i take to the bottle. the self tanning bottle. i probably began using clarins after some test in a magazine years ago, and i'vebeen faithful ever since. unlike so many self tanning products it actually smells rather nice and it gives a fine, natural looking 'tan'. as i only use the product on legs i alwasy get a lot of lotion left in bottle end of bare legged season. hence i wish it was avaiable in smaller sized bottles.

:: hair spray - climate control styling spray, tommyguns. this, my first try of tommyguns hair care range, is a rather nice experience. it smells lovely of jojoba oil and witch hazel. i don't know about the climate control bit, but it is a reasonably good styling product, as well as long lasting.

:: scents - i'm not faithful to any particular scent or brand, fragrance families yes, but just one or two scents no way, i like to change scent with my mood du jour. i used to be *kind of* addicted to perfumes, everyday always. i'm not that person now, but still i do enjoy a sweet whiff to start off the day, most days. so these are my fragrant companions right now;

awakening mist, biotherm. still unbeknownst of athens' scent being that of orange blossoms i picked this spray at the airport taxfree shop for my holiday scent. i like a few of biotherm's scents and lotions, they feel lightweight, fresh with moodlifting fragrances. this one smells of mandarine and sweetness and is quite lovely.

grapefruit essence oil, kiehl's. what i think of this one, has already been said here.

light clouds, cheapandchic moschino. i do adore scents that come in pretty bottles and i've always concidered the cheapandchic range to be one of the cutest around (popeye's olive shaped). this light summery version is just fresh, sweet from top to bottom note.

kiehl's essence oils

I (mostly) heart Kiehl's and
in this cute little bag hides...



these wonderful essence oils - grapefruit, coriander, musk - that definitely fall into the great-gifts-category. Rather ridiculously expensive in Sweden, this sweet scented gift was kindly brought from far far away.

A surprising triplet (grapefruit was my only wish) in a cute package, ah I was very pleased indeed. The grapefruit scent has a wonderful swoon factor - as pamplemousse scents often have - the coriander is almost as perfect, I've never liked musk scents - even if synthetic to my nose that scent is foul, repulsive giving me an impression of something, someone unhealthy and unfresh - but I find this particular version to be somehow milder and well, acceptable. Far from sure it's a keeper for self though.

The only drawback to these pretty triplets, and a rather major one at that, is that the scents are quite, quite volatile. Which means I won't be investing in - or pretty please asking for - refills when they have been all used up. Which is indeed unfortunate for such wonderful scents ~

Shopping Bag

Behold, new and cute shopping bag from - hardly no surprise, one of my favourite beautyproducts companies - Kiehl's!

Offwhite cotton with a quite adorable, naïve print made by a Swedish designer - darn it, name unknown to me - half the sum of the most affordable price 75 SEK (about 12 USD) goes to Naturskyddsföreningen (the Swedish Society For Nature Conservation). Which might have something to do with the cotton in the bag probably not being the eco-kind, but hey, it's a good step to pay for emission licences too!

Unfortunately the bag can't be machine washed, since the print will then vanish, but I'm sure it'll work just fine to handwash it now and then too.

When possible I try my very best, with more or less success, to have a re-usable shopping bag tucked in my handbag du jour - and the Kiehl's one is definitely a new favourite! Since I'm a passionate saver of, not only the more tangible things now and then but also, words and expressions of wisdom and experience, I also enjoy the quote on the other side of the bag -

"Love what you do, put your heart into it and you will be rewarded"

Beauty Products Update

Time for a bit of update on the beauty-front. Or rather the beauty-product front, since we can't all look and smell as irresistable amazing as the above flower shrub without a little help from the outside.

It's been a while since last, namely almost five months, how time flies on pretty wings! At the moment I'm on a self-imposed strictish budget when it comes to the cosmetic front. Which means I'm trying hard to not try any new and expensive products, and only buy the expensive must-haves when I just can't do with a cheaper and nearly as good alternative.

I'm trying to declutter my stock of products - making room for what I most probably will stock up on this summer when its once again and at last a bit of vacation time in UK, yeah! - as well as saving money. I try and look at it as a competetive sport. My only adversary being my own desires - and needs! - when it comes to these lovely, lovely things... An adversary which definitely shouldn't be underestimated!

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Soaps - Himla Feeling Raspberry, I used the green tea scented one earlier and loved it. The raspberry one was equally lovely, the raspberry scent lasted right until all that was left was a tiny piece of soap that got washed down into the shower drain. Soap leaving skin feel all clean and nice, being in a nice handcut shape too. Now I'll have to get out there and find more of those soaps, ahem, where did I buy them the last time...?

Get fresh Peach party bomb soap, I bought several soaps like this one years ago at that lovely Shared Earth shop on Minster Gates in York. Which I'm so planning to revisit this summer too! Situated very conveniently right across from Starbucks so you can contemplate over a latte where to head for more lovely shopping next... Some soaps I gave away as much appreciated gifts, this one I kept for own use.

Gorgeous scent - for me the divine scent trinity is green tea, raspberry and peach - , gives a clean feeling though is made in such an annoyingly weird, oversized, ungainly shape. But for a shower treat for all senses like this, I'm willing to overlook that shapething. And just look at all those lovely soaps of theirs... Heaven scent.

Shampoo - Kanebo volumising shampoo, divine scent, okey shampoo, not really sure about the volumising effect though. Suspect that's a product promise that plays the same league as miracle promises when it comes to anti-cellulite and anti-wrinkle products. Will probably not buy again, since there are other at least equally nice shampoos which aren't so pricey.

Conditioner - back to one of my fav conditioners, and very nice priced too, Aussie Miracle Moist. Alas, can't be found in Sweden, as far as I know - even though the first time we met was many years ago at a friend's hairdresser. My friend then lived in a smalltown and this hairdresser sold these products at quite the hefty price, I bought a bottle of shampoo. Liked it a lot. To my astonishment I later found them in UK at what can only be described as incredible bargain prices. So I mostly try and have a nice little stock of the Aussie products I like at home.

In the States I found this supersized bottle of Aussie shampoo that came home with me - and no I actually didn't have to pay for excess baggage that time. Honestly - a pity I haven't found it anywhere else. Imagine what a moneysaver that would be...

The only real drawback with this conditioner is that it contains macademia nut - so whenever I eat that nut, like in Häagen-Dazs icecream, it sort of tastes like I've got conditioner in my mouth. Minor thing really.

Deep conditioner - this is actually one Aussie product I consider to be *somewhat* overrated, and the only reason for me using it now is the cleaning up of old bottles in my bathroom, the 3 minute miracle reconstructor. Smells lovely, yes it does, but as far as the deep conditioning part goes, naah. As far as I'm concerned it's just a very basic conditioner.

Shower gel - I really, really do. Not like. Olives. When it comes to food. I don't like olive oil in my food either. IMHO, so very overrated. Like rocket and sundried tomatoes. Yuk. And by the scent and feel of this Organic Olive body shower I picked up at a supermarket in Copenhagen last year I really don't like to get friendly with olive-products in the shower either. Smells almost-but-not-completely-rancid, doesn't foam, is drying to skin. Will do for cleaning litter boxes instead. Everything Danish is very obviously not delightful.

Body lotion - finished a bottle of ACO summer breeze limited edition from last summer. Didn't like it, smelled like the above mentioned olive shower gel, almost-but-not-completely-rancid, didn't do much good for the moisture of skin and wasn't long-lasting - which in this case was a blessing I guess.

Kiehl's creme de corps is just as amazing as it's said to be, it really is, but as aforementioned I'm on this self-imposed budget and I'm searching for cheaper alternatives. Kiehl's does have many great products indeed, as well as other perks, I'm a great fan, but in Sweden they're also alas on the pricier side of things. So when it came to getting a new bottle of body lotion I went for a Nivea Rich Caring Milk. Which is pretty decent. And as always with a very appealing scent to it.

Facial cream - as with the Kiehl's body lotion, the Kiehl's ultra facial cream is my favourite for face. And as I with the body lotion went for a less pricey alternative in Nivea I went for a Nivea visage silk comfort day care facial cream for face. It's actually quite nice, creamy, moisturising and with a heavenly scent.

Body splash - finished the whole bottle of best-ever-bodysplash from Bath & Body Works Cucumber melon in a nip. Sigh. Will have to savour other bottle slowly. Pure mental torture to look at their website, drooling over almost everything. Sigh twice, double twice. Okey, countless sighs.

Perfume - finally opened a bottle a sale impulse-buy perfume from last winter (last as in 2006), Scent gloss EdP from Costume National. It's such a lovely clean, fresh laundry scent. At first I thought the scent was a bit too bland, but now I enjoy it immensly and the bottle is a pretty sleek thing in pale pink frosted glass. The only let-down is that the scent isn't very long-lasting. I think this is, and have been for quite some time now, a problem with most perfumes and scents, the lack of long lastingness of scent. I still adamantly expect more of a perfume than an EdT though. Slight grump here.

Mascara - Virtuôse, Lancôme, hadn't begun using it when I did that wrap up of products for last year. have begun now. Is far from impressive. So. Very. Not. Impressive. Doesn't keep a single one of those promises of "Divine Lasting Curves & Length". As if. Snarl. There's nothing divine with my lashes after using the mascara. It sure doesn't last very long. There's nothing remotely curvacious about my lashes. And the length is same old length like always. The only thing it gives is a bit of colour to the lashes. But that I can get from a far cheaper mascara. So, will definitely never buy again.

Lip gloss - Kiehl's Pink Rider, lovely raspberry-very-Pia scent to it, nice, natural glossing and moisturising effect. Will most probably try in other colours. Although I wish the tube was a smaller size, easier to finish, keeps fresh.

Lumene Berryfun I'll Follow You. Lumene is a Finnish cosmetics brand, I've actually never tried any of their products until I bought this gloss. And the only reason for me buying it was that I forgot the above mentioned Pink Rider one. Recommended by an aquaintance, rather cheap, has a great fruit scent (contains blackcurrant seed oil) and as I was looking for a brownish colour gloss and the name was so sweet, well, I got it. Nice gloss.

Hand soap - one of many nice things about staying at B&B in UK is the fact that you get to, when available, sniff out and use new products in the bathroom. Mainly soaps and shower gels. And then you can just pop over to the nearest Boots and stock up. Nifty. This handwash from Radox Milk & Chamomile is great. Divine scent, creamy, cleansing and moisturising, a true gem of handwashes. Another keeper that will need stocking up.

Hand cream - the Kiehl's hand cream I briefly mentioned before isn't much of a hit frankly. Admittedly I don't use it every night or whenever I've washed my hands, but I've had other hand creams that have worked small miracles in irregular and shorter times than this. And the almost non-scent of it isn't very nice. Not a new Kiehl's favourite.

I'm then so happy to announce that I have found another lovely hand cream, stumbled over by chance, L'Occitane dry skin hand cream. With shea butter, gives hands a lovely treatment during the day or at night. Has a gorgeous yet subtle scent, so comforting, the scent reminds me of something really nice I just can't seem to recall what. Will definitely buy again!

Now to some flashbacks - I wrote about the Ole Henriksen face mist African red tea earlier, I must say it's really a very, very nice product, the scent alone is heavenly and it feels very so lovely and revitalizing on skin. Apart from a slight and brief tingling sensation now and then I'm all hearts for it.

I wasn't very impressed about the Aussie 12 hour d-humidifer hair spray earlier. But somehow it has worked wonders with my hair as lately. Perhaps it's just a case of shampoo, conditioner and my mood working magic with this hair spray. Bottle nearly finished now, the life overturning questin now is, how will my hair survive until I can stock up on some new bottles...?

The Great Grumpy Pretender

Really, even if I know the month of April is considered to be the most capricious of all months in Sweden I thought it would be rather straightforward into summer from here on. Ok call me naive if you feel so inclined, but since last week I honestly thought we could expect every day to be a teeny-weeny bit warmer.

I don't demand sun every day, I can deal with a bit of rain, but what I don't want to deal with anymore this season is snow. Come on, be gone. You might be pretty and perfect during about five months each year - then you see it fit either to not appear at all or appear and disappear just as quickly as... well, a snowball in hell - but you're not perfect now. At all, away with you. Rumble.

Today we had the *pleasure* of *enjoying* a temperature of about +-0 degrees C here in the lower east middle of Sweden, teamed up with nasty, damp, bleak winds the day I was chilled to the marrow and right now I feel like I'll never feel warm again. No matter how much tea I consume or how many blankets I dwell under. Shiver and mope.

And the very dire necessity of me even contemplating sticking my strawberry nose outside my safe, warm home today was the fact that I was in bad need of a day cream. I guess that course's lack of forward planning has kind of rubbed of on me... Something I now very much keep my fingers crossed for won't rub off is my skin, I had to make due with a budget version of a day cream - as opposed to my favourite Kiehl's ultra facial cream one - and even if this one comes in a pink jar and promises an abundance of moisture and skin like silk - yeah right - I have my chichi doubts about that. Grump. What if I wake up tomorrow an it's just face off? In the very non-sporty factual way. That would be a bit of a problem, even more so than - and I quote - the great pretender called spring. Growl.

Edit: The day cream in question has at least a gorgeous scent, something between roses and melon, might have something to do with babassu oil being one of the ingredients.

Miscellaneous Week

And now follows, a very condensed version of my week, so far;

* It's been quite a beautiful week in Stockholm, lots of sun, yes quite windy and sometimes just too chilly, for my personal liking, I want to experience some more Indian summer days still - and then the next day it's all +10 degrees and mild weather again. One really doesn't know what to think - or wear for that matter.

* Which brings me to the fact that I've found, and bought, a couple of niceties to wear during the week. I'm so very pleased with these things that will most definitely brighten up any gloomy weatherday - and keep one warm if needed. And possibly even make one sing in the rain...

* ... and singing in the rain was something I felt really much inclined to do after - and perhaps slightly before... - having seen the musical the other day. Ok, for sure there's only one Gene Kelly, but oh my were they great, the Swedish performers! Some stunning dance numbers, as well as the singing, and humour and they'd captured that wonderful playfulness of the movie so well. Not to mention the decor and the massive rainfall, on stage and on some of the audiance - we were safely, and excellently, seated in row five. Most of the actors were unknown to me, but they were real gems. Since I actually, in this case, very much kind of managed to look passed the theatrical part of a stage production... Yes, I so enjoyed the show - and as I've said before, I'm both finicky as well as not a fan of musicals in general... - and I highly recommend it! A sure moodlifter!

* Another moodlifter - and possibly a skin-deep appearance enhancer - was the facial I had the other day. Thought it was well due after a long, sunny summer, and lovely it was indeed. Though I'd really appreciate it if the beautytherapist didn't so desperately try to coax one into buying all the "miracle products" afterwards. I've tried *a few* over the years, I'm not all that impressed, they really cost too much for what they give and I'm pleased with most of the products I used right now, thank you very much.

* ...and those products I stocked up on, in a small way, afterwards instead. And don't you just love it when the shopkeeper wonders why she haven't seen you for so long and remembers what you talked about nearly six months before... Talk about that extra little touch customer-relationswise...

That was the fun highlights of the week not mentioned before - the not so fun lowlights are a whole different story to write blog about...