bye september, hey october

September went fast. And basically being totally absorbed by the fact that mid September I suddenly got a part time temp job until December 31st. A long story, it was all very sudden and linked to my volunteer work revolving around plantbased food and the environment.

As I'm studying Sustainability Science on 25% part-time, it fits quite well with a 50% part-time job. As this year has been crazy for us all, and continue to be so, it actually takes a lot more energy to keep juggling all this than it usually would do. But all in all, I'm very grateful for the opportunity to keep on learning. 

My main job task is organizing the three last Vegoforum events for the year, all digital via Zoom. One the day before my birthday, one in mid November and one in early December. And yes, it's a bit overwhelming when you get thrown into it like this, even if the work per se isn't super heavy. Well life is pretty heavy right now, thus even things that would normally be just fun and a good energizing challenge get a bit much at times. And obviously I wan't to do a great job, so...

:: The lack of decent photo uploading on Blogger is still infuriating. So this is all you get today. The fact that the not so great at vegan pastries cafe now has opened a sourdough bakery too, is another great thing about September. Because the bread is awesome. Especially the rolls and the levain.

:: Little mum and I have taken the commuter train to the end station (two stops from here) twice, to do bank errands and visit my favourite coffee chain Espresso House. Since we get there and home between 9.30-1pm there are very few people on the train it feels pretty okay. And just the thing of enjoying a soy latte and some trustworthy vegan treats again have been a highlight.

:: I finished the second part of the philosophy class at the beginning of September. So it was a clean slate for the sustainability course. We've had four seminars so far, of which two have been great (Sustainable economics and Environmental ethics), but one quite annoying as the concept of ecosystem service is infuriating, specieism at its finest I'd say.

:: We've had some glorious Indian summer days, so autumn has just slowly arrived. And summer dresses have been quite appropriate. Even if the weirdness of the average Swede still is to dress as if it's a cold autumn in late August already. And, obviously black and drab and lots of clothes is the informal dress code. Which I loath. Obviously.

:: I've ordered another batch of those wonderful vegan, palmoil-free Scottish soaps. Bliss.

:: I've also ordered some more tea. And actually, more again the other day. It's Cinnamon Bun Day (vegan recipe for them here!)on Sunday, and they had a small batch of special Cinnamon Bun tea blend this week only. As there won't be any vegan cinnamon buns for me this year alas, I can at least have a whiff and a sip of cinnamon bun tea.

:: I've watched a lot of seminars, some poor, others pretty great. I've finished books, I've started reading new books. I haven't been able to finish any new ones lately, so I'm again 7 books behind on my 55 books reading challenge alas.

:: I've done another colour refresh, this time the colour was Autumn Red. It was visible, but a lighter, more orange red than suits me and it was practically washed away after four hair washes. I'm feeling in the mood for something darker now in October, like last year.

:: I won a big bad of new vegan fruit toffees, it was lovely. And I haven't won anything for years now (oh 2015-2016...), so it was a very welcome surprise. 

:: My recent favourite TV-crush is Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist - if you haven't seen it already, you really should! It's funny, sad (prepare to cry during every episode), moving, insightful and obviously full of music. Loved it, binge watched every episode over 2 days. Miss it. If you, like me, enjoyed Ally McBeal, Glee and Pitch Perfect, you won't be disappointed!

:: My short and sweet summary of a month that so far have been the best one, me thinks, of the last six ones. There's more bits and pieces, I could write about. But this will have to do for now. Not being able to simply add photos is a nuisance, and now I need my beauty sleep.

I want to thank you, September, I think you were a sweetheart, despite the overall current life circumstances. And your surprises were mostly of a positive, uplifting kind. I'm very grateful for having met you.

You also gave me this unexpected fun public toilet selfie moment; Professor Pia and the Mystery of the Haunted Toilet. And I have the Velma Dinkley haircut to prove I can solve it!

Hello, October, my dear birthday month. You have a lot to prove, and so do I. Let's make this a really great, productive and professional month together, with extra bells and whistles, m'kay?

vegan rainbow soaps

I never got around to writing more about the gorgeous vegan, plastic-free soaps I ordered from Dragon's Egg soaps I bought in December. So here goes a little praise of them.

I stumbled over the maker on Twitter - which granted isn't a place I spend much time on these days. After being rated on the top 100 list of the Most influential opinion-makers in Sweden within sustainability with the highest engagement and credibility in social media in 2015, I haven't really prioritized the channel. And then 2016 happened. Which definitely led me to prioritize life and its musts in a very different way overall... - and adored her little Scottish business.



Ordered some soaps of her before Christmas. Turned out I was her very first overseas customer, and got an extra treat for that. The scent when I opened the (recycled of course) box was incredibly. Have given away three soaps, have used up one, am now using another and have one left. I hope the receivers of the vegan soaps love them just as much as I do.



Currently using the sweet pea soap, and every time I use it the bathroom is filled with a faint scent of that gorgeous flower.

The best seller is obviously the bright rainbow soap (tutti-frutti scent), but I think all the soaps are lovely. And palmoil-free and long lasting (though handmade in small batches and with a shelf life of six months, so it's not something you should stock up lots of I guess). Very much looking forward to place a new order, together with little mum. Because, as you know, the soap usage is high these days... And I have my eyes set on the banana-apple and freesia petal soap...

Want to order from Dragon's Egg Soaps in Scotland? Here's the link to shop!



From left to right; Sea Breeze, Aloe, Honeysuckle, Tutti Frutti (rainbow) and Sweet Pea

happy new 2020, happy new decade

I have so many wishes and hoped for this shiny, brand new year. But most of all, may it be infinitely kinder, more compassionate, loving, caring, colourful and joyous than this past year (and decades before that). That is, until the human-induced climate emergency devours us all naturally. But before that, let's be kind. Go vegan. Spread love.

I mentioned a recap of 2019 last week. Well that ain't happening today. But I enjoy recaps of another year of growth, so someday soon it will.

My plans for New Year's Eve - binge watching my new favourite TV-series "a million little things" until I'm going to bed with a good book well before midnight. Bliss.

And for my personal hopes-and-wish-top-list for 2020 (apart from good health and happiness for myself and the people and furries I love as always) are still

1. Finding my true purpose.
2. (Which also holds) finding my meaningful new dream job (clock is ticking, time is too short to settle for less).



3. Finding my tribe, my kind of people.
4. Have more faith, worry less.
5. Have more energy, get more meaningful things done.
6. Feel more joy, less sadness.



Also, let 2020 be a year of more vegans rainbow-soaps for all! (More of these amazing handmade soaps in another post.)

May your new year treat you with kindness and joy, and may you treat the world with more of that too. Welcome 2020, let's be so very kind together!

the christmas soaps are back

Just like last year Swedish soap company Gunry has released liquid soaps with Christmassy scents. This time with two new scents Hollyoak Cranberry plus Apple Cinnamon, the Hollyoak Cranberry smells like cheap aftershave unfortunately, but the Apple Cinnaon is really lovely.

So far I haven't seen the wonderful Candycane one from last year, but I've heard it's still around.

the maypole soap from lush

A beautiful soap in my favourite colour combo pink and green, obviously screamed my name. It smells wonderful in a bubblegum way too. A happy soap named Maypole from Lush.

candy cane and gingerbread soaps

As if the wonderful peppermint twist body lotion wasn't enough. I'm now the delighted user of candy cane - in Swedish 'polkagris', like in these awesome cookies - and gingerbread/gingersnaps - in Swedish pepparkaka, like in a Gingerbob - liquid hand soaps! Very lovely, Christmassy indeed!

Soaps from Swedish company Gunry who sells quite nice, long lasting and very affordable liquid soaps in different scents for all seasons.

kind soaps

Three kind and irresistable gorgeously scented soaps of the organic kind, two from Swedish family company Klockargårdens and two-for-one from Lush.

Quite a few years ago I sold Klockargårdens wonderful scented candles and soaps, still love the candles though I don't sell them anymore. But the soaps are a different story, most of them sadly and incredibly contains either lard or palm oil/derivates. Even most of their so called organic ones contain palm oil/derivates without a word regarding sustainable source. But at my last visit to their shop I managed to find a few soaps which were filled with goodness only. And smell heavenly, both are summer incarnated. One "Svenska jordgubbar" (Swedish strawberries) and the other one is called "Solkatt" (Suncat) and smells of orange and sunny, sandy day at the beach.



The Lush soap is called Sweet Soap of Mine and contains two soaps, one Godmother and one Rockstar, they both smells so incredibly good in that going weak at the knees way. Some scents can do that. And they always turn the shower/post shower experience into pure indulgence. And since one has to take showers regularly, why not make it heavenly scented pure indulgence ones.



The soapy threesome were of course paw inspected and approved.



I also adore the simply yet punchy design of the Lush bag, Fighting animal testing.

Do you have any favourite soaps?
Or favourite scents,
scents that make you go weak at the knees?

three random things on my kitchen table

And they colour match, go figure! My kitchen table has obviously moved a long way from that crafty kitchen table it was at Christmas time. Now and then I clean up, make an open space of the table, but it never take a long time before it's clutter heaven again. But I always hold my head high - but rarely have lots of guests at home - and remember the wise words of someone unknown "any kind of idiot can live in order, only a true genius master chaos".

This cleaning time around I found three random items and was indeed very pleased that they even matched, lime and lavender - a purple bramble scent soap(yes the lime ribbon was sitting in a flower pot full of trinkets right beside it), li'l Hoptimist and a lime nailpolish. They all apparently have their natural place on the kitchen table according to the life of me.

If you found three random things on your kitchen table, what would they be?
And would they colour match?

august beauty

Since it's been 10 months since last post of skincare ~ beauty products and such this post will be quite a lengthy one I suspect (and if you're not the least bit interested in skincare and scents, well then you might as well skip this post and be most welcome for a completely different post tomorrow). Ah well, procrastinating can obviously come back and bite you like that.

As will the fact that I really very much must scrutinize the table of contents in the products I buy from now on to see of they contain palm(oil) derivate, because using products containing that is simply not acceptable from an animal (orangutan) welfare and environmental point of view. About high time do the walk and not just talk the talk. That I haven't been more careful and always read the labels properly fills me with shame.

Bottles already bought, that may contain palm derivate that wait on the bathroom shelves, will of coursed be used up. But never bought again.

I also have a list of companies I need to e-mail and ask why they use palm derivate when there are many good options with less devastating impact on wildlife and nature. The more I read lists of contents the more upset I get. because if the palm derivate came from sustainable sources why not make it very clear on packaging?

That said, and head promptly bowed in shame for above reasons, here the products I've used since last -

:: facial cleanser - philosophy purity made simple. a gift that contains good stuff. unfortunately i don't like the clinical scent and i feel it dehydrates my skin with its cleansing features. nope not a product for me.

yes to carrots c is for clean gentle exfoliating cleanser. i've been using it 1-2 per week and more often than not i've experienced the kind of rash you get after a good deep cleansing facial treatment. it may work well for other skin-types, but i think it's a bit too much for my skin and i won't be buying it again (not available in sweden so even if i'd like to i can't see it happen anytime soon anyway).


:: face scrub - korres pomegranate cleansing scrub. love the fresh scent. good scrub, makes skin feel soft and revived, small dollop goes a long way. sadly contains palm derivate (written in ridiculously tiny text), will not but again.


:: face toner - kiehl's cucumber herbal. alcohol-free. i use it when i can't be bothered to wash face properly or just to refresh on a sticky hot day. i find it tad drying and boring though. and i can't see me getting another bottle.


:: face cream - korres 24-hour wild rose moisturising cream spf 6. smells wonderful. has been kind and reviving to my skin. does however sadly contain palm derivate. need to look for another good face cream as this bottle only has few dollops left.

thann rice extract moisturizing cream. smells lovely (as products containing rice bran oil seems to do), feels good and kind on skin. sadly contains palm derivate.

:: shampoo - kevin murphy luxury wash for thick coloured hair. of all the pretty colours bottles i got stuck with this boring beige one. small bottle, full of organic stuff, darn expensive, not very long lasting, it doesn't impress me as i think it should. doubt it will be repeat buy.

paul mitchell color care color protect daily shampoo. i like this one, smells nice, cleanses gently, is kind to hair, long lasting thus reasonably priced for a big bottle. yes, will buy again. soon.

aussie skip-a-step 2-in-1. i've always been highly sceptical when it comes to shampoo-conditioner in the same bottle. the features one look for in respective product are so different that i can't see how they could be accomplished in one product. and no i can't see that in this bottle either. bought on a whim in uk some years ago, smells divine of australian custard apple, cleanses well but does absolutely nothing as far as conditioner goes. i use it with the

:: leave-in-conditioner - paul mitchell lite detangler. far from as great as original the detangler, very average as far as my hair is concerned. i wanted a leave-in-conditioner (for the days when you really want to stay in bed some 10 minutes more and save some shower-time) and as i've been quite disappointed with my try-something-new-in-haircare-products-experience recently i went for a brand i knew i like in general. i used this product ages ago and couldn't remember if i liked it or not. now i can at least safely say (and try and remember) that it won't be on any all-time-favourite list of mine. not a good detangler.


:: conditioner - paul mitchell the detangler. oh my am i relieved that one of my all time favourite conditioners doesn't contain palm oil nastiness when i scrutinized the big bottle i bought past spring! i still have about half the bottle left and i'm loving its amazing detangling features as its longlastingness as usual.yes carrots are good for you. inside out.

korres silk milk conditioner for coloured and chemically treated hair. smells fantastic (like the below mentioned cooling yoghurt gel). shape of bottle leaves something to be desired, due to it's hard plastic and short nozzle i wasn't able to squeeze it with one hand only thus made it non-ideal to use effortless in shower. not very impressed by conditioning features either. unlikely repeat buy.

aussie frizz miracle. lovely thing of strange blue colour (australian blue gum leaves extract). works well both as far as conditioning and anti-frizz properties go. can definitely see myself pay for.


:: hair styling - sebastian potion 9. this is supposed to be some kind of miracle worker for hair. i thought it would be fun to try with this hot humid strange weather we've been experienced in the northern hemisphere this past summer especially. but. it does nothing for me and my hair. just flattens it down. which is probably the last thing i'd like a caring/styling product to do. i like volume, i like oomf. i find the "a magical idea" text on the packaging very funny though (and untrue as far as my hair goes);

"an exotic trip to the amazon rain forest inspired ...magical cream-gel with renewable and sustainable botanical extracts... the magic 9 are: jojoba seed oil, safflower seed oil, evening primrose oil, sesame seed oil, babassu oil, olive oil, evening primrose oil, rice bran oil, willow bark extract, green tea leaf extract ...wearable treatment, even now it has never been duplicated... magic never is!" hilarious in all its silliness.

phc professional hair care salt water spray. recommended, cheap, award-winning swedish product. it's crap. award-winning or not.

mop c-system texture spray. one of my all-time favourite styling products. smells lovely of citrus, makes hair bouncy, gives good volume. i'm gutted to discover it contains palm derivate.


:: shower gel - korres hot spiced chocolate & brandy soaked pudding. another shower gel by korres and it is lovely too. foamy, creamy, moisturizing and above all, smells wonderful, comforting, relaxing and, obviously, quite christmassy. i think i'll save the rest of the bottle until winter hits again.

kings & queens queen elizabeth sugar. oh my. oh heavens. this is absolutely intoxicating. what an amazing scent! pomegranate, lotus and malachite extracts is obviously a match made in scent heaven. i love this scent-range. a korres side-kick brand.

bath & body works velvet tuberose. bottle was a kind gift. as much as i completely adore many of b&bw's scents and products this is not a scent that appeals to me, bit too old-aunt-perfumey.


:: body scrub - korres watermelon. it smells great of just that. as for the natural scrubbing features... nah, not really for me. i like my body scrubs to have more oomfy scratchy scrub qualities. probably not a repeat buy.

sabon tropic. smelled lovely, but of the salt scrub oily kind i can't stand. even if it was available in sweden i would not get another one of that pretty jar.


:: soap - the isle of skye soap company lemongrass. love this company's soap. adore lemongrass scent. long lasting, cleansing, good soap. if it wasn't for the unfortunate containing of palm derivate. sigh.

fresh deli cherry treat. smells fantastic! to me more of dogrose-rhubarb than cherry. but nevertheless, fatatsic. foamy, cleansing, long lasting, uplifting, good good soap. they fresh deli soap company keep changing their website address, so i have no idea if they still exist.


:: foot scrub - good for you. a pumice stone like scrub-oilish scentless soap for feet i got in the wise shop when i bought essential oils (for making my own stuff) last year. not at all sure i'd actually pay for it, but its reasonably nice and softening to use on feet when in shower.


:: hand cream - bath & body works japanese cherry blossom. another kind gift. which unfortunately contains palm derivate. good moisturising features, but i can't decide if i enjoy its strong scent or not. it is kind of overwhelming and obtrusive.

korres thyme honey. smells great, warm, soothing and sweet. good moisturising and nourishing properties. does contain palm derivate. thus not repeat buy.


:: hand soap - superdrug fruit burst honeydew melon. smelled fantastic, cleansed nicely.

bliw nyponros & rabarber (dogrose & rhubarb). classic swedish brand that's been around forever. this scent-combination is one of my favourites, fresh and sweet. i've loved this soap, it's creamy, cleansing, long lasting, moisturizing, unpretentious. it does however contain palm derivate. will contact company about that, until then/depending on answer will not buy again.

sainsbury's anti-bacterial handwash. smelled really really nice. creamy, good, basic soap. one of those bought on a whim, load car with soaps i always stock up with when on uk-holidays.

imperial leather green tea and kaffir lime. green tea is one of my favourite scents. so uplifting and fresh. this soap smells heavenly. i would buy again if i could find it.


:: sun tan oil - korres walnut & coconut suntan oil face & body. not really a fan of suntan oils, it's a bit too human-frying-in-the-sun for me. to be honest i'm not really sure why i went with this one, might have something to do with getting a 3 for 2 deal at korres. i was looking for a good spf, but for some reason the swedish medical products agency has yet to approve zinc oxide ingredient in these types of spf products, so i went ahead and tried this one instead.

admittedly i haven't used it much, to lie in the sun trying to get a tan is not much on my agenda no more (ah remembering the 80ies, when we were actually competing in who got the deepest tan after school holidays...) but it smells heavenly of all the great herbs it contains. sadly it does contain palm derivate. shame on me again. the due by date is very short, i will try and finish bottle as more of a body and moisture oil than a tanning oil. and i will not buy it again.


:: sunscreen spray - kiehl's for kids face & body spf 30. one product in a 2 for 3 sun-products offer i bought last summer. i've used it this summer and i'm not a fan. i can't see why a spray on watery lotion like this would be better than a proper creamy cream. for kids or not. and as far as spf goes, i don't think it does its 30 spf-job well at all. i've had slight cases both irritated skin as well as real flaking. i don't do that. but apparently my skin has this past summer. i really like the kiehl's usual sun cream, next summer i hope i can use a tube of that instead.


:: body milk - korres vanilla cinnamon. i don't like the "warm woody pulsation" scent in this. (bought in athens during my tin can woman period, thus i relied on m's olfactory senses and not my own). good as far as moisturizing features go, but sadly another product containing palm derivate. will not buy again for those two reasons.

korres aloe vera. when i began using this "ideal after sunbathing" body lotion i didn't like way the scent came through when on skin. too much of a hint of musk (which i can't stand). good moisturizing features but sadly containing palm derivate (i have to say i'm so disappointed with korres, appearing as a healthy-good-for-you-organic-environment-caring brand, for this general palm oil using). which to me, admittedly a chemical layman, seems superfluous with all the other oils and essences it contains... thus will not buy again.

korres after-sun cooling yoghurt gel. it smells absolutely fantastic (like the above mentioned silk milk conditioner), cools nicely (even if i haven't burnt in sun) and works even better if stored in fridge and moisturizes well. not sure i'd buy it again though, because somehow the yoghurt in face and on body bit puts me off...

:: body butter - kings & queens queen elizabeth sugar. that heavenly alluring scent again. oh how i love. good body butter qualities. but darn it, it does contain palm derivate (the text on bottle i hardly visible)

:: body mist - yes to carrots pure c moisturizing mineral mist. i really enjoyed this bottle. a quick refreshing and moisturizing feeling for those days one can't be bothered with body lotion.


:: body splash - bath & body works cucumber melon. the finest of gifts. one of my all time ever super-duper favourite scent and body care products. i love, love, love the scent and its moisturizing properties. i'm so sad the bottle is finished. though i now fully enjoy another one of their great scents as a kind gift

sparkling peach. this scent was my first encounter with bath & body works, in prince's street edinburgh in the mid 90ies (when b&bw still had shops in europe). i love it still.


:: deodorant - nuxe tonific 24hr protection alcohol-free. smells great, sweet and citrusy. but it's lousy when it comes to anti-perspirant features. will not buy again.


:: talcum powder - johnson - johnson penaten baby. something cheap i picked up in berlin. good for a cooling feel in hot weather. faint scent.


:: lip gloss - benefit kiss you. i've bought a few benefit products over the years when abroad (don't think they're available in sweden...?) but i've usually been less than impressed by anything than their cute packaging. this lip gloss i do enjoy though. it smells of lovely of melon-raspberry, it's creamy, dash shiny, with a darkish pink hue more enhance one's natural lip colour than make a statement.

lancôme juicy tube. the medium pink one of the five is empty. smelled nice of, i think, marshmallow. now i'm using the pale pink one, it's nude colour, only gives a nice gloss and smells nice. kind of something candylike, so which one's which of cerise, fraise, lychee, pamplemousse and marshmallow electro i can't tell (and it doesn't matter i suppose). exemplary small sized.


:: lip balm - alba botanica hawaiian passion fruit nectar. this 82% certified organic inggredients lip balm was a thoughtful gift. i love it. smells fantastic (probably too much for some) and leaves chappy lips feeling soft and supple. alba botanica seems like a company with good philosophy and actions.

:: cover cream - babor camouflage cream. felt the need to cover unwanted things up. bought this cheap bottle after a facial treatment. have used it very few times since. don't think it covers things naturally, quite useless as far as i'm concerned. contains palm derivates.

:: mascara - helena rubinstein lash queen mascara feline blacks. despite its snazzy bottle it's just another crappy mascara that talks tosh of wonders and delivers nothing. and contains palm derivates.

rimmel glam eyes black. sigh, another crap one.

lancôme virtuôse black. and no surprise, another promise-lots-delivers-nothing mascara.

:: nail polish - opi suzy says feng-shui. wonderful blue hue. but as far as chipping goes it's like any other nailpolish and the bottle is really too big to finish. and its pricey. a rare treat.

depend nr 54. the mint green. swedish brand. lovely hue. works well on tanned feet's toenails. exemplary small bottle at very good price.


:: perfume - escada pacific paradise edt. i still remember some old colleagues who thought this type of scent was very-pia, "you know, i went by the perfume counter at department store and immediately thought of you when i smelled this one so-so". i like that. and i do enjoy this scent. fresh, fruity, flowery, summery, flirty, happy. for those days one need an extra boost of something uplifting. bought it on sale some years ago, have stored it in dark place, decided it was time to use it this summer. have only managed to spray it on a few times, as this humid, hot weather makes me not in mood for perfumes.

june beauty

Time again for a beauty-skin-care-scent update on my front. It's been almost six months since last and my bottles seem to have lasted longer than expected (wanted)... ~

:: shampoo - lemongrass shampoo, mop (modern organic products). There are a few scents I'm totally smitten by, lemongrass is one. This shampoo smells lovely and with organic lemongrass, chamomile and calendula it promises to "fatten up" fine, skinny hair. Well, I don't know about that, it's a rather basic shampoo as far as my hair is concerned. With about 1/3 of the bottle used I'm leaning towards verdict "won't buy again".

:: conditioner - mixed greens moisture conditioner, mop. The conditioner that goes with the above shampoo smells lovely and contains organic alfalfa, artichoke, cucumber, watercress, rosemary, olive oil and apple cider vinegar for intense moisture treatment. At least it claims to give the latter. Sad to say that my hair it actually leaves quite the opposite, dry and brittle. Will so not buy again.

:: deep conditioner - extreme moisture, mop contains organic banana apple juice and other good stuff (mmm). You're suppose to use it a few times a week after using the above shampoo and then finish off with the above conditioner. I can't be bother with such a timeconsuming procedure, so I use it as a deep conditioner a couple of times per month instead. It's quite nice as that. Can definitely see myself getting another bottle once this one is finished.

:: hair mask - intense repair cream mask, Nivea. I was in desperate need of something deep conditioning and grabbed this at the super market. I think that Nivea's products are usually rather good, the only two good things about this one are its scent and the price. Other than that it does absolutely nothing in the way of deep moisturising and conditioning for my hair. So not a repeat buy.

:: body scrub - scrubilicious honey and almond, Floraroma. With almond oil, milled corn and walnut shell this is a sweet scented, nice priced and pretty basic scrub. UK brand.

:: shower gel - Clean on Me, Soap & Glory. Lovely scent, creamy thought nothing spectacular in the realm of shower gels. I love the brands witty names and bottles though. UK brand, sadly not available in Sweden. Yet.

coriander bath and shower liquid cleanser, Kiehl's. A basic cleanser with a fresh, uplifting scent. Perfect as a small travel bottle. It doesn't stand out enough for a repeat buy though. There are other scents and shower gels from Kiehl's I much prefer before this one.

:: soap - the grass soap from Dutch Sabon was of the long lasting lovable kind. The scent of freshly mowed lawn in shower was delightful and spirit lifting, and it's quite sad that I don't have any Amsterdamian connections so I could get another piece of this soap in a foreseeable future...

Björk & Berries wild strawberry, lovely creamy, sweet scent, though the soap is huge and of a rather inconvenient to hold shape. The danger of drop and slip in shower is somewhat imminent. Who do I sue? Make it smaller. And cheaper.

:: deodorant - Björk & Berries lingonberry rose, it is as good as I thought after using it once. Lovely.

:: body oil - Nuxe Multi Purpose Dry Oil, favourite product, lovely as ever.

:: body butter - Quince, Korres. I bow my head in shame when I say that I had never heard of Greek homeopathic skincare brand Korres until I stumbled on it at Athens airport. At the time I had no sense of smell (tin can woman) so I had to rely on M to make a scent choice. I think he did well. This body butter has a divine sweet scent and contains quince extract, sweet almond, sunflower and avocado oils and shea butter. Uplifting and leaves skin soft and pampered. The whole Korres range isn't available in a shop of their own in Sweden unfortunately. Can be found on the other side of the Baltic sea though, in Helsinki. Now I have yet another reason to pop over the east pond.

Björk & Berries Wild Strawberry. This body butter is quite a disappointment after the divine encounter with the lingonberry rose one, both as far a scent goes - without being rancid it smells stale and weird just opened. The moisture effect isn't nearly as great as the lbr one's. And it suffers from the same annoying lack of spell check as its fragrance sibling, the (albeit lovely) wild strawberry sugar scrub. A repeat buy? Shouldn't think so.

:: body lotion - black raspberry vanilla, Bath & Body Works. Love the long lasting scent, the generous moisture effect and the price. This long time favourite body lotion seems to be unthreatened on my top three list of body lotions. Sadly (still!) not available in Sweden I so love it when I have the opportunity to get one one way or the other. Will treasure this bottle and once it's all gone, pine for another one.

:: hand soap - clean & moisturise, Radox. One of my favourite hand soaps, I always stock up on a few when in the UK. Lovely, creamy with a sweet scent of chamomile and jojoba oil.

chamomile soothing handwash, Cussons Carex - a, not surprisingly, very similar scent to the above Radox, nice basic soap.

oliv lemon liquid soap, Gunry. A cheap, basic soap to have at the kitchen sink.

:: hand cream - Nivea SOS. One of the nice - as opposed to the above hair mask - products from Nivea, both in price as well as moisture for dry hands effect. I like it, although I wish it would be absorbed quicker, not a hand cream to be used on the go, more the type used over night.

:: nail polish - multi action 03 white, Sephora. Very basic, nice shine, free bottle would most probably not buy myself or again.

:: body mist - Flirtigo, Soap & Glory. Another sweet thing from S&G, the scent matches the Clean on Me shower gel. Don't know about the supposedly moistuirising effect, but still, the scent and overall flirtatious feel after having spritzed oneself with in makes it worth every reasonably pound paid for it.

:: body splash - black raspberry vanilla, Bath & Body Works. Love, love, love this long time favourite! Bath & Body Works splashes are the only ones that really continues to impress. As with the body lotion above, sadly not available in Sweden.

:: eau de toilette - Juste un baiser, Fragonard. About time I began using this one I guess... Rather lovely scent in a light and unpretentious, not long lasting (of course) way. Would probably not go all crazy at the op to get another bottle once this one is empty, but well, nice, fresh and basic just the same.

:: lip butter - guava, Korres. Another love at first use product from above mentioned Greek Korres. It smells heavenly and sweet, leaves lips feeling soft and lovely. Unfortunately it comes in jar and not in stick. I really don't like having to use my fingers to put on lip goo, it feels more than a dash unhygienic and I would so prefer if it could come in a chapstick or squeeze tube instead.

:: lip gloss - the first Lancôme mini delight juicy tubes I used was (I think) the strawberry scent one. Nice, glossy and I do like the fact that it's a mini sized product. Much more convenient that a larger sized one.

Which pretty much is the only flaw with the lip glosses from Kiehl's. Other than that they're hydrating, sweet scented with an unpretentious glossiness. New York Nude nuance is my favourite for summer.

after the lilacs

Sadly the lilacs are now withering on these latitudes. June has arrived, proper summer and no more lilacs for us this year. At least not in its natural form. From now on I will have to rely on the spring-early summer feel of the scent of lilacs in the shape of handmade Shea butter soap and scented candle with lilac scent from Swedish Klockargården. They do smell promisingly lovely so far. Even if, of course, nothing is like the real thing...

the doors

Another installation belonging to the ongoing (until Oct 3) outdoor art exhibition at Rosendal's Garden here in Stockholm. Quirky, weird, wistful, witty and quite wonderful unpretentious, these worn doors with different signs do make a statement. And make you contemplate life and death. Some door samples ~

: I'll go out in the sun again :

: I'm a little willow sparrow :

: I can be my own priest :

: I have my own cemetery :

: I rest here between 12-13 :

: I smile inside :

mother's day

Today is Mother's Day in Sweden. One of those hyped, highly commercialized days I can't stand in general. If your mother is of the sweet and truly well meaning kind, then of course she should be treasured every day, all year round. I usually never get my mother gifts on Mother's Day. Since I prefer to treat her nicely and give her gifts any other day than that. Because any other day I want to and not because there's some commercial hullabaloo surrounding one particular day a year.

This year she will however get something from the daughter that think she's the best (most days), just because I happened to stumble over something wee perfect recently and just because she deserves it, for a whole lot of reasons. The wee gift is a set with a lovely Swedish handmade soap and a matching scented candle from one of my favourite brands for just that, soaps and scented candles, Klockargården.

Mammas Egen Tvål = Mother's Own Soap, with angel scent and the scented candle Mammas Kök = Mother's Kitchen. And yes, some herbal tea, rosehip and cranberry from Clipper. I think she'll appreciate the thought and the treat, as any day is mother's day.

As Winter Returns with the Scent of Green Green Grass

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With a very sudden return of winter with blizzards and relentless winds - though making a very pretty winter wonderland yet again - I'm glad I can at least enjoy feeling squeaky gree... ahem, clean with the scent of green green grass in soapy shower shape.

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I also have a greenish, wonderful new friend, who will very soon get a full presentation in a post of her own. But for now, here's a postcard from the wondrous winter land where secret dreams and fairy tales are woven, just follow the road ahead...

~

Sunday Buffet

It's been a while since I last had a food cavalcade, here are a few new recipes I've tried since then - the cauliflower-carrot soup, pumpkin-spinach-quorn dish and pumpkin cake, raspberry-lemon cake not included - above is a delicious super simple side dish with crispy potatoe wedges and carrots with fresh herbs and sunflower seeds (I've now realised that almost any dish can become a worthier dish with them small ones included, the seed equivalent of carrots one might say). A dish which can be described in a three letter word spelled *y.u.m*. Served with grilled halloumi as always being a lovely partner.

On Skye I didn't only buy soaps, I also found a cookbook about porridge only. From health food to desserts and everything in between. I'm not sure if porridge should be concider a particulary Scottish dish, it's fairly common in Sweden too (I like mine with apple sauce and milk), though be as it may, this cookbook is a gem if the other recipes are anything like this delicious vegetarian oatmeal flan with fetacheese. Such nicely combined flavours, I filled my oatmeal pieshell with courgettes, carrots, mushrooms and fresh herbs and it was truly lovely. Why I haven't made it again yet I have no idea.

I found a promising recipe for cep and mushroom pasta in the morning newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN, The Daily News), that turned out to be one of the most flavourless and boring meals I've ever had. Such a disappointment and neither more herbs, salt and pepper could save it. Conclusion - things written in DN should be taken with more than a pinch of salt.

Another recipe that didn't turn out well at all, this veggie pie (leek, mushroom, broccoli, paprika, carrots and garlic) had a crust that was leathery and a filling that lacked a whole lot to be desired in flavour and creaminess. Not a good one and I honestly don't think it was the cook's fault. Recipe is gone with the wind, I think I got it from a thing called Internet. Conclusion - do not trust the Internet.

Yes, this carrot soup Indonesian style was just as yellow, at least, irl, a creamy, carroty loveliness - of course it was delicious. And such a pretty and healthy perk me up dinner for gloomy dark evenings. Recipe in that favourite all vegetarian cookbook of mine from Ulriksdal's Castle Garden Café.

Which is also where I found the recipe for this colourful vegan dish of spicy egg noodles with soy, paprika, carrots and onion. Quite a nice and easy to make one.

And for dessert there's plum-vanilla jam with walnuts. A jam that sounds and looks nice, but with a recipe that was just way off. With a lot of work I managed to make something half decent of the consistency, but for my palate it was far too sweet and with a weird tang. If it had been good it would have been heavenly with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe from the classic Rosendal Garden Café cookbook, IMHO one which is of lovely coffeetable book kind to glance through and be inspired by, but with many recipes that well, don't do too well when turned into something to actually eat. Might it be a kitchen witchery book to get folks to go there and eat more often instead of try out recipes at home?

The supposedly sticky chocolate cake that adamantly refuse to get sticky with me, recipe from Chokladfabriken (The Chocolate Factory). I've learnt my lesson, I'll stick to making hot cocoa to drink.

This cardamom bread is an easy peasy lifesaver - of sorts - if you want to whip together something quickly with guests arriving soon - or for a tea and movie evening in the sofa. It's been ages since I made it last, but oh my was it a pleasant reunion of the cardamom bread kind some weeks ago...

Cardamom baked apples with sunflowerseeds, nice, easy to make but I must say eating an apple sprinkled with cardamom straight work at least as well. At least.

Another recipe from Chokladfabriken that didn't turn out too well, the measures were weird, the chocolate muffins ended up dry and boring and not at all as the moist chocolate delights I had anticipated. So I really should stick to those cups of hot cocoa, I hear you chocolate book.

I'm no fan of cookies myself. The only reason I made these chocolate chip walnut cookies from a new cook/bakebook I got - Tate's Bake Shop - is that I lacked something for guest purposes and this recipe striked me as an easy one to try out. They didn't turn out to be new cookie favourites of mine, but the guests loved them. The added walnuts to the recipe was my not very original idea. I bet sunflower seeds would have been even better...

Simple applepie with crunchy top, rather nice, especially with the added sunflower seeds. Of mouthwatering looks. Although the crunchiness of top was less than expected or desired.

~ Interested in a recipe, give me a virtual nudge ~

Björk & Berries

Björk & Berries is a Swedish fragrance company that works with natural ingredients only, most of them derived from local sources, and of course by the beauty without cruelty philosophy. "Björk" is the Swedish word for "Birch" and "Berries" is "Bär" in Swedish. Needless to say I do immensely enjoy that wordplay of a name.

The company was founded in 2005 after a meeting of the Rotary Club in the small industrial town of Sandviken - about two hours drive north of Stockholm - and the fragrance design centre plus shop is situated in the industrial community yet rural Högbo outside Sandviken.

They work with six - so far - major fragrance families, which are wild strawberries (not very surprisingly, my absolute favourite!), honey vanilla, birch apple (lovely fresh, sweet and wonderful), cloudberry jasmine (not a nice one), lingonberry rose (gorgeous scent) and blueberry lavender (too much lavender). There are also three additional fragrances which concentrates on perfumes, white jasmine, patchouli and cedar lime, the latter two being men's fragrances. None of which I find very appealing.

Money from October sold products in the pink lingonberry rose series contributes to breast cancer reasearch.

Most of the six major fragrance families comes in soap, body butter, body lotion, bath salt, shower gel and body splash. Some also comes in the shape of scented candle, shampoo and conditioner, travel kit, body scrub and perfume.

Not the cheapest of brands perhaps, though right up my alley as far as quality and philosophy go. The only product I have my serious doubts about, hence haven't invested in, are the body splashes. Measly bottles and the scent seems flighty. When it comes to splashes for body nothing whatsoever seems to beat the Bath & Body Works ones, neither in quality nor price...

We've had Björk & Berries on out to-do-outing list for some time now, the area is really a perfect drive for a summer day trip, but never gotten around to it. Until now. I got it as a birthday treat, which was quite a lovely thing. Even if the place and company itself was a bit of a disappointment, just because I had imagined it to be tucked away in the woods, situated dash more picturesquely and in not so modern buildings. Inside however it was not only, of course, very lovely scented but also a relaxing ambiance. Albeit quite unbusy when we were there, open seven days a week I do hope that was an exception to the rule.

In the shop adjacent fragrance design centre you can have a look by yourself or get a guided tour on the making of perfumes and fragrances. IMHO not the highlight of the visit, but I did like the waterfall-glass installation which did not only look lovely but also produced a both very soothing and invigorating sound.

The company is blessed with a gorgeous website which I'm totally infatuated by. Inexplicably only in Swedish though, but even if one can't read the text it's just a very pretty place to be - head there if you want to experience something relaxingly lovely (and have an interesting read in Swedish). Don't forget to have the sound on. Click on "Våra produkter" and then on the different fragrance families to get some really sweet glimpses of the perfect Swedish summer, nature and countryside.

Home with me came some lovely products. Naturally. In matching pretty packaging. I've only tried the lingonberry rose body butter so far and after just using it a few times I do believe I think it's pretty awesome. Hopefully the other products will prove to be equally good, they sure smell like it. Björk & Berries sell their products not only in this Högbo shop, but in their webshop as well as different department stores and shops all over Sweden. All over the world is next I hope?