Easybreezybeautiful or something

I've been in Finland for a week now, and it's gone by even faster than my time in the States. I am currently enjoying a mini vacation before going back to work next Tuesday, and after returning to this land of snow and coldness, I've spent my time seeing friends and trying to get my life together. I've only succeeded in the first. 

I am still jet lagged... I don't know why, but 6pm-8pm is a time period that's tough for me every day. I get so tired it's actually a miracle I manage to stay up and wait a bit longer before going to bed. All in all, getting adjusted to the time difference has been easier than I thought it would be. Happy for that :)

And now, to my topic at hand: make-up. My solution to... well, everything. I used to be the kind who couldn't even go to the grocery store without make-up on, but lately I'm thankful I've learned to loosen up a bit. But only a bit. I still apply foundation and powder and do my eyebrows before I leave my apartment. And guess what, I'm not even doing that just for me. I'm doing it for you, too. Trust me, I'm doing you a huge favor by making myself look at least a little like a human being. 

I've been using this for years. It's expensive in Finland; about 13 euros, but I think it's worth the money. For me, this jar lasts for a year. I'm not joking. A whole year. Just bought a new one yesterday!

At first I thought I'd do a post about what's in my make-up bag, but I didn't want to start taking pictures about all the items, cos there's a lot... so I have two pics. The one above, and this:

Covergirl Mascara isn't sold in Finland, unfortunately :( I have this one, and one more in stock. Got them from the US, and I'm so bummed we don't have Covergirl.. This mascara is great! 

If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just wear mascara (in addition to the must-have foundation, powder and eyebrows), but my everyday-make-up consists of those already listed + liquid eye liner, eye-shadow (usually light brown), and blush. If I feel like more, I'll add lip gloss or lipstick. And I'm done! I hate the process of putting on make-up, because it just takes an extra half hour away from my sleep. I love to sleep... :P But, what wouldn't a woman do to look presentable.. 

Ok, this is probably the worst make-up post in the history of make-up posts, but oh well, I'm tired and Mountain Dew just doesn't do it for me anymore... Or any drink with caffeine. What is up with me?! 

Also, I don't really have any ideas for posts right now, so if there's something you want me to write about, let me know. Otherwise, sorry for not writing much :( I really need to sort out my thoughts... Sooo much going on! 

Have a nice weekend everyone :)

Black Friday

To be honest, I was a little disappointed. I went to a mall downtown, and was expecting to have to elbow my way to the stores, but it was nothing like that. Sure, the mall was busy, but... you know. It was just busy. Not once did I have to stand in line or anything. I guess I should have gone to a Walmart, Target, Kohl's or something, to get the real Black Friday experience. But, due to my foot injury, I didn't want to go anywhere too far and walk more than necessary. 

I didn't spend too much time shopping, but still got myself something nice... :)

Royal blue gardigan from H&M, $15,00. This was on sale, original price $39,95. I love the color, and this is actually my first piece of clothing that is royal blue. Warm and comfy! :)

And the back of it is different material! I like this detail :)

Hello Kitty -hat from Forever 21, $9,80. Not on sale, but once I saw it, I knew it belonged to me! This is just so random and awesome, I had to get it! Absolutely in love with this hat! <3

Comb-in Hair Color from Fuego (at Pioneer Place), $3,80. This is something I'll try on tomorrow ;) 

In case you're not aware of it, but Oregonians put bacon in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! Bacon gum balls from Fuego,  $4,94.  And these are not for me, btw :D

I'll be doing some more shopping tomorrow! Now I'm about to go and fix myself dinner from Thanksgiving left overs... Turkey wrapped up in -what else than- bacon. Oregon's so weird :) Maybe that's why I fit in so well. 

-i

Last minute SHOPPING

It's time to burn the cash I have, for I only have 11 days left. 

Today's catch:

Shirt from Ross, $9,99. I love the lace in the back! 

Bag from Ross, $21,99. This fits a laptop and a bunch of other stuff, too. It'll come in handy when I fly out!! Notice the two pins on the top left :) They're both from Powell's book store, $1,50 each.

I sold my large print-edition of The Help to Powell's and purchased this regular print edition. $10,95 minus store credit $6,00 for selling books! This is seriously one of the greatest books ever written. 

That was all the shopping today... gotta save my bucks for sales ;) looking forward to Black Friday!!

Today at work we had a Woodstock-theme, so we got to dress up as hippies. That was so much fun!

Yup, that theme was right up on my alley... 

Love, peace and chicken grease my friends! <3 Hahahaha!

California, here we come, with new shades and everything!

Hollaaa! :)

I'm almost on my way downtown, I just have to wait for the dryer to finish up. 

It's RAINING, surprise surprise, and I'll probably be wet by the time I get to Pioneer Square. Oh well, this is Portlandia. Rain is a part of it. 

I hope you've all had a great weekend so far; mine has been the most relaxing in two months. Haven't done much anything :) Sometimes it's good to just space out. 

Yesterday's catch! I happened to find the sale racks at Forever 21, and purchased the sunglasses for $3,80 and the earrings for $2,99. 

It'd better be sunny in California so I can wear my new sunglasses! Oh, if I haven't mentioned, I'm leaving for California on Tuesday!!! STOKED! And I'm going with my family! My mom and brother are flying in tomorrow :) So happy!

Gotta go, lovelies. Take care<3

outfits

I've promised to do more outfit-posts, so here's my first official one :) You've seen my outfits in a lot of previous posts, but now the focus will only be in my clothes, lol. 

The quality of the pictures is not the best, but I think they fulfill their purpose. 

Jeans from Target / $29,99, Striped t-shirt from Target / $12,99, Black buttoned jacket/shirt  (very light material and not warm) from T.J. Maxx / $10,00, Scarf from Forever 21 / $9,99, Guess Bag from JFK Airport Guess -store, $108,00.  

The bag, scarf and the jacket/shirt are the same than on the pic above. Jeans are the same, but in black. Shirt from somewhere Finland, Shoes from Ross / $20,00.  

Not the most awesome of outfit posts. My style is pretty simple. I prefer black, but lately have been wearing more colors, even though these pictures won't prove that. I obviously don't have as much clothes with me here than what I have back in Finland, so maybe from now on I'll post from there when it comes to my outfits ;) Had fun with this one either way.

my passion for fashion

Both Jeans: Target, $29,99 a piece.

Today I bought myself two new pairs of jeans. I'm madly in love with the green ones. I'm already visioning myself wearing them with a snuggly woolen sweater, boots, with my hair up, wearing my glasses and lipstick. I'm weird that way. When I get a new piece of clothing, I instantly imagine myself wearing it in a dozen different ways. I love doing that. 

I don't even feel bad about spending $60 on jeans, because they're something I always need. I needed them today, and now that I have them, I'm super happy and I won't have to buy jeans again in a long time. Shopping for jeans is the worst. 

Also, my nails got a new layer of black polish today. 

My room mate told me I look like Snow White with my new dark hair and red lips. 

So that's Snow White and Maggie Gyllenhaal in just two days. 

Gotta love the compliments :) 

I love how I've gained so much more self confidence in just 5 weeks. 

I can only hope I'll gain enough to keep this going after leaving this place.  

The new (old) me

Hi :)

It's been a while again, sorry. Like I said before, my life here is extremely active and busy. Always on the move. But this weekend has been surprisingly low key. We haven't even left the Portland area. Weird. And we've (oh, by we I mean me and my roomie!) been tired. Today, on the train back home, I told her: "It's been five weeks and finally we're tired." We're both so sleep deprived it's insane. 

That's what you get when you just have to see and do as much as possible.

So, I finally got my hair done yesterday! And let me tell you, it is UH-MAZING! 

I am so in love with my hair. I can't even tell you how much I love it. 

Also, got the red lipstick today. Told you I would. 

Someone told me I look like Maggie Gyllenhaal in this picture. Do you see it? I don't :(

I was talking about my style with a friend, and when I told her I was painting my finger nails black and was going to get a red lipstick, she said it was cool that I was getting a new style. I told here that it's not new, it's just me, but when I do it in Finland, people think I'm being weird. She suggested that I just stop caring. I said I will. And since I can't stay here, I'm bringing Portland with me. 

1/3 of this trip is over...

First of all, millions of apologies for not blogging in a week. I think it's my record. A shameful one. When I started blogging, I didn't blog as much, but now that I have more readers and I've really got the hang of it, I feel really bad not blogging :( sorry! 

I thought that after coming to the States I would blog more. But I'm busy. All-the-time. I'm working Tuesdays through Fridays from 9.30am - 4.30pm. Tuesdays I've got other plans after work (every Tuesday), Wednesdays I'm either at home, relaxing after Tuesday or off somewhere else. Thursdays the same thing. Fridays too. Sometimes home, but usually not. And I'm always on the move during the weekends. Mondays are my easy days, and even they are not always easy. Oh well... I'm enjoying every little bit of it :) All of it. I love it here more than you could ever comprehend. It kills me every day a little to think about returning back to Finland, because I feel like my heart does not belong there. 

Before I get too mushy, I want to share this weekend with you. 

Multnomah Falls in Oregon. This picture looks like a screen saver, or something google gives you when you search for "fairytale sceneries" or something. But I'm proud to say that I snapped this picture. It was such a beautiful place! <3

Oh... I bought shoes today. 

And I love them!

You like? Me loves.

Tomorrow I'm going to the store-that-should-not-be-named.

swag

People always say they hate Mondays. 

I have Mondays off :P 

And today I did a little shopping!

Isn't it pretty??? I fell in love with my phone all over again. The case is so me<3

With this case, it's not a social suicide to play mine sweeper on the bus. I'm telling you, it's not!

My precious apples + the lip gloss

The Northwest Pacific is growing on me. I begin to look and sound more and more like a hipster every day. 

Hope you all had a slammin' Monday! :)

-i

P.S. Don't forget that How I Met Your Mother season 8 premiers tonight!! YES!

Glasses without prescription? YES PLEASE!

The other day I was watching Say Yes to the Dress - tv show with my room mate, and we started talking about wedding dresses; what kinds we would like to wear at our own wedding etc. We came to find that I have two very different styles. I love everything simple and put more effort in accessories, but on the other hand, I also love to dress up - put on more make-up and new kinds of clothes, combine pink with orange just cos it's cool, wear things that stand out. I like to seize the opportunities to look different from what I usually look like. The problem is, that when I do so, people think I'm weird and it's just not me, and what they don't realize, is that it totally is me! 

After two and a half weeks in Portland, I'm ready for a more permanent change in my style. I feel like I have more courage to try new things and find the style that goes with me no matter what. Portland's such a trendy place, you just can't help but be inspired by everything and everyone around you. I'm loving it here!!! :)

What defines one's style? Can a person have more than one styles? Let me know what you think!

-i

P.S. I have an appointment to get my hair done on Oct. 6th! AHHH CAN'T WAIT! It should be pretty awesome ;) Pics to follow!

Brand it, baby!

I don't usually go to flea markets. I'm just not that thrilled to have something used. I don't know why, since it's perfectly ok, and I know you can find amazing stuff if you happen to be at a right place at a right time. In fact, I'm selling some of my stuff next month at a flea market, to get some extra cash to Oregon. 

Well, anyways, yesterday I let my friend drag me to a flea market, and OMG I got stuck at the very first table. It happened to be my heaven. Me, at the right place at a right time. 

Louis Vuitton e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!

Got this for my make-up!

This for my phone :) Love this one!!

I've always loved Louis Vuitton. I have an LV-bag, too. Cost me 20 bucks. The woman who sold it to me was very vague of its origin. She said it was real but I'm not sure if it is... But it's amazing. The details and everything make it look so real. If someone just gave me a certificate that it's an original Louis Vuitton, I would totally buy it. 

I fell in love with this ring. I know skulls are a bit out there, but for €1,20... Man, I love this. It's such a cool piece of accessory. It looks like it might be an Ed Hardy -ring, but I don't know, it doesn't say. And it's one of those adjustable rings that you can make fit any finger, so this one's definitely not an original piece :D 

Any cool stuff you've found on a place you weren't supposed to go? :)

C is for CARRIE BRADSHAW

This is a woman who can make a naturally curly hair cloud look good. That alone makes her my idol. Yes, Carrie's a fictional character, but her fashion sense never lets you down. SJP's a fashion icon in real life as well and even though I could never afford the clothes and accessories she wears, I'm hoping someday I'll find my own style and pull it through even half as well. 

My favorite Carrie-moment.

Just me and my MacBook<3

Remember this scene from the SATC movie? 

This happened to me last summer in Boston. I was walking on the streets of Cambridge and wearing my new summer maxi dress that I'd gotten from Walmart (told you I couldn't afford Carrie's clothes), and this random woman who walked pass me said, "Great dress!"

"Thank you!" I beamed. 

Guess I rocked the dress. 

That's me. Rocking the dress. And a lemonade from the best pancake place in the world<3

Unique (?)

If you ever happen to find yourself sitting at a café alone, or just walking aimlessly around, take the time to look at the people around you.

Nowadays hardly any kind of style is news. The society has slowly approved all kinds of ways people wish to express themselves with, and seeing a person with their hair dyed in rainbow colors and face stuffed with piercings is just normal. But how do you know who are the ones who truly want to look extraordinary from the ones who just want to fit in?

I once knew someone who was in line to get into a Design Institute, but she was told her appearance was too plain and boring, that she had the kind of look that wasn't going to get noticed. No matter how talented she might have been, she was judged based on what she looked like. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, because I feel that might be the case with me, also. I'm not applying to a Design Institute, even though my art teacher back in high school told me I had real potential for it, but I'm thinking, if I did, I would most likely be laughed out. I guess you could call my personal style conventional. I like comfy clothes, usually I wear jeans and a t-shirt. On my spare time I like to leave my hair open, because at work I have to keep it tied back. I don't wear a lot of make-up, usually just mascara. I look like nothing out of the ordinary. And that's how I've always wanted to be. Up until now.

I know people who are genuine with their style. They may have a weird colored hair and clothes that seem out of this world, but at least they're unique. They're true to themselves. If someone else decides they want to look similar, they don't care. They know it's their thing, no matter how many clones walk the streets with them. Then there are those, who want to look the same, just because it seems cool. These are the people with awkward expressions on their faces when they really want to look like they're in total sync with everything and everyone around them. You might see them tugging their clothes, trying to make them more fitting, and eventually you end up finding them on a public restroom trying on "cat eye" contacts, taking their search for uniqueness just a bit too far. Come on...

I'm not saying it's bad to want to be different, I'm saying people should do it and still try to hold on to what makes them them. You might just look "normal" and still be more different than you could ever know.

As for me... the change has been subtle. Some may have not even noticed anything. It's quietly surfacing, sometimes it pops up for a moment, making me speak up when I'm usually quiet, or helping me to make a decision in a flash when I normally wouldn't make one without careful consideration. Trying on new things, being more sure of myself.

 It'll be a long process, I figure, but one definitely worth seeing through. I realize I haven't shared that much personal stuff about myself in this blog, and I want you to know that I'm working on a post about Yours Truly. Can't tell you when it'll come up, I honestly have no idea. Someday. I know, someday isn't a day of the week, so let's say... on a Tuesday. Maybe a month from now, or maybe a year. But it'll be a Tuesday, are you happy now?

<3

The Moment of Truth

Oh my... Yet another successful Oscar night is behind and you, my readers, are in for a thorough post about... well, everything.

Let's start with the Red Carpet.

White was the color that was seen on many stars, like J.Lo, Rooney Mara, Gwyneth Paltrow and my absolute favorite, Octavia Spencer.

This Tadashi Shoji dress is -in the lack of a better word- fabulous, and she carries it beautifully. She looks classy and proves that a woman doesn't have to be a size zero to rock the show. Congrats to O.S!

I really liked Paltrow's dress, but what's with the ponytail?! Not only does it look weird, I think it's too much an everyday-look to wear to the biggest Hollywood event of the year.

Angelina Jolie's dress looks heavy and her poses strike me as odd... Some say she might have been trying to cover her alarmingly thin figure with this creation, but who knows? Loved her make-up and hair.

My personal favorites (dress-wise) include Octavia Spencer (above), Sandra Bullock, Milla Jojovich, Meryl Streep and Jessica Chastain.
When it comes to flops... I wasn't that into Shailene Woodley's choise of dress, nor was I crazy about Viola Davis's look. I think she looks better with the black hair (was it a wig?) and maybe the dress wasn't the right color of green for her. Please note that these are all my personal opinions.

Now let's move on to the actual Awards Show.


This year the original host was supposed to be Eddie Murphy, but instead we had to make due with Billy Crystal. He was only OK, I think. I fondly look back to when Ellen DeGeneres was the hostess and did a great job. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin weren't as funny as they could have been, but I still enjoyed watching them. Anne Hathaway and James Franco... well, I shouldn't say anything (BORING!). Billy Crystal was OK. Only OK. All in all he did a steady performance throughout the show.

In my previous post I promised a full list of winners, including my own bets, so here we go... I did better than last year, when I guessed eight winners. This year I guessed nine. LOL.

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
The Artist
My bet: The Artist
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Jean Dujardin for The Artist
My bet: George Clooney for The Descendants
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
My bet: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christopher Plummer for Beginners
My bet: Kenneth Branagh for My Week With Marilyn
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Octavia Spencer for The Help
My bet: Octavia Spencer for The Help
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
My bet: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED
The Descendants
My bet: Moneyball
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN
Midnight in Paris
My bet: Midnight in Paris
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Rango
My bet: Kung Fu Panda 2
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
A Separation
My bet: Footnote
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hugo
My bet: The Tree of Life
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
My bet: The Artist
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Hugo
My bet: Hugo
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
The Artist
My bet: The Artist
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
The Iron Lady
My bet: The Iron Lady
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SCORE
The Artist
My bet: War Horse
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SONG
The Muppets
My bet: Rio
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Hugo
My bet: Hugo
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Hugo
My bet: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Hugo
My bet: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
BEST DOCUMENTARY, FEATURES
Undefeated
My bet: Hell and Back Again
BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECTS
Saving Face
My bet: Movement
BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATED
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
My bet: Wild Life
BEST SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION
The Shore
My bet: Pentecost

I can't say I agree with the Academy when it comes to Cinematography. That one should have gone to The Tree of Life. And Transformers should have gotten some recognition for its amazing visual effects.

But for your sake, I'm done now. Probably the longest post I've ever done. Thanks for your patience (if in fact you read all of it.)

xxo

EXCLAMATION POINT

I finally started my journalism course a week ago and I'm so excited I can't even begin to tell you. I've only just gotten my second assignment and here's what it is: write an article (subject was selected in the first assignment), ideally within the next two weeks, and then you are going to try and sell it. SELL IT! OMG! I'm sooooo freaked out and at the same time so incredibly excited!!! I know there's a good chance no magazine will buy my first article, but I won't let that bring me down. Eventually it will happen ;)

Part of me becoming a journalist is making reading my second nature. Check. I just have to make sure I read something worth while. I've been thinking of subscribing Life- magazine since it's so hard to find from the stores here... Instead of Life I found these:

Trust me, they have a lot worth while reading there ;)

xoxo
a very happy girl

The Official Fashion Issue

Ciao !

I've never been CRAZY about fashion but I've never ignored it either. I've always had some kind of fashion sense and like any other girl who cares even just a little bit of what they look like I've been stressing over my clothes... You know, the closet's full but there's absolutely NOTHING to wear. Hate it. So recently I've discovered that I'm more into clothes and accessories than usual and I like to combine different kinds of outfits (this new feature in me has probably gone un-noticed since I'm still pretty conservative when it comes to dressing up). I'm more into trying new things and not that afraid of what others think anymore. In other words: I'm becoming more and more like my mother (in the not-caring-what-others-think-part lol ;)) 

Sometimes you gotta suffer for beauty... and did I suffer last weekend!! I wore high heels three days in a row and let me tell ya -it hurt. Two days out of three the heels were only like an inch and a half, "kitten heels", but still! Too bad I wasn't aware back then that kitten heels are out. Reading Cosmo really pays out. My feet are now recovered and I'm even more in love with my practical and worn-out black ballerinas <3 true love, peeps.

I'm still the girl who looks for comfort, though. I love to ditch my jeans and t-shirt when I get home and change into sweat pants and a PJ-top, pull my hair up and wash my make-up. The trick is to know how to make even that look classy. The answer is: a glass of red and a laptop. This will totally make you feel like Carrie Bradshaw, one of my fashion icons. The previous sentence is dedicated to a friend of mine who said something similar a while back and people got confused -why does she feel like Stephen King's Carrie when she's doing stuff with her brand new laptop?? So come on people, learn your facts!

To all of my Finnish-speaking and reading audience, you should check out a fashion blog by two of my friends (one of them just mentioned). It's called Février and it's fab! <3 go to www.kadoksissamuotiin.blogspot.com and enjoy!

love love love