The Ordinary

Today in the morning when I woke up I was looking in the bathroom mirror. I was looking at my self and thought my skin looked exceptionally good, healthy and glowing. There might be a few reasons to that. One of them is the summer and the sun. A light tan makes the skin look healthy and fresh. Another one might be the no-sugar "diet" I currently am on (I allow my self to eat sweets once a week or less).  The last option (which I hope it is) might be the new skincare range I have been using for a week now. 

I stumbled on a brand called The Ordinary and read about the brand and their philosophy. It is a brand that makes clinical formulations for skin care. They make simple skincare technology products that above all are very affordable. They only label the products with what they contain, and don't focus on fancy packaging which would increase the price.

Read more about The Ordinary here.

I have a few of their formulas and use them in my daily skincare routine, morning and evening.

I made some research on the formulas and currently use them as follows.

AM

Toner (not The Ordinary)

Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

Matrixyl 10% +HA

Face moisturizer (not The Ordinary)

PM

Toner (not The Ordinary)

Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%

(20 min. waiting time)

Advanced retinoid 2%

Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

100% Organic Cold-pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil

Face moisturizer (not The Ordinary)

I really hope my skin is glowing thanks to these. I have also lately been reading about Asian beauty routines in skincare and the more I read (and watch Youtube videos) about it the more intrigued I am. I am going to start to build up my 7-10 step skincare routine according to the Asian skincare regime.

Best makeup remover

I have found the best make up remover ever! When I remove my makeup I want it to be as easy as possible, quick and not leave my skin too dry. I have been juggling between different kinds of micellar waters, face cloths, dissolving creams and water washable foams and never found anything I would be completely happy with.

The micellar waters are pretty good and easy, where you use a cotton pad to remove the makeup. But often I have noticed that I need to use so many cotton pads before my face is completely clean. And sometimes it also feels too tugging on my skin and not so gentle at my eyes.

At one point I got really excited about makeup removing creams that you massage on your face and remove with a wet cloth. It has been functioning all right, but it feels messy and like too much of an effort.

The washable foams are quick and easy, but they leave a dry feeling on my skin.

But now I have found a perfect match that is something between a makeup dissolving cream and a face wash. And this does not leave my face feeling dry.

It is the Clinique take the day off.

It is like a hard paste or "butter", but as soon as you rub it to your face it starts melting and dissolving the makeup - mascara and all. You don't have to use any cloth, cotton or makeup wipe to remove it, you just wash it off with warm water. Super easy and good for the skin!

Lastly a picture of my chia pudding at Helsinki City Museum where I had coffee wit my lovely friend.

Uunisaari

On Tuesday we headed out with some friends to Uunisaari, which is a small island in front of Kaivopuisto. There is a ferry that goes there during the day time. It goes from Kompassitori and the ticket is 4€. It is a very rocky island and there is a small beach. I am sure this place would be great on a hot day, but this day was everything else. 

First the weather started of as sunny. The wind was obviously cold at the sea, but it was not that too bad. After a while it started raining and thundering, so we headed inside.

The island has a very cozy restaurant called Ugn, and we enjoyed our lunch there. I had fish and potatoes, and it was really good!

Tropic Tonic

I found another lipstick to add to my MAC lipstick collection and thought I would share it here. I really wanted a summer lipstick, something bright and in coral colour. I picked this up at the airport on our way to Croatia. This is a colour that is perfect on tanned skin. I was wearing it the first time on Saturday at the Davido concert. 

It is called MAC- Tropic Tonic

This swatch picture is taken with a flash.

This swatch picture is without a flash.

And here you can se it on me. I loooove it!

Sunday was my birthday and I had a lovely brunch at restaurant Faro with some close friends. It was a sunny day and we still went to the beach to enjoy the sun in the afternoon. Btw the brunch was amazing!

Hello blog

It has been a while since my previous blog post. At times I have been missing blogging and that is why I will try to activate my blog again. I am not a super big fan of writing texts, so I will be keeping the blog mostly focusing on pictures. 

I also do not want to label my blog to a certain type; ie. lifestyle/fashion/beauty blog. I want to keep it sort of as a diary and post whatever I feel like. And that is actually what I miss the most about blogging. Having it as a diary you can go back to when ever you like (helps my bad memory as well :P). I will be posting about miscellaneous things I do and like, and I will not take any pressure on posting as this only is a hobby of mine.

Currently I am two weeks in to my annual leave and it is raining outside. So what better time to restart this blog then with some pictures from Croatia!

NEW favourites #makeup

Hellou.

It is me. And it is been a while. I have been neglecting my blog for a while. But I have a good reason for it. I have a new day job that has been taking a lot of my time. And I love it! I have been so in to this new adjustment that I have not had much else on my mind. Also this winter season somehow fills  up my calendar with all kinds of happenings and activities. Of course I also have to blame it on the darkness. This darkness decreases the photographing time.

Anyhow, I am here to present some new favourites.

Here goes...

Oh Roberto. This perfume was bought on the cruise to Estonia. I love it. It is warm and spicy and I have been using it a lot.

Smashbox eyelash primer. This is a must. I didn't think this would make a difference, but it does. It leaves a light coat of white primer on top of the lashes that nourishes them. When it dries it turns transparent. I totally see a difference on the lashes and it helps the mascara stay on longer.

Lumene face mask.

After I tried the tester of this product on my hand I had to have this. It is so cooling and refreshing. You can use it as a regular mask, or over night.

Soleil Tan De Chanel.

OMG. This is pure gold. The natural glow it leaves on the skin is gorgeous. It is in a mousse formula, but spreads on like a powder. I put it on with a brush. It is so soft and long lasting. Love, love, love :)

Dutti is here

When I go shopping I have my regular shops that I tend to visit every time. I know my style and I know what I like. For all this while however, there has been something missing. Massimo Dutti. The must-visit-store every time I go to Tallinn. And oh how I have been missing it in Finland. 

The wait is over ladies, Massimo Dutti has arriver to Helsinki. I visited the opening of Massimo Dutti the other week and I was amazed how beautiful the shop was. Filled with lovely quality pieces. The men's department is downstairs and the women's department upstairs. If you haven't visited it yet, you should. It is located on Aleksanterinkatu beside Zio.

I took the fall coat out... #outfit

Even though it has been an amazing sunny weather for a few days, I started using my fall coat. I always try to use a thinner coat as long as possible in to the fall, but this time I felt so cold I could not resist pulling on this warm coat. This outfit is from our brunch yesterday on Saturday. We went to Mokomarket for brunch with the girls and it was great. Both the coat and the shoes are from Zara in Estonia. The wool knit is made by mom! :)

New favourites #makeup

Recently I have been familiarising in some new make up. Usually when I am running out of make up I like to try something new to discover even better ones. Recently I have been finding some really good stuff, and I wanted to show them here.

#1

Giorgio Armani - Luminous silk foundation

I have to say that this is the best foundation I have ever tried. It is thin, gives medium to full coverage when layered. It gives an even and natural glow. It does not crease in to lines and it lasts the whole day. My shade is number 6, and it is just slightly darker than my natural skin tone. It is medium with gold under tones. This is an award winning foundation and hyped by the beauty community; youtubers and bloggers all over. The only down side is the price, but I usually get this when I have a discount code to a web shop. I think it should be cheaper at the airport as well.

MAC - Studio Fix Perfecting Stick

This is a new product that I picked up from Tallinn as I was in need of a concealer. I was going to the MAC counter to get a Pro Longwear concealer. The lady at the counter however recommended this for me, as it is more lightweight and moisturising. I am really happy that she did, as I really like this. I am in colour NW25 and it matches my skin perfectly. I am thinking about getting another in a lighter shade to highlight with.

This is how they describe it at the MAC website: "A chubby twist-up concealer pencil that hides dark circles, blemishes and other skin imperfections thanks to its precise rounded tip and propel/repel abilities. The formula is super-blendable with medium-buildable coverage, and sets to a natural matte finish that feels powdery and appears seamless on skin. Its portability and mess-free application make it the perfect product for on-the-go touch-ups." 

• Long-wearing, eight hours

• Transfer-resistant

• Water-resistant

• Non-drying

• Crease-proof

• Provides stay-true colour, eight hours

• Provides instant and long-term hydration

• Dermatologist tested

• Non-acnegenic

• For all skin types

Smashbox - Photo Finish primer

I was in need of a new foundation primer. I grabbed this on our boat cruise to Tallinn, but I have to say that I don't know about this yet. It makes the skin smooth, but it feels a bit oily, especially after applying the foundation... I might have a better opinion when I have used it for a while.

Leather for this weather #outfit

My favourite fall jacket is crumbling away - since it is faux leather and 10 years old. I have been using it A-LOT. And I was so heartbroken when I noticed that the material is chipping away and leaving small black dandruff like flakes all over me. I have been hunting for a new leather jacket ever since. Imagining a black biker styled leather jacket with buckles and metal. I was looking through the Zadaa application (the flea market app) scamming for used leather jackets and came over this. As I was saving it I noticed that it was my friend that was selling it! What a coincidence. Even though it does not have buckles and metal, it is very similar to the crumbling faux leather jacket, and I love it! And it is not new, witch even makes it an ecological purchase :) I am so happy about it and it is so soft :)