Laughter and smiles

I rarely post smiling or laughing pictures of myself, not because I don't laugh or smile on a general basis, but because it doesn't come naturally to me to laugh or smile while taking outfit pictures. I don't know why, perhaps it's because the camera makes me quite self-conscious. Catching my genuine smiles on the camera doesn't happen often, but yesterday I was laughing so hard while Trang was taking my pictures that I couldn't help it. It was only too bad that the settings on my camera were a little off so the pictures came out extremely noisy and not very sharp.

Curly hair is also something you don't see very often on me. I'm extremely bad (not to mention lazy!) at doing my hair but these curls were quite simple and easy. After showering and washing my hair I turned a high ponytail into two braids and made a knot of them. I let the braided bun stay like that for almost 24 hours and the next day I had curls. In the pictures the curls have gotten a little loose already, as these were taken in the afternoon.

The skirt I bought from Trang's sister Thao as it didn't fit her properly. For me it's the perfect fit and I'll try to get better pictures of it soon. These don't do much justice.

Even if my pictures are always more or less serious, I have been quite happy lately. Today I signed the lease on my new apartment, and I am moving in less than two weeks.. and tomorrow I'll be starting work. Things are definitely moving forward. So in that sense, the title of the post is more than suitable.

How has your week been?

See how I matched these items before:

Shirt and shoes: Flowers in the hall

Shoes: Forgot something

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Did I manage to fool you with the picture of me and my lovely blond hair? Well, if I did, bad (or good if you prefer me as a brunette) news: it's just a wig I borrowed from Trang.

I did quite like wearing a wig though (even if it was just for a moment) and now I'm considering buying one for myself. Not necessarily a blond wig, but a brown one would be fun. Or then I'll go wild and buy a pink one, who knows.

It was so nice to see Trang and Maria yesterday. We were just hanging out at Trang's place and we did some skyping with our dear Erica who is finally coming back from Las Palmas... Can't wait for the end of March!

Trang was clearing out her closet again so I got some clothes from her. I'll post pictures of those later.

Today I'll be taking it easy: so far I have been eating candy and watching Wall-E with my siblings. (a family film and candy, a Saturday tradition I have been missing) Later today Maria will be coming over. So all in all a nice day.

I hope your weekend has started off well!

P.S. I used Siiri Kumari's free photoshop curve "London" on the photos, you can download it here!

Pics of pixies

photo credits: 1-2: elegantwoman.org, 3-6: about.com

In the 11 facts post I mentioned that I don't know what to do with my hair. It really is a time for a haircut since the last time I went to the hairdresser's was in July.

Usually I'm quite conservative about my hair. I don't like big changes and I want to keep the style very simple. (or as my little sister and mother say, boring) Mostly that's because I've never been very keen on doing my hair other than to get it off my face with a big bun or a ponytail. I don't like keeping my hair loose, it gets in the way and starts bothering me.

Perhaps that's why it might be a little surprising that I haven't yet opted for a really short haircut. But as I stated above, I don't like big changes. Of course, my hair will grow back but I've always been a little scared of chopping my hair off because of the process of growing it out. Also, short hair requires regular visits to the hairdresser's, unless you can maintain the look and the cut with kitchen scissors.

And then there's the fact that D doesn't like women with short hair. Of course, I'm a modern woman and I will do anything I want with my hair, no matter what anyone else thinks, but it would be nice to know that he likes the look too. I've got his "permission" but I'm still a little worried that he will totally hate it. (but hey, I guess this is one of the occasions when being in a long distance relationship comes in handy... he won't have to see my hair cut if he doesn't want to)

What is your opinion? To cut or not to cut?

Birthday outfit inspiration

1. LUO short dress from VILA, 2. Little Lulu black-silver from Minna Parikka, 

3. Vanamo/Twinflower earrings from Kalevala Koru, 4. Glitter tights from H&M

As I promised in the previous post, here's some of my birthday outfit inspiration. D bought me the dress as a birthday present and this is an outfit I built around it.

Satin and white socks

Shoes: Primark, Earrings: Snö of Sweden, the rest: second-hand

The last outfit pictures from over three weeks ago, soon you'll see more recent ones! These pictures were taken by my lovely sister-in-law-to-be Sanne, who also did my hair. I really love the braid, especially because I am hopeless with braiding.

I wore this outfit to a more casual wedding anniversary dinner. D's stepfather's parents had their 51st wedding anniversary over three weeks ago on Saturday, and they invited the closest family over for a homemade dinner. It was a really nice evening, learning Dutch has definitely been worth all the effort and trial, as I no longer have to sit there smiling and having no clue what the others are talking about. I can actually participate in the conversations, even if I don't always know how to convey my thoughts. But hey, it's still progress!

The cashmere sweater has been featured a lot in my latest outfits, but I can't help it, I'm in love with it! Cashmere is definitely one of my favourite materials so I was overjoyed when I got the sweater from D's stepmother. I love it when people recycle their clothes to me.

Oh, and the heels. I don't think I'll be featuring them a lot on my blog, as they aren't very comfortable. I love wearing high heels, but these are a real pain to wear. I guess D and my grandparents have finally managed to brainwash me into wearing sensible and comfortable shoes. My feet should be happy too.

Autumn inspiration board

Batchel via

Oversize knit on Pinterest

Pants via

Brogue via

French manicure via

Burgundy lips via

Tweed pattern via

Fishtail braid via

A reader asked if I could make an inspiration post for the autumn/fall season, and since I had been considering it myself already, I decided to grant her wish and make a post about things that inspire me currently. 

This is the very first inspiration board I have ever made with Photoshop so bear with me, I'm sure that I'll eventually get better. Of course, I could've just as well used Polyvore, or just embed my pins from Pinterest but I thought this was more fun. 

Anyways, this Autumn I have been increasingly inspired by the burgundy color, probably because it's so this season and it can be seen everywhere. (and there I thought I'm not enslaved by fashion) I already bought burgundy pants, but I want to get a burgundy lipstick too, as it would look great with my skin tone.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been also in the mood to wear pants. I'm quite happy that this season there are so many nicely fitting pants available. I'm not the biggest fan of low-waist pants so I'm overjoyed to find pants that rise higher and I don't have to tuck them up all the time. Slim fit and ankle-length pants seem to be the thing that catches my eye most often.

Even if I want my pants slim-fit (not too slim though, I do want to be able to sit!) I want my tops and cardigans slightly over-size. As the weather cools down I am going to wrap myself in big and soft clothes that keep me warm. Natural materials, wool and cotton are a must!

Out of natural materials I'm also into leather. Aged leather that is, in vintage-y brown and tan, in shoes and bags. Give me a pair of brogues and a satchel bag and I'm a happy girl. (brogues: check, satchel: on my wish list)

Vintage-feeling always inspires me, but it seems that during the Autumn season I'm most drawn to '30s and '40s. Back to school is always a big source of inspiration, I want plaid and tweed and skirts and so on. You get the idea.

Slouchy and boyish lines might be what I'm into what it comes to clothes, but in details I am very feminine. Flower patterns, lace details, pearls and colors. Burgundy is of course a feminine color, but I also love light pink and other girly colors. My nails, make-up and hair will also reflect the more girly side of me. I am totally in love with braids (I'm finally learning to braid my own hair) and curls and scarves. (although with scarves the affair has been going on for over a year already)

So this is my inspiration board for the Autumn season, I hope you like it!

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Syysinspiraatiota. Laiskottaa ja kiire, joten en rupea tämän enempää runoilemaan suomeksi...

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Mijn inspiratie voor de herfst seizoen. Ik voel me vandaag een beetje lui en ik heb heel veel dingen te doen dus ik zal de tekst niet in Nederlands vertalen...

New hair

Bleiseri/Blazer: H&M, Toppi/Top: second-hand, Shortsit/Shorts: H&M, Kengät/Shoes: DinSko

So, how do you like my new shorter haircut? I know, it's not really a big change, but I just wanted to get some damage control done after that last haircut I got. This time I got a cut that should look good even when it has grown a tad longer. And it's still long enough for a ponytail or braid or something like that when I don't feel like keeping it loose. It does require some getting used to though, at least for me.

I finally booked my flights to NL and back. I'll be flying to Amsterdam in 19 days, on Wednesday the 25th of July, and I'll be returning to Finland over a month later, Monday the 27th of August. I can't wait to spend 4,5 weeks with D!

The plan was that D and I would be housesitting while D's family is off to Italy or Southern France for their vacation but it seems like this year we'll actually join them... which ought to be interesting, to say the least. Two weeks of sleeping in a tent at camping grounds... anyone who knows me well enough can tell I'm more of a 'a nice hotel or B&B and lots of shopping' kind of traveler. The things we do for love!

Nah, I do look forward to the vacation, I've never been to Italy (or Southern France) and it's never a bad thing to step outside one's comfort zone every once in a while. Besides, it gives me the perfect excuse to drag D shopping in NL... can't survive two weeks in Italy with only one bikini!

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No, mitäs mieltä olette uusista hiuksistani? Hirveän isoa muutosta ei tullut, pituudesta vain lähti kohtuullisesti. Tarkoitus oli vain siistiä pois kuivat ja vahingoittuneet latvat ja yrittää saada malli, joka näyttää hyvältä myös parin kuukauden päästä. Hiukseni ovat silti tarpeeksi pitkät, eli saan ne myös tarvittaessa kiinni.

Varasin myös viimein lennot Alankomaihin ja takaisin. Lennän Amsterdamiin 19 päivän päästä, keskiviikkona 25. päivä ja palaan Suomeen vasta maanantaina 27. päivä elokuuta. En malttaisi edes odottaa: 4,5 viikkoa D:n kanssa!

Suunnitelmana oli, että D ja minä olisimme talovahteina sillä välin kun D:n perhe on Italiassa tai Etelä-Ranskassa lomalla, mutta vaikuttaa siltä, että tänä vuonna lähdemmekin mukaan kyseiselle reissulle... ja reissusta taitaa tulla vähintäänkin mielenkiintoinen. Kaksi viikkoa teltassa leirintäalueilla... kuka tahansa, joka tuntee minut henkilökohtaisesti ja tarpeeksi hyvin tietää, että en ole koskaan ollut, ja tuskin koskaan tulen olemaan karavaanarityyppiä. Hotellihuone tänne kiitos! Kaikkeen sitä suostuukin rakkaudesta...

No jaa, kyllä minä olen ihan innoissani tästäkin matkasta. En ole koskaan käynyt Italiassa (tai Etelä-Ranskassa), ja joskus on hyvä kokeilla uusia ja eksoottisia juttuja. Sitä paitsi sain aivan mahtavan syyn raahata D:n mukaan shoppailemaan Hollannissa... ei kai kukaan odota minun selviävän kahden viikon Italian lomasta vain yhden bikiniparin voimin!

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En, hoe vind je me kortere kapsel? Ik weet het, het is niet echt heel anders, maar ik wilde gewoon iets wat er beter uitzag dan m'n vorige kapsel. Dit keer heb ik iets wat er ook nog goed uit ziet als het iets langer groeit en het is nog lang genoeg voor een staart of vlecht als ik geen zin heb om het los te houden. Het is even wennen voor mij hoor..

Ik heb eindelijk m'n vluchten geboekt naar Nederland en terug. Ik ga vliegen naar Amsterdam over 19 dagen, op woensdag 25 juli en ik vlieg een maand later terug naar Finland, op maandag 27 augustus. Ik kan niet wachten om 4.5 week meet D samen te zijn!

We zouden eigenlijk op het huis van D passen, terwijl ze naar Italië of waar dan ook op vakantie, maar misschien gaan we wel gewoon mee dit jaar... Wat nog leuk zal worden.. 2 weken in een tent op een camping.. Iemand die mij kent weet dat ik meer een 'lekker hotel of B&B en shoppen' reiziger ben. Wat je voor de liefde wel niet doet! 

Nah, ik kijk er wel naar uit, ik ben er nog nooit geweest en het kan geen kwaad om soms uit m'n comfort zone te komen. En, ik kan D meenemen om te shoppen, ik kan natuurlijk niet twee weken met 1 bikini doen...

Pippi Longstocking had it right

Eli ylemmissä kuvissa näkyy lähtökohta: kuivat ja takkuiset, mutta täysin luonnolliset hiukset (en ole koskaan värjännyt tai raidoittanut hiuksiani) Olen halunnut kokeilla hiustenpesua kananmunalla jo aika pitkään, eli kun unelmatortun ansiosta jäi yksi valkuainen yli, päätin käyttää sen (kananmunapulasta huolimatta) shampoona.

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You can see the starting point in the pictures above: dry and tangled, but perfectly natural hair (I have never dyed or high-lighted my hair). I have wanted to try washing my hair with egg for ages, so when there was one egg white left from the baking, I decided to use it as shampoo.

Kananmunapesuun on tietenkin omat taktiikkansa, mutta minä en kyllä jaksanut pohtia niitä kovin paljoa. Elikkäs: hiukset kasteltiin, ja sen jälkeen laitoin valkuaisen päähän samalla tavalla kuin minkä tahansa muunkin shampoon. Ainoa ero normaaliin hiustenpesuun oli se, että menin valkuaishiuksilla saunaan (lämpö edesauttaa valkuaisen imeytymistä hiuksiin). Huuhdellessani valkuaista pois käytin pienen tipan kosteuttavaa shampoota, ja huuhtelun jälkeen laitoin hiuksiini kosteuttavaa hoitoainetta. Valkuainenhan on lähes tulkoon pelkkää proteiinia, ja proteiini vahvistaa hiuksia. Samalla hiukset kuitenkin kuivuvat, joten on suotavaa käyttää jotain kosteuttavaa hoitoainetta tai vastaavaa.

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There are different techniques for washing your hair with egg, but I decided to do it the way I felt like doing it. So: I rinsed my hair with water (and squeezed the excess water out) and poured the egg white into the wet hair, pretty much the same way I would do with normal shampoo. The only difference is that I went into the sauna with the egg white in my hair (the warmth will make it easier for the egg white to work its magic). As I was washing the egg white off, I used a tiny drop of moisturizing shampoo, and afterwards I added some moisturizing conditioner. After all egg whites are mostly protein, and the protein will make your hair stronger. Unfortunately, it will also make your hair dry, so that's why it's good to use some moisturizing conditioner.

Lopputulos seuraavana aamuna (hiukseni näyttävät todella erikoisen värisiltä kuvissa). Saunan ja pesun jälkeen en tehnyt hiuksille muuta kuin annoin niiden kuivata itsestään, harjasin ne vasta aamulla. Ei valkuainen varsinaisesti mitään suuria muutoksia aiheuttanut, mutta omasta mielestäni hiukset ovat paljon pehmeämmät ja vähemmän takkuuntuvat. Luulen, että jos pesen hiukset säännöllisesti kananmunalla, saan parempia ja pitkäaikaisempia tuloksia, eli siinä mielessä kokeilu oli onnistunut... niin, ja hiukseni eivät edes haise valkuaiselle, eli jos käyttää huuhtelussa hiukan shampoota, hajun ei pitäisi tarttua hiuksiin.

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The next day and the results (my hair has such weird colors in the pictures). After the sauna and shower I didn't do a thing to my hair, I just let it dry on its own and I brushed it the next morning. I don't think that egg white did any wonders, but in my opinion my hair is notably softer and smoother and it tangles less easily. So, if I washed my hair with egg more regularly, I would probably get some more visible and lasting results, so all in all this experiment was a success... oh, and my hair doesn't smell like egg white, so if you use a bit of shampoo while washing it off, the smell shouldn't stay in your hair.

Uudet hiukset! - My new hairstyle!

ENNEN/BEFORE

Bleiseri/Blazer: H&M, Toppi/Top: second-hand, College-housut/Track pants: second-hand, 

Huivi/Scarf: SIX, Laukku/Purse: H&M, Kengät/Shoes: lahja D:n äidiltä/a gift from D's mum

Kävin kampaajalla siis viime viikon keskiviikkona, mutta pääsin kirjoittelemaan tätä postausta vasta tänään, tämän päivän reissusta Amsterdamiin ja Delftiin kirjoittelen huomenna. 

Noi collegehousut on ehkä hiukan viime kevään juttu, mutta huono sää ei tuolloin oikein houkuttanut laittautumaan tuon enempää. Hiukset on kuvassa vain sotkuisella nutturalla.

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So I visited the hairdresser last Wednesday but I haven't had the chance to make this post until today, so I'll write about today's visit to Amsterdam and Delft tomorrow.

The track pants are maybe a little last Spring but the lousy weather didn't inspire me to get more innovative than that. My hair was up in a messy bun as usual.

JÄLKEEN/AFTER

Hame/Skirt: H&M

Kaupungilta ja kampaajalta palattuamme sain ilokseni huomata, että kauan odottamani H&M:n paketti oli saapunut. Sovittaessani vaatekaappini uusia tulokkaita D sitten näpsäisi kuvan uudesta hiuspehkosta.

Näin kaukaa katsoen hiukset näyttävät oikein hienoilta, ja olenkin ihan tyytyväinen otsikseen. Ainoa moite on, että kampaaja kerrosti hiuksia liikaa, etenkin takaa (alhaalta pidemmät ja päältä lyhyemmät, argh), joten olen päätynyt pitämään hiuksia kiinni ponnarilla, mikä on sinänsä ihan kivan näköistä... noh, ottaen huomioon, että D sai olla tulkkaamassa kampaajalle mitä halusin, saan olla ihan tyytyväinen ettei lopputuloksesta tullut tuon pahempi...

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When we returned home from the hairdresser's, I was happy to see that the H&M package I had been waiting for ages (read: weeks) had arrived. So while I was trying on the new members of my closet, D took a picture of my new hair.

Looking at it from a distance, my hair doesn't look even that bad, and I am happy at the end result, for the most part. The only thing I'm not so happy about is that the hairdresser layered my hair too much, especially from the back (longer below, and shorter on the top, ugh) so I have ended up keeping my hair tied in a ponytail, which is kinda cute, but... oh well, considering that there was a significant language barrier between me and the hairdresser (D was doing his best to convey my wishes to the woman) I should be happy that my hair looks even this nice...

Pitkä polkka - Long hair with fringe

Scroll down for the English text

Kuva täältä

Kuva täältä

Kävin kampaajalla viimeksi toukokuussa, ja kesä ja stressi näkyvät aika selvästi hiuksissani: kaksihaaraisia ja kuivia latvoja, puhumattakaan siitä, että hiuksia putoilee vähän liian tiuhaan tahtiin. En kuitenkaan halunnut käydä kampaajalla täällä Suomessa, viimeksi kun leikkautin hiukseni Helsingissä maksoin siitä ilosta 80 euroa (!) ja kyseessä oli ihan vain pelkkä tasoitus ja kerrostus. Kampaaja sitten vain päätti föönata hiukset ilmoittamatta että föönaus maksaa 40 euroa lisää... 40 euroa hiustenleikkauksesta ja 40 euroa niiden kuivaamisesta. You get my point.

D:kin on hiustenleikkuun tarpeessa, joten käymme varmaan (toivottavasti) ensi viikolla kampaajalla/parturissa sitten Hoornissa, missä hiustenleikkuu ei ole vielä pelkästään rikkaiden luksusta. Ei ihme että Suomessa niin moni turvautuu keittiösaksiin.

Kuten kuvista voi päätellä, aion leikkauttaa otsiksen taas vaihteeksi. Eihän siitä olekaan kuin pari vuotta kun viimeksi pidin otsista, ja se kuulemma vielä sopii minulle. Kuvia sitten tuloksesta (toivottavasti) ensi viikolla! :)

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Picture found here

Picture found here

The last time I visited a hairdresser was in May, and I can clearly see the damage the summer and the stress have done to my hair: split and dry ends, not to even mention how regularly my hair is falling out! However I didn't want to visit a hairdresser here in Finland, since the last time I visited a hairdresser in Helsinki it cost me 80 euros (!) and I only had the damaged ends cut off and some layering done. The hairdresser simply decided to also blow-dry my hair, without mentioning that the blow-drying would cost me an extra 40 euros. So 40 euros for a haircut and 40 euros for drying my hair. You get my point.

Since D also needs a haircut we will hopefully visit the hairdresser next week, in Hoorn, since in the Netherlands a visit to the hairdresser isn't only for the rich people. No wonder why so many people in Finland just go for a pair of kitchen scissors.

And as you may have guessed from the pictures, I'm going to get a fringe again. It has only been two years since I had a fringe for the last time but hey, people say it suits me and it's a relatively easy/safe way to get a new look. Hopefully you will see some pictures of the end result next week :)