Tea & Another Album Release

Currently in my living room, having myself a mini friday snack & blasting Frank Hamilton's new album, Songs To Make Life Slightly Less Awkward. Today's a good day. What an amazing album. Can't just pick one favourite yet. Really want to make a review of it, but I'm waiting until my order arrives so I can add some photos of the physical copies.

When I'm done I'm gonna go out & pick up an order. I'm leaving to go to our cabin tonight, it'll be cozy. I'm bringing my camera so I'm gonna try to photograph a bit. Pretty sure there will be even more autumn signs out there. I'm excited, can't believe it's already October tomorrow.

Nina Nesbitt for W7 Cosmetics

A few months ago W7 cosmetics announced that Nina Nesbitt would be their new brand ambassador & I already knew that I'd be buying whatever Nina would be promoting. I know she wouldn't promote something she wouldn't like, I trust her.

When I found out one of the first products was Smokin', an eyeshadow palette, I got so excited. I love discovering new eyeshadows. There's a tutorial on their YouTube channel, which was even linked on the Swedish webstore I ordered from.

The pigment is not the absolute best, but definitely buildable which is the reason to why I still adore this palette already. I'm sure this will be a new of my favourites. SO priceworthy as well. A lot of neutral shadows but still a few darker ones which means you can play around with a whole lot of different looks. Excited to try it out.

I also bought an eyeshadow brush, thought it looked like a dupe to Real Techniques, which is my go to brand for makeup brushes. It's really soft so I'm definitely gonna try out a face brush as well next time I'm ordering.

MOVIS from LUSH

I just run out of MOVIS from LUSH so I think it's time for another review.

When I say run out I mean literally run out, the product is gone & it just came in a paper packaging, that's why I photographed it instead.

When I first opened up the product I felt pretty shocked because it literally looked like I opened a piece of bread. It smelled absolutely delicious though, the scent is one of the things I liked the most with the product. I can't describe it whatsoever, so I'm just gonna go with that it smells like a LUSH store, if you know you know.

I've ran out of the product, but to be honest I still don't know if I've used it correctly. Personally, every single time I've used it I've taken of a small bit, the texture is soft, it literally feels like a more compact type of bread. I've kept it in my drawer where I have the rest of my skin care products & a little while ago when I had almost finished it my cousin asked me if I was hiding a muffin there. If that doesn't say enough about what MOVIS looks like I don't know what will, it was so funny.

 After I've taken of a bit I massage it into my skin, it gives you a cleanse & a gentle scrub. It makes the skin amazingly soft, but with a squeeky clean feel, which I'm not the biggest fan of. My moisturiser is very hydrating though, so it hasn't been a problem for a me but it's worth mentioning.

I've been using this as often as I can in the morning, to make my skin ready for the day & prepare for my moisturiser. It's been working super well for me. I feel like it has cleared my skin, but I changed a few parts in my skincare routine at the same time so it's hard for me to make a promise if it's specific MOVIS or my new skincare routine generally. 

What I don't like & find annoying with the product is that it crumbles & fall down my bathroom sink, which definitely gives this products over all a lower rating.

Personally, the positives with this products beats the negatives & I will definitely buy it again. It's one of the cheapest products from LUSH skin care wise.

3,5/5

Back with a New Motivation

The last 2 days have been hectic for me which resulted in me putting the blog aside. I've been working at a kindergarten to replace someone who's been sick. It was an amazing experience & I really liked it. I'm not allowed to go into details, which is a bummer but still understandable. Enough about that.

Since I for a while ahead don't have work I'm just gonna do my best to try to be productive from home. Plan my blog & search a few more jobs. I've bought a notebook I'm gonna use specific for blog ideas & inspiration. I always get more creative & inspired once I have something in my hands to write in & not just on my phone/computer. It's more real this way. Also have to pick up an order, but right now it's raining a whole lot so I'm gonna procrastinate that task for a few hours.

I have not taken a picture specific for this post but I thought this was one was fitting, another one from the Museum of Modern Art. Time for me to start putting up a lot of thought & effort into my blog again. I don't blame myself for being inactive though, it happened & will definitely happen again, so I'm just gonna start working from where I left of, with a new kind of motivation. Let's go.

Alicante, Spain 2016

Love at First Sight

Today has been spent at my uncle's house with my mom & my sister. He's bought a new cat recently so it was the first time I saw her, he's got three of them now. I can definitely say it was love at first sight. She's so adorable, her name is Jenkins. She almost fell asleep on my lap which made my heart melt.

I'm allergic to cats which is such a bummer for someone who loves cats. They're always gonna have a special place in my heart. I tried out a new pill today because I've ran out of the ones I usually have & these definitely didn't work as good, which gave me an allergic reaction. My reactions aren't dangerous though, just very annoying. Everything itches & I get the worst cold. Usually my eyes get swollen & my throat itches too, but it never happened today so I guess the pill worked a little bit at least. It was worth it though, my uncle's cats are too precious I couldn't resist from being with them today.

Stickers from Feline

Hurray for Hurraw

It's time for another review, this time on my holy grail lip balm brand: Hurraw.

I've tried so many lip balms, but I keep coming back to these.

(I've never realised how uneven they are until now when I photographed them)

I currently own 6 ones: Earl Grey, Chocolate, Chai Spice, Almond & two of Green Tea. My tea addiciton is not very discrete so I got another one from a lovely friend. Would love to get more ones, Vanilla Bean, Coconut & Mint are a few favourites that I don't have yet. Soon. There's also one called Night Treatment I'd love to get my hands on, it sounds amazing.

Hurraw is natural, organic, vegan, the list goes on. Every single one I own smell delicious. The design is also very cute, the logo & then a symbol that represents the scent. They have a unique shape & are just not circular like a regular lip balm, they're more in an oval shape which was a surprise for me when I first got them.

My lips get dry very easily during the colder ones because of the contrast in temperature from being inside & then going out. But these save even the driest lips.

They go on very smoothly & helps with the dryness immediately. If they're very dry you can keep apply it a few during the day, it's not like magic & fixes them immidately. But they definitely make a huge difference even after the first time. The natural oils soothes if your lips are in pain, you can really feel that they're completely natural. 

Forever gonna recommend these to everyone.

5/5

Illuminate Listening Party in Stockholm

Stockholm was Illuminated

Last night I was at the Swedish fanevent for Shawn Mendes, the listening party in Stockholm. It was a very surreal experience to walk around at Universal Music & hear Shawn Mendes new album blast from every speaker, it felt amazing. I've also been wanting to actually be inside of Universal Music since forever, so just that was an experience itself to me haha. There were tons of snacks & Shawn inspired cupcakes, they were the cutest. Kajsa & I were living for the photo booth, I don't even know how many strips I got home with.

We got introduced & then the album began to be played. I had heard most of the songs already, because of watching videos from his concerts on YouTube. Even though I've heard most of the ones it was a really surreal experience to actually hear the studio versions & know that it would actually be out this midnight. There was also a few songs I hadn't been able to hear yet, so it was nice to finally hear them, even before the album release.

Shawn keeps blowing my mind with his amount of talent. I've never heard an album this personal before & I respect him so much for it. At the moment I can't even pick a favourite, they're all wonderful. Currently not even able to write an actual review for it because the only thing on my mind right now is literal masterpiece. Words are not enough to explain how proud I am.

When we were leaving we got goodie bags & my friend Kajsa won tickets to his Stockholm concert, it was so fun. She screamed & got recorded/photographed, it was adorable. I'm already going with my friend Johanna, or else Kajsa said she would have brought me with her. Such a sweetheart. In my goodie bag there were a card, a salty mist, an Illuminate poster & t-shirt, glitters from Make Up Store & a gift card for Nelly, an online shop.

So grateful for this experience. I woke up today to him tweeting saying that he's #1 in over 60 countries, which is very surreal to me. He deserves it so much, all of his hard work put into Illuminate is paying off & it's only going up from here. He's gonna win Grammy's for this album. So ready for him to get out & tour with these songs & I really can't wait to be a part of it in Stockholm.

Illuminate World Tour, I'm ready for you.
#ShawnIlluminateSE

My Night Skin Care Routine

This is what I use on a regular day when I've been wearing makeup. I usually have a toner too, but I've run out of it at the moment, it's not the most important to my routine though. Coconut oil, cleanser & a moisturiser. Nothing too fancy but it works for me, & that's what matters. When it comes to beauty I only want to buy cruelty free products.

1. Coconut oil, Renée Voltaire - to remove all of my eye makeup. If I take too much I massage it into my face, to get my makeup base of as well. I realised that coconut oil is, other than cheaper than eye makeup, a lot more sensitive for the eyes. I could rant about forever with the benefits of coconut oil, I'll save that for another post. But when it comes to removing make up it really moisturises the eye area & removes the eye makeup gently, even leaving the eyelashes hydrated. If I haven't been using any makeup during the day I'll just skip this step.

2. Cleanser, Dark Angels by LUSH - this cleanser deserves a review on its own so I'm not gonna talk too much about it now. I have pretty mixed feelings about it, but I definitely enjoy it as a cleanser. More about that later.

3. Moisturiser, Mattifying Cream by Naobay - I've always been struggling with finding a go to moisturiser. This one is my favourite at the moment. It's oil free & keeps my skin matte for a lot longer than my past moisturiser have done. When I use makeup I use this one as a primer as well, I've never been a fan of primers really. Might be because I haven't found the one for me yet, but anyways.

Then before bed I always moisturise my lips. My go to lip balm brand is Hurraw, I'm saving a post so I can rant a lot about them. But for now, trust me when I say they're amazing.

I feel like this post only was an introduction to what more posts I'll have up soon, but it's also a great way for myself to be able to look back at this & see how much my skin care routine keeps changing.

Long Bubble Baths

I decided to take a long bubble bath after breakfast, just relaxing & listening to some music. One of the most calming things there are out there, I almost fell asleep. I love the feeling after a bath, I feel so refreshed right now. I used my body scrub from The Body Shop, they have my favourite body scrubs out of all of the ones I've tried so far. Love them all.

The scrub itself is pretty gentle but I massage it into my body for a few minutes for a better effect. It makes the skin so smooth. Also, it doesn't hurt at all which is very important to me, I don't like scrubs that are too rough because it just makes my skin irritated.

I really recommend The Body Shop's scrubs. They last for so long, since you don't need too much for each application, which also makes them very price worthy. The one I used today was peach, it's a sweet scent but I still feel a touch of a fresh tone to it. Peach has to be one of my favourite scents that The Body Shop has to offer.

I'm going to an Illuminate Event

A few days ago a Shawn competition popped up on my Facebook. It was the official Swedish fanevent to introduce Illuminate, Shawn's second album. The whole album is gonna be heard, there's gonna be a photobooth, cupcakes, goodie bags & competitions. I'm so excited, this is the first Shawn related competition I've actually won. Shawn is NOT gonna be there at the event though, I'd love to have him there but I understand he's too busy now because of the album release on Friday.

After reading about the competition I signed up, not thinking that the possibility to win actually existed. I usually don't have the best luck in these kinds of situations.

I got so shocked when I checked my mail a few hours ago & realised that I actually won. I just got of the phone with the friend I'm bringing with me, Kajsa.

Thursday will be amazing & I couldn't be more excited.

I'm SO ready for Illuminate.

Walk in Autumn

I began this day with taking a walk after breakfast, back to one of my favourite places. I feel more & more autumn vibes for each day & I'm living for it. There was even a bit colder weather when I first got out, but it then got sunnier & now it's a really sunny day. Oh. At least I got my autumn vibes while I was outside. It's definitely on its way. So excited for the colder weather.

Guilty of a Sweet Tooth

This is a picture of one of my favourite cakes, blueberry meringue. It's so sweet & fluffy & makes my sweet tooth go crazy, in a good way. It's also really aesthetically pleasing, I really enjoyed photographing it. This picture is taken last year, but I recently reedited a few shots from it & I'm very pleased with the results. They're gonna be put on my portfolio.

I spontaneously fell in love with food photography last year I think, I remember I began to like it in 2014 but I didn't take it as serious back then. I brought my camera to when I was going to my aunt, she loves baking so I decided to take some shots. I enjoyed it a lot & today it's definitely one of my favourite genres of photography.

I haven't been doing it as much as I'd like to, I really need to experience it more. I don't know much about food photography at all really, I'm just trying to handle the genre in my own way & make it look decent. 

I Keep Falling for Music

Goodmorning! I've messed up my sleeping schedule pretty badly. I'm currently sitting in the living room eating breakfast & drinking tea. I've rediscovered my love for Earl Grey tea, simple but so good. I usually watch YouTube while eating breakfast but today I'm listening to music, Frank Hamilton. I discovered his music last night & it took me so long to feel the need to sleep just because I wanted to listen to his whole discography. I then decided to sleep & give it a try today instead, so that's what I've been doing so far haha. Gives me such a great feeling when I discover new music.

I'm so sure he'll quickly become a new favourite of mine, it really doesn't feel like I discovered his music last night already since I can connect to him so much already wow. His style artwork wise & merch wise is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Pastels makes my heart happy. As do new music.

He's also releasing a new album very soon, Songs To Make Life Slightly Less Awkward, on September 30th. I'm very excited.

Harry the Pug

I was dog sitting this little cutie for two weeks this summer & I miss him a little extra tonight when I'm editing. This is Harry & he recently turned 2 years old. 

His owners are friends to my brother & mom because of my brother's football team. They were going to Spain for two weeks so my mom offered to let Harry stay with us. It was my first time spending this much time with a dog but it was wonderful. He was super cuddly & slept in my bed every single night. The first week my best friend stayed here with us which was so cozy, Harry slept right between us. Really didn't want to give him back when his owners returned, I wanted to keep him.

Pugs are so extremely precious & loving, too adorable for this world.

Temptation Carnation

Today I decided to paint my nails for the first time in a few months. They've been pretty weak this summer & kept breaking which didn't really give me a point to paint them. But now I've finally getting them to grow again. I think China Glaze must be my favourite brand for nail polish, I currently own two but I'm definitely thinking of getting more. I like the long, pretty thin brush. It makes it simple to cover even the smallest nail.

I wanted to go for a simple look & went for 156 Temptation Carnation, which is one of my all time favourites. You can really build up the coverage for this one, but I usually go for two thin layers. It doesn't give too much of a colour, it looks natural but still gives the nails a beautiful shine. It leaves the nails looking fresh & shiny. I always have something around my wrists if I'm going out so to have my nails painted just gives me a better look over all.

China Glaze is a cruelty free brand & really price worthy, since you're getting 14ml which in my opinion is a lot for a nail polish. I don't owe any nail polish that offers the same amount for this price. Even though I don't use a top coat I really feel that the colour & the shine stays on my nails & keeps looking beautiful.  

The coverage could have been better, it usually isn't the best on lighter nail polishes. Which I don't mind, at least for this specific colour. For this one I really enjoy that it gives the nails more shine than it gives colour. If the coverage was better I'd definitely give this one a 5 in a heartbeat.

4/5

Museum of Modern Art

I'm a Tourist in My own City

After getting just a few hours of sleep I met up with one of my closest friends & her exchange student from Spain. It's been a really lovely day, with a mix of three languages. Swedish, Spanish & English. She wanted to see a museum so we visited one & then we showed her around in the city. I always feel like a tourist when I'm showing someone around, because I always discover something new I haven't seen before. It's nice though, after all my years of living here this city still surprises me.

Adorable Packages with Feline

I've wanted to write a post about Feline since I started blogging again & now I just got done with editing this picture so I saw my opportunity. Feline Co. is as for now a small clothing brand, that I really hope gets the recognition it deserves very soon. Now please. I want every single piece, it's literally me in a clothing brand.

"Each Feline Co. item is made to order for each specific person and designed entirely by Vivian Kim, from fabric selection to final fit approvals. The styles are manufactured and printed individually at a family-owned factory in Downtown Fashion District in Los Angeles."

Feline Co. has a few items inspired by cats, including the logo. They donate every month to a wild cat species, which is so amazing when buying from them that they donate a bit of the earnings to a great cause. They make street wear with quotes & funny details. They're keeping it simple but cute. Also very, very comfy.

How did I see my opportunity to write about Feline Co. because of this picture? Every package you get from them is so genuine & truly well thought out. It's not just a regular package, Vivian Kim makes a personal twist to the packaging. It always makes every package feel so special. It feels like Christmas every single time I've been able to order, which I'm pretty sure must be three times now. Feels like we've become friends over this which means so much to me. When I ordered from Feline Co. in February, close to Valentine's day, I got a few boxes of sweethearts which was so cute! That's how I saw my opportunity to write about them.

 Really need to plan my own photoshoot with my stuff from Feline Co. as soon as possible, I've thought about it for a while. Hope I'm able to order from them again soon, it's been a while now. Feline Co. is the best, so much love for the brand & the people behind it. 

http://felineclothing.com

curiosity did not kill this cat. 

Breakfast in Bed

I'm having a very relaxed day so far, which is nice. I woke up really tired because I woke up a few times during the night, so annoying. Currently having breakfast in bed & drinking tea made from our capsule machine. Macaron flavoured green tea, one of my favourites. It's SO good. But it's making me miss my best friend since she also loved it when she was here. Distance sucks. We're handling it well though, I think we've both learnt a lot from this, at least I know I have. Hope to see her again soon.

Gonna get done with my breakfast & then edit a bit more. Thinking about planning & working on my portfolio today, it would be nice to change a few picture, since I already know a few of the new pictures I want on it.

Autumn is Coming

Fresh Cup of Tea

I've just finished a quick breakfast & are about to get ready before I go out & photograph. I had planned to edit the whole day so I thought I'd give myself some new ones to edit as well to keep me motivated. Gonna see if I'm able to see some signs of autumn already, I'm so ready for this season.

One Fox Two Pictures

Bring on Illuminate

Thought I'd end this day with yet another concert post because it felt like a theme.

Today I got tickets for my friend & I to Shawn Mendes Illuminate World Tour.

It's gonna be my fourth time seeing him & third time I'm seeing him with her.

May 17th is the day he'll be in Stockholm & perform in front of 16000 people. When I saw him last year he played in a venue that took 800. 

It's been quite surreal to follow his amazing journey.

Shawn Mendes bracelet & the Life Of The Party inspired flannel. One of the few pictures I have from the concerts. I realised I enjoy a concert way more if I'm not using my phone & then I just stuck with it, so the recent concerts I've been to I only have pictures from when I'm queueing. I really recommend it.

Happy Camper in Stockholm

I already know that this post will be a mess, since I still don't realise what happened. Still trying to progress how Sunday even was real life. What I know is that it was one of the best days of my entire life that I'll cherish for ever.

Last Sunday I went to my first Hoodie Allen concert, his first Sweden show ever. My best friend Josefine & I got there around 2PM & were the first ones in line, which was unbelievable to me. It's always been on my bucket list, to be the first one at a concert, so to know that we got there first at 2PM is literally insane to me.

We sat there for a while, we brought a blanket to sit on so we just sat there & talked. Then we saw someone from his team get out, with a Hoodie Allen laminate around his neck, while talking in the phone. Already then we had a feeling that he would come back with Hoodie Allen, which of course happened. My heart began to beat faster than ever. Two other girls had joined us by now. He said hi & asked us if we were the first ones in line & then said that he would be back in a while.

He came out & began to talk with us, then he sat down right beside me & asked if we wanted to join him on Snapchat & Instagram. We did a short video on his Snapchat & a picture on his Instagram story. He was really really nice & so extremely down to earth. I have so much respect for him. We taught him a bit Swedish as well, it was so much fun. Then he asked us if we wanted pictures. I was shaking really badly so he asked if I wanted him to take my phone to take the picture for us. Such a sweetheart. I also got a picture with my best friend, him & I.

Then he had to leave for soundcheck, which was really surreal since it still were just the four of us we could hear it clearly, he never fails to impress me. Such a talented human.

We passed time by playing cards & just talking. Then we got to go inside & after that the night went on so fast. Both of the opening acts, William Bolton & Bryce Vine absolutely killed the stage. The both of them released such a good vibe which made them perfect as opening acts, they made everyone get hype for the main act, Hoodie Allen.

He was absolutely amazing & seemed so happy while he jumped around like crazy on stage. Even though I met him a few hours earlier it felt so surreal to actually experience one of his concerts. He talked about that we learnt him Swedish, even though he could barely remember it. I don't blame him though, Swedish can be very hard to pronounce.

At one point there were lots of balloons everywhere. He threw one in the air & I caught it midways & threw it back at him. He recognised my face & pointed at me with a big smile. It was a big moment for me. He means a whole lot to me & I'm forever grateful for this entire experience. I really hope to see him again very soon. 160911

Image source

Photographer: Doug Elliott

Blue Neighbourhood reached Stockholm

Troye Sivan's Blue Neighbourhood tour finally reached Stockholm, which meant I finally was gonna try to see Troye for the first time. I've been wanting to see Troye for a long time, but I still didn't want to get my hopes up.

Troye was gonna play at Gröna Lund, which is a Swedish amusement park. It wasn't possible to order any tickets before the concert, it was gonna be a first time first serve basis. Which meant that even though I had planned to go, I couldn't reassure that I'd get in, depending on how many other people would be there. I tried to get tickets last year for his November show, but it got sold out in second. A close friend & I gave a try to meet him at his album signing for Blue Neighbourhood earlier this year. We got our hopes up & around 15 minutes before it was gonna be our turn to see Troye, he had to end the signing to catch his flight. A lot more people than expected showed up.

So last Friday, the 9th, I was terrified to get my hopes up. My best friend kept telling me that the third time's the charm, which calmed me down a bit.

We got inside, I felt so anxious before because of the fact that I wouldn't know if I would get in or not. But after we got inside I only felt butterflies because of how nervous I was. It doesn't matter how many concerts I go to, I'll always get this nervous feeling. It's a good nervous though, if that makes any sense. It keeps me pumped for what I'm about to see.

Astrid S was the opening act, she's so talented. I saw her last year in April when she opened for Shawn, & hadn't seen her since so it made me really happy to see her again. She sang Paper Thin, which is my all time favourite with her. She didn't play for long at all, she had a pretty quick set. But she still had the time to blew Gröna Lund away with her talent.

To see Troye on stage made me so emotional. He looked so incredibly happy the whole time & kept thinking he annoyed us with explaining his love for Sweden. He surely didn't, it was wonderful to hear. It sounded so genuine when it came from him because he had a real story behind it & not just the regular an artist say just because they're having a show there.

My favourite songs with Troye are Lost Boy, for him & Talk Me Down. He played all of those, which made me so happy. The second song was for him but by that second song the only thing I could think of was the fact that I could actually see him in real life. He sang the third alternative verse in for him, which is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. I was really hoping for him to sing that live. That verse only exist in live versions of the song, which means not everyone had heard it. People around me looked so confused meanwhile I just sang even louder. It was magical.

Third time's a charm, I finally saw Troye. 160909

Image source

Photographer: Elin Bryngelson, Rockfoto