Haul: Nordstrom, Sephora and NARS
When I was bored I used to shop to console myself. Then I started shopping when I was feeling down to make myself feel better. Now I'm not sure why I shop anymore, but I really enjoy waiting for Mr. Postman or Mr. DHL, for unraveling what's hiding inside bubble wrap and cardboard, and to behold the beauties unveiled. Yep, I'm a classic shopaholic. Although it might sound quite materialistic.. my stuff really makes me happy, and I need this kind of happiness in my life as long as my body keeps pulling all kinds of nasty tricks on me.
Now it's time to share another haul, a collective one, which Mr. DHL brought me in mid-October. If you don't care much for haul posts or the likes of it, you might as well stop your reading here. As I've done earlier I've decided to break this haul into two parts, where this post is the first one out. Please note that this is indeed a collective haul, which means that everything has been purchased over a certain period of time - in this case, about four months.
LOTD: Sugar Plums in the Snow
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Inglot P445
Inglot P446
Maybelline EyeStudio® Master Drama™ in "Ultra Black"
Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion in "Black"
Impeccable Brow Pencil in "Taupe"
On December 30th I figured I had to dig out my makeup and do something daring as I had plans to meet up with Renate. I pulled out my Inglot palette, and came up with this look. For the first time ever I decided to try a look with a black base, so I drew a line with the super black Maybelline Master Drama™ pencil, which I think is an awesome pencil liner, and smoked it out with a pencil brush. I then did my makeup as usual, Inglot 445 on two thirds of the lid, Inglot 446 in the outer corner and crease, blended it all, curled my lashes and put on my mascara.
I had a lot of fun playing with my makeup again today, I think I've worn a look like this once or twice this year, and I felt both inspired and happy playing with my "toys" again. I've fallen in love with my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, even though I'm not quite comfortable with the Base Shadow Brush yet. I find it a bit to flimsy to pack on eyeshadow with, but it might just be me and my personal preferences. I think I'll pick up some more of the Real Techniques brushes later on, as I would like to try the Blush Brush and possibly also the Shading Brush to see if it's any different than the one I already have.
Please excuse the bad quality and lighting, wintertime in Norway isn't the best time to take pictures, and it was shot with an iPhone 4.
Photo © Shamini Thevarajah '11
What did 2011 bring?
Once again it's time for another one of these posts, summing up my 2011. It's been a hard year, for me and those around me, with a lot of pain, frustrations, anger and bitterness. I've experienced a lot, learned a lot, cried a lot, shopped a lot - and last, but not least.. I've loved a lot. 2011 has been a year of chaos, of fright, but despite everything.. I fought my way through everything and survived. There's still some unfinished business to take care of come January, but I've regained the much needed faith in myself. It wasn't an easy task to sum up 2011 in a few short sentences, but here's my list:
- Øyvind successfully started our own Christmas tradition with the perfect pork rib
- I was told to consider a tracheotomy, scaring the living shit out of me
- We attended our first puppy show with little Cuda, he was awarded BOS!
- I became the very proud owner of a Tiffany & Co. Heart Key, a gift from my beloved
- Fieran and her man came to Trondheim, and it was awesome finally meeting them
- Thanks to Fieran I added 15 Inglot eyeshadows to my makeup collection!
- I had a CAT scan
- Øyvind and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary
- I decided to cut my long hair, and went totally rock chick
- Onboard M/S Color Magic again, having a fantastic time with four of our friends!
- I felt invincible yet again and pierced my right ear for the fourth time: tragus
- I received an autographed copy of "The Tattoo Chronicles" by Kat Von D
- The CAT scan showed scarring on my cerebellum, traces of an infarction or blood clot
- Our family grew +1 with my new Apple MacBook Air 11"
- My heart kept on racing like crazy, which landed me a prescription of β-blockers
- We started planning our 2nd trip to Paris, France!
- I became the very proud owner of an authentic Christian Dior Gaucho Saddle Bag
- We went on an impulse road trip up north, and my niece Catharina came into our lives
- I had an MRI
- I won another Facebook contest, scoring me a lot of Sleek MakeUP goodies
- .. I got the MRI results back, and had an anxiety attack
- I had the honor of being picked as a guest blogger from Stila Cosmetics
- I decided to add a category where I could blog in Norwegian, it's got one post
- Øyvind proposed in Paris with a gorgeous diamond ring, and I said YES!
- I got to meet Amira for the first time, and had a blast with her
- We went to Louvre, saw "Mona Lisa" and purchased an Apple iPad 2 each
- .. Exploring Paris during a heavy rain fall, all dressed in white, is a seriously bad idea
- I spent a lot of money on makeup at Sephora Champs-Elysées!
- We bought ourselves a LMC Musica 560R!
- .. and I turned 32
- Cuda turned 1 year
- I learned that trusting myself helped me a lot more than listening to certain doctors
- Cuda was neutered after his sister had to be put down because of sudden illness
- Theo turned 2 years
- I wanted a new compact camera, and chose the Canon IXUS 220HS
- Onboard M/S Color Magic with our families this time, and our parents finally had the chance to meet and learn to know each other
- I contracted a nasty cold, but fought it and won
- I purchased tickets for IMATS London 2012!
- A cardiologist gave my heart two thumbs up, nothing to worry about!
- I decided to stop going to St. Olavs, and felt 10 tons lighter after making that decision
- KICKS opened up a store in Trondheim!
- After a year of frustration, fright and anxiety I finally got a thorough explanation of my health condition and had some kind of closure
- We decided to redecorate our apartment, starting with our bedroom
- We celebrated had our very first Christmas at home as a family
- We're attending The Gathering 2012!
- I got to meet Renate, another fellow makeup blogger and a wonderful friend
Once again I raise my glass to you all. I've made many new friends, I've met several of my online friends for the first time, and I have to quote myself from last year: "I've cried a lot of tears - tears of sorrow, tears of happiness, tears of frustration and thankfulness. Thank you for being there for me, for helping me keep my head above water whenever I'm in a rough spot, it means the world to me. And a special thanks to all who's reading my diary, following me through shopping, whining, fluffy cuteness and frustration, and leaving me comments here and there. You make me smile, and I'm grateful for that every day.", because I mean it just as much today. You've all helped me get through another year, and know that I appreciate every single one of you. I raise my glass to all of you, and wish you the very best in 2012. May all your dreams and wishes come true!
Photo: New Year's Eve
Dazzlesphere! Dazzlesphere!
I happened to go to M·A·C a week before Christmas, and look what just happened to follow me home: two of the three Dazzlesphere! Ornaments from the holiday collection, namely Smoky Blue and Smoky Plum. And here I was, swearing that I wasn't going to pick up any of them as I didn't like the swatches I'd seen on other blogs. Everywhere I see people calling them cute, speaking fondly of the "fantastic" packaging, but frankly.. I'm afraid I fail at recognizing the awesomeness in a semi-large plastic sphere? Am I missing something? Can it actually be used for something? My guess is it'll sit on a vanity or desk, collecting dust.
These sets are the same Crushed Metallic Pigments as the ones released with M·A·C Spring Colour Forecast and Surf Baby!, which is a set of four corresponding pigments in one stack. As I was standing there, speaking with one of the makeup artists, I swatched a few of the colors in the purple stack on my hand. Just for the fun of it. And I liked them quite a lot. I have to be honest about Light Violet in the purple stack being quite useless, and I kinda have the urge to throw it out because of its lousy quality. It's impossible to swatch, impossible to work with, impossible to stick to the skin, just.. impossible. I do on the other hand like the rest of the colors, and I'm wondering if I should have picked up the third sphere Smoky Berry as well, just because of the dark strawberry color called "Spicy Smoke". It's such a beautiful color! As I recently saw someone else saying: one should have been able to mix and match these stacks oneself. Unfortunately they are quite pricey in Norway, so I won't be getting the third ornament unless I'm able to get it from the US at retail price before it's gone. If you poke around the internet you'll find a lot of different opinions on which of these kits are the best of the bunch, but I'll have to say that my personal favorite must be Smoky Blue. For some odd reason it actually reminds me of a wintery fairytale, giving me a fuzzy feeling.
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| Dazzlesphere! Smoky Blue Ornament | Dazzlesphere! Smoky Plum Ornament |
Sadly I'm not half as intrigued by the collections M·A·C keep pushing out as I used to be, so most things just pass me by unnoticed. I've stopped keeping track of release dates. I already own a lot of stuff from M·A·C (from older collections), but I don't have the urge to own every single piece released anymore. I guess the magic has gone, and I honestly feel a little sad about it. I don't understand what the people behind M·A·C are thinking, but the constant price increase, the insanely expensive "special" collections, the downsizing of actual product, the diminishing quality - what is going on when not even repromotes have the same color payoff and quality as the original product anymore? - is not making me wanna buy more, it's making me stray away from the brand that used to be my very favorite, feeling nothing but cheated and ripped off. It's been a nice few years, M·A·C. I hope we can rekindle our passionate relationship some other time.
Photos: M·A·C Cosmetics
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
Even though I don't really celebrate Christmas myself I know most of my friends do, which is why I wanna take the opportunity to wish all of you a very merry Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah or whatever it is you choose to celebrate this time of year. Thank you all so much for every single comment, and all your support during 2011. It means a lot to me and I appreciate every one of you, I really wish I could just reach out and hug you. I hope you'll continue to follow me into 2012, and once again: thank you a million times!
Nataliana // weheartit.com
Recent Posts
- Haul: IMATS London 2012
- I’m in England!
- Make Up Store Trondheim
- Canon EOS 450D: sick, broken or insane?
- Interior blogging now?
- Haul: Nordstrom, Sephora and NARS
- LOTD: Sugar Plums in the Snow
- What did 2011 bring?
- Dazzlesphere! Dazzlesphere!
- Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
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Uncurable shopaholic and makeup addict with an unhealthy love for everything colorful. Medium dark brunette with dark brown eyes. Also known as KinoGodt or Psychedelic Wheels.
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