Mid Weekly Quirkologies...

What were the specialties of last seven days?

1. I went to the Capital city on a sunny day.
T'was quite lovely. This is a picture of one of the most famous canals on the Prinsengracht. They have excellent shopping opportunities in that area with quirky and some unique shops. I would never suggest diving in that water, but some loonies or really drunk people have done that during one of the national Fêtes. But walking past it or with one of those water-vehicles it is quite lovely...

Amsterdam is world famous and, dare I say, notorious. But for me it is just standard because I look past all the things that make it so notorious and go shopping or to a museum ;P . I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder, although some areas in Amsterdam would need a really stubborn eye to miss out on the notorious stuff: But hey, every large capital in the world has something like that...

2. Bookshops and weird titles of books
Also seen this title in one of the Bookshops in Amsterdam. Whose Hair? I wonder what it is about, but it is probably filled with visual stuff. I skip these books these days, because you can find blogs shock-full with visuals and quirky images of people or hair. Still, I would not refuse this book as a gift.

3. Again...that bunny ring...haven't we seen that enough?
Gosh, it was Eastern so let me remind you of the fact that it was Eastern again.

4. Liking Prexceed Honey Hair stuff.
Got the tip from Worshipblues...and it is quite ok.

Gmarket continued:

Last saturday I posted a teaser post of my gmarket haul.

I actually do not like to put up teaser posts, but I have seen myself being interested when they were posted on other blogs, so that is why I thought I would post one myself. But, I am such an un-teaser-like person ;D

I was happy to see the postman with the gmarket haul this week. The only thing is that the darn Customs in my country seem to think I have to pay taxes. This is quite weird, because I always import for just $110, which is about 80 euros. I thought that was within the limits of free importation?

Still, it is worth for Gmarket. For other hauls such as skinstore.com I would skip ordering from them, because you can get similar products from the UK or other places in Europe for a similar (bit more expensive) price these days, which makes it still cheaper after tax and you will receive it earlier as well.
But g-market is still worth it, although I would prefer it not to be opened by Customs and taxed, because, COME ON, 80 euros for own personal pleasure! Why the taxes?

What did I get???

You already saw a glimpse of a snail in my saturday post. Here is the dinky littl' fellow:

That snail was attached to a leaf:

Which is actually a pen I received as a freebie from It's Skin:

I bought their most famous Vitamine C serum. I thought my skin could use a Vitamine C regime again.

I used to be quite serious about Vitamine C serums a couple of years ago, but when my skin got more sensitive my priorities swifted from anti-ageing/brightening to making my skin more tolerable.

So, I hope my skin is up to this serum and I hope it brightens and has a bit of a youthening effect...

Bought this one here, or, from 잇츠스킨 로, itemnr. 201166335 for ￦9,800 ($ 9.35). It is the VC one which is the 7th one in the row.

In my Happy Eastern post you also saw a kind of bunny ring:

So, how did I get interested in the bunny ring?

Gmarket has a monthy list of bloggers who are set in the spotlight. Which is a good thing for them as well, because they will receive a free coupon for shopping.

I have been lucky twice with a juicy coupon for ￦ 50.000 (approx. $40). I don't think they will reward me anymore because I already had it twice. (but you never know...*winks*)

I digress...So these post benefit Gmarket a lot, because there were lots of girls that proudly posted pictures of their new Bunny ring. They provided a link (there are more bunny-ring sellers and several type of bunnies, just browse the gmarket monthy winners and you will find tons of info and links to bunny rings)

Yep, I ordered a bunny ring as well in the largest size: 17! You know, it is too big for my ring finger! I never expected that because I already am not dainty for European standards, so I must be the big ol' giant for Korean standards.

The ring is perfect for my right hand, though, and it is funky without being too immature. It actually is hard to see that it is a bunny ring until you show your hands from a different angle. From the top you will see just a white, pointy thing.

I bought mine here from핑크퍼니걸 itemno 185617755  and ring 15 Rabbit Tie Ring mono.

I got this as a freebie:

Like the hair-thingies but the lollypop was blah...(threw it away)

But they have plenty of rabbits that are more sparkly or larger so yeh...you might check them out.



 I also bought my first Holika Holika item:

I have been inspired by MissElan-nio a lot, who has been blogging about Holika Holika frequently.

And after I made my first order I saw Lotuspalace , Musings of a Muse and Worshipofblues posting something about them as well.

I did not know I jumped on the bandwagon until I saw their posts!

I only bought one thing...the Aqua Petit Jelly BB cream:

I like that they gave freebies only with purchasing a single purchase. I got three of their Honey Sleeping pack samples:

I bought it here....

Back to clothes:

I also bought a skirt in Midi size in whimsical tulle fabric:

I wanted the grey one instead of a girly colour, because I believe that the fabric is already feminine enough.

And with the neutral grey colour, I can wear it a bit tough as well: a bit Black swan or biker ballerina!

This skirt is from [올리비아 or Olivia, itemno. 193328854 and subchoice 타입 : Gray빈티지레이스sk-블랙(크림안감). (link)

Last, but not least...some decoration and protection for my Iphone:

I love the whimsical 'girl meets bird' theme:

They gave me this too:

I bought 'girl meets bird' over here,itemno. 194384173, subchoice 이미지젤리[lovely girl].

So, it was a rather spring-like haul that put a spring in my step :D

Happy Eastern

Have a bunnilicious time today:

Gmarket pre- eastern bunny

This week I've got yet another Gmarket package.

I love opening Gmarket boxes...

This time the box was actually not too large compared to the content. Yeh, they still waist a lot of space, but hey, the boxes for shipping have become smaller...

So, will this be a teaser post or not?

Actually it is a teaser post...But just a glimpse of what I got...

Taking the snail-way for this Eastern Holidays

Soon, more about my gmarket haul...

Something new...

I am going to try out some new potions...

Lotree Argan Therapy Facial Oil:

I actually tried this one out for a couple of times, and have been really surprised that the oil is really of a light and feathery quality.

What is also a real plus is that it is a good as scentless. I like scents, but I am familiar with the original scent of Argan oil. Argan oil, as the connoisseurs might know, is rather punguent. I mean, it works like a charm and I love putting it in my hair for a deep conditioning treatment. But I really want to wash it out after a while 'cause of the scent.

(huh, I was not planning giving a review, so I stop my semi-review for now. But I will keep you updated of how it works)

Orofluide Shampoo:

Gosh, this smells sooo delightful like warm and expensive perfume with a vanilla accord. Cannot wait to see how it works when I use this more often.

The Moooooody Cow:

I received this body lotion as a freebie with one of my favourite UK magazines: Marie Claire!

It contains 100 ml. so it's a rather large size for a freebie. The smell is that herbal mix with that delightful Rose Geranium essential oil that I adore.

This is a perfect additive in my body-lotion wardrobe, so I can alternate this one with some of my Haus of Gloi potions.

So yeh, another try-out...I wonder if it is as balancing as it claims to be. I love the scent, though...

And, dear readers, do you have anything new that you are going to try out? 

Or do you prefer to stick with the good and trusted that you still have...

Mid Weekly Quirkologies...

Finally, we're in the midst of Spring:

1. Men in the North European countries are always lyrical about the days when the temperatures are rising, because....girls and women start to wear their skirts and floaty dresses.
Buuuut, the men are becoming more fashionable too, and finally there are some juicy and well-toned arms on the display.

Yes, It's raining men! (and hopefully, they have some...quality...)

(oh, and I like the Lush shower gel too)

 By the way, do you know Rihanna's interpretation of Raining Men? Me likey:



Yeh, plenty of fish in the sea for the ladies as well....

2. Wearing sunnies that are age-inappropriate.
A Primark find that I bought at the adult department, but it looks like I picked it from the children section (I DIDN'T).
Fashion is having a bright, coloured and a bit of childishly fun moment and what way to protect your eyes with such a fun accessory!

3. Actually having a favourite blush!
I'm surprised, but I seem to be reaching for Becca's Princess a lot lately! It is such a fantastic combination product of highlighter and burned rose blush. Supernatural and healthy...

So, what was your week about?

Fluttering Fairies...eh...Fluttering Lashes with Fairy Drops Base Treatment Mascara

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a fairly new base mascara on Adambeauty. I was browsing their mascara section and noticed that Fairy Drops had a whole new range of mascara's.

Well, I was somewhat familiar with the fact that Fairy Drops had launched a couple of new mascaras lately, because I came across some of the reviews in the beauty blog-o-sphere.

With the exeption of one: the Fairy Drops Treatment Base Mascara in shinny Gray.

Yeh, so that was the particular one that I was curious about.

Which is not my only reason. I have a HG base mascara product for a couple of years now. The Kanebo Kate one. I absolutely love this for keeping the curl and thickening/lenghtening the lashes. But you know, I want to know if there are other options, because the Kate one can get quite hard and, let's say...a bit crispy on my lashes.


I have been familiar with Fairy Drops mascara, I believe one of their first versions, and was not too enthousiastic about it. Still, who know this one might work:

So you noticed I bought this one and it came in that cute packaging Fairy Drops is notoriously known for.

I noticed online that the tube is so gorgeously decorated. I love that about Fairy Drops. But I believe the contrast between the white and the perky pink is too adorable! It makes me happy every time I use it!

Typical for Fairy Drops, and part of why they became so big and widely know afteral, is their brush. That is not why I show you the brush beneath, but I would like to show you the colour of the base product.

Indeed, a dark grey instead of the more typical white colour that is often a part of a base product.

For people not familiar with base mascaras: they are not mascaras as the typical ones that give your lashes colour, volume, length etc, but they function as a underlayer for your real mascara.

However, users of base mascaras (such as I am) often find the white colour beneath a bit iffy, because you really have to look carefully to cover all of the white with your real, black mascara. If you don't, you get uneven lashes and perhaps even the remark "oh, do you have white mascara on? how unique?"

The dark grey substance is so much better! If you forget some parts because you are in a hurry, it does not matter so much, because the colour is already close to the other dark colour you will be using for mascara (either black, blue, purple, etc).

Close up of the substance:

This is quite a close up! You can also see some sparkles in the substance. Also, it contains fibers. I prefer fibers in my mascara for that extra bit of length.

Do I like it:

• I actually do! It differs from the Kanebo Kate as my lashes seem to stay soft and bendeable, thus more natural. However, I do not loose my curl I so carefully applied to my lashes! This mascara does not feel so 'present' on my lashes because it is not so stiff. And that is something I like.

• It gives the extra volume, just like it promises. I should compare this one with Kate, that is one eye with Fairy Drops and one eye with Kate Base to see if one lenghtens/thickens a bit more than the other.

• I already mentioned the fact I prefer a darker grey base over the white one

• I cannot say too much about the long term effect on the lashes. It claims to treat them as well with some essence. I can feel it being soft on my lashes, but if it actually improves or nourishes my lashes, I have to see that with long-term useage.

For the people curious about the ingredients, I have them here in English:

Overal, I ventured on something new and found quite an interesting new base mascara in my book.

I purchased it over here on my regular online hangout spot Adambeauty...

Mini Review of My Beauty Diary Hello Kitty Honey Strawberry Mask

This week I finally got my highly anticipated collector's item in the world of sheet masks: The My Beauty Diary Hello Kitty Honey Strawberry Mask.

 I do not have to say why I bought this set of masks in the first place: Kawaii factor!

I might be a grown up person but Hello Kitty makes my heart melt a little.

I also noticed that I enjoy a couple of the sheet masks from My Beauty Dairy. And the idea of using a mask with honey extract that is often really good for sensitive skin, and strawberry that has brightening properties was something that appealed to me.

The packaging of the masks is so cute, with the beehive-esque exterior and the strawberries, bees and Hello Kitty decorated on them.

How does the mask preform:

First I like to say that I have used this mask today for the first time, so I cannot say too much about the long term effect.
But I really enjoyed this mask a lot for a couple of reasons:

• The masks really hydrates the skin a lot: 

This morning I woke up with semi-dehydrated skin. A couple of nights ago I finished my Antipodes Joyious oil (blogged over here) and I did not have any skincare oil for nighttime use ready for hands. So my skin was a bit dryer than usual. Not extremely dry, but not plump either. Well, that is often a sign that it would be good to add some moisture in a more concentrated way, such as a serum or a mask.
The effect after 10 minutes was a plumper skin that looked more hydrated than before...so yey, results!

• It has soothing properties.

I have a tendency to have blotchy skin. Right now I am not completely flawless, but after the mask I noticed that the honey essence (or another ingredient in the mask) had a beneficial effect on getting my skin less blotchy. I needed less makeup, so that is a big plus in my book.

•  It had a brightening effect on my skin

  As I wrote before, the whole effect on my skin was that it became a bit brighter.

I also noticed that a lot of essence was packed inside an onto the mask. I found it a bit wetter than the usual My Beauty Diary Mask. But I prefer it when something is a bit too much than too little, and it plumped some moisture in my skin, so it was not hindering at all

So overal, I am so glad I got this collector item. And besides its incredibly cute exterior, it actually is a fantastic mask for skin that is a bit dehydrated and sensitive. I cannot say too much if it is really diminishes ageing lines, but brightening is always good for looking that bit younger.

I bought this mask on ebay over here. When they sell out, watch and check them every now and then, because they restock..

Mid Weekly Quirkologies...

How were the last couple of days?

...

1. Having a sheet-mask moment with my trusted Beautyfriends masks (not the one in the pic).
BTW, I've found out a new brand of sheet mask, that I have been testing a while ago (the one in the pic). It is from My Scheming and has Grape Seed Extract in it. Good thing is that my skin liked it. And the packaging is so cute and perky in purple! I will post a more detailed review ont his one soon.

2. Bought the Limited Edition Nike's from Liberty.
Freshly imported from the UK, got them delivered, tried them on and decided they were not really me. Awww...But they are in good hands now of another Dutch girl who sort of bought them from me, without profit, and she will rock them better.

3. Enjoying the Ploughman scrub from Haus of Gloi.
This smells like a mowed meadow with daisies included, only rubbed on a musky shirt of a good-scented and attractive ploughman. Nice.

BTW, I was looking on google images under the words 'hot farmer' to add a cute picture of a attractive ploughman, but it was actually hilarious to see what kind of farmers are described as hot...think Borat in a cornfield...Hahahaha...No weird images or the so-called adult version in the first pages, just the hilarious ones...

4. Liking my accessories...
I always do, but I really enjoyed wearing some pieces of necklaces this week, especially the ones I semi-forgotten, and are still quite cute and/or quirky. This is a sort of Venetian mask, btw.

So, were there any special things for you the last couple of days, and, have you been laughing out loud when doing a google search in images?

Reaching the finishing line: Antipodes Joyous night serum

In the category of reaching-the-finishing line I have a newcomer today...

So hurray for finishing up my Antipodes Joyious night serum treatment with proteins...

I placed my bottle in a nature-esque surrounding just because Antipodes promotes itself as an Organic skincare range. When you reach their website, you notice the word natural and organic is thrown at you plenty of times

That means I don't go out in the garden before bedtime in order to get my bottle from the trees...

(I kind of would do that if it would promote more radiant skin...ha ha, the things we do for vanity's sake, right?)

But without the ritual of putting my nightime skincare products in trees, does it actually make you more radiant, a bit younger, or, as their website promised:

An intensive oil-based silky serum that helps repair dry and damaged skin. Himalayan goji delivers up to 19 amino acids to replenish protein at a cellular level. Red raspberry seed oil blends with New Zealand blackcurrant, a rich source of essential fats like gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Hibiscus flower and kiwi oil freshens your complexion, while berry fragrance imparts pure joy.

The ingredient list is really impressive and chocfull of natural anti-agers:

List of Ingredients

Ribes nigrum (blackcurrant fruit oil), Lycium barbarum (goji fruit extract), rubus Idaeus (raspberry seed oil), hibiscus sabdarifa ( hibiscus flower), fragrances of Blackberries: alpha isomethyl ionone, benzyl alcohol, citral, citronellol, coumarin, eugenol, farnesol, geraniol, isougenol, limonene, linalool.

Did it work?

I liked it enough to finish it within 4 months: that says a lot of how I liked it. I have lots of bottles and serums that I do not use up...sometimes because it does not work right, and sometimes because I want to venture on something better.

I reached for it frequently. I only stopped this for a while when I got major sensitivity issues after a certain kind of mask (story here). I returned to it when my sensitivity issues were back to almost normal (still sensitive, but not extremely overreactive anymore).

So, when my skin is normal for my standard, I really enjoy what it does. I wake up with plumper skin and it keeps my ageing under control. I might even say I softened a facial line or two...haha, but that might be because of the facial massage I do as well.

The facial massage is optional, ofcourse, but if you like to give your face a massage then look for good instruction so you can help your complexion.

What I would like to highlight about this product that it is an oil and not the type of serum you normally call serum. So, it absorbs in the skin, but not as fast as a cream. I often used a hyaluronic acid such as Juju Aquamoist pure Hyaluronic acid 100% essence on top of the oil, so I could 'push' the essence into the skin, and dilute the oil-like texture a bit. 

I bought it after reading the review on Akisalove.com. She raves about it as well, and she turned out right about its efficiency.

I purchased my bottle on lovelula.com, but there are numerous etailer online that sell this. I chose lovelula because the always add the cutest Angel Cards ♥.
Feelunique sells it since a week ago as well, and they do not charge any shipping so that might be the cheapest option.

Blythe people

Are you a Barbie or a Blythe?

I actually never had this question asked to me directly, but I've seen or heard it somewhere.

Simple answer: I feel more drawn to Blythe...the non-standard form of beauty or uniqueness

Blythe Postcards from quirky filmposter shop in Amsterdam

I did like my Barbies, ofcourse. They were the dolls that were easily avaiable as a young girl. However, I once got my hands on a Brunette Barbie, who was not as overtly smiley as Barbie, and I loved her the most....

She looked somewhat similar as this one...

Mysterious brunette Barbie with Mona Lisa smile

And I respect the persons who like, admire and emulate Barbie...

But for me, Blythe is the collector's item, the girl with the melancholic eyes, the rare beauty...

Blythe postcards: similar shop as before (I want a catdress as the Blythe on the right)

Similar as this fellow:

City dweller in stylish gear: his pout is goooorgeous

I got this postcard for free.

The owner said that he was left over because he was the least attractive one.

Well, I hadn't seen the others, but I think he is incredibly unique and stunning...

In general, yeh, I disagree with just one standard idea of beauty, and find beauty in various Blythe-esque people too!

More diverse barbies (ok, still too skinny and not-so-realistic, but at least the ethnicities are more diverse) in this gallery in Flickr.

Mid Weekly Quirkologies...

Last 7 days were a mix of necessary tasks, and delightful relaxation:

1. I finally booked another session of floating in order to leave behind that bit of stress.

I received a fantastic discount by Groupon, that made the float-session really affordable, so I literary took the plunge (well, not so much plungeing because you keep on floating on the water) and had that 60 minutes of Dead Sea experience in a similarly claustrophobic capsule as the one in the picture. Ps: that is not me on the picture...it is just a promo picture :D

2. I experienced the first, semi-summery day, and that reminded me of last summer.

I made that picture last summer in a skate-park in Rotterdam. Oh, I cross-processed it as well for a quirky effect, but the original is so stunning indeed, with the bright blue sky and the contrast with the ramp.
I have no children, but I always imagined my children to be like that boy resting: a full head of dark curls and a combination of being into fun and adventurous sports (like skating on ramps) and having a certain kind of relaxed attitude.


So, have you experienced anything quirky the last couple of days?

Hair on Air...or Sleeked-out Locks on the Rocks

Although I am really low-maintainance on the field of hair-styling, I am frequently looking out for products that can give my hair some incredible volume, some sleek perfection, or just that bit of gloss.

Or, actually all three of them would do: the incredibly, big-haired but still sleek and toucheable hairdo with a shine that blinds everyone.

Yeh, reality sucks, or it actually bites in my case! So I have to tone down my hair-perfectionist and either settle for one of the three, or sometimes two if I am lucky.

Asian haircare, hurray! I have quite a limp head of hair on my head. Most Caucasians have that bit of wave that they can activate by

1. going to the sea and take a dive
2. faking to have been going to the sea with hair products
3. waking up with a beadhead
4. waking up near the sea after a midnight dive with a bedhead...(that one will probably give out the most of curls and volume, LOL)
   

Not me...it is really straight. Not that that makes my hair similar to most types of Asian hair, but the similarity is a bit in the straight texture.

Taking a look into various brands that market for Asian hairtypes have had a bit of success, and a bit of failure as well (or a bit of meh...'does not do anything much')

So, what have I tried?

First, one of my most succesful ventures have been into Liese. I really like their Tidy Straight serum.

Because although I do not wake up with curly, wavy or kinky hair, it still can have a bit of a strange kink into it.

I love this serum for making my hair smooth, sleek, glossy and comb-able.

It does not make your unstraight hair instantly straight: You need some heating tools to accomplish that. But it does the things I mentioned above.

I purchased this over here but it is OOS again.

My second favourite Liese is their Wave-Up Foam in no. 03.

No. 3 is their strongest type. It runs up from no. 1 to 3.

I really enjoy this mousse, as it keeps hair absolutely soft and shiny (no 80's crunchy-perm-do), is softly but wonderfully scented like an expensive floral soap, and keeps that highly maintainance-created curl for quite a while

Well, because I like my straight do, but sometimes I like to fake that I am a natural curly woman...

(Yes, it is another sasa purchase)

I must sound like the biggest Liese fan...ehm, no...I am critical as well:

Let me introduce my 3rd Liese: The Juicy Shower Spray:

It might be Juicy and functional for a lot of bloggers, but besides of a wonderfully fruity-floral scent, it does not do that much in my hair.

(Another purchase from my drug-store Sasa.com)

From Taiwanese brand Shill's I bought their Magical Hair Volumizer:

Huh? Does this even do anything? Well, NO MAGICAL effect over here...no volume at all.

(bought this one on Sasa.com as well)

Talking about volume: let me include a Western, more precisely a British brand over here: The TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Hair Spray

Let me say this: the Queen would be very dissapointed! Even a less spoiled mortal such as I am am not impressed. No volume, no hairspray-hold. Let me return to my trusty L'Oreal Elnett.

So, I apologise for the shortness of my reviews...he he. I am sure that you can find a lenghtier description of the products in great masse with the other bloggers.

But sometimes, short is good, especially when summarizing a heap of products, :D.

Oh, and if you have a fantastic recommendation on hairstyling...I love to read about that. Or, tell me about your routine when styling that bunch of hair on your scalp...