My very Chanel Valentine's

I don't know where to start with this, but apparently I discovered I'm a Chanel girl! To be exact, even a Chanel No5 girl. To my great surprise, as I've always considered this scent to be something that belongs to an old lady or long-dead Marilyn :) Well, accidentally I discovered I love-love-love it!

It all started when we (me & hubby & kid) went to pay a visit a friend who was house sitting for her mother-in law. We made some Tom Kha soup, chatted a lot and went to sauna. And there it was on the edge of the bathroom sink: Chanel No5Velvet Body Cream.

Of course I ogled it right from the moment I noticed it. Come on, a serious beauty addict can't miss it for the lovely glossy black Chanel logo-ed pot alone!

I have a confession to make: I'm the biggest beauty addict within my circle of friends. Of course my friend suggested that her mom-in-law won't mind if I try the cream on my wrists and I did. Oh, boy! It smelt it on my skin even next morning and the smell was divine!

I decided there and then that I'm going to get it. But in my mind it was somewhere in very far future, as a Chanel product is not something you get for your spare change exactly.

My side of the bed with a lady figure.

Big was my surprise when hubby went to get some groceries a day before Valentine's and stayed away for 3 (three!) whole hours. Turned out later, he went to the I.L.U. store and wanted to buy this cream. Well, it was an epic fail, because he didn't remember the packaging exactly and just asked for “a good smelling Chanel cream”. Haha! 

The sales lady was not too fascinated at all at this message and suggested a series of Chanel fragrances, sampling them on HIM. Which of course didn't make any sense at all for hubz and so they agreed that this mysterious “good smelling Chanel cream” is an unicorn pee nowhere to be found.

Dear hubby even texted my friend, trying to find out what's the exact product I liked so much. My friend replied with just one word: Chanel, which of course was not very helpful :)

So my hubby pulled his tail between his legs and came home with a big bunch of roses and smelling of strange mixture of ladies fragrances :)

But he was SO-OO destined to present me with this unicorn pee. So back we went at Valentine's day to another I.L.U store. Of course I located my new love from far-far away and in matter of minutes that heavenly jar was handed to me. A more in-depth review of the cream to come, but so far I can only say it was one of the best presents I have ever had in my life. Mostly because it was given with so much love.

I just had to share this story :) On the pictures you can see my precious Chanel cream on the bedside table of a room in Kuressaare Grand Rose Spa, alongside with my precious watch, a mock chocolate box with Chocomania goodies from The Body Shop and a glass of Chianti. Pure luxury!

Hubby's side of the bed. Notice how the lampstand is  headless :P

I must say, Grand Rose Spa & Saaremaa were the most perfect spot for a Valentine's mini break. I'm a bit sorry we didn't take more pictures of our room and the spa as a whole, but then again, that's not what we went there for, so I hope you understand :)

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Ma lihtsalt pidin siia kirja panema loo, kuidas minust vahetult enne valentinipäeva Chanel number viie austaja sai. Poleks kunagi uskunud, olen seda lõhna alati pidanud vanatädikeste ja ammusurnud Marilyn Monroe tunnuslõhnaks. Aga näedsa, nüüd on Chaneli klassik kehakreemi kujul kolinud minu lõhnagarderoobi ja rõõmsam selle kingituse üle enam ei anna olla :) Naiselikkus ikkagi on ajatu, nagu Chanel kuulutab.

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Saaremaa's nature just before a snowstorm.

My Versatile Blog Awards

I was very happy when I learned I have received the Versatile Blog Award from G. Thank you so much! Although you seem very young (at least compared to the old lady aka me who's saying this :) ), you have such a great blog and it's an honour to be awarded by you.

Actually, this is not my first Versatile Blogger Award. I received the first one from MissL (another of my favourite bloggers), but I didn't notice it right away and it seemed embarrassing to do the post so much later. Sorry, MissL :(

But on to the award!

There are three basic rules to that award:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Send it along to 10 other bloggers.

My 7 facts:

1. I am a Chanel ( a post to come!) and MAC girl, although for many years I thought I was not.

2. I was called "an ogre" at high school because my hair was temporarily dyed green  (click the link and read more about it!). That was right before I shaved my head. The Sinead O'Connor look suited me, but I'm afraid I won't do it again. 

3. I am very much afraid of heights and weirdly, staircases too. But I don't mind flying at all.

4. During my uni years I used to weight 45 kg. I thought that was fat and tried desperately to get rid of my "extra weight" :)

5. One of my first jobs was as a nude model at an art college. It was really hard to stay motionless for 3 hours plus. At wintertime in very cold classroom. FYI, I wore swimsuit at all times.

6. I prefer a boyshort over a thong.

7. OK, back to normal stuff :)  I am a foodie. I love cooking and eating delicacies. I love to cook soups, salads and meat dishes, but not to bake or make cakes. Actually, I don't even eat cakes, I despise them. That's a family tradition :)

Now I'm in trouble! I don't know who to send this award along, as probably many of my favourites have received it already many times :S So, I am naming some of my favourites and if you have already done it or are too busy to go along with the game, don't feel like participating or so on,  just take this as a compliment, OK? 

Here we go:

http://www.funnyfacebeauty.com/

http://beautyfromliz.blogspot.com/

http://bubblegarm.blogspot.com/

http://beautybymari.blogspot.com/

http://bigpinkbow.blogspot.com/

http://bycelina.com/

http://www.beautyandmakeupboudoir.co.uk/

http://iluelu.blogspot.com/

http://www.nihrida.com/

http://mesluxes.blogspot.com/

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull 

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

G andis mulle The Versatile Blogger auhinna:) Täh-täh!

Auhinna mõte on selles, et kui tunned tunnustuse üle rõõmu, siis avaldad seitse (põnevat) fakti iseenda kohta ja annad auhinna edasi kümnele inimesele. 

Minu seitse paljastust:

1) Ma ikkagi olen Chanel'i ja MAC'i tüdruk, kuigi ma ise arvasin, et ei ole.

2) Kooliajal kutsuti mind roheliste juuste pärast mõnda aega sookolliks. Sel ajal polnud Shrekist ja Fionast keegi veel kuulnudki.

3)  Ma kardan väga kõrgust ja veidral kombel ka treppe (eriti neid, mille astmete vahelt saab läbi vaadata!), aga mitte lennukiga lennata. Seda ma hoopis naudin!

4) Ülikooliajal kaalusin ma 45 kilo ja arvasin, et olen hirmus paks :)

5) Olen töötanud kunstikoolis aktimodellina. Üle kolme tunni ühes asendis püsida: ütleme nii, et see on tervistkahjustav töö! Päris alasti ma siiski polnud, ujumistrikoo jäi ikka selga.

6) Mulle ei meeldi eriti stringid, ma eelistan shortside lõikega allareid.

7) Ma olen foodie ehk söögisõltlane. Mulle meeldib süüa teha, eriti salateid, suppe ja liharoogi. Küpsetada ja kooke teha eriti ei meeldi, sest ise ma magusaid küpsetisi ei söö.

Kellele auhind edasi antud sai, on ülal kirjas :)

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Bye-bye Essie ehk hüvasti Essie!

This post is mostly in Estonian again, because it's about Essie's nail polishes sale being discontinued in Estonia.

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Nojah, nagu lugesite, siis lõpetab BeautyPro Essie küünelakkide maaletoomise. Täna kinnitati mulle BeautyPro'st, et hetkel on käimas lõpumüük, kus iga lakk maksab 3.50 EUR ( muidu poodides 8-9 EUR). Soodusmüügis - 40 % on veel kõik Essie alus- ja pealislakid (neid on võimalik osta ka nn. hulgikoguses suurtes pudelites). 

 Vähemalt Tallinna esindustesse on jäänud müügile valdavalt küll “igavad” roosad, tumepunased ja valged/läbipaistvad lakid, aga näiteks osad sügiskollektsiooni 2010 lakid olid täna veel olemas. Kes toona ilma jäi, siis nüüd on veel võimalus. Soovitan kindlasti tšekkida ka alus- ja pealislakke! Näiteks To Dry For kiirkuivataja-pealislaki kombo tundub mulle väga hea ja praegu imelise hinnaga 3.50 EUR.

Hetkel ei osatud BeautyPro-st öelda, kaua lõpumüük jätkub ning kas edaspidi keegi hakkab Essie't Eestisse maale tooma või ei. See selguvat, kui neil on leping Essie'ga täiesti lõpetatud.

Minul on sellest muutusest kahju, sest Essie lakid meeldisid mulle. Aga nagu klassikud juba ütlesid – we'll always have eBay!

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

* Palun taas vabandust nõmeda pressipildi pärast, aga tahtsin uudise kiiresti teieni tuua ja pilti teha täna õhtul tõesti enam ei jõudnud. 

** BeautyPro'l on hetkel sünnipäevanädal, seega ka palju muid soodustusi. Vaadake soodukaid ja lahtiolekuaegu siit.

Urban Decay Naked 2 has just landed!

Just yesterday evening I was doing a small tour around the interwebz, wondering when will Urban Decay infamous Naked 2 palette be finally available in Europe. And voilá -- here it is!

Today, both HQ Hair and Lookfantastic webshops announced that Naked 2 eyeshadow sets are now in stock. Urban Decay brand is not being sold in Estonia anyway, so webshops or getting it while travelling are the only reasonable options for us in my opinion.  

At HQ Hair the price is 44.20 euros, at Lookfantastic it is 36 pounds that's roughly an euro less. Both sites offer free worldwide delivery.  I have ordered from both and there's no major difference in service. Maybe Lookfantastic is more careful with the packaging (my first Naked palette arrived a bit damaged, remember?), but then again HQ Hair usually adds some samples. So it's a matter of personal preference which shop to choose. Just be sure to grab it quick and keep your fingers crossed it won't sell out while you are searching for your credit card :)

I know lots of Estonian girls (including myself!)  are also proud owners of the original Naked and I am pretty sure "the most anticipated sequel of the century" will find it's place in many makeup bags and be loved too. As for myself, i'll pass it for now, as I was thinking while I heard about it coming out, but am sure getting it while there's a discount code around and Naked 2 is still in stock.

Yours Sincerely,

Tolmu Rull

* Sorry about the ugly promo photos from internet. 

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Veebipoed HQ Hair ja Lookfantastic teatasid täna, et Urban Decay kuulsa Naked lauvärvipaleti "teine osa" Naked 2 jõudis müügile. Kel huvi, kiirustage!

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Don't panic, it's organic! Tigi Love Peace and the Planet Freak Of Nature Volumiser and Thickener review

I have been planning to do this post for a really long time, because I was asked for it when I told about buying some Tigi products last year.

Tigi is by far my favourite hair products company. I have been a loyal Tigi fan since I bought a shampoo and conditioner from them more than ten years ago (they were ridiculouslty expensive for me back then!) and have hardly ever used other products since. A Tigi fan – yes, I am!

When something new comes out from Tigi, I'm just dying to try it. I always seem to fall for the design and concept of their products and haven't been disappointed the results don't disappoint me. To be fair, most of my hair stuff is by Tigi: they have a lot to choose from and I'm not hard to seduce :)

Love Peace and The Planet is not a very new series from Tigi. If I remember correctly, it came out about two years ago or so. What's important about it, it's Tigi's first “eco” series. It's motto is, go green and look good doing it. Tigi promises that Love, Peace and the Planet products are:

• free of parabens, laurel and laureth sulfates;
•  rich with renewable, organic and biodegradable ingredients;' with 80-90 % organic content;
•  use no artificial colourings or fragrances or animal byproducts (except beeswax, caution, not OK for vegans);
•  bottled in containers that have been made using 50 % of post consumer recycled material and are fully recycleable;
• I must add, Love, Peace and the Planet are having witty names  as it's usual with Tigi.

On to the Freak of Nature. It's a 250 ml blow-dry styling lotion, meant to add volume and thickness, while not leaving your hair feeling clean. It contains lavender, citrus, eucalyptus, japanese green tea leaf, pomegranate, aloe vera, nettle and chamomile extracts. The quite thin white milky fluid is housed in stubby lime green bottle and comes out through black plastic cap.

Or should I say, it should come out through black plastic c(r)ap. Because when I was using this for second or third time, I dropped it from my wet and slippery hand to the tiled bathroom floor and the cap broke. Fortunately I was able to use a cap taken from an empty Tigi bottle to prevent the product from drying out. Now Freak of Nature sits in my bathroom like a true Frankenstein. I think the cap broke far too easily and am not happy with that, as I expect more quality from a brand like Tigi.

Otherwise, Freak of Nature is great. It gives my hair noticeably more volume and shine, makes it look healthy and doesn't weigh the hair down or make it dirty. I'd recommend it to finer hair, because I think it might not be enough for thick and coarse hair. I haven't applied it to dry hair, as I don't feel the need to. It has a funny lavender-based smell that you'd expect from a foot cream, but it vanishes fast and I happen to like it.

As it's quite fluid, it goes fast. I bought it in October and I have already gone through half a bottle. I use it two or three times a week to the max as I have other hair products too. Normally I need a half of teaspoonful or an one euro coin sized puddle of it for my shoulder length hair. It's quite a lot of a hair product to use at once.

The other bad thing is, Freak of Nature has 85 % organc contents, but it still contains some silicones like dimethicone, phenyl trimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane and then some more. Luckily they are at the bottom of the ingredients list and I'm not too concerned about them. If you are, this product might not be for you. A more educational program here. 

Tigi products are available worldwide from hair salons and also online. Personally, I bought Freak of Nature along with some other Love Peace and the Planet products from SalonPlus at Estonian beauty trade show on sale and paid 8 euros for it. Normal price should be around 16 or 17 euros. The good news are that Quum.ee has Love Peace and the Planet on sale right now at half price, check it out!

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Tigi Love Peace and the Planet on tuntud juuksehooldusvahendite valmistaja Tigi esimene ökosari. Toreda nimega Freak of Nature on selle sarja volüümikreem/vedelik ja rohkelt volüümi see lavendlilõhnaline 85 % orgaanilise koostisega vedelik juustele annab ka. Jei!

Lubasin kunagi Miss L-ile selle toote arvustust ja ma arvan, et nüüd on see lubadus lõpuks ometi täidetud :)

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

My favourite dry skin remedy: Joik Deep Moisturizing Salve with Emu Oil

The harsh winter weather conditions tend to make my lips and hands very dry. Estonian natural cosmetics company Joik knows well how to beat that :)

The secret lies in their emu oil salve. I got one of those for Christmas, but actually I already had a pot of it that I have been using all winter, so now I have a backup too. I'm very glad about that, because I think this product is legendary! 

So what is this bright yellow salve all about? The company says on their website:

A wonderful treat for dry and rough hands and feet. In addition to super-moisturizing cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil, avocado oil and apricot kernel oil the salve contains emu oil that is world famous for its amazing properties. Emu oil has been used for centuries to cure different skin conditions - burns, cuts, bruises, joint- and muscle aches. Today emu oil is a valuable ingredient in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries.

They are certainly right. The bright yellow salve is very moisturizing and softening, a real bliss for cracked skin. Although it is listed as hand and foot care on the company's website, it can be used on lips, hands, feet, elbows … basically everywhere where your skin is dry or damaged. I have been using it mostly on my lips and cuticles and curing red skin around my nose when I have caught cold and my nose is runny. It stings a tiny bit on sore skin, but does improve healing. I have tried it on my hands too, it absorbs fairly quickly and makes them truly soft, but somehow I still just prefer to slap on one of my hand creams. I think when you have very dry skin you could use it even all over your face.

This is what an emu bird looks like. Picture from here.

The ingredients: apricot kernel oil, beeswax (not suitable for vegans!), olive oil, emu oil, shea butter, avocado oil, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, red palm oil, tea tree, lavender and lemongrass essential oils. It is 100 % natural and handmade in Estonia.

The bit weird-sounding emu oil that this salve has been named after is basically emu bird's fat. It contains a lot of fatty acids and vitamins and has a lot of wonderful properties. You can read more about it's wonderfulness here. I have used some pure emu oil bought from farmer's market before, but I find this salve a lot better and more pleasant to use.

The emu oil salve smells faintly of tea tree and citruses, something between therapeutic and perfume-y. A bit like orange marmalade. I know the smell of tea tree is offputting for some people, but this salve smells very pleasantly. In fact I wouldn't even notice tea tree, if I didn't know it was there.

You can see how big the pot is compared to The Body Shop lip balm and MAC blush.

I have nothing bad to say about packaging too. It's a sturdy see-through plastic pot with black lid. The pot is 50 ml and costs 5.40 euros. It is very good value, because it lasts for a whole eternity. As I said, I have been using mine all winter and have just managed to make a small dent to salve's surface. Besides, it is a 5 in 1 product: you don't need separate lip balm, cuticle cream, hand and foot creams and sore skin ointment when using Joik emu oil salve. 

I realize now the uses of this emu oil salve sound very much like the uses of the world famous Eight Hour Cream by Elizabeth Arden. It might be a good alternative, if you've never liked Eight Hour Cream as I don't. I find Eight Hour Cream bad-smelling and too expensive.

Joik Deep Moisturizing Salve with Emu Oil can be bought from Kaubamaja, I.L.U store and some pharmacies. It is also available on Joik's website and they deliver worldwide!

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Joik'i sügavniisutav salv emu õliga on tõeline imetoode! See sobib kasutada huulepalsamina, käte- ja jalakreemina, küünenahkadel ja ka ärritunud naha ravimiseks. Hinna ja kvaliteedi suhe on ka suurepärane. Joik'i emuõlisalv on tõeline Eesti oma kaheksa-tunni-kreem. Ma arvan, et topsik emuõlisalvi peaks kuuluma iga Eesti tüdruku kosmeetikakotti!

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

10 steps what to do with a free weekend below -30 ° C?

Kiisu otsib ka kus oleks soojem :)

If you finally have a totally free, no-obligations weekend over a month (partly because of extremely cold weather), what to use it for? Here's my recipe.

1. Book a yoga practice for Saturday morning in Thursday evening. Plan to do all twenty of your nails on Friday (and maybe some of your feline friend's nails too. Naturally, his manicure involves cutting only).
2. Preparing for the cold weekend at home, buy an awesome amount of food from the store at 10 o'clock in the morning, along with a bottle of red wine and huge 3 kg salmon fillet.
3. Open the wine at 11, impatiently. Drink all of it in matter of some hours.
4. Cook salmon in three different ways. Set aside some salmon for fourth dish. Send hubby to store to bring more alcohol.
5. Watch Richard Corrigan's Cookery Shool recordings on TV, chat on phone, learn about surprise guests and host them. Drink some whiskey and beer on top of the wine.
6. Wake up Saturday morning with the worst of hangover in the world. Sleep some more and forget completely about yoga practice. Miss it, naturally :)
7. Send hubby to store for some ice cream and frozen berries. Btw, the weather outside is -32 degrees below Celsius by now. Thank God the car still worked and I got my ice cream for nursing the hangover :)
8. Eat ice cream and cook some more salmon. Have a drink or too just to keep yourself warm (hm, works for the hangover too).
9. Read a few blogs and buy some new beauty stuff online. Don't regret it later, it was all supercheap and on sale. Polish those nails.
10. Find finally some blogging mojo and blog away vigorously. Make plans for next yoga practice and hope tomorrow will be better than today.

I don't know what the point of this post is :) Except the part about nail polishing and online purchases this post doesn't even belong in a beauty blog. Go figure.

What have you been up to this weekend?

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Ülalolevat kümmet punkti ma küll tõlkima ei hakka :P Märksõnadeks on vein ja jäätis :) Millega olete teie sisustanud selle superkülma nädalavahetuse? 

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Looduskosmeetika allahindlus

This post is in Estonian, because it concerns a sale in natural cosmetics shop that delivers to Estonia only.

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Looduskosmeetika poes Natural Me on 1.- 8. veebruarini allahindlus -- kuni 50 %. Tegelikkuses tähendab see küll, et suurem osa allahindluses olevaid tooteid on alla hinnatud 15 - 25 %, aga noh, pole paha seegi. Natural Me müüb mitmeid väga tuntud looduskosmeetika kaubamärke nagu Weleda, Dr. Hauschka ja Ecotools, aga ka selliseid asju, millest ma kuulnudki polnud, nagu Santaverde ja Miessence. Eesti oma tooted on esindatud GoodKaarma eeterlike õlide ja seepide näol.


Poe veebisait räägib:


"Natural Me e-pood on esimene ilutoodete edasimüüja Eestis, mis on eranditult keskendunud vaid puhtale orgaanilisele kosmeetikale.


Pakume üle 1000 orgaanilise make-up, aroomiteraapia-, näo- ja kehahooldustoote 22-lt maailmas tunnustatud kaubamärgilt. Seega, Natural Me e-poest leiate suurima valiku orgaanilist kosmeetikat Eestis."


Ma ei ole orgaanilise kosmeetika- ja nahahooldustoodete sajaprotsendiline fänn, sest allergiaid mul pole ja edevus jääb loodusearmastusele peale (khm, häbi, aga nii on ...) Siiski, viimasel ajal on eelistused naturaalsuse suunas kaldunud, sest looduskosmeetika on sageli lihtsalt nii hea lõhnaga ja toimelt nii mõnus :)


Kokkuvõttes, mina kasutan juhust ja tellin mõned asjad looduskosmeetika allahindluse raames. Ecotools'i pintsleid ja Goodkaarma seepe ja veelpaar asja, mis jäägu siinkohal salajasse. Loodan, et sellest infost oli abi.


Siiralt Teie,
Tolmu Rull

Frostbite in a pan: MAC Her Blooming Cheek blush swatch and review

This blush is not so new: it came out with MAC A Tartan Tale color collection for holiday 2010 (discontinued by now).

A Tartan Tale collection main visual by MAC.

I liked the visuals of this Scottish-inspired collection, but wasn't much into MAC at this time. When I saw it online at discounted price my curiosity began to rise, my strange infatuation with discontinued products rose it's greedy head and I bagged it.

I can say that my MAC collection is growing slowly but steadily and I admit that I have been oh-so-wrong about the brand!

Her Blooming Cheek is a sheer and cool rosy blush, with very-very subtle shimmer in it. While the blush looks bright like something from kids watercolors box, don't let yourself be fooled by it's appearance. It is in fact a gem for somebody who likes subtle no-makeup makeup look.

It gives my NC15/20 skin the most natural “just came inside from the freezing weather and my cheeks are a bit cold-bitten” healthy and rosy look. Of course, with temperatures as low as 30 degrees below Celsius in Estonia now you can get this look for free by just stepping out of the door, but who needs the skin damage that comes with it?

I use Her Blooming Cheek with my stippling brush, just dipping it in very lightly and blending carefully. It's so pigmented it stains the brush!

When I use it with regular natural hair blush brush, it tends to be overdone and loses some of it's gorgeousness. Surely it is easy to build it up, but I like it mostly for it's subtle and natural sheerness. That's why I apply it without any contouring and highlight.

The swatches. Should be blended out a lot more on cheeks.

This blush is definitely an investment. I can see myself easily hitting the pan of Nars's Deep Throat, but never with Her Blooming Cheek.

I ordered it somewhere in autumn, but it is still readily available from Fragrancedirect. It costs 14.99 GBP (around 18 euros) + shipping, but considering that MAC blushes cost around 10 euros more in stores, it's not a bad price. Especially calculating cost per wear :)

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian readers:

MAC'i Her Blooming Cheek on kärtsroosa põsepuna, mis hoolikalt hajutatuna annab põskedele tulin- just-kelgutamast väljanägemise. Ärge laske ennast esialgsest välimusest kohutada, tegelikult on see väga hea põsepuna igapäevaseks mul-pole-mingit meiki peal meigiks. Saadaval veebist.

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull