Just peeking out again ... 42 questions tag

The last months of 2012. were not exactly the time of my life. Hence the big pause in blogging.
I've thought of quitting, but blogging and reading other blogs is too much fun to drop entirely.
So I peek out a bit to the blog world again and post something old I wrote a few months back already, just to test the waters :P

The 42 questions tag is a super old tag itself, but since I had a lot of fun reading the answers to this tag from other bloggers and spent a lot of time filling it out, I might as well post it. I just edited my preferences a bit, so that they would be current.

1. How many times do you wash your face daily?
Once, in the morning. At night I use eye makeup remover, some cleansing milk and a toner and/ or simply wet wipes.

2. What skin type do you have?
Combination to oily, I'd say. Good in one sense, not so good in anothers.

3. What is your current facial wash?
Right now, I alternate between Alverde Naturkosmetik Aqua Washgel Meeresalge and Elizabeth Arden 2-in-1 Cleanser.

4. Do you exfoliate?
Yes, once or twice a week. Otherwise my skin would feel dirty and I would get the feeling it can't breathe at all.

I like very much those daily wash-and-exfoliate solutions such as Garnier Pure Anti-blackhead Deep Pore Wash or Lush Angels On Bare Skin (see my full review here), as this type of light exfoliation works well on my skin, but currently I don't use a daily exfoliator.

I also use Sothys Desquacrem deep cleanser sometimes after exfoliating. It's not an outright chemical exfoliator, but it does dissolve impurities pretty well and leaves my skin fresh.

5. What brand do you use?
Generally, I prefer exfoliators with micro beads. Avon Liiv Botanicals Revitalizing Facial Scrub used to be my holy grail exfoliator. Unfortunately the tube is nearly gone and the product itself has been discontinued. Must see, if it`s still available on eBay...  I plan to use Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Scrub Mask from The Body Shop instead and am thinking of getting Vitamin E Cream Exfoliator from The Body Shop as an alternative.

6. What moisturizer do you use?
It's a common misconception that oilier skintypes don't need moisturising! In fact, my skin does produce more oil if not taken proper care of and it lacks moisture. I try to use light moisturisers or serums mostly, nothing too heavy or greasy.

In daytime, I use Green Nature Porgandikreem (a moisturiser with carrot oil from an Estonian natural cosmetics company). I also have a slight flirtation with BB creams going on right now.

In nighttime, I use Lumene Arctic Aqua 2-in-1 Skin Perfecting Moisture Booster. Neither is totally perfect for me, so I'll use them up and move on.

My summer favourite was Neal's Yard Remedies Rose Moisturiser, read full review here.

7. Do you have freckles?
Yes, I do, on my nose mostly. They became more noticeable in summertime. I'd say I quite like them :)

8. Do you use an eye cream?
Yes, of course! Separate ones for day and night actually (blush :)), as I'm not getting any younger and have some laugh lines around my eyes already. In nighttime I use Avon Anew Genics Eye Treatment and in daytime I use something a lot lighter, like Biotherm Multi Recharge Yeux right now.

9. Do you or don't you have acne prone skin?
No, I don't. I do get occasional pimples, spots and blackheads, but I've never had a case of severe cystic acne in my life.

10. Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No. Nor any other treatment for severe acne.

11. What foundation to you use?
I used to like Oriflame Giordani Gold Adaptive Foundation the most, but lately I've grown to dislike all liquid foundations for some reason. So I'm currently exploring new grounds and flirting with BB-creams (as I mentioned earlier), compact foundations and and mineral bases.

12. How about a concealer?
Sure. I use something light reflecting like YSL Touche Eclat or Clarins Instant Light under my eyes and a heavier concealer from Sephora on pimples occasionally. Garnier Caffeine Tinted Eye Roll was pretty good too, see full review here.

13. Do you know your undertone?
My skin does not have a strong undertone. It's light, but pretty neutral, so I can go both ways. I tend to prefer slightly rosier foundations though, they look healthier to my eye. I must admit, I have a complicated skin tone, for I do tan quite well (for me at least :P) and then in summertime a bit of yellow undertone is in order.

14. What do you think of fake lashes?
I love the effect of them! I can apply glue-on falsies onto myself and others as well without a problem, but I don't have a chance to use them very often. They're meant for festive occasions and photo shoots, I think. Certainly you wouldn't wear falsies for cleaning the bathroom, just going to the grocery store or making some jam. Unless you were Sophia Vergara. Or would you?

I've had permanent lash extensions once. Frankly, I hated those. They had just so many minuses, from being expensive, needing a lot of care and irritating my eyes. They did a lot of damage to my own lashes, so I won't be repeating the experience probably.

Oh, and one more fun fact as a bonus for you: I can't really wear individual eye lash strands, because my own lashes have too much of a curl.

15. Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, I did know that! I do refuse to take this statement as a fact. I do believe that beauty companies invented that silly “rule” as a clever tactic to make you buy more mascara and more often.

I don't share my mascara with other people, I don't have regular bacteria induced eye infections, I don't spit in my mascara (yuk!), I don't pump air in it, I don't dilute it with water, I don't keep it in direct sunlight for unlimited amounts of time etc. etc. so I use my mascara until it starts to dry up.

16. What brand of mascara do you use?
I don't really care. I have quite long lashes naturally, so most brands work pretty well for me.

17. Sephora or MAC?
I think this is a stupid question. MAC is only a certain brand of cosmetics, but Sephora is a store chain that sells cosmetics from many other high end make up and skin care brands besides their own house brand.

I would probably prefer Sephora from the two, as they have more options to choose from. Besides, I find Sephora Professional line brushes slightly better than MAC brushes.

(My hubby probably screams and swears as reading this. Apparently, he prefers MAC. He's never purchased a MAC product in his life, but he has awaited at the door of many Sephoras. So the reaction is quite explainable :P)

18. Do you have a MAC PRO card?
No, I don't, but I certainly wish I had one. I always like a good discount program. I'm not sure whether there is a pro card program in Estonia though.

19. What makeup tools do you use in makeup application?
Brushes mostly. Sometimes an occasional sponge or a cotton bud comes out to play too. I don't use my fingers, as I have long fingernails that tend to interfere with product application.

20. Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, usually I do. Creased eyeshadow is my pet peeve. Too Faced Shadow Insurance is my current favourite.

21. Do you use makeup primer for the face?
Yes, if I don't forget to use it. Oily & shiny face is another pet peeve of mine. I like Lumene Beauty Base Mattifying Primer the best so far.

22. What is your favorite eyeshadow color/shade?
Ivory white and other nude shades in pearly and matte both. And taupes, of course. I can never resist a beautiful taupe :) Bright shades are beautiful and tempting, but I don't use them much myself.

23. Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I use both, but I tend to prefer pencil eyeliners for everyday use. Liquid liners look rather harsh in daytime, I like to go for a more natural look instead.

24. How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
That has never happened to me. I've poked my eye with mascara though. That hurts badly.

25. What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
Do I have to have special thoughts about certain type of eyeshadows?

In my opinion, pigments are pretty much needed for evening/party/fancy makeup to add that special shimmer & glimmer. In everyday makeup, they're a bit too much to wear. Unless you work as a stripper or hooker, of course.

26. Do you use mineral makeup?
I'm JUST flirting with it at the moment. Has a great potential for me though. Read more here & here.

27. What is your favorite lipstick?
I don't have a signature shade. I alternate between rosy nudes, bright reds, pinks and berries.

28. What is your favorite lipgloss?
Usually, I just grab whatever works for the day. I like glosses from Chanel, NYX and Too Faced.

29. What is your favorite blush to use?
Nars Deep Throat in wintertime, Benefit Bella Bamba and Avon Sun Powder Pearls in summertime. These belong to my current routine of blush. MAC And Sleek Makeup blushes are also awesome.

30. Do you buy your makeup from eBay?
Yes, I do. So many brands are just not available in Estonia. But I don't ever buy any expensive high end brand make up like MAC, Benefit, Nars, Chanel, Dior etc from there, because I would probably end up with a fake product.

31. Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes. Nowadays the quality can be as good as you'd get from high end expensive brands, but I'll be paying a lot less. So why not? But lately high end brands lure me a little bit more.

32. Do you go to cosmetic company outlets?
Yes. Who wouldn't like to buy a really high-end brand new 25-euro eyeshadow for 2 euros, eh? That has really happened to me!

33. Did you ever consider taking makeup classes?
Yes. Actually I have completed a full-on 160-hour make up class. I can do makeup on other people pretty well, but I find it a bit complicated to do a perfect eye makeup to myself. I am pretty good at lips and bases, I think.

34. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Yes, I am. I know a lot of tips and tricks in theory, but I just need more practice. Practice makes perfect, they say.

35. Makeup crime that you hate?
Too thick, badly blended and false coloured foundation that looks like mortar on the face. Ugly overplucked eyebrows in unnatural colours. Entirely shaven eyebrows drawn back to the wrong place. Old Russian lady look: bright blue eyeshadow on eyes and bright pink lipstick on lips worn together. Tramp stamp tattoos. Permanent falsies in neon colours. Too harsh and heavy black liner. It's an endless list.

Unfortunately, you have a pretty fair chance of seeing all these together in Estonia while using public transport.

36. Do you like colorful shades of makeup?
Sure! My special preference belongs to bright, saturated lipsticks. I just love a full-on Marilyn look, with natural, but heavily lined eyes and bright red mouth.

37. Which celebrity always has great makeup?
Marilyn Monroe was perfect! In the modern world I like Jennifer Aniston for her always tanned no-makeup makeup look.

Picture somewhere from internet.

But then, Jennifer Lopez looks so good too … and Katy Perry … and Kirsten Dunst (especially as Marie Antoinette in the movie).

38. If you could leave the house wearing just one makeup item, what would it be?
A light coat of loose powder to tame down the shine a bit.

39. Could you leave the house without any makeup on at all?
Yes, I could and I do it regularly, not a problem for me.

40. Do you think you look good even without any makup on?
No. That fact does not stop me going without makeup.

41. What is the best makeup line?
There's no such thing in Earth. Every line has it's advantages and disadvantages, good and bad products.

42. What do you think of makeup?
Makeup isn't the most necessary thing in life, but it's pure joy & fun.

OK, now you know my skincare & makeup preferences quite well. As it is customary with this tag, I tag everyone who wishes to fill it. Consider yourself tagged :)

In a few days, I'll try to bring you the second part of my visit to Baltic Beauty. It was long time ago, I know, but there are some interesting pictures to be posted. The mantra is better late than never, right?

Next week I'll pay a short visit to Munich, one of my favourite cities in the world. So some impressions of my German shopping experience are in order too.

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

Oi ei, seda saagat tõlkima ma ei hakka. Põhimõtteliselt on tegu vastustega 42le nahahoolduse- ja meigiteemalisele küsimusele, mis ammust ajast blogide vahet ringlevad.  

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

Make up for a dead mother / Et olla daam...

 

I know, makeup for dead people is not a very conversational topic. I used to think it's somehow unnecessary, too morbid, an old people theme or as such. And it's always too hard to talk about death. If it touches you the by closest, the hardest it becomes.

About a month ago my mother was accidentally found dead at her home. That explains pretty well the long silence here.

You may consider makeup is the least to consider in that situation. Well, it's not.

At some point, being responsible for arranging the funeral, you have to choose what clothes the deceased (saying 'the corpse' feels somehow too rough!) would wear and in what colours he/she would be.. Especially, when she is frayed: I mean, as cut up and sewn back together again. 

And being ladies as we are, at such case we of course need to think of the jewellery and makeup too, at an instant. There is not too much room to think in advance, in my case we only had a few minutes, probably less than a lady would spend putting her look together.

Well again, my mother was very much of a lady. She was 65 plus, but still dyed her hair blonde, had Gelish done on her nails regularly, pedicures, hair dyes and blowdries. Somehow, for old ladies blowdries last for a week or so, mine looses it's oomph on the second day.

For the jewellery, we chose pearl earrings and a pearl ring that were the last gift from my (also deceased fnow) father. We also chose her wedding ring and a heritage ruby ring from my grandmom, but we were told by the funeral attendants to keep those as family heirlooms. I think it was a good decision.

Anyway, there still had to be some makeup done. You may know or you may not, but dead people may require a lot of makeup. In some countries, there are special makeup artists for them :S I only found that out later, googling. It's found to be a perspective job, as people are getting older and it has been said that the business is blooming.

I wish a very good nerve to those who have chosen that path, as I have never ever touched a dead thing (not even a hamster!) and I intend to keep it that way. At first, I was thinking that I must do her final (ouch!) makeup myself, but my hubs quickly convinced me out of it.

It was not such a good idea, as I wouldn't  have had a good chance anyway, You know, you can’t use the same products as for alive people, because those made for the living are designed to work with the heat from the body. For cold skin the makeup needs to be non-thermogenic.

It would have caused too much of a trauma for myself, besides the special makeup used on the deceased people ...

My mother had an eye surgery a few years ago, so she didn't wear any eye makeup, that could have irritated her eyes more. But she always wore a bright lipstick in bright pink or fuchsia colour and it went for her marilyn-blond-hair-light-skin-colouring so well. So I just took the lipstick (it was something from Maybelline!) she wore last out of her purse and gave it to the funeral attendants.

It turned out to be a mistake. As we got to oversee the body before the funeral, the lipstick instantly looked too dark and severe. I told that to the funeral guy, so he put on his rubber gloves, got out a lip brush and the lipstick and started to do it all over again.  With not much luck, because it didn't stuck to the cold body, still he smeared it on somehow. He also gave me a tip: it's always the upper lip that has to be painted more, as it brightens the face lying in the coffin. Ouch.

By the way, I chose some high heeled shoes to wear for the funeral. Turned out, it was not such a good decision, because during the night before the funeral I had forgot how to walk in high heels, in spite of doing that for more than fifteen years :(  Yes, that statement is for real :S A bit of shaky leg and stumbling occurred.

I think it was excusable. It's a good thing my hair were still at their place, but my hands were so much swollen up from the nerves I decidedly couldn't wear any of the rings, including the heritage ring.

In honour, I will not have some pictures of the event or the main heroine of the event posted. You'll just have to use your imagination and I hope you don't have to deal with any of this in (near) future.

I am very well aware that some people will find this post obscene, inappropriate and such.

Have you ever had to bury some close relative of yours? If so, did you have to think of the makeup details also? Have you a makeup kit laid out, in case you yourself should have a sudden death?

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull


For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Uh-oh, no kuidas ma ütlen... Kuu aega tagasi pidin matma oma ema. Ah et mis see ilusse või ilublogimisse puutub? No puutub ikka küll, sest ka surnud tahavad olla ilusad. Või meie tahaks, et nad oleks ilusad... Meil vennaga oli isegi väike vaidlusepoeg, et kas on vaja matusekorraldajale ema huulepulk anda või mitte. Minu argument oli see, et ükski tõeline daam ei lähe viimast teekonda astuma ilma kõrge kontsaga kingade ja huulepulgata ja nii saigi tehtud. Onju? 

Doris Kareva on minu emotsioonid nii suurepäraselt sõnastanud.

Et olla daam, ma kannan kõrgeid kingi

Kord nädalas üks daam teeb maniküüri.
Kord aastas on ta enda vastu aus.
Sa elad minus, kuid ei maksa üüri.
Siinkohal tuleb teha mõtlik paus.

Daam kasutab vaid valgeid taskurätte.
Täis saladusi on ta buduaar.
Siin avaned, kuid end ei anna kätte.
Me vahel pole muud kui vikerkaar.

Üks daam ei kerja. Tal on kõike küllalt,

ka siis, kui tahaks valust oiata.
Et olla daam, ma vaikima pean üllalt.
Kui plahvatan, siis ette hoiatan.

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

Riga, my love! The visit to Baltic Beauty 2012, part 1

Baltic Beauty is the biggest beauty trade show in Latvia. The organizers claim, it's the biggest in whole Scandinavia, but I'd take that statement with a pinch of salt :P. This year it was held from 2.-4. November in Kipsala Exhibition centre Riga. It was my first time at Baltic Beauty: I wanted to go last year already, but then I had no time. This year, in spite of many unhappy events beforehand, I was finally there and felt like I deserved some fun and play! 

About ten minutes before opening on Sunday morning. The crowds start to pur in. 

This year, Baltic Beauty was said to be especially big with a record number of participants: 300 companies from 37 countries around the globe. Though, I must mention that there were mostly local Latvian representatives of the beauty companies present plus a few companies from Estonia and Lietuva. 

Some images of the halls, getting ready for the day.

Siberika girls, all nice and neat, ready for the crowds.

The exhibition consisted of two halls, one of them was filled with skincare, makeup, nail stuff, beauty salon equipment and health goodies, the other was dedicated mostly to haircare, but also had some cheap blingy jewellery, tights, gloves and such things. As always on these kind of events, there were lots of special shows, lots of great deals and discounts and a vast number of greedy-faced women lurking around :) 

Peggy Sage had a rather small booth...

...bur rather good deals on some items (these eyeshadows cost 10 euros originally).

Apart from that, these two exhibitions were very different. Firstly, there were less companies present at Ilu Sõnum/Beauty Word in the beginning of October, but overall Baltic Beauty seemed a bit smaller, as the stalls and boothes were not as big and fancy as they were in Estonian exhibition. I'd even say they were rather on the small side mostly, causing a lot of elbowing and toe-stepping, as by Saturday afternoon the event became very crowded. I spent a good 4 or five hours browsing on Saturday, after that I was too tired for any sensible decisions. I went back for some final pictures and purchases on Sunday morning (the advantages of a press pass, don't ask :P).

Pure Elements, natural cosmetics from Germany.

Da Vinci brushes.

Secondly, although Tallinn and Riga are only some 300 kms apart, shopping experience at Baltic Beauty was totally different from shopping in Ilu Sõnum/Beauty Word. There were so many brands, both professional and consumer products, that are not sold in Estonia. 

Inglot

Make Up For Ever

Kryolan

SLA Professional Cosmetics

There were very many salesmen and women, who couldn't speak any English, only Latvian and Russian. Let's just say that my vocabulary that consists of some very basic Latvian words like 'sveiki', 'labas dienas' and 'saldejums' was not nearly enough. At least I could understand one word 'akcija' very well :) Card payment opportunities were rare too.

There were also a lot less natural products and mineral makeup offered than in Estonian exhibition and only a few things from local Latvian beauty brands. In that sense, situation seemed a bit better in Estonia. 

Latvian bath salts and soaps.  

Riga souvenir soap.

Thirdly, it was funny that so much space was taken up by haircare, hair styling and hairdressing tools companies. It was probably due to the fact that there was International Hairstyling Festival going on during the fair. And again, many haircare brands – oh dear, probably most of them! – were completely unfamiliar to me and I guess they are not sold in Estonia. 

Farouk, at least that's in Estonia too.

Must be some very precious hair stuff :)

Salons24.eu from Estonia had as good deals as in Estonian trade fair...

... but less products were available. 

All in all, the trip to Riga for Baltic Beauty was tiring, but completely worthwhile. I had amazing time there and needless to say, bought quite lot of stuff :P I shall share some more exeptional moments from the trade fair in my next post, so be sure to check back! 

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull 

Just a random beautiful model.

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

Riiaga seoses meenub mulle alati üks vana laul Vennaskonnalt: Riia, mu arm (kuula näiteks siin). Seekordse armastuse põhjuseks oli lätlaste suurim ilumess Baltic Beauty, mis toimus 2.-4. novembrini ehk siis eelmisel nädalavahetusel Kipsala messikeskuses. Ma polnud varem Baltic Beauty'l käinud, aga meie oma Ilu Sõnumist erines see nagu öö ja päev, nii korralduse kui ka pakutavate kaupade poolest. Väga palju ruumi oli pühendatud kõikvõimalikule juuksekraamile, müüdi brände, mida Eestis ei ole ja pakuti ka siinmail täiesti tundmatuid teenuseid.

Üldiselt julgen seda messi soovitada, kel võimalik, käigu järgmisel aastal ära. Arvestada tuleb aga, et kaardimaksetega sealmaal eriti ei arveldata ja kui vene või läti keele oskus puudub või on nigel, siis tuleb käte-jalgade abil asju ajada :)

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull