Before and After. A Table Tonic Transformation Story.

Yesterday I got the best kind of mail from Louise at Table Tonic. I have been wanting some Tonic in my house for a long time but I finally got around to ordering. There was also a 25% sale on so I technically got one cushion for free. Louise was very helpful and answered my questions quickly. There are so many gorgeous ikat cushions to choose from so I was very grateful for the assistance.

Here is what met me in one of the boxes. I was very excited!

The yellow ikat has arrived!

Here is a before shot, it was all very beige and brown. Too dull!

Pin It

Snapshots of Last Year's Holiday Part 1

Looking fresh prior to departure. 

About a year ago we were either in Denmark or Switzerland, I can't remember. On the second Monday in May Mike and I packed our bags, had a four day stopover in Bangkok (loved it!) and then jumped on a Thai Air flight which went directly to Oslo. We took the train for one hour to stay with my grandma and then two days later we took the train back and got on a plane to my hometown Bodø. We stayed there for almost two weeks and had the best time. Mike improved his Norwegian, I chilled out with the family and we celebrated my sister's confirmation. After that we went to Oslo again (Mike's claim to fame is that he has been to Oslo airport seven times), and went in for the day to see my BFF Linn and also leave our suitcases at the hotel we would be staying at. We therefore only had hand luggage for our little Europe-spree but it worked fantastically. Except for when I was stranded in 30+ degree Berlin with having to wear Converse shoes. This also limited how much we could shop but I think our wallet benefitted from it. As I would love to be on a holiday right now I thought I'd share some pictures of our trip.

My suitcase broke the day before departure so luckily we could borrow one from our friends.
Bonus points for being easily recognisible too! 

Posing on Kho San Road where you will be asked to buy a suit every 5 seconds.

Pin It

Beauty Confessions + an Organix Macadamia Oil Review

I am sure we all have some secrets and I feel like it is about time I share some of my beauty confessions. Some I take pride in, others are a little embarassing but isn't that part of the fun?

Bobby Pins: Lately I have started sleeping with bobby pins in my hair. This is a win-win situation in my eyes because my fringe is not in the way and in the morning when I am getting ready, I don't have to scramble to find a bobby pin. On a sidenote, I often find pins on the floor. Not sure why, they just gravitate there like magnets. Maybe this could be an A Current Affair story? I am sure we would all like to know!

Hair Brushing: I don't always brush my hair. Let's not dwell on this.

The Lemon Lightening Trick: I once tried applying squeezed lemon to my hair in order to naturally lighten it in the sun. It did not work for several reasons; I was brunette, I was in Northern Norway where the sun doesn't shine so bright and it was tough to wash out. Lesson learnt.

I'm Not a Good for a Sleep-In: I have always been an early riser (lucky mum and dad), and even now I struggle to sleep in for longer than 7 or 8 am. Years of working shift work hasn't helped either. Even if I go to bed at midnight my body still just wants that early start. I don't deprive it, I just take extra power naps.

I Spill Makeup: My wonderful mineral foundation from Kit has a flaw. First of all it looks a little yellow because it has to even out my naturally rouge skintone, and further to this the lid has a chip. This makes it a little hard to apply without spilling powder on the floor but lo and behold, if Mike's gym-bag is at the floor it gets even worse. At least I have apologised on behalf of Kit but I won't change.

Pin It

The Unlikely Project: Quitting Sugar

For those who know me, I am a very unlikely person to try to quit sugar. I love my sugar and I do sense that there is an addiction underlying the love. I was initially sceptical (and I probably still am) to getting the I Quit Sugar book written by Sarah Wilson, but I figured I don't have much to loose over $15 and it is a really interesting concept. I know it will be hard so I have enlisted Mike to join me in the IQS fight. It is only an 8 week program and then you can re-introduce sugar into your life. I am not doing this for weightloss but for improved health and also to distance myself from food as a reward.

The reason I am letting you know I am doing this is that hopefully you will keep me on the straight and narrow. I want to give this a really good go and see how it goes. I promise I won't preach (after all I had to postphone the project so I could finish my Nutella jar) but hopefully this will go well. 

The things I am most sad about giving up are fruit, tomato sauce, pasta sauce, Up & Go (my morning routine), cinnamon sugar, chocolate, ice cream and the occasional soft drink. I am the girl who has tomato sauce on everything and I appreciate a jar of Dolmio like it is a fine glass of wine. And with the mention of wine, this will be my lifeline. You can have one glass of either red or white daily and I think that will help me get through it all. Looking at calorie-free sweet things like young Gustaf will also help.

I have never been much of a diet person and I don't have a very good track-record when it comes to these things. I once tried the lemon detox diet but gave up after 8 hours and ordered Dominos instead. I do think it will be different this time because I want to see how my body reacts and plan ahead to avoid the afternoon sump and the first week you swap. I will swap my Nutella for peanut butter (Macro does an amazing organic version with 100% peanuts), the Up & Go for chai tea and along the way I will figure out the rest. Hopefully this will be a fun experience!

I would love to know if you have ever tried to eliminate anything from your diet? Have you done a detox?

Xx

Pin It

Pink and Sparkly Nails with Rimmel + Darling

There is something so fresh and nice about pink nails and finding the right shade can prove to be quite a  journey. I received the Rimmel Lasting Finish polish in the Priceline Free Beauty Bag and I was excited to receive it in the shade Strawberry Fizz.

What was more impressive was the fruity scent I could smell coming out of the bottle. It was even stronger once my nails dried. I do have to apologise to my dear colleague Alie because I made her smell my nails. I hope she will recover one day.

If you couldn't tell, my sweater motto is "go loud or go home". This one is from Jay Jays and truly connects me with my Nordic heritage.

After a couple of days I added my new Darling Paillette Top Coat in 24k to the mix and I loved the result. Loved! 24 k has large glitter pieces and they look absolutely divine.

I do know that many people stay away from glittery polish because it can be a handful to remove. When it came to removing the glitter tips I just soaked the cotton bud in nail polish remover and placed it over the nail for about a minute to soften it up. This did the trick and I am not worried about removing glitter anymore. Put on your favourite song (Princess of China)/movie (Zoolander)/show (Revenge) and you won't mind the repetitive task.

What do you think of glittery tips? Scented polish? The perfect pink?

What is your favourite song/movie/show?

Will Alie ever forgive me?

There are just too many questions and not enough answers.

Xx

Pin It