Monday 16 May 2016

This week in hair

There really isn't so much "in hair" about my "week in hair", is there?
It feels a bit boring to write about, because it makes me realise how little time I actually spend messing with my hair!

Monday
Skin is increasingly unhappy. Looks like I have a bunch of closed comedones (Tiny whiteheads that don't come to a head and can't be squeezed like normal whiteheads) now? Stupid skin.
I switch to a honey and hemp oil routine, that usually calms my skin but also has a tendency to cause real whiteheads. Anxiously awaiting my Testerkorea haul!

My hair is in a Chinese bun.
My in laws come down from Stockholm for a visit and we have dinner together. We go to a a buffet style restaurant here that I have a hate/love relationship with. I love it because it has sushi, Thai and Chinese food at a good quality for a decent price. But I also hate it because it's exactly so good that we often end up going there instead of trying something new.

Tuesday
My hair is in a braided Nautilus bun with plenty of sun SPF. It's a really hot and sunny day!

I have taken a few days off to spend time with Hubby and the inlaws. Today we go to the Botanical garden in Lund. It's been in the present location since it was set up 1862–1867 after having been moved from the original location where it first was planted in 1690.


They have a guided tour for pensioners that we have signed them up for.


We're actually a bit jealous that we're not even allowed to join and hear about the history of the place, the plants and the animals...


My beloved Mr. Igor and I taking our own tour of the green houses.


The quails are so cute!
They're king quails, which is actually the smallest quail.
I really like this picture... If you didn't know the scale, it would look exactly like a chubby dinosaur stomping around in a Cretaceous jungle.


This little fountain made a really cool fog effect. I guess the humidity is too high for the vapor to absorb in the air, so it flows down like a waterfall?


Afterwards, we had coffee and cake outside at the awesome little cafe at the pond. They make the best cakes!
We made friends with this cute little beggar :)

Wednesday
Another hot and sunny day! My hair is in my nameless braided stick bun. My hair is a bit unhappy. I think maybe the SPF spray makes it a bit hard to comb?
I get a compliment from a stranger in town! It always makes me shy and stuttering, lol.

We play tourists around Lund.
I took some pictures from inside Lund cathedral to share :)
The build was finished 1145.


The astronomical clock is from 1425.


The clock shows the moon phases and has six figures that moves around while it plays a melodi.


I tried avoiding the other tourists, but got some in the pictures anyways.



Entrance to the crypt.


I'm really impressed by the cool, original wood carvings found everywhere.


In the crypt, one of the pillars have a figure clinging to it. It's the giant Finn, who legend says was the main builder on the church. He was tricked by the saint Laurentius and turned into stone.
I think it's funny how many churches have this sort of pre-christian type legends tied to them.

Thursday
I have a meeting today that I can't get out of, so I have to leave Hubby with the in-laws and go to Denmark for most of the day.

It's really hot! Despite the SPF I keep rubbing on, the skin my arms is unhappy because of all the sun it has been exposed to. Sigh.

Braided nautilus bun today. Hair is getting greasy.

Friday
Hubby and in-laws leave for Stockholm.
We both had the yellow Swedish ID card but they ran out last month. I didn't notice because I've been using my Danish drivers license for the ID-controls. I had been using my Swedish ID card since the pictures is 17 years younger (!) and actually looks like me now, but suddenly it wasn't good enough (You would think this kind of very important information might be in the media or something, but nope) so I had to use the drivers license instead and therefore didn't notice the expiration date.
(Hm, now I miss travelling. I especially always had a soft spot for Germany. I really need to be less busy so we can travel together...)
Since Hubby doesn't have a drivers license and we also found his passport had run out, it suddenly left him with no valid ID at all. When he tried to book a time to get a new passport instead (Valid for longer and works just the same) every possibility in Lund and Malmö was booked until september! The only way he could get any sort of ID this month, was if he traveled to Stockholm to get it.
But wait, it gets even stupider... Because his ID has run out, he needs someone to confirm that he is indeed him in person. Despite that I've been registered to live at the same address as Hubby for the past 6 years or so, I can't do that because I'm not Swedish. But who can confirm that? His parents who see him maybe once a year. Or his boss, whom he has never even met. Me, who live with him? Nope.

My hair is in the same braid as yesterday. I need a wash.

Saturday
My testerkorea haul arrived. 
I've been itching to do something different with my skin. In a decision that might come back and haunt me later, I start a Hadalabo-based routine up because I've been wanting to try the Gokujyun- line. 

I rinse my hair and make a braid with my favourite conditioner, the Welcos Confume Argan Treatment Hair Pack before putting a bag over and wrapping a bandage around it.

Sunday
I rinse my hair out in the morning and wash my scalp with V05, my favourite cleansing conditioner. Ah :)
Hair feels awesome!

I miss hubby. It's so weird to be all alone at home. On the plus-side, I get to play foul bachelorette frog on my own :) 

11 comments:

  1. Beautiful travelogue. Thanks for sharing. Loved it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really happy you enjoyed it! I'm always in doubt on whether I should post things like this or not. On one hand I would like to keep my blog on topic (which can be hard enough) but on the other hand I known my international readers often enjoy seeing the pictures :)

      Delete
    2. My vote is for occasional travelogues when you have the time and energy to author them. Obviously it's a bit of work...but wonderful insight. Thanks again!

      Delete
  2. I adore your pictures! I once vistited Malmö, but didn't have enough time to also make it to Lund, what a shame, it's beautiful.

    If you decide to visit Germany again and happen to be in the Aachen area, let me know ;-) It's a pretty town, you get to be in three countries at once it also has an avid reader of your blog living there :-)

    Buchfreundin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Buchfreundin! I would love to! :) I remember the most western part of Germany as being really beautiful with big, soft hills :)and thank you!

      Delete
  3. Very interesting!
    I read that you tried a completely different routine in the last days. When you do that, do you usually spot test or do you just go for it? I've been browsing reddit a lot and everyone is urging to spot-test, which I can really understand, but on the other side I'd have to test many spots on my whole face to get an accurate result.
    I've only been getting back into Asian Beauty recently so I have a lot of products coming my way that I'd love to incorporate into my routine as soon as possible.
    What's your opinion on that?

    Elina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Elina :)
      Spot testing... Well, I think it's a tricky one actually. In my opinion, spot testing won't always give you the full, honest result. For instance, if you have different skin types or different skin-needs on different parts of your body (Which everyone does!), you cannot use a spot test on your inner arm as a "clear" for using the product on your face. Also, I often find that it takes my skin a while to react one way or another (Like now with the hemp and honey) so if I spot tested, even for some days it would give me a false “clear” for using it on my face.
      So I completely agree with you: It’s not really an accurate method.
      I can see it as a useful tool for testing for instant results, like allergies. But for long term use and “building up” kind of intolerance or issues appearing? Not so much.

      (On a side note, I don’t really think Reddits Asian skincare subforum is very good… It seems more like a collection of people swarming the threads of their favourites, and with no real discussions)

      About incorporating everything… Again, I do think it’s a tricky one. I’d say it depends on two factors: A) What state your skin is in currently and B) What you have based the routine you’re about to receive on.
      Let me elaborate a bit :)
      A) If your skin is really-really unhappy right now, I’d say go for it: Just try everything you want to as soon as possible. It can’t get worse, can it? But, if your skin is relatively happy or on a “happy streak”, I would incorporate the products gradually. You don’t want to screw up your happy skin.
      B) When you picked your products, what did you base it on? Did you find an A-beauty blogger with a similar skin type and similar concerns as your own skin? Some of them are incredibly thorough and scientific in their approach to review products. If it’s something like that, I’d say go for it right away.

      Also, if you’re trying a full line of products, it might be a good idea to switch to the entire line right away. Products tend to have the same ingredients in a line, so if you find something that works for you, you may enjoy all the products in the line.

      That got long… lol
      I hope at least some of my ranting was useful ;)

      Delete
    2. Oh wow, thank you so much! That honestly helped a lot! To be honest, I don't really know what my skin wants right now. It seems to lack moisture and something from my old routine is giving me the worst CC's ever. You're right, it can't really get worse from here, this is rock bottom. I did not even realize it got so bad until it did.
      I'm still looking for someone with a similar skin type as mine but the thing is as I'm starting over from 0 again I cannot really tell what my skin needs actually are.
      I based the products I picked out on recommendations and what my skin used to work with quite well a couple of years ago. I got the Kose Deep cleansing oil + one of their foam cleansers to replace my skinfood cleansers because I have a feeling that they're the culprit even though I've been using them forever. I also have the Hada Labo foam cleanser that everyone is raving about coming my way as well as the Scinic honey ampoule and the Cosrx AHA 7 whitehead liquid, which I'm very wary to add to my routine because it's my first time working with actives and I'm a little scared. :)
      At the moment I'm just normal cleansing in the morning, moisturizer + sunscreen and in the evening I double cleanse and leave out the sunscreen.
      Again, thank you for taking your time to answer me so thoroughly!

      Delete
    3. Hi again, Elina!
      I’m really happy that it was helpful :)
      I’m so sorry your skin is being so bad right now! :(
      I struggled with “bad” skin pretty much all my life, so it makes me incredibly happy if I can help someone even just a little bit.

      I’ll try to take it from one end of…

      Have you tried one of those online skintype tests? It will help a lot and help you narrow the WTF-field down a lot. (Of course those are not 100% accurate… I end up as “dry” on a technicality, because my skin feels dry and tight if I wash with western foams, until I apply toner. Meh.)
      Well, I’m going to assume you’re a dehydrated + troubled (At least for now!) type.
      Going through my (extensive) blogger library, I can mach you to:
      Sam, who has dry and acne prone skin:
      http://www.colorcrrush.com/2015/04/updated-skincare-routine-dry-skin-acne.html
      Vanity Rex with very dry and hormonal acne:
      https://vanityrex.com/my-current-skincare-regimen/
      Cats dehydrated, combination oily skin:
      http://www.snowwhiteandtheasianpear.com/2015/07/beginners-korean-skincare-routine.html
      Good news is that they mention some of your products!
      Fiddy reviews the COSRX product here:
      https://fiftyshadesofsnail.com/2015/04/29/review-cosrx-aha-7-whitehead-power-liquid/
      Tracey has a really good post about CC’s here:
      http://www.fanserviced-b.com/review-paulas-choice-resist-weekly-resurfacing-treatment-with-10-aha/

      I just started using the Hada Labo foam cleanser and it’s totally worthy of the rave! I’m very impressed: It cleanses well and is really gentle still. It’s super rare that my sensitive skin likes something that “everyone” loves, haha…
      Actives ARE kind of scary XD But then again, so was first time you try snail too, lol. (Also, Hubby refused to kiss me for a week straight)

      A couple of questions though: Do you have any toners in your planned routine? My skin tends to get angry when I don’t have toners. Even though I know toners aren’t supposed to make your pores constrict and all that, it seems they kind of do anyways because I get annoying little breakouts without them.
      Have you tried exfoliating? (And I seriously cringe at asking this… Exfoliating is pure death for my own skin and I hate how it seems to be everyone’s kneejerk reaction to skin troubles.)
      Do you use a tool for cleansing?

      Big hug!

      Delete
    4. Aaah, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly once again!
      I honestly have no idea how my skin got this bad. I just ignored it for some months and suddenly I woke up and saw how bad it had gotten. I've had the CC's for pretty much all my life and the derm I went to wasn't very helpful about them so I'm hoping AB can help. c:

      I haven't, but I think that my skin is indeed dehydrated and troubled liek you said. I do get oily but I think that's because my skin is trying to balance itself out but failing in the process.

      Thank you for the blog suggestions! I'll have a look at them right away!
      I actually bought the COSRX product after reading Fiddy's review on it, hoping it would help me as well.

      I honestly can't wait to try the foaming cleanser, then!
      Snail isn't that scary to me but, man, I had a bad experience with chemical exfoliation when I was younger (at the derm) so I'm a little intimidated by all of that.

      To answer your questions: No, I don't have any toners in my planned routine just yet. I was thinking about getting the Kikumasamune Sake Skin Lotion (High Moisture) to add some extra moisture but that's a lotion and not a toner. What should I be looking for in a toner?

      As to exfoliation, I have but I haven't noticed any great benefits. I used a Konjac sponge daily in my evening routine for about 2 weeks but the only difference I saw was that my spots were a little angrier. Other than that, nothing changed. I also tried a mud facemask but that just dried out my skin completely.
      For the past week I haven't used any tools for cleansing.

      During my routine, my skin usually only feels tight after the moisturizer, which is a little weird. I guess it's not moisturizing enough but unfortunately I only have this one until my Tonymoly I'm Real Avocado Rich Cream (which I've really liked before!) arrives.

      Thank you so much for helping me out! :D

      Delete
    5. Oh you poor thing :( Those CC's sound really awful. I'm strangely both surprised and not surprised at all that the dermatologist wasn't any help. They seem to only be helpful with actual skin diseases and stuff and have no clue about products and allergies (She wrote with great bitterness) Booh.
      I think you're right about the oiliness being caused by dehydration: Skin cannot force hydration into itself, but it can grease up, so it does that to protect itself. Too bad skin has no concerns about your self esteem... XD
      Fiddy is pretty cool :) I really like her reviews! Too bad her skintype isn't closer to mine, heh...
      I'm totally with you on being a little intimidation with a lot of "active" skin stuff. I vividly remember all the times I tried to "mud mask my problems away" or just exfoliated until it hurt! And those who "knew" their skin stuff just claimed that was how you knew it was working. What?
      I'm not entirely sure what would work for you in a toner, but if you find that you like the Hada Labo foam cleanser, maybe give the toner a shot? Lines tend to have the same ingredients, so maybe you will enjoy it. I'm using the regular/non-light right now and it's very good and gentle. Almost essence-like in texture. Maybe you don't need it... I do like my toners but I guess I'm just a traditionalist that way. Don't try to fix it if it isn't broken, you know :)
      You know, for a product as hyped as the konjac sponge, I've heard a lot of "meh." about it. I must admit I can't really see the point: You would want to clean your pores, right? But can a sponge really do that? Wouldn't it just buff the surface? Wouldn't you need bristles to "reach" into the pores?
      Maybe try something like COSRX's brush: It's like a fluffy cloud on your face. Super soft and gentle, but the bristles are so microscopic that it takes forever for it to dry.
      Huh, that sounds really strange that your skin feels dry after? I think you're right about needing something richer... Or maybe multiple layers underneath your cream?
      I'm crossing my fingers your order will get there soon!!!

      Delete