Christmas list

Dear family,

As I know how lazy you are, here is my 2012 Christmas list, spoon-fed to you :)

Of course, as always, money, houses and private jets are also welcome, although they'd make difficult items to return in case they do not suit my tastes.

Yours dearly,

The Inglorious Editor

PS: And here's a link bonanza in case you needed that extra special help

Earrings

Bestiary friend

Totem

Lipstick

Organiser

I will leave the research for the cardigan and the beanie bag to you.

PS2: Extra ideas - you know you just can't go wrong with more clothes and shoes, Dance Central 3 (let's just make it a tradition), books (lots of books!) or trips.

Happy early Christmas!

Mixed Tape 01*

I've always enjoyed discovering random artists, so when Jennie Masters posted this video of Jessie Ware I became obsessed with Wildest Moments. It's not something I would usually go for (if you know me, you'd know I cringe at that 80's vibe), but man she's good!

source

The only thing I miss right now are the mountain trips I used to take back home. Seriously planning one next summer! Romania has some of the most amazing views (and really good weather :D ) and Alexandra's blog is purely amazing!

source

As we're talking holidays here, I must admit that I have really enjoyed The Londoner's Yacht Week adventures! Yacht Week sounds like such a fun thing to do!

More amazingness

• This Looking Into the Past post places past pictures in present day situations. It is almost as amazing as these photos of 5 friends, taken every 5 years since 1982! I wish I have thought of that first!
• Seeing the queen almost a month ago made me quite happy (and somehow proud, although I am not British). Therefore reading The Little Princesses: The Story Of The Queen's Childhood By Her Nanny Crawfie felt like a little treat. Later on, I watched several documentaries that fed my Royal Family obsession, among which Channel 4's The Real King's Speech.  
• If you love cats, cool photography and orange, then you would probably really love Sara's blog. She's a photographer and has a fat orange cat. I love fat orange pets!
• I wish I was born with a hairdo like this! 
• Drooling over Liz Earle's new makeup range! Since Nicoletta wrote about the Nectar cream blush, I secretly keep coming back to her post. What a pretty colour!

As I waste so much time on the www, I would really appreciate if you'd send me the links to your favourite stuff! 

Ta!

*Mixed Tape is the generic name given by the Editor to a weekly post that contains a compilation of things she has enjoyed lately, whether this includes music, fashion, art, blogs or any other random thing worthy of one's attention.

MAC Counter Experience - Double Fail. Long Live Estee Lauder!

(photo)

Some time ago, I got caught into this MAC craze and thought it was high time I should hit their counters and let myself be transformed into a marvelously good looking lady. I kept visiting their website and making lists over lists of must-have products, calculating and then recalculating my budget all over again.

Today, so close to my birthday, I hit one of their counters hoping I would come out of there full of content and a "Smile and wave, boys!" attitude. 

Enter first MAC counter. Ant hill. 5 or 6 assistants and I still waited for half an hour to be sat down and asked what I wished for. 

"A foundation", I shyly replied. "But I need to be colour matched". 

The lady took her brush, disappeared for 5 minutes and came back, starting to apply some kind of foundation on my face. 

Whoa, lady! I still have my old one on! But my saying went by unheard. 

Half a cheek done (she didn't even let me take my glasses off) and she asks: 

"Do you like it?" 

I look in the mirror and I am horrified. 

"No, I don't. It's cakey, the colour is not good and it looks like concrete." 

"That's because you have to use a primer" 

And she starts slapping some primer on, OVER the foundation that she had just applied, subsequently over my own foundation. Then she applied another layer of foundation. I was so shocked that, in my stupidness, I could not even begin to say where she did wrong. 

I said "Thank you" and headed to another MAC counter, a few minutes away.

Enter second counter. Ant hill, but friendlier staff. Was sat down immediately. Slap primer, slap foundation. Been better colour matched, but the foundation was clearly not good for my skin type. It flaked away, caked, then turned my face into a mirror during one hour! And none of these shops did samples! I mean - come on, are you guys that good now that customers actually have to beg you to notice them?! And when you actually DO notice them - you make a fool of yourselves and your products? 

So I headed to an Estee Lauder counter where a very, very nice lady sat me down again, removed my bad makeup, toned my skin, moisturized it and then applied my foundation - explaining every single thing she was doing. At the end, so I would not get out of the store looking like a ghoul, she applied some blush and a little lipstick and gave me samples of 70% of the products she used on me. I am so pleased with everything she helped me with and the foundation (Double Wear, by the way) still looks great now, 5 hours since application. 

I am so curious: did any of you have problems with the MAC ladies or did I just have a bad day? :D

The Annual Obligatory Birthday Wish List

As required by friends and relatives

I swore I wouldn't ask for anything this year. Except a proper foundation - which I wanted to buy myself (so I would feel sort of empowered that I can now afford ONE high end makeup item, haha!) - there is nothing I absolutely need. So I told everybody that I did not wish for anything in particular. Which was so damn true!

But they kept pestering me for months and months, so I planned this visual aiding gift guide containing stuff I kept bookmarking over the months.

I know these things are quite expensive, but hey! This is a strategy that would, hopefully, make my loved ones redirect to affordable stuff they considered themselves. I've always hated making birthday wish lists and preferred to see what others thought I would like.

Plus I am not materialistic, so a card made with love would also do! :D

I've always been curious: do you enjoy making lists for friends or would rather have a surprise on your birthday?

Ta.

Chocomania Fail

Chocomania was supposed to be this winter's revelation, but I've rarely encountered such a strange smell in a Body Shop butter before. 

I swear I was so excited when the 'chocolaty' launch was announced that I literally could not go to sleep for days. I thought, like a hopeless chocolate consumer that I am, that I was about to encounter my new signature scent. 

Alas, the wicked Body Shop makes an offer I could not refuse and, for 48 hours only, they propose free shipping on Chocomania butters two weeks before its official release. So I buy it. 

If you already own the Cocoa and Shea moisturizers, then know this: Chocomania is a failed combination between these two! I am not saying that it smells disgusting - hell, even I use it now (sure I do, I'm now £9 poorer)  - but come on, people! Where is your imagination?! Why would I want to repurchase something that already reminds me of two of your other products? Ha?! 

And explain this! Why would you even bring up that fact that it offers a 48 hour hydration?! Why would I want to skip my shower so many times in a row?! 

I honestly don't know if I read a truly happy bunny's review on this one, guys.

Is there anybody in this world that will actually sob when this range goes off the market?

Yours truly, 

The Deceived Editor

Christmas and Updates

Happy Holidays to you all!

I had a really great time yesterday with some friends coming over, playing Dance Central 2 (one of my Xmas gifts) and then a staggering 6 hour Mortal Combat marathon. Geeky fun :)

Currently listening to some Christmas Michael Buble songs (am I the ONLY one out there who loves this guy?!) and missing my family so much. Oh well!

I've been really good this year and received some pretty awesome presents that I cannot wait to wear. I also plan on buying myself a pair of sneakers.

I love reading Christmas posts so link me to some! How was your day?

The Navajo/ Inca Print Craze

A week ago I saw these Victory boot-trainers in Debenhams' shop window and decided they should be mine. A pair of skinny jeans and a new cardigan later, I had them. My clothes had to match!

Since then, I've fallen in love with a few other items that celebrate the Navajo/ Inca culture by their design. Enjoy!

This necklace has to be one of the coolest things on the face of Earth!

When I'll become the most famous Inglorious Editor in the world, this bag will be mine! Aaaaall mine! 

A penny for your thoughts! Or a lipstick! Actually, I think this wristlet can handle them all :)

What do you think? Like this craze or not?

Blogger Outfit Inspiration

Having the flu is not a good thing. Ever. This morning I woke up way too early for a Saturday and got to my regular blog reading.

The first one on my list was Laura's Only Half Dressed. I super loved her skirt (it's one of the items I've wanted to buy from Primark for ages, but just did not get the chance to do it) and was also in an 'artsy' mood, so this is what I came up with.

I really hope she likes it :P

You can find her original outfit here.

What do you say? Just for fun - would you like a drawing of your own outfit? :P

What autumn means to an Inglorious Editor

Good Times. Bad Times

Every time I read some of the blogs I follow, I wish I was a better blogger. But sometimes life is too boring to blog about and some other times life's too hard. 

I've had some tough times coming my way and I wasted so much energy trying to fight everything that was thrown my way. Things have not been solved yet and until I sort my career out nothing will be 100% right. Without wanting to upset anybody, there's one thing I have learnt these few months and it is not pretty: never work for Asian people again. I am pretty sure there are lots of decent people out there, but my experience has shown the other way round. They're cheap, mean and pay you so so little. If you've got the "luck" to be the only white gal in there, they will eat you alive and then laugh at you in their own language.

On a brighter note, I will be finally getting the chance to visit my family and friends again in a month's time and boy, am I glad! I've already planned a big girls' night out with lots of dancing. If there's anything more I love doing in this world than dancing, that's eating sweets. Bearing in mind that for me eating chocolate regularly is a purpose in life, then you can only imagine that, as second on my list, dancing is pretty awesome too (part of my philosophy in life :D )

I have also started a new diet and I'm in my second day now; oh, man, I am 98% sure I will cave in and have chocolate. If I come to think about it actually, I am rather like Charlie and the candy mountain. Fingers crossed they will not take my kidney.

Looks like stupid thoughts come out of my head at this late hour, therefore, in order to save my dignity, I will stop writing this post NOW.