Mieses Karma by David Safier

Yeah, after seeing the book for a long time in the shops and never beeing particularly interested by it´s incredibly boring cover design, I picked it up on one of my library trips.
Joining libraries again after years of abstinence was definitely one of my best decisions in the last months. I save an awful lot of money and space that way and it gives me a great feeling of satisfaction standing in a library, thinking you can have them all...and don´t get a bill in the end.
But back to the book. It is the story of a successful tv presenter, Kim Lange, who gets killed by a Russian satellite and has to live lives as an ant, squirrel, guinea pig, cow, etc. in order to build up good karma and finally be allowed in to the Nirvana. Accompanied by a reincarnated Casanova she tries to influence the lifes of her family, make up for the mistakes she made in her first life and in the end comes back as a human...
The story sounds a bit too simple and absurd and it is. There were points were I couldn´t be bothered reading on. But, I have to confess, other bits were quite good and even touching. As plain and unrealistic the idea and story are, I still found them thought-provoking. What if that whole reincarnation thing was true? And maybe it really could be that simple?? Would that be a comforting thought or not? Would I happier to live as a cat??
The language sometimes tries too hard to be witty and modern but I got used to it. Unfortunately the end turned out to be way too happy...
Not a great hit but better than I thought. At least the idea was original and will stay in my mind.

www.amazon.de

Goodbye...

Bought them about 4 years ago from Primark (alias Penny's) in Dublin...a size too small but they sort of fitted anyway...wore them first time on an evening walk around our b&b...were a bargain and so practical with the stretch material instead of laces...brought me several blisters and some pain...still kept them as I'm a hoarder...wore them while visiting the zoo in Berlin...now they have a hole in the sole...and it's finally time to say goodbye...and I plan on not buying things that are actually too small just cause they are cheap ;-)
Until I do it again...

Geisterfahrer

There is no real expression existing in the English language that translates into the catchy German "Geisterfahrer". Quite an interesting fact considering England and Ireland are the only two countries in Europe driving on the wrong side of the road, don´t you think?...(yes, and I can already hear the outcries now "Wrong side? We??, don´t care ;-))

www.kasper-training.de

Drop Dead Gorgeous...the weekly round of q&a

Not much more to say, Miss Winkelmann has done it again :-)
A "blogstoeckchen" about make-up...

Do you leave the house bare faced?
rarely...sometimes on sundays when I'm only out for a walk. Or when I'm going swimming, not worth it then


What is your daily make-up regime (at the moment)?
cleansing (Sebamed soap, Rival de Loop Toner)
using a light moisturiser (Boots Originals "Vanishing day cream")
sometimes dashes of foundation, sometimes not (Maybelline "Dream matte mousse")
using concealer to hide "imperfections" (the cheap P2 one looking like a lipstick)
transluscent powder (Rival de Loop Young "Fancy face powder")
black mascara (Maybelline "Great Lash")
lip balm (one of maaaany...right now the green camomille labello)
...and whatever else I think is needed, matches or I fancy at that moment (khol, eye shadow, lip stick, bronzer, etc.)


Do you like testing new products?
yes, a lot. And even more so since I started reading all the wonderful beauty blogs

Your favourite brand?
don't have one...I chose whatever I like

How much money do you spend on cosmetics?
not sure I really wanna know. I guess, just make-up without the other drugstore stuff or perfume, probably an average around 15Euros a month.

Do you have a special beauty routine for special events?
hmm...no. I think about it a lot and make plans in my head how perfect it should/could be. And end up in some sort of rush and do things pretty average. But to be honest, there are no proper special events in my life.

Your beauty tip?
go to bed earlier and get more sleep than I do normally ;-)

Do you visit beauty parlours?
no, never have. Don't have the money and don't like being in the center of attention so I'm not sure it's really me anyway

And what, in your eyes, is too much?
claw like fake fingernails...

www.babyprofi.de

Gutscheine für das Volk

Ok, hier mal eine kleine sprachliche Ausnahme meinerseits .
Auf dieser tollen Seite werden 50Euro Gutscheine vergeben und mitmachen kann jeder der eine kleine Geschichte zum Gutschein seiner Wahl bloggt. Und da die Seite deutsch ist, gehe ich mal lieber auf Nummer sicher.

Also, warum hätte ich gerne einen zalando Gutschein?
Bestellt habe ich dort noch nie muß ich sagen und eigentlich fällt mir immer nur die ziemlich dämliche Werbung im TV ein. Aber dann habe ich letzte Woche (in einem der viel zu vielen Momente in denen ich mich hätte auf Uni Geschreibsel konzentrieren sollen und stattdessen gesurft bin) doch mal einen Blick rein geworfen. Und ohne was bestimmtes zu suchen, fand ich sie auf der ersten Seite. Eine ganz tolle Handtasche die eigentlich nur danach schrie ein weiteres Opfer meiner Sammlung zu werden. Tja, ich schaute sie mir 5-6 mal an und dachte mir "Jetzt oder nie!". Tja, sie war leider leider vergriffen. Ich meldete mich für den eMail Benachrichtigungsservice an damit mir mitgeteilt würde wenn/falls sie wieder zu haben wäre. Am nächsten Mittag war es dann soweit, sie war wieder daaaaaa ( <---erst euphorisch, dann abfallender Ton)...und schon wieder weg. Pech gehabt. Seitdem warte ich brav...und bin besessen davon sie besitzen zu müssen (dabei wußte ich letzte Woche noch nicht mal von ihrer Existenz)...und bin deswegen seit neuestem an zalando.de gekettet.
Kennt ihr das auch? Diese eigentlich total lächerlichen aber doch ungemein Einkaufsverhalten bestimmenden Obsessionen?

I vowed not too...

...enter any shops in general and drugstores in special for a long long time but..I failed. I'm simply a person without the slightest hint of discipline. So what, that's what I gathered within the last 3 weeks :-)

Adidas Running shoes so I can start my new fitness regime as soon as I´m in England again (we will see...did I mention that I have no discipline ?!)
H&M sunglasses
H&M thin scarf
H&M flowery towel (was on sale for only 3€!)
essence Nail Art Remover (after reading on several blogs about it)
essence sun club eyeshadow box
essence eyeliner brush (god knows how I will master to use this one...looks scary)
essence liquid eyeliner in "London Baby"
essence eyeshadow fairytale "Humpty Dumpty" (on sale too)
Catrice eyeshadow in "Grey´s philosophy"
Catrice Blush in "Coral Sand" (don´t really use blush...but it was half price ;-))
Catrice Compact Powder (on sale too)
Bonjour Blus "Lilas D`or" (with the cutest product design ever)
p2 black crackling top coat (love it!!!)
...and my husband read my blog, thought I needed a treat again and got me the Marc Jacobs Eau so fresh "Daisy" I wanted for a while but never got round buying :-)

Return to sender II

A thing I forgot to mention in my last post but got noticed by another fellow England/Germany commuter is the fact that not only the Brits don´t put their address on envelopes, no, they don´t have their name written next to the doorbell. Outside a house or a block of flats nothing gives away who actually is living inside. So if you want to visit someone and don´t know the exact house or flat number (or even more posh, the name of the house like "Lavender Cottage" or so) you are fucked.
But the problem doesn´t end here. So you are prepared, don´t only know the name of the person but even the house number and then: you can´t find the house number written anywhere! Doesn´t apply to all houses but many don´t give away their number or name...I don´t see the point, wonder how those people ever get any post or visitors and remain German.

www.centersandsquares.com

Return to sender

One of many things about the UK that I probably will never be able to understand is that they never put the senders address on a letter. What is the point?! They remain more or less anonymous, yes, but what happens to mail that does get lost (and having had enough bad experiences with the Deutsche Post and the Royal mail I know that mistakes and lost items do happen a LOT)???
So I will remain German and always put my name and address on the top left corner of a letter and will forever hope for the best...

www,gutefrage.net

Kokowääh

www.positiv-web.de

So finally last night my friend convinced me that I wanted to see this Til Schweiger film. I´m not a big fan of him, don´t hate him either - I liked "Barefoot" and I didn´t understand the hype about "Keinohrhasen".
The story is about Henry (Til Schweiger) who is a notoriously broke scriptwriter and a womanizer. He lives a chaotic life in his über-stylish loft in Berlin until he finds a charming, 8 year old girl standing in front of his door. Quite predictably little Magdalena is the daughter he never knew off....his love life, the life of the Tristan (who so far thought he was her father) and of Henry´s ex7new girlfriend are getting mixed up. And of course they all lived happily ever after.
The film was with 126min really long so I had too much time wondering about several things:
Why does Henry always wear the same clothes? Why does he own such a posh and stylish flat when he is supposed to be the one with no money? Why must pretty much everyone in the film be so filthy rich?  Why are the fire sirens you hear throughout the film all American and not German? Why does his kitchen look perfect one day after a big fire? Why does he always take a English style Taxi - in Berlin? Why does Tristan in one scene say he has to leave for the airport and does the same one day later?

Not a bad bad film but too long, with too many mistakes and very stereotypical characters. The only one I liked and who convinced me mostly was Tristan ( Samuel Finzi -a mix of Rubens Barrichello and Mikhail Baryschnikow).

The proof of the pudding is in the eating...

my weekly questionnaire created by Miss Winkelmann :-)

What is your favourite food?
 too much to write down...but all time favourites are Red Thai Curries, beef roulade, onion bhajees, pasta with bolognese or green pesto, frikadellen and nearly everything with couscous, olives or melted cheese on top

What food do you hate?
sea food, fish with the skin still on, more adventorous meats, peanut biscuits

Do you count calories?
no, never...and it shows...:-)

What is your favourite flavour?
varies...but I love really hot and spicy food and I don't like sweet and sour too much

What is your favourite cuisine (absolutely no idea if I translated that right or not)?
Thai, Italian, Indian...German, Chinese and quite often even English

Favourite desert?
depends on how full I am already. I like pretty much everything from rice pudding to fruitsalads. The best desert I ever had (at least that's how I remember it) was a white chocolate mousse with a plum and cinnamon compote.

Do you enjoy cooking?
yes, a lot. Love the shopping bit, the preparations, everything apart from filling/emptying the dishwasher. So I cook pretty much every day.

and do you think you are a talented chef?
I'm surely not the most innovative cook but yes, I think I'm talented (wooo, I'm not normally such a show-off)

Describe your cooking style?
inspired by recipes but changing them in the way I want and experimenting quite a bit

Do you love baking?
I didn't use to and still prefer cooking but it's a great way to spend a whole evening sometimes and the family always seem to enjoy it

What inspires you?
Nicely done food photography...Jamie Oliver...hunger

Do you collect recipes and/or cookery books?
yes, I keep bits out of magazies which look like they could be useful and I buy books from time to time

What do you usually cook for guests?
which guests!?

Biggest kitchen desaster?
several...using salted butter for muffin dough, using fat reduced cream and wondered why I couldn't whip it, etc.

best insider tip?
always have enough ingredients in storage so you can be more spontaneously. Ok, not a real insider tip really :-)

Love actually

I don't know how many times I have watched this film...it must be at least 30 times and I'm still not the tiniest bit bored of it. People know it, yes, it regularly turns up at cheap dvd offers and the yearly christmas tv program, but: I think it always stands in the shadow of "Four weddings and a funeral" or "Notting Hill" (both films which I don't really like).
I saw it for the first time in cinema and fell instantly in love with all the different stories, how the tie up together and of course all the more or less lovely actors with their cute accents and eccentric behaviour. Back then I was still far away from finding my "destiny" in England...
Since then many things have changed, I fell in love with my husband and we together fell in love with this film again and again. The last scene at the airport is something we can so easily relate to as we still have to fly in order to spend time together again.

www.geekshow.us

We know all the lines, I can't listen to "Love is all around" on the radio without daydreaming and we always think it is incredibly funny to say "Table! Ohhh, it's the same".
So one of my favourite films of all times, "our" film and now even our wedding bands say "Love actually is all around"...Kitsch? Maybe...but who cares :-)

behind the bathroom door...

Miss Winkelmann has tagged me in her post about her daily skin- and haircare regime. As I always love to see what other people are using I now tried it as well (and it is my first collage so forgive me the shitty layout). I'm in the fortunate situation to use 4 bathrooms (don't wanna show off, honest :-), just two in Germany and England) so use a lot of different products alltogether. But here is what I use right now at home in my flat.

hair:
Rossmann Yung Asia Shampoo (unfortunately not available anymore, I simply take too long working through my hoard)
Rossmann Isana Seidenglanz Conditioner (lovely product and outstandingly cheap with 0,69Euro for 300ml)
Rossmann Isana Seidenglanz Spray Conditioner (great for detangling and not weighing down fine hair)
Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment (doesn't do miracles but is a nice hair mask smelling of "Angel"...and the thought is what counts after all)

body:
Balea Costa de Mexico Shower Gel (was a limited Edition last summer so a one off again)
8x4 Heavenly Roll-on (again, limited but love all 8x4 deos really)
there should be a body lotion...but I confess, I'm too lazy at the moment...

skin:
Sebamed Soap (cheap, a classic product, smells healthy and soothing and works wonders on my skin)
Rossmann Rival de Loop Skin Tonic with gingko and cucumber (refreshing and not harsh)
Boots Originals Vanishing Face Cream (part of their retro-range, unfortunately not in stock anymore. A real shame as it has a lovely glass pot, smells perfectly old-fashioned and leaves my skin moist but without any greasiness)
Rossmann Alterra Wildrose Night Cream (the line for youngish skin with the first tiny wrinkles appearing...oh well)

H&M...impressed!

Today I went to H&M again after a long time of not finding anything there and eventually losing interest. Probably started about 2 years ago. I found H&M too expensive, too ordinary (they were behind what I had seen and shopped in England already months before) and I got fed up that the one in our town was a constant building site. Anyway, the mild weather and my shopping mood made me pop into one of the Frankfurt stores and what shall I say!? Loved it! Only spend a short time there but it all felt really stylish, fresh and chic. Bought 3 tops in the end and will return to look for more. So, have to change my opinion again...at least this season H&M seems to be back on track again (although the accesoires and expecially the bags are still boring).
Got those two shirts and a lovely coral coloured jersey cardigan which is unfortunately not on the website. If only I wouldn't love all the colours at the moment so much :-)

www.hm.com

www.hm.com

...I now pronounce you husband and wife

Another "Blogstoeckchen" I caught from the lovely Miss Winkelmann...perfect subject for me so, watch out, this will be a longer post now :-)

background?

always been convinced that I never would get married in my life (even wrote that in my Abitur English exam so this opinion is more or less official ;-)). Never been attracted by all the fuss, never thought a big fat white robe would suit my "voluptous" body, wasn´t convinced I would ever meet Mr. Right and always been fairly embarassed by anything mainstream.

proposal?

In the middle of Terminal 2, Frankfurt. I knew it was coming but didn´t know when or where...but I gave enough hints and inspiration to get exactly the engagement ring I dreamed of :-)

ring?

I had to be a classic diamond, the normal brilliant cut I consider boring, a heart kitsch, a tear bad luck, don´t like yellow gold, so: a platinum ring with a baguette cut stone, perfect and simple. Wear it everyday.

www.hkjewellery.co.uk

Stage directions?

registry office, weekday afternoon, colliding with a civil servant strike so at the end: champagne listening to "What do we want? More money! When do we want it? Now!"

Season?

summer

Food?

a Fortnum&Mason picknick hamper, 4 bottles of champagne and a few sandwiches and packs of crisps

Cake?

no

Dress?

tried a lot. In the end it was a BHS bridal skirt used as a kind of petticoat, a 25pound New Look dress, New Look white peeptoe pumps, Longchamp handbag. FlipFlops for the beach... 

Guestlist?

a booked photographer...and an old treacher of mine from Germany with his wife as witnesses (unfortunately still needed in the UK). Hardly knew him, just knew he lives in Brighton during the summer. Asked him months before, had no phone number or anything. Hope he would turn up and - he did! Made the whole day even more exciting, unusual and special. Sometimes meet him on the street and we have a strange connection now, but still hardly know more of each other 

Location?

Brighton 

Style/colourcode/decorations?

couldn´t decide if I want a beach theme, be a 20´s or a 50´s bride. So nothing really but mostly 50´s I guess/hope. And did my own flowers which was cheap, worked more than well and still makes me very proud.

honeymoon?

nothing. Stayed in a posh hotel suite overnight in Brighton.

best present?

nothing really. As we did it quite secret and didn´t invite anyone our wedding mostly got ignored which is a bit sad.

anything else?

- The wedding in it´s unusual way worked perfectly for us and I would do it exactly the same again today. It started my passion for wedding photography and I´m hoping to actually make sort of a profession out of this hobby one day. 

- it still makes me sad to think how few people reacted on my selfmade "Just married!" cards...

...I like the subject and I guess there will be a few more wedding related posts on their way soon :-)

Scheinfrei

www.amazon.de

On my last trip to the local library I saw this book while passing by and searching for something completely else. The title struck me - people who know me, know that I always dream about writing books. In my brain I have a few more or less complex plots laid out...and I had one title set. "Scheinfrei" was the title of one of my imaginary books...I was too late this time I guess.
To explain, the word "scheinfrei" means in university terms that you have finished all assignments and have collected all credit points so you are ready to start writing your final thesis. You could also translate it into something like "fake-freedom" which makes it (in my humble opinion) quite a clever word.
Anyway, the book itself is the story about three girls who share a flat in Germany, study and are notoriously bankrupt. Nothing special but an easy and more or less realistic read (was a bit scared first to see this book was classed as lesbian literature but that really doesn´t get too much in the story).
So I have to find a new title for my story...and finally get the damn bestseller written quick :-)

Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick

When I recorded this film I had no idea what I was going to see, I just read "photography" and thought I will give it a try. Wikipedia says: "It is based on the true story of Maria Larsson, a Swedish working class woman in the early 1900s, who wins a camera in a lottery and goes on to become a photographer."
So far so good, but this explanation makes it sound way too easy. Maria is most of all a mother of many children (lost track, might have been 7 or 8 in the end) and the forgiving wife of her alcoholic and violent husband. The film portrays her as a very strong character who survives their daily struggle and still finds the energy and passion to take photos whenever she gets the chance (and only because of a beautifully shy and romantic friendship between her and the local photographer who supports her with chemicals, new films and encouragement).

www.iconmovies.co.uk

The film shows Swedish history, shows how hard life especially for women of that time often was and, how even under the worst of circumstances, some people still can manage to feel inspired and don't give up seeing beauty in details and staying strong.
An inspiring story and a strong actress (Maria Heiskanen) make this film definitely worth seeing, especially as it comes in Swedish with subtitles and that, for me, always is part of the charm.

525600 minutes...

 another "Blogstöckchen" I found at Miss Winkelmann´s, liked and would like to pass on.


What is your favourite season and what does your choice say about you?

Summer is normally to hot and winter too cold so I´m a spring and autumn person. But if I have to pick one: autumn, suits my melancholic temper.

What is your favourite month and why?
hmm...let me think...I think it is September. Not too hot, the air starts smelling of autumn, I normally go on holidays to Guernsey...


Does winter depress you?

Sometimes yes. Not because it is so cold or so dark but it depresses and annoys me a lot when the snow stops me from meeting people, taking trains, flights, etc.

What would you prefer - sunny and warm all year round or four seasons?
Definitly four seasons! What would there be to look forward to otherwise? That first winter day when the air suddenly smells of spring, the first summer day were in the evening a hint of autumn creeps in...would miss it an awful lot.

What is the perfect winter day for you?

Sunny and snow free, christmas tea

And what belongs to a perfect summer day?
Temperatures beyond 30°, light breeze, no blisters

Do you like carneval (as celebrated in Germany)?

I was born during "Fassenacht" and celebrated it a lot when I was a child. During puberty I started hating it, now I don´t mind it again. I love dressing up and would even consider going to some carneval parties but the binge drinkers stop me, can´t stand that.

Have you ever witnessed midnight sun or long scnadinavian winter nights?

no, but my plan travelling to Helsinki one day to try out the aprox. 5 Finnish words I learned in 4 semesters is still standing

What is your favourite holiday and how do you celebrate it?

I don´t have one. Not a christmas person, easter can become a bit long, ignore Halloween...

Are you decorating your house seasonal?

no, my house is decorated more than enough all year around so I don´t need seasonal things (apart from flowers) on top of that

Do you have special traditions on christmas, easter or any other holiday?
ignoring most of it, spending a lot of time at home being lazy. Ok, eating spinach on the thursday before Easter. 

www.artinthepicture.com

and as I´m still stylish...

 ...and got another "Stylish Blogger Award" from the lovely Miss Winkelmann so theoretical  I should do another round of seven. As my perfume post yesterday got quite positive reactions I will do another one and share seven more memories with you:

www.cineclub.de

"Kouros" by YSL
A perfume for men, never owned it and never have known anyone who wears it so far. But a test strip of it is still  in one of my old diaries. I always imagined the man of my dreams to smell exactly like that. Masculine, grown-up, wise and luxurious. Not something a young man would wear, a far cry different from all the boyish fresh, cheap and clean deodorants that surrounded me. So I sat there sniffing on my diary dreaming as you do when you are 15.

"Flower" by Kenzo
I was hunting down the perfume one of my uni lecturers was wearing (not because I fancied her in any way, only because I loved the smell) and found this one. It smells fresh, flowery and somehow "sour" (in a good way) to me. Bought it in three small bottles so it ended up being the perfect holiday pick. Had it's first outing in Berlin. First time Berlin for me, icy cold and grey february, buying a T-Shirt with a Trabbi print, stalking the red Berlinale carpet and sitting in our hotel room in Kreuzberg.

"J´Adore" by Christian Dior
 This smell always transports me back to my first school trip to England in 13th grade. Arriving in Canterbury after a long and difficult trip through Belgium and and Channel. Sitting tired and homesick on my bunkbed, next door "Never be the same again" by Mel C. was playing...never would have thought that a life long love story with this country was about to begin, never be the same again indeed.

"Deep Red" by Hugo Boss
The perfume forever connected with my driving lessons. I really enjoyed them, talking to my instructor felt a bit like therapy to me. Lightened up that difficult transission between leaving school and deciding what to do next. Smells a bit of failure as well as I enjoyed the lessons but after that never got the hang of driving and haven't sat behind the wheel for nearly 9 years now...

" Loving Bouquet" by Escada
A wonderful flowery and powdery perfume that was a limited edition and is unfortunately long gone from the market. My granny bought it and it came with a cute light purple and green handbag. Used it a lot in grade 11, the year when my results in chemistry, physics and maths were all very bad and I nearly didn't make it into the 12th grade. One summer morning my teacher told me that the school conference decided that I get a chance and could progress as normal. That significant moment is imprinted with Escada...

"Daisy" by Marc Jacobs
I love the bottle, I love the scent, but: I don't own it. I spray it on every single time I am at a duty free shop and find a not-yet-sprayed-on part of my arms so it's my airport smell. Can't explain why I never got round buying it...maybe it stands for leaving one home for another and would lose it's magic if being grounded?

"Truth" by Calvin Klein
While planning my highly unusual wedding I decided that I needed a new perfume to signify that special occasion for me. I was looking for a perfume that had a mens version as well and as I already loved so many CK scents I decided on this fresh but unusual one in the plain bottle. Not much more too add, it smells of my wedding and only gets used at very special days...

Stylish blog award - my seven.

Silvii Tron from Evening Lanterns has awarded me the Stylish blog award!
It´s my first award ever (I only have 10 readers so it´s not surprising really :-)). Part of the award is that I have to post a list of seven.
Here is my version: seven perfumes that hold very powerful memories for me.

(I collect scents and really have a lot of different ones. Nearly every one of them is connected to one special memory, I only picked the first seven that I thought of but could write something about each bottle. So it´s not a list of my favourite scents)

www.hicker.de

1. "Eternity" by Calvin Klein.
One of the first perfumes I picked for myself. The only one I buy again and again. If I would have to pick a signature scent, this would be my choice. I normally use it while travelling so it reminds me of stations, excitement, experiencing something new with the comfort of smelling 100% me.

2. "Insolence" by Guerlain
Was a birthday present by my husband and he picked well. A very powerful and powdery scent, sprayed once it stays on for ages. Reminds me of that birthday in February 2008, spend together in a local animal park, me being annoyed about all the people who forgot me again.

3. "Eden" by Cacharel
A typical 90´s scent, not too expensive, very powerful and a bit weird. Fell in love with it while I fell in love with theatre. I´m not really using this one anymore but when I open the bottle - it´s all there again in seconds. The first performance of "Swan Lake" I ever saw, sitting in the stalls with my granny.

4. "Poison" by Christian Dior
This was one of the favourite perfumes of my, just mentioned, granny. I inherited her love for strong and luxurious perfumes in beautiful bottles. She changed scents a lot but I remember her most when sniffing on this one. A particular moment walking next to her on a late winter afternoon, me pulling home my sledge.

5. "Little Black Dress" by Avon
Not a big Avon lover but somehow ended up with this one years ago. I was wearing it on my first ever day at university. Meeting new people, getting adjusted to everything, the first headaches cause there seemed to be too much to take in. And sitting in the sun on the bus home being uncomfortably hot in my burgundy fake leather jacket.

6. "L´infusion d´Iris" by Prada
A relatively new perfume I fell in love with instantly. Think it smells a bit similar to the "Big" shampoo by Lush. Sprayed it on my cardigan sleeve for the first time ever at Gatwick airport on our way to Guernsey. Spend a lovely holiday and the scent lasted nearly all 5 days. Simply beautiful and such a stylish bottle too.

7. "Polo Sport for Men" by Ralph Lauren
Not something I use but I still own the bottle. Bought it after "meeting" someone online I really really liked from the first chat on.He mentioned that he uses this perfume. Silly, young me (who always was stupid enough to fall in love before having met in real) thought it was romantic to buy a bottle so I could sniff it and dream...the relationship went through some big problems before it even started...smelling it started to get painful...it hardly plays a role anymore, but: this guy now is my husband. Not his scent, not ours, but something that is romantic in a bittersweet way.


And finally I will pass on the award to seven blogs I enjoy reading and classify as "stylish". They are:

Tissue clouds
The Freelancer's Fashionblog
Miss Winkelmann - Schweigen ist silber. Reden ist gold.
KrimsKrams
Pampelmuse and me
Indivisualism
Lebe Berlin