My Christmas calendar is almost over, and the experience has been rather interesting. You all seem to like me posting every day – which is a wonderful thing to hear! – but at the same time I find it hard to come up with interesting posts that often. I feel a little silly when I write one of those today-I-did-this-and-this-posts a lot of bloggers do, but I’ve realized that, especially when it comes to daily blogging, they are pretty much unavoidable. Hence, here are todays random things:

♮I went shopping for Christmas presents today. I finished all the gifts, but I also bought a rather fantastic dress with round studs and two belts at Lindex. Yes, I am weak.

♮I’m working on an “I’m-allowed-to-buy-this-in-2010-list”, which includes quality lingerie, pants and makeup brushes. More on that later.

♮I’m still pondering over what I’m going to do next year (as in August 2010). I’ve decided I want to work since I’ve been studying for five years now, but I don’t really want to work as a music teacher full-time. This means I’ll need some time to think about what to do now, not to mention how to do it. Looks like I’ll end up in Oslo, but there are a lot of issues about where to work and how to live that are very tricky. Like how do you get a job in one city when you’re currently living in another one? And how do you get a job that isn’t in retail (I’ve done that a lot, and absolutely hated it)?

♮Only nine days until Boyfriend comes up here to spend New Years’ with me and my family. Hurry, dearest!

♮As always, I’m thinking about doing something new with my hair for the new year. Common ideas are going red (wait, have you heard that before?), bangs like Brittany Murphy in that movie I wrote about, or simply getting some highlights.

♮Bye bye, Brittany Murphy. She was wonderful, don’t you think?

When it comes to the present part of Christmas, I had my Christmas Eve yesterday. You see, ever since I borrowed an SLR camera a while ago I’ve been planning to buy one for myself, and after much research and pro & con-lists with Boyfriend and Cookie, I decided I wanted a Canon EOS 500d. I planned to buy it in January when I’ll have more money, but after a while I started thinking about working out a way to buy it ASAP. This way, I could experiment and learn how to use the camera when I have no school or other things keeping me busy, and I could take lots and lots of Christmas photos.

Yesterday I went with my mother to town to do some errands, and we decided to stop by a place where I could buy the camera. Now, I knew I wanted a tripod and a better lense than the one that comes with the camera, but I’d decided to buy them in January and probably online. But… well, what was I supposed to do when the shop had a rather sturdy tripod I could afford and the exact same lense I’d been drooling over online (which was a Canon 50mm f/1.8, for you nerdy darlings)? So, yeah, my Christmas came a little early, and I’m practically melting with joy every time I see him – yes, my camera is a “him”, and he hasn’t got a name – yet (any suggestions?).

I am determined to fill the blog with better photos from now on, as they really do make all the difference. Just to let you see how much of a difference, I shot pretty much the same photo with the two old and the new camera. None of these photos have been changed in any way, except for me writing on them, that is.

When the image gets this lovely from just using the automatic settings on my EOS, can you imagine what one could do when one understands more about the manual settings? I’m in love!

Dear readers – something quite extraordinary happened today. I was walking through that trusted old joint H&M, not even looking for someone in particular, but merely enjoying the Christmas spirits. My eyes drifted towards the sales’ section, where you can usually find something to satisfy a desperate urge without paying too big a price, but where True Love can rarely be bargained for. I felt something inexplicable draw me towards a group of individuals which I usually cannot be troubled to even glance at: the jackets. Now, I have to admit, jackets simply aren’t my type. They’re usually too short or too long for my liking, have weird shapes and don’t go well with my other darlings. But this one… I knew straight away he was special.

As I approached him, feigning indifference, I realized I felt strangely attracted to his appearance. Neither too short nor too long, slightly on the thinner side, with defined angles and strong shoulders – what was there not to like? As we touched for the first time, he was much softer than I’d expected, and I liked how he molded his shape to fit my hands. I decided to get slightly more personal, and allowed him into one of the tiny booths with me. He embraced me oh, so gently with a silky touch, and snuggled up around my waist. I liked that even though his caress was rather tight, I didn’t feel constricted at all, and he wasn’t trying to strangle me like some of the guys from my past.

Now, I don’t indulge in debauchery very often, but I have to admit… I brought him home with me. And I truly believe he will keep my heart warm for many years to come, and we might be very happy together! As for him being in the sales’ section… well, don’t hold it against the guy. It only meant we were both looking for the same thing: someone to love.

A few days ago I found this Norwegian online store called NEGLEMAKERIET, and I am now a huge fan. Not only do they sell all sorts of things I have been looking for (more on that in my next post!), but they have a special offer for bloggers (I just received a mail informing me that this applies to international bloggers as well as Norwegian ones, huzza!). If you add one of their badges to your sidebar and agree to keep it there for a year, you get a gift card of 200,- NOK to spend in their shop as you wish. You can use it to buy things for a blog giveaway or a contest, or you can simply use it yourself. I have to admit I chose the last one… but what kind of blogger would I be if I hadn’t tested this before recommending it to you?

I discovered this blogger’s deal on Tuesday this week, added the shop’s badge to my sidebar and sent them an e-mail to let them know. About one hour later (no, I am not joking!) I received an e-mail with a sweet thank you from Neglemakeriet, and my gift card. I made my order on Wednesday, got a mail yesterday telling me they’d shipped my package, and today I found a tiny little package in my mailbox. This is the fastest and most pleasant shopping experience I have ever had, and I can do nothing but recommend Neglemakeriet to anyone reading this (including you non-bloggers, of course). A separate post concerning the actual products coming up, darlings!

Oh, and for you international people: they do offer international shipping, and are more than welcome to help you with ordering and figuring out the prices and shipping cost. The actual shop is in Norwegian, but their ENGLISH INFORMATION PAGE tells you everything you need to know.

T-shirt from H&M

Amazingly flattering dress from H&M, jewelled headband from Bik Bok

Depend nail polishes, from left nr. 115, nr. 176, nr. 170 and nr. 169.

I’m back in Tromsø and back at school, and with my fingernails painted in Depend’s nr. 176. It’s a little wonder of a polish, changing between grey, purple and blue depending on the light. I love Depend’s tiny bottles as they’re so cheap I can buy four colours at once without feeling guilty. In a day or two I hope to be tapping away at a new MacBook Pro with nails painted in no. 170 (which is quite lighter than in the photo, by the way), but right now I intend to watch the seventh episode of Project Runway, season 6, before tackling that mess of a suitcase that occupies most of my floor. Have a lovely day, darlings!

PS: What do you think of my new header?

Not only did I find Dita Von Teese’s book “Burlesque and the Art of the Teese” and an insanely gorgeous feather hair clip (from Gina Tricot), but I am now also the happy owner of…

Corset/waspie from H&M

Gossip Girl, Season 1 and velvet gloves from H&M

Elastic belt from Zara

Biotherm’s Lait Corporel and Masterpiece Max Mascara by Max Factor

T-shirt from Tori Amos’ Abnormally Attracted To Sin Tour

I also found two wonderful, simple cardigans (one black and one a royal blue) and a lovely black skirt, but I’ll show you them in an outfit post some other time. At the moment I’m back at my mother’s place for the autumn break, where I intend to lazy around in comfortable (and unbecoming!) clothes and spend as much time as possible with the best sisters in the world.

Ingvild and I went shopping today, where I found this gorgeous feather hair clip at Gina Tricot. It’ll be perfect for creating a slightly burlesque look, and can be used either in my hair or as a brooch. I also adopted a blue, flowy cardigan, a zebra print belt, a black waist cincher and the first season of Gossip Girl on DVD (199,- NOK in Platekompaniet, if anyone’s interested…). Ingvild wore the most goregous vintage dress, and we also found her the perfect shade of lipstick. Wonderful day, actually – and I’ll show you pictures of my purchases once I’m a little less busy, I promise!

Sometimes Ingvild is simply illegally pretty.

I am in love with Ingvild’s camera, by the way. I want a fancy one too, that can make the background blurry and captures the colours so beautifully I don’t have to edit them at all.

Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones

Every – fashionista – should – read – this – book. This week I have classes in Music Artist Development (incredibly interesting, by the way!) for seven hours each day, but I have still sneaked in some time to read this book… for the second time. The author has interviewed a whole bunch of people in the fashion industry, and then put all the stories and experiences into one (fictional) designer’s life. We are taken through the creation of a fashion collection from start to finish, and get lots of juicy gossip and interesting facts along the way. It reads like a charm, and is very well written – I actually like Fashion Babylon even more than I like The Devil Wears Prada! And that’s saying something.

Ever since I started using makeup on a regular basis, I’ve been rather good at removing it at the end of the day. I’ve also had my round of experimenting with masks from H&M (usually while watching something very girly during a girls’ night in), and I’m fortunate enough to have a fairly well-behaved skin without having to work for it that much. But ever since I started reading this blog (it’s in Norwegian, but translates rather well to English with Google Translate), I’ve given much more thoughts to beauty in general, and skin care in particular.

Even though I’ve never had very problematic skin, it’s still looked kind of dull for a few years now, and even though impurities aren’t affecting my entire life, they tend to pop up at the most annoying of times. My habits with moisturizer have been pretty much non-existent for a couple of years now, except for a bit of aloe vera during summer. My skin care products have usually been impulsively bought at H&M or the local drugstore, without a second thought to the actual ingredients or the effects these might have on my skin. But Hilde Christina’s blog has made me realize that skin care is rather like food – if the ingredients aren’t good, the result won’t be.

You see, products bought at H&M or the likes usually contain lousy ingredients, that often dry out your skin (usually in anti-acne products) or contain stupid things that clog your pores (a very useful list of bad ingredients can be found here). None of these are good in any way, and won’t give you your best skin possible – which is what we all want, right?

After having been ashamed of my lack of proper skin care regimen for a long time, I decided to go all the way and do things properly. I’ve looked at Dermalogica products a fair few times at Strawberrynet, but always discarded them as they are quite expensive and it’s much more fun to buy a lipstick (or something else that will give you results/a tiny makeover the moment you receive it). But no more! I first visited a skin care salon to get some samples of Dermalogica products (I chose Dermalogica because it was approved by Hilde Christina, and because a friend of mine with the most amazing skin uses it – yes, I am easily influenced!), and a couple of weeks ago I ordered a full Dermalogica regimen. I used LookFantastic, but I suggest you choose Strawberrynet if you wish to order expensive things, as they refund any expenses you get because of custom duties. My products ended up costing 50% more because of customs, and I also had to wait for a long time while they were being processed.

I am now the proud owner of the Ultracalming Cleanser, the Daily Microfoliant, a Soothing Protection Spray and Barrier Repair. I chose products for sensitive skin, as one of the reasons for my skin care epiphany was that my then current cleanser (Pureté Thermale from Vichy)  suddenly made my skin feel itchy and red. I’ve been using the products for almost a week, and as of now my skin definitely feels softer, and it also looks less shiny. I’ve been getting some impurities lately, but they’re not as aggressive as they used to be. According to Hilde Christina this will usually happen when switching to a good skin care regimen, because the skin suddenly realizes it doesn’t need to produce extra sebum (to compensate for the damage done by bad products), so the skin will simply rid itself of the excess. I’ll definitely keep you posted – if you guys can bear more text-heavy posts, that is… Brownie-points to whoever stuck with me to the end ★ And I’d love to hear about your skin care experiences!

Since I’m at my mother’s and have nothing better to do, my mother decided it was time for me to clear out all my old junk that’s been resting peacefully in drawers and boxes in what used to be my room. I came across this huge box packed with old accessories – most of it junk, but I did find some treasures to take with me back home as well. Some of it actually belonged to my mother in the 80’s, such as the big gold cuff and the dangling, golden earrings. I’ve been feeling so bored of my look lately, but I have a feeling all this glitter can help me back on a good track, and more is more might just become my new slogan.

Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned. But who could possibly resist true love? It was destiny, I’m sure of it. When we entered the shopping mall today, I told Boo I was not allowed to buy shoes… unless I could find a pair with high enough heels (though not too high), with a rough sole (so I won’t break anything when the snow comes) and that would be warm and tough enough for the Norwegian winter. We entered the shoe store, and I swear, sunlight flooded from the sky (well, ceiling) and I heard a choir of angels from heav’n above (or maybe just some pop artist from the speakerphones). And, miracle of all miracles – they fit perfectly! They were comfortable! They were wide enough for my flat-footed feet! So, yes, I bought shoes today. And I love them.

I also found some new sparkly things; small hairpins that will look great in a vintage-inspired hairstyle, and earrings that I have already decided to wear for the premiere of Coco Avant Chanel next week.

(my little sister, Miriam)

Yesterday I turned 23. It was the best birthday I’ve had since I was a little girl, probably because of the best boyfriend, the best friends and the best family in the world (thank you so much, guys!). I got a new bag, hair accessories, flowers, clothes and chocolates – and Boyfriend earned something like a trillion boyfriend points when he got me a Bamboo (which I’ve suitably named just Bam).

For those of you out there who aren’t supernerds, Bam is a so-called “pen tablet”, which in not-nerdy-language means it’s like a pen and paper, only you can plug it into your computer and create magic with it. I’ve played around with it and my MacBook ever since I got it (taking some breaks, naturally, to eat cake with Boyfriend and Boo, to be surprised with a country-fied version of the birthday song and to watch Dead Man), and I’m so much in love I consider permanently attaching it to my body somehow. You can do everything with Bam! Below are a couple of things I’ve played around with, just to give you an idea. Expect more Bamified photos to come (although I’ll try to give them a more fashionable twist in the future – this is supposed to be a fashion blog, after all).

My sister’s very fashionable friend Sigrid (you don’t mind, do you, darling?)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Yes, that’s right, my blog boutique – Lost In A Spotless Wardrobe – is finally up and running! It took a lot more time than I’d expected, but now there are 26 lovely items for sale. Do drop by and tell me what you think – I can’t wait to hear it!

Some of you might remember that a while ago I showed you the collage I’d made to hang over my piano (if you can’t remember- fear not! The post is right here). Well, I really like the pictures of Emma, but when Boyfriend found that genius program called The Rasterbator I decided it was time for a change. Put simply, the Rasterbator takes a digital image of your choice and turns it into millions of tiny dots (when looking at it from a distance, the eye can’t see the dots and it simply looks like a regular image). The Rasterbator then creates a pdf-file where the image is spread over as many regular sheets of paper as you wish (thus creating an image that is as big as you’d like).

As you can see, my image is quite big, though I think it would have looked better if it was even larger. I love the symbolism in having the picture of Lucy peeking into the wardrobe hanging right above my piano – sometimes I feel just like Lucy going to Narnia when I’m making a new song.

To create your own gigantic picture, simply do this:

♥ Download The Rasterbator. Yes, you can simply rasterbate images online, but the downloaded version allows you to choose smaller dots, thus creating a better final result.

TIP: If you are using Windows, the program should run just fine. If you’re on a Mac, however, you’ll need to follow these guidelines to make the program work. It might be handy to have a Mac-nerd at hand, since the instructions require that you have some knowledge of working with the Terminal and other nerdy things.

♥ Find a photo you want on your wall. This is actually what I found most difficult, and I had a hard time deciding between Lucy or an image from the kiss-in-the-rain-scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

TIP: It might be helpful to know that if you have a very small room and want it to appear larger, choose an image with some depth in it. The Lucy picture made my tiny room seem so much bigger, and it took me a while to figure out why…

♥ When you choose your image, keep in mind that the bigger the picture, the better the quality of the final result.

TIP: You can do this to enlarge an image that is a little small. Boyfriend did this to my Lucy-image (it was originally 1400×1034 pixels big), but unless you’re a real nerd, you should probably find one to help you before attempting this as the procedure is quite complicated. For the less nerdy of you out there, simply choose the biggest image you can find of your chosen motif.

♥ Run your chosen image through the Rasterbator program. This is where you choose how big you want the final picture, whether you want it in black&white or colours, and how small dots you want.

TIP: I chose dots the size of 2mm. This creates an image that looks good even from a rather short distance, but your printer won’t have to work itself to death.

TIP 2: If you choose it print it in colours, it will use A LOT of ink. If you want it in black&white like mine, the best way to do this is to use an image editior (I use Pixelmator) to make the picture black&white, then choose “multi-color” in the Rasterbator. This will create a black&white picture with lots of detail and shadings, compared to simply choosing black&white in the Rasterbator.

♥ Print the pdf-file that the program created. I strongly recommend printing it on paper originally intended for drawing or painting, as regular printing paper is very thin and will become bumpy because of all the ink.

♥ Before you do anything else, number the sheets with a pencil on the back. This will save you lots of time puzzling it together if the order becomes messed up somehow.

♥ Cut off all the margins on each sheet. The best way is to use a ruler and a utility knife, as the edges have to be as straight as possible to create a good final result.

♥ Attach the topmost row (a strip of the sheets going from left to right) of sheets to each other (check to see that the pages are lined up correctly first) by taping them together from the back. Use a little tape first, check that the result is good, then use more tape to secure it.

♥ When you’ve taped all the rows separately, use tape to attach the rows to each other. Again, use a little tape first, work with it until it looks good, then use lots of tape to secure it.

Voilá – you’re done! If anyone managed to get through this insanely long and nerdy post and decide to create an image of their own, please leave me a comment so I can see how it turned out. And a more fashionable post is on its way, if anyone got concerned with my level of nerdiness…

Being back in the town where I grew up means a lot of things. It means I can spend time with my little sisters, who are without a doubt the best sisters in the world (and yes, I will fight you over that one!). It means missing my boyfriend, who’s still back in Tromsø. It means not having to pay for any food for as long as I’m here. It also means that sometimes my mother decides I’ve earned a little something if I’ve helped her with the housework, and sends me out with the permission to “find myself something pretty” and pay for it with her credit card – like these incredibly soft denim shorts from H&M.

It also means that I’m able to find this gorgeous necklace with a 50% discount, since nobody in this city seem to care much about fashion (with a few, crucial exceptions, of course) and lovely things end up on sale. I actually featured this in one of my polyvores in a post about packing a while ago – and now I can wear it myself on holiday in Spain in August!

This city also has a weird little Chinese shop that is packed with home decorating items and accessories. Yesterday they coincidently had a 50% sale on everything in the shop, and I couldn’t resist this necklace (the colours remind me of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha – if you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend it, by the way).

This ring also accompanied me home, since it’s the perfect size, colour and shape. I plan to wear it on my middle finger on those days when I need a quick fix to improve an outfit.

PS: Yes, the title of this post is also the title of a Spice Girls song. I couldn’t help it, since it fit oh-so-perfectly with the post.

Whenever Lindex is having a sale on lingerie, I know it’s a definite danger zone and I must avoid the place at all costs. But what is a poor fashionista to do when Mother sends her to buy bread in the same shopping mall as said danger zone?

Realize that she’s fighting a losing battle, and instead be thankful for the fact that this is such a small town that nobody realizes how amazing these so-called “blazer bras” are… which means the nude one cost me 29,- NOK ($ 4,5) and the black one 75,- NOK ($ 8,5).

Summer also means new bikinis, and since I’ve outgrown my old ones I invested in a couple of new ones. The best thing is that (with a little experimentation) I found a way to use them both as halternecks and as ordinary strapped ones. Now all I have to do is slip into my denim cutoffs and I’ll be ready to wash my mother’s car this afternoon. I love summer ♥

Yes, I did dye my hair, and I really like how it looks in the sunshine – this here being the midnight sun, as my sister shot these at around 2 a.m. When I’m not in direct sunlight it looks almost like before, only darker and slightly more red/purple. The picture on the hair colour box looked much more red and golden, but I think I might like my new shade any way. What do you guys think?

White jacket: Popin, lacy “blazer bra”: Lindex, belt: Fretex, skirt: made by my sister’s friend Anniell, nail polish: Depend nr. 144.