Nothing.

God I feel old today.

Not really going anywhere with this. Just feeling 

old

and

tired

and 

heavy

and 

flat

and

sour

and

slow

. 

Not sure how to look on the bright side and make the best of it, because I can't really see this mythical bright side anywhere. 

The Real Quick Results of a Face Wash

WARNING:
girlie post ahead
contains Product names, and
is an exceptionally dull read unless you are unnaturally interested in other people's skin
OR
thinking about trying Beauty Parlour Daily Face Wash

So my sister was telling me I just had to try this product.
Use it day and night, scrub it in, leave for a bit, wash off.
The question is: Does it work?

Many adverts for skin care and beauty products claim that X percent of women who tried it observed a 'noticeable difference' after a short period of time. I never quite believed in adverts. Partly because advertisers lie, and partly because it is so easy to imagine a big difference if you want to believe the product works. I've done it myself, on several occasions, and could never prove whether something works, or whether I simply believe I look better than before. I'd like photographic evidence.

I'm not expecting a miracle. I'm not expecting to wake up one morning with perfect skin. It's just a face wash, after all. What I would like to see is my existing blemishes living their natural life and then disappear, and new ones to never, ever, ever appear. Like, EVER.

Note that this is the only product I'm using, and my diet is as shockingly unhealthy as ever if not worse. Nor am I drinking more water than before, mainly because Norwegian water tastes nasty and filthy when I'm used to English water (and English water tastes like a swimming pool when I'm used to Norwegian; both are perfectly clean and safe to drink however).

Since I have nothing else to do this week, and my skin is... well, let's face it, far from perfect - let's observe the effect for 7 days.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

 Day 6

Day 7

The morning of Day 3, I fancy I notice my skin starting to look cleaner. The pictures, however, show little or no difference from the day before. The power of faith, huh? Or wishful thinking...

Day 4, I also think my skin looks better. As the photo shows, this time it's not just wishful thinking! It has become just a little bit harder to play Connect the Dots on my face!

Since I haven't been quite disciplined enough to get these photos at the same time every day, and some days are brighter than others, the photographs may not be as reliable as evidence as they could be. Another example of how pictures lie. Still, you kind of get the idea.

Before/After

Looking at these two together, a week of religiously using face wash doesn't really make that big a difference. Not visually anyway. Maybe my skin really is cleaner, but it doesn't show. It is clear, however, that my skin, like everything else, has its good and bad days. Seems I am fully committed to my mood swings.

A few words beyond just the visual effects.

You may call this a review of sorts. I quite like the smell and feel of this product. It leaves my skin feeling clean and very soft. I also adore the design, although I guess that's just a visual thing and not at all an important factor *cough* that made my sister pick it up in the first place *cough*

Skin care, in general, is a bit time consuming though, especially when you're not used to it. Most mornings and nights all I want to do is sleep. I must say though,  have tried longer and more complicated beauty routines that may or may not have had the same effect as this.

Footprints in the Dust

I've already mentioned my dad's having some work done in the house. Today, work on the stairs left a thick layer of dust absolutely everywhere.

Of course, I've been walking around a bit, leaving fresh footprints.

And, of course, I only took this one to frame my sister for the mess I've left. Sorry sis. 

A New Project

My dad's been thinking.
One of the paintings on the living/dining room wall just doesn't fit in thematically anymore.
It is a beautiful landscape.
Everything else is music related.
Luckily, there's an artist in the family, and she's there right now.

There is another painting, close to the spot where the new project will have to be, that has to work with it. Therefore style and colours should be similar.

After a bit of thinking, I thought it could be funny to paint some figurines that stand on a shelf in a different part of the room. They are much the same simple linear form as my dancers, music & dance, notes and musicians work well together thematically, and it could be a fun bit of repetition to connect the two parts of the room.

I've picked three small canvases for the work, one for each musician, both because I love the visual effect of three canvases together, and because none of the canvases I had lying around were big enough for the space, and I won't have an opportunity to go shopping. For the same reason, this project just became a bit more challenging, as I'll have to do it with system 3 paints. This will be just like my upper secondary school art projects.

Not very impressive yet is it...

Never mind, I always need a base layer before I start really working on a painting anyway. I guess I'm terrified of the empty space that is an untouched canvas.

Another painting session, and it's starting to come together. 

I believe this is done. I'm quite happy with it anyway.

A Long Day

If the question had been whether I'd like to come home for a bit so I could sit around the house, all alone, while the builders were working downstairs, I rather suspect my answer would be something like "lol, no"

That wasn't the question, however, so here I am. Dad buggered off and my sister decided she'd bugger off too, once she got up. Only one thing to do: Lord of the Rings extended cut marathon.
By noon, I finished watching the Fellowship of the Ring.

"Ugh," my sister says, halfway through the Two Towers, "are you watching that shite?"
She puts her earplugs in and starts watching some teen nonsense called Pretty Little Liars.

Then, a few hours later, something funny happens. My sister, demonstratively not watching, wants to get up and make a salad. "pause it." By the end of the Return of the King, "COME ON SAM! SAM SAM SAM! YESSSS!"

Just one thought (too tired for much thinking) - Why are the nazgûl so much scarier on horseback than they are on their winged beasts? Is it because, on horseback, I can imagine the wraiths in the real world, while the winged beasts are too far removed from reality?

---

The next day is also very very long, spent pretty much the same way, and I am even more tired than before. Ever been so tired it hurts?

Things My Mother Taught Me

Other people are toxic

One should never eat food off other people's plates, or consume anything other people may have touched, if only with their knife and fork, unless thoroughly machine-washed first. Never share sheets or towels. If someone else has touched it, it's UNCLEAN AND MUST BE BURNED!
...or boiled... 
Curiously, this only ever stuck in relation to my closest family. You know, the group of people closely related to me, the people I share both DNA and probably most bacteria with. I still feel uncomfortable as much as touching my closest family, but have no trouble sharing a towel with my boyfriend or let a good friend have a sip of my drink.

It is better to throw up than leave food

Also known as, finish everything you have on your plate, unless you have been given specific permission to leave something. Therefore, tasting new food is perilous and must be avoided at any cost.
Somehow I managed to get over this problem by only tasting new foods when my mother wasn't around, and make sure I always got ridiculously small portions of food I knew I liked when she was. Also, as a child I managed to teach my dad what a bad idea it was to force me to eat after I declared I was full, by repeatedly throwing up from over-eating. My mother never got the message and tried the same thing with my sister.

A clean house is more important than pleasant company

You should never, ever allow visitors into your home unless it is spotless. They WILL notice your dust bunnies, and they will be shocked and appalled, finding your lack of cleanliness disturbing, they will talk about it behind your back and you will be thrown out of your social circle and lose all your friends forever. The hoover is out of place? BURN! There are cups in the kitchen sink? YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE. Rather than, you know, ignore the mess, have a nice relaxed cuppa tea with a good friend without freaking out about it for 2 days first.

You shall never throw anything away, unless it's broken

It doesn't matter if you haven't used it in 5 years. It doesn't matter if nobody you know wants it. If you don't want to keep something, and no one wants it just then, NEVER EVER get rid of it. Keep it until someone might want it. That dress you grew out of a year ago? Your cousin is 7 years younger than you, keep it for a couple of years and see if it fits. He might want it. Your baby toys? Don't get rid of them either. In 15 years you or someone you know might have a baby. That book you got from your deeply religious great aunt for christmas once? The embarrassingly bad one? Don't burn it, someone else might enjoy it. Not any of your cousins though, they all got a copy of the same one. And none of your friends, they're no more religious than you. But someone, at the next flea market, which you missed the collection for last weekend - so the one after that, in 6 months - SURELY you'll remember that, and SOMEONE MIGHT WANT IT.

You are not worth the same as everybody else

This is called basic manners, apparently. Other people first, always. You shall take the smallest piece. You shall never ever EVER take the last cookie, unless thoroughly convinced after making a huge scene. You shall never ask to come in, but wait for an invitation. You don't want to intrude. Your preference is less important than causing a fuss, otherwise known as potentially making both coffee AND tea. You shall make as little of yourself as possible. If you are visiting someone, it is up to them to look after you, read your mind and fulfill your basic needs, because you shall never ask for anything. You should always accommodate for other people and go out of your way to please them. Honestly, if it is simply 'manners' to be as awkward, insecure and submissive in any social setting as I am, manners should be abolished altogether.

Why can't I be you?

So, back in Norway for a bit, spending time with my sister, and we are bored.

So, as the girlie-girls we are, we decide to have a photo shoot. The way this usually works is: we both dress up, then move around a bit and take turns being the model. However, the clothes I have here in Norway at the moment are, shall we say, not particularly attractive. My nice clothes are neatly folded and put away in bags in my boyfriend's room, in a different country.

Never fear though, my sister has a solution:

She ALWAYS wanted to be a stylist! So what about she picks out some of her clothes for me to wear?

Being the incredibly cool sister, I agree. Ten minutes later, I am her slightly blonder look-alike.

So these outfits... I'm quoting my sister's blog here

-jacket from urban outfitters renewal/levi's vintage

-jumper from topshop

-trousers from gina tricot

-shoes from new look

t-shirt from heaven knows where, and the boots are mine, from the depths of my wardrobe, aka Narnia.

So that's me, styled by my sister.

I'll leave you with the images of the same clothes, worn by their owner. These outfits and MILLIONS more like them (I might be exaggerating a little) can be admired over at oldie-camilla's blog.

Treasure Hunting

This week, I'm visiting my family in Norway.

Of course, upon arrival, the spare bedroom was nicely tidied and prepared 

-

NOT!

In order to get my bed ready, the storage room had to be sorted out to move some rather large boxes out of the guest bedroom. Lots of this was rubbish that had to be thrown away anyway, but never got as far as the bin because OMG WE CAN'T THROW AWAY PERFECTLY GOOD STUFF! It has to be given to relatives in need or the next flea marked or friends or friends of friends or... someone...

Anyway.

Where was I.

Going through the stuff, which my only real involvement in was for company and occasionally moving something or holding a bag -2 man job, you know?-  a plastic bag emerged, containing a few pairs of shoes.

-too small for both of you?

-probably. No wait... those glittery ones are size 3. That's my size! 

They were indeed. Enjoy. 

Photographed, and originally purchased as a joke, by my sister oldie-camilla, also a blogger.

SNAIL RACE!

After spending more time than I'd like on motorways, I have discovered a new sport.

It is thrilling.

Exciting.

No one knows how it will end, who will win, and how long it will last.

I am, of course, talking about the snail race.

This is what happens when one lorry, optimistically, attempts to overtake another.

The two are going at pretty much exactly the same speed. It can last forever, or end when one lorry overtakes the other, or when the one being overtaken slows down to let the challenger past.

all we need now is a points system.

I'd suggest 10 points for successfully overtaking the other lorry, -1 for every minute it takes to pass, and -10 if the other one has to brake to end the race.

Or do as my dad, give them the finger if the overtaking lorry is losing.