TUNEY TUESDAY l Tove Lo

Hey, hello and welcome! This week's tuney tuesday is being brought to you in a finals and flu haze. Sunday morning I woke up feeling like I'd been run over by something unpleasant, and yesterday I started my first final for this semester - what a way to start the week. While the final doesn't bother me so much, all I can think about is blackface minstrelsy, freaks shows and the general power of modern pop-culture. So writing this post feels like a short break and as a realization that freedom will return once I finish this exam. And I mean, I've got until Monday so I shouldn't be stressing yet.  

On to the playlist. Maybe you've heard about Tove Lo before, maybe you haven't. Either way, stop what you're doing, take a break and give her a listen. Her album "Queen Of The Clouds" has quickly become a favorite of mine. All the songs got a cool sound, the interludes are pretty different and while not being extraordinary or fantastic pieces of art, they fit in nicely on the album. As you'll find out if you want to listen to the playlist (or you know, you can read it here), she's got a song on the new soundtrack for Mockingjay Part 1, which is quite good as well. Also, she's from Sweden so I feel proud to be Scandinavian when we can produce music this good. For a debut album I find it really good and her sound, while still being pop and somewhat mainstream, is quite special. 

What's your favorite song from her album?

xx Sisse      

(Also, I apologize if the blog will be a bit neglected in the next week or two. I should have scheduled some posts but instead... I didn't. No surprise there. If I find some time to take photos or get hit by sudden inspiration, I'll post something. But until next time - enjoy the holidays!)

High on Highlighters

In the cold and grey months of Winter many people will stick to a matte, nude-y, basic base-makeup and then pair it with a dark lip or dark eye-makeup. I'm all for that, but one thing I can never abandon is my highlighter. I usually just dab it on top of my cheekbones to add a bit of glow. I must admit that I like a bit of glittery goodness as long as the glitter doesn't come off all chunky, cause I often find that that will make me look like a disco ball. These four are my current favorites and I'll just write you through them a bit!

Sleek Face Form Palette in "Light";

This palette is a go-to palette for me. The contour powder is nice and matte, the blush got a nice shine to it, so you can even use that a highlighter/blush as well. But my favorite part of this palette is the highlighter. It's probably my favorite highlighter in powder form. It's got a nice shine and gives a perfect glow but it's not exactly glittery. And you can add it mixed with a favorite blush or bronzer for that extra-party effect.

e.l.f. Baked Blush;

There is no color name on this one, which is quite annoying. However, all the colors were quite nice if I remember correctly. This highlighter is more of a blush combined with a bit of highlight, because it is quite shimmery. For the price it's a very nice product and if you're just starting out with makeup these or the Baked Bronzers would be a good starting point.

Revlon Highlighting Palette in "Rose Glow";

This is probably my most glittery highlighter and I do have to be a bit more light-handed to avoid the disco ball effect. It's really nice for parties though, and would be great for the different holiday celebrations we face this month. The shades can be used on your eyelids as well and they look quite nice that way. 

Benefit Cream Highlighter "Whatt's Up!";

This is the only cream highlighter I've ever tried and it is the most beautiful color. The champagne glow will probably work with every skin-tone and it's very easy to work with. I just blend it out with a brush but you could use your fingers just as easily. The color is one of those works-with-everything colors, a bit like the "All That Glitters" eyeshadow from MAC. If you're willing to splurge a bit on a good highlighter this one is the one to go for. 

Hope you liked this post! If you have a favorite highlighter please feel free to share as I'm always looking for new ones to try out.

xx Sisse 

TUNEY TUESDAY l The Kooks

We're well into the official Christmas month and maybe you've had it up to here (imagine me waving my hand somewhere over my head) with jolly Christmas music. If that is the case then do not fear - this playlist is not remotely holiday-ish. 

This summer I was properly introduced to The Kooks. I mean, I've heard of them and their music before but when I bought a ticket for their concert in Copenhagen I became a proper and proud fan. All their albums are good. And I mean all of them. So this playlist is not so much a Top Ten but more a small collection of some of my favorites. I think If I had to, I'd say that Inside In / Inside Out, Junk Of The Heart and their newest album Listen are my favorites. So that actually only leaves out one of their full-length albums... Well, it's difficult! I'll just pronounce Listen as my all-time favorite, 'cause it's always nice to introduce new listeners to the newest music - so go listen to Listen! Or to this playlist to get a general feel of the band. 

If you like Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines and/or The Killers then I think these guys are for you. 

Hope you'll enjoy it!

xx Sisse 

Skincare Routine

Let me start of by saying that I'm aware that these pictures look... Weird, grainy, out-of-focus, whatever you wanna call them. I'm struggling with finding good light to take my pictures in, and now that it's getting darker than night by 3 in the afternoon I always miss the nice hour of light we get. So for now these will have to do. 

I just wanted to walk you through my skincare routine seeing as I've finally found one that I'm mostly satisfied with. Whenever the seasons change my skin act like it did when I was an awkward teen, (still awkward, not teen) but these products have helped me out recently. 

In the shower in the morning I'll just use the Neutrogena 2-in-1 visibly clear face wash. It's nice and cooling and in the morning I can't be bothered to dig out multiple products, so this is a nice and refreshing compromise. It can be used as a mask as well but I haven't tried that yet. I do like it as a simple wash without too much hassle to it. 

In the evening I'll usually remove my makeup with either the Micellar water from Garnier or the Camomile oil from The Body Shop - I'll use the oil if I feel like my skin need a bit more deep cleansing. Then I'll scrub my face with the Benefiance Cleansing Foam from Shiseido. This stuff is pure magic for my skin and ever since I tried it out the first time two years ago I've wanted to repurchase it, but could never justify spending that much money on it (it's crazy expensive here in Denmark) so when I went to New York earlier this year I finally bought it, since it was quite cheap there. It's got a very light scrub to it and as someone who can never use "daily scrubs" because they're always too harsh no matter what the bottle promise, this is the one. The scrub is barely there but it's enough to make me feel like my skin is better than new whenever I use it. 

To end the whole cleaning routine I dab some of the Grease Lightning from Lush on any spots I'd might have. The only spot-remover I've ever really used was one from Kiehl's which was too harsh for me and it never really reduced or removed anything - it just stung and dried my skin out. This one dries the spots out as well but in a very gentle and soothing way, y'know? So if you've normally got too sensitive skin for spot reducers/removers I'd recommend you try this stuff out. If not for the product then just for the name 'cause, let's face it, it's pretty genius. 

What's your favorite skincare product?

xx Sisse 

TUNEY TUESDAY l Christmas Edition

Yes my friends, Christmas is upon us! Even though I always think to myself all throughout November "Geez, it's almost December", it always manages to sneak up on me, which usually results in me being late with Christmas decorations and cookie-baking. This year was no exception! But just to set the mood as proper Christmassy I thought I'd create a Christmas playlist. 

Favorite Christmas songs are often personal favorites and everybody has got a different song they prefer. My list is definitely marked by my parents as they each have specific songs they love to listen to during Christmas and I've got my own favorites as well, so as with everything else during Christmas it's definitely influenced by traditions. 

So if you're still struggling to get in the Christmas spirit give this list a listen and maybe it'll help you on your way to a glittery and cookie-craving mood (but who doesn't crave cookies all year long?)

What's your most loved Christmas song? 

xx Sisse  

Christmas Beauty Wish List

Is Christmas slowly sneaking up on you? All of a sudden it's almost, soon-ish Christmas and that is the most wonderful time of the year as you probably know (if you don't agree, then you won't like this post at all you Scrooge). It might seem a bit early to have already made a wish list but my mom always start asking for my wishes when we hit November because I "always want something she has to order online" and she's one of those people who do not trust the online world, so better safe than sorry. As soon as I start my list it often go completely off track and if I don't grip tight on to my self-control I end up with a list that is miles ling. This year I think I've managed pretty well. I'm only wishing for things that I've wanted for some time, so I know that I'll actually get a use of it. Quite the Christmas wonder if you ask me.
Above you can see some of the beauty items I'm drooling over. The Sleek palette is one of their newer ones and I love my contour palette and the highlighter in it so I would love to try this one out, as it contains three creme blushers as well and I'm getting quite fond of those. The brush is just the concealer brush from MAC, the eyeshadows I would love to get my hands on are "Honey Lust", "Naked Lunch" and "Mulch" - they would all fit nicely in my palette. The NARS blush is in the color "Douceur", which I've had is getting discontinued, so if I'm lucky I'll be able to dust it up somewhere. The last item is the "Microblur Skin Perfector" from Kiehl's and seeing as I'm running out of my current primer I'd love to give this a go.

What are your beauty wishes for Christmas?

xx Sisse

Let's talk Deluxe Albums!

This Monday night Paramore released their Deluxe version of their self-titled album. Being a major Paramore fan had prepared me for this, but nobody seemed to know what this deluxe version would be or include. Many probably had their minds set for something like a special, limited edition box-set as we've seen from them before. But the bomb finally dropped on Monday and in the form of a digital album. Now, I'm not disappointed by this - not at all actually. Sure I would have liked something crazy and cool but seeing as not many new songs were actually added to the album I think this is a nice way of making into something nice without over-doing it. I feel like they've thought a lot about their fans regarding this deluxe album, seeing as nobody will feel tricked into spending a lot of money on something fancy and then "only" getting two new songs. 

The songs you see above - "Hate To See Your Heart Break" feat. Joy Williams and "Tell Me It's Okay" - are the new songs you can get on iTunes. Besides those the album includes "Escape Route" and "Native Tongue" but I think most of the fans already got their hands on these during the release of the original album.  "Escape Route", "Native Tongue" and "Tell Me It's Okay" all three have a sort of more old school-Paramore sound to 'em, and I think that's quite nice - their old and new sound sort of mix together on these songs. On "Hate To See Your Heart Break" Joy Williams join Hayley and this is actually the first official "featuring"-song from Paramore - and I love it! Their voices mix together so well and seeing as the song is about friendship and love between friends I think that two good friends singing it together gives it such a nice detail, and the feelings in the song become so much more obvious.  

You can get 8 live songs on the album as well if you want. Another nice detail about this release - you don't have to buy the complete album! None of those "album only" songs, which always annoy me because they sometimes make you spend money on something you already have in order to get something  else as well. So yeah, I really do feel that this album was made and published for the fans without the band compromising and delivering something half-heartedly. Hayley has said on some occasions that the band isn't ready for new, complete album so this makes for a nice compromise. 

Then again, I'm a major fan of basically every single thing this band does an since I've been a fan since I was 13, I might be a bit compromised.  

Have you listened to any of the songs on the deluxe album? 

xx Sisse

Edinburgh in Photos

Ever dreamt of going to Hogwarts? Well, Edinburgh might be the next best thing. A couple of weeks ago I went to Scotland to visit my friend Lene who is currently there as an exchange student - I'm not jealous at all, oh no. I went there with three other girls and we had a great time. It was just for a weekend, so there are not a lot of pictures. Funny story - when we got to the airport to go home on Sunday we realized that our tickets were for Monday. Yup, in the airport we realized that. Anyway, we got one more day there, so no complaints from my side. The only real tourist-y thing we did was to visit Edinburgh Castle, which was beautiful. We also walked past a café where one of the Harry Potter books were actually finished, which is sort of tourist-y I guess. 

xx Sisse  

Autumn Readings!

Autumn is here, in all its glory. This post is not particularly inspired by Autumn though. I'll just be talking a bit about the books I've been reading and the books I plan to read during this amazing season. In reality, the only Autumn-y thing in this post is the candle in the pictures. Yes, I finally got my hands on a Yankee candle when I went to visit my friend in Edinburgh - I'll post some pictures from my trip in another post. I'll start of my recommending this scent - "Honey Glow". Nice and spicy, without being sickly sweet. It's even sort of fresh in a way. Anyhow, back to the books!

For as long as I can remember I've enjoyed reading books. In English that is. It all started with the famous Twilight books. I read those in no time and I don't think I've opened a Danish book since then. I just prefer to read the books in the language they were written and I often find American/British books more interesting. Let's dig in!

"The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides,

This one I haven't started yet, but I don't know why I've never read it before. It's been on my to-read list forever by now. I think we all know the title and most have probably seen the movie by now, but not me. I've only heard nice things about it and I can't wait to get started on this story of the young Lisbon sisters and their family. 

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern,

Another book I haven't started yet. I first heard of this from Tanya Burr and one of her favorites videos I think, and though it sounded very interesting. It's not normally my style of book, but everything mystery and unexplainable has to be interesting in some way. 

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, 

To be honest I started this book a long time ago and just haven't gotten around to finishing it yet. It's not that it's bad or boring - the opposite, really - I'm just a bit stuck. Mainly because it's a historic novel, and I need to be in the mood to read those, otherwise I tend to drift in my mind and miss important events or forget important people in the story. It's good read though, and I look forward to finishing it!

"The Scorch Trials" by James Dashner,

This is the second book in The Maze Runner series, which you all might have seen as a movie. The Maze Runner movie was so good that I had to read the books. Sadly, the first book was not as captivating as I expected it to be. It did, however, get really good as I read on and this second book might be even better. I'm all for the post-apocalyptic-ish books and if you like The Hunger Games and the like, then this is for you. I've really grown to care for some of the characters but in these kind of books you can never feel certain that your favorite character won't turn out to be a betrayer. In fact, you can never be certain that the plot is what you thought it was. 

Have you read any of these books? Or are there any other books you look forward to reading?

xx Sisse 

  

If You Were To Buy A New Foundation...

... I'd recommend any of these three. Seeing as this is my first attempt at a beauty post I thought I'd keep it nice and simple. So I'll throw my two cents in there, and share with you my thoughts on these products. Enjoy! 

Burjois "123 Perfect Foundation",

I know people usually save the best for last but let's just put it in the top where it belongs. Not that this foundation is necessarily better than the other, it just works really well for me. It's supposed to work against dark circles, dull complexion and redness. My skin has never been a huge problem for me but my eyes are always fairly baggy and dark to look at. My own theory is that they're quite deep set and because of that I always look tired and a bit sick. Not much can be done about that, except caking on some concealer. But no more! This foundation does wonders for my grey-ish eye area, and I've never seen any difference in that with other products. The matte finish is nice as well, and it doesn't make my skin look dried out. And all that at a good price! So if you suffer from any of the problems this is supposed to work against I suggest you try it out. 

Nars "Sheer Glow Foundation",

This gem was on the top of my to-by list when I went to New York, seeing as beauty bits are generally cheaper in the States. By now, every person online with the slightest interest in makeup has heard about this. I tried this out last winter I think, and absolutely loved it. It gives quite a nice glow but I often prefer a matte finish, so sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. It's not too glowy, it's just pretty different from what I'm used to. Your skin does end up looking amazing though, and the coverage is nice and buildable. There is a matte version of this as well, if you tend to have oily skin. If you feel like splurging a bit on you foundation, this would be a good pick.

Rimmel "Match Perfection Foundation", 

This foundation has been my favorite over summer - as you might can see from the slightly darker shade. I've been told that it's supposed to match your skin a bit, so even if you can't find the perfect shade this should be able to help you out. The coverage is quite good and I never really needed to add to it or anything. It's quite thick but I still find it easy to buff into your skin as long as you don't go over-board with it. The finish is somehow a mix between glowy and matte and I find it pretty natural. As for drugstore foundations this is one of my favorites, so if you want to try out a nice product without breaking your bank this would be a good choice. 

Hope you found this post helpful! I'll probably do more beauty/non-music related posts in the future, so if you have any suggestions please let me know!

xx Sisse  

LIVE IN CONCERT l Ed Sheeran

It feels like centuries ago since I sat in my phonetics class, stressing over buying tickets to this show. It was intense. An online queue formed instantly and it seemed that every single person in the world wanted to buy tickets for Ed Sheeran's concert in Copenhagen. I managed to get the tickets I needed and so did the people I had planned to go with. It was pure bliss. Then the show was moved from venue to another in order to make room for more people. Those tickets sold out in no time as well. It took under an hour in total to sell 9.000 tickets. And now it's been a week. A week since we lined for 8 hours, a week since I cried during "One", and a week since I saw the wonder that is Ed Sheeran. 

The show was more than I had hoped to dream of and the 8 hours in line was worth it all, despite me getting sick and trampled. He had two supporting acts that were both amazing and Ed himself was even better. He played so many songs, all of them fantastic and the next one better than the one before. His loop was amazing, his energy was amazing and his voice was amazing. I still can't believe how a single man can bring so much energy onto stage and create an emotional party for every single person at the show. But that is what he does. If you're a fan of Ed or just a fan of music in general I hope for your sake that you get to go to one of his shows. I really do think it's a special experience because he is the only singer that does what he does. Do yourself a favor and go to his show. And please, if you have the option then go see him at Wembley next year. I mean, that is going to be something alright. And then tell me all about it. I still hope I win some sort of lottery so I can go myself. That concert easily made its way into my Top 5 list of concerts I've been to. 

xx Sisse  

ALBUM REVIEW l 1989

Today the talk of town will most likely be all about the new One Direction album - but not in this town my friends. I'll most likely do a review in a couple of days, but let the "professionals" have their time to shine and say all the horrible things about the album they can come to think of. Or is that just here in Denmark? Then again, the Danish reviewers does seem to have something against the five guys, but I reckon they're just jealous. Anyway, back to who this review is about - Taylor Swift!

Recently Taylor released her new album, "1989", with two strong singles to support it, "Shake It Off" and "Out Of The Woods". Since the album was released she's put the single "Blank Space" out there as well. When the singles began dropping I never pictured myself as a fan of her entire album. I guess I'd been pretty bad marked by the global feeling that "all she ever does is write songs about her exes and that's annoying and immature". But when I started thinking for myself I realized this; who doesn't? Every singer that write his or her own songs are bound to be inspired by their own life, and most of them have exes - what a shocker! When I let go of the negative thoughts and actually listened to the album in complete? Well, I'm a fan. Taylor has completely abandoned the country-style guitars and choruses and is now a true pop queen. And she has claimed the throne. Her songs are catchy and well-written. The lyrics are probably the part of the album that surprised me the most, 'cause they're smart and funny all at once. She doesn't try to make people feel sorry for herself, which I think is a way many other artists would have chosen. Instead she makes fun of herself and all her haters, and it really works out to her advantage.  This album has been on repeat at my place for a couple of weeks now and I've hardly listened to anything else. I do feel myself losing a bit of interest in it now but that almost always happens when I listen to something exclusively for a while. But I will say this: the album is a killer. Great job Swift! 

Buy this album if: you're into a good pop-tune with just enough shaming in it and you feel like putting some b****** down in the comfort of your own living room. You know, so you can just picture yourself putting them down... With a nice song playing in the background... Don't actually put them down...

I hope you liked this review! Have you listened to the album? And what did you think of it?

xx Sisse

LIVE IN CONCERT l The 1975

So, in June I went to the two One Direction shows in Copenhagen. That was intense and never in my life had I experienced teens go wild like I did at those shows. Until now. I had never expected that I'd get pushed around and squeezed so much in the line that I couldn't move. But that was what happened. Maybe it was because it was at a smaller venue and maybe the staff/security-dudes didn't see it coming. I know I didn't. We wanted to get up front so we lined up a couple of hours prior to the concert but already then we were behind in the game. Some of the girls had been there since early morning. Each to their own I guess. We did mange to get pretty close to the stage but even before the supporting act went on we retreated. We just had to face that we were no match to the vicious fans who were there as well. 

The show was great from the back too, and the sound was a bit better. Matty was his own charming self, with a wine bottle and open shirt and all. This time around they had their sax-guy with them (John I believe his name is) and he was pretty good, and the rest of the band was amazing as they seem to always be. Even though the show was great and all, I'm really happy that I got to see them before they blew up here in Denmark. There's just something about catching a band live before fame gets to them. Not that they were snotty or anything, but it's much more relaxed at smaller venues and you feel more like friend rather than idol and fan. 

They played at Store Vega which will forever be one of my favorite venues and it was great seeing them there. Seeing as they just have a single album and a couple of EPs out they played all my favorite songs which is a plus. On the other hand I really do looking forward to them releasing another album. Matty told us this would probably happen in 2016 (WHAT?!) but I guess really good music takes time, so I'm willing to wait. To my knowledge they still got quite a few shows left on their tour, so go watch them before we have to wait for another album and then a new tour. You will most definitely not regret it.

xx Sisse.  

LIVE IN CONCERT l Passenger

Back in the day (during the summer that is) Passenger played a show in Tivoli here in Denmark. I went there with some friends and it was such a pleasant surprise! That Mike really is cool dude and just did the show in whatever way he wanted. When he played a sad, quiet song he told us to shut up, and during the rest of the show he would tell us to clap, jump, sing, you know the drill.

When we went to that show we knew he would play a concert later on as well. My friend decided that I had to go with her and bought me a ticket when I didn't answer my phone because it died during the show, and during the hour it took me to get home from the show, she'd already ordered the tickets. And for that I am thankful. His concert a couple of weeks ago was much like the one in summer. Sure, you had to buy a ticket for this one and the majority of the audience was happy couples that were obviously very much in love. I was there with my friends, but yeah, you know. He is a talker when on stage and the stories behind the songs were very touching and entertaining. I imagine it can be quite a challenge to captivate people when you're a single person on stage but he did it really well. His own songs are works of art and he is really good at covers as well. Sadly, Ed Sheeran wasn't there with him to sing their collaborated song (luckily, I'll see him very soon - but more on that show later on). If you like nice shows without too many crazy people and with a nice vibe you'll enjoy a Passenger show. The music is definitely in focus and you won't get trampled. But it won't be boring either. It's a really nice balance! 

xx Sisse.   

New York Photos / Pt. ll

xx Sisse

New York Photos / Pt. l

xx Sisse