Don't you want to know how we keep starting fires?

Just relax.

Yesterday I was scouring Pinterest, as usual these days, and finally found out the name of a certain doll from my childhood that I've been looking for forever. Sasha! I was overjoyed!

So I went looking and of course they are highly collectible :/ I did find one I really loved and have reserved her so I can buy her next month. Hopefully the seller is legit and will actually keep her as they promised, you never know.

( cutting for the doll-phobics. I do think of you guys! )

I'm writing this from the attic. I'm lucky to have made it out and I need to make this post to warn you all! Zombies have invaded my house!

( This is what happened. )

So I fled my apartment, and I don't know what to do. It's the end of the world!11!!

Revoltech!Ed is in the house, and he is a dork.

I spend a few hours yesterday finally painting a wall in my bedroom in the evocative colour Dead Salmon. I moved in the middle of summer and then it seemed like a great idea to paint everything a blinding white. But in winter it makes the bedroom feel pretty bleak, so a splash of warm colour was called for. When I found out Farrow and Ball do a colour named Dead Salmon I knew that was it.

Allow me this moment of showing off my goodies, and then I'll go back to worrying about the economic crisis and being less of a consumer drone.

We had our yearly christmas brainstorm yesterday, in which we worked on the look and themes for christmas 2012. The issues for 2011 are all done, the New Year's issue is going to the printer on Monday. Traditionally this brainstorm is a combination of work and fun, and this year was pretty much the same. Everything was a little more subdued though. Things used to be a little more opulent, with Michelin star dinners and the like. But we all have to be a bit more careful about spending right?

Another tradition is that we all get to pick a random gift. Every package is the same, and inside is a designer perfume that you either like and keep, or don't really care about and try to trade with your coworkers. Mine was this one:


I may have screamed. I may have shown it to everybody in the room, including the barman.


We went to dinner, and on everybody's chair was this:



There was lots of squealing! The marketing lady who had arranged it had been fending off questions about it all year from people who really wanted it (it was a subscription premium at some point last year). She was soooo smug :)

Then we noticed there was an envelope on every plate. This contained 2 tickets to a spa. OMG.

Christmas came early this year!

A couple of times a year there is a closet clean-out at the laydeez magazine where I work (all the time!) We get send an insane amount of shit from companies who all want us to write about them. I consider this one of the main perks of my job. Last week there was a cosmetics sale, and as I was surveying my hoard I thought it might be a good idea to share what I've learned from several years of being able to try out all this crap.

I have sensitive, combination skin: it is very dry, except around the nose, where it's greasy as all get out. I'm also middle aged. I go for products that are hypo-allergenic (scent is very important here), for dry skin (I just avoid putting stuff on my nose), gentle cleansing, and anti wrinkle or plumping.

The most important thing I learned is that the price or brand name does not say a single thing about the effectivity of any given product.

This is my my dressing table, these are all brands I have a lot of experience with:



1. This is Bath and Body body lotion with lavender and vanilla scent. It smells divine but it's a bit thin for every day use, so I only use it occasionally in summer. I now have the shower gel from this line, and LOVE it.

2. Dr Hauschka body lotion. Their products smell great and don't make me break out. Their facial products don't do very much else, but body lotion is something I use a lot.

3. La Roche-Posay is a hypo-allergenic brand that is sold only at apothecaries over here. This is good stuff for moisturising. Their anti-ageing stuff doesn't do squat.

4. Vichy is another brand that is sold as hypo-allergenic and only available at apothecaries, but it's heavily perfumed and makes me break out. This is body lotion, that won't be a problem, and since winter is coming I can use all the body-lotion I can lay my hands on. I do not get anything else from them (On edit: Not true. They have a cleanser that works like a charm to get make-up off, but looks and feels like water. I'd get that of I saw it at work again). They belong to L'Oreal.

5. Marbert anti-ageing Super Booster. Does not make me break out, I use it under a moisturiser, it helps plump my skin.

6. Givenchy skin targetters. It's a pore minimiser. Meh.

7. Ren restoring facial serum. This is sold as a high end, hypo-allergenic, green brand, but it breaks me out liek whoa.

8. Lancaster Suractif non stop lifting mask. I use this very rich cream mask as night cream in winter. It's heavily perfumed but does not make me break out, and works well.

9 and 10. Sothys. Both are pore minimisers. I put a little over moisturiser and it makes my skin look even and glowy. I like them a lot. Sothys also makes a "sculpting" body serum that is very nice as a body lotion in summer. You can't really buy this in stores, only at beauticians.

11. Ariane Inden primer. I use this the same way as the above, over moisturiser to make my skin look even. This brand has an anti-ageing serum that I like a lot (comes in capsules, oooh).

12. Dermalogica Ultracalming face serum. I actually bought this in a store once the tub I got from work ran out. It's my summer moisturiser.

13. Biodermal. This is an anti-scar cream which I use for the spots where some moles were removed a couple of months ago. The brand is generally good, great for moisturising and properly hypo-allergenic.

14. Roc anti wrinkle. I use it under my moisturiser and it works a bit. I'm a BIG fan of Roc in general. Is a Johnson & Johnson company.

15. Lush Celestial moisturiser. This is the stuff of the gods. I buy this in the store all the time. When my skin is being difficult I just use this for a while and all is well. Be warned: it smells like vanilla.

16. Biotherm skin energetic. Okay but can be a bit much. I use it occasionally because my skin gets overfed if I use it too much. And then I break out. Owned by L'Oreal.

17. Sisley Express Flower gel mask. I'm a huge fan of Sisley when I can get it at work, their store prices are not worth it. I use this as a night cream. It's very nice. Their products do work.

18 Shiseido Benefiance wrinkle lifting concentrate. Another brand sold as hypo-allergenic but is not. I can use it if my skin is good shape otherwise. It works somewhat.

19. Anna Sui Dreams perfume. I buy Anna Sui stuff because the packaging is awesome :)

Other brands I'm always pleasantly surprised about are Bodyshop, L'Occitane, and Kiehls. They have good stuff that can really work. I have bad experiences with Clinique, Clarins and Philosophy.

Made a really nice photo of Ng ye in the little hat I bought at AWA and posted it over on delfault. And made a pic of my new Ghoulia dolls and posted it over at daily_doll.

Went to the Anime Weekend Atlanta this year, and met up with many fellow FMA fans on my flist!

( Here are my pix from AWA )