I Turned 30 This Week & This Is How I Celebrated

That's right, the big 3-0! Happy birthday to me! This post is going to be a bit of a departure from all the recent product reviews; something more along the lines of 'A Week in Photos' series I once wanted to do on the blog so you could get to know me a little better on a personal level. As you may know from this ramble, or may have realized along the way, I don't post hauls here anymore. I know that 'What I Got for My Birthday' posts or videos are always click-worthy (and certainly a great way for the birthday person to look back on their special day), but I wanted to share something different instead: all the fun and extraordinary experiences I've had this week to celebrate the occasion. This is not to say that I haven't received (or bought for myself) any gifts - it's just to shift the focus a little bit from 'having' to 'doing'. I hope you enjoy!

On Labor Day (Monday), my husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. In general, we're not big on anniversary presents but we like treating ourselves to a fun night out together. This year we've been going to quite a few concerts; not those crowd-packed dancing by the stage type rowdy affairs because we're much too introverted for that, but more of a 'seated at the table, enjoying cocktails/ snacks and listening to live music' type of events. So for our anniversary, we booked a table at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola to listen to Robin Eubanks & the Mass Line Big Band. We love going to jazz concerts but it just so happens that we've never seen a big band performance before, so it was a very memorable experience. We were seated right by the window (the venue is located in Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle) so we could also enjoy the view of the park and shimmering lights of the city in the distance. Since cocktails are out at the moment (I'm 8 months pregnant and Mr is taking antibiotics), we decided to order dinner, and I was very pleasantly surprised by my vegan 'risotto cake' entree. Even though the dish was a simple combination of rice and veggies, it packed a ton of flavor from heirloom tomato sauce and firm, lightly sauteed pieces of squash and green beans. If you're a fellow New Yorker - or visiting - and you like jazz music, I definitely recommend Dizzy's.

On Tuesday, I relaxed at home and tried not to get too caught up on my regular to-do list. I didn't do anything special, but I wanted to take some time to pamper myself in the evening. I redid my badly chipped manicure - I opted for a never before worn bottle of Zoya Toni, a dark blackberry plum shade. I love those vampy shades on the nails but then I sort of ruined the mani by applying an old and gloopy top coat, which now - 48 hours later - is still not completely hardened and causing bed sheet creases and the like. Lesson learnt; and needless to say the top coat went straight into the empties bag. In the evening, I took a soothing cool shower using some new products I recently ordered from Ulta (even though I still think body scrubs are not absolutely necessary in my routine, I really enjoy my repurchase of Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub), and applied a luxuriously hydrating face mask from Laneige (reviewed here). I currently tend to get very tired at night and can't get out of the bathroom fast enough before I fall asleep, but I really wanted to do a little something for myself and loved looking at my freshly polished nails.

On Wednesday (my actual birthday) I had a doctor's appointment in the morning to check up on the baby bean. You guys may think it was silly of me to go to the doctor on my birthday - I mean, people generally don't find doctor's visits very alluring - but I quite like going to my obstetrician. The entire office is friendly and efficient, but most of all, I get to hear baby's heartbeat and feel reassured that he's doing just fine in there. I also learnt that his head is very low now, so that's probably the reason right there why I have to get up every 2 hours at night for a trip to the bathroom, lol. On my way back, I stopped at a Sephora store to redeem my free birthday gift and have a little look around. I purchased Sephora brand Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes to pack in my hospital bag, and was seriously tempted by Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick, but decided to put it on my wishlist for the November VIB sale instead. My cashier that day was genuinely kind as well - we had a nice chat about Zoya polishes, and she assured me the make-up wipes were really good :)

On my walk home from the subway station, I went into Sugarcube Patisserie in Long Island City for a decadent sweet treat. I opted for their tasting menu of handmade gelato + pastry, and I ordered a small latte to balance out the sweetness. I've had their gelato before and thought it was excellent - this time I got hazelnut as well as mango & passionfruit sorbet - and the Middle Eastern-inspired cheesecake I chose for my pairing didn't disappoint either. I'd definitely recommend Sugarcube for a sweet treat if you're ever in the area; but mind you, the pairing is a very large dessert and I kinda wished I could share it with someone :)

When I got home I had some PR packages waiting for me, and it just never gets old for me you guys - opening those up always feels like Christmas. But I satisfied myself with a quick peek and turned on the laptop to Skype with my parents, who wanted to wish me happy birthday 'in person'. In general, it was a day of long-distance video calls: later on I also FaceTimed with my brother, and then with my best friend late in the evening. I felt touched that they all remembered and wanted to chat on the day. I also received lots of birthday emails, and again really appreciated the thought - lots of people prefer now to write something quick on your Facebook wall and while that's nice, I don't really use Facebook anymore so I was doubly thankful a lot of people remembered that and chose to send an email instead. Other than that, I relaxed, watched some YouTube, and did a quick spot of blogging - I guess the latter was the most productive part of my day.

After my husband came back home from work in the late evening, he surprised me with an entire cake from one of my favorite French bakeries in the city, and he also bought 30 candles for me to blow out. I'm obviously not telling you my birthday wish - but I did manage to blow out all thirty in one go :) He also gave me a gift certificate to a nail salon in our neighborhood, which I was super happy to receive - while I still enjoy doing my own manis, at-home pedicures are nigh on impossible with my very large watermelon belly, and I would definitely like to squeeze one more in before I deliver. Apparently the certificate is also only part of the gift; he wanted to give me something while we're waiting for the other part to come in the mail. It's all very mysterious and I love the anticipation - it makes the present that much more exciting :)

Overall, I had a perfectly beautiful, peaceful and happy birthday. I felt pampered and cherished and even though we did not have some huge celebration, it was exactly how I wanted it. Early in the week, I also indulged in some online shopping: I ordered two make-up bags from Korean brands in incredibly cute patterns (I'll definitely show them to you once they get here, but as they're being shipped from South Korea, it will take a few weeks), and placed an order at The Body Shop for some bath and body products - I have been missing having their body butter in my stash, and I'm really unhappy with my current make-up remover so I got their Silky Cleansing Oil among other things. Oh - and I also bought lots of new knickers from Aerie. My current underwear is a state - and mostly too small to boot.

There you have it - I hope you enjoyed this glance into my birthday week. In case you're wondering if I feel any different or perhaps a little sad not to be 20-something anymore, than my answer would be no: I guess to me it doesn't feel like a milestone, it just feels like another date. I enjoyed my twenties, but I think my thirties are going to bring even better and bigger things; you know, what with the arrival of a new family member and taking on a whole new role in my life. Also thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday on Instagram/ Twitter - I never cease to appreciate your guys' support and kind words. Thank you for reading!

A Week in Faces of the Day

Things haven't been particularly interesting in these parts when it comes to new make-up acquisitions, so I figured I could just show you a couple (well, five) make-up looks I've been sporting recently. These are my usual 'a tweak here, a tweak there' everyday looks, so it's not anything you haven't seen before, but still, maybe you'll find an element or two inspiring or fun to incorporate into your routine. Enjoy!

This is one of my go-to looks, featuring a brighter lip color (Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58 from my Project Make A Dent) and a slightly winged out eyeliner - I believe this was possibly the last of my Urban Decay Rockstar eyeliner, also from the Project. I wanted to multitask my denting products, so I layered a Michael Todd lipgloss in Natural under the berry lipstick, and I did not like that effect at all - you can see a little bit in the photo, but basically it caused most of the pigment from the bright lipstick to migrate towards the outside of my mouth, almost giving the look of a darker lipliner. Don't try this at home, kids! I was unsatisfied with this look enough to have another go at it later in the week, which you'll see below.

This was my attempt at a lazy but glowy weekend look. I say lazy, because I skipped a product here that I very rarely omit from my make-up routine: a spot concealer. In fact, a spot concealer is the one product I always said I couldn't do without. But my skin has been looking pretty clear recently, and I haven't had the need to do as much pinpoint concealing as I used to. For my base, I applied Dermalogica's Sheer Tint SPF20 in Light (which turned out to have no coverage whatsoever), and layered Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder in Tender Rose over the top, which gave my skin a lightweight, dewy look with most of my freckles peeking through. On the eyes, I played with Urban Decay Electric on the waterline, and made sure to add plenty of black mascara. Cheeks are Laura Mercier Lotus Pink, lips are Revlon Superlustrous gloss in Coral Reef.

Now, I've recently been lemming a lavender blush to add to my collection. I think it's the result of craving something new to play with, and browsing Korean make-up products on eBay; it seems that pastel purple blush is a big trend in Korea. But, I've exhausted my make-up low buy allowance for this month, and I also expected said blush wouldn't get to me in time to be seasonally appropriate (not with the hot and humid weather we've been having in NYC recently), so I shopped my stash instead, and came out with La Femme Powder Blush in Flamingo Pink and NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Dolly. I thought they complemented each other nicely, and I did a very basic eye with the Dior quint in Earth Reflections coupled with a more interesting dark teal liner by way of Sephora Contour pencil in Surfer Babe.

Here's another rendition of that first failed berry lip look. This time, I decided against a cat eye, opting for a very fine line right against the lashline instead for some extra definition; the eyeshadow look was also rather subtle thanks to the lighter shades in the Dior Earth Reflection. I've used quite a bit of Stila Convertible Color in Lillium (also from Project Make A Dent) on the cheeks to offset the darker lip, and patted my Inglot no. 58 over a layer of Milani Anti-Feathering Transparent Lip Liner to achieve a more matte look. I thought it turned out much prettier than the first attempt!

Lastly, here's my version of a daytime smokey eye. I decided to wear my Rouge Bunny Rouge Chronos Eyeshadow Palette on the eyes, using the navy charcoal shade in the outer corner. I also bronzed up my face a little with Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil, dabbed some of that Stila Lillium on the cheeks, and swept a small amount of Laura Mercier Baked Highlight on top of the cheekbones - that's where that subtle glow is coming from. On the lips, I used only the nude Michael Todd lipgloss. Overall, it wasn't my favorite look either - I think I'm looking a bit tired and sallow here, and maybe a slightly darker My Lips But Better shade would have counteracted that. Well, you live, you learn, right?

Which one of these looks is your personal favorite? I hope this wasn't terribly boring, you guys - I always enjoy seeing what people actually wear on their faces from day to day, so I thought it was worth sharing. Let me know what make-up look you've been sporting most recently!

Spring Interlude: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

It's been a long, long winter in New York City; and while I eagerly await first signs of warmer weather every spring, I feel that this year especially I'm craving the sight of delicate blooms and verdant branches. So when the weather turned much more pleasant this week, I decided to go see whether Japanese cherry trees were already blossoming in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and I took my DSLR with me.

I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when it turned out that the beautiful Cherry Walk was not yet in bloom. I brought my current book with me and imagined lounging in the shade of the trees with pink petals showering down in the gentle breeze, but that was sadly not to be the case; also because the Garden was rather crowded on the free admission Tuesday, and finding a peaceful spot would have been quite challenging.

I soon however forgot all about my disappointment, because in fact many cherry trees were in bloom in other parts of the Garden, as well as magnificent magnolias, fragile violets, fragrant narcissi and hyacinths, bright tulips and many more spring-time flowers I can't name.

Blooming cherry and apple trees hold a lot of precious memories for me. Every year in the springtime, when my family drove from Warsaw to Łódź to visit my grandparents, we passed Łowicz on the way, which is the heart of the main fruit bearing region in Poland. We would leisurely drive by the orchards bathed in white and pastel pink, and point out the most beautiful trees to each other, looking forward to warm sunny days and summer holidays.

My parents now have their own garden at the back of the house, and every year they cross their fingers and hope that the overnight ground frost doesn't destroy the delicate buds on the magnolia tree. And you know what? Fortunately, this year it didn't, and their magnolia has more blooms than ever; they showed me the pink tree when we talked on Skype last week. Usually, spring comes to New York City a lot earlier than to Warsaw, but this year it seems that we're on about the same schedule, as magnolias are also in full bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

My mom loves taking close-up photos of various flowers and plants, and when I saw the amazing variety of tulips at the Graden, I just couldn't help myself. How striking is this dark purple tulip with the hints of indigo blue at the very center?

I hope you enjoyed taking a stroll through the Garden with me, especially if you're currently stuck behind a desk as you're reading this, or the weather in your part of the world is cold and dreary - maybe this little glimpse of sunshine and greenery cheered you up a little bit. We'll be back to regularly scheduled beauty programming shortly :)

My Fortnight in Beauty

Hello, stranger! I haven't actually sat down to write in quite a while; the posts you've been reading in August were all pre-scheduled for the time I was entertaining the family, and then on top of that, we had another house guest shortly after, and THEN it was my wedding anniversary/birthday weekend, and the idea of being glued to my laptop didn't quite appeal - or maybe I've just gotten out of practice. But I'm back!

To ease my way back into the swing of things, I've decided to share two weeks from my beauty diary - not that I actually keep one, it's just to sum up what has been going on with me and the products I've been using. If you like this type of posts, please check out Kar Yi's 'The Fortnight Face' and Liz's 'Makeup Diary', which inspired me to pour my oh-so-deep skincare and make-up thoughts out on these pages.

Let's start with the skin. In short, it's been shitty. The nearly three weeks that my in-laws stayed with us, my skin's been really bothering me: oily and dehydrated, with lots of larger breakouts, mostly on both cheeks - and when the first wave had finally healed, new ones popped up in the exact same area. Why?! I'm still nursing my face back to an acceptable state, but I think what helped to stop the constant crop of pimples was my previously underrated tube of Coral Actives 5% Benzoyl Peroxide Penetrating Acne Serum Gel. BP usually doesn't work great on my skin, but this time, it seems to have done the trick; lesson learnt that hoarding various acne treatments in the skincare drawer for desperate times can actually be a pretty good idea.

I've also been working my way through Murad's Essential-C range of moisturizers; when I first tried these I liked the Day Moisture SPF 30 more than the Night Moisture, which seemed too heavy and sticky, but I've since changed my mind. In fact, it's the daytime cream that's now too greasy and never seems to fully absorb into my skin, while the night cream, especially when applied on top of Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle, sinks in nicely and feels comfortable. But I wouldn't actually repurchase either; what I am considering buying in the full size is the Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel. Lightweight but hydrating, non-tacky and perfect for both mornings under make-up and overnight.

For the base make-up, I've been sticking to a long-lasting foundation by way of Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, and setting it with both Make Up For Ever HD Powder and Skindinavia No More Shine Makeup Finish (I remain unconvinced whether the latter does anything to keep my skin matte, but I'm desparate to use it up). For concealing those pesky spots, I just can't quit Becca's Dual Coverage Compact Concealer - can someone please tell me to finally throw it out?! I guess I really like the convenience of a cream concealer in a pot.

Cheeks are the area where I mixed the old with the new: still trying to make a more significant dent in both NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink and the NYX Powder Blush in Angel. I've been really enjoying using the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer this summer, and for a warmer cheek, I've been pairing it with Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled. Over the years, I've noticed that I get into real phases with blushes, where I fall in love with a particular shade and reach for it over and over again, until I finally make myself swap it out for something else from my collection. I've also put on some Canmake Cream Cheek in Clear Pink Joy here and there, but it failed to hold my attention away from the Tarte Dazzled.

I've been all about quick and boring eye make-up, with cream eyeshadow sticks and smudgy eyeliner being my preferred eye make-up routine. Firm favorites: Clinique Chubby Stick For Eyes in Ample Amber and Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick in Dusk, paired with Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Whiskey and copious layers of Benefit BADgal Lash. Contrarily to 95% of the Internetz (the percentage has been scientifically eyeballed by yours truly), I much prefer Benefit's BADgal to They're Real, and the big bonus is that it doesn't smudge or transfer on me.

So here's my ultra boring, neutral warm face, abundant in enlarged pores, spots, acne scars and summer freckles. The only area where I experimented on a nearly daily basis for the past 2-3 weeks was my lipstick; I frequently swapped out formulas and shades to suit my mood or sometimes even my outfit - I know, FANCY. The experience of having very limited access to my vanity (which is awkwardly situated in our apartment hallway, so for the comfort of my guests I just piled up my makeup essentials into a basket, grabbed my mirror and brush cup and moved all that to our bedroom) hasn't been as tedious as expected; since I was pressed for time to get ready in the mornings, I enjoyed the smaller selection of products. Now that I can use all of my collection again, I feel that I already have a lot of fantastic products in my stash that I missed using, and I don't feel the need to buy any new make-up for the time being - but I'm already planning my wishlist for the Sephora VIB sale in late October :)

So how have you been, my lovely readers? I missed talking to you! And by the way, thank you so much for all of your happy birthday wishes on Twitter - it made my day that much happier.

August in Photos

I'm back from vacation, lovelies! I bet you didn't even know I was gone - yes, I'm really proud of my post scheduling skillz this time. I haven't been very active on the social media front recently due to a family visit, and ensuing travels: we went to Portland for a couple of days, and then took a trip to Whidbey Island, both of which were spent lounging about, taking long leisurely walks, eating well and generally having fun. Here are some holiday snaps captured by yours truly and my sister-in-law's phone lenses:

Portland's Pearl District/ Favorite coffee shop/ Powell's Books/ Vodoo Donuts at night/ Deception Pass, WA/ Deception Pass bridge/ Walking on the beach at Whidbey Island/ And some more walking.../The mist coming in from the ocean made for beautiful photos/ Oak Harbor, WA/ Fort Ebey State Park/ Back at home, playing Monopoly

While I was gone, Rocaille Writes was featured on Karen's Make-up And Beauty Blog - if you haven't checked out my interview and a guest post on my favorite eyeshadows, you can do so here and here. I also mention some books I really recommend reading, if you're a fellow bookworm!

I have a big backlog of beauty bits to write about now, and can't wait to get around to it, so be on the lookout for lots more posts coming your way in September. A huge thanks for your lovely comments, tweets and general awesomeness in the past few weeks - you guys rock! Let me know what you've been up to in the comments, I love hearing from you :)

A Week in Photos #2

I apologize for the sparsness of blog posts recently; I seem to have lost my motivation somewhere and it hasn't turned up yet. But, in the meantime, some things I've been enjoying...

Rose flavored macaroons from Chantal Guillon // Spring on the way to the library // Favorite mug of the moment: David's Tea The Perfect Tea Cup // And speaking of tea, David's Cream of Earl Grey... // That's what's cooking, good-looking: Wagamama // New Fyrinnae pretties // Surprised by how much I like Murad's Skin Perfecting Lotion // German chocolate!

What have you been up to?

A Week in Photos # 1

Putting one of my New Years blogging resolutions into practice!

Just finished reading 'Cold Comfort Farm'/ Ground frost on a morning walk to work/ I'm getting this haircut on Monday!/ Current favorite candle/ It's a resounding YES/ Addicted to Darjeeling tea/ Manicure must-haves set for a friend's birthday/ Party party!