The yellow fog...

The ever so bright Sarah (If the shoe fits...) did this color tag a couple of days ago, and even though I wasn't actually tagged, I couldn't resist the temptation to join in...

It was a real challenge for me to find 7 yellow things as it's one of the colors that I tend to overlook the most. However, the difficulty of the search made it that more interesting! Somehow, the majority of yellow things I own can be found in the bathroom - and so we have:

The duck actually belongs to my brother (no, he's not my little brother, he's 28 if you really want to know ;), and I use this lovely bright mitt to scrub my back and legs until they're perfectly smooth.

These are almost all yellow cosmetics I have in my possession. What I like about Garnier anti-cellullite roll-on and Burt's Bees cuticle cream is their refreshing lemony scent, something I absolutely can't say for J&J face self-tanner.

I was given this huge jar of honey and milk scented bath salt by mum in law. Add a handful of it to your bath at the end of an exhausting day and the whole bathroom smells yummy and comforting.

I got this yellow bracelet from my aunt a good couple of years ago, and the flower and fruit brooch is even older, I stole it from my mum and it has a great sentimental value to me.

This dinky pair was acquired during one of the holidays spent with my cousin and we got those together. I never wear them but just love how cute they are, and they remind me of her.

Now, my color of choice has to be orange, and I tag these fabulously warm people:

Ondine

Loveaudrey

Natalia at Fashion Titbits

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange." Vincent Van Gogh

Fresh voluminous hair

... which I hope to achieve with the new haircare I bought at the hair saloon last week. It'll be my first experience with a professional line, so I keep my fingers crossed that higher price means higher quality!

My hair has been diagnosed as fine and delicate, and, from my everyday experiences, getting oily superfast as well as rather flat and lifeless. The hair stylist recommended L'Oreal Professionnel Volume Expand range and I decided on their Volumising Shampoo and Volumising Cream Conditioner for fine hair. The other products in the range include a face mask, a styling mousse and a root spray which I'm also lemming.

The effects that the shampoo is supposed to give are based on a MINERAL CA technology which uses calcium crystals and silica to build a structure in the hair that helps to achieve volume. The conditioner uses a different technology called NUTRITEX and promises to condition and volumise the hair without making it feel heavy or greasy.

So far I've only tried the conditioner once and I really liked the smell, texture and how soft my hair felt after using it. Also, I noticed it was much more prone to styling. As for the volume, I really hope for a lift at the roots and I couldn't observe that after using the conditioner which is meant to be used on the mid section and ends of your hair. I keep my fingers crossed for the result and will update this post as soon as I try the shampoo and conditioner combo!

The always gorgeous Tali at The Gloss Goss chose me for the famous photo tag. The rules are to open your first photo folder, scroll down to the 10th photo, and post it with a comment. So here it goes!

It's actually me in the photo, some 17 years old or so. It's from a photoshoot I did with my best friend's boyfriend who happened to be a photographer. The strange strings in the photo are just some fluffy wool in which I was covered to make the shoot more interesting. What I like most from this shoot is that my fiance (then boyfriend) was there in the studio and the photographer snapped some shots of us together at the end and they bring back so many memories.

I tag Ondine, Loveaudrey (Happy Birthday, hun!) and Nadia from Love Lipstick and Lime.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Monday evening! xxx

Monday award and a secret

I feel like at the Oscars - all because of you, bloggy beauties! Recently I've been nominated for an awesome blog award and I can't wait to pass it on :)

The absolutely lovely Suka & Spice (very promptly nicknamed a Tongan Princess by Tali ) gave me this hilarious award; thank you, cherie!

The rules are to list your 5 current obsessions, link back to the person who nominated you, and then nominate 5 fabulous blogs by linking to them and letting them know in the comments. Simple!

1. Wedding. Enough said :)

2. Lingerie. Seriously, my undies are a STATE. If I were in MTV Room Riders, I don't even want to imagine what the poor audience would think of my drawer. The biggest crime is that most of my bras are the wrong size and they're really uncomfortable to wear. But... I went lingerie shopping today, haul will be posted soon!

3. Beautiful photography. I discovered Tumblr through Magpie Sparkles blog and I never have enough. It really motivates me to start snapping my own photos pronto!

4. Tan. I want a perfect tan now! Any product recommendations, my lovelies?

5. Essential oils. I blogged about this last week I think, and I'm still lusting after some new scents to add to my collection. Currently, my favorites are levender, patchouli and eucalyptus.

I tag these amazing blogs:

Loveaudrey, with whom I share the Hepburn obsession

Tali at The Gloss Goss, another Slavic beauty junkie

Victoria at Lily loves Lola, a fellow dog person

Hele and Holly at The Nail Buff, which got me hooked on nail polish

Natalia at Fashion Titbits, who posts the most amazing fashion photos

Also, I decided to let you girls in a secret :) When I set up mu blog a couple of months ago I decided to keep it separate from my real life identity and not to share it with my non-virtual friends as I knew there'd be little understanding for it. I even disguised my name and settled on a French nickname ('rocaille' [pr. ro'kay] is an ornament in the shape of a shell/ spiral, widely used in the art of Rococo period) , even though I'm Polish. Anyhow, I know this has been a bit confusing to some of my readers and I thought that I also love knowing people's real names, so... My name is Monika, in Polish pronounciation stressed on the second, not first syllable; yes, I'm a a languages geek, you have to bear with me... :)

So, if you feel comfortable revealing it, what's your real name? I'd love to know! xxx

20 Questions Tag

Thanks to the always stunning Suka & Spice for tagging me! This has been a lot of fun, especially that... it's my 100th post! Hurray!

1. What is your favorite item of clothing?

It has to be this Benetton dress from a couple of years ago. I love the colourful silk and the cut... I remember it being quite expensive so I hesitated about getting it, but my daddy bought it for me :) I have only worn it twice since, once for a night out and then for a photo shoot, but I'm planning to sport it for the family wedding in August.

2. What are your biggest obsessions?

Right now? Berries, essential oils, cocoa butter and, of course, my wedding.

3. Who inspires you?

Kind, sensitive, strong people like my mum or my grandpa. If you asked what inspires me, I would answer beauty: both in terms of morality and aesthetics.

4. Who is your favorite designer and why?

As embarassed as I am to admit it, I don't have a favorite because I don't really follow catwalk that much. I really like Oscar de la Renta dresses though.

5. What is your favorite song ever?

Super difficult to say, but two of my favorites are Roisin Murphy's 'Let Me Know' and 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' performed by Ella Fitzgerald.

6. What is your favorite song right now?

'Black & Gold' by Sam Sparro.

7. If you were a sweetie, what would you be?

A Sprungli (swiss chocolate) praline.

8. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet - what words would you use to descrive your rainbow?

Scarlett, copper, canary yellow, emerald, azure and ultramarine.

9. What's your favorite film?

There are so many of them! Maybe 'Pan's Labyrinth'?

10. Who's your favorite actor?

Jude Law.

11. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

Vancouver, British Columbia.

12. What are your 3 favorite smells?

Givenchy 'Fleur d'interdit', cocoa, my fiance.

13. What are your 3 favorite tastes?

Mexican mango drink, cappuccino, raspberry sorbet.

14. What is your most treasured possession?

My engagement ring (not pictured, as I always keep it on my finger), this embroidered coin purse that used to belong to my grandma, and these Carribean black pearl earrings I got last Christmas from my fiance. Simply perfect.

15. What did you always want to do/be when you grew up?

When I was maybe 2 or 3 years old I loved trying on different outfits, so first maybe a fashionista :) Then I wanted to be an actress (my father was educated as an actor) and then a journalist.

16. If you were an ice-cream, what flavor would you be?

Straciatella.

17. If someone made a short film of your life, who would play you?

I'd prefer a poem to a film, to be honest.

18. What would your perfect afternoon consist of?

Delicious dinner and a walk in some gorgeous place with my fiance.

19. If you were a flower, what would you be?

Lisianthus.

20. Tell me a random thing - a quote, a line from a song, book, movie...

"Run mad as often as you choose but do not faint." - Fanny Price in Mansfield Park

I tag Ondine (as always!), Jen aka Mizz Worthy and Michelle at Lipstick Rules. Thanks for stopping by! xxx

What's in my bag?

I was tagged by the stunning Tali over at The Gloss Goss to do this tag; thank you, sweetie, and good luck to your new YT channel (check her out, girlies!).

It took me a while to post this due to technical problems with my camera, but here it goes :) This is my bag at the moment. It's dark cherry red faux leather with brown lining inside, I got it for last Christmas and I believe it's from Spring. It can hoard lots of stuff inside, and most of my bags are at least as big as this one, because as a student and a teacher, I need to fit an A4 paper format inside.

The things I carry with me are not overly exciting...

Moving clockwise, we have a red folder with handouts for my students, a deep red leather wallet from my mum, a silly coffee-lover agenda and some pens. Then there's a little umbrella, as we're experiencing very violent and unexpected rainstorms amost every day now, and a silver make-up bag I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Next we have an iPod cosily carried in an armband, some cheapo sunglasses, travel size of Eucerin body lotion I use for my hands, contact lenses thingy, a small pot of lipgloss with a retractable lip brush, and lastly, a pendrive, because no lady can exist without her USB device ;)

I know the contents are quite practical, but there's no place for superfluous stuff in a bag that accompanies me for up to 12 hours when I'm out... Ok, so I carry a little glass fish n my wallet, completely useless, but it's my lucky token :)

I tag:

Loveaudrey

Daisy

Aisling

And everyone else who fancies doing it! Thanks for stopping by, lovelies xxx

June favorites and blog award

I don't have that many favorites this month, but still wanted to share some great stuff I'm enjoying right now!

1. Illamasqua powder eyeshadow in Forgiveness. It's a matte, purpley brown shadow with great pigmentation and butter smooth texture. I use it almost every day as a crease color, it's very subtle but still something a bit different than your usual brown because of the warm, purple undertone.

2. NYX round lipstick in Thalia. You know all these 'my lips but better' posts featuring a nude lipstick of some sort? Well, no MLBB nude lippie for me. My lips are quite pigmented and Thalia is exactly the same shade, maybe a tad darker. The color payoff is good and the consistency nice and creamy.

3. Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme. Can't help it, you're probably bored to death by me mentioning it, but I still love it.

4. Yogurt pack method. I discovered this on Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets blog (check her out if you haven't already, she's the loveliest and most ingenious person ever!) and have used it for 3 days now as a mask before I go to bed. It leaves my skin feeling baby soft! I'll update you in a week's time on how I'm doing with it.

5. My scarves. I use them to give the simplest outfits a bit of texture and color. I have to get some more soon!

Today I also received an Uber Amazing Blog Award from Michelle at Lipstick Rules, thank you so much sweetheart! The rules are as follows:

1. Write five (5) interesting facts about the person who gave you this award. 2. Jot down ten (10) interesting facts about yourself or your hobbies. 3. Pick your ten (10) most deserving recipients and describe them. 4. Leave a comment on the recipients' blog to tell them they've been tagged. 5. Paste the award badge in your side bar.

About Michelle:

- She comes up with the most interesting ideas for blog posts that always spark off a vivid discussion

- She lives in Toronto where MAC started!

- She's a lovely person inside and out, I love her comments :)

- She has an amazing family who understands her passion for make-up, even her 2 years old son knows about it!

- She likes to excercise her will power by joining different variations of spending diet challenges

About myself:

- I'm Polish both by birth and citizenship

- I speak 3 languages fluently, Polish (of course), English and French

- I'm still a student at the Institute of Applied Linguistics, Warsaw University, Poland

- I'm short-sighted and wear contact lenses

- I'm getting married in September

- I don't like pop drinks, Coke is a big no no for me

- I like dogs and used to have a Welsh terrier, but I'm allergic to cats

- I inherited my eye color (warm dark brown) from my maternal great grandmother (or so I'm told, she'd died before I was born)

- My friends in high school called me a 'squirrel' in different variations of the word in Polish, like 'Wiewiórcia' or 'Wiórka', because of my reddish hair

- I hate war movies, they make me feel utterly depressed. In my opinion WWII is probably the worst thing that has ever happened to the humankind.

I'm going to cheat here and nominate less than 10 lovely bloggettes:

1. Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets. She's so passionate and honest about her recommendations on skincare. She's helping me a lot with improving my skincare routine, and her tips are simply genius!

2. Loveaudrey. She's just had her baby boy and is probably one of the most glam mummies in the blogland. I feel a kindred soul in her!

3. Jen at Mizz Worthy's Stuff. She's the sweetest person ever, hosts amazing contests (check out her latest "Myths & Legends" contest with fab Illamasqua prizes!) and posts the best, most honest reviews. Go Jen!

Hope you all have a lovely Monday and thanks for stopping by! xxx

Week 3 of the challenge

I've been a bit of a naughty girl this week, I admit. I caved in and bought Sally Hansen's Mega Shine topcoat, not only because it was recommended as an even better alternative to Seche Vite and I want my nails to be perfect, but also because I'm not so sure this is available in Poland... Same for the mini Burt's Bees hand salve I got to keep in my handbag (it's actually so tiny that I could keep it in my wallet!). I'm not too proud of myself, but hey, none's perfect. Still, to exercise my willpower even a tiny bit, I decided not to use these two things until I fly back.

By trying to use up as many products as I can before the travel, I discovered what most probably had been breaking me out. I threw out my face wash even though there was still some left in the bottle and stopped using an enzymatic exfoliator I had, and my skin is much clearer now. I've been also adding a couple of drops of tea tree oil onto a cotton pad dampened with a toner to wipe my face after washing it, maybe this also helped?

On the positive side of things, I received this super cute award from Ondine and Tali; thank you so much girlies, you've made my day!

The rule is to name 6 things that made you happy today, but the same as Tali, I have to cheat and include last 24 hours because it's only 12 pm :)

1. I had a lovely lunch with my fiance at our favorite sushi place

2. We booked our honeymoon trip to Cyprus

3. I climbed another 5.9 route and it was a bit overhung

4. Fiance's wedding suit arrived from Toronto and we're having a fitting today

5. I rearranged some things at home and it looks better that way

6. I've just indulged in my favorite cappuccino and read new posts from blogs I'm following

I tag:

Michelle at Lipstick Rules

Loveaudrey

Fashion Titbits

Thanks for stopping by, mes cheries! xxx

Tagged!

I really wanted to do this tag but nobody happened to tag me, until the absolutely lovely Ondine (go check her out, she's one of the most creative and inspirational bloggers out there, and I love her style!) asked me to do it; so thank you, Ondine!

Where I blog...

This is where all the magic happens ;) Basically the armchair was supposed to be mainly for the fiance, but now I acquired it through prescription (hmm, the pun here doesn't sound quite as right as in Polish). I usually have my cinnamon cappuccino on my left, sitting on a djembe drum in lieu of a coffee table. Through the window, you can see skyscrapers and the False Creek harbor with all the little boates and yachts, and Granville bridge.

What I'm wearing...

Denim shorts and a black and white polka dots top, one of my summer favorites.

Last thing I read...

Well, posts from all my favorite bloggers, of course! It's become my morning routine to read all new posts while sipping cappuccino and planning the day. Lush!

Do I nap a lot...

No, not really, only when I have a headache. I'm of those people who can only take in a limited amount of sleep; if I get too many hours of sleep one day, I have a nightmare falling asleep the next night.

Last person I hugged...

Fiance, just before he left for work this morning.

Current obsession/addiction...

True Blood series. Me and fiance are in the middle of watching the first season on DVD. We're so hooked up that we even watch commentaries. It's amazing, I love the feel of it, and oh, in terms of sexy male vampires, Bill here is so much better than the bland Edward in Twilight.

Dinner...

No idea. I'll have to cook something myself, so we'll see what I come up with. But a green salad on the side is a must today.

Last thing I bought...

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme. What a smell! Let's see if it works miracles on my super dry fingertips!

Listening to right now...

Hmm, not very fascinating, just traffic on Granville bridge.

A superpower...

That's a tough one! Maybe the power of persuasion, being able to mesmerize anyone into doing anything you want.

Favorite weather and why...

Sunny with little clouds, not too hot. Sunny all the way is too much UV exposure for my pale skin, hot hot is too sweltering for my lungs.

Time I usually get up...

I am a lucky girl now, it's 9 am.

Most challenging goal right now...

Organizing an almost perfect, beautiful wedding. Fingers crossed!

Something to the person who tagged me...

Your blog is so inspiring, I love how crafty you are, Ondine :) Your projects give me so many ideas for my own little creations!

Favorite item of clothing...

Benetton pink-brown-green silk empire-waist dress from 2 or 3 years ago. In terms of accessories, probably my white gold and diamond engagement ring.

Favorite pair of shoes I go back to over and over again...

Can I pick two? Brown leather ballet flats I featured in my first OOTD, and red leather open toe high heels I bought last spring in Poland (photo to come soon).

One thing I can't live without...

Is it too cheesy to say just love? Like in the old Beatles song...

Bedtime...

Currently, 1 am.

Wake up anywhere it would be...

I guess just here, in our Vancouver apartment, with my fiance :)

I tag...

I'm pretty sure everyone has already done it... So I tag everyone who hasn't!

Neno's Award from Sarah

Sarah at If the shoe fits... (well, probably you ALL know how marvellous she is, but if not... clickety click!) gave me this cute little award some time ago, but I've been so late on everything recently :( Anyhoo, here it goes:

Thank you so much Sarah for rewarding me, all your sweet comments and constant support! You're the best, hun :) Good luck with choosing the winner in your contest, it must be super difficult!

Terms & Conditions for the award recipient:
1. Paste the Award Logo in your blog
2. Give out the award to 10 blogs that you feels the most inspired and most friendly.
3. Make sure you back linked the recipients' blogs to your blog.
4. Inform the recipients about the award by leaving them comments on their blog
5. Give some love to the person who give you this award.

I TAG (in no particular order):

1. Daisy from Cupcakes and Cherries

2. Marie from I Love... The Obsessions of a Shopoholic

3. Nadia from Love Lipstick and Lime

4. Jen from Mizz Worthy's Stuff

5. Ondine

6. Rebecca from Panda Does Makeup

7. Steph from STEPH STUPH

8. Hele from Hele Says...

9. Miranda from So Freaking Hyphy

10. Lazula from Lazula80

Thanks for stopping by, girlies! xxx

Tag - '8 Things'

Thanks to lovely Steph and Daisy for tagging me! So here it goes, a little sneak peak into my life :)

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1) My parents coming to visit me and Mateusz in Vancouver. We're going to spend one week in the city and one week RV'ing on Vancouver Island. I just wish it would be as warm and sunny when they come as it is in Poland now - 26 degrees Celsius!

2) Hauls from Cherry Culture and Coastal Scents being delivered in parents' luggage. I don't have any new things to play with right now...

3) My name day (May 4th). I actually don't think anyone will remember, but maybe that's an opportunity to treat myself just a tiny bit? If you don't know what a name day is, it's something that used to be celebrated in Poland instead of your birthday in my parents' generation. It is more subtle, since you don't have to tell what age you're turning every year ;)

4) Today's dinner at our favorite sushi place, Ki-Isu. Did I tell you that Japanese cuisine is my favorite?

5) Going shopping some time soon. I desperately need new t-shirts/ blouses and a new cardi.

6) Weekend and spending more time with my fiance. On his workdays, he usually comes home dead tired.

7) Having a haircut... I think I have serious issues with my hair right now. I even get these dreams where I can't brush them or put them in a ponytail and I end up having hair all over my face... It's not that bad in reality, but I just wish I could have long hair again...

8) In a longer perspective, my wedding. Actually, I am both thrilled and horrified.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1) Got up relatively early, jumped in a bikini, went to the pool and swam uninterruptedly for 20 minutes.

2) Went grocery shopping - twice!

3) Cooked an Italian brunch: Spaghetti Carbonara and Caprese Salad, and devoured it to the last crumb.

4) Watched a super stupid movie starring Madonna entitled 'The Next Best Thing'. I like Madonna as a singer, but she's a terrible actress.

5) Got a terrible headache, took a painkiller and went for a nap. It didn't help and I was really exhausted when I finally crawled to bed.

6) Read a couple pages more of "The Art of Seduction". Going through 'The Charmer' archetype at the moment.

7) Went to a climbing gym and attempted at climbing a 5.9 route. Unfortunately, I failed at 2/3 of it... Maybe it was a diffcult 5.9, who knows?

8) Served as a human heater for my fiance at night :)

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1) Make myself more useful somehow. I sometimes feel my days are all filled with this big emptiness, and this is really depressing. I'm looking forward to work too, Steph! Fortunately, there's a job waiting for me when I come back to Poland this July.

2) Take control of all this wedding craziness and organize a perfect reception party!

3) Be closer to my friends. I feel like an outcast. Some of it has to do with the fact that I am away, and some of it... It's just the way I am, I guess. Usually it doesn't bother me at all, but sometimes makes me feel a bit lonely.

4) Buy only useful things. Oh, if I could have a magic insight into what is going to suit me in the long term while shopping...

5) Continue studying in Poland and live with my husband in spe in Canada at the same time. I'm not terribly excited about parting with him in a couple of months time :(

6) Prepare my own sushi.

7) Get over a mental bloc about climbing.

8) Work as a freelance MUA in addition to being a teacher and a translator. Or maybe just have some girlfriends who would like to have a makeover done by moi...

8 Shows I Watch:

It's a tough one. I haven't watched TV in 4 months now... But I used to enjoy:

1) 'What not to wear' with Trinny and Susannah

2) Polish edition of 'You Can Dance'

3) 'My Family' on BBC Prime

4) 'How to look good naked' with Gok. Love how this guy talks, but the Polish voice-over simply doesn't keep up with him.

5) 'Keeping Up Apprearances' on BBC Prime

6) 'Project Runway'

7) Make-up makeovers in different shows on 'TVN Style', a Polish channel aimed at women.

8) Occasionally, 'Desperate Housewives'.

I tag 8 lovely bloggers:

1) Sarah at 'If the shoe fits...'

2) Ondine

3) Nadia at 'Love Lipstick and Lime'

4) Jennifer at 'Mizz Worthy's Stuff'

5) Lottie at 'Pretty Geeky'

6) Hele at 'Hele Says'

7) Lazula at Lazula80

8) Anyone else who'd like to jump on the bandwagon :)

Have a great day, everyone! xxx