Saturday, June 6, 2009

I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!!!

Good day/evening gals, depending on your location.

I am B-A-C-K!! Finally :)

Missed me..?

I really do apologize for my recent unannounced, unplanned hiatus; things have been so hectic here lately. Life and all that gets in the way for blogging and other things... We've had lots going on in our families; birthdays, confirmation and other happenings. We are also in the (never ending, it seems) process of renovating our entire house, which takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention money! Darn, how expensive everything is..! But, it's totally worth the time and effort though, when you start seeing results ;) I also have been sick on and off for a couple of weeks; some evil virus that has caused tongue blisters (eeeeww, I know..), on and off fever and general fatigue... I hate being sick..! Some days I've barely been able to eat, it's been quite painful.
I'm still not well, but hopefully I'll soon be as good as new again ;)

Thanks to those of you who sent me emails, asking and worrying about me; much, much appreciated and very sweet and thoughtful of you! I can't wait to catch up with you all, I imagine there are quite many posts to go through...


So anyway; today I did a simple shimmery lime/aqua EOTD, which turned out very soft looking. Nothing bold or bright about this look! ;)


Shade descriptions:
  • Chartreuse - Gold Pearled Chartreuse Green
  • Groovin' Guppy - Bold iridescent tropical aqua with iridescent layers of lime green and turquiose ("Astrology" collection)
  • Marshmallow Mist - Twinkling golden pearl
  • Donai - Deep dark blue green, almost black (matte)

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Chartreuse - all over eyelid up to brow bone
The She Space Groovin' Guppy - outer outer 2/3 of lid and crease and outer 2/3 of lower lash line
Cory Cosmetics Donai - wet lined on upper lash line
The She Space Marshmallow Mist - on brow bone and close to tear duct.
Maybelline Colossal Mascara in black

Face:
Jenulence Concealer Foundation in Neutral Beige
Earthen Glow Minerals High Definition Pro Finishing Powder

Cheeks:
Earthen Glow Minerals Blush in Pink Bronze
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Shimpagne - highlight on top of cheek bones

Lips:
NYX Slim Lipliner in Nectar
NYX Black Label Lipstick in Satin





With flash, crappy pic, sorry...


Boring ponytail hair as per usual...lol!





I really like those spring-y greens!





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Today is....

6 June, Sweden's National Day!

Sweden has celebrated its National Day on June 6 since 1983, but it only became a public holiday four years ago. Swedes are still working out how best to celebrate it ;)

Sweden has not taken part in any of the wars of the modern era, which may explain the Swedes’ somewhat guarded attitude towards celebrating a national day. We are proud of our country but don’t seem to feel any great need to show it. Previously, 6 June was not a public holiday, and for many people the only sign that this was a special occasion was the decoration of buses with Swedish flags.







Celebration with the Royal Family...





Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden and Queen Silvia on their way to the annual celebration at Skansen, Stockholm´s open-air museum.
Photo: Stockholm Visitors Board




Every year, the King and Queen take part in a ceremony at Skansen, Stockholm’s open-air museum, where the yellow and- blue Swedish flag is run up the mast, and children in traditional peasant costume present the royal couple with bouquets of summer flowers.

These days, special ceremonies welcoming new Swedish citizens are also held around the country on National Day.



The exact age of the Swedish flag is not known, but the oldest recorded pictures of a blue cloth with a yellow cross date from the 16th century.
Photo: Jonathan Hall



Public holiday for the first time in 2005
In 2004, the Swedish Riksdag (parliament) voted to make it a public holiday, which may cause people to become more interested in celebrating it. The final decision took decades to reach — various proposals had been bandied about under a succession of governments.

There are also groups lobbying for the introduction of an official National Pastry, and a National Dish, and for the key-fiddle (nyckelharpa) to be made the National Instrument. But even for ideas as innocent as these, arriving at a consensus has proved difficult.



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Sweden in brief

For those interested, here's everything you need to know about Sweden, in brief — from climate, to government, to lifestyle.

Facts about Sweden

  • Area: 174,000 sq mi (450,000 km²), the third largest country in Western Europe
    Forests: 53%
    Mountains: 11%
    Cultivated land: 8%
    Lakes and rivers: 9%
    Longest north-south distance: 978 mi (1,574 km)
    Longest east-west distance: 310 mi (499 km)
  • Capital: Stockholm
  • Population: 9.3 million inhabitants
  • Languages: Swedish; recognized minority languages: Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish, Romani Chib
  • Form of government: Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
  • Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in one chamber
  • Religion: In practice, Sweden is very secularized. The Church of Sweden is Evangelical Lutheran; co-exists with many other beliefs
  • Life expectancy: men 79 years, women 83 years
  • Most important export goods: Electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, passenger cars, paper, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel
  • Most important imported goods: Electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, foodstuffs, crude oil, textile products, footwear and passenger cars


Average temperatures


JANUARY JULY
Malmö +31.6°F (-0.2°C) 62.2°F (+16.8°C)
Stockholm +27.0°F (-2.8°C) 63.0°F (+17.2°C)
Kiruna +3.2°F (-16.0°C) 55.0°F (+12.8°C)


Daylight


JANUARY 1 JULY 1
Malmö 7 hours 17 hours
Stockholm 6 hours 18 hours
Kiruna 0 hours 24 hours


Information/facts source: www.sweden.se












That's all I have for you today, but I'll be back shortly; I have a load of upcoming posts to share with you all!
In the meantime, take care ;)

Hugs,



19 comments:

♥ Nehs ♥ said...

welcome back Vanessa! :)

Helen said...

Hi Nehs!
Thanks honey :) Mwah!

Mary said...

Welcome back and glad you're feeling a bit better!

Helen said...

Hi Mary!
Awww; thanks girl :)
Can't wait to check out all your posts that I've missed!

avroys said...

Welcome back! I really missed your posts. Glad to hear that you are feeling a lot better. Thanx for the very interesting post about Sweden!

Tuli said...

How good to see you again :-) You look lovely with this makeup and I can't wait to see your upcoming swatches.
I enjoyed reading all those things about Sweden, I always find it very interesting to hear about other countrues. So happy holiday and thanks for sharing !

Phyrra said...

*hug*
It's so good to see you back!
Nice soft look, too ;)

contests and such said...

Glad to see you're back, girlie! That's so horrible that you have been sick while busy! I hate it when that happens.
Love the eyes!
Thanks for sharing your country with us! I love learning about other parts of the world from people that live there!

Nixxy said...

YAAAAY! We missed you! :D
Ooh - seeing the Royal family there reminds me - when's the wedding?

Helen said...

Hi Avroys!
Thank you so much, I appreciate it :) Great feeling when somebody misses you... *hug*

Hi Tuli!
Thanks darling, good to be missed :)
Glad you are enjoying reading about Sweden, I'm the same way - I always enjoy learning about other countries and lifestyles :)

Hi Phyrra!
Thanks sweetie, great to be back, I've missed you all ;)

Hi Nessa!
Yeah - I hate when that happens too ;)
Glad you found the post interesting!

Hi Nixxy!
Yay - I've missed you too; a lot! :)
Can't wait to catch up with ya!
The wedding takes place on 19 June next year, the same date the King and Queen were married. So, it'll be a long engagement, by Royal standards. Daniel (Victorias fiancée) went through surgery two weeeks ago - got a new kidney donated by his father. Everything seems to have gone well.
Talk to ya soon, girl!
*Hug*

Alexlyndra said...

Welcome back! Nice to hear that you've been away for a good cause, most of the time at least. :) Nice makeup!
Haha, I'm from Sweden and live there and you just gave me some facts I didn't know. :P Have a nice summer!

Helen said...

Hi Alex!!
Thank you!
You know, I didn't know a lot of those facts either, isn't it nice to learn new things? ;)
You have a great one as well! Talk to you soon ;)

Nixxy said...

Aw, we have to wait THAT long to see the dress? Bummer! :)

krista carlson said...

YaY for being back...Hope you feel well soon and I love the combination of colors you put together. Very striking on your eyes...Beautiful...

Helen said...

Nixxy;
hehehe, frustrating, isn't it?

Hi Krista!
Thank you so much, it's good to be back! I'll catch up with you soon ;)

Robyn @ ItsRobyn.com said...

Vanessa, I'm so glad you're back and well again and looking lovely as ever!

Lucy said...

I don't see my message from last night! I sent you lots of hugs and kisses saying that I missed you. Hope your feeling better. How miserable to be sick like that. Renovations are so stressful. I don't have to worry about that anymore since I live in an apartment. When I lived at home it was a nightmare. Always so much that had to be done. There was always so much dust around and something always going on. Now I just have to wait for maintenance. That's an aggravation since you never know what time they are going to show up. Love your eye makeup, it's very pretty and you look gorgeous. How's that pretty baby of yours? I enjoyed learning about Sweden and seeing the pictures of the Royal Family. You have a very progressive country. Beautiful also. Get plenty of rest and talk to you later.

Helen said...

Hi Robyn!
Awww, thanks; feels great to be back :)
Mwah!

Helen said...

Hi Lucy!
You sent me a message? How sweet of you, thank you so much, I really, really appreciate it! Will look for it.
I guess there are pros and cons with most things in life; I really love, love, love our house, but like you say it's so much to be done and always something going on... and the dust part sounds familiar... ;) It gets stressful and frustrating at times, because with our beloved daughter running around like crazy we don't get much work done. We have to constantly keep an eye on her. We don't have very many people around that we trust enough to help with baby sitting her either, so she's with us 99% of the time... which of course is a great thing per se, but like I said, it's not easy to get much work done ;)
Otherwise, my girl is doing great, thanks for asking! There is so much development going on right now, I discover her learning new things everyday it seems. She really enjoys being out in the garden right now, running around and taste everything possible ;) She picks up little sticks and gives them to our dog, those two will be the greatest of friends!
I'm glad you found the post interesting, like I was hoping people would. I'm very intrigued by Royals, not sure why this fascination exists. I guess it's the result of all the princess dress up games from my childhood.. lol!
Talk to you soon; hugs and kisses :)