Everything's a story.

Just Married!

July 24, 2017 giastark

I was going to wait with this post until we get home and I gain access to all of the wedding pictures, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’m married!!! I know, I can’t believe it myself either haha. It’s absolutely bonkers. But hey, we’ve been married for 3 days now and still going strong!

It has been absolutely manic for the past week or so and I feel like I haven’t slept in months. We’ve all been so busy running off our feet, trying to get things done. In fact, I may be asleep as I’m writing this, I keep nodding off at odd moments. (Here’s a random picture of the venue before the wedding.)

Lack of sleep notwithstanding, we did it. Everything was absolutely 100% perfect. Everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest and it was so great to finally have our families meet. (Here’s another random picture of our venue before the wedding. We worked so hard to get the decorations up on time.)

I’ll be heading off to bed now, but I’ll leave you with this snap of our first slice of cake as a married couple. It was sooooooooooooo nice!

I’ll be writing more when we get back home and I get all the pictures from my camera and our amazing photographer. So much to show you all.

Until we meet again! Or you know, until I’m awake at least. (I’m a WIFE! Whaaaaaat?!)

Books, Reviews

June Books

July 17, 2017July 19, 2017 giastark

I really need to think of something more creative for my book post titles. Then again, this way it’s very clear what this post is about. Hmm. I’ll think on it.

Anyway, in June I read 3 books, bringing my total to 18/30. Very happy with this. Reading is one of my favourite activities anyway, but this reading challenge is that little extra push that I sometimes need to prioritise it over other things that I could be doing.

June started off with the first book that I’ve ever bought just on Kindle. Cry Baby (Callum Doyle #4) by David Jackson. My thoughts after finishing it were ‘I’d give it 3/10. It kept me reading but it lacked … body and soul. Like going to a bonfire but only seeing smoke – no fire or embers, and sure enough you can see some interesting shapes forming from the smoke but that’s not what you went to see. There were a couple of interesting turns but nothing to make me go “OOOOOOOOOOOOH!” or “I can’t believe this unforeseeable twist of events just occurred!” Soooo yeah. Easy read but predictable and.. stuff.’ Overall I was glad to have supported the author by buying his book, but I’m also glad I didn’t pay more for it as I’d have felt a bit robbed.

The second book I read was Killers: Britain’s Deadliest Murderers Tell Their Stories by Kate Kray. I picked it up on a charity sale as it looked interesting at the first glance. Well, it pretty much says it in the title – the author interviewed a series of murderers about their offences. I must admit that some of those stories were quite compelling. However I couldn’t help but think of them as just stories. I did some research on a couple of the people mentioned in the book and it’s like night and day. I understand that some of the articles on the internet would be telling the other side of the story, but you can’t really argue with hard facts. The hard facts that the killers themselves didn’t mention or the author decided to leave out, thus making the stories quite a bit lighter, perhaps even trying for sympathy. Overall not one of my favourite books.

Luckily things started to look a lot brighter with my third read of the month. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) by Brandon Sanderson. You probably know that I’m quite a fan on Brandon Sanderson’s books by now and that I’m reading my way through his series. I found Bands of Mourning such an enjoyable read that I was absolutely devastated when I found out that I’ll have to wait for the next book in the series to come out. So many loose ends, so much to look forward to. It’s still one of the very few fantasy books that I know where technological advances are happening, but where somehow the author still manages to keep the magic alive and as an essential part of the story. Loooooved it. The main characters are so lovable – they’ve got their flaws and quirks, but that only serves to make them even more interesting and, well, lovable. One of the characters especially really shone in this one. I’m talking of Steris – the organisation and control nutter. I found so much of myself in her that it really made me laugh and even feel better about myself. We’re both just being really prepared, that’s all. Now I’ve just got to wait for the next one…

I’m glad I finished June with The Bands of Mourning as it would’ve otherwise been a rather bleak month! I don’t even know how those crime and mystery books came about, but I do like to mix it up with different genres.

If you’ve got any reading recommendations for me, fire away 🙂

Beauty, Reviews, Unboxing

The Glossiest July

July 17, 2017 giastark

Oooooooooooooh how I love this month’s Glossybox. No intro, just straight to business. Love it. I’ll even go as far as to say that one of the products in this box has given me the confidence to do my own wedding makeup. I was a bit hesitant about doing it as I still consider myself a beginner, but this thing… This may just be the difference between looking like a glowing bride and a haggard old, well, hag.

Another beautiful box that I’d love to upcycle somehow. Seriously – any ideas, please let me know!

Bellapierre Cosmetics, Banana Setting Powder, RRP £25. I decided to jump straight to the best stuff. This is the product I was talking about. You’re probably thinking I’m way overselling this, but I kid you not – it’s amazing. I have very dark under eyes (thanks mum!) and I’ve always struggled with covering them. When I use concealer it gets really cakey, when I add powder it gets powdery cakey. And even then it doesn’t actually cover the circles! So when I saw this setting powder, I thought I don’t have anything to lose and tried it. It works like a charm. I put my makeup on this morning, have been doing housework, took a nap and it still looks good! So impressed. I’ve tried a couple of setting powders before and I don’t know what I was doing wrong but they just didn’t do it for me. This one does. Big time. Thanks! (Plus it’s got ‘Banana’ in its name.) http://www.bellapierre.com/uk/banana-setting-powder.html

CuteBalms, Macaroon Tint Balm in Crushed Berry, RRP £5.99. If dark pink and soft lips are what you’re after then this cute macaroon could be for you. It’s got a light sweet scent and is easy enough to apply. I like it a lot and will probably be getting it in other flavours as well. https://www.cutebalms.com/

Papanga, Spiral Hairbands, RRP £4.99. I was a bit sceptical when the spiral hairbands first made an appearance. I thought someone had taken a phone cord and used it to put their hair up. I’ve gotten a bit wiser since and now know that they’re in fact actual hairbands and they’re amazing. They don’t get stuck in my hair, they hold everything in place and I’ve yet to break one. I’ve got a LOT of hair and therefore everything I’ve just mentioned is truly spectacular and I’m very happy to have received more of these little beauties in my box. You can never have too many! http://www.papanga.com/en/spiral-hairbands/

Spectrum Collections, Small Fan – A10, RRP £4.99. I’m never too sure what to do with the fan brushes. It feels very nice and I used it to brush the excess powder off after using the banana stuff, but I’m not sure what else to do with it. Highlighting perhaps. I’ll give it a go anyway. https://www.spectrumcollections.com/

MONU Professional Skincare, MONUspa Soothing After Sun Lotion, RRP £19.95 for full size. It smells so lemony and fresh, exactly what you want after spending a day in the sun. Love it and can’t fault it in any way. Very lightweight but you can feel it’s really hydrating. It’s also the only sample sized product in this box, but even the sample size is really generous. https://www.monushop.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=281&search=after+sun

Overall I must say I absolutely loved this month’s Glossybox! I think it’s one of my favourite ones so far actually. Just the brush I’m not too sure about yet, but everything else has already found a place in my makeup bag.

Excited to see what they’ve got in store for next month!

Beauty, Reviews, Unboxing

Fantastically Pretty in July

July 15, 2017 giastark

Hellooooooo! It’s time for another beauty box post. I feel like it’s only been a couple of days since my last one, but the arrival of all the new boxes begs to differ! I feel like I’m especially excited for the July ones as now I’m really thinking ‘I could use this on my wedding day,’ when rummaging through all the new products. (Less than a week to go now!) Here goes…

First of all – how pretty is this box! I can’t wait to take it into everyday use. I mean, I haven’t decided how I’m going to do that yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. If you have any ideas, let me know 🙂

Jelly Pong Pong, Bare Necessities Highlighting Pencil. It’s a 4 in 1 illuminator, waterliner, concealer and base. With its pretty pinkish hue I see myself using it for waterlining and maybe for some eye shadow/liner works.

MoroccanOil, Hydrating Styling Cream. It’s a leave in cream to eliminate frizz, add definition and shine, while argan oil conditions and hydrates the hair. I tried it out this morning and quite liked it. It smelled really nice and left my hair gorgeously shiny. And with that being one of my life goals, I was quite pleased. I don’t think it’s actually one of my life goals. But hey, let’s just go with it alright?

Hot Makeup, Large Bronzer. I did NOT realise how pigmented this was so I just swished it on, as you do, and my jaw dropped when I then looked like I’ve spent a full week frying in the sun. So yes, I shall endeavour to be a bit more light handed with it in the future. Other than the huge colour pay off (which is actually a good thing), it did look nice with a gentle shimmer.

Cowshed, Chamomile Refreshing Toner With Spritz Cap. Love it. I used it to remove the excess bronzer I’d swooshed on and it was SO refreshing. It felt almost minty. Will definitely bringing that with me for the day after the wedding.

Mimitika, Sun Cream. Well it’s something that I’ll always need and even though the pot is quite small, I think it’s going to last me a loooong time. So the compact size just makes it easier to travel with. It’s meant specifically for face, has high protection (SPF 50) and promises to enhance tanning.

Regenerate, Toothpaste. I mean… Again something that most of us probably use. This one is very glittery looking though. As in, it looks like something unicorns use to brush their teeth. It doesn’t really taste of anything. But you know, I’ll probably use it as it’s convenient travel size. Plus it’s so shiny!

Imedeen, Advanced Beauty Shot. It tasted verrrrry lemony. I didn’t mind getting it in my box, but I wouldn’t buy it myself as I don’t see much point in it to be honest. I mean, I love fruit anyway so I’m already getting my vitamins and stuff. It also didn’t smell nice.

That’s it! That’s my July Lookfantastic beauty box. Overall I loved the contents of it, except for a couple of smaller additions. But hey, I can’t like everything in every box. I got a couple of things I’ll be taking with me when getting ready for the big day and some things I’ll be using the day after.

I call that a success.

My life

Wedding bits and bobs

July 10, 2017 giastark

I was planning to post a lot more about all the wedding planning, but what I didn’t realise was that how much time it all actually takes. And how it’s really not all that interesting. A lot of it is just sending e-mails and delegating assignments to friends and family (thank you for your help!!). I did put together the cocktail menu the other day though that I can show you.

Most of the stuff is actually sorted now. We got my Mr’s suit and everything the weekend before last, the final decoration deliveries have arrived, cake is pretty much sorted, the music is sorted… Just some little bits to do still. Choosing the music was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I have some really good ones there but some that are just really silly. I love it!

I was planning to get a lot done yesterday but instead of being productive I was being sick. I think it was food poisoning or something of the sort so I pretty much spent the day in bed feeling as rotten as they come. I caught up with Pretty Little Liars though. I must say, I loved the ending. I don’t know whether it was the fact that I watched in almost one go whilst only half awake, but I really liked it. I know I’m in the minority there though as most people felt really disappointed by it. Well, not me. For once.

Here’s my new Groot shopping bag by the way. I love it a lot.

Anyway, I’ll get to bed now. Still not feeling 100% and need to actually start being productive again tomorrow.

Can’t believe the wedding is next week!!!

Food, My life, Reviews, Unboxing

New Box!!! Omnomnom ;)

July 7, 2017 giastark

In my previous post (or a couple of posts back, I can’t remember) I mentioned that I’ve subscribed to a new monthly box and that it’s quite a bit different from the beauty boxes that I’ve been getting so far. Well, a couple of days ago I finally received the first one of those boxes and I’ve been itching to share it with you! I have to tell you though, in some ways I wish I’d have waited a month before placing my order (you’ll see why in a moment), but I was just too excited to try it out.

Tadaaaaaaaah! Degustabox!

Yes, apparently you can also subscribe to food! The reason why I wish I’d waited a month is because I really need to be good with snacking and stuff before the wedding so I’d fit into my dress haha. But it has been another example of the tiny amounts of willpower I have actually found from somewhere because I haven’t yet devoured everything in the box. I’m rather impressed with myself.

Firstly, the box itself is soooooooo cute! Secondly, it’s really well packaged. I think my food felt really safe and snug in there. Thirdly, you get this pretty little leaflet that tells you what you have in the box and on the other side there’s a recipe – this month it was ‘Beer can chicken on the BBQ’. And last but not least – all the fooooooood. Oh my goodness me.

There’s a bit of everything and I’m not going to go through it all in detail as I haven’t actually tried all of it yet. However I must say that I really like how there’s a couple of light bites (Mango with Vanilla Yoghurt Fruit Chips + Superfood Fruit Bar) in there, a few organic bits (Berrywhite Organic Drinks), some slightly naughtier snacks (Haribo Summer Frenzy + Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Scottie Dogs) and actual cooking ingredients (Capsicana Brazilian Chilli & Coconut Quick Cook Sauce + Schwartz Authentic American Flavour) as well as drinks (Westons Cider + Eisberg Sauvignon Blanc Alcohol Free Wine). It’s got something for everyone, I think and I can’t wait to actually dig in there in a couple of weeks! Gobblegobblegobbleomnomnom.

So far I’ve had the ciders which surprisingly enough I really liked. I’m usually not a big fan of appley apple ciders, but the addition of rhubarb in one and damson in the other was rather pleasant. Then I also had the Berrywhite organic Lemon & Lime drink, which was quite mellow as it was juice blended with mineral water and I also had the alcohol free wine which again I quite enjoyed and would buy again.

Uhmmmm yeah so that was what I was so excited about. Food. I love food. Unfortunately it loves me back so much that once it’s in my mouth it’s like ‘Yeah, I like this girl, let’s just hop on her hips and stay there until the end of times’. Oh well, I’m sure many of you can relate to this and I’m not alone.

I’ll go and try not to eat any of the goodies now. Or have just one…

My life

IT’S SO CLOSE!

July 2, 2017 giastark

My wedding day, that is. It’s less than 3 weeks away now! EEEEEEEEESHK! So exciteeeeeed! Can’t stop with the exclamation marks! Literally hopping up and down in my seat and squealing like a seal. Do seals squeal? Hmmm… I need to look it up.

Anyway – this weekend we got my Mr his suit and it’s beaaaaautiful. We also got me some jewellery (a necklace and a bracelet) that I might wear on the day. The thing is, it’s SO hard to buy any accessories so long after the dress because I really can’t remember what my dress looks like and yes, I’ve got some pictures, but it’s not the same. So basically I’m going to take every possible option with me and decide on the day. Because that can’t go wrong in any way at all can it? I mean, a panicking bride trying to decide between 5 different necklaces with 20 minutes to go before the ceremony? Fool proof!

I’ve also been experimenting with vlogging. Sometimes I like to get everything out then and there, without trying to find the right words so it’d make sense when you read it and all of that. So far I’m just getting used to the idea of putting my actual self out there rather than this voiceless presence on the internet. It’s a bit challenging as I’m super shy and I don’t actually think that my life is very interesting. But we’ll see if anything will come of this. Let me know what you think of this anyway. Or maybe some other videos to begin with? I find that idea a bit easier to get used to as then instead of rambling on about how I really want to buy those dragon wellies on Asos (they’re so cute!), I’d be talking about something specific. Like books. Hmm. Anyway yes, let me know your thoughts on this!

Uhmm… Before I sat down to write tonight I felt like I had so much to say. Where did it all go? Oh! I remembered one thing. I subscribed to a bit of a different box this month. You know, in addition to all of the beauty boxes that I get. I think it’ll make quite an interesting post 😉 well, it’ll be different in any case. And possibly appeal to more of you. Yes, I’m talking about you, G-from-the-make-believe-island (one of my real life friends. Who funnily enough started off online. I think he’s real anyway.)

Also, I really really really like watermelons. And I don’t have any self control. I had half a watermelon in one sitting. I wasn’t even sorry. In my defence the watermelons in the UK are very small. That’s if there are any Estonian readers there, as the watermelons are huuuuuuge in Estonia. And a lot cheaper than they are here. During the watermelon season anyway.

Right, it’s way past my bed time (I’m nearing 30 soon so I guess my age is catching up with me), so I best go and try not to have any more nightmares about everything that can go wrong on my wedding day. (Last night I dreamt that only after the ceremony I realised that I’d forgotten to change into my wedding dress so I was just wearing a random sundress and that something had gone with the cake that I ordered so they brought a triple chocolate cake instead (I don’t like chocolate).) Very scary. Especially the dress one. I’m sure there were also pirates involved somehow…

Here’s wishing for a dreamless sleep!