Monthly Archives: February 2010

Birthday cake

Uncategorized February 11, 2010 Comments: 8

Some time ago, Carol from WAFT by Carol posted a recipe for a Red velvet cake which I found totally interesting. Here is a link to the recipe.

So, I decided to make it for my birthday and here are the pictures (Carol’s looks much better but hey, this was the first time for me):

As you can tell, I’m still not perfect at frosting the cake. 🙂 To put it mildly.

But it looked ok inside and everyone wanted a piece (that was good to hear).

Some guests wanted a second piece as well (yay for me!) so in the end there wasn’t really much left.
Although you might not think it by looking at the photos, the cake really tastes wonderful. And I can’t wait to do it again in the near future.

P.S. Carol was very helpful – I don’t do much baking, so I peppered her with questions. 🙂 Thanks!

Happy this year

Uncategorized February 10, 2010 Comments: 14

First off, join me for a glass of champagne while I talk about the passing year.

It’s been a year since I turned 30 and that birthday wasn’t the one I felt the need to celebrate. I was actually quite depressed (even though my friends kept telling me it’s the best decade to be in) and I didn’t feel happy and didn’t really celebrate much.

Consequently, the year was difficult and I am sincerely glad it is behind me. I am looking forward to this year being the starting point of much better things to come so I am celebrating it with everyone, and that will include all my wonderful virtual (blogger) friends.

And since we are here in the middle of the winter, it’s snowing and it’s going to continue snowing for the next 5 days, I am starting to fantasize of all the warm days to come so I want to give you something to remind you of warmer days to come: a 10 ml decant of PdN Eau Turqoise, 10ml of Kenzo Peace and 5ml of both, The Six scents series 1, No. 1 and Givenchy Organza 2008 Fleurs d’oranger.

Just comment to enter (until end of Sunday, 14). 🙂

Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Take

World of Books February 9, 2010 Leave a comment

I am no longer a young adult but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy books written for them. 🙂 So, in the last year and a half, I ended up starting more than one YA series. The last in line is Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent and I only read the first book.

I’ve heard of Rachel Vincent before but haven’t read anything up to now, there is a non YA series in her opus but I can’t say the excerpts made me that curious about it. I blame it totally on the person writing them because as much as I can tell, RV writes pretty much the thing I like to read.

I’m a bit busy lately so it took me almost a week to finish this book, even though it’s not even remotely long. Good thing about it is that it is easy enough to read and interesting enough that even though a few days pass, you don’t lose interest (that happens to me a lot) and just start reading something else, but each time I did have time, I took it up.

The idea is interesting enough – not seen before, that’s for sure (in that variant). Bean sidhe (or more familiarly known as banshee) or sidhe characters have been cropping up everywhere. The worlds they inhabit are always different and it seems they might turn out to be the new vampires. There are so many traits that can be attributed to sidhe so they might come handy in the future. We’ll just wait and see.

The only problem I had while reading this is with the main female character. Are all teenagers so, well, stupid when it comes to interpersonal communication? Was I like that? Makes me wish never to have children. This is more general when talking about YA fiction than in particular to this novel, although it appears here as well. I guess that means MS. Vincent did a good job portraying teenagers but it’s a bit annoying reading through it. 🙂

All in all, I’m bound for my bookstore for the next book in series.

My first take on making my own body butter

Uncategorized February 8, 2010 Comments: 6

Let me start by saying it didn’t turn out to be a butter. 🙂 More like a buttery body emulsion. 🙂
I always try to find new body products that make my skin more soft and less dry (and hopefully help I never ever get another stretch mark). So, some time ago I found this great Croatian site that has a really good collection of essential oils (I was trying to find some oils to learn the smell of some of perfume ingredients). Anyway, they have also a good selection of individual butters and plant oils – for Croatian readers, you can find more here.
I ordered before summer some shea butter, sesame oil and some essential oils. I planned on using the butter and oil during summer due to their properties but when it’s hot outside, I realized I don’t like anything that leaves a fatty residue on my skin.
These days it is very cold outside and I need something strong for my skin and I came up with the idea to liquefy the shea butter since it’s solid at room temperature and put some sesame oil in it so it would be more easy to apply. While checking my essential oils to see what am I going to put in for smell, I found some 30ml of marigold oil so I took that as well.
And once the shea butter melted, I put the marigold oil in and some sesame oil and in the end clove leave essential oil. Poured it into plastic holders with caps and put them outside to cool. at first I thought I put too much clove because the smell was strong while the butter was liquid but once it cooled off, the smell was just right. But as soon as I put them at room temperature, it lost the butter strong consistency and somewhat melted into a buttery emulsion. 🙂 But, it feels wonderful on my skin and is absorbed much faster than one other real butter I have which is quite greasy and tends to rub off on my pjs.
You can guess where I’m going with this. 🙂 I plan on buying more raw materials and using them for my own concoctions. This time I won’t put that much oil into butter to make it more easy to apply – I think I put almost half of the shea butter weight in oil and that was too much.
I’ll let you know if next time I get a real body butter. 🙂

Almost strangled by tuberose: L’Artisan Tubereuse

World of Perfume February 5, 2010 Comments: 18

The title might sound as if I didn’t like what I smelled and that would be very wrong. But it isn’t that simple.

I wonder what tuberose fans think of this one? I only dabbed it on my wrist and I got hit by a tuberose wall (for a lack of better description).

Notes: tuberose, ylang-ylang, coconut milk.

As you can see, there aren’t really that many notes to decipher but I still didn’t smell coconut milk. 🙂 It’s camouflaged in all the tuberose.

Anyway, my nose was almost glued to my wrist after putting it on – it actually smelled narcotic to me. And I think this is the first time that my mind instantly associated tuberose with smelling tropical. The smell is actually so strong and saturated that I could feel the imagined tuberose jungle lianas winding around me while I stand there dazed and keep smelling it.

And although I really enjoyed smelling it, I’m not sure I would be able to wear it. I just can’t imagine smelling like that (not that that might not happen, who knows what will be my favourite note year from now?).

I guess I did smell ylang-ylang because I got the feeling of tropical lushness. This is the first scent for which I can say that it grabs you by the neck and doesn’t let go with its intensity. I’m sure if you’re not careful with applying, you are definitely going to give yourself a headache. But you will probably be drugged by the smell, so you might not care. 🙂

R.E. Feist: Rage of a Demon King

World of Books February 5, 2010 Leave a comment

I already talked about Feist in my WoW posts but since this year I’m participating in very interesting book challenges, time has come to focus more on books and less on authors. Not that I’ll stop writing about them either but obviously in much lesser extent since those are mostly authors I read regularly so the new writers of the week are going to be more spaced.

But let me say a few words about the book.

It’s been on my list for a while, it’s number 3 in the Serpent War saga (there is one more left and waiting for me). The problem I have with fantasy books is that they are long. I don’t mind that at all but I have to take into account the amount of free time I have for reading and therefore if I start on a book I cannot let out of my hands and the time is limited, I tend to get upset. So all fantasy usually waits for better days (like when I’m home sick and can read all day long). 🙂

All Feist books were lent to me by my colleague (we all share books at work) and I went back to work really upset with him because he didn’t warn me about some of the bad things happening in book 3. 🙂 Ok, I wasn’t really upset but since we talked about the previous books and had some favorite characters, I was shocked he didn’t warn me because the one I’m talking about and trying not to spoil this too much was his favorite. So, I was a bit shocked but fortunately for me, it doesn’t detract from the book. Quite the opposite. Feist fantasy world is too real in some cases – people die, get killed and war is as messy as it gets.

And I have a confession to make. I started the book some time ago but I got seriously upset by one of the character’s stupidity and I’m sorry to say I doubted Mr. Feist and thought it was going to progress down the wrong way so I didn’t want to read anymore. 🙂 I was wrong. There is no part of this book that feels wrong to me and the characters are true to their character. 🙂

This book finally deals mostly with the problem of the serpent war but there are still some threads that need to be finished in book 4. I have high hopes for that and I know I won’t be disappointed. It feels great when you know you can start reading a book and enjoy it from the beginning because you just know that the writer you are reading is not going to disappoint you (one more time, sorry Mr. Feist for doubting you). 🙂

Building a Serge Lutens collection: Santal Blanc

World of Perfume February 4, 2010 Comments: 12

More than any other line, Serge Lutens scents are slowly winning over any other line. Well, they actually already won and I’m not even close to owning bottles of all of those I love. That is one of the reasons I am very attached to my credit cards. 🙂

I swapped some time ago for a small decant of Santal Blanc and I totally fell in love with at first smell but didn’t give much thought to actually thinking about what is it that I love so much (probably due to the fact I couldn’t at first recognize any note out of it).

So, the other day after feeling so low I decided to visit Martimex (used to be my favourite perfume/skincare store – maybe will be again) and see if they have Douce Amere before the bottles disappear forever. They didn’t but I saw Santal Blamc and while discussing some other things with the very helpful SA and buying some of them, I decided I will be going home with SB. 🙂 And since I did, it was time to give it a proper sniff and review.

Notes: white sandalwood, cinammon, fenugreek, pink pepper, rose, jasmine, orris root, musk, benzoin, copaiba balsam.

I’m still struggling a bit with it because to me it is complex and not easily broken down into notes. It starts with this warm sandal feel but it has much more depth than those words imply. The slightly warm feeling reminded me of cumin but it’s not exactly that – cumin has a “distinctive” warm smell while this just smells slightly spicy and warm (my guess fenugreek and musk?). Anway, smelling it without notes, I would never have thought of cinammon and then afterward I thought I smelled it through this white sandal spicy warmth but cannot say that for sure. I started to think of it as warm and cuddly but although it comes close to being that, it doesn’t actually get into that category. There is a spicy/woody edge that just doesn’t let it get there and I appreciate it. It exactly fits with me when I want to smell warm and approachable but strong.

I find it rich and deep, I guess all those bottom notes give it that quality. Honestly though, I don’t know where the jasmine and rose are – probably blended so well into the structure that my untrained nose just can’t get them. It took me a while (although it shouldn’t have) to figure out that the slightly boozy-vanilla hint was coming from benzoin (I know that usually!).

It really isn’t an easy perfume for me to get to the bottom of – I got the feeling like it has this quality of its ingredient notes being wet. Not an aquatic note but more like some of the ingredients were wet when getting into the formula. And it gives it even more depth and body. This wetness dissipates later and I’m left with a drydown of benzoin and sandalwood hinting at some saltiness coming from orris (that would be my conclusion).

And since I mentioned my collection, it already has: Cedre, Serge Noir, Chergui and now Santal Blanc (I also have Feminite du Bois but that is a special category). Those that I know I will buy (eventually) are: Douce Amere, Fille en Aiguilles and Fleurs d’Oranger. But since I haven’t smelled all of them, you never know what else might come along.

No inspiration

Uncategorized February 2, 2010 Comments: 6

I have no inspiration for anything. I hate feeling like this but nevertheless, the feeling hits me couple of times a year. I hate it but since the overriding quality of the feeling is lethargy, I don’t really get even terribly upset. I just have no will to do anything (and that includes reading – that is the most serious symptom of all).
Anyway, it usually helps to talk about it so I decided to share my unwillingness to do anything with anyone who wants to read it. I don’t think many will be interested in reading about my lethargy though.
I got some wonderful samples from Jessica over at Signature scent but they are resting on my table waiting for better days. I was kind of hoping today would be that day after reading my horoscope which said yesterday was the worst day for me (true so far) but I don’t get the feeling that today is much better. And this being my birthday month and my horoscope predicts such lovely things to come, I can’t but wonder when exactly are they going to start happening?
The only thing today that I believe is going to help me get back on my usual optimistic track is the NIke rockstar workout starting this evening at my gym. I was so sick lately that my regular exercising routine went from regular to non-existent so my guess is some of that will not only whip me back into some kind of shape but also do wonders for my mood (it really helps – dance workout with great music is probably the best way to make one feel happy).
So with that thought, I’m going to end today and hope for the best. You will know soon enough if it helped…

P.S. I also might do some shopping after work (that is a known recipe for lifting the spirit). 🙂

Charlaine Harris: Grave Sight

World of Books February 1, 2010 Comments: 2

Well, it seems I will be doing more book reviews than just writer features since I’m participating in several reading challenges and I need to post reviews of books for them.

So, to start with my first suspense and thriller review, one of Charlaine Hariss’ books. Honestly, I didn’t know CH had another series besides Sookie Stackhouse. I accidentally stumbled upon them the other day in my favourite bookstore. I ended up going home with one, Grave Sight – love the name. 🙂

Anyway, Harper Connolly has a special gift, she can find dead people. And she goes around when people call her to find their missing/killed loved ones. Of course, since she can do that she is exposed to quite a lot of prejudice and you can find that in the book. I don’t want to talk much about what happens but it’s interesting how much CH has to say about injustice in our world (or the American South world).

I also understand that vampires are much more interesting reading these days so that might be the reason why this series progressed to 3 books, while Sookie is aroung book 12 or 13, I’m not sure. Not that I mind. I can hardly wait for the next one. 🙂

But I alse look forward to reading the following book in Harper’s series. I wonder if that one will be as interestingly provocative and that I won’t be able to find the killer before the end (or get the idea what is happening). 🙂