Chicago - Tourist tips

Hi there!

So it's time for the last post about Chicago, for this time. Since we got to Chicago on an impulse, we didn't know much about the town before we got there. In this post I want to share some of the things we learned and might be useful tips for a visitor.

Airport transfer

When we got to the airport we asked for the best way to get into city center and was recommended to take a shuttle bus. For $46 we got to go with a mini-bus that left us just outside the hotel entry. It took quite a long time (close to 1,5h) because of the trafic, and we had to sit stocked up with a few strangers, but it was still perfect for a first time visitor that didn't know where to find the hotel.

On the way back to the airport we realized how much better the train was. It took about 40 minutes and costed us in total $6. The walk from our hotel was just 10 minutes long, so we saved both time and money. At the hotel they asked us if we wanted them to call a taxi and when we told them we wanted to take the train they just said "Smart move". It's quite easy to get stuck in traffic during rush hour.

Next time we go to Chicago we will skip the shuttle and just take the train. Especially since we now have a clue about the city and isn't completely lost when we arrive.

Shopping

If you, like me, are used to European (not to say Scandinavian) prices the shopping is great. Both Macy's and Nordstroms was like heaven to me! The have just about everything you might need, good prices to start with and quite a lot of sales.

If you are from abroad and shop at Macy's you can ask for a discount card at the information desk, and show your ID-card. This gives you 10% off, which covers the taxes.

If you have a day to spend, I would really recommend to go to the Fashion Outlet (read previous post) It's impossible to leave without a great deal!

Sightseeing

Since we didn't have much time, we didn't do much sightseeing, but we did take a stroll in Millennium Park which was quite an experience. The modern art was really cool!

A walk down to the pier to watch the skyline in sunset is also highly recommended. It was so beautiful, and powerful, for someone coming from a little town like me.

If we would have had one more day, we would like to go on a guided boat tour around the town as well. It seemed like a really nice thing to do. Next time, Chicago!

Other

If you haven't checked out The Cheesecake factory, do so! Yummy!

Bring a pair of good walking shoes, because it's really easy to get around by foot. And don't forget a jacket! Chicago is called the windy city, so even when the sun is shining the air can feel quite cold.

Don't come with full bags. If you like shopping you will need as much space as possible. Just bring the most important stuff!

So what do you think? Is Chicago a place you would want to visit?


Follow me on Bloglovin and Twitter

Fashion Outlet of Chicago

When we decided to go to USA we were recommended to go to a Premium outlet. We had our eyes on one in San Francisco, but since we didn't end up there we had to rethink that plan. We asked our friend Google if he knew a place in Chicago and was told to go to Aurora. Good thing, we thought, but wasn't sure how to get there. We found a tourist information and went in to ask for help. The lady we met told us that they had opened up an outlet center close to the airport, and that it was a lot easier to go to than the one in Aurora. The center was called Fashion outlets of Chicago, which is why we didn't find it googeling Premium outlets.

From city center we took the train from Clark Lane to O'Hare, and a shuttle bus to the outlet. When we got back home we found out that you could take the train to Rosemont instead and get a free shuttle. We paid about $20 for our shuttle.

The center has 130 stores, which is quite a lot compared to the malls I'm used to at home. And the prices are not to talk about. USA is really cheap compared to Sweden to start with, and with all these sales I can tell you I was in heaven!

To give you a hint about the prices in USA compared to Sweden, I bought a shirt for my brother that he has been looking at here. I didn't buy it at the outlet, and it wasn't on sale, but still it was less than half price of what I would have to pay here.

When we arrived we went to the information desk because we wanted to buy Green Saving cards with additional discounts. As we told them we were from Sweden we got the cards for free (instead of $5/each) if we could show our ID-cards, proving we were visitors. Most discouts were something like "additional 10% off if you shop for $100". We did use quite a lot of those discounts, so they would have payed off, even if we hadn't got them for free.

We arrived around 11a.m. and left after 6p.m. And we did some great findings! Brands that I would never be able to buy at home, to prices that I usually spend. US Polo and Calvin Klein became the stores that we opened up our wallets to the most. Did some fantastic deals there. If I did have to pick my absolute favorite from the outlet I think it would be my DKNY "cozy", a cardigan that you can wrap in several different ways. Original price on the price tag was $175, I paid around $50, including taxes.

We found the center big enough to have everything we wanted, but not too big so we were able to check out all the stores and still go back if we realized we missed something. There was a big food court so it wasn't any trouble finding a place to sit when you needed a break.

We would really recommend going to this outlet center, especially if you're used to European prizes. Keep in mind though, that this is the first one I visit and have nothing really to compare with. We will for sure go back there next time we go to Chicago.

 

 

 

Glossybox September

Hi everyone!

Yesterday the Glossybox of the moth arrived. It's like Christmas every time. The theme of this box is Eyes. I loved the theme from the moment I heard about it. Eyes are my favorite part to focus on when I do my makeup. This is what I got in the box this month.

Garnier - The Miracle Cream

A face cream with an inovative color technology that's supposed to fit all skin tones. It will hide fine lines and even the skintone.

Absolute New York - Perfecting Eyeshadow Primer

This is perfect for me! I've been in the need to buy a primer for a while, but I tend to forget about it everytime I go shopping. Thank you Glossybox for taking care of this task for me.

Monu - Warming ginger oil

A massage oil to build up the skins elasticity and keep it soft and smooth. Hope M will help me use this one after a long day at work!

Benefit Cosmetics - It's Potent! Eye Cream

I'm excited to try another product from benefit. I know it's a quite hyped brand, but last time I got to try a product from them I wasn't really convinced. Hope this one gives them a jump up for me. It's supposed to tone out darkness under the eyes, even fine lines and moisturise the eye area. Convince me you're great, Benefit!

Make Up Store - Eyedust

I've always wanted to try products from Make Up Store, but it has been too hard for me to chose colours, and to expencive to buy plenty. In my box this month I got an eyedust in the colour Bamboo. It's a very lovely green shade, and I already know this will be a big time favorite this fall. It's very well pigmented and shimmery. Don't be surprised if a make up using this one turns up on the blog, sooner rather than later.

Bonuses!

The Body Shop - Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate

Make Up Store also offers make up consulting in one of their stores for me and a friend. Will see if I can find an opening for me and my sister to go to this one. Would be fun to see if they have something to say that I haven't thought about.

Over all I'm very happy whit the box this month. Definitely one of my favorites so far.

Stay tuned, a few more posts about our trip to Chicago will be posted in the next few days.

Skickat via Blogsy

Chicago - The Cheescake Factory

Hi there!

As both me and M are big fans of desserts and Big Bang Theory we couldn't not go to The Cheesecake Factory, as we found out they had one in Chicago. It was the perfect thing to do before we went to pick up our things and go to the airport for our trip back home.

When we got the menu we realized we wasn't in for an easy pick. Everything sounded so delicious. Since I'm crazy about raspberries my choice wasn't too hard in the end, and I think M was a bit affected about my love about Dulce de leche ice cream and the fact that I told him a few times that sounded like a nice one. So Dulce de leche and Lemon Raspberry Cream was served. We decided to split them and eat half-half, just to get a real taste at both. They both tasted like a little bit of heaven, but the final winner was the lemon raspberry. Mainly because the Dulce de leche was way to heavy for us. The first two bit was amazing, but then it just got too much. Lemon Raspberry was a bit lighter and was just perfect!

The service was great! We got a table quite quickly and we didn't have to wait long to get served. The girl taking care of us was lovely. Can't really remember her name. Vicky, I think? The only thing that we didn't like too much was that it was so cold in there! We weren't really tempted to sit there, so we ate up and got out as soon as we could. A bit warmer and we could have stayed longer, enjoying or cheesecakes to the fullest. That would have been perfect!

 

Chicago - Hotel Felix

Hi there!

In Chicago we stayed at the Hotel Felix. Since we booked last minute, we got a good price of the hotel, and it was much worth the money.

I'm used to staying at cheap places in London where you have to struggle to get the big bags up, or down, quite narrow stairs. That was far from the case this time! It felt quite luxurious stepping in to an elevator and having a well dressed man delivering the bags up to your room. A room that was very nice and clean. Not very big, but just perfect for two persons staying three nights. And that bed was impressive! It was so comfortable. I rarely sleep well away from home and my own bed, but here I slept like a baby. Free WiFi that worked without any trouble! Perfect for us that would be charged plenty from our operators if we used the 3G-net. Now we could still check out maps, transfer and other information we needed.

The staff at the hotel was really friendly, and helpful. They answered all of our questions and gave us useful tips about the city.

The location was great. It was close to everything in the city center. About ten minutes walk from the John Hancock Center and Water Tower Place. In the other direction it wasn't far to Millennium Park and the train station to the airport.

There are a few minor things that could have been better. For example they took a deposition of $50/night that they didn't inform us about until we questioned the way to high amount of money drawn from our card. Money that still isn't transferred back. Maybe this is common in the States, but for a first time visitor we would have wished for this info in advance.

We we're also hoping to be able to have a late check out, but the fee of $50/half an hour, was way too high in our opinion.

Overall, we were very happy about the hotel and can defiantly see this as a place to go back to next time we visit Chicago.

Chicago, we will be back!

Hi there!

Yesterday we got back from our little weekend in Chicago. Just in time to celebrate my birthday today. Woke up this morning to my family and boyfriend singing Happy Birthday (a Swedish version of it) and giving me some really lovely gifts. And my little dog was the center of attention as usual trying to help me open everything up. Oh, the disappointment when he realized there wasn't anything for him to play with.

Anyway, Chicago. What a lovely city! Both me and M are in love with it and have promised each other we will go back sometime! We have a few more places on the list, so it might take a while, but we will be back! No doubt about it.

What we liked about it was that it was so cozy even though it's so big. Also a big plus for how easy it was to get around by foot. Our hotel was at a very central location, so we could walk everywhere we wanted to go, except the airport and the Fashion Outlet of Chicago. And we loved the people! Everyone was so friendly, everywhere you went. In Sweden everyone is quite closed and private, but here people started talking by just the look from a stranger.

These two pictures are a  good example of what we loved about the city. In the level of sight it looked so nice and intimate, but when you looked up the town was rising to the sky. Pretty awesome! The highest building in our city felt kind of small compared to this town.

We went down to the pier to look at the city skyline, and happened to get there as the sun was setting. It was so beautiful! Had to take a selfie there, which we sent as a postcard to family and friends. Using an app from the Swedish Post, it arrived before we did! Very appreciated by the receivers.

Last day we had really lovely weather and we felt like we had reached our shopping budget, so we went to the Millennium Park to stroll around and watch the cool sculptures. I really enjoyed watching the modern art. Most places I've visited before is known for it's old and close to antique architecture, and I love that, but this was something completely new and exiting in it's own way.

During the week I will post more specific posts about the hotel, places we've visited and tourist tips that we learned during the trip. Stay posted if you're interested in more about our Chicago trip!

Follow me on Bloglovin and Twitter

We're in USA!!

Hi everyone! 

As you may know, me and M had planed a trip to San Francisco. Since we travel on standby-tickets we have to be prepared for a sudden change of plans. So was the case this time. The flight to San Francisco was fully booked last night so we had to look for other options. The result? We are in CHICAGO!

After a long flight and a long taxi drive, we have checked in at Hotel Felix, which we like a lot so far. We are way to tired to do anything productive today, so we just went to 7eleven to pick up some snacks and relax on the room. What we could see from the taxi windows it seems to be a very cool city. Can't wait to explore it closer tomorrow!

Tutorial - Green eyes

Hey there!

The other day I got the question if I had an olive green eye shadow to recommend, so I thought I'd share what eye makeup I use when I want to match my green wardrobe.

To this look I've been using the following: 

1. Undressed Palette from MUA, colours Puff and Hazle.

2. Eye shadow from Sephora in colour Python bag No 45

3. H&M eyeliner in Soft Green

4. Felt Eyeliner Pen from Primark

5. Black eyeliner from Färg

6. Diorshow Mascara

7. Lip pen from Makiash in colour 2 cold plum

1. I'm starting off with Puff from MUA all over the eyelid, up to the eyebrows.

2. MUA Hazel over the lid

3. Sephora Python Bag in the outer corners and the crease.

4. Closest to the lash line I use my felt liner, and just above it I use the Soft Green eyeliner from H&M to make the green colour pop a bit more.

5. For the final look I've added black eyeliner from Färg inside the lower lashline, the Diorshow mascara and my absolute favorite lipcolour at the moment, Cold Plum from Makiash.

Did you enjoy the tutorial? Something I should keep doing? Anything I should do differently? Comment below to let me know your thoughts. 

Also, do you have any favorite colours of eye shadow that isn't the black/grey smokey eye or the more natural brown/beige look? 

See you again soon! 

Jelly Pong Pong - Fairy Lashes Curl Mascara

Hey!

In my last Glossybox I got the Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Curl Mascara. I hadn't heard about the brand before, so I was excited to try it out.

The packaging is not so much fun. It looks a lot cheaper than it's said to be. But it's what's inside that really counts. Unfortunately it's not a WOW-experience, but it's not bad either.

It takes a little too long for the mascara to dry, so it has smudged over the eye shadow a few times. All though I've learned my technique to apply it now, so it's not much of an issue. I haven't experienced any smudging throughout the day though, which I find is most important. It's very easy to remove, even though it's a waterproof mascara. Also a big plus!

I don't think it adds much volume, but it does give a nice length and separation. With a bit of eyeliner (as seen on picture) I think it works just fine for everyday use, but for a party makeup I would stick to my Maybelline Falsies or Diorshow that are my all time favorites. I'm blessed with quite long lashes, but they are very light at the tips, so pretty much any mascara can do what this one does for me.

I will defiantly keep using the mascara till it's all out, but I'm not sure I would buy it again. I think I need a bit more to be convinced to pay £18 for a mascara.

Follow me on Bloglovin and Twitter

Makeup Academy - Undressed

Hi there!

When me and my sister were in London in June I picked up an eye shadow palette from Makeup Academy. Since I spend quite a lot of time at M's apartment I felt like I needed some basics to leave there, so I don't need to bring the big makeup bag every time I go there. Since it was only £4 I thought it would be worth to give it a try, and not spend a whole lot of money on buying duplicates. And was I impressed? HELL YEAH!

I chose the Undressed palette, with 12 different shade from a light beige to dark brown and grey, some matte and some with shimmer. I thought it was a perfect combination for a basic collection. It's well pigmented and easy to blend. I like that I don't have to work forever to get it to look nice. I like to sleep in in the mornings, so big plus! First time I used it I was a bit stressed and didn't find my primer, so I worked it directly on to my eyelids. When I got home from work about 12 hours later it looked like it was just put on.  Another great plus is that it didn't irritate my eyelids. I can be quite sensitive, and might get a little itchy when I use eye shadow. None of that with this one! The only regret I have is that I only got one, and not the other palettes as well.

I would highly recommend this product if you're looking for a good palette that doesn't burn holes in your wallet.

Follow me on Bloglovin and Twitter

Outfit of the day

Hi!

It's my time of the year again! Even though I long for every season of the year when it's about to change, I must say I'm defiantly a fall girl. I love when it's a bit chilly outside, and I can stay in for a cup of tea and light candles, or dress up in a scarf and jacket and go outside for a walk without getting to warm. And when it comes to clothes this is also my time of the year. Our store is quite cold, so the whole summer I've had to put clothes on when I get in, and take it off when I go out. Now it's the other way around, as it's supposed to be. The colours now are more my cup of tea as well.

When I was sick last week I treated myself to internet shopping and a new dress for the season to come. It arrived the other day, and I found it to be perfect with the new tights from work. I also got to use one of my favorite nail polishes, that has been a bit to dark for summer.

Dress - Anna Field, Cardigan - Primark, Tights- Twilfit, Nail polish - IsaDora Sugar Nails 108 Wine Crush 

Three months celebration

Good evening folks!

Yesterday me and M celebrated thee months together. Since it was a Saturday, he had the evening off and I got off work quite early he took me out for dinner. He actually started Friday night by giving me a card with a clue about where we were going. The cards keep coming yesterday morning and as we were getting ready. Nailed it at four points this time! He likes to plan in surprise and make clues, so this wasn't the first time. Usually I don't get it until the last clue at two points, mostly because I haven't always heard about the places before.

This time we went to a place called Lemongrass, which serves Asian food. It's supposed to be one of the top four restaurants where we live. I had roasted duck with bok choy, which was really good! M had a beef course that wasn't too bad either. No complaints on the service either, so I can definitely see us going back there sometime.

After dinner we were supposed to go and see a movie, but we weren't really happy about the available seats. We decided to go home, but ended up at a pub, taking a beer.

Overall, a very nice evening, with loads of talk about future trips. Bahamas and Maldives are on the top of the list for next year, and Tokyo in 2016 when M turns 30. Many adventures to come!

Got some beautiful roses.

Me at the restaurant

M at the pub

Our adventures

Hi there!

I've always loved crafting, but the past few years it has pretty much been packed up in boxes since I've had so much else going on. Recently I've been falling back into old habits a bit and enjoy my little crafting corner again.

Me and M both loves to travel, and M has a job that makes it possible for us to get around the world as long as our employers gives us a few days off every now and then, which they seem willing to do most of the time. This fall we're planning trips to San Francisco, Madrid and New York, and in January when the Christmas stress and sales at work are over we want to go to Iceland for a weekend to recharge.

These two little hobbies ended up in a little notebook, to keep notes needed for the trips and save memories. The first trip to Prague in July already has it's place in here.

Glossybox August

Aloha!

I got a new Glossybox the other day, and I must say I was really happy with the content this time. Since they were celebrating their birthday it was a more generous box than usual, and I'm not complaining.

Jelly Pong Pong Mascara - For me this is completely new. I've never heard about the brand before, so I'm excited to try. It's a bit more expensive than mascaras I usually buy myself so I hope it's good for that as well!

Model Co Bronzing Powder - Also a brand I haven't tried before. Since I do have a few bronzing powders before I love the small package since it's a perfect size for the handbag.

Anatomicals Face Mask - Deep cleansing and matting effect. Got one from the same brand in another box and was happy whit that. Hopefully this one will be as good.

The Body Shop Body Butter "Wild Argan Oil" - I LOVE body butters from The Body Shop and have several of them at home. This new one really smells like something I would buy myself. I like that it's not as fruity as most of the ones I have at home. This one feels more like fall.

Makiash Lipcolour Pen - A new Swedish brand! And I must say LOVE LOVE LOVE. The colour is lovely, high pigmented and shiny. (Also like the fact that the name of my town is on the pen) I will use this one a lot this fall, and I will most defiantly check out their website for more products.

BONUSES:

Thierry Mugler EdT "Angel" - I like bonuses, and I like the opportunity to try a perfume a few times before I buy it. This one is described to smell like chocolate, vanilla, mandarin and honey. I must honestly say that if I just smelled this by the bottle in a store I would put it back and walk away quickly. It didn't speak to me at all. But I had already sprayed the test to my hand, and it is starting to grow on me. I will give that little test bottle a real try, with the right clothes and the right mood. Not to PJ's and cozy alone time by the laptop.

Fleur de Santé Precious Skin Boost Anti-Aging Day Cream - I don't think that the little test bag in this box will make any miracles, so I will probably not buy the whole thing from this. But the description says it contains rose quartz, and that sounds quite cool so I might at least read a bit more about it in the magazine.

That was all for today! See you again soon!

Salzburg

Hi everyone!

Here we are, gathered together again. Me, my laptop, my camera AND the cable that was missing last time. Keep on reading and enjoy the adventure to Salzburg.

As you may know I love football, and especially a great team from the same town as me. Since we won the Swedish league last year we got to qualify for Champions League this year. We made it to the Play off and were drawn against a team from Salzburg. This happened to be during my vacation (well planned!) so I booked two bus tickets with the supporter club and brought my sister. We left Monday evening and after 19 hours we arrived in Salzburg just in time to get something to eat, stroll around the city and enjoy the beauty of it for a couple of hours before the game. Afterwards we got back into the buses for a 19 hours' ride home, and got back around 6.00 PM on Wednesday. Short but intense!

You may think that 38 hours on a bus in just two days would me a nightmare, but the people on the bus really found the balance of party, fun and enough time to get some sleep. The music was a really good mix of house, Swedish good old classics and Old MacDonald (in Danish). Most of it is impossible to retell, but let's just say we laughed till we cried at times. A bus ride can be a whole lot of fun if you spend it with people that are there for the exact same reason as you.

When we arrived in Salzburg me and my sister felt like we needed some time on our own though, so we went for a nice dinner and walked around the city before it was time to head to the arena. Since I had so much in my mind I had forgot to buy the tickets to the game, so we had to be there a bit earlier to be sure to get in. Still we had enough time to walk around, see the Mozartplatz and visit a lovely Christmas store.

At the arena we met a few hundred fans of our team, known and unknown. It's a pretty great feeling being in a completely different country, and still know so many people. We didn't win the game, but we got away with 2-1, witch was a pretty good result since we had the return game at home and away goals are worth more. 1-0 would be enough at home! It was a hopeful, but exhausted group of people that packed up on the buses to spend another 19 hours there.

Footnote: We did win at home with 3-0 and are qualified for Champions League. The first time in 14 years a Swedish time qualifies!

Beautiful surroundings

Mozartplatz

Christmas in Salzburg

Christmas in Salzburg

Excited and exhausted

Champions!