Home alone

Hi everyone!

Tonight M is out with his friends, so I'm all alone for the evening. Even though I miss him a little, it isn't too bad to have some alone time. I decided to make some lunch boxes for the weekend, then take a long shower before I put on my PJ's and joined my friends Tea and iPad for a night in. The iPad was a birtday gift from my parents, and might be one of the best things ever. It makes blogging and keeping up with the social network around it soo much easier. I went straight to buy a Bluetooth keyboard, which is absolutely perfect! It's like a mini laptop that fits into pretty much any bag. For work, on the bus or train... I'm in love!

When I logged in toTwitter I noticed there was a Bloggers Do It Better Chat that was about to start and I was happy to join in. I realized how much I've missed interact with other bloggers. It has been a while now since I've been so up to just about everything else. One of the best things about blogging is all the lovely people you get to meet.

I also realized I miss the Bloggers Do It Better Challenge. I don't seem to get notifications or e-mails anymore, so I'll have to find out what is up with that and see if I can join in again.

How do you spend the time when you get a night for yourself?

 

 

Rituals - Mild Eye Make-up Remover

Good morning!

As you may know if you've followed my blog for a while, I am a big fan of Rituals. One of my latest purchases was their Mild Eye Make-up Remover. I've been finding it hard to find something that really works for me. I have really sensitive skin around my eyes, so I tend to get really dry and itchy from some removers. I've been trying removers made for sensitive eyes as well, but the ones I've tried doesn't remove the eye makeup as well as I want, which result in me rubbing harder and irritate the skin anyway. But here it is, the perfect one for me! It will take miracle product for me to ever change from this one!

It contains Lotus flowers, that naturally cleans and protect the skin and Rice Bran oil that keeps the skin healthy and soft. This one does it's job and removes the makeup very easily, and it doesn't itch. Not even a little! Another very good thing about this one is the price. I pay about $14,50 for a bottle of 125 ml. I will definatly be re-purchasing this as soon as this one is empty. I'm also very curious about the other products in this range.

Have you tried these products from Rituals? What are your toughts?

 

 

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?


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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.