Questions and answers

You asked, I answered. I want to thank you all for sending out your questions, this one was a really fun post to do! I tried to put the questions under different categories to provide a more pleasant reading experience for your guys. Enjoy!

ME MYSELF AND I

How did you meet your boyfriend? We have been penpals since I was 14. In 2001 I finally traveled to see him in California and we just hit it off ever since. Do you exercise? I have to admit that I don't particularly enjoy excercising but I do some pilates and gym excercices a few times a week. Which languages can you speak fluently? Finnish and English. I'm ok at Swedish, speak some German and French, and a few words of Italian, too. Do you believe in God? Yes. What's your second name? Elisabet. My parents wanted to give us kids all international names which I'm quite happy about. How tall are you? I'm 168cm which is about 5'7. How long have you been with your boyfriend? We have been together for 8 years now. Wow, the years go by so fast! Are you fully Finnish, or do you have roots abroad? I'm fully Finnish but both of my parents have roots in Russia and in Southern Europe. What's the best thing about you: looks, persona, sense of style, intelligence or something else? I would like to think it's my lovely persona, haha. Describe yourself with ten words? Courageous, determined, funny, laid-back, artistic, stubborn, friendly, talkative, stylish, playful. How much do you weigh? It really varies but around 53 kg (116lbs) on an average day.

CAREER

Are you still studying? If so, what? I'm not studying anymore but I do take some photography classes on the side. I have done the Bachelor of Business Administration degree and been in the working life for a few years now. I miss being in school and would like to study some more, maybe get the MBA degree one day. Where do you work? I work as a Management Assistant in a well-known Finnish electronic devices company. I also have a freelancer job as a Style Agent at Tyylitaivas.fi. What is your dream job? I would love to own a clothing boutique or work with fashion somehow, perhaps as a buyer. I have an eye for that kind of thang. What's your ideal job like? A fashion related job where I can make use of my creative talents.

STYLE/BEAUTY/LOOKS

Who are you style icons? Kate Lanphear, Kate Moss, Chloë Sevigny, other style bloggers and people on the streets. How much (approximately) do you spend on clothes in a month? It really varies, sometimes I spend a lot and sometimes I don't spend a dime. I tend to buy my clothes in bulks while I'm traveling, ie. I go shopping in Stockholm two times a year. Let's say my budget can vary from zero to 1500 Euros a month. How many shoes do you own? I have lost count! Do you always dress "in style" or do you wear more relaxed clothes at home? I dress the way I do most of the time but if I don't go out all day, I can spend the whole day in my age old PJs. People make fun of me because I don't really own any relaxed "home" or outdoor clothing. Is there anything that you regret not getting (clothing)? Yes! This is actually a sad story... In 2006 I was in California and we were shopping at the local Goodwill. My boyfriend noticed a real Chanel bag in gold color (the quilted one) and pointed it to me (it had the tags and everything inside). For some God forsaken reason I didn't register, and missed out on that opportunity. I tried to go back the next day but of course the bag was already gone. How could I be so stupid and careless? I still mourn for that bag to this day. Is there something you would never wear? My motto is never say never. However, you will probably never see me wearing Crocs or those Spice Girl type pastel colored platform sneakers (unless it's a costume party). Are there any bloggers who's style doesn't appeal to you? Well, yeah but each of their own, I guess. Let's just say that I don't like "boring and casual" style. I like courageous and original bloggers. Are there any shoes or a piece of accessory that you have lusted for a long time but haven't got yet? My dream is to get the Chanel 2.55 in black caviar with a silver strap. What's your favorite color? Surprise, surprise, it's black! Although technically black is not a color... If you had the chance to buy ten pieces of clothing, accessories or shoes with an unlimited budget, what would you get? Chanel 2.55 in black, black Rick Owens wedges, a Balmain jacket with the tennis ball shoulders, Louboutin's studded black Ariella ankle boots, Ann Demeulemeester's talon heel combat boots, a white button-up shirt and the feather necklace, a grey Martin Margiela waterfall cardigan, a black Alexander Wang bag with the zips, and a pair of black Chloe platform docs. What's your favorite piece of clothing? I really love my Dior Homme music note top from the Hedi Slimane days and my grey Rick Owens DRKSHDW dress. I'm also in awe with this Obscur cardigan (the designer Richard Söderberg is a friend of mine) that my boyfriend got me for my b-day, in fact, I still have to introduce it here! Do you do make-up every single day? Yes, if I step out of the door. I never go to public places without make-up. Are you satisfied with your looks? I'm quite satisfied. A smaller bum area wouldn't hurt though. How important are looks for you with the scale of 4 to 10 (10 being the best)? I have to be honest and say 9. Which hair products do you use? I use a random selection but some of them you can find over here. I have a few supermarket products that I use regularly such as L´Oreal's Elvital series, and then there are all the freebies I've been getting through this blog, ie. Tresemme, Kadus and John Frieda. I can't live without 4R's Moisture Mist which my hairdresser recommended to me a few years ago. How much make-up do you use on a daily basis? A decent amount, I guess. Usually I wear foundation, powder, eyeliner, eye brow pencil, blush, mascara and some lipstick. If I go out, I add some more eye make-up and lipstick. Do you think it's stupid to wear make-up just for grocery shopping? Absolutely not, you never know who you might bump into! ;) Your biggest fashion faux-pas? Probably the Spice Girls shoes back in the 90's. The oldest thing in your wardrobe? It has to be one of the vintage pieces I own, probably this black 1950's patent leather clutch. It's one of my favorites, by the way. Whats on your wishlist right now (clothing-related)? Peg leg pants, a drapy waterfall cardigan, a grey v-neck sweater, basic black pumps, a shoulder-padded blazer, and a black all-purpose leather bag. Could you show all your shoes on your blog? I will soon, I promise! Does "an ecologic label" affect your purchase decisions? In my mind it definitely adds a special value to the product. At the moment I have only one designer piece in my closet that would fall into that category: a lovely grey dress from Camilla Norrback. Unfortunately ecologically made products (at least here in Finland) are usually not that appealing. It's a pity, really. What's your favorite nail polish color? Purple/black.

RANDOM

What are your favorite movies? There are so many good ones but my favorite director is Woody Allen, and I really like the ones where he is acting as well. Sofia Coppola is also a great director and I've enjoyed all of her work so far. I tend to like weird but beautiful movies, yet I'm a sucker for good comedies, too. Do you want to have children? Someday yes but not in the near future. I have to say though, I'm quite curious to see how our kid(s) would turn out to be. Your favorite food? I love love love Italian food and sushi. Your favorite bands? If I listed them all, it would take a day or two. I guess some of my favorites are: the Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Phoenix, the Smiths, A Mountain of One, Siouxie and the Banshees, Cocteau Twins, Pulp, Air, Electronics, Pet Shop Boys, M83, Talking Heads, the Horrors, the Sounds and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If you want to know the music genres I mainly listen to, well, they would be: indie rock/post punk/dark wave/shoe gaze/electro/brit pop and pop. What kind of music you can't stand? I don't particularly enjoy hip hop/R&B or really rough heavy metal. What are you hobbies? Blogging, music, traveling, movies, partying. Where would you like to travel? At the moment I want to travel to Berlin and Milan. In the near future I want to go back to California. Would you like to move abroad? Yes! I want to (and will) move to California one day. I'm done with the cold winters here in Finland, I need to go to some place warm. What would be your dream car? A black Mini Cooper. What are your favorite TV shows? True Blood, Lost, Gossip Girl, Heroes, Project Runway, and Big Brother UK. Which one of these adjectives best describes your looks: beautiful, cute, attractive, good looking, petite, pleasing or amazing? I guess I'm somewhere between cute and attractive. What do you want to experience in your life? Everything! What's your ideal man like? Caring, tender, shy, romantic, wild, artistic, spontaneous... Looks-wise I prefer skinny, stylish boys with a nice haircut and pretty eyes. I tend to go for the mysterious, dark and beautiful boys. My man also has to be musically talented, play an instrument of some sort. How was your first kiss? Umm....very surprising and fuzzy. What time do you go to sleep during weekdays? What time do you wake up during weekends? On weekdays I go to sleep around midnight, and during weekends I wake up around 10am. Were you good in school? I was pretty lazy but succeeded in subjects that truly interested me. During my high school years I was more interested in boys and partying than school itself, but in the university I really stepped up my game and graduated with honors. A cat or a dog? I want a dog so badly that it's driving me crazy, a pug to be exact! Cats are cute too but a little too unpredictable for my taste. Do you rather watch a movie or read a book? The book usually gives you so much more than the movie but I'm quite a visual person, so I always end up watching the movie version too. I guess you could say I'm a film fanatic haha. How often do you party? Almost every weekend if there is something going on. Whoops! Your favorite cereal? Kellog's Frosties but I prefer fruity granola over cereal. A bear of a wolf? Bears are cuter and they get to sleep over the cold winter season, you can't beat that! What are your favorite things in life? Fashion, music, and traveling. Are you conceited? Not really, I'm pretty down-to-earth gal in real life. With politics, are you on the left or on the right? I'm leaning more towards left. I support the green party. Do you like cross-country skiing? I do if it's not in a competition form because I like to take my own time with everything I do. I'm actually famous for that. Would you rather do rock climbing or sudokus? I'm quite a scaredy cat, so rock climbing might be little too much for me. Then again I don't have the patience for sudokus, so I guess I could do some indoor rock climbing instead. What are your future plans? Moving abroad, getting a career that I truly want, and taking this blog to the next level. What kind of man is the most attractive to you (put in order of attractiveness): a Caucasian blond, Caucasian brunette, afro-haired African, Latino or Asian? Hmmm... To me race doesn't really matter that much but I tend to like ethnic mixes and usually go for brunettes. Which from these places you prefer to move the most and which the least: Kuortane, Sofia, Kilpisjärvi, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Juba (in Sudan), Havanna, Chicago, Seattle, Montreal? I think it would be cool to live in Seattle because grunge was a big thing for me back in the day. Kilpisjärvi (in the Northern Finland) is a pretty area but I could never live there. I would miss the city-life way too much. Were you bullied in school? Yes, unfortunately. I was the odd one out. Can you cook and do you like it? I like cooking and I'm pretty ok at it. I can make a killer pasta. Whats your mobile ring tone? At the moment it's Talking Heads' "This Must be the Place".

Pictures via polyvore.com & curiousanimals.net

P.S. Berlin is calling tomorrow!!!