Midsummer

Midsummer in London. Bird’s don’t sing, there is no light in 1am. On the roof I can see how the city goes to sleep, only taxis are driving under the street lights. We have some Rose wine on the Coca cola glasses and the neighbors’ cat is joining our celebration. Happy Midsummer I say. It doesn’t feel like it. Sky is dark, we cannot see any stars. No lake, strawberries, sauna, flowers, pagan magic and nature. This is London; Cars, buildings, people. No place for Juhannus.

xx Lipstick

Don't you know how it hurts?

Amazing music video. Directed by Teemu Niukkanen. Check his other works as well! I jusrt wish that I could be that talented!

xx Lipstick

London lifestyle

My week has been hectic; all of my weeks are hectic. It’s London. This metropolitan city makes people busy, when you do something you know that you should be doing something else in a same time. My friends and family don’t understand all the time that I just don’t have time. And when I have holiday and I come to Finland, it’s not a holiday for me, it’s keeping my relationships on. I feel that I would need a holiday for a holiday. I was talking about this to my aunt who has lived abroad almost all of her life and she said that she use to have couple of days “her” holiday in spas or doing something just by herself, before going to see all friends and family.

The truth is harsh, you cannot see everybody. For me first things what I want to do in Finland is spend time with my family and unfortunately friends are not the first ones in my mind.

London is busy. I realized yesterday after a work week, that I race with a clock every day. My normal day goes like this; I woke up at 6.45, leave to work at 7.20, start at 8am, and finish at 6pm, usually I work over time to 6.15 to 7 and then go to gym where I spend an hour then walk home and time is almost 9. I couple of times I do couple of hours more. Even if I crave more time, I know that this year has teach me how the life is really going to be in my future and how hectic it’s going to be then!

Today I’m going to meet some new people in First out café. It’s one of my favorite café in London, good vegetarian food, free g-magazine, down stairs there is a small bar and the decoration is warm and cosy.

Hyvää Juhannusta kaikille!

xx Lipstick

Feel the summer breeze...

Last weekend I walked central London and back to find a dress I desired to buy, but couldn’t find the right size anymore, size 14 is too big even if I would put 10 kilos. Day was warm and windy; we walked through Finsbury Park and found a duck pond where we saw these super cute ducklings!

xx Lipstick

ps. I have some big project going on now, so I’ll be busy!

Cats and Dogs

Today I was blessed to have coffee twice. First I had a morning coffee with my old roommates. They had been in New York and Rome last weeks and now came back to London and in two weeks they are going to travel in Europe. We went to one of my favorite café’s, Le Pain Quotidien, where coffee is amazing and the food also. I love the blueberry muffin they have in there!

Then I had coffee with my lady, espresso like I had yesterday and I tasted a little bit of my lady’s Mocha.

Now the weather is like the typical English weather, it’s raining cats and dogs, I didn’t have umbrella when I walked to home and now I’m wet and tired. Tomorrow work. Hopefully it's going to be sunny tomorrow.

xx Lipstick

(6/52)

White Mochas and Wine

 My day included White Iced Mocha, Chinese food, high heels, amazing piece of chocolate cake and espresso. I felt that today was the first really hot summer day in London. Last week I have worn jackets in work and being frozen in the mornings. There is a one good thing about no windows in a room; it’s nice and cool temperature inside even if it’s boiling hot outside.

I have been told that I’m “classy” or I look "posh" and I'm afraid that some people confuses that to arrogance. Some may say that the life I live right now is privileged.  I know that I have been really lucky to born in Europe, but mostly I'm just a normal girl from little town in Finlad. I don’t have more money than any other who works on “not so good paid job”. I can even say that I earn almost half of what you earn in Finland if you are a cashier and I save half of it to next year. Still I feel that I can have almost everything I want and I can eat in nice restaurants and drink coffee in cafes. How this is possible? It’s all about choosing what you really want to have. I don’t go and have huge nights out, if I shop I try to be really reasonable and only buy what I need. I believe that it’s only choosing what kind person you really want to be.

I feel so good to have that one piece of chocolate cake in small chocolate shop, than going out drinking too many wine glasses and being drunk. Yes I drink only wine or some drinks, but usually they are nicely priced so we stick only with the wine. I live really near to my favorite bar, where we had wine glasses yesterday, live music, laughing people, nice atmosphere. The best time in there is before night when the music is not too loud and you can eat something small with wine.

(5/52)

xx Lipstick

Living in London

Living in London is expensive and most of the money goes to rent. Young people live flat shares in here, which means that you have our own room, but you share kitchen and bathroom with others. Even people who has a permanent jobs, needs to live in flat shares if they want to live near to central.

My first room was a tiny box room, which means that it was a size of a box. In 1,80m x 2,00m you can have a bed and nothing else; I used to have my clothes on my suitcase under my bed. Room was on zone 2, but the nearest tube station was 20-30 walking distance. Rent was 70pounds per week plus bills, which is extremely cheap in that area, but so was the place as well. It was falling apart, our landlord wasn’t the real landlord, she was only making money from it, in my room there was a bed bugs, water was leaking to my room from upstairs, so was the other bathroom as well, in the winter it was so cold, that I needed to warm my clothes in the morning on radiators, because they were so wet and cold after a night.

The only thing which was good and how I survived there, (even if it was such a huge jump from well build Finnish houses to English flat shares), it was roommates, amazing roommates. Okay let’s say that first ones weren’t that nice, but eventually, the last ones, one Aussie couple, Aussie sisters and one British girl they were amazing. It was so nice to go home and just talk about the day. That place felt like a home.

My second place and where I live right now, is amazing location, next to tube station and huge mall. I can walk to work and I have bigger room. (I have even a wardrobe!) But, there is always a but, first this place was cold, like every other place. I bought a second heater, its okay, but I don’t have a window, so the room is really dark. Even if the place hasn’t been the best, I still feel little bit sad to leave. I’m going to live here next 5 weeks then I’m going to move to North London with my love and we’re hopefully going to have a studio or a flat!

xx Lipstick

Blue eyes and red hair...Illustration



Ieva K.



Ieva K.

Cafe52

4/52

Okay. I’m going to start a new project and it’s about coffee or actually cafés. Last Sunday when we went to have a coffee in the morning, I had a photo with the coffee mug again and I got an idea. Photo project about all cafés where I go and coffees what I drink. So the next 52 times in cafés, I’m going to share with you.

(Check tag Cafe52 to see earlier cafe pics!)

xx Lipstick

Have you seen the light?

Time is 10pm. when I cross the bridge over Thames. Almost 60 hour work week is over and I feel exhausted. Light reflections from the river are like hundreds of twinkling stars. Bridge is beautiful and my dream house is standing next to it, big windows where the morning sun can shine easily in.

Night is warm, even if the day was cold. This city never sleeps. Lady Gaga billboard is on right side, H&M on the left. White limousine passes by, who’s inside this time; Famous actress or millionaire businessman? Sirens after them, other ones little bit further.

I think that London is the most beautiful in the night time, when lights are bright, it’s warm but dark and you can smell all the restaurants and hear all the police sirens.

xx Lipstick

My night

This evening included some tea and drawing. Trying to relax, and not to think about this week, working over 50 hours, bad eating or not enough sleep. I need good coffee desperately!

xx Good night London

Lipstick

The other side of the London

Yesterday 14 year old was stabbed at busy high street in a bare day light. I walk that street every day to work. Last week someone was shot to dead just a corner away from my place.

Romanian beggar lady and black homeless are sitting on a bench in a park and talking about work, the beggar has empty coffee mug on her hands and she’s smiling. At other bench there is still someone sleeping on a sleeping bag. Every evening when I’m walking back home those benches are full of people, homeless, east Europeans, teens, blacks or just someone who has lost himself,  they are smoking, joking and drinking cheap beer.

And if you sit to that bench you can see the other side of the park; huge mall with a section only for luxury brands. In this place; the Village; floors are so shiny that you can apply your make without a mirror, upstairs someone is playing a piano wearing a amazing black dress and there’s more security guys than customers. Too thin women are wearing high heels and spending their husbands’ money for Prada, Cucci and Burberry. Other side of a park lives “trash” people, they are wearing huge plastic earrings, teens have too short skirts and eastern men are smoking and trying to get a lady.

I have never felt unsafe in London, but this kind of news makes me think, would something happen to me, if I would have been at that station two hours earlier? What would have happened? Now I only saw police men and those people who where wear white haulers and taking blood from the ground.

I see these two sides every day, I walk trough that park and that station. I see the homeless and the business men in a same city.

xx Lipstick

Coffee addict

Okay let’s face it. I’m a coffee addict. I don’t know what I would do without Starbucks, Costa, Nero etc. I just cannot imagine my life without them anymore. This weekend I had… 4 cups of lattes…or 5 or … I cannot even remember it! But one thing I can remember, it was totally bliss to have the first taste. I remember when I was thinking about what would I miss if I would move back to Finland someday and the answer came right away; coffee. It wasn’t cool clubs or weather, it was coffee what brought tears to my eyes.

I can easily spend 10 to 20 pounds per week just for coffee. Sometimes I try to control myself, but c’mon most of my age people spend that much money for alcohol per weekend or more, so I spend mine for coffee. It cannot be that bad?

I can be without caffeine. I know it. Actually I was without coffee two weeks couple of months ago. It was refreshing but not right for me. I love coffee and that’s it, cannot help it.

3/52

xx Lipstick

Lez Femmes




Illustration by Ieva K.

 
“Do you know what kind of place this is?”

She comes closer and asks quietly, like it would be a secret, even if the place is screaming rainbows and women’s short hair cuts.

“You know, this is a gay café?

All the waitresses have shaved or short hair, tattoos and jeans with white t-shirts. We were there with a long hair, skirts and red lipstick. We didn’t even have high heels that day!

“Are you gay?”

These kinds of situations have happened for us quite many times and sometimes I feel that gay people are not as open minded as I thought. Which is sad. In a right place stereotypes are rich source of information, but when it is used in wrong kind of situation it can be harmful both sides.

xx Lipstick

White Cube

White Cube



This small art gallery in Hoxton square for contemporary art has the art vibe; it’s not too arrogant or too grey. It has the perfect combination of new kind of art and something familiar.

White Cube’s exhibition The Most Beautiful World in the World by Friedrich Kunath is emotional overdose. This bright, but depressive exhibition was something I have never seen before. Rainbow colors were tearing to the floor, fine fragile lines, and human faces facing the depressive world with the music background.

Artist had made amazing job combining these two things; Bright colors and depressive atmosphere. Exhibition included paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography and video, but for me the paintings were the most interesting part.

The exhibition is in two rooms; upstairs is a small black room with two art works and downstairs the main gallery. Gallery was quite small and that’s why it felt cosy, it wasn’t tourist magnet like Tate modern is so it felt that it was more about the art and art people than pleasing masses.

xx Lipstick

Poppy King goes Boots!

I cannot remember when I first heard about Poppy King and her lipsticks, but I fell in love with those lipsticks and the story behind the woman right away. She started her own business age of 18, only six months after graduating from high school.  She has worked cosmetic business ever since and published autograph.  

I was more than happy to discover that this lipstick queen is doing something for Boots! Even if I don’t usually buy lipstick which cost more than 5 pounds I’m going to invest some money for these beauties. I would love to have the History or some nude color.

xx Lipstick loves lipsticks

Illustration

This is something what I painted today. Haven’t painted in ages.  Going to do different colors if I have enough time. What do you think? 

xx Good Night London Lipstick

Skinny Lattes

Oh gosh! Had a amazing day in central London! The weather was nice, little bit windy, but warm and we walked through Soho, China Town to Trafalgatar square, then Covent Garden and back to Oxford Street. It was so much fun and I took finally photos like a tourist. Have to send some of them to my family, that they can finally see, “yeah I live in London and I have seen those famous places”.

 

Realized today how happy I’m right now to live in London. London’s summer is the best time of the year, winter was dark and rainy and cold, mostly because it was freezing inside! Finnish people should be so happy about their double glazing windows and warm houses.

I felt so relaxed when we sat on a Costa Café drinking skinny lattes and watching people outside. I realized that this was the life I had dream about couple of years ago. I had dreamed about cafés and restaurants, interesting conversations and friends. Okay let’s break the bubble, mostly it’s just normal life, too long working hours, jeans and messy hair, but today it was what I had dreamed about.  It was life in a metropolitan. It was love, coffee and the city.

What else could I ask for?

2/52

Taxi driver

London’s lights were bright, I sat on a taxi middle of the night and driver asked which side I liked better, this side of Thames or the other one. I didn’t know. “I like them both, but the other side is quieter.” I felt that I had lost all my English skills, but still the driver tried to have some small talk with me. I was tired, but city was living, living its normal crazy Saturday. People, alcohol, fun, they wanted to forget last week to survive other one. Weather was warm, and when I walked out of a taxi, driver said: “Take care darling.”

Now week behind, tired as hell and going to relax today. Usually I work 10 hours per day plus some weekends so my hours go 40-50 hours per week really easily. Now you can understand why I don’t have that much time to write every day.

xx Lipstick

Purge is HUGE!

And I'm not talking about throwing up right now, I'm talking about Purge, the international bestseller; Sofi Oksanen's Novel about two abused women and war. Yesterday when I was waiting the last train to home, the tube was horrible late and the place was packed of people, air was heavy, people tired and annoyed. I looked those huge posters on a wall and there it was, middle of all the phone, university and bank adds, there it was Sofi Oksanen, Purge poster.

"Those who deny the past are doomed to repeat it."

I couldn't believe it, one of my all time favorite author is famous in here! Just couple of years ago only the goths and gays knew her, and right now all the middle aged women are reading her books everywhere in Europe. I have read all her novels, but I still think that the first one is the best one, even if I had to admit that Purge is better writing and I can see why its international bestseller. Stalin's cows and Baby Jane could have never been the breaking point books, they are for too small audience. And now when Sofi Oksanen is well-know in all kind of people, not only for small groups, I'm waiting to see how those people are reading Sofi's firsts books aswell and getting the experience of a book and story what they would never chose, if they wouldn't know the writer.

Stalin's cows was the first Sofi's book what I read and I still think that it's the best of Sofi's books, because you can see the roughness in her writing style and I love that, the story doesn't feel planned, it's chaotic like life usually is, you can see and feel, life goes on, but it still feels the same.

It's going to be interesting to see Sofi's next book.

Good morning London
xx Lipstick

Paska Cafe!

Last week when I was in Helsinki, I met a friend at one of our favorite cafes. We called it “Paska”, which means “Shit”. We started to call it “Paska” when we saw that the café sold some coffee named “Paska”. Under that coffee was a note “Paska in Sale”. So we started to call the place "Paska café". Actually I cannot even remember the real name… Such a shame.

The café is cosy and it has small rooms, with different chairs and tables; we usually go to that one room with a red walls, comfortable sofas and small wooden tables. In this one corner you can look over the other sitting area. Café’s specialties are amazing hot chocolate (not too sweet, just perfect!) and my all time favorite mozzarella baguette.

We sat there couple of hours, talked through all the Torkkeli gossips, Uni things and life in London and Helsinki. It was amazing day after those hours we went to see some other friends and ate some Chinese food near to Kamppi. The place was cheap, waitresses couldn’t speak fluent Finnish and the decoration was more than horrible, but the food was good I have to admit. (Okay I love Chinese food so it’s good almost in every place)

We went to see some nightlife as well, but more about those bars next time.

1/52

xx Lipstick

Blue Blood

Blue blood

you have

my princess.

China Town

When I came back to London, there was this beautiful creature waiting for me. I got a hug and presents, actually too many. I got a bag full of Chocolate and sweets, and when I say full of it, I mean bars and bars of chocolate. I don’t know how I’m going to survive with them.

Today was Bank Holiday and I spend time with my special one and we went Soho to eat some Chinese food finally! We have walked there like million times, but never went anywhere to eat. The weather was nice and Soho was packed of tourist already. Chinese supermarkets were selling weird looking things and some fried chickens were hanging on the windows. Chinese people mixed to all ethnic backgrounds were walking on those streets and you could hear so many different languages. I tried to choose place which wouldn’t be that full of tourist, but most of them were more or less for tourist. Don’t get me wrong the food was delicious and it was nice to have a dinner at China Town, but the truth is that I have had better food and atmosphere in small Chinese at small town in Finland.

I would like to know how to cook Chinese or Thai food. I have good opportunity to use all of London’s Chinese supermarkets if I just could know what to need from there. I promised to cook next year some Chinese food, but will see if it’s going to happen. Chinese take away is so much easier and cheap.

Okay now going to prepare myself for the next work week.

xx Lipstick

Mayday! Mayday! I'm coming back!

Through all the rain and drunken people I found myself at Helsinki Uni's political science student party. Small and packed basement was sweaty and full of these red smurfs.

We went to see how Havis Amanda got her graduation hat. I haven't seen this tradition before and I have to admit that it was quite interesting to take part. We put our hats on 6pm and screamed with all the others.

And I realised that its time to go home. London. Today. I have had enough of drunken finnish people.

xx Lipstick
says Bye Bye to Helsinki

My first love...



Helsinki Railway station



Havis Amanda



Helsinki.

It was love at a first sight. Hungry, desperately love, like teenage lust usually is. Too many feelings to share and Helsinki did that to me and it still does. It’s home and lover in the same time. It’s fullmoon in the dark sky, when i walk to the railway station at middle of the night. It’s autumn rains, inside of the bus I can see how the lights are reflecting on puddles.

I love many places in Helsinki, many bars, many coffees, but i didn’t have enough time to go them all this week so you’re going to get - visiting tour guide - only for few.

She had amber eyes..

I had fun with my old pictures yesterday. Photoshop is nice toy. In this picture, I mixed two pics, one from my final work at my art school and other one just some leaves. Today going to Helsinki to meet my other family and to eat the second Easter dinner.

I miss taking photos and actually doing some art stuff, nowadays I just breath art and watch how my other half draws potraits of me. I need see more art galleries, need to explore every place with new artist and enjoy. Enjoy. It's the main thing.

Tomorrow going to see my beloved city; Helsinki. Going to my favorites bars and cafes. Seeing the city and feeling something really strong. Helsinki is mine.

xx Lipstick

Glimpses of London

Morning's first tube. Sky is still dark and the moon is like New Yorks cheese cake; full and creamy. Outside, sun is starting to shoot it's first shines to this amazing city. This mornings is London's morning, it's not like in Finland. It's warm, but the birds aren't singing 4am. nor the lights are bright enough.

These are glimpes from London.

Writing place: Piccadilly line
Time: 4.35am.
Mood: Excited

xx Lipstick

Heathrow here I come!

Tomorrow I will be going to Finland! I have one week off from work and this girl is going to see her friends and family! So excited about it! Today I finished work really early around 4pm. went to buy some gifts for my family and friends. Now just packing and tomorrow going to leave like 5am to Heathrow and hopefully it’s working. Haha I have still traumas about last xmas, when my flight was canceled and I tried get home desperately! Luckily I got flight for a xmas eve, it was expensive, but it didn’t matter when the only thing in my head was that I need to get home on xmas. I didn’t want to spend my xmas with my Aussie roommates who ate seafood on xmas and got wasted.

Week before xmas in London was weird, it literally snowed like hell in here. The only week when we had snow in here and it was just that week when my flight was, but I should complain because so many else’s flight was canceled as well. Actually one friend family had canceled flight as well and they said that I can spend xmas with them, but then I saw them in Finavia, they got flight on the same day as me!

Okay, but right now London is a summerland and going to freeze in North tomorrow.

Good night London xx

London is a wonderland

Someone says that London is a wonderland. Everything is possible here they say. City is full of opportunities. Lights are brighter, skyscrapers are higher and women are thinner in here. Some parts are true, but there’s so much more to tell. How the sun shines first time after rainy winter or how I felt when that gas meter guy entered the room while I was still sleeping.

 I could tell how I got in a bar being a VIP or how I met quite well-known artist, but the fact is that those moments weren’t highlights of my life, they were just a moments, maybe good, maybe okay, maybe bad.

People work hard in this city and seeing Big Ben the fiftieth time is not glamour. It’s a life. And like everybody else’s life, the small moments are those which counts most of happiness.

And I’m going to tell u about those moments.

This morning, sun was shining to my eyes, while I was drinking my fresh mint tea at our favorite café. All the waitresses know us and they laugh when we order the same things everytime. I promised to have a breakfast with my ex roommate and her boyfriend. They were planning moving back to Sydney on this autumn. They said that they missed their families and the lifestyle. London is too serious for Australian people. I have lived with many Aussies and they all have had this laid back attitude! I know it’s a cliché!

xx London says good night

Who is she?

Lipstick

Young woman living in London. Streetlight paints her red and green. Addicted to caffeine. She loves art, but wants to be a business woman. Listens Christian pop, but doesn’t believe in god. Wears too much lipstick and walks in too high high heels. Is writing her first novel about shame. Works long hours and lives in small room 10 minutes away from Oxford Street by tube. Eats apples.

Anything else?

ASK.