Instagram Christmas Challenge

December is approaching really fast. Time to rummage in the attic and get out all of the Christmas decorations yay!!

As I have been blogging for a little while now I thought I'd do a blogging challenge, but I know already that I won't have the time to do blogmas so I thought I'd try and do the Christmas Instagram Challenge. So I've seen many different Instagram challenges for various seasons on the internet but I thought I'd make my own one for Christmas.

So here is my Christmas Instagram Challenge: You can follow me @mllekarenanne and I'd love for you to join in if you like using the #mllekarenannexmas so that I and everyone else who decides to join in can see all of your photos too. It would be lovely to see everyone's different Christmas experiences.

Let me know if you do decide to join in as I'd love to know! Or share with a friend that you think would be interested. :) 

Karen xoxo

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The Autumn Tag

1. Ok we're talking coffee's - what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero etc?

Pumpkin Spiced Latte for the win!

2.  Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves?

All of the above.

3.  Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn?

It's hard to explain the genre but during Autumn I like to listen to songs like Heroes by Alesso and The Days by Avicii so I'd say more laid back music. 

4.  Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year?

During the Autumn and Winter months I tend to alternate between two perfumes. This year they are Viktor&Rolf flower Bomb and Sì by Giorgio Armani. 

5.  Candles - what scents will you be burning this season?

I have been alternating between baked apple cinnamon and creme brûlée. They both smell heavenly!

6.  What do you love most about Autumn?

I love the changing colour of the leaves and the crisp air on a sunny day. 

7.  Favourite makeup look?

Dark bold lip. 

8.  What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?

The fact that christmas is on the way hehehe.


I tag everyone to do this tag! 

Hope you enjoyed reading my answers :)

Karen xoxo

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Fathers day gift ideas

1. Bath robe  2. Best father ever cup  3. Laptop bag  4. Card holder  5. Glossybox subscription  6. Daniel Wellington Watch 


Father’s day is just around the corner for us Scandinavians (apart from Denmark). So I thought I'd give you a few ideas if you're still stuck on what to get your dad. Most of the suggestions are under 300kr (30pounds), but I thought I'd thrown in a couple of high-end pieces as well.


Also, just because it's not fathers day everywhere else, doesn't mean that this post isn't relevant to you. This is a reminder to not forget to be grateful for your father. Plus these gift ideas can also be birthday or Christmas gifts.

Karen xoxo

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Best Halloween Looks from 2014

Although I am not a massive fan of Halloween, I do appreciate those who put a lot of effort into their look. So I have compiled all of my favourite looks and here they are. They are all so different but so awesome. The colours and detailing of each look is amazing. Kudos to you all! I cheated a little and added Nathalie Portman as the Black Swan as I am obsessed with this look, never gets old.


1. Georgina  // Evil Mermaid

2. Nathalie Portman from Black Swan

3. Emily Muurbech  // Skeleton

4. Pary // Roadkill bambi

5. Nicol // Billy the Puppet

6. Meg Cossmann // Dead Queen of Coachella

Karen xoxo 

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Which one is your favourite?

Tennis Geek :: If Stockholm Open

Dear diary,

It's been a little over a week since the Grand Final at the Stockholm Open. That week went by like lighting and I really do miss it. I keep pinching myself and can't believe that I was given the opportunity to be a part of such a big sporting event and also able to meet so many amazing new people.

So the 11-19th of October was pretty hectic for me, but awesome!! I had been given the opportunity to help out in the media center at the If Stockholm Open. My job was to update social media, translate the newsfeed on their website and other bits and bobs. I was also lucky enough to be in the press conferences with the tennis players. And best of all I could watch all of the matches for free!

From left to right:

Bernard Tomic, 21 year old Australian tennis player who had just beaten Fernando Verdasco.

Tomas Berdych holding the trophy after winning at the Stockholm Open for a second time.

Grigor Dimitrov at a press conference with Eurosport.

The Press Conference room.

Tomic and Grigor at the quarter final.

Tomas Berdych signing autographs.

Pop fruits, a new concept: frozen fruits on a stick (mango and pineapple) and tastes amazing!!!

Verdasco vs. Matosevic. 

As H&M were one of the sponsors at the Stockholm Open, our uniform was provided by them and we were given a couple of freebies from them and some of the other sponsors. I will probably do a post on how I can wear these pieces individually as they are very wearable. (Unlike the uniform from London Olympics and Sochi haha) Also, we got a free breakfast at the Sheraton hotel which was amazing, so spoilt for choice. See pictures below :)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the final (absolutely gutted) as I was working at my 'real job'.  But I was determined to make it back in time for the last press conferences and to get pictures with Grigor Dimitrov, the winner of this years Stockholm Open Tomas Berdych, and of course the tournament  director Robin Söderling ranked 5 in the world in 2010 and beat Nadal in 2009. Mission Accomplished!

Hope you enjoyed reading :) 

Karen xoxo

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Do you like tennis?

Personalised Photo Magnets*

Sometimes it's hard to find the time to DIY. I was really inspired by others that had created their own personalised photo magnets and I wanted to do the same. But finding the time to get all the stuff needed and at a reasonable price was hard for me. Then I came across PicStick, an online shop that makes personalised fridge/photo magnets. All you have to do is choose the photos you want and upload them. They do the rest.

I'm really happy with my photo magnets and they are currently sitting on my fridge. They have definitely put more colour and life on my fridge door, though I have to be honest the quality of the photos isn't the best. Not sure if that's because I used a lot of phone camera photos or some other factor...

I think this is a really nice gift to give to family and friends. Something more personal than a necklace or make-up.

PicStick have been kind enough to give me a 25% discount code (MADEM25) for everyone to use. Original price is £9.50 and FREE Worldwide Shipping. 

Karen

xoxo 

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Zara Wishlist: Coat Edition

Zara has always been one of my favourite clothing stores, but as I am broke at the moment, I try to avoid going past their stores because I know it won't end well. Saying that, I caved and popped into the biggest Zara store today as I really just wanted to admire all of their new collections, especially their coats. I am totally in love with all of their coats, so I thought I would share some of my favourites with you. They are all very autumnal looking and look super cosy. I don't think that the photos do the coats justice so you should definitely go into one of their stores and check them out.

Which coat is your favourite? 

Karen xoxo

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5 Things : I'm Loving Right Now

I thought I'd start my very first installment on this blog called '5 Things I'm Loving Right Now'. It can be things I'm loving during the month or even at the end of each week. So, this week I've been loving five things, all from different categories.


This weeks 5 loves are:

Make up - Nanshy Blending Brush*
I received this blending brush from Nanshy a couple weeks ago and have been absolutely loving it. I use it both for blending in my concealer and eyeshadow and it blends in really nicely. The bristles are synthetic and feel super soft on the skin. What really drew me towards the brand is that all of their brushes are cruelty free and 100% vegan. They also claim that the bristles are soft and keep their shape even after cleaning them and I can vouch for that. They keep their shape and stay just as soft and are also really affordable. If you would like to check out their brush collection click on the link nanshy.com/masterful-collection/ 

Book - Insurgent
Last wednesday I decided that I would make time in the evenings to read a book as I haven't in forever. So I turned over a new leaf and decided to pick out a book from the library. As I really loved the movie 'Divergent' I thought i'd start reading the sequel. I'm already half way through the book, it's such a page turner, and keeps on getting more exciting. Definitely worth a read if you liked 'Divergent' and also 'The Hunger Games' as it is quite similar.

Fashion - H&M 
I found a pair of black super stretchy 'Treggings' at H&M. They have fake pockets at the front and real ones at the back and are high waisted. I love the fit and have been getting a lot of use out of them recently. I also picked up this gorgeous dark green checkered shirt (it was love at first sight..) and since we are slowly moving into the autumnal season I know I'll get a lot of wear out of both of them.









































Movie/Tv Series - Guardians of the Galaxy
Such an awesome action packed movie and naturally Rocket and Groot are my favourite. If you're a Marvel fan then you are definitely going to love watching this. It's got a lot of action and is hilarious. The two most important key things in a movie for me. I don't want to spoil the movie for you so just go and watch it. You're going to love it!

Music -  Girls (The Knocks Remix) The 1975
I love The 1975 and happened to stumble upon a remix of one their songs, 'Girls.' I absolutely love the remix. It's so different to the original version, so upbeat. They are both awesome so I don't really have a preference as they are so different, but if you get a chance definitely have a listen.

Hope you enjoyed reading :) 

Karen xoxo

What are some of the things you're loving at the moment?

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Just Landed : H&M Perfume Dupes

Why buy a perfume that costs you almost a whole day's salary when you can buy one for a fraction of the price and it smells exactly the same?

A couple of days ago I got sucked into H&M by their special offer on jeans, (Buy one get one 50% off), as I was in real need of some new jeans. But in the meanwhile I got a bit side tracked and started to smell all of their perfumes and happened to stumble upon some familiar scents.

From left to right:

Cuté smells exactly the same as Chloé. It seems as though they also wanted to incorporate the e with an accent as well. The colour of the perfume is also very similar.

Sweet rose is an exact replica of Amor Amor by Cacharel. The colour of the bottle and packaging are also very similar to the high end perfume.

In is also extremely similar to the new release Sì by Giorgio Armani and again the packaging and design of the perfume look almost identical.

I did a little bit of research and found out that these perfumes are actually from Poland and have a site of all the perfumes that H&M are selling, but it doesn't seem like you can buy from them directly. These perfumes can be found in H&M in Sweden. I'm not sure though if they are sold in H&M in other countries but would love to know.

All dupes are 40kr at H&M where as the high end perfumes are priced somewhere between 400-600kr. I think we've hit the jackpot. These perfume dupes are an absolute bargain and they are all eau de parfum. Well I know where I'll be getting these perfumes from now on.



Which one is your favourite? Will you be purchasing any of the dupes?

Karen xoxo

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Battersea Park | Foodie Festival

 About three weeks ago I arrived in the UK and one of the things I had planned was to go to the  Battersea Foodie Festival. I had found a Groupon coupon days before flying to the UK and, as it two for twelve pounds, half the price of a regular ticket, I could not refuse. I didn't have such high expectations nor did I know what to expect. I was just happy to know that there would be crazy amounts of food. 

Who knew one could have so much fun at a Foodie Festival. There was live music and plenty of food and beverage taster stalls. By the time lunch came round I had filled myself with just tasters. There were so many different stalls from all over the world. My favourite would have to be the twisted potato on a stick with bbq seasoning, not very original I know but it was so good. And the amount of alcohol tasting was crazy. I reckon one could've gotten drunk tasting all that wine, cider, and vodka they were handing out.

All-in-all it was such a great experience. Definitely worth 6 pounds for all the free tasters and other freebies. I will definitely be going again next year. I would definitely recommend it to those who love to try different cuisines and just want to have a chill afternoon with partners or/and friends.

Hope you enjoyed reading :) 

Karen xoxo 

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Insta-Update ✿

Find me at ... @mllekarenanne

✿ Cute love birds at Skansen Zoo in Stockholm ✿ Moominworld. Childhood memories ✿  OOTD ✿ The ferry that took me and my family to Finland ✿ My cousins little daughter. ✿ Lush store in Stockholm. I want it all! ✿ Loads of hot air balloons right outside our window ✿ The windy path that leads to the beach and that looks like one of the scenes from the LOTR ✿ Beautiful auburn squirrel. This is how close I got to it. ✿

Short Getaway to Finland

I haven't been on a real holiday since the summer of 2013 where me and some of my friends went to Malaga. So when I found out that we were going to have a family reunion with all the relatives in Finland, I was super excited. I haven't been to Finland since I was a baby so I was really curious and excited to see what it was like. We took the ferry from Stockholm to Åbo where one of my uncles live. The ferry was really smooth and humungous with a fair variety of restaurants and tax free shops hehe. As it was a 10 hour journey we had a little cabin to sleep in. We arrived in Finland the next day at 7am. Did you know that Finland is an hour ahead of Sweden? Well, I had no idea. Even though it was only an hour difference I really felt the difference.

So here are some of the things we got up to whilst we were in Finland. 

We went to moominworld which felt so surreal. This was one of my childhood favourite films. 

We got to ride around in this awesome 50s car that belonged to my cousins husband. 

We had lunch at this boat house and it was super yummy. Loads of fish and boiled potatoes.

 This is my cousins daughter. Absolute cutiepie. I definitely got the babybug now. 

This is what the town looks like in Turku.

Our uncle took us out on his speedboat to explore and catch up with the ferry that was going to take us home the next day. It was so beautiful and picturesque out at sea. 

This is Linda my uncles King Charles Cavalier Spaniel (what a mouthful). She is very much a boat lover.

We are now on the ferry heading back to Stockholm. 

 Leaving the harbour. 

I had such a lovely reunion with the family. I hadn't seem some of my uncles and cousins for many many years so it was really nice to spend time with them. It was also very nice to get to explore Turku, as it is a very beautiful place. It is the oldest town in Finland and used to be the capital. I'd definitely recommend going there if you like the wilderness. It isn't just wilderness though there are also touristy/historical things to do. My uncle lived about 20 minutes from the town which was pretty much in the forest and it was so peaceful. I loved that we could stay in a peaceful and green area and then be able to go to the town that was busy with loads of shops, old houses and historical buildings. It felt really weird and I can’t really explain, but it was so nice.

Hope you enjoyed reading :) 

xoxo

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Five Summer Scents

Happy last day of the month everyone. I hope everyone has had an awesome July with wonderful warm weather. It's been crazy hot this whole month, with only one day of rain and even then it was really hot. As I have been pretty much makeup free this month, I didn't have much to report back beauty wise. I have, however, been wearing a ton of perfume everyday for the sake of the people around me and also for my own pleasure of course. It's been roughly 30 degrees this whole month so the amount I’m sweating is crazy, probably a world record. So I definitely thought it would be a good idea to spray something nice on my body.

So here are my top five summer scents:

Roger&Gallet - Rose
This is probably my favourite of favourite scents out of the five. It smells of sweet roses and has a very sophisticated scent.

The Body Shop - Madagascan Vanilla Flower
I absolutely love vanilla so there was no doubt about this scent. It doesn't smell like normal vanilla, it has a sort of hot climate vibe of vanilla, if you get what I'm trying to say.

Vera Wang - Princess
I have had this perfume for as long as I can remember and repurchased it over and over again. It's really hard to describe the scent but I’m going to give it a go. It's quite a sweet and calming smelling perfume and really does smell of what I would picture a princess to smell like. Ok that was an awful attempt of describing the perfume, so you should definitely just go and smell it for yourself hehe.

Dior - Miss Dior Cherie
This has a florally sophisticated scent and I absolutely love it. I actually have the deodorant instead of the perfume as it is a lot cheaper, so why not. It smells exactly the same as the perfume.

DKNY - Be Delicious
Lovely apple scented perfume. Though can be overpowering if you put on too much.

So those are my top five perfumes/deodarants/mist

I hope you enjoyed :) xoxo

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So what have been your favourite perfumes this month?

Quick and Easy Food for Busy People

I thought I'd write another recipe post as it's been a while since my last. My other recipes took quite a while to prepare and cook, so today I thought I'd share with you a dish that’s really quick and easy, yet very filling. I don't know about you, but I was pretty lazy when it came to making food at university. I would tend to buy food on campus or have take away for dinner. It was definitely not a budget friendly way to go, so in my second year I tried very hard to cut down on the take aways. I bought a cookbook and borrowed several from my friends. But even though the recipes were supposed to be quick 101 budget meals, they really weren't. I really wish I had been introduced to the blogging world sooner. There are so many inspirational and mouth watering recipes that I really didn't need to spend money on a cookbook.

Enough of the rambling. Here is how you make this delicious chorizo pasta. It's extremely quick and easy which is convenient for busy people, students and pasta lovers. It also tastes just as good the next day so why not make a little extra for your packed lunch. 

Here are the ingredients: 

Chorizo 400g

Tomato paste 1tbs

Mozzarella x2 (normal size)

Pepper x1

Tomatoes (As many as you want)

Pasta

Cut up the chorizo into small pieces and then chuck them into a large frying pan with oil. Boil water to cook the pasta in. Once the chorizo is cooked, add the table spoon of tomato pasta and mix that in. Then add the sliced mozzarella and mix around till it melts. You then add in the pepper and tomatoes. When the pasta is cooked just add it to the frying pan and mix around. 

There you have it. Easy and simple chorizo with pasta.

Hope you enjoyed reading :) 

xoxo

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