'Studenterhuer', Truck Rides - Exciting Times to Come.

Hello Every body!

I thought for this weeks post, I would do something a little old-school, and just have a little chat to all of you about the more personal things going on in my life at the moment. Over the next three weeks, I have some very exciting moments coming up, with regards to me graduating high school, and I thought it would be a nice little relaxing sunday afternoon read for many of you. Maybe you live in denmark, and are going to experience some of these things soon as well , or maybe you've already experienced some of these things, and want to think back on the lovely memories, or maybe you're just curious about some specific traditions that the danes have when it's graduation time - either way, I hope you have a nice mug of tea in your hand, and that you are curled up in a comfortable seat, and that you're ready to read.

First lets talk 'Studenterhuer' - that's pronounced - "student-terr-hoo-err", and is basically the danish word for 'Student Caps', and look like the ones on the picture below.

The student caps are actually common in various different European counties, I know for sure that the other Scandinavian countries have them too. In Denmark, every year at around May/June, you start to see these white or black caps, on people's heads everywhere. The people wearing these hats are graduates of high-school, and now wear the hats as a token of the completion of their secondary school education.
The hats all have a different colored band (red, black, purple, dark blue or light blue) which represent the type of secondary school education the individual has completed. Recently, they also introduced a band which has flags from all over the world printed on it (I'll try and find a picture), and this is for the students who've taken an International line of study, such as the International Baccalaureate. This year, I'm getting one of these!!!

Also as per danish tradition, (adjusted slightly to the IB ways), I will get my hat on the day of my final exam. The idea is that students walk out of their final exam and are greeted by friends and family who present them with flowers and of course the hat.  A few days later however, we have to return the hat to the school, after which there is a big ceremony, where the school admin then presents us with the hats again….Sounds like a lot of effort for just a hat right? But I suppose it's the symbolism behind the hat which makes it worth all the hype.

Then around the end of June (or beginning of June in my school's case), all the graduates from each school mount a truck and spend the day driving from house to house of all the graduates. Traditionally, it was a wagon that the graduates mounted on, but with the increasing number of graduates, now it's moving trucks that are commonly used. The trucks are decorated with green branches (no idea the reasoning behind this), flags, balloons and banners, by the class below, and the teachers, and then the graduating class, all get into the truck, and spend the day driving from one graduate's house to the other, until all, or almost all the graduates' houses have been visited. At each house, the graduates are congratulated by family and friends of the graduate's house that's being visited, and are offered food and drinks, before leaving 15 minute later to drive to the next graduate's house, to do it all over again.
On the streets, cars tend to honk, and people on the sidewalks tend to shout out "Tillykke", as a way of congratulating the graduates. My class is participating in this tradition as well. I've linked below a picture of a group of graduates that were passing by my house last year, so you get the idea...

And that's about it for today's lesson on Danish culture and traditions. I hope you liked going back a little to the times where all I did on here was blab on about things going on in my life….I definitely enjoyed writing bout it. I will put up a few posts with my own pictures, after I go through these traditions myself. In the meanwhile, you can look forward to an April favourites coming up soon - it may even be a midweek post if I'm efficient.

Lots of love,

Mimi xxx

March Favourites.

Hello Everybody!

Today in Denmark, (and I guess most of Europe as well) the time changed to summer time! And on top of that, all of the 7/11s in Denmark are giving out free ice cream to mark the beginning of summer!
From as far back as I can remember, these two things have been my personal indicator for the start of summer. Now just because it's summer, doesn't mean I'm going to be flaunting shorts, tank tops and bare legs just yet - This is Denmark we're talking about! I will probably still be wearing my coat for a good 5 more weeks. Despite that, the days are getting longer, and that's one of my favourite thing about living in Denmark. When I'm in India,  the time that the daylight ends and when the evening starts, is more or less the same all year round, but here in Denmark you will have the bright sunshine almost guaranteed until 11pm in July. So before we set off into the exciting period that is the start of the Danish summer, I thought, I'd do a monthly favourites for March, and give you guys a quick review on the things that amazed me this month. I'd just like to point out that this is in no way, me flaunting off what I have and the things I have bought. It is also not intended to be an advertisement for any of the brands mentioned. I just enjoy reading reviews that others make, as they help me make my choices, and so I thought that some of you might like to read my reviews.

First up, it's the beauty favourites.

At the start of this month, I decided to try out new products for my eyebrows. Previously, I had been using the Brow Kit from Bobbi Brown, and even though I love that one to bits, I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to try something new. I was in Sephora, when I came across the 'Instant Brow Pencil' by Benefit. At the time, I hadn't read any reviews about it, so I was a bit unsure, but I decided to give it a try anyway.
I'm so glad I did, because this has probably become the most handy product in my makeup bag. It has a pencil on one end, making it really easy to fill in your brows, and also it's not super pigmented, which means if you're like me, and like to pretend you do nothing to your eyebrows, when really you do.. just a few simple soft strokes give you that - oh look at my flawless eyebrows that are completely natural - sort of look! Also if you're getting a bit extra dazzled up, a few simple strokes with a tiny bit of applied pressure gives you the perfect balance between subtle and "look I worked on my eyebrows for this so you better notice me" look.
On the other end of the pencil, is a brow brush. This is absolutely wonderful, because you can give your brows just a little touchup now and again, and it also helps to polish off the natural look.
The best thing about this brow pencil for me, is that you can take it with you literally everywhere! Even if you don't feel like carrying a bag, it's slim enough to just slip into your coat pocket and you're good to go.  I bought this one in the shade 'deep'. There's deep, medium and light, and it cost approximately 108 DKK, which roughly is 20 USD. You can buy it and read more about this amazing product right here .

Eye brows before:

Eye brows after:

Another beauty favourite from this month was the 'Hypnôse Doll Eyes Mascara' from Lancôme. I actually was given this as a gift for my birthday from one of my friends - it came in a set along with the 'Gloss in Love Lipgloss' in the shade 385- Under the Spotlight. I have yet to try it out, but I have a feeling it will make its way into next months favourites. Back to the mascara - I was already in love with my old mascara (and still am!) the 'Colossal Volume Express' from Max Factor, so I was a bit doubtful about how much I would like this one. It stays true to it's name. I really felt like I had the eyelashes of a doll, just from one layer! It has a convenient shaped brush, and is great for making you look alive and awake. Great for parties and nights out, but I'm not too sure about wearing it in everyday, it may seem a bit overboard. The only con about this product (which I didn't have to experience, as it was a gift) was the price. I searched up the mascara for this post, and it's price is at 204 DKK or 22.50 GBP. I usually use drugstore mascaras, so it's not one that I would regularly buy, but it's definitely one to have for those special occasions.

Another beauty favorite (there is a lot this month) is from Lancôme as well. It's the 'Hydra Zen Neurocalm Day' Cream . If you have skin like me (normal, and a little bit on the sensitive side) this cream is perfect. One of my favorite things about this cream was that it had an instant cooling effect, immediately after I put it on the first time, and it has had that very same instant cool sensation every time that I have used it since!
 It's a nice cream to put on right before bed, after a long stressful day. I like to use this cream around my eyes. I often get headaches, and have sometimes have dark circles under my eyes, and so this soothing potion is absolutely magic for them. I also like to apply it as a moisturizer around my eyes when I know that I am going to be wearing heavy eye make up, or wearing makeup around my eye for a long time. It cost approximately 356 DKK or 39.50 GBP, making it a little bit on the pricey side, but definitely worth the buy!

And finally as part of my beauty favourites of this month, is a full set of make up brushes! My tip for anyone who's looking to invest into brushes is to buy a whole pack, the ones which come with all the different brushes, but to buy one that is relatively cheap. Something from the drugstore is perfect. Then spend some time using the brushes, and find out which brushes you use the most of (trust me, there will be ones you use more than others!) and then the ones which you find yourself using the most, buy those specific ones from a better quality brand. I found myself using the foundation brush (furthest right), and the angled brush (fourth from the right), the most, and so I went out and purchased these two brushes from Maybelline New York.

Now that we're finally done with the beauty favorites for this month, lets move on to the rest......

Winter time is perfect for cosying up on the sofa with a steaming hot cup of tea, but who says that can't continue in to spring?! I'm a bit weird when it comes to tea, because I do enjoy it but according to my friends, I "fake enjoy" tea. I drink my tea very very light. And by that I mean I soak the teabag in there for no more than 20 seconds! I guess it started with me not liking tea at all before, but I began drinking it a few years ago because I was sick, and was desperate to get better. From then on, I've enjoyed having a steaming cup of hot water, with a tiny bit of tea essence. My current favourite tea is the Twinings Lemon tea. Lemons are fresh, and remind me of the crisp spring time. A perfect spring time tea!

On the topic of food, another food that has sneaked into my favourites this month, is a danish biscuit type of thing called 'Hindbærsnitter". The name translates roughly into "Raspberry Snippet". They are a type of shortbread sandwhich with raspberry jam in the middle, and a generous spread on icing on top, decorated with colourful sprinkles. I have loved these since I can remember. My description hasn't done it justice at all, but I promise you it is absolutely delicious! Even better when they are homemade, but the local bakeries do a pretty amazing job as well. 

As this month was my birthday, I was super blessed and got a lot of beautiful presents. Among those, a great amount of them where jewelry. I am not usually a person who will wear a lot of jewelry, other than earrings and the occasional ring. However, I am slowly becoming converted. The beautiful bracelets and necklaces that I got have slowly made their way to becoming a part of my every day outfits, and subsequently also into my monthly favourites. 

So there you have it. I know it's all a bit long and text-heavy, I had a lot of favorites this month! I do promise there will be more pictures in the next few posts. Let me know what you guys think, and if you guys have tried any of the things mentioned, let me know what your opinions are. 

Lots of Love, 

Mimi xxx