Student Life in London

It's Sunday, so I can really sit back and take some time to catch up on cyber life. I did not have a US to UK adapter until last night so battery life on the laptop was seriously compromised. Add that to the fact that a ruthless Pakistani dude sold me a dud adapter which had me in all kinda vexation last night, forcing me to walk out the road in my pyjama bottoms to get another one so I could Skype with my mums. The scary thing about this whole scenario is that even in my silk pyjama bottoms, I was still more stylish than the natives and still managed to pick up a  man in Budgens.

I had a nice day yesterday though. Even in the face of serious penny pinching, where there is a mall, there is a trininista and when I called up my "uncle" who is also here with his daughter, who is also entering fab starving student life, and he told me they were at the mall, I made a detour (I was heading to Oxford Street) and let my Oyster card take me to Westfield Mall instead. Oh the temptation. The boots, the scarves, the gadgets, the trinkets. The empty wallet. The horror. I did pick up a few essentials from Boots and from Lush, which included

Buffy. My skin does not do well in this weather and has been ever so dry and itchy. Buffy to the rescue! I also managed to pick up - can you guess? A Nigerian. I should rename this blog, Trininista's Nigerian Adventures. I was standing in Next waiting for my uncle and this dude leaves his route to walk into the store, most likely gobsmacked by my effortless beauty (lol) to chat me up. Fortunately for him, he was young, hip and good looking so I did not give him the normal treatment, i.e. instant "begone". But still, it must be a skill they learn in school - Annoying 101 - cause he still had the aggressive come atcha hard behaviour of his not so good looking countrymen. So while he lasted longer than the average Nigerian admirer, he still got the dismissal with one turn of my head.

I was so excited to come home and take a Buffy shower, and then totally rub myself down with Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion with Shea Butter. Heavenly. I had the evening all planned - post-Buffy broccoli au gratin and chicken dinner, with some boy time, some mum time and a movie. It just did not turn out anything like this initially and ended up with a bit of a meltdown. And after such a brilliant day too. I am not sure. I think between the tiefin Pakistani causing me to miss my call with my mum, a bit of homesickness, added with the downtime I have not had in about 5 weeks where I had been juggling my day job and getting ready to come here, plus the fact that I well burn the chicken while chatting online with the HP support technician as I tried to figure out why my laptop was not charging (before I realised the Pakistani factor was the cause), which was horrifying and totally mind numbing for a student, and no boy time, AND PMS...the catalyst behind it all - in a matter of minutes, I went from Buffy smurf to Bitchy Bawling Smurf. lol. But it was needed. When I got the adapter after my pyjama bottoms outing, I got to talk to my mum, the baby and my sister in law, and I had 3 pieces of the burnt chicken with some juice, minus the broccoli and I camped out on the couch with Motrin 800 and Confessions of a Shopaholic and all was right with the world once more.

I am okay again. I head to school tomorrow and though I am not 100%, I have mentally picked out my First Day/Back to School outfit and aim to make a winning first impression, which as I told Soy will also include being on my best behaviour. This includes

- No rolling of eyes at Nigerians - a tough challenge,  but if they were not so aggressive I could hang with them
- No rolling of eyes in general
- No snide comments at dotish people
- No sucking of teeth at dotish people
- No cussing
- No sarcasm
- No general me-ness

They can get all that on Tuesday. With pleasure. Going for a coffee now with my soon to be married Italian. All the good ones...gone.

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Beauty by Trininista

Someone remarked that I looked so fresh and pretty yesterday. I put some effort into making my hair a bit neater than the day before, and did a fantastic eyeshadow job which always works to lift my mood. Yesterday I really made the effort to look as good as I did not feel. And I succeeded. I looked stellar even though I felt like crap. There are some days when you get out of bed physically but the spirit and the mojo don't quite get the idea and they stay under the covers.  It may seem like it would take some doing to get yourself from Mumra to She-Ra, but my solution, as I outlined to my colleague, is quite simple.

A good cleanser - I like L'Oreal's Go 360 Clean, because it is good for my oily skin and it also comes with the cute green scrubby which fits neatly in the bottle. Great packaging for the woman on the go.

My secret weapon - Because I have oily skin, I never leave home without my Clean and Clear oil absorbent sheets, but I have also discovered Herbalism from Lush, which after a good cleanser, really makes the skin softer and drags away any leftover oil. And you don't need to use a lot. It's an awesome product and really jumpstarts my day.

Moisturiser - I use Pond's Clarant B3 because it is again, a great matte moisturiser for oily skin and does not give that greasy look. At night though, I use a combo of Vitamin E oil and a night time moisturiser to keep the youth alive and the laugh lines at bay.

And of course...even if you're not going the full monty with the makeup (bring on the awesome shadows from MAC during the work week for me), mascara never hurt anyone. I love Clinique and Maybelline XXL Extensions for my fine lashes. A touch of lipgloss and you're ready to show the world that even in the face of questions, doubts, frustration and exhaustion, you're a star!

So what is your daily morning beauty regime?

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