A new perspective... nude nail polish

The idea of blogging is very appealing. Consistently writing one, not so much, as is evidenced by the three year gap between blog posts. Perhaps it was the mommy blogger path I was on. The mommy part was getting in the way of the blog part.

But today, I had a "ah-ha" moment. This blog is about my expat life in Denmark, and one of the biggest challenges is how to feed my beauty product obsession without going broke. The price of skincare and make-up in Denmark is shocking. Yes, there is a Sephora in Copenhagen (still a two hour drive), but it's really pricey and doesn't have the same brands as in the U.S. stores, so I can't love it the same way.

I was imposing on every single person I knew who was traveling between the U.S. and Denmark to bring me products. However, this is not sustainable (although I did alright with it for about a decade) because the dollar is strong again (yeah! and boo!) and there are less people willing to mule for me. 

So the past few months I've been on a quest. How can I find products I like that won't break the bank? It's harder than it sounds. 

One solution has been trips to Germany. The border is only a little over an hour away.  Last week, I had a work trip to Hamburg and found a new nail polish. I had read about Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in "Shell we Dance" #160 and hadn't found it in Denmark. It was 8.95 Euro, which is 67 dkk (which is still $10). The same polish is 90 dkk ($13.50) at Matas, (Denmark's answer to Ulta or Sephora, I think is the best way to describe it) So, although I had to drive for over an hour to save $3, it still felt like a win.

The polish is a nice sheer nude, flattering on fair skin as Allure Magazine so kindly informed me. This is the third day I've had it on, and there is already some chipping but it's not as obvious as a darker or more opaque color would be. But given my expat mommy lifestyle, three days is really not bad...

Gadefest - IN WHICH Leah attempts to socialize with her neighbors...

Last Saturday was the yearly "gadefest" (block party). I had been looking forward to socializing. I just always forget that all the socializing is done in a language I don't quite understand.

The plans always go something like this:
3:00 - Coffee and cake (it IS Denmark)
4:00 - Family fun
6:00 - Bring meat to grill, a dish to share, wine/beer and eat, drink and be merry
9:00 Bonfire including burning a witch in effigy for Sankt Hans



(The bonfire ready to go)



(The tent where food is consumed)

Our house, along with 2 others, were supposed to provide the family fun. My husband tried to delegate this task to me. One, half English/half Danish, almost entirely misunderstood, conversation with my neighbors relieved me of that responsibility.

Instead, I spent all afternoon making food. I made a pasta salad, marinaded some chicken and decided to give a crockpot chocolate cake a try. (Which went horribly, horribly awry.)



This should NOT have taken me all afternoon. But somehow it did.

I also thought that our children are somewhat, possibly, very nearly, almost able to have fun on their own. I was wrong.




There aren't any kids near the same ages at the party. In fact, most the kids in the neighborhood seem to be teens who use English profanity with impunity. (It's not their language, so it doesn't mean anything to them.)




So, I thought the party was a bust until dinner. It was then that I sat across from a neighbor who was very comfortable chatting in English. We talked at length about the plight of the working mother, since that's what we both are... the wine was flowing and the conversation engaging, so when they asked who would volunteer to plan the party next year, my hand went up. Note to self: no more wine at block parties.

Dina and I couldn't manage to stay for the bonfire. It had started raining with no end in sight. We went back to the house, got in PJs and promptly fell asleep on the couch watching Barbie Island Princess. (How could I fall asleep during that movie, you ask? It's a mystery.)

Lars and Emma stayed to burn the witch...


...and I need to get started planning next year's party.

Location:Tingstedet,Billund,Denmark