Sunday Snaps

Sundays are usually very much home days for me but there is an unfortunate reality that comes with my new entrance into the 'real world' that suddenly everybody is impossible to get hold of. This outing was weeks in planning and thankfully the sun came out for a glorious Spring-like day. A spot of shopping, some delicious cake and a lot of walking later, it was well worth the wait and I thought I'd share the few snaps I took (very rarely do I have such a nice time that I don't want the camera out for long).

Strawberry cheesecake and tiramisu cake.

Lantern loving

OOTD: Tokito blazer, Dotti shorts, Miss Shop tee, Wittner shoes

Introducing Piper

A Commonwealth Games inspired friend was welcomed into our clan yesterday in the form of a 6 month old Scottish Terrier that we aptly named Piper. Getting a friend for Max had been casually discussed but on Thursday night my dad dropped the news that Max would be getting a sister from Brisbane. The poor soul endured the stress of the flight and arrived to us unscathed and curious about her new surroundings, still bearing the stitches from being fixed a week prior. Whilst we're still getting to know her (our latest discovery is that her hair takes longer than mine to dry ie hours), so far she seems like she's got a bit of stubbornness in her, adores the cat and is very happy socialising with other dogs, remaining unfazed no matter how cold some welcomes were at the dog park.

Book Haul

There is one person (other than myself obviously) to blame for this post. She is the ultimate book enabler, Sanne aka booksandquills is the reason behind the majority of these books and I love her for it.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg must be one of the best selling books of 2014 for a reason, right? As a girl entering the workforce and figuring out where I fit into it, I think this book will be quite inspiring to be a strong independent working woman and I look forward to what should be a very interesting read if the reviews are true.

I've actually already read Attatchments by Rainbow Rowell, it's on my iPad and I loved it so much I wanted the physical copy on my shelf. Rowell is one of my favourite authors, both from her adult and young adult novels and I really adored this book when I read it. This also leads onto the other purchase which is unpictured because it arrived later but I just binge-read Landline, Rowell's latest book, and loved it just as much. I think Fangirl is my all time favourite of her novels but they're all spectacularly well written and have well developed interesting characters whom I adore.

An Object Of Beauty by Steve Martin was the impulse buy of this haul. Spotted in one of Sanne's book hauls I believe, this books art world aspect appealed the most to me. I love art in a lot of forms, I want to learn more about it and I just really liked the look of this book really. Very excited to read it but it's not first on the list right now.

Just One Day followed by Just One Year followed by Just One Night (ebook only) are a lovely trio (or really 2 and a half but that doesn't sound as nice) of books written by Gayle Forman. I read these quickly on my iPad and loved them so much that once I discovered Just One Night existed around 11pm, moments after finishing Just One Year, I made the very immature but at the time satisfying choice to stay up even later and finish that. If I miss sleep to read a book it's worthy of sitting on my shelf.

Trouble by Non Pratt was one I discovered on Goodreads and is really a book that I would have bought on my iPad if it was an iBook because it's not one I really needed to own. I read this whilst I was poorly (part of the reason for the lack of noise on this blog) and I liked it but didn't love it. Personally the goodreads reviews were a bit generous and the only really great thing with this book was the character Aaron who I adored, buying off bookdepository at least means I didn't throw too much money down the drain.

Estee (of Essiebutton) and Sanne are the reasons behind my purchase of We Were Liars by E Lockhart and I am so grateful! It's not the kind of book I'd pick up, I generally stick to the YA/Chick Lit genre because it's light and this novel is anything but. It's not a long read but it's a lovely one, with some more poetic aspects and very interesting medical conflict elements which I adored. It was $2.99 on iBooks on sale so it was a no brainer really.

Last but not least is Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson, a book which I found through #shelfie on tumblr, one of my favourite tags to peruse, when it kept on appearing in people's book collections. It's been highly rated on Goodreads from over 4000 ratings which is a good sign and I think it'll be a nice holiday read when I go away to the country next week.

Do I dare ask what other books I should check out? Tell me what you've been reading in the comments below.

Keep An Ear Out..

I mentioned in my May Madness post that there are some new music releases coming up that I'm particularly excited for, especially in the male British singer-songwriter part of the music world, so I thought I'd share with you some popular and lesser known artists to check out.

Ed Sheeran's much anticipated second album Multiply is on it's way and I'm very excited. The first single 'Sing' was a small declaration in a way that things will be getting switched up a bit on this album but I although I am keen to see which direction he's taking some of his songs I hope that some of the raw acoustic notes of the first stay around.

Lewis Watson is one of my favourite singer-songwriters, his progression from acoustic to more alternative has been amazing and very natural I think as his skills and abilities musically have grown. His first album has been long awaited with a succession of EP's prior all of which I have fallen in love with. I have high hopes in the success of 'The Morning' and I think he is one to watch if you're not already.

Passenger's new album 'Whispers' is truly a thing of beauty, following the success of his single Let Her Go this album had a greater amount of people waiting for it and I think he rose to the challenge. He's stayed within his genre and it's not a dramatic change but it's more cinematic than his previous four studio albums and the strings section just gets me. Surprisingly '27' is my favourite track from the record as it's one of the most upbeat songs but I'm a sucker for a good clapping section (being able to clap in time to this is about as musically talented as I get).

I fell in love with Sam Smith's voice with his song 'Leave Your Lover' from his album 'In The Lonely Hour', the mainly acoustic guitar and piano track had me on iTunes listening to the rest of the album which I fell in love with and have had on repeat since. 'Stay With Me' was so good the BBC Radio 1 host Zane Lowe deemed it his 'hottest record' and I couldn't agree more. One of the best breakthrough pop artists so far this year.

One of the most popular youtube cover artists Kina Grannis recently released another album entitled 'Elements' and I think finally she has reached her music potential. Her covers have always been amazing but for some it ends there, and I had a fear that was the same for Kina but this album has proven me wrong. 'Elements' is a bit more unique than her previous albums and really showcases her talent more than her previous albums have. My favourite track is Winter but all of them are divine and worth a listen.

Hudson Taylor, an Irish pop-folk duo, have released their 'Battles II' EP with three new tracks and 2 remastered versions of Battles prior to the release of their first album due in September of this year. I love the 2014 version of Battles, it's very powerful and showcases how far they've come, as well as the track Throw Me A Line which is my pick of the new tracks.

Any new artists that I need to listen to before they get big? Let me know in the comments.

An Ode To: Mens Loungewear

So as much as I like to keep up some sort of glamorous persona on here, the reality is that I spend most of my down time makeup-less and in some very comfy attire. But a recent discovery has made this time all that much more comfortable.

Girls have been stealing guys clothes for a while, from the old fashioned blazer over the shoulders as you walk home hand in hand (a gesture I think is very sweet) to borrowing a hoodie for a lazy Sunday together. But as a girl with no boyfriend (not really fussed to have one right at this point is my life either) I decided I'd do the next best thing.

I'm a big lover of loungewear, the comfier and cosier the better to the point where I was fed up with the thin track pants and jumpers from the women's section and decided to screw the judgement and just buy from the men's section. Not only are my new track pants thicker, cheaper and longer but they also have pockets! The whole 'drop crotch' thing was weird at first but it was a fast adaption and I don't half mind it now.

I am one very comfortably lady and I keep thinking of ways I can get away with wearing my trackies in public just so I don't have to take them off! Can't quite bring myself to yet in fear I'll see someone I know but I'm working on it.

The Best Of Instagram

Hi my name is Holly and I am an Instagram addict. I wish I could insert an 'I'm kidding' line in there but I really can't. Instagram is one of my favourite forms of social media, it's simple, it requires a certain level of creativity and it's primarily the best bits of peoples lives (unlike facebook and twitter).

I follow 363 accounts, a lot of which are personal accounts of friends but a fair few are bloggers, photographers and creative types of various forms who have beautiful Instagram feeds (is that even the term for it?). It took a lot of effort and some serious deliberation but I managed to summarise my top 5 accounts that most people won't know about.

m_i_s_o_ - Run by a tattoo artist (if you're a tumblr user you've probably come across some of her work at some point)/artist/photographer/damn cool person, this account is a compilation of drawings, tattoos and workspace shots stunningly photographed. It's a private account but with over 50 000 followers I think all requests are accepted.

tamaraloo - A mix of fashion, food and beauty shots, Tamara's simplistic but chic pictures are some of my favourites and I love seeking inspiration from her posts. With a very clean, crisp and occasionally tropical theme going on her feed is one I really enjoy viewing.

meganisobel - The Instagram account of the fabulous blogger behind lipssofacto is one of those feeds where I get an instant life envy, even just from a shot of her messy topknot. I'll forgive the Birkenstocks for her fashion, lifestyle and beauty posts which step away from the blogger photo cliches (which I fall into all too frequently) and are perfectly understated.

madewell1937 - Admittedly this account is a form of advertisement but when the photos are so beautiful (and I can't actually buy anything because of the whole living in Australia thing) I can excuse that fact. With a collection of more earthier but still very crisp photos that are mainly fashion related, this feed is one of the best around for clothing stores and the advertising portion isn't as obnoxious as other accounts.

phoebe__darcy - This amazing feed is created by someone very close to home, Phoebe is a fashion and textiles student and also one of my oldest friends who I knew as a toddler and then was reunited with in high school. Her style is impeccable and her photography is stunning, a definite hidden gem amongst Instagram and one I look at with the pride of 'I know that girl'.

What are your favourite hidden gems on Instagram? Any I should be following? Let me know in the comments.

Height Advantage

It's hard to tell across the internet but I am in fact a very tall girl. I don't mean that I'm 5'7 and I am just enough above average height to follow @tallgirlproblems on twitter. No by tall I mean I am taller than the majority of the population, both male and female.

I am 6ft.

Which leads to the obvious questions. Do you model? Do you play basketball? How are you going to find a boyfriend tall enough for you? (the last one was asked in spite by a guy who I rejected in high school)

It took me a long time to accept how tall I was. It's odd not wanting to accept something you can't change but at 14 years old when the majority of guys in my grade hadn't even had their growths spurt yet, it really sucked. And I was reminded of this because my height became the first thing people noticed about me, still is.

But after a lot of time hating the most obvious thing about me I am gradually learning to love it. Gradually should be emphasised there. I don't slouch as much in photos anymore, I wear heels if the occasion calls for it and I show of the killer legs which are one of the saving graces for being so tall.

My advice to the tall girl reading this post?

Go to as many concerts as you can. Being a head above the rest in a mosh pit may annoy the people behind you but don't let yourself care. Embrace being able to see the artist without looking up at the big screens and brag to yourself a little as your short friends struggle to even see those (self bragging is ok and if you've got a best friend who won't take it personally, brag aloud if it makes you feel better about yourself).

Show off those pins. Girl (did I just say that??), you've got what others envy so embrace them. Wear playsuits and high waisted shorts, anything that just emphasises the blessing that height can be.

Don't slouch. Confidence is key, even if it's fake. People who thrive on negativity are less likely to make you their target if you look confident and over time faking confidence won't be so difficult anymore.

You're a small fish in a big pond. For those cruel people who critique how you're going to find a boyfriend/girlfriend because you're so tall just remember there are 7 billion people in this world and although you'll never meet all of them, there is most certainly someone for you. Also who says you have to date a guy taller than you? It's 2014, do what you want.

Unfortunately I don't have a solution for finding jeans that fit without it costing a fortune or for maxi dresses coming up to your shins yet but I'm working on it.

Any other advice? If you're a tall girl let me know in the comments and tell me about how you accepted it?

Playing Favourites

I've always been very unmotivated to do a favourites post on this blog, choosing instead to wrap it into my quarterly mood boards. But for once I had a selection of things that I truly loved, rather than a few I loved and a few I liked that would fill out the post.

I had my eye on this little notebook for weeks before I caved and let myself buy it. Made by The New York Times this notebook is a really practical size with plenty of room to write as many lists as the heart desires (and my heart desires a lot). Online I couldn't find the single paperback version I bought from my newsagent but you can buy a set on the New York Times Store here.

Essie Lilacism has to be on of my favourite nail polishes of all time, it's the perfect not too in your face pastel purple which depending on the lighting sometimes looks blue and other times grey. It goes with my mainly monochrome wardrobe a treat and somehow I think is quite a mature pastel, not to mention the amount of compliments I get on the colour at work is unprecedented out of any of the other colours that I wear (and there is a lot).

Up until now I've never worn a nude lip, as a fair skinned girl I think it's harder to find a great nude to suit me and whenever I go to buy one I always change my mind because they always look like such an older woman's colour when I swatch them. The first one I bought out of excitement for the launch of the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks in Australia. Nottinghill Nude is quite a brown colour but lightly blended over the lip, it looks less like it belongs in the early 2000's and much more like a modern nude. The second is Clarins Rouge Prodige lipstick in Nude, a lighter colour which I blend lightly once again and has the most beautiful packaging out of any other product I own. The downside is the scent, not my taste at all.

These rings have been popping up everywhere recently and I really like them. They're a simple statement piece and quite practical, you can buy them in sets with other rings quite cheaply as well which is the bonus if you want to give one a go without committing to something more expensive.

Washi tape has to go on my list of #essiemademebuyit items. It's overpriced and a complete waste of money but it's pretty and I couldn't resist. I got a set of five but the patterned ones were my favourite and I can't wait to be able to use them (for what, I'm not sure but I'll find something).

What have you been loving of recent? Anything amazing I should be tempted to buy?

Link Loving

I love being introduced to new things on the internet, being able to share something that others would have never even known existed is one of the best aspects of social media. So what better way to share what I've been loving than in tidy little post.

Music

Passenger launched his video for Hearts On Fire and it's one of the most beautiful music videos I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. Filmed by my absolute talent crush Jarrad Seng, this video is stunning and one I think everyone should see.

Kina Grannis is one of the best cover artists that youtube has to offer and is one of my personal favourites. I find American musicians a lot harder to love than British for a reason I can't pinpoint but she is one I adore and her cover of The Moon Song by Karen O from the "Her" soundtrack is flawless. One of the best covers she has ever done and I've heard the majority of them.

YouTube

Hank Green, one half of the vlogbrothers, recently did a video called "What Boys Look For In Girls", a title that makes me want to be violently ill sometimes on the insane amount of videos which have made what Hank calls a "genre" on youtube. He then goes on to educate you on the cultural differences around the world for women and men do to make them seem more attractive, my favourite being in England men wear tiny pants. It's entertaining and educational, what more could you want?

Paris Snapshots by Will Darbyshire is a stunning compilation of moments of his trip to Paris with girlfriend and fellow youtuber Alexa Losey. It's really amazing with a perfect soundtrack and makes me all gooey at it's beauty. A brief but joyful watch.

Tumblr

I am an animal gif person to the point where I have a bookmarks folder called 'happy' filled with them to make me chuckle. My favourites of recent have been cat vs puppies and Natalie Tran and cat.

Tumblr is also a haven for quotes and I'm usually prone to liking the gushy slightly pretentious lovey dovey ones for instance this one by Charles Bukowski "Nobody can save you but yourself and you're worth saving. It's a war not easily won but if anything is worth saving then this is it."

My other favourite quote from the month is something I wrote and am quite proud of. It's a very romantic view on the life I want to live but at the same time I was so proud of it's simplicity. You can read it on my tumblr here.

Writing

Charly Cox wrote a post titled Classroom Clashes which is so unbelievably relatable to my own schooling experience that I'd describe it as my thoughts but better worded. If you've finished school, are finishing school or are still trapped in the school yard then I recommend you read it. There is something wonderful about finishing reading something and thinking "Yes! Exactly!".

A wonderful post on Rookie Magazine popped up in my exploration of the website entitled How To Be Alone and I adore it! I love being alone, I think I'm rather good at it as well and it extends to more than just being home alone. I love exploring the city alone, reading a book in a coffee shop alone and going out to take photos alone. Because as is perfectly written in the second last paragraph "the thing about being alone is that it's doesn't have to include feeling lonely".

Let me know in the comments what links you've been loving this month from cat gifs to quotes, I want to see them.

May Madness

Back in February I posted a mood board type thing to summarise my month. Well I soon discovered that aiming to post that every month was a bit much because I don't get up to that much in the space of four weeks. So instead this post is going to be quarterly and more in depth.

The Products

The Naked 2 Palette has been on my list for a while and I'm going to be putting away a little bit of money each week when I get paid to buy not just the number 2 but the number 1 as well. My eyeshadow collection is a bit abysmal, mainly dominated by budget bronze shades but I'm excited to have more to work with. However this will be it for eyeshadows for a while for me, I'll be banning myself from buying any more other than the basics palette eventually.

Chapped lips never bothered me that much until I started wearing lipstick and now they are the biggest nuisance. With the change in the weather to windy, cooler days my lips have suffered so I set out to find the best of the bunch to save them. I have a whole post on my results which you can read here.

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks dropped in Australia not long ago and I'm in love. The formula is great and Nottinghill Nude lightly blended over the lip is the nude lip colour for the girl who isn't big on nude lips. I picked up In Love With Ginger as well but I am yet to be brave enough to wear it out.

Lifestyle

Autumn is here and I am a happy chappy! My wardrobe is far more equipped for the cooler months so I feel like a fashion queen right now with my monochrome choices. I love nothing more than being rugged up on a rainy day in bed and I've been able to do that for the first time in over six months. I bought my first ever blazer recently and I'm working with it to make it a casual piece for winter, my favourite choice so far is rolling up the sleeves and throwing it over my Lewis Watson t-shirt which you can pick up here.

I have never been much of a handbag girl, preferring small cross body bags to lugging around a big thing until I found a love for canvas bags. Mine has the slogan 'Girls Just Wanna Have Funds' (which you can see on my instagram post here) and is a practical and casual way to carry things around. It's big enough to hold my laptop which is the best bonus because that was the worst thing about not having a large bag in my collection and a green bag from the supermarket isn't exactly stylish. They're cheap, washable and have the tick of approval from none other than Alexa Chung in her book 'It'.

I love getting so into a book that I'll stay up until 2am to finish it because going to sleep and finishing it the next day is not an option. I've recently finished 'Attachments' by Rainbow Rowell, 'The One Plus One' by Jojo Moyes and 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion, all of which I loved and would recommend to anyway. 'Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close' by Jonathan Safran Foer and 'Someday, Someday, Maybe' by Lauren Graham are next on my list.

I never thoughts I'd love ripped denim jeans but since customising my own I can't get enough. I had a pair of light wash denim super skinny jeans which I was bored of so I hacked into them and had some fun. I'm going to make a post on how I did this so keep an eye out on my blog soon as well as eventually updating them with a bit of a lace detail to make them a bit different.

The OC is a show I've always intended to watch mainly because of Adam Brody's beautiful face if I'm completely honest. It's a trashy, early 2000's American high school comedy/drama and I love it. The clothes (did anyone wear bras 10 years ago??) and the make up (brown lipliner anyone?) are hilarious so I'd watch it for just those but I'm in love with Seth Cohen which helps too.

This year seems to be the year for new music amongst the artists I listen to. Passenger, Lewis Watson, Stu Larsen, Ed Sheeran, Hudson Taylor and probably a bunch more people who I've forgotten about are all releasing new material and I know I'm going to be in heaven/broke by the time it's all released. I've been in such a music funk however that it'll be so worth it. I'm considering doing a whole post about what I've been listening to so let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in that.

There is a reason why the products list is so short in this post and that's because I am trying my hardest to save as much as possible. I'm a materialistic person so this is hard for me and with my mum's birthday, easter, mothers day, my dad's birthday and my brother's birthday all falling in the past few weeks and next few months, I have to try and be tight and spend wisely so all my hard work doesn't go to waste. The biggest down side is the constant feeling of being broke because I can't touch any of the money in my savings account.

I've been awful with sleep of recent and my schedule has gone out the window. At the moment I've been going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 10am far too frequently which is really not practical if I want to get anything done in the day. I'm now going to make a conscious effort to get a normal pattern back, even if it involves early alarms so by the end of the day I'm actually tired.

Writing is something I love but I've recently started to put it off and I'm not sure why. I've started procrastinating doing the thing that was usually what I did when I was procrastinating. In attempt to keep myself writing and becoming better, I am going to write something every day. Even if it's just three sentences, it's better than nothing. I'm going to make sure I have a pad and pen everywhere I go as well in case inspiration strikes.


Let me know in the comments what you've been listening to as of recent and the most exciting thing happening in the next few months for you.

The Eyes Of The Beholder.

Sometimes in life we have reflective moments to really think about ourselves and the world around us. Often these moments are associated with life changing events but others, well they just sneak up on you without you realising.


It was a standard shift at work, nothing interesting, until this little girl came by with her parents and saw me, immediately shouting "Barbie!".

This isn't the first time this has happened, I have had a life time of being compared to Barbie from when I was young and refused to brush my light blonde hair so it eventually had the texture and appearance of a well loved Barbie doll's to just last year and I got labelled the same way by a group of Taiwanese backpackers who were rightfully unfamiliar to a girl being 6 foot tall.

At first I saw it as a compliment and I understood the association, I have blonde hair and a long slender frame but then I really thought about it.

As a woman I feel pressure about my appearance all too frequently, primarily about my weight (i.e always intending to lose a little bit of it) and my height (which is often called freakish because adding an 'ish' to a word apparently makes it a socially acceptable adjective).

But then I realised this is just the beginning for this little girl. She has a lifetime ahead of unrealistic ideas of beauty being forced onto her wherever possible and exposure to photoshopped women in media that none of us are ever going to look like. I am sickened at the thought of this life only just starting on a girl who couldn't have been more than five years-old. At some point, she is going to realise she doesn't look like barbie (because none of us do) and she'll be aware that this doll who she sees as the epitome of beauty isn't going to be what she grows up to be.

But there is a reality that isn't found in the plastic walls of the beloved Barbie doll, there is beauty outside of that very small definition that we're exposed to from youth. Because Barbie doesn't tell the story of having curves, or having a different skin colour, or even having a different hair colour.

Barbie doesn't tell the story of variation that makes women beautiful and unique, and she doesn't define beauty, but how is a five year old supposed to know that?

Give me open windows and exposed brick walls. Give me big cities that sleep less than I do. Give me chipped nail polish and oversized t-shirts. I don’t need the world, just my own very small part of it.

A Date With My Book

Reading is something that I've always loved but never really prioritised. It always tends to be a pre sleep activity to settle my mind before I turn out the lights. It's never the first thing I think of when I have some time to myself but today I made an effort for it to be hence; A Date With My Book.

I went to my favourite cafe which boasts a beautiful frangipani tree shaded courtyard creating unintentional patterns from the sun peaking through the leaves and is filled with an eclectic mix of verge collected furniture and decorations. With my book in hand, Sleeping At Last in my ears, the breeze in my hair and an iced coffee on the table I sat there for over an hour and read 100 pages.

My book of choice was Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan and I had to conceal my laughter through some parts which was the only drawback because I am sure I looked like a loon smiling to myself. I'm not quite at the end yet but so far, so good!

Dining alone is not something I've ever really experienced or been too keen to try but after this morning I have realised that a book and some soft music in my ears is the only company I need. It was a perfect morning and one I'll definitely be making a weekly occurrence because I left very calm and relaxed, ready to enjoy the rest of my day.

Let me know in the comments if you can dine alone and what is the latest book you've read and loved.

February.

I was having a little fiddle around on my beloved polyvore the other day when this idea came to me - monthly mood boards sharing little tidbits that I have planned for the month/things I am loving. With February just around the corner I was excited to get this post up to share with you all.

The Products

A few beauty related products are mixed into this and they are most products I've wanted for a while and have intended on getting. Nails Inc. Porchester Square has been on my wish list for a while and I'm reminded frequently when it pops up on Anna's blog/youtube. I've finally found somewhere to source it from though which is a real nuisance with Australia because shipping restrictions stop the shipping of nail polish from overseas essentially but it is available through David Jones online (and potentially in store). Not that I really need a new polish but the heart wants what the heart wants.

Origins Clear Improvement Tube Active Charcoal Mask (wow that's a name) is quite a loved product online and has a lot of positive reviews. It's not overly pricey as far as skincare goes and I have found it in two stores so you can actually for once smell before you buy if you're like me and scent can be a deal breaker. Mecca Cosmetica and Kit Cosmetics (it's slightly cheaper through them) which has a counter in Myer both stock it as well as a load of other Origins products which I am very intrigued about.

Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleanser & Make Up Remover is another cult product which is missing from my collection, mainly because my interest in skin care has only developed very recently. Available from Priceline in Australia, this product was put off for a while for me because of the price tag. Although not extortionate, its appearance as a cleansing water made me hesitant but I am ready to bite the bullet for the sake of my blog.. and my skin.

It saddens me greatly but the Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms won't be released in Australia for the foreseeable future, I can't pinpoint why Australia gets left behind with product releases but it's all too frequent. I however will be pining over them until I can get my hands on some.

I ordered my Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner from BeautyBay upon Estee's recommendation through twitter after it made an appearance in her Sephora Haul. She was absolutely lovely and sold it for me. This months project is to perfect my application method so I can start wearing it more and more.


Lifestyle

The job hunt has begun! Nothing too serious and I have accepted that I'll just have to tolerate something pretty dull until I gain experience or decide what career path I am taking but it's exciting all the more. I am super nervous about potential job interviews but I have to learn somehow.

The job hunt all ties in with my travel plans. Europe 2015 is a very real possibility if I can save sufficiently, I'm not exactly thrilled by the thought of youth hostels so I need to save as much as possible in the next year and a half so I can travel in a certain level of style (i.e. not with a backpack on my back). I am looking at Contiki trips and hopefully by the time I am raring to go I'll have a travel companion to keep me company.

The pictures will seem like a more obvious choice when I post the video from the shoot but I have been enlisted to help my best friend shoot a little music video for a cover she is doing. I am excited to have a go and we have been brainstorming ideas to make sure it is the best it can possibly be.

Recently I got a new camera in the form of the Canon Eos M and this month I want to learn more how to use it the best of its ability. Up until now I have been using it like a point and shoot with more automatic settings to ease me into my camera upgrade but with a bit of practice I think my photography skills will improve significantly if I learn what half the functions do.


Miscellaneous

Whilst on holiday recently I popped into a little vintage store and it was the kitchen wear and storage that got me. I am a vintage lover and I think old tins are amazing for storage but also are like an art form, being perfect expressions of the past. A lot of the glassware caught my eye as well which would look very sweet on my mantle or on my desk.

Winter seems like a distant dream away right now as the hot temperatures of the Australian summer have taken their toll but the spotting of Chelsea boots whilst shopping recently has gotten me excited for those winter months where you can wear more than one layer of clothing without self combusting. There are some really lovely designs coming out, both flat and heeled and I think they're the perfect winter shoe and completely versatile with whatever you're wearing.

The last part of my month is a childhood character costume party which I am very excited about since I have come up with the perfect costume which is comfortable/isn't slutty/doesn't look ridiculous/the demographic will understand. Australian 90's kids should know who Nannette Manoir from Angela Anaconda is but for others it's worth a google image search. My beret is on its way and I have to perfect my ringlets for the evening by playing around with rag curls until they're just right. I will definitely post my outfit on some form of social media/on this blog so keep an eye out towards the end of next month.


What are your most exciting moments for the month coming? Let me know in the comments below.

At the start of 2013 I made it my mission to actually stick with something. I have major project commitment issues so my sort of but not really New Years Resolution was to follow through with a plan.

If you have a tumblr account no doubt you have seen various posts about this idea: "Start 2013 off with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen. Empty it on New Years Eve to see what good things happened that year."And I succeeded, well sort of. Every month or so I would remember it was there and write a bunch of things down and gradually it filled up. 

2013 was a year of sadness and stress and I probably will always remember it that way but looking through my little notes I realised I had a bunch of great moments amongst them all. 

Tweets were a big part of this year and I was lucky enough to interact with a few awesome people on there from bloggers/vloggers (Lily Pebbles, Estee - essiebutton, Anna - viviannadoesmakeup, Jim Chapman and Sorted Food) to some of my favourite musicians (Lewis Watson, Gabrielle Aplin, Hudson Taylor and Orla Gartland).

I had a few big life moments as well. My Year 12 ball, finishing high school, starting this blog and gaining a new little cousin amongst others.

I got to see some amazing artists live as well starting off with Ed Sheeran, Gabrielle Aplin, Passenger then Birdy, Lewis Watson, Lakyn to the unexpected of the lot One Direction (I had the best fun at this one, serious fangirl) and to finish off an outdoor concert seeing Josh Pyke and Lisa Mitchell. My ears were graced with some incredible musicians and it was the biggest expense of the year but the most worth it.

This years New Years resolution? See the world with eyes wide open. It's vague and can be interpreted how you choose but for me it's about observing more of what's around me. My city in particular, I often loathe how small, isolated and lacking in culture where I live is but I aim this year to see more of what it has to offer and go out of my comfort zone to do just that. I plan on doing a few blog posts on the gems I find along the way.

Here is to 2014 - hopefully it is a whole lot better than last year.

What were your New Years resolutions this year and have they already been broken?