Moving Out Of Home | What I Learned

Moving out of home was probably one of the biggest changes I've ever made in my life. I moved out with my boyfriend in September of last year, and in that time I've grown more than I could ever have imagined.

So here's what I've learned over the last 8 months...

Life is expensive
Electricity, water, internet, groceries, furniture, washing powder, kettles, shampoo, bed linen, toasters, hand soap, bread, milk, fruit, toothpaste - the list goes on and on and it doesn't ever stop!

Dinner doesn't magically appear on the table 
Oh mum, I definitely miss coming home after a long day and not having to worry about what to make for dinner with the random things in the fridge. Organising breakfast, lunch and dinner every day can be exhausting and boring. I am so sick of pre-made pasta it's ridiculous. It's great when you have the whole evening to chop potatoes whilst singing along to Sam Smith, however when you finish work at 8pm, get home at 8:30pm and then have to organise dinner it's not fun.

You're tired all the time
When you're not working, you're cooking. When you're not cooking, you're planning meals. When you're not planning, you're cleaning. When you're not cleaning, you're paying a bill. I value my sleep and downtime so much more now. I really try tomato the most of my days off by doing things that make me feel really good (like binge watching Real Housewives of Melbourne).

If you want pizza at 3am, you can bloody well have pizza at 3am
After all is said and done, moving out is pretty awesome. Being able to do literally whatever you want whenever you want is a pretty great feeling. I've also really enjoyed decorating our apartment together and being able to express my style. Designing your life and your own space is a true luxury and I am forever grateful to be able to this.


If you like this post, stay tuned for more content related to moving out!

Special thanks to Max Baker for pushing me to write this!

Cleaning Makeup Brushes

Cleaning your makeup brushes is probably one of the biggest beauty chores. It can be so boring and time consuming! A lot of people also don't really know how to clean them properly so I thought i'd write up a quick post on how I like to clean mine. 

1. Put on some music!... I know how boring washing your makeup brushes can be! So when I do it I often like to have music playing in the background or even a Youtube video playing on my iPad propped up near my sink. It makes the time go by much faster and makes washing your brushes less of a chore. 

2. Use shampoo and cleanser mixture... I definitely prefer using a mixture of shampoo and any cleanser when it comes to deep cleaning my brushes. I've tried the whole shampoo and olive oil thing but I found it just left my brushes greasy and took forever to dry. I find the shampoo mixed with the cleanser gives your brushes the deepest clean and if you're only doing this once every 2-3 weeks it shouldn't ruin your brushes. I like to take equal amounts of both into a little bowl and mix it together. 

3. Use circular motions and water... Wet your brush a little under running water facing downwards to avoid getting the water to the glue that holds the bristles. Then dip your brush into the mixture, and using circular motions- swirl the brush in your hand, running it under the water every now and then to remove the excess. Repeat the step again for the difficult brushes (foundation and concealer brushes are the worst!)

4. Do 2/3 eye brushes at a time... I like to do the smaller eye brushes in groups as they are small and quick and don't need the vigorous cleaning that the bigger brushes need. This also saves time!

5. Clean your BeautyBlender!... Any sponge you use on your face should be deep cleaned at least once a week whether its a beauty blender or the sponges that come with some powder foundations. Especially with the beauty blender, because it remains damp for quite a while it can harbour bacteria a lot quicker than most brushes. I like to clean mine with antibacterial soap and a cleanser. I squeeze the sponge under water and then massage the mixture into it, followed by squeezing it under warm running water again. I repeat this process until there are no more brown spots or marks on it (this can take a couple repeats). Ps. Beauty Blender review coming soon! Watch this space. 

6. Allow to dry overnight... Allowing your brushes to dry overnight ensures they are completely dry when you need to use them the next day! There's also nothing better than using a freshly cleaned brush on a Monday morning ;) I like to dry my brushes sitting on a towel with the bristles hanging off the edge of a table/window sill. 

Do you have any tips on how you clean your brushes? 

Desk Makeover: The Details

I recently decided to do up some things in my room, so I picked a weekend and James and I went out to Bunnings to pick up a few things (paint, primer, sandpaper, brushes etc) we actually made three trips for the brushes...top tip: primer ruins everything. 

We sanded, primed and painted my desk and chest of drawers. The top of the desk was originally a dark stained wood and the drawers were a orangey stained wood. I really didn't like either, i'd been dreaming of a white room for months now and I finally did it. The whole process took 2 days of sanding everything down, priming, drying, painting, drying, painting and drying again. At the end of it I couldn't wait to decorate my desk in the way I wanted it. Its still not 100% perfect but its getting there. I've got a fake plant in the corner (because who has the time to maintain a real one) and some magazines stacked up for inspiration. Other than that the layout is pretty minimal which is just the way I like it. Eventually I'd like to introduce a more interesting desk lamp but for now I love the way it looks and I can't wait to start working at it! 

SEOUL 2015 | Photos and Tips

Seoul is one of the coolest cities i've been to so far. It's also the first Asian city i've ever been to where i've thought "I could live here...". We left Sydney for Seoul at 7am and arrived in Seoul around 6pm. If you're thinking of travelling to Seoul then I've got a few tips- even though we were only there as a stopover (which we extended to 3 days) we made the most of it and really got to experience the city. 

Use the subway! The subway is the easiest and most efficient way to get around Seoul. Even though we barely spoke a word of Korean we still found it easier to navigate than Sydney's public transport system. Grab a subway map from the airport on your way out and pick up a T-Money card. Its a reloadable card that lets you travel on all public transport (you can even use it on cabs, although we only took one cab the whole trip). Not only is it reloadable, its also unloadable! (is that a word? eh.) So if you've reached the end of your trip and accidentally loaded more money than you thought you needed then you can pop your card into one of the machines and it'll give you back your money. Genius! 

Download this app... James was trying to find an offline map for Seoul in the app store since google maps requires internet and the streets of Seoul are extremely confusing! He stumbled across this app called Triposo which is basically a city guide (they have an app for every city) complete with offline maps of the city, sights to see and the station you need to get off at to get there (sooo helpful), options for food places, and a subway map! We actually used the New York version of the app in NYC as well and will probably use the app again for every city we travel to. 

Go to Gangnam..."Oppa Gangnam Style!" Yes Gangnam is actually a place in South Korea and a very cool place at that. Gangnam is sort of the "cool" area of South Korea- where all the young hip people go, and also where all the shops are! The main street is lined with high rise buildings and a Starbucks on every corner (actually...there's a Starbucks on every corner in Seoul period.) But the real magic happens when you step off the main street and walk down a side street. This is where you'll find the tiny streets with hundreds of flashing colourful signs. 

Korean BBQ... Korean BBQ is the best! And it's the best in Korea. We went to a place in the district of Mapo Gung. The menu was completely in Korean and none of the waiters there spoke a word of English yet somehow we managed to order some delicious food and drinks (The universal choice of drink: Coca-Cola). 

Visit the Palaces...We visited two palaces whilst in Seoul. Gyebokeung palace and Deoksugung palace. Luck was on our side as we decided to go on a Wednesday and it turns out that all palaces have free entry for 'cultural day' on the last Wednesday of every month as well as traditional performances. Gyebokeung palace was massive  and full of tourists but nonetheless incredible. You can see the famous Bhukansan mountain behind it (which we tried to climb....we soon learned we're not really outdoorsy people). Deoksugung was closer to where we were staying and was relatively smaller and quieter. There we watched a traditional performance with swords, dancers and music. 

Overall, despite being a short trip we loved Seoul and would highly recommend it! I also filmed parts of this trip so stay tuned for a vlog-style video coming soon :)

THE HORSE

Who doesn't love a classic leather watch with a pretty face? I am an avid watch-wearer and have been for many years. More recently however, watches have proved to be more than just a time telling device that sits on your wrist. They have also become serious fashion statements and currently sit in the jewellery or accessories category.

With the introduction of the Apple Watch I worry that beautiful, timeless, analogue watches will become a thing of the past. Yes a watch that can receive texts and calls and hold a calendar is super cool but theres something so beautiful and timeless about a classic watch.

I recently purchased this piece from The Horse. An Australian leather goods company run by Sydney couple Scott & Amy who started out in the shoe cobbler business. Originally making leather shoes they eventually delved into watches and have recently come out with other leather products. The face of the watch is a perfect statement size and the brushed gold goes perfectly with the gold jewellery I wear. It's reasonably priced and I wear it every single day! To the point where I have an awesome watch tan on my left wrist ;)

MUJI in Sydney

MUJI is a Japanese retail store that sells a bunch of different home/clothing/travel items. Its sort of like a Japanese version of Ikea I guess you could say. When I heard it was coming to Sydney I was extremely excited because MUJI products are raved about all over the blogging and youtube community and I couldn't wait to peruse all of the beautiful things!

I recently went in and picked out a couple of things including a black mesh cosmetic bag type thing which I like to use as my "emergency kit" in my handbag. I usually have it in some lip balm, hand cream, Panadol, Telfast (because my allergies are on a whole new level), Tissues, Feminine products (because you can never be too prepared) and a rollerball of perfume. It's the perfect size to hold everything and the fact that it's clear means its easy to find stuff and great for travelling!

I also picked up some of their "Cut Cotton" which is great to use with makeup remover, nail polish remover, touching up makeup etc etc etc. It comes with 80 pieces of cotton and costs about $2 if I remember correctly. Bargain! I also got some of their cotton tips which are conveniently packed in groups of 20 cotton buds, perfect for your handbag or to take travelling!

The last thing I picked up was this little squeezy tube that I will be using with me when I go away next week. They have so many different types and sizes of these- they're great for decanting your big products into.

I love everything i've bought so far! I've already got some things on my list to get when I go back. Have you tried anything from MUJI? 

Travel Tips

I am heading to Seoul and New York in less than 2 weeks (so. much. excitement.) and so I thought it would be fitting to share some of my travel-planning tips with you all

6 MONTHS PRIOR: Plan ahead! Start early with certain things like checking your passport validity. It can take a while to renew your passport so it is definitely not something to leave to the last minute. Book your airport transfers so there aren't any dramas or hassles when you're at the airport. The last thing you want after a long flight in a foreign country is to be stressed about getting to your hotel. Arrange travel insurance- something you definitely don't want to forget.

1 MONTH PRIOR: Buy any clothing/accessories/travel items you think you might need for the holiday. This also means you aren't spending so much money right before your trip and end up with no spending money (I've done this before)

1 WEEK PRIOR: Start packing. This might seem extreme, but I find slowly starting to pack in the week leading up to travel is the best way to ensure you don't forget things. As soon as you remember things you need to pack, just add it into your suitcase. Do any laundry that needs to be done.

1-2 DAYS PRIOR: Paint your nails, wash and blow dry your hair, get your eyebrows waxed/threaded/plucked, wash your brushes etc. All of your beauty chores basically.  Finalise your packing. Set aside clothing you are going to wear on the plane so you don't forget anything. Pack your carry on luggage. I like to take with me extra underwear and a couple of toiletry items with me on international flights. You don't want to end up with lost luggage and have no clean underwear or a toothbrush!

ON THE DAY: Add last minute items to your luggage; toothbrush, moisturiser etc. Lock your doors, lock your bags and off you go!