Feeling Blue? | Sick Day Edit

Last week I got a bad cold/flu that pretty much left me stuck in bed for the whole week, and seeing as every second person seems to be getting sick lately I thought I would write up a little survival guide to the seemingly endless days in bed napping/coughing/sneezing etc. I think you get the picture. 

Now i'm the kind of person who likes to be constantly busy so after the first two days of being home in bed I tend to go a little crazy! So here are a few of the things that keep me a little sane during the winter blues. 

First and foremost, a fully charged laptop. YouTube, Pretty Little Liars, The Hills and Sex and the City are just a few of the things I enjoy watching whilst curled up in bed feeling sorry for myself. They act as a bit of an escape from my sick boring life. Yes they are crappy sitcoms/reality tv but when one is sick one doesn't really need something that is too intense or heavy (PLL is the exception for me). 

If you have a headache then the first suggestion is going to be useless to you, so I have included a book. A much nicer alternative as screens tend to make head aches worse! Jodi Picoult does some great thought provoking and quite intense stories. I would honestly recommend any of her books (because i've read them all). Post in the comments if you'd like to read an author review with some of my favourite picks from her :)

A cup of tea. Not just any old tea, green tea with lemon and honey. The ultimate cold comfort. Green tea is great for boosting the immune system and although it wont instantly fix your symptoms, it will often speed up the recovery time. The lemon will give you vitamin C, another vital thing for a speedy recovery. The honey has numbing properties which will soothe any sore throat and temporarily ease coughing. I pretty much live off this concoction when i'm sick. 

Water! Hydration! Hydration is key. The more water you drink, the better. Honestly, you need to be drinking water like every half an hour when you are sick, i know its boring and tasteless but it's probably the only thing that will guarantee you recovery (along with sleep and rest of course)

Vicks Vaporub- I love this stuff. If you hate eucalyptus you won't like this but it is the bestttttt! I rub this on my chest, a small amount on the forehead and a teeny bit on the upper lip right before I sleep- this clears the nose and makes it 10x easier to breathe through the nose. You can even take a tiny scoop into the shower and the steam will help to clear the sinus. I even have mini travel sizes of these which I take everywhere when i'm sick. 

Of course I am no doctor, but these are just a few of the things that help me feel a bit better when i'm sick. Do you have any things that help you to feel better?

♥ 

The Nail Edit | Essie

Hello everyone! Today I thought I’d share with you a couple of nail polish picks I have been loving recently! They’re all by Essie because I find Essie to be some of the best quality polishes one can find in the drugstore.

Mint Candy Apple is probably one of the most famous Essie colours out there at the moment, and for good reason. It’s the most perfect blueish, greenish, minty pastel and really looks beautiful on everyone I have ever seen wearing it. Perfect for Spring which is just around the corner!

Mochachino is a beautiful shimmery chocolate browny colour, which I find to be so flattering. It’s the perfect glammed up nude for a night out or even a prom/formal

Fiesta is my favourite out of the three. Which is unusual as I normally stay away from bright pinks or any pink on my nails for that matter. Fiesta is the exception. I love this on my toes for a pop of colour especially in the warmer months.

Of course there are many other beautiful colours in the Essie range, these just happen to be the three that I am currently loving!

What colours/shades/brands of nail polish are you currently loving? 

♥ 

The Dresser Edit | Jewellery Storage

Jewellery can be a tricky thing to organise. I for one have gone through countless jewellery boxes, hangers, etc. All of which tend to either get very messy very quickly, or, I find that it takes too damn long to open your drawer, take out the jewellery box, rummage for that one tiny ring or necklace and then put it all away again. Ain't nobody got time for that! 

Recently I have been loving using these little bowls/shells for keeping my jewellery in. Not only do they look pretty on my dresser, but they also make it so easy to quickly grab something before I head out the door. It's also very easy to chuck my jewellery away into its shell before going to bed that night! 

The bluey-green shells are some very old Paua shells that my family brought home from a trip to New Zealand so they are real shells but I am sure you could find similar shells in many beach-y stores. You can find similar shells here. I find them a great size for little trinkets, small stud-style earrings and also a couple of my most used larger earrings. 

The other two bowls/jars I bought from my local Vinnies. Yep good old Vinnies! I find Vinnies to be great for trinkety things like these, jewellery and ceramics. I'm pretty sure these were both about $5 each (maybe even less) so i'd definitely reccomend checking out your local Vinnies. Never know what treasures you'll come across! 

Hope you enjoyed this different kind of post. Let me know in the comments if you have any different ways of storing your jewellery! I love coming up with different storage ideas and i'd love to hear yours :)

♥

What do YOU want?

So recently i've been MIA. The truth is, I actually have about 3 draft posts sitting waiting to be finished, photographed and published but for some reason i'm feeling a bit uninspired. Which is not okay! 

Google Analytics tell me that my most popular posts were my Lush haul, Uni/handbag essentials and my top 10 apps. I'm not really sure where i'm going with this blog- whether i'm going to go down the make-up path, the lifestyle path or a little bit of everything (i think that's more likely). Basically i'm writing this post to find out what YOU want to read about. Do you want a winter/summer fashion lookbook or a festival guide? A DIY post or a makeup tutorial? More product reviews or a fashion haul? Decorating tips or tips for creating the perfect instagram photo? Top 10 cafes in Sydney or a guide on where to spend and where to save? I'm more than happy/excited to do any of these but i'd really like to know what you guys would enjoy reading about. 

So let me know in the comments or tweet/facebook/instagram me :) 

 ♥
 

New-Found Loves ♥

Hello everybody! I haven't been posting very often as I have been completely bogged down by projects and assignments so I apologise for that. This post is something that I just couldn't wait to write because I am so overwhelmed by how much I am loving these products that I feel like the whole world needs to know about them!

Last night I posted this photo to my instagram , and gave myself a bit of a pamper session using these products and I absolutely loved the way they all worked so well and complemented each other on my skin so I thought I would share them with you.

First up, Frank. Now for those of you who are avid instagram users like myself, there is a high possibility that you will know a lot about Frank and even have ordered some of him for yourself. For those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, let me break it down for you. Frank is a completely natural body scrub that is made from fresh coffee grinds. This one that I've got contains grapeseed oil, coconut oil, coconut flakes, brown sugar, jojoba seeds and sea salt (omg does that not sounds delicious).

Here's a summary of my overall opinion:

First impression: After ordering, it came within about 3 working days (and free shipping in Australia woo). The packaging is simple and minimal. The information on the back is to the point (and also pretty flirty... Frank knows how to please the ladies, ladies).

Use: The directions say to use 2 handfuls but I found I only needed one handful to successfully scrub my whole body from head to toe.

Be warned: it is extremely messy. I recommend using this only in the shower/bath tub because it literally gets EVERYWHERE.

Results? I am in love. Absolutely and utterly in love with Frank. Firstly, the smell- it smells amaaaazing. I am one of those people who love the smell of coffee but hate the taste of it (weird, i know). Secondly, it works- it really, really works. I have never used a body scrub that is so softening, so smoothing, gently exfoliating and smells fabulous. My whole body felt so soft afterwards I literally wanted everyone to touch my skin because I didn't think anyone would believe how well this works. I have NEVER felt my skin like that. Just trust me. Its $14.95 but I would honestly have paid more for this. Buy it here!

Next up, The Olive Branch by Lush. This is such a gorgeous body wash from Lush. I've actually not been into Lush all year (shock horror, i know) and that is because I still have leftover products from christmas/my birthday! But I definitely will be going back as soon as this baby runs out because I am addicted to it. It's the perfect night time shower gel. It's got a very mediterranean scent to it- made from bergamot oil, olive oil, mandarin oil, vine leaves and lemon oil. The olive oil is fair trade which is great too. Its got such a warm scent to it, yet somehow its also quite fresh. I loooooove this! 

And last but not least, Neutrogena's Light Sesame Body Oil. The bottle says this can be used as a light moisturiser but I personally love using it as a bath oil. It is so smoothing and softening and moisturising and yet somehow light enough to not leave you feeling greasy! I actually got out of the bath and didn't need to moisturise at all (which is huge for me, usually my skin freaks out if I haven't moisturised straight after a bath/shower). 

So I wasn't expecting this post to be long but I really am obsessing over these products. Hopefully you found something you'd like to try (hint: try Frank!!). Are there any products you've been obsessing over? If so, let me know in the comments! 

My Top 10 Apps

Hello everyone :)

To take a little break from beauty products I thought I would share with you my favourite apps! Now these apps don't include the obvious (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, GoogleMaps etc.) These are more the random little apps that get me through life! So here you go, in no particular order; my top 10 apps. 

1. Afterlight

Afterlight is a photo editing app that I love to use as it allows you to choose from many different settings such as clarity, saturation, brightness, etc. It also has a large range of beautiful filters to choose from- all of which have a controllable intensity which is great for creating a more subtle look. I actually love every single filter in this app, as they are quite unique to anything else I have seen in other apps. 

2. PifFx

This second one is called PicFx (this app was recently updated and so the icon looks different to this now). This is very similar to Afterlight, except it has more filters which you can layer on top of each other. It doesn't however have the option to change the brightness/saturation etc. I use this app specifically when I want to add light enhancements such as bokeh to my photos. A combination of PicFx and Afterlight creates the perfect Instagram photo for me! 

3. Instasize

Instasize is a great app for re-sizing photos so that you can use a full length portrait/landscape photo within the square limitation that Instagram sets. Don't like that the square cuts off your hair in that fab selfie? Don't like that the square cuts off the sun in that landscape photo of the beach? Use this app!!! 

4. Shazaam

Okay, lets move on from photos and onto music. Shazaam is probably my favourite app right now. Ever walked into a store or a bar and heard a song you've instantly fallen in love with? Or perhaps you've heard a song a million times but never known the name/artist? This app will tell you all! Simply press the circle in the middle (and stop talking for a minute) and the app will actually listen to the song and identify the name, artist and album. Often it will also give you options to buy the song. With the recent update it also stores every song you've "Shazaam'd" so you can go back and download them once you get home. 

5. Soundcloud

If you're a music junkie like me you'll love this app. I love finding new artists, DJ's and music producers and this app is a great way to do that (the website is also great). It gives me a chance to browse through songs, artists and playlists that my friends are listening to through a stream of music that appears on my feed- similar to Facebook or Tumblr- but for music. Often times I have found great up and coming DJ's and found music that isn't on the radio that I can love. If you're anything like me and often get sick of hearing the same songs over and over again on the radio- this one is a good one for you! 

6. TripView

Tripview is a great must-have app for anyone living in Sydney (If you live elsewhere there will be others that are similar). This app lets you plan your trip on public transport. Train trips, bus routes, ferry times are all included! If you pay $1 and buy the original app you can also save your favourite routes so you can instantly check what time your train is coming. This app also updates with real-time data. Train running 10 minutes late? (with city rail this is something most of us are used to by now) Guards not explaining why? 9/10 times this app has explained to me what the situation is before the guard on the platform makes an announcement. "Emergency trackwork on the Northern Line, Expect delays up to 10 minutes". Cool, now I can call work and explain why I'm going to be 10 minutes late. 

7. MyVodafone

Most service providers have their own app that is similar to MyVodafone. This app is great at showing me how much of my plan I have used up- usually it's my data that i'm slowly running out of :P 

8. 13CABS

Any taxi/cab app is great for those times when you just need to get somewhere. Had a night out? No trains running? Need to get home but you live nowhere near where the nightrider bus stops? Order a cab for a specific time at a specific place and it will be there to pick you up. I have actually had a cab come to my house and drive me down the road to the station once (no i'm not lazy, I had a huge suitcase and it was 43 degrees celsius that day). 

9. Dictionary 

Nerd alert!! I love my dictionary app and i'm not ashamed to say so! I'm constantly reading a new word in a book or an assignment (especially on my 1 hour train rides into the city) so having this app handy to look up words is great for me. I highly recommend it if you are someone who likes to study/read on the go! 

10. 2048

This is a game. A very hard game. If you have played this you will know what I'm talking about! If you have played this and gotten to 2048 TELL ME HOW!  If you have no idea what I'm talking about- download it, and prepare to get addicted. 

kthanksbye

xxxx

 ♥ 

Current Loves ♥

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since i've posted but I have been so damn busy with my new degree that I have barely had time to even think about what to write. However I have been dying to update this blog as soon as possible so here is a quick post about some of the things i've really started loving recently :)

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

Oh my gosh. This is something I have wanted for many months now and never actually bought but boy am I glad I finally did. This is probably the best smelling body wash I have ever used. It smells like freshly squeezed lime and brown sugar. asdfghjkl its so sweet (but not over powering) and fresh and delicious ugh I could literally eat it. I may or may not have thought about having a lick... :P 

Simple Eye Makeup Remover

Are you looking for something to remove waterproof mascara? This won't do the job. But it will however, remove any eye makeup that isn't waterproof, and it does it so gently and easily. I soak a cotton pad, hold on my eye for about 5 seconds and then swipe and the majority of my non-waterproof eye-makeup will come off. Of course there will be a little bit leftover that will be removed once you cleanse but for an everyday remover it works pretty well. I even use it to wipe off the makeup on my face too sometimes. I just wish it had a nozzle rather than just a hole for the product to come out of as i find myself pouring out more than I need- this bottle is almost empty and I only bought it a month ago :/ 

Natio Gentle Facial Scrub

I find it really difficult to find an exfoliator that I like. They're either too rough, too soft, too grainy, not grainy enough, too drying, or they have those nasty blue beads (STAY AWAY FROM THESE!!!). I have really been enjoying this exfoliator from Natio. It says it 'Purifies, Exfoliates, Refines and Polishes'. Now I don't know about the last two, I haven't really found my skin to look super duper amazing because of this, but it does get the job done. The job being; scrubbing away the dead skin cells without harshly grinding your skin away (this is what the blue beads do). Those tiny blue beads can also be really bad if you've got a breakout as they can rupture your breakout and actually cause it to spread to other parts of your face! Just trust me on this one, stay away. 

L'oreal Telescopic Mascara

I LOVE mascara. It is probably my favourite part of doing my makeup. I just think mascara makes you look finished, awake, and just beautiful. I do however, hate smudging and excessive clumping. This mascara is probably not the best if you're looking for something to really volumize, but what I love about it is that it separates the lashes beautifully and really defines each lash. This mascara can get a little clumpy if you put on too many coats though and you can begin to look a bit spider-y so try and avoid layering on the coats too much. 

Illamasqua & Essie Nail Polishes 

Lets start with the Illamasqua. The pink one is called 'Scarce' and the purple is called 'Speckle'. These were an absolute bargain! I caught them hiding out in a well hidden sale shelf in Myer- $5 down from $20! I had remembered hearing about them from the lovely Lily Pebbles 's video. They are both really muted colours but with little grey speckles in them. I love this look as  I find glitter speckles can be a little intense for my liking, and the grey just made it a little more casual- pretty but casual. I will say however that they do chip pretty quickly so I would definitely use a top coat for these! 

The Essie nail polish is in the colour 'Mint Candy Apple'. Oh boy am I in love with this colour. Its the perfect blueish, greenish, pastel colour and perfect for those of you going into Spring! The colour payoff is great too-  I only needed one coat :)

Sleek iDivine Palette

This is a great drugstore brand that we unfortunately do not have in Australia :( You can however order from their website. I literally paid about $4 for shipping which is crazy awesome considering it's coming from America! Okay now onto the product! This is a great neutrals palette, it comes with 12 shades- some matte, some shimmery- and all of them are absolutely beautiful! Great pigmentation, hardly any fall out, you get a big mirror which is perfect for travelling/on the go. I don't really have anything to fault with this! For $12 it's pretty freaking good value for money too. These palettes come in a whole bunch of other colours too so check out their website for more :) 

Sleek Face Form Kit

Okay I use this nearly every time I do my makeup. It's basically a multi-tasking kit. The brown shade is a matte brown which is perfect for contouring as well as bronzing, the centre is a shimmery highlighter which is perfect for highlighting the cheekbone, under the eyebrow, in the inner corner of they eye and above the cupids bow-pretty much anywhere you want to highlight! The blush on the left, i'm not that thrilled about- mostly because its a coral colour (which majority of people like in which case you might, however I tend to stray away from anything slightly orange). I also am not a big fan of this blush because its extremely shimmery which is not something I look for in a blush- i prefer it to be matte or have a very subtle shimmer. This kit is in the shade Light. I know what you're thinking, "but you're so tanned you can't possibly be the shade light". But believe it or not I am, the sleek bronzers can be very dark, if you are lighter than me I would highly suggest you get the shade Fair. Unless of course you love a serious contour in which case go for the light but I prefer mine to be a lot more subtle. I also find that the darker you go with bronzers the more orange they tend to become- and like I said, i hate orange. 

Glasshouse- Galapagos

Last but definitely not least- the Glasshouse, triple scented candle in 'Galapagos'. Kaffir lime and Cocoa Butter. Are we sensing a theme here? My obsession with the mix of citrus and sweet? Yep. Obsessed. These big babies can burn for up to 80 hours, which kinda makes the $40 price tag almost worth it right? Yeah maybe not for everyone but for me, a candle like this is one of my guilty pleasures. I love burning them during a bath, or before I sleep to calm me down or just whenever to be honest. I do think this scent is a bit summery though so I might go out and get the caramel vanilla one mmmm perfect for winter :) 

What have you guys been loving recently? 

Let me know in the comments!

♥