My Week in Pictures # 31

I've spent a lot of this week relishing in the colder weather...I've pulled out my thick PJ's and pretty much living exclusively in them. I have not been loving the rain though, and was really happy the sun was out on Sunday so I could go for a long bike ride. 

I've been catching up on Game of Thrones (finally!), and Dany is absolutely my favourite character on television ever. 

Over the past few weeks I've had quite a few low days, and getting way too caught up in my own negativity. So I bought this 'gratitude' journal from kikki.K. I don't necessarily fill it out every day, but I make a special point to fill it out and concentrate on the good things in life on those days that I don't feel so great. I really believe in the power of thought, and so far it's helping. 

Went out with a couple of girls from work last night, to Circular Quay. I am  in love with this sitting area outside the bathrooms at the pub we went to, and I want that mirror. 

We checked out Vivid, a light show that's on in Sydney at the moment, and I practiced playing around with nighttime long exposures.

We also spent some time checking out the birdcage installation;

So pretty when it's all lit up at night, and it has a very whimsical feel to it. 

I love Sydney. 

Have you been to Vivid before? What did you get up to this past week?

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin

How To: Apply False Eyelashes

FAR OUT I LOVE FALSE EYELASHES.
The first time you apply false eyelashes is really, really hard. It can be fiddly, confusing and frustrating.
As with most things in life, there is more than one way to do something. If you try out my method below and find out it doesn't work for you, then check out Michelle from Lab Muffin's here, because hers is slightly different to mine. This tutorial is just going to cover strip eyelashes. If there's demand for it, I might write up another post later about individual lashes.

So, strip lashes are always going to be too long for your lash line, and you'll need to trim them first. I usually just use a pair of nail scissors for this part. Take the lashes out of their packet, and hold them up to your upper lash line. Unless you're Asian, you want them to end about half a cm in from your natural lash line, so that's your trimming point. Always trim from the end, and not the inner part, because the lashes on that side are generally shorter.

Also - applying false lashes is the LAST part of your eye makeup routine.



So all you need is the lashes, some glue and some tweezers. I personally prefer Duo glue, they have one for sensitive eyes (above) and a standard one as well. I find it dries quickly, doesn't irritate my eyes and the best part is it has a brush-on applicator, which makes it really easy.



Picking up the eyelashes with your tweezers, lightly brush on a small amount of glue onto the lash line. As you can see in the picture above, you only need the tiniest amount - in fact, less is definitely more in this case.

The most common problems people have with applying false eyelashes is applying too much glue and not allowing it to dry. Think of it this way; you can always apply more quickly if you haven't applied enough, but you'll be waiting longer (and may even need to start over) if you apply too much. So a light coat is all that's needed. Give it about 10-15 seconds to dry. Sometimes waving the lashes in the air can make it dry a bit quicker. I know this is counter-intuitive, but when it dries it will be a tacky consistency, which will help them stick to your eyelid better. If it's still too wet, it won't be able to stick and will slide around on your eyelid. FRUSTRATING.

Position the eyelashes in the centre of your eye - like I mentioned earlier, you want the end to be about 0.5 cm in from your natural lash line so it doesn't drag down your eyes. Disregard this part if you're Asian though - generally Asian eyes have a straighter lashline, so the lashes won't droop. 

So I usually stick the middle part down with tweezers and then once they're positioned, stick the inner and outer ends down with my fingers. Gently pressing them together with your natural lashes will make them blend in a bit more, and help you get as close to your lashline as possible. 

It's really that simple! Repeat for the other side (obviously) and flutter, flutter away! 

So now I ask you guys; 

What's your best "applying false lashes" trick?

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin

My Week in Pictures #30

GUYS I'M BACK! 

I've pretty much just had one of the worst weeks ever in terms of assessments due, commitments and all the rest of it. I've now got two weeks left of semester and then exams...it's all happening so fast it's insane. Anyway, I did take an unplanned hiatus and I'm sorry. I actually had every intention of blogging every day in May, and even have my little blogging calendar up with all my posts for the month planned. But sometimes life happens and you need to adjust. There's a life lesson there, I'm sure. 

This is what I've been up to the past week:

Surrounded by ducks at uni whilst I eat / study on the grass. 

This photo was taken in the midst of a pretty serious essay-thon. I got to the point where I had to reward myself for every 500 words reached. 500 words? Cup of tea! 1000 words? Load of washing! When you're swamped with uni work, even house chores become a rewarding break. 

Got my DIY on and made my mum her mother's day card =D I may or may not have also made one for J's mum...crafting is fun. 

I wanted to buy some flowers to liven up our place a little now that winter's coming, but when I headed to the florist I got persuaded to buy this beautiful anthurium! Unfortunately Rommy keeps trying to eat it, so it has to live up on the top of the bookshelf at night and can only be brought down when it's supervised, but that's okay.  

I also had a little photography date yesterday with Oishee from Rioter's Bloc. We swapped lens and snapped away for most of the afternoon; here's some of the better results from our afternoon together; 

I think those last two are my favourite. Who were all those people who engraved their names on that tree? Did they stay in those relationships? 

And where are those two people in the bottom going? What did they get up to on that day? 

The questions are endless and I've spent quite a while sitting here pondering the answers. 

What did you get up to this week?

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin

Haul: Wittner Boots

This is one of my "Great Bargain Hunter" moments:

About two weeks ago, I noticed that Wittner were having a massive 75% off sale, and surprise, surprise I went in to have a look. I've wanted to buy some ankle boots for winter for a while now, but keep putting it off because I can't find anything I really like.

But this time was different! The shoe gods were in my favour, and I picked up both of these, for a little over $100 (for both!)

These all-leather boots have stud details at the hell and toe, and straps that can be adjusted for how tight you want the shoe. The heel on them is incredibly sensible, and pretty much feels flat. There's a zip on the outer side to let your foot in. I'm normally a size 8, and bought these in a 38. They are a little tight though, and I kinda wish I'd got the 39 so I can wear thick socks with them. I am hoping though that since they're leather they'll stretch out a bit more. 

I saw these in the shop when I bought the above shoes, but decided to walk away from them. For the next few days, I could not stop thinking about them so I went in later that week to take them home too. These are a brown suede leather and I am obsessed with them. The first time I wore them I got pretty angry blisters on either side of my left foot, sadface.But I took them out yesterday, wore them for over 12 hours (big gamble!) and they were SO INCREDIBLY COMFY. They had stretched from that initial breaking in wear, and cuddled my feet perfectly.
I applied some water proof spray to them, but I'm not sure if I'm game enough to wear them in the rain. Such is the problem with suede!

I'm absolutely going to do some style posts with these...when I can work out a time the sun will co-operate with me!

What great Bargain Hunting moments have you had? 



Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin

My Week in Pics #29

I've been busy this past week! 

 

Went to the launch for the H2D Linear straightener and X5 curling wand. Now I just want another expensive gadget I can't afford. I mean LOOK AT THOSE WAVES. And it was so quick!! 

Snuggled up to this cutey on my day off. Loving any chance at a sleep in I get, since they're a bit rare around here these days. 

 

Went on a double date with my sister to Grill'd after pole. While we were waiting, we stopped into JB HI FI. Saw this beauty on the shelf and had to grab it. My childhood summed up right here. 

So close to being a real human flag. 

Gazing at sunsets. 

Stopped in at L'occitane to get a new hand cream...fell in love with the scent of this rose one, and left with a bunch of samples. 

What did you get up to this week?

Who was your favourite Land Before Time character? Although I loved Little Foot, I also love Cera's sass! 

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin

Review: Everlasting French Stick-on Nails

 

 When I was about 7 or 8, my parents bought me a "nail salon" for Christmas. It was essentially a stick on nail kit, but it had adhesive tape instead of glue, and a little stamper set and it was all contained on this one contraption that spun. Anyway, I loved it. But the nails didn't stick on that well. So, when I saw this product in my Priceline goody bag, I wasn't too keen on the idea. But I thought "hey I got this for free, let's try it out!" I don't take much convincing. 

 

It comes with a pamphlet which is pretty much useless. The instructions contain obvious photos to demonstrate how to apply the nails, but I wanted more precise instructions. How much glue am I supposed to use? How long do I press for?  Disappointment number one. But, I'm never one to give up and I took this as a challenge! I leaned I wasn't applying enough glue, and you don't have to press for too long because the glue dries realllly quickly.

 

Each nail has a number on the tab. So once you work out that your thumb is a '3' for example, you can assume your other thumb will be a '3' too, and your pinky is probably like a '9'. Anyway, after sizing up all the nails, I stuck them all on and ripped off the little tabs. You then have to file the edges because the plastic doesn't always snap off nice and cleanly, as you can see on my pinky in the photo below. 

The packaging says these will last 7 days, and they are "chip free"! and I can attest to that. These did not chip on me at all. They did not however, last 7 days. They lasted two days before random nails started falling off in public. I waited it out til about 4 days, but I kept losing nails, and it was frustrating coming home to glue them all back on again so I just took them all off. 

The glue absolutely destroyed my nails. I'm pretty lucky with my nails, normally they grow fast, they grow quite strong and even though some of them peel and crack I can still grow them to a nice length. Since wearing these, my nails have cracked and peeled and broken and now I have tiny short nails that attract dirt like nobody's business. That being said, I've never worn acrylic nails either, so can't compare on the damage rate. 

Which really is a shame because after I got used to the plastic talons, I quite love the look of them. I even got compliments on them! I think these would be great if you wanted nice nails for a night out or an event, but I can't see them lasting much longer in day-to-day wear.

Did you have stick on nails as a kid? Are you a fan of the french mani? 

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

RAVE Review (and swatches): Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks

Revlon have done it again. First, there was the lip butters. Then there was the kissable balm stains. 

And now we have the ultimate suede lipsticks. 

The premise of these is essentially a nourishing lipstick with a matte finish. Revlon claims these will last 16 hours on your lips, even with eating and drinking and smooching. 

I bought two shades; 005 'Muse' and 050 'Couture'. Muse is a bright pink without being scarily bright. Couture is a redder colour, but not a deep red. I'll just let the swatches explain:

Left: Muse; Right: Couture

Without flash, natural light

Left: Muse; Right: Couture

With flash + natural light

Now why do I love these so much?

Firstly; the formula. 

Velvety deliciousness! This applies so easily, and once it's on its incredibly hydrating. It almost feels like I'm wearing a lipbalm. While we're on the topic of lipbalms; do not apply this on top of a lipbalm or the colour will slide right off. I found it works so much better on fresh lips. 

The colour is quite sheer, but very buildable. So if you're a little afraid of colour one swipe will welcome you into the world of lipsticks. If you're lip-colour crazy (like me!) then just go for it! 

I've worn this on days where I've been out of the house for 12+ hours, and it has held up On these days I'll only re-apply it two, maybe three, times. It lasts really well when drinking, and kinda well when eating. I found the colour on the inner part of my lips is gone after food, but the outside is still coloured in. So just be aware of that and make sure to touch-up after lunch. I don't think it's too bad, because it is just a quick touch-up. 

And...it's a matte finish!! So it's kind of like the effect you get from a stain, but without the incredibly dry lips afterwards! 

I cannot wait for my next pay to come through, because I want to go get some more colours!! 

Top: nude; middle: muse; bottom: couture. 

Have you dabbled in the matte lip trend? What do you think of these lipsticks?

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin

April Favourites!

Here's a bunch of stuff I was loving last month! 

Perfume:

I've totally been digging the sweet, floral intensity of Rihanna's Reb'l Fleur. I'm not really a fan of celebrity fragrances...I find them way too sweet but I dunno, this one is nice. I'm not even going to try to describe the scent, just know that I like it. The bottle is kind of a weird shape; apparently it's based off a high heel? I can see that, but that doesn't change that I think it's ugly hideous. 

Skincare and Haircare

Once a week I've been using the Organic Honey Peel from Organi to exfoliate my skin. This one is an enzyme exfoliator, which is great because it deep cleans your skin without any scratching! The manuka honey in it also acts as an anti-bacterial agent, helping to combat breakouts. I've found this has really helped with my blackheads, and removing that layer of dead skin.

My hair has also been super soft this month, because I've started using (and loving!) the Deep Repair Masque from Macadamia Natural Oil. I started out using this as a deep conditioning mask when I washed my hair, once a week. After about three weeks, my hair was so noticeably softer that I've now switched to using it every second week.

Lips

I've been freaking obsessed with Revlon's Colourstay ultimate suede lipsticks. I've written up a whole review for them to go live tomorrow, so check that out because I just cannot express how much I love these in one paragraph. 

I'm not much of a gloss person, but I have really been loving the moisture I get from Arbonne's lip gloss. I did a review of that (with swatches) here. This one's been great to wear to work - it lasts for ages, and I can quickly re-apply without a mirror. 

Make-Up and Body

I got the Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter for Christmas off my friend Meg, and I've been loving rubbing it in to my skin after a hot shower. The coconut scent is helping the scents of Summer linger around as the temperature starts to decline. I think it's funny that I love the idea of Summer, but am not really a fan of the season. So products like this one are perfect for me! This body butter is really moisturising without being heavy. 

Not too many new loves in the way of make-up. I really like the finish that I get from Australis' Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder. The texture of this is so smooth!! I use it to set my foundation, or on days that I want a lighter coverage, I just apply it by itself.  I also bring it with me to uni on really long days to touch-up my base make-up during the day. Cannot believe it's taken me this long to find out about this. 

My Blync lashes in Monroe Monday have been getting a lot of wear lately. I love the super length I get from these. They don't add too much in the way of volume, so it's good for daytime; amazing long lashes without the heaviness. 

I picked up this concealer from Revlon ages ago, and it is PERFECT. I cannot believe how amazing it is at covering my under-eye circles. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, so this is an absolute staple for me at the moment. I also love the sturdy, lipstick-y packaging. It's so durable, and I know it's going to be safe in my handbag during the day. It also makes it really easy to quickly touch-up during the day too. It's not that great at blemish-covering, but that's more a colour/tone issue.

Miscellaneous... 

The change in weather has had my sinuses in a mess. I picked up the Vick's Inhaler from Coles and use it to clear that stuffed-nose feeling. The first time I tried it though...woah. I was not a happy camper, it seriously felt like I'd just snorted menthol; not pleasant, but not as bad as that wizz fizz I snorted at 15 (cheap thrills). Once I learnt how hard to sniff it in though that problem went away. 

What were your favourites in April? What's the craziest thing you've snorted? 

Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | Hellocotton | Bloglovin