What I Got for Christmas: 2015

So now that it's been well over a month since Christmas was here (I'm still recovering from all that amazing food), I thought it was probably about time I got around to my annual "What I Got for Christmas" post. 

My big present this year was a brand new HP laptop - my old laptop was reaching the end of its life; the graphic card was dying, which meant random blue-screens and constant crashing. It made it really difficult to do anything because I'd get so frustrated and ragequit. I'm so thrilled with this new laptop - larger screen, super lightweight and best of all - no crashing! A few people put in for this gift, and I'm so grateful for it. 

My bestie also got me this beautiful candle from Dusk; Alpine Escape. This scent is really spicy - ginger, cinnamon, patchouli, cloves with a really woody feel. Even though it's been a seemingly never-ending stream of 30 degree days, and this candle is probably better suited to Winter, I've still been burning it non-stop. 

J's parents got me an adorable cow tea-set! Made up of a sugar bowl, little milk jug and a teapot, it's ridiculously cute. 

From J's brother and his wife, I received a year-long Frankie subscription. I've been reading Frankie for years, so it will be really good to receive one every second month! I love receiving subscriptions as gifts, they literally are the gift that keeps giving (as corny as that sounds). 

My brother got me Assassin's Creed: Syndicate and Fallout 4, both of which have been getting plenty of play-time. 

J's sister and her fiance got me a new gym towel, which has been great with all the hot weather we're having and how sweaty working out makes me generally. 

J's parents also got me a bubble bar and bath bomb from Lush - I've spoken before about how much I love these, and I can't wait until the weather cools down a little more so I can start taking steaming hot baths again.  

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What I Got For Christmas 2014 (and Graduation)

I decided to combine this a little, and do one longer post on Christmas gifts and Graduation gifts, rather than two separate ones. I didn't get as many "tangible" gifts this year for Christmas - J and I decided not to really do gifts, because we need to save money for our trip to New Zealand in March. Dad also gave me some money to put aside for said trip. I still got some great, and really thoughftul gifts though!

So first up - graduation presents!

My graduation was at 7pm on a Wednesday night. This was really annoying because it meant after the ceremony, we drove home and went to bed, and didn't really have time to celebrate or anything. We arranged a dinner for the following night with some close family friends of ours though, and my besties' family very generously gave me this really cute photo frame, and a book titled "Swing High". I've already popped in one of my favourite photos from my graduation, and the frame now takes pride of place on my desk. "Swing High" is a book about life lessons that can be learned from childhood - it's really cute, and there's words of wisdom in there I think I'll take on forever.

Mum very generously paid for my make-up to be done at the Make Up Store - their services are redeemable for product, so I picked up a new highlighter and lipstick (as well as the lashes used on the day), and a beautiful, simple Mimco bracelet.

Mum then surprised me by also giving me this beautiful handmade, leather journal. It also has my initials on it...I'm just so obsessed with it, it's so beautiful

Christmas KK gifts! My Work KK got me a lavender and vanilla scented candle, a pack of mini OPI polishes, and a box of Lindor - these are my favourite chocolates ever. 

I was super spoiled by my Vogue KK, who gifted me this beautiful red Chanel lipstick. It's been worn a few times since I opened it - it is luxurious, balmy beautiful!

Although we said no presents this year, J and I still got each other small, thoughtful gifts. J got me a really cute cow print lunch bag - for that job I'll hopefully get soon. It's insulated, and has a longer strap for travel so it will be perfect for bringing my lunch. 

My sister got me an Instax mini, with a pack of "moo cow" film - really cute story about the film; it's actually called 'Dalmation', but obviously looks more cow print, she printed off a label "Moo Cow" and covered up the part where it says Dalmation. So cute! 

My little brother got me a See by Chloe perfume gift set. I actually love this scent because it's not super feminine, and I think that's because it has base  notes of vanilla and sandalwood. It's still very floral, with notes of bergamont, apple blossom, jasmine and ylang-ylang.

J's friend also got us these cool illustrated coasters - I made an off-hand comment when we had him over for dinner that I wanted coasters because our coffee table is wrecked, so I was really pleasantly surprised to unwrap these! So thoughtful!

New lip scrub flavour to add to my collection, courtesy of my bestie. She also got me this gorgeous cow-print pillow, below.

Pride of place on the lounge!

What did you get for Christmas this year? I love reading these posts so link yours below if you have one!

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Mini Mecca Haul: NARS blush and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

For my birthday, I got a couple of Westfield vouchers. I spent ages considering what to spend them on…and then it hit me. I would spend them on that gorgeous palette at Mecca that was super luxurious and beautiful, but also really expensive and not something I could justify buying myself. Luckily for me, Mecca also recently lowered their prices (hooray!) so clearly the universe was validating my decision.

Of course, I’m talking about the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. Much loved and raved about within the beauty community, and now it’s mine!

The palette has three gorgeous highlighting shades, Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Radiant Light, with the middle shade (Incandescent Light) being exclusive to the palette. 

These colours make the light bounce off your face in all the right places. I’ve found that lightly dusting my face with the left one gives me a good healthy looking glow when I’m feeling tired, I love the middle colour for a highlight on top of my cheekbones, just under the brow-bone, and down the middle of my nose, when contouring, and the right colour is beautiful layered over the top of bronzer. 

When applied with nice brushes, my face just looks so flawless with this palette. I am obsessed with the luxury packaging as well. This palette was worth every dollar, and I would totally re-purchase it with my own money. 

(R-L: Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light)

I had a little money left over, so I also got a new NARS blush in Amour. This is matte, and quite a deep matte pink. I think this is probably more suited to darker skin tones as it is really pigmented. I make it work by using it with a really fluffy brush, so not too much product is picked up, and it is blended really well. Although this is such a deep colour, when blended well I think it looks quite natural and brings such a beautiful warmth to the skin. 

When was the last time you splurged on something high-end?



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Get Your Feet Summer-Ready!

So, even though all the rain and ridiculous wind might have you thinking otherwise, it is technically Spring! YAY! My feet (like most people's) have spent all Winter hiding away in boots and thick woolly socks. Now that the weather is warming up, it's time to get them looking fineeee for Summer - or y'know, as fine as feet can look. Even if your feet come out of Winter looking not-so worse for wear, these products work really well as a foot pamper session too! 

We've all heard of Scholl, and most of us have used their Party Feet when wearing heels. This is THE miracle product you need to get if you want beautiful feet. In a nutshell, the Dry Skin Recovery Cream from Scholl* softens and smooths dry skin. 

Honestly though, I was pretty amazed when I used this for the first time - it removes hardened, dry skin and leaves your skin feeling really soft and smooth. Without any scrubbing, and without taking any time at all. 

It feels like a moisturiser, there's no scent and it is absorbed into your skin really quickly without leaving any residue so you don't have the danger of slipping around after applying it. As amazing as it is, it didn't quite remove callouses on the first go, but they're definitely less "tough" with continued use. 

For a little extra pamper session, this peppermint pumice foot scrub from the Body Shop is pretty good at removing dead skin. It contains volcanic rock, to really exfoliate and the peppermint smells really good and is really cooling. I love this after a long day working retail and being on my feet all day. I find this works best after my feet have been soaking, but it does leave my feet a little dry. I tend to follow up with a thick moisturiser, or the Scholl dry skin recovery cream. 

For a little extra foot-loving, pick up one of these footsie rollers - It's like a little foam roller for your feet! I got mine from the Body Shop, and love keeping it under my desk to roll away any tension and tiredness. Bonus tip - use this before stretching out the back of your legs to get a little deeper in your stretch! 

(Products marked with an * were sent to me for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own - check out my disclaimer for further details)


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Review: Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile Perfume (and GIVEAWAY!)

I try to match my perfume to my mood, or to the activities I'm doing that day. I have a few to choose from when it comes to 'date night', or 'drinks with the girls', but I've been struggling to find the perfect 'work' scent. The perfume you can spritz in the morning and have it last all day. The perfume that can uplift your mood in the morning, and make you forget that you're about to head off to work for 8 or 9 hours.
Guys, I think I've found it.

Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile.

 

As the name suggests, Magnolia is a strong note in this perfume, and this is a floral fragrance. But, I was really surprised when I first sprayed it, because the top notes contain citrus (Bergamont, Mandarin, Citron and Lemon) which make it really fresh and interesting. I think this always helps to take away the sickly sweetness you get with some floral fragrances.Unlike other florals in my collection, to me this is a much more mature scent. I think that's because whilst you definitely notice the floral notes, they're understated and part of a much deeper fragrance mix. After wearing this on my skin, it settles and I can smell hints of jasmine, musk, vanilla. I love the longevity, and have found that it lasts for hours on my skin - I spray it before I leave for work (around 7.45am) and I still catch subtle whiffs of it up until 5pm the same day.

This perfume is classic, and I can see it working for sophisticated women of all ages!

You can buy it from David Jones here, along with almost every other fragrance you could ever want.

David Jones Australia have also very generously given me an extra bottle to give away to one of you fantastic readers! Due to shipping restrictions, this giveaway is only open to Australian residents (sorry international readers!). Fill out the rafflecopter below to enter!
(Note: Following me on either bloglovin or GFC is mandatory, however both are ticked as mandatory options. If you follow me with both, you'll get the bonus points, but if you only follow with one let me know in the section of each which one you follow with. E.g. for the bloglovin entry point just type "I follow on GFC" in the comment section"

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules and Legalities:

1. You must be over the age of 16 to enter. If you are under this age, you must have your parent's consent to enter. 

2. This is a game of skill (hence the answering of the question)

3. If you do not comply with the rules on entering, your entry will be deemed as invalid. 

4. The competition will end on the 6th October 2014. The winner will be decided and notified, and given 24 hours to respond. If there is no response, a new winner will be decided and will also have 24 hours to respond. 

5. The prize will be mailed out, using regular Australian Post within a week of the winner responding. If the winner would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 

6. This giveaway is open to Australian residents only.

Disclaimer: This item was sent to me for editorial consideration from the kind people at David Jones. This has not influenced my review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Check out my disclaimer for further details.



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What I Got for my Birthday!

 

It was my birthday last week (they feel like they keep coming around quicker and quicker!) and I got so many cool gifts, I really wanted to share what I got! I love reading these types of posts, and they’re fun to look back on. My family and friends are way too generous, and I’m really grateful for everything I was given.

 

I got some new accessories for my camera – a new travel bag from Crumpler and a new lens. The camera bag will be perfect for travelling when I visit mum. It’s got enough room to stash my laptop, all my lenses, external flash and room to spare for cords The lens was a combined gift from J and his parents. It should be a great all-rounder lens to replace my kit lens; it’s got capabilities to go wide angle or super-zoom and its also macro. I can’t wait to get some more practice in with this one.



My dad got me a new PS4, which I am super thrilled about. Shoutout to the Bondi JBHIFI team for hooking me up. I ended up getting a deal they had with three games – I didn’t like two of the ones in there though, so they let me swap them out for ones I did want. I ended up getting Thief, Murdered: Soul Suspect, and Watch Dogs. My little bro got me the new COD … I’m really excited to play this online. He told me I can’t play with him though because I’ll ruin his stats… thanks little bro. My sister and her boyfriend were going to pre-order me the new Tomb Raider, but then realised there were quite a few games coming out soon, so they bought me an EB Games gift card instead so I can decide when they get released.
J also got me Simcity (which is OMG so fun) and GTA5 on PS3. I am kinda annoyed my birthday is right before I go back to uni, because I just want to spend all my time playing these games now haha.



My good friend S gave me a gift card and a mini ecoya candle in French Pear. This scent is so, so nice  I love it! I also got a gift card from work, which I totally wasn’t expecting and is so nice of them. I love getting gift cards because I can buy something I really want and know I’ll love. Choosing what to spend them on is hard though!



I also got some new clothing… J bought the cool batman villain tights for me from Movie World! We saw them when we went there in February, and I mentioned they were cool. So thoughtful to get something that you mentioned months ago you wanted. Unfortunately they’re in the smallest size (Which is really big on me) and the material is really, really thin so they’re see through. It sucks because they’re such an awesome print. I am thinking I will wear them to and from pole. The stretchiness means they’ll be good pants for stretching in, and if I’m wearing my pole shorts underneath the see-throughness isn’t really an issue. My mum gave me some money, and with that I bought the ‘Win or Die’ Black Milk tights that I’ve been lusting over for months.
My sister and her boyfriend also bought me a really gorgeous vegan leather jacket, and a two-toned tote bag. The jacket is a perfect fit for me (which can be tricky because my body shape is kind of all over the place). I was using them when I took these photos...so completely forgot to include them. I'll have to do an outfit post soon to show them off!

Where do you stand on gift cards for gifts? I always feel bad giving them out, but I love receiving them, so that really makes no sense.

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What I Got For Christmas... 2013

I (like I'm sure most people) love getting presents. I feel like people aren't willing to admit that for fear of coming off as selfish or whatever, but it's true! I also really love giving presents; I love picking out a gift that I know the person will really enjoy and appreciate, and I love seeing their face when they open it. (So much so that I made J film the reaction of his best friend G when he opened his gift from us because I wasn't going to be there to see it)

I love reading these posts, and to be honest I love writing them. I love sharing what I received and showing my appreciation for my friends' and family's generosity. I also love looking back each year at what I received the year before. 

I was well and truly spoilt this year, and received so many thoughtful gifts that I love and will use. 

My mum gave us some money, which we put towards getting theme park tickets for our visit to Queensland in February. I'm so excited for this trip, and now that everything is booked and paid for I'm even more excited! 

My Dad got us a de-humidifier! Which may seem like a really strange gift to get, but I'm honestly so happy and thankful for this. My sister really could not understand why I would want something like this and was convinced I would hate it because it's kind of boring, but I really, really love it. Our house is really old and doesn't have proper ventilation so it can get quite humid. We also have a really big fishtank which doesn't help matters. In winter, we would wake up every morning with condensation on our walls, and our bed sheets slightly damp. It really and truly sucked. So this is an awesome gift. We've already been using it, and it's making such a difference not only in the air but in my asthma as well - bonus! 

J got me a new, thicker yoga mat that came with its own bag which is awesome! There was nothing 'wrong' with the yoga mat I was previously using, but it was really thin which hurt my knees in certain poses. This one is 5mm so isn't super thick, and is still quite sticky. I travel quite a bit to pole with my mat, so the bag is a definite bonus. 

J also picked me up two new Sims expansions and the new Batman ps3 game. Coincidentally my hours at work go back to my normal 22 next week, so I'll have plenty of time to get stuck into these, yay! 

J also got me some coloured pencils, and a really adorable cat scarf (seriously...how cute is that print!!!)

I got a Sandy Santa from Lush from my bestie Meg, and J's mate G got me this awesome book "What I Wore Today". It's a collection of style shots from people's blogs from all over the world. I love books like this, and am excited to add this one to my collection.

Some other bits and pieces from Meg...really cute PJ shorts from Cotton On Body, and a 'corkcicle' - you stick it in the freezer and it keeps your wine cool! I've actually never seen anything like this before, I think it's fantastic 

Gifts from my siblings; my little brother got me an expansion for Settlers of Catan...I now own 2 so that's lots of fun. This one seems really complicated so I can't wait to learn and play it!

My sister got me this fantastic tea set from T2. I freaking love the mug it came with, because it's such a great colour and size. I love both pumping pomegranate and strawberries and cream (they taste really good mixed together as well!). I was actually smelling Luminous Rose in store the other day and thinking how interesting it smelled, so I'm smitten I actually received it! This one is an Earl Grey base, with rose flowers in it as well. I cannot wait to drink these all up! 

J's parents very generously got me an e-reader which is really exciting! I was always kind of hesitant to join the e-reader revolution but me oh my I am now wondering why I didn't do it earlier. I've been using it the past couple of days and cannot get over how much I love it and how excited it gets me to be reading (and considering I'm already always excited for a new book, that is seriously something!) 

And last but not least, a new bag from kikki.K, from J. I absolutely love this! It's premium leather, has space for my laptop and lots of compartments inside to keep everything organised. It also has a key hook which is amazing; I'm always losing my keys in my bag. I'm thinking I will do an updated 'What's in my bag post' early next year. 

I am so, so happy with everything I received this year. I feel like my family and friends know me so well to be able to get me gifts that I really, really love. I hope they equally love the gifts that I got them.

What did you get for Christmas this year? Feel free to leave your link in the comments below if you've written up a post - Like I said, I love reading these!

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