Lifting self-esteem with a little retail therapy

After-Christmas and stock-take sales are taking over shop windows and attracting many eager shoppers to malls and centres alike. Grab your biggest canvas bag and get down to your nearest shopping centre to grab some great bargains. What are the holidays for if not for spending your hard earn money from the year before. 

I went on a bit of a spree over the last few weeks and wanted to share with you some of my grabs.

A simple stripped singlet from Valley Girl I got for only $4.95! Such a steal!

Tokito is a great stylish brand found in Myer. They have classy looks and if you go digging amongst the racks, you are sure to strike gold. This skirt was the last one on the rack and it was my size! $24.50

A cute little skirt I found in the hinterland made by one of the locals. $25

A blouse and undershirt I got from Target $25 for the blouse and $12.95 for the under-singlet.

A small-ish handbag I got a few days ago from Target for only $20.

And of course, no shopping haul would be complete without picking up some jewellery for yourself. Earrings $7.95 from Lovisa  and the necklace from an online store Sistaco for $9.95. Sistaco have some fabulous deals going on all the time on their facebook page. 






So there you have a few of my purchases these last few weeks. Bought anything yourself?

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Well if Miranda Kerr sporting her Aussie pride doesn't get you into the spirit of Australia day then I don't know what will.

Following the theme of today I thought I would post some great Aussie survival must-haves. 

Where was I before I discovered this Neutrogena mist sunscreen. It is fantastic, easy to use and has a dry-touch finish. No more DIY beach-exfoiliations with scratchy sand, go get your hands on this. RRP$17.99

 MeMeMe cosmetics are a great new brand I have just recently discovered and I am lusting over these cute quad eyeshadows. Staying in line with the theme today, this green and gold combo would look fabulous at any Aussie day BBQ. RRP$17.95  

Sunglasses! A must have for our sunny climate. I just bought some fabulous new Bulgari sunglasses. These Mediterranean nights sunglasses have stylish purple acetate/gray gradient lenses and they go great with any outfit. I got them from DFO on sale and I am loving them.

And of course some frayed jean short shorts. All these great shorts can be found at Beginning Boutique. Beginning Boutique is a fabulous online store that keep up-to-date with all the latest trends. They have some great sales going on right now so quickly head over to their facebook page and check them out.

Happy Australia Day to all my readers, stay safe whether you may be lounging around at the beach, park or just at home listening to Triple J's hottest 100.

(photo from Beginning Boutique)

An Introduction To My Makeup Collection

So I have welcomed you to my blog now perhaps I should welcome you to my makeup collection. I do not have a truck load of products but I have more than enough. Many thanks to Beautyheaven for that one. Ever since becoming a member of the beautyheaven community my collection has defiantly grown – to my absolute pleasure of course.

I will just warn you that this post will mainly be pictures and not everything is included here but you get the picture. :) So ready, set… GO! 

Office Works Draws (don't mind the mess on top)

Draw 1

A closer look inside Draw 1-

Draw 2

A closer look at draw 2-

Foundations, bronzers, illuminators: 

Stila Illuminating tinted moisturiser                                                                  Chic Australia Baked Contour Powder in 05 Lillypilly Love RRP$49.95

Eyeliners:

Blacks, colours, gel & white

Draw 3

A closer look inside draw 3- 

 

Eyeshadows:

Plus I have a bunch of other stuff all over my room in random places, like lipglosses and mascaras I use often. 

So there you have it... A glance into my ever-growing collection.

In the other draws I just have other odds and ends like nail polishes, hair brushes/combs, samples, small moisturisers etc.

See anything yours and my collection have in common?

Spreading the word with the Liebster Blog Award

Hello ladies,

I am terribly sorry I have neglected my little blog already but I have been busy on holidays. Yes sometimes spending time away distracts you from the computer.

I have been meaning to do this post for some time but as I said, I was a little distracted.

Anyway, this is a post about the Liebster Blog award. Firstly a huge thank you to the very lovely Stephanie from Luxury on the Lips for the mention.

From what I gather the Liebster Blog award helps new bloggers gain readership and is a way for bloggers to spread the word about up and coming new blogs and bloggers. More specifically the award supports blogs with less than 200 followers and the rules if you are nominated are: 

1. Thank the giver and link back to their blog
2.  Nominate the 5 blogs you award the Liebster to and leave a comment on their blog letting them know
3.  Copy and paste the award to your blog
4.  Request that your nominees send on the award to their favourite blogs.

I am very honoured about this fabulous shout out and without further ado, I would like to pass this honour onto: (in no specific order)

1) Melissa for her fabulous blog that is packed with great pictures and new makeup products. http://missmakeuplover1.blogspot.com/

2) Angela and her beauty blogged http://oneskimmochaplease.blogspot.com/

3) Emma and her beauty blog http://emmabovarybeauty.blogspot.com/

4) Jaime aka Miss Chew and her blog listing reviews and helpful tips and tricks http://www.misschew.com/

5) Molly’s maquillage and her know how on all things cosemetics http://www.mollysmaquillage.com/

Each one of these blogs are defiantly worth follow so I strongly urge you to take a look at these fabulous blogs and get to know the ladies behind the computer screen.

Get reading and spread the word! 

Thanks everyone for all your continued support.

Happy blogging. Xx 

Sticking to the New Year and stop living in 2011.

The New Year is so often associated with change and having resolutions to work towards. However, it can be hard to stick with our resolutions and then it becomes easier to give up.

One thing to remember is that change does not happen overnight so do not be disappointed or give up if you have a few mishaps or lose track of your goal for a second. It is okay if you have that extra piece of chocolate cake or you miss your daily run, it is not a failure, simply a learning curve.

A good way to keep your New Year’s resolutions is to actually sit down and think about what you want to achieve in a years’ time. Be reasonable with it! – do not set unlikely expectations like become a billionaire as that is not likely to be a year goal (although we would like to think so).

It is also a step process; so when coming up with a resolution, set it out in a step-by-step design. Keep your steps simple and achievable. For example if you are wanting to get active and improve your diet start by purchasing a yoga dvd and start with that 2-3 times a week then slowly work towards doing a little every day. Or start your diet with a daily breakfast, a salad for lunch, and limiting your coffee addiction to only twice a week. Once you become comfortable with a small step it becomes easier to work towards getting up earlier, having a proper routine and cutting out caffeine altogether.

Don’t make your goals too vague. If you want to save more money, then have something to work towards. For example, you may be saving up for a overseas holiday so start a separate holiday account to transfer $50 a fortnight and more every now and then again. Or have a set dollar amount that you work toward the whole year.  

Or your goal could be simply limiting your unnecessary spending. For me I have a lot of half used beauty products so if I have a product already then I will use that before buying any more new products. Currently, I have about 4-5 mascaras going at the one time so I will be finishing them all off before I buy any more mascaras.

The fireworks at South Bank, Brisbane.

Having a goal in the New Year is a great way to encourage personal growth and change. But remember if you are not honest with your behaviour then you are only lying to yourself. Also, just because it may be called a New Year’s resolution there is no reason why you cannot start a change at any time within the New Year so sit down and really think about what you want to achieve.

I also found that writing it all down is a good way to stick that idea in your mind and also then you can bring that paper out at any time to re-evaluate your status and get back on track.

So to all those people who have made New Year’s resolutions, good luck and keep at it!

Did anyone actually make a goal for the New Year?

Prize haul!

We beauty addicts quite often have a very close relationship with our postie and delivery guy with the amount of packages we get delivered. Frankly I believe my deliver guy knows me too well. None the less, I am always excited to see him as he always brings me good news.

This morning was no exception when he delivered a recent prize I had won on The Plastic Diaries. The Plastic Diaries is an established beauty blog I frequent that offers beauty advice, how-tos and much more. If you don't already follow the Plastic Diaries then I highly recommend it as I have defiantly learnt a thing or two from Kimmi and her posts, plus they are always running fabulous competitions... and who doesn't like to score some free beauty products. :)

Anyway, back to the prize that I won.

It is defiantly like a summer survival kit. 

Included: Innoxa SOS Skin Tissue Oil

Face of Australia Bronzer Instant Tan Mousse

LeTan Sports Gel 

Face of Australia Mineral therapy bronzing pearls

Australis Mint condition lip gloss

Australis High definition tinted moisturiser

Sukin Botanical Hydration Booster

I am so thrilled with all these products as I have never actually tried any of them and I will upload reviews as I go through them.

A huge thank you again to Kimmi at The Plastic Diaries.

I want to know, have you tried any of these products?

  

Welcome

As we enter a new year filled with promise and opportunity I have decided to take the plunge and start a blog.

I have been toying with this idea for some time and I was never sure if I could actually do it or had the time but I was reading through another blog I frequent and they had a post discussing this very issue. The article had something along the lines of 'just take the leap' and 'there is no time like the present.'
So this is me, taking the leap!

My hope is to start a beauty blog (with a few other random posts related to fashion, maybe) and share with you my experiences, buys and thoughts on all things beauty.
This is all very new to me so bare with me while I try and learn the ropes.