Stress-less and Rejuvenate

My study week tips and tricks continues with easy ways to take a moment to yourself (without any text books) and relax.
Relax- now that's a word you don't hear much of when you're a uni student. I generally feel like I am always on edge and when I take a break, I feel guilty and my mind is always elsewhere constantly thinking on rotation 'I should be studying', 'Only 3 days till my first exam', 'What are the 5 stages of IDAS again?', 'Panic Panic PANIC'.

Well like I said in my first post, study is not everything and you are not expected to hit the books 24/7. Here are a few of my ideas to help you break from your routine and forget about the world for a while.

- Kick up your feet and get away from your desk while watching a classic tv show or a feel good movie.
My picks: The beautiful 'Gilmore Girls' or a recent favourite movie of mine 'We Bought a Zoo'.

- At the end of a long day how about a glass of white, a glass of red or perhaps one of Rose instead.
Just remember: A glass or two, NOT the whole bottle. It will help you unwind at the end of the day and send you off to a blissful sleep. However, I would not recommend any wine (no matter how good it is) the day before your exam.

- Take a soak in the tub while burning a candle.
I'm burning: MOR Lychee Flower candle (RRP $39.95). It fills the whole house with a heavenly scent and will surely get you out of a study funk.

- Quick study break time. Get moving around the house while doing some vacuuming and blasting your ipod as you go. It's a good way to burn off some energy, gain some perspective and continue being productive at the same time.

- The power of meditation should be lost on no-one. Take a moment to do some yoga or meditate to calm your nerves, mind and whole body. You will feel more at peace and ready to tackle the next step.

And finally, get a good nights sleep every night. It is never worth cramming the night before and to ensure you drift off peacefully, let your bed be a place of rest and rest alone. Your desk is for study and your bed is for sleeping. 

Xx

Woe is me

In light of study week for university students I find myself getting worked up thinking about study but when I just sat and focused on individual tasks that need to be done, my workload did not seem as bad.

So a foreword piece of advice to anyone going through exams right now is; Don't get overwhelmed looking at the big picture. Take a step back and proceed one foot at a time.

It is humanly impossible for an individual to be studied all day everyday for 3 weeks straight so do not feel like you have to. An important initial step is to plan out the coming weeks and schedule in any large breaks eg. if you have a concert or a friends 21st, and then work your study around that. This way you should feel better knowing you have a break coming up and when you get sufficient study done a time out will reward your hard efforts.

Even during the day you are allowed to take a break from study, just make sure you are actually doing some study though.

Surviving study tips:

- Force yourself to get up early ahead of time. Your body will get a shock if you have to be at an 8am exam when it's used to sleeping in till 10pm each day. Set yourself a wakeup time such as 7am and do NOT go back into bed just because it's warmer there.

- Physically write down what needs to be done and allocate days to specific tasks. Plan your weeks wisely and stick to it!
- Switch subjects half way through the day so your mind gets a break and a change in focus will spark more interest rather than being lugged down by Tort Law all day.

- When taking notes, use different coloured pens for certain topics.

- Read over past exams and practice writing out responses in set times, just as in the real exam.

- If you need to study on your computer, do not take a break on your computer. By that I mean stay off those websites like 'Damn you autocorrect' as you will lose track of time and not get to stretch your legs. Also online shopping is a big no-no. I am guilty of this, just wasted hours shopping at the Iconic. :(

- Sit at your desk with a hot cup of green tea. It will help to focus your mind and give you a nice break from just sitting and staring at the books.

- Keep your goal in mind. Knowing what you want to get out of this at the end will help keep you motivated in the back of your mind.

Stay positive. No one got anywhere thinking they couldn't do it. So for all those studying right now, you can do it and I wish you the best of luck!

Got any other great tips, I would love to hear them?

Xx

And if any of this doesn't motivate you, this study song sure will! :)

Shoes of LUST

Is it any wonder that women have an obsession with shoes when you come across such beauties as the shoes found at Shoes of Prey?  

Shoes of Prey are a Sydney based business that hand make quality designs tailored to your deserving feet. What does this mean? Well you can create your own shoe just the way you want. You choose the design, heel height, heel type, material, toe type... anything. You are the designer of your own shoe and let me tell you it is a lot of fun to see the variations in just one shoe. 

Each order is individually hand-made so you are getting the highest of quality and detail. There are so many sizing charts available as well and if the sizing is still not right they will remake it free of charge. How good is that?

Here are a few of the gorgeous heels in their gallery I am seriously falling; starting in the gallery will give you a feel for the shoes and you can buy any of them or tweak it to suit your needs:

Theses ones are my ultimate favourite! I am already saving up. :)

And of course a strappy sandal to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee;

Images from shoesofprey.com

There is sure to be something in the gallery that will tickle your fancy or you can simply start completely from scratch. 

These heels are priced at around $300 and come with a $25 flat shipping rate, this means you can choose as many heels as you want for the single price. So why not get a few pairs among friends and family.

Check out their youtube channel here, there are some very interesting videos on how the shoes are made.

It is clear to tell that I have just fallen in love.

:)

Xx

In Love with Lipstick: Lancome

Rouge in Love: the new and very exciting lipstick collection from Lancome. 

I am very thankful to be trialling this product for Beautyheaven.

This new collection of lipsticks is categorized into 3 moods:
Jolis Matins- Fresh shades for day time. Has a letter 'M' in the shade number.
Boudoir Time- Pop shades for cocktail hour with a letter 'B' in the shade number.
Tonight is My Night- Intense shades for magical nights. These have a letter 'N' in the shade number.

I received the 159B which looks like an orangey-red colour in the packaging.

Swatch of the colour on my skin.

There are a total of 21 shades which are said to last 6 hours of wear.

The results:
I used a lip brush to apply the colour onto the lips as I think I can build up the colour more and be a little more precise.

(Not a very good photo, sorry)

The lipstick is very sheer and glossy when first applied. The colour then dulls down and dries out. It dries to a more pinky/red colour and a little less intense then what you see in the tube. While the colour dries to stain the lips the colour did not flake or crack upon application. It felt very natural and I felt confident that it would keep the colour on my lips.

The test:
What better way to test a lipstick then expose it to a hard shopping day out at DFO.
I first applied the colour at about 1.30pm then we set out the shop till we dropped.
The lip colour lasted really great for the first 2 hours, giving solid colour. We arrived home at 4.30pm (3 hours later with lighter wallets) and the colour was looking a little thin.
Here is the photo after about 4 hours of wear.

The colour had faded a lot but left a pink stain to my lips. Also around the lip line the colour was more prominent and a little flaky making the colour look uneven. If I was going to wear this colour for longer I would defiantly reapply after about 2-3 hours.
I also tested the lipstick at a friends party I attended and it only lasted the for about one hour, after that I didn't feel I had any colour on my lips. I was continuously drinking and my cup was stained with colour. That was a little disappointing but can be expected.

It is however the longest lasting lipcolour I have in my collection, much like the one MAC lipstick I own.
I am very impressed with this new lipstick from Lancome and I would love to buy another colour very soon. It is priced at about $45 but that is basically what you pay for a lipstick anyway so this is a pretty good deal.
See full reviews from other bh members here and decide for yourself.

Have you tried this lipstick?
Xx

Hair Care: Part II

After I got my hair cut (see earlier blog post here), trimmed really, I thought it was a nice opportunity to test out the new John Frieda Precision Foam Colour.

I tried the colour 8A Medium Ash Blonde. The Priceline I went to didn't have the greatest selection on the shelves but I wanted to stay close to my natural hair colour and just even it out.

Looks simple enough :)

Inside the pack is everything you could possible need:

1. Developer
2. Colourant
3. Conditioner
4. Foamer Cap
5. Professional Gloves

Developer and Foamer top

Colourant

Mix the colourant (black bottle) into the developer (white bottle). This next step is extremely important, you will be tempted to shake the bottle but you only tilt the bottle upside down about 5 times to gentle mix the liquids.

Before and,

After mixing

Replace cap on developer bottle with foamer top after mixing. This at home hair colour is applied directly to dry hair.
Squeeze the bottle while holding it upright, be careful again not to shake bottle. Disperse the foam onto your hand and then apply at the roots where your hair parts naturally.

You can then continue dispersing the foam onto your palm and applying at the roots first in rough sections before massaging the product into your hair.

Read all instructions carefully.

I recommend using all the product and leaving it in for the full 30 minutes if you have mid to long length hair.

After you have applied the product to your hair, your hair should be over-saturated with foam as shown in the instructions. However, my hair just looked and felt wet, without any foam. I am not sure if that is because I have longer hair.

One thing I noticed straight away with this product is the smell. It is very strong and off-putting. It should be noted that the only other at home hair colouring I have used is the L'oreal Casting Creme, so I am only comparing it to that. I had to put my fan on and open all the windows (it was a very cold day) due to the strong smell.
Apart from that, it is a very simple formula to use and the instructions are super easy to follow, even by yourself which is what I did.

After you wait for 30 minutes, jump in the shower to wash off the product and then you get to use the conditioner (leave this on for about 4 minutes) which smells the best and feels so silky after use.

Conditioner 50ml

Results:

Before

This is a before shot. Not sure if you can tell but the roots of my hair has long regrowth and is looking a little dull.

After

And the after shot. Regrowth is completely gone and my hair is evened out and looking a lot healthier.

Overall: I liked this product very much. John Frieda have spectacular hair products so it is no wonder this hair colour is no exception. The concept of a foam colour was very new to me but it was so simple to do by yourself. Only slight problems I had was that it does have a strong smell when using the product (but that can be expected from hair dye) and the product was not foamy when left on the hair. But the results worked and my hair has evened out and has an added shine to it.

Have you tried this hair colouring product?

Xx

A Tribute to Our Mum's

Happy Mother's Day to all those beautiful mother's out there. 

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done for us,

all the love you give us,

and for all the times we come to you in tears and you always make it better.

Today is your day and you deserve the world.

Thanks Mum, we love you!

Hair Care: Part I

I have searched high and low for quality hairdressers and so far I have not found one I could stick to. They always seem to mess up my look, not produce what I asked for or just charge bucket loads of money for a simple cut.

Over the recent past, I have boycott hairdressers all together as I was trying to grow my hair and getting even a trim is priced at $55 these days. I generally just went back home to mum's house where she was all too thrilled to cut my hair.

Yet, lately I was craving a visit to the hairdressers for a quick touch up as my ends were shocking and I needed to rid my hair of those terrible split ends.

Here is a quick shot of my hair before the hair cut: 

I went to a salon in the local shopping centre I frequent and for $29.90 they just trimmed my hair. No shampoo clean or head massage (I was actually looking forward to that part) and they didn't even offer it to me. Maybe they only do that when you get a style cut, or its just been so long since I have visited a salon.

The results: I had it trimmed about an inch or so and re shaped around my face so it is more symmetrical. The ends are so much better and my hair looks much healthier but I still believe it's a steep price to pay for a trim these days.

I also decided to dye my hair a natural colour to even my hair tones so stay tuned for that post.

What do you think about your hair cut experiences?

Xx