FAVOURITES 2014 pictures

2014 is coming to a close very quickly so I thought it best to share with you some of my favourite pictures of the year. Descriptions follow the pictures from the top left down to the bottom right.
1. I visited my university's Sunday market to purchase some fresh produce and came across these bright Cacti.
2. I caught George Daniel's (The 1975) drumstick after one of their shows in Melbourne at the Hi-Fi.
3. Driving around with my mum in my home town late at night. I liked all the lights so I took a bokeh photo.
4. My Christmas tree's lights were beautiful, and I think they photograph better when the lights are a bit fuzzy.
5. I visited Melbourne's Night Noodle Market with a friend. While we were climbing some stairs he said "It feels like we're in China" - so I took a photo.
6. A Completely unplanned moments where you find yourself having a really great time.

VIDEO masala chai tea

Something a little different this way comes...

I've recently gone through what professionals would call a "major event". Without telling you what it is I can tell you that it is affecting me both mentally and physically. Because of this I am finding it hard to relax and even sleep, so I have taken comfort in Youtube's ASMR community.

I recently came across my new favourite ASMRtist, Accidentally Graceful. This lovely lady recently published a new video "Tingles in Ten! | Homemade Masala Chai Tutorial". I am a massive Chai tea and Chai latte fan. Like, I've stopped drinking coffee and now only drink Chai. It's a combination of all my favourite flavours and is the perfect Christmas drink.

I had a go at following her tutorial to produce my own Chai tea and loved the outcome. I omitted the Fennel seeds for a dash of Vanilla essence instead and left out the Nutmeg as I didn't have any. It was easy to make, taking less that 10 minutes. I thought I'd share Tricia's recipe/video so you can all have a try yourself. Happy drinking!

LIVING with endo

On the 21^st of May last year I had a laparoscopic appendectomy to remove my appendix. I’d been suffering from severe stomach pains for three days and after being submitted to hospital an ultrasound came back inconclusive for appendicitis... so the surgeon’s decided to cut.

They informed me, pre surgery, that while they were in there removing my appendix that they would also have a poke around my abdomen to make sure nothing else was causing me the pain.

I remember being in the theatre thinking I would fight the anaesthetic. “I won’t let it take me,” I remember telling the nurse. I woke up a few hours later in recovery, unable to communicate due to a bad reaction to the anaesthetic.

It was then that my surgeon’s informed me that while poking around in my abdomen they found something on my uterus, an impressive collection of spots otherwise known as endometriosis.

And suddenly my world made sense.

For 7 years since I first started getting my period I had suffered from debilitating period pain. The pain was so bad I missed a few days of school a month and could barely move. My periods were unreliable and awful, one year I went 9 months without a period (no I was not pregnant), another month I bled for 2 and a half weeks straight.

For as long as I can remember doctors had told me I just had “bad periods” or that I needed to use pain relief more often. But pain relief didn’t touch this pain. And now I had a name for why I suffered so badly.

So now here I am, on an extremely strong contraceptive pill and with the Implanon in my arm to control my hormone levels and pain. I skip my period for 3 months at a time, therefore only having 3-4 periods a year – these are still awfully painful.

I still get pain even when I don’t have my period. In fact right now as I’m sitting here writing this I had a severe cramp in my right hip, a common place for my endo pain. This pain, though, is nowhere near as bad as it it when I do have my period.

To clarify why I’m writing about this, a few days ago I had a check-up with my doctor to make sure everything is okay, and it is. I’m living a pretty good life compared to a lot of women out there with endo. Being able to skip my period is a blessing, and I am so grateful that I haven’t required any more surgery as treatment. My main area of concern now is pain control without involving prescription medication.

People need to know about this crippling, debilitating condition. It isn’t recognised as a disease, an illness, or a disability. As sufferers, we get no compensation for the affects endometriosis has on our life, relationships, work and even sex lives for most women.

For now, I have another 2 months on my own until my next appointment. During that time I will turn 20, see my brother after 8 months apart and celebrate Christmas and the new year with my family. It could be worse, much worse.

INTRO 2015

Another year has passed and I'm horrified in myself. One of my main goals for the year was to blog more, and from the looks of it I have failed miserably.

I do it every Summer, put so much work into my blog, have all these plans, write it all down, and then ignore it when it comes to the academic year. 

On the plus side, this year I was published for the first time (granted it was on my own university's publishing platform) which was exciting. I also attended and covered a lot of interesting events (Ice Bucket World record attempt, say what?). 

I also learnt how to edit my stories in different ways and on different online platforms. For example, I learnt how to use Storify to curate social media posts to create a story of some kind. My particular post was on Australia's Bachelor and all the Bachie drama that followed the finale - well not all the drama, because one moth on and the drama is STILL unfolding.

I also learnt a bit more about myself and my values. I'm still as confused as ever, I'm tossing up whether I really want to be doing this, or if I want to teach. And if I want to teach do I fork out the tens of thousands of dollars for a Masters, or go right back to the beginning? 

If I can make a career out of writing it would be amazing, but I am so disheartened by the lack of opportunities. I've devised a plan to get some kind of work experience in the next few months, whether it be in print media, or in radio or television. I NEED SOME EXPERIENCE ON MY RESUME PLS.

Soooo we're here, the end of another academic year. I have all the time in the world to blog and write. And who knows, I may start writing pieces and start submitting them here and there. But one things for sure, I am still confused as ever.

NEW nars sheer glow in fiji

I recently decided to get my skin colour matched to a good quality, high end foundation. I've forever been using Rimmel's colour stay in Ivory which I thought was a pretty good match but I wanted something with a better, dewy formula. After hours researching the best high end foundations for sensitive to combination skin I decided on Nars Sheer Glow.

I am a HUGE Nars fan. The majority of my high end makeup is from Nars. Living in rural Australia, I purchase my makeup though the store Mecca Cosmetica's website. Unfortunately, one cannot colour match themselves properly online. So I made the 2 hour trip to the big city to one of Mecca's stores and popped myself down in a chair. A lovely lady helped me choose the perfect match. We swatched 4 shades and picked a shade a little warmer than my natural tone as it was early summer and I wanted it to transition well into my summer tan.

I ended up with Nars Sheer Glow in Fiji. It's sooooo beautiful. I can't get over how flawless my skin looks with it on. I apply it first with a foundation brush and then work it in with my fingers as my sales assistant at Mecca told me the foundation works well when worked in with your hands. It applies and blends extremely well and doesn't leave me looking cakey or, on the other end, too shiny. It's a lovely dewy finish that makes me look like I've just been sitting out in the sun like a model, not the sweaty, red faced girl I'd usually be. On particularly hot days where I know no amount of primer or finishing spray will set my makeup well enough, I will set it with a translucent finishing powder and it doesn't appear cakey.

Although it's only the first high end foundation I've tried, I'm completely sold and how my skin looks wearing it. I'll definitely be heading back to Mecca to be matched again in Winter! x

Kate Moss Lasting Finish #20

I need to go grocery shopping with my mum more often. She left me alone for a couple of minutes with the trolley in the beauty and hair aisle so she could run off and get something she forgot... she really shouldn't have done that.
I scoped the brands for a bargain and I came across this one. It was reduced from around $11 to $7 as it was the last of its colour. Score. Kate Moss' Lasting Finish lipstick in number 20 is an amazing bright fuchsia in a matte finish. It's also super hydrating which my lips need at the moment. They're currently like the Sahara Desert after spending 6 hours on an airplane. It's creamy and applies like a dream. It's possibly my new favourite bright lippy and will definitely be making an appearance on nights out! x

Bali Goodies

I recently travelled overseas to Indonesia where I spent 9 days in Bali. Bali is a frequent travel destination for plenty of Australians, it's cheap to travel to, not far, and a cheap place to shops as well as supplying its visitors with plenty of places and things to see. Unfortunately after 5 days I picked up the dreadful Bali belly, a food poisoning illness due to the lack of hygiene in the third world country. Besides my illness however, I loved my visit and could not recommend the country as a travel destination enough. The people are so friendly, they build their lives around tourism and depend on it to survive. They're all happy to help you and give you the best Balinese experience. There's a lot of stigma around the county due to some recent unfortunate events but I love the country and wish everyone could see how beautiful the people and places are.

While I was there I popped into Matahari's, a large supermarket place that stocks LOTS of makeup for cheap prices. Almost everything was half the price of what I would pay for if I bought them at home in Australia.

Just letting you know there are no filters on any pictures of swatches. I use natural lighting in the hopes you receive the most accurate colouring.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - I've wanted this product for a while as a base for my eyeshadows. NYX was recently made available in Australia at Target but by the time I made my way to my local store, the collection had been raided and there were none left. I was so happy to pick this up. It works wonderfully as an eyeshadow base, it's perfect for a few shadows in my Lorac Pro Palette that I have trouble working with.

NYX Matte Cream in Monte Carlo - I saw this vampy red colour out of the corner of my eye as I went to purchase the eye pencil. It was love at first sight. I'm so excited for Winter to roll around so I can wear this. It's a beautiful colour and isn't drying which is surprising for me as I've found a lot of matte creams to be terribly drying.

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait - To replace an old one I lost. It's a go to lip shade for me. If I'm not doing much or I have strong eyeshadow game on a particular day, I'll just swipe this on. My last tube was particularly sparkly, so it's nice to see this one is less sparkly.

Revlon ColourStay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Muse - Oh, my, god. I love this lipstick. It has the best staying power of any lipstick I've ever worn. I mentioned earlier I was ill, which occurred after an evening wearing this lipstick. After hours of being sick and wiping my mouth and drinking out of water bottles, this lipstick was still on my lips and looked amazing. I love the colour as well. I'm slowly becoming obsessed with bright lips.

Loreal Glam Shine Balmy Gloss in Passionfruit Perfect - I wasn't going to buy this. In fact I wasn't even a fan of the swatch. It was super glittery and sheer. But I loved the name and it was orange so I just had to have it. It's much different when applied to my lips, it's more on the red side than a bright orange. It's hydrating, but the staying power isn't great. Probably the least exciting product I bought on the trip.

I bought plenty of jewellery and clothes while on the trip too, so I may make a second post. xx

Lorac Pro Palette

Bless my grandparents and their constant need to travel. They recently spent 6 months in the US on holidays and while they were there I got them to pick me up a little something. Makeup in Australia is INCREDIBLY pricey, and to ship American makeup to Australia can be even worse.

I took it upon myself to ask my grandparents to bring me back the Lorac Pro Palette rather than ship it here for an extra $20. For weeks and weeks I'd been reading about this palette. A lot of people were talking it up, some even saying it's better than my beloved Naked palette which I found hard to believe at first.

When I received the palette I wasn't overly impressed by the flimsy cardboard packaging. But when I swatched the shades I was swept away. I have a couple of "I'm so in love with you I can't bear to part ways with you" shades, and a couple of "I could probably live without you but I'd rather not" shades. Mauve, Pewter and Champagne are beautiful shades that I will probably have to repurchase when I hit pan, they're beautiful. I find that some of the lighter shades such as cream and light pink need a couple of layers as they're a little sheer but once they're built up they're just as beautiful as the other shades.

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the primer that came with this palette. At first I was intrigued that it was white, but upon a couple of uses I decided to go back to my trusty Urban Decay primer.
The shadow formula itself is so buttery and smooth with almost zero fallout when I apply. I'm in love with the formula and wish every eye shadow in the world was this silky.

Overall this palette IS definitely worth buying and probably comes in equal next to my Naked palette. They both have shades I adore and both have amazing colour payoff. If you're looking to make your first palette purchase I'd definitely try the Lorac Pro first as I find that the shades vary a bit more and the formula is just amazing.

MAC Vegas Volt & Melba

For a few months now I've been absolutely lusting over MAC's Vegas Volt lipstick and while I was making the online purchase I decided to throw in a blush, Melba. These are my first MAC products and I couldn't be more happy.

Vegas Volt is an orange-coral colour that is so incredibly bright, I had to have it. I adore coral colours and when I swatched this earlier last year I knew that I'd eventually have to own it. It's an amplified creme finish and is super hydrating and creamy. It applied like a dream and has impressive staying power. I found I had to reapply once when wearing it on an all day outing.

Melba is described as a soft coral peach in a matte finish. I'm pretty sure there's some kind of link to Peach Melba here. I need just the lightest dusting of this blush for amazing colour pay-off. I am so impressed by MAC's blush formula, I'm so excited to purchase different shades.

Perfect Nars lip combo

I am a huge fan of Nars. Ever since I went and got my makeup done at MECCA for a ball I attended, where they used a majority of Nars products on my face. I loved my makeup that night and made the effort to go back and purchase the same blush and lacquer they used on me.

The lacquer was Chelsea Girl, a nude beige. After one application I wasn't so sure that it was the right product, until I realised that my artist had used a lip liner underneath. So I went to Myer purchase a lip liner only to realise I had no idea which colour would match best. In the end it was a toss up between Fantasia and Tonga. Tonga was more of a pink nude while Fantasia has a slightly orange tint to it, which would provide a more coloured lip.

I opted for Fantasia and fell in love with the combo, it was just like my ball makeup. I'm not a major nude lip fan, but this is my go to combo for when I want to rock one. I do find that after an hour or so my lips bleed a little, which is weird considering I'm using a liner. The bleeding makes the colours look a lot orange than they are, so in order to keep my lips looking awesome, I reapply the gloss and clean up my edges as much as possible.

Fantasia is my first lip liner so I'm eager to branch out and try different shades and different brands. I'm especially excited to try and rock a red lip/liner combo. Leave me your favourite lip stick and liner combos!

2013/2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This past year was one of goodbyes and new beginnings for me. I moved to Melbourne to start my dream course at my dream university. I moved onto college where I made so many new and amazing friends. I also managed to break out of my shell a little bit more and to open myself up to new experiences.
While it was full of amazing firsts, I experienced a couple of lows. I said my final goodbyes to some of the most amazing people in my life, including one of the best teacher's I've ever had the pleasure to know. I also had to go through a pretty annoying experience in hospital which resulted in surgery. My brother also moved away to join the army which is pretty amazing overall, but I really miss living with him and being able to see him whenever I want.

I'm ready for 2014. 14 is my lucky number, so I'm hoping this is my lucky year. I have a few resolutions I'd like to keep at, and then the typical "lose weight" "exercise more" resolutions I'm sure to drop within a week. I'll be moving back to uni so it could be hard to stick to these resolutions, but I'll try my hardest.

RESOLUTIONS:
1. Read more. I started a book in September and still haven't finished it. I'm horrified with myself. I absolutely love to read and am determined to make more time to read, it doesn't have to be books, magazines will suffice too.
2. Drink less. It sounds unrealistic, but to be honest I hate losing control and not feeling my absolute best. Binge drinking is one of the things that comes with moving to college, but I'm ready to switch the vodka for cola and cider for water.
3. Blog more. Self explanatory, I forget, I procrastinate, I ignore. I'm a horrible blogger!
4. Spend more time outside. Not exercising, although that would help, but you have no idea how much I love to stand on grass with no shoes or socks on. Being outside just makes me feel that little more relaxed and at peace.
5. Explore. Lucky last, I'm ready to explore and see more. I live in one of the best cities in the world and hardly know my way around. I'm ready to see the little alley ways and eat at little cafes in Melbourne. And take pictures of course!