Wednesday 30 October 2013

Brunches, Indulgent Treats, Hourglass, Marcs, and Faux Leather


I had brunch at Hardware Societe with a good friend on Saturday. This involved a 45-minute wait in true Melbourne city café form style. Luckily, it only started drizzling with rain 5 minutes before we managed to snag a table inside The wait time is getting quite ridiculous and I have always avoided Hardware Societe because of the ridiculous lines. We both had baked eggs with chorizo, which were amazing! I forgot about the wait as soon as I was presented with the food!



Afterwards, we headed on over to La Belle Miette, which is a small, cute macaron shop on Hardware Lane (branches also on Collins St, Church St and at Chadstone Shopping Centre. I bought a box of six macarons and all were amazing! My favourite were the Earl Grey and Salted Caramel though. I highly recommend you pay them a visit if you are in the city area.


 

Last but not least, shopping. There are some great sales on at the moment. I picked up this pair of faux leather shorts from Milk and Honey with intricate cut outs at the bottom. I do not own a pair of leather shorts so this was calling my name. They were also on sale for $31.50! I can see myself getting a lot of use out of these, especially because Melbourne seems to be warming up again… slightly (warm up more please!). The only detail I would change would be the white drawstring. I see this getting dirty and I feel like it cheapens the shorts a tad. I’ll probably pull it out, tuck it in or dye it black though.








On Sunday, I had brunch with another group of friends at Neapoli which is off Bourke Street. No lines there! After that, I went shopping… again. I came out with two sneaky purchases. One I feel is justified (kinda?) and the other is… well I’ve been lusting after it for awhile.

 

That’s right. I finally caved in to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. I picked mine up in Diffused Light. I was choosing between this and Dim Light. Originally, I was going to go for Dim Light however, after reading reviews and deciding what I wanted it for I went for Diffused Light. In the store it seemed extremely sparkly as in, if I put it on my face I would look like a disco ball but people said that it doesn’t show up and the ones in the store tend to be more glittery due to ‘cross-contamination’ from other products. They were right, you can’t see any huge glitter particles on your face when you apply it. It just gives you face a new glow, takes down my redness and helps my makeup last.


 

The last purchase of the day was in a tweed-like skirt in this amazing, amazing citrus colour. It's so summery! I have my friend’s wedding coming up in 2 weeks and I thought this would be perfect. I figure I would get more use out of a top and a skirt than just a dress. This was also on sale at Marcs with 40% off making it $79. This makes it justified...right?


What have you indulged in lately?

Jess
xoxo

Sunday 27 October 2013

Polish of the Week: Ulta 3 Nail Colour Burnt Orange






This week I chose a burnt orange nail polish. The weather here in Melbourne is calling for the autumn/winter colours since it’s raining, cold and wet. Where are you spring?! I chose my Ulta3 Nail Colour in Burnt Orange. This is such an affordable brand with the nailpolishes only setting you back $2.00. I’m not going to lie, they have some horrendous colours, but if you sift through I’m sure you’ll find some gems. This bottle in particular is opaque in 1 coat. They dry quickly however, chip within 2 days. For the price though, they are definitely worth it.

 Jess
 xoxo

Thursday 24 October 2013

Affordable DIY Jewellery Board


A while ago, I posted a DIY Earring Holder that you can make for under $5 (click here if you haven't seen it yet!). Today, I’m coming at you with another affordable DIY for your jewellery. While the other DIY was targeted towards earrings, this one is targeted towards your necklaces and bracelets.

I came up with this idea when I found an old pinboard in our apartment that was going to be thrown away. I used to keep my necklaces and bracelets in big plastic containers that had dividers. It was designed for beads but I used each section to store a different jewellery item to stop it from becoming tarnished. The only this was that I forgot what I had and would stick to the same pieces over and over again. I thought the pinboard would allow me to see what I have and it’s now much more fun picking out my accessories for the day!

Materials
  •       1 large pinboard
  •       Clear push pins
  •       Acrylic paint in colours of your choice
  •       Paintbrush
  •       Sponge

Method
Step 1
Ensure that there is no dust on the pinboard. Clean it with a damp cloth and allow it to dry.

Step 2
Get painting! I chose to paint the corkboard blue and the frame green. I started off with a paintbrush but since mine was too small for the massive pinboard it was taking f.o.r.e.v.e.r. If you are in a similar situation, cut up a clean kitchen sponge and apply the paint that way. It’ll make the process A LOT quicker.

As cork absorbs quite a bit of paint I required 3 coats on the corkboard and 2 coats for the wooden frame. Make sure you allow the paint to dry in between coats.

Masking tape is recommended for this step to prevent paint from getting onto the frame and vice versa, especially if you’re using quite contrasting colours If you don’t have any masking tape use a small paint brush for the edges and perimeters.


Step 3
Let it dry! I know it’s tempting to use it straight away but seriously, control yourself!


Step 4
Arrange the push pins however you like. I recommended using clear push pins to keep the overall look clean.

Step 5
Hang up your jewellery and find the board a home :)


That’s it! Super simple and affordable. The great thing about a pinboard is that you can always rearrange the push pins to accommodate different necklaces. This board makes it so much easier for me to see what I have, use pieces that have been neglected due to my previous box storage, help me identify what pieces I don't need and what pieces I need to/want to invest in (primarily the latter of course!).

Happy DIY-ing!

Jess
Xoxo



Sunday 20 October 2013

Long-Lasting Make-up for a Night Out



I thought I’d share the products that I use on a night out to keep my make-up in place. I have combination skin and it just tends to be oily in all the wrong places resulting in makeup sliding down my face if I don’t use the right products. 

First and foremost is a technique rather than a product itself. It's something that everyone knows about.. layering. Specifically, layering cream products under your powder products. I do this for blush, bronzer, eyeshadow and eyeliner:
  • BLUSH: Topshop have amazing cream blushes that I highly recommend and often use on a daily basis. The cream blush in the pan (as opposed to their stick formulas) are super easy to blend and layer nicely. 
  • BRONZER: I don't have a cream bronzer (Australia, get your act together and bring the Bourjois cream bronzer here asap!) so I use a sample Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation that I received that is way too dark but perfect for the liquid bronzer job. 
  • EYESHADOW: You can't go wrong with Maybelline Colour Tattoos. The price is reasonable and these don't budge on me. 
  • EYELINER: I stick to my Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner as this is what works for me.
I always use my Too Faced Shadow Insurance before applying any eye product on my lids since my eyes are super oily and prone to smudging, creasing etc. 

I use a fail safe mascara which I know won't budge and will hold a curl. For me, I am loving my Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus. I bought 3 when I last went to Hong Kong since I loved it so much. This is my last tube so I will definitely be picking more up at the end of the year when I visit Hong Kong again. 

Eyebrows are tamed with a clear mascara. I don't do this on a daily basis since my brows aren't that unruly but for a night out it is a must. I use Ever Bilena Mascara from Daiso which I have spoken about recently. 

For lipstick I use a long lasting formula like Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids (the one pictured is in Vibrant Mandarin) and apply it 3 times. I apply a thin layer, blot with a tissue, repeat once more and then apply my last coat.

I use Clarins Fix Make-Up as a makeup setting spray. I notice a difference in the longevity of my makeup when I use this and it adds a lovely dewy glow and makes your face look more natural and helps you avoid the dreaded "cake face". 

Last but not least is my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder which I apply down my T-Zone.

How do you prevent your makeup from disappearing on a night out?

Jess
xoxo




Thursday 17 October 2013

Night, night! Don't let the bed bugs bite!


I have been having difficulty sleeping at night lately. It’s weird, my body is completely exhausted, yet I have trouble falling asleep. I actually think this is one of the most frustrating feelings. You are willing your body to do one thing, yet it’s got it’s own plans. There are a few things that I have been doing to help me sleep at night.

First, avoiding all technology for at least half an hour before I go to sleep. Instead of sitting on my laptop or watching some TV, I will read a book instead. I’m currently reading Anh Do’s The Happiest Refugee at the moment. It is an eye opening yet funny book that is easy to read. I would recommend it. The book above is next on my list, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. It's about a man with Autism Spectrum Disorder on a quest to find true love using a sixteen-page questionnaire to help him find the perfect partner. I work in this field a lot (the ASD part, not the love part!) so I think it will be an interesting read. 

Secondly, I drink some sleepy tea. To be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan at first but have grown to enjoy it. The Sleepytime Vanilla by Celestial Seasonings is my favourite.

Lastly, I use my Sleep Pulse Point by the Aromatherapy Company. It's 100% pure and natural essential oils to relax you and help you fall asleep. I apply this on my pulse points and I don’t know if it’s a placebo effect or not but it seems to help me sleep. Placebo or not, I’ll take it!

Do you have any sleep recommendations? What do you do?

Jess
xoxo