Survey Sunday - October 14th 2012

Oh my goodness I've been so so busy I'm so sorry! I really need to start scheduling posts, I think I will really try to do that from now on. For some reason I always liked the idea of spontaneously writing posts then immediately posting them, but it makes sense to write a few when you have time and schedule them. 

So my apologies lovely people, I will get my act back together soon I promise. I have a long list of posts in the pipeline, so I will find the time to get them happening.

Here's a random cute picture of my bunny snoozing to help apologise for my lack of posting lots lately! Isn't she the cutest!! :P

I hope all of you had very lovely weeks and weekends. I just switched teams at work for my first ever graduate rotation (we do four in two years), so that's been pretty hectic. It's good though because my new rotation is more in line with what I want to do and less stats/numbers based. So fingers crossed this will be a good change for me :)

Anyway on to this week's batch of Survey Sunday questions:

1. What's your favourite Disney film? 
It's a tie for me between Aladdin and Cinderella. I was so carried away by the magic and rags to riches ideas of both of these as a child. Plus I loved Jasmine and the Genie, and that glass slipper!

2. What's your morning makeup routine? 
After cleansing and moisturising, I usually use mineral powder foundation (or a sheerer liquid if I have more time), blush, eyeshadow and mascara. Occasionally I'll add in some bronzer or eyeliner if I have the time.

3. Are you a coffee or tea person? 
I'm a tea girl all the way. Can't stand coffee. I drink English Breakfast with a bit of milk, and go through about 3-4 cups a day!

4. What skincare products/brands do you use?
I currently use Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish, Liz Earle's Instant Boost toner, and Clarins HydraQuench Cream. 
I sometimes alternate (or use in the mornings) Dermalogica products such as the Essential Cleansing Solution, the Multi-Active Toner, the Skin Smoothing Cream, and the Gentle Cream Exfoliant. I also sometimes use the the Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase or the Dior One Essential Skin Boosting Super Serum.

5. What's your star sign? 
Leo... rarrr! I don't believe in star signs etc, but the traits associated with Leo seem pretty spot on for me. And it's fun to read them occasionally in the paper/magazines.

6. What exercise do you do?
Recently I've started a bit of a health kick, and I've pleasantly surprised myself a bit with my ability to keep it up! I do weekly circuit type sessions with my friends every Sunday morning, and during the week I try to do 2 or so exercise DVDs. 
I find Jillian Michael's DVDs to be the best for quicker workouts that really deliver results and make you work up an enormous sweat. And the muscle burn the next day is proof that these DVDs do really work. I've done posts on her 30 Day Shred and my Spring Health Kick if you want more information.

7. What are you most looking forward to over the next week?
Tonight I'm seeing one of my uni friends for dinner and to see the new Wuthering Heights movie with Effie from Skins in it, so that should be fun! I'm also looking forward to seeing Taken 2 with my boyfriend at some stage this week, having lunch with my grad friends at work, celebrating my best friends birthday on Wednesday night and celebrating my Mums birthday next weekend. 

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Now it's your turn to answer! Just copy and paste the questions in the comments section below:


1. What's your favourite Disney film? 
2. What's your morning makeup routine?
3. Are you a coffee or tea person?
4. What skincare products/brands do you use?
5. What's your star sign?
6. What exercise do you do?
7. What are you most looking forward to over the next week?

Can't wait to read your answers! :)

A Spot of Nail Design

I am a big fan of Nail art as you have probably guessed by now, and particularly have a soft spot for spot patterns.

The first nail art creation I have to show you is quite out there. And was created by my clever little sister:

I just love the rainbow look of it, and the white spots stand out so brilliantly against the colourful backdrop. So simple to do too! We just use a tooth pick to blob the spots on.

Here are the polishes she used for this design:

Thumb: Essie's Mint Candy Apple

Pointer: OPI's I Eat Mainely Lobster

Middle: OPI's The 'IT' Color

Ring: OPI's Did It On 'Em

Pinkie: OPI's Do you Lilac It

White dots: OPI's Alpine Snow

Secondly, here is a simpler nail design I did recently. It shows that even really simple spots can make your nails look that little bit more fun and special than just using plain polish. I also used Essie's Mint Candy Apple as a base and OPI's Alpine Snow for the dots.

To finish off I thought I would leave you with some more spots! Have you ever tried Dippin' Dots? It's known as the 'Ice Cream of the Future' and it is created by flash freezing ice cream with liquid nitrogen. 

The ice cream is really satisfying to eat, as you can kind of chomp it. I know that sounds weird but it's probably the best explanation. It's creamy and has the most amazing flavour. The best flavour of all of them is Fairy Floss (pictured below). It's just so fun and yummy to eat. 

Clearly this 'Ice Cream of the Future' (it was thus named around a decade ago!) hasn't really taken off as planned in Australia. I thought the only place you could buy it anymore was at the Melbourne Show and that it was just a distant childhood dream. 

But then I recently discovered by googling Dippin' Dots stockists, that there are quite a few shops that supply it! My dream has come true!

Have you ever tried this ice cream? What's your favourite nail art design that you do often? 

Survey Sunday - October 7th 2012

How is it seriously Sunday again? This is crazy!! Today daylight savings switched over and all of our clocks went forward so now it will stay lighter at night time. I can't wait to get home from work and it will still be light outside! We had a BBQ tonight to welcome the arrival of warmer nights and sunshine :)


Now onto this week's questions:


1. How tall are you?

I'm 5 foot 7 inches. I think that equates to about 167 cm. So I'm a pretty average height for a girl. 

I never thought anything much of my height before, but at work now I'm surrounded by the shortest, tiniest girls ever so I feel like such a giant! 

2. Are you planning your next holiday and where are you going?

I am indeed! I'm planning a trip to America for next May with my boyfriend! It's our first big/international trip together, how exciting :) 

At this stage we are planning on going for about 3 and a half weeks. We will spend over a week in New York, then probably do Boston and Washington, and Orlando and Miami in Florida. 

ANY OF YOU AMERICANS...PLEASE HELP! Do you have any recommendations of places to go if we want to stick around the east coast? Or if you have ever travelled to that side of America, please help with your advice on where to go! :D

3. What sibling position in your family are you?

I am the oldest and I have one sister who is three years younger.

4. What is your favourite musical/play you've ever seen?

I absolutely loved seeing Wicked on the West End in London. Also The Lion King was probably the most incredible musical overall for all of its crowd involvement, and using the whole theatre and not just the stage. And the songs!

5. What's your favourite board game?

It would be The Game of Life. Or Articulate. My friends and I play Articulate non stop, best game ever. Look it up and buy it... you won't regret it.

6. What's your earliest childhood memory?

It's hard to know what your earliest memory is and whether you are just remembering the home movies or photo albums your parents put together. But I think the earliest memory I have that isn't documented anywhere else is driving with my dad at age 3 to buy our new white car. I remember it so vividly! Odd first memory to have though.

7. What is the most expensive item of clothing you've ever bought?

This is a hard one! I don't tend to hugely splash out on super expensive clothes. Some of my big winter jackets were around the $250-$300 mark, but I think I bought most of them slightly discounted from like $500 or something. So I'd say it's probably something like that. 

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So now it's your turn to answer the questions. Just copy them into the comments section below. Looking forward to read your answers!


1. How tall are you?

2. Are you planning your next holiday and where are you going?

3. What sibling position in your family are you?

4. What is your favourite musical/play you've ever seen?

5. What's your favourite board game?

6. What's your earliest childhood memory?

7. What is the most expensive item of clothing you've ever bought?


Have a great week everyone! :)

Sisters, Baking, Nail Art and Rainbow Dinners

Hello everybody! 

Just felt like doing a bit of a random creativity post! I have a few things I wanted to share with you, and particularly wanted to showcase some of my sister Sarah's recent creative works.

It's a good thing my sis and I have going. She likes to bake sweets, and I like to eat said sweets. 

So on the baking front, due to the fact it was the AFL Grand Final (Aussie football!) last weekend, my sister once again proved her baking prowess. About an hour before I had to leave to go to a grand final BBQ (everyone in Melbourne virtually goes to a BBQ on Final day!), I said "hey Sarah you don't want to bake something footy related for me to take do you?"

She looked at me and I thought she was about to utter "Kate you are crazy there is no time/I don't like footy/I'm not even attending this BBQ so why would I?". Instead, she glanced at the clock and said "Challenge Accepted". This is what she whipped up in record time:

Football Cupcakes!

She used green frosting for the field, piped white boundary lines and goal circle and the stitching on the footballs. The footballs were made of an almond that Sarah dyed red.

How cute are they?! They went down a treat at the BBQ. It's always fun to bring themed sweet food to parties and events, it really helps add to the atmosphere.

Now we move onto another of Sarah's recent creative creations...

Nail Art!

The other day Sarah painted her nails and this is the masterpiece she created:

They look like little Spring Japanese blossoms! 

She used Essie's Mint Candy Apple as the base. Then she used a tooth pick to draw the flower stems/twigs with a brown polish. After that where the stems ended she dotted on five dots with white polish in a ring to form the flower petals, and then drew a brown dot in the centre to be the middle of the flower. 

Sarah said it wasn't hard and that she was able to do it quite quickly. She also stresses the importance of a great top coat to prevent chips in the beautiful design.

So there are a couple of creative ideas from my clever little sis!

To leave you with something healthier after all that gorging on cupcakes pics, here is my very healthy and colourful dinner tonight kindly prepared by my lovely Mum:

A Rainbow Dinner!

Fruit and Salmon!

Today was a lovely warm 30 degree day filled with sunshine. You can really feel Summer approaching, and a meal like this just feels so Summery and delicious :)

Hope you are all very well and happy, and you all get through your Fridays quickly and have an incredible start to the weekend! 

xx

September Favourites 2012

Now that September has ended, it's time for a rehash of my favourites for the month!

Beauty Favourites...

Beauty

– MAC’s Patina eye shadow (all over my lid)

An amazingly pretty, subtle and beautiful antique gold colour that complements brown colourings and pairs with brown eye shadows in the crease stunningly.

-Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom

Very moisturising and comfortable to wear, amazing natural colour that makes your whole complexion look healthier. Like your own lip colour but better. Also use it on my cheeks as blush on the go, it’s such a perfect colour for it.

Nails

– Illamasqua’s Nomad and Essie’s Bahama Mama (a tie!)

Nomad for its creamy, fun, happy, perfect green, and Bahama Mama for its beautiful plum, deep creamy sophistication.

Skincare/Bodycare

– Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish

Can’t believe how smooth, soft and flawless my skin is looking all thanks to this.

General Favourites...

Food

- Five:am Honey and Cinnamon Yoghurt.

So incredibly sweet and creamy. Aside from breakfast I often eat it as a dessert or a sweet snack. Tastes better than ice cream to me!

TV Show

– Sex And The City

During the break in show seasons, I have been desperate to watch basically anything that’s semi good/recommended by someone. For some reason this iconic show slipped through unwatched for 23 years of my life. Now it’s very much watched, and I’m up to the final season. Really funny, hilariously relatable and a bit of light relief.

DVD

– Pearl Harbour

I’ve watched a few this month but my favourite would probably have to be a DVD of Pearl Harbour. Surprisingly I found myself loving Ben Affleck in it, as I usually don’t really like him. Aside from the cute bromance going on between him and his best mate Matt Damon, I generally find him annoying. It was very exciting and dramatic and kept me enthralled the whole way through. Although it could have been a tad shorter!

Film

- Ruby Sparks

I recently went to see the film Ruby Sparks with my friends and it was so cute and clever and touching. The actors are a real life couple too which somehow makes it even cuter. It was a romantic comedy but it had some darker undertones such as the exploration of issues of control and trying to change your partner. It really made you think and was very entertaining.

Reading

– Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I’m rereading the Harry Potter series again, and I’m up to book 5. I love how when I read it I get completely absorbed all over again with the whole wonder and magic of it all. The world created in it is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I also love the feelings of nostalgia and youthful innocence that surface when reading it, as I think back to when I first read it and what stage of my life I was at when doing so.

Clothing

– Marcs navy blue blazer

The fit is flattering and it sits better than any other blazer I’ve worn. I like the sort of nautical look of it, the classy buttons, the stripy lining and the three quarter length sleeves. It makes any work, dress or jeans combo look better and more put together. Cost a bit ($249) but worth every cent in terms of wear, quality and longevity. And I always feel good wearing it, rather than the frequent wear it a few times and get bored of it scenario.

Jewellery

– Venice glass blown necklace and earrings

My best friend bought this back for me from his Europe trip. I can’t tell you how much I love these. I love how 3D they are, and how there are multiple colours swirled around, and how you can look deep into its depths. And I love the combination of purple, silver and black. It looks so magical and has little bubbles in it too. The earrings are cute and little but still make a statement. I have received so many complements on them! And the necklace is an amazing feature necklace.

So there you have my September favourites! Hope the new month has started off amazingly for all of you :)

Survey Sunday - September 30th 2012

It's Survey Sunday time once again! Here are this week's questions:

1. Have you ever met or encountered someone famous? If so who, and where?

Sadly my celebrity sightings are sitting at a bare minimum. On my first day in Italy I was wandering around the Vatican and bumped into Kate Voegele and her boyfriend. She is a famous singer in America and she plays Mia Catalano on One Tree Hill. We went to the bathroom at the same time and SHARED a hand dryer. Can you believe my excitement?! Also my friend called out ‘Kate’ to me and SHE ALSO LOOKED. Isn’t that incredible right? 

My sneaky photo of Kate Voegele! 

More interested in taking sneaky shots of her than looking at the beautiful floor oops!

My cousin is also a famous Australian actor so I’ve met quite a few Aussie actors he’s worked with/is friends with. Other than that I can’t think of a time when I’ve randomly spotted a celebrity unfortunately.

2. Have you ever been to Australia/seen a kangaroo or koala/tasted Vegemite?
I have done all of these things numerous times, funnily enough. However kangaroos don’t just hop down the street and koalas don’t just climb suburban trees so you have to go more rural/to the zoo to see those. I’m always asked this when I travel! Also Vegemite is amazing, but not everyone's taste.

3. What were some of your favourite book series when you were a child?
Harry Potter, The Famous Five and all of Enid Blyton’s books such as The Magic Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair, Deltora Quest, A Series of Unfortunate Events.

4. What is your favourite sweet biscuit and chocolate bar?
Favourite sweet biscuit would be Tim Tams (have you guys tried these!?! If not get your hands on some pronto). Favourite chocolate bar would probably be Twix, Mars Bar or Milky Way! I am odd because I really don't like M&Ms - the chocolate tastes bad in them!

5. What are your top three favourite eyeshadows to use on your eyes?
Satin Taupe, Patina and Naked Lunch (all by MAC).

6. What has been your favourite themed party you’ve ever attended?
That Harry Potter one I planned would come in one of the top spots for me! Also my mum threw me incredible themed parties throughout my whole childhood so all of those (thanks Mum!!). Plus anything from a cool era (20s/60s/80s) where you can dress like someone from that time.

7. What is your all time favourite mascara? 

This is hard because I haven’t found my Holy Grail one yet. I’ve currently got testers of Diorshow Extase, Chanel Inimitable, and YSL’s Shocking, of which I prefer the YSL. So it is most likely I will purchase YSL’s Shocking soon as it seems to be my consistent favourite!

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Now it's your turn, copy and paste the questions and answer them in the comments below!

1. Have you ever met or encountered someone famous? If so who, and where?

2. Have you ever been to Australia/seen a kangaroo or koala/tasted Vegemite?
3. What were some of your favourite book series when you were a child?
4. What is your favourite sweet biscuit and chocolate bar?
5. What are your top three favourite eyeshadows to use on your eyes?
6. What has been your favourite themed party you’ve ever attended?
7. What is your all time favourite mascara? 

Really excited to read your answers guys! Hope you are all enjoying your Sundays! 

Laine Blogger Award!

I was incredibly lucky to be nominated for the Laine Blogger Award by the lovely Maya from Spider Leg Lashes and Sneha from Sneha Says. 

These two girls are some of the loveliest girls I've encountered since blogging, and were among my first ever followers :) They are two of my favourite bloggers and you should most definitely check them out because they are incredible! Thanks so much for the nomination ladies!!

The Rules:

Tag the blogger who awarded you.

Answer the five questions below.

Award the Laine Blogger Award to 5 of your favourite bloggers.

Question 1: What is your current beauty obsession? 

I’m obsessed with eye makeup lately. I love looking at eye shadows and swatching them all on the back of my hand and arms until I look like a colourful zebra. I love the effect eye shadow can have if you know how to apply it properly, and how it can really make your eyes look bigger and more defined. I’m also fascinated by how different mascaras affect the lashes, and love playing around with kohl and gel eyeliners. I keep my eyes pretty natural looking, but it’s really surprising how many variations of 'natural' there are! Playing around with eye makeup feels so arty and creative.

Question 2: What is one beauty item you wished you owned? 

I have been dreaming of owning the Naked Palette by Urban Decay for so long, and FINALLY it has appeared on Beauty Bay so I’ve just ordered it. So my dream will be a reality shortly! Then I’ll want to own the Naked 2 Palette! I also really want a MAC blending brush but can’t justify the exorbitant cost of them here in Australia.

Question 3: What is your favourite post to read or write about? 

My favourite post to write about is creative/crafty ideas, or more personal ones and answering questions. I love my Survey Sunday ones. My favourite to read would also be more personal ones, or monthly beauty favourites, reviews, or creative ones.

Question 4: What inspired you to become a blogger? 

I have always loved writing and haven’t done a lot of it lately. I didn’t realise just how much I missed it until I started this blog. My friend also became a makeup artist, she recommended all these beauty Youtubers for me to watch, and I started full time work where I had to look presentable all around the same time. This resulted in developing a strong interest in makeup and using the internet as a form of expression, and I just got inspired to write my own to contribute my opinions and ideas to the world in some small way. It also provided me with the creative outlet I was desiring and lacking at work.

Question 5: What nail polish are you wearing right now? 

OPI’s Nein Nein Nein, OK Fine! It’s from the Germany collection and is a lovely creamy dark grey/green colour. I’m very surprised at how much I like it! And I love the super glossy finish.

So now I nominate the following amazing bloggers (love your work girls!!):

1. Ellie from Ellalogy

2. George from Life at the Coop

3. Perla from Perlaxmakeup

4. Laura from White Winters

5. Rachel from Live.Food.Love

Thanks again for the nominations Maya and Sneha, and can't wait to read the answers of the lovely bloggers I've nominated! 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! It's Grand Final Day here in Melbourne and everyone is all excited!! 

x