5 Dec 2016

My Beauty Picks For December




It has been awhile since my last monthly picks, and I wanted to share all
of these amazing products after I had tried them out thoroughly enough.


The Manuka Honey Mask is a recent favourite of mine, and I saw results
immediately after use. Despite 
it's messy/sticky application process it smelled
like honey and flowers which was nice. I will point out that it took me ages to
peel off this mask, so I would allow at least one hour for the entire process
(application, drying, and removal). The results I saw were instant fine line
reduction, and smooth soft skin. 



Le Tan Instant Tanning Mousse has been such a breeze for me to use. I use
their tanning application mitt, and had no issues with it falling apart (like I've 
read
about Bondi Sand's application mitt in past reviews). It smells strongly of
coconut, and it takes around 5-6 hours to develop fully. Even after you shower
for the first day or two the Coconut/Tanning smell may stick to your skin. I highly
recommend this to first-timers, and anyone who wants a gorgeous green based tan.
The reason for it being a 
green based tan is to prevent you from looking orange. 


Swisse Argan Anti-Aging Eye Cream as really a shot in the dark for me. I hardly
ever used eye creams before I tried this one. What pushed me 
to get this is
finding out how delicate the skin is under our eyes. So I've added 
this to my
beauty regime after moisturizing and before concealer. It helps my eyes feel
less sunken, and more awake.


Juicy Couture by Juicy Couture is a unique 'beachy' scent perfect for summer.
Normally when I buy this brand I stick to Viva La Juicy, but the store I went to
was out so I decided to try this one out. The bottle is always something I loved

as far as their packaging goes, and more modest looking than Viva La Juicy.


My.Organics Restructuring Shampoo & Conditioner has literally transformed

my hair. For year I've tried countless Salon and Drug store hair care, but this
by far has been made a huge difference in my hair. I have long and thick hair,
which is most times hard to manage day to day. To lighten it up and give my 

neck a break from the weight, I straighten my hair 3+ times a week, but this
has lead to frizz and split ends. By using these two products together, I feel 
my hair is healthier than it has ever been. There is no greasy feeling from
the conditioner, and it has a fresh clean citrus smell. It's costly but it is 100%
worth it, if you want something that is complete quality.

28 Nov 2016

Why I Stopped Crossfit



It's been a few months since I have written about my first week of Crossfit.
For many of you the name Crossfit conjures up images of super shredded
men and women doing insane physical tasks in the gym. There are also 
heaps of fail videos all over Youtube depicting people getting seriously
hurt attempting these tasks. That is why I am writing about why I stopped
my Crossfit journey to switch to weight training and boxing. 


At first when I joined this Gym that specialises in Crossfit I knew it would

be difficult, and challenging. I completely trusted that my trainer/coach knew
what he was talking about and instructing us to do. Even though I spoke with
him about me being a beginner and recovering from an ankle injury, he didn't
seem to listen. When I asked about how to do certain things that I knew I 
wasn't doing in the correct form, he would just say 'You'll get there eventually".

I knew if I continued doing some of these exercises without proper direction,
that I would indeed become injured. So I listened to him and tried my best
to keep up without hurting myself. He times our ability to complete our circuit 
training doing various exercises as quickly as we can. So this is the perfect
recipe for injury, and my husband at one point was a personal trainer so I 
am aware of what 'not-to-do'.  

So here is my breaking point


During my timed workout session I would go from Power-cleans, to Burpees,
to Skip rope, Squats, and Hand Stand Push-ups. At the time, I didn't have 
the upper body strength to do a hand stand much less push-ups while 
doing them. I pushed through, and got through most of the work out. 
When I got to my third set of Hand stand push-ups something popped in my 
elbow, and I lost balance and fell on my right arm. My arm was immediately
sore
after that. My coach didn't seem to notice, and his mentality about training
really rubbed me the wrong way.



Hand Stand Push-ups (img crd: www.crossfitinvictus.com)


I didn't have a good vibe from this gym and it didn't seem to be anywhere
near the environment I had been looking for. I felt like my coach was almost
mocking in his comments, and felt awkward being around him. So every time
I went to go back I would break into a nervous sweat on the way there. It didn't

help that the coach had taken my number off of my forms that I had submitted,
to send me messages about training. At the end of the day that just creeped
me out.



I am now training at home or at the gym doing various weightlifting,
resistance 
training, boxing, and jogging. I feel much stronger and happier 

with what I am focused on right now. My husband has helped by showing
me 
proper forms and movements for exercise routine he has put together. 

This post is dedicated to him for helping me find fitness to be almost
fun again. 



21 Nov 2016

How to Deal with Stress



Sometimes I ask myself how I handle such high stress situations.  
It took me a while to realize how much of a difference your own 
reaction to these situations can affect the overall outcome. For me,
I use my creativity as an outlet of sorts, by writing and making jewelry.
When I look take a step back and look at the 'bigger picture', it makes 
me want to take any negative thoughts or feelings and put it into
something that will be positive for me in the long-run. 


I see many bloggers/vloggers who have issues coping with depression,
anxiety, and stress in their daily lives. Unfortunately, life has it's ups-and-downs.
The most important thing we can do is control how we react and respond.
Freaking out about something you can not change will not affect the outcome. 
I find accepting whatever has happened in my life, and finding a positive direction
really makes a difference.


If I get to the point where I find myself dwelling 
on something to the point where
it affects my state of mind daily; I will write
about it or push myself harder during
a workout. 
I hope that this helps even just one person, that would be amazing.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. 


11 Nov 2016

Back to Brunette + Tips for Colouring @ Home


So, as much as I love being blonde or having light brown hair, 
it is literally killing my scalp. I get horrible welts all over my scalp
that tend to bleed. It gets so painful that I have to douse my head 
in full cream milk to soothe and heal it.

I noticed that my readers are 
loving my reviews on hair colouring,
and seeing my mishaps 
as well as success stories. Loads of you
are probably nervous 
trying a whole new colouring product or just
trying to do anything d
rastic to your hair. 

My advice on this is to have someone help y
ou, even if it's your
partner. It helps to have someone to go over t
he back of your
head to make sure everything is even and covered. Another 
important tip, would be to check the amount of dye given in your 
box/mix. Some have more than others, where some of the more
expensive brands may have less to spread through your hair. 


If you have thick or long hair, I highly recommend doubling up
the product. That way you won't get to the end of your bottle 
and still have the ends of your hair to cover. It's a common 
mistake that I'm sure loads of people make, but will save 
you a trip back to the store to fix your colour.

For me, I want to stick as close to my natural hair colour 
as I can,
which is a deep dark brown colour almost black. 
If you find yourself
using a darker colour, be aware of any droplets that 
fall onto your
skin or clothes. They will darken up anything they touch or stay
on
if you do not wipe it off with a damp towel. If you find that your skin
has 
marks from the dye, don't worry.

The best method I have found is using
a damp towel and dipping
it in ash (gross but effective), then gently rubbing it 
on the areas you
want cleaned. If you don't have ash, I would recommend 
trying 

mi-cellar water instead (not as effective). 



1 Sept 2016

Focused on Fitness


Recently, I haven't felt happy with my body image and overall health. 
When it comes to fitness I sometimes have trouble pushing myself
when I am not in a group environment or under direction of a trainer. 
After setting my personal fitness goals I looked into starting classes at
a local Crossfit gym. Yes, crossfit. Most of you will think of those insane 

Youtube videos of super-fit guys trying to jump onto stacks of high boxes
and sometimes failing at it hard. Since I've never tried it before, I didn't
know exactly what to expect.   


After my first couple classes, it has been one of the most intense
and hardest workouts I've ever had. My coach is the most no-nonsense
guy you will ever meet, and reminds me of an American drill sergeant.
If you're looking for a full body workout that will leave you starfished on
the floor crossfit is perfect for you. I am still working out what hairstyle 

will be best for these varying exercises I will be doing. 

An example of what type of exercises
you will be doing as a beginner:


  • 15 Burpees
  • 15 Cleans
  • 15 Air-Squats
  • 15 Sit-ups
  • 15 Cleans
  • 15 Burpees

Let's say you have 8 minutes to do all of this, and if you finish you start
the list 
over again and do the proper movements as fast as you can without
getting 
dizzy. If you are unfamiliar with these specific exercises, I've posts
examples below.


Burpees



Cleans

Air-Squats


Sit-ups

16 Jun 2016

DIY Galaxy Highlighter




Last week I was online looking at several DIY's to learn how to make my own highlighter.
There were heaps of rainbow highlighter tutorials, but I saw that very few bloggers/vloggers (two that I found) had actually done a thorough Galaxy Highlighter Tutorial. I decided, based on several different methods, to combine them into this process. Here is my version of a DIY Galaxy Highlighter.



What you will need
  • Rubbing Alcohol/Methylated Spirits 
  • White or very light coloured powder highlighter
  • 4-5 colours (using eye shadows that match the colours you want)
  • Cupcake wrappers
  • Q-tips (one for each colour)
  • Toothpick 
  • 1 empty compact pan

I started by picking a photo of what galaxy I wanted to mimic and choose the colours that stuck out the most. I used a very pigmented white mineral highlighter for to add to each colour (I would recommend 20% highlighter & 80% colour). If you add too much highlighter, the colour will be washed out and not as vibrant. Use a tooth pick to gently scrape the eyeshadow you will use for each colour (you can use more than one eye shadow to create your intended colour). In my case I used some eye shadows that were shimmery to begin with. 



When adding the alcohol (or methylated spirits) slowly add drops into each colour while mixing it with the Q-tip until it becomes a watery paste. Mix well! As you can see below the Light Purple mix had too much Alcohol, and Pale Pink had the perfect amount of alcohol added. 



When finished mixing each colour quickly pick up your colours by order of your 
design and apply them to your empty compact makeup pan. If some of these mixes get dry while you are busy with other colours you can add a few drops of alcohol to get it ready again.



I spent heaps of time doing my design, and it isn't as easy as you would think. 
I used the Q-tip mostly, and a tooth pick for the stars at the end.



At this moment I was in awe of what I had made so far, and so excited 
to see the final product. Don't forget to clean up the edges of whatever 
compact or pan you use.



Using a paper towel fold it in half and use something with a flat even 
surface to press the highlighter into the pan. Do this until most of the 
alcohol is removed and the powder is pressed evenly. Put your highlighter 
into the refrigerator overnight (or 8 hours).



Here it is!





I am very pleased with the results, and now that I have worked
out a few kinks making it easier for the next time I attempt any
highlighter.


However, the colours are amazing, and using a brush I think this would
work for several occasionals. I hope this inspires someone to do their own version of this highlighter; and I'd love to see your final result photos if you 
attempt it as well. 


26 Apr 2016

First time I bought NARS lip gloss #Paris Follies

NARS ( or Narcissist) have always been a brand I was curious about trying. 
They are known for their amazing matte lip sticks, bronzers, blushes and 
nail polishes. I consider them a mid-to-high brand cosmetics brand. When I 
ordered this product Larger than life lip gloss in the shade Paris Follies, 
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of both the packaging and product 
itself. The applicator tip was a nice surprise in being that it is practically made
for precise application. There is no furry cold wet brush that you would find
on drug store brand lip glosses such as Rimmel and Maybelline. 


















I love the staying power this lip gloss has, and you can tell right away that it is
high quality lip gloss. I applied it twice today and my lips feel a bit more moisturised 
than they usually are (normally dry). It is listed for around $40 AUD full price, but
you can find it on ebay or other sites on sale for between $20-$34AUD. Overall,
a good product and it makes me want to buy heaps of NARS lip products.



High Contrast Filter used 

3 Apr 2016

My Day @ The Arnold Classic Expo In Mel


A couple of weekend's ago, I attended the Arnold Classic Expo that our
BJJ team was competing in. I was excited as I usually am for any fitness 
expo. This one was slightly different because of the vendors that would be 
participating as well as another important fact. Arnold Schwarzenegger 
would be attending (wasn't exactly sure when). In the past I've met so 
many amazing athletes at fitness-related events here in Melbourne Australia. 
The first time I went to one years ago, I was inspired to get fit and maintain 
a semi-healthy lifestyle. 

Before heading to the even I woke up early,  took my time to flat iron my 
hair using my beloved GHD. I don't flat iron it every day, and because of that
I get asked at times if I have had a hair cut. This is because when you flat iron 
your hair it removes heaps of moisture after-which your hair seems longer. 

When that was finished I put on a medium amount of makeup which consisted
of Rimmel Primer, BB Cream, Rimmel Concealer, Covergirl finishing powder,
Rimmel Bronzer, Coastal Scents Eyeshadow in Deep Roast, and lastly Maybelline
in Bit of Berry. 

After watching the BJJ matches, I tried to get through the crowd to grab a coffee,
and got stuck in a crowd after Arnold :) It was next to impossible to get a great
view, but I managed to get a few blurry pictures and clips (blurry). 

There were heaps of friendly people at this expo but it was incredibly packed,
and I don't really like strangers rubbing up against all sides of me just to get to
the next event I was attending. Unfortunately, that is a part of it! 

I had heaps of fun, and met so many awesome people.
Below are some pics with different vendors and my haul at the days end. 
( Please excuse the terrible lighting in these photos, I did adjust the colour 
and contrast in some to improve the quality, unfortunately fluorescent 
lighting is standard at these events)


Josh Sinclair @ MP an awesome brand


Animalism Clothing has some unique fitness wear,
people were so nice (bought item below from them)

Bought this Animalism Snow Leopard Sports Bra <33 ADORE IT



Lee Stam @ Team ON


Can you spot Arnold? Look closely...

Haul from expo


Best Protein Shaker I've used in ages! Nice Design. 

11 Mar 2016

Do I have to use foundation everyday?

"Do I have to use foundation everyday?"


This is a question that has been sitting with me for the past few years.
When I was in school, I always thought wearing foundation clogged
your pores and aged your face quicker. Fortunately for me, I didn't
have acne and didn't fake tan either. My skin for the most part has 
been clear for 90% of my life, and the only time I really get acne is 
when I use certain beauty products. 




Over the past couple of years I had been using different types of foundations to help with the paleness I developed on my face. I don't find I need to use it every day, and by putting it in my makeup tutorials I would be a bit of a hypocrite. I've done a couple tutorial's where I show exactly how I apply my foundation, concealer, and illuminator (highlighting). Instead of showing my viewers the long drawn out process of applying foundation/concealer, I'd rather skip to the contouring/blush/bronzer part of my makeup 
tutorials. 







Some Beauty Guru's who claim other Youtubers need to do foundation and concealer steps in each makeup tutorial videos or they won't be watched. Does your routine really differ so much from just changing the brand of the products that you have to do this? I don't think so. I aim to make my content as real and genuine as possible. Each channel is unique, just as each one of our styles is as well. So I will have some looks that have barely any foundation to begin with, to looks that are completely glam and thoroughly 
explained. 

3 Feb 2016

What I've Noticed About Beauty Guru's Lately


Now, Before I get into the theme of this post I don't want to offend anyone 

or seem judgey. These are merely my observations and opinions.


I am not opposed to 'some' cosmetic surgery, but it seems this is
happening to women that are younger than ever. I get there may be
something you are not happy with on your body, and some of you
have the 'guts' to do something about it. It's just not really for me,
and having someone you look at as a strong self-image get lip fillers
at the age of 18 seems a bit messed up. I'm fully aware that Kylie
Jenner has had a huge influence on both the illusion of having big
full lips as well as actual lip injections. 




Img crd: http://www.glamour.com




I've noticed so many big name YouTuber Beauty Vloggers between ages
18-25 getting lip injections, 
and making vlogs about their experience. The

crazy part is they don't need it at all. I think it's being treated as casually 
as going to the salon to get your nails done, and I don't think it should be
the norm for women so young. The next thing I wanted to mention is the
getting your eyebrows tattooed. This is another beauty trend that has grown 
to be as normal as getting lip fillers. Why would you want have one style
that is permanent??

Img crd: http://www.clinicalase.com.au






Is this an issue of them lacking confidence? Or does it affect their daily 
lives so much so that they have to have these procedures done to 
make their lives easier in some way? To me, when I think of women
having either procedure done, the age would be 35+. Again, I respect
personal choices and no I am not one of those 'Natural Only' women. 
I would just like to understand the thought process behind these decisions.



23 Jan 2016

My Ultimate 'Woman Cave'



When I think of what I would want in a space meant for me I think of pieces that reflect comfort and class. I spent time to really look for pieces that would show my taste as well as be in harmony with each other. All of these items are timeless and unique. History in items has always held my interest, and these silver based barstools are no different. I want people to feel blown away when they walk into my room. Something  that will reflect my unique sense of style. Chairish provides so many different options for any decorating style, as well as these other amazing companies. 








Vendor References

BROSA - Notting Hill Velvet Chesterfield 3 seater sofa
Interiorsonline.com - Antique Mirror Armoire TV Cabinet
Inhouse_collections1 - Antique Silver Round Mirrored Side Table French Provincial 
Chairish.com - Phyllis Morris Silver Bamboo Barstools
Chairish.com - Wings Sculpture
Chairish.com - Vintage '77 Street Scene Oil Painting
Designerchandelier.com.au - Crystocia® French Provincial Iron Chandelier 

Zizo.com.au - Indoor Outdoor Lace Damask Design Rug Black Network


18 Jan 2016

REVIEW: L'Oréal Glam Lights #2 Dark Blonde to Light Blonde w/ B&A


Since the last time I tried Loreal Paris's Preference Glam Lights #3
(Light Brown to Dark Blonde), I felt I wanted something a bit lighter.
Something with less coppery tones. 



I know I was breaking major hair colouring rules by not doing a base coat of 
blonde on my roots; as well as trimming off the darker Obre style hair I have 
near the bottom. I wanted to see how I could take my years of colouring my 
hair at home and make this work as best I could.





I apologize for my badly overgrown roots, but the results will blow you 
away. Here you can see the colour differences in different parts of my hair, 
and this would be difficult to go any lighter usually. 


I started applying small amounts to the applicator and gently combing it through from root to where my hair is significantly lighter (10 cm/5 in). I made sure to use my finger to spread the cream until it reached my roots if the applicator failed to distribute the cream. I repeated this process all the way around and in the under part of my hair to cover as much of the darker part of my hair as possible (knowing it will develop slower than the lighter bits). 

Now I started brushing the applicator full of the cream from bottom of where 
my roots end to the bottom end of my hair. I repeat this process until I have enough cream left to put on my glove (about the same amount you would use to apply shampoo to your hair). I use this to cover my roots around my whole head, so my natural hair colour will lighten a colour shades to blend in with 
the rest of my hair.





I spent close to 45 minutes on application, and it was developed enough to wash within 5 minutes of me finishing. I would also like to add that I used a store-bought toner (not as affective as a salon grade one!), and I will continue using a toner until I am am satisfied the tone has no copper tones showing through.Another treatment I put into my hair is AlfaParf Semi Di Lino Illuminating Essential Oil.



After these two treatments and heaps of applying and rinsing here are the final results.







I am pretty happy with the outcome, even more so than I was the first
time I used this product range. I think I will use this product again, and
I hope this helps someone who is thinking of trying Glam Lights out.