Autumn OOTD

Zara Trench Raincoat

London Rebel Taupe Microsuede Boots

Forever New Natalie Zip Bag

J x 

Deluxe Samples, Mecca Maxima Beauty Loop, & Newbies

Life is short, Buy the shoes!!! (Get this rose gold & white polka dot quote card from Kikki K here)

Happy Sunday!

Incidentally, it's also Mother's Day! In my adventures purchasing a few of my favourite beauty products for my Mum, I managed to score a few freebie deluxe samples from Revlon and Mecca Maxima.

I'll get into the samples in a sec! But first, pictured above are a few new acquisitions:

Essie Buy Me A Cameo - a metallic nude shade that I've been eyeing for a while;

NARS Audacious Lipstick Natalie - you all already know how much I fell in love with Grace, so this was on my hit list this week! Beautiful rosy pink, and super pigmented;

Colette Off Duty Blogger clutch - gonna use this for travelling, probably put my vlogging camera & Macbook charger etc. in there :)

REVLON BEAUTY BAG

I believe it was a AU$39.95 spend to receive the beauty bag at Myer with 5 full sized samples.

I haven't included the free eyeshadow quad & nail polish in the photo, as I gave them to my Mum along with the makeup bag it all came in!

I did purchase a creme lipstick in Pink Velvet (one of my staples which I gifted to Mumma Bear also), and my daily Colorstay pressed powder, so I was well over the minimum to receive the beauty bag.

I kept the Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator, Ultra HD Lipstick 830 HD Rose, and Colorstay Brow Fantasy crayon/gel duo in Brunette. Will post an update on how these products go in weeks to come - I already love the Lipstick shade, but it does have a scent to it which I don't know if I love or hate yet! Ha!

You can shop Revlon at Myer here! Hurry in to get your freebie beauty bag, I'm not for sure when the promotion ends.

MECCA MAXMIA BEAUTY LOOP SAMPLE BOX

This is what I love about member rewards at beauty and cosmetics stores! 

I've not tried any of these products before, but super excited to crack them open:

NARS Light Optimising Primer

Ren Micro Polish Cleanser

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder 

The last one is especially intriguing! Hyaluronic acid finishing powder for brushing over night cream or over makeup. Will for sure be updating you guys on that one.

Head on over to Mecca Maxima and join the Beauty Loop - There are 4 sample boxes per year, and a ton of other cool perks.

Last but not least, a sneaky purchase from Forever New, how cool is this! The glitter moves all around - and we know how much I love my sparkles. 

Countess Sophia Fits iPhone 6, and you can find it here.

Let me know if you see any cool promos happening at the moment that I should be jumping on, or any stores doing awesome loyalty perks! 

And as always, I'll be sharing any I see with you guys on here :)

J x

Bittersweet - D&M

Source

Tumultuous times can bring the biggest lessons.

We don't often understand why events occur, or we don't want to.

I feel like there is so much noise and clutter that results when something tough happens, and we can get so overwhelmed with emotions. Whether you experience anxiety or not, it is never easy to make sense of the cards life deals us, alone.

I'm lucky. I have a select few people in my life that will force me to see things in a different perspective. Even when I don't want to. Even when it seems impossible.
They take my mess, and help me find a meaning for why the mess occurred. 

Life isn't always fair. There are so many things we wish we could change. But I'm grateful for the people that show me that hope exists, regardless of the extremity of mess. Regardless of how impossible the situation. You cannot replace the level of care it takes to do that for a person, and I will never take it for granted.


One of the things I have learnt the hard way recently:
We cannot shut people out.
If you're on a train, never let someone ride with you, unless you intend on explaining the sights along the way. Talk about it. Regardless of how daunting the mess is outside the window, be open to communication.
And if you decide to get off, do not leave that person on that train without an explanation. Don't wait until it's too late.

And, harder still, this:
Relationships - romantic, friendly or a simple interaction - exist for one of two reasons:
To fulfil you. Or to teach you.
Whether you win, and ultimately get what you wanted.
Or you lose, and are left to sort through the mess & find meaning for it.
As hard as it is to accept, "to love and to lose" is the next best thing.

People come into your life for a reason. I have always hated this saying. When mess occurs, you hear it from anyone and everyone. It becomes hard to believe.
I still struggle, but it is something I am slowly learning to accept, with help from people that care.
No matter how messy the situation, there is something to be learnt from all who come and go.
A bittersweet exchange.

Whether it's to remind you not to make the same mistakes over again, whether it's to show you that you are worth more than you thought, or whether it's to help you realise how you should be treated.
Whatever it is, the next best thing to fulfilment, the next best thing to winning, is a lesson learnt.


To those without people to push them to find silver linings in life-mess, I say this:
You are not alone. Take what you can from what you've got.
Even if you find one small, seemingly insignificant lesson from the situation, take it. Be grateful for it. Grow from it. Let it influence you, teach you, and give you strength.
Let it be a reminder that your story isn't over yet.

J x

My first Audacious Lipstick & Rose Gold obsession!

Nars have had the Audacious Lipstick Collection out for a while now but I've not had the chance to pick any up - until now! And let me tell you, these are amazing. I'm hooked!

The colour range excites me so much, and when swatched, you can tell they are extremely pigmented. 

The colour payoff is so strong, and the texture is devine! So velvety and a little goes a long way. 

I'm really hoping to try the shade Natalie next - it was more of a light pink tone, which I already own a lot of (but still not quite the exact same shade, and it was so pretty!), so I opted for this electric pink/red Grace instead. 

How beautiful is it?! I could not resist. I feel that although it is a spring/summer shade, it could easily work in autumn/winter if you wanted a pop of colour to brighten your spirits in the colder months :)

It seems I've become a bit obsessed with rose gold!! 

I also picked up this awesome rose gold Alpha Votive Candle Holder from Dusk, which is working well with my rose gold clock I previously got for my room.

These cute bow rose gold & dement earrings at Forever New (you know me and bows, let alone rose gold!)

And this rose gold & white watch from Valley Girl (a bargain and pretty cute!)

Have you seen any rose gold pieces you think I will love?
What's your favourite Audacious Lipstick shade from Nars?
Let me know :)

J x

Mini Package Swap

Apologies for the bad lighting!!! I'm working on a new flatlay location :)

The beautiful ms.winnie was kind enough to send me some goodies from The Face Shop in Sydney! We decided to make a little package swap out of it, so watch out for THIS parcel to you in the post Winnie!

Not having The Face Shop in QLD, I was excited to get my hands on some Asian face masks and eye masks. I've had a couple of good ones from W Cosmetics in Indooroopilly, but it's a bit of a hike from where I live so I don't get them often.

Interestingly, there's a Snail mucus mask!!! Sounds kinda scary but we will see what it does for my skin :)

I really want to focus on skincare this year and get myself in a better routine, so here's hoping these motivate me a little more.

I feel super lucky to be part of an online community that supports, shares and cooperates in such a friendly way. 

I'll be working on some collabs with some really cool people in coming months, so start tuned! 

J x

FULL LIST OF PRODUCTS RECEIVED (Thanks again Winnie! Excited to try them all)

- Appelles Apothecary Shower Gel: Lemon Myrtle, Sandalwood & Rosehip

- Appelles Apothecary Shampoo: Blue Mallee Eucalyptus & Lemongrass

- Appelles Apothecary Conditioner: Sandalwood with Kakadu Plum

- Appelles Apothecary Vitamin B5 Skin Lotion: Mandarin peel, Rosemary & Cinnamon bark

- The Face Shop: Green Tea Toner & Lotion kit

- The Face Shop: Collagen Essential Mask Sheet 

- The Face Shop: Raspberry Roots Collagen Eye Patch

- The Face Shop: Smile Foot Mask

- My Beauty Diary: Cooling Mask

- Otaku: Chamomile & Collagen Mask

- Etude House: Smooth & Firming Snail Mucus Face Mask

Changes and Endings - D&M

"Everything’s magical when its snows, everything looks pretty. The clothes are great. Coats, scarves, gloves, hats...Do you know the best things in my life have happened when it snowed?...I feel good. Tingly...

When I was five, I had a really bad ear infection and I had been home in bed for a week and I was very sad. So I wished really hard that something wonderful would happen to me. And I woke up the next morning and it had snowed. And I was sure that some fairy godmother had done it just for me. It was my little present.
Of course, many years later, I realized that logically, the snow was not there for me personally. But, still, when it snows, something inside me says, ‘hey that’s your present.’ I don’t think it’ll ever change" - Lorelai Gilmore

Though it doesn't snow in QLD, I've always felt I could relate to what Lorelai was saying.
I've always looked forward to the shift in weather, not only for the obvious more desirable climate and better fashion options, but because of the promise of positive change.
Change can be scary. I am not a fan of change. But I feel like Winter has so many positive associations with it, that over the years, it has become a marker for when my life is going to go into reboot. A positive reboot.
For everyone else, New Years is when this occurs... not for me. 

The day I wake up and feel the distinct chill in the air, the smell of the cooler morning, I know it's time.
It's not quite Winter yet, but the change has started.

I went for my usual afternoon walk yesterday, and this is what I saw:

The beauty of a Winter sunset is unlike any other during the year. There is something special about that sky when it gets colder. It's like the universe is showing you that it's ready for change, and it's giving you a little sneak peek.
This moment, right here, where the sun is just about gone. Where there are slivers of light fighting through the clouds. Where colour explodes and beauty takes over.
It is one of my most favourite moments in life, ever. The late afternoon, my most favourite time of day, coupled with one hell of a cold-day-sunset. I feel good. Tingly.

I take this as a sign from the universe, that change is coming.

The sunset is of course an end to a day, and the cooler temperature I woke up to is an end to Summer. But there's more to it, for me.

It's the world giving me my own little present.
Showing me that there can be an end to whatever negative things I want to leave behind. That good things can, and are, to come.
Just when I think I cannot handle any more, just when things start piling up and I begin to get overwhelmed, the universe is sending me a present to remind me not to give up. To breathe. That hope exists.
To let go of the things/people getting me down, and that there are things/people to look forward to in the future.
The end of the bad, The change to good.
My positive reboot.
 
So thanks, Universe, for my present. It could not have come at a better time.

J x

Homey Haul

I finally got my MacBook Pro!

13" // 2.8GHz // 8GB RAM // 512GB flash storage // Retina display

Too excited! Have been eyeing this off for a while, and I know my blog will get more love and attention now that I have a sexy laptop to work with. Motivation come at me!

Thanks to Domayne for the superseded-stock hook up.

Also wanted to share my updated bedside table decor:

I fell in love with this Target Lisa T rose gold clock after seeing it on Instagram.

The Kikki K quote cards sang out to me, especially the quote shown below, and I couldn't resist the purchase. Trying to take the advice on each card - challenge accepted!

Also pictured are oldies but goodies: silver Bouclair reindeer ornament from Spotlight, Snartig vase and faux flowers from Ikea, rose gold candle holders from Bed Bath N' Table (Christmas stock, so no link - sorry!), and Eiffel Tower gifted to me from a friend.

Hope this gives you some home-spiration of your own :)

J x