Looking Back / News Years Resolution 2013

Last year (2012), I had tonnes of resolutions. I did pretty well on them, but going into 2013 I wanted to focus on something very important to me: reading.

Sadly in the last few years, reading has gone on a backbench in my life, being overtaken by schoolwork, a part-time job, friends, Facebook, Tumblr, instagram, TV shows, YouTube... you get the gist. I know I'm not alone in this, and a few of my friends have also expressed frustration/disappointment in the fact they no longer finding themselves reading in the same way they did when younger.

I only had one resolution for 2013, and it was to 'Read more books.' I didn't give myself a number goal, or specify the types of books, or even list the books I wanted to read. It was as simple as those three words.

Over the year, I wrote down the names of all the books that I completed. I had to complete them to write them down, because so often I'd start and never finish a book, and the whole point was to get back into actually finishing books.

The first few months of the year I did pretty well, but as soon as I was really in the thick of school and work and the year kept plodding along, I once again found myself not reading anything for months and months.

In this whole year, I've only completed 6 books. In all honesty, it is better than last year, but it's still nowhere near where I'd like to be with reading. I want to get back to how I used to be - never not reading something, and at least a chapter of a book each day.

This year I have more than just one resolution, but I'm going to continue in my efforts to read more. Reading is such a nice getaway, it stimulates your mind, takes you out of the instant-gratification world of social media and allows you to explore concepts you can't in your mundane life.

There are so many good books, and so little time to read them.

So, for 2014, my aim is to read more than 6 books!

If you're interested, below are the 6 books I completed in 2013 (in chronological order).

I recommend them all - they're all fantastic books - but my favourite was Anne Frank's Diary. It was so very moving.

xx

Indy

REVIEW | T2 and LUSH

For Christmas, my very good friend Patrick got me two of my favourite things ever - Lush products and tea.  It was such a nice present and Patrick if you ever read this - thank you so much :) :) :) :) :) :)

Anyway, not intending to look a gift horse in the mouth, I thought I'd do a review on the tea and the Lush bubble bar to share the wonder. Ooeeeeee I love Christmas!

We'll start with the tea!

So the tea he purchased was T2's new Christmas tea 'Twinkle Berry'. It came in a shiny big box with a tea infusuer and a scoop.

I'd had this tea a couple of times in the shop, I think it was part of their Christmas range. It's technically not a 'tea' as such, but rather a tissane ('tea' being defined by the presence of leaves from the plant camellia sinensis), and as a result, it makes a really delicious iced-tea.

It's a really fresh, fruity flavour, with a sweetness to it. Lately we've had some ridiculously hot days, and it was so refreshing to have this iced-tea to cool down. It's not sugary like store-bought ice-teas either, and it just makes a really delicious drink. I've also had it hot, and it's a lovely fruity warm drink. I think when made hot it's best to combine it with another tea, most likely a green or white tea, to enhance their flavour. I combined this with Geisha Getaway and the result was off the chain. So good.  Best present, score!

Next was the Lush Magic Wand Bubble Bar. I'd seen this so many times in Lush, and hinted at it many times to those I was with, so obviously I was stoked when I got it. 

I used it for the first time in the bath on Christmas night, while watching RuPaul's Drag Race, and it made the water such a cute pink colour! The bubbles were really nice too, although I think next time I'm going to have to wave the wand around near the running water a little bit more, as at first the bubbles didn't come up that much, but after some swishing (which I do love doing) they were really frothy and great. 

And the smell, gosh I love that smell. I came out smelling like a snow fairy and feeling like a star. It was barely used too, and I got another one for Christmas. I'm going to be using this for ages, I'm just so pleased. 

Such a top notch, wonderful present. Both Lush and T2 never disappoint, I highly recommend both products for anyone who loves baths or tea.

Thanks again to Patrick, who is the bomb-diggity, 

Lots of love

Indy

xx

Christmas Day | Presents & Family

On Christmas Day I took a lot less pictures, but it went like this –

Firstly, I woke up at 7am. Unfortunately nobody else did, and being the only child I couldn't force everyone up. So I waited around until about 8:30am, when I got up, got dressed and went into the loungeroom to read for a while before everyone else awoke.

At about 9:30, everyone else had woken up and my Grandad's wife was cooking breakfast. We had a potato tortilla (similar to this) with bacon, and homemade tomato sauce and 'strawberry thickshakes' consisting of about a kilo of frozen strawberries from their farm, blended with a dash of milk.

The breakfast was absolutely delicious, however the 6 year old within me was itching to open presents ASAP.

At about 10:30 we began to open the presents (a whole 3 and a half hours since I'd woken, torture I tell you). Everyone got pretty rad presents, and I was so happy about what I'd gotten.

L-R - 1st Row Peter Alexander knickers, Peter Alexander sleepwear playsuit, Doctor Who t-shirt
2nd Row Lush products: three pack of FUN; Magic Bubble Wand; So White bath ballistic; Sunny Side bubble bar; Happiness pigment; Snow Fairy shower gel; $50 Lush gift card,
$30 iTunes card, Cadbury Favourites

It was such a lovely morning and breakfast!

Afterwards we headed home, where I got changed and did my makeup, and then to my Grandma's for lunch. At about 5pm Mum and I returned to our home where we opened the rest of the presents (which I unfortunately didn't take a picture of), watched Love Actually, ate a few Christmas cookies, and didn't eat dinner.

I didn't actually take any pictures after the morning, so that's all I have, but suffice to say it was a very lovely Christmas!

Definitely looking forward to next year, 362 days to go!

xx

Indy

Wearing: Rimmel Kate Moss shade 22 and an incredible tacky Christmas t-shirt (not pictured)

Christmas Eve | OOTD & The Most Delicious Dinner

As I write this, is it currently 11:30 pm on the 25th December, 2013 (AEDT). Christmas day is half an hour away from finishing, but there's still festive spirit left to enjoy.

I thought I'd do a two-part series of the Christmas celebrations, with this post (Christmas Eve) and also including one on Christmas, although admittedly there are slightly less photos of that day.

I may also include a post about my favourite gifts (and how lucky I've been this year!)

Without further adieu, here is Christmas Eve...

*    *    *

As we have done for the last couple of Chrismases, Christmas Eve was spent at my Grandad's farm, about 20-30 minutes drive from my house.

Following an optometrist appointment  – a little bit of grim stigmastism-filled reality during this festive season (lessened slightly by the cute English chap we talked to) – we grabbed our bags, bacon and bonbons and headed out to the farm.

On the way out, we listened to Michael Bublé's Christmas album (all time favourite) and began to get in the spirit of things.

To the farm, I wore a green (although in retrospect, blue) shirt and a velvet maroon skirt.

To add a little festive spirit, I did a take on the current 'floral headbands' trend, and pinned a piece of tinsel into my hair. Tacky, but fun!

And of course, I had to wear Christmas earrings. I bought these ones way back in July from a little store in the city and I love them!

We arrived at the farm to cheese and nibblies, including homemade caramel and bacon popcorn and a Christmas tree taken from the neighbouring farm (with permission). 

Just after dessert, there was a beautiful sunset too, with the most extraordinary colours. The next couple of photos have no filters/enhancements whatsoever. The sky was literally this colour. Amazing.

The food was also absolutely amazing, my Grandad's wife Anne is an incredible cook and every year she treats us to the most delicious food. We had three courses and then coffee and Mars Bar slice (supplied by my Uncle). 

Salmon and asparagus slice with a gluten-free pastry (so crumbly and delicious)

Slow-roasted lamb with pumpkin, broccoli and potato. Tender and to-die-for. 

Flourless hazelnut-chocolate cake with quadruple cream, freshly picked blackberries, vanilla bean ice-cream, blackberry sauce and a blueberry liqueur. I think that says it all. 

So that's that. Christmas Eve was decadent and delicious, with a really beautiful sunset and only the best festive music. It was such a lovely evening! 

Christmas post coming soon :) 

Happy holidays everyone! 

xx

2013 Reflection

In the very first post I published on this blog, I mentioned a lot of changes that have happened to my life.

I posted that way back in April, and it's December now, so I'm taking this time today to reflect on the time that has passed since then.

This year has honestly been the best of my life (so far). It always feel a little bit silly to sum up an entire year, because of course over 365 days, a lot happens. But there is no doubt that 2013 is going to be remembered as a good year.

I was sitting my school's oval on Friday on my last day of year 10 ever, with two of my favourite people in the world and I made the comment that if we'd told ourselves exactly a year before where we'd be in a year's time, it would sound ridiculous.

I honestly expected to be miserable and lonely at this time, instead I'm a happy li'l ball of love.

The friends I've made this year have been amazing. I never thought I'd find such a fantastic group of people and I love them so so much. I don't think they'll ever know the difference they've made to my life this year.

I genuinely cannot thank them enough.

If they ever read this they'll probably gag at the soppiness, but it's been such a huge change in my life that I couldn't leave it undocumented.

love love love love love love

More changes are to come in 2014, but I hope next year is just as good.

Formal!

Since my schooling system is a little bit special, I get three 'formals'. One in year 6, when everybody first tries their hand at makeup, trying to look nice, and - "Do I dare to wear them?"- high heels (which, as a side note, I did not wear in year 6. Très comfortable). Then we also get one in year 10, to celebrate the end of our mandatory school attendance (afterwards we can potentially leave school and join the work force/an apprenticeship) and in my case, the leaving of our 'high school.' And of course, the final one at the end of year 12, to celebrate the finishing of school altogether.

I'm 16, and on Friday 6th December I had my last day of high school. I've got two more years of college to go before I l finish school, but it's a milestone nonetheless.

On Thursday 5th December, I had my school's formal. We had it at a very fancy hotel, and everyone got really dressed up and arrived in fancy cars and ate a fancy dinner at fancy tables and got fancy professional photos done and it was all very classy.

The lead up to formal has been a long time coming - some girls at school have had a countdown on their phone all year telling them how many days until formal.

There were many stresses about makeup bookings, hair bookings, dates, afterparties, shoes, changing minds about dresses, arrivals, bags, jewellery, bras, pimples, bruises ... the list goes on. But on the night, everything and everyone looked perfect. It all pulled together, and we had an amazing night.

Here are a few happy snaps of the night.

My lovely date putting on my corsage

so pretty

The only shot of my hair! Sorry about blur!

favourite girls, so beautiful

Patrick looking dashing

 my midi ring, which i love

our arrival in a classic car, in yellow!!!!! 

At the table

Entrée

Dessert (forgot to get dinner, oops!)

selfies at the table

It was such a great night, two years until the next one!

xo

MAKE-UP REVIEW | RIMMEL AND BOURJOIS

Last week I went down the coast with my Mum, and while I was there I picked up some makeup from the pharmacy. There was a special on with Bourjois products, and if you spent more than $20 you'd receive a free little tin containing a blush and a primer. Of course, my Mum's a huge sucker for freebies, so she bought a foundation and I got a lipstick and we got the free thing! Hooray!

Since I live in Australia, we're just heading into Summer and I wanted some bright, summery lip products to wear out. I opted for the orangy/peachy shades because they're something I've never really worn before, and I felt it was time to try something new.

The Bourjois color boost (for the record, writing color instead of colour is really quite strange for me) has been raved about, and I can see why. It's got really nice application, great colour, decent pigmenting, it's fairly moisturising and it's SPF 15. I got the orange one, because again - brightness for Summer! I was a little worried about it being too orange, and looking ridiculous, but it's actually got a lovely pinkness to it, and doesn't look too bright at all. I really like the easy application, and how light it is. I tend to wear less makeup in the Summer, and it's not too heavy in colour, so you can wear it with just some mascara and eyeliner and it doesn't look over the top. The SPF is great too, as the Australian sun can be somewhat of a nasty thing on the skin.
 

 

 I also got a Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in #214 'Firecracker'. The little piece of paper/cardboard at the bottom of the lipstick which is meant to reflect the colour is completely wrong, and it's no where near as dark as you'd think from that. I'd say it is more between a natural/pinky colour and an orange/peachy colour. It's quite similar to the color boost actually, but a stronger colour and a bit more pink as well. It pairs quite well with brown and natural tones, but also definitely is a brightening lipstick. It's not too bright either, so it doesn't look over the top. I really like it. As for lasting power, it didn't seem to last a ridiculously long time, but it doesn't come off in the first 10 minutes either, and I was drinking a lot of water when I wore it. It also fades out quite nicely, so you get a gradual even loss of colour rather than a patchy, flaky diminishing. It's a nice day-time lipstick, good for picnics and bike rides and the like. A nice addition to my (small) collection.

Left - Bourjois Color Boost | Right - Rimmel Lasting Finish #214 'Firecracker'

And now onto the freebies! In the little tin (such cute packaging) was a primer and a blush in the shade 'Golden Rose'.  There was no choice over the blush, but hey I'm not complaining, it was free! The primer I haven't actually had a chance to wear out yet (like I said, I wear less makeup in warmer weather), but it's got a lovely smooth texture and I'm quite looking forward to trying it. 

The blush is SO pretty. It's got a bit of a shimmer through it with a gold undertone which makes the pink a gorgeous colour. It's not so intense that you look ridiculous, but it's a light pink that's definitely quite girly and there. It can be quite noticeable though, so just be careful to not go too overboard. It applies really nicely as well, and the rounded pot makes it very easy to get it on the brush (I haven't used the brush it came with, but it's cute the way it fits into the packaging!). The blush is quite brightening, and really good for days where your skin just isn't quite looking as glowing as you'd like. I'm very happy with it.

Wearing the Bourjois ColorBoost in 'Orange Punch'

Overall I'm really pleased with these products, and I'm really excited for Summer to arrive (although I'm not too fond of the heat). Good times are ahead!

xx

Indy

Floriade

Every year, my city holds a flower festival in the Spring. It's free, and runs for about a month. I think it's been going for like 25 years or something, and last year when the Queen visited, she came to the festival too.

It's so pretty, and all the flowers in bloom just make it such a happy place to be. There's a ferris wheel too, so you can see all the flowers from high above. I'm slightly terrified of ferris wheels (not the height, just a fear of falling), so I always use it as an excuse to try and overcome that.

It's also a major magnet for anyone with a camera - it's just so fun to capture the colour and beauty.

I wanted to share some of the snaps I got when I visited, the weather wasn't the most amazing, but you can definitely get the idea of how beautiful a place it is.

Oh, they also have a thing each year where you can paint a gnome and have it displayed in Gnome Knolls, some schools do it all together and some organisations too, but you can just enter it by yourself as well. I love seeing all the creative gnomes people paint, and I took pictures of some of my favourites!