Australia Day, Hurrah!

The aftermath of Australia Day is painful. I woke up, still in my bikini and boardies, without having washed any of the chlorine off from the pool, without having cleaned my teeth, and with a killer headache and a craving for maccas. But my god, so freaking worth it, because now I have the memories of the BEST AUSTRALIA DAY OF MY LIFE. Yes, it was so good that it deserves CAPITAL LETTERS.
Yesterday, I crapped on about why I love Australia Day, but I now have a few more reasons. Plus, it gives me an excuse to post pictures and relive the photos.

1. Friends

2. A pool

3. Friends In a Pool

4. Pavlova

5. Teapots and Australia Day shots (and lots and lots of beer)

5. Not wearing any make-up, instead an Awesome Australia Day hat.

PS. All photos were taken by my friend, and I stole them off her. Sorry J!! xx

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Australia Day Beauty

Australia Day is seriously one of my most favourite days of the year. Full Stop, end of Discussion. It is the day of the year where the Triple J hottest 100 comes out, and I get to wait in anticipation to see who will be number one, the day you drink beer all day and wear Aus day flag temporary tattoos and not feel like a bogan, and the day where you can eat sausages and white bread and not feel guilty. Hurrah!!

(Image Source)

Today, in the spirit of being Australian, I am being very laid back with my beauty products. Kind of. As laid back as I possibly can be.

First, I am wearing sunscreen EVERYWHERE, because I am going to a pool party BBQ and I do not want to end up looking like a lobster. That is never a good look for anyone. My sunscreen of choice for body shall be Neutrogena Ultimate Sport, and for face shall be Hissyfit Saving Face, both for their incredibly high protection and water resistant-ness (plus Hissyfit also negates the need for foundation, Hurrah!

A little mascara, a little bronzer, and a touch of lanolips in Sunset, and my face will be complete. That is a lot less steps than the 17 it takes me when I am going out, right? Laid back definitely!

Hair is just getting a spritz of heat protectant spray and being put into a top knot, to keep it out of the way and to try and protect it a little from Chlorine, I do not want my gold tresses to turn green.

Last night, I fake tanned, so my wobbly bits won't be look so wobbly in a bikini. Also, I painted my toe nails blue. Now that I think about it I should have done them green and gold, but sadly I have neither of those colours in nail polish. Still, pre-emptive planning at it's best.

All I need to do now is put on my hat, blue raybans, pluggers, and get those temporary tattoos out. Australia Day here I come!!

Ahhhh, Australia Day. I love you. HA (Image Source)

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Words of Wisdom

Too True dear Mug, too True

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Review: Smashbox Photo Finish Light Oil Free Primer

I have been promising this review for a little while, and while sitting chilling on my computer today wondering what the heck I could do to pass some time I decided that today would be a perfect day to deliver. So here we go.

I love this primer. If I could, I would probably turn into a primer myself so that we could live out happy lives together, but sadly I am human, and I instead get immense pleasure from applying this primer to my face. I was originally recommended this primer from a lovely lady who works at Kit in Melbourne, because I had been using Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot and had been hating it. This lovely lady had previously worked for NP (helpful) and told me that I was incredibly silly to buy that primer because it was all wrong for my skin, and that Smashbox was much better. She was right. So very right.

Photo Finish is a white cream which feels slightly thick when you rub it in, but soaks in almost immediately, leaving a velvet finish on your skin. It does a fantastic job of helping your makeup to last all day, and really helps to even out your skin and give you a fantastic base to apply said makeup. It has quite a matte finish as well, which I think is great in a primer because primers are generally used to cover up issues, such as pores, and illuminating particles tend to make these more obvious. I tend to just apply my illuminator where it is necessary, which I find gives me a much better finish.

Plus, although my skin usually turns into an oil slick very quickly, this primer does a great job at keeping the impending oil at bay. Plus, being oil free, it is not adding extra oil to my skin (plus it means that it doesn't contain mineral oil, which quite a nasty character).

It is very spreadable and easy to apply (which was a problem that I found with Loreal Studio Secrets, if you remember). I usually apply with clean fingers after moisturizer, but the makeup artist used a brush to apply and it worked fabulously as well.

There isn't really a fragrance to this primer, which is yet another plus for me, because when you are sticking something that close to your nose you don't really want it to be giving you a headache.

All in all this is definitely a primer worth having a play with, because it is truly bloody awesome.

What are your favourite primers? I would love to know any others which might be worth me making the switch (although I doubt it haha).

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Delicious-ness in a Burger

I haven't posted a recipe here before, but I think that I am going to start now, as I made an awesome dinner last night which is too good to keep to myself.

I went to a dinner a few weeks before Christmas where I had these little mini lamb burgers, which were delightful, and I tried to emulate them last night, with some of the ingredients (I won't tell you where the restaurant was though, because they had terrible service and apart from the burgers were all round useless).

This is my version, which I tried to make a little healthier as per dietetics law.

Lamb and Haloumi Burgers

500g lamb mince - heart smart if you can get it
2 Eggs
Unprocessed bran/wholemeal bread crumbs
Rosemary, Thyme, Cummin and Turmeric to taste
Haloumi, sliced into 0.5cm (ish) slices
Baby spinach/rocket/lettuce
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Tzatziki (lower fat version if possible)
Multigrain/Seed bread

1. Mix up the mince, spices, eggs and breadcrumbs/bran to form a rissole mix (add the breadcrumbs until it sticks together properly, the amount will depend on your mixture), and roll out into patties. Fry these in a tiny bit of olive oil.

2. Toast the bread in the oven so that it goes crispy.

3. Grill the Haloumi slices under the grill, so that they get a lovely blacky-brown bubbly crust.

4. Assemble burgers: on the bread lay down some Tzatziki, then a slice or two of Haloumi, then rissole, then tomato, cucumber, salad vege, a little more tzatziki if you are that way inclined (like me) and final piece of bread.

Enjoy the deliciousness that you have now created. Amazeballs.

I had no salad vege's last night due to the floods. Lame. Still, delicious anyway.

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Review: Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Mascara

I went to Priceline today in search of retail therapy and I intended to buy the new Maybelline "Falsies" mascara, however I read a couple of reviews and it appears that the new mascara is more for lengthening and definition with a little volume, so I headed straight back to my old favourite, Colossal. I bloody love this stuff.

Why, you ask?
I love thick, noticeable lashes. I also need some lengthening, because I have short stumpy lashes, but I tend to head for volumising mascara's more than lengthening. That's just me.

Maybelline claims that the collagen formula and the mega-brush cause your lashes to become 9x thicker than normal. I can't tell if they are specifically 9x thicker sorry, I don't have awesome magnifying eyes in order to gauge those things, but I do know that they become incredibly thick.

I have found however, that my lovely Colossal tends to lengthen my lashes more than any other mascara that I have tried, even those that are specific for lengthening. Plus, it does a fantastic job of curling my lashes as well.

Plus, it doesn't clump. Again I think that is due to the amazing fat brush, which combs the mascara through very thoroughly. Plus it doesn't flake after a long period of wear, so there are no panda eyes half way through the afternoon.

One thing that I don't like, is because it does such a good job of lengthening and curling it can leave black marks on the base of your brow bone half way through the afternoon. I have found that with lots of curling mascara's though, so it doesn't ruin my love of darling Colossal.

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Volunteering

What has happened in my lovely Queensland is horrible, but if you are able, there is something you can do to help.

Volunteers are needed for the clean up, thousands of people have applied, but we are going to need all the help we can get to rebuild.

To sign up, please go to http://www.volunteeringqld.org.au/home/index.php and follow the links.

For other ways to help, Mia Freedman from Mama Mia posted a great summary article on all the different things that people can do to help. http://www.mamamia.com.au/weblog/2011/01/the-floods-how-you-can-help.html

Please, do all that you can to help. My thoughts and wishes now go to Goondiwindi and Northern NSW, who are now experiencing flooding, also areas in Victoria and Tasmania. I will be sending my wishes to everyone across Australia.

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Review: Clarins Instant Light Complexion Perfector 00. Rose Shimmer.

I was sent this product from the lovely Dee from Miss Prissypants, who gave it a go and who wasn't a massive fan. I had said that I had been desperate to try it (mostly because it is one of the products which Gritty Pretty's Eleanor Pendleton talks about a fair bit) so Dee sent it to me. Plus a whole bunch of perfume and eyeshadow samples, which are gorgeous! Thanks heaps Dee!

Anyways, back to the product. I have to agree with Dee. As a highlighter, this product isn't that great. It certainly doesn't give you a radiance like Beauty Flash Balm does. There is a slight shimmer there, but as I set my make-up with a tiny bit of powder (I have oily skin, ok) the slight shimmer is gone almost immediately.

What I do like though, is that this product does help to give the appearance of a more even complexion. It is not in the same boat as the Loreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer or even my beloved Smashbox Photo Finish at creating a smooth base (which I will do a post on soon, I know that I go on and on about it), but it certainly does do a pretty good job.

Plus, it works reasonably well as a primer. I have been wearing it to work for a couple of days and it has been holding onto my make-up quite well. Considering that it has been raining, and then was stinking hot while the flood water rose yesterday, it is doing a bang up job. Still, Photo Finish is probably better (you can't half tell I love that stuff, right?).

The packaging of this product is great though, as Dee mentioned. The pump is very hygienic, and as it has a flat lid it can be stood up (which is helpful for me as I like to stand my primers and so on up in my beauty cabinet).

The texture of this product is interesting, it is not what I expect. When you pump it out it seems really runny, but when you rub it in, it feels quite oily. It soaks into your skin almost immediately though, which is fantastic, because I hate having to wait for ages for primers to soak in. Plus, it smells really, really lovely. There is a faint rose smell, which I absolutely adore.

Maybe both Dee and I missed the point? Maybe it is not supposed to be a liquid highlighter in the same boat as Benefit High Beam or even a radiance booster like Beauty Flash Balm? Maybe it is just a normal primer? I don't know, as I thought it was supposed to be a radiance booster like BFB, but with a slight tint. It appears however, that I might be mistaken.

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Floods

Queensland is a disaster area. It is such a nightmare. Thousands of people are in trouble, the tension throughout the entire city is intense. Everyone is stressed out and terrified, and it isn't going to end for a long time.

I don't think that I have ever been this interested in anything. When September 11 happened I watched it on TV for awhile, got annoyed that it was all that was being talked about, and refused to talk about it again (mind you, I was only 11 at the time). Now, I have listened to every single report on the news, at work we had the radio tuned to ABC local radio, and they just kept going over and over the road closures, the water levels, and the missing persons. It is absolutely terrifying.

My facebook feed is full of my friends putting up pictures of where they are in relation to the floods. Some have flooded houses, some are stranded on roads with no way to get back, some are fighting off crowds trying to buy emergency supplies. The floods are all that any one can think about.

Most businesses are closed. The CBD is shut down. Power is out to areas in Brisbane.

My brother lives in Toowoomba. If anyone has seen the news from the flash flood in Toowoomba on Monday, and saw the image of the 4WD being barrelled along the river past the Repco... that is where my brother works. I am so thankful that he wasn't at work on Monday.

My parents live in Kingaroy, which is cut off from Brisbane by floods. Mum told me that there is no bread or milk in the entire town. I did just notice though on one of my friends facebook pages that she was able to make it back to Kingas through a back road, although the bridge that she had to cross is dangerous. A lot of the little towns around the South Burnett, Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley are isolated.

Please, everyone, send your wishes to Queensland. We currently need all the help that we can get.

Taken by my friend in Grantham

Taken by my friend in Milton

Friend in Grantham again

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Beautiful Blogger Award

I would very much love to thank lovely Dee for awarding me a Beautiful Blogger Award!

I was so lovely to receive this award, because I have only been blogging since October, and it definitely gives you a little happiness boost to know that people are enjoying what I write!

The idea of this award is that I then have to nominate ten blogs which I enjoy, and list 7 random facts about myself that people may not know.

Ten Wonderful Blogs:

Absolutely Beautiful Things - a gorgeous Brisbane interior designer who takes the most amazing pictures.

Am I There Yet - Hilarious beauty product reviews and stories about trying to make it big in the beauty journalism industry.

A Girl in Red Heels - This blog is great for a mix of celebrity and beauty products.

Counter Obsession - excellent honest beauty reviews.

This and That - I love this blog for the girly gossip.

Hip and Haute - gorgeous blog about fashion and beauty.

Eat, Move, Write - a fantastic American blog from a woman who had bariatric surgery and is slowly making her way through. Fantastic.

Gritty Pretty - I am slightly obsessed with this blog, and Eleanor's beauty pages in Famous. It is so artistic and the photos are lovely.

One April Morning - formally Life. Beauty. Laughter, a lovely blog about happiness, with amazing pictures.

Ms Prissypants
I know that lovely Dee is the one who nominated me for this award, but I do honestly love her blog. It is always so very honest.

Seven Random Facts:

1. Cleaning makes me feel better. When I am upset or stressed, I clean the house. You can always tell when something is wrong with me, because the house is in perfect order. I am pretty obsessive with cleaning anyways, but I get worse when stressed.

2. I can't stand the feeling of nail polish on my fingernails. It drives me nuts and my fingernails feel sort of heavy. It is hard to describe.

3. I am allergic to green head ants. Severely allergic (anaphylaxis).

4. I drink A LOT of water. Probably about 4 or so litres a day. I constantly have a 750mL water bottle with me, and I refill it what feels like a thousand times a day.

5. I love photography but I am not very good at it. Sometimes I end up with really great photos and that makes it all worth it, but more often or not they are pretty basic!

6. My favourite animals are birds. I love having pet birds, and I have had a series of special pet birds who love me pretty much my entire life. My current baby is Gregory Peck, but he is staying with my parents at the moment. I miss him a lot.

7. I never learnt to share very well. I have finally begun to learn, but if I ever lend anything to anyone I usually annoy them a lot until I get it back. I don't know why. I love the idea of having super close friends who you share your wardrobe with, I just need to learn to let go.

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Douglas

This is Douglas. Every single time I took a picture he squinted. Freaking Hilarious Looking.

The only sad thing? I can't have Gregory Peck because Douglas might eat him. He is now living with mum and dad. I desperately miss him.

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Moving House

I am going to be moving house over the next week or so, so I won't be blogging regularly for a little while. Hopefully I will be up and running reasonably quickly!

PS. Love you my bestie who is letting me move into hers, new housemates here I come!

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Review: Loreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

The first thing that strikes me about this primer is the texture. It is like velvet mousse, pink velvet mousse. It is such an interesting texture, and really fun to play with, in all honesty. Before I won it in a competition I would play with it all the time in Priceline, but I could never justify the cost (it's about $40) for a tiny little tub. Now I get to play with it all the time, so thank you, Bellasugar!

The interesting texture of this primer is what makes it really good at it's job, which is mainly to fill in wrinkles and pores, a little like spac filler on cars. It does this remarkably well. I use it on my rather large pores before foundation application, and it works a treat, leaving your skin looking fantastically smooth.

Application of this product is a little different to other primers that I have used, which I tend to spread all over my face with wild abandon, as this primer isn't really that spreadable. Little tiny bits of the primer need to be used at a time and just used on areas that you wish to smooth over, such as pores or wrinkles. If you try and spread it all over your face it will 'ball up', and you won't get even application. It really does help to keep your make-up in place all day though, which is the main job of most primers, and for that it scores points.

Where this little guy loses points is due to the packaging; tubs which you stick your fingers in are really not that hygienic. Plus. although I said that the tub is tiny (I thought that I had won a sample when it first came, oops), as you only need a tiny bit of product it will last a long time. This is great for value for money, but not that great for hygiene, because the longer that you have it the more bacteria from your fingers will grow.

If you have worrying areas that you are really keen to hide this primer is great, but I think that there might be other options which could do a great job as well, and might have less issues with application. Although, that might just be me, because I read a few reviews and only one other person mentioned the application issue.

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Review: Biore Rejuvenate Cooling Eye Gel

This is a product that I had sitting around for ages, and never actually used. Until I woke up with crazy puffy eyes every morning this week and needed something to help drain the fluid away.

I use this little eye cream to help de-puff, as it cools when applied to your skin (which is an interesting sensation when you first use it) and it takes about half an hour to completely de-puff my eyes. In perspective, my eyes have been so puffy that I can hardly see out of them, so I think it does a reasonable job.

The packaging is good, you can see how much you have used as it is clear plastic, and it is a mini pump pack it is pretty hygienic. The only thing is, that I have been using it in the morning for a week and it seems to be getting used up pretty quickly, I think that a bottle would only last about one to two months.

One little interesting side note, there are little sparkles in the formula. I am not sure if they are cooling beads or something;I really have no idea. The good thing is that you can't see them on your eyes, there is no accidental glitter make-up if you go into the sun!

According to the Biore website it is also supposed to help with fine lines, that I can't comment on yet, but I have another eye cream to do that at night time, and I have been focusing on the de-puffing aspect of this one, which it does quite well. Pop it into the fridge and it gets even colder and more relaxing, winner!

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Eyebrow Threading. Why I love it, Why I don't.

Yesterday, to get a kick start on my new years resolutions  I went and got my eyebrows re-threaded.

Sorry about the strange shadow, no matter where I was I got this strange shadow so I gave up

Why I love threading:
1. Perfect, neat clean lines that you cannot get with any other form of hair removal (I have found)
2. It removes every single hair, including the little tiny ones that you didn't even know you had. Therefore, the results last for ages!
3. Reasonably pain free. As someone who endures waxing on a regular basis, I find this to be much less painful, even compared to eyebrow waxing. It hurts a little, but it's not too bad. It feels a little like they are razoring your hair off, but not... hard to describe.
4. My eyebrows are nice and neat and even, but they are now too thin again, so this will go when I have to grow them back out.

Why I do not:
1. My eyebrows are now too thin, again. I told the lady my fear of thin eyebrows, and once again they were made too thin. Great. Another 4 months of growing them out is in store.
2. My person took hairs from the top of my eyebrows. Possibly why they are now too thin.

PS. Sorry about the puffy eyes in the picture above, but four days of crying and a trip to the hospital with a severe allergic reaction can do that to you. I am now waiting for my third thing to happen so that after that I can have a great rest of the year, because it started off incredibly shit.

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