Links & Loves #2

This week has been a complete write off in ye olde blog world, I had grand plans last weekend to get a few videos done and a couple of lip swatches. That was until an alien decided to come and plant itself right on my face under my lip. I thought the offender was a cold sore I never get them, but the fiancee does and he assured me it wasn't. It was a big ass nasty pimple and it hurt like hell! 

Source - Google Images

I honestly didn't plan to pop it but it kind of just happened, and then the sucker came back! WHAAAAAAAT! It's now only just going away... a week later.

So anyway in lieu of any real posts this week I thought i'd do another installment to my links & loves posts.

LINKS

- Lilit from Makeup & Macaroons gives her 5 tips on wearing bright lipstick - this girl rocks the bright lipstick so it's a great guide!

- Celina from Fables in Fashion wrote this amazing post about Filming Tutorials & Taking Self Portraits it has so much useful information it'll be forever bookmarked on my computer! She has also done this amazing Zombie look for the Book of Fables... LOOOOOOVE!

- Emma from Emma Bovary Beauty has been haulin' Illamasqua and her post on the Complement Palette may have created a new lemming for me!

- Chelle from Cosmetic Cupcake does an amaaaaaaazing macaron manicure for Adriano Zumbo's Zumbaron day - guess who lined up at 7.30am in the morning for macarons with her? Me! 

- Reese from Reese Atomic has done what I wish I could do and dyed her hair pink! Go have a look, it looks rad!

- I'm easily enabled and Jess from The Belle Lumiere has not helped the situation with her must have Etsy store picks!

- Stef from Girl 3000 has written an inspiring post on the 100 things she has learnt about being healthy, this is a must read if you are lacking in motivation at all!

LINK & LOVE

An amazing new blog started up this month! If you're interested in Gardening and growing your own vegetables check out The Green Thumbed Gnome - I may or may not know the writer of this blog ;)

LOVE

Tonight i've been on trawling tumblr for the past few hours. I've had some good and bad results form it, here's what i've found that I liked!

Source - http://noblogjustinspiration.tumblr.com/post/33847437061 

Source - http://daisylouise.tumblr.com/

Source - http://kellensblog.tumblr.com/

Source - http://depopulatehell.tumblr.com/

Source - http://screwxthexstandard.tumblr.com/

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and if this bloody pimple clears i'll be busy doing videos and swatches... wah-hoooooooooo

Links, Loves, Breaking News! & Something called IMATS!

Back in the good ol' days I used to do a post every Friday containing my favourite blog reads for the week and some random pictures from the interwebz that I found inspiring, cool or just plain pretty.

I'm bringin' it back!

Lets start with some blog posts that have tickled my fancy this week, I reached a milestone this week and actually caught up with all the posts in my google reader! Yippee! Let's get into it -

Kimberley from Pop Couture Beauty reviewed the new Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stains and I can't wait to get my little mitts on them!

The new Urban Decay Vice palette is coming out just in time for Christmas, yes i'd like it please Santa! Check out Xsparkage's review and swatches....PRETTY!

Lizzi from Makeup and Smell The Coffee is a new blogger i've discovered, and her post about the 10 items she'd purchase if there was a zombie apocalypse is fantastic!

If you want Ulta3 swatches check out The Life & Times of Kiki Chaos she has swatched the new pastel collection, perfect for Spring!

Nails again! Chelle from Cosmetic Cupcake does an amazing studded mani! Right up my alley as i'm all about studs (the metal kind, not the man kind...although they can be quite nice!

Lube as a primer? Whodathunkit! Check out Suzanne from Don't They Know Who I Am? show us about a great primer alternative and what you can do with your spare lube? (haha awaiting interesting google searches to my blog now!)

BREAKING NEWS! THIS IS SERIOUSLY JUST LANDED IN MY INBOX AND I'M GOING TO DIIIIIEEEE!

Peter Alexander has launched a new Disney collection.... and there are Ariel pyjamas! NEED SOME NOW! (FYI The Little Mermaid is my favourite Disney movie).

I can't link the picture for some reason but LOOK HERE

Okay now back to the task at hand, my blog post.

Let's look at some pretty things I've found on the interweb of late!

Source: shop.premonitiondesigns.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: holographic-hussy.com via Emilee on Pinterest

Source: karmaloop.com via Elyse on Pinterest

Source: arti-st.tumblr.com via Anita on Pinterest

Music is my fuel and this is what i've been loving musically :)


Frank Ocean - Lost (hope this works because i'm in the office I can't listen)

Metric - Youth Without Youth

And to finish off this long post, I'll be heading to IMATS tomorrow! Come say Hi if you see me. Check out my Youtube Channel to see some of my IMATS videos (i've done haul videos for the past 2 years i've been and most recently the IMATS tag - below)

New Things!

I'm a nosy parker and love these sorts of posts! Here is some new stuff i've recently bought or in the case of one item been given :)

So what are all these new shiny things!

Pastel Pink Skinny Jeans - Kmart RRP $15.00 - That is not a typo, and that isn't even on sale...that's the full price! There are also a light blue pair and a mint pair... I WANT THEM ALL! The colour is actually called Fairyfloss....DYING OF CUTENESS! They also have these cute little cuffs on the hem and are the perfect length for me (being a shorty). 

Ulta3 Magnetic Nail Polish in Spellbound - RRP $5.00 - Finally found these in my local Soul Patterson chemist, they were hiding behind the counters. I just got one to try out and will certainly do a blog post on this. They only had 3 colours (not entirely sure how many are in the range?) and you can also buy additional magnets for $3.00 each for different effects.

Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons - RRP $14.95 - This is FOA's version of the Clinique Chubby Stick, while I don't own any of those I thought these were too cheap to pass up. Bloody hard to find but eventually went all the way to Canberra and picked them up (I didn't go to Canberra specifically for the lipsticks!) Review coming shortly, I've done swatches and everything...good blogger I am!

Foxy Bag - Ebay - $10.99 (including postage) - I get so many comments on this little bag, and I get why it's adorable! I originally heard about these from one of my favourite YouTuber's Sprinkle of Glitter and when I saw how cheap they were, it was no question I needed one! This is the seller I got mine from - http://stores.ebay.com.au/abalacoco 

Diva Rose Gold Watch - $29.95 - My lovely mum got me this, she knew i'd been into Diva about 5 million times looking for one and she found one on her travels, yay mum! This is an absolute copy of the Michael Kors/Marc Jacobs man style rose gold watches. I wanted one of the "real" ones for my birthday but always being a silver girl I wasn't sure i'd love rose gold on me so I got this as a try out until then... well basically I love it so I think the real version will be on my wishlist come September!

Last but not least, I got this album today. I absolutely adore Motion City Soundtrack and their last album My Dinosaur Life was my favourite album of 2010..hands down! This is their new offering called "Go". I'm on my first listen now and I generally make my decisions about what I think of an album after 3 listens, its my weird rule i've always had. However, so far so good! 

If you like cheery pop rock with a tiny bit of punk influence, definitely check out Motion City Soundtrack. Their songs make me smile :)

Currently obsessed with a drink

It's cold and I think this is the perfect time to write about this little drink i've been indulging in of late!

A few weeks ago I was in freeeeeeeeeeezing cold Canberra, checking out the Groovin The Moo festival (it was fun and i'll do a post about it soon :P). The festival was around 0 degrees all day, that is not exaggerating!

My dad managed to find this miracle drink (well it's not totally a miracle, it's quite common) but i've been addicted to it ever since! It was so warming and soothing and it's so lovely to have on those chilly nights.

It's also great if your feeling a bit fluey, it'll clear you right out!

Best of all, most of the things you'll already have in your kitchen cupboard.

So all you need is - Lemon, Ginger (ground or fresh) & Cinnamon (ground or sticks) & a cup of water.

Put the ingredients in a saucepan and taste as you add, I haven't put any measurements because this is totally a taste thing! You like more cinnamon? Throw more in!

Stir and bring to the boil, as demonstrated below.... gosh I should be on Masterchef!

Once done, pour into your favourite mug, throw on your snuggly dressing gown and watch Jerseylicious or TOWIE just like I did here! Like my mug? I got it from Disneyland Paris when I went overseas for the first time in 2001! It's one of my favourite possessions :)

So so so wrong...Kelly Osbourne!

This is an unusual type post for me but I just saw these pictures of Kelly Osbourne from the Art Of Elysium's Gala and had to share them with you.

Poor Kelly Osbourne...

This is all kinds of wrong, from the foundation to the hair and even the dress is not flattering! Girl has worked hard for her current figure and this dress just completely drowns her.

I cannot get over the foundation though, perhaps its the lighting/flash but you'd think these celebrity makeup artists would have that down pat (assuming she had a makeup artist and didn't do this to herself). She's a pale girl why try and make her look so tan. Perhaps if she was her normal colour the grey hair may work a bit better for her?







Images taken from The Superficial

Link Love & Random Shizz!

I haven't done a Link Love post in eons... actually I think my last one was way back in January 2011..A YEAR AGO!! I typically did them on Fridays and was actually planning to get this up on Friday but hey I had social commitments :P

The good news is i'm fully caught up in my google reader so have managed to put together a little list of blog posts i've enjoyed over the past couple of weeks!

Enjoy!!

This is a bit of an upsetting one but one of my favourite bloggy gals Jacie from You've Got Nail is shutting up shop for awhile, she is an amazing asset to the Australian blogging community and it'll be sad not seeing her updates every week but she works so hard and sometimes taking a break is for the best. However give her some love as she is keeping the blog open so we still have access to all her wonderful and witty posts.

Jess from All I Want Is Everything has a NARS blush collection so drool worthy it makes me want to go on a major NARS shopping spree! She has kindly swatched her collecti0n so go have a squizz, don't blame me though if you end up buying a few. Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Kimmi from The Plastic Diaries has made us a list of 11 Online Beauty Stores we need to check out! Are your pockets burning yet?

Tine from Beautyholics Anonymous lets everyone know what it's like being a beauty blogger, it ain't all champagne and lipsticks :P

Jen from The Nail Polish Project & my fellow Pro Nail Supply shopper does an amazing lightning bolt tape manicure,  I love the colours she's used!

Tegan from Tegania's Thoughts rocks some awesome Lime Crime lipsticks, I think the red is her colour, do you agree?

Chelle from Cosmetic Cupcake is awesome... full stop! Check out this amazing lace manicure she did, I reckon this would be awesome to rock at a Burlesque club!

Sarah from Dempeaux shows us how to do wing eyeliner, I've been practicing and I think I ALMOST have it down pat thanks to this tutorial!

Now for some photos etc I've been liking all around the place (all photos have been snatched from either my tumblr or pinterest)















A couple of songs i'm loving right now -


 



And lastly... something I'm lusting after, I want a rose gold watch!



 

Yankee Candle smelly review time!

I loooove candles, so much so that mum and I make them. We are on a mini hiatus at the moment though, so these candles couldn't have come at a better time since i'd run out of my own ones.

I'd heard of Yankee Candle quite a bit and had read various reviews on the candles and the company itself, I always sniff their candles when I see them in little knick knackey home stores (that's where I've usually found them). However now you can purchase them in Australia on their own online store  there is no need to try and track them down in said knick knack stores!

I was sent 2 candles to try out from the Aromatherapy Spa Range.

Cinnamon & Frankincense - Stress Relief

3 x 4 Pillar Candle - RRP $19.95AUD



From the website - Guided by ancient knowledge and modern research, our master aromatherpists have carefully created this blend of pure essential oils, the most potent form of a plant's aroma. Infused with warming Cinnamon and meditative Frankincence, this comforting formula helps ease stress and promotes deep relaxation.

Now i'm terrrrrrible at describing scents but I found this was the kind of scent I'd usually smell walking into Tree of Life (it must be the Frankincense). The scent also has a warming spicey smell to it (Cinnamon obviously). This is the perfect scent when it's cold outside and you want to feel warm and cozy. I can't say it worked for stress relief but I can vouch that the smell is strong enough that I was burning it outside when we had a bbq and you could still smell it. Good test! I haven't burnt it all the way down yet but I burnt it for a good 4-5hrs and it only made a small dint in the top of the candle. I also think this is a perfect Christmas scent!

 

Tangerine & Vanilla - True Bliss

3 x 4 Pillar Candle - RRP $19.95AUD



 

From the website - Guided by ancient knowledge and modern research, our master aromatherpists have carefully blended Tangerine and Vanilla pure essential oils, the most potent form of a plant's aroma, to create a formula that produces a feeling of blissful wellbeing.

This is my absolute favourite of the 2, the combination of Tangerine and Vanilla is absolutely delicious smelling! I was always told using Vanilla with another scent just brings it to life. It's so true in this case. Its zingy/citrusy with a slight creaminess from the Vanilla. What I love is that it's a comforting smell for the colder nights but it's also fresh enough to use when the weather is slightly warmer or you just want your house smelling nice and fresh. The scent isn't overpowering, I personally sometimes find citruses a bit too much and they sometimes give me a headache. This is the perfect balance! One I think i'll be purchasing in a larger size!

Overall I really like these candles, I'd like to try out the jar styles I think as I do prefer them to pillar candles (less mess etc). I've also heard good things about the tarts which are what I prefer using to candles in the warmer months.

If you'd like to check out the website and order some yummy smelling candles, Click Here!

These products were provided for my review from the PR Company. Please read my disclosure statement if you'd like more information.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5 Tag!

I've seen this doing the rounds on the blogs I read so I thought since i'm sitting here eating my boring Tuna & Lettuce at lunch I might give it a whirl! If you do this or have done it, send me a comment below so I can go read.

Beverages:

1. Starbucks Caramel Frappucino Light (THIS IS MY JAM YO!)

2. Coke - sadly we've had to move into a long distance relationship but I occassionally still indulge :)

3. Ginger Beer - Love the stuff! I also found a sugar free version that doesn't contain Aspartame so hell to the yeah!

4. Coffee (particularly Caramel Lattes)

5. Water - who'd a thunk i'd grow to love this stuff?

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="327" caption="Credit - We Heart It"][/caption]

Snacks:

1. Cherry Ripe - in moderation of course!

2. Apples with Peanut Butter

3. Celery, Carrot, Capsicum sticks with Ranch Dressing (you should see my giant Ranch dressing I have...yeh i'm addicted)

4. Pork Crackles - don't judge, when your on a high protein, low carb diet and are craving chips these are a winner! shit loads of calories though so keep these snacks to a minimum

5. Cashews... nom nom nom!

 

Image Credit - We Heart It

Apps:
1. Twitter

2. Instagram

3. My Fitness Pal

4. Plants Vs Zombies

5. Tiny Tower (although I haven't been playing lately)

 

Movies

1. Edward Scissorhands

2. Mean Girls

3. Neverending Story/The Little Mermaid (sorry I had to!)

4. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

5. Almost Famous (I mean I named my dog after one of the main characters!)

...surely i'm forgetting something!

 

Books:
1. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

2. Charlie & The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

3. This is Why You're Fat by Jackie Warner

4. Chelsea Handlers books (sorry couldn't pick 1, love them all)

5. Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (currently being made into a movie)

OH and I love the Harry Potter books too

 

Also if you haven't heard this song or seen this film clip, you haven't lived! Enjoy!

 

 

Bastille Day

 

Bastille Day by lovevulcanella featuring mini t shirts

Moschino Cheap Chic dress
$850 - net-a-porter.com

Mini t shirt
$59 - wildfoxcouture.com

Vintage style jewelry
$18 - modcloth.com

Hermes enamel bracelet
$570 - usa.hermes.com

Balenciaga Paris Eau de Parfum No Color 1.7 oz
$130 - nordstrom.com

Chanel Fall 2011 Nail Polish Collection
refinery29.com

Laduree Macarons | AnOther | Loves
anothermag.com

 

 

A bit of mucking around on Polyvore in my break with some frenchy items for Bastille Day :) I forgot how fun this website was! Obviously my layout skills suck but i'm no art director (obviously!)

Reading Fun!

I know my blog title says randomness and I haven't really done random for awhile.

So let's be random and talk books!

Does anyone else read a few books at a time? I do...well I did until I got totally invested in this series



I'm only on the first book but i'm already so engrossed in it... totalling rooting for Katniss and Peeta as well... GO GO GO! :) They are making movies on these books too (seriously what books don't they make a movie on these days?) so it's kind of nice to have an idea what the characters will look like while i'm reading... Unlike Twilight when I read that long before the movie my perceptions of the characters were quite a bit off!

So before The Hunger Games took over my reading life I was reading these books



This Is Why You're Fat by Jackie Warner - Yep not the best book to take out in public but she has so many good ideas about being healthy and since i've been embarking on this getting myself fit lifestyle change, her words inspire and motivate me!

Sweet Valley Confidential - Jessica..Elizabeth.. Whats Up! I loved the Sweet Valley series when I was in high school so when I saw there was a grown up new installment...well I was on it like I used to be on grilled cheese sandwiches (not anymore...byebye carbs)

and on zee Kindle....wait for it...



I've given up on this one a bit as it's a little slow in the start but i'll give it another go once I finish The Hunger Games. I think once we get to his career it'll get interesting. I've also read Jenna Jamesons biography as well, I liked it because she dished on some rockstars :)

What are you all reading? Have you read The Hunger Games and got engrossed like me? Do you also enjoy biographies about porn stars? :) haha oh just thinking of the interesting google searches that will find my blog now!

 

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ABC of Meeeeeeeeeeeee!

This tag was nabbed from the lovely Miss Jade and also the lovely Miss Chew! Check them out :)

I haven't done a post like this in ages and it's always a little fun getting to know your bloggers a little better :)

A. Age: 29.. almost in my dirty thirties!

B. Bed size: Double..and I really need to upsize

C. Chore you hate: Laundry! Washing, Putting Away, Ironing

D. Day: Saturday.
E. Essential start to your day: Coffeeeeee

F. Favourite colour: Pink

G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 157cm.. shortie!

I. Instruments: Guitar! I wish I kept it up and became a rock star

J. Job title: Finance Administration Assistant

K. Kids: Just 2 lovely doggies at the moment

L. Live: Western Sydney

M. Mum’s name: Jenny

N. Nicknames: Neet, Neets, Neeta, Blossom, Kiddo

O. Overnight hospital stays: None

P. Pet peeve: Ignorant people

Q. Quote from a movie: It has an eat in Chicken - Girl Interrupted
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: None, just me!

T. Time you wake up: 6.30am

U. Underwear: Boylegs

V. Vegetables you dislike: Peas...ick

W. What makes you run late: Deciding on an outfit

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth for wisdom teeth and my throat because I had this weird breathing thing when I was young

Y. Yummy food you make: Ooohhh anything slow cooked and my famous potato salad. I also am pretty good at baking but since I can't eat many carbs my poor Kitchenaid has been neglected and nothing has been baked in awhile :(

Z. Zoo: I enjoy going to the zoo but I do feel sad for the caged animals, however if they are treated right i'm sure they will live a long happy life :)

Now you go do this and send me your link :)

The New Face of Hugo Boss is....

Jared Leto!

Let's all enjoy this lovely piece of eye candy and reminisce of the early days when he was Jordan Catalano, did anyone else also crush on him then?

He is the face of the new fragrance HUGO Just Different and also HUGO Man. The campaigns will be launched in July 2011 but I found a couple of sneak peaks on jared-leto.net





Any excuse to post photos of Jared Leto ;)

My Pippi Longstocking Dream came true!

No i'm not talking about my hair standing on end in pigtails, though I did try that when I was younger...let's just say it took copious amounts of hairspray and a bit of wire and I got it to work.

I just got an email from one of the many "deal, cheap, wahoo you need this" websites I subscribe to and thought...oh my it's Pippi Longstocking!

Check these babies out!



They are only $9.95 for the next 24 hours on crazysales.com.au

No this isn't a late April Fools joke either, it's serious business! I'm kinda tempted to try them out

For nostalgia purposes and if you have no idea what the hell i'm banging on about here is a little reference for you.



Have a great Monday everyone :)