Weekly Favourites Catch-up // Twenty-Fourth November

I feel super bad that I haven't done a weekly favourites in forever! I've got so many things that have gone on in the last, err six weeks or so that I'm bursting to share with you all :) So lets just jump into it shall we….

Okay, why don't we start with me lopping all my hair off; now I know it is still quite long in some peoples books but I almost died when I saw how much was on the salon floor! It's mostly one length {very Anna Lee Fiorino inspired} except for a few layers that snuck their way in. It's also quite a bit darker which  took a while to get used to but I think that it's finally growing on me :) I'm sort of loving the short messy look, lots of sea-salt and hairspray necessary!

If you live in Australia you'll all know that at the beginning of November it was the Melbourne Cup. For those of you that don't, the Melbourne Cup is probably one of the most iconic days on the horse racing calendar. Victorians get the day off but in most of the other states we just chuck a sickie and use the day to drink champagne and bet on the horse's with the pretty names! {well that's how I pick anyway} I shall be doing a full post on this in the coming weeks so i'll save all my betting tips till then ;)

It's one month till christmas!!! And if theres one thing that excites me more than being able to have Michael Buble sing christmas carols to me as I drive to work it's the gorgeous novelty cups that makes sipping my maple latte that smidge more christmassy!

It may seem strange to some of my readers that I'm getting excited about being able to drink my water with salad in it {So my dad kindly points out!} but it's supposed to be summer over here and it finally seems as though she's popping her head out of the clouds. And then running away and giving us four days of torrential downpour in exchange! But take it when you can, if the suns in the sky you can guarantee that there will be "Salad" in my cup!

Ohh, sneaky peek of my DIY that should have been up months ago but I'm slack so it's not :( As soon as i've sorted out the photos, which are giving me a right pain in the ass, it'll be up! Pinky swear.

Someone bring round the seniors cards, I turned twenty! It was a fabulous night however theres only photos from about the first 1/5 of the night because after several gins my photos ended up with more blur by the minute. I'm sure it was artistic intent but for now they shall stay locked on my phone!

If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen this photo, actually you would have seen all of the photos in this post but this one takes the cake.

When I was in primary school I had the hairdresser cut me a full fringe, it looked very nice and all that jazz but impatient mini me got sick of it after a week and decided that the only solution to this chunk of hair always being in my eyes was to just chop the whole lot off. Continuously! So whenever it started to grow back i'd just chop it down to the roots and go on my merry way. At some point my mother got sick of me having these little spouts of hair popping out of my forehead and forbade me from cutting it again, resulting in this oh so gorgeous MULLET!!! So if your ever having a bad hair day just remember me, with my ridiculous fringe :D

lots of love,

Lets go get dirty with frank...

Get Naked, Get Dirty, Get Rough, Get Clean! It all seems a bit scandalous doesn't it! But the only thing that is anywhere near risqué about this gorgeous coffee scrub is the thousands of girls sending in snaps of themselves scrubbed up with the frank packaging covering their 'bits'! 

'frank' is a super abrasive dry scrub that claims to target cellulite and stretch marks, smooth out any lumps and bumps and give you all over smooth skin. Now I can't quite give you a guarantee that it will give you Miranda Kerr legs overnight but bloody hell it does a good job! I've been using it for over a month now and although I haven't noticed much difference on my wibbly bits the way frank leaves your skin feeling afterwards is incredible! 

It has a grand total of FIVE ingredients, roasted and ground coffee beans- this is what helps with your cellulite and stretch marks by stimulating the skin and increasing the blood flow. Brown sugar and Sea salt- helps to smooth out the lumps and bumps; I have no idea how but it works so well I don't want to jinx it by finding out! Cold pressed Almond oil- this is what leaves your skin feeling super nourished and sexy smooth! And then theres the Orange essence- this is what makes it smell so damn good, it almost smells edible thats how great it smells!

And this is what you end up looking like! Be prepared to get a little bit messy, actually very messy I was still finding bits of this in my bathroom days after. I now know to not leave the shower while this is drying, trust me having to sit in the shower for 10 minutes is a whole lot better than having to face your mum after you've got frank all over the bathroom... again! 

If you want to purchase frank or just suss it out a bit you can find their website here! Or if you've already tried him out let me know what you thought :)

My Mac Palette // Part Deux

Oooh, time for part deux! Words can't describe how excited I was to share this and having you guys let me know that it's helped you with choosing out a few colours for your own collection just makes it so much better! The second half of my palette is a little bit darker and smokey-ish, I didn't even plan it out like that, just the luck of the draw I guess! 

Saddle
Saddle is one of my favourite crease colours! It's a redish brown that blends out to perfection. It's also completely matte, or its supposed to be, once again honey lust has done it's thing and some of that glitz has ended up on top. But no complaints here because any glitter is good glitter in my books! I don't generally use this as an all over shadow, there's nothing wrong with it but I usually go for a more neutral colour {and one with more glitter!}

Woodwinked

Woodwinked is another one of my most used! In the pan it just looks like your average, shimmery brown but when it hits the skin it turns into this gorgeous burnt gold sheen that glistens under light. It just goes to show you should always swatch because things may never be as they seem! I love using this with saddle, the contrast between the {supposedly} matte shadow and woodwinked gives the perfect subtle smokey look. Using these two together also gives the eyes so much depth, especially if your like me and have green eyes! 

Sketch

This deep plum shade is reserved strictly for nights out only. I'm sure there's plenty of girls out there that can rock this baby during the day but I'm definitely not one of them! Sketch was another IMATS purchase. If I had to do the day over again I may not have chosen this one but for now it stays! I often use this for my outer 'V' on a smokey eye, because it's dark but not to dark once it's been blended out and it can easily be built up if I'm ever after a deeper colour. It also goes brilliantly honey lust, something about gold and purple just does it for me!!

{7. Saddle, 8.Woodwinked, 9.Sketch, 10.Satin Taupe, 11.Brown Down, 12. Charcoal Brown}

Satin Taupe

 To me Satin Taupe is one of those shadows that every 'Beauty Guru' and their cat talks about; and you know what, I can tell why. It's the best all rounder shadow! Whether it's a swipe over the lids as you are running out the door, a well executed blend or even as a brow filler, Satin Taupe is the one for you. I'm in love with how versatile this shadow is, its the perfect colour match for my brows {Or it was before I unwillingly had my hair dyed black. FYI old hairdresser; Light brown does not equal black!} It's also perfectly matte which is great for the crease but with addition of the likes of woodwinked or sable it can be taken to a full lid colour as well!

Brown Down

This is another gorgeous matte colour, in fact it's probably my most used for smokey eyes. The depth that Brown Down can give is insane! Although when I went to the hunt at my local MAC store for the names of all the shadows on my palette {Yep, forgot to write those down} this was the only one I couldn't find and the helpful assistant knew the name but it was apparently not stocked anymore ?!? However a quick search of the site shows that it is in fact still for sale, so maybe its just tiny little Tassie that doesn't sell it anymore, who knows!  

Charcoal Brown
 This is yet another 'Youtube Favourite', when picking this one out I was a little bit undecided but thank the lord that I did! It's the richest, deepest bronze you will ever come across. I love using this all over the lid, especially on a night out it just gives that extra bit a glam to any look. It's also brilliant with a bit of Sketch blended though for a bit of depth and definition! 



And thats all folks! My entire MAC palette in great depth, I'm ashamed to admit how long it's taken me; but for now lets just appreciate how gorgeous MAC's shadows are and hope that they never go out of style!

Another giveaway over on Kitty and Buck!

enter here!

Woohoo, So this month I've got another giveaway over on Kitty&Buck! Kitty is a fellow Australian who takes the most stunning photos and her blog is full of such inspiring posts! It's a brilliant read is you've ever got a few minutes to spare. The giveaway is open worldwide so your all welcome to enter but it's only open for one week so get you entries in as fast as you can. I wouldn't want you to miss out. Good luck!!

My Mac Palette // Part Un!

My Mac palette is probably one of most treasured make-up products in my entire collection. I love that you can make up an entire product to suit your own tastes, in many other palettes there will be several shadows that go untouched because they don't fit with you. So being able to choose each eye shadow individually make it such a personal thing, each palette is different and I love that. I know some of you are probably rolling your eyes going, 'Dah Amy, its just an eye shadow palette no need to get so deep and meaningful', but I just think that each palette is such an intimate and gorgeous creation. Almost a representation of who a person really is!

Anyhow, I've decided to give you a little insight into my personality via my Mac palette! I do want to go a little bit in depth with each colour, like why I choose it and how I like to use it ect. ect! So I'm going to spilt it in half and do part un & part deux {I'm channeling my inner french, because lets face it the french are simply chic, pure and simple!} and so there's a little bit less reading and your cup of tea doesn't disappear before you get to the end. So if you can't tell already, I am a neutrals girl through and through. I've just found that the brighter colours really don't suit my colouring at all. Although I do have a soft spot for a little turquoise or aqua, but not often enough to make THE palette. That's enough rambling for now, lets get on with the the real reason your here….

{1.Kid, 2.Shroom, 3.Sable, 4.Brule, 5.Honey Lust, 6.Soba}

Soba

It's ironic that this is the first up as this was the last colour to be added to my palette. It's also ironic that when I first tried to to purchase this I was definitely not 'soba', which the lady at the counter found quite hilarious when my friend mentioned that I wouldn't be forgetting that name any time soon! Anyway this was completely worth the six month wait to finally get my hands on. It is a deep champagn-ey colour that has a gorgeous gold undertone that shimmers when the sunlight hits it. The best thing about soba is that it can be built up so easily that you can get away with using this on its own. It's quite possibly my all time favourite shadow.

Honey Lust

Ooh, will you just look at this baby! Rose-y gold and packed with all the shimmer you could dream of, seriously this is bliss in a tiny little round pot! It reminds me a lot of my pressed pigment in 'light touch' just in the way that it applies. There is a fair amount of fall out but with a shadow as full of glitter as this its to be expected. I'm not to sure why I brought this as it is so similar to 'light touch', I think it was the madness of IMATS that made me just go yep, but it in the bag. Although I'm not complaining, it's great to always have it on hand and it does make the palette look a little bit more glamorous!  

Brule

Brule is another one of my staple shadows. I know to really doesn't show up to well in the swatch, lets blame it on my ridiculously pale arms I really should have thought about that! Its a simple cream shadow with a hint of a peach undertone. Its supposed to be matte but because it's right above honey lust it always has a bit of shimmer thats been transferred north! I love using this as a base for when I get a little to heavy handed with the darker colours. It really helps to soften and blend out any mistakes that quite often occur! Brule is also a brilliant highlight colour, especially for your brow bone, at least when its sans the glitter that is!!

Sable

Sable is another beauty, it's a dark bronze thats shimmery as can be. It's build-able and and blend-able just like soba but just a tiny bit darker with an earthier undertone that makes it great for adding a bit more depth and dimension to any everyday look. Sable is also brilliant for giving a lovely natural smokey eye that isn't to intense or is if you feel so inclined but I usually like to keep it light. 

Shroom

Shroom, oh Shroom. You are just the perfect highlighter know to womankind {Well in my life anyway}. This is the only inner corner highlight that I need and the dent in the centre of it proves that, the minute I hit pan on this gorgeous vanilla-esque pigment I shall have one foot out the door and on my way to the closest MAC store! It's not just great for adding the glow but it's also amazing all over the lid. One quick swipe of this as I'm running out the door just makes my eyes pop without any effort!

Kid

Kid was my first ever Mac eyeshadow! I kid you not {HAHA am I such a great comedian!}. You know how everyone has that one colour that matches their skin tone so perfectly that it can be used as high as you want it to? Well for me thats kid. If I'm in dire need of a pick-me-up this goes up to my brows to give my lids that flawless finish. I loved that this was the beginning of my dream palette, it's the perfect first colour and I'll probably never tire of it!




And thats it for the first half, keep checking back for part deux! I'm sure it won't be to far away.

A trip to the Orchid Nursery

This post was supposed to go up quite a while ago, think months!

 But naughty me got a little slack and completely forgot that I had these gorgeous photos just sitting around waiting to have words put to them!! While I was on holidays in September {See, agess ago!! It feels like years} I popped in to visit my grandparents for a few days, you know just to be the perfect granddaughter, get fed ridiculously amazing food and wake up to a clean car!! I swear that wasn't the only reason I went. My Oma has always loved flowers and every room in their home is adorned with countless stems of every kind of flower under the sun, don't even get me started on her garden, its a-ma-zing!! I've always had a thing for flowers, I even wanted to become a florist at one point and my grandparents have never forgotten that so when they mentioned that there was an Orchid Nursery not far from their house I jumped at the chance to see some of my favourite flowers!

The variety and abundance of these gorgeous blooms was crazy, every single colour and size that you could think of was there. It almost felt like I was in a museum for flowers instead of an actual nursery. 

Out of all the different variety's that were there this one was by far my pick. I don't know what it was about the rich plum colour that caught my eye but when I get my own garden this will have prime position!

 As at all nursery's there must be some kind of statue for me to lust over!

Also, how zen are these lanterns! I can just imagine a hot summers night out in the garden with flowers in the background {Obviously!!} and these candle laden twinkling in the moonlight! Oh to dream right ;) 

The Body Shop // Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

We all love a good makeup remover but theres so many different types on the market that sometimes its almost impossible to pick out the right one for you. The Body Shop has released a new range of Camomile Makeup removers that are absolutely brilliant. The entire range consists of four products; two eye makeup removers; one a waterproof version and the other a gentler version, a silky cleansing oil and a cleansing butter. But my favourite of the collection by far is the 'Sumptuous cleansing butter'.    

  

Although the body shop is quite relatively priced this really does feel like a luxurious, high-end product. The butter just melts into your skin and absorbs any makeup that was missed in the first round. After smothering this into your skin it suggests washing off with warm water but I've found that leaving it on, almost as a mask, works extremely well at getting rid of those extra stubborn products! It really does leave your skin feeling seriously smooth and extra cleansed, just like a trip to the day spa in your own home! Scent wise it's not overly strong, it has a very subtle but sweet camomile smell that lingers for just long enough. I'm so in love with this that I've had to restrain myself from using it to often! 

I'm Baaaaack!

{Image from here} 

I'm Back!!! Sorry guys for just taking off and leaving you all in the lurch. I think sometimes you just need to have a break from the world to clear your mind from all the crazy things life throws at you. So thats what i've been doing for the last few weeks! It's been fun but I have definitely missed my little blog. I know I'd promised in the last post that I had a few ideas lurking around for the future and I haven't forgotten! They should start popping up in the next couple of days, pinky swear :) Also I'm nearing 200 followers of bloglovin' and I want to do something special to thank all of you gorgeous guys for supporting and continuing to come back! I was thinking a beginners make-up kit or Summer/Winter essentials. I feel that sometimes people hold these 'giveaways' for the wrong reason but I really want to give you guys something back as a HUGE thank-you. If I could give each and every one a special something I would but I think that may be a little hard! What do you guys think? Is a giveaway appropriate ?!? Let me know :)

Much love,