Thursday, March 28, 2013

Trending.

Check it out. The ultimate exercise in cataloging street fashion trends. We know about trends, like young girls at the moment have their hair really long, nail polish is cool, middle aged Christian men wear polo shirts with wide horizontal stripes, urban men are wearing beards and plaid. What is surprising is how SPECIFIC a look can be, and not in teenage girl copying a magazine way—people of all ages have their "style tribe" as it is called. These portraits are taken wearing exactly what they wear on the street, and everyone is expressing themself. It's so interesting to look at the people around you like this, and also wonder which style tribes you subconsciously emulate. (Jeans and brown cardigan girls?) And when you have different areas of your life, like mum culture and office culture and muso culture, how you combine them or switch between.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Albums.

I like albums where all the songs are very similar. So that I can listen right through without changing mode, from the really good song to the angry song to the ballad.  But some people like an album to showcase variety.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

'Sup 'sup

Jelssie is into gut health, and I am especially so, after my lovely two week bout of gastritis. As a result, I'm now taking a couple of supplements daily.

I'm taking a probiotic (Nutrition Care Polybac 8). This brand is not as widely available as Inner Health Plus.

Image from http://www.vitalityandwellness.com.au/images/products/Nutritional%20Supplements/Polybac-8-web.jpg

I haven't done my research, but two different supplement sales people recommended this one, so I'll stick with it for the time being. Cheapest I've seen it at so far is at Mr Vitamins in Chatswood.

I'm also eating yoghurt with breakfast during weekdays, because it contains cultures that are beneficial to gut health. My favourite is Gippsland Dairy Organic Natural Yoghurt. It's really tasty, has no sugar and is relatively low in energy compared to other full-fat (or even lite) yoghurts.

Image from http://www.gippslanddairy.com.au/products_yogurt_5.html

As much as I love it, it's quite pricey where I live, so I'm eating ALDI's Just Organic Natural Yoghurt instead. ALDI's one is pretty good and has more energy per 100g than Gippsland Diary.

Image from http://aldi.com.au/au/media/product_range/ALC5020_Dairy_PD_9_Just_Organic_Natural_Yogurt.jpg

Finally, I'm taking liquid chlorophyll, which apparently is great for digestion and your skin. Is it really? I don't really know and I don't know how to judge how effective it is. I'm currently taking Swisse Liquid Chlorophyll, but will try an organic one at my local supplement store next (costs nearly half the price I paid for Swisse!). If you want to buy the Swisse one cheaply, try Priceline when they have a sale. It was nearly half the price I paid for mine -_-.

Taking these supplements makes me feel like a hippy.

(Also, I know yoghurt isn't a supplement, but I included it in here because we are talking about gut health :) )

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Indo Eat St in Chinatown

Next Eat Street is 6:30pm Tue 26 March. We're eating at an Indo restaurant, but I don't know what it's called or the address, so let's meet in front of Spicy Panda at 8 Dixon St, Haymarket. See ya there!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Music for 17 years time

Jess and I very much enjoyed the recent Neil Finn and Paul Kelly gig. Most of the crowd were, at least a good ten, if not twenty, years older than us. I joke that Jess and I have "old" taste in music - I mean, we've know The Carpenters and we like them!

It's fine for us to have "older" music taste now because the musicians are still touring, but what about in seventeen years time? Who are we going to listen to and enjoy going to? We need to find someone CURRENT with potential longevity and mild popularity that we can look forward to seeing live in seventeen years time! Someone who can play a back catalogue of hits and favourites. Someone Aussie or Kiwi would be cool too.

Who who who who who who who?

(Talk about planning ahead!)

Seasons change.

You know you've officially hit Autumn when the morning bus has the heating instead of the freezing air con.

I walked out the front door and had to go back and get my scarf. Also, I think I will be wearing socks tomorrow. This weekend will be the swapping of summer and winter clothes in the wardrobe and storage suitcase.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Awkward

Bec and I had impromptu trip into the city today. I wanted to approach the Biotherm counter to have a sniff of their new fragrance Eau Océane, but they had two topless guys promoting stuff at their counter. Having them there just made me feel awkward and we only went back after those two men disappeared. Maybe it's just me and maybe I'm a prude, but topless men at cosmetic counters just puts me off.

Benefit did it too for a recent event.


I could go down the line of argument of "women aren't like men; they're more emotional rather than visual creatures, blah blah blah", but I won't. The point is: I don't need topless men to lure me to a cosmetics counter - I just need beauty blogs and great products!

Oh, and the fragrance is really lovely, really fresh! I quite liked it.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector

I'm starting a new series called "holy grail". Holy grail (or HG) is a term used by makeup and beauty bloggers to describe their absolute favourite product. I'm doing this because I now wear makeup a lot more than I used to (mostly because of work and secondly because I enjoy putting it on for work). I also had some skin issues that were driving me crazy and I'd like to share what I learnt.

Today's holy grail category is: illuminator/highlighter. I suspect this product might not be familiar to some of you because I once had to ask a friend why there was a white powder (the highlighter) next to the powdered blush she gave me!

The point of this product is to make your skin look glow-y and to emphasise the high points of your face . You can apply this product on your cheekbones, your cupid's bow, underneath the arch of your eyebrow and down the bridge of your nose. But that's too much effort for me, so I just apply it on the top of my cheekbones.

My favourite makeup artist, Lisa Eldridge, explains how to use to it make your skin look glow-y. Her English accent is delightful!



Most makeup brands nowadays will have a highlighter or illuminator in a liquid, cream or powdered form. My holy grail one is Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal.


Image from Becca Cosmetics

I like this because I have dry skin on my cheeks and this product sits really well on my skin: it doesn't emphasis flaky or dry patches and the colour is an excellent match for my skin tone. I apply it with my fingers, after foundation. I use a tiny amount and dab it along the top of my cheekbones until it's well blended in. A little goes a long way, and even though it's expensive (AUD66), it's worth it for me because I wear it everyday at work and I only need to use a little bit when I use it. I order mine online from Amazon (USD42).

 If you want to try this product, I suggest you visit a Becca makeup counter at David Jones and ask the makeup artist there to suggest a colour for you and to apply it on you there and then. Take a discerning friend who can tell you which colour suits you better. If you're super-polite, you can ask for a sample to take home and try. I always do this before buying any skin products if possible. It's good to see how a products fares over the course of the day (does it oxidise, does it make you break out etc etc), and see how it looks in natural light. You could try less expensive options from Australis, Face of Australia, Topshop, The Body Shop or any other makeup brand, but the Becca one is my favourite.

Does it work? Well, I did catch up with a friend during a lunch break and she complimented me on my skin, so yeah, I think it works!

Bad with names.

Quote of the day, from one of the writers of The Office.

“I don’t think it should be socially acceptable for people to say they are “bad with names.” No one is bad with names. That is not a real thing. Not knowing people’s names isn’t a neurological condition; it’s a choice. You choose not to make learning people’s names a priority. It’s like saying, “Hey, a disclaimer about me: I’m rude.”

― Mindy Kaling

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Marzipan.

Elsie: I picked the chocolate with the marzipan filling. Bad choice.

Me: EEEEWWWWW.

E: Who knew marzipan was so bad.

Me: When I was a kid it was the nicest part of a wedding cake. That is not saying much, because the rest of it is fruit cake.

E: Jelssie that.

Nail File.

Nail polishes. They are the one cosmetic area I actually enjoy. I'm a big believer in sunscreen and moisturiser, etc, but I don't go crazy for lip gloss shades or mascara that doesn't run or whatever. Zero interest. But nail polish… it's less of a makeup thing and more like earrings, or maybe shoes. One part of your life you can have fun and be out there a bit and play with pretty colours, but still turn up to work looking respectable. And it's cheap. Every time I go to Big W or Kmart or Priceline now I see if there are any bargains. I have about 10 bottles, in mostly conservative colours. I have a few natural pale tones, and a few greys and silvers. My all time favourite bottles are my Matte Topcoat, which makes anything look classy, and my very pale pearly pink, which is so natural it is almost invisible. I am looking forward, however, to some exciting additions to the collection. I just have to wait forever for the postage. As Elsie says re internet shopping: delayed gratification. I'm getting a lot of delayed gratification these days. I should probably stop.

My pretties...


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sitting on the floor.

I have decided to sit on the floor when I'm at home watching TV. I tried it last night, sitting on my folded-up yoga mat. It was OK at first, but got a bit tiring. I want be able to increase my sitting-fitness enough to be able to sit through an hour episode of something without having to lean on anything. It's supposed to be better for you for flexibility and stuff, and it's active sitting which is better than just blobbing.

Monday, March 11, 2013

I feel like a new me.

This is the after-effect of the '6 months no shopping challenge'. I recently started culling my summer/autumn stuff that no longer deserves a place in my wardrobe. Shirts I didn't wear all summer because of slight size creep or change in my style, going to my sister. Cardigans that are only fit for the bin, going into the bin. And I am restocking very carefully, with the shirts I have been making in staple colours, and some obsessive cardigan browsing. (NEW CLOTHES ARE AMAZING I LOVE THEM) So I feel a bit proud of my wardrobe, it's getting marginally easier to get dressed in the morning. Also, I now have a mirror, so I can see what I look like before I get to the bus stop. That kind of helps.

However, there is another change afoot, which isn't to do with what I am buying or wearing, but how I am wearing it (probably thanks to the mirror):

 I have started tucking shirts in. This is a small behaviour change, to be sure, but it is a radical change in my presentation. This is a total revelation to me, because I have been an untucker forever. Tucking in a shirt is something Dad does. But suddenly I have reconsidered. There is something confident and put-together about a tucked-in shirt. It turns casual clothes into smart/work clothes instantly. And it doesn't even have to be a business shirt, it can be any shirt long enough to tuck in. A "good" tshirt can look nicer tucked in than untucked. Every outfit gets poshed up a notch simply by tucking the shirt in to the skirt or trousers.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Oils ain't oils

I'm introducing oils into my skin/hair care routine.


Jojoba oil for removing makeup and relieving ezcema symptoms. Castor seed oil to strengthen nails. Rosehip oil to treat dry facial skin. Argan oil to keep hair looking healthy. I like the idea of using oils; it's simple and it's a single ingredient.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Gastritis

I was crook for a couple of weeks with gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining).

I tell you this as an excuse to post up this cute moving GIF image!


The whole episode made me realise how much I took good health for granted. It wasn't until I was really crook that I appreciated how much God sustains me day to day. To feel normal, to be able to eat whatever you like, to live relatively free of pain, to be able to exercise and just generally function is a real blessing.

Happy news for boofheads!

I filled in a survey from the cancer council recently, and I gave them bonus feedback on their hats. They should make them in bigger sizes. They have good hats, I find the 'wash and wear bucket hat' very useful, but they are "one size fits all" and I'm just on the edge of that. I received a response today, saying they have had a lot of similar feedback and from August this year they will have larger hat sizes!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Track My Spend

I clicked on a Facebook ad, for the first time the other day. It was to promote ASIC's Track My Spend app. Jess has praised the Smart Budget app, but at the time, it wasn't available on Android or iPod touch, so I couldn't use it. Thankfully, Track My Spend is Android-friendly and I've really enjoyed using it.



It's really simple to use, has a relatively uncluttered and clean layout. It's been a really helpful way to track my money, as well as keep me more aware of where my money's going. This one's got my thumbs up!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Exercise, wellbeing and weather.

Elsie and I have been discussing exercise, and trying to shift our thinking from a discipline-based or goal-oriented thing, like "yay I did Jillian 4 times this week I'm so proud of myself", towards a sort of wellbeing thing. So it's more about "just moving", as they say, and enjoying it for its own sake. I'm doing less Jillian but more swimming and walking. I still plan out my swims, walks, and Jillians for the week and it takes discipline to get up early or leave work on time. But I'm trying not to reduce it to forcing myself, to getting it over with and only enjoying being satisfied and tired afterwards; I'm trying to make it more about enjoying moving, enjoying fresh air, enjoying water.

The weather has been abysmal this summer. Swims and walks were cancelled. But, it's worth trying despite the weather, and not just so that you can tick off exercise for the day. Weather can actually enhance the experience. You are more aware of the world when it is blowing you or wetting you—it's a richer experience. It gets you out of your head a bit more, and it can be surprisingly beautiful as well, if you pause and appreciate it. A few weeks ago I swam in the morning with a friend and it was spitting and dark, but we went down to the sea anyway. Got in the water and it started pouring. It was amazing being surrounded by raindrops splashing into the ocean. The surface of the water was very pretty. So it's almost MORE worthwhile in bad weather. I may be over-romanticising rain, but it's worth trying.