A Cosmetic Adventure Anyone?

Tonight I did a silly thing and drove all the way into the city (and dragged Tash in with me) to go to an appointment that I didn't have. It's actually next Friday. Wow. What mad intelligent skills I have. Or not... Anyway, it turned out to be a super awesome fun night because we decided to explore the cosmetic level in David Jones. Always very fun. Gosh, I don't know about you but beauty products just make me happy because the packaging is always so pretty. Agree? Yes. Righto. Good. Mooving along now. So sitting here at home, reminiscing on all the lovely smells, the smooth textures and the overall brilliantness of all the powders, moisturisers, perfumes and lipsticks I found, I decided to create a virtual wish list.

So here it goes:

Item No. 1: Hissy Fit Saving Face Tinted Moisturiser

Okay so this product is a winner. I've already tried a sample and adored it. When wearing this product foundation is not necessary (in fact, you can't wear foundation with it anyway) but the point it that it provides a great coverage and a nice glow. And it has an SPF of 50+ which is great for those of us who want to protect our skin from the Sun's naughty UV Rays. Love it. It's only $55 shmackers so I'll be purchasing that one soon.

Item No. 2 Hissy Fit Lip Service So I've also sampled this product and my lips just loved me while using it. It helped them to stay nice and healthy looking, no chapped pout thanks (it has a SPF of 50+ too so no burnt lips. Oh yeah.). I actually like to use my creme blush on my lips and then applying the 'Lip Service' over the top as a gloss. It works quite nicely. I want more of it.

Item No. 3 Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Illuminating


Yaz, the editor of beauty website Primped gave me the splendid idea of teaming this moisturiser up with the Hissy Fit Saving Face. What an awesome idea, thanks Yaz! These products together give you more of a glowy look which I think is really quite nice, as long as you don't go over the top because that's not a good look you know. Ever since Yaz's blog I've been lusting over this tinted moisturiser. It's a good one!

Item No. 4 Bobbi Brown's Intensive Skin Supplement

I had my makeup done at Bobbi Brown the other week and they (the makeup ladies) are amazing and their products aren't too shabby either. This 'Intensive Skin Supplement' is full of vitamins so it's fabulous for your face. Once you've applied it (after you've cleansed and tonned) you feel like you've got a layer of protective goodness all over your face. It feels rad. Really rad. You can just feel it doing your skin a world of good and I want it. Now. But at around $110ish (I can't remember the exact price) it's not your everyday beauty purchase. I'll have to wait a little while for this baby....

Item No. 5 DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom


This one is for Tash. You see, I already own this perfume (because my darling Tashy gave it to me for Chrissie, good girl!) but now she wants it. We just love, love, love it. It is such a fresh, gorgeous fragrance. It's really perfect for daytime. Nice and soft but delicious (I'd usually wear something with a bit more punch for nighttime). Next time your in DJ's (or Myer or whatever) try it out. It's delightful!

END OF WISH LIST.

Any products there you're already obsessing over?
Any you want to buy now?
What's on your wish list?

Films - Forest Gump

I absolutely adore the film Forest Gump. It is the most inspirational, emotional and brilliant thing that I've ever seen. If you haven't watched it, you must! Go rent it now! Well, not right now silly, go after you have finished reading this blog and watching this trailor:



Now how moving was that? And that's just it, this film has its terribly sad moments but overall, it is about living your life to the fullest, accepting the crazy things life throws at you, being happy and comfortable in your skin (Forest burps in front of the American President so maybe that's a little too comfortable but entertaining nonetheless).

Whenever I'm feeling uninspired, I can chuck on good old Forest and afterward I feel like I can take on the world, or at least be the founder of a national shrimping company, the brains behind the bumper sticker 'shit happens', or, and it's my favourite, become the World Champion Ping Pong player (that takes mega skill you know).

The most awesome quote from the film: 'Jenny, I've got you some chocolates... I ate some...'

Classic.

So, so so good.

Do you love Forest Gump as much as I do?
What's your favourite film?

Food - Urban Remedy Clense

I wasn't sure what to call this post. After all, food isn't really the right word considering I wont actually be eating anything for the next three days. In fact, this is what my fridge looks like:

I'm doing the Urban Remedy cleanse after reading about Yas' experience with it on Primped. Basically I'll be spending 3 days drinking a lot of juice and giving my body a break from all of the other stuff it's eating all the time. I've tried a detox before. In fact me and Roxy did one together one. It Summer and it was before either of us had jobs and we were bored so we went on one of those 10 day detoxes where you drink something that tastes like mud, take foul smelling tablets and cook food that consists mainly of steamed fish and cabbage (okay I must admit that fish and cabbage are two of my favourite foods!) You can imagine that we weren't impressed with it. We lasted about 6 days (if that) and half way through that we even stopped taking the tablets. 

I like that Urban Remedy is different from that. For starters the juices look amazing! The cleanses last either 1, 3 or 5 days (although I think we can only get the 3 day cleanse in Adelaide). They aren't ridiculous expecting you to fast or change your eating habits to something ridiculous for 10 or 14 days like some detoxes do. Urban Remedy also isn't about weight loss and it doesn't pretend to be. They give no promises about losing weight, even though it is a possibility, it's just about getting some good healthy stuff running through your body. 

I shouldn't talk too much about it now as I haven't even started, but expect some updates once the juices begin!

Food - Buttermilk Pancakes

So today I had this really important book review to write. It was for one of my subjects and I'd been putting it off because writing book reviews reminds me too much of year 12 drama and having to write reviews and just wishing I could get back to the acting! So obviously at 1:30am I was doing everything but writing my book review when I got the genius idea to whip up some pancakes. 

I had some left over buttermilk from a banana cake that I'd made earlier in the week and some eggs that I'd got off my sister earlier that day, so all I needed was to chuck them together with some flour, sugar and the frozen berries and I had (almost) instant post midnight snacks. I admit that at 1:30 my cooking skills weren't perfect and they were a little burnt at times but for a recipe off the side of a milk carton they were pretty good. 

A pointless post I know, but do you have any food that you whip up for late night study sessions or all nighters?
Or any recipes that you love that you picked up off the 'serving suggestions' of a packet?

Food - Healthy BUT Tasty Snack

I just want to start by saying WOW Tash, look at all those colours! Those watches are fabulous. Are they not? But I think for me, I'll stick with my simple, silver DKNY watch (a birthday girt from the one and only Rowan. My Bf). Awww! How sweet.


Anyway, today I'm talking about food, again. And, I'm going to be banging on about the Bimby (thermomix), again. Sorry, but it is important.

I was peckish after a morning at Uni and I simply couldn't find anything in the fridge that was remotely interesting. So after a long while of aimless searching I decided I needed to create something. Fast. Then I rememebered the brilliant snack that my Aunty Sue told me about a while back... A tasty mix of Apple, Almond, Coconut and Pitted Dates.

How do I make it? Easily. I chop half a granny smith apple into four quarters, grab a handful of dates, shredded coconut and pitted dates and chuck it into the Bimby, press the 'pulse' button a few times and BAM, I've got a really yummy, healthy mix that I can nibble on while writing this blog. Awesome.

Honestly, it was goood.

Do you have any amazing yummy creations?
Are they healthy?
Or a little naughty?
Whatever it is, I want to hear about it.

P.S This mix doesn't necessarily reqire a Bimby, if you've got a food processor it is equally easily and will taste just a great. I assure you!

Things - Triwa Watches

Welcome to Triwa. These watches just reinforce my love for all things Swedish (see also kikki.K and Ikea). I haven't owned a watch since I was about 10. I had a habit of breaking them all the time and then my dad bought me a brand new Swatch Watch that was very special. I was swimming in P.E. and even though the watch was waterproof when I was being pulled out of the pool during a swimming medley I banged my wrist against the side of the pool and the watch cracked and got water damage. I haven't had one since and I haven't really needed one. When I came across this blog post I fell in love and suddenly found the need for a brand new watch. I want the Turquoise Flamingo one (the second watch) and the are released in Australia on Wednesday. It's definitely on my wish list! 

It's like being in a candy store!

Things - Inner City Garden

I love coming across things like this, especially in Adelaide. It's called Garden and it was created by Hiromi Tango. I came across it the other day when I got a little bit confused about the Festival Centre and the Convention Centre (a very silly thing to do as I've had multiple events at both!), I took a short cut through the Adelaide Train Station and came across this curious glass container filled filled with bright colours. On closer inspection it's still hard to work out exactly what it is. There are little notes scrawled over the glass walls as well as exquisite pictures and inside is littered with origami, paper flowers, bird cages and other bits and bobs. It's just nice to see something filled with so much colour and care amongst all the usual things we see in our day to day lives. 

Obsessions - Chanel 505

I am obsessed with Chanel's 505 Particuliere Nail Polish. I think it is beautiful. It's a lovely taupe colour with a hint of red that I find really compliments almost any outfit and is great to wear as we head into the colder seasons. It looks especially fabulous with backs, browns and greys but then somehow, looks equally amazing with a lovely red or purple ensemble. Good one!


The bad news... It's currently sold out Australia wide. I've been on two waiting lists for a couple of weeks and am thinking of putting myself onto more (apparently the next lot is coming all the way from classy France so it might be a while yet...). Lucky for me, I am currently donning this amazing shade as a lovely lady at a Chanel counter let me use her tester bottle. On all of my nails. Yay.

The good news...My understanding is that 505 is not a limited edition so we will be able to get it eventually, and, OPI does a great rip of called 'Over the Taupe' (but good luck finding that one, it also appears to be sold out everywhere...so I guess that's not really good news..sorry!)

Anyway, I recommend that all the nail polish obsessed ladies out there try Chanel 505 out. It is a winner!

Internet Things - Flattr

I love coming across things like this one the Internet. I'm someone who believes in giving credit for things. I buy CDs and DVDs as opposed to downloading them. I do watch TV shows online sometimes, but they are shows that I still buy when released on DVD. I find that there are a lot of people who put a lot of time into what they do on the Internet, while there are some ways for them to get money such as things like adsense and becoming a partner on YouTube there aren't often ways to truly show your appreciation. I think something like this is nice because it allows people to make some money from what they create, but it also doesn't rely on advertising. It purely relies on the quality of what you are producing and how much people appreciate that.

Things - Thermomix/BIMBY

Okay, here is promised blog about the Thermomix (the amazing kitchen appliance that I mentioned in my last blog) which is also known, more affectionately as, the Bimby. How cute.


So the Bimby is fabulous. Apparently it is the most advanced kitchen applicance on the market today and is without rival - and I've got one (well, my mum has one which is just as good. Right?). Oh look, here it is in all of its glory:



Honestly, the Bimby is sensational. It cooks, kneads, pulverises and mills (all grains, wheat, barley and what not), minces, whips, crushes (ice and with the addition of fresh fruit, it makes sorbet which is todiefor), and steams (yummi vegies, fish whatevz!). The bimby makes me amazing bread, gorgeous dips, pasta, risotto, cake mixes, ice cream. Well, I could rant on forever and if you're not impressed now I don't know what classifies as impressive?!
Unfortunately, these machines are not cheap. But, they are really an investiment - especially if you're into all natural, no preservative cooking.
The Bimby is perfect for a new, young couple who are setting up there kitchen. Oh, what lovely thoughts to end this blog on.
What do you think?
You like?
Hmmm, I think I'll go make some dips for lunch now...
Jealous?!

Food - Brekkie Smoothies

A kick ass brekkie smoothie. Seriously, I can't think of any better way to start the morning. But that's just me... I love smoothies and while I could tell you all the good places around my area to buy them I'm not going to. I'm going to tell you all about the smoothies that I make because I think they are pretty amazing. They are quick, easyand best of all, they are cheap! You know, who wants to pay a whopping 6 dollars from a Boost Juice (or whatever) when you can make one that is equally fabulous at home...and I promise you, they are fab.

So, here's what I do:

1. Get my Thermomix all preped and ready to rock and roll (if you are wondering, 'what the f*** is a Thermomix', it's what I use for a blender. And what an amazing blender it is. It's so good that I'm going to dedicate one whole blog to talking about it. But more of that later. It's Smoothie time)

2. I put a handfull of ice cubes, one frozen banana (this is crucial, a frozen banana makes the texture of the smoothie much thicker and infinitely better), a couple of frozen raspberries, about 50ml of Orange Juice and 100ml of skim milk all into the Thermomix bowl. I turn the Thermomix up to full capaxity spin and BAM. We have a smoothie.

3. For the finishing touches, I sometimes add a teaspoon of honey for a little bit of extra sweetness. Yum.

Honestly, they are incredible and super healthy. No bad stuff, it's all good. So good that I'm off to make one right now.

Do you make any amazing smoothies?
If you do, please tell me about them!

*Kick Ass - note the reference to Tash's previous blog! Yes, I did that on purpose!

Films - Kick Ass

On Friday I went to go see the much talked about movie Kick Ass, and it was awesome! Unfortunately it's mainly been talked about due to the fact that parents don't think it's an acceptable movie for their children highlighted thanks to another Mel and Kochie crusade, to that I say: well done! The classification board agrees with you, that's why you shouldn't be taking your children to an MA15+ film.

My favourite character in the film is quite obviously the character of Hit Girl, played by Chloe Moretz who has also been in Dirty Sexy Money and (500) Days of Summer. She was insane! The 10 year old version of The Bride from Kill Bill. The film had the perfect amounts of comedy, action, gore and heart felt moments and if it does convince any 10 year old children to become homicidal super heros then at least they'll be doing it in style.

Much of the controversy lies around Hit Girl and the fact that she is taught by her father to kill people in quite gruesome ways, apparently this is going to be teaching our children bad lessons. I suppose that is why the classification board doesn't recommend you taking little kiddies to the film (obviously), I think they realise that people over the age of 15 should have the capability to see what I feel is the true meaning behind a film that is also simply visually stimulating and enjoyable: that regular people have the ability to stand up for others when bad stuff happens rather than just walking by and ignoring it. If I was a film critic I would give it 5 stars!

Eateries - Zambrero, Fresh Mex Grill

I meant to write about this a little while back when Roxy and I popped in here for lunch the other week. We were supposed to be going to this little vegetarian restaurant that we keep meaning to check out. It's one of those hole in the wall places. Just a yellow door that leads up a flight of stairs to a very small and over crowded room that apparently does very excellent food. I say apparently because it's only recently that we managed to find the place, and when we finally got up there it was way too crowded for us to get a seat and we were in the middle of a lunch break so we couldn't stand around waiting.

Instead we went to a new Mexican place on Rundle Street called Zambrero. I'd walked past it on my way to the vegetarian and it caught my eye (in case you haven't picked up on it, I love Mexican food of any kind whether the genuine or the tex mex sort)

It was a really interesting place, similar to burp in the way that you choose your meat, choose your fillings and then eat an incredibly overstuffed burrito but there were some interesting things about it too. For starters the tortillas were different, I'm not sure if they were more of a traditional style tortilla or not but they seemed to be more like roti to me. Not that this was a problem, they were delicious and freshly made as well. The ones at burp (not that I'm complaining, I'm just still a bit sore over the whole guacamole fiasco) seem just like the ones you get out of the packet. They're tasty but they don't have that fresh taste to them. The chicken we had was also interesting, once again I could almost taste Indian flavours to it. At the end they also offer you a choice of sauces which helped add a bit of zing to the whole thing. 

There were only two dissapointing things about the whole place. Firstly there was so mango salsa and I love having mango salsa on my wrap at burp. Secondly they make you pay 50¢ extra for guacamole, that was all a bit too subway for me. Although speaking of quacamole, I did love this:

At least I know that they think guacamole is a very important addition to any burrito, and maybe the extra 50¢ I pay them will go to ensuring that I never end up with a guac-less burrito. 

(Their website is also very cute, they even have a game where you shoot flying tacos, burritos and corn chips!)

Stuff I Do - Radio

As part of my Uni degree I signed up to be involved in a radio show. That's right, every week I get together with a group of 8 other awesome uni students and we plan and produce a really rad radio show. It's called 'Y' on Radio Adelaide 101.5. To sum it up briefly, our show profiles Generation Y - so we bust the myths surrounding the generation, talk about what we like, what we do etc etc. Anyway, the show is on Wednesdays, at 3:00pm on 101.5 (Yes, I did just shamefully plug my radio show on my blog!). I know you want to listen in... right? Come on!

Y. Wednesday. 3:00pm. Radio Adelaide 101.5

So valued readers (I hope you exist!), do you listen to radio?
What programs?
Are they a commercial or community station (Radio Adelaide is Community so no ads...yeeha!)

P.S If you really want to listen in but don't have a radio handy, listen online.

Obsessions - Prams

So I talked a bit in our first blogs about obsession, so I thought I'd share a little something that I'm a little bit obsessed with. It might seem like a strange thing, considering I'm only 20 and I definitely don't have any bubs of my own, but there is just something about prams/buggies/strollers that I love. These are a selection of some of my favourite ones. The Quinny Zapp, the Cath Kidston Maclaren, the Stokke Explory, a Phil & Teds double buggy, the Bugaboo Chameleon and then a Mamas and Papas Skate. I know most people wont get the obsession side of things, but I think everyone should be able to appreciate that these all have some really nice design elements. I love it when companies get designers such as Cath Kidston (Maclaren) or Paul Frank (Bugaboo) to do designs for them, and I love that all of these have such clean lines and such interesting designs compared to the $24 pram you can pick up from Big W.

So does anyone else appreciate these prams, or do I just seem insane? I'm obviously not going to go out and buy any of these, but like with anything when I see a nice price of design then I can't help but like it.