Oh spring... where art thou?

Melbourne is notorious for having four seasons in one day. Lately though, I've been feeling that all we are getting are the cooler seasons. Where is the sun? Did spring not make its appearance last month? Why has she forsaken us? And why does this perturb me so much?

Let me tell you a little story. The story begins with me complaining about how much clothing I have, and how I can never find anything to wear when I need it (nothing new if you talk to girls frequently). I one day have a lightbulb moment and decide to pack away all my winter clothing and anything chunky and knitted (jackets included). Where do these all go once I've packed them up? Because I have no room, it goes into storage, of course! So that when it starts getting chilly I can put all my summery stuff into storage and bring out all my winter stuff... *snorts*. Let's be honest, I'll most likely forget about it and buy new winter stuff because once it gets cold again, I'll be complaining that I have nothing to wear! But anyway...

So after 4 days of blissful sun in Melbourne, and spending some time in Italy where the weather was beautiful, I come back to Melbourne and find that it is experiencing an ice age in the middle of spring. Talk about bad timing! I am forced to wear the same thin, so-called "wind cheater" (such false advertising) over my chunkiest hoodie and gym pants when I have to go outside (which is every single day). All I have sitting in my makeshift closet right now (which is an entire story all on its own) are pretty, summery, light clothing that I cannot wait to put on and strut around in. Although...

... is the universe secretly doing me a favour by preventing me from baring my flabby belly to innocent bystanders? Should I exercise to be taut for summer, so people don't experience second hand embarrassment for me? Am I just being given more time to get my body into shape? And if so, then I think Melbourne will be in a permafrost state because my laziness knows no bounds.

Spring, where art though? Goddammit, I just want my cellulite ridden thighs to jiggle in the warm breeze already! C'mon spring... show your face!

Snapchat evidence of me, freezing in my room.

Shopaholic strikes again!

I'm at it again. Buying things I don't need. Buuut... sale. So why not? Here are my latest purchases:

Kookai dress - $40

Kookai top - $50

Guess dress - $149.95 (I had 20% off)

Guess top - $79.95 (I had 20% off)

Flannel shorts - $150

Today I actually spent my time packing up some clothes and shoes and transporting it into my storage unit... only to refill the space I made with these new purchases. Go figure. Here's some pictures from Snapchat of my day (follow me! "luvrin"):

Oh yeah... I have a website!

Wow, it's been forever and a day since I last updated this website.  In my rash, spur of the moment  mind frame, I decided to get rid of my ugly mug as the header because it just made me cringe every single time I saw it.  Ick!  So since I got rid of that, I had to get rid of everything else.  But this is a little bit better, right?  One day I'll do it all up again but for now, this will be my humble online abode.

If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you'll know I haven't died or anything.  In fact, I've been camwhoring more than ever.  Which is very sad at my age.  There are a lot of reviews I need to catch up on, but more importantly, I need to catch up on my studies.  

My beauty therapy course had been going very well... until I had a little bit of a breakdown.  I guess I'm not like most people, who get stressed, deal with it and move on.  For some reason my mind just literally explodes and renders me useless for several days.  I can't do anything.  At all!

I am back in class next week.  I'm trying very hard to catch up on all the work I missed out on, not to mention study for the exams I also missed out on.  I really want to start blogging regularly again, and that will hopefully happen very soon.  But just to keep you guys in the loop, here's some of the things that have happened since I last updated:

• I met Michelle Phan
• I met all three Hanson brothers!
• I have some awesome new shoes
• I have lots of new cute tops for spring
• I saw hot, naked guys on a boat for my cousin's hens night 0_0
• I am seeing a new doctor for all my issues
• I've learnt how to wax my own punani
• My BFF Khem came to Melbourne not once, but twice!
• We got into mischief in the Mahogany Room in Crown Casino
• I have developed the biggest crush on Bruce Willis... mmm!
• I bought a NARS brush travel set but have yet to use it
• I got new running shoes (they're hot pink and black)!
• I've started running

I really think it's easier making videos on YouTube, but I hate the way I look on screen so hiding behind words is a better option for me.  I still receive Lust Have It packages, but haven't bothered to do videos on them.  And now, I really have to get back to homework!  xx

Bad Blogger!

I apologise for my MIA status.  I've been in a little bit of a funk, as well as busy with school.  It's not like I'm studying medicine or anything, but still, I'm used to doing absolutely nothing!  So devoting two (soon to be three) days for school is quite a challenge for me.

Speaking of school, Wednesday's class is cert III makeup!  How awesome that my first subject happens to be makeup.  I rarely wear makeup (because I hardly ever go out) but going to Wednesday's class always reignites my passion for it.  On Tuesday I worked for a few hours and applied all the new techniques I had learnt in class and was really pleased with my makeup, which lasted all day!

I really want to do a few videos on some of the things I've learnt, but since started school my skin has broken out in eczema patches again.  I've been avoiding filming, but in my last few YouTube videos you can kinda see the eczema on my face.  *sigh*  It must be the weather!

Anyway, this is just a little post to let you know what's been going on. Hopefully I'll get back to regular blogging again, as I have so many products I want to review and tutorials to make.  So thanks for the love, and in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, I'll be back!  xoxo

If I Owned These Things I'd Be Happy, But Only For 5 Minutes...

I have my foot care tutorial ready to be published, but I needed to get something off my chest and tonight I've decided to write a little heart to heart post.  So the foot post can wait.  Seeing as I'm only posting once a week, it'll come next week.

This week something happened that kind of threw me off.  Every since I got wind of something a couple of days ago, I haven't been as "happy" as I usually am.  I'm stressed and my skin is breaking out in eczema patches again.  I'm not going to divulge, but this "news" has affected me in a major way, and also means a different way of life.

I'm pretty sure that when I stress over something, I don't deal with it as most people do.  Unless it's normal to overeat, or not eat at all.  Or stay in bed all day, staring at the ceiling.  Or even skip showering because I just can't muster the energy.  For anyone who's ever been depressed, all those things will sound familiar. This "news" has thrown me back into the depths of depression, just when I had one foot out the door.

Meh.  Such is life.

Anyway, this is how I deal with my depression: compile a wish list!  Here is what I've spent much of my waking hours obsessing over.  Why deal with the real world when I can forget all my troubles by thinking up ways on procuring unnecessary, expensive things?  Here's my "If I owned these things I'd be happy, but only for 5 minutes" wish list.

Image: www.burberry.com

I saw this modeled on a dummy in the Chadstone Burberry store.  WANT.  It looks hot, and it's a timeless piece.  Sure, I already own one (it was an amazing birthday gift a few years ago), but it's long and dark.  I want a shorter, lighter one!

Image: www.ferragamo.com

Have you ever slipped your foot into a Salvatore Ferragamo shoe?  If you want to remain oblivious to how amazingly comfy they are, then DON'T try it!  Once you pop (your foot in one), you can't stop (thinking about adding it to your personal shoe collection).

Image: www.jimmychoo.com

Again here's another classic, timeless piece.  Jimmy Choo's Rosalie handbags come in an assortment of colours and materials, but my favourite is the smaller sized Rosalie in "mock croc".  Pictured is the nude, but it also comes in black and fuchsia.  And boy, is the fuchsia HOT!  Perfect way to add a pop of colour to an otherwise drab winter outfit.

A few other things I am adding to this wish list but won't be pictured (because I'm lazy): Chanel lipsticks and foundations, YSL lipsticks, a flip top glamour makeup box, a boob job (in cup size D, preferably!) and my own luxury car (public transport on rainy days are totally not fun)!

So, are you rich?  Do you have a few thousand dollars just lying around, waiting to be spent on frivolous, materialistic crap?  If so, well I wish I were you!  I know money can't buy you happiness, but it can bring you a few moments of joy.  That may be all one needs to keep on truckin'... 

Beauty School Update

It's been a long while since I've posted anything.  I've been enjoying the school holiday and Easter with my boys.  I've also been trialing a few different products that I will get around to reviewing very soon.  But in the meantime, I just want to announce that I am finally officially enrolled in beauty school!  I have my time table and everything.  I'm quite excited!

My timetable :)

Last year I was very close to enrolling, but at the time my younger son wasn't in childcare and I only had the option of studying on weekends, which wasn't ideal for me.  I kept putting off paying the deposit because deep down, I knew I didn't really want to do it on that schedule.  I also didn't have a car to get around in and the beauty school wasn't situated in an area easily accessible by public transport for me.  So eventually, I lost my spot and decided I'd have to wait until a better training schedule turned up.

I'm glad I waited, because this year my son finally got a spot in a childcare center and I started looking for a beauty school that would have suitable hours for me.  It took a few weeks but I finally found one, and my first class is next week!  

I only have a week to look for black work pants, which will be part of my school uniform.  I actually tried on several in Chadstone but none seemed to fit me very well.  I started off trying size 10 in a few different brands but surprisingly they were all too big.  So I tried 9, then 8, then 7... The latter was a little bit too tight but 8 fit me quite well.  However, I couldn't find a suitable cut.  Why is it so hard looking for plain black work pants?

I filmed a quick outfit of the day video so if you want to see what I was wearing today, watch the following video.

Direct video link: http://youtu.be/Oo6yILurWQE

I am looking forward to starting the course and sharing what I learn!  Until next time, take care lovelies :)

Beauty School + Upcoming Birthday Haul + Lust Have It (March)

My birthday is 6 days from today.  I'm getting old, eek!  I suppose I'm getting to that age where you just don't want to tell anyone your real digits.  So let's just say I'm turning... 21?  Yeah.  That'll do!  Lol!  But if you do the math, it doesn't add up because I have a son who will be turning 10 in July.  Hmmm!

This weekend I will be away.  My birthday weekend really falls next week, but who doesn't want to take advantage of the long weekend?  By Wednesday I should be back blogging about all the things I did, eat, see, get.  If I'm lucky, expect a nice big birthday haul!  After all, Chadstone's VIP event will be held on the day just before my birthday... *giggles gleefully*.  It's like the universe has just decided to make this my year!

Speaking of which, I have gotten the ball rolling again for my longing to do a beauty course.  Last year I had planned on starting a weekend course and after a year I would have gotten a Diploma in Beauty Therapy, but the timetable and location just wasn't ideal for me.  And I left it far too late to enroll anyway.  It's hard trying to get qualified when there are two kids to work around and not much help available.

The school that I may be starting at soon is catered specifically for people who have kids to look after. Their hours are shorter and classes are only two or three times a week so this means that obtaining my Diploma will take much longer than a year. This is a good thing anyway because I can learn at my own pace.  If there's one thing I hate, it's to feel rushed!

Today I picked up my Lust Have It box that had been waiting for me since yesterday at my local post office.  I filmed a video, so if you're interested in seeing what's inside this month's box you can click play below or just click this link which will take you to the video.

Direct video link: http://youtu.be/bEMJbZhM12Q

See you in about a week!  I hope you all have something fun planned for the weekend like I have :

Busy Me + Wedding Snaps

I have been so busy this week.  I rarely ever say that I'm busy, because let's be honest, I don't do much at all on a day to day basis.  A few things I did this week are; secure an appointment/interview for a potential school, get my son into childcare and have my patch test.  Tomorrow I'll be working, and on Friday I'll be meeting up with a friend for lunch and going to hospital.  It might not sound like a lot to someone who studies or works full time, but believe me, when I say I do nothing I literally do nothing all day.  So this week has tired me out somewhat.

Here's what I wore and the face I did to the wedding I recently attended.  I was sick and didn't have the energy to attend.  In my mind I had already cancelled but my mum called to tell me of the travel arrangement and I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't going.  So I did get myself ready, but my heart wasn't into it and I was just too sick to care about how I looked.

Dress from Pilgrim.  I wore my new nude peep toe heels with it

I did a neutral eye with a smokey liner

False lash application needs a little work, lol!

I had to do my own (terribly uneven and bumpy) french mani :(

Ma mère et moi :)

Mon père, ma mère et moi :)

I didn't get a chance to take a lot of photos but I did say I'll post my outfit and face, so there you go.  Once I get the results from the patch test, I'll write a post on it.  And depending on how the school meeting interview thingy goes, I'll blog about that too.  Oh, I was also gifted a lovely, brand new camera so quite possibly will be doing some videos.  What say you?  Yay or nay?

I have patches on my back right now and oh my lord is it itchy!  I really wish I could just give it a scratch.  Argh!

So how is your week going?  Are you someone who works and studies?  Or are you a bum like me?

Checklist For Wedding Reception

In all honesty, I don't think I'll be able to go to the family friend's wedding this Saturday.  My throat has been sore since yesterday, and today not only is my throat even more sore, but my nose is dripping like a tap too.  On top of that, my 9 year old son came home from school today with a high fever and chills. His school told me he had slept for half the day!  When he gets sick, it often lasts for a week.  Even though it's days away, I doubt I will be able to attend. But I have been looking forward to it for a very long time, so *fingers crossed*!

Just in case I do get to go, here's my checklist of things I need to do before the event.  I like to mentally cross off a checklist, but sometimes it helps to write things down just to make sure I get everything done.

FRIDAY

• Decide on an outfit, shoes & makeup
• Get hair washed, cut and straightened at hair dressers
• Get nails painted at nail salon 
• Epilate underarms
• Wax upper lips
• Pluck stray eyebrow hair
• Exfoliate face & body

SATURDAY

• Shave legs
• DIY facial & mask

2 HOURS BEFORE EVENT

• Curl hair
• Apply makeup
• Apply leg tan

As you can see, I will be doing most of the "getting ready" tomorrow.  I like to do as little as possible on the day so that I can focus more on makeup application and hair.  The little things like epilating and waxing, I like to do before the day to reduce the risk of redness.  I want to get my hair washed the day before so that when I curl my hair the next day, the curls will hold better.

Typically, I like to do my own nails.  But for weddings and other important events, I prefer to get it done at a nail salon because I generally go for a french manicure, and it looks much more "crisper" when professionally done. There is no risk for me getting it done the day before because it won't chip until the 5-7 day mark.  If I do my own nails, it tends to chip a day or two after I've applied it.

I hope that I will have lots of photos to post after the event, assuming that I do get to go.  If I don't get to go, I'll still post what outfit I would have worn and the makeup look I would have worn with it :)

A Whole Lot of Goodies

Yesterday was a very traumatic day for my younger son and I.  He needed a second blood test (as if the one he did on Monday wasn't traumatic enough!) and when I took him in to get it done, well, let's just say that after an hour in the clinic, it still wasn't done.  And it didn't look like it was going to get done.

After all the drama, I took him shopping and told him he could buy whatever he wanted to distract him from what just happened.  He got some new Lightning McQueen runners, a huge crocodile soft toy which he kept calling a dinosaur, several $2 rides, ice cream, lollies and KFC.  He was happy.

I was happy too.  Mainly because I did a little hauling.  Here's what I got:

• M.A.C. 212 eyeliner brush
• M.A.C. 130 foundation/powder brush
• Chantecaille loose powder (Ray)
• Chantecaille brilliant gloss (Glee)
• KORA Organics vitamin enhanced lip balm
• NARS eyeshadow (Bengali)
• O.P.I. nail lacquer (Kiss Me On My Tulips)
• Batiste dry shampoo (Tropical)

The lip balm and dry shampoo are things I get on a regular basis, whenever I run out.  The nail polish was an impulse buy - I just really love pink nail polish! All the other items were products I have wanted for awhile and done some extensive research on them to ascertain whether they would be worth it or not.  I'll soon find out!

Zu "Irena" peep toe heels

These shoes I have wanted FOREVER.  They are comfy for its height, they are a nice nude colour (so will suit almost any outfit) and the best part about this purchase was that it was heavily reduced, from $140 to $42.  Unbelievable! I'm so glad I waited so long to get them.  This goes to show that good things definitely come to those who wait :)

  

My valentine/early b-day gift

Oh yes, do you remember a wish list I put up several months ago, last year? One of the items was a handbag.  And it just so happens that I received that handbag as a valentines/early birthday present from a very special somebody in my life.  How lucky am I?  I kind of feel like this year is going to be a great year.  It's only February and I've been spoilt so much!  A little fact about me: I believe that the first butterfly you see at the start of a new year will determine how good the year will be for you.  For the past few years I've always seen a white butterfly, which means you'll have plenty of good luck and a good year (which never really worked out for me... hmmm). But this year, I saw a monarch butterfly.  Supposedly, this is a sign of bad luck.  But it seems to be giving me the opposite effect!  Maybe I've been reading into this superstition wrong the whole time?!  Well, whatever.  This year I feel so lucky :)

Hello, Sun Damage!

During the long Australia Day weekend, I went to Venus Bay with my family and a family friend.  Can you believe that a few weeks before "the big event" I go out and get sunburnt?  No?  Well surely these photos will paint a clear picture in your mind for you.  I bet you can even feel the pain!

Now, I wish I had taken photos of the day, but unfortunately I'm not the kind of person to take snaps every ten seconds.  (Serena took some photos on her phone, maybe I'll bug her for them...) Once I'm somewhere, I just enjoy the moment without worrying about capturing it on film.  So sadly, there will be no photos of the day so I won't talk about it.  I'll just talk about my sunburnt back.  I will mention that it was a very clear, hot day.  Mid 30's, I believe.  I caught 3 pipis.  Go me!  And I discovered a new hobby: body boarding!  So fun!

This is what happens when you think you're being clever and apply sunscreen all over your body, except the one place you can't really reach very well: your back!  I didn't purposely leave my back unprotected, I had actually forgotten to apply sunscreen there each and every time I reapplied!  How does one forget each time?  I'm pretty sure my brain was reacting to the sudden surge of ultraviolet rays which it rarely ever experiences due to me being a homebody.

Before I got to Venus Bay and stripped off, I had made sure to apply my sunscreen all over my body, including my back.  Once I got there and reapplied my sunscreen, I just completely forgot to do my back.  I got an offer from someone to do my back, but I declined because I didn't think that he would do a good job. Ironically, I then forget to do it myself (was too busy talking about astrophysics and astronomy) so maybe I shouldn't have rebuffed him!

Nearly a week has passed, and my back still stings a little.  It's still quite itchy but it is no longer red.  It is now extremely dark brown.  Not a good look!  Have I learnt my lesson?  Yes!  If somebody offers to apply sunscreen to your back, TAKE IT!  Because you'll probably forget to do it yourself :(

Here's a photo I took of my younger son on the way back home.  He's asleep in his speedos, lol!

My Friday Night + Glasses FOTN

 

I no longer have anymore pairs of contacts to wear, so I have been wearing glasses.  I hate wearing glasses on top of makeup, but last night I was forced to do so for my dinner date.  I kept my makeup extremely light.  I also had only half an hour to get ready, so I very rushed for time.  In the 30 minutes I had, I needed to do my makeup AND hair!

Obviously, my hair wasn't looking too hot but I liked how my makeup looked: very natural.  I didn't bother with any primers, I just slapped on NARS sheer glow foundation with a damp sponge, brushed NARS deep throat blush on my cheeks then quickly did my eyes (using NARS pandora + Lancome e/s).  Of course, I couldn't find my favourite black eyeliner so I just used the black e/s from the NARS palette to line my upper and lower lash line.  Then I curled my lashes and applied Benefit Bad Gal mascara.  I wish I had had the time to apply false lashes, I would've felt much better about my eyes.  I didn't bother with any lip product, as I was going to be eating anyway.

I had a great night.  I had dinner at the Lobster Cave.  I ordered my usual pork belly dish and had a few glasses of... well, some kind of pink wine.  I always forget the name!  But, according to my date, it tastes like "lolly water".  Ha, I guess that's why I like it!

I have a headache (I'm writing this on Saturday at 12pm but am scheduling it to post on Sunday morning).  I can't really stand to look at my computer screen anymore, so I'll just finish off with some photos from the night.

We got seated next to the wall.  This was my view!

My yummy pork belly.  Oink oink!  Picture does not do it justice.

Been here several times but never noticed that the toilet had a chandelier!

Cam whoring in the toilets of Lobster Cave.

Cam whoring at home!  How to turn a boring outfit sexy: hitch it up and take off your pants. Haha I was a little intoxicated. 

Skin Woes Part II

Today I finally saw a doctor about the spots of dry, itchy, persistent rash on my face/neck/torso (and this morning I discovered a new one on my right arm, grrr).  I didn't see a doctor in the first place because I knew he would just prescribe me a hydrocortisone cream.  I can get that myself from a pharmacy!

As predicted, the doctor prescribed me a hydrocortisone combined with an anti-fungal, but he told me he didn't really want me to use the cream.  Reason being, if I had already tried it, had it clear up but then come back, my skin would clear up in the short term but might become dependant on the cream, resulting in flare ups.  Instead, he urged me to see a skin specialist and wrote a referral for me.

I'm actually quite excited to be seeing a dermatologist for the first time in my life.  Lord knows why I've never seen one before, especially because of my keratosis pilaris.  I called up the clinic and the first appointment will cost me $150 for a 15 minute consult with the doctor.  Ouch!  I don't know when I'll get to see the doctor, but I'm hoping I can get the money soon so that I don't have to feel so depressed about my skin, on top of everything else going on in my life.

Fingers crossed he will cure all my skin ailments!

Beauty School Drop Out + My Skin Woes

How typical of me.  Before my Diploma of Beauty Therapy course even starts, I've had to drop out.  Not because I don't want to do it, but because I left it far too late to enroll and secure a spot.  Ladies & gentlemen, this is why you should never, ever procrastinate!

Luckily for me, I'll be able to enroll for the next course, which isn't too far away.  They start a new course every few months, so in that time I will be able to save up enough money to just pay for the course outright.  Plus, I was told that I wouldn't be allowed to get my regular wax or de-fuzz myself anywhere, because it would all be done at school in class.  Um... Don't shave in summer?  Does not compute!  There are two weeks in between classes, so people would've mistaken me for a man (if they don't already)!

I am still looking forward to studying beauty therapy, so I've already started learning by reading as much as I can (magazines & beauty blogs count, right?) The internet is a wealth of knowledge & I intend to utilise it!

Tomorrow I will start to write up my review for the Burt's Bees sugar scrub + body butter.  I usually use a product for at least a month (often a lot more) but I've been using the butter daily and the scrub every few days (my keratosis pilaris is hating me for it) and I have not had any adverse reactions and it doesn't look like things will change.

Speaking of which, my neck broke out from something (sunscreen? Perfume?) a few weeks ago (before Burt's Bees) and left a crazy scattering of dark red rashes all over my neck.  Remember the good old high school days when your boyfriend would give you hickies? (No, Rin... You never had a bf in high school?!)  Well, it looked like I had been getting it on with teenage boys who like to leave their mark on my neck.. 0_0  The rash didn't clear up with my trusty coconut oil, but to be fair, I was too impatient and gave it only a week before I got sick of the knowing looks from strangers and finally spoke to a pharmacist.

Anyway, my point is, I cleared the rash up with good old 1% hydrocortisone cream but that, in turn has now broken out my face.  Really badly.  Like, I look like I have a disease.  I have light, extremely dry spots on my face that even if I drown in oil, does not stay moist, therefore anything I apply (blush, liquid foundation, powder, heavy duty moisturiser etc) I can still see the discolouration and the dry spot... Wahhh!  My life is over!

Well, I hope you can understand why I don't want to post up photos.  I can't bear the thought of forever capturing the atrocity.  It's not exactly something I want to look back on... Anyway, I'm just rambling.  I just wanted to share my current beauty woes :(  I'm still smiling, though.  My kids keep me happy & sane (as unbelievable as that sounds, it's true!) So I'm off to watch them sleep now.  Goodnight xo

Why I'll Never Love The Skin I'm In...

My thighs.  It's basically all over my lower legs too :(

Back of arms.  It's also kinda starting to appear on my forearms.  Argh!

I'm pretty sure the pictures will show you why I will never love the skin I'm in.  I have an unsightly, bumpy skin condition on almost all of my body.  Damn you keratosis pilaris!  I will post about it more later, but for now, look at the pictures and feel sorry for me.  Because I sure do :(  I'll never feel confident about myself, no matter how good I look, because my skin will never be pretty.  Pretty, smooth skin is what makes a girl.  Men often say they love how a woman's skin looks and feels.  This is why I don't want to get with any man.  Anyway.  I'm just feeling rather depressed at the moment, so this is a fitting post.  If you don't know what KP is, I will be writing in depth about it at a later date, and tell you the things I have tried to get rid of it.  *sigh*  Goodnight!

Date Night: Mixed Animal Print

Check out what I was planning to wear on a date. Here I was, all ready to go, all I had to do was put on some make up (I was planning for a smokey neutral eye with deep red/plum lips). At the last minute, it got cancelled because my mum (aka "babysitter") had a wedding to go to and I had completely forgotten. That sure taught me not to take her for granted! *sobs* Speaking of weddings, marriage is something I'm guessing I will never experience for myself... *triple sob*

Oh well! Such is life. I ended up going to the local pub with my boys for fish & chips. Of course I got changed into tracky daks, the regular attire one would wear to a pub. I didn't want old men staring at me! Let's face it, my skirt might as well have been a belt. I have terrible legs and possibly cellulite (I haven't dared look in years) but I still insist on wearing skirts that barely cover my butt cheek. Yep, I'm one of those... So why do I do it? Well, for some reason mid length or long skirts don't suit my frame. So the shorter the skirt, the better proportioned I look. Go figure!

Anyway, my point is, was my date night outfit trashy? I kinda feel like it was, but if you saw some of my past outfits from when I was younger, I have actually gotten heaps classier. I had a really skanky fashion sense back then (daddy issues, no doubt!) so I think I've improved heaps... right? *nervous grin*

If you have a lookbook account, fashion (and/or beauty) blog or a fashion (and/or beauty) channel on YouTube, please let me know about it as I love anything to do with fashion (and beauty)! Wishing you all a great weekend :)

Burt's Bees VIP Trial Team

 

Exciting news today!  I was on Facebook and saw that Burt's Bees had announced who they had selected to be on their trial team (a competition they had a few weeks ago).  And guess who's name came up lucky last?  Mine!  *yippee*

I believe that the products the trial team members get to try will be a sugar scrub and a body butter.  This couldn't have come at a better time, as I was looking to buy a body scrub anyway.  I used to use the one from The Body Shop, (the Brazil Nut scrub) but since they no longer stock that, I've just been using their Olive Oil scrub, a loofah with body wash (Mario Badescu AHA Botanical Body Soap) or a DIY coconut oil and sugar scrub.

I prefer to use heavily scented products, so The Body Shop ones are good for that, but they contain ingredients I don't quite agree with so I always like to shop around.  However, I never end up finding anything I like the look of.  Having the opportunity to trial the new Burt's Bees body butter and sugar scrub is really exciting for me, as I get to try a product I needed anyway!  I look forward to reviewing them.  Thank you Burt's Bees!

Discovering An Old Love Agian

Years back, I used to shop at Forever New.  It was my all time favourite store, because most of their clothing was feminine and pretty (totally my style)!  Their prices weren't too bad and the quality was reasonable.  Although, not all pieces are made equal.  Be weary of items made of cotton knit, it can lose its shape in the wash.  However, I've had tops from several years ago that I still have to this day, and wear regularly.  So always follow the washing instructions!

I don't know why I stopped going.  Perhaps I felt I was getting too old for it?  Or maybe I just moved on...  Well, today I was in Chadstone and was walking past the Forever New store and though, "eh, why not".  So I go in, and try on some tops...

$69.95 - Love the way the shirt drapes my body.  It's a bit longer at the back and a little sheer.  Gorgeous pattern!  One of my favourite items of clothing are shirts.

 

$29.95 - This is actually a lot more gold in person, and is mega sparkly!  The back has two straps that connect from the front and join in the middle... it looks interesting and makes an otherwise simple singlet quite remarkable!

$29.95 - I love the way this drapes over my body and hides my beer belly.  The flower pattern make the plain singlet more feminine and interesting.

Yes, I took photos in the changing rooms!  Very sneaky of me, but honestly, I took them so I could look back at them and see if I wanted to buy the item or not.  And right now, after having had a look at the snaps, I've decided that I do want to buy these tops!  The last two are really inexpensive and perfect for the hotter months.  This year I've really been into browns and neutrals, and all these tops satisfy that criteria.  I can totally see myself wearing the first top with a pair of denim shorts or a skirt and some tan platform heels or wedges.  The second top, although you can't really see it in the photo, is actually very sparkly, has an interesting back and is a great casual yet blingy style for nights out pub or club hopping.  And the last one is just cute for day time.  It's a racer back and would go well with anything.  Perfect for shopping!

So, I suppose this post is really just a preemptive haul.  I plan on getting those tops soon, maybe tomorrow!  What do you think?  My photos don't do them justice... in person they are a lot more cute and deeper in colour.  If you work at Forever New somewhere in Melbourne, hold these tops for me in a size 8 please!

Meeting Miranda Kerr

I lined up for about 2 hours on Saturday, 27th August 2011 to get my book signed by the ever so gorgeous Miranda Kerr at the David Jones Bourke Street Mall store.  I said I'd get up early just so I could be one of the first in line, but of course that didn't happen.  I didn't leave for the city until 11am (event started at 12!) and I was pretty much towards the end of the line.  Here's a few snaps of me on the way:

Just a tad excited!

My 3yr old boy doesn't know what we're doing or why mummy is acting like child with ADHD.

My outfit for the day was soft pink themed.  I wore my pastel pink off the shoulder Guess knit tee and carried a pink Bvlgari handbag.  I didn't want to wear high heels because I knew I would be standing for a long time, so I opted for a very low pair of cream shiny pumps from Aldo (if I had a soft pink pair, believe me, I would've worn it!)  My jeans were a dark wash pair of skinnies by Gripp and I had to wear sunnies (brown Tom Fords) because my eyes were really red (turned out I had a minor case of conjunctivitis... ewwwww)!

Love the dirty mirror!  That's what happens when you have kids who brush their teeth and spit everywhere but into the sink.

I took a video of Miranda as she came out during her second appearance.  You can view the video at my beauty channel on YouTube or my personal channel.  They are of the same thing but from different angles.  (Beauty channel vid= a bit cut off in the beginning, quite shaky towards the end because my arm got tired and filmed from the side.  Personal channel vid= full video filmed front on but also quite shaky, a lot of talking can be heard in the background and a whinging child bumping the cameraman every now and then).

Now, on to actually meeting Miranda.  As I was walking up I nearly tripped because I didn't realise that there was a slight incline to the stage (how classy!) and as soon as I was there in front of her, she confirmed that I was Rin and silly me, in the heat of the moment I end up striking a conversation with her and forget to turn around for my photo.  D'oh! 

I actually asked her a very personal question that normal people don't go around blurting to one of their idols.  I asked her if she was still breastfeeding her son.  She is so sweet, she actually smiled and nodded and said that she was.  So while she was signing my book, I was telling her that I had breastfed both my sons for over two years each (to which she raised her eyebrows and said "wow, good on you!") and then harped on about something or other to do with breastfeeding.  She actually agreed with me that breastfeeding is such a natural and beautiful thing to do.  She said "what is up with that?!" in regards to some people not choosing to breastfeed or stopping after a very short while.  Anyway, I can't remember the conversation fully as it's hard to concentrate when a beautiful woman is looking you in the (red) eye and talking about how beautiful breastfeeding is!  So on to the pics:

Dazed and confused after talking to Miranda!

I was going to include some photos of her outfit sourced from other sites, but I think I will do that in a different post because I don't want this to be too long.  But let me just say, the shoes that Miranda was wearing... O. M. G!  To die for!  In fact, her whole outfit was so simple yet chic and classy.  I asked David Jones on their facebook page what shoes she was wearing and they told me they were Jimmy Choo and available in DJ now.  If you want to see what it looks like, read this article.  But be warned... you WILL fall in love!!

So, the rumours are true... Miranda Kerr truly IS a sweetheart!  Check out her newly revamped KORA Organics line here.  (Post on KORA Organics coming up!)