GUYS I HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS: I got my dream job of becoming an Operating Theatre nurse next year! Now this may not seem like a big deal to people but to me it is such an achievement.

I finished my degree this year and it dawned upon me that I would have to get a job fresh out of uni. In Australia it's really difficult to get a job as a nurse when you've just come straight from univeristy cause, well, you don't have any proper experience. So we have this thing called a "graduate year" which is a program where you start working properly but they also ease you into things and train you up. Graduate years are really difficult to get and majority of nursing graduates won't be able to get a position because they are so so limited. If you are lucky enough to get a position they usually are in a rural place in the middle of nowhere - which would be horrible!!

But guess what..I got my dream job at a Hospital where I live!! I am over the moon. The last few weeks have been absolutely awful on me as I have been stressing over whether i'll get a job or not. If you have been in the process of getting a job you know awful this feeling is. So i'm super duper blessed. I haven't talked too much about religion on my blog but i'm actually a really strong Christian and I do believe this was such a god thing. Hundreds of people applied for this job, people who would be a lot smarter and greater, and yet I got the job. I had been praying lots and lots about getting a job here on the coast and that prayer was completely answered.

Anyway I thought it was suitable to do a blog post on this seeing as i'm SO happy about getting this job. Plus I just thought it'd be a nice thing to come back and read about :')

 If there is one brand that I have wanted to try for a LONG time: it is Colourpop. Unfortunately being an Australian is a curse on beauty lovers as shipping is always ridiculously expensive. Paying $25 on shipping?! Um, nooo thank you.

So when Colourpop sent an email stating that it was FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING WHEN YOU SPEND OVER $50 I jumped on the opportunity. It was all perfect timing, I had just finished a grueling two months of unpaid internship and it was imperative I treated myself in the form of make-up. I watched a bunch of youtube videos and read a lot of blog posts to help me decide on what to buy.

I haaate referring to myself as an "adult" cause yeah, at 21 I technically classify as being an adult but I don't feel like an adult at all. Since school it is safe to say there are many things I have learnt and realized along the way. 

1. PETROL IS EXPENSIVE
Honestly, nothing is as depressing as seeing the dollars clock up when you're filling up your car. Mentally you're saying "please stop car, surely you're full now?" but your car says "um lol no, there's still another $15 I can get out of you". Bastard car stealing my money.

2. HAVING FRIENDS ACTUALLY TAKES EFFORT
In school there was no effort whatsoever with maintaining friends as you were guaranteed to see them five days a week. Upon leaving school I realized "OH WAIT, I actually have to make plans now?!" and it was a shock to the system.

3. HOLIDAYS AREN'T A GUARANTEED THING
Luckily I don't have this issue at the moment as i'm just finishing up my university degree, BUT I begin working full time next year and I realized that I'M GOING TO HAVE TO APPLY FOR HOLIDAYS. I think I will definitely envy the years I had studying where I was always guaranteed months and months of holidays.

4. "ALL NIGHTERS" ARE A TERRIBLE IDEA
In school I would actively try and have "all nighters" with my friends cause I thought I was like soooo cool for not going to bed. Now I would slap anyone who would even make such a suggestion! "All nighter" meaning....no sleep?! Ha ha nooo way pal. No way. 

5. HOW NOSTALGIC I WOULD BECOME OF 90'S KIDS TELEVISION
I get so emotional every time sometime utters one of the following: Arthur, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Recess, Daria, Pokemon, Catdog, The Wild Thorberrys etc. Makes me want to be six years old again where I would come home from school and watch kids television until my parents dragged me away for dinner. The thing about these shows is that they are still great now, hell, even writing about them is making me want to watch them.

6. YOU REALIZE THE WORLD IS KINDA SCARY AND MESSED UP
I mean yeah, my parents would watch the news most nights but I never paid much attention. Now as a 21 year old girl i've realized that there is actually a lot of messed up stuff that goes on. For example: THERE ARE SICK FREAKS WHO THINK IT'S FUNNY TO DRESS UP AS CLOWNS AND HIDE IN BUSHES TO SCARE PEOPLE. I MEAN COME ON.

7. AGE DIFFERENCE ISN'T A BIG DEAL
In school I used to this I was so cool when I would be friends with someone in the grade above me. They just seemed so much older. Now I have realized that it really doesn't matter being friends with someone who is older or younger. I now have friends who are three years younger and friends who are five years older.

8. GOING TO SLEEP EARLY ROCKS
Why?! BECAUSE MORE SLEEP. More sleep is valuable, my friends. In high school I thought it was only old people who would go to bed early but how wrong I was!

9. I HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH
Young Holly would have assumed that by 21 I would have transitioned into a new type of person. I think we assume growing means you change into a sophisticated older person but it's just not true. Sure you change in little ways but for the most part you're still the same person but just somewhat wiser. I still am a sucker for boy bands and looove nothing more than binge watching trashy television such as The Bachelor or Geordie Shore.

When I was in grade 10 getting into makeup I knew nothing compared to what I know now. All I knew about was foundation, concealer, mascara and lip gloss. Oh and the odd occasion of wearing eye shadow when my sister would use me as a practice doll for her makeup skills. I learnt most of what I knew from my sister and my mum, who used predominantly high end brands. When I did start buying my own cosmetics I bought a bunch of crap products because I didn't know any better! My foundation always looked cakey and orange, my concealer would be superrr drying, my eyelashes were clumpy from my cheap mascara, and my lip gloss was always so sticky that my hair would get caught in it (...so cute ha).

So I thought I would write a post for those new to make-up who are wondering what should be in your kit. This is a post I wish I could have used when I was 14!! In my opinion: when you're first starting out I would recommend just getting the basics of foundation, concealer, mascara and a lip product. I have added in a bunch of other products though in case you fancy diving into different things such as highlighting or wearing liquid liner. You can get so many great products at the drugstore which is why I recommend starting out with these products and then perhaps branching out to high end products later on.

Wearing make-up is a part of my everyday routine just like showering and brushing my teeth is. To be frank: I rarely leave the house without it these days. At the very least I will always pop on some concealer to cover up my horrendous bags and add some mascara to make me look slightly less dead. So the other day when I booked myself in for a facial - which is situated smack bang in the middle a shopping centre - I had a little freak out as I knew i'd have to go make-up free.

"Oh, no..but what if I run into someone?!" was all that was running through my head. Heavens forbid someone catches me with a make-up free face! As I walked through the shopping centre I had my head down and let my hair flow freely over my face. I probably looked ridiculous and had the latter effect of drawing more attention to myself! I quickly marched into the beauty salon and successfully avoided running into anyone I know.

I started thinking it through and I realized that make-up had become something I was hiding under rather than using for enjoyment. It's not that I stopped enjoying it..but I had become so accustomed to wearing it that I felt I couldn't be seen without it. That whole notion is just ridiculous though - isn't it? The fact that I didn't want to be seen without it because I was worried that I wouldn't look up to scratch or at my usual standard.

For trips to my local supermarket I went barefaced. When I went to the beach I only applied a tinted moisturizer. For coffee dates with friends I just went for concealer and a little mascara. And do you know what people said to me when they saw how I looked? Nothing. They said nothing. Why? Because it's not a big deal. It doesn't matter. I had built it up in my head that I HAD to always look made up but when it came down to it - no one really noticed or cared.

Although I won't be giving up wearing make-up completely, this experience just showed me that perhaps I need to let myself go bare faced a little more. Rosie Huntington-Whitley was in a video with Lisa Eldridge and said something that stuck with me: "makeup should enhance, it shouldn't hide". So I think for now i'm going to go back to basics and go for a softer everyday look. Make-up free days are not only good for your skin but they're good for soul  as it's important to realize it's okay to go au natural every now and then.

I love my sweet treats which is exactly why I HATE dieting with a passion. Like..having to say no to dessert?! No thank-you.

Last year I slept over at one of my best friends houses and in the morning for breakfast she whipped up this recipe she had found from a blog. It was still warm from the oven, with the chocolate being gooey (I hate that word) and steam rising from each cut. Basically IT WAS HEAVEN. I instantly asked "WHAT IS THIS AND WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE?!". I was even more delighted to hear that is was a healthier alternative to your run-of-the-mill brownie with it being made of nut butter, egg, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda, and 72% dark chocolate. Yep, that's it. So simple but a whole lot better for you than the usual brownie recipe.

Since my first bite I have made this recipe multiple times and thought it was only right to share its goodness.

I have been wearing this combination for WEEKS now so I decided it was only right to share it with you guys. It's perfect for every day wear but I also think it looks niiice with a smokey eye.

It is MAC 'Viva Glam 2' with NYX butter gloss in 'Angel Food Cake'. Both great products on their own, but even greater together.

When I say "house swap" we all think of the movie The Holiday right? Well that's exactly what I did. My family swapped houses and car with a couple in England and this is how it all worked out.
This was the first time my family and I had done proper traveling outside of Australia. We were all eager to visit the UK and Europe particularly. My dad had six months of annual leave accumulated, my brothers could get university off for the semester, and I had just completed grade 12 so all the stars aligned and it was the perfect opportunity to travel!

We did three house swaps: one in Hampshire, one in Hurst, and one in the South of France. I will focus on the first house mainly as we spent the most time there.

After our exhausting 24hr flight we arrived in snowy zero degree England which was a stark contrast from the thirty-five degree day we departed on. We caught a taxi to our new home for the next few months and were blown away at how beautiful and picturesque it was. It was the early hours of the morning and snow glistened under the first rays of light. We wheeled our suitcases through the snow with our noses turning a light shade of pink and steam appearing upon each exhalation. We entered the house and instantly felt the warmth from the central heating and aga. The kitchen, pictured below, was so warm and cozy that I never wanted to leave. Waking up in the mornings was never a hassle as I would get up, put the kettle on the stove, place a croissant in the aga to crisp up, and watch the snow fall whilst waiting for the kettle to whistle.

My bedroom was one of the best. I had a queen size bed, a walk in wardrobe, an en suite, and plenty of windows displaying the beautiful winter wonderland outside. The whole house was a dream though. It had six large bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a massive garden. We were there for a total of 2 1/2 months and would frequently catch the hour-long train journey into London. We also explored places such as Brighton, Guildford, Oxford, Winchester, Alton and many more. Our lifestyle here is the one I miss the most. It was just pure freedom and bliss, no work..no responsibilities..just getting to explore new places and become a local for a short time. The couple who we swapped with were a retired couple who wanted to visit Australia so it worked out perfectly.

• Is perfect for long-term travels where you want to base yourself at a location
• More authentic experience - when you stay in hotels it's hard not to feel like a traveler. If you want to feel and live like a local it's a lot better when living in a house
• Is good respite - traveling is exhausting so it's nice to have a place where you can completely relax and even take a few days just to rest.
• Is cheaper - The best house swap websites do cost money but it works out to be so much more economical, particularly if you swap cars too. It will save you a lot more money, meaning you can spend more on experiences rather than accommodation. 
• More comfortable - I feel so much more at ease when I am living in a house rather than staying in a hotel.