In my life I think I strike a great balance of: working, catching up with friends, exercise (okay I only go for a few walks a week but that still counts right?) and being at home. As i'm naturally more introverted I cherish being a homebody and chilling around my house when I can. Sometimes i'll be productive and do some work and blog, but sometimes I just want to relax and find a new series to get into.

These are the shows I have binged over the last few months, all of which I have recommended to anyone and everyone in real life. You know a series is good when you find yourself bringing it up in conversation just so you can get someone else into it.

Everyone has their "thing". Some it may be baking, reading a lot of books, photography, sports..mine happens to be music. Music is just my absolute passion and I love nothing more than discovering new bands and going to various concerts. I'm always making playlists for myself and friends, burning CD's for my car (yes i'm still a little oldschool, I love my mix CD's!), looking up what bands are touring soon, and trying to find new music.

This year there have been some absolutely fantastic albums released. The ones I were mainly excited for was Lana Del Rey, Asgeir, and Foster The People due to them being my favourite artists. I was also lucky enough to discover new artists with some were recommendations and some being just found at random. These ones mentioned in this post are the standouts, the ones I keep going back to and the ones I can't stop telling people about.

PARCELS - HIDEOUT EP

Now this isn't really going to be a proper life update but just a post to announce.....i'm going to be doing Blogtober! If you don't know Blogtober is basically where you post everyday for the month of October. I'm quite excited for this challenge and have a notebook full of ideas for various posts. I did my first post of the month yesterday (my Colourpop haul) and this is my second.

Today has been the cosiest day in a longgg time. Where I live (Queensland, Australia) has not had rain in ages to the point we're currently in a drought. Today I awoke to find the sky gloomy, the air cool, and the trees being embellished with many raindrops. It's currently 5pm and I haven't left the house all day. Suuure I probably should have gone to the shops to buy some food to do meal prep for my work lunches this week but I couldn't bring myself to get out of my comfy gear and become presentable. Not today, not today. So instead I have had many cups of earl grey tea, written up some blog posts to get ahead of the blogtober game, had a friend come over briefly for tea, and watched the latest season of Doctor Foster with my brother. *sighs* Isn't this the life? Unfortunately I have work tomorrow and as much as I love my job I also love rainy days so it's going to be a major struggle to get out of bed. Wish me luck.

Colourpop is quickly becoming one of my favourite makeup brands ever. It's super affordable and pretty much every product i've used by theirs I have LOVED (minus the ultra matte lips which are more drying than the sahara desert).

I did an order with my sister and my parcel finally arrived a few days ago. Honestly, nothing makes me become crazy like ordering stuff online. I check the tracking every five seconds!!

Would absolutely recommend Colourpop to anyone and everyone. When you purchase over $50 you get free shipping, and it's easy to get to the $50 as there's so much to buy.

Now aint this the most perfect palette if you've seen one?! It was only $16 too! I absolutely love the shade range in this, completely wearable featuring some gorgeous shimmer shades. My favourite shade of the bunch is the one on the bottom left, it's sooo pretty. As you can tell from the swatches above this palette is very pigmented. I don't even need to apply fix+ on the shimmer shades as they are so strong already without it. Can see myself using this non-stop.

Colourpop palettes usually sell out super quick but I just checked online and this is still in stock - so if you like the look of it then I think go for it cause you'll get a lot of use from it. Link here.

Aquarius was a wildly popular lippie stix from the Kathleen Lights collection that they asked her to come back and create it in all their lipstick formulations. As I was a huge fan of the Aquarius lippie stix I knew it would be worth buying the other formulations. The ultra satin lip is one of my favourite formulations of lipstick EVER as it's highly pigmented, non-drying, and lasts allll day. Only $6 too.

This is easily going to become something i'll go through tubes of because this shade is my perfect nude. It kinda reminds me of the Koko K lipkit by Kylie. Except this formula is waay nicer and not as drying.

Guys i've got the guilts. I haven't done a blog post in 12 days and...I feel baddd. in my defense the last few weeks have been super busy with work and going away for the weekend so there really hasn't been time to rustle anything together. Also I always like to post stuff that i'd want to read myself!

Last week my mum and I went for the weekend away in Melbourne for no particular reason, just to have a nice getaway. The past few months have been quite full on at work with so many learning curves so I was really needing a nice trip away to reset and treat myself. It was full of lots of shopping, drinking lots of wine and coffee, eating lots of cheese, and exploring around the city. My highlight would be either going to a Wallace & Grommet exhibition or seeing The Book of Mormon.

The Wallace & Grommet exhibition was sooo amazing. We weren't aware it was even on but saw a sign in the city promoting it so we had to go. I don't know about you guys but Wallace & Grommet was my childhood!! I think I have seen each episode hundreds of times. I felt like a little kid running around the exhibition excitedly. My favourite part was at the end where you got the chance to make your own plasticine characters to then make a little short animation - similar to what they do. Would definitely recommend you checking this out if you go to Melbourne, it's only $24 and worth it if you were a huge fan (like me!).
The Book of Mormon was hilarious. The easiest way to describe the humour is that it's South Park kinda humour. Very politically incorrect and offensive at times, but generally funny. I wouldn't recommend this to the faint hearted, if you don't like South Park or shows like The Inbetweeners then I don't think is gonna be your kinda thing. Absolutely loved it though.
A random cute coffee shop we discovered in Fitzroy after destroying two delicious croissants from Lune.
Also I went back to my favourite spot which is a cafe called Higher Ground (photo above with the huuuge pancake). It's the prettiest place with high ceilings, exposed brick, plants, friendly staff, and a killer menu. I mentioned this in my  Best Spots to Get Breakfast At in Melbourne post a few months back. The thing to order is the Ricotta Hotcake which apparently no one has ever finished. I tried, and only got 3/4 through which was a solid effort.
And lastly we went to Lui Bar which is a gorgeous bar 55 floors up and overlooks the city. It does great cocktails and is ultra classy. It's wildly popular so we had to wait awhile to get a seat next to the window but when we did it was all worth it. Maybe avoid going on a Saturday night like we did because it was very busy.

It seems like this brand just came out of NOWHERE. My sister mentioned it to me saying she had heard some good things about it, then an ad for The Ordinary popped up on facebook, then I saw a few blog posts..and it made me realize: I must try this brand.

The Ordinary is a cruelty free Canadian brand which offers high quality skincare at affordable prices. Their value statement "clinical formulations with integrity" was formed due to seeing brands overcharging on skincare when it doesn't need to be so expensive. The team is specialized in materials chemistry and biochemistry which no doubt explains the success of their products. From reading multiple reviews online it's difficult to find anyone who has a bad thing to say about it. 

Today I went into Myer with my sister and bought quite a few products to try. It's so hard not to overspend who everything is so damn cheap!! 


I first heard about this product on Wayne Goss' YouTube channel (video here) where he raves on about how incredible it is. Can't wait to properly try it.

Price: $13.90
What is claims to do: "This new generation of primer is a lightweight serum-like formula that increases the spreadability of subsequent complexion makeup to help avoid unnatural and uneven accumulation of pigments especially around the eyes and on dry skin". 

From reading reviews online this primer seems better suited to those with dry skin.

Price: $9.80
What is claims to do: "This formula offers non-greasy hydration that acts as a direct topical supplement of impaired Natural Moisturizing Factors. It offers immediate hydration and lasting results with continued use."

Some reviews i've read online say that it's great for sensitive skin and gives great hydration to dry skin. The only negative thing I read said how they wish it came in a bigger tube, but for $9.80 I think it's pretty affordable to re-purchase.

Price: $21.90
What it is: A brightening serum with stabilized vitamin C derivative. pH is 6.0-7.0
What it claims to do: "Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant, brightens the skin tone and reduces signs of ageing. In its pure form, Vitamin C is unstable in water. Ascorbyl Glucoside is a water-soluble derivative of Vitamin C. It is much more stable in water but it is less potent than direct L-Ascorbic Acid. Being more compatible with water allows for a very pleasant serum texture. It is considered a gold standard of Vitamin C derivatives due to its high stability and comfortable use, but it's impossible to achieve extremely high L-Ascorbic Acid potency with this solution. Aside from the general benefits of pure Vitamin C, Ascorbyl Glucoside has been shown to offer specific skin brightening benefits."
When to use it: Apply a few drops to face in AM and PM, use before other oils and moisturizers. 

This seems like one of the most popular products from The Ordinary so i'm excited to give it a whirl

Price: $12.70
What is it: A high-strength lactic acid superficial peeling formulation (basically an exfoliator)
What does it claim to do: "Lactic Acid is an alpha hydroxyl acid that exfoliates the skin. This 10% formulation offers mild exfoliation and is supported with a purified Tasmanian pepperberry known to reduce signs of inflammation and sensitivity that is often associated with exfoliation. "
When to use it: Apply once per day. The pH is approx 3.8 so it's important to avoid mixing with other products with a much higher/lower pH. 

Price: $17.90
What is it: A stable emulsion of next-generation forms of retinoid. Retinoid is vitamin A derivatives and have anti-aging properties. pH is 5.0 - 6.0.
What it claims to do: "This product uses next-generation retinoid active technologies which have been shown to achieve better reduction in signs of ageing than retinol without irritation."

On The Ordinary website there is a lot of science jargon I don't really understand but basically from a lot of the reviews i've read people have said it has made a noticeable difference to their skin making it look healthier than ever. People have said it works with all types of skin. pH is 5.0 - 6.0
It's important to know the pH as it can alter when you use a product and what you use it with. To get the greatest benefits it's advised to mix similar pH products together otherwise it can be counterproductive to use ones on opposite end on the spectrum. I'd get into the nitty gritty details but this article here explains it INCREDIBLY and a lot better than I could. 

So basically out of my products I should use the Advanced Retinoid 2% and Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% together and avoid using the Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% at the same time. My plan is the use the lactic acid in the morning and use the other two in the evening. 

On the weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the Bloggers United event in Brisbane. I had purchased my ticket a few months ago and was uber excited. On the actual day I was filled with a lot of nerves, albeit I was mostly pumped, but very nervous at the fact that I was going to an event where I didn't properly know anyone. Eeeeek. In the end I gave my self a pep talk on the car journey there and told myself that it won't be as daunting as I think it is. Upon my arrival I met a bunch of lovely girls and felt at ease, us bloggers are all quite similar aren't we?
The event was great - it featured a few brands (such as BYS and Kiehls) which gave information about their brands vision and different products. It also featured two established bloggers on a panel who gave some advice about starting your own business and how to manage blogging. I don't see myself chasing blogging as a full time thing but a lot of their advice was really encouraging and beneficial. It also allowed time for mingling which made me really bond with quite a few other bloggers!

I think that's what I loved most about the event was getting to meet other like minded people. We were all so similar and have such a passion for creativity. It was really refreshing! Hopefully in the next few weeks a bunch of us are going to meet up again which will be great. I feel so cool now that i've finally made some blogger friends!

• Steph from The Soul Echo (just a gorg blog, her photography is amazing)
• Alex from Justashine (writes super cool interesting stuff like ingredients in makeup )
• Shivanni from Quarter Life Crisis (writing about life as a millennial)