Cauliflower Pizza

Cauliflower is one of those weird vegetables you can use in anything and make it into a lot of strange things. I decided to make a cauliflower pizza base, as an alternative to a carb-heavy base which usually takes more effort to make by scratch.

Making the pizza base is really simple, but it takes a while mostly waiting for the cauliflower to cool down once it's cooked.

Step 1. Acquire one head of cauliflower.

Step 2. Cut off all the florets.

Step 3. Blitz it up in a food processor until the bits are the size of rice.

Step 4. Microwave dat shiz. It's faster than the boiling method, which also uses more utensils...

Step 5. Let it cool, before squeezing out all the moisture with paper towels.

Step 6. While the cauliflower cools, add some garlic, parmesan cheese, and herbs and spices to a bowl.
You can make this vegan/dairy free by omitting the cheese, but it made my crust takes very pizza-like!
The spices I added was onion powder, mixed herb (rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano etc.) and a touch of paprika.

Step 7. Add the cooled/squeezed cauliflower.

Step 8. I added some potato starch, because I thought it might help bind it together.

Step 9. I also added an egg because I thought it would help it bind and keep together as well.
Again, you can omit the egg to make it vegan friendly!

Step 10. Mix it up, and dump onto a lined pizza-pan.

Step 11. Press it down as compact as possible, and bake for 15-20 mins, 180 degrees Celsius. (I just guessed it, and mostly
waited for the crust to turn golden brown. Only the egg needs to be "cooked" to be safe to eat anyway.

Step 12. When the crust is cooked, finish it up with your favourite toppings, and bake until the toppings are cooked through!

Overall, I thought the pizza was delicious. (So did my mother.) However, I must have left a bit too much moisture in the cauliflower because the crust was soggier than I wanted, but it kept together just enough to be eaten like a pizza. I also had nothing in my fridge, so I topped it with anything I had: organic ketchup (a lot richer and more concentrated than regular ketchup), sliced zucchini, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and a tiny sprinkling of cheese. It tasted amazing though! You can literally chuck anything you have in your fridge, tis the beauty of homemade pizza ;)

Cotton Tees

I am reallllly picky with clothing materials, especially when it comes to basics and things I wear often. I always look for 100% cotton, because it is a natural material and feels great on my skin being more breathable, soft (and sometimes it's also stiff/holds its shape better) and non-irritating.

I've usually been getting cotton basics for the past how many years from anywhere, even including Big W, Kmart and Target because they sell the most basic stuff and I'm just looking for 100% cotton. Other clothing stores tend to have basics with other materials blended in, or 100% polyester (nooooooooooooo!) and it's usually more expensive too. I guess a lot of the time they LOOK nicer but I wouldn't pay more to get less comfortable material.

These tees are from David Jones, all Bonds brand. Original prices aren't too expensive compared to most clothing stores, but it will definitely cost more than places like Target and Kmart. However, brands like Bonds go on sale all the time! (And never at Target, Kmart, Big W etc.) I bought all of these at different times but during a 40% off sale. Myer also does these too but I find that David Jones stocks more 'clothing' items than Myer.

The grey/white striped crew neck was $14 or so, and I got it in a Large size for an oversized relaxed look. The ringer-style tees in the black stripes and plain black (perfect for work) were $18? I actually don't remember the exact prices but they were definitely under $20. The classic ringer style tees are thicker and more 'ribbed' like in material, and hugs your body more than the crewneck. I think Bonds is pretty good at matching the material of the shirt with the fit of it - but you can always pick random sizes like me for whatever look you prefer.

And great thing about all these - 100% cotton!!! Andddd they fit. These tees come pretty small I reckon - which I think is a good thing. Considering my AU6 size requires a size 10 in these Bonds tees. That way you can get a tight fitting top (which I quite like) or a loose fit. So versatile!

Thoughts and Reviews

It has been a while since I've been using these products. And I gotta say, I'm relatively impressed. Now that it's winter, my Antipodes Hosanna serum isn't cutting it for me because my skin sucks up the serum and still craves some more - and I'm not using 1/10 of a bottle in one go to satisfy my thirsty skin.

The moreish one is mostly natural ingredients which seem to work really well for my skin. Sunflower seed oil, meadowfoam seed oil and argan oil give it the thicker luxurious moisture and I think the cucumber and chamomile make it suitable for sensitive skin. It certainly hasn't caused any reactions or problems for me.

The eye cream on the other hand - all I can say is that I'm just using it because I think I should be using it. To be honest I don't know if it does anything beside make my under-eyes more hydrated and prepped for concealer, and it feels nice to put something and massage it into my skin. It hasn't irritated or cause any problems!

Speaking of concealer, I've developed a solid opinion on the Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer. I LOVE IT! I actually think it's really similar to the Age Rewind in terms of colour, texture and coverage. But the doe foot applicator makes it a bit easier to control how much I use. Sometimes with the Age Rewind, because you wipe the entire sponge applicator on your under-eyes you can't really control how much to use. Also, the doe foot applicator makes it easier to put TEENIE TINY dots onto small blemishes to conceal vs. patting the whole rounded sponge top onto the spot with the Age Rewind.

I don't know if it's because I have been using more translucent powder to set my concealer, but I find that the Wake Me Up one causes some weird patches/clinging onto some patches on my under-eyes. It's really not that visible until you are 5cm away from the mirror, but it does bother me sometimes. The Age Rewind concealer though, creased without any setting powder whereas the Wake Me Up doesn't. So I'd say they are on par with eachother!

Onto a long-term use of a lot of these lip products and my recent additions - I have realised that I am a very dry-lipped person. I really can't be bothered to top up my lip balm or forget my chapstick etc so my lips are dry a lot, and makes it hard to even wear lipstick in the first place.

1. Starting from the left - is Revlon super lustrous lipstick in a creme 'Pink in the Afternoon' shade - a very nice pinky your-lips-but-better colour. It's nice to apply and doesn't look that weird when I have it on chapped lips. Doesn't taste that good though and also doesn't last that long (I'm always eating so hmmm I don't know about that).

2 & 3. Barry M lip paints - first in 'Sunset', and then the pink-cased one in a moisturising lip paint version in 'Black Cherry'. I'm not a fan of the bright coral colour, I think it doesn't quite suit my skin tone because I'm already yellowish, and bright orange on yellow skin is questionable. I love the vampy cherry one, and it goes on ALOT smoother and glossier than the non-moisturising partner. It's sheer though, but I found it good for swiping a thin layer for a plum colour or building it up for the whole vampy shebang lip-do. However, it makes it really obvious when my lips are flaky!

4. My recent purchase - the Maybelline Colorsensational in 'Totally Toffee' is good for dry lips because it's moisturising and buttery. It doesn't last AS long because of the fluidness/glossiness but I like it, and it pretty much suits any look.

5. And finally the Revlon Colorburst crayon in 'Sultry Sulfureuse', LOVE the colour, love the applicator (it's basically a lip liner and lipstick in one) but hate how it dries out my lips - or doesn't go on too well on dry lips. I guess that's the downside with matte lip products, but as long as my lips are well moisturised then it's a-okay.

Also, excuse my for not winding the lipsticks up all the way to really see the colour - I have an irrational fear that winding it up combined with my bad luck will result in tears and slabs of lipstick snapping off and falling on the floor.

Figuier Osmanthus Eau De Toilette by L'Occitane - A Dupe?

A few days ago, I saw a blog post  by A Model Recommends about Roger & Gallet and L'Occitane's new 'fig' fragrance launches and FleurDeForce talking about the Roger & Gallet one as well. I'm not that familiar with Roger & Gallet because I have never seen them in Australian stores, but I didn't realise the L'Occitane one was available in stores right away in Australia as well (since we're pretty slow in getting anything in, if not at all), and working right next to the L'Occitane store, I gave it a sniff.

First things first, I really like woody, musky and greeny scents that fig scents have - if you have ever eaten a fresh fig you will know what I mean when it say it tastes/smells like some kind of sweet tree nectar. Apparently most fig scents out there are predominantly woody smelling (well, that's literally what a fig smells like to me). And so, this new scent is supposedly meant to be a girlier and fruitier version of these strong, woody, fig smells.

The one and only thing that came to my mind when I first smelled it was Jo Malone's Nectarine Blossom and Honey perfume. I HONESTLY thought (and I still think it's pretty damn close) this was a replica of the very pricey Jo Malone perfume - it was uncanny because this literally smelled like peaches/nectarines. I don't know if it's just me.

At the first spritz, you can definitely smell the green woody fig scent, which disappears into this peachy-osmanthus scent (I also think osmanthus flowers smell peachy! And you can really smell if you have ever had osmanthus tea).

According to L'Occitane:

The fragrance opens with soaring notes of bergamot and blackcurrant, paired with a ripe,fruity fig.
The heart reveals another facet of the fig through its green leaves,
heightened by apricot tinted notes of the Osmanthus flower.
A warm base rounds off this delicious scent and leaves behind a woody trail of cedar and musk.

I had a little look online comparing these two perfumes, and turns out they both have a blackcurrant top note and an apricot/nectarine middle notes. I think 'Nectarine Blossom' comes pretty close to the osmanthus scent.

It smelled a lot girlier/fruitier than I thought, because I was really wanting a musky woody fig smell. But, I still really love it because it's not one of those sickly sweet smells, a little bit girly but also a little bit musky AND it actually lasted quite a few hours on my skin. And of course, the Jo Malone perfume smells wonderful as well, so being pretty similar this one smells amazing too.

Lo and behold what I think is an excellent dupe for the Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey perfume! The new fig & osmanthus perfume is $40 for 30ml, vs $90 for 30ml from Jo Malone. That's more than 50% off the price of Ms Malone's version! 

Drugstore Finds

-Walks into drugstore to restock on concealer-

-Walks out with a bagful of random stuff-

Story of my life.

I have to say, Australian "High Street" prices are basically US/UK speciality store prices. A standard foundation or a lipstick costs $20-$30, and other things like blushes, powders, bronzers are roughly $15-$35. It's still a lot more affordable than walking into a department store like David Jones/Myer or Mecca, where a foundation will cost $60-$100+!

I'm always on the hunt for bargains - most skincare products I manage to snag off feelunique, and makeup bits are really cheap at Chemist Warehouse. They're usually 30-50% off cheaper than regular drugstore prices.

I finished the Age Rewind concealer, which costs $18/$19 at the drugstore, or $13 at Chemist Warehouse. Other people seemed to have figured out this sweet deal that I can never find the Age Rewind Concealer in Light/Pale!

I don't have a lot of experience with concealer, but I don't think I'll need to experiment because this seems to work really well. It's slightly prone to creasing (but the shape of my undereye is just asking for it) but it doesn't if you set it with some powder.

Since I couldn't get my hands on my shade, I got the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer (for $7.50 at half price) to test out - I have heard good things about it so I have high expectations just like I did for the Age Rewind.

I recently purchased the Bourjois Bronzer and Highlighter from feelunique during their 30% sale hehe. I don't think its the best quality bronzer, because the bronzer is a bit orange and the highlighter have quite large specs of glitter in them. I still like it though because the bronzer is quite matte and not-so-shimmery, and the highlighter is a bit of an extra glow besides my Revlon illuminating cream. I always use these two components separately though because I don't want shimmer in my bronzer.

At chemist warehouse, I saw this Calvin Klein bronzer (I've seen it there for at least over 2 years) and I was able to test it out. It was super pigmented and had close to no shimmer, and also didn't seem to orangey. For $8, it was a super good deal!

Left: Bourjois, Right: Calvin Klein

As you can tell, the Bourjois one looks alot more orange than the CK one. It also took a few good wipes with my finger to get that swatch vs one swipe of the finger with the CK. Pigmented is always good, but not-so-pigmented is just as useful for overall-glow or touching up the entire face as well. I think I will be using both of these equally!

Some light contouring with the Calvin Klein bronzer.

I was so in love with my caramel tinted Burt's Bees lip balm and the nudey creamy look it gave that I ended up getting a lipstick in virtually the same colour - but obviously a lot more pigmented. I got the Maybelline ColorSensational in Totally Toffee (215) for $8.50 (at half price). 

Super creamy with a slight vanillary smell!

I also grabbed one of these"chubby stick" dupes by Revlon Colorburst in a matte berry-mauve colour - Sultry Sulfureus (225). Sulfureus? What.

It has a peppermint scent and applies really nicely - especially because it's in a pencil shape, there's really no need for a lip liner. Feels a little dry, but that's essentially a matte lipstick anyway right? I got it for roughly $9 at half price, so these lip products were an awesome deal!

And finally, I got the Paul Mitchell clarifying shampoo and the original conditioner. I was desperately after a clarifying shampoo because my hair gets so greasy on the second day and makes me feel soooo icky. I used up all my Kevin Murphy shampoo and conditioner I got from Becky (the conditioner was the bomb-diggity), my hair was itchy, it was greasy, and I have to use half a can of Batiste to tame the oily beast every 2nd day.

So far, the clarifying shampoo is fab-u-lous. My hair is WAY less greasy on the second day, and SLIGHTLY less itchy (still hoping for results, fingers crossed!) and feels super squeaky clean after washing. The conditioner on the other hand... I would not buy again. (Both of these were $12.99 each, at half price.) The smell of it is so weird, luckily it doesn't linger. And it isn't as concentrated as the Kevin Murphy conditioner in terms of detangling and application wise. I'd say it's twice as concentrated as a cheap conditioner, and the KM conditioner is three times as concentrated as a cheap one. I guess it's not too bad because its equivalent to 600ml for $13, but it didn't seem to do any magical things to my hair, so meh.

Also, I had a little research investigation into the hardness of water in Brisbane, it is 100ppm. Significantly higher than Melbourne and Sydney's! WHAT? It's actually not too bad compared to other cities around the world where it's twice as concentrated though.

Hardness means the amount of bicarbonate minerals (calcium and magnesium elements) in the water. It's not dangerous to drink or anything, but makes it more difficult to wash your hair properly because the hardness makes your hair rougher (your hair are basically like scales, and these "scales" stick out in hard water) and clings onto soap you can't wash out. Clarifying shampoos help REALLY wash your hair basically.


Also. I found the maybelline illegal length mascara there as well!!! It was $9? So half price again. Finally, I can replace my old used up one that feels super dry and crusty (EW).

Dusty Colours

Winter is finally coming! Everyone else in the world is celebrating spring meanwhile us Aussies are beginning our descent into sweater weather...

So, I was on the hunt for a lightweight longline jacket for a few weeks, and came across a few on ASOS. I was reluctant to get them though, mainly because of the price (I didn't want to pay over $100 for an online purchase and also for an ASOS brand product), like this and this one which I particularly liked.

I wandered into Forever New (I hardly ever go there because... it's all a bit too girly for me) and found this duster coat/mac for half price, tried it on and left it behind. I wasn't a huge fan of the flappy bits around the back and chest.

Only to realise after going through every online store I could think of that the perfect coat I was picturing didn't exist... especially not in this price range. (Boohoo had heaps but I thought they wouldn't be good quality.) I was happy with this one because it was the colour I wanted (a nudey-stone colour) and it was the right size and length (Forever New do quite small sizes) and it had a collar/lapel which I liked the look of. I decided to get it in the end!

It goes really well with everything, but pairs nicely with wintery, dusty colours (I guess it's also spring colours too), like grey, pale blue, mint, white etc.

Top - (No brand) turtleneck long sleeve I've had in my closet for years and years
Jeans - Vintage Levi's in a mom-jeans style

Shoes - Dr. Marten's Polley

Accessorized with a simple bar necklace from eBay and my DW watch.

I can totally see this as a wardrobe staple, especially for this time of year in Brisbane when it's cool, but not really that cold. I think it will go well with all my jeans and boots, and because it's so flowy, drapey and lightweight, I don't need a fancy top to wear with it. Just a basic will do!

Winter Makeup Look

A simple makeup look that doesn't take long using simple products. I like a bit of glow and flush even in winter otherwise I would look like a zombie. The main products for this glowy look are luminizer, bronzer, blush and a nude lip product. A bold lip also goes well but makes the look not-as-glowy because it attracts a lot of attention.

So a run-down on how I created this look:

After moisturising my face and lips, I put my hair back with a headband. I then fix my brows with a pencil, and apply my base - my trusty good-old foundation.

Bourjois foundation in Rose Clair
It has light to medium coverage with a semi-matte finish and applies like a moisturiser.

My trusty Sugarbaby Bronzer which is very light and not too intense in colour.
(I also applied a dab of Daniel Sandler watercolour blush in Cherub.)

Using an angled brush to contour!

Set everything with a translucent powder (this is a cheap one I got from Missha and does the job well enough).

Luminizer! I used a liquid one so it looks the most natural on the skin. 

Also used some liquid eyeliner (Maybelline Master Precise) to do a very fine winged look.

Applied Taupe from my Lorac Pro palette over my eyelid for some depth & colour.

And a bit of sable on the outer "corner" of my eye - barely any really.

Curling my extremely downward-facing lashes with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler.

Most of the time I don't use mascara, but I put a bit on today, using my all-time favourite.
It's good for length and not so much volume, which gives it a natural look.
There are tiny hair-like fibres in the formula that stick to your lashes to lengthen!

After I applied all of these I just put my Burt's Bees tinted lip balm on (the one in my previous post).

And that's it folks! A really easy, quick and natural look for the colder days when you want to look like a snow princess (questionable).

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm

I love Burt's Bees products - especially their facial cleansers and toners. I've tried multiple items by the brand - cleansers, toners, creams, ointments and lip balms.

I'm always on the hunt for a good moisturising lipbalm because my lips tend to get dry easily. And For some reason Chapstick, Nivea lip balms and regular Burt's Bees lip balms don't cut it for me.

I also find them all to be a bit funky tasting (I had pomegranate Burt's Bees that tasted nothing like it) and with a slightly waxy texture which I wasn't a huge fan of (probably because it has bee's wax in it... duh me).

This one I recently got has more of a creamy texture, so I found the formula to be right up my street compared to most lip balms out there. And, it's tinted.

I know 'tinted lip balm' doesn't equal good colour payoff so I wasn't expecting much. But because of the creamy texture, I think it has decent enough colour to it. If I got a much brighter shade it probably would be a lot more visible, but I really like this natural-nude/caramel finish, which will probably last a considerable time for a tinted balm over some lip liner.

Coconut oil / Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Caramel Daisy

Currently loving this product, as it's kept my lips nice and soft for hours. I'd say it's a bit on the pricey side, I paid around $10.50 for it, originally $15 or so. I'd say it's worth it for people who want a good moisturising lip balm with a natural shade. But maybe some of the other colours might be heaps more visible? I'm tempted to get a brighter colour...

Vintage

I have some pieces of clothing that were handed down to be from my mum and aunt, I thought I'd keep them just in case. (My mum was going to throw them away!) And I'm glad I did because I think they are perfectly wearable right now!

This singlet - which my aunt gave me is made of a knitted material, and is the perfect cropped length for so many skirts and shorts. It somehow matches with everything, mostly because of the colour, style, but also the material.

My mum used to wear this denim shirt, it's severely faded, worn in and pretty daggy. But I love it! Good to chuck onto any outfit like a flannel, but more like a boyfriend denim shirt. 

Excuse my terrible skin IT WAS EASTER AND I ATE MANY MANY CHOCOLATES OKAY

Wearing my new sunnies! Can you spot the highlighter on my face?!

Easter Treats

This Easter I spent most of my time in bed being sick! Hooray! Still recovering - I'm pretty much a hibernating bear hiding in the dungeons.

I finally got a pair of sunglasses that ACTUALLY FIT for once. David Jones has some pretty good sales going on, I got 30% off the full price, to $35!

I also spent ages looking for a Muslin cloths - I went to Priceline, Terry White, Big W, Target, Kmart, you name it. Silly me, I walked into the Body Shop and found them! I think they are better at exfoliating than those scrubbing pads, it's good for the morning before I put on makeup because it prevents flakiness on my face, especially on my nose.

Also picked up a few makeup brushes at CDF, because they are super cheap and seem to be pretty good quality from the ones I've used. I think each of them are $4/$5.

Pretty excited to finally have a proper pair of sunglasses that fit now, the front pair in the photo were some $10 ones from the markets at uni (I don't even know if they have proper UV protection) and my Ray Bans are unfortunately too big for me :( I can only wear them at the beach or when I'm lying down just for some eye protection. I didn't know they would fall off just from moving around a bit when I bought them!

It's so hard for me to find sunnies and hats that fit, even though I really don't think I have an unusually small head or anything. Le Specs seem like decent quality for the price, and I'd say they're pretty similar in price as Quay eyewear, if not slightly more expensive. But a really great alternative if you don't want to fork out a lot on designer sunglasses (I don't get private health insurance on non-prescription sunglasses either.)