Making My New Room into a Home

This post is to basically show how I "made" my room once the previous tenant moved out. I've worked on it for 2 months or so now, since I can't exactly buy everything in one go. (Gotta have your finances in check amiright?)

Everything I got was basically a combination of finding the cheapest but NICEST option. Most of these thing are from IKEA and the cheap options from them as well, but I picked specific colours and designs to make it look a bit fancier and invested more in things like bedsheets.

I also have a thing about using other people's things, so living in a furnished and shared place is sort of a nightmare for me. Not to mention my germaphobic tendencies as well. The room was left with the bed, a small desk, 2 small white shelves, a grubby, old, rusty chair, a short side table and an ancient chest of drawers with world's SMALLEST drawers in them... I put them in the closet with all the other unwanted things as storage.

Before

Not judging. Not judging. Okay I'm judging.

After

I think bedsheets are most important to make your room feel like yours, so I make sure to pick one I like on the material (100% cotton) a decent thread count and of course, the design. I ended up getting these Rebecca Judd ones from Adairs as soon as they went on sale from $189 to $89. I know, still pricey for a quilt cover, but I invest where I spend most of my time. Haha!

Copper lamp from Kmart ($40 or $50?), Sweet Dreams pillowcase from Adairs ($10),
Euro pillowcase from Myer ($15), bunch of pillows from IKEA each $7 or so.

I think these bedsheets are literally me in linen form - basic, relatively neutral with a slight touch of girly,
and super quirky on the inside.
(It bugs me a bit that the shade of the white on the inside isn't the same as the outside!) 

The dressing table in the background is the crappy old table that was used as a desk by the previous tenant.

I honestly got such an awesome deal on this square clock from Target - one of the hands was bent, but it was 100% fixable and I pretty much got it for less than half the price. I actually fancied it up a bit with a coppery-bronze sharpie and coloured the hands in as well as marking some of the hours. Because let's face it, this clock is 90% aesthetics and 10% functionality without the extra touch up.

Turns out this clock makes a really loud ticking noise (I expected better from Target, considering it wasn't one of Target's cheapo home-brand clocks). So I just hang it up and use my other smaller clock.

$10 rack from IKEA because anything longer than 60cm just drapes on the bottom of my super weird wardrobe.

Got nicer hangers just for this rack, most of the wardrobe ones are just wire/slip-free ones.

I got 4x small fluffy faux fur rugs from IKEA/Kmart (they were all the same price - $19).
I originally only wanted 2 but it didn't work out because I needed an actual rug.
The little stool to sit on was the cheapest stool I could find, from IKEA of course.
I just got the little white cushion pad to make it look decent - also a super cheap option from IKEA.

Laundry basket - $12 from Kmart, and I got some basic fabric to line it from IKEA for less than $4.

The reason why I needed a rug - I was literally allergic to the owner's one.
It must have been soooo old and housing millions of dustmites ewwwwwww.
Rugs also soften the noise in the room + prevents the bed frame damaging the floor  (hence why I had to get a new one).
 This one is actually a throw from Myer, $50 or so. RUGS ARE EXPENSIVE! WHY?!

A standing mirror, something I definitely am used to having. $40 from Kmart!
(Target has a slightly smaller and skinnier option for $30.)

Chair from IKEA, altogether $50 or so. Throw from Bed Bath N' Table for $20.
It actually doubles up as a blanket for naps and cushion/padding for the chair.

Using a bookshelf as a shoe rack because I wouldn't need to buy one! It honestly looks okay too which is a bonus.

All the shoes I brought with me (and again when I came from a short stay in Brisbane).

I brought my clock with me on my second journey back because the Target one was just so damn loud.
This Karlsson one I got as a gift doesn't 'tick' which is great. And of course some kikki.K furnishings!
The quote cards come in handy because I have have multiple of them vs buying one in a frame. (Bang for your buck!)

I have yet to put a plant in this cute little pot. I haven't found reasonably priced succulents yet :(

Le table - with summa that kikki.k stuff I already own (the frame is actually $6 from IKEA because it works out
cheaper that way) and the magazine holders/storage are from IKEA ($3 for a pack). I have to agree, kikki.K ones
look much nicer but even with a discount it's a bit too much. They all do the same thing anyway!

Journals, notebooks, magazines, a bit of staionary.

This TWG tea pack I got for my birthday has a super handy use :) Tech organiser!

I bought this mug AGES ago from kikki.K and glad I kept it, so I don't have to splash out on as much kitchen/cutlery stuff.

I was set on getting this desk from IKEA - it was the cheapest option but also in my opinion just as nice as all the other
expensive ones. It's not on the website or anything because it's new - I saw it in store and thought YEAH OKAY THAT ONE.

And that's the weird slanty wall of the room, which I think is kinda cute but also annoying. At least I'm short, so it doesn't both me much!

So this was one hell of a long post. It's quite difficult to good lighting in my room because of those 2 weird windows on the wall, but I was happy with them all! 

I'm still working on my dressing table/make-up station (it looks like it got bombed) so I might do a post once I clean it up a bit.

♥

Target Beauty

I always wander into Target at work (Westfield Shopping Centre) because it's massive, always open, and have really cool snacks and stuff. My work buddy told me about some of their makeup products being awesome - especially Chi Chi lipsticks which are comparable to even Mac lipsticks. I remember their lip glosses from when I was in early high school, all their stuff smelled yummy and it still does!!!

There was a 30% off all Chi Chi (and other makeup brands) sale, so I decided to wander in to have a look, hoping to find a dark lippy to replace my Barry M (black cherry) because it seems to cling too much onto dryness and is a lot more sheer than I prefer.

The one I found was a cream lipstick - not a velvet or matte, but I thought the texture was a lot more buttery and moisturising than some of the matte ones. Smells good, goes on well, it doesn't look as bad either when my lips are a bit dry.

I found these liquid lipsticks for $5, but they actually came down to $3.50. It's really similar to the too faced liquid lipsticks, but it takes a while for it to fully dry and set. I still quite like the formula, you only need a thin layer for it to look super opaque and pigmented.

[Sexy Lady] You have to be quite precise with application, when I put it on for a rough test you can see how messy it can get! 

[She's Not Me]

[Let Me Tempt You] Yes, my lips are really dry here.

I never thought I would hop on the whole beautyblender bandwagon but... I kind of did. Considering how expensive they are and even the realtechniques version, I didn't see the appeal of it. To be honest, after giving it a go twice I'm still unsure about it. It's pretty good for blending concealer but it feels like it's absorbing a lot of the product. Using it wet feels weird as well. I guess I'll have to give it a few more goes!

Feels a bit unhygienic to me - it doesn't try very quickly either.