Hand-care Products

My hands are almost always dry, whatever the weather or season. I wash them far too much because I have a slightly phobia of germs and dirt. Not only that, I always pick around my cuticles and peel the skin off , which is a habit that I cannot get rid of no matter how hard I try. So I invest in a few good quality hand products to take care of them, from nails to skin.

Missha // Acetone-free nail polish remover

 A very mild acetone free nail polish remover - I find that most acetone-free nail polish removers just substitute acetone for some other horrible chemical. This one is my favourite, it's effective and okay for my nails.

Jurlique // Rose hand cream

I usually go through one of these a year - it seems to the the most rich yet pleasant to use hand creams. They all smell pretty good too, I usually go for rose because I like rose.

Essie // Microdermabrasion hand refiner

Seeing as this is my favourite nail polish brand, I decided to try out a hand product of the brand. It's basically a scrub for hands with very fine granules, and it leaves my hands feeling silky smooth. I just rub a 20 cent coin amount all over and rinse off. One thing I don't like about this is the smell, but it's not that bad. Your hands will just smell like grandma after a bit, but it goes away anyway.

Brisbane's Jamie's Italian

After a week of completing my uni exams and attending two different inductions for work, I finally got to go out to the city to have a relaxing day. So I met up with Becky for movies, some shopping (for Xmas gifts) and have dinner at Jamie's Italian which recently opened.

We walked in at 6.15, and were asked to wait an hour. It's a long time, but we could leave and come back then, and they would also call us too. Not much of a hassle since it's Friday late night shopping night.

I've only been to Jamie's Italian twice in Sydney's Martin Street location, both times were quite lovely. I just really like the interior of the restaurant - the food is pretty good but sometimes not worth the money depending on what you get.

A severely undressed me, everyone else in the restaurant was dressed up
(I think most of them were office workers/going out for the night)

Selfies while waiting in line...

Mushroom risotto with smoked mozzarella, ragu, arancini
and a caprese (which I did not take a photo of).

Dessert - Pannacotta with berries &
orange almond frangipane tart with creme fraiche ice cream.

Accidentally ordered "still water" which was $7.50...

Altogether was just under $80. Not too bad, but I really don't eat at restaurants much. All the dishes were pretty good, but I never really get disappointed unless it's really bad. The capreses alad which was $12 was pretty steep for what I got though.

Holidays - let the food adventures begin!

Health Food

Some of my go-to health food products!

Eating dairy and gluten free isn't that easy for me because I find it so hard not to eat bread and cheese sometimes. I never drink milk or eat a lot bread, but cutting them out completely is hard because there are always traces here and there. It's so disappointing when you think something delicious is dairy/gluten free but IT'S NOT -insert dramatic music-

Luckily, some of my favourite foods are dairy and gluten free! (Junk food heh.) Since I eat breakfast foods a lot, these are some of my favourite health foods that I like to mix and match.

Top row:

- Any gluten free cereal, preferably made from Sorghum/rice/corn flour.
- Raw cacao powder! The flavour is intense, and it's going to be more nutritious than regular cocoa powder which has been highly processed. Superfood maybe?
- Maca powder! I'm not 100% sure if this works, but I think I do get some energy from this due to the B vitamins and iron. It also has a wheaty/malty flavour, so it's nice in smoothies and cereals. It's also called a 'superfood', which does attract me in, but I don't buy the whole superfood stuff all the time.
- Gluten free Weet-Bix! seriously healthy, because it's wholegrain sorghum. Low GI ftw!

Second row:

- Corn flakes, one of the unhealthier GF cereals. I also like GF cocoa puffs, but they're not first preference when it comes to choosing a healthy cereal.
- Psyllium powder or husks, it absorbs water like crazy, and adds a bit of fibre into my diet (ya know, to keep insides running smoothly ifyaknowwhatimean) it's great in baking too because it binds things together like gluten, but cheaper to use than chia seeds that also does the same thing.
- Peanut butter, all-natural style! I like the one with a bit of salt, it does taste a bit better than nothing at all. I'm so used to eating natural peanut butter that I never crave the regular Kraft stuff. Almond butter is also delicious, but it is expensive! I sometimes make my own if I really crave it and add some maple syrup and cinnamon.
- LSA meal and chia seeds! great for bulking up cereals, desserts, smoothies. Tons of nutrients, fibre and energy! Also labelled as a superfood! I think chia seeds ARE a superfood though!

Third row:

- Oats from a wheat-free environment! Oats are labelled as containing gluten in most products because they are processed in a place where wheat is also processed. But most importantly, oats are labelled as having gluten when its really a gluten-like substance called 'avenins' which are mostly tolerable for everyone (unless you have some serious celiac disease, even then it's usually okay).
- If I don't want 'oat'meal, then I go for quinoa porridge! It has more protein than oats and labelled as a superfood, but it does tend to run a bit light in terms of energy levels. It tastes quite nutty and spicy too!
- Macadamia milk, a sweeter, slightly floral and vanillary version of almond milk. It's delicious! I actually dislike the almond milk in this specific brand, because it has that artificial almond/marzipan flavour. I rate this similar to rice milk, just with a different flavour.
- An all-rounder dairy alternative milk is definitely almond milk. It's pretty much good for everything!

Hair Solution

I'm basically in a long-term relationship with my hair brush. It's by Michel Mercier, and I purchased it for under $18 on sale. It's similar to a Tangle Teezer, but in the shape of an actual brush (it has a handle!). I have never owned a Tangle Teezer so I can't really compare it to this, but it is at least $10 cheaper than a real Tangle Teezer, which are from the UK.

I've had it for a good few months now, and I honestly cannot live without it. My hair gets sooooo tangled and hard to manage because it's very long (it comes all the way down my back), and it hurts so much trying to brush it out especially after a shower. Using the brush just hurts way less, gets the job done faster AND also prevents ripping my hair into shreds and damaging it. 

The good thing about this is that since it has a handle, it's super useful for people with long hair (even if you don't have long hair it's still awesome). Another sweet benefit is that because the bristles are so short and tiny, cleaning it (removing the hairs that stay on the brush) is mega easy! Literally takes 2 seconds versus 5 minutes with a regular brush.

The only drawback is that because the bristles are all different in size, they sometimes get stuck in the smaller knots. But compared to a regular brush, it's a hell of a difference!

How to put a healthy twist on boxed cereal

Super quick, easy and healthy cereal combo. I do like me some junky boxed cereal, but I know I'll be running out of energy after an hour so it's not really worth it, considering it usually provides minimal nutritional benefit.

For this small snack on the go, I used some sultana cereal (basically like Sultana Bran but gluten free and with a lot less sugar), LSA meal (flaxseed, sunflower seeds and almond mix), almond milk and some prepared cinnamon chia pudding (cinnamon + chia seeds soaked in almond milk until it forms a pudding-like consistency).

                   Le ingredients.                           Use them ingredients.                                          Le final product.                                               

This isn't going to be a sweet and ridiculously delicious snack, but it's really nutty, filling, and gives me plenty of energy.

The sultana bran made from gluten free flours is mega crunchy compared to normal cereals (it's made from rice, corn and sorghum flours), the LSA mix is really delicious because it's nutty and rich, and the cinnamon chia pudding just adds a bit of extra flavour and texture.

All the ingredients are natural, gluten free, dairy free and vegan!

Smoothie Bowls

The easiest, healthiest, and a delicious smoothie recipe that I have always followed, with a little extra! It's also vegan friendly depending on the type of milk you choose, but I usually have it vegan and gluten-free.

For a chocolatey dessert-like smoothie base:

1 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 cup almond milk (or any other milk really)
Flavouring - natural of course! I usually choose from cinnamon, raw cacao powder, almond or peanut butter. Or a mixture of them!

For a fresh fruity smoothie base:

1 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 cup almond milk/other milk or juice
Frozen fruit and/or fresh fruit

The smoothie is great on its own, but I sometimes I like to make it heartier to have it as a meal. So, I turn it into a smoothie bowl! It's like replacing the plain old milk you have with breakfast cereal for a smoothie.

My favourite toppings are: Muesli/granola, cereal, nuts and seeds, dried/fresh fruit, and superfoods such as flaxseed, chia seeds and maca powder.

I usually match the toppings with the smoothie depending on the flavour, like adding fruit and nuts to the fruity smoothie, and maca and muesli to the chocolatey one.

Ingredients: Almond milk, 1 frozen banana, chia seeds, cinnamon,
raw cacao powder and gluten free Weet-Bix.

I wizz up all the ingredients in a blender except for the toppings
(chia seeds and Weet-Bix).
I also add about 1-2 Tbsp of cacao powder, it's quite strong.

A delicious smoothie... in a bowl!

Finally, I added some Weet-Bix and chia seeds. Note: The Weet-Bix stays
crunchy this way, even though I also like soggy Weet-Bix :P

You can really use this method to make a variety of combinations, depending on how energy-dense you want it to be, or if it's just for a snack. It's a good breakfast for summer because it is WAY too hot for porridge this time of year!

I find that using cereal like Weet-Bix and nuts/seeds provide me with a good amount of sustained energy because it's low in GI. Nuts also definitely give me plenty of energy, but I get lazy sometimes and can't be bothered cutting them up to put it in. It's hard to find a crushed-up nut mix, that also only has the kinds of nuts you like haha!

Crackle Nail Polish

I'm pretty much a century late on the whole crackle nail polish situation, but nevertheless I finally gave it a ago. I guess I wasn't that interested in it because it does look a little bit messy and not very sleek. But that was the beauty of this, when your nails chip and scratch, you can't even tell!

I used a Covergirl Outlast in the shade Black Diamond with the Bloom Crackle Top Coat in white. I then went over it with a clear top coat by Cutex.

Final result - not too bad for a first attempt!

I think it looked quite interesting, and it was fun to use. I went for a black base with white top coat because I just liked the combination the best out of most crackle nail polishes. Having a dark base and light top coat makes the style really obvious. I think I still do prefer a very basic, clean, single colour on my nails, but this is pretty cool and super easy to do!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

So I've heard about how amazing the Bioderma micelle solution is. My bank account however, does not justify spending so much on a bottle. Instead, I got this Garnier dupe, which I think is pretty amazing.

I compared how it did using a cotton pad and the solution vs a baby wipe, which is what I usually use to take off all my makeup. (If I have waterproof mascara on, I usually use an oil-based remover for it.) You can see how much solution I soaked the cotton pad with.

This is after I dabbed it gently onto one side of my face. I was wearing a very light foundation and no eye makeup. (Excuse the poor focus, I had no idea it turned out like this!)

I used the baby wipe on the other side of my face, and rubbed my makeup off. I did have to use some force, because it's a baby wipe.

First of all, I really do not like the feel and consistency of normal eye & lip removers (the ones that usually have an oil layer and watery layer which you mix). Sometimes they sting my eyes, or it feels like I got oil in my eyes and it gets all slimy.

The micellar solution was just like water, maybe with some kind of viscosity, but I could barely tell. So it felt really good to work with, even though all you had to do was pat it on your skin. No rubbing or anything, it's kind of like magic. As you can tell, the baby wipe didn't get that much off considering I was rubbing it on my face.

For $11.99, I think it was quite a success! I would really love to try the Bioderma one day though, to see if it's any better than the Garnier version. But honestly, the price difference is way out of hand and the Garnier one does a pretty good job!

Longchamp Le Pliage Néo

I'm not a handbag kinda girl, let alone a high-end bag kinda girl. but recently, I've had so much trouble finding a decent bag to carry around for everyday use. I usually go for my small-medium across the body satchel or backpack just because it matches with everything and it's comfortable to wear, but sometimes it just doesn't go with my outfit!

So, I recently purchased this Longchamp bag, in the Le Pliage Néo version. It's basically a thicker/sturdier material in a mono-colour than the original Le Pliage collection. I'd say this is my first 'luxury' brand item!

Came with dust bag, tag and original wrapping.

Holds it's shape really well (there's nothing inside the bag in the picture)
so it's okay if you have too little or too many things.

I asked around before making this purchase, because I used to think it was a bit odd that people bought these bags for over $130, because they look a bit like eco-friendly grocery bags, but I can see why. It's comfortable, long-lasting and looks great with any outfit.

Seeing as I'm not a huge fan of the original Le Pliage collection (they still do, look a bit like grocery bags to me), I came across this one and ended up really liking the look; It's modern, simple and sleek.

I went in-store to have a look, and the only colours they had were bright pink and orange. I quite liked the Le Pliage backpacks too since I am a fan of backpacks, but they only had one orange and pink colours. I couldn't find them anywhere besides online, so I ended up just buying it from eBay. I know, it was a bit risky, but I did buy from a reputable seller in Sydney for roughly 2/3 of the retail price in-store.

Needless to say, it was worth the risk! I really love it, and I know I won't have trouble with awkward bag-outfit combinations any more. The only down-side is that you can't fold these up like the regular Le Pliage, but I won't really ever NEED to fold it up so it doesn't matter to me!

I pretty much bought the bag to replace this one I got earlier this year, my first "real" handbag from Gap (Sydney Pitt Street Mall). What a disappointment it was though, I don't think I'll be using it again.

The terrible bag.

I liked it until I realised that the leather with no lining of some sort kept dispersing all this black fluffy stuff - from raw underside of the leather that is fully exposed. The particles that rubbed off went EVERYWHERE covering my phone, going inside all my books, sticking to my water bottle, etc. It was a nightmare, but just the tip of the ice berg. The straps just fell off twice (different straps too) - indicating the stitching was very weak and not well sewn on. It was also mega floppy with no firm bottom, so it never looked like it does in the picture, unless I filled it with a cardboard box. I pretty much gave up on it. Luckily I bought it for half price (originally $150).

TL;DR - Inspect the bag before you buy it, it may have added features you don't want. You're probably better off investing in a more expensive but reliable one rather than getting a mid-price one that probably wasn't made with good quality parts.

Athletic, two ways

I wanted to wear some of these pieces before it gets way too hot, I can already feel summer creeping in. My recent favourite is this top; it's stretchy but quite thick, and the white trimmings make it look quite athletic. I find that the cropped length is perfect, and it's so versatile. I even wore it to a job interview that went well! (It must be my new good luck shirt).

The first look is a tomboy take on the top. I paired it with my vintage high-waisted Levi's 550's which have been cropped and rolled up, combining the mom-jeans and boyfriend-jeans in one. To match the top, I wore my hi-top Vans sneakers giving off the boyish and athletic vibe.

Top: French Connection, Jeans: Vintage Levi's 550, Shoes: Vans, Belt: Black hole of closet.

The second take on the top is more chic, going all out in monochrome. I was dying to wear this vinyl skirt because it will be way too hot for it in summer. I really do love American Apparel, but seeing as I can't quite get my hands on their stuff without a massive mark-up, I found this skirt at Topshop for a fraction of the price, and still looks quite similar to AA's. It's surprisingly lightweight, and it's from the petite range - yay!

Top: French Connection, Skirt: Topshop, Shoes: Windsorsmith, Necklace: Etsy.

Now, I must stop procrastinating and work on my portfolio for my writing class :( It's worth 50%! Much to do.

Laters!