Sydney

Okay so, this is one heck of an overdue post.

Last couple of months were really crazy for me, July - now basically. (Still is!)
I worked heaps during the mid year holiday (partly because I got thrown into it at work from people quitting) and to save up to.... MOVE TO SYDNEY!

I'm basically living here for now because I want to find a job here during/after my studies. Most of the larger and successful companies are based in Melbourne and Sydney, so I felt like Brisbane didn't have much to offer me and decided to be reunited with some friends in good old Sydney.

When I say a lot has happened, this includes being homeless (I crashed at a friends) for more than a week, finding out I almost could have failed uni because I started the semester so late (I left Brisbane after 3 weeks into the semester) and working out my finances.

But now I'm finally settled in - not 100% though, because all my assessments are looming and I still have lots to catch up on.

I've done a fair bit of shopping - for my new room which didn't have much besides a bed, shelves and a crappy little table + chair. So I have a MASSIVE homeware (on a budget too!) haul to show and some new pieces (beauty, fashion, jewellery). Yes, I was naughty and purchased things and went shopping even though I shouldn't be!

My first day arriving into Sydney with basically my life packed away into two large suitcases, I went out for brunch with my best friend of almost 13 years and did the Bondi walk.

One major thing that happened as soon as I landed at the airport - my phone fell into the toilet. Typical me, the weirdest things always happen. Basically it fell out of my coat pocket because the pocket was so shallow. Needless to say, my phone did not survive and all the photos I had taken with it are gone forever :(

She's been my friend for the longest time than anyone else I've ever met ♥  

The coastal walk is seriously beautiful - you can stop whenever and go back because it's just one long trail that goes through roughly 3 different beaches (Bondi to Bronte).

I'm so excited to be blogging after the long disappearance even though I should be studying! I have so many more posts coming up!

Meet my Halston!

I've been getting so naughty over the past few years, but especially the past few months.... I've been buying so much stuff! But a girl can't resist when she sees an epic deal! Especially when combined with peer pressure...

I take a lot of risk when it comes to buying luxury items (not that I've bought much ha!) just because I can't justify getting them full price. Not with my paychecks at least. I actually first saw this bag on the theoutnet.com and it was some ridiculous price - 300-400 or something? I just liked the look of it - it's like a combination of Rebecca Minkoff's casualness and Celine's bag structure.

I never heard of "Halston Heritage" nor do I still know much about it (although a friend who is into handbags told me it was a pretty good brand), and ended up scouring the internet for a good deal. I did find one on eBay - it was $160USD roughly with shipping (around $216AUD) but I just YOLO'd and put in an offer for $80USD and shipping for $30USD. They accepted it and agreed shipping was a bit OTT for a small bag. I just went um okay... $145 for a bag... FINE.) This bag actually took forever to arrive, 2 months or something because it disappeared halfway through the tracking process and I lost hope. The seller apologised and offered to refund though a paypal claim, luckily. But I guess miracles do happen!

The actual price is $425USD. ($575AUD.) Knowing nothing about the brand, that price seems kinda ridiculous to me! (Especially as a poor uni student.) I had no clue I got something for such an awesome price!

I'm not really a handbag person, so I thought this would be a great everyday essentials bag, because the cheap satchel one I've been using for the past 1.5 years doesn't quite match all my outfits and is a bit too casual/big. It was still a splurge for me... but I do really like silver hardwear (which is honestly pretty rare), compact sizes, compartments and thick but soft leather :)

I originally thought this was going to be a bit bigger than what it was when I saw it in person, so I was a tiny bit disappointed. Nonetheless it still fits my essentials (just not my water bottle which I wanted the bag to fit) and most importantly my wallet! Because everyone hates having to change back and forth with wallets.

I can't be the only one who sees a resemblance to Rebecca Minkoff and Celine? I swear it's that zip on the front!!!

That top handle is actually useful af when I want to quickly grab things out of my bag.
The extra bit on the strap is also lovely when I put it on my shoulder hehehe comfort amirite.

It's lined. Yay! It's boring but I like that I can spot things inside my bag easily.
Having mostly dark or black lined bags I am constantly fumbling around to fish out what I'm after.

Handy dandy slot at the bag (it's shouting GO CARD and PHONE at me).

Inside is a medium-deep slot and a zip compartment.

For reference that's how big it is. Fits my wallet with ample space once I put it in properly.

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.

Estee Lauder Corporate Shop

So turns out heaps of ladies know about this store - you need some kind of invitation to attend usually from staff who work with Estee Lauder, or at David Jones etc. But it's not that hard to get your hands on one apparently. Thanks to my good old high school friends I moseyed on down ready to spend monies I don't have for spending and went a little cray cray. Mostly with foundation.

So this is everything I bought, the Estee Lauder compact foundation was for my mum and I ended up giving away the Mac Pro Longwear foundation (the moussey stuff) because I was a complete idiot and picked up the wrong shade (NW20), when I thought I was holding onto a NC25. I spent around $180/$190 or so, which is obviously a huge saving but a massive splurge at the same time.

I never thought Aveda products were expensive. But they are. I have so many problems with my hair and scalp (tangly hair, oily and itchy scalp), I thought I would treat my hair a bit, since I usually buy myself cheap shampoo and conditioners (except the Paul Mitchell ones which were $12 each). I love the smell of them, it's like a combination of Aesop and Perfect Potion. The scalp remedy worked really well the first couple of times but I think it might be losing some of the effect. I decided I'll only use it every now and then, not every two days so I can get maximum use out of it. Needless to say, neither of these products makes my scalp itchy which says a lot - only head and shoulders doesn't make my scalp itch (but it's loaded with chemicals...)

This was my biggest splurge - I have been wanting Jo Malone stuff for sooooo long, especially just the scents Earl Grey & Cucumber, Wood Sage & Sea Salt and Nectarine Blossom & Honey. The store didn't have any of the scents I wanted in a perfume, but had this one as a lotion. It was half the original retail price so... I snagged one and use it sparingly - the scent lasts a while like a perfume so I totally scored.

I've rarely tried Mac products, let alone foundations. Aside from the Pro Longwear foundation (which seemed to have nice coverage when I tested it) being an accidental purchase, the Studio Careblend Pressed powder was completely worth the money. Shade blends well with my foundation/skin, it has a tinsy bit of coverage when I dust it over like a setting powder. So it's great for using with ultra-light foundations for a basic everyday look, but also matte at the same time. (Since matte foundations tend to have higher coverage.)

So the shade is "Light Plus" - it was the lightest shade there. I thought it was too pale testing it on my hand but after I tried it on my face it seemed fine. I've been using it almost every day now!

The Invisible Fluid Makeup was for myself, and it was a reduced item which I think is due to the shade - it was N1, the lightest shade. I thought it would be too pale, but turns out it actually works really well with your own skin tone and blends in seamlessly. It says on the packaging that it sorta blends with your own skin tone. I'm pale, but I'm not usually the palest shade in foundation, but it worked out well anyway. 

So this is the "base" using a combination of the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid, the Mac Studio Careblend, and the Clinique foundation which I got MUCH darker than normal on purpose - to use as a contour powder. (It has a more ashy but not overly grey colour, so it looks more natural to use for contour vs. a bronzer or an actual contour powder.)

The Invisible Fluid is super watery, lightweight and has a light coverage. Take note of the patchiness and discolouration
of my skin on my hand because the end result actually looks like it has decent coverage.

You can see how lightweight it is when I blend it in!

Once fully blended, it leave a very sheer and dewy finish on the skin.

I topped it off with the Studio Careblend Pressed Powder, and viola! It all feels incredibly lightweight and has the perfect
amount of coverage I want for everyday makeup.

So this Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions foundation is in the shade vanilla - I would say is 2-3 shades darker than my natural skin tone. It works really well as a contour because of the perfect balance of
orange and grey tones - since it's meant to look like darker skin, AND IT'S COMPLETELY MATTE! Yay no more sparkly bits on my face! Because it looks weird when your contouring is sparkly...

It look s tad darker on my face than it does on my hand.

Excuse the shoddy lighting - that's the finish of my skin after the 3 products I've used. Looks like no makeup doesn't it?!

More food - Hatch & Co.

I went to Hatch & Co. at garden city with some friends to check out the place, I think I was the only one who had never been. I would rate it 6/10 - the food is nice but kind of overpriced, but the drinks menu was pretty awesome and affordable. I think everyone enjoyed the food but to the honest, we probably felt we could eat another meal after 30 minutes anyway.

Cute décor 

Grapefruit mocktail - I had a cold so I thought this would be okay even though it's iced :P

Cider?

I took pictures of nothing and left out some pictures of food and drinks... 

Share plate - roast chicken with polenta thingies (I had my first ever brussel sprout!)

Pumpkin mash was yummy!!!

Not gonna lie, pizza was pathetic as hell for a "gourmet". I could taste the flavour of raw dough...

Slow cooked lamb was good, but it was a bit bland. (less sodium is healthier though!)

Might go back if I am desperate and don't have much options, but yeah I wasn't wowed or anything. Food is food, I was with good friends, so it was good times!

Cream (cauliflower) of Mushroom Soup

So I made a cream of mushroom soup following the pizza. It turned out to be super easy and delicious! I pretty much winged the recipe - found a few online and combined them or rolled with what I had to make my own recipe. I literally threw everything into one pot and use a frying pan just for a few ingredients and a blender. (Unless you like chunky soup?)

1. Cut off the florets (I didn't worry too much about leaving in too much stemmy bits or anything)

2. Add a good amount of vegetable stock and milk (keep it dairy free if you want a vegan recipe).
Add in as much as you want - I probably did 750ml stock and 400ml milk or so.

3. Simmer away until the cauliflower is tender. I just left it there for about 15 minutes...

4. Meanwhile the cauliflower cooks, chop up yo' mushrooms.

5. Chop up yo onions. Every soups gotta have onion. Unless its a specific onion-less soup.

6. Fry off those onions with some minced garlic and a touch of oil. Add the mushrooms when the onions are brown.

7. Cook off the mushrooms until you think it's done. Remember to season with pepper and salt!
It took me about 10 minutes and I reduced it down until there wasn't much juices left as well.

8. Blend the cauliflower in a blender until smooth and pour it back into the pot. Season with some salt.
Slight warning: like most thick soups, once it is smooth it will spit at you and burn you. Don't be offended, it's normal.
9. Add rice or grains to the soup if you want to make it heartier - remember to add more liquid to cook them off.

10. Add the mushroom mixture and simmer away for another 15 minutes or so to infuse all the flavours together.
Add some more stock/milk if  the soup is looking too thick.
And feel free to add any garnishes (I added some scallions right at the end before I turned the stove off.)

Andddddddddd.... voilà! 

It's delicious. It's healthy. It got a mother's seal of approval. GO MAKE IT!