I really want to try these lippies from the new Ulta3 collection after reading Emma’s review.
I have quite a few Tower28 goodies in my collection now but haven’t got around to sharing a review – Floating in Dreams has you covered if you’re curious about the lippies.
Jaz has made a beautiful series using the Glaminatrix You Beauty palette – I really need to try their shadows!
Being back at uni really kicked my butt and I think that sums it up. However, this month I did clock up my second in-person blogging event which was SO fun!
Listened to
You may know I have a little crush on Thanasi Kokkinakis (hehe) – which is why I started listening to his podcast interview on Ordineroli Speaking. It was fantastic to hear a platform that encourages vulnerability from sportspeople in regards to mental health and adversity.
Ate
I went to the Footscray Ice Cream Co and got the raffaello flavour and the kinder bueno. OH MY GOSH! Delicious.
I also tried Taco Bell for the first time and it was so fun, I just wish it was closer to me! Or maybe I don’t haha, I would buy it all the time.
Did
Not all that much apart from uni and work tbh. But I did have two noteworthy events at the end of the month…
Sundae Launch Party at the Osbourne Rooftop where I met @_curatedbyleah and @skincaresavvy (among others!) Such a good time!
Foresters and then Lantern Lounge for a 21st – cool vibes.
Read
Nothing, apart from uni readings and even then, barely. My inconsistency with reading is annoying me.
Watched
Lots of old vlogs from Zoe Sugg, on the back of her pregnancy announcement. Consider me obsessed.
I’ve had this sitting unpublished in drafts for the whole month of March and April lol but it’s finally here! I didn’t fill out the ‘ATE’ section and now I can’t remember so lol we miss out on that.
February started off strong, as I knew it was my last few weeks of ‘freedom’ before uni started back on the 22nd and I wanted to make the most of it. We had a little blip in there with the snap lockdown, but we are out the other-side!
Listened to
Instead of connecting to Spotify, my car connected to the music on my phone randomly. The stripped version of Perfect by 1D came on wow it reinvigorated me. Good times.
Did
I managed to get a fair bit of fun into the first half of the month before lockdown began. A few friends and I went to Trinket for their bottomless pizza and cocktails one Saturday afternoon. It was delicious and really good value for money.
They only do this for lunch sittings and it was so good. Trinket is a really luxe, Gatsby-vibe bar on Flinders Lane that is just as magical at night as it is during the daytime. Oh, and the bathroom is PINK! Epic. We got crepes from Harajuku Crepes at Melbourne Central afterwards. Delicious.
The food was very delicious and generous. However, we thought we would be able to pick any drink (as the website didn’t say otherwise) but it’s actually a set menu of four different cocktail jugs to choose from. This worked well for us but just something to keep in mind.
Daisy and I also caught up in the city to do some shopping and go to Byblos (on @strictlysal’s recommendation). It was a really fun way to try a lot of different items and everything was so tasty.
We definitely ordered too much food but who can blame us when there are so many tasty options?
My highlights were the watermelon Spritz (non-alcoholic) and the halloumi salad.
On the last day before Melbourne’s snap lockdown, I met my fellow West side blogger gals Doreethy and Azra as well as Wendy for the first time, and we went for dinner. we tried Madam West because the IG vibe was cool. They were super busy, and our food was a tad underwhelming but it was nice to try.
Not much happened for the rest of the month because of work and uni. But I did manage to visit a new local cafe for brunch which was a nice discovery!
I also got really sick one weekend which knocked me around quite a bit. I’m lucky it was sorted quickly but it reminded me that if you don’t choose to take rest days, your body will choose them for you. Because of that, my plans calmed right down for the last half of the month.
Read
Olive by Emma Gannon
I found it so hard to get into this book, despite the fact that I loved the concept. The characters were unlikeable and all sounded a bit selfish in my opinion… but I was talking to a friend who did enjoy it and she said it was kind of the point. It showed us that we are all so involved in our own lives that we can miss important things happening with our friends.
I trudged through because I wanted to finish the dang thing and I was disappointed. I would love to read more on this topic but in a more enjoyable book-universe.
I found this review that sums up my feelings pretty well too.
I thought the book would explore the concept of choosing to be child free in a more emotionally intelligent and sensitive way – instead it really did feel like Olive was researching and deceiving for the sake of her article. I was hoping she would get what she deserved (some accountability at the very least), but instead it was a neatly tied up ending.
I also wonder if I had too many expectations for the book. I was hoping to read it and feel a sense of decision or at least feel heard. Although Olive and share a lot of the same views, her overall nature was nothing I could relate to.
Watched
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 3
My friends and I have done a Galentine’s viewing of this series for the past two years, but this year it was done virtually thanks to lockdown.
I thought it was a nice way to end the series, but I’m sad it’s over. As always, the set design and wardrobe was heavenly. I was pleasantly surprised with the more grown-up plot in this movie too. Big fan.
However it’s funny that three years ago I was literally obsessed with Peter Kavinsky and now, I really don’t vibe him lol. Cute nonetheless.
Happy Friday! March was a very spendy month for me thanks to the Priceline, Sephora and various Afterpay sales. Lots of new makeup has been added to my collection so I took inspo for that when compiling the IG post… enjoy these pretty shots and links! x
Why I broke up with my fantasy self – I think this is such an important read, especially during a time of ‘romancing’ our everyday life is really taking off post/during-pandemic. (Which is a concept I generally love but can be misleading too.)
You may know I have a little crush on Thanasi Kokkinakis (hehe) – which is why I started listening to his podcast interview on Ordineroli Speaking. It was fantastic to hear a platform that encourages vulnerability from sportspeople in regards to mental health and adversity. (Ctrl C + ctrl V from my Monthly march post hehe)
It is bonkers to me that last year I did Couch to 5K… I could run 5K??? ME??? lol. Anyways, I would love to get back into running, and this post from Rachel was inspiring.
The past few years have certainly glamourised being a ‘boss babe’ and ‘the hustle’. I know it’s certainly ingrained in my thinking. It is SO hard for me to say no to work. I’ve got another 50+ years of work ahead of me. I know it’s not healthy. But work/business equates to success in my head. I loved Leigh’s article, and I want to learn from her and stop myself from getting burnt out. But a small part of me still thought ‘oh cool would her life at the magazine have been?!’ despite the fact it lead her being hospitalised. My stupid brain STILL glamourised that. Hustle culture is TOXIC!!! Any advice for a brainwashed Gen Z?
Funnily enough, shortly after writing this, look what popped up on my Pinterest. This is a mindset I can get on board with!
March marked a new season, and for the first time ever I paid attention to how the change of season would effect my makeup. Katie Jane Hughes talked to Elle about transitioning your makeup from summer to fall (autumn for us Aussies!) in 2019, a few tried-and-true KJH tips can be found here.
I also liked this info graph to remind me of subtle ways to tweak my makeup. I wish I could rock a matte, berry lip but it’s not happening haha. I do think I could play with some orange-y tones on the cheeks though!
Zoe and Alfie announced they are having a baby and it excites me beyond belief. The gals on the Culture Club Pod discuss it, as well as life expectations and parenting bloggers in general. Fun!
I saw this on Pinterest and the well-loved highlight from this palette makes me want to buy it agh lol.
Priceline had their half price cosmetics sale this month and whilst my haul was a bit lacklustre, I loved seeing what you all bought! Azra’s swatches make me want to collect all of these Revlon palettes ha!
Priceline Half Price Cosmetics Sale Recommendations – Sale starts Tuesday 23rd, I have no affiliation with Priceline fyi!
If I’ve reviewed any of these products, I’ll share the reviews in my stories as well as give you a quick rundown here. Also, I have a Priceline recommendations highlight that has links to other blogger’s fave products too so be sure to check it out! xx
** Covergirl, Natio and Revlon products are PR Samples. No obligation to post this.
Revlon Rose Glow Primer: amazing product that gives a subtle pink-toned sheen to the skin but has crap packaging.
Revlon Glow Lip Oils: recently expanded their colour range, gorgeous formula and versatile wearability. My fave is glowed up rose (pictured)
Natio Cream Blush: cream to powder formula that packs as a punch but is user friendly. However, it does only come in one shade 😦
Natio double-ended brush (: beautiful quality and practical use!
Natio lip gloss: this is my ultimate pinky-mauve with a slight shimmer. Adore.
NYX Sweet Cheeks Blush: buildable colour, really gorgeous texture and long lasting colour. I like it best when applied with my fingers.
Maybelline Colour tattoo eyeshadow in socialite: I have a whole review of this in my drafts but basically Emmies beauty life got me onto it and wow it’s sparkly, long lasting heaven!
Loreal Infallible Matte Lip Crayon: I have the shade caramel blondie and I loooove it so much I’m considering buying a back up. I haven’t seen many people talk about these though? I find the applicator very easy to apply and the long is relatively long-lasting without being a thick, uncomfortable matte.
Covergirl Lash and Brow Primer: my attitude towards primers in general is they are nice to have but not necessary. I feel the same about this. It certainly adds a bit of something extra to your lashes but I don’t think you are missing out if you don’t have this step in your routine Still, I wanted to include it if you are looking for something new!
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume mascara: what do you look for in a mascara; length or volume? I have naturally quite long but fair lashes so I tend to lean towards volume. Let me tell you this ticks all of the boxes for me. I love the wand too. I cleaned it up so you could get a good view of it in this picture haha.
Now over to you… what do you recommend I buy in the sale?
I, like many bloggers, often share my monthly favourite products but don’t get around to sharing the products I didn’t like. This is for a few reasons:
Sometimes the products go straight in the bin / on to a friend if I don’t like them, so they don’t stick around to get a photo
I forget about them! If I don’t like it, I’m not using it / reaching for it
But I really want to try and make my ‘non faves’ a regular feature on my IG.
Not because I enjoy not liking products, but because I think that it’s important to add an alternative perspective.
***When I say negative, I don’t mean I’m hating on the product. I try to give a reasonable explanation for why the product didn’t work for me.
My first non faves post featured Bangn Body products. I have not seen a single bad review for these products.
However, when I posted about it, I got quite a few people comment or send me a message saying that they also weren’t a fan.
Where were these reviews when I was searching for them?
Think about your own consumer habits…
I personally will only buy something if it has been recommended to me or I’ve seen that it has worked well for people.
I rarely pick up a product without hearing any reviews.
This is why it’s so important to share your opninions about products – good or bad!
Because it might influence someone else’s purchase.
For example, I disliked the intense scent of Bangn Body. Someone messaged me saying ‘thanks for sharing, I don’t like fragranced products but I wanted to try this. I’ll wait for the fragrance free version because of your review.’
ALSO!
It builds trust with your audience. Particularly if your audience relate to you, they might think ‘oh if she didn’t like it, I probably won’t either.’
This is not a bad thing!
At the end of the day, just because something did or didn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it will work or not work in the same way for someone else.
As bloggers, our reviews are part of the buying process for many people. If you think of yourself, you want to know as much as you can before you commit to something.
Now, I know lots of bloggers who say they don’t share their negative reviews because they don’t see the value in it. It’s a waste of time and space on their feeds. I get this perspective, and I see how you might think that.
If you are constantly giving products bad reviews it may not feel like a very happy place on your socials.
So I think here, it’s important to ask yourself why you didn’t like it.
For me, the scent of Banng Body was a big factor. And I know that frgarance is a popular subject when it comes to products. So this element of the product is a relevent fetaure that people want to know about.
If I don’t like a product ‘just because’ then that’s not valuable to my followers nor the brand.
That’s another thing, the brands need to know!!
Even though I haven’t seen the negative reviews, Bangn Body must’ve received a few about the scent because they have recently released a fragnrace free alternative. Hurray!
This brand do customer care extremely well, but I would hope that other brands would also see that customers are disliking a particular thing about their product and make changes.
So, that’s my two cents on that.
What do you think – would you ever share a ‘negative’ review?
February has come and gone (thanks for nothing, summer! Srsly, we barely saw the sun in Melbs).
So you know what that means… Enjoy the links x
Because I forgot to post this on the last Friday of Feb and instead it’s going live in March, enjoy these memes about the AUDACITY of this month returning.
If you haven’t heard of @emilydoherty_, let me introduce you to her… Emily is a pilates instructor, speech pathologist, spf enthusiast, gluten-free foodie, endo champion and golden retriever lover. As you can seee, she is such a boss lady, with many attributes to her name… I thought I would also let her IG bio introduce her to you all so you can follow along her adventures 😉
I originally graduated from university with a Bachelor of Business Management majoring in Marketing and International Business. At the time, I found this career path too broad and I wanted a ‘title’. I decided to study speech pathology as I have always had an interest in health and I love talking to people.’
Would you say you’re an English or a Maths person? How did this help/hinder your speech pathology studies?
I am definitely more of an English person. There was a lot of assignments, presentations, exams and practical components throughout my speech pathology degree, so it was very beneficial to like reading, writing and public speaking.
What subject did you enjoy the most?
My favourite course was the ‘Clinical Management of Dysphagia and Laryngectomy’. Dysphagia is the medical term used to describe having difficulty swallowing. Not many people know that the profession of speech pathology is focussed on the management of communication AND swallowing difficulties.
What sort of placements did you experience?
I had a variety of placements across paediatric and adult caseloads, including outpatient rehabilitation, acute hospital inpatient, fluency clinic, school aged children and children with special needs.
What was your first job in speech pathology?
I worked at a hospital as an acute inpatient speech pathologist.
You mentioned that you imagined working with kids, but by the end of the degree you loved working with adults… can you tell us a bit more about this?
I thought I would like to work with children, but I actually found it more rewarding working with adults. I also loved the hospital setting and working with other health professionals.
What does your dream allied health role look like?
I’m not sure if I will ever go back to working as a speech pathologist, but in the future I would like to work in a role that allows me to combine my allied health degree and business management knowledge.
Any other things you’d like to share about your university / speech pathology experience?
Upon graduation, don’t be disheartened if you don’t score your dream job straight away. Any experience as a speech pathologist is invaluable and will be viewed favourably by future employers.
Thank you, Emily, for being so generous with your time and knowledge.
If you haven’t heard of @emilydoherty_, let me introduce you to her… Emily is a pilates instructor, speech pathologist, spf enthusiast, gluten-free foodie, endo champion and golden retriever lover. As you can seee, she is such a boss lady, with many attributes to her name… I thought I would also let her IG bio introduce her to you all so you can follow along her adventures 😉
Tell us how you started your Instagram page. You also run @glutenfreebucketlist and @endogirlgang – what inspired you to start these pages? I have Coeliac Disease and Endometriosis. I decided to start both of these pages to raise awareness for the conditions, share information and to also connect with others.
Did you actively try to grow your following or did it happen organically? My following has grown organically. Coeliac Disease and Endometriosis are very niche areas, so this has allowed my following to grow more quickly.
Have you ever reached out to a brand to work with you? Or do the brands contact you? Yes, I have reached out to a brand if I think that I would be a good fit. I have also had brands reach out to me too.
What was the first item you were ever ‘hashtag gifted’? I competed in Miss Universe Australia a couple of years ago and we were gifted products as part of the program. The first item I was gifted was a dress from Esther & Co Boutique.
Have you had a ‘pinch me’ Instagram/modelling moment? Absolutely! Last year I spent six months modelling in Milan, Athens and Istanbul. Who is your dream brand to collaborate with? I have too many to list! I have dream brands for me personally, but I also have dreams brands that I would like to work with for Gluten Free Bucket List and Endo Girl Gang.
Thank you SO much for your time Emily! Be sure to follow along on all of Emily’s adventures – links are at the top of this post x
This month I finally bit the bullet and got Spotify premium. It’s a big moment! I am loving it, perfect timing because I have had Driver’s License on repeat.
Did
I feel like I did a bit this month, but notably I had a becah getaway and a city stay-cay.
Both were incredible recharging for my mind, body and spirit!
The city stay-cay was jam-packed:
TK Maxx and Savers shopping
Matcha Mylkbar late lunch: good food but the vibe doesn’t match the aesthetic. I was shocked. It wasn’t very ‘cool’ in terms if temperature or vibes haha.
Coles Local – the macaron pick and mix was outstanding and luckily so because otherwise it wouldn’t have lived up to the hype for me
Checked in at Ovolo Laneways- such a great experience, would definitely recommend! Lots of freebies in terms of food and drink.
Dinner at Duke’s cherry blossom roof top bar
Shakespeare in the Park (more about this in ‘Watch’)
St Kilda beach!
Read
I am trying to get back into reading (as always) and I’ve made some moves towards that by borrowing a HEAP of books from my local library. So far, I’ve read one…
Watch
What did I watch this month? Only two of my new fave series shows ever!
First up was Bridgerton on Netflix… utterly obsessed. Adored the setting, the costumes, the music, the way it handled particular topics. It was just magic! Left me feeling grateful I don’t live in the 1800s lol. Note** I wrote this before Bridgerton really blew up and there was a lot of discourse around it. Don’t get me wrong, the show has it’s flaws, but I still enjoyed it for something light-hearted.
And the other series I watched, was magic but in a different way. Bump on Stan. I loved that the episodes were 30 minutes each. They worked with this format incredibly well. It was honest and raw and heartwarming all at the same time. It was really beautiful, made me proud to be Aussie.
On my city stay-cay I went to ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ to see A Midsummer’s Night Dream. It was absolutely spectacular and I highly recommend going to see any of their productions. Something os magic about being outdoors.
Ate
I wrote about my thoughts for a few restaurant in ‘Did’, but here’s some more!
Chin Chin: amazing atmosphere and vibe but tbh my local Thai restaurant does a better pad thai. Still, it was a fun experience and i would go again!
Daniel’s Donuts: a beach getaway tradition. Tried snickers and was impressed.
Okami: again… it’s just so easy!
Calia: This was my second visit but this time I had the salmon and it was SO yum.
