berry

Barkins dress from my friend Sarah-Jane, Rubi shoes, Target coat, Colette earrings 

This outfit choice was completely unintentional, but I managed to dress appropriately for the 'State of Origin' game that's going on tonight. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, State of Origin is kinda a big deal in Australia; it involves Queensland (the maroon players) and New South Wales (the blue players) going head-to-head in a set of three football games. I'm not exactly the most STATE-triotic girl around because I was completely unaware that it was even happening until I went to school and people were a bit excited... I usually only watch the games because there's so many spunky young men in the teams (Billy Slater is a stunning creature). I did my part though! I wore a maroon/berry coloured dress on my blog! 

Anyway, hi! It's been about five days since my last post. Time really seems to fly when I do stuff and go places. I've been very moody and angry with the world lately. School work (note: school WORK... thank goodness for friends or I would be a mess) has stomped me into the gutter. I've been so unmotivated with it over the last few days... I just can't seem to find the energy to do anything academic and it's not good, especially since this is senior year. I have lots of things on my social agenda to look forward to though and I guess I'll use those as motivation. I did want to update you all on what I did at the weekend! My family and I went down to Brisbane on Saturday and stayed the night to shop a little, see some friends and also to take a tour of the St. Lucia UQ campus. It was really lovely to look at the environment that will probably be my home next year. 

I have to do English homework now... I am a little behind on some of it and I can't write a VHA standard essay on a book I haven't finished (thanks a lot to the rats in my English class that snitched on me - they know who they are!). 

I hope you are all having a nice week so far - Friday is so close! xo

winter beauty essentials // 2014

Aside from the fact that over the course of the last few weeks my skin has been drier than a desert (lazy analogy, I know...) and I've been mildly sick due to the sudden change in weather, Winter is forever my favourite season. I've always loved the cold and I think visiting the States next year during the Fall to visit my family and my blogging friends will be perfect. In today's post I thought I would share with you a few of my winter makeup essentials as well as some different skincare I've been experimenting with (good and bad outcomes!). Enjoy...

MAKE-UP 

Australis Fresh & Flawless pressed powder in 'Natural' // Essence All About Matt! primer // Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in 'Ivory' // Nude by Nature Papaw ointment // Maybelline Great Lash in 'Very Black' // Nivea lip butter in 'Caramel Cream' ... (best flavour ever!) 

Before I start I would like to point out that all of these products can be bought at your local drugstore, chemist etc, so they're very affordable (majority under $10) and easy to access. We'll start with the powder by Australis. Generally I don't wear powders on their own because the majority don't compare to my Body Shop All-in-One. Yesterday I decided to give it a go at school and I will never be doing it again! It gave me quite an orange look and it was hard to blend into my skin nicely, it settled into my pores (despite wearing a pore minimising primer!) and it just didn't look very nice. However, I really like wearing this powder lightly over fresh liquid foundation just to set it. Used sparingly, this powder is excellent. I think it's about $10-12? I got mine in a deal from Priceline. It rates about 6/10, depending on how it's applied. 

Alrighty, so the primer by Essence. This literally costed $5 I think so I wasn't expecting much, it was kinda an emergency purchase. Anyway, it's quite good as a thin base if you already have fairly good skin. You need quite a bit to cover your face properly though. As for oil control, I'm not sure if I can answer that fairly because the weather has been so windy, dry and the humidity is non existent. It rates about 5/10. 

The Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer was something I had been wanting to try for SO LONG. Overall, the coverage was good and the actual effectiveness at covering up dark circles was quite... average. It definitely lowered my teenager-with-lack-of-sleep obviousness, so that's really all that matters. The consistency was smooth and light and the colour match was good too! 7.5/10. 

Maybelline Great Lash mascara seems to be quite a universal favourite; my mum uses it and a few of my sisters as well as Izzy from Views of Now (one of my best blogger/ school friends), so I repurchased it after not having owned it since I was a preteen.What I like most about this mascara is that it's so... thin? I don't know how to describe the consistency but it's incredibly light and easy to apply and clumps are non-existent. It works really well if you let it dry between coats. What I think is 'ungood' (has anyone here read Nineteen Eighty-Four? Because that choice of wording was subtle referencing... and me trying to be slightly witty...) about this mascara is that if you have a shaky hand, it will go EVERYWHERE. All over your eyelid. So be careful and apply it carefully and let it dry. Great mascara though... 8/10. 

Alrighty, so the last two are lipbalms that I've been wanting to try for a long time. I've had the Nude by Nature papaw dupe before, but they changed the formula and the packaging a little bit and I love it! It's probably my new favourite lip product and would definitely get a 10/10, if it weren't for the smell. I don't like scented lip products very much, unless it's food-inspired. Aside from that it's wonderful though! As for the Nivea Lip Butter, the smell would instantly get a 10/10, because it's caramel and that's self explanatory. The consistency and the product itself is a little disappointing. I didn't really like how applying it turned my lips white and it just wasn't as moisturising as I had hoped. Probably a 4/10. 

SKINCARE

Dermalogica's Clear Start skincare line was sent to me in a sample pack a few weeks ago and after hearing really good things about the brand itself, I was so excited to try it out! Unfortunately, it really irritated my skin. I'm not sure whether it was because my skin is incredibly delicate and sensitive at the moment because of roaccutane, or because it is very dry due to the cooler weather. The face wash left my skin feeling quite tight and the toner didn't really help much with that discomforting feeling. The overnight and day time treatments seemed to help clear existing breakouts a little bit, but there wasn't really a lot of difference. The product that I found worked really well with my skin though was the matte moisturiser! It worked brilliantly underneath makeup and also had a built in sunscreen which was an extra bonus!
I think this product set would work well with people who have very acne prone/ oily skin who have a lot of mild break outs. I don't think it worked for me because my skin is already undergoing acne treatment and it's very sensitive.  

Australian Pure Beauty Face Wash and Moisturiser... and here we have the wonder products out of everything! So I picked up these two organic skincare products from my local grocery store because I had $10 left and needed to buy a new cleanser. I ended up coming out with a moisturiser and a cleanser (they're only $5 each!) and I am so impressed with how wonderful they've worked with my skin. They're natural, not tested on animals and perfect for sensitive skin. The cleanser is brilliant; it removes all of my makeup and doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or stripped of moisture. The moisturiser works really well too, it's hydrating without being too heavy and I find it works best to apply as soon as you wash your face so your pores are still 'open' (? you know what I mean!) and all the goodness can get sucked up.

sky blue

The weather today didn't have to much of a cold bite so I decided to take advantage of it and take photos in this beautiful dress that I picked up from a garage sale my friend Sarah-Jane held at the weekend. It's now claimed the title of "Most Princess-y" dress in my wardrobe and I can't wait to see how versatile it will be during both the Summer and Winter. Light blue is not a colour I wear often either, however it's incredibly pretty and serene and definitely a shade I'll consider for prom/ formal at the end of Year 12 in November. 

The last few days have been quite busy; last week I went away on another retreat/school camp and it was really fantastic! I can't quite compare it to Fraser Island because both trips were so different and so good, but nonetheless I enjoyed myself and had a grand time hanging out and mucking around with my friends (whom the majority I won't see very often after six months!). School work is picking up pace rapidly and I'm going a little insane... at the moment it's the good kind of stress that's motivating me to do school work and I'm hoping to keep it that way for as long as possible. Wish me luck...

autumn instinct // 4 years blogging!

Lee Cooper denim jacket (only $35! Woohoo for affordable denim jackets!), Kmart skirt, Sussan top, Oasap bag, Rubi shoes, scarf and sunglasses 

Hello! Guess what today is?! On this day in 2010, I started my blog and wrote my first blog post! It's been four years since I started blogging and it's been one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of my life! I just had to share that :)
Isn't the light in these photos simply gorgeous? Aside from the cool change and the beautiful colours in photos, Autumn is one of my favourite seasons because I get to wear scarves, stockings and boot style shoes. It's always nice to get rugged up and cosy and I thought this mustard yellow scarf and the pink bag worked wonderfully together for an Autumnal palette. How have you been embracing the weather where you are? 

This week has been quite good so far; on Monday my friend Anna and I went to a cafe in the afternoon to embrace our ritualistic "ease the sting of the Monday blues" as well as celebrate our awesome English results. I think it's important to celebrate if you get good grades in something you worked really hard for - especially in senior year. Without celebration, it can be hard to stay motivated and continue doing well. I'm really proud of my friends actually, we're all doing really well in our subjects so far this year!

Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely week. I'll be back again soon - I have to finish off my History research task and pack for Year 12 retreat. 

fraser island // photo diary

Sorry for such a long absence! The last week has been incredibly busy and I have a lot to talk about! From Thursday to Saturday, my amazing geography class went on a field trip to the beautiful Fraser Island for our field report assignment and, oh my gosh, it was the most amazing school excursion of my entire life. *That's also an understatement.* It was so much fun and we made so many fantastic memories. Since it's a World Heritage Site, there's plenty of beautiful places to explore and I took lots of pictures to capture the island's unique beauty. Here's a few of the highlights...

Day 1 // The beach

It was incredibly cold and windy when we arrived, but it was so much fun riding the boat and looking out over the island. On the way back home I actually went up to the wheel of the barge and drove it a bit! 

Day 1 // Lake Mackenzie 

As soon as we stepped off the sand path into the entry of Lake Mackenzie, I knew instantly why it's one of the most famous lakes in the world. The sand was bleach white and soft and the water was completely clear. Despite the overcast weather and bite in the air, it was still beautiful to swim in. The low pH in the water also left everyone's hair and skin really soft!

Day 2 // Indian Head 

The view from up here was absolutely breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it. Laura and Anna are in the pictures with me on the side of the cliff face. It was really windy and cold but it was just incredible. I'd love to have stayed longer

Day 2 // Champagne Pools

This reminded my friend Anna of Spain so much. The water was crystal clear and the colours of the rock against the blue of the ocean was so beautiful and picturesque. Despite it being a little nippy, I went for a quick swim before having tea.

 Day 2 // The Sterling Castle Shipwreck 

This shipwreck was really cool to look as, despite us not being allowed to explore it from the inside - it's so deteriorated and rusted, tetanus would've ensued if someone stepped on something sharp! And doesn't my friend Molly look GORGEOUS up against this back drop?! She's quite the beach babe. 

Unfortunately a few of my photos of Lake Wabby (from the third days adventures) got lost yesterday because I bought a new phone and my data was...wiped (dang it!), so I don't have those photos but it was really beautiful as well - especially the dunes and the reflection of the forest against the water. Fraser was honestly the most amazing place and it was even quite nice to be away from the internet for a few days. I had such a fantastic time with my amazing friends and I'm going to remember the trip forever. 

Back soon with an outfit post! xo

NYC

Ally jeans, thrifted NYC tee, Myer scarf, Kmart shoes, thrifted bag 

Today was a lovely (but cold) Autumn day that consisted of a nice outing to Husk and Honey with Abbey (in which we indulged in carrot cake, fruit salad and bitter coffee) after an interesting (and competitive) night of card games with Patty and Jack, lots of geography and maths homework, wearing layers of warm clothing and recovering from the festivities of the last two days. I joined the school gym on Thursday and as out of character as it was for me, I had fun and I think I'll make it a regular thing. Going for walks/ runs around your neighbourhood can get a little mundane after a while. The gym was good, but then the next day we had cross country and man, I'm so sore. I've never done so much physical activity in the space of 24 hours before. I feel great though - my body is just a bit confused... "Maria, what the hell are you doing?!" Cross country was really fun though; the weather was overcast and mild and after our race, we just relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day. 

I hope you're all having a nice weekend... I'm currently in love with this song, this dress, this quote and this collection of home made winter drinks. xo