don't worry baby // winter & spring staples part 1

 Millers top, Millers pants, Kmart heels, Oasap bag

Hello! I'm greeting you from an icy cold keyboard - I thought Winter wasn't going to come to Australia this year, but I was wrong and I'm currently wrapped up in several layers. To warm things up a bit, here's a lovely Winter/Spring transition outfit - the first in a series of 'Winter and Spring staples! Still a little early for that yet, but I was sent some lovely things from Millers to review and style and I really, really like this pants and top combination. It's effortless and very comfortable - something I would probably wear on a long trip somewhere (minus the heels, because I'm an absolute goof). The black top is also really pretty and something I'll probably wear quite a lot, it's one of those all year 'round staples that you can dress up or down.

Anyway, I'm finally on holidays! Oh, happy day. I can't believe how fast this year is going. I've already completed a semester of Grade 12 and I only have one more to go before I graduate high school. Scary, but exciting and wonderful. The last two days of this week were a slight struggle - we did four practice QCS exams to prepare for the real deal in September - and it's such a relief to finally be free of any school work for at least two weeks. Is it possible for your brain to actually ache? Because that's how it feels right now and it's not pleasant. Need to catch up on some sleep and drink some soothing tea or something! Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I'll be back soon xo

P.S: So I watched the movie 'Never Been Kissed' (featuring Drew Barrymore) the other day and aside from being the most relatable film to me ever (*ahem*), the song by The Beach Boys that plays in the final scene has been running through my head non-stop. It's so cute and makes me happy. Have a listen!

allie

 Handmade dress from Podie Pie, Kmart shoes, thrifted bag, bracelet from my Mum, Sportsgirl hat

Hello! It's been such a long time since I've posted and I'm really sorry - I knew that blogging absenses would be regular now that I'm in year 12 and my academia is kinda the most important aspect of my life, but I didn't realise it would cause regular week long hiatuses! In today's long awaited post I'm wearing the beautiful dress I never really got a chance to talk about. I bought it for a wedding in April and it's been one of my favourite dresses ever since. It's such a beautiful, classic fit and there's something so calming and serene about light blue. I'm reading The Notebook at the moment and this outfit reminded me a lot of Allie's blue outfit when she goes to see Noah. Although it was a little chilly wearing only this dress (it is Winter after all), it's still perfect for warmer days at the market and things like that. After Friday I am officially on holidays and I cannot wait to be blogging a lot more often with some lovely new clothes that will be arriving over the next few days for review/ styling. 

During the holidays I'm hoping to read lots of fantastic books, give my room a few more decor updates (I've been looking at the pillows from Simons lately, they're are so darn cute!), hang out with my friends as much as I can and most importantly, relax. It's been a very busy term (an awesome one!), but I'm absolutely exhausted. I hope you're having an excellent week so far, and I'll be back soon xo

saving winter hair // a VO5 review

Aside from being terribly overdue for a trim, my hair is suffering considerably in this cool weather change. As much as I enjoy winter and all it has to offer (particularly clothing-wise), it turns my already frizzy mop head (?) into an even bigger mess than usual. Today I'm going to be reviewing VO5's latest 'winter essential' in the form of a three-step 'Give Me Moisture' range designed especially for heat damaged and dry hair.

So this 'nourishing hot oil' claims to:

•  Reduce breakage from brushing and heat styling by up to 60%
• Protect the vibrancy of colour treated hair with a protective UV filter
• Seek out and bind to the weak sites of every strand 
• Remove 75% more chlorine than shampooing alone

For this hair oil to work effectively, you need to use it before shampoo. I've only used it a few times and I can say that it was quite a pleasant experience. Here are a few good things I noticed about it:

• The consistency was must runnier than I expected, which I actually liked because it didn't leave my hair feeling oily or dirty (like a lot of oil treatments do).
• It smells lovely! 
• The ends of my hair were a lot softer and less course than before
• My hair felt very clean - especially when I followed with the shampoo. 

On the down side:

• I have no idea whether the 'UV filter' would've worked because I haven't coloured my hair in about four months!

Now for the shampoo! I'm always excited to try out new shampoos; it's always interesting seeing which ones completely dull my hair and which ones leave it completely clean, but still hydrated. 

This shampoo claims to:

• Contain pearl extract to help restore hair's natural balance
• Leave hair visibly radiant and manageable
• Intensely hydrate dry and damaged hair

Here are the pros: 

• It smells SO good! Scent is a huge thing for me because obviously I want my hair to smell nice. 
• The consistency is pretty standard and it has a pearly sheen to it which was very pretty
• It didn't feel like it stripped my hair down to negative moisture (which is always a good thing!)
• Very clarifying, but still moisturising

And, the cons: 

• The next day when my hair had dried it was still pretty frizzy and dry feeling. I know these treatments aren't supposed to be 'miracle overnight workers' but I wanted at least SOME improvement in my horrendous head of hair. My hair felt soft and moisturised but it didn't look any different

Overall, I liked the shampoo. It was a standard, average shampoo. Left my hair super duper clean, moisturised, but it didn't look any different than usual. 

And last but not least, the conditioner! Similar to the shampoo, this conditioner claims to:

• Be the perfect prep for ultimate style and heat defence
• Intensely hydrate hair
• Lock in moisture and strengthen dry hair

Here are the pros: 

• Smells good enough to eat. 
• Left my hair so, so incredibly soft and hydrated. I really liked this conditioner
• Light consistency; not too thick 

And, the cons:

• My hair was still pretty frizzy when it had dried... but there's only so much a conditioner can do, ya know? Before you realise you've just been born with a thick, untameable mop of hair.

Thanks so much to Monique for sending this to me to review! The products were a delight to try out and my hair will definitely be coping better in this wintry weather. Favourite product out of all of them would definitely have to be the conditioner. 

Hope you guys are having a good weekend! xo

winter OOTD and makeup // video

Hey guys, new video is up! It's a quick little mash-up of my makeup and outfit from the other day. Apologies if my foundation looks a bit patchy on camera, I fixed it after I realised, but I couldn't be bothered re-filming. Hope you're all having a wonderful day. xo

Music: Riptide by Vance Joy (FlicFlac remix)

ACNE // 1 year of treatment, FAQ, roaccutane progress pictures

(No makeup, no editing, June 2014) 

Hello! It's been a while since I've updated you on how things are going with my skin and roaccutane. I've been on this treatment for well over a year (since April 2013) and I'm hoping that my derm will let me finish sometime in July. I'm completely delirious at the improvement of my skin and how much of a difference this has made in my life. If you've read my first post about acne, you would remember I was extremely insecure about it and it was terribly hard for me to share pictures like that. Well! I've pulled through because these pictures were taken today and despite the quality being slightly skewed by Blogger, you can see that all that's left now is scarring and redness (which is a side effect of roaccutane anyway), which is a very stark contrast to the last photos!

Today I'm going to be answering a few questions I've been getting about this treatment - mainly from emailers who want to take Roaccutane etc. 

Does roaccutane make your skin dry/ itchy/ inflamed? How did you treat it?

It really depends on the person but for me it did all of those things. Initially, when I was on a very small dosage but my acne was built-up under the skin and severe, it made my skin very itchy/ dry and inflamed. This went on for about the first five months. It was really hard and often made me cry because I couldn't put my head down on the pillow because I was in a lot of pain but eventually I got used to it. There are a few products you can use to help though: using a very gentle moisturiser like this one by QV will gently hydrate your skin without irritating it and using the moisturiser from their 'Flare Up' range also helped a lot too with the inflammation. 

What did you skin look like this time last year? 

Okay, so in June/July last year my skin was really inflamed and painful - mainly because my skin was starting to fully absorb the roaccutane AND because it was Winter and the air was so dry. But here's what it looked like a year ago:

And here's that side of my face today...

How many mg are you on now? How has it affected your skin?

My dermatologist dropped me down from 20mg on one day and 40mg the next day to only 40mg/week. That was a recent change and I can notice the difference in the redness of my skin already. I take one 20mg tablet on Monday and Thursday nights. This is for maintenance purposes to help my body get used to the change. If I get a pimple (which hasn't happened in a while), he'll bump the dosage back to 20mg a day. 

What's the most annoying thing about this medication?

How dry it makes my skin/ lips! I used to have the oiliest skin EVER and now my skin is so dry it's like a cracking desert in Saudi Arabia. Depending on how many mg you are on, it also makes your skin very red and fragile. The other day I took my glasses off and the metal part that sits at the top of my nose lightly scraped my skin and took a layer off! I was like "Um, what?!" and also the other day I ran into the kitchen bench and the next day I woke up with a colossal purple bruise on my side. These things are annoying but it's not really a HUGE deal. I've just learned to be a lot less clumsy. I've never been in pain while on this medication so it's not a huge factor. 

How often do you moisturise/ wash your face?

I moisturise and wash my face twice a day (morning and night), every day. It's really important to moisturise your lips as often as you can as well because sometimes they peel and it can be a little uncomfortable. My favourite lip balm of all time will fix that though. Another tip as well; NEVER go to bed with makeup on. Just don't, it's not good for your skin anyway, let alone if you have skin problems. 

Before and after picture with the most difference? 

This picture is kinda crazy actually. The top picture was taken in May last year I think... and the bottom one was taken today.

What are some products I can use for emergencies? My skin has been so dry and painful lately and it really hurts. 

Ah, I know exactly how you feel. One of my favourite things to use if my skin is just really, really dry and itchy etc is the QV Rescue Gel. It's very cool and soothing and perfect for sensitive skin. I also like the QV lip balm.

If you're so happy with your skin, why do you still wear makeup?

Good question! I wear makeup because I'm self conscious about how red my skin is at the moment - not about acne. I also like wearing makeup; it's fun to put on. I won't wear it a lot when I finish my medication though, just because I won't really be bothered - there won't be as much point. For the time being though, I like wearing makeup. I use it to enhance my features, not to cover them up. 

What did you skin look like last year when you had acne and when you wore makeup? Is there a big difference? 

Yeah, a huge difference! Even when I wore makeup last year, you could still see major pigmentation and lumps under the skin. This is a comparison between June 2013 and June 2014, wearing makeup:

What's been the best thing about going on roaccutane?

Man, there's a lot. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but going on this medication has honestly changed my life. Like I've said before, it's really helped me get my self confidence back. I was so unhappy last year; crying all the time because I hated myself so much. I've learnt a lot about myself this last year though. I've pushed myself to the absolute limit on a number of occasions. Now I am working towards TOTAL self confidence as well as skin confidence. 

It's only acne... why make a big deal about it?

Let me just clear something up (no pun intended): Until you experience any skin condition at all, it can be really hard to empathise with someone who has. Remember that everyone is fighting their own battle and just because it may not seem big to you (or big in the whole scheme of things) doesn't make it hurt any less for the person experiencing it. (And that was a terribly ineloquent sentence... I'm really tired okay... you get the picture.)

I hope this post was helpful! If you have any more questions, feel free to email me at avenuemblog@gmail.com. If you'd like to have a look at my older acne posts, you can check them out here and here. As always, thank you for the support and kindness. It's because of you guys that I feel comfortable sharing this kind of thing on the world wide web. 

botanical

Lee denim jacket, Forever New skirt, Asos blouse, Converse shoes

You wouldn't believe that it's officially Winter here in Australia due to the balmy lunchtime temperatures, the vibrant colours of flora and the humidity in the air. I'm disappointed! Bring on the temperatures under ten degrees! I didn't buy a pink pom-pom beanie and stock up on winter socks and hot chocolate for the sake of it! 

How have you been? My life has been quite the roller coaster (just like Ronan Keating describes it in his song) lately. I'm not sure where to start with this post... so I'll share with you a few good things about this week and what's coming up!

• On Saturday I'm finally seeing The Fault in Our Stars with my friend Abbey! I read the book a couple of months ago and although I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, it's still a clever, beautiful story and I am excited about seeing it in film. Augustus Waters is quite stunning, I dare say.  
• I'm going formal/prom dress shopping with my mum's friend on the first Monday of the holidays! She's going to make my dress and I'm so excited about what it's going to look like. Graduation night is just over five months away but it's never too early!
• You know that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when you finish a huge assignment? That's how I feel right now about Geography. My field report for our Fraser excursion is SO GOOD and I am SO PROUD of my efforts. Thank you.
• It's June! It's Winter! It's also less than five months until I graduate and am free of my high school chains! I love school (a lot) but I'm also excited about my future and what it has to hold. 

I hope you all have a riproaring good time for the rest of this week!