What’s in my Purse

I
I love watching what’s in my purse videos on YouTube, must be my inner voyeur, but it’s fun to see what other people lug around with them. I personally don’t carry a lot of things with me, in general, give me a bag big enough and I’ll fill it with things I might need even though I know I won’t need them. Which is why a bag this size is perfect for me. I got this bright coloured Kardashian Kollection bag from my sister for Christmas. It fits exactly what I need and a few things I don’t need. So without further ado, all the stuff I carry around with me…

See it fits heaps

Left to Right I have:

Collins Japanese Dictionary

I have only just gotten back into my Japanese (I’m a very beginner student) so I carry this around with me to look up words I don’t know or just to find out what words are when I’m bored. I do most of my learning while I’m bored, I’m that crazy person who sits on the train and reads a dictionary.

Forever New Wallet

This is one of those wallets that’s also a phone case for an iPhone 4 which I never had. I went straight from the 3GS to the 5. It also has a money purse on the back which is the reason I bought this one even though I had the wrong phone. I don’t like taking my whole handbag with me when I’m just going up to Coles so I just take my wallet. It’s also where I attach my house keys and my favourite key chains at the time, right now its Tsukiko the Kimmi Doll and Super Sailor Moon!

Jeepers Creepers Sunglasses

I don’t always carry around this particular pair of sunnies but I do love them. I bought these off Asos Australia when I was testing out the website (I like to buy a something small from online stores to make sure they aren’t dodgy).

Aurora Spa Rituals Vanilla & Honey Lip Moisturiser

I love this moisturiser, its so moisturising and thick and is hands down the best lip moisturiser I’ve ever used. Unfortunately it’s $25 on Bella Box where I got it so I won’t be purchasing it again.

Eclipse Mints

Yummy. I eat them while I’m driving too and from work in between cursing other drivers (from within my car of course, I’m no road rager).

Pink Notepad and Black Pen

For notes, nothing more than that really. I do practice my Japanese writing in it though.

Death Note Wallet

I’ve had this wallet for years. I don’t use it for money because it doesn’t have a coin pouch which is why I bought my other wallet. This one is for business cards and loyalty cards because they don’t fit in my phone wallet.

And that is what I carry in my purse on a day-to-day basis. What kind of things do you guys carry with you?

Life with Curly Hair

I have a confession to make, I have naturally curly hair, not lovely and straight like in my pictures. I also make weird faces in photographs. That is my hair naturally, all curly and frizzy and in desperate need of some hair dye. Most of the time I just put up with it, it’s my hair and I was born with it. Curly hair can be a real pain to work with. If left to it’s own devices my hair forms large knots in the back of my head and puffs up to a flighty ball of hair twice it’s size and very ridiculous looking. My hair is like an unruly child in an ornament shop, it can not be left on it’s own.
That being said here are a few things I’ve learnt about managing curly hair:

Blonde is not your friend.

Curly hair is naturally dry and bleaching the crap out of your hair is the perfect way to strip what little moisture is left in your hair. I am currently growing out my year long attempt at blonde hair. I loved being blonde, it was fun and I could add whatever colour I wanted over it (I had a pink layer of hair for a while which was fun) but your hair will not thank you for it and in the end it will go dry, brittle and even more frizzy than it started.

Put the brush away!

Brushing curly hair when it’s dry is another good way of turning your nice curls into a puff ball. Don’t do it! The only time I brush dry hair is when I’m going to straighten it. I avoid having to brush my hair by putting it up in one or two plaits when I go to sleep then I just finger brush it in the morning.

Diffuse it

If you want your hair to curl nicely  the use the diffuse connection on your hair dryer. Take a few sections of hair and twist it around your finger and put it in the diffuser to add even more curl.

Air dry

It’s best for all hair types to air dry I think but if you do have to use heat make sure your hair is about 80% dry and use the diffuser. This will minimise the time your hair is under the heat.

Don’t use too many products

Too many products is just going to weigh down your hair and make it look greasy and nasty. When I use a leave in condition I only use about a 5 cent coin size for my whole hair and I concentrate it on the ends of my hair. If you put too much product near your scalp it will make your hair look greasy.

Make your hair oily!!

Yes that’s right, OIL! I use olive oil at least once a week (usually Wednesday's when I also use a face mask). I have also used coconut oil which was pretty good but far too expensive whereas I buy a huge tin of olive oil for the kitchen for between $20-30 so I just poor a bit into my hands and work it through my hair from roots to ends. It takes about two attempts with the shampoo half an hour later to get it all out but it really makes my hair feel and look so much better when I do this regularly.

Get a regular trim

This is a rule I don’t stand by but one I definitely should. I haven’t gone to a hairdresser in years. I don’t enjoy the experience of going to get my hair cut and I never had. I hate waiting around and I can never seem to get them to understand what I want which is probably my fault. These days I trim my own hair (in fact I was just doing it which is what inspired this post) with a normal pair of scissors in my desk drawer but I can’t recommend doing that. Hairdressers train for years to be able to cut your hair and they generally know what they’re doing. I’m just cheap and can’t be bothered with the effort of going to the hairdressers which may also be why I don’t have the best hair.

These are just some of the things that I’ve learnt about my type of hair. Have any of you got curly, dry or damaged hair? If so what are some of your tips for managing it? I’d love to know because I’m always looking for new and better techniques and products to help with my hair.

Driving Across the Country

This is going to be my first lifestyle post on this blog so I thought I’d start with one of the biggest events in my adult life. Moving states. Before December 2013 I lived not far from Newcastle, NSW, and now I live not far from Perth, WA, all the way on the other side of the country, I have moved approximately 3,900 kilometres away from where I’ve lived for the past 9 years. Newcastle was a pretty big part of my life, I graduated high school there and university (December 6 woot!) there and made a lot of friends (though I’ve lost contact with most of them as well but that’s life) so moving wasn’t a light decision to make. That being said I made it in about 2 days. This is the process it took me to decide to move;

• Try and enrol in classes on the 11th of December
• Realise you’ve finished your degree
• Decide to move to Perth with a box full of makeup, 6 pairs of pants, 11 shirts, 3 scarfs, 4 jackets and a computer tower.
• Drive

Okay so it wasn’t that simple, it actually took up 2 attempts to get on the road, the first time we over packed so the car was too heavy and we forgot the dogs back pain medication (poor little Wally gets an inflamed disk in his spine). Eventually though we got underway with a Holden Statesman laden with stuff we probably didn’t need all at once and we set off for a 3,900 km adventure. It took us 5 days and 4 nights of camping, we had to camp because my other dog Max has a heart murmur (he is 15) so the vet wouldn’t sign him off to fly (we had an awesome vet, always put the dogs before convenience). It was meant to tale 6 days and 5 nights but on the 4th day we realised we’d gained several hours through time zone changes and it was summer which meant longer days anyway so we kept driving for 14 hours until the sun started going down so we had to stop (only truck drivers and idiots drive through the Nullabor at night). Camping sucks but it was worth it, Max was worth it, cue the awww. And here are some pictures to commemorate the long long drive;

The route we took, more or less, it took a little longer than 1 day 23 hr though

Wagga Wagga, NSW

Wally in his reindeer jacket because it’s all Kmart

had at the time and it was freezing at night.

If you think that road looks long you’ve never been over the Eyre Highway.

It just keeps going…and going…

The Great Australian Bite. Stunning view

The drive was long but it was a good experience. Next time I’ve got to go the other way.

New to Aus

Things have been changing in Australia. We’re finally getting access to more and more products that I’m used to see only on the internet and having for fork out for shipping and then wait 2-4 weeks to actually get the products. On the upside it’s like getting a birthday present because by the time it gets here I’ve completely forgotten what I ordered (yes even after 2 weeks). The two brands I’m talking about of course or ELF and Nyx, too low end US brands (or drug store brands as they say across the ditch). I am not new to either product. ELF has shipped to Australia for a while now (I think they had a distributor here because it didn’t take long to get them) and Nyx I bought off US website Beauty Joint but now I can get them here, just down the street. No more shipping!
I went shopping today, because it’s Saturday and I can, and I bought a few things from ELF and Nyx I thought I’d share with you.

Target started selling Nyx some time last year, not sure when because I discovered it by accident just before Christmas, and I’ve bought a few things from them now including a gold jumbo pencil and now the Nyx Eyebrow Powder in Auburn/Red. I’ve never used a brow powder, hence the strange shading of my eyebrow in the picture bellow, but I really like how much smoother the colours are when you use a powder. Normally I use a Maybelline Define-A-Brow which I believe is discontinued now, which is the perfect colour for my brows but sometimes if I’m in a hurry I’ll miss blending out a line with the pencil and it will drive me nuts all day. I don’t think I’ll have that problem when I use a powder. This kit comes with a light colour, a dark colour, a small angled brush and a small brow wand and a wax which is meant to keep your brows in place all day. I’ve used this once but I have to say I really do like it. It costs $9.95 which is only $3.95 more than the US. 

In the same trip I made a pit stop at Kmart and bought myself a few ELF products. ELF has only just started coming to Kmart stores and when I got there the price stickers were still being put on the shelves (I think I got in the lady’s way). ELF has been pretty easy to get in Australia for a while now because they’re website ships from Melbourne using Australia Post and only costs $7.89 standard anywhere in Australia which is pretty good. I went there hoping not only to find ELF but also that they would have one of their kabuki brushes which I want to try but alas they didn’t have one. So instead I bought the dramatic lashes kit, the natural lashes kit and the cream eyeliner in coffee. I’ve never actually tried fake lashes but at $3.00 a pop I thought it was worth giving it a try. The eyeliner was only $8.00 which I thought was pretty damn awesome for a liner. I have found it a bit difficult to use however but I suspect that’s because I’m used to using Maybelline’s Master Precise liquid eyeliner so it didn’t go on very neatly but I will practice. It came with a tiny angled brush which I just can’t be bothered with, it’s too small to hold comfortably so I used one of my own normal sized angle brushes. I haven’t used the lashes yet mostly because I have no idea how to use them, so I’m going to go watch some YouTube videos to work it out.

All in all I’m pretty happy with the products I bought but more than that I’m happy to see more international brands (in this case US companies) moving into the Australian market and not charging exorbitant prices. I love Nyx and ELF in general and can’t wait to try more of their products in the near future and hopefully see more familiar but hard-to-get-in-Australia international brands on shelves soon.*
And that’s all I’ve got for you today, keep watching this space for more posts and Follow my blog with Bloglovin'

* This was not a sponsored post at all though this paragraph sounds like one.