Eve, The Apple of My Eye - Bell X1

There isn't much in life that is more peaceful and satisfying than lying around with a good book or magazine. So today I decided to treat myself to both.

Gemma Pocket Tote Bag from Sportsgirl // Hope Friendship Bracelet from Sportsgirl in support of the Butterfly Foundation // Lula Magazine issue 13 // Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer // ROC Terri Boots from Wanted Shoes

I read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in extension English in high school, but analysing a text always seems to detract from it's beauty a little so I'm eager to have another read, this time without the pressure of having to learn quotes and write an essay afterwards.

I'm a massive fan of the bucket bag, so I've been quietly drooling over the Gemma Tote since I first saw it in stores, I am very glad to call this beauty mine, it is amazingly soft, and I love the splash of colour on the front pocket.

I finally got around to treating myself to a copy of Lula, which I actually happened upon by accident in a little newsagency. I've had a quick flick through, but am looking forward to properly devouring it later today.

I hope everyone has a very happy Sunday, and that the rain doesn't mess up anyone's hair or mood too badly.

(: xx

Sour Cherry - The Kills

I went on a little impromptu shopping trip today and I'm feeling pretty pleased with my bargain haul!

L to R: Bauhaus Jacket $20 // Sportsgirl Tote Bag $9.95 // Sportsgirl String Bracelet $4.95 // Glassons Jeans $30 // Bauhaus Dress $20

Myer was having some strange $20 Bauhaus sale, which I clearly took full advantage of, resulting in this adorable outfit:

Nailpolish: Sportsgirl "Nail It!" in Lace with three coats of Chi Chi Crystal Topcoat. Accent nail also has a coat of Revlon Scented "Grape Fizz".

Glassons' Miss Who Skinny Jeans are seriously the love of my life! They are actually tight and cling to the leg all the way down instead of creating a pool of fabric around my knees and ankles like most skinny jeans do, and they're made of very thin and stretchy denim which makes them wearable in both the cold months with boots and in slightly cooler weather with a pair of flats.

And now I get to tighten the purse strings yet again! Hope everyone is having a Merry Wednesday and that none of your plans have fallen through due to the carelessness of others. Yep. xx

(Disclaimer: Not once have I claimed to not be passive aggressive.)

Who's Loving You - The Ray Mann Three

Happy 2012 and Christmas and everything lovely people! Clearly keeping up with blogging was not my new years resolution - whoops!

I recieved some lovely goodies for Christmas including these additions to my perfume collection:

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea "Exotic" Perfume // Issey Miyake L'Eau D'Issey Spray on Moisturiser // Issey Miyake L'Eau D'Issey Florale Perfume // Elizabeth Arden Green Tea "Summer" Perfume // M by Mariah Carey // Narciso Rodriguez For Her In Colour // Elie Saab La Parfum

Adorable Ikea stuffed toys (the carrot and broccoli to go with my strawberry) and a Trackpad for my iMac from my wonderful boyfriend.

 (Pictured on the new bed sheets I got from my parents)

  A lovely pair of chunky sandals:

And most stunningly the demise of my car's transmission meant I was super duper spoiled with a brand new car from my parents. It is seriously the most amazing gift I've ever received and the biggest responsibility/most awesome thing ever.

 I also treated myself to a few things over Christmas and New Years.

Skull Bracelet from Sportsgirl - I have always had a thing for skulls, I think it is a memory of when I was 14 years old and I thought I was hardcore.

2012 Diary from Kikki K // Purple Lined Journal from Leuchtturm 917 // Notebook from Rob Ryan // Butterfly Journal from Christina Re  
 

Stationary - Stationary has been my favourite thing since I was a little kid (see references to my paper-hoarding habits), the purple journal is attempting to a serve as a diary so I can sort my emotional shit out without annoying every living (and in some cases inanimate) thing around me.

Absolutely Alice by OPI // Jaune Trendy by Bourjois Paris // Rouge Fashionista by Bourjois Paris // Crystal Topcoat by Chi Chi // Grape Fizz (scented) by Revlon // Advanced Hard as Nails by Sally Hansen // Revlon nail files
 
Nailpolish -  Well this is pretty obvious. Hello obsession.

The Chi Chi Crystal Topcoat is particularly amazing! It is full of lovely flakie glitter and immediately livens up any mani (particularly darker colours - WOW) with its flecks that shine green or orange depending on the light.

Tea - not so much a splurge but more of an addiction, Dilmah's Rose with French Vanilla is delicious! It has such a delicate fruity flavour. Yum yum yum.

I also seem to have stockpiled an abundance of new clothes, which I have managed to fit in my closet by donating a lot of my older clothing to Vinnies, but I've been trying to move away from buying any more clothes and instead focus on coming up with new ways to wear and accessorize the clothes I have. It seems that my tastes in clothing have become more and more erratic, with my recent purchases including leopard prints and studs. Both things I never seemed to like in the past.

The most astute of you may notice that I've lopped off about 1/3 of my hair, if you have then congratulations - you are officially more observant than my actual family members who did not notice. For the record, this is how long my hair was before I cut it:

It is noticeable now? Yep, thought so.
(Also obvious is my chronic bitchface/squinty eyes. Why am I even squinting? Does anyone know?)

Hope everyone had an amazing holiday season, I know I did. Mostly because of the amazing people I spent it with. xxx

Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard

This blog seems in danger of becoming nail polish oriented, but I promise it won't. Although I cannot promise there won't frequently be some sort of NOTD or NOTW post. I haven't done much but hang out with the boyfriend and drive my mother around lately, so this is the most exciting offering I have.

Obviously I have a rather large collection of nail polish but my manicures don't have a tendency to be particularly imaginative. Generally I either just paint my nails a single colour, possibly with an accent nail or glitter topcoat, or else I just alternate two colours throughout the manicure.

Lately I've been looking at nail art tutorials online and I've been particularly enamored with gradient nails, although I have also been adamant that I lack the ability to do such a thing. Until today (when boredom and a chocolate overdose which made it essentially impossible for me to get up), lead to the death of a kitchen sponge and this particular manicure:

It looks much better in real life, particularly in the sunlight, since the difference between the two darker colours isn't as obvious when photographed. I used the method that pretty much every single gradient tutorial explains, so I'll save you my convoluted explanations and instead send you here.

These are the colours I used, and in place of a cosmetic sponge I just stole an unused kitchen sponge from my mother.

L to R: Cutex in Peaches (I used this as the base colour) // China Glaze in Orange Pacific (This hasn't photographed well and is actually very shimmery, I used this as the lighter colour I sponged on) // China Glaze in Life Preserver (Darker colour I sponged on the tips of my nails) // OPI in Teenage Dream (Used as a topcoat in order to give a glittery finish and help blend the colours together better) // Happy little piece of the kitchen sponge I cut up

Not Pictured: Seche Clear Base Coat // Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat

Well I'm pretty pleased with myself, and I just glanced outside and it looks like the weather is starting to look a tiny bit summery so I think I'm off to go sit in the sun and harass the cat for a bit. Happy Saturday everyone! (:

Make Me Proud - Drake feat. Nicki Minaj

So way back when during exams in an attempt to avoid actually doing anything particularly productive (and in an attempt to stop buying clothes - because I seriously cannot even close my closet anymore) I've developed a new obsession with nail polish. Which realistically places me in the headspace of pretty much every other blogger out there. In my obsession I've stumbled upon this whole world of blogs dedicated to only nail polish and it kind of blows my mind a little. Actually I was reading about the lipstick index and the idea that the new economic index is the nail polish index. Which makes a lot of sense if you think about it. The only issue with me is that I have the hand eye coordination of a snake (they have no hands, get it??! GET IT??!) and even less patience.

Regardless it has become somewhat of an obsession and I now have more nail polish than you could poke a stick at! (Although why you would poke a stick at a nail polish collection I do not know.) It feels so lovely and feminine to be able to paint my nails pretty girly colours, and it feels somewhat rebellious to paint them dark colours (clearly rebellion isn't my strong point). Mainly though, having been a habitual nail-biter from age 10 till this year, it feels really great to actually have long nails.

Some of my favourite polishes:

L to R: China Glaze in Life Preserver // Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Fractured Foil // OPI Designer Series in Magic // Rimmel Scented Lasting Finish in Strawberry Fizz // Maybelline Mini ColoRama in Wonder Violet

L to R: Rimmel Lasting Finish in Green Grass // OPI in Planks a Lot // China Glaze in Kaleidoscope Him Out // OPI in Teenage Dream // Revlon in Minted

L to R: Rimmel 60 Seconds in Black Out // China Glaze Crackle in Fault Line // OPI Shatter in Blue // Maybelline Mini ColoRama in Ultra Violet // OPI in Rainbow Connection

L to R: China Glaze in Sky High-Top // China Glaze Crackle in Broken Hearted // OPI in Mermaid's Tears // China Glaze in Tinsel Town // Rimmel Lasting Finish in Disco Ball

L to R: La Rosa Crackle Shatter in Sea Weed // OPI in Don't Mess With OPI // Rimmel 60 Seconds in Coralicious // OPI Shatter in Black // China Glaze in Doll House

L to R: China Glaze in Salsa // Sportsgirl Nail It in Lace // OPI in My Address Is "Hollywood" // Rimmel Scented Lasting Finish in Apricot Punch // Maybelline Mini ColoRama in Party Blue

L to R: China Glaze in Ruby Pumps // OPI in Uh Oh Roll Down The Window // China Glaze in IDK // Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in First Blush // Rimmel 60 Seconds in Chocolate Fountain

L to R: China Glaze in Techno // OPI in My Private Jet // China Glaze in Channelesque // Rimmel Lasting Finish in Misty Jade // OPI in The One That Got Away

L to R: Revlon in Vixen // Rimmel 60 Seconds in Princess Pink // China Glaze in Platinum Gold // OPI Designer Series in Reflection // Rimmel 60 Seconds in Grey Matter

L to R: OPI Designer Series in Extravagance // Rimmel 60 Seconds in Sky High // China Glaze in TTYL // China Glaze in He's Going In Circles // Maybelline Mini ColoRama in Urban Orange

And of course, base and top coats are pretty important when you're trying to create a lasting manicure (although to be honest mine are usually demolished and changed within a few days)...

L to R: Seche Plus Fortified Strengthener // OPI Start to Finish Top and Base Coat // Seche Prep Nail Cleanser // Rimmel Pro Mattifying Topcoat // Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat

Told you I am obsessed! If law school doesn't work out, I can always open my own nail salon, I clearly already have all the necessary equipment. And just as a point of interest for Sydneysiders who are also nail polish enthusiasts, you should check out Pro Nail Supply in Bankstown for cost price China Glaze, OPI, Seche, Essie and Orly.