The Joy In Life

I had a very thought provoking conversation with a friend the other day about doing things that brings us joy, not in the outcome but in the process. I thought I should brainstorm the things that make me calm and contented and this is what I came up with:

• A tidy bedroom - this may seem odd to anyone who knows me because I am an extremely messy person but a tidy room is a sure-fire way of making me motivated and happy.
• Getting things done - similarly this may seem odd as I am a chronic procrastinator however there is nothing more satisfying than being productive.
• Looking forward to things - as someone about to finish their second last year of school there is nothing that brings me greater joy than daydreaming about the future. I'm most excited to travel, for uni and for moving out (although who knows when the last one will actually happen).
• Cooking - I don't actually do this as much as I would like to firstly because I am ridiculously busy and secondly because, as mentioned earlier, I am a massive procrastinator but when I do manage to get myself into the kitchen I love to whip up some yummy sugar free snacks.
• Seeing my friends - this is probably the most obvious one and also probably the most common among anyone, no matter who they are, but there is nothing better than catching up with friends to boost my mood. Give me a hot drink, some sun and a couple of lovely friends and I will ask for nothing more.
• Going to the city - I live about an hour out of Melbourne which, for Australia, is fairly close. I usually find myself in the city at least once a week, usually before 9am, and I love exploring the city then; its so quiet and calm with hardly any people in there at all at that time.
• Laughing until my stomach hurts - this laughter is not just chuckling softly this is lying on the floor begging for the pain to stop. Physiologically speaking this is good for both your happiness and your stomach muscles. Whats not to like?
• Setting goals and sticking to them - this might be cheating a little as it kind of falls into the 'getting things done' category but I think this needs its own little category. Whether it be committing to practising my cello everyday or posting a blog post every Saturday (this is the 8th week in a row and I am very proud of myself) actually sticking to my goals fills me with the utmost joy.
• Girl power playlists - nothing can get you feeling fine as quickly and efficiently as a girl power playlist can, of this I am sure. 8Tracks has some great compilations that make even the most mundane chore fun.
• Sitting in the sun with a book - living in Australia means I get the privilege of actually seeing the sun for a large portion of the year and an hour soaking up the sun is an ideal part of any day, just as long as I manage to not get burnt!

This is what I do to bring joy into my life but I think the list is no way near long enough yet and hopefully it will expand hugely with time. What do you enjoy in life?

xx Gemma

Recent Makeup Buys

As I am currently saving for my trip to Germany (Less than two months way! I'm so excited) I have restricted my spending a lot however I have managed to sneak a few necessities in over the past month or so. 

From Lush I have picked up the Tea Tree Water toner (full review here) and I am in love! I also got my hands on Grease Lightning and, whilst I thankfully have not needed to use it too often, am very impressed.

From Rimmel I picked up the Scandal'Eyes Waterproof Mascara in black. I usually opt for a waterproof mascara as I cry more than is socially acceptable and this one seems to manage to not make me look like a panda which is always a plus! I also grabbed the Scandal'Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in nude because every blogger that I follow seems to own this and, despite what I would like to think, I am not immune to their enabling. Whilst I do like this for my waterline I don't think it is particularly long lasting, at least on me, and I do need to reapply throughout the day. I also feel that the colour is a little too shiny and metallic for a nude but aside from that I am really enjoying using it. Lastly from Rimmel I picked up the 60 Seconds Colour Rush Nail Enamel in the shade Breakfast In Bed (Is that not the cutest name?) I absolutely adore this nail polish! Everything from the fast drying formula to the gorgeous  colour has my completely head over heels!

After giving up on my Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream I decided to try the Revlon Colorstay Makeup for Normal to Dry Skin in the shade Buff. My opinion on this one is a little all over the place at the moment (some days I love it, some days I can't wait to get it off my face) so I plan on making a full review with all of the pros and cons.

I also picked up an eyelash curler (from the home brand at the supermarket because I am a truly classy girl), a Covergirl Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Eye Shadow in Pure Romance which is nice enough but nothing to write home about, a Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm which I love - great moisture without the sticky residue? Yes please! - and the Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer. Whilst this gets the job done, Bourjois is a slightly more expensive drugstore brand (I'm saving remember!) and I think that, for the $21 that I paid, it would be nice to get a little more product. Aside from the size I really like this primer and can definitely see the difference when I use it as opposed to when I don't.

xx Gemma

Lush Tea Tree Water

Recently I picked up Grease Lightning from Lush to try to rid myself of a rather large spot that had appeared on my chin. I am lucky enough to get very few blemishes on my face, as a general rule, however my chest is a whole other story. 

After about two days of applying this morning and night my spot was completely gone and I decided that I should try using it on my chest. I quickly realised that this wasn't going to work too well as Grease Lightning comes out in 'blobs' of gel formula that works really well on individual blemishes however is a little tricky to apply all over, as is necessary on my chest.

In comes the Lush Tea Tree Water, a toner containing only tea tree water (as the name would suggest), grapefruit water and Juniperberry water. This comes in two sizes and I picked up the smaller, 100g bottle for just $10. Boy, am I glad I did. This little bottle has helped so much to clear my skin. I wouldn't say I am completely blemish free but after three weeks of use, twice a day, my blemishes have reduced to well over a quarter of what they were before. 

I am absolutely besotted with this toner and would recommend it to anyone. It works quickly and effectively, does what it says on the tin and is vegan! What more can you ask for, really?

xx Gemma

Lumos

An illuminating Harry Potter tag. (Yes that was indeed a Harry Potter pun).

1. What is your favourite book?
The first question and already I can't decide! I think probably Prisoner of Azkaban or Order of the Phoenix (but I also really Halfblood Prince and Deathly Hallows).

2. What is your favourite film?
I do enjoy Prisoner of Azkaban and I love Deathly Hallows part 2 as it holds fond memories of going to the midnight premier (I was too young to go to all the others!)

3. What is your least favourite book?
My least favourite book would have to be Goblet of Fire. I was really scared the first time I read it and can't seem to shake my hesitancy towards it.

4. What is your least favourite film?
Again I would have to say Goblet of Fire. I enjoyed the storyline of the fourth so I have no idea why I dislike both the movie and book so much but that's just the way it is I suppose! I also am not a massive fan of the Halfblood Prince movie as I think a little too much artistic licence was taken with here and it deviates too much from the storyline of the book (burning down the Borrow was definitely not in the book and, as the Borrow appeared in the next movie, completely unnecessary in my opinion).

5. Which parts of the books/films made you cry?
I don't think I have ever full on sobbed in Harry Potter but I may or may not seem to get something stuck in my eye when Fred, Sirius, Remus and Tonks die.

6. If you could hook up with any character who would it be?
Dean Thomas definitely. Although having said that almost all of the Potter cast had incredible transformations and are incredibly attractive so...

7. Who is your favourite character?
Luna or Ginny. Both are such strong women, in quite different ways, and it makes me so happy that they were/(are?) friends.
Edit: Narcissa Malfoy is also incredibly kickarse and I do have a very large soft spot for her.

8. Who is your least favourite character?
I must no tell lies so I have to say Umbridge. Most Harry Potter characters have at least one redeeming quality (or at least a good back story as to why they don't) however Umbridge is not one of them.

9. What is your least favourite line?
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" - Albus Dumbledore
 or 
"You're not going mad. I can see them too. You're just as sane as I am." - Luna Lovegood (after being introduced as a very odd/slightly mad girl because it was really not a comforting thought to Harry).

10. What would your patronus be?
I think probably a cat however if I was living in the world of Harry Potter I am sure there would be many magical creatures that I would identify even better with.

11. If you could have the invisibility cloak, resurrection stone or elder wand, which would you choose?
I would choose the invisibility cloak as the stone could not fully bring people back from the dead and the elder wand just creates trouble. Also who wouldn't want to be able to turn invisible?!

12. What house would you be in?
I think the Hogwarts houses represent personality traits that everyone has a bit of so you could argue any house really (although I really struggle to see myself as a Gryffindor) however on Pottermore I am a Hufflepuff and I think this is fairly accurate.

13. If you could meet any member of the cast who would it be?
I think it would have to be Evanna Lynch (can you tell I have a bit of a crush on Luna Lovegood?) because she seems like the least 'famous' of all of the HP cast and I think we would get along really well (and really what's the point of meeting a cast member if I cant become best friends with them!)

14. If you were on the quidditch team, what position would you play?
This is tricky because I play so little sport that I cant relate it to anything. Having said that I did use to play netball so I might be an alright chaser. I think I would probably enjoy being a beater as it would release a lot of pent up frustration haha.

15. Were you happy with the ending?
That depends. I really love the ending of the books in that Voldemort dies in a very human way but the ending of the movie I didn't like. I thought they changed it quite a lot from the ending of the book (although I enjoyed all of the Deathly Hallows part 2 aside from how Voldemort dies) and having him burst into little pieces of paper, or whatever that was meant to be, wasn't very symbolic of the whole 'no matter how much power you hold in life, all die equally' thing that the book represented so well. Maybe I just analyse Harry Potter too much.

16. How much does Harry Potter mean to you?
This is such an odd question because surely anyone who does a Harry Potter tag would answer with something along the lines of 'a lot/heaps etc'.
Harry Potter is my go to series if I have had a bad day and I need cheering up or even if I just have nothing new to read. It has shaped so much of my primary school life and I am eternally grateful to J K Rowling for the amazing world and characters she has introduced me to.

This was a slightly nerdy post today for which I apologise, hopefully you all love Harry Potter enough that you are able to forgive me, but when I saw this tag I immediately knew it was something I had to do.

xx Gemma

The Wickedest Witch There Ever Was...

Last Thursday my sister, Kate, went to see the musical Wicked and came home insisting that I see it. This sounded wonderful until I realised that the show finished that Sunday and that I had three days left if I wanted to see it. I didn't want to go by myself (as I like to share my enjoyment of musical theatre with others) so Kate said she would go see it again with me (that's how badly she wanted me to see it, the dear).

We had a quick bite to eat at a lovely little Indian restaurant in the city (which was both super cheap and really delicious) before heading off to the show.

It was incredible! I thought it was quite different from the 'stereotypical' musical sound (it wasn't the same sound as Mamma Mia and definitely not like Les Miserable at all) but the music was amazing and the storyline had me laughing and hanging off the edge of my seat. For the past week me and Kate have had the soundtrack playing whilst we wash the dishes and I have been singing all the songs non stop. And if I happen to now follow most of the cast one Instagram well, no one needs to know.

It was such a brilliant show, I am so happy that I got to see it before it closed and would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it!

xx Gemma

Clinique Clarifying Lotion

Clinique Clarifying Lotion

I realise that my previous post about the Clinique CC cream was a fairly negative one so I thought I should combat that with a much more positive clinique review.

When I bought my clinique CC cream I saw the 3 Step Skincare range (i think that's what its called but I'm not 100% sure on the actual wording) and, as I didn't have any kind of skincare routine at the time, I thought I should give it a go. Although I own all three of the 'steps' today I am just reviewing the Clarifying Lotion as it is my favourite out of the three.

As I have mentioned before my skin is quite dry and dehydrated and when I put this toner on I can feel my skin getting softer. My skin absolutely loves this stuff and just drinks it up. I apply it morning and night and can definitely see an improvement in my skin (although I'm sure that using the moisturiser also aids this). 

I have nearly used up all of this bottle (although it has lasted me an impressive six months of use twice a day) and already have it placed on my list of things to buy. I am in love.

Have you tried Clinique's clarifying lotion? What did you think?

xx Gemma

Room Inspiration

I have shown my room on this blog before but it has actually changed quite a lot since then and I thought I could make a second post about my room but recently I have grown bored with it so I thought perhaps now isn't the best time to make a post on it. Instead I thought I would share some photos of what I hope my room will look like sometime in the not so distant future. As I am a very messy person I am aiming to have as little unnecessary clutter in my room as is possible and am hoping that a quite neutral colour scheme will also help it look less chaotic. 

xx Gemma

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30 Hydrating Colour Corrector in Very Light

I have nearly used up all of this CC cream and so I thought today would be an excellent time to do a little review as the sun is out and I have a day off (two very exciting things that don't often coincide in my world).

When my last foundation ran out I decided to treat myself to a more high end foundation and somehow ended up with a CC cream. As my skin is fairly good, aside from being ridiculously dry and a little red, I thought this would be perfect for me. Sadly I was not overly impressed with it.

I found that it clung to the dry patches on my face less than an hour after application. My cheeks and around my nose looked especially dry when I wore this and I my skin didn't feel noticeably more hydrated whilst wearing it or after taking it off. 

I also found it difficult to apply evenly, although this is my first cream foundation and I may find that I have this issue with all cream foundations not just this one. I tried to apply it with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and also with my fingers but unfortunately I didn't feel like it was working for me either way.

If this CC cream had been a drugstore purchase I may have been a little more forgiving but at $45 it has been a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't terrible but nothing stands out as incredible with this product and, as a student with a very limited budget, it feels like a bit of a waste of money. I wouldn't repurchase this at this price and, even at a lower price, I would probably reach for a different foundation before going for this one again.

Have you had similar results with this CC cream? Do you have tips on how I could have made it work better for me?

xx Gemma

A Mini Haul

Recently I have stopped buying things as I am saving up for my trip to Germany at the end of the year. However, when I realised yesterday that I was nearly completely out of both foundation and concealer I had to break my little saving streak.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - 15 Fair I have actually bought this concealer before but in a tone that was slightly too dark for me and made me look very orange. From memory, aside from the orange tint that it added to my skin, I liked this concealer and I think almost every single blog that I follow has recommended this so hopefully with the right colour I will enjoy this.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush I have a small confession to make on this one; from the moment I started to read beauty blogs I have heard the real techniques brushes talked about so much and for some unknown reason I assumed that you could not buy them in Australia. Thankfully, when I decided to google it finally last week, i discovered that this was not the case and they can easily be found at priceline! So, as real techniques are brushes I have wanted for so long I decided to pick up the Expert Face Brush. Originally I was planning on buying the Buffing Brush but I read this comparison of the two brushes and decided that the Expert Face Brush would probably work best for me. I can't wait to use this!

L'Oreal Lumi Magiue Light Infusing Foundation - Pure Pearl I had planned on buying a Borjois foundation today but all of the ones at the store were too dark for my pale winter skin. As I had read a good review of this a little while ago I decided to get this instead (and even managed to get a discount!). As soon as I got home I realised that the seal has actually been broken so I am going to return it tomorrow and get an untouched bottle instead but fingers crossed I will love it!

Favourites Of Life #02

Live

Yesterday I had brunch with my family and my best friend's family. I was actually really sick but managed to feel better just for the time we had with them. I must admit this picture is actually from the other week however because I was sick I couldn't take any pictures so you just get to see my lovely chai from last week!

Read

I started baking again this week! I got 'I Quit Sugar' by Sarah Wilson as a Christmas present and now use it as my go to recipe book. The recipes are simple and delicious and, as non of them contain any sugar whatsoever, there is never any guilt upon eating the little sweet treats

Listen

For far too long my wonderful friend Iona has been telling me to listen to Hozier and finally I did myself a favour and downloaded his song 'Take Me To Church'. The song is so so catchy and a wonderful thing to sing at the tops of your lungs!

A Little Housekeeping

Follow my blog with Bloglovin I know I have already put a link to my bloglovin' on here but I have changed the URL of my blog because it was just silly how long it was! So I have to claim my blog agin and all that shebang if you could follow e it would mean the world xx Gem

Sunshine And Surf

As I mentioned in yesterdays post I have spent the last week camping on the east coast, in a national park in New South Wales. Unfortunately, due to the lack of electricity I had to make my use of my phone, and by extension its camera, sparse. This meant I didn't get any pictures of the actual holiday, which is a shame as the beach where we stayed is probably my favourite beach in Australia. I did however get to take a couple of pictures during our stop over (the drive is eight hours!) at Lakes Entrance. It was a lovely day filled with sunshine and laughter, as well as an absolutely delicious chai.

Favourites Of Life #01

Live

I went camping this week with my whole family to Salt Water Creek, close to Eden, a small fishing village in New South Wales. It was so lovely to go to bed as the sun set and to catch up on the sleep my body was obviously craving (I think I averaged around 11 hours of sleep throughout the week!). A lovely, rejuvenating trip; the only complaint I have is that I may have gotten a little bit sun burnt and my skin is now horribly dry. Ah well, what can you do.

Read

This week I have adored scrolling through Tamira's blog - Lipstick With Some Sunshine. She takes absolutely beautiful pictures and has successfully made me want to convert my entire bedroom into only light, baby blue tones. She also has a wonderful series about blogging that I have found incredibly useful and inspiring. If you have not read her blog before you should definitely start.

Listen

I have always been a massive fan of Adele and whenever I run out of music to listen to I find myself heading straight back to this incredible woman. Although the image is of her album '21' I also absolutely adore her lesser known, earlier album '19'. I cant imagine ever not liking Adele; her songs make me want to cry in the rain, in a very satisfying, soul nourishing kind of way.

City Wanderings

 ♥ Opening of H&M Melbourne ♥ New Layout of The Body Shop ♥ Degraves Street ♥ Block Arcade ♥