Monthly Round-Up | October

Eat and Drink

Lost Boys, Fortitude Valley 

Thanks to Jess' skills for finding jaw-droppingly cute cafes we popped into the brand new Lost Boys in the Fortitude Valley a week ago. Not only is the interior ridiculously dreamy and based on the whimsical world of Peter Pan, and other dreamy Disney classics, but the food and drink is all organic, carbon neutral and vegetarian. If you're like me and enjoy a beaut antipasto platter, I can highly recommend that to share between two. 

With the cutest, smiliest service Lost Boys is the perfect place to escape from the hot busy streets of the Valley.

Iced Tea

For the last few months I have been thirsty for the perfect iced tea. I've tried endless quantities from different brands, local and homemade, international and 'the best' all without satisfaction. Until one day I stumbled across the wonderful concoction in Pennisi Cuisine in Woolloongabba. It has the perfect balance between tea, lemon flavour with only a subtle sweetness; the sweetness being the problem with most other options.

Do you know of any other amazing iced teas I should try out? 

Listen
Megan Washington - There There

Megan Washington was one of the first musicians that I found in my musical epiphany back in high school. I fell in love with her beautiful jazz tone, simplistic yet enthralling instrumentation and soul-seeking lyrics. There, There, her most recent release, may be my favourite work of her's yet. Somehow the lyrical progression of this album represents my year almost perfectly and I can't stop listening to it or get the songs out of my head (not that I'd want to). 

One of my methods for determining my obsession or love for an artist is their ability to actually change my mood. Every time Washo gets in my ears or performs in front of me I can't help but be moved and fall in love with her even more than before. 

Like all albums I put in my favourites, I highly recommend a listen to There, There. 

Read

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham 

Like all good pop culture loving feminists in their early 20s, I recently picked up Lena Dunham's debut book Not That Kind Of Girl... and I love it, every word. The retelling of seemingly ordinary everyday life occurrences through Lena's word is entertaining and insightful. Her age being closer to mine than many feminist creative content producers, she grew up exposed to many similar things and I find that to be very relatable. 

There is little more to say about her story that won't give away her stories (not that some aren't told in her TV show Girls) so just buy the book!

Beauty
Double Sided Facial Wipes by CROP

This is just a quick beauty favourite for the month. I picked these up in Coles and am so far quite impressed. Unlike the normal make-up removing wipes I occasionally use out of desperation these don't leave any of that oily residue. I always cleanse after I use a facial wipe but with these I feel that if I didn't have the opportunity to, hell would not break loose on my face. They also have a fresh, natural scent to them which I much prefer to the chemical scent I find in most face wipes. One side of these is textured and the other is smooth, I've not really noticed a huge difference in the effectiveness of the micro-beaded side but I will wait and see. 

What did you enjoy this month?

Erin xx

OOTD | Spring Wallpapers

Dress - vintage via Can You Keep a Secret? / belt and bag - thrifted / The Jackson Sunglasses by *MKL Accessories - Karmaloop / Mary Jane shoe by Dr Martens - Downes Shoes, Fortitude Valley / Cutlery earrings - Covert Designs by Claire Woodfield

Another sunny day off out and about with Jess, and this time Honor (!), and another outfit that is anything but a work uniform. Jess was the one that found this dress hanging in a $20 rack at our favourite vintage haunt, Can You Keep a Secret?, and told me to hurry myself along to try it on. Obviously, I loved it and today was definitely not its first outing. What is there not to love? The fabric, the pockets, the way the stripes change direction, and the super-simple cut. This dress could not be more 'me'. 

This is also the first outfit in which I've worn my Dr Marten Mary Jane sandals. They have taken me a while longer than predicted to wear in but I love them so much; and I'd want to as I wear them to work every day. These super comfortable shoes fit my orthotics (what of it?) but also maintain ultimate cuteness at the same time. 

Accessories wise, I kept it fairly simple. The belt to maintain the bloused top of the dress, my black messenger bag to carry essential bits, the Covert earrings because I am obsessed and my *MKL sunglasses as a 'change' from my regular Sportsgirl staples. 

Also, how great is big hair? I was feeling particularly Carrie Bradshaw (early seasons) this morning when I did my hair. I am really loving how much extra volume I can gain now my hair is growing out. 

Hope you're having super awesome weeks!

Erin xx

Recipe | Grown Up Cordial

I am obsessed with drinks at the moment. Making them, buying them and finding my favourite to quench whatever thirst I have. I found this Lingonberry Drink Concentrate at my local importer of European goods (Pennisi in Balaclava St, Woolloongabba for you locals). It is great as a cordial but I couldn't help but imagine how spectacular it would be in summery cocktails. 

Ingredients

90ml Chambord

90ml Pimm's

100ml lingonberry (or other berry) concentrate

500ml lemonade 

blueberries 

strawberries, cut and frozen into ice cubes

mint

Fill a jug/pitcher with ice. Add the Pimm's, Chambord, and berry concentrate and stir to combine. 

Prepare your glasses with a handful of blueberries and some strawberry ice cubes.

Add lemonade to the jug and pour. Garish with a few sprigs of mint and serve!

And there we have one very simple, deliciously refreshing summer drink. Perfect for weekend lunches and barbecues. 

Hope you had a superb weekend!

Erin xx

OOTD | Mid-Week Midi

Grey V-Neck - BONDS / Midi Skirt - vintage via Can You Keep A Secret / cutlery earrings - Covert / tote bag - thrifted / sunglasses - Sportsgirl / sandals - Birkenstock

Hello lovelies, sorry for my brief absence. I was not in the greatest of health over the weekend. This outfit here is probably going to be worn to death over the coming months in one variation or anoter. The relaxed flow of the midi skirt has me obsessed with this style. I can't wait to find more like this one which I picked up in a recent sale at Can You Keep A Secret? 

What I'd really like to highlight are my sodding cutlery earrings. I am not a girl who changes earrings on the regular by these have me won over completely. Aside from my usual studs are rarely find a pair that goes with any outfit or that is worth the effort to change them out. Last week, at a QUT CI event, I picked these beauties by local designer Claire Woodfield from Covert. Her designs are definitely worth checking out as she limits production to a maximum of 50 for that extra special exclusive feel. 

Last of all, can I just put in an extra special mention to whomever made Birkenstocks fashionable this time around. Nothing should come before comfort when you're walking around all day everyday forever. Love your feet! 

Happy Wednesday, lovers!

Erin xx

OOTD | Lingering in Laneways

Jess and I had a wander around town last week after a delicious breakfast at Shouk Cafe in Paddington. It's been getting much warmer here in the last few weeks so I've been whipping out the pastels AND the florals; double whammy. I know wore this skirt in a post last year but it truly is one of my favourite garments. 

I picked up the pastel cropped singlet at Top Shop last year mega cheap and am basically wearing it thin. It is so cool and comfortable, its almost guaranteed I make some similar purchases this summer. 

It's pretty exciting imagining all the summer goodies I'm going to discover in the coming months. 

Hope you're all surviving these warmer days. 

Erin xx

Review | Swisse Micellar Make-Up Remover

Generally, I try to avoid the cosmetics/beauty isle at my local grocery store unless I really need something; I'm too good at impulse purchases. Recently, I had to repurchase the old, faithful Clean Sensitive 2-in-1 Gentle Make-Up Remover by Garnier when I stumbled across this product. Jess and I always look out for products each other might like and, as she is allergic to most everything in a lot cosmetics, natural products stand out to me. After a quick skim of the ingredients and a lack of unpronounceable ingredients, I decided to test it out for myself. 

The verdict: if you love the smell of cucumber and need your make-up removed this product is amazing. It does everything your regular make-up remover does, water/smudge proof thick heavy eyeliner and more. It also has the added bonus of being a natural product and much less abrasive on your skin, which after daily use is very important. 

I've been a lover of Swisse's natural beauty range since they started about a year and a half ago and am so pleased to see them expanding in this way. 

Let me know if you try this out - I'd love to know your thoughts.

Erin xx

Monthly Round-Up | September

Eat and Drink
Chur Burger, Fortitude Valley

I love a good gourmet burger. So much so that I follow a few too many 'only burger' posting accounts on Instragram. When I read that the guys from Chur Burger were coming to Brisbane I had to get on it quick smart. They make a great burger bun with a great combination of fillings available all at a reasonable price. Tara and I also indulged in Milo milkshakes which were phenomenal. The sweet potato fried were a little lacklustre but were tasty nevertheless.

Like burgers? Like awesome graffiti on the wall? Looking for a cheap, fast, alternative to Grill'd? Give Chur Burger a go in Constance Street in the Valley.

Frozen strawberries

Here in Queensland we are currently experiencing our second amazing strawberry season in a row. For the last few weeks they have been around 3-punnets-for-$5 or even cheaper. My favourite way to keep the strawberry love going past the glut is to buy a few every time I'm at the green grocers, chop the heads off them and pop them in the freezer. This way, I get to indulge in the fruit now but I also save some for later use as ice-cubes or in desserts. I have a pretty delicious recipe coming your way using some of these frozen gems. 

Listen
Client Liaison

It is rare that you find musicians so meticulously dedicated to reproducing the magic of 1980s. Not only is their music spot on but the performance and attention to detail in their costumes, videos and casting is inspiring. I first heard these gentlemen at BigSound Live earlier in the month and was blown away. It comes off as a bit pretentious at first glance but the dedication these musicians show to their art form is truly worthy of a long and lustrous career. 

WARNING: Contains extreme 80s vibes. 

Watch

Arrested development 

Yes, yes, I know I'm very late to the Arrested Development party but I recently powered my way through the series and loved every minute of it. With a fantastic and well loved cast the Bluth's family debacle is endlessly entertaining. I'm not going to go into much more detail because if you want to experience the true hilarity and show really speaks for itself; go watch it!

Beauty

Moisturising Face SPF 50+ by Sun Sense

I've been kidding myself for far too long with my SPF 15+ facial moisturiser. It is a great product but my devotion to it was needless as we now have SPF 50+ products on the market; as a pasty skinned human, I need all the sun protection I can get. I picked this one up by SunSense about a week ago because I read that it was a very similar mix of ingredients to the product I already use with the added SPF bonus. I'm always wary about changing my moisturiser as I'm terrified of breakouts. So far this has proven itself to be non-comedogenic (not blocking of pores) which is really my biggest worry. I'll let you know in 50 years if it is successful in protecting my skin.  

Hydrating Mist Toner by Sukin

On a similar "summer is coming" train of thought to the SPF 50+ moisturiser, I recently picked up this mist toner by Sukin. Its been increasing in humidity here in the sunshine state so I thought it would come for a refreshing way to cool off. It has a lovely chamomile and rosewater scent to it which feels lovely on the skin. I'm thinking this will definitely be an essential in my beach bag to keep cool by the sea. 

And thats a wrap on September! Hope you all had a great month too. What did you love?

Happy October!

Erin xx