Skin | Winter Hand Cream Essentials

Winter means a lot of things but one of the least favourable is dry skin. The skin on my hands is dry and damaged at the best of times (no matter what product I use) but winter is particularly bad. I have purchased and tried a lot of different hand creams in my life and have put a collection of what I think to be the best of the bunch. Some are on the the go at the moment and some are definitely on my list of options when purchasing more. 

Monthly Round-Up | April

Eat and Drink
Sangria Bar, South Bank

Brisbane welcomes this addition to the flourishing strip of dining options along Little Grey Street, South Bank. As a dedicated Sangria bar to Ole Restaurant next door, there are a multitude of sangrias available as well as variety of other beverages and minimal but scrumptious tapas food (also available at Ole).

I have frequented this bar many times with some of my favourite people and have always experienced the highest levels of service and quality of food and drink. My favourite item on the menu is their olive plate as well as their classic patatas bravas. I've tried almost all of their sangria selections and am yet to find one I don't like. 

It is always pumping and a fun place to visit whilst still being reasonably priced with food under $15 and a jug of sangria for $32. Totally recommend this venue for a fun night out - I might even see you there. 

Roasted & Salted Soy Beans

We all know I adore edamame so when I saw these in the asian isle at my Coles I could not resist. I lack so much will power that these were opened before I left the shopping centre. They share many similarities to salted nuts being that they are addictive and not that healthy in large quantities. When roasted, the outside of the bean is similar to that of a peanut skin but is totally edible. These are a ridiculously cheap snack to have around the house when craving something quick, salty and better than potato chips. My one wish is that bars would have these instead of nuts.

Listen

SZA - Z

I don't have too many words for once. SZA mellows even the most harsh of my moods. I can't get enough of her smooth tone that bursts with emotion. Thanks to my fabulous friend Rhianna, I have dived back into the overflowing pool of up and coming soul artists who are combining their art with hip-hop. 

I have no more words on SZA. Let Warm Winds featuring Isaiah Rashad turn you over to the dark side... we're pretty relaxed here.

Read

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

We've all heard of (and probably seen) the hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street staring our love, Leonardo DiCaprio. Well, I decided to read the book before watching the film and it took me ages. It didn't take me ages because I'm a slow reader or because it was incredibly long. I took me two months to read because I struggled to cope reading about the most self-centred narcissist to walk the planet and his band of merry followers; alike in lack of dignity. I am always sickened when confronted with the though that humans like that exist. 

Don't get me wrong, the book is incredibly well written and I definitely wanted to read more but after a chapter or two, at the most, I could not cope with Jordan Belfort's insane life. When I did finally complete the book, I attempted the film. It was worse. Ads had led me to believe it was a fun party movie potentially avoiding the harsher more confronting parts of the book. I had no such luck. The actors did such incredibly jobs of portraying the horrible people surrounding Belfort's life, including himself, that any parts of their personalities that I had been diminishing in my imagination were highlighted. 

If you enjoyed the film, then definitely read the book. It is intricately worded and Belfort's internal monologue can be entertaining at times; occasionally enough to empathise. However, if you did not like the film I recommend staying far away. No one really needs to be reminded of how rich and dysfunctional 'the kid' really was. 

Beauty

Mint Julips Lip Scrub by Lush

I love bright matte lipsticks. I also have a tendency to get fairly chapped lips. These two are definitely a bad combination. I've always been a bit of a skeptic when it comes to lip scrubs but have definitely been converted. This chocolate mint delight is pretty effective and makes for delicious (tested and approved) lips that are ripe and ready for those bold matte lipsticks that I am obsessed with. If you're not a chocolate mint fan, there are other flavours too. Thanks Lush!

I hope you've all had a super great April full of chocolate. Jess and I are super excited for this cold snuggle weather to really kick in. We're both big lovers of layers so our wardrobes are bursting with excitement.

Happy Wednesday! See you in May!

Erin xx

Monthly Round-Up | March

Eat and Drink
Brewski Bar, Petrie Terrace

Jumping on the artisan beer and cider trend this new-ish venue on Brisbane's Caxton Street is really pressing my buttons. I've been a few times in the last couple of months and decided recently that it is definitely my new go-to-bar on a Friday/Saturday evening. With interesting beers and ciders sourced from all over the country and world, there is always something new to try. Recently, my girlfriends and I tried Perth's Nail Brewing Company's Nail Ale and absolutely loved it ordering a few rounds more than necessary. 

Brewski also makes a mean and affordable pizza with my favourite being the Three Cheese. Definitely recommend a stop in at Brewski if you're in the neighbourhood (being Brisbane) and enjoy a tasty and unique brew. 

Travel | Woodford Folk Festival Packing

By the time you're reading this post Jess and I will have set up camp for a wonderful week at Woodford Folk Festival on the Sunshine Coast of sunny Queensland. Jess has been going since she was a child and I since graduating from high school. I like to think we both know a thing or two about making the experience of camping at a music festival the best it can be. This post contains a few of the tips I think are worth sharing.

Lush Haul

Hi my lovelies. After heading to the gym on Saturday I popped into the Lush Store with an urge to splurge. I am a massive Lushie. My skin is very sensitive to a lot of chemicals and preservatives, so Lush is often my go to for skincare. The only things I haven't been able to use are their facial moisturisers, which contain parabens, and some strongly scented products. 

The Top Five

Hi all! Long time no post. I have managed to wade out from under my textbooks and papers and am back in the land of blogging. Apologies for missing my usual Friday post but I had too much to do and not enough time to do it in. 

I wanted to start a new type of post on the blog. I am a lover of 'monthly favourites' videos on YouTube, but I feel that they just don't translate as well in blog form. I'm not sure just yet if these will be a monthly post, I may just do them as and when I feel like it. I'm sure as a shopping addict it won't take me long to accumulate enough for another post 

Music: Overgrown James Blake

It is too hard to put into words how much I love this album. I am a mahoosive James Blake fan and am beyond excited that he is touring with Splendour in the Grass later this year. I don't think I have to listened to anything else but this album since it was released on the 8th. I have been studying to it, sleeping to it and going to the gym listening to it. It's one of those rare albums where you love each and every track, and wouldn't ever skip any of them. Just perfection. Mr Blake definitely avoided that dreaded second album slump. If you haven't given this a listen yet I highly recommend it. You can get the deluxe edition on iTunes for a mere $16.99. 

Food: Cauliflower Pizza Bases

I haven't gotten around to actually cooking this recipe yet, but I am very intrigued by the concept of a cauliflower pizza base. I first heard about the concept on the lovely Tara's blog and she has since posted a recipe. However after some google-ing I think this recipe will produce a slightly sturdier crust. Basically by making the base with cauliflower instead of the traditional ingredients you get all the deliciousness of a pizza without the carbs. Genius! I am definitely curious.