Monthly Round-Up | February

Eat and Drink
Timber Cabin and Coffee House, Stones Corner

Nestled away in the blossoming Stones Corner, previously known as Green Door Cafe, Timber Cabin and Coffee House has recently had a makeover appropriate for its extension into the bar scene. Opening in the evenings Thursday through Sunday, Timber is a cool place to chill out and soak up some cabin vibes with tasty bites to eat and delicious beverages. If you're a fan of Mojitos they have a great two-for-one deal on Thursday evenings but if not they do a whole range of fancy cocktails and stock beers by my favourite Burleigh Brewing Company.

If you're looking for a new place to frequent and are Brisbane south side bound, look no further than Timber. 

Read
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

In a similar fashion to my favourite books last month, I have again become enamoured with the story of an inspirational woman. I Am Malala is the autobiography, aided by internationally celebrated foreign correspondent Christina Lamb, of campaigner for education, Malala Yousafzai. 

This is a simple yet elegant retelling of a short but inspired and determined life, Malala is but 16 years of age. Shot by the Taliban after many years of standing up for the education that herself and her peers in Pakistan deserved, Malala was the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in history. 

Malala retells her memories of the Taliban's beginnings and the ramifications of the state and global response to the situation. The beautiful part of her story is the mature, rational perspective she has for someone so young. Her dedication to education for all whilst being persecuted by the Taliban is inspirational. 

This book brings a refreshing perspective into a segment of modern society so heavily covered by the media. Highly recommend this gripping autobiography. 

Listen

London Grammar 

Continually late to the music game in the last year or so, I have only recently discovered London Grammar. In a muddled way they are makers of smooth, soulful trip-hop that can't decide if its awake or asleep. With vocals reminiscent of Florence Welch I was hooked from the beginning of their debut If You Wait. The first track, Hey Now, is heartbreakingly simple and is a super stripped back emotional anthem. Put on some quality headphones and spin some London Grammar.

Beauty

Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorant by Rexona Women

I feel weird including a deodorant in my favourites but this is definitely a discovery for me this month. I've been on a hunt for an unscented but long lasting and effective antiperspirant and this Clinical Protection by Rexona Women does just that. However, as much as I enjoy this product it is quite pricey at $11 for a product that is nearly empty after a month of use. I will probably buy this product again but still keep my eyes out for cheaper and equally as effective alternatives. 

Diamond Flash Fast Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

This product is not new to me in February but its frequent use is. I went through a long phase of not painting my nails because they are quite flaky and chip so easily. So, after purchasing this it did not get a huge amount of use and the ability to prove itself. I won't say that it is chip proof (nothing on my nails is) but I will say it is very fast drying and even protects your nails from creases that fresh paint gets whilst sleeping. Having been recently more inspired to paint my nails more often this product has had a chance to shine. 

If you're looking for a fast drying and fairly strong top coat then I definitely recommend this which is fairly affordable in Priceline; definitely not over priced.

And thats a wrap on my monthly round-up for February. If you've enjoyed any of these or have recommendations for me, tell me in the comments. 

Erin xx

Nailing It

Hi lovelies! Let me preface this post by saying I am not much of a nails girl. Whilst I love a coat of colour I was (and still am if I'm being honest) a nail biter. Gasp! My secret's out. Recently though I have been good and have been trying to show my nails the TLC they need to get back into shape. 

Nails Nails Nails: My Collection Basics

Nail polish. A beautiful yet easily out of control purchasing habit that many of us have acquired in our lives. I spend most of my life trying to save, prohibiting myself from shopping. The downfall, in whatever deep subconscious decision I made a long time ago, is that buying nail polish (or nail related items including rings) doesn't count as shopping. I know it's mad but I feel like because its such a small item and only gets seen on my hands or feet, it can't possibly count. 

I might see it as a problem occasionally but it has also given me quite a nice collection of nail polish over the years (and convinced several friends it is the best purchase when looking for a gift for me). In this post I will show you what I believe to be the basics of my collection that I could not live (well I could live but I wouldn't enjoy it) without. Some of them are probably out of stock by now but I know a lot of them aren't or have equivalents by the same brand. 

Basic Reds: (from left to right) Sportsgirl Nail It! - Tomato, O.P.I - Malaga Wine

My mother always told me that painted and well kept toe nails suggests that you take care of your feet. When I can't decide or am too lazy to change colours, which is a majority of the time, I love basic red nails on my toes. It goes with practically everything and is such a classic statement. I have a bright red for the summer and a deep red for the winter. It's just another thing I don't have to think about when making myself feel pretty. I love these two but I'm sure when one of them runs out (which the tomato colour is just about to) I will quickly find another - just because red is always available (fingers crossed). 

Top Coats: (from left to right) O.P.I - Black Shatter, O.P.I - Rainbow Connection, O.P.I - The Man with the Golden Gun, Sally Hansen - 110 Clear'd for Takeoff

Now I know the only top coat here that is vaguely 'basic' is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure but all of the other three O.P.I top coats are such an easy way to make your nails look a little different. The shatter is definitely the most matt nail polish I own and I always follow up with another higher gloss top coat. Rainbow Connection and The Man with the Golden Gun add a sparkle and little bit of dainty femininity to nails without a lot of effort. All of these top coats were gifts - and I probably wouldn't own any of them if they weren't as my spending on nail polish doesn't normally extend that high (except maybe the Sally Hansen). 

The favourite colour - Green: (from left to right) O.P.I - Gargantuan Green Grape, O.P.I - Greenwich Village, O.P.I - Don't Mess with O.P.I

Everyone has that one colour they go gaga over. For me that is green. As you'll see in the last photo of this post I have more green than these three but these are my favourite. As unwearable as green nail polish may seem I wear it enough to keep buying it. With one of the aforementioned top coats or on their own greens, no matter what shade, just seem do something magical with my skin tone.

Neutral Colours: (from left to right) Sportsgirl Nail It! - Feeling Peachy, Deborah Lippmann - Fashion, Sportsgirl Nail It! - Smoke, Sportsgirl Nail It! - Lilac, Rubi Nail Enamel - Going To The Chapel, Ulta3 - Antique Copper

I know this seems like a lot of colours that look very similar but I often feel like having painted but also understated nails. They also look good under all the aforementioned top coats. My two favourite at the moment are the Deborah Lippmann Fashion and Sportsgirl Nail It! Smoke. They are SO similar but I'm not the only one crazy enough to have a preference for both.

Brights!: (from left to right) Maybelline New York - 895 Onyx Rush, Sportsgirl Nail It! - Rollergirl, Cheapie from Hong Kong (thanks to Honor) - Bright Lime Green, Ulta3 - Mojito, Ulta3 - Tahiti, SHE Australia - Rose

Now, I know black isn't a bright but I just lumped it into this selection. So shoot me. These are the colours I use more sparingly than the rest. They don't go with everything so painting my nails entirely in one of these (expect maybe the Onxy or Rose) is a risky and potentially very brief business. I like to keep them around though for those occasions when they'd necessary. And they become very handy when wanting to do nail art. Extra colours for extra decoration on my nails is always a good thing to have lying around.

And that's it folks, my favourite pieces in my nail polish collection. I have many more and I'm sure will have many many more in the future. I find these to be the most useful and necessary colours to have in a standard collection. Most brands offer variations of nearly every colour I've shown you (except maybe the 18 carat gold O.P.I The Man with the Golden Gun).

Do you have any of these? Any suggestions on better colours/brands to own? Let me know in the comments because you can't have too much talk of nail polish.

Erin xx