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

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

At Home | Second-Hand Book Haul

On a recent trip to LifeLine I picked up a few very interesting books, mostly in relation to foods. I spotted The Olive Oil Cookbook by Louise Pickford, had a quick flip through before the other two jumped out at me from the shelves. I am hoping that these books serve as very useful additions to my house and life. 

The Complete Book of Herbs: a practical guide to growing & using herbs by Lesley Bemness so far looks to be the most useful. Aside from the detailed list of herbs and how and where to grow them, this book also includes endless uses for them. Herbs have a plethora of functions, from basic use in cooking to utilising their medicinal qualities and cosmetic applications. I will definitely let you know if I use any of the beauty remedy recipes.

My purchase of A Passion for Preserves by Frederica Langeland is an attempt at something I've never pursued but am pushing myself towards. I have always thought it would be great to make my own jams and preserves but never made the effort. I've had someone describe the most delicious strawberry, balsamic and pepper jam to be and wanted to make it ever since. However, after a quick browse of this book, the process is as lengthy as I assumed, so who knows, I may attempt it but might not be soon. 

Loving olives as much as I do, I could hardly leave the cookbook about cooking with olive oil behind. It really is just a compilation of recipes featuring olive oil, all of which look delicious but nothing is overly exciting about it. There is a feature about olives in the front of the book but nothing that couldn't be found at the click of a button today. Its always nice to have additional recipe inspiration though so this book won't go astray. 

Do you ever browse the book sections of your local op shop? What do you seek out?

Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Erin xx