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

Skin | Winter Skin Essentials #2

Yep, you guessed it, this is another post about how I keep my skin thoroughly moisturised during the harsh dry weather that winter brings. As I get older I definitely realising how much moisture my skin needs. My skin gets a pretty harsh treatment in my day to day life; overly hot shower, drying face cleansers, working with my hands in and out of water, and even licked lips in the wind. I've done another post reviewing my favourite hand creams which you can view here. This post will focus on more all-round products that you can use to nourish any dry patches you have needing attention. 

Review | Aēsop Tea Tree Leaf Facial Exfoliant

It has been a life long mantra of mine that we keep our skin for life and should therefore treat it with the utmost respect. During my childhood and teenage years my parents and I put a lot of effort into minimising the effects my moderate but persistent acne would have on my skin. I still to this day have no problem in investing in more expensive skin products if I believe they will benefit my skin. Aēsop isn't the cheapest of skincare brands but I have a lot of respect for the amazing products they produce all with a heavy emphasis on natural ingredients. Occasionally, I will splurge and purchase from their line; normally when I'm feeling like a good old fashioned bit of retail therapy. 

I had recently tried their Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste in a sample (oh, how I adore their sample generosity) and was considering purchasing that. The ever-helpful staff member did a comparison on my hands of both of these products and I ended up preferring the Tea Tree Leaf Facial Exfoliant.  

The consistency is a fine light grey powder that smells just as a powder made mainly from tea tree should; like tea tree. It was suggested that I use an Aēsop gel cleanser but, as she could tell I was on a budget, said that it was only essential that the cleanser was a gel formula and the brand was irrelevant. I have been tapping a small amount (about the size of a five cent piece) into my hand, pumping my usual quantity of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser on top and adding a few drops of water. When you combine these products in your hands they form an extremely clarifying exfoliating paste (there is a full demonstration on if you click the link to the product).

I think the value of this product far exceeds that of the Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste simply because you need a lot less of the powder to combine with a cleanser. I have also found that the intensity of the exfoliation is more suited to my skin type. 

If you don't mind the $40 price tag then I would highly recommend trying this product as a weekly exfoliator. I wear full coverage makeup everyday and am surrounded by coffee grounds and cocoa in the air - a natural but clarifying exfoliant is exactly what my skin needs. If you're not sure but have an interest in any Aēsop product, the staff are super helpful, knowledgable and incredibly generous with samples and demonstrations - never be afraid to ask when you're unsure.

Happy Wednesday!

Erin xx

Skin | Loved in Spring

Clinique Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturiser - available here

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Concentrated Cream - available here

L'Occitane Shea Buter Lip Balm - available here

After participating in Buy Nothing New Month during October I made a decision. Being a beauty blogger who purchases enough products throughout the month to be able to select favourites is not something that I want to be. It isn't sustainable for the environment or my wallet. And so, once a season (probably towards the end) I will let you know products I have really been enjoying in their own categories. Headed towards the end of November (and Spring) I thought I'd share the cream of the skin care crop for this season. 

Clinique Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturiser: after acne treatments as a teenager my skin was left incredibly dry and the part of my face that has noticeably never recovered is the skin surrounding my eyebrows. Since the medication, I haven't been able to wax my eyebrows without fear of losing skin in the process; this may be explanation for my brow obsession. This product has totally helped with adding moisture back into my skin. I apply it liberally to my brows, brow bone and under eye area every night and wake up with super soft skin. I still haven't felt confident enough to get my brows waxed again but I'm thinking when the pot runs dry it is a definite sign that they are ready. 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Concentrated Cream: as October came to an end so did my supply of Heel Genius from Soap and Glory. I was on the hunt for a new heavy duty night cream that could double for both my hands and feet. When I stumbled across this in Coles I had no hesitation in trying it out. Palmer's is well known for super hydrating moisturisers and this product is no different. It really is a concentrated product and I only need a small squeeze that easily covers each foot and both hands. If I have enough time in the morning I like to put it on under my socks as well. 

L'Occitane Shea Buter Lip Balm: as the most expensive lip balm I own I save the use of this beautiful product for once a day use and station it with the rest of my makeup products that I apply in the morning. I have been a long time user of Blistex Lip Conditioning Balm (and will continue to be) but the shea butter in this product is such a nice way for my lips to start the day. As I don't wear anything but Blistex at work and because I work in an air-conditioned environment the small addition of this heavily moisturising L'Occitane product into my daily routine has been very beneficial. I received this balm as a gift and am unsure as to whether or not I will repurchase but if I can, I will. 

Thats all of my skin favourites for Spring. I'm noticing as we venture through this blogging journey that I am expanding my collection of skin products a lot more than I thought I would. Summer will probably see my SPF collection expanding. If anyone knows of a good oil free (non-comedogenic) high SPF moisturiser please let me know! 

Erin xx
PS. Cheers to Jess for posting on Wednesday as I have been fairly under the weather of late.