Death by Chocolate: Cheesecake Style

It was my brother's birthday recently and being the good (baking addict) sister that I am, I always like to make him a special birthday cake. I was a bit unsure about how this would work out - as I've never made a cheesecake lacking side crusts - but I was beyond impressed with the result. If you're a chocolate lover, like the members of my family, you will love this cake. Don't be frightened by the overwhelming amount of 70% cocoa cooking chocolate, there is more than enough sugar in the recipe to counteract the bittersweetness of the chocolate. 

OOTD Tourist Tees, Socks and Sandals

Tourist Tee - Kathmandu, Nepal (gift), Amethyst chain - Corky Saint Clare, "Erin" in Farsi necklace - Gift, Other necklace - Gift, Belt - Thrifted, Ring - Thrifted, Black A-Line Skirt - Barkins, Black ELKA Sandals - Wittner, Basic White Socks - Bonds

If you asked friends of mine this OOTD could easily be classified as my most worn outfit of the month. I have a very limited wardrobe at the moment (travelling = limitations) and after piecing this together have done several repeats of it. What is new, however, are the cute sandals you see featured in the last photo. I found these beauties at Wittner's Direct Factory Outlet store at a fairly cheap price along with another pair of sandals - you'll see both properly unboxed in a few days. 

OOTD Blazing a Trail

 Blazer Thrifted / Shirt Thrifted / Necklace Thrifted / Shorts American Apparel / Socks ASOS / Shoes River Island via ASOS

 So there was actually a chill in the air this morning! And rain! So what have I put on? A Hawaiian shirt, duh. In all seriousness I have been longing for the cooler weather. I love a good jacket and also part of me wanted to show off my extreme op shop bargains. Both the blazer and the shirt were $2! And they both had never been worn. Sunshine coast op shops are crazy. So much cheaper than Brisbane. 

Flour-less Dark Chocolate Brownie Cups

I am a self confessed chocoholic. However, the chocolate has to be dark for me to really enjoy myself. There is something sickeningly sweet about milk chocolate that allows me to easily push it aside (mostly). This recipe is my own creation from years of fiddling with dry brownie and cake recipes that don't press my buttons.  

About Face #3

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in 'Light Medium' / Bobbi Brown Corrector in 'Light Peach' / Smashbox Bronze Lights in 'Medium/Dark' / Origins Stay Tuned Foundation in 'Linen'

Mac Eyeshadows in 'Jest' 'Satin Taupe' and 'Shadowy Lady' / Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara / Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner

Rimmel Lipliner in 'Indian Pink' / Revlon JBKBT in 'Smitten'

Hi everyone! I haven't done one of these posts in a very long time. In truth my makeup does tend to be very similar a lot of the time. There's nothing wrong with knowing what works for you. Sometimes when you have ten minutes to slap on a face and dash out the door it pays to have products that you know will always look good.

Desires: Autumn Winter

Down here in the Southern Hemisphere we're headed into our 'cooler' (inverted commas because it's still fairly tropical) months. It's also been a long while since I've craved many items or been in a position to purchase them. Soon enough I shall be looking for extra items to add to my Autumn/Winter wardrobe and I've laid out a few for you here. Like most winter wardrobes there aren't a whole lot of colours to be seen but my staple clothing is normally fairly colourful and will be mixed in throughout the season.

Under Pressure...

Erin is lucky enough to have completed her university education and I am the lucky duck who gets to tough it out for another four-ish years. Needless to say after two years I am well accustomed to the stress of mid-semester assignments. 

I have been a very busy bee of late and my head is swimming with legal mumbo-jumbo and  various musical terms ...the perils of a double degree. It's my turn to post today, but I felt it might be a bit much to post an outfit of the day in my pyjamas. I couldn't even muster the energy to create an outfit (read couldn't be bothered with washing my hair)

So I have made a short playlist to take a study break with. I haven't talked much on here about my love of music. It is a huge part of my life and what I listen to is largely dictated by my moods. This mix is designed to block out the stress and let my mind be still for a minute or two. It's a bit of a mish mash when it comes to genres, but give them all a shot you may be pleasantly surprised.