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

Recipe | Summer Sweet Tea

 Hi lovelies! With the hot weather well and truly upon us in Brisbane my obsession with tea has been slightly abated. I am a big tea drinker, but in the middle of summer I find it can often be a little bit much. I haven't shared a recipe on the blog before, Erin is definitely more of a cook, but I thought I would run you through how I have been making my iced tea. 

Makes 1 jug
Ingredients
Your choice of teas
Honey to taste
Variety of fruit 
Plenty of ice
Fresh mint

This isn't so much a recipe as it is some inspiration for the coming summer months. The recipe can be adapted to whatever tea and fruit combination you desire, today I'm just showing you my personal favourite combination. 

For the tea I brewed a mixture of peppermint and green tea. I like my tea quite strong so I allowed it to steep for quite a while. I also added a little honey just to counter the acidity of the citrus fruit. The amount of honey is completely down to personal preference, but it is best to add to the tea whilst it is hot. Once you're happy with your tea strain it into a jug and set it aside to cool. 

Once your tea has cooled it's time to chop up your fruit. I opted for the cooling and refreshing combination of lemon, lime, orange and cucumber. But I can also confirm that peppermint tea with mixed berries is delicious. 

Add the fruit, mint leaves and plenty of ice to a large pitcher and pour the tea over the top. Serve immediately. 

This makes for a great refreshing drink with a lot less sugar than store bought iced teas. If you're looking for a more adult version I highly recommend adding some ginger beer and rum. Delish!

What are your favourite summer drinks?

Jess xx