Empties One

Hi guys!

So I thought I would start a new thing where I review products as I use them up.
Now, I don't go through things hugely fast so what I will do is take a picture once I've used it (or, if it's already gone - find one on the net) and do a quick review. Once I get to 5 empty products I will publish the post.

So here goes...

Clinique Clarifying lotion 1

This was for dry to very dry skin (which mine tends to be). I scored it for free from the Clinique girl when I used to work at Farmers. She had been given it by Clinique but it didn't work with her skin. Score for me!
It was absolutely fabulous to use. I could feel it tighten my pores and my skin felt extra clean after using this. I would apply it to a cotton pad and swipe all over my face (avoiding my eyes coz that stings!).
I am on a budget though, so I can't afford to purchase a new one. I'll try out some cheaper brands and see how I go with those.

 Clarins Hydraquench Cream

This was for normal to dry skin and a fantastic facial moisturiser. I wish that I could afford a bit bottle of it but I really can't :( It left my skin feeling moisturised - but not greasy at all. My skin felt plump. I got these 5mL bottles in a little pack when I got upgraded to Premium Economy on an Air New Zealand flight.

 Clarins Eye Contour Gel

For puffiness and dark circles. I felt wonderful when applied to my under-eyes. My eyes got visibly less puffy and it soothed the delicate area around my eyes. I would gently pat a bit of gel around my eyes. It lasted a very long timeI've been trying to find a more affordable dupe but nothing comes close. Would buy again in a heartbeat if money was no object

 L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Luminosity Extraordinary Serum

This is the best affordable serum I have tried. One pump into my hand would cover my whole face and I would gently press it into my skin. As well as giving my skin that extra boost of moisture - it also has little light reflecting particles in it that gives the skin an extra glow.

Nivea Visage Young Wash N Refine Daily Wash Scrub

I wasn't a huge fan of this. I used it up though - mainly because I object to product wastage. If I were to use this again - it would not be as a daily face wash but as a once a week exfoliator. It got rid of dead skin - but was harsh to use every day. Seemed to dry my face out a bit too much for my liking. Before it was empty - the product was blue in colour.

Music Madness: Postmodern Jukebox

Hi again guys!

Back in August AJ and I went to see Postmodern Jukebox live and they were AMAZING!!!

All of the singers were incredible and we loved every minute of every one. I loved that they rotated between the different singers and had so many different styles

Postmodern Jukebox are a band that do covers of popular songs. But not just any covers - they do them in older styles of music. For example, they do a cover of Radiohead's 'Creep' but in a old style. You really have to hear it to understand.

You should look at all their other videos too because they are TOTES AMAZEBALLS!!!

Another rambling update type thing.

Hi all you random people :)

Just thought I'd do another quick update type thing on where I hope this blog is going.

The past couple of posts have been sad posts so I hope to make things a bit happier around here.

I haven't really done too many posts about my interests etc so I hope to do so more in the future.

I've recently come to accept that I'm a geek - and a proud one. But I also love music and crafting. You could say that I'm a little bit of an all rounder. Except that I don't play sport. I enjoy watching some sports though.

Anyways, I'm rambling.

The main point of this post is to let you know that I'm going to try to theme my days. It does not mean that there will be a post every day. It means that if a post goes up on a certain day it'll be to do with that days theme.

And with no further ado:

Monday: Domestic Day. Posts could include cooking, baking, crafting, gardening and other random tidbits about my domestic life.

Tuesday: Travel Tuesday. Pretty much what it says. I will talk about places I've visited in the past, places I want to visit and advice I might give to other travellers.

Wednesday: Random Ramblings. This is my day that I talk about whatever I like. It's also the day I'm most likely to actually post something for as I do tend to ramble.

Thursday: 52 weeks of photos challenge. I'll do my best to post the photo for the week on Thursdays.

Friday: Geeky Goodness. This is where I talk about all things that are geeky and awesome. It could be anything from book and game reviews to convention recaps. Basically anything geeky :D

Weekends: I doubt I'll be posting much on weekends. If I do it'll be for a specific reason and I have no idea at this time what it might be.



So there you go. A new direction for the blog. Hopefully it works out. I'm not promising a post every day. But I am (hopefully) going to stick with the themed days.

Hope you're all doing fantastically :)

Ramble over...

Five years....

It's been five years since you passed away,

I miss you every day.

You gave me advice when needed,

It was definitely heeded.

I treasure the moments we had,

I just wish I could have more, it makes me mad.

Cancer is such a horrible thing,

It left us with no more time with you, nothing.

I hope that you are happy wherever you are,

Know that thoughts of you are coming from afar.



RIP Aunty Maureen

Aunty Maureen sitting. I'm the one in polka dots. The others are my sisters and my Dad. This is from years and years ago.

NB: originally this was going to be a normal post. I don't normally write poetry at all. But my Aunty Maureen was a writer and a teacher. It just came to me that this was the way to do it. The day after she passed away I had my interview for Teacher Training College. And the day after the interview was her funeral. Such a week. I hope she knows that she was such an inspiration to me. I really do miss her every day.

RIP Sandy

Once upon a time, before I left school, I worked at New World,  a supermarket in Havelock North. AJ did as well. I was on the checkout from 4pm - 9pm, four days a week. Also 10am-9pm on Saturdays. 

One of the fondest memories of working there (besides interactions with AJ), was working with a lady named Sandy. She was the bubbliest, nicest person you could meet. We would talk about all types of things and she would keep us all entertained if things were slow. We always had a running joke that I was "corrupting" her, even though it was probably the other way around :P

After I moved away to University, I would always pop back into New World to see her. She was always keen to hear how I was doing and would update me on her kids. She thought it was great when AJ and I started going out (he was still working there). She was even more pleased when we got engaged. Every time we were at the New World supermarket in Havelock North, we would make sure to go through her checkout and have a little catch up. She gave the best hugs.

And now she's gone. I'm not sure of specifics. I'm not sure I care. All I care about is a family that's without a loved Mother, Wife, Aunty etc. The world will be a worse off place without her. 

I'm going to miss her. A lot.

My blog plan

Hi guys,

So I've been trying to post three times a week recently; as I'm currently not working. However, this isn't working for me.

I'm going to now post once a week. It could be any day of the week. I might post more. It all depends on inspiration and what I get up to etc.

Instead, I'm going to try my hand at different activities. I might do some crafting (you never know, I might actually finish something). I'll try out some of the recipes I've pinned over the years. I might even do some writing and sketching. I also want to get the house and garden in check.


So that's my plan. I hope you'll stick around :D

10 things that make me happy

1. My husband. He is my soulmate and I love him so much. I don't know what I'd do without him.

2. Cuddles. Especially with family members. There's just something about a hug that automatically makes me feel better.

3. Tea. I love tea. I have a shelf dedicated to my different types of tea. It makes me so happy to sit down with a cup of tea. Currently, I have 18 different types.

4. Chocolate. I absolutely love chocolate and when I'm feeling down in the dumps, chocolate will always make me feel better. I'm loving all the new flavours that have been coming out recently as well.

5. Driving. I love driving. Especially in the country. There's just something so freeing about being in control of a car. I love accelerating, going around corners and having the music turned up loud while I do so.

6. Music. I have a very broad taste in music. I primarily go for metal and rock of different types though. Turning the music up loud and singing along (while possibly doing a silly dance) really makes me happy. 

7. The Beach. I love going to the beach. Living in Auckland we have the choice of so many. Sometimes I want the tranquility of the East Coast beaches - where you can look over to the Coromandel Peninsula. There's no surf, and they're generally surrounded by Pohutukawa trees. On the West Coast there's the ones where there's the pounding surf. I love going to both and they make me release the stress of whatever's happening and get happy again.

8. Mountains. I don't get to see them often, but I absolutely love it when I do. I love their magnificence. The towering over everything else. AJ and I dream of living someplace where we can have a view of the mountains. 

9. Snow. I just love the look and feel of the snow. I don't see it very often, but when I do I get incredibly happy. We used to make a trip every year to the Central Plateau for my birthday so I could see the snow, but circumstances haven't allowed recently :(

10. Board Games. This is a relatively recent discovery of mine and it is so much fun! We have quite a collection of board games now, and playing them is so satisfying. You can pretend to be different characters and relieve stress. Just choose who you play with wisely, as you don't want it to get so competitive that things get awkward.