Sunday 31 March 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. I have my meeting with the homeschool moderator tomorrow. Wish me luck.

2. Lanolips have released some face products and I really want to try them. There's a cleanser, moisturiser and face mask. I think they've also changed their name to Lano instead of Lanolips, which makes sense because they are more than just lip products now.

3. I keep on getting emails from companies asking if I want to be a fashion brand ambassador. Clearly they haven't bothered to look at my profile, I don't post selfies!

4. I've been using my Drunk Elephant Lippe religiously for the last few weeks. It's such a beautiful balm, easily one of my top ten all time favourites. If only it came in a smaller tube. 

5. Baked donuts are amazing.

Friday 29 March 2019

FFS Friday - Bugged

Hello and welcome to another Friday. We made it! Also, how is March nearly over already?

So what's been bugging me this week? Kids. Specifically the way kids are treated. 
Why do so many people not let children have choices and make their own decisions? I just don't understand it.

For example; every time we go to the hairdresser she asks me what I want done to the boys hair. She doesn't ask them, she asks me. I tell her it's their hair so their choice. They tell her what they want and then she checks with me if their choice is okay.
I understand why she does it, but really, do most parents choose their kids hairstyle?
Why? How is that logical? It's not my hair, so not my choice. 
To me it seems logical that the boys should decide how they want their hair, but I seem to be in the minority.

Things that seem logical to me are clearly not logical to most people and I just don't understand. Why not allow children as much choice and control over their lives as possible? There are a lot of things they can't control, so why not allow them to control as much as they can? Kids who have choice and control are happier and more obliging. Also, it teaches them responsibility and they learn that choices and actions have consequences, which is a vital life lesson. 

Tiger does it all the time. He'll ask me what to give the kids for breakfast. I just tell him to ask them. 

When Tiger isn't home the boys usually get their own breakfast and lunch. The only time they don't is when they want something that they can't safely prepare or it requires cooking, in which case they'll help me get their meal ready. 

You wouldn't decide what an adult is going to have for breakfast and then serve it up to them, so why make that decision for a child. I just don't get it. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm from another planet, what's logical to me is not logical to the majority of society. 



Tuesday 26 March 2019

The Lip Oil Series: Kiehl's Love Oil for Lips and Yes to Coconuts Cooling Lip Oil

Today is the second post in my Lip Oil Series. I have two very similar products which I'll be comparing, Yes To Coconut Cooling Lip Oil and Kiehl's Love Oil For Lips. 


Both come in a squeeze tube with a slant tipped applicator. Kiehl's has 9ml of product, Yes To has 8ml.

Does anyone else think that Love Oil for Lips sounds slightly pornographic or is it just my crazy mind? It's such a strange name for a lip product.

Love Oil has a light texture and is quickly absorbed. The product is totally gone from my lips within half an hour, however it leaves my lips feeling hydrated and soft.
There is no flavour or fragrance.
I find this to be lightly hydrating. If I had dry lips it wouldn't be very helpful, but when my lips aren't dry it is pleasant to use. The glossy finish is lovely and looks really nice over matte lipstick.

Out of the two, Yes To Coconut Cooling Lip Oil is my favourite. It has a slightly thicker texture, lasts longer on my lips, is more hydrating and has a lovely coconut fragrance. As the name suggests, it also gives a slightly cooling feeling that lasts a few minutes after application.

Unfortunately the Yes to Coconut product isn't available in Australia, I purchased mine from ASOS. We are starting to see more Yes To products here so hopefully it'll be available at Priceline soon. 

Kiehl's Love Oil ingredients:


Yes To Coconut ingredients:



Have you tried either of these oils?

Sunday 24 March 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. I have reached the age where I listen to AM radio. How sad. In my defense, there's only 1 FM radio station down here and it's crap. If we still lived in the city I'd listen to FM radio.

2. My Grandma turned 101 a few weeks ago. Pop (her husband) was 102 when he died.

3. I love the way Jacinda Ardern is handling the NZ attacks. She is a great example of brilliant leadership.

4. Tiger flew home earlier this week, which was brilliant timing because it means that he's not in danger from TC Veronica.

5. I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.

Friday 22 March 2019

FFS Friday - Phoney

Time for me to get my whinge on. So what's been annoying me this week? I'll tell you. Tiger has been annoying me.

He's been working really hard to make enough money so that he can stop working away. That's a brilliant thing. The problem is, in order to do that, he's been spending hours a day on his computer and on the phone. 

Whilst I understand it's what he has to do, he may as well not be here, because he's spending all his time working. The kids hate it and I'm getting very frustrated with it, because they complain to me that "Daddy's on his computer again".

When he's home it'll be worth it, but right now it's bloody annoying. 

First world problems eh?

Thankfully, that's the only thing I have to whinge about so clearly, life is good.

Monday 18 March 2019

Current favourite lip combo

It's been a while since I had a favourite lip combo, six years to be precise. Back when I was pregnant with Eljay I was obsessed with a bright pink lip liner and lipstick combo. Since then I've chopped and changed regularly and not worn the same lip colour more than two days in a row.

At the moment I'm obsessed with the Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Colour in Lilac underneath Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip in Hippy Shake. Alone they're brilliant, together they're perfection.

Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip in Hippy Shake and Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in Lilac


Crushed Lip Colour in Lilac is (wait for it) a pinky lilac colour. Who would have guessed? Hippy Shake is very similar, however it's more pink than lilac. Together, they're a gorgeous glossy pinky mauve that is just beautiful.

Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip in Hippy Shake and Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in Lilac

Both the Crushed Lip Colour and Crushed Liquid Lip are balmy, hydrating and long lasting. They feel lovely on the lips, like wearing balm. I thought the Crushed Liquid Lip might be drying but it's not, the formula is gorgeous. 

From top: Crushed Lip Colour in Lilac, Crushed Liquid Lip in Hippy Shake, Lilac with Hippy Shake layered on top

I've been wearing this combo almost every day for the last few weeks, it's the perfect everyday combo. 

What's your favourite lip combo?
 

Sunday 17 March 2019

Thought of the week

There are some weeks that I am so disappointed at the world we live in. This has been one of those weeks. 

What happened in New Zealand is disgusting. But you know what? I think we make it worse. What these sick people want is publicity and we give it to them. It's all over the news, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. That's exactly what they want. 

Instead, what if it wasn't widely reported? What if all that was reported is that there's been an attack. Nothing more. The people involved in the tragedy know what's going on, the rest of us don't need to know.

By focusing on it we give them the publicity that they so desperately want. We help bring people to their cause, we unite these sick people. That's not what we want.

It also helps bring the good people together and that's a wonderful thing. 

But, in my opinion, the less publicity that the awful people who commit hate crimes get, the better. 

Friday 15 March 2019

FFS Friday - Heh

Hello! Do I have a story for you today!

Wednesday was a crap of a day. I was woken up by Chai making stupid noises. I'm not a morning person so being woken up by irritating noises immediately put me in a bad mood. 

From the second we woke up the kids started fighting. They just wouldn't stop. All I heard all morning was tears, fighting, screaming and "I hate you". FFS.

We had to go to visit my cousin in hospital then I had an appointment at the gym. We got held up at the hospital so I was running late for my appointment at the gym. FFS.

I got the appointment done and did my workout. The fans in the gym weren't working and it was boiling hot so I couldn't do any cardio. FFS.

I also couldn't do any ab work because my stomach is still really sore. FFS.

After the gym we went home and the boys were at it again. FFS.

I had lots of running around to do and I told the boys if they behaved whilst we were doing all the errands they'd get a treat at the end. 

They didn't behave so didn't get a treat. FFS.

Once we'd done all our jobs we stopped at the park. 
There was a little girl there about 18 months old totally unsupervised. She played with the boys for around half an hour and there were no parents in sight. 

A child of that age can get in a lot of trouble in half an hour. Considering the playground was at the beach, she could have drowned!
Thankfully my boys are good with little ones so she was safe. 

I was just starting to think I'd need to search for her parents when her brother (who looked about 7) came to get her. 

She didn't want to leave and was trying to get on a swing with some other boys. They wouldn't let her on the swing and she wouldn't leave, so the boys pushed the swing at her, which hit her in the face and knocked her over. Poor baby. (I didn't see this happen, I just heard her scream so asked my boys what had happened).

Her brother took her off crying. I was about to offer to carry her to her parents when the little one slipped over and banged her head again. Her brother growled at her and smacked her for falling over. When he did that I realised what type of family they were, so didn't offer to help.

The two boys who'd hurt her ran off and my boys kept on playing. 

A few minutes later a man with a boy who looked about 12 came along and started yelling at me, telling me that I should supervise my kids better so that they don't hurt other kids.

He picked the wrong person on the wrong day. Here's a tip, don't go yelling at an innocent person, especially not a tired, grumpy Mum who can fight a hell of a lot better than most men.

Clearly he thought I looked like an easy target to bully and intimidate. I'm not.

I yelled back at him that it was nothing to do with me, my kids didn't hurt his child and if he'd been supervising her like he should have, she wouldn't have been hurt.

Having no comeback to that one, he started swearing at me to fuck up. Bad move buddy. I screamed at him to shut up and go away. I continued to scream at him until he turned tail and left. He couldn't drive away fast enough. 

Goodbye bully. Next time pick on the right person. Here's a hint, I will never be the right person. 

There's a few things he needs to learn:
1. If you need to bring a child with you to be brave, you aren't brave.
2. Point number one also means that you aren't scary.
3. Behaving that way in front of your child is not a good parenting choice.
4. If you want to abuse someone, pick the right person, not the first person you see.
5. Never choose a tired, grumpy Mum, she'll out yell you every single time. 
6. Young children need to be supervised at all times.
7. When you aren't supervising your child, you can't blame strangers for your child getting hurt.
8. If you're in the habit of abusing random people whilst you're out and about, you need a less conspicuous car.

After the fool had gone, a groundsman who'd watched the whole thing came over and congratulated me for standing up for myself. Heh.
 

Monday 11 March 2019

February Empties

February was a fairly quiet month for empties.  I finished a few staples but that's it.


John Frieda Luxurious Volume Core Restore Shampoo and Conditioner
This is the second set that I've gone through and I'd happily repurchase them. Whilst I don't think volumise, they're pleasant to use, don't strip my hair and leave it feeling soft. 

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Sunscreen
This has been my go to daily body sunscreen over summer. It's hydrating, absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I love that it's SPF 50+ and the lovely scent is an added bonus. 

Dr Bronner's Lemongrass Lime Organic Pump Soap
We're a Dr Bronner's family, his products never fail us. I liked the convenience of this one, pump bottles are so convenient. We used it as a hand soap, it's very gentle and doesn't dry out our skin. 

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask
Whilst I enjoyed this mask, I didn't love it, so won't repurchase. I do love that you can buy single use masks, they're great for travel.

Kiss Ready Lips Rose and Spice Omega Lip Balm
Oh how I love this beautiful balm. The scent is gorgeous, it's hydrating and just lovely to use. I'll repurchase this over and over again. 

Body Crystal Deodorant
This one is a toss. It was super irritating to my pitts, it burned so badly that I had to wash it off after about a minute and couldn't wear deodorant again for a week.

Mecca Max Face Wipes 
Most of these were used to wipe swatches off my hand, I just don't use face wipes. If you do use face wipes, these ones are pretty good. They're gentle, don't irritate eyes and don't leave a greasy film.

Eleven Give Me Clean Hair
This is my new favourite dry shampoo, it's amazing. What makes it amazing is that it doesn't leave a white residue! It's clear! How awesome is that! Once I've finished my current dry shampoos this is the only one I'll use. 

ModelCo Gel Cleanser
Unfortunately I think this has been discontinued. It was one of my favourite cleansers. I purchased a few tubes when I found it on sale for $5, but this was my last tube.

Urban Decay Anti-Aging Primer Potion
I'm not a huge fan of the original UDPP, but love the anti-aging version. When I've finished my Too Faced Shadow Insurance I'll switch over to this one. 

Clarins Multi-Active Night
I really love Clarins products, they work so well for my skin. This made my skin feel very soft and smooth, there was a noticeable difference in the mornings. I've added it to my wish list. 

Bobbi Brown Radiance Boost Face Mask
Meh. This didn't do anything at all. 

Sunday 10 March 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. This week I discovered that you can buy 1kg tubs of hommus. My life is now complete.

2. We've had cool rainy weather for three days now, it's been wonderful. Bring on winter.

3. Yesterday the beautiful boy who made me a mum turned 8. He had a great day and was super excited all day. It's so cute how kids get so excited about their milestones.

4. It's pretty crap how some businesses used International Womens Day to imply that if you didn't purchase something from a female owned business then you weren't supporting women. What a load of rubbish.

5. Has anyone tried Active Truth active wear? It looks pretty good, but I am hesitant to buy without being able to try them on in store.

Friday 8 March 2019

FFS Friday - Goat

It's Friday! So, what's got my goat this week? I'm sure something has, but I just can't think what it was. Maybe the goat ate what was left of my brain. That'd explain a lot. 

The boys have been sick this week so we've been staying at home. Chai does not cope very well when he has to stay at home, he needs space to run and burn off his energy. 

After having Crohn's for 12 years, this week I learned something. You'd think by now I'd know everything I need to know about Crohn's but I don't. I saw a different GP and she told me that I don't absorb Vitamin D, iron and essential fatty acids properly so I need to take a good multivitamin with those things in them. 

Why have I not been told this before? Here's hoping once I start on a good multi I'll start to feel less zombie like. Unlikely but I live in hope.

Home schooling has been tough this week, Chai's just not interested. Anything that looks remotely like school sends him into meltdown mode. Poor boy was so traumatised by school that anything remotely like school sets him off.
We're working on his writing at the moment so that instantly reminds him of school.

Hah! I just remember what's been annoying me this week! I knew I'd get there eventually. Food! Why does no-one tell you that when you have kids you'll be their snack bitch and spend most of your day preparing food for them? I must spend at least 30% of my day preparing food. They eat non stop!

Taking into consideration that they prepare a lot of their food themselves, the amount they eat is ridiculous. I'm constantly making food for them and they're always hungry. Where do they put it? They're both skinny little streaks. The only answer is that there are five other kids living in the house that I haven't met yet. 

That would explain where all the food goes and why there is so much mess around. 

Once I find the extra kids and return them to their parents I should have a nice tidy house and lots more food.
Here's hoping.


 

 

Wednesday 6 March 2019

The Lip Oil Series: Rimmel Oh My Gloss Oil Tint

Hello and welcome to the first post in my Lip Oil series. Today I'm talking about the Rimmel Oh My Gloss. 
I have three out of the five shades available. 


The shades I have are Modern Pink, Poppy Pop and Smart Pink.
Smart Pink is supposed to adapt to your lips and create a unique colour, however on me it applies clear.

Texture wise these are more like a non sticky lip balm than an oil. Being more glossy, they have decent lasting power of around three hours. Due to all the oils they are very hydrating and keep my lips feeling soft and comfortable.


They're surprisingly pigmented, the colour is sheer but noticeable (other than Smart Pink which is clear). Thankfully these don't slip around on my lips so the colour stays put and doesn't migrate beyond the lip line. 

There is a soft floral scent that fades upon application and no flavour. 


If you're in the market for a sheer, hydrating lip product these are worth a try. At $14.95 they're very reasonably priced. 
I purchased mine from Priceline.

Monday 4 March 2019

Introduction to the lip oil series


I've been struggling for inspiration lately. I want to blog but have no idea what I want to talk about. This morning inspiration struck and I came up with a great idea. I'm going to blog about all my lip oils. I have too many for one post, so I'm going to pick a few at a time and compare them. Once I've reviewed them all I'll select my top five favourites and that will be the final post in the series. 

If there are any lip oils you'd like me to write about please let me know.

Sunday 3 March 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. This week we went to Perth for a few days. It was so nice to get out of Bunbury. It was equally nice to return. I love and miss the city but I love the ease of our life down here.

2. I desperately wanted to buy one of the Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lipsticks whilst I was in Perth however the BB counters at both Myer and David Jones didn't have any staff on and the lipsticks were nowhere to be seen. They had advertising for them but no lipsticks. I came home and ordered one online.

3. Today I did something I've been meaning to do for ages. I cleaned out the deep freezer and used whiteboard marker to write a list of everything that's in the freezer on the lid. Now I don't have to wonder what's in there and I won't be finding a pile of UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) in there each time I clean it out. Genius.

4. My lip product declutter continues. I thought it was going to be difficult but it isn't because I've broken it down. I pull out ten lip products and use each one a few times. If I love it I keep it, if I don't love it I don't keep it. 
I find this method much easier than sitting down and going through them all at once.

5. I turned the pool green this week. Who knew that if you didn't swim in it for four days and didn't take the pool blanket off, it'd go green? I didn't. I do now though. 
 

Friday 1 March 2019

FFS Friday - I can't hear you

Last week I whinged about the stupid things people say. Today I'm going to tell you how I react to those comments.

99% of the time, I say nothing at all. Every now and again the comments can't be ignored, but most of the time I don't waste my breath.

It may sound strange but here's how I see it. 
I can either buy into their stupidity/anger or whatever other negative emotion they're experiencing or I can let it wash over me and continue happily along my way.

If I buy into it I then become annoyed/angry etc. They won't change their mind/opinion so the only thing I will have achieved is to upset myself. 
What's the point? Seems pretty silly to me.

The opinion of others is irrelevant to my reality. The thoughts and opinions of other people do not shape or change my reality.

So that's the choice I make. I hear their opinions and happily ignore them. Easy.