Thoughts of the week – 26/5

Love AAMI Park.

1. Went to watch the Rebels v Tahs at AAMI Stadium with an old friend who has just moved to Melbourne. Is there anything better than old friends? My beloved Tahs lost by two points but we still had a great night and I’d forgotten just how much I missed watching live rugby.

2. Seems like the real drama was happening across the road at the MCG though. I can’t say it enough, Adam Goodes is a class act both on and off the field. Read what he said about the incident and racism in general here.

3. I feel like I just can’t catch up with my savings at the moment.

4. I bought a CSIRO cookbook as I’m going to make an effort to cook dinner more and even though it was called ‘Fast and Fresh’, most meals require an hour cooking and prep! WTF?!

5. Still a bit overwhelmed by all my stuff, particularly my clothes. It really needs a good go through, though I feel like that’s all I ever do.

6. This piece on how to take better Instagram/phone pics via Conde Nast Traveler is handy.

7. Why is it that whenever I go into Zara anywhere around the world I find a trillion things I want but nothing in the Aussie stores ever really takes my fancy?

8. We get a new flatmate at the end of next week. Yay!

9. Has anyone watched the Canadian series Being Erica? It’s about a girl who is given the chance to go back to several points in her life and change how she did things. I’ve watched a few eps and I don’t mind it.

10. Thinking about doing a red lip series for June. I’ve got around 30 so that fits in nicely. And yes, I realise that no one needs 30 red lipsticks.

All class

Setting the standard.

Adam Goodes is a class act and an out and out champion. That this type of behaviour actually still happens in 2013 at a football game is disgraceful. To see him racially vilified in this way – especially given it is the Indigenous Round – breaks my heart. Again, how does this happen in 2013?! That so many people are outraged by it can only be a good thing.

We’re all with you Goodesy and proud of all your efforts on the field tonight.

The things we do for love

Exactly what I was after.

That would include paying nearly $40 for shipping (ouch) but I really loved these perforated leather Gap sandals so much that I went ahead and did it anyway. I know it’s nearly winter in Australia and well beyond sandal weather on our shores, but I’ve been searching for ages for a good tan or natural leather pair. Last summer came and went without them but these ones are perfect. If you like them too be warned, they are selling like hotcakes and the chocolate leather version had only a size 5 left or I would have bought two. There’s also a great perforated leather slide in black or nude (again, lack of size 9s). Both pairs are around the $40 mark and then just factor in the cost to get them here.

Let them eat cake

I’m not.

This picture made me laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. Even though I don’t bake I want to make one.

Wanderlust

The Grand Palace in Bangkok, the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen.

I love a good tag and I love travel, so when I saw this on George & Bear I ripped it off straightaway. I love hearing about people’s adventures so if you do this tag too, then let me know.

1. Your most treasured passport stamp?

I love the stamp you get travelling from England to France via the Eurostar – it’s a little train and it makes me smile whenever I look at it. In terms of a broader experience, Japan is the one I feel I most earned. I had travelled before by myself but this was the first time I was going somewhere with something of a language barrier. I absolutely loved the place with a vehemence that really surprised me from the moment I came out of Narita Airport.

2. Can you recite your passport # from memory if asked?

No. Nor can I recite my credit card number and I use that a hell of a lot more.

3. Preferred method of travel: planes, trains or automobiles?

I like them all but for a localised trip it would be driving myself. I love to drive and I don’t like being driven. I’m pretty good with long haul flights and my train rides thus far have been uneventful.

4. Top three travel items?

• I always pack some form of Dettol or antiseptic cream. This tends to be something hard to find or describe when you’re overseas and has so many uses.
• If you’re going somewhere hot, take Gastrolyte tablets. I’m not a ‘sit on the beach all day’ kind of girl, I like to get out and see things. After long days walking, especially in the heat, it can be incredibly draining. I just drop one of these tablets in a bottle of water at night and I’m good to go.
• An iPod – I have a Nano with around 1000 songs on it and it’s a great way of fighting off boredom on long trips or waits.

5. Hostel or hotel?

Generally hotels but I’ve had private rooms in hostels with no issue. I did the latter in New York because accommodation for just me was so expensive and it saved me a lot of money. The place I stayed in Chelsea wasn’t fancy by any stretch but given I spent so much time out of my room it didn’t bother me.

6. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?

Generally it’s new places every time because there’s so much in the world I want to see and limited time (and funds) to do it. There’s places I’d love to go back to but for now there’s too much on the undiscovered list.

7. Do you read up on your destination (culture,history,safety) or do you wing it?

I’m a bit disgraceful in this area. I tend to buy a guide then leave it to collect dust until a few weeks out from departure. Even then I don’t plan a lot. I do book hotels well in advance though so I know what city I’ll be in, just not exactly what I’ll be doing there. Over the years I’ve learned to only schedule two things to do each day – often you’ll come across other wonderful places to explore so jamming too much into a schedule means you potentially miss out on unexpected adventures.

8. Favorite travel website?

I generally use Expedia to book accommodation and it hasn’t let me down yet. Also the Conde Nast Traveler Tumblr is fantastic.

9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit? Name city & why.

Kyoto. It’s everything you imagine Japan to be and more. It’s so culturally rich and has some of the most beautiful sights the country has to offer, including centuries old temples. The first time you see Geishas walk down the street it’s like a fairytale come to life. The city is also home to the famed bamboo grove at Arashiyama, which is probably my top travel experience of all time.

10, You’re leaving tomorrow, money is no option, where are you going?

The Mediterranean. Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Morocco, all in style.

In a routine

Sweet scent.

As anyone would know, I get through a massive amount of products. Not so much make up and hair stuff but rather shower gels and body lotions and cleansers and creams and all the rest of it. I’m a two shower a day person because firstly, I can’t stand going to bed without washing and secondly when your alarm goes off at 4.45am then you definitely need something to wake you up.

I realised I hadn’t posted my routine in around eight months so here it is in all its glory. This is what I’m using at the moment.

Face

01. Cleanser: Ponds Black Clean Cleansing Foam

02. Toner/lotion: Mario Badescu Alpha Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion

03. Cream/moisturiser: Alpha H Prep and Prime, L’Oreal White Perfect Laser Brightening Essence, Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum, Trilogy Rosehip Oil + Antioxidant

04. Facial Mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask

05. Exfoliator: Sanctuary Warming Microbrasion Scrub

06. Make-up remover: Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleansing Oil

Body

07. Shower gels/soaps: Kiwi fruit glycerine soap bought in New Zealand (funny that)

08. Body lotions/creams: Kit Body Lotion in Fresh Pear, Crisp Apple and Vanilla

09. Nails: Chanel Azure

10. Body exfoliator: Korres Watermelon Body Scrub

11. Foot cream: Body Shop Almond Oil Nail and Cuticle Balm

12. Lip balm or lip treatment: Smiths Rosebud Salve, EOS mint balm

13. Perfume: Paul & Joe Bleu (work), Demeter Raspberry Jam (weekend)

Hair

14. Shampoo/conditioner: Terax Miel Shampoo and Crema Conditioner

15. Mask or other treatments/products: Sunsilk Damaged Hair Reconstructor, Pantene Intensive Damage Repair Oil, Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo

Make Up

16. Foundation: L’Oreal Lumi Magique Foundation, L’Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream, Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance in Shimmering Sand

17. Powder: Stila Bronzing Powder

18. Blush: Benefit Benetint and Posietint

19. Mascara: Cover Girl Clump Crusher

20. Lipstick/lipgloss: NARS Mayfair, Chanel Bonheur, L’Oreal Shine Caresse Stain in Juliet

21. Eyeshadow: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Pale Barley, Almay I-Color Shadow Stick in Hazel

22. Eyeliner: Revlon Luxurious Colour Smoky Crayon on Bronze Smoke

Nice melons

Scrub a dub dub.

I’m not a great reviewer of products (I run out of adjectives too quickly) so consequently I end up failing to share some really good things. Often it won’t be until I’m writing one or two sentences about them in my empties that I think “gee, I really should have recommended that earlier.”

Case in point is this Korres Watermelon Body Scrub. I’m a big fan of scrubs in general – both face and body – and am always on the look out for good new ones. I also adore Korres and they make some brilliant shower gels and body lotions in amazing scents. This is a creamier scrub that doesn’t foam and it has black gritty particles like really tough poppy seeds. Because it doesn’t use sugar or salt, the exfoliant doesn’t melt away before you’ve had a chance to scrub properly. Best of all it really does smell like watermelon, albeit fake candy watermelon, but since I love fake fruit scents that works for me. Overall it’s a good, non-drying scrubber.

I bought this 150ml tube from ASOS for $20 but if you prefer to buy in store it’s probably a fair bit more expensive at somewhere like Kit. (And yes, I too am developing an obsession with the Beautiful Mess iPhone app just like everyone else.)