beauty favourites

I'm a minimalist when it comes to a lot of things, and make-up is no different (oh, Mascara, how I hate thee. Thou art so tedious to remove!). Still, there are a few beauty products that I've loved loved loved for years and would rage against the beauty gods should any of these get discontinued (Here's looking at you, Escada Rockin' Rio.). A few highlights:

Escada Sunset Heat eau de parfum After I mourned the discontinuation* of Rockin' Rio and had a brief fling with Moon Sparkle, I found new love in Sunset Heat in all its fruity scented glory.

Benetint by Benefit Best. Cheek and lip stain. Ever. It's so easy to apply and gives your cheeks a very natural rosy glow.

High Beam by Benefit I must admit, I had this pretty illuminator tucked away for about two years before I actually started using it. I usually blend this with Benetint to highlight the apples of my cheeks. Again, effortless and natural!

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Balm This tiny little tube thing (a real beauty expert, I am) works wonders for your lips. It's an instant moisturiser for dry lips and stays on for a very long time. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a basic but excellent lip balm.

Shu Uemura eyelash curler The world continually raves about this eyelash curler, and I myself cannot say enough good things about this classic beauty tool. I've tried a few other curlers before but Shu Uemura still takes the cake. It curls your eyelashes beautifully, which lasts for ages compared to others. I have two, including one from the birthstone collection by Taisu with garnet coloured Swarovski crystals. Pretty!

How about you, sweets? What are some of your beauty favourites?

ღJulia

*a sad time in my life during which I may or may not have wept. Out loud. 

mermaids and fishtail braids

Product of my poem portfolio procrastination: 

fishtail braids. 

Just having a bit of fun with my straight hair before I get it curled again next month. Have a lovely weekend, sweets!

ღJulia

i've been away...

...petting adorable farm animals ♥ spending midnights in the library ♥ falling in love with OPI Avojuice Ginger Lily ♥ discovering new cafes in the city ♥ writing a fortnightly column for Girl With a Satchel ♥ making chicken with basil and sun-dried tomatoes pastry rolls ♥ crying during The Lion King in 3D ♥ pigging out on doughnuts ♥ slogging over assignments ♥ writing haiku ♥ spending time with lovely friends over dinner ♥ planning holidays ♥ and missing all of you...

just a minute in... september | 2011

Packing... for Melbourne! Looking forward to hitting the Great Ocean Road, spending time with the best friend, and eating together like there's no tomorrow. We've already made reservations made for Fenix 'cos we're kind of Masterchef crazy. Hee!

Having... a slight obsession over Hawaii Five-0. David and I have been having a nightly marathon and are both so excited to find out what will happen at the end of the season. Well, okay, he's excited; I'm absolutely dying to know. David has banned me from Wiki-ing the show lest I spoil the ending for myself. Pfft.

Compiling... my very first digital report for Girl With a Satchel this week. So excited!

Trading... in jackets, leggings, and boots for cute frocks, shorts, and flip flops. Goodbye, coldest-winter-Brisbane-has-had-in-a-very-long-time; hello, spring! 

ღJulia

blue valentine

"I feel like men are more romantic than women. When we get married we marry, like, one girl, 'cause we're resistant the whole way until we meet one girl and we think I'd be an idiot if I didn't marry this girl she's so great. But it seems like girls get to a place where they just kinda pick the best option... 'Oh he's got a good job.' I mean they spend their whole life looking for Prince Charming and then they marry the guy who's got a good job and is gonna stick around."

♥ ♥ ♥

Last night, I had a little me-time and it was relaxing. I curled up with my laptop on my bed at 1am and put Blue Valentine on. I'd been meaning to watch this film for a while now so it was nice to finally get 'round to it. It was a two hour movie, and I must say, I loved it. I'm a bit wary when it comes to indie films, because while some of them can turn out to be real gems (most of you know my love for (500) Days of Summer), others can be a little dull, emotional just for the sake of being emotional, and sometimes even pointless (indie purists can now scoff at me for not "getting it".). I liked Once, but I liked the soundtrack even better, and I probably wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again.

Blue Valentine is everything your average indie film is: heartbreaking, emotional, and speaks a lot of truth about life. But it is also everything a fantastic indie film is: raw, honest, painfully bittersweet, desperate, true. Truth be told, what really sold this film for me was Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams's portrayal of Dean and Cindy-- they were absolutely phenomenal.

My favourite scenes were the first two screen caps I took above. There and then, I fell in love with Dean as he held Cindy who wanted to but couldn't go through with an abortion. Then again as Dean held Cindy on the bus ever so tightly, when he told her he wanted to be a family with her. That he'd do it. That he'd father a child that wasn't his, but Cindy's former boyfriend's. He never complained. He just supported her. He just loved her. But it still wasn't enough. When is love ever enough?

ღJulia