Life lately...

I’m starting off with an apology to all of you who have checked in and I haven’t posted anything new. I know how I feel when I visit my favourite blogs and have already read their latest posts (even if that was yesterday!)

Life lately has been completely chaotic – although I am not complaining because now that most of the admin and paperwork is done, and I don’t have to start considering the next lot just yet, 2015 has an amazing and exciting start as the boyfriend and I move in together, into our new home.

Add to this a temporary work environment around my boss’s dining room table while our new offices are being built, realising just how much junk my spare room can accommodate in 10 years of gathering (that now has to be sorted and packed for the upcoming relocation), and the very necessary hours spent on Pinterest and Houzz determining just how I am going to decorate my new house (although definitely not how I am going to pay for all the beautifulness), and this little blog has fallen by the wayside a bit...

I’ve just come back from an incredible 10 days in the Kruger feeling refreshed and motivated and ready to finish off 2014 with a bang! How scary is it that there are only 7 and a bit weeks left of this year!?

This is absolutely my favourite time of year – you can really feel summer in the air. The heat of the day is quenched by the afternoon showers - the black clouds clear as quickly as they arrived, leaving the late afternoon refreshed and cool, and the sun makes everything sparkle. (After this week of incessant rain, this afternoon's sunny skies are more than welcome!!)

The shops are filled with thoughts of summer and holidays and Christmas, and everything just has a little touch of magic to it!

Please bear with me - I'm back and looking forward to sharing loads of new posts with you. 

And in the meantime, find time to feel the rain!

.xxx.

Lust List

At any given time I have lists of reminders stored in my iPhone of things that are recommended to me, thing's I've read about, things I want to try out and things that I love - but that are sadly just out of my budget at the moment. 

The MAC 217 Blending Brush is an absolute must have for every woman - it's the perfect shape and size to cover your whole lid, and soft enough to easily blend your makeup. I have the travel size brush that I got in one of the MAC Brush Collections - but sooooo badly want a full size brush to add to my collection.

I somehow missed the heartbreaking news that Benefit was leaving South Africa. Now I have to rely on my lovely friends in the UK to visit - bringing with them the amazingness that is Benefit. After a few failed attempts at primers, I am seriously lusting after The Porefessional - I have read so many great things about it.

* Friends visiting in December, this one is on my list! Pretty please with cherries on top!

** Any other primer recommendations would be most welcome. December is a long way off and at £24 this is a little bank breaking!

For years and years, no manicure would be complete without Essie Quick-e Drops. This oil literally dries a manicure in seconds. I have just finished my old bottle - and have since been looking everywhere for a replacement.

The lovely sales lady at Kiehl's gave me some samples of this Super Multi-Corrective Cream - it was love at first touch. This moisturiser is so silky and soft and leaves my skin feeling unbelievable. I want this so badly - but at almost R900 for a tiny tub it's a little hard to justify. And to be honest, I really dislike the idea of having to stick my fingers into the tub to get it out. 

I have been wanting these perspex storage drawers from 27Pinkx for so long. I've seen a lot of bloggers who use them and they all look great. I love the idea of being able to see exactly what I have where - and I do have rather a lot of make up.

Actually, these might just make it off the Lust List and onto my shopping list this month...

So that's my lust-haves for this month.

What are you lusting after lately?

.xxx.

Monday Message - It's Spring!

It's here! It's here!

Can you tell I'm a little excited? I am NOT a winter person... I hate the cold and the dark of Winter and I have literally been counting the days till 1 September!

Traditionally we always have a little cold snap - lets hope that this past weekend marks the last cold of Winter though - and now the blossoms are out, the sun comes up a little earlier (and stays out a little later) and the air is warmer and, I don't know if it's just me, but everything just feels better and happier.

I love this poem by e.e. cummings. It feels light. And happy. Every word completely captures how I feel about Spring:

Happy Spring Day! 

.xxx.

Monday Message

Hope you have a happy Monday - and rest of the week!

.xxx.

Weekly Wishes (11 - 17 August)

Weekly Wishes is part of a worldwide link up by The Nectar Collective, where women get to put their short term goals out there for everyone to see, support and encourage one another. I've been following Roxy over at City Girl Searching and absolutely love the idea! It’s so clichéd, but it really is so much easier to achieve something great when you’re focusing on the little steps that will get you there.

Last Week…

So much for my theory that it would make my goals more tangle by putting them out there for the world to see…

Never mind not waking up early to exercise – I’m blaming a crazy week at work (coupled with some horrible PMS) on the fact that I barely ate a balanced meal, and definitely didn’t make it onto the treadmill.

On the bright side, a large bottle of water on my desk kept up my daily H20 requirements.

I chatted to a couple of friends that I haven’t spoken to in a while. Its so refreshing to find those couple of minutes to catch up with people close to you.

And after a crazy week, I cancelled all my plans for the weekend and just indulged in some me time… I turned off my phone, read my book and worked my way through all the shows recorded on my PVR. Pure bliss!

 

So here goes for this next week…

1. Be Healthy

Take 2. At least 4 mornings this week I am going to drag my lazy bum onto that treadmill. Summer is a whole week closer (not that the cold weather this weekend would make you think that!)

2. Be Patient

I’m an Aries. I’ve never been known for my patience.

You may see this one on here a couple of times…

3. Moisturise

After I posted my Weekly Wishes for last week, I realized that I probably should have added this. My poor skin is taking a beating this winter so I really need to be better about moisturizing. My lovely mum spolit me with the Kiehl’s Crème de Corps – I adore all of the Kiehl’s products that I have tried so far so I’m really looking forward to pampering my skin!

♥

So that’s me – I’ve got some catching up to do from last week, and I’m going to try get a head start on this one with a relaxing bubble bath – followed by a deep layer of body butter!

What have you got planned?

.xxx.

Happy Women's Day!

Happy Women's Day to all the wonderful, strong, beautiful women reading this blog!

I hope you have a truly incredible day - today, and every day.

.xxx.

Things I’m Loving…

I absolutely LOVE trying out new products. I’m probably guilty of getting so excited to try something new that I never give one product enough of a chance before I move swiftly on to the allure of new packaging, new scents and a new experience.

On a recent trip to Clicks, I found myself drawn to the shelf packed with shiny blue Dirty Works loveliness. 

Dirty Works packaging always reminds me of Soap & Glory – just a whole lot more affordable and more available – but even so, I’ve never actually tried any of their products.

Since I feel like winter has seriously taken its toll and my skin is feeling very dry and dull and flaky, their Vitamin Boost Brightening Mask sounded like just the thing. Vitamins are supposed to be good for you - right? Well so far, this mask has lived up to my expectations and kept my attention!

It’s labelled a deep exfoliating mask with Vitamin C, Pomegranate and Goji fruit extracts and Kaolin. 
It smells slightly of oatmeal - which I always find a bit odd. With that ingredient list, I would have expected a more fruity scent - but I supposed that is the active clay coming through.

My best thing about this mask though is how quick it is to use!

I pop it on before I brush my teeth in the morning, and rinse it off to reveal a sparkling face, ready to take on the day! The exfoliating granules are gentle enough to leave my skin feeling properly scrubbed without feeling like I'm scraping away the top layer, and my skin is so super-soft. It sounds cliched but I really do notice a difference - it really does look like it is glowing!

Apparently Dirty Works also have a Detox Mask and a Moisture Mask – I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye out for those!

Have you tried any other Dirty Works products? Or just any other great masks?

Would love to hear what you use!

.xxx.