My Favourite Things #26

Passing my courses

Ever since I finished my last exam I've been checking every so often to see if my grades are up.  Yesterday they were and I passed everything which means I now have my BA! It's weird to think that it's over, I still feel like I need to pick my classes for next year and that the end is a long way off. I've applied to do honours (I have no idea why) so yeah, I had nothing else to do and the classes sounded exciting.

Auckland Christmas Bloggers Brunch

So every month there is a bloggers brunch were bloggers have brunch obviously and just meet and talk about blogs and other stuff I guess, I've never been to one before.  For December there is a special Christmas brunch and I bit the bullet and bought a ticket! I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I've never met anybody in person, just through twitter, and I'm not the best in social situations so hopefully I won't be too terrified to talk to anyone.

 

1989 Polaroids

I kind of went a bit overboard when this album came out. I first got it on iTunes, listened to it and got obsessed with it. My obsession then went up a notch when I went out and bought the physical deluxe copy of the album.

 

 

These beauties are pretty much the only reason I got it.  They're just so cool. There is 13 in each packet and every album has a different set which is bad for me as I want all of them but can't justify buying heaps of albums *sigh*. I'm not sure what to do with them, I've seen people put them on their walls so maybe I'll do that so they're better appreciated. I now really want a polaroid camera so I can have a wall covered with photos.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post and have a great weekend!

Book Crazy

Hey

Pretty much the first splurge I did when I got my allowance was buying some books that I've wanted for a while off Book Depository.  They were much cheaper and it has free shipping which for me is very appealing.  I've pretty much read and re-read every book that I have so I definitely needed something new to occupy my time with.

 

 

It - Alexa Chung

#Girlboss - Sophia Amorusa

Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham

 

I've mostly heard about these books from other bloggers who have loved them so I wanted to get myself some copies. I haven't read any of them yet but am excited.  

 

 

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

 

There's been major buzz about the movie adaptation so I decided to get the book because everyone says it great.  I'm not even 1/3 through but it's very compelling and slightly uneasy. The story swaps between Amy's diary entries and Nick's perspective which give different views of their life together.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post! If there is any other books out there that you love I would like to hear about them, I'm always on the hunt for a good read :D

Once'it Purchases

Hey

Sorry there wasn't a post on Friday, I didn't feel like blogging so decided to take a day off.  Today's post is a another edition of my online shopping spree I did a few weeks ago.  For some reason I decided to visit Once'it and when I saw the Revlon sale I knew I would be buying something.

 

When I first looked through I thought I was going to get a lipstick but decided I had too many and went for a couple of lip glosses instead.

I got two Super Lustrous Lip Glosses; the one on the left is in Pearl Plum and the one on the right is Pink Pursuit.  They're not as pigmented as the Tanya Burr glosses, they give a light colour to the lips which make them perfect to go over a lipstick.  They're perfect to just chuck on to give your lips some colour and gloss.

I also saw a sale on hair ties/band things which I thought were really cute. They came in a number of colours but I went with the striking black with a colourful floral pattern.  I'm still figuring out how to wear it but will be a good summer accessory.

Hope you all enjoyed this post! xxx

Feel Unique Spree

Hey

A couple of weeks ago during my little online shopping spree in which I bought stuff off a couple of sites I paid a visit to Feel Unique and got some bits and bobs to try out.

Zoella Beauty Makeup bag/Pencil case

I like a lot of others were excited about the launch of Zoella Beauty and as soon as I got my allowance I knew I wanted to buy one of the cases.  As you can see I got the pink Guinea Pig one, it's so cute and I just love pink and the white polka dots.  It's pretty big, big enough for my brushes and other stuff so I'm really happy with it.

 

Tanya Burr Lip gloss in Afternoon Tea

Yet another famous beauty YouTuber's line which I had to get my hands on.  I had a hard time picking a colour, they were all so pretty, so ended up with this one.  The colour's very lovely, a soft shade of pink and it smells like lollies! YUM! It's very pigmented compared to other lip glosses I've had so you can just wear it on its own.

 

Rimmel Kate Moss 107

I've been wanting this lipstick for the longest time. I was going to buy it when I went to Farmers but there was none left, so I resorted to buying online.  The colour is amazing, a rich dark red which I am obsessed with, I'm pretty sure I want the colour in every brand of lipstick or lip gloss HELP.  My life now feels somewhat complete now that I have it.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post!

Venus of Urbino - Titian

Hey

It's been a long while since I've done art post on the blog and thought it was overdue.  My last exam was Art History which was last Thursday.  One of the paintings I wrote about in the exam was the Venus of Urbino which was painted by the famous Venetian Titian.  Mythology paintings are my favourite subject of painting, I just have a fascination with the ancient Greek and Roman deities, hence why Ancient History was my minor.

Images source: http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/venus-of-urbino-by-titian/

 

In the Renaissance mythology paintings were only appropriate for domestic interiors, namely bedrooms.  Figures such as the Venus were models of eroticism, fidelity and motherhood for the new brides.  It was also believed that looking at beautiful figures during conception would make the child beautiful as well.

 

This painting, especially the pose, was a tribute to the artist Giorgione who painted the Sleeping Venus which Titian completed after he died.  Both the Venus's have the 'pudica' pose which was derived from ancient classical sculpture.  Unlike Sleeping Venus this Venus is in a interior space, paralleling the setting of the painting. In the background two maids are getting her elaborate clothes from cassone which were common gifts in relation to weddings in the Renaissance.

 

The dog at her feet represents marital fidelity, since it is sleeping it is suggested that it is the husband who is gazing at her which is appropriate through marriage.  She also holds roses which is a symbol of Venus.  The aim of the painting was to instruct the bride to be the perfect Renaissance women, being erotic, fertile and loyal to her husband.  This made them popular gifts for weddings as having children was seen as the most important thing in Renaissance society.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post!



My Favourite Things #25

New Skirts
Last Wednesday, Guy Fawkes night, my parents and I made a dash to The Warehouse because my sister wanted some fireworks. Anyway while they were looking at what was left I of course wandered over to the clothes and found these babies.

 

Lately I've been getting into skirts and now own a lot more than I did a couple of months ago.  They're just plain skater style skirts which I love and the best thing about them is that they were $10 each! So of course I got one in black and the other grey and I love them.

 

My Suitcase

I've mentioned before there is family trip planned to the Gold Coast which I am excited about.  Last month or so my Mum has started buying suitcases and one of them was for me!

 

 

I just get so excited when I look at it. It's blue, it has wheels and sometimes I just like to walk around with it which is not weird at all.

 

And of course the best thing about going overseas is duty free so I've been trawling Aelia Duty Free** and making an extensive wish list. I won't lie I've mainly been looking at the makeup and fragrance section with a little peep at the confectionary.  For a while now I've had my eye on Marc Jacob's fragrances especially the new Daisy Dream, it's on the top of my list.

 

Travelling is something I've always wanted to do. Europe, especially France and Italy are my two dream destinations so sometimes I like to look at travel websites such as Webjet.co.nz**  to see how much I would have to save. This then makes me sad and that I really need to get a job *sigh*

 

End of Exams

Yesterday was my last exam for the semester and hopefully forever! It feels good but weird not having to study, I've been at uni for the past four years and it doesn't quite seem real that if I pass everything I will have a degree. I eventually will have to think about next year, I went to a info session about post grad for Art History which for some reason made me really excited as before I was just over it. Hmm still not quite sure what to do.

Hope you all enjoyed this post and have a great weekend!

**Sponsored Link

Beauty Repurchases

Hey

This post is a continuation from the one on Monday as I bought these in the same trip.  These however were things I've owned and really loved and needed to replenish as I was starting to run out.

 

Elizabeth Arden Makeup Remover
I've already written about my love for it here so I won't go on about it.  It's the first makeup remover I've used and will probably be the only as it is so good. My makeup comes off so easily and it is able to take off mascara and lipstick so it's the only thing I'll ever need.  My face also feels so smooth afterwards, it's amazing.

Revlon Colourstay
Once again please refer to another post where I express my undying devotion to it here. It's the best foundation I've used, though in saying that I've only used two and I'm pretty sure the other one was too dark for me.  Anyway it gives me a good coverage, I use the oily/combination one which help disguises my oil ridden skin.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
To finish things off I like to use this.  Once again I got this after watching Shaaanxo say that it was amazing, who needs another reason.  It works great for me, keeps my makeup good throughout the day. I use the translucent one but I really want to try out the others to see how they are.  The one I'm currently using has hit pan so I needed to get a replacement urgently.

Hope you all enjoyed this post!

Farmers Haul

Hey

 

It's the start of another week and once again I am still studying, it's like a never ending cycle. But fortunately my last exam, hopefully forever, is on Thursday so I'll be free! That basically means I'll be trying to find a job and other things to occupy my time.

 

A couple of weeks ago Farmers were having their sales which they have every Thursday and of course I couldn't resist.  What really drew me in was the 25% off Revlon Foundation as mine was running low and needed more. I of course got a few more things so it wouldn't feel lonely.

 

No Issue Jumper & Whistle Skirt

 

When I saw these particularly, the jumper I knew they had to be mine. The jumper isn't something I would usually go for but I couldn't resist the pink even if it is neon. It's nice and lightweight, the sleeves are in a knitted style so will be nice to wear on a cool night.  The skirt is a nice black skater style business type skirt if that's how you want to describe it and is very versatile.

 

 

Maybelline Colour Sensational, 625 Are You Red-dy 

You guys know that I have a problem when it comes to red lipsticks, I literally want all the shades there are. I probably shouldn't have bought this but oh well it's mine now.  This one is more of an actual red, not orangey or pinky, just a classic red. I justify the purchase as I don't have one of those, I'm obsessed with the whole pin-up look and this would be the perfect red for it.

 

Chi Chi Lip Liner in Fly Girl

I've always wanted a Chi Chi lip liner after watching Shaaanxo rave about them constantly.  I couldn't decide between nude or red so I went in between with a fleshy pink.  It really does go on smoothly and keeps my lipstick in place. I definitely need to get more.

 

Sunglasses

While we were there my Mum wanted to have a look at the sunglasses, the rest of my family got some new pairs so I wanted to get some myself.  I ended up getting two pairs as I just couldn't choose.  They both have a similar cat-eye shape, one is black and the other has a tortoise shell design.  To me the black looks more glamorous and the other more casual but I'll just wear them around anywhere.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post! I got some other things from this shopping trip, they were repurchases and there will be a post on them on Wednesday.

My Favourite Things #24

Brush Egg

I bought this off complexions.co.nz and it arrived yesterday.  I heard quite a bit about it, it is suppose to help clean your makeup brushes. For me cleaning my brushes takes up a lot of time so I was interested in getting this to make it more easier.  You can get the egg in Mint or Pink, I obviously went for pink because I just don't enough things in pink. I'm excited to try it out.

 



 

Gaps between exams

Other than exams being completely done this is the next best thing.  This week has been very stressful and hectic.  I had an exam on Monday then one yesterday.  Unfortunately I was so stressed and anxious about the one on Monday that I kind of completely ignored studying for the other one. This meant after it was done I was cramming for the next two days, but I wasn't as stressed about this one. Maybe because the course was on Greek Tragedy and I am much better at remembering plots of stories/plays rather than names and dates.  Anyway my last one, Art History,is next Thursday so I've got some time to prepare.

 

Online Shopping

Lately I've been a little crazy with the shopping especially online.  So far I've bought stuff off of five different online websites and I've still got a list of other ones I want to shop.  I promised myself I'll only buy stuff after each exam to celebrate it being done. I had one yesterday which means today I shop! I really need to get some control.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post! Hope you all have a great weekend :D

Bloodlines - Silver Shadows

Hey

Sorry there was no post yesterday, had my first exam and was kinda freaking out about it. The lecturers gave us no hints at all so I tried to study the entire coursework :/ Thankfully there were questions that I could answer and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I always have this fear of going in and completely forgetting everything.

 

As I mentioned in Friday's post I went to Lorde on Saturday. She was amazing of course! She sounded great and the lighting was amazing even though they made my eyes hurt a bit.  There was even frozen yogurt which I could not resist in getting.  I ended up rocking the purple lip, I wore the Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Shameless which I did a post on here.

With that all out of the way the focus of this post is about a book. It's been a while since I've posted about books and I've been meaning to do a little review of this book which I have had for a couple of months.

Silver Shadows is the fifth book in the Bloodlines series which means there's only one to go then the series is done. :( I did a post on the series which you can read here.  If you haven't read the previous books there are spoiler alerts so with that warning read on if you please.

Like with the Fiery Heart the chapters swap between the perspectives of Sydney and Adrian which is nice as it gives two views of the series situation the characters are in.  Sydney was captured at the end of the Fiery Heart and is now being held in the Alchemists Re-education Centre being more or less tortured and brainwashed.  While there she tries to keep her head as well as to try and escape the centre with the help of her magic. We see her experience on the inside as well as Adrian's on the outside who tries to find her and kind of goes a bit unstable and has to get the help of Marcus who he is not a fan of. 

I don't want to spoil the plot so I might leave it there. Some big things happen that were for me exciting and I can't wait to see how it all ends in the final book.

Hope you all enjoyed this post!