The magic of compliments

I recently went on a road trip to see the relatives who live out in the country. Í always love leaving the city to take a relaxing trip to the country - it is truly remarkable how different the feeling is.

For instance, you cannot walk into a shop (which admittedly is the only shop in the town, the IGA) without ten people saying 'Hello, how are going, lovely day isn't it?" to you. And those people are strangers.

When going about with my grandparents, who have lived in the country for years, they get stopped at least ten times when simply walking up the main street. They cannot do anything quickly because they stop to chat to so many people about so many things. I personally love the feel, but it does get annoying when you aren't in the mood to chat about Laura's cousin's friend who just had twins and is going to come to the local playgroup next week, or Peter's sheep who escaped the top paddock and had to be rounded up by all the farmers of the region. Nevertheless, I still love the country feel.

Anyway, the point of this story is the other day when my grandma and I were moseying about the Op-shop, I was stopped by two old ladies, probably about 80 or so years old, who grabbed the hem of my jumper and said "You look groovy!" Prior to this, I was feeling like a bushpig, no makeup, filthy hair and ridiculously tired, but after that little, rather interesting compliment, it gave me such confidence.

It can be scary giving compliments out in the city, or anywhere really. People, especially women, rarely respond well to them, and often doubt the sincerity of the comment. After all the effort you have taken to muster up the courage to comment on their hair/clothes/lipstick etc. you feel so bad about it all, but I think it is worth it, because if they are anything like me, it has made their day.

If giving compliments seems a bit to scary, try giving them out online. Beauty bloggers are friendly girls, I'm sure it would make their day if you wrote them a comment about how pretty they looks, or even how good their blog is.

I would love to know about some of the best compliments you have been given. Sometimes I think the ones given from strangers make you feel the best, because if a stranger has noticed it then it really must be good!

Summer's finally here!

Summer has finally arrived, and I almost forgot. How awful. The weather wasn't all that summer-y which was incredibly disappointing but I refuse to be disheartened. It's nearly Christmas and nearly my holidays and there is nothing more I could ask for.

So, how can I kick off my summer posting? I was totally stuck for ideas so I decided to consult Mr Google and he was of no use. I then turned to magazines for inspiration and they were of no use either.

So, what I have come up with isn't as interesting and exciting as I had hoped, but unfortunately my brain is a little frazzled from my busy, no chaotic lifestyle of late.
Summer Beauty must-haves
SPF - I have foundation with SPF and lipbalm with SPF that I get out especially for summer because I consider it to be incredibly important.
UV triplegard sunscreen - Sorry, so boring but can you think of anything else for 'U'! This is a sunscreen that is a little greasy but the one I have is water resistant and has never let me get sunburned!
Maybelline baby lips - These lipbalms I'm sure you've heard me raving about but they are amazing. They also contain SPF and heal my chapped lips like nothing else.
More natural - Summer is time to embrace the natural look, I think, so neutral shadow and neutral lips are my favourite looks. A golden glow is also gorgeous.  
Exfoliation - I think it is essential to exfoliate in summer - it gets rid of my sunscreen filled pores and buffs away all the sea salt stuck to my skin. Ahhh, it feels good just talking about it!
Rexona deodorant in 'Delicious' - I love this scented deodorant for summer. I find it works so well and smells just as the name suggests - delicious!

So, that was the best I could come up with. Now I shall leave you with some wonderful summer photos!

I have taken all of these pictures and they are not to be used without my permission.



This is actually a pool - the sand is fake and the water is chlorine

 

Sunbathing



By the pool...

One of the best sunsets I have ever seen

So tropical

I am so proud of this picture!

I am also proud of this one!

Another gorgeous Summer sunset

The beach

Little ladybird

I was out in the garden getting some lettuce for dinner, when I saw these lovely ladybirds on the lettuce leaves. I haven't seen ladybirds in so long, so I took a couple of pictures and then was inspired to try and do some sort of makeup look.

Well, it really didn't work at all. It was embarrassing. I didn't wear it out in public of course, but I saw what a mess I made of it! Anyway, I took it as a learning experience and I am going to be brave and post pictures. Oh dear. It didn't even remotely resemble the ladybirds and was such a terrible waste of time. So embarrassing!

Admittedly, the camera did make it look quite a bit worse than it actually was, but it still looked as though I had two horrible black eyes. Obviously I was not expecting red to be a wonderful shade - I was aware that it wasn't going to be the most appealing look, but I didn't think it was possible for me to make such a mess. I had black in the outer corners but when I tried to blend it a bit it mixed with the red and went purple and awful.

Not only did the eyeshadow get out of hand, but the mascara I tried to use on my lower lashes (Maybelline lash stiletto) made my eyes look disgusting. Definitely an upper lashes mascara only!

Probably the only thing that worked out okay with this was the eyeliner, which is a miracle for me. This whole experience has totally put me off trying out anything other than my usual earthy/natural eyeshadow looks and everyday makeup.



So here you can see that it is not
looking too promising...





Rocking the black-eye look





The only good thing about this?
My upper lashes look pretty thick


Now I bet you are thinking that I had a sulk, wiped it all off and vowed never to ever try anything like this ever again..well you would be right. It didn't last long because then, after much thought, I decided that I could do a much better job and that I wasn't going to let something like this stuff me up. I tried again. Oh gosh, I actually tried again.

I think it turned out to be better the second time (it wouldn't really be hard, would it?) I used orange/brown colours to match the ladybird and tried to keep it as simple as possible. 

I used eyeliner and mascara, and this time it turned out to be alright. I still wouldn't say that I actually like it, but it doesn't make me want to cry so that is a good sign.



My eye appears to have changed colour
compared to last photo!



This photo looks a bit creepy!



Not the best quality but oh well...

So, that is how it all worked out. Nevertheless, I am not going to try something like this again!


Have you guys ever done a makeup look that made you want to cry? Care to share your beauty blunder stories?

Why I love a good makeup-free day

I know most of my friends are horrified when I mention a makeup free day. Now, just to get this clear, when I say no makeup, I mean no makeup. Don't try and sneak in a lick of mascara, and you over there, take off that blush! I can tell you're wearing foundation, and stop trying to smuggle in that lippie! Nope, when I say makeup free, I mean going totally bare faced, facing the world head on with nothing to protect you now!

No!" they yell in sheer horror. "I couldn't possibly even consider the idea of not wearing (insert favourite makeup product here)! That would be terrible, awful, the most horrible thing in the entire world!"

Well, I brave a makeup free day as often as possible, because you know what? It makes me feel so much better.

Yes, for those of you who live life with makeup by your side, it can seem pretty scary not wearing makeup. I know how it feels, especially when a great pimple has decided to set up camp on your face and it seems like your face is home to an enormous mountain range, but by steering clear of the makeup for a day, it really puts things in perspective.

Every time I leave the foundation alone, I realise that my skin isn't actually that bad. Sure, blemishes will always be a problem, but in the scheme of things, I have no wrinkles (Another reason why I'm glad I'm still young!) and it's actually not too bad.

By not wearing makeup you rediscover all the things you love about yourself. For instance, my eyes are actually pretty good on their own! And my nails look lovely without a lick of polish!

You also get a good look at your starting base and it inspires you to try out new makeup looks. You see, when I apply makeup I always put on the same stuff everyday. By not wearing makeup I see that maybe a new lip colour would look nice, or how about trying some new eyeshadow. It inspires me to try out some new stuff.

Another good thing about wearing no makeup is that when you go to put some on the next day, you realise how beeeeeautiful you do look when you wear it! That mascara does wonders to your lashes! And that lipgloss you were going to chuck out actually makes you look gorgeous!

So, next time you get inspired to take off the makeup, I say 'go for it!' because it really does work its magic.



A picture I took of the sun through the clouds
 - totally irrelevant but beautiful all the same!