Friday Finds.

Here's all I've found and loved this week:

\\  My life was made when Lauren Conrad kindly informed me that I could add my two favourite things together to make a cotton candy champagne cocktail.   //
\\  How does a pineapple coconut daiquiri sound? How about in a freakin' PINEAPPLE CUP?!  //
\\  Nothing is sounding better to me right now than some refreshing, homemade peach sorbet.  //
\\  I would put this sweet peach tea granita in errrrthing.  //
\\  Grilled peaches and ice cream sounds too good to be true, and is so simple!  // 
\\  Fancying up that old childhood gem - rose flavoured rock candy. How about yes.  //

Fun fact: The peachy/tropical thing happening here is completely accidental. Honestly! It wasn't until I created the picture collage that I realised there was a theme going on.
Time to book a trip to Fiji, me thinks. You win, subconscious. You win.

Happy Friday, kids.

June 2015 BellaBox Review.

This month's box theme is Winter Warrior, and it couldn't have come at a better time!
My skin is dry. My hair is frizzy. My lips are chapped. I've lost all colour.
Winter is not my friend, guys. Not my friend at all.

Universal Cosmetics Tint Stick in 'Siren'

I was excited to see this amongst this month's goodies because it's a tint made for dry lips - a perfect Winter pick-me-up, adding moisture and a pop of colour when I'm feeling blergh.
First off, I love the shade! 'Siren' is an opaque cherry red that looks great both as a subtle, pinky sheen, or built up and up to a darker red. Because it’s a tint (as opposed to a crayon or stick), the formula is incredibly long lasting - honestly, the colour lasts for hours, you just need to top up the moisture levels during the day with a good lip balm. The pen dispenser is unlike anything I've seen before. It's made of a stiff, flexible foam that flicks back and forth over your lips on application. The formula is quite thin and inky so you've got to go over yours lips a few times to even out the colour if you want a bolder pout. Even after all those layers, it still felt light and set in without any wetness or stickiness.

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening Cleanser

I always love receiving a full sized product.
Oh how I miss the sunshine - I'm beginning to look hideously sullen so anything that'll brighten up my Winter complexion is alright by me. In all honesty, the brightening claims sound a bit over-reaching to me, but I'm definitely not opposed to trying a cleanser that contains caffeine and claims to wake me up. I can understand why they named this 'morning burst' - It smells wonderful and the fresh, orangey scent puts me in a good mood in the morning (which is not an easy feat). While I'm not sure how brightening it is, it provided the right balance of clean and not being too drying. My face did feel a little tight afterwards, but having combo/sensitive skin, I've not found any cleansers that work for me. Ever. Although I'm not in high hopes, perhaps regular use of this cleanser will showcase it's brightening properties. I'm not impartial to give it a go. 

Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Cream

Being specially formulated for dry, sensitive skin aiding skin repair and moisture retention, this tiny tube of joy is calling to my parched skin. I tried a small amount on my hands and it kept them soft and moisturised all day long. It's a thin consistency and spreads easily, absorbing into the skin immediately without leaving any residue, greasiness or clogging of the pores. Being for sensitive skin, it rightly contains no fragrance and is extremely gentle on the skin. It also worked wonders as a facial moisturiser. This is an all-over body moisturiser, and I can definitely vouch for that, but as I only got a small tube, I think I'll stick to small, dry areas such as the elbows and knees, and to my face.

Jean Patou Eau de Joy Perfum

Okay, I have to start off by saying, this tester vial sucks. I steer clear of vials lacking a spritzer pump. Lids over perfume is a bad idea - you open with too much force, and BAM half the liquid flies out. That's actually how I found out that this perfume is incredibly long lasting.. My sheets still smell of it, very strongly too. It's a white floral, powdery-musk scent; It's not a scent I'm too fond of, so I gave it to my mum.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Unwind Curls Calming Crème

I NEEDED THIS. The freezing cold mornings and days spent blasted by a heater have my hair doing all kind of scary, frizzy things and I love John Frieda everything. I put it in my wet hair, brush it through and let it air dry to get rid of the frizzies or I'll smooth over my dry hair  to tame any fly-aways and to add moisture on a particularly dry day. This stuff makes my hair look "done", but I don't have to do anything! As it starts drying, the product can get a little crispy when used on dry hair, but I just scrunch or brush the crispness out; nothing to it. I was amazed at how soft my hair was and I don't need to use any other products with it. No more hairspray! Smells good too. KA-CHING

BONUS: Palmolive Naturals Active Nourishment Shampoo & Conditioner
Not photographed

We actually have this very shampoo at home.

The smell, guys! AMAZING! Unfortunately, although it does leave my hair feeling silky, I find it's too rich for me, and I'll be unusually oily come midday the next day. Another gift to mum.


All in all, this was a great box! I'm thrilled with the products I received, and I'll be putting majority of them to good use. Like. Now.

My Month on Instagram - May.

If you've been following Christie's Take on Life for any amount of time, you'd surely know by now that I'm a major lover of Instagram! It's the perfect outlet for posting inspiration and little snippets of life, and seeing what my favourite bloggers and friends are up to.

There are so many times my Instagram posts never make it to my blog, and that's a damn shame because I consider myself to be quite the photographer..

..Not really, but it's a shame nonetheless.

Instalife the past month looked something like this:

Attention people of Perth: If you've not been to the little hipster café, Yelo (that's Yelo, not YOLO as silly Natalie thought) get your ass down there immediately. They're adorable, they're healthy, and they do the best damn banana smoothie I've ever had.

One of my goals for May was to clean the fish tank. I did, and I promptly rewarded myself with two new additions to my fishy family. There actually are five fish in this photo, I'll give you $50 if you can find the last sneaky one.

And then there was that time that Jesse left me unattended for a whole day.

Apparently this is how I entertain myself. 

Remember when you thought you were finally free of Dongara photos? YOU THOUGHT WRONG!

You know what? I'm actually quite proud of the fact that I only took ONE photo of food over the entire weekend. Because boy did I eat.

Enter all the photos of the beach that make me sad that it's currently Winter..

Current.. Beach. Gosh I'm hilarious.

I love finding new bloggers on Instagram; leave your account deets in the comments!

Ball Inspiration Board.

As of Saturday night, you will officially be free of all that ball spam I've been posting.

Yup, it's finally ball week.

The theme is New York (yeee!) and I've picked up the most gorgeous flowy, black dress, and found the perfect shoes. The next step: dat pampering. I've thrown together a little hair and makeup inspiration board (thanks, Pinterest) for the big night. Bouffants and ringlets, sparkles and smokey eyes, bold blacks and subtle golds - they the order of the day around here.

One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven

Friday Finds.

\\  Here is a recipe for a freakin' unicorn cake. You're most welcome.  //
\\  That dress. The accessories. Those shoes. This style - I'm in love.  //
\\  I love vintage inspired hairstyles right now. How cute it this Brigitte Bardot half-updo? Even better, the tutorial is super easy to follow. Ka-ching.  //
\\  This bronze smoky eye tutorial has me craving some sunshine and a tan. Sigh.  //
\\  Peach pie has always been my weakness. Somehow, I've never tried making one myself. You know I'll be giving this recipe a try during Winter.  //
\\  I need to find someone who is capable of putting these Alice in Wonderland 'white rabbit' nails on me. Now.  //

Advertise with Christie's Take on Life - A Sneaky 15% Off.

If I could just direct your attention to my advertise/PR page for just a moment..
That's right. Christie's Take on Life has finally become a big girl blog, complete with advertisement opportunities for bloggers alike.

Saywuttttt?!

I've been meaning to get on to this side of blogging for months now (read: I meant to do this over a year ago but was too lazy to set it all up), but setting it as one of my goals for the month has really motivated and gotten me excited about taking that next step with the ol' blogaroo.

The blogging community really is a wonderful place, filled with gorgeous people; I just can't wait to work with ALL THE BLOGGERS. So, as an introductory offer, I am offering 15% off of all ads purchased this month. Just enter the promo code
15OFF

at the checkout. Valid until July 11, 2015.

I'd like to take the time out to thank my beautiful, loyal readers who have continued to help and support me throughout my whole blogging journey.

Here's to moving forward. Chin chin.

May Beauty Favourites.

Are favourites even relevant ten days in to the next month?

June's starring to get away from me already, and the fact that we're halfway through the year is really spinning me out. This hectic work schedule and busy social month business is making for a slack Christie on the blogging front.

On to the (delayed) favourites. I tried such great new, high end products during May, most of which quickly turned in to favourites. Don't you love that? Love at first sight (use)?

Because of that fact, it's shameful I didn't get this post done sooner. But the point is we got there in the end. Right team? Guys? Oh, you all left because I'm a lazy-assed blogger?

Yeah, I don't blame ya.

One: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

I treated myself with a sneaky trip to Mecca and made a beeline for the Hourglass section (after which I swiftly exited the store as to not spend $10,000 on luxury makeup).

The quality of this blush is amazing; The powder is very finely milled - I love how smooth and silky it feels, while still remaining incredibly pigmented. I bought 'Diffused Heat' and it compliments my skin tone and blue eyes beautifully and is a perfect shade for daytime wear.
The blush is super easy to work with: easy to blend and hard to overdo, and the finish is just lovely! It's less flat and chalky than a regular blush due to the luminescent powder, giving off a beautifully soft, gentle glow without being sparkly, all the while being incredibly long-lasting.
KA-CHING.

Two: Max Factor Crème Puff Powder

I literally only bought this because I thought the name was adorable and I had just so happened to run out of my Stay Matte the day before. What a good thing that turned out to be.
My first comment would be to ignore the futile sponge applicator it comes with. Seriously, throw that shit away and apply it lightly with a fluffy brush as it can look powdery and cakey if you apply too much. It has more of a chalky formula and is definitely not as subtle as my Stay Matte powder so it took me a few attempts before I figured how to get it right, but guys, when you get it right, oh boy is it right. It provides medium coverage giving a flawless and silky, matte finish, keeping the shine off my face all day - A great setting powder for foundation, but it also wears wonderfully alone for light daytime coverage. It does have the potential to dry out your face, however, so I recommend moisturising first. I'd recommend that anyways, but it's paramount if you have dry skin. Be warned: it's heavily perfumed. The smell reminds me of Chanel No5 and I don't mind it, but I know others will be turned off by this fact.

Three: Trilogy Mineral Radiance Mask

I picked this up because I've been in love with Trilogy's rosehip oil since day dot. I love the way this gives my face instant radiance that literally lasts for days afterwards. It's also provides a great base for moisturiser. It's a fine grey mud-like mask, and while it's clay based, it still feels smooth and non drying. I find that leaving it on for five minutes is enough, but I often leave it on for ten. It's gentle on my sensitive skin and yet it works well to clear and balance my skin, leaving it feeling hydrated. Admittedly, I was a little turned off at first because I saw that it came in a pot, but upon discovering the included spatula applicator, meaning you can spread the mask without dipping your fingers in the pot, I was sold! I found the spatula really great as it meant I only used the smallest amount of product, and it helped to spread it evenly over my face. It is quite a runny formula, but it helps with ease of application. Unlike other clay masks I have used in the past, this doesn't give that dry, hardened and taught feeling when it dries and at the end of it all, is easily removed with a warm cloth. Post use, my skin is super clean, my pores are refined and I have an instant radiant glow - an absolute treat to apply at the end of a long, hard week.

Four: ModelCo Double Sided Facial Wipes - Exfoliate & Cleanse

I bought these on a whim when I realised I needed  facial wipes when I was packing for my weekend away. See, I wear a lot of eyeliner and mascara, and find it extremely difficult to remove the stubborn traces they leave around my eyes. I've used exfoliating wipes before but none ever were rough enough to actually work, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the exfoliating side of these wipes actually does what it's supposed to. I begin by using the soft make-up removal side, which quickly clears my face, before flipping to the exfoliating side which helps to clear out my skin, unclogs my pores, and removes any stubborn traces of make-up. The rough side was admittedly a lot rougher than I thought it would, be but it's nothing to cry over. My skin is pretty sensitive but I didn't find the wipe overly irritating. I can see how regular use could get a bit nasty, I just don't use them every day. The wipes are huge, so you only need one for a full face clean, and smell fresh and simple. My skin is never left with any sticky, soapy, or greasy residue, nor has it ever felt dry or irritated when I use these, rather refreshed and cleansed.

Five: theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

I finally got my hands on this bad boy and it lived up to my every expectation. Life complete!
It's an incredibly luxurious formula, being highly pigmented and finely milled and unlike other glitter fests highlighters I've trialled, the shimmer particles are not chunky in any way - perfectly capturing the light without looking glittery or chalky. I was actually surprised at how well it wears in daylight and how non-chunky it looks up close. It feels a light as air, giving off a perfect, subtle, lit from within glow without over doing it. Even better, it doesn't budge or move around on top of my foundation. I've used it for full-face highlighting at night, on the tops of my cheekbones and bridge of my nose during the day, and as an inner corner/brow highlight. Whichever way I wear it, I'm never left disappointed.

Friday Finds.

\\  Caramel popcorn milkshake. KJFBABGOUBGF. That's what it looks like when your drool destroys your keyboard.  //
\\  This flower bun hairstyle is so gorgeous, and so simple!  //
\\  I MUST own this handcuff bracelet. My word.  //

\\  I love this Zebra nail art. It'd be a prefect Autumn manicure.  //

\\  Anything potato is A-Okay by me. This mustardy potato salad sounds amazing!  //

\\  This mustache hair clip is too good.  //

May Lookback and June Goals.

I'm a little concerned that we've already hit the halfway mark of 2015.
Excuse me, life I'm pretty sure it was February just yesterday.

My May was a hectic one - I had some ups, and some pretty big downs and the month seemed to just fly right past me. I'm surprised that I got around to fulfilling as many goals as I did, because I honestly don't think I thought about them once in the midst of my shitstorm of a month.

Here's how I did, and here's to moving forward to a better June:

Buy a ball dress
Yes x4,000.
I fell in love with the first dress I picked up. T'was fate I tells ya. I'm too excited for June 20.

Plan our holiday
Because holidays = expensive.. Among other reasons.
After everything we've been through this month, I decided to put off our little holiday, at least until a time when Jesse actually has leave owed to him. Besides, we did just come back from a weekend away.

Book that dentist appointment
Let's take a look at the narration I put under this heading, shall we?
'I may as well colour this title in red right now because if there's one thing I'll never ever do by my own free will, it's go to the dentist.'
"Oh Christie, you know yourself so well".
Do I need teeth? Reeeeeally?

Buy an electric blanket
TECHNICALLY, I didn't buy an electric blanket. I was given one instead.
I have an electric blanket on my bed. How I acquired it is irrelevant. I win @ lyf.

Clean the fish tank
Yussss. I even rewarded my hard-working self with two new fishies. Positive reinforcement and all that. ya know.

image

Set up a proper PR page

On Passionfruit and everything.

I'm pretty sure I set this goal a good six months ago. It sat there, and I thought about it every day, and that was that. I will get it done this month.

Decide on ball hair & makeup

BEFORE the day of the ball. Obvs.

TO PINTEREST!

Buy some freakin' matcha
I've been wanting to try this smoothie since posting it in Friday Finds two weeks ago.

A date night EVERY Wednesday
Jesse and I have vowed to go on a different date every Wednesday like we did back when we were a new couple. It's made a world of difference so far, and I'd definitely like to keep it up every week this month.

Don't murder anyone

The fact that I need to make this a goal is actually laughable.

June is tax time in Australia, and Christie works at an accounting firm. Enough said.

A Weekend Away.

When you live in a city, you are forever surrounded. Surrounded by stresses, by people, by buildings, by noise.. Sometimes you need to leave it all behind for a day or so. To get away from the hustle and bustle. To simply hop in a car and drive somewhere new.

Last weekend, I gate crashed Jesse's family holiday Jesse's family and I headed North to the picturesque country town of Dongara. We’d decided to leave on Friday and return on Monday.
3.5 hours out and 3.5 hours back.

Though I don't travel well, I haven't done any weekend trips for a long time. I was really looking forward to this one. These small trips keep me sane when I begin to feel trapped. I start looking forward to the sunshine with an amazing view and a fresh sea breeze. To lazing about in a quiet surrounding, forgetting my troubles. To experience something I've never seen just a few hundred kilometres from home. To find inspiration and clarity.

Dongara is one of those rare, magical places where sea meets country.

Look to your left, there's the beautiful, blue ocean. Look to your right, a brown, red and orange landscape that goes on for miles.

A long drive and a relaxing time in a warmer, quieter part of the state is just what I needed.

It made a world of difference to the way I feel today - I sit here at my desk feeling revived and refreshed. All I needed was a quick adventure. A simple thing, but worth it.