Splurge vs Save: Cleansing

Since graduating as a Beauty Therapist and Makeup Artist over 10 years ago, along with two of my besties, Eli & Lisa, the 3 of us have gone down very different paths within the industry. Along the way we have waxed, peeled, injected, applied, sprayed and tested a ridiculous amount of products and treatments. We have learned best through trial and error, and can definitely look back and laugh (and cringe) at many of our mishaps along the way. Notable mentions include:

• One of us volunteering to be the model for one of our waxing classes and ending up losing her pants, her pubic hair and her dignity whilst kneeling on all fours on a table in front of a class of 15 students
• Accidentally piercing a rubber glove to one of our ears 
• Applying a chemical peel that produced Freddy Kruger-like results for the week following
• Deciding on a whim to have our lips injected with filler the night before my 21st party
• Spending hundreds of dollars and the better part of a Saturday applying hair extensions that were to last months, only for them to start falling out after one wash

I love to share my tips and tricks with my friends, and don’t believe you have to spend a fortune to look good. In this ongoing series, I want to share the products that won’t cost the earth, and why you should use some of those savings to invest in better quality products in other areas of your routine.

DIYIYD (Do it Yourself if You Dare): Chevron Canvas

My obsession for all things chevron continues…I was inspired by a canvas of messy chevron lines in an interesting colour palette that I saw on Etsy, until I spotted the price. $1,600. 

Say it with me now: HELL TO THE NO! 

The Inspiration

I thought it would be ridiculously easy to recreate, especially because the lines are purposely messy, and I already had everything I needed to make it.

Woo Hoo! Over 1,000 Views!

No one is more surprised than me that Grazie Bella cracked over 1,000 views in its first week of sharing it with people! To say thanks, here's a photo of me in my birthday suit...

Happy Birthday To The Pres!

 

Some of you know him as Link, Linkle, Linky Dink, Fraggers, The Pres. I know him as my love, my bestie and a walking contradiction - a guy who loves big cities, but the country will always have his heart. a guy who has to have the latest apple product, but refuses to use a microwave, dishwasher or heater. A guy who drives a Mercedes, but also looks damn fine driving a tractor. He turns 29 today, so show him some love!

They say opposites attract, and you intrigue me to no end baby. Hope you have a wonderful day xx

Flawsome: Learning to Accept the Good, the Bad & the Fugly

I have a fivehead. That’s not a typo. Demonstrated above, a fivehead is when you have a forehead so big you can fit five fingers on it. Both my parents have big foreheads, so I didn’t even stand a chance. A high school boyfriend once told me I had a forehead “like a skateboard ramp”. True story. Soul=Destroyed.

Running: My Must Haves

As previously mentioned, my dad is a serial marathon runner. My brother and I refer to his running shorts as “Spinning Around Shorts”, or “SAS” due to their uncanny resemblance to Kylie’s hot-pants. Are you an offensively high-cut pair with built-in jocks? Consider yourself owned by my dad. Think you will just be worn during a run? Well I’m gonna have to stop you there, because you’re wrong.

Dad considers his running shorts to be a trans-seasonal wardrobe essential, almost as if he may need to drop whatever he may be doing at the time, to go for a run. This look is best accessorised preferably with no shirt and no worries, and if you have ever been to my parents’ house, chances are you have seen him in this get up. It appears to be a popular outfit choice for watering the garden while drinking a beer, meeting a boyfriend for the first time or when guests pop over for a coffee. In his defense he has a dynamite pair of pins without an ounce of fat, which I could only dream of having. If you've got it, flaunt it.

Supermarket Superfoods

When you are trying to eat cleaner it can get damn confusing and expensive. What the F is mesquite powder and why does it cost $25? While many superfoods and healthy ingredients work out cheaper to buy online, your local Coles or Woolies (or IGA for my bumpkins, holler!) now stock a pretty decent range of items that I regularly have on hand in my pantry.

The majority of our food shopping is done in the “safe zones” aka the outer perimeter of the supermarket where the fresh stuff is – Fruit & veg, meat, cold food. I am always armed with a shopping list so my time spent in the supermarket is kept to a minimum. Busy shop + confined spaces + kids throwing tanties = my idea of hell.

Below is a list of ingredients I will usually have on hand in my kitchen and where in the supermarket to find them: