Excitement!

Last night I went to Rundle Mall with my husband to search for a dress for a wedding we're going to in a few weeks.  I was going to try to get a cheaper dress from Harris Scarfe as they are coming out with quite nice dresses but I couldn't find anything :(  So I went into MYER and headed straight for the Review section!

Now we've spoken before about my love for Review in the past.  I have loved their beautiful, classy clothes for a long time now and always love the excuse to buy a new dress.  At the moment they are having a Up To 50% Off Sale so make sure you either check out their website or go in-store!  I haven't had too much pull towards their recent releases so I wasn't sure whether I would get anything... But I did ;)

When I first saw this dress I loved it.  But then I saw the price tag.  Now I only paid $179.00 compared to the original price of $269.99 but I really wanted to budget for this wedding.  Still this dress is so beautiful and I'm so happy my generous, amazing, lovely, gorgeous (I'm very thankful haha) husband convinced me to get it!

  

The Frenchie Dress

Image taken from Review Website

I plan to go very monochrome with this outfit with black heels, minimal jewellery & straight hair.  I don't think I need a necklace because of the gorgeous neckline and I don't want curls because I feel like it's a very simple, minimal outfit that creates a lovely effect on it's own.

Though I have partly decided what I'm wearing with this dress I'd love your feedback on what you'd wear with it!  Also what are you loving at Review at the moment?  I seriously recommend their clothes as their quality is impeccable!

Nothing Better than a Bath

After an extremely busy week I finally had some down time Sunday night.  It's been getting colder here in Adelaide so I decided to have a cosy night in with just me and my Lush 'Sex Bomb' Bath Ballistic.  I ran my steaming hot bath, popped in the bath ballistic, lit a stawberry candle & had my Donna Hay magazines all ready for reading.  I slipped into the bath and completely relaxed... not even bothering to read my magazines, because the water was so amazing and warm and smelt delicious!

Disclaimer:  I got these photos from either the brand website or from Google

But I never got to enjoy the rest of my bath or my Donna Hay magazine...  just as I was relaxing into my bath we received a phone call saying that someone would be dropping round in about 20 minutes.  And my night changed from the most relaxing to the quickest bath of all time.  I quickly washed my hair and jumped out to clean my house a bit.

What a waste of $6.75!  It's crazy how much we spend on bath bombs but when you get that 30 mins relax it all seems worth it.  This bath however was definitely NOT worth it!  Haha and I'm still not over it ;)

The night after that however was quite nice... our visitors didn't end up staying for long so my husband and I got into our onesies and had coffees on the coach while he watched the cricket.  Then I had an early night.

Have you had any nice and cosy nights in recently?  What is your essential things to use/do?

Sharing as Entry to Tati's giveaway :)

Bella Box March 2014 - What I got

My March Bella Box came the other day and I was really looking forward to it.  I had heard that your second one would always be better than your first because if you sign up late in the month you just get the leftovers.  Every month there is a theme for the box and this month's was Beauty Diaries which meant the box would be full of things that are some of Bella Box's favourites as well as somebeauty secrets of the stars.  Each box contains at least 5 deluxe samples and it costs $15.00 per month.

Each month there is a sneak peak and this month we saw that everyone would be getting a full size ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick which was pretty exciting.  We also saw a Dermalogica product and when the pictures of boxes being packed came out we saw that Pantene would also be a brand in some boxes.

Most exciting was the brand new baby blue packaging Bella Box introduced this month.  The new boxes are a good quality box with which dots covering it and a white BB emblem on the top.  I adore these new boxes and look forward to using them as storage in the future!

1.  ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick in Matte or Cream Matte  -  Colour

Cost: RRP $16.95.  Full Size Sample!

2.  St Tropez Gradual Tan Medium/Dark  -  Cult

Cost: RRP per 200ml $33.95.  I got a 30ml sample which is worth $5.09.

3.  Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Daytime Treatment  -  Cult

Cost: RRP per 60ml $27.50.  I got a 15ml sample which is worth $6.88.

4.  Wotnot Facial Wipes for Oily/Sensitive Skin  -  Green

Cost: RRP per 25 wipes $7.95.  I got a 5 wipes which is worth $1.59.

5.  Pantene Aqua Light Shampoo and Conditioner  -  Essential

Cost: RRP per 350ml $7.99 each.  I got two 40ml samples which are both worth $0.91 each.

BONUS  Natralus Paw Paw Pure Gel
Cost:  RRP per 75g $9.95.  The bonus sample was 5ml which is worth $0.66.

And that was the contents of my March 2014 Bella Box!

Total Box Value = $32.99

I'm not sure about this box.  I know I will use 4 out of the 6 items in the box but unfortunately I won't use the red lipstick or the tan.  I have don't fake tan at all but will try it so I can review it properly for you :)  The lipstick just isn't a colour I wear which is so annoying but oh well you win some and lose some :)  That means the value of the box that I will actually use is $10.95 which sort of makes me not like this box as much as last month's.  Hopefully next month's will be better!


 What did you guys get in your Bella Box?  Let me know and make sure to link your blog posts because I'd love to see them :)  I've gotten addicted to finding new blogs!

Stay tuned for the review part of March's Bella Box!

Not posting today...

So I told myself I wasn't going to let my blog run my life and I have sort of started to feel like this is the case.  I have recently started posting Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays at 8:45am (Adelaide time) every week.  This has been quite hard some weeks and some weeks easy.  This week has been hard.  And I keep apologising because I want to be a regular blogger and I feel like I'm letting my readers down.

But this is not the case.  I started this blog for me to get out what I want to say and to make my opinions known.  And lately I have been stressed about getting the posts done on time.

So today there was no post.  And I was going to tweet and say SORRY I DIDN'T POST AGAIN!  But I decided against that.  Because I'm not that sorry... I just didn't have time.  So my next post may be tomorrow or it may be next Tuesday, I'm just not sure yet.

Lol sorry for the random and a tad negative post... I suppose I did actually get a post up today but it's not at all planned.

Hope you guys are having a fantastic week!

Review: Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 720 Notting Hill Nude

So today I was all set to write a post on March's Bella Box but on the way to work I picked up Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in the colour 720 'Notting Hill Nude'.  And I was so excited to try it on and take pictures that I knew I had to write today's post on it :)

The packing is a sleeker version of the Maybelline Lipsticks in a deep purple colour with a silver bullet.

I have had bad experiences with a Rimmel nude lipstick in the past and so I was quite nervous about trying another however this nude is a lot more natural than the one I tried.  It is a brownish pinky nude that is extremely wearable and very pigmented as Rimmel lipsticks often are.

So when I first swatched this lipstick I thought it was going to be too dark for me and possibly too old for me.

But when I put it on my lips, I LOVED it!   It was a lot more pink than it looks in the swatch (probably because of my bad photography skills) and though it isn't really a "my lips but better shade" it's still lovely.  It is incredibly moisturising and feels more like a balm than a classic lipstick.

Rimell claims:

"Lips so cared for, true colour is maximised! Maximised, radiant colour. Innovative formula with 3 super Moisturisers. Lips feel up to 70% more hydrated and up to 60% smoother! SPF 20, Vitamins A, C and E for protected lips."
And the lipstick definitely stays true to the claim.

The only negative I found with this lipstick is that it does tend to settle in the lines of your lips quite a bit and it is a tad on the brown side for my liking.  That said I really like this lipstick and will be wearing it as an everyday colour!

Have you tried this lipstick?  Let me know what you thought!

Importance of a Ring

This post is going to be a slightly random one but it's really in my thoughts today.

Last night while moisturising my hands I took of my wedding & engagement rings and forgot to put them back on...  And I hate it!  I hate the feeling of my ring finger missing those two rings.  Out of habit when I'm stressed I rub the back of the rings with my thumb and I can't do that :(  Haha this may seem like such a stupid little thing but to me it's big!  I hate not wearing them and I know that the first thing I will do when I get home is run to the table and put them back on.

You see to me the importance of the rings we wear is very great.  I wear my wedding ring with pride, loving the fact that I can show the world that I am completely committed and in love with my husband!  I know that not every one will agree with me but that's ok :) 

Today has been terrible so far but I suppose that means it must be up from here!  Can't wait to get home, straighten my hair and reapply my make-up.  Somehow that always makes me feel better :)

Hope you are all having a lovely day!

Bella Box February 2014 - Reviews

I'm going to start this post with a "I'm SO sorry that it took so long to get this post up!" I really wanted to try the products and have been so busy.  I didn't think it was fair to put this post up without properly trying each product as that seems like a lie.

So here we go... :)

1.  Romy Eucalyptus & Lemongrass Body Lotion  -  Green

I really loved the smell of this lotion which I didn't expect!  It is lovely and fresh and perfect for pepping me up in the morning.  I used this one as a hand cream and think it's a perfect sized sample to pop in my handbag.  I think the lotion itself didn't stand out that much but its' scent would make me buy it again alone.  (Edit:  My husband & I were trying to work out what it reminds us of - it's a mix between cheap lemonade icepoles & fruit loops!)

2.  Om She Aromatherapy Liquid Eye Liner Pot  -  Colour

I have never used liquid eye liner as I usually like the kohl eyeliner pencils or the pen-type nibs.  The eye liner was a deep blue colour which I would never wear unfortunately but I decided to try it anyway.  I found this impossible to apply but as they say 'practice makes perfect'...  I think I'm going to have to do a whole lot more practice because I've got a long way to go before I'll be able to make it look good.  The eye liner itself applied quite smooth but as I said I have nothing to compare it with.  I will let you know in future if I have any more luck with it :)

3.  Bioderma Sebium Pore Refiner  -  Cult

I really like this product and I was expecting to :)  I haven't tried anything by Bioderma but have heard great things so assumed it would be good.  I used this after moisturiser under my BB cream and it provided the perfect base.  I have tried a few toners before but never a specific "pore" one.  I loved the way this made my face feel and the way it made my makeup stay on.  Pretty much it does what it says which is great!

4.  John Frieda Precision Foam Colour Intense After-Colour Conditioner  -  Essential

This conditioner is for dyed hair which I haven't got so obviously this conditioner didn't do for me what it should do.  However I loved the "expensive salon" smell of this conditioner and the way it removed the knots from my hair.  The conditioner didn't make my hair that soft unfortunately so I probably wouldn't buy it again as that is one of the main reasons I condition my hair.  Also my split ends were a lot more noticeably "split"?  Let me know whether you've tried this conditioner and whether you had this problem too?

5.  Om She Aromatherapy Wash Away Milk Cleanser  -  Essential

I loved this product which I wasn't expecting!  I used a small amount of this in the shower after my usual routine to cleanse my face.  This has made my face lovely and soft and also is a help with removing the majority of my eye makeup in the shower.  The only thing I don't like about this product is the smell which isn't enough to put me off.

BONUS  Swisspers Naturals Aloe Daily Moisturiser SPF 15

I loved the size of this sample packet (5ml) because it was enough to do my hands and all of my legs which is quite rare for a sample packet.  This left my legs feeling soft for a couple of days which is all I want from a moisturiser :)  The smell was nothing to write home about but was ok.

All up I really enjoyed my first month's Bella Box and can't wait for March's.  They have put up their next sneak peek on their Facebook Page and March's theme is....

DRUM ROLL>>>

This theme is all about Bella Box showing us secrets from their  Beauty Diaries :)  They also let us know in the sneak peek that each box will be receiving a full size Model Co Lipstick which I am quite excited about because I haven never tried them!  They have also changed the box to the signature blue colour which I love.

So... I cannot wait for March's box which should start getting shipped today (Friday 13th of March).

What did you guys think of February's Bella Box?  Did you get any different products or have you got any tips on using the products better?  Let me know!

The best way to relax

If you don't follow me on twitter (which you should @AprilThinking) you wouldn't have heard that I am now scheduling my blog posts.  It's been going well so far and I have missed a schedule at all.  So in case you haven't heard I will be putting up a new blog post every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday at 8:45 am (ACDT).  But I have realised there is a problem with scheduling my posts. Today I felt like doing this chatty post about today and I just don't know whether it will relate to tomorrow.  I mean what if tomorrow is stinking hot and I'm talking about cosy weather?  But then I though OH WELL :)  And wrote it anyway...  Enjoy!

While I am writing this it is 29 degrees and raining.  By tonight it should be cooler and still raining, and I cannot wait!  I love nights where it is that cosy feeling of being warm but still hearing the rain outside.

So tonight I am planning a cosy night in and this is what it will consist of:

• Homemade chicken and avocado pizza's for tea - This is a really quick meal but is so so yummy!  I might do a post on how to make it, let me know if you'd be interested!
• Monopoly - my husband & I started playing a game on Monopoly yesterday (which was a public holiday in SA) and it is my favourite game!  We have decided to leave it set up on our table so we can play it over a few days and I love the quality time we get together while we play.

• Bath Time - gone are the days where bath time was just to get clean.  I love lighting up my Dusk candles and dropping in a Lush bath ballistic and just relaxing for 30 minutes (... or... an hour or two).  Tonight I think I'll go for my Space girl Bath Ballistic...  it smells SO good!

•  Downton Abbey - I was extremely late jumping on this bandwagon but have been loving this show!  My husband & I have been borrowing it from the local Video Store and have completed the first two seasons.  To finish off the night I would love to watch Season 3 Episode 1!

So that is my ideal "cosy" night :)  How do you relax on a cosy night? 

Le Tan Wash Off Bronze - Instant Tan

 I haven't been the biggest "tanner" in the world ever really.  I mean when I was in high school I remember feeling like I had to tan my legs like the other girls.  But after a lot of bad streaky attempts I decided that fake tan wasn't for me.

When I received a sample size of  Le Tan Wash Off  instant tan in Bronze I wasn't sure whether I wanted to try it.  I have finally gotten myself to be ok with my paleness and I didn't think I needed a fake tan in my life.  But because I wanted to review it for you guys I have tried it :)

 

 When you first spray it on it looks scary!  But once you rub it in you see that it is surprisingly very easy to work it into your skin.  As I said you literally just have to rub it onto your skin like you would a lotion.  The colour is quite a bronze colour which makes you look like you've been to Hawaii or somewhere else beachy!

The colour in this pic is making it much more orange than it is!

 Overall I think it is a very good instant tan.  As I said I haven't had that much experience in the tanning arena but I know what makes for a bad tan. This tan is very easy to apply and doesn't streak whatsoever.  The fantastic thing about the tan is that it is extremely easy to wash off in the shower with some body wash.  That said if you just stand in the water or go swimming it doesn't come off so it is the best of both worlds!

Have you tried this tan & if so what did you think?  Also let me know if you have any tips for pale girls! :)

NP Set - Pretty Presto Holiday Pack

If you haven't heard of "NP set" before it is Napoleon Perdis' cheaper child.  So in Australia, where cosmetics are much more expensive, it is an affordable way to get the Napoleon Perdis quality.

This set retails for $17.00 at Target and I got it for $5.00 on sale!  WHAT-A-BARGAIN!  It comes in a cute little book-type format which I love because it's so easy to pop in your purse on the go.

The set comes with a mirror on one side, two shadows, a blush, a mini mascara & a lip gloss.

Both the blush and eyeshadows are very pigmented shades.  The blush is a bright peachy colour which isn't usually one I would choose.  The shadows however are nice neutral browns with a lid and crease shade.  The darker brown is more matte than "sparkling" as the back of the package suggests but the light brown does shimmer in the light.

I wasn't as much a fan of the two mini items that came with this set.  The lip gloss was a quite milky, sticky texture which looked nothing like it had in the tube.  The mascara had a tiny wand (which was expected) and really didn't do a whole lot.  It didn't clump or anything like that but it just didn't do what I want a mascara to do.  It didn't thicken or lengthen my lashes and I don't think I will be using it again.

The set also came with a Lip Stain & Plumper in the colour Star which is quite a bright coral.  I had never tried a lip plumper but this one certainly lived up to the hype.  I was instantly struck by the tingling in my lips and they definitely felt bigger :)  These retail for $5.00 from Target though I'm not sure I would've ever had the pull to buy one.

Overall I was quite impressed with the quality of this kit.  All the powders were very pigmented and though the gloss & mascara lacked a bit, the lip plumper made up for it.  

Have you tried anything from NP Set?  I would love suggestions as their colour selection always overwhelms me!  I'm not entirely convinced with their palettes as they are quite strange colours.  Let me know!

Inspiration & Motivation

Inspiration is easy.  We find it everywhere.  It could be a quote from a trainer or a heart wrenching story on TV.  You can be inspired by the good in the world but also by the bad because you want to make a change.  Everywhere we look we see things like this:

 

 

And this inspiration is great.  However inspiration alone does not get things done.  You need motivation as well.

Motivation is what I struggle with.  Every day I try and a lot of days I struggle to stay motivated in the things I really want to do.  I really want to lose weight and get healthy.  I have wanted it for a long time and I am not alone it this.  And why do so many people want this but fail?  Because a lot of people (like me) lack the motivation needed to get the job done, get out there and get active!

One of my favourite youtubers/bloggers Louise +Sprinkleofglitter  (blog: sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.com)  recently began a health kick as part of her new years resolutions which you can follow using the hashtag #glittergetsfitter.  She has kept it up really well which is where inspiration comes in.  She has inspired me to start a journey but as I mentioned before I lack motivation.  This is where Louise comes in again.  On the 3rd of March she posted that she was aiming to do 20 #glittergetsfitter's in March so 20 out of 31 days.  That is achievable and was an awesome motivation for me.  You see I struggle to get motivation because I struggle to find ideas that work.  But this sounds like an awesome idea.

So here is my plan...

There are currently 26 more days of March.  I plan to stick to my current eating plan for at least 20 out of those 26 days.  This seems so achievable to me.  It gives me days off if I need them (eg: going out or to someone's house) but makes me work towards a goal.  This doesn't mean I'll eat fantastic for 20 days straight and then eat junk for 6 days.  If I can I hope to be able to eat well all 26 days.  If this works I will be so so happy and will try for 24 days out of 30 in April and so on :)

Wish me luck!

Let me know how you get motivated or if there are any motivational quotes that inspire you?