Hello Everyone,
I feel like so much has happened this year, especially in the last month or so. My sister got married, my town endured a Category 3 Cyclone and I met some new people. What 2017 has shown me so far is that life really is a roller coaster. I have had a lot of fun so far this year and I hope the fun can continue...
My Sister's wedding happened the day before we got told to evacuate our house for the cyclone (our house is in the red zone for tidal surge). It had been raining earlier in the week, but luckily the wedding venue was just far enough out of town that it didn't get any rain and the weather on the day was perfect. I was the Maid of Honour and the hairdresser managed to pin my hair up even though it is still so short. It was a long day and it was heaps of fun to get up and dance at the reception.
We actually stayed at my sister's place which is a bit further inland for the duration of the cyclone (and the crazy thunderstorm that followed) due to being told to evacuate. Luckily when we got home to assess the damage we learnt that there wasn't much of a surge due to the direction of the wind. Our house was fine, but my dad had damage to his shed and a lot of trees were down in our street. Some older buildings and shopfronts in town had a bit of damage and a lot of farm sheds and crops were wrecked.
We spent a few days without power and only had low pressure water in our taps, but the conditions were still livable and I was so grateful at how lucky we were. One of the first things I did when we regained power was plug in my electric guitar and have a play. While I did slum it for a couple of days without any fancy hair or make-up (or being able to iron my clothes!), I think the whole event has shown me how important it is to take advantage of every chance I get to dress up and go out and have fun.
I have finally started going out a bit more again. It is so great to catch up with some people that I haven't seen in a long time and to make new friends. While a lot of the people I have met seem to be passing through town, I think I will stay in contact with them a while and I will definitely remember the short time I spent with them.
BEAUTY:
- I bought some
Max Factor lipsticks on CatchOfTheDay.com and I really like them. They seem to stay really well without drying out your lips. I have two of the Marilyn Monroe ones ('Cabernet' and 'Sunset Red') and another in 'Scarlet Ghost'
-
Colourpop Ultra Satin Lip in 'Cozy' is a nice orangey red that doesn't look too bright.
-
Avon Big and Daring Glimmersticks eye liner in 'Deep Plum' blends nicely with black pencil for a subtle fade.
-
Loreal True Match Blush in 'Rosewood' is a nice everyday blush colour.
HAIR:
- I have been experimenting with my hair a bit and I am very inspired by the 1940s. Here is a
1940s hair Facebook Album with some nice styles that I hope to achieve when my hair gets longer.
- I have been using the
Schwarzkopf Extra Care Dry Oil Mist as an alternative to Shine spray. It makes my hair look very shiny without losing the curl, but I have to watch it doesn't get on the floor or on my skin because it is very greasy.
- I have been loving the
Lady Jayne contoured hair pins which have a matte finish to them. These are the best thing ever for holding tricky curls in place. I really like their fringe pins for holding my sponge rollers in place (to avoid getting the horrid sponge roller dent.
- I made my own setting lotion using Linseed Grain (flax seed) and water. I use 1 tablespoon of seed per cup of water and boil it on the stove until the water starts to colour and get that gelatinous look. I strain the seeds out and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. You only need the tiniest bit to set your hair and it doesn't irritate my scalp like some other hair products do.
STYLE:
- I am a little bit obsessed with the 1940s and this
Pinterest Board proves it.
- I also really like some of the old ballet/tap class photos (like the above one of Audrey Hepburn) because of the shorter fashions worn in that era.
- I am loving a pearl bracelet I bought from Ozsale that has bronze coloured freshwater pearls on it. It seems to go with everything.
- The weather is starting to cool down so I am loving wearing cardigans again. I tie them at the waist or belt them instead of buttoning them all the way down.
MUSIC:
- 'Ultraviolet', 'The Real Thing' and 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses' by U2
- 'How High The Moon' and 'Mr Sandman' by Les Paul and Mary Ford
- 'Crystalized' and 'On Hold' by The XX
- 'Can't Deny My Love', 'Only The Young' and 'The Way It's Always Been' by Brandon Flowers
- 'Love' by Lana Del Rey
- '60 Feet Tall' and 'So Far From Your Weapon' by The Dead Weather
I bought and discovered so much music over the holidays, so I won't put it all here. These ones are the most important songs though.
GUITAR:
My new guitar arrived after new years and I have been spending a lot of time playing it. I wouldn't say I'm even mediocre, but I enjoy strumming along so thats something. I have bought a couple of pedals that I am really impressed with. I love my
Earthquaker Devices The Dunes overdrive,
TC Electronic Alter Ego V2 Delay Pedal and
Boss T2 Tremolo the most. I have learnt to play a couple of riffs, but I am still more of a rhythm player at this point. I also love my
Ernie Ball guitar strap which is a Navy Colour. They make guitar straps in so many different colours and they are good quality.
MOVIES:
- '
Top Hat' and '
Shall We Dance' starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
- '
The Choice' based on a Nicholas Sparks Book.
- I finally saw '
Joy' and thought it was pretty good.
- I watched a documentary about guitar called '
It Might Get Loud' which features Jimmy Paige, The Edge (from U2) and Jack White. I'm obsessed with this doccumentary and I highly recommend it to anyone who is into music or a fan of any of those three musicians.
OTHER:
- Somersby Pear Cider is my new favourite drink.
- Pressman's Apple Cider is also pretty good.
- The Sunsets are starting to get prettier as the weather cools down.
- I am stoked to hear that some of my favourite musos will be releasing new music this year!
I hope you have all had a lovely Summer (or maybe where you live it was winter). What have been some of your favourites?
Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie
