Haul/Update: Beauty Crazed

Hi guys,

I went a little crazy after Christmas and bought a bunch of things online. I haven't received all of it yet, but I decided to get a haul up, so that I could start to put some of this stuff away. I haven't included absolutely everything, because I want to leave possibilities there for other posts including those items. I'm going to try not to rant and rave too much, because I don't know what I might choose to review and I don't want to get too repetitive. I have also included a few other interesting things that I've been into.

^As you can see I have chosen the picture of these two books by Lauren Rennells as the "post picture". If you follow me on Facebook you will know that I am a little obsessed with these already. I will be posting up reviews at some point. 

 ^This is what my nails look like at the moment. Random colour choice I know...

 ^Here are my new nail products. I have bought three of Revlon's 'Chromo Chameleon' colours, 2 X Ulra3, a Face Australia colour, A Revlon glitter polish (with hearts in it), a glitter polish my mum bought me, Butter Matte Top Coat, Cutex top coat, Essence products (Base, nail art quick dry drops, cuticle oil and nail art corrector pen) and three nail art pens (in black, white and baby pink).

 ^I bought a tonne of make-up brushes from different brands

 ^I bought a Lipcote lipstick seal, Revlon lipstick, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, FOA Gel Eyeliner.

^From Crush Cosmetics I bought NYX blotting paper, NYX finishing sprays (one in dewy, one in matte), Matte Bronzer in light, Sally Hansen Miracle Care gloss and NYX Wonder Pencil in medium.

^I bought some Sleek eye shadow palettes, a brow Kit, a matte lip colour, a gloss, three multi-purpose pencils and a concealer.

 The supermarket had a deal on Batiste dry shampoo. There were two packs and I bought both of them. The cherry eye mask and shower cap were included in the packs I bought.

^I bought a bunch of Sukin products (shown in picture: face moisturiser, cleanser and mist toner), oil-free make-up remover, simple make-up remover, witch hazel blemish stick and BE mud mask. I have no idea how good any of this is yet, because I have not used all of the products and I have only been using some of them for a couple of days. 

I also bought Sukin shampoo and conditioner and some new body moisturisers from other brands.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

I have been watching a few different youtube channels lately. I'll list links to my favourites here:

LisaFreemontStreet - A beauty/hair channel that focuses on a lot of retro looks

Elleandish - Nail art Channel

Nailed It NZ - More Nail Art Goodness

Thrift Thick - beauty reviews

Glamour Daze - retro footage of beauty/skincare/fashion stuff

BLOGS:

Land Girl 1980 - retro blog with lots of stuff about curling hair.

Mermaidens - A whole heap of cute

Bobby Pin Blog - The blog of 'Retro Makeup' and 'Vintage Hairstyling' author Lauren Rennells

MOVIES I WATCHED AND LOVED:

*

'Looking for Alibrandi' based on a book by Melina Marchetta. 

-I may do a book vs movie comparison on this. 

*

'Crazy Stupid Love'

-Funny!

*

'One for The Money'

-Once I got over Katherine Heigl's Jersey accent I really enjoyed this.

Hope you are all having a lovely Holiday. Back to work soon! Did you get anything at the boxing day sales?

Your Favourite Blogger

Natalie

Introducing 'Girlforce' by Nikki Goldstein (Self-help / Health&Beauty Series)

I discovered 'Girlforce: A Girl's Guidebook for the Body and Soul' by Nikki Goldstein at the local library one summer and obsessed over it quite a lot. This was about grade 9 or 10 in high school and it wasn't long later, that my Christmas wish list had the titles of the 'Girlforce' books scrawled across it. After that Christmas, a shopping trip (And Maybe a Birthday?) I managed to collect them all. I really like these books and what they represent. I'm not going to write a review on these, but more of an introduction to them. I want to tell the world about them! And, give out some  information from a readers point of view...

DETAILS:
*Some of the books can be found on Ebay, Booktopia, Book Depository, Abe Books, Amazon and Fishpond. Some of the books appear to be out-of-print, but I've included all of them because there is always a chance that there will be one lying around somewhere.

All books were published in Australia by ABC Books. The first book was published in 2004 and the last was published in 2008. 'Girlforce' and 'Girlforce Shine' have been released in the US since.

Age group: It's meant for teens, but I think it's fairly flexible.

GOODREADS DESCRIPTION:
Welcome to GirlForce, an exciting new lifestyle brand for tween and teen girls that is simply irresistible. At its core, Girl Force is based on an ancient science called Ayurveda that says our bodies are made of three elemental energies: Fire, Air, and Earth. And with just two quick quizzes about body and mind you can determine your Body Type. Air girls are outgoing and creative; Fire girls are born leaders and highly passionate; and Earth girls are easygoing and make loyal friends.

Guided by these principles, and using lush, high-end photography and gorgeously designed pages, GirlForce imparts the best food, exercise, makeup, yoga, stress relievers and more for your body type. But don't just read about your type...reading your friends' types can help you figure them out too!

WHAT IS GIRLFORCE?
GIRLFORCE is:

1. A book / series of books
2. A collection of things that together make-up a "girlforce". A person's confidence, identity, integrity, kindness, overall health etc...
3. Finally, Girlforce is a lifestyle based on the ancient Ayurveda system.

Girls identify themselves as a type, based on the most dominant element of Ayurveda in the Girlforce Questionnaire. Everyone has a little of each of the elements in them, but there is one more dominant than the others and 'Girlforce' shows the reader how they can eat, exercise, dress and apply make-up to suit their "type". People who enjoy looking up horoscopes or learning about their personality (I forget what it's called, the one with the four letters) will enjoy this about 'Girlforce'.

'Girlforce' is also a very non-invasive lifestyle program. Everything is suggested. There isn't a whole lot of "Don't do this", "don't do that" etc. The foods are separated into 'More' and 'Less' groups for each body type, rather than 'Do' and 'Don't'. This also makes allowances for specific dietary needs, allergies or religions. The whole series is about empowering girls and encouraging them to accept themselves.

ME AND GIRLFORCE:
What really drew me in with 'Girlforce' was that I could identify my "type" fairly quickly and I found it to be very accurate. I was also really interested by the fact that the book included DIY beauty treatments (FUN!!) and beauty tips. The thing that really sealed the deal for me was that 'Girlforce' is not a pushy Health/Beauty book. I know, you are thinking "How can a book be pushy?", but it's true, I have encountered non-fiction books written by some very opinionated people.

I haven't been really strict with myself on the program, but I have looked to the books every now and then for different reasons. The series has definitely encouraged me to try more natural beauty products and to accept myself for who I am. The books are really inspiring. I think the pictures and the design of the books are great too. I don't really follow the food part. Every time I discover a new food that I like I look it up in the 'Girlforce' book and most of the time it seems to me in the 'Less' list. Good thing 'Less' means you can still have some, right? ;)

ABOUT THE BOOKS:
I've decided to write about most of the books separately. I want to explain what each is about and what is included so that you know which ones you'll want to buy if you are interested in buying. Again, not a review, but I will be dispersing some opinion here.

'GirlForce: A Girl's Guidebook to the Body and Soul' 

This was the first 'Girlforce' book to come out and it's definitely my favourite. It has everything in it including an analysis of  your "type", a guide to healthy living, body-type-specific yoga exercises skin treatments, clothing/makeup suggestions, anti-stress techniques, creating a body-type-specific routine and learning about relationships. This book is probably one of the easiest to find online. I bought a copy from Ebay to give to my twelve year old cousin when her mum was in hospital, because I thought it would help to boost her confidence and I knew the beauty stuff would interest her. 

'GirlForce Shine: A Girl's Guide to Confidence and Beauty'

This book has a body type quiz and some information about the body types relating to beauty. It doesn't go as into depth on the personality side of things as 'Girlforce' does. This book includes a heap of natural beauty remedies suited to your skin-type, some suggested make-up colours for your "type", suggested perfumes and a few hair styling ideas. The book has illustrations and instructions on how to apply make-up to specific face shapes and teaches the reader how to accept and accentuate their natural beauty. There are a few glittery "mood make-up" pictures which are definitely a bit experimental and out there. There are no instructions for these though. 

'GirlForce Shine' could be bought on it's own.

'GirlForce You: A Girl's Book of Quizzes and Affirmations About the World's Most Important Person - You'

This book is based around a 'GirlForce/Girlfriend Girl World Survey'. It's filled with statistics and opinions of girls who took the survey and has heaps of tips about boosting confidence, relieving stress, becoming a nice person, enjoying life and negotiating boundaries. This book also has a few quizzes inside. 

There isn't anything about the 'Girlforce' lifestyle system in this book and I don't know how long ago the Survey took place. The book might be a little outdated, but I think it's a bit of fun. It's not a necessary purchase if you are interested in the 'Girlforce' lifestyle and there are plenty of other teen self-help books on the market that cover these topics.

'GirlForce Friends: A Girl's Guide to Friendship'

This book is probably the most colourful inside. It is the most recent 'Girlforce' book and you can kind of tell by all of the modern illustrations and prints used inside. This book also has some comments and statistics in it from a Girlfriend Survey. The survey mentioned in this book was done in 2006, which doesn't seem that long ago to me - then I remembered that it will soon be 2014, so survey was done 8 years ago... Anyway, this book isn't as heavy on the survey side as 'Girlforce You' is. 

There is a lot of stuff about friendship, relationships, dealing with depression and bullying. I think this book is specifically aimed at high school students (mid-late high school) based on the content. There are some stories from famous ladies, some quizzes and some tips. I think it's a good book, but once again this book is not about the 'Girlforce' lifestyle system. There are plenty of other teen self-help books that cover these areas.

^These books are all very small and thin compared to the others. 

'GirlForce Crush: A Girl's Guidebook to Emotions and Love'

-This book has a body-type quiz and teaches you how to tell what body-type boys are, but it doesn't have any information about compatibility between the two. There is also a quiz to determine how "boy crazy" you are and some tips on how to be intimate without being "intimate". This book serves as an addition to the original 'Girlforce' book and would probably suit a teen who is starting to get interested in boys. 

'GirlForce Vibe: A Girl's Guidebook to Confidence and Energy'

This book is about tuning into you "Girlforce" and doing body-type-specific things that make you feel good. There are some suggestions for music to listen to, they types of pictures to look at, fragrances to use and foods to eat if you want to feel good. These descriptions are very small and general. There is also some information about chakras and meditation. 

I don't really see the need for this book. There is a little about meditating in the original 'Girlforce' book and some of the body-type-specific stuff is just a repeat of info from the original 'Girlforce' book as well. 

'GirlForce Pamper: A Girl's Guide to Relaxation and Bliss'

This book has a body type quiz, body-type-specific DIY beauty tips/ treatments, information about reflexology, instructions for a manicure/pedicure and a list of pampering activities (walking on the beach etc). This book shares a lot of the same info as the 'Girlforce' and the 'Girlforce Shine' book so it's not necessary to purchase this one. This book and a small beauty gift set would make a nice present for a teen girl. 

RECOMMENDATION:
I would recommend these books to teen girls or young women. The pamper book is probably more diverse. If you are interested in natural beauty treatments or finding out your "type" (like mentioned earlier). You don't need to buy all of the books if you are interested in trying out the Girlforce thing. I think you can't beat the original 'Girlforce' book for the most well-rounded guide to Girlforce.

If you try out the series and you really like it, I suggest going onto Facebook and liking the 'Girlforce' page. You may even decide to leave a comment. It seems that they have stopped making new Girlforce books as well as printing the existing ones. I think they should continue to print these as I think they are pretty good. Anything that helps young girls/women to accept themselves and become more confident is definitely cool by me!

Please Note:
*I took the pictures with my vignette app and the books look brighter in person.
*I put this in the 'Beauty' category. I've got a few beauty books in that category on the blog and I thought maybe this was the best place for them.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

Beauty Review: Essence "I Heart Punk" Liquid Eyeliner

I bought this eyeliner from Priceline Online store. The eyeliner is a felt-tip style eyeliner pen and it's a bit thicker than something I would usually wear. I thought it would be cool to try something different though and I immediately thought of the eye-make-up looks that the likes of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen used to wear. 

COST:

The eyeliner is a cheap brand that is available at some department stores. It was less that $5 at the store I bought it.

COLOUR:

The eyeliner is only available in black. When it dries it fades a little so I have to apply more coats if I want it to be a bold black.

STAYING POWER:

This eyeliner is not waterproof, but it does last all day without marking when you blink your eyes like some eyeliners do.

APPLICATION:

It doesn't go on as smooth as I would have hoped. It gets a few little bumps in it if you don't hold your skin really taut. Also, with my other felt tip liner I just stamp on the wings, but this pen is a little rounded so you can't really apply it that way. I find it a little difficult to apply and try to tidy any rough edges by going over the outlines with a thinner liner.

Overall I think this is a pretty good eyeliner for the price. If you are good at applying make-up you probably won't have any complaints, but if you're not used to applying liquid liner this is probably not a good product to start with. I really like the look it creates and I think I will definitely wear it a bit more. 

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

Haul/Update: New Additions

Hi Everyone,

The end of the year is looming which means I have a million things on my mind. Including Christmas! I am to do my cousin's hair for her graduation after all, I have some work to do on my course at work, I have ordered/am waiting for some diaries/calendars to arrive and dispatch, And, I have to figure out what I am going to buy people. So as usual expect random fluctuations in the consistency of blog posts. Not really news, but hey, I really wanted to show off my awesome "Update" pic for once. 

^I bought this contraption Yesterday and finally got to test it out this afternoon.

^It is black (I have been testing out coloured filters on my photo app) not purple, and it plays records, CDs, USB/SD/AUX, And, it can save Vinyl music as MP3 files on USB. Dad has some records so we tried them out and there is one with South Sea Island music on it that is pretty. I think I may find myself buying a few records now !

^I bought 'America's Sweetheart' by Courtney Love (Finally found a new edition in Australia) and 'Greatest Hits' by The Police.

^I really like this one. It's probably the most provocative one I've listened to yet and there is a fair bit of swearing, but that voice and guitar makes it so worthwhile. At the moment 'Almost Golden' is a favourite.

^I bought these movies/TV series. I haven't watched all of them yet. I did re-watch 'Never Been Kissed' and discovered a Hole song in the soundtrack, which is awesome.

^I also bought this. While I do usually like Teenage movies, I'm not a big fan of the Disney ones. I find them a little cheesy. This, though, was actually a bit more down-to-earth than I could have expected. No Sharpay Evans here!

^I stocked up on art supplies and thought I'd try out some new materials and replace my crusty old watercolours.

^The books I got. I bought all of these except for 'Horizon', which I got from Pan Macmillan. I think it's #4 in the 'Soul Seekers' series.

How was your week?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Haul: More Sunglasses and Books...

Hi Everyone,

I have been so slack. What a sad little individual I have been. My life at the moment has consisted of Gilmore Girls DVDS (I'm only part way through season 4 and have never seen the show before, so don't you dare spoil it for me) and a whole heap of Twitter and Facebook stuff to do with "The Cause". I am hoping by the end of this month/beginning of next month that "The Cause" will be over and I can spend time doing stuff I like and by entertaining you all with my rambly posts about Style, Books, Music and random things I have observed. 

I have a few books arriving that I ordered as part of my Birthday purchase from Fishpond (I had a gift card) and I've been trying to get a few review books (sequels only) that I really want to read, but my reading/reviewing track record has of late been a little blank so it's understandable if the publishers say no. I do have to say though, that I am so excited for the 'Fiery Heart'  by Richelle Mead that I am likely to collapse on a chair and devour the book cover to cover the minute I get it. And, I would happily pay for it, because I think it would probably be worth it...

I am still reading the Dodie Smith book that I started about a month ago...

^Here are some books I purchased. I got an arty book called 'Well Read Women' by Samantha Hahn, a fashion illustration book, 'Destined' by Aprilynne Pike, 'Lola and the Boy Next Door' by Stephanie Perkins, 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey, 'Going Vintage' by Lindsay Leavitt and 'Smart Girls Get What They Want' by Sara Strohmeyer.

^Here are some books that were sent to me by publishers. I didn't request them and I don't know if I will read them. 

^ Here are some scarves and belts I bought. The belts are from ASOS, The stripes/spots are Modcloth and the Marilyn is Ebay.

^I bought a new LimeCrime lippy in 'Centrifuschia'. The top pair of sunnies is ASOS and the bottom pair is Modcloth. At some stage I will have to take a new pic of my entire Sunglasses collection...^I bought a Maybeline Master Precise liquid liner to try and a Bourjois primer.^Here are some art things I bought. I got some Acrylic white paint and a Draw and Wash pad which is pretty awesome. I just did up another order already. I'm going through a bit of a phase and trying out new things.How was your week?Your Favourite Blogger,Natalie

Book Haul/Update: I am always making excuses...

Hi guys,

I haven't done a haul/update in a while so I figured I probably should. I am still reading that Audrey book and I've just been so preoccupied with all sorts of things to be bothered to do any blogging. I'm sorry guys but, I feel like I've found more important things to spend my time on than blogging. Which is a first. I've gotten involved in a cause and it's kind of given me a life. Kind of. I've been going to the markets on Sunday mornings updating a few different social networking pages and drawing pictures to promote it. Hopefully though, not for too much longer and then I get my life back.

I'm not going to go on too much about this cause because I know due to some misleading campaigns etc that the reception of this issue is not going to be very positive and I think I've already talked too much about it on here. I've also become very politically minded (my first federal election!) and while I don't know the ins and outs of everything in parliament I feel like I have a good enough idea to make an informed decision. I even went to a political debate. Sounds so unlike usual air-head me right? I have to say though, I am a bit annoyed with how one-sided Tumblr is politically. People get really aggressive if you like a certain party and I don't think that's fair. 

I also had a run-in a couple of weeks ago where a car ran into the back of my little car on the way from work and it scared the living daylights out of me. And, no I wasn't in the wrong. Even though this is true I feel like I am in denial every time I mention this. Car should be getting fixed soon though and, I will have to drive mum's car to work. 

Today I started watching Gilmore Girls. I have decided that I really like this show and may have to get all of the seasons. I guess I am a bit spoilt, but what is the good of life if you can't enjoy it? I had to pause it at one point because the dog wanted to go outside and the silly thing ran so fast she pulled the lead out of my hand and I ended up grazing my knee trying to catch her. I forgot how much that stings. 

I've also got Father's day and a few birthdays coming up too... It's pretty hectic.

-Here are some books. I bought 'Keeping The Castle', the two Dodie Smith books and 'Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done' from Booktopia. 'Crown of Midnight' by Sarah J Maas is a review book I got from Bloomsbury. And, 'Nails Nails Nails' is a non-fiction Fishpond pre-order from way-back. I was really interested in getting some more Dodie Smith after reading 'I Capture The Castle' and this election madness has me craving some Sarah J Maas sword fighting action.

-Here are some DVDs I got. I bought all 7 seasons of 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch', Season 1 of 'Gilmore Girls', 'Beautiful Lies', 'Stick it', 'Nancy Drew', 'What a Girl Wants', 'When in Rome', 'She's The Man' and 'The Host'. I just adore Salem in 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' and I will have to do a movie/book comparison of 'The Host' at some point.

-Here are some cheap sunnies from EBay and a bit of make-up that I have bought over the past couple of weeks. I may review some of it. I stashed the make-up into this cute fluffy sheep Easter basket mum bought me this year. I still have no idea what I am actually going to use this basket for...

-Here are some markers. I didn't get all of them this week (gosh I'm not that rich), but I wanted to show you all how much my stash has grown. There are some brighter colours in there that I may not have ever gotten (I normally draw people), but I started trying to draw sea creatures and they are very bright! These are all Copic Ciao or Letraset Promarkers mainly because they are the cheapest, but I think they work fairly well. 

-I have also bought a few cheap skirts from eBay , some pastel marcel wave clips and some rollers. I had great fun doing my sisters hair with these. It's a little messy because her hair didn't get a chance to dry properly before I took it out. 

You may have noticed that the quality of my pictures has improved? This is because I've been using my new Samsung galaxy s2 4g to take pics and I've downloaded the Vignette app onto that. 

What did you get in the mail this week?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Book Haul, Sunglasses and Hair Styling Fun!

Hello :)
Above is a picture of me in my new sunglasses. I haven't done a haul in a little while so I thought it was about time I posted one for you. I  haven't been posting as much as I would like to and I've got some book purchases (and a review book) that I would like to share with you. As well as some other cute things I bought and some pictures of hair styles that I did last weekend with my sister and cousin with a pack of pins and not much else.

BOOKS:

^In the mail I got 'Star Cursed' by Jessica Spotswood (from Penguin for review), 'Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales' (A graphic novel I bought) and 'The Magic of Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Also a comic, but more like an analogy of stories). While I am not really feeling the fantasy genre at the moment 'Star Cursed' is a book that I definitely want to pick up soon! I have already read the Sabrina comic and am contemplating writing a review soon.

ON KINDLE:

^'The Summer I Turned Pretty' by Jenny Han

-I have heard a lot of praise for this series and I would really like to read a summery book as it is cold here at the moment and I'm wishing I was hanging out in the sun like all my US blogger friends

^'The Boys Next Door' by Jennifer Echols

-I haven't actually heard much about this book, but the author seems to be very popular and it looked like a cute fun read.

^'The One That I Want' by Jennifer Echols

- Another book by Jennifer Echols (which seemed like a bit of a gamble seeing as I haven't read any of her books before) and this is a title I have actually heard of before.

^'My Life Next Door' by Huntly Fitzpatrick

-The cover is nice (not that it really matters on a kindle edition) and I have read some really positive reviews about this novel.

OTHER PURCHASES:

^Here are some cat-eye sunnies (pictured at the top of this post as well), some new dangle earrings and a 'tinkerbell' scarf that I purchased from the Lace Affair Shop online. I love the colour of the scarf and am always wanting to buy sunnies. There was a second pair of sunglasses, but they were scratched in transit, I am currently in the process of contacting the shop about it, but I'm not too worried as the sunglasses were fairly cheap.

^I thought I would show you guys an updated picture of my sunglasses collection. No, I didn't buy these all this week. I have previously shown a picture of my collection in This Post back when I had only 4 pairs...

^Here is my new deer plush toy that I bought from this ebay store. Isn't it just cute?! it has the spots on it's back too... And it's wearing my new bookmark around it's neck like a scarf. The book mark was from Bookmark corner.

^This is a bookmark that my mum bought from the same place :) 

HAIR :

So last Sunday we had brunch at my Auntie's house for her birthday and I got bored and pulled some hair pins out of my handbag. Why did I have hairpins in my handbag when I have short hair? Well, I had been seeing a lot of old-school hair tutorials on YouTube and my sister was going to be my guinea pig the day before. She did however decide that she had washing to do (scaredy cat) so I took pins on Sunday. I wasn't letting her get out of that one! I took three pictures of each style.

I didn't have any spray, brushes or curling irons to do these hairstyles so there are a few flyaways and some very obvious pins on show. My sister actually got sick of me after one style so I did my cousin's hair afterwards.

^This is my eleven year old cousin. I wanted to show her an up-do hairstyle and she is now convinced that I am going to do her hair for her year seven graduation. Which I would love to, but that will all depend and I don't want to make any promises I can't keep.

^This is the top of her hair. I created a bit of a flat roll to keep the front of the hair in place. when I was doing the back I put the next top layer of hair in an elastic and did a victory roll underneath. This meant that when I let that layer out and pinned it over the top of the roll the style had a bit of a "pouf" in it.

^Here is a view of the back. I pulled the sides of hair across the roll and pinned at the middle. The ends of the hair are all pin curled under the roll (which at this point is completely concealed from view). Some very obvious pins here...

^Here is a side (well kind-of) view of the overall hair style I created in my sister's hair. My aim was to create a faux-fringe style victory roll at the front and to do side and back victory rolls that sort of joined up to make one big u-shape roll. I kind-of overestimated how much hair she had though and that just wouldn't happen, so I pinned some sort of heart shaped arrangements of pin-curls at the back.

^Here is the top view. You can see that the part is very uneven and the victory roll on the right  is trying to come undone. 

^And, here is the back view, again with the obvious bobby-pins. It  looks so contrasted against the backdrop of a hooded-jumper. LOL

What did you get in the mail box this week? Anything exciting? I hope you all had a good week :)

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie