Antipodes Mini's

I love anything mini-sized, and it is no secret that I love skincare. 

Recently in Priceline, I was drawn to the Antipodes Mini duos. I previously purchased the day-time duo (Moisture Boost), and after another trip picked up the night-time set (Anti-Ageing) as well.

I've never previously tried Antipodes as it is a bit over my usual price range, however at around $20 these Mini's a good way to try a new product. Antipodes is an organic beauty brand, which appeals to my sensitive skin type. I've heard many well known beauty vloggers mention the brand previously, and the packaging is very luxurious so I was excited to try the products. The duo's come in two ranges; moisture boost & anti-ageing. I use them as night- and day-time products.

Moisture Boost Mini's (Day-time):

This mini duo helps improve moisture in dehydrated skin, it includes a serum and cream.

1. Divine Face Oil

The avocado and rosehip face oil can be applied morning or night as a serum before applying the Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream. The oil is meant to help relieve tired, stressed and sun damaged skin. Overall the oil is good but basically this does the same as any rosehip oil I've tried.

2. Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream 

This light, yet hydrating day cream keeps skin healthy and energised. According to Antipodes this cream is suitable for most skin conditions, so it is perfect for an everyday moisturiser.

Anti-Ageing Mini's (Night-time):

This duo contains an anti-ageing protein-rich serum and night cream suited to dry skin.

1. Joyous Protein-Rich Night Serum

This night serum targets dry and damaged skin by boosting the skin overall with elements of goji berry, wild blackcurrant and hibiscus flower. The morning after using this serum, I definitely noticed a difference in my skin texture and plumpness of my skin. Antipodes is out of my Uni-budget price range but I am hoping to get this full size when Priceline has their next 40% off skincare sale.

2. Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream

This nourishing night cream is applied after the Joyous Protein-Rich Night Serum. Containing elements of avocado oil, manuka honey and vinanza Grape. The cream is most suitable for very dry skin, however it is not too thick neither does it leave an oily residue. The only downside for me is the heavy fragrance, which I am weary of with my sensitive skin.

Overall I am impressed with the products, I like the idea of these mini duo's as it gives you a chance to properly try out a usually pricey product. I have noticed most Antipodes products, although natural, are very heavily scented, which is a downfall for me. However I haven't yet had any reactions since testing these products. Let me know if you've tried these duo's or have any other Antipodes product recommendations.

Pop Basic Paloma Collection Box

Look-ie look-ie what has arrived - the Pop Basic box I was telling you about! I was very surprised when the postman knocked on my door with this parcel, which arrived within a little over a week all the way from the USA.

The Pop Basic box is similar to monthly fashion subscription boxes, without the commitment. You get to view the items featured in each box prior to purchase and choose whether you would like to commit to the box. The price of the box varies with each collection, which includes FREE shipping to Australia.

This month I purchased my first Pop Basic box after seeing the items of the collection on Essie Button's Twitter feed, called the Paloma box. The items came in a beautiful BIG box which featured three fashion items plus a little beauty freebie.

Paloma Leather Clutch

My favourite item in the box is this leather clutch. The size, colour and rose gold detail is spot on! I like to style the clutch by folding it over length ways with a tee and boyfriend jeans. The light grey clutch is made from 100% real leather, features a rose gold zip and is roughly to 20x30 cm (which can fit an iPad and notebook). To top it all off the clutch has striped lining!

Grey Striped Infinity Scarf

If it is striped I'll usually love it no matter what, so of course I was impressed with the infinity scarf in the box. The scarf is lightweight and easy to style - a good basic.

Basic White Tee

This is probably the item which I am least impressed with to be honest. The tee fits fine but just doesn't sit very nicely on the body; the sleeves are a little too short and the material too thin.

The verdict

Overall I did love the Paloma collection box! I won't be able to afford this box each month so the no commitment part is really great, I'll keep an eye on the website and purchase the collections that appeal to my style. Hurry, there are still some of the Paloma collection boxes available, and you can get $15 off by clicking HERE.

Buy the Paloma collection box here and get $15 off

Brisbane Eat Street Markets

Brisbane is often know as one of the lesser trendy cities, well compared to Sydney and Melbourne. As a Brisbaner I must disagree. Brisbane is becoming quick to adapt to change and accept new trends, one such trend is Eat Street Market. 

Eat Street offers a wide variety of International cuisine, an enchanting mood with fairy lights and quirky decorations and live performances. The whole atmosphere is really fun, lets be honest though - I go for the food. I've been twice to the market with my boyfriend, also a food lover, it's an ideal date night. What makes Eat Street so appealing, is that it is suitable for anyone, I've noticed families with young children, loved-up couples, groups of friends, hipsters and even older people enjoying the market. The market runs on Friday nights, Saturday evenings and Sundays.

Food wise - I'd say there is something for everyone, from basic italian food to exotic asian dishes. And don't get me started on the desserts… If there's one thing you must try it's a cronut! This heavenly dessert is a doughnut made with croissant dough, filled with cream and topped with heavenly ingredients (drool). My boyfriend and I usually share whatever we buy, that way we can try more things, and stuff our faces until we cannot fit anything more. So far we've tried Bahn Mi, Langos as main food, both were delicious, along with starters and desserts of course.

Brisbaners make sure you try out Eat Street Markets at Hamilton. I'll be back there soon. Some of my most recent trips Instagram's:

Styling Pop Basic Paloma Collection

I saw a picture on Essie Button's Twitter feed of a box of goodies, it was basically me in a box. After stalking the website I found that not only is the company who makes this box amazing and super innovative, they ship to Australia for FREE! A rare occurrence. I decided to take advantage of this and ordered Pop Basic's Paloma box. I am so excited about receiving my box, I decided to style a look with the items and some goodies I have in my wardrobe (minus the amazing Senso boots, just lusting after them!). Hope you guys like it! Look out for an unboxing post and more on this exciting company soon x

Pop Basic Paloma Collection by francesve featuring a flower arrangement

Priceline Beauty Haul

I was drawn into Priceline for the 40% off haircare sale, I was ONLY going to get like two or three things that I needed to repurchase, but it didn't happen that way. Skincare is one of my favourite things, I'd always spend my money on skincare over make up or clothing, so naturally I couldn't leave Priceline without some skincare. If only skincare wasn't so damn expensive.

I wanted to get some things from the John Frieda Frizz Ease collection, but my local Priceline was very understocked. Instead I picked up a repurchase of the Schwarzkopf Marrakesh Oil & Coconut Express Mousse Treatment. I originally found this mousse in my mum's drawer and stole it because it did amazing things to my hair. It adds texture and waves without leaving my hair feel crunchy. I also picked up the shampoo and conditioner in the range, which I am really liking so far.

I use dry shampoo religiously, it is one of the best hair inventions ever. Batiste is my all time favourite brand, I use it when my hair gets a little oily to mattify my hair. Sometimes I also just use dry shampoo to add some texture to my hair. So of course, being 40% off I had to pick up some. I also got two little bottles for when I travel to South Africa next month.

On to the skincare, which were not planned purchases at all. I'd heard Anna from Vivianna Does Make Up talk about the Antipodes vanilla pod cream many times, so I've been lusting after these moisture boost mini's… and picked them up on a whim. The set includes a mini vanilla pod hydrating day cream and mini avocado and rose hip oil. I've also been wanting to try the Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron Face Masks, which I hadn't realised had come out in Australia, so I grabbed them too. My excuse for the skincare buys being that with the change of weather my skin has been really bad. I think I'll do a review of both these skincare purchases sometimes.

Did any of you pick up anything at the 40% off haircare sale? I am seriously hanging out for the 40% off skincare sale, please come soon!

Collective Clothing Haul

Over the months of April and May, I've picked up a few winter bits online. My flights are booked for my trip to South Africa, so I'll be facing a harsher cold than we have here in Queensland. 

One of my favourite online shopping websites, The Iconic, had a 50% sale on certain items over the recent long weekend. And of course I had to take advantage of such a sale.

The first thing I picked up is a thick woollen coat-like jacket by The Iconic brand, Cloth. The jacket is thick and lined, perfect for cold weather. I am a monochrome girl so black was a must, however the leather detailing on the collar and pockets are a nice touch. The jacket has a sort of bell shape- fitting around the shoulders and flaring out around the hips- with an asymmetrical zip. The original price for the Marseille Melton Jacket is $119.00 so I paid around $60.. BARGAIN.

My style is very comfy-chic, so wooly jumpers are a must. I loved this Atmos&Here sweater because of the textured, bubbly look of the wool. The sweater is comfortable and easy to wear, and for $30 down from $60, who can complain. Along with the jumper I also picked up a wooly cream scarf by Atmos&Here, which came down to under $10! (Might pick up more colours of this scarf as full price is only $16.95).

The next purchase I made quite a while ago, but I was indecisive of whether to keep the product or not. This pink trench-like jacket from Dissh caught my eye because of the beautiful colour. I was really disappointed when I received the product though, because the quality is just not worth the $70. Dissh only has a 14 day exchange policy that I was unaware of, and you can only get a store coupon anyway, so I had to keep the jacket... You win some you lose some I suppose. Hopefully I can work with it and make it look less cheap.

Country Road recently had a 3 for the price of 2 promotion on all women clothing. I was avoiding going in store because I really didn't want to spend money as I'm suppose to be saving. But on the last night of the sale I caved and bought three knits online. Each knit was originally $129 (which I wouldn't usually pay as that is so over my Uni student budget), with the sale I got all three knits for AU$258, which brings it to AU$86 a knit.. pretty great savings right there.

The first knit I got is one I tried on in store before but left as I couldn't justify the price. I originally wanted the grey colour but they only had black and cream left. Its a slouchy, boxy cut with tight sleeves on the forearm. I really like how the knit looks but it is a little scratchy so hopefully it softens after washing.

Country Road Square Cut Tunic

One look into my wardrobe and you'll see that I really love Breton tops and anything stripe-y. So of course, I had to get the knit below when I saw it online. To be honest its probably my least favourite out of the three, but I do still like it. Its a slouchy fit, with a crew neckline and a slight high-low hem. I envision wearing this knit with a white coloured button down shirt so I'm on the hunt for that now.

Textured Stripe Knit

The next is defiantly my favourite knit. I was drawn to this once again because of the print and colour, I was unsure of whether the shape would fit me but it is really flattering.

Cable Knit

As a fashion lover I do love lables, I can't always ever afford them but I do love them. So promise not to judge me for my next purchase? I recently saw a blogger from Heaven on Bourke wearing a pair of Rivers boots [don't tell anyone ;) ]. I jumped online and found them for like $25 - That's ridic right!

And lastly, my tartan addition to winter 2014. I literally just got this tartan print scarf in the mail from Boohoo. I was sceptical of Boohoo but this is a great scarf for the $14 price tag.

That concludes my collective haul. I do apologise for my irregular posts, University has been suffocating me. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon! 

Women Crush Lauren Conrad

I used to race home after school each day and tune into MTV to catch the latest episode of Laguna Beach  and then The Hills. The shows and the cast were a big part of my teenage life, in a way it set me on track for my future. Watching Lauren Conrad at Teen Vogue and Whitney Port at the PR firm of Kelly Cutrone, sparked my interest in fashion and the potential to make a career out of it. Lauren Conrad became my idol growing up, I watched her on The Hills and read all her books religiously. 

Quite often, young girls' "role models" don't act very role-modely but Lauren Conrad is genuinely a great role model, and here's why:

• She works hard to be successful: OK, I know that when they showed the Hills girls 'working', they weren't really doing any work. Lauren Conrad, however, really proved herself past the reality show air-head persona. After wrapping up The Hills, Lauren wrote a series of fiction novels as well a beauty and style book. Lauren also started designing her own clothing label and now maintains two clothing lines of her own. 

• She has a good heart: Lauren often works with people from third world countries to source material for her fashion label. She is co-founder of The Little Market, a company that source ethically source handmade goods to help change the lives of artisans. 

• She is creative: Her Instagram account is amazing, I can spend ages scrolling through the visually appealing images of her life. Lauren also runs a creative website, laurenconrad.com, that features posts from DIY tutorials to fashion how-to's. 

• She has amazing style: Lauren Conrad always looks good! She has a knack for putting together simple pieces to make an amazing outfit. Her style is simple yet super chic and she is definitely one of my style icons.

• She encourages self-love: Lauren Conrad is a great role model for young girls because she encourages self love. This can be seen through everything she does, her websites included. 

• She works hard: Lauren has two of her own fashion labels, as well as a line for Kohl's, she has written several best-sellers and maintains an online presence on her website and beauty site. This girl is not afraid to work hard. Just thinking about all she does makes me feel like I need to get up and go!

 

 Pictures sourced from Instagram

Met Gala 2014 Red Carpet Fashion

Each year when the Met Gala comes around, us normal people obsess over celebrities and their exxy fashion choices on the red carpet. My favourite couple this year has to be Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, the looks and the touches they gave each other.. they are perfect!

Blake was dressed in a figure hugging, custom Gucci dress - and she looked like a goddess. My favourite solo look was Leighton Meester, dressed in an embellished Emilio Pucci bohemian style dress. Emma Stone takes the prize for the best hair and make up look in my opinion. Below are some of my favourite outfits and beauty looks from the night: