February reading list.

Morning Everyone!

With February fast approaching and the chaos of the new year settling down I'm back and read! Yay! One of my goals for the new year was to find just 20 minutes a day for myself. 20 minutes where I could read a book, practise some yoga or just have a cup of tea. Yesterday I headed to the store and picked up my three next reads, which (fingers crossed) will be completed by the end of February!!

First up, The Art of Thinking clearly by Rolf Dobelli. This international best seller has been recommended to me by a number of friends. This book aims to help you recognise common 'thinking errors' in order to help you save time, become more productive and better allocate your time. Sound  pretty great right! 

Funny girl, Mindy Kaling has written another New York Times Best Seller and I already know I will love it! I read Mindy's first book last year and really enjoyed it. Her books are light, funny and also touch on a variety of subjects from feminism in Hollywood to self-love. I can't wait to read this one!

Finally, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I have mentioned this book before and it has been on a number of my to-read lists! I have promised myself that I WILL FINISH this book in February. I have been told by a number of sources that this book is well worth a read, so I am committed to seeing this one through. Here's hoping I do! 

Happy Reading Friends!

Lou xxx

Summer Beauty Products

Morning Everyone! 

We all know that summer can be tough on skin. Between the sun, humidity and exposure to varying temperature. Our skin can often end up dry and dull :( Something no one wants. I love trying new beauty products recommended to me by friends, my sisters and even you guys! Here are a few which I have recently been given / bought / tested! 

I love me some Aesop and lucky enough, so do my friends! Last weekend when we celebrated my birthday my friend Kate gifted me with some beautiful Aesop products. This included this fabulous facial cleansing masque. I love it and know you will too! 

Speaking of Aesop, if you are in the market for a new body scrub. Look no further because I have the solution for you! My new Geranium Body Scrub is nothing less than AMAZING. It smells fantastic and leaves skin soft and rejuvenated. Grab one for yourself online here!

I received this Korres shower gel for christmas and have quickly fallen head over heals. Korres is gentle on skin, smells great and also works as a great bubble bath! #win

Speaking of bubble baths. This AquaVerse shower gel is a key ingredient in my bubble baths. (Other ingredients include white wine and a great book ;) This brand is anti animal testing, and pretty much chemical free.Yay! Grab some for yourself here!

I will share more of my favourite summer beauty products next week! Until then, Enjoy!

Lou xxx

Summer Hair Care

Morning Everyone! 

Sorry for my absence yesterday. It was a public holiday here and we spent the day with friends, pool side. Enjoying food, games and wine! It was the perfect way to break up the week. Speaking of summer days spent outdoors, I thought I would share a few of my favourite hair care products that I use all season and I know you will love!

One of my best friends, Kate has possibly the most beautiful hair EVER. It is crazy soft, easy to style and smells delicious pretty much constantly. She has been a fan of 'Make' products for years and I am finally following her lead. I have just got my hands on their aftercare cream (which Kate swears is her secret to amazing hair!) So lets wait and see what happens. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can find it online here. 

In general my hair care routine is pretty consistent. I try and wash my hair on alternate days and after a wash (while still wet), spray a few 'squirts' of Paul Mitchell - Dramatic Repair in. 

I then give my hair and toss, brush through with my tangle teezer and leave to dry. If you don't already have one of these brushes, stop what you are doing and grab one here. These are lifesavers for people with unruly hair or kids :) 

I also love me some Moroccan Oil and try to alternate between this and my Paul Mitchell spray. They both run around the same price (approx. $30). 

I hope you all have a great hair day ;) Make sure to check in tomorrow because we are talking beauty and I have SO MANY amazing finds to share with y'all! 

Lou xxx

Chewy Chocolate Cookies!

Happy Monday Everyone! 

The weekend was all sorts of wonderful but also incredibly busy. I promise to share party details later in the week. But today I am sharing one of my favourite cookie recipes that I know you will love! 

You Will Need 

1 1/4 Cups of Butter 

2 Cups of Sugar 

2 Eggs 

2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract 

2 cups Plain Flour

3/4 Cup Coco

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Cups Choc-chips 

Method 

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. In large mixer bowl; cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
4. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda; gradually blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.).
6. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet onto wire rack. Cool completely.

Enjoy! 

Lou xxx

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Weekly Wrap-up

Morning Everyone!

I cannot believe it is almost then end of theJanuary! Seriously where has this month gone?! January always fly's for me. Between the christmas/new year come down and trying to get organised for the year ahead, I somehow find myself dazed and confused by the 21st! This is because the 21st is my Dads birthday. 

Happy Birthday Dad! 

Here is what we have been up to this week! 

The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately. Hot enough to swim but cool enough to spend the day outside. So last Friday we ventured to a local national park for a hike and swim in the rock pools! It was the perfect summers day. 

On Saturday we headed to Sydney for a quick weekend break. I mean seriously! How lucky am I to live an hour from this! 

We played tourist all weekend visiting the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, the Royal Botanic Gardens and even managed to squeeze in some shopping ;) 

Mandatory tourist selfie! 

I have already started to use my birthday present even though my birthday is about a month out! What can I say? My new bag is simply too gorgeous to keep in a box! 

Wednesday was designated girls day including lunch and a quick  stop at a few shops and department stores. Is it just me or is the cosmetic section of a department store the disney land for adult women? #happiestplaceonearth

On Wednesday night we celebrated my dad's birthday (a little early). Not a grey hair in sight! Happy Birthday Dad! 

On Thursday my friend Kate and I (both February babies) headed to a local and RIDICULOUSLY beautiful day spa, One Wybelenna, for an early birthday treat. Our facials where amazing and the complimentary champagne wasn't bad either ;)  

The rest of thursday was spent barricaded in the air conditioning baking up a storm. I will post the recipe for these delicious double choc cookies next week! 

It has been a busy week and we have a HUGE weekend planned. So I am off to grab 2 minutes to myself before I race out the door again. 

I hope you all have a great (and slightly quieter) weekend! 

Lou xxx

January Pins

Morning Everyone!

With the end of January in sight, I thought it was time to share some of my favourite recent pins with my fellow Pinterest addicts. As most of you would have released by now I have pretty much all aspects of my life organised on Pinterest #noshame. And I figure as long as I am pinning away I may swell share my finds with Y'all. 

So lets get started! 

This weekend my parents are hosting my farewell/ early birthday party. My mum is a terrific party planner and host, so everything I know about entertaining has some from her :) Together we have been planning my send off/ birthday celebration and as always Pinterest has helped out A LOT! If you haven't already, be sure to check out my 'Time to Party' board for great entertaining ideas. The link is here! 

What kind of party would it be without Champagne??? A Champagne bar is a must in my eyes! 

I love love love these huge balloons! Maybe in white? 

Other than party planning I have been on the prowl for cute summer outfits and pinning away! Here are a few of my favourites from my Women's Fashion  board, found here.

Finally, with my move to the middle east fast approaching I have been reasserting, reading and pinning all I can on the AMZING city of Abu Dhabi, AKA my new home! 

And because there where just too many amazing pins, a new board had to be created. You can check it out here. 

*sigh 'I have a problem!' 

Happy Pinning!

Lou xxx

What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey

Happy Well-read Wednesday Everyone! 

Today I wanted to share a new book which I only discovered (and have nearly finished) on the weekend. We headed to Sydney for a quick getaway on Saturday morning and as I was trolling the news agents, killing time before our flight I came across this little gem by Ms Winfrey. 

I am not usually one for self-help books but after reading the first few pages in the store I knew two things. First this was not your ordinary 'self-help' book and secoundly I was not leaving the store without a copy. After an hour and a half long flight I was a quarter way through the book and in LOVE. 

If you have ever watch Oprah on TV or read any of her other books you will instantly recognise her charming, relaxed and friendly writing style. This book is more a reflection of her own journey and the lessons she has learned along the way, rather than a self-help book. Although there are definitely lessons she is sharing that I know I will take with me long after finishing this book! 

This book is an easy read that can easily be completed in a weekend and will leave you feeling all sorts of happy, thankful and reflective. 

What I know for sure is that every single person reading this needs to grab a copy right now!!

Happy reading! 

Lou xxx 

Me, Myself and OPI

Morning Everyone! 

Today I am confessing an addiction which most of you already know about... 

I am a total OPI addict/ hoarder/ guru. I mean seriously, I can not walk past the OPI display in any department store without picking up at LEAST one new colour! 

This right here is my heaven. If I could have one of each my life may very well be complete. 

 Does anyone else agree that life can be spinning out of control, crazy busy. But if you have your nails painted you feel like you have it semi-together ?? Or is this just me?! #crazylady

One benefit of my obsessive nail painting is discovering the best new colours and sharing them with y'all. Sharing all the beautiful, creative and fun stuff I find with you lovely ladies, has to be my favourite part of blogging! 

So without further a do, here are a few of my favourite shades right now, that all need in your life!

 Bastille My Heart - the perfect purple/red with a hint of sparkle!

Thanks A WindMillion - This olive green is so cute for summer. I have worn this for the last two weeks! 

Last up my ultimate go-to colour - which you can probably tell by the messy bottle! Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, is the perfect neutral and a must have for any gal! 

Go treat yourselves to a manicure ladies and have a wonderful day!

Lou xxx

Big News, Big Move

Happy Monday! 

As I briefly mentioned last week there are some big changes going on in our house at the moment. 

Last week my baby sister received confirmation that she will be moving to Minnesota. Eeeekkk!! That will be cold. i may have to get her one of these 'cute' knitted balaclavas for her birthday ;) 

I also received some exciting news last week... I have been offered a very exciting job in Abu Dhabi. Yes, I am moving to the Middle East people! 

So this means I will be relocating there in early February. This is a huge opportunity for myself and I am very excited to be embarking on this new chapter in my career.

 Obviously this means that life is going to be very busy for a while getting organised to move. However I promise to make every attempt to continue to blog consistently! 

I can't believe this amazing city will be my home in just a few weeks time! 

I will be back tomorrow blogging as usual but wanted to share this exciting news with all y'all today! 

Have a fabulous Monday everyone! 

Lou xxx

Weekly Wrap up!

It's Fri-YAY!!

Who else is excited for the weekend to begin??? I am headed out of town for the weekend so need to get packing, but before I do, here is what has been happening in my little world lately. 

It was Ice-cream sandwiches for dinner on Monday night. As you can tell from the picture they where INSANELY delicious and only about 126354769 calories. I regret nothing, they where too good! 

Amongst my mountain of chores and laundry, I managed to get myself (semi) organised. On Tuesday I shared some of my favourite go-to organisational accessories that will help you keep you life in order. If you missed it you can check it out here.

Although my birthday isn't until next month, my present from my Mumma and Dad just happened to arrive a little early! I can't complain, I am one lucky girl! 

Yesterdays weather was absolutely beautiful, so some friends and I made a run south to catch some sun. Byron Bay did not disappoint! I love living so close to so many beautiful beaches! 

After a dip in the ocean and some sun loving, we hit up Miss Margarita for an AMAZING Mexican lunch. If you are ever in Byron, do not miss out on this culinary treat! 

And because it was a Mexican girls lunch, we couldn't leave lunch without a Mojito! 

I have the best group of girlfriends! 

Finally, some wise words for your Friday! 

So that is life lately! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Lou xxx