What I Should Have Packed - Part Two

When I left to travel the world I packed a big bag and as it turns out I packed it badly. In fact I packed so badly that I had to write two whole posts about it. If you would like to read the first part (which I suggest you do) then click right here. This time I'm talking more about the clothing items I wish I'd brought...

1. Warm things: Turns out, Australia isn't always hot...who knew! I came away with two very thin and very casual jumpers. I didn't bring any hoodies or nicer jumpers and I didn't bring any blazers or jackets for evenings out. Melbourne has very mixed weather and there have been times when I've just been plain cold! 
2.  Nice tops: I brought t-shirts and then last minute one nice topshop cami (and thank God I packed I did because I've barely taken it off) In general I'm not a t-shirt girl so I don't really know why that's all I brought. I think I thought I would forever be on the beach....I actually live in a city with mixed weather.
3. Shoes: I obviously fetched some shoes but it was minimal. The one pair I wish I had are my Topshop boots, unfortunately these are rather chunky and would have been too big to pack but there have been multiple times that I've wished I had them with me. 

4. Leggings:

I'm actually not a massive wearer of leggings usually but I keep thinking how much I wish I had a pair with me to go underneath things. I have a really nice pair of wet looks that I wish I had too. These would have been so easy to bring with me and would have been a little bit warmer than all the pairs of shorts I have with me. At least leggings are usually cheap to buy so I can always pick some up. 

So there we go...I have actually done a little bit of shopping recently and filmed a haul about it which you can watch here. There's still a few things that I'd like but I'd rather spend my money on more travelling and fun things so I don't know if I'll end up buying anything else. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Make sure to follow me to see more! 

What I should have packed - Part one

When I was planning my big trip what to pack was quite a difficult decision. I had done some research but as it turns out it definitely wasn't enough as there are so many things that I wish I had brought with me. I think I assumed Australia was a constantly warm and laid back beach party....it isn't! I am a few months in to big city life in Melbourne and there are some things packed away in my English home that I really wish I'd thought to bring with me. In fact so many that I have decided to divide this post in two. These are all the beauty bits I wish I had brought......ps yes I'm hoping that my mum reads this and decides to send some of them over!
1. A tried and tested cleanser:  Hey Robyn, remember when you gave away all of your spare products and decided to buy and pack a brand new cleanser that you'd never even tried...not your best idea was it? Me and the Bliss fabulous foaming face wash didn't get on..to be honest I don't know what made me think we would. It irritated my skin and didn't remove my makeup well leaving me looking like a red, pimply mess. Unfortunately by the time I realised this I wasn't in the position to buy a another cleanser until I accidentally (genuine accident) left this one in the showers whilst camping. I would have been much better bringing my Elemis balancing lime blossom cleanser which I knew I loved, I would however have been devastated if I'd left that in the showers.   
2. The Urban Decay naked palette.  Why I decided to leave this at home I'll never know, broadcasting the fact that I left it at home means that it's only a matter of time until my sister decided to "borrow" it. I even remember leaving this out after packing all my other makeup away and then still deciding to leave it at home. I used it every single day and somehow thought that I wouldn't use it whilst I was travelling. It's not ever big and would have been easy to take away with me. I am a fool and that's all there is to it!
3. Make up brushes. I fetched about 4, 2 face and 2 eyes. Face wise I'm happy but 2 wasn't enough eye brushes. I actually managed to leave some of the ones I used the most. This was probably because I only brought 2 cream shadow posts with me,  another mistake. 
4. Perfume. I fetched one half used sample sized perfume....it lasted about a week. I know a lot of perfumes can be bulky but I had a set of benefit minis which would have been really easy to take with me. I used them all the time at home and they would have been perfect for bringing away but no...again, fool!
5. Hair appliances. I didn't bring any of these. To be far they're big so it made sense not to bring any. Plus, I had a vision of returning with amazing, long and healthy hair...this wasn't happening, I was just a frizz bomb. I have since bought a hair dryer and a tiny pair of straighteners, I picked them both up for really cheap and now I can actually style my hair before nights out rather than going for the unintentional wet pony tail look. I would quite like some curlers but that will only happen if they're super cheap...Target has been home to every other cheap yet brilliant purchase so far so I'm hoping. 
So there we go. I realise I'm being a little bit dramatic and I am obviously managing just fine without my hair curlers but sometimes you just miss your home comforts. As I mentioned at the start, there will be a second part to this post which will be all about clothes I wish I'd brought....it's likely to be just as dramatic. 

10 things I love about Melbourne

I've been in Melbourne for a few months now and I'm planning on staying for a while longer while we make plans and try our best to save (that parts easier said than done). It's one of the coolest places I've ever visited and I thought I would share some of my favourite things about the city with you.

1. The view from my room. 

Living on the 50th floor of a building right in the middle of the city definitely has it's perks and the view from my balcony is definitely one of them. You can see for miles and miles and it's incredible. Almost worth feeling dizzy from the journey in the lift.

2. Queen Victoria Market
Queen Victoria market is just down the road from where I'm staying. It is absolutely huge and is full of incredible food as well as clothes and trinkets. We've been buying all our fruit and veg from here as it's cheaper than the super markets, you can also buy some really delicious treats for lunches. 

3. The graffiti walls

Melbourne is full of amazing graffiti. There are streets that are dedicated to graffiti where you can watch the artists work. I think it must be legal here because it is so common. I'm sure if I was more creative I could do an amazing look book around here....only time will tell. 

4. The cat cafe

I've written a whole post about this place but I thought it was worth mentioning again. I've only been twice but it's nice to know it's there for when I'm really missing my own little balls of fluff at home. The cats that live here seem so happy and it's really lovely to see. 

5. Trams

Trams are just cool. Ignoring the fact that I can't work the time table and ended up going miles in the wrong direction the other night (alcohol may been involved), they are cool. 

6. The cafes

Melbourne cafe culture is a big deal and for that I am grateful, I have strong feelings for cake. Every little suburb has some of the most beautiful cafes I've ever seen, some of the best ones are hidden away down little side streets. 

7. The food

Maybe it's because I've never lived in a big city before but I have never been somewhere where you can get every type of cuisine under the sun. I live right in the centre of the city so it's all on my door step. You can be as healthy or as naughty as you like and it's all really reasonably priced which makes being a poor backpacker a little bit easier. 

8. Bikes

Bikes are a big deal here and I have a bit of a thing for them. I'd probably be too much a scaredy cat to ever ride one but I think they're gorgeous. Vespers and Harleys seem to be the big thing as well as lots of beautiful push bikes and quite frankly I want them all. 

9. The parks

I've written a full post about my time at the Botanical gardens but there's lots of other beautiful parks here too. Melbourne's very mixed weather (it's honestly crazier than England) means that plants grow really well here. You only have to wonder a few miles in any direction to find a little patch of paradise to wonder around. 

10. The river

The Yarra river is the centre of the city and it's pretty spectacular. I think walking down by the river in the evening is great. Street performers, amazing restaurants and lots of people watching, life is always good by a river. 

So that sums up my favourite parts of Melbourne so far. I still have a some time left here so I'm sure I'll discover even more great things about the city. I have to say that the people I've been spending my time here with have been a huge part of what's made it so special, you're all super cool people!