New Years Resolutions: 2017

So 2016 has come to an end. I know this year hasn't been the best in a lot of ways but personally I have had a very good one. I've visited some amazing places and met lots of incredible people along the way and now I'm finishing the year in Aukland New Zealand with another year of adventures to follow.
 What better way to start a new year than with some new goals? I'm not gonna lie, last year I was terrible and hardly got through any of the goals I'd set myself but I'm not gonna dwell on that too much, I've still had a cracking year (I've been watching a lot of Gavin and Stacey lately and think I've picked up the lingo). I'm going to try much harder this year to make sure I do the things I've set out to and have thought of 5 main goals for 2017 to make sure it's a good one. 
1. Explore as much of New Zealand as possible:
While we were in Australia we travelled around a little bit and did manage to see some amazing places but that country is so big it's almost a little bit intimidating and trying to see it all seemed like an impossible task. New Zealand seems a little more do-able and I really hope to be able to explore both Islands this year. We are currently in the North Island and have managed to do a few little road trips so far. I'm hoping in the new year we will be able to go a little further and then work our way down to the south island later in the year. From what I've seen so far New Zealand is incredibly  beautiful and I can't wait to see more. 
2. Do an obstacle race:
A couple of years ago I set out to do the same thing at home and ended up doing Total Warrior. I ended up doing it by myself and being pretty slow to get over the finish line. I still really enjoyed it and was really proud of myself for getting through it but would love to do another with a group and hopefully do it a bit faster. This means I will also be working on getting a bit fitter as I have let myself go since my last Fitness Friday post.
3. Visit a South Pacific Island:
This has been on my radar for a while now. Why wouldn't I want to go and hang out in paradise for a week. Ideally I'd love to go to all of them but due to the fact I am not super wealthy I will settle for one. Every person I have met from the South Pacific so far has been really friendly and I would love to go and experience that culture. 
4. Spend more time in the water:
I'm ashamed to say it but in a whole year in Australia I went in the sea a grand total of once! The sea usually makes me squirm, I hate sea weed touching my feet and standing on rocks and shells just hurts. Throw in the threat of killer jelly fish and shark attacks and it loses all of it's appeal! I have already been for a paddle in the sea here and it was much nicer. I did't feel any sea weed touching me and the water was really clear, plus I'm told that shark attacks here are very rare! I am definitely planning on swimming in the sea more plus I really want to have a go at surfing, paddle boarding and kayaking. I've always loved water sports when I've done them before and can't wait to spend more time doing them in the beautiful New Zealand sea. 
5. Read and watch LOTR and visit the sets:
This one is mostly for my Lord of the Rings loving boyfriend. He's a bit of a super fan and has recently got a tattoo showing his dedication. I have seen all of the films before but was quite young when they came out and found them really hard to follow after they left the shire. However I loved the Hobbit films and the book so now I want to give the LOTR  another go. They filmed everything here in New Zealand so it would be amazing to go and see all of the sets and locations. Even if you're not a massive fan of the films there's no denying that they're stunning! The shire and Rivendell are definitely what I'm most looking forward to. 
So there we have it. I will definitely be documenting my year on here and on my youtube channel so make sure you're following along to see if I keep my word. I know that these are more goals for the year rather than resolutions but I don't believe in those so much. Let me know any goals and resolutions you have for this year. 
Have an amazing New Years, let's make 2017 a great one! 

12 days of Christmas day 11: Christmas make up look

"On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...eleven pipers piping"  It's Christmas eve guys! Hands up if you're excited!!! To celebrate I wanted to show you the makeup look I will be wearing for the big day. I'm planing on having a pretty chilled "friendmas" that will hopefully involve eating my body weight in rocky road and vegan cheese but I still wanted my makeup to be a little bit special.  Disclaimer: As far as I know everything used is vegan but if I'm wrong please let me know :) 

The skin: 

-dermalogica phyto-replenish oil

-elf maximum coverage concealer

-nyx concealer 

The cheeks:

-sleek contour palette (heavy on the highlight of course)

The eyes:

-elf shadow lock eyelid primer in gold

-elf beautiful browns palette

-elf black mascara

-elf black eye liner

The lips:

-elf lipstick in posh 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Let me know if you recreate this look. Now get your stockings hung up ready for tomorrow and I will see you over on my youtube channel for a special Christmas day video! 

Twelve days of Christmas day 9: Festive nails

"On the ninth day of Christmas my true live gave to me....nine ladies dancing" I decided to have a go at some Christmassy nails for today's post. I know most people reach for the reds and golds at Christmas time but I decided to go for something a little bit different and have actually come up with some thing a little bit more Frozen inspired.  Disclaimer: As far as I know everything used is vegan but please let me know if I'm wrong.

How to:

-I used a clear polish from Topshop as a base coat

-I painted both hands with two thin coats of Topshop nails in a pale blue (the names rubbed off my bottle and I can't find the dame, sorry!) and left to dry

-I then used the pritti princess polish in Aladdin's diamonds to create a gradient from my cuticle to the tip of my nail. I found it easiest to place a blob by the cuticle, wipe the brush clean and then drag down lightly.

-Once this has dried, repeat.

-Apply a second coat of the clear polish all over the nail to even everything out and protect the polish. 

This is a really simple design that I think looks really effective. you could definitely try this with lots of different colour combinations too. Let me know if you try these out.

12 days of Christmas day 7: Vegan Christmas Biscuits

"On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Seven swans a swimming"  I love to bake year round but especially in the festive season because I feel like eating your body weight in cake is acceptable at this time of year. I wanted to create some vegan Christmas biscuits to nibble on throughout December. I use a Betty Crocker recipe as inspiration and tweaked it slightly.  Ingredients:  - 2 1/2 cups of plain flour -1 cup of vegan butter -1/4 cup of almond milk -1 1/2 cups of caster sugar -1 cap of orange essence -icing and sprinkles to decorate (or anything you like)  Directions:  -pre-heat oven to 180 degrees -cover two baking trays with baking parchment -cream sugar and vegan butter in a bowl -alternate adding flour and almond milk a little at a time, mixing as you go -add a little orange essence and mix (you could use peppermint if you prefer) -sprinkle flour on to surface and roll out dough -use Christmas cutters to create biscuits and pop them on the baking trays making sure to leave space between them -bake for 10-15 minutes making sure to check on them -leave to cool on a wire wrack for 10 minutes  -ice and decorate in any festive way you like  I can confirm that these are delicious and I haven't stopped eating them since I last made them! Let me know if you give these a go, I suggest you do! 

Twelve days of Christmas day 5: Vegan rocky road

"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....five gold rings" I have another festive treat for you today. This one is definitely inspired by Steven's mum, Hilary, who always makes the most amazing rocky road at Christmas. As we're on the other side of the world this year I have had a go at recreating it, only I've made it vegan. 

Ingredients: 

-300g of vegan chocolate (I used Sweet William)

-1 loaded tbs of vegan butter

-a good blob of golden syrup (precise I know)

-100g of marshmallows

-75g of glace cherries

-75g of pistachios 

Instructions:

-line a small but deep baking tray with baking parchment

-melt chocolate in a bowl with the vegan butter and golden syrup

-add cherries, marshmallows and pistachios and mix until everything is coated in the chocolate

-pour into the baking tray and pat the mixture down so that it's even.

-refrigerate for a couple of hours so that it sets

-slice into pieces and sprinkle on some icing sugar or any other decorations you like 

I was really pleased with how these turned out and was surprised how easy and quick they were to make. I have actually popped these in the freezer ready for Christmas but made sure to try one first and they are delicious. I can't wait to share them with every body on Christmas day. Let me know if you try these out at home. 

12 days of Christmas day 1: Tips for having Christmas abroad

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a partridge in a pear tree"  This post is the start of my 12 Days Of Christmas series. This will be alternating between my blog and youtube channel and is going to take us all the way up to the big day!  This Christmas is my second living abroad. Last Christmas felt very strange and I was actually pleased when it was all over. This year I am feeling way more festive and I'm definitely going full festive cheer! I thought I would share some tips on how to have the best Christmas away from home.  1. Affordable Christmas decorations:  When you're travelling, the last thing you want to do is spend money you don't have on lots of fancy Christmas decorations but I do like to add a little bit of Christmas spirit in to my surroundings. This year I raded K Mart's Christmas section and found a few items to brighten my room on the cheap. A Christmas tree ornament, fairy lights and a festive candle and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  2. Embrace the changes:  I learnt last year that trying to recreate you're usual Christmas doesn't work and you can end up feeling a little down about the whole thing. I think the best thing to do is really experience Christmas the way the country your visiting does. This way you don't feel like your missing out an anything and you get a whole new experience. 3. Avoid Christmas specials: This doesn't necessarily apply to everyone but I remember feeling really sad last year while watching very British Christmas specials such as the Vicar of Dibley and Downton Abbey. I think I will be giving them a go again this year as I'm feeling much more settled in general but I would give them a miss if your feeling a little bit home sick.  4. Be with friends: This speaks for itself. Surround yourself with people you care about. No one wants to be alone on Christmas. If you happen to be in a new place where you don't know any people yet then what a perfect day to get mingling. Tis the season and I'm sure you will find a group of people happy to share the festivities with you. 5. Keep in touch with home (sort of):  We all want our loved ones to know we're thinking about them over Christmas and vice versa but when that turns in to 6 separate Skype chats mixed with a 13 hour time difference you can pretty much say good bye to Christmas day. I would recommend splitting them up over a few days so you can still chat with everyone without it being such a military operation. They all have plans for Christmas day too so it works out better for every body. You can send any cards and gifts you have well in advance so they still get a little something from you on Christmas day any way.  So there we have it. This may not be relevant to every one but I hope it can help some of you out. Make sure to keep following my 12 days of Christmas. I have lots of exciting things coming your way so make sure to follow along. See you over on my youtube channel tomorrow for day 2. 

Fitness Friday: Back to it

I know,  I know, I'm as shocked as you are to see a Fitness Friday post. It has indeed been a while but after several months of eating whatever I like and spending far too much time sitting on my bum, I have started looking after myself again. 
I had planned on joining a gym in Melbourne but always found excuses not to so when we moved to Brisbane I knew that was something I needed to make happen. I was originally looking for yoga groups or dance classes but my boyfriend was told about Venus Women's gym from a friend so I had a little look on the site and got in touch with them. A week later I was in for my induction which just happened to be a pretty intense full body work out doing things my body had never done before. The next couple of days were painful to say the least but I knew I was definitely going to get results here. 
I've never been to an all women's gym before and whilst being in mixed gyms had never been an issue for me before, I think I do feel more comfortable this way. The actual exercise is very different too. There's not a treadmill in sight! Venus work in small group sessions in the morning and evening and they're all targeting different things. I've tried a few different ones so far and I always come away feeling like I've worked my arse off! I've been aiming for 3 sessions a week and a month after I'm already starting to feel stronger and more capable. I've never squatted so much in my life but  keep finding myself standing with my hands on my bum because it's feeling so toned haha!  
I definitely need to organise my week a little better as I've definitely been working some areas more than others but that just a case of planning which is what I am going to focus on this month. I've even been starting to look into obstacle races in Brisbane (eek) I'm not making any promises just yet but I think if I keep doing what I'm doing then I could be getting very muddy in the near future! 
The girls at Venus have been so supportive and encouraging and I already know I'm going to miss it when I move on from Brisbane. This experience has definitely taught me a lot about how I want to exercise from now on and I know that when we make the move to New Zealand in a few months that I will be looking for something very similar. 
That all being said look out for more Fitness Friday posts, I'm a women on a mission for a great bum! 

Going Cruelty Free

I've been a vegetarian for a long time now and a few years ago I decided to stop wearing leather so I don't know why it's taken me so long to realise that it's equally bad ( or worse) to use cosmetics that aren't cruelty free. I'm honestly a bit embarrassed that I didn't realise sooner. Looking on the brighter side, I am 25 years young and have the rest of my life to be cruelty free.

Making this decision hasn't been too easy for me. There's a lot more to consider than you might think and I am still in the transitional period. I had products that were already opened when I made the decision and I decided it made sense to finish those before buying animal friendly replacements. It also wasn't until I noticed cruelty free cleaning products in my house that I realised I would have to consider those as well. It's definitely a learning curve but I'm starting to get the hang of it now and for me it's definitely worth it. 

If you've read all this and are feeling frustrated because I haven't actually explained what being cruelty free means, then I apologise for my poor blogging skills, sorry. To me, being cruelty free  simply means using products that do not test on animals and that don't use animal derived products. I've started to find some good brands that match this criteria and I'll definitely be sharing some of my faves once I've found them.  All in all I'm happy with my decision and I now have an excuse to try out some new goodies! Yippee! 

A little update

Well my little blog it has been a while, I'm very so for neglecting you for so long, how are you? If you've been watching my youtube channel then you'll have some kind of idea of what I've been up to but I thought it was a good idea to put pen to paper (so to speak) and let you know where I am and what I've been up to... We decided to leave Melbourne around a month ago. It's one of the greatest cities I've ever visited and I loved my time there but we were getting a little too comfortable. You can only work for 6 months in one job while on a working holiday visa and as our 6 months were nearly up we decided to have a look into doing our regional work so we could apply for our second year visa (all sounds a bit complicated...and it is) We had some friends who had already moved to a town called Innisfail in Queensland where they were staying at a working hostel who found regional work for you, we made arrangements to do the same but couldn't get in straight away...this led us to Cairns.  We stayed in Cairns for around five days. We stayed just outside the city and I had my first Air bnb experience. We had a room in a really cool house where three guys lived, they were all really nice and they had two lovely dogs, Sally and Rocky, so I had a lovely time. Another couple were staying there as well, they were really friendly and it's always nice to meet fellow travellers.  If I'm honest I didn't love Cairns. I think staying in Melbourne for so long had spoilt me. It was sort of just a big sea side town. There's nothing wrong with that and parts of it were very pretty but I think I may have been bored if I'd stayed much longer. One place that was very special, however, was Palm Cove, this beautiful seaside town was around 30 minutes away from where we were staying and was a very pretty place. We had beautiful weather on this day too and I had a lovely time walking around in the sun! After our time was up in Cairns we made the move to Innisfail. I'm not gonna lie, I was very nervous about what life on a banana farm might be like but I was trying to keep positive. My positivity faded when we hopped off the grey hound and where greeted with a girl called Sam from one of the hostels who was a straight up bitch! She dropped us off at one hostel called Walkabout and told us to wait while she picked everyone up from work. It has such a horrible atmosphere  (very lads on tour) and I felt so over whelmed that I had a little cry. We ended up staying in a 'hotel' called Queens. It was definitely still a hostel, we had a shared room with another couple and a guy. It could have been much worse as they were all really nice and seemed to enjoy the work they'd found. We had friends staying at the third hostel (Retreat) that was owned by the same people  so we hung out there on the evenings, we were hoping to get moved into Retreat because it seemed like such a close group there. It cost $200 each a week to stay at the hostels, this was for accommodation as well as finding work and transport to and from work. It turned out that most girls were waiting 2-3 weeks and were only getting a couple of days work and the boys could only get humping jobs (yes if you picked bananas you were a banana humper, unfortunate I know). Steven did a couple of days humping and found it very hard, I've never seen a muddier person come through the door at the end of the day!  After a stressful few days we decided against farming. Financially it wasn't going to work out for us and as we had only ever intended to use a few months of our second year visa we didn't feel like it was going to be worth it for us. I hope this doesn't make it sound like we gave up. If we had both been able to find full time jobs straight away and were able to save money like we'd planned then I'm sure we'd still be there. As it turned out it was probably going to cost us money for a pretty miserable time that wasn't as essential to us as we first thought. I definitely take my hat off to any one that manages to stick it out and I'm sure I'll be jealous when you're all still loving life in Australia while I've moved on. This brings us to now. We are currently in Brisbane and this is where we are planning to be for the rest of our visa. We really landed on our feet coming here. After a couple of days in a hostel we managed to find ourselves a room in a house with some really lovely people. I managed to get a job at another franchise of the spa I'd worked at in Melbourne and Steven also started work straight away. Not gonna lie it was a good feeling and immediately felt happy with my decision to move here.  As for future plans, turns out you can get a three month tourist visa for Australia for absolutely free so anything we don't have time to do on our current visa we can do then. We also have plans to spend some time working and exploring New Zealand and I plan on having an amazing time in Asia before heading home. All in all a very exciting year ahead and I can't wait. I always knew we'd make some mistakes whilst travelling and I'm lucky that they've been small so far. It's all about bouncing back and making the most of this experience.  Bring it on!  

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!