Rest in Peace, Nelson Mandela.

To one of the greatest men who ever walked this earth. To a man who was compassionate, strong and inspiring. A genuinely good man, who sought after the most honorable of dreams - a world of equality and justice for all. A man who never stopped believing in this dream, and spoke of the prospects of a better world for all his years.

Words cannot express the sorrow and heartache that many feel, knowing of your passing. You changed this world, and the lives of so many I know. I remember seeing the prison cell that held you for 27 years, and not being able to fathom how someone could emerge from that miscarriage of justice not bitter - but empowered. You were South Africa's hope for redemption. Our hope that one day we may all be perceived not by the color of our skin, but seen as equals. I truly believe that my family would not be living in Australia if it weren't for your great passion, and your great rule of a land locked in disparity.

One is not able to walk the earth forever. But your words, dreams and influence will forever inspire generations to come.

Rest in peace, Nelson Mandela.

1918-2013.

OOTD: Spring Racing Carnival 2013

Shoes: Jo Mercer (here)

Dress: Gingham & Heels (here)

The Spring Racing Carnival was on recently. I went to the Caulfield Cup with a few friends from work, and despite the intense heat and the pain my feet were in, it was a good day. I bought these Joanne Mercer heels for the occasion, plus the dress from a boutique. The fascinator was from Target because I'm never going to wear it again. When I was leaving the house, my sister greeted me with a lovely 'I like the dead crow on your head.' Lovely.

Also! These shoes are called 'Hermione!' I didn't know that till just now. Argghh!

Blah blah blogging

Oh my goodness, what a year it's been. First year of Masters, and we finally finished semester, which is a massive relief. Results come out soon, but um, let's just ignore that fact and allow me to live in ignorant bliss for now.

I spent the whole day redesigning this blog and tweaking the layout and I'm finally pleased with it. I'm really keen to get back into blogging regularly and properly and I think the pretty layout will help to increase motivation, haha.

Below the photo on the right, there are several links to social media sites that I have profiles on. (Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr). Let's do this!

Lipstick Collection

1. Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in '04'

2. MAC Amplified in 'Dark Side'

3. Revlon Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick in 'Raspberry Bite'

4. MAC Matte in 'Viva Glam I'

5. Revlon Color Burst Lipstick in 'Raspberry'

6. Covergirl 'Really Red'

7. Revlon Color Burst Lipstick in 'Cherry Ice'

Anyway, off to uni now for a one hour lecture (ugh!) and then some hardcore study time! It's the last week of semester so I'm so excited but first I've gotta get through three more assignments...

Purchased: Market HQ - MOTEL Jodie Trousers

Motel Rocks 'Jodie' Trousers from Market HQ ($104 - $59)

I bought these pants recently from Market HQ online, and the doorbell ringing at 8am was worth it when I saw the package contained these babies! Market HQ stocks some amazing brands; Minkpink, Somedays Lovin', Bless'd Are The Meek, Finders Keepers, Evil Twin and Motel to name a few. It usually takes just under a week to get to me, which is great, and the packaging is always really cute. If you ordered this week, you got a copy of Famous magazine so I've got my supply of trashy gossip ready for those late nights. 

The website states that the model is wearing a size small, but only the extra small, medium and larges were in stock. I took a chance and ordered the xs, and when it arrived, it looked super small. I feared the worst, but luckily the material is amazingly stretchy and it fit alright! Little big snug on the waist, but it's such a cute item. It's also extremely high waisted, I'm berry pleased! I wore it today going strawberry picking with a long black pocket t-shirt from Sportsgirl and a pair of classic black Vans. 

Swatches: China Glaze 'Flip Flop Fantasy'

Hello to anyone who might be reading this! Today I decided to use one of my all time favourite nail polish colours, China Glaze's 'Flip Flop Fantasy.' I bought this polish from eBay, and it shipped in like two weeks from the USA, which I was so pleased about. I hardly ever use it though, because even though pictures may be deceiving - this colour is seriously blindingly bright. FFF is a neon orangey pink colour, and it absolutely pops, in sunlight, shade and even in the dark. No exaggeration. 

Because I hadn't used this polish in about 6 months, it required a good shaking to re-thicken the formula. It still took about three coats though. Even though the formula is kind of thick, it dries matte and so can look quite streaky, and so I kept layering until most of the streaks were covered. This is the only China Glaze polish I own, is this typical of their formulas? Even though I like matte polish, I used a clear top coat purely out of routine and I love quick dry top coats.. Laziness shining through.

Sunday Summary: August 26th, 2012

01. The good feeling you get when you over-prepare for something and then find out that the requirements are much less than you imagined. Spent the good first part of the week stressing about this presentation I had to give to my tutor, but it ended up going for approximately five minutes and she did most of the talking! Ancient history is so fascinating, but I must say, I find it so difficult to write essays about it.

02. Visiting the travel agency this week sucked another $481 dollars out of my sorry-looking bank account. I'm starting to get pretty excited though! So much organisation to do, and I still have to book accommodation for one city, but USA, here I come!

03. My friend from work is in a band called The Latonas, and a few of us went to their single launch last night. After a LOT of driving and going the wrong way down a one way road (disaster), we got into the venue and I ended up having a pretty awesome night. Their music is exactly the kind I'm into, and I'm not even being biased!

Swatches: Models Own Hedonist

After getting increasingly jealous and envious of every blogger with Models Own nail polish, I caved in and ordered some of my own. They arrived yesterday, it took just under two weeks and I am so in love! So prettily packaged, and let's face it, the sheets of bubble wrap just made it even more fun. It did cost me around $50 for six (including postage) but my tax return came back so I allowed myself a little splurge...

The first colour I painted my nails with was Hedonist. I painted my nails late at night, and the colour looked bright but still pretty muted. Okay, let's just say I got a massive shock when I woke up this morning and went outside in the sunlight. This colour is BRIGHT. Think fluorescent/neon coral/orange. To be honest, pictures don't even come close to how eye-poppingly amazing this colour is! It took about three coats, as it was pretty streaky, but also quite thick and gluggy. The finish is matte, so I put on a clear top coat and was good to go! 

Also side note: the postman complimented me on the colour this morning. That was a surprise!