Overhaul and Winter Favorites.

hey hi hello.
I've decided to rededicate this blog to fashion things.
1. because it's my blog and I can
and
2. because I want to.

In the last few months, I've become absolutely addicted to beauty and fashion blogs. I use The Old Reader for all my blog viewing and it's almost embarrassing how many blogs I follow. Well, it would be embarrassing if I cared. But I don't, because fashion is fun and, let's be honest: I could be addicted to a lot worse things. (at least that's what I tell my mom every time I come home with more makeup or clothes).
So, long story short: I'm revamping this blog. Into a solely fashion blog. Sticking with the name, but redoing ... everything else. Figuring out how to get a better layout on blogger is going to be interesting, but I've made up my mind as of 5 minutes ago so there.

 Winter Favorites

In Clothes:

I am so digging the whole giant sweater trend that's happening. I hope it never leaves. Ever. Giant sweaters are cute, comfy, warm, and COMFORTABLE. I am so tired of body-con being a thing. Not all of us are stick thin and can pull off skintight everything, thank you very much. H&M has been killing it with their sweaters - both with price and variety.

In Shoes:

BOOTS! Oh God, the boots. Winter really is my favorite time of the year fashion-wise - you get to layer up and look cute. My most worn boots are a pair of brown, lace-up ankle boots I stole from my mom. They're mega comfortable and adorable and waterproof so I can (and have) done some hiking in them. The other pair I've been in love with are these black heeled ankle boots from H&M. Because the heel is so thick, they're easy to walk in and are surprisingly comfortable.

In Beauty:

#1 in my favorites for this winter is Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette. Rosy colors galore, they're heavily pigmented, easy to blend, and the fallout is minimal. It's pricey, but I think it's defo worth the 52$.
In lipsticks, I'm still (as always) in love with my Mac Russian Red lipstick. But, because it's winter and darker colors and plums are in I've branched out a bit and my other go-to's have been: Mac's Diva, Mac's Plumful, Mica's Tinted Lip Balm in Fiesta, and Revlon's Lip Butter in Red Velvet.

In Skincare:

This is the first time in my life that my skin has gotten dry. It's exciting, because my skin has been much clearer, but really sucky because finding a moisturizer that doesn't make me break out has been a trial. I've been loving Lush's Celestial, though. It absorbs quickly and leaves my face feeling clean and not sticky and hasn't caused any breakouts. I've also fallen in love with Yes To Grapefruit Facial Towelettes - they get all of my makeup off, smell lovely and don't leave any residue on my face. And I've finally found a exfoliator that I'm pleased with: Soap and Glory's Scrub of Your Life. It cleans my face without leaving it raw, and my skin always feels soft after use. It's a bit drying, but not enough for me to start looking for something different.

In Haircare:

I have found my Holy Grail of shampoos. It doesn't strip my hair of all it's oils, so I'm having to wash it about half as much, it has made my hair the healthiest it's been since I started bleaching it (to the point that the girl who dyes my hair made a comment), and I LOVE how it smells. So far, I'm the only one that does love how it smells. I think it smells like cola, but no one else does. Whatever. I love it. That shampoo is Lush's Cynthia Sylvia Stout. I've also started using the It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. It has realllllly helped tame my mane and has kept the frizz down to a minimum. And my last hair product is my Tangle Teezer - it isn't damaging for wet hair and makes my hair feel so smooth when I brush it in the morning.

What are your winter must-haves?

Have a great day!
xx Kate

On Lush

So, it's been a while.
But we're not gonna talk about that right now. Right now, we're gonna talk about Lush.
I am 100% a Lush-a-holic. I want to buy all the things. The ladies at my local store know who I am. I know who they are. I'm pretty sure it's true love.
Reasons why I love Lush:

1. Their products do what they say they'll do. 
2. They recycle their pots (and will give you a free face mask if you bring in 5 empties) and are big on keeping everything cruelty free, and on using fresh and healthy ingredients. 
3. The people that work there are encouraged to try all of the stuff out, so they can help you find what will work best for your skin/hair.
4. Their bath bombs. 

Now, sadly, Lush is ... a tad more expensive in the States than in New Zealand (which is definitely a first) and the closest one to me is about a 30 minute drive, so I'm going to have to wean myself off of their products and stick to a few favorites.
These are those favorites.

 For Moisturizer: Celestial

I was always scared of moisturizer, because I assumed it was only for people with dry skin. WRONG! This moisturizer has calmed my skin down so much and has lasted me a year so far. It's light, sinks in quickly and smells great.

For Lips: Mint Julips Lip Scrub 

 While I was in New Zealand, I realized the reason I never liked the look of lipstick was because my lips weren't smooth. And no amount of super moisture rich chap stick could make them look nice. THEN! I discovered Mint Julips and glory be, using this once every other week keeps my lips smooth and pretty. Plus, it tastes and smells AMAZING. 

For Teeth: Atomic Toothy Tabs

 This took me a bit to get used to, but I am IN LOVE with this. It's Chai flavored toothpaste that doesn't come in a horribly non-recyclable/non-decomposing/forever in the dump toothpaste tube and it cleans my teeth. Plus, I don't have to be careful about what food or drinks I have for breakfast after brushing my teeth. No nasty flavor combos, just clean chai scented teeth.

For Face Masks: Brazened Honey

Cheating a bit with this one because I only recently bought it, but OH. MY. GOD. This is the smoothest and nicest my skin has felt since ... ever. It smells AMAZING and doesn't leave any residue and I just adore it. I will definitely buy this for as long as it's in stores.

For Face Wash: Ocean Salt

I generally only use this in the shower because it's a bit messy, but it is the best face wash I've ever used. This is probably my 5th pot of Ocean Salt and I will probably continue to use it until I die. The salt in it feels great - I love how clean my face feels after using it. Plus, this shit smells like a margarita.  

On Food in Wellington

(this post comes to because my lovely/beautiful/smart friend Kelsey was nice and suggested it. I'm kind of sort of in a writing rut and needed some blerg post ideas)

For a lot of my time in Wellington, I've been on the mostly not fun side of poor, and haven't been able to really go out and eat in Wellington. The food here is great and varied and ...also kind of expensive. Don't get me wrong, if you look hard enough you can find cheap places, but the food is never as good. But now that I have a worthy of a capitol J Job, I can actually afford to go out and try that one place that I've walked by every day for the last 6 months but have been too low on money to comfortably swing paying 15$ for lunch. Man, is it great. I can treat myself without looking back in regret at those 15$ I no longer have. Why is this post all about money? Stop it, Kate. Talk about food.

Food culture in New Zealand took a bit to get used to. Because 80% of what we eat is imported (be it culturally or actually imported) a lot of it is expensive. I think that's sort of what drives the importance of food in New Zealand.
IT TOOK A LOT TO GET THIS FOOD TO THESE TINY ISLANDS SO YOU WILL CHERISH IT AND APPRECIATE IT AND THAT WILL BE 8$ FOR THAT AVOCADO, PLEASE. (I'm not joking, buying fruit and veg at supermarkets is just STUPID in this country. Luckily there are farmers' markets on the weekends so you just have to stock up then)

Here are some of my favorite foods from the last few months:

Steak and Chips at The Fisherman's Table

 Ham, Avocado and Brie sandwich and a lemon bitters cake from Arobake

 Butter Chicken and Naan from Mughlai Indian Takeaways

 Mini-Carrot Cake and Mini-Red Velvet Cake from Arobake

Palmiers and Brioche from Le Moulin Bakery

 Peanut Piston Burger and Kumara (sweet potato) Chips from Burger Fuel

Scorch-O-Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong at Scorch-O-Rama

Man, am I gonna miss New Zealand food. 

On Being Raised With Musicals

I like to think that, amongst a few other things like love and understanding, I was brought up on Ego Waffles and Musicals. And incredibly lucky to have done so. Few people get to grow up with an awesome family like mine. And I'm not just saying that because I know my parents read my blog (hi guys), but the more I see of how my friends grew up the more I know how great I had it. Few people get to grow up in the States and with 2 parents who both had jobs and were open minded and encouraging and big into Family and the arts. Seriously, who could ask for more?

Growing up surrounded my musicals has shaped a lot of my adult life. I've learnt so many life lessons from musicals.

•  Anything can be turned into a song. (all musicals)
• Kissing strangers in the wood is a bad idea. (Into the Woods)
• Any time anyone accidentally says a line from a musical I start singing (much to Kaitlyn's frustration).
• it's better to be loved by a few than liked by many ([Title of Show])
• Just because people sing along with you at meetings doesn't mean they'll be there for you when shit is going down (Les Mis)
• If I can accept that some people are green and some people are little puppets, I can accept any other idiosyncrazies you throw at me. (Wicked and Avenue Q)
• Don't only be friends with couples because life isn't company. (Company)
• Don't let the haters get bring you down (Wicked and [Title of Show])
• Even thought it's easy to get caught up in the act, you don't have to share in everyone else's delusions (A Chorus Line)
• Understanding how important the arts are and accepting that everyone's a little bit different. (again, all musicals)

In college, I got very confused when hardly anyone understood the Musical Theater jokes I was making or why I was constantly breaking into song. Didn't everyone else grow up knowing all the words to songs written by men in the 70s and 80s? No? Cool.  The relationship I have with my family is not a typical one - not only do I love my family, I like them. They're pretty groovy people, and I'm lucky enough to have realized that and try to appreciate them as much as I can.

SAP WARNING AHEAD: A big part of my Growing Up has been the realization that not everyone's parents taught their kids acceptance like mine did. It might've been going to college in Oklahoma, but I was incredibly surprised by the amount of casual racism that seemed to be engrained into the kids in my classes. I grew up knowing that no matter what I did, I would always have 3 people that would love me and care about me. And that it was ok to be different and not to judge anyone else because they were. No amount of poor decision making or weird neurosis would change that. A lot of people I know don't have that and it makes me so incredibly sad that there aren't more parents out there like mine. That's not to say my parents are perfect: my dad makes some terrrrrrrible dad jokes and my mom really likes Lyle Lovett's music. Gross.
I know a lot of people that are afaid to turn into their parents, but I'm really glad that I'm so much like mine.

On Reading (#3)

Round 3 of book reviews:

The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Would Recommend If: you like books, stories about the news, or Terry Pratchett.
I'll admit it: I am addicted to reading discworld books. They're clever and hilarious and I love how the world has developed over the series and ... GAH IT'S JUST SO GREAT. The Truth is no exception - you get a glimpse of a side of Ankh-Morpork that we don't often see (pre-industrial revolution, at least), and a glimpse into what the rest of the city is like outside the University and the City Watch (which will always and forever be my favorite books, with Tiffany Aching and the Moist Von Lipwig coming in distant 2nd and 3rd). Realizing now that this won't make much sense if you haven't read any discworld books. You should read some.

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
Would Recommend If: same as above, except replace news with witches and theater.
I really wasn't kidding, I'm trying to read all of the discworld books. After completely skipping the Witches books first time around, I'm diving in with Wyrd Sisters. Which is basically any Shakespeare play told from the perspective of the witches. Loved this, and loved learning more about Lancre.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
Would Recommend If: you like time travel but don't like science fiction.
To be completely honest, I was disappointed by this book. It had so much promise - but did not deliver. I wish there had been much more time travel things and much less existential crisis things. The main character is a Time Travel Technician. HOW COOL IS THAT? But we barely see him do his job before he loses his mind and we're forced to go with him. I barely made it all the way though this book.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
Would Recommend If: you liked the Mortal Instruments series? I don't know. Maybe if you kinda liked Twilight but didn't really?
I don't know why I keep on subjecting myself to poorly executed YA paranormal romance series, but I do. The idea for this book was AWESOME: magic that turns you good or evil on your 16th birthday and all of it set in the deep south. And this book stays nicely away from a lot of YA romance tropes: has a male narrator, no love triangle, everything isn't magically 100% OK at the end of the book. But ... I don't know what it was that made me so frustrated with this book. It might've been the pacing or the fact that it is verrrry obvious that whoever wrote the book has never lived in the south and doesn't know a whole lot about how people talk/act. I bought the 2nd in the series, so I'll probably try reading it, but I really don't have much hope for it.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
Would Recommend If: I have no idea, really. This book is not something I'd normally read, so I don't have a whole lot to compare it with.
This book was really interesting and a bit out of my comfort zone. I don't normally read World War II mysteries, but my mom enjoyed it and suggested I read it, so I did. I liked the structure of the book and I liked where she took it - not where I thought it was going to go, but a more realistic idea of what happened to people who lived in London during the Blitz. War torn London has always been fascinating to me and this book has re-piqued my interest. I'll definitely be reading more of this sort of book, and I'd probably pick up another book by Morton.

On Rain

Ah, Wellington. Windy Welly, Wet Welly, Winter Welly.
If the last few weeks can tell me anything is that any and all nicknames that Wellington has are well-earned. We hardly saw the sun last week (17-23rd June) and had one of the worst storms the country has seen in 40 years. I don't know if the country's just showing off for Kaitlyn and I (since we've been here we've had: the hottest and driest summer in 60 years, the worst storm in 40 years, etc) but I don't really apprecaite it, to be honest. I don't want to get blown away when I'm walking home from work. And it's not so much that I mind the rain, but rain for 3 weeks straight is ... not fun. And it isn't even real rain. It's more like someone constantly blowing raspberries right into your face.
 But there's not a lot I can do other that bundle up and try to make the best out of the crappy weather: make lots of warm, hearty food and take lots of pictures of the trees outside our kitchen window.