It's a wee bit late but...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
And Happy Boxing Day! Hahaha!
Hope you've all had an amazing one with your loved ones, I know I sure did. :)
Much love to you all!
oxo

The A to Z of me!

Saw some other bloggers doing this and thought I would join in on the fun!!

A -Age – 24.. eeek! That sounds so old. I won't lie to you, the fact that I'll be 25 next year freaks me out a little. :P

B - Best holiday – Probably the trip up north I took with my family when I was 7. It started a tradition - we go there every year! And now we even own a section there. Eeeee! :D

C - Chores you hate – Scrubbing the shower, the fumes from the cleaner always gives me a headache! I really need a natural alternative that actually works.

D - Dogs – 3! Saprana who is a boxer cross, and 2 Swedish Valhunds; Quileute and Chinook.

E - Essential Start to Your Day- Breakfast!! Dad always told me that it's the most important meal of the day - I actually can't survive without it.

F - Favourite colour – Purple and turquoise, but black is my favourite colour to wear!

G - Gold or silver – Silver. I feel like it just suits my skintone more. But I do have some gold jewellery that I adore. :P

H - Height – I'm short as! Barely 5 ft 4. I'm the shortest in my family and I have to say I don't like it! I'd love to be taller!!

I - Instruments you play – I kinda play the guitar.. or I used to atleast. I have an acoustic and an electric that both sit around being neglected. :(

J - Job title – Pharmacy Assistant. That sounds a bit flasher than "Shop girl" doesn't it? Hahaha. I also do my freelancing on the side (when I have the time!). I love my job though, my co-workers are amazing and have all become good friends of mine.

K-Kids- One day! I have to find the right man first, hahaha.

L - Live – New Zealand! Lived here all my life, and don't really intend to live anywhere else. I would however like to move out of Auckland - I'm really not a city girl at heart.

M - Mother's name – Lisa. I love my Mummy! <3

N - Nickname – Diddle and Kittykai are the most popular ones, but I have many.

O - Overnight hospital stays – Haven't had any! I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance once for my allergies, but didn't have to stay overnight.

P - Pet Peeves – People who smell bad. Ugh. It seriously makes me want to throw up. :P

Q - Quote from a film- "I'm gonna take a pillowcase, fill it full of bars of soap and beat the shit out of you!" Step Brothers. Seriously one of my favourite movies of all time. :P

R - Right or left handed – Right handed.

S - Siblings – Camille, my awesome sister! She's my best bud and I love her muchly.

T - Time you wake up – 6am-ish.

U - Underwear – What kind of lady do you take me for? Hahaha.

V - Vegetable you hate – Corn. Ew.

W - What makes you run late – I'm one of those people who leaves everything until the last minute, so when it's time to go, I'm still running around trying to find my watch/keys/bag etc.

X - X-rays you've had – Arm, ankle, teeth, sinuses. The sinus scan thingy freaked me out so much. Didn't really realise I got claustrophobic until then. Hahaha.

Y - Yummy food you make – Cookies, muffins, cakes... I'm a better baker than I am cook. :P

Z - Zoo animal – Tigers and turtles. And phoenixes. >_>

Well that was fun, I wanna know more about you guys too so.. TAG! You're it!
oxo

Mail of the week! 9 - 15 November

I ordered the first two books from the "Symply Too Good To Be True" series from Trademe the other day, and they've arrived already! Keen to try out these recipes as soon as possible.


Seeds from Yates!
Wasn't expecting these to show up in my letterbox... not entirely sure how I got them. I know I'm a part of the Yates club so maybe I received them as part of that.
Anyway, we will definitely be planting these in our vege garden.. or atleast, my sister will be since my allergies have been playing up again. Haha!


Also wasn't expecting this little pack! Back in September, it was Cervical Cancer Screening Awareness month, and to celebrate this they were running a promotion where they gave away little gifts like this! I was lucky enough to get one of these, which includes:

• Carefree Actifresh Oxygen Liners
• Stayfree Ultra Thin Regular Pads
• Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub
• Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

All in a cute little pink and white polka dot bag!

Can't wait to see what next week brings!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Fave Five!

It's getting warmer and warmer every day! Ahhh, I can't wait til Summer.

1. Lush Soap
   
   
   Why has it taken me so long to discover these? My favourite scent at the moment is Angel's Delight. It's one of their christmas soaps, and I think I might have to stock up on it. :P
   
   
2. LMFAO - Sexy and I know it
   
   
   
   I actually can't stop singing this song. It's stuck in my head 24/7. So funny!
   
   
3. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel eyeliner
   
   
   Got this for my birthday and am really enjoying using it. The brush that came with it is actually really good too, which was a pleasant surprise! I think I prefer Bobbi Brown gel eyeliners to MAC Fluidlines.. just seem better quality.
   
   
4. My pandora!
   
   
   Just started wearing it again.. I really love it. Pretty much all the charms on it have been bought by my family - for birthdays and christmases, and I think it's one of the prettiest pieces of jewellery I own.
   
   
5. Living Nature Skincare
   
   
   I might actually do a review on this. This was another birthday present that my parents bought me from the Living Nature shop up in Kerikeri. I think the whole lot cost around $50, and I have to say that I think it was worth every cent! My skin feels awesome.
   

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

NOTD: Nudey Rose

This is most definitely my favourite Konad stamp. I can't help but love the way it looks with everything, it's so pretty! It also livens up an otherwise boring nail polish, haha.



The base colour I used is Revlon Peach Smoothie. It was the first time I'd actually used this, and it was a bit of a disappointment. I could not get it to apply smoothly - it went on streaky, and what's worse is that it smelt disgusting... I should've known that scented nail polish wasn't a good idea.
On the plus side, the colour is quite nice and summery and you can't really notice how streaky it is when you Konad on top of it.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Mail of the week! 1 - 8 November

I know other bloggers post their Mail Of The Week, so I thought I might start doing this too! Because opening packages is ridiculously fun xD

I love MegsMakeup! I got this package when I redeemed 250 points, pretty exciting huh?
Closer look at the Napoleon products:

Thought you might like to see a couple of swatches.
Urban Decay Tinted Moisturiser - not rubbed in:

And this is how it looks when it is rubbed in:

Here’s the Napoleon Eyeliner, it’s such a pretty gold:

The Napoleon Lip Veil is nice:

But, didn’t show up that great in this photo:

And trying to take a photo of this Urban Decay eyeshadow swatch was just a joke – it refused to show up! Not very impressed with the eyeshadow unfortunately..

My ASOS swimsuit order arrived! Yay!! Was the first time I actually ordered from them and am really happy with the whole experience. It always makes me sad that it’s cheaper to buy swimsuits online from an overseas retailer than buy one in my own country though…

Tea Samples from Twinnings! My sister will probably end up with these as I don’t drink enough tea myself. :P

Ahhh. I love getting packages, it’s one of my favourite things!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Fave Fiiiive

I may have forgotten to post last week, oops..
But I have exciting news!! My parents, sister and I have bought a section up north (in a place called Houhora!). It's a 5 acre block that we'll eventually live on one day, but until then, it's going to be our holiday home. It's what I've wanted for as long as I can remember and I can't even begin to express how happy and excited I am that we've finally got it!!

Now lets get onto my favourite things from the past week..

1. Lush Lip Scrub in Bubblegum
   
   
   This is what I've been needing for SOOO long. It does an amazing job at exfoliating my lips and tastes so good.
   
   
2. Armani Code Perfume
   
   
   Love the smell of this! It's replaced Flowerbomb as my Number 1 favourite, for sure. I can't help wearing it every single day. >_>
   
   
3. My kittens!!
   
   
   We breed beautiful litte persian kittens and this is just one of them that we have at the moment! Isn't she a little cutie!?
   
   
4. Feather Earrings
   
   
   My sister actually made these for me for my birthday back in September. I get soo many comments on them, they're so cute!
   
   
5. Lucas Papaw Ointment
   
   
   It's always a favourite, I'm not gonna lie. I just bought a new one on the weekend, it feels so good using this after using my Lush lip scrub. <3

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Fave Five!

I had to have today off work, to have my latest lot of injections, so I thought I would start my new series - Fave Five! I'm basically just going to be listing my five favourite things from the past week, I was going to do it monthly - but then I might not get around to it at all!

1. The mighty All Blacks!! Never in my life have I been so proud to be a kiwi. I'm so stoked that we won the Rugby World Cup 2011 on Sunday night. Good on ya boys!
   
   
   Gosh they're a handsome bunch aren't they? BONUS! :P
2. Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs!
   
   
   This stuff is actually amazing. It looks surprisingly natural and gives me just enough colour so I don't look like Casper the ghost. Highly recommend!
3. Bangles from Equip
   
   
   These were actually on sale for $5.00, which is why I bought them really. I hardly ever buy jewellery that isn't on sale. Hahaha. :P I'm a huge fan of turquoise - it makes me feel really summery.
   
   
4. Pulp Shoes from Hannahs
   
   
   I confess.. I actually saw these in the latest Hannahs catalogue and immediately fell in love with them. They were $59.99 – which is pretty expensive really… but I couldn’t resist! I was possessed by the shoe demon! Lucky I love them so much. :P
   
   
5. Satsuma Body Butter from The Body Shop
   
   
   Have you ever smelt this? It’s amaaaazing. The thing I’ve always loved about The Body Shop body butters is that they smell just as good on, as they do in the pots! Passionfruit was my previous favourite, but since they’ve stopped selling it in New Zealand (and maybe the rest of the world?) – I’ve now moved onto this. Loving it!

Thanks for viewing!!
oxo

NOTD: Pink Leopard!

I've been pretty lazy with my nails lately - actually pretty lazy in general, I'm not gonna lie! Well enough is enough, so to liven up my hands I decided on hot pink leopard print.

Here's what I used:

• Two coats of Milani Neon nail polish in Pink Hottie
  
• One coat of Kleancolor Chunky Holographic nail polish in Chunky Holo Candy
  
• Konad black with the leopard print from m57
• Clear nail polish as a top coat
  

I actually really love this combination. It's so girly and cute. Something about pink reminds me that summer is on the way.. such an exciting thought!

On another note, tonight is the Rugby World Cup 2011 final!! GO THE ALL BLACKS!!

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Strawberrynet Haul!

Hi gals!
Mum let me order some stuff from StrawberryNet for my birthday! It was so exciting!! I decided to pick up some Limited Edition items that I'd missed out on when they were originally released.

Everything:

Wooo! How cool does everything look?

First up was the MAC Noble Knights Lash and Line Kit from their 'A Tartan Tale' collection. I was so gutted to miss out on this first time round, so I definitely had to get it this time!

Included in this pack is:

• Blitz & Glitz Fluidline
• Teal Pigment
• Zoomlash Mascara
• 209SE Eyeliner Brush

Next was the MAC Smoky Thrillseekers Pigment/Glitter kit, also from 'A Tartan Tale'.

Included in this:

• Reflects Blackened Red Glitter
• Naked Pigment
• Jigs & Jives Pigment
• Blue Brown Pigment
• Dark Soul Pigment

Then the Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner Duo.

Included in this:

• Black Ink gel eyeliner
• Sepia Ink gel eyeliner
• Mini ultra fine eyeliner brush

Up next is the Bobbi Brown eye shadow in Ivy. Can't wait to try this out!!

Then the Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Crystal Pink, I love this! Wish it was in the nice packaging though :(

And finally, the free gift - Calvin Klein Lipstick in Heavenly. Still haven't tried this, but looks pretty!

I would've taken swatches of everything, but that'll have to wait til I do the individual reviews - my arms are too sore from the injections :(

Thanks for viewing dolls!
oxo

Allergies, Birthday, Work and more work...

Hi dolls!
I'm about to do a strawberrynet haul, but first of all I thought I'd give you an update of what's been going on in Christel-Land lately. :P

Some of you might not know that I'm an allergy freak. I have chronic hayfever, chronic sinusitis and asthma. To give you an idea of how intense my allergies can be, I'm on four times the recommended dosage of antihistamines - everyday! Hahaha. Crazy. :P

In December last year I started seeing an immunologist (allergy specialist) and he's helped me out more than I can even explain. He's seriously amazing, and it freaks me out when I think about how bad I was before I got his help!

Earlier this year, he recommended I try desensitization, which is basically where they inject you with the allergens that set off your allergies. Over time, you build up an immunity to these allergens. It's a really slow process - takes around 3 years, and in the beginning it is really full on. I have to have 2 injections every week for the first 14 weeks, then every 2 weeks, 3 weeks and eventually every month.

At the moment I'm on week 4, just had the injections this morning. They're getting more and more painful and irritating every week - I just have to tell myself that they'll be worth it in the end!!

It was also my birthday on 16 September! I turned 24, so now I feel really old. Hahaha. It's also why there's a strawberrynet haul post coming up! :P

Other than the injections and my birthday, the only other thing that has been consuming my life has been work. Because the injections make me tired, work has felt a lot harder these past few weeks! Hoping I settle back into a good routine soon..

Thanks for viewing dolls, about to take pics for this haul post - so stay tuned!
oxo

NOTD: Rugby World Cup!

Today is the official opening of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which is of course being hosted in my beautiful country - New Zealand!

Since I'm working the late night at work tonight, I'll be missing all of the opening ceremony (I'm dying a little on the inside) BUT, I will be home to see the opening match of New Zealand VS Tonga! Yay!

To show my support for NZ, I decided to paint my nails >_>

Not gonna lie, it's pretty wonky. But what do you expect?! I painted it all with a dotting tool because I still haven't got nail art brushes. Hahaha!
Here's what I used:

• Kleancolor Pink Sleepers as a base on all nails apart from my ring finger
  
• Kleancolor Black as the base on my ring finger, and on the tips of the others
• Santee White for the silver fern design
  
• Kleancolor Chunky Holo in Bluebell on all other fingers
• Clear nail polish (no brand) as a top coat

GO THE MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!!!

Thanks for viewing dolls!
oxo

NOTD: Super Mario!!

I absolutely LOVE old school Super Mario, so when I saw this video by cutepolish on Youtube, I knew that I had to give it a go.
Now I'm not gonna lie, my hands were shaking like crazy - but I'm still really happy with how it turned out!

Heres what I used:

• Kleancolor Pink Sleepers as a base
  
• Santee White on the tips and as the 'dots' on the shroom
• LA Colors Art Deco in Limon on the tips and as the shroom
  
• Beauty Treats in Black for the eyes
• Kleancolor in Clear as a top coat
  

Ugh, I'm dying from the cuteness. I've been staring at my nails all day - and so has everyone else! I've had SO many comments on them, some positive, some not so positive. Buy hey, haters gon' hate! Hahaha.

Thanks for viewing dolls!
oxo

MAC Haul - For the first time in aaages!

I finally got to visit the MAC Pro store since it relocated to Britomart in downtown Auckland. I am so impressed. The store feels much more spacious and the set up is more like that of the St Lukes store. Thumbs up from me MAC!

The whole reason for me visiting was because I had run out of my Face & Body Foundation. Of course... somehow I ended up leaving the store with much more than I'd budgeted for...

Oops.

Hahaha. Well first up are the MAC Face & Body Foundations that I'd run out of. Geez I love these. C2 is the foundation I wear pretty much everyday - it's perfect!

Next was something I've been meaning to try for years - the MAC Paint in Bare Canvas. Never tried it before, but it looks real good. Hoping that it'll be amazing as an eyeshadow base!

Here's a swatch:

And finally I got my hands on MAC's Myth lipstick! It's been out of stock in New Zealand for sooo long, so I had to buy it!

Swatch:

Eyeshadows have always been my greatest weakness though, so I kinda knew I'd end up buying some more of them. In my defense, Shroom was only bought because I've hit pan on my old one.

Then I got Tempting because I've always been tempted to buy it. Hahaha. See what I did there? ... Yeah I'm lame. :(

Sable I bought for my Mum, but somehow it's in my palette now..

Everyone has All That Glitters, but I didn't so I added that too.

Electra is one I've wanted for ages - it's so pretty! I need to find an excuse to wear it now.

Swatches! Top: Electra, All That Glitters, Sable. Bottom: Tempting, Shroom.

Ugh, I knew that once I visited the MAC store that I'd fall in love with MAC products again.. There's just something about them (eyeshadows especially!) that are so alluring.
Since I just found out that you can use the mascara tubes in their Back2MAC recycling program, I really want to try one.. is there any MAC mascara that you would recommend??

Thanks for viewing dolls, this has been fun!
oxo