Looking Forward To Spring

This is probably going to end up being one of those 'like duh' posts because honestly, who doesn't like the warmer months of Spring and Summer? Spring has to be my favourite season in Australia though as the deliciously comfortable temperatures make basking in the outdoors a lot more enjoyable than when the oppressive heat of summer hits later on. Here is what I'm most looking forward to over the next few months:

• Longer Evenings :: Even though we don't get daylight savings here in WA (seriously people!!) I can't wait for the evenings to slowly start drawing out and weekday evenings can be spent outside without fear of mosquitos biting my ankles at 5.30.
• Reading Outside :: Finally being able to sit outside in the fresh air without a blanket or fear of being rained on is my favourite way to enjoy reading this season.
• Barbeque Dinners :: Is there anything better than barbequeing EVERYTHING you can find in the refrigerator for dinner? Well it's a good thing I'm such a fan too as our kitchen renovations are about to take place in a few weeks which means the barbie will be our main source of cooking. Bring on the sausages I say!
• Bike Rides and Beach Days :: Spring is the best season for being active outdoors without dying of heat exhaustion. (If you can't already tell I still don't think I've properly acclimatised to the height of summer in WA. 35 degree days are not my jam!) Likewise beach trips when the sand isn't at thermo-nuclear levels makes it that much more enjoyable.
• Movie Nights :: There are quite a few movie nights held in beautiful locations - think parks and wineries - around my town and I'm fully looking forward to taking advantage of them once the weather perks up.
• All The Summer Clothes :: I've already ditched the tights and am ready to embrace light layers, short hemlines and getting my (fake) tan on.
• Wildflowers :: Although you're not allowed to pick them, wildflower season is my favourite in WA as everything bursts into life before having the sun suck it out of them in Summer. Right now our Mulberry tree is in full bloom, our plum tree is blossoming and out in the countryside all the grasslands are starting to transform into places of beauty. Hayfever tablets can't even make me dislike this season!

What are you most looking forward to this season?

A Mini MECCA Beauty Haul

I've had a wishlist as long as my arm at Australian high-end beauty store MECCA for quite a while now and have only recently been able to indulge in a couple of items. I've been waiting patiently for some of my skincare to get used up so that I can replace them with more expensive items. Mostly because I think my combination skin type means that supermarket and drugstore skincare just ain't going to cut it. I'm quite looking for to seeing how much difference higher-end products can make. Here's what I've picked up recently:

REN Clarifying Toner :: I've decided to pull out the big guns when buying skincare and this toner has been on my wishlist for so so long. REN have such a great reputation in the beauty blogging community and I'm certainly hoping this can improve the breakouts that have been occuring around my jawline over the last couple of weeks. This particular toner is supposed to be great for oily/combo and blemish prone skin which is just what I need!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara :: Ridiculous names aside this too is a holy grail mascara for a lot of bloggers. My beloved Max Factor Masterpiece Transform Mascara is pretty near to being dryed out and I really fancied giving something a little more high-end a try. The wand is fairly fat and fluffy and since I usually prefer a small skinny wand this may take a wee bit of getting used to.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer :: The main thing that interests me with this primer is it's oil soaking properties. At $70 for a medium and something around $120 for a normal sized bottle this stuff does not come cheap. Hence why I've only shelled out for a teeny weeny bottle of the stuff ($25) as I don't want to regret splurging on something I'm not sure will work wonders. One the one hand I'm looking forward to experiencing the awesome-ness of this product on the other hand the thought of spending that much money on a primer makes me wince!

So I've made a tiny dent in the wishlist. What high-end skincare or makeup do you love?

Book Chat: Paper Towns by John Green

Two book reviews in the same month on two Young Adult fiction books? I know, look at me all branching outta my comfort zones. I've actually been itching to read Paper Towns if only because they make these things into movies so darn quickly that I was afraid I would be forced to watch it on a plane somewhere and it would spoil it for me. Rather than doing a traditional book review I thought we should just sit down, grab a cuppa and have a wee chat about my first foray into the YA land of John Green.

So what's it all about then?

Quentin Jacobsen has grown up living next to Margo Roth Spiegelman, a girl so awe-inspiring she's always referred to in her full name. She's cooler than cool and despite once being friends Q and Margo (I'll shorten her name for ease) no longer have much to do with one another. That is until Margo climbs through Q's bedroom window dressed as a ninja and takes Q on an all night adventure. Which sounds fun, and is, until Margo doesn't turn up for School the next day and Q makes it his mission to find her.

What's good about it?

I loved John Green's writing. He's very smart, witty, funny and his use of metaphor is pretty great i.e Margo's whole spiel about paper towns being full of paper people really stuck in my mind. Paper Towns is my first John Green novel so I have to say I haven't been able to compare it to any others but I have heard they get a little formulaic. Also I kind of like that Margo was this amazing girl who everyone wanted to be friends with but no one really knew. The longer Q searches for her the more he realises that no-one really knew Margo at all. There's also a fair bit of 'coming of age' stuff, friendships, relationships and accepting other people as they are that I quite enjoyed and thought was done well and non-cheesy.

What's not so great?

Even though I've never read a John Green novel the 'special snowflake' character is alive and well in Margo Roth Spiegelman. Fortunately for me I had the image of Cara Delevigne in my head the whole way through this book so it was pretty well pulled off. But, I didn't really buy into why Margo left in such a mysterious fashion anyway.

Should I read the book or see the movie?

I'm always going to recommend reading the book but moreso in this case as Cara D as Margo Roth Spiegelman really does it a great service in making her seem like the badass John Green portrays her to be.