Goodreads

Do people still read actual books anymore? I’m probably an anomaly, because I still like to go to the local library and lend books (that’s geeky right? I probably shouldn’t have admitted that…). The other thing I like to do is keep track of what I read. Strangely enough, while I like to go and borrow a physical copy of a book, I keep track of them with an app. I use Goodreads, which you can download or sign up to online. 

It allows you to create lists of books you’ve already read, ones you would like to read, and you can even update what you’re currently reading down to the page (I don’t go that far!). What I like about Goodreads is that you can add your friends and see what they’re reading, you can rate a book you’ve read out of 5 stars at the end of it, and you can suggest books for your friends to read. 

My favourite part of the app is that you can set yourself a reading challenge for the year. You just choose how many you’d like to get through (I chose 20), and it keeps a separate list of the books you read as you complete them. 

It even has shows a handy diagram showing the percentage completed (this year it’s added whether or not you’re ahead of schedule – I am!). It might be geeky, but I still get excited when I finish a book and the percentage gets higher! It feels like I’ve accomplished something for myself.

Here’s a few books I’d like to make time to get through this year:

Wild – Cheryl Strayed

Battle for Iwo Jima – Robert Leckie

Love Tanya – Tanya Burr

Wicked Charms – Janet Evanovich

Yes Please – Amy Poehler

Still Alice – Lisa Genova

The Glam Guide – Fleur de Force

What books are you reading right now? Have you got any suggestions that I should push up my list?

Love times infinity,

Justine x

Oscar Fashion

After doing some very serious research (including watching the red carpet coverage and Fashion Police on E!), I thought I could share some of my favourites from the Academy Awards this past weekend. It was too hard to pick just one!

Anna Kendrick in Thakoon, Jamie Chung in Yanina Couture, Jennifer Aniston in Versace.

Margot Robbie in Saint Laurent, Rosamund Pike in Givenchy, Reese Witherspoon in Tom Ford.

Special Mentions

Favourite Guy:

Eddie Redmayne in Alexander McQueen.

Favourite Performance:

Lady Gaga in Azzedine Alaia (how freakin amazing was she?!).

Favourite Hair & Make Up:

Rita Ora.

Favourite Host:

Catt Sadler in Victor Harper at the Governor's Ball.

Who were your favourites?

Love times infinity,

Justine x

Travel Tuesday: North Island Part I

Paihia & Cape Reinga

For a week in January myself and two of my friends went to the North Island. I haven’t explored enough of New Zealand, and it’s so beautiful that I wished I hadn’t waited so long!

View from Paihia Beach

We started in Paihia for a few days and stayed in the Pickled Parrot Backpackers, which wasn't too fancy, but it had everything we needed and was comfortable (and a pretty good bargain!). It’s a couple of blocks back from the main street which made it a peaceful place to chill out without being too far removed from the main street and the beach. We ended up being in Paihia for five nights, and it’s a pretty good spot to be based in if you want to get in some day trips and still have time to relax on the beach before the losing the heat in the day.

We set out early on the morning we tripped up to Cape Reinga, as we planned to Tiki tour up there and stop for lunch, rather than blowing straight past all the amazing scenery.

{Mangonui Harbour}

{Mangonui Fish & Chips}

I definitely recommend heading up that way via Mangonui. The fish and chips there were delish!

{Cape Reinga}

{End of NZ with Cape Reinga lighthouse in the distance}

{Made it to the top of NZ!}

It’s definitely worth going up that way on a clear day if you can manage it. Cape Reinga is the top edge of the North Island, so you’re essentially standing at the end of the country looking out to the vast ocean. I recommend walking from the carpark and taking it all in before busting out your camera. We walked to the lighthouse, took our photos and then we picked a spot to just sit down for a few minutes. Just to be in the moment. It was pretty cool to see so many other people around us doing the same thing and not just seeing it through a lens.

{Te Paki Sand Dunes}

On the way back from Cape Reinga about an hour down the road are the Giant Te Paki Sand Dunes. These are a can’t miss! If you want to you can take a boogie board to slide down them or rent one when you get there (don’t get sucked in on the drive there! It’s cheapest to do it right in next to the dunes).

We hiked up to the top of the dunes, and let me tell you it’s bizarre to be standing on a ginormous sand dune seeing the beach on one side and forest on the other. If you go in January and it’s anywhere near as hot as it was when we went here’s a tip you can have for free: take LOADS of water! Even take a chilly bin with a few bottles, because you’ll need it after hauling your butt to the top and sliding down a few times. Trust me on that one!

{Made it to the top!}

It was one of the best days I had on the trip, and I reckon the girls would agree with me. It wasn’t as fun scrubbing the sand off at the end of the day, but just try to think of it as a natural exfoliation. You’ll have smooth skin, awesome memories and sleep like a dead person.

Have you ever been before? If not, hopefully this will push you towards taking some time out to do it.

Love times infinity,

Justine x

Mascara

When it comes to make up I’m no expert. I can get by with the basics, and love watching beauty gurus on YouTube. In the moment I always forget the power of editing, and that if they make a mistake they can totally have a redo! (Although, I’ve come to love the style of Shaaanxo, who makes mistakes every once in a while and just goes with it, or teaches us how to do something better in the process).

One thing I do feel comfortable testing out and playing around with is mascara. I think it’s a combination of being able to clean up mistakes fairly easily, and always knowing my “shade”. Being able to find “black” or “blackest black” seems far less daunting than having to deal with the thousands of colours of foundations, bronzers, blushes and lipsticks! Here are a few I currently have in my collection, and how I feel about them:

Benefit They’re Real – I drank the Kool Aid. I frickin love this stuff! The wand is long but the bristles are short, and because the end of it is dome shaped, I can easily coat the lashes closest to my nose and have the ends flick outwards (which makes them look longer!).

Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes – this is one of those double-ended mascaras, with a larger wand for the top lashes and a smaller one for the bottom. This one is OK, I actually preferred to use the smaller brush on my top lashes because I felt like I had more control of it. The other end seemed to make my lashes clumpier.

Maybelline The Rocket (waterproof) – don’t die over this one. I wanted to try it to see what all the hype was about, but my preference is definitely more for lengthening mascaras right now.

Collection Does It All – Similar wand to the Benefit mascara, but I found it smudged a bit. In saying that, at $18.50 from Countdown it’s a bargain in comparison and a pretty good alternative. Keep your eyes peeled for the instore promos and get it even cheaper!

Revlon Lash Potion (waterproof) – only used this a couple of times and so far I’ve found I have to half close my eyes (i.e. derp face) for a couple of minutes until it dries to try and keep it from smudging. It does still transfer onto my lids though, so if you’re more heavy-lidded like me then it’s probably not the one for you. The hunt for a holy grail waterproof mascara continues.

Rimmel Day 2 Night – this is my current favourite! I try to rotate my mascaras but I’ve been using this religiously lately. It has a lengthening wand inside the volumising wand! I actually have only been using the volumising part though, because it tackles both length and volume at the same time! Only set me back about $20 at Kmart. It’s my absolute holy grail of the “drug store”. It’s the one.

What are your favourite mascaras? Any suggestions of what kind I should try next? Let me know!

Love times infinity,

Justine x