Life. Happenings and Oh Lordy 5 weeks until London.

It feels like yesterday that I decided to move to the other side of the world. It felt like such a straight forward thing way back in ?? when I decided to go. People kept telling me (and still do really) how brave I was to go, and to go it alone. To be honest though, it doesn't feel brave, it just feels right. As if I am meant to do it. Since I made the big decision, everything that I have needed to happen has happened and although I am starting to get a little breathless when I think about actually leaving, I am not terrified or nervous. I am grateful, excited, overwhelmed, impatient, joyous and in a state of disbelief that it is actually happening. But it feels right. 

I am good at making big life decisions, but hopeless at waiting for them to happen! I have been in this strange limbo for a couple of weeks, where it's almost like half of me has already gone and I'm out there somewhere waiting for myself to catch up. I have loads to do between now and leaving, but if I do it all now, I'll just end up going mad waiting to get on the plane. So, I am putting off things like packing up the rest of my room and renewing my license. I have been doing my best to keep busy, but teaching work has been light on the ground this month, and there are only so many things you can do in my town!

I had an amazing weekend not long ago with all my family and some close friends. It was an early farewell party at my Aunts house. It was such a fun and relaxed night, but the next day and having to say goodbye to some family I probably wouldn't see again before I left was hard. I guess I hadn't thought about how difficult saying goodbye to people might be and how sad I felt really shocked me. I'd have it together for a minute and then just the thought of saying goodbye to my mum and sister sent me over the edge again. The airport is going to be tough but also so exciting as well; lots of emotions to process. My sister has basically decided that I can't leave, or that if I do I am to come back pretty quickly.

I planned on doing a photo tour of all my favourite spots near where I live today, but it has come over all overcast and cold. I might head to my favourite hangout and chill with spicy chai and a book instead.

33 days....

xx Samantha Alice

Pretty. 60 Second Outfit of the Day.

Ok. I know. I've been absent again after saying I'd be posting more often. I have all the best intentions, but I just haven't been feeling it of late. It's frustrating, but whatever, I'm here now. More importantly, I'm here with something a little different than usual. I'm a little youtube obsessed of late, something about the format just feels so accessible or something.  And with that in mind, I've made a quick little outfit of the day video. I plan on doing some vlogging around moving to London, so I wanted to start making some little videos now to build up my confidence. I hope you all like it...

xx Samantha Alice

Pretty. Winter Favourites.

So Spring is definitely here in Australia and the weather is really starting to warm up. I am basically pretending it is Summer already as I will be missing out on a real Summer (not that I mind missing 40C days and insane humidity!). Lucky me, I get two Winters this year, albeit one far more extreme than the other.

I thought rather than doing a month by month favourites I'd fill you in on a few things I was hooked on over winter, though they are pretty much still in high rotation!

1. My favourite body wash was Bathox Dry Skin Milk and Honey body wash. I cannot possibly convey how amazing this smells. Winter was a month in which I basically stopped eating sweets, and this became my sort of daily sugar fix. It smells like rich and yummy caramel sauce  and leaves the skin smelling oh so nice. Plus it is moisturising and managed to stop my legs turning into scaly ickyness over winter.
2. For foundation I have been flicking between my long term favourites, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (read my review here) and Garnier BB Cream for those days when I want a light coverage that just evens out my skin tone.
3. Pretty sure I found my holy grail mascara. By complete accident I found Rimmel's Day2Night mascara and I haven't used anything else since. I hate, like really hate, volumising mascaras. I think they make my lashes look clumpy and awful, so I tend to veer towards lengthening products, but even then I am not always that happy with the result. This is one of those gimmick products that claims to do both (it has two lids that when removed leave a different amount of product on the brush) but I only ever use the lengthening part. It has the perfect amount of product on the brush, leaves my lashes separated and long and holds a curl really well. I am seriously in love with this!
4. I didn't realise what a difference makeup brushes could make until I got my hands on some amazing ones. Obviously the Real Techniques brushes are not new, but they are relatively new to me! They were recently launched in Australia but the price was so ridiculous I ended up getting them from iHerb (highly recommend this store!) I got the Core Collection which of course has the much coveted Buffing Brush but the other brushes have been amazing also. Using my two favourite foundations with the Buffing Brush makes my skin look amazing and pretty much halves the time I spend on my makeup. 
5. With my oily skin a constant problem, I do tend to lose any powder eye shadows pretty fast, so I was excited to try the Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows to see if they would last longer. These shadows are a great consistency, though a little goes a long way and you need to blend fast before they dry. When they do dry though, they do not budge until I take my makeup off. I got the colour tough as taupe because I thought it would be a good matte base shade and I love the colour. It errs towards purple unlike some brownish toned taupes which I like. It is also one of the only matte colours they have released. I want to try the others but can't justify it right now!

xx Samantha Alice

Life. Where have I been?

I have been missing in action. I don't even know how long it has been since I posted (too afraid to look!) and whilst I secretly hope loads of people missed my witty posts, it is pretty unlikely. Are you there? Can you hear me? I'm sorry I have been so absent but I truly I hope that the days of my slackness have ended. I have pretty decent excuses though.

Me in my awesome winter gear getting ready for London!

I handed in my last assessment for uni on sunday! I shed actual tears. I was overwhelmed with the enormity of finishing another degree (and p.s I managed a 4 year degree in 3) and the relief I felt was incredible. When I finished my first degree I was pretty darn happy, but that was nothing compared to this. I submitted my assignment online then proceeded to do a massive clean out of my room and to throw anything remotely university related in the bin. I've been slowly tackling the amassed crap that is my bedroom in preparation for leaving the country, so it felt great to get through some more throwing out and general organising. Lately I have been thinking 'will I use this in the next 2 months? No? Gone' and so far it is working.

Completely unrelated to the post, but oh my god these peking duck pancakes were amazeballs.

I have also been working loads. I have averaged three days a week of casual teaching work for the past two months which has really been amazing. It's been nice to feel I have a purpose to my weeks aside from finishing assignments. It has been exhausting though! Casual teachers really have a difficult job, but it is often contrasted with periods of complete boredom. Sometimes all you have to do is supervise a class, other times you have to deal with some outrageous behaviour and attempt to have some control over the classroom. The term has just ended, and whilst I am looking forward to a couple of weeks to really truly relax for the first time in three years, there doesn't tend to be a lot of work in term four for casuals so I am a little stressed.

I'm asking the universe to provide. So far it is working!

I am slowly but surely getting myself together for the London move (70 days away as I write this!) but it still feels like I have loads to do. I have a growing collection of proper winter clothes and accessories which I am super excited to wear come December. I am still yet to sort out the whole UK bank account thing but I think it will be much easier to do once I am there. I am considering purchasing a UK arrival pack like this one from 1st Contact but I still need to do some more research. I have basically done everything I need to get teaching work in London, booked a weeks accommodation (fingers crossed I find a flat in my first week but it is pretty unlikely I'd say!) and booked flights to Ireland for Christmas. It is completely spinning me out that I will be in Ireland for the holidays, so bizarre but exciting!

Ear muffs! Question: do people actually wear ear muffs in London?

As time slides closer to two months from my departure, I am starting to freak a little. Not in a 'oh shit what am I doing' way but more about my stress over how organised I need to be and how much I want this. Two months ago I was wanting to leave immediately but now I am glad for these next couple of months to sort myself out. Now that uni is done I can really get down to business and get organised for the adventure of a lifetime. I have been wanting to travel and live overseas since I was 13 and I am absolutely over the freaken moon that I finally got my butt into gear and made it happen.

Savings! I am about half way to my goal which is amazing! 

Ooh on one final note, I have been amping up my fitness/healthy eating big time these last few weeks. I am managing a 30-40 minute power walk most days and some light weights and abs/leg work 3 times a week and I feel amazing. I have lost another three kg and have so much energy. My anxiety is also basically gone which is probably more amazing than the weight loss. I have really started to notice that my diet and exercise has a huge impact on my mood and stress, even down to the fact that eating loads of sugar can actually give me anxiety!

Woah that is a lot of information isn't it? I'm officially on holidays from work for 2 weeks so I will be relaxing and writing a few posts, including my winter favourites which should be up in a couple of days.

xx Samantha Alice

Life. About me...

So I stole this post idea (and all the questions) from Made. I hope she doesn't mind, but I loved it so much I wanted to give it a go! Here are some things about me...

The house I grew up in... 

Which one? We moved a lot when I was a kid, and I have kept moving as an adult. When I started school we lived in this amazing farm house. It had an old stable door at the back and my sister and I would be endlessly entertained playing horses and what not. We had horses and space and creeks to slosh through in our gumboots. When I started high school we lived in this tiny house right near the beach. When I moved away after school it took me the longest time to get used to not hearing the waves all night. 

When I was a child I wanted to be... 

I didn't really mind as long as I was rich and famous. I wanted to be a fashion designer for a long time, and I guess I have landed not far from that dream. I still want to be famous really. 

The moment that changed me for ever... 

I really don't think one moment has changed me in a big way, but rather I am who I am through a collection of tiny moments all bumping against each other. When my Mum's parents died, a couple of years apart, I did feel that it would effect me forever. This year has had some big moments, getting my licence and deciding to move overseas. I hope that getting on that plane to London in 97 days is a big one. 

My greatest inspiration... 

Anyone that has changed their lives for the better and managed to help others along the way is a huge inspiration. I also look at my Mum's life and feel pretty inspired, she raised two girls alone on crappy money whilst suffering with depression and anxiety. We always had enough and I never thought we were destitute. 

My real-life villain... 

Anxiety and overwhelming shyness. Whenever I get complacent and think I have these two suckers beat, they find a new way to get at me. 

My style icon... 

How I'd like to dress and how I do dress are very different! I love Rachel Bilson's style, also Gwen Stefani and Chloe Sevigny. I wish I could dress like Bridgette Bardot everyday though! 

If I could change one thing about myself... 

The fact that I am so hard on myself and really good at coming up with things I'd change. 

At night I dream of... 

London. And cute British boys named Toby and Barnaby. 

What I see when I look in the mirror I see... 

Someone who should be happier with what they see. 

My favourite item of clothing... 

Leggings or blazers. It is a close tie. 

I wish I'd never worn... 

Matching paisly print skirt and top with purple sequins along the hem. It was 1999 and I had no idea about what looked good!

It's not fashionable but I like...

Listening to Britney Spears when I work out. 

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at... 

Waxing eyebrows and cutting hair. If study had been difficult for me I probably would have become a makeup artist. 

You may not know it but I'm no good at... 

Talking to people. I get horribly tongue tied and say the wrong thing all the time. I got a phone call for work the other day and before the woman had asked me how I was I had told her 'good thanks'. What a fool. 

All my money goes on...

Groceries and makeup. I really have to cut back on my spending!

If I have time to myself... 

Three months ago I would have said stay in my room and watch movies. These days I'd go for a walk on the beach or go shopping. 

I drive... 

My Mum's Toyota Carola Ascent. It is white and I love it! 

My house is... 

An old fibro house with ugly plastic cladding and an enormous backyard. 

My most valuable possession is... 

My amazing iMac computer. 

My favourite building... 

The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. It is such a substantial sandstone building full of amazing art. I could wander it's galleries for hours and hours. 

Movie heaven... 

Strange arty films, Lord of the Rings and soppy romantic dramas. 

A book that changed me...

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover. They are both epic stories but about very different things. I have never been so moved to the core by a story ever and highly recommend them both. 

My favourite work of art... 

I have a Bachelor of Art History and Theory so this is a really tricky question!! It's like asking a parent their favourite child. It is probably easier to name my favourite artists than particular artworks. I love Tracey Emin, Barbara Kruger, Jose Gonzalez Torres, Del Katherine Barton, Johannes Vermeer and Gustav Klimt. Right now I'd say my favourite work of art is Klimt's 'The Kiss'.

The last album I bought/downloaded... 

This is tough because I haven't purchased any music for such a long time! I checked my iTunes account and the last song i brought was 'Love You Till the End' by the Pogues. 

The person who really makes me laugh... 

My sister is the funniest most ridiculous person I know. She can have me in absolute stitches so easily. She also drives me mad, so it is lucky for her she makes me laugh so hard I can't breathe. 

The shops I can't walk past... 

Anywhere that sells makeup. I love swatching products and trying new things, even if I know I can't buy anything! 

The best invention ever... 

Apple computers. Oh and moisturiser! 

In 10 years' time, I hope to be... 

Happy, healthy, in love with my work, in a long term relationship with a couple of kids. 

My greatest regret... 

Letting opportunities, whether big or small, go past because of my anxiety and fear. 

My life in seven words... 

Inconsistent, brave, love, organised, pretty, relaxed and compassionate. 

xx samantha Alice

Pretty. A London Wish list

So I hit the three month from my departure mark tomorrow and I sort of can't believe it. It feels so distant, yet as I start to get things sorted (my to do this is scarily long) it creeps ever closer. I am beyond excited to leave and part of me wishes I was off tomorrow, but the other part is glad to have these few months to organise myself and prepare! Perhaps the strangest part of my preparation is buying warm clothes. Not 'Australian' warm clothes, but 'oh my god my face is going to freeze off' winter wear. The strange part is that I leave at the beginning of December and here that means almost Summer weather and 30 C days! Even now, with the lovely spring weather, it feels wrong to be buying ear muffs and winter woolies. I really only want to buy a few basics from Australia, just enough to get me from the airport, to my accommodation and then out into London to explore (and possibly shop?). Here is my London Winter Wish List:

// 1.  Pieces Chunky Knit Scarf // 2. Gypsy Cable Knit Socks  // 3. ASOS Athens Leather Chelsea Ankle Boots // 4. ASOS Fit and Flare Coat //
// 5. ASOS Popper Parker // 6. Topshop Geo Panel Tote // 7.  Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream //

I guess most of the list is pretty self explanatory; I want comfy boots I can slip on and off easily without having to deal with laces or zips, a coat that will go over many layers, a new black bag that will fit loads and some intensive moisturising balm to help with dry skin caused by the cold. 

91 days and counting...

xx Samantha Alice