:: 100 Followers Give Away! ::

Give away time! Yay!

A little while ago I hit 100 followers and I promised you a giveaway as a way of saying thank you, and here it is!

The lucky winner will receive some fun coloured fine tipped pens, a cute pair of earrings, a floaty coral flower hair pin, some confetti from Papered Thoughts, a cute sticker pack from Joey Design, some fun envelopes, a card pack so kindly donated from my gorgeous blog friend over at Lucent Imagery, a Napoleon Perdis compact (with three eyeshadows and two lip glosses inside), and a conversation hearts pencil case!

♥ The giveaway will end Friday 29th of June, 2012
♥ The giveaway is open internationally
♥ I will be selecting the winner using a random number generator

Mandatory Entry:
♥ Follow my blog and leave me a comment to let me know what your favourite piece of stationery is (I love stickers and washi tape!)

Extra Entry:
♥ Blog about this giveaway and leave me a separate comment with the link.

And that's it! Simple, right?

Good luck!

:: De-cluttering Mission ::

Last weekend I was on a major de-cluttering mission. I was inspired by the de-cluttering going on over at A Beach Cottage. I was sick of rifling through messy drawers in an attempt find things, so I woke up on Saturday morning and worked like a mad woman on certain aspects of our house. It's still nowhere near finished, but it's nice to see small changes taking shape!

Kitchen pantry: Before

Kitchen Pantry: After

Make Up: Before

Make Up: After

Perfume: Before

Perfume: After

Bathroom Storage: Before and After

I was so on task, I didn't even stop to get my normal camera out. So, iPhone photos are all I have! This is only the beginning. I plan to have an entirely organised house in a few weeks. I think my wardrobe/shoes will be next ... the thought of which scares me! But really, what's the use of having clothes you haven't worn in years (or even at all!) clogging up precious space? Also, you may come across some little lost treasures like I did ...

An amazing Christian Dior eye shadow palette. How I forgot about this is beyond me!

Do you have any tips on cleaning and de-cluttering your house? I've been told to take all items out of my wardrobe to get a good look at what I have. Another tip was to turn all hangers one way and when I wear an item, turn the hanger the opposite way. After a few months reassess the items one the unturned hangers. Pretty smart!

PS. I had a loss at my first weigh in! It wasn't quite the 1kg (2.2lbs) I was hoping for, but it was .7kg (1.5lbs)!!

:: Nail Love ::

I have always loved nail polish but, for the most part it's been a love affair from a far. I love all the different colours available, and I would always admire the brightly coloured nails of girls I saw in the street or on the train. It was never for me, though. I would stick to muted tones, and even then it was only on my toes where hardly anyone would see it. Sometimes I would lash out and do my toe nails bright pink ... but it was always the same pink as every other time I felt adventurous.

Lately I've been feeling brave and inspired! I adore Summer and I adore bright colours. I've been watching all the Summer fashion trends on some American blogs and one thing I have noticed is candy coloured nails. Fun! So, with a little pushing from the nail Queen Karina, I did it! I took the plunge, bought some new colours and started wearing brightly coloured nail polish ... on my fingers!

Bright aqua nails, bright yellow cardigan ... and a rainbow smash drink!

My namesake - lavender. Love this one.

This colour is my latest purchase (I took this photo about 15 minutes ago!). I was hoping for a bright sunshine yellow, but I quite like this egg-yolk yellow colour.

What do you think? My next colour purchases will hopefully be a pale mint green, a coral/peach, and to off-set all the colour a nice matte pale grey (for days when my outfit brings the colour!).

Do you wear coloured nail polish? What is your favourite brand? I really like OPI, but it's super expensive here.

Are there any other beauty trends you recommend? I love wearing fun eye shadow, but I'm practically a newbie when it comes to lipstick/gloss (I've only ever worn it a few times. I'm a balm kind of girl).

:: Pamper Swap ::

A little while ago the lovely April from april, maybe hosted a swap with an awesome theme - pamper. And really, who doesn't like to be pampered? Obviously, I signed up immediately! One of the things I loved about this swap was that April made sure the person sending you your package was a surprise.

I was given the crafty Hannah to send my pamper package to. Unfortunately, her blog is down right now, otherwise I'd show you the post where she wrote about what I sent her. Instead, I'll show you pictures! Be warned, there are a few - I was testing out my new lens!

A cute little Olga Berg coin purse.

Hand-made soap and hot oil for her hair.

Mineral eye shadow and red lip gloss.

Earrings from Gracie's etsy shop and a bejewelled bracelet.

A Mimco hair tie (I adore these. I have three - pink, grey and white!).

"You can't help but love a lady who is not afraid to do nanna craft". Hannah loves to crochet, which I think is so cool!

This past week I've been a bit under the weather and while I was wallowing in my own self-pity guess what arrived at my door! My pamper package from the wonderful Lauryn of laureality! Perfect timing!

Lovely, lovely! A chocolate face masque, sweet mint lip balm, bamboo nail files, a pineapple orchid candle, and a wonderful package full of body products!

The lip gloss is 100% natural and 95% organic - gotta love that!

I love the floral card she included too, and even though the candle melted a teeny bit the smell is AMAZING! I love coming home and smelling the sweet smell wafting down the hall.

Earth-friendly body wash, body lotion, hand cream and body mist! Yes please!

Thank you so much Lauryn! I love my gift! And thank you to April for organising it all!

What's your favourite way to pamper yourself? I love taking time out to have a bit of 'me' time. I love trying out new eye shadow, getting a facial, or slathering myself in delicious smelling body lotion. Mmm!

:: Spring Give Away Winner! ::

Ladies, we have a winner! Krystal, the lovely lady behind the blog Village, won my Spring Napoleon Perdis give away. Her favourite Spring look is using bronzer for blush. If you haven't already, you should definitely check out her blog - it's one of my favourite reads. Krystal, check your inbox, I've sent you an email!

Thanks to all who entered!

:: Spring Giveaway! ::

Today was the very first day of Spring and I couldn't be more excited! I am a huge fan of warm weather, longer days, the fun clothes and accessories that are filling the stores, and not to mention the fact that my baby nephew will be born any day now! To celebrate, I thought I would have a little giveaway.

Here are the rules as to how you could win this great Napoleon Perdis lip gloss and 'Boudoir Palette' (which contains three eye shadows and two lip glosses):

♥ The give away will end Wednesday 15th of September
♥ The give away is open internationally

♥ I will be selecting the winner using a random number generator

Mandatory Entry:

♥ Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect and leave me a comment containing your email address and tell me what your favourite Spring make up look is

Optional Entry:
♥ Blog about this give away and leave me a separate comment with the link

This give away not only coincides with the first day of Spring, but also with Spread the Love week over at Oh, My Darling. And so, dear readers, I encourage you to pay it forward and spread the love a little this week. Who knows, you might make someone's day?

Good luck!