Avon Nailwear review | Time for a Pamper sesh!

So after a rather long and rubbishy day yesterday, I decided to pamper myself a little and do a nice little nail makeover.

Today I chose the Avon Nailwear Pro+ in the colour fuchsia

I think this was only the first or second time I used this nail polish, it was a Christmas gift and so far so good!

This was only one coat and it gave a really nice full coverage, I decided not to do a second coat as I found one was enough, but a second coat would definitely give it a nice thick bright colour if that is what you were after. 

The consistency is quite thin and runny so I wouldn't think more than one coat would take too long to dry either, which I find a major plus! I doubt I'm not the only one who finds waiting for nail polish to dry an absolute pain in the butt!

This would be a really great colour to wear on your toes in summer and spring and it would look especially great on those lucky ladies with those gorgeous darker skin tones and tans.

Pretty gorgeous don't you think!

Jury service | worst week ever

This by far is turning out to be such an exhausting week. I got summoned for jury service. :(

Pooey pooey bum bum bum... Yes that's how mature I am being this week.

In New Zealand we have to attend jury service, I'm not sure if it is the same thing in other countries, but pretty much you either need a really good excuse to say you're not available or get fined/arrested for not turning up.

For those of you who may be reading this and don't know what jury service is, it's where you have to attend court and be selected to be on a panel to listen to a particular case and decide if the accused person is guilty or not guilty.

A few months ago, back in Feb I got a letter in the mail saying I had been summoned. At that time I was back at work and, because I'm self employed and in a rather unique career, I asked to be excused.

I was excused, but then resummoned for the school holidays.. Which happens to be now.

This is the very first week of the very muchly looked forward to holidays.

So I turned up on Monday - yesterday, thinking this was only a one day thing. No, tomorrow will be the 3rd day that I have to go in! And I'm not even ON a jury panel!

Yesterday didn't seem to bad, you go in, wait to see if your name will be called along with about 30 other people, you then go up to a court room and they then pull out 12 names of people who will be the jury.

If for some reason you can't be on the trial, you can request to the judge to be excused, he/she will either decide whether you can or cannot.

The lawyers can also "challenge" you. Which means, if they don't think you will be right to argue their case, they will call out challenge and you won't be on that jury.

So yesterday I got called up to be on a panel, and was challenged straight away. I was rather released about that! So yesterday wasn't bad at all really.

But today! Oh my goodness, worst day ever. I got called up for what would be a 2 week trial!! 

For 2 reasons, I felt I wanted to talk to the judge and explain that there was no way I could be on this panel.

Next week I am flying away to Blenheim and the second reason was that I really can't handle, listening to the subject of the case (I won't say it on here, but let's say it was rather distasteful and unpleasant) I expressed my concerns to the judge, wanting to be removed and he rejected my request. I was so overwhelmed at the thought of having to go through it, that I burst into tears then and there. It was so embarrassing  and I couldn't stop myself! Thankfully a lawyer called challenge, so I was let off.

But that whole experience just ruined my whole entire day and week. I am really dreading having to go back tomorrow.

I  really don't agree with this whole system. I think it's disgusting that they force people to take time off work to sit and listen to absolutely awful evidence. I am having to take time out of my holidays for the idiotic people of this world who can't live life properly and do things right. This is not the way a jury should be made and we should be able to have the discretion to say if we ourselves feel fit for it. I find the whole experience so distressing and disturbing I can't handle it and I really cannot wait for it all to be over. I am so dreading going in tomorrow. I'm really hoping and praying that the tell me to go home. :(

Lush review | Butter Ball

Hey!

So the other day I popped into Lush before work to buy a birthday gift for my boyfriends mum, I bought her the Rosie gift box, (I will leave the link below). 

I think this was such a great gift and it smelt amaaaazing! I thought it was such a great value too, it was only about $30 (NZD) and you got 4 items; a bubbleroon (bubble bath shaped like a macaron), a bubble bar, a ballistic (bath bomb) and an in-shower moisturiser.

The moisturiser itself is the same price as the whole gift pack normally! Obviously it is a smaller size in the box, but still! I feel like this is such a great value having all 4 things in the one box, that I'm considering just buying one for myself! 

I did actually buy a bubbleroon for myself though because it just smelt so amazing and a girl has gotta love a good bubble bath!! ....See now this is where going into a Lush store to buy something for someone else becomes a big mistake. You just end up wanting to get all of the things for yourself too!

I did manage to control myself though and only buy 2 little things for me...ok maybe with the help of not being able to actually DECIDE on any of the other amazing things and also because I was getting hungry and wanted to get some lunch before having to make a mad dash into work.

Anyway.. Onto the things I mainly came here to review tonight..well actually just one!

Aside from the bubbleroon which I haven't used yet, the second item I bought for myself was the butter ball. (Pictured below)

Sorry for my images not being the clearest! Need to sort out my photography skills!

I have to say I was quite disappointed with this purchase! It just really didn't do anything for me, this was my second ever Lush buy and I think if I hadn't seen the other products such as the gift box or any of the other things in store, say maybe if this was a gift to me, I probably wouldn't have gone back to Lush at all.

I have heard a lot of reviews and exciting remarks about Lush for a long time now, and I also was given the cupcake face mask a few years back for my birthday which I loved (smells divine btw!) so when I got home and ran a bath excitably looking forward to trying out my new bath bomb, the result was quite a down fall.

I chucked it in the bath expecting it to be throwing off some amazing scents and maybe some hidden magical colours to change the bath water, like some of the other things do. But really this was just a normal run of the mill bath bomb. Ok, so yes it is white, but for some reason, I guess because of all the Lush hype out there, I was just really excited and expected a whole lot more than what I got. 

When you pick up the bubble bar and smell it, it smells like fizzy lollies (candy), it's a lovely gentle sweet smell! It has cocoa butter, musk (my all time FAVOURITE scent) and ylang ylang essential oils in it. I really did expect these to come out in the water and maybe  become intensified by the heat of the water and the steam. But there was nothing, once it had finished fizzing away it was as if I hadn't even put a bath bomb in, apart from a few drops of oils floating on the surface of the water, but even they disappeared after a while :(

My skin did feel a little soft while I was in the bath, I will give it credit for that, but once I was dry..again, no difference.

I don't know, maybe I was expecting to much from a bath bomb? Maybe that IS all they're supposed to do? I really haven't been a purchaser of lush for long enough to know, but all in all, I was pretty disappointed and am really hoping to have some good news to report on the bubbleroon!

I really wouldn't recommend the butter ball to anyone really, I mean at least if the scents were stronger rather than throwing out any colours, I would have been a heck of a lot happier and it would have actually made this item a nice subtle gift for someone or something perfect for a nice relax after a long hard day or week.

But nope, sadly this just didn't cut it. 

I've put the links below of the items I've mentioned, go check them out for yourself and let me now what you think! I really hope the bubbleroon is exciting so I can sit here and type up and excitable review.. And maybe even have some cool pics to show you. - haha that was another thing, I even got my phone ready, dangerously hanging over a bath full of water to get some snazzy pics of it.. But Uhm..nope. Lol 

Well I hope I have given a bit of insight and people can then go out and make their own decision, I think Lush has a lot of amazing things to offer for rather reasonable prices, so I do hope people don't try this as their first Lush item and get put off, definitely go in and buy a few things and check reviews before shopping! (I never did this) so learn from my mistakes :P

Ciao for now! xxx

Rosie gift box: 

https://www.lushnz.com/shop/product/product/path/182_184/id/1565/gifts-$20---$40-rosie-gift

Butter ball:

 https://www.lushnz.com/shop/product/product/path/143_145/id/361/bath-bombs-butterball

Rose jam bubbleroon: 

https://www.lushnz.com/shop/product/product/id/1296/keyword/Bubbleroon/rose-jam-bubbleroon

Cupcake face mask:

 https://www.lushnz.com/shop/product/product/path/1021_160/id/1545/face-fresh-face-masks-cupcake-face-mask

Throw Back Thursday! | Going through the toughest life journey

I was scrolling through my photos tonight and came across these!

My graduation day. This was one of the most amazing days of my life and I'm not just saying that to boast. But this was such a significant day that marked the success of such a long, treacherous and extremely hard journey.

Because all my life I suffered from being extremely, extremely shy.. To the point of being almost selective mute! I never really found myself excelling in things. It wasn't because I was dumb or didn't understand, but it was because I never had the self confidence to believe I was actually correct. I have always suffered from self doubt and always needed ALOT of reassurance. I was still like this throughout my entire university experience. I absolutely clashed with my tutors who I'm so sure did not pass me a few times because of it. I was told many times to my face, right before exams that I would fail, I would not succeed and I was not cut out for this profession. I was told to pick something else. 

However, I refused to let someone tell me what I could and could not do and I refused to let someone tell me I should give up. I failed the final exam about 3 times before I passed it (right after a change in staffing!) I was not going to give up and I was not going to let someone else win. I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to be and I was not going to let anything come against me. There were so many times where I cried myself to sleep, where I sat up late for hours talking to my mum and wondering whether I made the right choice and if the tutors were right and if I should find a different career path. 

Mum, me and Dad

But each day I got back up, I took the bull by the horns and tried again. I got there, through blood (ok, no real blood), sweat and tears, I made it. I passed, I won the battle and I graduated. My confidence was hit soo badly throughout that process that it took me over a year to convince myself that I had actually passed and it wasn't a pity pass. I had done the hard work and I had gained the rewards for it.

Walking up on that stage to receive my diploma was the most satisfying and rewarding moment of my life. My whole family attended the graduation ceremony and it was amazing knowing they were all there so proud of me.

 

My brother and I

      My nana and I 

I want this to be a lesson to those that are going through tough times. Everyone goes through them, everyone has a different tough situation, even if you don't see it. You are not alone.

The best thing you can do is to KEEP GOING. You WILL get there, it WILL get better and you WILL BE STRONGER. You will be stronger than you were when you started and you will be stronger than everyone who gave up. You will have a killer story to tell and it will definitely give you motivation and inspiration to apply it to so many other areas and issues that come up in life.

Never give up. Always keep trying. You will reach the top of that mountain.

I now work in an amazing place, with amazing staff who I all get along with and am confident around, I have a lot more hours than most likely my ex tutors now have (we are now qualified and working in the same field!) I am earning a good wage and doing very well for myself. All because I never gave up.

I have friends who gave up at the first sign of a struggle and they now regret it, they are still working long hours on minimum wage and wondering what they should do with their life now. Sometimes taking a new path can be a good thing, but as long as it's working towards something and persevering through tough times rather than continually giving up. Then you will certainly win in the end. Go for it, you can do anything YOU set your mind to. Don't let anyone else set it for you.

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Just thought I'd say..

I hope that if anyone is reading this, that you find these blog posts helpful, especially if you're going through a similar situation with a long distance relationship or if this even helps with situations in your relationships in general. I'm going through this completely naive, I have not done any of this before and this is my first long term relationship of over 1 year, so I am not an expert in relationship advice, but I hope that through my experiences, I can help someone. 

I'm not trying to be an expert at all either and give out advice that people have to follow. I don't know that what I say on here is even right. But this is a place where I can express my thoughts and feelings and share my experiences and learnings with anyone who comes across my blog.. I am most likely going to make mistakes and write things that I may one day read back on and think.. Well that wasn't right. But, in the moment, it works and it's how I feel, so I'm going to do what I know best and put pen to paper.. Or fingers to a keyboard.. And express myself. I don't want this to just be a sappy blog all about my boyfriend being away, I do want to write about other things, however, at the moment this is what I feel passionate about expressing.

Aside from all of that, the best piece of advice I can give in which I have learnt so far is to learn to be open, trusting and look for the good things in the relationship and the person you're dating. If you continually look for the bad things that aren't going your way, that's all you'll ever see and you'll miss all of the great things that can be so small, yet so significant.

Each day is new day, don't hold grudges and remember that we are all different, no one will be the same as you and see things the way you do. But that can be so great, in opening your eyes to a whole new world and a whole new perspective. Embrace it and enjoy it. :)

Long distance relationship | Life is a rollercoaster.

I've come up again on the rollercoaster and through conversation with my dearest mum - my bestie, I've come to realise that although this is a really difficult thing, it could also be something really good. I have known all through our realtionship that this is something Alex has desired to do and he wants to fulfill that dream before settling down. I would never stop him, despite my best efforts to try and get him to stay - as any girlfriend would I'm sure.. - I know this is something he hasn't just thought of lightly and he's not just up and leaving me out of the blue. I have to trust and go with the flow, it could make us even stronger and show our true love for each other, or it could show us something that may not have worked out in the future anyway. I need to make sure I'm prepared and ready to handle whatever happens. But for now, I just need to stick to being open hearted, open minded, trusting and strong. I am a mature adult and I know that we can make this work, despite my perfectly normal worries. I also need to make sure that as much as I want Alex to keep me in the loop with everything, I need him to know how important it is that he knows how I'm feeling at times, when I have my ups and downs and that he needs to be supportive to me as well.

A friend passed this scripture onto me;

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NIV)

"Lord, I give this situation to you, you take control of it and let your will be done, I choose to trust in you. In Jesus name, Amen."

Long distance relationship | My Boyfriend wants to live overseas

My bf wants to live overseas for a year. I can't go, due to my own commitments with work and life.

He hasn't even left yet and this is already the hardest thing. I am on a roller coaster, I want to be happy for him and proud of him and support him, but on the other hand I don't want him to go at all, most of the time I don't want to hear about his plans but at the same time I do. So I sit, listen, grin and bare it. I have my own desires to go overseas, but only ever for holidays, not to live. Being a Christian means I can't live with my boyfriend until we are married and I have a job which if I left I wouldn't be able to get back or anything similar as it is such a rare yet sought after thing. I want to try and move up in my job and earn money before settling down. I can visit him maybe once? With the expense of travel and timings of holidays off. 

He had a job interview via skype last night and ofcourse I wanted to hear all about it, but hearing it made everything sink in and made me cry a little at the reality of the person I love leaving. Constantly I have thoughts and worries running through my head, wondering if he doesn't love me and that's why he can so easily leave, or what if he meets another girl over there and falls in love, leaving me broken hearted. My thoughts then go onto thinking, no we can do this, we can keep in contact easily, he seems brave enough to do it, I'm sure it will be fine. My Christian thoughts come out and say God is bigger than all of this, he is in complete control and has my best interests at heart and so I am constantly praying over the whole situation.

I wonder if the reason why I'm so strung up about this is because I'm not in control of  anything when I like to be, I just have to sit back and let everything happen right in front of me not being able to say or do anything to change the circumstances. Maybe this is a learning curve for me to trust. To trust in The Lord and know that everything will be alright and I don't need to carry these burdens. Or maybe these are normal emotions that everyone feels when they have to face this sort of situation. Writing all of his down certainly helps, so I may be spilling my heart out on my blog quite a bit over the year he is gone. It feels selfish for me to pray that he doesn't go, so I don't, but I continually pray that the Lords Will be upon this whole situation and that we both have help and guidance in being ok with whatever situation happens.

I just wish I could have answers or some knowing that everything is going to be fine, a knowing of what's ahead so I can be prepared. Unfortunately, life isn't like that..