Things I Should Know By Now

A little while ago I was given a writing assignment for my Creative Writing class that said 'Write a list of 10 things you should know by now.' I tried to get all arty with the assignment and write deep things about life, but I ended up failing and writing two deep things and eight random things. I thought I would share these random ones with you, mostly because I'm hoping for some kind of validation that I'm not the only crazy one. 

HOW TO EAT POPCORN LIKE A LADY

Popcorn is my weakness, I just can't help it. When I was a kid my Dad and I would have competitions to see who could fit more popcorn in their mouth at once, and that way of eating it has always stuck with me. I can polish off a whole bowl in a few minutes with my huge mouthfulls. When I go to the movies with my friends I realise that I'm eating like a pig and try to daintily eat it one piece at a time, but my concentration soon fails and I end up chowing it down once more. 

HOW TO PUT MY DOONA IN IT'S COVER

I am ashamed to say that when it comes to changing beds I still need my Mummy's help. I can do pretty much all of it by myself: I can strip it, put the pillows in the cases, put on the sheets, drape the doona over and dress it all up with throw pillows. It's only when it comes to putting that pesky blanket in it's cover that I fall apart, I just can't get my head around it. 

NOT TO LEAVE ALL MY HOMEWORK TO THE LAST MINUTE

What am I doing right now? Leaving all of my homework to the last minute. I have never not handed my schoolwork in on time, but I always leave it to the last possible moment. At the beginning of every week I tell myself that I will be more organised, but two days in I give up and go back to my usual ways. I'm horrible. I know. 

IF I KEEP MY ROOM TIDY I WON'T HAVE TO CLEAN IT 

While I'm on the topic of organisation, let's discuss my bedroom. I know that if I put things away once I'm done using them, make my bed in the morning and put my clothes in the hamper it will be tidy all the time and I will never have to do massive clean ups, yet I never do it. Instead I let the stuff pile up for about a week before I can't stand the mess and have to do something about it. 

THE RULES OF CRICKET 

What even is that game? I know it's supposed to be this iconic thing but I just don't understand. Tests? One Dayers? 20/20? All of it blurs together into this weird mush in my brain whenever someone tries to explain it to me. I much prefer having no idea what is happening and complaining every time it is on. 

HOW TO MAKE/EAT A PANCAKE PROPERLY 

I don't like traditional pancakes, but I do like pancake batter. When I make pancakes, which is a rare occasion when I have friends over, I will really make something else entirely. I pour the batter into the pan just as you should, but then I begin to scramble it like eggs. I do this for a few seconds until the batter is just barely cooked, then I take it off the heat and eat it as is. This may sound totally crazy and really gross, but it is the only way I like pancakes and I certainly don't do it very often. 

BOBBY PINS GO IN FLAT SIDE DOWN 

No matter how many times I remind myself of this simple fact, I keep putting them into my hair the wrong way up. 

DO NOT PUT MORE LIPSTICK IN MY HANDBAG 

Every time I wear a different lipstick I put it into my handbag for touchups throughout the day. This is all totally normal until I never take it out. Sometimes it gets to the point where it feels as though half of my lipsticks are stored in my tiny bag. This, like most of these other points, is down to my own lazyness but it really bothers me that I don't keep on top of it. 

Those were some things I should know by now, but I'm sure there is many many more. One thing I do know is that this was a bit of a random Sunday post, but I can assure you that this will not be the worst of it. Sorry. 

Lots of Love,

Shannon xo

Follow me on Twitter: @shanny_hudson

Birthday Beauty Haul

It was my birthday last week and, as usual, I got a fantastic haul of gifts. For this post I have decided to narrow it down to my beauty buys. Most of these were bought with my Priceline (for those of you who don't know, Priceline is basically the Boots of Australia) gift card, though there were a couple of exceptions I'll explain below. I have had all of these products a few days now, so I've tested them all out and am ready to give you a mini review of each! 

My old concealer that I didn't like very much is finally running out so I'm trying something different. This Maybelline Fit Me concealer is streets better. It is really creamy so it smooths over my skin nicely and doesn't crease under my eyes. The thing I need my concealer to do the most is cover up my Rouldoph nose. My nose gets really red, progressivly more so throughout the day, and I want something that I can smear all over it without looking cakey. This is my answer. Though my old Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour concealer had higher coverage, this works more effectivly because there is no caking or creasing to draw attention to my imperfections. (By the way it is a lot lighter than it comes up in the swatch below). 

This one I did not choose myself, it was in fact a proper gift, but it is amazing. Before I unwrapped this I did not even know GAP made perfumes, but this was a happy surprise. It smells so different to anything else I own, it is a very fresh scent. Most of my perfumes would fall under the category 'floral' but this one doesn't. I have no idea how to explain it in words, so I think you may need to track it down and give it a sniff yourself. And as an added bonus, the flourescent packaging makes me so happy when I pick it up in the morning, it certainly earned the name 'Bright'. 

As a sucker for anything a good blogger recommends, I felt a compulsive need to pick up this Maybelline Color Tatoo in Bad to the Bronze thanks to EssieButton. She wasn't lying when she praised this either, it really is good. I've never tried a cream eyeshadow before, but they're really cool. It was nice and easy to blend and it didn't crease on my eyelid. I've worn it twice now, once on it's own and once with some smokier browns over the top, both were pretty successful if I do say so myself. This is not something I would wear to school, it is more of a going out deep bronze colour, but it will be a weekend staple of mine in no time I'm sure. 

Mhmm another Revlon Lip Butter, I just can't control myself. I actually wanted to try a Maybelline Colour Whisper, but they were all out of stock so I had to revert back to my old favourite. This time I mixed it up a bit and went for a red rather than a pink and I really like it. I'm not usually into red lipstick, but this is shear enough to work. As usual it is really comfortable on the lips and does not leave them feeling gritty when it wears off. Candy Apple is going straight for the handbag. 

Can we just take a moment to appreciate my first real high end beauty product? The only way I can describe my love for it is comparing it to a mother and their child. It is beautiful. Though I may sound like a bit of a crack pot, this really is a great lipstick. It is that perfect, kind of natural but kind of 'Oh she's wearing lipstick' colour on my lips and the packaging is devine. I bought this with a Chanel Beauty and Fragrance gift card that I was given by some amazing people who know just where my love lies. I almost love this too much to wear it. Almost. 

Just two weeks after complaining she couldn't buy Essie nail polishes in Australia, she finds a whole rack of Essie nail polishes in Australia. I feel like a bit of an idiot, but I swear that rack is new. They didn't have all of their range. They mostly had heaps of shades of pink but as I was weighing up which shade of baby pink I would buy (because I couldn't walk away without anything), two little shades in the corner caught my eyes. There was this brilliant bright burnt orange colour and an emerald green. I was tossing up between the two but in the end Saturday Disco Fever won my heart. I'm wearing it right now and I got plenty of compliments at school today. 

As I said in a previous post, I'm delving into the world of primers. I'm not really sure what drew me to this particular one, but I went straight for the Bourjois section when I entered the store. There were two options to choose from, matte and illuminating. As a first try I wanted to go with the more simple option of the two, so I chose the matte primer. I wasn't really sure whether it was making a difference until today when I forgot to put it on. When I looked at myself in the mirror at lunch time, there was far more product gone than the past few days. I don't know if this is the best primer out there, but I am going to stick with it for now. 

Well that sums up all of my birthday beauty gifts and mini reviews. I'm really enjoying testing out these new products and already can't wait to find some more to review. 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo

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10 Things I Hate About Shopping

Yesterday I went on a pretty major shopping trip and it made me realise the same things I do every time I shop: 1) I love shopping ever so much 2) No matter how much I love it, there are so many annoying things that go on in shopping centres. So here are 10 things I hate about shopping. 

1. I WANT TO BUY EVERYTHING 

I don't know about you, but I love so many of the things I see in shops. I look at them, I feel them and I think 'you must be mine'. Then, of course, reality kicks in and I realise that I am not made of money or space, so I can't really own those useless glass bottles in five different colours. Despite the fact that I want to own everything, I'm actually pretty good with my money (always have been, I guess it's a part of acting far past my age) and I never really go crazy and buy things on a whim. I have to dream about those glass bottles in five different colours for months before I pluck up the courage to buy them, but if I had the money to splash around they would be mine immediately. 

2. I WANT TO EAT EVERYTHING

Shopping centres are not just full of clothes, CDs and shoes, they're also filled to the brim with eating establishments. I don't know if I just didn't notice before, but shopping centre eateries seem to be stepping up their game. Frozen yogurt, fancy cupcake and urban asian street food (what exactly is 'urban asian street food'...?) shops are popping up all over the place where there used to be just a McDonalds and a crappy sandwich shop. As I walk past shop after shop serving my favourite foods, I can't help but want to binge out on it all. I could spend just as much money on cookies, burgers and ice creams at the shops as I do on the makeup and clothes. 

3. PEOPLE WHO SHEPARD THEIR CHILDREN 

Now I think this one really only annoys me, but I want to see if anyone out there agrees. I really don't like it when mothers and fathers are running around the place making sure their toddlers don't pull the coats off the manequins or fall backwards down the elevators. I'm not saying these people should let their children break things and/or die, but I think they're going about it a bit wrong. If your kid is going to run everywhere and make a muck, carry them or put them in a pusher. If being confined in that pusher is making them scream because they want to stretch their chubby little legs, make them hold your hand and move on with your shopping in a civilised manner. I don't see why people will stop and let their children go insane right in the middle of a walkway, at least keep moving in a forward motion goddamnit. I realise this may be insensitive to people with really annoying unruly kids, because I am lucky to have only ever associated with well behaved children when shopping, but I had to include it in the spirit of honesty. 

4. SLOW PEOPLE TAKING UP THE WALKWAYS 

If you're window shopping, by all means go ahead and stand close to the window and peruse them. Just please don't get in front of me, three abreast, and walk at 1m per hour. I find that the people who do this the most are not looking in the shop windows, nor are they old, disabled or in any other way excusable for walking so slowly. It is usually a family or group of friends who are strolling along shoulder to shoulder having a nice little chat. Some of us don't have time to walk from Target to Toys 'r' Us like a zombie. 

5. WHEN THEY'RE SOLD OUT OF WHAT YOU WANT 

This always happens to me with beauty products. I get my heart set on some product I've heard amazing things about, collect the courage and the funds to buy said product and go into the shop to find it all gone. There is always plenty of it in every other colour, shape or formula but never the one I had my heart set on. I had this problem with two products yesterday alone, and the wounds are still a little fresh. 

6. PARKING 

At some of the larger shopping centres here in Melbourne, it is ridiculously hard to find parking. No matter how I want to avoid going there, they have the best shops and it's hard to resist for long. You can drive around at the peak of the day for half an hour before finding a space as far from the entrance as humanly possible. Don't even talk to me about going at Christmas time, that's something I'm still trying to get over and it's mid February.

7. GETTING LOST 

I get really scared of getting lost in shopping centres, especially ones I don't know well. There are three shopping centres I'm fine with and another two I could manage if I had to, the rest are like Narnia to me. The worst of them all is Chadstone 'the fashion capitol' as it is known in these parts. It is the biggest monstrosity of a shopping centre you've ever seen, but it has such lovely shops. I can go years without venturing in there because it's sheer size scares me so much. 

8. SHOPS WITH REALLY LOUD MUSIC 

Those young/hip/cool/rocker shops that blast techno music as loud as humanly possible just give me a headache. Usually I avoid them all together, are their clothes really worth it? But sometimes I see a cute skirt in the window and find myself braving the sea of croptops and plaid shirts tied around waists. I usually instantly regret this decision, but the odd occasion I come out with that cute skirt eases the throbbing headache the crazily loud David Guetta induces. 

9. SHOP ASSISTANTS THAT IGNORE YOU

If I go up to a cash register carrying something, then odds are I want to buy it. This doesn't seem to be a concept some sales assistants can grasp. Instead they go on chatting to their work mate, sorting out stock right in front of me, or (god forbid) talking on the phone. I'm not one for getting too chatty with a sales person, I really just want to hand over my money and move on to bigger ventures, but I need someone to scan that thing so I don't set of beepers as I leave the store. The number of times I've considered stealing something because the girl behind the desk is ignoring me is crazy and kind of embarrassing. 

10. OVERLY HELPFUL SHOP ASSISTANTS 

Though this may seem like a contradiction to my last point, just stop me if you've heard this one before...

Sales Assistant (lets call her Jane): Hello, is there anything I can help you with? 

Me: No thanks, I'm just having a look around.

Jane: Are you looking for anything in particular? 

Me: Not really, just browsing. 

Jane: Well there's some really nice jeans over here that would look fantastic on you! Or some scarves over here that are 30% off! Oh! Or this jumper is fantastic, the colour would bring out your eyes!

And on it goes until Jane has dragged me to every corner of the store I am not sure if she will ever let me leave. It is one thing to be helpful if someone expresses an interest in being helped, but a whole different thing when someone is having a quick look in your store and you wont leave them alone until they agree to buy something.

That's it, my rant is over. I hope you enjoyed hearing some of the things I hate about shopping, though even after complaining about all of those things, I still love it deeply. Tell me in the comments if you agree with any of my points. 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo

Feel free to follow me on Twitter: @shanny_hudson

Grammys Style Review

As I'm sure you would gather by now, I really love award shows. Everything about them excites me, especially the fashion. The Grammys are a whole new level of awesome because people are willing to take risks and wear some insane outfits. This year after I watched the carpet  I was summarising it for my Mum and I found myself saying 'Beyonce didn't walk the carpet, Rihanna wasn't there, Bruno Mars didn't walk the carpet, Justin Timberlake wasn't there, Lorde didn't walk the carpet...' And I became progressively more disappointed as I realised that there wasn't really much going on, there was no outstanding fashion moments and no real horrible flops. That being said, there are always some better outfits than others. 

The Good 

Taylor Swift 

I love Taylor's chainmail inspired look, its preppy and shiny in Taylor's usual fashion but it has a certain edge to it. Taylor is so statuesque and gorgeous that she doesn't need to take any increadible risks to look beautiful and garner the attention of the masses. The chain mail mesh around her shoulders ads that little bit of sexyness without taking away any of the class and the belt around her waist ads shape to her figure. In the quick shots they showed of Taylor walking, you got a brief view of her shoes which were phenominal (if only I had the money to buy them....). 

Giuliana Rancic 

Though she was only a presenter and interviewer on the carpet, Giuliana really pulled out all the stops. The bright orange colour is gorgeous on her tan Italian skin tone and the halter-like neckline shows off her shoulders. Giuliana said that she was inspired to wear an Alex Perry (who is not a really high profile designer in the states) dress from Sandra Bullocks bright and pretty numbers of late. The lace overlay of the skirt and up around her torso added great dimension to the dress. 

Katy Perry 

Katy wins as my overall favourite of the evening, her dress is just a hint towards her old kitch style but in keeping with her more classy style of late. It's so princessy and intricate, with little bits of tuille wafting off here and there. Without the music note print and with some added lining, this could look like a wedding dress but that could not have been further from my mind in the moment. Up close her earrings and hair were enpoint as well. 

They Could Have Done Better

Zendaya 

This look just perplexes me. What was going through her mind when she decided to wear this monstrosity? To begin with the colours don't go together and the top and bottom halves look like totally seperate pieces. The see through top is just weird and the buttons down the front add a whole new level of insanity. Overall, this look was just overwhelming and bad. 

Pharrell 

This is the hat that took over the world, my whole twitter feed was full of comments on this offencive headware. This look would have been totally fine (if a bit underdressed) if it weren't for the crazy hat. He looked like a mounty that was trying to be a rapper but couldn't quite let go of his past. As one of the most high profile nominees he was always popping up on my television screen and even when he changed his outfit, the hat held strong. I commend him on his commitment but it was unnecessary. 

Kacey Musgraves 

Lets face it, Kacey looks like a country prostitute. Her actual red carpet dress was quite pretty and it was only this performance dress that was bad. There is no denying she has great legs and is very beautiful but this bedazzled pile of fabric, though fitting into her genre, didn't cut it. We saw some beautiful performance outfits from musics best and fairest and this was the worst of the bunch. 

I'll probably be doing another of these posts when the Oscars finally roll around, hopefully there will be some standout gowns that night. 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo 

I live tweeted (part of) the Grammys, so if you want to check that out and hear about the rest of my life feel free to follow me on twitter: @shanny_hudson

Holiday Cooking: Australia Day Pavlova

Happy Australia Day! I thought I would share a favourite Australian recipe of mine with you all to celebrate.  I know not all of you are from Australia, so you may not even have heard of this dish, but I can tell you it is worth a try no matter what county you live in (I'm sorry about the quality of the photos, it was my first try).

Pavlova is an Aussie classic (even though it didn't actually originate in Australia, sorry New Zealand), so it is perfect to take with us to an Australia Day barbecue. For those of you who have no idea what it is, it is basically a huge meringue with cream and fruit on top and boy is it yummy. The combination of the crisp outer shell with the marshmallow-like centre is good enough on its own but the addition of the whipped cream and fresh fruit really makes it delicious and traditional. 

This is a very simple thing to make, there's not many ingredients at all. All you will need is: 

- 12 egg whites, at room temperature
- Large pinch of salt 
- 3 cups (660g) caster sugar
- 6 tsp cornflour
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence

You will need to preheat your oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with some non-stick baking paper and draw a 40cm circle on the paper, place the paper on the tray, circle side down.This works as a guide to make your pav round, I don't bother with this step as I use a round baking tray. 

The most time consuming and tiring part of making a pavlova is separating all the eggs, once you're done with that you're on the home stretch. I just crack the egg and move the yolk from one half of the shell to the other until there is no white left. I'm fairly confidant with it and I think that is the key, if you make a mistake there's no harm in only having 11 egg whites. That being said, I always crack the egg and separate it over a smaller bowl and then add it into the larger bowl with the rest of the whites, just in case. 

Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. 

Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking for 1 minute after each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue to whisk on high for 3 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Combine cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence in a small bowl to make a thick paste. 

Add to meringue and whisk until just combined, the mixture should be glossy and have stiff peaks.

Use a spatula to spread meringue over the circle, smoothing the surface and sides. I like a rustic look with mine, so I don't worry about making it too perfect. Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C.

Bake for 2 hours - the pavlova should be dry to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave it inside to cool completely (I will cook the pav late at night and leave to cool overnight). 

When you are ready to serve, whip up some cream and serve it topped with your favourite fresh fruits. I went with kiwi fruits, mango and strawberries this time, but you could use any fruits you want. I really love it with all different types of berries and a shaving of chocolate. 

Give this simple treat a try at home and tell me what you think. 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo

Want to follow me on twitter? The link is right here: @shanny_hudson 

Apocalips: Good or Bad?

I wanted to try out lip lacquers and what was better than the highly acclaimed Rimmel Apocalips? I was a bit sceptical before this purchase because I tend to question the validity of the reviews when EVERYONE has talked about them (usually hinting towards bloggers having gotten them for free). These really do what is advertised though, they're really pigmented and hang around on your lips all day. They are not overly sticky like a bad lipgloss but they don't dry out really fast and leave your lips uncomfortably clammy like some lip stains do. 

I purchased mine in two very bright shades: Stellar (Coral at the top) and Apocaliptic (Purple-toned pink at the bottom). Both are quite eye catching and very vibrant. 

The colour Stellar is coral and very good for the summer time. It just looked so beautiful in the packaging and when I swatched it onto my hand I had to have it, I even went to the effort of going to multiple shops until I found one that had this colour in stock. 

I really love the applicator with these lacquers, they're different in that they have a dough foot with a hole in the centre. The hole is great because it really collects the product and

makes for an easy and even application over the lips when applied to full coverage. 

This shade Apocaliptic is another fantastic colour, it is really bright and can work all year round. I find that these shades are much easier to wear if you just apply a little bit to the centre of your lips and blend out with your fingers, rather than going for the all over full coverage look. I will wear them full coverage when I want to make a real statement and jazz up an otherwise boring look, but for every day they are far more subtle when blended. 

The only downside to this product is that IT GETS EVERYWHERE. When I first put some after I purchased it, I was amazed that it didn't dry out quickly and make my lips really dry, but I soon looked at my hand and saw it covered in pink stickyness. My glass was much the same when I took a sip of my drink. You just have to be very careful if you are wearing these full coverage because they really do leave their mark on anything that goes anywhere near your face. This is another reason why I prefer to blend them out a little bit. 

I would be interested to try some of the more neutral shades and see how they go. Overall I'm going to have to say, despite the occasional smudge, the Apocalips really are good. 

Have you tried the Rimmel Apocalips? Tell me in the comments. 

Lots of Love,

Shannon xo

Follow me on twitter to keep up to date with me in 140 characters or less: @shanny_hudson