30 Day Photography Challenge – Days 26-30

We’ve reached the end of this photography challenge. Here’s the final five photos.

Day 26 – Close Up

I have a lot of close up photos of food and objects. I’ve shared a few in this challenge already, so I wanted to try something else. I saw something on Pinterest where ‘photo-ception’ was happening. This is what came out of my experimentation. A close up of my face on my phone camera, and the rest of me holding said phone.

Day 27 – Celebration

The most recent celebration for me was my sister’s wedding, so obviously for this prompt, I was going to choose a photo from that event. I decided on the shot of the rings, cause then it’s clear what the celebration is about.

Day 28 – Flowers

Again from waiheke, but I can’t help it. The gardens were amazing, and I had to show off more of the lavender field. I took so many photos of the flowers, this was one of my favourites.

Day 29 – Black & White

If you’ve seen my latest baking post, then you may recognize these cookies. While messing around with photos for the post, I played with filters. I ended up not using this black and white one, but I really like it’s spooky effect. So at least I can show it in this challenge!

Day 30 – Self Portrait

Another self portrait to round off this challenge. I couldn’t think of anything creative or different to do, so I took a regular camera selfie with my tripod. I took it in the sunroom, cause I like the background with the white brick. You may recognize it from my current profile picture.

So yeah, that’s all the photos from this challenge! I want to do an official wrap up post for this whole challenge in a few days. So you guys can see all the photos in one post! That being said, I have really enjoyed doing this, and I plan to do another one at a later time. If you guys have interest in photography, definitely give this challenge a go! You don’t need to post it, but just use the prompts for inspiration 🙂

Angela.

Find me elsewhere:

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Bloglovin’

October Favourites

November is nearly upon us, which means two months left in 2017!! Bring on Christmas!

I’m sticking to my new set up, and talking about five of my favourite things from the month of October!

Waiheke Island

I’ve never visited here in all my previous visits to Auckland and I have no idea why. It’s so beautiful!! Also, the added bonus is that I went to Mudbrick which is a vineyard overlooking the whole island, to celebrate my sister’s wedding. Altogether, this place is definitely a favourite from the past month.

The Millenium Series

I got a decent bit of reading done this month. Mostly due to the one week off I had this month due to my holiday. But I finished the whole Millenium series, and I really enjoyed it! My favourite is by far The Girl With the Dragon tattoo. The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest were good too, but they paled a bit as the series went on. Just my personal opinion.

Night Time Cozy Subscription Box

I had a whole post devoted to this, but if you guys didn’t know, Emma hosted a giveaway for this, and I was lucky enough to win!! The box arrived last week, and I’m still delving into all the goodies, and they all mean so much more to me since they were gifted by a fellow blogger. It’s definitely given me a major mood boost after those minor blogging hiccups of last week.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation

I finally decided to try this foundation since curiousity got the better of me. While I still love my BB cream, I have been so impressed with this foundation! Yes it’s powder, but it provides such nice coverage (which I didn’t expect!). It feels nice on my skin, and it’s so much fun to play with. Also the packaging is quite minimalistic and chic.

Blog Planner

Again, I have another post devoted to this, but I love my new planner! I’ve always wanted a big planner like this, but for my personal life, I wouldn’t use it. I have my calendar for that. For blog purposes however, this is perfect. I can plan out my posts by month and week, and I have lots of extra pages to play and doodle on. It’s perfect.

So yeah, that’s my favourites for this month! A lot of them aren’t specific things, but more a group of things, or a place, but I had to include them!

What’s your favourites from the month of October?

Angela.

Find me elsewhere:

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Bloglovin’

If We Were Having Coffee #6

We are reaching the end of another month, which means I will be posting a lot of favourites and catch up posts for the next week or so! I always enjoy reaching these points, they’re a nice time to reflect and get excited for the upcoming month!

Today, I’m drinking my instant Nescafe coffee. It’s the Coconut Latte one which I just adore. So grab yourself a drink of your choice, and let’s chat.

coffee

If we were having coffee, I’d talk about how I have the post-holiday blues. It wasn’t even a particularly big holiday, but there’s something so relaxing about not having to wake up by a certain time after you’ve been working full time for so many years. Now that we’re back into the daily grind, it’s a little bit less relaxing.

If we were having coffee, I would say that I can’t get over how comfy my SuperDry shirt (that Jo gave me) is. I wear it a ridiculous amount and for some reason, no other shirt is as comfy as this. It’s an American brand though, so getting another one will take a lot of effort (and time cause of shipping), but I’m so tempted.

If we were having coffee, I’d bring up my recent blog issues again, because it was driving me up the wall for a while. I was starting to think I wouldn’t get my blog back and would have to start a new one, which was an unsettling thought. I’ve put a lot of time, effort and heart into Life of Angela, and I would be a little (a lot) heartbroken if I had to say bye to it.

If we were having coffee, I’d want to end on a positive note and show you the hundreds of photos I’ve been taking with my new camera. I’m still so happy with it and trying to work out what other cool things to take photos of.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask what you guys have been thinking about lately.

Angela.

Find me elsewhere:

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Bloglovin’

Weekend Review #23

Saturday

We’ve been having such a good run of sunny weather! Spring is officially here, I’m calling it. I no longer need to pile on layers, and I’m so happy! Anyway, the morning was spent doing errands as per usual.

For lunch, we watched a few episodes of the second season of Stranger Things.

I was hit with the urge to have something sweet. Specifically a lolly cake slice, which I was surprised to learn is a kiwi snack. I thought it was everywhere. It’s easy to make though, so I made some, and will share the recipe in a later post!

We didn’t have plans to go out really this weekend, we just wanted to relax. I went outside and just lay in the backyard for a while. It was really warm, and I got sleepy. I managed to finish reading my book before having a quick snooze. I also took a lot of selfies.

During (and after dinner), we watched more of Stranger Things. While we were watching I tried the Borghese Eye Masks. They felt sooo nice on my eyes, and didn’t feel sticky at all when I removed them after 10 minutes. I would totally use them again if I had more.

Sunday

We went for a early Sunday morning drive today. I didn’t snag any photos since I was the one driving for a change. It was nice to drive again, as I don’t do it so often anymore. We did stop by Kmart though as our laundry basket broke.

Afterwards, we came back home and finished watching Stranger Things. Then the rest of the afternoon was lost to some good old spring cleaning. We cleaned our whole little house, and threw out a lot of random papers and things we didn’t need. It felt good. For the rest of the evening, I doodled, and Rory did his own thing.

It was nice to wind down in preparation for another week.

To-Do List

~~Chores (Cleaning, Grocery, Laundry)~~
~~Take rest of photos for photo challenge~~
~~Bake something~~
~~Watch Stranger Things~~
~~Finish reading current book~~
~~Work on journals and planners~~
Practise music (piano and ukulele) – totally didn’t
~~Try more of subscription box goodness~~
Go mini-golfing – hopefully next week

Angela.

Find me elsewhere:

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Bloglovin’

Bloggers Made Me Buy It

I mean, I have free will and all, but you guys were definitely an influencing factor in all these purchases 😛

Cactus

So if you guys know Anni from Gluecksgeist, you’ll know she often shares her obsessions with us. One of them was of cactus, and I was immediately swept up in it. They’re simply adorable, and I ended up going to my nearest garden store, and bought some straight away!

Three Year Journal

I was inspired by Ella’s posts about her five year journal, and I wanted something similar. While exploring Typo one day, I came across a three-year journal! Each month cycles the same questions which I was a little disappointed with, but otherwise, this is so much fun to fill in!! I can only imagine what my life will be like when it’s fully completed in another two years.

Planner

I mean a lot of you guys have talked about using planners for your blog. But two posts were stuck in my mind when I was walking around another stationary store (maybe I should stop going in so much). Jamie and Sarah, both recently did posts talking about their planners. So when the perfect one came along for me, how could I not get it??

Scratch Map

I recently shared with you guys my little travel wall I had made to document my travel journeys. I asked for any suggestions to extend on it. Arundhati suggested a scratch map which I forgot even existed. So of course, I looked online and found one I liked for a decent price. So I immediately bought it.

DSLR Camera

I had wanted one for a while now. Especially since blogging, and I realized how much I love to photograph things. While these ladies weren’t directly responsible for me buying it, I know both Hazel and Chanelle have one (along with many others), and have talked about how much they loved theirs. So when a local electronic store had a sale, I bought it.

Tripod

Even before having my DSLR camera, I struggled taking pictures of my outfits, or filming videos. I would balance my little digital camera or phone in the weirdest places, where it often fell down. Finally, after reading about Paige and Oriana getting a tripod, it all clicked into place. I also needed one.

Overalls

This one is a little weird, but I would never have considered myself as someone who would wear overalls. Until I took part in Kali’s July Thrift List. I came out of that with clothes I wouldn’t have considered at all before. Now I have this pair of overalls that I love, I just need to track down some shorts version for the upcoming warmer seasons.

Real Technique Brushes

Now we move onto the beauty products. I had been a fan of using my fingers for all makeup things, but eventually I was curious about brushes. Both Pearl and Azra recommended Real Techniques as a decent brand of brushes that weren’t overpriced. So I got the core collection set, and I love using them.

Real Techniques Sponge

Speaking of Real Techniques, Rossy recommended their sponge, as I mentioned that I was interested in beauty blenders. I bought a little one from a pharmacy, but since I loved their brushes, I thought I’d give their blender a go too.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation

Bella often talks about this over on her blog. I had been curious on switching up my foundation for a while, so I gave it a go. There’s no sample size, so I could only get the full size but it came highly recommended, so I was good. I love it! The powder surprisingly offers lots of coverage!

In terms of makeup, I have bought lots of other products that I was pretty much unaware of before blogging. This includes bronzer, highlighter, eyeshadow palettes, setting sprays, etc.

Basically what I’m saying is, there’s so much more stuff I didn’t know I wanted and or needed till you guys came along. I’m kidding (a little). I do love all of these purchases though, so I guess you guys have good taste. I wonder what I’ll be ‘inspired’ to buy next.

Have you guys bought anything because of a fellow blogger’s recommendation?

Angela.

Find me elsewhere:

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Bloglovin’

Night Time Cozy Subscription Box (VIM Edition)

Guys! I won Emma’s giveaway a while back, and one day after work I came home to this massive box at my door! I had no idea that the subscription box was the VIM edition! VIM stands for Very Important Marzipan, and I was overwhelmed with the goodies that came inside!

So, since there was so much, I’ll just give a first impression of all these goodies!!

Let’s have a look!

Hello Extra-Whitening Flouride Toothpaste

Now I have tried this toothpaste a few times, it’s non-foaming and the whitening products are all natural. So no peroxide, no dyes, artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. It’s also apparently vegan and gluten-free. That being out of the way, I like the toothpaste. No idea how to judge the whitening aspect though since I’ve only been using it for a few days.

Bole USA Toothbrush

This is apparently the toothbrush of the future, according to the box. The bristles are surprisingly gentle, and it feels nice to brush with. According to the card that comes with the box, the brush is also embedded with silver in the bristles which kills baterica that builds on your toothbrush. Neat.

Honest Beauty Refreshingly Clean Gel Cleanser

I don’t currently have a cleanser for washing my face or removing makeup. I just use wipes and splash my face with water. I’ve used it a few times though and it feels really good on my face. It’s removed minimal makeup quite easily, but I haven’t tried it when I’ve worn more makeup. The cleanser has Yucca root extract and saponaria in it, whatever those are.

DERMA E Overnight Peel

I didn’t know that there a product that you could leave on your face overnight. I have yet to try this, but like most of Marzia’s products, I’m sure it’ll be good.

Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender & Espresso Body Lotion

Lavender and Espresso sound like a crazy mix. I didn’t even get that when I was smelling it, but it feels really smooth when I put in and hydrates my skin well. That’s all I need in a lotion. I got a hand cream by this brand in Marzia’s Summer Favourites Box, and I was impressed by that one too.

YesTo Grapefruit Sleeping Mask, Agadir Moisture Masque, and Borghese Restorative Eye Sheet Mask

I combined all the masks in one photo. The first one is for your face, which I think you wear as you sleep. The second one is for your hair to nourish and mend split end and frizziness. The third one is for your undereyes. It takes me ages to try any kind of mask, but I’ll get to these eventually.

Blue Lagoon Multi-Pack

Recently, Marzia and Felix went to Iceland and visited the Blue Lagoon. She was then able to work out a deal to get them to add some goodies to the subscription box! This includes three little tubs to exfoliate, cleanse and nourish skin. I’m really keen to try this during the weekend.

Kenra Hairspray

I don’t use hairspray too much, but apparently this one is award winning, flake free, dries fast for up to 120 hours (!), and has wind and humidity resistance. I may have to try find some styles to try just so I can use this amazing hairspray.

Agadir Argan Oil Hair Treatment

This is a leave-on treatment for you hair, that will apparently give you that salon look. As someone who’s been trying to resist going to the salon, this could be fun!

Pretty Vulgar On Point Liquid Eyeliner Pen

I haven’t tried this eyeliner, but from the packaging alone I’m already in love! It’s adorable!! I always love playing with eyeliners, so I can’t wait to take this one out for a spin.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss

I misread the name of this lip gloss a few times before realizing it was a P not a F. Either way, cute play on words. I don’t normally wear lipgloss, but again, I love playing around with beauty and makeup things.

Creamy Pop Stickers and Buttons

A button featuring Maya, and sticker featuring Edgar!

Custom Pillowcases

The box came with two pillowcases, designed by Marzia! They fall under her Forest Creature themed doodles which I love.

Marzia Bath Bomb

It’s little, pink, and smells faintly of bubblegum I think. It’s cute, but when I put it in our full sized bath, it didn’t really make much of a difference.

Forest Creature Saku Washcloth

A teeny washcloth with another forest creature design!

Forest Creature Shido Candle

Another forest creature design, this time for a candle. I think it’s scented, but I can’t figure out what the scent is. I’m also not really into scented candles myself.

Art Print

A little print which I plan to hang in my office 🙂

So yeah, that’s everything in the box! It’s so much stuff, and I can’t wait to try them all! I’ve always loved Marzia’s subscription box, so I’m glad this was the giveaway I was lucky enough to win!! I still have products to use up from her previous boxes, and now I have even more!! So much goodies, and I’m still buzzing! Thanks again to Emma for hosting the giveaway!

Have you guys tried any of the products above?

Angela.

Find me elsewhere:

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Bloglovin’

Makeup Collection Price Tag

Hey! So I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I had way too much fun trying to figure out how much my makeup collection was worth.

I decided to make it into another video, and it ended up being 20 minutes long. That was as short as I could make it. I enjoyed filming and editing it, and I hope it’s fun to watch. You can at least get a really good look at my current makeup collection.

By the way, you guys who have tons of makeup, have you ever sat down and tried to figure out how much it’s worth? It’s pointless, but so much fun.

Anyway, here’s the video.