summer skin.

we've been experiencing a heatwave here in england. we're into the high twenties and hopefully staying for a while...

also of note - there's no air conditioning here. i mean none. large office buildings might be, but not mine. and definitely not our house. one can cope with a fan and open windows, (thank goodness for allergy medication!) but anyway you cut it, it's warm. so now, a completely frivolous post about summer make-up :)

i don't want to wear heavy foundation in the heat, and while i normally go for a powder (bare minerals, yes please!) it can be a bit tricky when droplets of perspiration wet your brow. in comes, the tinted moisturiser. i've been using this one for years, i love the coverage, and the dewy but not wet look it gives. keihl's ultra facial tinted moisturiser with SPF 15 is my summer go-to.

allergies and itchy, watery eyes can spell disaster for mascara. well unless it's blinc and it's amazing. it only comes off with warm water and slight pressure, so it also means an end to eye makeup remover!

personally, i look better with a little colour on my cheeks - something that suggests i have health and vitality, even when i'm not sleeping very well because it's so darn hot! clinique blushwear cream stick works very well with the tinted moisturiser and blends well in the heat. a slightly bronzy glow is preferred so i like shy blush.

and finally, don't forget those lips! staying with natural look i choose a pink lipstick from laura mercier - aptly named rose. but on days i want a little extra punch i take a cue from marvellous and go all out with a fuschia from mac.

this is my bare bones daily summer look - i don't really do much in the way of eye shadow or eyeliner in the summer - creases and smears just don't wear well - and i like the fresh faced look.

now let's just hope this fabulous weather continues and i'll be all set!

favourite things.

a few of my favourite things.

dry shampoo - i know that this isn't new, it's not even new to me, but this brand i've been using the last few months is better than any other i've ever tried. charles worthington balancing act.

make up pallets - i hate, and i mean it, carrying around dozens of bits of makeup. i have a simple makeup routine at the best of times, this pallet has done wonders for my post gym makeup routine (as in it gives me incentive to actually put it on!) and i'm so excited to have a small makeup bag for our trip this week - no need for a baggie of liquids at airport security! jemma kidd bio-minerals essentials kit in rose.

grocery delivery - you read that correctly. we get our groceries delivered. a flat fee for the year and we can order as many times as we want, whenever we want. it's freed up so much of our time. a complete fix for our time-crunched city lives.

navy - it's my new black. and i've based my florida wardrobe around it.

travel scale - we don't have a scale in our house, and more than once we've been burned on our way back from a vacation. i picked up this little gizmo the other day and already it's been useful! plus it's pink.

so there you have it - my completely frivolous, totally ridiculous, current favourites list.

photo.

a too-far-away friend is a much better photographer than i could ever hope to be. her images inspire me and the work she does, and the reasons she does it are inspiring too.

take a peek at her blog post today. it took my breath away. and her words. oh they are something also.

a.b. is set to arrive in 12 hours. i'm about to run to homegroup (hoping they kept some dinner for this late-at-work-girl.)

so so excited for this weekend and just spending time doing nothing with my single most favourite sibling (ok so she's my only sibling, but it's a sister thing, ya know?)

a collection of thoughts.

life is ticking by here. it is how it should be. here's what i'm thinking.

• bright lipstick makes your face look better - even when you are looking haggard (which is how i was this morning) 
• i need to treat this recovery and rehab stage in the same way i'd treat a training programme for a marathon - with dedication and focus and realising that it will take up a lot of my 'free time' 
• knitting and reading are two of my favourite things in the entire world. 
• i feel better with lots of water in my system. 
• work (finally) got a microwave, and despite the concerns of microwaving food that float (no pun intended) around, i love the variety that has been added to my lunch selection
• shopping the sales makes me wonder why i ever buy anything full price? 
• wool for the latest baby blanket has arrived (no, not for us)
• february is shaping up to be a month of parties and entertaining and i cannot wait. 
• i love the quiet simplicity of january. 
• i am hitting up a local department store on my way home to buy some amy butler fabric on special, a.b. and marvellous should watch the post! 
• two adults generate an enormous amount of laundry - what happens when you add children? 
• nothing perks me up like freshly painted fingernails. 
• the this american life app rocks my world, and keeps me entertained on long tube commutes, get it. 
• i've just discovered the joy of using the steam room at the gym post workout, how have i missed this for so long? 
• god has redeemed so much in such a short space of time - and i am in awe of it all. 
• looking forward to date night with le boy tonight - we're doing sausage rolls from here (love this recipe!) and starting this series. snuggle time on the couch here we come! 
• i think i'll pick up some hyacinths tomorrow, my office needs a spruce up, starting with some colourful and sweet smelling flowers. 
• i need to decide on some houseplants, let's get something growing. 
• i'm starting to think about what i'd like to do in the garden this summer. 
• curtains are begging to be stitched - perhaps tonight before dinner? 
• getting back into a routine is more difficult than i realised. 
• i need to go to bed earlier. 

self-care.

it can be so hard to give ourselves time can't it? i'm struggling with that a little as the (all good) commitments of life and relationship and wedding planning hover closely overhead.

july is my last month as a single girl - and while i'm so so so looking forward to marrying my love and going on honeymoon and creating a home and continuing to invest in the relationships that mean so much to me i'm also feeling a little overwhelmed.

so I've set some goals for July. i want to finish my single years feeling the best i possibly can about who i am. i want to carry that confidence into marriage.

to this end i've tried to make my life a little easier this month. i meal planned next week's meals and bought the groceries online. and i took myself for a payday treat and had a pedicure over lunch - definitely the best thing i've done for myself this week!

:goals for july 2011:

- read one novel
- daily quiet time and prayer (i'm usually good about this until i get busy and then it falls away when i need it most!)
- stick to my healthy eating plan and cook - it's way too easy to grab comfort food on-the-go when really those moments of preparing food and nourishing yourself are so important.
- complete the jillian michaels 30-day shred - exercise literally is my sanity!
- memorise proverbs 31:10-18 - i figure going to the SOURCE for wisdom on my new role as wife might be a good way to start marriage.

in reality, with a little planning this won't add any extra time to my days and will probably make me more productive. regardless, i'm pretty sure it's the only way i'll get through the last month before our wedding, tying up loose ends at work, taking a month off, moving house, attending various social engagements (including wedding II of the 2011 season!!) and keep my fiance still wanting to say 'i will' at the end of it all...


:posted on the go:

Free stuff = Happiness.

Who doesn't love the free? I love all kinds of free. Political freedom, religious freedom, the freedom to be you and me...

But if I'm honest, I love free stuff. Particularly when it's useful.

Today has been about the free. It started with breakfast on the balcony. I realise that the free factor might be lacking, but it was a gorgeous day and it got me excited! Plus, there is a 'free.' There's the demolition that's happening on the Estate across the street. Free entertainment. Now, I realise that I am a 26 year-old girl, living in a pretty exciting city, but I tell you, I'm almost as excited by the demolition project across the street as a 5 year-old boy. It's fascinating. It's also brought much hilarity to our lives, particularly the debate about people living in the flats as they were being demolished...(they weren't).

The free continued when I donned a new - free - shirt! My favourite of favourites gave me a shirt she insisted 'didn't look good on her.' That's doubtful, but I'm not arguing with the free.

Out the door and on the street, I remember that Giraffe, a restaurant chain in the UK, gives away, wait for it....FREE coffee. Now. We. Are. Talking. I mean, two of the best things in the world: coffee+free=awesome walk to work!

And the free continued when I took my old bottles into Kiehl's. Where they exchange old bottles for sample size bottles of product! I know. Genius! So, my skin should be pampered this week with Creme de Corps...

Happiness, it appears, can occasionally come in form of stuff - particularly when it's free!