Showing posts with label Moleskine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moleskine. Show all posts
8/27/2018
Winter Favourites
Winter certainly seems to be almost on the backburner here in Auckland. While I love donning coats and any excuse for multiple blankets, I will not miss the cold. Winter isn't all bleak and this season, I've found a bunch of new favourite things. From stationery to fashion, podcasts and writing...
High As Hope: I couldn't not mention this album, Florence and the Machine's fourth. I feel like fourth albums seem to generate a varied response from fans. High As Hope easily feels like Florence's most candid yet. Every song is well considered yet intimate. My favourite, favourite track is still Patricia, written for Patti Smith. It gets me every time. I also love 100 Years and South London Forever but the whole album is a beaut. It's barely left my car stereo, yes I am that level of old school, since its release at the end of June.
Olivia Laing's Writing: The Lonely City has sat on my shelves for a while, I remember trying to read it years ago and I don't know if I just wasn't patient or appreciative enough but I couldn't get into it. Flash forward a couple of years and I love her work. So far I've finished Crudo, her novel set in 2017 that naturally feels incredibly real yet personal at the same time. I've been thinking how best to articulate why I love Laing's words so much, wish me luck here. I feel like as well as writing incredibly personally, she also has a universality to her words as well. I don't mean that in a, cult book you'll see everyone reading almost ironically on public transport. What I mean is those who do choose to read her work will more than likely notice some glimmers of resonance among the pages. I'm still slowly making my way through The Lonely City and it's more than likely going to come away with me on my travels soon. I also have The Trip To Echo Spring sitting on my shelves as well.
How To Fail w/ Elizabeth Day: Whenever anyone catches me listening to this podcast they usually give me questioning glances and want to know why. My response usually is to read the description and then realise I am not indulging in a series of bleak listening sessions. How to Fail essentially explores what hasn't gone right for people and how that in turn is cause for celebration and a chance to succeed better. My favourite episodes so far have been with Dolly Alderton, Olivia Laing and Phoebe Waller-Bridge but I highly recommend giving this a listen.
The navy Moleskine: To know me is to know Moleskines are probably my all-time favourite notebooks. I have been using them for years, ever since discovering I could use my student discount to buy them cheaply from an art supply store here in Auckland. They were my tutorial notebook of choice, travel diaries, to-do style notebooks, heck I even used to use one way back to write out blog posts by hand first. It's only in the last year really that I have started using them again and I recently treated myself to one of their softcover, leather navy gems. My only gripe is NZ isn't the best place to find the variety of colours, styles etc so I am hoping I find some newbies when I am in Melbourne.
father rabbit's card selection: Ok so I rarely venture to the Jervois Rd side of Auckland, which is probably a good thing because I'd buy all the cards from Father Rabbit. So many gems guys! Their in-house range of floral illustrations is beautiful, but they are also home to Hotel Magique. The latter, a brand Liv bought to my attention. They also have gorgeous tags, wrapping paper and beautifully selected gifts. Well worth a visit pre or post-brunching from Dear Jervois. I highly recommend the smashed avo with smoked salmon. Such a good time.
Loafers: Hi, my name is Sophie and I have this thing with loafers. I blame Alexa Chung for this. Yeah it's naturally all her fault. Ahem, I also blame Gucci for the revival and sudden reappearance of these classic, comfortable, stunning shoes. Anyway, these have been my Winter shoes of choice and I love them. Do I want more? Absolutely. Do I need to get out of my shoe comfort zone? Absolutely. Will I? Stay tuned...
-What have you been loving this Winter?
5/31/2018
May Favourites
Another month, another round of beauty+lifestyle bits I've been loving. I feel like May has gone 'blink and you'll miss it' fast. It's been mostly good but a lil' not so good. Anyway... During May I've found a few new beauty loves, rediscovered some things from times past and finally read a book I'd avoided for years. May Favourites, here's lookin' at you.
Eyeko 'Eye Do' Eyeliner: I used to use this eyeliner back in the day, after I purchased it in a set with the Eye Do Mascara, designed in collaboration with Alexa Chung. It's still alive and well and thankfully so because it's a bloomin' good liner. Easy to use, blacker than black, budge proof. There's not much more to it than that really.
The Body Shop Adriatic Peony Bath & Shower Cream*: Peonies are some of my favourite flowers so I was probably bound to love this. Regardless, I feel like The Body Shop do bath+shower products well. Their shelf-lives are reasonable for starter. This one is available in a travel-friendly size too. Always a bonus. This is essentially an in-shower body moisturiser. It does have a slight lather as well and the scent is divine. It's not overpowering and is perhaps only detectable to the wearer post-spritz but I don't mind that in the slightest.
How To Build A Girl** x Caitlin Moran: So I admittedly held off on reading this book for ages. By ages, I mean years. I think I had it in my head that Moran's fiction wouldn't live up to the greatness of her essays. A very misguided prediction. Safe to say I loved this 'semi-autobiographical' novel about Johanna Morrigan, an aspiring music journalist who dreams of seeing her name in print and a life of notoriety in London. She gets that and more, although perhaps at a cost. Such is the nature of being young and making mistakes. This book is hilarious, moving and captivating. Caitlin's fiction didn't disappoint me. I cannot wait to read How To Be Famous, released in July.
MAC Extended Play Mascara: So I finally grabbed this after hearing Sam sing its praises in her videos for years. Worth the hype and it looks amazing layered up and worn with curled lashes. I know mascara's such a subjective thing but I believe this is one of MAC's bestsellers so that probably speaks volumes on its own. I think I might have found my dream mascaras in the last two months. It's only taken me a few years.
Moleskine Notebooks: Way back in the Uni days, these were my notebook of choice. I had them in varying sizes and colours. Well I've gone back to these ones and they are so good. I use them for journalling, keeping to-do lists, noting down podcast recommendations and of course the not so exciting grocery shopping lists. I love that they're well-made, relatively inexpensive and have a back pocket for stowing away random scraps of paper and the like.
Coco Mademoiselle Intense: The original Coco Mademoiselle is a staple in my perfume lineup, see this post for evidence. So when I spritzed and had the new incarnation sweep me off my metaphorical feet, I needed it. Think of this as a more longer lasting, powerful version of the original. It's my new MVP perfume.
-What have you liked during May?
*PR Sample
**Review Copy
6/25/2013
June Lovin'
Yesterday I put an Instagram up of some beauty products I've been loving lately and thought I'd do some mini reviews of them today for you because they really are fantastic and the love deserves to be shared. There's also some miscellaneous fashion and stationery bits thrown in there because I've been loving them this month too.
Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Eclair This was released as part of the Baking Beauties collection and I think it's sold out now. Constructivist is similar and part of their permanent collection. The shade is a coppery brown with fine gold shimmer running through it. This paint pot is very true to colour and looks lovely worn by itself or with other Mac eyeshadows like Woodwinked and All That Glitters. This also goes nicely with the metallic shades in the Naked 2 palette as well. What I really love about this paint pot though is its staying power. With an eyeshadow primer underneath this does not crease at all. It's perfect for long days when eyeshadow touch ups aren't an option.
Antipodes Joyful Hand & Body Cream I actually first heard of Antipodes on Estee's blog and was excited to hear they were a New Zealand brand. This hand cream was tested many a time I visited Farmers and I finally picked it up when I had some reward dollars to use. This cream is scented with blackcurrant berry and hibiscus flower so it smells quite fruity with a hint of floral. I use this as a hand cream and the cream sinks into the skin so quickly. You aren't left having to vigorously rub at the greasy residue. This is probably the only hand cream that doesn't dry out my skin in Winter too and I love it for that. Next on the Antipodes lust list is the Grapeseed Butter Cleanser which reminds me of the ever-popular cleansing balms everyone loves at the moment.
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