Somehow it is October. The evenings are longer-yay for more sunlight and blooms and shadowy light. As I write this I am in an off-the-shoulder, bardot style dress and have my hair pulled back in a bun, feeling chic-er than usual for a Thursday. Oh and I have Cher's ABBA album playing so things are wild. Ahem. Ok before this post veers off in another direction entirely, today we have five things for October. Some beauty, a bit of a love letter to one of my favourite literary heroines and more...

Feelin' Fresh: Oh I am so punny, you really have no idea. When I was in Melbourne last month I paid a fleeting visit to Sephora. Fleeting because that store was more crowded than the aisles of a New Zealand supermarket when liquid gold* is the commodity of choice. I mainly went in search of Fresh because their lip scrub is a gift from the actual gods. I also grabbed their lip balm too because my lips have been insanely dry and neglected so this duo was much needed. If you want to jump on the Fresh train, you can online here. 

Matilda at 30: My favourite childhood literary heroine turns thirty this year. I may not remember much of reading this book as a young'in but I do know it was the first book I read on my own and it remains my favourite Roald Dahl novel-aside from some extracts from Boy: Tales of Childhood. To celebrate her 30th: Penguin got original illustrator Quentin Blake to imagine what she'd be up to now. My favourite theory is this one but they're all plausible. I really enjoyed Mara Wilson's article about her Matilda experience as well as reading what Daisy had to say.

Flowers for 2019: I feel like it's kinda old school now to have a physical calendar hanging on the wall. They're arguably an aesthetic thing but I couldn't not include this gem from Hydrangea Ranger. It features an array of pressed flowers collaged and then printed on 100% recycled card stock. A calendar that's good to look at and good for the environment. Yes please. I need this in my life.

Tit-Tees: October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. We all know someone whose life has been changed by cancer, whether that's through a direct diagnosis or the friends and family of those whose lives are impacted. It sucks and it's a shitty part of life but what's not lame are these awesome tees. They're part of the GirlvsCANCER initiative and feature designs by Poppy Chancellor of Poppy's Papercuts. 25% of the sales from each tee sold are split between three charities (all featured). I am adding this one to my wishlist for Summer.

And finally...this interview with Florence Welch and Yrsa Daley-Ward. Go read it. Go soak up the Gucci finery in the photographs and enjoy.

*Shout out to the Whittakers+Lewis Road Creamery chocolate milk extravaganza that took NZ by storm a few years ago. 

To know me is to know I am a stationery fiend. I was that kid who always had way too many pens in various colours at school and who decorated all their things. I still love stationery so when I went to Melbourne, home of all things creative and a bit of a shopping heaven, well I found some gems. If you're not into stationery and paper-y bits, you're probably going to find this post a bit nerdy. If however paper and pens and cards excite you, you are safe here. Keep reading...

Kikki K diaries have been my go-to for years so 2019 was hardly going to be an exception. This year I've opted for the weekly patterned diary. I used to be a daily diary kinda lady but I prefer the weekly layouts so I can have my entire weeks laid out. So design was a key factor here and I really love the simplicity and easy to navigate interface of this diary too. Also pictured here are some bits from Milligram. I have Tara to thank for introducing me to this heaven.Tucked away in Melbourne Central, and also online for those of us who want to peruse the stationery, it is a dream. Annoyingly I cannot remember where that blue pen is from but I know the notepad is this one. As a bit of a list lover, this is going to come in majorly handy. I am always scribbling notes down.

To know me is to know that I love me a good card. My gosh I had to roll out some major willpower when I was away. There were too many gorgeous cards in Melbourne. Not a bad thing by any means but I had to really stop myself. I should've written down brand names before I went away housesitting but I know the two cards closest to the left were by Australian makers. How noice is that Kath and Kim themed one I picked up here along with that floral rainbow. The Katie Leamon beauty was another Milligram find. Side note; her cards and gift wrap are beautiful. 

Last but by no means least, it wouldn't be a trip to Melbourne without a mandatory Muji excursion. I mean, come on. It'd be rude not to. I mainly grabbed all the 0.38 pens, in black of course. Some navy ones may have come home too. The mini notebooks I got for my desk at work, I have a grey one-not pictured which lives in my bag+on my desk most days. The larger black one in the background is going to be my next journal, when I eventually finish off my current one. I hope Auckland gets Muji someday. 

-So that's all the stationery bits I nabbed in Melbourne. I also grabbed some pieces for friends and family but they're in their new respective homes. Mainly Muji pens, cards and the rest. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and as always I apologise for the spontaneous blogging. I am determined to reinstate some semblance of a schedule this month-wish me luck! 

It's that time of month again. What is this sorcery!? In seriousness, I feel incredibly out of practice with blogging and writing in general. More on the latter later in the week. Anyway, September has somewhat sneakily flown by and I've been loving a whole lineup of things. It's been a good month for music. Since downloading Apple Music to my phone a few months ago I've really got back into mixing up what I listen to. I know, Sophie joins the 21st century. I also have read a few books and loved 'em and then there's some tried and true favourites in the mix...

zoe & morgan ring, similar here: This ring holds a lot of personal meaning for me, meaning which I'll leave in a corner of my mind. I guessperhaps it's that sentimentality I like about it more than anything. I do really love the design though-stars and moons feature in a few of my favourite pendants and earrings already. Unfortunately you cannot get this exact design anymore as it was part of an end-of-season sale but I highly recommend you check out Zoe and Morgan's extensive range. 

dodie clark: So I've been listening to a lotta music all month but the one artist I keep coming back to is Dodie. Her music is confessional, relatable and gives me Zooey Deschanel of She & Him vibes. I'm terrible at describing music I'm sorry. It's catchy and brilliant and I'm a Dodie fangirl anyways but I recommend you give her a listen. I love Human and Secret For The Mad atm. 

my year of rest and relaxation x ottessa moshfegh: Given I've been thinking about this book all week since finishing it and asking myself what my own personal year of rest+relaxation would look like, I'd say this left an impression. What a book. The main character is incredibly unlikeable yet I found myself understanding why she did what she did. She largely withdraws from New York city life and instead escapes c/o prescription drugs, watching a lot of Whoopi Goldberg and Harrison Ford films, surfacing for the occasional shopping spree. Her and her best friend Reva act as mirror-images of one another. Seeing what they want to see in themselves and in turn each other-bringing out their best and worst sides. It explores topics of escapism, addiction, celebrity worship and of course the questioning of identity that seems to go hand in hand with twenty-something life. It's darkly funny and brilliantly written. 

colourpop palette, similar here: I won't say too much about this palette because it's no longer available but I take it away with me all the time, including my recent travels to Melbourne and it is so useful. I don't know how I used to have one of those 15-pan MAC palettes because honestly I can get away with six shadows like this, maybe a couple of cream ones and be done. Anyway, Colourpop's eyeshadows are cheap as chips, deliver on the pigment stakes and are just bloomin' lovely. I can't fault 'em. 

anais anais x cacharel: I recently bought a bottle of this for my friend when I was on holiday and I decided to get myself one too. One because I'm a copycat and two because I wanted a small perfume to throw in my bag. I feel like smaller perfumes are harder to come by/really expensive here in NZ. Anais Anais is a classic and according to Pretty Iconic, it was to teens of the eighties what Daisy Marc Jacobs was to my generation. Its scent is floral and has base notes of amber and sandalwood. I think I like it though because it reminds me of Glow x jLO which was one of my first perfumes and pre-teen me used to spritz that around on special occasions. Side note; how great is Chemist Warehouse? Cheap fragrances and Bioderma. Yes ploise. 

expert concealer brush x real techniques: If Priceline is anything to go by, Australia love themselves a bit of Real Techniques. Seriously, I have never seen so many of their brushes in one place. When I was over they were on special so I nabbed the concealer brush. With Real Techniques brushes you are guaranteed brushes that will do the job and then some-you could use this with cream eyeshadows too if you really wanted. It makes blending concealer an absolute dream though and I love that. 

bone x yrsa daley-ward: Another book, this time poetry. A purchase enabled by the one and only Tara. Also indirectly enabled by Florence Welch who selected it for Between Two Books back in the day. I've not read anything quite like it. Poetry and storytelling that feels so truthful and in turn powerful. I deliberately drew out the process of reading this book because I wanted to make the experience last but I know it's one I will be going back to and annotating to oblivion. Daley-Ward's memoir is unsurprisingly at the top of my wishlist right now. 

-what have you loved during september?

So I got to the middle of last week and was scribbling out blog ideas and things I want to write when I realised, two weeks into September and I'd not yet compiled my five things of note for the month. Mercury reentered retrograde, Spring blooms suddenly vanished. I one hundred percent felt like any sense of togetherness had left the building. Ok, heavy sarcasm aside, these posts are among my favourite to compile and put together. The fact I forgot probably says more about how my focus has been elsewhere I guess. Writing in general has fallen to the wayside, which really needs rectifying. Anyway, five things for September incoming...

Poukahangatas x Tayi Tibble: Honestly, the synopsis over on the Victoria University Press page linked sums up this book far better than I ever could. Pop culture, identity, culture all told through a fresh, raw and real lens. I'm not sure how I can write on this cohesively without sounding like a fangirl but I love Tayi's work. If you can get ahold of this book, you absolutely should. 

#ihavethisthingwithearrings: I've admired Emily Green's pieces from afar for a while so when I came across them in person at the beginning of the month, well, I got excited. Seriously-It took me a while to choose a pair because I wanted all of them. Anyway, I opted for these drop earrings. Photos don't do them justice. They are stunning and I'm going to get so much wear out of them in the coming months. 

Red Magazine: Shout out to Liv for bringing this brilliant magazine to my attention. The issue above is extra special actually because Liv is featured in its pages. Yay for internet pals doing awesome things. Anyway, Red is a women's lifestyle magazine but with a healthy dose of fashion, literature, inspiring women and brilliantly written articles. You all know I'm a bit of a Dolly Alderton fangirl. Well, she is one of their monthly columnists. I love that they seem to feature a hefty dose of books each month too, rather than the odd scattered paragraph. It's a lovely lil' all-rounder.

Feminists Don't Wear Pink / Podcast: I've been lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the book, accompanying this podcast and it's brilliant. I'm not here to talk about the book today though. Scarlett Curtis, the brainchild behind Feminists Don't Wear Pink set her first podcast episode live earlier in the week. It's a brilliant banter-fest with her best friend, who just so happens to be Saoirse Ronan. Saoirse is also the author of the debut essay in the book which is brilliant and they talk more about it here. I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes, especially Jameela Jamil's. She is slaying the Internet at the moment. 

Sharing Without Pressure: When Pandora spoke about this story on a previous episode of The High Low I immediately headed to Man Repeller to stake it out. Whilst my curiosity was premature, my anticipation was justifiable. I've been mulling over the ideas of sharing whatever the hell I fancy and not caring about who is double tapping their screen as a means of acknowledgement. Here's an extract from Pandora's piece which really speaks volumes: 

"In order to thrive, I have to subscribe to the belief that I do not owe everyone, everything...I am withholding, I am not withdrawing. Just as I am not sharing all of the bad stuff, I am also not sharing all of the good stuff. The best stuff. I don't want to curate a shiny, social-media version of my life...I also don't want to write long, broken narratives about various issues I face because I do not want to invite conversation into what I am still figuring out. It's delicate. It's fragile. It's mine."

transit x rachel cusk: I've been reading Outline, the first in Cusk's trilogy and love the conversational style and the way dialogue pushes the story forward. It is written in a beautiful, fluid way as well so when I saw Cusk's books on a table at the Melbourne Writers Fest I had to whisk book two away. It'd be rude not to. 

300 arguments x sarah manguso: One of the indie bookstores I discovered on this trip was Hill of Content. Upstairs they had an amazing essay selection and it was here that I stumbled upon Sarah Manguso. 300 Arguments isn't really your typical essay collection but rather a steady stream of consciousness. It jumped off the shelves to me because I've toyed with the idea of writing like this and wanted to see how it reads, quite literally. I loved it. If you don't like books that challenge the formulaic structure of writing then it won't be for you. It's short and sweet but reflective too and I love that it puts a new twist on the traditional essay.

bone x yrsa daley-ward: A book I have wanted to own for the longest time and it does not disappoint. In fact, this may well be one of my new favourite poetry volumes. The fact Florence Welch sung its praises obviously helped but seriously, her writing is beautiful and refreshing. I really want to read her memoir, the terrible asap.