A place to get away

Sometimes when life gets super busy and your stress levels soar through the roof it's good to take some time away and relax for a little while. A few months ago (before we had finished school) we were both extremely stressed prepping for exams and feeling overwhelmed with our work-loads that we had no time to sit and relax to think about things and let ourselves breathe. We felt like things were moving at a million miles per hour and we decided that enough was enough. Unfortunately we couldn't just stop and quit school (much to our disapproval) but we did decide that we needed a holiday and something to look forward to so we could stay focused and motivated for our exams. We decided what better time than to go away for new years and make the start of 2014 as best as it could be! So with that in mind, we decided we'd go camping! Now we know that camping is a very different kind of holiday and not many people would enjoy it, but as students living with not much money this was the most affordable and logical way of saving our money whilst still being able to get away for a while. Personally I love camping, it reminds me of my childhood as my mum was a very spontaneous mother growing up and liked to travel a lot so we found ourselves camping quite a bit. Gabby however, had never been camping before but was just as excited (and a little nervous) to go! The place we stayed in was right on the beachfront in a small holiday town that was filled with tourists and lovely people. It was a beautiful town on the Coromandel and was buzzing with an exciting holiday atmosphere! We knew as soon as we drove over the bridge that we were going to have an amazing week.

The views never failed to be beautiful no matter where we went!

The campsite itself was quite small, but the people around us were lovely and the town was just around the corner and the beach right across the road which was perfect! A few of our friends were also staying in the same town for New Years which is why we chose that particular campsite. We spent most of our time soaking up the sun and enjoying the freedom of being away. The first few days were spent exploring and enjoying the beautiful views. On New Years eve we went to the beach to join the celebrations and to watch the fireworks, the beach was absolutely packed with people! The fireworks were amazing. The company was great. It was a perfect way to start the New Year and we couldn't have been happier. 

Soaking up the sun outside the tent.

You have to have treats whilst camping, it doesn't get better than smores and ice-cream!

The shops were exactly what you'd expect from a small seaside town, cute and colourful.

Being at the seaside, with no parents and no responsibilities, was absolutely perfect. It was just so nice to be away from reality for a bit and not have to worry about the real world, we were truly able to just relax and enjoy some time off and clear our minds. We spent a lot of time reflecting and discussing our futures, talking about where we want to be this time next year and what we want to achieve. It's amazing how a bit of fresh air, relaxation and sun can make you feel so good! 

Cooking on a little portable stove outside on the grass for dinner!

We made a friend! This little cat named Tomtom wondered into our tent one afternoon and we of course had to have few cuddles! (Don't worry, he was returned to his owner!)

There's nothing better than late evening strolls especially when you have view like this!

On New Years day we decided to start it off well by climbing Mount Paku, of course a soon as we started our hike it started to pour down with rain which left us soaked through walking up muddy paths but it was well worth it, we had a great time and we can now say we had our heads in the clouds!

Whilst at the top of the Mount we thought it would be cute to set off our New Years resolutions in balloons, we guess it was our way of leaving all the stuff from last year behind us and looking ahead to the year coming and we're so glad we did it, it was a great way to start the year.

On our last night in Tairua we went to watch the sunset, cheesy we know, but it was so beautiful and the perfect way to end a brilliant holiday.

This holiday was amazing, filled with hours of laughter, smiles, amazing people and amazing memories which we will never forget. We met some great people and learned a lot too (and I don't think we stopped laughing the whole time we were there.) 

If we could have stayed longer we definitely would have. We can't wait to plan our next holiday and maybe this time we'll splash our for a hotel (who knows!) 

Love always,
xox

Get to know me | Gabby

Hey everyone! It's Gabby now and I thought it was about time you got to know me better too so that's what this is but with a slight difference, after reading Megan's post I sat down to write my 25 facts about me I got about 7 and couldn't think of anymore, when it comes to writing about myself I find it a whole lot easier to just write like i'm talking to you because, well, I like to talk (there's a fact!) so that's what i'm going to do, just talk and hope you don't get bored! 

Okay so where to start? I was born in England and lived there for 13 years before moving over to New Zealand with my family in 2010, I have 2 younger sisters who I generally get along with but not without our fair share of arguments! My mum is French so I grew up speaking both English and French although after not speaking it properly for a long time it's safe to say i'm no where near being fluent in it. I have an unhealthy addiction to the internet, i'm on it constantly! Whether it's checking Instagram and Twitter or sitting down to watch YouTube videos or TV shows for hours at a time (don't judge me!). I LOVE everything beauty related, I could go on for hours talking about all things beauty and can easily get sucked into standing at a make up counter looking at every product on the stand and saying how much I want it! Although it does fall under my love of beauty, one thing in particular I just can't get enough of is nail polish, it's very rare that you'll ever catch me with nothing on my nails! I'm really into art and drawing although I cannot paint at all (seriously, I suck!) I tend to stick to sketches and water colour although I still have a lot of practicing to do before they are any good! I am hoping to study Architecture at University next year but who knows if that will happen, I hope it does! I can be extremely stubborn sometimes but don't worry, i'm working on it, I absolutely hate running (I don't know how Megan does it) but put me in a pool and i'll swim for hours! I'm one of those people who loves getting lost in a good book but I am also one of those people who can go months without picking one up! I have a slight (okay quite big) obsession with purses and handbags, it is a very bad idea to take me anywhere near them! I love photography and the idea of going out for hours to take photos makes me very happy, i'm still learning but it's something I already love doing! I have absolutely no idea what my style is and i'm guilty of spending an hour in front of the mirror swapping outfits trying to decide what to wear (and that's not an exaggeration!) Oh and I am completely useless at saving money which is not good as one of biggest dreams is to go travelling. 

Anyway I have rambled on for way too long, if you've managed to get to the end of this post thanks for listening to me get lost in my own head! I hope you did enjoy reading all bout me and maybe you feel like you know me a bit better, after all of that I think I know myself better! Like Megan said, thank you for all the support on our blog, it really does mean a lot, we love you! 

Talk soon guys!

Gabby

xo

Review | Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

Hello Beauties! This post won't come as a surprise to any of you as this product is known, talked and raved about all the time in the beauty world and this is no exception. It has become our go-to palette for an everyday eye and we reach for it above any other eyeshadows. Urban Decay is a well known brand when it comes to eyeshadows and it definitely lives up to it's reputation. The consistency of these eyeshadows is amazing and the pigmentation is beyond perfect. Despite the packaging being quite large and not exactly handbag friendly, it's brilliant for those days where you're unsure what look you want to go for as everything you need is in one place. The mirror inside is perfect if you don't have another mirror around you, it's bigger than a pocket mirror which is always handy as sometimes pocket mirrors can be just that little bit too small and you can't see the whole effect of the look you are creating. The palette also comes with a double ended brush which is brilliant if you are just starting your brush collection, who doesn't love a two in one?

The palette has 12 neutral colours, mainly gold and brown based shades that are shimmery with 3 matte colours included. The neutral range of shades makes it perfect for all eye colours and it allows you to create many different looks for both day and night with just this one palette. The pigmentation of these eyeshadows is amazing and they last all day which is great as no one has time to redo eyeshadow throughout the day. The amazing quality of these shadows makes it easy to blend shades together and achieve a flawless makeup artist quality look even if you are just starting out with make-up. Whether you are going for an everyday casual look or a more intense night-out look, this palette is perfect for all occasions! Although it is on the more pricier side, we can definitely say it is worth every cent! You can buy it for around NZ$70.00 (about $55 US dollars) which makes it a high end product, but like we said, it is totally worth it if you are willing to spend a few extra dollars and we highly recommend the Naked 2 Palette. We absolutely love it!

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We hope you like this review and found it helpful in some way.

Love,
Megan and Gabby

xoxo

Summer Essentials

Summer's finally here in New Zealand and that means we're going to be in the sun, on the beach and relaxing by the pool, it's perfection. When it comes to summer there are a few things we just cannot live without so here are our summer must have's!

1. Sandals

Obviously summer has hotter weather so you want to keep it simple when it comes to shoes and we think a good classic sandal can compliment any outfit perfectly, whether they're healed or flat they can add either a touch of glam or make an outfit beach appropriate and casual, a definite must-have for the summer months.

2. Sunscreen

Yes, this is pretty standard and you should have it anyway but over here in New Zealand you can burn very quickly even when it's overcast so this is a step we are careful not to forget. Personally we hate having to rub in sunscreen (so lazy we know!) and having greasy skin and hands for hours so this year we went out to find one that is less annoying to use and we found it! This SPF 50 sunscreen is a clear spray (leaves no white marks!) and is water resistant so is perfect if you're like us and burn easily! We love it, you just spray all over and that's it, easy and perfect!

3. Loose tops

We hate that feeling in summer when you get a bit hot and sweaty and your clothes start to stick to you, not pleasant at all. We've found a whole range of loose fitting tops that are perfect for both our styles, things like slightly over sized printed tee's, simple chiffon cami's and baggy crop tops. There really is something for everyone and trust us when we say they're worth it!

4. Sunglasses

We're sure that sunglasses are on everyone's summer essentials list but if they're not they should be! Obviously sunglasses are great for protecting your eyes but we found it impossible to leave the house without them this summer, on those days where it's just to hot to do your make-up nicely sunglasses will be your best friend, throw on some tinted lip balm and concealer if you need it and no one will notice any difference!

5. Pastel Nail Polish

When it comes to summer style we think think light and bright and while neons aren't really our thing we hopped on the pastel train straight away, we love all of them! You can never go wrong with a pale pink, mint green or a classic white in the summer, they go with everything and are a simple touch to brighten up any outfit!

6. Denim Shorts

Summer isn't summer without your favourite pair of denim shorts, no matter how many years go by and how many trends come and go the denim shorts will always be there to fall back on and we love them! There's nothing better than having your summer tan, throwing on your shorts and showing of your legs, and denims are the perfect way to do just that! 

7. Rompers

Rompers are perfect for any summers day! They are so nice and can be thrown over a bikini after a day at the beach. They are the perfect fashion item for summer and can be worn with a few bracelets and some casual sandals or can be dressed up with a necklace and wedges. 

8. Shift Dresses

Now when it comes to fashion essentials for the summer, everybody has different ideas of what they think is essential for summer and as the trends are always changing it is often a difficult task trying to find must have fashion items but we think shift dresses are probably the dresses of the season. Although sift dresses don't suit everybody and can often be unflattering, when you find the perfect shift dress you'll have trouble taking it off! We personally love floral ones, but we also adore the simple ones too.

9. Festival Shorts

These have definitely become a major trend this season, we love the simplicity and chic style of these shorts and they are perfect for a day at the beach or if you're going to a music event or festival.

10. Floppy Hats

We are so guilty of falling in love with every floppy hat we see at the shops. We just simply can't walk past one without stopping to admire them. Although they are very subjective and you either love them or hate them, we happen to absolutely love them! They are perfect for pretty much any outfit and keep the sun out of you're eyes (what else do you need!)

We hope you liked this post and found it helpful, let us know if you have any requests on what posts you would like us to do. Enjoy your summer guys!

Love,

Megan and Gabby 

xox

25 Facts About Me || Megan

Hello Lovelies!

It's Megan here! I hope you all had a wonderful new years and are having a fabulous start to 2014! Today I'm getting a little personal and thought I'd share some interesting facts about myself. In our last post we mentioned that one of our new years resolutions was to blog more in the new year and to really focus on writing and updating our blog, lately we have been so busy and although we have been spending a lot of time together we've found it hard to find time to focus on writing a blog post together with all the chaos and busyness that's been going on. In order to keep our blog updated as frequently as possible we think it would be best to post personal (individual) posts as well as our usual beauty posts that we do together. So from now on you may notice a few posts written by only one of us. We feel this way we can write even more and make sure our blog is the best it can be! I thought I'd start my first post by letting you get to know me a bit better by sharing 25 facts about me. Hope you enjoy! 

1. I definitely drink too much coffee

2. I have an absolute obsession with makeup

3. I love hot summer days

4. I also love cosy winter days

5. I am a really slow eater

6. I always love a good book

7. I am obsessed with feeling happy and healthy

8. I take a lot of photographs

9. I'm kind of obsessed with fashion and nothing makes me happier then a wearing a nice outfit and feeling good in it

10. I used to live in Brisbane

11. I'm always singing (in the shower, the car, in my room, with my friends, if you ever see me I'm probably singing)

12. I love listening to the rain and being snuggled between loads of cosy blankets

13. I love going on road trips

14. I'm a huge adrenaline junkie, I'm always looking for new adventures to get my heart racing. I love the feeling of adrenaline and excitement

15. I spend too much time on the internet (who doesn't)

16. I love the beach

17. I am completely useless at texting people back (oops!)

18. I love running

19. I hate milk (unless it's soy)

20. My dream job would be in the fashion industry 

21. I've never had a job

22. I own way too many candles

23. I want to move to London for a few years and then move to miami (or cali)

24. I love lazy days but I way prefer being busy and always active. I can't sit still for too long or I go crazy 

25. One of my biggest goals this year is to get into writing and fashion 

I hope you liked this slightly more personal post! We'll be posting more posts like this in the future, hopefully you enjoy them! Also want to say a quick thank you for all the support you've given us! It means a lot to see that a lot of you are reading and enjoying our blog! Thank you. :)

Love, Megan. x

Welcome 2014

New year. Fresh start. Bring on 2014.

So it's another year, another chance for a fresh start and we're excited. We've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about the new year ahead and of all the things that could happen and as 2013 draws to a close we want to make a list of all the things we want to achieve throughout the new year and the changes we want to make. 

2013 was in some ways one of our best and worst years so far. We've had some amazing experiences throughout the year and we've shared some great memories. We've had a lot of laughs and a lot of tears also. There have been some not so good times and we've had our fair share of obstacles this year that have made it a more difficult year but looking back now, I guess we can say that the good times definitely outweigh the bad. So to end the year on a high note we've decided that this next year is going to be great! We're going to make it the best year of our lives and of course we are going to smile the whole time! So here's what we are hoping to accomplish in the new year.

Be more positive

We are both extremely guilty of allowing ourselves to only focus on the negatives, things that we haven't achieved, things that didn't go as we'd planned etc. and we have a horrible habit of complaining about them, a lot. So this year we are going to focus less on the negatives and more on the positives and start seeing the good in the bad instead of finding things wrong with everything. We think a positive outlook on life is the best way to start the year!

Appreciate the small things

We have spent way too many days focusing on the big things this year and trying to be happy that we forgot to take a step back and take in everything around us. We all need to take a break once in a while and notice the beauty all around us and appreciate everything in life because sometimes it's easy to get caught up in all the drama that we forget what's really important. This year we plan to make the most out of every situation and be grateful for all the small things that make life beautiful.

Be more confident

Being confident with who you are isn't easy and we often find ourselves missing out on a lot of opportunities because we feel unhappy with ourselves or let other people make us feel less confident about who we are. This year we have decided to not let that happen. In 2014 we are making a promise to learn to love our flaws and embrace things that make us who we are. Being happy with ourselves and caring less about what people think of us, will definitely make us more confident and will allow us to enjoy everything that life has to offer and not let anything get in the way of our happiness.

Find our style

Feeling confident in your clothes is a big step in learning to love who you are.  Our style trends this year have changed drastically and we feel as though we haven't yet found our own 'style' instead we have been following the latest trends in fashion. We hope to discover our own fashion sense this year and find our style icons and inspiration and maybe even start our own trends!

Be more adventurous

This is one of our main goals for this year. Taking more risks and being adventurous is something we can't wait to start doing. We feel as though so much time is wasted sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to happen or watching others go on adventures so we decided that this has to stop. We're stepping off the sidelines this year and going on our own adventures, being less afraid and living more!

Blog more

As we've only just started this blog and are still new to the blogging world, we want to make it one of our resolutions to continue updating our blog as much as we can and blogging the year away! So far we have loved writing this blog and it's becoming a massive part of our lives. We have thoroughly enjoyed writing posts and can't wait to keep writing in the new year.

Meet new people

Surrounding yourself with people that bring out the best in you is a great way to ensuring happiness. One thing that we have learnt in 2013 is that life is too short to waste chasing after people who don't deserve to be in your life. We're hoping to meet new people this year that bring out the best in us and help us be nothing but ourselves. Meeting new people is always fun and exciting and could lead to a lifetime of friendships.

So that's it! We can't for the new year and we are super excited to see what 2014 brings. We both have a good feeling about this year already! We're planning on making the most of this year and we already feel great! We hope you're all as excited for the new year as us!


Megan and Gabby xox