Monday, December 26, 2011

What's In My Purse?

Ever wanted to know what's in my purse? Probably not, but I am going to show you anyway haha. Usually it's filled with nappies, scented nappy bags and baby wipes but over Christmas, I had my handbag for me and a larger bag for Lily's nappy bag. So here is what my handbag looked like today, before the clean out.

Note: if you think some of the stuff in here is random, I'd like to add that I was also carrying Christmas decorations in it the other day also haha.


My very cute sailor bag.

Let's take a peek inside!

A giant, random mess.
Piece of paper with measurements for a frame, batteries (in case any of Lily's toys died), tampons, tissues, McDonalds play and win ticket, bottle lid, trusty Blistex, Mentos, pen, hand sanitiser, Hungry Jack's toy of Lily's, 3 x Bailey's mini bottles (all full haha), panty liners, colouring in pencils, Napolean lip gloss, Lily's sunnies, my sunnies, belt, hair tie, toiletry bag. 

So there you go, one big mess of a handbag. What are the most random things you have found in your handbag?

Mentos and sanitiser,
Tara-Lee xo

Dip Dye Hair - Love It Or Hate It?

Hey all, hope everyone's Christmas was wonderful! We certainly had a lovely day!

I (and many others) have noticed a growing trend in hair lately - first it was balayage and now it's balayage's more fun sister - dip dye hair. I recently gave up on growing my natural hair colour out, the plan was to go as long as I could without dying my hair and then go see a hair dresser and dye my hair red like I have always wanted too, but I got over my regrowth and grabbed a box of Bitter Sweet Chocolate hiar dye (it still counts as a change from black =P) but I have wanted to do something "crazy" to it, like add a colour streak in it somewhere (when I was in year 9, I had a hot pink streak, loved it!) and then tonight I got to thinking about dip dyed hair. I love all things fun and colourful and I think this hair trend is just too cute - on the right people! - and I am thinking I want to give it a shot, what do you all think of the trend?





Yay or nay? I am loving the last photo, maybe I should give it a go and stop being so "safe" with my hair (though bleaching it two years ago for a year was not the best idea...still trying to recover my hair from that!)

Dip dyed hair and fairy floss,
Tara-Lee xo

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Resolutions...

Every year, there's a little thing called New Year's Eve. People party, others stay home, everybody wants that midnight kiss. There is one thing that a lot of people have in common on NYE - resolutions. Every year, I am pretty sure I have said "Next year I will..." or "Next year I want to..." and you know what is funny? I almost NEVER do any of it! And I don't think I am the only person who does this. 
I was just thinking about a note I had posted on my Facebook profile from last year, here are the resolutions I wrote down. I can tell you know, not one of these things happened in 2011.


1. Shed the last 10 kilos or so to get to my goal weight.
2. Get my P license!
3. Don't stress out about things that don't matter.
4. Catch up with friends more (can't really happen unless you guys drive to me until I get my license 


I always say I am going to lose weight, never happens. I always say I will get my P's, never happens. Stress less? Me? Seriously? And catch up with friends, well most of my friends are in other states haha.
Of course these are four resolutions I want to achieve, and if I did them in 2012, then that would be amazing (kinda need to get my P's in 2012 because they expire next August haha).
But here is my resolution for 2012 - NO RESOLUTIONS! Just have fun and don't put that pressure on yourself to make sure you do things in the new year, they will happen, only if you really want them too.

Resolutions and non resolutions,
Tara-Lee xo

It's almost Christmas!

Only three more days until Christmas, I swear this is the quickest year in history! What's great about this Christmas is our little girl is now two years old, so she kind of has a bit more of an idea as to what's going on, unlike the past two years where she has either wanted to sleep the whole day (because she was one month old) or just attack presents (because she was one...actually, I am expecting the present attacking to happen again this year haha).


So this year, I wanted to get into the Christmas spirit a bit more than I have in past years. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved Christmas, I have loved seeing family and giving and receiving presents. But I have never gone overboard and fully gotten into the spirit of Christmas. It all started this year for me, by getting down and doing some DIY. Starting with, bunting. Now, I suck at sewing - I'm not gonna lie, but I noticed a few people were making Christmas bunting and I wanted to aswell. So instead of using fabric, I did the next best thing. Used wrapping paper. 


I made a triangle stencil, used three different wrapping paper designs and literally just stuck them to some ribbon I had laying around at home. I enjoy doing things like this, just out of the blue making awesome things haha. See, you don't have to be awesome at sewing, you just need to know how to use a pair of scissors hehe.


Our Christmas Tree and DIY bunting with a giant sparkly bow from Spotlight.




Next thing to get me into the Christmas spirit was doing what most women have been doing for years... Christmas themed nails. One of my great friends came over and I said I wanted Christmas nails (it was either that or pink and black zebra print haha). She did a fantastic job, lifted my Christmas spirit instantly.




 Sparkle, sparkle!


Had to add into this post the darling little bow rings I made myself and am so glad that the supplies arrived before Christmas Day because they will go perfectly with my outfit (yes...I have an outfit chosen already, saves the hours of "I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear" dilemma). These will be available in the new year for purchase from my fan page -Lucky Trix Creations (http://www.facebook.com/luckytrixcreations).






Lastly, (well for today's blog) is Malibu Balls! They are exactly like rum balls expect I added Malibu instead. These turned out amazing, I tried one just before and the Malibu blended in nicely and is oh so yummy! These make a wonderful gift or are great if you need to bring a plate of something along for Christmas lunch or dinner.




MALIBU (or RUM) BALLS

  • 8 weetbix (crushed finely)
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 cup chopped raisins or sultanas or a combination of fruit and nuts (optional, I decided not to use any)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 2 tablespoons of rum (I used Malibu)
  • extra coconut for rolling
In a metal bowl, place the raisins or sultanas and the run, cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for a day (or two…).  
Place crushed weetbix, cocoa, coconut and marinated fruit in a bowl, pour over the condensed milk and stir well.  
Take out teaspoons at a time and roll in coconut and chill.
NOTE: You can make these up to a week before they are needed. Enjoy!

Whatever your plans are for Christmas, have a very safe, happy and wonderful time! Make sure it is full of love, laughter, giggles and hugs! Smile and enjoy it.
Candy canes and Malibu Balls,
Tara-Lee xo

One of the best primers I have stumbled upon and my new favourite eyeshadow trio...

So last week, I was lucky enough to be the winner of a Lime Crime prize pack from Saralli Designs on Facebook. Included in the prize was two eyeshadows (Abracadabra and Lime Criminal, both I have blogged about in the past) and Lime Crime's Candy Eyed eyeshadow helper. I had seen many reviews on this primer and was very curious to try it for myself and I have to say, I am now a huge fan of it!

As soon as the package arrived, I thought I would try it out with some Innoxa shadows I received in the mail thanks to Innoxa's biggest giveaway.

excuse the terrible mobile phone photo

I am IN LOVE with the colours from this Innoxa Mineral Eye Colour trio, this one is in Copper, they have a few more in the range that I am very keen to try. The shadows glided onto my lids and blended together beautifully. I have never really been a neutral tone girl but now I think I will be rocking the neutral smokey eye a lot this Summer! I love that this eyeshadow trio is so compact and perfect for carrying around in your handbag (or in my case, nappy bag hehe)


Lime Crime's Candy Eyed eyeshadow helper was amazing. I tend to forget when I have make up on because most days I am seen just wearing mascara, blush and either lipstick or my trusty Blistex haha, so I rubbed my eyes a few times over the course of the night (I applied this eyeshadow in the afternoon) and it did not smudge at all! I was shocked! This primer is crease proof and smudge proof and I am so happy I found it! 

In the photo above, you may notice that the primer has moved away from the packaging, this is totally normal and most people have said that they come like this. It does not affect the performance of the primer at all. This happens due to silicone shrinkage and Lime Crime have let us know that they are working to stop this from happening, but either way, I love it.

So there you go, I suggest that you all head to both Innoxa and Lime Crime's fan pages and share the love. Two great brands that I am a big fan of and will continue to buy from.

VISIT LIME CRIME'S FACEBOOK PAGE

VISIT INNOXA'S FACEBOOK PAGE

Cupcakes and Sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Sunday, October 30, 2011

DIY Brush Holder.

Ever found yourself wondering where all your brushes should live? I have a set that stays in the brush roll but I also have a lot of individual brushes that until now, I had no idea what to do with them. For a little while, they lived together in a cute little clutch bag but I know that isn't exactly the best way to get the most life of out them if they are all poking each other's bristles constantly haha.
So I went searching for some ideas on youtube and found one very common idea in majority of the videos and I thought I would give it a go.

So here is my at a DIY Brush Holder =)

Items you will need:
* A jar, little cardboard box, cup etc.
* Ribbon
* Beads, or coloured sand. I have seen some people use bath salts but it ends up being very bad for the brushes.
* Trusty Ol' Glue Gun

Ok so I used a cute little cardboard cylinder box that my Miss Chi Chi by Chi Chi Cosmetics came it. You can use anything really that is deep enough to fill with beads/coloured sand (it doesn't have to be coloured but colour is so much more fun!).


Excuse the terrible photos but here is the end product. 


I used my glue gun to glue the pastel pink ribbon around the very top just to 
break up all the white at the top of the box.


In goes the beads. These were just ones I had around the house, you can
use whatever colour/type you want =)


A very "artsy" shot of the box and beads - hahaha!


Once you have added the beads, you just stick your brushes in.
The beads help the brushes stand upright instead of being lent over against each other and 
possibly poking the bristles of other brushes.


Tada! So easy, and you probably have all the stuff you need
in your house already!

There we have it, a very cute and fun DIY project for your brushes =)
Glue guns and beads,
T x

Friday, October 14, 2011

Lime Crime Magic Dusts!




About two weeks ago, Lime Crime decided that in honour of reaching 55,000 fans, they would have a 24 hour flash sale on all eyeshadows. So of course, I jumped at the opportunity and bought my very first Lime Crime eyeshaodws.

I have only ever tried one other Lime Crime product, their red lipstick - Retrofuturist. Such a gorgeous red lipstick that I think would suit most, if not all, skin tones! I adore it. So I figured, well why not give the eyeshadows a go (I own a stupid amount of eyeshadows and thought I needed to add to the collection haha).

I was so impressed by the shipping also. I ordered and expected it to take at least two weeks to get to Australia - guess again, just over a week and it was sitting on my door step. I was over the moon..yeah, I squealed through the house excitedly haha.

The colours I chose to buy were -

Lime Criminal - a gorgeous bright green.
Cupcake Thief - it's a very soft pale pink, beautiful on it's own or as a base.
Empress - a deep, yet vibrant purple.
Troubadour - a bright turquoise, so beautiful.
Abracadabra - an amazingly bright pink.
Diva - a metallic bronze, every kit needs this colour.


I am a massive fan of impractical, bright colours that most people wouldn't wear every day - and too be honest, I don't exactly wear these kind of colours every day. Most of the time, you will see me with mascara, blush, either a lipstick or some lip balm and winged eyeliner if you are lucky. But I think it's always nice to have brights on hand hehe.


Lime Crime eyeshadows are packaged in the most adorable little jar - clear with a dark purple lid, complete with a silver unicorn. Adorable!


Here are some swatches of the eyeshadows (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a primer on my hand first)


(Top to Bottom - Left to Right) - Empress, Troubadour, Lime Criminal, Abracadabra, Diva, Cupcake Thief.



(Top to Bottom - Left to Right) - Empress, Troubadour, Lime Criminal, Abracadabra, Diva, Cupcake Thief.

As you can see in the above pictures, the pigments on the eyeshadows are insane! So bright and fun! I just love them!


The colours are so easy to apply. I just love them all. I don't even know how much I can tell you that I love these! 
So there's a look at some of the adorable Lime Crime Magic Dusts. I highly reccomend them! 


Unicorns and Glitter,
Tara-Lee xo

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Savvy Lipsticks

Bargain make up products. Most people won't deny they love a bargain (though there are some people who  refuse to use any products that aren't high end name brands...well this post isn't for you then haha).

For a while now, every time I went into Priceline, I would be intrigued to try out the products by Savvy Cosmetics - they are ridiculously cheap! I thought they would be like every other brand that makes too-good-to-be-true priced products - crap. Boy was I wrong! A few visits, I would walk over and swatch the lipstick colours and I have to say, one swipe and the true colour shows up which isn't always the case for some lipsticks. 

I had heard good things about two lipsticks (we should all know by now how much of a lipstick nut I am and I own quite a few) one is called "Poppy" and the other is called "Frosty Berry". I was on a hunt for Poppy because it was the first one that was recommended to me, but unfortunately, I could never find it. I'm not sure if it's just the stores I went to or maybe it's just a colour Queensland doesn't have, or quite possibly they don't make the colour anymore, I am not sure what the reason is as to why I could never find it.

Today I headed out to Priceline again and headed straight for the Savvy stand, and found the colour Frosty Berry straight away and can I just say, wow! I love this lipstick! It's priced at $4.95 (I know! A lipstick for under $5 is usually unheard of!) and is a wicked bargain score. It's a nice, deep red and could quite possibly become my new favourite. It's very moisturising and stays on great! I cannot rave about it enough, seriously ladies, you need to get yourselves to Priceline and pick up one of their lipsticks (or five! Haha) - I cannot wait to try more of their colours!


Here's a shot of me wearing it today. Oh I love it!

Lipsticks and swatches..
Tara-Lee xo

Monday, September 26, 2011

Decisions, decisions...

So, last week I will admit, was a pretty lousy week for me diet wise. My sister came down for the weekend and I kind of let my diet slip. Now, I have beaten myself up about it enough and am getting over it. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. So that is exactly what I am doing.

Tonight, we are going food shopping for a few meals and I am excited to try some new ones (and an old one thrown into the mix hehe). My Mum lent me a healthy recipe book a little while ago and only now am I trying a recipe out of it - Jacket Potato with Creamy Bacon and Chicken - sounds too naughty to be good right? Well no, it's not. And I will be piling my plate full of veggies/salad - not sure which one I feel like yet haha. And also I am trying a Chicken and Grilled Veggies Pizza from the Health Food magazine I bought last week. So maybe now that I am changing up our dinner routine I will get excited about cooking again haha!

Now, to get down to the topic that the title of this blog is all about. Decisions. I have been a member of my local gym since February this year and I have to say, the past few months, I have been a very rare visitor. A lot of things have factored into this. We all know I only have my L license and am working towards my P license, so I can't exactly head to the gym whenever I feel like it. Also, they have a creche program at the gym but only from 9am-10:30am. I considered the bus to get to the gym, but getting there before the creche closes so I can drop Lily off there while I work out - I'd be up stupidly early just trying to get ready! So yesterday, I made the decision, one that has been questioned a lot lately, to cancel my gym membership. NO! I hear you all thinking. DON'T GIVE UP! is probably another thought. Well guess what? I'm not! I have just decided that to have a better chance of losing some weight, I will be doing it from home. I am going to buy an exercise bike within the next week or so and I have some hand weights and an exercise ball which I already have been using. This is just what works better for me. Some people can get to the gym all the time but for someone like me, at home is best. The gym is a waste of money for me right now and in the end, buying an exercise bike will actually save us money.

I will not be putting a pressure on myself to lose the weight in a certain amount of time like I always have in the past, I think this is where I failed. I will be doing it in my own time but that does not mean I will be slacking off just because I am at home. If anything, it just means I will work harder. And as for a weight goal, yes I do have one, we all know this but I am not going to get myself upset if I don't see the results I want when I look at the scales, again, another mistake I made in the past.

I am very lucky to have such amazing support from all my friends and family and going though weight loss is always going to be an emotional time (not to mention I am emotional in general haha). So thank you everyone who has been following my blog and everyone who has offered me kind and supportive words so far. I do appreciate the support more than anyone will know.

T x

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Some inspirational and some funny pictures...just cause.











A change in my shopping...


Yesterday, I forgot to mention, we were walking through Coles, I wanted to new issue of Cleo mag. We reached the magazine stand and Jesse pointed out a magazine that I would have never looked at before now. Australian Healthy Food Guide. I chose this over Cleo some of you are thinking? Yes, yes I did. I was excited just to see it was full of recipes that were actually good for you. And for once, I got excited about all the new yummy meals I can cook for my little family to enjoy with me. I don't want to be cooking a bunch of different meals every night because that's just a waste of time and money, so I can't wait to try the ones in this magazine out!


Anywho, just wanted to share that with you all. This is defiantly a magazine I will continue to purchase in the future.


Tara-Lee xo

Back To The Gym. Day One.

So today I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. I always kinda dread going, I wake up, roll outta bed and have to psych myself up to go. It was sort of like this today but also, I was ready to go. 
I did my workout routine that my trainer had set out for me when I first started, and did every single exercise on that sheet - yes, I am sore already but I don't wanna half ass it.
The whole time I was at the gym, I kept thinking about my family and friends who are showing me so much support about losing weight, and if I do a half assed job, I will disappoint everyone who believes in me. And not only that - I would disappoint myself. Here I have been talking about how badly I want to do this, how badly I want to be happy when I see my body in the mirror and if I don't put 110% into my workouts, then I am ultimately failing myself.


After that, we went to the shops just to check out a maxi dress I have had my eyes on. I wanted something to wear to gatherings in the future that I will feel a bit more comfortable in. Just my luck - they only had size 8's. I picked it up and said I'd give it a go (I own a size 8 maxi already, gotta love stretchy material). I tried it on and it fit - I was shocked. But once I lose some weight, it will be so flattering on my body. So it's a little goal for me to look good in it. The lady at the counter was shocked that I asked if they had bigger sizes. It was nice to hear a stranger think I was smaller (a lot smaller haha) than I actually am. 


So anyways, that was my day today.
Cupcakes and sprinkles (only for looking at)
Tara-Lee xo

Sunday, September 18, 2011

My two biggest fans


Here's to a happier and healthier Wifey and Mummy. I love these two beyond words.
And every day, I am going to think about how they love and support me and I
will not give up til I have reached my goal.

So I have decided..

This blog is going to be a bit make up and a bit my journey to weight loss. I figured that sharing my story, people will read it and it'll make it a tad easier because I have so many great people in my life who support me yet don't know what I'm thinking.

Tomorrow. Dum Dum Dum. I have decided not to get rid of my gym membership and to finally put it to good use again. I have kinda been kicking myself that all my attempts of weight loss have just gone down the drain, if I hadn't have given up, imagine where I could've been body wise by now! But no, there is no time to put myself done and regret giving up diets and exercise in the past. So tomorrow, I am starting fresh. I will weight myself and create a realistic goal - say 5 kilos in one month or something. And I am going to stick to it. It's a stepping stone to the 20 kilos I hope to lose - which I will.


And I will blog about it. I may have some days where I feel like it's not working and others where I feel fantastic, days I wanna whinge and days I wanna be proud, all I need from you guys is support. Be my cheering squad and help me stay motivated! 


I know I can do it, but knowing others know I can do it also, that'll make it even better. 



Cupcakes and sprinkles (which you'd be suprised to know I don't actually eat)
Tara-Lee xo

Friday, September 9, 2011

Slightly different to my other posts...

So, who out there has had a struggle with weight loss? I am right there with you all. Before I got pregnant with my gorgeous baby girl, I was in the low 60's for my weight. I thought my hips, thighs and ass were huge then (it just runs in the family haha) but now, I look back at photos from those days and envy the body I use to have - I envy myself, really? Over the course of my pregnancy, it took a while for me to gain weight due to horrible morning sickness (or in my case, all-day-every-day sickness) but towards the end, I ballooned haha. I put on about 20kgs or so during the pregnancy and once I had given birth, I didn't know it then but I was losing the weight. Breastfeeding is suppose to help shed kilos like crazy and I think that did help. Although, then, I still thought I was huge and needed to do something about it.

I was a big user of the phrase 'I just had a baby, leave me alone'. I used this phrase 6 months after I had Lily! It wasn't baby weight anymore! It was just me eating crap and not exercising!

When our daughter was about 3 months old, we moved out into our own place and just ate crap. We have a servo the next street over from us and I have become quite a regular there. Chips, chocolates, iced coffees, you name it. So, I started taking Lily for a walk in the pram along the broadwater near our house (it's so beautiful to walk along there) every day. Being so little, Lily fell asleep most times or was just content watching the world so it was easy to walk 4kms every day because she was happy to join me. But as she started to get older, she started wanting to not be in the pram and was getting bored easily, so walking became a bit of a challenge. When I was walking every day, I started noticing a change, I started to fit into clothes again and was feeling good. But then I stopped. I don't even remember why. I hate that I did because I would probably be at my healthy and happy goal weight by now.

I got tired of feeling fat and gross (because of myself and how I saw myself), so I decided this year to join a gym. And for a while there, I was going great! Going nearly every day and feeling so good about myself. Again, I stopped. I don't have my license so relying on other people to take me was what I had to do. I needed someone to be watching Lily whilst I ducked down to the gym and it just got too hard to work in with everyone else. So for the past few months, I have rarely even seen the gym. And I hate it. 

I have noticed that, being a stay at home Mummy, I eat all the time. I eat when I'm bored, when I'm stressed, when I've had a hard day, whenever! I am just constantly eating. Enough! It's time to stop! I can see myself gaining more weight and I don't even want to go near scales right now. So, time to get on the diet and exercise wagon again. And stick to it.

A dear friend of mine has actually decided herself that she wants to lose 20kgs - exactly the same goal as me. And it's because of her that I am encouraging myself to get into it again. She was a very big reason I started to become content with myself - or at least try to, but stand me in front of a mirror and I will pick myself to pieces regardless of if I just told you I like my body or not. She always oozed a confidence about her body that I envied, but to know that deep down she wanted to change also, it kind of gave me the push I needed to realise I need to do something about my weight instead of just talking about it.

So here I am, telling you all my thoughts and feelings and hoping you will all follow me on this journey to a happier and healthier me. I want to be fit for my little girl, I want to be perfect for my partner (although he is constantly telling me I am gorgeous) and mostly, I want to look in the mirror and smile at my figure every day, not some days - every day. I will bus it to the gym if I have to and walk every sunny day and I will stop eating crap. It's time to cut the crap (quite literally) and begin this journey.

I was a few months pregnant in this photo and to this day, I envy how my body was here.

I thank you all for your love and support on this.
Tara-Lee xo

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Gorgeous Gifts.







I have posted about the darling little online shop, ALICE JEAN'S SODA POP SHOP, only a few posts ago and I was lucky enough to have won a competition run by the lovely Kesenya and look at the gorgeous prizes I received!


1 X Carolyns Cupcake Soap
1 X Mango and Berry Body Butter
1 X Mango and Berry Lip Balm
1 X Slice of Carolyns Cake Soap
1 X 'Hope' Butterfly canvas by Alice Jean (not pictured)



How lucky am I?! Each and every one of these products smells divine! I want to eat the cupcake and cake soap they look that good! And of course, being the lipbalm queen that I am, I opened the Mango and Berry lipbalm and put it straight on! It even tasted good!
I used the Mango and Berry Body Butter this morning after my shower and my skin feels amazing!
All the products sold on the website have been handmade in Australia, which I love. 
And it's all natural so I can even use them on my daughter.
I cannot rave enough about this shop, I think everyone needs to head over and check it all 0ut, so many gorgeous gift ideas for birthdays, Christmas or just because. 




Off to debate with myself where I should hang my new canvas -
Cupcakes and Sprinkles,
Tara-Lee x0

Friday, August 19, 2011

Stumbling across a gorgeous perfume..

So, I admit it, I have quite a few perfumes sitting on a shelf at my vanity desk (that my man so generously built me! Lucky girl!) and the other day, I added a new one to the collection...
Now some people stick to the one perfume and won't wear anything else but me - I like to change it up and choose my perfume by the mood I am in that day. For example, if I am in a girlie, pretty mood, I reach straight for Vera Wang Princess or DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom. 

We were in MYER the other day and headed over to the Chi Chi section ( I am a big fan of Chi Chi products and plan to do a post or two on some looks using their products.), and I noticed a perfume I had been lusting over for a long time - Miss Chi Chi. Oh my cupcakes, this perfume is gorgeous!
It reminds me of marshmallows, with a slight fruity hint to it.


And don't get me started on the packaging! How adorable is it?! It looks very boudoir doesn't it? And I just LOVE the cute little pump that comes with it! Very glamourous.

So, this is my new favourite perfume that I wanted to share with you all. Enjoy.

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Alice Jeans Soda Pop Shop

So the other day, a friend of mine announced she had open a darling online shop full with amazing goodies and I just had to check it out! I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am a massive fan of anything cupcake related and I stumbled upon some ever so cute cupcake soaps in her store! 


Candy Pink Cup Cake Soap
Even the names of these soaps are cute!

AND I found ice cream soap!

It looks so good, I could eat it!

These products are handmade in small batches, using high quality vegetable
oils chosen for their specific properties and natural ability to create a fluffy lather.
These gorgeous proudcts are all natural and made the true old-fashioned way.

So if you are tired of looking for products that are safe 
for both you and your babies and having no luck, I suggest you check this store out.
And not only does the ever so darling Kesenya sell bath and beauty products,
but she also has children's clothing, books and games, and car hire all available on her site!
Also, she throws Alice Jean parties too! 

Here's the website, pop over and have a look!

and while you're there, check out her blog also

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Pretty Scents.

Perfume shopping. Some people like it, some people don't. I personally enjoy it, unless the perfume gets up my nose and I'm left sneezing uncontrollably for the next hour haha.
So, I wanted to share with you a few (and then some) of my favourite scents!

Sarah Jessica Parker - Covet.
I have worn this perfume for a few years now and it's still one of my favourites! 


Katy Perry - Purr.
I had the little piece of cardboard I sprayed this perfume with 
in my wallet for weeks, everytime I opened it, Purr filled the air.


Avril Lavigne - Black Star.
Another perfume I have worn for years and still a winner.


Britney Spears - In Control.
I have recently stumbled upon this one, yes, I know it has
been out for a while now but I was a bit slow when it
came to discovering it haha. I highly enjoy the too cute bottle aswell,
and the perfume pump just screams old Hollywood glamour!


Britney Spears - Fantasy.
Notice a pattern? Haha. I am a fan of majority of 
her perfumes =) this one is one I wear constantly!

Ralph Lauren - Rocks.
Summer in a bottle! It reminds me of oranges.
So pretty!

Ralph Lauren - Hot.
My favourite Ralph Lauren scent, it has a little 
spice to it. Love it!



Vera Wang - Princess.
*delighted sigh* so pretty, so girlie.
I put this on and instantly feel perked up.

So there you have it - a few..ok more than a few haha of my favourite perfumes! What are your favourites?

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

We all know I'm a sucker for cupcakes.

If you all have been paying attention (or just know me personally), you would have realised by now that I have a little obsession with anything cupcake related...just a minor addiction =P 

When we went to Wintersun in June, I finally got my hands on a pair of too cute TUK Cupcake flats!
I have had my eyes on these babies for a while now and when I saw them in person at one of the stalls - I had to have them! 




TUK make some of THE comfiest shoes I have ever put my feet in! Haha. How often is it you find shoes that are cute AND comfy? In my case, not often! Haha.
Just had to share the cuteness of these shoes with you all =D

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

My favourite lavender scented body washes!

Anyone else love the calming affects of lavender? Lavender is one of my all time favourtie scents, gotta love the aromatherapy behind it, it's a stress reliever =) I want to share with you two of my favourite body washes - by Johnson's..


First is the Johnson's Bedtime Bath, it has been clinically proven to make baby's sleep better, I have been using this on my little girl for since she was born, it smells amazing and she loves that it foams up and makes bubbles. They also have a powder, lotion and massage oil in this range too, all part of the bedtime routine =) 




Next is the Johnson's Dreamy Skin body wash - heaven in a bottle for us Mummas! It is very similar to the Baby Bedtime Wash, I have used both on myself and my daughter and they are both amazing! They moisturise our skin, instead of drying them out like some other body washes. I reccomend you all to go out and get them both! 


Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Monday, December 26, 2011

What's In My Purse?

Ever wanted to know what's in my purse? Probably not, but I am going to show you anyway haha. Usually it's filled with nappies, scented nappy bags and baby wipes but over Christmas, I had my handbag for me and a larger bag for Lily's nappy bag. So here is what my handbag looked like today, before the clean out.

Note: if you think some of the stuff in here is random, I'd like to add that I was also carrying Christmas decorations in it the other day also haha.


My very cute sailor bag.

Let's take a peek inside!

A giant, random mess.
Piece of paper with measurements for a frame, batteries (in case any of Lily's toys died), tampons, tissues, McDonalds play and win ticket, bottle lid, trusty Blistex, Mentos, pen, hand sanitiser, Hungry Jack's toy of Lily's, 3 x Bailey's mini bottles (all full haha), panty liners, colouring in pencils, Napolean lip gloss, Lily's sunnies, my sunnies, belt, hair tie, toiletry bag. 

So there you go, one big mess of a handbag. What are the most random things you have found in your handbag?

Mentos and sanitiser,
Tara-Lee xo

Dip Dye Hair - Love It Or Hate It?

Hey all, hope everyone's Christmas was wonderful! We certainly had a lovely day!

I (and many others) have noticed a growing trend in hair lately - first it was balayage and now it's balayage's more fun sister - dip dye hair. I recently gave up on growing my natural hair colour out, the plan was to go as long as I could without dying my hair and then go see a hair dresser and dye my hair red like I have always wanted too, but I got over my regrowth and grabbed a box of Bitter Sweet Chocolate hiar dye (it still counts as a change from black =P) but I have wanted to do something "crazy" to it, like add a colour streak in it somewhere (when I was in year 9, I had a hot pink streak, loved it!) and then tonight I got to thinking about dip dyed hair. I love all things fun and colourful and I think this hair trend is just too cute - on the right people! - and I am thinking I want to give it a shot, what do you all think of the trend?





Yay or nay? I am loving the last photo, maybe I should give it a go and stop being so "safe" with my hair (though bleaching it two years ago for a year was not the best idea...still trying to recover my hair from that!)

Dip dyed hair and fairy floss,
Tara-Lee xo

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Resolutions...

Every year, there's a little thing called New Year's Eve. People party, others stay home, everybody wants that midnight kiss. There is one thing that a lot of people have in common on NYE - resolutions. Every year, I am pretty sure I have said "Next year I will..." or "Next year I want to..." and you know what is funny? I almost NEVER do any of it! And I don't think I am the only person who does this. 
I was just thinking about a note I had posted on my Facebook profile from last year, here are the resolutions I wrote down. I can tell you know, not one of these things happened in 2011.


1. Shed the last 10 kilos or so to get to my goal weight.
2. Get my P license!
3. Don't stress out about things that don't matter.
4. Catch up with friends more (can't really happen unless you guys drive to me until I get my license 


I always say I am going to lose weight, never happens. I always say I will get my P's, never happens. Stress less? Me? Seriously? And catch up with friends, well most of my friends are in other states haha.
Of course these are four resolutions I want to achieve, and if I did them in 2012, then that would be amazing (kinda need to get my P's in 2012 because they expire next August haha).
But here is my resolution for 2012 - NO RESOLUTIONS! Just have fun and don't put that pressure on yourself to make sure you do things in the new year, they will happen, only if you really want them too.

Resolutions and non resolutions,
Tara-Lee xo

It's almost Christmas!

Only three more days until Christmas, I swear this is the quickest year in history! What's great about this Christmas is our little girl is now two years old, so she kind of has a bit more of an idea as to what's going on, unlike the past two years where she has either wanted to sleep the whole day (because she was one month old) or just attack presents (because she was one...actually, I am expecting the present attacking to happen again this year haha).


So this year, I wanted to get into the Christmas spirit a bit more than I have in past years. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved Christmas, I have loved seeing family and giving and receiving presents. But I have never gone overboard and fully gotten into the spirit of Christmas. It all started this year for me, by getting down and doing some DIY. Starting with, bunting. Now, I suck at sewing - I'm not gonna lie, but I noticed a few people were making Christmas bunting and I wanted to aswell. So instead of using fabric, I did the next best thing. Used wrapping paper. 


I made a triangle stencil, used three different wrapping paper designs and literally just stuck them to some ribbon I had laying around at home. I enjoy doing things like this, just out of the blue making awesome things haha. See, you don't have to be awesome at sewing, you just need to know how to use a pair of scissors hehe.


Our Christmas Tree and DIY bunting with a giant sparkly bow from Spotlight.




Next thing to get me into the Christmas spirit was doing what most women have been doing for years... Christmas themed nails. One of my great friends came over and I said I wanted Christmas nails (it was either that or pink and black zebra print haha). She did a fantastic job, lifted my Christmas spirit instantly.




 Sparkle, sparkle!


Had to add into this post the darling little bow rings I made myself and am so glad that the supplies arrived before Christmas Day because they will go perfectly with my outfit (yes...I have an outfit chosen already, saves the hours of "I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear" dilemma). These will be available in the new year for purchase from my fan page -Lucky Trix Creations (http://www.facebook.com/luckytrixcreations).






Lastly, (well for today's blog) is Malibu Balls! They are exactly like rum balls expect I added Malibu instead. These turned out amazing, I tried one just before and the Malibu blended in nicely and is oh so yummy! These make a wonderful gift or are great if you need to bring a plate of something along for Christmas lunch or dinner.




MALIBU (or RUM) BALLS

  • 8 weetbix (crushed finely)
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 cup chopped raisins or sultanas or a combination of fruit and nuts (optional, I decided not to use any)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 2 tablespoons of rum (I used Malibu)
  • extra coconut for rolling
In a metal bowl, place the raisins or sultanas and the run, cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for a day (or two…).  
Place crushed weetbix, cocoa, coconut and marinated fruit in a bowl, pour over the condensed milk and stir well.  
Take out teaspoons at a time and roll in coconut and chill.
NOTE: You can make these up to a week before they are needed. Enjoy!

Whatever your plans are for Christmas, have a very safe, happy and wonderful time! Make sure it is full of love, laughter, giggles and hugs! Smile and enjoy it.
Candy canes and Malibu Balls,
Tara-Lee xo

One of the best primers I have stumbled upon and my new favourite eyeshadow trio...

So last week, I was lucky enough to be the winner of a Lime Crime prize pack from Saralli Designs on Facebook. Included in the prize was two eyeshadows (Abracadabra and Lime Criminal, both I have blogged about in the past) and Lime Crime's Candy Eyed eyeshadow helper. I had seen many reviews on this primer and was very curious to try it for myself and I have to say, I am now a huge fan of it!

As soon as the package arrived, I thought I would try it out with some Innoxa shadows I received in the mail thanks to Innoxa's biggest giveaway.

excuse the terrible mobile phone photo

I am IN LOVE with the colours from this Innoxa Mineral Eye Colour trio, this one is in Copper, they have a few more in the range that I am very keen to try. The shadows glided onto my lids and blended together beautifully. I have never really been a neutral tone girl but now I think I will be rocking the neutral smokey eye a lot this Summer! I love that this eyeshadow trio is so compact and perfect for carrying around in your handbag (or in my case, nappy bag hehe)


Lime Crime's Candy Eyed eyeshadow helper was amazing. I tend to forget when I have make up on because most days I am seen just wearing mascara, blush and either lipstick or my trusty Blistex haha, so I rubbed my eyes a few times over the course of the night (I applied this eyeshadow in the afternoon) and it did not smudge at all! I was shocked! This primer is crease proof and smudge proof and I am so happy I found it! 

In the photo above, you may notice that the primer has moved away from the packaging, this is totally normal and most people have said that they come like this. It does not affect the performance of the primer at all. This happens due to silicone shrinkage and Lime Crime have let us know that they are working to stop this from happening, but either way, I love it.

So there you go, I suggest that you all head to both Innoxa and Lime Crime's fan pages and share the love. Two great brands that I am a big fan of and will continue to buy from.

VISIT LIME CRIME'S FACEBOOK PAGE

VISIT INNOXA'S FACEBOOK PAGE

Cupcakes and Sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Sunday, October 30, 2011

DIY Brush Holder.

Ever found yourself wondering where all your brushes should live? I have a set that stays in the brush roll but I also have a lot of individual brushes that until now, I had no idea what to do with them. For a little while, they lived together in a cute little clutch bag but I know that isn't exactly the best way to get the most life of out them if they are all poking each other's bristles constantly haha.
So I went searching for some ideas on youtube and found one very common idea in majority of the videos and I thought I would give it a go.

So here is my at a DIY Brush Holder =)

Items you will need:
* A jar, little cardboard box, cup etc.
* Ribbon
* Beads, or coloured sand. I have seen some people use bath salts but it ends up being very bad for the brushes.
* Trusty Ol' Glue Gun

Ok so I used a cute little cardboard cylinder box that my Miss Chi Chi by Chi Chi Cosmetics came it. You can use anything really that is deep enough to fill with beads/coloured sand (it doesn't have to be coloured but colour is so much more fun!).


Excuse the terrible photos but here is the end product. 


I used my glue gun to glue the pastel pink ribbon around the very top just to 
break up all the white at the top of the box.


In goes the beads. These were just ones I had around the house, you can
use whatever colour/type you want =)


A very "artsy" shot of the box and beads - hahaha!


Once you have added the beads, you just stick your brushes in.
The beads help the brushes stand upright instead of being lent over against each other and 
possibly poking the bristles of other brushes.


Tada! So easy, and you probably have all the stuff you need
in your house already!

There we have it, a very cute and fun DIY project for your brushes =)
Glue guns and beads,
T x

Friday, October 14, 2011

Lime Crime Magic Dusts!




About two weeks ago, Lime Crime decided that in honour of reaching 55,000 fans, they would have a 24 hour flash sale on all eyeshadows. So of course, I jumped at the opportunity and bought my very first Lime Crime eyeshaodws.

I have only ever tried one other Lime Crime product, their red lipstick - Retrofuturist. Such a gorgeous red lipstick that I think would suit most, if not all, skin tones! I adore it. So I figured, well why not give the eyeshadows a go (I own a stupid amount of eyeshadows and thought I needed to add to the collection haha).

I was so impressed by the shipping also. I ordered and expected it to take at least two weeks to get to Australia - guess again, just over a week and it was sitting on my door step. I was over the moon..yeah, I squealed through the house excitedly haha.

The colours I chose to buy were -

Lime Criminal - a gorgeous bright green.
Cupcake Thief - it's a very soft pale pink, beautiful on it's own or as a base.
Empress - a deep, yet vibrant purple.
Troubadour - a bright turquoise, so beautiful.
Abracadabra - an amazingly bright pink.
Diva - a metallic bronze, every kit needs this colour.


I am a massive fan of impractical, bright colours that most people wouldn't wear every day - and too be honest, I don't exactly wear these kind of colours every day. Most of the time, you will see me with mascara, blush, either a lipstick or some lip balm and winged eyeliner if you are lucky. But I think it's always nice to have brights on hand hehe.


Lime Crime eyeshadows are packaged in the most adorable little jar - clear with a dark purple lid, complete with a silver unicorn. Adorable!


Here are some swatches of the eyeshadows (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a primer on my hand first)


(Top to Bottom - Left to Right) - Empress, Troubadour, Lime Criminal, Abracadabra, Diva, Cupcake Thief.



(Top to Bottom - Left to Right) - Empress, Troubadour, Lime Criminal, Abracadabra, Diva, Cupcake Thief.

As you can see in the above pictures, the pigments on the eyeshadows are insane! So bright and fun! I just love them!


The colours are so easy to apply. I just love them all. I don't even know how much I can tell you that I love these! 
So there's a look at some of the adorable Lime Crime Magic Dusts. I highly reccomend them! 


Unicorns and Glitter,
Tara-Lee xo

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Savvy Lipsticks

Bargain make up products. Most people won't deny they love a bargain (though there are some people who  refuse to use any products that aren't high end name brands...well this post isn't for you then haha).

For a while now, every time I went into Priceline, I would be intrigued to try out the products by Savvy Cosmetics - they are ridiculously cheap! I thought they would be like every other brand that makes too-good-to-be-true priced products - crap. Boy was I wrong! A few visits, I would walk over and swatch the lipstick colours and I have to say, one swipe and the true colour shows up which isn't always the case for some lipsticks. 

I had heard good things about two lipsticks (we should all know by now how much of a lipstick nut I am and I own quite a few) one is called "Poppy" and the other is called "Frosty Berry". I was on a hunt for Poppy because it was the first one that was recommended to me, but unfortunately, I could never find it. I'm not sure if it's just the stores I went to or maybe it's just a colour Queensland doesn't have, or quite possibly they don't make the colour anymore, I am not sure what the reason is as to why I could never find it.

Today I headed out to Priceline again and headed straight for the Savvy stand, and found the colour Frosty Berry straight away and can I just say, wow! I love this lipstick! It's priced at $4.95 (I know! A lipstick for under $5 is usually unheard of!) and is a wicked bargain score. It's a nice, deep red and could quite possibly become my new favourite. It's very moisturising and stays on great! I cannot rave about it enough, seriously ladies, you need to get yourselves to Priceline and pick up one of their lipsticks (or five! Haha) - I cannot wait to try more of their colours!


Here's a shot of me wearing it today. Oh I love it!

Lipsticks and swatches..
Tara-Lee xo

Monday, September 26, 2011

Decisions, decisions...

So, last week I will admit, was a pretty lousy week for me diet wise. My sister came down for the weekend and I kind of let my diet slip. Now, I have beaten myself up about it enough and am getting over it. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. So that is exactly what I am doing.

Tonight, we are going food shopping for a few meals and I am excited to try some new ones (and an old one thrown into the mix hehe). My Mum lent me a healthy recipe book a little while ago and only now am I trying a recipe out of it - Jacket Potato with Creamy Bacon and Chicken - sounds too naughty to be good right? Well no, it's not. And I will be piling my plate full of veggies/salad - not sure which one I feel like yet haha. And also I am trying a Chicken and Grilled Veggies Pizza from the Health Food magazine I bought last week. So maybe now that I am changing up our dinner routine I will get excited about cooking again haha!

Now, to get down to the topic that the title of this blog is all about. Decisions. I have been a member of my local gym since February this year and I have to say, the past few months, I have been a very rare visitor. A lot of things have factored into this. We all know I only have my L license and am working towards my P license, so I can't exactly head to the gym whenever I feel like it. Also, they have a creche program at the gym but only from 9am-10:30am. I considered the bus to get to the gym, but getting there before the creche closes so I can drop Lily off there while I work out - I'd be up stupidly early just trying to get ready! So yesterday, I made the decision, one that has been questioned a lot lately, to cancel my gym membership. NO! I hear you all thinking. DON'T GIVE UP! is probably another thought. Well guess what? I'm not! I have just decided that to have a better chance of losing some weight, I will be doing it from home. I am going to buy an exercise bike within the next week or so and I have some hand weights and an exercise ball which I already have been using. This is just what works better for me. Some people can get to the gym all the time but for someone like me, at home is best. The gym is a waste of money for me right now and in the end, buying an exercise bike will actually save us money.

I will not be putting a pressure on myself to lose the weight in a certain amount of time like I always have in the past, I think this is where I failed. I will be doing it in my own time but that does not mean I will be slacking off just because I am at home. If anything, it just means I will work harder. And as for a weight goal, yes I do have one, we all know this but I am not going to get myself upset if I don't see the results I want when I look at the scales, again, another mistake I made in the past.

I am very lucky to have such amazing support from all my friends and family and going though weight loss is always going to be an emotional time (not to mention I am emotional in general haha). So thank you everyone who has been following my blog and everyone who has offered me kind and supportive words so far. I do appreciate the support more than anyone will know.

T x

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Some inspirational and some funny pictures...just cause.











A change in my shopping...


Yesterday, I forgot to mention, we were walking through Coles, I wanted to new issue of Cleo mag. We reached the magazine stand and Jesse pointed out a magazine that I would have never looked at before now. Australian Healthy Food Guide. I chose this over Cleo some of you are thinking? Yes, yes I did. I was excited just to see it was full of recipes that were actually good for you. And for once, I got excited about all the new yummy meals I can cook for my little family to enjoy with me. I don't want to be cooking a bunch of different meals every night because that's just a waste of time and money, so I can't wait to try the ones in this magazine out!


Anywho, just wanted to share that with you all. This is defiantly a magazine I will continue to purchase in the future.


Tara-Lee xo

Back To The Gym. Day One.

So today I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. I always kinda dread going, I wake up, roll outta bed and have to psych myself up to go. It was sort of like this today but also, I was ready to go. 
I did my workout routine that my trainer had set out for me when I first started, and did every single exercise on that sheet - yes, I am sore already but I don't wanna half ass it.
The whole time I was at the gym, I kept thinking about my family and friends who are showing me so much support about losing weight, and if I do a half assed job, I will disappoint everyone who believes in me. And not only that - I would disappoint myself. Here I have been talking about how badly I want to do this, how badly I want to be happy when I see my body in the mirror and if I don't put 110% into my workouts, then I am ultimately failing myself.


After that, we went to the shops just to check out a maxi dress I have had my eyes on. I wanted something to wear to gatherings in the future that I will feel a bit more comfortable in. Just my luck - they only had size 8's. I picked it up and said I'd give it a go (I own a size 8 maxi already, gotta love stretchy material). I tried it on and it fit - I was shocked. But once I lose some weight, it will be so flattering on my body. So it's a little goal for me to look good in it. The lady at the counter was shocked that I asked if they had bigger sizes. It was nice to hear a stranger think I was smaller (a lot smaller haha) than I actually am. 


So anyways, that was my day today.
Cupcakes and sprinkles (only for looking at)
Tara-Lee xo

Sunday, September 18, 2011

My two biggest fans


Here's to a happier and healthier Wifey and Mummy. I love these two beyond words.
And every day, I am going to think about how they love and support me and I
will not give up til I have reached my goal.

So I have decided..

This blog is going to be a bit make up and a bit my journey to weight loss. I figured that sharing my story, people will read it and it'll make it a tad easier because I have so many great people in my life who support me yet don't know what I'm thinking.

Tomorrow. Dum Dum Dum. I have decided not to get rid of my gym membership and to finally put it to good use again. I have kinda been kicking myself that all my attempts of weight loss have just gone down the drain, if I hadn't have given up, imagine where I could've been body wise by now! But no, there is no time to put myself done and regret giving up diets and exercise in the past. So tomorrow, I am starting fresh. I will weight myself and create a realistic goal - say 5 kilos in one month or something. And I am going to stick to it. It's a stepping stone to the 20 kilos I hope to lose - which I will.


And I will blog about it. I may have some days where I feel like it's not working and others where I feel fantastic, days I wanna whinge and days I wanna be proud, all I need from you guys is support. Be my cheering squad and help me stay motivated! 


I know I can do it, but knowing others know I can do it also, that'll make it even better. 



Cupcakes and sprinkles (which you'd be suprised to know I don't actually eat)
Tara-Lee xo

Friday, September 9, 2011

Slightly different to my other posts...

So, who out there has had a struggle with weight loss? I am right there with you all. Before I got pregnant with my gorgeous baby girl, I was in the low 60's for my weight. I thought my hips, thighs and ass were huge then (it just runs in the family haha) but now, I look back at photos from those days and envy the body I use to have - I envy myself, really? Over the course of my pregnancy, it took a while for me to gain weight due to horrible morning sickness (or in my case, all-day-every-day sickness) but towards the end, I ballooned haha. I put on about 20kgs or so during the pregnancy and once I had given birth, I didn't know it then but I was losing the weight. Breastfeeding is suppose to help shed kilos like crazy and I think that did help. Although, then, I still thought I was huge and needed to do something about it.

I was a big user of the phrase 'I just had a baby, leave me alone'. I used this phrase 6 months after I had Lily! It wasn't baby weight anymore! It was just me eating crap and not exercising!

When our daughter was about 3 months old, we moved out into our own place and just ate crap. We have a servo the next street over from us and I have become quite a regular there. Chips, chocolates, iced coffees, you name it. So, I started taking Lily for a walk in the pram along the broadwater near our house (it's so beautiful to walk along there) every day. Being so little, Lily fell asleep most times or was just content watching the world so it was easy to walk 4kms every day because she was happy to join me. But as she started to get older, she started wanting to not be in the pram and was getting bored easily, so walking became a bit of a challenge. When I was walking every day, I started noticing a change, I started to fit into clothes again and was feeling good. But then I stopped. I don't even remember why. I hate that I did because I would probably be at my healthy and happy goal weight by now.

I got tired of feeling fat and gross (because of myself and how I saw myself), so I decided this year to join a gym. And for a while there, I was going great! Going nearly every day and feeling so good about myself. Again, I stopped. I don't have my license so relying on other people to take me was what I had to do. I needed someone to be watching Lily whilst I ducked down to the gym and it just got too hard to work in with everyone else. So for the past few months, I have rarely even seen the gym. And I hate it. 

I have noticed that, being a stay at home Mummy, I eat all the time. I eat when I'm bored, when I'm stressed, when I've had a hard day, whenever! I am just constantly eating. Enough! It's time to stop! I can see myself gaining more weight and I don't even want to go near scales right now. So, time to get on the diet and exercise wagon again. And stick to it.

A dear friend of mine has actually decided herself that she wants to lose 20kgs - exactly the same goal as me. And it's because of her that I am encouraging myself to get into it again. She was a very big reason I started to become content with myself - or at least try to, but stand me in front of a mirror and I will pick myself to pieces regardless of if I just told you I like my body or not. She always oozed a confidence about her body that I envied, but to know that deep down she wanted to change also, it kind of gave me the push I needed to realise I need to do something about my weight instead of just talking about it.

So here I am, telling you all my thoughts and feelings and hoping you will all follow me on this journey to a happier and healthier me. I want to be fit for my little girl, I want to be perfect for my partner (although he is constantly telling me I am gorgeous) and mostly, I want to look in the mirror and smile at my figure every day, not some days - every day. I will bus it to the gym if I have to and walk every sunny day and I will stop eating crap. It's time to cut the crap (quite literally) and begin this journey.

I was a few months pregnant in this photo and to this day, I envy how my body was here.

I thank you all for your love and support on this.
Tara-Lee xo

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Gorgeous Gifts.







I have posted about the darling little online shop, ALICE JEAN'S SODA POP SHOP, only a few posts ago and I was lucky enough to have won a competition run by the lovely Kesenya and look at the gorgeous prizes I received!


1 X Carolyns Cupcake Soap
1 X Mango and Berry Body Butter
1 X Mango and Berry Lip Balm
1 X Slice of Carolyns Cake Soap
1 X 'Hope' Butterfly canvas by Alice Jean (not pictured)



How lucky am I?! Each and every one of these products smells divine! I want to eat the cupcake and cake soap they look that good! And of course, being the lipbalm queen that I am, I opened the Mango and Berry lipbalm and put it straight on! It even tasted good!
I used the Mango and Berry Body Butter this morning after my shower and my skin feels amazing!
All the products sold on the website have been handmade in Australia, which I love. 
And it's all natural so I can even use them on my daughter.
I cannot rave enough about this shop, I think everyone needs to head over and check it all 0ut, so many gorgeous gift ideas for birthdays, Christmas or just because. 




Off to debate with myself where I should hang my new canvas -
Cupcakes and Sprinkles,
Tara-Lee x0

Friday, August 19, 2011

Stumbling across a gorgeous perfume..

So, I admit it, I have quite a few perfumes sitting on a shelf at my vanity desk (that my man so generously built me! Lucky girl!) and the other day, I added a new one to the collection...
Now some people stick to the one perfume and won't wear anything else but me - I like to change it up and choose my perfume by the mood I am in that day. For example, if I am in a girlie, pretty mood, I reach straight for Vera Wang Princess or DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom. 

We were in MYER the other day and headed over to the Chi Chi section ( I am a big fan of Chi Chi products and plan to do a post or two on some looks using their products.), and I noticed a perfume I had been lusting over for a long time - Miss Chi Chi. Oh my cupcakes, this perfume is gorgeous!
It reminds me of marshmallows, with a slight fruity hint to it.


And don't get me started on the packaging! How adorable is it?! It looks very boudoir doesn't it? And I just LOVE the cute little pump that comes with it! Very glamourous.

So, this is my new favourite perfume that I wanted to share with you all. Enjoy.

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Alice Jeans Soda Pop Shop

So the other day, a friend of mine announced she had open a darling online shop full with amazing goodies and I just had to check it out! I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am a massive fan of anything cupcake related and I stumbled upon some ever so cute cupcake soaps in her store! 


Candy Pink Cup Cake Soap
Even the names of these soaps are cute!

AND I found ice cream soap!

It looks so good, I could eat it!

These products are handmade in small batches, using high quality vegetable
oils chosen for their specific properties and natural ability to create a fluffy lather.
These gorgeous proudcts are all natural and made the true old-fashioned way.

So if you are tired of looking for products that are safe 
for both you and your babies and having no luck, I suggest you check this store out.
And not only does the ever so darling Kesenya sell bath and beauty products,
but she also has children's clothing, books and games, and car hire all available on her site!
Also, she throws Alice Jean parties too! 

Here's the website, pop over and have a look!

and while you're there, check out her blog also

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Pretty Scents.

Perfume shopping. Some people like it, some people don't. I personally enjoy it, unless the perfume gets up my nose and I'm left sneezing uncontrollably for the next hour haha.
So, I wanted to share with you a few (and then some) of my favourite scents!

Sarah Jessica Parker - Covet.
I have worn this perfume for a few years now and it's still one of my favourites! 


Katy Perry - Purr.
I had the little piece of cardboard I sprayed this perfume with 
in my wallet for weeks, everytime I opened it, Purr filled the air.


Avril Lavigne - Black Star.
Another perfume I have worn for years and still a winner.


Britney Spears - In Control.
I have recently stumbled upon this one, yes, I know it has
been out for a while now but I was a bit slow when it
came to discovering it haha. I highly enjoy the too cute bottle aswell,
and the perfume pump just screams old Hollywood glamour!


Britney Spears - Fantasy.
Notice a pattern? Haha. I am a fan of majority of 
her perfumes =) this one is one I wear constantly!

Ralph Lauren - Rocks.
Summer in a bottle! It reminds me of oranges.
So pretty!

Ralph Lauren - Hot.
My favourite Ralph Lauren scent, it has a little 
spice to it. Love it!



Vera Wang - Princess.
*delighted sigh* so pretty, so girlie.
I put this on and instantly feel perked up.

So there you have it - a few..ok more than a few haha of my favourite perfumes! What are your favourites?

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

We all know I'm a sucker for cupcakes.

If you all have been paying attention (or just know me personally), you would have realised by now that I have a little obsession with anything cupcake related...just a minor addiction =P 

When we went to Wintersun in June, I finally got my hands on a pair of too cute TUK Cupcake flats!
I have had my eyes on these babies for a while now and when I saw them in person at one of the stalls - I had to have them! 




TUK make some of THE comfiest shoes I have ever put my feet in! Haha. How often is it you find shoes that are cute AND comfy? In my case, not often! Haha.
Just had to share the cuteness of these shoes with you all =D

Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo

My favourite lavender scented body washes!

Anyone else love the calming affects of lavender? Lavender is one of my all time favourtie scents, gotta love the aromatherapy behind it, it's a stress reliever =) I want to share with you two of my favourite body washes - by Johnson's..


First is the Johnson's Bedtime Bath, it has been clinically proven to make baby's sleep better, I have been using this on my little girl for since she was born, it smells amazing and she loves that it foams up and makes bubbles. They also have a powder, lotion and massage oil in this range too, all part of the bedtime routine =) 




Next is the Johnson's Dreamy Skin body wash - heaven in a bottle for us Mummas! It is very similar to the Baby Bedtime Wash, I have used both on myself and my daughter and they are both amazing! They moisturise our skin, instead of drying them out like some other body washes. I reccomend you all to go out and get them both! 


Cupcakes and sprinkles,
Tara-Lee xo