January 30, 2016

Things That I Need In My Life : Back to School




Helloo everyone, 
I hope you are all well and if you are going back to school in the next few days - have a moment to savour the last few days of freedom ... 
... But although I always complain about school, it is a blessing that many children don't have access to and children who do have that opportunity to attend school (in developing countries) the are happy and enjoy learning - so it's just something that we need to learn to be more grateful for =^.^= my little inspirational message for today 
I'm not going to lie, since my last blog post I honestly have not been up to much. I have been extremely busy with work, but hopefully in the next few weeks I am able to share some really exciting news with you guys! hint: foooodd. I also stayed the night at Crown with some friends I have known for the longest time and it was so much fun as it is rare for us to all be free for the weekend. 
I have also recently ordered a tonne of things online - but I'm just waiting for them to arrive... but I'll keep you guys "posted" and most likely make a blog post about it and my favourite online shops. 

Spend > Save is my current situation :(((((( 
Although the other day I went back to one of the cutest cafes - Pixel Coffee Brewers and that was a fab experience as per usual! <3 the guy always makes the most beautiful coffee swans, like the foam artwork that is trending at the moment. 

So, I'm doing a mini haul type thing. I hope you guys enjoy these essentials for life and school. And I have actually gotten emails about sponsorships and things like that but for the moment blogging is just a hobby and I'm not going to be full time committed to it as a job - if you know what I mean. Therefore.... everything is my own opinion and I generally like. :))) Ahah I feel like a youtuber making disclaimers... but I think that their job is really cool and it would be something fun to do as work. 

1. Going clockwise starting from the black tube.. 
My MAC BB cream - perfect for use on the daily and it fits my complection perfectly for the moment. When it gets too dark for me it also doubles as a cream contour; which I love. And it doesn't dry your skin out, instead it leaves a natural "skin looking" finish ahah\
The Palmolive hand sanitizer - I've always been big on germs and I am always eating but never have access to a tap. I have started using hand sanitizer more and more these holidays and it's just easy. Plus this one smells really nice
Nivea Moisturising fluid - hate the word fluid but I love using this cream. It has spf inside and one of my new years resolution is to start wearing skin protection everyday to reduce the sun spots on my face. I have tried this product back in my #year seven days and I've just recently come back to it. :) 
Fluffy hair tie from Top Shop - this is really cute to tie your hair up with. It is just a bit of fun and especially useful on natural hair days. 
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I am a normal person and I sometimes *forgett to wash of my makeup before bed. I am a culprit of leaving mascara on overnight...In my defence, the "its real by benefit" is a btich to take off. But on the bright side - this cleanser can remove second day panda eyes in a breeze. And it's unscented which is a nice change. Sometimes too many scents going on my face gives me a headache 
Dove roll on deodorant - this is a simple life must have ofc, i prefer using roll on because I heard that it's better for you and the environment. I think this is a true fact but this doesn't leave a stain on your clothes and leaves you freashhh. I can't go to in depth about a deodorant but all you need to know is that you just need it 

2. Left to right 
Mario Badescu Rosewater Spray - this is used by none other than Kylie Jenner but it is surprisingly affordable. It is probably the cheapest, good quality product that you can buy from Mecca. It is $10 so if you are looking in Mecca / Maxima, gather your change and buy this for the sake of purchasing something from the store. It is very refreshing and can be doubled as a setting spray. You can also use this on your hair!! I'm keen to try out the rest of his skin care range too 
L'occitane Hydra Vital Cleansing Gel - I love this shop soooo much. The lady was so cute and had a French accent. I first became a fan of this shop when I was in Switzerland and got a sample of this product. These holidays my skin has been a lot worse than usual because I haven't been taking off my make-up when I do wear it. But the shop in general, is very generous with samples and things like that - and it's not just your regular drug store face cleanser.. It actually works wonders. <333 I really want to upload a skin care routine video because skincare is actually something I'm very passionate about and I love trying new things. I have a weird obsession but I love it!

3. Clockwise 
Stila Stay All Day Foundation - I love this foundation & the lady in mecca who recommended this to me haha <3 She complimented my brows and instantly became bffs. Tbh people who compliment other people's brows are the best people. I went through a phase where I basically despised this foundation and never used it, but I have come back to love it and am confused as to why I stopped using it. It is full coverage (which I love), it is pretty thick though but it is very blendable. The love doesn't stop there! It is $60 but comes with a brush and a concealer in the lid. I use the concealer*SPOLIER* *MY BIG SECRET REVEAL* to highlight around my brows, making them crisp and neat <3 The applicator isn't a pump but it's like a spoon and it's quite effective to use .. I must say. 
Kikki K 2016 Diary - I don't know if you have seen, but Kikki K has the cutest and most adorable youtube channel where it shows you ways to customise your study planner, diary and many cute diy inspirational videos. I just had to try the diary craze bandwagon and try it out for the year. I can admit that I am not the person to get the most use out of a diary but it would be good to get more organised in the new year #newyearnewme #freshstart. I am not one to make resolutions because I never stick to them anyways, so it's a nonresolution resolution to keep organised and write dates down. ^.^ 
Crochet Bathers, Crochet Anything - idk why I put this in here but these bathers are something different. They are from Topshop and were $72 for the set - yay for student discount - and that is good value. They probably aren't your expected sturdy bathers, but I don't usually go in the water (beach or pool) so I might as well get some intricate bathers to wear one, two, three times in the beach season. I am sorry for being one of the only people in Perth who doesn't spend their days at the beach :'( 
Marble iPhone Case - for anyone that knows me, they know how obsessed I am with my phone. I worked my booty off to buy it and it was 100% worth the hours. Since I spent a lot of cash money on my phone, I am all for buying cases off Ebay! (Ebae) Ebay has cases for 99c + free shipping = what's not to love. Although shipping takes ages and buy the time it arrives you would have forgotten what you bought - if it's that cheap then why not?! I love how you can order 5-6 cases at once and for such a cheap price it is affordable to change it up often. The cases are of a 3.5 star quality and they literally sell thousands of different designs. So my phone case looks like it would be worth $20 but it's actually not. I have revealed too many life secrets in the blog post. 

4. Highlighters - and no, not the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Pallette :( but the first kind of highlighters we knew of. Having heaps of colours is just perfect for writing notes. Those who know me personally know how obsessed I am with notes ahah! I don't actually learn by colour coding (I wish I could) it is more for the fun and motivation of it - without it I would not revise at all, things need to look cute okay

Hope you guys enjoyed this, and to those who actually made it this far I send you a virtual hug <3 :-* I do ramble on, imagine me in a general conversation ahaha... 

And last but not least, a little gallery of #NOEDIT #NOFILTER pics of my life* ( I need to think of what to call this section) Annalysis maybe hahah? name puns 
*but for edited pics, with cute filters, you can follow my instagram
I don't currently have a "theme" for my blog, I really enjoy changing it up from sleek & minimal to more "Tumblr" like this post ahaha. I used to make a tonne of celebrity edits with like backgrounds and icons and stuff, I really miss those days :'(



But anyways, thank you all for reading x your reads actually mean so much to me xoxo
And until next time ;) 





January 18, 2016

My Favourite Drinks

Hey Everyone,

I hope you are having a lovely start to the week <3 I have also just come to the realisation that this is the second last Monday of the holidays and I have done no preparation for the new school year... 
Anyways, since my last blog post I have tried so many new places and I actually vlogged a lot of my outings but those will never be shown hahaha, watching back on them were not so cute -_-

Before I get started with the blog post I just wanted to share a list of current things I have really loved for this month:
Burgers
My new kitten.. we named him Chuck (as in Chuck Bass from GG) and he is yet to make his debut on my Instagram; if I can get him still for a photo....smh
Really authentic ice-cream
Frank Ocean (this is a reoccurring phase)
Nails
Exercise clothing - although I have no motivation to exercise
Highlighting the . out of my cheekbone

Ok, so my "haul" type, review on my favourite drinks: #thirsty
*ps the very fancy, iconic Babooshka Bar Krispy Kreme milkshake is not included because rather than being called a drink, it is a meal for a family of 4 !! but it still deserved this mini mention ;)

1. Little Angel - this place deserves my paragraph long analysis. !Warning! It is home to the LIQUID NITROGEN AFFOGATO and omg it is honestly the most heavenly drink. Personally, I'm not a huge coffee drinker - half a cup of a weak latte is probably my limit. I love how they have the ice-cream separate from the coffee shot so you can control its strength. They have cool flavours including : hot butter popcorn, pandan and cookies and cream... So I tried the popcorn flavour to change it up. 5 stars!! Little Angel does a beautiful VIOLET HOT CHOCOLATE, this was actually recommended to me and it was very smooth and the flavour had nice balance. Please please please check this place out, it deserves more customers!!

2. Toastface Grillah - this small alleyway is home to ToastFace Grillah and Henry Saw... so it is always the hardest decision to decide where to grab a quick drink. They make just a classic, cold iced chocolate and it is very refreshing. No cream but it doesn't need it because it is just simple and light. <333

3. Tropico - time and time again I mention Tropico in my blog posts. It is my favourite beach cafe as I have mentioned before and it never fails with its drinks. My goal is to one day walk along the beach long enough to actually reach this cafe (by foot not car) and order my green smoothie ahaha.

4. Henry Saw - this place has become a regular visit, I at least go there once or twice a week... I think I missed out on my weekly Strawberry Fields smoothie and I was reminiscing through photos on my camera roll of the iconic strawberries on the straw. This is the place where I first discovered cold drip coffee and you can order it with milk (almond or regular) or sparkling water - both tasting quite lovely. The chocolate peanut butter was also really nice but I will always go back to the STRAWBERRY FIELDS <3

5. Tao Cafe - they have a wide range of mocktails and they are sooo good! Some might say this is bias as I do work at one of the four Taos in Perth..but these make me want to work at the Subiaco store (and just drink these all day long) ! They also just released their smoothie range which I am super keen to try out :D and their Cafe Suda is my favourite drink ever! It's coffee with condensed milk and it really wakes you up (and keeps you up until 3am)..

6. The Brooklyn Lounge - this bar has some really awesome super shakes. We ordered s'mores and the TWINKIES super shake made us feel like we were in America aha. They are very, very indulgent and can be shared - or you can have one to yourself;) I have to say that this place is the highlight of Claremont and you should all definitely try it out <3

Hope you guys enjoyed this review that I have been working on for a while x
Below are just a few pictures from this month that I just wanted to share, but to make sure you are up to date with my life and when I upload new blog posts you can follow my Instagram @anna.martin

lots of love
anna xxx




January 02, 2016

Best of the Best | Food | 2015



Hi Everyone,

Hope you are pumped for the new year as much as I am!! I had so many ups and downs over the course of 2015, some bad but the good was very good.
Last year was when I decided to share my love of food with the world and it was the best decision I have ever made. I have always loved to eat and try new things but now it has come to a whole other level and I have discovered so many new little places.

These places you may already know, but I just thought that if you were looking for a place to go specifically, I've got you covered... So letss get started:

1. Best Breakfast: Sayers Food                                                                                                      
Yes, this is a well-known cafe but it definitely deserves it's status. You can order donuts for breakfast. Need I say more...

2. Best Place to Indulge: Babooshka Bar
This small cafe is best known for it's donut, Krispy Kreme milkshake with: caramel, 3 donuts, whipped cream, chocolate covered bacon and lollies. The serving size is more than generous and could easily be considered a meal in itself. If this is not your go-to place for indulgence; I don't know what is?!

3. Best Brownie: Jamie's Italian
Jamie's Italian is that one restaurant that is always tricky to get a table, I also remember the hype when it first opened up. Since then they have changed the menu slightly, added in some more dishes and taken away some, but, the Epic Choc Brownie has remained my most favourite pick. Sometimes I just go to Jamie's for the dessert. This brownie is served warm <333 with ice-cream and caramel popcorn <333 It is not dry and not a small serving size either ;)

4. Best Sushi: Tao Cafe
Taos has a wide range of sushi - regular, deluxe and signature range. The signature range has so many nice picks including the Ichiban roll and Volcano roll.. plus they are very photogenic. You can tell that they are made with love.

5. Best Cakes: Pixel Coffee Brewers
I love this cafe so much, and they have a beautiful cake display. What separates these cakes from the rest is their weirdly, delicious combinations - like basil + chocolate. There is a wide variety and they are very fresh too. Beautiful <3

6. Best Dinner to Share: Sienas in Leederville
This place is my ultimate choice for Italian nights. The portions are large and a few dishes in the middle = perfect to split between friends. It is even better on special nights.

7. Best Dessert to Share: Whisk Creamery
Whisk has many creative desserts made to order and a whole range of gelato flavours to choose from. It is perfect for friend catch ups and definitely worth every calorie.

8. Best "Beachy" Cafe: Tropico North Beach
This cafe is everything that you would expect from it's name. It is chill and has a lot of trendy breakfast meals. My favourite is their banana bread and it's not just any banana bread.. it has a glazed meringue on the top and caramelised bananas <33. Their juices and smoothies are also worth the try too!

9. The closest "IN N OUT" burger in Perth: Varsity Burgers Northbridge
These burgers are the ultimate American style burgers. If you are looking for something on the unhealthy side...just try it out for yourself.

10. Best Drinks: Henry Saw
They do the best strawberry smoothie ever!!! please try this, please. Also their cold drip coffee is very light and cold and everything that you would expect from an iced coffee; minus the added cream on top - because it doesn't need it.

Hope you enjoy xxx

Anna