Truly simple

Sometimes the best outfits are the simple, comfortable and warm ones.  I have long been a knit girl.  There's just nothing easier than cocooning myself on a toasty jumper that insulates the morning chill.  One that goes with everything and that doesn't require much thought and effort.  Except maybe a bright lip.

This weekend could not have come soon enough.  End of financial year has been as mental as usual.  My blackberry has been switched off and I am spending the weekend walking endlessly along the beach, drinking bottomless pots of tea and reading magazines.

Knit-Country Road (bargain sale buy)

Working from home...

...results in getting the triple amount of work done compared to what I achieve in the office. And I don't even have to do my hair....

On a Zara (Basic Sandal) High

I really don't need any more shoes, right?  I came back home a few weekends ago and my husband was in the garage building me a shelf (I knew there was a good reason why I married him).   It houses about 50 very well edited pairs.  But right now it's the middle of winter and I'm battling my hatred of cold mornings, rotating between just 3 pairs. Yeah, I hate winter.

I love these Zara beauties even more than I thought I would.  They're just the right height, simple enough to wear a lot and they're very, very comfortable.

I wouldn't resist a photoshoot, even if indoors with my track pants rolled up... (at least they were Stella McCartney, okay)

Zara Basic Sandals

Yarra Valley

I am (mostly) a city girl and love the metropolitan life.  But equally so I have an intense need for the countryside.  As much as I love my bucket of hair products and high heels I equally adore fresh air, muddy walks, trees and open space.  As a child I spent my summers with my grandparents in their village, chasing chickens and getting lost in the fields with our dog, Meri. 


Lucky then that within an hour drive out of Melbourne, there is plenty of open space and fresh air.

Hat-Sportsgirl Florentina, Fur Wrap-Scanlan & Theodore, Vest-MK2K, Leggings-Supre, Boots-Zomp

Eyes of Horus mascara and pencils

I have been a loyal Diorshow girl my entire adult life.  While I would occasionally get angry at myself for paying $50 for mascara and try something new, I always went back.  About 12 months ago Diorshow started to flake on my lashes, so I added a coat Maybelline The Falsies over two coats of Diorshow for the best results.  So what was a $50 mascara ended up being a $70 mascara.  Ouch.

A few months ago, I came across Eyes of Horus, an all natural Aussie owned range of products, suitable for even the most sensitive of eyes.  The products are all made in the style of old Egyptian eye make up using plant based oils and waxes.   

Let me be honest.  What Diorshow?  I have never come across an eyeliner that didn't smudge until I came across Eyes of Horus.  And although the mascara doesn't leave my lashes soft like Diorshow did, it does everything else better.  It doesn't flake.  It doesn't smudge. It won't clump.  It's bullet proof.  For a mid price range product which is also all natural I am now a loyal user and advocate.  And check out their microfiber cloth if you've not used one before.  Your skin will thank you for it.

Please note that this is an honest review.  I have not been paid in money or product for this post. 

“Are these things really better than the things I already have? Or am I just trained to be dissatisfied with what I have now?” ― Chuck Palahniuk

I have been in a complete tail spin this weekend looking at fixtures for our bathroom renovation.  I want something sleek that will maximise the tiny space (the bathroom is literally 2.3m x 1.8m).  I also want cosy.  I think I've settled on an amazing Villeroy & Boch basin and a set of really cool towel racks, but everything else is a mystery.   Why do I need to have 200 tiles to choose from?  

So of course instead of browsing for shower heads, I'm now looking at summer dresses.  At least I know what I want when it comes to dresses and summer.  Even if the city was covered in a thick haze of fog this morning and the temperature didn't reach double digits.  Logic never prevails in my parts.

Dolce Vita Valentina Dress

"Minimalism is not a lack of something. It’s simply the perfect amount of something." - Nicholas Burroughs

 

Image via tumblr http://sheworeitwell.tumblr.com

What is it about life?  It’s a ride.  A big, long, scary, unpredictable ride.  It challenges me every day.  Every hour.  I’m not any closer to figuring life out.  Just as I get cosy and think I’ve caught a break, a new test is just around the corner. 

Over the past 12 months I’ve been working on this thing, this thing I really believe in.  It’s called minimalism.  The notion that having more doesn’t mean you have more.  Or even have enough.  That having more in fact burdens us further.  Burdens the soul, burdens the financial position we’re in, burdens the hangers in our wardrobes holding up all the stuff, burdens the shelves in our homes, burdens the dividers in the tax folder and burdens our planet.  So why is it that we all have the same number of hours in our day and the same number of days in our year, yet some of us accomplish a lot more than others?

I think it’s all to do with simplifying and with planning.  Allocating time to the things we truly believe in and the things that make us happy and then fitting in the rest.  If I have pilates on a Wednesday night, hell how about I don’t commit to something else.   I’m doing my best to say no to the things that are not important to me.

I’m also decluttering my home.  I do this constantly.  Sometimes with no great success.  It’s been a LONG and really hard process.  I harbour old magazines, clothes that I don’t wear but that hold some sort of sentimental value.  Kitchen gadgets that are broken were also festering in the back of the pantry.  I made a conscious decision not to buy a big home as I wanted to live simply, so why am I holding onto all this stuff?  I’ve documented the eBay sales well on here.  I’ve also let go of a heap of magazines (with 10 more heaps to go).  I figure if I write it all down and tell the world, I will hold myself accountable?   

Next up is the make up draw.  Teaming with samples and near new products that I add to, but never seem to subtract from.  The mid year sales are creeping up on us (how is it June already?????) and the sale emails are coming in thick and fast.  Do I need anything?  Of course not.  Why not put what I would spend on a new top that I don’t really need towards a helicopter ride on my trip next month.  I’m sure I’ll remember the experiences on a holiday long after I forget a top I didn’t buy.  There are some wonderful exhibits coming to town, lots of theatre and ballets and operas I want to see.  Experiences that will enrich my mind but not fill up my home.   That’s what it all should be about.