Tips for waking up in the morning

I've got to say that I struggle in getting up in the morning so I decided to think about ways to get yourself up out of bed. I think it's because it's winter and it is so warm in bed that you don't want to leave.

I am in no way a professional but wanted to share some ideas with you that might get you perked up for your day ahead.

• Pump up some really upbeat tunes. Put the music on so that you sing along and if it's dancey music, it may get you up to dance a little bit in the morning. It's much fun and will get you perked up! My favourite song right now is The Wanted - Chasing the sun

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFS5N_yAGTo]

• This one depends on you - rolling out of bed.. literally. I used to do this but you could probably hurt yourself. It sort of sends your body into a panic as you will fall out of bed. Your heart will race but you will be fully awake! I swear by it!

• Spray rose water on your face or have a spray bottle full of water to mist your face. The premise behind the mist sprays is to make you feel refreshed and to wake up. I like using Kosmea's Rosewater Hydrating Mist. Costs $19.95 off their site but you can find it cheaper looking around. Otherwise, if you have a skin friendly scented oil, you could mix it with water and buy your own spray bottle

• Gulping down on water. I think what you need to do is activate your brain into doing something. If you have a bottle next to your bed, when you wake up and start drinking, it forces your brain to think and work and thus it makes you wake up. Why not start the day with a natural and healthy drink?

• Draw the covers off you. If you push the blanket away from you, then it forces you to be cold. It is then you think about getting in a nice hot shower and then you'll wake up

So there you have it - my 5 ideas on getting out of bed.

Let me know how they go for you?

Winter is Coming...

So winter is here in Australia. I had to make a lame Game of Thrones reference because that show is awesome!

So anyway, I went out last week for general shopping and couldn't resist just stepping into some clothing stores to check out what was in fashion at the moment.

So I bought a really nice blue jacket from Ally, (pictured below) and it got me thinking that I should really do a blog on some affordable winter coats.

I really like this coat because it was a bold bright colour. It cost $49.99 and I thought it was decent pricing as it is thick and keeps me warm.

Here are some other cool finds, that you may be interested in:-

I really love this colour but it also comes in Navy and Green. This is offered from Princess Polly for $80.

Not everyone's cup of tea but I really love this fake fur mink offered from BooHoo. This costs $80 and it looks so warm to wear! Plus, you can wear it casually or going out! That's the beauty of it :)

French Connection offer this wool blend coat for $149.95. I had to include it because I loved the tie at the collar. It was different and interesting.

Debenhams offers this navy striped coat for £35 which is is approx. AU$55. I just liked the stripes really :D

Cotton on offers this Zurich coat for $69.95. Now the website did not offer all the sizes as they are out of stock but I am sure going i-store you are sure to find it. I like how there is a bit of emphasis on the shoulders on this jacket.

Really loved the look of this coat. It looks warm and velvety. This is from Princess Polly for $120 and also comes in black.

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Hope this gives you on some ideas of what is out there for winter. I tried looking for cheaper options that also look stylish and warm. You can't be freezing but looking good!

If you have any requests please feel free to message me on Facebook and Twitter

Coolest Find of the Month - June

So it's winter time here in Perth and that means more and more hot showers leaving your skin dry and in much need of moisturization.

I discovered Goat soap and started to research the benefits of using this soap. I have found that it maintains moisture in my skin and I am not left with dry skin. Winter is one of the worst months to maintain moisture in the skin because more people tend to take more hot showers and this means your skin is prone to dryness.

Benefits of using products with Goat's Milk

• Goat's milk soap has proteins that kill bacteria that produces acne. It would be a natural alternative to mainstream products that may contain many harsh chemicals
• It contains many vitamins that help to nourish your skin and maintain it's health. Vitamins include A, C, E, B1, B6 and B12.
• Because goat's milk does not contain harsh chemicals, it is beneficial for those of sensitive skins or those with skin conditions such as eczema. It reduces skin irritations or itchiness.
• Goat's milk reduces the signs of aging and reduces wrinkles based on the skin repairing components that the vitamins provide.
• The creamy components from goat's milk helps your skin from going dry and promotes moisture in your skin.
• Goat's milk has a pH level which is close to human's pH level. This means that it allows nutrients to enter our skin, reduces drynesss whilst also preventing chemicals or bacteria entering the skin.
• Due to it containing hydra-alphoxy acids, this helps promotes skin rejuvenation meaning that it also helps in removing dead skin cells.

Those were just some of the benefits I found online but there is so much Goat's milk can offer in maintaining natural, soft looking skin and preventing your skin from aging faster. You can even drink Goat's milk if you really wanted to :)

My bar of soap had Lemon Myrtle which is a plant that is abundant is South Queensland. It really does have a fresh lemon scent which I found comes from the leaves of the plant.

So I bought my bar of soap for $3.99 for Chemist Warehouse from a company called core-metrics. They don't sell it off their website so I can only assume this is sold in chemists or pharmacies around Australia.

Here are some other sites I found that sell Goat's Milk soap online:

Billy Goat Soap - $8.95

Goat Milk Stuff - As low as US $3.95 - liked this site very much because of the flavour range with so many choices!

Sassy Goat Milk Shop - as low as US$4.00

The Karma Soap Company - $6.00 - like the offer of a $5 voucher just for subscribing, so essentially you pay $1 for testing the soap

Goat's Milk Soap Creations - $4.95

Moogoo - $6.90

As far as I could tell, most of these companies shipped internationally and I usually list items in Australian dollars unless otherwise specified. I have got to say there are so many companies out there offering handmade goat's milk soap! I guess it's finding what product suits you best and the customer service from that seller. I think it is reasonably priced and I think the benefits are remarkable for moisturizing your skin.

I wanted to share the label on my soap because I thought it was cute! Orangutang safe LOL!

Coolest Find of the Month - May

I realise that it is now June but I was hanging onto this for some time and wanted to share this with all those budding brides.

I bring to you Two Birds. It is available in USA, Australia, UK and Canada.

It is a dress that can be worn 15 different ways. This came to my attention after I was searching for a cocktail dress for a 21st party. Yes, it is an idea for bridesmaids dresses, but because you can wear it 15 different ways, it makes it versatile for many other occasions.

It comes in over 20 colours and you can order swatches before you finalize your customized order.

Prices range from $340 - $500 depending on length and style of the dress.

I like this dress because you can cater for your group of bridesmaids and experiment with how you want your final look. Mixing it up, I find is my favourite way to have the dress with all the bridesmaids having different top sections - I personally wouldn't go with multi colours but hey if that's your thing, then you can make it work. The website is very informative in that it teaches you how to tie the dress, it is interactive and also shares those special moments from peoples' weddings.

The dress comes in a classic style in either a straight or butterfly cut, a rosette styled bottom (shown in the top picture) or a two toned classic -  I'm not the biggest fan of.

Check out the website for more info about the dresses and test out the colours and different styles.

Hope this helps any brides out there needing an idea for a good bridesmaid dress!

Lush LiLi

Pistachio or maybe Mint?

Following with the nail polish trends, I bring to you Pistachio or Mint

I think it's a great Autumn and Spring colour. It's a good neutral and pastel tone that I believe would go well with flowy skirts and girly dresses. I am currently wearing this colour and it's not over the top and looks like a soft colour.

The nail polishes listed above from left to right are:

Essie brings the shade "Navigate Her" and costs $8 directly from their site. I did find this on Amazon for $4.96 from the seller Essie so you can grab it for a little cheaper.

Priti NYC offers"Dusty Miller" which is a really soft and paler green. It costs $12.50 directly from their website or Bloom and ships internationally.

This YSL nail polish is part of a manucure couture duo for $30. This is the mint green and could be found at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom but they are currently out of stock. Finding this on Ebay is pretty easy too.

RGB offer "Dew" for $16 directly off their website. It does say out of stock but their Amazon store does sell it.

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Some other cool finds I managed to find:

China Glaze offers Re-Fresh Mint. I couldn't find this being sold directly off the website but found this on Ulta and Soap.com for $7 for US customers but Amazon sells it for $4.95 it from seller GENERAL - SUPPLY. This is a really soft and creamy colour.

I really like the nail polish because its pastel green with gold and green glitter. This is $10 from Etsy Seller Wonder Beauty Products. This colour is Aphrodisiac Minty Green. I like it because it's been specially made and is unique in it's colour set.

OPI offer Go on Green! which Beauty Bay offered for approx. $15 but found this by Amazon seller rock and glamorize for $2. It is a bit brighter than soft mint.

Revlon offer Minted that can be found at your local beauty and health store or pharmacy. I did find this on the Walgreens website for $5.49, Drugstore.com for $4.99 or Amazon seller Simply Savvy LLC for $2.46.

Duri Cosmetics offer Pistachio for $5. This can be bought directly off their website and ships internationally. Still a soft green and creamy but has a slightly different green tinge from that listed above.

Picked this up from a local chemist for $2. Ulta 3 offer Lagoon which is on the brighter side than the other nail polishes listed. This is a shiny metallic green but I believe it is still light pistachio coloured. This is the nail polish I am currently wearing.

Filthy Gorgeous London currently having a sale with this Rich Jade Green for £4.50. This has a slight blue tinge to the colour but to me still gives off the soft mint tone. The cool bottle is a bonus too! :) I couldn't find anywhere else that sold this particular colour other than the direct website.

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I hope that this colour gets you thinking about trying a soft, cool coloured nail polish. I think it is very cute and suits all skin tones. I think it's one of those colours that you can wear all year round. This looks to be a good trend for 2012 - I wouldn't have really thought about this colour until I went online to check out the trends.

Hope you like it :)

Lush LiLi