taryn k.

taryn k.

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My name is Taryn. I'm in my twenties. I come from the land down under. I'm married. I work full time. I like pretty things. My favourite food is watermelon. I hate dancing. I like to talk. I tend to contradict myself. I hate snails. I like you for reading my blog.

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Email: here
Twitter: here
Bloglovin: here
SHOP TARYN K: here

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19 May 2011, 8:35 PM

30 Day Challenge: Day 07

Day seven: a photo that makes you happy. Okay, so I know this isn't a photo, but this little GIF makes me laugh and get warm fuzzies everytime I see it - it never gets old. I squeal every time.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Labels: Tags

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6:43 PM

The Nail Files #13

Ooh, it's been a while since I've done a Nail File. To be honest, I've not really had anything new to show you - I've been revisiting old favourites that I've already blogged about, or not feeling like a polish was worth a post. But I have been enjoying this combo, so here you go.

My friend Helena said I looked like I have 'fairy nails'. I like that, I think it's cute.

I've worn Rumples Wiggin by itself a couple of times, but it always seems a little too pale for me - I much prefer Chi Chi's Label Queen which, surprisingly I've never blogged about. It's still a lilac colour, but a little more dusky and grey. I'll do a post on it in the coming weeks and do a side by side. Rumples Wiggin is a little streaky. I had to use three coats, just to get rid of the streakiness. So not the easiest polish to work with, whereas Label Queen applies like a dream.

Now I know I wrote a blog a couple months ago saying that the Electric Lilac was a bit crap and it slid right off my nail. That was when I was using it all by itself. It hasn't done anything like that when applied over Rumple Wiggin. I'm going to try it over Chi Chi's On The Prowl now, see how that goes.

Well off to eat my dinner - we're being a bit naughty and having pizza tonight - and then I'll probably be back for my 30 Day Challenge Post. Gotta find a photo that makes me happy.

Labels: China Glaze, Nail Polish, OPI

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6:04 PM

OOTD: Work Neutrals

Here is the OOTD video I proimised yesterday. I attended a training workshop for my job yesterday, which meant a half day of work and no uniform - yay! Here's what I wore.

Details:

Necklace: Classicdesigns on Etsy

Shirt: Mooloolah (last year)

Cardigan: Witchery (last year)

Pants: Just Jeans (last year)

Boots: Urban Outfitters

Watch: Urban Outfitters

Ring: Sportsgirl

Nails: OPI's Rumples Wiggins and China Glaze Electric Lilac

Labels: OOTD

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18 May 2011, 8:54 PM

30 Day Challenge: Day 06 / Haul

Day five is whatever tickles your fancy - yay! So I'm going to do a haul. I feel like I haven't done a haul in soooooooo long - and I haven't, since I was on the spending ban. These purchases were from my first shopping trip after the ban was lifted. I didn't end up getting as much as I was expecting. It was weird - I think being forced to not make purchases frivolously made me think harder about what I really wanted. I think I've defined my sense of style a little more over the last couple of months.

My first port of call when I arrived at the shopping centre was the Chanel counter. My intention was to try out and hopefully purchase the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. The counter assistant was out at lunch, so I played around with the shade myself. And I really wasn't very excited about the Aqua formula. I'd heard so many great things about it, but when I swatched it, it felt a little blah. So I tried out their other formulas and eventually settled on this - the Mat Lumiere in Cendre no. 30. I've been wearing it a few weeks now and while I like some things about it - the pump top, the scent (like roses!) and the initial application - I'm not liking it as much as the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions foundation. It doesn't stay matte enough for my skin-type, despite what the name suggests. Ah well. You win some, you lose some.

The lipstick is Revlon Stormy Pink no. 011, a matte finish. This was inspired by the Candy Yum Yum lipstick MAC brought out in the Quite Cute collection. It's not as neon, but I think the basic gist is there. I've been wearing it a lot lately, I like the pop of colour against the autumnal palettes I've been wearing lately.

These jewellery items are from Forever New. The ring stack was inspired by the gorgeous set that Lisa Eldridge wears often in her videos. They're a size too large for me, so I've been changing out the plain 'love' band with another from a different set of rings that is a little tight on me, to keep them from slipping around.

The earrings were probably my second most exciting purchase of the day. I've got really small ears, but I love that large, vintage inspired studs look that Whitney Port was wearing a lot of in part one of The City - these are the perfect size, and I LOVE the colour of the stones. I've received a few compliments on these already, so really a good buy.

This scarf was on the sale rack (and then marked down further when I took it to the counter!), and I just loved the pastel print and the softness of the material. Such a feminine piece. Most of my scarves had skulls and crossbones or animal print or are grey and darks, so this is a nice, different, addition to my collection. I've been loving pairing it with my khaki anorak.

I've got a couple more purchases from this trip to share, but for some reason my photos won't upload. Ah well, something to look forward to posting later - including my absolute favourite buy.

I'll probably end up posting a couple of posts tomorrow - I've got an OOTD from today to post, but for now, I just gotta go watch Glee!! Talk to you soon :)

Labels: Fashion, Foundation, Hauls, Jewellery, Lipstick, Tags

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17 May 2011, 9:49 PM

30 Day Challenge: Day 05

Good evening blogworld! I'm not doing so good with this challenge. I've obviously missed another couple of days and I have no excuse. Ah well. On we go!

Day four is Your Favourite Quote. To be quite honest, I'm not really into quotes. I'll read something, think "Oh, that's nice/thoughtful/inspirational/tragic/ironic" and then move on with my life, usually forgetting about it. One that has stuck with me, however, is from Christopher McCandless - "Happiness is only real when shared."

If you haven't heard of McCandless I suggest you watch "Into The Wild", a 2007 film based on the his real life experiences. To give you the general gist - McCandless is a young man, from a upper middle-class family, who decides to rid himself of most material possessions, leave everyone behind and spend his life as a wanderer or, supertramp. His goal throughout the film is to live alone in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. He learns a few things on the way.

I think the reason this quote actually stayed with me is because I agree entirely. I believe the most important thing in life is the relationships we build, not necessarily romantically, but with every person we come into contact with. I believe happiness cannot be fully enjoyed if there is no one to share it with, same applies to every emotion. To be entirely and completely alone, now that would be tragic.

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14 May 2011, 3:28 PM

30 Day Challenge: Day 04

Your favourite book. When I first saw this topic, I was "Seriously? You're gonna make me?" How hard is this as a topic!?

I'm going to go with The Beach by Alex Garland. I read this a couple of years ago and it blew my mind. I'm not even sure what it was that I enjoyed so much. I was actually surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did as I couldn't relate to the narrator in the slightest. Nothing about him, his situation, his choices, his attitude and outlook on life was even slightly familiar to me. I'm not someone who really enjoys travelling, so it wasn't even that. I think it's just well written.

In case you haven't heard of it or have never seen the film (which ends quite differently, just FYI), the novel is told from Richards point of view, a twenty something backpacker travelling through Asia. The story starts when he arrives in Thailand, on a mission to have a different, more unique experience than that of every other traveller. He wants the road less travelled. He wants to get away from the world's corruption. He wants to find paradise. When he happens upon a map to a secret island paradise, he fearlessly and kind of naively takes the opportunity. He soon discovers that as long as you are amongst humans, you can't escape the corruption. Everything is always the same is any kind of society.

I'd recommend this novel in a heartbeat. I'd then suggest you take a trip to Thailand yourself.

Labels: Books, Tags

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2:34 PM

30 Day Challenge: Day 03

Okay, yes, so I missed a day. But it was completely not my fault - blogger was down all night last night, so I couldn't post. This made me very sadface. Yesterday's topic was favourite television show. Another tough one. I have at least three. In no particular order -

One Tree Hill: This is the only show I will wait the entire season until the DVD comes out before I will watch any episodes. I could never watch this show week to week, I hate cliffhangers. I love the relationship between Nathan and Haley, I love Brooke (although I prefer teenage Brooke), I hate Peyton, I love that they try to pretend like they're all regular everyday people, but they're actually all rich and famous, I love when they're always so shocked when a psycho shows up, since they have one at least once a year. I'm so excited for the latest season to be released on DVD.

Glee: I love the singing. That's all there is to it really. After every episode I'm like "Wow. I wanna be a singer. I wanna be like Lea Michele". Haha. The one liners are great too.

True Blood: Absolutely love True Blood. I'm a vampire fan from way back - Buffy is actually another favourite - so this is right up my ally. I am Team Eric all the way and I love Sookie's accent. I will watch three episodes in a row and then get confused when the real people in my life don't speak with a southern drawl. I must admit I get sick of all the Bill love, since I'm a fan of the books first, but ah well. What can you do?

I'm obsessed with all three of these, I can't put them in any order. And I'm not even going to try. So there.

Other honorable mentions go to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, LOST, Big Bang Theory, Dawson's Creek, Friends, The City (how can you not love Whitney Port) and The OC.

Labels: Tags, True Blood

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11:16 AM

30 Day Challenge: Day 02

{Above all things I believe in love}

Day two of the thirty day challenge is Favourite Movie. This is an absolute no-brainer for me. Moulin Rouge. Hands down.

I was absolutely obsessed with this movie, even before it came out. I remember buying the Lady Marmalade single - I must've been about fourteen - because I liked Mya and Christine Aguilera, and hearing The Elephant Love Medley which was a track on the single (speaking of, I used to love buying singles, just to get the B-Side tracks. I just don't do that anymore. Do they still make singles?) and falling absolutely head over heels in love with Ewan McGregors voice. The next week I spent my itty-bitty pizza shop wage on the movie soundtrack. I remember laying in bed listening to it on my discman, on repeat, every night. I didn't end up seeing the movie until it came out on DVD months later. I watched it three times in the one day, then at least once a day every day for months. I loved it. I could recite the entire thing to you now if you asked me.

I was that in love with the film, my friends and I filmed our own version of the movie in my friends games room (I was Satine) and I made a scrapbook dedicated to the movie.

Oh, and then a SECOND soundtrack was released. I got that too. Of course.

I'm not sure what it is exactly that makes me love it so much. It's definitely a love it/hate it film. I think it may be the combination of the love story, intertwined with the classic songs, the tragedy, the surrealism, the amazing costume design and sets, and Ewan McGregor. Plus, I always wanted to be in a musical.

{You're free to leave me, but just don't deceive me and please, believe me when I say, I love you}

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11 May 2011, 8:33 PM

30 Day Challenge: Day 01

Okay - I've been looking for a challenge tag to do for the past couple of weeks, coz I think they're really fun. I've finally settled on this one - which I found via deanne5253 - because it is quite varied with it's days themes. Hopefully I pull off the entire thirty days and don't slack off - time will tell.

So obviously, I'll be starting with Day 01 - Your Favourite Song.

Always a tricky question. My go-to favourite song of all time is "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits. It is the most beautiful, tragic love song I have ever heard, has such amazing guitar licks, not to mention the main riff, is sang with such passion and emotion and has the most romantic lyrics.

This version performed by Mark Knopfler and band at the Prince's Trust Charity in London, September 2009 - he doesn't play the song in its entirety and he misses my favourite verse, but the guitar is amazing, leaves me breathless everytime.

Another version of the song that is to die for is performed by Lisa Mitchell for Triple J's Like A Version in 2009. Again, her guitar work is amazing. Plus I like her bow.

Other songs I'm really enjoying at the moment/are all time favourites are:

The Truth - Pnau
Contact High - Arcitecture in Helsinki
Into The Night - Benny Mendonas
Nothing Left To Lose - The Pretty Reckless
'Til The World Ends - Britney Spears
Rolling In The Deep - Adele
Under The Surface - Marit Larsen
So Jealous - Lisa Mitchell
Hotel Paper - Michelle Branch
Fast Car - Tracey Chapman
China - Sparkadia
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths
Relator - Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
The Cave - Mumford & Sons
Feeling This - Blink 182
Older Than You - Eskimo Joe
Naive - The Kooks
Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! At The Disco
Fussy - End Of Fashion
The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
Superman - Five For Fighting
You Outta Know - Alanis Morissette

If you want to do this tag with me, leave your blog in the comments and I'll check it out :) I love tags.

30 Day Challenge List:

Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Labels: Music, Tags

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06 May 2011, 5:38 PM

Haul: Home Decor

I've been on a bit of a homewares bender the last couple of months - since I wasn't allowing myself to spend money on beauty and fashion items during March and April, I turned my attention to home decor - yay!

Most of these items came from various local boutiques - nothing online, so I can't tell you where you can find them :(

I must admit, most of my inspiration has come from Stylizimo.com - it's no secret I love Nina's taste and the way she has put together her home. I'm even thinking of painting an old side table white tomorrow.

I got this pair of frames only the other day - I love them. You can't really tell from the photo, but the backing is distressed mirrors, which I love. These are also quite meaningful to Joe and I as we visited most of these places together when we went on our 'Eurotrip" in 2006. My dad is coming over on Sunday morning to hang them in my kitchen for me, since I don't own a drill. I really need to get me one of those :)

My new cushions are from Big W and Target. I'd been looking for some knitted cushions like the one of the left since we moved in two years ago, but everything I found was upwards of $100 - Big W had this style for $15, so I was happy with that :) I got two. The butterfly is also a recent addition, only setting me back $14, so they are my bargains. I haven't really had cushions that I've actually liked on my couch at all yet, so I'm a little obsessed with finding the right ones.

I've been seeing versions of these rustic-looking coasters everywhere, for years - I think I even bought my auntie some for her birthday about four years ago. But I loved this design in particular, I think it must be the colour scheme :) So I made them mine.

I bought this clock at the same store as the coasters - it has a storage section in the base, just for extra excitement. I haven't really found a place for it in our current house, but I think of it as a piece for my future, larger, family-type home. It will go in the future, larger, family-type formal lounge ;)

I also picked up these artificial flowers from my local florist last month. I still haven't found the perfect vase for them - they're currently in the gorgeous vase my dad got me for Christmas, which I feel is a little too elegant to be hidden behind the pale blue frame. Speaking of - I found the frame (which came with a cute print of the London underground that I removed) at a new-ish stationary store in the city. I LOVE IT. I also grabbed a smaller white one, but I haven't found a home for it yet. The butterfly was one of the first things I bought when we first moved in. It's been hanging on my bathroom door ever since, but I thought it'd be fun to hang it in the empty frame.

I finally feel like our house is starting to look like a home. It felt so bare for so long - I know it takes time to accumulate these things and to develop a style, but I was getting quite frustrated! There's still obviously a way to go but I'm so happy with the way our home is coming together.

Labels: Hauls, Interiors

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10:46 AM

Coveting: OPI Pirates Of The Caribbean Collection

Good morning, y'all! I've just done something I haven't done since highschool - spent the entire morning in bed reading. I feel a little bit guilty but hey, that's what holidays are for! I just finished Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris, the most recent release in the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood book series - but more about that later.

I just did my obligatory morning scan through facebook/blog updates and noticed xsparkage - the first beauty guru I ever subscribed to on youtube - had uploaded some swatches of OPI's new collection inspired by Disney's new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. OMG. I love, love, love every single colour in this collection. They are gorgeous. Head over to Leesha's blog to check out her swatches, since I don't want to steal her photos (I know she puts so much time and effort into them).

Both these product photos are courtesy of xsparkage.com

Steady As She Rose, Sparrow Me The Drama, Planks A Lot

Skulls and Glossbones, Stranger Tides, Mermaid Tears

I can see myself wearing all six of these colours, but my favourites would have to be Steady As She Rose and Sparrow Me The Drama. I love Mermaid Tears as well, but I doubt I'd like it once I applied it to my nails. This kind of colour doesn't seem to sit well of me. Leesha has swatched all these colours with the silver glitter shatter polish as well, which looks awesome. I so have to get my hands on this collection. :)

Talk to you later!

Labels: Nail Polish, OPI

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05 May 2011, 3:47 PM

Product Fail: Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy

Sorry for the delay on this post - my relaxing week of holidays became more action-packed than I expected! I've been out almost all day every day this week so far. But I've had today to just potter around the house, catching up on cleaning and organising, so now I feel like I can sit down and write a blogpost and not feel guilty.

And I wish it was good news, but alas.

The 'drugstore' keratin treatment I began to tell you about last week turned out to be a massive fail. I'll start from the beginning.

I saw the Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy: Thirty Day Smoothing Treatment in my local supermarket last week and having heard a lot about keratin treatments on Youtube and on the beauty blog community, I thought it might be interesting to give it a go. I obviously wasn't expecting salon-product results since the Organix brand only cost around $25, but I thought it might be fun if nothing else.

The treatment was quite easy to use, but there were a lot of steps, so if you want to try an at home product like this, I'd suggest allowing an entire evening dedicated to grooming. The box included a pre-shampoo wash and the keratin treatment itself and the obligatory disposable plastic gloves.

You start with the pre-shampoo (duh), which works exactly like a regular clarifying shampoo, although I did find the consistency more watery than your average shampoo. You then towel dry your hair until it is about 80% dry. The keratin treatment is then applied to the damp hair lengths, then worked into the roots. You leave it on the hair for thirty minutes, then blow dry straight with a round brush. I found the blow drying step quite tedious as it takes longer than usual to dry and also because of the scent. It starts off quite pleasant, a brazil nut scent (funny that) but soon becomes quite cloying and thick. It reminded me of the type of odour fake tan leaves - not the same scent, but the same bleh-ness. After blow dying comes the straightening. You have to take 2-inch sections and straighten over and over, seven to ten times to really infuse the keratin into the hair cuticle. And you're done. Yay! However you now cannot wash your hair for 48 hours - which is usually fine, but with the product in, you feel like a complete greaseball, not to mention kinda smelly.

So my 48 hours passed and I washed out my hair, careful to use sulfate and sodium-free products (I actually used a shampoo and conditioner from the Organix range). And I saw no difference. Sure, I saw no frizz, but my hair is not usually frizzy anyway. It straightened a little easier than usual, but it dried just as wavy as always.

Like I said, I can't say I was that surprised - I hoped to be pleasantly surprised, but I didn't expect to be. I'm glad I tried it, I did find the process fun (I know, I need to get out more) and I suppose you have to try these things to see if they work in the slightest. I won't be recommending this to anyone, obviously - but at least I can say I've tried it.

Labels: Hair

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