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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27 August 2011, 9:41 PM
August Hauling

Happy weekend to you all!  We're having a quiet night in tonight; Joe is running the City to Surf 12k run tomorrow morning and has to get up at the crack of dawn - 5am.  It's only just gone 9pm and he's already asleep on the couch - has been for at least half an hour, bless.

I've spent the evening smiling at all my purchases from today.  Most of these were technically birthday presents since I used my gift cards and vouchers for most things.

Firstly, my morning was spent doing laundry and catching up on my favourite magazines:- 



First up we have my purchases from Diva.  Usually, I would spend my money on rings, since they usually have a wide range, but today I felt like I couldn't find anything unique to what I already own. 

I 'splurged' a little on this necklace - I say splurge because I never really spend more than $10 on one item at Diva - it was $20, and I love it. I love turquoise jewellery, but don't really own any.  I think this will be perfect with white and coral during summer.



I've been obsessed with big, chunky statement rings for so long now, they seem to be losing their appeal to me.  So when I saw these dainty little things, I knew immediately they would be mine.  $3.00 a piece.  Not even marked down.  Total steal.


This little bracelet was a last minute purchase I grabbed at the counter.  I don't own a lot of wristwear that I actually like, but this reminded me of summer as well. 


My trip to Priceline wasn't particularly exciting today.  I really just went to get a new bottle of the Benzac cleanser I've been using lately.  I've been slacking a little lately with my skin care routine, but have recently bought a Sirius Beauty Skinsonic (which I'll review after a couple of weeks of use) and have been enjoying using this cleanser with is.  I've been breaking out lately, so hopefully this will get my skin back on track.

The tea tree oil is a hopeful purchase - I'm a bit naughty with my spot, I tend to squeeze and prod them, which is obviously not so good.  I'm hoping the tea tree gel will help stop the bacteria from spreading :(



I also picked up this bronzer since the Bourjois one turned out to be a massive fail.  Broke me out after two uses.  I didn't even really like the colour against my skin tone, and I hated the small amount of shimmer.  Smelled yum though, I'll give it that.

I haven't worn this yet, but there is no fragrance, so fingers crossed that means it won't break me out.  It's also completely matte.  Excellent.  I already have all the shiny-ness I'll ever need.


 Also picked up a refill of my Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions foundation.  I freakin' love this stuff.  I find this is one of the only foundations I've tried that doesn't break me out.  Could that be due to the fact it claims to reduce blemishes? Who knows.  Apparently it contain salicylic acid - pour it on me!

The formula is medium coverage, which would probably build to full coverage if you so wanted it that way, stays on all day and - here's the best part - stays MATTE all day. 

I am an incredible oily little person.  I hate it, but it's true. I have oily hair and an oily face.  But somehow, miraculously, this little beauty keeps the oil at bay.  I don't even need a setting powder.



I only got two pieces of clothing - I tried on so much, but nothing was really doing it for me.  I suppose it's that weird in-between weather - do I go for winter clothes, or do I go for summer clothes?  


Both these items are from Sportsgirl and I LOVE them both.

This knit dress looks completely hideous hanging here, but I promise, it has the most flattering shape.  Love the tones of the beige and coral. And LOVE the flared sleeves.



The camera hasn't picked up the brightness of this amazing skirt.  In reality it's a striking neon pink.  The classic shape keeps it from being too loud - the hem falls mid-calf,pleats are flatteringly small and the material is semi-sheer (thankfully there is a slip underneath).



On another note, my mum and dad picked up this mascara for me from duty-free on their way to Bali last week.  I've been using it since last Saturday, and am finding it quite similar to my beloved Helena Rubenstein Lash Queen.


I think that's probably enough out of me for one night.  Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow with a Nail File - I've got a few colours to catch you up on.  Oh, and I saw Essie's Bahama Mama today in store - how amazing is it?  Will definitely be a part of my next order.

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23 August 2011, 8:39 PM
The Nail Files #17

I just had a look through my old posts because I was sure I had already done a post on this polish. No. Apparently I have not.

Below is "Lincoln Park After Dark" by OPI.  I'm sure you've all seen it before, since it's a couple years old, but in case you've been living under a rock, it's a very blackened aubergine colour - from a distance it just looks black, but up close you can pick up the purple.





See - like an eggplant. I likes it. 

Now, I haven't noticed before, but this time when I wore this colour it seemed to chip within a day or two.  I love dark nails when they are nice and neat - I don't think there's anything more chic - but as soon as they chip...they just look skanky.  So that was a little disappointing, but ah well. You get that.

I'm going shopping on the weekend - I've already planned it and am looking forward to it ENORMOUSLY.  I have already armed my wallet with all my birthday gift cards and made a list of all the bits and pieces I've had my eye on.  So I should have a haul for you this weekend. Squee!

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22 August 2011, 9:24 PM
OOTD: Catch-up dinner with school friends






I tweeted that I would do an outfit of the post - mostly so that I would actually do it.  I always mean to do these, but I always seem to be running out the door at the last minute, or my camera doesn't have batteries, or my lighting is shitty.  Not that these are the best photos, but hey - you get the gist.
  • Jacket from Factorie (last year)
  • Oversized t-shirt from Dotti (last year)
  • Wet-look leggings from Cotton On
  • Leopard-print booties from Forever New (I saw a bunch of these on sale at an outlet store recently - try DFOs or Harbour Towns)
  • Necklace, earrings, maroon beaded bracelet, sideways cross bracelet all Sportsgirl
  • Green ring from Diva
  • Watch and clutch from Asos.co.uk (check my birthday haul for links)
  • Nail polish OPI "Lincoln Park After Dark" (post coming soon)
Ps. I swear my carpet isn't yellow.


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16 August 2011, 7:24 PM
Weekend Instagramming





Can you tell my favourite filter is "Nashville"?

I had a fairly busy weekend last week.  Worked Saturday morning, spent Saturday afternoon tidying the house for selling, Saturday night babysitting our niece (six months old already!), Sunday brunch with my friend Blaire, Sunday afternoon at Joe's football, Sunday night dinner with friends (which I wore my new green clutch to). 

Started playing with Instagram somewhere in that mix.

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07 August 2011, 5:10 PM
The Nail Files # 16

"Did you run out of grey nail polish?"
"No."
"Why do you have one black nail?"
"Because I like it."
"Is this, like, a trend?"
"I'm not sure, I just thought it looked pretty."
"Do you think other people will start doing it?"
"Maybe, but I doubt it'll be because of me."
"I've never seen anyone else with nails like that."
"I don't think I'm the first..."
"..."
"Here's your money, have a great day."

An actual conversation betwixt a customer and myself the other day when I was wearing this combo.  If nothing else, I find nail polish to be quite the conversation starter.  Although it always baffles me when someone goes "Oh, I hate your nail polish".  Would you go up to someone and say "Oh, I hate your hair."

No. You wouldn't. Unless you were kind of a bitch.

So this is my "Skull and Glossbones" by OPI and "Blackout" by Rimmel London combo from a week back. I personally love it.  "Skull and Glossbones" is one of my favourite polishes of all time.  I feel like it's classy and understated, yet a bit unusual and a little edgy. Just how I like it. 

Sorry about the bluriness - it was nighttime, and I wanted to take a couple of quick photos before I removed it, so not my best photography (<sarcasm>coz usually I'm so very photographically talented </sarcasm>).



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2:28 PM
Washington - Holy Moses



There's glitter and a kazoo - how can you not love this?

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2:11 PM
It sure has been a while...

Hello lovelies! Long time no see!  Want to hear my excuses? 

  • I hadn't really been buying that much, you know, stuff;
  • I've been wearing the same favourite polishes over and over;
  • My holidays ended, so I've been wearing only my uniform (sadface);
  • It was my birthday;
  • We've been house hunting.
Actually, I suppose it has only been a couple of weeks, but I feel like I haven't blogged in forEVER.  Happily though, I have a lovely birthday haul for you all.  This isn't everything that I got, but a few of my favourites :)


Beyonce Heat perfume - delicious.   I'm not much of a Beyonce fan, but I tested this out of curiosity. Not sure I love it as much as I do Sarah Jessica Parker's NYC, but a I feel it's a sexier option for night time. 


Want to be my friend?  Buy my a gift voucher and I'm yours.  I know a lot of people think gift vouchers are impersonal and an easy option, but I look at it as if you're giving me the gift of shopping. And I love that.


You know I love green tea. These are flavoured loose leaf tea, both of which are delicious.  The "gen mai cha sencha" has rice-bubbles in it! Okay, probably not actual rice-bubbles, but you know what I mean.  It has quite a nutty smell, which I like.  The "Gorgeous Geisha" smells exactly like strawberry-and-cream lollies. Amazing.  It has dehydrated strawberry chunks throughout, which give a much subtler flavour than I was expecting.  I suggest you try these out.  You can order on their site T2tea.com, which ships internationally.



This clutch is amazing! I asked the girls from work for this and the watch below (we all pool our money together for birthdays, $10 each, usually gets you a fantastic gift, rather than lots of little gifts, and is a hell of a lot easier).  I photographed the clutch with the gift voucher, which is the size of a regular credit card, so you can visualise just how huge it is. I love it.  You'll probably see it soon in an outfit of the day.  You can get it here


I haven't taken this watch off since I got it. I love it. Now I just need a Michael Kors oversized gold chronographic, and I should be pretty set for a good few years.  I love how it's such a classic shape, and I love the black and gold together. Timeless.  You can get it here



And lastly, my lovely friend Jade got me this lovely scarf.  I love grey, and I love lightweight scarves with a dainty pattern paired with a leather jacket, so this is perfect.  She knows my taste so well.

For some reason, I have absolutely no photos of my party.  I had my camera all charged ready to go, but I think I got so excited that I just completely forgot about it!  One of my girlfriends is usually very good about making sure there is plenty of photos taken at parties, but she was away in Melbourne, so I got nada.



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16 July 2011, 10:08 PM
Random thoughts

I've got a few things I want to talk about, but nothing of any real substance, so I'm gonna do it in bullet form.  Sorry in advance for any randomness!


  •  I've just created a twitter account.  I've had a personal twitter account for a little while now, but I never would do my own tweeting,  Just didn't really think anybody would actually care about anything I had to say.  So, since I have an iPhone now (upgraded from my old brickie thing that didn't have internet access), I've decided to set up a twitter as an extension of this blog. So follow me if you like :) Pretty, please?
  • My holidays are drawing to a close (sadface).  I have to go back to work on Monday and I'm not really looking forward to it. I like my job and all, but holidays are sooo much nicer.  Especially since Joe is on holidays for another week - being a school teacher sure has it's perks!  I hate having to get out of bed when he doesn't have to.  My favourite thing in the world during winter is to sleep in, so I get a wee bit jealous.
  • I've almost finished painting our house. ALMOST. I have one room to go. I will be so excited when it's actually done. But then we'll probably move houses and I'll have to start all over again.
  • My husband has been watching the Tour de France.  I must admit, I am not a fan.  I do like the scenery though. It makes me want to go back and visit France.  One of my friends is over in Nice at the moment, seeing all her photos gets me all nostalgic for my own eurotrip adventure.  Last year at a particularly slow part during the race, one of the cameramen decided it would be a fun idea to have an incredibly and overly extended shot of a snail crossing the road.  You can imagine how long this took.  You may also be aware that I am absolutely terrified of snails (I know it's ridiculous, don't worry).  This was not a happy night for me.
  • I took a trip to ikea the other day. All by myself.  Not something I'd recommend really.  For one thing, you can't take your trolley to your car if you haven't parked in the underground.  I don't know if this is all ikeas or just mine.  I had quite a few items, I'm sure a few people got a few laughs watching me struggle with it all piled up, trying to get back to my car sans trolley.  I loved everything I got though - a couple of bedside lamps for our bedroom, a side table for the living room, a throw and a few candles.  The best part is assembling everything.  I know not everyone will agree with that, but I do consider myself quite handy, so whenever I manage to put something from ikea together, I feel validated.
  • I've been reading Mamma Mia! by Mia Freedman (Cosmo Australia's youngest ever editor), and I love it.  I thoroughly recommend it if you are at all interested in the magazine industry.  I'm only halfway through, but that only took me a night of hardcore bookworming - looking forward to finishing it off in the next couple of days.
  • My birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks - I'm having a 1990s themed party at home.  I've been putting the playlist together over the past couple of weeks, and let me tell you - there are some gems.  I can't wait, for the music alone.  No idea what I'm going to wear yet though.  I recently finished a massive Friends marathon, and was getting very inspired by Rachel's outfits in the earlier episodes.  Just a matter of finding some good stuff.  To the op-shops I go!

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15 July 2011, 5:51 PM
i should really get a tumblr











One of these was taken by a good friend. The rest taken from weheartit.com

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4:48 PM
The Nail Files #15 & My New Favourite Ring

I tried to do an outfit of the day for you using my iPhone yesterday.  Turns out the iPhone is not better than my HD flip-cam thing for outfit of the days. Eh. I might end up putting it up but I doubt it.

Anyways...

I was wearing China Glaze's Below Deck in the outfit of the day.  I love it, it's right up my ally - a muddy, dusky purpley grey.  The consistency on this one is great - creamy and opaque in one application, just how I like it. I did two coats for good measure anyway, but I really didn't need to.


My one negative is that this is my third day wearing it and you can see the tips have already begun to wear off.  I have a couple of chips on the other hand as well.  So not really a good long term polish, it's better suited when you change up your polish every couple of days.

In other news, I bought this AMAZEBALLS ring the other day.



How much do you think it cost me? Go on, guess.

Here, I'll give you some room to guess.
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It cost me $3.  THREE DOLLARS PEOPLE!  From Diva.  Now, granted, it actually fell right apart as soon as I removed it from the packaging, but that is nothing a little bit of superglue can't fix!  I am so in love - I can see myself wearing this to death.  I don't even know if it's still available, since I got it from an outlet store, and it was on sale there. It's not on their website either, but they don't usually have all that much available on there.

I'm just killing time now before I go pick up my husband from the airport, so I might post something else later on.  Who knows?  I'm in a blogging mood.

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