A Brisbane Christmas

Hey peeps!

Today I am doing a collaboration post with Alisha from Pink Daisies, so make sure you check her post out once you've read my post (tell her I sent you!). Our collaboration is all about what we do in our cities in the holiday season, so today I'm going to tell you about all the fun activities to do in Brisbane over the holidays. We may not have snow in Brisbane (in fact, we often have quite the opposite! It reaches temperatures in the mid to high thirties a lot of the time, or about 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit), but we do Christmas quite well in my opinion! There’s plenty to do (and most of it is free, which is ALWAYS a bonus!).

The first thing you can do in Brisbane at Christmas time is drive around looking for Christmas lights! I love seeing all the houses in my neighbourhood (and city) light up to celebrate the festive season. There are some particularly good ones that start setting them up in September! I think there is an app you can use to find all the Christmas light displays near you (I highly recommend checking out the lights in Bald Hills and Bridgeman Downs).

Another thing you can do at Christmas time in Brisbane is doing your Christmas shopping in the Queen Street Mall. There are loads and loads of stores in which to buy the perfect gift for your friends and family. As I don’t have a job, I don’t really do Christmas shopping, but I do love shopping with my friends over the school break. There are plenty of sales going on, especially at this time of year. On the 26^th of December they have the Boxing Day sales which I go to with my mum and her sister. We have a lot of fun and get really great discounts on lots of things.

One of my favourite things to do in the city is go to Streets’ Beach. It isn’t an actual beach; it’s a man-made beach right next to the Brisbane River. It’s a great way to cool off without having to drive to the actual beach considering how hot in can get in Brisbane. Streets’ Beach is in South Bank, which has loads of shops, cafes, and restaurants nearby. My favourite one is Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar, but it does get quite busy so get in there before the line gets too long!

Right next to the Queen Street Mall, there is King George Square. At King George Square, starting at 7pm up until Christmas, every 15 minutes there is a light show on the City Hall. This year there was a visual story projected up onto the City Hall which was an Australian take on a Christmas story. I went to the light show one year and it was really good. I think it is mostly for children so if you have any of those, I highly recommend the light show in King George Square.

Every year, starting at 7pm every night during December, there is a Christmas parade down the Queen Street Mall. It starts at the Edward Street end and finishes at the end of the Queen Street Mall. There are many Christmassy floats in the parade, including Santa (obviously), the three wise men, and reindeer. I have been to see the parade once as well. As I have gotten older and grown out of believing in Santa, the elves, et cetera, I haven’t really done many Christmassy things in the city. In saying that, I would highly recommend the Christmas parade for the younger folks.

That is my top five things to do in Brisbane city at Christmas time. Do check out Alisha’s post as well (linked up above). She lives in Oregon so she has a different experience of the holiday season.

What do you do in your city at Christmas time?

Love, Nicky x

PS: Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate)!

2016 Favourites!

Hey peeps!

As the year is coming to a close in two weeks (where did all that time go?!), I thought I would share with you what I have loved this year. This year has been a big one for me. I went through my last year of school and graduated at the end (woo!). There were lots of trials and tribulations throughout the year in the form of final assessments and formal (prom) and plenty of fun times. I just hope that my efforts were enough to get me into the uni course I want. I want to do a business degree or a creative writing course. They have been the things I have found fun in my last years of school, so I hope I get an OP that will get me into one of those. Anyway, here are my favourites from this year!

First up is a hand cream. It is from Crabtree & Evelyn London in Sugar & Spice. I have been using it sporadically throughout the year but I’ve started using it more frequently in recent weeks as it smells like Christmas in a hand cream. It is very cinnamon-y and sweet, which I like, especially around Christmas time, getting me into the Christmas spirit every time I moisturise my hands.

The next product I have loved in 2016 is from The Body Shop. It is their Shea Body Butter. I have mainly used this on my legs after getting out of the shower. I had very obvious stretch marks there for a while but after using this body butter, they have all but disappeared completely. You can still see them a bit, but overall it has increased my body confidence which is always a plus. I’m not particularly a fan of the scent, but I don’t mind it considering the confidence boost it gives me (and the fact that it comes in many other scents as well like Strawberry and Mango).

The next product is one that I got for my birthday. It is the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in Electric Pink. I have worn this whenever I’ve gone out to dinner or for a special occasion and it has never failed to make me feel so good about myself. I know that is a bit meh but it is the prettiest lip colour I have currently in my collection. Although it has a matte formula, it is quite moisturising and applies very well. In saying that, if you stuff up the application of it, it will be quite obvious due to the bright colour, but that can be easily fixed with a bit of concealer or makeup remover.

Last Christmas, I got a 3 year diary. I have used this every day (okay, so maybe I haven’t, but I’ve done my best), and I love it. I think it is a really great way of looking back on past years of filling in a diary. It asks questions like:

What did you have for lunch today? Was it good?
What three things would you take to a deserted island?
Who was the last person you called?

And I like that the questions are random and not something you would normally think about.

I read a book while I was at schoolies in late November that I really liked. It was The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (yes her first name is the same as mine, but that’s not why I like it). It is a love story about Natasha and Daniel. Natasha is an undocumented Jamaican girl who is trying to prevent her family from being deported. She sees things very logically and applies science to everything to make sense of things. Daniel is a Korean-American guy who has parents that are forcing him to be a doctor, despite his love for poetry. I can’t explain why I like this book but I really like it and if you like romances then you will probably like this book.

My final favourite is school. I’m really going to miss school, so it’s going to go in my favourites. I have loved every second of this school year. Yes, even the assessments. I am going to miss seeing my friends every day, I am going to miss going to the sports carnivals; I’m going to miss everything.

That is all of my favourites of this year. I hope you enjoyed it!

What were your favourites over the past year?

Love, Nicky x

Christmas Wishes | Random

Hi peeps!

Here is the final installment in my Christmas list series. Today we all looking at all the random, unable-to-fit-into-a-category things that I have put on my list. It includes clothes, games, and various other things. So let's get started!

First up on my list is iTunes cards. There are a few songs and albums on iTunes that I want and the only way I can buy them is through iTunes cards, so on my list that goes. I want to buy the rest of my Katy Perry album and I'm a tiny bit obsessed with Shawn Mendes' music at the moment, so I'll buy the rest of his albums as well, if I get enough money of course.

Next on my list is a compact mirror from Forever New. It is called the Rosa Diamante Compact Mirror and is rose gold and is completely covered on one side with diamantes. I have not had a compact mirror in my bag for a really long time and the amount of times I have had to ask someone if my mascara was on my face or if my lipstick was still there is too many to not go another year without a compact mirror.

The next thing on my list is Just Dance 2017 on Wii. I have loved all the Just Dance games in the past, so it only makes sense that this makes the list. Also, Christmas is being had at my house this year, so if I get it, then we can play it straight away and have a good Christmas night before Boxing Day the next day (woo!).

The next 'random' thing on my list are White Lo-Cut converses. I have never had converses (only the cheap versions from Kmart or Big W) and I think I'm ready to invest in some. I wear canvas shoes all the time and these would fit right in with the rest of the shoes in my wardrobe. Also,m I would prefer the low cut ones as opposed to the high tops because they feel better on my feet that the high tops do (just because I've never owned any doesn't mean I haven't tried any on).

Next on my list of random Christmas wants are Tika Wedge Trainers from Forever New. They are essentially what their name is. They are trainers that have a wedge in them. Due to my extreme shortness (ahem, vertically challenged-ness), I would like these to make me taller, so that I can finally be taller than 5 feet, which is what I currently am. Also, I like that they come in neutral colours, so you can wear them with anything.

The final ‘random’ thing on my list is a new phone case. My current phone case, although very pretty, is breaking down the side (partially my fault by shh!), so I would like a new one to replace it. The only preference I have for it is that you can see the back of my phone as it is rose gold and as I love rose gold, I would like everyone to know my phone is that glorious colour.

That, I believe, is everything on my list this year and thus this series comes to a close.

What random things are on your wishlist this year?

Love, Nicky x