Pebble Penn

Happy Australia Day Everyone! 

Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful long weekend as well as being proud Aussies! As part of my weekend, I went on a double date with my bestie to the Royal Croquet Club. It's a food/music festival held near the Yarra River filled with awesome food truck options, good atmosphere and the opportunity to show the world how awesome your Croquet skills really are!!
P.S our boys sure dressed the part too! 

























My absolute favourite part of going to these foodie festivals is definitely dessert! And the Croquet theme was nice and strong - absolutely beautiful marketing from Messina's gelato for servicing up their ice cream in Campbell's soup can styles (extremely popular back when croquet was extremely popular too!) Le bf and I could not resist and went to Faux Pho (lychee gelato with chilli cashew crunch) and Zuppa Dupaa (hazelnut gelato with pistachio).

I have been very in touch with my creative side lately, as my parentals are currently in the process of redecorating the house - and the opportunities just seem endless! So when I saw the soup cans, I instantly thought it was a perfect Interior styling opportunity!



Its is very simple;
1) Clean out the can to rid of any ice cream residual (you don't want ants running up your table!! elk)
2) Place in small rocks and pebbles at the bottom
3) Add potting mix / soil to fill in the gaps between the rocks / pebbles
4) Plant your desired greenery - I have used succulents as I know that it is low maintenance, requires little water and space. Go for baby plants to allow it to grow into your space!!



I love a simple DIY that just adds so much warmth and life to a room. Even though it is little, it definitely has a nice impact on the space. Would look nice on bedside tables, and even work spaces - after all green is proven to relief the eyes from the strain of viewing electronic screens (tv, phones, laptops) over a long duration.

I finally purchased something off The Iconic!
I have heard so many radio ads about them and they are everything they say they are - I must say I was very impressed.


It was a very nice surprise receiving the item in the office. It came up an envelope like package with material made of bubbles. It was so chic and exciting! I walked from the door back to my desk holding onto the handle and all my work colleagues were so excited for me as well!


The  clothing came packaged in individual bags - this is because The Iconic sells different brands and each brand would have their own unique packaging. As long as you keep the original packaging and the tags on the dresses, there is still 100 days available for the purpose of returns.
I believe that there is an option of a full refund or alternatively 110% store credit! It is great knowing they accept returns because this decreases the anxiety associated with purchasing things that are unflattering.



I purchased two dresses, both with work in mind. Firstly is the pink, sits right above knee with pearl detailing on the collar. The second is electric blue with detail (flare) near the bottom of the dress, sits slightly above the knee.

The Iconic is such a fantastic website! The speed at which the goods were packed and posted meant within 48 hours you would generally receive the goods - if you are in the city there is an option to pay a little bit extra for 4 hour delivery! Ad hoc/emergency needs for a new outfit - Solved!
Apart from the speed of the service obtained, the two dresses I received were both of excellent quality - not even a thread out of place!

Overall my first experience with The Iconic has been a fantastic one! I would re-buy from this website over and over and over again if I were not on a budget!

If you are looking to purchase from The Iconic, I believe this code is valid for an additional 20% sale items!
code: AUSDAY20

It is a boiling hot in Australia today at a whopping 41 degrees celsius!
With weather like this where just sitting in your chair makes you sweat it is so easy to get clogged pores and blackheads. Because of this my pimple battle continues!

Annie's Way! Jelly Masks!
I purchased this early this year in Feb when I made a trip to hong kong, when I first saw Hana Tam's youtube video I have been trying to get my hands on these jelly masks for what feels like an eternity!
I ended up purchasing this in City Super HK, these two products were featured as part of my Hong Kong and America Haul.


Annie's Way  is a Taiwanese Brand, the brand prides itself on natural ingredients and was one of the most demanded face masks in Asia.

The girl who served me at City Super HK  had super incredible skin, and she told me she used different Annie's Way Jelly Masks in accordance to the weather, how her skin was etc etc.
Finally I chose three tubs, Snail Repair Jelly Mask, Aloe Anti-Acne Jelly Mask and Calendula Softening Jelly Mask. The three masks mentioned all aim at young sensitive (sometimes) pimple prone skin. However they have other variants to whiten, cleanse, repair etc etc…

I had not initially chosen these, however after she took a look at my skin she suggested masks that controlled oil and reduced redness and sensitivity in the skin.
I must add, I had initially chosen more expensive Annie's Way products from her counter, but despite probably having a sales target, she was honest in telling me that the cheaper options were probably more suited to my skin type. So straight away I felt like this product had instilled excellent morals in their brand and also their staff.



Due to its recent increase in popularity there has also been fake jelly masks available on the market, to combat this Annie's Way products all have seals on the plastic tub to ensure that no one has opened the jar in the store; furthermore when you take off the lid there is a plastic separator to prevent spillages.

It is recommended that once the tub has been open that the jelly mask should be used up in 3 months time due to health and safety reasons (ie. prevent product turning off, sustain its correct properties).
However, there is such a generous amount of produce tin the tub, you really have to be diligent with your face masks to be able to finish the entire tub within 3 months.  It comes with a Spatula to remove product from tub without contamination, and assist with putting product around the nose and eyes nicely.



I would recommend using the mask on only for a short period of time the first two or three times using this product, due to the nature of the ingredients it generally leaves the skin red if you leave it on for the standard recommended 30 minutes.
A shorter time frame allows for your skin to get use to the product, and gives you an opportunity to confirm that you do not have a reaction to the product.
Of course, as usually I got too excited and left the mask on for 30 minutes - for "optimum " results, however that was a bad move, because my face had little red patches all over - although it subsided quite quickly, a product should never irritate your skin to the point where you see redness, patches or blotchiness.

I received the December Marie Claire - The Parcel as my KK present this year.
It was so exciting and couldn't help but think what an awesome present for people who love their beauty products!

I had no idea that Marie Claire had a beauty box, I know there has been a recent influx in beauty boxes with varying qualities, the ones I know the best are probably Bella Box and the Korean MeMeBox.
The idea of these beauty boxes is really nice but it all comes down to luck - it is easy to end up with lots of small products that you don't use / can't use  - but then you can always gift it to your girlfriends to try.
The Parcel was a heavy package, once you remove the sleeve you will see this very chic black box.



I was so surprised with the amount of product I received in the box, some even looked like it was full size! I really like looking at the goodies before reading the little description card!









Overall I am really impressed with the box, it had a variety of products from hair to nails to skin care to make up which I personally find more exciting!
If you were looking to try out a beauty subscription box I would definitely recommend the Marie Claire - The Parcel to you. It is exciting anticipating the products you will find, and as you can see the brands in The Parcel are reputable and well known ones which always brings piece of mind!

Wanted to say Thank You for the awesome KK present Miss B!
Love lots!

The year flew by in a blink of an eye! Can't believe 2015 awaits just around the corner, and as per tradition… here are my resolutions!



1) Be Healthy! 

When I was younger I really did feel invincible - nothing could break me, slow me down or change my mind. But slowly but surely I begin to understand that it doesn't matter how much money you have, or how much you have put into your career - without a healthy body you are nothing.

Gym regime will continue on and this year I am determined to have abs! Girl abs here I come! #BennyFitness




2) Stay In Touch - Reconnect! 

Everyone is going about their busy lives, its so difficult to stay connected with loved ones.
The number of time you see your friends and family starts to dwindle as everyday life takes over, in this day and age keeping in touch with technology has made it so much easier.
But it also takes away from human interaction - I hope 2015 will bring on more memories that does not necessarily need to be shared on social media to be deems memorable. I hope to spend more time talking at dinner, rather than eating and being on our phones.



3) Achieve a Career Milestone! 

It has been officially 4 months since I joined my new team, it started off as a great chance, an opportunity - a stroke of luck. But right now, I really wish to show myself, and everyone else who believed in me that I am capable. And all those expectations, hopes, and support my work mates, manager, family and friends have provided me was worth it.

4) Enjoy Life!

Apart from doing well in my banking career, I also hope to have a life! Getting the balance right - being productive at work, leaving on time and enjoying life outside of work.
Taking zero bb for a walk… watching the sunset… going on day trips… brunch with the bf's…  eat until you have a food baby!


5) Seize the Day! 

Too often, it is easy to live for the future. While thinking about the past and what could be done differently. Unfortunately forgetting the present.
Hope to live in the present in 2015 and to remember to Seize the Day!