Something New.

Plane tickets to and around Australia cost a lot of money. Though mine were cheaper than usual, it was still hard seeing that much money be taken out of my bank account at once. I also had a momentary panic when I saw my bank statement that month, completely forgetting about my recent splurge. This meant having to cut my spending habits and, though it was hard at first, I've now been in Australia for about four months, but it's only in the past week or so that I've bought an item of clothing & a few beauty products. I'll be showing you them in another post but, for now, I thought I'd share with you a few things that I treated myself to or received just before setting off for Australia all those months ago...

• Notebook, Kikki K, £8.99: I am obsessed with stationary. I could spend all the money in my savings account (that's not saying much. There isn't much left thanks to spending it all on travel) in Kikki K or Paperchase. But why do those stores have to be so expensive?! Luckily for me, I received a discount code from Kikki K just before I left for Australia so, having spent every lunch hour in the three months prior to receiving that email in the store, I immediately headed down there to pick up this notebook that I'd had my eye on. Duck egg blue + rose gold are two of my favourite things in life, so it was meant to be. The only problem? It's so pretty that I can't bring myself to write in it. It does look nice on my desk though... 

• Notebook, IKEA, $3.95: You can never have too many notebooks, especially when you very rarely write in them. I am proof of that, so I was pretty happy when I saw that IKEA had recently released their very own stationary range, and it's pretty damn good. I've even actually written in a few pages of this one... 

• Colouring Book, £9.99 & Pens, Poundland, £1: I suffer from quite bad anxiety and, like most people, I find colouring to be a good way of tuning out all the noise. This book was a leaving gift from a friend and I'm obsessed. I find it to be such an easy and quick way of getting my nerves under control. There's something so therapeutic about it. They're also great for passing time - proof of that was my 36 hour journey to Australia. The felt-tips are just from Poundland. I didn't think they'd last very long but they have, even after having been used every day for the past three months by a four year old.

• Lip Balm & Perfume, Ted Baker: I've never really been a fan of Ted Baker as a brand, I guess there has just never been anything that has caught my eye, but these two products have changed my mind. I was given both of them for Christmas (in early February) by one of my best friends, and I love them. Due to the fact that the two perfumes I love most are ridiculously expensive, I'm constantly on the look out for a cheap perfume that I would wear on a day to day basis, and this perfume definitely fits that niche. I'm also a big fan of the lipbalm. Not only does it smell (and taste) amazing, but it actually leaves my lips feeling hydrated, and for more than just a few minutes, too. Though I doubt I'll find myself looking at any Ted Baker clothes or bags any time in the near future, I will be taking a closer look at their beauty range. I'm sadly out of the perfume but will definitely look into purchasing another bottle once back in the U.K.

• Powder, Make-Up Design: While in this part of the world, I'm desperate to try some Australian beauty brands and products. Though I haven't been able to quite yet, mainly out of fear of spending too much money, one thing I have tried is this powder. This was an emergency buy after completely smashing mine* (read: putting it in my clutch bag without a lid on a night out and repeatedly throwing my bag in the middle of a club floor while dancing the night away*) and was surprised by just how much I liked it. From what I gather, this brand is a bit like Natural Collection; drugstore make-up that is extremely cheap, but still good. It has quite a strong scent to it when it's in the packaging but not once on your face. The only down side is that it doesn't come with a mirror.

• John Frieda Shampoo, Conditioner & Hair Spray: Other than taking a break from it when I was in Spain, I have used this particular range for as long as I can remember. I recently started using it again and I am so glad that I did. I went back to it when I first arrived in Australia and this, combined with the sun, has left my hair in a much healthier state and made it finally go back to the blonde colour it once was. 

• Sculpting Palette, Maybelline: I talked about this in more depth in my March Favourites post, but I figured I still touch on it in this most. Any contour that leaves my football face looking even slightly skinnier is a definite win in my eyes. What I like most though is the highlight, it's perfect for everyday as it isn't as in your face or over the top as others. Though the packaging isn't the prettiest and is a little bulky, it actually also comes with a mirror and a really good brush, so I make sure to always have this in my bag with me. It more than makes up for my MUD powder not having a mirror and, as that one is so slim, it means I can carry both around with me.

• Natural Concealer, KIKO, £5.99: As I suffer from quite bad hyper-pigmentation, I go through tubes and tubes of this, it's probably my most used beauty product. I made sure to buy a few extra tubes before leaving for Australia, knowing that there was a chance that I might run out, but now that I'm running out, I've discovered that there are no KIKO stores in Australia. Send help and multiple tubes of the stuff.

• Bikini, TRIANGL*, $95: I'll be doing a separate post on this, but it's too special to not give it a quick mention. I am officially in love and desperately want more. They may be pricey, but they are definitely worth the investment. 

Have you treated yourself to anything recently?

Let me know in the comments below!