August Favourite Websites

Hey Amazing Reader!

Welcome to August, I just can't believe how quickly this year is going! 

I can barely keep up with the pace of it!

So today I want to tell you about some of my favourite websites at the moment. 

I hope these inspire you as much as they do me. There are some wonderful motivating and informative gems hidden within some of these sites, so have fun trawling through the pages. 

World of Wanderlust

~Travel and Lifestyle Inspiration~

World of Wanderlust is an established travel blog with a mission to inspire, intrigue and inform readers to travel to more places, more often.

Zanita Studio
~Fashion, Style and Lifestyle Inspiration~

 Zanita.com is the fresh new voice of model, photographer and blogger Zanita Whittington (and her team of creatives).

Sonia Styling
~Fashion and Styling Inspiration~

Established in October 2013, Sonia Styling is a cocktail of fashion, life, beauty and home served up with a dash of sass, a sprinkling of humour and a generous shot of honesty.

Collective Hub
~Entrepreneurial and Creative Inspiration~

This is the website of The Collective is a monthly 176-page lifestyle magazine that brings together entrepreneurial and creative minds from across the globe. They are a collection of game changers, rule breakers, thought leaders and style makers with a common appetite for challenging the status quo. 

Kaleidoscope Blog

~Blogging and Creative Inspiration~

 Kaleidoscope is a savvy resource for the modern day woman — a one-stop-shop overflowing with real life, been-there-done-that wisdom and curated inspiration.

I hope within these sites you find some interesting gems and are inspired by the beautifully curated content and imagery. Let me know in the comments below you current favourite websites!

Love Katie 

xxx

Happiness Letter

Happiness Letter

Beautiful Temptations was created to celebrate the happiness and joy of life!

This month we are launching our Happiness Letter, designed to be a happy and inspiring pick-me-up in your life!

The Happiness Letter was created with the purpose of bringing more joy and inspiration into your life!

The letter is priced at $5, with a $1 postage fee and can be sent anywhere in Australia!

The letter will contain (though not limited to):
-Cover Happiness Letter
-Handwritten Note
-Motivation/Goal Planner Sheet
-Inspirational Quote
-Small Card
-Assorted Small Gifts (Such as stickers, stamps, bookmarks, note cards)

We hope you love the Happiness Letter as much as we do, and it brings some brightness into your life.
We change the contents each month, so come back again and buy next months if you love it!

Order Online Here!

Contact me if you have any questions here

Happy Mothers Day

Beautiful Temptations would like to wish all the Mothers out there a very happy day!

Zk'in Exfoliant and Masque Review

Zk'in Clarifying Exfoliant, and Brightening & Hydrating Masque Review

Zk'in kindly sent me these products for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Using these links if you purchase gives me a few dollars to help with running the blog, and it would be greatly appreciated.

Use the Coupon Code at the checkout for a 10% discount: AFFILIATE-4679-H7WAS-QOTM

"WHY USE ZK’IN ?

zk'in certified organic skincare looks after, repairs and beautifies your skin with zero tolerance to anything less than the best. There are no parabens, no sulphates, no petrochemicals and no unnatural ingredients in any zk'in certified organic skincare product, achieving naturally beautiful clinically proven results, free from worry about toxins or synthetic ingredients.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

Every zk'in product is COSMOS certified organic, the new global standard for the cosmetic industry, which means every aspect of zk'in, from product formulations to packaging, meets the strict criteria designed by COSMOS to safeguard your own health as well as the health of our planet.

DERMATOLOGICALLY APPROVED AND NON-IRRITANT

Every zk'in product is dermatologically tested and approved non-irritant by a dermatologist so you can trust zk'in to naturally care for your skin without irritation keeping you honestly beautiful regardless of your type of skin."

Zk'in Certified Organic Clarifying Exfoliator, with Natural Skin Refining Actives
-Clear Pores & Improves Skin Texture, All Skin Types, 100m, $39.95

This exfoliator left my skin feeling smooth and clear after using it. It ha quite a strong citrus/coffee scent, and felt like small coffee grounds. I liked the feeling of larger exfoliating particles on my face, so I really enjoyed this product. Although it is a more expensive product, the fact that it is all organic and I'm not putting chemicals on my face is a huge positive. It was also really effective so I believe its defiantly worth the price tag.

Zk'in Certified Organic Brightening and Hydrating Masque, Clinically Tested Anti-Ageing
-Enhances Complexion & Smooths Skin, Sensitive/Normal/Dry Skin Types, 65ml, $39.95

After using this product for the last few weeks Ive defiantly noticed a difference. My skin is a lot more smooth and supple, and my dry spots are disappearing. Unlike some other masks, this one doesn't ale me breakout, or leave me with oily skin. I wash it off in the shower, and it comes of really easily. It has a lovely smell of dark cocoa, which I found to be quite pleasant. I definitely recommend this product also.

After looking through the Zk'in website, I can see how much care they have taken to ensure their products are organic and free of nasty chemicals. I really look forward to trying more of their range in the future.

Love Katie xoxo

Visit Zk'in here

Use the Coupon Code at the checkout for a 10% discount: AFFILIATE-4679-H7WAS-QOTM

Love That Post #1

Hi All,

So today I'd love to recommend this fantastic blog, specifically this post, '50 Things To Do When You're Bored' by Elise over at The Confetti Room. I've been following this blog for awhile now, and Elise inspired me to start the #YearOfFirsts list on this blog for 2015.

Her latest post '50 Things To Do When You're Bored,' was pretty awesome, and had a huge list (50 to be exact), of great things to do, so you can never complain about being bored.














I particularly like this idea, and when I have some free time its definitely happening (yes I promise photos will accompany it!)

"Have a Home Retreat: Buy some bubble bath, use those bath bombs you got for Christmas or that bubble bath you've been meaning to make, play your most relaxing music and just soak. Later spend time laxing in the sun reading your favourite magazines and then have yourself a delicious scrumptious meal of your choice. Finish off with a decadent desert and a nights sleep in a freshly linen-ed bed. Ahhhh bliss."

So if you're feeling a little bored at the moment, why don't you check out Elise's post over at The Confetti Room. You've got nothing to loose, and who knows, you might just love one of her ideas!

Let me know which idea you pick!

Love Katie xoxo

Foodie Monday #4

Hi Guys! 

How have you been doing?

It’s the time of the week for my food review. I am so sorry about the delay in posts, but since we now have two weeks of school break, we will keep up to date. Promise! 

So the week before was my 18th birthday, I decided to treat myself a lovely brunch at Top Paddock. I had heard so many amazing things about this place, and all the pictures from instagram were irresistible. 

It was really easy to get there and when we arrived there were hardly any seats left (it was a Friday morning). I have to say the place was decorated beautifully, modern and classic at the same time. The staff were also extremely friendly and helpful!

After looking through the menu, we decided to have a hot cake, a ginger and chocolate cake and a portion of homemade bacon and eggs. The wait was around 15 minutes for all three dishes to come. I was absolutely pleased by the sophisticated decoration of the hotcake, however, I was a bit terrified by the size of it. 

It was bigger and thicker than I thought, but the taste was undeniably amazing, and the cake was moist and even tastier than I expected. The berries and figs balanced the sweetness and the ricotta was perfectly light. 

Even though we had to share it between three people since it was so big, we all agreed that it was one of the yummiest cakes that we’ve ever tried. The ginger and chocolate cake was okay for me, and I found it a bit dry.

The last dish was bacon and eggs, pear jam on bread. The homemade bacon was amazingly delicious. It was definitely the best bacon I have ever had and again, the balance between the sourness and the saltiness was nailed successfully.

Overall I was so happy and satisfied with my yummy birthday brunch. I’m definitely going to come back and try other dishes soon! For me, Top Paddock is a must-try place for all the Melbournians. 

If you have tried the delicious food from Top Paddock then share your opinion with us!  

The address is 658 Church Street, Richmond 3121. I hope you will like this place when you try it!  

Feel free to recommend to us any of your favourite foodie places in Melbourne so we can go check them out!

Love Ivy xx

Top Paddock Website
Top Paddock Menu

Shopping Haul #1

So a couple of days ago when I was in town, I decided to treat myself, after having a barrage of medical checkups. I went to Lush, Sportsgirl and The Body Shop.

Some of the items were on sale, so you may not be able to find them at that price anymore, but I'll mention that when I list the price! I've been using most of the products since then and am pretty happy with my purchases!

So naturally I headed into my favourite store, The Body Shop! From here I got the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion ($11.95), Tea Tress Blemish Fade Night Lotion ($19.95), Travel Size Argan Oil Shower Gel ($3.95), Coconut Hand Cream ($6.95) and Peppermint Foot Fizzles ($2.95). The Tea Tree products are working miracles on my skin, and its looking so much better already! 

These items I got on sale from Sportsgirl. They were all heavily discounted at 50% off the sale price so I was happy to pick them up! These beauty products are from their own line, and I've had success with their beauty products in the past. I got the Nail It Moondust Nail Polish ($2.47), Colour It Hair Chalk ($2.47) and Eye Sparkle Glitter ($2.47). I love glitter and the nail polish is great! The hair chalk also has been a pretty cool, and safe addition to my boring blond/brown hair colour!

The last shop on my shopping haul was to Lush, my first time making a purchase. I really wanted to get one of their amazing looking bath bombs, but sadly I don't have a bath. I also discovered they had a makeup range so I'll have to investigate in the future. I got the Ultrabalm ($9.95), Grease Lightning Spot Treatment ($13.95), Yellow Fun ($9.50), Aquatic Toothy Tabs ($2.95) and Breath of God Toothy Tabs ($2.95).  Toothy Tabs ($2.95). The Ultrabalm is working wonders on my dry heels, the spot treatment is saving my face and the yellow fun has been a great replacement for body wash.

The only purchase I was disappointed with were the Toothy Tabs, they were horrible, and I felt pretty sick after using them. The smell and taste was overpowering and after trying one, I'm not going to use or buy them again. I wouldn't recommend these to anyone.

Overall apart from the Toothy Tabs from Lush I'm super happy with my shopping haul!

Have you had a beauty shopping haul lately?

Love Katie xoxo

Beauty Review Friday #2

Today  I want to feature a few amazing Sukin products I love.

Revitalising Facial Scrub (125ml)

"This gentle creamy treatment promotes healthy skin circulation, refining texture and smoothness, leaving clean radiant skin."

I love this product and it is a non-abrasive, natural facial scrub. It manages to clean my skin and pores without clogging them with nasty chemicals. I use it every couple of days and rotate with another facial scrub. For only $9.95, this really is an affordable natural facial scrub.

Hydrating Mist Toner (125ml)

"This alcohol-free, skin hydrating mist combines chamomile and rosewater to help soothe, tone and cool tired skin. Use after cleansing or whenever your skin feels tired or stressed. Perfect for hot days, long flights or long days in an air-conditioned environment."

I always take this travelling and on plane flights as it keeps my face hydrated and refreshed. There's nothing worse than hoping off a 10-hour flight feeling shrivelled up and dry. A perfect travel companion and a convenient size. This product costs $9.95 also.

Do you like Sukin? If so what is your favourite product?

Katie xoxo

Katie's Corner #1

Take A Moment

When you walk outside do you look up and around at your surroundings? Do you observe the beauty of the world around you and embrace the natural essence of life? Or do you walk quickly with your head down, because you're in a hurry?

In our busy lives we often don't take a moment to observe the natural beauty around us, we are to worried about work, money, family and the material world to pause. 

Taking a moment out of each day to just watch what's going outside is truly important in finding a connection with our world. The moments we spend with our world, rather than in our world are a time of reflection and relaxation. 

Reflection on how amazing the miracle of life is, whether spiritually or scientifically, on yourself and your connection with the world is an extremely important part of connecting with our roots. Relaxation with the beauty of nature and the precious gift of life that is bestowed on us, brings peace to our busy lives.  

Take time this week on your way to just pause for a minute and reflect and relax with our home, the earth.

Love Katie xoxo

Gift Idea Wednesday #2

Today I want to share with you wonderful journals from Kikki K. These journals have always appealed to me, as they often have prompts, lovely prints and are bound really nicely. If you plan on keeping them to look back on in the future they are perfect!

I have often used these journals as gifts, and they have always been well received. Usually I'd write a little note on the inside of the front cover, as that gives it an extra personal touch.

A Sentence A Day Journal

"Often the first step to making a change is to understand how you’re feeling today. With this unique Sentence A Day Journal, you’ll be prompted to answer a fun thought starter each day. Over three years you can look back at how your answers changed over time, giving a special insight into your loves, ideas and wishes. This makes a beautiful gift for your loved ones."

101 Dreams Journal

"Did you know... Dreams help give your life meaning. They inspire you to find your passions and live with purpose. They enhance happiness through hope and imagination.
Use this journal as the perfect tool to think consciously about what you want to achieve in life and record those dreams on paper. The fun exercises, prompts and inspiring quotes will help you explore your passions and understand what gives your life purpose.
Record a list of 101 dreams then divide them into short term and long term dreams to work towards making them reality."

These journals are absolutely beautiful and perfect gifts for any occasion! Do you like journals? What do you look for in a journal?

Hope your had a lovely day!
Love Katie xoxo

***GIVEAWAY***

To celebrate the launch of our new blog- Beautiful Temptations, we have decided to run a giveaway competition for one lucky winner to receive a $25 JB-HI-FI Gift-Card!

The link to the giveaway widget is on the right hand side of this blogs homepage, alternatively you can find it here.

We can't wait for you to join us on our journey and share in our experiences!

Love Ivy and Katie 

PS. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here, we'd love for you to join us!

Foodie Monday #2

So today I'm going to share the delights of the classic Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup. This is one of my favourite soups and one of my go to choices at Chinese restaurants. I love the flavours and It never fails to cheer me up on a cold day. If you're feeling creative here's a recipe to try your hand at it.

Sorry for the short post today, life's been crazy lately! I'll defiantly be back strong on Wednesday!

Let me know what your favourite go to Soup is in the comments below!

Love Katie xoxo

Ivy's Corner #1

Hi Everyone!

How was your weekend?

I’m Ivy and this is exciting because this is going to be my first post on our blog!! 

As you know, we will post things weekly based on different themes, and Katie is the one who writes most of the posts (believe me, she is definitely the best co-blogger you could ask for!!). She’s genuinely good at ideas and writing so yeah, you’ll see tons of cool entries from her weekly ;)

I’m more into personal things so I’ll probably write things about my experiences and perspective, or my life. I know it sounds boring, but I promise I’ll try my best to make the topic interesting.

Please let me know if you have any cool ideas, that you want Katie or I to write about. It would be great if we can get any feedback from you guys so don’t hesitate to comment down below :D!

This week I’ll start off with one of my favourite hobbies: reading! I know nowadays we’re connected to the Internet 24/7 and our devices have become our best friends, we’ve tended to lose interest in newspapers and books.

But believe me, sometimes when you need a break from life, books are one of the best options you can go with.

Today I’ll recommend to you one of my favourite books of all time: The Protected by Claire Zorn. Claire is a young adult author who is currently living in NSW, and you may have heard of her from the book, “The Sky So Heavy”. If you haven’t, you should definitely check her books out.

They are enjoyable to read and great to think about.  I’ll attach a link below so you can have some more information about the book and also about Claire! I don’t want to get into too many details about the book, just in case someone doesn’t want spoilers.

But the book reflects my thoughts perfectly and somehow I can see myself in Hannah - the main character. For the rest, I’ll let you decide whether you like my suggestions or not! Feel free to suggest for me any of your favourite books, because I love to read in my free time!

Here is the link to the book’s description:

http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/book.aspx/1300/The%20Protected

That’s my post for this weekend! Thank you all for visiting us and leaving comments! We are super appreciative of your feedback and support!

Thanks again and have a lovely week!

Love Ivy!!!

Blog Graphics #1

I've been playing around with a different graphics site and created these post covers. I'm trying to figure it out as I go and figure out what works best for my blog. I'll keep creating new graphics until I find the perfect fit for our blog.

Let me know what I should include in my graphics! I'm just a beginner so would love all feedback!

Love Katie xoxo

Year Of Firsts

So having seen this amazing idea over at The Confetti Room (a wonderful blog), I decided to do a #YearOfFirsts list of my own. Coming up with these was a great way for me to create a list of things that I really want to do this year, and what a better way than to share them with you.

As I do each thing on the list, I will post about it with photos showing what I did and link it to the items on the list. 

1.  Have an amazing year, full of new experiences

2.     Create a full fashion outfit layout and photo spread

3.     Grow Beautiful Temptations to 100 page views per day

4.     Create a logo and images for Beautiful Temptations

5.     Make bath bombs and bath salts

6.     Go on an adventure in Melbourne

7.     Achieve 20 consecutive push-ups

8.     Implement healthy eating into my life

9.     Film and upload a YouTube video

10.  Create my own recipe from scratch

11. Connect with other bloggers

12.  Bring more inspiring quotes into my life

13.  Create an About Me (and Ivy) page

14.  Work on my photography skills

15.  Buy something from Lush

16.  Do something arty

17.  Cook a dessert

18.  Figure out how to use makeup

19.  Reach 100 followers on Facebook

20. Go out for brunch

21.  Discover a new brand

22.  Go to a market

23.  Find a new hobby

24.  Learn some basic conversation skills in Chinese

25. Go overseas

     Links to other Bloggers doing this challenge...AKA #YearOfFirsts Participants

     -Elise @The Confetti Room, -Lu @Looking For Mama Me
-

     Let me know in the comments below if you are doing this to and I’ll link to your blog post!

     Love Katie xoxo

Beauty Review Friday #1

So today's beauty product review regards two of my favourite all-in-one items from The Body Shop.

I absolutely love The Body Shop and their fresh and assured scents. They are always releasing new products to replace outgoing lines which is fantastic too! I have a bit of an addiction to trying their new fruity scents when they're released, and The Body Shop often has sales which is fantastic too.

The two items I'm reviewing today are The Body Shops

-All-In-One Instablur  $21.95

-All-In-One BB Cream  $21.95

So I'll start with the All-In-One Instablur, which is priced at a reasonable $21.95. This product is made in Thailand if that interests you,
and comes in 25ml. This is also a universal product which works for everybody's skin tone.

What The Body Shop says about this product

"Blur imperfections and get flawless photo-perfect skin with All-in-One™ Instablur™. 

As a five-action face perfecter, All-in-One™ Instablur™ works in five amazing ways to give you a fresh, flawless look in an instant. 

• 12-hour shine control 
• Pore smoothing, to reduce the appearance of pores 
• Blemish Hiding
• Complexion unifying, for an even skin tone 
• Make-up extending, for fewer touch-ups during the day!" 

I absolutely love this product and would definitely say it does all of that. It works so well as a base for makeup, and doesn't have a very strong scent at all. It gives the skin a soft feel, and makeup sits well on top of it. I use Instablur over a light facial hydration product, and don't usually use a moisturiser under this product. I would definitely recommend if you're looking for a new makeup base, and this product has never caused my skin to break out.

The other product is the All-In-One BB Cream  which is at the same price of $21.95. This is a colour-adapting tinted cream. This product is made in the USA and comes in 25ml also. You can get this BB cream in five shades from 00 to 05. My skin is very light so I use 00, and it seems like a good match. You are able to test it out in store to find the perfect match.

What The Body Shop says about this product

"Our new All-In-One™ BB cream transforms from a white cream to suit your skin tone. Pigment-filled capsules burst when applied to the skin, releasing the colour inside. Just blend for a perfect match and an even, undetectable finish. It’s make-up and skincare in one. 

• Adapts to your skin tone 
• Light to medium coverage 
• Even finish 
• 24-hour hydration 
• Non-clogging"

This product works so well and is the BB cream I use when I go out and want a nice light coverage. It blends so well into the face as it has capsules of pigment that release colour as you blend it into your skin. This gives it the ability to suit your face exactly as it is perfect at blending into your skin colour. I would definitely recommend that you go into a Body Shop store and test out this awesome product!

I'm sure you'll see posts about other Body Shop items from me in the future, as they are one of my favourite brands.

Do you like The Body Shop? If so whats your favourite item?

Hope you have a great weekend,

Love Katie xoxo