10 joyful things
from breakfast and lunch treats, to nailing the perfect manicure shade
hi friends!
wanted to share some excellent things that have been adding extra joy to my life of late. a collection of new things on my radar that have brightened my day and freshened things up - i always find it’s the small things that make the biggest difference in lifting my mood.
op shop bowl - I can never walk past an op shop and not go in. my local vinnies is one I frequent weekly. There’s two sections of the shop I visit first; the men’s clothing (looking for great jackets/knits) and the homewares area. If you’re looking for quirky knick-knacks, unique mugs, vintage plates, stainless steel accoutrements - the op-shop always delivers. my latest homewares find at vinnies is this ceramic bowl. I love it’s organic shape, the unusual splodge of pale green in the middle. It was $10 but if it was for sale in a cool boutique - I could see them charging easily $300+. The combo of finding something cool and fun for a very low price will always bring me joy.
marine serre x repetto - i don’t know what’s come over me lately but i can’t get enough of denim accessories - bags, shoes etc. i clearly love the colour blue so maybe it’s that but anywho - the marine serre x repetto ballet flat collab has been on my radar for a while and when i was able to track down a pair of my own (i thought they were entirely sold out) i added to cart asap. i can’t wait to wear these in europe next week! i also just really love repetto - so i’m looking forward to visiting their Paris store when we go there at the end of august!
i love the little heel! sheer pink polish / russian mani - I’ve been getting regular manicures at sindoba nails in bondi junction all year. i’ve been loyal to a regular polish manicure but recently switched to BIAB - and I absolutely love it. soni at sindoba specialises in this and russian manicures. her manicures are so good - she is incredibly thorough - i can wait 4 weeks in between appointments. for years i’ve been saving sheer pink nails on my pinterest and I finally feel like we nailed (pun absolutely intended) the colour I’ve always been after.
have been accumulating many pics like these of sheer pink manicures on pinterest over the years 
obsessed!!!! 
the colours used to get the sheer pink vibe! my blue room - for years I’d been dreaming of painting a room in our house entirely blue. now it’s finally a reality. we colour drenched my office (also our third bedroom) entirely blue - we used powder blue from porters paints. We painted it ourselves (like we’ve done in every other room in our house) and it was a mammoth job but we got there in the end and love how it turned out! now it needs some different furniture, a new pendant light and some art (which is currently being framed) - so watch this space!
we couldn’t paint the skirting board because it would have meant risking getting paint on the carpet and i couldn’t deal with that stress tbh chia pudding - in early july i stayed at one of my favourite hotels of all time, the capella in sydney. i love their buffet breakfasts (endless delicious options) and grabbed something i never normally would - a chia pudding. it was incredible and inspired me to make my own at home. i didn’t realise just how simple they are to make. i make mine with coconut milk, maple syrup and if I have coconut yoghurt on hand, i’ll add that in too. leave it in the fridge overnight and it’s sorted the next morning. they’re an amazing source of fibre - as well as being full of omega-3 fatty acids.
i also love adding banana to it when i’m ready to eat it going to the movies - this year we made it a priority to go to the movies more - and i’ve spoken at length about this hobby and reviewed most of the films we’ve seen. i majored in film and television at uni - and then worked as an entertainment journalist for years so a lot of my late teens and 20s were spent watching, discussing, reviewing films and tv. in my old career as a journalist I’d sometimes go to the movies twice a week to see the latest releases. But then in the last 5-6 years - when I left that job and a pandemic forced us inside - I stopped going to the movies. of course I’ve been watching movies at home - and i do enjoy the comfort of watching from my couch - but something about an in-person cinema visit is far more transformative to me. it’s been so deeply joyful to bring back regular movie going into my life and i never want it to stop.
salt and stone - have you tried salt and stone? after they launched into sephora this year, i fell in love with their deodorant - in the saffron & cedar scent. it smells so good and lingers like a perfume. lately i’ve been using their body wash in the neroli & basil scent and it’s so gorg. it’s still on the pricier side but roughly $25 cheaper than other luxe body products - from the likes of diptyque and byredo.
glow-in-the-dark drink bottle - i know, it sounds weird. who would want a glow-in-the-dark drink bottle beyond the age of 7? but frank green must know more than most of us because i received this bottle and haven’t let it out of my sight since! i love the colour - i have the star glow shade and the subtle glow in the dark function makes it nice and easy to find when i’m thirsty in the middle of the night.
fridge sandwiches - this is a random lunchtime meal i’ve been making for the last month or so where i cobble together various bits of leftovers and produce i have in the fridge to make a delicious epic sandwich. it usually involves leftover chicken schnitzel or sausage, heirloom tomatoes, onion, a fried egg, tabasco and cheese on toasted sourdough. i recently bought some incredible olives and pepperoncini and added them in too! it’s yummy and filling but also helps clear out random leftovers that may otherwise go to waste.
100% ugly but also 100% yummy glossier body hero - years ago, well before we could walk into a mecca store and buy glossier on the spot, i was begging friends visiting the US to bring back glossier for me or using a mail forwarding service to smuggle it into australia. back then there were a few products i’d religiously repeat purchase - one of them was the body hero range. their shower oil and moisturiser were top tier for me - they were a joy to use and left my skin glistening and hydrated but they also smelled SO GOOD. this product was my introduction to orange blossom and neroli scents. then the range disappeared. but now it’s back! and they’ve released a beautiful body spritz so i can smell like an orange blossom and neroli dream whenever i want!
more smooth brain thoughts soon,
Ali xxxx
So obsessed with russian manicures!! I cant tell enough people about them. Once you start you never go back!
the sheer pink nails are gorgeous!