Lust Have It: April Box

I was eagerly awaiting this months Lust Have It box because I just had a feeling that it would be a good one, and I wasn't wrong! This months box was lighter than usual, but it didn't lack anything. Last months box left me feeling a little underwhelmed, but this months box really made up for it. Bet you're interested to see what was inside...

What was in the box...

1. Manna Kadar 3-in-1 blush, highlighter, eyeshadow in Fantasy, $25 (full size)
2. Marsk eyeliner in Snowflake, $28.95 (full size)
3. Personail nail polish wraps in Glamour, $18 (full size)
4. Marsk brow liner in Audrey, $28.95 (full size)
5. Soak hair shine shampoo and hair revive conditioner 25mL sample, full size 500mL for $24.95 (sample size)

The standouts for me...

This box as a whole was great value, but the three main standouts were the eyeliner and brow liner from Marsk and the 3-in-1 powder from Manna Kadar. The liners are certified organic and are so smooth; they glide on without dragging. I'm worried the brown might be a bit too light in colour for my brows (because my brows are so very dark!), but I'm still going to give it a go. If it is too light I can always use it as a regular eyeliner. I also love the lighter liner in Snowflake because I don't have any white/pearl coloured shades, I only have one in nude. Plus I just love the shade names - it's the little things, you know.

The other item that grabbed my attention and did not let go was the blush/highlighter/eyeshadow in Fantasy. For starters it is just so pretty. I want to look at it all day long. Not only that, but it is so smooth and creamy! I can't wait to use it on my face. However, I think I might start by using it as an eyeshadow and then go from there. I'm not sure that I'm brave enough to use it as a highlighter just yet, because it's quite rosy in its tone and that is a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to highlighters (as a reference, I usually use The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter). I can't wait to shove it all over my eyes though!

My mum showed an interest in the shampoo and conditioner so I'll pass those onto her, and I have a friend who I think would love those press on nails, so I'll give those to her to try out as they're not really my style. All in all though I'm really pleased with this box!

Look how pretty the swatches are!!! That 3-in-1 is simply amazing *insert all the heart eyes*. If you would like to drool over this box for yourself, you can order one on Lust Have It's website here - and don't forget to use my code SAMINDIGO1 so that you can save $5 off your first box! Now I'm going to go and continue obsessing over that powder...

"This box was sent to me for consideration, however all opinions are my own. This is NOT a sponsored post.

This Isn't the End (Keep Going)

I felt on my heart to write frankly in today's little post, so I hope you don't mind. I just had these words racing around in my mind and I needed to get them out. I hope you find comfort in my survival, and that you know that you can survive too.

Quite often these days I find myself feeling down about my situation. I know that there are worse things happening than what I happen to be going through, but I don’t think we should ever disregard our feelings based on relativity. i.e. that someone always has it worse than you. Sometimes things are really crap. There’s no sugar-coating, no hiding behind encouraging quotes, no tricking yourself into believing something that isn’t true. If I'm completely honest there are times when I cry out to God, pleading to know and understand why things played out the way they did. But I don't think I'll ever know this side of eternity. There are many things in life that we'll never understand, and I suppose for now this happens to be one of mine. To summarise a long and agonising story, I lost my mum to cancer when I was about 10 years old. That will probably be the hardest thing I'll ever have to go through. The ripple effect afterwards caused damage that I suppressed for years and never fully dealt with (but I'm beginning to deal with them now). Situations that I was then placed in caused me great unhappiness, and I still search for silver linings in the way things played out today. I apologise for writing coyly, but some details are better left out. I know that this crazy testimony of mine is for a purpose, and I hope and pray that it will somehow bring light into someone's life who may be suffering similarly to how I was. 

There were moments where I wanted to cease existing. It wasn't that I wanted to die necessarily, but I just didn't want to have to endure anymore pain. Even now I sit and dream about how things could have happened differently, and there were many moments where I wished that they had. However, the fact is that they didn't. No amount of me wishing and dreaming of a different ending would actually bring that different ending to life. Things happened the way they did, and I must go on. It feels like an almost-daily basis that I'm reminding myself to not sit in my sadness. That I have to push past how I want to respond (which wouldn't be helpful) and do what's best for me instead. Forgiveness from a distance is far easier than forgiveness close up. That is something I'm working on, for my benefit. I want to feel the freedom that comes with it. 

I suppose I'm writing all of this to say that sometimes things just don't make sense. We all go through something we wish we hadn't, and even though we didn't choose that, we can choose how we go on from there. Am I going to stay unhappy, bitter, resentful, hurt, and broken? Or am I going to pick up my fractured pieces and carry them to my Father's feet, where His love can put me back together? This is a choice that I have to make daily, and I'll be honest, sometimes I choose the wrong one. I still have days where I sit in my pain, but then I have to pick myself up again and remind myself that I'm better than that. I won't let my sucky past win. I have to get back to the place of believing and trusting that it's for some bigger purpose than I'll ever understand; to find a new strength and to rise within it. 

So now I speak directly to you. You are strong, and mighty, and brave. Whatever you're facing, you are resilient enough to handle it. But don't feel like you have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time. You have a Saviour that wants to carry it for you. There is something positive that can come out of any situation, sometimes you just have to look a little harder to find it. I know that my past has shaped me into who I am today, and I hope and pray that it only ever makes me better. I know the sort of family environment that I want to create, the kind of relationship I want to have with my future husband, and the type of life I want to live. These things may not have been as solid or important to me had I not endured what I did. I know what I want, based on what I never had. 

I hope you sense love and a fighting spirit from within these words, and not a bitter and resentful person. I pray that I always remind in control of my outlook on things in life, and that I see things through gracious eyes. You know when enough is enough, and there are just some people that we are better off not having in our lives. It is okay to admit that! You need to do what is best for you, and sometimes that means removing unhelpful people that won't contribute positivity to your journey in the longterm. Some just cross our paths to teach us things, both good and bad, so let them simply pass you by once that lesson is over. 

Remember that you are loved and cherished and you deserve the best. Like diamonds, we too sometimes need a little pressure to get to the best bit of ourselves. But also like diamonds, we are strong and beautiful and so very valuable. You are worthy of so much more, and you are more than the sum of experiences that you've gone through. This life is beautiful and it is yours, so don't waste another day. Squeeze all the glorious juices out of it and dance in the warm sunlight and no matter what, keep going. I love you.

Love, S.

One For the Books...

Today something very exciting happened; I graduated from university!! I can still remember when I started my degree, three years ago, and graduation day felt like it was eons away. Now that I'm here, I feel like the time absolutely flew by. While this is an exciting and momentous occasion, it's also a slightly scary one. It's scary because I'm not quite sure what to do next. I always envisaged that by the time graduation came around I'd have a more solid idea of where to head next, but I don't...yet. I'm a big believer in the timing of things, and that when something is supposed to happen, it will. That's not to say that hard work isn't involved, of course it is, but I feel like the small beginnings will flourish into something eventually. Even though I feel a little lost at the moment, it will all come together in time, and with perspective I'll see why it took that little bit longer. They say just because you took longer than everyone else doesn't mean that you failed. I firmly believe this to be true. Comparison is the thief of joy, right? So let's quit comparing! Embrace, and love, the season that you're in (this is something I'm working on, and you should too). 

My time at university taught me many things, but the most important was not to give up on myself. There were countless times throughout my degree where I honestly thought I was failing - but I never did. In fact I usually did far better than I expected. Perseverance and hard work will always pay off in the end - and this applies to any sector you find yourself in. Take encouragement from that. I know that all these little bits and pieces I'm doing along the way will have a benefit somewhere along the line, whether I realise it at the time or not. So for now, I'm going to continue working on myself when it comes to developing skills to combat my anxiety and depression. I firmly believe this is where my time and energy has to go right now. If I'm not mentally healthy I won't be able to handle everything else as well, so it's important that I become better at dealing with the stresses of life. Once I feel like I'm in a better place mentally, I'll be ready to conquer the world. While I'm not striving for perfection necessarily, I do think that taking care of your mental state is so important. I know that I'll never be completely "healed" in that regard, but I do know that I can make progress and develop skills that will allow me to perform at my best in every area. 

With that being said, I'm excited. I know that I can achieve great things and go to places I never thought I'd get to. I just need to be patient with myself for now. This journey that I'm on is only just beginning and there is so much more to learn and accomplish along the way and I'm excited to document the journey on here for you all (and in videos on my YouTube channel too, I will definitely get better at that!). So here is to the future and all the golden moments it will hold. T.S Eliot once said, "To make an end is to make a beginning". That's exactly what this day is. It's the beginning of something bright, something new, and something noteworthy. I'll conclude with a dash more inspiration from Steve Jobs, "If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it." So let's go find it!

Love, S.

Lust Have It: March Box

Another month means another Lust Have It box arriving on my doorstep! It's always exciting to see what products will be included in the box, but unfortunately the March box missed the mark for me. I'm sure many people loved all their items, but the ones I received were simply things I just wouldn't really use. That happens sometimes, and it's all part of the fun, so I don't mind having a few misses here are there - because the great boxes absolutely make up for it! 

What was in the box...

1. Be a Bombshell eyeliner in Radiance, $20 (full size)
2. Sebamed liquid face & body wash 50ml sample, full size 300ml for $14.95 (sample size)
3. Glazel Visage matte eyeshadow in S40, $15 (full size)
4. Jersey Shore Cosmetics anti-aging whole body balm, $20 (full size)
5. Ruby eyeliner slanted brush, $22.40 (full size)

The standouts for me...

Even though this box contained mostly full sized products - which is a good thing - they simply weren't shades or items that I could see myself using regularly/would have gone out and bought myself. The two items that stood out the most was the anti-aging body balm (that looks like a lip balm) and the eyeliner brush. The balm is multi-purpose and is all natural and organic which is so nice to see. It's the type of thing I'd keep by my bed or in my handbag and would reach for it whenever my skin, hands, lips, etc are feeling dry. The eyeliner brush looks really lovely too. The hairs and synthetic and really soft, so I can't wait to give it a go because I don't own many brushes, if any at all, that are like this. 

The rest of the items in this box will be passed onto family or friends because they just aren't suited to me, but that's alright. I'm sure they'll get plenty of love from someone! 

If this box looks like something you'd love to receive then pop over to the Lust Have It website here and use my code SAMINDIGO1 for $5 off your first box - bargain! Or sign up in time for next months box (which will be this month now), and join in on the fun and anticipation over which lovely things we'll receive. 

*This box was sent to me for consideration, however all opinions are my own. This is NOT a sponsored post.