An Australian Christmas

I hope your Christmas was very enjoyable! Mine sure was! I couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve night, and only slept for a few hours before I woke up & waited for everyone else to wake up. Despite the fact that my parents said this Christmas was only going to be a "small" Christmas, I still got a lot of things. I am so lucky and very grateful for all the gifts I got. We of course had the traditional bacon & eggs for breakfast, which was delicious. By this time it was around 8AM, so it was time to set off to my grandma & poppy's house to give them their presents! (& receive ours, hehe.) I got Hello Kitty stuff from my grandparents - 2 purses, a cosmetics case & Hello KittyXMac cosmetics as well as a few other things! We went back home after an hour or so to begin setting up and putting out food for when our visitors arrive. The table was so long and full of all kinds of food; shortbread, chips, biscuits, lollies, chocolates & nuts. Yum! Soon everyone arrived and the Christmas party was in full swing. For lunch we had a big roast, with my dads special camp oven recipe. It was really delicious. We usually only have cold meats at Christmas because it is so hot, but this year the weather stayed under or at least aroun 30 degrees (celcius). I mainly looked after cousins two year old daughter, Skyla. She is an adorable little girl who likes to count to ten and roar like a lion! When was jumping on the trampoline, she would say, "boiiing! boiiing!". All too soon the day was over, and I was feeling exhausted (two year olds like to run around and do lots of things, you know!). I eventually went to bed and had to wake up the next morning at 7AM to go to the Boxing Day sales at the shopping centre!

The shopping centre was packed full of so many people, it was crazy! I didn't buy very much, but what I did buy I am very happy with. I got a "Classic Pooh" (Winnie the Pooh) Calendar for 50% off, as well as an Eiffel Tower necklace, pearl bracelets and another silver bracelet - all for $20. In the bookstore, I found a book in superstitions that was reduced from $45 to $9.95 as well as a Harry Potter time-turner like Hermione wears in Prisoner of Azkaban! I also went to the store today and found Gossip Girl jewelery - it was all $5 per piece on clearance, along with the Marie Antionette & Amilie movies that were on sale! Some online stores have been having sales too, and I have my eye on a few items from Charlotte Russe ... I am just hoping they ship overseas & if they do, that it's not too expensive.

I won't be online or posting until at least Thursday, because my family & I are going on a little holiday. I don't really want to go, as we go every year and it is truly very boring! My parents think it's relaxing, as there is nothing to do. But I usually do nothing, so it's boring not relaxing! Oh well, I will be watching my new movies, as well as The L Word and Gossip Girl. So I'm sure I'll be fine!

I will now leave you will a lot lot lot of pictures that I have taken of my Christmas!

This is my (somewhat) cute (but also evil) kitty, Hamish. Snuggled up with some tinsel and decorations.

This was our table setting






Choo choo - it's the Christmas Express. Delivering all the Christmas presents on time!


This is my pretty new jewelery box, along with some of the new "jewelery" I bought for cheap. Hehe.




This is my outfit for the day! I'm wearing my new dress, along with my new (& actually real!) jewelery I got from santa~ hehe.
I apologise for blocking out my face, but I've never taken photos of myself like this before so my facial expressions were rather... bad. Funny! but bad, hehe.

Merry Christmas!

I am really excited to wake up tomorrow morning! The 25th of December will finally have arrived. It doesn't feel like Christmastime, though. It's usually stinking hot and everyone is excited, but the weather is actually rather cool (no complaints here!) and everyone kind of keeps forgetting it's Christmas tomorrow. I am really excited for all the food! Mum has been making rocky road and pavlova, and my dad has been preparing the prawns (I don't like prawns though). It is my family tradition to wake up early and open presents, then have a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs/chocolate. After we have finished eating and opening presents, we visit my grandma & poppy for an hour or two. This year, we are having the celebrations at our house, so we will return home and set up for lunch and wait for all our relatives to arrive! After this, lot's of eating and drinking will commence. I really look forward to all the celebrating. This year, I'm also super excited for the presents - I really hope my family likes the things I got for them!

So, I hope you have a very wonderful, happy, safe and MERRY Christmas! I hope it is full of magic & that Santa brings you some lovely gifts ;D

Natural Beauty

♥

I have pretty bad skin. I'm prone to breakouts and I have a lot of blackheads. Yeah, it's not a nice image, is it? At first, in my earlier teens, I didn't get too worried about the state of my face, because it seemed everyone was really having the same problem. I just continued on with my skin care routine every day and thought it would all be fine. But then everyone's faces seemed to be clearing, and mine was staying the same. I didn't bother getting too upset about it, because there was really no point in that, but I did decide to do some more research on skin care to see if I was doing anything wrong. Well, I wasn't necessarily doing anything "wrong", but I did make a lot of changes to my skin care routine and, although my skin still isn't 100% better and perfect, it's still better than I could have hoped for! So, I am here to share my secrets - things that everyone really should know in order to care for their skin!

I stopped using any kind of face-washing product that you buy in stores, and instead, switched to all natural remedies. I had tried every product you could think of for my face, and they all seemed to have around the same effect - it would control break outs a little - but that isn't good enough! Not to mention how expensive all these different products can be! I'd heard about people using natural remedies on my skin, and my friend has started using them and said they were great. So I searched the internet, and found a great website here! It has heaps & heaps of recipes to care for your whole body.

There are all different kinds of recipes and ingredients you can use for different problems. Currently my skin care routine uses honey. Every morning and night I just use about half a teaspoon of honey on my face. Honey is AMAZING for your skin and makes it so soft. Every second or third night I add sugar to the honey, which makes a scrub. It's the best scrub I've ever tried, and made my skin so soft that I couldn't believe it! The honey I got cost me AUD$3.80 for a jar, and has lasted me ages - a lot longer than a bottle of store purchased product lasts, and costs a fraction of the price! I've had blackheads all over my nose for years, and I had lost all hope of getting rid of them, but the scrub has seemed to bring them closer to the surface, and I am slowly getting rid of them. It's amazing. Just remember that with scrubs, even though it may feel like you should scrub the heck outta your skin every day to get rid of deep blackheads, it's actually really bad for your skin and it just create more problems. It gets rid of all the oils on your face, and so the skin overproduces more oil in order to get it back, but then it just clogs your skin, which is exactly what you do not want!

I apply tea tree oil onto the most problematic areas of my face, as it's a natural healing agent. I've seen people say you should dilute it with water, as it can be too harsh for some skin, and cause more problems, but I've had the best results with just straight tea tree oil. I've heard that cutting a clove of garlic and rubbing it on un-opened blemishes can make they go away almost completely with no scarring. I'm yet to try this, but I've heard lot's of people say it's great. Your face will probably smell like garlic though, so I wouldn't try that before you're about to go out ... although it would keep the vampires away on a night out ;D

The one store-bought product I still use is moisturiser! I always used to think that, because my skin was oily in most areas, I didn't need to moisturise. Boy, was I wrong! Since I bought some, and have been applying it to my face regularly, it's improved the condition of my skin a lot more. Hooray!

Quick tips: putting toothpaste on really red spots overnight will reduce the redness. use ice on big blemishes to reduce them in size (or use hot water on a washcloth and press it to your face, and it will draw everything to the surface - whichever way you want to go. i prefer using ice though). never squeeze your blemishes - I'd head this one millions of times, but never listened. now that I've actually listened it has made my face so much better! use mineral make-up - but still always wash it off. when trying to conceal blemishes, less is more!

Princess Gift

I got the best best best gift from my friend for Christmas last night. It's a little Disney Princess book of quotes! I have wanted it for a long time, so I'm really happy that I actually have it now. It's filled with beautiful pictures and funny quotes from some of the Disney movies. On the back it says "Listen to Your Heart" & "Live for Today". It's funny how things meant for children inspire me so much.

Dickon

♥

Last night, I had a dream that I owned a little grey mouse named Dickon. Now that I'm awake, the only thing I can think is about how much I want a little grey mouse named Dickon! There is just the problem that my mum absolutely hates mice, and would never let me get one. Not to mention the fact that my cat would probably have a lot of fun trying to catch & eat it! But, if I really did if a mouse named Dickon, we would be best friends. I would take silly little photos of him all the time, and stick them on my walls, and in my school books so I could see him all the time. I would love him so very much!

hello, hello!

These past few days have been half busy, half lazy! In the mornings, I have been rushing around doing lots of things, then in the afternoons I have plenty of time to relax. I still haven't finished my Christmas shopping ... I have two more things I have to buy for my mum. Plus I keep thinking of gift ideas for things I could make for my friends, but I only have one - almost two - days left before the Christmas party at which I'd be giving their presents to them! I always seem to finish something (like a school assignment, for example) to a satisfactory standard, and then at the very last minute I have the BEST idea ever. But by then it's too late. Ah, what can you do though, haha.

I spent way too long watching Gossip Girl yesterday afternoon, and I'm still only halfway through season one. It's such a silly show (my mum hates it!) but I can't help but love it. I think everyone needs drama in their lives, and I'd just prefer my drama to be in a TV show. I love looking at all the fashion and hairstyles, along with the big houses. Jenny is my favourite character, she's so cute and kind of helpless. My younger sister is totally addicted to Gossip Girl, she never stops talking about it! She keeps giving things away for me, so that is why I am trying to quickly watch as many episodes as I can.

I really like Angelic Pretty's 'Dessert Collection' series! It's not normally the kind of AP I like (over the top) but every so often I feel the need to tone it down a little. I have been wanting some more casual Lolita clothes that I can wear on a day-to-day basis. Even though I don't want to wear Lolita every single day, I do want to wear it more often than I currently do, but my wardrobe currently doesn't permit that. Hopefully once I make a few more things, I can wear it more often! Yay!

I have to get busy now! I want to at least try and get a few things made for my friends gifts! After Christmas, I want to write more than just what I have been doing with my days. I am very inspired by the blogs that have articles for self-development and that kind of thing. So, I will try my best to come up with something decent for you to read! Hehehe!

outfit & a change of name

Please ignore the fact that it now has the wrong URL on it, I edited it before I changed my blog name. Which was silly.

Outfit Rundown
Shirt: Target
Jumperskirt: The Veronicas/Target
Socks: Big W
Shoes: Secret Shop
Wrist Cuffs: Handmade
Bag: Bodyline
Hair accessory: MacDonalds/Sanrio

I hope that, for now, you will excuse the bad mirror-pictures of my outfits. The one thing I asked for to get as a Christmas gift, was a tripod for my camera. So, if I am lucky enough to get one, the quality of my images will improve, and I will try to make them much more interesting!

I went to the shops today to do a bit more Christmas shopping. I got my little sister some shoes she wanted really badly, she was almost crying, haha! She is such a drama queen, and she loves shoes too much for her own good. But they were really amazing shoes, the last ones of them left AND they fit her perfectly. Tomorrow, I am going shopping again to get gifts for my mum! I am going to get her the thinks she's hinted at, but I'm going to search extra-hard for some things that will really surprise her too ~ ♥

Also, I changed the name and URL of my blog. The URL is now magicofaunicorn.blogspot.com ! So if you had it bookmarked or something like that, it would be wise to change the information, hehe. I couldn't sleep last night and I started thinking about my blog name. 'Pirate Doll' has been my online identity for about three or four years now, and even though I still love it and use it everywhere, I feel like I want a change from it. Or at least to have my blog called something different. Since finished The Secret Garden, I've been really inspired and constantly thinking about "magic" and along with the fact that Harry Potter is my most favourite book series ever, I thought I would love it to somehow be in the title of my blog. Unicorns are my favourite fantasy creature (although I am sure they are real! Or at least once were!), and I thought it would be a good fit. I could have used my favourite animal, but "the magic of a penguin" just doesn't really have the same effect, haha. So, I changed it before I thought it was too late to change. It really could change a million times from now, I'm not sure. I change everyday, but for now, my blog is this!

Building Up a World of Magic

This song, when I first heard it, I thought, "wow, I can kind of relate to this!". The song talks about building up a world of magic, because real life is tragic. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say my real life is tragic, but I do like to imagine and day dream when I don't like where I am or what is happening. I feel like I can build up this whole other world, and I'm only a part of it, and all the things and people that make me upset cannot reach me there.

This state of mind is also something I connect straight to Lolita fashion. Wearing the fashion separates me even more so from the things about society I don't like. In so many ways it's an escape, and a way to say, "I'm nothing like you". (Of course I also wear it because I love it dearly!) So, I find it such a strange coincidence that Hayley is wearing a Lolita dress in this video clip. Yes, I believe it is from Bodyline, but it's one of their better products and it looks really nice on her. It's like they also made the connection from this frame of mind to the fashion - even if they didn't really know about Lolita!

I don't like the sound of burying my castle though.

Glitter Can Save the World

Singer Lady Gaga has said that glitter can solve the world's problems.

"With you little monsters, there is no hate in the world, there is only love. And you know, I believe that if a world war took place, you would all sing and dance and throw glitter until everybody stopped. Sequins are much more fun than bombs."

Source

We Are All Wild Things

Last night I went to the cinema with some friends to see a movie I assumed was for children, as it is derived from a children's picture book. I have nothing against children's movies, in fact I love them quite a lot, but I was soon to find that this movie was not like any other "children's" movie I had ever seen. It was so much more sad and problematic than the usual animated comedy. I was grinning from the first second, the movie perfectly depicted the child-like manner of which I have been longing for in my own life since beginning to read 'The Secret Garden'. I thought it was really perfect. At times it was frightening - actually most of the time it was frightening - which is why I didn't think it was very much suited for children. In fact the other children in the cinema actually lost interest and began talking and asking too many questions (which was really very annoying!). Sometimes it was sad, I came close to tears a few times! But most of all, there were the happy times when everyone just let go and allowed themselves to be true Wild Things. There was rock fights and smashing of trees, running about the forest, a giant dog and an outspoken goat!

In the end, I feel like not much was resolved - which was what made it even more unlike a normal children's movie - but it felt peaceful and right to have it end the way it did. It put an emphasis on the meaning of the story and the problems Max faced. I think the reason why I adored this movie so much is because of the child-like factor - the imagination. I don't think Max imagined going to where he did and meeting the Wild Things, but the fact that all the older people around him seemed to just be so serious was something I could relate too. All the adults around him seemed so tired, uninspired and unimaginative, whereas Max was always creating, making things and thinking up little stories - even if he was still somewhat grown up and wise. This is what made me smile the most, because I really do think every adult believes that they have to take life very seriously. Yes, there are things that need to be taken seriously, and I guess adults can be really very serious if they wish! But I am very tired of other adults expecting me to stop loving child-like things and start being serious. Well, NO, I say! I want to be a Wild Thing, like Max, and make up stories and run around in a little wolf suit and make silly little things that really have no use, other than to let the person who it is for to know that you love them.

I believe, in my heart, that the creators of this movie think the same as me. They made this movie into less of a childs movie, and more of an adults movie for the very reason I said above. Adults need to appreciate that they too, are still Wild Things, and that they can be silly sometimes too. That is why I love this movie.

The Secret Garden & other books

Yesterday, I went to a few op-shops to look for a mirror to go with my new dressing table. I did find a mirror, but I also found three new books. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne and The Princess Diaries #5 by Meg Cabot. Altogether they only cost me $9.50, so I was very happy. Buying these books at an actual book store would have cost me at least $30!

I began reading The Secret Garden right away. I was very excited because I have watched the movie hundreds of times - it was one of my favourites when I was young - but I'd never read the book before. I am only up to chapter 11 so far, but I love it already. The thought of a big old house and a secret garden and a sweet little bird who makes friends with humans really evokes the adventurous child within me - no matter how deep she is buried! I very much want to read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and I have wanted to for a very long time, it's just that I've yet to find a copy. Quotes from that book are often found at the beginning of the Princess Diaries books (which are one of my favourite series also!)

I love how it is openly said that Mary is not beautiful at all - she is ugly! This is mainly because of her being sick from living in India, and not getting enough fresh air, as being in the garden and running about makes her healthier and look much better. But it's such a change from many books of today, where almost every main character is said to be in some way attractive, and if not, their beauty (or lack of it) is never commented on. Maybe I've just been reading the wrong books, but I feel like this is true! I will stop myself from going on about beauty standards of today, and maybe leave that for another time, though.

xoxo

Eliminating the Negative

Chances are, in life, you will encounter negative people. You know the kind who are absolutely determined to see the bad in everyone and everything. The kind who are constantly putting others down and spending their time criticizing everything in their path. Yes, I'm sure you know just the kind of person I'm talking about. Sure, these people may have their good side too, but they can be so draining to be around, especially when they are being extremely negative. There isn't a lot you can do to change peoples behaviours, unless they actually want to change, but you can take steps to make sure you are a positive person! If you are able to see all the amazing things in the world, instead of just seeing all the problems and things you don't like, you will be surprised at how much more free you feel. So friends, let's charge onwards to make our lives as positive as possible!

Yes, I was a very negative person once. I was the one determined to see fault in every little thing, and I always preferred to criticize, rather than compliment. It's not easy turning yourself around, I'm not gonna lie! But you can - and really should! - try. Firstly, you have to realize that being positive and happy does not mean you become ignorant to the worlds problems. There are better ways to deal with problems in the world that upset you, rather than sitting around complaining and making everyone else feel sad too. Yes, some things might still make you feel really angry - like poverty, the governments decisions etc. - but these are things worth getting mad over. It's not worth getting mad over things like people who wear fake tans or a TV show you don't like. Why waste the energy being negative and complaining about these things, when you can just accept that it's a person's choice as to whether they wear fake tan or watch a certain TV show. It has nothing to do with you, and I'm sure you wouldn't like to be stupidly judged on certain aspects of your lifestyle either.

Secondly, try to become really conscious of when you start complaining about something - even if you don't think you complain a lot. If you find it hard - get people around you to point out to you when you are complaining. Make sure it's people that will actually tell you though! Or, if you are around a negative person a lot, just tell them that they are complaining. It may seem scary, but what's the worst they could do? Complain that you said they were complaining? ;D I find that a lot of negative people don't even realize what they are saying because negativity has become their habit. Once you become more aware of everything you say, it will be easier to change. Note what it is that you are complaining about and ask yourself, "is this worth getting upset about?" You could probably save yourself a lot of energy and time by just taking a deep, deep breath and reminding yourself that it really doesn't matter.

Thirdly, confront the issues that still annoy you. Maybe there is still that girl who just laughs way too loud, way too often and just really annoys you, and no matter how many deep breaths you take, you can't seem to let it go. Do something about it! I mean, you don't have to go up to her and tell her to be quiet, but you could listen to an iPod, do something, or go somewhere else where you couldn't hear her, right? There are many ways to solve the problems at hand, and once the problem is gone, there's nothing to complain about! If it's a bigger issue, such as governmental issues that just make you absolutely irate, (it's equal rights that does it for me) then it's time to get involved! Get out there and do what you can to change it. You can even do a lot by sitting at home on your computer, such as signing online petitions. Every little thing you do will make you feel like you are doing something to help, and this also creates the positive energy you have been looking for, as well as helping to minimize your problem. Hooray!

Surround yourself with things and people that inspire you. Sometimes you may just be feeling bitter because you are bored. Change around your furniture, put some new pictures on the walls! You will feel refreshed and less cluttered. When you can think clearly, it's a lot easier to be positive. Just remember, you don't have to be all happy smiles all the time. You are still allowed to complain if you've had a bad day, and be passionate about issues, just don't let silly little things annoy you. It's easy to be negative, the real achievement in life is being positive.

And this quote sums up exactly what I mean by being "positive":

"I just can't understand what is it with people and negativity. While I am by no means a "positive energy inpirational and motivational speaker", I certainly am not a negative person. It is not a matter of being positive, but just being confident about yourself and believing in you. When I say I am going to do something, I do it, no what if's or but's......just do it. I certainly always see the glass half full and I certainly tend to stay away from negative people, just because of the their negative vibe. Stay around someone negative long enough and it just seems to seep into your brain. Just be confident." - Loose Haylard @ Flickr

xoxo