best Christmas ever

WHAT an amazing week. From the moment i laid my eyes on my husband casually laying on my bed, to the heart wrenching moment our hands left one another as he departed. It was a week filled with magic, and memories and confirmation that the type of love we have for one another is beyond any that we have ever known! What a true blessing.

OK, but i wont bore you all with the lovey dovey. But i will spend a moment or two letting you all know some of the differences between our cultures as seen and commented on by my hubby.

1.The clean air...and the fresh salty smell of being right beside the ocean (without having the pollution of a city nearby)

2. The fact that the beaches here (in port macquarie) are:
A. not covered in trash, infact you hardly see any.
B. Very underpopulated in the peak of tourist season.
By comparison alot of his knowledge of american beaches are to quote a phrase, "breathe and you smell the arse of the person next to you",  kind of populated!

3. We don't have the kind of poverty they do in the US, mostly good old governement assistance and also the fact that while the cost of living maybe higher. Every person has the opportunity to earn a good wage. A person here working in a supermarket would indeed be able to support his family. Not so much the case in the US.


4. People in Australia have a more carefree, positive demeanor.



5. The service industry SUCKS...one thing to be said for tips is people work for their money, in our country the meaning of service is rarely known unless you are paying top dollar for your meal. In the US no-one stands around at a bar waiting to order a drink at a restaurant or cafe. I think i am a huge huge fan of this. And look out port Mac if we decide to open anything competitive here!


6. Even in the towns that are coastal you will still pay top dollar for seafood....go figure?!


Overall my husband thinks he is an Australian at heart, and it took less than 6 days for him to fall in love with this country...warts and all. And this was a huge shock to me...as i am sure that your all aware ALL Americans think america is the only place that's got it all. And maybe to some degree they do. But you know what...i'd take alittle less that all for the peaceful and relaxed Aussie lifestyle any day. And i think He would too.

Sunburn, thongs (the kind you wear on your feet), and lazy summer dayz,
joanna xo 

a day in sunny port mac

I decided to have the day off today to finish up a few things around the house, make some new youtube videos! And generally enjoy the last of the warm weather.

After washing the sunroom windows (you know thats why its a sunroom 3out of 4 walls are glass!) And my large lounge viewing windows. I headed out for a stroll on one of the local beaches Lighthouse beach to be precise, before heading to Bitter Sweet for a coffee. This is the most amazing coffee shop, they make the most delectable treats on site, they are like miniture gourmet cakes. Totally divine! If your in the port macquarie area a visit to Bitter Sweet is a must DO! I'll post some pics of their cakes next time i'm out that way, (forgot my camera today) they are just as pretty to gaze at as, yummo they are to eat.

I've included  some pics of townbeach and the breakwall which is about a 40min walk from my house in the centre of town.

  

 

You can even see the dolphins in the river mouth, sighs thats pretty amazing. I really do love this town.

well off to do the mum things, making left-overs and doing the banking! Be sure to check out joannamarie77 on youtube for any video updates.

blue skies and savignon blanc
joanna xo

Getting a DIY salon fake bake!

Summer is almost over here in australia, and with the winter months comes dry and pale skin...but not with these tips and tricks on having a salon perfect DIY tan year round. These are the products you will need.
An oil-free moisturiser, an exfoliating scrub, a full strenght fake tanner, a daily fake tan.

Step 1. Exfoliate...no one wants a patchy tan. The trick to this is to use something that doesn't leave an oil-based film on your skin. I love DOVE's daily exfoliating shower scrub, its not too scratchy and is lightweight. I even use this on my face. (It retails for $4 from priceline pharmacy's)

Step 2. Lightly moisturise your knees, feet & ankles, wrists, and elbows. This stops product from buliding up in the tiny cracks these parts of the body place host to.

Step 3. Use a full-strength tanner of choice. Be warned the darker the shade is the more of that nasty fake tan smell the product will give off. This just comes with the territory, without DHA, the product wont develop. No matter what a company claims on its bottle at some stage of the processing a tan smell will occur! The only time this is virtually invisible is when using a daily tanner as the level of DHA is alot less.

I'm using Amcal chemist brand in : Instant extra dark self-tan mousse. (this retails for $10 for 150gms.) I like mousse based formulations as they dry quickly and feel light weight on the skin, they also work well in the humidity. This one is bronze in colour which means you know where you have put it, and you get colour whilst it is developing!

Step 4. Either re-apply your choosen shade 1 day later only on the parts that really need it. (never on feet, knees or elbows) OR as i do, wait a day or 2. Then begin to apply a daily tanning formula to maintain the tan without making it wear off in patches. I recommend using a daily tan once every 2 days to maintain results.I currently use St tropez daily gradual tanning mousse,(this is alittle pricey at $35 for 120mls) but i also like Doves version in light to medium.

 Step 5.Moisturise daily inbetween all this. Then once a week or as your tan fades ( i usually go ten days) exfoliate well and begin the whole process again. This is my routine for having flawlessly tanned skin year-round without the horrible tan build up!

ALWAYS TAN YOUR FACE. Mousse's are great for this as they dont cause breakouts! No-one looks good with a tanned body and a white face!!!!

This is me 2 days after tanning, without make-up. Oh i lie i am wearing mascara. :)

heres to an endless summer.

joanna xo

LOTD

Here was my makeup for the day, just a nice flush of gold and some natural false lashes excentuate the eyes.
Glowing cheeks, tanned skin and a nude mouth pull it all together.

This is my favourite everyday look, its fresh and summery looking. Whats your favourite warm weather makeup?
Joanna xo