Valentine's Day

Hey lovelies,

It has been quite a  while since I've been active and in all honesty, it is due to a lack of motivation and pure laziness. Yep.

ANYWAY, I've recently learnt about paperless post and thought that I'd share my experience with you all.

Paperless post is an easy to use, electronic stationery platform based in New York City. As it is an online service, stationery including cards, flyers and save the dates can be made just about anywhere!

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to customize a card for my partner as it would make it just that much more special and meaningful. I was able to create and edit my card then schedule it to be automatically sent at a certain date and time.

The thing I liked most about Paperless Post is that once I made the card and scheduled it, I did not have to worry about a thing! An email was sent to confirm that it has been scheduled and another when it was sent to the receiver. I was able to track it as it made its way to my partner and even see when they've opened the card!

It is such an affordable and environmentally friendly way to send cards or invitations to numerous people!

The price ranges for each card and the total price at the end depends on how much you've added and customized it... so really, you're in control!

It doesn't end there... you can actually send cards and flyers FOR FREE.
Yes... for free! Paperless Posts have a range of free cards and flyers that you can customize and send to up to 2,000 email addresses at no cost!

As you customize, select the free options and ensure that any Premium defaults are removed and VOILA, free card for you! And you! And you!

Anyway, I could ramble on and on about how great this is but I think you get it..

If you would like to give it a try, visit https://www.paperlesspost.com. Thank me later ;)

Hope this has been helpful! If not... oh well.

Stay sassy and classy,

Lots of Love,
Karine xx

Celebrating 120 years with Schwarzkopf

Most of you, if not all of you have heard or maybe used a Schwarzkopf product. Whether it'd be shampoo, conditioner, volume powder, oil or sprays.

Being the legends that they are, Schwarzkopf Australia ran an online promo and gave away 120 gift packages to lucky instagramers who tagged @schwarzkopf in their photos and used the hashtag #createyourstyle from 7th of May 2018 to 3rd of June 2018.

I was one of the lucky winners who received a hair care pack!

Within the pack was:
- Extra Care Hair Repair shampoo Retail price of $6.90

- Extra Care Hair Repair conditioner retail price of $6.90

- Daily Oil Elixir retail price of $9
- Extra care hair repair leave-in conditioner retail price of $5.75

- Ultra light Matt texture volume powder retail price of $8.99

So before I was to do my review, I thought I'd use the products for a couple of weeks to get an accurate and fair review. I mean I could've reviewed after the first use but naaaaaaah.

Shampoo & Conditioner:

Extra Care Hair Repair - Fibre therapy contains keratin serum and omega flex to help reconstruct broken hair bonds due to colouring and styling. To be completely honest with you, I had never heard of this product until they sent it to me and I am so glad that they did. My hair has suffered tremendously over the past 7 years from bleaching and dying and needs as much care as possible. The old shampoo I was using was leaving my hair even more dry and frizzy even though it advertised "hydration". Since using this product, I'm slowly seeing my hair come back to life. After just two washes, it already looks less dry and a lot softer than before. However, I've noticed that my hair gets knots a lot more since I've started to use the products but I don't mind because it's also less oily which means I don't have to wash my hair as much as I used to! 

Daily Oil Elixir is a precious caring oil for all hair types. It helps make hair supple and shiny. Anyone who knows me well would know that I use hair oils after every wash and when I'm styling my hair. When wet, hair oils soften and help repair the hair and when dry, it makes hair shiny and soft. This particular hair oil is a lot thicker than all the ones I've used before which means that I have to ensure to spread it evenly. I usually use oils after brushing my hair and then brush it again to make sure that to spread it around properly.

Extra care hair repair leave-in conditioner also contains keratin serum. It helps to nourish the hair and makes it easier to detangle it. Before using the hair oil, I usually brush my hair through and that would take maybe a good 10-15 minutes (my hair gets ridiculous knots). A few sprays of the leave-in conditioner before brushing helps undo those knots a lot quicker so that I can spend more time doing something else (Like pat dogs). 

Ultra light Matt texture volume powder promises a 24hr hold and unbelievable volume. I have actually never used a volume powder before. The only time I had volume powder in my hair was when I got it styled at the hairdressers and they knew that my curls would weight my hair down so they added a bit of powder to help hold it all up. This one does the trick too! It is light and is so easy to use (was a bit scared to try it at first). Definitely recommend!

Now I am no professional but I sure do like these products and I think I will be getting more of them once I run out. Out of them all, the oil would have to be my favourite (nothing better than a good old oil - yeah no one says that but you get what I mean) 

I would like to say a massive thank you to Schwarzkopf for allowing me to try all these awesome products and for letting me be part of the celebration! 

Happy 120th year Schwarzkopf

Lots of love,

Karine xx

I let my boyfriend post - Nagambie

So for this week's post, I thought it'd be fun to let my boyfriend write about the latest place we went to visit! I was pleasantly surprised when he actually was keen to get it done and he was pretty good at it! (at least i'll have someone to fill in when I'm feeling lazy.... JOKES)

Saturday morning everything was prepared, sausages, veggies, bread, hotel reservations and most importantly, beverages.  For those of you that do not know, Nagambie is a small town approximately 122kms from the Melbourne CBD. Well known for its watersports and of course the birthplace of the one and only queen of Australian horse racing... Black Caviar! 

After driving 90 mins, we approached the signs that read "Nagambie", and shortly after arriving into town, we were met by the local police. So after passing my first ever breath test we continued down the main road until we came to our place of stay, The Nagambie Motor Inn.

Simple yet a very inviting little inn. The owners and staff were extremely hospitable and friendly, even informing us upon arrival that we had been upgraded to a king room at no extra cost! The room was quite cozy, with a king size bed, TV, small kitchenette area and even a dining table for two. Would definitely recommend The Nagambie Motor Inn for anybody who is interested in exploring the area or if you just need somewhere to stay whilst passing through!

Once we had a little look around the town (a few very cool antique and second hand stores), we made our food, had some drinks and settled in for the night. The real adventure wouldn't start until the following morning!

Sunday has arrived! Check out 10am. Handing back the key to the room, we asked the owner if there was anywhere she would recommend for us to visit at this time of year. Out of all the places that were mentioned, one really jumped out at us... Mitchelton Winery! But first we had to find somewhere to have breakfast. After a quick google search, we found Phillips & co, which was almost hidden in amongst an IGA and bait and tackle store.

A hidden gem I thought! Which yes it did turn out to be that way. The food was to die for and the freshly squeezed juices were amazing!!

After breakfast, we headed to Mitchelton Winery. Fully equipped with red, white and sparkling wines, it also had a Chocolate factory and cafe! Knowing that chocolate and wine are two of Karine's favourite things in this world, I knew that this would have to be the place to visit before returning to Melbourne.

Ayyyy? How great was that post? Thanks Dylan!

Location: 4770 Mitchellstown Road, Nagambie
Website: https://www.mitchelton.com.au

I had such a blast at Nagambie with Dylan and even though it was a very small town, there were some pretty cool things to see and do!

Have you ever been to Nagambie?

Lots of love, Karine xx

Food Truck - Donut festival

Scrolling through my Facebook feed looking at dog memes, I was quite happy and satisfied but I had no idea that the next notification was going to make me even more happy. As a little red "1" popped up, I noticed that it was an invitation to not only a Donut festival but it was at a Food Truck park!

Now if that doesn't scream heaven, then I don't know what does! I immediately accepted and decided that I HAVE to go!

Getting ready for the festival included a full hour of fasting to ensure that the maximum amount of donuts can be consumed at the place.

Preston is a 49 minute drive (49km) from mine and a 30 minute drive (11km) from Melbourne CBD. The drive was so worth it!

Full of yummy delicious foods and fun activities for the whole family, this place is definitely on my list of recommendations! Other than donuts, they had a wide range of other food trucks available including seafood truck, ice cream, churros, corn, chicken and more!

 

I was very impressed with this place which has been well thought through! Even though I expected it to be a little bit bigger than it was, I really enjoyed my time there! The vibe was great with people of all ages able to find something of their taste. 

Kids were entertained by donut games and competitions while the parents could relax with a glass of wine or beer from the bar! 

The wide range of food available was excellent! As each truck provided something different and brought something interesting to the park, I had to try to figure out what I wanted to get! I ended up just getting donuts... Since that was the main reason for visiting the place! But a few friends and I shared Calamari and chips (Absolutely fantastic!)

  

And they also allow dogs!!

Located at 518 High St, Preston VIC 3072
Opening times: 
Friday: 5–10pm
Saturday: 12–10pm
Sunday: 12–9pm
Monday - Thursday: Closed

They have different festivals and events every week! To check the list of events and to read their FAQ go to their website: thefoodtruckpark.com.au

Are there any other places you recommend checking out? Leave them in the comments section below and I will try to!

Thank you guys for reading and I hope you have a happy and safe weekend.

Lots of love, Karine xx

The KitKat Chocolatory Store

There comes a time in a chocoholics's life where they feel like they got a chance to see what heaven looks like. My turn was on the weekend! 

So as a formal event quickly approaches, the need to get an outfit, hair and make up booked for the day is something of the utmost importance - or so I thought it was. 

Getting off the train at Melbourne Central to make my way to Emporium, I was amazed by the view. 

There, in front of me, located on the Ground Floor were the words "Kit Kat Chocolatory" in big writing across a red wall. Could it be? Have my prayers been answered?

"Yeah" said Ashley "You can make your own KitKat bar"

At that moment, my heart started racing, my palm got all sweaty yet I kept a straight face. This excitement burning with a cold flame was trying to be contained. I had to try it. I HAD TO.

Walking into the shop felt like I was 6 again... IT WAS SELF SERVICE. Okay so basically, you get to choose the type of chocolate and get a choice of 3 toppings to put on your chocolate bar. 

Coolest thing!

So as I said earlier, you get to choose your toppings but also get to design your package AND name your break! We went for pretzels, mini marshmallows and raspberries, in the lady with the blue background and "Kashley's Rather Dashing Break" as the name and VOILA!

WHAT A MASTERPIECE!

The creation takes roughly 1-3 hours depending on how busy they are at the time and an SMS is sent to your phone when the order is ready! Need to go somewhere and can't wait? No worries! The chocolate is held for 3 days so you can pick up whenever!

Location: 

Shop 156, First Floor, Melbourne Central

Corner La Trobe & Swanston Street

Melbourne VIC 3000

Opening Times:

Monday - Wednesday 10am - 7pm

Thursday - Friday 10am - 9pm

Saturday 10am - 7pm

Sunday 10am - 6pm

We shared a bar as it's quite big but my half of the chocolate bar didn't even make it home. IT WAS SO GOOOOOOOOOD OMG!

Definitely recommending this as a place to go in Melbourne! LOVE!

Lots of love,

Karine xx

***This is not a sponsored post, I genuinely like the place***