The Pineneedle Collective

Sunday 30 November 2014

Learning how to make up, thrifted red dresses and sailor hats

Hello! I'd like to introduce you all to my gorgeous friend Tilde (pronounced till-da), who runs the make up blog Powder Puff Girl. One of my goals this year has been to learn how to do make up properly - something I am embarrassingly lacking in knowledge about for a fashion blogger. As a consequence, it's never something that I've focused on on my blog before. My usual routine is: foundation, eyeliner, mascara. Maybe lipstick. Primer only if I'm feeling really adventurous. Done. What more can there be to it?

A lot more, apparently.

The make up below amounts to about half of Tilde's entire collection. 0_o

Today I learned that you can create fake shadows on your face, and that different shades of eyeshadow are reserved for different parts of the eye. You can prime your eyelids, highlight your waterline and shape your brows. This was all totally new to me.

I felt like I was exploring a totally alien world. After Tilde laid out her make up kit, I started picking things up things I didn't understand using them in totally the wrong way, having Tilde correct me: "No, Annika, that's beige eyeliner - not concealer - stop putting it on your chin" etc.

But, I still don't understand the need for all these brushes. SERIOUSLY. So. Many. Brushes. I don't even own one make up brush.

- I feel so out of my depth here.

Anyway, here's some before-and-after shots, and I'll let Tilde work her magic!

(To her credit, Tilde actually did use most of the brushes.)

And *drumroll* - our after shots!

I am wearing seventeen different products on my face. SEVENTEEN. (Tilde counted it as 16, but I am wearing 2 lipstick shades.)

Tilde has all the products applied to our faces listed on her blog if you want to know what was used!

Right now, I'm trying to convince Tilde to do some make up video tutorials with me on my youtube channel. Because not only do I think it'd be super useful for other people, I could watch them again myself, and from them learn how to do my own make up... ya'll should head over to her blog and ~~bully~~ convince her into it, if that's something you'd also find useful!

Of course, we also took some outfit photos! (see Tilde's on her blog)

Dress - thrifted | socks - Glebe Markets | hat - Tilde's | shoes - Naot

Can we please make sailor hats a thing, and like normalize them for everyday wear? I enjoyed wearing Tilde's way too much! Don't be surprised if I buy one & suddenly start wearing them in half of my outfit posts from now on...

Anyway, Tilde is giving me her Urban Decay "Naked" palette dupe, and I'm excited to start changing up my make up routine a little bit more! Please go easy on me if it doesn't look *amazing* to start off with, haha.

I hope that you're all having a gorgeous weekend,

Friday 28 November 2014

In Bloom / Milk and Chemistry

I took these photos the day after I finished my last exam, and it was the first time that I had dressed up to go out in a lonnnng time. I matched a bunch of reds with dark red and more red, because I love matchy-matchy colours.

These pretty, pretty tights are from Tabbi Socks, and are made in Japanese city that is apparently famous for it's sock-making - Koryo-city, Nara! Included in my order was a brief history about the city and the lives of the people who live there. I wish that more companies told you the story behind their manufacturing processes - I think that it's good for you to know more about where your clothes are coming from, because it's all too easy to take them for granted. Also, Tabbi socks have the prettiest floral tights for sale right now and it's making me wish that it wasn't about to go into full-blown summer here, because I want them all!

I have to give a quick shout-out to two amazing artists, whose work I have admired for a long time, who both surprised me this week by drawing me! These artists have two very different styles, and I love them both.

The first is by Rachel, who sent me this gorgeous watercolour illustration. I just love the dress and necklace that Rachel put me in - I think that I'm going to have to recreate both somehow!

Anton Belardo (@jellyfishkisses on instagram) makes the most wonderfully creepy-cute collage-style fashion illustrations. Just as I was sitting in a doctor's surgery today feeling super nervous, scrolling through instagram, I found that I'd been tagged in this amazing illustration - which brightened my mood considerably! I'm a badass mermaid - I can get through anything (plus, the news from my doctor ended up being good, so that was even better). Thank you so much, Anton!

I am so lucky to have been connected to such creative people through the world of blogging, and honoured to be considered a worthy muse for their art!

And finally - some science.

Chemistry is ridiculous! This is what happens when you combine milk, food dye and dish soap (which is on the end of the cotton tip).

So what's happening? Milk contains a lot of water, but it also has some fat, which is a "water hating" molecule (hydrophobic) - this is why when you pour oil into water, the two don't mix.

Adding soap - a molecule that has one "water loving" (hydrophilic) and one "water hating" (hydrophobic) end - starts the chemical reaction. The hydrophilic end dissolves into the water, while the hydrophobic end attaches to the fat molecules. The hydrophobic ends of the soap try to match up with all of fat molecules they can find, causing the food colouring (which, being less dense than milk, floats on the surface) to be moved around in all different directions.

And you can do this yourself at home! I love DIY science!

I hope that you are all having a beautiful day,

Tuesday 25 November 2014

DIY "Cat A Fore" Dress for Make Thrift Buy #8!

Episode number 8 of Make, Thrift, Buy has just gone live!

I stayed up way too late waiting for it to slowly upload to Youtube *shakes fist at Australian internet speeds*, and so I don't have much to say about it right now, except that I'm kinda excited about my new ice cream backdrop (there's way more to the video than that though! - ah). Anyway, here it is:

Love love love,

Sunday 23 November 2014

Oh hey there, Summer (plus my 5 favourite science podcasts)

Thank you to the dude who sold me this All About Eve dress for $15 at Glebe Markets on Saturday. He seemed disappointed that I haggled him down from $20, and I now realise why - this dress is still in stores, retailing for $80. So I am pretty happy with myself for picking it up second-hand (#hagglers4lyf). And, I'm sorry guy, but I will super enjoy the dress this summer (if that's any consolation). It's super light, easy to throw on and has the cutest summery print!

One of the things that I enjoy most about the summer is binging on podcasts. I am obsessed with podcasts, particularly science podcasts. Being both free and regularly released, and they're perfect for listening to while sewing, catching public transport or taking long, lazy afternoon walks. (Illustrations in below photo are by Em Somerville.)

Annika's 5 all-time-favourite science podcasts:

Radiolab (website)
I actually discovered Radiolab after someone mentioned it on a blog post of mine (thank you, if you're reading)! I then proceeded to listen to every single episode. Radiolab is amazing - as well as science they also have a focus on sound production and effects, so it's as pleasing an experience for your ears as much as it is for your brain. I recommend that you start with the Colours episode, followed by Stochasicity, followed by Black Box.

The Infinite Monkey Cage (website)
Brian Cox and Robin Ince manage the perfect combination of science and comedy in their live panel podcast, featuring both science writers and comedian panelists such as Stephen Fry and Ross Noble. Their discussions often venture into philosophy and the broader implications of science on culture and technology. I've only just started listening, but I'm already hooked. I highly recommend the episodes "Irrationality" and "Can Science Save Us?"

Sawbones (website)
Sawbones takes you on a tour through Western medical history - and it does a good job of making you appreciate being alive in the 21st Century in the time of science-based-medicine, which while it isn't perfect, is a far cry from drinking goats blood to treat hayfever, hiding horseshoes to cure the hiccups, giving opium to children to get them to sleep, or treating headaches by drilling a hole in your head (listen to the episode "trepanation" for that one). It's funny, haunting and educational all at the same time.

Skeptics With A K (website)
From Merseyside in the UK, Skeptics with a K focuses more on scientific skepticism and regularly covers topics such as debunking ghosts, homeopathy and psychics, as well as discussions about placebo, peer review and scientific design. With their new PhD panelist Alice, it now also has a good dose of molecular biology thrown into the mix. The thing that I really love about Skeptics with a K is that the podcasters manage to both be hilariously offensive and the most genuinely lovely people all at the same time. Highly recommended for anyone who likes to take a critical look at the media they consume.

The Naked Scientists (website)
A recap on the science news of the week, as well as answering questions that you never realised you were curious about until now, such as "why do your eyes water when you yawn" and "why do chameleons change colour"?

Do any of you have some good podcast recommendations (science or not! And on the topic of not-science podcasts, listen to SERIAL podcast if you haven't already - oh my, it's good. You'll all be hooked.)

Much love,

Friday 21 November 2014

Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

The moment that I stepped outside with my camera and stood against favourite white wall to take some outfit photos, everything felt so normal again. I didn't realise just how much I had missed regular blogging! Well, my exams are now over and that means I am pretty much free for the summer. And like always... now I don't know what to do with myself. While studying (note: procrastinating), I made about 100 different plans of things to do and make and people to see over the summer - and now I'm completely overwhelmed by my own freedom and I'll likely just spend the next couple of days sitting around in my underwear wasting time on facebook instead. Ho hum. But I just have to keep reminding myself that having some downtime is okay!

Dress is thrifted | necklace c/o Now Or Never Jewelry | earrings are handmade | shoes c/o Chicwish (old)| socks from Glebe Markets

The necklace that I am wearing is a sponsored gift from Now Or Never, an independent handmade designer from Spain with some of the the coolest, quirkiest jewellery I have ever come across. They have just released an ~amazing~ collection of candy-themed accessories called the "Psychocandy Collection", which I think would make some perfect Christmas gifts (or a treat for yourself!)

I also went on a cute sock splurge at Glebe Markets last weekend (which I have already posted all about on my instagram), so be prepared to see a lot of cute patterned socks on my blog! I am loving these pineapple ones. My housemate happened to buy me some pineapple underwear on the same day that I got the socks, so I spent the rest of that day being a pineapple queen! All I need now is a pineapple skirt/shorts and I will have a complete pineapple outfit (life goals, right?)

I've missed you all so dearly! Update me on what's been going on in your lives while I've been absent from blogging these past few months!

Love always,

Sunday 9 November 2014

DIY Seashell Bra Mermaid Top | Make Thrift Buy #7

Hi! I can't believe I've already done 7 episodes of Make Thrift Buy - they're so much fun to make and I can't wait until my exams are over (1.5 weeks, everybody!) because then I can start working on it full-time! I've had over 100 great suggestions for clothes to try out and I can't wait to finally tackle as many as I can (and don't forget to leave me links if you find something cool that you want me to try out. The weirder the better imo, and you all know I'm a sucker for novelty).

I should really be studying right now and not making videos, but I actually think that having this to do on the side is helping me remain (somewhat) sane ~

(University exams are such a killer. Does anyone else ever feel totally and completely overwhelmed by uni assessments??)

~*I hope you like it!*~