5 Things to Share This Friday: Short Hair, Unveiled + More

It has been a while since I shared a Friday Five post here. So, I thought I'd revive this today. Always good to have a list blog post, especially when you have a number of random things to share.

That's my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it. 🙂

So, on with the five things - big and small, silly and serious, shallow and... Yeah, okay, you get the picture.

1. Short Hair, That I Have!

For the longest time now, I have been tempted to cut off most of my long hair. But, I've been chickening out. I haven't had short hair in a very long while. And, I've never had short hair that I loved. I can't help it. I like having long hair.

So, instead of chopping off my long locks, even when I was really keen to, I ended up with a mid-way cut a few months ago: not long, but not short either. It was fine, but I got a bit antsy. Besides, my hair was getting too dry and damaged.

That's why today, I finally decided to embrace short hair:

Ahhhh!

Not very short. Definitely not like my sister's pixie cut. But, it's my shortest cut in well over a decade. In fact, I don't even remember the last time I ever had a hair cut that exposed the back of my neck. That part of my body suddenly feels very chilly. 😉

I was actually pointing to photos in a hair magazine where the models had shorter hair. When I told my stylist at my favourite Korean salon here in Adelaide that I wanted to get my hair cut that short, she shook her head. She flatly refused to cut my hair too short. But, maybe she did the right thing as it may have been too much of a shock to my system if I went for the shorter cut. Heh.

I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to having short hair, or if I'd suddenly regret this decision one of these days. But, for now, I'm glad I've given this a go. Now, I just have to stop trying to flip my hair that's no longer there. Haha.

2. For the love of lips!

Inspired by the beauty conference I attended almost a week ago, I started having a look at some of the products that we were given during the event. Already sorted out a couple of things that I hope to give away... But, more on that at a later blog post.

While the verdict is still out on a few things that I have started testing from the ABC2012 packs, I discovered two new products that I fell in love with almost immediately: the Sweet Nectar lipstick by Face of Australia and Serene lip gloss by Natio.

Perhaps, it's not too surprising because I do have a certain weakness towards lipsticks/lipgloss. I can go out of the house without wearing any other makeup apart from the lippy. If there's such a thing as a "beauty staple" for me, lipsticks/lipgloss would probably be the one for me.

And yes, I am wearing this lipstick, with this lip gloss, in the photos of me that you see up there. 🙂

3. Sweet tooth cravings!

I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen lately, thanks to my brand new kitchen gadgets and my newfound flexible schedule. Not to mention, my food cravings.

And, I have discovered two new desserts that I love making (and eating!):

Meringues. Yes, meringues! I've eaten meringues before and I've liked them enough. But, I won't say I craved them. Until I started making my own! I especially love basic meringue cookies served with whipped cream OR homemade icecream and fresh fruit (strawberries for me, but hubby & son love them with raspberries too). According to the husband, my meringue desserts are the best dessert I've ever made in his book.

Dessert pizzas. I've never made them before. And, I've never even eaten them before either. But, when I was making some homemade pizzas one evening, I ran out of toppings for the regular pizza and we really had more than enough for all of us. So, I decided to make mini calzones and a dessert pizza with my excess dough. The calzones were okay but I think I need more practice on making them. But, these dessert pizzas: Unbelievably good!

These ones I made had bananas, walnuts, and caramel sauce toppings. I also served each dessert pizza slice with a scoop of homemade caramel macadamia nut icecream. So good.

4. Slow cook love!

I've been meaning to blog about another new kitchen gadget that I recently bought, shortly after I acquired my new icecream maker and breadmaker: my very first slow cooker.

That might seem really odd that I've never owned a slow cooker before. But yes, sadly, it's true. And now, I am wondering why I waited so long to get one. Sure, they need a bit of planning and preparation. But really, slow cooked meals are sooo good and sooo easy, they should definitely be a staple. I've done slow cooked lamb chops and slow cooked lamb shanks so far and both dishes turned out great. I can't wait to try other recipes, including making some slow cooked curries. Mmm.

5. Side Projects at Work

On a slightly more serious note, I'd like to share some work-related stuff. Yes, not the best on a Friday to blog about, but hey... That's what happens when you love the work that you do. 😉

Anyway, I know I'm busy enough, what with building my new company, being a mum to two young kids, finishing off a postgrad degree, and running a household with the hubby. So, side projects should probably be off limits. But, I can't help it. I love the challenge and the excitement of building stuff and trying out new things. Most of the time, though, I try to keep my side projects as related to work as possible. In any case, here are a couple I'd like to tell you about:

• Building CauseBrandSocial. I believe I have mentioned it briefly in my last blog post, but I haven't really explained what it's about. So, I thought I'd take the oppprtunity to share now. It's basically a community site that aims to connect good causes, good brands, and good bloggers to one another. It's still very much in beta, and I don't know yet how it will evolve. For now, though, I have started inviting some people to get on board and to explore the concept with me as I let it grow. So, if you're a blogger, a brand manager/business owner, or someone who works in nonprofits or charities, I'd love for you to check it out and see what you think of it. So far, I have a handful of bloggers, a brand that I am representing, and a couple of nonprofits who are signed up. I'll keep you posted with any developments.
• Vervely's VIP Circle - Well, this is not so much a side project but a project within the company that I am building. Basically, it's a membership offering allowing members to access some of my company's premium resources. Already had a sign-up within 24 hours of soft launching, so it's pretty exciting. Again, not sure yet how this would go, but I'm definitely keen to grow different offerings at Vervely.

So, there you go. My five things this Friday.

What about you? How did your week go? Anything you'd like to share?

Have a fabulous weekend!