Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Toothbrush

So, I know it's crazy how much I've talked about this Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Toothbrush to my parents & friends, but I mean, seriously, can you blame me? It's pink! And it's gorgeous! I had a cheap(ish) Oral-B one but it was sooo loud! I mean, it's not too much of a con, but I felt like I was waking everyone up in the morning & once I saw this pink one, I honestly couldn't stop thinking about it... Is that weird?

I was so confused at first about how to charge it. But the cool thing about this is that there are technically 2 chargers. You just have to put it in the glass cup, that sits on top of the silver thing. Once you plug it in & turn it on, it charges just like that. The other way is by connecting it to the travel case (the cute pink thing!) and you can either charge it to an outlet or by USB (wait, does that make it 3 different ways?). How cool is that?!

It's not completely quiet but it's definitely a lot quieter than my Oral-B one. It's quite strong & so I still have a bit of trouble controlling it at times ^^". It feels a little weird on my teeth but I'm sure I'll get used to it over time. And it has so many settings: clean, white, polish, gum care & sensitive. It also has the 2 minute timer that I think most electric toothbrushes have now.

It is quite expensive for a toothbrush, but I have been saving up for it so I thought I'd treat myself, you know? :D I know there's probably a lot of debate about whether they're actually good but what do you think? Obviously, I'm very for them but I'd love to hear what you think as well. I hope you enjoyed this mini product review and somewhat weird & random topic but talk to you next time!

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

♡ HAPPY MAIL

Happy Mail is one of my favourite types of mail. And it's not often I do swaps but occasionally I do and this time it was with the wonderful Alondra from Instagram. We've been good friends over the years and have done a few swaps before and I was so happy when she suggested we do another. And look at all the goodies she sent me! I felt bad about not sending enough but as long as we're both happy, that's the whole point of happy mail, right? And if we were to do another swap, I'd be sure to add a lot more goodies :-)

I asked if she could get the Target sticky notes and I didn't think she'd be able to get them in the colours I wanted, but I was so happy she found them and sent me not one, but two! And the Rifle Paper Co. Notebooks are gorgeous. They came in a bundle of 3 and they're lined with amazing paper quality, and the designs...wow. I am totally feeling the floral vibes lately and it's really so pretty.

As you can see, I have already started using my adorable new notepad and I can't get over all the amazing things she sent me. And I already posted this on my Instagram but here is what I sent her. I got myself a Kikki K pencil case as well and I absolutely love it. So I just thought I'd share my awesome mail news with you & I hope you enjoyed reading about it :-)

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

REN Rave

So, I mentioned a few posts back that I got a few REN face masks and well...a lot has happened since then. I did a lot of research online and had a few products I wanted to check out. I was going to wait until I used up the ones I had, but I was desperate people, I was desperate! My skin has been acting out lately & I just needed to do something about it, ASAP. Of course it wasn't an overnight miracle cure but hopefully if I give it time, my skin will learn to love it.

I got the Clarimatte Invisible Pores Detox Mask first & I think that is my favourite out of all the products I have. My skin feels so soft afterwards & it's helping clear up my blemishes, etc. The Glycolactic Mask makes your skin more radiant & it smells quite citrusy & nice.

I use the Rosa Centifolia to remove my make up & I looooove using the hot towel on my face afterwards. It's so relaxing after a long day & I just can't get enough. The rose scent was a little too much for me at first but I've grown to love it. After that, I cleanse my face with the Clearcalm 3 Clay Cleanser. Again, the smell was a little unusual - a little plastic-y, but I'm used to it now so it's quite nice as well.

After I wash my face, I finish with the Clarimatte T-Zone Balancing Gel-Cream which has the same lavender scent as the mask in the same Clarimatte line. It's very relaxing & not too heavy on the skin & it keeps my skin less oily throughout the day.

And while I waiting in the line to pay, I saw a tiny tub of the famous GLAMGLOW Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Mask & wow, they really mean tingle. It stung so much at first I thought it was too harsh for my skin, but no, it leaves my skin so clean & exfoliated. When I use this up (and save up a little more!), I'll most definitely be getting the bigger tub.

Unfortunately, post-Christmas sales means more shopping for Annie Rose. And rather than gifts, my relatives usually give me money for Christmas so...permission to spend? :P Oh well, I'd love your advice when it comes to skin care because as I said earlier, I'm desperate!

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

♡ #BLOGMAS 2014: Sephora Haul!!!

The day has finally come! I honestly can't believe it. What I can't believe even more is the fact that we waited in line for 2 hours in the scorching Aussie sun to get in. But boy was it worth it. I was a liiiiittle bit disappointed they didn't have a few things, but hey, we came back hands full, credit cards drained & hearts happy. Of course I went with Monica but it was sweet of Kalen & Jeremy to come with us. They went to get some boy stuff first but came back with cool drinks and stayed with us the entire time. It's the little things in life that just make you so happy, don't you think so?

The Sephora staff were also super nice. They handed out free gelato since it was so hot (unfortunately we missed out), but they gave almost everyone there these little gift bags. In it was the latest Cosmopolitan magazine, a sparkling water with a hint of lemon (soooo good!!) & Peanut Butter Flavoured TimTams. The little pink lips chocolate in the middle was from the cute Benefit boys at the door ;-) I just think that was such a sweet gesture on behalf of them.

Not to mention the opening 'ceremony' was so much fun. They had a countdown & played Shake It Off where the staff came out and danced. Then when it was finally time, there was confetti everywhere. It was so exciting, I've never been to anything like it. What was even more fun was that we made really nice friends in line as well.

And now... Ladies & Gentlemen... The goodies! I bought nearly everything on my Sephora Wishlist but was sad when I couldn't find some stuff. I really, really wanted the small Tarte Airbuki Brush but I don't think they had that, as well as the Tarte Lipstick & the Lavanilla deodorant. However, I got another Tarte brush that seems similar to the one I wanted & after reading a lot of positive comments about it, I'm feeling a lot better. And can I just say, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Mineral Foundation & Blush is amazing.

I was going back & forth between getting the Formula X System pack for $60 or not. I kept telling myself that considering you save $20 it wasn't that bad and that my nail polish will most definitely last longer with all of it. I tried it on as soon as I got home & am in loooove with the colour. So I definitely do not regret it :-) I got the shade Exclamation in case anyone's wondering.

When I was on the phone with my mom, she joked, "Get me a lipstick!". I actually wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but since Christmas is just around the corner & she's done such amazing things for me my whole life, in particular this year, I thought I'd splurge a little & bought her a Marc Jacobs lipstick in the shade Heartbroken. Let me just say, the entire Marc Jacobs collection is drool-worthy but unfortunately very expensive.

And finally, the Kat Von D Tattoo liner. Of course I had to try everything on this morning & I have to say, it just glides on. It's so much easier to apply than the Stila one but it's not as long-wearing. The Stila liner didn't budge once you put it on, but the Kat Von D one does rub off quite easily.

Depending on how you look at it, I either bought a lot, or not that much. I was kinda proud of myself that I didn't put too much in my basket, but once I got to the checkout... not-so-happy. I was so excited that they said they were going to match U.S. prices but was sad at how expensive it still was. Nonetheless, I'm sure such big hauls at Sephora won't happen too often so I thought, why the heck not?

I hope you all had a great day & are enjoying #Blogmas so far :-)

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

PUPPY TRILOGY PART II: Major Collective Puppy Haul!

Soooo.... I did a lot of shopping... And I thought I'd show you what I got :P As you would expect from me, this will be a super long post.

The biggest splurge was Teddy's bed. It's from an amazing site called Charley Chau. It's great quality & has such cute designs. It's a little pricey but so worth it! And they added a little hand-written note, which I love and think is such amazing service. I think they originally started their company by designing beds for their Italian Greyhounds so the size is a little big, especially for Teddy. But she still has a little growing to do & it's great to have some of her 'friends' in there as well :D

As you can see, she absolutely loves it! :D Next are a lot of grooming, toys & accessories. One of my favourites is the Mattie & Margot collar and leash. It was such a thoughtful & amazing gift from her Aunty Mon Mon & Uncle Jerbil (a.k.a. Monica & Jeremy :P) And again, another hand-written thank you note + a discount code for next time. Oh, and another great thing about this brand is that when you get sick of the collar or want something new, you can return it to them. Then they'll turn it into a key fob & return it to you! So a cute & environmentally friendly brand :D



There's a cool store that sells a lot of pet things called Petbarn. I guess it would be similar to your Pets At Home or Petcetera or Pet Smart, and those kind of stores. I took a visit to this place even before I got Teddy, just so we could be fully prepared. Here was my first ever puppy haul. Some treats, training pads, toys & an ear cleaner. I read that dogs with floppy ears like Teddy need their ears cleaned more often so I made sure to get that. She absolutely loves the JerHigh Milky Sticks but the Old Mother Hubbard treats were a little stale & she didn't like them too much.

The Yours Droolly Training Pads were great. They were big, had adhesives so they'd stick on the floor and were super absorbent so that they didn't leave paw prints all over the place. The only bad thing was what I mentioned earlier. They only have 4 little adhesive spots so Teddy was able to tear it all off. Even after I stuck it down, she started biting at the actual pad area in the middle so they had to go. Not to mention they're pretty pricey.





On my second trip to Petbarn, I bought some more treats, the classic Kong, a little tennis ball & tear stain remover. I would definitely recommend everything except the tear stain remover. I should have waited a little before buying it since my vet recommended water instead of products, even though this is all 'natural'. Teddy's stains are also quite dark & seemingly permanent until we got them trimmed.

Another online store I checked out was Peticular. They have some pretty stylish dog beds, bowls & that was where we were introduced to the Mattie & Margot collars. I bought 2 Felli Pet dog bowls. They had a range of colours including Fuscia, Lime, Aqua & Tangerine. The shipping was super fast with a cute little receipt slip & a little treat for me as well :-)





The breeder we bought Teddy from gave us a bag of Royal Canin Mini Junior kibbles. I was researching a few dog food brands and was leaning heavily towards this one but was a little hesitant because of the price. But after much consideration, I thought better safe than sorry so I decided to stick with this. Nutrition-wise, it's perfect for growing puppies. But it does have a strong smell which I think affects the smell of her pee as well (too much info?). On the other hand, it makes her poop nice & solid so that's great :D (way too much info).

I went a little crazy on the whole grooming & smelling nice thing. Since Cavoodles don't shed, it was recommended that we brush her every day to prevent matting & whatnot. The Rufus & Coco Self Cleaning Slicker Brush is great because if you press the button thingy, it cleans itself (as the name suggests :D). Teddy didn't like it at first but now that I've brushed her everyday, she doesn't mind too much.

Rufus & Coco also released these Pee Here & Wee Away products that does what the name suggests. I put a few drops of the Pee Here on her training pad and she peed a little off the pad the first time but on it the second, so I guess it's somewhat effective. The Wee Away is great when she pees on the rug. It's supposed to get rid of stains & prevent re-soiling (not entirely convinced on that but smells good).

I'm not one to leave negative reviews for things, but the FuzzYard Breath Gel is terrible. Teddy hates the smell of it and wriggles her way out all the time. If not, her teeth are completely clamped. I also bought the Petosan Toothbrush & Toothpaste. I'm happy to report that she absolutely loves it! Maybe a little too much... But it leave her teeth clean & breath fresh.

Another less than positive review is for the Essential Dog Shampoo & Deodorising Cologne in Chamomile, Sweet Orange & Rosewood. There were so many positive reviews about this so I thought I'd try it out. The shampoo does what a shampoo should, I guess. But the cologne barely lasts 2 minutes. It smells okay but doesn't last. After I spritz Teddy, she goes a little crazy as well so I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. She does the same thing after I spray the Molly Mutt Dog Bed Freshener on her bed. But it smells great & lasts longer, is supposedly all natural & repels fleas as well.

And finally, the Frontline Spray. I got a little freaked out when the groomer said she had fleas. One of them said there was a lot, but the other said there were only a few. We all constantly check her but can never find any. But to be safe, we bought the Frontline Spray for fleas & ticks on our way out (Totally scammed by the way! It was so expensive at the vet/groomer). I know I could have bought the spot treatment or whatnot, but I already bought a pack of Sentinel (forgot to photograph!) that covers all worms & fleas. I'll be starting her on that in December but I'll keep spraying her monthly since it gets rid of ticks as well. BTW, I sprayed her and there were barely any fleas so either the product's a dud or the groomers got me :-(

And finally, I popped into Petbarn again yesterday but I had a good reason! 1. We were running out of kibbles, and 2. I had a 20% off voucher that expired on the 1st of December so I had to use it ASAP :P And as usual, I can't walk into any store without getting just what I needed. So I picked up a little Rawhide Chew that will clean her teeth as well as keep her from chewing my toes & fingers, a flea comb & an early Christmas present. She sure loves slippers so why not get her a squeaky one?

Now, that was a whole lot of rambling. I would love to hear your thoughts on all these products & as always, I'd love any and all advice. And since I'm a little bit of a shopaholic, I'm open to any suggestions of online stores that sell cute dog accessories, etc.

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

SPENDING BAN?!

So uh...this happened again. Don't worry, it wasn't ALL in one go but...it's still pretty bad. Since Sephora is opening in 2 months & I have a wish list that will make Santa cry, I thought I'd put myself on a beauty spending ban for the months of October & November. And possibly a stationery spending ban as well. Not to mention, a Mecca Maxima is opening in Burwood, which is dangerously close to where I live. A spending ban is desperately required to save up for major Sephora & Mecca hauling, plus Christmas presents.

But here was my last major spending spree for the month of September. Like I said, this wasn't all just yesterday so I've already used some things already, but there are a few things I just HAVE to talk about.

Oh Chloé. Chloé, Chloé, Chloé. How do I even start to describe my love for you? My previous favourite perfumes were the Miss Dior Cherie Blooming Bouquet & Eau De Toilette but this may have just slightly overtaken my love for them. This is the See By Chloé in the darker pink/red colour. It's just...perfect. It's got such beautiful layers to the scent but the best way I can describe it is, muted floral. I'm not a fan of overly sweet, overly florally scents so this is just, perfect (how many times have I said the word perfect?). I tried to justify it because it was on sale at the chemist. Probably not the most trustworthiest place to get it, but hey, it smells great & it was a little easier on the wallet.

Next up is the Soap & Glory Clean On Me Shower Gel. This is the second time I'm buying this and that's because I love the smell of it. It's again, a muted citrus scent. I guess I'm just the type that doesn't like really overpowering scents so I go for the 'muted' ones. The last one I bought still has some left & it's lasted me months so while I was in the city, I thought I'd get a backup. I took a whiff of the others that were available, Clean Girls & Sugar Crush, but they just weren't me.

And finally, the Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick in the shade 14. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little worried when I saw how bright the pink was. But once I swatched it on my hand, I was surprised to see it was quite sheer. So, into the basket it went! I've never really tried sheer lipsticks but loved the idea of them so much. To be able to put lipstick on without having to dab it with a tissue & apply repeatedly to get it to the right shade sounded great. I can't wait to wear this tomorrow & I'll keep you updated on how I like it!

Anyways, I was intending for this to be a short post but I guess it's probably expected of me to ramble on by now. Anyone else willing to go on this spending ban with me? Perhaps maybe just for one month? Let me know if you do & how you go - then we can suffer together xD

I also thought I'd mention that I'll be participating in Yay For Fridays #fflovephotoaday Challenge this month because it's the month of my birthday! Woo hoo! Funnily enough, my birthday is actually on a Friday this year so...Yay For Fridays! I won't be posting a photo EVERY day but whenever I can so if you'd like to keep updated, don't forget to follow me on Instagram! Also, I know it should be planner-related most of the time, I don't always follow the rules so hopefully that'll be okay.

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

RIFLE PAPER CO. GOODIES

Look what came in the mail!

Unforunately, I was being a bad blogger & forgot to photograph all of the things. I was a little too busy wrapping them in cute Kikki K. wrapping paper with lots & lots of washi tape. Come on, I know you all do it.

And as I said a few posts back, I ordered a few things for myself as well. The adorable London phone case & a desk calendar. You may be thinking...but that's 2014. I probably should have gotten the 2015 one seeing as it's already September, but my love for travelling got the better of me. Plus, it was half price - that's always a nice bonus. I reckon I'll just keep it on my desk for years to come, just because the prints are so cute.

As soon as I got them, I promptly switched my current, boring case with my awesome new one & made room on my desk for my calendar. They both look great! The brand, Rifle Paper Co. is such a gorgeous mix of cute & sophisticated art...if that makes sense, and I'm really loving it. Kalen thinks it's cool but apparently not cool enough to actually put on his phone. So, for now, Mon will use it and if he changes his mind...well we'll see what happens. Oh well. He always deals with all my crazy so I understand & love him nonetheless :-)

What do you guys think about my new phone case? Have you gotten anything from Rifle Paper Co? I've been browsing the website & have a few things I wish I bought... But that's a whole other story.

Love Always,

Anna Banana ♡

SHOPPING IN THE CITY!

Hello again!
What is this? 2 posts in 2 days? Someone's on a roll! :-)

Well, I went shopping in the city today for a little retail therapy/lunch date and bought a few things... So I thought I'd make a post of what I got & give my thoughts them.

My mom needed a shower cap & I remembered seeing this adorable one at Myer one day so I just HAD to get it for her. It's by the brand Soap & Glory and I absolutely love it. I also have the Hand Maid hand sanitiser and the Clean On Me shower gel. They. Smell. Amazing! If you love citrus-y & sweet smells, you would love them. They have a huge range of products such as scrubs, shower gels, make up and other accessories such as the shower cap. But I just want them all, okay? :P

The Soap & Glory range at Myer isn't huge but it's better than nothing. I am sooooooo excited for Sephora to be opening in Sydney soon & I'm hoping they'll have an even bigger range there. And while I'm on the topic of Sephora, I am already making a very, very long wish list of all the things I want once it opens. Let's just say, I should be saving up now... (Tarte, Boscia, Urban Decay, Marc Jacobs Make Up, Kat Von D, Formula X...the list is endless!)

Body Shop & Myer Mini-Haul :-)

I also got 2 Body Butters - Brazil Nut & Olive. I always have such a hard time deciding which scent I want. I'm usually the kind of person who buys one thing and usually only gets that but I wanted to branch out a little. I had to get my usual, Brazil Nut, and I've always wanted the Olive one but never did for one reason. But after much contemplating, my boyfriend, Kalen, insisted I get it because he liked it as well. Honestly, he's not helping my shopping addiction... ♡

Mango Hand Cream

And just as we were waiting in line to checkout, I spotted these cute little hand creams. Again, there were so many scents to choose from but I fell in love with this mango one. Kalen actually hates the smell of mangoes but he liked this one because it doesn't smell like mangoes at all! It's so sweet & fruity & just perfect! And I love the packaging. It's nice & small to keep in my backpack or just on my desk. I'm positive I'll be coming back for more. Adding this little tube to my body butters made my total $50+ & I know, I know...that's a lot. But there's always a silver lining! Head down to The Body Shop now because if you spend $50 or more, you get $10 off your next shop! Woo hoo! Now I'll definitely be back (The offer is until the end of September)

Ahh, right now, I am swooning at the smell of my own self! I've got my Olive Body Butter on & my Mango Hand Cream on...I'm in heaven. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post! I'll probably write up another post straight after this on my holy grail beauty products. What can I say? I'm in a blogging state of mind & it's so much fun just writing about the things I love...although...is anyone out there? Does anyone really care? :-)

Oh well,
Love Always
Annie ♡