Over the years of getting into makeup i've never been sold on buying the many makeup brushes "beauty gurus" have recommended. They can just be so....expensive. And i'd rather use that money on actual makeup rather than a little brush. Anyone with me on that?

When I first got into makeup there was one brush I wanted soso badly: the MAC 217 blending brush. If you have been reading blogs and watching Youtube for years you would have definitely heard about it yourself - and even drooled over it's blendyness. Unfortunately it was $37 and I just felt like I couldn't justify forking out that much money for a little brush, even though I was fully aware of it's high praise. So instead I flocked to ebay after hearing about how it does affordable makeup brush sets.

I bought a bunch of brush sets and waited to see what they would be like. In the back of my mind I had kind of assumed they may be duds but I didn't mind as they weren't expensive in the first place. When they arrived I was amazed at the quality. The brushes felt fluffy and looked high quality. I have now been using these for over a year and since then have gone on to purchase other ebay brush sets. My mum actually purchased the MAC 217 blending brush so I eagerly went to go try it. In my mind I had held it up as this holy grail extraordinary brush but in actual fact: it was good, but my ebay brushes did the exact same thing. I couldn't tell a difference in the outcome of my eyeshadow look by using that brush.

"If i'm being completely honest, I don't think there's any space for more bloggers in the industry - everyone is one these days. It's ridiculous.". 

This of course sparked a ton of bloggers tweeting about these comments - people angry that someone so influential could be so discouraging. Since there was a lot of backlash the article has been re-edited and she's changed her stance saying "if someone wants to start, go for it!". Erm...definitely A LOT different from her original quote am-i-right. I don't want to criticize her though, perhaps she just wasn't thinking when she said those comments. I like to believe the best in people.

I guess it is a valid question to ask though: is there space for more bloggers?

She is right, there are so many bloggers these days. Even a few years back having a blog wasn't a common thing and there was a lot less "competition" you could say. Photos used to be grainy phone pictures and people wrote as if no one was reading. These days everything is more pristine and cultivated into suiting the brand a person wants to build. I don't want to generalize things but objectively it does look like blogging has become something where people have realized you can make money off it whereas a few years ago it wasn't so much a thing. When I first started blogging in 2014 I never considered it could be a career pathway, it was just something I did on the side as a fun little hobby. And it still is that for me - I don't make any money off my blog I just do it because I enjoy it and love connecting with other bloggers/readers. For most people it's probably the same - a hobby and creative outlet. Unfortunately there are probably people out there that do it for the freebies and the chance to become the next Zoella.

I kind of miss the early days of blogging if i'm honest. People weren't so phased about stats and there was a nice informality about it. It was a bunch of people doing it because it was something they loved not because it could make them money.

In saying all this I do whole-heatedly believe there is ALWAYS space for more bloggers. Blogging is such a great creative outlet where you're able to express yourself  You can write about things you're passionate about. You can connect with other like-minded people. You can use it as a way of documenting the happenings of life. You can use it to share experiences in which you wouldn't feel comfortable sharing on social media (such as struggles in mental health ect). You can do anything you like as it's YOUR space on the internet to be completely authentic.

So if you're thinking of starting a blog then i'd 100% recommend doing it. If you have been blogging for awhile and are starting to feel discouraged then keep on going if it's still a passion. There will always be space for you. The people I wouldn't encourage are the ones who don't enjoy it but want to do it as a way to get freebies or make money.

This is my last post to wrap up this Melbourne series. If you haven't read my last two you can find them here and here.

Melbourne fashion reminds me A LOT of London, you can get away with going a bit more grunge. Where I live is very beachy so there are items in my wardrobe that remain untouched until I can bust them out for Melbourne.

This was an outfit I wore for a day strolling through the park and throwing some leaves about:

• Cashmere beanie: ASOS
• Jacket: Topshop
• 3/4 Length sleeve shirt: Brandy Melville
• Belt: Country Road
• Jeans: Topshop Jamie Jeans (my holy grail!)
• Boots: Dr Martens (so comfy for walking around in)

An outfit for strolling around on a rainy day: (sorry for elevator selfie, only photo I got!)

• Oversized knitted jumper: H&M 
• Chequered skirt: H&M
• Tights: Marks & Spencer
• Boots: Dr Martens
• Backpack: Le Pilage backpack by Longchamp

I've realized..I haven't done a "favourites" type post since January. JANUARY.

But this was kinda intentional. Instead of doing a favourites every month trying to find things to mention I decided to only do one when I was like "THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THESE PRODUCTS".

And beauty-wise i've been kinda lazy. I've found a bunch of products I like and stuck with them. Recently I have tried to mix it up which means i've discovered some gems, so here I am sharing them with you. ALSO in my lip swatch photos down below my face looks suuuper pale compared to my neck cause at the time I had just applied a fake tan, believe me it doesn't look this bad now aha.

• Be A Woman Other Women Need
• My Inbox Is Full Of Beards
• Can These 9 Texts Bag A Man? 

As you may have realized i'm doing a little Melbourne series. This is hopefully handy to anyone traveling there at some point, or perhaps you already live there and want some inspiration. Either way I got up to a lot of great things and thought i'd share what's worth doing.