BEAUTY BIRD EDIT

Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy things that spark joy. Whether its a thoughtful gift, a clever beauty product, a fashion find or something for the wish-list, these are the five that did it for me this week:

THIS VIETNAMESE COCONUT BROOM Perfect for sweeping leaves, making a deeply satisfying swishing sound and providing enrichment for a small dog

Gigi loves the broom almost as much as I do. .

How can a broom be a thing of beauty? When it looks like this. When it sweeps a larger surface area in one swoosh than any broom I have ever used before. When it was a gift from my boyfriend's mother because she wanted to make boring domestic chores easier for me. When it makes a swishing sound so satisfying, that every sweep is like music to my ears (swish swish swish swish). I cannot bear ASMR, it gives me full body ick, but I would listen to this broom swish and swoosh on repeat, no complaints at all.

Look at the detail. Simple but effective. If you walked into a gallery and lay this in the middle of the floor, or leant it against the wall, people might mistake it for art. Made entirely from parts of the coconut tree, it's durable, eco-friendly and lovely to use. Is it a red flag of mid-life that I am fangirling over a broom? If it is, I don't care. I love my broom. I think this was from somewhere in Marrickville but if I have broom-fluenced you, you can find them on Amazon and elsewhere. Just google Vietnamese Coconut Broom and thank me later.

THESE MILANI BAKED BLUSHERS, BRONZERS AND HIGHLIGHTERS Glow-giving powders that deliver lit-from-within radiance well beyond their price point.

I'm not sure this picture does justice to the luminous quality of these powder blushers, bronzers and highlighters which are slow-baked in the sun on Italian terracotta tiles . The baking process evaporates any liquid, leaving a velvety soft, almost creamy-feel powder that's beautifully pigmented and leaves the skin with a seriously lit-from within glow. It's a cult product, recently reformulated to include skincare goodness including grape leaf extract and olive oil, in a range of blushers, bronzers and highlighters.

I am not exaggerating when I say these punch well above their price ($26.99 in Priceline, but even cheaper when Priceline have their excellent beauty sales). If you don't like pearly or shimmery pigments, then these may not be for you but believe me when I say they are serious radiance givers and the texture is delicious. .

Personally I like feeling a little otherworldly and the glow these give make me feel not like a five year old at a fairy party, but like a 45 year old with her shit together, shimmer and all.

THIS LANCOME RENERGIE COLLAGEN LIFT-XTEND CREAM A cushiony moisturiser that leaves skin feeling firmer, supported and convincingly better.

Evidence of how much I have loved this moisturiser. Almost finished.

My job is to distil scientific or hyped-up beauty marketing speak for a consumer audience; to find products that work, instead of just wanging on about how good they are. And I mean, brands really go to town with their claims, as I have touched on before, here. There are so many promises of age-reducing, gravity defying, wrinkle-disappearing, botox in a bottle-like benefits out there, its a wonder we aren't all walking around with plump little baby faces. But a lot of this is marketing to entice you to buy. Nothing is a miracle cure, and while there is definitely evidence to back up some of the benefits, it takes consistency sometimes for weeks and months to see meaningful change.

Topical products can only do so much. But this velvety, cushiony, skin-supportive, enticingly shiny purple jar really has my heart (and my face). It contains Collagen-Threads, Collagen Peptides and Copper-Tripeptide to lift, smooth and firm with a formulation inspired by Korean thread lift procedures. While no, it is really isn't going to give you the effect of actual Korean thread lifts - an invasive cosmetic treatment - I really did notice my skin feeling exceptionally supported, plumper and firmer, and well hydrated all day long. And for $185, you really want these results.

THESE DECJUBA BALLOON JEANS Exaggerated denim that delivers main character energy.

I bought these jeans from Decjuba because I was looking for something that wasn't a millennial skinny jean (got plenty of those, HA) and these are delightfully, exaggeratedly baggy, but in a way that makes me feel like I have main character energy, just swooshing about in my giant jeans without a care in the world because I am so cool. They are such a brilliant shape, and I think because they're so baggy, they make my currently dumpling-shaped body look quite proportional by comparison. Very flattering (probably not so much if you are short) but I wore these with my pale blue, denim striped and sparkly Zara shirt, and a matching denim blazer and I felt fire, as the kids say. They come in black and navy denim too. I took a photo of myself wearing them but it was unflattering because I seem steadfastly unable to learn how to work my angles to my benefit. I swear I looked amazing in real life, but on film, I looked like mashed potato. Anyway, they are my favourite jeans. Decjuba denim is brilliant. Chic, fashiony, reasonably priced. My favourite shorts, which are a washed denim, covered in silver studs, are from Decjuba also .

THIS POLENE HANDBAG A sculptural, under-the-radar luxury statement that elevates everything you wear it with.

Some handbags say I have money, and some say I have taste. This is definitely the latter, though you need the former to buy it. I first saw this Polene bag on an extremely chic lady in Bondi and almost gasped. Cool, soft, beautifully crafted, exceptionally beautiful but understated. Very quiet luxury vibes. Actual perfection. I asked her about it. "It's Polene," she said "I love it because it's unpretentious." I am obsessed with the sculptural beauty of this bag and so many of Polene's other designs. It comes in all sorts of colours, in buttery soft leather. Maybe one day I will find myself in their Paris flagship store, on the Champs-Élysées, with $830 begging to be spent. A girl can dream.

Seen something beautiful lately? Tell me about it! I live for tiny hits of delight.