2015:: Life in Fashion

Hi everyone!!

I think I’ll expose myself too much if I did a throwback to all my fashion posts so I’ve decided to narrow it down to my favourites of 2015. My blog was originally fashion based but when I started a new job this year I just realized that I could either stop blogging for a while or just write about what I was going through and I'm just so glad that I decided to do that!!

Today though I want to also pat myself on the back because whenever I got an opportunity, I did not let it go to waste. I do want to eventually transition back to fashion because it's one of my passions but for now I need to prioritize my studies and other goals in my life.

Today I'm sharing with you my best 9 from this year! I hope you guys agree with me in this selection!!

I hope you guys will continue to visit my blog despite the lack of amazing lighting and scenic backgrounds (working on it, promise) and that you understand/identify with my pairings! My wardrobe is super tiny and I re-use a lot of statement pieces - which is actually the goal of my blog and that is the realization that you can have style without having a massive wardrobe collection!!

Here's to another year!!

Always have hope!!

xx

New Year's Eve:: Burgundy Lace

Hi Everyone!

I think it's safe to say that I'm obsessed with lace!! I think whenever I'm looking for a nice party dress my options are pretty pastels and lace dresses! 

I wore this beautiful burgundy dress at my friend's wedding in March! It's also a Mr Price dress just like the one in the previous post! It's also safe to say that I live in those stores! Haha!!

I think with this option you can go on a NYE datenight  where you can spend the last few hours of 2015 and early hours of 2016 with your one and only. After that you guys can definitely join the party all around town!! 

The shoes are from Legit and they also have a brown/nude and pink/orange option!

What do you guys think?

New Year's Eve :: White Lace

Hi everyone!

Seeing that I've gone more lifestyle on the blog I've gotten so used to writing in my jammies with a messy bun and a great cup of coffee. And I just haven't been feeling up for shoots lately. Butttt I've been so inspired by the GRWM videos for the New Year and all of you guys looking gorgeous in your OOTD posts!

So this morning I bought a lot of fresh veggies and fruits and I've been trying out some easy snack recipes I found on Youtube.

If you feel great on the inside - it will reflect on the outside!

So to prepare for New Year's Eve I'm putting together 3 options (originally it was going to be a wishlist because I've been feeling quite body awful lately but like I said I feel great today so I've decided to create a lookbook instead!)

Option 1 is this beautiful lace dress I got at Mr Price. I got it the time I went to our annual reunion in October and it's been one of my staple pieces ever since. Actually today I was feeling like stacking it full of pearls and vintage necklaces and I don't have any!! Starting a necklace collection feels very logical right now!!

What do you guys think of this look?

Love,

Valuable Lessons of 2015

Hi everyone!

This year has definitely been a roller coaster year for sure! If you track my posts from January you’ll see that I’ve gone from post student time to learning how to adapt at the workplace, coping with having my own money, move to more lifestyle blogging and taking blogging more seriously in a way, build up more confidence and also learning a crapload of new things at work.

I have to say that it has definitely also not been an easy year. Struggled to fit in at work because I still have a career identity crisis so I’d have to learn to make smart decision that aren’t necessarily what I would’ve have wanted at the time but I have to learn to make adult decisions based on pros and cons that I always advise you guys to do.

I’ve also learnt so much about myself through my ‘how to’ posts because I truly do what I advise you to do or it’s based on a period of my life where I also had to go into survival mode. My friends sometimes say that I’m too hard on myself and I had to look in the mirror and try to find out why that is. I just find myself so guarded sometimes and I really don’t want you to be like me in that regard but know that what I say to you is truly what I do in order to be okay and fully functional! And most importantly to be HAPPY.

So these are the most important lessons that I’ve learnt this year!

1.       Have some faith!! Faith comes from hope so never live one day without hope.

2.       Always be better than yesterday. This whole year has been a learning year therefore you can’t be taught the same thing every day so always apply what you’ve been taught and then become a boss at it the next day.

3.       Do what makes you happy. If you hate your job and you spend the majority of your day there – you’ll be on anti-depressants in 6 months

4.       Plan your time. You only realize that you had time when it’s gone.

5.       Execute your plans. Otherwise you’ll always be in the dream-level of your life.

6.       Eating badly leads to weight gain. I am now living in all my bad eating habits that were caused by unhappiness and stress by an unexpected workload and change in environment. So no matter how you feel, always watch you eat. 

7.       Don’t be in denial about your inability to adapt in a new environment. If you admit and address it you might be able to survive better.

8.       Always treat yourself every month. It can be manicures or trying out new restaurants and trying new hairstyles.

9.       Don’t get stuck in a routine. I truly don’t know anything worse than doing the same things every day for the whole year.

10.   Plan for a getaway. I’m ridiculously regretting that I didn’t plan anything this year and it will just NEVER happen again!

11.   Have your goals on paper. In that way you’re holding yourself accountable. The year is long and you can’t go through the whole year without feeling like you accomplished something! No matter how small. Have goals and keep track of their progress.

Reflecting now has really made me so emotional! It’s been a good year. Learnt so much! Grown so much!!

Love,

Affordable Christmas Dinner Beauty Essentials!

Hi everyone!!

So as we speak I'm on my way home to spend Christmas with my family! For some reason I hope it rains because I want to be able to wear my beautiful lace dress that I got for the dinner.

On our Christmas days we've always just come together for dinner, took a few pictures and just continued with the day. This year I asked my mom to buy a tree because we've spent the last 6 years without one. And a Christmas tree just ties everything together in my opinion!

So to prepare for the dinner I got some key things all under R250 so that you can keep Christmas shopping under control.

I saw these cute palettes by Essence(Roses, Greys, Neutrals and Bronze) and got the Bronze one because I just thought it will go well with the dinner party theme and my dress is burgundy so I thought it will also fit well with the dress.
I sort of lost my eyeshadow brush so I picked up this one to try it out (I seriously need to start my brush collection already omw). Hopefully it works well!
And then the red nail polish was so unplanned and to be honest I do not like red on my nails but I'm just so focused on putting the whole Christmas look together so I think it will look spectacular!
Can't wait to try out my falsies! They just look sooo amazing!!
The mask is for after Christmas - my skin will definitely deserve a 20 minute session and also because it was recommended to use the mask twice in the first week of use.

Have you guys used Sorbet face masks? What can you tell me about them?

Also...how will you guys spend your Christmas?

Love,

MCMs of 2015!!

Hi everyone!

2015 has had so many amazing highs and new people have just popped up from all over and based on a recent conversation I’ve decided to share my #MCM’s with you! I’ve been watching The Real online a lot lately and I always loved the #MCM section of the show!

I know that it's not Monday but to be quite honest I only remembered #MCM on Wednesdays. This year I’d say that I definitely chilled under a rock because I always knew of new people way after everyone else was tired of them. So today I’m sharing with you some eye candy from the music scene/ tv shows!

Decided to keep it to a minimum because I'm sort of scared to reveal what a perv/dork I am.

1. Jidenna

Lol guys, am I the only one that thinks that this guy is totally gorg? I mean I never really got to watch the Classic Man video but when I was jamming to Yoga I would be supper excited to get to Jidenna's part of the song!! This guy is totally 100!

urban daily/google

2. The Weeknd

Guys I seriously only knew him from the I can't feel my face song while the rest of you guys probably knew him from his track on 50 shades or even before that! I absolutely love this guy's voice and his creativity!! I'm still a bit undecided about the hair but I guess it's what makes him The Weeknd!!

Billboard mag/Google

3. Terrence J
Guys this guy has been around foreverrrr and I'm just like hey, Terrence now! If you read my 20 facts you know that I'm super gaga about him!! He seems to have an awesome personality and who of course can miss his gorg smile? I think I should stop talking about him now(lol).

DCPOSE.com/Google

4. Steelo Brim
I only know Steelo from Ridiculousness but these days I see him more on Social Media at events and so on. To be quite honest - my mom once said that she wanted me to marry him because he's so good looking!! Do you guys agree?

Google

5. Trai Byers
I know you know him!! Everyone watches Empire!! What draws me to Trai is his personality and humility! Try following him on social media and you'll love him too!!

Essense Magazine/Google

6. Kendrick Sampson
I mean how can I complete this post without this How to get away with murder hottie?! Nah girls! I was introduced to this guy by my friend Thembi and when he joined the cast of one of my fave tv shows I just paid more attention to him because he's just drop dead gorg without effort!! He's also interesting on Instagram!!

Vanity Fair/Google

So what do you guys think? 

Let me know about people that are not on this list but are on yours!

(They might be on my extended version)

Lol!!

Enjoy the holidays!!

Affordable Party Dresses

Hi everyone!

Omw guys, I've been procrastinating so much lately. Creating a lust list has literally been on my to do list for the longest time and I've just never shared it with you guys. Omw, deepest apologies!!

I'm going to start off with simple and affordable options from Legit and MrPrice. I think those two outlets fit everyone's pocket and that it's super stylish for parties around December. I wanted to create several options for you guys so in this post it will just be the classic little black dress.

The skater dress is amazing for people with wider hips and girls with amazing shoulders. The sheer dress is for girls with a lean body and giraffe legs and who are a bit shy about their arms (yes, girls like that exist) and then the black and white dress is basically for the average height girl who want to show off some curves and then that last dress will cater for girls with abs.

1. Lace Skater Dress

2. Black Sheer Dress

3. Black and White Bodycon

4. Mesh Bodycon Dress

I hope you guys love this selection!!

Love,

Preventing January Brokedom

Hi everyone!!

I watch people go through this every year and it amazes me how people still don’t plan for their shortcomings in January. My mom is a teacher so she’ll always tell me that her kids would all pack up and go see their families in Gauteng and then in January they won’t have enough money for school fees, uniform or books.

So this is only my first year of working and I obviously have no experience in staying afloat myself so these suggested tips will be of how I plan to have myself covered when I return to work in January!! Obviously you should let your hair down, enjoy yourself and end 2015 on a good note! But before you do that, you’ll want to consider these few life saver tips!!!

Pay all your fixed costs (recurring costs) for January now before starting with your Christmas Shopping.

Buy what you’ll need in January now while you have money e.g sanitary products that ran out in December.

Keep your gift shopping to what you can afford.

Only go on trips that you’ve been planning for or ones you are invited to and the majority of the trip has already been taken care of or is free.

Buy things with an expiry date that is past January – in that way you know that you won’t have to include it in your January grocery list.

Avoid using your credit card. Or use an amount that you can pay off within the first month in 2016.

Don’t pick up the tab - no matter how monied you are. You’ll remember that money when it’s rough and the people who you supplied with free booze will also be too broke to remember you.

Make your way back to where you live after the holidays 2 days in advance. I found that it helps you get ready for the first workday of 2016 and also gives you enough time to run last minute errands before the hecticness starts up again.

Enjoy Christmas and New Year responsibly!!

Love

How to Function on Reserve Tank

Hi everyone!!

In the last couple of weeks I’ve been sooo sooo tired. My weekends are also filled up so I haven’t been able to sleep for a full day. On top of that I have to still show up for my 8 to 5 and also be alert and accurate for it. At this moment I’m just closed for business but it seems like it’s our busiest time yet!! Most of all new information has not been absorbed by my brain yet and at this point, it will only be processed sometime next year!!

So to cope I’ve decided to rely on my list making skills because I need to get my life!!!

1.       Rely on your body’s routine.

I think our bodies get used to waking up at the same time everyday so when your body’s up just go with it because if you snooze that button your body will relax and you’ll wake up 3 hours later.

2.       Drink a lot of water.

Seeing that I’m like zombie on heels at work I make sure that I’m a water-drinking zombie on heels. I think what most girls do when going through a stressful period is to also neglect basic healthy necessities. We’re just hopped up on energy juices and we forget to give our bodies that most important element to provide us energy with.

3.       Isolate.

As much as its healthy to see people and have conversations it’s also important to take a day off. If that’s not possible for you do an activity that will still enable you to be alone. I think that spending time alone allows you to help you realize what’s exhausting you and I think you get an opportunity to exercise some problem-solving powers. At this moment I think I’m stressed because I’m doing new work on my own and that I think I’m in a team with the worst planners on earth. I can’t say anything because there are my bosses and I think they might take it the wrong way because I’ve only been here for a year. There – I feel better for saying it already!!

4.       What now?

I think as girls we need control in our environment. So then if there’s chaos we need a way out or a way to cope. So in finding that solution you have to think about the solution that benefits you and also a solution that will not regret. People act irrationally when pressurized so take some days and think about it or better yet ask people who’ve been in the same situation as you!!

5.       Count the days!!

We’re almost closing and in order to get there I have to go through this hardship but I think it’s always better to go through something with a goal in mind. So always look forward to the next thing. Your life can’t be standing still or be stuck in a rut so never fail to make plans and don’t think that your life is meant to go nowhere!! That can’t be the point of life!!

I promise you as soon as I concluded this post I can already feel the difference in how I feel now than what I felt when I walked into work this morning!!

I HOPE YOU APPLY IT!!

Love,

How to become a morning person

Hi everyone!!

For the longest time I only identified myself as a night owl. On most mornings I just used to roll out of bed and it would take close to 3 hours to be really awake. I really don’t miss those days. I think one day last year after I couldn’t sleep for 3 days(…again) I just decided to get up and watch the sun rise for 2 days and it was super life changing for me. I would cry or whatever but that was because I felt burdened at the time, but that specific time in the morning became my favourite time of the day.

I think with a little mindset changes you can become a morning person too!

1.       The key to changing anything is for you to accept that YOU need to want to be a morning person. It’s the same as negativity and optimism. No-one is born to be the one thing forever. So in order to become something you must really want to become it.

2.       Second thing is to work towards it. If you want to be a morning person you must be awake in the morning to truly transition. You must just let it all in. Have your breakfast by the window, take a quick run or start your day early.

3.       Appreciate things about the morning! I believe everyone has a lot of energy in the morning!! Your body is rested, your brain is fresh and a good stretch is actually effective. But if you roll out of bed and your posture is all wrong, you’re going to have a heavy day and everything is going to feel like a burden!! It’s a new day so look new too!!

4.       Slowly shut down the opposite. You can’t be negative and positive at the same time. Just as you can’t be a morning person and a night person at the same time which means that you’ll have an earlier bedtime person (which you must accept) and give yourself a fair opportunity to truly transition. No-one can willingly function on 3-4 hours of sleep every day (unless of course there are circumstances that make it impossible for you to get say 6-8 hours).

5.       Depending on where you live you might have the blessing of getting fresh. I live in a place surrounded by lots of trees and there’s just pure fresh air and it’s on a mountain. I can’t sleep with my windows open – I don’t react well when I’m face to face with a giant insect or based on where I live now some sort of snake that lost its way home. So the first thing I do is open the windows and just take in the new day.

6.       Always start your day with a nice and coldish glass of water. It gets your body up and running and I always find it impossible to sleep afterwards. I just think that you’re giving your body new fuel to just get it up and ready. Try to drink a full glass before you shower if you’re a coffee person so that by the time you drink your coffee your body had a chance to work with clean water!!

One thing I learnt from Fringe from Olivia was that mornings were her favourite time of the day because it was so full of promise and that you don’t know what the new day will bring and I will always carry that with me!!

Ps: Also, I love watching Michelle Phan (more like stalk but who’s investigating?) so I loved it when she said that whenever experiencing failure/disappointment it’s God’s way of saying not yet or there’s something better.

Always start your day on a positive note!!

Love,