December Favourites 2018

December has been another fast paced month! I’m settling in to my job and I have been able to read a little bit more. I get a one hour lunch break so I take my book and get to read it most days. We’re keeping Christmas lowkey this year and it’s nice not to have to worry and enjoy the time off I get. December has had some really special moments and I’m ending the year on a high. I feel a lot better mentally and I’m hoping 2019 will bring more joy!

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Rita Ora – Phoenix – I have listened to Rita’s music for a number of years and I was happy to get my hands on her long awaited second album last week. I tried to pick up the album earlier but there’s only one shop that sells CDs in my city and they didn’t have it so I had to wait until I went to Auckland for the Shania Twain concert. This album is catchy pop with an emotional R&B edge. Phoenix sounds current and the majority of tracks would not be out of place on radio. Standout Tracks: Anywhere, Lonely Together, Only Want You, For You and Cashmere.

2. Daniel Wellington Petite Melrose Watch + Cuff Set – Whilst I love having small wrists it makes buying watches difficult. The best thing about this watch is that the clasp can be moved to suit a range of wrist sizes. It’s also useful if your wrist size fluctuates. I was drawn to the Petite Melrose because of the rose gold colour and how dainty and elegant the watch looked. The watch face comes in two different sizes (28mm and 32mm – for reference I got the 28mm) and you can also choose the colour of the face: white or black. The black looks striking but I chose white as it looks more classic. The watch straps can also be swapped out so if you don’t want to have more than one watch you can change the strap for a different look. If you don’t want to order a cuff with your watch you can order a second strap or simply buy the watch on it’s own. This is the nicest watch I have ever owned – it’s the perfect fit and so lightweight to wear.

3. Shania Twain concert – December 18th 2018 is a day I’ll never forget; the day I got to see Shania Twain in concert. I have been a fan since 1998 and I never thought all these years later I would get to see her live, let alone have her touch my hand as she made her way to the stage. Shania is one of my biggest inspirations, her life story is so interesting and she’s had her share of ups and downs. The show itself was spectacular, the band are talented and Shania is such a professional, she knows how to work the stage and the crowd and treats her songs with respect. She doesn’t oversing or try and create new versions of the hits she’s known for. I was up singing and dancing all night and I feel blessed to have been in the same room as her.

4. Rimmel 107 Lipstick – I wore this to the Shania Twain concert and my love for this shade has been reignited. This lipstick has been in my collection for a few years now and I really should wear it more. The lipstick is pigmented, easy to apply and lasts well throughout the day. 107 is a gorgeous berry red and one of the best reds I own. This lipstick is lovely all year round but it’s especially beautiful around Christmas!

December’s Spotify Playlist:

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What were your favourite things in December?

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Recreating Chloe’s Instagrams

A couple of weeks ago I responded to Chloe on Instagram after she reached out looking for fellow bloggers to collaborate with. She suggested we recreate a few of each other’s Instagram shots and I was totally on board with the idea! I’ve followed Chloe for a while now and I’ve seen her do a collab like this before and loved it. Check out Chloe’s blog and Chloe’s Instagram if you haven’t already – she’s a gorgeous girl!

Photo #1: The Head Tilt Selfie

Original:

My version:

I feel like I failed a little bit at this one with the whole head tilt action but trying to pose and hold the camera at the same time is hard! I did consider curling my hair but my hair has a slight wave to it anyway. I wore a black t-shirt and pendant necklace like Chloe to try and resurrect the image.

Photo #2: Contraceptive Pill

Original:

My version:

I used a neutral coloured background like Chloe’s. It seems Chloe and I take the same brand of contraceptive pill and it’s interesting to see how the packaging differs between countries. I personally take the 20mcg dose (which has a lower amount of hormones) but there is a 30mcg dose too.

Photo #3: Wristwatch

Original:

My version:

Being left handed I personally like to wear watches on my right wrist. For this photo I tried wearing the watch on my left wrist and it wasn’t comfortable so I had to wear it how I normally would. Recreating doesn’t mean copying exactly but taking inspiration from something. Both watches have a (rose) gold face and leather look strap.

Photo #4: Picture of a Polaroid

Original:

My version:

I sold my Instax camera last year but I did keep the polaroid pictures I took using it. This is the most nature inspired photo I have that was also taken outdoors. To try and be like Chloe I placed the polaroid in front of a neutral background and held the photo with my left thumb.

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What do you think of my recreations? Pop on over to Chloe’s post to see her interpretations of my images!

P.S. Don’t forget I’m running a giveaway that ends next week! CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

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October Favourites 2016

Here we are at the end of another month already! It has been another busy one and again it has been filled with lots of positivity and smiles! I haven’t purchased a lot of makeup and beauty bits over the past few months and there’s no beauty products in this post. I’ve really been enjoying rediscovering products again and coming up with different makeup looks and combinations. I am doing extremely well with my lip product buying ban as well, it’s been almost two months and I haven’t caved!

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Ellie Goulding Delirium World Tour – October got off to an incredible start when I saw Ellie Goulding in concert on the very first day of the month. I had had my ticket for seven months and I was super excited to see Ellie again. I saw her when she was last here in June 2014 and this time was even better! The visuals and the lighting were so well done and Ellie looked absolutely beautiful in her outfits. (At the last concert there were no outfit changes). The atmosphere was electric and I enjoyed every minute! I also bought a t-shirt with tour dates on the back as a keepsake.

2. After You – Jojo Moyes* – After You is the follow up novel to Me Before You which featured in last month’s favourites. I borrowed the book from one of my work colleagues and finished it a lot quicker than the prequel. Like last month I won’t spoil the book and the plot if you haven’t read it yet and you want to but I will say After You seems slightly more action packed than Me Before You and more characters are introduced. I hope this novel is made into a film as well!

Note: I watched Me Before You last week and I really liked it. It moves faster than the book and is a bit different but there is lots of sarcastic, dry humour which made me laugh. I didn’t cry when I read the book and I almost made it through the film without crying. The credits were rolling and I started thinking about the storyline and I ended up having a little cry.

*The book doesn’t feature in the image as I have given it back to my work colleague.

3. ASOS Textured Striped Dial Watch – I haven’t had this watch very long (a matter of days) but I am in love! I have been after a stylish, rose gold watch for a couple of months and I finally decided on this one. My wrists are the size of a child’s, possibly even smaller, and it’s so difficult to find a watch that fits. This one from ASOS is stunning, the face isn’t huge and doesn’t take over my wrist. I don’t even have to wear the watch at it’s tightest – even though I might be able to get away with it.

4. kikki.K Mindful Colouring Book – My mum bought this colouring book for me when we were in Auckland at the beginning of the month but it’s only within the past week that I’ve opened it up and started colouring. I know adult colouring has become popular over the past couple of years and I’ve wanted a colouring book for ages but a lot of the books seem thick and the patterns look so intricate and confusing but this one is a handy size. I bought a pack of fine liner pens to colour with.

October’s Spotify Playlist:

This playlist is all upbeat and has a feel good pop/dance vibe to it. A beat is what draws me in to a song and I enjoy nothing more than music I can sing and dance along to.

Online Shopping Haul

Hello, hello! Hope your week is going well so far! Towards the end of last week I placed two cheeky online orders: one with ASOS and one with Target Australia. I’m really excited about the two ASOS items and I’m sure you all know by now how obsessed I am with Dannii Minogue’s petite clothing range. I haven’t done a haul post in a little while so I hope you enjoy this one. Let’s get into it!

Starting with ASOS:

ASOS Textured Striped Dial Watch – I have been on the hunt for a watch for the past couple of months and I decided to take a chance on this one from ASOS. I spotted this watch when I made my very first ASOS order in July but this time it was $20 cheaper. I wanted a watch with rose gold and I like the combination of the rose gold face with the material strap. My wrists are tiny so I figure a strap like this will be better than a metal strap or a bracelet type strap that can’t be adjusted. When I was in Auckland a couple of weeks ago I actually bought a watch but even on the smallest loop it was too big. Fingers crossed this one is perfect!

Rimmel London Good To Glow Highlighter in 003 Soho Glow – I needed something else to qualify for free shipping and I got browsing the makeup section of the site. I love Rimmel and I love the sound of this cream/gel highlighter so it was a no brainer – in my cart it went! I went for the shade Soho Glow which is a bronze-gold shade and totally different to the other highlighter I own from Makeup Revolution. This can be worn on it’s own, under or over the top of foundation.

Dannii For Target:

 

Blanket Knitted Wrap – Even though it’s currently Spring in New Zealand the weather has been pretty nasty and there hasn’t been much sun. I like cardigans but they don’t suit me at all and I thought this would be a good alternative for the unpredictable weather. I can throw this on if I’m cold and take it off if I warm up. I like the look of this on the model and it doesn’t look too long which is what I don’t like about cardigans. The black and white pattern looks funky too.

Chambray Shirt – I don’t have any casual long sleeve shirts and I’ve had my eye on this shirt since it came out. This shirt will look cool with black leggings, particularly my Dannii For Target coated leggings if I want more of a glam look.

Halo Tank – This tank top is another piece I have loved since I first saw it. It is a gorgeous mint colour which will look so nice and fresh during the summer. Again, I don’t really have a lot of tank top style items so I wanted to pick this one up in case I’m feeling brave enough in the summer to get my arms/shoulders out. The back strap detail (image here) is different from normal tank tops and looks stunning.

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Those are all of the items I picked up! What do you think of them? Have you done any online shopping recently?

My Jewellery and Me

Hey lovelies!

I’m super excited to share this post with you! I was recently inspired by a company called Invaluable. They wanted to know more about my jewellery; my favourite pieces, any stories behind them etc. This is also my first collaboration which makes it even more exciting!!!

If you’re unaware of what Invaluable does, they are the world’s premiere online auction marketplace. Their website features a range of items for sale including art, antiques, collectibles and jewellery, of course. Check out the current jewellery items up for auction and perhaps nab a piece of your own!

I don’t have a lot of jewellery and don’t wear it all that often but the pieces I do have I love and some of them are gifts so they’re even more special. With my jewellery I like it to be simple and elegant to suit my small features. That being said I love people who can effortlessly rock any accessory, no matter what the size.

I only own three necklaces but they’re equally as beautiful as each other. The necklace with the snowflake pendant I received as a Christmas gift from my mum – the snowflake is sooo sparkly!

The other two necklaces are made by By Gioia, a company that manufactures jewellery for various artists and bands. These are both from The Saturdays line (launched in 2010) and they cost me £1 each. I only managed to get my hands on these necklaces last year as shipping to New Zealand wasn’t an option before that. I’m so glad I did though, because they glam up any outfit and if I hadn’t had to wait so long I probably wouldn’t have got them for £1.

When it comes to bracelets it’s incredibly hard for me to find something that fits correctly and looks right. My wrists are freakishly small and I have to double loop the clasps to wear them. A jeweler suggested getting links taken out but that can be costly and if the size of my wrist changes it won’t be as easy to add links back in.

The top bracelet was another present my mum bought me, this time for graduating. It is the most special of all my pieces of jewellery as we picked it out together and while it wasn’t too expensive, it’s also the most expensive piece I own. In contrast, the bottom bracelet is another £1 bargain from The Saturdays collection. All the pieces come with the cutest little leather pouches. This bracelet features the first initial of each of the girls.

Do watches count as jewellery? I’m not the biggest fan of watches as I feel they make my wrist look bulky but this pink one from Swatch isn’t like that. It’s light, hasn’t ever needed to have the battery replaced and the jelly strap means it’s comfortable to wear.

Normally when it comes to jewellery I’m a silver girl (as you will have seen in the previous images) but the gold three piece set of rings is so beautiful and makes a nice change. The set can be worn altogether or sometimes I wear the gold jewelled ring on it’s own. I love wearing the infinity ring as it’s so light and it’s my favourite ring to wear on an index finger as I think that’s where it looks best. The moment I first saw the gold coiled ring I fell in love, it’s so dainty and elegant yet a bit unusual at the same time.

Do let me know if you have a favourite piece of jewellery! I’ve loved sharing my stories with you and I’d love to hear if you have any of your own! ❤

Chanelle x