A Future Plan

What do you want to do when you’re older? What is your future plan? Where do you want to study? For years these questions have panicked me and stressed me out because I had no clue whatsoever of what I wanted to do.  I have been into fashion for years and years, it is something my life revolves around and it is one of my cures for whenever things go badly and then I started my blog around the end of last year and I had considered doing something with journalism or blogging, but I didn’t know what? I also don’t want to spend the entirety of my life in New Zealand? I want to live, even if it’s short term, in one of fashion capitals – preferably New York or London. The thought of having a small, simple apartment to myself or to share with another excites me so much, especially the fridge part, controlling what goes into my fridge. Being able to decorate things the way I like, white and simple, sitting on the couch at some late hour eating Chinese food and watching Rom Coms, painting the walls, dancing around listening to cheesy music, having long phone conversations lying upside-down on my bed, being able to talk freely, waking up every morning and walking to the same coffee shop and having my order remembered, the thought of it just makes me smile. Then I got it! I knew exactly, exactly, what I wanted to do. So here’s my plan, which probably sounds improbable, but it’s a dream: 

I want to study journalism at Auckland University and whilst I’m at University I want to get a job working at a clothing store and once I graduate I want to find and open space at a magazine in New York, even if it’s just as an assistant, I’m not sure entirely how the NZ-NYC works, my dad explained it to me but I have forgotten! I then want to get my little apartment and work at the Fashion Magazine in New York. I want to work my way up to writing, even books or a column in the magazine. I’m going for the Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the city, Carrie Diaries sort of thing. But that is my dream, and the idea of that is what I use to keep me motivated, to keep me going when I want to give up.

Don’t stress about your future. Don’t let people tell you what they want to you to do. It seriously came to me when I was in the middle of dinner and I was all of a sudden like “I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH MY LIFE”. Do what you love, and love what you do.

  

All photos: source: tumblr

Valentines Day Survival Guide

February 14th. Yes it's coming round to that romantic time of year Valentines Day. Now honestly, for me being single on valentines day doesn't really matter, it's not a big deal for me, but I know for some people it sucks. The flowers, chocolate, hugs and kisses, teddies, gifts, it's so cliche but rather cute ~ it's true! But not to worry, I mean why do we need boys or girls to buy us these things? Why can't we buy them for ourselves, gosh come on it may cost a bit, but spoil yourself, you love yourself don't you? And thats what Valentines Day celebrates LOVE. I've put together a Valentines Day survival guide to get you through all the rose giving and smooching. 

What You Will Need:

Flowers for your room ~ I always have some type of flower in my room anyway

Chocolate ~ you don't need a heart shaped box! just some favorites or biscuits (timtams are fab)

ice cream: A tub of chocolate ice cream mmmmmhhmmm

Tissues ~ I don't know what situation some of you may be it, take precautions

A cuddly teddy ~ well you need something to cuddle?! 

Pizza ~ the ultimate comfort food 

Movies ~ Love Actually, No Strings Attached, Sex and the City ~ pull out them rom coms!

Confidence ~ Be happy to be single ~ walk down those halls with pride, be thankful you didn't have to waste time buying things for someone 

optional: Girls night ~ single friends only 

optional: Pamper Evening ~ Have a you evening (bath, nails, face masks etc)

A furry friend ~ hang out with your cat, dog, hamster or even turtle 

*In extreme cases*

McDonalds 

♥

Frozen Snack

Honestly. I'm not sure what to call this. I guess you could call it slightly less gelato - gelato. Getting home after a long day after school, hot and tired you usually don't want to eat an apple, you will probably be craving some more along the lines of, ice cream or some ice block from the dairy etc, but don't worry this is an easy, healthy delicious alternative to a high fat and sugar treat. I make these rather frequently, they don't always turn out as fabulously as I hoped but never the less

Ingredients:

Frozen berries 

Coconut water (this is optional)

Milk (I use almond, you have to get used to the taste)

Honey 

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until it's mixed but chunky and thick, enough to eat with a spoon

Carefully spoon/pour it into a glass and eat straight away!

Macbeth // The Auckland Performing Arts Centre

My lovely and very talented friend Grace got into the Young Auckland Shakespeare Company which is a massive achievement and they performed 'Macbeth' by Shakespeare. I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan and I didn't actually know the story, and neither did Tahlia, Sam or Liv who all came along as well but we all enjoy drama and wanted to support our friend. And I am so pleased that I went, it was an incredible show because all of the actors and actresses were so talented, and when I say so talented, I mean there is good acting and then that, despite the fact we had no idea what was going on. The costuming was also wonderful. I decided to look at the story and I wanted to go again, but was unable to unfortunately. I think it's hugely worthwhile going to events like these because a movie you can see 100 times but a performance like this can only been seen as long as it's on. A huge congratulations to all the cast and crew on such an incredible show.  

Hold It Yourself

Happiness is essential to life. You can't live your whole life unhappy. Of course we all go through rough patches, maybe it's a few weeks, or maybe it's a few years. And in those rough patches, you always feel as though you need someone, and you do. You need someone to hold you and listen to you and be there and help you feel happy again, and you can end up feeling as though they are the only person who can make you happy and you forget all the other good things in life. But you can't, you can not rely your happiness on someone, thinking that that person is the only thing that makes you happy. Well, what happens when the person leaves? Huh? They take your happiness with them. Yeah sure, you can have people that make you happy or make you smile or are involved with your happiness, but never give your happiness for someone to hold, 

why?

Because they'll drop it.

Favorites // January

I have honestly been meaning to do this post and I completely forgot! All of January I was saying to myself "I'm not going to forget to do a January favorites" and what did I do? I forgot, luckily I had decided to look at Helenas blog http://helenanuich.blogspot.co.nz/ and she had done hers, so thank you for the reminder! I am slightly was slightly concerned about doing monthly favorites because I can't quite remember if some of them were more December etc but ah well, here are my January favorites,

Beauty

Mac Brushes, Body Shop, GAP perfume

Mac Brushes. I stole these from my mum a while ago because she didn't use them, but I have been really loving them and using them a lot recently. I have a 208 brow brush, 224 eyeshadow blending brush, 150 large powder brush, 252 concealer brush and a 180 face brush which isn't available anymore. Mac make really great products, I don't really buy any though because they are so expensive

Body Shop. I had never bought something for myself from here before but I really, really, really wanted the grapefruit body butter because I love grapefruit and it smells amazing, I was lucky enough to get that and the grapefruit shower gel for Christmas! Yay! I also bought the mango body butter for myself which I also love, body shop products are amazing, I honestly just love going in there to smell everything. I have used my products a lot spite trying to save them and the Body Shop is also great for presents. 

GAP perfume. I also got this for Christmas, which was great because I was nearing the end of my Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfume, this perfume is just lovely and fresh, it makes you feel refreshed and has a slightly fruity tint

Fashion

Black Chelsea boots or Black Fedora ~ Asos

Oh my, I have been obsessing over these, I had wanted them for so long and I found the perfect boots and hat on asos, they weren't exactly cheap at $80.81 for the boots and $67 for the hat, but it was worth it as the boots go with a lot, a lot of things I own and pair nicely with the hat. The boots are also great for winter and can be a nice change to black chucks, and the hat adds another lovely, classic and simple element to an outfit and both items are black and as I always say, black goes with everything

Food

Petite Kitchen Blog

The best gluten free blog there is for sure! I have saved soooo many recipes from here, they are all so simple and sound delicious, I have made quite a few things all ready and they have all been successful and delicious. A lot of the recipes are also refined sugar free and are generally good for you, so if you're looking for gluten free recipes definitely try http://www.petite-kitchen.com/ 

Music

Love Actually Soundtrack 

Of course it is. But honestly, it is a great soundtrack, I have listened to it a lot. 

Jump For My Love ~ The Pointer Sisters

Too Lost In You ~ Sugarbabes

The Trouble With Love Is ~ Kelly Clarkson

Here With Me ~ Dido

Christmas Is All Around ~ Bill Nighy

Turn Me On ~ Norah Jones

Sweetest Goodbye ~ Maroon 5

I'll See It Through ~ Texas

Both Sides Now ~ Joni Mitchell 

White Christmas ~ Otis Redding

Take Me As I Am ~ Wyclef Jean

All I Want For Christmas Is You ~ Olivia Olsen

God Only Knows ~ The Beach Boys

All You Need Is Love ~ Lynden David Hall

Sometimes ~ Gabrielle

Glasgow Love Theme ~ Craig Armstrong

PM's Love Theme ~ Craig Armstrong 

OTHER FAVES

Everlasting Love ~ Natalie Cole

Thnks fr th Mmrs ~ Fall Out Boy

I want you back ~ Jackson 5

Grow old with me ~ Tom Odell

Welcome To Mystery ~ Plain White T's

1,2,3,4 ~ Plain White T's

Always Where I need to be ~ The Kooks

Toothpaste Kisses ~ The Maccabees

Who Needs Love ~ Razorlight

TV

Carrie Diaries

I can honestly say, I have loved Carrie Diaries pretty much since it came out, if you don't want this do! It is perfect for a fashion, city, romance, drama lover with other interesting factors, all the episodes are done incredibly well and are always shocking you or making you hit something in frustration because something someone does. I personally love the journalism aspect of it as journalism is something I'd love to pursue and I also love all the fashion and crazy characters. Plus Austin Butler? Hello, total hottie! 

Movie

Rom Coms & Lord Of The Rings & The Hobbit

Well, I can say, I can't just pick one! I have been seriously loving my rom coms over the holidays, I just can't get enough, as cheesy and soppy as some of them are, you gotta love them. 

- Devil Wears Prada

- Confessions of a shopaholic

- Sex and the city

- Love and other drugs

- Angus thongs and perfect snogging

- Valentines day

- No strings attached 

- Bride Wars

- The Proposal

- 27 dresses

- How to loose a guy in 10 days

- The Holiday

- The princess diaries

- 13 going 30

- Friends with benefits

AND THE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE.....

LOVE ACTUALLY 

I have also been loving LOTR and The Hobbit, how did I get into these? Well that will involve a certain person who you will find out under the celebrity section. After seeing Desolation Of Smaug and all the behind the scenes because I wanted to watch that certain someone and I just ened up getting rather interested, so I decided that I better watch all the LOTR films, honestly these are very long and boring at times but amazing films and made here in NZ! I even went and watched the documentary on LOTR which was really really interesting. But yes I have been really loving all these and all the actors are great and Luke Evans? dayum

Book

Soulmates, Delirium, Wintergirls, Miranda Kerr 

Soulmates. Wow. What a great book. "Every so often, two people are born who are the perfect matches for each other. Soulmates. But while the odds of this happening are about as likely as being struck by lightning, when these people do meet and fall in love…thunderstorms, lightning strikes and lashings of rain are only the beginning of their problems". Such a good read, romance with a twist, the ending is so sad, I did cry but if you are a romantic, I recommend this, it also has this really sassy bit in it which I just read over and over.

Delirium. Sort of like divergent, sort of thing, "Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't" Basically love is banned, because it is a bad thing, girls can't touch or even talk to boys and if you break the rules, there are serious consequences, this book is really exciting and the ending again is very sad, it is also a trilogy I think.

Wintergirls. This book is about a girl with anorexia, it is written brilliantly, and in a way which is different to most books. It is a bit of a downer, it also involves things like suicide and drugs and alcohol, but it is an extremely good book

Miranda Kerr "Empower Yourself". I was so happy when this came out! I love it, I love it a lot! It is such an uplifting book, I just felt so happy after reading it and it makes you reflect a lot and think about who you want to be and who you are and wow, just wow, I have also read her first one which is just as good, but this one is a rather fast read. But if you're feeling a bit down, read it, I promise it'll lift your spirits, even a little bit.

Celebrity 

Orlando Bloom

Oh. My. Gosh. I probably sound like such a bimbo, but he is perfect, he is just wow, thats the only word I can use, holy moly. I saw him in Desolation Of Smaug and BOOM I pretty much fell in love, thats the reason I watch all the behind the scenes and LOTR and pretty much went into full stalk mode, the benefits of being a directioner, you get some superb stalking skills. I went ahead and watch LOTR, Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2 & 3, Elizabeth Town, I even watched an old episode of Midsomer Murders he was in and I'm planning to watch some of the other films ~ pure dedication. But he is so gorgeous, I am in awe, I mean how? How does one be that gorgeous? 

Other

Kiki k Notebook, Glasshouse Candles

Kiki k, I bought my journal from here in must of been December, but i'm writing about it now so too bad. Kiki k is one of my favorite stores, I love buying writing pens from their also and other organizational products, they're just very simple and nice and well made so they last. My notebook is plain black leather and I write in it a lot, I use it for thoughts, notes, drawing, ideas, drafts, worries everything really, they are great!

Glasshouse Candles are possibly the nicest candles ever, I have four, one large and three small and ahh they smell amazing, I have only been burning one of them because I don't want to ruin them! I just love to smell them, yes they are expensive but it is worth it because they are just great candles, and great candles are just fab

Well! I have most definitely overused the words, love, great and amazing in this post! They just work well! I hope you enjoyed reading this because it took ages to write and finish. Hope you're having a good school week (I'm exhausted already)

♥

The Perfect Pamper Evening

This is very necessary. Pampering yourself, having a you evening is a wonderful thing to do and can set you up for the week. I tend to have a pamper evening once a week, usually on a sunday, but sometimes I will do it after a hard lesson of dance or a long day because it can honestly lift ones mood. For those who don't know what a pamper evening is, you're missing out! It's basically an evening about you, a time to 'beautify' yourself and relax, a time to reflect and think. Below I've written what I do when it's my pamper evenings, but obviously you change it to what suits you.

 ~ I will always start of my evening by running a hot bath, I like mine quite hot, baths are great because they allow you to relax and it opens up your pores, always have a glass of water or whatever next to you, I always have mine in a nice glass 

~ Set up your bathroom, place down the bathmat, place your pyjamas and then towel on a stool next to the bath, get a book or your phone, any little snacks because then everything is there and you don't have to continuously get out of the bath 

~ Candles! These are very important, I have two vanilla candles from the home ware store and then I use my vanilla Glass house candle, you can add as many as you like, but they are essential

~ Wash your face, get off all that makeup and softly cleanse your face, this allows your pores to open up and it is more beneficial, also take off nail polish (so you can do your nails later)

~ Put on a face mask, I use Lush's Mask Of Magnaminty

~  Once the bath is full place in a bathbomb (optional) You can always just put in bubbles, I usually do that, then get in 

~ Read a book, listen to music, just relax, I can usually only stay in for about 15 minutes because I get too hot, get out, wash off face mask and dry your self, moisturize, I use a Dove one and then get into pyjamas

~ Then do your nails, cut, file, paint etc and wait for them to dry

Thats it! That seems like a really long guide, but a pamper evening is pretty self explanatory. Honestly, do it, it's so nice.

♥