You may have noticed an increase in the number of photos and posts about fashion and beauty from me recently. This isn’t purely an exercise in narcissism and the superficial. I prefer to think of it as a belated embracing of my body, my self and my sense of style.

I’m 31 and I want to enjoy life! For me, that means feeling good about the way I present myself. Not purely in pursuit of vanity (though to deny that a focus on external beauty is a bit vain would be, well vain) but because I am tired of buying into the idea that beauty and fashion are only for those who wear a size 10, that feeling an looking good is something I need to “hold off on” until I “lose a bit more weight”.

Bah Humbug!

It’s very convenient that this revelation has come at a time when the colours and styles in store feel very “me”.

Truth me told, I have always had a love-hate relationship with fashion. The hate part being, jumping on the bandwagon of the latest fad, the love part being finding clothes I adore that actually fit and suit me . At the moment I love what’s “in” – the colours, the styles – all of it. I know that for many the latest trends are actually just the look they’ve been wearing for years…the gorgeous boho, vintage style with the cute hair and if you can really pull it off (or need to rather), the glasses. I don’t know if I could pull it off but I really love it. And now, after years of watching trendy friends wear trendy clothes, finally, they can be found in places other than op-shops; in sizes I can wear and I’m excited!

I would never wear all these items, but I love them none-the-less!

 

The Architect said to me last week that when I first came to Melbourne nothing I wore matched – it looked like I had just put on my favourite things.

Since doing a major cull of my wardrobe last year and another one just recently, I have been gradually buying pieces that I simply love. I highly recommend it! Now, it’s so much easier to get dressed as my wardrobe is made up of clothes I love and that fit me well.

I’ve also started paying more attention to accessories have now have a growing number of fun scarves and necklaces and even earrings! Recently I’ve added some great pieces to my “collection” if it can be called that – I love them all!

1. Elk Necklace    2. Saltwater Sandals    3. Blue Illusion scarf    4.Emily Green earrings

My 20s are over, my 30s have just arrived and I’m not going to waste them worrying about what “could” be when what “is” is just so darn fantastic!

Do you like the way you dress? Do you feel fun/sexy/confident? If not, what’s holding you back?

 

Incoming search terms:

• make up stuff for girls
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I don’t know about you, but my make up routine has been pretty much the same thing for the past 10 (or more) years. Same products, same range, same “buy at gift time” approach to the whole shebang. The whole idea of trying anything new was too hard, to costly and for “girls who cared about that stuff”.

That all changed last year when I was introduced to a fabulous new product called the Garnier Miracle BB Cream. I fell instantly in love. But the Garnier BB cream did more than just become my new staple product, it opened my eyes to the world of cosmetics out there.

Did you know that most women only try a new product when their existing product gets discontinued? I didn’t.

Learning that got me really wondering, what’s out there that I know nothing about but that could be totally amazing?? Maybe it’s not just “for girls who care about that stuff” but maybe it could be for me too. So I took the plunge and this is what I found…

Mineral Make-Up.

It had been whispering my name for a while but was a whole scary new world. How do you use it? What’s it for? What brush do you get? Investing in make up can be a bit exxy, and I didn’t want to splash a whole lot of cash one something that could be a disaster when I had my old faithfuls to fall back on.

What made me change my mind? Quite simply, our trip to KL in Jan. KL always brings out the adventurer in me when it comes to fashion and beauty products and this time I was determined to look into some mineral make up. Thanks to the duty free stall at KLIA, I came home with some Bobbi Brown mineral make up and brush…and I liked it. A lot.

Then I branched out further, trying the Bloom range, the Arbonne range and then BareMinerals.

I am in love.

LOVE. I tell you. (as you can possible tell from the picture of my bathroom cabinet above!)

Gone are the days of powdered matte make up for me. Gone! I love the feel of the brush, the lightness on the skin and the ease with which is can be applied.

This is possibly my favourite product: The BareMinerals Concealer and Brush

 

The Bare Minerals 20+ SPF concealer (above) is incredible. So easy to apply, and very subtle at the same time as effective. Totally love it! The best buy for Bare Minerals is one of their starter kits which RRPs for $89.95 but beautybay.com has it for $65.30 + Free postage. The concealer on it’s own is about $25 and the brush $20 so getting the kit is a GREAT deal as you receive 3 brushes, the concealer, a mineral veil, a face cover and two other shades of Bare Minerals. The kids come in Light, Medium and Dark – I have the Medium Kit and I love it.

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The Arbonne 10 piece brush set (below) is also stunning. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful it feels and how much I love using it! I’m still figuring out all the different brushes but honestly, at $50, this is a totally worthwhile investment! The lovely Jane helped organise this for me and you can find her on Facebook.

 

So how does it work? I am wearing the mineral make up in three different days depending on how much time I have and what I am doing.

Option 1. Bare Minerals concealer + Bare Minerals All Over Face Over. This is what I do when I have no time and just need to look a bit brighter. It’s the quickest option.

Option 2. BB Cream base + A light mineral over either using the Bloom or Arbonne range. This is what I do most days, the BB cream gives a good base and also works as a primer while the mineral veil gives a nice finish.

Option 3. Primer + Arbonne Foundation + mineral viel. This one is for when I am going out somewhere special and want really good coverage.

To be honest, you wouldn’t really notice the difference to look at me – it’s more about how much “help” I feel I need and how much time I have on my hands.

 

Does your make up routine need an overhaul? Have you ventured into the world of mineral makeup?
Some of these items were sent to me for the purposes of review, the opinions stated are all my own.

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Last week I started writing a post about wanting a make over. I was feeling in a rut about my “look” and wondered what do to…

Then I realised something, the secret to fashion is confidence. Change it up, embrace wearing the things you want to wear and be confident. So I did, and it was great!

Simple, right?

I’ve had the same hair for years…and years…and years…so I set myself a little challenge: to wear my hair in pigtails everyday for a week. The first day it felt really strange, but after a few days it felt good, fun, normal!

It’s also helped me make a big hair decision…I’m excited.

Oh, and I’m also embracing pink lipstick.

 

What makes you feel fashionable? What would make you feel more confident about how you look?

Forgive me if you feel I am overstating things when I say that most western women spend a good portion of their lives wishing they were different; prettier, skinner, wealthier, more of x and less of y…did I mention skinnier?

We have this deeply held belief that if we could just change that one (two, or 10) tiny little things about ourselves our lives would be easier.

Meet Eva Longoria,

Sienna Miller,

Liz Hurely,

Eva, Sienna and Liz are just three of the world’s most celebrated women – they are beautiful, wealthy, successful women. They have it all right? Along with their success and beauty, the other thing these woman all have in common is that they have all been cheated on by their partners (and now Liz, *ahem* I mean Elizabeth,  is engaged to Shane Warne, the ultimate philanderer!)

We can spend ours lives wishing we were different and thinking that if we could change ourselves we’d be more lovable, more likeable, happier or whatever else it is that we dream of but it’s all a lie. Being skinny, being Hollywood beautiful, having the cash to spend a fortune on your home or yourself, won’t give you a perfect life – it wouldn’t even guarantee you a better one.

Stop wishing you were different, stop looking for the flaws, stop focusing on the bits you don’t like or that you think others won’t like.

It’s at this point I wish I had something really profound to say…but I don’t. I’d like to say that I’m ok with that because I’m ok with me – and mostly, that’s true but this post is a reminder to me as much as is to anyone else; I’m never going to be everything I’d like to be, but I can be a lot of things I’m very happy about. The only person who can decide that that’s enough – is me.

And the only person who can decide for you, is you. So what about it?

 

 

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