Monthly Favourites | October

Summer Sandals
Every Summer I have to buy a new pair of sandals as each year I seem to "over love" them and wear them out. I am a sucker for a comfy pair of sandals that will last me through the warmer months. Now I usually go for a tan pair of sandals, that way they are able to match pretty much any other outfit. However this year I thought I would be a bit adventurous and go for a pop of colour. This cute shoes I purchased from Witchery and were only $80. I don't mind spending a little more on sandals, as I know I will get my money's worth. Also I am loving this lime green colour. I think it perfectly complements the silver.

Sandy Sandal (Citrus) - Size 41

Check Pattern
This fashion season I have been seeing a lot of this check pattern in the Northern hemisphere. So I thought I would be a part of this and I decided to to purchase a cropped shirt for this summer season. When I see this pattern, I automatically think of the Australian bush, as this is the style of shirt that I see a lot of the country folk wear. However the pattern now has more of a fashionable twist. I purchased this shirt online from Topshop. in was £28, which at the time was about $54. I have been pairing this shirt with denim shorts with either the top button done up, for a more "preppie" look, or just with the top buttons undone to be a little more casual.

Short Sleeve Check Shirt (Multi) - Size 10

Converse High Tops
My wardrobe has been desperate for these shoes for such a long time! Even though they are not the most appropriate shoes for summer, I most definitely will find more than a few occasions to wear them. They are a just a really comfortable and casual pair of shoes to wear. Converses are brilliant for a full day of university or any other activity that involves a lot of walking or standing. I managed to find a shop that was having a massive converse clearance. However as the red colour is one of the classic designs, mine unfortunately were not reduced. I was still more than happy however to pay the full retail price of $80.

Chuck Taylor All Star Hi (Red) - Size 9

One Direction Concert
On October the 21st, I went along with my sister to the One Direction concert. Can I say that I was not disappointed even slightly. The five boys bought so much energy to the stage and they bought a different attitude to all the songs they produced. You could tell that they made a really conscious effort to connect and interact with all their loyal fans. The arena that we were in was relatively large, but the band made an effort to connect with people, even right in the back row. The staging for their show was also amazing, having various English themed backdrops. I was fortunate enough to go to their concert last year, and I could see how much the group had developed vocally and as performers. I sure whoever has been to their Take Me Home tour will completely agree with me.

Trick or Treat?

Halloween, the spookiest day of the year is almost upon us. Australia does not really celebrate Halloween, which is a shame. However this year I decided get in terrifying spirit and be a apart of this holiday. Boo!!

Happy Halloween!!

Dress: ASOS Knitted Dress with Leather Waistband (Black) - Size 12
Shoes: Hush Puppies Boots (Black) - Size 41

Smoothie Season.

Now I don't know about you, but I feel like recently the latest food craze on Instagram is people posting photos of their smoothies or muesli and yoghurt in a glass jar. You would probably pay around $10 for something like this. So I though that I would buy a little glass jar and make my very own smoothie at home. Don't worry I made sure to throughly wash the jar before I used it.

I absolutely love summer time fruits and berries, they are some of the best available throughout the year. This is one of my favourite simple, yet delicious smoothies. All that you need is a banana, raspberries, yoghurt and some rolled oats. I usually buy frozen berries as they can be quite expensive. Also if you ass frozen fruit, you don't have to add ice-cream in order to make your smoothie icy cold. Then you just place all of the ingredients into a blender and let in all combine. Then poor your smoothie into a glass jar, and feel free to get creative when decorating.

As well as being a refreshing drink, this smoothie is extremely good for. The berries are a packed full of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. All of these help in reducing disease, keeping you healthy during the warmer months. Berries also increase memory capabilities, the an ideal ingredient in any meal around exam times. Banana's store high amounts of energy, which will be able to keep you going all day. They also have been proven to improve your mood, and even reduce PMS symptoms ladies. Yogurt is a perfect source of your daily calcium intake, which is essential for strong bones and giving you a beautiful smile. Finally rolled oats, opposed to toasted oats, contain virtually no fats or sugar, while being filled to the brim with energy. That is why a smoothie like this is an ideal breakfast as it gives you the energy that you require for the rest of the day, or until your next break.

Study Tips.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything for a while, but this time of the year is always hectic as it is almost the end of the university year in Australia. So I have been frantically trying to finish all my assignments and study for exams. Now I know that these last few weeks of school or university can be extremely stressful, so I have devised some tips for you that will help you keep clam during this important time.

1. Eat balanced diet and be healthy
One of the greatest problems that I know a lot of people have, including myself, is the quality of their diet during exams. I am notorious for just snacking when I am studying, rarely eating proper meals. However when you do this your body gets a sugar rush for a while, but then it must come down from sugar high, you feel awful. Therefore eating foods such as bread, cereals and pasta contains carbohydrates, which slowly releases energy over a longer period of time. By eating this grain food group, it will make studying easier and you will find that you will be able to concentrate for longer periods of time and be productive.
Also remember to exercise and keep fit during this period. I know that you will be extremely busy but when you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which helps to reduce stress and will help you sleep better at night. However, make sure you exercise at appropriate times. I know that for myself, if I exercise to early I become lethargic for the remainder of the day.

2. Don't start a new television show
This is probably my worst study quality. Whenever exam times comes around, I always seem to pick up a new television show that I have been dying to watch. Now when I get hooked to a TV show I can't just just watch a few episodes. NO! I will literally sit down and watch an entire series over the period of a weekend. This semester the two shows I have done this for are Suits and I have just started Breaking Bad. Now this is a terrible idea, as it only leads to you being stressed for your exams and assignments. It is much better to have your episodes as a reward for a certain amount of study. So give yourself a set amount of time to study, then go and enjoy an episode, you've earned it!

3. Create a study plan
This is probably one of the greatest tips I can give you. Sit down for an hour one day and plan out your entire week. Include when you have time to study, exercise, work and of course socialise. This will show you how much time you have to prepare for an exam, which will either keep you calm for an exam or will force you to stop procrastinating and sit down and study. Students who have poor management skills, then I highly recommend doing this.

4. Get enough sleep
Sleep is one of the most essential things to being successful in your studies. If you pull continual "all-nighters", your body will be so exhausted that you will not retain your information. It is so much easier to study and you will be able to concentrate a lot longer, if you get a good night sleep.

Good luck for all of your assessment during this exam period!

Spring Sunshine.

For the past few days at home it has been really hot, and I have a feeling that the rest of this Spring/Summer is going to be a similar temperature. In order to escape the heat I decided to the movies with some friends. During the hotter months it is important to wear light materials and colours that won't encourage any additional heat for your body. This is what I decided to wear on my outing.

Dress: Quirky Circus (Yellow) - Size 12
Shoes: Witchery Sandals (Tan) - Size 41
Sunglasses: Miss Shop

High Tea.

Today I have been reminiscing on the beautiful high tea that my friend had for her 18th birthday back in May this year. It was such a beautiful idea for a party. I had a lovely time to catching up with old friends, many of which I hadn't seen since the end of school. I love sweet treats and tea, so I though that this party was one of the best I have ever been to.

Church Bells Ringing.

I have only ever been to one wedding in my life, however I was only about two years old and have no recollection of the event. So on October 5th, 2013, I attended the beautiful wedding of my eldest cousin to her now husband.

Choosing an outfit for a wedding is always difficult and it is important that you dress to suit the occasion. For the day I decided upon a short cocktail dress from Princess Polly. I have had this dress for a few months and when I spotted it online I thought it would be the perfect clothing choice. With my dress I wore a pair of tan, strappy wedges that I have had for years and are probably on their last legs. However I can't throw them out as they are so god dam comfy. As the wedding was an afternoon event, I decided to keep the makeup very natural looking as I didn't wanted to have anything too dramatic. For my hair I did a high bun, as it was a windy day and I didn't want to constantly be worrying about my hair. When accessorising my outfit, I again chose to keep it simple. I wore a pair of rose gold square earrings which I purchased from Sportsgirl.

Dress: Lift Love Up - Size 12

The ceremony was a small and intimate service held in a beautiful white chapel, with only close friends and family attending. We all waited in anticipation for the bride and bridal party to arrive, while the groom nervously shuffled at the alter. Then the moment was upon us and the music began playing. Everyone turned to see the brides dress and we weren’t disappointed. My eldest cousin looked absolutely beautiful in a high-necked, lace dress and many tears were shed throughout the ceremony. And yes, that is the ring bearer at the front in a suit. It was pure perfection.

The decorations were stunning, as the rustic country theme was perfectly incorporated into the bush art gallery reception. The couple included many personalised and interactive decorations, putting their spin on the wedding.

As the sun set on the beautiful country location, music filled the air of the reception. Some lovely speeches were given, making us laugh and cry. It was lovely to see how other people perceived the newlyweds relationship and had watched their friendship blossom into love. Many of my elder relatives found their dancing shoes and decided that they preferred to be on the dance floor than in their seats. The cake was baked and decorated by the grooms mother and was extremely scrumptious. It looked as though it should have been in the window of a high-end bakery.

All in all the wedding was an absolutely beautiful day. I wish the bride and groom and lifetime of happiness and best wishes for their new life together.

"Love is the reason. Lifelong friendship is the gift. Kindness is the cause. Till death do us part is the length."

Simple Yet Elegant.

Last night I was heading out for dinner with my family to our favourite Italian restaurant. It is quite a fancy place, so I felt I had to dress for the occasion. This dress I have had for years, yet it is one of the comfiest items of clothing I own. As it is very plain, I find that I love to accessorise with a pop of colour, my favourite of course being red. So I thought I would share with you what I decided to wear.

Dress: Witchery - Size 10
Shoes: Le Saunde - Size 9 (Red)
Necklace: Return to Tiffany Heart Tag Charm and Chain (Sterling Silver)
Lipstick: Mac Cream Sheen (Brave Red)

Monthly Favourites | September

This is a monthly blog post I think that I will do, showing you all what I have been loving over the month. I know it's a little after Septemeber, but oh well. Being the first month of Spring for the Southern Hemisphere, September brings the heat back to Australia. This month in particular seems to have been particularly hot, feeling more like a mid-summer day.

The Colour Coral

This would have to be one of my all time favourite colours. I feel that it is just such a beautiful tone that makes you feel happy when you wear it. Every year it seems that I have a new favourite pastel item of clothing, and I think it's because it's just so easy to pair with accessories and very versatile. Coral is a perfect colour for spring as it reminds me of flowers beginning to bloom.

My first coral purchase was this cropped, collared t-shirt that I bought online from Topshop. It was only £29, which at the time was about AU$42. I have been pairing it with either white or denim shorts and accessorising with silver jewellery. It is such a lovely lightweight material, which is perfect for the hot days in Australia.

Shortsleeve Geo Burnout Shirt (Pink) - Size 10

Next is this cute coral bag that I purchased from Witchery. When I first saw the bag it was $100 and even though I liked it, I was not willing to pay that much for a small bag. However I couldn't get this bag out of my head as I thought it would be a really cute accessories to brighten a spring outfit. So I went into Witchery prepared to pay when to my happy surprise the bag had been heavily reduced to $56. It has honestly been the saviour of my wardrobe, as well as an absolute bargain  and I am so glad that I bought it. I seem to be wearing a lot of monochromatic clothes at the moment, so adding a pop of colour to my outfit really helps to add another level.

Sammy Cross Body Bag (Tangelo)

Jo Malone Perfume

I am not a massive perfume person, as I find most fragrances to be quite overpowering. But the other day I was looking at some other fashion blogs and I kept seeing this brand Jo Malone pop up. So I decided to do some research and I found out that you can buy it here in Australia. So I went into a department store with a Jo Malone section and I instantly fell in love. I ended up spending a good chunk of my day smelling the different scents and I finally decided on the flavour English Pear & Freesia. It smells phenomenal! It has such a fresh scent, so I think it will be a perfect way to complete your summer look. It is not the most affordable purchase, being $90 for the small bottle, but I highly recommend you at least go and smell the different scents.

English Pear and Freesia Cologne - 30mL

Sheppard
I have been absolutely loving this Brisbane band over the entire month of September. If I had to classify their music sound, I think I would have to say it is a mix of Indie and Pop. They have recently had huge success with their debut album Let Me Down Easy, being played on national radio. The band was first discovered on Triple J Unearthed, a website for artists and bands to post their music and gives the public the opportunity to rate it. At the moment the band of brothers and sisters only has an EP out, which is actually amazing. I can't wait for their debut album and I highly encourage you to go check out their youtube channel and listen to their music. It gives off such a great summer vibe.