I'm alive! Just...(and a lot of photos to prove it)

Here's what I've been doing lately. A lot of this:

A bit of this:

One instance of this:

And not much sleep. But now for the fun stuff - clothes! So let's catch up shall we...

I hand my thesis in on Friday (yay!) and then oh gosh study week and exams weeks will feel like a holiday by comparison!

Grateful...

Cardigan, Shirt: Valleygirl. Jeans: Zara. Boots: Target.

It's almost the end of uni session so things are getting crunchy around here. I've got my legal research project and major history essay due over the next two weeks. Goodness knows how I'm going to get them both done, so things might be a bit quiet around here for a few weeks! I'm definitely needing some positive thoughts right about now, so thought I'd list out some things I'm grateful for at the moment…

...My health - I can't remember the last time I had a cold, and I don't think I've ever been bedridden with anything (touch wood!)

...My super kind and generous Mum - she's such a giver and totally spoiled me when she came down for a visit last weekend, buying me some things I've had my eye on for a while. And when I complained about my completely useless shoe rack, she immediately offered me hers!

...Supportive and all-round awesome boyfriend - who often does the lion's share of the work around here while I'm busy with assignments, instantly gets my (often lame) jokes, knows how to pull me out of a mood, and is always up for some silliness.

...Friends - I'm not the most social of butterflies but I appreciate having a handful of good friends, be they my old besties from school or a couple of newer ones from uni.

...Only having one pimple at the moment - hey, it's the small things!

...Chocolate - of course. But really, since I've been trying to only have desserts once a week and/or on special occasions, boy am I appreciating it even more than normal!

Sense-ational! Ha ha...ha...

Jacket: ICE. Shirt, sunglasses: Dotti. Jeans: Cotton On. Shoes: Rubi.

Hearing - Noah and the Whale. Loving their fourth album!

Seeing - so much inspiration from this blog. I absolutely love all her colours and statement jackets.

Touching - Super-glue. I got it on my fingers when gluing the sole of my loafers back on, oops.

Tasting -  the persimmon Mitch got me.

Smelling - my camomile, honey and vanilla tea. So relaxing in the evenings!



PS Linking up with Molly's YOLO Mondays!

Just one of those days (blame the contacts)

Jacket thing: Temt. Shirt: Dotti. Jeans: Cotton On. Shoes: Matthers.

Today was just one of those days full of hope and good intentions, but where nothing much actually got done. It started off well enough, with Mitch and I getting up early to go to the gym (even though I had to pep talk us out of bed). And after breakfast, which is when my blog perusing happens, I was all "Right! No more blogs today! Just extreme productiveness!"

So then I started doing uni work. And half an hour later I remembered how boring uni work was. Somehow I found myself watching beauty videos on YouTube (which, sidenote, I'm recently becoming addicted to. Any recommendations for good beauty vloggers to feed my addiction??) I got sucked into watching one particular vlogger's videos which weren't very good but seemed very popular and I think I lost a good percentage of brain cells in the process. It was quite painful but I just couldn't look away, you know? I even watched the one where she got lip injections! I mean, really!!

ANYway. Then I decided that I'd better not go to my uni class (seeing I haven't missed any all session and everyone knows you can miss two no problems) so that I can get some actual work done instead. And that's what I'm doing now obviously I'll be doing when I finish this post.

I blame it on my contact lenses. I think it really all comes down to them. They make my eyes dry and blurry and that obviously means I can't concentrate on doing anything serious. I could go take them out, but I'm both stubborn and lazy and have date night tonight so will just stick it out till then.

Oh my, what a ramble!

Apart from stopping me being productive (obviously), my contacts also make me pull faces like this...

OK I'm going to go do something (productive) now. And take my contacts out.

Revelations Pt 2 (I think about things too much!)

Jumper: Chicabooti. Shirt: thrifted. Pants: Zara.

I've been having some style-related revelations recently. It started with this outfit, and more specifically this jumper. Now it may not look that amazing, just a big, old (slightly strange) looking jumper - but it's got this quirky bottom bit that bags out (I'm really making it sound attractive here…) and it's basically just a bit different.

Anyway, it somehow hit a chord with me and made me realise that I used to love stuff like that - pieces that were just that little bit unusual. And the best of those sorts of things are usually found in op-shops. I used to love going op-shopping and finding pieces that weren't made for a certain trend/fashion, but that I could make work that way anyway (like that shirt up there which I love!! ^). That way I'd end up with interesting, unique outfits that really felt like me.

But I haven't been op-shopping for a long time. I've fallen into the (highly alluring and seductive) trap of cheap, fast, mall fashion. But it means I've just been dressing like everyone else, rather than like myself. It's not creative getting dressed when you're just reproducing shop fashion. And that's left me feeling pretty uninspired (and probably doing a bit too much shopping).

Anyway, so that was just a long-winded way to say: I'm feeling freshly inspired to make sure I'm dressing like 'me' rather than like everyone else because that's what feels best! And also to tone back the mall shopping and go op-shopping. Yay!

Here are a few more recent outfits I've been liking (all pictures via my iphone, sorry):

Blazer: Big W. Raglan top, scarf: Cotton On. Shorts: Jay Jays.

Pleather jacket: Ice. Top: thrifted. Pants: Zara.

Jacket: Zara. Top:All About Eve. Jeans: Just Jeans. Scarf: Dotti.

Jacket: Ally. T-shirt: Dotti. Pants: Zara.

Blazer: Ice. Shirt: Valleygirl. Jeans: Jay Jays. Scarf: Cotton On. Shoes: Matthers.

PS Linking up with Shanna today!

Revelations

Blazer, jeans: Big W (such a steal!) Top: old, thrifted (possibly my favourite thing I own)

Every so often I wonder whether it's entirely healthy to be so into clothes and fashion like I am. Surely my brain-power could be better used on something more productive, worthwhile, world-saving…

But then I always go back to how it's a creative outlet for me. As an adult, it's basically my only one. When I was a kid and even a teenager, I got to be creative all the time. I did art all through school and in my spare time read like crazy and wrote stories and day-dreamed.

But then growing up happened, and getting qualified to do something with my life, and the need to earn money happened. Like most people, I don't get to do creative stuff all day anymore. Except, luckily, for one thing: I still get to play dress-ups on the daily! Huzzah!

So that's where my creativity and imagination and self-expression gets channelled now - dressing up. Loving clothes and fashion isn't always superficial and fake, it's like something from childhood; an inspiring, harmless happy place. It's transformative and expressive and like playing make-believe every day. I think so anyway. And besides, everyone has hobbies (apart from saving the world) :) 


PS Linking up with Molly's YOLOMondays :) 

Pinspired 4

Jacket, Jumper: Dotti. Pants: K-Mart. Boots: Target.

Some things I'm loving right now...

The Pin that inspired this look. 

Kale chips (but you already know about that)

Real hot cocoa - with raw cocoa powder, honey and hot milk. 

This Chi Chi BB Cream. It's a recent discovery and I love it! It's similar to the Garnier BB Cream in the way it blends in and hides imperfections really well but is way less oily, a better colour for me and has the full SPF30 - which means I don't need to put on my SPF moisturiser as well. Time saver! 

Being able to relax after finishing an assignment. The problem is then getting back into work mode to do the next one… 

We made these quinoa patties for dinner last night. Delicious! 

Mild autumn days.

The fact that it's Friday! Yay for the freakin' weekend!

Cheesy Inspirational quotes like this and these: 

Have an excellent weekend :)