A Very Special Engagement Party | Lifestyle

Shoes - Zara $120 // Dress - Bardot $80 (sale) // Earrings - Old // Flower Ring - Old // Rings - Pandora (gift)

hair & makeup by me

the lucky couple

family x

Last weekend we celebrated the engagement of my beautiful little sister and her fiancé. We had such a fantastic night and wish them all the best for the future x

 

Natio BB Cream | First Impressions

I am a big fan of the idea behind BB creams but I hadn't been been able to find one that I really liked. I have tried a few different brands but have found them to be slightly orange or not have the right consistency. You may have seen that whilst I was in National Pharmacies a few weeks ago. I picked up the Natio Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting BB cream and thought I would give it a try.

After using it for a couple of weeks, I have to say I am pretty impressed with it. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will have noticed I am a big fan of Natio products and this one is no exception. There are a few things I really like about this BB Cream.

The colour is very natural
As I mentioned above, I have found other BB creams to have a slightly orange tinge to them. For me this made it look less natural on my skin and meant it did not blend with the rest of my skin tone.  The idea behind a BB cream is to make your skin look as natural as possible and other BB creams have not done this for me. The Natio BB cream is the perfect colour match for my skin tone. I chose the middle colour, Medium.

The consistency is really nice
It is not as thick as a foundation, but not as thin as a tinted moisturiser. It gives my skin a healthy glow and feels light on which makes it comfortable to wear especially as the weather starts to warm up. 

The coverage and finish looks great
I was looking for a BB cream I could wear when I am not at work but that would still give me enough coverage. I also love the finish of this BB cream and like the way it wears with other products on top.

Have you tried this BB cream? I would love to hear which brand of BB cream you use and why!

xx



** This is NOT a sponsored post

Perfect Curls | A First Impression

A few weeks ago I purchased a couple of products from the Tony and Guy hairstyling range to try. One of them was the Spray Gel for Curls and I have to say it has been my go to product for the last few weeks.

There are a couple of things I really love about this product. It gives the hair amazing texture by separating the curls and making them look more natural, and it keeps the curls in all day / all night! I have also found my curls still look good the day after using. One of the main reasons I love this product is that it feels like there is nothing in my hair. I do not like products that make your hair feel stiff / dry / oily as I feel like I have to wash my hair straight away.

The spray gel is so easy to use. I have thick, long hair, and 4 sprays is more than enough for me. All you need to do is spray in your hair and scrunch until you have reached the desired look.

This little guy cried until I brought him into the bathroom with me - Mummy's boy!

Have you tried out this product or do you have a similar product that you love? Let me know!

What I'm Wearing
Floral Miss Shop Top (Myers - last season) // Emporio Armani Watch (Birthday Present)

- J x

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Yoga Girl Challenge | Lifestyle

There are always a few yoga challenges floating around Instagram. They usually consist of a different pose each day for a month. These are great for improving your practice and getting you out of your comfort zone, however once the challenge is over - that's that!

I was really excited to see the yoga challenge set by Rachel Brathen (aka Yoga Girl.) This challenge is very different to any other yoga challenge I have seen. The idea of this challenge is for these things to happen after the 21 days are up. They are a starting point for changing your life for the better.

If you read my Yoga Goal post, you will already know I have been trying to include yoga more into my everyday routine. These challenges will continue to help me change my lifestyle.

I encourage you to give Rachel's challenge a try and if you are not into yoga, try and relate the above to your everyday life. I believe the things listed above are things we should all be trying to do everyday.

Namaste.
- J x

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Style Icon | Emma Watson

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

I have been loving Emma Watson's simple yet sophisticated style. She seems to be getting it right pretty well every time. 

What are your thoughts on Emma's style? You can see a few more of my favourite Emma looks here.

- J x

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Yoga Goals | LIfestyle

If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, you may have seen my post on the benefits of yoga and why I love it. I have been practising yoga for two and a half years and have recently been trying to incorporate it into my everyday routine.

I came across this pin on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought the goals were such a great idea, so I tweaked a few of them and made 5 of my own yoga goals. 

Even if it is for just 10 - 15 minutes, I believe incorporating yoga into my daily routine will be very beneficial. I find it helps me to stop and concentrate on myself and stop worrying about all the things going on around me.

I usually attend two classes a week, so I would really love to keep that up. Going to a class at least once a week helps me to progress in my yoga journey and ensures I am getting the most out of my yoga.

You are forever developing during your yoga journey, so I think it is essential to let your yoga practice develop along with you. Incorporating one new yoga pose a week into my practice will ensure I am challenging myself and really getting the most out of my yoga journey.

I don't usually include Savasana pose (laying on your back in relaxation) in my yoga practise at home because I am always thinking of all the other things I could and should be doing. However, I think it is really important to take time out for yourself and take a breath, so this is definitely something I will be trying to include.

As I mentioned above, I believe your yoga routine should develop with you, so trying out a different routine from week to week is definitely something I am going to do. As you grow in strength and flexibility, change up your routine to continue challenging and developing yourself and your yoga practice.

If you would like to join me on this yoga journey, please feel free! You can pin the images above if you would like for inspiration. I would love to hear from you about your goals and your progress. I will be keeping you up to date with my yoga journey!

Also, if you would like to try yoga at home, I highly recommend Yoga by Candace on YouTube. Candace is fantastic at talking you through each pose and has a large selection on videos ranging from beginner to expert.

Namaste.
 - J x

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On Trend | Boho Crown Braid

The Boho Crown Braid has been a huge hit with bloggers / YouTubers in the Northern Hemisphere coming into summer and I know it will be very popular in Australia later in the year. I must admit, I was a bit unsure about this hairstyle when I first saw it as it reminded me of the milkmaid braids (which suit some!) but are not really to my taste. However I have definitely grown to love it and having recently tried it out myself, it will become a hairstyle staple during spring and summer.

There are a few things I really love about this hairstyle. Unlike a bun which can start to feel heavy and pull on your head throughout the day, the crown braid is light and loose which makes it a comfortable hairstyle to wear all day / night. It is also a perfect hairstyle for both casual and more formal occasions as it can be dressed up or dressed down.

I have seen a few different variations when it comes to creating this hairstyle, but my favourite is this one from Kayley (aka letsmakeitup1.) I love her tutorials (she is the queen of braids) and her videos and instructions are always easy to follow.

Because I have colour through the ends of my hair (you can see my post about it here) the braid has a lot more texture which makes it look much more three dimensional. If your hair is one colour and you would like to know how to create more texture, The Beauty Department has a great post on creating more texture for braids using coloured hair extensions (perfect for a formal look)

What are your thoughts on the Boho Crown Braid? Would you try this out for summer?

- J x

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Book Guide | 2014

During my holidays, I actually managed to read a few books! It got me thinking about books and series that I have read recently that I have loved so much I didn't want to put them down.

  

 

 image from pinterest

Based in war time Russia when Hitler is starting his battle towards Leningrad, The Bronze Horseman follows two sisters Tatiana and Dasha who live in a cramped apartment with their parents and brother. The family has their world turned completely upside down by Hitler and his army. Tatiana the younger of the sisters, meets a Red Army soldier named Alexander and they are instantly drawn to one another. However their relationship, should it become public, threatens to tear Tatiana's family apart and expose a secret Alexander has been keeping his whole life.

If you enjoy war time love stories, this book is a must read. I absolutely adored this book and would read it again in a heart beat. It was one of those "I can't put it down" kind of books that had me captivated the whole way through.

This book is actually book one of a three part series (The Bronze Horseman). After enjoying the first book so much, I couldn't wait to get into the second book. However, I have found it very hard to get into as I found it to be quite similar to the first book. I will try to read it again as I know people have enjoyed all three books.

Find more book reviews here.

  image from pinterest

An incident at a family party when Laurel Nicolson was 16 challenges everything she knows about her family especially her mother Dorothy. 50 Years later, Laurel returns to her family home, the scene of the incident so many years ago and finds herself asking questions she has kept hidden for decades. 

I must admit, it took me a while to get in to this book. I started it just before we went on holidays, so I was reading it quite sporadically, but once I got in to it I could not put it down. It does swap between the past and the present and while that can put some people off, it didn't worry me too much (one of my all time favourite authors is Jodi Picoult and all of her books either swap between people or time periods!). I will say there is a bit of a twist during the book that I never saw coming - I love it when that happens in a book especially when you think you have everything all worked out!

You can read more reviews here.

 

image from pinterest

After losing her job, Stephanie Plum offers to catch her high-school crush for her bounty hunter cousin Vinnie. The series follows her as she chases after fugitives, all the while caught up in a steamy love triangle with her high-school crush turned cop Joe Morelli and Ranger, a security enforcer / sometimes bounty hunter.

I have read a few mixed reviews about this series. Personally, I found the books to be light reading, but very addictive. I loved the love triangle (which got quite steamy at times) and could not wait to start each new book. You can read the books out of order, but there are references to past books so I would suggest you read them in order - if you can get through the whole 19 - 20 books in the series!

You can read more reviews here.

 

image from pinterest

Neve Slater has always been a girl who plays by the rules. She meets William, a gorgeous handsome young man and she knows that girls like her do not get men like him. So when he heads of to LA for three years, she spends her time slimming down and re-inventing herself. She also realises she needs some much needed experience in the bedroom so she can suprise William when he returns. Her sister Celia takes her to a work function to meet some men when she meets Max. Definitely not her type, but perfect to try her skills on because she could never fall for him...or could she?

Another light read (sometimes you need these!) but I seriously could not put this book down (which annoyed my Mr just a little!)


You can read more reviews here.


Have you read any good books lately?


- J x

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