How to Make Adorable Hair Bows

How cute are these?! I've seen them all over Pinterest and decided it's about time I make my own, just in time for summer!

This does require some sewing, but hot glue or fabric glue can be used instead :) I just find sewing a lot quicker and less messy. You will also need a hair tie, bobby pin or whatever you want to attach your bow to.

Step 1: Cut out a rectangle of fabric. Mine was about 25cm x 17 cm, but can be changed to suit the size bow you would like. The smaller blue one was probably about 20 x 12 cm.

Next, fold the two lengths into the middle, followed by the other two sides, making sure to tuck in the raw edge. I then quickly pressed the folds with an iron, just so they'd stay flat, but this is optional.

                                            

Step 2: Pinch the top and bottom of the rectangle together, in the middle, and secure with a few stitches/glue. If you're new to sewing, I find it easiest to thread one end of the thread through and tie it in a knot to the other end, making a loop of thread with the needle on it. This makes it easier to tie off when you're done and avoids the stress of re-threading :)

Step 3: Cut a small rectangle of material and fold the lengths into the middle, similar to the bow. Wrap this strip around the middle and attach it to the back, then sew the ends together like so...

And wallah! Sew this to a hair band or slide a bobby pin under the middle and there ya go!

I can't wait to make more of these :D

(I promise my hair's clean... It was the flash!)

Em x

My Two-Cents on Feminism

There's been so much debate over feminism lately and after reading Loepsie's  post on how she became a feminist, I've been inspired me to write about my views and thoughts on the topic. :)

First of all, a disclaimer; for me, being a feminist is believing men and women have equal rights and opportunities and furthermore acting on this belief... So that's the sort of premises this post will be based upon.

I suppose I do identify as a feminist, but I feel there's pressure on people to either be completely for it or against it and have a solid view and opinion. I believe being a feminist is being made into something it's not and it's being blown out of proportion. It's undoubtedly amazing how far the feminists of the world have come since the 1960's and there's obviously still inequality, but what I don't understand is why such a big deal is being made over acts of feminism, such as Emma Watson's HeForShe speech (I surely couldn't write about feminism without mentioning her, could I?).

I am in absolute agreement with Watson in what she is advocating, but it frustrates me how people are suddenly making a huge deal over the idea of gender equality, as if it's a radical new ideology that came out of no where. What I'm trying to say, is that there shouldn't have to be a famous actress making a speech for people to realise that men and women currently don't have equal rights and that they should.

http://www.gannett-cdn.com

This year, for English, I wrote a speech about how I thought Miley Cyrus was a feminist (this was right after her performance at the VMAs). It began with, "I told my sister the other day I thought Miley Cyrus was a feminist. She laughed." I understood why she did, because who would vouch for gender equality, whilst simultaneously wearing next to nothing and dancing in all kinds of provocative manners? But being a feminist doesn't mean you have to be a man-hater, wear ugly clothes and not shower (some weird stereotype I've found a lot of people associate with feminism).

Surely anyone, men and women included, can be a feminist, if they so choose? In my opinion, Cyrus is empowering women, by doing what she wants and not being confined by the rules of our (less so nowadays) patriarchal society. Saying this, I'd never wear the things she does and prefer to be empowered in other ways, but I admire her for her courage and how she is utilising her fame to show society you can be a feminist in whatever way you choose. After all, isn't that what feminism is about? Being able to express yourself and having the freedom to act and say what you please?

Wow, went off on a bit of a tangent there, but I suppose I'm saying that feminism shouldn't be about feminists telling each other what they can and cannot do and that there shouldn't be such big of a deal made over people wanting gender equality. It's upsetting there has to be, though, for the message to get across, but I hope I can make a difference and even if one person reads this and is inspired in some way, I'll be very happy :)

I hope this made some kind of sense to you... It was kind of just my train of thought typed out, but I think I got my point across :)

Em x

Easy Ways to Stay Healthy

I know for me, at least, it's not necessarily easy to exercise and eat healthy... But no more excuses! Here are the ways I stay (relatively) healthy and try to live a healthier lifestyle.

1. Do something you don't hate
Yep, easy as that. I hate running, so I don't run and I hate going to the gym, so I don't go... I prefer walking or doing reps of simple exercises, which makes me feel more confident and motivated to keep doing it, rather than dreading doing a work out. I've also found, for me, doing a 30 day challenge works well, as I find if I know exactly what I'm doing and have a set amount, I'm more motivated to do it. So far, I've completed the 30 plank and sit up challenge and I'm currently starting a 30 abs challenge. This website is really great and has links to challenges targeting specific areas, so definitely check it out!

2. Have a routine
Finding the time to work out was what I struggled with the most, at first, because as soon as I finished school and homework, (not any more! Yay!) I was exhausted and exercise was the last thing on my mind... I found doing it before I had a shower and had had a chance to relax a bit worked well and it became a routine for me, that I pretty much stick to know, depending on how busy my days/evenings are. Find a time that best suits your schedule, so there's a set time you know you're going to exercise. But more importantly, stick to it! And don't forget, it's also important to have rest days, to give your body a break :)

3. Eat foods you don't hate
Similarly to not doing exercises you hate, it's going to be a lot less challenging to stay healthy by eating food you enjoy. Obviously, don't have a Big Mac every day as lunch, but at the same time, don't force yourself to eat boring salads or something you don't like. Pinterest has some great ideas for healthy meals and snacks that don't take much effort or time and it's great motivation if you're still excited to eat, without the excess fats or sugars.

I hope this has given you some motivation and inspiration to start living a healthy lifestyle! It's way more achievable if you do what you enjoy and even having a friend to motivate you along the way! (Shout out to Tianah!!!)

Let me know your best tips for staying healthy and gettin that summer-ready body :D

Em x

Spring Favourites 2014

Hello!
Spring is most indefinitely on its way! I love spring, so I thought I'd share with you my spring favourites...

Pastel Nail Polish

Every year I find myself always wearing pastel colours on my nails, but recently this mint and purple have been my favs.
The mint is called 'Cool As' by Mode Cosmetics and the purple is by Jezy in number 20. They're relatively old polishes, but I think they're both drugstore brands and were pretty cheap ;)

Perfume

I bought this Guess perfume ages ago on sale and completely forgot about it until a few weeks ago. It's called "Guess Girl Belle" and has a really delicate, floral scent. I don't really like sweet smelling perfumes, so if you're the same this one is amazebeans!







Lip Stains

Okay, so this isn't really a spring-specific favourite and I wear this all year around... but it's so pretty! This is in the shade 'Wink of Pink' and I also have one in a more peachy tone ('In the Buff''), but I wear that more so in Autumn. These smell reaaaally nice and last quite a while too :)


Cath Kidston Phone Case

I was after one of these cases for ages, before I finally bought one last year at the Royal Show. As you can see, it's a bit worse for wear, but the floral pattern is so pretty and spring-like :)
I absolutely loooove Cath Kidston's collections and if I had the money, I'd probably buy everything on there.... Here's the link to her website :)





Songs of Spring

The top three songs I've been listening to lately are...
1. Blame it on Me George Ezra
2. Title Meghan Trainor
3. Oceans Hillsong United

What are your favourites for this spring? :)

Em x

E.L.F Australia Review

I recently bought some new elf products from their Australian website and they've also just started stocking some products in Kmart, so I thought it'd be a good time to do a review on the products I've tried!

Overall, I've been pretty happy with the quality of almost everything, considering it's so cheap. However, it is a bit hit-and-miss with elf, so definitely read the online reviews before you buy :)

From top left to the bottom...

1. Essential blush in 'Blushing'

I really like this colour and it's not over-pigmented, but enough so you don't have to go crazy with the application. I prefer a more subtle blush look, but the shimmer in it gives a really nice effect :)

2. Professional eyeshadow brush

This brush came with the palette and it's really nice and soft and perfect for every day makeup. I was half expecting some of the bristles to fall out, but so far so good!

3. Professional blush/bronzing brush

This was one unfortunately of the miss products... The bristles are really scratchy on your face and they're quite sparse as well. The glue holding the handle together is also coming loose... It does the job, though, so I haven't binned and replaced it (yet), but I wouldn't recommend buying it.

4. Essential clarifying pressed powder in 'Ivory'

I wasn't expecting this product to be as small as it it, but it's pretty decent for how much it cost! I kinda guessed which colour to get, but it ended up being about right anyway. It's again not the most pigmented powder, but if you're like me and don't wear much, it does the job just fine :)

5. Under eye concealer & highlighter in 'Light/Glow'

I bought this from the range they now have in Kmart a few weeks ago because my other concealer ran out and it's really good! It's not cakey-looking, but has reasonable coverage and the highlighter can also be used as an eyeshadow primer. 

6. Zit-zapping concealer

I've been blessed with good skin that rarely breaks out, but I still have the occasional spot here and there. The salicylic acid in the formula is what gets rid of pimples and also prevents more from arising and it seems to work. I haven't had much of a chance to use it yet though.. The colour is a shade too dark for me at the moment, but come summer it should be perfect :)

7. Eyeshadow palette

Ever since buying this palette, it's basically all I've used eyeshadow-wise... You can see I mostly use the second column of bronze/browns and it's perfect for both everyday makeup and the range of colours allows you to also go a bit crazy with fun makeup. Most of the colours are shimmer, but a few of the darker colours are more matte, so there's a good range. 

8. Luscious liquid lipstick

I was looking for the perfect deep red lip colour for winter and bought this in the shade 'Cherry Tart'. It smells like peppermint and it's not drying like a lipstick, nor too tacky like a gloss... Practically perfect if you ask me!

9. Eyeshadow primer

This is the only eye primer I've ever used, so I don't have anything to compare it with, but it's quite decent! I don't know how much difference it makes in making my eye makeup last, but it does make the colours more vibrant and see-able, if that makes sense? :P

10. Crystal eye shadow brush

This is pretty much the same as the other eye shadow brush, but it is pink and sparkly... That definitely makes it better ;) 

Apparently the other brushes in this collection aren't as good as the normal ones, so I probably won't be buying any more, but this one is nice and soft, but firm enough to not mess up your eye makeup :)

Wow, this post ended up longer than I planned, but I hope it was helpful!

Share any of your thoughts on elf products you've tried!

Em x

Top 5 Favourite Stand-Alone Books

Sometimes after reading a whole series it's good to read some stand-alones just to balance it out :)

Here's my top five favourites...

1. The Secret Garden~ Frances Hodgson Burnett

This must be one of my favourite classics ever.. It's so full of magic and exciting adventures and it's so adorable!! Everyone should definitely read it at some point and it's a perfect easy-read for holidays :)

2. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips~ Michael Morpurgo

I've lost count how many times I've re-read this, it is just that amazing. The plot follows the adventures of a young girl and her cat who are living in England during WW2. The practise air raids in their home town force her and her family to move away and leave everything behind. Michael Morpurgo is an amazing author and I definitely recommend any of his novels.

3. Stormswept~ Helen Dunmore

Okay, so this is part of a chronicals, but it can be read alone! I haven't yet read the others, but if fantasy is your thing or if you like mermaids (which is like everyone) definitely give it a go! The protagonist is faced with a life changing choice at the end and I was held in suspense throughout!

4. Paper Towns~ John Green

I couldn't possibly make a list of my fav books without having at least one by John Green.. He is so absolutely epic and the ideas in his novels are mind blowing! Paper Towns is probably my favourite of his and there's a movie in the making!! I absolutely recommend reading it before then :) 

The characters are so beautiful and it makes you want to laugh and cry and read it all over again.

5. Act of Faith~ Kelly Gardiner

I bought this on a whim a while ago but I was pleasantly surprised by it! It's set in the mid 1600s and so suspenseful and full of action! It's probably not for everyone, but if you're into historical fictions I'm sure you'll love it :) 

Comment below your fav stand-alone books for post series burn-outs!! :)

Em x

Fishtail Bracelets

Hello everyone! Wow, I haven't posted in ageeees!

These bracelets are so cute and easy to make and perfect for layering together or wearing alone :)

Here's what you'll need...

You will also need a pillow or something soft to hold the thread onto :)

I used about 1m of each colour in my bracelets. I've found using about 6 strands makes for a good thickness, but that is personal preference :)

After cutting your thread, fold the pieces in half and tie a loop about 2 or 3cm down from the fold. Put the safety pin through the loop and attach it to the pillow. Next, lay the strands out flat and split them in half. (You can have one of each colour on either side, or split them randomly.)

Now start fish tailing! :)

If you've never done this before, it's pretty simple...

Take a strand from the outside of one side and take it over and across to the other. Repeat this on the other side and keep doing this :) At first, it might not look like a fishtail, but as you keep going, the pattern will start emerging...

I find if there's more colours, it's just easier to choose random colours from either side, but you can also get a more unified effect by matching up the colours, as I did in the other ones :)
Keep going until it's long enough to wrap around your wrist, but bear in mind the loop adds a bit of length as well, once it's tied up.

When you have it the required length, tie the two sides in a knot. You can either braid each half for a few inches, or leave a length and tie a knot at the end of each half. 

And wallah! A cute bracelet for yourself or a bestie :) 

I think these would make great gifts for anyone and can be made in their favourite or footy team colours :)

Thank you for reading!

Em x

Healthy Breakfast Ideas!

One of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning is find food! It's mainly the only time of the day I get really hungry, but this isn't the case for everyone. Of course, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so here are some quick and healthy recipes to hopefully encourage you to eat up :)

Pancakes

These can take a little longer to make in the morning, but you can easily pre-make the batter and cook them up in the morning, or even just reheat them. 

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

Pinch of salt

Cooking spray/butter

Toppings! (I love bananas, maple syrup, honey, peanut butter, sugar & lemon or Nutellla)

Method

Combine all the ingredients together and cook in a small amount of butter/oil.

Enjoy!!

Instant Oatmeal

This is a good old Pinterest recipe I found this morning and wow.. It is just gorgeous!

I love the idea of pre-making it and putting it in the bags so you can quickly chuck it in the microwave in the morning :)

Here's the link!

This morning I had it with mixed dried fruit, but I'm keen to try it with dried banana chips and nuts. Methinks this will be what I survive off in winter (along with chai lattes and cinnamon & orange tea).

Fruit Salad, Yoghurt and Muesli

Another fav of mine! I like having fresh and energy filled food in summer to kickstart the day :) 

This recipe is so adaptable and I just chuck whatever fruit we have in a bowl (sometimes it ends up being dried fruit) and mix in some yoghurt or milk and either porridge oats or cereal. Some days I only feel like muesli and yoghurt and some days only fruit :) It's so delicious and good if you're one of those people who can't eat much during the morning.

Hope this has inspired/encouraged you to eat breakfast or given you ideas to stray from the standard toast, hahaha ;)

Em xx

Study & Organisation

Needless to say, I much prefer being on holidays than having to drag myself to school every morning.. But holidays can't last forever, so I thought I'd share how I study and organise my life in general. Of course, everyone's different, but this stuff works for moi :)

Keeping Track

I like having a visual of all the important things I need to remember, such as test dates, when assignments are due and personal things like when I'm working or catching up with friends.

I do have a diary, but tend not to use it so much because I forget to check it and it takes more effort ;) Instead, I have a whiteboard in my room and I've taped off each day for two weeks and I write everything important up on it. This way, I can see all the upcoming tests I need to study for or just to remind me what I'm doing each day. I also have ongoing To Do lists for random things that need to be done :)

Getting it Done

Generally for me, if I don't do homework or assignments within a few days of getting them, they never get done or I put off starting them until right before the due date. I find I don't need motivation to study and I can easily sit down for a few hours and revise/learn things and not need a break. I know all this research says it's better to take lots of small breaks, but for me that doesn't work for some reason :) It takes too long to get back into my 'zone' if I take breaks too regularly and it's too easy to get distracted by more interesting things ;)

Prioritising

This is especially important for me to do, particularly when I have a lot to get done in a single day. I'm a definite morning person and my brain refuses to concentrate after around 6 o'clock in the evening, so there's no use me trying to do homework or things that require a lot of attention after that.

If I get a lot of homework one evening that's due the next day, I get right into it as soon as I get home and force myself to do the harder stuff first (which is usually English). This way, I know if I end up having to work after dinner, it's only going to be something relatively easy and won't take as much concentration. I don't see how people can be doing work past 9 or 10 o'clock some nights! I'm in bed by then! ;)

R&R

It's so easy to forget to relax sometimes, but I try and make time to chill every day :) usually this entails reading, knitting, browsing Pinterest or lounging in front of the tv. Lately I've also been enjoying nice warm baths, thanks to the gorgeous bath bombs I got for my birthday :)

Ooh, yummy tea...

Hope this was helpful in some way or another and that everyone is coping well in school :)

I'd love to hear other people's study/organisation tips too!

Em x

Knitting Socks!

I have decided to knit myself a pair of socks!! Aaah so excited!

I've never attempted this before but it's been on my to do list ever since my Grandma introduced me to double pointed needles :) I think it's so cool how you can make something gorgeous from some sticks and yarn! 

Yesterday, whilst I was in Spotlight, I found the most gorgeous yarn and it was on sale for $3.99 a ball, so how could I not buy it?

Behold! Two 100g balls of Moda Vera Folly in colour 83! It's soooo soft and fluffy :)

I did some research and found a good step-by-step tutorial that made good sense to me, so hopefully by this time next year I shall have some fuzzy pink feet warmers :)

Here is the tutorial/pattern: http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/SockClass_Start.htm

I'll be sure to post my progress when I eventually start them!

Hope everyone had a wonderful summer holiday and doesn't dread going back to school too much ;)

Em x

Happy Australia Day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe day of celebration :)

Em x

Cleaning Makeup Brushes

Apparently, makeup brushes should be cleaned at least once a month. I don't think mine have even been cleaned once since I bought them.. So, I thought it was about time I did it! Using dirty brushes with product build-up can be bad for your skin and they look a bit gross, covered in foundation and powders.

Anyway, after browsing Pinterest for a while, I came across a few blog posts that suggested using baby shampoo and I thought I'd give it a go.

I found this for a whole $3 in Big W :)

First of all, I mixed a squirt of this in enough room temperature water that mainly the bristles of my brushes would get wet. (If the rest of the brush gets wet, the glue may dissolve and break your brush *gasp!*)

One at a time, I then swirled my brushes in this magical pink liquid for a few seconds, depending on how often I used it and what sort of product it was covered in. After this, I ran each brush under some clean water to rinse out the soap and then lay it on a clean towel to dry. (They take quite a while to dry, so it's best to leave them out overnight.)

The spotty brushes are from good old Red Dot! Don't judge, okay? They are actually pretty good!

And wallah! Clean brushes for everyone! Yay! Easy as :) and now my brushes smell like grapefruit

Em x