Funny/Interesting/Awesome (28/2/15)

Howdy, y'all! Ready for the weekend?


1. Here are some great tips for taking photos of your house if you ever want to give your parents a virtual tour of your new place, and impress them at the same time.

2. Feeling a bit bored of the music in your playlist? Here's a site that generates new bands you might like, based on your 3 favourite bands.

3. This is awesome! Type a word or phrase into the box and see it in every font you have on your computer - great for deciding which font to use in your blog logo!

4. This guy makes all sorts of wonderful animations and simulations using a bit of code - it's amazing how much fun it is to watch!

5. Even if you have absolutely no idea how to draw a tree, you can create some magic with this neon flame painter - the results are beautiful (and I've even saved mine as my desktop wallpaper)!

6. A handy tool for any self-taught guitarist (like me). Heck, it even seems to write my songs for me.

7. See how well you know your movies: guess the name of the movie with only three images as clues, before time runs out.

8. How well do you know your geography? Remember, the only clues are what you can see...

9. Here's a mind-boggling representation of the solar system in pixels - and in answer to your question, yes, our solar system really is that empty.

10. I know a lot of you hate snails, but this one seems to have defied all laws of cuteness...


Happy Friday!

NYFW Monique Lhuillier Fall 2015: Inspired by the runway

NYFW may be over, but that won't stop us from continuing to drool over the designs. One of my favourite designers is Monique Lhuillier, who never fails to produce the most incredible dresses at every show. Here are a few of my favourite looks and inspired outfits.

Source: Style.com

Of all the looks in NYFW, this is definitely at the top of my list. Everything about the dress, from colour to the cutouts and the shoulders, oozes elegance with a bit of an edge that says, "I can kick your ass". Of course, not every one can get away with wearing a floor length gown while walking down the street during the daytime, so here's a similar look you can rock as you head out of the house.

Replicate the strong shoulders and cutouts with these triangle earrings. Give your outfit some edge with these studded sneakers, and if you're not feeling like some cat-eye liner, then these glasses will do the job just fine.

Source: Style.com

I love the floral detail on this gorgeous midi skirt - the whole look is very dark and sultry with beautiful purples and greys. This look is very neutral, perfect for a demure office look or a meeting with the boss.

Dress up your outfit with these adorable bow heels. I love the satin skirt here - it may not be as deep in colour as the runway look, but it's a very regal shade that pulls the entire outfit together. Finish it off with a classic black clutch and a floral necklace.

Source: Style.com

The final look is much more casual than the other two. It features a huge black coat that I absolutely fell in love with - imagine snuggling up in that on a cold day! The little dash of purple gives it a more trendy look that breaks up the all black of the outfit.

I adore the blue faux fur collar on this coat, which gives the outfit a subtle yet interesting dash of colour. Finish your black on black with a pop of white and a cute camera bag for all you bloggers out there!

Would you wear any of these looks? Let me know in the comments!

5 ways to streamline your morning

I have something to admit: I'm chronically late (apologies to my friends for putting up with this). Most of this probably has to do with the fact that I'm a night owl... Unfortunately, this may also be a biological thing as I'm often surprised by how quickly the time has passed when all I did was sit down to eat a muesli bar, and suddenly 2 hours has gone by. I've come to rely a lot on routine to help me catch my morning train in time, and it helps that I no longer need to rush around like a headless chicken looking for my keys and phone. These days I'm a lot more punctual than I used to be and I hope I'll stay that way!

Here are some tips to follow to get ready in less time:

1. Pack your things before you go to bed.
Before I go to sleep, I like to make sure everything I'll need for the next day in put away in my bag. Keys? Check. Pen? Check. Wallet? Check. Then I leave my bag by the door, so I can just grab it as I leave.

2. Plan your outfit beforehand.
I don't know about you, but there were times when I was late because I didn't know what to wear (cue every stereotype about women and clothes). Yep. So I began to think about what I wanted to wear the next day as I got into bed, and this helped me cut down a lot of time in the mornings. It's also become so much more fun to get dressed in the morning, because I'll be excited to try a new outfit combination I've never done before. 

3. Make your own breakfast on the go.
I hardly ever eat breakfast at home anymore. You'll probably find me eating a granola bar on my way to uni. Instead of wasting your hard-earned coin on overpriced muffins from the cafe, try making your own healthy fruit salad, smoothie or nut mix the night before and placing it in the fridge, or stuff your pantry with healthy snacks you can eat as you go.

4. Play your favourite songs as you get ready.
I find I'll move a lot faster if I've got a good album playing on my laptop after I wake to get me pumped for the day. There's something just so invigorating about listening to Lorde or Radiohead in the morning that I'll just rush through my routines and be out the door in no time at all. Just don't spend too long singing in front of the mirror, okay?

5. Give yourself a time limit for each activity.
I like to time myself as I get ready. Five minutes to brush my teeth. Five minutes to get dressed (it helps that Australia is hot most of the time - I'll just throw on a dress). Ten minutes to do my hair. When you make getting ready a game, you'll find yourself striving to beating the clock each time. Then you can leave a little more time for the important things, like makeup ;)


Of course, not all of these tips will suit everyone (especially if you have kids). However, you can always adapt these tips to apply to your own lifestyle and perhaps they may even inspire you to come up with your own.

Do you have any tricks to save time on your mornings?

Funny/Interesting/Awesome (20/2/15)

Every Friday, I'll be posting some lovely links for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!


1. Watch Veritasium's chat with astronaut Chris Hadfield about what it was like to see the world from space, and just how far the effects of climate change can be seen.

2. "What 1 to 10 minute task, if done daily, would have the most positive impact on my life over time?" from AskReddit (some nsfw content).

3. Listen to Nothing But Thieves' song Graveyard Whistling. One of my favourite songs ever, and they haven't even released a full album yet. Can't wait to see what they've got up their sleeves!

4. This person witnessed an island form in front of their eyes. Let me repeat that: THEY. SAW. AN. ISLAND. APPEAR. FROM. NOTHING. I can't get over how amazing it must have felt to witness that.

5. Learn about what a planet needs in order to be habitable. It's almost like the universe is against life or something.

6. Want all the colour accents in your house to match but not sure which colours to use? Try this site.

7. Ever wanted to play a theremin? Well, now you can! Though it gets pretty annoying after a while.

8. Some of us know all too well the link between productivity and coffee shops. If you're craving some of that gentle murmur, now you don't even have to leave your house to get it!

9. Check out this video from Vsauce3 about the paradoxes of time travel (special bonus: Bill Nye!) - a great way to dip your feet into Einstein's theory of special relativity.

10. I believed in you, kitty...


Happy Friday!

DIY Alexander Wang Cropped Shirt

The other day I was digging through my closet looking for clothes to donate when I came across an old relic of my school uniform. Back then, my mum always bought my clothes two or three sizes larger in the hopes I would "grow into" them. Being an angsty teen, I immediately rebelled and ceased growing (ok, I actually didn't have a choice in the matter) so that means I'm left with a lot of ill-fitting shirts that sit like tents on me. Yeah... not so flattering.

Of course, I jumped straight onto the interwebs to look for inspiration, and I found this:

Source: Alexander Wang

I love clean white lines, and the boxy fit of this shirt matched mine perfectly. So I got a-cuttin'!

What you'll need:

• White button up
• Scissors
• Matching thread and needle
• Ruler
• Chalk

1. Put on the shirt and decide how far you want to crop it. I decided on about 20 cm from the hem, where it would sit comfortably just below my waist. Once you've done so, lay it flat and mark with a straight line where you will cut.

2. I wanted a slightly curved back rather than a straight back, so I marked where I wanted the lowest point and drew a gentle curve joining with the line at the front.

3. Whip out your scissors and start cutting! I cut 1.5 cm below the lines I drew so I could hem it up.

Once you're done, simply hem and wash off the chalk, and you're ready to go!

Easiest DIY ever! Now all I have to work on are my (sadly non-existent) abs.


Let me know what you think of this DIY in the comments below!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin