Pretty Picture Post: Spring or Summer?

Hey Everyone,

The Weather is warming up quite quickly here and it seems like we are going straight into the summer weather without having much of a "Spring". I really prefer the warmer weather and am enjoying getting to wear some sundresses and shorter skirts already. I think summer is my favourite season. I feel like I can get away with being a little bit more disheveled in the summer and the warmer weather makes me think of holiday fun.

Here is some Spring/Summer Style Inspiration:

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I love the prints on summer clothes from the 40s and 50s. I love how simple it is to throw on a sundress and a bit of lippy and be ready for just about any occasion. I could go on forever...

What is your favourite season?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Summer Days

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Hi Everyone,
If you have been following my blog for a while you might remember a post called 'In The Summertime' where I shared a list of things I was looking forward to over the summer holidays. I thought I might write something similar again. I have been neglecting my blog a bit and I thought this might be a way to ease into writing more frequently. For those who don't already know it is Summer in Australia at the moment and I am definitely prefer this kind of climate as I can be a bit of a "cold frog" in the cooler months.

Here are some things that I am planning on doing or have already been enjoying so far this summer:

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Walking along the park/beach/jetty is my new thing. Where I live there are a lot of nice beaches to choose from.

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I've started spending more time dancing outside. I'm not too focused on choreographing a whole routine anymore. I just like mucking about and improvising. 

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I have been collecting a lot of quotes and sayings on Pinterest lately. I love how someone can say something so wise and thought provoking in such a beautiful, yet concise manner. I could write a lengthy essay about some of these quotes and what they mean to me. I am also amazed at how timeless some quotes are.

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I recently went on a trip to a nearby city and purchased an illustrated version of 'The Great Gatsby', a book about art deco illustrations and an Art Deco colouring book. I love the shapes and colours of Art from the 1910s through to the 1930s. While my own drawing/painting style is not this cool, I do find that It is heavily inspired by art deco artists. 

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I haven't read much yet this holidays (I wanted to write some book reviews for  other novels I've read, before I start anything new) but I was hoping to crack open another one of my birthday books before the year ends. 

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I have started playing a couple of covers on my neglected guitar again. Unfortunately one of my cables for my electric guitar has died, so I can't play anything with pedals at the moment.

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I've been hiring movies again. This is something that I haven't really done for a while as I usually just buy them. So far I have really enjoyed watching 'The Waitress', 'DUFF' (Book Review/Book Movie Comparison promised), 'The Longest Ride', 'Jenny's Wedding', 'Aloha' and 'Silver Linings Playbook' were all really enjoyable. When the weather is hot and you don't have a lot of energy, there isn't really much else to do.

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Since I have been on holidays from work I've been experimenting with my make-up everyday. It has been fun to play with new ideas, metallic shades and bolder colours than I usually would. I've been getting inspired by pictures from pinterest and from different looks I have seen on movies. 

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While I love nail stamping, I have been getting inspired by some simpler nail designs I've seen. I really want to try something Like this^ for the holidays.

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With short hair, you're really supposed to get it cut every 5-6 weeks, but due to bad scheduling my last hair cut lasted a lot longer than that and resulted in me cutting little chunks out of the back  and pin curling the front and sides. I'm not quite at that stage yet, but with Xmas and New Years coming up (and my hairdresser most likely being on holidays or getting booked out) I know this phase is coming up, And, I am actually looking forward to it. I really like the way that 1950s models Dovima and Jean Patchett styled their hair when it was shorter, so it is fun to play around with it and try to create those looks. I also dyed my hair recently. It's a Napro colour called 'Rosewood Violet' and I love it, but I know with all my styling products and afternoon walks it will possibly fade to a brassy colour quite quickly. 

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Style-wise I have really enjoyed wearing black, which is probably not the best idea in summer... I think sometimes you just can't beat black. I have been trying to keep things a bit more simple by pairing a lot of black in with my outfits. 

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I've been inspired by Alexa Chung's simple and feminine style this summer. I tend to overdress and I still intend to be glamorous every opportunity I get (supermarkets, video stores...)  however, I am slowly learning how to tone it down even if just a little. I may even consider doing a post about this new style philosophy of mine. Something like "How to look Glam on short notice" or "How to be casual and glamorous". Let me know what you think? I'm sure people still think I look ridiculous and OTT anyway, but each to their own. 

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I hope you have enjoyed reading what I have been up to/ am looking forward to so far this summer. I hope my blog won't seem to repetitive once I get around to writing my summer favourites in a couple of months. Do you have anything planned for the summer/winter? Let me know your favourite thing about the current season in the comments.

I am hoping to do something for new years, though I am not quite sure what yet. As you may have guessed from reading other previous posts of mine I am kind of back to square one with the whole social life thing. I usually just spend new years on the couch at home, but I think I would like to dress up and go out somewhere for a change... 

I also made some new pinterest boards. If you are interested click on them below:

Classic Summers - style inspiration for summer

Keep Your Heart on The Inside - Musings about life

If you would like to view the original image source of a picture, just click on the small sun underneath said picture.

Do you have any plans for New Years or Christmas?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Summer Favourites: Beauty/Style/Music

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Hi Everyone,

After numerous stormy afternoons, going back to work, a few dance classes and a small technological saga, I'm back! As usual I thought I would share my summer favourites before summer is actually over. Summer is when I have my Christmas holidays, though because it's so hot I don't usually do all that much. Things like the beach aren't really advisable in summer (that's more of a spring thing) and I'm honestly glad I avoided it, because I managed to get really sun burnt twice at other events. 

I don't feel like I have too many favourites to share with you guys this time. I haven't really been feeling like dressing up, unless I have somewhere to go, because it's just so hot. I did get really into the make-up at the start of the holidays and I ate a lot of junk food, so my skin is super mad at me. I have been trying to avoid both. Unless I'm going out I just stick to brows and lipstick. I've been meaning to clean my make-up brushes, but we get a lot of bugs at night and I worry that they will end up with dead bugs on them which is gross. 

Excuses aside, I have had a pretty good summer. I managed to finish five books in the beginning of 2015, I have started dancing again (like actual classes), I have found some new music that I like and I've got a lot of things to look forward to. I did discover/rediscover a few favourites that I thought I would like to share with you. I hope you enjoy.

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SKINCARE:

• I have really been enjoying the good old Maybelline Baby Lips, Blistex Lip Conditioner and the Patissiere De Bain Sugared Violet Lip Balm.

• I know it's not really skincare, but on make-up free days I am really enjoying wearing the Avon Magic FX Primer over my moisturiser because it stops my face from going oily.

• My Eczema has been playing up in the heat, and while this hasn't exactly cured it, I find that applying a little honey to the area before my shower calms it down and dissolves away some of the dead skin. 

MAKEUP:

• Though I haven't really been going for the full-face make-up look the last couple of weeks, whenever I have decided to go all out I've been reaching for either my Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation or my Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation. These are both fairly new to me and I really like them. The Covergirl one is almost powder-like when it dries and the Bourjois one doesn't need primer or powder.

• I have really been liking my Milani Colour Statement Lipsticks . I think the darker shimmery shades are my favourites. I am hoping to review these soon.

• I really like the NYX Blush in Angel. If you can get a little heavy handed with blush, then this is perfect for you. It is almost impossible to over do it with this shade.

• I have really been loving the ChiChi Eyeshadow BASES Palette . I think it's really good value for money and it's a great companion palette for any collection. 

• I have also really been liking the Besame Lipstick in Portrait Pink. This is the perfect muted neutral pink colour. 

FASHION/STYLE:

• I bought a bunch of things from Target and ASOS on clearance and I have been really loving some of them. 

• I have also been getting a lot of wear out of my MIX Apparel T-shirts. They are affordable and no-nonsense which is great for this weather. 

• I have really been liking Taylor Swift's style lately and I think some of the 2015 Runway Collections look really good!

MUSIC:

• I have been revisiting my Marie Antoinette Soundtrack and The Killers CDs that I own.

• Some songs I have had on repeat:

- 'Sunday Girl' by Blondie

- 'Snow Queen' by She & Him

- 'It's Too Late' and 'Don't Let Me Down' by No Doubt

- 'Wait for Life' by Emile Haynie feat Lana Del Rey

- 'Read My Mind' by The Killers

- 'Beggin' by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons

- 'Swimming Pool' by Emmy The Great

- 'Comic Book' by Emmy The Great

- 'Bizarre Love Triangle' by New Order

- 'Run Away' by Kayne West (I know I know, but it's so catchy)

- 'Boys Don't Cry' by The Cure

- 'All Your Loving' (close your eyes) by The Beatles

- 'Heartstrings' by Leighton Meester

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I hope you are all enjoying the last of your Summer/Winter. What have your favourites been so far this season?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Pretty Picture Post: The Sea, The Sand & The Swimsuit

Hello Everyone,

I have been getting into the vintage beach theme again with this new picture post. I can't wait till it warms up a little because I am hoping to actually go to the beach this year. I will probably just go by myself and read or something. I am a little wary of doing that because of safety reasons even though it's a small town. What can you say? I am a little paranoid...

I think some sand, sun and salt water might do wonders for all of my niggling skin problems and may even improve my mood a bit. Nature is a great medicine. I guess leaving the house also comes with the possibility that there will be new people to meet, not that I ever manage to come off sounding friendly when I or if I speak to them. 

I am so grateful for the existence of Pinterest because it allows us to see so many of the awesome vintage images out there. This post is pretty picture heavy, but I couldn't narrow it down. I love these monochrome snaps so much! I love the jumpsuits and the high-waisted bottoms. I love the full-piece suits and summer dresses. I love the bikinis and the sunglasses. I love the caps and hats. I love that these women wear their make-up and have their hair curled...

These pictures are so much fun :)

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As you can see these pictures are taken from decades spanning between 1910 and 1950. Times were obviously different especially in the earlier eras where there even used to be signs on the beach dictating that women were to be wearing bloomers. In the 1920s some women could be seen wearing hosiery and shoes at the beach, while in 1930 some of the jumpsuits and high waisted pants would see most women having their entire legs covered. Even the slightly more revealing high waisted bikinis of the forties and fifties were by far more modest than the little string bikinis we see today (both on the beaches and in snoop dog music videos).

I like the way that the vintage swimming costumes and  cover-ups tastefully showed off a woman's figure. I think if we could purchase swimsuits as modest as these (I have seen reproductions, but honestly many of these show a lot more cleavage and butt than the original swimmers did) more women would have the confidence to go swimming at the beach. 

Many patterns have been made available for the successful seamstress. I am not quite there with my sewing (Really I can hardly sew straight) so I have opted for a modest swimsuit with a ruffled skirt from a cheap online shop (Sizing is Chinese) and it's more "vintage appropriate" than "reproduction". It hasn't got here yet. I don't know I may model it when it arrives? I also finally found a teddies style jumpsuit which might be perfect for the beach also. I just hope it's not too see through... And knowing me if these things arrive and fit you may be witnessing me hauling quite a few different colours.

I could be thinking wishfully, but honestly I would like to see my self at the beach a lot more this year. Getting that much needed vitamin D and fresh salty air.

Don't these pictures just make you want to go to the beach?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie