Aussie Curves - Then and Now

My very first Aussie Curves was 'pastel' back in November 2012.  My style really hasn't changed much - I still don't wear a lot of pastels and I still really like that outfit. I wonder where that dress is?

What has changed?

Recently I decided that I would stop wishing for purple hair and using boxed plummy colours, that I would bleach and actually use purple dye.  I love my hair now, I have chunky streaks at moment.

More photos. 

What I look like in photographs doesn't match up to what I see in the mirror or how I see myself. Someone suggested that it may be a form of body dysmorphia and I have to agree.  I hated all photos of me.

Part of my own personal challenge was that I would only take between 5-10 photos and share the ones I liked the most.  If I ended up with 10 really bad photos I still had to share.  

I'm never going to get the perfect photo of me, but doing this has really helped me be okay with the way I look in photos. 

Does that make any sense to anyone else but me?

Look at that double chin - thanks Dad for that gene. Can't hide it, may as well photograph it.

See my hair all mermaidy and such?  

Nice looking ground there.

These are new sandals - they gave me a small blister :(

Sandals - I got them The Iconic
Jeans - Crossroads
Shirt - Target
Necklace - City Chic I think - I got it for a buck or so because it was broken
Sunnies - RayBan prescription
Fashion rings - Najo and Ikecho

My current thoughts about my style.

My boss told me recently that he wished he could ban jeans and make us all wear corporate clothing.  Sorry, but just because you wear 'professional' looking clothes doesn't mean you will act professionally. 

Someone once told me, I forget who so maybe I read it, that if you want students to pay attention to you, you have to be the most interesting thing in the room.  I took that to heart, so not only do I grab their attention with my teaching, but also my wardrobe.  Even if I go with a subdued look like above, the small details always capture their attention. Accessories, always the accessories.

That's not to say that my style is dictated by what I think my students like. It just gives me permission to buy the things I like, in colours I like, always the colours, even if sometimes others don't think it's flattering, or professional, as long as I am comfortable, and covering all the bits they need to, and I can get my job done, then I'll wear it.

Bellabox October

Good mail day today.  

Squish pounced on the sample pack by Model Co - must have smelt nice.

Most of the samples will be thrown away because I usually lose them anyway; the Rimmel lipstick looks like it will work for me.  Red nail polish... I have so much that it's going into my piles of little presents that I keep for other people - I don't think this is a case of regifting since I did pay for it.  Sunscreen will be great but I don't need another shampoo and conditioner sample.

Moons

Listening to my husband reading Elizabeth Moon aloud while I wear my galaxy leggings, obsessing over my purple hair.  I put in heaps of purple foils today.

Hair - part 5

Nearly two weeks later and 4 washes (not including the hairdressers') my colour has pretty quickly faded.  One of the purples has gone a disappointing browny pink and the other is grayish.  I like the grayish which is the ultra violet from Manic Panic.

I was going to add more of it this weekend but I think I'll wait until next weekend instead.

This is my hair in the sun - of course a wind had to pick up just that second.  You can see that the ends have that different colour.

Inside in the natural light. Not too bad.

Under flourescent light :(

Just under a cm of regrowth, I love to see  how much my hair grows once I've died it.

Ants

They die in my cat's fur all the time.

These ones bite.

OPI GelColor - Can't Find My Czechbook

After using Gelicious for ages and being happy with them I hadn't really thought of using any other brand.  BUT. There was a sale in Catch of Day or someplace similar and I thought I might give it ago, as OPI is one of my favourite normal polishes.

I gathered my supplies - I had to buy rubbing alcohol for this system - and off I went.  I actually liked using the rubbing alcohol for clean up and makes me want to try it on Gelicious as well.

The colour is great - turns out I had matching shoes!

So far there hasn't been a single chip or peel and it has been seven days.  There has been wear on the tips which I usually get.  However...

The clear has absorbed my hair dye around the edges.  It's strange.

Overall though I'm really liking this but we'll see how it shapes up when I take it off.

Hair - part 4

I have purple hair.  And I don't mean burgundy, I mean real purple!!!

I was so scared going into the hairdressers to get it done.  I had my hair bleached and then had the colour on top.  The bleaching part was what I was worred about and decided I couldn't do it by myself because I figured I would stuff it up and fry my hair.

I was surprised how well my hair took it - so was the hairdressers.  I say hairdressers because for most of the morning I had two people, the main lady and possibly an apprentice.

Then on went the colour.  The ends had a darker dye on it after this first coat, my ombré made it 'wishy washy' as the hairdresser said.

So I went from this:

To this:

Holy crapola!

I love how it looks straightened!   

But this is how it looks when I let it dry naturally.

The colour changes all the time according to the light - sometimes it looks fluro.

The colour is Manic Panic Violet Night just incase you were wondering.

Aussie Curves - Fears Exposed

Unshaven legs.

I hate shaving my legs and try and do it only once a week plus special occasions.

If I do it any more my legs break out, I've tried using a new razor in each leg and waxing but blahhh.  Now I use an electric razor.  TMI?  It's going to get worse.

So I shave at the beginning of the week and of course by Friday I've got myself a spiky little forest.  Which means I wear long pants to cover my legs, even if it is near 40 degrees.

I'm paranoid that someone will say something about my hairy legs - flash backs to high school I guess.

So anyway, here I am wearing a skirt on Friday with my legs all hairy.  

Top - Target

Skirt - me made

Shoes - Rubi

Belt - Autograph

NaNoWriMo Filofax

- my photos include swear words -

I'm a glutton for punishment; I am thinking about signing on for NaNoWriMo.  It's basically writing 50,000 words in November.

My writing partner is also going to try so at least I'm not going to be alone.

What really helped me earlier this year was using my write-o-fax.  It keep me on track and all my notes in one place.  I figured that I should create a new one for my next draft.

Hello fluro pink Original.  This was actually my first Filofax - I bought it for too much money on eBay - lol.

So pink.

My front divider. Behind that is a November calendar so I can keep track of my word count.

I then have the diary section, using Filofax week to two pages.

I'm keeping my page with a homemade bookmark, I've taped a stack of sticky notes from Kikki K onto it so that once I've finished for the day I can write down what my focus is for the next day.

Character profiles are behind here.  I haven't done these yet.

I'll put info about NaNoWriMo behind this one. Nothing here yet.

Tip sheets and stuff.

Notes and research can go here.

Ohh pretty paper from Kiddy Qualia.

I'm pretty chuffed with my effort, meanwhile my daily filofax still hasn't got nice dividers.  I might look into finding some nice scrapbook paper while I am in Townsville.

Midori Traveler's Notebook

Last week my absolutely wonderful husband that knows me too well, gave me a gift voucher to celebrate me writing my first draft of my first novel.

The gift voucher was for an online store called NoteMaker.  A stationery store...

Obviously they had some amazing things that I love like washi tape and pens but I decided to buy something that I had talked myself out of liking.  

So I had seen the Midori Traveler's Notebook around online,and had thought, 'Oh, that looks nice. But I already have a heap of notebooks.'  Part of me also scoffed at paying so much for a square of leather, but apparently I am too lazy to make my own fauxdori.

Anyway, when I saw that Notemaker had them in stock, I just went with it.  A week later I had a tasty bundle of stationery awaiting me at the P O Box.

I like a stationery store that has its own sticky tape design.  Also an awesome foldable card pocket thing that housed my invoice.

Refills -

Kraft paper

Plain pages

Sketch

Grid pages

I'm using my Midori for a self esteem love myself happy thought journal.  

It will also feature my cats.

I also bought these too cute for real mini pacers by Delfonics.  I think I want them in every colour.  I gave one to C as a thank you. To keep it in the Midori I also bought a Leuchturm1917 pen loop.

I am so happy with my new purchase and now that I'm a 'friends for life' I will be visiting NoteMaker again :)

Weekends are the best

Especially when it backs up to the holidays.  Extra lazy!

Did some crochet for my growing pile of face cloths that will become part of my Christmas presents.

I watched - am watching - Arrow episodes while eating - scoffing - Flakes.  Squish says no more chocolate for you.

Worked on my fluro pink Filofax, details to come.