Hello Everyone!

I have a nice personal post for you today. Yesterday (December 4th) was my birthday! My 24th birthday to be exact. I initially felt like, oh I probably should have had my life together by now...whoops. As a naive youngster I always thought that at 24 I would be married and thinking about kids. But as I've grown older I realized two things: 1) Life doesn't ever work out how you think, but it can still be great, and 2) Literally no one has it all-together, we are all just winging it!

So don't feel bad, OK?

I started the day doing what I love to do in the mornings, which is eat my breakfast and watch YouTube. Naturally, I've been watching lots of Vlogmas videos and my Sacconejolys of course. My dogs even got up with me this morning and were especially cuddly today. Cue the awwww's!

Then I went for a workout with my Personal Trainer. I know, why would I not skip the gym on my birthday? Clearly my PT has trained me well! He didn't exactly go easy on me and after a week of no running I was quite out of breath. But I genuinely enjoy his company and he's a big part of my motivation to get better, so I had to include him in my birthday somehow.

I also treated myself to a coffee and raw dessert, just because.

My parents gift to me was getting my hair dyed, which turned out great! I went for a dark brown, which now covers my horrible roots that I let grow out for far too long. What do you think? I think it's going to be a nice change for summer. It was quite relaxing just reading my book for an hour, to be honest.

I had a very chilled afternoon catching up on TV shows (Supernatural and The Flash) before I went out for dinner with friends. I must say, it can be hard enough getting out the door on time, but it's even worse when you have to take blog photos too! It's all worth it though. We stuffed ourselves with Greek food (dessert was the best part with mini doughnuts!) and had an overdue catch up.

Like the party animal I am, I finished off the night with a cup of green tea in bed while I edited blog posts and watched The Maze Runner. I also started my Harry Potter coloring book (coolest thing ever!) and watched Tattoo Roulette w/ One Direction on the Late Late Show, which just made my entire day! That for me is the perfect night-in so there was no better way to end my birthday. 

New Tattoo

A very typical Steph way of celebrating my birthday! I actually got it done the day before, since the guy I wanted didn't work on Fridays. This is something I had been looking forward to doing for ages. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted and thankfully my tattoo artist did an awesome job. All I can say is that I have never felt pain like it! It was my fault for getting it done on my ribs and I had to have couple breaks. To be fair, I was laying in an uncomfortable position for two hours. The artist did say that he had friends who wouldn't have sat for as long as I did, so yay for being tough!

This is by far the biggest tattoo I have and I'm so happy with how it turned out.
What do you guys think of it?

See you guys tomorrow for Blogmas Day 6!

Steph x.

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24 Things I've Learned At 24

 Hello Everyone!

If you didn't know, today is my 24th birthday! How did I get so old so fast!? Where has the time gone? Although I am very happy to have my awkward/angst teen years far behind me now and to currently be in a great place.

I was going to write a serious and heartfelt post about what I had learned BUT you guys have probably heard it all before. So here's a fun list of what life has taught me so far. It might not be helpful, but I hope it's at least a little bit more entertaining for you. 

I have learned...

1. You really shouldn't drink coffee after 5pm

2. Don't eat potato chips at the cinema unless you want people to glare at you

3. Drugstore makeup can be just as good as the expensive stuff

4. Never let your toast go cold

5. A cup of tea will always make you feel better. Or a hot chocolate with a mountain of marshmallows

6.You'll have some of your best ideas come to you while in the shower, exercising, or at work. But, rather annoyingly, never when you are actually at your desk

7. Exercise is incredibly rewarding, it just doesn't feel like it at 6am

8. Marry someone you would be proud to have children turn out like

9. Life is more fun when you aren't afraid of looking like an idiot

10. Pancakes at 10pm are always a great idea

11. Create a bucketlist then attack that sucker. Life is too short, so make it as fun as you can!

12. Be like Cinderella and spread kindness like confetti. There isn't enough of that it the world

13. Talking to people about what they're passionate about and seeing their eyes light up is one of the best things ever

14. Invest in your favorite scent of shower gel, it's the best way to start your day

15. You're never too old to go to Disneyland. Never.

16. Dream big and never settle for an average life. You're worth more than that

17. Everybody has their own definition of fun and others might not fit yours, and that's OK

18. If you're not happy, you need to change something until you are. Even if it's just what you eat for breakfast

19. Defying people's expectations of you is immensely satisfying and fun

20. Always respect history and what people gave up for us to live the way we do today

21. A life without regrets is easy when you just go for things and treat it like a life lesson, even when it doesn't work out

22. Some days you just have to grab some coffee, tie your hair back and handle things like a #BOSS

23. Life is too short to not wear bright lipstick whenever you want, even if you are just home alone

24. Don't ever feel guilty for binge-watching TV shows. Everyone does it (right?)

That did get slightly serious, but I had to chuck a few of those in there.

I will be back tomorrow to show you how I celebrated turning 24!

Happy Blogmas!

Steph x.

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My Christmas BucketList

 Hello Everyone!

I find every Christmas I have certain things I really want to do to make the festive season even better. You've got to make it magical, right? It's also fun to create new traditions and try things I've only seen people do in movies. New Zealand can be quite different culturally to other countries at Christmas time, especially since it's summer here at the moment. December for us means lots of BBQs, beach picnics, and cheeky ice creams. We're pretty lucky, but it's nice to try new things!

Here's a little list of things that I want to do in the festive season:

Make a snow globe 
I know this is very Pinterest, but I flipping love snow globes! We seem to have a severe lack of them in our Christmas decorations and I'm sure I can find room on my bookshelf for a few. Should be easy, right?

Make Christmas meringues 
I've always wanted to master the art of making a perfect meringue, so what better time of the year to do it! It wouldn't be a Kiwi Christmas without meringues with dessert anyway. I may try to make a few batches so that I can get it right for the big day.

Create my new favorite Christmas drink
I'm going to take inspiration from various coffee shops here and create the ultimate hot chocolate for Christmas' to come. The best part is that this will mean A LOT of taste testing to get the recipe right. I'm thinking of adding mint, maybe?

Build a Gingerbread House
Confession time: I've never made or even decorated a gingerbread house. It's not a common thing in New Zealand, and I feel like I've missed out all these years. So this December I'm gonna do it! I have already bought molds to bake them and a recipe to use, so wish me luck! (Any tips?)

Make and hang paper snowflakes 
This is something I mean to do every year, but I am yet to do it. I also have a lack of decorations for my room so this will be perfect! I love being crafty too, so it should be fun. 

Are you trying anything new this Christmas? Let me know!

I hope you're enjoying Blogmas so far

Until tomorrow, Steph x.

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Photo Credit Snow Globe: Classycutter
Photo Credit Gingerbread House: Lulu's Sweet Secrets
Photo Credit Meringue: Bakingamoment
Photo Credit Snowflakes: justsomethingimade

December Reading Challenge

Hello Everybody!

If you remember, I did a reading challenge back in October and I actually did pretty well. It was great setting aside time each day just to read and to take a break away from my computer screen. I know December is going to be a crazy busy month with Blogmas and with almost everyone in my family having a birthday. So it's going to be extra important to set aside some time to unwind each day.

Here's the four books I will endeavor to complete this month:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
One thing I've been meaning to do for a while now is re-read this series. It has been far too long! For some reason this book reminds me of Christmas. I think it's because there are some really nice holiday moments with Harry and Ron. Anyone else want a Weasley sweater with their initial on it?

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
What can I say, I'm in love with this series. This is the third book in the Raven Cycle, with one more to be released. There are so many mysteries in this series so hopefully I'll uncover a few in this one, but I have a feeling they're being saved for a grand finale. Ugh. Oh well!

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares 
I picked this one up a while ago, and as usual I had every intention of reading it but never did. It's about a girl who travels from the future to help prevent the pandemic that's wiping out millions in her time. Naturally, there's a bit of romance involved and things go wrong. Oh, I do I love a good romantic thriller.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
I don't know how it's taken me so long to read this. I mean, the title is literally me in a word. One of the twins in this book sounds exactly like me too, with staying home and writing rather than going out to parties. I've heard so many people loving this book, so I think it's about time I read it. 

Do you guys have any book recommendations?

Until tomorrow! x. 

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12 Things I'm Looking Forward to This December

Hello Everyone!
December is always one of my favorite months of the year, since there's a lot of exciting things going on. I also used to be someone who hated anything Christmas before December had even started, but now I love it! I've been very tempted to watch Christmas movies in November...very tempted!
While the festiveness always makes it such a fun month, there's also a tonne of non-Christmas related stuff to look forward to as well.


I'm looking forward to...

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

A little unknown fact for you, from the age of twelve to about fourteen I was obsessed with Star Wars. To be fair, I needed something to keep me occupied in between Harry Potter movies being released. But I still love it and the trailers look amazing! My awesome brother actually pre-booked us all tickets in October the day they got released. Cheers Bro.

2. New Tattoo

To my mother's comment "Another one?!" yes, I am getting inked again. I'm incredibly excited about getting this one done since I have been planning it for quite some time. I've had it specially designed and it's going to have a lot of meaning to my 2015 journey. It's going to my biggest one yet too, so let's hope IPhone games can keep me distracted from the needle!

3. Christmas Dinner

At my house this is the only day of the year we have a full course meal. My darling Mum always gets creative on dips to make and cheeses to serve. Then my Dad cranks up the BBQ, which for me means a seafood feast, including the only time of the year I get to eat scallops. This is followed by too many servings of dessert, and some supper with coffee. Of course, I have to help clean up the dishes, but you can't beat Christmas dinner!

4. Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

I blame Zoella entirely for my newfound love of Christmas. As well as the glorious food, there's something about the feeling of December that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I think it's my favorite time of year now. Despite it being summer here in New Zealand, I will still be lighting a few scented candles and making hot drinks to get into the mood of it.

5. Blogmas

I actually wanted to participate in Blogmas last year, but I never got around to it. This year I am up for the challenge! I'm also excited to see other bloggers posting each day too. It will be great to put my organizational skills to the test. Should be fun!

6. Summer fruit
This is the best part of the year for fruit: raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cherries...our fridge will be stocked, along with vanilla ice cream in the freezer to make one of my favorite desserts ever!

7. Maze Runner: Scorch Trials DVD Release
Now I'm quite a big Maze Runner fan, love the books and the movies. I was super excited for this film to come out and I honestly think it was even better than the first. I can't wait to watch it again and try to pick up bits from the book. 

8. Hello, Summer  
It seems like we can't quite shake winter right now! While Spring has been lovely with all of the flowers coming out, I'm really looking forward to getting out in the sun more. I have too many cute outfits I can't wear until the weather warms up. Yeah, the struggle is real.


9. Turning 24
While this also completely terrifies me, I think my 24th year might be my best yet. My 23rd year was still pretty good, I ran a half-marathon, went to Hawaii, started blogging, and became a gym-bunny. But all of that only feels like the start. I now have a clearer vision of what I want in terms of a career and the lifestyle I need in order to be my best self. Bring it on, I say!

10. Celebrating Christmas on YouTube
Anyone else love watching vlogmas videos? I think Zoella is always my favorite to keep up with. Plus this year she's uploading a video onto her main channel everyday! I'm also excited to see my favorite Irish family, the Sacconejolys, celebrating with their two little ones. It's going to be a cuteness overload! Hopefully Dan and Phil will celebrate with Dilmas again this year too.

11. Ant Man DVD Release
As much as I love the original Avengers, I'm loving these new additions to the Marvel universe. I know everyone had their doubts about this movie because of the name, but boy were they wrong. There's such a great balance of humor and heart in this. Can't wait to see him with the other Avengers next year!

12. Socializing
Yup, even I'm surprised by this one. But since it's the month of birthdays, as well as Christmas, December means going out for dinner a lot, which is one of my favorite things to do. We are already booked in at my favorite Mexican place for my birthday, and Indian for my brother (My two favorites!) Plus I'm going out for pizza with my work mates as well. I'm fine with socializing if there's food involved, OK?



What are you most looking forward to in December? It's going to be a good month!
Happy Blogmas!
Steph x.

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November Favorites 2015

Hello Everyone! 

Time for another monthly favorites, and it's a bit of a mixed batch this month. 
I picked up a few new additions, as well as discovering some old favorites. My budget was starting to stretch a bit thin so I needed to do a bit of "Shop My Stash" which is still fun!

Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil "Nude Perfection"
I've really got into nude shades these past few months and this has been one of my favorite finds. I read a blog post that had it as a dupe for a Mac lipstick so I went out and bought it the next day. I've been pairing it with Tanya Burr's lip gloss "Lunch Date" which is a perfect match. Great for an everyday look!

Benefit Hello Flawless Powder in "Honey"
I've been using this one for a while now and I'm still so in love with it. It's by far the best powder I have ever used. It's probably a little thicker than most powders but it gives you such great coverage and makes your foundation look flawless.

Chi Chi Creamy Matte Liquid Lipsticks 
I've been raving about these on my blog a lot lately, but they have seriously become my favorite lip products. They're basically a 3-in-1 (stain, lipstick, gloss) with amazing pigmentation. For the price you pay ($22) you get amazing quality. Read my review here!

Zoella Beauty 
I was going to talk about just one of her products, but I can't pick a favorite! Her moisturizers (I tried Creamy Madly Dreamy and Candy Cream) are quite thick and leave your skin feeling so soft. Perfect for when you want to feel pampered! I've also been using her Foam Sweet Foam cleansing shower gel after the gym and it makes you feel refreshed and ready to go. I wrote a blog post on these if you want a more extended review.
 

Lush Snow Man Shower Jelly
This is one of the only Christmas products I feel in love with this year. I mostly bought it because the scent is incredible; it's really fresh with carrot and lemon. But the best part is that when I got home I realized it's actually the shape of a snow man! How cool is that! I would show you but he's kinda melted now...sorry Olaf. 

Taylor Swift Perfume Taylor
I bought this one years ago at duty-free when I was flying to Melbourne for my birthday. I had actually gone to Taylor's concert a few days earlier and there were promo girls there so I got to try some then. This has always been one of my favorite perfumes; the scent is so lovely and floral. I randomly picked it up again and have been wearing it all month!

Do you have a favorite pick from November? 

Until next time x.

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50+ Blogmas Post Ideas

Hello Everyone!
Who's excited about Blogmas this year? I am! I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I find blogging fun and I can't wait to follow a bunch of bloggers all month long.

The most daunting part of the event is definitely having enough to blog about. Sometimes I struggle to come up with my monthly posts (3 per week) let alone one each day! But in usual Steph fashion, I'm super prepared with a long list of blog post ideas for you if you ever feel stuck!

Christmas-related posts:

1. Create your own holiday hot drink and share the recipe

2. Favorite Christmas Movies and Why

3. My Favorite Things About Christmas

4. My Christmas Bucketlist

5. Christmas Day Outfit Ideas

6. Things you're grateful for this Christmas

7. Christmas hacks- ways to make the holidays easier

8. DIY: Make your own advent calendar

9. Christmas decorating

10. Creating New Christmas Traditions 

11. What Christmas means to you

12. You Favorite Christmas items from a brand (eg. Lush, The Body Shop) 

13. Christmas Makeup ideas 

14. Favorite Perfumes for Christmas Time

15. Christmas Baking

16. Your Christmas traditions

17. Christmas outfit ideas

18. DIY: Tree Decorations
19. Favorite Places to Shop at Christmas
20. Your Favorite Christmas Ornaments
21. Decorations Haul
22. Christmas Guilty Pleasures
23. How to Survive Christmas Shopping
24. Beating Blogger Burnout during Blogmas
25. Somewhere else in the world you like to spend Christmas
28. Healthy Holiday Treats
29. Winter Wonderland Photography Post
30. Take up a holiday project and document it

Non-Christmas posts:

31. Behind the scenes of your blog- organization and photos

32. My day on a plate

33. My top three bloggers and how they inspire me

34. A day in the life 

35. Makeup table tour

36. Winter Fashion you love 

37. Document a cozy night-in

38. Skincare essentials

39. Currently obsessed with...

40. Your 2016 Bucketlist

41. A Diary post of your day/week

42. How you made yourself proud this year

43. Favorite movies from 2015

44. Holiday Reading list

45. Create a December Photography Challenge

46. Shopping Haul

47. #LOVEMYSELF : Things you love about being you 

48. 2015 Music Playlist

49. 5 Things that made me happy today 

50. Bloggers you should follow this Blogmas 

51. Things I'm looking forward to in 2016
52. Favorite ways to stay creative
53. Rediscovering my love of...
54. Biggest blogging lessons of 2015
55. Current favorite song
56. TV show addictions of 2015
57. Things you probably didn't know about me

I hope that helps! Who's doing Blogmas this year?
Leave your links in the comments so I can follow along!
Steph x.

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