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Sunday, March 30, 2014

I Can Breathe Again.

Something my boyfriend has helped me learn over this past week is how important it is to have a good relationship with yourself.

No human is perfect. Part of being human is being imperfect. Being flawed. I think our flaws play a major role in determining who we are as a person. As a person with many flaws, I also think it is far easier to address these imperfections than it is to address our good qualities. We live in a society where self praise is looked at as conceited or stuck up or egotistical. But if we can't love ourselves, then who is to say that anyone else is going to be able to love us?

This is something that has taken a long time, and I still have a long road ahead, but I now know I can let another in. Last week was the first time in over four months I gave myself permission to let down my walls and open up to Jesse about my demons. I have come to realise he won't judge me, I know I can stop pushing him away because he's a stubborn son of a bitch and ain't going nowhere. There are no words for how much better I feel for doing this. I feel light, as if this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I instantly stopped worrying what other people thought of me, I instantly stopped stressing and shutting him out. I know I'm a good person now, and that's all that matters.

I've realised it's important to be happy in your own company, and having an evening just for me is something I want to  start doing on a regular basis, taking the time out to love yourself and do the things you enjoy is key. Something I always like to do is have a long shower, watch whatever series I'm currently marathoning, read a magazine and paint my nails. Having time to relax is so important and I have learnt this the hard way. I was working my ass off every single day and not having a break, I was stressed to the max, constantly tired and in a shitty mood, and took it all out on my family and boyfriend.

Personally, I think when your in your twenties it is the time to be selfish and put your own needs first and make sure you do everything you please because if you don't do it now, when will you?

Monday, March 24, 2014

Fuck the 'Thigh Gap', You're Beautiful!

Today, I'd like to rant talk about an issue very important to me; body image.
Young women are constantly being fed impossible body image expectations and I blame social media.

Nowadays, you don’t have to be a body double in Los Angeles to be constantly worried about how you look, and as images of super skinny women spread, the expectations for your average woman are becoming more and more extreme and unrealistic. The more time you spend online, the more likely you are to be unhappy with your body.

In a world of selfies, it’s easy to compare yourself not just to women in your English class or your office building but to every other female on the Internet, making self-esteem issues more equal opportunity than ever before. A healthy secretary from Adelaide can be made to feel badly about herself in half a second just by checking Instagram. A fitness instructor in Perth can instantly hate her amazing, strong, toned figure just by clicking on a photo on Tumblr. Thank you, technology!

After seeing an influx of nasty statuses from boys directed at women's "No Make-up Selfies" for cancer awareness, I wanted to go on a murderous rampage:
'Girls who were 10/10 have suddenly just dropped to 5/10'
 'I've seen how ugly some girls really are'

and the girls weren't any fucking better:
'Put your ugly, pasty faces away, we don't want to see them'.

The people who were writing things like this are quite frankly, vile and clearly have issues of their own, we know that boys will be boys and that girls can be extremely nasty, but shit like this really gets to a girl.

But I digress, this post isn't about the braver-than-I, bare-faced ladies, this is about the 'Thigh Gap' obsession. Ugh, thigh gap. I hate typing that stupid phrase. I hate that I even know the expression.

Having a thigh gap has become a status symbol. We want it because it’s hard to get, but we see it everywhere so we think it must be attainable. We want it despite the fact that most of us aren't built that way. We want it even though we’ll have to resort to unhealthy habits to get it. And we all need to stop it already! Stop looking at those blogs. Stop relentlessly comparing ourselves to filtered-to-hell strangers we’ll never meet. Stop bashing our bodies. Stop obsessing over an inch of space between our legs. Why should we waste our time on an inch of negative space? Just the phrase “thigh gap” is nuts. What’s next, toe divide? Elbow point? Kidney sparkle? Why don’t we just go back to foot-binding or neck-lengthening?

 This rant has been bought to you thanks to Target.
Their online catalogue had uploaded an advertisment for a two-piece Midkini early last week with a disturbing Photoshop post-production fail.

 Thanks to some overzealous editing, a model wearing this "Xhilaration" swimsuit is literally missing part of her vagina. Understandably, people were pretty upset about this — the resulting figure unrealistic, and sets an impossible standard. With the whole thigh gap phenomenon considered aspirational by many, it's a dangerous precedent.
BAM!


In what can only be described as a Photoshop hack job, someone has taken an eraser to the crotch and has lost all control. There's also something terrifying going on with her right arm — in that it's oddly elongated and there's a portion missing (presumably collateral damage when the thigh was scaled down).


The bodge-job is so bad that, where they've attempted to create a 'thigh-gap', they've crudely chopped into the crotch area and actually removed part of the bikini, as well as the model's uterus. I'm calling this 'vagina gap' and I think it's going to be THE NEXT BIG THING.

But wait! There's more! This image can be delightfully found in Target's 'Junior' section. That's right, the Photoshopper was busy slimming down already slim teenage models and sending out a terrible message regarding body image to the most vulnerable market.

 As you can imagine, the whole debacle has caused outrage, mostly on Twitter.
Rumours are that the artworker responsible was rebelling against being forced to slim down already thin girls. Whether this be the case, or the design intern is actually a 4-year-old let loose on Microsoft Paint, I don't know.

Target swiftly removed the swimsuit in full from the site, or at least, the web pages are mysteriously 'unavailable'. Instead, only the "midkini swim top" is available. They also promptly issued an 'apology' for the image:“It was an unfortunate error on our part and we apologize”, Target spokesman, Evan Miller told ABCNews.com. “We removed the image from the site and we’re working to get a new image up there.”

Is that it? So not really a proper apology, then. I was sort of expecting something a bit more, if I'm honest.

This obsession with a thigh gap needs to stop immediately.
The term has since become almost as mainstream as “selfie.”
I remember when I first heard the it. A beautiful girl in tight yoga pants at the gym told another beautiful girl in tight yoga pants that her body looked “amazing.” The first girl responded, “Thanks, but I still can’t seem to get a thigh gap. No matter what I do my legs still touch. I’m so depressed about it.”

Dedicated Tumblr blogs popped up: pages and pages of artfully posed sets of skinny legs. Skinny legs on a highway, skinny legs in an alley, skinny legs with the sunrise peeking through the space between a pair of emaciated thighs. Girls began posting full-length selfies in front of mirrors with the hashtag #thighgap. A friend of mine put a “Thigh Gap Workout” on her Facebook page with the caption “Can’t wait for my legs to look like THIS!” and it kind of made me want to punch her in the face. I even saw a tweet that said, “Starving myself until I get a thigh gap LOL!” Oh, yeah, that is totally laugh-out-loud hilarious, girl! Hi-5!

True, when you search for “thigh gap” or “thinspo” on Tumblr, you get a pop-up ad for their eating disorder counseling page, but all you have to do is click “dismiss” to see the photos, many of them very disturbing. (One particularly terrible quote I found said, “Feet together, thighs apart, this is called the starving art.”) While the ban on pro-ana content on sites like Tumblr and Pinterest is a step in the right direction, negative body image content still slips through.


Look, we all have different body types. True, some healthy girls naturally have a space between their thighs. But most of us don’t and never will without drastic measures. I’m calling it, ladies. Thigh gaps are bullshit. They’re just another stupid reason for us to feel badly about ourselves. And it’s up to us to stop the cult of the thigh gap. So the next time you see a #thighgap post, keep scrolling. Don’t “like” it, don’t “heart” it, don’t reblog it, don’t retweet it. Don’t give it any attention whatsoever. It doesn’t deserve any. Because if we’re going to obsess over other women’s body parts, why not make it something like brains? You want something to aspire to? How about a big beautiful brain? There’s no shortage of smart witty women to look up to. Who cares what their thighs look like? Do you really think women like Tina Fey or BeyoncĂ© care one single bit about a thigh gap? I bet they don’t. I bet they’re too busy being cool, talented and incredible.

#Fuckthethighgap
Get this shit trending!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

A Want to be a Princess in Fanny Crown! + 15% off Store Wide!

When Amy from Fanny Crown contacted me about their blog contest, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to join in. I mean, I guess I could take time out of my busy schedule to drool over peruse a website full of oh-so-beautiful dresses. If I must.

 The mission was simple: Pick a dress, tell us why you like it, how you would style it, and the occasion to which you would wear it. Simple, right? You'd think so, but Fanny Crown has so many gorgeous styles, picking just one was near impossible. I love them all! They're all so elegant, so beautiful, so high-class. I cry myself to sleep at night because I need to own at least 70% of their collection.

I digress.

Sadly, I'm not considered royal enough to get invited to elegant soiree's on the regular (which is their loss really), so as much as I would love to, having a long, flowy gown in my wardrobe would unfortunately be rendered unnecessary. Although you KNOW I'd wear that sucker to the shops to buy milk if it were deemed acceptable.
Until that day, I'll opt for a shorter dress as they're more suited to the kind of events I attend. Meaning, I'm going to get a lot more bang for my buck.

After much deliberation, THIS bad boy is my choice. My holy grail. My precious.

 

Ladies (and gentlemen - we're all friends here) of blogland, I introduce to you,
Try saying that three times fast!

How utterly gorgeous is this dress?!
Everything about it screams 'flirty' from the sparkly sweet heart cut, to the gentle, rippling overlay.
And that colour! Oh lawdy!

I really like strapless dresses, and I feel the sweet heart cut adds an extra dash of femininity to the whole thing. The curves just give it a softer touch and creates the illusion of fuller breasts, (huge bonus!), as opposed to a straight cut, which can make your shoulders appear broader. This dress is also very kind to your figure, as the waist is tailored with a cinched 'belt' separating the bust and skirt, hugging your body, creating a thinner silhouette as the soft fabric of skirt overlay gently falls away from the body hour-glass like.

Back to that colour. I adore the lighter side of yellow (I’m calling this shade buttercream), and you do really get the best of both worlds as it's such a fun, Summery colour, making this a perfect day-time dress, but the sequined bust area allows the dress to transition nicely in to elegant evening wear if need be. I'd wear this beauty to fancy dinners, cocktail parties, formal lunches, prom, it's just that versatile! So versatile, in fact, I couldn't stick to just one styling! The colour scheme allows for so many different style combinations. You could accessorise with silver to accentuate the sequined bust, or gold to bring out and compliment the yellow.
I have only a few rules of thumb for styling this dress:

Hair rule: Opt for an elegant up do, or half up do as to show off the sequin detailing. I'm a sucker for curls, and I think soft, face framing ringlets are just perfect for such a soft dress.

 Shoe Rule: Even out the glitter factor by bringing some dazzle to bottom half of your ensemble with some sparkly heels. Strappy or cage heels would go wonderfully with this style of dress. 

Jewelry rules: Don't go overboard! It's so tempting to throw on every shiny thing you own. Instead, pick a few subtle pieces that compliment the dress, that way all the attention goes to the rightful star of the show. I don't even feel you need a necklace (unless you have in your possession, the Isadora Diamond from 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' - Ermahgerd) as it my look too busy at the top sparkle wise. Instead, opt for some big, gorgeous earrings

Yum.

Anyways, without further ado, here are my style options;
(The Christie no longer has Photoshop edition)

Casual Blush

This particular styling, I've intended to be more causal.
I love anything pastel! Although any pale pastel accessories really would be lovely with this dress; lavender, mint, peach, my all time personal favourite combo is buttercream and pale blush. It's just so girly and chic!
As you can see, by keeping accessories to a minimum, you can acheive a gorgeous casual outfit perfect to wear to a nice lunch, or a warm afternoon picnic.



Keeping make-up simple and fresh, start with a lighter base. The foundation you choose should be natural looking. Think light and breezy with clever highlighting down the bridge of your nose and cheek and brow bones.
I'd then opt for a natural looking blush to give that youthful glow. Your best bet here is a sheer cream cheek tint on the apples and a light peach gloss for a fresh-faced, dewy look. Accompany all this with a simple winged nude smokey eye with hints of coral in the crease, and a Lauren Conrad style high sock bun, and you've got yourself a gorgeous Springtime look.
 Elegant Gold

 There's something I find to be so royal about gold. This style I've designed for more elegant events.
By wearing gold accessories, you really bring out the yellow of the dress, but it's easy to look too overdone. Try sticking to lighter shades of gold with your selection of jewelry.


I'm in love with Taylor Swift's signature bouffant and side curls so I've designed my golden look with that in mind.
Since gold is a light reflecting color, go for a darker contrasting smokey lid. Keep the colour matte and sweep a touch of light gold shimmer over the top, and white shimmer in the inner corners once you're done. You don't want to overwhelm the eyes since gold can be overwhelmingly shiny in itself. A black smokey eye is too harsh and dramatic for the dress, so choose a dark brown for a softer effect.  
To compliment your golden accessories, opt for a warmer coloured powder blush such as peach under the apples of the cheeks, then extended out towards the ears. Peach is a universally flattering color that suits people of many skintones and it goes just marvellously with gold. Add a touch of highlighting powder under your eyes and on your cheekbones and finish the look off with a warm rose gold coloured lipstick.

Stunning Silver
Silver accessories are best for people with a cool skin tone. With that in mind, the jewellery I've chosen for my third look consists of cool-skin complimenting white gold, silver, white and platinum which all accompany the white and silver sequined bust without appearing too bedazzled.

To compliment your accessories, keep makeup light. Highlight all areas the light would hit your face with a highlighting powder (forehead, nose, cheekbones, chin). This creates a luminous effect. Finish it off with a light cream blush applied under your apples (and highlighting), and blended out towards your ears. Can you tell I'm obsessed with smokey eyes yet? A soft, shimmery white and silver smokey eye looks beautiful when a dab of yellow is added to the centre. Highlight the brow bones for an angelic finish.
A nude lip ties the whole look together!
And now, what you've all been waiting for since reading the title:
 A generous 15% off store wide for my lovely readers!
All you need to do is enter this exclusive code at the checkout:
CHRISTIETOL14
The code is only valid until May 3 2014, so head over to the website this very second!
I'd like to take this time to thank Fanny Crown for their generosity, and Amy for taking the time to contact me. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I was approached by Fanny Crown to feature one of their pieces in this post but all opinions and stylings are 100% my own.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Future.

 I can't stop daydreaming about the day after tomorrow.

I am almost losing my grip on the present because I'm too focused on the future. And I don't know how I feel about this? I've just been stuck in this same routine for the same three years and I am sooo ready for a change. A place that gives me ample opportunity to live my life and be exactly who I want to be.

These past couple months I have focused on finding myself and discovering dreams and desires locked deep within me. The old me was a young naive girl who cared too much about those around her and not enough about herself. That my friends, has changed. I have released all dependency I once had. I have learned to trust in a happiness created by myself and those who truly love me.
I am the creator of my own destiny and it's time that I take a stand in my life. To start fighting for my dreams. To make what I desire a reality and wake up every morning with a smile. I have started seeking a career in event management - my dream job, and looking in to buying a house with my bestfriend. I am incapable of controling the excitement I feel over what this wonderful future I have fabricated in my head for myself holds.

I have found a side of me that desires to create beautiful things and seek out the simple joys in life. I scour antique stores for hidden books that hold the secrets of pasts before us. Jumping in the car and just driving into the distance with the music loud and the windows down.
I've started filling my life with positives and detoxing the negatives.
We only have one life to live...and I plan on making the best of mine.

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