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Monday, February 27, 2017

Autumn Inspiration Board.

If you didn't know that Summer is my all-time favourite season, then did you really know me?

No. No you do not.


As you can imagine, the end of February marks a very sad time for my Summer loving self. It marks the end of carefree nights and deep tans. Of cute tanks and strappy sandals. Of ripe, juicy fruits and frozen cocktails. It basically marks the end of my life, let's be real.

At the start of every new season, I like to create a sort of mood board. The Autumn board is always the most important. It acts to remind me that although Summer is over, Autumn still holds the promise of beautiful things:




| Gnocchi with mushrooms and feta | Burgundy lips |
| Copper smoky eye | Boho top knots | Roasted butternut risotto |

Friday, February 24, 2017

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from over the past week:


\\  These DIY no sew pop tart pillows are adorable beyond words.  //
\\  This half-up fishtail bow is serious hair goals.  //
\\  This DIY marshmallow sugar scrub sounds heavenly.  //
\\  Somebody please make me a coffee cup hanging planter. kthx.  //
\\  I'll be making brussels sprouts and chickpea salad with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes and asiago cheese for lunch every day of the week.  //
\\  A frozen avocado margarita. Have you ever heard of such a thing?  //


Happy Friday!

Monday, February 20, 2017

My Favourite Beauty Hacks.

My name is Christie. Some of my hobbies include watching TV whilst eating junk food, and laying in bed pinning all the things. That and Vodka. Always Vodka. The pins too often draw me in are the 'hacks', which speaks volumes about my character: lazy. That, and the fact that I'm pinning 'lazy girl guides' in bed at 1pm instead of going to the gym.. So, it's safe to assume that if there's a half-assed way of going about a task, that's the route I'm going to take.

There are the Pinterest hacks that are notorious for not working at all, and then there are the Pinterest hacks that work like a lazy girl's dream. Below are ten of the everyday beauty hacks that I have tried and tested and use, well, every day:


Rimming the waterline
I've been rimming my waterline has always been a favourite hack of mine, and I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. For those who don't know, 'rimming' (not the sex thing) is essentially stamping black eyeshadow over your pencil liner just like in this image tutorial. This trick is especially advantageous if you use a pencil that tends to smudge. It keeps everything in place, makes your liner last, and helps keep things waterproof.

'3' highlight
I spend a fair amount of time contouring my face if I'm due for a night out, but for an everyday look, I quite literally draw two quick squiggles on my face with my Models Prefer highlight and contour sticks, blend, and viola! I start by contouring, drawing a backwards "3" from my temple, making the middle line sit right below my cheekbone, and draw the bottom line underneath the jawbone. Then I quickly make a "3" with a highlighter, starting above my brow, ensuring the middle line is above the cheekbone, and the bottom line is above my jawbone (see the image tutorial here).

Using a fork to contour your nose
This hack has had the shit kicked out of it left right and centre, but I honestly found it amazing (as did Nikkitutorials) when I was first learning to contour my nose. The space between prongs is generally perfect for most nose shapes and sizes and allows for perfectly straight lines. Blending it all out seamlessly is left up to you, but with a solid starting point, you'll master the contour in no time.

Cinnamon oil 'botox'
I actually posted this hack a year or so back. Adding a few drops of cinnamon oil to your lip gloss makes for a temporarily plumper lips. This has been my sneaky little confidence booster for years. It's a perfect, portable pick-me-up that can be touched up throughout the day.

Baby powder 'falsies'
I just can't with the falsies. I've tried. I've failed. I've given up.
I found this pictorial a while back and have been doing this little trick every time I go out. You quite literally run a cotton bud dipped in baby powder across your lashes after you have applied a coat or two of non-clumping mascara. Finish off with one last coat and BAM! Thicker lashes.

Warm mascara in your bra
I read somewhere that warming your mascara before use it really allows you to get the most out of your tube. I began putting my mascara in my bra while I was getting ready in high school, and I still do today. By the time I've finished my foundation and eye make-up, the mascara is warmed up enough to go on super smooth and there is significantly less clumping. It's especially great if your tube is on the older side and is starting to run out or dry - you get more uses from the one tube AND it glides on much better.

Hairspray on a toothbrush for flyaways
I'm no hair genius - often a high ponytail is too much for me to handle, so I need all the help I can get. If I'm attempting an updo, or have styled my hair on a frizzy day, I'll finish it all off by spraying a little hairspray directly on an old toothbrush and smoothing down any flyaways or fine baby hair around the hairline.

Band-Aid manicures
I'm the clumsiest person on the planet Earth, so I've got about 4 packets of Band-Aids on me at all times. They're good for more than just covering up your ouchies; I've been using them as French tip stencils since seeing this blog post. As the ends are already curved, I find that band-aids work much better as stencils than plain old tape. If you find a pack with the large sized pore holes, they're also great for polka dot nail art!

Plastic spoon mascara guard
I'm a complete grot when it comes to putting mascara on my lower lashes. I found this pin a while back and it changed my life. You may need to do some explaining when your boyfriend sees you do it for the first time, but it definitely beats the wet cotton bud clean up which smudges your eye make-up, or the tape that removes half of your concealer.

Nivea Post Shave Balm as a primer
I'm sure you've all heard this beauty hype by now, but guess what? It works! The ingredient that makes work so well as a primer is glycerine, which is in just about every face primer on the market as it acts as a glue for foundation creating a tacky base for your make-up to stick to. Definitely an option if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to expensive primers or have sensitive skin. You can see my full review for more information.


What is your favourite beauty hack?


Friday, February 17, 2017

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from over the past week:


\\  This DIY knot pillow is super dooper fun.  //
\\  Could somebody please make me a Winter citrus smoothie in a grapefruit bowl kthx.  //
\\  These rosé soaked gummy bears are much fancier than the Vodka version I always make.  //
\\  This DIY feather trim cushion is SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE.  //
\\  Dinner for the rest of my life will consist only of roasted cauliflower pasta shells with cheese.  //
\\  Can we all please just take a sec' to appreciate these floral ice cubes?  //


Happy Friday!



Monday, February 13, 2017

My Month on Instagram - January 2017.

If you've been following Christie's Take on Life for any amount of time, you'd surely know by now that I'm a major lover of Instagram! It's the perfect outlet for posting inspiration and little snippets of life, and seeing what my favourite bloggers and friends are up to.

There are so many times that my Instagram posts never make it to my blog, and that's a damn shame because I consider myself to be quite the photographer..

..Not really, but it's a shame nonetheless!

Instalife over the past month looked something like this:

We had (emphasis on had) beautiful Summer weather all throughout January so I enjoyed about 50 Yelo smoothies by the sea.



I also had about 50 LUSH baths. Don't you just love time off?



Health Freak Café is a MUST if there's one near you. I had so many smoothie/fruit/heaven bowls during my time off it bordered on ridiculous.



Example B of the statement above.



My nails got a much-needed revamp. I'm really loving black, white and gold designs right now.



I have 4 Comforter Bubble Bars stockpiled so I used up as many as I physically could.



Aaannnnddd just like that, I'm back at work. How adorable is my 2017 planner, though!? Kikki.K always delivering the goods. 



I love finding pretty new feeds to follow on Instagram; leave your account deets in the comments, or come find me: @christieee__x!

Friday, February 10, 2017

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from over the past week:


\\  How pretty is this DIY holograph foil manicure?  //
\\  I need to fill my house with these DIY kawaii heart balloons!  //
\\  DIY Valentine sprinkle pills - have you taken your heart pills today?  //
\\  Gnocchi with mushrooms and feta would be perfect on a cold, Wintery day.  //
\\  Can we all just take a sec' to appreciate this DIY pink ombre heart branch wall hanging?  //
\\  Please make me all of the strawberry and rose sorbet champagne kthx.  //


Happy Friday!



Sunday, February 5, 2017

January Look Back and February 2017 Goals.


A look back at January's goals:

Get back on track with my exercise
"I allowed myself (too much) time to enjoy the holiday season without worrying too much at all about hitting the gym, but now it's time that I get back in to my exercise routine and stick to it."
Tick: I did good, you guys! I hit the gym every day that I was supposed to and have successfully eased back in to the routine.

Continue giving new life to old posts
"I'm proud of myself for editing the few oldies that I have over the past week or so, but I would definitely like to continue doing so, preferably by bulk taking photos whilst I'm still off of work. The photo taking is always what kills me. Always."
Tick: I edited, re-taken photos and re-shared quite a few old, embarrassing posts last month. Let's all sit here and be proud because it's something that I honestly doubted I'd get around to.

Eat properly
"I've been eating a lot lately. Like a lot. However I've not been eating actual meals. I've more so been snacking on leftover Christmas bits and takeout because it's too damn hot to cook and I'm lazy and I just can't with life right now. BUT starting now, I'm making the conscious effort to eat nutritious meals and cut out snacking as much as possible."
Tick: I rarely even snacked all month. I'd make 2-3 meals and be set for the day. Now that I'm back at work it's a tad more difficult, but I'm still managing to eat well enough.

Get back in to a routine of sorts
"I've really (and I mean really) been slacking in every aspect of my life lately, so I'd like to start to get back in to something of a routine to ensure that going back to work isn't going to be such a big shock to the system. Sleeping pattern, meal pattern, exercise routine. KGO."
Tick: Going back to work after 5 weeks of doing nothing but sleeping in was hard, you guys but I definitely made it easier on myself by starting my routine back up before I had to go back to the office.

February's Goals:

Sell some stuff
We're building a house and both Jesse and I have that much junk accumulated, I don't know how we'll fit it all in. I'd like to sell some good condition bits and pieces that I no longer need/use (for more money for shoes, obvs). Bonus points if I can get Jesse to do the same (I'm doubtful. Very doubtful).

Take more photos
There was a point in time when all I did was take photos, nowadays, my Instagram is suffering. I don't know if it's just because I generally don't do a lot outside of work and sleep, or whether I just got lazy but I'd definitely like to get back in to documenting my adventures.

Lose 2kg
I weighed myself last week, and it turns out that eating better and exercising contributed to a weight loss - who would have thought?! I haven't seen a loss in a long time and although I'm still heavier than I was before Christmas, I've lost a good 3kg of the Christmas weight that I gained. Ka-ching. Hopefully this high will motivate me to lose a further 2kg this month..

Save my money
With the holidays and my break from work, I've been spending a lot lately. Since we've just started paying our loan repayments and still need to buy a lot of furniture, etc. I'm going to try to go on a bit of a spending ban this month and build my balance up some more.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from the past week:

\\  I'll take about 40 raspberry pink champagne floats, please.  //
\\  I'm dying over this DIY scent diffuser. I LOVE reed diffusers!  //
\\  All I know about sparkling vanilla bean iced coffee is that I need to try it.  //
\\  This DIY marbled tray is made of concrete and nothing more. CONCRETE!  //
\\  Pink hot chocolate with DIY flamingo marshmallows is what my dream are made of.  //
\\  I cannot deal with the way that this cheesy stuffed pesto garlic bread is making me feel.  //


Happy Friday!


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