Knee High Knits & Leather

My Outfit:

Denim Vest - Valley Girl

Red Floral Blouse - Sophie Charlotte Italy

Black Leather Skirt - Mombasa Rose

Knee-High Socks - Cotton On

Boots - Famous Footwear

I'm obsessed with knee-high socks at the moment - they're my favourite thing! Perfect for the cooler weather we're experiencing down here in Melbourne at the moment. I colour matched the socks with my floral blouse from Sophie Charlotte (one of my favourite tops to date), and I think it worked out pretty well!

I got this leather skirt on clearance at the beginning of the year from a local Brisbane store Mombasa Rose, it only cost me $5 down from $35 so it was one heck of a bargain! I haven't worn it much because I've just been a bit confused on how exactly I was going to style it. I decided to be brave and wear it for this look with my staple black leather shoes (obviously neither are real leather). I finished the look off with a splash of denim in the form of this vest from Valley girl, which I think really adds something special/different to this look!

I've been super busy finishing up and submitting my resume to a huge number of retail stores, and also a few cafes (but fingers crossed for retail!!). Here's hoping something happens soon! It's getting a lot cooler here, Winter is well and truly on its way! I'm a mix of happy because I love colder weather (and all the winter fashions that come with it), and dying because oh my gosh, I am not used to this weather! Right now, Brisbane is like an average of 25-30 degrees, but Melbourne is more like 15-20 if that. So a good 10 degree decrease in temperature for this Brisbane born & raised girl. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be away from that terrible, humid heat, but my body is not sure how to deal with the cold just yet and I wish it would just get with the program! Haha!

Anyway, what did you think of this look? Love it? Or hate it? How's your week going? Let me know below!

xx Chontelle Louise

8 Cities I Need To Visit

Lately my wanderlust has been scratching around in my head, taking over many of my thoughts to the point that I've caught myself researching flights and travel to different cities all over the world - predominantly Europe. So as a bit of a release for my wanderlust I've compiled a list of cities that I'm dying to visit!

1. Amsterdam, Holland (Netherlands)
I've wanted to visit Amsterdam for a long time. The beautiful buildings (including those crooked houses!), the cafe culture, the canals, the bridges, the food, the art culture, and the way everyone's riding around on cute bicycles all the time! Everything about Amsterdam is just me. I'm hoping to visit this amazing city in my next trip to Europe!

2. Cape Town, South Africa
Such. A Beautiful. City. It's not even the city itself that's beautiful, but it's natural beauty, the natural beauty of South Africa. I'm half South African on my mothers side, and have always wanted to visit the country but understandably mum isn't too sure after all of the issues this beautiful country has suffered. However Cape Town is one of the safest parts of SA and the most beautiful. It's got a lovely seaside village feel to it and so vibrant and interesting - also the cable cars up to Cable Mountain are a must.

3. Prague, Czech Republic
It's such a colourful and interesting city in a country with so much history. Previously under Communist control, the Czech Republic (prev. Czechoslovakia) is an amazing place to visit for those who are interested in communist and European history - or just history in general! And where better to do so than in the capital, Prague!

4. Warsaw, Poland
I think Warsaw, and in general Poland, is really underrated as far as 'list of cities to visit' go. I don't know where I first got the interest to visit Poland, but once I did it just got stronger and stronger. I still don't know much about the city or country but what I do know is that it looks absolutely gorgeous and I'd love to learn more!

5. Berlin, Germany
Berlin is to Germany what Melbourne is to Australia. It's an urban city full of fashion and graffiti and really good coffee. It could be seen as a little bit ugly what with all of the big city buildings, but that's part of the allure. It's fun, it's grunge, and it's a city I would really love to visit one day!

6. Marrakech, Morocco
I've always had an interest in visiting Morocco. I love new and different experiences, and Marrakech is an explosion of colourful, glorious difference! I can see myself draining the bank on all sorts of interesting colourful items from the rows and rows of stalls and having to purchase another suitcase to lug it all back home in!

7. Bruges, Belgium
From what I can gather, Bruges looks like the most beautiful, small old European city with a stunningly haunting look to it. My mum visited Bruges a long time ago and always said that we should visit, and pick up some of the lace and little trinkets that she wants to get for me to pass down in generations. So for me, visiting Bruges is more of a personal desire. It doesn't hurt that it's an absolutely gorgeous city, often referred to as the 'Venice of the North' due to its canals. I seem to have a thing for cities with canals, they're just so mystical and breathtaking!

8. Dublin, Ireland
I've got Irish blood on both sides of my family so I may be a little bit biased, but Ireland is somewhere I've wanted to go for a while now. I love that Dublin seems to be a bit quieter than many other major European cities, and it (along with the rest Ireland) seems like something out of a fairytale! So cute and quaint and beautiful greenery, Dublin is defintely a place I plan to visit!

I hope you've enjoyed this post! Let me know below, what cities do YOU need to visit?

xx Chontelle Louise

*please note images are not my own*

Lazy Days

My Outfit:

Black cardigan - Cotton On

Black printed muscle top - Melrose Avenue

Denim ripped boyfriend jeans - Cotton On

Black leather style boots - Famous Footwear

I'm gonna be honest, I've been pretty lazy so far this week. I spent the weekend pretty much in bed, stuffing my face with chocolates and all the other unhealthy food cooked up for Easter lunch, and watching TV. So obviously not the greatest start to the week (or possibly the greatest, hmm)!

I had to run up to the shops today to pick up some food (and snatch up those 50% off post-Easter goodies!!) so the goal was quick, simple & casual. I love this cardigan, it's so warm and cosy and I love the slouchy fit. I threw on this simple muscle print tee, it's got a cross with luxe and a bunch of other words printed on it and I just think it's really cute and simple! Nothing says comfy better than a pair of boyfriend jeans! I'd had my eyes on these for a while and finally picked them up at 30% off not too long ago, the only drama is that they're a bit too big (like I need to pull em' up a bit) but I don't think it's too obvious, they're meant to look big anyhow, so!

It's school holidays right now, meaning that all of the managers and well adults have gone off with their children and left the schoolios in charge. Which is totally fine, but means that I'll have to wait until next week to stand a chance of my resume not being lost or thrown straight into the bin. So as a result I've got a few more days of laziness to soak up before mad-job-hunting once more. Fingers crossed I'll find something soon!

I've decided that I'm going back to uni in the mid-year intake, but in a course I actually want to do this time. I'm just trying to decide which one - I've narrowed it down to either Fashion Merchandising or Professional Writing and Editing. Decisions, decisions! 

What have you been up to this week readers? How was your easter?

xx Chontelle Louise

7 Ways to Cope With Anxiety

Anxiety is more than just stress, worry or nervousness - it's a combination of all three and more, immensely intensified. When someone who suffers from anxiety is having an attack, it can be an incredibly frightening experience. Your breathing quickens, your chest tightens, your heart starts to burn as if you could be having a heart attack, your mind is all over the place, you may even get dizzy or blurred vision.

Here in Australia, more than 2 million adults suffer from anxiety. Having an anxiety (or panic) attack is an awful, scary and distressing thing to experience. It can feel like the world is closing in on you and with nowhere to run you're going to suffocate. And I would know, because I am one of those 2 million Australian's that suffer from anxiety.

Over several years I have learnt new ways to cope with my anxiety, so today I'm going to share with you seven of those coping methods. Even if you don't have anxiety, these tips can still be really useful for dealing with things like stress and nerves.

Go for a walk. Getting outside and breathing in some fresh air is always a sure-fire way to calm yourself down and clear your head. Exercise is scientifically proven to release endorphins (ie. happy hormones) as well as make you feel fitter and healthier, making it a great stress-reliever.

Drink some tea. While many herbal teas are highly regarded for their calming qualities (chamomile, ) I personally find that any sort of tea is helpful in combatting anxiety. My favourite is a Toasty Nougat tea from T2 with a little milk and sugar.

Write. Whether it be in a journal, a letter, a story, or even a blog - just write. Being able to release everything that you're feeling, and everything that's running through your head can be such a relaxing and therapeutic exercise to help relieve stress and cope with anxiety.

Take a bath (or shower). This is something I always find relaxes me quite easily. Having some time to yourself to just clear your mind and gather your thoughts is really helpful in dealing with anxiety, and what better way to do so that with a nice, warm bath or shower?

Light a candle. The smell of a burning candle is possibly one of the most beautiful and relaxing things, to be honest. I love creamy and sweet smelling candles, my favourite is my Vanilla Noel candle from Bath and Body Works - absolutely delicious and makes you feel warm, cosy and peaceful almost immediately.

Watch your favourite light-hearted movie. I say light-hearted because if your favourite movie is a horror, thriller, murder mystery or anything along those lines, it's probably not going to help you in coping with anxiety. A fun comedy, romance or even - in my case - a classic Disney movie, on the other hand is a great way to relax and occupy your mind with something fun and not so serious.

Take a deep breath. It may seem obvious, but when you're stressed out, nervous, or having an anxiety attack, it can be easy to forget to just breathe. So it's worth remembering to do so. A simple breath in and out can do wonders in relieving anxiety, and sometimes it's the simplest things we forget that can make a world of difference.

And there we have it - 7 ways to cope with anxiety. I hope that these have been helpful to you in some way or another, and if you feel that you or someone you know may need help, or you'd simply like to learn more about anxiety you can find some great information here.

Let me know - do you suffer from anxiety? Do you know someone that does? And what are some of your tips on how to cope with anxiety?

xx Chontelle Louise

Delicious, Liplicious!

I'd like to take this chance to profess my love for the perfection that is Bath & Body Works! I'm actually obsessed with their products, and really wish they would just open up shop down under! Until then, however, I've been making do with online ordering (through eBay sellers, as Bath & Body Works sadly does not ship outside of the Americas).

Today, as I begin to look into purchasing some new B&BW lip gloss tubes, I decided it would be a good time to review my favourites (after all, I should be a fairly reliable source for their review considering I've had them for more than 2 years)!

It's important to note that the following flavours have since been retired from the B&BW shelves, however you can still find them floating around on eBay quite a bit! I purchased these three (along with several others, oops!) in Hollywood over Christmas week back in 2012, and despite having purchased many more since then, these remain my all-time favourites (for now, anyway)!

Sugared Cupcake
First of all I love cupcakes, so the whole idea of a cupcake flavoured lip gloss literally had me squealing in excitement. This is a cute, fun & girly gloss. It has a sweet & creamy vanilla scent, sort of like a vanilla cupcake so relatively true to it's name. The taste however, isn't that great (I know it's a lip gloss, but considering that most of the liplicious glosses do actually taste quite good, it was a bit of a let down). The gloss is a sheer, clear and subtle shimmer look, perfect for a basic, casual look or to wear over lipstick to add a little shine!

Winter Candy Apple
Ah, the Christmas themed gloss. Christmas is my absolute favourite holiday, so of course a Christmas scent would make it onto my favourites list. The scent of this one is strong and smells exactly like candy apple, and it tastes sweet like candy or syrup. I love this scent during the autumn/winter period, however I still break it out over Christmas because hey, it's not my fault Christmas is in Summer here in Oz! Like Sugared Cupcake, it is a clear & sheer shimmery gloss, perfect for a casual look.

Cookies & Cream
The first thing that came to mind when I smelt this one for the first time was: OREOES! It literally smells just like oreo cookies, with its strong and creamy chocolately scent, and yes - it even tastes like it (it's just so good, but please, do not actually eat the lip gloss)!! It's a beautiful, warm bronze and white shimmering shade perfect for the colder months. The only small issue with this gloss is that on pale girls (like myself), it can be a bit too dark and wash you out. I like to wear this very thin with a darker wardrobe, or over some lipstick, to make it a bit more natural looking! However, I also simply like to smell it (in private, of course, otherwise I'd look a wee bit wierd)! This one is definitely my favourite of them all.

The entire Bath & Body Works 'Liplicious' Glosses Collection is thich, smooth & long lasting. The lip gloss leaves your lips feeling smoother and softer than before, and is perfect to avoid chapping while looking glam over the cooler season. I'm certainly looking forward to putting in my next order for B&BW lipgloss' galore!

Have you tried any of the liplicious glosses? What's you favourite(s) from the collection?

Also, I'd just like to say a MASSIVE thankyou to everyone that's been reading and has followed my blog - In just over a week since getting my first follower, I now have over 100 followers! I couldn't be more excited and thankful if I tried - and I have you guys to thank! So, THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU! <3 xxx

xx Chontelle Louise