Moving Out for the First Time

 

Moving out of home for the first time is both an exciting and nerve-inducing part of life. There's no correct time or way to do it - but when you do, it's an amazing experience that'll give you an overwhelming feeling of achievement and independence.

I recently moved out for the first time with one of my best friends and her partner, and I've really been loving it. I've always been pretty independent so it's been great for me, but having a friend around has also meant it still feels like home and I've always got someone to hang out with in down time - which we've had a fair bit of lately with the whole Queensland lockdown we've just had. 

Sure, you'll have your challenges - missing home, adapting to new routines and motivating yourself to do things for yourself, bills, and working out how to live with people with different habits to your own for those of you who are sharing - but it's honestly all worth it in the end!

Here's some of my favourite things about moving out of home:

The Sense of Independence

As I mentioned, moving out of home gives you a real sense of independence. You're out on your own (even with housemates), you buy your own groceries, plan your own meals, can set things up to reflect your personality, can have who you want over when you want - there's a real freedom to it. 

Having Your Own Space

Living at home with family, boundaries are definitely a little more lax. Especially for me as someone quite private and independent, I feel more comfortable having more personal space and boundaries. Of course the boundaries are still a little less strict as I'm with a good friend, but I feel like I can have a private conversation, not be walked in on, or be questioned on what I'm doing so much. There's nothing wrong with that of course but for me personally it just gets a bit frustrating.

Valuing Your Family Time More

Going off the previous point, not having family on top of you all the time and being in each others space not only means you're going to be less frustrated with one another, but you're going to value and better enjoy the time you do spend with your family.

Open Communication

While this isn't present in all share households, it should be and enhances the whole experience. At home, even if you're paying rent, you've still got that parent and child dynamic going on. Out of home, you're all equals which means you all get to have your say in day to day life. It's great to be able to openly communicate your boundaries, expectations and interests for the household, and to work together to create a place that's comfortable and homely for everyone.

xx Chontelle

Turning 25 - The Quarter Life Crisis

 

Yep, you've heard about it, some of you may be experiencing it with me, some of you already have, and some of you still have a way to go before it hits you. It's often joked about, 'you're only turning 25, you're still so young there's nothing to be worried about'. And sure, that's true, but it sure doesn't feel that way. 

In my last month of being 24, I find myself stressing and worrying and overthinking about my life so far, my future, what I have and haven't achieved, what I should've by now, and comparing myself to everyone else. I'll be straight up with you - teenage me had two ideas of what life would be like at this age. The first, I didn't even know if I'd make it. The second, stable and successful in a career, graduated uni, proper relationship, my own place, the works.

Instead, I'm still confused about what I'm doing with my life, where I'm going with my future, how I'm gonna get there, never had a relationship, still working towards my degree, and living at home. I've had my setbacks, my anxiety was so bad I was scared of leaving the house or even ordering food myself for a few years, and while that's definitely improved my anxiety still takes a massive toll on me. I struggle with trusting people which effects my relationships, and I have a tendency to procrastinate and self-sabotage.

But it's not all bad. I've found looking back on the positive steps and progress I've made really helps me to see that it's important not to get caught up in an imaginary timeline on your life. Everyone does things at their own pace, when it's right for them. I've started to become more confident in myself. I got over my fear of driving last year and finally got my license and my first car. I got out of my comfort zone and started getting out more and made some amazing friends and memories. I'm no longer as anxious about talking to strangers or doing things by myself. I've got a good, stable job that I enjoy and I'm looking at moving out soon. And I'll finally have my degree at the end of the year. I have an idea of what I want to do with my life, and while I may not have achieved all of this by the time I wanted, I've done it nonetheless.

I guess the point of this post is really that while reaching my quarter century is honestly terrifying to me, I've got to look at the positives and realise how far I've come. Turning 25 is scary, but it's also exciting. And it's true, I am still young and I have so much time to achieve the things I want to achieve. Instead of stressing and freaking out about it, I need to relax and appreciate where I'm at now and look forward to the future and all it's got in store for me!

xx Chontelle

Guess who's back... back again.

So... it's been a bit over a year since the last time I posted on this blog. I actually can't believe it's been this long. I'll be honest, I kinda lost my motivation for a while there. I was still uploading videos over on Youtube semi-regularly last year but it felt like a chore for me and so for the last 6 months I've pretty much done nothing with blogging/vlogging. Not that I haven't wanted to - I've had blog and video ideas, I've started putting together content etc only to lose motivation quickly and never end up actually doing anything.

In all honesty, I've been struggling a lot with my mental health lately. My anxiety has gotten a lot worse - despite the fact that I've been pushing myself to get out and have a social life again (and have made some amazing, supportive friends in the process). I've felt pretty down as well and have just been getting stuck in my own head which is not what I should be doing at all. However I have been slowly working on myself, trying to be more comfortable in myself, not being so worried about others and just focusing on what's important to me.

Which brings me to this blog - I've always had some kind of a creative outlet to keep myself occupied and I've really missed having that, so I'm pretty keen to get back into posting on here and also on my Youtube channel. I think I'm probably more interested in blogging than continuing with videos, but I'd still love to upload travel vlogs and other stuff if I really find it interesting - hauls and grwm's honestly just don't interest me anymore and if I'm gonna be doing something I need to actually want to do it, y'know? But yeah, anyway. I don't have a schedule planned, I just want to start posting and get back into the swing of things at the moment, but I'm hoping to post pretty regularly! Content wise, of course I'm still gonna be posting about makeup and fashion but I also want to post more music, life and mental health related content, so hopefully that's something you'll enjoy!

So to those of you who are still here (no idea why but thankyou!) and those of you who have just stumbled upon this seemingly abandoned blog - thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy what's to come!

xx Chontelle

90's Vibes

It's been a long time since I last posted an outfit on the blog, hasn't it? I've really been all over the place lately (which you may know if you've seen my Life Update video over on my YouTube channel *hint hint*). From a huge pipe burst/flooding in my old place, moving house, packing & unpacking, going back to uni, a lack of motivation, and some personal stuff too - it's been overwhelming to say the least.

However, there's good news! Things have settled down and while I've got quite a busy schedule ahead of me, it's more organised than 'all over the place', which means I can set aside time to work on these side projects. Those of you who have been around for a while might have noticed my blog has had a bit of an overhaul - I purchased a new, more sleek & professional looking blog template that I'm absolutely loving, along with a few other updates. I hit 1,000 subscribers over on my YouTube channel back in December as well which was a milestone I'd been hoping to reach for a while! I'm planning to upload 1-2 times a week over there and 1-2 time a fortnight here on the blog - so make sure you're subscribed and following me because there's a lot of content coming your way!

Anyway, on to the outfit!

Outfit Details:

Scrunchie - Supre

Choker - Bardot

Off Shoulder Crop - Melrose Avenue

Mom Jeans - ASOS (farleigh)

Boots - Famous Footwear

Let's be honest, was I really going to make a comeback outfit post that wasn't black and denim? No, no I was not. I love this outfit, it's super cute yet simple and casual which is what I'm all about. I really love that trends from the 90's (and 80's and 70's) are in again which is evident in this outfit. An off the shoulder crop, a tie up choker, scrunchies (!!! my childhood obsession !!!) and a pair of light wash mom jeans from ASOS (seriously, these are the best mom jeans I've found), albeit a slim fitting pair because I just find them much more flattering. Keeping with the 90's vibes I've gone for one of my newer favourite lipsticks, MAC's Whirl, which is the ultimate 90's rosy brown lipstick that despite my initial reservations, actually looks amazing on paler skin.

Let me know what you've been up to lately, and if you're loving the popularity of 90's inspired fashion right now as much as I am!

x Chontelle

Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike | Book Review

I've decided I'm going to try something new this year by introducing book reviews here on my blog! I love to read, and I've made reading a new book every month one of my goals/resolutions for 2017 so I thought, why not take this opportunity to create a mini blog series reviewing each of the books I read so that you can decided whether or not you'd like to check them out too?

To kick things off, I've got YA novel Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike. This is book one in a series of three sci-fi novels, and follows the story of Tavia Michaels - the sole survivor of a plane crash that begins seeing visions of people she's never met and discovers abilities and a past life that she never knew she had.

The story begins with the plane crash, before fast forwarding to the present where she is hiding from the media and living with relatives she never really knew. The story takes a while to pick up, but if you push through the chapters you'll find an action-packed sci-fi adventure, a blossoming romance, and a love triangle like no other that'll keep you turning to the next page.

I picked up this book for two reasons - the first being that it was written by Aprilynne Pike, who is also the author of the super successful Wings series, which I am a huge fan of; and the second being that the blurb sounded pretty darn interesting.

While I certainly enjoyed this book overall, I've gotta be honest and say that it did take quite a while for the story to pick up - I feel like I was at least a third of the way into the book before things began to make sense and a story appeared. However, from that point onwards it was an interesting, eventful, action-packed story that really drew me in.

One little qualm I had with the book was a bit of misused grammar or sentence structure, such as 'I didn't used to' which, let's be honest, isn't appropriate in a published novel. Other than that, it was well written.

In the end, it was an enjoyable read, and I'm really excited to see what happens next for Tavia - in fact, I dropped by my local bookshop the other day to order in a copy of the sequel, Earthquake.

Have you read Earthbound? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book, or the series in general!

x Chontelle

2017 Goals & Resolutions

2016 was a big year for me. I moved back to Brisbane from Melbourne, I officially started a degree majoring in Public Relations and Media & Communication, I began decluttering and reinvented my personal style to feel more like myself,  I got much better at doing my makeup (thanks to YouTube, of course!), I scored a PR internship which I loved, I saved up for and went on a holiday over to London, Belgium and Amsterdam, I met some amazing YouTube friends, and I gained a renewed motivation to work hard at blogging and YouTube. 

Last year brought with it many ups and downs, but in the end, I can honestly say it was a year of change that has set me on the path to success in 2017, and beyond. 

You'll probably know by now that I'm a massive list person. I love a good 'to-do' list and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with crossing something off of a list is seriously addictive. So of course, the opportunity that comes with the new year to create a list of things I want to achieve was too tempting to resist. This year, I've chosen some goals and resolutions I feel I can realistically achieve (at least to some degree) in twelve months - here's hoping I can make them happen!

1. Read at least 12 new books this year. 

Ever since I can remember, right through to around year 10 in high school, I would read literally all the time. However, when my senior years of high school got too much with an increased workload and serious stress and personal issues on top of that, reading went on the back-burner. It's still there, and this year I want to change that, starting with a small but manageable goal of one new book every month!

2. Visit a new country - possibly somewhere in Asia or India.

Visiting a new country is always on my to-do list, but surprisingly - other than a few hours stopover in Singapore's International Airport - I've never been anywhere in Asia! Living in Australia, Asia - particularly South-East Asia - is one of the more accessible travel destinations, as is India. I think it's time I explore a place a little closer to home while I'm still living here!

3. Post new content at least once a week.

My motivation has been renewed, and I want to start taking my channel and my blog more seriously this year. A minimum of one new piece of content each week is something manageable and consistent that I'd like to stick to. And if I happen to have additional content, well, the more the merrier, right!?

4. Learn to sing well. 

I love music, and I love to sing along to my favourite songs, but my singing abilities are sub-par at best. I'd love to do a mixture of online at-home lessons, along with maybe some actual lessons, just to improve and learn more about pitch and breathing and all that so that by the end of the year I'll have discovered my voice and actually sound okay when I sing.

5. Write a book.

Or more specifically, begin writing a book and stick to it. Something you mightn't know about me is that I've always wanted to be an author - I remember putting together mini books and magazines made out of folded paper and staples, and slipping them into our class book cupboard for people to read (and getting in a lot of trouble for it, oops)! I've started so many stories, some as short stories and some that could definitely give birth to a novel, and this year I'd really like to work on one that who knows, may actually get published one day!

6. Gain more PR/media/communications experience.

A bit broad, I know, but that's because I've got a bunch of sub-sections within this one. I really want to get another PR or social media related internship this year, I'd like to collaborate with more brands and potentially even get some freelance writing work, and there's a radio station that I'd love to volunteer at as well!

7. Get fitter & healthier.

Of course, it had to fit in here somewhere, didn't it? You'll find something about fitness and health on everyone's list of goals and resolutions for the new year, but most people (myself included) tend to let this one go pretty early. I think this has a lot to do with making the resolution too strict and too exact, which is why I've gone with simply 'getting fitter & healthier'. I'd like to get out and exercise more, at least once or twice a week. I'd like to eat more proper cooked or prepared meals as opposed to take-away, crackers and dip, microwave porridge and all that, and add more variety to my diet.

8. Learn to speak a new language.

This is one I often have on my new year resolutions lists, but I never stick to it past around April. This year, I want to beat that record! I've already self-taught myself some basic French and would love to either expand on that, or learn some basic Italian (or both) as I love both of those languages! I'd also finally like to learn some Afrikaans to understand my family better when they speak/write in it, but it's just not as alluring to me as the Latin languages are - so we'll see!

What are your goals and resolutions for 2017? Leave me a comment down below letting me know, or if you've made a blog post or video about them yourself - let me know about that too! 

Happy New Year!

x Chontelle