Not Vicarious

Hey lovelies!

Some of you may be sitting there wondering what a weird post this is and thinking how I could possibly have thought this would be a good idea. My reasoning behind this post, however, focuses on the idea that we may experiment with makeup all year round, but there are always those specific shades that we use each season, for example: in Autumn we tend to wear colours like brown, burnt orange and burgundy - to name but a few!

Without Highlight (Above)

This got me thinking, it's all mapped out for us when it comes to makeup! Everything from the type of contour we have to the thickness of our brows and the lengths of our lashes is all decided for us but with highlight, I often feel a little clueless. Should I be wearing more highlight in Autumn because the trend is to have matte skin so I have to get my own glow on? Or am I meant to wear less highlight in Autumn and more in Summer to amp up my already glowy face? These are the real questions people!!

With Highlight (Above)

We're always told to highlight in the areas where the sun would hit our face but seeing as there's less sunshine in Autumn and more of an overcast glare from the skies above, I'm left confused by the fact that I am left to my own devices to decide the fate of my artificial facial shine. I mean, you can see in the photo above that I have personally decided to highlight the bridge and tip of my nose, my cheekbones, browbone, the inner corners of my eyes, and my cupid's bow and a tiny bit above my brows (imagine a curved arc motion).


I can understand that listing all of that does sound excessive when you put it all together but I think there is a difference between putting it on a lot of areas and applying a lot of it. I hope you're following! My thought here lies solely on the idea that I could apply my highlight in all the same places but really paint it on like I'm going to town to the point where it looks heavy and over-the-top compared to if I was to apply a light layer of it which would appear more subtle.


I must admit though that I do adore highlighter! I feel as if it can make any look work and puts you in a better mood, especially if you think your makeup is looking a little bit boring or "meh" as I like to say. Personally, highlighting for me this season will definitely consist of a more amped up glow than the one I had in Summer because, as many of you know, sweating in a hot country on holiday can give you enough shine to last for a month so highlight is not strictly necessary!

Let me know your highlight routine in the comment section down below! Do you go to town with the glow or like to leave it natural looking? I want to hear your thoughts and ideas!

DAY TWO

Hey lovelies!

If there is one thing I know, it's that I love myself a good ole' challenge! I'm always on Pinterest trying to look for the most interesting challenge whether that be self-care related, de-cluttering related, fitness related and so on, but there always seems to be a consistent problem with trying out these challenges almost every single time...

I tried to complete the 30 Day Self-Care Challenge by the lovely and super sweet Balanced Fit Mama Bird but ran into some problems along the way. Now, I love that the rules are pretty lenient and allow for a bit of leeway in terms of the order in which to tick off the listed self-care treats, but the weird thing for me was that I found myself worrying about how many times I was wanting to complete some of the same treats (e.g. a face mask, calling someone I loved, etc), just to say that I had done something for myself each day.

There is no doubt that you're going to have a hiccup or two when trying to finish any challenge but it was the fact that this particular one involved looking after myself and failing to do so past the halfway mark left me feeling kind of useless. I mean, some of us are not the greatest at adulting at the best of times but when it comes to doing things that could potentially help yourself then I'm afraid that I get a tad worried. If there's one thing that I hate most, it's failing and whilst I know that it's a part of life, it genuinely sucks! I guess they call them challenges for a reason then hahaha!

The most important thing for me to remember from this is: life goes on. You're never going to have an easy time of it but it's what you make of the tough times that matters most. Writing this now, I feel as if channeling those Blogtober vibes and challenging myself to blog on a daily basis is what I need right now - not only will it further improve my self-discipline and hone my motivation but it will be my creative outlet that enables me to grow as a person. The days that I was able to do something to make myself feel better or to help myself in some way throughout this challenge, were days that made me feel positive and accomplished. Looking back now, I am so glad that I gave myself room to do things like a 20 minute yoga video or to watch my favourite movie or listen to new music or de-clutter my room because it helped me to get through the day instead of burning myself out and not giving my body and mind the time to relax and refresh itself!

If you're wanting some more self-care in your life and need a reason to get started then I challenge you to complete Balanced Fit Mama Bird's 30 Day Challenge (below). Who knows, you may find yourself incorporating some extra treats that aren't listed! Just remember to have fun with it and try not to get too down on yourself because as long as you're having a bit of "you time" every day then you've succeeded in my eyes!

Be sure to let me know in the comment section down below if you're trying to complete any challenges over the next few months! Are you making good progress? Let's chat!

XOXO

DAY ONE

Hey lovelies!!

It's finally Blogtober!!!!! Never did I think that I would be doing this kind of thing...daily blogging? Huh, now that is a challenge! I thought that for the very first day, I would ease myself into it by simply giving you a run-down of what to expect from me throughout Blogtober - fingers crossed that I can publish a post every single day for 31 days, otherwise that will be highly disappointing for you all haha!

Now, as you know, the month of October is certainly a fun-filled one. I love that this month feels like an overwhelmingly creative ride that enables us to explore new interests, join in with all the festivities (Halloween included) as well as enjoy the fact that October marks the time of year where we are well and truly in the midst of the Autumn season!

First things first though, my intention for this Blogtober is to create content that is fresh and different but also still fits in with the type of blogger that I am and the type of content that I enjoy posting on Not Vicarious. I guess that, in some respects, my series of Blogtober posts may attempt to be a form of tribute to the Queen of October content herself, the one and only Kalyn Nicholson! The beautiful Canadian Youtuber prides herself in creating the very best videos for Youtober and if I can create some of the very best blog posts for Blogtober then I'll know that I'm taking a step in the right direction!

If you're still wondering whether you should join me on this journey of seeing October out with daily Autumn-filled posts, then I am here as a reminder of the power this season has and how the content produced can act as a way of transforming the darkest mornings and the quietest of evenings into something special. So wherever you are in the world and whatever time it is right now, I would love if you took just a little break from your day, each day, to read these posts - who knows, you might even learn something new!

Get ready for a series covering everything from makeup, to fashion, to inspirational lifestyle posts and watch me make the most of this beautiful season, even if it means going overboard with those preconceived ideas of how we imagine Autumn to be like!

Have you ever had a shopping trip that was so perfect that it felt like everything just clicked into place? I had that when I was Greece and you're probably thinking: "will she ever stop talking about her holiday?!", but I can redeem myself by telling you that everything I picked up was simply for the Autumn season that we've entered! I was honestly so happy every single moment that I was walking around my newfound love, Stradivarius, a store that we found in a huge mall in the suburbs of Athens. I can definitely see a few more shopping trips taking place in the future now that I know that there is a Stradivarius in London, eeeek I'm thanking the universe for that one, I am beyond ecstatic!

Before I let you peruse my Autumn favourites, be sure to head to the comment section down below and tell me your favourites for this beautifully crisp season! Will you be picking up any of mine? I want to know!

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Never have I found a bag so perfect, so easily! I fell in love with this the moment I saw it, literal love at first sight! I have been trying to change up my style recently and wanted to find some new items that are more in keeping with the vibe that I'm trying to go for and I think that this is perfect for me!! The silver detailing is beautiful and the leopard print scarf accessory keeps me on trend and plus it's a little bit fancy too! Honestly, no amount of exclamation marks will convey my true emotions for this bag, so instead I will let you stare in awe at this photo just as I'm doing now haha, enjoy my loves...

COWBOY BUCKLE BELT

...and we're back in the room! I have wanted this type of buckle belt for so long that buying this one should be classified as an overdue purchase! I first saw this style of belt on Tess Christine and instantly fell in love with the way that she paired it with her mom jeans and high-waisted jeans too so instead of living vicariously through her fashion and her photos, I got myself my own one to live out my dream of donning the Western style buckle belt, howdy!

DOUBLE RING BUCKLE BELT

I think that I have always liked the idea of the minimalist look or a capsule wardrobe and I feel that this belt would definitely have to be included in that category seeing as it goes perfectly with almost every type of outfit. I love the simplistic double ring buckle that slots well into the holes in the belt strap, giving you a cleaner look and an interesting twist on securing your chosen item of clothing!

BLACK HEELED ANKLE BOOTS

The most gorgeous pair of boots for the Autumn season! Simple, classy and sleek is how I would describe these black suede ankle boots, I just need to make sure that I'm not caught in the rain wearing them otherwise they'll be ruined for life haha! Hopefully I can get a few fashion posts done with these babies in time for Blogtober or, if worse comes to worst, I'll just talk about them endlessly on my Instagram and Twitter!

LEOPARD PRINT PLANNER

Oh I do love myself a pretty planner! The most perfect part of all is, with this particular planner, I can be super organised and so on trend with the leopard print pattern all at the same time! This was actually the last thing that I picked up the first time I went to Stradivarius. I remember standing in line to pay thinking "hmm I have a certain amount of money that I can spend here on holiday so what else can I buy to make up the value?" and then *bam!* there the planners were, leopard print and all, and as they say, the rest was history!

PRESS-ON NAILS

Jumbo. A store in Greece that sells practically everything - from house ornaments, to garden furniture, from clothing to beauty products, this store has it all, including these gorgeous press-on nails that sell for 99 cents each! I wish they were that cheap in the drugstores we have back here in England but unfortunately they are a bit on the pricier side. You see, I rarely choose to paint my own nails because of how quickly they chip so I have been wanting to get my nails done for a while now but don't necessarily have the money...queue the press-on nail life! I believe that they are the perfect option for a good-looking manicure if you can't afford to get one done professionally. Please feel free to leave me some recommendations for fake nails that I can purchase in my local drugstore, I'm craving more now!

XOXO

Hey lovelies!

I've been back from Greece for just over two weeks now and I think it's safe to say that it feels as if I've never been away. This is how everyone feels when they get back right?! We all just automatically get back into the swing of things and right into the upcoming season? So cruel!

Anyway, I wanted to share a little photo diary with you all because, this time around, things felt a lot calmer throughout my holiday in Greece. My family and I spent most of our days going to the beach, eating good food and purposefully missing the midday sun which made for beautiful sunset photos and golden hour selfies with one another - it really is a gorgeous country and I thank God for letting it be a part of my roots!

This holiday became a whirlwind three and a half weeks as I engaged with four different books, several bike rides and plenty of swimming. Sounds all well and good right? Wrong. The most challenging part was learning how to cope in 36°C heat which consisted of, but was not limited to, one fan and three seats on a sofa, two of which received mildly cool air...not fun!

I did, however, attempt to re-learn the complex language that is Greek, just in a less traditional way. I mean, I may or may not have learnt the majority of the new Greek words in my vocabulary from the Greek Trivago ads...okay, okay don't judge though because the Trivago girl (Sophia Manolakou for those who want to know) was actually so sweet! All it took was for me to ask my mum what Sophia was saying and then constantly repeat the words like a parrot for the rest of the day...all day...everyday...even when the adverts weren't on the TV! The skill isn't completely useless because if any of you ever need to say: "Hotel? Trivago" in Greek, I know the lingo now and can definitely help you out!

I'm totally getting side-tracked here haha! I hope with all my heart that you enjoy having a look through my little photo diary from my holiday. I promise you that it is full of sea views, yummy food and sunsets worth remembering! Be sure to let me know if you've ever been to Greece or have even blogged about it! I would love to see what your experience was like in this stunning place!

XOXO