JLo's Twin Poser?

When i saw this picture of Melania Trump, all i could think of was JLo and how she constantly tries to convince us that she's fierce with her weird 'smeyes' pout pose. Very similar no?

Image via Justjared.com

Want To Smell Like Jennifer Aniston?

So, news broke that Jennifer Aniston has joined the long line of celebrity jumping at the chance of creating her own scent to be sold to all her adoring fans. I personally am a tad bit biased when it comes to celebrity scents. I don't know why but it just gives me a wierd feeling and as i'm especially picky with perfumes, it's really difficult for me to jump on the trend. What i'm loving though, is her LV scarf in the photo above.
Image via Justjared.com

In An Instant By Heidi Klum

These days, everybody seems to be releasing their own skincare line and Heidi Klum has joined the list; the minute Jennifer Lopez decides to release one then i know the world is coming closer to an end. Anyway, her skincare is aptly named 'In An Instant' because you can see the difference in your skin within the first few minutes you use it. Personally, i'm a sceptic on this but if you've tried it please let it know your thoughts. It is being backed by the ever trust worthy Guthy Renker.
Image via cm1.theinsider.com

Learn Na'vi

For the die hard Avatar fans out there who would like to learn how to speak the language from the movie, Na'vi, check out this site. I'm not 100% sure but i think it is mainly made up of fans and there's a support network as well where you can get help with learning the language and all. If you do give it a try, let me know how it goes
Image via Bing.com

Try This At Home

DIY studded boots

This has actually inspired me to look for some cheapie open-toe boots and do a DIY of the boots Beyonce wore in this post.

Check It Out

Because I'm Addicted

This is my new go-to lookbook

My New Personal Trainer

So, ummm...i have a personal trainer in the form of my gym addicted friend who also happens to be the same person teaching me Spanish. Yup! She is very much gym addicted, infact she's not too sure if she can live without one and for this semester she plans on going to the gym 6.30am every morning from Mondays to Friday. So who better to induct me into the world of torture than her right? Well, she has OFFERED to be my personal trainer for this semester. As a matter of fact, she's even more than happy to drive me to and fro the gym. I'm very worried, my butt is worried, my cellulite is worried, heck even my thighs are worried. I happen to have gym phobia eventhough i went to the gym quite often in UK. You see, when i see a treadmill i think of all things crushing. I have this fear that i will somehow manage to roll under the treadmill while i'm on it. It sounds like a joke right? No! It's not a joke at all; it happens to be a genuine fear and while i was in UK, i always had Adam standing next to me and coercing me and even distracting my attention from the fact that i'm on a treadmill. Plus he was cute, had the cutest smile and a deep-ish voice so that was enough to quiet the phobia in me. Did i also mention that he used to do stretches with me? *coughs*

I figured it was about time i started going to the gym again because none of my fitness dvds have helped shift the pounds eventhough they're pretty good in my opinion. So my personal trainer let me have this week off because torture starts on Monday the 8th of March! I just had to say the date so it could register properly in my brain! I'm scared, i'm real scared but then she's pretty fit so that should be a motivation for me right? Stick around and you'll hear all about it and much more next week! Have a fantabulouso weekend!!! ^_^
Image via Fiterati.com

Free Spanish Classes

Uni only just begun on Monday but i'm already feeling the pressure and rigeur of student life. I don't know if its because i only have 3 semesters left to go but i'm feeling the pressure to be a geek really quickly. Or maybe it's because every Monday during my 2-hour lecture i'll have 2 tests that make up 30% of my final grade and the tests start this coming Monday. But that's not the only subject i have a test for; i also have a weekly test for my Finance subject in tutorials and for another Management class we have to do role plays during tutorials that count towards student participation and make up 20% of my final grade. Luckily i only have that tute fortnightly which means i have roughly 6 classes to take. I would like to find the person who coined the phrase 'student participation' and give them a good knock on the head. Our lecturers are convinced that it is a good way to learn but i think it is a good way to make us buy the textbook because a 100+ students cannot compete for 4 copies of our textbook in the library that you have to read before the lectures; that is pretty much impossible except you plan on sleeping in front of the library doors everyday to beat the rush.

In my last post, i mentioned that i have to give up French so i can graduate in July. Well, my friend has actually offered to teach me Spanish for free every week till July when she graduates and all i need to do is buy the textbooks they use for Spanish in uni and learn it on my own. I know that i'm already pissed at the fact that i have to do tests every week but i'm going to try and fit this in as well because i've always wanted to learn languages and this is a good opportunity for me to learn Spanish because i never really had any plans on paying for Spanish classes in the first place; all i need to do now is decide if i want to take her up on the offer or not. Just to let you know how much of a rip off the books here at Unishop are, the Spanish language pack with cds cost about $120 while i can get the exact same textbook for $60 from Amazon including postage and packaging. Now you tell me, how crazy is that?
Image via Vivirlatino.com

No More French

For a while now, i've been very excited about starting French at uni today, especially as it is the first day back for this session. But all that excitement ended last night because i removed French from the subjects i enrolled. You see, Mum has been feeling pretty stressed about how far away i live from home (almost 2 days by flight) and the fact that if there was an emergency it would take an awful lot of time to get there. Also she hates flying, so the idea of her being in the sky for that long has been food for thought. I on the other hand i'm quite chuffed with the distance because it means i don't get suprise visits often! Well, after much conversations, i had to consider my mum because she isn't getting any younger and she's been talking to me about this for the whole of last year.

We both have a love affair with Canada eventhough neither of us have been there. I love the fact that is is a calmer version of USA and that it would allow me to visit another continent. But most importantly, two of my best friends live there so that is quite a compensation and motivation to consider applying to Canada for my masters degree. The same goes for my mum but with the added bonus that it is a bit closer to home in comparison to Australia and also much cheaper for her to get a flight ticket. So i've had to remove French from my enrolment subjects because it meant i would have graduated one semester later than necessary and all admissions to Canadian universities usually happen in late August or early September. But don't be alarmed because i'll still be graduating with 2 more subjects than i actually need and i will be applying to Australian universities for my masters just in case my mum changes her mind. Frankly i'd rather just stay here and finish my degrees and get a job but seeing that both Canada and Australia require a compulsory 1 year work experience before issuing a PR, i'm not going to lose anything for making a change.

Image via Angelnet.com

Quick Update

Hello to all you bloggers out there. This is just a quick update to let you know that i might not be blogging this week because i've just moved into a new place today and i'm still trying to get things sorted and that includes my internet connection. Hope you guys have a fantabulous week

Hermine, xoxo

I Want Her Hair!!!

Isn't her hair colour absolutely gorgeous! It is so beautiful it is almost imaginable! I just can't get over it, i love hair colours like these that just make regular hair more oomph! I don't know if that's a word but i'm sure you get the idea. If it was possible, i'd love to get a hair colour customised for me that doesn't look brash and works fantastic with my skin tone: throw in a bit of red and chocolate and i'll be in hair colour heaven!

Image via Justjared.com

Read These!

Hey Guys

I've just been reading articles and other websites online as i've been pretty bored and lacking anything interesting to post so i found these two articles online that i think might be interesting. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as i did :)

Fuss-free guide to complexion perfection
From timid to temptress

Must Read!

When you have the time, you must check out Hanneli Mustaparta's site at Hanneli.com! It's like an up-and-coming version of 'The Sartorialist'.
Image via Jewelboxdreams.blogspot.com

Dye Job

By now you all know that the world has been plagued by the Balmania disease of 'shoulders'! I for one hate buying into trends because i never dress trendy and for me it's not really a good investment because they always go out of trend for a while. But the shoulder trend seems to be lasting longer than expected and a part of me is annoyed about it because i don't want to buy a jacket with shoulders but there always seems to be some sort of annoying temptation lurking in the corners awaiting me. It started with the military jacket at Dotti that has some gold beads and pipping on the shoulder and now River Island also has something to tempt me. Unfortunately i can't attach an image of the jacket but for those who are interested, type this in the search box and you should find it: 584774. I like to think that the shoulders aren't as obvious as other Balmania inspired jackets but everytime i think of this particular one from River Island, all i can think of is dyeing it another colour before wearing it. Definitely not black though, because i have a black blazer already. I'm not really a fan of white or cream items because i'm very clumsy and paranoid and i have no interest in shelling big bucks for a professional clean. All the 'dry clean' i owned in the past, i either hand washed them or used the gentle cycle in the wash and they always came out fine.

Image via Fifi.com.au

Image of Perfection

I know i'm always oohing and aahing about perfect blended makeup in general and on Camilla Belle's face but everytime i see her makeup i always get the same reaction. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect foundation that would keep my shine at bay and stop me from looking 'yellow'. Call me slow, but i only realised this past weekend that on the MAC foundation labellings, W stands for warm and C for cool; i usually buy the NW50 but i've always felt that i looked slightly yellow so i'm going to try the NC50 on our trip to Sydney which is next week. Fingers crossed, i'll be able to finally meet my foundation match. I'm going to try out the studio fix fluid spf15 because it is oil-free, long wearing and gives a matte finish; and select spf15 because it is water based, long wearing and also gives a matte finish. Although i must admit that the NC50 in the select foundation does look a bit weird from the pictures as it is very light but we all know that pictures can be deceiving.

Image via Justjared.com

The Cook & The Chef

Have you guys ever watched the TV coooking show 'The Cook & The Chef'? For me, it's a great show alongside 'Alive & Cooking' that i love watching whenever i have the time. For those interested, it is usually on ABC1 on Mondays from 13.30. Today they're making all things Italian and that includes fresh pasta made from scratch on TV. Most of the dishes they've made today has an enormous serving of various kinds of cheese. They also show an Italian-Australian couple living in Adelaide that grow their own fruits and vegetables in their backyard; they also have some hens and hares so everything they consume is actually homegrown. I've always loved the idea of growing my own fruit and veg sometime in the future when i've settled down into a relationship and just before having kids. There's something about being almost self sufficient and picking my own food from the ground in the backyard that has always appealed to me and the kind of life i want to lead in the near future. As we become more aware of the environment and the impact that our lifestyle has on it, i'm always thinking of little changes that i can make to do my bit. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you'll know that aesthetics play a large role in the things i love and as technology improves, there are more eco-friendly ways that you can create stylish houses and even own a stylish car without feeling like you're inside a hemp bag!

Anyways, for more of the cooking show check their website abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/

Friends...

For me, the best part about having a few close friends is that it gives me the chance to know them much better than i would if i had a huge amount of friends and little knowledge or understanding of them. My best friends are actually spread across the globe at the moment - UK, Canada, Nigeria - but we always try to keep in touch via e-mails, text messages and the occasional phone call. I've done some things for them that i usually wouldn't do on a normal day or for someone and they've done the same for me as well. I remember one of my friends was having a birthday party in an expensive club in Scotland and invited me. On a normal day i would have easily said no because i hate clubs. I hate how it smells, i hate the feeling of being stuffed up like sardines in a can (although i do love dancing, especially to latin tunes) and i hate having to yell to have a conversation. But i got on a 7-hour train from where i lived and sucked it up at the club for the night because of her. I'm not even going to lie; i absolutely hated being inside the club. The only VIP thing about it was that it was an exclusive club inside a club so it was pretty tough for random people to just walk in. But i enjoyed being with my friends that night and i enjoyed seeing her happy at the notion that we were all there to celebrate with her; eventhough she knew that myself and one of our other friend would have been much happier in a cinema or dolled up in a nice restaurant.

I was having a bit of a 'fat me' day yesterday. I was very upset because all my labours of working out 5-6 times a week and even finally going on my PCOS medication wasn't making any difference. Plus i had really sore muscles from doing one of Tony Horton's workouts, that guy is genius and evil at the same time but that's a conversation for another post. My friend from UK was texting me yesterday and i was sheepishly replying all his messages and he sent me one asking 'So, what IS wrong with you? Because from your replies i can tell you're in an interesting mood' and to which i replied that i was having a fat day. He is one of those friends you don't want to ask a question that you're scared of the answer; plus he is an expert at laughing at people which can be quite annoying especially if he's laughing at you. He replied me saying 'You're ok dear, don't worry about it cause it's the small stuff and i think it works with you perfectly. Just appreciate yourself. You're not as big as Queen Latifah and she's gorgeous!' You can bet i had a very good night's sleep yesterday after a good mood boost; although i always used to think i was about the same size as Queen Latifah!
Image via Oopshi.com

Essential Layering

I'm a real sucker for comfortable clothing and anything else that makes me feel in my element; i hate feeling constrained by my clothes or having to fake a smile because what i'm wearing is killing me. Although i've been in Australia for almost 2 years, i still haven't learnt to dress for each season nor has my love and interest in fashion translated to my wardrobe. My wardrobe is very bare; it looks like what a nomad might have, or maybe someone having a spring clean and getting rid of everything for a new start. My wardrobe has been like that for the length of time i've been in Australia and going on shopping bans hasn't really helped either. You'd think that all that money i saved would be put into boosting my wardrobe but i'm beginning to get worried that my saving bouts might be turning me into a stingy person. You see, my bank balance looks way too good right now that i feel a slight ache in my heart to alter it, but i also know that if my parents saw my closet they'd either never give me money or make me buy lots of clothes to fill it up. Just to let you in on how empty it is, i've only got 2 pairs of jeans [black skinny and blue relaxed flare], i've also got about 6 tops, 4 dresses and my lounge wear which sometimes doubles as a workout gear; i've owned these for over a year now.

With all this in mind, i'm making a huge effort to change and to stop disgracing my parents by boosting up my wardrobe slowly. If you've read magazines that had issues on makeovers, most fashion editors would always say start with the basics!!! And that's exactly what i plan on doing; the picture of Hilary Duff is very inspiring to me because it looks very relaxed and comfortable. But most importantly, it is trans-seasonal because as you're all aware fake Autumn starts in March. So as it gets cooler, it becomes more sensible for me to introduce leggings back into my look [not that summer stopped me attempting to wear them] and when it gets even cooler i could easily throw on a boyfriend cardigan or a blazer to keep warm! With these in mind, i plan on investing on a few longline tank tops that i can layer with and where better to find them than at Bassike? I absolutely love their essentials range that has layering singlets in white, grey marl and black retailing at $60 each
Image via Hilaryvault.com

I Know I'll Fall, But...

These Giuseppe Zanotti ankle boots Beyonce is wearing are to die for, they're absolutely f-i-e-r-c-e! And i must have a piece of fierceness in my wardrobe even at the cost of them never seeing daylight or even falling flat on my face a couple of times before i can walk in them. I don't care!!! I know Cookie is gonna give me a lecture on buying things i can't wear or wouldn't wear but these are tooooo hot!!! For a moment, let's look past my excitement because we are all aware that there is an extremely slim chance i'll be shelling out the money for the same exact pair. This leaves me with two options of owning it: 1) Senso, Siren or some other shoe brand would make a replica and i'll be more than happy to purchase it as long as it is no more than $300 or 2) Get cheap ankle boots and head over to Spotlight to find me some glue and studs that i can stick onto them. Which will happen first? Let the race begin!!!
Image via Beyonceworld.net

High Expectations?

Everytime i go to ASOS and look at the items they've designed, i'm always hoping to see something spectacular. I have a certain expectation of what an ASOS item should look and feel like. I'm very aware that most of the prices are budget friendly but at the same time i expect them to design and sell things that don't look like i bought them from a European version of Supre. If you've been to Supre then you'll understand what i'm getting at. So far, most of the designs that hace come out in the past week at a friendly budget look good. But on closer inspection and with a change in colour options for the items of clothing, they do look like a slightly upscale version of Cotton On. I don't know if my eyes are just deceiving me or if i have an unnecessarily high expectation from ASOS. What do you think? Am i being too harsh on them?

Image via rlv.zcache.com