The Looks of 2015

Hi loves,
So, first of all, where the heck did 2015 go? One minute it was January 1st, next we're celebrating Christmas. It honestly is crazy how time flies as you get older.
This year has consisted of many hardships and heartache, but nonetheless, lessons learnt and happiness expressed.
One thing I'm very proud of is the outcome from The Looks of 2015, so without further ado, here's a re-cap of the many loved looks from 2015.

Top (L-R): Feeling Flustered, Embrace Your Beauty

Bottom (L-R): Simply Floral, Weight a Minute

Top (L-R): Camels and Leopards, Oh My!, Do You Want to Build a Blanket Fort?

Bottom (L-R): Earn Your Stripes, Secret Garden

Top (L-R): So French, So Chic, Run, Don't Walk

Bottom (L-R): Sweet Bouquet, Don't Baroque My Heart

Top (L-R): Be-You-Tiful, Miss Shop x Barbie: D & The Glitter Shoes

Bottom: (L-R): Miss Shop x Barbie: Confidence, Embroidered Dream

(L-R): Miss Shop x Barbie: Make Unkindness Your Motivation, Miss Shop x Barbie: The End of the Beginning

Reading last year's Looks of the Year had me beaming with pride. The first thing I wrote was "2015 is the year I will be a better blogger", and I can proudly say I have achieved that, because although I post once a week or so, it's actually a major improvement from last year's schedule.

My goal for Heart, Style & Grace for 2015 was to explore my options. I didn't want to spend the entire time focusing on just outfits. I realised how much I loved writing interest pieces - shopping, lifestyle and travel (although, there is more to come with that travel tag.) And thus the conclusion, that's what I am good at.

The reason I like taking outfit photos is because the pictures speak for themselves. I usually don't have to say much in an outfit post because of that reason, but I passionately love writing, so the interest pieces consisting of things I care about and want to help people with is in my area of (sort-of) expertise.

With 2016 casually rolling through, I'm here to set another goal for myself and my first love: Heart, Style & Grace; and that is for me to strive for progress, not perfection. I get so caught up in making sure everything is perfect, but reality is nobody's perfect, I apologise for quoting Hannah Montana. The fact that I define my blog as natural and normal (since I don't photoshop my photos), I want 2016 to be the year we try to enlighten on how being yourself and being goofy is perfectly fine and also pretty fun!

Without further ado, let's end my babbling here. I hope you all have a fabulous New Year, celebrating with bellies full of food and hearts full of love.

I'll see you all in 2016, with my short hair I have yet to unveil.

Filled with love,

Danica xo

Celebratory 200th post!

Hi loves,

As you can tell from the title of tonight's post, it's my 200th blog post ~ *screaming eternally*!!!!

The Holiday Gift Guide 2015: For the Ladies in Your Life

Hi loves,
Merry Christmas!

Gosh, it's been such a crazy lead-up to Christmas for me, but still, I could never be more excited for the holiday than I seem to always be whenever December rolls around.
Ever since I could afford to, I've absolutely loved picking out the perfect gifts for my family and friends. Seeing their faces light up when they unwrap it may be the sole purpose for my excitement, but also because I love shopping, and Christmas is a reasonable excuse to confess my addiction. I'm not shopping for myself; I'm shopping for the people I love (including myself.)

Now hopefully you've seen my Holiday Gift Guide for the Men in Your Life, because tonight I'm bringing to you a gift guide for your mum, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, best friend, girl friends and any other leading lady in your life.

For the organised gal: As Christmas nears, so does the end of the year, and with the end of the year, comes the "new year, new me" quotes, and 2016 diaries and planners! If you're having a hard time finding a gift for that girl who has everything, get her a diary or planner to help her keep track of everything she's got.

The Holiday Gift Guide 2015: For the Men in Your Life

Hi loves,
Merry Christmas!
Well, almost. But Christmas is basically everyday when it's December.
Unfortunately I won't be participating in creating holiday looks this year. Things are too crazy right now, but instead, I did however shoot a Holiday Gift Guide which will come in 2 instalments; YAY!

For the sweet tooth: Excluding people allergic to hazelnuts, you'd have to be insane not to be in love with Nutella. If you head into MYER, you can get a Nutella jar personally personalised to fit the name of the Nutella lover you're gifting it for. It's simple, it's sweet, and it's inexpensive.

Miss Shop x Barbie: The End of the Beginning

Hi loves,
How crazy is it that we're already up to the final chapter of the year 2015?
Time escaping us this quickly reminds me of something one of my teachers from fashion school told us one day during a class; "When you're in your 20's, time feels like it's flying by. I remember going from 20 to 29 in the blink of an eye. You guys need to enjoy every single minute of your twenties because soon enough, you'll be in your thirties, settling down, and writing a completely different chapter of your life." Obviously it wasn't in those exact words, but it comes really close.

Even though I'm only 22, I feel like the last two years have sped by and I haven't had a chance to breathe and take it all in. I jumped from being a teenager (with a baby) to worrying about bills and my future. It may not seem like it, but 2015 has been one of my hardest years to endure. I'm hoping for a great December and an even better 2016.

Without further ado, the final instalment of the Miss Shop x Barbie feature. Enjoy!

Don't Believe Me, Just Watch

Hi loves,
I've always had a fond liking to watches. All through primary school, I would wear my latest water-resistant watch, and create a watch tan on my left wrist. Back then, it was function over fashion. I just wore that watch because I liked keeping track of time. I've always been a rather organised person, and watches become a very important part of one's day when trying to stay organised.

I had a brief period where I stopped wearing them (and tanned my left wrist), but I've finally rekindled my little obsession. Growing quite a collection already, I've got a watch to go with any outfit and mood.

Miss Shop x Barbie: Make Unkindness Your Motivation

Hi loves,
I actually bought this sweater in a size XL because I just prefer wearing them with leggings and sneakers when I'm on the go on a gloomy cold day. That's just a disclaimer before you guys comment saying "that sweater looks waaaayyy too big for you!" because yes, I know it already, thank you.

In saying that, I really didn't want to put a disclaimer so soon into the blog post, but has anyone else noticed how so many bloggers/vloggers have to put immediate disclaimers in their posts/videos because they know how much backlash they're already going to get?
I find it really upsetting that so many people who are putting their interests and passions on the internet get so much hate for being who they are and liking what they like.
What's even worse is that these haters come from a place of anonymity. These people trying to connect with others like them have to deal with people who constantly nit-pick on everything they do as anonymous users.
You tell yourself that because they're anonymous, they don't matter. Their opinions automatically vanish into thin air because you don't know who these people are. But that's it right there, they tear you down, left, right and centre, and you have no clue on whether this is a complete stranger or a friend afraid to tell you the truth. That's when it starts to drive you crazy. You begin to misplace your trust in people. You begin to close off. And as far as I'm concerned, that's the worst thing you can do to yourself. You're letting these anonymous haters control your life. You're taking back everything you said because you feel the need to justify yourself in every aspect of YOUR life when they shouldn't even have that privilege in the first place.

Of course I've had my fair share of haters. I think everyone who's ever put their life on the internet has, but I've learnt to fuel that hate into motivation and strength for myself. I used to take it to heart, and I used to question myself and my interests, but now I find it to be a great way to give me a purpose. Let your fear, and the people who bring unkind words into your life be your motivation to be a success and to fulfil your dreams and goals.

How-To: Get Through That Time of the Month

Hi loves,
So I was experiencing the week of hell because guess what, it was that time of the month again.
I was in bed for an entire day all because of stupid menstrual pains, and the idea came to me - "maybe I should write up a post on how to get through the woman's week of hell" so that's basically where this random post came from. Bare with me, please.

The time of the month is always really difficult. You're in so much pain; you're breaking out everywhere; you're craving EVERYTHING; a tiny gust of wind makes your boobs want to implode; you have to be careful of what kind of panties you wear (despite what Libra tells you); you're spending money on pads and tampons; you constantly feel like you smell; and you're angry and super emotional for no apparent reason (I watched an episode of New Girl and wasn't sure whether I was crying from laughter or not, what?)

Embroidered Dream

Hi loves,
So the other day I was having an extreme case of writer's block. You know how you hop onto your phone and open up Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Snapchat when you're procrastinating? Well, I was on Instagram and saw some of my most-read bloggers had posted new posts. Now normally, I don't have time to read through them, so I just scroll through and find inspiration through the photography, but this time was different. I found myself wanting to read what these bloggers had to say.
Bloggers these days have such distinct voices. Some preach literature, some write playfully; whereas I'm trying to find my balance. I love writing like I'm talking to a bunch of friends, other times I like writing as if I'm reporting for a big shot newspaper.

When you start a blog, they tell you to make sure you have a unique voice. That's the best way to be heard. Three years later, and I'm still trying to find my own voice and my own purpose with this blog.
Hopefully this new leaf on the blog is a great new beginning for something more..

Miss Shop x Barbie: Confidence

Hi loves,

First off, never in my 22 years of existence did I think I would ever wear a dress with the 'Barbie' logo written all over it, but I've got to admit, I quite like it.

I feel like I found a new confidence wearing this dress. It's pretty amazing how a simple piece of clothing can do so much for one's self-esteem. That's what I love about fashion. It really can change a person, and for the most part, for the better, you know?

Finding your confidence can be quite tricky. People often mistaken confidence with being conceited which is why you have to make sure you find the right balance.
It seems like today's society has everyone brainwashed into thinking confidence = arrogance.
I've met several people in the last couple of years, and you can distinctly tell the difference just from a particular vibe when they speak to you.

Confidence is so important, and I just wish so many more girls had them; in what they wear; in what they say; in what they do. Feeling insecure and unsure of yourself can be soul-crushing, so start by wearing a bright coloured lipstick, or pair those heels with that skirt and go shopping - find your confidence in something little, and build up to it. The more comfortable you are in your own skin, the better you will feel. Trust me.

Too Faced Cosmetics Haul

Hi loves,
It's been too long since I posted a haul, so I'm very excited to be posting this one because it's about one of my most favourite beauty brands.
You can probably safely say that the first thing that attracted me to Too Faced Cosmetics was the packaging, because just by taking one quick look at it, you could instantly tell that I would be all over this brand. But look past the pretty packaging, and you'll find great quality products which you will want to replenish over and over again.

Miss Shop x Barbie: D & the Glitter Shoes

Hi loves,
So a few weeks ago I went shopping, and didn't realise until I got home that everything I had bought was Barbie related. I got really excited and thought out loud "this would make a pretty fun feature on the blog!!!" - yeah, I tend to blurt stuff out randomly like that and it awkwardly confuses whoever's around me. Quite entertaining, really.
Anyway, growing up I loved Barbie. I remember when I was still living in the city, my kindergarten best friend at the time was living in a city loft with her mum. She asked me to come over one day after school, so I did, and I remember walking into this section of the loft where she had all of her Barbie memorabilia. I'm talking dream house, play tent, rug, galleries of Barbie dolls - you name it, she had it. And I remember just falling instantly in love with that entire section, it was so upsetting when my parents came to pick me up. I was more devastated about leaving the Barbie gallery than my friend, tbh.

That was when my love for Barbie started. My mum's collected various Barbie dolls my entire life (there was this limited edition Cinderella Barbie doll that my mum kept in the box for YEARS that none of us could touch) but when we had to move out of the city and into the suburbs, mum had to sell it because we couldn't lug all of those dolls around with us. I was so deeply saddened.

So imagine how I felt when I found out Miss Shop was releasing a collaboration with Miss Barbie herself. I knew I had to get my hands on it because there was no way I was letting more of Barbie slip out of my fingers. This way, I have some Barbie back in my life, and especially in my closet.

I have four looks in this feature, so stay tuned for the other three after this one, but for now, I hope you guys enjoy this girly chic look which I absolutely adore!

Life Update

Hi loves,
Now, I contemplated for a very long time on whether or not I should even write up a post like this.
But I felt like it was necessary considering a lot has been going on and it's not condensed enough for me to fit into 140 characters on Twitter.

So where do I begin?

How-To: Start Your Own Blog

Hi loves,
So, today I wanted to share my how-to on starting your own blog. I know what you're thinking, "starting your own blog is like riding a bicycle - super easy", well having a few helpful tips never hurt anybody.
Although it seems really simple, starting your own blog can actually be a difficult and daunting experience when you don't know exactly what to do.
Just a little reminder that I am absolutely no expert, but this is what I noticed worked well for me, so fingers crossed it works just as well for you future bloggers.

Without further ado, let's get straight into it.

STEP 1: Find your passion

Whether it's food or fashion (or whatever your heart desires), finding what gets you inspired is critical into starting your blog. Having a primary subject keeps things on a nice flow, and enables you to find your audience and connect easier.

Nothing is more off-putting than when someone starts a blog and their content is all over the place.
They're basically just rambling on and on about something you don't even understand. You'll notice that your audience will appreciate your effort in keeping to a theme.

***

Essence Spring Trend Collection: Brit Tea

Hi loves,
Happy Sunday!! I just got back home from a weekend getaway to Port Stephens with my boyfriend and our son for our ninth anniversary. We had the absolute best time, and guess what, we vlogged the entire trip. It was so much fun, and I'm so excited to edit it and post it up on our family YouTube channel soon. So, stay tuned!

Anyway, who knew that my first beauty post on the new and improved blog would be a prize pack I unknowingly entered and won? Definitely not me!
This post is most certainly not sponsored, but I am so excited to bring to you guys exclusive pics of essence cosmetics' spring trend collection which is actually now in all Target stores, so after you read this, head on out to your nearest Target and splurge splurge splurge, ladies!

If you know me personally, you'd know that I absolutely adore pastel colours. There's just something so beautiful and girly about pastel shades.

I was so excited to have been able to receive this prize pack because ever since I found out about the collection coming to Target stores, I sought out every single Target store in my district every day, but didn't manage to come across it. Luckily, I won the competition on their Facebook page because now I get to try out every beauty product from the collection!

Don't worry, I'm going to test them out, and the ones I absolutely love will go into my giveaway which is coming real soon.

So without further ado, essence cosmetics Spring Trend Collection: Brit-Tea ♡

Be-you-tiful

Hi loves,
When I'm shooting looks with my friend, I always try to find my best model pose. That's what a fashion blogger does, right? A part of me feels totally fierce, but the other part of me feels like a total knob. I'm determined to be an 'everyday girl' kind of blogger who looks goofy and imperfect, rather than a high-fashion kind of blogger who rarely smiles in her photos.
I think I've preached enough about self-beauty and embracing your body and loving who you are, so I won't go into that again, but if you're a fashion blogger who's starting out just like me, remember what your main priority is, because mine is making sure I cater to the everyday girl!

Without further ado, scroll through these pics to see my casual posing and cheeky smiles.

Don't Baroque My Heart

Hi loves,
My apologies because it seems as though I haven't posted in two weeks and am feeling real shitty about it. Don't worry, I'm not going back to my old ways - it was just a heck of a week last week so I didn't get a chance to post anything.

But I'm excited to share this post with you guys tonight because I've wanted to style this outfit ever since I got this aaaaaamazing jacket from one of my supervisors while I was interning at Dolly magazine {you can see what else I got from my incredible time spent at Dolly/Cleo magazines right here.}

I posted a sneak peek pic of this outfit yesterday on Instagram, and funnily enough, one of my friends commented that it looked like an outfit Blair Waldorf would wear. What's even more funny is that I freaking love Blair Waldorf!!?!!???!! Just thought I'd put that in here somewhere.. You know, just some unnecessary information because who doesn't love unnecessary information {did you know a sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers on a hot air balloon?!}

This look has been long-awaited. I got the these pants so long ago, but mum kept forgetting to get them tailored for me (she's pretty talented in the fact that she sews all of my 'too-long' clothes, and she cuts and colours my hair too), until recently which is why I was so keen to style this look together. And I gotta say, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

This is for all of you strong independent woman who need no man or no boss to tell them how freaking great they are. You sure as hell can look stylish too.

*Raise your hand if you have to get your clothes tailored almost all the time?!*

Sweet Bouquet

Hi loves,
Sad to say, but unfortunately this is the last outfit for the 7 Looks for 7 Days re-launch feature *boooooo!* Not to worry though, I promise you, this is the beginning of something wonderful, and I'm so excited to finally be heading on this journey with all of you guys alongside me.

When I was stuck in my uninspired rut, I felt so unhappy and put down. But now that I'm back, and doing it for all the right reasons, I'm so much more happier, grateful and inspired every single day.
This is what blogging should feel like. Never blog for others, but yourself. From day one, I've always promised myself that this was going to be for me. It didn't matter if I got one hit in one day, it made me happy. But of course, other people's comments and criticisms will eventually get to you because, hey, I'm only human.

More than anything, I want to learn and grow with my blog. It's been my baby since 2011, and although I've neglected it a few times, or posted unworthy content for the sake of posting, I still have such a deep love for the community of blogging.

I'm back and better than ever, and I'm extremely thrilled for what's to come.

Watch this space, I swear, you won't be disappointed!

Run, Don't Walk

Hi loves,
Okay, so I am not at all a sneakerhead whatsoever. In fact, I despise sneakers. Give me a fabulous pair of flats or heels and I'm good to go. But something that wouldn't seem to leave my mind was the Nike Roshe Run in grey. I'd been working long hours in retail for weeks and my feet would be thrashed from wearing flats all day (shocking, I know) so I sneakily borrowed my brother's Roshes one day, and fell in love with how comfy they were to work in!
But everytime I seemed to walk into a shoe store and ask for my size in the grey Roshes, they were sold out and not re-stocking my size anymore (?!?!?!??!!), so I decided to look online and thank heavens for stylerunner.com because they had the colour I wanted, my exact size, cheap and fast delivery - such a score!

So tonight, I bring to you a post which kind of looks like I'm advertising my shoes, but really, my friend is just an ace photographer :P

So French, So Chic

Hi loves,
So sorry for the delay on tonight's post. This look has to be my favourite because it's simple, chic and french-inspired!

I've been gathering a lot of inspiration from Audrey Rogers aka Frassy Audrey whose french-chic style is so on point. But not only is her style on point, her inspiring messages throughout her posts are a clear reflection on what we all want to read from a fashion blogger. It's not always about the fashion; sometimes it's about the message behind the outfit.

Funnily enough, every message behind my outfit is "I'm wearing this today to give my closet a break." You'd think as a fashion blogger, I'd have my closet dilemmas sorted - well, think again. When you share a closet for one with two boys, things tend to get real messy and extremely difficult.
Which is why today's post was delayed; my boyfriend and I ventured out to IKEA (heh, hardly - considering IKEA's now only 5 minutes away from my house) and we bought a new wardrobe for Ethan, yaaaay! Now before you go "wait, why Ethan and not you?", Ethan's current closet is a larger one that we bought from IKEA a while ago, but because I'm needing a second closet now (#fashionbloggerproblems) we bought a kid-friendly closet instead of buying another large closet, ya get? Doesn't matter, makes sense to us *lol*

We just finished putting together and transferring all of Ethan's clothes into his new wardrobe, and we are so knackered out. I've got work all day tomorrow, so sorting out my second closet will have to wait until my next day off (which happens to be Thursday - yipee!)

As soon as I have it set-up, I promise that photos will be on it's way over to the blog.

Without further ado, day 5 of the 7 Looks for 7 Days re-launch feature:

Secret Garden

Hi loves,
Surprise! It's day 4 of the 7 Looks for 7 Days re-launch feature!
I've been wanting to style a look this like for so long now. Working in retail, I get to see first-hand what styles are going to be trending for the new season, and bohemian chic seems to be a popular one for Spring - of course.
My style is more girly feminine, but it's makes blending into other styles really easy.
All one has to do is add a girly detail (ie. a skirt) and then accessorise to your heart's content!

I had such a fun time shooting this look for you guys because the location was just stunning. Of course it could've been more beautiful if it were already Spring and nature had bloomed, but the end of Winter still makes it look quite pretty. What's even better is that it was an unexpected location. Somewhere so close to home turned out to be the perfect shoot spot.

It's safe to say that you will be seeing a lot more of this location during the Spring/Summer editions of my looks because it's honestly so beautiful, and we got the OK from the owners to use it. Yay!

So without further ado, (I know, I was just babbling on about nothing tonight, sorry!), here's tonight's look:

Earn Your Stripes

Hi loves,
Yay for day 3 of the 7 Looks for 7 Days re-launch feature!
I'm finding it extremely ironic how yesterday's weather was beautiful and warm, but I posted my last Winter look; but then today is dreary and cold, and I'm here posting my first Spring look!
Mother Nature, you sure like to make me look like a fool. Oh, dear.

Well, saying hello to Spring a little earlier than expected is always a great thing. As is Paris, macarons and Chanel.
Great things come in different shapes and sizes. I found a great thing in my epic love with my boyfriend. I raised a great thing in the shape of my ever-so-clever son. I created a great thing that I love; my blog.

It's amazing how one type of thing can come to you in so many different ways.

I never, in my lifetime, would have imagined I would start my own blog. I've always been a shy person. So coming online and feeling the pressures and scrutiny of faceless keyboard warriors was basically my kind of hell. But I have to admit, staring my blog online helped me grow my thick skin. And being a young mum, that's exactly what you need. You're constantly under a microscope where people have the freedom to judge and berate you. But thanks to the negativities of the online community, I'm a stronger and happier person - because the words you try to hurt me with, don't work anymore, and honestly, it feels great.

My advice to everyone tonight is to never let the bastards get you down. Especially the ones online!

Do You Want to Build a Blanket Fort?

Hi loves,
Here's day 2 of the 7 Looks for 7 Days re-launch feature, just like I promised!
As we're nearing the end of Winter, I'm starting to find myself having to say goodbye to many of my favourite outerwear. For example, this blanket cape, I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.

It may make zero sense as to why I'm posting this type of outfit tonight considering today was probably the warmest day of Winter we've ever experienced (tops of 29 degrees and leaving my windows wide open all day - I approve) but because I spent most of Winter working on the re-launch, I want to make sure I at least took a shot at posting a few (well, two to be exact) Winter warm looks.

It's pretty unfortunate too since Winter is actually my favourite season out of all four. UGH.

It's alright though - life is still dandy. Speaking of life {being dandy}, spreading positive cheer is so important - and a huuuuge factor in my blog re-launch. I feel like I spent so much time bringing myself down. Comparing myself to other bloggers of the scene made me feel immensely unworthy.
But it's true, scroll through your Tumblog or Pinterest, and reblog/pin encouraging and inspiring quotes and you will find your inner light shining so much brighter. I promise you, it works.

My favourite lately is: "Dream big, work hard, stay focused & surround yourself with good people."
I think it's incredibly valuable to keep these things in mind. I want to emphasise on the last part of that quote though. As you may know (hopefully by now), I have a young child of my own, and teaching him to be a better person every day is a challenge because he is influenced every day at school by other kids. I'm not bashing on how other parents raise their children at all, but some kids don't seem to have a barrier when it comes to certain things. For example, I learnt recently that my son knows a few swear words because of his FIRST GRADE friends. It's hard to tell my 6-year-old not to surround himself with friends who influence him in a negative way, so we try to get him to be the positive influence on his friends and lead the way.

At the end of the day, how you feel about yourself is the most important thing, and who you surround yourself makes a big impact on how you perceive yourself.

Choose wisely. Love (yourself) fiercely.

Camels, and Leopards, Oh My!

A very big and exciting welcome back to the new and improved Heart, Style & Grace fashion, beauty & lifestyle blog!
I'm so freaking excited for you guys to finally feast upon what I've been working so hard on for the last few weeks. So, if you like, have a little play around and click on newly added links, because I quite enjoyed putting them together *cheesy grin*

I've been pretty repetitive whenever I would disappear from the blogosphere only to come back and make promises I wouldn't even keep, but this is going to be different, and I mean it this time (because if you check out my About page, you will see that I dislike 'broken promises' so I'm not going to be a hypocrite and lay those on you loves.) Instead, I will bring you new content, ranging from fashion (yes, that means loads and loads of outfits!!!), beauty (you're going to join me in the journey on 'how do I use makeup' because let's face it, I am absolutely no expert), and lifestyle (I have a pretty unique story being a young mum so instead of hiding it, I'm going to be more open and show you guys more of what my little family and I do together and how we're progressing even though the world still looks down on stereotypical versions of our lives.)

I'm really excited to start this new leaf on my blog because this time I won't be doing it all on my own. I've got so much more support and valuable friendships which are willing to get involved with my blog and I, to enhance not only my career but also theirs. I mainly want to thank my incredible friend and amazingly talented photographer Pauline for raising her hand and helping me with anything and everything including the outfit shots you're about to see on HSG. It's going to be a goodie, I can feel it.

In celebration for the re-launch, I am doing a 7 Looks for 7 Days - which is exactly as it sounds. For an entire week, you will find yourselves delving into a new look every single night. Just the perfect way to end your day, I say.

So here's to a fresh start, and a fun, new ride together!

Enjoy tonight's re-launch new look and stay tuned for tomorrow's outfit.

Style Growing Up: Newborn to Age 7 Edition

Hi loves,

Usually when a blogger is throwing it back and posting numerous photos from their childhood, their text post says something like "fashion was a huge part of my growing up", but unlike everyone else, fashion was NOT a huge part of my growing up. I mean, sure, I dressed up all the time, but it wasn't from my own free will - being the only girl in our family, mum loved to dress me up in the prettiest little outfits, so what you're going to see tonight will be her incredible styling and my love for fashion eventually developing. Here's your in-depth look at my style growing up -

Weight a Minute

Hi lovelies,
I was so nervous about posting this up, but there's no better time than now to do it, so here it goes.

In the lead up to my preparation for my new blog I'm calling What Danica Loves; which is basically "a visual diary of my favourite things", one of my main tasks was to look through my folders to find photographs I love. What I expected to find were pictures of family, friends, outfits and things; what I didn't expect to find was images of clothes I've never worn because I've been too paranoid about what my body would look like in them.
Yes, you read that right. Now I'm not trying to seek attention or compliments, I'm simply just trying to get real with you guys.
I want to use my platform to share stories, insecurities and advice with you guys.
Every blogger has a special knack/originality, I've come to realise that the best way I can feel inspired and good about what I'm blogging about is when I'm helping you guys by sharing my stories and insecurities, so that you never feel alone.

Growing up, I always had an issue with my weight. I've always been petite my entire life, but that didn't mean I was always "thin" - it just meant I was really small (I found myself as short and stubby rather than petite tbh.)
I spent half of primary school playing sports and involving myself in athletics,and found that this was when I started to gain muscle in my calves and upper-arms. So technically, I was fit, but I still found myself feeling "fat" because I didn't have a thigh-gap or a tremendously flat stomach.

I struggled even more with my weight throughout high school - as you can imagine. All of my girl friends were beautiful and skinny and perfectly proportioned, whilst I was petite but muscly because of my sporty background.

Now before you say anything, I know weight is a touchy subject in today's society. By in no means am I trying to offend anyone, I'm just trying to create a "food for thought" environment.

So now that I'm older and wiser (well, barely lol), I realised something - I'd been denying myself from feeling happy with my body because I had my own unrealistic ideas of what it meant to be happy. I was feeding off of other people's ideas of "body goals" that I forgot about my idea of feeling happy with my own body.
I should be feeling thankful that I'm healthy, and that I have family, friends and a boyfriend who find me beautiful no matter what number comes up on the scale.
Because naturally, as you step into adolescence, your body changes because you don't stay the size you were in sixth grade forever. It's called progression into becoming a woman.
And in my case, it was progression into becoming a mum.

It's taken me so long to get comfortable in my own skin again. No, I don't weigh myself daily. No, I don't exercise regularly. No, I don't eat healthy regularly. I look in the mirror and am happy with how I look. I exercise when I'm feeling good, and I eat junk food just about as much as I eat healthy. I don't want to base my days around crazy fad diets or counting calories. I don't want to raise my son believing your size matters - when it doesn't. Health matters. This also doesn't mean I'm going to feed my son and my body junk food 24/7. This doesn't mean I'm not taking care of my body - of course I am, it just means I have a different approach of what it means to be healthy and beautiful.

This doesn't mean I don't have days where I feel like absolute crap about myself. Of course I do, I'm human too! But the only way to get through it is feeling determined the next day to fix whatever you're unhappy about. If I'm feeling yucky because I'm bloated, I'll simply have a better meal the next day. If I'm feeling sluggish, I'll prepare a few days worth of exercises to keep me motivated. It's not about "losing weight", it's just about keeping my confidence levels up and earning that radiant glow of happiness.

Ever since I started dressing according to my size and what my body shape looks best in, my confidence levels have boosted and I'm honestly feeling happier than ever. I've accepted that I'm going to have curves my whole life. I've accepted that my weight doesn't define who I am.
And neither should you.

Now this was quite a lengthy post, but what I said was needed, in my opinion.
I'd like to think that my blog is somewhere I can rant openly and you guys will understand, not judge.

Now without further ado, a new look for you guys to feast on.
I never use to be a fan of tight skirts because of my mummy belly and my booty, but I've come to embrace them because this is me, and I'm simply happy.

Simply Floral

Hi lovelies,
I am so incredibly sorry that it's taken me this long to post this new look. I know it promised it a few nights ago, but when I went to edit the post, my laptop got hacked with a virus and wiped my library. Luckily, I store everything in my portable hard drive, so it was easy to get everything back, thank goodness! Oh, and don't worry, I freaked out when it happened and my dad told me to do a security scan of my entire laptop and that actually fixed it, god bless.

Now to the point of this post. I got such a wonderful response from my last post, I got a little overwhelmed with what my next few posts were going to contain. I felt like I had to one-up everything from now on. But I think that will just stress me out, and I'm pretty sure you guys will catch onto that, and it won't seem as genuine.

I think that's what I look for when I'm reading blogs and following Instagram accounts; how genuine the individual is. We all know most bloggers/vloggers are sponsored and will do their best to try and sell you products. Sometimes it's genuine, sometimes it's ridiculously out of nowhere. But there are always those public figures who stay humble and genuine no matter how many offers they're getting. And that's something to admire - especially in this industry. People are money-hungry and especially in the fashion industry, all people want is success and clothes.

Am I rambling? Oh well, that had nothing to do with this look. I kind of just wanted to vent, and I just happened to do that here. Oops!

Well without further ado, welcome to tonight's new look: Simply Floral *enter flower emoji*

Embrace Your Beauty

Hi lovelies,
While I was on my (sort-of) hiatus, all I could think about was how uninspired and low I was feeling. I just felt so down about myself and everything I was doing. I felt like I had no control.
My main focus on feeling blue was seeing all of these beautiful and successful bloggers being exactly who they were. They were comfortable in their own skin. But another thing was the fact that they all look like models. Some have even walked fashion week shows. And that made me feel really crap about myself, considering I'm a little shorter than 5ft tall and am frumpy.
I don't have perfect skin since I suffer from eczema. I don't have a perfect smile because I chose not to get braces because I like my smile the way it is. I don't have a thigh gap because I like my food, and even though I don't work out as often as most, I keep my weight at 46kg. I don't have a perfect flat stomach because I had a baby at 16 which resulted in excessive and heavy stretchmarks which are now impossible to get rid of, and my skin stretched out so far it's been difficult getting it back to how it was before. I don't have a perfect jawline because my face shape is naturally round. I'm not perfect. I'm not model material. I'm not skinny.
Most people scroll through blogs and find these gorgeous, tall and perfect-everything girls as what we now call "goals." And although I wouldn't deny being envious and calling these girls "goals" as well, I much rather prefer seeing an average everyday girl who works 20 hours a week, and goes to university full-time, eats whatever the hell she wants, makes the time to workout irregularly, and also has the time to blog as my personal inspiration.
It's upsetting to see that the "everyday girl" is now being diminished by the girls who are in the spotlight just because they're not what you would call "perfect." People often forget that "perfect" doesn't exist.

My main point for this rant is to basically point out that you're beautiful the way you are. Embrace your beauty. Being "average" and an "everyday" girl is inspiring too. It's hard to be a girl these days. People often forget that.

So without further ado, I wanted to showcase a look I thought helps present being able to dress in whatever the hell you want. Don't have a flat stomach? Who cares, wear that tight skirt anyway!

Grey speckle with black heart print knit tank by H&M; Light blue denim midi skirt by Forever 21; Nude and black glossy summer sandals by Novo; Dark blue denim jacket by ELLE Magazine Collection; White oversized 'Pardon My French' by Sportsgirl; Bangles by Cartier & Kate Spade

EXTRA OUTTAKE IMAGE:

Hope my little rant has you fist-pumping in the air in celebration of your beautiful selves!

Filled with love,

Danica xo