Switch Off and Switch On

What is up everyone in the blogosphere and beyond! I am indeed not dead. I know that this blog of mine has been asleep for some time, but rest assured i've been hovering around in the background, living this thing called "life" (who would've thought?!) and taking some time out and a step back to just reflect and rejuvenate. And you know what? It's the best thing i've done in a long time.

Let me provide context for what i'm about to write. For those of us who interact on social media a alot; whether it be YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and of course Facebook - your life becomes all about the people on the interwebs. You actually make friends with people who share a common interest. You connect with so many people all over the world because that's exactly what the power of the world wide web brings you. And because you get so caught up literally socialising online, you often forget "the real world" (and don't tell me this hasn't happened to you!).

I'm a believer in balancing your priorities, and I also believe life is all about balance. Balancing everything and everyone in your life that means something to you. I got caught up with all my online social activities that I forgot to actually "live" life. And so that's what i've been doing. And do you know what that's like? Liberating. You're experiencing life happening to you and not around you. Your spending quality time with friends, family and loved ones, and not burying your face in your phone scrolling through social media or "Instagramming" every minute detail of your life (and yeah, i'm guilty of that for sure). You're not missing on life around you, but rather experiencing it. And you know what? If you're guilty of anything i've mentioned above, then I highly recommend you switch off from your online life for a while, and switch on your real life for a bit. It's amazing the clarity you find in living your life every single day.

Cheerio

Alee xox

Things I'm Afraid to Tell You

Right. I know, I know... i've been slightly M.I.A over the course of a few months. You know how it goes, life happens and all that jazz. Lately, the universe has seemingly veered me down a path in life I never dreamed I would venture in the foreseeable future, and therefore has forced me to confront a reality I thought I was already living in, and occupying my time and energy.

I want to share something a little more deep than what I normally would. See, up until now, I never actually realised that all the choices I have made in my life, all the goals I achieved, and the people I have in my circle... all of that has been everything I have ever wanted for my life. When I look back and reflect on the decisions I have made, they were what I wished for, and I never knew that I had sent these requests to the universe and that they gave me a chance to create the world I have shaped for myself to this day. With that said, I have also chosen to let the world see what I want them to see, and that everything is perfect, when in truth, i'm human, and i'm not perfect.

So when I came across this blog post titled "Things I'm Afraid to Tell You", I was humbled and could relate to it so much, I wanted so much to do this too. It was posted in May of 2012, but whatevs, still a great post I want to participate in. With that, I hope at least one person who reads mine can relate as well.

So here 's a glimpse of things I wouldn't openly admit haha...

If I had to spend the rest of my life alone, I honestly would not be afraid. There's a difference between being "alone" and "lonely", and I know i'd never feel lonely because I am constantly occupied with my time. And if I were to ever be "unhappy", then i'd rather be unhappy alone, then be unhappy with someone.

I don't completely love myself. I always thought I did, however a friend of mine recently made me realise that I actually don't. This is something I am working towards changing, because I believe in order to give to those you love, you need to love all of you.

I often let friendships fade. Don't get me wrong, the friends I have right now mean the world to me. Sometimes though, I feel I don't work hard enough to keep a friendship going, and then I find myself making new friends to keep that cycle going.

When it comes to love, my heart is closed. It's completely hard to open up when it comes to relationships, because there's more at stake I feel.

I really, truly believe I am not from this world :P I honestly do. And the more I soul search, the more my belief makes sense :)

I don't like Beyonce. 

xox

How to Contour & Highlight for a Smokey Eye

Hey guys! I'm back with a new video, featuring my good friend Daniel from allaboutdaniel, and he takes us through how to Contour & Highlight, as well as create a smokey eye with greenish pigments.

If you want to know how this is achieved, watch the video below!

Take care, and cheers xox

How I boost my metabolism, and strengthen my immune system.

In 2013, I made a decision to overhaul the foods that were going into my body, and made a conscious effort to ensure that I was consuming good and nourishing foods. Throughout the year, I maintained a healthier diet by eliminating a lot of "bad" fats and "bad" sugars from my diet. As a result, I noticed an increase in energy and metabolism, and a decrease in kgs, which wasn't the main goal, but a nice bonus.

in 2014, I am proud to say that I have maintained that lifestyle change, and have strengthened my immune system. I owe it to the lifestyle choices I have, and continue to make, and I wanted to share the ways in which I have boosted my metabolism and strengthened my immune system with you all.

1. Eat breakfast
You know when I was at school, they taught us that this was the most important meal of the day. I was like, blah blah, can't hurt to skip this on the daily, right? What harm can it do? Well, actually it can be detrimental! Not only are you sabotaging your weight loss (if that's your goal), you're also slowing down your metabolism by doing so. You could even end up gaining weight, because your body thinks you're starving. I'm sure you've heard of all this before, but let me reiterate this - do not skip breakfast!!! I typically eat for breakfast Sanitarium Organic Weetbix with some Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk. Sometimes, I sprinkle some Breakfast Plus Muesli on top.

2. Eat Fish
This can be in the form of Tuna, Salmon, Mackerel, etc, but whatever your choice, make sure to include it in your weekly diet! They are rich in omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation, increase airflow and protect your lungs from colds and respiratory infections. I try to include 2 - 3 servings per week to reap the benefits.

3. Drink Green Tea
I LOVE Green Tea, it's one of my absolute favourite beverages. This has a myriad of benefits such as boosting your metabolism as it contains catechins, which have been shown to also have anti-inflammatory effects, anti-cancer properties, and may help control cholesterol levels. Drinking 3 cups a day will also help burn fat. My favourite to drink is Green Tea with Lemon from Twinings.

4. Add chilli to your meals
Now I know this might not be everyone's cuppa, but for me, this helped with my metabolism and immune system immensely. It also aids in digestion and helps relieve migraines, muscle, joint and nerve pain. I add chilli flakes to my meals, by sprinkling just a bit of it over the top of my meals to add a bit of spice and flavour to the meal. The chilli flakes I buy are the ones by MasterFoods from Coles.

5. Don't skip meals
In an effort to lose weight, some people purposely skip a meal in order to achieve that. I am telling you - don't!! It's so important to ensure your allowing nutrients in your body, often, otherwise you are messing up your metabolism, in turn confusing your body's ability to burn fat, and tricking your body into thinking it's starving (which is why you should not skip breakfast!). This will slow your metabolism down and actually make you gain weight, much like I said about not skipping breakfast! I eat smaller meals, to keep my metabolism running, and always carry a snack with me like a nut bar (my favourite is is the Be Natural trail bars in Berry.) to keep hunger at bay.

So hope this info gave you some insight into what has helped my metabolism and immune system. If there are any health tips you have, feel free to share them in the comments down below!

Til next time, take care and cheers xox

Best of Beauty 2013

Hey ya'll! I'm back with a new video for 2014 and it's a collab with one of my good friends on YT Mel from Misstango2!

If you want to know what my favourites were, check out my video down below :)

Update: Me | peaches & pastels | IMATS

Hey there! Long time, no see, huh? Well if you've been wondering what's been happening, I explain it all here :)

Take care, cheers xox