Living At Home In Your 20's

Moving back in with your parents is pretty normal nowadays and nothing to feel bad about. While there's some really great things about it, there are also some times where it can be a little frustrating. 

I've been living back at home for over a year now, since graduating university and here are some little quirks i've noticed. 


Never use mums chicken without asking:

You try and be independent, cooking your own dinner and feeling proud of yourself. Then you hear mum open the fridge....a slight pause and then a yell.. scoff that evidence!

You will feel 10x more guilty about being hungover:

That disappointed look in your parents eye when you run to the sink  for the fifth time in an hour to spew your guts out, will remain in your memory forever. 

"You're eating again? / Stop skipping lunch!"

Whether you eat too much or too little, theres always gonna be a comment. My personal favourite was when I was making scrambled eggs and I heard.. "you will never be able to afford your own lifestyle" didn't know eggs and milk were so pricey?

Lazy days only last until 11am:

So long to the uni days where you'd lay around in your pjs all day. If their noisiness doesn't wake you up at 9am, they'll come into your room wondering whats wrong. Should get one of those "do not disturb" signs.

Your clothing choice.. or lack of clothing will be judged

If you wanna give that whole bralette trend a go, home is not the place. Unless you wanna be compared to a lady of the night..thanks mum!

Always offer to make tea for whoever is around

If you don't it'll quickly come to bite you in the bum while everyone else is sipping their tea and no one asked you. 

Watching cooking shows will become second nature

I never thought I needed to know what a "thyme air" was, but I'm sure it'll come in useful one day. I may not know anything about any recent tv shows but damn that "air" was perfect! 

You parents have a better social life than you

Nothing makes you feel like a loser, quite like coming home to an empty house on a Friday night. Especially when your parents drunk eat your snacks.. they are literally the only good thing I have! 

Don't rant about your job or lack of job

Whatever you say there will always be some story about "back in my day" honestly it's not worth it. 

FREE FOOD & CUDDLES

Although living at home does cause a little bit of friction at times, nothing beats having food and cuddles pretty much whenever you want. You'll miss it IF you finally move out... 

xx

Last Minute Halloween Costume | Fortune Teller

It's that spooky time of year again! For all you guys who can't ever seem to plan a costume on time, look no further! Using whatever I could find in my draws and a quick 10 minutes for makeup, I created a spooky/ slightly sexy? fortune teller look. You can choose whatever colour you want but I chose purple because it's a pretty spooky colour right? I dunno..anyway here's how to do it!

EYES 

The main feature to this look is the eyes. Starting with a base of purple shadows, I used a mixture of light and dark tones, cover the outer edge of you eyelid. Don't be afraid to go over the lid towards your eyebrow...the more the merrier at this point! 

Add black shadow or another dark shade into the crease and begin to blend it out and around your eye to give you a smokey, deeper shade. If you use a clean brush to blend you can avoid accidentally  placing more eye shadow then you intended...wish I followed my own advice..

Taking a silver shimmer liner and a brush (You can also use a black liner pen and add silver shadow ontop as a replacement) neatly draw a wing first, ending it in line with your eyebrow. From there you can easily line around the top of your eye, extending the line down from the corner of your eye. The bottom line doesn't need to be as think as the top, so just slowly paint the liner on starting from the corner until it meets the wing. Fill in any gaps or neaten it up making sure it's evenly distributed.  

Because brows need as much attention as your eyes, add a little purple shadow over them because why not? you can also add a little bit of that silver liner if your feeling really crazy. 

FACE

Now for every basic bitches favour part of their makeup routine, contour. For this look I went a little over board with the bronzer and highlighter because theres only really 2 days a year you can go look like a glowing goddess.. halloween and your birthday. 

LIPS

Now its time for some ruby lips. If you have a berry/ purple shade then that would be perfect but red can work just as well depending on how noticeable you want them to be. I always find darker shades hard to apply so if you're a little clumsy a brush makes all the difference. 

Back to that trusty silver liner again, using a brush apply a light coat around your lips as a sort of liner. You can also add a little onto your lips but make sure you can still see that colour through it! This just adds a little mystical touch to turn your look from normal to halloweeny. 

Now that the make up is all sorted and have that mystical glow, you just need to throw on some jewellery to finish off the look! I put on some purple hooped earrings, 3 gem stone necklaces because the more the merrier! and used a coin necklace as a head piece by pining it into my hair. (yes I moved rooms for the last 2 pictures so I look more tanned #paleproblems) 

Now you're all ready to cast some spells and cause some destruction  ;) 

Happy Halloween xx 

How To | Get the Best Travel Photos in Hong Kong

Recently I had a little visitor come and stay with me in Hong Kong, which gave me the opportunity to become a tourist in my own country. I'd advise anyone whose lived in a country for a while to do this, as it makes you appreciate and enjoy things you might have forgotten about. 

It also means you can up your travel Instagram game, without even stepping foot onto a plane. Here are some of my locations, tips and tricks on how to get the perfect travel photos in Hong Kong 

Where: The Big Buddha [Ngong Ping Rd, Lantau Island]

The Picture: Many people find it hard to get a good picture here as getting the Buddha and you in the same shot requires sitting on the floor and standing on your tip toes. Try getting your photo from a more unique angle such as from the side or distance. There are also some amazing views of the landscape and temple, which many people forget about as the main attraction is the Buddha. 

Edit Tips: If the day is a little gloomy, you can enhance the sky and add some more saturation and contrast to give your pictures that extra colour boost. 

Where: Sai Wan, Sai Kung 

The Picture: Getting the perfect shot in front of this waterfall can be tricky, as it is usually very busy. Be patient and wait for a time when people are out of the water, then quickly take the picture. Remember to stay in the centre of the waterfall in order to get the whole scene in the frame. The pools below are usually quieter but less dramatic. Hope you like Fernando the Flamingo.. he is a great prop. 

Edit Tips: Cropping is your best friend when it comes to busy places! Also you can add some structure to the water to make it look more dramatic. 

Where: The Peak Observation Deck [The Sky Terrace 428]

The Picture: Since you are so high up it's easy to fit in almost the whole of HK's skyline in the background(even in a selfie!). But be sure your body isn't covering any of the famous buildings such as IFC,ICC and China Bank. It can get busy up there, so go to the sides of the deck rather than the middle as they are quieter and still give you that amazing view. 


Edit Tips: The buildings are such an iconic part of this view so add some structure to help them stand out. You can also enhanced the colours but make sure skin tones aren't changed too dramatically so that you turn orange! 

Where: Central District 

The Picture: Photos amongst the buildings can give you some really good effects. Although a little dangerous try go in the centre of a quiet road and quickly get a snap to really capture being in the heart of the city. During the evening/night when the street lights come on is the perfect time to capture this picture. 

Edit Tips: By darkening the colours slightly you will create an enhance the lights in the background. If it's too dark to see yourself, only lighten you or the people in your photo while keeping the background darker. 




If you wondered why I had my back turned in most of these pictures, it's because Hong Kong is so hot and I'm always a sweaty mess #keepingitreal. 

Happy Traveling xx 

10 Productive Things to do in a Typhoon

Everyone loves that morning when you wake up and hear the rain bashing against your window and the wind howling, you look at your phone and are blessed with a typhoon 8+ warning. You immediately fall back into bed with the prospect of having a day of doing nothing. 

But after snoozing until midday, you tend to feel a little restless and with nothing open or running you're pretty much stuck in all day. So instead of eating and watching your way through the typhoon here are some productive things you can be getting on with: 

1. Bake a cake 

Nothing makes you feel cozier than your house smelling of baking. You will most likely have all the essential ingredients shocked in the back of your cupboards, so you won't have to worry about going out. It also means you can eat cake for the rest of the day. 

2. Re-arrange your wardrobe 

This is a chore that I always think about, but can never be bothered to do. Just suck it up and get it done so that you can enjoy a nice organised wardrobe for the next week...or few days..

3. Catch up on emails/ work stuff 

Although you have the day off work, you might have some emails or bills to get sorted (or a blogpost to write cough-cough) rather than leaving it until the last minute when you're busy and stressed, get them out the way now. 

4. Read that book you've been trying to read for months

We all have a book that's on our bedside table waiting to be opened, you may even take it with you sometimes in the hope that you'll open it. Reading also gives you a great excuse to stay tucked up in bed. 

5. Take photos/upload photos 

Footage of storms can make for some really great Instagram material, just as long as there isn't too much risk in going outside! On the other hand, you can spend time uploading your pictures from your last holiday, which you've been putting off for weeks. 

6. Discover a new look 

Brought some new clothes recently? have a box of hair colour waiting to be used? Why not change up your look and experiment in the comfort of your own home. 

7. Learn to meditate 

This is something I've always wanted to do, but sitting on my bed for half an hour just really doesn't appeal me when i've got 10 other things I could be getting on with. So, while you've got some quiet time give it a go. The noise of the rain is supposed to help? right?

8. Pamper Yourself 

Life can be stressful and you can easily forget to treat yourself sometimes. Spend an extra 20 minutes singing in the shower, use a  body scrub or even take a bubble bath. Your body and mind will be thankful. 

9. Find new recipes 

You may not be able to cook these recipes, since most supermarkets are closed in a typhoon. But you can go through all your recipes books, which have been sitting in your cupboard for months and label some you actually want to eat. 

10. Spring clean 

Some people love cleaning, while others hate it. I for one love it, especially when there's not much else to do. You can even put on some music and dance around while you do it, the rain makes it hard for people to see in your window!

xx