January 2019 Favourites

Wow. The first month of the year is already gone. I really have to think about favourites but it should be easy because this Jan was 5 years long. Let's just keep jumping into it:

Renew Perfect Colour Retouch

ZA

This is probably their most “controversial” shade. When it just launched it was the colour most people in the comments had issue with. I love this colour. It is the most complements on my hair I've ever gotten. I bought it just before Christmas and retouched the ends because I know it's when I take the most pics. I find it such an easy product to work with because of it's gel like consistency.

Now after my New Year speech, There is nothing about animal testing any where so I will be looking for other options (I still have a purple I need to finish using). It is also a brand from India BUT it is manufactured in South Africa. The Godrej Company owns stakes in many other African based companies like Frika and Infecto.

Available at Dischem, Checkers, Pick 'n' Pay, Spar and Clicks. Cheaper than the full box with bleach (Also don't sleep on the bleach. It's the good stuff.)

Catrice Art Couleurs Single in140 Secret of Le Chrome

🌱🐰

I enjoy single eye shadows that look like a whole blended look. It reminds me of MAC Blue Brown Pigment or Essence Moonlight eyes in 03 Cosmic but easier to work with.

Available at Dischem and Takealot.com at R55.00

Essence Melted Chrome Eyeshadow in 02 ironic

🐰

You need to swatch to understand the intense glitter formulation. Just a warning: It's so soft it breaks so easy. Another multi purpose shadow that wears beautifully as a single and layers well as a pop of sparkle. I will be buying them all though this specific shade is a nice nude glimmer that most if not all complexions can wear because of the warmer undertone.

Availble at Dischem for R60, Takealot.com for R65 and selected Clicks branches. (I'm saying selected because smaller Clicks branches carry less items on the single wall stands. The double carousels carry them.)

New Segment~ Saving the RRR

🌱🐰ZA

Yes. It is also Gluten Free to save money. I usually use this section for fashion but because of my love/hate relationship with fast fashion and clothing sizes and also challenging myself to make clothes instead of buying (That will be a series I want to start) I'll use this space to tell you monthly how I'm saving or being frugal. This only occurred to me as I started working on my post so come back next month for my 1^st tip or hack. Tell me what you think in the comments.

MomsNeedtoKnow.com's Chocolate Pudding

My mother-in-law comes to eat dinner at our house a few times a month. I always like to do a full home cooked meal with an easy dessert. Now I was so occupied with trying to think how to not overcook the fish (It was special guys, I actually made not chicken) and my oven already being full with roasted veg (Because ya gurl usually bakes a cake) that I forgot a dessert.

*first world problem intensifies*

Pinterest hooked me up and it was an awesome easy dessert with stuff I already have.

Add a Vegetable

🌱🐰

WOW lame one Michellè. But it's true. You know with all of the “ new year, new me” but not really bs that floats around Facebook and Pinterest, this was my mantra:

There is always this consuming need to suddenly change everything about what you eat.

- No this

- No that

- No Burgers

- No Sugar

- No damn fun

And next week everyone is eating exactly as they did the year before. Bye Paleo, Keto, whatever trendy diet. Some how diet failure leaves some people worse off than they started. I just decided to start with an easy step: Add a vegetable.

My normal plate is a animal protein, a starch, salad. So all I did was reduce the starch and fill that with a veg. Also a veg I like. Asparagus was huge this season. Marrows, spinach, Pak Choy, roasted peppers.

Bob Ross type Youtubers

As a South African, I've only got to know Bob's content recently (2017). Last year it was a massive trend to follow his instruction and recreate his paintings. Many people just watch him because of his patient, calm instruction to painting landscapes.

I have 3 Youtubers I can recommend to watch if you are into that type of content:

Suzie from Nail Career Education.

I have not done nails in years but I love the content. She dives into nail art, gel and acrylic nail application, removal of artificial nails and testing of new products and lines. Bonus points for if you see her throwing a box over her shoulder. She may be one of the more mature youtubers and her content is well edited and is better produced than most tv shows.

https://nailcareer.com/

Maryna from Poppen Atelier

I can't remember how I found this channel as I have zero interest in repainting dolls but LOOOOVE this content. She narrates while she time lapses redrawing doll faces, makes doll wigs and outfits. In my life I would never attempt but watch the super detail she puts in every doll. Bonus points for Mr Super Clear.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PoppenAtelier

Angela Clayton

I love sewing so I know why I got her in my suggested feed one day. Now she does not super glue together a cut up t-shirt and E6000 pieces of lace to it and call it content. (no tea, some shade Amber Scholl). She sews a lot of mid century patterns and recreates lavish historic costumes. Some times she follows instructions other times she does drafting herself. Bonus if you can count the amounts of times she changes her nail polish.

https://angelacostumery.com/

All these channels are well edited and the narration or instruction is with a calm demeanor. No random loudness or absurd screaming. Most videos are 20 to 25 minutes long and all of them have a weekly upload. A lot of time they all make it feel like we are learning together and don't make me feel like an idiot who doesn't know the basics (which I actually am because I never have repainted a doll, haven't done nails in more that 10 years and sew basic stuff)

Bullet Journal

This I listed as my free as I didn't have to buy anything to start it. I had a book, pens and a ruler. Though many who know me may think I have this elaborately decorated book with drawings and scribbles, my book is basic a.f. with stuff to remember. I have a multitude of lists and dates I need to remember. Written down in note books, Google Keep, lose papers or I just don't write it down and forget when last my dogs got de wormed/ gas got changed/ kilometers of the last time my car got serviced. I decides to compile everything in one place.

Lists for shopping, meal plans to mowing the lawn, birthdays to moon phases are all in this one place with yearly, monthly and weekly overviews. My weekly also has my daily stuff with time slots I usually miss out on. (Like I should be thinking of another post but it's 18 of February and have not posted this yet. Fail.)

That's my stuff for the month of Jan.

Bye

Michellè

Cheap to Free: Winter Tips

In the last weeks of Autumn we were truly feeling the big chill of Winter. Freezing at night, icy in the shade and dry all the time. That's not even when the wind picks up.

Here's some of my tips and tricks to deal with Winter life:

Pep 200mm X 200mm Coral Fleece Blankets:

This is the first of my PEP buys. In normal PEP stores it's usually towards the back of the store and some malls have a PEP Home. I love picking up trend pieces there. Now I know there is always a question about quality with cheap products (R149.00) BUT the leopard print blanket is 5 years old! I also wash them often so they hold up quite well. They are nice to hide cracked up leather seats:

Lola doing some low key modeling

Nice for decoration

But also:

Double Blanket Bed Hack:

Now this is a recent thing I tried. I don't even know if it is a thing. I've been having a problem were the duvet is some how too small for the bed. Especially since it's been getting colder. Instead of going to buy a bigger (more expensive) duvet I hang a blanket over the edge each side. It may sound and look not so aesthetically pleasing but it does the trick. No one is cold at night.

I store the blanket under pillows during the day

Cheap Dog Sweater Hack:

My dogs (even though they originated in England) are cold in Winter. These two shiver and full out refuse to go outside if it's cold. (On several occasions I had to leave them inside unsupervised because they objected to go outside in the cold.)

Animal abuse, clearly.

Instead of buying a dog sweaters or coats, I sized them up and bought cheap PEP kiddies shirts. They also have hoodies but they got bigger in Summer. The last ones I bought a bulk pack of PnP Clothing long sleeves. With minor no sew alterations they are warm (I cut the sleeves in half and cut it like a high low top for the boy-boy because pee pee on a shirt is not cool.)

Close your curtains:

It looks like I only have grey curtains 🙈🙈🙈

Most homes in ZA don't have double glazed windows. When I stand near my windows I can feel the cold seeping into the house. Just pull them closed and they will absorb the cold from outside and make it feel more cosy inside.

Eucalyptus and Peppermint Oil:

Wow yeah I'm going there with the oils. I just don't like going to doctors. I have a nose issue so even if it's minor, I am guaranteed to have full on congestion. Now I had all types of nasal sprays prescribed and that stuff is not always great. My two methods are:

My Humidifier:

This is my expensive winter thing I bought recently (available at here at Takealot.com and I see in the front of Dischem's end of Autumn.) So pricey but cheaper to buy and run that a doctors visit with meds. (Also didn't have to leave my house. It came in 2 day.) I advise if you do suffer from congestion to get one. I got the 4 litre because 2017 is the year of extra.

Shower Sauna:

How has this gone unnoticed? I love this. HERE is the article. There are so many ways to get spa like effects with a bath but you only get steam showers when you Google 'Shower Spa'. The gist of it is that you shower and stuff then drop a few drops of any aromatherapy oil on a wet towel and sit in the steam for 10 minutes to inhale the good properties.

Wash your hands:

This has saved me from the sick (and if I was sick, I saved others). So simple but if you know #officelife, there is always some sick idiot who rarely washes their hands. They cough, give you germ laden paperwork you asked for 3 days ago. (Side note: They are also the ones who stay home conveniently on Friday as well as Monday because they are sick. #JustSaying) Or you know/ have a child that goes to the place that keeps sickness alive: Preschool.

Also always keep a tube of hand sanitiser AS WELL AS hand cream (winter hand washing is drying for skin) in you desk and bag. I would rather look OCD then sick.

Lip Balm:

Imma keep it real: I love these fake 4ss eos orb lip balms. I like pearl balms, ones with light pigment, gloss type to real old school tin types. With the matt lipstick trend (that has become a pillar in the beauty community) formulas tend to be drying. During the day I can remove the matt lipstick with lip balm and after blotting reapply it. I also suggest if you are going to do matt lips, to apply lip balm before even applying foundation so it has time to moisturises the lips before application.

Bonus Tip! The Over the Counter:

*Please Note: I am NOT a medical professional. I am suggesting these items that work for me. If you feel poorly and don't feel better for a few days, please consult with your doctor.

Now after that disclaimer: I hate going to the doctor. Sometimes when I sit in the waiting area I feel myself miraculously being healed and can run a 5 km fun run and I'm not even a runner. No lies, my one doctor asked me if I'm seeing another practice because the last time I was there was 5 years before (This story is 2 years ago).

My first pick is Oscillococcinum. YAS COME THRU WITH THAT NAME!!!! This is the most expensive one. One little vial of powder does magic. It's also homeopathic.

Next is Med-Lemon. My mother swears by this. If you have a nagging head ache that doesn't go away (no I'm not talking about the office idiot who can't work the copy machine) this would help for that too.

Last is McNabs Super Guard. Their products are my jam. Only good things are used to make this and as a bonus, you get a cool motivational quote square. It's no GMO, wheat AND dairy free.

The biggest thing these have in common is NONE of them will make you tired or sleepy. You are taking these to not need down time, what's the point if you can't focus on the job?

And that is all the things that make Winter a better time for me and hopefully for you as well.

é

D.I.Y. Bath Caddy

Ah yes and welcome back to the blog. Well today for you, I've got a post on something I wanted but don't have the money to need.

Now I have a Lush problem. A strong one.

Unicorn

Aesthetics

I post them to Instagram then search the hash tags I added and there are these people who use like 5 bath bombs in one tub. You've got too much money my friend but I digress. There are these people who know how to take a proper bath. I know it's probably staged but the romance of it had caught me.

Then when I went to a family braai and besides wanting to steel their oven and prawn sculpture:

they had these cute stainless steel bath caddy.

So started the search. Takealot.com had BUT when I had money it was out of stock. Then I saw again at Checkers in the home section and almost R400 it just that bit too much for a want. Walking past that to the section with the shelves and got inspiration. I thought why not but a shelf for a quarter of the price, cut and treat it and BOOM. If that happened, this post would be done BUT I did have a few things that I already have to make a cool bath caddy:

é Notice: The last time I did wood work I was 11/12 years old. It was part of Art and the male teacher did not care to teach girls properly because apparently girls don't need to know basic skills of wood work just like boys didn't need to know how to cook. School is sexist that way.

Wood (I had a pallet. Here and here are links from Takealot if you want to buy online)

Crowbar/ Pry bar / zombie smasher to take apart the pallet

Saw

Hammer

Nails

Note book

Tape measure

Pen or pencil to make notes and mark wood

The rest not pictured is:

Sanding paper (I had a Mouse I used)

Wood glue

Vinegar

Vegetable oil

Clean paint brush

First off I drew what I wanted and measured up the bath tub. I measured the width and the width of the edges of the tub:

Here I realised I should have taken wood work and technical drawing instead of art in High school

Then I took apart the pallet. Charlie had to be chased away a few times. As I'm taking apart the pallet I remove the nails. I don't feel like going to the vet or getting a tetanus shot. Too real for a cheap D.I.Y. today.

Charlie looking to go on a trip to the Vet

é Notice: I broke 2 planks while prying the pallet. Pallets aren't made with top notch wood and many stand out in the weather so be prepared for breaks and rotten wood.

Half way through I decided to deviate from my sketch and add a third slat (is that a term?) because I wanted the shelf a bit wider. I marked the wood with the measurements of how wide I wanted the caddy and started sawing:

I asked my ancestors why I was having trouble sawing and the answer I got is that I should let the saw do the work.

I used the off cuts of the pieces for the cross members.

I took out the Mouse and started sanding the slats. I used the 180 grit. I could go in with a finer grit but I didn't.

Now comes a more complicated part. Mark where you want the cross members. They keep the boards together and stops the caddy from freely moving around side to side. I glued it at the width of the edge of the bath at 6 cm. Then when it was dry I flipped it around and knocked nails through the top. I picked the the nail by sizing it so it goes through the cross member but not through the other side. Screws are apparently easier BUT I had nails

I didn't want to go to Builders to get a treatment for the wood. The one closest to me has staff who acted badly because of my hair (at the moment it is pink). (The security guard stared so hard at me he didn't even pay attention to what he was doing, then the ladies at the till points started screaming as they laughed at me which made me feel uncomfortable so I can only assume they don't want my money) So Home, DIY & Stuff had this easy solution. One part of vinegar to 3 parts cooking oil.

DONE!!!

rustic but I won't deduct points for that

I didn't fill the bath to stage because I took a shower the previous day. I also am too broke to buy new bath bombs, bubble bars or bath melts. So for this month we can just pretend. Also please note my Yankee Candle is also finished.😩😢😞

é

D.I.Y. Carpet Deodorizer

Aaw snap, more hippy crap about natural living and essential oils. Not really. More like, I like carpet deodorizer BUT I'm not going to pay that much for something that is actually a luxury.

The two main ingredients are:

Bicarb (I use the whole 500g Robertsons)

2 tsp Corn starch 

 

Perfume as per your style.

You can perfume it as you want. I didn't know if it really was a thing until I started looking at other peoples recipes. Some add dried herbs and spices and others (and I) add essential oils. I had an ant problem so I added peppermint oil and the ants reduced heavily. Mosquito season, I add citronella and lemongrass and the mosquitoes dgaf. I was thinking I want to add vanilla or cacao powder, even cinnamon. (PSL carpet smell anyone)

Some oils are pricey (That’s why you see Citronella and lemongrass) but it's an ingredient that you are going to get multiple uses from as you only use 20 drops. Buying a refill of dried herbs are a bit cheaper. I like the Rosemary and Thyme idea.

Mix the Bicarb and Corn starch in a bowl. I add corn starch as my bicarb tends to get clumpy. Even the store bought ones have an anti-clumping agent.

For the container, I used the mass produced store bought one . (Recycle 4 lyfe $$$) but you can store it in a jar and make holes in the lid for sprinkling. I read big spice and salt shakers can also be used. Even a sugar shaker. An empty clean mayonnaise/ Peanut butter/ Cheese spread jar would do the job. (Empty and clean because no one want mayo in their carpet deodorizer)

(Maybe, if you like mayo you do) (I don't judge)

Or be next level with this Ball Jar.

I fill the jar to a 1/3^rd and add my smell agent (Two table spoons of ground up herbs or 10 drops of oil). Fill another 1/3^rd and add the same amount of your choice of smell maker. Top with the rest of your Bicarb mix. Close the container and shake to mix well. I think it's best to smell your creation and decide if you want to add more smell maker. I don't care for this step as I have anosmia.

 

Some blogs said to leave this for 24 hours to a week but ain't nobody got time fo' that. I use mine immediately.

To use, shake a thin layer on the carpet and leave it for 15 min. I usually sweep the floors, wash a toilet and forget about it for a while.

Then just vacuum as per usual. It's optional to smell go down and sniff the carpet.

This is also great puppy accidents. Sprinkle a thick layer over the pee pee and leave to dry. Then just vacuum the clumped up mixture.

That is my wisdom for the week. As you were.

é

P.s. I like this blog's post. I was like: #same

2016 is here. . .

Yeah well it's January and like most people, last year didn't pan out as I thought. I'm having trouble getting my ish together and basically FAILLED. I started this year thinking of all the achievements I wanted to reach:

Goals met = 0

I think I just lost my way with what I wanted to achieve and forgot my blog's purpose. I think it's like most resolutions. You start great, you see others doing better and you stop because what's the point.

The point is that every person and situation is different and that you shouldn't stop because of one misstep or failure. If it is living a healthier lifestyle. Don't stop your good eating habits because you had a wild food weekend. Or you were sick so you stop exercising. Someone (especially an internet someone) disagreed with a story you posted or your art you shared. It's time we stopped that shit.

With my blog I also forgot about me. I was trying to protect myself but that meant taking personality out of the blog. Yes its a brand thing but I got bored reading the same generic blogs. Like little robots chasing the same thing. You need to remember your goal is for you. If it's not you are not doing it for the right reason. I hope 2016 is truly the year of self care because you can only look to yourself to help others.

Get tools to help you achieve your goals:

I want a cat so I downloaded Neko Atsume

And sticking to my brand of free to cheap is my Arthur Ashe Quote:

Use Pinterest, Instagram or phone Apps to assist you. Want to draw better? Read more? Lose weight? Write more? Save money? Travel more? Learn to cook? It's all waiting for you to better yourself.

So Michellé what is your deal with all this?

Good question. (I imagined you asking me this in a very <Dose of Buckley> condescending way). Recently I paged through magazines, so weird I know. This one specific one was always an every woman magazine. After seeing a beauty layout with a R5995 La Mer product on there I realised why my mom stopped buying it.

Closest I ever got to a La Mer product

Another is the ultimate stereotype of women's magazine. These models whose job it is to try and sell me this over priced bikini and also here are normal sized women they call plus size. All of the shit cost money and I personally don't know a single woman you would entertain the stuff they are trying to smear off that they got free from companies. (Maybe one, but she doesn't read magazines)

I live in a different world to some magazines. You may say but I am not their target market. Well show me a magazine that is. Even these teenage magazines and other media spend the rich parents' money.

I want you to read my blog and see things you can afford, to buy or creatively to do. I don't have time for R6000 cream when in the end of the day you can't pay the rent. Ef that shit.

This is either thinking of how you don't need to eat for the rest of the month or contemplating every decision you've ever made. At least you have the cream from the magazine that Chrissy Teigen uses.

This is the light of a very real serious situation. Some folks (including me) feel like you need all this money to do all these great things because main stream media told you so. You forget all the great things you can do.

Let's do great things.

 

É

Now you're like: Great campaign speech. How you gon' back that up?

Well reader, every month I'm managing my posts in a magazine article way. I'm going to circulate on topics like cooking, beauty and DIY. Tuesday known as Chooseday are usually stuff in the news/ pop culture/ social issues. Thursday's are going to be my big post. I'll probably post in the evening. Also stay tuned to my Insta, Twitter and FB for BTS and other cool stuff. #MaskMonday I'll review a face mask, store bought or home-made. #ReviewWednesday will be something cool and unusual that I will review. It's a rough schedule BUT I will do my best to keep that up.

Okay I'm really going to stop typing now.