Journal April 2019

Dear Stylers

May is here, winter IS coming. There is something quite satisfying in sharing all the ins and outs of happenings for the past month. Read on for a little taste of April 2019.

SYTL HQ

It’s ALL systems go here at the moment in the lead up to launching the next collection of Styling You The Label:

1. We’re clearing out the shelves to make room and have selected pieces marked down 20%).

2. We’re also launching the next round of our Ultimate Capsule Wardrobe online style program at the same time as we launch our next collection. 

3. Sleep has become the thing I’m craving most. HAH.

Would you like to see a sneak peek? Of course you would … see below plus there’ll be more on our Instagram page in the week leading up to the launch on Friday, May 10. How amazing are our models!!??

Events

There is nothing I find more inspiring than hanging out with other business women AND hearing business women share their business stories – the good and the bad. This month through the event series which Business Chicks hosts, I got to hear from Samantha Wills and Sarah Wilson. 

Apart from using the opportunity to don a few of my favourite Samantha Wills pieces, meeting and hearing Samantha’s story is one that will sit with me for a very long time. She shared the highs and the lows with grace and candour. My key takeaway: “stand for something or fall for anything”.

Sarah Wilson is someone who has influenced me for a very long time. Sarah is the reason that I started to explore more about alternatives to managing my Hashimotos diagnosis of 20-plus years. Thank goodness I read those early blog posts she wrote and sought out new opinions and found health professionals who support me. My life is a whole lot fuller because I wake up feeling great most days. (Apologies, I realised I haven’t updated my health story for about 18 months so stay tuned, I’ll report in soon.) Here’s me interviewing Sarah for a Problogger conference back in 2012 …

Both women walked away from their businesses, much to the bafflement of those around them. In doing so, they chose their own paths and gave permission to others to do the same.

Travelling

We got to spend a week on North Stradbroke Island over Easter with good friends. No matter how many times I visit this island, it blows me away how luck we are to have such a beautiful place right on our doorstep, well, our doorstep plus a barge ride away. I’ve written quite a few times about “Straddie” on the blog – and I updated this post from last year after this year’s trip. 

Reading

I can always tell when I’m busy … the reading drops off. I did manage one book though. And it was a good one.

Beautiful Messy Love by Tess Woods: this was a reader recommendation last year and I had it sitting in my iBooks account for ages before getting around to reading. Once I started I just couldn’t stop. It’s an Australian love story but more than that it’s a people story of chance paths crossing and unlikely characters finding love against a backdrop of grief, tragedy and clashing cultures.

Listening

You Beauty podcast: this Mamamia podcast should come with a warning. You WILL find yourself stalking the aisles of Priceline and Mecca Cosmetic more often than a grown woman should.

Watching

Game of Thrones: on paper I should not enjoy watching this cult show. I’m not a fantasy, violent, epic kind of girl. BUT. I watched the first episode when the world was about two seasons in and quickly caught up and have been obsessed ever since. We have three episodes to go and it’s not going to be pretty. Watch on Showcase (Foxtel).

The Bold Type: this reminds me of a young Sex and the City where three besties work in the best media workplace ever – Scarlet Magazine. I wish I’d worked under a boss like Jacqueline back in the day. Her character has been inspired by a former US Cosmo editor 

Lego Masters: I live with two Lego-obsessed boys (one big; one not-so big) and they are trans-fixed by this new, genius show. It’s so good to have a reality show that everyone can sit down and watch together. Just quietly, could Hamish Blake even come close to topping this job in the future? He’s in heaven.

Brene Brown – The Call to Courage: Brene is an engaging and thought-provoking speaker and this talk will get you really thinking about what you can do to have the courage to show up in this life, no matter how vulnerable that makes you feel. I’ll be re-watching ASAP.

Eating/drinking (more over at @stylingyoueats)

I blame Easter on Straddie for a higher than average intake of prawns (we buy ours from Rufus King Seafoods on Straddie and in Brisbane) …

… and sundowner cheese platters. This is the picnic basket/esky/platter I talked about in last month’s journal.

We managed a cheeky date night at Malt Dining. Love a shared plate situation … and anyone who can make cauliflower look and taste this good.

Shopping

I did a little spending and saving via Bohemian Traders over the Easter Weekend, using up some store credit to embrace the stunning sundancer print in the fiesta midi dress. I’m down a size in M but could probably have fit the S. The waist does has a built in tie that you can use to adjust how it sits on you. I wore it back with FRANKiE4 Footwear tan NAOMi boots.

I’ve been following EmmyLou Maccarthy on Instagram for some time now. I love her sass and her go-get-them attitude to making shit happen. I’d been umming and ahhing over this jumpsuit for some time but finally added to cart. I’m so glad I did. It’s incredibly comfortable and has a long crotch. I’m down a size in M and it’s a great fit around my tummy/hips but a little loose under my arms.

Home

The new deck has been coming along nicely, although getting a call while on holidays letting us know that two of the posts holding up our house were in danger of NOT holding up our house for much longer was not on the cards. That’s fixed now and the Hardiedeck will be going down very soon. And I’m on the hunt for a pool lounge for my spot between the palm trees.

Out front, the garden’s going nicely (not my work … that’s the husband’s happy place). I just get to enjoy the results.

Family

We attended our first ANZAC Day as navy parents. It was extra emotional, that’s for sure. Our son is having the time of his life on board HMAS Success. Here’s what his ANZAC Day looked like in Lankawai.

Beauty obsessions

I get my best makeup tips from makeup artists and @hairbeautyguru gave me the hot tip about Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty range arriving in Australia at Chemist Warehouse. His picks (and what I’ve embraced): Flower Petal Pout Lip Colour Beige; Bronzed Out Glossy Gel Eyeliner (as good as my Stila gel eyeliner) and In Your Prime Illuminating Primer.

Supporting

My online style sisters. I put up this post last weekend encouraging you to support your online style sisters – small businesses doing and offering great things. And I also asked on my Insta Stories for where you’ve shopped lately and what you’ve bought. You can read some of the responses HERE. I’m going to put together a blog post that collates where to shop to support our online style sisters but in the meantime, check out those stories and think about shopping with any of those businesses ahead of Mother’s Day.

Have a beautiful May … tell me what you’ve been up to.