Work Style Monday: Personal Uniform

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After putting the call out via Twitter for Australian based fashion/style blogs that were aimed more at the office working 20-30 something year olds of the world than the hipster teens that seem to rule the blogsphere at the moment, small pickings were offered back and I was kind of disappointed. (If you know of any, please don’t hesitate to let me know via the comments below) I thought it might be a fun idea to incorporate something of a Work Style aspect into the blog. If this is not your area of interest I do apologise, but as I work full time I find work style a very interesting (and useful) topic. Today’s subject is my personal work ‘uniform’. The corporation that I work for does provide official uniforms for free, but as most of what is on offer is not my style, and not compulsary; I tend to wear my own items to work instead. I have something of a personal dress code that I wear to work, which can be altered to suit the weather and different seasons (add tights, coats and boots in winter, switch up to peep toe shoes and sheer blouses in the summer). At the very basis of this ‘uniform’ are the following pieces:

01. A chic blouse

02. A soft blend cardigan

03. A pencil skirt with a twist

04. Classic black pumps

05. An oversized handbag

As long as I have a few of these staple pieces sitting in my wardrobe ready to go on a Monday I am never at a loss for what to wear to work. It’s saved me a lot of time and hassle, I assure you. If you work in an office environment please let me know if you have your own personal uniform, or if you’d like to take this idea and blog your own – please let me know so I can share it with everyone next week in Work Style Monday. Also, if you have any ideas or requests for future posts please let me know in the comments below. Happy Monday everyone!
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Project 10 Pan Update / February Empties

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My Project 10 Pan so far including what I managed to finish up in February:

01: Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Seasilk Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner (travel sized)
02: L’Oreal Preference High Shine Colour Conditioner
03: Lancome Hypnose Mascara
04: NARS Sheer Matte Foundation in Siberia / Givenchy Photo Perfexion Foundation in Perfect Ivory
05: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Grapefruit
06: Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner
07: Dermalogica Precleanse
08: Bath + Body Works Exotic Coconut Body Lotion
09: Pantene 3 Minute Miracle

One more to go! I’ve not been completely on-track this month, which is frustrating but I only have myself to blame! I do admit to purchasing a few things from yet another fellow beauty blogger’s blog sale. But I think it’s good to support friends and co-bloggers, right? Right. I will continue use that to justify my purchases…

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Product Review: MOR Honey Nectar Hand & Body Lotion

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I’ve been a fan of Australian cosmetics company MOR for many years now. I’m not sure how long ago it was, but they’ve released a new generation of scents and packaging that are just as, if not more beautiful than the old range. One of the new fragrances from the range is Honey Nectar, and I received the Hand & Body Lotion in this scent for Christmas. The fragrance is subtle, but as with all of the other MOR body products I’ve used in the past, the smell is long lasting on the skin. The consistency of the product is reasonably thick for a lotion, and feels very moisturising. One of my favourite things about the MOR product range is the packaging, it’s always gorgeous and they are the kind of products I’m happy to have on display in the bedroom or bathroom because they have the ability to enhance the decor. This is the first honey scented body lotion I’ve ever used, but I am loving it and can definitely see myself repurchasing in the future. The MOR Honey Nectar Hand & Body Lotion retails for $19.95 AUD and is available for purchase from MOR Cosmetics online.
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Eating Clean

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Lately I’ve been obsessed with the idea of ‘eating clean’. So this morning I decided to bite the bullet and really get serious about it. I’ve been feeling more motivated than usual lately when it comes to eating well and getting fit, and my sister in law and I have signed up for boot camp/personal training together starting next week. I think that eating clean will certainly help me maintain the energy I need to get through 3 sessions of that a week, plus other general exercise, working full time, studying and generally attempting to live a good life.

So what is ‘eating clean’? There are plenty of websites and books available on the subject, but in a nutshell it’s basically eating the foods we all know we should be eating. Cutting out overly processed foods, refined sugar and alcohol and generally trying to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. So if you’re eating pasta or bread, stick to wholewheat, rye or wholegrain products. It’s also recommended to eat 5 small meals a day while eating clean to keep your metabolism working. It’s all a matter of common sense really. I’ve set myself a personal challenge to eat clean for a week and see how I feel and how it effects my day to day life. Today was day 1, and I feel satisfied with everything I ate today. I wasn’t particularly hungry throughout the day, but I did find myself thinking more about food than I normally do. I think that was because I was planning things in my head, and making sure I was sticking to my plan. Just to give you an idea of what an eating clean diet might contain, today I ate:

Almond Milk, Blueberry, Banana & Chia Seed Smoothie

Wholegrain Ryvita Crackers w. Fresh Tomato, Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper

Tuna & Brown Rice Salad

Garlic Chilli Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries & Salad

I love how bright and appetising everything I ate today was. I certainly wasn’t disappointed by my food choices! I’m sure I could cut back even more on the processed foods that I’m eating, but I want to talk to my personal trainer next week about a food plan and what the best options for me and my lifestyle are. I also need to come up with some good options for meals throughout the day that I can take to work and are quick and easy to prepare. Has anyone else tried eating clean before? If so, do you have any tips for me?
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Product Review: Dermalogica Precleanse

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I posted a short review of this product in one of my Dermalogica love-rant posts back in February 2010, but I thought it might be nice to do a more in depth review of the product as it is still one of my holy grail skin care items. I love the Dermalogica Precleanse. I’ve tried various other oil cleansers, but I keep coming back to Dermalogica because it has worked the best for me. I say that because I’ve heard quite a few people say that this product simply didn’t work for them. It’s definitely an on-the-fence product, so if you are considering trying it I would suggest sourcing out a sample before investing in the full size bottle. The Precleanse is an oil that you use on your skin prior to using your regular cleanser. To use it you apply the oil to your face with your hands (ensuring that your face is still dry) then wet your hands and rub them over your face to ‘activate’ the product, rinse with water and follow with your regular cleanser. I find that using the precleanse in conjunction with my normal cleanser leaves my skin feeling cleaner than it’s ever felt before. In fact I really struggle now on nights when I’m lazy and I skip the pre-cleansing step because my skin never feels clean enough. It’s quite addictive really. The Dermalogica Precleanse retails for $65.50 and is available for purchase online from Adore Beauty. If you’re lucky, you can sometimes pick it up for a bargain price over at Strawberry Net. Go forth and precleanse!
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