There hasn't been much change to the products I use or things I listen to/watch this month. Here are the beauty products, music and Netflix shows that I've loved this month.
Here is the rest of the week, once I got home from Hobart.
As some of you would know, in July of 2015 I packed up my belongings and headed down to the beautiful city of Hobart in my little Mazda 3. As a child, my parents and I would always go down to Hobart (and drive around Tasmania) as our winter holiday; we would enjoy the snow, sit by the fire and eat endless amounts of Tasmanian cheese - **let's just take a moment to appreciate Tasmanian cheese (and all local produce, for that matter)** Tasmania is definitely one of my favourite places in the world, and Hobart one of my favourite cities.
Hobart is one of those quaint cities that you see in travel magazines. There isn't a whole bunch to offer, but if you walk around the city you will find a lot of little lanes ways and cute shops.
Hobart is one of those quaint cities that you see in travel magazines. There isn't a whole bunch to offer, but if you walk around the city you will find a lot of little lanes ways and cute shops.
Accommodation
One of my favourite hotels in the city is The Henry Jones Art Hotel. It's located right on the water front and in the middle of the action. A few hundred metres away are the floating seafood restaurants, as well as the ferry to the MONA Gallery.
Food
One of my favourite places to eat in Tasmania is actually a chain, healthy eating restaurant. It's called LivEat and in winter, the soups are DELICIOUS!!! Alongside that, their fresh juices, salads and banana bread are to die for.
Shopping
I don't have much to say, aside from a stroll around Salamanca Place and the surrounding streets will fulfil any eclectic shoppers dream.
Things To Do
Hobart's natural wonders are what makes the city so unique. A trip up Mt Wellington is definitely worth your while. But driving around areas like Sandy Bay and Battery Point are also gorgeous. In terms of "tourist attractions": the Salamanca Markets (on a Saturday morning) are great to find local produce and homemade items, as well as grab a bite to eat; MONA Gallery is also a great place!!
much love,
XO
Here's a snippet of my trip to Tasmania over the weekend.
Saturday 19th August:
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| Salamanca Place |
Sunday 20th August:
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| Cradle Mountain :) |
Monday 21st August:
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| Beautiful sunrise on top of Cradle Mountain. |
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| Driving down Cradle Mountain. |
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| Somewhere along the East Coast of Tasmania. |
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| :) |
Tuesday 22nd August:
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| Mt. Wellington is one of my favourite places! |
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| The wonderful views of Bruny Island. |
much love,
XO
XO
Let's pretend I took last weeks advice and took more photos... And then remember that it's me who is talking and that I constantly forget to photograph my life. This week is only up until Friday, as I am currently in Tasmania and figured I would upload all those photos from my trip next Thursday.
So, here's my pathetic attempt at a Weekly Bit.
Monday 14th August:
Thursday 17th August:
Friday 18th August:
much love,
XO
XO
I had my last cup of coffee in November 2016. I'm not too sure why I decided to give up drinking coffee, but it's definitely been a hard addiction to give up. I went from drinking 13 or so cups of coffee before going to school or university (around 9 am) to 0 cups. This is probably where the name Conquer With Coffee came from; I couldn't conquer my day without lots and lots of coffee.
It was a weird decision to give up coffee and when people ask why I did it, I still don't have a valid answer.
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| (this is a chai latte) |
I moved on to drinking cups of tea in the morning, and a chai latte whenever I'm out with friends during the day. It's weirdly made me happier drinking tea and I don't feel so bad when I drink 3 or 4 in the space of an hour...
much love,
XO
XO
As a blogger, there are times when I feel like I feel like the biggest poser and/or failure. I don't have the look, style, designer products or fancy marble bathroom that I see across other blogs. There are some days where I don't want to upload a post for lack of motivation. There are mornings when I scroll through Bloglovin' and wonder how I manage to compare to other bloggers.
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| source: unknown |
I have been lucky enough to work with some incredible companies, but I always question why. I worry that my same old look, boring posts and lack of content. I'm lucky that I can still have my days where I ghost through social media and continue my normal life. The blogging/fashion world can be a tough place to work in. I think people underestimate it. I'm surrounded by Girl Bosses and I struggle to fit in. I'm a serious procrastinator. When everyone around me is ticking things off their to-do lists, starting clothing lines and conquering the world, it can be a bit tough. It's stupid that it makes me feel so crappy, because of course I'm happy for others smashing my goals. And if I'm being honest, blogging isn't my passion.
I just sometimes feel like I'm not Girl Boss enough for the blogging world.
My advice for anyone wanting to start blogging is to always be kind to yourself. Be your own Girl Boss!!
much love,
XO
XO
Monday 7th August:
Tuesday 8th August:
Wednesday 9th August:
Friday 11th August:
Saturday 12th August:
Sunday 13th August:
much love,
XO
XO
Long time readers will know that 2015 and the beginning of 2016 wasn't the best time in my life. I talked about it quite a bit and blogged as I struggled through it. It wasn't until March of 2016 that I felt at peace with my past. I had never stepped foot in a church until Easter 2016. I was invited along by Meg to "check it out". I'm not making this up, the moment I stepped into the door of the church, I felt greeted by Jesus. I had felt something missing from my life, and it was the moment He greeted me at the door that I realised it was Him. I try and keep my religious views off my blog, but it's a part of my life and sometimes I want to share it with my readers; besides, my blog is a place for me to document my life, right?!
"She confidently trusts the Lord to take care of her" Psalms 112:7
While God was never a foreign concept, as I went to a Catholic school for the majority of my childhood, I never thought of Him as being 'present' in my life. I lived with my mum for the majority of my life and, looking back I realise, the morals and beliefs that were instilled in me from a young age where similar to that of Christian beliefs. I was shown the values, ideals and beliefs of a Christian life without fully knowing or understanding. I was the kind of child who thought I was above religion. I was pretentious. I called myself agnostic, because I thought it sounded cool. Yes, I was an idiot of a child... I'm aware.
I remember my first morning in church so clearly. I was seated with Meg and her family, closer to the back rows. The words I heard that morning reached my heart and I felt my chest overflow. With this, came the urge to cry... It's a feeling that I can't, and will probably never be able to, describe. I was pretty silent for the next few days as I tried to "deal with" (I couldn't think of a better phrase) the feelings I had experienced that Sunday morning. I made a promise to myself that I would attend regular church services. And from that day forward, I've only missed services when I've been overseas (and still, I've tried to find churches nearby) or sick (or during the craziness of university time). Throughout the week, I have some really great podcasts that I listen to from sermons overseas (I'll talk about them one day). I definitely don't think that to be a Christian you have to attend church regularly, but for me it is a good reminder at the beginning of each week to realign my sights and remind myself of the importance of Jesus in my life. I also just love worship music. Speaking of, if I can recommend anything, it would be to listen to worship music daily. Also, the people that I have met through my church are some of the most kind, inspiring, wonderful, genuine, understanding, loving and exceptional humans I have ever met.
But that's not why I fell in love with Jesus.
I fell in love with Jesus at rock bottom. I was in a place of self-loathing, anger and anxiety, among other things. It was that first church service when I experienced my own truth for myself. I am not a great person. One morning I was scrolling through Pinterest (as usual) and I came across a scripture. It was Ezekiel 16:6: Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live! This spoke to me. I realised that He was not disgusted by me, Jesus fully knows me.
much love,
XO
XO
To say that I haven't changed and grown, as a person, over the past few months would be a lie. I have become happier, more confident, stronger in my faith and more driven. I put this down to my boyfriend. I've been in relationships before, but never like this. However, because of previous failures, I didn't step into this relationship lightly. This relationship has shown me the scars that my past produced and I feel as though I have to explain and justify my actions.
Things like, how quickly I can reply to a text, and not because I'm sat bored by my phone, but because I've grown tired of waiting for others to mess me around. I worry as much as I do because I replay my past and see where I went wrong. I say exactly how I'm feeling because I don't want to be lead astray. I am afraid of trust because I see the scars it's left before. I lack confidence because I've seen how prettier, or thinner, or better girls have ruined my previous relationships. It's not that I'm fishing for compliments, it's a process of learning to love myself. How when I get told that he thinks I'm beautiful, I'm still trying to believe it. Despite my appreciation, I fear a man paying for me because it has been used against me in the past. How the gestures of buying me flowers or picking up a bottle of wine mean the world to me and I could never express my gratitude. That I've had to learn to forgive myself for my own peace of mind and sanity because I fear failure.
It's hard not to be paranoid as fuck. It's hard to let yourself fall in love. But I've met the man of my dreams. A man who is kind, gentle, keeps their word, listens, remembers, loves; a man who isn't ashamed of me. Someone who feels comfortable letting down their guard and being their true self. A man I feel safe around. And safe is never a word I've used when referring to a relationship.
I'm not sure if any of you were able to relate, these were just some late night thoughts I need to get out of my head.
much love,
XO
Things like, how quickly I can reply to a text, and not because I'm sat bored by my phone, but because I've grown tired of waiting for others to mess me around. I worry as much as I do because I replay my past and see where I went wrong. I say exactly how I'm feeling because I don't want to be lead astray. I am afraid of trust because I see the scars it's left before. I lack confidence because I've seen how prettier, or thinner, or better girls have ruined my previous relationships. It's not that I'm fishing for compliments, it's a process of learning to love myself. How when I get told that he thinks I'm beautiful, I'm still trying to believe it. Despite my appreciation, I fear a man paying for me because it has been used against me in the past. How the gestures of buying me flowers or picking up a bottle of wine mean the world to me and I could never express my gratitude. That I've had to learn to forgive myself for my own peace of mind and sanity because I fear failure.
It's hard not to be paranoid as fuck. It's hard to let yourself fall in love. But I've met the man of my dreams. A man who is kind, gentle, keeps their word, listens, remembers, loves; a man who isn't ashamed of me. Someone who feels comfortable letting down their guard and being their true self. A man I feel safe around. And safe is never a word I've used when referring to a relationship.
I'm not sure if any of you were able to relate, these were just some late night thoughts I need to get out of my head.
much love,
XO
Wednesday 2nd August:
Thursday 3rd August:
Friday 4th August (MY 20TH BIRTHDAY!):
Saturday 5th August:
much love,
XO
XO
F*%k, I'm no longer a teenager... Since I can remember, I've been counting down the days until I'm out of my teens. However, the past few months have been terrifying for me as I rapidly approached the age of 20 (ask any of my friends, haha). To most, it's no big deal and is just another birthday but for some reason, the idea of being twenty is such a scary and 'grown-up' age. I'm far from being grown-up.
The past few years, I've written this style of post with Things I've Learnt from the past year. So, now that I'm 20, here are 20 things I've learnt.
The past few years, I've written this style of post with Things I've Learnt from the past year. So, now that I'm 20, here are 20 things I've learnt.
1. Leaving university assignments until the last minute is fine, but you have no one else to blame but yourself when being stressed and trying to submit it on time.
2. Your youth comes with very little responsibility; be a good friend and a humble person, with age comes responsibility. Enjoy being young and don't try to grow up too quickly.
3. Wearing matching lingerie will make you feel liberated and ready to tackle anything that gets thrown your way, pair it with a red lip and killer winged eyeliner and you'll feel like the ultimate powerhouse. Trust me.
4. Stand up for yourself. I don't think this needs any more explanation.
5. You'll thank yourself in the long run if you do a charcoal face mask at least once a week.
6. Don't fake tan in the dark. Remember what happened that one time?! (let's just say, brown arms... white hands...)
5. You'll thank yourself in the long run if you do a charcoal face mask at least once a week.
6. Don't fake tan in the dark. Remember what happened that one time?! (let's just say, brown arms... white hands...)
7. Orange juice is good, but it's even better with champagne.
8. Pay off your debts. Don't go and buy new things and adding to your debt when you should be paying off old debts. Better still, try to avoid debt!!
9. Make mistakes. Live with love. Trust God.
10. Don't be afraid to say no. There is nothing wrong with saying no to something you don't want to do. You'll feel happier too when you're not weighing yourself down with things you don't want to do.
11. Own an expensive perfume. Sometimes you want to feel like a princess, and smell like one too.
12. Have a "go-to-outfit" for when you need to dress up but you still want to feel comfortable. If you've tried on everything else in your wardrobe but nothing looks/feels good, you know that you have that one outfit that will never fail.
13. Learn to let people go. You shouldn't be surrounded by negativity, people bringing you down or people who aren't helping you to grow.
14. The world won't end if you spend a day without your phone. There's not much better than turning off your phone for a whole day and living life without it.
15. Don't be afraid to tell someone how you really feel. Whether it be telling someone that you like them or telling someone that they've done something to upset you, you don't want to live with regrets or grudges - voice your thoughts!
16. Travel as far, and for as long, as you can. Whether it be a trip to Europe, or a simple road trip to a nearby town with some friends, getting out of the norm as much as you can is awesome!! It doesn't have to be an expensive trip either, just have a weekend away in an AirBnB or even camping just to get out of routine.
17. You don't have to attend every party that you're invited to. Having a night in, by yourself, with a face mask, glass of wine and some candles can sometimes be exactly what you need; and, you'll thank yourself the next morning.
18. Social media is purely for entertainment purposes only. Don't use Instagram to compare yourself to other girls, don't spread hate on Facebook and use Snapchat for sending hilarious cat filters only.
19. Placing all of your trust in God will be one of the hardest, yet most rewarding decisions you will ever make. I promise it's worth it.
20. Growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be. Yes, I no longer have a curfew and have my own independence; but, that also means I have to do my own laundry and grocery shop... I wish I spent more of my teenage years, as a teenager...
much love,
XO
I think about how I've grown and changed over the past few years and I try to plan my next five years. I've made a few five year plans, but as I quickly approach my 20th birthday (it's tomorrow) I've started to think about the cool things that I'd like to achieve within the next 10 years. I'm all for spontaneity, but I don't want to reach a certain age and have not completed certain things. Here are a couple of things that I'd love to do/achieve throughout my 20s.
1. Do ridiculous things - I'd love to go hot air ballooning, climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge or pet exotic animals.
2. Read more books - a few years ago, I started a list of all the books that I read and I would love for it to continue and grow largely through my 20s.
3. Get married - this is a pretty self explanatory one...
4. I'd also like to be a mother
5. I'd love to say that I was able to keep a journal through my 20s. My "New Years Resolution" this year was to write in a journal at least once a week, and so far I've surprisingly stuck to it.
6. Live in a big city - even if just for 6 months or so, somewhere like London, Paris or New York would be incredible to live in.
7. Appreciate the quiet moments
8. Grow in my relationship with God
9. Exercise more often... even if it's just a walk up a mountain or something, just some form of activity to get out into the fresh air
10. Stop comparing my life to others
11. Travel more
12. Buy/build a house
13. Hopefully still be blogging, or at least updating this blog somewhat regularly; so, let's see how I go with this list.
much love,
XO
1. Do ridiculous things - I'd love to go hot air ballooning, climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge or pet exotic animals.
2. Read more books - a few years ago, I started a list of all the books that I read and I would love for it to continue and grow largely through my 20s.
3. Get married - this is a pretty self explanatory one...
4. I'd also like to be a mother
5. I'd love to say that I was able to keep a journal through my 20s. My "New Years Resolution" this year was to write in a journal at least once a week, and so far I've surprisingly stuck to it.
6. Live in a big city - even if just for 6 months or so, somewhere like London, Paris or New York would be incredible to live in.
7. Appreciate the quiet moments
8. Grow in my relationship with God
9. Exercise more often... even if it's just a walk up a mountain or something, just some form of activity to get out into the fresh air
10. Stop comparing my life to others
11. Travel more
12. Buy/build a house
13. Hopefully still be blogging, or at least updating this blog somewhat regularly; so, let's see how I go with this list.
much love,
XO
