21st Century Breakdowns Vlog

Our Vlog:

Cheap Valentine's Day ideas

1. Picnic in your living room - spread some blankets and pillows, perhaps build a fort, make some sandwiches and drink cheap wine with cheese. Remember to light some candles!
   
2. Update your vows - whether you are married or not, this would be a romantic thing to do. You can make them as sweet or funny as you want.
   
3. Head to toe body massage - use some luxurious body oils.
   
4. Play a song together - if you are both musically talented, have a jam session. You can even change the lyrics to make it more personal!
   
5. Love notes - write a series of notes beginning with "I love you because..." on tiny pieces of paper and stick them around the apartment/house. These would be a cute surprise.
   
6. Repeat your first date - it's really sweet when guys remember the details of the first date such as the restaurant, city (if you went that far) and would make anyone feel appreciated. It would also be a good way to realise how much closer you've become since then.
   
7. Slow dance - burn some of your favourite acoustic songs onto a CD (or perhaps make a Spotify playlist) and dance the night away. This could be indoors or even outside under the stars.
   
8. Photoshoot - let your partner photograph you in any way they want, with outfits of their own choosing.
   
9. Cooking class at home - perhaps you could ditch the expensive dinner and spend the night in, with one of you teaching the other how to make your favourite meal. This is quite an intimate idea and will be fun ^_^
   
10. A coupon book - fill this with favours, and put an expiry date on each item too. You could include things such as breakfast in bed, homemade dinner, literally anything you want! (or think your partner would want ;) )

Get the Look: Lily James at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards

Get Lily James' Stunning Red Carpet Look at Home!

 

Downton Abbey's Lily James stunned yesterday's Golden Globes Red Carpet. Her effortless, 1970's French Riviera inspired look  saw her onto the best dressed list for 2016. Described as a goddess oozing elegance, between her stunning Marchesa gown, her waves and her makeup, we are pretty much obsessed with Lily James!

Want to recreate Lily's look? We'll show you exactly how she achieved this gorgeous look.

Hair

1. Lily first used the Show Beauty Sheer Thermal Protect ($55) to ensure her hair was protected from the excessive heat of a curling iron.

2. The Show Beauty Thickening Mist ($55) was then used and sprayed onto the roots of her hair to achieve a natural bounce and ensuring her hair does not fall flat, looking lifeless. Her hair was evenly parted in the middle and the Show Beauty Finishing Spray ($20-47) was also used all over her hair to make sure everything stays in place whilst she walks the red carpet.

4. Instead of using a curling iron to achieve these waves, it is often more effective to use a straightening iron as this is what gives the effortless waves. Using the straightening iron, curl each side of hair the opposite way, ensuring the curls move outside of her face rather than under.

5. To finish off the effortless waves, the Finishing Spray was used again, this time to ensure that the waves hold and do not drop over the night.

The Show Beauty Range can be found in any Sephora store or on their website (www.sephora.com.au).

 

Makeup

Lily's magical makeup was created using an entire range of makeup from A-list Makeup Artist Charlotte Tilbury. However, these products may be expensive, so I have included some alternative products which are offer the same results, yet are more affordable and readily available.

1. Lily's entire face was first prepped with Charlotte's Magic Cream ($125) and Charlotte's Magic Eye Rescue ($90) under the eyes, to ensure a flawless, soft appearance. Charlotte's Magic Foundation ($52) was then used to provide full coverage and enhance the flawless look.
An alternative foundation may be MAC Mineralise Moisture Foundation ($49), which provides a flawless finish without looking heavy and also contains SPF 15.

2. Lily's eyebrows were then shaded in using Brow Lift in Cara D ($45) and were brushed upwards to perfectly frame her face.
An alternative eyebrow filler could be Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz ($21-$25),  which still provides a long lasting look.

3.  Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon ($37) in Bronzed Garnet was used across the lids then lined the tops of the eyes and waterline with Rock ‘N’ Kohl ($43) in Barbarella Brown. To enhance the eyes, Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow ($43) in Jean and Mona Lisa were applied across the lids. Lily’s eye look was finally finished by applying four coats of Full Fat Lashes ($46) to the top and bottom lashes.
To line the tops of the eye, the Lancôme Drama Liqui-Pencil ($23) can also be used in the Brulee colour. This will look effective with the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Silk Eyeshadow ($34) in 7 Sweet Fire and 9 Rock Sand.
As I have mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts, a good mascara I have fallen in love with is the Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Lengthening and Volumising Mascara ($24) and this can be used as an alternative to the Full Fat Lashes.

4. Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Light-Medium ($97) used to highlight and sculpt Lily’s cheek, nose, jawline and temples. To add a dewy glow, Beach Stick in Moon Beach ($55) was applied to cheekbones and down the centre of nose.
An alternative powder highlighter could be the popular Anastasia Beverly Hills So Hollywood Illuminator ($28). The dewy look can also be achieved through using Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter ($26) perfect for highlighting under the eyebrows, cheekbones and down the centre of the nose like so.

5. To create the perfect cheek color,Cheek to Chic in Love Glow ($60) was used with a swish of the outer shade across Lily’s cheekbones and pop of the inner shade at the apples.
A similar effect can be achieved through using the NARS Dual-Intensity Blush in Fervor ($45).

6. To complete the look, Lily achieved a nude lip with K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect ($48) followed by Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Iconic Nude ($34).
The perfect alternative lipstick could be the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in Shade 6 - Rouge Bergamasque ($36), a delicate nude pink. This could be finished off similarly with the NARS Velvet Lip Liner in Waimea ($24).


Most of the Charlotte Tilbury makeup products used are available in Australia through Net-A-Porter.

Have fun pulling off this look!
Amelia

Travelling on a budget

 Not everyone is made of money, sometimes you need a holiday but just can’t afford that dream holiday you were planning. Don’t throw your plans away, here are 5 tips to travelling on a budget.

Book ahead and plan ahead

Hotel’s and plane flights are much like everything else you buy, if you purchase them in the far distant future they will be cheap. If you purchase them a week before you leave they are going to set you back an arm and a leg. Plan ahead and don’t wait on a sale that might only happen, remember companies only have sales on tickets they can’t get rid of, not flights in peak times. This also applies for activities, plan ahead and work out how much each activity is going to cost you, there is nothing worse than wasting time travelling to activities that you later find out that you can’t afford.

Look to travel off peak time

This tip feeds into the first tip. Plan ahead and look to travel in off peak times, i.e. not school holidays. This will make sure you get the very best prices for both flights and accommodation. Avoiding these periods doesn’t mean you are avoiding the very best that Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the rest of the world has to offer. It just means that you can pick a different time or even season that each has to offer. Like travelling to Europe in April instead of June, where you can see beautiful Europe in Spring rather than blistering hot Summer.  

Travel closer, stay longer

If your budget won’t stretch to allow you to stay in America for more than a week, or Europe for more than 2, perhaps it’s time to consider travelling to one of our closer neighbours. New Zealand and Asia are great places you can visit, cheaply. Going to countries such as Vietnam or South Korea can cost you a whole lot less than a trip to Europe. You can then have a little more money to enjoy yourself of dinning out and exploring rather than taking that forced rest day to count your finances.  

Friends are the only way to travel

Everything is better with friends and that includes travelling. Not only is it great to see the world sites with your best mates, it’s also cheaper. Group deals, group meals and even hotel rooms are cheaper when you include mates, if you can deal with their snoring. If you want to save a bit more money, but still want to be alone for part of that trip, plan to meet up with your friends at a later destination, so you can still discover your inner peace before you have the time of your life with your friends.

Avoid tourist heavy areas and discover the world for yourself

This is essential if you want to learn to love a destination for yourself, because it is the only way you will get to see the real beauty of another world. Go out and explore somewhere that no one has suggested, but you know will be beautiful, because it will most likely be cheaper and less crowded. Better yet ignore guided tours and find the perfect picture on your own. You only live once and it is always better to see beauty than to hear about it.

On Trend: Bold Brows

How to Achieve the Perfect Brows

With models like Cara Delevingne being praised for their thick eyebrows, it's no wonder why they are becoming such a trend. This also means that nowadays, there are so many products available on the market which can help you to define, thicken and darken your eyebrows, so you can easily achieve the perfect brows. 

Here we are going to show you a step-by-step guide of how you can achieve full, thick brows using just two products and two simple brushes.

Products used:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz ($34) in Medium Brown

              This product is available in 9 different shades.

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade ($30) in Medium Brown

              This product is available in 11 different shades.

1. Using a lash brush, whether you have one of your own or you are using the one on the back end of the Brow Wiz pencil, brush your lashes upright as so.

2. Using the Brow Wiz Pencil, lightly pencil the underneath line of your eyebrows to ensure they look even, full and clean. 

3. Now to draw the top, use the lash brush again, however, this time brush your eyebrows downwards so you have a good view of the top hairs of your brows. In the same manner, you will lightly pencil the top of your brows so you achieve good definition and a clean line.

4. Now, after brushing your eyebrows back into their natural shape, using the Dip Brow Pomade and an angled eyebrow brush, you should lightly fill in the middle of the eyebrows so they can appear even in colour and darkness. Do not shade too much, as when they stand out amongst your hair they do not look very nice. Keep it light and fresh, to avoid them looking unnatural. 

And there you have it! 4 simple steps to help you achieve the perfect brows. Here is a good photo of the difference that a few simple lines and shading can make.

Hopefully you can try this at home and see how it works.  

Let me know of any feedback in the comments.

Amelia 

Netflix and Chill

This week, chief executive of Netflix, Reed Hastings announced it has switched on its service in 130 additional countries. With the company's prompt expansion coming ever so rapidly, one can't help but ask the question, what's the fuss with this dynamic new  program that has creeped into everyday urban culture like a thief in the night? 

Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 70 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Also, as part of its expansion, Netflix has added support for Korean, Chinese and Arabic to its list of supported languages. That brings the total number in which the firm provides subtitles, captions and alternative audio to 21 languages.

Netflix has top rated content such as:

• The Dark Knight
• Kill Bill
• Breaking Bad
• The Shawshank Redemption
• House of Cards
• Prison Break'

As well as original series such as:

• Orange is the New Black
• Daredevil
• Making a Murderer
• Jessica Jones
• Narcos

With the recent news that Netflix has expanded its horizon to an additional 130 countries, the company will only get better in terms of content released and layout. Netflix has also enhanced customer satisfaction by introducing videos in high dynamic range(HDR). HDR videos allow compatible TVs to show millions of more colours and a wider dynamic range (added shades of brightness in between black and white) letting more detail be shown. Many experts believe the impact is greater than that of just jumping from 1080p to 4K ultra-high definition resolution alone. One consequence of using the format, however, is that it requires more data, and few TVs support it yet.

Learning a language

The world that we live in today makes it so easy to build connections with people all over the world. It's as easy as clicking a button. The Internet allows us to do that. The biggest barrier that people have when it comes to communicating with people from other countries is not knowing their language. And nowadays it's so easy to learn languages. You can learn them in school, university, over the Internet and so on.

I think that it's always a good idea to learn a language other than your mother tongue. It can be challenging, especially when you don't have a good enough reason to learn it. You need to dedicate time for it. It is like taking care of a baby. At the beginning you don't really know what you are doing, everything is new and difficult. But as the baby grows it gets a little easier because you are more experienced. And once it becomes an adult it can look after itself and it's easy. I think that learning a language is similar because there will be obstacles but you can overcome them with time and determination.

Reasons for learning a language:

• you like to travel
• you like that country's food
• it's a hobby/interest
• broaden your knowledge
• your boyfriend's/girlfriend's language 
• and many more

So, you need something to motivate you and keep you committed to learning that language.

Learning a language can be fun. I didn't get the opportunity to do it in high school so I'm doing it in university. You can also teach yourself the basics of that language prior to learning it in school or university. There are also many apps that could help. One of my friends told me about this app called HelloTalk. It allows you to learn a language from native speakers who are learning your native language. So you can be each other's students and teachers. And it is a great way to learning a language. Why not give it a go?

がんばってください！
Do your best!

by Gayathri ガヤトリ