PLL - Aria Inspired

Hello! I've decided on a bit of a different post today which I hope you enjoy! I recently went to an 18th birthday party (Happy Birthday Denise!) and decided I'd do a blog post on what I wore. Well.. I found this dress at a New Zealand store called Pagani. It feels so nice, it's indescribable! The soft and subtle rose's polka dot against the smooth emerald green. This dress is the perfect length and already I find it very versatile. It can be dressed up or down which is an absolute must have.  




But wait.. You are probably thinking.. What is with the title? Well let me explain. When I pulled this dress off the rack it immediately reminded me of Arias style from Pretty Little Liars. A show which I am obsessed with right now!! It is very different from what I'd usually go for which is generally pink and frilly. Although sometimes a change is as good as a holiday. I definitely loved the change. As you can see from the top photo I paired it which basic black wedges - also a closet must have. 

Asha - Mikka - Dani

I can't wait to wear this dress again and again. It was also such a score at only $30(NZD). What do you guys think?

Love Dani. xx

Zoeva Haul | Review |

I am back with a contrasting post to the last. Today I am talking all things makeup. Specifically Zoeva makeup! I first heard of this brand from my favourite youtuber, and the one and only Zoella. Anyway, I was in the market for some new makeup brushes and eye shadows, so I thought I'd give it a try. Here goes my Zoeva haul and review post on the main things I ordered! 

I am in love with this naturally yours eyeshadow palette. It is so great for everyday natural makeup. I've used it A LOT already. My favourite colours are the top 2 on the left. They are matte and make for a great subtle smokey eye. I'd recommend this palette to everyone - it is very versatile across different makeup looks and would suit many complexions. 

This one is obviously less natural, except for a few colours which are. I really love the shimmers in this like the green and blue you can see in the photo. I actually wore the shimmer blue, the matte blue and the corner blue (which has gold specs in it) to my school ball (formal). It lasted all night on top of an eye primer, which is another item I purchased from Zoeva. I was really impressed, not only with their eye shadows but also their primers. I think these colours are beautiful and more orientated towards special occasions and parties. 

These were honestly the main reason why I ordered from Zoeva in the first place. These brushes are perfect. I love them so much. As you can see they are already well used! My favourite brushes are the foundation blending brush, the concealer brush and the blush brush. They are perfect sizes so you can control application well. They also have an added bonus of being super pretty because they are rose gold! Zoeva also provides a nifty little brown bag, which you can just catch a glimpse of in the photos background, to store the brushes in or use as a makeup bag.

 Zoeva prices aren't too bad. They are more expensive then drugstore makeup but that's sort of a given. They are quality products and I'm very happy with my purchases.

Love Dani. xx

Hello

I really want to make something of this blog.. and I will. Unfortunately its not the opportune time for it. Frankly, I have so much going on. I am stressed!  Although, in my never ending trail of thought, I somehow think it's a good idea to blog right this moment. So hello. I am currently sat on top of my pink duvet at 11 pm typing away on my slow dell laptop. 

A lot has happened and is happening in the life of danidarling. Although I will spare you my life story. To put it briefly - I am in my last year of high school. Well my last 4 weeks. It's utterly bizarre that my entire educational life for the last 13, and specifically 5  years, is coming to an end. As like all seventeen year olds.. I have no clue what the future holds but I am so, very extremely excited by it.  

Love Dani xxx 

P.S Think makeup and clothes for the next posts! Oh, and I think theres a stray cat in my house. :( Night. x

Mini Winter Haul

Hello everyone! You can probably guess that it is Winter here in New Zealand. So lately I've been buying a few new clothes to suit the current climate! I felt this was a good opportunity to write a blog post so hopefully someone will find this interesting. Unfortunately I'm missing a winter jacket which I have been on a hunt for, but I will continue looking and let you know when I find one! Here it goes; a few wintery items that I've picked up in recent Weeks...

First of all I picked up this cute tartan skater style dress from a shop called tempt. It was $15 (if I remember correctly) and is a lovely soft material. It has capped sleeves and is a good length. Personally I think it is quite flattering, if I do say so myself! In some cases it can look like a school uniform, but as long as it is paired with a casual jacket and casual shoes (unlike school shoes) it will look awesome. 

 I am in love with fluffy knits!! I first purchased a black one from the warehouse. At only $15 (compared to glassons prices of over $40 anyway) it was a real score. My mum bought me this one above (excuse the sassy pose). She bought it from a place called Mirrou for $10. It is a pretty coral colour and it's long enough to be worn with leggings which is a definite plus! It is so soft, ugh, I really recommend these to everyone. Seriously buy one!

This little flattering peplum top was $20 from Dotti! I've wanted a peplum top for ages, and I've finally got one. I am super pleased! I don't even care that it may not be in fashion anymore... So the material of this one is quite stretchy which makes it really comfortable. The long ish sleeves make it a winter statement and I am super glad that a bought it. I really recommend this style for people who don't have many curves (like me)!

This pink textured beauty was also from Dotti with the same price tag of $20. It's not particularly a winter item, but the material is thick, so it would do well under a jacket. It's something that I can probably wear all year round. I am very happy with this purchase. Special mention to the black skinny jeans that are also in the photo above. They are really good quality from Glassons ($50) and are super wearable and go with everything, including this top. 

Last but not least I bought myself some brown boots. They are the comfiest shoes I have ever worn. They look really good with my black skinny jeans, but even better with cute skater dresses! They feel really good quality (and they should do because the were $60)! I am in love and just want to keep wearing them. I'm sure I will own these for ages as they are fast becoming my favourite shoes. 

What's your statement winter item? Let me know in the comments. :)

Love Dani. xx

A thing called instagram

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all doing well. I am in the midst of winter and it's freezing, although it is warmer than usual. I've been struggling to think of interesting blog post ideas. It's something that every want to be blogger like myself has to overcome. Where is this blog going? I have no idea, it's all just too exciting.

Today I bring you the topic of Instagram. It's a very cool place. To the right of this blog I've added an Instagram widget, where you can see more pictures of my life (if anyone cares). It's sort of become an obsession. I think it's a great way of sharing your own life photos and viewing others. Others including  youtubers (my fave!), celebrities and anything from lush instagram accounts to healthy eating accounts. I really wish I joined sooner!

Although, there is a lot of emphasis on how popular your online material is. It's silly that we live in a world where someone needs to be liked over the Internet, instead of looking towards other means, like being face to face with someone. Yes, I do get it why you want that Internet fame, but most people don't receive it on the Internet unless they look like models that have just walked off a shoot. All I am hoping to achieve with my Instagram is a lovely little space where I can share my photos, whether they be beautiful photography works or random photos of my cats and friends. I've spent so many years, on tumblr, on twitter wanting to build up a following, but I just can't. So I just wanted to say it's okay if you can't or don't or whatever. The Internet is a place where we can look into others lives and share our own, and it's okay if you don't have millions wanting to know your every move. Enjoy your own little space on the internet, because the world is moving way to fast. I know I'll enjoy mine.

Sorry guys, don't even know where I've gone with that ramble. Hopefully the point is clear... The Internet is awesome but don't feel like you need a massive following. Use it to express yourself, like I'm doing with this blog and my Instagram.

Love Dani xxx

Lush Haul

Hello everyone!

Long time to not blog a single post. A whole month has gone by! I'm really not on top of my game with this whole blogging thing. Sorry about that. But today I am here to tell you about my recent obsession... LUSH!

Lush is a 'fresh handmade cosmetics' store that sells soaps, shampoos, lip tints, bubble bars, facial mask's and my favourite, bath bombs! I went for the first time a few weeks back with my amazing chummy. We also went to Starbucks (that's why its randomly in the photo below). So Lush is incredible - everything is organic and earth friendly. It's not tested on animals which they definitely promote.

 I decided to do this haul post on my lush products. I bought myself 3 bath bombs, I was frankly too excited! What girl wouldn't like a nice hot bath with a cool bath bomb? Exactly.

This bath bomb is called 'Inhale Exhale'. It was lovely. It turned the water purple and had such a beautiful smell. The only down fall was that the smell wasn't very strong in the water, but for my first bath bomb from Lush I was super pleased with it!

I fancied the look of this bath bomb but chose to give it to my sister as a little gift. It is called Secret Garden. I thought it would turn the water pink but it turned it green! Much to my sisters disgust (whoops!). It still smelt good and looked pretty with all the flower's that fizzed out! Not sure on her thoughts though.

This one has been my favourite so far. It is called 'butterball' and it was so freaking nourishing. I loved it so much. I am going to repurchase this over and over! It had a beautiful vanilla smell and the cocoa butter was great on my dry autumn skin! I really recommend this one. It's colourless unlike the others so its a bit calmer. 

I had photos of another two bath bombs but the photos looked so bad. I don't want to post them. Instead I will describe them, and you can clink on the links if you want. They both smell so good! One is called 'think pink'. It's so pretty with its little dainty flowers! The other is called 'Space Girl'. I didn't buy myself this one but my chummy from a day in the life did. Thank you girl, I can't wait to use it! It smells like candy and has glitter in it, so I'm saving it for when I need an ultimate pick me up!

Hope someone enjoyed that! Love Dani. xx

OOTD - Wellington City

Hi everyone!

             

I recently went on a day trip into Wellington City with my chummy (http://shannon-fitzgerald.blogspot.co.nz/). I thought what a good opportunity to do my very first outfit of the day post. I am in no way 'fashionable' or up to date with trends. In a nutshell I wear what's clean, what I want to and feel comfortable in. Pictures speak louder than words so enjoy~

Excuse my awkward pose but here is the outfit as a whole. It's autumn here so this was the perfect balance of comfort and warmth for a day in the city. 

The jeans are new from a shop called Tempt for $30 (NZ). They are super comfy and cute with little velvet stars. They remind me of the carrie diaries fashion which I love! They are skinny round the bum (which is good) but the leg is a but looser so I think they look nice rolled up at the ankle.

My go to shoes for walking and comfort -just regular ankle black converse. 

My trusty leather bag. It's just a regular brown cross body bag. I love it so much! It suits all occasions from restaurants to the movies. You can also see I'm wearing a maybelline pink nail polish which helps to break up the navy which is in both the jeans and the knit. 

Here's a good shot of the knitted jersey. It's from Mirrou and was $25 (NZ). Their prices are really good! You can see it's mostly grey so it is very neutral and can be worn with a lot of different pieces.  

Love Dani! xx

Wallflower

Shyness and being quiet are not flaws in some ones make up. No it can't be "fixed" but in some ways it can be conquered. In my opinion I believe that shyness has more of a silver lining than people realise. It's not having no confidence it's just that shyness implies being reserved at first which is a defence mechanism that individuals use so they don't get hurt. A lot of other factors also come into play, such as anxiety to speak publicly or even in groups. This brings me to my first serious blog post, something I have personal experience with, a thing called being shy. 

According to http://m.psychologytoday.com/basics/shyness "Shyness is the awkwardness or apprehension some people feel when approaching or being approached by other people. Unlike introverts, who feel energized by time alone, shy people often desperately want to connect with others, but don't know how or can't tolerate the anxiety that comes with human interaction." Personally I think this definition is true. Shyness revolves around how to approach others rather than to do with the self wanting to reach out. 

If you've been labelled "shy" and are reading this I want you to know you are not alone. I'm so sorry, put like that it's sounds like a disease. I assure you you are perfectly normal and disease free! I too am shy. I brave the corridors and teachers at school just like others. A lot of people seem to think being quiet means you are boring or pathetic. Which is absolutely not true! 

In my personal experience I've heard all the shitty comments. From friends to family to random strangers, "you speak?" And "why don't you say anything?" Being the worst. In the moment such a comment can come crushing down and make you feel weak. It is rude and ignorant of people to say these things. We are shy enough already without being made to feel bad about it! We don't say to others "why are you so loud?" Or "you can be quiet?". It's fully a double standard because shyness is not part of the majority but rather the minority. 

The point of this post is to say that quiet people aren't flawed. Time will make them open up and confidence will show. Try not to make those comments because they can effect self esteem, especially in young girls. If you are lucky enough to be trusted by someone shy hold onto it as tightly as you can. Shy people tend to be observant and good listeners which are great attributes to have. Personally I think shy people are only quiet until they trust and feel comfortable around someone. Simply put the message is that if you meet someone shy gain their trust. Don't just ride them off because they are quiet. You'll be amazed at how awesome they truly are! 

Hopefully someone found that interesting! 

Love Dani. Xx

Birthday Haul

Hello everyone.

If you saw my last post you will know that I recently had my 17th birthday. This post is going to walk you through some of the amazing presents I received. Just in case you think I am doing this to brag, I assure you that I'm not! I am completely grateful for every gift I received. This is purely so that my readers can see what I'm into, and to share some gift ideas for anyone who wants them. 

Firstly my day was literally perfect. I have so many amazing people in my life who made me feel so lucky. You know who you are. I arrived at form time to a huge cake and presents from my beautiful friends Livi and Shannon. So unexpected but it was really nice. Thank you!

After wanting a iPhone for a million years I finally have one! It's an iPhone 4s (which I paid over half for). It was definitely worth it, I love it so much! I would definitely recommend to anyone who is unsure about getting one. 

My super amazing chummy spoilt me with this cute notebook which reminds both of us of the Carrie Diaries which I love right now!! It's so me. I'm going to be using it for inspiration and blog post ideas.  

My chummy also gave me a bathbomb which  I've already used and this sweet mug. 

She really knows me that one xx

My sister Victoria bought me a revlon lip butter which I have wanted for ages. Here comes a mini review - the colour is juicy papaya which is a beautiful coral. I absolutely love wearing it! It's creamy and has a shine like a lipgloss but not to shiny. It lasts for a while, and is much easier to apply than a regular lipstick. 

My mum gave me a cute three set wall decor. The one above is my favourite. It matches well with my room colour (mint green). It really changes a feel if the room for the better when the walls arn't bare!

Anyway that's all for now! There's some exciting posts coming up. 

Before I end this I wanted to say big thank you to everyone that gave me a gift or even just wished me. I appreciated it so much!

Love Dani. Xx

Life updates

I know there's only a few of you readers, some of you may not care at all. But I feel like it's an important step into achieving something with this blog to keep you keen and avid followers up to date. So here it goes;

My 2014 so far

I cannot fathom that it's April already. It does not make sense. Time is flying by so quickly and I hardly have time to catch my breath; let alone blog. So as usual I apologise to anyone who cares.

So far this year has had its ups and downs. It started mid summer holiday which was perfect, then came the start of a brand new school year. Utterly terrifying. After adjusting to the new year I have found my feet. Life has been the usual but with a change as I am feeling more confident and happy within myself. As my chummy says, it's my year. I'd like too think so. Besides the casual "how's school conversation" I just answered for you, life outside of school has been good too. 

Citizenship

A big part of my life has changed because I gained New Zealand citizenship. It feels nice to say that I now officially belong in the country that I live. It's very important to me. Although it is bitter sweet, having to say goodbye to my birth country was harder than I thought it would be. You have to make sacrifices, though I'll always be South African at heart.

Birthday celebrations

Just the other day (not saying when because of those creepers) it was my 17th birthday. I don't feel any different except that I understand a lot more. I had a perfect day - my friends and family spoiled me with lots of presents and cake. I am so thankful for them everyday. There will hopefully be a post very soon on a little birthday haul because I think it'd be cute. Some may find it interesting and who knows it might just spark some gift giving ideas. 

Hope everyone is doing well and having the best year of their life. I'm in my lucky last school year, thank goodness for year 13 privileges! 

Love Dani xx

Ps now that I'm 17 I've got a bit of a dilemma! Do I change my blog to danidarling17. For now I might just leave it because I like the number 16 anyway.   Xx

Oh Dear

What should I blog about? When should I do it?

Easy questions, hard to answer. This is my struggle. I want to make something out of this blog but the pressure sometimes overwhelms me. In all honesty I feel like giving up.. But, I owe it to myself, the past self who put the effort into creating this 'thing' to try a bit harder. So, new motto, forgot the planning for ages on a post idea and 'embrace the here and now'. Often I think (no seriously, everyone thinks about those bigger things to do with the universe and stuff once in a while) and I wish I could record those thoughts to read over. Well, that's exactly what I am going to do with Dani Darling. Oh boy, I am becoming way to excited! Embrace the here and now, I repeat. When I think and what I feel, my trusty yet annoyingly slow laptop in front of me, I will type. Type everything, simply my stream of consciousness. Why not? Welcome to my mind. 

Embrace, embrace, embrace my Cheerios. 

Dani. x

My getaway ~

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

Firstly, my apologies for the lack of posts recently, but in true Dani Darling form there is an excuse. I've been away, soaking up the sun and spending some good old quality time with my family. Here’s to 2014 starting perfectly! With a trip away from the norm. I feel so fortunate to have been able to go away this summer holiday. It was such a relaxing place and we did heaps in a short amount of time. I’ve decided that it’s best to share it with you, or at least the best parts. 'Well where?' you must be thinking. We went to a little place on the West coast called New Plymouth. It was lovely!

Imagine the sun beaming, warm to the touch on your skin. Although every now and then a strong breeze cools you down. Well that was exactly what it was like. The weather was pleasant; not too hot and not too cold. Just right! My sister Victoria and I swam at the beach there, down the road from where we were staying. The waves were strong and bitterly cold but we dived in anyway. It took some courage, but once we settled to the waters temperature it was so much fun. Definitely one of the highlights. Obviously what would a post be without some photos, so enjoy my awkward beach selfies from the day! Also like my new hat?

SUMMAAAA

Another amazing highlight was that we attended 'The Festival of lights'. It was so beautiful. For those of you wondering what that is, it's effectively a park and you visit it at night when it's all lit up. I do have some photos but I think google has better ones so if you want to see what it was like click here. We also went to the same park but during the day which was just as nice. There was a cute lake with plenty of ducks and a fountain!  

We also did a lot more! My sister and I really took advantage of the time we had by using the pool at the place we were staying at as much as we could. A few other things we did was that we went to a local museum, the shopping centre, walked along the foreshore and visited a cool bridge. It was so nice to be somewhere new and hopefully I'll visit there again someday. 

My dad took a photo of me taking a photo of my sister on this bridge. Apologies because I've forgotten what it was called!

Well that is all. I'm starting back at school tomorrow, so my summer holiday is over. Wish me luck! It's my last school year. Until next time...

Love Dani. xx

Here is to 2014

Happy New Year everyone! I'm wishing you a fantastic year and hoping that you succeed, and smile loads. Here's to 2014! Just typing out '2014' makes my heart flutter a bit. Like OMG. Now that I'm a little bit older expectantly I am more conscious of time. And it is going very quickly. 2013 was a wonderful year for me, and my golly it went fast. With that here is why my 2013 was so good ~

Firstly 2013 started on a lovely little note with a family trip to Castel Point. It was a calm and positive place to be after what I would refer to 2012 being, a bad year. It was such a beautiful place. Other than that, you can gather the idea that it wasn't an automatic switch from bad year to good year overnight. I had to work hard to make 2013 good. This trip was just a nice way to enjoy the calm after the storm. So I really enjoyed it!! It lifted my spirits significantly and flowed onto greater things. Just look at that view, striking!

View walking up to lighthouse. #1

View walking up to lighthouse. #2

Feel so grateful for the country which I live in.

Then in February my beautiful grandparents visited. They'll truly never know how much it meant to me. I hadn't seen them in 7 years. that's nearly half my life, so of course it was really special of them to have come here. I could ramble on about them visiting but I feel those memories are private family memories and shouldn't be shared on the Internet. Sorry!

I was definitely a lucky ducky and attended three concerts in 2013. This constantly gave me something to look forward - they were all sooooo good! My first ever concert, starting off with Ed Sheeran; he was brilliant. One of the most talented people out there. I have great memories from that concert, the fact that he was AMAZING. I wish I could relive it all over again. Later in the year as you should know (see here) I attended a One Direction concert after waiting 535 days. Now if that isn't patience I don't know what is. Of course it was worth the wait (and tears, and nasty boat ride, and money, aha, sorry I'm writing this quite late and feeling a bit tired). Anyway, to put it briefly the 10th of October 2013 was the best night of my life. Finally I've come to the last concert Passenger (who was also the opening act at Ed). This was the most recent one, which was perfectly timed after my exams. It was a nice way of ending of the school year. He was also incredible and I loved it! 

One Direction - top moment of 2013.

I am so grateful for the amazing opportunities I had in 2013. Bring on 2014! With that I leave you with a selfie; welcoming the new year with a change. A fringe!!

How was your 2013? Happy new year.

Love Dani. x