New video! Being a chic success and creating your dream life :)

Hello chic friends!

I recorded a video yesterday!  Since my last video was more than a year ago, I thought it was about time :) 

In this new video I talk about my top three tips to becoming a chic success and creating your dream life.  I love to read about, learn and practice self-development, and, looking back, have had incredible results.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the tiny and incremental changes day-by-day add up, but they really do.

For all of my working life, from age 19 until only a few years ago (I’m 49, so almost thirty years), I worked in full-time employment, and dreamed of the day when I could be in control of my own schedule, and spend more time at home, my favourite place to be.

From writing on my blog, I started writing books, and now self-publish on Amazon in English and Spanish.  Some of my books are also available in Lithuanian, Russian and Vietnamese.  Amazing things can happen when you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks about what you’re doing, and just go for it.

If you have any video topic requests, please let me know in the comments!  Thanks so much for watching.  xx Fiona

(The author I mentioned in this video, Rhonda Byrne is here.  Her audiobooks are amazing, so good, and her voice is hypnotizing!)

How about this beautiful sunrise from my front lawn this week?

PS. My latest books, ‘The Chic Author: Create your dream career and lifestyle, writing and self-publishing non-fiction books’, is available on Kindle and in paperback and '30 Chic Days at Home: Self-care tips for when you have to stay at home, or any other time when time is challenging' is available on Kindle or in paperback too.

Iced coffee in the summer

In the summertime I love an iced coffee and often order one when I’m in a café in preference to a hot coffee. One day at Starbucks, the name Sweet Cream Cold Brew caught my eye. I don’t usually take sugar, but ‘Sweet Cream’ has a certain allure to it, so of course I ordered it. It was YUM!

I then searched for ways to make it at home for myself, because it’s not inexpensive, plus most of the cup is filled with ice, which encouraged my frugal mind even more.

First I started learning about cold brew, which is an education in itself. I found out that coffee brewed with cold water means the resultant coffee has less bitterness, because the coffee grounds aren’t burned with the hot water (or something like that).

I also found out that you DON’T need to go out and purchase fancy cold brew equipment, unless you want to of course (those tall carafes do look pretty cool). But I thought to myself, that’s just like using a plunger (cafetiere/French press) or even pouring cold water directly on top of the coffee grounds in a drip filter machine.

I used my plunger, with the most coarsely ground coffee available, and brewed it for twenty hours roughly, as that’s how long I read Starbucks do it for. You make it really strong – in an eight-cup plunger, one cup coffee grounds to seven cups water.

This Jamie Oliver recipe here is helpful, but why you have to make it in a jar is beyond me. https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/how-to-make-cold-brew-coffee/

And then comes the sweet cream. The recipe I used for the photo here involved sweetened condensed milk, half-and-half (which we can’t get here in New Zealand so I mix equal quantities of milk and cream) and vanilla extract. It was a while back that I first looked up the recipe, but I’m 99% sure I used this one:

https://www.thekitchn.com/vanilla-sweet-cream-258257

I know the sweet cream drink probably has *a few* calories but it’s a treat for me, not an everyday occurrence. My usual coffee with cream poured over ice (or an Americano with cream in the winter) is a nice alternative.

Are you a fan of iced or cold brew coffee too?

xx Fiona

Genie Beauty products

It’s rare that I am ever offered products to try, so I was excited to receive a message asking if I would like to be sent a selection of products from the (new to me) Genie Beauty skincare and cosmetics range.

Um, yes please! I love all makeup and skincare, and especially trying new products.

Not long after, a box arrived in the mail. Of course within a few days I had tried everything 😊 The Dream Cream (how cool is that name) is deliciously thick and creamy, unscented too.

Wow, the exfoliator (which I forgot to put in the photo as it was already in my shower!) is a power house, and when I read the label I found out why: It’s called Exfoliate3 Triple Action and is described as a microdermabrasion exfoliant face scrub. I love a good scrub and it made my skin smooth and yummy.

I love the Glow Getter Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Coral. I used it on my cheeks and around the edges of my face (hairline and chic etc), and used the figure 3 technique taught to me by a makeup artist once. You do each side of your face starting at your temples, sweep down to your cheekbone and then again down to your chin. I also used just the bronzer side of the palette as an eyeshadow.
Then the lovely Superglide Gel Eyeliner in Espresso, a rich dark brown, which slid on easily. To finish, I used the Million Dollar Lash Booster, which I thought was a type of lash serum, but actually is an undercoat and really pumped up my lashes once I started applying the Million Dollar Mascara.

I had a look at their website, and the prices seem quite reasonable, which is nice. I would definitely use all the products I’ve tried again.

If you would like to try a new brand, why not check them out? And thank you Genie Beauty for your kindness 😊

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geniebeautyproducts/
 
On Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/geniebeautyproducts/https://www.instagram.com/geniebeautyproducts/

linktr.ee/geniebeautyproducts 😘😘😘

New season's fashion :)

The Claphnes went shopping for their first ever jerseys and love them 💝💝 They chose cozy hot pink fleece (Daphne gets mistaken for a boy ALL THE TIME so pink was necessary 🤣).

You can see from the second photo that Daphne much prefers being at home in the country, although the dog expert I had a session with in the early days said it was good for her socialisation and confidence 😬 I don’t know about that, I think she would be happy to have a very tight-knit social circle and not stray too far from home.

Anyway, aside from their introvert tendencies (just like their mum), they are loving their new winter wardrobe 🤩

Ralph Lauren home style

Sharing a photo of my mum’s elegant home style today.

She has given me a love of mixing old and new, shopping at auctions and second-hand stores, and building a look that is uniquely ‘me’ by choosing things that I love. When you do this, your style builds over time to become your own.

Also, ‘more dash than cash’, I think, is an important part of both of our styles. We are both quite thrifty (which doesn’t necessarily mean choosing the cheapest, but going for value, quality and cost-per-use).

Do you have a genetic home decor style too?

A week of writing

Hello chic friends!  I have had a bit of a break from my blog and social media this week.  We spent a few days out of town visiting family, and I have also been writing a lot.  It's beautiful crisp winter weather here in New Zealand, which is just perfect for hunkering down in my office at my computer, and taking breaks to walk the dogs in our paddock.

I have two writing projects on the go - I can never just stick to the one book at a time, it seems!  One I plan to release this month, and one next month.  I have already written a third of my next book 'Thirty Chic Days Vol. 3', and I am on target to finish the draft by the end of this month.

However, I was so energized by putting out a quick-to-read Kindle-only book last month, that I decided to do another this month.  I have decided it is going to be called 'The Chic Closet', and it will be a mix of new material and chapters inspired by favourite posts on my blog.

I would love to hear from you about a chapter you would love to see in The Chic Closet.  If you could name/choose a chapter, what would it be?  Please tell me and I will do my best to include it.

And the same with Thirty Chic Days Vol. 3 - maybe you have a chapter idea you would love to read but it's not about clothing or style.  I'd love to hear that too.

I have heard from readers that they are unable to order the print copy of my Spanish translation of Thirty Chic Days - 'Treinta Dias Chic', and I can't either.  I placed an order for some author copies of my book and was only able to order the English language titles.  I had a chat with a polite young gentleman at Amazon and he said I was lucky to be able to order any print copies as many departments have been shut down due to the current pandemic situation. So if you are having trouble ordering a paperback of one of my titles, that will be why.

I hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to connecting with you as per normal next week!

xx Fiona

~~

You can find me here too:

My books on Amazon

Blog

Shop

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

Podcasts

Lithuanian edition

Russian edition

Chic book freebies

Free writer’s encouragement

~~

I've been wanting to get my audiobook onto Audible for a long time, and I received some encouraging news this week.  Currently, only authors from a handful of countries can upload their audiobooks to Audible, however this could change in early 2021.  Australia and New Zealand authors are due to come on board then.  Yay!  I will definitely record all my book as audiobooks once this option is available.

In the meantime, if you would like me to read my first, and most popular, book to you, you can listen to chapter samples and order it here from my eStore.  And fingers crossed I can be on Audible soon!