Black is Always the New Black...

Black on black on white on black. My wardrobe, Ladies & Gentlemen.
As this is about 99.7% of my wardrobe colour pallet, I thought it appropriate as my first outfit post to be entirely this. That and it's rare you see me in anything else. Black, white, grey or gold. Why complicate things?

Three of my favourite things right here. Monochrome, layering and a Sport Luxe/Grunge kinda vibe.

Jeans || Topshop
Jumper || Bik Bok (A few seasons old - Similar on Missguided)
Leather Jacket || All Saints
Shearling Jacket || All Saints (Last Season)
Trainers || Nike

Photos Taken on Olympus Pen E-PL7

Love yourself this Valentines

Those who know me well will know, I am not a fan of valentines. Never have been, never will be. I just think love should be shown every day of the year, not just one. Luckily boys don't seem to mind this... wonder why!

Anyways...My valentines evening consisted of face pampering, soup and calming colouring books (I am poorly, that's my excuse), so I just thought I'd share with you a little pamper routine that I have fallen in love with, courtesy of my Mumma Bear (She's the only person I allow to treat me on Valentines)
The Braun epilator truly is a godsend, it is so much easier than sitting there for half an hour tweezering your face until you can't see what you're doing anymore, you've gone so cross eyed. You all feel me on that one, I know it.
Lips, chin, in-between your eyebrows, it does it all. It's nothing to be ashamed about, most girls get it, they just pretend they don't. If they didn't, do you really think there'd be a whole product made for it? I think not!
I'm not gonna sit here and tell you it doesn't hurt at all, it's not pain free, but it's also not as painful as I expected. I have a habit of expecting the worst though and being pretty good with pain. Hence tattoos and lip fillers.
But honestly, I really recommend this lil' guy! Not only does it speed up the process of getting rid of all those annoying little, very unwanted, hairs on your face but it also has a daily exfoliating wash head. Which I just used with my go to every day face wash from 'Yes to' and it worked a treat. After all this, it is so easy to take a part and clean as well.

After all that I thought my skin deserved a nice nourishing face mask from the Blue Lagoon, in Iceland. My parents went there not that long ago and got me two face masks. If you ever get a chance to go there, PLEASE do. I went there quite a few years back and that lagoon is just divine, you will come out feeling like an angel, and it is ALL natural! As you can tell by everything I use, I'm a bit of a sucker for all natural products.
Following the mask I fully moisturised my face and gave my lips a little scrub, and there you have it. How to spend Valentine's if you're not a believer! ;)

Much Love,

Chloë 
XO

February 2016 Playlist

Phone Case || Skinny Dip
Headphones || Accessorize 

Just a quick share with you what I'm playing too much of this month. Nice little mix of old & new. Enjoy.

1|| Rihanna - Work

Considering it has been SO long since Rihanna released her last album, not gonna lie, I expected a better album. But this is a banger...

2|| Flume - Smoke & Retribution

3|| Beyonce - Formation

Obviously. Ummm Superbowl Halftime...you best have all watched that at least a couple times

4|| Lion Babe - Treat me Like Fire

Probably my favourite track from her album, 'Begin', that she dropped this month. 'Impossible' comes a close second.

5|| Lapalux - Puzzle

6|| Raleigh Ritchie - Bloodsport

7|| J Cole - She Knows

8|| Aquilo - Human (Marian Hill Remix)

9|| Zayn - Pillow Talk

I'm not going to justify this. I am just going to put it out there. Deal with it.

And yes, I have done a cover of this that will go up soon.

10|| Orla Gartland - Whispers

I had the pleasure of watching this Irish babe play live at the #CerealSessions thanks to www.gnothingness.com (Who I also write for). Definitely check her out, crazy talented and so much fun! 

Happy Listening!

Much Love,

Chloë XO

10 Healthy Habits to Live By

Oh how I love that health has become cool. It wasn't long ago that choosing a salad over a burger had to be justified to people with a 'I ate not that long ago' or 'I'm on a diet', even if it wasn't true and you just fancied being healthy. Now it's the opposite, if on the rare occasion I go for the less healthy option I'll say 'I'll treat myself today' or 'Just once, don't worry I'm still me'. I don't know if this is down to getting older or Instagram's hold on the world with it's fitness hype. Either way, I love it. I finally don't feel weird for treating my body well and there are so many amazing & healthy places to eat now!

I don't believe in diets, they don't work, they are short term and make you feel awful if you don't quite stick to it. I do believe in a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. Like a puppy, being healthy should be for life, not for Christmas...or the week after Christmas in the case of a diet. So here are a few things I try to live by.

1. Set yourself steady, realistic goals Don't aim to lose weight or gain weight, because that can easily be reversed and is one goal that has a finishing line, aim to be fit and healthy. If you aim to lose weight,  you will cut your food intake, maybe eat less than you should or exercise more than you should. When you get to your desired weight, you will have no follow up goal, so it's likely you will drop out of the healthy ways you have temporarily adopted and gain/lose those pounds again. If your goal is to be fit & healthy, gaining or losing weight  will naturally come into it if you are over/under weight and it has no end goal! You will just love the feeling of being healthy and you can keep setting yourself mini goals to be that bit fitter or healthier, without weighing, focus on muscle/stamina or just how you feel within yourself.

2. Eat to Nourish This one is so important and one that so many people get wrong. Food is NOT the enemy. Your body needs a healthy balance of all food groups to have the energy to workout, carry out daily activities and generally survive without getting major 'hangry' issues. These two statements are key: If you are trying to lose weight, cutting major calories will make it less sustainable and your metabolism is going to be super slow. This means, when you start eating normally to maintain, your body will actually hold on to the food as it expects to not be fed properly for a while, causing you to gain some of the fat back. 

Secondly, if you are working out a lot, cardio or strength training...EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN.

On this topic, eating healthily or 'clean' doesn't mean just eating chicken and broccoli. You'd be surprised what every day foods are actually healthy (I sense an idea for a new blog post...)

3. Sleep I need not say more. This isn't just a nice thing, it's a needed thing. When you sleep your body heals itself, hence why if you don't sleep properly for a while you get ill. Sleep is nice, why deprive yourself?!

4. Work out in a way you enjoy Running for an hour every morning isn't for everyone, some people love it, some people (including me) hate it. 

I have just started training with a new Personal Trainer, I've only had two sessions so far (I just returned from one actually!), but I have never felt better! She has motivated me and reminded me how much I love the feeling of a killer workout. I really love strength training, the feeling of your muscles getting stronger. I also go horse riding when I go back to my parents house and attend gym classes a few times a week. Switch it up, keep it fresh and exciting! Find what works for you.

5. Recovery is just as important as the workout When you start to get really into the rhythm of working out most days, it can be hard to make yourself stay at home and give your body a rest. If you over do it, it is possible to do more harm than good. Take it slow at first, don't throw yourself in at the deep end, give your muscles time to adjust to the new found healthy you!

6. Prep & Plan Everyone bangs on about this. There is a reason... planning is key. I'm not a big 'meal prep' kinda gal, to be honest that's just tedious and I trust myself to roll with it a bit more nowadays and I have the time. I only do it if I know I'm going to be working a lot and not have a lot of time to cook. But I ALWAYS plan (I am an organisation freak), I get so panicky and my anxiety kicks in if I haven't planned. But I can't stress enough, that is NOT a good thing, I just use it for good in prepping my work outs, to do lists, meal planning etc. I use it to stay productive now, so turn your weaknesses into strengths, that IS a good thing!

7. WATER Drink lots of it...and then drink more. Not only does this keep your body functioning the way it should, it also keeps your skin lovely and glowy... which you all want. Hydration hydration hydration! You'll feel alive, fresh and beautiful

8. Balance is key Lets be honest, being good all the time is boring and not healthy for your soul. If you fancy that chocolate, have a little square, if you want a night out, go out with your friends and enjoy it, then work out with the same friends the next day. Just have a healthy balance of good and naughty. It is just as important to have a healthy mind, as well as a healthy body. What is the point in having a killer body if you're absolutely miserable? The way I see it, you won't get to having a killer body if you're miserable because you won't want to keep going or you'll end up leaning toward unhealthy mental habits... which leads onto my next point...

9. Stop beating yourself up Life is there to be lived, it doesn't revolve around being healthy 100% of the time, that isn't always the most important thing. There is no such thing as slipping up, there is only making the choices you want to make at the time for what will make you happiest in the long run. If you do something that you regret, don't dwell on it, it made you happy at the time and sometimes, that is fine. As I said before, you have to have a happy soul as well as a happy body.

Whatever your goal or end game, beating yourself up mentally will only set you back, positivity is the most important and biggest change that needs to happen if you want to become a healthier & happier version of you. Only do what you enjoy, nothing more and nothing less.

10. Think Positive ALWAYS. There is an upside to everything in life, even if you can't see it right now. Something good is just around the corner, I promise. If you're anything like me, most things seem like the end of the world at the time, are forgotten about the next day. So take a deep breath, shut your eyes and think rationally... There is ALWAYS something good to take from every situation.

And there you have it. I want to hear any other healthy habits you guys have, or anything you disagree with. Let me know!

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

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Writer's Block. It's a B*tch. Make it YOUR B*tch.

"I'm at a loss for words 'cause y'all already said it all

I think I'm runnin' out of clichesI'm gettin' writer's block" - Eminem, Writer's Block

This is going to be a long and slightly more serious one, not boring though! Would I ever bore you ;) I just hope people can take something away from this.

So I just wrote a blog post for www.GNothingness.com about motivation, as I write for them now, but I don’t get as personal on there as I would on here, so I thought I’d do one on here too. 

Writer’s block, lack of motivation, self esteem is all very familiar for a lot people unfortunately, for a musician/artist, it is one of the most crushing and frustrating things.

So many people have written about this in the past, but I am really hoping that what I write could help at least one person who happens to stumble on my blog instead of the countless others.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about me. I have ALWAYS wanted to be a singer, as far back as I remember, I used to lie in bed dreaming about being on stage, recording in a studio and writing music that people connected to. No matter how you say your ‘dream is to be a singer’, it sounds a bit childish, naive and I feel like people will probably laugh and say ‘and now you’ve grown up, what do you want to do?’ as if singing is just a fantasy and not a real career. Obviously, no one ever has, but I’d understand why if they did. It really is one in a million, and I’m not even talking about selling out stadiums, just making a living off writing and singing!

Technology these days makes it so easy to get your music out there, but at the same time even harder, because that also makes the competition greater with the amount of people who can easily upload music. I am still undecided whether I think the internet has hindered or helped people’s chances.

So I find personally, knowing how hard it all is makes it so much harder to push myself to go for it. I am going to put that down to self belief. For me it’s because of years of bullying, I can never get back. I never knew the extent of how much this effected me until recently (That is a subject for a whole new post) For others it might be different. But whatever it is, you CAN turn it round.

As soon as I say ‘self belief’ I feel like this is going to turn into one of those emotional psychological therapy blog posts, so I won’t say it again haha.. BUT, it is true, if you don’t have high confidence levels, it is SO much harder to push yourself to keep going or even know where to start.

Here’s a few things I have found definitely help:

• Surround yourself with like minded people, people who inspire you, people who will push you and be blunt with you when you’re being a miserable b*tch for no reason. My best friend is my hero for this.

• Don’t stay in and watch Netflix all day on your days off, as tempting as it is. Maybe every now and then, but trust me,  it’s an unhealthy addiction!

• If people are holding you back, cut chords (literally… aren’t I clever). If they're taking too long to send a track back, if they're flaky and seem to disappear every now and then, move on. It’s too easy to blame it on other people, so work with people who push you to keep going.

• Do something different. See something new. Break your routine, it's obviously not inspiring. When has the same thing day in and day out EVER been where incredible things come from?!

• Connect to how you’re feeling, use it to write something that could actually speak to people, a song that has personal meaning is always better written because you care more

• You don’t have to do it on your own. Song writing doesn’t have to be something you stay up all night on your own trying to create a masterpiece. When you write with other people, bring styles and ideas together, THAT is when you create something incredible

• Now, here is the most important one. It’s uncomfortable, it’s not pleasant at first, but I have been told it gets a hell of a lot easier, you have to put yourself out there. Hold your breath and just go, say yes to someone who wants to work with you, sing your idea to someone. There is no easy way around this, you just have to do it. If you do, tell me how it goes and I will tell you also.

• Here is the final one, someone commented this on my GNothingness post and I love it; Remember why you started. That is ALWAYS your strongest reason to carry on, ALWAYS. You wouldn’t throw all your passion, time and heart into something you didn’t truly love, live and breath.

That’s it, possibly my longest post to date. I really hope you get something out of this, and I hope you read it all the way through. Being able to make music is a beautiful thing, a true talent, you ARE special if you can do it. So KEEP GOING!

Much Love,

Chloë XO

How to know which path to choose

The question everyone, ever wants to know the answer to.

And here it is...

You don't.

Yup, there you go, there's my gem of advice. It sounds like a pretty crappy one right? But honestly, when I embraced that, things changed. 
I am a perfectionist, and I give it a whole new meaning, I am brutal to myself if I don't meet my own standards and always doing the best thing, choosing the perfect words to say at the exact right time, singing every note perfectly with no pitchyness, never making a silly mistake in a relationship. Wouldn't we all love it if things just fell into place like that?
Well they don't and you can't mould and shape everything around you, and that's what makes it so fun to be human.

Four years ago, I would have laughed at you if you told me I was going to be in an incredible relationship that, 3 and a half years in was as strong as Jay-Z and Beyonce. I would have laughed even harder if you'd told me he would be away for 6 months at a time playing drums in random countries whilst I stayed in the UK. Yet here I am, sat in Bahrain, taking 10 days out of my crazy (Boss Bitch) work life back in London, to see my amazing drummer boy 3 months into his 6 month stint.
Yeah, I've made some bad choices, some very very bad choices, that landed me in hospital for long periods of time (A story I may or may never tell on here, we'll see) but no matter how bad things get, there is always a path to take to rectify it. I also believe that any bad path can be turned into a good one. You learn from everything.
Somethings may seem like the worst at the time, yeah maybe you did something really bad or someone did something really bad to you, but thats the beauty. Great things can come from tiny screw ups, there is always a next day and there is always a chance for something awesome to happen.

I feel like this is turning into a full on hippy, peace and love post, so I'm going to shut up now. The point, however, still stands.
Sometimes just shut your eyes and walk down a path. Who knows what will happen, who knows who you might meet...you just need to put yourself out there for these things to happen...

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

Ever wondered how to live without wifi?

No, you probably haven't. Let's be honest...

You wouldn't put yourself through that torture unless you absolutely had to. No, torture isn't too strong of a word, it is like weaning yourself off a drug or cigarettes, you go through phases of withdrawal. But do you come out stronger?

We moved into our new flat 2 months ago now, and we got wifi 2 days ago. TWO WHOLE MONTHS. NO INTERNET. NO CONNECTION TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

Stage one.

'What do I do? Seriously, there is nothing to do other than stare at a wall. Activities? What are they?'
This is the weird one, you feel disconnected and it's funny how you GENUINELY have no idea what to do or how to communicate with people on a face to face level without getting awkward and running out of things to do. I kept finding myself getting so bored and sitting there just doing nothing... If you're wondering, going through photos on your phone and deleting them, because you only know how to be on your phone, is still nothing.

Stage two.

People are actually interesting, it starts getting easier to live without the constant pinging of some kind of computer. 
I personally realised in this stage, I had finished university a month ago at this point, my boyfriend had moved to a land far, far away and I was living with my two best friends. So umm.... do something? And I did... I got a place on an internship, like an actual career boosting internship, not just walking around selling clothes. (I'm aware that is a career, and not an easy one at that, it's just not my choice) 
I started DOING things with my friends, going out, getting to REALLY know them, spending quality time with them and making memories. Also started really thinking about what I want to do with my future, networking, making valuable connections with people. 
I have always been healthy and cared about fitness, but I have started to be much more in tune with my body and actually dedicated to being the best version of myself, physically and mentally. Fitness is actually an incredible feeling!

Stage three.

Frustration. Yeah, stage two seemed all too good to be true? That's because it was... All of the above is 100% true and I still swear by it all...BUT...
You realise in this world, you now NEED internet to actually do all the things you need to do in these cool jobs you now have, to contact the people you have now met and to save the photos of the memories you have now created. Saying that, I do believe you can do it without internet, but you have to have some seriously strong moral thoughts on this and powerful commitment to the belief. I don't, sorry. The Electronic Music, and just music scene in general, really doesn't allow for that.

Stage four.

A whole lot of switching between stages two and three. 
The arguments, the annoyance of losing money and time thanks to jobs you can't do/take longer. Being forced into actually SEEING people, resulting in having way more fun. Not being able to talk to your boyfriend properly other than in Pret (Pret, I love you forever). Thinking you've got it, then realising Talk Talk have screwed it up again, and again, and again. Paying £90 a month on phone bills because you've had to pay for more data, and then ran out again and realised - IPHONES DON'T WORK WITHOUT DATA... like... AT ALL.

Stage five.

The day you finally get internet again! Yeah, so, what does it do again?

Over doing it and spending far too much online shopping. Writing blog posts. Taking the opportunity to work from home, in your PJs all day, finally.
Basically, I am currently binging or you could call it a relapse...

BUT. Lesson?

I genuinely prefer human contact. 
I have learnt so much about myself on this little internet cleanse. Yes, I had limited access to internet whilst in the office or for those few days a month I actually had data on my phone, (Snapchat and Instagram apparently RINSE all data) but that's the definition of weaning right?
I have over come so many of my weird hang ups, just as a result of going out and putting myself in scary/beneficial situations. 
I have done SO much for myself, partially because Will (boyfriend) hasn't been here as well (sorry to admit that one Willy...what can I say, you're needy ;).)

Proof that I have actually stepped outside my house and not hid under a rock? Okay, here you go:

1|| Your Mum's House, The Nest with Casey
2|| Walk to work over Tower Bridge
3|| New Job includes being in studios. Yeah. Awesome, I know
4|| My little Chia Seed
5|| All Saints Squad. Ollie, Emma & Alex. Babes.
6|| SW4 Festival with the Chia Seed
7|| So this happened at work. A dog. In a bag.
8|| This also happened at work... Clearly there were mixed feelings.

So, I recommend it, put yourself into internet rehab/cleanse/whatever you wanna call it. It might actually shock you how much fun you have and how much there is to learn about the people you already know, they aren't actually that lame.

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO