FOR MY BEST FRIEND

Remember that day we were models ? 

For you, Andrew. 

The past year, without doubt has truly been the best year of my life. I can safely say that my friendship with you and with Danny  is a main reason why I am loving my life so much at this moment in time.

Entering uni this year was a little nerve racking for me as I was unsure of what to expect and how things were ran. However, starting uni was an absolute breeze with the support of you both. I have absolutely loved going down to uni especially this last semester despite the long days and early morning starts. I couldn't tell people enough just how excited I would get come Sunday night with the weekend over knowing I had uni with you that Monday morning. I also didn't think it was possible to love an English class as much as the love I had for our English class we had this session. I will always remember Nomi, she will hold a special place in my heart forever! he he 

Through our ritual Monday coffees down at The Yard (that has since turned into coffees every morning of every day, ha!)our friendship has progressed and developed unexpectedly into a friendship that I will cherish forever. Some of our best conversations have been shared over a coffee and it will always be hands-down one of my favourite things to do with you. 

DA YARD BABY
STILL MY FAVOURITE

The copious amount of 'good days' we have had this year is out of this world. I've said this many times before to you but I'll say it again, everyday I have shared with you has been fun and I never want them to end. We definitely have the coolest days together, fair? I think so ##. My favourite being our recent little adventure in the spring break. That day was amazing and I would do anything to relive it, even if it was just for five minutes. 

This brings me to another point I would like to mention. You have pushed and given me lots of encouragement to do and try things this year that have taken me out of my comfort zone. Like, making sure I booked my hair in to go blonde. I have always wanted to go blonde and I know you know that going blonde was a little dream of mine. Changing my hair has been one of the best decisions I have ever made and I can thank you for pushing me to do it. By you and Danny coming in with me while I was having it done and treating me like a princess for the day put the icing on the cake. 

Most awesome Monday ever known to exist !

And how could I not mention EUROPE? Going to Europe and doing a Contiki with my three best friends in this whole world was absolutely amazing. I really did have the best time of my life, with you. In particular, I LOVED cooking with you in Cinque Terra! Even though Danny and Sis don't like to say this, our meal won for sure, ha! I cannot wait for our next overseas trip together... bring it on! 

Your charm, 
your confidence, 
your kindness, 
your spontaneity, 
your humor, 
and your taste are all great qualities you possess. You bring all these qualities to our friendship which makes it so great and I love it. 

We have shared so many crazy, amazing memories together this year and I look forward to the many, MANY more that are yet to come. 

Thanks for being an awesome friend. 

Love always,   

Lilly 

aka- billy, bill, willie, cheeky monkey, cutie, fruit tingle, lilly vanilly 

M O T H E R S D A Y.

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mothers in the world!
LC xxxxx

W H I T E O N W H I T E

A FEW LOVELY IMAGES, SOME OF MY FAVOURITE. 

ENJOY LC XXX 

WHAT I BOUGHT.

Hello beautiful people, 

Last friday I was out shopping at my local shopping centre for the day. I was in search for a dress or new clothing to wear out that night. I am very fussy and usually everything I like is not on the cheap side and when you are trying to save for an upcoming trip to Europe this creates quite a tricky situation. However there is nothing like a good shopping splurge ! 

My look.
I decided to wear this dress simple by teaming it
with Funkis clogs. 

I found this little faux leather number in General Pants Co. for $90. I am completely in love with it. 

This is dress is perfect as we are now entering the winter seasons in Australia. It has a thick lining, which makes this dress the perfect choice for those cooler nights when you are having a night out. It can also be worn for a more casual look day or night. I will definitely be teaming it with stockings, ankle boots, a fur jacket and a felt hat as the weather gets cooler. 

Leather looks are right on trend this season whether it be a leather skirt, shorts, tops, tights and even hats. 

Just in my last post I mentioned that I had my eyes on a felt hat from General Pants. Well I went and bought one for myself for just $35. I am very in love! 

I can see myself wearing my new hat with my new dress. HA! 

LC. xxxxx 

R E C E N T O B E S S I O N S

HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. 

So, this morning I have finally gotten around to writing a post about my favorite things that I am recently overly obsessing about. I really enjoy being able to write and share about things that I love. 

CHANEL MASCARA

INIMITABLE INTENSE

Do you ever find yourself constantly looking for a really good mascara that doesn't clump or leave you with little black specs under your eyes at the end of the day? Well I have found the perfect mascara that is so perfect it makes me want to cry! Chanel's genius product Inimitable Intense mascara evens and thickens your lashes which is perfect for me as I have quite long lashes without the appearance of them being thick because they are fair. It also extends the curl without needing a curling scissors creating a false eyelash effect. Plus the best thing about this mascara is that it does not leave you with black smudges on the line where your eye lid meets your lashes- I personally think this is one of life's most annoying things- a teenage girls first world problems! This is probably my favourite beauty product ever and I can not talk more highly of it. 

HATS

TOPSHOP PLAIN FLET FEDORA

All through last year and this year felt hats have been a big trend. I bought my first felt hat at Sportsgirl for around $40 at the beginning of the Autumn season last year and I wear it all the time because I love it so much! This season I have got my eyes on one from General Pants that is more like the one above from Topshop. These hats are so great because they can hide any bad hair day, they can be teamed with pretty much anything and they are sun smart! Wins all around!!! I hope this trend stays in for a while. 

PERFUME

MARC JACOBS OH LOLA!

If everything in the world smelt like OH LOLA! I would be one happy girl. This perfume has become my everyday-go-to scent. Its girly, elegant, youthful and a bit flirty which I think best suits my personality. It contains scents of pear, raspberry, peony, magnolia, sandalwood and vanilla -perfect for an 18 year old girl, ha. Marc Jacobs' Daisy will always be my favourite of his fragrance collection but at the present moment I am loving Oh Lola.
LC XXXXX

MELTING MOMENTS

HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. 

Last night I found myself in the kitchen baking! I LOVE to cook sweets like biccies, cakes and muffins, it makes me feel good and the chances are everyone will love them -unless you really can't cook- because who doesn't love a delicious home-made sweet?  
And these MELTING MOMENT BABIES came up a real treat! Ha ;)
I used the recipe from my AfternoonTea Frankie Cook Book. Possibly my favourite ever cook book! I strongly recommend that every girl has one of these books in their home. I know when I move out of my parents home, I will definitely have one. 
This recipe was extremely easy and simple and they taste delicious. 

I have also made these once before but with hot pink icing.
They looked so cute and girly, perfect for a girls afternoon with a big pot of tea. 

LC xxxxx

NEW BEGINNINGS.

HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! 

I know this is going to sound really clique but 2013 is shaping up to be quite an exciting and new year for me. I have so many things to look forward too that are all new. I'll soon have a new routine, I'll be meeting new people and spending quality time with those I love. Here is a small list of things that are already making my 2013 exciting. 

• UNIVERSITY! 

I've already told you in a previous blog post that I am off to University which is starting in early March, eek - but I'm totally excited! I've already spent a few days there to enrol in my courses and I have O-week coming up too, which I am egar to go to. The UOW campus has such a lovely, chilled vibe about it and I'm really looking forward to completing my degree there. 

• MY BEST FRIEND'S GAP YEAR

In January this year my best friend left the land of Aus behind as she was about to begin her big 'GAPPIE' adventure in England. She has been there for the past three weeks  I do miss her so much and I don't think I realised how much until one of my friends asked me yesterday how I was coping which prompted me to get a little teary. Although this is not really a new exciting thing that is happening to me, it is quite different not having your best friend in the same country as you for a year. But I am so glad she is enjoying herself so much. 

• EUROPE 2013

My Euro trip has been a plan in progress for over a year now. In 2011 I was fortunate enough to travel to Spain with my school for World Youth Day! This was honestly the best thing I have ever done and it has left a burning desire in me to TRAVEL even more- victim of the travel bug right here! So when my best friend (lets call her Lola) put plans in place to do her Gap year, Lola's brother, his best friend and myself decided to go over in our winter Uni break over July to Europe. All four of us have booked a Contiki tour which takes us right around Europe - SO EXCITING! It is now less than five months until we leave! 

Monsterrat, Spain. This was my morning view. 

I am looking forward to the year ahead and all the possibilities that come my way :)

LC xxxx 

A BAD HAIRCUT IS A VERY BAD HAIRCUT!

I once read that hair is not just hair, it is an accessory and should "always" be worn well... well up until you have a bad haircut that is. 

At the end of last year, just after I completed the HSC I decided to get my haircut. For about the previous two years I had been growing my hair and I think by the time I got it cut it was half way down my back. I loved having long hair as their was so much I could do with it in terms of styling. I would often opt for the high pony tail and I was a big fan of parting it down the middle with loose waves. 

I'm the type of girl who always loves to have great hair and I have spent hours in front of the bathroom mirror perfecting my styling skills. My hair has always been the one thing that my friends seem to compliment me on, which makes me feel great! But with the chaotic nature of the HSC and all the demands that are placed on you throughout the year my hair faced a lot of neglect which meant a lot of split ends and dry hair - YUCK! 

During the year in 2012 Australian model/celebrity Lara Bingle starred in her own reality TV show 'BEING LARA BINGLE'. I quickly became obsessed with this and I now had something to look forward to on those cold Winter Tuesday nights. I know I have gone completely on a tangent and you are probably are thinking what does Lara Bingle and her TV show have to do with my bad haircut? Well actually she does! From the first episode I fell in love with her hair. Her short, blunt, blonde balayaged hair! This quickly became the trending haircut and has been sported by a lot of women. This is what I wanted. 

Not my own photo

Not my own photo

Not my own photo

However when the time came around for me to get my haircut, I made the VERY STUPID decision to get it done at my local shopping centre. I'm in the process of trailing new hair salons because my old hairdresser left the place I went too - sad face :( ! Let me tell you the this place I went to was a VERY BIG ERROR in my trailing. I went to the hair salon having a very clear picture of what I wanted - a short blunt haircut with no layers (all one length) and thinned (like Lara's) out so it wouldn't get bulky as I have a lot of hair. This is not what I got, I came out of the place looking like a cardboard-cut-out of girl who had cut my hair with short layers and huge-ass ugly bangs that surrounded my face. EEKKK! I think I cried for about three days. I felt like all my pride in my hair had been striped away from me. I don't think in all my life I have ever been so angry with a complete stranger! 

So for the last two months I have been sporting the little top-not messy bun almost everyday. My hair has grown and I am quite happy with the length, now I just have to wait for the layers and those god-awful bangs to grow out. My aim is to have my hair looking similar to Lara's by the time I go away to Europe which is in 5 months. Hopefully I will have gotten around to putting blonde through it as well. 

But for now, here is to Happy Hair Growing! Ha. 

LC xxxx

I'M OFF TO UNIVERSITY!

And so... the adventure begins. Last week on the 16th at 9pm I found out that I had been accepted into the University of Wollongong!!!!! I secretly locked myself away from my family, logged onto the UAC website, entered my details and received great news. Not only did I get offered a place at the uni I wanted but I also got offered a place in the course I wanted as well. I was so happy that I ran to mum and my granny almost crying with happiness that I was going to uni. I now feel a great sense of accomplishment as all my hard work during the HSC year has paid off. 

I realise how lucky and privileged I am to be given this opportunity as not many women in this world do.

So I am off to study Commerce and Arts (a double degree). I am a little nervous at what is ahead but mostly I am excited. I feel the time is right to get a new routine, meet new people and have different challenges come my way.
I'll be blogging more about my uni adventures but for now there is tennis to be watched.
LC xxxx

First Time Blogger

My name is Lilly and this is my blog 'i appreciate beautiful things'.
I reside in Sydney, Australia and I just finished year 12 in November last year.
I am very new to the 'blogging world' the only blogging I have ever done is on tumblr. So I can safely say that I am a 'blogging rookie'. I have decided to give this ago because I wanted more a blog where I could post more of my life and share it with people. Although I have began to do this through tumblr, I didn't feel it was working the way I wanted. I am still keeping my tumblr active, but I think I will use it more as an inspiration blog rather then me writing and posting photos of my daily life. I have a link to my tumblr on the right side of my blog if you want to check that out.
Another reason why I wanted to try this is due to my recent discovery of the english youtubers Jack and Finn from Jacksgap. I quickly became obsessed with these vlogs of the english twins (and lets face it, how could you not fangirl over two very good looking twins with adorable english accents?) This lead me to find another english youtuber known as Zoella. As I began to watch more of her videos I found out that she also blogged. I liked the fact that she was blogging and vlogging about her life which planted the idea in my head that I could do the same especially now that I have finished school and have a lot of free time on my hands. So now here I am writing my first post for my blog.
I want this blog to encompass aspects of my life and I want to be able to share with you my insights and thoughts. 
I hope 'i appreciate beautiful things' takes me on a journey that is both enjoyable for me and for you.

LC xxx

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