I received an email today from a reader who asked if I could put a question to my readers.
Is it rude to ask for money for birthday and Christmas presents rather than gifts?
I’m undecided. I think for big birthdays, perhaps your 21st, you might be able to gently spread the word that cash is preferred but I’m not sure that requesting money instead of thought-that-counts tokens on average-Joe birthdays is really that fly.
What say you?
Love
Carly
xxx
I bought jeans. I still feel bizarre in them like I’m spending the day gardening or farming. I’m working on it. I just feel so… casual in jeans.
* Jeans from Just Jeans they are Levi’s new demi-curve range. Highly, highly recommended. Although I should have got a smaller size as these have already stretched a little too much.
* Shoes from Nine West
* Top from Ebay
* Cardigan from Allsaints Spitalfields
* Sunglasses were sent to me from ShadesDaddy. They are Versace and they are awesome. I look like a hornet. I love it. I have to say after my experiences shopping for shades over at Lustable and cruising through ShadesDaddy I will never buy designer sunglasses in a physical store. Online is the only way to go. These sunnies are $150 at ShadesDaddy and $350 (!!!!!!) in every shop I’ve seen them in. Mental.
* Belt from BDBG in Manuka, Canberra
I’m off to the gym and then I’m going to wander up Brunswick Street with my man, ignoring all the washing up and laundry I have to do. What are your plans tonight?
Love
Carly
I was reading an old Grace Kelly interview at the gym yesterday. She said she found it daunting being a beauty icon because she was a Too Girl. Too leggy, too chin-ey, too tall. Too much.
I’ve always thought my hair was too curly, too frizzy… but not a day goes by when someone doesn’t tell me how amazing it is.
I’ve always thought I was too tall, too big… but I can gain a five sneaky kilos and no one notices.
I’ve always thought I was too loud, too obnoxious… but I make people laugh every day.
Have you ever thought that too much might be just right?
What about you? Are you a too girl? Is your ‘too much’ just enough? Share!
Love,
Carly
* Writing. My only complaint is that it’s so sedentary. It’s a good thing that I fidget.
* Baby animals. Baby anything really. Even just small things.
* Having Mamma and Daddy Smaggle come to visit for the weekend.
* Natural yogurt and fresh crispy apples after a weekend of overindulging.
* Cool weather. I like wearing cardigans. Sue me.
* Having L’occitane email me saying that they heard that I wear their Cherry Blossom fragrance and then sending me their Jasmine scent to try! It’s delicious, not too sweet and very simple. Mr Smaggle’s bestie tried to snort my skin yesterday. True story.
* The daggy, baggy elastic waist checkered shorts that my brother handed down to me fifteen years ago. I still wear them to bed and I will continue to do so until they fall apart.
* Ice cream, sushi and lollies. If I didn’t have such an intolerance (read; immediate weight gain problem) to carbohydrates I’m fairly certain I could live on those for the rest of my days.
* Finding mad bargains online. I’ll fill you in soon!
* When sales assistants in clothing stores pretend like they have never seen the dress you’re trying on before. ‘Oh wow! Where did you find that? It’s gorgeous!‘. They are either lying or are really unobservant. Both of which infuriates me.
* Eating too many meals in restaurants over the weekend. I’m a walking salt factory.
* Not having the time to go to the gym. Normally I see exercise in the same light as doing my tax return. Boring and painful but necessary and with a bonus pay off. Today I’m gagging to get there.
* 32 degree days and the people who enjoy them. What is so enjoyable about being a sweaty, red faced trog? Tossing and turning all night because your core body temperature is too high to induce any kind of sleep? Getting sunburnt? Please. Enlighten me.
The above photo was promised to Alicia from Sea Ghosts a while back when we were having a rant about the expectations we put upon ourselves to look stylish everyday. Today I’m wearing the aforementioned hand me down shorts, a long sleeved t-shirt from Target, racer back singlet from Supre and the same Whooga ugg-boots as Alicia although she certainly has the superior colour!
What about you lover? What are you loving and loathing this week?
Carly
x
If you’ve been reading Smaggle for a while you’ll know that I’m a yes woman. There’s time for everything, there’s time for everyone and there’s no such thing as impossible. I have a giant gob and I take massive chomps of life, always taking a second bite before I swallow the first. Usually this life attitude works for me but this week is crunch week and all of my commitments have collided and I’m feeling myself starting to choke a little. Here’s how I’m coping and how you can too…
1. Prioritise? Really prioritise? In a few months time what will you remember? Missing that important work deadline? Or the fact that you didn’t do the dishes for three days straight?
2. Make time to exercise? Realise that the precious hour you ‘waste’ at the gym might well make you twice as efficient later on? And keep your stress at bay?
3. Have Power Hour? Give yourself one full hour to do all those tasks that are plaguing you? Pay your phone bill? Make an appointment? Write your emails? Knock it all over in that magic time frame and clear your head for more important things?
4. Work steadily? Don’t rush, don’t dawdle, just do it? At a regular and sensible pace?
5. Have a strict bedtime? And stick to it?
6. Allow your friends to intervene? Especially if you haven’t seen a three dimensional person in 48 hours?
7. Take a break?
8. Remember that your situation is not permanent? Will you always have that assignment due? Will you always be applying for jobs? Will you always be working 16 hour days? No? Then why not power through the short term problems?
9. Take care of yourself? Realise that stress is worse when you look it?
As you can tell this week is out of control. Thank you to everyone who has emailed this week, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! Also for those of you that are interested there are two new Lustable articles up. How to Accessorise an LBD and Smaggle Embraces French Fashion.
And thank you to everyone who replied to my Can I get a Consensus? Do you have a signature fragrance? Or do you like to mix it up? post. You made me feel like I was unnecessarily hung up on the signature fragrance idea so I’ve ordered some samples from LuckyScent so I can buy even more perfume! Delish!
Oh and how have you been?
love,
Carly
xxx
I realised something extremely embarrassing the other day. I haven’t had ANY perfume for almost two years. How lazy am I? I’ve been nonchalantly looking, but not very seriously and have been getting by with a few dabs of L’Occitane Cherry Blossom solid perfume and (gulp!) Body Shop Vanilla oil. What, am I twelve?
On the weekend I purposefully marched into David Jones and tried out a few cult scents that I had read about in fashion anthologies. None of them were even close to being right for me, but the sales girl was amazing. She quizzed me a little on my previous fragrances and then led me to Vera Wang (obviously) where she hand selected Bouquet for me. I loved it. I bought it. I’m currently awaiting it’s arrival from StrawberryNet.
This whole experience got me thinking. Why did I think it was such a big deal to buy some damn perfume? I’ve got a real chip on my shoulder about finding a signature fragrance and I really need to just get over it and keep on trying out different ones until I have that divine moment.
Do you have a signature fragrance? When or how did you find it? Or are you, like me, still searching? Are you a perfume connoisseur, with many bottles on the go? Or are you committed to a singular bottle?
I’m really curious about this, I find people’s perfume habits fascinating.
Love
Carly
I 
mail so send me one hello@carlyjacobs.com