Aussie Curves: Headwear

Dress: Vintage Thrifted $2 / Hat $3 Cabramatta / Boots Target 

I'm not sure when it happened, but I think it may have started after my first summer trip to New York 3 years ago. I found a cute little white hat in Harlem for like $6....I never realised it at the time but hats seem to be another little outfit saver for me. I'm always short on time and the trusty hat always seems to liven up my dull outfits. These pics were taken in the afternoon. We'd had lunch, watched some movies, rolled around on the carpet.....we may have even had a nana nap....but I got up and put this lavender beauty on. I picked it up at Cabramatta for $3 from one of those awesome dollar shops. YAYURR! 

Big Love,

Falala Mele.

Aussie Curves: Celeb Copy Cat Aaradhna

So I've climbed out of the woodworks to participate in my fave Aussie Curves theme.

Yes. The Celeb Copy Cat week was something I could not miss out on. I had so much fun last year trying to pull together an outfit to match the effortlessly dope Solange Knowles (see post HERE). While everyone in Australia is going cray cray for big sis Beyonce cause she's here at the moment.....I'm totally pissed that I will miss Solange's quick summer tour and New Years concert. She is on my MUST-SEE list and unfortunately, I will be in Hawaii when she is visiting Australia. WHYYYYY??

Anyways, back to this post..... So I've chosen to copy the beautiful Aaradhna. I'll forgive you if you haven't heard of her before. She is New Zealand's very own RNB & soul queen. I knew of her from way back because all of the polynesians were buzzing over that Adeaze track 'Getting stronger' and the good music has not stopped. 

She has recently dropped the superb album Treble & Reverb. Honestly it's soooooo fucking good. Yes, it needs the swear. I'm never excited about new music because there's so much stuff out there these days and I don't have the time to find that needle in the haystack.

But this is exactly what her album is. 

It's the first whole album I've actually bought in a long time and it's a real collection of stories that progresses and takes the listener on a journey. Yes. A real album. Thank you music gods.

Her track WAKE UP has kept me running on the treadmill when my legs have felt like lead, and the entire album is on high rotation in our house still....pretty sure we were playing it this time last year. 

Besides dying over her music, I've also watched her style evolve. I love her appreciation for vintage (and I assume thrifted) dresses and prints. I love her because she's talented, real and polynesian. Aaradhna looks like a lady and sings like a queen. I can't wait for the day I get to listen to her sing live.

I found this gorgeous pic of her on Kiwi blogger Lani Says Aaradhna's Media Showcase post. I love her dress and I have picked up a few like it when I was out on the thrift. My outfit was a dress and a blouse but I cut the dress and made a skirt, just because I do that sometimes. Both are thrifted of course. I love that she is wearing flats. I'm forever living in chucks and dresses. I love that she is a natural beauty. 

Do yourself a favour. Listen to her music and follow her on instagram @aaradhna and twitter. She is one of the few people that are worth following.

Big Love,

Falala Mele.

Aussie Curves: LBD

LBD. 

Little Black Dress aka Lifesaver.

Throughout the years my personal style has changed a lot. Sometimes I look back at old photos and either cringe or laugh. There's rarely a photograph where I think "Dayum girl.....you had it right then." 

I mean when do you ever truly get it right? 

At least there is the LBD. It's like your best friend; reliable and it always makes you feel good. It always has your back and it's fuss free. Throw it on with a few accessories and you can transform your look instantly. I have two that currently sit in my wardrobe and I wore my Forever 21 LBD to my cousin's graduation party. I picked it up in New York on my first ever trip in 2011.

Mum, Theresa, Dad and I with Sia on her graduation.

I helped organise my cousin's grad party so throughout the evening I was running around with family to ensure that everything was running smoothly. I had like an hour to get ready after setting up the hall so this LBD was a beautiful timesaver. I paired it with my leather belt and brown wedges for a subtle contrast.


 Look at how beautiful my family look in their LBDs. Perfect for all shapes and sizes.

The ladies loved the boys show. 

 

Also thought I'd add in a little LBD flashback. 

LBD 2011

LBD 2012

LBD 2013

Big Love,


Falala Mele.

Aussie Curves: Feminine

Dress: Vintage Floral Australian Dress made in Melbourne. $2.50 at the Salvos

Hat from Cabramatta for $2

Boots: Target  /  Glasses: Cotton On

Hello my fellow Falalas,

I've finally made it back to the Aussie Curves challenge list. I'm so excited to be back and primarily because two of my girls have decided to join the challenge this year. I've been very fortunate to grow up around beautiful girls. Sally was my high school and we did everything together. Our love for music and food and Koori culture and all things ghetto brought us together. Our tastes and interests developed and our lives rolled out on different tracks but I still count her as one of my homegirls. She's been through a lot lately and I'm so happy that she's out there being bold and fierce not matter what. This is her contribution to the Aussie Curves Feminine week. I'm digging the floral dress. Nothing seems more feminine than a dress with a floral print. Sal's hair is freaking awesome too!

Then there's Lo. My curvaceous sister from another Mister and the first person I featured on my blog in the WHAT SHE'S WEARING POSTS see HERE. We met in college and pretty much became inseparable when she moved into dorms. She went off to Hong Kong when she graduated and moved to Mildura after that job. She is now the Deputy Principal of our little school. She is the main reason why I decided  to move here. I thought it's be awesome to be paid to work with your friend. The Mildura adventure has been great. I have loved settling into this town and know that I will miss it when I leave at the end of the year. I'm so happy Lo decided to join in with the Aussie Curves fun and she now has a blog of her own. Click here: CONFESSIONS OF A PLUS SIZED BEAUTY. Be sure to check her out and follow. This is a new adventure for her so why not share the journey with her.

How cute are my sister girls???

Big Love,


Falala Mele.

Aussie Curves: Time Saver

Hi Ladies,


I'm back after the longest ever hiatus in history. So I'm back with the timesaver post and I have to say that this challenge IS my daily life!! I am ALWAYS busy. Throughout the school term I'm up Mon-Fri at 5:30am and I shower at get dressed at the gym. On the weekend I'm up trying to get ready for church and on Sunday I'm up cleaning the house before heading back into my classroom to prep for the week and then I pack my gym bag and I do it ALL OVER AGAIN!

During the holidays I always try to cram in so much when I'm at home so I'm often travelling from the south coast, to sydney, to new castle. Up and down the coast I go and I'm always throwing together whatever I pack (which is usually a night before-throw-together-whatever is clean type of deal).

My time saver is usually an oversized blouse with shorts or tights. It's quick and comfy. Makeup is a dust of bronzer and I will either do lips or eyes. Today I got ready for church in like 15 minutes because we were running late. So I went to cupboard and pulled out my sisters oversized black and white patterned blouse. I would normally wear it with short tights or a tube skirt because the blouse is really big but being church I decided to go with my sisters newly thrifted berry split skirt to keep it modest.

The blouse has a really long tail and it was a little too big and swallowed the skirt so I chucked on a contrasting blazer to pull it all in and tidy up the silhouette. Whenever I want to look clean and fresh faced I always dust my eyes with my gold Victoria Secrets eyeshadow. I chucked on my final contrasting colour (being the red lips) and I left my hair as is. It air dried like that. I like the look because it's not too polished and I seem to be opting towards that look lately.

Thrifted Wonders: Millers Blazer / Polkadot Blouse / Berry Skirt / Ken Done Bag 

So here are my tips for all you busy ladies out there:

1) Always have a bold staple piece that catches the eye. It could be a bold colour, tailored blazer or a patterned blouse. This will draw the eye and keep your overall look interesting even if the rest of your outfit is made up with your basic jean or tights.

2) Wear bronzer! Wear bronzer! Wear bronzer! This is my ONLY must have beauty item. Bronzer makes me feel fresh faced even if I don't get to do the rest of my face.

3) A lick of lipstick does the same for your face as your bold piece of clothing. Draws and attention and  interest and it is much quicker to apply than mascara and liner.

4) Finish the look with a pair of glasses. I have LOADS of glasses and even when I wear a basic black, I keep it interesting with a different pair of glasses. And instead of looking a little frazzled when you're marching out of the door late, you like a woman on a mission!



Big Love,


Falala Mele

Aussie Curves Sydney Meet

A few weeks ago I attended my first ever blogger meet......Is that even what you call them? I'm kinda decades behind everything in the blogger world. I just know what blogs I like and I share the things that I like with you all. 

I was really excited to meet some of the ladies that participate in the Aussie Curves weekly challenge. I had watched these ladies interpret themes, challenge themselves, encourage others and  confront social norms and expectations. It's really grown into a wonderful community of ladies who share everything from shopping tips and discount codes to personal advice on everyday trials and situations and I finally got to meet some of them in 'real-life'. 

I invited my cousin and my niece to attend. I wanted them to meet some fab ladies and experience one of the coolest things ever to come from the internet and blogging; the meeting of diverse, like-minded individuals who lives would never normally cross paths. When you share personal stories and experiences and read someone else's for an extended period of time, a openness and honesty develops and it's weird but you really do become friends without having met them. 

As I'm typing this my mind flips to that show Catfish when online lovers are excited to meet, usually only to be disappointed with lies and dishonesty. Don't get me wrong there are some crazy ass mofos out there but the difference between those people and the blogging community is that there is really nothing to gain from the lies okay so maybe people lie to get a gazillion followers and free shit and theres so many different blogs around you are really free to follow your tastes and interests.

Anyways we were late, we got caught in the rain (don't sweat it......we found some cardboard boxes and used them as umbrellas) and we were backwards in using our smart phones for accurate directions. To cut a long story short we found our way there EVENTUALLY and after a few quick hellos and some awkward moments thinking "I know them but I don't really know them" sorta deal.... I just decided to relax and chat. My sister and I did our usual tag-team story telling thing (we're famous for doing this amongst our friends) and we all started to relax and bust out laughing.

Back: Tay, Niva, Claire, Mele, Caitlin, Theresa Front: Dani & Jo

The glamorous Claire with my sissy and cousin Niva. Don't they look beautiful?

After we left the Aussie Curves meet up we walked to the casino to have a crazy buffet feed with my college girls. I miss them all the time. I was telling Dani that we all lived on the same floor in our dorm and it was the best ever. Rooms were always open. Clothes, food, dvds, shoes and harddrives were always mysteriously moved from room to room. We shared EVERYTHING and in all respects we became sisters. Try to imagine us reunited.
It was loud, and crazy with loads of mocking, giggles and food. Such a blessing.

Worn: Thrifted Polkadot Blazer $2 Thirfted Tie-Dyed Top $2 City Chic Skater Skirt $10

I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all the cool cats who made it out to the city in the rain. It was honestly really cool to meet you all and put your personalities to your blogs. 
I can't wait to do it again.



Big love,


Falala Mele xo

Aussie Curves Swimwear

Happy Hump Day Everyone! I'm excited to be back in the Aussie Curves swimwear challenge this week. I have been extremely busy with work and life in general but I have some photos that I wanted to share with you all.

So swimwear yeah? Well I love swimming. When there's water I'm usually there. I'm blessed enough to have some of the most beautiful beaches surrounding me and in the last few years I've been in some pretty amazing places. So when it comes to swimming I dress for practicability. I have a few pair of swimmers in my drawers because I'm in love with the idea of swimwear but in the real world this is what I usually wear. Tights, singlets, bras, t-shirts or whatever else I have on me when I'm out and about and I happen to find somewhere nice to swim.

Lalo Manu Beach Samoa

I climbed down this ladder to swim in To Le Sua Trench Samoa. I was scared but it was amazing

Covering our bodies with the rich clay from the clay hole at Wreck Bay ACT

Summercloud Beach ACT

Down I go!

I slid down these sliding rocks too! Literally had to swear at myself to do it. 

I went down the second set of sliding rocks. It was harder to climb up the mossy rocks because there was no path.

Wether you wear beautiful swimmers or shirts and shorts when you swim, I hope that you do it more often then not.


Big Love,


Falala Mele