Tuesday 29 July 2014

Angelina Jolie // Current Girl Crush

I haven't done a Girl Crush post in a while so I thought I would write one up featuring the love of my life, Angelina Jolie. My friend Nora and I are kind of in love with her and I need to tell you why. First of all, she is stunning. Literally, gorgeous. In a sort of 'omg is she even real???!' kind of way. Second of all, she always manages to pull off really interesting, intriguing characters or totally bad-ass female leads, playing complex characters and giving such depth to her performances.  It's great to see a female actor play such strong roles so well, again and again. Even in the film Mr & Mrs Smith, her character was still pretty bad-ass and I feel like any film she is in will not be a disappointment, simply because of her. Finally, I don't think I can talk about Angelina Jolie without mentioning the work she did for UNICEF, her position as Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (not forgetting her previous position as United Nations Goodwill Ambassador) and her current campaign to end sexual violence in war zones and war torn areas (you can read about sexual violence being used as a weapon in war and her recent work on this here, here and here). People have differing opinions about celebrities getting involved in politics but I think that it's absolutely brilliant that, despite her success, she is doing a great deal for such a complicated and devastating cause. I think that deserves some praise. 


Who is your girl crush?

Check out my latest YouTube video: Current Favourites
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Tuesday 22 July 2014

Light as air // Nike Free runs



I was lucky enough to be sent a pair of Nike Free running shoes from Sports Shoes to review and was so excited to try them on. The first thing I noticed (and probably the best thing about them I think) is how incredibly light they are. It's like walking on air. Honestly, truly.  Given their light feel, they are also pretty flexible to walk in (does that make sense??) too and don't require to be 'broken into' like other trainers you can get.  I think they're pretty much perfect for whatever type of exercise or sports activity you choose to do. The material is super light too, allowing your feet to 'breathe' and hopefully not get toooooo sweaty. 


*Nike Free 3.0 V5 Womens Running Shoes; c/o Sports Shoes // Top; Primark // Leggings; H&M // Weights; Sports World

Something I've been doing a lot more of at the moment is home exercise. I have a gym membership but sometimes it's easier to just find a workout on YouTube and complete that in the morning before getting on with your day. I'm a massive fan of Tone it Up and Blogilates as I think they both make exercise seem really care free and even fun(??!?). I know right, exercise... fun?! Yeaaah, right. But including exercise into your everyday routine doesn't have to mean grueling hours on the treadmill (unless that's your kind of thing) but Pilates or yoga can be great or if you want something with more impact then dance classes are where it's at (I personally think). Did you every used to take dance lessons when you were younger? I took 'hip-hop' and jazz and was super duper rubbish but it was a great way to incorporate regular exercise and it was fun too - I feel like dancing is also an instant pick me up. I've been thinking about finding a class and taking it up again but I think that will have to wait till I've sorted out some other stuff so YouTube videos will have to do for now!

What is your favourite way to get up and moving?

Blog wise, I have been loving:

Check out my latest YouTube video: Current Favourites
Find me on: YouTube | Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram: @thatgirlsaadiya

Sunday 20 July 2014

Just peachy // Sunday Musings

Quote by Dita Von Teese, found on Tumblr.

I think a hard, but necessary, lesson in life to learn is this: not everybody you meet will like you. It’s pretty simple and maybe obvious but let’s talk about it. Because you could be the nicest person in the world - always polite, friendly and welcoming while also being confident, firm and sure of yourself. You might even be Beyonce. But there will always be a number of people that you will come across, maybe individually or all at once, who will dislike you. Heck, they might even actively hate you. Even though this is quite an obvious statement to make, I think it can still come as a bit of a surprise when you work with someone, you are at school/university with someone, or you find yourself in a social setting with someone and they give you the impression that they dislike everything about you. You start to question this and want to know why. Why do they not like you, You're not a bad/mean person so what is it about you that makes them feel this way? Sometimes, however, there is no explanation, which is probably not a satisfying answer but I believe it's the truth. That's just the way it is. Your personalities don't mix. And while you can meet someone who's personality doesn't mix with your own and can accept this and move on, some people can't.

I should probably point out that I'm not talking about bullying as that is slightly different. But someone who, no matter what you do, say or even wear, will always find a fault and will just not be 'okay' with who you are. At all. And when you come across those types of people, the best thing to do is just let it go. Move on, it's no big deal, it's 'whatever'. Because the moment you start trying to please that person (or people) is the moment you place yourself in a position of constant hoop jumping, altering and re-moulding. They start to dictate you how and who you should be. I don't mean literally, but if your goal is to please that person or group of people only so they will like you, then you start to force yourself into whatever it is they find appealing or think is 'cool'.  I think it's a lot harder if this person is your boss or colleague because it involves your job/career and the company you work at. But to be honest, if your work ethic is strong and you know that you're getting the job done then that's literally all that matters in the work setting. The company pays you to work and get results, not to be liked by everybody there. Which sounds a bit... heartless? Ruthless? But bending over backwards to please others who are never going to be pleased will literally break your back. (okay maybe not literally... Unless they actually ask you to bend over backwards and you do it then that might genuinely break your back. Don't do that...)

It's very easy to worry about what others think of you. And I honestly think that people who say they don't care what others think of them or that it doesn't bother them are lying (unless you're Kanye West) because there will be some people's opinion who you do care about.  And while it's important to be able to take constructive criticism in life, to grow and learn, it's also important to know that you can't please everybody, some people will actively dislike you and you can't constantly change who you are to fit into someone else's standards of what is 'cool. And that is ok.



YouTube wise, I am loving:
(I've been following her for ages but have recently gotton into her youTube channel and I love it, her editing is pretty cool)
This LookBook by Tar Mar 
(IT IS SO COOL)



Check out my latest YouTube video: 'Beauty in the Mundane' HERE 
Find me on: YouTube | Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram: @thatgirlsaadiya