Wednesday 23 May 2018

21 things I would tell my younger self

Hi everyone! How are you all feeling? Today is actually my 21st birthday - I am so excited! For my birthday I wanted to do something special with regards to my blog. The idea for this post came a while ago when I was at a family dinner with my cousins and everyone was saying how much my cousin's daughter looks like me when I was younger! After a bit of brainstorming I decided to ask little Chloe if she wanted to take a couple of photos with me and she said yes! Today I will be sharing with you 21 things (I turned 21 get it haha?!) I would have told my younger self (i.e. Chloe!) .. get it? I know I'm a bit metaphoric and deep haha! Anyways, grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy it! Let me know whether you liked this blogpost or not!

1. Heartbreaks are inevitable (or almost!)

There are certain things in life that you just cannot escape. Heartbreak is one of them! Your sixteen year old self meets a guy who is ''my soulmate and forever love'' and you fall deeply in love. And there's nothing wrong with that. I don't want to be the one to burst your bubble or sound negative, but honey chances are you'll breakup (not always but 99.9% it will happen) and it will hurt so much. You'll think that life is over but by time you'll learn to get over it and move on. It will teach you so many things and it will make you stronger! 


2. Listen to your inner child



Sometimes we get so caught up in this 'adult life' that we forget to have fun, to act like kids sometimes! Just because you're getting older doesn't mean you forget your inner child. If you're 21 and you want to go on that see-saw - go for it! I have a friend of mine and sometimes when we're stressed or just sad about something, we like to do something that reminds us of our childhood - whether playing Monopoly or going to the swings - it really does help us forget our worries, at least for a while!


3. Listen to your instincts

They're always right! If your instincts tell you that taking that particular decision is what is best for you then do it!


4. Don't let others tell you what you should do or what is right for you



I learned this not too long ago actually. Sometimes I get so caught up in making others happy that I forget that this is actually my life and not somebody else's. Do what you feel is right for you - deep down you'll know if you took the right decision or not. It's not their life to decide, it's yours - people are going to criticize you anyway so might as well do what makes you happy.


5. Form your own opinion about things & life

Don't let others tell you what to think about things. Form your own opinion. You're capable of so many things that you are not yet aware of. Challenge yourself, research about it, talk to someone about it - but never let anyone tell you what your opinion about something should be.

6. Explore & Travel

Obviously I was NOT going to leave this one out! Not everyone is going to agree with me on this but I would tell you - travel, travel and travel. Just buy that cheap flight to somewhere, anywhere and get on that plane. You'll learn so many things from it - different cultures, different traditions, how 'adult life' works but most importantly how to be independent. Even if no one wants to get on that plane with you; get out of your comfort zone and take a solo trip!


7. Find yourself - take time to get to know yourself 



In life we may go through phases that break us and tear us down. I'm not going to lie, it will be hard to re-build yourself and to find yourself again. One of the many amazing periods in my life was when I decided that I'm the one who decides if I'm happy or not and I was fed up of going to bed crying. That was when I decided to step outside my comfort zone and I did things that NEVER in a million years would I have dreamt of doing! I went zip lining (I still get chills thinking about it!), I went on a TV programme (if you know me you know that I am SUPER shy!), I pushed myself to try new things, I started going to contemporary which was something I had been wanting to do for a while but never had the courage to do so and the list goes on and on. It's okay to lose yourself in the process, the important thing is that at the end of it you would be an inch closer to being the best version of yourself that you possibly can.


8. Love yourself


This too I learnt recently! If you don't love yourself, how can anyone else love you? How can you love someone else? I saw this quote a couple of weeks ago and I really liked the way it summarizes everything: ''Love who you are, embrace who you are. Love yourself. When you love yourself, people can kind of pick up on that: they can see confidence, they can see self-esteem, and naturally, people gravitate towards you.''


9. It's okay to be single

When I was 17-20 years old I was amongst few of my friends that were single. Most of my closest friends were in a relationship. If you're with someone you truly love by that time, cheers to you! But if you're not, it's okay!! I have younger friends of mine (which basically have the same thoughts as I use to have - not going to lie!) and I can see by the way they talk to me they have this rush of having a significant other. Use that time to love yourself, to learn more about yourself, what you like/don't like in your partner, travel, explore, make new friends, try a new hobby. I can't even tell you how many things I've learnt about myself when I was going through this phase: I learnt that through dancing I can truly express myself, I learnt that I love being independent, I learnt that I love to travel - something about it just makes me excited! Once I read a quote that said ''Look for someone who compliments you not complete you. You're a whole on your own, you don't need anyone to complete you!'' 


10. Everything happens for a reason and everything will fall into place

You may question things about why and how they happened and you ask yourself over and over again where you went wrong or if things would be different if you had done something differently. Truth is, everything happens for a reason - don't question it, by time everything will fall into place. 


11. Time will heal



Whether it was the death of a close relative, a friend, a breakup or some sort of failure - time will heal, you just got to be patient!


12. Never miss a moment to tell someone you love them

Sometimes we take certain people for granted and for some reason we make them feel unloved and unwanted. I learnt this a couple of years ago - if you love someone MAKE SURE THEY KNOW IT!


13. Hold onto the people that matter 



Not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever. By time everyone will show their true colours so make sure you are holding on to the right people. You don't need any negativity in your life - let go of the people who never put you first!


14. Keep your promises

One of my best friends (hey Beverly!) once told me that to her a promise is everything. I used to tell her it's stupid to believe that, to believe in promises. Fast forward a couple of years, I actually think the same way she does now. When you're making a promise you're giving your word to someone that you're doing something - whether to meet up with them or to listen to them, whatever it is..a promise is a promise. It should never be broken and it should never be used to destroy another person.


15. Love unconditionally


I've never talked about religion or faith on my blog but when I was writing this blogpost I imediately thought of this verse when I arrived to loving unconditionally. This verse is from the bible and it's one of my favourite quotes that best describes love:

''Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.''


16. Step out of your comfort zone 

When we were shooting these photos Chloe asked me to push her on the swing. As I looked at her as she got way too excited that she was so high up in the air, it left me thinking about how scared I was to go on a swing when I was younger. A couple of falls later, I managed to do it! I know it sounds silly and stupid but my point is if I had never tried or if I had never failed I wouldn't have been able to go on that swing. What I am referring to here is our comfort zones. When we try out best to do something different, something unusual or something we have been wanting to do for a while; we feel so accomplished and slowly slowly we start getting out of our comfort zones when we eventually find the courage within us to do it!



17. Always put yourself first



I actually learnt this a couple of weeks ago. I mean, I knew it but I just never put it to use. People will always think of themselves before you - it's the harsh truth. Only a handful will put you before themselves, so treasure those few people and learn to always put yourself first - if YOU don't put yourself first, then who will?


18. Do what you love

Yes, I am referring to blogging amongst other things (from my perspective). Life is short and if we don't do what we love we'll end up living a boring and unhappy life. Do what you love! Whether it's dancing, hitting the gym, blogging, singing - whatever it is, if it brings you happiness and it makes you smile from cheek to cheek and it brings you satisfaction; then do it and forget what others think of it even if it's ''a waste of time'' !


19. Family over anything

Nobody is here to stay forever. I have to be honest with you, I get so scared and sad when I think too much about it but then again will it change anything? So might as well cherish the time we have with out loved ones and make sure that they know they are loved and appreciated. Spend time with your parents, siblings or nephews/nieces. Family should stick together and always be there for each other!


20. Get excited over the little things

Yes, I was copying Chloe's amazing modelling skills here! But seriously, I know so many people that are almost impossible to please. I've learnt to be happy with the little things. If you get a random 'I love you' text from your best friend, if you manage to do a difficult dance move, if you manage to finish all the tasks I planned to do during the day or if you manage to get my lazy self to go to the gym - every little thing is an accomplishment and you should get excited and happy that you've done it!


21. Be an example to others



I know sometimes it is difficult. But just imagine that you have a little brother or a little sister (even if you don't have!). Make sure that when they grow up they'll have someone to look up to and to be their inspiration!


That's it from my end! Hope you enjoyed it, I know it was something different. 

Have an amazing week and I'll talk to you in the next blogpost!

Love,
Deborah X

Photography: MCMifsud Photography

Chloe's Clothes: Debenhams Malta

Monday 14 May 2018

Transitioning from Spring to Summer

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all having an amazing day. I am so pumped at the moment and I have been having this urge to get things done - I hope this feeling stays with me a tad longer, at least until exams are over!

For today I decided to share with you an outfit that I shot a while ago but which is now absolutely perfect to start wearing it as it's finally hot enough to wear crop tops, at least in Malta! It's a very simple outfit yet it's perfect for the upcoming spring-to-summer-nights!




I have been LOVING these culottes! They are so comfy yet they give you a look that is very elegant in my opinion. I styled this exact pants a couple of days ago when I went out for dinner on a Friday night. The restaurant I went to was a more classy one so I switched the crop top for a long-sleeve lace black top instead. This is what it looked like! But obviously I prefer this look much more. 



I bought this rust culotte because I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone since this colour is not be a colour that I would usually wear. However, to try and not go overboard I kept it simple by pairing it with a simple black crop top which I had for a while now. I wore my black court heels and opted for my black leather jacket so that if it's still a bit windy I'd still be comfortable.




That's all for today! Don't forget to 'like' Distorted Priorities and follow me on Instagram.

See you all next time!

Love,
Deborah X

Outfit Details:

Crop Top - River Island
Culotte - New Look
Court Heels - H&M

Photography: MCMifsud Photography

Saturday 5 May 2018

Spring Lookbook 2018

HI EVERYONE! I am SO excited for this post. I have been preparing and planning this for a couple of weeks now and I honestly put a lot of hard work into this - hours of planning, preparing & an 8-hour filming day to present this to you. I am very proud of this & I am extremely grateful for the people I got to work with. I have been wanting to do something like this for a while now and I finally managed to do it! I present to you my Spring Lookbook 2018 video which you can check out here! Let me know in the comments down below what you think of it (I'm curious!!) or if you want you can message me on Facebook & Instagram!







Obviously, I couldn't do this video without preparing a blogpost to go along with it. Therefore I will go through all five outfits for further details. For details with regards to from where I bought the clothes, make sure to check the video - I listed everything there or else check the details at the end of this blogpost!

Outfit #1 - Wedding Guest






I know wedding season is upon us so I made it a point to include a dress that is perfect for a wedding that you might have coming up. I loved this dress - it's unique, formal & it honestly makes you feel like you can do anything - #princessmaterial! I love the detail of this dress and I love the colour of it - not too sparkly! For shoes, I wore these rose gold strappy sandals which I thought would go perfectly with my dress as well as this nude clutch bag. 







Outfit #2 - Festival Inspired





I have been seeing so many celebrities and youtubers going to festivals all over the world, mainly Coachella. Therefore, I was inspired to create this festival look perfect for springtime (even if you don't have a festival to attend to!) or any upcoming events where this outfit will be suitable. What I loved most about this outfit was obviously this gorgeous black & white sheer kimono as well as the metallic sticker tattoos. The kimono has such a beautiful lace detail that goes along with the lace detail of the white crop top. As for the tattoos,  I've had these tattoos for over a week now and I am so happy with how they still look at the moment. So if you're thinking of purchasing these for the summer time, I guarantee you that you'll have them on for quite a while. I think that you won't have a complete outfit without these metallic tattoos! I wore this skinny high-waisted jeans because I thought it's still a bit cold to wear shorts!



Outfit #3 - Spring Ready!



For this outfit I decided to go for a playsuit. Although a lot of people wear playsuits only during the summer time, I thought that this one is perfect for the spring time. For starters, it has a mid-length sleeve. Also, the colour (in my opinion) is perfect for spring because at this time of the year we start wearing brighter colours after wearing such dull colours during the winter season. I paired it with my rose gold strappy sandals and this beautiful white clutch bag with some golden corners which I absolutely loved! I apologize for being so pale - I need a suntan ASAP!




Outfit #4 - Sporty Casual




I really wanted to include an outfit like this in this lookbook. I wanted to include something that is fun and casual but something that can still make a statement. I chose this blue pants with a thick yellow stripe on the side and I paired it with this Brooklyn shirt which I tied with a knot to give the outfit more style  rather than leaving it as it is. For shoes, I simply paired it with my white trainers.




Outfit #5 - Lady in Black!




For this last outfit I wore something that I had never EVER worn - and that is a jumpsuit. I absolutely loved this, they're so comfy because you're wearing trousers but they are super stylish. Plus, I loved the one shoulder look and the detail on the right shoulder. For shoes, I wore my black court heels and for bag I chose this shoulder bag that has different shades of blues.



And that brings us to the end of this post! Make sure you watch the full Lookbook video right here and let me know by commenting down below or on the video whether you liked it or not and which outfit was your favourite - I'd like to know!

Makeup by the talented Daniela Ebejer

Special thanks goes to all my sponsors: Debenhams, Exclusive Malta, New Look, River Island, I love Make Up Malta, and last but not least Dawn for the filming & amazing editing of the Lookbook video as well as Maria Christina from MCMifsud Photography for these beautiful photos!

Thank you also goes to my friends and family for always supporting me especially Ilona, Roberto, Jessica, Charmaine & Beverly for letting me repeat over & over again about how excited I was about this project!

Love,
Deborah X

Outfit Details:

Outfit #1 - 
Dress - Exclusive Malta
Shoes - Missguided
Clutch Bag - Gallarija Darmanin

Outfit #2 - 
Crop Top, Jeans & Kimono - New Look
Metallic Sticker Tattoos - Rimmel

Outfit #3 -
Playsuit & Clutch Bag - River Island
Shoes - Miss Guided

Outfit #4 -
T-Shirt & Trousers - New Look
Shoes - Adidas

Outfit #5 -
Jumpsuit - ONLY at Debenhams
Flower Crown - Flower Crowns by Fran
Shoulder Bag - New Look
Shoes - Forever 21

Makeup by Daniela at I love Make Up Malta - Wedding Make Up Specialists using Eylure Lashes
Nails by Philippa at Nails & Beauty by Philippa - Nail n'Style
Photography by Maria Christina at MCMifsud Photography
Filming & Editing by Dawn Powell