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2016 Review: Part 2

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See part 1 here

Swimming: 2016 was entirely about swimming for me. I have a background in swimming from when I was a child but it was twelve years since I'd been in the water. Sometimes I can't believe I stayed away for so long because out of anything I've done in my life, swimming is still what I feel most comfortable with. I joined swim club on the first Wednesday night of 2016 and didn't miss one all year. I also accepted zero excuses from myself for missing training (no matter how much it hurt or how cold it was at 5.30am in winter). I quickly found a good routine to stick to for the whole year but I didn't find it easy with a full time job mainly because of the constant lack of sleep. But I had a dream this year, not just to return to swimming but to get to the level I used to be as a child. It took training most days all year but I did it in the end. 

One of the first swim meets I did for the year was the Western Met RSL Carnival. I certainly did not expect to win the trophy for the open 50m freestyle championship race. To be fair, there wasn't much competition, it was a small carnival and I was still 3-4 seconds off where I wanted to be for the race but still not too bad for the first 50m freestyle I'd entered in 12 years. Unfortunately didn't get to keep the trophy but still exciting to get my name on it. Since it was my first one in so many years I just had to get a picture. 

  • A couple of weeks later I attended a carnival at Dee Why in an ocean pool. It was my first time racing in an ocean pool and found it very different. Unfortunately it was freezing and rained the whole time despite being in summer so I didn't get the full experience. I didn't win the open race for this carnival but hope to go back again another year. 


  • In total I believe I attended six RSL carnivals and 15 Masters Swimming NSW meets for the year. I wanted to put in maximum effort and be involved in everything. However, I found the Masters events particularly stressful. They shouldn't have been but racing swimming makes me nervous despite having learned to race when I was nine years old. It is pressure I put on myself because I'm so annoyed and disappointed at myself if I swim a bad time. I am still not sure how to deal with this. 
The highlights for the first half of the year were the Long Course State Championships at Sydney Olympic Park in April and Ettalong Masters in May. The State Championships were one of the few Masters Meets with medals so that was pretty exciting! I knew I still had lots of work to do because my times were so far off where I wanted them to be. 

The Ettalong meet was amazing for a different reason. I spent the weekend away at Pearl Beach with my friends and we had free time after the swimming events were over. Pearl Beach was the most beautiful location and since it is very secluded it's the perfect escape from every day life. 

In May there was the summer presentation for my swimming club. I'd only been in the club for half a season at that point so was very happy to win these awards. I won the open 100m freestyle championship event which was a huge surprise. However, again I knew it wasn't a fast time so had the goal to become a lot better. 

After many more swimming events in the middle of the year we once again went to Pearl Beach for the State Short Course Championships in October. I won five medals at the championships but it was a weekend of ups and downs. Three personal best times and two terrible times. I'd never been so disappointed with any races all year as I was with two of the swims. I even felt bad having gold medals for them. I was much happier with the silver medals because they were good swims. Overall I had an amazing time up the coast again and hope we go back again this year. 

Next was our own Halloween themed swimming carnival hosted by my swimming club. It was one of the most stressful times ever organising the decorations and coordinating various tasks on the day. Aside from that the swimming went well. I won the trophy for the open 50m freestyle championships. I'd wanted this so much given it was our own carnival. As you can see I dressed as a black cat for the themed presentation afterwards.

The last big meet for the year was the Long Distance Championships. I participated in the 400m backstroke and 800m freestyle. I knew the 800m freestyle would be hugely competitive when deciding what to swim for the meet but I wanted to try it as a challenge. I was very happy with 3rd. I also love the look of the bronze medals and it was my first one. 

 In November we had the winter presentation for my swimming club. I won these awards. Many were achieved from consistency so it just goes to show what can be achieved by showing up each week and wanting something enough. It felt like a moment to reflect on the crazy busy year it had been with swimming.

All year I've been working on achieving the million metres award with Masters Swimming Australia. The name is self explanatory and requires a log book to be kept which documents total distance swam. I find it motivating because every training session and every single lap counts for something. I ended up swimming 679.3km this year which is an average of 13km each week. I still have to swim 320.7km to reach one million metres so it will take a number of months more. But I can see the end and I hope to receive that award before the middle of 2017. 

The positive influence swimming had on my life majorly contributed to 2016 being the best year of my life. I am sad to see it end. After everything I've been through in my life I am incredibly grateful. 
What have you achieved in 2016? 

Outfit

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This is my current favourite outfit and most worn ever since I added the beautiful black and white Dita Cardigan to my collection (post here). It's also the outfit I wore on Christmas Day, the weather was a little warm for a cardigan but I wanted to make it work anyway. It's the same outfit I posted a few weeks ago here but with the black version of the Dita Cardigan instead of pink. I'd wear any of the colourways in the cardigan with this dress because of the way the detailing on the dress matches the embroidery on the cardigan, and also the keyhole design. There aren't many colour combinations I wouldn't wear. I'm sure the colour combination I posted previously of pink with red isn't to everyone's liking but I like it which is all that matters. Black, white and red is probably more conventional. Of all the colourways in this cardigan, black is my favourite which is surprising for someone who likes colour as much as I do. It's probably because the black version is more rare and took me a couple of years to add to my collection. 

I'm going back to work tomorrow and I can't quite comprehend how the holidays are over. Seriously, where did that time go? I definitely wish it wasn't time to return and it's difficult to think of the year ahead; I simply cannot face having a year as busy as the last one. But I will just take one day at a time and I have lots to look forward to on the weekends and before/after work. 

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Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan in Black and White
Kitten D'Amour Scarlet Tie Dress
B.A.I.T Footwear Gloria Flats in Black

Tia Cherie Fitness

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Hi all,


I've decided to create a fitness blog. It's an idea I've been thinking about for awhile now and makes sense given sport is my main interest at the moment. The time now feels right because I have many ideas for the blog which will include favourite products, my fitness goals, active wear fashion and updates on parts of my daily life. Both sport and fashion are my interests so I've been thinking about whether to post everything on the one blog or have them separate. I think separately will be a lot more organised and I appreciate my current audience may not be interested in some of the fitness content I'm going to post. But I want to do it because it reflects my life more accurately at the moment. It's interesting the common misconception that it's impossible to like both fashion and sport. People I meet for the first time are always so surprised I do sport especially swimming and that misconception is usually based on my clothes. It shouldn't be that way. 

My fitness blog is Tia Cherie Fitness located here

I'm still setting it up at the moment. I know it's not a very creative name but I couldn't think of anything cool or exciting. Plus Tia Cherie is my relatively established Internet name so it makes sense to stay with it. 

I'll still be updating my fashion blog here as per normal. 

Instagram

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1. A Christmas event in November. 2. New wallet. 3. Sparkly notebook and pens. 4. Another matching pink outfit. 5. A playground I found one day at lunchtime. 6. 1500m time trial at swimming training one Monday morning. 7. Our 4th wedding anniversary was on 1st December. 8. Juliette Princess Miracle with her personalised Christmas decoration. 9. Final swim meet for last year. 10. Christmas Day selfie. 11. Another Christmas day picture. 12. Matching tennis visors to shoes. 13. The husband at Parkrun. 14. Tennis outfit. 


Follow me on Instagram as chelsea_miracle 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Review

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I recently purchased the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault which has mini versions of the shades. Although for some reason, instead of all the shades, it had 26 colours in the Soft Matte Lip Creme and 8 of the Liquid Suede. (which I haven't tried yet). I'd wanted to try this range for awhile and I wasn't sure which colours to go for so when the vault was available for a good price, I thought I'd buy that. I've certainly never had so many shades in the one product before. I'd like to somehow get the other 10 shades which didn't come in the collection just to have the complete set. It's been really fun to try shades I wouldn't normally so I thought I'd share my thoughts here. It look me almost an entire day to complete this post! 

The lip product I use daily and have for many years is Maybelline Provocalips. It's perfect in terms of texture and staying power but I find the colour range limited. Other than the red and dark red, the other shades don't appeal to me. So that was my motivation behind finding another brand. In the past I've also tried Too Faced Melted which has an amazing colour range but it doesn't always stay on the lips and ends up in unwanted places on the face. It's also rather expensive. NYX soft matte lip cream addresses many of the issues I've had previously with lip products. There are so many shades I love but at the same time there are many I wouldn't wear such as the browns and neutrals.

I'd like to repurchase some of my favourite shades but it's so difficult with limited stockists in Australia. I only know of Target and Priceline which have NYX but there aren't many colours. The NYX website doesn't ship internationally. I'll have to work out where I can buy them. 

Copenhhagen
Copenhagen is my absolute favourite in the collection and I have worn it continually since I bought it. I've already used up the sample and need to repurchase it. I look forward to wearing it with the Rouge Noir version of the Dita Cardigan when the weather is colder. It has a red undertone compared to Moscow which is more of a blue undertone and Transylvania which is a purple undertone. That makes it more wearable for everyday. 

Stockholm and Moscow
Stockholm is a neutral shade with a pink undertone. As far as neutrals go I like it and believe it suits my skin tone, however I wouldn't wear it as I always prefer bright lips. Moscow is one of a few dark colours in this range but this one has more of a blue undertone. It's a little bold for every day wear (even for me) but since I like it I hope there's some occasion I can find to make it work. 

Manila and Paris
Manila is a coral shade with an orange undertone. I often don't look good in orange but this is exactly the right amount of orange. It's a little different from the colours I wear on an every day basis but I like it and I'll certainly be using it again. Paris is the brightest pink I've tried so far in the collection but it's not particularly unique as many brands have similar shades. It's one I'd get a lot of use from so I'm likely to repurchase. 

Transylvania and Abu Dhabi
Transylvania is unique and bold and I can definitely make it work. It's one of my favourites from the whole collection and I've been looking for a shade like this for ages. It has more of a purple undertone in comparison to Copenhagen and Moscow. It will definitely be a repurchase. Abu Dhabi is a neutral with a brown undertone. There are too many shades which look this way in the soft matte range. It's too plain, the brown undertone doesn't suit me and I won't be using it again. 

Sydney and Seoul
At first Sydney was disappointing but after a couple more tries I don't mind it. It's not the most flattering shade but it's fun to wear and I haven't got any shades like it. The consistency isn't as smooth as most of the other colours though. Seoul was a surprise. I was expecting it to be more purple from the container; it's more of a berry pink hue than I thought. It's a winner and will be a repurchase. 

Istanbul and San Juan
Istanbul is a standard and average medium pink. I don't mind it and favour it over many of the neutrals in the collection, but at the same time it's not a standout. San Juan is a very bright orange, even brighter than it appears in the pictures. Orange is a new shade for me and I like it. However, I don't think it could work for every day. I hope I'll be able to find an occasion where it is appropriate. 

Havana and Los Angeles
Havana is one of my favourites from the collection and exactly what I was hoping for; it's more the colour I thought Seoul would be. I have always loved purple lip shades. It's very bold for every day use but I adore it too much so I'll have to make it work. I'll definitely be repurchasing. Los Angeles is another neutral with a brown undertone. I'm not used to brown tones on myself and it's not my style. 

Cairo and Berlin
Cairo is my least favourite of all the colours. It's too plain and looked like I was wearing nothing on my lips. I won't be using it again. The texture wasn't as smooth as the other colours and it was very patchy to apply. Berlin is the darkest brown in the collection. I like it better than the other browns and appreciate it is fairly pigmented. However, again brown is not my style. 

Morocco and Milan
Morocco is one of my favourites and will definitely be a repurchase. It's a more wearable version of San Juan as it's less orange and is really a red orange shade. It suits me a lot better than any other orange I've found in the past. Milan is another medium pink which is between Istanbul and Paris in terms of brightness. Again, I like it but it's not a particular standout. I'll have to choose just one of the pinks I like best to repurchase. 

Zurich and Antwerp
I expected Zurich to be another brown based neutral from the container  but it has more of a pink hue. It's one of the better neutrals but it's a little plain and I don't have any use for neutrals so probably won't use it again. Antwerp is similar to Milan but has more of a coral undertone. I'm likely to repurchase it. 

Tokyo and Cannes
Tokyo is a pale pink shade which is similar to Sydney but less fun and bright. It's a little too plain and just another pink which is too similar to others in the collection. The application was patchy too. Cannes is yet another neutral and as far as neutrals go, it's one of my preferred shades. However, as mentioned previously I don't think I'll have much use for it. 

Buenos Aires and Dubai
Buenos Aires is one of my least favourites colours in this range. Again it was patchy to apply and the texture was not smooth. It's a neutral with a pink or peachy undertone. Dubai is one of the darker browns very much like Berlin. I prefer it to the lighter or neutral browns because it's richer but again brown doesn't suit me. 

Athens and Monte Carlo
Athens is another neutral with a pink undertone. It's very plain and almost looks like I don't have anything on my lips. By this point I am so over the neutral tones. There are way too many in this collection. Monte Carlo is very much my style and I will continue to use it. It's most similar to my current every day lip colour and what I have in a lot of other brands. I was beginning to wonder why there weren't enough red shades in the range.  This didn't come in the vault but I purchased it separately. 

London and Ibiza
London is a disappointing shade being another neutral shade with a brown undertone and it doesn't suit me. Ibiza is another medium pink which is similar to Istanbul, Milan and Antwerp. It's a little more pale and there are others I like better so don't think I will be repurchasing. 

My favourites are Havana, Copenhagen, Morocco, Transylvania and Seoul

Have you tried NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream? 

Current Loves

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Alannah Hill My Summer Glow Cardigan
I've always loved stripes, bows and the combination of red, white and blue so this is certainly my style. It's a classic design but also a little different because most of the cardigans at Alannah Hill are solid rather than patterned. My only concern is the large composition of cotton. I usually avoid buying cotton cardigans because of how they lose shape and I don't like the feel of the material. It's not completely cotton so I'd have to see what this cardigan is like in person. 

Kate Spade Be Mine Wallet
Today I had to go into the city to collect my race kit for the weekend (running event and ocean swim) and while I was there I went into the Kate Spade store. I rarely go to Sydney Westfield so visiting the Kate Spade store was a treat. It was amazing! The store is so pretty and sparkly. The Valentines collection is so beautiful and I've always liked heart print. I found so many pieces I wanted to buy. Without going on a massive shopping spree I could probably justify purchasing a wallet but I'll wait until my birthday because I'm trying to get out of the habit of spending just because I see something I like. 

Nike Free Rn Shoes
I already have the Nike Free Rn in a few different colours and I'm very impressed with them (I'll write a separate post about them on my fitness blog eventually). They are running shoes but I wear them for bootcamp, to tennis and to and from swimming. I love the minimalist and lightweight design and they are very comfortable. The bright colour range is also a feature and, at the moment, the Free Rn is available in 13 different colours on the Nike website. I desperately want to add this pink and blue version to my collection but I'm spending less at the moment so resisting the desire to buy more. 

Marc Jacobs Shine Fragrance
I discovered this today during a quick trip to Sephora. I was amazed by the pretty metallic packaging in red, gold and pink. It's hard to choose a favourite but overall I think the red was the most pretty in person. As far as I can tell it appears to be the usual Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance just with different bottles. I've always liked Daisy and I'm running low on it (maybe I'll try and get some for my birthday next month). I can still smell the scent on me which I sampled earlier today. So pretty. Knowing me, I'd probably find some excuse to own all three colours. 


Alannah Hill Only in Your Dreams Cardigan
There are many Alannah Hill cardigans I love at the moment (and as always!) but this one is my favourites because of the unique colour. It's so difficult to find yellow clothes and especially mustard yellow which is unfortunate because it's such a standout shade. It also comes in pink which is also pretty. I adore the detailing and beading. 

Kate Spade On Pointe Swan Small Maise Bag
Following on from the Kate Spade theme, I've always wanted a bag. It would be my favourite brand of bag to have (other than Chanel of course!) I love how the bags are so creative; you don't see a swan printed bag every day. To me, it's classic and fun at the same time. I've always liked swans for some reason too. At $489 it's an expensive bag. I'm sure it could be seen as an investment, right!?!!

What's on your wishlist right now?

Outfit

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IMG_5081Wow it's been so long since I did an outfit post, it's actually my first set of pictures taken all year. In addition to being incredibly busy (which you can read about on my fitness blog here), I hadn't dyed my hair in months and my regrowth was so terrible it was all the way back to my bun. I had a few people ask whether it was intentional ombre! Therefore, I'd been avoiding outfit pictures and cameras in general. I finally had my hair dyed again this weekend. I must never let it get so bad again. Red hair and a routine of swimming six days a week isn't easy. But I love both red hair and swimming so I make it work the best I can. 

The Kitten D'Amour Picture Perfect dress has easily become my most worn and go to dress. I'm often in a rush for work after training in the mornings so I reach for this dress time and time again. It's so simple to pair with any of my cardigans. I wish I had the blue version of the dress too. I've said many times before that red and green is such an underrated colour scheme. It certainly shouldn't just be reserved for Christmas. I wear these colours together frequently (such as here and here on the blog). Green is supposed to be good with red hair also.

On another note I'm so frustrated by seeing my personal pictures, taken entirely for the purposes of this blog, used on other people's ebay listings. It's happened quite a few times including right now for the Emerald Green Dita Cardigan. I cannot comprehend why anyone would think that's acceptable. Use some common sense. Just take your own pictures!! I'm also incredibly frustrated by the responses received when I ask the ebay seller to take my pictures down. How can the fact my images show up in a google search, be used as a justification for using them? How can my personal blog photos be compared to using actual stock photos from a website? There's no need to respond in such a manner. Have you ever experienced this, any tips of what to do? 

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Kitten D'Amour Picture Perfect Dress
B.A.I.T Everline Flats in Red
Alannah Hill Once Upon A Dream Cardigan in Emerald
Hair Bow (gifted from my sister!)

Outfit

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Another red and green outfit, I told you I love this colour combination. This outfit is the reverse of the one I posted earlier in the week- red on green instead of green on red. I like the way this outfit turned out. It wasn't planned, it came together in a rush before work. I also like how this outfit combines a couple of old favourites. I've had the cardigan for probably five years now and there wouldn't be many pieces in my wardrobe I'm still wearing from that long ago. (Back in the days I when had short brown hair). I like the frill detail and the silver buttons. It's such a nice deep shade of red too. Red is actually incredibly versatile to me. I could accessorise pretty much any dress in my wardrobe with red details.I did a remix post on this cardigan a few years ago here. The mint green lace dress is another old favourite. I've had it for a similar length of time. It's from Portmans and I was so surprised to find it in that store. It seems different to the usual Portmans style and I rarely go into the store. However, I've had so much wear from this dress and will continue to do so. Isn't it incredible how much clothes can remind us of certain times in our lives. In this case, not the best times as my life wasn't easy five years ago. However, the way clothes bring back such vivid memories is quite remarkable. 

My shoes are a much more recent purchase. I've been cutting down the spending this year. However, these shoes are one of the few items I've purchased. I've mentioned a few times how I'm a major fan of B.A.I.T Footwear. The vintage designs are unrivaled by other brands and they are very comfortable. I've built up quite a collection now (hoping to do an post on my updated collection soon). I have the Robbies in a few different colours now and when they were released in red I simply couldn't resist. I've noticed Kitten D'Amour appear to have replicated a few B.A.I.T Footwear designs now including the Robbies. I'm not sure the background on it but from my perspective I'm not a fan of the replication. Now I have the red version of the Robbies from B.A.I.T Footwear I appreciate how much better they are; a much classier deeper shade of red, patent and overall better quality.

Thanks so much for your advice regarding my photos being stolen on ebay. It was very helpful and I really appreciate it!

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B.A.I.T Footwear Robbie Heels in Red Patent
Portmans Lace Dress
Alannah Hill You Gossip Cardigan
Hair Bow (gifted from my sister)

New In: B.A.I.T Footwear

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Despite my goal of spending less on clothes and shoes this year (which overall has been going well),I had a bit of a splurge online with B.A.I.T Footwear. As you may know I am completely in love with B.A.I.T Footwear. It is without a doubt my favourite brand for shoes and it's got to the point where I almost exclusively wear these shoes. I did a post on my collection awhile ago here but I plan to create an updated version soon. 

The 'Gloria Flats' are by far my favourite make by B.A.I.T Footwear. Up until now they've only been available in red and in black, which is comparatively limited given most other shoes come in a myriad of colours. I've had so much wear from the Glorias that I've repurchased both the red and the black a couple of times. My favourite outfit with the black version was posted here. I was browsing the website a couple of weeks ago and noticed the Glorias were released in purple, pink and teal. It was a dream come true. I couldn't not buy them considering they are my go to shoe and I know I'll get so much use from them. I can't think of any outfit they wouldn't go with. There are a few items I'd break my spending ban for and I knew that would be a new release Gloria flat, and the same applies to a couple of colour ways in the Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan. 

I've lost count how many colours in have of the 'Robbie Heels.' The sparkly blue version is one of my favourites which I posted here. The Robbies are a gorgeous vintage design and are also very comfortable. I couldn't resist the mustard yellow because that's got to be one of the coolest shades in the world! I was also drawn in by the red version because it's such a classy deep red shade and I love the patent finish. Now I want the Robbies in teal and in pink. 

Isn't it amazing wearing new shoes?! My motivation to go to work last week was higher than usual because I was wearing the pretty coloured Glorias and Robbies!  

I purchased these shoes directly from the B.A.I.T Footwear website. I'm often asked where to buy this brand in Australia but to be honest there aren't many options. Any online store I've seen based in Australia just has such a limited range of stock. If you're serious about owning this brand go with ordering directly from the US. Yes, the postage is crazy high (I hate to think how much I've spent on postage over the years) but I love the shoes so much I consider it worth it. I placed my order on a Thursday night and it arrived only a few days later on the Monday morning. I'm impressed a package can come from the US to Australia that quickly for any price! 

touse

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Available from B.A.I.T Footwear 

Converting to Wordpress

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Hi all,

Just a quick note to let you know I'm in the process of converting to Wordpress. I've transferred by blog posts and comments over but it'll take awhile to get it looking the way I want it to.

The domain name is tiacherie.com (not sure if it's working yet). Alternatively tiacheriefashion.wordpress.com

Will update you with more progress.

Red

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