Are You Meant to Be a CEO or to Run Your Own Show?


Despite summer coming to an end, thousands of graduates and school-leavers are still left wondering where to take their career. Is it worth fighting tooth and nail for that unpaid internship? Or would it be better to work towards setting up your own business like 63% of current undergraduates? May be something in between?

It is a tough decision to make and one which is bound to influence the next few years of your life. But would you believe it if I said that by looking at your personality and skills you can find out what suits you best? Yep that's right! Read on to find out where you fit.

Would you ask someone directly why they are unhappy with you? Are you confident in making decisions based on your intuition? Is it you who always manages to convince your group of friends that it really is a good idea to go out tonight? Yes? Then you are an entrepreneur through and through. You confront situations head-on, are willing to take a risk and believe strongly in your ideas.

Pumped up to start your own business? First, research your industry thoroughly and try to get as much feedback as possible. You may also want to write a business plan and ask a successful entrepreneur to tell you whether it is feasible or how it can be improved. Don't forget to create a strong and professional online presence for yourself and your business idea - you never know who is Googling you!


Not you? Well then do you make important decisions based on your own research of the issue? Do you enjoy meeting new people and sampling the local cuisine when on holiday? Are you often reliant on mutual friends to approach people and make contacts? If this is you then you've got the ability to be your own boss or become a CEO. Perhaps you've got leadership potential but may lack expertise in certain areas.

In this case, the best thing to do would be to work for someone else to gain the necessary skills and knowledge before launching a business. At the same time you could work on your idea outside office hours. Another option to consider is climbing the career ladder - CEOs are great leaders which make important business decisions and reap great rewards without the stress of running their own company.


Don't fit in these two categories? Perhaps you are not a fan of confrontation and prefer lounging with a book on your holiday. Do you find making important decisions stressful and time-consuming? Believe that it's easier to go with the flow rather than convince people to go your way? Don't worry - you are a dream employee! You are secure in your relationships which makes you the perfect colleague. Having control over your working life is key for you which enables you to rise up the ranks.

So what's next? Avoid getting stuck in your current position by establishing clear goals and asking for feedback. If you are not progressing as quickly as you think you should be look for other companies that will reward you for your dedication.


Either way, both - entrepreneurs and CEOs - earn top dollar (think millions) and there is no right or wrong answer. Of course, not everyone is successful. Both career paths involve hard work and sacrifices. But would you rather do something you enjoy or feel miserable for the rest of your working life? No? I didn't think so. May be it is worth a shot to try out something new... something that fits your personality and skills.


An Insomniac's Dream

Photo by reonis
As unlikely as the title sounds there are people like myself who often struggle to sleep but eventually manage to catch a dream. I can't really classify myself as an insomniac as I almost always manage to get some sleep. But I can't classify myself as a normal sleeper is (whatever that means). 

You see my problem is that I can't shut off my mind. Falling asleep rarely happens in under 30 minutes. Tossing and turning for an hour or two is usually the standard. And I know I am not alone. There are other people out there whose preoccupied minds won't let them into la-la land.

So I decided to do a bit of research and find out how others cope with this issue. Apart from the usual advice - not over- or under-eating before bedtime, glass of hot milk + banana, meditation, muscle relaxation, deep breathing, counting and so forth - I found some quite interesting tips.

For instance, reading a textbook or encyclopaedia can make you nod off in 15 minutes. Haven't tried that one yet. Having just come out of higher education I just cannot bring myself to read anything academic.

Apparently scientific studies have proved that lying in bed helplessly trying to sleep can make insomnia worse. Well no surprise there. The frustration that runs through my body as I try not to move an inch and will myself to sleep is unbearable.

Perhaps I should start blogging at night... But what about the much needed rest my brain needs? Staying up for much of the night, keeping myself busy may eventually induce some drowsiness and allow me to nod off. But what about getting enough sleep?

Funnily, I am one of those people who need 8 or 9 hours to function at 100%. So when I can't fall asleep I start worrying about how I will get through the day without a sufficient amount of dream-time.

Photo by Pete
At that point some may claim that thinking and visualising the colour purple can help. I should try to make it "appear in my mind's eye" and relax into the waves of purple.

Well, if that doesn't work I can always roll my closed eyes upwards three times. That is because this happens naturally when one is falling asleep and can therefore trigger a certain sleep chemical in our body.

Whoever came up with this wacky ideas is not a real insomniac. Ultimately, I have discovered, it is the power of mind that can only save you.

If you, like me, can't fall asleep because you can't stop thinking and worrying about an endless list of things then there is only one thing I can suggest to do. Well may be two. 

When I can't fall asleep I tell myself a story or imagine what it would be like living my dream. That usually works. If not, I let myself worry for a while and pick up something to read. After that I turn off the lights and try my imagination trick again. 

Oh and of course there is always coffee the next morning!

Happy Birthday!!!


Happy birthday to my blog! Happy birthday to my blog! Happy birthday, happy birthday... happy birthday to my blog! *clap clap*

OK now that I've done my little song and dance I can actually say that I can't believe it's been exactly 730 days ago that I wrote my first post on what has now become THE LOOK GOOD BLOG. 

How did it all start? Well in  Australia of course! My move Down Under for a university exchange programme inspired me to give blogging a try and a week after I had started my blog, which was called Life Fashion Love back then, I was lucky enough to volunteer for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival in Sydney. 

It was there that I met two lovely and very successful bloggers who inspired keep on blogging and add a fashion element to a blog which was initially focused more on my life as a student in Oz. 

The first was Maria V from CrashingRED.com who has now gone on to start a second blog/website called So Nailicious and who inspired me by her impeccable work ethic (writing bloog posts and designing websites even when she was very ill, for example).

The second was Margaret Zhang from Shine By Three who has grown her homeland fame to reach the shores of US (yes she's been invited to New York Fashion Week!) and Europe. Maggy inspired me by her sheer determination to blog about her passion despite personal obstacles (as a student - academic and financial demands being the key burdens).
The very first photo that appeared on my blog - Sydney's skyline!
It warms my heart to reminisce about those fun days such as the VOGUE Fashion's Night Out when myself and fellow bloggers took on the city of Sydney.

Well, haven't I come a far way (not just geographically) since then! This blog has been a huge experiment and has seen plenty of ups and downs - being on the verge of hitting delete was definitely a point where it hit rock bottom.

But now that I've got so far I am determined to keep this blog going. In fact, (surprise, surprise) I've got some plans for its future. Looking back at my old posts I realised that perhaps the more recent posts have lost my personal touch and humour sarcasm...

So in the next year I hope to re-introduce my old style of writing. But I also plan to bring in some new changes! In the coming weeks and months you will see some guest posts and collaborations. Perhaps a new page may be added ("travel good" anyone?).

Watch out! Some changes are on the way.
I am also looking to move the blog from Blogger to Wordpress (the Bugatti of the blogging world) as do most bloggers when they reach a certain calibre/age. Hence I will be learning a bit more about HTML and graphics so there may some re-branding closer to the blog's third birthday.

Oh and in case you were interested, here are the top 3 blog posts of all time:

  1. Graduand on a Budget (How to be a Smart Shopper) posted on 21 July 2013
  2. Fighting Stress at Uni posted on 18 September 2011
  3. VOGUE Fashion's Night Out posted on 9th September 2011

I really enjoyed writing this review/anniversary blog post and hope you did as well.

Until next week,
Miranda

7 Beauty Mistakes You Will Not Make Anymore



Oh, the number of mistakes one can make when applying beauty products! Being the beauty rookie that I am, I'll probably give make-up artists a heart attack. Luckily in our digital age help is always on hand - the countless YouTube tutorials and beauty blogs are here to save the day.

Chances are that you are making the same errors too so I scoured the web to help us get the most of our beauty products. Here's a list of the 7 most common mistakes and how to rectify them:

  1. Applying foundation around your face. This is a big no-no. Always start at the centre of your face and work outwards. In this way you will avoid tide lines and product in your hairline.
  2. Patting eye cream on before going to bed. Combining eye cream with sleep can cause puffiness. Therefore it is best to apply it in the morning when the congestion can drain away as you are more likely to be standing up for longer periods afterwards.
  3. Finding the right B spot. Blushers are a tricky lot (hence my stern avoidance of the bunch). Yet they do make a huge difference to how we look. Apply blusher between two imaginary vertical lines - one from the centre of your pupil down to your cheek and another from the end of your eyebrow.
  4. Going OTT with hair products. There's nothing worse than mastering a cool new look and then ruining it by using too much hair product. Use these size guidelines to avoid having to re-do your hair-do: shampoo & conditioner - strawberry; mousse - apricot; serum - grape; and oil - blueberry.
  5. Not wiggling your mascara. If you really want to get those luscious lashes from the billboard ad then do as the make-up pros and wiggle your wand at the base of your eyelashes before combing through to create volume.
  6. Overdoing the nail polish. Using too much of le vernis can cause it to chip so stick to three swipes per coat. Apply one sweep down the centre and then one on either side for an even effect. Oh and if you can invest in a good nail polish - my fav is Chanel Le Vernis which I blogged about earlier. 
  7. Spraying perfume on your neck. I was really surprised to find out that the best place to apply your favourite fragrance is the collarbone and in the crook of the elbows rather than the neck and wrists. Well now we can smell fresher for longer.
There you go. 7 mistakes you and I will no longer make. 7 ways to get the most out of our beauty products. 7 tips to look good. Take a note and let me know how you get on.


Exclusive: A Day Inside a Fashion & Beauty PR Agency


As the name of the post suggests, I don’t usually write much about personal events and experiences, but considering that the purpose of this blog is to share useful information about looking good, feeling good and doing good in all aspects of life, including career development, I thought it will be very selfish not to.

The day was Thursday the 8th of August and the agency - TALK PR. TALK PR is more than a fashion & beauty PR agency. It specialises in fashion, luxury & lifestyle, beauty, grooming & wellbeing, and technology, innovation & play. Basically it’s the dream workplace for someone like me!

Our schedule was packed with presentations and informal chats with team members from all of the above mentioned areas of expertise as well as a special talk from the founder & editor of La Petite Anglaise Ella Catliff and a group brainstorm session where we had to come up with an event idea for the launch of a new Stella McCartney Adidas collection.

Some of the brands TALK PR works with.
There was so much information given out that I had to take in a significant amount of delicious nibbles (provided by TALK of course) to boost my brain power! 

Here are some bits of information and tips from the day which have stuck with me:

  • PR is all about relations - your contacts are gold dust.
  • Sometimes PR is also about finding a story where there isn’t one.
  • In fact PR is about a lot of things - from event and reputation management, to media placements and crisis communications.
  • That is why consistency across all communication activities is key.
  • PR content has to connect with an audience without adding to the existing noise of the 5000 daily marketing messages people are bombarded with.

Clearly there are no dull moments in fashion & beauty PR. It is a challenging and varied profession which draws many people from a wide range of backgrounds. 

If you want to find out more whether this is the right career for you I would definitely recommend going to a TALK PR Open Day (the next one is on the 31st of October 2013) and reading Sophie Sterling’s post who also attended an open day in 2012.

How to Get Fit Without the Gym

Hello folks,

I'm writing a quick post from my mobile as I've been left without Internet at home (can you believe this still happens in this day and age?!).

Many times we make excuses or wait for a certain time to get fit(ter), the principle causes being time and money.

Well I've got news for you.  If you really set your mind on getting fit you can do it whether you've got money or not.

How? The Internet is brimming with information.  From nutrition plans to supplements to home workouts - everything you need is at your finger tips.

Use YouTube to find home workout videos which do not use any equipment.  My personal favourites are from Blogilates and Fitness Blender. Look for videos that are suitable for your fitness level (beginner, intermediate or advanced).


Start with 20-minute videos and gradually increase to 30- to 40-minute ones.  Pick a time of the day which is most convenient for you.  I prefer mornings because later in the day I am more likely to be busy and tired. Try to do these home workouts every day (it is recommended to exercise for 30 minutes daily).

Make a schedule of the types of workouts you will do each day. For example, I start my week with lower body/legs workout, followed by upper body/arms & abs, followed by cardio/high intensity interval training.  I repeat these three again on the following three days and end my week with yoga.


All you need is a bit of space in your living room, will power and commitment.  You will start noticing results in 6-12 weeks (but don't forget to eat clean and healthy!) and you will be hooked!

Off you go then.  It's time for a workout!