[the-night-picture-collector]

Fritz Lang, Broadway, New York, 1924

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Playbook: How To Look More Expensive & Elevate Your Aura

Looking expensive or 'rich' is all about investing in yourself, your appearance, how you carry yourself, and not shying away from signature details or indulgences. Here are some tips to level up your look and demeanor to feel high-class in your daily life – no matter how much money you want to spend in these life arenas.

Appearance:

Prioritize Proper Grooming: Always looking clean and put-together is the ultimate sign of class. Shower daily. Brush, and take care of your teeth. Wash your hair on a regular schedule. Never allow your hair to look greasy – brush and blow dry it regularly. Cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize every inch of your face and body. Perform your skincare routine religiously. Apply sunscreen daily.

Tailor & Steam Your Clothes: Freshly-pressed and well-fitting clothes always look infinitely more expensive – no matter their price point. Looking rich and expensive is about high self-regard and paying attention to the little details. Ensure your garments look crisp and clean – no wrinkles, pet hairs, loose threads, lint pieces, or fabric bulges highlighting an improper fit.

Create A Classic & Streamlined Capsule Wardrobe: Simplicity radiates a chic sophistication. Go back to the basics with timeless pieces – like a button-down blouse, a classic crewneck sweater, black trousers or straight-leg jeans, leather pants, a leather jacket, a trench or wool coat, a well-fitting cami or tee shirt, a simple slip dress, or a knit set. Focus on a neutral color palette – black, champagne, dark grey, chocolate brown, camel, or crisp white shades. Seek out elevated fabrics – such as Pima cotton, cashmere, washable silk, and buttery vegan or recycled leather.

Invest In Signature Pieces: Spend on "outer shell' items – coats, jackets, heavyweight knits, handbags, and shoes – that directly interact with the outside world and can be worn repeatedly with almost every outfit. Save on items like tee shirts or more simple jewelry pieces that can be found for less while still being fairly high-quality. I recommend Everlane, Lilysilk, and Naadam for affordable basics (Frankie Shop, Skims, and Norma Kamali for moderately priced pieces) and Catbird and Oma The Label for well-priced accessories. Here are all the everyday essentials you need to build the ultimate Femme Fatale Wardrobe.

Simplify Your Beauty Routine: Fresh, clear, and glowy skin radiates rich girl energy. A well-curated skincare routine should do half the heavy lifting. However, you will probably want to include a shade-matched foundation, concealer, and powder into your makeup routine along with a bronze contour, a rosy blush, and a subtle highlighter. Shape and fill in your brows for a polished look. Apply a deep black mascara to your lashes and luscious black eyeliner to your top lid, waterline, and tight line – keep the strokes thin and crisp (create a subtle wing if desired). Finish your face with a deep pink nude, red, or deep wine lipstick/gloss/lip tint. Here's a guide to the ultimate Femme Fatale Beauty Routine for a completely elevated (and sensual) look.

Eat Healthfully & Workout: Health is wealth. Taking care of your body shows self-respect – your most priceless asset. So, incorporate whole, plant-based foods into your daily diet and make it a priority to find movement you love that you can incorporate into your routine multiple times a week.

Lifestyle:

Streamline The Details: The rich girl aesthetic is all about refinement and looking put together at all times. Always have a set of matching pens with coordinating notepads on your desk, a uniform set of coffee mugs on the counter, coasters, glassware, sheets, pillowcases, cold-weather accessories, etc. This attention to detail instant makes your environment look more expensive.

Have Personalized Stationery: A high-value woman isn't shy about leaving her signature touch. Have personalized stationery (thank you notes, greeting cards, business cards, etc.) monogrammed and on hand for anytime you need to send a note or gift to a friend, coworker, boss, client, etc. This addition shows your attention to detail, leaves the recipient something small to remember you by, and adds a human touch to any gift or gesture. Try gold lettering on cream cards for an elegant, expensive look.

Keep Prosecco & Sparkling Water On Hand: Bubbly on a budget feels just as expensive as champagne (and tastes great too). Sparkling water elevates your daily H20 – add some lemon, lime, orange wedges, or frozen berries for a fancy, fruity twist.

Have Proper Place Settings: Neat, thoughtful presentation exudes class and rich energy. Whenever hosting any type of sit-down event or cocktail party, have the plates stacked, glasses and cutlery arranged correctly. Have all of the appropriate utensils readily available. Again, it's all about the details.

Stay Informed & Well-Read: A thirst for knowledge, learning and having the ability to engage in thoughtful, informed, and intellectual imbues a high-class radiance into any room. Read books, learn about different cultures and current events, and invest in studying different industries, and interests. Explore your hobbies. A rich mindset translates and generates an overall elevated aura.

Demeanor:

Learn Proper Etiquette: Address people by name, and offer a firm handshake. Maintain eye contact. Say "please" and "thank you." RSVP promptly. Communicate clearly and compassionately.

Maintain Good Posture: Shoulders back and relaxed. Open your chest. Keep your back straight and your head held high. Take up space. Command presence.

Master The Art of Engaging Conversation: Prioritizing self-presentation, learning how to listen, holding your own, and encouraging others to feel relaxed are the secrets to becoming magnetic in any social situation. Read more of my tips HERE.

Embrace An Abundant Mindset: Free your mind of limiting beliefs and notions of scarcity. There are plenty of opportunities, experiences, and emotions to go around. Another person's success doesn't take away from your potential. Focus on expansion, not envy.

Remain Confident & Unbothered: Believe in yourself. Invest in your well-being. Prioritize your goals and block out the noise from anyone trying to tear you down or criticize you for your ambition, goals, or desires. Stay in your own lane. Allow others to do the same. This is how you level up to elevate into your queen energy to create a rich life and design your dream reality.

[haruharuz]

Subtle ways to change how people view you:

Lean in slightly to appear more interested in the conversation

Speak slower and softer if you wish to seem like a dream / at peace

Keep your bag organized, when you reach to grab things out of it you’ll seem more put together if there’s little to no struggle to find things

Using a fragrance oil on your wrist and under your ears will seem more Sophisticated than spraying yourself with perfume

Read poetry, keep a select few favorites in your mind. When people ask what you enjoy, say poetry and provide an example. You’ll appear more emotionally intelligent

If you’re going to fake smile, move the muscles under your eyes so that your cheeks raises enough to halfway squint. It seems more genuine that way.

Walk with your head up everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

Stop messing with your little imperfections only you notice. There’s no need to straighten your shirt, rub your hand down your pants etc. Leave it be and you will appear more confident.

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Playbook: How To Embody Queen Energy

Living in your queen energy requires you to stand in your power and look after yourself to the highest degree in every area of life. When tapping into this higher frequency, you realize that putting yourself first allows you to show up at your best – both for yourself and others. Here are some tips to embody the queen energy you’re meant to live in: 

Put Yourself First: Remember – your self-perception becomes your public image. You need to believe in yourself before others will. Believe that you’re worthy of living your dream life which includes achieving your loftiest goals and indulging your deepest desires. Reframe any resistance. Identify as someone who lives a life of abundance where all of your manifestations enter into your orbit with ease. 

Be Honest With Who You Want To Be: Sit down with yourself (and some writing utensils – whether it’s pen and paper or a keyboard) and journal to describe your ideal self. Don’t hold back. Indulge in your wildest dreams, goals, and fantasies. Become conscious of any limiting beliefs that come to mind as you write out these aspirations. Jot them down – they’ll give you some insight into what’s holding you back, so you can bridge the gap between who you show up as today and who you’re going to be once you put in the inner work. 

Make A Deliberate Effort To Discover Your Values, Passions, & Boundaries: Figure out what matters most to you in life. What activities, topics, aesthetics, art, clothing, hobbies, sounds, movements, books, television shows, movies, songs, and types of conversations most light you up inside? Here are some resources to guide your self-discovery journey HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Build A Strong Personal Brand & Cult of Personality: I have more tips on building your personal brand, creating your persona (or ‘Dream Girl archetype’), and an ultimate Femme Fatale playbook linked HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Prioritize All Aspects of Your Health: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Sexual, Spiritual. Celebrate your needs – they make you human. Eat a healthful, plant-based diet, exercise and walk daily, meditate, read at least 10 pages a day, journal, make to-do lists, declutter your space, self-pleasure, recite your affirmations, lean into shadow and mirror work, create morning and nighttime routines. Feeling in alignment is essential to allowing your magnetic aura to shine through. Find all of my tips to cultivate self-regard in every area of life HERE.

Read, Study, & Build A Strong Skillset: Designing the life of your dreams is an inevitable aspect of living in your queen energy. Stay informed, read books and articles on your industry, interests, current events, cultural happenings, history, and any other topic that brings you joy or you would find intriguing if someone brought up the subject at a dinner party. Mastering an evergreen skillset is essential for succeeding in your career or building a business. Living in your queen energy means living in abundance. While queen energy is a mindset, it is impossible to fully live in this dream reality without having passions and your finances in order. Start with my entire Femme Fatale booklist HERE and guide to building your dream career HERE.

Learn The Art of Detachment: Acknowledge what's out of your control. Living in your queen energy means you understand that it's important to work your hardest and smartest to determine the outcome of anything you can control. Otherwise, you have to let it go – people, professional opportunities, possessions. Projection, misalignment, or an undesirable fit does not deter you from striving toward your goals and relishing in satisfaction. Others' contempt and rejection serve as a cue for self-reflection and redirection.

Become Extremely Discreet Yet Utterly Shameless: Do as you please, but keep your business (or pleasure) to yourself. Privacy is peace, power, bliss, and radiates quiet confidence – the greatest telltale sign that someone is living in her queen energy. Learn to hold your own. You will be guaranteed to earn respect within seconds of gracing anyone's presence.

Maintain Proper Posture: Shoulder back, chest open, back straight. Don’t be shy about taking up space. 

Accept Compliments With Grace: A smile and ‘thank you’ pairing is the most confident and elegant response. Some more confidence and social skill tips are linked HERE and HERE.

Live Unapologetically While Displaying Radical Empathy: Uphold your boundaries. Live your truth. Never beg or settle for less.

[thereignclub-trc]

June Habit Swaps : 

Instead of Netflix : Read a book

Instead of sugar : Eat fruits

Instead of self doubt : Repeat affirmations

Instead of scrolling on social media : Go exercise 

Instead of judging others : Help someone out

Instead of processed food : Home cooked meals

Instead of self hate : Self love

[mashallah]

[alicesasylum-blog-deactivated20]

A quick practice for when you don’t feel like doing a full-on ritual. The New Moon is a good time for banishing negative energies and manifesting new intentions. It’s a new beginning, my lovely witches, make the best of this coming week. Love and light, always. 🌑✨ -Alice 🌙

[practice-is-praxis]

[darkgrimoires]

Shadow Work ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

I put together a few texts I found online as an intro before I start journaling on this blog.

Shadow work is when you explore the depths of your soul in order to heal and grow. It’s an introspective practice based on the theory we all have a shadow self that we must be conscious of. Our shadow consists of those parts of ourselves we hide and repress by pushing them down into our subconscious, which may include aggression, fear, our toxic traits and flaws, shame and selfishness. By embracing and bringing these things to the surface, we can understand ourselves better, live more authentically and heal our wounds. It’s not easy, but shadow work is a vital part of our spiritual journey; many of us already do it without knowing what it’s called. To work with your shadow self you may:

☼ Journal your thoughts and feelings;

☼ Observe your reactions to different issues and situations;

☼ Learn to respond, not react;

☼ Meditate on the aspects of your shadow to get to know it better;

☼ Practice being present and conscious;

☼ Practice emotional inquiry: “why do I feel like this?”

Recognize your shadow self. It manifests in aspects of your personality that have a negative impact on your balance, like: lack of boundaries, self sabotage, lack of confidence, fear of speaking up for yourself, reluctance to say no, jealousy, anxiety, passive aggressiveness, comparing yourself to others, always putting yourself last, not doing what you know is good for you, addictions, etc.

The dark moon is heavily associated with shadow work. It’s a phase in which many witches choose not to perform magic, since it generally represents the space between two cycles, the silence between death and rebirth. But it’s the perfect time to perform shadow magic; the darkness holds both everything we fear and all we can wish for. The dark moon in itself only lasts 3 days before the new moon arrives with the first visible sliver of light, but, to fuel your shadow magic, you must cultivate self awareness every day, which means:

☽ Notice when you judge, criticize or blame, and pause: what in yourself are you avoiding by focusing externally?

☽ When you feel jealousy, anger, or self pity, pause: what core belief is underneath this feeling?

☽ Practice seeing yourself in other people and expand your empathy.

☽ Practice radical responsibility for your emotions and reactions rather than blaming others.

☽ Be honest about your shadow thoughts and fears, then remind yourself what is true.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Intimate Moments

hugging them from behind, laying their head on the other's shoulder

breathing in the other's smell

whispering to each other

cuddling on the couch

walking hand in hand

playing with the other's hair

softly smiling at each other from across the room

telling each other how proud they are of them

leaning into the other person

feeling for the other's hand

pressing a kiss onto the other's hair

humming a melody together

playing with the other's fingers

holding each other's gaze

absentmindedly massaging each other

resting their hand on the other's thigh, slowly stroking it

handing the other one a hot cup of tea, their hands touching for a moment

moving closer in bed

reassuring touches

telling each other I'm here

cuddling in the first morning light

hiding their face in the other's neck

telling each other how much they love them

eating from each other's plates

brushing against each other, even if there is enough room

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Writing Reminders

Create whole new worlds every day

Write that trope you want to write

Give your WIPs a rest, you can always come back to them

Drop a WIP if it just doesn't feel right

Write as slow or as fast as you need to

Ignore that writing advice if it doesn't work for you

Create characters that are a mix of all your own insecurities and personality traits

Create characters that are nothing like you

Don't get discouraged by other people's writing

Seek inspiration from every place you can get it

Write that imperfect first draft, you'll make it beautiful later

Writing is a wonderful thing to do, so do what makes you happy

[trovadora-de-versos]

Five things to do before you get out of bed. 1- Express gratitude. 2- Set your intentions for the day. 3- Take five long deep breaths in & out. 4- Smile for no reason just flex the muscle. 5- Forgive yourself for yesterdays mistakes.

(via trovador-de-versos)

[beewishing]

222

find balance in your love for yourself and your love for others; if you notice you’re neglecting one of them for the other, shift your focus. you are attracting into your life those who match your energy, those who will uplift you and encourage you to grow and flourish on whatever path you choose. you don’t need to cling to past relationships, you can move forward with the knowledge that you alone are enough.

[essayisms]

Writing tips!

ah I truly don't feel qualified to give out any kind of writing advice, I don't think any of my writing is very good ! and I haven't done nearly enough of it recently. if anyone else is interested in the advice I would give, these are four things I try to do all the time that I think are the fundamentals of improving your writing.

+ read, read, read. you have to read a lot. and read all kinds of material from reports, to essays, to fiction, to poetry, to reviews, to articles, etc. the more broad and diverse and the higher number of things you read the more you are informing yourself and immersing yourself in writing and getting an intuitive understanding of what makes good writing.

+ keep a reading journal. more on the point above: active reading is important (meaning not just passively soaking up the basics of what you're reading but critiquing and questioning and noticing all kinds of details) and noting down your thoughts and your reflections on any piece of writing you do helps your brain to engage in understanding how a piece works.

+ practice. this is an obvious but of course essential one. something that is good to keep in mind is that what you write doesn't have to be good. you can make mistakes. you can write badly, as long as you learn from it.

+ revision. branching off from the point above, it's not really time and energy efficient to simply practice and write a lot but not really reflect on what you have done. reflecting on and revising and improving what you have written means you are forcing yourself to progress and refine your work rather than just producing a lot of work at the same level. one of the things I learned recently about Joan Didion is that she (and many great writers) revised things relentlessly.

[deerchasingheadlights]

Obsessed w her

[deerchasingheadlights]

She just gets it

[deerchasingheadlights]

She’s done it again

[kaportka]

I do not stress, because:

There is always movement.

Circumstances do not matter.

I always get what I want.

I am the chosen one.

I am the best option.

Everything works in my favour.

I know I deserve the very best.

Success is certain.

There are no limits.

I am limitless.

[you-are-loved-you-are-enough]

my boundaries 🕊.⋆｡

i will take care of myself first.

i will not allow others to guilt or manipulate me into doing things i'm not comfortable with.

i will stand up for myself and voice my opinions with confidence.

i will not hold myself responsible for the things beyond my control.

i will not let my happiness depend on other people.