Announcement!

Introducing the reason for my blog absence this year:

Belá Tesoro is an upcoming Australian online boutique offering beautiful treasures to accessory aficionados near and far.

Our introductory lookbook has been beautifully captured by photographer Hannah McCawley and features the ultimate girl-next-door muse - Jessie Newman. Here's a sneak peek!

PHOTOGRAPHY Hannah McCawley
MODEL Jessie Newman
HAIR Christine Escosa

You can view rest of the lookbook here, here and here.

The project has blossomed from a passion for stunning accessories and is founded under the philosophy that the small details speak the loudest.

The Belá Tesoro shop is in the process of being filled to the brim with carefully curated pieces that add a little bit of magic to every outfit.

The store itself is set to go live in two weeks! It will be shipping globally from Brisbane, Australia, with low postage fees and prompt delivery a priority.

If you’d like to support Belá Tesoro as it blossoms (you darling, you), you can follow along here:

FACEBOOK

BLOGSPOT

TUMBLR

TWITTER

On another note, if you've made it this far, let's be Instagram pals! I have made an account under the user name sonyaharris, where you'll find cats, food and selfie snaps galore. I'm also pinning up a storm over at pinterest.com/sonyaharris.

Much love and many thanks to all,

Sonya X

Beauty: Nail talk

Dear readers,

I know many of you are beauty experts, and my weak, brittle nails are crying out for your help.

Having suffered years of stress-induced chewing, constant nail polish wear without a base coat and far too many falsies, they are desperate to be made beautiful, healthy and strong again.

This is where you come in. Please bestow all of your nail wisdom upon me, from amazing supplements and products through to miracle treatments and vegetarian friendly foods.

I can't thank you enough!

P.s. All image sources available on my Pinterest "nail" board.

Update: Looking after yourself

Image courtesy of Sous Style

Hello and a Happy Easter to you! Have you been chowing down on chocolate eggs? Not me. It's been six months since my first health post. Back then I was chain smoking, partying like there was no tomorrow and constantly running myself down. I quit the ciggies, started exercising daily and generally tried to take better care of myself. So, health bunnies, where am I at now?

I dubbed March "health kick month", swigging down green smoothies every morning, popping spirulina capsules every day, keeping a food diary, meditating regularly, giving up alcohol and partying completely, cutting down on coffees, sippin' on herbal teas and snubbing junk food. I aimed to treat my body like a temple and would ask myself: "what would Miranda Kerr do?" Seriously. Needless to say, I felt amazing and had the energy levels of a hyperactive young child.

Then April rolled around. After embarking on an all-nighter in a furious attempt to get design work completed, working the entire next day (as well as getting sugar high on Red Bull and a packet of strawberry licorice) and embracing the Verve Clicquot at a function that night (on an empty stomach, mind you), I was not feeling good by Good Friday.

The effects of temporarily treating my body like a trashcan were a lovely reminder as to why I embarked on a health kick in the first place. From now onwards, instead of challenging myself to strict, short term health stints,  I want to strive to maintain a balanced, long term attitude towards cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Now that I'm back on the blogging bandwagon (yippee), I'd like to use The Swirl and Swing as a place to exchange all kinds of health and wellness related yarns.

I'll start by sharing my daily green smoothie recipe, which I usually have first thing in the morning. It's super simple, delicious and refreshing.

Ingredients:

One large handful of fresh baby spinach leaves (washed)
1/2 a peeled lemon
1/2 a cored, chopped green apple
1 banana
200ml coconut water OR 200ml pure apple juice OR 200ml filtered, cold water
A swig of white chia seeds

Instructions:

1. Blend.
2. Skull!

Easy peasy! Sometimes I add a kiwi fruit or berries, but you can chuck in whatever your heart desires - be it spirulina, maca powder or any other kind of super potion. Google is overflowing with all kinds of resources for those who wish to become green smoothie superstars.

Are you addicted to green smoothies too? Do you have any other smoothie recommendations?