Her: You know you always looks so great and put together. I don’t know how you do it.

Me: *blush* Aww…thanks.

Her: I don’t know, I just don’t have the time to do anything in the mornings. *laughs*  I guess I’m just lucky I don’t need to bother with all that beauty stuff.

Me: *gobsmacked*

Is it just me or did I just receive a back-handed compliment?? Was she implying I NEED to bother with make up cause I am so butt ugly while luckily she doesn’t need to because she is so naturally stunning? Wow-brutal!

Whatever her intentions were I did get a blog post idea from that uplifting conversation: My 6 steps to disguising your hideousness so you can leave the house without scaring young children.

Step 1: Primer. After washing your face put some of this on and wait 30 seconds. My primer of choice at the moment is Napoleon. It’s fab and I love the gold tube.

Step 2: Apply BB cream. It does everything for you- moisturises, conceals, illuminates, reminds you to pay your speeding fine – oh cool, thanks Garnier!

Step 3: Take ze eyelash curler and curl ze eyelashes. Voila.

Step 4: Apply one or many coats of your favourite mascara. I’m loving Benefit’s They’re Real at the moment. Instant Kardashian lashes minus all the Kris Humphries drama.

Step 5: Add some subtle colour with a cream blusher/illuminator. This one’s a cheapie and a goodie. Wake me up before you go go.

Step 6: Lastly, for an instant pick me up add some bright lipstick. My fave at the moment is Kate Moss’ Rossetto which is a lovely orange based red. And yes I probably did buy it because it had her name on it – I am a marketer’s dream. It is lovely though- a real pop  of colour. I recently wore this shade as one of the FABruary challenges that uber blogger Andrea from Fox in Flats set. Read more about it here. Such a fun way to engage your readers!

And there you have it- my 6 steps to not looking hideous. You’re welcome. X

Read the full article here.

I’m a total fashion bargain hunter. Nothing makes me happier than picking up an item that looks expensive and seeing a teensy little price tag attached to it. I get the same feeling when an item I love is drastically reduced.

So imagine my delight one day in Kmart when buying socks for Mr Sonic, when I was able to pick up an entire outfit – including shoes and accessories – for under $80. Yep. It’s true. And there’s the awkward picture above to prove it.

Want to know more? Check out my guest post on Fox In Flats…

‘How to score this outfit for under $80 while you’re shopping for someone else’s socks’

Are you a fashion bargain hunter too?

Then in walked the Boot Dare…

And as the weather has gone all trans-seasonal on us all around the world (in Sydney we’ve even been seeing 4 seasons in one day…!) it’s perfect weather to slam on a pair of boots. …The Dare: Wear a pair of Boots each and every day, for 7 consecutive days.

I counted mine up and discovered that I own 6 pairs of boots, which includes 2 pairs of ugg boots (yes, they count!!), 1 pair of black ankle boots, 1 pair of black flat riding boots, 1 pair of brown boots and 1 pair of black suede boots that can be folded up or down to become over-the-knee or knee-high.

Here’s a look at my week in boots…

Did you participate in the Boot Dare? What’s your favourite style of boot?

This time? The Arm Party Dare.

Remember that bracelet your first boyfriend gave you? That bangle you bought when you were backpacking in Bali? That delicate chain that belonged to your nan? The chunky cuff you treated yourself with just because you’re awesome? Or the friendship bracelet your bestie made for you when you were both 13?

It’s time to bring them all out to play again, and their friends, because this week we’re inviting you to throw your own Fox in Flats Arm Party, every day for 7 days.

As you will have read on She’s Sonic recently, I have become quite enamoured with the arm party thanks to the creations by my gorgeous friend Molly and inspiration I’ve found on Pinterest, so naturally I took part.

Here’s my attempt at the Arm Party Dare…

Did you take part in the Arm Party Dare?

Do you love to rock an arm party?

I had grand plans this week.  I was helping my very pregnant sister and as she’s one of those girls who always looks good and put together (she would argue that but it’s true), what a great time to do the Hair Dare.  This is a dare set up by Fox in Flats - A different hairstyle every day.   You can read more about Fox and her fun fashion dares here and to see some of the styles her followers used have a look here.

21. Do the Hair Dare

Of course, as with many things in life, it didn’t go quite as planned.  We were busy and rushed (2 year olds are a LOT of work, fun yes, but a lot of work) and frankly my hair just didn’t co-operate.  I had great plans of photos of my hair etc but it pretty much didn’t happen.  (Well there are couple of dodgy ones but we won’t discuss that).  Ironcially the best hair style I ended up with was an accident after the week ended – but isn’t that always the way.

At least I did try a few things.  Pigtails (I like them, they don’t pull on my neck and keep the back of your head nice and cool).  Half styles.  There was teasing and hairspray involved.  I even did a high ponytail which I dont normally do due to the weight of my hair (gives me a headache).

Here’s what I learned.  Doing good hair takes practice.  There is effort involved to have a good look each day, it just depends on whether you are prepared to make that effort.  I learned what works for me (messy buns are cute and easy to wear – they don’t pull on my head if done right) – but they are not the best style for me (I look a bit school marmish).  Still I enjoyed the challenge of doing and I’ll probably still wear them at home.  I liked the half up half down styles.  Oh and I have to get my bestie to teach me how to do curls with my GHD.

I also discovered that YouTube is a veritable gold mine of resources for both hair and makeup.  Want to learn how to do a messy bun?  YouTube has several different styles you can do:

• with bands,
• with extensions,
• up and easy,
• side bun,

You can even learn how to do Katniss Everdeens braids if you are a Hunger Games fan.

I also found some great Blogs who teach various hairstyles:

• Hair Romance – who covers everything and even has a section 30 days of “Twist and Pin” hairstyles
• Hair Dresser on Fire – anything and everything
• The Small Things Blog – her hair reminds me of my sisters, so I had to include it.

Have a favourite site or blog that covers great hairstyles?  Let me know and I’ll add it to the list!  (I’ll do a separate makeup one later).

So that was my task for the week.  Let’s see how the list is looking:

1. Find A New Music Artist To Love
2. Read A Book By An Author You Haven’t Read Before
3. Have a Body Scrub
4. Do Something Spontaneous
5. Get a Manicure
6. Have A Massage
7. Get Your Hair Done
8. Subscribe to a new podcast
9. Catch Up with an Old Friend
10. Take a class
11. Participate in a fun new challenge
12. Buy A Random Gift For Someone You Love
13. Go On A Picnic
14. Go For A Photo Walk
15. Go To The Beach And Eat Ice Cream
16. Try A New Restaurant
17. Watch A Movie At The Cinema
18. Make A Dessert
19. Bake A New Dish
20. Take A Day Trip To A New Place
21. Do the Hair Dare
22. Do Something Spontaneous
23. Try A New Food
24. Do Something Relaxing
25. Write A Note To Someone Special
26. Do a Craft
27. Do Something You Have Never Done Before
28. See An Exhibition
29. Play A Game
30. Go To The Park
31.
32. Take Someone To Lunch
33. Participate In A Snail Mail Swap
34. Evaluate Your Yearly Goals
35. Lay Out Under The Stars 
36. Buy A New Item Of Clothing
37. Find A Festival To Celebrate In Sydney
38.
39. Learn Something New
40. Watch An Animated Movie With A Child
41. Organise Your Wardrobe
42. Buy Something For Yourself Just Because
43. Put On Some Music And Dance
44. Write An End-Of-Year Highlights List
45. Watch Your Favourite Movie
46. See A Show
47. Do Something You Have Always Wanted To
48. Declutter A Room In Your House
49. Spend A Special Day With A Child
50. Celebrate
51. Wear a different pair of shoes everyday for a week
52. Watch an Artsy Film at a local theatre
53. Have a pedicure with a friend followed by Champagne
54.
55. Write A New Project 52 List

Her latest? The Sparkle Dare.

This week, I’m daring you to bring on the bling, get your glitter on and shake those sequins in the sparkling sun. All week. From morning till night, regardless of the occasion, company, or mood you’re in.

I am completely obsessed with glitter and sparkles. I love them. They make me happy. But I was shocked and surprised to discover that I did not own any sparkly or glittery clothes or shoes. WHAT?! WHO AM I?!

Instead, I had to make my accessories work overtime – everything from glitter nail polish to crystal earrings to sparkly hair accessories.

Here’s my attempt at the Sparkle Dare…

Did you take part in the Sparkle Dare? How did you go? 

Something interesting happened to me recently. I was having a Twitter conversation with Andrea from Fox in Flats and, blinded by her sassy charm, found myself agreeing to participate in her next dare – without even knowing what it was.

Turns out, it was the now infamous ‘Hair Dare’ which saw a bunch of us FiFFs (Fox in Flats Fans) wear our hair in a different style each day for 7 days.

I had a ball doing it, even though it was a challenge to change up my hairstyle every day, and posted my photos with typical Sonic-type humour.

Andrea was kind enough to ask me to write a guest post about my dare experience for Fox in Flats and so, here is my international debut as a Guest Poster…

7 days of LONG hair style how-to’s with Sonia

I have a confession. I’m not a huge joiner. Oh I have fun with the best of them but put me in a group and you’ll find me hanging at the edges watching the fun. Or left of centre, telling stories about other people. Not that I’m a complete wallflower. I’m first on a dance floor and often laughing the loudest (yep I’m that girl).

But I’m not often the centre of attention and frankly when I am I’m never quite sure what to do with myself. I’m not brilliant at team sports or been the type of person who will do something just because everyone else is.

So I find myself interestingly lured this week to follow suit and join in on a few things.

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the things I enjoy about blogging is finding other bloggers. Sometimes its just one post that catches my eye. Othertimes I could read everything they’ve written and I sign up to follow their posts. I learn new things, get different perspectives, see how other people live and what is important to them. I find it interesting as a person and a writer.

Just this week I have found several “challenges” on various blogs and find myself keen to sign up. Perhaps this level of joining works for me because I can do it as I choose and no one is watching me do it. I’m sure I could analyse this for ages (and probably just come up with the explanation that I am just a big old chicken) but it’s more interesting to see what things have captured my attention:

• Starting with the one I found first. I found this blog when it was “Freshly Pressed” on WordPress. This guy finds random strangers every single day and takes their photo and tells a story about them. His name is Richard Radstone. He goes up to complete strangers and has a chat. I find this quite amazing and the stories are always so interesting. Of course he has a lot to do with that in the telling of the tale. Now while I have no intention of hijacking a stranger everyday, he has issued one challenge that I want to join in on. It’s called the “Where do we Live Reachout“. It’s basically people submitting in a photo they have taken of something within 3 miles of where they live. Easy for me given I live close to one of the world’s most beautiful harbours but I can’t wait to see small glimpses of other people’s lives, of the world they live in.

• I’ve been a Twitter Follower of Amanda Fuller for some time and I can’t even remember how it was that I came to follow her feed but recently I started reading her blog. One thing stood out for me. A project she called Project 52. She comes up with a list of at least 52 little projects for the year (usually more so she has some freedom to choose) and then makes sure that each week she does one of them. Examples are things like Make a Dessert, Go to the Park, Learn Something New. Actually some of her list I could do without any trouble – others would be more of a challenge. She has challenged others to join in and so I have decided I will. Of course there’s not 52 weeks left in this year but who cares. Better late than never! Now I just need to come up with my list…..
  

  Ok so this is actually for a carnival somewhere in Cornwall but they all look like they are having fun. Right?

• This one is a very new find and again compliments of Amanda. Chantelle (aka FatMumSlim) does a monthly photo challenge where you take a pic a day and post it. She posts a list of “themes” for each day of the month and you take a pic along those lines. I love this kind of thing. I did a mini challenge just for myself when I first joined Instagram – when I took a pic every day for a month. No theme though. I realise the month has already started but I’m going to give it a go! The Hashtag for Twitter and Instagram will be #Febphotoaday. Feel free to join me, the more the merrier!

• My final one is not a specific challenge but more a blog that has frequent challenges. Fox In Flats is a really fun blog and one I enjoy despite it being more aimed at Mums (which I am not). She issues frequent glam dares (not challenges DARES) such as the Scarf Dare, Wear a Dress a Day Dare, Wear Red lipstick Dare and the recent Hair Dare (ie a different style every day). They are fun little challenges. I like the Hair dare one in particular and I might actually try it even though the dare is over.

So this is me joining in. Come along for the ride!

Click HERE to read the article.

Click HERE to read the post.

Click HERE to read all about Fox in Flats.

Andrea claims modestly that she is not the eponymous Fox in Flats (I beg to differ – she’s gorgeous).  Her blog, primarily a fashion and beauty resource for the sleep deprived and playground bound is always a lot of fun and has the underlying objective of helping mothers rediscover their inner hot chick. She is possibly the Australian go-to resource for good looking comfy shoes.

On Sunday Andrea  laid down a challenge that I could not resist – the “Wear a Dress Every Day Dare“.

The rules are simple:

All week regardless of where I am going, who I am seeing and how hairy my legs might be…from when I wake up, till I put my PJs on at night.

So I said to Andrea:

then Andrea said to me:

and my problem is now that I don’t know whether I can find a pair of flats that will do a dress justice… or a pair of  flats at all in fact, full stop.

Tune in tomorrow through Saturday to find out if I will be a failed Flat Fox-ette.  Meantime time to save a few more shoes for the Shoeperwoman Shoe Challenge.

I do love a double dare so without further ado…

Dress 1 – Disgusting Behaviour from the Sky Day

Sunday 25 September 2011 – Weather: Pishing with Rain

For me, dresses are easy peasy dressing.

Dresses are the clothing equivalent of slow cooked roast lamb surrounded by roughly chopped root vegetables. For very little preparation time you get a lot of return particularly on a rainy Sydney Sunday.

when all you want to do is coorie doon under a doona.

only to venture out for sparkly things

while wearing a sensible pair of black rain boots:

Black High Heeled Long Soft Leather Boots by Sachi

Dress-  George (gifted by a colleague).

Soft long black leather boots (can be worn OTK or UTK) by Sachi.

Important Question to Consider: How does wearing a dress make you feel?

This question is not gender specific as I know some chaps who can absolutely rock a frock namely executive transvestite Brian McCloskey of Like Punk Never Happened and fabulous hair fame. Brian’s inspired Friday Frocks on Facebook inspire me and no doubt many others.

_______________________________________________

Andrea is currently looking for readers’ ideas for future fashion challenges. Given time and enough champagne, I may even talk her into “Wear Shapewear Every Day Dare“. How much fun would to have mums wearing waist cinchers to Coles pushing a pram with perfect posture?

Please send other more sensible suggestions to FoxInFlats {dot} com {dot} au – Andrea will choose a new dare each week.