Ways To Wear Brooches: Magnificent 8

Just like last quarter's Magnificent 8 post, this one had me a little stumped! Our chosen theme is styling brooches different ways. I do have a couple brooches I have been kindly gifted over the years but they are not an everyday wear for me. And so when I came across the few brooches I do have in my pre-Christmas wardrobe clear out I put them away in a safe spot, since I don't reach for them everyday but still wanted to hang onto them. And I put them away so safely I haven't been able to find them for this post! 😂

So instead of thrilling you with all of the different ways I've worn brooches this month I thought I'd delve into my 10+ years of daily blog photos and share with you a previous way I've worn a brooch, as well as an alternative styling idea for brooches.

What I wore:

Why I wore it:

All of the way back in 2014, I wore this for a "pinned" style challenge and pinned on this pretty floral brooch to my plain black tank. This is the simplest way to wear a brooch, just pin it on to a plain top! If you're thinking of wearing a brooch I'm sure this is the first way you'd try.

While I still have the Havaianas, tank and brooch (even if it's misplaced right now) I no longer have the skirt or sunnies in my wardrobe. Still mad I dropped the sunnies and they shattered!

Last worn: entire outfit last worn here.

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I tried but failed to find early 2000s photos of me carrying my little denim baguette bag that I'd covered in pins I'd collected. I wore it for years but can't find a photo. But thinking of that little pin covered bag made me remember this embellished bag strap I have.

What I wore:

Necklace: Kmart silver long circle pendant necklace
Tee: Cotton On The One fitted v tee in washed poolside blue
Shorts: Kmart culotte short in navy lemon print
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bag: thrifted Marc by Marc Jacobs Dr Q Convertible clutch in electric violet with Rebecca Minkoff Crystal Star Shoulder Guitar strap

Why I wore it:

Not a single brooch or pin in this outfit, but look at that embellished bag strap! While I don't have that little pin covered denim baguette bag any more, or any photographic evidence of it sadly, this embellished bag strap is a similar look. You could easily try recreate this embellished look by pinning some brooches onto a plain bag strap you have. It's a fun way to add a little more interest to your outfit. Gotta add more flair!

The crystal embellishments on this strap are a repeated pattern but you could recreate this with similar sparkly brooches or just go all out and make your own pattern with whatever pins you have.

I wore this for a quiet day back in the school holidays with nothing much on the agenda other than a few errands and spending time at the bike track. I like the way this magenta Marc by Marc Jacob bag works with blues, and this blue tee and navy printed culottes were a nice combination together.


Last worn: blue tee, silver circle necklace, navy printed culottes, New Balance sneakers, Marc by Marc Jacobs magenta clutch.

Other ways to wear: blue tee and maxi skirt, navy printed culottes and cardigan, Marc by Marc Jacobs magenta clutch and midi dress.

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The Magnificent 8

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration of 8 stylish women, ranging in age from early 20’s to early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to showcase how ageless style is. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out all 7 of these other amazing ladies!

• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Mica of Away from the Blue
• Roxanne of Glass of Glam
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
• Rena of Fine Whatever
• Eugenia of Age of Grace 
• Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style 
• Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Every quarter, the group chooses a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices. We post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. Check out everyone’s posts with the links above for style inspiration at any age as they show you their best brooch style.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
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11 Ways To Wear a Blush Waterfall Drape Vest | Magnificent 8

This quarter's Magnificent 8 theme was a tricky one for me: vests! I did have a vest once - and wore it 11 times before deciding it wasn't for me. I only share things I actually wear on the blog and because I really didn't feel like trying to borrow a vest just for a couple wears for a post to find out again that it is an item that doesn't work for me, I figured I'd share the 11 ways I did wear a vest before I admitted defeat and donated it. Pretty shameful cost per wear as I paid $29.99 for it on sale, but I really struggled to wear it so it was better to pass it on.

I don't mind the look of some of these outfits - I pulled out all my old staple formulas, like stripes with everything, and blue and pink. I just find a vest a frustrating piece to wear. It doesn't keep my arms warm so it's not a cold weather piece but it doesn't provide shoulder coverage either so it's a bad piece for summer. Vests and I just don't get along! I love the look of this vest but it just never seemed like a must-have for my outfits. And I always felt like I "should" wear it rather than wanting to wear it so it wasn't one that worked in my wardrobe.

If you're on the fence about vests, or you want some ideas for how to wear a similar waterfall vest you might already own, here's some of the ways I wore this old one I had a few years ago.

Blush Vest And Dresses

A long waterfall vest like this blush one looks great worn over a dress! Here I've tried the blue and pink combo I love so much, and for something different even tried to belt this vest in the first outfit. It's good to try little things like adding a belt to mix things up.

Blush Vest and Shorts

Seeing a vest as a warm weather piece, pairing it with shorts seemed like an obvious combo. Out of these 4 vest and shorts combos, I really liked the second and last ones the most, where I have a bit of a column of monochromatic colour under the vest that it layers so well with.

Blush Vest and Jeans

Can't go wrong with an outfit staple of jeans and a tee, and for something a little different I tried adding the blush waterfall vest on top. Again you can see the monochrome column of colour in these outfits too.

Blush Vest and Stripes

Whenever I'm not quite sure how to wear something I pull out the stripes! I find that striped tops worked well with this blush waterfall vest as it's a plain block colour and the stripe tops add a nice bit of interest to the outfit, so the vest isn't the only statement piece.

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Similar Vests Under $50

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The Magnificent 8

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration of 8 stylish women, ranging in age from early 20’s to early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to showcase how ageless style is. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out all 7 of these other amazing ladies!

• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Mica of Away from the Blue
• Roxanne of Glass of Glam
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
• Rena of Fine Whatever
• Eugenia of Age of Grace 
• Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style 
• Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Every quarter, the group chooses a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices. We post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. Check out everyone’s posts with the links above for style inspiration at any age as they show you their vest outfits. And get some inspiration from people who, unlike me, are big vest fans!

Follow Away From the Blue on:
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Magnificent 8: Outfits Inspired By A Magazine - Jeans and Blazers

Full disclosure: July is the middle of winter in Brisbane. I actually wore these outfits back in June, when it wasn't quite as cold! Wore these to collaborate with the other awesome ladies as part of the Magnificent 8, where this time around we are looking at magazines for outfit inspiration!

I'm no longer subscribed to any magazines so I checked out a few while I was at the library, looking back to April, May and June 2020 to get some winter outfit inspiration. When I stumbled across this editorial with jeans and blazers, something I love but rarely wear, I knew I was going to be able to make quite a few outfits from it. I actually had trouble narrowing it down to just two outfits. Not having the exact pieces to recreate gave me a lot of leeway with my choices. Resulted in these two inspired by outfits, rather than exact replicas of the editorial.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Nadine 3/4 sleeve dusky pink blazer
Necklace: Tiffany & Co silver 5th Avenue notes heart pendant necklace
Tee: Atmos & Here white essential v-neck tee
Jeans: Nobody Denim Siren skinny super high-rise jeans in power black denim (c/o)
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

I'd been wanting to try this blush blazer with a plain white tee for a while! Carrie made me think of the combo a while back and I knew with the white shirts in this editorial it was the perfect chance to try this white tee and blush blazer combo. As I don't actually have any white shirts, white tees were how I got the look of the editorial without copying the pieces exactly. I even resisted the urge to add a big bold necklace, as there were no accessories in the editorial although the outfit felt too plain without one so I added this simple silver Tiffany one.

No bags in the editorial either but since I actually wore these outfits out (like I do with everything I share on the blog) I definitely needed a bag for the essentials for the school run and some errands. This turquoise Balenciaga First bag is a great colour combo with the blush blazer.

Because I don't have any blue jeans or flares, I went for these equally neutral black Nobody Denim skinny jeans, that are such a staple in my wardrobe. I really liked the simplicity of this outfit.


Last worn: blush blazer, Tiffany heart necklace, white v-neck tee, black skinny jeans, Adidas Superstar, Balenciaga first bag.

Other ways to wear: blush blazer and blue dress, white v-neck tee and pleated skirt, black skinny jeans and florals, Adidas Superstar and midi dress, Balenciaga first bag with blue dress.

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 Magazine Outfits That Inspired Me:

Jean Pool Editorial from Harper's Bazar Australia April 2020

Images from The FMD - http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com

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What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Zara black blazer
Necklace: engraved interlinked silver circle family name necklace
Tee: Cotton On The One Deep V tee in marle nep white body black 
Jeans: Sass & Bide The Winning Day Lovestate jeans in magenta
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

Again I went with a white tee, this one has a subtle print all over, almost like a marle. And my comfy black jersey blazer. Also went with a simple silver necklace with this but regretted not adding a scarf - it was a particularly cold morning. Thankfully after the school run and helping in my son's class we didn't have too much to do before school pickup so spent a lot of the day indoors! I did have to layer up a little bit more for sports in the evening though.

While the editorial is all neutrals and flared jeans I thought these magenta jeans would be a fun statement to make the outfit seem more like me. While I liked this outfit better in the photos, I didn't like wearing this as much as I did the first outfit - I think it being a cold day was partly the reason, as well as this blazer being more fitted. The relaxed boyfriend fit of the blush blazer seemed to pair better with the jeans and be more like the inspiration photos in the editorial. It was a nice outfit, just only my second favourite!


Last worn: Zara black jersey blazer, printed white v-neck tee, silver necklace, magenta skinny jeans, New Balance Sneakers, Balenciaga Part Time bag.

Other ways to wear: Zara black jersey blazer and striped dress, printed white v-neck tee and shorts, magenta skinny jeans with leather jacket, Balenciaga Part Time bag in the office.

Perfect for pregnancy: Zara black jersey blazer in third trimester, Balenciaga Part Time bag in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

A blazer is a nice touch to dress up some jeans, and you can't go wrong with a basic white tee. Even if you don't have the exact pieces in your wardrobe, it's easy to get inspiration from magazines or other bloggers - give it a go with what you have and put your own spin on it!

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The Magnificent 8

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration of 8 stylish women, ranging in age from early 20’s to early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to showcase how ageless style is. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out all 7 of these other amazing ladies!

• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Mica of Away from the Blue
• Roxanne of Glass of Glam
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
• Rena of Fine Whatever
• Eugenia of Age of Grace 
• Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style 
• Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Every quarter, the group chooses a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices. We post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. Check out everyone’s posts with the links above for style inspiration at any age as they show you their magazine inspired outfits!

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : LikeToKnow.It 

Magnificent 8 Statement Pants: Pink and Black Jeans Outfits With Balenciaga Part Time Bag

For this quarter's Magnificent 8 posts, all 8 ladies decided to style some statement pants. We are all styling our different pants in unique ways, scroll on down to see the outfits I wore to meet the theme and find links to the other ladies blogs. Because you can be stylish at any age!

I don't actually have a lot of pants in my wardrobe - jeans are my staple for cooler days when tights under a dress or skirt won't cut it! But with some autumn weather finally arriving a month or so late in April in Brisbane, it was the perfect time to wear some of my more statement jeans and meet the theme.

What I wore:

Earrings: Michael Hill stud earrings with aqua cubic zirconia in sterling silver

Necklace: Tiffany & Co silver 5th Avenue notes heart pendant necklace
Tee: Cotton On deep v tee in washed desert rose
Jeans: Sass & Bide Playman skinny jeans
Shoes:  New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

Refusing to believe that it's cardigan weather as we've had such a warm autumn so far, I didn't add a topper on this outfit, thinking jeans and a tee was warm enough for this autumn day. It was a bit chilly on the school run though, and with a bit of a breeze I was wishing I'd picked up a jacket or cardigan whenever we reached a shady section on our bike ride around the park. It was perfectly warm in the sun though for jeans and a tee, but running errands after I wished again I'd worn a jacket.

Not an outfit fail though as I liked this outfit otherwise! These chevron print Sass and Bide skinny jeans are really fun to wear. I've tried wearing printed pieces with them a few times in the past, with mixed results. A plain block colour piece, like this pink v-neck tee, is a much better pairing as it lets the printed jeans be the only statement with the outfit.

Carried my black Balenciaga part time bag to fit snacks and water bottles - and since my youngest's latest birthday he's old enough to join his big brother at sports on a Monday evening. This bag is plenty big enough for all of our water bottles for that.


Last worn: pink v-neck tee, aqua earrings, silver Tiffany necklace, Sass and Bide chevron print jeans, New Balance sneakers, Balenciaga black part time bag.

Other ways to wear: pink v-neck tee and maxi skirt, Sass and Bide chevron print jeans and leather jacket, Balenciaga black part time bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga black part time bag in second trimester.

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30 Ways To Wear: Balenciaga Part Time Bag

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What I wore:

Necklace: silver heart long pendant necklace
Tank: Atmos & Here Oregon stripe tank
Jeans: Sass & Bide The Winning Day Lovestate jeans in magenta
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

What a day this was! Had a simple relaxing weekend planned, with a bike ride around the track at the playground in the morning, as well as a stop at the library. Afterwards we grabbed some more soil (and some snags for lunch!) at Bunnings so we could plant the rest of our Woolworths discovery garden seedlings outside. Actually managed to raise quite a few seeds to the 'ready for planting' stage, hopefully I can keep them alive this time and get a better harvest than we did a couple years back where the smoke from the bushfires and the heatwaves killed everything off!

Unfortunately what was supposed to be a quiet afternoon planting in the garden turned into a minor trip to the hospital for my son after he managed to injure himself! Thankfully we were seen and got back home fairly quickly, in time for dinner and a movie to help us all de-stress and recover.

Again this outfit is black and pink, this time around with a printed top and plain jeans. These bright magenta jeans are also from Sass and Bide and one of the few pairs of straight legged jeans I have in my wardrobe. I like the bright statement magenta colour and I find these really wearable! To let the pants shine again I kept the rest of my outfit simple with the neutral black and white striped tank, the black Balenciaga part time bag again and my black and white Converse.

Last worn: black striped tank, silver heart necklace, magenta Sass and Bide jeans, Converse, Balenciaga black part time bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black striped tank and maxi skirt, magenta Sass and Bide jeans with purple, Converse and shorts, Balenciaga black part time bag and printed skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse in second trimester, Balenciaga black part time bag in third trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

Statement jeans are easy to pair with basic tops in your wardrobe - a colourful v-neck tee works well with printed skinny jeans. For brighter print-free denim, try a printed top instead. A neutral will really help the bright jeans pop!

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The Magnificent 8

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration of 8 stylish women, ranging in age from early 20’s to early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to showcase how ageless style is. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out all 7 of these other amazing ladies!

• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Mica of Away from the Blue
• Roxanne of Glass of Glam
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
• Rena of Fine Whatever
• Eugenia of Age of Grace 
• Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style 
• Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Every quarter, the group chooses a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices. We post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. Check out everyone’s posts with the links above for style inspiration at any age as they show you their statement pants outfits!

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : LikeToKnow.It 

Dresses Worn Outside The Box: Magnificent 8

It's another Magnificent 8 post! Every quarter a group of us from multiple different age groups pick a theme and all style it in our own unique ways, showing you can be stylish at any age! This time we are sharing ways to wear clothes outside of the box. With it being a hot summer I wasn't going to layer up or wear anything drastically different, so I ended up falling back on my usual go-to way of mixing things up - taking a dress and wearing it a little differently!

Today I'm showing you how I wear a shirt dress as a kimono, and also how I wear a dress as a top. Such simple outfits but it really changes up the look of the dresses! I did wear these outfits a while ago, as I only take and share photos of outfits I actually wear on the blog and for some reason I had the wrong date in my head and this post was supposed to be last week, so I wore the outfits in advance of that!

What I wore:

Jacket: Atmos&Here Nigella collarless shirt dress (worn as kimono)
Necklace: Lovisa silver love knitted heart pendant necklace
Tee: Zalora Basics maroon stepped t-shirt
Shorts: Jeanswest Heather Bermuda short in black
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bracelets: the usual plus Hermes Kelly double tour bracelet in rubis
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

I wore this on the day our 3 day lockdown was announced in Brisbane. Unfortunately when I heard the news I'd been wondering when the best time that day would be to go out and get another loaf of bread as we were about to run out. I wasn't the only one suddenly needing groceries that day...had to join the longest line and wait over 35 minutes just to get into the grocery store. Thankfully I still had my pick of bread, they were restocking lots over the store and everyone was polite - I saw most people like myself only needing a few things, no overflowing trolleys. 

Did like my outfit for the day though even if it was a bit of a confusing day that definitely didn't go as planned. Having to tell my kids that our weekend plans and much looked forward to party were cancelled was pretty tough but truly 3 days was nothing! It was a nice long weekend at home before the lockdown was lifted as expected when there were no more cases.

I've worn this dress as a kimono before, and have worn it with this tee before too! Sometimes I worry this shirt dress can be a little short with the curved hems, so wearing it as a kimono over shorts instead is a great alternative. And it does work so well with this burgundy tee! The black Bermuda shorts matched the black in the print of the dress, as well as my sneakers. I wore my New Balance sneakers as my intention was to go for a walk around my favourite trail after quickly stopping at the grocery store but I decided it was probably best to get home and have an early start to lockdown after that hectic and time consuming experience! 😂


Last worn: printed shirt dress, burgundy tee, heart necklace, Hermes bracelet, black denim shorts, New Balance sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.

Other ways to wear: printed shirt dress worn two ways, burgundy tee in a capsule wardrobe, black denim shorts and print mix, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: burgundy tee and hidden second trimester bump, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag in third trimester.

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Other Ways I've Worn These Dresses:

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What I wore:

Dress: Atmos & Here Willow printed tee dress (worn as a top)
Shorts: thrifted Jeanswest distressed denim shorts
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star coast blue
Bag: Chloe periwinkle small Paraty

Why I wore it:

This was another rare kid-free time! Again the boys were with their grandparents and I had a massive to do list to tackle so I dressed simply with my comfortable Converse and another pair of denim shorts. With the blue Chloe small Paraty bag this would be a bit monochromatic so I thought this tee dress would be a fun way to add a bit more colour, with the bright floral print!

Again this isn't a new combination for me, this tee dress felt a bit short when the kids were little and crawling around everywhere, so I'd wear it as a top then. It also looks great worn under a pencil skirt for the office, where it would definitely be too short to wear on its own! It did seem to bunch up a bit when I was taking a photo but I didn't mind as I wore this through the day - it was so comfortable and the bright print so cheerful!

Unlike the day above, I managed to get a lot done in the precious few kid free hours I had on this day!

Last worn: floral tee dress, denim shorts, Converse, Chloe Paraty bag.

Other ways to wear: floral tee dress layered for winter, denim shorts and kimono, Converse and culotte shorts, Chloe Paraty bag and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: floral tee dress in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

You don't have to wear a dress simply as a dress! Shirt dresses can be unbuttoned and worn like a kimono or duster depending on the length of your dress. A cute printed dress can be tucked into a pair of shorts and worn like a top too - great for a busy day of running around where you don't want to be tugging at the hem of a dress all day, or just for a way to change up how you style a favourite dress.

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The Magnificent 8

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration of 8 stylish women, ranging in age from early 20’s to early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to showcase how ageless style is. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out all 7 of these other amazing ladies!

• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Mica of Away from the Blue
• Roxanne of Glass of Glam
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
• Rena of Fine Whatever
• Eugenia of Age of Grace 
• Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style 
• Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Every quarter, the group chooses a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices and we post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. So be sure to go check out everyone’s posts with the links above for style inspiration at any age as they show you their take on ways to wear things outside the box!

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : LikeToKnow.It