It Looks Pretty & Soft

Source

Has anyone had the opportunity to try on or even feel this jacket from Miss Selfridge? I'm quite interested in getting it and using it as an Autumn jacket as Autumn starts in March for us. I don't necessarily want the upkeep and expense of leather so i've been considering opting for a PU version. This one does look pretty and i love the 'gathering' detail on the waist at the back. I'm assuming this detail is going to help it mold better on the body?

I only have memories of their jeans from the time i spent in England years ago but i'm quite unsure of their jacket. I'd really appreciate if someone could help me out on this. I don't want to find myself in a situation where i would need to return the jacket and have to bear the postal costs so if anyone has felt or even tried this on, please let me know. On the other hand, if you've owned a PU jacket from Miss Selfridge, please feel free to share as well

Sales Mania

Source

I'm one of those people who stalks an item i love online until it goes on sale. That's exactly what i did with this Mischa Barton bag. I've been stalking it for quite some time and i was quite excited to find out that it was on sale. Of course, i had to wait to find out if any of my friends wanted anything from ASOS before doing any online shopping. But while i was online staring and drooling over the bag, it went out of stock. I thought i was going to have a mini panic attack but luckily as at this afternoon, it was back in stock and i wasted no time adding it to my basket. All i need to do now is sit back and wait for this baby to arrive home to me. I hope it looks as awesome in person as it does in the picture. I also ordered these boots in anticipation of our upcoming winter as i only have one pair of decent boots. The one i had last winter is on its last legs as i absolutely wore it to death. This slinky dress is also making its way towards me and now i can gladly say that i have the dress i've been coveting for months!!!

So, how did your New Year's celebration go?

My Perfect ASOS Find

Source

Over the last few weeks, uni has been showing me exactly who is boss in this relationship of ours. Its just the end of week 8 for uni and this period usually oozes of essays and reports for me. My next essay is due Wednesday at 5pm and its a relatively short piece, 1000 words, so i've started working on it as i need to pick the perfect article. I've pretty much narrowed down my choices to 2 articles for now. I think i've looked at way too many articles today so i'm going to leave it till tomorrow to select which one i'd like to use. The beauty of writing essays is that i've been able to time myself on the average amount of words i can write in an hour. If i've done a thorough research and essay plan before starting, i can write about 400-500 words in an hour. But on the days i'm flying blind (not sure of the structure i want to use, no plan on what ideas will be discussed in which paragraphs), i'm lucky if i can write 300 words within the hour. Hopefully for this essay, that won't be the case. My plan is to spend the entirety of Saturday looking at the different theories i can use for my essay and narrow it down to a choice of 3 and then select an article to use. On Sunday, by the grace of God i'm hoping to wake up in time for church. And when i get back i'll select a theory to use and then do all my tutorial questions for the upcoming week 9. Monday is going to be strictly dedicated to writing my essay and sleeping! Yes, i haven't had a decent sleep in quite a while so i definitely need to try and work on that. I've been sleeping odd hours due to the amount of work i've had to do and the times my brain is functioning.

But before we even get into any of those, here are my perfect ASOS finds. I'm adding them to the top of my wish list and hopefully i'll buy one or two of them during the Christmas period.

ASOS WHITE sculpted belted coat

Ok, so at the moment its Spring in Australia so i evidently shouldn't be shopping for a winter jacket. What i've realised is that its really hard for me to find a winter jacket that i actually like. So what i do now is to note down where i found something really appealing and then wait till about the end of February to narrow down my choices. And since i've started acclimatising to the Australian weather, i might just need a proper winter jacket for the next winter season. March is the beginning of Autumn here and to me, that's the perfect time to start shopping for a jacket. With that being the beginning of Spring in England, some of the winter jackets would be on sale so hopefully, i'll only pay a knockdown price if i opt for this one from ASOS as it retails for £150

WAREHOUSE one shoulder drape dress

My closet is seriously lacking in the dressy dress department. As a matter of fact, i only have one that i really like and can dress up for both day and night. This one is perfect as it is very girly and flirty. It does look a bit short on the model but since i'm just borderline 5'6", i think it'll be a good length on me. At £65, it does seem a bit pricey so i hope that the quality is top-notch

Well folks, that's all from me for now. I hope you guys have a good day or a good night depending on where you are when you read this. It's 1.22am on Saturday here in Australia so i'm off to hit the sack :)

The Disadvantage Of...

Source

...paying £3 less for delivery from England to Australia is that it might take twice as long for your items to arrive. You see, Topshop and ASOS charge the bog standard £10.50 for delivery to Australia which although pricey, it means that your items would definitely arrive within 5-7 days after its been posted. But Miss Selfridge offered a cheaper alternative at £7.50 and my friend couldn't resist. Since she was placing an order, i decided i might as well order some lingerie from them because my most girlie and transparent undees are actually from Miss Selfridge and anything see-through always rocks my boat. On the 18th of August, we were informed that our items were on their way to make a happy union with us. That seemed like many moons ago because we are yet to receive our parcel. Worst of all, Miss Selfridge told us to wait at least 2 weeks before worrying and that in the past it has taken some items up to 4 months to arrive at its destination. 4 months?!?! For a location on planet earth in this 21st century? Its not like we reside on Mars or Venus where i would understand that it should take a considerable amount of time before it arrives

On another note, it was an extremely windy morning today, the sliding doors kept banging against their fittings and all i could think of was why these buggers didn't install a toughened glass or at least a triple-glazed unit. Yes, i do know an awful lot about windows and how they can be made more weather friendly especially in situations where they'd be used in countries that have extreme weather conditions. It is Spring here and that means rain and wind! From my observation of the sliding doors, they are definitely double-glazed and they look just like any bog standard glass sheet. That means they haven't been toughened. Usually toughened glass is made with an extreme amount of heat and the idea is that it makes the glass a bit more flexible yet resistant; technically it becomes almost shatter-proof. Not completely but almost. So this is definitely the kind of glass you want to use if you have kids running around in skateboards and banging into things because it means that the pressure from that won't have any effect on the glass. Talk about health and safety for your kids...ha!

Acne Printet Leggings

from Youheshe.com

I really really wish there was a black version of this Acne Printet leggings! How cool is it? A black version would have quickly shot up to the top of my wish list for Winter!

Hunter Carnaby Tall Wellington Boots

from ASOS.com

Remember the Jimmy Choo wellies i blogged about in December? Well, i have no intention of buying them because they're about AUD$600! As much as i think they're pretty cool, i'm not one to wear wellies in the first place so spending that amount on them is bonkers! But as we seem to have a bit of the great British weather here in NSW, Australia, it might be a very good idea for me to invest in a pair of wellies at some point and that's where these Hunter Carnaby wellies come into play. At 139 pounds, i think it is a great replacement financially and style-wise for the Jimmy Choo version as i've always hated the look of plain rubber. This one does mimick the snake skin and i must admit i can picture myself wearing this with a blazer or parka on a rainy day in Spring! Need i say more, click here to get yourself a pair!

Jaeger Catwalk Shoe Boots

from ASOS.com

Did you like the Opening Ceremony boots from yesterday? Can i tempt you with something a bit similar? If you didn't like the fold-over look of the Opening Ceremony boots then you'll appreciate the simplicity of this one. It is much cheaper at 199 pounds but a little bit higher at 4.75". I actually prefer these Jaeger boots to the ones from yesterday mainly because of the peep toes and the lace detail on it and you can snag a pair right here!

Opening Ceremony Peep Toe Shoe Boots

from ASOS.com

I don't know about you guys, but these boots look pretty cool to me. I love anything that looks a bit odd but still stylish and doesn't scream Autumn 2010. I love the fact that the heels are chunky at 4" and by now i need not tell you that the probability of me falling flat on my face in these Open Ceremony boots is pretty high. But, if you've got 280 pounds to spare and don't mind investing in them, please click here :)

La Mer Wristwatch

from Singer22.com

I came across this La Mer wristwatch whilst browsing online at Singer22 and it retails for US$110. It actually reminds me of a bracelet that Courtney Cox wore in an issue of InStyle Magazine Australia and i quite fancied the bracelet at the time. I'm not really into leather wristwatches because i sweat easily and i noticed in the past that the area where the watch was on my wrist used to itch after a while. But i'm more than willing to make an exception for this so it is automatically going into my Wishlist...

Made For Blake Lively

from ASOS.com

The minute i saw this Karen Millen dress, Blake Lively came to mind for all the reasons you can imagine. The model bears a somewhat resemblance to her, it's a great dress for her to show off her pins. At 165 pounds, it is a bit pricey but i love the metallic nature of the jacquard, what i don't like is the fact that it's dry clean only. Why do pricey dresses have to be dry clean only? What happened to the option of gentle handwashing? If you're interested in getting this for yourself then click here

Leather Balmania

from ASOS.com

Seems to me like shoulders will be here for quite some time and for those of you that are looking for a brand new leather jacket, can i tempt you with this? It's the Supertrash leather extended shoulder biker jacket...wow, what a long name. It is currently retailing for 250 pounds and you can purchase it here...

from ASOS.com

I must admit that it's been a very long time since i've been interested in anything from ASOS. They've been looking really weird and cheap to me, eventhough i'm aware that most of their items are reasonably priced, i hate it when something looks cheap. But sometimes, the colour of the material also affects how cheap something looks. Let's take this one shouldered playsuit for instance, this navy blue shade looks great but there also happens to be a yellow version that i think could easily pass for tackyville on the wrong person. But don't let me discourage a future purchase, you can get it here for a mere 40 pounds

Essential Layering

I'm a real sucker for comfortable clothing and anything else that makes me feel in my element; i hate feeling constrained by my clothes or having to fake a smile because what i'm wearing is killing me. Although i've been in Australia for almost 2 years, i still haven't learnt to dress for each season nor has my love and interest in fashion translated to my wardrobe. My wardrobe is very bare; it looks like what a nomad might have, or maybe someone having a spring clean and getting rid of everything for a new start. My wardrobe has been like that for the length of time i've been in Australia and going on shopping bans hasn't really helped either. You'd think that all that money i saved would be put into boosting my wardrobe but i'm beginning to get worried that my saving bouts might be turning me into a stingy person. You see, my bank balance looks way too good right now that i feel a slight ache in my heart to alter it, but i also know that if my parents saw my closet they'd either never give me money or make me buy lots of clothes to fill it up. Just to let you in on how empty it is, i've only got 2 pairs of jeans [black skinny and blue relaxed flare], i've also got about 6 tops, 4 dresses and my lounge wear which sometimes doubles as a workout gear; i've owned these for over a year now.

With all this in mind, i'm making a huge effort to change and to stop disgracing my parents by boosting up my wardrobe slowly. If you've read magazines that had issues on makeovers, most fashion editors would always say start with the basics!!! And that's exactly what i plan on doing; the picture of Hilary Duff is very inspiring to me because it looks very relaxed and comfortable. But most importantly, it is trans-seasonal because as you're all aware fake Autumn starts in March. So as it gets cooler, it becomes more sensible for me to introduce leggings back into my look [not that summer stopped me attempting to wear them] and when it gets even cooler i could easily throw on a boyfriend cardigan or a blazer to keep warm! With these in mind, i plan on investing on a few longline tank tops that i can layer with and where better to find them than at Bassike? I absolutely love their essentials range that has layering singlets in white, grey marl and black retailing at $60 each
Image via Hilaryvault.com

High Expectations?

Everytime i go to ASOS and look at the items they've designed, i'm always hoping to see something spectacular. I have a certain expectation of what an ASOS item should look and feel like. I'm very aware that most of the prices are budget friendly but at the same time i expect them to design and sell things that don't look like i bought them from a European version of Supre. If you've been to Supre then you'll understand what i'm getting at. So far, most of the designs that hace come out in the past week at a friendly budget look good. But on closer inspection and with a change in colour options for the items of clothing, they do look like a slightly upscale version of Cotton On. I don't know if my eyes are just deceiving me or if i have an unnecessarily high expectation from ASOS. What do you think? Am i being too harsh on them?

Image via rlv.zcache.com

I've Been A Lazy Girl

I have a bit of a confession to make. For the past few days, or over a week now, i've been a pretty lazy girl. I've been waking up towards midday and going to bed just before sunrise and i'm very aware of how detrimental this pattern could be to my body and my fitness. Least to say, i've become a couch potato and i've only had two decent workout sessions in the last 2 weeks and i really need someone to act as my personal trainer to get me off the couch and do one of my workout dvds or go for a long walk up a hilly road. I've been so lazy that i've had the same nail polish on for about 3 weeks and counting which is VERY unlike me. The only thing i've consistently done is take care of my hair, apply for jobs and have two phone interviews, have my training sessions for AVON and clean my apartment religiously! I need something or someone or even just an inspiration to spur me into action because i'm getting tired of being tired.

I almost forgot to mention that i'm officially done with my shopping ban! For about 24 hours, i wac excited about shopping and the lot because i haven't done it in such a long time but right now i really can't be bothered anymore. For some reason i've lost all interest and the only thing i'm really keen on is getting my new Apple laptop i told you guys about a while back. I'm meant to be going to Sydney next month for a spot of shopping with Cookie but i must admit that i've also lost interest in that. The only thing i'm truly looking forward to during that trip is our usual stop at China Town for lunch/ dinner; i can't wait to get my teeth sunk into some delish food and i think this time i'll order something with pork. I say pork because i think that's what Cookie ordered the last time we went and it tasted real good!!!

Image via Stylewillsaveus.com

MAC Collection: Warm & Cozy

MAC has released a new collection aptly named 'Warm & Cozy'. I want to assume that this collection is more about prepping us for Autumn which is almost 2 months away as opposed to the current summer because it is already hot. Here's what MAC describes this collection as:

"Cuddle up, cozy down, chill out. Beauty succumbs to the most sensuous and luxirious essentials. Dim the lights, and relax in the soft candlelight of thisseason's most mellowed-out shades. Be warm & cozy"

The collection contains 4 eyeshadows, 4 shadesticks, 3 lipsticks, 4 tinted lipglasses, 2 tinted lip conditioners with SPF15, 2 shades of mineralize skinfinish, 2 blends of essential oils and 2 nail lacquers. The only thing i'm looking to buy from this collection is the tinted lipglass in feeling dreamy. When my shopping ban is over, if i'm in a very generous mood i might pick up one of the eyeshadows. Does anything from this collection interest you?

Barkins

Yesterday, i made a trip down to my local Barkins to see what they had to offer. For me the best part about barkins is their shoe collection as they have quite an ample lot to choose from at a very affordable price and i was impressed at what i saw yesterday and once my shopping ban is over, i plan on getting this pair of ankle boots for just $60. You see, i've always wanted to own a pair of ankle boots especially peep toes but most of the ones i've seen are either too expensive or really thin stilettos and i can't walk in stilettos neither am i willing to totally throw away my comfort for fashion. But this pair from Barkins is a great find because it is just $60 and although it is stilettos, it does have a platform base which should make it much more comfortable to wear.
Source: Barkins

Simple...

When i first saw this picture of Nicole Richie, i was immediately drawn to two things: her scarf and the gold accents in her outfit. Her blazer's gold buttons matches the black shoulder bag that also has a gold zip running through it and the straps. This minor detail moves this ensemble from blahville to interesting. And then that scarf around her neck just adds some chic factor to the whole thing. It is a Tolani Reptile Snakeskin Scarf which you can buy here and it would set you back US$99
Image via Justjared.com

Effortless Chic

You know, i find Thandie quite annoying. She always looks beautiful without a lick of makeup, looks like she hasn't aged aa day - in fact she manages to look better as she gets older, has a hot husband and two kids but still looks slender and wears her clothes so effortlessly it hurts my eyeballs!!! Here she is rocking a pair of loose pants and showing that you need not look slobby wearing this; Audrey Hepburn would definitely approve non? Here are some options you can use to re-create this look:

Vila Loose Tailored Tie Waist Trouser £35

Vila Asymmetric Loose Tailored Trouser £35
Vera Moda Casual Tailored Chinos £40
Image via Justjared.com

ASOS Boucle Option...

...i bet you're liking me now huh? So after doing a little digging, i found this alternative Boucle Jacket from ASOS to the one i posted yesterday. It's much much cheaper than the Patrizia Pepe one as it is only £60. I agree it doesn't look as Chanely and it comes across more like Tweed and something you'd expect from Vivienne Westwood. But hey, dont complain cause it's still a cute jacket. Enjoy...
Image from ASOS.com