28TH AUGUST, 2011 ♥

In these shoes?
I don't think so.

So, it is Sunday night and I am curled up in bed sick, after a weekend of drinking far too much and eating not enough, which doubtfully aided my recovery at all. How stupid.

To remedy this: Net-A-Porter browsing! (And pretending I have a wallet that is sufficiently equipped to fulfill this practice!) Anyone who chooses to wear these amazing YSL 'Opyum' suede pointed pumps with patent leather toe would have to be quite the very opposite of stupid:

I love the high quality of Net-A-Porter images; the fuzzy suede on these shoes makes me want to touch them, whilst smiling in a contented manner. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel as though the concept of "colour-blocking" is announced as a 'key trend' about four thousand times a season by designers, fashion writers, buyers, brands, stores and just about everyone else in the fashion universe. I feel as though it must be ones of these things: "Well, our first idea turned out to be a disaster, what should we fall back on this season?? OH OH I KNOW, WE'LL DO COLOUR-BLOCKING AGAIN!"
Hopefully my point is made. I think the only way colour-blocking really looks good is when the entire outfit EXCEPT the bright coloured item is black/white/grey/neutral. Then the colour has it's chance to be the centerpiece of the outfit, instead of clashing with a bunch of other colours or looking like a Piet Mondrian painting. Therefore, the way Net-A-Porter styled these pumps made me love them even more:

- C x

16TH AUGUST, 2011 ♥

Tea, please!

Tea drinkers: is your daily, supermarket-bought English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Oolong or Green tea not enough to satisfy your tea-loving tastebuds? Are they becoming repetitive and flavourless? (I should probably join a tea advertising agency :P.) But even if you still love your usual cuppa, once you step into gourmet tea house T2, suddenly everything they stock will move from 'luxury' to 'essential' for your kitchen cupboard!



(image from T2tea.com)

This amazing boutique tea store has just opened in my hometown of Adelaide, in our trendy East end shopping district of Rundle St. According to their website, T2 "provide a tantalizing, sensory retail experience unlike any other, where you are encouraged to taste our teas, browse for tea wares and learn about the delicate art of brewing developed over many centuries." My boyfriend and I first paid a visit the other day and were so overwhelmed by the atmosphere, flavours, colours and helpful staff that we spend almost $90 on tea and tea accessories!

There are about 180 varieties of gourmet tea to choose from, available in just about every flavour you can imagine. Customers can taste hot tea in the store, smell sample pots of different flavours while viewing the ingredients, and the staff are happy to help out with flavor recommendations, gift wrapping and information about the tea flavours and origins. T2 also offer a range of beautiful china sets, tea pots, canisters, other tea accessories and storage methods. I used to visit the Melbourne store to bring back presents for friends, but now I urge all my fellow Adelaideans to pay our very own Rundle St store a visit; prepare to spend more time and money inside than you first think! Overseas tea lovers can order tea here from the lovely T2 website. The store is set up so creatively that I couldn't help taking the following pictures, sorry about the somewhat shitty phone-camera quality.
































My boyfriend bought me a box of 'Citrus Punch' tea as a present, and we boiled a pot for his brand new T2 glass tea pot, omnomnom tea!




- C x

11TH AUGUST, 2011 ♥

Visual Stimuli.

A collection of images sourced from my dear and close friend (the internet), which please my heart, mind and soul more than anything else on this very early Thursday morning.




















- C x

6TH AUGUST, 2011 ♥

Please, Mr Postman!

I am not-so-patiently awaiting a number of online orders, so thought I would post about them to calm my anxiousness. Okay, slightly ridiculous, but everyone knows getting a package in the mail, all ready to open and gush over is better than Christmas. Or maybe equal to Christmas. With less food and alcohol. Hmm, maybe a little bit less as good as Christmas. Wow, I bet you're all glad you're still reading this post!

#1 ASOS flat lace-ups.

I very, very rarely only order one item when ordering from ASOS - think more along the lines of eleven or twelve items - however my sister received a package from them containing only two pairs of tights, and I discovered the amazing concept of only ordering one or two things. Far more ethical, as I feel bad enough about buying too much "fast fashion" anyway. Slightly hard to resist with international free shipping though. The item I am waiting for is this pair of "Marigold floral lace up flat shoes", £15:




Super cute and hopefully comfy! I always look for flats like these, but end up opting for sparkly heels or other questionable choices instead, so I hope these are a good decision! They're still available at this link if anyone is interested.

#2 MAC eyeliner.

A friend recommended this kohl eyeliner to me, saying it was amazing and worth the price (I think it's normally around $33). It is supposed to glide onto your waterline effortlessly, and actually stay on, unlike the cheap cosmetics my bank account usually resigns me to. Anyway, I found it for $11 or something on eBay, which I am quite happy about. There are so many colours, so if I like the black I will most definitely be sampling some more!


MAC eye kohl in 'smoulder'.

#3 Clarks Original desert boots.

Now, these I am excited about! I have been trying to source a nice desert boot all winter - I sell children's shoes at my work and have wanted a pair ever since I saw them in miniature sizing! A couple of mainstream shops have been selling them this winter, but nothing in my price range, and everything affordable tends to always be made of crappy synthetic blah blah yuck. Now we're in the last month of winter, so as a last resort, I did an ebay search - and BAM, Clarks original sand suede (real leather) desert boots in size 8.5, in my country of residence! Second hand but excellent condition. I watched them like a hawk for the next three days, and am happy to announce they are heading my way for a mere $30 (incl. postage)! Excited about pairing them with tights, dresses, coats and such.




My next Clarks desert boot mission involves these:


OH GOD. I WANT TO EAT THAT SUEDE. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL.

#4 Samantha Wills "Bohemian Bardot" ring, in jade.

I don't think I have mentioned this yet.... but I'm a Samantha Wills addict. I can't get enough of her amazing bohemian goddess, luxe, glam, burnished, antique, gemstone containing collections. If are yet to be introduced, please do yourself a favour and view her website here. I think I have about eight of her pieces now, taking pride of place on my counter in their carved wooden Samantha Wills boxes. I already have the Bohemian Bardot ring in peach, but it's such a timeless style that I thought I would add another colour to my collection. These rings are about 5cm in length and 3.5 in width, so they make nice statement pieces. I maaaaaay have obtained this one from a source other than Samantha's website or an authorised retail store... but it's not in stock there anymore and I really needed it! Yes, needed! (Plus I saved about $50...)




The unfortunate thing about living all the way down under is that online purchases sometimes take a long time to arrive. So, Mr Postie, if you could please hurry up just a little... I'll bake you cupcakes!


- C x

1ST AUGUST, 2011 ♥

Vintagesque.

I used to make a habit of frequenting vintage markets and sales more often, but haven't had time as of late - however I was Facebook-invited to a 'Vintagesque' sale at Radio Adelaide the other day; I had the morning free and cash in my wallet so wasn't going to say no!

The area was quite small but I arrived early so there were still goodies abound; here are the items I decided to take home:



Rosey pink jumper - $7



Sleeveless baby pink jumper - $10
(n.b. I've never bought so much pink in the same transaction in my life...)



Gold rope necklace - $8
I'd been looking for one of these for ages - big love for gold vintage jewelery! This one is quite heavy and not plasticky at all.



Earrings - $3


Later that day, I made these (because there wasn't enough pink in my day already! I must have had a brain-splosion.)




Coconut & lime cupcakes - you might first perceive this as an interesting flavour combination, but they were surprisingly delicious - tangy with a coconut crunch! Omnomnomom.

- C x