New Goodies: Shopping Haul!

Along with my new found obsession with Youtube beauty videos (a couple of years late to the party, I know), I've also found myself constantly watching 'haul' videos. For those of you who don't know what they are, they're basically where you show and talk about all your recent shopping purchases. It sounds quite inane, but I really enjoy them (think it might be the nosey characteristic in me!)

So I thought I'd share with you a few of my most recent purchases. Firstly because i'm in love with quite a few of them and secondly, because being currently unemployed my shopping habits may have to be significantly curbed for a (hopefully!) short while.

 1. Herringbone Ankle Grazing Skinny Trousers

I literally bought these yesterday and I'm already in love with them and planning our wedding. Alright, maybe a slight exaggeration but I'm very much looking forward to wearing them. The next week still looks to remain above 30 degrees, so it may be a little while before I can take them out for a spin.
 I've seen the herringbone pattern a lot in the shops recently, and I think we're going to see a lot more of it in the coming colder months. I personally love it - I think most of the time it's a very classy pattern, and I love the chic-ness of it in the monochrome tones.

These ones are very skinny, stopping just above the ankle - a length I think works well with a lot of shoes. The sides have a solid black strip which breaks up the block of pattern. I'll wear them for both casual and dressy events - during the day with a simple black top/shirt and boots and for the evening pair them with some mega high heels. I'll probably keep my top half simple and play about with some bright accessories. They were $49, which I think is an alright amount for a good pair of trousers - hopefully I'll get a lot of wear out of them!

2. Silver/Clear/Black Heels with Thin Ankle Strap

If the trousers are my new love, then these are definitely my babies.  I got these the other week from Wittner (basically where I get all my shoes) for a whopping HALF PRICE! Mind you, they were still a decent chunk of my pay check, but as soon as I saw them, I'd made up my mind I had to have them.

My Wittner babies

I've actually already worn them (for my boyfriend and I's 2 and a half year anniversary) and they're surprisingly comfy. Apart from the fact that I feel like Cinderella when I slip my feet into them, I love the elegance of the slightly lower heel and delicate ankle strap. It's a much welcome change from the mad high stilettos and chunkier heels that have dominated the past few seasons.

Thinking about it, they remind me a bit of these Louboutin ones... what do you think!?

Bad Boy Louboutin

3. Lovisa Jewellery

Now the whole Diva/Lovisa thing kind of confuses me but who is to argue with a 3 for 2 offer!? I've been into a Lovisa  a number of times, admired their wares but never actually bought anything. I tend to buy a lot of clothes and bags, but rarely accessories which is really starting to show in my wardrobe. Accessories are a fantastic way to cheaply update your wardrobe, so I thought i'd stock up while they had some good deals on.

Because the weather has been so amazing lately (hello lazy days by the pool in 30 degree heat!), most mornings when I have woken up to get dressed I've felt very summery - which would explain why I was immediately drawn towards the bright lights of the neon!

Now I don't normally wear dangly earrings because they tend to get tangled up in my hair, but I really liked the design of these ones, and think there's something kind of more 'grown-up' and 'fashionable' about long ones - (probably stemming from when I used to watch my mum get ready when I was younger - she had an enviable collection!).

I didn't actually plan for all the items to match - purely coincidence, I promise! The style of the necklace has been around for a long time and in a multitude of colours. I couldn't decide on one, so I chose the one that combined the lot! I was drawn to the neon enamel bangles - I think they're very vaguely reminiscent of the gorgeous Hermes ones (only the fact that they're bracelets and enamel really) but thought they'd brighten up a few outfit. The whole lot came to about $14 which I was pretty impressed about!

4. Finally - Magazines

This is a bit of a cheat one really, as technically I get British Vogue through a subscription (Thanks Grandma, Aunt and Cousins!). If you don't know, I'm originally from London and have lived in Australia for the past five years, and my Vogues are kind of my link back home and a way of keeping in touch with the trends. This is an especially good issue, hence the inclusion!

I did actually buy Yen, it's one of my favourite Australian magazines - it's always stuffed full of things a little off beat but always very interesting. I'm not going to lie - I picked up this issue mostly because of Lena Dunham on the cover - am currently OBSESSED with Girls (if you haven't watched it, DO SO NOW!). I think it's so impressive how much she's achieved and she's only in her twenties! There's also a great article/interview/profile piece on Grace Coddington, one of my favourite people ever. If you've seen 'The September Issue' or regularly read US Vogue you'll probably be familiar with her.

I treated myself to her autobiography 'Grace: A Memoir' around Christmas time and loved it. Thinking about it, I may do a review of it for the blog as I'd definitely recommend it! So stay tuned for that...


That's really only a selection of the things I've bought recently - let me know if you enjoyed the post/would like to see more/never want to see it again or if you've snapped up some great bargains/purchases recently!

x

Halcyon Future

I thought, before I properly introduce myself, I'd explain a bit about 'Halcyon Future'

I'm a bibliophile. I love books and words and would gladly spend all my money on beautifully illustrated hard-back books about words if I could.

I've always liked the word Halcyon. It sounds part scientific, part poetic - a beautiful juxtaposition of creativity and logic. 

According to the Oxford Dictionary;

Definition of halcyon

adjective - denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful:

noun - a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm.

Besides the romantic idea of the mythical bird, to me Halcyon is all about looking into the past with rose-tinted glasses. Fashion does this a lot of the time - using past trends, social and cultural events as inspiration. But it's all about living in the now - reminiscing about but not living stuck in the past. To pull it off successfully, we need elements of modernity. Which is where the 'Future' part comes in - combining the best of the past and the ideas of the future (in style and fashion) resulting in hopefully something that is unique and exciting.

B x

Nails Resolutions

When we make resolutions, we're socially encouraged to make them at the start of the year in January. 

Like many people year after year I write myself a list of things i'd like to change/achieve and generally by the second week of the month i'm already crying in my despair at failing to achieve them. However so far 2013 has proven to be quite the exception. 

One of my more frivolous resolutions was to take better care of my nails. I don't bite them, so they're generally always in a good condition and I own a fair few bottles of nail varnish. However, I confess I used to be lazy with my nails. There i've admitted it! I'd pick a colour, do a hasty paint job before leaving them to chip. When there was nothing more than a few specks left i'd finally get round to taking it off. My nails would remain naked for a few weeks before the process would repeat itself.

But no longer! Inspired by some beauty youtube videos i've recently got into the habit of watching and restrained by my dwindling bank account (#currentlyunemployed) I decided to revitalise my wardrobe starting with the tips of my fingers. It's a great way to look and feel 'put together' and it really doesn't have to break the bank. I visited a few of the discount chemists and had a look at some of the really cheap no-name brands, thinking that the good stuff would be way more than I was currently willing to spend. Luckily, I decided purely out of interest to have a look in the general make-up aisle. For just $1 or two more than the cheap brands I spotted the Sally Hansen 'Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear' collection. I already have a lot of bright colours, generally in the blue-y spectrum, but was particularly drawn towards the more pastel/neutral tones that were on offer. After an embarrassingly long time deliberating over exactly which colours to purchase i settled on three.

Yes, I know there are four here...read on, dear reader to find out why!

1. Sally Hansen 'Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear' in Bamboo Shoot

2. Sally Hansen 'Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear' in Mint Sorbet

3. Maybelline New York Colour Show in Audacious Asphalt

note - Audacious Asphalt!? Who comes up with these names? Absolutely hilarious, I decided I had to have this one just so I could tell people the name.

A lovely surprise was waiting for me at the counter - There was a 3 for 2 offer on all Sally Hansen! Feeling like a bit more sparkle i ended up going for Sally Hansen 'Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear' in Celeb City.

Clockwise from top left; recent purchases; Maybelline 'Audacious Asphalt' with Sally Hansen 'Celeb City'; Sally Hansen 'Mint Sorbet'; fluorescent pink with accessories

 I've been really admiring the recent trend of using two colours on your nail - one as the main focus and then a single nail in a contrasting colour. I thought the silver would work really nicely with the grey and decided they would be the first colours i would try out!

It's amazing what a difference a fresh (home) manicure can make! Only downside is i've found i've been shoving my nails in the face of everyone i meet to show them, including my boyfriend who really couldn't care less! Why is no-one else as excited as me! I tried out the mint sorbet the other day, and am also really enjoying it. It's such a refreshing colour, and perfect for when the weather is as good as it has been. 

I'd definitely recommend the brands I picked up too. With a $6.95 price tag, I was afraid the colour would be pretty thin and chip easily, but I have really been surprised. You only need one or two coats to achieve a striking colour, it's lasted a couple of days without chipping but is still easy to remove when you decide you want a change. 

Some other colours I've tried out recently (really just an excuse to use my new instagram app weeeeeeew!)

I think what i'd really like to try next is some more experimental nail art - maybe different tips/more colours and some graphic designs. Let me know what you think!