OOTD - Running Errands

Hello lovelies,

Today's outfit was just a simple one for running a few errands around town on my day off. Day to day I work in a café, which is not the most glamorous of occupations. So whenever I don't have to go into work I really enjoy getting a bit more dolled up than necessary. This outfit hit a sweet spot between comfort and glam, which was right up my alley.

As usual, all details below and links where applicable.

★ Outfit Details ★

Jacket - Zara (unavailable)

Playsuit/Romper - Beginning Boutique 

Necklace - Beginning Boutique

Boots - Kmart Australia (unavailable online)

OOTN - Open Mic Night

Hi everybody (Hi Doctor Nick)!

Last night I attended an Open Mic Night in support of my lovely father, who is a musician. I enjoy these types of events as there is a distinct air of casualness, yet a standard of 'cool' to be met. It's a bit of a challenge, but it is fun none the less. As it is coming into Winter here in Australia, I decided to rug up a bit. I always feel so chic adding a thick, black coat to an outfit. Don't ask me why, as I could not tell you. Anyway, here is the look I came up with. I'll add whatever links I can below the image.

☽ Outfit Details ☾

Coat - Thrifted

Scarf - Lettuce (unavailable online)

Crop Top -Topshop

Skirt - Dotti

Boots - Kmart Australia

Necklace - Beginning Boutique

Dressing For Your Body Shape

Hello internet browsers!

Have you ever fallen in love with a particular garment of clothing and had it look terrible on you, but look to die for on somebody else? It's more than likely that the item is not compatible with your specific body shape. This blog post is the first in a series on dressing for your body type. I'll help you to figure out which of the five body types you are, and how to dress accordingly.

There are five main body shapes, most of which you have probably heard of. I'll save myself some time and simply dot point them below.

Hourglass - You are an hourglass if your waist is at least 9" narrower than your bust and hips. If you don't know/can't be bothered measuring yourself, you're an hourglass if your waist is significantly smaller than your bust and hips.
Most notable celebs: Kim Kardashian, Sofia Vergara, Christina Hendricks, Marilyn Monroe.

Pear - Your bottom half is the most pronounced aspect of your body. As a general rule of thumb, to determine whether you are a Pear, your hip measurement should be 5% larger than your shoulders.
Most notable celebs: Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Iggy Azalea.

Apple - You tend to carry most of your weight in your upper body, having typically thin legs and a flat behind.
Most notable celebs: Oprah Winfrey, Drew Barrymore, Catherine Zeta Jones, Queen Latifah. 

Brick/Column/Rectangle - If you find you have very little waist definition and your body goes in a straight line from your shoulders down to your waist, you have a brick/column/rectangle body shape.

Most notable celebs: Cameron Diaz, Hilary Duff, Keira Knightley, Gwyneth Paltrow.  

 Inverted Triangle - If your shoulders are wider than your hips, causing you to wear a larger size top than bottom, then you're an Inverted Triangle. Other qualities of this shape are a flat behind, with nice, shapely legs.
Most notable celebs: Jessica Simpson, Angelina Jolie, Robin Wright, Miley Cyrus.

 

Hopefully that helped you to identify which body shape you are. In following blogs, I will go into detail about what to wear to compliment your body type, as well as garments and decorations to avoid. If you have any questions regarding your body type, please put them in the comments. I am more than happy to help you find your shape!

Ciao, bellas!
Jasmine Lilee xx

Foundation Selection

Hey guys and gals,

I just wanted to post a quick entry about selecting the appropriate foundation for your complexion, more specifically MAC foundation. As most people are aware, it is greatly important to recognise the undertone of your skin when selecting a shade of foundation. Cool skin tones require pink-based foundations, whereas warm skin tones look best with a yellow-based foundation. If you have ever purchased a foundation that either washed you out or made you look a little off, you will know what I'm talking about when it comes to 'importance'.

Before I dive in, I'll give you a super quick way to identify your natural undertones. This will change your life. I'm not even joking. It will change your shopping game FOREVER.

1. Get yourself in a room with an abundance of natural lighting, artificial lighting will make the identification process a little more difficult. I find that the bathroom at midday is a good time to do this.
2. Take a look at the inside of your wrist. If your veins look blue, you have cool undertones to your skin. If your veins look green, you have warm undertones. It's literally as simple as that. FYI: if you see green veins, that does not mean they are green. You still have blue veins, they simply appear green through your yellow complexion. Blue + yellow = green.

MAC is a super popular, well known brand for cosmetics, amongst professional makeup artists and everyday wearers alike. We like to think that they make foundation selection easy for uneducated makeup wearers by separating them into two categories, NC and NW. However, a big trick has been played on us. We have been lead to believe that NC = cool and NW = warm, how dare us to believe such a thing, right? However, it has all been inverted for professional makeup artists (NC = warm/yellow; NW = cool/pink). The reason behind this is to neutralise the undertones of the individual, creating a blank canvas so to speak.


For everyday makeup wearers, such as myself, it is much simpler to choose foundations that complement our natural undertones instead of neutralising them. Most drugstore foundations are cool/pink toned/based, which is mighty convenient if that's your undertone. However, if you have a warm/yellow undertone you will have to look a bit harder to find a foundation that is right for you. Warm skin tone people should look for key descriptors such as 'honey', 'warm' (duh!), 'toffee', and 'tawny'. For MAC, if you are warm toned buy NC, and if you are cool toned, buy NW. Trust me, you will thank yourself for it in the long run.



Ciao for now,
Jas xox

Photo found at http://www.myskinpharmacy.com.au/faq_post/how-to-know-if-a-foundation-colour-is-perfect-for-you/

Trend Alert: 70s Boheme Revival

Hello lovelies,

Today I want to talk about fashion. Australia will be coming in to Autumn/Fall shortly and I have been excited about the emerging trends coming from the runways. One of the more distinct trends I have noticed is the re-emergence of the 70s bohemian style, with bell-bottom sleeves and pants, paisley patterns, blood orange and plum purples making a come back.

Courtesy of Alice + Olivia, via Style.com

Courtesy of Alexis Mabille, via Style.com

Courtesy of Nanette Lepore, via Style.com

Courtesy of Tracy Reese, via Style.com

Courtesy of Matthew Williamson, via Style.com

Courtesy of Matthew Williamson, via Style.com

Courtesy of Matthew Williamson, via Style.com

Personally, this kind of style has never agreed with my body type or my skin tone (I'm a cool winter with an hourglass body, FYI), so I doubt I'll be rocking any of the above this coming season. However, if you have a strawberry, column or brick body type, and/or are a deep winter, clear winter, or any type of autumn, you can feel confident rocking this style.

Let me know in the comments which designer's interpretation of 70s boheme you liked the best. My favourite is Matthew Williamson, but I do love a bit of colour anyway.

Ciao for now,
Jasmine Lilee
xox

Hello lovelies,

I'm coming to you today with another product review. This time however, it is the Australis Cosmetics Velourlips lip cremes. This product is very popular in my social circle, so I would love to expand the knowledge of their existence and awesome-ness with you all.

Last week I found a 25% off discount code for Australis Cosmetics on UniDays, so I couldn't help but place an order. The parcel arrived today and I'm so pleased with my choices.The three shades I decided to commit to were Ho-chi-min, Hon-o-loo-loo and Mi-a-mee. Overall I'm quite pleased with them all.

My favourite has to be Mi-a-mee, one that I have been crushing on and swatching at Priceline for some time now. It is a beautiful rosy red, that just goes on so nice and creamy, without drying out your lips too much. 

Ho-chi-min is another one I've lusted after for a while. As you can probably see, it is rather similar to Hon-o-loo-loo, only peachier. It is quite bright though, making it perfect for those days you want to channel your inner Barbie. 

Finally, Hon-o-loo-loo is the one that I am disappointed in. It is such a beautiful colour, very similar to the Cashmere Velvetine by Lime Crime. When I put it on my lips to swatch, it dried them out instantly. Matte lip products are typically quite drying, so I was prepared for that. However, this one was just off the charts. It was patchy to apply, and just super uncomfortable to wear. It is quite a shame because I was really looking forward to rocking it.

Australis Cosmetics is a great, affordable brand with high quality products. Over the last few years they have really picked up their game and vastly broadened their product list. Along with the Velourlips, I also purchased the AC On Tour contour palette, which I will be reviewing shortly. So be sure to keep an eye out for that one.

Leave a comment below telling me which one was your favourite. And if you've ever tried Australis Velourlips, I'd love to know what you thought of them.

Ciao for now,

Jasmine Lilee

xox

Cute Stationery = Productive Jasmine

At the beginning of January, I made an order on Kikki-K.com for a gorgeous lilac agenda (or diary, as we call it in Australia) as they had a sale on. For those who are unaware, Kikki-K is a Swedish design company that produces beautiful, quality stationery for the notebook-passionate. Originally the item was $40 or so, but I managed to nab it for $27, which I'm really happy about. Shipping took a couple of weeks, but it did come during the hectic New Year period so I'm really not concerned about that. Especially when it arrived so delicately packed in a huge, red snowflake covered box!

I mean look at that little bundle of cuteness. Don't you feel motivated already, because I sure do! It's honestly so small it fits in my tiny handbag, meaning I can take it everywhere I go. Inside it is a year view, monthly view, address section, plastic ruler/book mark, and adorable pink dividers. The quality of it is top notch, and the best part is - when 2015 is done and dusted I can just log on to the website and order refills, instead of a whole new diary! HOLLA AT YO GIRL.

The other items I purchased, aside from the new love of my life (sorry, Mark) was a new iPad pouch to keep it safe on my trip to Japan, and a wall mountable year planner (not pictured) as a gift to my sister-in-law for her first year of university this year. Kikki-K is by no means a cheap, tacky stationery brand, you really do get what you pay for, so naturally the prices are a tad higher than Smiggle or Typo etc. For the three items I purchased, I spent about $50, but I have no regrets at all with all things considered.

Anyway, this has been a long enough post about a diary, so I think I'll end it here..

Bye, my loves!

Jasmine Lilee xox