Frocks & Frou Frou

Skirt: DIY

I’m quite lazy when it comes to my beauty routine, and I always try to find shortcuts when I can.

I wear BB Cream, because it works as a moisturiser, an SPF30+suncream, and a foundation (this one’s my favourite). I got laser hair removal because I was sick of shaving my legs every day. And I’m incapable of finding a mascara that doing end up all over my cheekbones within an hour. So I get my eyelashes tinted.

Since I moved away from the CBD I needed to find a new salon locally that did eyelash tinting so I was thrilled to discover a placed called “Play: Brow and Lash Bar” just around the corner. While I was there I decided to have my eyebrows “threaded” as well.

You don’t see them much, because of my fringe, but my eyebrows are naturally quite sparse, especially at the edges where they lose all definition.

Me. Before I discovered tweezers. That baby is allowed to drink and vote now. That tells you how long ago it was!

When I didn’t have the fringe I got them professionally shaped and tinted (because, lazy) but since growing the fringe in I’ve been kind of taking care of them myself. Which of course, meant that they were a bit of a disaster zone.

The girls at Play were really friendly and attentive, and explained very patiently to me where I was going wrong in my technique. One eyebrow was arched, the other curved, the gap between them was too wide for my face, and they were a bit uneven. They gave me a game plan for upkeep, and then tidied them up for me.

I don’t know if any of you have tried threading, but I can give it the two thumbs up. It’s not quite as quick at waxing; but it’s more precise, not nearly as messy, and you don’t end up with two angry splodges of red on your forehead for the rest of the day.

My eyelash tint was seamless too, and my consultant was very attentive, making careful sure that the dye hadn’t seeped into my eyes and wasn’t stinging.

Play’s been around for less than a year in both South Yarra and Fitzroy, but I’ll definitely be back, and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone locally looking for lash and brow services in a friendly, laid-back, non-pretentious environment.

Today’s outfit was all soft and gold and cuddly and discreetly glittery.

I wore the draped wool skirt that I made for myself a couple of years ago. I teamed it with my remixed cashmere cardigan with the sequinned elbow patches and a t-shirt from Gorman with gold polkadots.

My most OTT bit of bling was this amazing rhinestone collar that I bought ages ago from Lovisa, and have never had the courage to wear before.The fabric of this necklace is actually quite a soft cotton, and it ties up at the back with a tatty bit of chiffon fabric. There’s a bit of faded glamour about it that appeals to me, but I haven’t been able to find the outfit that it works with yet.

This is OK, but still not perfect. How would you wear it?

DSCF1126_2

Dress: Asos

Belt: DIY

Shoes: Forever New

You know that you probably Have A Problem when you’re able to identify a stranger’s clothing by brand, and you know exactly how much it cost, whether it came in your size, and what other colours it was available in.

Earlier last week one of the new interns at work came by my desk, wearing a great rust-coloured dress. I knew it was an Asos dress. I’d seen in online, and had dismissed it as simply “nice“. I was wrong. It wasn’t nice; in person it was GREAT, and the moment she turned her back I went onto Asos to discover that apparently I’d been the only person hadn’t seen its potential and it had sold out in a all sizes and colour incarnations. Bummer.

Sometimes shopping online is simply like that. You don’t realise how good something looks until you seeing it sashaying down the street on someone else’s back.

This dress was the same.

On the Asos website it’s OK. It’s a midi length dress, cotton jersey, with a ballet wrap front.

I saw the dress pop up in the “New Items” section months ago, and I didn’t really give it a second look. I have a full bust, so I don’t always have the best luck with wrap fronts, and cotton jersey isn’t always the most flattering of fabrics.

Then I saw it walking down the street in front of me.

The girl wearing it looked so effortlessly chic. The fabric was obviously heavier than I’d imagined (closer to the kind of jersey you find in leggings than the kind you find in t-shirts) and the cross-over bust sat high enough to be elegant and modest. I wanted it.

And of course, it had sold out.

So I’d been stalking the product page for six weeks, and lo and behold Asos re-released the dress in a range of new colours.

To be honest, I’d have preferred the original black, but the blue has its charms, too.

I wore it with my DIY’d velvet belt, a spangly pair of earrings, and some sparkly flats, and I felt gorgeous, but comfortable all day.

Belt: DIY

Earrings: Lovisa

Shoes: Forever New

Frocks & Frou Frou

Soft Sparkles & Short Cuts

Rhapsody in Blue