OOTD | Revolution 909

 Vest UNIF via Urban Outfitters / Daft Punk T-Shirt eBay / Shoes Jeffrey Campbell Siobhan

Hi lovelies! So this outfit is always my go-to. Chuck on an oversized band shirt, black platforms and sheer tights and run out the door. Whenever I don't know what to wear this is the outfit I apply to every occasion. Worn with towering platforms it's perfect for a night out, worn with creepers or docs and it's perfect for uni. 

Buy Nothing New Month | The Pledge Begins

This is a bit of a different blog post today; no review, outfit or recipe. Jess and I are about to embark on a month long journey which involves buying nothing new and will be blogging all the way. Buy Nothing New Month isn't to support a specific charity and doesn't involve getting sponsored to do it. It is a month to promote thinking about where what you buy comes from, how much you need it and alternative ways to attain it. It doesn't mean buy absolutely nothing either. You're still free to buy essentials like food and drink, and hygiene products and medication. You're also encouraged to purchase thing second hand (yay, thrifting!), beg, borrow and swap with friends and family to attain things you want and need. 

"Buy Nothing New Month is the global movement for collective, conscientious consumption" - Buy Nothing New Month

Playlist | Summer Sounds

Summer Sounds from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Hi lovelies! Whenever the weather changes I always find putting a playlist really gets in the mood for the coming seasons. Here's some tracks I've been loving lately and wanted to share with all of you. 

Aluna George, I have developed a recent obsession with this London-based duo. Their entire album is very cruisey and easy to listen to. I think pretty much everyone I know is obsessed with Disclosure's album 'Settle'. I'm seeing both bands at Listen Out festival in a few weeks and I have very high hopes. 

Seasonals | Scents

L'Occitane Jasmin & Bergamote Eau De Toilette (available here)

I noticed today that the Jacarandas are finally blooming in Brisbane (not that its late in the year for this kind of activity - early, actually) and got to thinking about how much I miss the beauty of spring throughout the year. I'm a sucker for nature's flora bottled and ready for my nose and body. These are some of my new favourite floral scents at the moment.

First up we have this accidental find by L'Occitane that my mother bought instead of the hand lotion in the same scent. She offered it to me and I have little to no ability to turn down free perfume. This is a lovely floral scent, very light overall and not what I would call sweet; the Jasmine is very dominant. I'm not exactly a perfume expert so I can't ramble on about the subtleties of this product but I can say that I love it. It lingers around for hours on end which I know is definitely a good thing. The packaging does allow you to get carried away with it your application. It sprays a lot wider than most I've had before. 

This is getting me a few steps closer to those beautiful Jo Malone scents (oh my god) that are sadly very out of my price range. 

BX Earth Good Morning Sunshine Body Wash with Lemon Myrtle and Crown of Gold Extract and Hand Care Wash in Desert Lime and Coconut*

I've already acknowledged my love for BX Earth's natural and amazingly scented products (here). Having now tested out the rest of their range I am totally converted. Aside from their witty names, they seem to have a knack for combining some really lovely scents. I will admit that there are a few that don't hit home with me as I can't go overly sweet when fruity flavours are involved but, again, I am a sucker for florals as well as intense natural citrus. Bright citrus scents are always so rejuvenating in the morning and are definitely a must have for spring and summer. My favourites in this range also emphasise Australian natives like lemon myrtle, Kakadu plum and desert lime. Australian flora ranks very highly in books as my family's heritage reigns from the dry western countryside and it reminds me of my grandmother's favourite flowers. 

Like I said in my previous post, I found Hey Settle Petal in Coles and am pretty sure the rest of their range is available there too. If you see them I totally recommend picking some up because they're super cheap considering the quality of the product. Let me know if you do and we can compare our favourite scents. 

Erin xx

*Note: PR Sample

OOTD | Two's Company

Top MINKPINK via Asos / Skirt MINKPINK via Asos / Hoodie American Apparel / Jacket Levi's Vintage / Sandals London Rebel

Hi lovelies! In today's outfit I have used just about every spring fashion cliche... Pastels, white lace and sandals. The end result is something quite different for me, but I like it all the same. 

Recipe | Sea Salted Rosemary Pita Chips

Here in Australia, where the summer starts early and our culture is largely outdoors, having a few nibbles at dusk on the veranda, balcony or by the pool is ritual. I've recently been trying to make a lot of basics for my friends and I to enjoy and I realised that chip and bread components are ridiculously easy and simple to make in bulk and keep for when you need them. It can also be a lot healthier when you know what ingredients are used and eliminate the nasty artificial flavouring that is in much of the similar products you purchase from the grocery store. 

The Top Five | September

Hi lovelies! With winter well and truly over in Brisbane I thought it was time for a post on the things I have been loving the most over the past couple of months. It's been a while since my last top five post, but essentially it's my way of doing favourites. There are a couple other of these posts if you fancy a scroll back through the archives. 

Music: AlunaGeorge 'Body Music'

I have a playlist in the works for next week with all my recent discoveries on it so I won't babble on too much here. I have been listening to a really odd mish mash of electronic and classics recently, but the stand out has definitely been Aluna George. This London duo's debut album Body Music has been on high rotation on my iPod.

Fashion: Plaid

Even though we're moving into the warmer months I am still obsessed with plaid. It's all over the place in the Northern Hemisphere for winter and I refuse to give it up just because it's summer. Above are some recent plaid features on the blog, and there are many more items yet to be photographed. 

Shoes | London Rebel Stereo

London Rebel Stereo in Black and White - available here

Welcome to Brisbane, where the summer sandal hauling starts in September and never seems to end. About a week ago Jess walked into my work wearing these beauties in white. We then proceeded to walk back to where she bought them (earlier that day) where I purchased both of these on the spot. 

OOTD | Neon Blonde

 'Cold Shoulder' Plaid Shirt UNIF via Karmaloop / PsyCat Shirt UNIF via DollsKill/ Belt Thrifted / Skirt Neon Blonde via Urban Outfitters / Shoes T.U.K. Mondo Creepers via Karmaloop

Hi lovelies! So the hot weather has well and truly arrived in Brisbane. I wore this outfit recently as it still gets a little chilly at night. I will miss wearing tights during the day but I am loving sitting in the botanical gardens writing this post in the sunshine. 

OOTD | Not a Newspaper

Red Anorak - Barkins / I Heart NY Shirt - Gift / Black High-Waisted Shorts - thrifted / Holographic 'Foreal' Flatforms - Wittner / Sunglasses - Sportsgirl / High Impact 12 Red-y to Wear Lipstick - Clinique / Raspberry Nail Polish - Barry M

Who didn't want an 'I heart NY' shirt after the Olsen twin's sassy adventure flick "New York Minute." In a recent wardrobe clean out I rediscovered this bright anorak and thought they'd make a super duo. Embarrassingly, I have never actually been to New York but it was purchased by a super great friend on a trip she took there in high school. 

DIY | Pink Party

Fudge Paintbox in Pretty Flamingo (available here)

Hi lovelies! So the big reveal! After teasing you with mention of it in the last few posts here is my pink hair in all its glory. The only reason I didn't post this tutorial is that I wanted to get an idea of how the colour would wash and if I'd notice any fading. 

I'm pretty happy with the results so I thought I would should you how I did it, as well as giving some tips I figured out for when I re-dye it. I didn't want the colour super intense all over, so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

I used a semi-permanent dye from Fudge and sadly it has washed out very, very quickly. If you're wanting to achieve a similar look in your own hair, I would advise pre-bleached hair to put the colour over. Personally I'm not brave enough to bleach my own hair so I choose to get mine done professionally and then pop the colour over the top. 

The look I was going for was a kind of pink ombre effect. In order to get this I mixed about a third of the bottle in with some conditioner (any kind will work) and covered all my hair with this. The directions on the bottle recommend leaving the dye on for 30 minutes, however as it is a semi-permanent dye it's fine to leave it on for longer. I left this initial colour on for 1 hour. 

Rather than rinsing out the colour I then took some dye undiluted and ran it through the ends of my hair. After leaving the colour on for another 30 minutes I rinsed everything out. 

You can see the end result up above. For a first attempt I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. As I mentioned though the colour has faded very quickly. Next time I dye my hair I will be leaving the colour to develop for an even longer time. 

Besides the quick fade time I am loving have brightly coloured hair. My only problem is deciding on what colour to dye next? I'm looking into Manic Panic as they have fantastic reviews, but if you're looking for a cheap and quick colour fix the fudge dyes are excellent. 

What colour should I try next? 

Jess xx

Playlist | Now We Wait

Now We Wait from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

OOTD | Teenage Dirtbag

 Jacket UNIF Boneyard Moto / Shirt MINKPINK Teenage DIrtbag Tank / Belt American Apparel / Shorts American Apparel / Shoes UNIF Grail Platforms

Hi lovelies! This outfit is a big mish mash of my favourite brands. I took advantage of the last cool days to wear my banging new jacket from UNIF out during the daytime. I had been eyeing it since it's release and enabled by a recent DollsKill sale it was finally mine. 

Similarly the MinkPink shirt was purchased on the cheap from Dissh. I buy the vast majority of my clothing online due to a lack of stockists and it being much much cheaper. However the Dissh sale section has some really quality pieces in it lately. I find sale hunting online much easier than in person so that's where the majority of my bargains tend to come from. 

I think the Wheatus song is a secret pleasure of everyone around my age and I challenge you to sit through the entire video without at least miming the lyrics. Sadly for my family I have no qualms with belting out the entire song ...oops.

The belt and shorts are making yet another appearance. Is it clear that these are my favourite shorts ever? I am contemplating a purchase of the Sunflower print version for summer. Or perhaps I shall be sensible and purchase them in a darker wash? We shall see. 

I recently posted a review on the UNIF Grail Platforms (handy link here), but since then I have had more of an opportunity to put them through their paces. I have come to the conclusion that they are ridiculously comfortable and they are perfect for stomping about in all night. 

As I mentioned in my previous post my hair is now pink. I feel like I have been keeping you all in suspense over it, but I promise there will be a post up on Friday so make sure to check back then.

In a bit of shameless self-promotion Erin and I have also started up a FaceBook page for the blog. If you want to keep updated on our latest blogposts and the like the head on over here and like away

What are your favourite guilty pleasure songs? Is there a song you can't resist belting out? For any fellow 90s girls I am sorry for stealing a large portion of your time, click if you dare.

Jess x

The Mix | Brow Hunting

Prestige Ultimate Brow Definer in 02 Toffee available here/ Maybelline New York Master Shape by Eye Studio in Soft Brown available here (pictured L - R)

You may recall a few weeks ago I posted a review of a random Japanese Brow Pencil that I found in Daiso. That delightful addition to my makeup routine ran out a lot quicker than I thought and when I went back to repurchase it was no longer on the shelf. Ever since I have been on the quest for it's replacement and it has been way more challenging than I thought.

The Mix | Seasalt Sprays

From L to R: Fudge Sea Salt Spray, Lee Stafford Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray, Frederick Fekkai Marine Summer Hair

I went through a phase in my teenage years of desperately trying to get my hair to go against its natural state. I spent several years trying to achieve sleek, smooth, shiny hair that was just never meant to be. Perhaps it was the alliteration that attracted me to the concept? Or perhaps it was watching numerous girls getting weaves on America's Next Top Model?