Jeffrey Campbell 99 Ties

 Hi Lovelies! Today I'm doing a review of the shoes that started it all. The Jeffrey Campbell 99 Ties in Red Glitter. These were my very very first ever pair of Jeffreys and what a pair I chose (if I do say so myself). Almost two years later these are still my favourite pair of JCs and I often will take them out of their box just to stare at them. 

Before I discovered Litas I was browsing on Solestruck and saw these shoes. They were red, they were shiny and they were on sale. They immediately went into my shopping cart and I've never looked back. 

OOTD Double the Denim, Double the Denim

  

High Waisted Jeans - Thrifted, Chambray Shirt - Thrifted, Ribbon Rose Headband - Tara's Creations, FoReal Holographic Flatforms - Wittner, Red Nail Polish 'Tomato' - Sportsgirl Nail It!

I'm back in Brisbane! Well actually I returned on Wednesday but I had no exciting Brisbane news to accompany my hair obsessions post. I do now though. The lovely Jess snagged me a sneaky op shop present while I was away in Melbourne. Just like a good addicted op shopper she couldn't leave these amazing jeans even if they were too big for her. I have another pair similar but in a different wash and slightly baggier fit and so this is a very welcome addition to my slowly expanding denim collection. When I tried them on I instantly knew that it was time for me to attempt a double denim outfit and share it with you all. 

OOTD - Back to Black

 Top American Apparel / Jeans BDG via Urban Outfitters / Shoes Jeffrey Campbell Coltranes / Lips So Chaud by Mac

After a brief flirtation with colour in my last outfit post (link here) I am firmly back in the realms of monochrome. The only colour is the burgundy of my belt, well and the lipstick, and I couldn't be happier. I did feel an urge to match my lips to my belt but felt that may be taking colour coordination to the extreme. 

This was my uni outfit for the day. I like this outfit because it's so simple. It's easy to get caught up in having to make an outfit complicated or unique or a statement and lose sight of the fact that at the end of the day they are just clothes. Part of that is just wanting to settle in our style and I will always be an avid advocate for a statement shoe, but it is nice to go back to basics.

Hair Obsessions

Miracle Hair Treatment, ELEVEN Australia - Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair, Cedel - Purse Size Radial Brush and Super Hold Elastic Headband in Brown, Lady Jayne

About a year ago I had my long curly locks cut off and replaced with a cute bob and block fringe (or bangs). I've not had a fringe in my life since I was about 5 years old (forgetting that very very brief period in year 10) and I wanted a drastic change. I've never been one for obsessive styling of my hair either and so going from the easiness of long hair to short hair and a fringe required a change in hair products and styling techniques. Thankfully, as the owner of naturally curly hair, I am no stranger to the straightening iron or blow drier but I have come to appreciate the use of better hair care products. Here are a few of the products I have come to rely on to make me feel less like a shaggy dog and more like a shiny princess. 

ELEVEN Australia's Miracle Hair Treatment - $24.95: this product promised to deliver 'eleven benefits your hair will love'. When I saw it sitting there on my hair dresser's shelf and read the description I couldn't help myself. I can rarely be bothered applying any product and so one that offered the benefits of so many appealed to me like the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Its benefits include (yes, I'm quoting the website, so sue me): adding shine, smoothness and softness, controlling frizz and fly aways, moisturising, strengthening fragile hair, preventing split ends, detangling and creating manageability, protecting from heat styling, enhancing natural body, protecting hair colours from UV lights, and protecting chlorine and sun damage. 

I will admit I don't really need all of those benefits but protection from heat stylers (which I use almost everyday), preventing split ends, added softness, and controlling frizz are important to me. I've been using this product for about two months now, after a vital reshape of my style cut, and will definitely be repurchasing this product. It's super easy to apply. Just a few pumps worked through my washed hair before I blow dry and straighten. 

CEDEL's Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair - $6.69: having never tried a dry shampoo before, I thought I should go for a smaller and cheaper option. So far, I must say I'm quite a fan. I had heard that dark brunettes should definitely go for the dark hair alternatives and I'm glad I did. This isn't a product I use everyday but with oily skin and short hair the amount of wear I can get from one wash is definitely cut in half compared to my old long locks. Having a fringe also makes managing my hair's body and style between washes difficult. I find this product useful on the second or third day of my wash cycle when my fringe has found its own path (very different from mine). 

I only use this when I know I won't be fussy about my hair's appearance for long or at all because if I play with it too much after use, the oil returns pretty quickly. It is definitely handy at the end of the day when I'm changing clothes or makeup and need a little more bounce in my fringe. 

I haven't had a good look around the market for other dark hair dry shampoos but when this runs out I may or may not return to this product. It works well enough but I might look harder next time I'm in need. 

The last products I'm going to feature in today's post are more 'tools' than 'products' but they're helpful for my 'new-ish' hair style nonetheless. 

Lady Jayne Purse size Radial Brush and Super Hold Elastic Headband in brown - $3.99 and $6.79 respectively. For the first few months of my adventure into the world of fringes (bangs) I was using my ordinary hair brush to blow dry them after a wash. This was working only averagely and thought that a smaller round brush would be more beneficial. This brush might look like cheap plastic crap but it has a very small job to do and works perfectly well. Only if I lose it or if it breaks will I be purchasing anything more substantial to roll my fringe. 

The second item I've chosen is a girl-with-a-fringe's best friend. There are times when having your fringe off your face and out of your mind is very important - exercise and cleaning anyone? My head is fairly pressure sensitive and so I went about choosing a headband for this role very carefully. I've found these headbands to be big enough for my enormous head but not so big that they slide off. They also have this handy strip of plastic around the inside that holds it in place.  I do require the use of bobby pins in conjunction with this item but thats a given with short hair, right? 

So those are my current can't-live-without hair products. I'm quite happy with how my haircut frames my face and adds a small amount my maturity to my style and persona. If you know of any products that do the same but BETTER than any of these, let me know. That is, for anything but the Miracle Hair Treatment because I'm too in love with it (oh, and it smells amazingly coconutty) to change for quite awhile. Even if my hair was longer and didn't require styling. 

Thats it for now, Erin xx

OOTD - Lace and Corduroy

 Top Thifted / Skirt American Apparel / Jacket Levi / Belt Thrifted / Socks Asos / Shoes UNIF Grim Creepers

In order to celebrate the official change from Summer into Autumn I decided to wear not one, but two colours. Shock horror. I am guilty of wearing a lot of black. It matches with everything and looks polished. Sometimes though I get an itch to wear colour and using dark and muted colours is what works best for me.

Sweet Potato, Prosciutto and Quinoa Salad

It's been a while since I brought you all a new recipe, and well this isn't new but it's my own variation on what is quickly becoming a very popular grain. Quinoa (pronounced anyway you feel like it) is one of my favourite things to eat. Never having been a big fan of couscous, simply because it's too easy to make a mess, quinoa has filled that gap in my life. It used to be quite expensive and only available at heath food stores but it has made quite a headway in the market in recent years. You caaaan find it in normal grocery stores now but it is more likely to be cheaper, and probably better, from a health food store. It really depends where you live as to what your supermarkets stock. 

Anyway, here is my most recent salad creation with the delicious quinoa. 

Serves 2-3 people for lunch

Ingredients

2/3cup quinoa

1 1/3 cup water

1 lebanese cucumber, finely diced

1 tomato, finely diced

1 red chilli (as hot or mild as you like), chopped roughly with out without seeds

3 shallots, finely chopped

1/2 sweet potato, chopped into bite size pieces and roasted (can be done anytime before)

250g prosciutto, chopped and briefly warmed in a frying pan

Dressing

1/4 cup tahini

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper

water to thin mixture

OOTD - Schoolgirl Chic

 Shirt - Target, Necklace - Thrifted, Skirt - Junk, Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell Anehalls

So this uni was back in session. After four months off going back was certainly a shock to the system, but I'm really looking forward to getting back into. Erin was smart enough to choose a short and sweet degree but for those of you heading back this week I figured this outfit would be an appropriate one. 

The white shirt was stolen/borrowed from my younger brother. For years I have been searching for the perfect white shirt but have never managed to find one, so when I need one I just steal his. This one is a tad too baggy on the arms, I know I'm very picky about this particular clothing item. If anyone's curious it's a boy's size 12 from the oh so glamorous Target. 

The leather skirt is a staple for me. Without it I would be lost. Dramatics aside I wear this skirt all the with anything and everything and personally I think that leather is something that you should always invest a bit of money into. There's nothing worse than cheap, shiny faux leather. Also, monochrome. Expect to see that a fair bit from me. It's not often that I'm taken with a trend, but something about it is just so chic and polished, plus you most likely won't even have to buy anything to pull together an outfit. 

The shoes have overtaken my black Litas as most worn JC. I snapped them up in the Zomp sale. Brisbanites pay attention Zomp is one of the only JC stockists in Brisbane now although their selection is rather limited. The Anehalls are now my standard work shoes and are super comfy even after 8 hours on my feet. If you can find a pair I highly recommend. 

Anyways I am off to figure out how the hell I sat through lectures before.

Jess xx