city pastels + Westfield $150 voucher giveaway by Skinny Cow!

(scroll down if you want to read more about the giveaway)

city pastels

Lavender knit: tag says Dazzling

Scalloped pink shorts: zipia.net

belt: asos.com

bag: Forever New

bangles: Diva or Equip?

necklace: etsy.com

Heels: wholesale7.net

This set of photos was actually taken about a month ago. I never uploaded them because they seemed a bit dark and the street lighting wasn't the greatest. On this day I actually went out with some friends for my boyfriend's birthday dinner, so of course I couldn't let my dieting restrictions get in the way of a great time. I was too happy to indulge in a great serving of my favourite Japanese dish (karaage chicken curry) and Max Brenner's dark Italian thick hot chocolate! A session of jogging the next day helped combat the inevitable bloated feeling afterwards.

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Westfield $150 voucher giveaway by Skinny Cow!

(Sponsored by Nuffnang and Skinny Cow)

This rest of the post is a bit different in that it is non-fashion related and somewhat wordy, so there is no obligation to read on. BUT if you are based in Australia, I highly recommend you at least scroll down for an opportunity to win a $150 voucher at Westfield Shopping Centre, for sharing your own experiences with indulgence!

Restrictions, restrictions, restrictions. We put them on the food we eat and on the things we buy. See a picture of Miranda Kerr looking ever so fit, fabulous and swimsuit-ready doing something as mundane as walking her dog, and we tell ourselves we’re only snacking on carrot sticks for the rest of the week. Open your wardrobe to be swallowed in a sea of clothes with the tags still attached, and we begrudgingly hand over our credit cards to our boyfriends to hide them (who do so with immense pleasure).

As a young woman in my early twenties, I still feel constrained and hounded by the societal pressures of body image, just as they did when I was a wee teen. Just a quick scroll through Lookbook.nu and Blogger and seeing all these beautiful, lithe bodies, is enough to make one feel massively guilty for not exercising that day, or gorging oneself silly over an icecream bonanza the previous night.

But is it really necessary to feel so bad, so naughty for treating ourselves to a little splurge? Sometimes we deserve it after a grueling day of work, or after a month of regular gym sessions. Or sometimes we feel particularly down for some reason, and we know that a few blocks of chocolate could be the perfect thing to bounce us back into our bubbly selves.

And the best kind of reward or indulgence is one that actually has no reason to make us feel guilty. The fact that the new and improved Skinny Cow icecream cookies are only around 130 calories each, has got me so excited as this means I could easily incorporate one into my diet every day, whilst maintaining healthy eating habits. I actually have a notoriously sweet tooth and cannot not last one day without a morsel of chocolate, so this is absolutely perfect for me. There are three scrumptious flavours available- vanilla (127 calories), caramel (127 calories) and chocolate (129 calories), but I think we all know which one I'm going to be reaching for the most! 

Would you like to try some? :3

This is the chocolate one, my favourite. The size of the cookie was way bigger than I had expected! The Skinny Cow icecream cookies are actually now 15% bigger than before, which is amazing knowing that there are only a bit more than 100 calories packed in there.

Caramel flavour. Look at how thick and generous the icecream inside is!

Well that's enough from me. Here is the most exciting part!

To celebrate Skinny Cow's month of indulgence, Nuffnang and Skinny Cow are providing the amazing opportunity to win a $150 Westfield voucher (sorry, only for Australian residents!)


All you have to do, is write about your own experience with indulgence, in the comment box below.
(please also leave your contact email address)

It doesn't have to be food-related, but can be about a rather expensive shopping spree, for example. The great thing about this is it's more of a contest based on your expression of a personal story or experience- rather than on pure luck. I will select the five best entries, and then send them over to Nuffnang and Skinny Cow, and they will select a winner. My comment box is awaiting, and I can't wait to read your stories!

(contest ends 5pm 8th of June AEST)

the giveaway has now ended. Nuffnang and Skinny Cow have chosen chocoholic_k[at]hotmail.com as the winning entry! Please check your inbox for the email I have just sent you :)

a touch of magic

Leopard print and sequins don't seem very much like a daytime combo, but it's the little details that make all the difference. A swishing, flared skirt cut not too far above the knees will transform a dramatic sequinned piece into cute and playful. A pop (or two pops!) of leopard print in the form of two fluffy balls on either side of your head, form the sweetest icing on the cake. But a demure, sheer black blouse with gold buttons down the front, will prevent the outfit veering off into tooth-achingly saccharine territory.

However of course once night-time falls, the outfit is easily just as fun as it was during the day. The fun of dancing and twirling around in a swishy skirt is somehow increased tenfold, when you've got a sea of shimmering sequins catching the light with every movement.

Blouse: english.gmarket.co.kr

Skirt: Night Fever Sequin skirt by Minkpink, courtesy of MarketHQ.com (link here)

Ear muffs: Rubi

Brogues: Sportsgirl

Claw cuff: taobao.com

summer skater

Don't be fooled by these bright, summer-esque photos- on this very rare occasion Sydney was hit by a totally unprecedented, anomalous scorcher of a day in the midst of a cool autumn. I thought we might as well pretend it's one of the warmer months, and I found it the perfect opportunity to pull out my new MinkPink skater skirt! The bright jade colour in the form of a fun, flared skater shape evoked exactly the playful, cheery summer vibe I wanted to capture and trick you all with, hehe.

As for the rest of the outfit, my aim that day was to make all the little things count. The floral bustier I wore with the skirt would've looked a little dull without the additional accessories. It was the light-framed sunnies propped on top of my head that gave it more of a beachy feel, the light pink woven clutch to add a more sophisticated touch, and the pastel purple belt to break up the outfit yet also complement the spring colour tones. Hot weather doesn't always have to kill the impact of an outfit.

skater skirt: MinkPink, courtesy of MarketHQ.com 

floral bustier: Paradisco

skinny purple belt: ASOS.com

woven pink clutch: Bardot

necklace: Etsy

wrap bracelet: Disney Couture

arrow bracelets: taobao.com

peacock ring: House of Harlow

latest purchases + my new apartment sneak peek

Lately I've been trying hard to reform from my spendthrift ways, so it's unfortunate to say I've been pretty naughty this past month, spending almost $230 on fashion items (ie. totally unnecessary additions to an almost bursting wardrobe!) At the same time however, during this month I've also had the wonderful pleasure of receiving quite a few free items, which exceeds the value of the things I bought. So economically things have sort of balanced themselves out...haven't they?


What I've paid for:

Forever New fan clutch $40 -> $21(?)
I don't really need any more clutches, but I had my eye on this one for such a long time I thought I might as well just get it for the sake of it being on sale. It is such a cute design!


Cotton On gradient faux fur gilet $50 (full-priced)
I've also been on the hunt for a lovely warm gilet. This one from Cotton On was perfect as it was such a cheapie plus it combines with another trend I'm loving at the moment- dip-dye.

more after the link below:

a historic escapade + giveaway winner

This shoot is a little bit different to my previous posts, as we ventured into Sydney's The Rocks to leave behind open spaces of lush green foliage or modern architecture in the background. Instead, we were greeted by cobblestone streets and rustic buildings evocative of the bygone era of colonial Australia.

With the weather cooling down at a significant rate, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pull out my new Wish cape. To complement the historic feel of the surroundings, I also added a pop of rich red velvet peeking out beneath the cape, and a grey beret on top.

To be honest, I had never been a fan of the cape jacket because of the wide flare and possible shapelessness it could create, until now. This one from Wish was perfect for me because of its structured and solid shape, rather than simply resembling a floppy, oversized jacket. The beautiful camel colour was of course also a winning point for me.

Beret: Forever New

Cape: courtesy of Wish (link here)

Velvet dress: taobao.com

Stockings: Glassons

Heels: Pinet

The sun also has a tendency to go down remarkably fast nowadays, so we continued the shoot around Darling Harbour, which was lit up by beautiful tree lights. I put on some grey gloves (to match my beret!) as it was getting extra cold, and you also get to see the bag I was carrying around all day.

Gloves: Glassons

Bag: Forever New

Also I've just drawn the winner for my 400 Followers Giveaway. Congratulations to Linda! I will be contacting you shortly.

autumn hearts

Our days of autumn are numbered now as we enter its final month, so we seized the opportunity to capture the stunningly unique backdrop only this season could provide. Only in autumn will you find a cloud of gold, green and red leaves decorating the canopy, its beauty complemented in sunlight by glistening bokeh shapes. A sea of crisp, fallen leaves also litter the floor to create a vast, sweeping patchwork carpet. Although winter doesn't bring us snow in these parts of Sydney, we can at least make do with one seasonal spectacle.

There was a time not so long ago when I was hoarding blouses in all designs and colours like a maniac, and I had no qualms about paying ~$70 to add this Bardot piece to my collection. The warm, coffee shade touched the heart of this hopeless chocoholic and the silk-like texture makes it a dream to wear. Regular readers of my blog will also know I just can't stop wearing these heart-patterned stockings, which I paired with a flared, pleated skirt for a playful, girly feel.

Blouse: Bardot

Skirt: Taobao.com

Bow necklace: Dotti

Heart stockings: Forever New

Wedges: Wholesale7.net

 

Giveaway update:

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, which ends on Monday! (7th of May) Remember that you can also put in an additional entry (worth 2 points) each day by simply tweeting about the giveaway. Just head over to the giveaway page and in the Rafflecopter box, select the "Tweet about the Giveaway" option for 2 extra points!

I've also been kindly informed that there have been multiple entries using the same IP address. You can only be a follower of my blog via GFC once. (you gain additional entries by doing the other options such as tweeting about the giveaway, or liking my Facebook page)

Therefore when the giveaway closes on Monday, I will be doing a thorough check of all the IP addresses and other data to ensure there have been no multiple accounts to create multiple entries. You are ok if the email provided is eg. your Hotmail one and your Facebook account happens to use your Gmail one. That is NOT what I mean about creating multiple accounts to create multiple entries. What is not allowed, is for example joining via GFC and completing some entries, and making another account to join via GFC and complete more entries.

I hope that makes things clear! If anyone has innocently and mistakenly used two accounts to join via GFC, you will not be disqualified. I will simply only count one account you have used and the additional entries you gained using it.

Therefore when the giveaway ends on Monday, it may take me a day or two to sort through all the entries so I can do it carefully and precisely, to ensure all the entries are valid.

I'm sorry to end this outfit post on a rather dull note! Good luck to everyone entering! :)

unearthly desires

One of the most magical, empyreal sights a person may witness on a regular basis, is the gradual descent of the fiery, glowing orb we call the sun, over the horizon. For a brief span of time during the day, a window of opportunity emerges for keen photographers to capture, intensify and translate a natural, ordinary spectacle into something quite unearthly on camera.

Although we weren't able to catch that many shots of the sunset before it disappeared, we still came away with a decent handful. It wasn't my intention to evoke a mysterious, almost supernatural feel with my outfit, but with my talented boyfriend behind the camera as always, I end up loving every journey the photos take us.

Top: Glassons

Kimono: Forcast

Sheer maxi skirt: courtesy of Sheinside.com (link here)

Necklace: Taobao.com

Belt: Zipia.net

Wedges: Wholesale7.net

Bangles: Lovisa, Taobao.com