MY CATS SAY MEOW

Not a sponsored post... shopping at Sussan with someone else's money!

2013-04-09T23:32:00.000+09:30

Last Thursday night I trundled along to an exclusive Sussan Adelaide Store Event hosted by InStyle magazine. And no, this is not a sponsored post... I was in fact invited along by my boyfriend's mother, "S" (hello if you're reading!), as her plus one after her friend piked out.

The event was well organised. There was food and drink along with 20% off store wide as well as a chance to win a $200 voucher... which I won! Each guest was also given a 'goodie bag' upon leaving the store.

The highlight of the event was a Winter fashion wrap up by Instyle's Fashion Director, Katherine Green, who spoke very well about this Winter's style trends and how there are no rules. She went on to provide some simple styling tips, such as aiming to wear three colours when putting together an outfit (so as not to look "flat") and when wearing patterns and prints - to pick one colour from the print as the accent colour. Further statement jewels were touted as THE accessory to inject life into one's existing wardrobe. Most of the shop girls and Instyle crew were wearing said statement necklaces over their silk shirts buttoned all the way up to the collar with the necklace sitting tightly underneath the collar. It looked quite cool.

The navy and black clad Katherine Green issued a plea to her audience not to be afraid of colour, pointing out that one could wear the latest coloured jeggings, if not keen on wearing colour around the face. I'm not sure where you all stand on this issue, but I definitely will not be seen wearing the true 'jeggings' as pants, opting instead for coloured jeans and trousers.

I spied that Sussan took some inspiration from last season's J.Crew collection in designing their 2013 Winter ensemble... The most telling piece was this sequin chevron dress:

Images from www.jcrew.com and www.sussan.com.au

This sequin fabric has also been cut into a very flattering tube skirt, which according to Katherine Green, sequin skirts are suitable for day! Maybe if you work in a creative field, but not me... I opted for a skirt a little more neutral (yet still edgy for a corporate office) and some statement jewels:

The grand total of my loot was $3.85 after using $100 of my winnings - the other $100 I shared with "S".

Thanks Sussan and Instyle magazine!

March... Bumper eBay sales but only one wardrobe addition!

2013-04-04T23:55:00.003+10:30

In the month of March I sold in excess of $2000 worth of old stuff... 67 items to be exact. When I say old, I mean clothing sporting the old Country Road label and pieces by brands long forgotten. I also sold some coveted pieces from years gone by, such as the Chrissie coat by Lover the Label and the "Twiggy" dress by Sretsis. Gone are also a number of items I had been hoarding in my so called 'twilight zone' - I decided it was time to let go. It feels so good to be free of this stuff!

After paying off our enormous credit card bill for March which included things for the home and a number of indulgent nights on the town in February, I only had enough spending money left to buy one item... the following dress from Country Road:

If you are like me (a little fat from eating too much cheese) and enjoy filling your wardrobe with lots of boring pieces, I implore you to go and try this dress on. It is so amazingly flattering on! In it, I look two sizes smaller than I really am, even though the size label on the dress is two sizes larger than all the stuff I sold (stuff, which obviously was two sizes too small for me now). It really is a great dress.

Empties and shopping my beauty stash (February & March)

2013-04-02T22:43:00.001+10:30

I have been a little slack with updating this blog, so I'm having to combine my 'empties and shopping my beauty stash' update for the months of February and March into this one post.

I must confess that I experienced a small hiccup some time in February when I succumbed to purchasing some of the new CLINIQUE Chubby Sticks for Eyes in Ample Amber, Bountiful Beige, Fuller Fudge and Whopping Willow.

I felt incredible pangs of guilt upon buying these, so I made up for it by selling two unused eyeshadow palettes by theBalm. I have since given away the Chubby Stick in Whopping Willow as I decided that it did not suit my skin tone after all.

I used up the following products:

BIOTHERM Softening Exfoliating Cleansing Gel (finished). This was good, but nothing special. No better than a cleanser by a drugstore/supermarket brand.
CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Intense (finished). I rationed the last few drops of this. I love this stuff!
ANTIPODES Divine Face Oil (finished). I quite enjoyed using this, but rate the KOSMEA Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost more highly. I was lucky to be given a bottle of the Kosmea for my birthday (after hinting to my boyfriend that I wanted him to buy it for me).
JURLIQUE Daily Exfoliating Cream (finished). This stuff was horrible! Like putting 3 day old soggy oats on your face.
L'OREAL Ever Sleek Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner (finished). I loved the fragrance and the fact that is sulfate-free, but I believe the 'Smoothing' range has been discontinued in Australia, so it doesn't matter anyway. I found that I enjoyed using this product more in Winter rather than Summer as it was quite heavy for my fine hair.

I 'shopped my stash' and opened the following deluxe samples in my search for something to replace my CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Intense:

ARCONA Reozone 40. I have since binned this. I literally had to wash it off within 5 minutes of putting it on as I felt like my face was on fire. I was red and blotchy for hours. Avoid this product if you have sensitive skin.
KATE SOMERVILLE Daily Deflector Moisturiser. I have been using this during the day. I am not blown away by its performance, so I would not purchase a full-sized tube, but I will finish the sample.
SHISEIDO Bio-Performance Super Restoring Cream. This is quite rich so I only use it at night. Surprisingly though, it is not as moisturising as the CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Intense, since I wake up with dry flakes. Given the price of this product, it is a disappointment and I would not buy a full-sized jar.

I'm still trying to use up the MARIO BADESCU Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream, but I'm wondering whether to toss it instead. Although nice and very light in texture, I have noticed that the it has developed a plastic-y smell. That can't be good?!

February... Wardrobe additions and finally putting a dent in my cull pile

2013-03-15T00:09:00.000+10:30

I'm still here... still culling... still eBaying... still shopping!

For the last couple of weeks I have really focused my energy into finally photographing and listing all my culled items. It's a massive task, but seeing racks and tubs of stuff which could be crystallised into cash was really starting to grate on me. So just the other day I spent 5 hours washing, ironing, and photographing, before finally sitting down to list the items on eBay. I presently have 41 items on there - the most ever! This after already having sold a fair few items over the past couple of weeks. I'm actually getting rid of more stuff than I'm bringing into the house lately, which feels awesome!

Some items are surprisingly popular, while others are just sitting there looking like they might not sell. 6 years ago, had I listed a bulk lot of Country Road and Witchery tops, bidders would be falling over themselves to try to secure a bargain. Today, my listing has 1 watcher. That's right, 1 watcher! I smell a recession...

Anyway, part of the reason for my furious eBaying is that in February I completely exhausted my eBay kitty which I had diligently saved since last October. I also spent all the Myer One vouchers which were burning a hole in my wallet (so much for saving them for a new laptop). Although I've done my bit to keep the economy spinning, it makes me officially poor. Well, poor in the sense that I can't buy what I want anymore (a first world problem, I know. It's not like I actually need anything).

So what did I buy, I hear you ask:

T.L. Wood dresses x 3 - the sleeveless ones are so comfy like you would not believe and machine washable too. I also think the black spotty one will look good layered in Winter.
SABA white t-shirt - I actually don't really need this, but I bought it to make up the amount to be able to use a $50 voucher SABA sent me. It's loose and comfy.
Country Road embellished shoulder 3/4 sleeve top - I was tossing up between the navy and the khaki stripe and ended up going for the khaki to wear with my taupe IM Dickers as the matchy-matchy element of my outfit.
SABA breton tops x 3 - I love these.
Country Road black ballet flats - the jury is still out on these.
Rag & Bone "Newbury" knee high boots - I stalked these online all season.

I will sign off on this blog post as I always do and say that my pant and skirt wardrobe is severely lacking. Although I am moving forward in that I did have a bit of an Oprah light bulb moment today whilst trying on all the skirts in Country Road. I realised that I shouldn't even go there until I lose some weight. It's pants for me for now...

January purchases and contemplating some future wardrobe additions

2013-02-03T19:45:00.001+10:30

January shopping highlights

A few marginally successful eBay sessions resulted in some spending money for me, so in January I purchased the following items:

Veronika Maine vibrant blue silk blend tank
Etoile Isabel Marant faded khaki linen blazer
Etoile Isabel Marant Ariana knit jacket (pictured above)
A.P.C. striped boat neck knit (pictured above)
SABA silk front white tee (this has proven to be an awesome staple!)
Missoni grey toned zig-zag infinity scarf
Witchery sleeveless gather dress
J.Crew black and white silk boy shirt in heart throb (pictured above)
J.Crew red mini skirt

Hopefully the J.Crew pieces fit. They are sitting at my US parcel forwarding address while I wait for one more parcel to arrive. I have loved the black and white heart print blouse from day dot and the red skirt appeared long enough for work, but we'll see. Fingers crossed.

I'm sort of at the point now where I justifiably cannot buy any more discretionary clothing items without afterwards checking myself into a rehab clinic. Slap me if I tell you I have no tops to wear to work, as I have worked hard to fill this particular gap this Summer. I just need to get into the habit of regularly steaming and ironing.

The gaps in my wardrobe are now blatantly obvious and I will focus my energy now into filling these. My major wardrobe gap is work suitable bottoms (skirts and trousers). I seem to have a lot of average fitting pants and skirts. Come Winter, I will need some new work dresses. Some of my favourites that I have been wearing for the past two years are looking tired.

I would also like new pair of knee high boots this Winter (incidentally a pair I have been stalking just went on sale), and I would not say no to a new pair of leather ankle boots (maybe tan?).

My black J.Crew ballet flats are looking a little battered too as I have started walking to and from work a little more, but I do not change into sneakers. No longer do I look down at my feet and feel polished. This must be fixed ASAP.

I also have a wedding to attend in mid-March, if I can I would like to avoid buying something new, but we'll see.

Empties and shopping my beauty stash (January)

2013-02-03T13:50:00.000+10:30

Pictured is just a sample of the beauty products I managed to use up in January... complete list below.

PHILOSOPHY Hope in a Jar SPF 25. I have always been intrigued by this moisturiser, so when I was in Sephora and saw this 14 g jar for around $10 I decided to try it out. I finally opened it in December 2012 when I noticed that it was due to expire in April 2013. My verdict is that it is slightly too greasy to use during the day, especially in the height of an Australian Summer. I also noticed that towards the end of the jar, the cream took on the consistency of what almost looked and felt butter. Glad I didn't buy the full sized jar.

CLINIQUE Moisture Surge. I have always loved this stuff. I cracked open this deluxe sized sample in January to preserve the remainder of my Moisture Surge Intense, given that my skin is not so dry during the Summer months. The original Moisture Surge is a great light moisturiser that actually hydrates skin rather than make it feel greasy.

CLINIQUE All About Eyes. A nice and light moisuriser for the eyes. I don't think it was spectacular enough to compel me to buy a full sized version of it, but I will definitely happily use up the sample pots that come with the Clinique GWP.

ESTEE LAUDER Day Wear Moisturiser. I really like the smell of this. It works well, but not as well Clinique Moisture Surge Intense. I used to adore the tinted version of this, but it appears to have been discontinued and replaced with the Day Wear BB Cream (which I have not tried yet).

KOSMEA Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost. I have this to thank (in combination with Clinique Moisture Surge Intense) for taking away my flakies last Winter. A combination of rose hip oil, seabuckthorn oil, pomegranate oil, camellia oil and apricot oil, it does not smell the greatest, but damn it works. I used the last drops of it earlier this week. I will see how long I can go without it.

STILA Stay all Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm. No matter how awesome this stuff proved to be (just above average in the end), I would not be buying the full sized version because the cream smells like paddle pop sticks! For the record the shade is perfect for my NW20 skin.

YVES SAINT LAURENT Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation. I have now tried this is B10, B30 and B40. B30 seemed like a good match prior to Summer, but now B40 was fine lately. I like it, but I'm not sure that I like it enough to pay the price tag.

BIOTHERM Hydra-Mineral Cleanser Softening Mousse. I have lost count how many tubes of this I have used up. I like it because it is a foaming cleanser, yet it does not feel like it overly strips my skin. Having said that - applying moisturiser straight after using it, is a must. I will not re-purchase for the time being in favour of using all the other samples of random cleansers that I have lying around, including a full-sized product or two.

STILA Sheer Colour Tinted Moisturiser in Medium. I had a sample sachet of this laying around. I liked it, but not enough to actually purchase the full size version of it.

LAURA MERCIER Tinted Moisturiser in Nude. I was handed a sample sachet of this whilst walking through Myer one day. It's not the first time I have tried it, and each time I do I think to myself "gosh this is nice, must remember to consider this one when shopping for my next tinted moisturiser".

Having used up the above mentioned products, I am currently ploughing my way through the following:

BIOTHERM Softening Exfoliating Cleansing Gel
M.A.C Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask
CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Intense
ANTIPODES Divine Face Oil
MARIO BADESCU Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream

On ALWAYS loving what you buy yet hating two-thirds of what you already own

2013-01-28T14:28:00.002+10:30

"Women usually love what they buy, yet hate two-thirds of what is in their closets." - Mignon McLaughlin

Does the above statement apply to you?

Photographed below is how much I have managed to cull since moving into our new place. Granted the contents of one of the tubs are the items that I was not quite ready to cull the last time, but I am now.

I'm doing my best to eBay the Summer appropriate items now and as soon as it's March I will try listing the coats, wool jackets and boots (not pictured).

Back to the quote. Did I love everything at the time I bought it? Yes and no, but each piece certainly spoke to me at the time of buying it. Do I hate it all now? Well "hate" is a strong word, so let's just say that each piece does not fit in with my lifestyle and now given limited wardrobe space I am ready to let it go.

For example, although I adore the look of the Lover Chrissy coat, the three-quarter turn up sleeves drive me crazy.

Lover coat

For me the coat is only appropriate on a certain type of Winter's day - one which is mild and not windy, otherwise my wrists and forearms get cold. I also find that sleeves poking from underneath look a little odd unless very fitted. And full length sleeves of corporate jackets just look plain wrong! Therefore in my life this coat is only appropriate to wear on weekends - those which are mild and not windy. In other words the Lover Chrissy Coat planets are aligned maybe once each year. It must go.

The same can be said of an amazing Thurley belted cape that I own. It looks fabulous, but it's not a piece that I gravitate towards, so gets it worn maybe once or twice a year. Does it deserve a spot in my ideal wardrobe? I think not.

Also given that I have vowed to myself to only spend eBay proceeds this year, and my determination to achieve this mystical ideal wardrobe of mine... suddenly two-thirds of the contents of my wardrobe looks eBay-able! I don't hate two-thirds of my clothes, but I just don't love all the pieces enough or wear everything enough to justify keeping it.

Colour and order

2013-01-16T22:03:00.002+10:30

I used the 1977 filter on instagram to create this blurry shot because I figured that was the last time I bought stationery for myself... Ok, I admit that I'm exaggerating a little, but it has been more than 10 years since I completed my studies and that was in reality probably the last occasion that I needed to buy a pen or a notebook.

So what's the occasion you ask? Well, more and more I feel like I'm losing control of what needs to be done around here and the bills that need to be paid. I find the iPhone calendar app to be clunky, so decided to go all old school and bought a paper planner (Moleskine) and some pens. Coloured gel pens that is... my inner 12 year old self is doing cartwheels! Is there anyone else out there that used to hang out in the stationery isle of the supermarket when dragged grocery shopping with your parents? Or am I just a freak?

Also, more and more I feel like my job has sapped every drip of creative energy from me. So to prevent my implosion I bought some washi tape. It has intrigued me for a while now and I would like to make my own greeting cards, but please don't hold me to it.

A cosmetics spending ban... a year of shopping my stash!

2013-01-09T02:25:00.001+10:30

The makeshift vanity table I blogged about some months ago now, is no more. It was put out with the hard rubbish when we moved.

Whilst still on holidays, I spent the day today collecting up all of my makeup from various handbags and boxes stashed in multiple rooms of the house and put it all in one spot... 2 and a half months after moving into our new home.

My makeup is all organised once more!

My makeup now all lives in the bathroom - within easy reach to use everyday.

Last year, with a trip to the US and my discovery of mail forwarding services (hello Sephora), I have a further stash of unopened products and plenty of deluxe sized samples (generously given away in the US every single time one buys something) which I have not photographed. I think I own a lot of cosmetics for a woman who likes the 'no makeup' makeup look, so I have decided that this year I will go on a cosmetics spending ban.

I do not foresee this to be a problem as I wouldn't call myself a makeup junkie, but having previously had a relatively large amount of disposable income (prior to buying our new home), I pulled the trigger on all the lemmings which developed throughout 2012. Enter 5 new eyeshadow palettes, about 20 new lip products and all new foundations after my favourite L'Oreal one was discontinued, not to mention everything else.

My rules are very simple - this year I will 'shop my stash' throughout the year and only buy what I NEED:

ALLOWABLE PURCHASES*	SHOP MY STASH
Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Moisturiser	Shower Gel
Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost	Cleanser
Ellis Faas Concealer	Eye Cream
Butter London Hardwear PD Quick Topcoat	Moisturiser
Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover	Primer
	BB Cream & Tinted Moisturiser
	Foundation
	Powder & Bronzer
	Eye Shadow & Liner
	Mascara
	Blush & Highlighers
	Lip Colour & Care
	Nail polish
	Hair products (excluding shampoo & conditioner and colour)

* These are my Can’t-Live-Without-Holy-Grail-Products, but I will only purchase if nothing in my stash proves suitable.

If I'm ultra organised, I might even do an end of month empties post each month, including a small review of each product that I have finished.

Do you own more eyeshadow than you can use up in 5 lifetimes?
Do you find yourself hoarding cosmetics?
Do you find yourself buying a new product before finishing the one that you are currently using?
Do you own more than 3 nail polishes in a similar shade?

My answer to all these questions is YES. If you have answered yes also - then maybe you too should re-assess whether you NEED to buy anymore (at least for this year) and instead shop your stash.

The way I see it, each dollar I save on cosmetics, I can re-direct into buying small things for our new home.

2012 shopping wrap up

2013-01-07T01:52:00.001+10:30

After buying the one Topshop top in Melbourne back in October, I managed to not buy anything until just recently, probably because I was too busy living life in the fast lane to shop. I nevertheless managed to list a few things on eBay which sold and I saved the proceeds for a rainy day so to speak.

Needless to say there were a few 'rainy days' in December and it bucketed down on Boxing Day...

Apart from the peachy pink top (which I have since returned because I decided that it was not perfect on me), I bought:

Kate Sylvester cotton sundress (eBay);
Country Road viscose tees in white and pale grey (using Spend 'n' Save voucher);
Camilla & Marc bird singlet (David Jones);
Veronika Maine striped silk tank;
Veronika Maine jade green silk tank;
Kachel polka dot shift dress (David Jones);
Nudie High Kais in dark blue organic denim (David Jones);
Seed soft blazer in marine blue (David Jones);
Country Road mid-heels in black and tan; and
Country Road ballet flats in jade green and blue (using Spend 'n' Save voucher).

When I put it this way (and I cheated even by placing the items which I bought in two colour ways in one row), it seems that I have bought a lot... Who am I kidding, I have bought a lot! I must say though that I am pretty pleased with almost everything. In a sick and twisted way I am *almost* looking forward to going back to work in a week's time, so that I can wear my shiny new things.

The striped tank is amazing on and the polka dot dress makes me look 5 kgs lighter - both winners!

Praying that the mid-heel shoes prove to be comfortable

By the way, I am shopping off a list now (with eBay proceeds only), and this pretty much ticks off all the items on my Summer wish list (with the exception of a few items which I'm still looking for) and one item off my replacement wish list (the jeans).

Happy New Year!

2012-12-31T16:30:00.000+10:30

Thanks for reading my blog this year and to those who have made the effort to comment. I really enjoy reading everyone's thoughts and tips.

Here's to a great 2013!

x

My two fur babies :)

By the way - it is very difficult to take a photo of both my cats without one of them being nothing but just a blur.

My 10 favourite purchases in 2012

2012-12-31T02:26:00.002+10:30

In undertaking my current cull, my most ruthless cull yet (I'll blog the results when I'm done), I thought to consider the 10 best things I have bought in this past year.

In no particular order:

Isabel Marant "Dickers" in anthracite. What can I say except that these ankle boots are extremely comfy. I took them with me to the US earlier this year and crossed Manhattan in them - that's how comfortable they are. I also think that this style of ankle boot looks better with skinny jeans than say the ACNE Pistol which means that they are more versatile for casual wear in my circumstances since I wear jeans every weekend.
Marni at H&M Necklace. I love this thing. I wear it all of the time. It was waiting for me on the shelf at Madison Avenue H&M the day after the launch. I think someone must have returned it. As I stood in the line for the cashier, no less than 5 women asked me where I got the Marni. Haha.
Mulberry "Alexa" (regular) in black. Since I bought this bag, I have not stopped using it. I love that it is light and that I can go hands free. At the time I also bought the "Alexa" in oak. It has not made the list as it is no longer mine! Over Christmas my Aunt did not have to work hard to convince me to swap with her... So I'm now the proud owner of the "Bayswater" in oak that she bought just last month but found too big for her after only using it twice. Thank goodness for an Aunt who buys designer handbags and is willing to swap since I now can't afford to drop a small bundle for just one bag. I think the Bayswater will suit my corporate job a little better than the "Alexa" since it just fits A4. You might see the "Bayswater" make next year's list :)
Marni at H&M zigzag top. This is so flattering on me. I wear it casually with jeans or under a blazer to work. It's really easy to take care of too. Although comprised from silk, I just throw in my front loader washing machine on the delicates cycle. All tops should be made like this.
Comptoir des Cotonniers bird print blouse. I bought this at Bloomingdales in NYC. I really like the vibe of this brand and wish that it would open up shop in Australia. Please?
Jane Lamerton breton stripe top. I actually bought two of these tops and I'm glad I did. I absolutely love the style and that fact that there is some Lycra in the fabric, which means it keeps its shape. If it was re-released again in other colours, I would buy them all. I think that is saying something.
Étoile Isabel Marant "Lexy" jacket. I bought this jacket from the comfort of my hotel room in NYC. I got an email from Net-a-Porter to say that it was back in stock and reserved for me in my cart for the next 24 hours. It only took me a couple of minutes to whip out my credit card to purchase it and I'm glad I did. It's wonderful. It's the second jacket I own from this label, and although disappointing that they are unlined for the money, the cuts really work on me.
Fleur Wood "East 63rd Blazer". I have really enjoyed wearing this... once I finally got around to snipping off the tags. I feel really neat in it. It's a great equestrian style and the elbow patches are cute. Warm too!
MM6 Maison Martin Margiela 2-piece knit. Another NYC purchase. It's ingenious really. It is a knit with a detachable vest so that when worn together, it looks like a thick woolly cardi with a light grey knit underneath. I wore it all through out Winter as well as the vest buy itself. It has a real 'grandpa' feel to it, which I love.
Cue in the City black dress. This was really cheap. $60 I recall. Although not perfect, some how it found itself on my permanent work dress rotation in Winter. A winner.

This year I have struggled in the pants and skirts department. I have bought a few, but none have really stood out. Although worn everyday, each and every bottom has it's flaw *sigh*.

Also, I should point out that in the past week I have bought a couple of coloured items (!). Quarterly shopping wrap up coming up in the coming days as promised in my last post.

I will stop short at declaring that I want to turn minimalist (the fact that I still own 37 pairs of shoes makes me ineligible to join that club)... but seeing this rack filled with my favourite pieces, has again helped me remember that I really do not want to own anything that I do not love anymore.

This whole culling process has been a long one for me. I have read many other people's culling journeys and they seem so much easier. I hope my journey ends soon. I'm getting tired.

The cull diary - My shoe collection revisted

2012-12-29T22:09:00.002+10:30

A year ago now I blogged about culling my shoes HERE & HERE. I thought I would revisit where I stand in the shoe department especially now after a few recent purchases (I will do a quarterly shopping wrap up post in the coming days).

So I had 72 pairs at the beginning of this year, and after my big shoes cull I whittled that number down to 45 pairs.

These days without counting my slippers and sneakers, I own a total of 37 pairs (a pair I store at work is not pictured below). Not bad for a woman who once owned in excess of 120 pairs!

Here they are in all their glory - together with some commentary.

Chloe "Silverados", ACNE "Pistols' in contrast , Isabel Marant "Dickers" in anthracite and taupe

Apart from the Chloe booties (which I love love love, but just not with everything), the other three pairs are regularly worn. I would even consider repurchasing each pair upon it wearing out. Which fortunately is now possible given that some designers are now repeating their most popular items. What a great "trend"!

Row 1: Witchery black wedges, Witchery brown wedges, Wittner bow heels, Witchery leopard loafers. Row 2: Robert Clergerie platform sandals, Country Road tan heels, Country Road black heels, Country Road pointy heels

Having now re-read last year's post detailing my shoe collection, the Witchery brown wedges will be culled this weekend (I'll give them to my mum). I think I may have worn them once this year and I recall them hurting my toes. Also, the Witchery leopard loafers are cute, but they are not the first pair I grab to wear. Potentially I will cull these too. We shall see.

Marni heels, Miu Miu heels, Marc Jacobs bow heels, Marc Jacobs studded heels, Marc Jacobs 60s pumps

The Marni and Miu Miu heels, although not regularly worn, get whipped out when the occasion calls for them... they look great and the they are comfortable. I can't say the same for the MJ heels. Although I like the look of these three MJ pairs, they just don't get worn given their height and lack of platform. My 30+ year old feet just can't handle them anymore. Sad.


Row 1: D&G pumps, Guess pumps, Chloe "Jodie" pumps, Wittner pink heels, Witchery cream heels. Row 2: Marni at H&M sandals, Country Road leopard sandals, Witchery gold sandals, Urban Soul tassel sandals. Row 3: Country Road ballet flats in blue, green and red, Witchery tan ballet flats. Row 4: J.Crew "Cece" flats, Marc Jacobs "Maddie", Witchery embellished flats, Urban Soul flats

I love the Chloe pumps, but the other 4 pairs on the top shelf do not get any love. I think I'll definitely cull the D&G pumps and I will look at replacing the Wittner and Witchery heels with a single pair in a light tone but with lower heels. It seems that 7 cm is the most I can handle these days without a platform.

All my ballet flats are regularly worn except the MJ Maddies. They are a little bit too small for me, yet I just can't seem to let go. Why is that?

Robert Robert heeled boots, Country Road over the knee flat boots.

I have worn the heeled boots only once or twice in the past year, but I am keeping them until I can find a suitable replacement. The Country Road boots have been worn a lot and they are ok but just not perfect. I'll look to replace these too.

Since undertaking my big shoe cull earlier in the year and in the course of this last year I have determined the following when it comes to shoe shopping:

1. My feet can no longer handle high heels, so I will no longer buy them.
2. Nice mid-heels are hard to find.
3. It's worth splurging on well made shoes that will be worn regularly. Putting such shoes on and wearing them is a pleasure. Buying cheaper shoes in a similar style becomes a nonoccurence. You actually save money in the long term.
4. There is one caveat on the above statement: ballet flats. I jump at the opportunity to buy ballet flats on sale. Although I can appreciate Lanvin, Chanel and Repetto flats, I cannot imagine paying the big bucks for them since I buy flats for walking in properly, as in to and from work. Each and every pair I own apart from the J.Crew and MJ flats was purchased for less than $50.

Happy holidays everyone!

2012-12-24T17:27:00.001+10:30

So we're off to my parent's house to fill our bellies with Barszcz, Uszka, Pierogi, Śledzie and Makowiec... Then tomorrow to celebrate Christmas the Aussie way at my boyfriend's aunt's and uncle's house.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday period!

x

Material obsessions: when is enough... ENOUGH?

2012-12-10T21:50:00.001+10:30

I never meant for this blog to be a study into consumerism or minimalism... It is not. But at one point last weekend I realised finally what it is that I am doing here: I'm trying to figure out when enough is ENOUGH.

I have a subscription to Vogue Australia and the January issue arrived last Friday. There was an article in there which I found rather fascinating... Titled “Material Obsessions“ by Kelly Doust, it narrates one woman's decision to sell her home to upgrade to another. This involves culling back her wardrobe and putting all her worldly possessions she does not need on a daily basis into storage to better present her home for sale. I will not give away what happens in the end, but it opens her eyes as to the true necessity of her belongings.

I must say that the contents of this article resonated with me A LOT.

My boyfriend and I have now totally moved into our new place and as per most Australian homes we now have a dedicated “junk” room. Yay. This is in fact the spare bedroom in which all our unpacked boxes live. Somewhere in the midst all of these boxes are our dining table place mats – one of the few things that we have asked ourselves “where are they?”. Everything else it seems... we can live without. So why do we have all this stuff? I don't know why, but I know that I tend to hold on to things 'just in case' or if 'this' or 'that' happens. Or worse still, I have plans for some things that never eventuate.

In reading this Vogue article I asked my boyfriend if he possessed anything which in his mind was irreplaceable. He said that apart from his photographs - everything he owned could be replaced... Suffice to say I feel the same about most of my possessions also. Especially the contents of my wardrobe.

I now know for sure after my last post that I am not a minimalist (I doubt that I could ever call myself that), but what I didn't expect to experience as I unpacked my wardrobe over the weekend is the monumental disappointment that I would feel at the sheer volume of clothing that I own that I DO NOT LOVE. There are plenty of things I do love, having carefully planned and thought through a number of purchases over the last year, but plenty still that just sit there in my so called "twilight zone".

Back at our old place these pieces could just be stored in my "twilight wardrobe", but now my so called "twilight wardrobe" is our only wardrobe and everything we own just does not fit. I could go to IKEA to buy yet another piece of particleboard furniture to store all of our unnecessary stuff... or I could just pare down for real. No more dillydallying... Enough is enough.

There once was a woman with too many clothes... so much so that she couldn't fit them all in her wardrobe!

2012-12-10T20:45:00.001+10:30

I feel like I'm going around in circles.

Take a guess at how many items of clothing, pieces of accessories and pairs of shoes I own. I have no idea either, but I figure that I own a lot because I cannot fit another thing into OUR wardrobe (I'm now sharing a small wardrobe with my boyfriend *sigh*) and I still have a suitcase and two random bags left to unpack. Can I point out also that my boyfriend still hasn't unpacked his suitcase full of clothes... Then I nearly cried last night at the sight of another box full of clothes hiding in the corner of the lounge room.

So much excess...

DIY: Home staging & property styling, complete with before and after pictures

2012-11-26T11:35:00.000+10:30

A few weeks back I wrote about styling my little cottage for sale. After the agent appraised it, I had an interior stylist come through to give me a quote with respect to styling and hiring stage furniture. The quote was in excess of $2,000 for a very small 2 bedder for a hire period of 4 weeks and then $200 per week for each week thereafter. Having just bought our new home, paying $2,000 plus for something I could not keep was out of the question, so my boyfriend and I opted to style the property ourselves.

While it's been on the market, I’ve gone back on multiple occasions to check the state of the fresh flowers and to empty the junk mail from the letter box – but only the other week did I finally remember to take my camera.

Of course a post like this is not complete without the before pictures. In this case the pictures are of the property when I first inspected it prior to purchasing (and also a few just after settlement). Also let me set the scene for you...

It was the first weekend of opens for my little cottage, this was what seemed like the millionth property that I was inspecting and as per usual there were hoards of interested people inspecting it also. My parents were too busy that weekend to have look and to give me their honest assessment and my boyfriend was interstate. I had a good feeling about it and although it was clear that whoever resided there adored it in all its purple glory, it was a far cry from what I imagined it could be. I left the inspection excited by what I had just seen but a little hesitant about making a big purchasing decision all by myself.

The agent rang me on Monday morning to tell me that 3 offers had been submitted and unless I put one in by COB I would miss out on securing the property. I put my offer in regardless of the fact that neither of my parents nor my boyfriend had seen it... Of course I secured it. My boyfriend's comment when he saw for the first time was “it has potential” but on the inside he was thinking – what have you done!?

The BEFORE pictures

The main bedroom.

The dark purple feature wall, was in reality much darker...

The lounge room.

The vendor assured me that I would get used to the purple...

The kitchen.

Believe it or not, the kitchen cabinets were originally pink - the vendor had opted to paint them cream and burgundy.

Second bedroom

I found the wall colour in this room very unappealing. Because the only natural light source was a skylight, the murky pink tinged grey just wasn't doing anything for the room!

Hallway & Bathroom

The hallway in it's original condition was dark and dingy due to the burgundy feature wall (again much darker in reality). Also not only were the hallway light fittings ugly, but they were not centred!

I should point out that I put up with that horrible pink basin and pink tap ware the entire time I lived in my little place... In the end it was so cheap and easy to update the bathroom that I regret not doing it whilst I lived there!

During renovations

Main bedroom

Unfortunately the floorboards were mostly knackered when we ripped up the carpets, so all new floors had to be put in.

Selecting a white for the lounge room, ripping up the carpets and priming walls before painting.

We lived with concrete floors in the lounge room for 7 months before we had the time and money to install floating floors. I found the concrete to be more pleasant than the crusty old carpet. Looking back at these photos makes me feel very relieved that the house we just bought has freshly polished floors and has been recently re-painted white. Thank goodness! It now means we can concentrate on the fun stuff!

How my little cottage looks now – staged for sale

Hallway

After primer, paint and new floorboards, new light fittings for the hallway were one of my first purchases for my new home. Hallway light fittings help set the scene as you enter a home and in my case they helped modernise my 1900s cottage.

Main bedroom

I styled each room using the wall art as the focal point and as the inspiration for the room's colour scheme. In this room I picked up on the the teals and blues in the painting above the bed. I bought cushions in that colour from IKEA ($4.95 each) and just happened to own the Glasshouse 'Coney Island' candle which comes packaged in a vibrant teal coloured jar (on the bedside table, which I freshly painted high gloss white).

My Country Road striped bedlinen has also gotten a work out. I can't wait to actually sleep in it!

Second bedroom

The idea behind the second bedroom was to show off its size and hence versatility.

Believe it or not, but apparently unless a potential purchaser sees a double bed in a bedroom (especially in a second/spare bedroom), they will assume it does not fit. We do own a spare queen ensemble, but hiring a truck or removalist to move it into there did not fill us with joy, so we instead purchased cheap IKEA bed frames ($80 each) and placed blow up mattresses inside ($30 each).

With this particular room I also created a little study nook in the corner of the room. My IKEA Billy (which I already owned) was meant to show where one could put robes.

Incidentally, when we lived in this house, this room was utilised as our lounge/TV room.

Lounge & Eat-in Kitchen

The stylist mentioned that because the property did not have a dedicated dining room, an eating area had to be created, otherwise potential purchasers would be asking "but where do I eat". We did not own a little table setting, nor did we really need one for inside, but we were delighted when we found this cute 'ROXÖ' white powder-coated steel outdoor setting in IKEA ($129 for the set). This little beauty will soon take pride of place under our lemon tree in the back yard of our new place...

IKEA 'ROXÖ' outdoor table and chairs

Fresh flowers breathe life into a vacant property... Had I had more time, the IKEA 'Lack' coffee table would have been painted high gloss white.

Updating the kitchen was one of my holiday projects when first moved into the property. I sanded back the cabinets and then used a roller with a short nap, primer and Dulux Aqua Enamel in Vivid White to paint the cabinets. The new handles are from IKEA. I had also planned to paint the tiles white with tile paint, but ran out of time.

I can't wait to have back my Le Creuset pot...

In the bathroom all wooden accessories were removed, walls white white, pink fixtures replaced with stainless steel and a shiny new white basin to replace the old pink one. I also painted the cabinet high gloss white. I had planned to paint the mirror frame white, but unfortunately ran out of time. All up, updating the bathroom cost a few hundred dollars.

So there you have it! We spent a fraction of the money on bits and pieces than it would have cost to have the property professionally styled. Although it took an entire weekend to set up, I'm very pleased with the results!

In case you are wondering, all paintings photographed are originals painted by my Mother. Some have recently even been exhibited and are for sale (contact me for details). We had a great old time flicking through her collection to select the appropriate art works!

mycatssaymeow culling & buying retrospect

2012-11-21T14:45:00.000+10:30

I have been playing around with my blog labels, hence reading over some of my old posts.

First of all it's a wonder that some of you have kept on reading (thank you) given that I write that I'll blog about it, but then I don't (sorry, but such is life - too much going on).

Secondly, I have been chuckling about my failed attempts to come up with my 'ideal wardrobe'... I thought it would be interesting to do a retrospect post, so that you too can have a chuckle at my failures and also to eventually show (in the distant future sometime) that it won't happen overnight, but it will happen when trying to build the perfect wardrobe. I think too many of us get caught up in having to have it all right now, instead of thoughtfully building it slowly. You will see shortly that I have certainly fallen into this trap in some respects.

So without further ado, I hereby present the mycatssaymeow retrospect.

Country Road Spend'n'Save Purchases

On a whole I find that the majority of my Country Road purchases are usually successful. This is due to me carefully selecting items to take best advantage of my Spend'n'Save vouchers by trying on the entire store. I don't usually buy an item unless I am certain that I will get the wear the out of it.

The beige pants were identical to the black pair, but I had to cull them as I inadvertently bought the wrong size and only realised this after quite a while. I went to wear them and realised that something was not right...

The jeans, although I'm not happy with the fit entirely, have been well worn... Given this point I will not hesitate to invest more money into a pair to replace these - I'm thinking a pair of blue Nudie High Kais to join the black pair I bought earlier in the year. Nudie High Kais are flattering and comfortable on me.

On top of what is pictured above, there were a number of other purchases from Country Road, including dresses, tops and a pair of boots. All have been regularly worn.

Cue Purchases

I find Cue to be a little hit and miss for me. I get quite excited by their mega 70% off the original price sales, but often buy things that are not quite right. The two slit sleeve blazers I bought and since culled have instilled in my mind not to get sucked into weird cuts and shapes that appear to be 'cool' because more probably than not these pieces are totally impractical for me.

I think the bow belts will get more of a work out in Summer - being a big wearer of black and grey in Winter, they highlighted the fact that I'm not so skinny anymore. I look forward to wearing them with printed dresses.

On top of what is pictured above, I also bought a couple of dresses, a few skirts and tops. My choice in tops has proven to be a little bit questionable, so these may in fact end up on the cull pile to be sold to raise funds for a more thoughtful purchase.

Online Purchases

I love shopping online. Surprisingly the majority of the time I get it right. The items I have labelled best buys really are. The much hyped Isabel Marant 'Dicker' boots are honestly one of my favourite things in my wardrobe, as is the dark grey jacket from her spin off 'Etoile" label. I would buy both of these pieces 100 times over.

The jacket marked "to be culled" has become superfluous due to the love the IM Etoile one gets, the striped top is not quite right and my Mum managed to wangle the red jeans from me after I returned from the US with burgundy J Brand skinnies. So really, all in all I haven't done too badly in the online shopping department. I guess you could say that my saving grace is that I am yet to buying anything from ASOS (I've heard it's hit and miss).

Witchery Purchases

I think the proof is in the pudding: I should stay generally stay away from Witchery, especially from their sales on sale items. I loved both the floral dress and the over-the-knee 'Ella' boots to death, alas each only lasted one season before they literally fell apart. I still have the dress for around the house as I adore the print, but I think next time I would rather invest my money elsewhere.

Miscellaneous Buys

I'm glad I bought the Joseph trench coat, but it has not received the love that it deserves, problem being that as soon as I started wearing the coat pictured below - I forgot about all my other coats. I think next Winter I will make more of an effort to wear it.

The top I like, but it drives me insane. Within 15 minutes of putting it on the sleeves are stretched (as I like to scrunch them up my forearms). I'm vowing to myself not to buy anymore 100% linen tops.

And the dresses... they are cute - but I'm not anymore *sigh*.

The Winners

Every item pictured above except the animal print shoes has earned its keep. I really like both animal print shoes but I have not worn either enough to determine whether they truly belong.

More Animal Print and Stripes

Some of the above items have helped me understand that things are not always what they seem...

Both striped items seemingly simple and classic but had features which annoyed me.
The animal print items were badly cut, I returned the blouse for this reason but kept the dress due to my lack of work appropriate dresses at the time. The dress ended up tearing the entire length of the back seam within the year!
The Country Road grey dress is a size large (!) and still quite fitted. I now often find myself with three different sizes of the same item in fitting rooms to get the right fit.
The ACNE Pistols seemed like the perfect ankle boots, yet I have found that on me they only look good worn with skirts and dresses... thankfully, I wear skirts and dresses a lot of the time, so they have been consistently worn throughout Winter.

In retrospect

This post has helped me see that it's worth spending a little extra to buy the things that one really wants (my handbags [not itemised in this post], all the ankle boots, the IM Etoile and IRO jackets fit into this category for me). I realise now that if something seems a little unaffordable it's worth foregoing the cheaper bits and pieces (that will end up on the cull pile in any event) to eventually save for the pricier items.

Also, I have to say that I am shocked about the volume of new things that I have added to my wardrobe thoughout the time since starting this blog! What's scarier is that I have not blogged about all of my purchases... For example pictured above are only two items that I bought in the US - but upon my return to Australia they almost didn't let me on the plane (which tells me that there are many more recent purchases)!

I really think that I need to get a wish list together for the following year to keep better focused on this 'ideal wardrobe' plan of mine.

Moved but no settled...

2012-11-16T11:24:00.003+10:30

So we've moved into our new place... but we're a long way away from being settled in just yet.

Due to needing to get my boyfriend's place ready to rent out, we have not had the time to unpack and set up much except the kitchen (the most important room in the house in my opinion). There are boxes stacked in every corner of almost every room and I am living out of various clothing receptacles; suitcases, boxes, department store pillow bags, you name it. I don't even know where half my shoes have gotten to? In light of my comment in my last post about not putting away anything until I determine its need, I have left unpacking my clothing and shoes until such time as I have a solid few hours of spare time to sort it all. Maybe this weekend...

On the shopping front, I am proud to say that it's now been exactly 1 month since my last fashion related purchase. Sure I want to buy pretty new things, but items for the new place seem more important right now (eg a new kitchen bin, new furniture, a dish rack, new crockery, things for our garden etc etc etc). Also when window shopping, I think back to the suitcases, boxes and department store pillow bags full of clothes and think to myself that before I buy anything fashion related, the new item must earn it's place in my wardrobe (given the limited wardrobe space).

My mind is also bursting full of things I want to do around our new place - some 100% necessary (build and install flyscreens in all windows*) and others 100% conceited (pretty up my boyfriend's old filing cabinet so that it doesn't make our study look ugly). There are honestly not enough hours in a day!

* Not only did we discover that all the windows in our new place had been painted shut (hahahahaha *sigh*) but there was not a single flyscreen to be seen anywhere! The things you fail to notice during open inspections...

Ready, set, Pack! Move! & Reset!

2012-10-31T22:53:00.001+10:30

I'm packing in preparation for our house move this coming Monday.

In a perfect world I would have liked to declutter our possessions whilst packing. Alas, the world is far from perfect, so I will make do with vowing to myself that nothing shall be put away into a shelf/cupboard/wardrobe in our new home without first being scrutinised as to its usefulness.

There are no walk-in robes or built-in wardrobes in any of the bedrooms in our new home (a deal breaker for most, but I maintain that the existence of such features makes rooms less versatile), so as of this coming Monday my boyfriend and I will be back to sharing a 3 door IKEA PAX wardrobe. The last time we did this I had my boyfriend storing his knits in Net-a-Porter boxes (oh, the humanity!). Welcome to my new nightmare... or should I say challenge?

Although my wardrobe is far less over flowing than when I started in my culling adventures over a year ago, thanks to an overseas shopping spree and a number of momentary lapses of judgement during the Winter sales, again I feel a necessary cull brewing.

In the outset I had hoped to have my 'ideal wardrobe' sorted by the start of 2012, but in reality my wardrobe is far from ideal... So just as the Australian Bureau of Statistics has reset the index numbers for each index series as of the September quarter of this year (which by the way totally caught me off guard whilst doing a calculation at work - I knew something was not right when my calculation indicated that the cost of living had halved in the last year... if only), I'm resetting my cull tallies and hence my ideal wardrobe journey.

Self-imposed spending bans vs those due to circumstances

2012-10-25T21:24:00.003+10:30

Lately I've been reading a lot about self imposed shopping/spending bans (by the way, I think they are to blame for my record poor eBay sales).

I find it very interesting to read about participants' grand objectives with respect to undertaking a ban only to read weeks later that they purchased x (but it doesn't count because a voucher was used) or they purchased y (but it doesn't count because it was an item that was on their wish list for months if not years). I giggle to myself but then think - I've been there and done that! I can totally relate and at times it's almost as if I am reading about my very own shopping ban attempts.

So yes, I too have tried to put myself on a shopping ban on many occasions. I've even written about my different shopping philosophies and strategies HERE and HERE and HERE. Although I have loosely succeeded in changing the way that I shop, when it comes to shopping bans, I have failed miserably.

Self-imposed spending bans

I could never really figure out why maintaining not shopping was such an issue for me? It's only now, with the purchase of our new home (yes, settlement when smoothly) and the responsibility of servicing three mortgages between my boyfriend and I, that the penny has dropped as to the reasons for my past failures.

The reasons are as follows:

I have always been dissatisfied with the contents of my wardrobe - there's always a piece or two missing. Upon buying those two pieces, I realise that there are another one or two pieces missing.
I will refrain from saying that I like to shop (because I seldom make a day of it), but I do love bargain hunting. This usually occurs in short spates in my lunch break. Let me tell you, a lot can be purchased during a lunch break, and multiple bargains soon add up to a mountain of money.
Until recently I could afford to shop like a maniac (read: go crazy during sale times and make single expensive purchases).
I have had no reason to budget until now, meaning that my level of disposable income was high. This of course leads to disposable purchases, in the sense that one starts behaving like a spoiled child with too many toys... you wear it once and then toss it in the corner.

Does this sound like you? If not, then why do you think that you have failed in your shopping/spending ban?

Spending bans due to circumstances

To say that being faced with the challenge of servicing three mortgages has changed the way I view spending my money and the true necessity of my possessions (more to do with having to pack them than anything else) would be the understatement of the century!

There are two ways I could go now:

Not spend as much as I have in the past.
Accumulate a massive credit card debt in order to maintain my unrestricted lifestyle.

No prizes for guessing which path I plan to take and already I have noticed a mind shift in the way I approach shopping and spending money.

My first observation is that I have stopped buying things that I do not NEED. This may seem like a no brainer, but I challenge you to think of the last 5 things you bought and ask yourself: "do I really need this or do I just want it?".

Take my last frivolous shopping spree (if you can even call it that) that I enjoyed in Melbourne - I bought 5 things and truth be told I don't need any of them. Not to say that I will not use or wear my purchases or that I am not pleased with them - but I bought everything simply because I wanted it. Needless to say, no more buying the latest moisturiser just because it sounds good and I want to try it, because for the time being I have enough moisturiser to turn the Sahara into an tropical oasis.

Secondly, I have noticed that the things that I do need (arguably) have become glaringly obvious. I find myself looking out for this stuff and my vision is no longer obscured by the things I just want and buy first or buy because I like or buy just because I can. These items that I NEED have now become the only items that I plan to buy.

My third observation is that I have parked the necessary purchases until such time that the need for them truly arises. For example I really do need new layering tops (I have been saying this to myself for years now). Say I was hit by a bus tomorrow and my clothes required to be cut away from me in hospital - I would be embarrassed by what lies beneath. But given it is Spring here in Oz, this much needed purchase can be shelved until such time that it is truly required and I will make do with what I have for now.

And last but not least - I have come to acknowledge to myself that am an extremely lucky woman. Not only can I still afford to buy what I need, but I already have a wardrobe full of lovely clothes that would make most women pretty happy. It's time to take advantage of this blessing.

So next time you go shopping and are considering the purchase of yet another bottle of pink nail polish or the 10th striped top to add to your collection - ask yourself DO I REALLY NEED THIS? I mean really ask yourself this question. Answer it for yourself. Don't feel compelled not to buy the item just because your answer is no (because maybe your circumstances allow you to go crazy Broadway style and also I would hate for you to miss out on the bargain of the century), but don't be surprised if you walk away empty handed.

Here is a video of Bart and Millhouse going crazy - Broadway style. Enjoy.

I'm a good girl (for now)

2012-10-18T22:17:00.000+10:30

So I'm back from Melbourne and now nervously awaiting our property settlement this coming Monday. The bank has certainly kept me on my toes in true bank fashion.

Might I say it's amazing what the impending reality of multiple mortgages to repay does to one's shopping drive. My Melbourne shopping loot is decidedly measly. It consists of one black and white Topshop silk top, Rebirth Lanolin Oil, Skin79 BB Cream, Kit Cosmetics Blender Sphere and Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler (which has been on my wish list for years).

Quilt cover by Karen Walker Home (it's white with light blue birds on the other side).

Can I say also that I had to exercise superhuman shopping restraint after receiving an email from Shopbop with the 20% off family and friends code the other night (there is a pair of boots that I NEED) and also other emails announcing great sales and discounts. I guess this is what being mortgaged to the eyeballs feels like...

Stay tuned for frugal living posts!

Good news!

2012-10-09T20:38:00.002+10:30

The last month has been a whirlwind for us... we finally found a house!

Apart from the break we took for our holiday in March, we have been looking at open homes without fail each weekend and participating in auctions with no success for a year now. We were thinking about giving house hunting a break for a month or so because we had lost our drive and then THE ONE came up when we least expected it. In fact the morning of the auction we almost didn’t bother getting out of bed thinking we had no chance (it was marketed for more than our budget).

Finding the ‘perfect’ home did prove difficult in the end, but we are very pleased with what we found and I truly cannot wait to ‘settle down’ at long last. I have felt like a nomad for a very long time now, knowing that where I was living was not long term.

Settlement of our new place is on 22 October. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly.

So needless to say the last couple of weekends have kept us very busy... We have just finished preparing my little cottage for sale. We even had to re-build the picket fence as the monkey who built it in the first place used untreated timber so it was literally disintegrating before our eyes (it was so bad that we pulled it apart with our bare hands). I’m so happy with the new fence and that it doesn’t look like a Homer Simpson job that I have to share a picture.

Hopefully potential buyers will fall in love with the fence and submit a nice offer...

Apologies for the dark photo... I literally put the paint brush down after painting the last brush stoke moments before I took this photo with my iPhone at dusk.

Last weekend we worked on the garden and after deciding that I could not afford to professionally style my house and hire furniture etc - I did it myself with the help of my amazing boyfriend. We were working on it non-stop all weekend. I will do a separate post on that as I am amazed with the results. Our effort was well worth it.

Next weekend we are off for a preplanned mini holiday to Melbourne... Having just bought a big house, we can't really afford to do what I usually do (shop) but we truly deserve it, so I will at least spend my Myer vouchers which I have been saving for a while now :)

Staggered Springtime culling

2012-09-12T22:43:00.000+09:30

So it's Springtime here in Australia, and my wardrobe is in desperate need of a Spring clean. I would love to stage another all out assault on my clothing, shoe and accessory collection like I did earlier in the year, but for the time being while my weekends are mostly spent out on the road searching for the perfect house, I will be staggering my culling.

This week I am waving goodbye to a Country Road dress - Lord only knows why I opted for the khaki colourway instead of the grey, two pairs of gorgeous flat boots which although I love the look of, I just don't wear, a Country Road shirt and drapey skirt that taunt me "you are fat" and an ACNE blouse which would look better on me if I was 10 years younger.

All of these pieces are for sale on my eBay page along with a few other goodies culled by my Mum and Aunt.

In search of miracle potions

2012-09-06T23:48:00.001+09:30

I don't know about you, but I find that no matter how put together my outfit looks - if my face is not glowing I feel very average indeed.

Lately I have found myself obsessing about my face (vain, I know). I have general concerns about uneven tone, dryness, redness and achieving flawlessness but my particular concerns are as follows:

A spring chicken I am not. I'm starting to see the first signs of ageing having found myself on the wrong side of 30 some time ago now. The lines appearing around my eyes sadden me. It's really happening - I am getting old :(
I have deep-set eyes that are a little close together. Let's just say that I do not look to Kate Moss for eye makeup inspiration. Further all this talk about contouring creases is completely irrelevant to me unless I'm doing a Halloween makeup look.
Dark circles are my nemesis. More so than just the average shadowing caused by the fact that my eyes are deep-set and that I don't sleep enough. My Mother recently commented on a photograph of me that I looked sick around the eyes...
Extreme cheek and nose dryness has plagued me this Winter. My skin has been very flaky. Appropriate moisturisers are one thing but smooth application of BB creams and foundations are a whole new kettle of fish.
"Allergy" is my middle name. Red raw dermatitis on my eyelids and lips occasionally flares up. I have a prescription cream of course, but I don't like using it as it causes thinning of the skin. I also suffer from hay fever which gives me the I-cried-all-day look all spring long.

Recently, I have spent many hours watching beauty youtubers and reading consumer reviews about creams & potions, primers, foundations, concealers, BB creams and tinted moisturizers. I'm in search of products which will hopefully become my HG (holy grail) products to plump up my skin and products to create a flawless base. Of course reading reviews only goes so far, as one can only know if a product will work for them by trying it for themselves. I'm very keen to try Clinique's Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector and Mario Badescu's Control Cream.

Do you have any issues which you strive to fix with miracle potions?

Have you seen results upon using a product regularly?

Are you interested to read about bloggers' beauty routines and their HG products (I know I am).