Samantha Wills white howlite necklace

Posted in Fashion, Life by Brianna Johnson

LAST week I celebrated my two-year anniversary with my lovely boyfriend and I was lucky enough to be spoiled with a Samantha Wills necklace!
I’d been eying off this Australian designer’s collection for a while now and there are so many things I want from her collection!

Ready for Mexican food!

I chose the White Howlite necklace from the minerals collection – a pendant with a fine rose gold chain and a dainty name plate with the stone’s meaning: calming and stress relief.
I don’t really believe in minerals having real-world applications but it’s still really beautiful.
(And hey, worst case scenario, a little calm is something I could definitely use in my daily life.)

It’s just so dainty!

The rose gold wouldn’t usually have been my first choice as I mostly wear silver but the only necklace in the collection with a silver chain had a black onyx stone that I felt just didn’t suit me.
But I really like how it looks against a whole range of colours, especially black.
Other stones available included amethyst, rose quartz, lapis and a turquoise stone. (See the collection here.)

I am drooling.

The chain has two extra rings on it to allow you to wear it shorter if you like – I’ve been wearing it at its longest length.
It came in a beautiful wooden box with flowers stencilled into the top – something I’ll definitely keep on display.
For the rest of the outfit, the Portmans shorts were a gift from my lovely friend Candice. (Similar here and for the heels, see a similar pair here.)

I love these shorts so much!

They’re quite fitted at the waist and although I’m always paranoid about spilling something whenever I wear white, the tropical print is fun and I think they’ll feature heavily in the rest of my summer wardrobe.
We took these photos before going out for Mexican at my favourite restaurant – he’s always so patient when taking outfit photos!
I really couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend and we’ve got so many adventures planned for the future.
Here’s to many more years!

Nothing says ‘couple’ like matching floral in a tropical location.

What’s your favourite piece of jewellery? Let me know in the comments!

15Jan2015

Full-time fashion blogger shirt

Posted in Fashion by Brianna Johnson

OKAY, I’m wearing this top with only like 80 per cent irony.
When I saw it in an Ally store a while ago, I just couldn’t go past it! I first showed you this shirt in my post about my new 2015 diary.

Last-minute adjustments.

I wore this for a fun day out of hitting op-shops and lunching with my lovely friend Candice. It was really hot so I tucked it into a little black Cotton On skater skirt (similar here) and threw on my glittery jelly sandals.
This shirt has got a fairly loose fit but I like the shape the rolled sleeves give the shirt and, as it was a bit too thin to wear on its own, I wore a white spaghetti strap singlet underneath.

Hello, summer!

While we were waiting to pick up Indian food for lunch we snapped some photos in a really cool graffitied alley behind a bar.You can pick you your very own shirt like this one here.

I’m always searching for something in my bottomless pit of a handbag.

Okay everyone, let’s have a show of hands, would you wear this shirt?
Also, if YOU’RE a fashion blogger, make sure to post the link to your little bit of the internet below so I can see!

12Jan2015

Review: MAC’s Rebel lipstick

Posted in Beauty by Brianna Johnson

TALK about a bold colour!
I’d been eyeing off New Zealand songstress Lorde’s signature plum lip colour for a while now so I thought I’d give this ago.
While Lorde and MAC collaborated on a similar plum lip colour last year, I’d read that her makeup artist actually used a combination of the Heroine and Cyber lipsticks.

Photo by Rolling Stone. Source: http://tinyurl.com/qac68th

To recreate this look I used the colour Rebel paired it with MAC’s Prep and Prime lip primer and a MAC lip pencil in Nightmoth.
Rebel is part of the brand’s satin range and goes on smoothly with a bit of shine.
Nightmoth looks like a really deep, dark purple on the packet and at the tip of the pencil but when applied is almost a brown.
It’s not a colour you can forget you’ve put on, that’s for sure.

Mac Rebel lipstick and Nightmoth lip miner

Mac Rebel lipstick and Nightmoth lip liner.

While I initially balked at how dark Nightmoth was on its own, I really liked the end result when paired with Rebel because it gave it a more plum-coloured shine.
The first time I tried this look it didn’t pass the food test 100 per cent (I ate a jam and cream donut, yum!) and needed touching up, particularly on the middle of my bottom lip.
However, that might have been because I was a bit over-zealous when putting it on and put on too much.
More tries will tell.
I first wore this during the day and it felt a bit heavy for a sunny morning so I might try wearing it again at night and see how it feels then.
I really like it with this collared top – it’s got a bit of a Wednesday Adams feel to it.

Have you tried a dark lip? What do you think of the trend?

28Dec2014

Three ways to make your outfit sparkle on NYE

Posted in Beauty, Fashion by Brianna Johnson

NEW Year’s Eve is almost upon us!
Aside from freaking out about where the year has gone, I’m starting to plan my outfit for the big night.
I’m a huge fan of sequins, glitter any anything else that shines but it can be daunting to put these into an outfit without looking like a walking disco ball, especially for more casual events.
Here are three easy ways to throw in a bit of shine into your look, to get 2015 off to a great start!

We’re set for a warm NYE! I’ll be by the pool.

A sequinned belt:
I paired this gold belt with a floaty maxi dress and sandals for a low-key bit of sparkle.
NYE is usually hot even after the sun goes down in Australia so this would be great for a barbecue or a few relaxed drinks with friends.
It’s not too over-the-top but is still fun.
I threw in a plain white clutch so the belt would be the feature and my gold Juicy Couture charm bracelet – a gift from my lovely sister on a recent trip to Hong Kong. (There’s a close-up photo of these jewellery pieces at the bottom of this post.)

This outfit is perfect for a more casual shindig.

Gold accessories bring the whole thing together.

The showstopper:
This gold sequinned top is definitely in my top ten favourite items in my wardrobe.
You’re not going to be missed in this thing!
This shirt has a black faux-leather (pleather) back and sleeves so it’s not full-on sequins the whole way around.
I paired it with a plain black skirt and minimal accessories – this top does all the talking.

The faux-leather backing makes this shirt a bit warm, though.

Shiny accessories:
If you’re searching for something minimal to add to your outfit, simple, shiny accessories are always a good option.
This cat ear headband is a bit silly and fun but definitely cute!
Make-up wise I’m going to be keeping things pretty simple – just pink lips and liquid eyeliner.
For this look I used MAC’s Magenta lip liner and Max Factor’s Flipstick Colour Effect in Boreal Mauve 15.

I love this headband!

Let’s take another look at the accessories I used for these outfits.
The big silver necklace from my dolphin skirt OOTD post would also be a winner, especially if paired with a little black dress.
You can pick up a Juicy Couture charm bracelet just like mine here.

So many shiny things in one image.

This bracelet just gets me.

What are you wearing on New Year’s Eve? Let me know in the comments!

21Dec2014

My favourite dolphin skirt

Posted in Fashion, Life by Brianna Johnson

I LOVE any item of clothing that has animals on it, so this skirt is one of my favourites.
I bought it from a rack of clothes outside a tiny store in Singapore’s Chinatown.

I took this look to a friend’s birthday party this weekend.

I paired the bright skirt with a pop of pink in my handbag and my biggest, shiniest necklace.
The necklace was another travel purchase – I picked it up in Florence in a random boutique.
It was just so over-the-top that I knew I had to buy it!
I’m house-sitting at the moment so today I had a canine helper for my photos!
I also put on Lime Crime’s Centrifuschia lipstick — I can’t get enough of this fun colour. Read my review of it here.

I think he approves of my dolphins.

I’m a cat person but I just can’t resist that face!

Do you have a favourite piece of animal-print clothing? I’d love to hear about it!

18Dec2014

New year, new 2015 diary

Posted in Fashion, Life by Brianna Johnson

I CAN’T believe it’s almost the end of the year!
Just a quick post tonight – today has been absolutely jam-packed and I’m beat.
On the plus side – almost all of my Christmas/December birthday present shopping is done.
I managed to restrain myself quite well at the shops – I’m trying to remember that everything I buy gets me further away from saving a house deposit.
But I just couldn’t resist this adorable kikki.K diary.

It’s seriously cute.

It’s full of colourful little pictures and has a year’s worth of whole-month calendars at the start and then shows each week to a page.
There are so many things I need to keep track of so this should really help.
It’s also small enough to carry around in my handbag every day.

Who doesn’t want to see pictures of breakfast foods when they write their appointments?!

Or sausage dogs.

Or whales, for that matter.

I also couldn’t resist this ‘full-time fashion blogger’ shirt.
I’d seen pictures of it as a jumper online and spotted it in an Ally store.
Pick it up here.
A girl can dream!

I HAD to get myself a Christmas gift, after all.

How are you getting organised in the new year?

14Dec2014

Fluoro skirts are hard to miss

Posted in Fashion by Brianna Johnson

I LOVE this bright pink skirt!
While there’s every chance of it searing your retinas, when I spotted it in a Dotti store last year (it was hard to miss) I couldn’t resist snapping it up.

I love how bright it this outfit is!

I’m a big fan of fluro pink in everyday outfits – my current handbag is a similar shade to this skirt.
To balance out the crazy colour I paired this with a simple black tee, bag and a dark necklace.
While a lot of style guides may say my sky blue flats are a bit much, they just felt really fun when I put them on with the pink.
I also threw on a faux leather jacket with a studded collar that I picked up for only five dollars at an op shop!
I like the mix of circles on my necklace and squares on the lapel.
To finish it off I chose the brightest pink lipstick I own!

This faux leather jacket was a wardrobe staple for me this winter.

This faux leather jacket has been a wardrobe staple for me.

Top: Zara.
Skirt: Dotti.
Jacket: op shop. Originally Ally.
Shoes: Cotton On.
Necklace: op shop.
Lips: Maybelline Colour Sensational – fuchsia fever.

What’s your favourite bright colour piece in your wardrobe?

6Dec2014

Silver and sequins and (faux) leather, oh my!

Posted in Fashion by Brianna Johnson

ON THURSDAY I snagged an amazing haul of clothes in an unusual place.
A workmate sporting an incredible metallic gold jumper told me about a giant sale at Supre.
Yes, Supre. (They’re still around!)

The place is known for horrific booty-exposing short-shorts and fluoro crop tops — but it turns out they still have some nice things!

The tartan top, silver jumper and silver skirt were only $5! FIVE DOLLARS. (I may or may not have gotten so excited about buying all these that I ended up having an asthma attack.)

I can’t wait to wear all of these pieces out – I gave the faux leather pencil skirt a run at work yesterday. (Full outfit post to come for that.)

I can never resist a bargain!
What’s the best thing you’ve ever picked up on sale? Let me know in the comments!

30Nov2014

A whirlwind weekend in Bali

Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Travel by Brianna Johnson

WHAT a weekend!
I’ve just returned from an amazing three-day weekend in sunny (and stormy) Bali!
My entire family headed over to help my adorable mum celebrate her 60th birthday.
I couldn’t get much time off work so I left on Thursday evening and came back tonight, ready for work on Monday.
The weather was SO HOT, steamy and we saw a few evening storms, but thankfully the rain held off until this morning.
I’ve got another post with more photos here but I wanted to share the outfit I came home in.

I can never resist a shirt with cats on it!

I’d picked up the shirt on Saturday from Topshop and threw in my comfiest pair of shorts while we were packing and heading to the airport. (I had some jeans in my bag for the freezing conditions on the plane.)
I use this fluoro-pink bag as my everyday handbag – it’s big enough to fit everything in and the colour makes me feel happy.
My jelly sandals are never a bad choice and they don’t make my feet hot, even though, being plastic, I thought they would.

The glitter was an obvious choice for me.

When I fly I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup because I feel my skin suffers enough from the airconditioning and being dehydrated so I went foundation-free today. (I’m actually surprised at how well my skin was behaving — having a relaxing few days definitely helped.)
I just put on mascara, eyeliner, a bit of concealer and an amazing matte lipgloss I picked up on this trip – it’s Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong.

Finding good selfie lighting in a hotel room is always a challenge.

Finding good selfie lighting in a hotel room is always a plus.

I’ve never tried matte-finish glosses or lipsticks before but I really love the effect.
The saleswoman billed it as the brand’s 24-hour lip colour and while it didn’t last an entire day, it definitely held up well to food and drinks.
It was great to travel with my entire immediate family (now at 12 people once you count two brothers-in-law, my boyfriend and my brother’s girlfriend) and I’m lucky we get along so well.
I wish I could have stayed longer but at least I got to go at all.
I really wish I was heading to the swim-up bar for cocktails instead of going to work tomorrow, though!

Take me back!

Have you been on a holiday recently? What are your go-to travel outfit choices?
Let me know in the comments!

7Nov2014

For the love of summer dresses

Posted in Fashion by Brianna Johnson

THE warm weather is definitely here to stay! (Northern hemisphere notwithstanding.)
I love this silky blue patterned dress – it flows and is light-weight which makes it perfect for any day spent out in the sunshine – preferably with a glass of wine in hand.
I picked it up at Forever 21 a few years ago – the cinched waist and collared top are just perfect.

This might prove tricky on very windy days!

This might prove tricky to manage on very windy days!

Shiny accessories are practically a staple for me.

Pink lipgloss brings the whole thing together.

Dress: Forever 21.
Shoes: ASOS.
Clutch: borrowed.
Lips: Savvy High Shine Lip Lacquer – paparazzi.

Extraordinary days

Tag Archives: wardrobe

Samantha Wills white howlite necklace

Full-time fashion blogger shirt

Review: MAC’s Rebel lipstick

Three ways to make your outfit sparkle on NYE

My favourite dolphin skirt

New year, new 2015 diary

Fluoro skirts are hard to miss

Silver and sequins and (faux) leather, oh my!

A whirlwind weekend in Bali

For the love of summer dresses