Top by Style Lately, Shall by Anise, Skirt by Bardot, Shoes by Urban Originals, Accessories by Rings & Tings, Sunglasses by Cotton On // Photos by Tito-licious

Apologies for my brief absence. Like most of you probably are, I've also been inundated with end of year prep at work and at home. There have been Christmas celebrations and promotions left, right and centre and I'll be flying off to one of my favourite places in the world - the US of A in about 2 weeks time which is getting me pretty giddy!

Thank you to Style Lately and Rings & Tings for today's blog post in the big City. My kitty top is going to be a great contribution to my list of crazy cat lady things which I'm not ashamed to admit I have ;)

Pleats

Anise top, American Apparel skirt, Lovisa cuff, Supre belt

I haven't been given a decent amount of time to dress myself in the morning and with the recent change in weather, I'm going to miss having this pleated chiffon maiden as my first port of call. What can I say, I can never say no to chiffon....and I've also somehow managed to collect a ludicrous amount of skirts.

It's been a while since my last post and I know I owe this blog a lot more than a quick hello but balancing a blog in between three jobs and uni has turned into mayhem. Next week I've given myself a few days to breathe though, just to come to terms with my coming of age...the bittersweet coming of age haha

Thankyou Peeptoe!

Anise top, Lovisa body chain

I guess a good thing about the change in season is that I can finally fill my wardrobe with silk and chiffon again!

I actually scheduled myself in for a long and lengthy blog post today (and an afternoon of TV and rice crisps) then moments ago I recieved a call letting me know that my blog was given a shout out by Peeptoe and that I am invited to their exclusive event for their Summer Line Launch tonight!

I've picked a wonderful shoe-crazed friend as my plus one for the night, time to get glammed and ready!

Thank you PeepToe!
xx

What's a boy like you, doing in a place like this?

(Forever21 Fringe vest, Shoesone Suede Booties, Sportsgirl accessories)

There's less than 2 weeks until uni starts again, 3 weeks until my birthday and I'm also meant to be graduating this year...isn't that absurd? But I'm prolonging my stay for another semester or so, I've picked three subjects for the upcoming semesters instead of four and I vow to use my time wisely and blog - I mean - no! - get my GPA up and get some direction! Working at Bardot is wonderful but it's really not a career. Okay enough about my 'future', I'm getting forehead wrinkles just thinking about it.

I still haven't blogged about my trip to Fiji or uploaded pictures of the things I want to sell but I should get to it before my break ends, not like it mattered much but my conscience says 'do it!'.

The Ladakh sale was surprisingly dissapointing this time around. The $10-20 tops & bottoms rule no longer applies, now theres $20 tops, $30 bottoms, $40 denim and $60 dresses including old stock lying around, now for a higher price- it's preposterous! I did pick out a top I really liked though (right) and the blazer on the left was my best buy this week!

Anonymous: hey annie since you work at bardot would you be able to tell us about new arrivals and which things you like from bardot? i totallllyyyy love your style =)
To be honest I feel like I don't have a sense of 'style' or what have you - I hardly ever shop beyond the store now :( but on the upside it means I can answer your question in a matter of seconds! We get new arrivals every week and our website is a tad delayed but here are some of our New Arrivals that I am loving (and I tossed in the Drape Chambray & Cinderbox jackets because I still love them and I needed to fill some space!). The Chambray contrast jacket did look odd at first but after wearing it for a while you grow to love it! And oh Louis Sateen dress! If there is an occasion and the weather permits it I'll definitely take you out!

This is why I can't save. As soon as the paycheque rolls in it rolls right back to the store :(

First row: Chambray contrast jacket $99.95, Drape Chambray jacket $99.95, Frill jacket $79.95
Second row: Waterfall leather jacket $269.95, Mixed Fabric cardi $79.95, Swan Lake dress $89.95
Third row: Louis Sateen dress $89.95, Leather leggings $149.95, Cinderbox jacket $89.95

I also got a new case for my Iphone, about time!

21st post and jeans!

(Bardot Ripped Stella Skinny jeans, Bardot No.9 Singlet, Anise throw, Diva cuff, Urbanoutfitters gloves, Top Shop Ava Lace up boots.)

I did it. It took a lot of willpower (and physical power! haha) but I've squeezed into my first pair of jeans in three years, and I surprisingly liked them. After helping one girl after another into our Stella skinnies and feeling content for the day to serve such satisfied customers, this week I decided I wanted in.

I also ended up purchasing the Olympus camera... and returning it. The camera produced large photos, had a wide angle lens and great settings but the colour of the flash made my pictures turn out dull and unsightly. Before all this, I've walked into JB looking for the samsung st500 and with each visit came "we don't sell that camera" suddenly now when asking for a full refund the store manager was able to make a few calls and place an order on the st500 for me. Persistence has paid off! I'm kind of bummed that the Olympus and I didn't work out though :(

(Stussy coco singlet, Shoesone wedge sneakers, Diva & Equip cuffs, Sportsgirl & Diva rings, Sportsgirl necklace)

I've yet to say thankyou for the heads up on Formspring so, thankyou for those that responded! But instead of creating an account I think I'll just try to do some blog housekeeping more often. Not that I wouldn't mind the idea but I do read all my comments so an extra account on the side would just be another username and password to remember.

[EDIT] I'll keep this section updated until I've made another post :)

Anonymous: annie are you still gonna sell some stuff on ebay? ive waiting quite a while :(

I'm so sorrrrry! I've packed all the things I've wanted to sel in boxes and my friend Wendy and I were planning to set up a stall at Glebe to sell all our things.. but she's in China now haha I have a pair of sunglasses I'll post up next to sell though!

Anonymous: annie do you have a lookbook account?

Yes I do but it's embarressing and I'm not going to share it haha. I've had it for a long time, too long actually, so long ago that I can't stand to look at the pictures I've posted.

Anonymous: heyss =) what is that ring in ur last post? is it a ring even? LOLS looks purtttyyy =)
I'm surprised you could even tell I was wearing a ring from all that pixelation! But yes I was and yes, I should also repaint my nails hehehe

(Rings from Equip & Diva)

Anonymous: Annie I want to buy from forever 21, but I've read reviews and they're so bad :( And I know you've said they're a trusted site. How long does it take to get shipped over here! HELP! PLEASE!

I feel like a bad online shopper for saying this but it never occured to me to read up on reviews for forever21. I just went ahead and assumed that being a well known chain store would mean that I could shop online securely! Luckily I had an okay experience with the site. They took a while to ship, about 2 weeks, but there were no glitches. Once my package was shipped I recieved tracking information so I could be updated on the status of my order. Everything arrived perfectly but like any other american website, postage and handling costs were a bit heavy. I tried to order over $100.01 to get the $35 flat rate for shipping but besides that f21 are having a further sale on their sale items so now is a good time to place an order! If there are any problems you can contact them directly here.

Anonymous: whats your ebay account name? can you link it pls?

Hey anonymous, my family and I actually share an ebay account so I'm not too sure if they would like it if I linked the account to my blog but for the meantime if you wanted to know the ebay seller of any items I've purchased off ebay let me know and I'll be happy to share :)

Anonymous: what camera did you use to take those photos with? if its the olympus then it looks good!! im thinking of getting a sony camera do you know if sonys any good?
The camera I actually use to take my blog photos with is the Canon IXUS 90 IS which is a great camera but it belongs to my parents haha. I have a friend who works at a camera store who advised me to not get a Sony camera because it's not durable. I personally don't know anything about cameras so I'm not the best person to ask haha but what I do know is that my Sony Cybershot only lasted me about a year before it curdled.

j: hey annieo (: i love the double-finger ring and am contemplating purchasing one myself but i find that all the rings i buy from diva tarnish/change colour within a week (probably from my sweaty hands LOL eww i know)! do you have any tips on how to prevent this or do yours do the same? also, i absolutely love the bag you had a few posts back with the studs on the bottom. can i ask where you got it from? thanks lovely
In this weather - who doesn't have sweaty hands! hahaha. My lovely friend Laura used to work at Diva and posted a comment right after about the cleaning cloths to stop the rings from tarnishing. You can also try coating the back and insides of the ring with clear nailpolish (it'll also stop your fingers from turning green!) or you can store your rings in fabric pouches.

Tarnishing can also be fixed! If your rings are already tarnished and you'd like to fix them there are a couple of remedies you could try.

For silver rings first you need to clean all the dirt off your ring by dipping a soft cloth in some mild dish soap water and rub the dirt off your ring. After this is done, rinse the ring in cold water and dry with another soft clean cloth.

Then make a paste consisting of three parts baking soda and one part water. Apply some paste to a clean soft cloth and rub the ring to remove the tarnish. When the cloth turns gray, use a different area of the cloth. When finished, rinse the ring in cold water and buff it dry with a soft clean cloth.

For copper or brass rings, pour enough white vinegar in a container to cover your rings. Add about a teaspoon of salt. Swirl your rings around and tarnish should disappear within a minute. Rinse with cold water and dry with a clean soft cloth!

Oh! and my mum actually bought the bag for me when she went to Taiwan! They didn't actually have enough luggage space to bring home everything all at once so our family friends who stayed at Taiwan with my parents came home a week later with some more Taiwan goodies!

Anonymous: annie!! pleaseee pleaseeeeee post a photo of your overflowing wardrobe and ur envious shoe collection!! x which bardot store do you work at?

Ah! I can't believe I missed this question the first time around, sorry for the late reply!

Hmmm, I'm not sure how I'm going to post a photo of my wardrobe, my wardrobe is built into my room and takes up one whole wall and is closed by three sliding mirror panels so I can't open up the entire wall all at once I have to slide the panels to open a particular section of my wardrobe and from this angle you wouldn't be able to make out what everything was but I'll try to figure something out... eventually hahaha

And I work at Bardot in Parramatta!

[/EDIT]

P.S I don't remember exactly where I found this picture from, but it makes me drool. Every. time.

Also on the lookout for OPI's My Private Jet!

leopard fever!

I hate my picture quality so much right now.
My camera actually broke so I'm on the lookout for a new digicam, if you have any suggestions please let me know!

So a couple of weeks back Nina and I were spectators at the auditions for Australia's Next Top Model and Charlotte Dawson's jacket brought out the leopard in me! The girls that audtioned were stunning each with a never-ending pair of pins, ahh - how wonderful it would be to be tall, beautiful and fabulous!

L-R: Charlotte Dawson, Alex Perry, Sarah Murdoch, Jas Daly

With that aside, it's housekeeping day! This looks like one bender of a clean up, so to make things a smidge easier I'll reply on blogs for those who have posted a link, as for the remainder of q's- here it goes!

Anonymous: Hi Annie ! Just wondering what is the most expensive item of clothing in your closet?
My most expensive item of clothing has got to be my Ginger & Smart O-Dako Silk dress for $585 (if you'd like a piccie I'll tuck it somewhere in the next post for you!). It was actually a gift from my mother.

Anonymous: Hello Annie =) which sites do you go on to shop online and which online stores have you ordered from. i love online shopping but i dont know how safe it is and im scared =/ oh and have fun in fiji!!!
safe sites that I know/ordered from include: Urban Outfitters, Top Shop, Forever 21, ASOS, American Apparel, Shopbop, Karmaloop, Net-a-porter, MyCatwalk, Maximillia, Stylestalker, Freez, Designerstirredwithvintage, Revolveclothing, Chickdowntown and Missselfridge there's also ebay of course but I've had a few glitches with ebay sellers before. To be safe only buy from trusted sellers with high ratings and good reviews!

Anonymous: IM OBSSESSED WITH LUSH!!!!!! but its pretty expensive, do you think its wise to buy LUSH products online?
Personally I wouldn't buy things online but if you don't have access to a store and you're willing to risk not liking the product then the LUSH website is definitely a safe place to shop but you won't be able to smell and touch your products before buying and if you live in a hot area there's the risk of the product melting before it gets to your door!

Anonymous: in your entry where you had those polaroid pictures what was the name of those shoes that you wanted? they're hot!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony Shoes! My dream shoes!

Anonymous: can you do an entry about what are your favourite or must have drugstore products? i LOVE your blog but most of your makeup things (i.e NARS, MAC) is so expensive :(
My makeup collection is still brewing so I don't have that many drugstore products to discuss but I can't live without my Revlon Colorstay Foundation and my Loreal Lineur Intense Liner!

Anonymous: wanted to ask you where you get all your NYX stuff from? because you seem to have eyeshadows and lipsticks too. the other bloggers only know where to buy lipsticks!
The NYX store is near Liverpool Plaza next to where Video Ezy used to be, I'm sorry for such cruddy directions but I hope you're able to find your way there!

Anonymous: a while ago when you did a haul and you bout all those booties and stuff, would you be able to repost about them and maybe take pics of what they look like on? i'm really lemming for them atm!!!!
I have exciting news Anonymous! (Well exciting for me anyway hehe) I actually recieved my shoes today! So I'll include those in the piccies too :)

Suede Wedge Booties from Shopbop


Wedge sneakers from Shoesone

Ava lace up boots from Top Shop

Dolce Vita Cutout wedges from Urban Outfitters (which are actually on sale at the moment for super cheap!)

Anonymous: Hi annie, this is totally un-shoe related, but since u have already made ur decison :) i was thinking maybe you should only show a few posts per page like 2-3 maybe? Because everytime i come on ur site (which is alot) it looads alllll of the pics from previous posts which can be really hurtfull to our bandwith lol :(
Awww I read this comment when I was in fiji and I felt so bad hahaha so after reading it I signed in and changed my layout to only a couple of entries per page (there's still a tonne of pictures to load though - eek!)

Anonymous: How did u buy things from urbanoutfitters btw? thanks !!
After I placed my order I actually got sent an email asking for a number they could use to get in contact with the cardholder so I had to email them the country code + area code + phone number for them to be able to get in contact with from America. There are a few downsides to ordering from UO: I love their Jewellery stands but they're not able to ship them to Australia, shipping charges were quite heavy, quite a bit of wait for delivery but every time I had to get in contact with them by email their responses were almost immediate :)

P: hey annie :) its valentines day coming up soon do you know what youre getting for your bf? and what did you want your bf to get you? my bf is taking me shopping but i have NOOOO idea on what i want!!!!
If I didn't know any better, judging from the choice of letter for your name and the question I would think this question was posted by Paul himself LOL I actually already got Paul an extra early Valentines day present, I'll post up a picture next entry!

Anonymous: hey annie are you just a christmas casual or a permanent casual at bardot? do you get discounts?
I'm a permanent casual at Bardot my anonymous friend! And yes I do recieve discounts :)

Cherri: ANNIEO!!! On your old blog AGESSSS ago someone asked you to do an entry about Autumn/Winter trends what influenced your picks? how did you know what was going to be 'in' for the season and COULD YOU DO ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE ENTRIES REAL SOON!! PRETTY PLEASE XP
Sorry Cherri I had to cut down your comment a bit but I've left the questions :) Since I enjoyed the last I'll probably do another and as for knowing what was going to be 'in' - there is never a knowing what other people were going to like. There were things I was intrigued by and you may have liked the same things I did for the season but others probably didn't, I'm not here to be a trendsetter - I'm here to tell you I'm fond of many different things!

^_^: does it bother you when girls that read your blog copy you? ive loss count of how many bloggers i know that read your blog are now into the things ure into like makeup, fashion, studding, booties/wedges and even doing your signature hair to the side hairstyle. do u notice it at all or is this the first time u've heard of it?
Makeup and fashion are two categories of just about every girl's common interests. Fashion trends change with the season and people are more than likely going to wound up lusting over similar things. Everyone has their own rights to what they want and what they're influenced by, to discourage people from how they express themselves would just be ridiculous! As for my 'signature hairstyle' I can't even claim it my own, my mother originally sported a much more polished version of the do for a formal event and I've stuck with it for years but I've merely just been a loyal fan!

Anonymous: Hey annie you work at bardot, how come you dont wear any bardot jeans? or jeans at all?
I've mentioned this on my old blog before, I try to avoid jeans. I just don't have the right shape for them and lately I've been straying from shorts too :( a sign that I haven't excercised enough these holidays!

Kisskissxx

You crazy bafoon!

Anise cropped top, Bardot Piper frill jacket, Bardot Pretty Punk Tank

Extended trading hours commenced this week as well as our $30 sale on dresses and a whole lot of pizzazz in the sales rack so drop by Bardot and join the hussle and bussle! Gosh, I've turned into a retail spruikazilla!

And when it's busy it means more work outfits which probably will make do for any hauls from now on.. buying clothes from the store means doubling them as work outfits and now I find myself passing shops that I'd normally enter (urgh, such a sacrifice!). I haven't had the urge to buy things but I find myself having to for the sake of work, which sounds like a pleasure but sometimes - it's a pain ($$$)!

Cinderbox jacket ($89.95), Holey Moley tank (SALE! $19.95)

Space junk maxi dress ($119.95)

Piper Frill jacket ($89.95) , Pretty Punk tank ($59.95)

Night Owl Jacquard (SALE! $29.95), Monaco Panel Skirt ($69.95)

I've also picked up a few more cubes for things that found no place on the chrome stand.

Housekeeping time! Not much to do but I have some time to spare for answers :)

Annie: Hehe, you have an uber cute smile. Have you had braces before? :)
Why hello fellow Annie! No I've never had braces before but I think I might need them in the near future :( my front teeth on the bottom row are being pushed inwards by the sneaky little wisdom teeth that will soon be peering from the tiny space left on my gums. Gah, dreading their arrival!

Anonymous: Hey Annie, woudl you be able to tell me what is the brand of your friend's camera? I love the quality of the photos!

I love her camera too! Hopefully next year I can cash in my next few paycheques for a new snapper! Her camera is a Samsung st500

Anonymous: hey annie is that black top from bardot a one top or like a singlet and something else? how much was it, since u work there eheh :) do u get good discounts??
Hello Anonymous :) the black Pretty Punk top is actually one top, the singlet inside was mine so I'm sorry for the misleading picture! I've reposted pictures of it with all the prices and yes I do get a discount on the clothes (but not as much as the full-timers, if only!)


Anonymous: Hey annieo, just wondering if you can help me out! LOL I just wanted to know what your getting your boyfriend for christmas, i'm absolutely clueless of what to get my boyfriend, his 18

Funny thing is I was just about to post up a question asking for xmas pressie ideas for the boyf! I had a plan to save up for things he really wanted and used, like part of his home entertainment system. But he's bought his own and it's better than what I could've given him - so that idea has gone down the gutter! He has said he wants a few things from IKEA, even though he thinks I won't be able to afford the things he wants I'm willing to cash in my next few paycheques and if anything get him a belated pressie - one that he'll make use of! Last year I got him a DVD player, the three seasons of Family Guy he didn't have and a Mossimo belt. Other pressies I've given him has just been things like Lacoste shoes, belts, jackets, shirts, Nintendo DS - guy presents are so difficult! This year I'm clueless :(

Clothes & MU

This afternoon I got two flat microdermal piercings on my back, just under my neck. Then something scary happened when I got home. I was in the bathroom with my brother explaining to him how to clean the piercings for me then my hands and arms began to tingle and when I looked up into the mirror my vision was gone.

The next thing I remember was staring at the mirror again and everything was really faint and grainy, my vision only came back when I sat down. My brother told me I was about to fall and began shaking and he held me upright for about 5mins until it stopped. I wasn't scared or nervous before I blacked out, it just sort of happened out of the blue.
Has this ever happened to anybody before? Did I just faint? Did my piercings have anything to do with it?

Apart from that, I'm happy I got the dermals done. The one on my right is just perfect but the one on my left seems a bit alleviated, I think I have to go back for another painful adjustment. The adjustments were the worst part of the whole procedure :( I have to put spot bandaids on them for the next 2 weeks, hopefully they heal fast and everything turns out a-ok!

And now here is the major haul bomb! I've been so busy I haven't been home in time to take the photos in natural light so the majority of these piccies aren't in the best quality :(

First with the MU
NYX lippies from Cherryculture, the last 4 are old NYX lippies I already had

Just realized I forgot to label the swatches! L-R: Creamy Beige, Orange Soda, Celene, Baby pink

L-R: Electra, Narcissus, Strawberry Milk, Thalia, Perfect, Honey, Circe, Rea, Creamy Beige

MAC Blushes in Trace Gold, Springsheen, Style & Peachykeen

MAC Cream Colour Bases in Shell & Hush

Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Gold, I placed it next to the Bronze to compare

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NC20, MAC Paint Pot in Painterly. Stila Convertible Eye Color in Onyx (Dual shadow & liner)

Chanel Pro Lumiere Foundation, The MAC blushes again.. just to fill in the space haha

Now for the shoes! I have a new obsession with wedges, they may not be everyones cup of tea but they sure as hell do it for me!

L-R: Ava Lace Up Hiker boots (from Topshop's opening @ Incu in Paddington), Dolce Vita Cut-out Wedges (Urbanoutfitters), He who sees field boots (Urbanoutfitters)

L-R: Heels from ZU, Sandals from Wanted

Yes, I do realize all my shoes are black. No matter how hard I try to stay away from that colour.. I can't!

Moving onto accessories and bags.

Kidada for Disney Couture - Fairest of Them All Necklace

Necklaces all from Sportsgirl, gloves from Urbanoutfitters, Rings from Bardot, Diva & Equip. Bag from Bardot, thrifted brown bag.

And finally the clothes! Its so hot but I found myself buying a clothes for the winter, I guess at the rate the weathers been going you never know when I cold front will hit(?) hopefully hahaha

L-R: ASOS Ladder longsleeve jumper, ASOS slash back dress (front & back)

L-R: Portmans Maxi, Bardot Maxi, Seduce Maxi

L-R: IT girl maxi, Forever New dress, Staple dress (Abyss)

L-R: Bardot shirt, Mink jacket, IT girl top

L-R: Mink crop top, Witchery cardi, Sportsgirl dress

L-R: Top (?), Sportsgirl dress, Anise shall

L-R: Bardot Cinderbox jacket, Bardot jumper, Topshop jumper (Incu)

L-R: Sportsgirl top, Minkpink shorts, ASOS top

L-R: Kenji crop top, Forever21 fringe vest, Top (??)

L-R: Bardot jumper, Ladakh shall, Ladakh top

L-R: Ladakh crop jacket, Ladakh crop top, Ladakh top

L-R: Ladakh top, Ladakh top, Ladakh jumper

The Ladakh & Anise buys were from the sale. I know I was meant to notify when the next sale was going to be but it was mid-exam time and I had no clue until the morning of the sale by Wendy's morning wake-up call LOL

Now to explain the extensive haul like I said I would.. I did mention that the boyf had a lucky turn at roulette, he managed to score himself enough for the home entertainment system he'd been wanting and a shopping spree for his girlf :) I don't remember exactly which items of clothing were from the spree but I can tell you that I was given a limit to spend within a 1 day span and it was a lot more stressful then it was bliss! The bliss only set in when the shopping bags arrived home but my conscience was still weak, I had myself a shopping hangover the next day even though I knew most things were courtesy of a Star City cheque haha. I'm satisfied though, the shoes really put the icing on the cake and to my Paulfish - this Christmas, next Valentines, Anniversary, Birthday.. whatever the occasion.. I would not be able to accept another gift from you. I would like a card though.... actually write me a nice letter.. LOL

My amateur nail art isn't coming far along, I realized while doing Fiona's nails the other day- I do not have steady hands! I was trembling with the deco pens and kept ruining the nails :( but it felt good to have a nice girly day of shopping and nails. I did the leopard print on Tammy using Great Barrier Beige, V and Black LA colours art pen, blue/black on Fiona using For Audrey & Black LA colours art pen and the white/black on myself using Liquid Leather and White on white ..yes, that last hand with the ugly wrinkly fingers are mine :(

Phew, done and done.