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Category Archives: trends

4 statement earring styles you need this Summer!

12 / 5 / 1712 / 6 / 17

Brighter, longer, bolder and bigger.

Sunflower dangles from The Hutt Designs* 

There’s no question that statement earrings are having a major moment this Summer. Whether it’s colourful tassels or fun acrylic dangles, I’m obsessed with this accessory trend.  I’ve rounded up my favorite statement earrings of the season, and already have a few of these pairs in my earring wardrobe. (Note: the best kind of earring wardrobes come from Bon Maxie and MijMoj Design.)

Size matters but so does comfort, so the latest lightweight earrings are right up my alley – no lobestretch here! Another reason I love a statement earring… they distract from tired eyes or even a bad hair day.

Neutral tassels

Trainee Mama wears Lovisa white tassel earrings, I’m wearing $4 Kmart tassel dangles.

I love a neutral tassel with EVERYTHING – all colours, all prints, it’s all good. I especially love a neutral tassel made of natural raffia. Perfection.

Leather Wrap and Bead Earrings, $39.95 Iskia; Cactus Engraved Dangle Earrings, $15.00 Desert Jewellery; Kashmiri Statement Earring in Cream White, $39.99 Adrift; Statement Tassel Nude Earrings, $4.00 Kmart

Bright tassels

I’m wearing Bright Sunny Days earrings, $39.95 Iskia Designs

Bright tassels are the mac to my cheese. Well, the multi-coloured mac to be precise.

Tegan peach hand-painted leather triangle earrings, $35.00 Kathleen Benham; Gatsby Tassels in Yellow, $24.98 Paula Hall Designs;  Carolina Dangle, $40.00 Kenzie Collective; Flower Tassel Earrings in Aqua, $14.95 Sassi the Collection

Tropical and quirky

Now this is my go-to earring style, I love playful styles with a little sense of humour! I’m wearing Lindy Lou Frida dangles* and Sqwark earrings* from Spotting Unicorns. Think palm trees, birds and animals, even undersea creatures!

Sloth earrings, £24.95 Little Moose; Teardrop Tassel Monstera earrings, $40.00 Kenzie Collective; Sqwark earrings, $34.95 Spotting Unicorns; Leaf and Florence earrings, $20.00 Desert Jewellery; Flamingo-Tastic earrings, $50.00 Pop Rock Park

Metallic glam

Bling earrings are a staple in every earring wardrobe, but they’re not the heavy metal ones of decades past. I’m wearing Sportsgirl Black fan earrings, and Shein acrylic palm earrings (old).

 

Golden Glow drops in white, $29.98 Paula Hall Designs; Iris Mega Glam Statement Dangle in Paparazzi/Stardust, $50.00 Kenzie Collective; Fiesta Earrings, $19.95 Sportsgirl; Copper Luxe Clay Dangle, $20.00 Itty B Studio

See, Summer’s earring line-up is incredibly diverse with something here for everyone, I promise.

Let me know of other amazing earring brands in the comments below!

*Kindly gifted, and only shared because I love them.

 

2 Comments

8 under $80 – Christmas Party dresses

11 / 8 / 17

It’s that time of year again – Christmas Party season!

Every year, November brings with it the search for the perfect affordable and stylish dress to wear to work and social occasions.

These are some of my favorite dresses under $80 (some even under $60!), with key trends covered like off-the-shoulder (OTS isn’t going anywhere this Summer), ruffle sleeve and quirky prints. And I’m amazed, there’s not a stripe amongst them!

Hummingbird dress in red floral, $59.90 St Frock; Poppie dress in green ricrac, $79.99 Adrift; Amy pink pineapple shift dress, $79.99 Style Me Over

B Collection Broderie Bell Sleeve dress, $35 Big W; Mandy Christmas Flamingo Wrap dress, $59.95 Little Party Dress; Arabian Goddess Boho Maxi, $79.99 Erin Louise 

Spencer dress, $60 (on sale) Dressy Bessy; Ruffle Sleeve Pattern dress, $59 Chasing Case

The navy B Collection Broderie dress from Big W is the perfect budget option for a work Christmas party, while I love the floaty boho style of the Erin Louise maxi and Chasing Case pattern dress for casual family barbeques by the water. And the quirky Santa-hat-wearing flamingos of the Mandy Little Party Dress are fabulous for ANY festive celebration!

Which is your favorite? I don’t think I can go past the flamingo LPD, or the Amy Pineapple shift! (Predictable, I know!)

6 Comments

The Bachelor Recap, episode 2 and it’s all about Jennifer

7 / 27 / 177 / 28 / 17

After an elongated recap of the previous episode, we open to the ladies having already moved into the mansion and artfully lounging around the courtyard waiting… for what, we wonder? And here it comes, the first date card.

Ellora seems like a smart girl, but it is hard to trust the judgement of a girl wearing big ol’ chunky heels to walk along SAND. We’ll forgive her for that however, because she said she doesn’t mind if it rains on their first date – she seems pretty damn low-maintenance. Turns out Ellora is a teeny bit more exotic than we first thought, as she’s of French descent, was born and grew up in Tahiti, and has been living in Hawaii. (Not exactly a gold medal for diversity for the producers, but they tried.) The folks at Instax should be pretty happy with their product placement deal, as Matty snaps a sweet selfie of the two of them with the Instax Mini70 as a reminder of this moment (and I’m guessing to also sell to the Daily Mail about a week before the season finale, to really keep us guessing).

Meanwhile back at the mansion, Jennifer is calling Ellora a threat and warning both Leah and Sian that while she loves them (really?), she would walk all over them for Matty’s heart.

A group date card arrives at the mansion, and Jennifer delights in announcing that Cobie, Liz, one of her personal faves Sian, Laura, Florence, Tara, Simone, Natalie, Leah, and her good self are headed off to ‘remember the first time they fell in love’.


Ellora and Matty are gazing at each other, before playing an annoying high school game of ‘what are you thinking?’ and Ellora starts talking about the temperature in the room rising. I like you, girl;  but what on earth. This is dullsville. She then passes along a prompted question from the producers about how Matty is feeling about Georgia, and he gave a well-scripted answer designed to keep the peace in the Channel Ten stable. Wait, is Georgia still in the stable?

Matty is obviously concerned about ever having to move from Sydney, so he checks with Ellora that she doesn’t plan on travelling or moving on anytime soon, ignoring the fact that she throws the word ‘adventure’ into her answer. They trade a rose and a chaste kiss, and Ellora heads back to the mansion hoping to hide the fact that she’s head over heels by calling it ‘really real’.

Jennifer slugs a red wine, and proves herself to be incredibly jealous. (Remember Jennifer? She was the one who says that she’s not a jealous person.)

The group date takes the girls far away to a special location (the pool patio) to dress-up and enjoy a competitive fashion shoot for Women’s Day, which sounds to me like a special kind of hell. Also, who reads Women’s Day anymore? Seriously, are they not just reprinting early 90’s issues to bulk up the rubbish on medical centre coffee tables?

Florence prepares for her 80’s photo shoot with a lot of eyeshadow and some chewing gum in case of a sneaky pash; and Jennifer prepares by giving the other girls a LOT of grief about their hideous dresses before donning Straya’s ultimate non-sexy outfit – the red and yellow cap and rashie of our sunshine superheroes, volunteer lifesavers. Flo and Matty enjoyed great chemistry, before Jen jumped in the pool and tried to take over the shoot while the girls all side-eyed her.

Laura, Elizabeth, Natalie and Sian – the 80’s school formal shoot was fun and dorky and contained NO sexual tension, but Matty seemed to enjoy rocking the daggy dance moves with Laura. When Sian pulls out the Worm in her fuchsia sequin bubble dress, Matty seemed confused and impressed. Sian is officially friendzoned.

When Tara, Simone and Cobie come out wearing remnants of Glee’s cheer wardrobe, Matty’s little eyeballs almost explode; and when Simone gets some one-on-one time chatting to the man of the moment, Cobie is delighted as she’s not had many opportunities to talk to Matty while Leah (our resident show-off) rants about how Simone just wants to be the centre of attention.

When the photo shoot groups were announced, Leah terrified Matty by announcing that yes, THIS is happening; and then terrified the girls by wearing a Bad-Sandy outfit – leather leggings and jacket and all. the. blonde. curls. Matty delights everyone by pulling away from Leah as she moves in for a kiss, although she doesn’t seem self-aware enough to know he was REALLY off it.

The next day, Matty arrives at the mansion unexpectedly in a spunky little vintage sports car (which is much too small for two tall people) to take Lisa for a game of tennis; and she certainly dresses to impress in a country-club worthy white outfit. After about eleventy million lost serves, Matty listens to 12 seconds of Lisa’s coaching suggestions and aces it. A friendly game with a kiss and some Pimms at stake ends with Lisa giving a pity cheek kiss, and Matty looking around for some medical assistance and a solution to his clicking elbow (not a sound you ever need to hear on a dating show, BTW).

Lisa should feel robbed by the strawberries and Pimms promise, as there were obviously bikini strings attached – feeding each other whipped cream in the pool looked WAY less romantic than I think Matty had hope for. To remind us that we’re all here to find love, the traditional ‘What are you looking for in a partner’ conversation ensued, with the date rose given to Lisa, so she’s still a frontrunner.

And to the cocktail party… Jennifer starts by eating her feelings again and stating that Matty isn’t just there for the taking (has she seen this show before?), Florence reveals ALL THE LEG, and Leah turns as green as her dress as Ellora swoops in to take Matty for a chat and a kiss, even though she’s safe and holding a rose. Ellora keeps it clean, and says to Jennifer ‘I don’t think you’re very nice’, and somehow Jen manages to sound like she believes herself when she claims to be a bright and vibrant person. What?

Who receives roses:

Cobie, Alix (who is even taller than Lisa), Simone, Laura, Akoulina, Elise, Michelle, Sian, Elizabeth, Florence, Stephanie, Tara, Jennifer, Sharlene, Belinda, Natalie, Leah.

Who goes home:

Sweet Laura-Ann. I’m disappointed because she seemed like a closet party animal and that Italian fire just never got lit.

My style picks of the evening:

Lisa again, in this bombshell Wheels and Dollbaby rose gold sequin dress

Simone in this J’adore two piece was stunning, and hello abs! She could give Matty a run for his money with the whole washboard stomach situation.

I feel like I’m already choosing favourites, even though I know I should wait a little longer to commit my heart to one contestant. (Hang on, I feel like Matty should do the same!) And is it just me, or is Jennifer’s jealousy too painful already?

4 Comments

Behind the Door earrings really make a statement!

4 / 4 / 174 / 6 / 17
Behind the Door Signature Glass Stud Earrings

I’ve harped on recently about the statement earring trend that I love so much,  but you can’t exactly have giant chandeliers flanking your face every single day. I like to give my lobes a rest with studs I can wear daily, but are anything but minimal! These Behind the Door Signature Glass Studs are cute enough to elicit compliments from fashion-forward teens at work, are sparkly enough to flatlay like a boss, and light enough that I can wear them all day long!

Because I like to know the ‘why’ behind small creative businesses (I think anyone taking that step into running their own business is crazy-brave!), I asked the lovely Ali Beer Smith, creative director of Behind the Door a few questions about BTD and her busy life – she has a ‘day-job’ as well as managing her growing business!

Behind the Door Signature Glass Stud Earrings

What do you do? What do you make/sell? Behind the Door is a one-woman run small business, based in Woodcroft, South Australia. At BTD, you will find handcrafted and affordable jewellery and accessories for the colourful at heart. One of the main reasons Behind the Door was born, was because I couldn’t source or locate good quality stud earrings at an affordable price that didn’t irritate my ears. Behind the Door is now known for exactly that – our Signature Glass Stud Earrings that are affordable, easy to wear for those busy mums and hustling babes. Each piece is meticulously handmade with love using a variety of materials and settings, sourced both locally and within Australia. Since the virtual doors opened in 2015, Behind the Door now frequents the market scene within Adelaide throughout the warmer months of the year.

Why and how did you sell your first product? The first product that I ever sold under the Behind the Door label was a paid of Lady Marmalade Glass Stud Earrings in a stainless steel setting. She was so excited to buy a piece of my jewellery, and was boasting about it to all of her friends.

Behind the Door Signature Glass Stud Earrings


Who was your key support during the fledgling stage of Behind the Door?
My huz, Wade! What a gem he is. Also my Mama, she even invested in Behind the Door in the very early stages which allowed me to buy packaging to send my pieces out.

How do you manage your time well? Some times I feel like I’m drowning, sometimes I feel like I am slaying at the #hustle! I’ve recently just listed to a Mums with Hustle podcast about this very thing. What I took away from the podcast was to identify 4 main non-negotiable priorities for each week. These are family and friends time, dedicate time to Behind the Door, look after myself by eating well and going to the gym, and be able to give myself 100% to my 9am-5pm job. I know that sounds like so much but a way that I manage my time is to decide what non-negotiables I will do each day. My typical day starts out of getting up and head to the gym or take the dog for a walk. I’m always on my way to my 9-5 job at 7.45am. I like to think I slay that, and then head off home for the day. When I get home, I like to play with the animals for a few minutes and then kick into hustle mode! On a side note, I am a FIFO wife. My husband works away for 4 weeks at a time, and then is home for 1 week. When he is home, family time takes priority of my non-negotiables. When he is away at work, it’s a mix of all four! It’s not uncommon to still find me hustling in the work shop at 1am, however that started to affect my 9-5 job so I had to reassess my routine. I hadan ah-ha moment back in December last year – it is really important to look after myself and take time out for me, so I can give more! If I’m not in the workshop or at my day-job, I’m either out in the garden, playing with my dog and two cats, cooking or soaking in the tub with a fab bath bomb!

If you could have given yourself a piece of knowledge or advice when you started what would that be? Try and shake the guilt of doing what you love and take time out for you!

Behind the Door Signature Glass Stud Earrings

Which opportunities should you have followed? I applied for a very well known market in 2016 that I was accepted for.. I then decided against it because it was such a big investment. I doubted my performance and products, and I wish I didn’t. Behind the Door ROCKS!

How do you conquer any moments of doubt that threaten to stop your great ideas? What pushes you through? It’s the self doubt and self criticism that catches you out.. a lot of the time! In these moments, I think back to why Behind the Door exists first and foremost. I then think of all the fabulous feedback I have received from so many happy customers all over the world.

Behind the Door Signature Glass Stud Earrings

Righto, time for some fun stuff…

What is your ‘uniform’? What do you wear more often than anything else? In my day-job, it’s smart casual – think black, black, black… you get me? It’s hard when I have such a colourful heart! In the workshop and beyond, I love a fabulous Gorman piece! I will always have a handmade piece on, whether that’s something I have made, or that of another biz babe!

What is your favourite thing to wear to make you happy? COLOUR!

Thanks so much Ali, just hearing about your passion and your juggle makes me want to support small creative businesses even more!

Behind the Door Signature Glass Stud Earrings

*I was kindly gifted a few BTD pieces. As always, if I don’t love it, I won’t share it.

3 Comments

Homewares trends for 2017

12 / 5 / 16

I’ve become a little homewares-obsessed lately. Maybe it’s because we’ve been living in this home for three or so years, and have started personalising it and trying to add value with small renovations and upgrades. Maybe it’s because my husband is working all the way through Christmas, and we’re not taking a trip anywhere, so I’m pottering around the house trying to make it feel a little fresher.

Whatever the reason, I’ve been cruising and perusing home and interiors magazines for a while now and would like a large influx of cash into my bank account, please. Some of those renovations are not cheap! Failing bank robbery or an unknown great-aunt leaving me her ill-gotten fortune, I’ve resorted to smaller additions to our home decor, which surprisingly still pack a big punch.
Since I buy those home and interior magazines for research purposes of course, I thought I’d share some of the top homewares trends I’m seeing for the next year. They’re all easy enough to adopt in either small or large doses, and you could even mix and match a few!

There’s a one-stop-shop for all homewares in Australia, and that’s Reed Gift Fairs. Celebrating the latest in the homewares and gift space,they bring together the people and the products behind everything that’s hot in the design and gift space. With the next one to be held in Sydney in February next year, this fair gives exhibitors the chance to showcase all their new and exciting products, and retailers head there to pick and choose upcoming stock. Sounds like an interiors dream, right? I just need to find a way to nab a ticket!

Top Homeware Trends for 2017
Trend forecasters have started planning for the new season, which will bring with it a change in mood – one that will see earthy tones, hints of mixed metals, and the return of natural materials. I’ve sussed out some of Reed Gift Fairs’ exhibitors to see what they’ll be bringing to the table (literally to the table, in the case of some tableware designers LOL) next year.

Terracotta

The earthy tone of terracotta will become a key element in many homes, and a leading trend in the New Year. No longer will you find terracotta restricted to pots in the garden! Unique Australian homewares and jewellery company Jones & Co provides plenty of inspiration on how to incorporate hints of earthy tones to the home. 
Selection of gorgeous pots and planters
Cato Marsala Necklace
Indoor Plants
Succulents have become so popular lately, with groups popping up on Facebook dedicated to growing and swapping succulents – and no hipster cafe is worth it’s salt without succulents in unconventional containers on each table! I’m sure we’ll see this trend grow even more, bringing the outdoors inside with indoor plants. Displayed in classic concrete pots, woven bags or a glass vase, Reed Gift Fairs will leave you feeling inspired, with exhibitors such as Florabelle, who will show off beautiful displays of indoor planting. I’ve actually got a few Florabelle artificial plants in my guest rooms, and they always get compliments from visitors!
Florabelle
Green Appeal
Despite seeing an abundance of pastel shades of pink and blue this year, dark shades of green will become a leading trend in 2017 – and I’m thrilled about it! Expect to see this colour incorporated into lots of soft furnishings. Kelly Lane have a great range of statement pieces from cushions to wall art, which will help add a hint of green to any room. 
I love the idea of pairing a rich dark green with lighter aquas, and adding plenty of plants for a really lush tropical look.
Kelly Lane bedroom decor

There are few things better than coming home to a beautifully decorated home. Keep an eye out at your local homewares stores in the New Year and snap up some quick additions to transform your space into the sanctuary you’ve always wanted!

Keen on any of these trends? One step ahead and already featuring indoor plants in your home?
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Looking after blonde hair

9 / 27 / 16

I’m a bit of a creature of habit. For the last 16 years, I’ve been a blonde of sorts – not a real, light-up-the-room Scandi blonde, but I’ve been getting foils and highlights on the regular for almost all my adult life. Right up until October last year, when my regrowth looked so much like bad ombre balayage that I wanted to see what GOOD ombre balayage would look like on me. And I liked the results and I loved the lack of upkeep.

Freshly balayaged in October 2015 for Styling You’s #everydaystyle birthday party
I loved the hair salon which gave me that look, and I was really pleased with the condition of my hair afterwards – it’s like taking a big break from all-over blonde gave my hair a rest and recuperation holiday. 
My biggest issue with my balayage was that it ‘threw warm’. This is my totally untechnical term for the way my mouse-brown hair always has more brassy notes when it’s lightened than cooler, creamier notes. This has the undesired effect of making my hair look dirty (even though I wash it every. damn. day.) and kinda trashy.
The way I dealt with this for the last year was to blonde tone the heck outta it, and hope that I just never had that silver rinse look that Bea and the Golden Girls rocked so well. It wasn’t until July that I finally found a blonde toning range of products that actually worked for my super-porous locks, and now I’m in love with the Marc Daniels Blue Cypress Blonde collection.
After two weeks of regular use of the Marc Daniels Blue Cypress Blonde shampoo, conditioner and toner, my blonde hair was so much creamier. 
My thoughts on the Blue Cypress range? Well, firstly it really worked. I didn’t get that dreaded Violet Beauregarde shade at all, and the condition of my over-processed blonde ends definitely improved after regular use of the leave-in toner. All three of the products smell delicious (think a light Body Shop Dewberry scent, circa 1994 YUM!) and I really only needed to use them sparingly – no palm-sized dollops required just to lather up!
I also had the chance to hit up Marc Daniels Ambassador, Eugene Sokolovs from Gold Coast salon Ette Studio, to find out his top tips for keeping blonde fresh, especially as we head into Summer and all the coastal girls load on the fake tan and lighten our hair!
Eugene recommends using a quality toner on towel dried clean hair, such as Marc Daniels Blue Cypress Blonde leave-in toner to keep blonde in peak condition throughout the warmer months.
The best feature of this time-saving product is that it’s a leave-in treatment!
His biggest do’s and dont’s for blondes?
Regular visits to the hairdresser for colour refresh and cut, wash and condition hair regularly and use a treatment product such as Marc Daniels Blue Cypress Blonde at least once a week.
Blonde ombre and balayage hairstyles are still everywhere, what’s the latest spin on them for this Summer?
Balayage and ombré are still highly in fashion. For SS16, ‘Nude’ hair is popular, where there’s an even amount of warm and cool tones applied which cancel each other out to create a neutral colour.

The leave-in toner is now a hair essential for me – I won’t leave home without it!

The Marc Daniels Blue Cypress Blonde range is available at Woolworths and Chemist Warehouse, and priced super-reasonably at around $13-$14 for each product.


Please, if you have blonde hair care tips, let me know! What do you use to fight the brassiness?

*I was gifted the Marc Daniels Blue Cypress Blonde range, and under no obligation to write about it. I’ve tried it now for 8 weeks, and have been super-impressed. Thanks Marc Daniels!

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Hi there!

Hey! I'm Katy, Sunshine Coast & Brisbane life and style blogger.
Currently isolating
(although aren't we all).
I love colour, coffee, craft beer, food and fitness.
Ambassador - F45 Bli Bli, Mia Bella Beauty Salon, Ms Monaco Hair Society

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