I Heart a Boyfriend Jean

Boyfriend jeans are not a new trend. In fact they have been a key look for quite some time now. Unfortunately I am ashamed to admit it has taken me THIS long , to finally figure out how to wear these bad boys. As a long time devotee of the skinny jeans club, I could not get my head around a baggy jean. See skinny jeans can be dressed up and dressed down. They elongate the leg and if in the correct size, I think can be flattering on many body types. To me, a boyfriend jean just felt, well, daggy. I purchased a pair and returned said pair many times before I finally committed. I would stand in front of the mirror, feeling like Brenda from 90210, (in a bad way) and really struggled to find the cute factor in this fashion trend. The best way to describe how I felt is pure frump. I finally resigned myself with the thinking of that maybe they are not for me.

Fast forward several months and I was performing my ritual of buying a boyfriend jean and returning it, when something happened. I finally got it. The fuss, the obsession, it all became clear to me, it was as if the penny had just dropped. Ahh Boyfriend Jeans! I find it hilarious that after all of that anguish and uncertainty, I now own two pairs because they are on such a high rotation in my wardrobe, one just wasn't cutting it. Now that I am finally seeing the light, I wanted to share some tips on styling a boyfriend jean, because they really are that good and this trend is not going anywhere in a hurry.

1. Don't listen to anything a boyfriend, brother or any man in general may say to you. This is one of those man repelling trends and they just don't get it. Maybe don't wear them on a first date...

2. ALWAYS roll the cuff. Boyfriend jeans completely unrolled is an express ticket to Frumpster Town. Do yourself a favour and show some ankle.

3. Pretty much any top goes. This is one situation where wearing the opposite volumes on your top and bottom half need not apply. A flowy top will work with a boyfriend jean. I love pairing my boyfriend jeans with a silk tee or tank for an easy take on luxe casual chic.

4. Heels are perfect with this look. The juxtaposition of something so pretty and delicate with something so distressed and baggy just works. I like strappy sandals or a pointed tow shoe in particular. A clog also works well here.

5. Flats can also work for a pared back look. Think volleys rather than ballet flats.

I think it is also worth noting that the boyfriend jean I am loving is from Dotti. They are the right amount of distressed and baggy without being too OTT. Cameo also do a great one.

I hope the above was somewhat helpful. Trust me when I say, once you discover the magic of a boyfriend jean you will wonder where they have been all of your life. ....really! For more inspiration on how to wear a boyfriend jean, Ashley from Ring My Bell has some great posts, as does Tash and Elle from They All Hate Us. Check them out.


Jen xox

Dealing With Hair Loss

So something amazing has been happening lately: I have been receiving compliments on my hair! Now this may seem like a superficial and boring thing to be excited over, and maybe I am superficial and boring. Who knows? One thing is for certain however, and I have always, as long as I can remember as a little girl, been on the crusade for perfect hair. My limp, fine, sometimes frizzy, flyaway hair has always been a source of anxiety for me, and anytime it is less than its best, my confidence drops right down. I know a lot of you right now are rolling their eyes and thinking how pathetic this mentality may seem, but we all have our issues. This is mine.

Part of the reason for my extreme elation over the hair compliments however, is because two years ago, I experienced something terrifying for many women. My hair started inexplicably falling out- at a rapid rate. Now, I understand that on a scale of 0-fatal illness, this experience is hardly cancer, however anyone who has experienced it, can vouch it to be traumatic in its own right. I have really hesitated writing this post as these experiences are so individualised that there is no one magical treatment to cure all. Some cases are stress related, some are a side effect of an illness, nutrition may be a cause, and countless other various scenarios where hair loss may occur. I am not a doctor, nor am I qualified in any way shape or form in the health, wellness realm of professions. I am merely somebody who had an experience and is sharing her story in hope that it may help someone, or make others feel like they are not alone. Lord knows how many blogs I trawled looking for answers.

After I realised my hair was actually falling out beyond the normal amount, I rushed to the doctor searching for answers. "You are probably stressed" I was told, and infuriatingly sent on my merry way. After two more weeks of hair loss bringing my tally up to 6 weeks, my hair was noticeably thin on top and my confidence was at an all time low having read countless terrifying articles on alopecia. Desperate for a solution, a colleague of mine suggested I visit a naturopath. To cut a loooooooong story short, the naturopath SAVED MY LIFE! Well perhaps that was a little dramatic. She saved my hair. For those of you who have never delved in natural medicine, the conclusions wellness practitioners draw are nothing short of amazing. Basically for my case, the naturopath explained to be that due to a severe life threatening illness I had suffered a few months earlier, my body had shut down non vital functions in order to heal itself. Non vital functions being hair, skin, nails. I was promptly prescribed an extreme cocktail of vitamins (around 20 pills a day!) and a fatty, clean diet, which I was extremely skeptical about. Low and behold within a month my hair stopped falling out. Within another month I had a fine crown on baby hair sticking up all over my head. I couldn't have been happier! Just a side note, I really wish that SOMEBODY had told me that a common side effect of the extreme case of Dengue Fever I contracted (Dengue Hemmorhagic Fever) is toxic alopecia. I find it so hard to believe that with the array of doctors visiting my room every hour, nobody thought to ever mention that "oh by the way, you might lose your hair".

Fast forward a year, and I was still unconfident with my hair. Obviously hair is slow growing at best, so while the hair was filling in at the roots, the lengths were still quite raggy and thin. I decided to experiment with hair extensions to help bulk it up. When I visited my stylist, he mentioned a product that was apparently creating quite the buzz for making hair grow. The Redken Intraforce System consists of a three step process that must be done every single day for 4-6 weeks, and then as per your normal shampoo routine after that. Is is a specially formulated shampoo, toner (but really a conditioner, come on Redken, just call a spade a spade), and a spray that is to be massaged into the roots post shower that apparently stimulates hair growth. Now, does this sound like a gimmick or what? Skeptical as I was, I handed over the staggering one hundred ish dollars for the treatment and decided to try it. I told you I am obsessive about perfection with my hair! I used this product exactly as it was intended to the letter, and low and behold, my scalp was full of baby hairs once again! Fast forward twelve months on this treatment shampoo and conditioner and my hair has never been in better shape. I couldn't recommend this treatment higher! The treatment also comes in a version 1 or 2. Be sure to pick Version 2 if you have colour treated hair.

So as you can see there was no one cure for me, but a combination of treatments and time. I highly recommend the Redken program as well as natural wellness if you are experiencing hair loss, as well as hair extensions for confidence, though I understand that these are expensive an not an option for many.

Feel free to ask me any further questions if you would like to.


Jen xox

Lush Christmas Collection- My Picks

Christmas is seriously my favourite time of year. I love the lights, the holiday gift sets, the vibe, and best of all, I love the Lush Christmas releases. Every year I eagerly await the moment when Lush unveil the cinnamony, spiced, glittery, Candy Mountain-esque scents and flavours which beckon me with the promise of many a premium, luxe scented bath/shower experience. I know, I know, I am SUCH a sucker for this stuff. Alas, the sucker I am was again tempted by an array of products this year, only one of which I have tried in the past (that Golden Wonder Ballistic gets me every time!). While I haven't tried any of these goodies yet (obviously, how many baths can one person have?), I thought I would share the scents etc of my selection in case you might want to pick up some for yourself.

Starting Left from the top

The Golden Wonder bath Ballistic
For those of you unfamiliar with Lush products (for shame!), ballistics are basically just a bath bomb, but they usually have a surprise hidden inside. In the Golden Wonder's case this is an array of stars which erupt from the effervescing gift. As this is the only one I have personally tried, I can say from experience, the stars make for the prettiest of bath waters and the water itself turns a vibrant turquoise colour. I love the citrusy scent of this ballistic, I find it very uplifting.

Secret Santa Bath Ballistic
This ballistic is emulated from the first Lush store apparently and it is heavily scented to smell just like you are inside a Lush. The main scents are sandalwood, floral oils and lime zest so it is quite the eclectic mix. According to the girl at Lush, apparently there is a Santa inside the ballistic? I am very intrigued about this and may or may not be most of the reason I purchased this one **shifty eyes**.

Cinders Bath Ballistic
Cinamon leaf oil, orange oil. This warming bath ballistic also contains popping candy which goes off while the product is dissolving, apparently supposed to emulate the crackling of a fireside. Adorable no?

Bombardino Bath Ballistic
I love this little guy with the pointy hat. Bombardino is very citrusy scented, Lush claim the official scent as Lemon Cheesecake,. This guy also contains Vanilla Absolute, and Sicilian lemon Oil., as well as super moisturising cocoa butter.

Luxury Lush Pud Bath Ballistic
I can't wait to try this. Lush say that it creates polka dots on the surface of your bath (!!). Another reason I am excited for this one, is that it is Twilight scented. Calming ylang ylang and lavender make for a super calming bathing experience. Perfect for a Sunday night wind down.

Sandy Santa Body Scrub
I have already broken a piece of this to test out in the shower and I was pleased with the results. This is quite a gritty exfoliator, but the coconut oils and butters leave the skin super soft. Sandy Santa isn't overly scented but I enjoyed using this. I think I will most likely get four uses out of this. Hot tip: keep this guy out of the shower or he will melt away. Break off the piece you intend to use and take that into the shower with you. Sandy Santa will thank you for it.

Father Christmas Bath Ballistic
This bath ballistic sounds fun, apparently tuning the bath water from a festive red to green (I freaking LOVE Lush!) The essential oils it contains are very citrusy and uplifting, according to Lush they are supposed to induce a feeling of "goodwill to all".

The Melting Snowman
This guy! Look at him! Seriously, I can't handle it. Bath melts are gooey when they are in your hand, but they turn your bath water super silky and soft, which obviously turns your skins super silky and soft. I usually like to break these up to use over two to three baths but by all means use the entire melt if you feel so inclined. This melt is very spicy scented with cloves and cinnamon, which is perfect for the festive season. This also contains moisturising almond and cinnamon oils.

Star Light, Star Bright Bath Melt
This melt is an absolute mess. Its glittery and leave shimmer on all that cross it's path. But being a total glitter bug, I cannot wait to get this in my tub! Full of moisturising coconut oil, cocoa and shea butter, you can bet my skin will be as that of a baby when I am finished with this product.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel (Not pictured, LINK)
This is a Christmas cult classic, and I will admit I have not been a fan in the past. Seriously, I remember having a specific conversation with my Mum in Lush last year, discussing how is smelled like cherry cough syrup. Wellllllllll, people change OKAY? Now I finally get the hype. While I am not usually one for a sweet scent (Lush Olive Branch is my HG of shower gel scents), I am enjoying the over the top red lolly scent of this product surprisingly. Honestly, that is the only way I can describe this is pure red lolly explosion. Oh, and its pink, so it looks pretty in my shower.

So basically I have enough bath products to last me until next Christmas at this rate. Lush really does their best work at Christmas time, so I definitely recommend checking it out. I may or may not have to go back to pick up the Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar.... I know, I know, but I just loves me a bubble bath!


Jen xox

My New Brush Obsessions

 Step aside Sigma, I have a new brush obsession! Seriously why did nobody ever tell me about how freaking amazing the Mac 217 and 242 are? What? Everybody is talking about them? Duhhhhhhhh yes I was well aware of the hyped up nature of these brushes. I'm not THAT far under my rock. However with everybody raving about the wonder of Sigma, I just kind of bypassed Mac on the way to Mr Bunnyville and MISSED THE TWO MOST AMAZING BRUSHES I HAVE EVER USED! I promise you, I may have a dramatic nature but I am not dramatising about these babies! Thank god for Jaclyn Hill for finally making me realise is all I can say about that.

BM (Before Mac), I had some SERIOUS blending issues. It would be time consuming and tiresome, and I could never understand how the girls on Youtube made it look so damn effortless. While I do like my Sigma E40, it is no match for the 217! I find the 217 is slightly less fluffy and has a smaller head lending it well to a more precise blend. Every day I am amazed at how well blended my eye look is with such minimal time spent on it. (I have some SERIOUS issues getting out of my bed in the morning). I constantly found that my E40 was really blowing out my eye look, which sometimes is great but not for the most part. I will definitely be hightailing it to Mac sometime soon to pick up a spare or two of this guy. I think I could go as far as to say it is my Holy Grail Brush! Yeah I went there!

The 242 is a really flat eye shader brush which is great for packing on that colour. Once again the head of this brush is much smaller than the Sigma E60 (which I will admit is marketed as a large shader brush anyway). The small nature of the 242 means it applies the shadow precisely to the crease. It is the perfect fit for my eye at least. I would love to know what the actual "Sigma Dupe" for this brush is because clearly that E60 Large Shader isn't working for me.

242 and 217 are my ultimate eye brush power couple! A force to be reckoned with! It really makes me wonder what else I have been missing out on in Mac Land. If anyone has any hot Mac brush tips please let me know in the comments. I am well in the market to experiment!


Jen xox

OOTD- VIP for Oakes Day

Another super overdue Spring Racing Carnival post! This is just a quick recap on my outfit of the day for Oakes Day. For those of you who are not Australian, or even Melbournian, Oakes Day is one of the race meets during the Spring Racing Carnival. The carnival which more famously hosts the Prestigious Melbourne Cup. Oakes Day is traditionally "Ladies''s Day", so the dress code is a little more free than the other meets, so it is  a great opportunity to show your creative flair, and love of colour.

I received a very last minute ticket to Oakes Day, so unfortunately time did not really permit me to search for the perfect outfit. I was treated to a divine day in the fully catered Home Straight Marquee, which is situated in the centre of the racecourse. The food was catered by the Atlantic Group, so it was obviously outstanding. I was also fortunate enough to have my hair and makeup done by a Napoleon Artist and limousine chaffered to and from my home. Talk about a princess day, I felt so spoilt and blessed!

Now... the outfit! I decided to stick to easy black with my backless tank from Bardot, and I teamed this with a pop of rose gold metallic with this stunning Willow skirt, I managed to score last minute. The shoes are a strappy pointed toe find from Forever 21 (BEST $25 EVERRRR). I pulled the look together, tying in the rose gold from my skirt with my accessories. The bracelet which you can barely see in the image is from Mimco, and my clutch (not pictured) also featured rose golds accents. My fascinator was DIY (a result of my frustration of the lack of affordable selection the weekend before the races) .

I had a truly special day and feel so fortunate and blessed to be able to spend it with some pretty great people.


Jen xox

OOTD: Melbourne Cup Mon Bijou Event

Overdue: I KNOW! Apologies for this. I just wanted to give a quick recap on an Outfit of the Day I wore to an event on Melbourne Cup Day. For those of you don;t know, the Melbourne Cup is the crown jewel in the Spring Racing Carnival. It attracts attention from all over the world, as well as an array of swanky guests and on lookers. For those of you who have been, you will know that unless you score a marquee ticket, a day in General Admin can make you wonder why you bothered at all. Those marquee tickets require much planning and organisation to purchase before they sell out (something I do not posses), not to mention the price is quite steep for Cup Day, as this is the main event.

In saying that, I opted out of the General Admission uhhhh "fun", and attended a party celebrating the cup at the luxe venue Mon Bijou. Sipping Chandon definitely beats being pushed and shoved out in the full sun at Flemington.

As I was not directly at the races, there was a little more leeway to have some fun with my outfit and be a little more modern. I wore a one shoulder jumpsuit from Portmans (Serena Jumpsuit), with gold chain belt also from Portmans. Shoes are my beloved patent Louboutins and my clutch is a glo mesh treasure I rescued from my mother throwing into a garage sale years ago. My head piece from Kookai is my favourite part. I felt like Cleopatra for the day!

I am unsure of the exact details of my friend's outfit, although I know the top is Bec and Bridge and the belt is Kookai.

The Lowdown on Balm Cleansers

If there is only one thing I am truly obsessive about in my appearance, it is my skin. I have said this before. Not that there is anything particularly bad about my skin, in fact I have been quite fortunate thus far. I feel like this is all the more reason to take care of it. You can spend countless hours trying to perfect your biggest imperfections, or you can spend less time enhancing the features you have been blessed with. Less time, less dollars. WIN!

In saying this, I am always on the quest for the ultimate skincare routine. Lately my attention has been turned to Balm Cleansers (thanks Caroline Hirons). There has been so much hype in the blogging world recently surrounding these thick consistency cleansers, particularly since Eve Lom's offering rocketed to the top of the lust have list of beauty and skincare junkie world wide. I will admit, I have been wary of the Eve Lom. As luxurious and expensive as it is, it baffles me that this product contains Mineral Oil. (I will blog more in detail on ingredients to watch out for soon). A great alternative which has been also quite hyped, is the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. This luxurious balm, is still quite pricey, however it does not contain Mineral Oil, so it receives two big thumbs up from me. 

Okay so, what on earth is a Cleansing Balm? These curious cleansers seem scary at first I'll admit. They are thick and oily and pretty much go against everything you were ever told about what you should put on your skin. They are also meant to be massaged into dry skin (whaaaaaat?). After working this product into my skin and around my eyes, check yourself in the mirror. Yes that goopy smudgy makeup mess is you! Giggle. This point in my cleansing routine never fails to terrify my boyfriend, of which I find much enjoyment in. After working this product in and dislodging as much makeup as I can, I wet a face washer/flannel with warm water and start to remove the balm. The texture of the face cloth also gently exfoliates the skin and grips onto the balm for easy removal. This step is crucial. You could simply splash some water over your face, but remember how I said how the cleanser was oily.....? Yes, that's right. Hey, look if your into the oily look by all means, rock the oily residue however you like. For the rest of us who are firmly anti oil, face washers are the way to go. I bought seven, so I have a fresh one for every day of the week. You obviously do not want to be double using a face washer. Mmmmmmmm...bacteria. Now I like to use my Emma Hardie, in the evenings to really help remove all of my makeup. It is amazing as a first cleanse, and I like to follow up with a gel cleanser on my Clarisonic, just to give my skin a good scrub and prep it for the lotions and potions that will follow. 

In terms of my Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm? It is love. The 100ml tub has lasted me several months now and is still going strong. I really don't need too much product. I find that a little really spreads a long way, particularly if you start in the centre of your face where the most makeup is and work in outward. The product is scented with a herbally- citrus scent so I find it very refreshing and pleasant. I find my skin feels clean, but not squeaky and overall has improved the glow in my skin. According to the Emma Hardie website, if left on for 10 minutes this product doubles as a hydrating mask. I love a double duty product! I really recommend this product for all skin types (Oilys don't be afraid!). However if you are on a budget, I have noticed a lot of more affordable options popping up this year so there are plenty of alternatives on the market.

INGREDIENTS: Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-8 Beeswax, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Sorbitan Stearate, Palmitic/Stearic Triglycerides, Limonene, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Silica, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Aqua (Water), Lecithin, Linalool, Butylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl PCA, Menthyl PCA, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Oil, Geraniol, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Farnesol, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Disodium Phosphate, Citral, Citric Acid, Citronellol.