My Favourites for Summer (Part Two)

My Favourites for Summer - Flower Power!

Floral patterns and prints would have to be one of my all-time-favourite things in the world. The best things about florals is that there's so many different floral print items to choose from (so you're bound to find something that fits and suits you perfectly), and it is so easy to wear most floral pieces for both day and night. I swear almost half the items in my wardrobe are covered in different little flower prints, and I really doubt that florals will ever go out of fashion. Flowers + summer = a match made in heaven. 

So my advice this week is simple: every girl (and guy, for that matter) needs at least one floral piece in their wardrobe. They're perfect for spending time at the beach, going to music festivals, and by just changing your shoes and adding a few accessories, you can easily dress up your floral item to wear out to dinner or a club. If you're somebody that doesn't usually wear a lot of bright colours or crazy prints, you can always start by bringing in a little colour into your wardrobe with a pair of floral-print sunglasses or shoes. Start small and ease your way into the wonderful, colourful world of floral!

Right now, I'm a big fan of the "Striking Dress Mint" from Beginning Boutique, featured in the following photographs. I absolutely love the tie-up halter-neck style of this dress with an open back. The material has a light, silky feel to it which is perfect for hot summer days and balmy summer nights. This dress is perfect in so many ways - you can throw it over a bikini at the beach, or add some heels and gold accessories and it's perfect for summer nights. 

Find this dress on the Beginning Boutique website -  http://beginningboutique.com.au/collections/sale/products/striking-dress-mint

 

Gold Chain Necklace - Colette by Colette Hayman

Flower head piece - Sportsgirl

Keep an eye out for part three of my summer favourites coming within the next week or so.

Have a wonderful summer (or winter, depending where you are!)

xo Lucy Rose

My Favourites for Summer 2013/14 (part one)

For all of us here in Australia, our summer season has just begun! To me, summer is all about the beach. The waves, the sand, the sun - nothing beats hanging out by the beach with friends and family. I try to incorporate that beachy vibe into my summer wardrobe as much as possible. I like to wear things that are not only suited for the hot summer months, but are also inspired by all things beach-related. So, for the next month, I've decided to share with you some of my favourite items for this summer season.

Summer Favourite #1: Maxi Dresses

I don't think maxi dresses will ever go out of style. They're so easy to wear and ever so versatile. All it takes is a change of shoes and/or accessories, and you can so simply dress your maxi dress down for the day time, or add some heels and dress it up for the night time. And the best part? They suit ALL body shapes and sizes. When it comes to maxis, it doesn't matter what your height or weight is, you're bound to look wonderful. Especially in maxis with a tight-fitting top with a loose fitting skirt - they manage to simultaneously create shape and hide any unflattering areas.

Dress: Lucy in The Sky Store, Shoes: Therapy (Newport Sandals)

My Advice? Keep it simple. Look for a maxi dress with a minimal and simplistic print. A dress with only one or two colours is much easier to dress up or down, and wear both day and night. I do like maxis with crazy prints too, however, these dresses do become rather limited in where and how you can wear them.

Dress: Lucy in The Sky Store, Shoes: Betts, Clutch: Colette by Colette Hayman

The dip-dyed ombre style is really in-style at the moment, and it's also one of my most favourite trends. It gives everything a boho/hippy vibe, which is another reason why I find it perfect for summer. Ombre basically means that the colour is graduated from light to dark, or dark to light. You can find these styles of maxis almost anywhere, but my favourite online places are: Lucy in the Sky Store, Beginning Boutique and St Frock.

Gold Accessories: Colette by Colette Hayman

Keep an eye out for part two of my summer favourites coming within the next week or so.
I hope you're all having a wonderful summer, or an amazing winter in other parts of the world.

xo Lucy Rose



All photos were taken by the lovely Kristy Hammelswang, leave a comment for details. 

Adelaide + My 21st

So I've decided to change things up a bit for this post, and rather than doing a review, I'm going to share with you the things I wore last month for my 21st when I went to Adelaide, as well as the places where you can buy said things. So I guess this post will be more photos and less of me writing about things... maybe that's a good thing? Anyway, I never miss a chance to dress up (I can guarantee you, nine times out of ten I'll be the most over-dressed person at the supermarkets), and so for my week-long birthday celebrations in the City of Churches, there were many, many outfit changes.



1. My Sailor-inspired dress from Dangerfield. I love this dress so much. It fits perfectly, it's super cute, lovely material and I love love love anything that has a vintage or retro feel to it. Can't help but feel like a 1940s sailor girl whenever I wear this. I purchased it from the Dangerfield website - http://dangerfield.com.au/   I love their online store. Everything is so pretty and good-quality and it's all vintage-inspired... I definitely recommend checking it out if you're after clothes that are a bit of vintage with a modern spin. The men's clothes are super lovely, too.

2. White bodycon dress from Sabo Skirt. The only thing I love more than white dresses, are floral dresses. So why not have both at the same time? The detailing on this dress is perfect. This is probably my favourite dress I own. I remember the first time I wore it, I was so scared I was going to spill something on it, I pretty much covered my body in napkins in the middle of the restaurant. It's designed and sold by Sabo Skirt (google search them, their products are perfection). It is a bit of a tight fit, so if you're between sizes or not comfortable with tight-fitting clothes, it might be best to go one size up... the only flaw I can find with this dress is that it is a little bit on the sheer side of things, so you have to be careful with what you wear underneath it. Everyone always goes on about every woman needing a "little black dress", but honestly, I prefer a little white dress.

3.Pleather jacket from Dotti. I love this jacket. It's perfect to wear over the top of anything - dresses, tops, whatever. I love wearing it over the top of light-coloured dresses, and it looks super lovely over the top of a white or pastel coloured lace dress. The jacket itself is a bit of an unusual colour in real life - it's a mix of light brown and pink and cream, but I love it because it looks so good paired with almost any other light or pastel coloured item. It's not too heavy to wear, yet it will still keep you warm in the cool weather. You can buy it from both online and in-store at Dotti. Most people have dark-coloured or denim jackets, and I definitely recommend adding a light-coloured jacket to pair with your light-coloured clothes, too.

4.Ombre-style maxi dress from Lucy in the Sky Store. Another one of my absolute favourite dresses. It's a lovely colour, made from super light and cool material - perfect to wear all summer long. It has lovely lace detailing around the chest, and has a sewn-in mini-skirt underneath so you don't have to worry about it being sheer/see-through. I always get so many positive comments from people and strangers when I wear this dress out. It's such a beautiful sky-blue colour in person (this photo isn't doing the colour justice at all), and the ombre-effect of the blue and white is super lovely and unique, too. Unfortunately, it's no longer available to purchase from www.lucyinthesky.com however, they do have similar dresses available from time-to-time... they had an almost-identical dress but in purple a few weeks ago... so if you keep your eye out, you're bound to come across another lovely ombre-style maxi dress. Ombre is right on trend at the moment, and I am a big, big supporter.

That's all for now,
as always, if you have any questions or thoughts or anything, feel free to leave me a comment.
Alternatively, you can follow me on instagram for daily updates on my wardrobe and fashion-related purchases. My username is: perksofbeinglucyrose

xox Lucy Rose.

Review #3: Quay Eyeware

Sorry I've been a bit slack for the past few weeks, I've had a rather crazily busy few weeks of work and uni assessment and I haven't had much time for anything in between.




Anyway, since my third pair of lovely Quay Eyeware sunglasses arrived in the mail yesterday, I figure it only fitting that I base this review around Quay. I really like Quay Eyeware.  Their sunglasses are cheap, unique and amazingly good quality considering the price...also, celebrities love them. Especially Gwen Stefani. If you google search Quay sunnies, half of the images on google seem to be Gwen Stefani wearing various different styles of Quay sunnies. Now, I love Gwen. She has amazing style and talent, and if Qwen Stefani can walk around in Hollywood looking amazing in $40 sunglasses from a homegrown Australian brand... well then, I need these sunglasses and I need 20 pairs.

So here are my positive things about shopping/buying from Quay Eyeware:

•  Every pair is around $40... $40 for amazing, good-quality sunglasses? Yes please.
• There's heaps of styles and colours to choose from. I'm fairly certain that even the fussiest of people would find a pair that they absolutely loved. 
• International Shipping.
• Free shipping Australia-wide.
• 100% UV protected shades... The only thing better than having sexy sunglasses, is having sexy sunglasses that actually fully protect your eyes, too!
• Comfy to wear... they're not tight around your nose and they don't fall off your face, either.

Negatives:

• The FAQ page on the website is a little vague. It doesn't specify whether the free shipping is regular or express post... just little things like that that are sometimes very useful to know. That being said, one time I ordered a pair of sunglasses and it took over a week for them to arrive, so I called the number on the website, and their staff are very friendly and lovely and efficient and they managed to track down my sunnies and everything was resolved within an hour. So, I suppose if you had any queries, it'd be best just to call them up from the start.
• The brand name... this doesn't even really count as a negative... I just despise the word "quay" with a passion. In case you didn't know, "quay" is pronounced as "KEY" rather than "kway", and that just really irritates me. I think it's my inner-English teacher coming out or something. 

You can purchase the sunglasses directly from the website ( http://www.quayeyeware.com.au/faq/ ), otherwise, there's heaps of other places that stock/sell them too! So never fear. If the pair you've had your eye on sell out from the website, check out Princess Polly, Beginning Boutique or Lucy in the Sky Store just to name a few... they all sell the sunglasses, too!

So as I said, I have three pairs so far, all in different colours and styles. It's hard to pick a favourite so I thought I'd share them all with you.
Anyway, have a wonderful weekend!
Lucy Rose. 

 "Nakita" in silver

 "Kitti" in tortoiseshell

 "Glomesh" in green

Review #2: Lucy in the Sky

Okay, so, I first discovered Lucy in the Sky  online retailer during June of last year. I remember clicking on the facebook advertisement for no other reason than I saw my name, Lucy, and I also saw the title to one of my favourite Beatles songs, Lucy in the Sky. After clicking the link and being directed to this bright and interesting online clothes store, I fell in love immediately. I just remember thinking, I need everything on this entire site and I need it now. Lucy in the Sky honestly started my love of fashion/pretty clothes/wanting to always dress wonderfully... and consequently also started my love (let's steer past the word "addiction" for now...) of online shopping. Lucy in the Sky opened up a whole new world to me, and I went from a girl that didn't really have any opinions about fashion and wasn't overly concerned about my outfits, to a girl that always wanted to be well-dressed and had a burning love for all things fashion-related.
In May of this year, I won an instagram competition with Lucy in the Sky (my instagram name is perksofbeinglucyrose if you're interested). You had to upload a photo of yourself in your favourite outfit purchased from Lucy in the Sky, and of course, being as over-the-top as I possibly could be, I uploaded 26 different photos, all in different Lucy in the Sky outfits. I've never won anything in my life, but I think I kind of blindsided my opponents with this one. So yeah, I ended up winning a $500 voucher for Lucy in the Sky and it was absolutely amazing.

They stock brands such as Mika & Gala, Paradisco, Angel Biba and occasionally have their own branded items, too.

So without further ado,
Pros of shopping at Lucy  in the Sky:

• FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING... need I say more?
• Around 15 or so new items become available every day at 5pm AEST
• Very reasonable prices - ranging between $19 - $100... most of the dresses are usually $49 and I usually find the exact same dress on other retailing websites for a good $10 more
• Heaps of stock to choose from... dresses, shoes, pants, shorts, tops, bodysuits, jewellery, bags etc etc
• Very frequent competitions via facebook and instagram
• The sizing is perfect. Everything I've ever bought has fit me perfectly.

Cons of shopping at Lucy in the Sky:

•   They only stock sizes 6-12
• Things go out of stock very very quickly. Like, insanely quick. Which is why I always try to get on there at exactly 5pm when new things are put up, because you'll usually find that they're sold out by the next morning. They do restock certain things, but a lot doesn't get restocked and so you will miss out if you're not quick.

You can check out their stuff at the website: http://www.lucyinthesky.com/shop/new-arrivals
or their instagram page: lucyintheskystore

I've added some photos of my favourite items I've purchased from Lucy in the Sky store over the past year... unfortunately none of these items are still in stock on their website, however, if you're really interested in anything, leave a comment and I'll give you the brand name and you might be able to find it elsewhere. Also, as you can probably see, I've only added photos of dresses... I pretty much only own dresses because they're so easy to wear and can easily be dressed up or down and yeah, I live in/for dresses.

Anyway, I definitely recommend checking them out. I'll forever be one of their biggest fans.
Peace.
Lucy.

20 Questions

I figured I might as well give this a go!

 

 

 

1. Thing you cannot leave the house without

The entire contents of my handbag - wallet, keys, phone, brush, make up, perfume, some form of lollies, sunglasses.

2. Favourite brand of makeup

Maybelline and Benefit. Maybelline's mascaras are my favourite things ever, and Benefit has the most amazing foundation.

3. Favourite flower

Roses... last name is rose, I have one tattooed on me... yeah.

4. Favourite clothing store

I have too many. Lucy in the Sky, Beginning Boutique, Sabo Skirt, St Frock... the list goes on.

5. Favourite perfume

Vera Wang's Princess. 

6. Heels or Flats

Heels! Heels are amazing/I only ever have good posture when I wear heels.

7. Do you make good grades

Can we just skip this question? Okay. Thank you. Moving on.

8. Favourite colours

Pink, pastel colours, white... does white count? I love the colour white.

9. Do you drink energy drinks

Every single day nearly. Yes I know it's a bad habit. I'm trying to stop.

10. Do you drink juice

Yes. Preferably real fruit juice and not that fake sugary stuff.

11. Do you like swimming

I guess so. I mean, it's alright. I'd rather be dry...

12. Do you eat fries with a fork

Only if they're covered in gravy...

13. Favourite moisturiser 

Most moisturisers don't agree with my skin. They burn or irritate me. So yeah, still trying to find a non-burny one.

14. Do you want to get married later on in life

Is there any girl in a relationship that doesn't want to get married? Really?

15. Do you get mad easily

Usually, yes.

16. Are you into ghost hunting

I absolutely love the paranormal/myths/legends etc etc so yeah. I mean, I've never actually been ghost hunting, but I'm sure I'd love it.

17. Any phobias

Geckos/small lizards. I'm not even joking. WHY ARE YOU SMALL AND SEE-THROUGH AND WHY DO YOU CLING TO THINGS AND WHY DOES YOUR TAIL FALL OFF AND WHY DO YOU MAKE CREEPY NOISES? YOU HORRIBLE SPAWNS OF SATAN.

18. Do you bite your nails

No... but I bite the skin around my nails, which is probably worse. My nails are fine, but the skin around my nails is always horrible and raw.

19. Have you ever had a near death experience

I guess so. That time I crashed my car. I mean, I was actually 90% fine, but I very easily could have died and I don't understand how I wasn't seriously injured at least.

20. Do you drink coffee

Only when the weather is cold... which is never. But if I'm on holidays somewhere and the weather is cold, than yes. I don't understand how people drink hot coffee in this 32+ degree heat.

Review #1: Xenia Boutique

Hello dear people of the universe,
so for my first review, I've decided to review online shop Xenia Boutique. I discovered Xenia Boutique through a friend several months ago, and have since bought maybe 4 or 5 things from them. The thing I like about Xenia Boutique is that they always seem to have a wide range of clothes, and they always have a lot of stock, so you generally don't miss out on buying what you want, and it takes quite awhile for things to go out of stock. They have a lot of casual day dresses/tops/shorts, and also a lot of more fancy, party-type outfits.

So, pros of shopping at Xenia Boutique:

• Super quick shipping. Like, ridiculously quick. One time I received something within 24 hours of purchasing it, which is amazing considering I live in North Queensland and it usually takes a lot longer to receive things.
• Good quality clothing/material. Everything I've purchased is lovely and strong material.
• Heaps to choose from. Literally hundreds of different items to pick from.
• MASSIVE sales... and frequent sales too. We're talking sometimes 30-50% off. And sometimes they have "Free shipping" days which are rather nice.

Cons:

• $10 national shipping. It's annoying, but at least it's express shipping... and super quick express shipping at that.
• When they do have big sales, they remove all their new stock from the website whilst the sale is on. Which is annoying and frustrating, because you  get super excited about getting that amazing gold-sequined $90 dress at 50% off... only to check the website and see that that  new gold-sequined dress has been removed, only to re-appear the very next day after the sale. 

Overall, I really do like Xenia Boutique. Their prices are almost identical to a lot of other online clothing shops, and their sales are rather decent. Definitely recommend checking them out!
Link: http://www.xenia.com.au/

Items purchased from Xenia Boutique:

 

A Short and Poorly-Written Introduction

I've wanted to start a blog for awhile, but I am equal parts lazy and forgetful, and so after a good six months or so of procrastination, I've decided to start this thing up.
   So... where to begin? I've recently turned 21, and now I feel as though I'm trapped in some sort of strange purgatory. I'm no longer a kid (or even a teen, for that matter), and so it's no longer acceptable for me to behave like one... yet I'm not really an adult yet, either. I'm not 35 with a proper career and children and a mortgage... hell, I hardly even know what a mortgage is. So for now, I'm trying to enjoy my purgatory. I like books and reading - I always have and I always will. It's actually becoming a problem, I think. I get so caught up in a book that I manage to forget that I'm a functioning human being and I need to eat and go to the toilet and sleep and things. My reading-addiction has manifested to the point where one time, I spent 3 days locked away in my bedroom, only occasionally emerging for food and water.
  I also like pretty clothes. I like pretty clothes a lot. I like pretty clothes to the point where sometimes my days revolve around perusing the internet for new pretty clothes until I go cross-eyed.
  "Shopaholic" is an understatement.
I also like traveling and exploring and going new places and trying new things. I spend half my life quoting the motto, I'll try anything once! and the other half of my life either wishing I hadn't tried something once, or wanting to try something over and over.
  I am either obsessed with something, or completely disinterested. There is no in between.

Anyway, this will mainly be a fashion and clothes related blog. I'll be posting things I've recently purchased and writing reviews on them. There will probably be the occasional rant or random post, too.

So, au revoir, mes amis, and hopefully I'll post something soon again and not become completely disinterested in this blog... I make no promises, though.

Lucy Rose.