Op-Shop Treasures

Over the last couple of months I've had zero luck finding anything that I like (or that fits me) at my local op-shops. Heartbreaking - I know. Then the other day, after aimlessly wandering into a Salvos near my work, I miraculously ended up strolling out with a couple of cute finds. Success! The day after, just to see if I could continue to ride the op-shopping wave of lucky finds, I decided to have a browse around the newly renovated Salvos on Chapel St. More success! After two days and two shops I managed to come away with five new pieces for my wardrobe. Not bad for having only parted with 37 of my hard earned dollars. I didn't even have to suffer my usual 'spending money on myself when I'm supposed to be saving' guilt!

So first of all, here's a couple of photos of the wonderful Salvos on Chapel St. While a little pricey for an op-shop (as most Salvos are), it really is a lovely place to shop. It's huge, well stocked, well organised, and presented more like boutique than your usual run-of-the-mill charity shop. I'm definitely planning on making regular trips to this one.

Chapel St Salvos. How sweet is the little mirror?

More of Chapel St Salvos. See how lovely it's laid out?

And now onto the good stuff - the purchases! First up is this cute grey cardigan. The brand is Ladakh (which after a little research, I discovered is an Australian brand). I really love the bow detailing on this one. I think it makes an otherwise fairly plain article of clothing - something special. As you can see, one of the bows is coming undone on the left-hand pocket. Nothing a little DIY stitching can't fix though. I bought this for $8.

Next up is this super stretchy, super comfy racerback tank top. I was immediately drawn to the dusty bright colouring and Aztec print on this one. I think this will definitely be a staple for me in summer. Especially for festivals and concerts. It's so light and flowy and fun. This one set me back a measly $5.

This next piece is definitely my favourite. It's a high-waisted, cotton, Beetlejuice-esque number with a zipper running along the front. The waist is elasticised, so the zipper's just for show. Even though it's a little short, I really like how this one sits on me. The skirt has really cute kick-out to it. It makes me feel like a cartoon character! I can't wait to pair it with some bright stockings. I picked this one up for the slightly steeper price of $14.

Last but not least, I picked up a few basic cardi's. A girl can never have too many, in my opinion! Especially in winter. Plus they were only $5 each. How could I say no?!

While we're on the topic of low low prices, I swung by Dangerfield and took advantage of their 50% accessories sale. After spending perhaps a little too long roaming the store, I decided on two pairs of Onassis sunglasses. I actually don't own any over sized shades, so I thought these would be nice mix things up a little. Plus they were down from $24 to $6 a pair. Crazy! I was pretty smitten with the floral print (pictured below), but also liked the idea of picking up the classic, black, 'goes with anything' pair. So I did! You can't argue with a bargain.

Ranch Dressing

Here's a little look I put together in celebration of my two newest crushes: my Inglot eye shadows, and a hunky dorey necktie (or bolo tie) I recently discovered at an op-shop in Brunswick. I may do a review of my purdy Inglot palette in the coming weeks, so I wont harp on about that too much. I will rave about the necktie however, which was an absolute steal at AUD $4! The lady at the till actually asked me what I'd like to pay for it because the price tag had fallen off. I laughed and said "no more than $5", half joking and half hoping, and she popped it through for me without a moment's hesitation. Yay! Thank you Savers on Sydney Rd! Now I'm a real cowgirl!

My wild hair appears to be obstructing the tie, but you get the jist!

Here she is!

Her gleaming face!

I was immediately drawn to the beautiful gold detailing and the flat multi-faceted cut. It doesn't show up so well in this photo, but it really catches the light. I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was a bit of a lark. Plus, dare I say it, elegant?! 

To dress it up a bit, I paired the tie with a sheer, sleeveless, asymmetrical tunic with gold buttons, and a cropped blazer. Buttoning the tunic right up to my neck seemed to draw attention to the tie, but I imagine it would also work quite well loosened around a lower cut top. To bring out the gold I rummaged around my jewellery box and found a drop earring with gold rhinestones. This was a bit of a change for me as I'm usually so so faithful to my pearl studs. I know, right?! Branching out!

For my hair, I loosely curled it with my straightening iron, and then pinned, lightly hairsprayed and did a bit of a fingerwave at the front. Then, since I have a ridiculous obsession with wearing bows, feathers and flowers, I clipped in a little black bow I picked up from Diva.

Shiny shiny lids, care of the wonderous Inglot



All over my lids I wore my Inglot AMC Shine eye shadow in 31, and blended the 409 into my outer corner. I also added my MAC gel liner along the waterline to define my eyes. Keeping my lips fairly natural I opted for my Chi Chi lipstick in Centrefold as a base, with my Rimmel lippy in Airy Fairy over the top. I've had the latter lippy for years and years, but I've just recently rediscovered it. It's definitely made me want to go and test out some other Rimmel lipsticks though! I just love how they feel to wear, and the smell is really lovely.

Surpisingly, I'm not wearing a highlighter at all here. Just a MAC blush in Frankly Scarlet. Which is matte! I think the camera may be picking up the SPF in my moisturiser perhaps. Regardless, I like how it looks in these shots.

Yeehaw!



Girl About Melbourne

The other day I was lucky enough to experience the rarity that is a day off with my boyfriend. Shock horror! I know. So we made the most of the freedom, company and sunshine and headed into the city with intentions to visit ACMI That's the 'Australian Centre for the Moving Image' for all my international readers! We planned on seeing an interview with Melbourne director Amiel Courtin-Wilson: the genius behind the soon to be released feature film 'Hail' (keep your eyes peeled!) After what was a terrifically interesting talk we spent the rest of the day being creatures of leisure. Lots of milling about the city, drinking, people watching and window shopping. I took a few photos on my phone (hence the somewhat poor quality) that I thought I'd share with you. Onward!

Lipstick: 'Hot Stuff'' by Chi Chi
Blush: 'Frankly Scarlet' by Mac
Eyebrow Pencil: 'Hazel' by Rimmel & 'Frankly Scarlet' Blush by Mac

Head Scarf and Jacket: Op Shop
Skirt: Topshop London
Tights: River Island
Boots: Wittner
Bag: Topshop London

By the Yarra

Flowers and Dappled Sunlight. Ahhh!

A Slice of Iconic Melbourne



From the Bathroom in 'The Workshop'

I had to include this last photo because I thought it was just too pretty not to. It's looking out the window of the ladies bathroom in a bar on Elizabeth St called 'The Workshop'. I realise I'm probably a little late on the bandwagon as far as this venue goes but I really liked it. Such a nice, relaxed bar to have an afternoon beer or two. I wish I'd taken more photos of the actual bar but to be honest, I was too busy drinking and blathering on!

Wrapped Up and Pinned

Just a quick little post today. I went out for drinks last night to the Carlton Club. Yesterday was just too warm and lovely not to make the most of the weather by sharing a jug of delicious fruity cocktail at a tiki-esque rooftop bar. For a while now I've been avoiding this particular bar on the basis that their weekend security is simply awful. The apparent 'dress code' they have seems to be as changeable as the weather. I've had friends (mostly male) that have been rejected for being too under dressed and too overdressed! Anyway, I figured that as this was a weeknight it'd be much more relaxed. And it was.

More on topic, I went on an op-shop (thrift store) scarf buying spree during the day and decided to sport this wonderful floral print scarf out for the night.

Diolen 100% Polyester Scarf. $5 from my local Op-Shop.

I've been loving wearing scarves in my hair of late. They can completely transform any look and are easy to bobby pin any way that you'd like. Plus op-shops generally have such a huge selection in all different colours and patterns for around $5 or under. These aren't the kinds of colours I'd usually go for (I'm not a huge fan of wearing brown) but I thought the design was really pretty and the flowers matched my hair quite nicely.

Anyone else found any op-shop treasures recently?