I want you!

When money is tight I always yearn to buy non-essentials item, like cosmetics and seasonal fashion pieces, and ignoring the lure of a sale requires more restraint than usual.

Working five days a week at Melbourne's fashion capital - also known as the biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere - is like torture for someone who's trying to tighten thier purse strings, not that my purse has strings, but you get the picture. Even a trip to the food court is an excercise in self-restraint as stocktake sales beckon to me from every angle. They say things like, "buy this black wool biker jacket with shiny gold zippers, it will complete your winter wardrobe - AND it's half price!." Such a convincing sales pitch, so enticing...so completely unnecessary and indulgent. I want it!

Witchery biker jacket

Gossip magazines provide moments of affordable indulgence in times of closely monitored spending but somehow they always make me want to buy more things - particularly makeup. A picture of one of my idols, the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale, with glowing coral cheeks, gold rimmed eyes and juicy pink lips made me want to overhaul my entire makeup kit. But then I remembered that not only do I not need any new makeup, I also can't afford any new makeup.

Because I want want want but won't allow myself to buy, I've developed a game that provides some satisfaction in desperate times- it's called Fantasy Bags. All you do is go to website that you love to buy things on, fill up your shopping bag with everything you want, head to the checkout, then close the webpage before entering any payment details. Although your coveted items won't arrive in the post, there is some satisfaction in compiling them. Some sites will keep your items in the shopping bag for a week or so, and often I find that the products I was desperate for last week don't seem so important this week.

This week's fantasy bag included:

Becca soft touch blush in Songbird

Becca line+illuminate in Ibiza

Becca glossy lip tint in Rosita

Très fabuleux, non?

I'm currently reading a fabulous book; Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard. It's a true story, about an American academic (Bard), who falls in love with a Frenchman, and upon moving to Paris finds that she must not only learn a new language, but a new way of life. Bard's descriptions and anecdotes transport me to Paris in such a way as to manifest the apprehension, adventure and excitement of experiencing life as a stranger in an elusive foreign environment. Bard's glorious portrait of Parisian life is complemented to perfection by the handful of recipes that complete each chapter. As such, the reader's journey is not just cultural, but also culinary. There are several recipes that I'm itching to try out, including Bard's green beans in walnut oil and her individual chocolate puddings!

Breakfast
Café au lait & croissant avec Nutella!

I'm not sure if it's due to Lunch in Paris or perhaps French fashion- blogger Garance Doré, but I'm having a love affair with all things French and French inspired at the moment.

So, here are some of my favourite French fashions and finds.

French inspired vintage style enamel kitchen canisters

Chic, bold red lips with radiant pale skin, and eyes cleanly defined by black liner and black mascara.

The obligatory navy/ white stripe top. Mine's from American Apparel.

Macarons in an array of pretty pastel colours. A macaron, in case you don't know, is a light, crisp, meringue style biscuit, made from egg whites and almond paste, and filled with a sweet smooth icing. They are quintessentially French, and totally delicious. The macarons pictured are from Ladurée in Paris; a Parisian 'tea salon', known for their infamous macarons! Similar biscuits are available from Lindt cafes, where they are known as delice.       

Enjoy!

Flower Brooch

So, here is the first creation to emerge from my recent adventures in craftiness. It's a tad rough and ready but I'm pleased with the result.



More pieces to follow!

She's a Crafty One

Earlier this week, I accompanied my baby sis to her first day at "film school" (WOW!), which is conveniently located two minutes on foot from the uber fashionable Chapel St, Prahran. As the "O" week food stalls etc were yet to be set up, we decided to stroll down Chapel St for a browse and a bite.

We encountered some teeny weeny turtles at the pet store, but this was surprisingly not the highlight of our journey...for me at least! We ventured into a fabulously quirky boutique, choc-full of handmade, vintage-esque and imported dresses, tees, cardis and accessories. If I wasn't currently (GULP) unemployed I would have bought several pieces.

Although I wasn't able to walk out of the store swinging a bag or two full of enviable goodies, I did leave feeling inspired. As my sister nudged me out the door, a flash of vivid colour caught my eye and I flicked open the rack of clothes to see a reddish-coral tee in a sheer cotton fabric with an intricate black applique of beads and tulle(?)on the neckline. After we left, I started thinking about how easy it would be to make something similar with haberdashery store finds like buttons, beads and fabric swatches, but put pins on the back so you can attach them to whatever top/ jacket/ bag you like.

I headed to Spotlight today and was overwhelmed by the enormous selection of beads, buttons and fabrics on offer. I came home with a small assortment of bits & pieces and a couple of ideas in mind (below).



This is my palette for a pretty, girly, vintage themed applique brooch. Pink, tiny polka dots, floral, buttons.



This selection is my palette for a darker more glamorous evening brooch. Black, metals, beads (need some black tulle).



To be continued...