BAM IT'S JOANNE

For as long as I can remember, I've always been a top and skirt/ pants girl, as opposed to dresses. My Christmas outfit was an exception, so for New Year's I'm going back to what I am comfortable with. I love wearing top and pants to a fancy party or dress up event, simply because I feel like my outfit would stand out among a sea of dresses. It's the 21st century and dress code rules are out of the window nowadays - wedding guests are starting to wear white and brides don't care! 2015 has seen celebrities wearing jumpsuits and blazers/formal pants combination to red carpet events. If they can do it, why not you?! Plus your pants can double up on work duty once you go back to the swing of things in January, as opposed to the traditional "party dress" that you'll only wear once and forget about. 

Photos by Ramon Diamzon

Keepsake top / Country Road pants (similar from ASOS) / Witchery sunglasses / Witchery earrings / Wittner shoes (similar from ASOS)

Click to shop: 

As someone who lives in skirts and/or pants, it's a breath of fresh air to be wearing a dress - let alone a figure-hugging one! However, with Christmas and New Year parties looming around the corner, it is easy to see why I'm venturing out of my comfort zone a little more this time, but still sticking to the classic black, which makes up about 40% of my wardrobe (no joke). The last time I wrote about a little black dress was about 15 months ago, and this time I've found the perfect upgrade. The price is a little (haha, 'a little') steep, but I believe in investing in timeless, classic pieces, and I'm confident that this perfect laced Nicholas number will be a crowd favorite and wardrobe staple for years to come. 

photos by Ramon Diamzon

Nicholas dress / Wittner shoes (similar) / Witchery sunglasses

Petite women around the world - rejoice!

Ladies and gentlemen - may I present you my Holy Grail of all denim - this pair of form-fitting Mavi jeans. Stretchy and comfortable, it sits at the perfect spot on my waist, and brushes just slightly past my ankles at 5'4''. It's actually 5'3''. I grow that extra inch on good days. But I digress. No longer would I have to fold (or double fold) the tail of my jeans because this is just the right length at 28''! I am so grateful to the designers at Mavi (tipping my hat off to ya!) for considering petite girls like myself. The hunt is officially over. 

Wearing: Mavi white tee, Mavi 'Alissa' Ankle Super Skinny Crop jeans, Samantha Wills pearl ring, Najo bracelet, 66 the label straw hat

Photos by Ramon Diamzon

You know that feeling of surrealism? The moment of realisation when it hits you and you're gob-smacked that your favourite artist/ online influencer/ secret crush comes up to you and wants to get to know you? Well, in blogger-speak, there is nothing, and I repeat, nothing more exciting than being approached by a brand you've been a fan of all your life. 

If you have been following my eye care journey, I was told that my eyes are not taking in enough oxygen because of the contact lens I was wearing. So it was a fortunate stroke of serendipity that the very same brand that I've became so acquainted with for a quarter of my life (I am fiercely loyal and refuse to swap brands) approached me and offered to help fix my problems. It was as if they read my blog! Of course I jumped at the opportunity and said yes (after explaining my terms and conditions about giving a positive review if it's not true, of course. All opinions are and always will be my own! How else do you stay loyal to your blog?).

So let me lay it all out for you:

Brand: Alcon (formerly Ciba Vision) 

Old lens type: Focus Dailies All Day Comfort (blue box)

Duration: Past five years

New lens type: Dailies Total1 (brown box)

Duration: Probably for the rest of my life. Once you go water gradient, you never go back.

Water gradient? What do you mean? Perhaps this chart explains it best:

Four other bloggers and I were invited to take the Dailies Total1 five day challenge, where we wear Dailies Total1 for five day to night outings and write reviews about how our night went and whether the comfort lasts all night.

The challenge kicked off with the five of us being invited to O Bar and Dining, the revolving restaurant up on George Street. We enjoyed canapés, three course meals, and a cocktail jug that is bigger than my face at 47 levels high, and we stayed there so long that we had to cancel my car transfer (which would have arrived 2.5 hours too early), and the waiter had to come and politely kick us out. That's the sign of a good night, isn't it? 

All in all, here is a quick summary of what my first impression of them is: 

Extremely comfortable, contact lens feels invisible, lasted all night without falling off or needing eye drops (which is so rare!). It's amazing how technology improves lives. Due to the water gradient technology explained in the graph above, the contact lens feels like a soft jelly-substance that provides comfort to my eyes, and because the core has a lower water content, it acts as a better oxygen transporter, allowing my eyes to breathe better and not dry out. This will also hopefully help ease the blood vessel issue in my eyes that my optometrist warned me about.

Sorry for geeking out on you guys like this but I'm just really interested in the health of my eyes and therefore excited to share my new discovery with you!

I'll be back with a second post detailing my overall experience with Dailies Total1, which I'll also hold a The Iconic giveaway to five lucky readers! Stay tuned for more details :)

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are -- and always will be -- my own.  

Photo by Ashleigh McCallum

I don't think I can get anymore excited about spring layering. I mean, winter was fun and all with the knits and big toasty coats, but bye felicia, I'm done with the cold. So what's a layering geek to do when it's hot and sunny out? Layer dresses over sweaters and tops, that's what.

As soon as I laid eyes on this dress I was absolutely entranced. I am normally not a print person, but this black and white abstract print is simply stunning yet simple and classic.

Wearing: Elle Louise knit top | Cameo 'Kiss Land' dress via Glue Store | Adidas Stan Smiths (Navy) via ASOS | Sunday Somewhere sunglasses | Hartley watch | Mon Purse nude clutch | Lovisa rings

Photos by Alisha-yi Thornley

Black is always to the rescue.

By life I mean eyesight.



Story time: There was once a little girl who was cursed with bad eyesight (-5.5 both eyes!) and has worn glasses ever since she could remember. Once she hit 18, at the final days of her senior year in high school, she decided that wearing glasses to graduation parties is not a thing. Her plan was to borrow a pair of disposable contact lens off her friend who is equally as blind as she was. She did it and hasn't turned back since.

And, you've guessed it! That little girl was me.

I have been a proud contact lens user for the past 5 years now and am in no rush to change this... until two weeks ago. Not only do glasses get in the way of life -- eg. when working out or putting on mud masks (I have mud stains on my glasses as proof) --, they are also incredibly uncomfortable due to them being ill-fitting.

So when OPSM announced their Asian-fit glasses range, I was immediately attentive. What? Glasses made to suit Asian features? Comfortable AND aesthetically pleasing to suit my high cheek bones and lower nose bridge? Where do I sign up? TAKE MY MONAYYYYY.

So it happened. I had an appointment on Friday at the brand new OPSM World Square store in Sydney CBD (where Cotton On used to be). It has a shiny new fit out with cool wooden interiors that attempts to look alternatively modern. Seems as though they are rebranding from the old 'clinical' image. I am a sucker for pleasing interiors so that was a huge tick of a good impression from me.

But pleasing interiors do not sell; good customer service does. I was greeted immediately by an enthusiastic store assistant who then introduced me to Mary, my optometrist. She was incredibly patient with all my burning questions about eye laser surgery (considered doing it, but she changed my mind when she told me she wouldn't recommend it, not even to her mother even though she would've gotten it for free through connections!), and went through about four different eye tests with me using insanely advanced technologies. One of which has the ability to scan to the back of my eyes to detect any potential eye disease! How cool!

The results? My eyes are healthy, but I was told to refrain from wearing contact lenses every day of the week (I have since cut it down to 6 days a week - Sundays are now my rest days) as my eyes need oxygen to breathe. When I was surprised Mary knew I refuse to wear glasses, she explained that there are blood vessels near my eyeballs, which exist because my eyes were not breathing properly because the contact lens stifle oxygen intake, and therefore needed more oxygen from the blood.  Did I mention how knowledgable she is?!

Even if you're not planning to get a pair of glasses, it's worth popping in just to ask for an eye examination. If it's on a quiet day, I'm sure the optometrists there would be more than happy to entertain you! I learned so much about my eyes through this session alone with Mary, and it definitely encouraged me to be way more attentive about my personal eye care -- something I previously never thought about.

I have cut down to 6 days a week of contact lens wearing, and will eventually try to go 2 or 3 days a week without contact lens. God, this sounds like a diet doesn't it? It helps that I picked out this cute pair of Oliver Peoples in store. I like the classic black look that will go with anything I wear for the day, which is a major plus. Because of the Asian-fit frames, they suit my face shape well and sits nicely on my nose bridge. Unfortunately the back of the glasses hurt the back of my ears because of the way I adjusted it myself, but nothing a quick store visit for professional adjustment wouldn't fix. Overall I will rate the entire OPSM experience as 8/10 satisfactory! Amazingly informative, incredible customer service and a huge selection of frames.

Tell me your glasses/ contact lens story in the comment below! Do you wear glasses or contact lens? Hate it or love it? Whose camp are you on?


Wearing: Oliver People glasses via OPSM,  66 the label 'Goldie' fedora, Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencil in Red 8C via Sephora

Wearing: The Fifth Label pants via BNKR, Basement shoes, Basement bag, Samantha Wills rings, Miu Miu sunglasses

Spring has sprung so all white outfits are in order x

Photos by Dennis Ardel

Wearing Oscar Wylee sunglasses, The Fifth Label turtleneck via BNKR, Hello Parry skirt (old) and Basement shoes

Caught the white/ grey/ nude palette fever lately, and haven't stopped wearing a combination of these colours - exhibit A. The terrible Sydney weather is also not helping with my obsession over this ivory turtleneck knit. I find myself reaching for it whenever I get the morning chills, especially when scarfs just don't cut it. It's the perfect amount of "turtle", without being overly snug or too loose. 

Of course, my creamy outfit would not be complete without black accessories like sunglasses and shoes to tie the whole outfit back together. When I make purchase decisions, I always choose black when it comes to accessories. I have all kinds of accessories in black - bags, belts, sunnies, shoes, scarves, watches, etc, so when it comes to dressing, it's mindless matching, really. All the hard work was already done at the shops!

However, I've got a mission for myself. This spring/summer, I'm going to venture out and start purchasing nude/ brown leather goods for a change and for the wardrobe update - watch this space!

Photos by Dennis Ardel

I love changing things up (which is why I am having commitment problems with my 18-month Fitness First gym membership contract, but that's for another day), and I've just have an updated skin care routine so I thought I'd share it with you guys. 

I've trialled a hugeeee number of cleansers ranging from unknown organic brands to household names like Neutrogena. However, if I don't write about them, I don't rate them. So when I say The Body Shop's Tea Tree cleansing range is the bomb dot com - you'd better believe it.

I was a rebel whilst in working and travelling Europe. I made a poor effort of taking care of my skin. I would party too hard all night (and day) and fall asleep with my makeup on - yes I know, I can hear you cringing right now! The truth is, I love putting makeup on, but absolutely HATEEEE removing makeup! Please tell me I'm not the only one!? As I'm typing this at midnight, I still have my make up on. I really need to make it a habit to remove my makeup as soon as I get home, but because I dread it so much, it's usually the last thing I do before I head to bed. So yes, I have my makeup on whilst eating dinner and watching TV. It's a terrible habit that I need to change. 

The Body Shop however, makes this process bearable. I have actually started to enjoy this boring therapeutic activity which is removing makeup once I subscribed to this cleanser/toner/tea tree oil/moisturiser routine. The cleanser is a foaming, bubbly pump of goodness. Anything bubbly gets me excited, really. The toner is my favourite part. It stings a little when you wipe it on (I use it with Swipper's cleansing pads) so it makes me feel like it's actually doing its job of 'toning', if that makes sense.

Now to the most hyped up product of all - The Body Shop's signature tea tree oil. I first came across this product at my favourite brow-treading place. They always, always use tea tree oil on my brows after each threading session. My skin is super sensitive, so after any wax or brow threading session, it goes red like a baboon's bottom. I would know, from the multiple times I've walked out of Benefit's Brow Bar with raw, red skin all around my brows. Eek embarrassing! Tea tree oil was the magical cure to this - I've never had red brows ever again! One of the reasons why I keep going back to my brow-threader. 

Little did I know that this little bottle of magical, Peter Pan, forever young* tea tree oil also works amazingly on pimples and break outs. I put it on any acne spots that pop up during the day, and they are usually gone over-night. It's $10 AUD for a tiny little bottle, but a little goes a long way and it's completely worth it!

I would then complete my routine with my Embroylisse Lait-Creme Concentre moisturiser I got in Paris (not pictured). I should've stocked up! It's amazing. And once a week, I'd use a mud masque by Skinfood. It's made out of natural rotorua mud with aloa vera and jojoba oil. Incredibly smooth and easy to put on, wait till it dries, usually takes about 20 minutes, before washing it off with a warm cloth. I would clean my room whilst waiting it out as it "hardens up" pretty quickly so it doesn't slide off your face whilst being in a vertical position, unlike some slippery masks I've tested (don't ask - let's just say my Victoria's Secret fuzzy blanket is well-travelled amongst Sydney's dry cleaning crowd). 

Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned above? If so, what are your thoughts around them? Sound off below - I'm keen to know!


Jo xxx

*no, it doesn't actually give you eternal youth, but keep dreaming - one day! I promise you!