BAM IT'S JOANNE

I'm wearing: Lavish Alice snake print dress (their range is also available at ASOS), Hello Parry pearl earrings, Billini shoes, Oroton cross body bag, Oroton iPhone case

The reason I'm writing this post today is to remind everyone of work dresses! Most of us will be going back to our desk job on Monday, and if you're having one of those uninspired days, slip on a dress. 

I've been very, very uninspired lately with my work clothes, rotating around a black top and either a black skirt or black pants. 

When shopping for work clothes, I've always been more fond of the top + bottom combination because I feel it gives me more ways to style an outfit. For a pair of bottom, I can wear them with 100 different tops to create 100 different outfits! However with a dress, wear it once and I feel as though I can't wear it again for a long time. The cost per wear is more expensive. 

However, if you find the right dress - something that you can wear to work AND to drinks in, then you're onto a winner. This particular one by Lavish Alice is just that!

It's a long dress up to my knees, so with a blazer thrown over (yes, I have cold office syndrome so I still need blazers even in summer), it's the perfect work attire. The low neckline, two thin straps and a subtle cut-out detailing gives the sassy snake print the excuse to be seen in a bar as well! 

So, reminder - a dress is not a bad investment after all! 

Shop more work/party dresses here:

I'm wearing: Dricoper Denim shirt, Milk & Honey shorts from Myer // Milk & Honey tank dress, Everything's A'Ok Espadrilles

One denim shirt - two easy ways!

1. Wear it with a pair of summer shorts in a funky print like the above, OR

2. Worned around the waist in a light summer dress which coincidentally is the same print as the shorts. 

This is not pictured, but a third way of combining these garments would be to wear this dress tucked into the pair of shorts, and have the denim shirt around your neck - which is the new trick of styling in 2015! Watch it - it's going to be a street style phenomenon (like blazer-on-shoulder trick and the half-tuck) and you'd get so sick of seeing it you'd order KFC and sit in your room yelling at the fashion god for letting this trend slip past. 

Jokes, I'm a vegetarian.

So there you go, my guide on how to wear the ever-versatile denim shirt this summer. I particularly love this one from Dricoper because it's loose and casual. I wore it to work last Friday, tucked into skinny jeans & black loafers (I work in a corporate environment but we have casual Friday policy).

Wishing everyone a great Australia Day long weekend!


Shop more denim shirts: 

Jo xx

Photos by Street Peeked

Justin is wearing: Ray-Ban's sunnies, Tommy Hilfiger tee, Dricoper Denim Chinos and Louis Vuitton shoes, Hugo Boss watch

 Justin and I chose the worse day for this shoot because as soon as we got to our location, it was pouring like cats and dogs. We were debating whether to stay or postpone to another day (I had to go to Bondi for meeting after the shoot). 

Luck was on our side because after about half an hour of jamming my* lung out to Taylor Swift in the car (what other logical alternative did we have, really?), the sky cleared and the sun came out to visit... for about 5 minutes.

Considering the fact that had a five minute window to shoot this casual ensemble before Sydney's Rain God decided to attack again**, I thought Justin did a great job as model du jour. Though it certainly made his work easier when his outfit looks as crisp as it could get with these sick Dricoper 'Jack'  chino pants.

For sizing reference, he's a size 30/32, but size 30 fits him perfectly. 

*note: singular pronoun because Justin decided to spare me permanent auditory injury/ potential psychological trauma...

**note: totally considered doing a rain dance as worship to buy us more time, but then remembered that I lack balancing/coordination skills. Didn't want to offend Sir Rain God, ya know?

Photos by Yours Truly

I'm writing this post to you having just woke up to a pretty exciting news - I can feel a difference in my skin! When was the last time you experienced this? For me, the last time was when I stayed over at a friends house in New York when I used her toner before bed, and the next day my skin felt super fresh, elastic and bouncy. Needless to say I jumped right onto Amazon there and then and shipped it to myself in LA. True story.

But that's for another day, today I want to talk about Skin Republic. 

Several weeks ago I was given the opportunity to try out a bunch of different skin masks by Skin Republic. They have a wide range of products - not only for face, but also feet, hands, neck and decolletage, which I find incredibly interesting.

Skin Republic is new to Australia, having experienced success in different countries around the world (for example, they are stocked in Sephora in Canada). When I first heard of Skin Republic, it was from a gift bag I got when I visited Market HQ and received a goodie bag. I remembered using the Brightening face mask and I liked it.

This time I was sent the whole range so I was spoiled for choices - so I wanted to try something different. But first, a little background on my skin type.

My Skin Condition: Combination Skin, Oily T-zone, Breakout scars and spots near forehead and cheeks area, Red blemishes around cheeks.

 I have to admit, my skin has seen better days. Lately I've been experiencing acne breakouts, and let me tell you, it's the worst, especially during party season! I have no idea what caused it, as I have not changed my skin care routine too dramatically. But because of this, I have been going to work without make up to let the skin rest and detox. So far I have not seen any improvement, nor has it gotten worse.

With that in mind, I chose to use the "Spots + Blemish Anti-Spot & Pore Refining" mask. Phew, that was a mouthful! The description on the packaging reads:

- Helps clear spots and blemishes
- Cleans and refines the skin's pores
- Controls shine and reduces redness

Sounds pretty damn good to me! The mask itself was extremely loaded with product - it was literally dripping wet when I took it out of the foil packet! The sizing of the mask was also generous - as I have a small face, the tip of the mask covered half my neck. Some product also got into my hair because of the size, so it got a little messy, but nothing a quick wipe can't fix.

The instruction was to put it on for 15-20 mins. Knowing me though, I fell asleep with the mask on and woke up to it on my pillow in the middle of the night. I groggily threw the mask to the trash can, touched my face and was really happy about how soft and nice it is, then went back to dreamland.

I looked into the mirror this morning and had the happiest smile on my face! It was merely a small change but I could see that redness has gone down ever so slightly. Skin felt bouncy, fresh and "healthy". Like I said, I haven't had this feeling in a while, so this came as a pleasant surprise. Keeping in mind that I was not expecting an "overnight miracle" where all my pimples disappear from the mask application! This is only my first time using it, and as the package recommended, it takes up to 4 weeks for major improvements.

TL;DR:

Pros: 

- Minor improvement: redness gone down 
- Skin felt fresh and "healthy"
- Generous product
- Odorless
- Website has quiz to help with product selection
- Affordable


Cons: 

- Not an immediate "miracle" product 
- Mask is quite large so application can get messy 


Overall: 8/10

I have tried many masks before including mud masks, and even though they always leave my skin feeling refreshed, none of them ever made an impact enough for me to take notice. I still have some trial to do with this brand, but this is my first face mask experience that gave a visible difference, albeit a small one. I'm excited to do an experiment to test out whether long term and consistent use for a month will have any further effect.


Where to buy: Skin Republic's Website
Price: $7.99
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DISCLOSURE: THE PRODUCTS SHOWN WERE SENT BY PR FOR EDITORIAL CONSIDERATION. COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCTS NEVER RECEIVE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT; MY READERS ARE MY #1 PRIORITY SO IF I WOULDN’T RECOMMEND IT TO MY BEST FRIEND, I WON’T RECOMMEND IT TO YOU. THIS POST CONTAINS OPINIONS THAT ARE SOLELY MY OWN; I AM NOT INFLUENCED BY, NOR DO I REPRESENT, ANY COMPANY.