what i wore: beached as

THE WAREHOUSE cardigan and boots; JAY JAYS floral top and denim skirt; COTTON ON watch and sunglasses; GLASSONS bag; FARMERS belt

I'm not sure if I've mentioned on this blog that I have a habit of dressing completely inappropriately for most occasions. Like every time J and I go out for a bit of a trek around I'm always in a dress and ballet flats. We took a spur of the moment day trip to Kaikoura one day, a day where I had woken up and put on a flowy dress, tights that will not stay up no matter what, and worn in ballet flats. Having never been to Kaikoura I didn't know that the beach was not sand, but flat rock that was covered in some very slick algae. Also didn't know that we would walk around the beach and have to jump over canyon sized gaps with a high tide fast approaching. After the flat rock it was sharp, stony paths that cut right through my shoes. I was rewarded for my efforts however, with a large group of seals resting on the rocks. Almost walked past one, but saw it and turned around...they attack apparently.

So when I suggested we go back to Spencer Park in the daytime I should have thought to wear something beach appropriate. I didn't. I remembered to wear boots as it was chilly, but didn't think when I put on a skirt that is a size too big and the same tights as Kaikoura. I will never learn.

It was a nice day, not too warm or cold, and much better than being at work. If I could have days like that and get paid for them I would. In fact, right now I would settle for anything than my current job. I have a job interview on Tuesday that I'm prepping for. So far that has included getting rid of my orange tipped hair, which I was glad to see go, and freaking out about what to wear. I have an outfit in mind, just need to put it on and see if it works. I really want this job, but can't really afford to take a pay cut as we were notified that our current flat is going to be placed up for sale by the landlord. So we have until August 22 to find something else, or do a temporary lease to stay on until we find something. We also have the option of buying it, but I don't want to. I have no long term plans to stay in New Zealand, I love it here, but I would love to move to the UK one day, so buying a house here seems rather pointless.

*The title of the post is from beached as whale. so funny! typical kiwi bru speak.

week in photos #005

001. Muddy paths and well worn boots. Next time I go trekking I'm investing in some hiking boots, althought wellies would have been a good choice as J and I stumbled upon a swamp that borders the beach. Did not know that was there until we got to the top of a very high dune.

002. Updated my ipod with new music and deleted some of the songs/bands I always skip. The Airborne Toxic Event is being rotated heavily, along with Mona and Two Door Cinema Club. Still need more music, but haven't heard any new bands that hold my attention. I'm open for suggestions!

003. If you look in the corner you can see a little crab, kind of blends in with the rest of the inside, but I can assure you it is there and it freaked me out. I feel really bad about it as I thought it was full of water and sand, so I pried it open only to find whatever it is still in there with said crab. Refused to touch it after that, and because that was one active crab and I was terrified it would climb out on me.

004. Gorged myself on peanut M&Ms this week. They served as my lunch a couple of days when I was too lazy to have anything else. Really need to cut back on the chocolate, don't usually eat it much, but this week I feel like I haven't stopped.

005. View of the beach from the top of a dune. Climbing dunes is hard work and my legs were shattered after. J loves stuff like that, being all "at one with nature", I on the other hand grew up in the country and have a serious dislike for that. Got it out of my system when I was a child, now I'll take a city adventure over hiking any day.

005. We found a flag on a pole on top of the dune, which is the whole reason we climbed up there...and to get down to the beach and away from the swamp. Don't know who put it up, but it was rather tall and impressive in person.

007. As well as a beach and swamp there was also a lovely wooded area at Spencer Park. I wish wish wish I had a size comparison for this, it was bloody massive! Probably the size of my hand or larger.

Rather boring week, it was all work and one day at the beach. I find it odd that a week ago I was frolicking on a beach and today I'm sat wrapped in two blankets with the heater on as high as it will go, wearing 2 scarves, a woolie hat, and a dressing gown and there is a good covering of snow outside. The mind boggles.

weekend wishlist: wildpair

all from wildpair

I love most of the things in Wildpair, especially the shoes, but I don't love the prices of most of the items. It is seriously overpriced for the quality of most of the clothes, and I could find something similar and cheaper at Glassons or Cotton On. That said...they have some of the cutest dresses and shoes ever.

I've had my eye on that galaxy print dress for ages, but even on sale it was around $80. The price has dropped a little, but not enough for me to buy it...yet. I need that black and white graphic dress in my life, and the white dotted dress. I need it all.

Currently addicted to blue satchels at the moment, but I did like the burgundy version of the one on the right. And the necklaces!!! That rabbit one is adorable, must have it! I'm loving turbans right now as well, not sure if they would look good on me as I can't seem to pull off head wear of any sort, but I would like to try it out.

Might have to pop in this weekend and get the cross ring. Right now I only have the double finger cross ring that everyone and their sister owns. I love crosses, only in fashion as I'm in no way religious, but I'm always looking to add to my collection.

THE SHOES!!!! Marked down to $49.90 from $100+...they will be mine. I own a pair of wedges I bought from the Wildpair clearance store at Dress Smart and they are some of the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever worn in my life. I love them and will continue to suffer, and that will not put me off buying these beauties!

week in photos #004

Posting this very late, but I was internetless from Monday afternoon until around 6pm last night. Was not best pleased with that, but I did catch up on some sleep, cuddled with the boy, and did lots of relaxing and de-stressing. Will probably do that this weekend as work has been hellish.

001. I actually hate my hair colour right now. I had it dip dyed from red to hot pink, and I loved it, but after two months of having it and doing touch ups to the pink every 3 weeks, 4 weeks for the red, I was over it. Plus the pink colour alone was $17, plus another $17 for the toner that I mixed with it to get the right colour, then another $15 for the red...that's just far too much money for hair colour IMO. So in a flash of "brilliance" I decided to go back to red, except the bleach ends didn't take the colour at all. It now looks like an ugly ombred style, red to orange with bits of baby pink in it. So much hate. Think I'll break down at some point and buy some manic panic off trademe, probably in red so I can have one shade. And I'm a lover of MP, used it when I lived in America and it's my favourite. Much better than the Fudge Paintbox hair stains that I used for the pink, that get every where and never fully wash out.

002. This is probably the worst photo ever, but I like it. J and I went to see Harry Potter on Saturday, and my god it was bloody EPIC! Afterwards we didn't feel like going home or to the pub, so we did our normal thing of getting in the car and picking a random destination from a map. We only chose somewhere in ChCh that we've never been to. Ended up at Spencer Park, on the beach in the pitch black. J wanted to walk around some of the paths, but made the mistake of mentioning the horror maze we went to and someone jumping out on us and that was enough for me. We did stay for a bit, and I took far too many bad shots of the moonlit ocean, but we had fun.

003. I spent $30 on that bottle of OPI shatter polish and I've probably used it 2-3 times. I wanted it so much when I first saw other bloggers posting pics of it, and when it finally came to NZ I bought it. I loved it when I got it, and proceeded to buy more off trademe in purple and dusky pink. Now I never use them. Stupid. Going to try and start, and I did find a white one at the weekend that I was literally dreaming about. I've gotten rather lazy with my nails as of late, which is a shame because I love nail art. Rocked some awesome cupcake and leopard nails before, need to do that again.

004. J and I celebrated our anniversary on Saturday, and had planned on cooking a big 4 course Italian feast for ourselves, but I received my IRD refund and that plan flew out the window. Instead we went to the Running Bull, where I had the best BBQ ribs outside of the South. I've had them before, and have wanted them again. J had a t-bone, which was so tender and had just the right amount of seasoning. There was so much food, J finished his off without a problem. I, however, brought home enough ribs for J and I to have as another meal. It was a good day.

wishlist: glassons 50's riviera collection

GLASSONS 50's Riviera collection

After a couple of mediocre collections for winter, Glassons is stepping up their game for spring. The newest collection is not usually my norm, but it is gorgeous. I'm in love with just about every item.

The dress and hat I saw on the rack as well as on one of the sales associates at the Riccarton store. She was absolutely adorable in it, and dressed it down nicely with a pair of worn brown boots. Great for winter, but I think the wedges would look amazing with it. They are absolutely fab in person. Navy suede and raffia covered wedges, yum! They also come in tan, but I prefer the blue. The shoe collection is fantastic, but unfortunately they don't have all of them on the site, which is a shame.

The blouse isn't from the 50's riviera collection but the relaxed luxe collection. Another one where I am coveting almost every item. I'm really into flowy sheer blouses at the minute, something my wardrobe is seriously lacking, but I'm probably going to have to get this one.

The bag and sweater are so cute. I want the sweater in all four colours, and a pair of those navy shorts wouldn't go amiss. The bag isn't really my style, but I love the vintage look of it. I could easily spend my whole paycheck plus some on getting all the items I want. Better lock my eftpos card away for safe keeping.

in my wardrobe: favourite shoes

GLASSONS cutout wedges and brown heeled boots; THE WAREHOUSE lace up boots, black heels of death, and moto boots; FACTORIE leopard flats

I'll admit it, I have an incurable obsession with shoes. One thing that didn't come with me when I moved to New Zealand was my shoe collection, well over 100 (give or take) pairs of pure awesomeness. I remember I bought a pair of wedge ankle boots to die for a month or so prior to leaving and have BEGGED to have them posted to me, but no one can seem to find them or my sister stole them and doesn't want to give them up. I would seriously give my left arm for those boots. I have yet to find a pair in the Chur to replace them. Gutted.

Instead, I have slowly started building up an impressive collection here. I have heaps upon heaps of shoes, probably pushing 50 pairs at least. Most of them I don't wear, as I always go for my favourites. I live in boots, year round, except for those days where it is far too hot to wear anything on your feet or if I'm at the beach.

The motorcycle boots from The Warehouse are my absolute favourites. I've had them for over 2 years and have worn them to death, as you can clearly see in the picture. The Glassons brown boots are a new purchase, featured a couple of posts ago, but I've worn them so much since I bought them. I'll throw them on to go to the dairy, that's how much I love them.

The heels are one of my favourites buys, cheap ($15!!!) and awesome. They are killer. Wore them to a friend's 21st, which started with drinks/cake at hers then ended at a gay bar in town at nearly 4am. I was in those shoes for 9 hours straight, feet were dead for days. Don't think I've worn them since, I blame the cold weather!

Need to start wearing the wedges more, but with the temps so low and my toes always could I always bypass them for boots. Maybe when spring rolls around they will get more wear.

week in photos #003

I'm cheating this week. I didn't actually leave the house this weekend, except for one trip to the dairy for orange juice on Sunday and a trip to the spa today. And I was at work all week, then home doing nothing of consequence. Proper old lady.

It was my birthday weekend, something I really hadn't given much thought to at all, even forgetting that it was coming up until someone mentioned it. J and I are saving money like no one's business, so I assumed I would be sitting at home doing my normal lazing about. J, however, had other ideas. While we did stay at home, he cooked me up a full English breakfast and then cooked a lovely steak dinner with salad and potatoes. He also bought me a chocolate mud cake from Divine Cakes, and surprised me with a 2 hour spa package at Erban Spa.

Spent all of Sunday playing on the Wii and playstation, then curled up and watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Also had the mum and sister come round singing Happy Birthday very loudly and off-key as they walked down the drive to our flat. Neighbours probably thought they were right crazies.

Today I was up and at the spa at 10am, well a little past 10 as I got lost. Chch is spread out and this isn't the first time I've been lost while driving in a random suburb. In fact, I've been lost more times than I care to remember. Just shows that I need to explore more of the city! Anyway, I was at the spa for an hour long facial and an hour long full body massage. It. Was. HEAVEN! If i could indulge in that every week I would. I was so relaxed during the massage I nodded off, then had to force myself off the table afterwards before falling asleep. I have never felt better, and it was without a doubt the best present ever. Think I'll start putting money away for my next visit. If you are ever in Christchurch, head over to the shops in Avonhead and look for Erban Spa!

The other snaps are just random ones from my phone, some are recent and some aren't. I literally only had 2 snaps from this week, and forgot to throw my camera in my bag for more. I use an android phone and these photos were done in the vignette app, one of my favourites. Just got a new one that I'm going to try out. I'm so addicted to the photo apps, I have like 10. Ridic!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

what i wore: purple haze

SUPRE dress; SHANTON cardigan; COTTON ON boots and watch; DIVA rings

This dress was my first purchase from Supre, and I loved it so much I bought another in green. The sizing is a bit weird. This is a small, and the middle of the dress is fine, but the sleeves are killer. They stop right on the elbow and are so tight, I often worry that I will lose feeling in my arm if I wear it too long. I don't wear it much which is odd since it is one of my favourite things ever. I love the satin like material and it is the perfect length.

The boots were an impulse buy. I bought an exact pair months earlier but once I got home I realised that while they both said the same size one was actually a size smaller. I took them back and was told I would get a call when a new pair came in to that store, but it never happened and I found these at another one. I forgot I owned them, they were hiding at the back of my closet in my 'dressing room' and I have had a select few pairs of boots on rotation lately.

My love for big rings is major. I ADORE that diamante one so much! Both were $3 at the Diva sale, and I fast becoming my go to rings.

Weekend wishlist tomorrow will be a special one as it's my birthday! This weekend is shaping up nicely as well. Booked Monday off work specially, have a chocolate mud cake from Divine Cakes for tomorrow, J is cooking me a special breakfast and dinner, and he booked me a 2 hour spa package at Erban Spa for Monday. I love spas! Last year we spent our anniversary in Akaroa and he snuck out while I was napping to book me a facial/massage combo that was heavenly! I've been wanting to go to one again, but always managed to spend my money on clothes and all instead of doing that. Cannot wait!

shopping haul: dress smart

Dress Smart is, hands down, my favourite place to shop in Christchurch. Clearance stores that usually have fantastic sales is a winner in my book. Some of the shops are still on the pricey side, while others have racks upon racks of $5 items.

I mentioned in my previous post that I went after a shopping fail at Postie Plus. I had good intentions I swear! I wasn't going to go anywhere but Bling, and I promised J that I wouldn't do any clothes shopping. Technically I didn't do clothes shopping as all my things are accessories, but he didn't see it from my pov.

I went in and headed straight for Bling, not wavering on my mission to avoid all clothes shops. I was in need of a new blending brush, well a second blending brush, the first having the glue that holds the bristles in place on the bristles. Not happy. Then I saw the concealer, and then the 2 for $10 sign. Almost $40 later I was done.

Can I just say that the BYS blusher (pink is candy floss, peach is peach sundae) is AMAZING! I'm actually quite a fan of BYS. They make great shadows and liners, bloody fantastic pencil liner that goes on so smooth, and the shadows are almost satiny. Their foundations leave much to be desired. The consistency is more of a tinted moisturiser and the coverage is very light. Handy if I'm just popping to the dairy or something, but not for going out. Maybe I'll use it when the weather turns warmer, who knows.

The ELF concealer is alright as far as I can tell. I haven't had the chance to use it much, I don't wear concealer to work as it seems like a waste when I work in a bed factory that has all kinds of fluff and dust floating around just waiting to land on my face. I'm constantly wiping my face and would wipe off every bit of concealer within 2 hours of being there. Hoping to give it a proper go this weekend. Haven't had the chance to use the facial whip, but wanting to try it out badly.

After leaving Bling I decided to pop into Glassons. Lately the selection has been rather bad, with a lot of dull, muted colours that look like they came straight from the 70s. I didn't find any clothing as per, but the boots!!!! Last pair in the store and in my size, it was meant to be!!! I love them. They are a bit tricky when driving, but very comfortable when walking. I wore them the same day I bought them and again the day after. So far they look great with skinny jeans and leggings, so I'm well chuffed with them. And they had a buy one get one free on all accessories, so I scored this awesome grey bag for nothing.

Then it was off to Cotton On, unfortunately they had nothing clothes wise that I wanted. I did ooh and aah over a pair of open toed wedge boots, but passed them by for now. I did get those lovely sandal booties for $5, and they will be a nice alternative to jandals in summer. The watch is one of my favourite purchases...I am seriously contemplating going back for more colours. Cute little charm bracelets at the register lured me in, but at $1 each I was fine with that. Couldn't decide what to get, but in the end settled for the crown and fleur de lis. Might get more of those as well.

Waffled on a bit aye? Hope you all have a wonderful day!

week in photos #002

001. I don't know why, but lately (as in the last three weeks) I have woken up every Saturday with a craving for a full English breakfast. The cravings have led to J and I having a breakfast date on Saturdays, trying a new restaurant each time. So far we've tried Trevino's (my favourite for now), The Pantry (J's favourite), and Milieu (good, but not the best). The only problem I'm having is finding new places to go.

002. Honey chicken noodles! I love noodles, and always make sure to order them when we go out for Asian. There are times when I don't feel like having a full Chinese meal and just want the noodles with meat. Enter Noodle Canteen. We've been past this place countless times and only just ventured in on Thursday, why we waited so long I will never know. This place is good and cheap.

003. <3!!! J hates when I pull the camera out of my bag because I inevitably snap him and promise that I won't upload it anywhere. I lied, obviously. He wouldn't smile for a photo if I paid him. Grumpy face aside, I do love him to bits.

004. I've been drinking hot tea like it is going out of style, so I switched it up and had a hot chocolate on Saturday. It was alright, but no where will come close to the hot chocolate goodness from Theobroma. Did combat the cold nicely though.

005. I stumbled upon pixiwoo the other night and have watched video after video. Quite surprised I've not watched them all by now. I literally spent hours watching the vids on Saturday. If you only watch one make it the contouring video, which is what I'm sporting in this pic. My makeup has never looked better!

006. These boots are the new love of my life! I'm convinced it was destined for us to meet. I had planned on a quiet weekend to get over the utter lack of sleep during the week, but had decided to pop to Postie Plus for some new foundation and hair colour. The selection was crap so I headed to Dress Smart to hit up Bling for ELF products and brushes. When I go to Dress Smart I can't just go into one store and leave, I have to pop into my favourites. So one visit to Glassons and these boots were mine for the crazy price of $20, plus if you bought one you got another accessory for free and I managed to snag an awesome handbag. Haul post coming soon.

007. J and I are rubbish at cooking on weekends. We live off takeaway from Friday night to Sunday lunch, only cooking dinner on Sunday nights (most of the time!). We hit up Noodle Canteen again for Sunday lunch, it was a toss up between that and Dimitri's for souvlaki, but I needed something quick and that didn't tie up my hands as I was chatting with my family in the States. I had the Chili Beef this time, while J opted for the Sweet Box, both were delicious.

weekend wishlist: dotti

all from dotti

dotti is probably my favourite clothing store in new zealand. it's a little too pricey for me so i always hit up the sale racks. it's a little hit and miss, sometimes they have tonnes of things i want, other times they have nothing. this is one of the times where i want pretty much everything.

i could have made this a two part post with all the things I wanted, but whittled it down to my favourites. the leopard print blazer being at the top of my list with a star by it! A, my sister, and I are proper obsessed with leopard, so when we popped into the westfield dotti we were drooling over this jacket. it is so much better in person. neither of us could justify the $80 price tag, so i'll just wait until it goes on sale or ends up on trademe.

i need those shorts in my life! i have a similar pair i bought from cotton on, but they are a bit shorter and the colour is a toffee brown. i love them to bits. i'm not much of a shorts person, but i'm trying to expand my horizons. probably won't be in shorts until spring time though.

i'm quite shocked at my love for pussy bow tops. i swear i could have looked through my mamaw's (grandmother in southern speak!) closet and found 50 of the same type of shirts. i have seen quite a few that are too grandmotherly, but this one is simple and the colour is lush!

the rest are pretty basic, but i've been leaning towards basic/comfy clothes this winter. last winter you wouldn't see me out of a dress even when it was freezing, but as i mentioned in previous posts this winter is brutal. -4C at 8am this morning and we've yet to get past -1C. looking like another day of jeans, long sleeves, and a big coat.

what i wore: lazy days

VALLEY GIRL striped top; GLASSONS cardigan; THE WAREHOUSE second skin jeans; FACTORIE leopard flats; DIVA rings

J was rushing me this morning, wanting to get a full english down his neck as soon as, so i grabbed the most comfortable outfit i own. i could live in this shirt, honestly. it is so light and comfy. i actually bought it in this colour as well as orange stripes. really considering going back for the blue one. it has a very deep pocket on one side that you can't really see in the pics, but i think it's purely for decoration that functionality.

when i lived in the states i lived in jeans, only wore them if they were flared, and they had to be just the right shade of blue. when i moved to new zealand my style changed to incorporate dresses, something i NEVER wore in the states, to the point that everytime i went out i had one on. lately, however, with the temps not rising above 10C during the day and plummeting at night i've been relying heavily on jeans. all my flared jeans have been tucked away, waiting for me to like them again or to be dropped off at the charity shop, but the skinny jeans are out and on heavy rotation. these are second skin skinny jeans by garage from the warehouse, and they are just that. they aren't bulky denim and have a bit of stretch and are so so comfy. i wear these more often than the others just for the comfort factor.

i am a massive fan of leopard print, so when i saw these at factorie for $4.95 i snatched them up. tempted to go buy another pair for when i wear these out. i know they don't match anything, but i'm not a matchy-matchy kinda girl. i wear them with anything, even paired them with a wine and black print dress. i figure as long as i like what i'm wearing that's all that matters.

sorry about the face, i seem to go to sour puss mode when the camera is out.