Blanc et Rose

For some reason, my mind has been quite the mess as of late. 

It was very challenging trying to pick out an outfit for this location - none of them really sat quite right with my inner fashion critic. All the pieces I put together looked a tad gauche when matched with the high ceilings and slate coloured shutters. To my surprise, it was in one of the most unexpected places from which I drew inspiration and assembled this getup, ironically, in a matter of minutes - my mom. I usually never borrow anything from her; her style is markedly different than mine. I know not what possessed me to decide to have a look in her closet, but it was in those two minutes that my outfit woes came to a sudden close.

If you're a seasoned reader, first of all, thank you. Second of all, you'll know that there was a point back in time where I completely refused to be dressed in any form of all white, nude toned outfit - much less a midi skirt, the horror. As such, this colour palette of white, blush tones, and just a splash of black is probably the antithesis of my style circa 2012.

Not only was this outfit hard to put together, writing for it was also ridiculously hard for some reason. Believe it or not. I've spent the last two weeks, dusting out the far corners of my rather fried brain, frantically trying to wring out any last dredges of literary inspiration. It has been drafted, re-drafted, scrapped, rewritten more times than I can remember. A couple nights ago I went out on a last minute meeting with a long-time friend, which I was actually planning on postponing due to other commitments, but ended up not doing so. Said friend and I don't talk much, save for our meetings which are few and far between. But as we got talking, the conversation of the night was what got my creative juices flowing. And here I am the next day, words bursting out of me faster than I can type, and too much than appropriate for one blogpost. 

So what exactly, is the point of me rambling on about how this post came to be, you ask? I can hear the thought bubbles hovering above your heads: " I honestly can't be bothered about how you put this together, much less how you had a writers block and dumbly resolved it by engaging in social interaction. I just kind of want to laugh at what derp faces you have for me in this post. "

My point is this: Serendipity happens. Those of you who know me in real life will know I'm a right cynic about the way the world works and the way in which good things come into fruition. But the past month has just been filled with constant reminders that little good things will come to you, even if you don't think they will. Like finding the fifty dollars I thought I lost while very reluctantly cleaning my room, or meeting an amazing person at an event I was rather dismissive of and only decided to go to five minutes before my dad left for it. To loosely quote Mitch Albom - miracles happen quietly every day. 

SHOPMYCLOSET 

White Crochet Midi Skirt similar here | White Chiffon Crop Top; Vintage | MiuMiu bowler bag

Monochrome Heeled Sandals similar here | NARS Sheer Lipstick in Dolce Vita | MUFE Aqua Lip Liner in 03C

Photos by the talented Randy Tan of Lovelens. Find them on Instagram and Facebook! 

UNICORN LOVE, 

- R 

Banking On The Basics

I'll be frank with you, I am thoroughly not an early 'LET'S GET EVERYTHING DONE' morning kind of person. Say hello to your next-door night owl whose optimal functioning hours start from midnight and onward. As such, the waking demands of  a typical nine-to-six job don't sit very well with my notorious nocturnal tendencies, which have resulted in many a day of oversnoozing and blatantly sleeping through alarms. You can imagine how that would put my morning routine into absolute chaos. I am all too familiar with trying to wash my face and brush my teeth at the same time, having an eyelash curler in my right hand and trying to apply blush with the left (which did end badly), or precariously hopping around on one foot as I try to simultaneously gather my things and put on some socks.  I mean, there's no one there to witness my morning mishaps, thank god, but I'm sure they look pretty funny. 

As I more or less embrace the ups and downs of working life, I also find my wardrobe transitioning more into the muted hues of whites, blacks and the occasional pastel, just because a whole wardrobe of basics is so much easier to match when you have the, for me, maybe not-so, occasional morning mishap. This post documents the essence of my go-to basic pieces whenever I'm in a time crunch and can trust will match, no matter which pieces my hands touch first.

Gents, you have it easy - slip on any office dress code appropriate shirt and pants and you're pretty much ready to go. I'm not too sure if anyone would notice if you wore the same white shirt three days in a row, though if you start to smell, I'm quite sure I would. And no, copious amounts of deodorant is most definitely not a shower replacement. 

So to all the ladies, here's my take on the closet basics that you need to invest in: A pair of nude heels, a fun coloured minimalist bag, a shift dress that is work appropriate or can be glam-ed up for a night out after, and since I've never been one to be frugal with the sparkles - a versatile statement necklace. 

So everyone, pray tell, what are the basics you can't live without? I mean, besides coffee, of course. 

SHOP MY CLOSET

Girls On Film Shift Dress | ASOS Nude Heels  | Bimba and Lola Crossbody Bag

Indiesin Statement Necklace | NARS Sheer Lipstick in Dolce Vita | MUFE Aqua Lip Liner in 03C

Photography by the talented Randy Tan - Also on Instagram and Facebook

UNICORN LOVE, 

- R 

Review: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I'm really late in catching on to this craze, but I've finally gotten my hands on my new baby which was flown in by a friend of a friend from the US. I'm not sure where you can get this in Melbourne - most probably online- but if you're lucky enough to live in a place where a Sephora store has popped up, you can get it from there!

I'm not sure if I can say anything about this palette that hasn't been said already, given the immense hype about it. But for what it amounts, I can assure you that it is worth every cent of the rather hefty price you pay. The large range of colours you get is just perfect if you're a neutrals freak like I am. 

It comes in  a sleek metal casing, a much better upgrade from the original Naked palette which comes in a sort of paper-based case and a magnetic closure. 

I'd say I picked the Naked 2 palette because it has a balance of both warm and cool shades that can be used in combination with other colours to create either brighter or smokier looks. UD included a true black in this palette and although Creep in the Naked 1 came close, it has glitter in it and cant be used to create that matte smoky eye I've always wanted to try. I desperately wanted the original naked palette too, but this one wins for it's versatility. 

I only swiped the colours once on my arm with no blending out, so you can see how even the pigment glides on - no worries about blotchiness!Although a word of caution with regards to blackout, it was the only one that seemed like it needed more blending than the rest. They go on pretty opaque, but the intensity of each colour is extremely buildable. My favourite colours are half-baked, chopper and pistol!

Well, if you're on a budget and your pocket does not allow for the hefty price tag, NOT TO WORRY. A dupe for this palette comes in the form of MUA's Undress Me Too palette, which in my opinion, comes pretty damn close. It's of good quality and is very affordable.  Please don't ask me why I didn't get this one instead - sometimes I don't like to face these unreasonable, self-gratifying descisions I make.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM! :) 

What do you think??

UNICORN LOVE, 
- R