Outfit of the Month - December

So I've been away for some time but have an outfit for the month of December. It's not really one outfit but rather one colour that is really popular at the moment.

Mustard seems to be popping up in all kinds of fashion. It's a nice warm, natural colour that suits most skin tones. I think when choosing products, you'll need to find the right depth and brightness of the colour and match it towards your skin.

The colour has been circulating for some time in formal wear as pictured above, but I like it for us, here in Australia as we lead into summer.

The outfit that caught my eye is worn by Jennifer Lopez when she was in Peru recently.

I think what striked my interest is the natural beige colour heels that helps compliment this outfit - and also the fact she has killer legs! :)

Please find below my attempt at providing some reasonably prices mustard fashion items that may interest you.

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The Dress

Motel Laureen Dress with Sheer Panel

Found this dress at Asos. It comes In Mustard and Wine. It's simple but let's you have the option to wear black accessories with the outfit. I would not recommend wearing a belt with this. Black heels or ankle boots will be enough for this outfit. I can see a choker being worn with this and a clutch. I think the black helps break up the colour and helps against all skin tones as black clothing suits everyone! This dress costs approximately AU$34.95.

Pheobe V Back Shift Dress

I like this dress because it can be worn both casually or in the evening. I like the pattern of how the fabric comes together. It's quite short, so I wouldn't wear it if you aren't happy with the way your legs look. Pumps work best with this dress - I can't see this with any strappy heel. With this dress, I think simplifying the jewellery will help because of the design of the dress - No necklace though bracelets would be fine. I found this at Boohoo and costs approximately AU$24. There are so many sale items on this website with up to 50% off original prices. Everything is listed in British pounds.

Mustard bow shift dress

I think petite and cute when I see this dress. The mid white trimmings acts as a belt. This dress is good to accessorize with white shoes and I believe you could pull off pearls with this outfit also. I can also see a drop necklace with this dress but no over-accessorizing needed. The dress is simple so therefore it should be toned down when choosing accessories. Found this dress at Dorothy Perkins at approximately AU$24. It's also a good site to find sale items with over 1000 items on Sale for up to 50% off.

Skater Belt Dress by Rare

Found this casual dress from Top Shop for approximately AU$50. I can see this worn with tights and ballet flats. Alternatively, it could work with brown boots whether knee high or ankle boots, but I can't envision it with heels - I think this mainly to the type and cut of the dress. It reminds me of the 50s for some reason and I can see a sun hat worn with this. Good thing about Top Shop is that there is free worldwide delivery with orders over £75.

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The Shoes

Promise Shoes - Lipa Mustard

I absolutely love the style of these shoes. My only problem is that I don't like wear really high heels because I am a clutz and most likely will fall down - it's like a regular occurence. This shoe is perfect for dressing up a casual outfit or complimenting evening wear. Found this at heels.com and costs US$52.99. Actually really like this website because of their extensive range and you can find some interesting designs for footwear.

No Cutting Corn-ers Heel

Modcloth sells this pair of shoes for US$42.99. Thought these were mega cute as they are girly and sweet! I think it's the bow that makes it special. This I can see worn with jeans or a nice summer dress. I also see baby doll tops and shorts worn with these shoes. I think these heels can pretty much go with any casual outfit because it's simple.

Ladies Platform High Heels

Found these shoes off Ebay from a store call Fashion hunt for AU$39.99. The store sells a lot of ankle boots and heels and thought this was a good idea to include a classic pump. I think these can be worn both casually and with evening wear. If you're not into platforms probably best to stay away. They look comfortable as well.

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Accessories

Miss Loretta - Mustard Yellow Flower Headband

Found this cute find on Etsy from a Shop Sunshine and Carousels. Love this shop because everything is handmade and you can find some cute hair accessories from this shop. This headband costs US$20 but when you think about the time and effort placed into making it, the prices on Etsy don't seem that bad. They are other stores that sell cool accessories with some mustard items include, Bip And Bop, Hayeslnutt Designs, and Bigg Creations. I suggested these stores because of their hair accessories and earrings. There are plenty of stores out there but these stores had some interesting designs.

Evans Accessories

Found these real cheap accessories from Evans. It is actually a plus size store for women from the UK but they also sell accessories for really cheap. the earring listed above only cost £2.00 which is approximately AU$3.00. They do ship internationally and most of their accessories are on sale. I think the most expensive accessory I saw was £18.00 which is about AU$27. Thought this was a really good site plus you can check out the clthing if you are plus size too!

Ebags Mustard Handbags

Every bag I found on this website was on sale or highly discounted. The mustard bags I found above ranged from US$22.40-$39.20. There is a vast range in all colours imaginable and you can also find designer brands on this website. It lists on the website free shipping over $99 but not sure if this includes internationally. I personally like the clutch in the middle because you can match it with the first dress I listed.

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If mustard doesn't really interest you, then stay tuned for next month as I will have new outfit/colour to work with. Hope you enjoyed this read and hope it gave you a different stance on the colour. I think it's a nice neutral toned colour that suits everyone! I should be blogging more in the upcoming weeks but had a rest over the Christmas break. Keep safe and Happy New Year!

~~**0o0 Lush LiLi 0o0**~~

Coolest Find of the Month - December

Sally Hansen Salon Effects

Thought this was an awesome find because it's convenient for any girls wanting to glam up their finger nails.

The common misconception with this product, is that people assume it is nail stickers. They are actually nail polish strips. Yes, this means they are made out of real nail polish.

The range offers 24 different designs and lasts up to 10 days. It also can be removed with regular nail polish remover.

You could probably match this nail polish with some Violent Lips from my previous post Coolest Find of the Month from November.

The cost of this product is approximately AU$14.95 or on sale at $11.95. You can buy these strips at your local beauty stores such as Priceline or retail stores such as Target or KMart. Alternatively, there are online websites such as BeautyHeaven or Ebay that do sell it.

The reviews I have read swear by this product! It's an easy application and take approximately 10 minutes.

You can purchase this yourself or buy it for someone who appreciated nail products. It's a guaranteed way to avoid chipping!

~~**0o0 Lush LiLi 0o0**~~

Have your Make-up and Eat it Too!!

Does anyone remember the Dessert Treats beauty range Jessica Simpson came out with? I managed to find some of her range lingering on Ebay and this sent me on a hunt to find more edible make-up. Let me know what you think of these finds or feel free to leave some suggestions of edible products on the market today.

DeVine Lip Shimmers

These are wine flavoured lip glosses. The flavours come in Rose, Merlot, Vanilla Spritzer, Bordeaux and Champagne. Rather than getting tipsy, you have this unique option to wear your wine! I think it's a good idea if you have the craving for the taste but don't want to down an alcoholic beverage. It costs US$5.99 for a two-pack

Urban Decay Sparkling Lickable Body Powder

This product is great because it's a shimmery powder that you can dust over your body. The flavours are honey, marshmallow and cocoa and though you can glow and look sparkly, you can also have someone kiss or lick the powder away. Good selling point to someone you are interested in ;) This costs US$29 on Urban Decay's website.

Lush Lip Scrub

Lush offer a vegan range of lip balms and lip scrubs. This lip scrub helps to exfoliate your lips but it is also edible because it's made of castor sugar. They offer a few different flavours and what I have listed is bubblegum. The lip scrub will also keep your lips smooth and if you need a little sugar fix, this is perfect! It costs AU$9.95 directly off their website.

Green Dragon Herbals Flavoured Perfumes

I know the picture isn't very enticing, but Green Dragon Herbals offers edible massage lotions, body powders and now flavoured perfumes. At the moment, they only offer a Vanilla Caramel and a Chocolate perfume for US$11.95. Green Herbal create natural products and ensure freshness in all their products. You will smell yummy and be edible by wearing these perfumes. Can totally have fun with it!

Eco Lips Pure & Simple Lip Care

Eco Lips creates lip care products made from organic materials. You wouldn't be able to find their products in store and the Pure and Simple range are 100% edible. The flavours offered are Grape, Kiwi-Strawberry and Coconut. They market for vegans also and promote that organic products are better for the environment. The cost of each lip balm US$1.99 each and the products used are natural.

Tootsie Roll / Junior Mint Double Sided Lip Gloss

I found this randomly on candy.com but it does say it is not edible. I thought I would mention it because it takes 2 American candy treats and infuses it into the lip gloss. I figure the flavour of the lip gloss would be close to actually eating the treats. This was listed as gifts under $10.

Jessica Simpson's Dessert Treats

If you are interested in Jessica Simpson's dessert treats, you can find the lotions and lip glosses on some make-up websites or Ebay. The pictures shown above cost about US$30-35 for the lotions. Amazon.com does sell the products also with the lip glosses starting from US$3.99. I can't remember if the lotions and lip glosses were edible but I remember the perfumes - Sweet Kisses being edible (if they still make them). Apparently this line was discontinued.

Jaqua Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Lip Whip

Jaqua has created a beauty range that is based on cake flavours. They sell lotions, body washes, body mist, body scrub, hand soap, lip gloss and body butter. The range sounds delicious and I think the fragrances would make you want to eat everything. I think the lip gloss is the only item that is edible and I have seen the items on Amazon.com for Caramel Cappuccino Lip whip and Mint Chocolate Lip Whip. The average price for this lip whip is US$14.

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Let me tell you, it's hard to find edible products that weren't of the exotic kind. The main items that are edible are lip glosses. Hope this gives you an idea to pizazz your beauty range and have fun with it too! :)

~~**0o0 Lush LiLi 0o0**~~

Top 5 Beauty Products I Can't Live Without.... (for now)

Thought I would share my beauty products that I use regularly. All the products are under AU$35 and they might interest you if you have never used the products before. Let me know what you think.

• Maybelline The Falsies - Black Drama

I know that many beauty companies come out with products that will extend your eye lashes and make them look fuller. I'm a big skeptic because you know the models are wearing fake eye lashes. With this product from Maybelline, I believe it actually does what it says it does. After I apply it, I do feel that my eye lashes look longer and fuller. Of course this is not to the extent of the models in the pictures but it does work. Definitely a product I recommend.

• benefit BADgal smoldering black eye pencil

I use this pencil as a eye liner for simple looks. If I am going to work or just a casual day out, I will use this to just line the top of my eye. I never use this for the waterline. This eye pencil does not smudge or run. I think it's supposed to be used to make bold, smoldering eyes and blended with eye shadow, but I think it's perfect as an eye liner! Plus it lasts for a long time :)

• Olay Moisturising Lotion

It is essential that everyone moisturise their face everyday. I use Olay sensitive as my skin can react to certain beauty products and it is always good to moisturise before applying make-up. My skin goes dry if I don't moisturize and I have grown up with this product from when my mum used it back in the day when it was called Oil of Ulan.

• Revlon Colorburst Lipstick - Soft Nude

I was never a big lipstick wearer, until I saw Kim Kardashian on Keeping up with the Kardashians wearing a nude lip gloss with black smouldering eyes. I was determined to find a nude lip gloss because I prefer lip gloss over lipstick. I looked around in many retail stores but couldn't find one so I decided to buy the Revlon soft nude lipstick and add clear lip gloss over it when I wanted. For some reason, when I think of the nude lipstick look, I think of Audrey Hepburn. I wear this lipstick with simple eyes, consisting of black eye liner and black mascara. If you do buy a nude lipstick, don't buy one that makes you look pale.

• The Body Shop - All in One Face Base

This compact is a foundation and powder in one. I use this every day for work as it's not too heavy and perfect for simple make-up. You can use it wet as well to apply as a foundation - I personally just use it for a light cover over my face. It's perfect for when you need to apply a quick make-up job and head out. The colours the Body Shop offer are light in shade so I wouldn't recommend it for people with dark complexions. You also get the confirmation that the products are not tested on animals - which is always a win!

So there you have it! I keep most of these items in my handbag at all times because you never know when you need to touch up! These are just the basic beauty products I think that most girls should have and are affordable too!

Until next time.....

~~**0o0 Lush LiLi 0o0**~~

Suiting up for Summer

With  summer approaching (because I live in Australia), I thought I would do some research into shopping for swimsuits.

It has proven to be a difficult task, because I wanted to find swimwear under AU$100 as most branded labels you would pay a good AU$120-$200.I'm all about the bargains, so I had to push my hunting a little bit harder.

As soon as I see a tacky looking site, I stay away from it. Don't get me wrong, they might sell good quality products, but I have the mindset of - If your website looks low quality, your products are probably tacky. I also stay away from non-user friendly sites - the ones where navigating through the site is so confusing that you waste your time on it.

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So here is my attempt at finding ladies & mens swimwear for under $100. Please note there are so many designers out there that I wanted to provide the cheapest sellers. The mens swimwear is towards the bottom of the list.

SwimWear Place I thought provided a good range of swimwear and categorized the range well. The have a clearance section on their website, but most of their normal priced swimsuits were just as cheap. They have cute, sexy, funky and sensible swimwear and caters for all different sizes.

Milanoo is probably the cheapest website I could find with the lowest price bikini at about AU$6.00. I personally liked the swim dresses and skirted swim suits because they look cute and fun. I also believe this site might be selling at wholesalers prices because it's direct from China. It is  similiar to this Ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com.au/Bestlingerielineau because it's shipped from Hong Kong.

Amiclubwear is totally cute and sexy. Not sure how I stumbled onto this website but it's not for those who would feel self-conscious in what their wearing. You definitely need to have the confidence to wear these bikinis.

Sheridyn | Fisher Swimwear I found was reasonably priced and they have 2 sections on the website. One section includes the fun, fashionable swimwear and then you've got the Very Vixen Cheeky range which includes Brazilian and thong bikinis.

Swimsuitsforall is perfect for anyone in any size. I like this website because the cater for small and large women. You can use a coupon code Best123 to get 30% off the 2011 Best Swimwear. Some of these swimsuits may not suit peoples' taste as it is more sensible swimwear and covers up most of the body.

Hapari doesn't have many items on display, but all their swimwear is on sale. I get the feeling of Hawaii from this website, because of the floral patterns on most of the swimwear.

Zodee has a cheap clearance section. Most are separates but generally you can find the matching top to bottom. You can find a full set for under AU$20 if you scan from lowest to highest in price.

InstyleSwimwear offers some cheap options in their clearance section with discounts up to 80% off. They do offer a good range of fashionable swimwear on sale with mainly bikinis on sale rather than one pieces.

The Orchid Boutique also has a good clearance section. Some of the items might not be within your budget. They include more designer labels on their website but I still managed to find some reasonably priced swimwear on this website. Most of these items are more fashionable.

Pallas Swimwear is more funky and playful swimwear. They, don't directly sell from their website but do list stockists that you can buy from online. I like the bright colours this designer uses and for some reason I think of clubbin' wear when I look at their swimwear.

Funky Direct uses bright colours and patterns for all their swimwear. They are a little bizarre but as their title suggests, they are funky. The men's trunks make me laugh because I just couldn't imagine anyone I know wearing them.

Swimoutlet as the title suggests is an outlet store for both men and womens swimwear as well as accessories. You can choose what kind of swim wear you want eg/ fashion, competition swimwear and it caters for designer brands at low costs.

International Jock does provide general meanswear but has the swimwear section also. They include mankinis, board shorts, trunks , shorts and briefs. Their sale items are mixed in with their full priced items, so it's good for comparison. I couldn't see any of my friends wearing the bikinis for men but you never know what might tickle your fancy.

Nuwear cater mainly for briefs and trunks. The lowest range in price is $10-$20. They do not have many items in the board shorts range so I would stay away from this site, if you are not a trunks or brief wearing man.

Dogfunk has a good sale section for men's boardshorts. These are all brand labels at discounted prices. From simple plain colour shorts to patterned, fashionable board shorts, this website will cater for less exposed and surfer type of dude.

Tactics also cater for brand label men's boardshorts. They mix in the sale items with the full priced items. Similar to Dogfunk in the range on offer.

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The sites listed are able to do international shipping and these are just a few of what I could find. There is always Ebay to search in but I found these websites offered lower prices. And, like most websites, the more you spend, the higher in probability they offer cheaper options for shipping.

~~**0o0 Lush LiLi 0o0**~~