{ STYLE } Sweet Lilac

It seriously has been way too long since I did an ootd post! I was thrilled when my package from Front Row Shop arrived. I got to choose some items from their store which included this light-weight flowy lavender top. It's completely sheer at the back and semi-sheer at the front. The material and colour is absolutely perfect for this summery hot weather in Australia at the moment. The top has a high-low cut, great to wear with some leggings or for today, I had the front of the top tucked into this grey skirt, also from Front Row Shop. I'm loving the asymmetrical-esque feel of the skirt and the zippers on the sides can actually be used as pockets! Cute design and functional! I will have the direct links of the items I'm wearing below so keep on scrolling :)

Lilac top c/o Front Row Shop | Grey mini-skirt c/o Front Row Shop | Necklace from TOBI | Bracelets either from Lovisa and/or Colette | Heels from New Look 

If you register with Front Row Shop you'll get a $10 discount off your purchase plus since it's the holidays, they currently have 30% off all items storewide (exluding accessories and shoes) when you enter the discount code 'HOLIDAY30'. Massive discounts :O I'm not sure how long the discount will be valid for so you may want to do your shopping asap :D FYI, I do not make any commissions etc. from you guys using the code, I'm just reading this from their website!

This will probably be the last post (maybe?) from me for the year since I'll be off to Jakarta for holidays in a few days time!

Happy holidays guyyyyys! <3

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: The Front Row Shop item was gifted to me and selected by me. *

{ STYLE } My Kingdom

If you don't already know, I love my statement necklaces. Just a simple, casual and plain looking outfit can be instantly transformed into something a bit more dressy and suited to more formal events. Formal occassions or not, you would probably catch me wearing bold jewellery pieces on most days of the week.

I picked out this 'Kingdom' necklace from Vanity Box (an Australian-based fashion and cosmetics online store)- I personally prefer statement necklaces with shorter chains, in that it would sit on my upper chest although I could not pass up on this one! I was immediately drawn to its bold design, especially the glamorous-looking pendant, the earthy colour scheme and the vintage-esque feel.

The necklace feels like it's really well-made, sturdy and it's not too lightweight. The only frustration I have with this necklace is that it can get tangled really easily, obviously with the many chains and layers incorporated into the design- so appropriate storage is a must!

Vanity Box is selling this gorgeous item on their website for $18.80AUD. Amazing! Doesn't this piece look a lot more expensive?! Super satisfied :D

Visit Vanity Box here for more gorgeous items, including a variety of Asian-brand cosmetics, fashion apparel and accessories!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: The 'Kingdom' necklace was gifted to me by the team at Vanity Box. *

{ Review + Swatches } Maybelline : Color Sensational Moisture Extreme Lipcolor

Whilst on my most recent vacay to Jakarta, I decided to go to the drugstore to see what makeup brands and products they had in store. I ended up purchasing quite a few items from the Maybelline stand, some of the products being these lipsticks which were super super inexpensive!! Each lipstick costed around $4AUD which is unheard of here in Australia! Maybelline lipsticks in Australia retails for around $15-17 :(

I've actually never even seen this particular line of 'Moisture Extreme' Maybelline lipsticks in Australia nor have I really heard anyone talk about it online. I'm guessing this may be an Asia exclusive line or just not very popular. If you guys have these lipsticks in your country, please let me know and thanks in advance : ) Unfortunately there weren't a great variety of shades to choose from or any that were my absolute favourites such as my nudes and pinky-mauves although I did pick up a couple to try out.

 L-R: Summer Sunset, Loving Red, Bonbon Pink, Angel Rose

Like the name suggests, these lipsticks are extremely moisturising and apply like a dream. My favourites would have to be the reds, Summer Sunset and Loving Red. Bright pinks and corals don't really suit me and these seem to appear alot brighter and darker on my lips, plus I don't like shimmers in my lipsticks hence Bonbon Pink was a super fail for me.

Shade descriptions:

• Summer Sunset: Dark burgundy red (cream) - wore this in one of my Instagram (laurasooji) pictures!
• Loving Red: Cherry red, brighter than Summer Sunset (cream)
• Bonbon Pink: Bright medium pink (shimmer)
• Angel Rose: Pink-coral (cream) 

L-R: Summer Sunset, Loving Red, Bonbon Pink, Angel Rose

Pros:

• Very inexpensive and affordable 
• Moisturising and applies smoothly 
• Pigmented colours
• Long lasting, especially the reds (I haven't worn Bonbon Pink or Angel Rose out yet so I'm not sure about its longevity. Reds are generally long lasting anyway)  
• Packaging looks sleek with a matte finish

Cons:

• Not a great variety of shades to choose from
• Not widely available (in my experience anyway)

So have you guys ever come across this line of Maybelline lipsticks in stores and if so whereabouts?

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Maybelline. This review is 100% my honest opinion with items mentioned purchased with my own money. *

{ YUM! } Brunch at The Imp Café

A delicious brunch on a beautiful sunny day with the bff- one of my absolute fave things to do! We decided to go and try The Imp for the first time and it's such a nice little cozy restaurant! We both ordered food from the breakfast menu- bff ordered the Big Brekkie and I ordered the Big Veggie Brekkie. We were surprised by the generosity of food on the plate when it arrived on our table!

My Big Veggie Brekkie was super yummy and soo filling I couldn't finish it all :( The poached eggs were cooked perfectly and their home-made hashbrowns were so tasty- fluffy potato mash in the centre and a crispy outer coating YUM! I was so excited with the mountain of wild mushrooms on my plate- lovee mushrooms but just wished there was a tad bit more seasoning. The beans tasted surprisingly good and I say surprising because I don't particularly like beans- the spices used in the sauce made it really flavoursome. Spinach was alright, pretty normal and cooked well. The sourdough bread was fresh although I wanted a bit more crunch from it.

Diggin' in.

My cute pot of English Breakfast!- even teapots like to keep nice and warm : )

Love her!

Service was really good too- bff wanted to swap her beans with mushrooms and there were no problems or extra charge with that. Friendly staff and relatively quick service. Both our dishes costed $20 each which I was pleased to pay especially with the huge portion and excellent quality of food we got.

Food: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Price: 4/5

If you guys live in Perth, definitely check out this place! I definitely want to return to try their dinner tapas!

The Imp Café is located at:

863 Albany Hwy

East Vic Park

Have a lovely weekend!

xo Laura

{ Review + Swatches } Revlon Lip Butters

The Revlon Lip Butters have arrived on Australian soil! After months and months of beauty bloggers raving about this product, I was starting to wonder if the Lip Butters were even going to be released in Australia! I contacted a Revlon rep and was told they were going to release it in April 2012. I went to my local drugstores a couple of times in early April but walked out disappointed that they had not stocked them *impatience* LOL.

Couple of days ago my friend messaged me saying she had bought some lip butters which of course I was really excited about. I finally had the time recently to hunt them down! I went to 2 Priceline stores to find 'Strawberry Shortcake' which was the one I really wanted.

I ended up purchasing 4......... =.= (so much for trying not to spend).

An individual Lip Butter costs $21.95. What a freakin rip. I believe it's around $7 in the States...? The good news was that Priceline was having a sale! *throws confetti* BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! YEAHH! *limited time only- I think till Thursday*. So I only paid around $10 for each Lip Butter. I had to take advantage of this sale!

These Lip Butters contain mango, shea and coconut butter and claims to "boost lip moisture by 156%". (they don't smell like mango :( )

PHOTOS FOR YOU : )

L-R: 065 Creamsicle, 095 Creme Brulee, 080 Strawberry Shortcake, 010 Raspberry Pie

Top Left: Creamsicle, Top Right: Creme Brulee

Bottom Left: Strawberry Shortcake, Bottom Right: Raspberry Pie

**UPDATED** Adding 070 Cherry Tart to my collection that was given to me by my bf's lovely sister! thankyouu ^.^

Colour Descriptions:

Creamsicle: Pale creamy nude

Creme Brulee: Nude with a brown undertone

Strawberry Shortcake: Cute bright baby pink

Raspberry Pie: Raspberry deep red (deeper raspberry-red colour in real life than in lip swatch)
Cherry Tart: Sheer juicy red with microglitters although not glittery on the lips (lip swatch above makes it look more orange than it actually is)

The colours are all pretty sheer but buildable although Raspberry Pie is pretty pigmented on first swipe. They apply smoothly although I recommend that you still moisturise your dry lips before application. It gives a nice healthy shine to the lips without it being too over-glossy and they are indeed hydrating and moisturising!

Creamsicle, Creme Brulee and Strawberry Shortcake are all pretty wearable. I LOVE my nudes and pinks! Cherry Tart builds up to such a pigmented true red colour. I surprisingly really like Raspberry Pie. It's such a beautiful bold colour and long lasting. If you lightly dab a tissue over Raspberry Pie it makes such a gorgeous matte raspberry red colour on your lips, like you've just stepped out from the snow! <3

Pros:

• hydrating and moisturising
• buildable colour
• pigmented
• smooth application
• pretty packaging

Cons:

• packaging is cheap- I feel like if I dropped it, the plastic cover would break :(
• another packaging con- the silver lipstick bullet is not sturdy. If you hold the base of the lippy and move the silver case, it moves back and forth slightly. It moves back and forth when you apply the Lip Butter. Grr.
• original retail price is EXPENSIVE!! Nearly or as much as Revlon's Super Lustrous and Colorburst Lipsticks
• because it's so buttery and soft it can tend to melt and misshapen in the tube

I really don't want to be spending any more money but I have my eye on Lollipop and Sweet Tart ;)

What are your thoughts on Revlon Lip Butters? Overrated or do they live up to the hype?

xo Laura