Thursday 28 July 2016

Milkshake Magic with Miss Fortune UK


I feel like the art of milkshake aesthetics had really disappeared somewhat in the early 2000’s. You look at old photos of girls in diners with beautifully crafted milkshakes, colours flecking the sides, a mound of cream on top with sometimes hundreds and thousands and often a cherry. In my teens, ordering a milkshake often meant getting it still in the metal mixing cup or in the most depressing paper cups ever. But I am wholeheartedly loving the resurgence of the retro diner in Australia which is bringing back rocking milkshakes, cute décor and 50’s feels. It was in one such diner I decided to show off the gorgeous Kasual Kate shirt in gingham from Miss Fortune UK.

Scarf ~ Baby blue Scarf from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Retro hoops in blue from luxulite
Beads ~ Baby blue necklace and bracelet from Debstar Designs
Brooch ~ Sundae brooch from Deer Arrow
Top ~ Kasual Kate Blouse in Gingham from Miss Fortune UK
Skirt ~ Charlotte Circle skirt in pink with box pleats from Mary Annes Boutique
Shoes ~ White Sandals by I love Billy
Miss Fortune UK is a brand I’ve featured bit on my blog this past month. The brainchild of Miss Laura, their bright retro pieces that are versatile, comfortable and above all fun are great additions for any retro girl who wants pieces they can wear different ways for create different looks. The Kasual Kate top is no exception! Since shooting for this review I’ve worn it with my Freddies jeans and loved it. It can be worn so many different ways and being pastels it’s a piece I know I’ll get a lot of wear out of!


The Kasual Kate top is a similar style to a bowling shirt. It’s got bigger sleeve openings for a comfortable fit, a white collar which contrasts beautifully against the pastel hues in the gingham and its long enough to tuck into a skirt, shorts or jeans. One feature I did love about this top is its press stud buttons make the possibilities for its wear endless  (I’m foreseeing a beach trip in my summer future!) and incredibly easy to wear, especially on those mornings when your brain hasn’t quite caught up yet and you find yourself fumbling with buttons at 7am.


The Kasual Kate blouse is designed to be worn loose and as a result the measurements are quite generous. I’m wearing the size medium which fits me perfectly. I also love that due to the loose fit of the top I can wear it with or without foundations, having worn it both with just a bullet bra as well as a corset as well. It’s fun, flattering and comfortable. Being 100% cotton too it lets your skin breath, which is a feature I love as a person with sensitive skin. It will also mean it is a good option for ladies who live in warmer climates who need their clothes to be breathable!


As a pastel lover, I do truly adore this colour way of the Kasual Kate top. There is so much I can already accessorise and match this top with in my wardrobe (totally looking forward to teaming it with my capris!) and pink and blue and my favourite pastels to work with. For this shoot I teamed it with my Mary Anne’s Boutique hot pink circle skirt! It gives the top such a 1950’s vibe that went perfectly with the pastel hues of the Daisy’s Milk Bar, where I shot for this review! I honestly cannot recommend this top enough! 


Even better though, if gingham isn’t your thing this top comes in 3 other patterns! It’s also available in a retro bowling print, cherry print and a mid-century pattern. All with the same great features, these other prints are great options for ladies who aren’t pink fans. I’m personally also loving the mid century print. I love earthy tones almost as much as I love pastels and the fabric used truly is gorgeous.


 The Kasual Kate shirt is yours for just $68.50AUD + postage, depending on the exchange rate on the day. They also offer worldwide shipping so all my readers outside of Australia can snap themselves one of these gorgeous tops too!

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s review! You can find Miss Fortune in the following places as well:


I’ve loved being able to collaborate with Miss Fortune UK and bring you some fun retro looks from their range! I hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you all!

Til next time darlings!


 Disclaimer: Whilst I received this top as part of a collaboration with Miss Fortune Uk,  all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Wednesday 27 July 2016

Disney Quirks with the Ambrosia Bowl


When you think of a Disney princess, you think of a Disney villain. There’s no way you can really separate the two. For every amazing Disney princess, there is an equally awesome dark character to be their power balance in the movie. One thing I’ve always loved about Disney is the villains. Incredibly stylish and sassy, these badies tend to have catchy songs and super stylised looks. I may have come to the Little Mermaid party late, seeing it for the first time when I was in my late teens, but Ursula has always been a stand out villain for me! So I was super excited when the Ambrosia Bowl contacted me about a little collaboration and I saw Ursula was part of her collection.


Ursula for me is the queen of sass! The way she shakes those hips, the rather…adult advice she gives Ariel on how to win her man when she can’t talk. And who doesn’t love eels for pets! I’ve always wanted one day to own a Moray Eel; I find them to be so quirky and beautiful. Despite coming from Europe, my brooch arrived a lot quicker than I expected, all wrapped in a pretty patterned bag with a lovely little note and a yummy tea bag!


The Ursula Brooch is lasercut onto wood and hand painted by Erin, the owner and creator of The Ambrosia Bowl. She is seen in one of her sassiest ever poses, looking over her shoulder at one of her eels with a tag line of ‘On the whole I’ve been a Saint’, which is one of the lyrics from her song ‘Pour Unfortunate Souls’. Ever notice how Disney gave all the sassy villains the best theme songs?


The Ursula brooch is $30AUD + postage, which is around $4.50. She ships worldwide too (prices varying depending on country and exchange rate) so anyone can enjoy a bit of quirky Disney in their lives. She also has some other fun brooches from Mulan, Aladdin and Alice in wonderland. I love her choice of quirkier and fun poses for the brooches outside of the more traditional ‘look pretty’ poses most places offer too.


You can find the Ambrosia Bowl in the following places!:

Etsy Store

If you're after quirky, fun Disney inspired brooches give the Ambrosia Bowl a go! 

Til next time darlings


 Disclaimer: Whilst I received this brooch as part of a collaboration with The Ambrosia Bowl,  all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Tuesday 26 July 2016

Winter hues of blue ~ The Magic Thread Cardigans


Its funny how things we once laughed at the idea of wearing can become such a wardrobes staple. For example I detested cardigans in my late teens/early twenties. I thought they were for grandmas (back when I thought looking like a grandma was a bad thing lol) and I avoided them as if they had some sort of disease I may catch. Fast forward to age 26 and I basically exclusively wear cardigans, with the exception of a few pull over and fluffy jumpers, I wear cardigans almost every day (the warm Australian summers being the exception). I originally started off just wearing cheaper kmart cardigans, but in the last 12 months as I’ve chased a more polished look I’ve started to invest in better quality cardigans to compliment my outfits and TheMagic Thread Cardigan definitely falls into this category.

Flowers ~ Blue roses from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Necklace ~ White beads from Debstar Designs
Cardigan ~ Miss Susan Cardigan from The Magic Thread Cardigans
Dress ~ True vintage 1940's day dress from Word from the Bird
Shoes ~ Lacey heels from Royal Vintage Shoes


The Magic Thread Cardigans is the brainchild of Aussie gal Diana, who has spent the past 5 years working on her brand which peaked this month with the official launch of her very own store! I truly adore the philosophy she has about cardigans: I like to think that each cardigan comes with its own story, and each time it's merged with old into the new and is loved by a new owner, new stories are added to the history of the cardigans”. The whole basis of Magic Thread is to revamp, revive and give a new lease of life to cardigans that start off as quite plain and creating stunning, feminine beautiful pieces that are unique. As a fellow crafter I love this approach to giving something previously plain new life and I was excited to receive my Miss Susan cardigan in the post!

My Miss Susan cardigan arrived in a prompt fashion, beautifully wrapped in brown paper. The attention to detail of the presentation was perfect! From the note to the tags, not a single aspect of the packaging was overlooked. I unwrapped it excitedly to find the most beautiful soft blue cardigan inside. I’ve become quite attached to pastels since going blonde and blue still is one of my absolute favourite colours. The Miss Susan is one of my first cropped cardigans; this gorgeous piece features a beautiful vintage flower sewn onto the front with square white buttons. I loved it instantly.
 

I instantly loved the simple elegance of this cardigan. The square white buttons are statement enough without being overpowering. The Floral motif is such a beautiful antique looking flower and the blues are matched so so perfectly. The first day I wore this cardigan I paired it with a pastel check shirt for Pokémon go adventures with a friend (yes I play Pokémon Go. I still own my Pokémon Stadium game on my Nintendo 64 lol) and found that it was incredibly comfortable to wear despite all the walking around. I also like that it’s not too tight, especially on the arms. I’ve worn it twice now and both wears its not only kept me warm but its been comfortable.


As someone who already has a LARGE collection of pastel colours in my wardrobe, I’ve found it very easy to mix and match things with this cardigan. The simplicity of the embellishments also means it’s versatile. I’ve got some incredible outfits I simply cannot WAIT to wear this with other things in my wardrobe. For this blog post I decided to show its softer styling by matching it with my pastel pink true vintage day dress. I loved playing the blue into the accessories and the white and when the weather is just a teeny bit warmer this is an outfit I’ll definitely be busting out!

The Magic Thread Cardigan has a range of limited edition cardigans in their new store, which give a unique touch to any outfit! She has a range of different cardigans at varying prices and she offers free domestic shipping on orders of $60AUD and free international shipping on orders over $100AUD.

You can find her in the following place!

Now that I’ve found her store you can be sure I’ll be adding more cardigans to my collection as I’m such a sucker for statement pieces and hers truly are gorgeous.

Til next time darlings!

 Disclaimer: Whilst I received this cardigan as part of a sponsorship with The Magical Thread Cardigans,  all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Monday 25 July 2016

Weekly outfits and overview!

Hello darlings!

Another week has seemingly FLOWN by and after a busy weekend I'm feeling a tad worn out today! But I had such an incredible weekend! I have my first shoot day for my photography Dolly Dee and I've finally started on my Mermaid plans! But Sunday is my 'domestic goddess' day and after a day of cleaning and sorting I'm feeling a little tired.

But last week was an awesome week on the blog! I reviewed the absolutely ADORABLE polly blouse from Miss Fortune UK, I took a look at the stunning jewellery from Tika's Treasure and the beautiful floral prints of Karina Dresses!

Also if you keep reading, I've teamed up with Karina Dresses to bring you a giveaway for your chance to win a Karina Dress of your own!

Monday
Flowers ~ White Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Beads ~ White necklace from Debstar Designs
Dress ~ Megan dress from Karina Dresses
Belt ~ Velvet Belt from Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes ~ Matrix Two Tone Oxfords from Royal Vintage Shoes (review coming soon)

Tuesday
Scarf ~ White Nylon Scarf from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Beads ~ White beads from Debstar Desgins
Dress ~ Lindy Bop Audrey Dress in Gingham (discontinued)
Belt ~ Hell bunny from Gwynnies
Shoes ~ Lorriane heels in red from Royal Vintage Shoes

Wednesday
Scarf & Snood ~ Navy nylon scarf and blue snood from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Byrona earrings in blue from Revere Folie
Brooch ~ Ducks and Drakes brooch from Deer Arrow
Top ~ Robin top in red by Collectif from Gwynnies
Skirt ~ Mia Skirt in blue gingham by Collectif from Gwynnies
Belt ~ Ebay
Shoes ~ Matis Oxfords from Royal Vintage Shoes

Thursday
Flowers ~ Blue double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Pastel Pink Eclipse Earrings from Revere Folie
Undershirt ~ Robin top in white by Collectif from Gwynnies
Sweater ~ Bobbie Jumper in blue from Miss Fortune UK
Brooch ~ Milkshake from Deer Arrow
Pants ~ Doris Pants in black from Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes ~ Saddles shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes

Friday
Scarf ~ Pink Nylon Scarf from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Blue and pink teardrops from Deluxe Creations
Brooch ~ Love Birds brooch from Deer Arrow
Top ~ Kasual Kate top from Miss Fortune UK (Review coming soon)
Cardigan ~ Miss Susan Cardigan from The Magic Thread Cardigans (review coming soon)
Jeans ~ Pedal Pushers from Freddies of Pinewood
Shoes ~ Saddle shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes

Saturday
Hat ~ Vintage black velvet had from Etsy
Sunglasses ~ Jayjays
Blouse ~ 1940's repro blouse from Jack's Daughter (review coming!)
Skirt ~ True vintage wiggle skirt from Word from the Bird
Shoes ~ Matrix Two Tone Oxfords from Royal Vintage Shoes (review coming soon)

It was a good week! Also, if you'd like to go into the drawer to enter a Karina Dress you simply need to follow them on instagram and fill in the form linked here: Karina Dresses Giveaway. Its that simple!

Good luck to you all! I have a lot happening on the blog this week so stay tuned!



Thursday 21 July 2016

In Full Bloom with Karina Dresses


Florals again darlings! More florals in my wardrobe. I feel as if my love of florals is getting a tad silly, but I can’t help myself. Florals are just so pretty, they can brighten the mood almost instantly and in my experience they have a habit of lifting the mood for those around you too, even if wearing flowers isn’t their personal preference. When I saw the Katherine dress from Karina Dresses, I knew I had to make her mine.

Flowers ~ Peach double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Beads ~ Pastel pink necklace from Debtsar Designs
Brooch ~ Perfume bottle brooch from Erstwilder
Dress ~ Katherine dress in floral print from Karina Dresses
Shoes ~ Loraine heels in red from Royal Vintage Shoes
For those of my followers who aren’t familiar with Karina dresses, I feature them regularly on my blog. Some reasons why Karina Dresses are amazing: they are comfortable beyond believe, their classic cuts can be worn with a retro or modern flare making them incredibly versatile, they are iron free! Which is a feature I personally adore and they are made in the USA by ladies working in ethical work conditions! So they are definitely a brand that ticks all the boxes! Katherine for me is a new style from Karina dresses, my first with a higher neck and she honestly exceeded my expectations!


Katherine features a high boat neck, a full knee length skirt and is short sleeved. This makes it a great dress for pinups who work in more professional careers. It also comes with its own wrap around belt, which is a new feature I’ve been having fun playing with since getting my Margaret dress! As a regular belt wearer, its been great to step outside my ‘styling comfort zone’ and try this style of waist cinching, which makes it a great dress for days I’m in a rush!  The sash, being made of the same fabric as the dress does definitely still pull you in, giving great definition to my shape. 


The full skirt is comfortable and as with most of my Karina dresses, I wear it without a petticoat for a more 1940’s look. The lack of a petticoat means it hangs down a little longer over the knee which I personally find more flattering to my shape. As with my previous Karina Dresses, they don't feature a zip or buttons. The fabric has enough stretch to simply pull it over your head. As a curvier girl, outfits with zips can sometimes bunch due to my curves. The lack of bunching is probably one of my favorite features of Karina dresses, as it drives me a little crazy!


I’m wearing the size M/L, which is my regular Karina dresses size. Keep in  if you do er on the smaller size that these dresses will stretch out a little over time with wear. But for comfort, I cannot fault my Karina dresses. In warmer weather my Karina Dresses get a LOT of wear as I can wear them comfortably without aggravating my heat sensitive skin. In winter I pair them with a slip for an extra layer to make them more weather appropriate!


The Katherine dress is also a reasonable $108US which equates to around $144AUD. While that may seem a bit for us Aussie gals I cannot stress the comfort, durability and styling versatility of Karina dresses! They ship worldwide as well as in the US, so ladies who aren’t Australian can also enjoy this gorgeous brand!


I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! I’m so thankful the rain stopped long enough for me to slip into the garden and take these photos! I almost missed my window to share this gorgeous dress with you this week! But it was clearly meant to be!

Also, keep your eyes peeled as I’m currently working on a giveaway for you all with Karina dresses!

Til next time darlings!

 Disclaimer: Whilst I received this dress as part of a sponsorship with Karina Dresses, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Cameo magic with Tika's Treasure

Wearing Mermaid Cameo brooch in Silver and Silver Cameo Earrings in orange pearl
Goth was my first love. In my teens I dreamed of being a Victorian gothic princess, complete with a bustle and a parasol. As a teen, the clothes I had access to meant this never eventuated and I ended up throwing myself into pinup first and its only been after I’ve embraced pinup that I’ve started having the confidence to experiment more with the alt/goth/Victorian styling I used to adore. While it’s not a style I could easily wear in the workplace, there are elements of the style that I can definitely incorporate into my pinup style that I already have. Enter the gorgeous pieces by Tika’s Treasures!

Wearing Corset Bronze Cameo Brooch
Tika’s Treasure is a new business in Australia. Based out of Sydney she makes brooches and earrings made from classical styled artworks and quirky pinups that are set in Cameo bases, which are set with a glass covering over the image. This means that these brooches are durable, instant, wearable works of art! The owner, Tika is an art lover and after not being able to find what she was after decided to make pieces herself. This hatched her own little etsy store! I simply adore the meshing of classical artworks with fun traditional pinup art!


One aspect of Tika’s Treasure that I love, is that she hand makes each item herself. That means each piece is made with a lot of love and care, something I love sharing myself as a small business owner. Also, once a design is used it isn’t used again! This is a great way to ensure your brooch is unique to you and that others aren’t going to have the same thing. Plus her range of smaller brooches that are pinups are so gorgeous! 


Can’t see a design you like in her store? Tika’s Treasure also does custom orders. She has a range of images available and is more than happy to help find a design that is just perfect for you! Her brooch backs are also available in gold, silver and bronze, which is great for ladies who have a preference. I love both of mine. I do absolutely adore how these bases can help throw a different feel to a brooch. For example, I LOVE my silver backed mermaid brooch, but I also love how my bronze based corset brooch looks. These brooches are such personal statement pieces and are truly so gorgeous. Something to keep in mind is that they are on the heavier side, due to the glass fronting. This is good as it means they aren’t come off easily, it does mean they shouldn’t be worn with later fabrics, as the pull can leave quite big holes where the pin sits. Aside from that I adore my brooches and am already planning more outfits around them!


The earrings are surprisingly light weight, allowing for comfortable wear over the day. They are beautifully crafted and add a classic touch to any outfit.  These earrings are available in bronze and silver as well as art backgrounds and the pearl tones I’m wearing. I personally do love the Pearl affect, as it changes with the angle and really makes the earrings pop against my blonde hair. 


Tika’s Treasures are also incredibly well priced! At only $10AUD for earrings and $15-20AUD for the cameo brooches! Plus postage! She is also an absolute pleasure to deal with which makes the shopping experience so much better!

I love how these brooches are letting me mesh together two styles I love and I feel that there are quite a few ladies who follow me who would love them too!

You can find her:
On Etsy

If you're after high quality cameo brooches with a fun twist, then give Tika's Treasure a look!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received these items as part of a collaboration with Tika's Treasure, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Tuesday 19 July 2016

Fruity fun with Miss Fortune UK



Being a pinup who works in an office, I’m forever on the hunt for work appropriate pinup clothes that I can wear to work. Blouses in pinup patterns and retro cuts are constantly high on my list as I find them to be incredibly versatile and fun, while still allowing me to have my individual flare when I’m at work. I knew straight away I’d love the Polly Blouse in pineapple print from Miss Fortune UK. The pattern is fun, the cut is cute and who doesn’t love those summery colours! 
Flowers ~ Tropical Bundle from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Brooch ~ Green Lucite Palm Tree Brooch from Glitter Paradise
Blouse ~ Polly Blouse in Pineapple from Miss Fortune UK
Skirt ~ Red Joan Skirt by Hell Bunny
Shoes ~ Lacey Heels from
Royal Vintage Shoes 



The thing I think I love most about this blouse, is how softly feminine it looks. The cut of the sleeves flatters the arms and allows for ample movement, the scoop style neckline allows for the neck and chest to be shown with a beautiful softness. I like the bow detailing as it’s not a hindrance: the ends are sewn down so they don’t move around a lot and get in the way but it’s still a pretty feature. This combined with the softer colors, makes it a perfect blouse for ladies who like a softer touch to their styling.


The Polly blouse if made of out soft X fabric and is machine washable (I prefer to wash mine on a delicate cycle) and it is incredible comfortable on the skin. As a lady who suffers from sensitive skin, this blouse is great to wear in warmer weather as the fabric is light enough it allows your skin to breath. Another feature I love of this dress is that it pulls over the head, no zip or buttons. I find for me personally, with my bigger hips shirts with zips can sometimes bunch at the bottom. This top is easy to pull on and off without the zip and it leaves it sitting nicely throughout the day.


This blouse is also incredibly versatile to style! While the collar is formal enough to wear to work, it’s also informal enough to wear with casual clothes. I’d love to experiment more with this style in the warmer months with shorts as well as trying to pair it with jeans. I feel like it would also look SUPER cute with overalls as well. I'm wearing the size medium and found it to be the perfect fit!


For this shoot I decided to style this blouse as I would wear it for work, as now days that’s where I wear 99% of my nice clothes. I love the balance of a strong colour block skirt with this blouse. I feel like it really helps lift the colours and give them life. Since the pattern is such a statement, I kept my brooch simple and went with my small green palm tree brooch from Glitter Paradise, as it ties in with the pineapples beautifully. Tropical colours in my hair flower also help this look pop! 


This gorgeous blouse retails for £35.99 which comes to around $62.00AUD depending on the day. For top this is a reasonable price and its one that I’ll personally be wearing again and again. Miss Fortune also offer a big range of different shipping options to suit all needs! Standard untracked is £5.75/$10.02AUD. International signed is £10.25/$17.86AU and International tracked is £10.25/$17.86AU for this shirt as well. Amounts may vary depending on the size of your order. Miss Fortune do ship worldwide and have a fun range of different styles in stock! The polly blouse also comes in animal print.

I hope you've all enjoyed this blog post! I loved styling this top for my photos!

Til next time darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received this top as part of a collaboration with Miss Fortune UK, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers.