Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike | Book Review

I've decided I'm going to try something new this year by introducing book reviews here on my blog! I love to read, and I've made reading a new book every month one of my goals/resolutions for 2017 so I thought, why not take this opportunity to create a mini blog series reviewing each of the books I read so that you can decided whether or not you'd like to check them out too?

To kick things off, I've got YA novel Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike. This is book one in a series of three sci-fi novels, and follows the story of Tavia Michaels - the sole survivor of a plane crash that begins seeing visions of people she's never met and discovers abilities and a past life that she never knew she had.

The story begins with the plane crash, before fast forwarding to the present where she is hiding from the media and living with relatives she never really knew. The story takes a while to pick up, but if you push through the chapters you'll find an action-packed sci-fi adventure, a blossoming romance, and a love triangle like no other that'll keep you turning to the next page.

I picked up this book for two reasons - the first being that it was written by Aprilynne Pike, who is also the author of the super successful Wings series, which I am a huge fan of; and the second being that the blurb sounded pretty darn interesting.

While I certainly enjoyed this book overall, I've gotta be honest and say that it did take quite a while for the story to pick up - I feel like I was at least a third of the way into the book before things began to make sense and a story appeared. However, from that point onwards it was an interesting, eventful, action-packed story that really drew me in.

One little qualm I had with the book was a bit of misused grammar or sentence structure, such as 'I didn't used to' which, let's be honest, isn't appropriate in a published novel. Other than that, it was well written.

In the end, it was an enjoyable read, and I'm really excited to see what happens next for Tavia - in fact, I dropped by my local bookshop the other day to order in a copy of the sequel, Earthquake.

Have you read Earthbound? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book, or the series in general!

x Chontelle

NARS x Sarah Moon 'Isadora' Blush Review

If you haven't witnessed the insane hype around NARS products - in particular, their blushers along with the famous 'Laguna Bronzer' - then hello, welcome to the world of beauty blogging, it's nice to meet you!

NARS blushers are frequently referred to as some of the best blushers on the market, but at the hefty price of $44 per a single blush (and they're not huge or anything, either!), it's taken me quite some time to actually splurge on one of these cult classics. What finally convinced me was a combination of having leftover spending money from my trip to Europe at hand, and this particular blush shade being limited edition as part of the NARS x Sarah Moon Holiday Collection.

Isadora is a medium, warm and rosy plum shade with a frosted finish. This is honestly such a gorgeous shade, and perfect for mid-autumn right through winter. It's extremely pigmented - I honestly think this is going to last me for years because you really only need the smallest amount to cover both cheeks. Unfortunately, I learnt that the hard way the first time I tested it out - I'm sure you can imagine some hilarious images of me with a strong, dark pink splotch on my left cheek. *cringe*

I'd definitely suggest being very light-handed with this one, and tapping off the excess. While it's taken some getting used to, I do appreciate the insane pigmentation of this blush.

Once it's on your cheeks, it stays there. This blush lasts all day with little-to-no fading, which I'm certainly pleased about. The colour is super gorgeous, and the interesting mixture of plum colouring (which usually leans cool) with a warm undertone to it is lovely for those of you who, like me, seem to bounce between skin tones.

What do you think of NARS blushers - love them, or hate them? Did you pick up anything from the NARS x Sarah Moon Collection?

Have a lovely day!

x Chontelle

Lace Detail & Dressy Shorts

Cami - Forever New, Shorts - Dissh, Watch - Rosefield Bowery, Bracelet - Butterfly Silver, Sandals - Famous Footwear.

It's getting hot here in Brisbane. It was 29 degrees today, and Spring has only just begun! I was actually considering bringing a cardigan into the city for uni today, but I'm glad I reconsidered. I got these shorts from Dissh earlier this year, and I've been looking forward to wearing them again ever since the cooler weather hit - they're just super cute and fun, and I love how they can dress up an otherwise casual outfit.

I also made a pretty amazing discovery the other day - Starbucks Australia finally has my all-time favourite drink on their menu, the Pumpkin Spice Latte! I grabbed one on the walk into uni today and it was every bit as delicious as I remembered!

I haven't been very active here of late, and I just wanted to address that quickly! I've been lacking motivation, and I think that's largely because my blog has been heading in a direction that I'm not passionate about. You've probably noticed an influx of beauty posts - which don't get me wrong, I love a good product review every now and again but it's not what I'm passionate about - along with other random posts that are all over the place. When I started this blog, I wanted it to be predominantly about my personal style as well as travel, with the odd lifestyle post thrown in here and there. That's what I'm really passionate about, and so I'm going to be moving toward a more 'streamlined' genre of style, travel and lifestyle from here on out. I hope you'll join me as my blog evolves to, well, what it was always intended to be!

x Chontelle

Off the Shoulder

My Outfit:

Neck Tie - Dissh

Off Shoulder Top - Dissh

Jamie Jeans - Topshop

Chelsea Boots - Famous Footwear

Hey guys, I hope you've all had a fantastic week! I'm finally done with the first semester of university, I had an exam on Tuesday and now I'm free until the end of July - about time, I've been needing a break! 

I wanted to show you one of my favourite new pieces today, which is this off the shoulder black, white and caramel/beige-y striped top from Dissh. I've been loving the off the shoulder trend lately (actually I've always liked it but never really actually gone out and tried it), so when I spotted this top at my local Dissh I fell in love! I love that it's nice, neutral colours in a classic striped print - my favourite - and it goes with pretty much anything!

I paired it with this neck tie, also from Dissh (very 90's trend-y), along with my staple black jamie jeans and a pair of chelsea boots - pretty minimal, with just a touch of trendy!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on off the shoulder tops - do you love em' or hate em'? What do you think of this look?

xx Chontelle

The Striped Maxi Skirt

Hey loves, hope you're all doing great! <3

You've probably noticed by now that there's two things I can't get enough of - monochrome and stripes. So of course I fell in love when I saw this gorgeous maxi skirt hanging in the sale section of my local Dissh store. I was supposed to be on a spending ban, but for only $40 (down from about $70 or so!!!) it was too good to pass up! And anyway, there's always next week to save, right?

This skirt fits so nicely (I was in a rush before work when I took these photos though, so please excuse the fact that I didn't fully zip it up - oops!), it's the perfect length and is made of a nice, lightweight fabric so it's nice and cool for those humid Brisbane days (and nights). It's also got a white mini-skirt underneath, which is essential with this type of skirt. I really love the way the long split elongates my legs and just makes me feel super cute & confident!

I've styled it with some black heels from Famous Footwear, an old black crop top from Supre, my silver bracelet from ASOS, and a necklace and some rings from Diva/Lovisa/Colette (I'll be honest, I've forgotten where exactly each one was from but it'd be a mix of those stores)! I actually wore this outfit the other day out to dinner with mum, and I can't wait to wear this skirt some more before it gets too cold and wintery here (as wintery as QLD can get, anyway)!

What do you think of this skirt and how I've styled it? Let me know down below!

xx Chontelle

Back to Uni Style 'Then and Now' with ASOS

Hey loves!

Today I've got a super fun (albeit a little bit embarrassing for myself) post for you! I recently teamed up with ASOS* on their Throwback to School campaign to give you guys some outfit inspiration for your return to study!

I'll be honest, up until quite recently, I used to think 'buy heaps of new trend pieces' was the way to go. As a result, I picked up a tonne of things I hated and that never looked good together, and my style suffered.

Exhibit A - My 'go-to' look for university back in 2014. Oh, dear. I guess it could be worse, but I never felt comfortable in this playsuit - the crazy patter was too much for me, I don't like orange on myself, and it wasn't well made so didn't fit comfortably.

Of course, I've learned from past mistakes, and my style has come a long way since then! I now invest in pieces that can work with a wide variety of other pieces in my wardrobe, and tend to stay in style. I've put together two simple, cute outfits that I would wear to uni now as a bit of inspiration for those of you about to start or return to uni (or even school, for those of you lucky enough not to have a uniform)!

As you can see, and as anyone who has been following my blog for a while now will know, I have a thing for black, white and grey. I just love the neutrals - they're classic, never go out of style, and always look good!

The first look I've put together is super casual, super comfy, and totally long-day-at-uni appropriate if you ask me. I've gone for a pair of ASOS' White High-Waisted Ridley Skinny Jeans*, which are seriously the comfiest things ever and soo flattering on. I was really scared of ordering jeans online due to sizing and all, but they fit absolutely perfectly (I bought a size W26L32 for reference, so they definitely fit true to size) and paired those with this Cheap Monday Logo Tee* (one of the many awesome brands stocked by ASOS) tucked in for an effortlessly cool everyday look. I also added this cute ASOS silver bracelet* which is quite simple and understated so it suits any look (and is totally my kind of jewellery). Of course, I had to round up this look with my Converse Dainty All Stars in black - as you can see I've gone for total comfort, without giving up on style.

The second outfit is this super cute, simple and comfy roll-neck knit swing dress*. It's actually from the brand New Look, which is one of the many brands stocked on ASOS. I threw on my ASOS bracelet* (again) because it just adds something to any outfit, so cute and simple. I've also got my everyday black mini-heels/sandals (probably not the right words but let's just go with it), which I wear with pretty much everything, haha. ASOS actually has a bunch of similar shoes that are totally affordable for you to check out if you want to try out this exact look for yourself!

ASOS has some really great, affordable and fashionable pieces for students and with a 10% off student discount, they're a really great option when shopping for you back to uni wardrobe! I hope the outfits I've put together have been helpful and given you some inspiration for your back to uni looks!

I've also put together a capsule collection of pieces you can find on ASOS that are totally essential for a laid-back but still stylish uni wardrobe below. Remember lots of these pieces can be mixed and matched to create so many new looks (which is what I'm all about, and is great for those of us on a uni student budget)! I especially love the range of jeans and backpacks available on the site!

Items: 1. Cheap Monday Logo Tee / 2. Pieces Tara Bracelet / 3. ASOS Shopper Bag / 4. ASOS The New Forever Tee / 5. ASOS Woven Harem Pants / 6. Ridley Black High Waist Skinny Jeans Shredded / 7. New Look High Neck Knitted Swing Dress / 8. Ridley High Waist Skinny Jeans White / 9. Adidas Originals Drawstring Backpack / 10. Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars Black