LONDON STYLE

 

Ahh, London - one of my all-time favourite cities - it holds a special place in my heart!

If you're heading out to explore London, my best bit of advice is to dress comfortably - you're gonna be on your feet (a lot), walking, running between buses and up and down old flights of stairs to catch the tube, and trying your best to zig-zag between massive crowds - especially if you're out on a sunny day or the weekend.

My go-to style was definitely lots of black and denim (trying to keep up with that minimal but cool aesthetic Londoner's seem to do so effortlessly), sneakers and ankle boots, and a good jacket to chuck over any outfit - because the weather can be highly unpredictable!

Items featured:
Oversized faux leather jacket - Princess Polly
Crossbody bag - Peta & Jain
Tie front top - Ally Fashion
Dark denim mom jeans - Zara
LBD - Princess Polly
Wide leg jeans - Thats So Fetch
Ankle boots - Dolls Kill (Current Mood)
Sneakers - Nike

xx Chontelle Louise

90's Vibes

It's been a long time since I last posted an outfit on the blog, hasn't it? I've really been all over the place lately (which you may know if you've seen my Life Update video over on my YouTube channel *hint hint*). From a huge pipe burst/flooding in my old place, moving house, packing & unpacking, going back to uni, a lack of motivation, and some personal stuff too - it's been overwhelming to say the least.

However, there's good news! Things have settled down and while I've got quite a busy schedule ahead of me, it's more organised than 'all over the place', which means I can set aside time to work on these side projects. Those of you who have been around for a while might have noticed my blog has had a bit of an overhaul - I purchased a new, more sleek & professional looking blog template that I'm absolutely loving, along with a few other updates. I hit 1,000 subscribers over on my YouTube channel back in December as well which was a milestone I'd been hoping to reach for a while! I'm planning to upload 1-2 times a week over there and 1-2 time a fortnight here on the blog - so make sure you're subscribed and following me because there's a lot of content coming your way!

Anyway, on to the outfit!

Outfit Details:

Scrunchie - Supre

Choker - Bardot

Off Shoulder Crop - Melrose Avenue

Mom Jeans - ASOS (farleigh)

Boots - Famous Footwear

Let's be honest, was I really going to make a comeback outfit post that wasn't black and denim? No, no I was not. I love this outfit, it's super cute yet simple and casual which is what I'm all about. I really love that trends from the 90's (and 80's and 70's) are in again which is evident in this outfit. An off the shoulder crop, a tie up choker, scrunchies (!!! my childhood obsession !!!) and a pair of light wash mom jeans from ASOS (seriously, these are the best mom jeans I've found), albeit a slim fitting pair because I just find them much more flattering. Keeping with the 90's vibes I've gone for one of my newer favourite lipsticks, MAC's Whirl, which is the ultimate 90's rosy brown lipstick that despite my initial reservations, actually looks amazing on paler skin.

Let me know what you've been up to lately, and if you're loving the popularity of 90's inspired fashion right now as much as I am!

x Chontelle

Optically Prescription Lens Sunglasses | Review

Hey guys! Today I've got a special product that I want to talk to you guys about, and as you'll have already figured out from the title, it's these prescription lens sunglasses* from Optically Glasses Australia! I'll be honest, maybe I've been living under a rock, but until I checked out Optically, I had no idea that you could get prescription sunglasses! I was definitely glad to discover you could though, and for such a great price as well - the pair I selected retails for just $47! Of course, the glasses can be purchased as is, but for the glasses-wearers of the world like myself, the prescription lens option is a lifesaver!

The pair I went with were the Opium OP1409 C02 Glasses*, which have both a black frame and blackened lenses - perfect for my monochromatic aesthetic! On picking these up out of their case for the first time, it's obvious that they are really nice quality. These glasses are also so comfortable to wear - I love that they don't give me a headache from long-wear either, unlike many others - and they frame my face perfectly - I almost went with one of the more 'on-trend' rounder shaped pairs of sunglasses, but since my face is quite oblong-oval shaped I find sharper shapes and smaller frames flatter me best (but if you prefer the round glasses you'll be spoiled for choice with Optically, they have an awesome selection of womens glasses to choose from).

For those of you with a bit more money to spend or a taste for 'luxury', you can also pick up some lovely designer glasses from Optically. There's a wide selection of glasses in different styles, colours, and price ranges making it easy to find your perfect pair!

If you don't need prescription lenses then you can go ahead and purchase your glasses and they'll reach you pretty quickly, but of course if you need prescription lenses like me then there will be a short wait between ordering and having the glasses ready and sent out to you. In saying that, I received mine in just 10 days - by comparison, when I usually get new glasses after a visit to the optometrist, I'm looking at 2-3 weeks, so this was a happy surprise!

Honestly guys, if you're looking for some new sunglassess or eyeglasses, I'd highly recommend checking Optically out for some of the best value glasses online!

x Chontelle

New Hair at Trendz Studio Brisbane

Back in August, I was the unfortunate victim of a hair disaster after giving a new, too-affordable hairdresser in the city permission to colour my hair. While the condition of my hair wasn't affected much, I was left with a super dark, ashy brown hair colour with choppy ashy-to-grey blonde highlights throughout the top. Needless to say, it was a huge knock to my confidence and I found myself desperately searching for a good hairdresser that could fix the mess.

I discovered Trendz Studio, a salon well-known for their blonde and balayage with studios in Cleveland (Brisbane's Southern Suburbs) and the Gold Coast. I went to the Cleveland studio as it was the closest to me of the two. If you're thinking of booking with them, be warned - you need to book in advance, or be able to drop in at a day's notice (or even the same day) as they are so popular that they are often booked out for several weeks in advance and the only way to nab an earlier appointment is by taking over a cancellation. It's totally worth it though! Personally, I booked around mid to late September for my appointment on the 26th of October, which was one of the earliest available.

I arrived with a few pictures of my ultimate goal colour in hand, knowing I'd probably need to come back for a second appointment to reach the exact colour I want (and knowing me and my indecisive-ness, I'll probably keep wanting to change something anyway). The girl doing my hair was lovely and we discussed what I was wanting and what we were going to do, I felt pretty confident with everything by the time we started on my hair.

The appointment took approximately three and a half hours, and I've gotta say I was pretty darn pleased with the end result! I went from drab and dull ashy brown, to a gorgeous neutral-toned brown to blonde balayage! I really didn't think my hair would lighten so much in one go, and it was so healthy afterwards (possibly more so than before - and likely thanks to the Olaplex treatment they used). It only cost me $320 including a root colour to diffuse the previous choppy highlights, which was cheaper than some of the mainstream and popular options around Brisbane which was great!

I did end up going back a week later to have a warmer toner run through my hair to resemble the tones I had wanted, as my hair had a few too many ashy tones the first time around. The toner was complimentary, and gave me the warmth I needed!

I'm really happy with my new hair, just in time for my upcoming trip to London and Europe, and then summer back home straight afterwards!

Check out Trendz Studio's amazing Instagram feed here!

What do you think of my new hair? Have you had any big hair changes lately, or any salon horror stories you'd like to share? Let me know with a comment below!

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

Internship Interview Attire | OOTD

My Outfit:

Blouse - Zara

Jeans - Topshop

Bag - Colette

Shoes - Famous Footwear

I recently managed to get myself an interview for a communication internship at an amazing Brisbane PR & Communications company, which was both incredibly exciting and also very daunting. I wanted to make the best impression possible, and while that meant I had put a bit of pressure on myself to do well, thankfully it paid off and I scored the internship position!

Today I want to focus on the outfit I chose to wear to my interview. Since PR is a more creative business field, I decided to go with a smart casual look. I paired my go-to pair of high-waisted black Jamie Jeans from Topshop with this gorgeous new blouse I picked up recently from Zara. I love blouses (I have a bit of a collection going on to be honest), but this one really stood out. Not only is it the first 't-shirt sleeve length' blouse I've got, but it's also got a bit of a flare to it at the hem along with a double layer at the bottom of the front (kind of like an understated and minimal nod to the frill/peplum style that's been reappearing lately).

I opted for some simple black heels for my interview, and of course I took my black handbag from Colette which I take with me pretty much everywhere.

I think wearing something smart that suits the environment you're looking to work in, and that is comfortable, flattering and makes you feel confident, is seriously important when it comes to ace-ing a job interview (even if it's an unpaid internship - it's still a job, and confidence is essential)!

I'll be writing a blog post shortly on how to get an internship in PR with some tips and tricks that I found useful, as well as a video. I'll include the links to those here when they're up, otherwise just keep checking back on my blog and channel!

What do you think of the outfit I wore to my internship interview? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

x Chontelle