Review: Hamilton Sun Sunscreen

Product Talk by Nuffnang

Hi guys! I'm going to be doing a review on some Hamilton sunscreens which I received from Nuffnang as part of their 'Product Talk' where items are sent for consideration. I know that many places around the world aren't experiencing hot weather so it probably seems odd that I'm reviewing sunscreen, but in the Southern Hemisphere where I am, it's currently summer and sun protection is extremely vital!

About Hamilton

I don't like to copy and paste slabs of information about a brand/company on my blog posts, thus I will just share what I already know about Hamilton. It is a 100% Australian-owned company which is based in my very own hometown (Adelaide)! That's quite awesome, and the laboratories are situated in the city. With over 75 years of rich history and experience, this brand can be highly trusted. More information on the company/brand and products can be found on their website.


Here are the 3 different Hamilton sunscreens that were given to me to try:

L-R: Toddler, Sensitive and Family sunscreen

I'm glad that I was given the chance to try 3 different sunscreens as I can get a better idea of Hamilton's range and their formulas. I'm no skin specialist or chemist but having a bit of a science background does sort of help with biological/chemical terms and ingredients. Not to a very large extent though... so this review will still mainly be from a beauty blogger's perspective.

Hamilton Sun Toddler

Size: 125mL

Price: RRP $11.99

Scent: N/A

 Illustration of how the sunscreen works

About the product:

• Designed for delicate young skin
• Minimal active ingredients
• Gentle, low allergy sunscreen
• Fragrance free
• High SPF 30+ broad spectrum protection 
• 4 hours water resistant

My thoughts

Unfortunately I wasn't able to test this product out on a toddler (if I was desperate I could have kidnapped my toddler cousins for a while but nah haha) so I tested it out on... myself :| Being 18 definitely means that I am no longer a toddler but my skin can still be considered as youthful... right? Well even if not, I still gave it a try. And yes, I did feel that this was very gentle for my skin. I like how it's fragrance free because sometimes I prefer to not have/smell that typical sunscreen scent. I noticed that it had a slightly thicker texture than regular sunscreens but nonetheless, it smoothed on really well. It didn't leave my skin feeling sticky after applying it on, in fact it just made my skin feel more moisturised :)
I can't comment on its effectiveness as a sunscreen because I haven't been able to use it as much as I would like to but a high SPF of 30+ is substantial and is considered to be the minimum SPF for sunscreens in Australia, since the UV rays are quite high here. We're known as the 'sun burnt country' for a reason! Water resistant for 4 hours seems to be good too.


Pros (+) and cons (-):

+ Highly suitable for toddlers/those with delicate skin
+ Gentle
+ Fragrance free
+ Low levels of active ingredients to reduce allergy potential
+ Very high protection of SPF 30+
+ 4 hours water resistant
+ Smooths onto skin well
+ Non-sticky
+ Leaves skin feeling moisturised
+ Hygienic and suitable packaging (screw-top lid)
+ Flat, hand-size bottle = perfect for travel/handbag
+ Expiry date on the back of the bottle
+ Reasonable price
- Only available in Australia and selected pharmacies
- Texture is a little thick (due to the high protection requirement for gentle skin)
- More effort required to rub sunscreen onto skin

Repurchase?

Not any time soon, that's for sure. Because I don't plan to have a toddler of my own for a long time :P But if/when I do, I'd feel comfortable with using this product on their skin as it really is gentle and gives higher protection. It may require more effort with rubbing in the sunscreen however that just means that more ingredients are used to give even more sun protection which is perfect for toddlers.

Hamilton Sun Sensitive

Size: 125mL

Price: RRP $17.45

Scent: N/A

About the product:

• Gentle on sensitive skin
• Free of chemical absorbers
• Reduces allergy potential
• Fragrance free
• Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)
• Broad spectrum SPF 30+ 
• 4 hours water resistant 

My thoughts

As I do have sensitive skin, this was perfect for me to use! There are actually levels of skin sensitivity and I used to think that I had high sensitivity but it's really not too severe... I can still use perfumed products (not all of course). I really wasn't aware of sunscreens for sensitive skin... but I guess there's a sensitive skin product for all skincare items i.e. day cream, night cream sunscreen and more. Again, this had the same texture and consistency as the Toddler sunscreen for added protection. However the key difference between these sunscreens was that this sensitive one had a more whitening effect on me o_o It was pretty bizarre... but I think I know why it did that - it must have been the zinc. Because you know how zinc creams leave marks/colours on your face? Yeah I think it's like that for the sensitive skin sunscreen :| Sadly it's not the right 'shade' for me 'cause for my mum there isn't a whitening effect (she's paler than me) so I gave it to her to use instead. At least it's going to use, right :) ?
Again, I cannot comment on its sunscreen effects but with this brand being around for over 75 years, they must be doing something right! It's SPF 30+ and 4 hours water resistant. Also, it's not something that can be tested as a once-off because they do recommend reapplying it (as most/all sunscreens say) after swimming, heavy perspiration or towelling.


Pros (+) and cons (-):

+ Highly suitable for those with sensitive skin
+ Gentle
+ Fragrance free
+ Low levels of active ingredients to reduce allergy potential
+ Very high SPF 30+ protection
+ Smooths onto skin well
+ Non-comedogenic 
+ 4 hours water resistant
+ Non-sticky
+ Contains moisturising ingredients to protect skin from dehydration and to keep it supple
+ Hygienic and suitable packaging (screw-top lid)
+ Flat, hand-size bottle = perfect for travel/handbag
+ Expiry date on the back of the bottle
- May be a little pricey for some
- Only available in Australia and in selected pharmacies
- Texture is a little thick (due to the high protection requirement for gentle skin)
- More effort required to rub sunscreen onto skin

Many sensitive skin products do cost a bit more than regular products which I guess is a bit unfair - skin sensitivity can't always be helped. I think I was born with sensitive skin because I remember as a little girl I'd always have blotchy redness, itchiness and dry skin on my face :( It has definitely become less sensitive now, I am glad!


Repurchase?
Gladly I can make do without sensitive sunscreen on my sensitive face =] Regular sunscreen is fine and is much cheaper than sunscreen for sensitive skin... so I wouldn't purchase this. I don't mind the typical sunscreen scent too much and to be honest, I rarely wear sunscreen on its own... but that's because I use face creams which already have high SPFs in them like my tinted moisturiser. And I keep my arms/legs well protected when I'm out in the sun. I would recommend it for those who do have sensitive skin, because it didn't irritate my sensitive skin and I felt that it gave much stronger protection than normal sunscreen. My skin was more moist after applying however it made my skin a bit whiter. Be aware of that if you choose to purchase this sunscreen!

Hamilton Sun Family

Size: 125mL

Price: RRP $14.40

Scent: N/A

About the product:

• For everyday family protection whatever they do during the day
• All skin types including sensitive
• Non-greasy
• Ideal for moderate sun exposure
• Broad spectrum SPF 30+  
• 4 hours water resistant 

My thoughts:


Comparing this sunscreen with the previous two, this feels much thinner and smoother to apply on. It rubs on really well and quickly absorbs onto my skin. It has SPF 30+ and 4 hours of water resistance so you can be assured that you will be highly protected. It doesn't leave any white/streak marks after rubbing it in and it's good for when you're out with no mirror because it just needs a few quick rubs and the sunscreen has already dissolved. The scent is just like any other ordinary sunscreen scent and to me it is tolerable. It is sort of like citrus but not as strong. All I can say is that it does have that typical sunscreen scent!


Pros (+) and cons (-):

+ Great for everyone and all skin types
+ Ideal for body and face
+ Non-greasy
+ For moderate sun exposure anytime, anywhere
+ Very smooth and thin for ease of application
+ Hygienic and suitable packaging (screw-top lid)
+ Flat, hand-size bottle = perfect for travel/handbag
+ Expiry date on the back of the bottle
- Only available in Australia and selected pharmacies
- Fragrance may not be favourable for everyone

Repurchase?

Out of the three, this would be the one that I'd purchase! As I said before, I can use products with fragrances and it doesn't bother me or irritate my skin. Also, it's great for everyone's use so it does cater for all skin types :)

***

Yep so that's all for my sunscreen reviews! Sorry that I wasn't able to say a whole lot about them and so all sorts of tests :( I will be taking them with me to my trip to Sydney (tomorrow!) so I can trial them out some more for my own sake. But if you do have any questions about the Hamilton brand or products, feel free to ask ^_^

Thanks for reading and thank you Nuffnang for the Product Talk opportunity.

Apologies if I do not have a new blog post within the next couple of weeks - I will be away from my laptop until the 31st of this month. If I don't post anything before the end of this week, I want to wish you all an early Merry Christmas :D

Questjen of the week:

Do you use sunscreen everyday?

It's recommended that you wear sunscreen everyday, even if there is no sun out.

As for me, no I do not wear sunscreen everyday when I am out but I really should get into that habit, especially because I don't want to tan and I certainly don't want to have ageing skin or skin cancer. Much better to be safe than sorry!

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow and Nail Enamels

Hi dearies! How has everyone been? For this post I will be reviewing some BYS products from their Animal Print range which was released back in September (I know I'm a few months late!) which are eyeshadow quads and nail enamels. These products were provided to me for consideration and by no means will this influence my thoughts and opinions.

In case you didn't know, BYS is an Australian cosmetics brand which stands for 'Be Your Self'. Their products are really affordable and are mostly aimed towards young teenagers and adolescents, mainly because of their packaging designs and prices. I remember when I was around 12, I bought my very first makeup product. Mm I guess for some people, 12 is a really young age to start using makeup etc. but being a very girly girl made me develop this makeup interest at a pretty young age. It was only eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss and eyeshadow that I had some interest in... definitely not foundation, lipstick, concealer or blush. Anyway continuing on with my story, BYS was the first makeup brand I purchased with my very little amount of pocket money and knowledge of cosmetics. As long as the product did what it claimed and wasn't a waste of money, I was happy! And yes, I was at the time haha.

So here are my newest BYS products:

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow - Darks

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow - Naturals

BYS Nail Enamel #01 Black

BYS Nail Enamel #08 Purple

Where to buy:
I am not 100% certain whether BYS is only found in Australia because I have seen it in Japanese magazines such as Popteen (really surprising and awesome)! I know that some Australian department stores have them like Kmart and Gloss but you could get them online at Fashion Addict.

Firstly I'll talk about the eyeshadows in the Animal Instincts range. There are 4 different quads - Darks, Greens, Naturals and Purples. The ones I got were Darks and Naturals which I am really happy about because these are the 'shades' of eyeshadow that I use the most! I didn't have a choice of products that were sent to me so I am very pleased.

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow in Darks and Naturals

I am unsure whether that little crack in the eyeshadow on the bottom right quadrant was there when I first got it or if I did it accidentally ._. Just ignore it hehe ^^"

Here's a picture of one swatch with my finger on the silver and black striped eyeshadow. Sadly, the vibrancy of the black had already faded from one swipe which means that the eyeshadow will eventually become just a single silver eyeshadow. So to me the animal prints on the shadows are a little pointless :( Good to look at but is gone after use!

My swatches. I think the... zebra prints would look quite nice for eyeshadow, as long as they're not too bold and look like my swatches (blended nicely). The pigmentation is really impressive.

 Swiping the eyeshadow doesn't allow for the same print to be on your finger, maybe if you pressed on it instead... though there wouldn't be that much pigmentation.

Definitely some very wearable colours for day time looks.

Both quads after swatching once - patterns are clearly not as noticeable as before

Darks vs. Naturals

My thoughts on the eyeshadows:

First of all, I really love metallic and shimmery eyeshadows and I am a massive fan of both naturals and darks (so glad I was sent these!). There is a consistency between the shadows where the pigmentation is the same for each colour, which makes blending quite easy - because you wouldn't like to have one colour more vibrant than another etc. I like the fact that they aren't overly shimmery to the point where the glitter overpowers the colour - to me it's just right! The combination of colours in the quads are perfect as there isn't a colour that doesn't suit the theme or looks odd.

Although the pattern/print does sort of fade after a few uses, it's only more obvious with the Darks quad and this actually isn't a big problem because the colours that fade are actually colours already in the quad... if that makes sense. The silver stripes that fade are the same colour as the silver in the first quadrant. I still don't like how it fades though :/ But anyway, I am very happy with the pigmentation, one swipe goes a long way! The eyeshadows aren't chalky but it's not like they are extremely smooth either. This could be something they could improve on, and also the staying power. I'd feel that a eyeshadow primer is necessary if you want your eyeshadow to stay put and be crease-proof.

Packaging:

The packaging on these eyeshadows are a very sturdy plastic which is slightly on the heavy side. It might just be my personal preference but sturdy, heavy-ish packaging is what I like. Flimsy, lightweight packaging isn't suitable for clumsy people like me because I tend to drop things easily -_- And then what do you know, *crack* or epic breakage. Besides, thick plastic looks much better than thin bendy plastic - it just makes it seem as though the manufacturers have put more effort into the overall design. I reckon it's pretty sleek without being too bulky and I love that the lid/top is a thick clear plastic with the base being a more light plastic. Some eyeshadow quads don't come with double-ended sponge tip applicators but these ones do. I may not use sponge-tip applicators as much as I use brushes but having them in the palette makes it convenient and travel-friendly *thumbs up*

Price:

These eyeshadows retail for $4.95 each which in Australia, is considered to be an absolute bargain. This is what I mean by BYS products being super affordable! Australian cosmetics products are usually cheaper than well-known drugstore brands so people may feel a little skeptical about its quality. Well I can assure you that what you pay for is what you get when it comes to BYS products. Honesty is the best policy for my reviews soooo I can say with confidence that BYS products can definitely be improved to be on par with other brands in terms of quality. But then this would probably mean that their products will have increased prices. Maybe BYS feels that this isn't necessary, just as long as it works well and is affordable for everyone. And for this reason, I don't own that many BYS products as I prefer to spend a few extra dollars for a product with more pros and less cons. Being a makeup enthusiast, quality > quantity.

Now to the animal-print nail enamels:

 As I was saying before about quality... the sticker isn't on straight and it isn't just this bottle that is like this. I've seen some BYS products with slightly slanted stickers etc.

The names are clear and simple, purple and black

Here's a swatch of the black nail enamel of just one coat

To me this nail polish was a tiny bit gluggy/thick and this made it hard to do lots of fast brush strokes to fill in gaps. It got a little messy at times however this wasn't much of an issue as I only needed one coat for each nail. Just glad this black nail polish isn't sheer or a grey-black - it's a pitch black like the night sky. I don't normally comment on nail polish scents because they all smell really strong but this one was a bit different to regular ones. I don't know but this smelt more like a permanent marker :/ Perhaps they used the same ink as permanent marker? Eep, dunno. Oh and this black seemed like a slightly matte nail polish with not a lot of shine.

One coat of this is not enough for me, I can't have the whites of my nails showing! It's just not a good look in my opinion. I guess it's okay if you have short nails but still... I would rather put on another coat for it to seem more opaque.

I actually had a bit of trouble with my second coat. My first attempt of it, I messed up so badly that I had to remove all of my nail polish and start again =_= Maybe I didn't wait for my first coat to dry fast enough but still... it was horrible putting on a second coat. My next attempt was better however it also wasn't that great. Took forever to dry because this nail polish's formula seemed more runny and harder to work with. The opacity wasn't consistent between my nails after putting on a second coat and it seemed too thick..? I'd rather have pigmented nail polishes that only require one coat - I don't need to gradually build the colour, it's a waste of time and makes the nail polish more prone to chipping because of its thickness.

My thoughts on the nail polishes

The black and the purple eh... didn't seem to have the same formulas as the consistencies were different and also the opaqueness. I'm more happy about the black nail polish's formula despite it smelling like permanent marker, but I wouldn't normally wear black nail polish unless I do some nail art. Even though I liked the black one's formula more than the purple one's, the gluggy-ness wasn't too appealing. I've never really been a fan of BYS nail polishes unfortunately...

Packaging:

... At least the animal prints stay on the packaging/products, hehe it's only on the lids. It makes it easier for me to reach for my nail polishes because I'll be able to spot them straight away. Other than the packaging, there are no animal print shades of nail polishes besides gold, black and silver. The other colours in this collection are shades of purple, pink and orange which represent 'fierceness' and bold colours for spring/summer. 

Price:

Again, these are $4.95 each RRP which again is cheap for nail polish. I wasn't able to test how long it would take until it started chipping so I cannot comment on that. In my opinion, these would not be worth any more than $4.95, based on their quality. Without a doubt for nail polishes, you do get what you pay for. I've tried cheap $2 nail polishes, middle-range and high-end... and there is a definite difference between them. For BYS' quality, I would put it in the lower range price instead of between low and middle range. But since BYS do put a lot of effort into their ranges and bottle designs, they wouldn't it price it so cheaply.

So that's everything, thanks for reading this review post. I hope I've given you some insight into BYS cosmetics and their quality/range. I wouldn't be surprised if many of you haven't heard of BYS (especially my international readers). Though those who follow gyaru fashion/makeup might be familiar with this brand :) I'm still surprised that gals use this brand... it's so inexpensive o_o BYS packaging and products reminds me of NYX but from my personal use, I think NYX has better quality. 

I'm still struggling to post more than once a week! One blog post literally takes me hours to do ;__; I will keep trying though~

Questjen of the week, an easy yes or no:

Do you use/know of BYS Cosmetics?

Excuse the random spacing at the bottom of this post :( I can't get rid of it!

Pink Hair, Would You Dare?

Hey everyone, hope all is well! This post is going to be about my experience with using temporary pink hair gel which I received from KKCenterHK. Now before you read my review, I want you to be aware that this is NOT a temporary hair dye! It is hair gel which comes out pink and can be washed out like regular hair gel :) So please don't have expectations of it being like temporary pink hair dye because it definitely won't be - the texture and the outcome!

My attempt of doing an ombre pink style with the gel

I just thought that this would be a nice picture to start the post with, instead of the picture of the product I used because... I think it looks more appealing like this, haha. End result at the start!

Now to introduce you to the product that I used:

Fright Night Spike & Color

Color Spiking Gel - Purgatory Pink

Price: $5 USD

Size: 99ml

Squeezed out onto fingers

With this gel, it may seem as though the pink is very pigmented but it really isn't as pigmented as it seems. If you only need a small amount like above, squeezing it onto your fingers and working it through your hair like regular gel shouldn't be a problem. Yes you may experience some staining on your hands but it can easily be washed out just with water.

But for me, I needed much more than one slightly-larger-than-pea-size for my hair which was why I used a pair of gloves (not included with the gel) and wore an old shirt (my old school shirt to be exact).

All I needed were a pair of gloves, an old shirt and the gel

Add colour to your spikes or just streak in some color in your hair. Can be used on damp or dry hair, before or after you style.

Since I was aiming to also do streaks in my hair, I followed the instructions for this on the back of the bottle.

STREAKS: Squeeze a small amount onto fingertips and work through several strands of hair.

Added some streaks to my fringe and applied the gel to about 10 cm of the bottom of my hair

Waiting for it to dry with a :/ face.. I'll say why later!

Gel texture:

- From the bottle it is very gluggy like glue paste but not sticky

- Onto hair it gives a very wet look

- After it dries, it makes my hair hard and cannot brush through

Instead of doing a dip-dye, I instead squeezed a large amount of product onto my palms and worked it through my hair by grabbing all the ends and spreading it out. Unfortunately it didn't spread as well as I wanted it to and I couldn't get my ends fully pink!

After around 10 minutes, it looked like this:

Looks kind of metallic pink, yes.. no?

I think it blends in well with my brown hair :]

My thoughts on using this for 'ombre':

First of all, I would not recommend this for temporary ombre hair - it's not the right texture! Maybe for a party where you don't mind looking a little crazy... this would be suitable. I know it's only a coloured gel but I'm not happy with the colour payoff! I expected it to work like those temporary spray colors (which mind you, work really well on all hair colours including dark hair!) and unfortunately no matter how much gel I would use, the colour would only come out in random patches and once I spread the gel the colour would just transfer onto my gloves o_o Let me tell you, it was frustrating to apply this to the ends of my hair. Parts of it would already start becoming hard and dry while applying more gel so it was pretty messy. After applying the gel to my hair, it felt like my ends were dreadlocks.

Please note that I only tried the ombre look because it is currently a fashion trend, not because I thought it would actually work with this gel. It's also a way for me to show you that this isn't the most suitable product for temporary hair dye.

Ombre look achieved but looks majorly tacky/unnatural for day time wear. For a party this would be ok, I think?

My thoughts on using this for streaks

I actually would recommend this gel for streaks/spiking (well duh, that's what the product is supposed to be for!) hehe. Using it for the top of your hair is better than using it for the bottom because even if it makes your hair hard, it won't be annoying or whipping you in the face... lol. But since I wanted to see how the ombre-pink style would look on my hair, I used it for my ends u_u

Quite vibrant pink streaks

So why was my face like :/ ... ? Here are my pros and cons:

PROS:

+ Squeeze tube packaging is fine, it is hygienic

+ Gel has a really pleasant, feminine/sweet scent (like perfume!)

+ Instructions on the back

+ Reasonable, cheap price (USD 5)

+ Washes out really easily (warm water works perfectly, or can use cold water and shampoo)

+ Stains hands while using but can be washed off easily. Possibly the same with clothes

+ Runs smoothly through hair while applying

+ Colour matches the colour of the bottle, therefore accurate

+ Hard hold on hair

+ Pink shows up on dark hair

+ Does not damage hair after use

CONS:

- Only most suitable for styling (streaks/spikes)

- Lid cap is a little flimsy (might just be mine but I had to unscrew the lid to use)

- Pink is not very pigmented in the gel

- Requires a lot of product for pink to be on all strands of hair in a particular section of a hair

- Can't be used as temporary hair dye

- Pink can fade while having it in hair (the gel flakes and the pink falls out)

- Colour can transfer onto hands/gloves while smoothing onto hair, hence less colour seen on hair

- Hard to find in shops, may only be able to purchase online

Okay so you may be thinking that the :/ face wasn't so necessary but usually with my product reviews, I only have a few cons which to me means that the product is overall, good. With this I have very mixed feelings. As a hair gel, it makes a great product because it has a hard hold on hair, which I can confidently say will be able to hold a style for several hours. But looking at it as a coloured gel... the colour wasn't that impressive. I mean sure, there was pink in my hair but it required many fairly large blobs of gel to get it looking like so. 

I think if I were to attempt to have a pink mo-hawk like the above picture, I would have to use the whole bottle =| I wish my ends could have been THAT pink!

I wanted more pink in my hair but to have more pink, I needed to apply more gel which really wasn't necessary. And for each time I put the gel in my hair, I would use my hands to rub in the pink however it seemed to have rubbed off the pink :S Okay for example, if I put the pink gel on my arm and I wanted to rub the colour in (like, how you apply eyeshadow) but each time I did, the pink would smear away as though I'm trying to rub it off! Now imagine my hair as my arm... yep that's what was happening! EEEP, so instead I'd put splotches of gel in my hair without any spreading of it so that it would dry as a pigmented pink splotch.

Overall thoughts

Hmm.. if you're not a fan of aerosol spray temporary hair colours, this may be the solution for you. I know that spray-on colours can give you that hard, hair spray feel (me stating the freaking obvious again) which is actually pretty similar to what this hair gel does. Except spray-on colours are much more vibrant, though harder to use for styling and streaks. For streaks and spikes, this colour gel is one that I would recommend!

However for temporary hair colour, you're better off using something else instead of this. Yes it works and is simple to use but you're original hair colour can still be seen underneath it. That shows how sheer the pink is on your hair. For use as a styling gel where you'd want a hint of colour, this is exactly the product to use =)

There is a pink temporary spray that KKCenterHK has in a similar shade called R.I.Pink - Fright Night Streak 'N' Tips Temporary Hair Colour which is selling for USD $4.22. I'm thinking that it would work better than the coloured gel I received...

I was going to request to review this however I was skeptical about receiving an aerosol can in the mail so I decided not to.

That's it for my review, thank you so much for reading :D I am not a hair expert and excuse the messy hair pictures, the gel wasn't being very cooperative T_T I rarely do posts on my hair so I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to do one! Also, I am loving ombre hair, especially with some more out-there colours like pink, lilac and pastel blues. I find them to be really pretty. If only I were more daring, I would have permanent cotton candy pink ombre with wavy hair *_* Ah well, I'll just stick with this temporary hair gel until I can find a better temporary solution.

From now on I've decided to 'give away' samples of my products that I am sent to review as my way of giving back a little and for you guys to have a chance to try out the product without paying a cent! If you're interested in a small sample of this colour hair gel, feel free to shoot me an email.

I'll still be blogging like normal for the next couple of weeks but on the 22nd of December... I'll be away! If you hadn't heard my good news on my Twitter yet then here is my announcement - I am going to Sydney for 9 days from December 22nd and coming home December 31st! Ahh I can't wait, this will be my first time going there (can you believe it? I've lived in Australia all my life and have never visited interstate before) and I really have no expectations haha, besides knowing that it is a fairly crowded city with some lovely tourist attractions! I'm ready to start packing my bags and go on a much-needed vacation which will probably be the highlight of my year. I would LOVE to meet-up with lovely Sydney bloggers but it probably won't happen because I will be with my family for the whole time :( However if anyone does see me around then feel free to come say hi ^_^ If anyone has any tips about what to pack and maybe what to expect then I'd love to hear from you~

And now to my questjen of the week:

If you had to, which unnatural hair color would you (partly) dye your hair and why?

Excluding brown, red, blonde and black!

I'm curious to know :P

Introducing THE ICONIC - Australian Online Fashion Store

Hi readers, hope you've all had a great start to the week so far. Today I'll be introducing an online fashion store from Australia called THE ICONIC which I only recently discovered. Late last week I received an email from Koraljka who is part of THE ICONIC's marketing team where I was first introduced to THE ICONIC. Let's take a look at the site:

And here's a little bit about their company:

THE ICONIC is Australia’s newest and most exciting online destination for fashion and

foot wear and was launched approximately a month ago. Bringing you an Australian lens on global trends, THE ICONIC will offer the best in men’s and women’s global fashion and footwear.

WHAT MAKES THE ICONIC UNIQUE?

Guided by fashion expert and former Project Runway Australia judge Sarah Gale, THE

ICONIC will feature regular trend reports, style tips and everything you need to know to

create the best looks. “I’m so excited to be part of this new venture. It’s wonderful to be able

to showcase the best Australian talent and international labels on this new platform. Online

retail is definitely the future within this industry,” Sarah said.

If you didn't already know, I am from Australia (born and raised here) and when I see Australian online stores, it makes me happy. It might be the same for other countries but for us Australians, we're very patriotic :) There are many overseas stores which only ship to their own country or ship to Australia with high shipping fees. Especially the clothing stores that we all know and love. But now Australia has THE ICONIC which is an online store with the latest fashion trends that only ships within the country... for FREE.

That's right, free shipping on all orders! And for lucky people who live in Sydney, The ICONIC are able to deliver orders to metropolitan areas within 3 HOURS! Fastest shipping I have ever heard... this makes me wish that I lived in Sydney =O But either way, delivery is still fast for Australians, just a couple of working days.

I've decided to pick out a few of their clothing pieces to share. I hardly do outfits of the day anymore and although this isn't a replacement for those, I reckon this will give you the chance to know more about my sense of style. I admit it's not that great but either way, you'll get to see what THE ICONIC has to offer.

Jen's picks from THE ICONIC - women's clothing

Since spring is almost over and summer is on its way, these choices of mine will all be suitable for the hot weather:

Finders Keepers Magic Dance Body Dress

AU $129

This is a stunner, just look at the back... I absolutely adore it and I am a massive fan of lace. It has elegance and classy written all over it. I know some may find lace to be too hot to wear during summer but lace stitching over the chest shouldn't be much of a problem, especially because the dress is almost backless. Plenty of breathing space lol, despite the body dress being tightly fitted. It looks so gorgeous on the model and the lace detail on the sides of the dress really emphasises her hips (and would emphasise everyone's hips, which is a good thing). In other words, the lace around the waist is slimming!

Bluejuice Monet Dress

AU $89.95

To me this is simply eye-catching. The floral print is so feminine and cute, perfect for summer. Many of the dresses that I own have tie-waisted belts because I think it looks good for loose-fitted dresses like these. I wouldn't be able to wear a straight dress, I'd need it hug around my waist! This is why I don't own any maxi dresses... all my curves are hidden =/

You may have thought that the dress was pretty ordinary at the front but there are some nice features of this dress that makes it stand out from the rest. The straps from afar look like single, thick straps but in fact they consist of three slim straps on each side, how unique! The triangle shape that reveals the back is one that I have not seen before. I would love it just a little bit more if the triangle was a heart shape instead, hehe. The thin strap on the top will prevent straps from slipping down - genius :)

Finders Keepers Pretty Thing Skirt

AU $129

I really want a skirt like this! I haven't been able to find any like this in stores, I love the design. What I like most about this skirt is that you can pair it up with a plain black singlet and wa-lah, a lovely outfit for day or night. It's such a stylish piece with so much versatility. Very beautiful indeed!

Sass Stella Fireworks Cami

AU $44.95

The pastel colours give a very fresh look for summer and I like how there are ruffles on the neckline. The crossover straps on the back gives another element to the singlet and can also prevent strap slippages :P

A cami with bold print can easily be worn with an apricot blazer and cargo shorts. I love this outfit, edgy yet neat. It makes me think that sometimes less is more. The important thing is that all of the attention is brought to the singlet, which of course is the star of the outfit.

Ladakh Bohemian Punk Tee

AU $39.95

With my casual outfits a white tee with a design on the front is what I usually go by. I like relaxed, street-style because it's a youthful look. Once I'm much older, I wouldn't feel as comfortable wearing tees like these so while I am still young, I wear them out as often as I can :) Feathers are still a trend and the dreamcatcher print on the front makes this t-shirt more fashionable. I really like the batwing sleeves, it makes this shirt different to regular t-shirts. I'd definitely pair this with black skinny jeans or shorts. No excessive accessorising required!

Ladakh Carry On Shirt

AU $49.95

I've seen people wear these kinds of tops before, very feminine and vintage. The terracotta colour is beautiful and you can achieve a sophisticated look by simple pairing this with black skinny pants, leggings or shorts. I really like the side detailing, it makes the top more bold.

I don't own a shirt like this but I reckon if I raid my mum's clothes that she no longer wears which are slightly vintage, I can find something like this. I love collared shirts!

Living Doll Blush Shorts

AU $49.95

Coral shorts, I wish I had a pair! I am also aware that scallop shorts seem to be one of summer's latest trends but I wasn't able to find a pair on THE ICONIC. Anyway, I quite like the side/pocket detail of the pleat and button, it's nothing ordinary. These shorts can be worn during the day or night, that's something I love about them ^_^

Since there already is quite a bit of detail on the shorts, the top to pair with them needs to only be simple. The outfit comprised of a white top and coral shorts may seem plain but it actually gives a nice playful edge. If you feel that this look is too plain, add some accessories!

That's all for my clothing picks, I chose a something from each clothing category that I particularly liked or found to be impressive and different from the rest. THE ICONIC also has a wide range of shoes from Australian and international brands.

If you are interested from purchasing from THE ICONIC, I would recommend that you sign up for their newsletter where you will be given a $10 voucher to spend online! A discount and free shipping, what more could you possibly want?! :D

I'd love to hear from you if you are thinking of purchasing from THE ICONIC, or if you spot a nice piece. It's great to take advantage of the sales page where you could possibly grab yourself a bargain!

My questjen of the week for you is:

What is your favourite summer outfit?

I know there are people who are reading this and are experiencing cooler whether now but I'd still like to hear what your style is like for warmer weather! For me, it's everything I mentioned above ;)

Thanks for reading my post guys!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post nor is it an advertorial as I do not get monetary compensation. All ideas, thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and of my own.