Fashion - Byron Bay Threads

Hi guys! I know I said that I'd have part two of the conference up right after the first post but unfortunately I haven't got the official pictures yet as they are not released (although I got to have a sneak peak of them). Hopefully by next week I can write up that post, sorry about the delay~

So today I've decided to step aside from the beauty blogging and make a fashion-related post as it's been a while since my last one. I'm not just a beauty blogger :P Now to shine the spotlight on an Australian (yay for Aussies) online clothing store that I recently discovered.

Introducing Byron Bay Threads - An Australian online clothing store based in Byron Bay, New South Wales (the same state as Sydney, for those who don't know). They cater for womens online clothing, mens clothing and also childrens online clothing. I don't know about you but I hardly come across any online stores that also provide children's clothing! I guess it's because kids won't normally be interested in or know much about online shopping x) Well if they do then they could browse this shop and ask their parents if they can get something haha.

When I first came across this site, I thought that maybe this would only ship domestically so I wasn't heaps keen on sharing but not to worry - they do ship internationally! They haven't listed where to exactly but I'm sure if you contact them, they'll let you know whether they can ship to your country.

What I like is that they offer free shipping when you spend over a certain amount. Knowing that for any online store motivates me to spend over the amount just to get free shipping. Like seriously, who likes to pay for shipping when they can buy an item or more to have their items shipped free of charge?! For free shipping, all you've got to do is spend over $100 in one transaction. That's not too hard when it comes to purchasing clothing.. well, for me anyway xD

You know what else motivates me to purchase from a particular shop? Being part of a rewards program! I'm not surprised that my favourite stores are the ones that reward me each time I shop there. After all, it's a great way to encourage customers to come back regularly. However, their rewards program is not like other typical 'boring' ones, as stated on their website:

The 'pros' of this online shop would be the fact that they're based in Australia so I can ensure that purchased items would arrive quickly. Byron Bay Threads offers refunds or exchanges depending on the reason and there's a testimonial section where you can read about other shoppers' thoughts which would be helpful for first-time customers.

No showcase for me is complete without sharing some of my favourite pieces that I found on the shop. I could bombard you all with plenty but I decided to keep it to 5 different clothing items - a coat, skirt, dress, top and and blouse:

It's different to ordinary trench coats! I like how on the side, it indicates how many of each size are still in stock :) If it said '1 available', it'd be a great chance to snatch it up before someone else does :P
[Link to the item]

I'm really in need for a new skirt like this, I love the colour of it and the bow on the side. So chique.
[Link to the item]

Oh, I think is pretty. Very feminine and cute.
[Link to the item]

 It may seem simplistic but I like the detail at the front. Looks great with a pair of black leggings
[Link to the item]

I'm a fan of chiffon and I'd love to have a blouse like this! The sleeves are like wings ^_^ Gorgeous ♥
[Link to the item]

Would I consider purchasing from Byron Bay Threads? Yeah I reckon I would one day, they have many lovely pieces and it would be good  for me to support a proudly Australian company. If anyone has shopped on this store before then please let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. And those who may plan to purchase from this site, let me know how it all goes!

You may have seen in the first picture the video from their home page. Sorry if you tried to watch it straight from there, it was just a screen shot of the page! The video is their first ad which I will share you guys here in case you wanted to watch it:

I'll keep you guys posted on any other fashion-related things that I think are worthy of sharing! Until next time, take care :D

Adelaide Beauty Conference 2011 Part 1

Hello everyoneeee! Here's my post on my experience at the first ever Beauty Conference in my city which was last night and ahh, I can't believe it's over! The post about this will be done in two parts. I reckon it'll be a little more exciting that way because it will mean that there's just SO much to share :)

This was my second 'bloggers meet' event and it was really amazing. I was really looking forward to meeting even more beauty bloggers from my city since my first bloggers meet was quite small (many weren't able to make it). The good thing was that I knew of everyone's names because of the attendees list on the Beauty Conference website hehe. There is a whole group shot of us but unfortunately I don't have all of the pictures yet so that might be until part two's post!

I don't even know where to start haha. I think I need to start off by saying THANK YOU to Celeste from Becoming Beautiful for organising this whole event, words can't explain how proud I am of her efforts with the planning, preparation and PR contacting (hehe I intended for all of that to start with 'p') - you are truly amazing and inspiring :D It would not have been possible without you *tears of joy* it was a huge success and I enjoyed every moment of it. I wouldn't have been able to discover so many other beauty bloggers in my city, in fact I had not known the majority of them if it wasn't for you Celeste! My blogging experience has become so much more fun hehehe.

You can read the event details on the official website here. Also thanks to Liquid Hair for allowing us to have our conference at the venue and for sharing their knowledge about hair and skin with us. I admit that I lack knowledge in the hair and skincare department so your workshops were really interesting and I learnt quite a few new tricks and tips for styling my hair! It was lovely meeting you all =]

I'm glad that Liquid Hair has glass all the way around so I could see where everyone was before I walked through the door. I ended up arriving 5 minutes before the conference started so I was on time :) The first thing I noticed through the glass panels and door was Violet's pink hair hehe. Yes, THE Violet LeBeaux who was flown in from Melbourne to be our special guest for this event! She has always been one of my blogging inspirations and she is sooo friendly and sweet :D I was so excited about meeting her in person for the first time because I am a big fan of her and her blog *_* If you aren't familiar with her yet then I highly suggest that you check out her awesome blog

I have many pictures to share and I was going to make them all super large like I normally do (seriously what was I thinking) but be glad that I've made them all small and click-able!

Our little gathering table for drinks and nibbles

I managed to include the wonderful Celeste in the photo!

Yummy cupcakes made by Monnie of Cupcake Treats!

And pink macarons! Thank you so much Monnie :)

I love bows, especially pink ones so it was perfect for me to pick/eat this one :D

Haha a few of us starting snapping away at Jeneara aka 'fake' Jen as she attempted to take a bite from top to bottom xD I hope you don't mind me using this pic here, Jen!

We were divided into two groups and looked at 4 workshops. The first one for my group was the Dermalogica Microzone Demo which was a treatment that went for 20 minutes.

For $30 at Liquid Hair, I wouldn't mind getting this treatment done on myself. I liked the fact that the products used would be suitable for my sensitive skin and for me that is really important. The girl that was used for the demo looked really comfortable lying in that chair!

The products used for the treatment

And hey, there's Violet in the background x) Again I didn't intentionally try to get her into the shot

Dermalogica sensitive skin range... *steals*

They'd all be perfect for me

We swapped with the other group and now looked at the Cloud 9 Stylish Hair Demo presented by Liquid Hair's owner Emma. First she used Cloud Nine's TheO to create volume and then she used the Cloud Nine Wand to create curls.

Love the turquoise chairs! They were quite comfy

A bit of my outfit shown. I don't know why I tilt my camera like so, it makes the photo more interesting I guess haha

The final product looks amazing

Emma also talked about the Cloud Nine straighteners - The Iron and the Micro Iron (which is so cute!) I can't believe that one of us bloggers is going to win the Micro Iron hehe.

Now I know how to properly curl my hair with a straightener. The way that Emma showed us looked so easy and quick! I loved how the curls weren't super springy and tight, instead they were bouncy and slightly wavy.

She also did a demo on one of our own - Kitty from Miss Kitty Charms when she asked about how she could style her short hair. By the way, she's hosting a giveaway for Benefit's The Porefessional (she is a Benefit sales rep).

 I can't believe there's a product that can give your hair volume! It's called a powder puff for hair or something! I really want to get one for myself now haha

And next workshop was one presented by Kitty where she showed us how to do red smokey eyes without looking like we have an eye infection. Here's how it went down when Kitty applied the eyeshadow on one of our own bloggers Michelle from Eat Paint, Sniff Glue

Ahh I don't know about you but I would not be able to pull off red smokey eyes! I can hardly pull of red lips lol. The red eyeshadow matched with Michelle's red dress :)

Kitty also applied blue lipstick (yes, blue!) on Sherry from Sherry Mint and wow, she looked super fierce!

Sherry looks a little worried hehe but still very gorgeous

She managed to pull it off well because she's so fair-skinned =]

Pity she didn't keep it on for the whole night!

Kitty's Lime Crime lipsticks

Which colour would you wear? If I had to pick... I'd choose the darker purple lol

I want some SugarPill! They have such pigmented and vibrant eyeshadows, mad love!

Last but definitely not least was the workshop with Violet where she did a nail art demo on Sherry's pretty nails. Sherry naturally has nice nails *envies*

Aw, still can't get over how cute she is! 

I seem like such a stalker taking a pic of her like this hahaha

I learnt so many new tips about doing nail art, I'm really tempted to put my new knowledge to the test

Leopard print nails with a twist - using pink and purple instead of the ordinary colours of leopard print

Yay I got a Violet LeBeaux business card *-*

Love how pink and pretty it is with the butterfly on the corner

Looks like something I should keep in my purse

I forgot to take a picture of it but at the back there's a pixelated-looking barcode which I scanned using my Barcode Scanner app on my phone and omg, it actually scanned and lead me straight to Violet's blog! That is so cool :D If only I knew how to do that lol.

So that was all that happened at the conference, I had a blast and I enjoyed every minute of it! I'm seriously glad that I was able to be an attendee - if I never started beauty blogging then I wouldn't have been a part of it. We took a few group shots together (which I don't have yet) and I will probably have those pictures by next week, thus there is going to be a part two of this post next for more pictures and all ^_^

Cannot thank everyone enough, it was a pleasure to meet the other Adelaide beauty bloggers, the Liquid Hair team AND of course, Violet and her partner Jimmy who was our photographer =) I can't wait for our next bloggers meet and event! I hope there will be an Adelaide Beauty Conference next year, I'll definitely be going to that :D

Me and Cathy from Cathy's Beauty Blog/Cookieyuri

In case you didn't know, we are high school buddies ♥

I know this isn't the best photo of me but here's a picture of me and Violet ♥

As you can see, I was heaps excited to meet her *big grins*

And ta-da! Our goodie bags waiting to be collected :D

They were HEAVY, roughly 5-6 kg each LOL

We were all extremely happy when we got to collect out goodie bags and have a look through them. I can't believe we got so much stuff!! In my next blog post I will show each product with pictures and swatches. I was going to do that in this post but... I'll save it for next time, promise ;D

If you're really dying to know what I got... you can watch my vlog which I did when I came home from the conference. I sound a little quiet and monotone-ish because it was late at night and I didn't want to wake anyone up :/ I used my webcam to film again because it's so much easier, I could see myself and it could record 10gb worth of video time xD Not that I intended for it to be that large - my webcam happenes to make the video files HUGE. But don't worry, I converted it to make it under 200mb, so excuse the non-HD quality ;(

It was originally 20 minutes long but as YouTube only allows for videos up to 15 minutes, I managed to cut it down to 14 minutes and 59 seconds xD Woohoo!

Pretty awkward screencap but this was better than having my eyes half opened x]

Please note that it is fairly boring lol. If it's too long for your liking then don't watch it lol, just wait until next week when I properly showcase the products :P

It's so long because I had to show 40 products! I even listed them in order so you can keep count of them and their names:

Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

Botanics of Australia Hydrating Body Soufflé

Botanics of Australia Moisturising Shampoo

The Body Shop Earth Lovers Apricot and Basil Shower Gel

SAX Complexion Bronzer

Botani Olive Skin Serum

Ciccone Lip Gloss in Zeus

Ciccone Long Lasting Lipstick in Oceanus

Ciccone Long Lasting Lipstick in Hera

SAX Sheer Lip Colour Lipstick in 34 Sheer Nude

Dolce by MOR Sorbet Soap Cake

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 220 Natural Beige

Schwarzkopf Super Styling Creme-Gel Extreme Hold

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in 05 Chunky Cherry

Garnier Fructis Style Thermo-Active Spray

Benefit The Porefessional Pro Balm

Al’chėmy Intensive Moisture Vitamin Masque

BioEffect EGF Serum

Andrea Brazilian Hard Wax for Private Parts

L’Occitane Gel Crème Mains Hand Cream Gel Sample

Guinot Slimming Firming Softening

Australis Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Blush

Australis Paparazzi High Definition Eyeshadow

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturiser

L’Occitane 95% Shea Butter Vineyard Rose

Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Star 3

Botanics of Australia Firming Body Lotion

Garnier Body Hydrating Lotion with Softening Aloe Vera Extract

Garnier Anti-dark Circles Roll-on (Tinted)

Garnier Fructis Strengthening Shampoo

Garnier Fructis Strengthening Conditioner

Botanics of Australia Repairing Antioxidant Serum

Ardell Fashion Lashes Starter Kit 101 Demi Black

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

O.P.I Nail Lacquer in Linkin Park After Dark

Face of Australia Photo Finish Compact Foundation in Tan

Face of Australia Photo Finish Compact Foundation in Honey

Face of Australia Photo Finish Compact Foundation in Ivory

Bio-Oil Sample

L’Occitane Moisturising Face Lotion Sample

Please be on the look out for part two of this post - I can take requests for any specific swatches or thoughts on any products that I have listed :)

Thanks for reading my lengthy post, catch you all next week!

PART 2 POST OF THE ADELAIDE BEAUTY CONFERENCE IS HERE

Review: Geo Princess Mimi Chocolate Brown Lenses

Hi everyone, how are we all? Today I have a review on some lenses that were provided by Pinky Paradise. For you circle lens fans out there, I'm pretty sure that you've all heard of Pinky Paradise since they have such an extensive range of lenses! Not only that, they also carry products such as BB Cream, false eyelashes, face masks and more :) For those who aren't aware of this company, here's a little about them.

Pinky Paradise is a company based in Malaysia and they have 350+ choices of lenses ranging from natural series to cosplay series. The fact that they have ready stocks means that their products are shipped out to you between 1-3 days, so less waiting time overall!

Now onto the package that I received from them:

- Registered mail (I needed to sign for this package)

- Bubble wrap padded bag

- Extra foam wrapping around the lens vials

It took over a week to get to me but under 2 weeks which is good. Pinky Paradise love to send out freebies to their customers as their way of saying thanks and being appreciative. Honestly, I thought that was it for the contents of the package but when I had a look inside, there were two 'free gifts':

An animal lens case and pink hair velcros!

I didn't know these came in a pack of two

You use them to put your fringe/hair back when you apply makeup etc.

 Purple hippos? I think so haha
*correction* they are fish LOL

When you order from Pinky Paradise, there won't be a cute animal lens case given to you automatically. BUT if you would like a free mystery gift and an animal case along with you lenses, you'll have to use this code:

'QUESTJEN'

Use this code at the checkout when you purchase at least one pair of lenses from Pinky Paradise and you will get a FREE animal lens case and a mystery gift! 

The mystery gift may or may not be the hair velcros like I got, it'll just be a lovely surprise for you to look forward to haha

The coupon code can be stacked. So if you ordered 3 pairs of lenses, with the code you will get 3 animal lens cases and 3 mystery gifts! How awesome is that?!

A minimum of 1 lens purchase can activate this code and there is no expiry date :)

Geo Princess Mimi Chocolate Brown Lenses

Item details
Diameter : 15mm
Water Content : 38%
Base Curve : 8.6mm
Life Span : 1 year disposal

I decided to try these lenses because they're a new design from Geo and correct me if I'm wrong - famous gal model Tsubasa Masuwaka created this style. They're 15mm lenses which are really big for circle lenses as they are normally 14mm but since I'm quite gal-curious now, I thought I'd give these a try! I've tried 15mm lenses before so I didn't have trouble putting these on.

These lenses look so... normal on her. It's like her eyes are naturally that big :o

Look at the enlargement on my eyes

Flash lighting

Again I've gone with the gyaru-style because these lenses are WAY too bold for natural makeup. When I first tried these on I shared on Twitter that these lenses made me look posessed without any eye makeup on o_o Black eyeliner, top and bottom falsies tones down the dramatic-ness of the lenses

The yellow in the center really makes my eyes pop in flash lighting and the brown is more like a crimson-brown than a chocolate brown which isn't very natural-looking. But hey, when you've got 15mm lenses, you shouldn't be expecting a natural look at all :P The black limbal ring is not very thick but still noticeable.

A few weeks ago I purchased some fashion non-prescriptive glasses since I didn't own any previously. I used to want to get the more rectangle ones but they don't suit me that well. What do you think of these ones?

Haha it's funny how when I was younger, I used to WANT to wear glasses xP People might have thought that wearing glasses makes you look nerdy but I thought they were cool (maybe because the 'cool' kids wore them LOL)

Just another angle for you all to see. I think I'm improving with applying bottom lashes. I didn't need to do any trimming for these. Can you guess what top lashes I am wearing? They're my Dolly Winks No. 2 which I really like! I'm thinking of getting more Dolly Wink lashes hehe.


What I think of these lenses:

First of all, these lenses are extremely comfortable despite them being 15mm. I don't think that the diameter has much of impact on comfort, perhaps it's more to do with the base curve and thickness. Just like other Geo lenses, these are the same thickness which I reckon is the perfect thickness for comfort and ease of removal. With thinner lenses, I have a little more trouble putting them on and taking them out. I'm happy with the actual lenses themselves.

Used my iPod for the following pictures:

I remember when these first came out and a few people experienced defects in the lenses where one would feel more comfortable than the other or they would be too unbearable to wear for long hours. Naturally, I was skeptical after hearing about others' issues with the lenses but fortunately I had no problems. Maybe Geo (the manufacturer) fixed their problem and I happened to get one of their newly made ones *shrugs* Or maybe people were talking about the other colours (green and grey) which I haven't tried yet.

 I didn't mean to do the duck face, it just makes my nose appear simmer ._. And it sort of worked xD

Overall thoughts:

I know that these are not the nicest colour from the Princess Mimi range and they aren't highly raved about however, when I try a new pair of lenses from a series I always like to try the brown pair first (just to see how it looks on my naturally brown eyes). If the pattern is too over-the-top then I wouldn't consider trying other colours like blue, grey etc. Now that I have tried the brown from this series, I would consider the other colours because the pattern is quite 'normal'. In other words, there aren't any random swirls or stars and such lol. They would blend in with my eyes without appearing too vibrant and obvious in natural lighting.

I strongly suggest that you don't wear these lenses out without any eyeliner because you will look odd (even if you may think you don't haha) and when you've got gal-style lenses then that means you must put in effort for your eye makeup!

I don't think I'm going to do the star rating for this because my views would seem a little biased. All I'll say is that yes, these are comfortable and yes they give you a definite enlargement. Whether you're fond of the pattern/colour/thickness is all up to you!

My personal opinion... I honestly wouldn't wear these lenses out unless I have the gyaru makeup on. I haven't worn gal makeup out before so it's really unlikely that I will be wearing these lenses in public anyway. They are super duper bold and enlarging - you're bound to freak someone out if they aren't familiar with circle lenses! For lenses, 1mm really makes a difference.

Something that I really, really like about these lenses:

I almost forgot to mention that with these lenses, you can tell which side is the right way up! I discovered this when I first got these lenses and looked at the bottom of the vials. One had a black limbal ring and the other had a brown ring. At first I thought there was something wrong with one of them but it turned out that one was flipped the other side. This was then I discovered that the...

Brown ring is the one shown on the 'inside'

Black ring is shown on the 'outside'

Now I won't have to worry about which is the right way to put these lenses on because it's as simple as looking at the limbal ring :D I don't know whether it's the same for other lens series but I reckon they should all be like this - it makes life easier and it saves us from feeling that awful stinging pain when we insert them the wrong way!

Thoughts on Pinky Paradise

I am able to give my 100% honest opinion on Pinky Paradise as I had been a customer prior to obtaining sponsored lenses. I was stoked when I was contacted by them to review lenses. I can truly say that Pinky Paradise is a trustworthy lens company and you won't have to worry about being scammed or being sold fake products. I was happy with their customer service by promptly replying to my emails, addressing my name in each email and answering all the questions that I had. They are very friendly, polite and their emails were formally written. The fact that they are popular online (YouTubers and bloggers talk about them) means that they are a well-established company that satisfies their customers and have a great reputation. This is what I think is important about an online company, without all of this a company cannot be successful, trusted and respected.

All customers are treated equally and fairly. It's not like they use special packaging for sponsor parcels etc, it's all the same. The elements of my sponsored package looks exactly the same as my purchased one so I didn't get any special treatment besides getting it free of charge. Because Pinky Paradise has been around for quite a number of years, you know they're reliable and awesome! Lastly I want to say that their prices are very reasonable so you don't get ripped off :D Thank you Pinky Paradise for sponsoring me these lenses.

Please let me know if you do have any questions about these lenses or Pinky Paradise, I'd be happy to answer them for you :)

If you're interested in purchasing these lenses, you can click here. Don't forget to use the code 'QUESTJEN' at the checkout to get your free animal lens case and mystery gift!

Thanks for reading this post, I think I might post again soon but if not I'll be back this time next week. No actually, I won't because I'll be at the Adelaide Beauty Conference!! One week to go *excitement* I sort of want to blog about my photoshoot that I had last Monday if I can get the pictures soon, hmm. We'll see, maybe my next blog post will be about that =)

Hope you're all well, take care ♥

Disclaimer: The coupon code to use at Pinky Paradise does not give me monetary compensation, it is a code for you guys to use for your benefit. I am not affiliated with Pinky Paradise so the links I have provided do not benefit me in any way when they are clicked on.