You guys, I hate to bring it up but it is the end of August.

I know.

Where, how, time . . . things are just flying by but it's alright because I'm getting bored of my winter clothes and it's time to start thinking about transeasonal goodness!

So this month, I didn't pop on anything until the 15th. As I mentioned on the socials, I ran into my friend Hayley and noticed her earrings and remembered that I had seen them and liked them which prompted me to look at them on the Mimco site again and then coincidentally, Mimco sent me a "hey, come spend some money" voucher for $15. That night I was meeting another friend on Rundle Street for dinner and I happened to be walking past Mimco 10 minutes before they closed so I zipped in and picked these Cumulus studs up in the black and rose gold colourway for $34.95.

As an aside, I love love love Mimco earrings - I am getting quite the collection now, I'll show you one day. I'm also quite actively eyeballing both the nude and navy ones as well.


A few days later, I went into Forever New after the second day of our work conference with my good luck shopping charm Kathy and bought something to change into for our dinner that night. I don't go into Forever New that often because it's always been a little out of my price range but I think I am now in that bracket so I've signed up for their newsletter. This shirt was on the sale rack for $49 marked down from $79, and I wore it out of the store like a bawse. (After paying for it, obviously).

Forgive my unhappy face, I put it on to get a photo when I was desperately ill just before kindy drop-off. It isn't a particularly flattering shot but I couldn't summon the strength for multiple poses, plus it was about 5 degrees. You can see the side button detail though, which is nice.


I had been aimlessly browsing site after site looking for some new dresses but nothing was speaking to me, until I stumbled randomly to Ezibuy and ended up throwing down on no less than 4 frocks. Here's something funny I do sometimes, if I buy multiple items online, I try not to review my order or look at the email too often so I'm pleasantly surprised by what I get when it arrives. I know, I'm weird. Sometimes you have to make your own fun.

That's where the fun ended though. You know you're crook when your online order arrives and it takes you three days to open it and try the stuff on. Unfortunately, each item had been carefully crafted to make me look like a lumpen sack so each one was refolded and placed back in the bag for a return.

I did however go to Rivers* and pick up this cute ditsy boho dress* for $19 marked down from $40 (and it's now on further sale for $14!)


Also a pair of black marle trackies* which are for home use only (and have been getting a workout during this sickness phase) and a cute blue and white striped OTS top* thing that I'll show you later once I've a) steamed it and b) it's warm enough to wear. Originally priced at $30, I got it for $15 because of the sale and I had a $5 rewards voucher. So yay.

Totals for the month: (ironically, I bought less in August than in No-Buy July!)

Monthly totals

Items acquired: 5
Total RRP ticket "value" - $228.95
Total paid - $148.94
YTD spend - $1,694.06
YTD "value" - $3,788.66

Bought anything good this month? Are you still tracking your spending? Have you also been sick?

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* denotes affiliate links. By clicking through and purchasing, you don't pay any extra but I earn a small amount of coin to go towards my spring wardrobe. For more information, see my PR & Media policy.

It's that time of year again . . . when the jocks and socks are out in full force and it's time to start thinking all things Dadular.

If the Dad in your life - be it your own and/or the father of your kids that you have to buy for because they STILL aren't earning their own coin despite being a full four years of age - is difficult to buy for then LUSH is at hand with their limited edition Fathers Day range now on sale until September 3.

Because all Dads need to clean themselves at some point.


I was sent this cool collection to review and decided to get my husband Dale in on the act, being that he is, in fact,  a Dad. If I'm honest, he was a bit suspect as his opinion of LUSH products is still marred by the Ruby Red Slippers glitter bathbomb incident of 2004 (look, the stain DID come off eventually, he needs to get over it). Our co-daughter Miss L was excited, as the LUSH fan she is, and promptly claimed (by which I mean, tossed into the bath before I was ready) the DAD bath bomb which turns the water this excellent shade of blue / green which is totally manly.


I had a peek into his bathroom and saw that the Smuggler's Soul face scrub was indeed in the shower and being used which is an indication of acceptance. If Dale doesn't like something, he just straight up won't use it. Like me, he has a thing that if there is not enough foam and chemical reaction, it doesn't feel like it's cleaning, but I assured him it would.


He also applied the Smuggler's Soul multipurpose cream to his head and reported back that while he wasn't a massive fan of the sandalwood scent, it was inoffensive enough to keep using.


The Dirty styling cream is designed for dudes with thick and unruly hair which is great as as Dale is blessed with an extremely robust head of hair albeit kept short. A few goes to get the right amount but it did lend itself to keeping things neat and in place with a non-chemical scent.


We haven't used the Modfather bubble bar yet but I do love the retro vibe.

What have you got planned for Fathers Day this year? I am keen to see what comes home from the $5 kindy stall. My money is on a mug.


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Press pack kindly gifted by LUSH for review. Images are mine, opinions are Dale's and the daughter is ours. For more information, please see my PR and Media policy.

Although the warmth of Darwin seems a distant memory now, it was a great opportunity to bust out my new sunglasses that were kindly gifted to me by GlassesShop.com

I've collaborated with them previously way back when, but the glasses frames I chose on that occasion were too big for my pin head so I got my friend Stacie to model them which she did so very nicely.

I had similar trepidation when choosing the Elaine Round in pink with silver mirror coating as I struggle finding glasses online but I was pleasantly surprised when they turned up eventually (which involved a protracted interaction with security at the Adelaide branch of the ATO to collect my misdirected package, don't ask).


Anyway, I packed them in my suitcase and wacked them on my face prior to a night out with my sister and this was the look:



Bonus cameo appearance by my sister's cat, Blitzen, taking a break from terrorising other cats in the neighborhood and scabbing free food.



If you're interested, the dress is from Katies, the shoes are from Spendless and the clutch is my Louis Vuitton pochette that came with my Neverfull tote as an added bonus.


I'll be looking forward to busting these out proper when summer comes to Adelaide. They're a fun, fresh style and decent value for the price - you can even get them as prescription frames if you so desire.

Are you keen to try any new styles of shades this summer? If so, use GSHOT50 to get 50% off full-price eyeglasses and sunnies. You're welcome.

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I was kindly gifted this pair of sunglasses for review by GlassesShop.com. All opinions, words, images and sisters are my own. For more information, please see my Work With Me policy.

A bit of a delay in bringing you the #StyleCost2017 round-up for July but you may have seen on Instagram, I've been away on hols in Darwin. By rights, this blog post would be empty had I actually stuck to my plan of #NoBuyJuly17 but we all know that didn't happen.

Unlike Mica, who has completed her seventh month without shopping, I wasn't quite as successful and have decided that shopping bans just aren't my jam and I probably won't be doing them in the future unless it's by accident or coincidence.

So as you might recall, the company I work for was nominated as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards and were invited to attend the black tie announcement dinner and my pre-planned dress did not arrive in time. So I went to Myer and landed this Jayson Brundson jacquard dress for a mere $104 marked down from $229. AND because it had black in it, I didn't need to buy new bag or shoes, so really, I saved money.


So what of the other dress? Well, surprisingly, it did actually roll up eventually, having gone the scenic route through a number of other countries and when it did come, it was a touch small around the waist. It's still really pretty though. Soz for the bad light. Although this came in under last month's spend, for your information, it was originally priced at $79.95 but thanks to a coupon code and app special, I got it for $42 which has since been refunded in gift card credit format. Here's what I bought it as . . .


And it actually was pretty accurate!


As I mentioned, we headed off to Darwin and I was in desperate need of some new thongs. Well, I bought some. I ended up going for the Crocs Isabella flip flops I mentioned in that post and I got them for 20% off as my first order, so $31. Which is a lot for thongs really, but I now value comfort over cost in terms of footwear.


In preparation for the trip, I pulled down my boxes of summer gear, only to find them virtually empty. So I threw everything out the window and hit up Kmart like any normal person would. I got two excellent shift dresses with tie-up necks in stripe and black fr $10 each which I used for transitional dressing between Adelaide and Darwin. Simply add or remove fleece tights and cardi as required.


I also picked up a sleeveless floral top for $9 and some 3/4 length harem pants for $12. Here's a fairly average pic. I didn't do a lot of posing up there apart from a couple of nights out . . .


Finally, I won a $50 gift card from Spendless Shoes on Instagram so I filled a gap in my shoedrobe and got these Tavia strappy low heels worth $39.95.


So for a no-buy month, here's the total spend:

Items acquired: 7
Total RRP ticket "value" - $349.90
Total paid - $176
YTD spend - $1,518.18
YTD "value" - $3,464.76

Did you have a crack at No-Buy July? How did you do?