Blog

Online Shopping Tips.
7.6.2021

Recently a lot of clients and friends I have spoken to have mentioned that they don’t like online shopping. Curious to know I ask why, the most common answers I get are 1) It’s too risky- they are worried it won’t fit or they won’t like the item(s) 2) Don’t know where to look or what to do.

Don’t get me wrong I love nothing more than walking around malls, browsing and trying on clothes but if I HAD to choose between online shopping and physical shopping, I would go with the former. Physical shopping I normally reserve for topping up basic items like tees and jeans, if there’s a sale on or if I need something ASAP and can’t wait for it to be shipped. The main reason I prefer online shopping is the diversity and selection of what you can get, you can source items from anywhere. For me I live in Auckland, New Zealand where there’s only a small handful of shops I can say I regularly buy from, most malls here have the exact same shop just in different locations. My second reason? Is the price. Online shopping is generally cheaper than physical shopping. You can get the same item (and same quality) for a third of the price.. as long as you know where to look 😉. With online retailers having less operational expenses than physical stores, the savings they make can directly be passed on by slashing the cost of their items. I also find online shopping much more convenient which I can do on the go and at any time of the day. Similarly, there has been a global shift and heavy reliance on online shopping lately so understanding what to look for is highly valuable. Stay tuned for my personal tips on online shopping….

1. SITE CREDIBILITY + LEGITIMACY
   

If it’s a store I know of and buy from no problem, but if it’s a new store there’s a few things I normally look into…

• Check if they have displayed their contact details, a contact form is not enough.
• Google the online store and have a read of some customer reviews.
• Check the URL and if it has an ‘s’ after ‘http’ which means that any communications between your device and the website are secure and encrypted.
• Have a look at the layout of the site and see how professional it is. Chances are if there’s spelling mistakes and grammatical errors then it probably isn’t legit.
• Finally, I go to their Instagram page and click on ‘tagged pictures’ to see photos of customers wearing their items. This also shows the quality of the items as you can see customers wearing it in natural light and no photoshop.

2. ITEM QUALITY

• First off I read the item description which also tells you what material its made out of (this will also later influence what size I get as some materials look better loose while others snug)
• Look to see if the site has photos of customers wearing that specific item
• Most sites have reviews written by the customer for that item which I read
• If they don’t have photos or reviews I will type the item name into google and usually it will bring a photo up of someone wearing it (alternatively look at tagged pics on their Instagram)
• A lot of websites these days also have videos of the model wearing that item which I find really helpful (as you can often tell things like if the item is see through and thin material, material shiny looking etc.

3. SIZE + FIT

• This one should come after you look at the previous two points.
• First I read what size the model is wearing (normally they will write their measurements too)
• Look at the size guide based on my measurements
• Think about the material and whether I’d like it more tight fitting or loose.
• Sometimes it can be difficult to decide on a size as different shops have different definitions eg. One shop you could be medium and then large in another.
• Also if you are like me and you don’t fit in one particular size category then it can be difficult and I often find myself tossing between two sizes.
• My upper body is one size and lower a different size which is why material is one of the first things I consider.
• Also, there are personal preferences on fit. Someone could be an XS on paper but prefer to wear size M clothes as they like the looser fit. Contrastingly someone that’s an L might prefer M as they like a tighter fit. So really its about how you want it to fit on your body not really about the letter on the tag.

Undertones.
17.03. 2021

Test 1 (Vein Colour): Look on the inside of your wrist and examine your vein colour. If your veins are more of a blue colour then you have a cool undertone. If your veins are more of a green colour, then you are warm undertoned.

Test 2 (Jewellery Colour): Put a piece of silver and gold jewellery next to your face. If you think silver suits you better then you have a cool undertone. Contrastingly if you think gold suits you better then you have a warm undertone. If you think you suit both equally then you are most likely neutral.

Test 3 (Wardrobe): If blue, green and blue clothing suit you better then you are cool toned. If clothing colours like yellow, orange and red suit better then you are warm toned.

Test 4 (Skin reaction): If you burn or turn pink easily after being out in the sun then you are cool toned, if you turn more of a golden tan then you are warm toned.

Test 5 (Eye/hair colour): If you have blue, green and grey eyes paired with blonde, brown and black hair then you are cool toned. If you have brown, hazel and amber eyes paired with red, strawberry blonde and black hair then you are warm toned.

Test 6 (White paper test): Put a piece of white paper next to your face. If your face is more pinkish then you are cool toned, if your face is more yellow then you are warm toned.

Colour.
13. 02. 2021

Do you ever wonder why you feel a certain way when you wear grey as compared to red? Why most police uniforms around the world are dark blue? Why brides almost always wear white? Why surgeons wear green? It is no secret that colours we wear can affect our mood, our behaviour, our energy and also how people perceive and respond to us. I for one feel very different when I’m wearing say a red dress compared to when I wear something pink.

Colour psychology focuses on the exploration of moods, qualities, and emotions associated with each shade. The consideration of the colour wheel, the interactions between the hues, temperatures and tones is vital in outfit construction. I don’t believe in colour exclusion but rather the opposite.. you will often find that the colours you thought were “not your colours” are actually your best ones. Below we will take a look at the different colours with what they symbolise and also the energy they put out when wearing them.