Op Shop Adventures - Mountain Gate

Just down the road from my house is a small shopping area, with a Coles, Safeway (It's not Woolworths damn it!) and a few random shops. Mixed in is a Villa Maria op shop, and across the road is a large Salvos. Unfortunately the Villa store was closed, but we headed over to the Salvos to see what we could find.

Salvos Mountain Gate

Mountain Gate Shopping Centre3 Mountain Gate DriveMountain Gate

9756 0495

 

There is plenty of parking out the front, and there are a few other large 'factory' stores in the same lot. Now, I know sometimes it can be confusing to find, but if you're ever in the area, look out for the Carpet store on the corner, and turn in there. The store is larger than it looks from the outside, and they have everything from clothes, to mattresses, and pretty much everything in between, even a piano!

The selection of clothes is really good, and they've categorised everything just like you'd expect. It's easy to search for specific things you want, because of how it's set out, but the lighting isn't the best, so it can be hard to see colours and stains etc. on the clothes. 




They have a massive selection of books to chose from and even have a couple of chairs so you can sit and read. This would be awesome, except for the older male staff member who routinely patrols the store and tells off people when he thinks are misbehaving. Kids, adults, he'll tell off anyone. But don't let that put you off, the rest of the staff there are amazing. Smiles and jokes all round!

There is a small yet formidable selection of CD's to look through, as well as a few records and DVD's.

Everything is sorted out into categories like adult fiction and kids books, so again, it makes things easy to find (I'm beginning to see a pattern here...).













The only thing I couldn't really find were many kids toys, I mean there were a few soft toys, and a small basket of medium sized toys (water pistols, dolls etc), but nothing that really catches your eye. I think it would be amazing if they had a section for the kids to actually play with some of the toys, I know for me when I go shopping with my friends kids, they want to take home the toys they play with. It just makes good business sense! 

 

 

They had an awesome selection of glassware, which was really neatly displayed on a wall. From sets of glasses, or one off water jugs, to vases and bowls, the options were endless. You can't really see it from the front of the store, as it's currently hidden behind a wall of wooden furniture, but all the better for me I say!



Speaking of the wall of furniture, facing the glassware were buffets and dressers filled with kitchen goods. They had quite a few items of 'vintage' Tupperware (I say vintage because these are ones I remember my Oma having at our old holiday house in Philip Island), and some great bread boxes. They also had some kitchen gadgets, like scales, graters and the such.



I was actually pretty impressed with this store. Considering it's size, and ignoring the cranky old man, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I mean obviously every store has it's downfalls, this one being the lighting, all in all it was a pretty great find. Yes, the prices were stock standard Salvos prices, but I think the pricing for the larger items was actually pretty decent. 

I'll most certainly be coming back when I head over to the Villa store. Hopefully next time I can walk away with arms full of goodies!

Love

J xx

Op Shop Adventures - Malvern & Ashburton

A couple of weeks ago we went out shopping with my sister in law Vanessa, to some of her favourite op shops. Now, Malvern and Ashburton are normally not on my radar, so I don't bother to go out there. But, considering I wasn't driving, I couldn't complain. We made it to the Salvos in Ashburton, and Vinnies and The Ashburton Oppy in Ashburton. We also went to another Salvos more local to my house, but I'll talk about that separately.

So, firstly was the Salvo's in Malvern:
57 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
9576 0642

  

 

The store is easy to find, and brightly lit. They were playing some nice music in the background, and the store was full of people.

  

Now, like a lot of SALVO's I've been to recently I found the prices to be a little high. But I guess given that Malvern is a high end area I really should have expected it. I still had a look around just in case there was something super special I just 'had to have'. There wasn't, but I did enjoy looking at all of the amazing things. They had beautiful crockery and a spotty tea set I was tempted to take home, if only I had more room! 

I did however find a nice scarf that came home with me, beautiful silk with green and purple butterflies on it. It cost me nearly $7, but I do have a strange love for scarves, so I was okay with it. Now that we had our little purchases, it was off to Ashburton to find out what goodies they had!

The Ashy Op Shop
285B High Street (corner of Welfare Parade)
Ashburton
9885 5923

 

Where to start? Firstly, there is an outside and an inside store. Sounds strange I know, but essentially the outside is for furniture and larger items, and the actual store is for clothes, crockery, bric-a-brac etc. Of course we went rummaging through the furniture first, not looking for anything in particular, but had fun looking anyway. The wooden furniture is all under cover, and the plastic things, like kids toy trikes and baby baths (yes, there were 3 of them) were all out next to the fence, which has no cover. At first I thought it was a little odd, but it makes sense really, considering how much stuff they actually had there, compared to the room.



Next was into the store! They had a few displays out the front full of random things, and inside the store was no different. Mind you, walking into the store was like stepping back at time, I mean really, look at that carpet! I was amazed at how the small store was so full of beautiful things, and how well organised it was.

 

Yes it was a little cluttered, but really you can't expect much more. They had collections of handbags, records, books, crockery, vintage and retro clothes, random electronics, and my favourite, buttons!

  

The staff there were so lovely, and they had no problem with us rifling through things, or me taking photos. I wish I had more energy to stay and keep looking, I feel like there were so many hidden treasures!

We went across the road to the Ashbuton Vinnies afterwards...

Vinnies
252 High Street
Ashburton
9885 2952

We we greeted with a wonderous display of goodies outside the store, which was fun to rifle through, had a great selection of scarves and bakeware. Sadly the rest of the store was lacking much for me, I'm sure others would love it's collection of crockery though! 






  

I will say though, they had a great selection of plus sized clothing, none of it my style, but still I was impressed such a small store had enough stock to have a plus size section! There were plenty of clothes to sort through, but not a whole lot else. After Vinnies, we were planning to go home, but ended up stopping off at another Salvos near my house (Mountain Gate), but I'll post that separately.

Love,

J xx

Op Shop Adventures - Ringwood

I've realised I live in such a rich op shop area, there is at least one in almost every suburb around us. I thought it might be nice to go adventuring and give reviews on them. This past Saturday we went into Ringwood to explore the local oppies, and here is what we found:

Savers Ringwood
79-83 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood, VIC, 3134
03 9870 1600

Mon-Wed, 9am-7pm
Thur-Fri, 9am - 9pm
Sat, 9am - 6pm
Sun, 10am - 6pm

Firstly, as soon as you walk in the store it's clothes, clothes as far as the eye can see. The store is a split level, so all of the adult clothes and shoes are on the main floor, then kids clothes, books, manchester and pretty much everything else, is on the lower floor.





The store is well lit, and very well organised, which makes it a pleasure to shop there. The staff were all very helpful when we asked questions about the stock, and even had a joke with me when I questioned the final cost (a total of $50 when I thought it would be more like $100). The change rooms are roomy, clean and well lit.

   

I think because they're such a large store, with so much stock, they can make their prices a little cheaper. For example, kids clothes ranging from 99cents to $5 each, depending on the item. Womens tops all for $4 or under. Records for $2 each, and even less for the smaller ones. 





The stock we looked at all seemed to be in pretty good condition, and the prices were easy to see (the tags for clothes were in obvious places, price stickers for books on the back cover etc).

All in all, I loved going to Savers. We came away with a bag of clothes and a book, for $50, which I thought was amazing. The only thing I missed was seeing a Plus Size section, but I guess you can't win 'em all!

Next was onto Salvos, which is essentially right next door.

Salvos Ringwood
71 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood
Mon-Fri, 9:00 - 5:30pm
Sat, 9:00 - 5:30pm

Look, I'm not going to lie, we walked into the store, went around once and walked out. The store was dark & musty, the staff were grimacing and I found everything to be over priced.

That being said, we did see an amazing pair of hand painted shoes, which were pretty rad. Not my size, but still, pretty cool.

The store was set out nicely, with fashion displays in the window, and everything very neat and organised. It was easy to tell in which area things belonged, but I think that was also because the store is in such a small space.

Maybe if I'm feeling more forgiving next time, I might take a second look.

Pit stop to pee and rehydrate, then off to Vinnies accross the road.



Vinnies Ringwood
2/82 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood
Mon-Sat, 9:00- 5:00pm
Sun, 10:00 - 5:00pm



Upon entering the doors, we were greeted with happy staff, a lovely looking store, and a beautiful display. There was music playing in the background, and many colour coordinated treasures to look at.



We walked around for a bit, and ended up buying more kids clothes for Izzy, my girlfriends daughter, as well as six tea towels and I think a couple of other random things. 

I was so impressed with the layout and organisation of the store, especially the bedding section. Everything was in their own pigeon holes, in bags, all separated by size. It was a sight to behold. In front of the manchester, there was some wooden furniture, such as dining tables and chairs, a buffet, and a wardrobe. The tables were presented nicely, without having piles of stuff on top.





There was plenty of crockery, including, my favourite, tea cups! We have our own little collection at home. I'll share it here one day, if I ever remember haha. Anyway, they had a lot of matching cups and saucers, and even some sets. They weren't the cheapest I've ever seen, but it may be because of the label? Not knowing much about fancy tea sets, I couldn't tell you for sure.



I was pretty happy with the store, they don't always have the best prices, but it's a nice store to be in, has a good vibe if you know what I mean. It was easy to navigate around and had a fair amount of stock to sort through.

Right, now we've been out and explored Ringwood, we'll be going around to more of my local suburbs to see what their op shops have to offer.
If you have any suggestions of where we should go, comment down below (I'm a poet and didn't even know it!).

I'd like to also head out to different sales and markets to see what's on offer, so even if it's out of my comfort zone, like wedding or baby expos, let me know anyway, if I have time I'll head over and see what's what!

Much love,

Jayde xx

What's Coming Up In The World Of Jayde

So, there have been quite a lot of things going on in the past few weeks.

I know I’ve been a bit slack with posting new things, but I promise I’ll fix that!

So in the next week or so, I’ll be posting about:

Dupe Tests

New Fashion Buys

New Vintage Finds

My Favourites

Reviews

And a few other random things as I go along!

I hope all is well in your world (where ever you are!)

Jayde xx

Book v Movie: Perks Of Being A Wallflower

You know how you can read a book, then watch the movie and think, 'are these even meant to be the same thing?'. Well I love reading a great book, then comparing it to the movie it's based on. Sometimes they get it spot on, and sometimes they just get it so horribly wrong.

Last night we finally sat down to watch Perks Of Being A Wallflower. I read the book a couple of months ago, and figured it was finally time to watch to movie and compare. Let's start with the book:

Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
This is a wonderful coming of age story about a young man Charlie, who is just about to start his freshman year at highschool. It follows his journey through the ups and downs of teenage life, and his growth as a person. In the beginning of the book, the author writes as though he has very limited english skills, but as the story progresses, the writing style gets better, showing that through Charlie's journey, he is maturing as a person. His English teacher becomes his mentor, and is constantly giving him new books to read and write about, challenging him to explore the books meanings and underlying stories. Charlie finally makes friends, Sam and Patrick, and they continue to surprise him and take him on adventures to widen his horizon.
The way the author describes the characters, leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader, which I think is brilliant. I love being able to picture these people in my head, their hair colour, their accent, the way they dress and walk. It helps me to create my own little world, which let's me escape into the book. The ending of the book is a bit bullshit, and made me angry at the story, but I can understand why it was done so. It's not so much that I think the ending is stupid, it's more so that I couldn't believe it. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, so don't worry, there will be no spoilers here. I very much enjoyed the book, and read it every lunch break until it was finished.


The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 2012
Based on the book by the same name, Stephen Chbosky puts on his directing hat and thank god he did. I think if this movie had been directed by anyone else, they would have ruined it. Chbosky stayed so true to the book, with only a few minor adaptations. The storyline is the same, the characters written in the script perfectly. I love this movie, just as much as I love the book. 

If you prefer to read, then read, if you prefer to watch, then watch. In this instance, it makes no difference. Both book and movie are done wonderfully`.

Jayde xx

Product Review: Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick

Okay, so I'm not one to be put off easily, and tonight I decided to give the Lasting Finish range by Rimmel another go. 

I bought 4 different ones tonight: #16, #11, #106 & #111 Kiss Of Life.

Here are my thoughts!

#16 - It's a lovely soft peachy pink colour, which goes on a lot paler than it looks like it would, but it a great pearly nude.
#11 - An amazing deep dark red. Surprisingly it's not as dark as I first thought.  Perfect for ladies with darker complexions.
#106 - A vibrant red with a pink of pink to it. Lovely on fair to medium skin.
#111 - A member of the red family, presenting as a bright dark red. I know that sounds silly, but that's the only way I can really describe it.

So now that you know a bit about the colours, let me tell you a little about the lipsticks themselves. In my original product review of #20, I was utterly disappointed, but not this time!

These new lipsticks are sold with the whole case sealed in tamper proof packaging. They all smell like fruit (watermelon to me, strawberry to Dan), and glide on in a divine manner.

For the "Lasting Finish", they definitely seem to last longer than #20. So it got me to thinking, maybe my #20 is a dud? I'll try to add some photos of my purchases soon, but my phone is almost flat, and I can't find my actual camera.

Anyway, you can buy these little bursts of colour from your local K-mart store for under $13 each.

I highly suggest you go out and try one!

Jayde xx

Product Review: Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick #20

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish #20


When Kate Moss brought out her first collection of lipsticks, I was a little hesitant to try them, and so I missed out. But not this time! Kate Moss has released a new range through Rimmel, Lasting Finish, and I bought them!

There are 11 different shades (that I know of), and I current have 2 in my possession. I've only worn one so far, #20.

#20 is a beautiful vibrant fuchsia pink, it goes on a lot brighter than you'd think. It glides on like silk and feels so glamorous on my lips. The packaging is elegant and stylish, with a lovely matt finish, and Kate's name with a cute little love heart.

I simply adore the colour!

Unfortunately, that's about all I like. The tube isn't sealed, so anyone can open it before you buy it, and you'd never know. It doesn't last nearly as long as I thought it would, even with lip liner (I tried with and without).

Even though it goes on smooth, after a little while it becomes dry and has an unpleasant feel on my lips. I've tried it with clear gloss, and without, and it still doesn't last, nor does it feel/taste any better.

I was really disappointed with this product. All of the hype had me so excited! Only other upside was the price, about $12-$15.

Scoring is as follows:

Price: 9/10
Colour: 10/10
Texture: 6/10
Taste: 6/10
Wear: 5/10

Sorry for the let down ladies and gents!

Jayde xx

Product Review: L'Oreal Infalliable Lipstick 312 Ravishing Red

If you've been reading, by now you'll know that I love lipsticks, and I mean love them. I have a small collection, of over 50 different shades. They range from K-Mart brand BYS, to L'Oreal & Revlon. I love them all. I have everything from pinks and reds, to purples, browns and oranges.

When I realised I had so many, I decided to do The Lipstick Diaries. A photo of each of my amazing lipsticks. But I've thought of something even better, a product review!

So each week (or so), I'll be doing a review on a lipstick. Today is L'Oreal Infallible in 312 Ravishing Red.



L'Oreal Infallible in 312 Ravishing Red.

I bought this at K-Mart a couple of months ago for about $15. It's a brilliant Goldilocks red, not to bright, and not to dark, just right!

According to L'Oreal, it's designed to last for 10hrs. I wore mine to work, drank 3 cups of coffee, and ate my lunch, and it was still there! A little worn, but after a light touch up, all was right in the world.

Because it is the long last formula, it feels a little dry once it's set. It didn't make my lips look dry or flakey though, which was a bonus. But for all you lovelies out there who like a glossy lip, wearing a clear or lightly red tinted lip gloss works well. Obviously though, with the gloss, the intense colour doesn't last as long. It has almost a matt finish, but a slight shimmer at the same time.

When I wear lipstick, I like to make sure I wear a lip liner as well, to minimise colour bleeding, with 312 I had absolutely no bleed! It has a creamy texture when applying it, and no discernible "lipsticky" taste.

Scoring is as follows:

Price: 8/10
Colour: 10/10
Texture: 9/10
Taste: 8/10
Wear: 7/10

An all around winner in my books, 8/10.

Because red is such a classic colour, I like to team mine with a simple face, light blush, luscious thick black mascara and black winged liner.

Jayde xx