Hanneli & Lover.

(Images: Hanneli)

Wistfully sighing at the perennially immaculate Hanneli Mustaparta dressed to perfection in the most exquisite white lace dresses by one of my favourite Australian labels, Lover.

Good luck with exams for everyone who has them! 

Love, Mandy. xx

Anomalies.

(Top - River Island, skirt - Sass & Bide, shoes - Charles & Keith, bag -  Guess, assorted rings)

I seem to have a rather odd proclivity for olive greens and bronze tones lately - somewhat uncharacteristic considering my love for bright colours and every hue of pink! 

I hope you don't find the magnitude of the images as confronting as I do ... haha. 

Love, Mandy. xx

The week in summary.

 (Portentous skies from my balcony completely sans editing)

(Birthday celebrations for my beautiful mummy and a cute puppy cake that is almost too adorable to eat) 

(Procrastibaking - melting moments pre-assembly. Recipe coming soon!)

(Taking snaps with my SLR as a respite from my academic agenda. Photo courtesy of Karen Li.)

It is indeed difficult to fit in any semblance of a life with the hectic schedule that med school throws at us, but somehow, sitting back and reflecting on the week's insanities imparts me with an obscure sense of peace that forms the impetus to continue another week. 

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Love, Mandy. xx

The one.

(Miu Miu bow-embellished halterneck bikini from Net-a-Porter)

I'm quite frugal when it comes to bikinis. I find it so difficult to justify such a scant amount of material but I am completely enamoured by this Miu Miu confection that somehow manages to look incredibly demure despite the minimal coverage.

Apologies for the lack of posts of late - this week has been a wonderful mix of chaos! I don't think it will dissipate over the next few weeks with impending exams but I promise to make it up over the holidays. :) 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Food hedonism.

(Images: hardtoexplain)

I find these images so incredibly invigorating. They instil me with the feeling of wanting to abscond from the city humdrum to a small seaside village with my own little beach shack, running errands barefoot and living the organic life .... 

Hope your weekend is filled with a little hedonism. :) 

Love, Mandy. xx

Lusting.

("The Fluro" satchel - The Cambridge Satchel Company)

I would love one of the fluorescent pink satchels .... or any of The Cambridge Satchel Company's satchels for that matter. 

Stylish and pragmatic - they really can do no wrong. 

Love, Mandy. xx

Just the usual.

(Skirt - Friend of Mine via Thread People, top - Sportsgirl, shoes - Nicholas via Green with Envy, necklace - Sportsgirl, bag - Guess, sunglasses - Chloe, belt - stolen from my grandma's wardrobe) 

In retrospect, it is rather comical that I contemplated wool in my morning dressing routine since the seemingly ominous morning unfolded into the most beautifully sunny day. Perfect for fresh, organic juices and sushi shared with people I love. 

This is the kind of outfit that is so simplistic that it perhaps borders on the inane. I think it's rather lovely paired with the right accessories though! 

Love, Mandy. xx

A place in the sun.

(Images: Wildfox Couture)

Inspired by 'beautiful people doing fabulous things', Wildfox Couture releases yet another mesmerising campaign "A Place in the Sun" that encapsulates nonchalant, jet set glamour for their 2011 resort collection. I love how their images always convey a compelling story and evoke a mood of timeless summers.

I also used to be a pretty avid tennis player so anything with archaic racquets and Wimbledon allusions will always win my heart! 

Love, Mandy. xx

Little Truffle.

(Dress - goldmine sequin dress at Nasty Gal)

My best friend Jai (though 'sister' is perhaps a more apt description) from high school always spends her birthday with great panache. This year she held her dinner at Little Truffle, which has the most gorgeous array of cuisine with eclectic decor to match - the vanilla bean panna cotta with raspberry and rose jelly and rose granita was the pinnacle; such a delectable means to cleanse the palate at the end of the night. Absolutely must attempt to emulate this dessert soon! 

Hope all your birthday wishes came true, Jai! <3

Love, Mandy. xx

Sartorial staples.

(Blazer - Kate Moss for Topshop, faux leather shorts - Topshop, top - Witchery, belt - River Island, shoes - Charles & Keith, rings - YSL-like ring from SABO SKIRT & gifted heart ring, nail polish - Kit "play up") 

This outfit is the summation of my sartorial fundamentals - I literally wear every entity separately at least once a week. The shoes are a particular favourite of mine, which I purchased during my last trip to Singapore - love the Camilla Skovgaard-esque detailing. These poor darlings have been somewhat abused (as evidenced by the horrendous soles!) but I suppose that's the inevitable outcome of being such a versatile and comfortable piece! 

Love, Mandy. xx

Chocolate & peanut butter mousse cupcakes.

I know my blog has been really heavily fashion-based thus far - I'm just such a pedant when it comes to my own food photography and I want everything to be perfect! For now, I'm willing to concede until I work out how to use a photo editing program (I told you I was an amateur!).

This is a recipe I constantly return to (find it here). The melange of savoury and sweet tones imparts a really addictive morish taste that makes it a ubiquitous palate pleaser.

I only make a few changes:
- I use self-raising flour instead of their plain flour/bicarb combination
- To elevate the decadence of this cupcake, I replace the sour cream with normal heavy whipping cream
- For a smoother frosting that's delightful to pipe, I mix everything together instead of whipping the cream first. However, if you prefer a more mousse-like effect then whipping the cream will achieve this texture. Either way, it is truly delectable!

Enjoy! <3 

Love, Mandy. xx

Incentives.

(Chloe sunglasses)

I purchased these at a ridiculously lovely price after trawling eBay one afternoon when my academic motivation was experiencing a trough. On a spectrum from prosaic to Lady Gaga, these lie somewhere in the middle - perfect for adding quirk to an outfit on a lazy day! 

... And that essay? I finally finished it, yay! I think I deserve a new pair of shoes ...