One of the coolest places I explored in Brisbane has got to be the suburb of West End. It's full of bohemian clothing boutiques and laid-back eateries, wandering around the streets was a delight.

Brisbane Photo Diary | James Street, Fortitude Valley

If you've got a bit of cash to spend, James Street in Fortitude Valley is where you'll want to head. Consisting almost entirely of Australian designers, with a few international ones thrown into the mix too, you're sure to pick up something absolutely gorgeous here.

Brisbane Photo Diary | Australia's First Forever 21

When researching things to do in Brisbane (ie. where to shop) I discovered that Australia's very first Forever 21 has opened up at the Queen Street Mall. I have to admit that I thought it was a little bit strange that it's in Brisbane not Sydney or Melbourne (sorry Brisbane), but hey, one more thing to add to my to-do list!

Finders Keepers '14

The Finders Keepers Market is truly a paradise for a cactus-loving hipster like myself. It's your one-stop-shop for the best of the best up and coming Australian designers. With a range of products from homewares to jewellery to clothing, you know you'll find something you'll completely fall in love with.

Little Lost Land

I've traveled past Little Lost Land so many times on the tram but I've never been inside... until today! Little Lost Land is an adorable vintage-inspired boutique located in the Melbourne suburb of Balaclava (opposite the train station) that stocks a range of Melbourne-designed pieces. 

After Store

I recently made a list of all the cool homewares stores in Melbourne so I could visit them (yes, we're bringing out the homewares obsession again), and After Store was top of the list.

Kate Spade Emporium Melbourne

Finally Australia has it's very first Kate Spade New York store and, well, it's beautiful. Kate Spade has probably been my favourite accessories designer for the past couple of years now but I can never bring myself to spend that much money online without having a play with the product first. So having this brand new store at Emporium Melbourne means my bank account is going to take a massive blow.

Third Wing South Yarra

South Yarra has got to be in my top 3 favourite Melbourne suburbs. I would give anything to live in one of the old town houses. It's also filled with shopping gems like this little store around the corner from the famous Chapel Street shopping district. Third Wing houses a gorgeous array of multicultural homewares, jewellery and accessories from local and international designers. When you step into this treasure trove, you're immersed in everything from New York street art, Moroccan homewares and hand carved African pieces, amongst gorgeous bohemian jewellery and quirky gifts.

Move @ The Emporium

I was invited to an opening event for a store at the Emporium that I'd never heard of before. I looked on the website, seemed kinda cool, but I really didn't know what to expect. It wasn't until I actually got there that I could appreciate how awesome it is! Move Store takes the functionality of electronics and the aesthetics of fashion and fuses them together to create a genius hybrid that's irresistible. They've recently teamed up with the brilliant Aussie fashion blogger Jasmin Howell of Friend In Fashion to show that technology can be just as much of a fashion accessory as a bag or jewellery.

Emporium Melbourne Launch

Yesterday was the long awaited launch of Melbourne's newest fashion district The Emporium, which boasts some of the worlds biggest retailers, a lot of which have never had stores in Australia before. As soon as I walked in, it felt like I'd suddenly moved states. The Emporium looks almost exactly like Westfield Sydney with smooth and stylish interiors and plenty of natural light.

H&M Melbourne

Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long one. I finally gave in and went to embrace all that the new H&M Melbourne store has to offer. I kept seeing these unbelievable photos on the internet and literally could not wait any longer. I had to wait for about 20mins just to get in to the store, but it was worth it. The store is absolutely gorgeous! They've kept the awe-inspiring architecture of this old building and made it look shiny and new. I don't think Melbourne has any stores that can quite rival the enormity of this store, other than our department stores.

Sydney Photo Diary | Sydney Tower and Pitt Street

I have to say, this trip has made me a pro at extreme touristing. What is extreme touristing you ask? Well, it's the art of fitting as many touristy things into one day without compromising on the experience of being there. I started the day nice and early at Sydney Tower right as it opened to avoid millions of tourists. What I didn't realise was before you go up, you get treated to a rather hilarious 4D movie experience. This includes getting slightly showered with water, bubbles and smoke machine.

Flinders Lane Shopping Night 2013

Flinders Lane and the surrounding area has got to be my favourite place to go shopping in Melbourne. It's packed with local designers and quirky pieces just waiting to be found. I blogged about the Flinders Lane Shopping Night last year so I don't think there's much more I can say about it (also I'm being a bit lazy), but we started in Lenko which is one of my favourite shops. They had 50% off sale items which was amazing, although I wish they had a discount on the jewellery. My friend also found a new boyfriend here. He looks somewhat familiar...

Uni Hill Blogger Brunch

You know I find it exceedingly difficult to say no to free food. In this case I traveled over 2 hours on the tram to get to the Uni Hill Factory Outlets in Bundoora for a blogger brunch and style challenge. We were greeted by lovely ladies at Uni Hill, Tony Bianco and 360 Immerse and, whilst munching on delicious warm muffins, doughnuts and juices, were given an overview into why outlet shopping is the best kind of shopping! Uni Hill Factory Outlets have a lot of my favourites brands Cotton On, Charcoal and Mossman, as well as homemaker stores and sports stores.

A Little Shopping Spree

Recently I went on a little shopping spree to Target for new work clothes. I am going to upload a post on what I bought and how much it all was etc, but I thought I'd just share my shopping experience with you all first. There was so much to choose from and I found myself going into the change rooms with 10 items at a time. I tried on anything that I thought could vaguely look okay but made my decision based on what I could wear it with at home and what I didn't already own. So here are some pictures of me having a bit too much fun...

Harbour Town Melbourne

Today my friend and I decided to go impromptu shopping on her day off work, but because it was such a perfect day, we HAD to be outside. So we decided to go to arguably one of Melbourne's most underrated shopping areas, Harbour Town. Harbour Town is pretty much where the last pieces of clothing they couldn't sell in the sales go to be sold at ridiculously cheap prices. Now don't get me wrong, this does not mean everything is crap, although there is a fair bit of it to sift through in order to get to the good stuff. But there is good stuff. 

Flinders Lane Shopping Night

Whenever I see the words "shopping night" or "shopping festival," I instantly think free alcohol! The Flinders Lane Shopping Night did not disappoint. However as the name suggests, it's not actually about the free alcohol (although it's a welcome incentive), it's about getting together with friends and taking a little trip down shopping lane. Flinders Lane in Melbourne is known for it tiny boutiques and local designers. Although normally a bit more pricey than your standard high street store, it's definitely worth a look if you're looking for something unique. 

Finders Keepers

Melbourne is full of markets at the moment! However, the Finders Keepers market is easily the biggest I've been to taking up almost all of the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. You could find cute little nic-nacs, clothing, jewellery, accessories, kids things, artwork and much much more. There was also a beautiful selection of live ambient and lounge music, which showcased some of the best up and coming talent in Melbourne. The weather was also absolutely perfect, which was just the cherry on top. 

Whirlwind Day In Doha

Okay so you might be able to tell that this is a bit of a time filler whilst I'm busy and haven't been able to get to any events, hope you enjoy anyway.

Never in a million years would I have even considered going to Doha, Qatar, but when the opportunity came up for me to save $500 on my air ticket to England last year by having a 10 hour stop over in Doha, I decided I should give it a chance. I didn't know if I could even be bothered leaving the airport being in a country so different to Australia, but by coincidence, I found out my second cousin lives (well lived) in Doha. 

Finding Gems

As promised in my Hidden Gems and Rough Diamonds post, I had a bit more of a search in the city to find some more Look.Stop.Shop installations that I couldn't find last time. These beautiful little watercolour (I think) artworks were in the window of a shop called Design A Space down a tiny little laneway called Manchester Lane. The artist is Emma Leonard.