Grab your rods, people...

...we're going fishin'!

I was pulling together some last minute posts about hair and moisturiser and whatever, but you know what? Not right now. I shouldn't be writing them, and you shouldn't be reading them. Jump off the computer, go bake some cookies and turn on the Mariah Carey Christmas album (if there is a greater Christmas album than Mariah then I would like to see it).

Have an amazing, wonderful, fabulous Christmas. Thanks for being amazing.

With love and gingerbread,

Elise xx

Picture credit: no idea - sorry. It has been saved on my desktop for months.

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Delightfully Lush

Obviously the prospect of winning a Lush Christmas pack was appealing because a whooooole lot of you entered (many more than the 6 listed below). Sadly, I only had one pack and it is en-route to...

But rest assured I will be doing more great comps next year. It's just my way of saying thank you for being so awesome and stopping by. If you're sad you missed out on this one (I would be), then may I recommend popping over to Marlo Perry, Pink Diva or Primped, because they are all running comps for the same prize. Marlo Perry closes today so you'll get it before The Big Day, and PD and Primped both close in January, so it's a post-festive treat (kind of like how you stretch your birthday out for two weeks...)

On a side note...if the winner would like to gift the prize back to me, send me an email and I'll give you my address.

Just kidding! Maybe.

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Don't forget...

...to enter the draw for the Lush Christmas pack! I'm drawing it at 5pm this afternoon, so don't just sit there staring at your screen procrastinating and thinking about what you want to eat for lunch. Grab a sandwich and get entering!

Click here and enter your email. Done.

The Stuff That I Bought 2010 Giftsmas Guide – episode three

Just quietly: remember the preface to my last couple of gift guides!

Last minute gift ideas? Unexpected cousin done a last minute RSVP? Office secret santa? There are loads of fab presents out there for under $30, and these are some of my favourites.

First up, ANYTHING from Typo. I swear I would buy everything in that store if I could. So much win – bookends, notebooks, pens, lanterns, calendars, mugs...and all of it so cheap! I have bought presents for five different people from Typo, and five presents for myself while I was at it (star fairy lights for the win). 

 

If you want something a bit cheeky and naughty, waddle down to Borders and grab The Snuggie Sutra ($17.95). I don’t know if anyone would ever use it (do you own a snuggie? The girl who got this in my work Secret Santa didn’t) but there is definitely hours worth of laughter going through all the names and pictures. The Marge Simpson. Look it up. So wrong.

For the little people in your life, grab a Lola&Bailey Alphabet Zoo Mini Tote ($25). These are totes cute (zing!) mini canvas bags, and each letter has an animal hidden in it. They also have lunch totes called ‘the lunch tote’ which is way classier than carrying your sandwich and banana in a plastic bag.

If you still need to grab something extra for Mum or Nan, may I suggest an Inspa candle ($24). They are organic soy wax, come in four beautiful fragrances and $1 from every sale goes to the McGrath Foundation, which is one of my charities of choice. My favourite is Refresh – mandarin, rose geranium and cedarwood tickles the senses and makes the spirit buzz. Just what you need once the silly season is wrapped up (I can’t wait to bliss out next week with a candle, a book and a glass of wine)

Finally, you know I love me some Archie Grand notebooks. This one is so perfect that I can imagine the fat man himself using it to keep track of his naughty and nice list – Santa Clauses I Met And Liked ($19.95). I reckon I would have to be on the nice list this year. I hope. I think. Please? Santa?

Stockists:
Lola&Bailey - website
Inspa - Amcal chemists, Guardian Pharmacies, GNC and Inspa website
Archie Grand notebook - HoneyHoney



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Congratulations to me? Congratulations to you!

This post here...the one you're reading right now...is a pretty important one. You know why? It's my 400th post. That's not something to sneeze at. That's 400 posts of blood, sweat, tears, rashes, pain and pure pleasure (on my part...I hope you're not in pain reading my blog!)

To celebrate this great milestone for me and the impending visit of my favourite North Pole dwelling gentleman, the good kids over at Lush are helping me celebrate with a limited-edition Christmas pack from Lush. You know I love me some Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics. The prize consists of three NEW Christmas bath ballistics, a sweet smelling piece of Angels Delight soap and it's all wrapped in Lush’s eco-friendly gift-wrapping service, The Knot Wrap that I wrote about a few days ago, which uses a vintage scarf to wrap gifts instead of paper and ribbon.

So...checklist...
Lil’ Lush Pud bath ballistic (pictured) - tick
Satsumo Santa bath ballistic - tick
Cinders bath ballistic - tick
Angels delight soap -tick
All wrapped in a beautiful vintage scarf, Lush Knot Wrap - double tick for awesomeness

All you have to do is enter your email address HERE and I'll do the draw at 5pm on Monday December 20th so that your prize gets to you in time for The Big Day.

Huge thanks to Lush for offering this great prize for me to give away and a huge thanks to you, my darling readers, who put up with my bad jokes, encourage me on twitter, leave great comments and remind me why I love blogging so much. Here's to 400 more great posts.

Note: Competition is open to Australian residents only - sorry! Prize will be drawn at 5pm on Monday December 20th using random.org.

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Smash those spots while you sleep

Pimples. Yuck.

As fun as all this silly season stuff is, the stress of, well, everything can take its toll. Right now it’s taking its toll in the form of a chin pimple and a forehead pimple.  Blah.

Thankfully, I was introduced to an amazeballs product a couple of months ago that is totally appropriate for just this occasion. An occasion that, really, you hope doesn’t come very often. Like that cousin you don’t like and can only deal with once a year. Now I’m imagining my pimple is a narky little 7 year old boy.

You have heard a million times before that you should treat blemishes with salicylic acid, right? It penetrates the skin, removes the dead cells and unclogs the pores, helping to kick blackheads, whiteheads and excess oil in their icky asses. Sometimes a face wash just isn’t enough though and you need to get all Chuck Norris on that spot. Hello, Skeyndor On The Spot Patch.

It’s a tiny little sticky spot that delivers a concentrated does of salicylic acid straight onto the blemish. Kind of like a nicotine patch, but without the crazy dreams. You wash your face, whack the spot on, go to sleep, and 8-12 hours later when you wake up (HA!) your pimple has sucked in the salicylic and should be a little less angry than before you went to bed.

It won’t magically make your pimple disappear, but I have found using a spot three nights in a row will more or less clear me up. Definitely worth having on hand for those horrible emergencies. If only they made annoying cousins disappear.

Skeyndor On The Spot Patch
Price: $25 for a pack of 24
From: Salons and spas (best place to start is google)
Why you need it: Pimples. Need I say more.

This product was offered to me for consideration

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No need to buy wrapping paper this year

You know how I always say ‘three’s a trend’? (I do, I swear) Well I’m just waiting for a third beauty brand to declare they are doing furoshiki this Christmas and then I can be all Trend Trend Trend. In the meantime, two of my favourite brands are doing furoshiki and I like it! (and let's be honest - it's my blog and if I didn't like it I probably wouldn't write about it. Duh)

Furoshiki is essentially a wrapping cloth that is knotted to carry clothes, groceries or lunches. It started in the bathhouses of Japan in the 1600’s when people knotted a piece of cloth to carry their clothes and toiletries. Those clever Japanese – always so practical.

At opposite ends of the stealth vs wealth scale, this Christmas both Lush and SK-II are offering incredible scarves artfully folded around their products as an alternative to gift wrap. Lush are using vintage scarves, and for $5.50 they are a bang-tidy alternative to paper. Pick your gift in store (their Christmas range is to die for – candy cane and gingerbread bubble bars! Mulled wine shower gel!) and one of the Lushettes will origami your scarf into a beautiful gift ready for you to give. Saves you time, paper, and you look creative!

Over at the SK-II counter, their Christmas coffrets are enveloped in divine silk scarves in the SK-II colours – deep burgundy, icy grey, silver and gold. These are very grown up gift sets chock full of cleansers, lotions and the famous treatment masks – perfect for sucking up to your Mother-In-Law.

So while one brand tips the $$$ scale and offers very grown up silk scarves, the other offers something for everyone and the vintage scarves are $. I like a trend that anyone can buy into.

If you want to attempt to tie your presents at home using furoshiki techniques, check out the Modern Furoshiki youtube channel – they make it so easy that even a klutz like me can nail it! Lush sent me a parcel tied up in a scarf and once I opened it I couldn’t figure out how to put it back together. Awkward.

SK-II
Price: Coffrets start at $99 and go up to $950
From: SK-II counters in Myerand David Jones

Lush
Price: Scarves are $5.50, products range in price
From: Lush stores

PS - Remember the Lush Lip Scrub that I was kind of obsessed with? They have a body wash in the same flavour/scent for Christmas called Snow Fairy. I have never wanted to lick myself so much, and I know that sounds dirty.

Some Lush products were offered to me for review, and they came wrapped in a scarf.

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The Stuff That I Bought 2010 Giftsmas Guide – episode two

Remember how I prefaced my last gift guide? Please keep that in mind again...I don’t want to go spoiling any surprises!

So let’s talk girlie presents. Mothers, sisters, cousins, friends... This is just a random mix of some of my favourite things that are on shelves this Christmas (and sitting under my bed already wrapped).

Everyone needs decent MAKEUP BRUSHES, and the superadorable Peace & Harmony mini brush set from Shu Uemura ($80) ticks all the boxes. Excellent quality brushes, cute carry case and limited edition. I know it sounds kind of obnoxious, but giving something that’s limited edition gives your gift that extra je ne sais quoi, oui? The Aya Takano for Shu Uemura range is hella cute – hit the counter if you get a chance and check out the adorable lids on the palettes. Whimsical!


If you’re on the hunt for JEWELLERY, then head over to the Holly Jones website. Her current collection, called Phoenix Queen, is hot.to.trot. I am head over heels in love with the Nile Queen necklace ($69), and would be very happy if Santa delivered on to me on December 25th. She also has a sale section, and the prices are absurdly low. I’m going through a statement piece faze right now, and the Belle necklace (pictured), which is on sale for only $29 down from $90, is not only stupidly cheap, but totally glam. If anything from the Phoenix Queen collection tickles your fancy, then enter in the code hollyjewels at the checkout for 30% off. Don’t say I never give you anything.

Since we’re talking about jewellery, I’m also partial to a bit of Lola&Bailey. 
The Sundial pendants are freakin’ gorgeous (all $85), and I really like the Dial D range (all $55 - Murder In The Mews pictured right) – probably because my wardrobe is mainly grey and black. If you check out the Lola&Bailey facebook page, they often have discount codes on there. I don’t want anyone paying full price for anything this Christmas!

I’m sure you’re wondering why I haven’t posted BEAUTY gifts yet. Fear not my friends, I have plenty of those. Editing it down to my favourites was an effort though...so many great gift packs out this year! One of the best makeup gift sets is Benefit Her Name Was Glowla ($69) – it contains some of Benefits best-selling products, like Coralista cheek powder,  High Beam luminescent complexion enhancer and BADgal lash mascara (amongst others) – pretty much all my favourite Benefit prods in one place. This would be perfect for someone who has just started to wear makeup. I remember my parents giving me an incredible Estee Lauder gift set one Christmas that had pretty much everything I needed to get started.

Speaking of Benefit, the Crescent Row Mini Set ($79) contains itty-bitty versions of Eva, Rita, Carmella and LeeLee, and is sure to rock someone’s world on Dec 25. Carmella is still my favourite of the lot.

If you want your nearest and dearest to smell good (and who doesn’t) then hunt down the Best of Korres gift set from Kit ($41.95). The Guava body butter is a little slice of heaven, and the Yoghurt cooling gel will be welcome relief after a day of eating and drinking. It comes in a lovely little gift box and is perfect for Mums, Mother-In-Laws and even Nans (don't read too much into that please Mum).

For your pommy friend, I recommend the Soap & Glory Soaper Heroes travel gift box ($34.95) from Kit. This brand is HUGE in the UK - we’re talking cult status times ten – and this gift set contains little versions of their biggest products. The Girligo Scented Moisturising Mist is so yummy you have to restrain yourself from licking your own arm. Seriously.

I’ll be back soon with my Kris Kringle list!

Picture credit: Thanks to Holly Jones and Lola&Bailey for letting me steal their images.



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I bought new sandals yesterday

...that's all.

Price: $39 (brand is Therapy)
From: Palm Beach Shoes, Oxford St Paddington
Why you need them: The perfect sandal to go with your summer dress

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Guest post: I wonder about the Wondercap

I have told you about my clever friend Kat before, right? She writes the hair blog The Mane Loves... and reviews all the newest and most exciting hair prods on the shelves. She recently wrote about the Wondercap and I liked her post so much I asked if I could nick it and re-post it here. She agreed, but only because I threatened to beat her over the head with her giant pen (you should see this giant pen...it's seriously about 14 inches long).

The Wondercap is the solution for at home intensive treatments. I say this because every time I glad wrap my hair with an at home treatment it gets really messy. There’s treatment oozing out from under the cling wrap and it gets into my eyes, sometimes I accidentally lick it (yes, I know I’m gross, but this is what happens and I just can’t help it). The Wondercap  is a wheat pack cap of sorts - you put it in the microwave or in water on the stove and you heat it up; it’s like a hot water bottle for your hair.

So in the package I bought there was the Wondercap, Guardian Angel treatment and a disposable shower cap. I decided to apply the cap  in the shower, so instead of the 90 sec zap in the microwave, I put it in for 2 mins (this made the cap a bit hot, but that’s exactly what I needed). I then shampooed by hair twice (as usual) and applied the Guardian Angel treatment; this was pretty much like the henna treatment I tried from Priceline. Then I put my hair in a high bun with a hair tie, put on the disposable shower cap and then the now-warm Wondercap. The treatment was the left in for about 5 minutes, then I rinsed my hair and gave it a quick blow dry.

So what did I think of it? To be quite honest, I liked the concept of the heated shower cap, but I think the treatment needs to be improved. It didn’t really do anything to my hair. So I’ll probably be using the Wondercap with other treatments which love the intense heat. I can do without the treatment though.

 Price: Approx $38 for the cap
 From: Check the Wondercap website for stockists
 Why you need it: To lock in the heat and turn up the power on your heat treatments

PS - That is totally Kat in the picture. Ha! As if! Kat wouldn't be wearing a towel.

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Winners! We're all winners!

Except that the people who won the Have Prods - Will Travel travel pack competition are the real winners. The rest of us are just "winners".

The winners have been drawn and emailed. If for some reason the prizes aren't claimed within four weeks, the next names down will get the nod. (Obviously I mean they will win the prizes if they get the nod, not fall asleep. That just doesn't make sense, silly!)

 
Thanks for playing!

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The Stuff That I Bought 2010 Giftsmas Guide – episode one

I have to preface the Stuff That I Bought Giftsmas Guide – you guys know that I am always incredibly honest and transparent with disclosing what has been sent to me for review and what I have purchased myself. I pride myself on this and it’s something I take very seriously because I value my credibility. The Giftsmas Guide is a mixed bag – most of it has been purchased by me but a couple of items that have been offered to me for review are included. For once, I won’t be indicating what is what because a lot of the items I have included are real gifts that I am giving people in my life over the following weeks and I don’t want surprises to be ruined!! I hope you all understand this and can appreciate why I am doing it.

One of the MOST important things about going to someone else’s home for a Christmas celebration is manners. My amazing Godmother has always instilled in me that being a grateful guest is of the utmost importance – you should never turn up empty handed and you should always write a thank you note. I adore having her over for dinner because she always brings homemade cookies as a hostess gift (yum!) and sends really thoughtful notes afterwards that make all the effort of preparing a meal worthwhile.

If you don’t have the time or skills to bake a little hostess gift, then these are a few of my favourites that I will be rolling out over the coming weeks:

CANDLES never go out of style and are always appreciated. Pop into Kit because they always have a great range. My favourites are the Caramel Archipelago ($52.95), which is like filling your home with the amazing scent of dessert all. the. time., or the Kit limited-edition Fresh Pear, Crisp Apple and Vanilla ($44.95) which is super-fresh and just the right mix of sweet and creamy. If you have never burnt a pear candle in your home, then you’re missing out.

SOAP and LOTION are always a safe option. My almost-brother-in-law will often bring me Molton Brown gift packs from the UK, and there is nothing more enjoyable than having lux hand soap in the bathroom – I can’t go back to regular soap now! Pop into Molton Brown and grab a gift pack or try one of the Philosophy sets from Mecca. My new favourite is the Amazing Grace Hand Duo ($65) – hand wash and hand lotion in a cute wire basket, or go Christmassy with the Holiday Hostess Set ($38) – the Sugary Cinnamon hand lotion is to die for! Santa, if you’re reading, this one is on my list.

SCENT STICKS are something else for the home that make a great hostess gift (or regular gift...hello, Nan.) Someone recently gave me a set of three mini Atmos scent sticks and they are fab – one for the bedroom, one for the lounge and one for the entranceway. In the past I have bought Archipelago Botanicals diffuser and votive kits from, er, Kit ($39.95) and they currently have white fig, pink grapefruit or wasabi mint. If you were bringing me a gift, I would want Pink Grapefruit.

As for your thank you note, you can’t go past French Navy. I just bought three boxes of French Navy notecards ($35/box of 10 cards & envelopes) so I’m right for a while, and I can’t wait to send them because they are just so darn cute. I bought Thanks for..., E is for... and an assortment box of various colours and designs, so all my bases are covered. If nothing else, please promise me you’ll visit French Navy and check out their beautiful stationary!

I’ll be back with episodes two and three later in the week – keep an eye out ‘cos we’re talking girlie gifts and secret santa pressies!

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A few random bits and pieces...

• It’s not often that I re-purchase a beauty product because I prefer to constantly be trying new things BUT the Innoxa SOS Skin Tissue Oil that I wrote about two weeks ago has proven to be such a winner that I’m buying two. The stretch marks on my boobs are more-or-less gone - I can still see them under the surface, but the skin on top is smooth and even now. What a winner.
   
• For those of you who were concerned with the well being of my scalp (thanks for all the cards and flowers, by the way) the Head & Shoulders Itchy Scalp Care shampoo seems to be doing the trick and my head is feeling much better. Now if Mother Nature could just make up her mind and pick a season, maybe my sinuses would calm down too.
   
• Don’t forget that the travel pack competition ends tomorrow! All you have to do is click this link and put your email address in. Apologies that it’s Aussie residents only – I promise to be more diligent next year with doing proper T&Cs and whatnot (add it to my New Years Resolution list)

• Sorry that posts have been a bit sporadic recently - I don't know about you but the Silly Season seems to be out of control! My mantra at the moment is just three more weeks...just three more weeks...just three more weeks... 

Picture credit: homespungraphics.blogspot.com

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The ultimate in luxury - bling bling!

Looking for something special for the person who has everything. How about personalising some sunglasses with over a carat of diamonds?

If you haven't heard of Nicholas Haywood Jewellery Concierge yet, you will. This guy is the next big thing in jewellery - he is incredibly talented, knows where to find the best diamonds and is just about the nicest guy you will ever meet. I am incredibly fortunate to be wearing a Nicholas Haywood engagement ring - see if you can spot it on his website. (hint: it's not the fruit bowl)

Nicholas recently customised a pair of Supra's for Sydney PR and IT girl Roxy Jacenko - could you just die?! This is the deluxe fit out - her whole name in 18ct Rose Gold and Diamonds on both sunglass arms and also her initials in diamonds in the nose bridge. These have an RRP of $4995 and have over a carat of diamonds in them - certainly not the type of glasses you would wear to a festival and lose after a few drinks!

If you don't want to go OTT, you could just have your initials done in gold and diamonds for a starting price of $1850. Who wants to customise my Wayfarers with EP on the arms for me for Christmas. Santa?

You can find Nicholas through his website.

Image courtesy of Nicholas Haywood

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