Stuff That I Bought

So, big news...

2011-11-16T07:00:00.001+11:00

This weekend I'll be hitting not one but two major milestones for this here little old blog. Expect some changes next week, but also expect the biggest competition I have ever done.

That's all I'm gonna say.

Ok, I'll be giving away all of my favourite things, just like Oprah (lucky for me my favourite things don't include a car - too pricey to post).

Now that's really all I'm gonna say.

See you next week!

Aveeno Ultra-Calming - for irritated skin

2011-11-11T09:00:00.001+11:00

-by Shay

I have pretty horrible skin, you know. On my body and on my face. Besides the whole oily-combination thing, I have lived with this condition called eczema for my entire life. If you don’t have it you may not know that it’s a form of hereditary, allergy-sensitive dermatitis. In a nutshell that means my skin goes whacky and develops some pretty awful rashes over certain things in the environment that set me off.

In my particular case, this is JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

Dry air, moist air, hot weather, cold weather, dust mites, animal hair, dust particles, pollen, grass – I could seriously go on forever.

Unfortunately in recent years the eczema has spread to parts of my face, and it’s something I have really struggled with treating.

But don’t despair, this is a good news story people! There is a happy ending!

I’m very happy to let you know that Aveeno Active Naturals have come to my rescue and saved me from itchy, blotchy and irritated skin with their Ultra-Calming range.

I have been using the Ultra Calming Cream Cleanser on and off for ages now, well before my latest tube was sent to me for review purposes. I like to stash it in my drawer of ‘emergency’ items in my bathroom so I can use it when my skin has decided it hates me (for the millionth time).

It is the most beautiful, soap-free cleanser that left my troubled skin feeling smooth, soft and most importantly – calmed. It’s like a comforting hug for my red, raw skin. It uses a relative of chamomile (feverfew) to achieve what I once thought impossible, and remains very reasonably priced at only $13.99 for 141g.

When the weather started to warm up I pushed the cream cleanser aside, and started wondering how I could treat any Summer sensitivity that would inevitably crop up. I didn’t have to think for long, as I was sent the Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser and Ultra Calming Daily Moisturiser with SPF 15. Talk about reading my mind?!

The foaming cleanser gave the same results the cream cleanser did, although it left my skin feeling less moisturised and more ‘fresh’ feeling (which is exactly what we want for Summer). This one also retails for $13.99 for 180mL.

The daily moisturiser is absolutely lovely. It worked a treat on my red and inflamed patches, and really moisturised and calmed like nothing else has. No stinging, and no itchiness. I felt like jumping with glee!

The fact that it has SPF 15 is a huge bonus, but of course I would still add your regular 30+ underneath if you’re going to be in direct sunlight (as opposed to driving your car) for any amount of time. This one will cost you $24.99 75mL and comes in the most convenient little pump pack, which I absolutely adore.

All in all I would not hesitate to recommend this line to anyone who experiences skin troubles. You might not suffer to the same extent I do (dear GOD I would not wish that on anyone), but even if you experience redness, blotchiness or tightness these products will certainly help you even out your complexion – no matter what time of year it is.

Aveeno Ultra-Calming range
Price: Daily Moisturiser - $24.99, Foaming Cleanser - $13.99, Moisturising Cream Cleanser - $13.99
From: Priceline

For more of Shay's reviews, check out her youtube channel

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

DIY Macarons & Whoopie Pies - easy as...err...pie

2011-11-07T07:00:00.001+11:00

My love of baking is well documented on this blog. Food blogger I am not, however I love to cook sweet treats. We had a big family shindig on the weekend and I decided to take not one but two tasty desserts (I'm good like that - invite me to your next BBQ or dinner party and I won't disappoint).

However, instead of making something from scratch or creating my own recipe, I went with two packet mixes. These weren't no ordinary cake mixes though. Behold:

Betty Crocker Chocolate and Vanilla Whoopie Pies and Donna Hay Almond Macaron With Chocolate Filling. Hello, calorietown.

I was pretty confident with the whoopie pies, so I decided to make the macarons first since there was greater potential for error (i.e. if I screwed them, I would have time up my sleeve to make something else).

They were remarkably easy. Like, really easy. Donna Hay is a saint - the instructions were clear, it didn't take long to prepare the mixture, and the only extra things I needed were water and some cream. Handy hint: I drew circles on the baking paper as a guide so that all my halves were roughly the same size to easily match them up into pairs.

If the macarons were easy, then the whoopie pies were no effort at all. It's basically a packet cake mix, but instead of putting the mix in a pan, you plop it onto baking paper. Same deal - I drew circles in texta on the baking paper and then flipped it over (texta doesn't taste so good) so they acted as a guide. This mix also requires an egg, veggie oil and some milk - all stuff I assume you have already? Maybe not, if you're lactose intolerant.

Both of these get my seal of approval and will be pulled out again in future. Someone even told me they had recently read that whoopie pies are apparently the new macaron. Typical me, always ahead of the curve.

Donna Hay Almond Macaron with Chocolate Filling
Price: $7.99 - cheaper than a half dozen from Lindt
From: Coles

Betty Crocker Chocolate Whoopie Pie
Price: I think I bought it on special for $4, normally $5.55
From: Coles

Update: I made the Whoopie Pies again and added a layer of strawberry jam to the middle. Holy shit. Although I would say raspberry > strawberry.

*I just thought I would mention, while it might look like I have some sort of affiliation with Coles, it's only because I live across the street from them and do all my shopping there.
.

Lindt Passionfruit - 'nuff said

2011-11-03T07:00:00.002+11:00

This is the kind of post where I just need to post a picture and a moan of appreciation, right? Good. Let's get to it…

Ohhhhhhhhhhh

Omnomnomnomnom

Lindt Passionfruit
Price: $3.93 (although I bought it last week when they were 2 for $4 at Coles)
From: Supermarkets
Why you need it: Lindt Passionfruit! The tantalising sweetness of passionfruit married with the magic of Lindt dark chocolate and the creaminess of almond slivers. Hello, sexytimes.
.

This Week I...

2011-10-30T13:00:00.000+11:00

…realised I hadn't done a This Week I… post for a while
…had my fifth session of laser hair removal at Leah's Wax Works. The hair had barely grown back from the last session, save for a sparse amount under my arms. I have three more sessions to go, but I honestly doubt I will need them all. If you haven't considered laser yet, I implore you to. I won't need to shave under my arms at all this summer, and this makes me happy.
…had to mow the lawn and trim the hedges of the lady garden before aforementioned laser appointment. I gave the Gillette Venus and Olay Bikini Trimmer Kit ($19.99 from the supermarket) a whirl and was really impressed by the trimmer. And although the razor is surrounded by one of those annoying hydrating bars that I love so much, it felt really nice on my legs because legs are flat and easier to shave, unlike trying to shave the crease of a bikini line with an inch wide razor/hydrating bar combo. The added bonus of the Olay moisturiser certainly went down a treat - no razor bumps.
…hydrated the heck out of my hair using Wella Enrich Mask for Fine/Normal hair ($25 for a 150ml tub from the salon). My hair is in terrible condition right now because I am well overdue for a cut, but I have managed to hold off for another week or two by loading up on hydration. I was just sent the new Pantene Clinicare Split End Fuser, so I'm hoping they will reverse some of my immense damage.
…remembered why I love Pineapple Freddo Frogs so much. Twin pack goodness FTW!
...did my roots using Schwarzkopf Live Salon Permanent ($15.99 from the supermarket). The colour is fantastic and it was easy to use, and it would get five stars if it came with proper gloves instead of those giant plastic bag gloves instead.
…saw In Time. Let's be honest, the main drawcard was Justin Timberlake. And while this movie isn't going to be winning any awards any time soon, it was entertaining. Justin is hot as hell, and Amanda Seyfried is hypnotising, with her cat-like eyes under her heavy fringe. I will admit I spent a fair chunk of the movie wondering how on earth she (and her stunt double) managed to run so quickly in 10" stilettos without breaking an ankle. My movie companions weren't overly impressed (they're hard to please), but it's good light entertainment. Just don't think too hard about the fact Olivia Wilde played Justin's mother. Final word: go on tight-ass Tuesday.

*the bikini trimmer, hair mask and hair colour were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

LOVE! Schwarzkopf Instant Volume Powder

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000+11:00

My new favourite product. So much love.

Price: $8.99
From: Priceline etc etc - check www.schwarzkopf.com.au
Why you need it: Volume! Texture! Limp haired girls rejoice!

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, please see our disclosure policy
.

You SPF your face - do you SPF your body?

2011-10-21T07:00:00.000+11:00

Do we need to do the SPF lecture again? You know you're supposed to wear it. I know I'm supposed to wear it. SPF SPF blah blah blah (and I don't say this to trivialise wearing sunscreen because it's Really Serious Business, but we have all heard it before).

While I'm diligent with it on my face every day, I have to admit that I get a bit lax on the arms and chest. Now that the sun is coming out and I'm no longer hiding under layers of leather and fur, it's time to change my habits.

Vaseline sent me their new Total Moisture Aloe Fresh SPF 15 Daily Light Lotion a few weeks ago, but before I could even try it out it went walkabout from my beauty cupboard. I'm not going to point fingers here *cough* but I hope the new owner is enjoying it.

I went and bought some anyway. No excuses for not wearing SPF though when it's less than $8 for 200ml. That's, like, the price of coffee and cake. Ridonkulous. Plus it's Vaseline, so you know it's good juice. It's lovely and hydrating, spreads easily, and smells really good (the smell of aloe always reminds me of Hawaii). Get a pump bottle for the bathroom and smaller bottles for the car and your desk. That's what I did.

Price: $7.68/200ml - $11.59/375ml - $16.31/750ml
From: Priceline
Why you need it: The easiest way to stop age spots and wrinkles on your boobies
.

Current obsession: Banana Milky Ways

2011-10-19T07:00:00.002+11:00

Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed.

Have you had a Banana Milky Way yet? They are so damn good. I didn't think you could improve on perfection from the original, but damn these little babies are four bites of heaven. Three bites if you're feeling particularly greedy.

Trust me on this one. Especially if you were a banana paddle pop fan as a tyke.

Price: 63c
From: Coles
Why you need it: Super tasty and so small it's practically guilt free (surely you can't jam too many calories into something so little, right?)
.

Wedding prep: Getting my skin perfect for the big day

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000+11:00

As I say in the video, I never intended to blog about my impending nuptials, but I have been trying so many great products lately that these all deserved a mega shout out for all their hard work.

The details:
md formulations Facial Cleansing Gel - $85/250ml
Find stockists on the Spa Universe site

Lapurete Okuru Facial Cleanser - $39.90/100ml
Find stockists on the Lapurete site

Clarisonic Mia - $179
David Jones, Myer, Priceline and some pharmacies

Antipodes Organic Avocado Oil and Rosehip Divine Oil - $33
Myer, David Jones and some pharmacies

Omnilux - starts at about $90-100 per treatment
I highly recommend Fifty Four Park - Mel and Tilly are facial goddesses. Otherwise find a salon near you on the Spa Universe site

Decleor Expression de L'age Smoothing Roll On - $110/20ml
Find stockists on the Spa Universe site

Opinion: Mens razors are better than womens razors

2011-10-12T07:00:00.006+11:00

After a lengthy membership on Team Epilation, I'm temporarily back on Team Shaving and I have to say…women's razors suck. Like, big time sucky mcsuck-suck. Perhaps they're too busy trying to make them pink and add in stupid creamy shaving bars (which just get in the way, FYI) to actually think about the quality of the razor. Geez, lift your game, shaver brands!

Meanwhile, I was sent a parcel of Gillette Fusion ProGlide products for my dude reviewer to play with, but since he was overseas at the time, Fiance and I decided we might like to play with them ourselves. The Fusion ProGlide Power razor is battery powered so that it vibrates as you use it (there's also a non-vibey razor called Manual). Fiance didn't like it at all - he said it felt like he didn't have any control over the razor because of the vibrations, and it irritated his sensitive skin. I, on the other hand, loved it. Still love it, since I use it once or twice a week. I quite like the gentle vibrations, and the 5 blades gives a really close shave without any sort of irritation or rash. Plus, those women's brands could learn a thing or two from the little lubricating strip that quite amply does the job without getting in the way.

Pictured: Intense Cooling Balm and Fusion ProGlide Power Razor

We also played with a bunch of the Gillette Fusion products and I found a new favourite - the shaving gel. Fiance prefers shaving foam (he has an unnatural attachment to Nivea Shaving Foam, which I really don't like) but even he admitted the shaving gel was good. I, on the other hand, re-purchased when it ran out. Dedication to the (smooth leg) cause.

The other product Fiance really liked was the Intense Cooling Balm, which I didn't try, for obvious reasons. He doesn't normally use an aftershave lotion, but he said he enjoyed using it because it made him feel manly (I feel like I'm going to cop a beating for writing this). To be fair, he also said it was refreshing and soothing. And he doesn't like using grooming products, so this is a huge compliment.

The details:
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power - $16.99
Gillette Series Intense Cooling Lotion - $11.99
Fusion HydraGel - $7.34
From: Priceline, Coles, Woolies etc
Why you need it: For a smooth, easy shave

These products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

Exclusive First Look: Pantene Aqua Light (plus Barney Martin)

2011-10-05T07:00:00.001+11:00

This is really random, but a few weeks ago I was involved in a secret project with Pantene (once I get the go ahead, I'll fill you in). Along with other shenanigans, I went to the Pantene Sceptic Panel event, where we (beauty bloggers and editors) got to grill Pantene’s Expert stylist Barney Martin, Pantene’s Senior Scientist Dr Jasmine Karsono and Pantene’s Expert Trichologist Tony Pearce on all those nasty Pantene rumours that I know you have all heard and probably believe.

I also got a special sneaky peek at the new Pantene range called Aqua Light, which hits shelves today. I have been using Aqua Light for about 2 weeks now and so far I am really impressed - it's much lighter than any other Pantene, which is great for my fine hair. But don't just take my word for it - I got the inside scoop from that cheeky lad Barney Martin!

The Pantene Aqua Light deets:
Shampoo & Conditioner - $7.99/350mL
Treatment - $9.99/200mL
From: Supermarkets
Why you need it: If you have found Pantene products too heavy for your hair in the past, this will change your perception.

These products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

The "Stuff That I Bought Lindt Dark Caramel Brownie Recipe" Post

2011-09-26T07:00:00.001+10:00

I created my own brownie recipe from scratch. True story. I love baking and brownies are ~~kind of~~ definitely my specialty. So I decided to create the Stuff That I Bought Lindt Dark Caramel Brownie recipe. I actually filmed a video to show you the recipe in action, but a TV chef I am not, so a regular old post will have to do.

The stuff you need to buy aka ingredients:

125g butter, chopped
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
150g Lindt Noir Caramel chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder

The things you need to do aka instructions:

1. Pop the oven on to 180°C or 160°C for fan-forced. Grease an 18 x 28cm cake tin with some soft butter or margarine. Most people like to line the base of the pan with non-stick baking paper, but I actually prefer not to, as I find the edges crisp up better without it.
2. Put the butter, brown sugar and chocolate in a large saucepan and stir over low-medium heat until they look like a big brown liquidy mess (i.e. well combined).
3. Remove pan from heat. Take a sneaky lick of the wooden spoon. Beat in the eggs using aforementioned wooden spoon.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Sneak another mouthful of batter and start to get really hungry. Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Stare at the oven impatiently while your house smells amazing.

These brownies are amazing on the second day once they have properly cooled and gone a bit chewy. Unfortunately it's pretty unusual for them to actually make it to the second day - straight from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a little slice of heaven. Or a big slice, if you're being greedy.

If you try this recipe, please let me know how you go. You can probably substitute the Lindt Caramel for just about any good quality milk or dark chocolate - I'm keen to try Chilli and Orange next.

What's your kitchen specialty?
.

Revlon are actually pretty good. Who knew?!

2011-09-19T21:30:00.002+10:00

I know Revlon is a huge mega big deal global brand, but I have to admit I have never really worn their makeup. I have dozens of bottles of their nail polish, but beyond a few limited edition eye shadows from a couple of years ago, my repertoire is slightly lacking in Revlon.

When the good kids from Revlon asked me if I was keen for a makeover to try their new Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup foundation, I wasn't going to say no. I love any chance to try a new product, and who doesn't love having their makeup done (especially since they also offered to take me to dinner at a nice restaurant, and I had to look hot for that).

Chanel, the counter manager at the Myer Pitt St store, is one of the greatest humans ever. She talked me through the range (7 foundations shades - medium coverage) and gave me perfectly glowing skin, natural eyes and a glossy pout that was perfect for all my meetings that day, and then for dinner that night. We talked about fingers vs sponges vs brushes for foundation application, and she said brushes for an airbrushed look and fingers for an everyday creamy complexion - this is what I do, so I feel validated.

Now I know this is about the new foundation, and I did love that, but I was most impressed by the Aqua Finishing Powder she used to set my foundation and fight afternoon oiliness. I'm not normally a powder person, but this powder is incredible. It actually feels cool and wet when it's applied, and It has coconut water in it, so it's hydrating and it doesn't dry cakey at all. I'm kind of obsessed with coconut water, so this just justifies my obsession (although I usually prefer imbibing it, as opposed to wearing it).

I definitely think you should pop down to your local Revlon counter or jump into Priceline to check out the new Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup foundation AND the Aqua Finishing Powder. Both are lovely and light, so will be perfect for wearing in spring and summer (PS the foundation has an SPF of 20 - double win).

Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup
Price: $39.95
From: Myer, DJs, Priceline

Revlon ColorStay Aqua Mineral Finishing Powder
Price: $34.95
From: Myer, DJs, Priceline

I just had to add this in because it's pretty - so many colours!

This experience was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

And she wore feathers in her hair

2011-09-19T07:00:00.001+10:00

If you watched any of The Voice, you would have noticed hair feathers. It seemed like every second contestant and celebrity guest was rocking a strand or two of Foghorn Leghorn’s finest.

Having recently done the rounds of the showings from all the high-street fashion brands to see what they have coming for summer, I can tell you feathers are in, whether they’re on earrings, headbands, sleeves, skirts, or clipped into hair as a DIY-instant extension. If you want something a little more permanent though, Navajo Hair Co have come out with some beautiful bohemian feather hair extensions.

As with any other gimmicky trend, these have the potential to look very, very wrong. Joel from Bauhaus Hair put my extensions in and we talked about how they look much better in natural colours that match the hair - pink and blue feathers stick out for the wrong reasons - kind of like you have stuck some pink and blue feathers in your hair (although the team at Navajo tell me these have been the most popular colours to date). Joel and I picked feathers in dark brown and cream, which blend subtly in with my own dark brown tresses. He also explained that placing them under the hair in line with the temples means you just get little flashes of them, rather than them being awkwardly clipped in on top.

They are put into the hair like normal hair extensions - a few strands of hair plus the feather are clamped together with a little microbead. Joel explained that rather than putting it right at the root, he examined the natural fall of my hair and put the feather in about a centimetre down so that it moved with my hair. The feathers (rooster feathers, FYI) are totally fine being heat styled, washed, brushed and blow dried. I have had my extensions in for almost three weeks and they still look bright and fresh, although they are loose at the roots and just about ready to come out (I run my fingers through my hair a lot, and probably wouldn’t do well with real extensions).

I have had so many compliments on them and will definitely get them again - just add maxi-skirt, wedges and floppy hat for boho-chic. And in case you’re a corporate monkey - they are totally office-proof. Just style your hair so they’re hidden 9-5.

Navajo Hair Co Natural Feather Hair Extensions
Price: From $17 per feather (economies of scale - the more you get, the cheaper each one becomes)
From: I had mine put in at Bauhaus Hair in Waterloo - check the website for stockists
Why you need them: For something a little fun and different
Worth noting: These feathers come from roosters who are specifically bred for their feathers.
In order for the feathers to be properly and humanely processed, the roosters are harvested. These feathers come from Whiting Farms, who service not only the feather hair extension market, but also the fly fishing market. This is what Whiting Farms has to say:

In order for the feathers to be properly processed and sold the unavoidable fact is the roosters have to be harvested. This is because what are desired by fly tyers (and fashion folks alike) are the "first nuptial" feathers that the roosters grow (their "breeding plumage"), and subsequent sets of feathers are not as good. But a unique attribute of the lines at Whiting Farms is the "saddle" (back) feathers, that are so highly prized by everyone, never stop growing. So our roosters get an exceptionally long life of almost a year waiting for these saddle feathers to get as long as they can, compared with a meat chicken that is harvested at 35 to 49 days of age. But unlike the brutal end that most commercial chickens endure, at Whiting Farms we euthanize the chickens painlessly so there is no distress nor blood. The meat from our roosters, though I could argue it is the safest meat in the world as we feed no antibiotics nor hormones and the chickens live such a pampered life, cannot be sold nor even given away because of USDA inspection regulations. What is left over after harvesting is composted, in conjunction with wood chips and manure, to create a soil amendment for our irrigated farm crops. So at least nothing is wasted. Plus the meat on these year old roosters is truly tough and pretty minimal as they’ve not been bred for meat, so not very worthwhile or palatable.

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, please our disclosure policy
.

The racing stripe is for speed, right?

2011-09-14T15:00:00.000+10:00

Dear Zoe Extreme Wedge from Sportsgirl,

Oh my, look at you! All nudey and clompy, but then with a smart racing stripe up the back (for added speed, I assume). I have no idea how I would wear you, because goodness knows I'm not very good in anything with a heel, but I need you in my life. I think you and I would make beautiful summer music, me in a floaty maxi skirt and a crochet top, while you thieve all the attention down below.

Let's hang out. I'll bring the cider.

Lovingly,
Wedgeless Elise

PS - If you want to buy them for me, they are $149.95 from Sportsgirl
.

Five amazing products I forgot to review

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000+10:00

True story. Sometimes a product is so fantastically awesome and so perfect for me that I use the whole bottle/tube/tub and next thing you know it's 6 months later and I haven't reviewed it yet. Whoops! These are five products that are very firm favourites in my bathroom and that I have been re-purchasing over and over.

The details:

Garnier Pure Active Pimple Reducing Toner
Price: $9-ish
From: the supermarket

MAC Blushcreme
Price: $40
From: MAC counters and MAC online

Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil
Price: $60
From: Bobbi Brown counters or Bobbi Brown online

Kiehl's Darkness Diminishing Activated Eye Treatment
Price: $62
From: Kiehl's or Kiehl's online

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask
Price: $82
From: Meccacosmetica stores or Mecca online

See here for our disclosure policy
.

I love spring, but...

2011-09-01T18:00:00.001+10:00

The start of September signifies many things. In magazine land, it means 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty and Vogue Fashion's Night Out. On the charity front it's Liptember, which means lip gloss for a cause (gender specific mental health issues for women, but more on this later). It also means Spring.

Inspired by my own status update on Facebook today (gosh how vain does that sound) I wanted to celebrate this change of season and all the joy that it brings.

Nicked from Moonjazz on Flickr

Love spring, hate hayfever
Love spring, hate spiders
Love spring, hate magpies swooping (shout out to Andrea)
Love spring, hate the fact my favourite flowers are now out of season (poppies, just in case you want to buy me one last bunch)
Love spring, hate having to whip out the fake tan
Love spring, hate leg hair removal
Love spring, hate people loading up their gardens with blood and bone
Love spring, hate that everyone who drives down my street blatantly ignores the turn no right sign and turns right into the Coles carpark. The sign is there for a reason!!**

Honestly, I love the warmer weather and the fact I can wear thongs again, but spring and I don't always get along. What do you love to hate about spring?

**obviously not spring related, but it really pisses me off

How to: Stop your armpits smelling (hint: laser)

2011-09-01T07:00:00.001+10:00

A friend of mine asked me the other day if I was still having my laser treatment because I hadn't written about it in ages. I am, but the hair came back so slowly that i didn't need my next treatment for 8 weeks! Pretty sweet, right?

The hair that did grow back (eventually) was very fine and sparse - kind of like when you first get hair under your arms when you're 12 or whatever. The kind of hair that meant I could still wear a singlet to pilates and not be self-conscious because it wasn't really noticeable.

I had my fourth treatment yesterday and, even though I sharply inhaled, cringed, and moaned like a little b!tch, it didn't actually hurt. Michaela, the goddess at Leah's Mid-City Centre who is doing my treatments, was like 'why are you whinging, it doesn't hurt' and she was right. I guess when someone is pointing a laser at your tender bits, your default reaction is to pull faces and cringe, yes?

I have no idea who to give credit to for this image, but it's amusing

I have said it before and I'll say it again (because I like the sound of my own voice) - laser is the best thing I have ever done. Well, top 10. Okay, best hair removal thing I have done, and I wish I had done it a whole lot sooner. Get on it now so that once summer rolls around you can chuck your razor out.

Fun fact - I find my underarms don't stink as much when I sweat because there's no hair for the bacteria to cling to. Next time we hang out, I'll let you evaluate that one out for yourself.

Candela GentleLASE laser hair removal
Price: $70 for Brazilian and underarm
From: Leah’s Waxworks – level 1 Mid City Centre
Why you need it: No hair, no stink, always bikini ready.

I was a guest of Leah's Waxworks

When you need to call on some inspiration...

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000+10:00

I wasn’t going to blog today (by today I mean last night, because I write my posts at night and publish them the next morning). I’m tired and worn out, and just didn’t have the creative juices to get anything down. It happens sometimes, you know? You can’t just turn creativity on and off like a tap (if someone could figure it out, without resorting to illicit substances, they would make a fortune).

The beauty of these situations is I step away from the computer, watch TV, tidy my room, go for a walk (I’m currently on Leo watch, since Gatsby is being filmed near my house) or I bake. In fact, cooking is usually my number one go-to when I need to clear my head and recharge. Hello, profiteroles.

I wish I could say they were from scratch, but I picked up a packet mix on sale from Coles a couple of weeks ago. For a packet, it still required eggs, milk, thickened cream, and my electric mixer, so not totally cheating, right? The most complicated part was scooping the uncooked pastry from shells, and the easiest part was scoffing them down. Took about an hour and a half all up, including baking time and the custard setting. Not bad for a Sunday night, and a nice way to celebrate Fiance winning his soccer grand final and taking out the premiership. Nom.

Price: About $10 all up for ingredients
From: Coles
Why you need it: They’re tasty!
.

Current obsession: Satchels

2011-08-26T07:00:00.000+10:00

Totally obsessed with satchel bags. Nuts about them. Not only are they timeless and chic, but you can carry loads in them and feel like your gear is safe. I say this because I have an 11" Mac Air and I just don't feel like it's secure in my regular handbags, but with a satchel it's closer to my body and not so likely to get bumped and knocked.

You know I'm a big fan (and ambassador) of Cherry Pick Me, so I watch their daily deals like a hawk. When a deal from Only Midge came up a couple of weeks ago, I was on it like J.D. on appletinis. I got the small canvas satchel in raspberry red (and I know Ms. Critique got the mustard yellow, which was my second choice) and I'm very happy with it because it's just the right size for my little lappie. Not only are these bags cute as all get out, they are super-practical, with heavy italian leather trims, straps and buckles.

Three cheers for satchel bags. Next stop, a blind embossed personalised Cambridge Satchel. Hint hint, Fiance.

PS: I was given a voucher from the Cherry Pick Me team to redeem on a deal of my choice. You bet your bottom dollar I jumped on this the second it went live, and so did a whole bunch of other people!

PPS: New haircut, you like? The fab Alex at Bauhaus in Waterloo. Love that guy.

Price: $149.95 + postage
From: Only midge online store, or they have stockists
Why you need it: To keep your Mac safe while looking stylish. Just add nautical stripes.
.

Oh Barbie, you visual learning tool and eastern suburbs wannabe!

2011-08-25T07:00:00.001+10:00

In the course of writing this blog, that other one, and the freelance bits I also do, sometimes lovely brands send me products that they think I might like to write about. Occasionally they send a little treat with it too - not exactly ipads and designer handbags, but something little to demonstrate a point - think minties accompanying mint flavoured lip gloss or fairy floss for a lipstick called Fairy Floss.

Sometimes though, they send a visual aid for learning purposes, and yesterday was one of those days.

I laughed out loud, a lot, when I pulled this baby from LeTan out of the mail bag. How many times have you seen some poor girl wandering around your local Westfield rocking the Eagle - brown body, white head. This Barbie looks like she's straight out of Sydney's eastern suburbs, with her LBD and her awkward lean. LOVE.

She sends a serious message though - body tan should always match your face. I will admit that when I do get around to faking it, I use three different tanners - one for legs, one for torso and one for face (my bathroom cupboard is packed tight). The skin on your face is different to your body though, so you need a different formula - duh. I can't tell you about the LeTan product that came with Barbie just yet (it's out October) but if you're going to tan, then get a specific face tanner. I'm going to keep Barbie on my desk as a reminder.
.

I'm famous on the innernets

2011-08-23T10:30:00.002+10:00

Gross overstatement, but I have to give mad props to the kind peeps who have written about me and my blogs lately. Sure, they might be prone to exaggeration somewhat, but they make me sound far more exciting and glamorous than I really am, and I appreciate that.

The Makeup Case asked me about my nail polish collection, which, as you know, is my pride and joy. In the same way Michael Flatley insures his feet, I should insure my babies. Must look into that.

Bossy Beauty asked me about my career, my beauty must-haves and my nail polish collection (naturally).

Style Icons/Instyle for Hair asked me lots of questions about blogging. It was fun. I like talking about blogging.

Raw emotion: Stories From The Wayside

2011-08-22T07:00:00.001+10:00

It's not often I'm lost for words, but last night I had the immense pleasure of seeing Stories From The Wayside. If you're not familiar with The Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Kings Cross, they do incredible work for homeless and underprivileged people, offering meals, clothing, counselling, referrals, and a shoulder to lean on when no one else is there. My sister is a social worker who has volunteered at the youth arm of the The Wayside, and the stories she has are gut-wrenching but also so inspiring.

In fact, it was my sister who suggested we see Stories From The Wayside. The Wayside have recently completed major renovations to their complex on Hughes Street, and this is the first of many productions in their new theatre space. The production is what's called verbatim theatre, or reality theatre - 8 Wayside staff, volunteers and visitors told their stories to the actors who were playing them, and the actors reproduced their subjects voice and mannerisms with blinding accuracy. It was not only a direct peek into their minds but into their souls. I had tears rolling down my cheeks as we heard tales of children being ripped away by DOCS, seeing fathers and brothers killed, hearing about Wayside regulars who are no longer with us in this life.

Not only was it raw and emotional, but also uplifting - hearing about the way The Wayside is a tribe for those who don't have their own families, and how it's a place of no judgement for those who don't need to be judged, they just need a shower and a cup of coffee. It reminded me that there are good people in the world, led by Reverend Graham Long, and inspired me to want to do more with The Wayside Chapel in future.

If you have the time between now and September 4th, please go and see it. It's only $35, and it's a beautiful reminder of the highs and lows of humanity. More details on The Wayside site.
.

Breaking news: Cloud Nine ceases distribution in Australia

2011-08-19T15:15:00.001+10:00

I don't normally post news here, but this is Kind Of A Big Deal. News just came down the wires that the Australian distributors of Cloud Nine have reached an impasse with the UK distributors and won't be distributing here anymore.

The official spiel...

It is with a heavy heart that we today announce that Cloud Nine UK has ceased product supply to Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd, and forced the closure of the Australian distribution business. Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd have been forced to cease negotiations after the owner of the brand, ceased product supply.

The UK Head Office of Cloud Nine has become unhappy with their salon-only distribution model and wanted to move it outside the salon network. Their refusal caused the UK to stop supply, pending negotiation of a new distribution agreement with Australia. Australia refused to relinquish control of the distributorship channel and their negotiations failed. Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd believes that they have acted with integrity with the intention of supporting the salon business and brand that they love.

The refusal on the part of the Cloud Nine head office to support the Australian market, in relation to the product problems, has been a major issue for the Australian team. The problem (together with other issues), has now caused the termination of their distributorship for Cloud Nine in Australia. It is understand that the head office will now distribute the product in Australia - but I am unable to provide any further details at this point in time. We can only provide you with the head office contact details which are as follows:
email info@cloudninehair.com or phone +44 1943811310

Cloud Nine ANZ Pty Ltd are deeply apologetic that they have not been able to work this situation out and that it has had to end this way.

Gutted, but hopefully someone will pick it up and keep Australian C9 fans looking good. Their newest product, The Wand, is awesome, and I was looking forward to reviewing it for you.

Benefit - They're Real and they're spectacular

2011-08-18T07:00:00.000+10:00

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then this post doesn't need much more than the before and after.

When the awesome chickies at Benefit (aka the Benebabes) sent me their new mascara I have to admit I was sceptical. I love a big stat as much as the next research nerd, but to claim that 94% of people saw dramatic length and volume? And that 100% saw long wearing results? What was the sample size? How long did they trial it for? Was it a controlled environment? So many methodology questions!

Then I tried the mascara and I didn't care. It really did give me huge length! It really did give me base to tip coating, and visible lift. It lasted all day and came off easily with warm water. The rubbery brush reminds me of my all time favourite mascara, Covergirl Lash Blast. I have been wearing it solidly for two weeks now and I have a stat of my own - 100% of Elise's who tried this mascara love it and would recommend it.

Benefit They're Real Mascara
Price: $38
From: Benefit stores and counters in Myer
Why you need it: Fabulous, flirty lashes - a few flutters and you can get away with anything!

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

What to do when you own over 550 nail polishes

2011-08-16T07:00:00.000+10:00

You know I have a nail polish addiction, right? Of course you do, because I have written about it before. My blog, The Nail File, might have also given it away a little - you don't write a blog wholly dedicated to something you don't love! How dull for you if you do.

So these days I have over 550 nail polishes, which probably seems a little excessive (ok, it is a little excessive). I can't help myself though! I might have 23 shades of pink already, but maybe it's *this pink* that will change my life. Anyway, trying to store 500+ nail polishes and keep them organised is pretty nuts. After I tell people about The Nail File, the first question I always get asked is 'where do you keep them all!!' This is usually accompanied with curious glances, mock horror, and heapings of sympathy for my beloved.

The bulk of my polishes live in one of two perspex trays that I picked up when a magazine was selling off their old props from shoots. Any overflow from one tray lands in the other, and they have a permanent spot under the desk - they are far too heavy to move (I can barely push them along the ground, let alone lift them). The trays are divided up into little squares and all the polishes are grouped by colour for easy access. Not that I'm obsessive compulsive or anything.

Then I have my Benjiboxes. These delightful plastic drawers store my tools, my essentials, my decals, tattoos & stamping kits, and any polishes I'm doing 'something special' with. I love my Benji's - they have little rubber dots on the bottom, so when they are stacked they don't slide around. Plus, the drawers pull out - way better than the other cheap crappy plastic boxes I keep my shoes in (ebay purchase). Notice how my shoes get the shit boxes and my nail supplies get the good stuff? Priorities

Benjibox Clear Shoe Boxes
Price: $49.75 for 5 pack
From: Benjibox website
Why you need them: Everyone needs storage solutions

The Benjibox shoe boxes were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

Some Friday inspiration courtesy of Illamasqua

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000+10:00

I'm going to put my hand on my heart and apologise for being shit this week. Life is crazy and all that jazz. Seriously. But nowhere near as crazy as the hair Brad Ngata did for the Myer show last night. And considering Illamasqua have a reputation for doing mental, dramatic makeup, their makeup for the show was quite tame all things considered.

I got the chance to chat to the very talented Nicola Burford (pictured below) who was the co-director of the makeup (the other co-director was Natasha Severino, who I couldn't get a decent snap of because she was moving a hundred miles an hour). Nicola explained there was one basic look, and then three different sub-looks with the addition of colour (so four looks in total, for those of you not so good with math). The inspiration was based on the desert - colours, lights, landforms and the way the reflection plays off against surfaces. Mirage magic - glassy and shimmery.

This look is prime for reproduction (in fact, I'm rocking a modified version today). The base was Illamasqua Cream Foundation, highlighted with Lies cream blush and a layer of sheer lip gloss for what Nicola called "a glassy, white heat effect". We saw similar glassy looks at a lot of AW2011 shows (Balmain, Alberta Ferretti, Costume National, Donna Karan) and it's as easy as a quick slick of gloss/vaseline/papaw on the cheekbones. But I digress.

The eyes were haloed in a beautiful contour powder blush called Disobey, which is total star product (want. need. now) - it gives structure and form to the eye while also being very soft - think desert sand. The lips were muted and nude with Sonnet lipstick to keep the focus on the eyes and skin.

The colour accent came from the pops of bright colour - we know brights are going to be bigger than normal this spring/summer in clothes, nails, accessories and makeup. For the girls who wore colour on the eyes, it was either sunset pink (Nymph powder blush), sunburnt orange (Excite powder blush) and really white heat (Sex eye shadow) . Eyeliner + shadow + glitter = mirage effect. Add clean brows and a single lick of mascara for a slight tint, and you have a beautiful look that will work for everyday (minus the glitter). It was all very soft focus and muted - word of the day is ombre.

As for the hair...well...Brad Ngata did a doozy on the poor models. I can only imagine the bastard of a time they all had getting that glitter out! It did look spectacular though. Pink eye shadow = red to pink ombre glitter. Orange eyes = gold to brown ombre hair. White eyes = white hair (complete with white hair spray - see below). Nude = clear hair, which looked like scales from a distance, and each clear sequin was painstakingly applied into the hair with tweezers.

For all the glitter and shimmer, the nails were quite pared back - check out the round up on The Nail File.

Enjoy a little visual candy and try out this makeup look yourself this weekend! I'll pop some pictures up on twitter of my interpretation.
.

GHD curls - horizontal vs vertical

2011-08-05T07:00:00.001+10:00

Ask a hairdresser whether they go horizontal or vertical and it's bound to spark a conversation. No technique is right or wrong, but they definitely produce different results. Here I show you the two and give you my opinion - hopefully it helps you next time you need to create some curl!

Products I used:

ghd Gold Classic Styler - $269 - www.ghdhair.com

ghd Thermal Protector for normal-fine hair - $30

ghd Paddle Brush - $34

ghd Tail Comb - $12

Wella Pro Series Max Hold Hairspray - $7.99 - Supermarkets

All products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy

My Top 5 Face Masks - stick your middle finger up to winter!

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000+10:00

This post was originally published on Smaggle.com. Carly, the genius behind Smaggle, is probably one of my favourite internet people. Her blog is awesome. If you don't read it already, you're missing out.

I love a list, don't you? Of course you do, everybody does. I especially love a list that's going to help me keep my skin in tip-top shape. There is something about winter that takes me from regularly doing face masks to obsessively masking my face every chance I get. If overdosing on face masks is a crime, mea culpa. Between the icy wind and the air-conditioning, colder months are a dermis's worst enemy. Ergo, my top five face masks to help fight the winter blues.

Subtle Energies Dry Mix Pitta Mud

This clay mask is the bees knees for sucking impurities out of the skin. It's a superfine clay called Ayurveda, and it has a cooling effect when it hits the skin. It's packed full of minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, which gets into the skin to give it a huge nutrient boost, and leaves you all glowy afterwards. If you're heads (white or black) are giving you grief, look no further. At $52.80 for 100gms (see www.subtleenergies.com.au), this is a steal. I have done about 6 masks already and the level of clay in the tub has barely gone down. And that's after spilling about 4 masks worth down the sink by accident.
Fun fact: the Ayurveda clay in this mask is the same sort of clay that was used to restore the Taj Mahal in 2002 and 2009. If it's good enough for one the seven wonders of the world, it's good enough for me!

Super by Dr Nicholas Perricone Ginger 3-Minute Facial

When it's single-digit temperatures, you don't have time to be sitting around in face masks - there's cocoa to be drinking and doonas to be hiding under. Enter the 3-minute facial from Super, Dr Nicholas Perricone's new line made from natural ingredients like fruit and vegetables (all superfoods, hence the brand name). This mask packs a 20 minute facial into 3 - you get intense hydration, while the ginger stimulates the skin to make you all glowy. It actually tingles as you take it off, rather than while it's on. Perfect when you're looking a bit dull and need to be sparkly for a night out (or in). This is $75.95 for 59mls (from Kit Cosmetics) and you even get a little spatula with it, so you don't have to stick your icky fingers in the jar. Clever

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque

Sweet, sweet antioxidants. I have written about this one before, but this baby fights all the free radical damage you get from wind and air-conditioning without even trying (ok, it tries a bit). Think lots and lots of vitamins packed into the tube and they work to soothe your skin when it's angry, stop if from getting angry again in future, and then reverse the damage that has been done. If you sit in an air conditioned office all day and then stand at a freezing cold bus stop at either end, then this will cure what ales ya. At $76 for 75ml, it's about $5/mask. Worth it.

The Jojoba Company Botanical Hydrating Face Mask

This is a clay mask that doesn't feel like a clay mask because it's so silky and smooth. While the clay sucks the nasties out, marine collagen, honey and golden jojoba oil restore hydration - think of it as a push-pull action: bad stuff out, good stuff in. You definitely need to leave this on for at least 20 minutes, so have a cup of tea ready to go and spoil yourself with a good book (or catch up on your blog reading). Fun fact: It doesn't smell like a clay mask. To me this is a good old fashioned mask that does what it promises without any bells and whistles - squeeze it out of the tube, slap it on, let it work, Bob's your uncle. At $49.95 for 80mls, you can't complain (see www.thejojobacompany.com.au)

The Jojoba Company Skin Refining + Brightening Face Masque
Firstly, I have no idea why The Jojoba Company have called one a Face Mask and one a Face Masque (if anyone knows the difference, please tell me), but this is another mask that delivers what it promises without being flashy or show off-y. This is clay as well, and once it has finished detoxifying the skin it also fights pigmentation. Salicylic acid does the renewal work (you know about salicylic, yes? it cleans away dead skin) while ingredients like Kakadu plum and bearberry extract (made from real bears*) improve skin tone and make skin look brighter and more even. Genius! This one is $59.95 for 80mls (www.thejojobacompany.com.au) and smells like instant coffee. I know, random.

If you're skin doesn't look amazing after our little chat, then nothing will get you there. I have given you the tools, now go! Go forth and glow my little beans!

*no bears were harmed in the making of this masque/mask

Where do you buy your shoes? Lindsay Phillips has a surprise for you

2011-07-27T07:00:00.004+10:00

I get all sorts of things come across the desk here at STIB HQ. Some weird, some wonderful and some very surprising. When an adorable pair of ballet flats landed I instantly fell in love - I don't wear heels and I seem to wear through my ballet flats faster than they can go out of fashion. The flats in question are by American designer Lindsay Phillips and they are black with a huge patent flower on the front.

Here's the thing - the flower pops off. It's clipped on with a press stud, and you can buy a variety of "accessories" to change your shoes up. Personally I like the flower, but you can also get studs, diamante clusters, pearls and fleur de lis designs. The shoes are so darned comfortable I have been living in them, but they don't look like it. If you're a dedicated flats wearer like me, you know that flats seem to get tired after a few months as the sole wears down and you scuff the toes. These are still fresh as a kid on Christmas morning.

This all sounds good, right? Cute flats, they wear well, super-comfortable (I wore them every day in Hawaii on my recent shopping trip - shopping for 8 hours in thongs is a no-no). They are stocked exclusively in Terry White Chemists. You could have knocked me down with a sparrows fart. The chemist is seriously the last place I would have looked for a cute pair of flats. When I think chemist, I think nanna orthotics, not leopard print flats with diamantes on the front. Sheesh!

Where do you buy your shoes? Would you ever think to look in the chemist for funky flats?

Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats
Price: $59.95 for the shoes, $12.95 for the snaps
From: Terry White Chemists
Why you need them: everyone needs a pair of cute and comfy flats

These shoes were offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

6-Star Spa Luxury - Hello Panpuri Organic Spa!

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000+10:00

Being recognised as a 6-star spa is no easy feat, but it's one that Sydney's newest and only 6-star spa Panpuri takes in its stride. Panpuri has a reputation across the world for its luxurious skincare and aromatherapy products, and their spas in places like Thailand, Dubai and across Europe have a reputation that is second to none. Eastern philosophy is embraced and true beauty is nurtured within the soul by treating the inside as well as the outside. How very zen.

Inside the spa - the doors lead to treatment rooms

I was invited by Panpuri to come in and check out their beautiful new spa in Pyrmont and after about 0.8 seconds consideration I was booked and ready to go. From the foyer it doesn't look very big, but this is all an optical illusion because there are actually eight treatment rooms tucked away inside. You have your choice of a single room for some alone time, or double room for some parallel pampering with your partner. There is also the relaxation room where you can enjoy a cup of Chai tea, Thai massage room to have the stress melted away, manicure and pedicure suite, and facial room.

Hello, relaxation room. A warm towel and a cuppa Chai

After first enjoying my cuppa in the relaxation room and admiring the twinkly lights on the ceiling that look like stars, I was whisked into a double room with hydrotherapy spa for my treatment. The treatment room, and in fact the whole spa, is decked out in inky black tiles and ornate gold fixtures. This lush interior sets the scene by combining serenity with opulence for visual stimulation - you could be anywhere in the world inside this spa.

I got to enjoy their signature massage treatment, the Mali Moonlight Massage, where my amazing therapist sent me into a trance unlike anything I have ever felt before. First up I have to pick whether I wanted jasmine or lemongrass oil for my massage - the lemongrass smelt nice, but I'm a jasmine girl all the way. Then it was time for the traditional feet washing - warm water with tea tree powder and dried green tea for hygiene and cleansing the feet of toxins, a slice of lemon and two lime leaves for invigoration. My feet are skilfully massaged with tea tree powder turned into paste and if it had ended right there I probably could have walked away happy. Bliss.

Sam Sparrow had it right - black and gold!

Post foot rub, it's time to climb up on the bed. If I have to critique anything about the experience, it's that the bed is a little hard and as someone who is incredibly amply blessed, it takes a while to adjust the ladies and get comfortable. The therapist doesn't focus on one area at a time like a normal massage. Rather, she does a whole side of my body, starting at the foot and moving in long, languid strokes up my leg, across my back, over my shoulder and down my arm. These flowing movements combined with the jasmine oil mean not only is energy flowing through my body, but I'm putting the decorative drool bowl under my head to good use (I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be a drool bowl, but what did they expect?)

The left side of my body is worked over, then the right, then the whole back, then the shoulders. Just when I think it can't get any better, I flip over for my arms, chest, and then a head massage. The therapist definitely deserves a gold star here because she washed her hands before the head massage so she didn't get oil all through my hair. It's a little detail, but definitely a reminder that all of the Panpuri therapists were hand-picked from 5 and 6 star spas in Dubai, Bali and Thailand. Seriously, that's how luxe this place is.

The deets:
• Panpuri Organic Spa is located at 55 Miller St, Pyrmont. It is open daily from 10am - 10pm
• Treatments start at $75 and can last from 30 to 150 minutes (the Mali Moonlight Massage I experienced is $165 for 60 minutes) - see the full menu at www.panpuriorganicspa.com.au
• A complimentary car transfer service is available for any two-hour single treatments, or for two guests whose treatments are a minimum of one hour each. That’s 6-star luxury at its finest.

This service was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

Booty Parlor - for that sexy winter flush

2011-07-22T07:00:00.003+10:00

- by Shay

While we’re all blustering about how cold we are, how chapped our lips are and how we can’t even feel our feet I thought I’d remind you dear readers of a couple of things I love about Winter.

I’ve always loved the sound of frost under my feet; the white breath that hangs in the air in the dark, still mornings; going on a holidays to the mountains and watching the sun glistening on the snow; slippers, mittens and dressing gowns; steaming hot bowls of soup and cold nose kisses with the one I love – I adore all of these things when it’s cold outside.

Another thing I love about Winter is ruddy cheeks! That naturally flushed look that makes you look like a soft, approachable and natural beauty. Sadly it rarely gets cold enough in Brisbane to bring out the natural blush in my cheeks, so I’m always looking for a cheats method to achieve the look.

This brings me to a product I’ve been loving recently – Booty Parlour ‘Get Flushed’ lip and cheek tint.

The number one thing that stands out about this product is the packaging. The creators have really put their thinking caps on and come up with a totally portable little sphere that is super light and easy to pull out of the smallest purse to reapply as required.

Unscrew the lid and you will be presented with the softest, most delicious smelling (my nose picks up candy red apples) balm. It’s smooth to apply and literally glides over the skin. I found it a bit drying on my lips, which is to be expected with a multi-purpose product, but on the cheeks it was like silk.

The colour is intense and very buildable. I was cautious when applying as it looks so pigmented, and I was right to take it easy. I simply smiled wide, took a quick swipe of the tint on my finger and blended, blended, BLENDED to smooth the colour over the apples of my cheeks.

The end result was a beautiful flush that looked so much more natural than any powder blush I’ve ever used.

Get Flushed lasted all day on my cheeks with a little wear towards the end of the day. I recommend setting the products with a light swipe of powder (either blush in a similar colour, or your face powder to tone down some of the pigment) to keep it looking fresh all day.

On the lips, it worked almost like a stain and looked beautiful and so girl-next-door under some shiny clear lip-gloss.

So now we’re over half way through Winter isn’t it about time you started to embrace the cooler weather before it’s gone for another year? Get Flushed Lip Tint is an affordable way to bring on your inner ruddy-cheeked beauty and will make you appreciate the cold so much more.

Booty Parlor Get Flushed Sexy Lip and Cheek Tint
Price: $19.95
From: Bootyparlor.com.au (if they're out, try chemistdirect.com.au or hapsari.com.au)

For more of Shay's reviews, check out her youtube channel

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for editorial consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

Get on Urban Outfitters NOW

2011-07-20T14:00:00.004+10:00

I was going to write a blog post for today. Truly. But I got sucked into the vortex of Urban Outfitters and spent hours (and hours) adding to my cart because it's free shipping on orders over $150. The sale section is phenomenal, and these days I reckon at least half my wardrobe is UO (sorry, local retailers).

While the dollar is good, I suggest you hop-to-it as well. Or perhaps click-to-it is more appropriate.

PS the code is SPECIALDELIVERY

Bad Teacher - sorta good, sorta bad

2011-07-19T07:00:00.000+10:00

When my sister and I were in Hawaii there were ads all over TV for Bad Teacher. Literally, every ad break. By the time we left, we were brainwashed into thinking this was going to be the greatest movie ever screened and we had to see it immediately (I get really easily influenced by advertising).

Pic credit: imdb.com

We saw it last night and…eh. It's good but not the best. Definitely a guilty pleasure. Cameron Diaz is great. Phyllis Smith is great. Jason Segel is one of my favourite people on earth and I know we would be best friends if he would just return my calls. Justin Timberlake is wonderful and all, but his character isn't exactly likeable. The female antagonist to Cameron's protagonist, Ms Squirrel played Lucy Punch, is a character so gratingly annoying that I wanted to claw her eyes out. Put it all together and you have a great cast of caricatures and nutballs (keep an eye out for the cameo from David Stonestreet [of Modern Family fame] as Diaz's moron roommate) - sadly, the storyline is like a deflated balloon. Flat, limp, kinda sad.

There are a couple of laugh out loud moments, but these are overshadowed by the 'WTF you can't say that' moments. As we follow Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) on her journey from marrying for money, to broke and back to teaching (a job she clearly hates, although we have no idea how she landed in the vocation in the first place) there are all sorts of shenanigans. I love shenanigans. Without giving too much away, think naughty car washes, blackmail, stolen tests and Diaz smoking more dope than a 16 year old boy behind an abandoned factory. There is also a sex(ish?) scene between ex-real life lovers Diaz and Timberlake that had me physically recoiling. Disturbing.

Pic credit: imdb.com - Oh Jason, why won't you return my calls?!

Word to the wise - go on Tightass Tuesday. Get a free ticket. Have a date pay for your ticket. Or wait for it to come out on DVD. It's amusing, but not in the same league as some other recent comedy favourites like The Hangover or Bridesmaids.

Bad Teacher
Price: $45, or however much it is these days to see a movie at Event Cinemas (better re-mortgage the house if you want to take a date)
Why you should see it: Cheap laughs. Maybe you should make like Diaz and co. and get stoned first. It might be funnier that way.
.

I love coconut! Especially when it's cheap

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000+10:00

I'm not gonna lie…the main reason (ok, only reason) I bought this body wash is because it looks like Philosophy. It also smells like Philosophy. And it's coconut. I love coconut.

As far as a body wash goes, this one does its job. It lathers, it cleans, it smells edible, and it lingers ever so gently on the skin for an hour or so after you step out of the shower (assuming you don't slap on some other stupidly scented cream that clashes). Squirt some on a shower puff and go to town on that bad boy.

As I said though, what attracted me to this I love…body wash in the first place was the fact it looks like a Philosophy body wash. The silver lining here is that for almost the same size (I love…is 27ml more) the I love…is less than a third of the price. Grey Goose for Smirnoff prices? That's stealth wealth at its finest!

I love…Coconut & Cream Bubble Bath & Shower Cream
Price: $11.50 for 500ml
From: Myer and David Jones
Why you need it: For a delicious shower experience. Add some pineapple body wash and you're a mai tai.
.

There's an app for that? There's an app for everything! Seriously.

2011-07-12T07:00:00.000+10:00

I will admit to not owning an iphone (I dislike writing emails on a touch screen, I prefer my Blackberry) but I do have an iTouch so that I can have all the fun of apps. Apart from the obvious favourites (Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Smack Gugl) there are a few beauty apps that are really tickling my fancy right now. Fun!

Clinique 3-Step challenge: Such an awesome idea from Clinique. You head over to a Clinique counter to pick up your sample of their famous 3-Step skin care system (cleanse, tone, moisturise), download the free app, use the fab products, and then check in with the app to win prizes. You could win a $1000 Westfield Gift Card and a 2 year supply of 3-Step just for using some free products and playing on your phone. Does this seem fricking nuts to anyone else?! You get 30ml samples, but that will last you way longer than the two weeks of the challenge.

The challenge is on until August 17, so plenty of time to get on board. But I'll be winning the Westfield Gift Card, so give up any hope now, chums!

Beautyheaven: This is a life-saver when you're trying to remember a product name or find a price on the fly. There are over 10,000 beauty prods in their database (thatsalota prods!) so chances are whatever you are searching for is there. Excellent for making price comparisons and being a savvy shopper while you're in store. Or if you're not in a store and you need to find one, it will tell you what's near you based on your location. Clever.

OPI: This one is just fun. First make sure the hand looks like your hand, and then give yourself a virtual manicure. Great if you're trying to figure out what colour goes with an outfit, or try out a colour you're not sure about. Also excellent if you're buying OPI from a non-authorised reseller and you want to make sure what you're getting is authentic (Done Out In Deco is purple fyi, not green like I saw in one dodgy store the other day). If you're not sure what I'm banging on about, check out the report I did on the OPI grey market - don't buy fake OPI people!

Price: All these apps are free
From: iTunes
Why you need them: Because you have room on your iphone for them, and room in your bathroom for the awesome Clinique products.

The Clinique products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - for more details, see our disclosure policy
.

Alkaline Spa - the ultimate in luxury detox

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000+10:00

I love massages. Love 'em. If I could have a massage every day I would (Fiance: hint hint). Being quite the connoisseur, I feel qualified to say there are good massages, great massages, and terrible massages. Perfect pressure - good. Too much oil - bad. Long, even strokes - good. Scratchy fingernails - bad. Heated bed - oh so good. Feeling uncomfortable because the therapist doesn't respect your personal boundaries - oh so bad.

Swoon!

I was invited to visit Alkaline Spa in Potts Point last week to experience their signature Alkaline Detox Massage. Sounds amazing, right - a massage that will detox me. The premise of Alkaline Spa & Clinic is a holistic approach to health - they focus on overall health and wellbeing with a combination of naturopathy, colon cleansing, Omnilux, nutrition, massage and spa treatments. The insides are just as much a priority as the outsides.

This is all well and good, but I wanted to understand what exactly made it so detox-ing. Thankfully my therapist Zara was a fountain of knowledge (and youth - she had great skin) and she talked me through exactly what she was doing.

Image courtesy of Alkaline

1 - Feet wiped over with a hot towel. Most massages start this way, and I have a pavlovian response to it these days - it always signifies that heaven is on the way.

2 - Three deep breathes of eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus is incredibly uplifting and energising, as well as anti-bacterial, so this action has two purposes.

3 - Dry body brushing. Not only does it remove dead skin cells to keep skin smooth, but it improves circulation, releases toxins and helps with lymphatic drainage. Make sure if you dry body brush at home that you always start at the end of your extremities and stroke the brush towards the heart.

4 - Lymphatic drainage massage. Alkaline use aromatherapy-based philosophy with the selection of oils for the massage. Lemon uplifts the body and is a gentle exfoliant, it's brightening to the skin and it's also an alkaliser (what a show off). Black pepper is good for digestion and soothing the bowel, plus it warms the muscles. Frankincense detoxifies liver and kidneys, and finally grapefruit brightens the skin. It sounds like a weird combination, but it's a really subtle and elegant scent. This is all worked into the skin through long, rhythmic strokes that work to move fluid and toxins around the lymphatic system, focusing particularly on areas where the glands are, as well as reflexology pressure points (there are key spots on the feet that stimulate the liver and kidney, so I enjoyed quite an amazing foot massage). The idea of a lymphatic massage is to reduce blockages in the lymphatic system, which makes for a healthier body.

5 - Three more deep breathes of eucalyptus oil to refresh the mind before having to get dressed and face the rest of the day.

Image courtesy of Alkaline

While you can't necessarily do you own lymphatic massage (gosh I wish I could though), you can put elements of this amazing treatment into your everyday life. A bit of dry brushing before a shower (I got m brush for about $20 at Priceline), some frankincense massaged into the stomach, perhaps a sniff of eucalyptus before a big meeting to clear the mind. Or you could just visit the salon, either/or.

Alkaline Signature Detox Massage
Price: $130 for 75 minutes
From: Alkaline Spa & Clinic - Shop 7, 91 Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011
Why you need it: To flush the toxins out and refresh your body. Plus it feels good.

This treatment was offered to Stuff That I Bought or consideration - for more details see our disclosure policy
.

Fun fact for the day

2011-07-08T12:30:00.001+10:00

If you ever plan on getting laser hair removal on your upper lip (aka your lady-mo) then don't ever bleach it. Here's why in really long narrative form…

Today I took myself off to one of those fancy medi-spa's that really rich women with too much time and money go to when they want their lips plumped/eyes plumped/boobs plumped. I was enquiring about Selectif hair removal, as I had heard it was similar to electrolysis and could remove the fine blonde hairs that laser can't (I'm less Tom Selleck and more Frida Kahlo - just a fine shadow). My 10 minute consultation involved the nurse telling me straight away that Selectif wasn't right, would be too expensive and would take too long. Okay. She then suggested laser. It would take about 8 treatments every 3-4 weeks and then we could do Selectif after that for the blonde hairs. Oh, and this was going to cost me TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS per laser session. I politely nodded, paid my waste-of-money 'consultation' fee, and hightailed it over to Leah's Waxworks.

Artists interpretation of how my mo felt. Picture credit: usayisay.com

I had discussed laser on my l-mo with Michaela at Leah's before, so I was confident she knew what she was on about. You can't laser hair once it has been bleached (hello, lip wax) because bleach destroys the colour pigment in the hair. On top of that though, the chemicals in the bleach get into your dermis and when they are hit with the laser it can cause pigmentation. I have been bleaching on and off for years, so once my hair grows back from the wax and we start lasering, that's just a risk I am going to have to take. Thank goodness there are so many great anti-pigmentation creams on the market now like Clinique Even Better and the new Estee Lauder Even Skintone Illuminator I am currently trying.

Funny thing is, the nurse at the fancy over-priced clinic didn't ask me any of those questions. And Leah's is $35 for a lip laser compared to $200. Long story short, eat your vegetables. And don't bleach if you want to laser. And I'll take the friendly girls at Leah's over the judgemental cows at the expensive medi-spa any day.

PS - I paid $6 for my lip wax. That's price of two cups of coffee, or maybe one cup at a fancy cafe.

PPS - Don't forget that if you live in Sydney and you're a Stuff That I Bought reader (you are?! you have excellent taste in blogs), then you can get $10 off any treatment valued over $50 at Leah’s Waxworks in Mid City Centre. The deal is valid until September 1st, 2011, so plenty of time to do something 'bout that upper lip, and maybe get a Shellac mani while you're there. Just mention Stuff That I Bought.

PPPS - Have a great weekend my dears!
.

Let there be light!

2011-07-07T07:00:00.000+10:00

I recently did this whole 'setting up a new workspace at home' thing, which was really just code for 'buy more homewares'. I love decorating, buying house junk and going to IKEA - any excuse will do. As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch flanked by 6 mismatched cushions, all purchased because I love cushions. My desk is piled high with notebooks, post-it pads and vases full of pens, and everything is tagged with brown paper tags. Anal.

The piece de resistance of my new workspace is my Replica Ferruccio Laviani Bourgie lamp from Matt Blatt. Let's be honest, it doesn't really give off much light. It has a weak 40w lightbulb, and the fact it's red doesn't really help - it's more like mood lighting for a brothel than practical light to work by. But it looks pretty, and sometimes you need form over function. That's why my old $20 IKEA floor lamp is next to my desk.

Best hundred bux I ever spent on something so impractical.

Replica Ferruccio Laviani Bourgie lamp - available in red, black, clear, blue, orange, silver and gold.

Price: I paid $99, the website says $149, and I know someone who bought one this week and paid $79. No idea.

From: Matt Blatt

Why you need it: So your desk looks cool.

Current swoon: Pretty things

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000+10:00

There is nothing nicer than some visual candy to get the inspiration juices going, no?

I get all sorts of beautiful things land on my desk, but this recent batch is a veritable cornucopia of deliciousness. (I had to look it up to be sure, but it turns out deliciousness is a real word - go figure.)

I could stare at the pearly blue of this bottle for hours. This is the latest offering from Estée Lauder - New Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator promises that it is going to reduce my uneven skintone in just four weeks. I can't comment on that yet because I have only been using it for two weeks, but so far I'm loving it. What I'm loving even more is the luxe bottle. Estée Lauder seriously knows how to make a girl feel good. Dreamy.

How cute is the little box of blotting papers that I picked up in Sephora? Not gonna lie, I mainly bought them for the bright little box (although blotting papers are always handy). Below the papers is two amazing eyeshadows from MACs recent Semi Precious collection. On the left is Mineral Mode, which gives a really faint pink pearl sheen, and on the right is Unsurpassable, a menagerie of green, blue, purple, copper and white, which gives a wash of greeny-blue over the eye, with a lick of lilac in some lights. Truly breathtaking.

Over on the right is one of the limited edition Juicy Tubes from the Awakening of Love collection by Yoyoi Kusama. The tube is frickin' adorable - bright and whimsical, with a hint of spring. The colour is Exotic Bomb, the brightest of the 6 in the collection, and on the lips it's an apple red with delicate pieces of glitter throughout. Oh hello there, sexy pout.

Check out the amazing artwork on the box from Booty Parlor. It's a beautiful sketch of a very seductive woman, and desperately makes me wish I could draw more than a stick figure (although I do a pretty mean stick figure girl in dress). This lovely powder is kissable - I dust it all over me and then Fiance gets to enjoy the flavour of Punch Drunk Pink (kind of fruity and sweet). More than sexytime though, it just looks pretty on my bedside table.

Estée Lauder - New Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator
Price: $105/30ml, $150/50ml
From: Estée Lauder - on sale JULY 17

Sephora Bamboo Charcoal Blotting Papers
Price: $8US
From: Sephora

MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow - Mineral Mode and Unsurpassable
Price: $40
From: MAC

Lancome Yayoi Kusama Limited Edition Juicy Tubes - Exotic Bomb
Price: $29
From: Lancome - on sale JULY 10

Booty Parlor Dust Up Kissable Body Shimmer - Punch Drunk Pink
Price: $29.95
From: Booty Parlor

These products (except for the Sephora) were offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration. For more details, please see our disclosure policy
.

I'm getting married...

2011-06-30T15:00:00.000+10:00

...and I'm writing about the experience over on Cosmo Bride.

With only seven months to go, wedding planning should probably be in full swing by now. It kind of is, but I have a really short attention span and get bored quite quickly. Case in point, Fiance and I were designing our save the date cards and after the initial 'yay let's do it, that looks great', he kept feverishly working on getting every detail right (the font! oh, the font!) while I got bored and started reading a magazine. Then I got in trouble for not contributing, even though it was my idea and I was making him do the design work. Then I got distracted again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Anyway, you can read all about it on my bridal blog over at Cosmo Bride. I promise a rollicking good read*.

*no responsibility taken if promise is not fulfilled
.

Carbon Anti-Static - sounds science-y and stuff

2011-06-30T07:00:00.001+10:00

You remember how on Monday I mentioned my very strong dislike of static electricity? If you missed it, here's a re-cap: I hate static electricity. Loathe it. This is not just my fear of the spark from touching a car door handle or trampoline (hmmm...maybe that's where the trauma started). Oh no, running a plastic comb through my hair and having it stand up creeps me out no end.

And yet I continue to use plastic combs.

Anyway, a few weeks ago ghd sent a little parcel my way which included a tail comb. On first glance I assumed it was like any other tail comb (I currently wield a $2 job from Priceline). It wasn't until I went back and carefully examined it that I realised this may have just been the greatest thing I had ever been sent (well, top 5 at least). It's a Carbon Anti-Static comb. No matter how often I run it through my hair and how windy it is, no static electricity! Woohoo! Usually a run through with a comb makes it look like I have been touching one of those plasma globes that were the home accessory du jour in the mid-90s, but this leaves my hair sleek and flat, especially when teamed with my ghd (fyi I have a gold series ghd - it's freaking awesome).

I have seriously been telling everyone I know about this comb. Are you impressed? Or did you already know about this? Maybe I'm just a bit behind the times.

ghd Carbon Anti-Static Tail Comb
Price: $12
From: ghd salons or the ghd website
Why you need it: Screw static! With all this wild and woolly winter weather, buy now and thank me later.

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - for more details, please see the disclosure policy
.

The simple things that make me smile

2011-06-29T07:00:00.002+10:00

On my recent holiday (are you sick of hearing about it yet?) I bought myself a beautiful bangle at Kate Spade. I looked at it in two other Kate Spade stores and couldn't get it out of my head, so I had to go back and buy it (luckily the store I went to had a bonus sale on - score!) It's lovely - white and orange giraffe print, with the words STAND TALL engraved on the inside. It makes me smile.

Cut to a few weeks later and there is a surprise in my mail box. I received a hand-written note on a Kate Spade note card from the girl who served me at the Kate Spade store. She was writing to say thank you for shopping in their store, it was a pleasure to serve me, she hopes I'm enjoying my bangle and please stop by and say hello on my next visit. You could have blown me over with a hairdryer. Talk about above-and-beyond excellent customer service! This just made me fall in love with my purchase all over again, and moved Kate Spade up a few extra rankings on my imaginary tally board of luxury brands I would like to shop at in future.

It's nice to be nice, people. I'm off to grab one of my French Navy notecards and send someone a few thoughtful words. The small things can have the biggest impact.

Shiny. Glossy. Thick. All words we like to hear about hair (and chocolate pudding)

2011-06-27T07:00:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned recently, I visited the gorgeous Bauhaus salon in Waterloo. It's next door to the Pivot Point Academy, which is one of the top hairdresser training schools in Sydney, and they learn from all the staff at Bauhaus who are mainly resident masters. As an aside, how cool would it be to have the title Resident Master on a business card? It sounds so mysterious and powerful.

After Alex the super-hairdresser did the scalp test and sorted out my dryness issue (with Ergines B - below D), he picked out a volumising shampoo (Volume Creme Shampoo Plus - B) and anti-frizz conditioner (erm, Anti Frizz Conditioner - C) to help me fight my two biggest winter concerns - thin hair with constant flyways from static. Have I ever mentioned my unnerving fear of static electricity? I *hate* electric shocks. Fear them. Loathe them.

But I digress. I have been using the shampoo and conditioner for almost two months now and my hair is in fabulous condition - thick, shiny and healthy. I have also been using a treatment called Ergines Plus Vital (A) which is jam packed full of minerals and elements to repair damaged hair and just keep things in healthy working order (kind of like taking a daily vitamin). The treatment comes in little ampules and the instructions say you should use two-thirds of an ampule each application, but I have been using much less than that (maybe 1/6th of an ampule?) and it seems to be working just fine - I guess that's one up side to having thin hair, it's a cheap date.

It's a miracle that my hair is in such good nick to be honest, considering that it has been about 4 months since my last cut (BAD blogger), and the last time I did my colour I only did the roots. Screw paying hundreds of dollars at the salon for balayage, just let your old colour grow out and keep doing your roots. There is something to be said for home colouring, and that something is 'it's good'.

La Biothestique
Price: Volume Creme Shampoo Plus (380mL) - $44, Anti Frizz Conditioner (150mL) - $35, Ergines Plus Vital (10 ampules x 10mL) - $84 (may vary from salon to salon)
From: Bauhaus Hair - 293 Young St Waterloo - check the La Biosthetique website for other salons
Why you need it: For freaking gorgeous hair that's thick, shiny and not going to stand on end when it's windy!

These products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - see our disclosure policy for more details
.

Alterna Hemp - for mellow hair

2011-06-24T07:00:00.000+10:00

- by Shay

I have been a regular old scientist this year. My shower has become my laboratory, my hair the topic of observation.

You may remember my last post where I sang the joys of Joico KPak Sun Therapy Treatment Masque. You could be forgiven if you thought I’d slacked off on the beauty reviews, and left Elise like some jilted lover since then. Let me assure you this was not the case. I could never turn my back on Elise, or beauty products in general. Since my love affair with Joico, I have been hunkered down in my testing room with a myriad of hair cleansing products. Many of them were turfed after my minimum two week testing term (I refuse to make any kind of decision on a skin or hair product unless I’ve used it for a fortnight at the very least) but the most recent couple of products have stuck around and now have a permanent home in my shower caddy. Alterna Hemp Organics Colour Hold Repair Treatment Conditioner and Shampoo is a brand and product I had never heard of. It immediately conjured up images of red-eyed hippies seated around a campfire, but I was certainly willing to give the funky packaging a shot.

The shampoo comes in a slender, long necked bottle while its counterpart, the conditioner, squats at around half the height and double the width. The mustard yellow definitely makes them stand out in the stark white of my bathroom.

Package design aside, these guys pack a serious soft and shiny punch for coloured hair. I felt my hair responding well to this combination from day one.

The shampoo cleansed gently but thoroughly, removing all traces of styling products and it smelt gorgeous. Both products had soft, earthy floral scents that were gentle and not overpowering. The shampoo formula was a pearly white colour and it felt very luxurious and smooth on the hair, almost like silk.

I left the conditioner in my hair while I washed my body, shaved and cleansed (multi-tasking in the shower is a must in our rain-starved country, don’t you know?). It applied well and combed through my hair nicely. It had the consistency of thick, white cream and softened my hair almost directly on contact.

Once everything was rinsed out and the water was running clear, I towel dried my hair to put these hair care items to the real test. I’m pleased to say that they left my natural, air-dried hair soft, bouncy, smooth and shiny – oh so shiny! It also seemed to control my frizz and calmed my natural kinks and waves.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the way the key ingredient (Fresh Water Silt) supplies amino acids, phytonutrients and microfine minerals to my hair. The formulas are packed with a variety of organic botanicals (hence the divine scents) and Alterna’s patented Hemp technology©, so I feel like my hair is in safe and natural hands. They are also sulphate free, which really seals the deal.

I’ve been using this combination for almost three weeks now, and I can’t see myself giving them up anytime soon. At $31.95 per bottle, pricewise they’re on par with my other favourite shampoo and conditioner combinations.

I definitely recommend you inject some hemp into your hair care routine, you won’t regret it! And it won’t leave you with red, bleary looking eyes. ; )

Alterna Hemp Organics Colour Hold Repair Treatment Conditioner and Shampoo
Price: $31.95 per bottle (300mL shampoo and 250mL conditioner)
From: call 1300 437 436
Why you need it: For soft and shiny hair, no Bob Marley required

For more of Shay's reviews, check out her youtube channel
.

Foam hair colour is really as easy as it sounds (including DIY balayage)

2011-06-21T07:00:00.000+10:00

Since I'm doing this whole "saving money" thing for my "wedding", one of the first luxuries to go was salon dye jobs (isn't it always). In a strike of fortuitous timing, I went to a launch about four months ago for a few Proctor & Gamble products, and one of the things they told us about was the Clairol Nice N' Easy Foam.

I'm not averse to a DIY home job. One of the most popular posts on this blog in fact is the one about my DIY balayage - I can rock a pair of crappy plastic gloves with the best of them. I am however one of the clumsiest people on the planet - my Fiance thinks it's hilarious that when I make spaghetti bolognese, there is just as much bolognese sauce on the stovetop as there is in the pot. After I home dye, it usually looks like someone has actually died in the bathroom.

The Nice N' Easy Foam makes this messy process a heckofalot easier - the foam is new non-drip technology, so it's not slipping through your fingers and dripping everywhere (if you watch TV, you have probably seen the commercial by now). It is kind of like applying mousse - squeeze a little ball out and slide it through your hair. Easy.

I was given a kit at the launch event and I liked it so much I went and bought another one when it was time to do my roots again. FYI I'm a 5 medium brown or 5G golden brown, and I'm still DIY balayage-ing - I just do the colour from the roots to about halfway down the head, and keep the lighter bits at the end. Which is probably why my ends look so ratty these days!

I have no idea why George and I were posing like this (George is my fur vest, FYI) but we're looking pretty pleased with ourselves. Must be the great hair colour.

Clairol Nice N' Easy Colour Blend Foam
Price: $17.99
From: Supermarkets
Why you need it: Save your pennies, spend an hour in the bathroom and don't make a huge mess!
.

IS HAS DOES: Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque

2011-06-20T07:00:00.000+10:00

Just before I went on my recent holiday, a friend swore black and blue that I HAD to get hold of a particular Dermalogica face mask that was going to fight all the nasties of long haul flying and make my skin look like I just stepped out of a salon rather than a jet. That magical product was the Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque, and she was right. Magic.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque - a powerful masque packed full of concentrated antioxidant vitamins. Part of the Age Smart range.

A veritable powerhouse of crime fighting good guys: Vitamin E and Pro-Vitamin B5 for healthy tissue regeneration, Vitamin A to increase elasticity and moisture content in the skin, and Vitamin C synthesizes collagen and restores suppleness. There is also the botanical extracts of Licorice, Comfrey and Burdock to soothe the skin and decrease sensitivity, along with Betaglucen to soothe irritation and enhance moisture barrier properties. Phew!

This baby does a heck of a lot of hard work - cleans up damage, stops more damage, reverses damage. Honestly, crazy. Above all else, this made my skin plump and dewy. It fought all the dryness that comes with flying and just left me looking fresh. And I think saying someone looks fresh is the highest compliment you can pay someone. Even if I am paying it to myself.

It’s a cream masque - you squirt it out of the tube, slap it on, leave it for 15 minutes and then wipe off with a cloth. It’s a light orange colour, and the only thing I don’t like about it is the smell. I can’t quite put my finger on what it smells like, but it might be that coloured zinc sunscreen we used at swimming carnivals at school. It’s not offensive or off-putting, just weird.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque
Price: $76
From: Dermalogica counters and Adore Beauty
Why you need it: To get fresh, plump, dewy skin. Slap it on before a date to give good face!

This product was offered to me for consideration in accordance with my disclosure policy

Wear your sentiment on your wall

2011-06-17T15:00:00.000+10:00

Heads up porkchops. Remember when I mentioned I was a Cherry Pick Me ambassador and this means, along with the cherry hat, I get a sneak peek at the deals and stuff. I am OBSESSED with the deal for today (Friday) and WIN because it's also running Saturday and Sunday too.

It's these supercute banners from Banter Banner. They are in the style of that old Happy Birthday banner your Mum used to drag out every single year and hang in the kitchen (just my Mum? oh) except they are cute sentiments instead - things like Wine-Dine, La Dolce Vita, Sweet Dreams, Magic Surrounds and Beauty In Little Things.

The Cherry deal is 3 banners for $19, which is pretty slick because they are usually $10 each (48% saving, for all the maths nerds) Personally, I'm going for Joie De Vivre, Good Times and Celebrate The Everyday. Because we totally should celebrate the everyday, and this sweet reminder hanging over my bed will be a nice start to every morning.

Cherry Pick Me - Banter Banner
Price: 3 banners for $19
From: Pick up the deal on Cherry Pick Me
Why you need it: They are fricking adorable, how could you not!
.

Friday noms: Boteco. Brazilian. Brilliant.

2011-06-17T07:00:00.004+10:00

There are so many amazing restaurants in the area where I live that it's pretty unusual for Fiance and I to visit something more than twice unless it is really special. We have now been to Boteco five times and I am itching to go back again. Do you know how amazing it is to find a local haunt that you LOVE, that you want to GO BACK TO, and that is within WALKING distance! I love where we live.

Boteco (bo-tech-ko) is a Brazilian tapas restaurant and cocktail bar. In Brazil, boteco's were traditionally known as a place where alcoholic beverages were sold, serving as a meeting place for bohemians who looked for good drink, cheap snacks and a chat (thanks wikipedia). I love when restaurants are all literal like that. Think chicken croquetes on a bed of capsicum sauce, snapper ceviche, grain fed piranha beef with salsa. Drool. My favourite thing on the menu is Bolinho de Arroz (parmesan rice balls) on a bed of spinach and chick peas. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner (the fact that I would start to resemble a rice ball isn't lost on me).

Bolinho de Arroz - parmesan rice balls on spinach and chick peas

Croquete - chicken on red capsicum sauce

Hortela & Blueberry Caipifruta

Actually, the balls are top 3 in terms of favourite. My other two favourites are the blueberry and mint caipifruta cocktail, which is made with cachaca, a liquor popular in Brazil that is made from fermented sugarcane. It's sort of like rum and goes down really easily (dangerous). The other favourite, and the main reason I want to take Ms. Critique there, is the 70% cocoa brownie served with homemade coconut ice cream. Let me say that again…70% cocoa brownie served with home.made. coco.nut. ice.cream. This thing is like heaven on a plate. It's so simple and yet so unbelievably tasty - I have had it on all five visits and have licked my plate clean every single time (on one visit I actually did lick the plate - Fiance was mortified, can't take me anywhere).

Santiago - plum pisco, apricot brandy, Dubbonet, fresh pineapple & lemon

Mandioca Frita - cassava chips

Cozido - four hour braised beef cheek portugese port & cassava puree

Brownie com Sorvete - 70% cocoa brownie with coconut and tapioca ice cream

Prices: Cocktails are $16+, Dishes range from $9-$19 for the tasting plates, and then $42 for the grill tasting plate. The famous brownie is $12.
From: Boteco - 421 Cleveland St Surry Hills
Why you need to go: Good food, good drinks, and a cute wine bar atmosphere. Great for both couples wanting a nice meal and groups wanting to party. Make sure you book on weekends because it gets busy.
.

.

Fun fact #763 about me

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000+10:00

I have worn glasses since I was 7. That's a really long time.

I went to an event last week for Specsavers, those purveyors of fine spectacles. I was there with the gorgeous Helen from SASSYBELLA.com and we had a ball trying on all the different specs and making silly faces for the camera. We also got to meet Jenny Kee, who is an ambassador for Specsavers. Just quietly, I wanted to steal Jenny's scarf. It was her own design so I'm sure she has dozens of them and wouldn't miss it.

The event was perfectly timed really, because I'm due for an eye test and am subsequently on the hunt for a new pair of specs. Every time I get new glasses I go through this same battle - plain old black or a bright colour like red. (I have had both in the past, loved both.) I'm not totally nuts with matching my frames to my outfit, but it's really important to wear a pair of glasses that you feel comfortable in and that look good on you. In my looong looooong history with being a four eyes, glasses are all about confidence.

Which ones do you like on me? Considering Specsavers do a deal where you can get two pairs for $199, there's no excuse not to get a couple for different occasions.

Right, I'm off to get my eyes tested!
.

IS HAS DOES: Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

2011-06-13T07:00:00.003+10:00

When someone asks me about a beauty product, there are usually three main things I tell them: what it IS, what is HAS in it that makes it so special and what it DOES. So even though you haven't asked, I'm going to tell you about Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream in that same format. Because I can.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream - a lightly textured, super-hydrating face cream perfect for winter.

There are three hero ingredients: Antarcticine, Imperata Cylindrica and Squalane. Antarcticine is a glycoprotein (this means it's part protein and part carb - just don't eat it) sourced in Antarctica, hence the name. It's hydrates skin while also smoothing it out, protects from nasty free-radicals and helps shield skin from extreme cold (the Antarctica thing might have been a clue). In fact, it thrives in the extreme weather, so this last week in Sydney it has really been put to the test (and succeeded - my skin has been smooth and hydrated even though it's fricking freezing!)

Imperata Cylindrica is an ingredient that flourishes in the desert (namely, the Aussie outback) and its primary role is to store and retain moisture. It has a high saline (salt) content, so it sucks moisture in and holds onto it pretty firmly, and it also has lots of potassium for an immediate and lasting hydrating effect. The third hero, Squalene, is used in a lot of Kiehl's products. It's a highly refined moisturising oil derived from olives (don't try and cook with it though) and is highly compatible with the natural oils of the skin. This is the ingredient that makes the face cream glide on like silk and absorb so quickly - it's like magic!

This is the most incredibly hydrating face cream. In the pot it's all lush and thick, so I honestly expected it to feel heavy going on. Not so. It glides over the face the way peanut butter slips across hot toast, and is very easily manipulated for super quick application. There is nothing worse than having to push your face cream around your face to try and cover every inch. Who has the time or inclination? Moisturiser shouldn't be an effort.

So anyway, it glides on smoothly and then just disappears - for a powerful moisturiser it's surprisingly light. I know it's working though, because my skin feels amazing at the moment. Smooth, supple and super-hydrated (alliteration is the cornerstone of describing skincare). I have also been looking a bit glowy recently, which I'll put down to a combination of this moisturiser and my Terre & Mer by Thalgo Marine scrub. What a team.

This gets a huge thumbs up from me. It's a little pricey (although Kiehl's have just brought their prices down - woohoo!) but the cost per use would be pretty low because you don't need much AND it's a tub so you can get out every last drop.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream
Price: $52 for 125mL
From: Kiehl's stores, Mecca Cosmetica, some David Jones AND the newly launched Kiehl's online store - if you enter the secret code lipglossblog at the check out you get a free lip gloss, courtesy of moi. Don't say I never give you anything!
Why you need it: To fight winter weather and keep your skin looking A-MaY-Zing!

Bonus fact: Kiehl's stores do FACIALS! They are $80, which is then redeemable on product, so it's practically free. I had a facial at the Sydney store a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely delightful. The treatment room out the back has this awesome vintage vinyl player, and amazing old prints of New York on the wall. Do yourself a favour and book in. Ask for Sae - hands of an angel.

This product was offered to me for consideration in accordance with my disclosure policy
.

Friday noms: Out of this world tastiness!

2011-06-10T07:00:00.001+10:00

Picture this…I'm 9 years old and have just moved back to Australia after living in America. I have an American accent, say soda instead of soft drink (and get teased mercilessly as a result), am obsessed with rice krispy treats, and am gutted to learn that no one here knows what I'm talking about when I try and explain the joy that is rice bubbles mashed with marshmallow (this is the early 90s, well before LCMs).

I didn't even know what a tuckshop was, and yet, I will never forget that first experience. I bought 6 of the little sun lollies for 30c (can anyone remember what they were called?) and the other 30c went on a Jupiter bar. Delicious, chewy, fake-caramel married with rice bubbles and peanuts. Suddenly all thoughts of America, rice krispy treats, Hersheys and my old friends disappeared - I was home.

Cut to last night and I'm doing my grocery shopping whilst also avoiding the film crew who were filming a Duracell commercial in my local Coles. As soon as I walked in I knew something was different, and it wasn't just the giant Duracell bunny being chased around by screaming school kids. My spidey senses were tingling…there was something new in the confectionary aisle! Helllooooo Jupiter bar. Yep, 60c later I was instantly transported back to the tuckshop at St. Mary's. Thank you Coles, for bringing back my childhood for less than a buck.

Europe Jupiter bar
Price: 60c
From: Coles
Why you need it: For a fake caramel reminder of your schoolyard days

.

Lions and tigers drink water

2011-06-09T07:00:00.003+10:00

This is going to sound nuts, but my favourite thing that I bought on my trip wasn't my new BR trench coat, or my Kate Spade bangle (although they are in the top 5), but my Water Bobble. Like a water bottle, but better.

How? It has an inbuilt filter. I'm obsessed with drinking water (I very rarely drink anything else) and I know tap water is fine, but too much tap water tastes funny, y'know? The Water Bobble filters out chlorine and any stray contaminants, but leaves all the fluoride in place (a certain TV commercial with a piece of chalk and some blue liquid told me fluoride was important). It also makes tap water taste that little bit better, which might only be in my head, but it's important none-the-less.

The filter is a carbon filter, and it's good for 150L/300 uses/2 months. At $14.95 for a bottle and $7.95 for a filter replacement, that's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a few water bottles a week, and way better for the environment. The polar bears thank you.

Water Bobble
Price: $14.95 for the bottle, $7.95 for the replacement filters
From: Domayne, Myer, Officeworks - check the website for stockists (I bought mine from American Apparel in the States)
Why you need it: Fresh, filtered water on tap (zing!)
.

You know I love me some discounts

2011-06-07T07:00:00.000+10:00

I just got back from a shopping holiday where I left with 16kg of luggage and came back with 40kg. The fact that we timed it to be there for the Memorial Day Long Weekend Sales was only part accident. I am a serious shopper, but more importantly I am a serious bargain hunter. I'm signed up for every single one of those group-on/scoop-on/dupe-on discount sites around. I say dupe-on because, quite frankly, they all offer the same thing and they are getting a bit yawn-worthy. Every site seems to have the same snoozy offers - discounted waxing, discounted laser hair removal, discounted jet boat rides. Umm what? Where are the real shopping deals? Oh wait, here they are.

Hello Cherry Pick Me. I am very proud to be a Cherry Ambassador - I get to wear a little cherry hat and carry a cherry purse and tell you all about the cherry deals (only part of that is true, although I would really like a cherry hat, hint hint!) Cherry Pick Me have shopping deals for online stores that I actually visit and actually want to purchase from. Ada and Darcy? Lusting after their Moroccan Pouffe (and I missed the Cherry deal last week because I was away). Nearly Nude? Swear by their Bedtime Bra. Collection of Cool? I really need an excuse to buy the Belles Gift Tags. Actually, you didn't hear it from me, but tomorrows Cherry Pick Me deal *might* be for Collection of Cool. And it *might* be mind-blowingly amazing. Finally, the excuse I need to buy those gift tags!

I went on a tropical holiday and didn't take a razor

2011-06-06T07:00:00.001+10:00

True story. I went to Hawaii for a week and didn't take any sort of hair removal device. Crazy, right? It's still blowing my mind that I don't have hair under my arms anymore. I had my second laser hair removal about 2 weeks before I left, even though the hair hadn't grown back from the first session. The laser was a little bit stronger second time around so it hurt a fraction more, but not to the point where it was unbearable. Besides, it's only five minutes of pain and I just kept reminding myself the whole time 'no more hair, no more hair, NO MORE HAIR'.

It was also pretty nice being able to throw on a bikini every day and not having to worry about strays (y'know what I'm talking about). I waxed my legs before I left (am I oversharing yet? ) but I also have an at home IPL that I'm trialling at the moment - I'll let you know what I think soon. That all said, I'm actually considering lasering my legs. Has anyone done this? I imagine it would be well worth it, but it takes about 45 minutes, and 5-mins of pain vs 45-mins is a huge difference.

While I've got you - don't forget you can get discounted laser hair removal just for being awesome. If you're a Sydney reader and you head into Leah’s Waxworks in Mid City Centre, mention Stuff That I Bought and you’ll get $10 off any treatment valued over $50. The deal is valid until September 1st, 2011, so plenty of time to get hairless before summer.

(side note: I'm sticking with the Leah's logo because it's really hard to find an appropriate image to go with a hair removal post)

For more about my laser hair removal journey, flick through some old posts.

More lazy holiday grooming

2011-05-24T07:00:00.000+10:00

As if I can be bothered with makeup on a beach holiday. I'm not even going to take my foundation with me. It's going to be fresh face, bright lippie and bronzer. Namely MAC Skinsheen Bronzer Stick in Tan-Tint (from the upcoming Surf Baby collection - so friggin cool!) and Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in bronze. As an aside, friends had been telling me for years about how great Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks were and it was always on my 'I'll get there eventually' list. I was given one when I went to a Bobbi Brown makeup workshop a few months ago and HOLY SHIT I regret not buying it five years ago. Amazing. Such a beautiful fine shimmer, and really flattering. You only need a tiny bit so the cost per use is ridonkulously low - maybe 0.02c per use*

The two lippies I am taking are MAC Venomous Villains Cruella DeVil Heartless (which I have romanticised about before - best red I own) and Estee Lauder Fuschia Fever which a - lasts for about 11.5 hours without having to reapply b - smells amazing (am I the only one who sniffs their lipstick?) and c - is the most incredible pop of colour. I'll team these with Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara because it makes my lashes F.A.T (but for night time only, as the mascara isn't sweatproof.)

And just on lazy holiday grooming regimes - dry shampoo. End of story. I might not take both of these giants cans, but at least one of them is coming with me, plus a mini batiste for the beach bag. Have you used either Tresemme Freshstart or Evo Water Killer before? Which would you pick? Do you think I'm crazy? I kind of you, so I don't mind if you do too.

*totally made up estimation, which may or may not be right.

One suitcase for clothes, one suitcase for beauty prods...

2011-05-23T07:00:00.001+10:00

I am definitely my Fathers daughter. My parents just took a month-long sojourn through Europe and I was in hysterics when my Mum was sending me text messages saying that everything coming out of my Dad’s suitcase was brand new with tags on. The man has an entire backup wardrobe in the spare bedroom, just in case his first one vapourises. He also has a penchant for the colour purple, but that’s a whole other post.

As I started to write my packing list for my trip this week (I’m off to Hawaii on Wednesday, don’t hate) I realised that I was doing exactly what my Dad just did but with beauty products. I have been stock-piling products, both that I have bought and been sent for review, to take with me. Of course I am going to raid Sephora like the rapture is upon us and it’s my last chance to shop there, but I figure if I’m only taking a pair of shorts, a singlet, a dress and a pair of thongs, then I have plenty of room in my suitcase to take stuff with me.

This is just a taste of what I’m packing. Yes, I seriously am taking 7 different types of sunscreen with me, and with good reason. I go through a lot of SPF on a Hawaiian holiday (a can of Banana Boat spray every two days), and each sunscreen I am taking has a different purpose. When I’m lying on the beach reading a book or a magazine, I’ll be covered in (4) Auscreen Coconut Spray because it’s 30+, 2 hours water resistant, sprays on and smells like coconut. All big ticks. When I’m hitting the outlet stores at Waikele, my limbs will be lathered in (7) Nivea Ultra Beach Protect. It has a hardcore 30+ that is capable of enduring many hours of shopping (hopefully my travelling companion is just as capable). Sunpouch (6) is the perfect handbag size sunscreen for reapplying to arms and legs in the late afternoon. It’s also a good one for the beach bag if we decide to hit up Hanauma Bay for some snorkelling.

Face is a different story. My skin doesn’t like sunscreen very much, and I find the best way to stop it going nuts on me is by constantly switching between brands. I’ll start the week alternating Olay Complete Defence 30+ (3) and Ella Bache Everyday Zinc 30+ (2). True Solutions All Day Moisture Tinted (5) will be my foundation substitute, because as if I can be bothered with slap on a beach/shopping holiday. I’ll round out the trip with Dermalogica Super Sensitive (1) because by the end of the trip my skin will need the sensitive-ness.

You will notice that everything is 30+. Did you know Aussies have different standards to the US when it comes to labelling sunscreens - I got into an argument once with an American about 100+ SPF and how it really wasn’t any more effective that 30+. True story. Google it.

I’ll show you the rest of the packing tomorrow. And maybe Wednesday. There is a lot to pack!
.

Your scalp is skin too, you know!

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000+10:00

Bloody weather. This is the time of year when my sinuses go nuts, my skin goes nuts and my scalp goes nuts. I am currently suffering through my annual bout of sinusitis, whilst also switching from serum and a light moisturiser to something a bit more hardcore on the visage. Just on that, so far Terre & Mer by Thalgo Vital Cream with Organic Olive Leaf gets a big tick of approval - my poor old dry skin has been sucking up all the sweet almond oil and olive goodness. But I'll get to that another day.

Bauhaus Hair must have felt my ~~spidey senses~~ scalp tingling at the change of season because they invited me in for a scalp analysis and blow-dry a few weeks ago. My hairdresser Alex started off by doing three different tests on my scalp; using a little science kit, he tested the pH of my scalp (5.5 means too much sebum, 6.5 means not enough sebum, my scalp was 6.0), the quality of the sebum (A1 5-stars) and finally whether there was any flakiness (there wasn't, amazingly). Most of my scalp issues were down to my skin being dehydrated so Alex selected a La Biosthetique scalp treatment that was highly moisturising and sent me home with my own little bottle so I can apply a few drops whenever my scalp is feeling tight or itchy.

It's called La Biosthetique Ergines B and it's all about scalp regulation - lubricating, soothing tightness and hydrating. Perfect for anyone who sits in an air conditioned office all day and gets dehydrated or dry over winter. You just squeeze a few drops straight onto the scalp, give it a little rub and keep going about your day. Alex recommended keeping it in my handbag or on my desk so that I can squirt whenever the urge strikes. Considering I spray Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist on my face all day to fight the air con, and I keep a line up of lip products, I have quite the air con fighting arsenal on hand at all times.

My scalp has been feeling a lot better since I started using Ergines B - much less of that tight, dry feeling, and definitely less itchy. How many more months is winter? What? We're not even in winter yet? Bummer.

La Biosthetique Ergines B
Price: $36.95 (give or take, depending on the salon)
From: Bauhaus Hair - 293 Young St Waterloo - check the La Biosthetique website for other salons
Why you need it: Your scalp is skin too…it also needs moisture!

This product was offered for consideration - for more details, please see my disclosure policy

Joico vs Mother Nature - this time the hair prodz win!

2011-05-11T07:00:00.001+10:00

- by Shay

I don’t know about all of you guys, but I am so happy that the warmer weather is now behind us. Living on the East Coast of Australia means I was hit with the full-force of the Queensland Summer including but not limited to, extreme humidity, stifling heat and torrential rain. This was compounded by semi-regular beach and pool visits, with salt and chlorine also making an appearance to wreak just a little more havoc on my poor locks.

All of these things don’t add up to picture-perfect hair. In fact, they caused a minor disaster to take place on my head. I was in struggle town from late October right through to early March, fighting with a frizzy, unruly, damaged and generally lifeless mop.

I thought my annual war against the weather would play out the way it always does – I get angry, frustrated, sad and ultimately resign myself to having crap hair for an entire season. I resort to throwing it into pony-tails and trying to hide it at every opportunity…hello cowboy hat!

That was until I was sent a tube of Joico KPak Sun Therapy Treatment Masque.

It contains the miracle ingredient known as ‘Hydroxy Sun Complex™’ which apparently fills holes burned into the cuticle of the hair by the sun. They’ve also used universal wonder-ingredient Aloe Vera to heal and soothe the hair shaft. All I know is the first time I used it my hair practically let out an audible sigh of relief.

The masque has left my hair feeling soft, supple and nourished each time I’ve used it, although it’s important not to overdo it, especially if your hair has a tendency to develop oily roots like mine. I have been using it once per week, that is once every two washes, and I find it’s been working beautifully.

Hair needs to be damp to receive the full benefits, and it’s recommended you leave it in for at least 3 minutes. I generally throw it in after shampooing and conditioning my hair, and then complete all of my other varied shower tasks (like shaving, exfoliating, singing badly etc) while it’s working its magic.

Can I also just mention that it smells freaking amazing? I tend to judge most products on their scent (or lack thereof) and this one is definitely a winner. I get strong coconut and pineapple, so Summery – so yummy! I also find that the scent sticks around for a good amount of time afterwards, and I’ve been complimented on my lovely smelling head quite a number of times after using it. (Elise: I’m telling you, boys like nice smelling hair!)

I find it to be generally quite economical compared to other lines on the market. It sits right in the middle in terms of price, and I don’t need to use a huge amount of product with each application.

I’m not sure if this stuff is only designed to treat hair damage caused by the sun, but it has done a pretty great job at combating every other environmental factor my hair has come up against this past season. Now to tackle the hair challenges that Winter brings…

Joico KPak Sun Therapy Treatment Masque
Price: $26.95
From: Joico is a salon brand, so check your local salon or call 1300 764 437
Why you need it: To counteract all that damage you did during summer.

Picture credit: Courtesy of Joico -
This product was sent to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - for more details see the Product Disclosure Statement
.

Stay off the blacklist with Blacklist

2011-05-09T07:00:00.003+10:00

Now that my sister's birthday is over and presents have been delivered I can show you what I bought her.

I came across Blacklist Studio Prints via the lovely Justine Cullen's tumblr Mumming In Heels (definitely excellent and highly amusing, fyi) and I have been obsessing over the beautiful and whimsical prints ever since. Fate - my sister recently moved into her own apartment and needed something for the walls. A house never feels like a home until there is something on the walls, don't you agree? Anyway, the print I originally wanted sold out before I could nab it (limited edition gold foil You Are My Sunshine) so I picked out my second favourite, Look At You, and hauled ass to Ikea to buy the frame. Ah Ikea, my love affair with you will never die.

Don't you think it's cute? I love it and was inches away from keeping it myself and giving my sister some soap instead (Sister of the Year right here) but I did the right thing. Lucky.

I also bought her a caramel and vanilla Glasshouse Candle from Peter Alexander. I had it sitting in my room for about a week before I gave it to her - even wrapped up in the box, it was throwing its sweet and tasty scent my way. No wonder I have had a hardcore craving for caramel slice.

Naturally, I can't go shopping without picking up a little sumpin sumpin for myself. While I was in Peter Alexander I grabbed quite possibly the cutest little hot water bottle you ever did see. It has been keeping my tootsies warm in bed this past week while the weather has been heinous. Probably the best $20 I'll spend all winter.

Blacklist Studio Prints - Look At You
Price: $49.95 + $10 for shipping
From: Blacklist Studio Prints

Ribba Frame - 42 x 52cm
Price: $29.95
From: Ikea

Glasshouse Candle - Tahaa
Price: $34.95
From: Peter Alexander

Owl hot water bottle
Price: $19.90
From: Peter Alexander
.

Quick Comp - Sydney Fashion Weekend

2011-05-08T18:00:00.001+10:00

Massive apologies to all my lovely readers outside of the 2000, but I have a great comp for my Sydney readers. Sydneysiders - you need to get in quickstix, because this one will only last a couple of days!

Thanks to Essie, I have a bunch of double passes to give away for Sydney Fashion Weekend. If you haven't been to Fashion Weekend before then you're missing out - mani's, champagne, fashion shows and huge discounts on designer duds. So girlie and fun. I have tickets for Thursday and Friday opening nights, however if you can't make the evening, they can also be used on the weekend.

In honour of Mother's Day, simply tell me "What is the most embarrassing outfit your Mum ever dressed you in?" My sister will be picking the winners since my Mum is off galavanting across Europe. Cow.

The comp closes at 10am Wednesday so that I can get the winners their tix in time. Sound good? Get entering!!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
.

I'm not above begging and bribery you know

2011-05-06T07:00:00.003+10:00

I thought I would gently remind you that voting for Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female ends on Sunday and I would really love it if you could throw an extra vote my way. Cosmo have had over 150,000 votes so far this year. That's mind-boggling when you think that the average monthly circulation for Cosmo is just over 150,000 as well. I'm hoping to have more than 3 votes (myself, my mum, and my fiance) so please click click for me. Otherwise it could be a bit awkward.

In all honesty, I'm so chuffed to have been nominated that if I don't get through to the final 3 it probably won't matter. But, you know, it would be kind of cool, right? Especially when I start nagging you to vote for me again in the next round (oh wait, maybe I shouldn't say that...)

Do you need some extra incentive? I'm giving away over $500 worth of nail polish over on The Nail File, or I'm giving away a buttload (technical term) of passes to the Sydney Fashion Weekend next week. Have I bought your love yet?
.

What to buy your Mum if she isn't on a European cruise (again)

2011-05-04T07:00:00.002+10:00

What Mother's Day? For the third year in a row, my parents are galavanting around Europe on Mother's Day while I hold the fort back here and celebrate my sisters birthday without them (really sore point in our family, don't mention it when my sis is present). That's not to say I don't *think* about gifts for Mum, but I usually end up buying a card and sending it off with Dad while I buy a nice gift for myself for being awesome. That's how I roll.

This year one of the things that slid across my desk was this beautiful Queen Bee gift pack from Aurora Spa Rituals. I have used Aurora Spa Rituals Peppermint Pedi Repair Cream before and it is dy-na-mite on sore feet (note to self: pack it in your suitcase when you go away in 3 weeks) so I was stoked to try out the Queen Bee set. I figured Mum wouldn't mind if it was in the name of research.

First up, the packaging is freaking adorable. The gold foil honeycomb pattern on apricot is the kind of
packaging you gingerly put aside after you open the box and then cut up to stick on your inspiration board. Inside the box is Grapefruit and Seaweed Body Cleanser that smells delish (I'm a sucker for grapefruit), Ultra Firming Body Cream (also zingy - sweet orange, grapefruit, ylang ylang, and lemon) and an exfoliating mitt to make sure aforementioned cream can work its magic.

Just going back to the Body Cream for a second, the lid on the tube is wooden, which just adds an extra layer of luxe to already luxe spa products. Like luxe-squared. If you're a Melbourne reader may I suggest skipping the gift pack and just going straight to the Aurora Spa Retreat at The Prince in St Kilda. Your Mum will love you like a fashion blogger loves the front row. Meanwhile I'm going to keep enjoying the Queen Bee gift set - my Mum has no idea what she's missing.

Aurora Spa Rituals Queen Bee Gift Set
Price: $90
From: Mecca Cosmetica
Why you need it: Because it's Mother's Day in 4 sleeps and I know you haven't bought anything yet.
.

Romantic Romance - some visual candy for a Monday

2011-05-02T07:00:00.001+10:00

Morning! (if you're not reading this in the morning, then change that introduction to be relevant to your time of day please) No product reviews and no self indulgent rants today, just some good old-fashioned visual inspiration to celebrate the first day of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. I went to the off-schedule showing of Romance Was Born courtesy of ghd and was utterly blown away by the theatrics of it all.

I've been to fashion shows where everyone sits there stoically, occasionally nodding in approval and politely clapping at the end. This was different. There were gasps. There were audible oohs and aahs. There were hoots and hollers and lots of loud applause. I sat behind a magazine editor who has probably been to more fashion shows than I've had hot chocolates and she was visibly moved by the collection, jumping up and down in her seat. Incredible.

Designer: Romance Was Born

Venue: State Library of NSW

Collection: The Oracle

Inspiration: The Neverending Story

The Finale

Click through for more pretty pictures!

The amazing moon mani's by Sally Hansen. Pop over to The Nail File for more deets.

Leia buns. Suddenly I feel like a cinnamon scroll.

Probably not a daytime headband. Maybe for a special night out.

A sneaky peek inside the venue. AMAZING.

Nicole Thompson from M.A.C working on Myf Shepherd. Wouldn't you kill for skin like Myf's.

I love a good top knot.

I love a top knot more when it is covered in pearls.

The headpieces were crazy! Oh wait, this is a hair drying device.

Rachel Rutt patiently knitting while she gets a Marge Simpson-esque hive tacked on to her head. I reckon she'll have a 10ft long scarf by the end of the week.

Louise Van Der Vorst rocking a dress made of hair. Probably not practical in the rain.

Louise's skirt getting a little trim to get rid of split ends and keep it healthy.

The stained glass - wow!

Amongst a sea of crazy, this model was sent out wearing jeans and a crochet top. I want that crochet top SO BAD! White with silver detail. I probably don't want the hair that looks like a tie from a distance.

The beautiful Australian Youth Choir singing Neverending Story in the balcony, with the Sydney Youth Orchestra below, media pit, models, lights and a tree. So many things to look at!

See that little blonde head in the lower right corner of this picture? Yep, Cate Blanchett. When we sat down I thought all the photographers were rushing over to see me. Awkward.

I wanted to include a video of The Neverending Story but bloody EMI has had every single video on youtube disabled from sharing. Ratbags.

Have a great (fashion) week!

Hot tip. An actual hot tip.

2011-04-27T07:00:00.000+10:00

Word to the wise, if you enjoy an unpleasant burning sensation on your skin then I have found the perfect face mask for you. It's also ideal if you like to subject yourself to unnecessary tingling and itching.

I picked up the Formula 10.0.6 No Time To Shine Oil Absorbing Mud Mask because my skin has been a total pain in the ass recently, getting all oily and icky with the change of season. Mud masks are amazing for drawing out excess oil and calming cranky skin - ingredients like calendula, sea kelp and kaolin clay filled me with confidence. My high expectations were shattered about 2 minutes after I applied the mask and my skin started to burn. This wasn't the good kind of tingle you get when a mask is doing its business, oh no, this was a full on burn. Burn! I took the mask off straight away and thankfully there was no damage, but it was a total beast to get off.

Has anyone used this mask before? Did you find it burned or was it just my skin?

Formula 10.0.6 No Time To Shine Oil Absorbing Mud Mask
Price: $1.99 for the 9.4mL sachet or $8.99 for the 100mL tube
From: Priceline
Why you need it: It might work for you, but all I got was a sore face and a few anxious minutes.
.

Happy Easter my darlings!

2011-04-24T07:00:00.000+10:00

Yum! Any holiday that encourages you to eat copious amounts of sweet treats is definitely going to be a favourite in Casa de Stuff. Saying I have a sweet tooth is like saying Justin Beiber is moderately popular with the female 10-16 demo.

A couple of weeks ago Lindt sent me a box of Hot Cross Bun Macarons and before I even had the chance to photograph them the box was pillaged (see left).

Holy frick on a stick they are GOOD. I'm not normally a macaron fan, but the mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and buttery white chocolate ganache was just too heady to resist. If Lindt were trying to recreate the amazing taste of butter melting onto a fresh hot cross bun (funnily enough, they were) then they succeeded.

So after the first box got nailed, I went back and bought more. Not just for me (okay, some were for me) but they made excellent gifts too. Come to think of it, I probably should have told you about them earlier so you could have bought a box to take over to your Aunty's place today to reaffirm your place in the family as everyone's favourite. Sorry. Next time, I promise!

Lindt Hot Cross Bun Macaron Delice
Price: $17 for a box of 6
From: Lindt stores, cafes and kiosks
Why you need a box: Better than a regular hot cross bun - no annoying bits of sultana stuck in your teeth!

Pew Pew! The two week mark of my laser journey

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000+10:00

For anyone who is interested in my laser hair removal journey, I thought I would give you a quick update on the progress of my pubes (I do apologise, I just couldn't resist the alliteration).

It has been two weeks now and as expected almost all the hair has fallen out. The hair on my bikini line fell out pretty easily, possibly because I have been waxing that area for years and the follicles are a little looser (much like Kesha after she has been brushing her teeth with Jack). I did encourage some of the hairs out by gently plucking with my fingers, but just the simple act of wearing things like tights or tight jeans helped to move them along.

My underarms were a different story, probably because after all these years I had never done more than shave so the laser was a shock to the system. At the two week mark there is still some hair that refuses to budge, even after lots of encouragement and shower scrubs. My beauty therapist said I can only shave once between appointments, so I'm pretty glad we're well into Autumn now. Seriously, Autumn/Winter is the best time for laser because you're all covered up for those awkward shedding and growing out phases.

My next appointment is in three weeks, so I'll let you know how I get on. Don't forget that if you visit Leah’s Waxworks in the Mid City Centre and mention Stuff That I Bought, you’ll get $10 off any treatment valued over $50. The deal is valid until September 1st, 2011, so plenty of time to do a full course of laser and be smooth for summer.
.

The one where a man learns the true value of Dermalogica

2011-04-19T07:00:00.003+10:00

- by Paul

On the subject of established female cosmetics brands venturing into the fickle world of male grooming, it would seem that Dermalogica have also taken the plunge.

I had seen Dermalogica cleanser in my gf’s bathroom, but hadn’t paid it much attention apart from occasionally swiping some when I forgot to bring my own toiletries. So when she saw the men’s range on my basin and started whimpering like a – very cute and lovable – puppy that wants a piece of your hamburger, I realised that perhaps I hadn't given it the respect it was due.

The men’s range is tastefully decorated in Dermalogica’s trademark white, but with a bold crimson to differentiate it from the formal grey of the women’s. I sense a woman’s smarts somewhere in the design – they’ve obviously tried to make it distinctive enough that no bloke will be able to mistake it for his gf’s Dermalogica products, thus preserving her stash.

I tried the Pre-Shave Guard (RRP $32.50, 170g), and the Invigorating Shave Gel (RRP $28, 180ml).

Firstly, the Guard: I generally like the idea of a pre-shave application. Anything that softens and smoothes the surface before you apply a razor to skin is always welcome. The problem is, tons of products promise this, but there have been few that I’ve found that really make it worthwhile.

I opened the tube. Thick and unctuous, it exuded odours of essential oils. I was suspicious. Normally product that is essential oil based leaves you reeking of day-spa; all aromatherapy rather than man-about-town, and damn near impossible to cover up, whichever aftershave you use.

It turned out to be awesome. Great to put on, made my skin feel tingly and alive, and actually did what it was supposed to on my three-day Mediterranean bristle. And best of all – after the shave was complete, I was left with no residual pine-needle/ tea-tree/ lemon myrtle/ eucalypt/ mint oil smell!

So, the process I followed: smear on the Pre-shave Guard, then apply some of the Invigorating Shave Gel. Dermalogica recommends use of their shaving cream after the Guard, but I have found that the Gel works equally well, if not better. The Guard gives a thick buffering base, whilst the Gel is light and lubricating, and together they produced the best shave I’ve had for ages.

The plusses for me were the fact that even with several days growth, it all rinsed easily off the blade, so there was no annoying clogging. The approach, however, works equally well with only one day’s growth. My skin felt supple afterwards; smooth, but not tender and meringue-like, even with a close shave.

Bottom line: Pre-shave Guard + Invigorating Shave Gel = great shave. And I’m fussy. (Elise's note: Yes he is. Believe me.)

Buy when: your man is enlightened enough to respect the fact that he will need to use two products to
shave with, rather than one.

You can buy Dermalogica at salons nationally
.

Rockin' the Kazbah with Lola&Bailey for Sportsgirl

2011-04-18T07:00:00.002+10:00

Hey Santa,

How are you mate? Did you enjoy your break over summer? We must catch up for that beer we keep saying we will grab – I love it when we hang out. Make sure you bring the missus along, she’s a doll.

I know it’s a bit early in the year for making lists and checking them twice, but I have a huge favour to ask. I am desperately in love with the entire Lola&Bailey for Sportsgirl range. Like, need them now. Want. Need. Lust. We’re talking delicate Moroccan pieces, turquoise, peach, gold, black, art deco lines with chic infusions of colour. Oh my.

This collection totally rocks the kazbah and, incidentally, is called Rock The Kazbah (gosh I’m witty, look at me go). I would really love it if you could dash into Sportsgirl and get them all for me, and then perhaps make an early delivery. You should probably move quickly because it drops into stores today and won't last long. I promise I won’t tell any of the other kids – it can be our little secret – and I’ll be good for the rest of the year! Or at least I’ll try to be...

Cheers dude, talk soon.

Much love,
Elise xx

PS – if you need to know prices for your budget and whatnot, the studs are $20, the bigger earrings are $30, there is a ring that’s $30 and the necklaces are $60. Cheep as chups!

There's a life lesson in that...

2011-04-13T07:00:00.003+10:00

I was all set up for a blissful chill out on Sunday night. Couch, TV, blankie, glass of wine, beautiful Aveda Light The Way French Lavender candle burning on the coffee table. How good does that sound? Well, it was awesome until I knocked the candle over and it spilled wax All. Over. The. Carpet.

You know what is amazing though? Soy wax is so soft that it wipes straight up. No kidding, I soaked it up with a paper towel, gave it a little rub and you can't even tell where I made the mess. This outcome is excellent, because I haven't told my Fiance about my little accident yet (hi honey!).

After the tumble

While we're talking about the candle, I was burning it because a) lavender is very calming and b) the glass container the candle is in was once the bottom of a wine cooler bottle (very cool) and c) April is Earth Month, a campaign Aveda created all the way back in 1999 (I was still in high school then, yikes!) The Aveda Walk For Water event is on this Sunday in Syd, Melb, Brissy and Perth and all the deets are here. Proceeds go to the Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal for all our northern friends who suffered through Mother Nature's mood swings earlier in the year, so you know it's a totally worthy cause.

However, if you can't make it down to an event on Sunday morning because you'll be sailing/painting/eating croissants/hungover, then you should definitely buy a candle. 100% of proceeds go to Wateraid, which is a really great initiative to provide something we all take for granted to people who aren't as fortunate as us. Reading through the Wateraid website kind of puts things in perspective - suddenly wax on the carpet doesn't seem so important.

Aveda Light The Way Earth Month Candle - French Lavender
Price: $24.95
From: Aveda Spas and Salons
Why you need it: Support an amazing charity with a beautiful treat for yourself. Light the candle and reflect on all the things you're grateful for.
.

Pew Pew! My first experience with laser hair removal.

2011-04-11T07:00:00.004+10:00

I went for my first session of laser last Thursday. I have been putting off getting laser for years because I had in my head that it would hurt like hell. Meanwhile, I have been waxing for over 10 years. Um, idiot. Go figure, right. I would hate to do the math on just how much I have spent on waxing over the last decade. But I digress.

It was actually my little sister who talked me into having laser. She reckons it doesn’t hurt at all but I was sceptical - my sister is the toughest nut on the planet and has a pain threshold higher than most marathon runners. I on the other hand am a wuss. The wussiest wuss who ever wussed. Look up wuss in the dictionary and you see my face (but again, years of waxing. Go figure). I was however slightly placated when I was told that my bikini and underarm would only take 5 minutes all up. Surely I could handle 5 minutes of pain.

I took myself off to Leah’s Waxworks in Mid City Centre on my sisters recommendation and she wasn’t kidding when she said a) it would only take 5 minutes and b) it actually didn’t hurt that much. This is pretty much my internal monologue of how the five minutes went down:

Minute one...
Pants off, arms up, on the table with a leg spread. Gosh it’s hard to be graceful and dignified when you’re essentially starkers lying on paper. What’s she doing? Oh, a quick swipe over with a razor to make sure all the strays are gone. And here are the stylin’ ski goggles I have to wear to protect my eyes. I am the height of chic right now.

Minute two...
Right underarm. Ok this isn’t so bad. It really does feel like someone flicking me with a rubber band. What’s she doing? Oh I see, up and down in stripes to get every spot. Kind of like mowing the grass in rows. Ha! What a great analogy. High five, Phillips.

Minute three...
Left underarm. Ok this hurts a bit. Stings. Yep, kinda hurting. Ok...breathe....breathe....oh, she’s done.

Minute four...
Bikini line. I wonder what Fiance is cooking for dinner? Ok ow! That hurt. That skin is pretty sensitive down there, you know. Oh that skin’s alright though. Yep, not too bad. Ok ow again!

Minute five...
Bikini line. I’m an old pro at this now. Totally fine. Cool. As. A. Cucumber. Are we done? Really? I could totally go again.

And just like that it’s over! It’s less pain and more just uncomfortable – when everyone says it feels like being flicked with a rubber band they are right. It’s not pleasant as it is happening, but as soon as the laser stops, the pain stops. The smell of singed hair I could take or leave though.

There is redness afterwards like waxing, but it isn’t uncomfortable. My underarms felt a bit sensitive throughout the afternoon (I had it done on my lunchbreak) but considering I have been shaving them for more than half my lifetime and I have never once waxed, I’m not surprised they felt a bit odd. I’ll let you know how I go when the hair falls out in two weeks time – apparently it’s going to be itchy!

Check out this video I found on youtube and skip to the 2 minute mark - it shows how the process works and what the laser looks like as it hits the skin.

Candela GentleLASE laser hair removal
Price: $70 for Brazilian and underarm
From: Leah’s Waxworks – level 1 Mid City Centre
Why you need it: Permanent hair removal. Throw out your razors and stop spending on waxing – you can spend all that saved cash on a nice PS1 for me please.

SUPER AWESOME SPECIAL NEWSFLASH: If you pop into Leah’s Waxworks in the Mid City Centre and mention Stuff That I Bought, you’ll get $10 off any treatment valued over $50. Bad luck non-Sydney readers, cos this is a sweet deal! The deal is valid until September 1st, 2011.

I was a guest of Leah's Waxworks and will be reviewing a full course of underarm and bikini laser treatments.
Image courtesy of atlanticdermatology.com
.

OMG! Vote for Pedro! (and me)

2011-04-04T11:05:00.001+10:00

Dear Everyone I Know,

Something very exciting has happened. I am nominated for a Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female award. I know, right?! Not so sure about the fun and fearless part, but they definitely got the female bit right (one out of three ain't bad).

I would really really really truly appreciate it if you could take a few seconds out of your busy day of eating cake and reading Bacon Busters magazine (a fine publication) and go and vote for me. Right now there are 10 nominees but pretty soon there will only be three finalists and I would LOVE to be a finalist! If I am a finalist I will do my happy dance and I might even video my happy dance and post it on here so you can see how happy I am.

Click the picture or click this link to make me a very happy person. I'll even buy you a beer*.

Love and marshmallows,
Elise

*maybe

Proof: Even dudes get sucked in by advertising

2011-03-29T07:00:00.000+11:00

- by Paul

Despite my best efforts to avoid it, some advertising recently caught my eye. Olay, it would seem,
have released a men’s range, and have been splashing it across my TV screen. They’ve gone for
the conventional male shaving/grooming ad formula: a buff-but-not-too-effeminate-looking feller
performing a variety of outdoorsy activities to the admiration of not one, but two, hot, bikini-clad girlies, interspersed with shots of him lathering/massaging his skin and looking generally smooth and pleased with himself.

Olay, though, have some serious cred in all things feminine and creamy, so I was curious as to how their
men’s stuff turned out.

I tried a couple of moisturizers which were generally pretty good, but I’ll elaborate on these in a separate blog. The product I want to talk about in this post is the Refreshing Energy Post-Shave Toner (RRP $19.99), which is truly one of the best shaving products I have found, and well-deserving of a post all to itself. It is part of Olay’s Men Solution suite of products, designed for a broad spectrum of male skin types (Elise: as if 95% of males would know what their skin type was anyway!)

It is a clear and light-textured liquid that you splash on like a conventional aftershave. I applied it after an early morning, bleary-eyed shave, and it felt just magic. It wasn’t heavy and oily (like some balms tend to be); nor did it feel stinging and moisture-sapping (like an aftershave). Truly wonderful stuff. I bounced out of the bathroom feeling alive and energetic and ready for the world (I later checked the label and found that it contains “vitamins and ginseng extract” … which probably explains the buzz).

Best of all, it had no scent of its own, so there were no issues when I hit it with the new Tom Ford eau de toilette (incidentally, the Tom Ford is something else you seriously have to try – it is spray-on sex).

Bottom line: Love the Toner. Full stop.
Buy when: you want to give your man something that he will use and love, all the time.
Price: $19.99
From: Supermarkets, Priceline, everywhere else you get your chicks Olay.

This product was offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - for more details, please see the disclosure policy
.

I'm turning into my Mother - I even smell like her now!

2011-03-21T07:00:00.000+11:00

At some point we all turn into our mothers, don’t we. You say something one day and wonder when your mother inhabited your body; you put an outfit on, look in the mirror and cringe; you answer the phone and your Aunty launches into some random conversation thinking she's speaking to your Mum. Sigh. For me, the turning point was perfume.

My Mother has a beautiful collection of perfume, but they all come from the same fragrance family. Different brands, similar notes. She definitely has a signature scent family - green, floral and a bit of soft floral for good measure. Me? I have always worn sweet perfumes – anything woody oriental, with the odd floral thrown in (I'm fussy about my florals though - tropical beach flowers only). Until now.

I recently started wearing Juicy Couture's newbie Peace, Love & Juicy Couture, and suddenly I was like ‘hang on…I smell like my ma…and I like it…’ Up until this point in my life our tastes have always been very different, but I actually found myself liking something that my mother would like (and wear – she sniffed, she approved and she tried to steal). Not sure if this is my tastes changing or whether Juicy have produced a scent that just appeals to a broad audience.

This fragrance is firmly within the green perfume family - earthy floral to the power of ten with lots of citrus rind, and some wood thrown in for balance. Top notes of lemon tree blossom, blackcurrant bud, sweet apple, hyacinth - middle notes of jasmine (YUM), magnolia, poppy, honeysuckle - base notes of patchouli and musk. The bottle is super cute - a heavy (faux) crystal stopper, a string of turquoise beads wrapped around the top, tassels in various shades of pink, and the Juicy Couture crest in gold. Very Malibu hippy and California cool.

Me, my Mama and my Sister

I'm not quite ready to give up my sweet perfumes just yet (I just bought another bottle of Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess even though my first one is only half empty) but I am definitely happy to add this new fragrance into my repertoire. As for smelling like my Mother, well, I'm turning into her more and more every day, so it was inevitable, right?

Juicy Couture - Peace, Love & Juicy Couture
Price: $79/30ml, $99/50ml, $145/100ml
From: Myer and David Jones
Why you need it: If you love free-spirited, floral fragrances, then this is for you. Try it if you like Private Collection by Estee Lauder or Virgilio by Diptyque.

Product image courtesy of Juicy Couture
This product was provided to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - see our disclosure policy. Stuff That I Bought attended the launch event of this product.

Stuff that's making me really happy right now

2011-03-17T07:00:00.000+11:00

Lots of things make me happy…sunshine, good food, pilates…but buying shit makes me happy too. Let's focus on that.

Red lips - I am head over heels in lust with my MAC red lippie - it's Cruella DeVil Heartless from last years Disney Villains collection. See photographic evidence here or just try to catch me in person. I have been wearing it with a lip liner by Om She that matches it perfectly (the shade is Jasper and costs $12 for anyone playing along at home)

New shoes - Oooooh definitely an indulgent purchase, but I wear flats most days so I figure the cost per wear will make these Marc by Marc Jacobs Logo Plaque Ballets Flats worthwhile. So in love with these pebbled and patent leather babies. I bought them from Shopbop and I was fortunate enough to have a $100 voucher so in the end realistically they only set me back $100 (wow! look at her with the justifications!) I will wear them every day. Except when it rains. Note to self: buy Scotchgard this weekend.

New outfits - Specifically, the outfit I have to wear to my friends wedding in a few weeks - a divine pair of Alina Van camel suede heels and an olive Wayne by Wayne Cooper dress. Pictures to come, but suffice to say I'm excited, and praying for a warm night.

Glowing skin - I got given Jemma Kidd Mannequin Skin Complexion Enhancer (fancy way of saying illuminator) as a gift from someone who obviously knows me better than they might think. I am obsessed, and wear it almost every day. It's really runny and doesn't stay in the tube very well, but I don't mind that I have to wipe it off the end of the tube every morning - it's so worth it. I remember my very first illuminator from Red Earth about 10 years ago and this smells exactly like that one did (cucumbers), so I feel a little nostalgic every morning when I wipe it on.

New hair - I got a haircut from Andrew at People - this kid knows his shit! One of the best haircuts I have had in ages. Also one of the priciest, but that's Sydney I guess.

Cute prods - Take a look at the new Australis Paparazzi Perfect eyeshadow quads - how darn cute are they?! Rhetorical. I know how darn cute they are. So cute I don't want to use them, but I will anyway.

The fine print…
MAC lipstick - $37 - probably ebay at this stage, since it's sold out on counters
Marc by Marc Jacobs flats - $206.23 ($US195) - Shopbop
Jemma Kidd Illuminator - $35.95 - Kit Cosmetics
People hairdressing - $95 - Shop 4/91-93 Macleay St Potts Point, Sydney
Australis Paparazzi Perfect eyeshadow quads - $15.95 - Priceline, KMart, Target

The Australis eyeshadow was offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration
.

The one where I get my hair washed

2011-03-14T07:00:00.001+11:00

Pantene isn't normally one of those brands where I use excessive hyperbole and exclamation marks. Sure, they're good. They're great. They provide a quality product at an excellent price, but there is only so much energy I have for being excitable and I have to ration it very carefully. Right now…excited. Me + pantene = excited.

It's the new Pantene and Wella Clinicare that's floating my boat (those two friends got into bed together and did the nasty to make a hair care baby). Hiromasa Takasugi, the Wella hair Ambassador, describes the range “It was in the four principles of Sado - harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity that Pantene Clinicare found its mission; that is to inspire women and help them on the journey to their hair transformation.” Sounds fruity, no? Essentially, this is Barney Martin on a Just Cuts budget. Speaking of Barney Martin, that's where Pantene took me to introduce me to this new product (my life is awful sometimes. But not this time, ha!)

I went to the Barney Martin salon in Surry Hills and the incredible Van washed and treated my hair with the new range, and then showed me how to blow-dry my hair properly and style it to give it texture. As an aside, I was secretly very proud of myself because I was using the "right" technique for blowdrying my hair to give it body. High five, me! (FYI - blasting it while flipped upside down and then using the wrap technique that Zoe describes over on primped).

So right, Clinicare. Think about what your hair was like when you were 10 years old. Fresh, pure, virgin - untouched by chemicals or products, the most damaging thing that happened was the odd blow dry or too much exposure to chlorine in summer. Wouldn't you love to have hair like that again? That's the idea behind Clinicare - it's a micro-repair revitalising range that reverses damage, conditions and then stops more damage happening in future. Did you know that 20 year old hair is often in worse condition than 60 year old hair? Too much ghd action. So this range is perrrrfect for women in their 20s and 30s to help fix up all that damage, even though it was actually created for the older birds.

Pantene sent me home with some Clinicare and after two weeks of use I am pretty pleased with the results. Random observation: the shampoo seems to lather up more than regular shampoo. I doubt it has any effect on anything, but I love the feeling of really sudsy shampoo. It smells like Pantene (which has a distinct smell, no?) and I get roughly three treatments out of one little amulet, which is incredible value for money (you would get more for shorter hair, probably less for longer hair).

As for my amazing textured blow dry, Van curled just the mid-lengths of my hair, leaving the ends straight. He explained that doing just the middle makes it more about texture than just curling it. He used Wella High Hair Ocean Spritz, which is a great texturising sea salt spray/hair spray hybrid that gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up from me.

Price:
Clinicare Micro-Repair Revitalising Shampoo - $14.99/250ml
Clinicare Micro-Repair Revitalising Conditioner - $14.99/250ml
Clinicare Micro-Repair Revitalising Rinse Off Treatment - pack of 5 x 15ml little amulets - $19.99 (if you get three uses out of an amulet, that's just over a buck a treatment!)
From: Supermarkets
Why you need it: To repair all the horrible and mean things you have done to your hair with heat tools, hair dye, air conditioning and general neglect

Price: Wella High Hair Ocean Spritz - $23.50
From: Salons - check the website for somewhere close to you
Why you need it: Texture is in, baby.

PS - the lipstick is MAC Cruella DeVil in Heartless from the Disney villains collection. Amazeballs.
.

Amazing, best ever, new favourite lip products! (for now, anyway)

2011-03-10T07:00:00.002+11:00

- by Shay

It feels like only yesterday I was swearing my allegiance to a completely different lipstick brand. That’s one thing I’ve learnt about the beauty game. Much like the film industry, competitive cricket or the world of technology, something new, amazing and BETTER is always waiting in the wings, biding its time until it completely changes the game on you.

I wasn’t expecting much when I opened my two new Cid lipsticks and one Cid lipgloss. To be honest the brand name conjures up images of psychedelic 70’s dance festivals. Not something I would usually associate with life-changing lip products.

When I opened the Pink Bliss lipstick I was immediately enamoured with the packaging. It comes in a long rectangular tube that sports a good size mirror for easy application and – be still my beating heart – a light to ensure you’re applying to your lips, and not your cheeks, chin, et al.

The light itself has a bluish tinge to it, but it still works remarkably well when used with the mirror. I always have to pull out my bulky compact in order to re-apply my lip products throughout the day, and this was a welcome lightening of my handbag load.

Then I applied the lipstick. Holy amazing lipsticks, Batman. I really should stop using terms like “best ever”, “won’t change brands again” and “lifetime loyalty” when I’ve found what I think is the best product as this just blew anything else I’ve used completely out of the water.

For a start, it applied so smoothly. It felt like some kind of marshmallow butter and was impossibly light on the lips. Then, there’s the colour pigment – it is indeed excellent, with only one swipe required for a perfect pout. Plus the lack of scent means it’s a pleasure to apply and have on the lips. Follow this with the amazing moisture-locking system and you have plush, hydrated, pigmented – dare I say it, PERFECT – lips.

The only thing that could be viewed as a problem is the fact that it’s not particularly long-wearing. My lips seem to hold colour pretty well at the best of times, but I did find I had to reapply a little more than usual. But if you’ve invested in moisturising lipsticks before you’ll know that the terms moisturising and long-wearing are almost always mutually exclusive.

The two colours (Pink Bliss and Scarlet) are very natural looking, and I saw them as two very common lip shades only deeper looking. Both looked flattering on my skin-tone, and I dare say at least one would suit lighter and darker toning than myself.

When it was time to put the lip-gloss through its paces I was cautiously optimistic. This brand seemed to know what it was doing in terms of formula AND application of their lipsticks; would they continue it through to their lip-glosses? I needn’t have worried. Cid have created one of the best, non-tacky lip-glosses I have personally ever used.

Raspberry Kiss is a complimentary shade to any skin-tone. It’s natural looking and reasonably sheer, while still looking great on its own. It looks lovely layered over both the Pink Bliss and Scarlet lipsticks too.
It sports the same inspired mirror and light system for accurate application, and I was most impressed with the formula.

The brush is large enough to pick up adequate product to do one lip at a time and small enough to really get into the corners of your mouth or cupids bow without needing to mop up any excess.

I really want to say these are my number one, never forsake them, can’t imagine anyone else doing it better lip products. But that shows I haven’t learnt anything since my last lip product rave, have I?

Price: $33 for both lipstick and gloss
From: Not readily available (i.e. not in Priceline) - call Haircare Australia on 1300 437 436 to find a local salon
Why you need it: How much win is it to fix your lips with a product that has a built in light? This much win.

These products were offered to Stuff That I Bought for consideration - please see our disclosure policy

Why Lindt Gold Bunnies are the devils work - by Harvey Birdman

2011-03-07T07:00:00.002+11:00

Hey, it’s Harvey Birdman here. Elise has gone away for a few days so I thought I would hijack her blog and complain about her behind her back. God she’s annoying. She talks to me like I’m stupid or something and then sticks her hand into the cage when I’m trying to have private time. So inconsiderate.

Anyway, with the shelves full of chocolate eggs already, I have to say that Easter is my least favourite holiday for one reason. Lindt bunnies. I don’t eat chocolate myself, I’m watching my waistline, but Elise loves them. LOVES. She should maybe not eat so many, but that's just my opinion. That's not the reason I hate Easter and Lindt bunnies so much though - it's the little bells around the necks of the bunnies that really boil my blood. I hate them. My cage is full of them. I ring them, chew the ribbon and do my best to pull them down. When I finally pull one down, Elise puts another one up. It’s relentless. She thinks she is being really cute and funny, but I just want to bite her finger.

I suggested she perhaps buy something else from the Lindt Easter range this year like the little Bugs & Bees pouch bag with the hazelnut chocolates ($5.99) or the mini bunnies without the bells in the slide box ($14.99). But no. Damn bitch is hoeing into the bunnies already like she'll never get to eat another one ever again, and I can see the pile of bells on the counter. Easter is still two months away. For the love of my sanity, if you see her, please tell her to stop!

Lindt Bunnies
Price: $5.50 for 100g milk, dark or white bunny
From: The supermarket
Why you need them: It's not Easter without them!!

Before you go calling the RSPCA on me - Harvey is actually very well loved and cared for. He might not admit it, but he really does like the bells. As an aside, Lindt sent me a gold bunny a couple of weeks ago. I ate it and the bell is ready to go into his cage. Mummy loves you, baby.
.

Stuff That I Bought does Birdsnest

2011-02-28T07:00:00.002+11:00

If you have been reading this site for any length of time you would know I’m marginally addicted to online shopping. That said, I have had some bad experiences recently with things coming in at the wrong size, wrong shape, fitting wrong or just looking…well…wrong.

I have talked about Australian site Birdsnest before and how awesome they are, so I decided to put the Birdsnest girls to the test. Goodness knows I’m not the most fashionable model on the catwalk, so I enlisted their help to dress me for autumn. They have a fab function on their website where you can shop for your body shape, and as someone with a slightly unusual body shape (5’2” and, um, curvaceous) not everything looks good on me, so any and all guidance is appreciated. Not only are clothes categorised by body type, but they actually style complete looks for you to shop from because they have full time stylists on staff. Genius. It's like fashion for dummies.

They have an incredible all-female team who pick the seasons items, style all the shoots and add a handwritten note into every parcel. Jane, the head bird, started Birdsnest because she is passionate about making women feel good about themselves, and it really shows. I spoke to their stylist Peige and, based on my body shape and a few ‘I like this, I don’t like this’, she sent me a pile of clothes that would be shape and style appropriate. You know what? She nailed it all. All of it. What do you think?

Are you an online shopper? Does the idea of shopping by body shape with fully styled outfits appeal? (this is rhetorical, I know the answer is yes.) I will totally be shopping from Birdsnest in future - they stock a lot of my favourite brands like Staple the Label, Ben Sherman, Blue Juice, Mink Pink, Sass and Wish, and they show me how to wear them.

As an aside, and in the interest of transparency, Birdsnest are letting me keep something from this little experiment. What do you think I should keep? (I guarantee I'll buy most of it anyway.) I'm massively obsessed with the Sass Grace Army Jacket ($109.95), Mink Pink Long Distance Maxi ($59.95) and Therapy Duke boots ($59.95).

Check out Birdsnest.com.au for more autumn fashion inspiration.

Also, the track used in my clip is Won't Go Quietly by Example. Check out Example's facebook page or you can get his new album on iTunes.

Oh, Friday...

2011-02-18T21:00:00.000+11:00

Dear Lush Keep It Fluffy Purple Bath Ballistic,

Thank you for being amazing. I had been looking forward to dropping you in a hot bath all day and you didn't let me down. Your delicious jasmine and warm vanilla soothed my aching muscles, moisturised my skin and melted away the stress from a week that can only be described as icky. I feel a gazillion times better (and a little bit sparklier) from having spent time with you.

Big love,
Elise

Dear Cleaner,

Apologies for the bath bomb residue in the bath. Im sure you'll have fun cleaning it up.

Sorry,
Elise

Grab your maps and your oxygen, it's Sherpa Chic

2011-02-17T07:00:00.000+11:00

I'm calling it now - the hottest look for winter will be what I have dubbed Sherpa Chic. I say that because I recently had the chance to check out the new season Sportsgirl stuff before it hits shelves (some of it is in store now) and holy frijoles! Straight off the Himalayas, but in a really sexy way. We're talking ponchos, chunky jackets and enough fur to make Sarah Palin moist.

Here's your winter checklist:

Heavy grandma knits
Printed maxi skirts and harem pants (there is a pair of pants I am already imagining myself in)
Fur gillettes (oh how I desperately want one in black - if you find one anywhere let me know - Sportsgirl are doing browns and creams)
Felt hats for off duty model-chic
Shearling boots (which I am possibly not cool enough to wear, but they are pretty anyway)
Textured bags
Patterned tights
Chintzy vintage-look gold jewellery

Gotta say, as someone who isn't a size 6, I'm not sure how I feel about the patterned tights. Everything else - WANT. In fact, my number one item that I must have is a fluffy cream long-sleeved mini dress that is so super soft and cuddly it feels like a hug from a cloud. Also, mittens with kittens on them. There is really only about a week in winter when it gets cold enough in Sydney to wear mittens, but gosh darn if I'm not going to wear the heck out of the mittens in those seven days.

If you're really quick, you might be lucky enough to pick up one of their leather shift dresses. They are only making 100 and at this stage they will be exclusive to their flagship stores, but there is a small chance there will be a second batch made. I might put my name down when I go into Sportsgirl today to buy the printed pants, a felt hat and some shearling boots.

I don't have pics of the aforementioned kitten mittens, the leather dress or the magical cream mini because they are in the second batch of stocked to be dropped, but you really should check it out. BYO goat though.

.

Stuff I love right now

2011-02-14T07:00:00.008+11:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I'm going to talk about stuff I'm loving at the moment (apart from the obvious stuff like my Fiancé and Cadbury Turkish Delight easter eggs).

1 - Macbook Air - I love this little 11" baby so much it hurts. She's shiny (like me), she's pretty (like me), she's impressively powerful (like me) and she's so light I can sit her on my lap and not even feel it (errr...). Plus she is handbag size, so I can take her on the bus and do stuff while I'm on the move. Yes, my Air is a girl. (Price: starting at $1199, From: Apple)

2 - Antipodes Kiwi Seed Eye Cream - I have been using this eye cream for about 3 months and it has steadily helped to repair all the damaged skin around my eyes. Because I stare at computers all day, my eyes and the surrounding area get really dry, but this cream gently hydrates without being too heavy (because heavy eye cream just does the reverse of what it is supposed to and drags your skin down to create sagging). Take five, Antipodes, you've earned it. (Price: $48.95, From: David Jones)

3 - Nivea Calm & Care Deodorant - It smells good. I like it. What else can you say about deodorant? (Price: $3.79, From: the supermarket)

4 - Lapureté Mild Crème Facial Cleanser - This cleanser is a good one, people. It contains a natural botox alternative called Okuru, as well as passionflower, which work to gently target all those fine lines and age spots that seem to creep up as we get older (I just had another birthday, so I'm hyper-aware of how old I feel right now). This cleanser seems to really agree with my skin and I plan on draining every last drop from the tube - fighting crows feet while washing my face is pretty cool, no? (Price: $39.90, From: Terry White, Chemmart, Pulse pharmacies)

5 - MOR candle in Italian Blood Orange - Bellissimo! Absolutely beautiful. Blood orange, jasmine, rose and lily of the valley dance around my bedroom while I wind down every night (and play Angry Birds - I'm totally stuck on a level in the Valentine's Day special edition). Not only do you get 40 hours burn time, but it looks elegant in the black glass with the gold stamp on the front. The perfect bedside table accessory. (Price: $39.95, From: David Jones and Myer)

The Antipodes, Lapurete and Mor were offered to me for consideration.
.

New yumminess from outer space

2011-02-11T07:00:00.004+11:00

Who doesn't love a Mars Bar? (I'm sure there are people who don't, but I silently judge them.) That said, I can't say I was overly enthused when I saw the new Mars Caramel on the shelf. Actually, I was just confused - doesn't a Mars Bar have caramel in it already? What's so different about the Mars Caramel? Does it come from different cows? (caramel comes from cows, right?) Is it made by different oompa-loompas at the Mars factory?

Perplexed, I bought one anyway. I almost bought a regular bar to compare the two, but figured that would require too many extra minutes on the treadmill.

It was good, don't get me wrong. In fact it was real good. The caramel was softer and runnier than a regular Mars Bar, but if you leave a regular Mars Bar in a warm room then the caramel goes soft anyway. So…

…yeah. It just saves some time really. By the way - it's just caramel, no nougat. Duh. But can you ever really taste the nougat anyway? The caramel is always the star.

Price: $1.62
From: Coles
Why you need it: To help you work, rest and play, or so I'm led to believe
.

Cosmetics so delicate you can eat them. Seriously.

2011-02-09T07:00:00.001+11:00

- by Shay

I talk to my girlfriends about make-up a lot. What they're lusting after, what they love and what they would never ever use, even under duress. One thing I've noticed recently is their fear of using bright colours on their faces, and their puzzling fear of mineral make-up. This seems to be an epidemic amongst my nearest and dearest, and it’s something I would like to stomp out right here and now.

To ease my friends toes into the wonderful world of the mineral I have enlisted the help of Inika Cosmetics – a 100% natural cosmetics brand who also happen to have been developed by two amazing Aussie chicks. Just over four years ago Miranda Bond and Jenni Williams started using natural ingredients to create make-up that feels great, looks amazing and works just as well the chemical-laden stuff. Oh, and did I mention it’s perfect for use on even the most sensitive of skins? Hell. Yeah!

Their products are packaged with the environment in mind, and all of their products are certified either vegan, organic or both. Yes, your sister could eat your Inika make-up and still stay well within her New Years resolution to not eat animal products. But they don’t encourage that.

I have been using the Inika mineral eye shadows in Blue Steel (1) and Honeycomb (2), two colours that also happen to work very harmoniously together on the eyelid.

Blue Steel is a lovely muted cornflower blue. It appears very strong in the pot, but applies a gentle wash of colour that is very buildable – perfect for my sissy mates. I found it to be easy to apply but be mindful that you will experience fallout on the cheeks where the particles drop, so it’s probably best to leave applying your foundation until after doing your lids.

Honeycomb is the perfect blending or highlighting colour. It’s a sweet pale gold colour, and again is very buildable on the lid.

Both shadows lasted well throughout a normal day of activities, and they left my eyes looking picture perfect after removing with eye-makeup remover.

I also gave the Inika mineral blush line a swirl and tap. Pink Peach (4) is a gorgeous shimmery dusty rose colour. It has a fair amount of sparkle but still looks natural on the apples of the cheeks. I was enamoured with the super convenient puff pot attached to the lid – just a quick tap and it applies straight from the pot, so easy!

Peachy Keen (3) is, as the name suggests, a lovely strong peach colour with added shimmer. It applied beautifully with my blush brush and left my cheeks looking bright and Summery. This worked especially well with my favourite maxi-dress teamed with a nice metallic sandal. Very beach-chic.

The end result of all of this is I’ve finally convinced my mates that mineral – and brights – really aren’t that scary after all. They’ve all told me they will be scouring the website for their local Inika suppliers (there are 371 Australia wide, so that should be an easy task). My brown-eyed friends are even keen to give the Blue Steel shadow a go now they’ve seen how well it makes darker eyes pop. Mission accomplished!

Inika Mineral Eyeshadow
Price: $24.95
Inika Mineral Blush
Price: $24.95
From: Buy on the Inika website or check for stockists
Why you need it: Beautiful colours, gentle formula and affordable prices. Consider all the boxes ticked.
.

Urban Outfitters - the good, the bad and the WTF was I thinking?!

2011-02-07T07:00:00.000+11:00

It’s kind of disturbing how much I have bought from Urban Outfitters over the last 4 months. Not all of it was for me (there were, like, two Christmas presents in there) but there were a lot of parcels arriving on my desk. I hate to say this, but not all of it was good. Some of it was bad. In fact, some of it was downright ugly and I have to wonder if I was shopping drunk (it happens sometimes - I know you can relate).

Let me give you a quick peek into some of the stuff that I bought.

The Good
1 - Ecote starburst sandals – $38 – Worn them to death
2 - UO Rhinestone mesh necklace – $34 – Cute, right?
3 - Lomography diana+ mini camera – $39.99 (although now 34.99) – My first lomography camera and I love it! So much fun shooting on film.
4 - Truly Madly Deeply Leopard Cross Dolman Tee – $38 – This shirt is insanely comfortable and I wear it all the time.
5 - Urban Renewal Leather Turban headwrap – $4.99 – Mine is red, not blue, but it’s still just as pretty.

The Bad
1 - Lomography fisheye – $48 – This was a Christmas gift and the flash was broken. Awkward.
2 - Circa 78 wildflower necklace – $17.99 – I love this and I wear it all the time, but it was broken when it arrived and I had to dig out the old jewellery pliers and find a jump ring to repair it.
3 - Silence and Noise raw silk tee – $54 – I have bought tonnes of Silence and Noise stuff before and it always fits the same, but this has an odd fit and sits really funny. Shame, because the print is gorgeous.
4 - Ecote twist sandal in silver – $14.99 – The sole on the left foot snapped the second time I wore them and it’s now held together with superglue PLUS the toe line sits funny and gives the most godawful blisters.

The Ugly
1 - BB Dakota slouch ankle pant – $26.99 – These look NOTHING like they do in the picture. They are baggy with a really low crotch and seem five sizes too big. Ugh. Such a shame.
2 - BDG Cricket sweatshirt dress – $48 – I wish I looked like the model.
3 - Silence & Noise Multi Chard Print Dress – $39.99 – Drunk shopping?

Hit up Urban Outfitters while the exchange rate is still good!
Pics graciously stolen from the UO website
.

I have put on weight and I'm loving it!

2011-02-04T07:00:00.000+11:00

You know I’m marginally obsessed with making my hair fat )and if you didn't, now you do). Genetics blessed me with fine, limp hair and I’m a total sucker for anything that tells me it will make my hair fatter/thicker/healthier. I’m still using Activance, which I have told you about before (and still love!), but some new products came into my life a couple of months ago and holy heckballs, Batman is my hair looking better than ever!

I have been using Living Proof – Full Shampoo and Conditioner. This brand has a cult following in the States and is now stocked here by the magical Mecca. I can see why it has a huge number of fans; I don’t like to throw the word miracle around willy nilly but this might just be an appropriate occasion. I recently had lunch with a girlfriend who has known me for about 12 years and she remarked that my hair had never looked thicker and healthier. My hair actually *feels* thicker! My ponytail is bouncy! When I wear my hair out, I don’t look like a drowned rat by lunchtime!

On top of the Living Proof prods, I occasionally give my hair a spray with Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray, also from Mecca. It's sort of an everything spray - thickening, heat-protecting, hairspray - which seems kind of frou frou, but you pop it in while your hair is damp (pre-blow dry) and then style as usual. It makes styling that bit easier and adds a bit more body to limpid locks.

I won’t say that I’ll never try another thickening product again (old habits die hard) but I don’t know if I’ll ever find anything that matches Living Proof – Full. Big call, but I’m prepared to stake my reputation on it.

Living Proof - Full Shampoo and Conditioner
Price: $39/8oz bottle or $15/2oz bottle
From: Mecca Cosmetica

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray
Price: $50/250mL
From: Mecca Maxima

Why you need to get amongst it: Fat hair. Simple as that.

The Living Proof products were offered to me for review
.

An open letter to the birthday fairy

2011-01-31T07:00:00.000+11:00

‘Sup Birthday Fairy,

It’s been a while since we have spoken. Almost a year, in fact. I hope you’re well and you sorted out that little mess with the Tooth Fairy (don’t worry, she’s a slapper and your wings do not make you look fat!)

Since the Big Day is almost upon us I wanted to try and make it easy for you this year – I know I can be a total pain to buy for. I would dearly love for you to put a Diptyque candle under my ~~pillow~~ ~~tree~~ bed this year. You know I like to burn things and a Diptyque candle would make a great addition to my bedroom. Or bathroom. Or lounge room. Heck, you can buy me three if you like! I’m particularly partial to the Gardenia scent, but would also take Jasmin, Pomander or Choisya. I’m not fussy.

While you’re in Mecca Cosmetica (they are the exclusive stockists of Diptyque in Aus, you know) make sure you grab the From Paris With Love sampler pack. Every purchase in the month of February gets one and it has three little samples from some of the beautiful French brands that Mecca stocks (like Diptyque!) I’ll even let you keep the sampler – treat yourself to something nice, you deserve it.
See you soon!

With love,
Elise

PS - Diptyque candles are $99 from Mecca stores or Mecca Cosmetica online. I stole the above pic from the Mecca website so you know what you’re looking for.

PPS - Don't eat the Koko Black salted caramel out of the From Paris With Love sampler. I want that, please.
.

Crazy!

2011-01-26T10:00:00.000+11:00

I swear that I had posted about this already, but obviously my memory is a bit shoddy.

You know my other site The Nail File, right? If you don't, then you should. I'm kind of biased, but it's pretty great. In fact, Oprah Winfrey rates it amongst her top five nail blogs of all time*.

Fun fact - The Nail File has its own facebook page AND there is a competition running to win one of ten Nicole by OPI nail polishes and a pair of sweet Pure Dejavu thongs from Kustom Footwear. The good news is anyone who lives in Australia can enter, the bad news is the competition closes at midnight on Friday. If you haven't entered yet then I'm very disappointed in you, but it's ok because I know you've been busy (I have obviously been busy too, since I forgot to post about this!)You can redeem yourself now. It's cool. We're all friends here.

I know some people are apprehensive about putting their deets into apps on facebook, but the Wildfire app is perfectly safe and all your personal info will be destroyed once I do the draw. For reals.

*Source not yet verified
.

Every Man Jack - Jack of all trades, master of skin care

2011-01-24T07:00:00.000+11:00

- by Paul

Cosmetic products for blokes made by savvy folk in San Francisco.

I stumbled across this brand when a mate in the industry handed me a gift pack comprising facial cleanser, shaving cream and after-shave balm. “Try these,” were the instruction. “You’ll love ‘em.” Well they certainly looked the part. Neat, understated packaging. Simple, non-condescending instructions that the modern man should be able to follow.

Every Man Jack Grooming Cube

I tried the cleanser first. It felt smooth to the touch, and had a pleasant minty odour reminiscent of the Mylanta that mum would give you as a kid when you had an upset tummy. It left me feeling happy, and, even with regular use, it didn’t leave my skin crumblingly dry (as a lot of cleansers seem to do). Good stuff.

The shaving cream was a different proposition. Same pleasing smell, but the texture was quite thick. As it is my habit to shave every few days, it would clog up the razor in clumps of cream and hair. Having said that, the feeling on the skin was so nice, I gave it another go (with only one day’s growth this time). It worked a treat. I still think I prefer a lighter cream or gel, but it certainly left my skin supple, smooth and not greasy.

Then there was the after-shave balm. Same profoundly satisfying smell (seriously couldn’t get enough of it), but I couldn’t really use it when I was going to work as I found that the “Signature Mint” scent didn’t like my Versace eau-de-toilette as a dance-partner. So even though it felt fantastic on freshly shaved flesh, I didn’t seem to use it as often as I would have liked.

Every Man Jack Shave Kit

Every Man Jack use natural, organic ingredients that are good for the skin, fight crime and campaign for world peace. Well, perhaps not the last two. But none of their range contains any nasties: no parabens, no dyes, no phthalates (try saying that when you’re drunk).

Bottom line: the stuff is great, makes your skin feel good, and the scent rekindles happy childhood memories. It’s still not going to make me shave every day, though.

Price: $39.95 for the Shave Kit (contains cleansing face wash, hydrating shave gel, soothing face lotion, SPF 15 face lotion, lip balm and toiletry bag) OR $29.95 for the Grooming Cube (contains 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, cleansing face wash, hydrating shave cream, and soothing face lotion) OR
From: David Jones and other stockists
Why you need it: you want to start your man on a grooming process (packaging looks manly enough to be approachable), or if you want to get him a treat but he hasn’t quite earned the Hugo Boss tie.

These products were offered to Paul for consideration