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

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
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6-Star Spa Luxury - Hello Panpuri Organic Spa!

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
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Booty Parlor - for that sexy winter flush

- 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
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Get on Urban Outfitters NOW

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

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Bad Teacher - sorta good, sorta bad

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.
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I love coconut! Especially when it's cheap

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

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
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Alkaline Spa - the ultimate in luxury detox

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
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Fun fact for the day

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!
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Let there be light!

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. 

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Current swoon: Pretty things

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
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