Don't forget! Look Academy competition

Don't forget to enter the Look Academy competiton I mentioned earlier in the week!

GIVEAWAY!!!

If you want the chance to WIN a full day course at Look Academy, then have a think about what your biggest beauty blunder was/is. Think a bit more. Write it down. Good. Now also write down your name, email address and how you heard about this competition (i.e. the most awesome blog ever - http://www.stuffthatibought.com/) and send it to the lovely Bridie on bridie@lookacademy.com.au. If you win, make sure you come back and share your knowledge with us!

Current Obsession: Bus Scrolls

This so called "current obsession" has been dragging on for a good 6 months now. I remember seeing these featured in Real Living earlier in the year and flagging the page because I had to have one. Naturally, I played a game of 'with what money' and lost, but that hasn't stopped my passion for these beautiful canvases. I love how deliciously retro they are, harking back to an era when the train banner or bus banner told you where you were going and people on public transport had manners. As an inner-city rat, I would love to have Sydenham, Redfern, Central, Town Hall, Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff, Bondi Junction on my wall, because that's my hood. It also reminds me of my childhood and the train announcer saying those stations every time I travelled into the city (trivia: I lived on the blue train line as a kid and that won't mean anything to anyone who doesn't live in Sydney).

If I do eventually take the plunge and get the canvas, I will have to have it custom made because it isn't one they have readily available. My other option is the New York City scroll. I adore New York City and would love to eventually live there (in my alternate, glamorous life). I have already decided that we will be honeymooning in NYC (Boyfriend was happy with this arrangement) and that we will buy the canvas as a wedding gift to ourselves (he hasn't agreed to this yet, but he kinda has no choice). Good arrangement? Shall I place my order now?

Price: NYC scroll $499 - custom scrolls start at $350 for small canvas only and go up to $699 for large stretched frame

From: Busscrolls.com - they also list their stockists on their site

Why you need it: Everyone needs art in their homes - why not make it meaningful and personal, whether it's somewhere you have been or somewhere you want to go

Picture credit: busscrolls.com

Wear Anna's jewellery; look stylish

You know when you’ve seen something you liked in a magazine but you can’t quite remember which magazine or what the brand was, but you can describe it perfectly and you KNOW you want to buy it? Yeah, this has been me for the past month. I saw a bracelet in a magazine (it may have been Grazia, but I could have imagined that) and I have been searching high and low for it. Googling, wandering into every jewellery store in Sydney, asking all my fashionable friends (who, incidentally, now think I’m a bit nuts). Nothing.

Cut to last week when I got an invitation to go to the opening of Anna Hookway's new Anna Design store in Mosman. ‘Hmmm’, I think, ‘I’ll just check out the Anna Design website to see what kind of jewellery it is.....HOLY S#^T!!!’ There it was. That blessed bracelet I had been searching for. Right there in all its silver and white glory, all shiny and tassle-y and calling my name. Can you believe it? Talk about fate – I was meant to have that bracelet.

I was also meant to have a whole lot of other things from Anna Design because her jewellery is truly beautiful. Inspired by her trips to the east, each piece is handcrafted with the kind of colour and personality you are proud to wear. Her pieces are statements; of life, of love and of fun. Do I sound cheesey? How could you not when you’re gushing over bright and shiny jewellery! But it’s not just the product that’s amazing. Walking into the Anna Design store in Mosman is like walking into a glamorous friend’s home. One wall is all mirrors and mood boards, with vintage knobs and handles acting as hangers for the necklaces. The opposing wall is black drawers that you can open and explore, with notes from Anna tucked away alongside her treasures. You can touch and try everything, so you’ll know when you find that special piece that speaks to you. In much the same way the bracelet spoke to me.

Price: My bracelet - $120. Prices start from $35 for smaller pieces and go up from there
From: Anna Design – Shop 5, 732 Military Road Mosman
Why you need it: Everyone needs a signature jewellery piece.

Picture credit: annadesign.com.au

A lesson in manners: baby gifts and thankyou cards

Is there anything nicer than receiving a thank you card? I have been on a one woman crusade to bring back the long forgotten art of hand-written mail for a while now, and the brilliant new website mooo.com.au obviously has the same idea that I do (what a smart, polite website – invite them round for afternoon tea!). When the site first launched they had a word of mouth offer where you got sent some free thank you cards for recommending the site to friends (I got mine...keep an eye on your mailbox because I want to that you for visiting my site). I believe that has finished now, and I apologise for not writing about it in time – bad blogger! But their stuff is so cute you will want to pay for it anyway.

Speaking of, one of Boyfriend’s cousins had a baby recently and I have already bought the Christening present even though we don’t have an invitation yet. I got so over-excited I just bought it, assuming they will have the new little one Christened at some stage (if they don’t, I just scored myself a highly inappropriate but very cute gift). Did you ever have a name puzzle as a kid? Mooo do a beautiful wooden name puzzle that is just the right size for little hands. Of course it’s an educational gift too, so the little person can start to learn their name – the glossy pieces and bright colours are very attractive, both to little people and big people alike (if I had the room, I would so buy one for me!). Plus, hopefully, it’s a unique gift. If anyone else has bought one of these for the new little girl, I will be very annoyed!

Price: Thank you cards $1 each – Name puzzles from $24.95 depending on number of letters
From: mooo.com.au
Why you need them: To demonstrate what good manners you have, and give a charming and special gift to a lucky child.

Picture credit: mooo.com.au

Professional French makeup...fancy

A very glamorous friend of mine knows I’m a makeup addict (moi? Quelle horreur) so she recommended I get on board French brand SLA. I realised after we had talked about it that I had heard of Serge Louis Alvarez before, but always considered it a “professional” brand i.e. something you see in the flight cases of hardcore pro’s but never on the bench in the average girls bathroom. Now, I can’t comment on the whole range (they have over 850 professional products and my bathroom is not that big) but I can give you the lowdown on the couple of things I tried and why I am now converted.

Corrective Protection Anti Dark Circles Concealer. Sounds hardcore, right? I don’t know about you, but between work, family, friends, boyfriend, gym, blogging and shopping, I have some pretty spectacular dark circles under my eyes. A combination of not sleeping well and not eating well, I think it’s just easier to hide them than try and fix them (Sleep? Vegetables? Bah!). So I was well keen to give this a go. I was also keen to try out one of Chris King’s tips: instead of just concealing under the eye, also go above the eye so it’s a nice, even colour and then the darkest point is the point right in the middle. This is where you want to highlight, either with a light colour to open the eye up, or with a bright colour for a pop. Verdict? Covers the dark circles really well. I like when a product does exactly what it says it will. Is nice.

I also tried out the Liberty Blush, which reminded me a lot of the Becca crème blush that I am still obsessed with 3 months later. It comes in four colours, but I tried the rose pink because it is very ladylike and everyone knows I’m a lady. It gives a really nice, gentle flush and it goes on well with a little heat from the fingers (although SLA do recommend you always use brushes to apply their products because they are so rich in pigmentation). The other thing I love about both of these products, and this is definitely weird, is the fact they don’t smell like makeup. Not sure if it’s all the SLA products or just some of them, but they smell like vanilla! Fancy!

Price: Concealer - $42; Blush - $30.40
From: Encore Beauty
Why you need them: So you feel like a professional makeup artist with your fancypants products.

Picture credit: encorebeauty.com.au

Sara Lee sent straight from heaven

Drool. I'm sure I'm not the only one guilty of indulging in Sara Lee cheesecake/chocolate cake/sticky date pudding under the cover of darkness for a late night snack. They do the BEST cheesecakes and you can eat them either warmed up or still frozen (still frozen is the best). Boyfriend has been known to eat a whole chocolate cake straight from the freezer, and I'm sure he will be impressed with me for sharing that.


So three cheers for Sara Lee and their new cheesecake minis! They take the guilt out of freezer cake snacking (otherwise known as 'being a pig'). It's a little square box with 2 tubs inside, each tub filled with 18 bite sized pieces of cheesecake (so 36 all up - well done you for adding that up). I literally mean bite sized - each piece is a mere morsel and I have no doubt I could eat 2 whole tubs in one sitting, but that's something my self-control and I need to work on.

They come in 4 yummy flavours: original cheesecake, strawberry, chocolate and caramel. My pick is the caramel...there is nothing better than soft caramel woven through a cheesecake. In fact, I'm off to grab one now (provided my colleagues haven't eaten them all already).

Price: $6.53
From: The supermarket
Why you need them: Guilt free snacking! Surely something so small must be small on calories, right? (Please say yes...I have eaten about 20 of them already today)

Picture credit: saraleebakery.com.au

Update your look at Look

I was fortunate enough to be invited along to the recent launch of The Look Academy Makeup School here in Sydney. I was also fortunate enough to get some one on one time with makeup artist and all around great guy Chris King, who is one of Australia’s leading makeup gurus. If you ever have the opportunity to meet Chris, I recommend you grab it with both hands because he has some really amazing philosophies about wearing makeup and how to get the best out of yourself every day.

Actually, you do have the opportunity to meet him if you do one of the Look Academy’s new one day courses. They offer two different full day courses – Introduction to Makeup and Revamp Your Style. The Intro to Makeup course is about learning what products to use for your face and what sort of image you present with the choices you make. This is something Chris is very passionate about, explaining that a lot of people don’t know how to use make up to their advantage and send mixed messages. This course isn’t just appropriate for younger ladies wanting to learn the basics, it’s also good for older girls who want to work on their image (or never learnt the basics in the first place - guilty)

The Revamp Your Style course (the other one) can be summed up in one word; “zhush” (this, I believe, is the technical spelling straight from Carson’s mouth). This one is perfect for older chickie-babes who have reached a new phase of their life and need to find themselves again, or for corporate groups looking for a fun and exciting team building exercise (gosh I hope my boss reads my blog - hint hint).

Both courses supply makeup and tools, you just need to come with an open mind and enthusiasm. I guarantee after 5 minutes with Chris King, or any of the 6 artists at Look Academy, you will have more enthusiasm than I have for Friday afternoon drinks (read: this is a LOT of enthusiasm).

Price: Normal price is $280+GST, but they are doing a special introductory offer of $240+GST
From: The Look Academy – Oxford St, Darlinghurst in Sydney and Fitzroy St, St Kilda in Melbourne
Why you need it: To update your face and present the best possible version of you (you don't really want to present the best possible version of anyone else, do you?)
Bonus reason that you need it: All courses booked in October, November or December will have 10% of their cost donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Look good, feel better!!

As an aside: Chris King gave me a bunch of interesting tips which I’ll casually drop into conversation over the coming weeks. Get excited!

Picture credit: lookacademy.com.au Makeup by Felicia Yong

GIVEAWAY!!!
If you want the chance to WIN a full day course at Look Academy, then have a think about what your biggest beauty blunder was/is. Think a bit more. Write it down. Good. Now also write down your name, email address and how you heard about this competition (i.e. the most awesome blog ever - http://www.stuffthatibought.com/) and send it to the lovely Bridie on bridie@lookacademy.com.au. If you win, make sure you come back and share your knowledge with us!

Like watching paint dry

When you think about makeup companies doing collaborations, you think designers and celebrities. Certainly not paint companies. I kid you not...kit Cosmetics have teamed up with Dulux to do a line of nail polish. I know, right?! That was my reaction too. Oddly though, it works. Hear me out.

Sherbert colours. Blue, purple, pink and orange. (although the pink is kinda coral-y) These colours are perfect for summer and very on-trend. As an aside, is the term on-trend kinda wanky? How else do we say 'you will look like the coolest person in the room'. Ok, maybe that will do.

I bought the Dulux Hot Calypso (pure coral) and I plan on going back next week for the Dulux Blue Surf (ocean blue). The girl I spoke to at Kit was wearing Dulux Exotic Flower (sunset orange) and it was a really cool bright summery tangerine colour, while the Dulux Kiss (summer musk aka purple) reminded me alot of the OPI Done Out In Deco lavender colour from the South Beach range. Kit polish are always really good quality too, so you know you will get a strong colour and it won't flake off (provided you prime properly and do 2 coats, naturally).

Price: $15.95

From: Kit Cosmetics

Why you need it: For delicious, musk-coloured summer fingernails

Picture credit: kitcosmetics.com.au

Some sweetness for a Friday

I have a load of stuff to tell you about - I did a heap of shopping this week and so much has been going on, but I thought 'screw it' and today we are all going to drool over the Ferrero Rondnoir. Have you tried one yet? So good. They have been floating around for about almost a year now so they aren't really new, but not many people seem to have tried them yet. If you haven't, nip down to the Night Noodle Markets (if you're in Syd) and grab a freebie (btw - it's the last night of the markets tonight). You don't even have to be a dark chocolate lover to appreciate the soft creamy goodness.

The outside reminded me a little of crushed oreos - it's was a crumbly chocolate biscuit on the same thin wafer as Ferrero Rocher. Inside is creamy, smooth dark chocolate and the prize in the centre is a little nugget of dark chocolate the size of a coffee bean. It literally melts in your mouth. But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let the picture do the talking (be sure to mind the drool on the keyboard - not a good look).

Sigh. Treat yourself, it's Friday!!

Price: $9.80 for box of 12
From: Coles
Why you need one: Sweet, delicious dark chocolate is the ultimate treat. Convince yourself it's healthy by repeating my mantra 'dark chocolate = antioxidants = healthy'

Picture credit: paragonfoods.com.au

On the matter of perfume

Everyone has been raving on about the new Marc Jacobs scent Lola so I had to go and check this shizz out for myself. It really is as good as people keep saying it is.

What I like, in no particular order:

• Top notes of green apple. Well, I said green apple and Kat said rose so, you know, different noses. But on first spray it's very sweet and fruity, but not strong fruity, more like a sensual fruit (fruit can be very sexy, y'know).
  
• Middle notes of subtle and dark. Peppercorn, pear, grapefruit and a hint of vanilla. This is much more grown up than Daisy (which everyone seems to keep comparing it to, so I may as well follow suit). Think of Daisy as young and girly and white blouses with denim cutoffs, while this is smouldering, with high heels and an LBD.
  
• The bottle is AMAZING. From all the pictures, I assumed the flower on the top would either be glass (silly) or some sort of hard laminate. Wrong-o. It's a soft plastic - you can move and bend all the petals. Crazy delicious!
• I have had 'Lola' stuck in my head for 3 days solid now as I keep reading reviews of this perfume and I keep laughing because Lola is my good friend Jo's signature karaoke song and I just picture her belting it out. Lo lo lo lo Lo-la!
  

Add it to your Christmas list girls - it's a keeper!

Price: 50ml, $120 (the taller one) and 100ml, $160 (the wider one)
From: Myer
Why you need it: To smell all grown up and lovely

Speaking of Christmas, 'tis the season when all the perfume houses start doing special gift sets. It's a great time to shop for your scent because you can usually pick up your fragrance of choice with an added gift like the body lotion, cosmetics bag or towel. Or you can also get mini sets, like the Kenzo one I'm about to mention. Now, I didn't buy this myself so it's not really Stuff That I Bought, but I was with Kat when she bought it and therefore I reserve the right to write about it. Kenzo currently have a set of 3 mini bottles of Flower for $39 - the picture to the left is acutally the American mini set - I couldn't find an image of the Aussie version but it's the same deal, slightly different packaging. That's such a good price! Actually, when I saw the point of sale sign for it, I figured it must have been a mistake. Three mini bottles at 4ml each all together in a little presentation box - good gift for Mum, Aunty, Nan, boss that you like or secret santa (depending on the budget set in your office, obvs).

Price: $39
From: Myer
Why you need it: So you have mini perfumes to keep in your handbag/carry on/gym bag/desk drawer or to give as a lovely gift to someone worthy.

Picture credit: kenzousa.com; marcjacobs.com

MUST HAVE Tipsy Toes for drunken feet

Stop the presses girls. I have found the ultimate, absolute MUST HAVE accessory for the party season. No, it’s not a handbag. No, it’s not a cocktail ring. It’s a pair of fold up ballet flats that fit in your party purse. No more drunken stumbling in 4-inch heels or barefoot walks of shame down the dirty footpaths of the CBD after one too many shandy’s at the office Christmas party.

I remember traipsing all over the city with my sister after last years work Christmas party, not a cab in sight (and those that were tried to charge us $70+ for a 10 minute ride, but that’s another story). Good GOLLY my feet hurt! I went to take my shoes off and she yelled at me and told me I was not ‘the kind of girl who took her shoes off’ so I kept limping, feeling particularly sorry for myself (my sister can be a bit of a bully sometimes). Where were my Tipsy Toes then?! I would have given my right arm and my very expensive pair of designer heels for this genius little product. Thankfully I’ll be able to make it through this year without worrying.

They come in 2 colours (silver and black) and 3 sizes (Sm 5/7, Med 7/8 and Lg 9/10) and are cheap cheap. Honestly, even if you only use them once, they have more than paid for themselves with the money>pain and dignity equation.


Price: $19.95
From: The Tipsy Toes website
Why you need them: To save yourself the pain of trying to get home on your heels. 3am + 4-inch heels were never meant to meet.


Picture credit: Tipsy Toes

DIY balayage

I don’t know about you, but my money tree is a bit light on at the moment. Where I used to make regular trips to the hairdresser, I have in more recent times been a bit, how would you say, tight? Lazy? Bit of both, really. I speak to my hairdresser and colourist more on facebook than I do in the salon. Terrible, I know. But as someone who suffers from the odd ‘champagne coloured highlight’ (read: grey hair) I would have to make far too many trips to the salon and it’s just easier sometimes to do it at home.

That said, I do love my balayage. I’m not talking Pip Edwards top deck hair, but a lovely brown with golden highlights throughout and slightly lighter ends. Thankfully I have found a way to do this at home. It probably isn’t revolutionary and I’m not reinventing the wheel, but it’s a fun idea and if I inspire one person, then great (if you are that one person, please leave me a comment! My ego would appreciate it).

L’Oreal Couleur Experte. It’s a home kit where you do your own highlights. But instead of just doing highlights, I use the highlighter (read: bleach) to paint the ends. It’s kind of haphazard, but that’s the idea of balayage anyway. The result is gradually lighter ends and a natural sunkissed look that cost me $280 in a salon once (I won’t say which salon, but the place was full of self-important wankers, and that was just the staff). Suffice to say, at one tenth the price, I’ll keep doing it at home. Beware though...it is quite drying so be sure to treat your hair with the love and respect it deserves (considering you just blasted the crap out of it with bleach). I recommend kms California Moisture Repair Leave-In Conditioner ($27.50 in salons).

Price: $28 (give or take)
From: The supermarket or Priceline
Why you need it: To give balayage a whirl without it costing you the earth.