SO many good sales on this weekend. I would say 'great for buying Christmas presents' but screw everyone else - these are just for you!! This is my pick of the litter:
NATIONAL
Myer family and friends shopping event - Thurs 19th - Sat 21st. You can download and print out the flyer from their facebook page.
Kikki.K. Secret Sale - 20% off for those on the members mailing list. If you're not on the list, just let me know and I'll forward you the flyer with the barcode. Thurs 19th - Sun 22nd.
SYDNEY-CENTRIC
Wayne Cooper warehouse sale - time to frock up! Thurs 19th - Sat 21st. 8DD Hiles St, Alexandria. Thurs 9am-7pm; Fri 9am-6pm; Sat 10am - 5pm
Brasilfit warehouse sale - let's get physical! Fri 20th - Sun 22nd. 866 Bourke St Waterloo (entrance on O'Dea St). 10am-4pm every day.
Elizabeth Arden sale - something for you and something for the Santa sack. Sat 21st - Sat 28th. Unit 31, 9 Salisbury Rd, Castle Hill. Sat 21st/Sun 22nd 9am-3pm; Mon-Fri 9am-4pm; Sat 28th 9am-2pm.
MARK IT IN THE DIARY
Rachel Gilbert sale - you're gonna be fighting me off here ladies! Wed 25th - Sat 28th. Suite 11, level 5 50 Holt St Surry Hills. Wed 10am-7pm; Thurs 10am-8pm; Fri 10am-7pm; Sat 10am-5:30pm
Herringbone sale - perfect if you're a corporate monkey (my corporate monkey sister highly recommends this sale.; she got some great stuff last time). Tues 24th - sun 29th. Herringbone Outlet, 118 Commonwealth St Surry Hills. Tues 7am-9pm; Wed 8am-7pm; Thurs 8am-7pm; Fri 9am-6pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 10am-4pm.
I know I have said this before, but there is nothing greater than receiving a parcel in the post. When you order clothes online though, it is a whole different type of anticipation – excitement mixed in with fear of things not fitting. This feeling is amplified times 100 when you order from the States or the UK and you a) pay a fortune for shipping and b) can’t return it if it isn’t right. This was me last week. I had been lusting over a blazer from Urban Outfitters for weeks and for once in my life I was very restrained and didn’t just rush into the purchase. I must have been sick or something. Two weeks and many page impressions later, I put the credit card details in (and added a few extra things to the cart since I was already paying for shipping) and then...the wait.
Most importantly - thank goodness everything fit!!! I bought the most kick-ass camel Silence & Noise Open Front Blazer, which is going to be one of my summer go-to’s. It has a lovely almost-boyfriend shape to it, and is a versatile colour (even though I am still figuring out what it goes with). I also bought a Silence & Noise Little Brother Blazer in a bright cobalt blue. I have black and navy blazers already so thought I would go for a pop of colour in a fitted, cropped style. I must have been having a blue moment because I also bought a BDG hammered silk tee in electric blue (or thames blue, as they call it) which creases really really easily. Darn silk. And I bought something else neon blue, but I won’t tell you about it in case it ends up in my sister’s Christmas stocking.
One of the best things about ordering from Urban Outfitters, apart from the super-fast international shipping, is the fact they are so conscious about security. They verify the card on each and every order, either with your bank or with you personally (it involves scanning your drivers license and most recent bill). I give this two very enthusiastic thumbs up because it demonstrates that they care about their customers security, and that can only be a good thing.
Price: They always have stuff on sale – tops starting from US$10 going up to US$100+ for jackets (my camel blazer was US$78) – shipping is US$70 From: Urban Outfitters Why you need to check out their online store: For cool fashion that you can’t get here!
My Real Life Day Job is pretty sweet. I have a great team, a kickass boss and we have a lot of laughs in the office. What more could you ask for? We’re planning our end of year blow-out at the moment (lawn bowls! Woo!) and I’m trying to come up with some funny end of year awards (I plan on awarding myself something about messiest desk – it’s like the Bermuda Triangle). If you have any award suggestions, my email address is over there -> and the comment box is down below.
Anyway, as part of my Real Life Day Job, I was fortunate enough to be invited out to Eastern Creek on Saturday to do the Galmatic Defensive Driving Course. Galmatic is a really cool car care garage run by chicks for chicks. I’m totally clueless when it comes to cars, as are most girls, and Eleni (the head Galmatic hottie) has written a book with everything you need to know in a really easy to understand format. She also runs workshops to help you understand your car. Do you have any idea how important tyres are? The answer is Very. The final piece of the Galmatic puzzle is defensive driving courses. This involves heading out west and hitting the drag strip.
Think about it – when was the last time you got to practice emergency braking? Or any kind of braking, for that matter? You don’t. You just drive, hoping that you will never be in a situation where you need to need to slam on the brakes and swerve to avoid a car/truck/small child/cargo load of oranges. Statistically speaking though, you will have 7 car accidents in your lifetime, so you really want to be armed with the skills just in case. (I really had to resist the urge to make a 'stats a lot of accidents' wisecrack - I love a good stat joke)
In conjunction with Galmatic, the trainers for the course come from Driver Skills Australia, and they really know their juice. The day started in the classroom and we were learning the same material and seeing the same presentation as miners out in Western Australia, members of the army and the Australian government. That said, the trainer (hi Mark!) treated us with the same level of respect and dignity as he would treat anyone else, even when we asked silly questions (apparently it’s illegal to drive in thongs, but not illegal to drive barefoot). Once all the important theory was out of the way and I had sufficiently wet myself in fear, we hit the drag strip. I will admit to feeling a little Fast and the Furious and I know I wasn’t the only one (a certain beauty editor showed why she has a bit of a reputation as a rev-head).
We did all sorts of cool stuff like skidding through water and braking, and swerving through cones trying not to hit imaginary school kids. Speed is a variable you have to learn to control, and it's quite alarming to think an extra 10km/hour can add hundreds of metres to your stopping distance. Don't speed people!
Note: the video is me driving someone elses car. Watch for the last few seconds when Mark the trainer leaps out in front of the car. VERY disconcerting!
Is it worth it? Yes. Do I feel like a more confident driver now? Yes. Do I understand how to control my poor little car a bit better? Yes yes yes. Am I hoping I will ever need these skills? God no. But if the day comes when I need them, touch wood, I will be more prepared.
A huge, massive thanks to Eleni at Galmatic for having me!
Price: $225 From: Galmatic Why you need it: These are potentially life saving skills, people. It’s really worth it, even just for the reminder of how dangerous things like texting and calling are whilst driving. My phone is off when I drive from now on!
Do you remember two weeks ago when I was talking about how I was going to stick with my basics for the silly season and go nuts on the accessorising? Well I hit up Diva the other day. Impressed++. They have SO much good stuff at the moment.
I was specifically looking for wrist adornments, and Diva didn’t disappoint. I picked up the most awesome studded black bangle which I can mix and match with either coloured or silver pieces, or just wear as a single statement cuff. I think it will be my default from now on. I also picked up a couple of stacks of bangles in different colours and textures (one in blue and purple, and one in black and white, since I know that was your next question) so I can pile them up on my arm and make jangling noises whenever I type. I really think my popularity in the office is steadily decreasing because I always have a wrist full of noisy clankers and they make the most irritating noise when I’m bashing away at the computer. Personally, I love the noise, but I don’t think anyone else does! Have I become that girl in the office? I also spotted a studded black wrist wrap which I intend to go back and pick up this week. That shouldn’t make any noise, so my colleagues will probably appreciate it.
Price: Studded cuff $19.99, stacks from $16.99 From: Diva Why you need it: Cheap and cheerful jewellery – yes please! Add some variety to your day.
As an aside, did you know Diva have an online shop now? I swear, I can do pretty much all my Christmas shopping from my desk this year (only on my lunch break Boss, I promise!).
I test-drove a new fake tan out on the weekend. Not new as in new to market, but new to me. It had been sitting in the bathroom cupboard for a while and I decided it was time to step out of my fake tan comfort zone again and shake things up a bit. SO glad I did.
I normally use a bronzer gel on the legs and gradual tanning cream on the upper body because I am terrified of streaks and messes. It’s reasonably time consuming, but I get a result that I know I’ll be happy with. I think fake tan is one of those things you tool around with for a bit and once you find one that works for you, you buy in bulk and stick with it. Would you agree?
So I tried the Model Co Tan Self Tanning Glove. I have used Model Co Tan Airbrush In A Can before, so I figured I couldn’t go too wrong with the colour (nice and brown, no yuck orange), but I was a bit wary about the whole using it all over the body and not getting streaks business. You slip the glove on your hand and rub your legs, tum, chest, arms and back in a circular motion. It was surprisingly easy to do and I swear I did it in about a third of the time it normally takes with my two different creams! The absolute best thing about Model Co tan though is the fact that it smells like cocoa butter. It doesn’t have gross fake tan potato smell at all. Even Boyfriend approved and he is really really fussy about fake tan, to the point where he won’t come near me for about 12 hours afterwards. This time was fine though! Did I streak? No. Am I patchy? Just a little around the inner wrists and ankles, but that will hopefully fade with a shower. Plus now I know for next time. Would I recommend the tanning gloves? Absolutely.
Price: $38 From: David Jones Why you need it: Easy to apply and you smell like cocoa butter? Big tick!
My order from Urban Outfitters arrived on Friday (it was a big day for me). Everything fit and looks amazing, so I'll tell you more about it later this week.
I spent yesterday out at Eastern Creek, hooning up and down the drag strip for the Galmatic Defensive Driver Training Course. It was so much fun! I'll also cover this some time during the week, complete with pictures and potentially video as long as you promise not to laugh.
My nails are currently a delicious jade green colour a la Chanel, thanks to Orly Mint Mojito. The jade green nail trend train is starting to leave the station (nail trends are so fickle) but this is a great colour and I'm enjoying the change after weeks of greys and pinks.
I tried out a new fake tan today. Fingers crossed for no streaks! On the plus side, it smells like brown sugar and not yuck tan potato smell.
Borders now does online shopping and they have free delivery. This is freaking awesome and a half!
My sister and I have forked out inordinate amounts of money to see Britney Spears lip-sync tomorrow night. I can't decide if I'm excited or if it's only going to shatter all my childhood fan-girling.
My pizza is on the way so I should probably put my pizza eating pants on (they look suspiciously like pyjama pants). Yes, I ordered pizza on my own on a Sunday afternoon. That's how I roll.
Orly Mint Mojito - from the Tiki Time range Price: $18.95 From: Blooms Chemists Why you need it: To ride the Chanel jade green trend train
My final thought for the day - as I'm writing this, the golf is on television in the background and one of the commentators just said "All the players know him and know him as a player". Wise words. I think there's something in that for everyone.
Does this sound like a big call to you? It's the truth, and I have been to quite a few beauty therapists over the years. Thankfully said beauty therapist happens to manage the best day spa in Sydney, so it's all terribly convenient really.
The beautiful and incredibly talented Melisa Giraldo is the therapist in question and she really knows her juice. She manages the luxurious Fifty Four Park St (located, oddly enough, on Castlereagh St in the Sydney CBD) and while the salon is the first line in glamour and opulence, Giraldo is as down to earth as you could get. She is approachable and gives practical advice, loves a good chat and you can't fault her treatments.
The day spa offers the usual day spa-y services like waxing (I get compliments on my brows they are so good now), spray tan (St Tropez, natually) and manis & pedis. Just on this, before Fifty Four Park St, Giraldo was head manicurist for Miss Frou Frou and helped create the Miss Frou Frou line of nail polishes - she comes from an excellent manicure pedigree. Beyond these, there is also a menu of Carita, Thalgo and MD Formulations eye, face and body treatments. Giraldo's current recommendation is the Thalgo Hydra-Moisture Source facial to get tired skin ready for summer. She explains, "dry winter skin is in need of a pick me up as we go from season to season and this treatment ticks all the boxes in 75 minutes with a steam, extraction, massage and hydrating mask". Sounds like heaven? Yeah, I agree. Or if you want to treat the whole bod, and who doesn't, you should go for the Thalgo Ocean Memory treatment with a full body exfoliation, massage and wrap.
The spa itself is unparalleled in class and style. Beautifully appointed with marble, brass and vintage pieces that would leave any interior designer with their jaws on the floor, it doesn't feel pretentious but it does feel classic and inspiring. Kind of like stepping into the old-world glamour hotels in New York. Gosh I miss New York.
Honestly, if it's good enough for Giraldo's celebrity clients like Cate Blanchett, Kate Bosworth, Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman (she even manicured an Olsen!) then it's good enough for me.
Price: eyebrow wax $30, express mani $55, Hydra-Moisture Source facial $150 - call the reception to enquire about all prices From: Fifty Four Park St Day Spa - (02) 9282 8999 Why you need to visit: For some special pampering with one of the finest, nay, THE finest therapist around
Massive CONGRATULATIONS to Stuff That I Bought reader eskimojo on winning the Look Academy competition for a one day course at the Look Academy here in Sydney. Have a fabulous time! Make sure you come back and share all your beauty goodness with us!
I'm so totally late to the handbag hanger party. I remember seeing them floating around last Christmas and thinking 'yeah they're a nice stocking stuffer idea, but really?'. I think every single Christmas gift guide had them, and there are so many different colours and designs all covered in bling and patterns and crystals and whatnot. Me? I'm not so much of a fan of the flashy bag hanger, BUT I can see their value so I'm pleased that I have found a really nice, basic one. In my humble opinion, it's actually even more versatile than the bling-on-top-hook-on-bottom design, but let me know if you disagree.
Not only does the Clipa hook onto the table, but it also works on doors, stalls (hello, public toilets), rails, sinks and backs of chairs. It's a simple spring loaded ring with rubber grips so it won't move around and it can hold up to 18kg. This is most excellent news if you're keen on sticking your small child in a bag and hanging them from the back of your chair. Plus, because it's just a ring you can leave it attached to your bag all the time. I have the polished gold one, so it blends in perfectly with my handbag (comes in silver and gold). That means when I sit down and want to hang my bag up, the hook is already there and I don't have to go fishing around in the black hole (12 lipglosses and I can never find the one I want!). You could also wear it as a bracelet or tie a scarf around it if you really wanted to accessorise. Fancy.
Price: $29.95 From: handbaghanger.com.au Why you need it: To keep your bag off the dirty ground
I was cruising the Clinique counter the other day (as I have often been known to do) because I am out of my Blushwear Cream Stick and it’s one of my top 5 desert island products. It is seriously one of the greatest products ever – goes on smoothly as a cream, blends well and sets with a light powdery finish. I have been using the 01 Glow Blush because it is a bronzey colour and works really well to highlight and contour my cheeks (using the word contouring feels kind of dirty, but that’s the best way to describe it). I also have the Rosy Blush, so I use the bronze round the edges and the pink on the apples. If you’re looking to take baby steps into the bronzer market, the Glow Blush gives you a nice healthy colour for summer.
Anyway, while I was lurking around the counter I noticed the Vitamin C Lip Smoothie lip gloss. My brain literally went New. Need. Now. and I grabbed for the tester. Not only does this beautiful range come in six juicy shades with an easy brush applicator, but it’s also good for you (smoothie is a food, after all). It contains acai berry, pomegranate and vitamin c, which are like the ultimate trio of anti-aging superheroes. Kind of like if you got Batman, Spiderman and Captain Planet together, but with less fitted lycra & crime fighting and more wrinkle fighting. I tried out Raisin The Bar and it’s my ultimate natural-lip-but-sexier colour (handy hint: if you ever want to know what shade a lipstick/gloss will look when on your lips, test it on your fingertip – it's the closest match you will find in colour and texture and thus will give you the truest indication). This is definitely going to be a repeat purchase for me - fingers crossed they don’t discontinue it like they did for my last favourite super balm! Damn you Clinique and your addictive lip products.
Price: Vitamin C Lip Smoothie - $37, Blushwear Cream Stick $43 From: Clinique Why you need it: Clinique is a brand you can trust – quality product, best ingredients, skin friendly.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a dirty great Lily Allen fan. There is no shame in loving a pop princess, especially when her songs are so fun and catchy and she is stylish and gorgeous. I'm going to see Britney next week, aren't I? Anyway, YAY that Lily Allen's eponymous jewellery collection is now available in Australia. I remember seeing pics of the line in Grazia at least 2 months ago, and, just as an aside, it's really annoying when a magazine is all 'OMG look at this amazing bag/necklace/dress!!! Yeah, you can't buy it for another 2 months. Suffer in your jocks'. It just makes me angry with anticipation, and that doesn't really make much sense.
The Lily Allen line is exclusively stocked through website Trilby Phoenix, who also sell other really cool jewellery, clothing and accessories. Think of it as the Aussie version of Miijo. (I'm completely in love with the One Of A Kind hamsa bracelet [see above left] and I intend to buy it as a treat for myself for making it through the next 2 weeks, but we're talking about Lily Allen here so I better not derail this post any more). It doesn't look like Trilby Phoenix are stocking the entire range, but they have all the most important pieces like the flamingo necklace, panda necklace and poodle earrings. What is it with me and animal jewellery lately? They also have the gold coin necklace, which Lily has spoken about as a reference to her granny who was a gypsy. Very cool. I'm also partial to the smiley face necklace, which is a reference to her Keith Haring acid house tattoos, some of which she had inked whilst in Australia. Ok, now I'm beginning to sound like a crazy fan-girl.
Price: Pieces start at $70 for earrings, $120 for the big crystal animal necklaces From: Trilby Phoenix Why you need it: Awesome jewellery and a piece of pop culture - yes please!
So I mentioned on Friday that I went a little nuts in Sportsgirl. I couldn’t help it though! They have just brought out their new gift range, meant of course to give as Christmas gifts since we are coming into the biggest consumer period of the year, but it was all gifts for me. Because I’m worth it.
First thing I picked up was the LOVE mirror. Why? I have a real soft spot for the Robert Indiana LOVE pop art sculpture and have been hunting for one of the original 1964 Christmas cards that the image was created for. I’m not sure where I’m going to put it (at the time I seemed to think I knew, but I’ll be buggered if I can remember) but that doesn’t matter! I’ll find somewhere, just give me time.
I also grabbed a jewellery rack. One of the lovely Sportsgirl girls told me that they had sold over 60 of them since they got them in the previous day and that I was purchasing the last one. Kismet – I was meant to have that jewellery rack. Or at least that’s what I told Boyfriend when he asked why I bought a jewellery rack.
Last thing I picked up was probably the most frivolous (and after reading what else I bought, you must really think I’m nuts) – DIY calippo containers aka Freeze and Squeeze icy pole tubes. Yellow and pink silicone moulds that you fill, freeze and enjoy. As an ‘I learnt this the hard way’ lesson – the packaging says “fill with your favourite fruit juice”, which I thought was the packaging’s way of encouraging me to be healthy. Wrongo. Turns out if you use soft drink and then put the lid on the top, the bubbles in the soft drink push the lid back off. Anyone who did science in year 7 would probably have realised that, but I didn’t have any juice in the house and got a little over-excited. Meanwhile, it took some patience but I got some raspberry soft drink frozen so yay for me!
Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for Sportsgirls gift offerings. I’ll be heading back to stock up for other people for Christmas.
Price: LOVE mirror - $14.95; jewellery rack - $19.95; freeze and squeeze - $9.95 From: Sportsgirl Why you need them: Christmas is coming... (ps - boys take note. If you get a girl in the office secret santa, just head straight to the gift table in the front of your local Sportgirl)
This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of Elise Phillips, 2007
Myer family and friends shopping event - Thurs 19th - Sat 21st. You can download and print out the flyer from their facebook page.
