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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

BOGOFF!!

Ahahaha. Okay, so the acronym for Buy One Get One Free amuses me (don't ask me where the extra F came from).

Anyway, so BOGOFF sale at Diva - buy any ring from the front gondola and get the second one free! There are some really HOT ones too, from massive, in-your-face cocktail rings to faux wedding rings to shmexy ones you can wear to a part-ay. Only for two weeks!

BOGOFF sale at Smart Poppy too (discount cosmetics site). BOGOFF time popping up everywhere!! Stila, Too Faced, MAC - but this one's only for two days. Click here to go to the BOGOFF section.

And finally, Hot New Face to Watch:
(actually, she's been around for a while, but I only just realised who she was :P)
Melinda Jackson. Her latest song Magic is based on the piano riff from Sting's Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - and thankfully, ONLY the piano riff. It's a beautiful song though. Check it out :)
Melinda's Mypsace page
Her videos on Youtube

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Watch out for: Transeasonal Collections

When: 9-11 October 2007

What: Rosemount Australian Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2008 Collections

Where: Sydney (yay!)

Who: Invitation Only - but apparently most of the big names won't be showing and many fashion editors won't be there either, since it's so soon after the European shows.

I think it's nice to keep an eye on things locally though, because while the fashion overseas is great, YOU LIVE HERE. And if you started transposing ideas from overseas here, you'd be, well, a little out-of-place. It's all about the now, not the future (and in Australia's case, for some reason this happens to be three or four months in the future, a rather long time in fashion-speak) - because by the time it's the future, no one will remember anymore.

Anyway, keep an eye out for this fellow, Daniel Avakian. His designs are hot, and you never know - he might end up like sass & bide, and in a few years, his clothes will be ricocheting off the walls because they'll be too hot to handle.

Daniel Avakian and one of his designs - don't tell me it's not hot.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Jeans, jeans, they're good for your heart

But, thankfully, you don't fart if you wear them more (that'd be an interesting experiment to conduct though).

So anyway. I hit Miranda Myer today and somehow managed to pick the perfect pair of jeans.

You know that moment when you touch a piece of clothing and your heart seems to race and the whole day just suddenly got better? Your very existence is justified; it's magic and there's no other way to describe it? No?

Okay, it's probably just me then.

But anyway. That is how I felt (cheesy, I know) when I touched this pair of jeans hanging from the Cooper St stand in Myer. Let me clarify: they are NOT Cooper St jeans, they are Ninedays, a brand which my cloistered little head has never of, but WHO CARES. They're perfect. AND. They were in my size.

If I could give awards for shopping moments of the year, THIS WOULD BE IT.

They're dark (I dislike light-coloured jeans with a passion, but that's just me). They're slinky. They're stretchy and comfortable and I DON'T CARE if skinny jeans are "going out", nor that summer is coming in and it will therefore be too hot to wear jeans. The fact is, I love skinny jeans (everything else makes me look as FAT as a heifer) and I LOVE THESE JEANS.

Yes, well, ANYWAY.

New: Gracie by Alice McCall at General Pants Co.

They only had one stand at Miranda General Pants Co today. I love Alice McCall and all (rhyme unintended, seriously!) but I wasn't that impressed. It's cute, for sure, but if I had to sum it up in one word I'd say it's... okay.

Or maybe they only seemed that way after my brilliant stop-the-press-i'm-falling-in-love moment with the jeans. Sorry!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Beach to Bargain

Hrm, so for some reason, no matter how determined I am to NOT go shopping, as soon as someone mentions the word 'Bondi' I start plotting which shops I plan to hit first. Serious sign of a shopaholic? Or serious self-image issues? Probably both, but let's leave that for later. Psycho-analysis is boring, shopping is FUN!

So anyway. YES I hit Bondi today. YES I bought something. And YES there are 5 million and two other things that I really, really want but am too poor to afford (believe me, it sucks).

NUMBER ONE ON THE LIST: Silver T-bar 'U Thong' sandals from Wittner $109.95 (I know, horrible name. I wonder who makes up the names?? I wonder if someone's job is to just sit there and come up with names. That'd be hilarious, hee hee hee.)



NUMBER TWO: A shimmery, almost-nude, pale pink colour like OPI Nailpolish 'Hearts & Tarts'. Yummm. Elegant but different.

NUMBER THREE: EVERYTHING in Kookai Bondi Junction. I want to live in the store!! (Of course, I also want to buy a nightclub and live there - with the current property rates in Sydney, buying Kookai and the nightclub might actually be cheaper).

NUMBER FOUR: Shiny dark-blue metallic Havaianas. But first, I need to actually find them in my size. Grrr. =.=

Oh yeah! And they have CUSTOM HAVAIANAS now!! Check it out at General Pants Bondi - you pretty much choose the base colour and the straps at the top. I like my thongs to be one solid colour though, so so much for playing with that >sigh<.
So anyway, the list goes on, but a girl can only save up for a few things at once... after all, I DO have to save money for impulse purchases.

p.s. I am quite aware that this sort of spending and materialism is bad. OH WELL.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

News Feed: Nigeria readies for Pfizer battle

THIS you have to read.

It's disgusting - intellectually, physically and ethically.

It's about an American drug (ok, pharmaceutical) company who went in and tested their drug on poverty-stricken African children, who are now mentally disabled as a result, or so say their mothers. Within the article, there is no "other side to the story" because the drug company did not wish to speak to Al Jazeera, so forgive me for being biased.

But still. It's great that people are protesting against animal testing, but what about testing on humans?? Is there too much money at stake??

Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege speaks to residents of Kano in Nigeria who claim a vaccine, manufactured and adminstered by US pharmaceutical giant Prizer, was responsible for the deaths of local children, as hearings resume in a Nigerian lawsuit against the firm.


Photo: Firdausi became mentally handicapped, her mother
claims, after she was used to test a meningitis drug

Thirteen-year-old Firdausi Abdullahi is severely mentally handicapped, suffering from a condition her mother claims is a result of scientific negligence.

Zainab Abdullahi says Firdausi was used along with 200 other children as "guinea pigs" to test a meningitis drug.

That is the central allegation in a criminal case pitting the state government of Kano in Nigeria against the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer.

Hearings resume in the case on Wednesday with the government alleging Pfizer deceived patients and caused the deaths of 11 of them in 1996 when performing clinical trials for a new meningitis vaccine, Trovan.

Full article at Al Jazeera

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

News Feed: Australia hints at action against Burma


Today's highlighted story: The government is taking action against the gross breach of human rights in Burma. FINALLY.

Australia hints at action against Burma

October 2, 2007

Australia is flagging further action against Burma pending the outcome of a meeting between the UN's special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and the country's military leader Than Shwe.

Mr Gambari had been waiting since the weekend to see the reclusive general to express global outrage after security forces put down protests led by Buddhist monks, leaving at least 13 dead and hundreds - possibly thousands - behind bars.

Australian officials believe at least 30 people were killed and 1,400 arrested during last week's crackdown in Burma's biggest city, Rangoon.

Canberra has already tightened financial sanctions against members of Burma's military junta and foreign affairs officials last week called in Burma's most senior representative in Australia to protest developments in the isolated nation.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer indicated Australia would consider further measures if Mr Gambari's meeting was less than successful in alleviating the situation.

"I hope that Mr Gambari has some success," he told reporters.

"But if not, well then we will be talking with a number of other countries about anything further we might be able to do."

The government revealed that earlier this year it had rejected Burma's nomination for its ambassador in Canberra, Brigadier-General Thura U Thet Oo Maung.

Mr Downer admitted it was a very unusual decision but said Australia would never accept anyone from the brutal Burmese military regime as an ambassador.

"It almost never happens that Australia or any other country refuses to accept the ambassador proposed by the sending country," he said.

"In this case, Burma has a very brutal military regime and I refuse to accept a general from that regime who has had command in a couple of provinces in Burma over the years.

"I refuse to accept a general as an ambassador and told the Burmese authorities that they should send a civilian to fulfil that role, and a professional diplomat."

Australian Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja, co-convenor of Australian Parliamentarians for Democracy in Burma, welcomed the government's tough stand on the ambassador.

She urged the government not to lose focus on the situation in Burma.

"There is a danger that the world's attention will shift elsewhere now that the military junta is using force to discourage mass protests by the Burmese people," she said in a statement.

"We must not let this happen.

"Australia and the world must keep up its pressure on the Burmese regime.:

© 2007 AAP

How many moisturisers does a girl need?

Indeed, how many of anything. But let's just stick to moisturisers here.

I have:
Johnson's Holiday Skin Body Lotion (for cancer-free tanning)
Nivea Body Firming Treatment Cream (for getting rid of cellulite, which apparently doesn't work anyway)
Veet Anti-Ingrown Hair Cream (for treating ingrown hair, obviously)
Anna Sui Body Lotion (it was on sale, it smelt nice, and it came in a pretty pink bag - as IF you wouldn't have bought it!)
Nature's Resistance Pear-Scented Hand & Body Massage Lotion (good salesperson)
The Body Shop Mango Body Butter (last year's Christmas gift)
The Body Collection Tropical Coconut & Jasmine Body Lotion (yet again another girft)
Affection Skin Firming Cream (Can you believe it? Easter Show showbag)
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Leg Gloss (claims to minimise the need for shaving, tint legs and make 'em shiny)
and plain Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula for no apparent reason apart from the fact that it smells niiice.

This. Is. Insane.

Until I compiled that list, I knew I had many moisturisers - but not that many. The thing is, I buy one for a specific purpose, use it for, like, a week - and that's it! It's relegated to the back of my beauty box, to be kept for two years until I find them again, remember that I have it and that it's not that great to use, and put it away again for the next two years.

Gerrrgh. I should really just throw away the ones I don't use (like the crappy ones from the Easter Show). For the record, I just bought the Johnson's one today (why??? Oh yeah - because I didn't want to die of skin cancer) so I don't know how good it is, but Palmer's are still my favourite. Creamy, rich, easily absorbed and CHOCOLATEY. Who could beat that?

Oh, and from now on, I will NO LONGER BUY MOISTURISERS UNTIL I HAVE USED UP THE ONES I HAVE.

Why do I get the feeling that won't last??

xx

Shirt dress/dress shirt?

Every now and then, I have a craving for a specific piece of clothing that I believe (often in a delusional manner) will, upon wearing, somehow render me sexy, fashionable, glamorous and highly sophisticated.

I go into one-minded huntress mode, prowling shop after shop in the hope that the item I want will be found in the perfect size, the perfect colour and the perfect price($50 or under - hah! Wishful thinking).Shop assistants can normally recognise me when I'm on the hunt. I just walk into a store, stand in the middle - and walk out because I can't see what I want.

Said item is currently a dress-shirt, which I somehow fantasize will be great for wearing out casually, straight to clubbing, without being too hot and sticky, but be hot and sexy instead.

Fantasize is the key word.

But I still want it, and I want it white. I want it short. I want it comfortable. I want it cotton. I want it sexy.

So far, there's one at Bondi Westfield I found, but the colour I want (settling for light blue here) doesn't come in my size >pouts<, and the fabric seems really thick. And I'm one of those people whose body temperature rises quickly, so I don't really want something thicker than a wood plank for summer. >sigh< onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Wn07XpGcsML1L6UfNzJ7BYhd0NR_V7v-z6r5utCr6sm88TY1wPFePqhUj1M5eW-0CiGKdhQvsZ4GTRkHXbt__sJb1MWFZZnoAAMhjEwjJHCtuMsXZ6Sqh7PpKVyaE0FovwmCQ5l2M6mB/s1600-h/white+shirtdress.jpg">