We'll be back after this short break..

Hello to my beautiful 7 followers! it is you that get me up and blogging in the morning/afternoon/evening/early morning...

I am so inspired and have so many thoughts and rants that I just don't know where to begin! However I have some pressing work that needs to be done on account of the fact that I decided it would be really clever of me to do honours this year. So now it's crunch time and I must stop painting my face, talking shit and buying things I cannot afford. So I may be absent for a small amount of time but fret not! when we return I will be looking at Aussie women that rock our world, investigating what happens when you put moisturising cream in your hair and posting a lovely recipe for a bad day that involves my fave carbicide substance of all time- rice!

In the meantime ladies, feel free to comment, disagree, praise or torment and watch this space!

xxxx

Stuff Boys Like

It has come to my attention recently that my Dad secretly wishes he was a cowboy. He likes going out bush and wearing RM Williams and he absolutely loves a good Western flick. Even his ring tone is that tune from The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Then the other day I was thinking about how my brother used to eat anything my mum declared was 'cowboy food' (see my post on 'Cowboy chowder', a revised Mummy recipe) so really he must have wanted to be one also. Then the other day my boy and my girlfriend's boy both bought a new PS3 game that involves riding around in a western country setting on horses, shooting things and wearing cowboy hats. They both deny this has anything to do with a love of cowboys but I think this game is letting them really live out their own fantasies of being one. It might be the outfit, the reckless abandonment and wild masculinity that cowboys represent but they really want to be a cowboy no matter how much they deny it. Boys like cowboys.

Couch Potato

Tonight has been a lovely night in due to the freezing temperature outside and the fact that cold weather makes me super lazy. I thought I would share with you the movies I enjoyed for the 100th time tonight, in case you haven't seen them yet or have forgotten about them

Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

Adorable. That's the only word that could possibly describe this film simply. Miranda July (pictured) stars in this beautiful indie gem that she wrote herself, converging a bunch of different stories about a bunch of lovely people going through life and love. Plus 'the poop back and forth' thing is wet-pants worthy. You'll know what I speak of when you watch it!

Serial Mom (1994)

Just Kathleen Turner's flippant use of the word 'Pussy' is enough to send me into hysterics, but that aside, this is one of those tragically awesome and hilariously lame films that never gets tiring because it is just so weird! plus Ricki Lake used to act? omg soooo funny!

Heathers (1988)

Possibly the best teenage angst, bitchy high school flick to have ever come out of the 80s starring my fave 90s pin up girl Winona Ryder. Murder, suicide and slushies, plus spectacular perms and shoulder pads, my perfect night in flick!

Come on June 7!

The anticipation is killing me! Just dying to get my hands on Sia's new album We Are Born- partly because it's Sia, partly because it is said to be influenced by her childhood faves Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. Her first two singles 'You've Changed' and 'Clap Your Hands' can be heard here

OPI vs The world

Lately beauty bloggers have been all abuzz with the very real possibility that OPI will only be available to them in stores at inflated prices as etailers face legal ramifications for selling us this polish favorite at a reasonable rate. In a mad panic I recently ordered a bunch online feeling like I had to know what all the fuss is about. Verdict: It's just regular nail polish, it didn't give me magic powers and it certainly didn't glow in the dark or do anything else spectacular.

However the colors are lovely so I thought I would investigate some suitable dupes for OPI's Hong Kong line. Although they are not exact dupes, they will most definitely save you a lot of dosh

OPI Meet Me on the Star Ferry- BYS You're Hired (Shimmery purple)

OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui- BYS Blue Bang (Cream cobalt blue)

OPI Hot and Spicy- BYS Matte Coral (Cream Coral)

OPI Dim Sim Plum- Ulta3 Eighties Fuchsia (Cream Fuchsia)

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender- BYS Mauve on Up or Sportsgirl Nail It in Lavender (Cream Lavender)

OPI Pearl of Wisdom- BYS Coconut Ice (White with shimmery pink)

OPI Jade is the New Black- Sportsgirl Nail it in Neptune (OPI is cream dark green, Neptune is shimmery but same shade of green)

OPI A Good Mandarin is Hard to Find- Sportsgirl Nail It in Tangerine (Cream hot orange)

OPI Chopsticking to my Story- Ulta3 Bamboo (Cream orangey brown- Ulta3 Bamboo is much more similar to OPI's Out of this World but all are in the same family

OPI Red My Fortune Cookie- Ulta3 Fire (Cream bright red)

So there you have it ladies! now go and spend without the major buyers remorse or credit card burn!

Stuff to do on a sick day

So today I took a sick day. I have been feeling really off this past couple days and a quiet day at home was really needed to get myself charged again for the rest of the week. I got to thinking about sick days and how incredibly boring they can get. By lunchtime, you start to get a little sick of watching the same TV sitcom DVD boxset and being in your pajamas. So here are some suggestions for an enjoyable and relaxing sick day that doesn't require too much effort and will take your mind off feeling like poo.

1. Let the animals in

Our pets are our best mates so if you are home for the day, let your pooch in to veg out with you, they also have a profound ability to make us feel better when we are down and sick

2. Give yourself a facial

I know I am stating the obvious here but when we are sick we tend to let ourselves go and feel quite grotty. I face mask followed by a good scrub in the shower makes the world of difference. I picked up this 10.0.6 Be Pure one today and will be trying it out tonight, it cost me $1.99 from Priceline

3. Concoct your own tea

Using a tea strainer, or a teapot with one built in, grab your favorite teas, open the bags and mix them up! then add your own yummies to it. I like to mix camomile with green tea and add lemon zest and grated ginger to the mix. I make a huge pot and take it to bed with me so I have an ample supply

4. Read a Novella

A novella usually consists of no more than a 100 pages or so, therefore they only take a couple hours to read, but in doing so you feel like you have accomplished a hell of a lot by reading the whole darn thing! My favorite sick day novella is Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, it is much better than the movie and will only take you the morning to get through!

5. Try a crazy color

Try a crazy nail polish color you have always wanted to, but maybe have been reluctant because you feel like it's a bit too out there. The same can go for lipstick and eye shadow. Put it on, wear it around, get used to it. It's not like you're going anywhere. Today I bought BYS Pretty Pastel Mint and I am in love!

6. Email your friends

These days my friends are all around the place, on all four corners of our glorious globe we call planet earth. With modern technology and the fact that I have 4 email accounts, a facebook, a tumblr and a blogspot, there really is no excuse to not keep in touch with those you love, but we just get so darn busy. Therefore a sick day is a really good day to play ketchup with your buddies you haven't spoken to in a while, find out where they are and what they are up to. Emailing them also gives you an excellent outlet to whinge about how shit you feel however don't go into too much detail (people generally don't like being told what color your mucus is...)

7. Youtube old music videos you used to love

Music videos such as TLC (above) The Corrs, Janet Jackson, pre-diva Mariah Carey and that awesome movie length Celine Dion film clip where her husband dies and she is all alone in that big mansion. Don't deny it people, I know you secretly still love this stuff! Don't even get me started on The Backstreet Boys and Take That!

8. Gather Recipes

You don't have to cook anything and you sure as hell may not feel too hungry but when else are you going to have time to hunt new recipes online, go through your old magazines/newspapers and dig up recipes written down for you from friends and relatives and gather them all into one handy location? I could spend hours on www.taste.com.au finding new recipes and making them vegan and wheat free, also vegweb.com is a great site for vegan user submitted recipes

9. Learn to Knit

Or crochet if you don't know how. Knitting and Crocheting is one of those mindless relaxing activities that many of us wish we could do. So do it! grab yourself a basic pattern (or just learn basic stitches to start a scarf) some yarn and some needles. There are some amazing instructional videos on youtube so that's a great place to start

10. Have a nanna nap

The all important afternoon nanna nap is mandatory for any sick day. It's unnatural, it's lazy, it's a bit naughty and sometimes it can mess with your sleeping patterns a little, but my goodness they're amazing!

Drunk on Clean & Clear

My lovely friend Miss De an wa has just informed me that Clean & Clear does in fact test in animals. Now I feel like a moron for not doing my research and so completely disappointed in J&J for having such unethical practices. Therefore I will sadly be phasing out the usage of Clean & Clear but still looking at buying cheaper products... any suggestions would be lovely xx

On another note, what is Ellen's excuse?

UPDATE: Am delighted to announce the St Ives Blemish and Blackhead control has now replaced the Clean and Clear adequately and new standard everyday face routine is as follows-

Daytime- Simple foaming cleanser

Face of Australia tinted moisturiser with SPF 15+

Night time- St Ives Blemish and Blackhead control scrub

Invite E concentrated vitamin E cream

Stuff Boys Like

Pie. Boys like pie. It doesn't matter if it's a balfours meat pie (yuck!) apple pie, shepherds pie or cherry pie, boys just love pie. Recently my boy's mother bought me a pie maker (like a toastie maker but for pies) and I swear the boy is more excited about it than I am (much much more...) I think it's the idea of flavor encapsulated into pastry that they love, hell I could just put whatever we were having for dinner that night into pie form and there would be no more complaints about it's lack of animal products (come to think of it that's a bloody brilliant idea) I'm not sure why but boys really like pie. More than girls, because they are weird.

Mumma's got a new skin care regimen

Estee Lauder. Clinique. Jurlique. Clarins. Dermalogica. Chanel. Blah. Blah. Blah.

I have used them all with acceptable results. However still I have blackheads, I have eye wrinkle (I just turned 25) and I have combination skin.

Recently I posted about using Vitamin E cream which came in an $11 tube. What I didn't tell you is that the only exfoliator available to me at this tiny little Foodland at 9pm on Sunday night was Clean and Clear. Yuck! So I swallowed my luxury skincare snobbish pride and grabbed the blackhead control, vowing to never talk about it again after that night. Boy was I in for a rude shock. I have now used this for 3 days and all of a sudden, those annoying blackheads that Clinique won't get rid of, that my mother assures me are a natural occurrence (and that squeezing them will only bust open capillaries and make them worse), the blackheads that make me shudder with disgust when I put my face right up to the mirror to inspect and criticise, are starting to clear. My face feels fresh and clean and supple, and the blemishes I have and always dismissed as a result of my makeup fetish, lack of water, and nothing to do with a lack of good skincare (and why would you think that, when you're paying nearly $200 every few months for the most advertised, prettiest looking and most promise-making skincare around?) are disappearing.

So, amazingly, this little princess is now using a Clean and Clear exfoliator and a vitamin E concentrate cream as her skin routine and nothing else (omit the primer and tinted moisturiser during the day) I. AM. AMAZED.

Turns out expensive skin care may not be necessary! you may be thinking 'I knew this all along', or quite the opposite 'my skin reacts to cheap shit' because we are all different with different skin. But I am 25 and have only just discovered the solution to my flaws in a regimen that costed me under $20 at a 7day supermarket, and frankly it would be mean not to share with all you ladies in blogland! So from one product snob to another, go forth and try the el cheapo brands! you may just be surprised (and have spare change for other things, like makeup!)

And winter is upon us...

I thought I might share with you my winter awesome soup staple, or as my brother used to call it 'Cowboy Chowder' (food for cowboys, of course!) and the best part is I have hijacked this mummy recipe and made it my own (dairy and wheat free)

You will need

2 cans creamed corn

2 cans corn kernels

2 potatoes peeled and cubed

1 leek sliced

2 stalks celery cut into small pieces

2 cubes 'Massell' 'Chicken' Stock (animal free of course)

2 cups water

1 cup soy milk

1/3 cup 'Nuttex' margarine

2 tablespoons rice flour

Heat butter in deep soup pot until melted, add leek and celery and simmer until soft and translucent

Add rice flour and whisk in until combined

Add water and stock cubes, bring to boil

Add potatoes, and cans of corn, reduce heat

When potato is tender stir in soy milk and season

If it seems a bit too thin you can add more rice flour to thicken it up

Voila! enjoy!

(The boy adds bacon separately but I'm not going to encourage this...)

I make this at least once a week, white beans are really nice in it also!

And another Chloe rocks moment...

It seems ever since entering the blogging community, more and more awesome Chloe pics surface. Maybe I'll just turn this into a Chloe blog haha! but seriously, how HOT is she?!

Oh Chloe you rock my world

Vintage Chloe in a homemade (?) Slits jacket. Bless.

A Post About Moisteriser

So tonight, I am trying this bad boy out for size, after getting fed up with little dry patches on my cheeks for the last few days. This appeared to me during my emergency Sunday night shampoo and facial scrub run and I just had to give it a go.

You see, lately I have been worrying a lot about aging and I know moisture is key here, and although I have always been a product 'snob' my first facial care regimen involving Estee Lauder and Jurlique thanks to mummy dearest, I was impressed by the claims made by this $11 tube of moisturiser.

Invite E is claiming to be simply concentrated vitamin E oil which is supposed to be sublime on skin as claimed by many skin professionals, grandmothers and fellow beauty bloggers.

So here are my initial thoughts...

I really slapped this stuff on, in fact after cleansing and exfoliating I applied a small amount, let it absorb, then thought what the hell and lathered it on. It has made my skin look incredibly greasy, so definitely not a day time moisteriser, but my skin feels really really supple and moist right now, and I am hoping the oil will all absorb (or at least transfer to my pillow) overnight. This may well end up part of my nightly skin routine...

Here's hoping I don't turn into a pumpkin by morning

May Makeup Madness!

So I have been very very naughty this month, here is my haulage from the last few weeks...

In this pic we have from top left- Chi Chi makeup case (GWP from Target and a darling size for my handbag) Chi Chi Lipsticks in Socialite (cream lavender pink) and Lah Deh Dah (matte bright orange) Too Faced Naughty and Nice Palette (6 shadows, 6 lipglosses) Inglot freedom palette with various matte shadows, Chi Chi Blush in Maneater (GWP) Smashbox duo shadow in Jet/Set, MAC Painterly Paintpot, 2x Smashbox single shadows in Etch and Design, Chi Chi palette in Beach Babe (Shimmery neutrals) Chi Chi automatic eyeliner in All Night Long (Black, GWP), Cosmetica (by Manicare) soft dome eyeshadow brush, QVS flat stiff eyeshadow brush, Maybelline staying something-o-rather lipgloss in a shimmery coral (freebie from work) MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation (NC25) and Smashbox cream highlighter quad

I also got a Chi Chi mineral eyeshadow quad in 'Blues' which is a gorgeous set of loose powders in a quad-ified container- something that I think might mix up the separate powders and therefore I will be re-potting them. They are beautiful and pigmented however much more sheer than MAC pigments. I am yet to foil them but I think when I do they may just rock my world.

Everything in this haul is amazing and the Chi Chi GWPs (Spend over $25 on Chi Chi plus their lipsticks are only $8.95 on special!) are very generous and lovely. I am really loving their eyeshadows!

I am still undecided on the MAC Studio fix, nowhere near as creamy as my Clinque powder foundation, but Clinque's compacts ALWAYS break on me which makes me so darn angry! I get the powder because I tend to look like an oil slick at the end of the day and this powder contains silica which soaks up oil. I will see how I go with this, but now winter is here I may not use it a whole lot anyway.

Finally I need to rant about my favorite item in this haul, the most exciting part, the Inglot Freedom Palette!

Isn't this darling?! I got this because I was so darn sick of all the eyeshadows I buy being shimmery so I went out on a mission to just get matte shadows. I love Inglot shadows and this palette cost AUD$55 which is definite value for money! They have pre-made palettes the same size on sale for $25 at the moment so I definitely will be picking up some of those next week, heck, I may even clean them out!

Stuff Boys Like

Recently my boy bought Season 1 & 2 of Wilfred. I think its the humanization of man's best friend that he really likes, although Wilfred does smoke, drink and swear a lot. Wilfred is a real dog played by a man dressed as a dog. The show is about his adventures living with his owner, and his owner's boyfriend Adam, who for some reason is the only one who can understand Wilfred and talks to him.... very odd and very funny, boys like it

Best makeup tip for the year so far...

"Never ever spend any more than a few dollars on lip liner, unlike foundations, concealers and eyeshadows, there is no secret formula that make expensive lip liners any better. Cheap lip liners generally do the same job as expensive ones"

Well I guess I won't need to replace my Estee Lauder lip liner when it does eventually run out...

A film you must watch...

Itty Bitty Titty Committee

This is probably one of my most favorite movies ever, a sweet little independent film which you can file between The L Word and Thirteen. It is about young love, fitting in and female activism in a world outside of the heteronormative cliche teen flicks that usually involve pubescent males plying girls with liquor and trying to put their dick in something. It really is a great chick flick with a very good cast and some serious hotties...

This Month's Shopping List

T-Shirts- loose comfy ones, preferably with dinosaurs on them

Stockings

Chi Chi matte lipsticks in 'Fashion Police' and 'Please Tease'

Concealer (Brand yet to be decided...)- Bought Bourjois Healthy Mix)

Face of Australia Primer and Tinted moisturizer (apparently the primer is an EXACT dupe of Auto-pilot

Chunky, blingy bracelets

Some BYS nail polish- 'Shadow Puppets' and 'You're Hired'

Beanie

Black handbag- something of a bikie whore nature, maybe with studs

A solid top coat (polish) investment

Plunger+ good ground coffee

Shampoo with red pigment- have serious fadage at the moment!

I may be poor after this haulage is complete...

The cosmetics I simply can't live without...

So, I really love reading blogs about people's favorite make up products, you know, sharing the love and all. So here are the things I can't live without.

MAC mineralize skin finish

This is my absolute everyday can't live without product. If MAC ever discontinued this I would probably curl into a ball and rock in the corner! I have been through many of these, I use it for everything, all over coverage (over some tinted moisturizer) and lately as the weather is getting cooler and I get more pasty, as a contour. This comes everywhere with me and is the greatest little compact in the world (if it had a mirror it would be even better!)

Napoleon Perdis China Doll foundation stick

Admittedly, I don't use this everyday as it is quite a heavy foundation. But the coverage is just so darn good it is the best bad skin day must ever! The best coverage and the silkiest feeling foundation I have ever tried!

Orly Bonder

I wear nail polish every day of my life. I feel naked without it. However, I have a serious problem of oily nails which means even the most expensive nail polish starts peeling and chipping in a couple hours. Orly bonder keeps my nails looking nice for a couple days, which is still quite a short period of time, but I change the color after a day or so anyway

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten

Such a gorgeous, gorgeous product! I use this as a base for my eyeshadow as I think it is too sheer as a gel eyeliner, but this stuff is magic and so creamy and pigmented

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero

The best eye pencil I have ever used! so creamy and sits in my waterline with no smudgy dramas. However, I have found a good dupe in the prestige waterproof liners, which I have in brown for work and subtle makeup occasions

Palmer's Dark Chocolate and Peppermint Lip Butter

What can I say? I. AM. OBSESSED.

Lush Karma Perfume

Smells like what I imagine the 70s would have felt like... if that makes sense... or maybe I'm actually high off this stuff....

Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Sunbaked in Pure Shimmer

Most beautiful highlighter which gives a lovely glow. Warning! you NEED to exfoliate, tone and prime before this, it is so shimmery it can accentuate pores quite drastically! Otherwise an amazing product

Bourjois Clubbing mascara

This is my everyday mascara, it gives a really good fake lash effect which I need considering I wear glasses a lot. There is a specific way to use this mascara, most reviewers have hated it because it seems cluggy and messy. The trick is to wipe excess product off the brush, then start with the shorter side facing you and roll the brush as you apply... got that? no? just email me if you need help!

Ecotools retractable Kabuki brush

Oh Kabuki, where would I be without you? This brush is great for all the regular kabuki brush uses such as smoothing out lines, however I manage to have a great applications of my MAC studio fix powder foundation, my mineralize skinfinish and blush with this brush on the go. Comes with me everywhere!

So I hope that was useful on some level for you, feel free to hit me up with your favorite products too, I am always on the hunt for new exciting products!

My 10 Most Influential Women

1. Lucille Ball

This woman was a comedic genius, a smoker who lived to 78, model, millionaire, TV sitcom pioneer and best of all REDHEAD! Lucy makes me smile everyday, my bf bought be the I Love Lucy box set for my birthday a couple years ago and I never get tired of her animated, reckless and whimsical humor. I don't just love Lucy, I adore her!

2. Judith Butler

This woman is the reason I will be attempting the seemingly suicidal (and very expensive) journey of PhD candidacy, she has inspired me to pursue social justice through the fine art of critical theorizing. Haven't heard of her? Google Gender performativity and prepared to have your world rocked! I don't want to over simplify Butler's amazing theories but she basically changed the whole direction of gender studies and feminist critique by concluding that gender isn't something you are, rather it is something you do and does not exist outside of language. That lightbulb moment pretty much made me wet myself...

Butler is a modern philosopher, feminist, activist and amazing writer and I would just die to have chai lattes with her and pick her magnificent brain apart

3. Chloe Sevigny

Besides being a fantastic actress (hello! Big Love!) and managing to pop up in all my favorite indie films and in add campaigns for some pretty amazing designers, hell this girl is just so darn nice to look at. She actually gives me butterflies! serious girl crush on Chloe...

4. Lady GaGa

Yes, yes I know she is so sexually aggressive that she MUST have a dick right? wrong! GaGa is all woman and I have a confession- she is actually my alter ego. My alter ego dug up all my 'I wanna be Kylie' 5 year old dreams, somehow separated from my consciousness and then and took them to a whole new level. Lady GaGa is living 95% of the female population's girlhood dreams in a way that screams 'Fuck you cunts!' across the planet with glitter and a keyboard synthesizer. The woman flat out refuses to wear pants, honestly, what a hero!

5. Beth Ditto

So, to be honest, I am a major fatty and have been pretty much my whole life (except for when I was really unwell mentally) Beth Ditto has taught me some really important lessons about being yourself, not just because of the obvious, but because her attitude is 'I'm fucking awesome and I love myself' This is probably the first time I have ever seen some one who is not actually a supermodel act this way, and it makes me proud of who I am. Plus her music just fucking rocks!

6. Angela Davis

Member of the black panthers, revolutionary, writer, women's and racial activist, This woman has been in jail more times then my juvenile delinquent brother. Balls of steel and an amazing passionate spirit.

7. Jenny McCarthy

Not only is she hilarious (Dirty Love anyone?) but she is a vegan, activist for animal rights, Aids and Autism, and an amazing mother. Plus she is hot!

8. Helen Keller

At 18 months Helen contracted an illness that left her deaf and blind, but this did not stop her from getting a University degree. Taught by the infamous Anne Sullivan, Helen became a writer, teacher and political activist and challenged assumptions of what people without conventional able bodies are capable of

9. Tenzin Palmo

Buddhist nun and feminist, Tenzin Palmo spent 12 years in a cave in the Himalayas in solitary confinement meditating. Why, you ask? to achieve greater clarity and to be better able to be actively involved in the alleviating suffering, which is the Buddhist way, of course!

10. Ingrid Newkirk

Co-founder of PETA, Ingrid has dedicated her whole life to giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. All I can say is bless.

To go on the I WANT list…seriously.

"Unconventional beauty, not the type orientated by sexual impulses, should be appreciated for what it is and not for some superficial meaning attached to it"

Sparkle power. I love this woman, she made my day. Bless.

So I guess I should introduce myself....awkward..

Me: Honours student, part time office extraodinaire at local newspaper, die hard animal lover owned by my cat (Star) Star Wars fanatic, vegan chef, cosmetic obsessor, mercedes driver (230se 1982- pimp-tastic ride)

Currently Reading: Brazil by John Updike and Female Chauvanist Pigs by Ariel Levy

Currently Wearing: My heavy metal-esque owl and roses tshirt, leggings and a shade of bloom nail polish called 'San Francisco' which is a sparkly dark green

Currently Listening To: Albums in rotation are; Abbie Caldwell and Faith No More (Best of)

So apparently everyone nowadays has a blog. Here's mine.