Summer Loving Giveaway by Lilly

Enter Studded Lilly's Summer Giveaway !!

HERE

Also check out her store HERE

Crazy Craving - I'm worse than a pregnant woman!

Gym might be very kind to my hips, but let me tell ya, it does nothing for my appetite! It just sends it through the roof and makes me crave shit like you won't believe!! It just hits me. Out of nowhere.

My current craving is eggs. Scrambled and covered in Aromat - bring on the MSG! Then I need soft, yellowish avo drenched in vinegar. Topped with rocket. Oh and throw in some pastry-anything in there and deepfry something!

Go away craving please, because if I DO give in, I'm afraid the weird combination will do some permanent damage!

Fabulous Find!

Opposite the beautiful beach of Gordon's Bay and next door to pubs, lies a really bizarre, not your average, bookstore. When you set foot inside, you actually realise that the store had to be a house once upon a time. With passages and doors leading you from the one room to the next, surrounded by books stacked to the roof, it was so easy to get lost in there - literally and figuratively! Every single book you've ever heard about, every single book you've ever read and every single book you've ever wanted, lies under that roof.

I feel so sad that all the books there are for sale for a ridiculous price, because it must've taken ages to build up that collection. If you're a book-lover, you will think that 'ol bookstore is the mother of all libraries.

I'm not really big on reading (apart from reading magazines), but I couldn't leave such a legendary place empty-handed! So I bought a book with the idea that it would be a suvenir, but I ended up buying a book that every girl should own. The Fabulous Find for today is a book called How to Walk in High Heels – The Girl's Guide to Everything. It doesn't literally teach you how to walk in high heels, because that's a quality you're born with, but it's a fun, straight-forward, hilarious encyclopaedic catalogue of how to live modern life to the full! Call it a reference book if you must. It teaches a girl anything from playing poker, to climbing out of a car in a mini skirt, tackling lobster in a restaurant, changing a tyre - you name it!

Gals, do yourself a favour and get this book! If you Google it, a list of pages will pop up and give you more info, reviews and online websites where you can buy it. It also makes a great gift and you can even pass it on to your daughters!

Jemma

Christina Aguilera - it keeps getting better!

 

The 90's will always be remembered for the 'fros, rap breaking into the music scene and the whole pop explosion that took place. Oh and I was so behind that pop explosion! I had all the CD's (and tapes!) of the Backstreet Boys, Madonna, Venga Boys, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Aqua and Christina Aguilera. I'm so glad to see that most of these artists are still around today even if some of them lost the plot a bit.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I still love Britney and my favourite is still Christina Aguilera! I have all their CD's, DVD's, live shows and perfumes - I'm such a nerd! Christina has the rarest and goose-bump-worthy talent out there and I just love how she keeps reinventing herself. She went from the innocent girl in Genie in a Bottle, to the wild woman in Moulin Rouge, to the dirrty phase, to the 1950's pin-up girl, then the apparent Lady Gaga look, to being a mommy and now back to the glam goddess. This woman really likes to keep her fans on the edge of their chairs! She changes her look so much, that it's often hard to recognise her, but I guess that leaves room for role-playing with her and Jordan. I mean, is it Lady Gaga or Marilyn Monroe or Katy Perry? Though there are some resemblances at times, I don't believe Christina is a copy-cat. If she's copying another artist's style, they should take it as a compliment!

I will always remain a loyal fan, because in my eyes, Christina can do no wrong. Her style is so sexy, yet she does it tastefully and with class. Her music career, marriage and parenting skills are all successful, and you'll never catch her without underwear! Britney, Paris and Lindsay, are you taking notes?

What do you think of Christina's transformations over the years and which is your favourite? I love her 1950's pin-up girl look and I'm really looking forward to whatever she's planning next!

Jemma

Rai's Giveaway

Enter Glam Morena 's Cliche Cosmetics giveaway HERE

Ends: July 6th ,2010

Spin me a Yarn

Lou & Ash

I have recently come across a new concept-'Slow Fashion'-preserving and promoting traditional methods and creating one-off and limited edition, hand-made pieces. I admire the philosophy and the beauty of such pieces. It's a philosophy we clean, green Kiwis can get on board with.

Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, says a lot of clothes now have all the "disposability of fast food" and a trip to a chain-store can be "as instantly fulfilling as a Big Mac and the thrill will last about as long".

Godfrey Deeney for Fashion Wire Daily, wrote after the last lot of menswear shows: "Just as slow-food fanatics enthuse about sustainable seafood, as the Paris season drew to a close last week designers were waxing lyrical about time-consuming production processes. The emphasis was on clothes made to last, which meant clothes that cost a lot and had a timeless yet quirky style: exceptional pieces where the craftsmanship, finish and quality are what counts, not the flashy first impression."

Check out local designers 'Lou and Ash' who adhere to the Slow Fashion movement. "Lou and Ash is a new knitwear label based in New Zealand, creating extraordinary one-off pieces made by hand over months. It's been said that wearing one is like bathing in a rainbow." Their Facebook Page is here.
Crochet seems to be having a resurgence and appearing all over the catwalk - check out Chanel, Paul Smith and Romance is Born,Top Shop and Helmut Lang.
The gorgeous Julia Restoin-Roitfeld (daughter of Vogue's uber-cool Editor in Chief Carine Roitfeld) wore this spectacular crochet Mark Fast dress to the ELLE Style Awards in London.
Crocheted quirkiness at Odd Molly.
Loving Madge's Dolce & Gabbana crochet bag here too.
I also found this wonderful exhibition, by a fellow Cook Islander, Ani O'Neill .
I'm drawn to dots and circles, a la Damian Hirst or Yayoi Kusama. Peter Alexander has jumped on the bandwagon with crocheted socks and scarves, and this tongue in cheek 'Faux-chet' (I just made that up, haha) 'Nana Blanket' nighty - very cute!
If this crochet lark piques your fancy, then do check out this website. My friend belongs to crochet club and they create the most amazing things: www.crochetclub.co.nz. The beautiful images below are from this fabulous site.

Coveted Couture!

Of the many things that have made a comeback this winter, I would have to say grey nail polish and name necklaces are my favourite! With any fashion-first, I'll let everyone else try it while I observe from the corner, but it didn't take me too long to be a victim of this trend too. In fact, it didn't take much persuasion at all!

I usually hate fashion comebacks for three reasons: one, I had that exact item five years ago, when it was a quarter of the current price, and it would've been considered vintage now! And, two, clothes don't really change that much when it comes from the 80's to haunt us. As in, no reinvention. Three, why should there even be a comeback? There's probably a reason it didn't stay in fashion. Attention designers, stylists and buyers, think of some fresh vogue for the next season!

There are exceptions with comebacks, but glitter pants, shoulder-pads and flower hats aren't one of them. To think grey was previously considered sombre, conventional or restrained in style and avoided showiness. But now, now we wear grey nail polish, grey boots, grey jackets, grey leggings and grey eye-shadow! Oh how bold we have become. Just vivaciously fabulous! I did my nails last night and my colour is actually called 'Dove grey'. What do you think?

Then name necklaces, I thought, were reserved for only for Carrie Bradshaw and Christina Aguilera, but not anymore it aint! It's definitely a one-size-fits-all fashion! I don't know if I'd hang my name around my neck (...stepping back into my corner, observing, hoping someone would break the ice...), but I'd definitely go for phrases, a word (like the 'love' one I bought) or even an initial.

Ooh, speaking of initials, visit Being Brazen's blog and enter her name necklace giveaway! I really want this one BB!

J

(Images: writer's own)

Summer Essentials

Hey guys i just wanted to compile a list of things that i think we should have this summer!!

Summer Essentials by Niika S featuring Old Navy flip flops

1. Boyfriend blazer
2. Romper
3. mineral makeup
4. flip flop
5. shoulder or across the body bag
6. maxi dress
7. sunglasses
8. jeweled sandals
9. denim shorts
10. fedora
11. bright nail polish
12. chapstick or vaseline
13. v-neck tee 

Twilight Twaddle - save me!

So D-day is almost here for the Twi-hards, though, I’m not feeling the love. I’m probably the only person walking this earth right now who isn’t hooked on Twilight. I must admit, I haven’t even watched it (apart from the trailers and interviews being shoved in my face), but I somehow feel that it’s not going to make a difference. This is my opinion (followed by your repugnance, I’m sure): it’s a vampire movie minus the blood, the horror that cultivates when the sun sets, hearts being ripped from chests, brutal devours, underground night clubs or crazy sex. In other words, nothing like From Dust till Dawn, I am Legend or True Blood, which is a total shame, because that’s the shit vampire movies are made of. Then I’ve also heard it’s a ‘romantic movie’ to which I will be ‘crying my eyes out’. Excuse me! I don’t want to be crying when I watch teenagers’ love-triangle unfold, because if I did, I would just watch 10 Things I hate about you for the 16th time. Twilight is a vampire movie, so I want to see the old-fashioned vampire stuff that haunts me in my dreams for weeks thereafter. How can pretty vamps possibly haunt me? I want to watch a real vampire movie that will have me convinced they exist. And I want to be scared of getting a papercut!

Then, I’m not really a fan of the tan-less Robert Pattinson, Kirsten Steward or Taylor Lautner, because they fall in the same league as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and High School Musical, which would’ve been appropriate if I was 16 years old. Besides, who are these actors anyway? Who were they before Twilight? No one. I believe an overnight success will go as quickly as it came. Remember how in love you were with Harry Potter? I rest my case.

To me, Twilight is a tween phenomenon that doesn’t really have me convinced it's worth watching. Usually I’d give any new craze a chance and see what the fuss is about, then move on. But in this case, there's no ‘moving on’, because there’s Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. Where will the madness end?

I’m not against ‘team Edward’ or ‘team Jacob’; I’m just pro-proper-vampire-movies! I guess it sounds too much like a chick-flick for me to care. And there's nothing like a chick-flick to insult my intelligence.

J
(Image found here)

Giveaways!!!!

enter the Mz More's Giveaway here

Civilized South Africa!

I tried to restrain myself, but it was only a matter of time before a blog post would feature soccer, though there is something I need to get off my chest. Ok, so it's not entirely about soccer (because my knowledge is limited), but more of South Africa. I'm so glad the Soccer World Cup is taking place right here! I thought it was going to be an embarrassment for our country, because I didn't have faith in our people. I didn't think we'd pull it off, and, instead I thought tourists would be raped, murdered or robbed. I mean, come on, we don't really have a good track record when it comes to crime (and my mirror socks were stolen)! 

Well, I take back every negative thought I had, because we're halfway through and things are running smoothly! Everything is about soccer, whether you like it or not. It is so pleasant to pick up a newspaper and not see 'murder', 'blood' or 'corruption' in the headlines - everything is just about soccer. There is one thing I did see in the newspaper that didn't really come as a shock. A foreigner was quoted as saying "I didn't know South Africa was so civilized". Well duh!

So here is the part I would like to get off my chest (and listen up foreigners!): We are more than just civilized! South Africa is a beautiful country with even more beautiful, talented, PROUD people! There are more to SA than the Big 5, Table Mountain or Nelson Mandela. We use money, that we work for, when we buy things in malls, restaurants or boutiques. We even use a currency called 'rand'. Now I bet you didn't see that one coming, because somewhere you read that we trade with cattle. Just like our water, our milk is safe to drink - and it's delicious! Then let me not go into the wines we make, among other things! We live in houses (the wealthier ones in mansions) and we have things like satellite TV, designer clothes, dishwashers and washing machines. We even have our own actors, models, fashion designers, singers and reality TV shows; homebrewed. Shocked yet? Well, then I probably shouldn't tell you that we have cars parked in our garages, and it's cars like BMW, Mercedes and 4X4's. We don't run around barefeet with our babies tied to our backs. We don't have wild animals parading through our streets. The women are not topless, unless the price is right. And lastly, the majority of us don't live in poverty with AIDS and have our men hunt during the day.

See, we're pretty (and) normal on this side of the world. It might not be Vegas, but we also party and get drunk - some more than others.

Again, I'm so proud the Soccer World Cup is happening right here, because it's a chance to prove ourselves, a chance to finally put South Africa on the map once and for all, and a chance for the world to open its eyes.

J

Fabulous Find!

What started out as something to keep me entertained and out of trouble, has turned into a total addiction! Blogging is what I'm talking about people! Joining the bloggers-ring and Twitter all in the same month, might lead me to taking over cyberspace real soon.

But before I do that, my boyfriend and I are prepping our new place for the housewarming happening this weekend. Now that we've finally filled up all the empty spaces, and fixed what the previous excuse for a man couldn't do, we need to do something about the blank walls! I was browsing the faithful Google this morning in search of art, but it can't be just any art. It has to be something that reflects me. Yes me. The boyfriend's opinion on art is that it has to be a scenery or panorama setting, and it has to be in a frame. Urgh, how very 90's of him! So choosing something that reflects me seems impossible (and it is!), but that's why I've chosen to go with abstract art on a canvas. Everybody has their opinion of what they think they're seeing and it doesn't have to make sense.

I found the above images on this website, and, while I'm saving up for these 'investments', it sure as hell deserves a spot in the Fabulous Finds in the mean time!  I love the green (or olive as the artists call it) palette knife painted canvasses! I've attempted the abstract painting before, with a normal brush I might add, and it doesn't look too bad (it actually hangs in our guest room). But painting with a knife? I thought those are used for spreading butter, cutting food or emergency screwdrivers...

Jemma

Kardashian Sis In Bikini For Vegas Mag

Hollywood most hottest babe Kim Kardashian is now with her Sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian in bikini for Vegas Magazine on 7th Anniversary Issues.
"A lot of people in Hollywood have so many friendz around then that are friends fpr the wromg reasons.. But with your [ You ] obviously care "- Khloe Kardashian

"My mom always had amazing clothes and kim and I used to plat in her closet. I was Donna Karan and Kim was my assistant."

-- Kourtney Kardashian

One day, Kimora....ONE DAY

So I'm sitting here at my boring, dusty, cluttered desk and typing on a black, even dustier, coffee stained keyboard (the Vivienne is resting), when I actually should be in Canal Walk at the Baby Phat store hanging out with Kimora Lee Simmons! Everyone who knows me, KNOWS I love the Queen of Fabulosity, so when I heard she's in our beautiful SA, I almost died. Ok, not really, but you catch my drift. THEN, Cosmopolitan held a competition where ONE lucky bitch will get to meet her and they'll throw in a Baby Phat goodie bag. Helloooo!

I entered a million times and I was SO SURE Cosmopolitan will contact me and give me the great news. I had even planned how I would go into serious debt to ensure I'm covered in Baby Phat! I mean, I can't be caught wearing anything else when I meet her. What a slap in the face that would be!

Well, as I said, I'm sitting here and blogging, which means I didn't win. Obviously. I hope the bitch who won falls and breaks her nose lucky girl who won, enjoys it on behalf of all the other Kimora fans out there!

Sigh.