On the 3rd Day of Christmas

My true love decided to revel in the excitement of an overseas trip with me. And gave me THIS!


A new-age tampon, you ask? Mon Got, no! It is a Travalo.


Travalo: A less-than-pint-sized pump-spray which you may fill with the scent of your choosing and: (a) smuggle into your handbag (for toilet freshen ups on a night out); (b)smuggle into your handbag (to take on long flights so you may freshen up without being harassed by customs staff who only like their fluids in tiny gulps of 100mL); or (c) smuggle into your handbag just because you can.
e.g. Why hello nice Mr Customs Officer. Today I am complying with all of your inconvenient rules and smelling very nicely about it, too. Thanks to my Travalo. or You smell weird, girlfriend. Take my Travalo.

On the Second Day of Christmas

My true love went NUTS with the extravagance...


You probably won't believe me, given my earlier post, however I'm actually not a huge fan of Tiffany. I am a huge fan of yellow, however.

Last week I was casually browsing through a magazine and seriously almost fell off my chair at the beauty of Tiffany yellow diamonds. Are they not stunning? Leaving aside any Tiffany-diamonds-are-sooo-overpriced reservations? The best bit is, that the diamonds are from Western Australia - way up north just beyond Broome at the Ellendale mine. The second beauty of the diamonds, is that it directly feeds into Tiffany's history, with Tiffany founder Charles Tiffany purchasing what was then the largest yellow diamond from the De Beers mine in South Africa in 1877 for $18,000. It is now rumoured to be worth $250 million. Nice investment.

The Tiffany yellow diamond (from South Africa) has been worn only twice: the first was in in 1957 at the Tiffany Ball in Newport, Rhode Island when the chairwomen of the ball, Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse, got to wear it. Next was the unofficial Tiffany pin-up girl, Audrey Hepburn, who wore it set in a necklace for a Breakfast At Tiffany's public promotion. The current setting for the stone is 'Bird On the Rock'.



So it is no surprise that these puppies come at a premium: about double to three times the price of a normal diamond. Yikes!

Summer Hits 2010

Summer means low maintenance make-up, fresh colours for lips, simple (frizz-free) hair and clean, natural looking brows.


The happiest time of year.

Where Do You Go To?

Evidently, I am back.


Not much has changed... I have finished my uni degree at last. My contract in my current role comes to an end soon, and I truly have no idea if it will be renewed. I am thinking of moving out of my house - there are some "lifestyle" issues at home, to say the least! I have booked my trip. Two months in South America - self-discovery, perspective shift. Oh wait. Actually quite a bit has changed! haha.

On the 1st Day of Christmas

Yes folks, it's that time of year again! I LOVE Christmas. I don't care that we don't have snowflakes - tinsel will do just fine, thanks very much. And I'll raise your gluevine a Pimms in the backyard, Europe!

However... Should I be in somewhere Northern Hemisphere-like and wintry, this adorable knitted headband/earwarmer (so clever) would be on my I've-Been-A-Very-Good-Girl list:

Aspirational Christmas

Tiffany & Co has released its Christmas 2010 campaign, featuring Doutzen Krous. The campaign celebrates love, family and the warmth - despite those perfect flakes of snow - and goodwill that permeates (or is meant to) the Christmas season. I am still dreaming of celebrating Christmas in NYC. As a local (with a job). *sigh* Gifts of Tiffany & Co will be duly accepted at such time. :o)

GQ Man of the Year

Ryan Kwanten. Nice choice. He is the hotness! Does anyone else love True Blood? That show drives me wild, it's just so good!


Obligatory pic of Matt Preston. I love him! When will he win??


Probably when he gets a 6 pack like Ryan...

I Wish

Lara Bingle would add some colour to her lips. She is always working this nude pink colour, and sometimes it's like she's the lipless woman when clearly she's not. She's hot!


She should have borrowed Jessica Marais' lippie in the bathrooms (at the GQ Man of the Year awards night).

The Rules of Christmas Dressing or Other Quotable Quotes

Here are the rules of Christmas party attire, as told by the inimitable Anna Dello Russo in what appears to be Engrish.

"Now begins the critical period for PARTIES to celebrate CHRISTMAS.

They involving not only the family and friends, as well as formal events.

I'm going to remember you my 10 RULES to be always on TOP!

1. Don't wear RED or GREEN outfits. You will look alike a Christmas tree.

2. Forget any COATS (also if outside it's only 5 degrees). You should make a big impact just with your dress.

3. Choose a GOLD. You will emphasize the idea to be a Christmas GIFT to unwrap.

4. Go to the hairdresser, facial, manicure and pedicure. Don't be worry to be OVER-DONE!

5. Choose between HAT and MAKEUP, if you wear a hat keep fresh face otherwise you will looks like a transvestite.

6. Wearing lots of JEWELLERY. the sound of JEWELLERY banish bad thoughts and bad ghosts.

7. Focus on the SHOES. Generally at Christmas party you spend a lot of time seated on the sofa.

8. Shoes have to carry all the magical atmosphere of Christmas: Choose sparkling, shiny, eccentric, metallic, decorative, precious, brocade, extravagant, color-full, magnificent, enchanting, ... PAIR OF SHOES.

9. Don't be worry about your BAG,you immediately will forget it on some chairs.

10. Don't throw yourself on the drinks and on the food. It's not POLITE!


Comments:
* I do not like the last rule. That's the first thing I do!
* Clearly, ADR has not caught a bus or walked to a subway stop in only 5 degree temps.
* Who sits on the sofa? You should be dancing on the sofa!

Age Shall Not Weary Them

This is Jane Fonda. She is SEVENTY! Sure, it probably cost a lot in plastic surgery, personal training fees and the emotional toll of not eating cake, but ... It might just be worth it.

See V Magazine's latest issue, attempting to convince us that no one cares about age.


If only.

Must See

Jealous Much?

Important question: Do you think, based on this pic, that they are shagging? (Not right then, but you know what I mean).

On the campaign trail for their latest film together - which Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhall are naked for about 65% of - it seems fairly natural that they would conduct promotions in the nudder as well. Gyllenhaal plays a commitment-phobic Viagra sales-rep and Anne's character, an artist, strikes up a casual sex arrangement with the Viagra man. We all know where casual sex arrangements end up, too... Either one party gets too attached and they break up or they fall for each other and live happily ever after (not often).

According to the Sydney Morning Herald website, Hathaway said she initially found the requirements of the role "mortifying" and was left "constantly bruised" from the physical exertion of making love - sometimes aggressively - for the cameras.

Gyllenhaal had this to say about fake-shagging Hathaway:
"There's something about the way Annie and I both work which is inherently very musical. It's all about rhythm. There's a rhythm to writing, there's a rhythm to sports and there's a rhythm to sex."

They're totally doing it, right?

GOOP Meets Glee

LOVE this. This episode airs in Oz on Monday and I couldn't resist taking a sneak peek!

Happy Friday: The Day Is Almost Upon Us!

Tomorrow, Phuong will become a Mrs!

How I Love Thee...

Free music!

Even better - it's Girl Talk! And it's new! OMG! Go download it, and enjoy!

Reliving the Post-War Party

"In 1952, Revlon launched its iconic color collection Fire & Ice™, with matching lips and fingertips in a bold, fiery red. This fall, Revlon brings back its Fire & Ice™ collection for today’s woman – who is as bold, confident, and glamorous as ever."

Well, hello Jessica Biel, vamping it up as you are in direct homage to the birth of the "new American woman".


Do you remember her portrayal as the loud, mischevious American woman in Easy Virtue? Stunning. So Revlon was really a shoo-in, what with all that red lipstick and American-ness and all...


And just to make sure you are a Revlon woman, the geniuses in the marketing department developed a quiz. Just to be sure! Hilarity!


I once got booted out of a nightclub for dancing with my shoes off - which was a blessing in disguise. I had an exam the next day which I had to depart early in search of McDonalds - post-alcohol shakes and an Asian Legal Systems exam truly was not pretty!

Not sure what they were getting at with the whole "Do you hope the next man you meet is a psychiatrist?" thing... Were American women all a bit fruity post-war? Um yes... Betty Draper.

Hopes Dashed Globally - In the Nicest of Ways

When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her and I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there. But we ended up being friends for a while and that was a good foundation because I do genuinely believe now that being friends with one another is a massive advantage. It just went from there and over the years I knew things were getting better and better.

We went through a few stumbling blocks as every relationship does but we picked ourselves up and carried on. From where you have the odd problem when you are first getting to know each other those have all gone and it's just really easy just being with each other, it's really fun and I'm obviously extremely funny and she loves that.



Aaaah yes, the wait is over. Women the world over born circa 1981-83 must now give up on their dream of becoming princess (and eventual queen) to Prince William. The woman to dash all these hopes is one Kate Middleton - she of the lustrous mane of chestnut hair, and conservative (yet nice) fashion styling described by the Daily Telegraph as: "a cautious, painfully immaculate dresser ... For a girl of 28, it suggests a case of fashion constipation... The thinking appears to have been not 'What would I enjoy wearing?' but 'How would this sit on a commemorative plate'?"

And speaking of commemorative plates, there is sure to be a Wedgwood bonanza in the lead up to this long-awaited engagement.


And how lovely that William (known as Big Willie to Kate apparently) chose his mother's engagement ring: "[my mother] is not going to be around for the fun and excitement so it's my way of keeping her close to it all. I'm no expert on rings but I've been reliably informed it's a sapphire with some diamonds but I'm sure everyone recognises it from previous times."

Apple Owns the World

iTunes is now selling The Beatles. Music world dominance.

Holy Spell-Check Hilarity

I love this website.


Aaaah wordplay. The happy domain of geeks.

And Finally...

Shoesday Cruise

Some snaps from Jimmy Choo's latest Cruise collection.

Giraffe Manor

Built in 1932 in the style of a Scottish hunting lodge, the Manor is now an unsophisticated but charming homestay. Surrounded by the 140 acres of private sanctuary in a suburb of Nairobi, it offers an unusual Nairobi stopover, with the opportunity to see the endangered Rothschild giraffe up close as they wander across the lawn (or closer still as it checks out your breakfast). A quirky feature is the rather formal sit-down dinners around a communal dining table lit with antique candelabra.

Yes, they really said unsophisticated! Of course the official website considers the Manor an elegant, personally hosted, small and exclusive hotel, famous for its resident herd of giraffe. The Giraffe Manor offers a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained and friendly staff, as well as one of Nairobi's finest kitchens.



This is very Agatha Christie-esque, no? Death on the Nile etc?

January Vogue Australia

Featuring a 6 and half months pregnant Miranda Kerr. Miranda Kerr is everywhere at the moment - from A Current Affair with her nanna to Vogue - as she promotes her latest book. This is the first time Oz Vogue has featured a pregnant lady on its cover. I'm glad they went with the clothing option rather than the countless nude Demi-inspired covers that mags generally seem to prefer.

Baby Bump

Miranda Kerr has appeared completely naked and knocked-up in W Magazine, and she looks - as always - amazing. The 27 year old glamour girl had this to say about starting a family: For me, family is life. The decision to start one wasn’t complex at all.

The magazine went on to say that Kerr, whose stealth wedding to actor Orlando Bloom this past July caught even the paparazzi off guard, was in Paris shooting a Jil Sander campaign when she found out she was pregnant. “I was wondering why I’d been so sick.” Kerr and Bloom have opted not to be told their child’s sex. “We’re keeping it a surprise,” she says. Though her modeling stock has risen (she’s currently fronting campaigns for Jil Sander, Prada, and Victoria’s Secret), Kerr has no issues with putting her professional ambitions on hold. “My career has been wonderful, but it’s not my life. I don’t feel pressure to get back to work.” As for the long-term future, the Aussie native has conceived a rustic plan for domestic bliss: “My goal involves a hammock, a vegetable patch, and a solar-powered house. And I hope to eventually get there.”

I really love this girl's attitude to life.

Can't Get Enough

Yellow dresses!


Thank you, Victoria!

Shoesday: Coverstory

I still hate those shoes. But this is a cool cover!