What I Love Weekly #10
6/29/2012

What I Love Weekly #10

1. Overseas holidays. As you read this I will be on the Gold Coast with my family. I'll be shopping, theme-parking, relaxing and being a tourist. I hope it's warmer there!

2. $2 lipsticks. This week I've been wearing Jordana's Holiday Red. While it felt drying on the lips pretty quickly, the colour was stunning and lasts relatively well. Cheap lipsticks are great when you're wanting to trial a colour before investing in a more expensive version.

3. Indoor picnics with friends. On Tuesday we celebrated a friend's birthday early. There was delicious but bad food, bad music (birthday girl's choice) and incredibly bad bluffing during games of Poker. It was a fun afternoon.

Paul McCartney by Linda McCartney.
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Mid Week Music
6/27/2012

Mid Week Music



Government Hooker is the third track from Lady Gaga's latest album, Born This Way. Lyrically the song contains themes of feminism and dominance. It also serves as a metaphor for the rumoured relationship between Marilyn Monroe and former president, John F Kennedy.

Image by Terry Richardson, via Tumblr.
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Culinary Delights: Lamington Cupcakes
6/26/2012

Culinary Delights: Lamington Cupcakes


I love baking. There's something so rewarding about making something yourself and then sharing the results with others. I love surprising people with baking too. Today I'll be making these for a friend who's celebrating a birthday soon.

This recipe comes from Donna Hay magazine. It is quick & super easy to make, which thankfully most of Donna's recipes are. You'll love these, your friends will love these & your family will love these. Don't be surprised if people start going through your cookbooks, snapping photos of as many recipes as they can.

Anyway, without further ado I bring you Donna Hay's Lamington Cupcakes!


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Monday Marvel #3
6/25/2012

Monday Marvel #3

It's very rare to find celebrity photo shoots which have been done well. If anyone does them justice though it's Teen Vogue.

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What I Love Weekly #9
6/22/2012

What I Love Weekly #9

1. Winning things. Last week I entered a competition through Classic Hits (a local radio station) & won $100 worth of Nicole by OPI products. My nail design by Leah from this post made the Top 10 of over 400 entries! Pretty cool huh? Voting closes at 2pm today. If I've won $500 worth of OPI you can expect to see a giveaway happening on the blog. Wish me luck!!

2. Vivienne Westwood for Melissa footwear. I am in love with the Lady Dragon Koosh heel-$120 & the Ultragirl Bow flats-$155. These are the shoes for ladies who like traditionally designed footwear with a twist. Check out the full range here.

3. Crazy coincidences. A couple of things happened last week that really made me appreciate fate. For instance, I ended up in a very special place, the exact same place I was three years ago. Spooky but awesome all at once.

4. This series from Nirrimi's Billabong shoot. Looking at these pictures made me want to go back to Italy, walk through the medieval villages like San Gimigiano & take loads of photos myself. Have a look at the whole series, there's some seriously stunning shots.

5. Making cakes. I love baking, but I probably only make cakes once or twice a year. On Wednesday I made Donna Hay's basic chocolate cake iced with ganache (keep an eye on my blog soon for the recipe!). My friends & family devoured it in about 20 minutes. Yes, really.

Flowers from the delightful friends of mine. LOVE the colours!
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Quotacious Quotes
6/21/2012

Quotacious Quotes

I admire anyone who takes the time to make images combining illustration/photography & quotes, or typography & quotes. They really are an effective way of communicating wisdom. With that in mind, today's edition of Quotacious Quotes consists entirely of pictures people have made & prints that I've found.

Enjoy!







-All images come from Quotes board over on Pinterest.
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Mid Week Music
6/20/2012

Mid Week Music



For those of you who don't know Zowie, she is one of the hottest acts to come out of New Zealand in the last couple of years. She's opened for Katy Perry on her tour of Australia + New Zealand, caught the attention of Perez Hilton and has been signed with Sony Music. Her debut album Love Demolition was released last month and it has already been named one of the albums of the year by Pop Justice.


My Calculator is the first single off Zowie's new album. It is upbeat. catchy and guaranteed to have you dancing around the room. I love the music video too. The styling and concept is amazing. Look out for the cat cameo too, it's super cute!!

"I find that a lot of designers inspire me as I’m writing as I think about the whole thing, like about the video and what outfits would suit that song etc… Generally when I’m writing a track though, it starts from something real and personal that has happened to me and then tends to evolve in a different direction. I’ll somehow make it end up having double meanings and have you wondering if I’m being dirty or nasty, or nice or what. I always try to make sure that people can relate to it. "

 -Zowie on her inspiration, from this interview.

-Zowie for Remix Magazine's 15th Birthday issue, shot by Hannah Richards. 
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New to the beauty bazaar: Benefit, Chanel, Glitzy Lips & MAC.
6/19/2012

New to the beauty bazaar: Benefit, Chanel, Glitzy Lips & MAC.

So I haven't really bought many new beauty products lately. I'm waiting for an order from America Direct to arrive and have my eyes on a couple of Duty Free must-haves. Below are a couple of new products I've acquired recently, as well as some not so recent purchases. Nonetheless they are new in the sense that I am only just starting to really use them now.



1. La Ligne De Chanel-Eyeliner duo in Noir Lame, price unknown. This was a Sephora purchase in Paris a year or so ago. As you can see it is a rather unusual eyeliner in the sense that it is a powdered formula. You can apply this wet or dry using an eyeliner brush. I like layering the glittered black over the top of the plain black on the left. It is incredibly easy to use and lasts for hours. Unfortunately this product cannot be purchased in New Zealand. However, you can find it here.

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Monday Marvel #2
6/18/2012

Monday Marvel #2


I have this picture in places where I'll see it often, like my diary & inside a book I'm reading at the moment.

-It is so easy to get carried away when someone says or does something negative towards you. There is always going to be someone who won't like what you do. They will be willing to criticise your every fault. Know that you are so much better than whoever, or whatever it is that is trying to get you down. Nothing can destroy you. SHINE ON!! xo

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What I Love Weekly #8
6/15/2012

What I Love Weekly #8

1. Out with the old, in with the new. Some of my friends have been redesigning their blogs & websites recently. They've all being doing a mighty fine job too. Now I'm on holiday I can finally start updating my blog's layout & the Facebook page, which I've been wanting to do for an extremely long time now. Thanks for the free inspiration ladies! xx

2. Exams are over!! I have this theory that exams transform us into the worst possible versions of ourselves. I am not complaining about my four week holiday whatsoever.

3. Someone rather awesome gave me three professional photos of Florence at her Auckland show. Unfortunately I can't post them online, but I can tell you they are rather stunning.

4. This editorial by Burberry. I always love their campaign images. They're so classic. Look at those tailored trousers in the first photo. Amazing.

5. Ladies with an attitude, fellows that were in the mood. On Monday night I popped down to the Civic Theatre with C to watch Michael Griffiths: In Vogue. Michael was Madonna as he sung her music at the piano, told us her stories and even read her diary. I loved the show. It was perfectly written, entertaining & great fun.

WIWW: Sequins, custom nails & a tee designed by bloggers. So much product placement.
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Brilliant Blogs, Edition 5.
6/14/2012

Brilliant Blogs, Edition 5.

How often do you stumble across a great product on a blog, only to find it is not sold where you live? How often do you find yourself avoiding critic's reviews because they're known to not favour their subjects? If you answered yes to either of the above then Hannah Rogers' blog is the blog for you.



Hannah's blog regularly features reviews on two of the things she loves the most; beauty products + services and movies. She also looks at fashion must-haves from New Zealand designers.
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Mid Week Music
6/13/2012

Mid Week Music



In the film Moulin Rouge, this song is described by Christian as the lover's secret song. It was a not so subtle way for him and Satine to share their forbidden love on stage each night during their show. It plays out beautifully on film as you can see.

Come What May is sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman in the film. It was the 8th highest selling single in Australia during 2001. It would've been nominated for best original song at the Academy Awards. Unfortunately it was originally intended for Baz Luhrmann's film, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet


"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place."


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Monday Marvel #1
6/11/2012

Monday Marvel #1

An extremely gifted artist wrote in her first column for V Magazine; "An expertise in the vocabulary of fashion, art, and pop culture requires a tremendous amount of studying...in my downtime-I was analysing and studying my library."

It is with that in mind that I bring you my new Monday post. It is so important to constantly surround yourself with inspiration. For instance, I have a fashion magazine library, a shoebox full of magazine tears, notes from friends and art prints among other things. If I walk into a clothing or shoe store, I will be able to tell you what designer has inspired a piece.

Every Monday I will be bringing you something I've found which has personally inspired me. It could be anything; from an editorial, to a window display, a book cover or even a quote I've read. I hope that it'll inspire you to always have your eyes open and to always seek out creativity.


Today I bring you Christian Lacroix Papier. For those who don't know me personally, I love stationery, especially when it's designed & presented well. I could easily spend an hour or two in Auckland's Pencil Boutique. 
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Something extra for your pleasure: Lady Gaga's words of wisdom.
6/09/2012

Something extra for your pleasure: Lady Gaga's words of wisdom.

So I've had some requests to upload the speech Lady Gaga gave during her concert last night. You may hear me screaming a few times, but mostly I'm quietly taking it all in. I also apologise for the tweens behind me who kept making rude comments. I knew I should've thrown glitter at them. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Have a fabulous weekend xo.


                                      
                                 
                                Candid image of Gaga in Auckland, via Tumblr

    





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What I Love Weekly #7
6/08/2012

What I Love Weekly #7

1. Money, money, money. I was quite pleased to earn some money this week. It's going straight into the overseas travel fund for use later this month.

2. This video. One of Leah's regular clients is Zowie, a musician from New Zealand. I love this tutorial. How cute are those Hello Kitty bows & jewels? Next time I visit Leah I might have to treat myself to jewel encrusted nails as well.

3. Sleeping in. One of the benefits of not having to wake up at 5am three times a week, like I usually have to do. I love lying in & reading on the cold mornings, which Auckland seems to be having a lot of at the moment.

4. All that glitters is gold. Last Friday I was up early to look at the Hey Sailor collection & score the very last Old Gold pigment at MAC Britomart. Later that day Leah custom blended this colour (see below) for my nails using my pigment & smart gel. She even added some butterfly detailing because I loved the Monarch Butterfly nails she had done for another client. I've also been experimenting with another gold beauty product this week. More on that later...

My latest nails as done by Leah Light.
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Mid Week Music
6/06/2012

Mid Week Music



Only If For A Night is the first track of Florence + the Machine's second album, Ceremonials. It was written after a dream Florence had in which she was visited by her Grandmother. She was told to 'concentrate' which, coming from a ghost was 'strange & so surreal.' 


This is one of my favourite songs off her recent album. There's something very mystifying & enchanting about it. It also features one of my favourite lyrics; The grass was so green against my new clothes. And I did cartwheels in your honour, dancing on tiptoes. My own secret ceremonials.

-Gif via Tumblr.

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Today I was wonderstruck by Wocolate. My wishlist includes...
6/05/2012

Today I was wonderstruck by Wocolate. My wishlist includes...

Wocolate is a local online store which stocks wondrous things. Owners Josh & Sarah's aim is to;  fill this store with goods of character that one will cherish and will endure, with prices that are affordable so they are accessible to everyone. There are so many nostalgic and beautiful items in their store which you will fall in love with. 


Here's a selection of some of my favourite things from Wocolate:







1. Fluoro Pink Cambridge Satchel, $205. I have a brown one of these & they are such gorgeous bags. They also store quite a lot as well, if you're creative with that.

2. Flower Bomb Earrings in Black, $30. These are currently on sale & would make great statement earrings. The colour is versatile enough that these could be worn with a lot of different looks as well.

3. Happy Socks, $24. As I said a couple of weeks ago these would be great for winter. Wocolate stock a wide range of colours so you could even mix & match pairs, if you're feeling brave.
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Monday Muse-The grand finale.
6/04/2012

Monday Muse-The grand finale.

Hi everyone! Happy Monday for another week. I just thought I'd let you know that during June my posting won't be as frequent. June is going to be a rather busy month with exams, an overseas holiday & then life in general demanding my attention so it'll affect my blog among other things.

This is my very last Monday Muse post. Next week I'll be debuting a new feature for you all which I hope you'll like.

Anyway, today's muse is someone who is a constant inspiration for me. She has achieved extraordinary things & I'm so excited that I'll be seeing her again this week. Today I bring you the current* Queen of Pop, Lady Gaga.

We all know Lady Gaga's Cinderella story so I won't go into it here. Cyndi Lauper wrote two years ago that Gaga's lyrics are "incredibly literary". She also commented that; "Most of the stuff on the radio is not very clever, but Gaga presents her ideas in a sophisticated manner. She has an incredible pop sensibility." Even now in 2012 this is still true of her. Born This Way in particular is so much more meaningful than the majority of music on mainstream radio nowadays. Everything she does is so strategic & so brilliantly crafted. You can't help being wonderstruck by her.

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What I Love Weekly #6
6/01/2012

What I Love Weekly #6

1. This song. As I mentioned yesterday, I was given Back to Black last week. I've had this track playing a lot over the last few days and in my opinion it's one of Amy's best songs.

2. Endings. Yesterday Semester 1 of University came to a close. Catching up on sleep, spending time doing whatever/whenever all seem pretty idyllic right about now. I like the sound of all of those and they will definitely all be happening.

3. Exercise! It was freezing when I went out for a walk & run but after a little while the cold became unnoticeable. I love going out & exercising by myself with music & nature for company.

4. Florence & the Machine's Ceremonials tour. J & I queued for over 4 hours but it was worth it, getting to be second row for the entire show more or less. Florence is amazing live! She was spinning all over the stage in her floaty black dress. It was like we were all part of her secret ceremonials.


One of the many photos I took. I think this might be my favourite.
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